45 CORTEZ CONDEMNS ALVARADO HIS CONDUCT TO MONTEZUMA. 



the mysterious rites, left alive to tell the tale of the sudden and 

 brutal assault. 



Alvarado, it is true, pretended that his spies had satisfactorily 

 proved the existence of a well founded conspiracy, which was 

 designed to explode upon this occasion ; but the evidence is not 

 sufficient to justify the disgraceful and horrid deed that must for- 

 ever tarnish his fame. It is far more probable that rapacity 

 was the true cause of the onslaught, and that the reckless compan- 

 ion of the conqueror, who had been entrusted with brief authority 

 during his absence, miscalculated the power of his Indian foe, and 

 confounded the warlike Mexican of the valley with the weaker 

 soldiers, dwelling in more emasculating climates, whom he had so 

 rapidly confounded and overthrown in his march to the capital. 



It may well be supposed that this slaughter, combined with 

 the other causes of discontent already existing among the Aztecs, 

 served to kindle the outraged national feeling with intense hatred 

 of the invaders. The city rose in arms, and the Spaniards were 

 hemmed within their defences. Montezuma himself addressed 

 the people from the battlements, and stayed their active as- 

 sault upon the works of Alvarado ; but they strictly blockaded 

 the enemy in his castle, cut off all supplies, and entrenched them- 

 selves in hastily constructed barricades thrown up around the habi- 

 tation of the Spaniards, resolved to rest behind these works until 

 despair and famine would finally and surely throw the helpless 

 victims into their power. Here the invaders, with scant provisions 

 and brackish water, awaited the approach of Cortez, who received 

 the explanations of Alvarado with manifest disgust : — " You have 

 been false to your trust," said he, a you have done badly, indeed, 

 and your conduct has been that of a madman ! " 



Yet this was not a moment to break entirely with Alvarado, 

 whose qualities, and perhaps, even, whose conduct, rendered him 

 popular with a large class of the Spanish adventurers. The newly 

 recruited forces of Cortez gave the conqueror additional strength, 

 for he was now at the head of no less than twelve hundred and 

 fifty Spaniards, and eight thousand auxiliaries, chiefly Tlascalans. 

 Yet, under the untoward circumstances, the increase of his forces 

 augmented the difficulties of their support. Montezuma hastened 

 to greet him. But the Spaniard was in no mood to trust the 

 Emperor ; and, as his Mexican subjects made no sign of recon- 

 ciliation or submission, he refused the preferred interview : — 

 " What have I," exclaimed he, haughtily, " to do with this dog of 

 a king who suffers us to starve before his eyes ! " He would 



