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cafque to be returned filled with gold, and other previous circumftances- 

 muft have fully convinced him to the contrary. 



One morning at this time, we v/ere difagreeably furprifcd by per- 

 ceiving that all our Mexican neighbours had quitted us v/ithout taking 

 leave. This we afterwards learned was done by the order of Monte- 

 zuma, who was determined to permit no more conferences c It feems 

 this monarch was greatly bigotted to the worfliip of his idols, to which 

 he every day facrificed boys, in order to obtain directions how to adl:. 

 Their commands were, that he fhould hold no farther intercourfe with 

 us, and they forbid the reception of the crucifix in Mexico. This was 

 the caufe of the flight of our former neighbours, which gave us an 

 alarm and we prepared for hoftilities. 



One day whilft I and another foldier were centinels upon the fands 

 at fome diftance from our poft, we remarked the approach of five na- 

 tives, whom, in order not to create an unneccifary alarm in the camp, 

 we fuftered to come up clofe to us. Thefe men faiuted us in a friendly 

 manner, and by figns defired to be brought to our camp. I therefore 

 left my comrade at the out-poft, and attended them thither, for I then 

 had the full ufe of my limbs, far otherwife than at prefent that I anl 

 worn down and old. When I had brought them to Cortes they faiuted 

 him with great reverence, addrefling him with the title of Lopelucio^ 

 or lord, which is the lignification of the word in the Totonaquean lan- 

 guage. Thefe Indians were very different in their appearance from the 

 Mexicans, and they wore in their ears large rings of ftone painted blue, 

 and very fine leaves of gold in their lips. As their language was un- 

 intelligible to our interpreters. Donna Marina aiked in the Mexican if 

 any of them could fpeak in that dialed ; to which two of them anfwered 

 in the affirmative, and immediately proceeded to fay, that their lord 

 had fent them to congratulate us on our arrival ; that he would b© proud 

 to ferve fuch brave men as he had heard we were, and would have 

 waited upon us before, but from dread of the people of Culchua, who 

 were with us. In the courfe of converfation Cortes was pleafed to find 



that 



