CHAPTER LXXIX.

_How our captain Hernando Cortes and all our officers and soldiers

determine to march to Mexico._

We had now been seventeen days in Tlascalla, and had heard so much

during that time respecting the immense treasures of Motecusuma, and the

splendour of his metropolis, that Cortes resolved to hold a consultation

concerning our march to Mexico, with all those officers and soldiers

amongst us whom he presumed were inclined to advance further on. In this

council of war it was agreed that we should commence our march thither

without delay; various opinions, however, were expressed on the occasion

in our camp. Many maintained that it would be acting over-rashly to

venture with a mere handful of men into a strongly fortified city,

whose monarch had such vast numbers of warriors at his command. But

Cortes declared that all arguing on this point was useless; we could not

alter the resolution we had come to, and we had on every occasion

expressed our desire to pay our respects personally to Motecusuma. When

those who were averse to this step saw his determination, and that the

majority of us warriors were devoted with our very hearts to him, crying

out, "Forward, now or never!" they ceased to make any further

opposition. Those who opposed us were those again who had possessions in

the island of Cuba; we other poor soldiers were ready to sacrifice our

very existence in battle, and to undergo all manner of fatigues for God

and our sovereign. When Xicotencatl and Maxixcatzin were convinced that

it was our determination to march to Mexico, they grew anxious on our

account. They urgently dissuaded Cortes from it, and warned him not to

put the slightest trust in Motecusuma, nor altogether in any of the

Mexicans,--to put no faith in his show of veneration, his courteous and

humble talk. All their professions of friendship, said they, and even

their very presents had treachery at the bottom; for what they give at

one moment they take away at another. They advised us to be upon our

guard night and day; for they were perfectly assured that the Mexicans

would fall upon us when we were least prepared to defend ourselves.

Neither were we to spare life to any of them, if it should come to a

battle;--to the young man that he might not again take up arms against

us, to the old man that he might not do us injury by his counsel.

They gave us many similar precautions, and our captain assured them how

grateful he was for it, and otherwise showed them every possible

kindness, made them and the other caziques various presents, and divided

among them a great portion of the fine stuffs which had been presented

to him by Motecusuma. Cortes at the same time remarked to the caziques,

that it would be the best possible thing if peace and friendship could

be brought about between themselves and the Mexicans, that they might no

longer continue in the disagreeable necessity of making shift with other

things for want of cotton, salt, and other wares.

To this Xicotencatl immediately replied, "That with the Mexicans a

treaty of peace was a mere formality: enmity, nevertheless, always clung

fast to their hearts. It was the characteristic of this people to plot

the foulest treacheries under the semblance of profound peace. No

reliance could be placed on their promises, their words were empty

sounds, and he could not remind and beg of us too often to be upon our

guard against the snares of this vile people."[30]

Next came into consideration the route we should take in our march to

Mexico. Motecusuma's ambassadors, who still remained with us, and wished

to act as our guides, maintained that the best and most level road lay

through the town of Cholulla, whose inhabitants, as subjects of

Motecusuma, would be ready to lend any assistance.

We were also unanimously of opinion that this was the road we ought to

take; but the caziques of Tlascalla, on the contrary, were quite

downcast, when they learnt our determination, and maintained that we

ought to march over Huexotzinco, whose inhabitants were their relatives

and friends, and that we ought not to take our road through Cholulla,

where Motecusuma was accustomed to form his vile stratagems. Their

arguments, however, were of no avail: Cortes adhered to his resolution

of marching over that town. His reason for taking that road was because

this town, according to general report, was thickly populated, had many

beautiful towers, and large cues and temples, and lay in a beautiful

valley, surrounded by extensive townships well stocked with provisions.

Indeed, at that time even, Cholulla, when viewed at a distance, had the

appearance of our great city of Valladolid of Old Castile. At Cholulla,

moreover, we should have our friends of Tlascalla in the immediate

neighbourhood; we could not, therefore, select a more proper spot to

form our plans of reaching the city of Mexico without coming into

contact with the great body of its troops. For in all truth, if God had

not mercifully assisted us with his heavenly arm, and lent us strength

in the moment of need, it would not have been possible for us to have

achieved what we did!

After a long deliberation thus, the route over Cholulla was fixed upon,

and Cortes sent to acquaint the inhabitants with our intentions, more

particularly as, notwithstanding they dwelt so near, they had despatched

no ambassadors to us, nor shown any of those attentions which were due

to us who came in the name of our great monarch, who, he added, had the

good of the people of Cholulla at heart. He at the same time desired

that all the caziques and papas of the town should repair to our

quarters, and swear allegiance to our sovereign and master, otherwise he

should look upon them as our enemies.

While Cortes was despatching this message, and making other

arrangements, it was announced to him that four ambassadors had arrived

with presents in gold from the powerful Motecusuma, who, indeed, never

despatched any messengers from his court if not provided with presents

by him. He would have considered it an insult offered to us if he had

not done so. I will relate in the following chapter what message these

ambassadors brought.

[30] In all the conferences which Cortes had with the Tlascallan chiefs,

they showed an excessive hatred to the Mexicans, from which the

Spaniards derived great advantages: Gomara, however, would make it

appear that the Mexicans could at any time have given the Tlascallans a

total overthrow if they had felt so inclined, but that they considered

it better policy to attack them from time to time, when they wanted

victims for their sacrifices; and then also the younger warriors of

Mexico could have frequent opportunities of learning the art of war near

to the metropolis, without marching to the distant boundaries of the

empire for that purpose. This supposition of Gomara, however, is not

founded on anything like fact. (p. 188.)