The herald., 1895-04-07

ply came Cortes urged Montezuma that
being such a great lord and having so
| many powerful Caciques and Captains IN
Tezucuco for relatives he. he should aa.i, d
prisoner, or that he should send for him
secretly and then take him and retain
him under his control until he was III a
more peaceful frame OF mind; ana even
at this very time there was In the palace
of Montezuma younger brotner o. Caca-
matzin whom he had forced TO ny from
Tezcuco to save his life, and Cortes sug-
gested that as this Young man was oil
gentle disposition and direct heir to the
Territories of Tezcuco, he should be MADE
Cacique instead of his brother, VINO was
going about stirring up revolutions IN or.
der to make himself King in place OF
Montezuma.
The King said he would immediately
send for Cacamatzin, and that II he alo
not come voluntarily he would cause him
to be taken by force. Cortes thanked
him, and said: my lord, Montezuma,
YOU NAV be well assured that IL you Wish
TO return to your palace it is in your own
hands to do so, for since | have become
convinced of your good will toward me,
and because of the high esteem in which
1 hold you, | would at any time accom-
pany you to your own palace, ana II !
have not offered to do so it is because OF
my CAPTAINS, who took you prisoner
and who do not wish that | should release
you, and because your majesty preierreu
to remain prisoner with us in order TO
prevent the revolutions contemplated ~
your nephews, who desire to wrest the
kingdom from you by force of arms.
But Montezuma now well knew how to
take the flattering offers of Cortes, and he
knew also that the offer to free him was
merely meant to test him, for Ortegullla,
his page, had told him that although
IL, hod aIrisad EnrtpS IN take
him prisoner, yet that even if they were
willing Cortes would not set him free, and
so he replied that he was grateful for his
good intentions, but that he was very
well off as he was until he saw how the
plots of his nephews would turn out, and
that he would send messengers to Caca-
matzin, urging him to come and hold
conference, and not to feel aggrieved be-
cause of his imprisonment, as Malinche
had twice offered to free him, but tnat he
preferred to remain a prisoner in obedl-
ence osthe commands of Huitzilopotzn,
who had commanded him to remain in
our quarters or he would presently lose
his,life. He also sent messages to the
Caciques OF Tezcuco telling them not to
allow Cucamatzin to turn their heads with
his mad projects of making war on us.
The latter understood the condition OF
things very well and called his Caciques
together and swore that within four days
he would slay us all and said that MS
uncle was chicken hearted not to have
made war on us when we were descending
the mountains of Chalco, when every
thing was ready to attack us and that IN
stead he had taken us into the city ana
placed his person in our hands, and that
he had given us all the gold received In
tribute and that he we had even entered
the treasure chamber of his grandfather
Axayaca, and that we were trying to take
away from them the gods Of their fathers
and put our own gods in their place.. apd'
he pointed out how we had burned the
Captains who had attacked Jnan de
Escalante and urged them that before,
greater evils should follow, that they
should all join him in making war on
us, and he promised them that W hen he.
was King he would reward them all; and
he made them presents and told thema
that his cousins, lords of lgtapalapa,
and Tacuba. and other relatives had-
agreed to assist him and that in the City
of Mexico he had also powerful party
who would cooperate in the attack.
He also told them that they should not
fear us as only a few days had passed
since the Captains OF his uncle had slain
many Teules at Almeria and one OF the
horses also, and that it only required
one brave effort and We would all be
slain.
When he ceased speaking it is said that
the Caciques and Captains commenced to
look at one another until finally five of the
principal Caciques asked how they could,
without permission from Montezuma,
make war in his own city and even IN
his own palace, and they said that 1T
would be better to first send to inform
him. and if he consented they would all
go with him with right good will, but
as to making war without 1t they would
be but traitors to do SO.
At this it appears that Cacamatzin was
very angry at those who had given this
reply and he ordered three of them put
in prison, and the others, who were near
relatives and vassals, all declared that
they would follow him to the death. He
then sent to his uncle saying that he
ought to be ashamed to urge him to hold
friendship with those who had inflicted on
him so much injury and dlshonor in
making him prisoner and that it seemed
impossible that he could desire such a
| thing unless we were wizards. who had
deprived him of his once great and val
| liant heart; and that it must be that our
| God and the woman of CASTLE whom we
| worshiped had caused us this power
| over him.
| And indeed in this last he did not err,
| for certainly it was the great mercy of
God and his blessed Mother our Lady,
which aided and protected us. Cacamat-
! zin said that in spite Of his uncle and us
| ne WOulu come TO speak WIN uS Wneu he
was ready to slay us all.
When the great Montezuma heard this
| bold and shameless reply he was full oi
wrath against Cacamatzin, and he sent fol
six of his chief Captains, men of affairs,
and he gave them his royal signet and
some pieces of gold and told them to &C
to Tezcuco and to secretly show his signei
to certain Captains who were his relatives
and who were not on good terms with
! Caeamatzin, because he was so proud and
| naughty and because they did not approve
of mis- course in this matter, and to tel
| them to take Cacamatzin and his coun-
| cillors prisoners and send them to him.
When the Captains reached Tezcuco and
| delivered the message of Montezuma, and
| as CacamatZin was detested there, those
| to whom MOnteZumas S message was sent
took him prisoner in his palace, where
he was holding a council with his confed.
crates, and they carried him and five oi
those who were in the plot with him
prisoner to large piragua they had on
the lake, and brought them to Mexico
when they reached there they put Caca-
matzin in his litter like King, as he was,
and treating him with great respect,
brought him before Montezuma; and il
| appears that even there he was still more
shameless in the avowals of his intentions
to make war on us than he had been be-
fore, and as to his intention to sieze the
kingdom, Montezuma learned more abou,
than that from those who had been ar.