316 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



fent on purpofe to obferve, at what part of the camp 

 they could moft eafily make their entry. Cortes having 

 heard this confeflion made the hands of all the fifty 

 be cut off, and fent them back to Xicotencatl, defiring 

 them to let him know that come when he would, by 

 day or by night, he would always make him fenfible 

 that they were Spaniards; and the circumftances ap- 

 pearing to favour the battle expected before the army 

 had made all their preparations for the affault, he fet 

 out about the clofe of the night wich a confiderable 

 number of troops and hrs horfes, to which he ordered 

 little bells to be hung at the armour of their breafts, 

 and went to meet the enemy, who were juft beginning 

 their march towards the Spanifh camp. The fight of 

 the punifhment executed upon the fpies, and the found 

 of the little bells in the filence and darknefs of the night, 

 raifed fuch a tremor among the Tlafcalans, that they 

 fuddenly darted into confufion and diforder, and fled 

 different ways, while Xicotencatl himfelf, deferted and 

 alone, returned in fliame to Tlafcala. Upon this Max- 

 ixcatzin took occafion to inculcate his firfh counfel, add- 

 ing to the arguments he had already ufed, the fad ex- 

 perience of fo many expeditions which had ended unfuc- 

 cefsfully ; he accordingly moved their minds to peace. 



While this affair was agitating in Tlafcala, the Mex- 

 icans were deliberating what courfe fhould be taken with 

 thofe flrangers. Montezuma having heard of the victo- 

 ries of the Spaniards, and apprehenfive of their confe- 

 derating with the Tlafcalans, fummoned the king of 

 Tezcuco, his nephew, the prince Cuitlahuatzin, and his 

 other counfellors, explained the flate of affairs to them, 



difclofed 



(a) Some hiftorians fay, that the fingers only of the TIafcalan fpies were 

 cut off ; but Cortes himfelf fays, that he made their hands be cut off. 



