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After four meffages from the chiefs of Tlafcala to their general, t9 

 fend a peaceable embafly to us, that chief was obliged to comply. Ac- 

 cordingly forty Indians arrived at our quarters, fent by him with fowls^ 

 bread, and fruit; they alfo brought with them four old" women in 

 wretched clothing, fome incenfe, and a quantity of parrots feathers. 



Having offered their incenfe to Cortes, one of the men addrefled 

 him as follows. ** This prefent our General Xicotenga fends you. If 

 you are, as it is faid, Teules, and defire human facrifices, here arc 

 thefe four women; take their hearts and blood for food; as we 

 ** knew not your pleafure, we have not hitherto facrificed them to you, 

 now do as you chufe with them. If you are men, here are fowls, 

 bread, and fruit; if you are benignant Teules, we offer to you this 

 " incenfe and thefe parrots feathers." Cortes replied that he had already 

 fent to them requiring peace, as our objedl in coming was to make 

 manifeft thdi truths of our holy religion, and in the names of our 

 God and Emperor, to prohibit human facrifices ; that we were men 

 like themfelves, but not accuftomed to put any to death except in our 

 own defence, and that they fliould no longer continue their mad re- 

 fiffance, but embrace peace when it was offered to them. 



Thefe men it feems were fpies ; we were warned of this by our 

 friends of Cempoal, who informed us likewife that the people of Cim- 

 pacingo had faid that Xicotenga meant to attack us. Cortes now made 

 immediate invcftigation, and caufing four of thefe Indians to be feized, 

 they confeffed the whole, and that their general was waiting only for 

 their report, to attack us on that very night. Cortes then caufing 

 feventeen of the Tlafcalans to be arrefted, made their hands be ftruck 

 off, and alfo the thumbs of others, and in that condition fent them to 

 their chief, with an invitation to him to come and attack us ; faying, 

 that we would wait, for the fpace of two days, and^at the expiration of 

 that time, if he heard no farther, would come and feek for him in his 

 poft. Xicotenga was prepared to march againft us, when his fpies re- 

 joined him in that lamentable ftate j but from the moment he faw them, 



he 



