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it for him here
two whole days: if we had not been peaceably inclined, we should
ourselves have attacked and annihilated both his army and himself long
before this: it was now, however, high time he should desist from his
folly, and send us a sincere token of peace."

The unfortunate beings who had thus been dismembered, arrived in
Xicotencatl's head-quarters just as he was on the point of marching off
with his whole army to fall upon us in the dark. When he saw his spies
before him in that condition, and learnt why they had been so treated,
his pride and conceit fell at once. To this was added, that a certain
chief, with whom he had quarrelled on account of the late battles, had
left the camp with the men under his command.

[26] During this war the Tlascallans frequently sent provisions to
Cortes' troops. This they did partly out of pride, that it might not be
said they conquered the Spaniards by famine; partly that the latter
might not become meagre in body, but that their flesh might taste
savoury when they sacrificed them to their gods, so sure were these
brave warriors of victory! (p. 165.)

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 t

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