Upon this information, Cortes hastily fitted out one of the brigantiues with the largest piece of ordnance, and sent twenty men on board, under the command of one of his best officers, who was ordered, at all events, to bring the strange vessel, with all her hands, into the harbour of Truxillo. The Indians likewise promised to man all their canoes and accompany the brigantine to where the vessel lay moored. When the strange vessel observed a well-armed brigantine approaching, with several canoes belonging to these islands, she easily guessed how matters stood, quickly weighed anchor, made off at the utmost of her speed, and so eluded the pursuit of the brigantine. We subsequently learnt that this vessel was commanded by the bachelor Moreno, whom the royal court of audience at St. Domingo had despatched on certain business to Nombre de Dios, and he had either been driven by contrary winds off these islands, or had purposely repaired thither to carry away a cargo of slaves. CHAPTER CLXXXIV. _How Sandoval, during our stay at Naco, takes forty Spanish soldiers with their captain prisoners, who, on their march from the province of Nicaragua, had everywhere plundered and otherwise ill-used the inhabitants._ While Sandoval was staying at Naco, occupied in the friendly subjection of the surrounding country, four caziques arrived in our camp from the two townships of Quecuscapa and Tanchinalchapa, complaining bitterly of some Spaniards, who, they said, had horses, and were otherwise armed like ourselves. These men plundered the inhabitants of all their property, and forcibly carried off their wives and daughters in iron chains. Sandoval, it may be imagined, was exceedingly vexed at this intelligence. On inquiring of the caziques how far distant their townships lay, they told him only one day's journey. He then immediately marched out with sixty of us, all well-armed, and we arrived in the above-mentioned townships before the Spaniards there had the least notice of our approach; yet the instant they saw us they flew to their arms, but we came so suddenly upon them, that we took the greater part of the men with their captain prisoners, without so much as a drop of blood being spilt on either side. Sandoval, to use a common phrase, blew them up in fine style, and asked them whether theirs was justifiable conduct thus to ill-use his majesty's subjects, and whether the course they pursued was the proper method of making conquests in his majesty's name? He then commanded the men and women they had taken prisoners, and around whose necks they had fastened iron collars, to be instantly released and restored to the caziques of the district.