Before most of them fairly knew what they were about they had voted to
form a colony under the royal authority, elected Cortes governor as soon
as he resigned his former position, and seen the new governor appoint a
council in proper form, to aid in the government.
"I knew it," said Saavedra to himself as he went back, alone, to his
quarters. "Just as people have made up their minds they have got him
between the door and the jamb, he is somewhere else. When he resigned
his commission he slipped out from under the government of Cuba, and
that has no authority over him. He has appointed a council made up of
his own friends, and now he can hang every one of the Velasquez party if
they make any trouble. But they won't."
They did not. Cortes sent his flagship to Spain with some of his
especial friends and some of his particular enemies on board, the
enemies to get them out of his way, the friends to defend him to the
King against their accusations. He founded a city which he named Villa
Rica de Vera Cruz, the Rich Town of the True Cross. Then, as the next
step toward the invasion of the country, he proceeded to play Indian
politics.
First he accepted the invitation of the chief of the Totonacs, and
Moteczuma, hearing of it, sent the tax-gatherers to collect tribute and
also to demand twenty young men and women to sacrifice to the gods as an
atonement for having entertained the strangers.
Pages:
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197