HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



135 



loft a battle, the courier wore his hair loofe and diforder- 

 ed, and 5 without fpeaking a word to any perfon, went 

 ftraight to the palace, where, kneeling before the king, 

 he related what had happened. If it was the news of a 

 victory which had been obtained by the arms of Mexico, 

 he had his hair tied with a coloured firing, and his body 

 girt with a white cotton cloth ; in his left hand a fhield, 

 and in his right a fword, which he brandifhed as if he 

 had been in the act: of engagement ; expreffing by fnch 

 geftures his glad tidings, and tinging the glorious actions 

 of the ancient Mexicans, while the people, overjoyed at 

 feeing him, led him with many congratulations to the 

 royal palace. 



In order that news might be more fpeedily conveyed, 

 there were upon all the highways of the kingdom cer- 

 tain little towers, about fix miles diftant from each other, 

 where couriers were always waiting in readinefs to fet 

 out with difpatches. As foon as the firfl courier was 

 fent off, he ran as fwiftly as he could to the firft ftage, 

 or little tower, where he communicated to another his 

 intelligence, and delivered to him the paintings which 

 reprefented the news, or the affair which was the fub- 

 ject of his embaffy. The fecond courier ported without 

 delay to the next ftage, or little tower ; and thus by a 

 continued and uninterrupted fpeed of conveyance, intelli- 

 gence was carried fo rapidly from place to place, that 

 fometimes, according to the affirmations made by feve- 

 ral authors, it reached the diftance of three hundred 

 miles in one day. It was by this means that frefli fifli 

 were daily brought to Montezuma II. from the gulf of 

 Mexico, which is at leaft upwards of two hundred miles 

 diftant from the capital. Thofe couriers were exercifed 

 in running from their childhood ; and in order to en- 

 courage 



