520 RISIKG OF THE MEXICANS. 



LIB. viz. iug, and that the Indians mindes began to be distracted 

 from them, he thought it necessary to assure himself, in 

 laying hand vpon king MonteQuma, who was seazed on, and 

 his legs fettered. Truly this act was strange vnto all men, 

 and like vnto that other of his, to have burnt his ships, and 

 shut himselfe in the midst of his enemies, there to vanquish 

 or to die. The mischiefe was, that by reason of the vn ex 

 pected arrival of Pamphilo de Narvaez at Vera Cruz, 

 drawing the country into mutiny, Cortes was forced to 

 absent himselfe from Mexico, and to leave poor Monte9uma 

 in the handes of his companions, who wanted discretion, 

 nor had not moderation like vnto him ; so as they grew to 

 that discention, as there was no meanes to pacifie it. 



CHAP. xxvi. Of the death of Montequma, and the Spaniards 

 departure out of Mexico. 



Whenas Cortes was absent from Mexico, he that re 

 mained his lievetenant resolved to punish the Mexicans 

 severely, causing a great number of the nobiKtie to be 

 slaine at a maske which they made in the pallace, the which 

 did so far exceede, as all the people mutinied, and in a 

 furious rage took armes to be revenged and to kil the 

 Spaniards. They therefore besieged them in the pallace, 

 pressing them so neere, that all the hurt the Spaniards 

 could do them with their artillery and crosse-bowes, might 

 not terrific them, nor force them to retyre from their enter 

 prise, where they continued many daies, stopping their 

 victualls, nor suffering any one to enter or issue forth. 

 They did fight with stones, and cast dartes after their 

 maner, with a kind of lances like vnto arrow es, in the 

 which there are foure or six very sharpe rasors, the which 

 are such (as the histories report) that in these warres an 

 Indian with one blow of these rasors almost cut off the 



