The background of these two adventurous lives is one of the most colorful periods of American history—the conquest of the mighty Aztec Empire by a handful of Spanish cavaliers, the last of the knights of old.

The brave and fiery Cortez was accompanied during his conquest of Mexico by a Friar of the Order of Mercy who was not only the chaplain of the expedition but the devoted adviser and friend of its commander. Padre Bartolomé de Olmedo was at Cortez' side when he planted the Cross at Vera Cruz and claimed Mexico for the Spanish King; after the attack by the masked warriors of Tlaxcalan, he rode on with him to the capital of the Aztecs and the meeting with the Emperor Montezuma. In all the dramatic events that followed the Friar took part, and although he did not always agree with his friend Hernando, especially in his treatment of the Indians, he did not fail in his loyalty to him. The friendship of the two was never broken, and the true account of the adventures they shared makes a stirring story for young readers.

From the dust jacket