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tyrannies they committed on his fubjeds. This propofal terrified and 

 aftonifhed the chiefs, and they at firft refufed to lay hands on them, 

 but Cortes was determined, and caufed them to be feized and faftened 

 by the neck in a kind of pillory made of large ftaves and collars. They 

 were fo fixed as not to be able to flir, and one of them alfo being refrac- 

 tory was beaten foundly. Cortes then proclaimed that neither tribute 

 nor obedience fhould be paid to Montezuma, and this he ordered to be 

 made univerfally known through thefe diftrids, and alfo, that wherever 

 he fhould hear of any officers of Montezuma coming, he would fend 

 for and arrefl them. The intelligence of thefe meafures foon fpread 

 through the country, which the natives faid were to be attempted only 

 by fuperior beings, or Teules, the name which they give to their idols, 

 and by which they henceforward diflinguiihed the Spaniards. 



The chiefs were now violent to facrifice the officers,, whom before 

 their arrefl they hardly dared to look at ; and this they faid was in order 

 to prevent them from conveying intelligence to Mexico ; but when it 

 came to the knowledge of Cortes, he prevented it by taking them into 

 his own cuftody, and putting them under a guard of foldiers. At mid- 

 night he caufed two of them to be untied, and brought fecretly into his 

 prefence ; when they came before him, he afked them, as if ignorant 

 of what had happened, what country they belonged to, and why they 

 were kept prifoners. They anfwered, " That they had been feized by 

 *' the caciques and people of that town, who were favored and encou- 

 raged in it by him and us.'* To this Cortes replied, " That he 

 '* knew nothing of it, and was very forry for what had happened." 

 He then caufed food to be brought to them, and treating them with 

 great kindnefs, defired that they would go and inform their fovereign 

 how much he wifhed to be his friend and fervant. He alfo promifed 

 that he would releafe their companions, and reprimand the caciques for 

 what they had done. He then defired them to go away as faft as they 

 could, but they informing him that it would be their deflrud:ion to at- 

 tempt to pafs through the country, he fent them by a boat with fix 



failors, 



