The herald., 1895-04-28
CHAPTER Ii
OF Our March Toward TezcucO and What
Happened on the Road---flow Messengers
from TezcucO Came Out to Meet Us and
Presented COrtes With a Banner and
Made Peace Offerings

Cortes, now seeing himself so well pro-
vided with much needed ammunition and
a large addition of horses, and knowing
the great desire of all of us to go against
the grand City of Mexico, he asked the
Caciques of Tlascala for 10, 600 warriors to
20 with us to TeZcuco. which was the
largest city in New Spain after Mexico.
And Nicotcnga ell Niejo replied that not
only would they give us 10000, but many
more if we needed them, and that they
would send also one of their best war
chiefs and our friend Chichimecatecle =
also.
The day after the feast OF the ma
tivity in the year 1920 we commenced
our march toward Tezcuco. The first night
we stopped at Il small town subject to
Tezcuco and the people of which place fur
nished us with provisions From here on
the country belonged to the Mexicans,
and we advanced with more caution,
with our artillery and our crossbowmen
and arquebusiers ever ready for an at
tack, and with four scouts in adj
vance and four more soldiers of sword and
shield on foot to prevent the MeXicans
from ambushing us, for they already
knew in Tezcuco and Mexico that we were
| marching toward them. That day we
| marched three leagues and encamped
near the foot of the mountains. At Gay
| break we again commenced the march,
and having to pass through some broken
| Hills we IOullu large trees lellpu ACROSS UIle
road. but by the assistance of our Tlasca-
Ian allies they were soon cleared away.
When we had reached the summit of the
hills and commenced to descend we could
see the lakes and City of Mexico and all
the surrounding towns, and we gave
thanks to God who again permitted us to
see 1t.
We could also see smoke arising from
Tezcuco and see all the towns subject to
it. and little farther on we found Il
bad pass g-arded by a lagre squad
ron of Mexican and Tozcucan warriors.
We soon dispersed this force and pursued
| our march.
AS we pursued our way the natives
| yelled at us from a distance, but we did
no harm while our friends the Tlascalans
| robbed their houses OF chickens and
everything else of any value which they
| found there. Cortes bad already given
| instructions that we should attack only
when attacked. but the Tlascalans said
| that if these peope had been peaceably in
cined and had good hearts they would
not have attempted to attack us in the
| pass, nor have broken down bridges to
prevent our passage.
| That night we stopped at another town
| also subject to Tezcuco. but the popula-
| ton had all fed and we kept good watch,
| for we had been advised by some prison
ers that large force of warriors was
| lying in wait for us at short distance.
| But as we atterward Termed they did not
| wait tor us because OF some dispute which
| arose between the TeZcucans and the
| Mexicans, and it also appears that at this
time the smallpox was epidemic In Mex
| leo, and besides it had gone abroad
fthrough the land that we were coming
| with great force against Mexico ana
with all the fighting men of Tlascala and
Guaxocingo. so that they were afraid and
did not dare to wait for us, and all this
| was by the will of our Lord Jesus Christ.
| The next morning we took up our
march toward Tezcuco, which was dis
tant from where we slept about two
| leagues, but we had scarcely marched half
a league when our scouts came running
back to say that seven Indians bearing
presents were coming toward us and that
| they had not been attacked from any of
the houses they had passed and that the
| people had not yelled at them as they
| were accustomed to do, but that every
thing seemed peaceful.
Cortes now ordered halt until the In
| dams had approached us. They carried
! a banner of gold Oh lance and when
they. came near us they lowered the ban
ner and Frustrated themselves, which is a
| sign Ct peace.
And when they came before Cortes they
said through our interpreters. Dona Ma
rna and Geronimo Aguilar, 'Oh Malin-
che; Cocoavicin, our lord and lord
OF Tezcuco, sends us to beg of
you to admit him to your friend
ship, and to say that he awaits v IL
peaceably in his city of rezcuco. and