The herald., 1895-03-24


here, as cannot bring all at once; there
fore wait here, you and your son, my
n,other, Until L bring all, and then we
viii go together.
J's.c old woman believed all and
waited, while Dona Marina went at once
to the quarters of Cortes and told him
what the old woman had said. whereupon
he ordered her To he brought before him
at once and when she came she told the
same story, and she was then placed un-
der guard.
In the morning it was a thing worth
seeing, how promptly the Caciques and
papas came with the Indian warriors
they had promised us, all pleasant and
contented as though no treachery was
contemp plated but they brought more men
than they promised, SO many in fact that
although the patio was very large it
would not hold them all (rhe patio is
there to this day in memory of the event.)
We had posted the foot soldiers around
with sword and shield at the doors. so that
not one Indian might escape; and our
Captain, Cortes, was on horseback with
strong guard, and when he saw how early
the Caciquos had come with the warriors
he said. How anxious these traitors are
to lead us into the ambush they have pre-
pared in order that they might glut them
selves with our flesh: but God, our Lord,
will protect us.
He then asked for the two Papas who
had discovered the plot to us, and he was
told they were outside the patio, waiting
with some Caciques to come in, and Cor
les told Aguilar to tell them he had no
further need Of them and to return to
their homes.
Coltes, being as [ have said on horse
Jack, and Dona Marina with him, he
spoke to the Caciques and Papas and asked
them why, having done them no injury,
they wished to kill us; that we had only
admonished them, as we had all the people
Of all towns through which we hadpassed,
that they should not worship idols nor sac
rihce human beings nor eat the flesh of
their nelghbors, and had also told them
about our holy faith. He then asked
them why they had in the last three days
dug holes in the streets and placed barri-
cades across them, and why they had
taken their women and children out OF
the city and piled stones on the roofs of
the houses? He said their evil inten
tions were apparent, since they had even
refused us food and that to mock us they
had sent us wood and water instead; and
that he well knew they had large bodies
of warriors in ambush a short distance
from the city on our road to Mexico, and
that the payment they intended to give
us for our good intentions was to eat our
hesh having the pots all ready and the
agi and tomatoes. If they were brave
men, he asked them why they did not
attack us in the country as the Tlasca-
lans their neighbors had done, and that
he was well aware of all their plans and
even the sacrifice they had promised
their idols, but that as the idol a
false devil he had no power over us but
that the evil they intended us would fall
on themselves.
When the Caciques and Papas heard
this they said it was true, but that they
were not to blame, as the ambassadors of
Montezuma had ordered it in the name of
their lord.
Cortes then said that such treasons as
these could not be allowed to pass unpun-
ished and that for their crime they had
to die. He then ordered an argue
bus fired, which was the signal which
we had arranged; and thereupon we
laid on them such heavy hands as they
will remember forever, for we killed
great number OF them and others we
burned alive, so that they benefited no.
thing by the promises of their false
idols. In less than two hours the Tlascalans
arrived and attacked other bodies of Cho- |
lulans who were in the streets trying to
get in, and soon defeated them, and they /
rushed through the city, robbing killing |
and taking captive so that we could not
stop them; and the next day there came
other bands of Tlascalans and they did
still more injury to the Chloluans.