The herald., 1895-03-17

| From this place we crossed some high
mountains and stopped at the town of
| Texutla, where we were also well received
| by the people, who were also enemies of
| MonteZuma.
| From this town we crossed the remain
| ing mountains and entered wilderness,
where the cold was intense, and the first
night we had hail storm, accompanied
by a cutting wind, which caused us much
suffering, after coming up from the hot
Lands of the coast. Our suffering was ag-
gravated by hunger, for we had nothing
to eat and had no covering but our
armor
We then went through a pass where
there some temples and idols but still we
found nothing TIC eat and we still suffered
from the cold. From this place we entered
the country belonging to the town OF
Cocotlan and we sent two Indians OF
| Cempoal to tell the Cacique that we were
| coming to his town and that we intended
| them no wrong. This place was subject to
| Mexico and we marched now in order of
| battle, for we saw we were in a strange
country OF which we knew nothing.
| The houses of Cocotlan were well built
! Spanish town and we called it Castilblanco
because some Portuguese soldiers said it
| looked like Castilhlanco in Portugal.
When they learned in the town from our
messengers that we were coming the Ca
Clique and other principal men came out to
meet u.s. and assigned us quarters and gave
us some good food but all was done with
a bad grace
After we had eaten Cortes saked them
through our interpreters about Montezu
ma, and thew told us of his great power,
of the armies he had on the provinces. be-
sides those he had in the frontiers. and
OF the grand City of Mexico. How it was
founded on Il lake and how one could not
pass from one house to another except by
bridge or canoe; and how there were
three great causeways by which to enter
the city, and in each causeway five or six
bridges of wood which could be raised
and lowered.
They told also OF the great riches of
Montezuma. so that Cortes and all of us
were astonished to learn of his great pow
er and riches. And truly, as we after
war Is learned, Mexico was richer and
stronger than they had told us that it
was. The Cacique also told us that they
did not know if Montezuma would take it
well that they had received us in their
town and given us food without his per-
mission. Cortes replied that we had come
from far off land, sent by our lord and
King, who was great Emperor who had
for vassals many great lords, and that he
had sent us to tell them not to offer sac
-; soo 20, hai i,lnIc To ill ,tb IN
ians nor rob the weak, and to demand
their allegiance. And now, said Cortes,
~ say to you, Olintecle and the other
Chiefs who are h ere, that you must not
offer sacrifices nor eat your neighbOrs,
ana must leave off all your evil practices,
because this is the command of God and
our lord.
Those Indians then asked the Indians
of Cempoa what our cannons were, and
! they replied that we put stones in them
/ and then killed whoever we pleased and
! that the horses ran like deer and caught
whoever we wanted. Olintecle and the
| others then said we must be Teules. The
| others replied that we were, and warned
them not to anger us as we could even tell
| what theywere thinking of, and that we it
was who had imprisoned the Recaudadores
of Montezuma and ordered all the coast
| towns to refuse him tribute.
| They said also that they could see for
| themselves that even the great Montezu-
ma sent us presents, and yet when we had
arrived at their town. they offered us
nothing and advised them presently to
| make us presents. From this it may
be seen that we had brought with us good
scarecrows, for they presently brought
us a present of gold, although very base,
and some mantles and four good-looking
Indian women to make our bread.
/ | remember, also, that their temples
were surrounded by skulls, and believe
there were over 100 900 of them and in
another place there were great piles of
bones, guarded by three priests who had
charge of them. And we found the same
J thing in all the towns of the interior, even
| in Tlascala.
Cortes then asked them which was the
shortest route to Mexico, and they re-
piled by way of Cholula, but our Indians
of Cempoal said to Cortes: my lord, go
not by way of Cholula, for the people OF
that place are great traitors and Montezu-
ma always has a large force of warriors
there" And they advised him to go by
way of Tlascala, whose territories were