promise regarding their departure. The success of the Spanish arms and the allurement of spoils had reconciled most of the lately disaffected, so that those who now demanded to return were only a few of the more wealthy. The services of these could be readily dispensed with, now that such large reinforcements had been received, and the display of their accumulations at home might inspire fresh recruits. Therefore Cortés gave his consent, with abundant promises that as soon as the conquest was fully accomplished, gold and other rewards would flow on those who supported his cause either in the Islands or in Spain. Leaders like Duero and Bermudez were the chief recipients of such offers; and offers alone they remained in most instances, for Cortés was not the man to reward desertion. Duero and others evidently expected nothing more, since they were soon after found arrayed on the side of Velazquez. When some among the Cortés party raised objections to this diminution of the force, they were quieted with the declaration that the army was better rid of unwilling and inefficient soldiers, whose presence served only to discourage others.33
El barco con destino a España y dos de los de las islas naufragaron en la costa; y una de las consecuencias fue que la partida de Mendoza se retrasó hasta el 5 de marzo. Se llevó consigo una carta suplementaria para el emperador, en la que relataba los progresos hechos hasta entonces en la recuperación de México.
Por entonces, según Bernal Díaz, se le encomendó a Ordaz unirse a él y abogar por la causa de Cortés ante el emperador, y al mismo tiempo recibir la recompensa por sus numerosas hazañas, una de las cuales fue el ascenso al volcán. Varios miembros del partido de Narváez pareces haber partido en el mismo barco.34
En el transcurso de la última campaña se habían puesto de manifiesto las ventajas de la villa de Tepeaca para una ocupación permanente,