 Book 2, Chapter 4 of the History of the Conquest of Mexico This is a LivriVax recording. All LivriVax recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LivriVax.org Recording by Mick History of the Conquest of Mexico by William H. Prescott Book 2, Chapter 4 Projects to Cozumel Conversion of the Natives Jerónimo de Aguilar Army arrived at Tabasco Great battle with the Indians Christianity introduced Orders were given for the vessels to keep as near together as possible And to take the direction of the Capitana or admiral's ship Which carried a beacon light in the stern during the night But the weather which had been favorable changed soon after their departure And one of those tempests set in Which at this season are often found in the latitude of the west Indies It fell with terrible force on the little navy Scattering it far asunder Dismantling some of the ships And driving them all considerably south of their proposed destination Cortes who had lingered behind to Camboy, a disabled vessel Reached the island of Cozumel last On landing he learned that one of his captains, Pedro de Alvarado Had availed himself of the short time he had been there To enter the temples Rifled them of their few ornaments And by his violent conduct so far to terrify the simple natives That they had fled for refuge into the interior of the island Cortes highly incensed at these rash proceedings So contrary to the policy he had proposed Could not refrain from severely reprimanding his officer in the presence of the army He commanded two Indian captives taken by Alvarado To be brought before him and explained to them the pacific purpose of his visit These he did through the assistance of his interpreter Merterejo, a native of Chukatan who had been brought back by Crihalba And who during his residence in Cuba had picked up some acquaintance with the Castilian He then dismissed them loaded with presents And with an invitation to their countrymen to return to their homes Without fear of further annoyance This humane policy succeeded The fugitives reassured were not slow in coming back And an amicable intercourse was established In which Spanish cutlery and trinkets were a change for the gold ornaments of the natives A traffic in which each party congratulated itself A philosopher might seem with equal reason On outwearing the other The first object of Cortes was to gather tidings of the unfortunate Christians Who were reported to be still lingering in captivity on the neighboring continent From some traders in the island he obtained such a confirmation of the report That he sent Diego de Ordaz with two brigantines to the opposite coast of Chukatan With instructions to remain there eight days Some Indians went as messengers in the vessels Who consented to bear a letter to the captives Informing them of the arrival of their countrymen in Cozumel With a liberal ransom for their release Meanwhile the general proposed to make an excursion to the different parts of the island That he might give employment to the restless spirits of the soldiers And ascertain their resources of the country It was poor and thinly peopled But everywhere he recognized the vestiges of a higher civilization Than what he had before witnessed in the Indian islands The houses were some of them large and often built of stone and lime He was particularly struck with the temples In which were towers constructed of the same solid materials And rising several stories in height In the court of one of these he was amazed by the sight of a cross Of a stone and lime about 10 pounds high It was the emblem of the god of rain Its appearance suggested the wildest conjectures Not merely to the unlettered soldiers But subsequently to the European scholar Who speculated on the character of the races That had introduced there the sacred symbol of Christianity But no such inference as we shall see hereafter could be warranted Yet it must be regarded as a curious fact That the grass should have been venerated as the wudget of religious worship Both in the new world and in regions of the old Where the light of Christianity had never risen The next object of Cortez was to reclaim the natives from their gross idolatry And to substitute a pure form of worship In accomplishing this he was prepared to use force If mother measures should be ineffectual There was nothing which the Spanish government had more earnestly at heart That the conversion of the Indians It forms a constant burden of their instructions And gave to the military expeditions in this western hemisphere Somewhat of the air of a crusade The cavalier who embarked in them Entered fully into this chivalrous and devotional feelings No doubt was entertained of the efficacy of conversion However sudden might be the change or however violent the means The sort was a good argument when the tongue failed And the spread of mehometonism had shown that seeds sown by the hand of violence Far from perishing in the ground would spring up and bear fruit to after time If this were so in a bad cause how much more would it be true in a good one The Spanish cavalier felt he had a high mission to accomplish as a soldier of the class However unauthorized or unrighteous the war into which he had entered May seem to us to him it was a holy war He was in arms against the infidel Not to care for the soul of his benighted enemy was to put his own in jeopardy The conversion of a single soul might cover a multitude of sins It was not for morals that he was concerned but for the faith This though understood in its most literal and limited sense Comprehended the whole scheme of Christian morality Whoever died in the faith however immoral had been his life Might be said to die in the Lord Such was the creed of the Castilian night of that day As imbibed from the preachings of the pulpit From cloisters and colleges at home From monks and missionaries abroad From all safe one las casas whose devotion Kindled at a purer source was not alas Permitted to send forth its radiance far into the thick Gloom by which he was encompassed No one but took more fully of the feelings above the scratch Than Hernán Cortés He was in truth the very mirror of the times in which he lived Reflecting its madly characteristics Its speculative devotion and practical license But with an intensity all his own He was greatly scandalized at the exhibition of the idolatrous practices Of the people of Cozumel Though untainted as it would seem with human sacrifices He endeavored to persuade them to embrace a better faith Through the agency of two ecclesiastics Who attended the expedition The licentiate Juan Díaz and Fadar Bartolomé de Olmedo The latter of these codely men afforded the rare example Rare in any age of the union of urban seal with charity While he beautifully illustrated in his own conduct The precepts which he taught He remained with the army through the whole expedition And by his wise and benevolent consuls Was often unable to mitigate the cruelties of the conquerors And to turn aside the edge of the sword from the unfortunate natives These two missionaries vainly labored to persuade the people of Cozumel To renounce their abominations and to allow the Indian idols In which the Christians recognized the true linements of Satan To be thrown down and demolished The simple natives, filled with horror at the proposed profanation Exclaimed that these were the gods who sent them the sunshine and the storm And should any violence be offered They would be sure to avenge it by sending their lightnings on the heads of its perpetrators Cortés was probably not much of a polemic At all events he preferred on the present vocation action to argument And thought that the best way to convince the Indians of their error Was to prove the falsehood of the prediction He accordingly, without further ceremony, cast the venerated images to be rolled down the stairs of the great temple Amid the groans and lamentations of the natives An altar was hastily constructed An image of the virgin and child placed over it And mass was performed by Father Olmedo and his reverend Companion for the first time within the walls of a temple in New Spain The patient ministers tried once more to pour the light of the gospel into the venerated understandings of the islanders And to expound the mysteries of the Catholic faith The Indian interpreter must have afforded rather a dubious channel for the transmission of such abstruse doctrines But they at length found favor with their auditors Who weather overought by the bold bearing of the invaders Or convinced of the impotence of deities that could not shield their own shrines from violation Now consented to embrace Christianity While Cortez was thus occupied with the triumphs of the cross He received intelligence that Ordaz had returned from Yucatán without tidings of the Spanish cat tips Though much chagrined the general did not choose to postpone longer his departure from Cozumel The fleet had been well stored with provisions by the friendly inhabitants And embarking his troops Cortez in the beginning of March took leave of his hospitable shores The squadron had not proceeded far, however, before Alec in one of the vessels compelled them to return to the same port The detention was attended with important consequences So much so indeed that a writer of the time discerns in it a great mystery and a miracle Soon after landing a canoe with several Indians was seen making its way from the neighboring shores of Yucatán On reaching the island one of the men inquired in broken castilian If he were among Christians and being answered in the affirmative Threw himself on his knees and returned thanks to heaven for his delivery He was one of the unfortunate captives for whose fate so much interest had been felt His name was Jerónimo de Aguilar, a native of Ecija in Old Spain Where he had been regularly educated for the church He had been established with the colony at Darien And on a voyage from that place to Hispaniola, eight years previous, was wrecked near the coast of Yucatán He escaped with several of his companions in the ship's boat Where some perished from hunger and exposure While others were sacrificed on the reaching land by the cannibal natives of the peninsula Aguilar was preserved from the same dismal fate by escaping into the interior Here he fell into the hands of a powerful casique Who, though he has spared his life, treated him at first with great rigor The patients of the captive, however, and his singular humility touched the better feelings of the chieftain Who would have persuaded Aguilar to take a wife among his people But the ecclesiastic steadily refused in obedience to his vows This admirable constancy excited the distrust of the casique Who put his virtue to a severe test by various temptations And much of the same sort of those with which the devil is said to have assailed Saint Anthony From all these fiery trials, however, like his ghostly predecessor He came out once scorched Continence is too rare and difficult, a virtue with barbarians not to challenge their veneration And the practice of it has made the reputation of more than one saint in the old as well as a new world Aguilar was now entrusted with the care of his master's household and his numerous wives He was a man of discretion as well as virtue, and his councils were found so salutary that he was consulted on all important matters In short, Aguilar became a great man among the Indians It was with much regret, therefore, that his master received the proposals for his return to his countrymen To which nothing but the rich treasure of glass beads, hogs, bells and other jewels of like value Sent for his ransom, but have induced him to consent When Aguilar reached the coast, there had been so much delay that the pre-contains had sailed And it was owing to the fortunate return of the fleet to Cozumel that he was enabled to join it Unappearance before Cortez, the poor man saluted him in the Indian style By touching the earth with his hand and carrying it to his head The commander raising him up affectionately embraced him, covering him at the same time with his own cloak As Aguilar was simply clad in the habiliments of the country, somewhat too scanty for a European eye It was long indeed before the taste which he had acquired in the freedom of the forest Could be reconciled to the constraints either of dress or manners imposed by the artificial forms of civilization Aguilar's long residence in the country had familiarized him with the Mayan dialects of Yucatan And as he gradually revived his castilian he became of essential importance as an interpreter Cortez saw the advantage of this from the first, but he could not fully estimate all the consequences that were to flow from it The repairs of the vessels being at length completed the Spanish commander once more took leave of the friendly natives of Cozumel And set sail on the 4th of March, keeping as near as possible to the coast of Yucatan He doubled Cape Catoche and with flowing sheets swept down the broad bay of Campeachi He passed Potonchan, where Córdoba had experienced a rough reception from the natives And soon after reached the mouth of the Rio de Tabasco or Crihalba, in which that navigator had carried on so lucrative a traffic Though mindful of the great webjet of his voyage, the visit to the Aztec territories, he was desirous of acquainting himself with the resources of this country And determined to ascend the river and visit the great town on its borders The water was so shallow from the accumulation of sand at the mouth of the stream that the general was obliged to leave the ships at anchor And to embark in the boats with a part only of his forces The banks were thickly studded with mangrove trees that with their roots shooting up and interlacing one another form a kind of impervious screen or network Behind which the dark forms of the natives were seen glancing to and fro with the most menacing looks and gestures Cortez much surprised at these unfriendly demonstrations so unlike what he had reason to expect, moved cautiously up the stream When he had reached an open place where a large number of Indians were assembled, he asked through his interpreter, Leave to land, explaining at the same time his amicable intentions, but the Indians brandishing their weapons answered only with gestures of angry defiance Though much Chagrin Cortez thought it best not to urge the matter further that evening but withdrew to a neighboring island Where he disembarked his troops resolved to effect a landing on the following morning When they broke the spaniards so the opposite banks lined with a much more numerous array than on the preceding evening While the canoes along the shore were filled with bands of armed warriors Cortez now made his preparations for the attack He first landed a detachment of a hundred men under Alonso de Avila at a point somewhat lower down the stream sheltered by a thick grove of ponds From which a road as he knew led to the town of Tabasco giving orders to his officer to march at once on the place while he himself advanced to assault it in front Then embarking the reminder of his troops Cortez crossed the river in face of the enemy but before commencing hostilities that he might act with entire regard to justice And in obedience to the instructions of the royal council he first caused proclamation to be made through the interpreter that he desired only a free passage for his men And that he proposed to revive the friendly relations which had formally subsisted between his countrymen and the natives He assured them that if blood were spilled the same would be on their heads and that resistance would be useless since he was resolved at all hazards to take up his quarters that night in the town of Tabasco This proclamation delivered in lofty tone and truly recorded by the notary was answered by the Indians who might possibly have comprehended one word in ten of it with shells of defiance and a shower of arrows Cortez having now complied with all the requisitions of a loyal cavalier and shifted the responsibility from his own shoulders to those of the royal council brought his boats alongside of the Indian canoes They grappled fiercely together and both parties were soon in the water which rose above the Kardo The struggle was not long though desperate The superior strength of the Europeans prevailed and they forced the enemy back to land Here however they were supported by the countrymen who showered down darts, arrows and blazing billets of wood on the heads of the invaders The banks were soft and slippery and it was with difficulty the soldiers made good their footing Cortez lost a sandal in the mud but continued to fight barefoot with great exposure of his person as the Indians who soon singled out the leader called to one another A strike at the chief At length the Spaniards came to the bank and were able to come into something like order when they opened a brisk fire from their archbuses and crassbows The enemy astounded by the roar and flash of the firearms of which they had no experience fell back and retreated behind a brisk work of timber thrown across the way The Spaniards had in the pursuit soon carried these root defenses and drove the Tabaskans before them towards the town where they again took shelter behind their palisades Meanwhile Avira had arrived from the opposite quarter and the natives taken by surprise made no further attempt at resistance but abandoned the place to the Christians They had previously removed their families and effects Some provisions fell into the hands of the victors but little gold as circumstances as Las Casas which gave them no particular satisfaction It was a very populous place the houses were mostly of mud, the better sort of stone and lime Affording proofs in the inhabitants of a superior refinement to that found in the islands as their stout resistance had given evidence of superior valor Cortez having thus made himself master of the town took formal possession of it for the crown of Castile He gave three quads with his sword on a large sabre tree which grew in the place and proclaimed aloud that he took possession of the city in the name and on behalf of the Catholic sovereigns and would maintain and defend the same with sword and buckler against all who should gainsay it The same vanting declaration was also made by the soldiers and the whole was duly recorded and attested by the notary This was the usual simple but chivalric form with which the Spanish Cavaliers asserted the royal title to the conquered territories in the new world It was a good title, doubtless, against the claims of any other European potentate The general took up his quarters that night in the courtyard of the principal temple He posted his sentinels and took all the precautions practiced in wars with a civilized foe Indeed, there was reason for them as suspicious silence seemed to reign through the place and its neighborhood and tidings were brought that the interpreter, Mechorejo, had fled leaving his Spanish treas hanging on a tree Cortés was disquieted by the desertion of this man who would not only inform his countrymen of the small number of the Spaniards but dissipate any illusions that might be entertained of their superior natures On the following morning, as no traces of the enemy were visible Cortés ordered out a detachment under Alvarado and another under Francisco de Lugo to reconnoiter The latter officer had not advanced a leak before he learned the position of the Indians by their attacking him in such force that he was feigned to take shelter in a large stone building where he was closely besieged Fortunately, the loud yells of the assailants, like most barbarous nations seeking to strike terror by their ferocious cries reached the years of Alvarado and his men, who speedily advancing to the relief of their comrades enabled them to force a passage through the enemy Both parties retreated closely pursued on the town when Cortés, marching out to their support, compelled the Tabascans to retire A few prisoners were taken in this skirmish, but then Cortés found his worst apprehensions, verified The country was everywhere in arms, a force consisting of many thousands had assembled from the neighboring provinces and a general assault was resolved on for the next day To the generals inquiries why he had been received in so different a manner from his predecessor, Rihalba they answered that the conduct of the Tabascans then had given great offence to the other Indian tribes who ducked them with treachery and cowardice so that they had promised on any return of the white men to resist them in the same manner as the neighbors had done Cortés might now well regret that he had allowed himself to deviate from the direct worksheet of his enterprise and to become entangled in a doubtful war which could lead to no profitable result but it was too late to repent, he had taken the step, he had no alternative but to go forward to retreat with this heartened his own men at the outset, impair their confidence in him as the leader and confirm their arrogance of his foes, the tidings of whose success might precede him on his voyage and prepare the way for greater mortifications and defeats he did not hesitate as to the course he was to pursue but calling his officers together announced his intention to give battle the following morning he sent back to the vassals such as were disabled by their wounds and ordered the remainder of the forces to join the camp six of the heavy guns were also taken from the ships together with all the horses the animals were stiff and torped from lung confinement on board but a few hours' exercise restored them to their strange unusual spirit he gave the command of the artillery if it may be dignified with the name to a soldier named Mesa who had acquired some experience as an engineer in the Italian wars the infantry he put under the orders of Diego de Ordaz and took charge of the cavalry himself it consisted of some of the most valiant gentlemen of his little band among whom may be mentioned Alvarado, Velázquez de León, Ávila, Puerto Carrero, Olit, Montejo having thus made all the necessary arrangements and settled his plan of battle he retired to rest but not to a slumber his feverish mind as may well be imagined was filled with anxiety for the marrow which might decide the fate of his expedition and as was his want on such vacations he was frequently observed during the night going the rounds and visiting the sentinels to see that no one slept upon his post at the first glimmering of light he mustered his army and declared his purpose not to abide cooped up in the town the assault of the enemy but too much at once against him for he well knew that the spirits rise with action and that the attacking party gathers confidence from the very movement which is not felt by the one who is passively perhaps anxiously awaiting the assault the Indians were understood to be encamped on a level ground a few miles distant from the city called the plain of Ceuta the general commanded that Ordaz should march with the foot including the artillery directly across the country and attack them in front while he himself would fetch a circuit with a horse and turn their flank when thus engaged or fall upon the rear these dispositions being completed the little army hurled mass and then solid force from the wooden walls of Tabasco it was Lady Day the 25th of March long memorable in the annals of new Spain the district around the town was checkered with patches of maize and on the lower level with plantations of cacao supplying the beverage and perhaps the coin of the country as in Mexico these plantations requiring constant irrigation were fed by numerous canals and reservoirs of water so that the country could not be traversed without great toil and difficulty it was however intersected by a narrow path or causeway over which the cannon could be tracked the troops advanced more than a leak on their laborious march without describing the enemy the weather was sultry but few of them were embarrassed by the heavy mail run by the European Cavaliers at that period their cotton jackets thickly quilted afforded a tolerable protection against the arrows of the Indian and allowed room for the freedom and activity of movement essential to a life of rambling adventure in the wilderness at length they came inside of the broad plains of Sotla and beheld the dusky lines of the enemy stretching as far as the eye could reach along the edge of the horizon the Indians had shown some sagacity in the choice of their position and as the weary Spaniards came slowly on, flandering through the morass the Tabaskans set up their hideous battle cries and discharged volleys of arrows, stones and other missiles which rather like hail on the shields and helmets of the assailants many were severely wounded before they could gain the firm ground where they soon cleared a space for themselves and opened a heavy fire of artillery and musketry on the dance columns of the enemy which presented a fatal mark for the bulls numbers were swept down at every discharge but the bull barbarians far from being dismayed threw up dust and leaves to hide their losses and sounding their war instruments shot off fresh flights of arrows in return they even pressed closer on the Spaniards and when driven off by a vigorous charge soon turned again and rolling back like the waves of the ocean seemed ready to overwhelm the little band by weight of numbers thus cramped the latter had scarcely room to perform their necessary evolutions or even to work their guns with effect the engagement had now lasted more than an hour and the Spaniards slowly pressed look with great anxiety for the arrival of the horse which some unaccountable impediments must have detained to relieve them from their perilous position at this crisis the furthest columns of the Indian Army were seen to be agitated and thrown into a disorder that rapidly spread through the whole mass it was not long before the ears of the Christians were saluted with the cheering war cry of San Diego and San Pedro and they beheld the bright helmets and swords of the Castilian chivalry flashing back the rays of the morning sun as they dashed through the ranks of the enemy striking to the right and left and scattering dismay around them the eye of faith indeed could discern the patron saint of Spain himself mounted on his gray war horse heading the rescue and trampling over the bodies of the fallen infidels the approach of Cortez had been greatly retarded by the broken nature of the ground when he came up the Indians were so hardly engaged that he was upon them before they observed his approach he ordered his men to direct their lances at the faces of their opponents who terrified at the monstrous apparition for they suppose the rider and the horse which they had never before seen to be one and the same were ceased with a panic or death availed himself of it to command a general charge along the line and the Indians many of them throwing away their arms fret without attempting further resistance Cortez was too content with the victory to care to follow it up by dipping his sword in the blood of the fugitives he drew off his men to a cups of palms which escorted the place and under their bright canopy the soldiers offered up thanksgiving to the almighty for the victory vouchsafed them the field of battle was made the site of a town called in honor of the day on which the action took place Santa Maria de la Vitoria, long afterwards the capital of the province the number of those who fought or fell in the engagement is altogether doubtful nothing in it is more uncertain than numerical estimates of barbarians and they gain nothing in probability when they come as in the present instance from the reports of their enemies most accounts however agree that the Indian force consisted of five squadrons of eight thousand men each there is more discrepancy as to the number of slain varying from one to thirty thousand in this monstrous discordance the common disposition to exaggerate may lead us to look for truth in the neighborhood of the smallest number the last of the Christians was inconsiderable not exceeding if we receive their own reports probably from the same causes much diminishing the truth two killed and less than a hundred wounded we may readily comprehend the feelings of the conquerors when they declare that heaven must have fought on their side since their own strength could never have prevailed against such a multitude of enemies several prisoners were taken in the battle among them two chiefs Cortez gave them their liberty and sent a message by then to their countrymen that he would overlook the past if they would come in at once and tender their submission otherwise he would ride over the land and put every living thing in it man, woman and child to the sword with these formidable menace bringing in their ears the envoys departed but the Tabaskans had no relish for further hostilities a body of inferior chiefs appeared the next day clad in dark dresses of cotton intimating their upset condition and implore leave to bury their dead it was granted by the general with many assurances of his friendly disposition but at the same time he told them he expected their principle casics as he would treat with none other this soon presented themselves attended by a numerous strain of vassals who followed with timid curiosity to the Christian camp among their propitiatory gifts were twenty female slaves which from the character of one of them proved of infinitely more consequence than was anticipated by either Spaniards or Tabaskans Confidence was soon restored and was succeeded by a friendly intercourse and the interchange of Spanish toys for the rude commodities of the country articles of food, cotton and a few gold ornaments of little value when asked where the precious metal was procured they pointed to the west and answered Culua, Mexico, the Spaniards saw this was no place for them to traffic or to tarry in yet here they were not many leagues distant from a potent and opulent city or what once had been so the ancient Valenque but its glory may have even then passed away and its name have been forgotten by the surrounding nations before his departure the Spanish commander did not omit to provide for one great watchet of his expedition the conversion of the Indians he first represented to the casiques that he had been sent didder by a powerful monarch on the other side of the water to whom he had now a right to claim their allegiance he then cast the reverent fathers of Meadow and Diaz to enlighten their minds as far as possible in regard to the great truths of Revelation urging them to receive this in place of their own hiddenish abominations the Tabaskans whose perceptions were no doubt materially quickened by the discipline they had under Gohan made but a faint resistance to either proposal the next day was Pound Sunday and the general resolved to celebrate their conversion by one of those pompous ceremonials of the church which should make a lasting impression on their minds a solemn procession was formed of the whole army with the ecclesiastics at their head each soldier bearing a pound branch in his hand the conquest was swelled by thousands of Indians of both sexes who followed in curious astonishment at the spectacle the long fires banned their way through the flowery savannas that bordered the settlement to the principal temple where an altar was raised and the image of the presiding deity was the post to make room for that of the virgin with the infant savior Mass was celebrated by Father Olmedo and the soldiers who were capable joint in the solemn chant the natives listened in profound silence and if we may believe the chronicler of the event who witnessed it were melted into tears while their hearts were penetrated with reverential awe for the god of those terrible beings who seemed to wilt in their own hands the thunder and the lightning these salamnities concluded Cortes prepared to return to his ships well satisfied with the impression made on the new converts and with the conquests he had thus achieved folk astille and Christianity the soldiers taking leave of their Indian friends entered the boats with the palm branches in their hands and descending the river re-embark on board their vessels which wrote at anchor at its mouth a favorable breeze was blowing and the little navy opening its sails to receive it was soon on its way again to the golden shores of Mexico end of book 2 chapter 4 book 2 chapter 5 of the history of the conquest of Mexico this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org history of the conquest of Mexico by William H. Prescott book 2 chapter 5 voyage along the coast Donna Marina Spaniards land in Mexico interview with the Aztecs the fleet held its course so near the shore that the inhabitants could be seen on it as it swept along the winding borders of the Gulf the soldiers who had been on the former expedition of Grehalva pointed out to their companions the memorable places on the coast here was the Rio de Alvarado named after the Galeon adventurer who was present also in this expedition there the Rio de Vanderas in which Grehalva had carried on so lucrative a commerce with the Mexicans and there the Ista de los Sacraficios where the Spaniards first saw the vestiges of human sacrifice on the coast the fleet had now arrived off San Juan de Ulua the island so named by Grehalva the weather was temperate and serene and crowds of natives were gathered on the shore of the mainland gazing at the strange phenomena as the vessels glided along under easy sail on the smooth bosom of the waters it was the evening of Thursday in Passion Week the air came pleasantly off the shore and Cortez, liking the spot, thought he might safely anchor under the lee of the island which would shelter him from the nortes that sweep over these seas with fatal violence in the winter sometimes even late in the spring the ships had not been long in anchor when a light pierogue filled with natives shot off from the neighboring continent and steered for the general's vessel distinguished by the royal ensign of Castile floating from the mast the Indians came on board with a frank confidence inspired by the accounts of the Spaniards spread by their countrymen who had traded with Grehalva they brought presents of fruits and flowers and little ornaments of gold which they gladly exchanged for the usual trinkets Cortez was baffled in his attempts to hold a conversation with his visitors by means of the interpreter Aguilar who was ignorant of the language the Mayan dialects with which he was conversant bearing too little resemblance to the Aztec the natives supplied the deficiency as far as possible by the uncommon vivacity and significance of their gestures the hieroglyphics of speech but the Spanish commander saw with chagrin the embarrassments which he must encounter in future for want of a more perfect medium of communication in this dilemma he was informed that one of the female slaves given to him by the Tabaskan chiefs was a native Mexican and understood the language her name that given to her by the Spaniards was Marina and as she was to exercise a most important influence on their fortunes it is necessary to acquaint the reader with something of her character and history she was born at Panaya in the province of Coatzacoalco on the southeastern borders of the Mexican empire her father a rich and powerful casique died when she was very young her mother married again and having a son she conceived the infamous idea of securing to this offspring of her second union Marina's rightful inheritance she accordingly feigned that the latter was dead but secretly delivered her into the hands of some itinerant traitors of Chicalanco she availed herself at the same time of the death of a child of one of her slaves to substitute the corpse for that of her own daughter and celebrated the obsequies with mock solemnity these particulars are related by the honest old soldier Bernal Diaz who knew the mother and witnessed the generous treatment of her afterwards by Marina by the merchants the Indian maiden was again sold to the casique of Tabasco who delivered her as we have seen to the Spaniards from the place of her birth she was well acquainted with the Mexican tongue which indeed she said to have spoken with great elegance her residence in Tabasco familiarized her with the dialects of that country so she could carry on a conversation with Aguilar which he in turn rendered into the Castilian thus a certain though somewhat circuitous channel was opened to Cortez for communicating with the Aztecs a circumstance of the last importance to the success of his enterprise it was not very long however before Marina who had a lively genius made herself so far the mistress of the Castilian as to supersede the necessity of any other linguist she learned it the more readily and it was to her the language of love Cortez who appreciated the value of her services from the first made her his interpreter then his secretary and one by her charms his mistress with the aid of his two intelligent interpreters Cortez entered into conversation with his Indian visitors he learned that they were Mexicans or rather subjects of the great Mexican Empire of which their own province formed one of the comparatively recent conquests the country was ruled by a powerful monarch called Moctezuma or by Europeans more commonly Montezuma who dwelt on the mountain plains of the interior nearly 70 leagues from the coast their own province was governed by one of his nobles named Toyitile whose residence was eight leagues distance Cortez acquainted them in turn with his own friendly views in visiting their country and with his desire of an interview with the Aztec governor he then dismissed them loaded with presence having first a certain that there was an abundance of gold in the interior like the specimens that they had brought Cortez pleased with the manners of the people and the goodly reports of the land resolved to take up his quarters here for the present the next morning April 21st being Good Friday he landed with all his force on the very spot which now stands the modern city of Veracruz little did the conqueror imagine that the desolate beach on which he first planted his foot was one day to be covered by a flourishing city the great mart of European and Oriental trade the commercial empire of New Spain it was a wide and level plain except where the sand had been drifted into hillocks and the people blowing of the Norte on these sand hills he mounted his little battery of guns so as to give him the command of the country he then employed the troops in cutting down small trees and bushes which grew near in order to provide a shelter from the weather in this he was aided by the people of the country sent as it appeared by the governor of the district to assist the Spaniards with their help stakes were firmly set in the earth and covered with bows and with mats and cotton carpets which the friendly natives brought with them in this way they secured in a couple of days a good defense against the scorching rays of the sun which beat with intolerable fierceness on the sands the place was surrounded by stagnant marshes the exhalations of which quickened by the heat into the pestilent malaria have occasioned in later times wider mortality to Europeans than all the hurricanes on the coast the bilious disorders now the terrible scourge of the Tierra Caliente were little known before the conquest the seeds of the poison seem to have been scattered by the hand of civilization for for it is only necessary to settle the town and draw together a busy European population in order to call out the malignity of the venom which had before lurked in the atmosphere while these arrangements were in progress the natives flocked in from the adjacent district which was tolerably populous in the interior drawn by a natural curiosity to see the wonderful strangers they brought with them fruit vegetables, flowers in abundance game in many dishes cooked after the fashion of the country with little articles of gold and other ornaments they gave away some presents and bartered others for the wares of the Spaniards so that the camp crowded with a motley throng of every age and sex wore the appearance of a fair from some of the visitors Cortes learned of the intention of the governor to wait on him the following day this was Easter Teutile arrived as he had announced before noon he was attended by a numerous train it was met by Cortes who conducted him with much ceremony to his tent whereas principal officers were assembled the Aztec chief returned their salutations with polite though formal courtesy Mass was first said by Father Omedo and the service was listened to by Teutile and his attendance with decent reverence a collation was afterwards served at which the general entertained his guest with Spanish wines and confections the interpreters were then introduced and a conversation commenced between the parties the first inquiries of Teutile were respecting the country of the strangers and the purport of their visit Cortes told him that he was the subject of a potent monarch beyond the seas who ruled over an immense empire and had kings and princes for his vassals that acquainted with the greatness of the Mexican emperor his master had desired to enter into communication with him and had sent him as an envoy to wait on Montezuma with a present in token of his good will and a message which he must deliver in person he concluded by inquiring of Teutile when he could be admitted to his sovereign's presence to this the Aztec noble somewhat hotly replied how is it that you have been here only two days and demand to see the emperor he then added with more courtesy that he was surprised to learn that there was another monarch as powerful as Montezuma but if that were so he had no doubt his master would be happy to communicate with him he would send his couriers with the royal gift brought by the Spanish commander and so soon as he learned Montezuma's will would communicate it Teutile then commanded his slaves to bring forward the present intended for the Spanish general it consisted of ten loads of fine cotton several mantles of that curious featherwork whose rich and delicate dyes might vie with the most beautiful painting and a wicker basket filled with ornaments of wrought gold all calculated to inspire the Spaniards with high ideas of the wealth and mechanical ingenuity of the Mexicans Cortes received these presents with suitable acknowledgments and ordered his own attendants to lay before the chief the articles designed for Montezuma these were an armchair richly carved and painted a crimson cap of cloth having a gold medal emblazoned with St. George and the dragon and a quantity of collars, bracelets and other ornaments of cut glass which, in a country where glass was not to be had might claim to have had the value of real gems and no doubt passed for such with the inexperienced Mexicans Teutile observed a soldier in the camp with a shining guilt helmet on his head which he said reminded him of one worn by the god Quetzalcoatl in Mexico he then showed a desire that Montezuma should see it the coming of the Spaniards as the reader will soon see Montezuma as associated with some traditions of the same deity Cortes expressed his willingness that the casique should be sent to the emperor intimating a hope that it would be returned filled with gold dust of the country that he might be able to compare its quality with that in his own he further told the governor, as we are informed by his chaplain that the Spaniards were troubled with the disease of the heart for which gold was a specific remedy in short says Las Casas he contrived to make his want of gold very clear to the governor while these things were passing Cortes observed one of Teutile's attendants busy with a pencil apparently delineating some object on looking at his work he found it was a sketch on canvas of the Spaniards, their costumes and arms in short different objects of interest giving to each its appropriate form and color this was the celebrated picture writing of the Aztecs and as Teutile informed him this man was employed in portraying the various objects for the eyes of Montezuma to gather a more vivid notion of their appearance than from any description by words Cortes was pleased with this idea and as he knew little how much the effect would be heightened by converting still life into action he ordered out the cavalry on the beach the wet sands of which afforded a firm footing for the horses the bold and rapid movements of the troops as they went through the military exercises the apparent ease with which they managed the fiery animals on which they were mounted the glancing of their weapons, the shell cry of the trumpet all filled the spectators with astonishment but when they heard the thunders of the cannon which Cortes ordered to be fired at the same time and witnessed the volumes of smoke and flame issuing from these terrible engines and the rushing sound of the balls as they dashed through the trees of the neighboring forest shivering their branches into fragments they were filled with consternation from which the Aztec chief himself was not wholly free nothing of this was lost on the painters who faithfully recorded after their fashion every particular, not omitting the ships the water houses as they called them of the strangers which with their dark halls and snow white sails reflected from the water were swinging lazily at anchor on the calm bosom of the bay always depicted with fidelity that excited in their turn the admiration of the Spaniards who doubtless unprepared for this exhibition of skill greatly overestimated the merits of the execution these various matters completed Teotile with his attendants withdrew from the Spanish quarters with the same ceremony with which he had entered them leaving orders that his people should supply the troops with provisions and other articles requisite for their accommodation till further instructions from the capital End of Book 2, Chapter 5 Book 2, Chapter 6 of the history of the conquest of Mexico this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org history of the conquest of Mexico by William H. Prescott Book 2, Chapter 6 account of Montezuma state of his empire strange prognostics embassy and presence Spanish encampment we must now take leave of the Spanish camp in the Tierra Caliente and transport ourselves to the distant capital of Mexico where no little sensation was excited by the arrival of the wonderful strangers on the coast the Aztec throne was filled at that time by Montezuma II nephew of the last and grandson of the preceding monarch he had been elected to the regal dignity in 1502 in preference to his brothers for his superior qualifications both as a soldier and a priest a combination of offices sometimes found in the Mexican candidates as it was more frequently in the Egyptian in early youth he had taken an active part in the wars of the empire though of late he had devoted himself more exclusively to the services of the temple and he was scrupulous in his attentions to all the burdensome ceremonial of the Aztec worship he maintained a grave and reserved demeanor spoke little and with prudent deliberation his demeanor was well calculated to inspire ideas of superior sanctity Montezuma displayed all of the energy and enterprise in the commencement of his reign which had been anticipated from him his first expedition against a rebel province in the neighborhood was crowned with success and he led back in triumph a throng of captives for the bloody sacrifice that was to grace his coronation this was celebrated with uncommon pomp games and religious ceremonies continued for several days among the spectators who flocked from distant quarters were some noble Tulascans the hereditary enemies of Mexico they were in disguise hoping thus to elude detection they were recognized however and reported to the monarch but he only availed himself of the information to provide them with honorable entertainment and a good place for witnessing the games this was a magnanimous act considering the long cherished hostility between the nations for the first years Montezuma was constantly engaged in war and frequently led his armies in person the Aztec banners were seen in the furthest provinces of the Gulf of Mexico and the distant regions of Nicaragua and Honduras the expeditions were generally successful and the limits of the empire were more widely extended than in any preceding period meanwhile the monarch was not inattentive to the interior concerns of the kingdom he made some important changes in the courts of justice and carefully watched over the execution of the laws which he enforced with stern severity he was in the habit of patrolling the streets of his capital in disguise to make himself personally acquainted with the abuses in it and with more questionable policy it is said he would sometimes try the integrity of his judges by tempting them with large bribes to swerve from their duty to strict account for yielding to the temptation he liberally recognized all who served him he showed a similar munificent spirit in his public works constructing and embellishing the temples bringing water into the capital by a new channel and establishing a hospital or retreat for invalid soldiers in the city of Coahuacan these acts so worthy of a great prince were counterbalanced by others of an opposite complexion the humility displayed so ostentatiously before his elevation gave way to an intolerable arrogance in his pleasure houses domestic establishment and way of living he assumed a pomp unknown to his predecessors he secluded himself from public observation or when he went abroad exacted the most slobbish homage while in the palace he would be served only even in the most menial offices by persons of rank he further dismissed several plebeians chiefly poor soldiers of merit from the places they had occupied near the persons of his predecessors considering their attendance a dishonor to royalty it was in vain that his oldest and sages counselors were menstruated on a conduct so impolitic while he thus disgusted his subjects by his haughty deportment he alienated their affections by the imposition of grievous taxes these were demanded by the lavish expenditure of his court they fell with peculiar heaviness on the conquered cities and the latter years of his reign present a scene of an intermenting hostility in which the forces of one half of the empire were employed in suppressing the commotions of the other unfortunately there was no principle of amalgamation by which the new acquisitions could be incorporated into the ancient monarchy as parts of one whole their interests as well as sympathies were different thus the more widely the Aztec empire was extended the weaker it became resembling some vast and ill proportioned edifice whose disjointed materials having no principle of cohesion and tottering under their own weight seemed ready to fall before the first blast of the Tempest in 1516 died the Tesku Khan king Naza Huapili in whom Montezuma lost his most sagacious counselor the secession was contested by his two sons Kekama and Ishtar Shokito the former was supported by Montezuma the latter, the younger of the princes a bold and aspiring youth peeling to the patriotic sentiment of his nation would have persuaded them that his brother was too much in the Mexican interests to be true to his own country a civil war ensued and ended by a compromise by which one half of the kingdom with the capital remained at Kekama in the northern portion to his ambitious rival Ishtar Shokito became from that time the mortal foe of Montezuma a more formidable enemy was still the little republic of Talasca lying midway between the Mexican valley and the coast it maintained its independence for more than two centuries against the allied forces of the empire its resources were unimpaired its civilization scarcely below that of its great rival states and for courage and military prowess it had established a name inferior to none other of the nations of Anuak such was the condition of the Aztec monarchy on the arrival of Cortez the people disgusted with the arrogance of the sovereign the provinces and distant cities outraged by fiscal exactions while the potent enemies in the neighborhood lay watching the hour when they might assail their formidable rival with advantage still the kingdom was strong in its internal resources of its monarch in the long habitual deference to his authority in short in the terror of his name and in the valor and discipline of his armies grown gray in active service and well drilled in all the tactics of Indian warfare the time had now come when these imperfect tactics and rude weapons of the barbarians were to be brought into collision with the science and engineering of the most civilized nations of the globe during the latter years of his reign Montezuma had rarely taken part in his military expeditions which he left to his captains occupying himself chiefly with his sacrodotal functions under no prince had the priesthood enjoyed greater consideration and immunities the religious festivals and rites were celebrated with unprecedented pomp the oracles were consulted on the most trivial occasions and the sanguinary deities were propitiated by hectic homes of victims dragged in triumph to the capital from the conquered or rebellious provinces the religion or to speak correctly the superstition of Montezuma proved a principal cause of his calamities in a preceding chapter I have noticed the popular traditions respecting Quetzalcoatl that deity with a fair complexion and flowing beard so unlike the Indian physiognomy who after fulfilling his mission of benevolence among the Aztecs embarked on the Atlantic sea in the furious shores of Talapalon he promised on his departure to return at some future day with his posterity and resumed the possessions of his empire that day was looked forward to with hope or with apprehension according to the interest of the believer but with greater confidence throughout the wide borders of Anuak even after the conquest it still lingered among the Indian races by whom it was as fondly cherished as the advent of their king Sebastian continued to be by the Portuguese or that of the Messiah by the Jews the general feeling seems to have prevailed in the time of Montezuma that the period for the return of the deity and the full accomplishment of his promise was near at hand this conviction is said to have gained ground from various pre-natural occurrences reported with more or less detail by all the most ancient historians in 1510 the great lake of Tescuco without the currents of a tempest or earthquake or any other visible cause became violently agitated overflowed its banks and pouring into the streets of Mexico swept off swept off many of the buildings by the fury of the waters in 1511 one of the turrets of the great temple took fire equally without any apparent cause and continued to burn in defiance of all attempts to extinguish it in the following years three comets were seen and not long before the coming of the Spaniards a strange light broke forth in the east it spread broad at its base on the horizon and rising in a pyramidal form tapered off as it approached the zenith it resembled a vast sheet or flood of fire emitting sparks or as an old writer expresses it seemed thickly powdered with stars at the same time low voices were heard in the air as if to announce some strange mysterious calamity as if to announce some strange mysterious calamity the Aztec monarch terrified at the apparitions in the heavens took counsel of Nezahu Apili who was a great proficient in the subtle science of astrology but the royal sage cast the deeper cloud over his spirit by reading in these prodigies the speedy downfall of the empire such are the strange stories reported by the chroniclers in which it is not impossible to tell the truth nearly thirty years had elapsed since the discovery of the islands by Columbus and more than twenty years since as a visit to the American continent rumors more or less distinct of this wonderful appearance of white men bearing in their hands the thunder and the lightning so like in many respects to the traditions of Quetzalcoatl would naturally spread far and wide among the Indian nations such rumors doubtless the people found their way up the grand plateau filling the minds of men with anticipations of the near coming of the period when the great deity was to return and receive his own again when tidings were brought to the capital of the landing of Grijalva on the coast in the preceding year the heart of Montezuma was filled with dismay he felt as if the destinies which so long brooded over the royal line of Mexico were to be accomplished and the scepter was to pass away forever though somewhat relieved by the departure of the Spaniards he caused the sentinels to be stationed on the heights and when the Europeans returned under Cortez he doubtless received the earliest notice of the unwelcome event it was by his orders however that the provincial governor had prepared so hospitable a reception for them the hieroglyphical report of these strange visitors now forwarded to the capital revived all his apprehensions without delay a meeting of his principal counselors including the kings of Tescuco and Tlacopin and laid the matter before them there seems to have been much division of opinion in that body some were for resisting the strangers at once whether by fraud or by open force others contended that if they were supernatural beings fraud and force would be alike useless if they were as they pretended ambassadors from a foreign prince such a policy would be cowardly and unjust that they were not of the family of Quetzalcoatl was argued from the fact that they had shown themselves hostile to his religion for tidings of the proceedings of the Spaniards in Tabasco it seems had already reached the capital among those in favor of giving them a friendly and honorable reception was the Tescu and King Khakama but Montezuma taking council in his own ill-defined apprehensions preferred a halfway course of the most in politics he resolved to send an embassy with such a magnificent present to the strangers as should impress them with high ideas of his grandeur and resources while at the same time he would forbid their approach to the capital this was to reveal at once both his wealth and his weakness while the Aztec court was thus agitated by the arrival of the Spaniards they were passing their time in the Tierra Caliente not a little annoyed by the excessive and suffocating atmosphere of the sandy waste on which they were encamped they experienced every alleviation which could be derived from the attentions of the friendly natives these by the governor's command had constructed more than a thousand huts or booths of branches and matting with which they had occupied in the neighborhood of the camp here they prepared various items of food for the tables of Cortez and his officers without any recompense while the common soldiers easily obtained a supply for themselves in exchange for such trifles as they brought with them for barter thus the camp was liberally provided with meat and fish dressed in many savory ways with cakes of corn, bananas, pineapples and diverse luscious vegetables of the tropics hitherto unknown to the Spaniards the soldier contrived moreover to obtain many little bits of gold of no great value indeed a traffic very displeasing to the partisans of Velazquez who consider it as an invasion of his rights Cortez however did not think it prudent in this matter to balk the inclinations of his followers at the expiration of seven or eight days at most the Mexican embassy presented itself before the camp it may seem an incredibly short space of time considering the distance of the capital was near 70 leagues but it may be remembered that the tidings were carried there by means of posts as already noticed in the brief space of four and twenty hours in four or five days would suffice for the descent of the envoys to the coast accustomed as the Mexicans were to long and rapid traveling at all events no writer states the period occupied by the Indian emissaries on this occasion is longer than that mentioned the embassy consisting of two Aztec nobles was accompanied by the governor Teutile and by a hundred slaves bearing the princely gifts of Montezuma one of the envoys had been selected on account of the great resemblance which has appeared from the painting representing the camp he bore to the Spanish commander it is a proof of the fidelity of the painting that the soldiers recognize the resemblance and always distinguish the chief by the name of the Mexican Cortez on entering the general's pavilion the ambassador saluted him and his officers with the usual signs of reverence to persons of great consideration touching the ground with their hands and then carrying them to their heads while the air was filled with clouds of incense which rose up from the censors born by their attendants some delicately wrought mats of the country were then unrolled and on them the slaves displayed the various articles they had brought they were of the most miscellaneous kind shields, helmets cuirasses embossed with plates and ornaments of pure gold collars and bracelets of the same metal sandals, fans panaches and crests of variegated feathers intermingled with gold and silver thread and sprinkled with pearls and precious stones imitations of birds and animals in wrought and cast gold and silver of exquisite workmanship curtains, coverlets and robes of cotton finest silk of rich and various dyes interwoven with featherwork that rivaled the delicacy of painting there were more than 30 loads of cotton cloth in addition among the articles was the Spanish helmets sent to the capital and now returned filled to the brim with grains of gold but the things which excited the most admiration were two circular plates of gold and silver as large as carriage wheels one representing the sun was richly carved with plants and animals no doubt denoting the Aztec century it was 30 palms in circumference and was valued at 20,000 pesos de oro the silver wheel of the same size weighed 50 marks begin footnote Robertson cites Bernal Diaz as reckoning the value of the silver plate at 20,000 pesos or about 5,000 pounds but Bernal Diaz speaks only of the value of the gold plate which he estimates at 20,000 pesos de oro a different affair from the pesos, dollars or ounces of silver with which the historian confounds them as the mention of the peso de oro will often recur in these pages it will be well to make the reader acquainted with its probable value nothing more difficult than to asserting the actual value of the currency of a distant age so many circumstances occur to embarrass the calculation besides the general depreciation of the precious metals such as the adulteration of specific coins and the like Sr. Clemenson the Secretary of the Royal Academy of History in the sixth volume of his Memorias has computed with great accuracy the value of the different denominations of the Spanish currency at the close of the 15th century the period just preceding that of the conquest of Mexico he makes no mention of the peso de oro on his tables but he asserts the precise value of the gold ducat Oviedo, a contemporary of the conquerors informs us that the peso de oro and the castellano were of the same value and this was precisely one third greater than the value of the ducat now the ducat as it appears from Clemenson reduced to our currency would be equal to $8.75 the peso de oro therefore was equal to $11.67 or 2 pounds 12 shelling and 6 pence sterling keeping this in mind would be easy for the reader to determine the actual value of peso de oro of any sum that may be hereafter mentioned and footnote when Cotez and his officers had completed their survey the ambassadors courteously delivered the message of Montezuma it gave their master great pleasure they said to hold this communication was so powerful a monarch as the king of Spain for whom he felt the most profound respect he dreaded much that he could not enjoy a personal interview with the Spaniards but the distance of his capital was too great since the journey was beset with difficulties and with too many dangers from formidable enemies to make it possible all that could be done therefore was for the strangers to return to their own land with the proofs thus afforded them of his friendly disposition Cotez though much chagrined by this decided refusal on Montezuma to admit his visit he sealed his mortification as he best might and politely expressed his sense of the emperor's munificence it made him only the more desirous he said to have a personal interview with him he should feel it indeed impossible to present himself again before his own sovereign without having accomplished this great object of his voyage and one who had sailed over 2,000 leagues of ocean held lightly the perils and fatigues of so short a journey by land he once more requested them to become the bearers of his message to their master together with a slight additional token of his respect this consisted of a few fine Holland shirts a Florentine goblet guilt and somewhat curiously enameled with some toys of little value a sorry return for the solid magnificence of the royal present the ambassadors may have thought as much at least they showed no alacrity in charging themselves either with the present or the message and on quitting the Castilian quarters repeated their assurance that the general's application would be unavailing the splendid treasure which now lay dazzling the eyes of the Spaniards raised in their bosoms very different emotions according to the difference of their characters some it stimulated with the ardent desire to strike it once into the interior and possess themselves of a country which teamed with such boundless stores of wealth others looked on it as the evidence of a power altogether too formidable to be encountered with their present and significant force they thought therefore that it would be most prudent to return and report the proceedings to the governor of Cuba where preparations could be made commensurate with so vast an undertaking there can be little doubt as to the impression made on the bold spirit of Cortez on which difficulties ever operated as incentives rather than discouragements to enterprise but he prudently said nothing at least in public preferring that so important a movement should flow from the determination of his whole army rather than from his own individual impulse meanwhile the soldiers suffered greatly from the inconveniences of their position amidst the burning sands and the pestulent effluvia of the neighboring marshes while the venomous insects of those hot regions left them no repose day or night thirty of their number had already sickened a loss that could be ill afforded by the little band to add to their troubles the coldness of the Mexican chiefs had extended to their followers and the supplies for the camp had not only been much diminished but the prices set on them were exorbitant the position was equally unfavorable for the shipping which lay on an open roadstead exposed to the fury of the First Norte which should sweep the Mexican Gulf the general was induced by these circumstances to dispatch two vessels under Francisco de Montell with a laminos for his pilot to explore the coast in a northerly direction and to see if a safer port and more commodious quarters for the army could not be found there after a lapse of ten days the Mexican envoys returned they entered the Spanish quarters with the same formality as on the former visit bearing with them additional presence of rich duffs and metallic ornaments though inferior in value to those before brought were estimated at 3,000 ounces of gold besides these there were four precious stones of a considerable size resembling emeralds called by the natives chachuites each of which as they assured the Spaniards was worth more than a load of gold and was designed as a mark of particular respect for the Spanish monarch unfortunately they were not worth as many loads of earth in Europe Montezuma's answer was in substance the same as before it contained a positive prohibition for the strangers to advance nearer to the capital and express the confidence that now they had obtained what they most desired they would return to their own country without unnecessary delay Cortez received this unpalatable response courteously though somewhat coldly and turning to his officers exclaimed this is a rich and powerful prince indeed yet it shall go hard but we will one day pay him a visit in his capital while they were conversing the bell struck for vespers at the sound the soldiers throwing themselves on their knees offered up their horizons before the large wooden cross planted in the sands as the Aztec chiefs gazed with curious surprise Cortez thought it a favorable occasion to oppress them with what he conceived to be a principal object of his visit to the country accordingly expounded as briefly and clearly as he could the great doctrines of Christianity touching on the atonement the passion and the resurrection and concluding with assuring his astonished audience that it was their intention to extirpate the idolatrous practices of the nation and to substitute the pure worship of the true God he then put in their hands a little image of the virgin with the infant redeemer requesting them to place it in their temples of the Sanguinary Deities how far the Aztec lords comprehended the mysteries of the faith as conveyed through the double version of Aguilar and Marina or how well they perceived the subtle distinctions between their own images and those of the Roman church we are not informed there is a reason to fear however that the seed fell on barren ground for when the homily of the good father ended they withdrew with an air of dubious reserve in their friendly manners at the first interview the same night every hut was deserted by the natives and the Spaniards saw themselves suddenly cut off from supplies in the midst of a desolate wilderness the movement had so suspicious an appearance that Cortes apprehended an attack would be made on his quarters and took precautions accordingly but none was mediated the army was at length cheered by the return of Montejo from his exploring expedition for 20 days he had run down the gulf as far as Panuco where he experienced such heavy gales and attempting to double that headland that he was driven back and had newly founded in the whole course of the voyage he had found only one place tolerably sheltered from the north winds fortunately the adjacent country well watered by fresh running streams afforded a favorable position for the camp and thither after some deliberation End of Book 2, Chapter 6