Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/96

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CHAPTER V

Of reaching, San Juan de Ulua, and what Montezuma did for and against us.

Monday morning we set sail, and, keeping close to the shore, steered for San Juan de Ulua. As we sped along in the fine weather those of us who had been with Grijalva and knew the coast would point out to Cortes such places as Tonala, which we called San Antonio, and further on the great river of Coatzacoalcos, and still further the lofty, snow-crested mountains, and then those of San Martin. We showed him, too, the river Alvarado, and after we made further way the Banderas, where we had gained the sixteen thousand dollars in barter, and the Island of the Sacrifices, where we found the Indian victims, and at last, with all our fleet, we came to San Juan de Ulua a little after midday on Thursday.

Our pilot, having been there with Grijalva, remembered the harbor and brought our ships to anchor where they would be safe from northers. We had scarcely lain half an hour when Indians in two canoes made straight for our flagship, and climbing aboard asked for the tlatoan, which in their tongue

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