CHAPTER LXXI.

_How four chief personages arrived in our camp to negotiate terms of

peace with us, and what further happened._

We now despaired of concluding the peace we so greatly desired, and

therefore began to prepare for battle. We cleaned and sharpened our

weapons, provided ourselves with arrows, and were making other

preparations for an engagement, when one of our outposts came suddenly

running up with the tidings that a number of Indians of both sexes were

advancing along the principal road of Tlascalla, straightway to our

quarters, laden with packages. One of our horse had rode up to watch

their movements more closely, and now also came galloping up with the

news that the procession was fast approaching our camp, and merely

halted from time to time to take a little rest.

Cortes and all of us were highly delighted with this piece of news, for

we hoped they were coming with tidings of peace, which, indeed, was

really the case. He issued orders that no alarm should be sounded, and

for all of us to remain quiet in our huts as if we were unconscious of

their approach. When the Indians had arrived at our camp, four principal

personages stepped forth from among the porters, who had been

commissioned by the elder caziques to conclude a treaty of peace with

us. They made the sign of peace, which consisted in bending the head

forwards; they then walked straightway to the hut which Cortes

inhabited. They first touched the ground with their hands, and then

kissed it, bowed themselves three times, and perfumed with copal. They

then began as follows: "All the caziques of Tlascalla, with their

subjects, allies, friends, and confederates, make peace and friendship

with Cortes and his brothers, the teules. They beg forgiveness for

having commenced hostilities, instead of uniting in friendship with

them, which had merely been done under the impression that we were

friends of Motecusuma and the Mexicans, who had been their most deadly

enemies from time immemorial; and what had strengthened them in this

suspicion was, our being accompanied by such numbers of the tribes who

were tributary to that monarch, who was accustomed to fall into their

country under various pretences, and carry off their wives and children.

They had this time again feared some foul stratagem was on hand, and

therefore had put no faith in our ambassadors. They had not commenced

the attack in the first instance when we marched into their country,

neither was it done at their instigation or command, but assured us it

was the Chontal-Otomies, a rude and wild mountain tribe, who imagined

they would have been easily able to overcome our small numbers, carry us

off prisoners, and send our hearts to the Tlascallan chiefs, in order to

gain their good wishes. They now came to beg forgiveness, and would

daily bring us a sufficient supply of provisions. They hoped we would

accept of these they now brought with the same kind feeling in which

they were offered. In the space of two days the chief commander

Xicotencatl, with the other caziques, would call himself, and further

prove how fervently the whole of Tlascalla desired to make peace and

friendship with us."

After the chiefs had done speaking, they again bowed themselves, touched

the ground with their hands, and kissed it. Cortes, with great dignity

and earnestness depicted in his countenance, returned them the following

answer through our interpreters: "He had certainly great cause to refuse

them a hearing, or to make any compact of friendship with them; for,

upon our first entering into their country, he had offered them peace,

and announced that he intended to assist them against their enemies the

Mexicans; yet they would not believe him, and had even been upon the

point of killing our ambassadors, and had made three murderous attacks

upon us; and, by way of a finish, had also sent spies into our camp. In

the battle we had fought with them, we could have killed many more of

the troops; and we even grieved for those whose lives had thus been

sacrificed, but we had been driven to it. He had resolved to carry the

war into the very town where the old caziques dwelt; but as they now

came to sue for peace, he was willing to receive them kindly in the name

of our emperor, and was also pleased to accept of the provisions which

they had brought. They should now tell their chiefs to repair hither in

person, or send him some better warranty of peace. If they refused to

come, he would put his army in motion, and attack them at their very

doors. They were, moreover, to approach our camp during daytime only,

for if they came at night, we would put them all to the sword without

mercy."

After Cortes had given them this answer, he presented the messengers

with blue beads for the caziques, in token of peace. They then took

leave, and turned off to some Indian dwellings which lay in the

neighbourhood, leaving there the Indian females whom they had brought

along with them to prepare the bread, fowls, and a dinner for us;

besides this there were twenty Indians who furnished the wood and water

for cooking; and indeed they prepared us a most delicious meal. Being

now convinced that they earnestly desired peace, we returned hearty

thanks to God, who had thus ordered things: indeed it was high time, for

we were all in a terrible state of exhaustion, and were sick of a war to

which there seemed no end, as the good reader may well imagine.

With respect to these proceedings, Gomara has again mixed up many

untruths. One time he makes Cortes mount up to the top of a mountain,

and thence look over the township of Zumpanzingo, and yet it lay quite

close to our camp, and he must have been blind indeed who could not see

it straight before him. He also relates that the soldiers said things

which I will not repeat here, though he would make one believe he had

all from good authority. There is not the slightest foundation for all

his assertions. There never was a commander in this world who was so

strictly obeyed as Cortes, nor will it ever again fall to the lot of any

man to be so. No such thought ever entered the minds of our men,

excepting on the occasion which I have related above. Even the

representations which were made to Cortes, mentioned in the preceding

chapter, were all given in the tone of advice. Those who made them did

so with a good intention, and imagined they were in the right, and

though they differed with him in opinion, they paid him strict

obedience. Is it, then, any wonder that a general should listen to good

advice from intelligent soldiers, particularly when his troops are so

awkwardly situated as ours were? I am only sorry when I reflect that all

Gomara's untruths will be credited, because his style of writing is so

eloquent.