The herald., 1895-03-17
CHAPTER XIV
How the TIascalans Consulted Their Wizards
and AsfrOIogers, Who Advised Them
TO Attack Us at Night, and OF the
Arrival OF Ambassadors From Montezuma


After the battle, Cortes sent the three
Chiefs whom he had captured to the Tlas
calans, demanding that they come to
peace and permit us to pass through the
country, and that if they did not, we
would kill all their people, and that we
desired them for brothers and would
have done them no injury if they had
not forced us to do it. The messengers
Immediately departed and went to the
chief town of Tlascala, where. the Chiefs
and priests and old men of the nation
were then holding council and they
were very sad, as much because of the
bad success of the war as because of the
deaths of relatives, and at first they did
not want to listen to our messengers, but
finally they resolved to send for all the
soothsayers and OWNERS, whom they
cali Tacalnagual, which are a sort of wiz.
ards, and the diviners sought to find out
if we could be conquered by day or night
or if we were gods or demons or only
men, and after the papas and wizards
had consulted their gods and signs and
omens, they replied that we were men OF
flesh and bone, and that we ate dogs and
chickens and maize and fruit but that
whom we killed. That by day we could
not be conquered, bu5 that at night all our
strength deserted us.
And when the CaciqUes of the council
heard this they Immediately sent to
Captain Xicotenga TO take a great power
and attack us at night. When he received
these instructions, he took 10000 of his
bravest men and attacked our camp on
three sides, but although they came
against us very secretly it pleased God our
Lord that they found us prepared for
them, and as we slept with our arms and
always kept our horses saddled, it did not
take us long to get ready, and we received
them with naked. swords and lances and
with volleys from our arquebuses, so that
they did not find us as they expected, and
they soon showed their backs, and then,
as it was moonlight, our cavaliers charged
them and did them much injury, 50 that
they returned sadly to their camp, and
l was told that because it did not turn
out as the soothayers said it would, they
sacrificed two OF them.
In the morning we counted our forces
and took counsel as to what we should
do. We found that between the battles ard
the cold ard sickness we had lost fifty
five men and that twelve more were very
sick; and Cortes, too, was sick with the
fever, aud Padre Olmedo also, and then
we spoke of our condition and what was
to be the end OF these wars, and of
what the result would be if we were
stopped here where we were. 1t seemed RI
diculous to think of entering Mexico in the
face of its great powers, since Tlascala alone
had been able to put us in such a plight;
and as there were among us so many cav
alters and soldiers of ripe experience and
men of known valor we took counsel aud all
advised Cortes that he should stay i'll our
present camp until he had regained his
health, and as to the future, that God in
having saved US through SO many dangers
must have destined US for some great
end. We then released the prisoners
whom we had taken and sent them to
the Cacjques to call them to peace and to
tell them that we would forgive them all
they had done against us but that if they
did not come to peace within two days,
we would Stay them all and destroy their
towns and burn their crops: and with
this message they went to where the elder
Xicotenga was.
When our messengers arrived at Tascala
they found the two chief Caciques, Mas
sescasi and Nicotenga the elder, the father
OF the Captain General, consulting over the
war. 1t pleased God that when they heard
our message they were inspired with a de-
sire for peace and instantly called q cOun.
Gil of the eli ief men of the nation and Of
the neighborfng provinces OF GuaXOcingO,
who were their allies and confederates,
and when the CaciQues had consulted it
seemed well to them that peace should be
made, and they Immediately seut en-
bassadors to treat with us.
In our camp we were all preparing our
arms and making everything ready fer
war, when one of our sentnels came in
and reported a large body Of Indian men
and women coming toward our camp.
along the main road from Tlascaa and
presently they entered our camp the four
ambassadors coming first, making signs
of peace by bowling their heads.
They went directly to the hut where
Cortes was. and then they placed their
hands OH tie ground and kissed the earth
and made three reverences and burned
cuI,aI and they then said that they came
from the Caciques OF Ilascaa and their
families 10 ask for peace, and that he
must pardon them for not having come
to make peace before, but that they took
IL, for friends of the MeXicans who were
their mortal enemies, and that the first
attack made on us was not by their COM
mand but was made by the Choutales
l.etomics, wild tribe which was sub.
jact to Ilascala and who thought we
were so few they would capture us prs
opei> and carry us to their masters in
ilascala. That now they would bring us
hood each day. That in two days Captain
Aroteusa and other Chiefs would come to
tell lis further OF the good will all Tlas-
Gaia held toward us
As soon as they ceased speaking they
again placed their hands on the ground
and kissed the earth, Cortes replied as
taough angry; That he had good reason