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f stuffs very prettily
worked of white cotton and feathers. These they presented to Cortes,
with various other costly things, which, owing to the number of years
which have since elapsed, I cannot now remember, besides provisions,
consisting in quantities of fowls, fruits, and dried fish. Cortes
accepted all this with a joyful countenance, presenting these gentlemen
in return with glass beads resembling brilliants, and other things we
brought from Spain. He begged of them to desire the inhabitants of the
different districts to commence trading with us, as we possessed various
articles which we were desirous of exchanging for gold; this they
promised to do.

Cortes then ordered an arm-chair to be brought, beautifully painted and
adorned with inlaid work, some pieces of precious stones, wrapt in
cotton cloth, perfumed with musk, a necklace of imitation pearls, a
scarlet cap, with a medal, on which was represented the holy St. George
on horseback, with lance in hand, killing the dragon. Cortes addressed
Teuthlille, and said, that he presented this chair to his monarch
Motecusuma, that he might sit in it when he should pay him a visit, and
the string of pearls to wind around his head on the same occasion; all
of which were presents from the emperor our master, who had sent these
things to his monarch in token of friendship and as a proof of the
esteem in which he held him: he ought now to inform us where and when he
could personally wait upon him. Teuthlille accepted the presents, and
said, in return, that his master Motecusuma, as he was also a great
monarch, would on his side be equally delighted to learn something about
our great emperor: he would hasten to lay the presents before him, and
return with his answer.

Teuthlille had with him very clever painters, for there were such in
Mexico, and he ordered them to sketch the likeness and whole person of
Cortes, with the dress he wore; also all the other chief officers, the
soldiers, our vessels, horses, Doña Marina, and Aguilar; even our two
dogs, the cannon, the balls; in short, everything they could fix their
eyes on belonging to us: these paintings they took along with them to
show to their monarch. In order, however, to convey to him a still
greater idea of our power, Cortes ordered our cannon to be heavily laden
with powder, so as to produce a very loud report, commanding also
Alvarado and the other cavaliers to mount their horses, to hang bells
around the necks of the latter, and to gallop up in full speed in
presence of Motecusuma's ambassadors. Cortes also mounted his horse, and
said to the others, "It would be capital if we could gallop across these
sand-hills at full speed; but, as we should so easily stick in the sand,
it will be better for us to ride two and two along the sea-shore at low
water." He then gave the command of the horse to Alvarado, whose brown
mare was a spirited animal, and very swift. All this was done in
presence of the Mexican ambassadors; but, that they might likewise see
the cannon fired, Cortes, under the pretence of having something further
to communicate, took them and several other principal personages to a
spot where they might have a good view of it. The weather was perfectly
calm; and when the cannon was fired, the stone balls flew with a
tremendous crash along the sand-hills, re-echoing for a length of time.
The Indians were terribly startled, and ordered their painters to
represent this likewise, to them so novel a sight, that they might show
it to Motecusuma.

One of our men had on a casque, which was partly gilt; Teuthlille, who
was much more enlightened than any of his companions, remarked, when his
eye fell upon it, that it bore a great resemblance to a helmet which
belonged to their most ancient forefathers, and now adorned the head of
their warrior-god Huitzilopochtli. Motecusuma, he further added, would
certainly be uncommonly pleased if he could likewise see this casque.
Cortes, on hearing this, ordered the casque to be presented to him,
thereby expressing the wish, that he should like to satisfy himself that
the gold of this country was similar to what we find in our rivers. If
they would send him the casque full of gold dust, he would send it to
our great emperor. Upon this Teuthlille took leave of Cortes and all of
us, promising to return speedily, while Cortes, under the most tender of
embraces, made him every profession of friendship.

After this personage had taken his departure, we learnt that he was not
merely a distinguished statesman, but also the most nimble pedestrian at
Motecusuma's court. He did, indeed, use the utmost expedition to bring
his monarch information, and hand over to him the paintings and
presents. The great Motecusuma was vastly astonished at everything he
heard and saw, and yet he was pleased. But, when at last he espied the
casque, and compared it with that of the idol Huitzilopochtli, he no
longer doubted for an instant that we belonged to that people, whom his
forefathers had prophesied would, one time or other, come and subdue the
country.

Concerning these things Gomara has adduced much of which he had been ill
informed; I will not, however, detain myself by contradicting him, but
continue my narrative.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

 _How Teuthlille makes his report to Motecusuma, and gives him our
 presents; as also what further took place in our camp._

After the departure of Teuthlille with the presents which Cortes sent to
his monarch, Motecusuma; the other governor, Quitlalpitoc, remained
behind in our camp. He took up his quarters in a kind of hut, at a
distance from ours, and ordered Indians to bake maise-bread, procure the
fowls, fruits, and fish, which the province had to furnish, for the
table of Cortes and his officers. We other soldiers, if we wished to get
our bellies full were compelled to catch shell and other fish ourselves.
In the meantime numbers of Indians arrived from the above-mentioned
provinces, over which the two officials sent by Motecusuma were
governors, bringing with them some gold trinkets of small value, and
fowls, which they gave us in exchange for our goods, consisting in glass
pearls and such like; with which we were all provided, having
experienced the value of these during the expedition under Grijalva.

Six or seven days may have thus been spent, when Teuthlille returned in
the morning with more than a hundred Indian porters, all heavily laden,
accompanied by a great Mexican cazique, who both in countenance,
stature, and deportment, greatly resembled Cortes, and on that account
only had been selected by his monarch to accompany the deputation; for,
as was related, when Teuthlille brought forth the picture representing
Cortes, all the grandees who were present with their monarch Motecusuma,
immediately observed that he resembled a person of distinction named
Quintalbor. This was the same person who now accompanied Teuthlille, we
therefore called one the Cortes of this place, and the other the Cortes
of that place. W

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