When we arrived at the town I have mentioned, Cortés cajoled the Caciques and chieftains and gave them good Chalchihuites from Mexico, and asked where the large and rapid river flowed to which ran near the town, and they told him that it ended in some lagoons where stood a pueblo named Gueatasta and near to it was another large pueblo called Xicalango. It occurred to Cortés at once to send two Spaniards in canoes to the north coast to find out about Captain Simon de Cuenca and his two ships which he had ordered to be laden with provisions for the journey I have spoken about, and he wrote to him informing him about our hardships and telling him to go on ahead along the coast, and, after having clearly informed him how he could reach the townships I have mentioned by that river, he despatched the two Spaniards of whom the more important was Francisco de Medina, often named by me before. He gave him authority as Captain jointly with Simon de Cuenca, because Medina was very active and spoke the language of the country, and he was the soldier who caused the revolt of the pueblo of Chamula when we went with Luis Marin to the conquest of Chiapas, as I have related in the Chapter which speaks of it. It would have been better had Cortés never given him that authority, on account of what afterwards happened, which was that he went down the river to where Simon de Cuenca was stationed with his two ships at Xicalango, awaiting news of Cortés, and after delivering Cortés's letters, presented his commission as Captain ;