Book L 
7‘he Expedition (^Hernan Cortes, 
82 
what they were doing. By this Means it was underftood, 
that, after having feated themfelves in the Town-houfe, 
they fummoned the Caziques to appear before them, and 
reprimanded them publicly for their Boldnefs in admir- 
ing Strangers into their Town, who were Enemies to their 
King ; and . therefore, befides the ordinary Service, to 
which they were obliged, they demanded twenty Indians 
to facrifice to their Gods, as an Atonement for fuch a 
Crime. 
Cortes fent for the two Caziques by fome Soldiers, who 
had Orders, without any Noife, to bring them to his 
Prefence j when letting them know that he faw into their 
moft hidden IDefigns, he told them. That he was well 
acquainted with the Vilenefs of thofe Commiflioners, who, 
without any Pretence but their having admitted hisTroops, 
endeavoured to impofe on them new Tributes of Human 
Blood: That it was no Time for fuch Abominations, nor 
w’-ould he fuffer fuch horrid Commands in his Prefence-, 
but ordered them, without fail, to call their People, feize 
the Commiflioners, and leave him to maintain what they 
Ihould do by his Advice. The Caziques refufed to exe- 
cute fuch a bold Command, as being grown mean-fjiirited ; 
hxxtCortes repeated his Order with fo much Refolution, that 
they immediately went to execute it, and that with great 
Applaufe of the Indians. 
They feized the Minifters of Motezuma.^ whom they 
put in a kind of Pillories in their Prifons, and very in- 
commodious, for they held the Delinquents by the Neck, 
obliging them continually to do their utmoft with their 
Shoulders to eafe the Weight, for the fake of breathing. 
It was very pleafant to fee how proud the Caziques re- 
turned to give an Account of their noble Adlion, for they 
thought to execute them, and to make them fuffer the 
Punifliments afligned by the Laws to Traitors -, and, 
feeing that would not be permitted, they defired to fa- 
crifice them to their Gods, as if it were a kind of Grace. 
The Prifoners being fecured by a fufficient Number of 
Spanijh Soldiers, Cortes retired to his Quarters, and to 
confider with himfelf what was to be done ; for he was 
not willing abfolutely to break with Motezuma.^ but ftill 
to keep him in Sufpence. On the other hand he con- 
fldered it as a, very neceffary Point to maintain that Party 
which was beginning to form, that he might have their 
Afiiftance, in cafe he Ihould happen to want them. In 
fine, he held it moft convenient to manage Matters with 
Motezuma by making a Merit of fufpending the Effects 
of that Difrefpedt. 
The Refult of thofe Refleclions was, to fend, at Mid- 
night, for two of the Prifoners with all poffible Privacy ; 
and, after receiving them courteoufly, to tell them. 
That he had fent for them in order to fet them at Liber- 
ty : And that, as they received it folely from his Hands, 
they might affure their Prince he would endeavour very 
fpeedily to fend the reft of their Companions, who re- 
mained in the Power of the Caziques, whom he would 
endeavour to make fenfible of their Faults, and perform 
all that Ihould be for his Service for that he was defirous 
of Peace, and to teftify, by his Speech and Aftions, 
all the Marks of Civility that were due to the Embaffadors 
of fo great a Prince. The Indians durft not fet out on 
their Journey, for fear of being killed, or taken by the 
way and he was forced to give them a Guard of Spanijfo 
Soldiers, who conveyed them to the next Bay, where the 
Ships lay, and one of the Boats was ordered to land them 
beyond the Diftridt of Zempoalla. 
The Caziques came, in the Morning, much troubled 
for the Efcape of the two Prifoners ; and Cortes received 
the News with Signs of Surprize and Concern, blaming 
their Want of Vigilance, and, upon this Pretence, he or- 
dered, in their Prefence, that the reft fliould be carried 
aboard the Fleet but he privately diredted the Officers 
on board to. treat them well, and to keep them fafe, by 
which he gained the Confidence or the Caziques, without 
difobliging Motezuma.^ whofe Power, fo much cried up 
and dreaded among thofe Indians., made him careful how 
he adted. , j , • 
7. The good Behaviour of the Spaniards towards their 
Allies was quickly divulged through all theDiftridts there- 
abouts 5 and the two Caziques, of Zempoalla and ^iahijlan^ 
gave notice to all their Friends and Confederates of their 
Advantages, being freed from Impofitions, and their Li- 
berty fecured by the Protedlion of a People invincible, 
who knew the very Thoughts of Men, and feemed of a - 
fuperior Nature. The Report fpread with Exaggerations. 
It was faid publicly among the People, That their Gods 
were come down to ^iabijlan., darting Lightning againft 
Motezuma ; which Credulity lafted fome time among 
the Indians, and caufed a Veneration, which, though ill 
founded, very much facilitated the Beginnings of this 
Conqueft. 
This high Opinion of the Spaniards fo increafed, and 
the Name of Liberty, founded fo well in the Ears of the 
Oppreffed, that, in a few Days, there came to ^iahijkm, 
thirty Caziques of the Mountains that were in fight, which 
had numerous Settlements of Indians, called Hotanaques, 
a ruftic People, of different Languages and Cuftoms; 
but ftrong, aftive, induftrious, and remarkable for their 
Courage. They paid their Obedience, offered their Troops, 
and, in the Form propofed to them, fwore Fidelity and 
Vaflallage to the King of Spain, of which a folemn A6t 
was made before the Secretary of the Council. 
The Number it is likely was very great, the Settle- 
ments many, and the People eafily ftirred up againft 
Motezuma ; efpecially for that the mountainous Coun- 
try was inhabited by warlike Indians lately fubdued, or 
not quite conquered. This kind of Confederacy being 
made, the Caziques returned to their Houfes, ready to 
do as they had been commanded ; and Cortes refolved to 
fettle the Town of Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, which till 
then moved with the Army, though obferving its pro- 
per Diftinftions as a Republic. They pitched upon the 
Plain between the Sea and ^dabijlan, half a League 
from that Town, a pleafant Place which invited them 
by its Fertility, abounding in Water, and having 
great Plenty of Trees, which lay commodious for the 
cutting of Timber for the Buildings. They laid the Foun- 
dations, beginning with the Church the Handicraftmen 
were diftributed Carpenters and Mafons, id c. who came 
with Soldier’s Pay •, and the Indians of Zempoalla and 
^uiabijlan aflifting with equal Adrivity, the Houfes be- 
gan to rife, mean as to Architedlure, rather for a Cover- 
ing than any Commodioufnefs. They prefently drew the 
Compafs of the Wall, with Traverfes of ftrong Mud- 
work ; a fufficient Defence againft the W eapons of the 
Indians, and, in that Country, it might be properly called 
a Fortrefs. The principal Officers of the Army helped 
to carry on the Work, applying both their Hands and 
Shoulders, and Cortes worked hard as if he had fet himfelf 
a Tafk, not fatisfied with the feemdng Diligence, which is 
fufficient in a Superior, to fet a good Example. 
In the mean time they had at Mexico the firft Ad- 
vice of the Spaniards being admitted into Zempoalla by that 
Cazique, a Man, in their Opinion, of fiifpedled Fidelity, 
and the neighbouring Places little to be depended upon. 
Which Account fo provoked Motezuma, that he pro- 
pofed to draw together his Forces, and march out in Per- 
foil to chaftife this Offence of the Zempoallans, and put 
the reft of the Mountain Nations under the Yoke, taking 
the Spaniards alive, whom he had already deftined for a 
folemn Sacrifice to his Gods. 
But, at the fame time that he began to make great 
Preparations for this Enterprize, the two Indians whom 
Cortes had difpatched from Vluiahijlan arrived at Mexico^ 
and gave an Account of their Imprifonment, and that they 
owed their Liberty to the Captain of the Strangers, who 
had fent them to reprefent how much he defired Peace, 
and how far it was from his Intentions to do him any 
Differvice ; extolling his Courtefy and Mildnefs fo much, 
that it might be perceived, by the Praifes they gave Cortes^ 
how much they had been frighted by the Caziques. 
Upon this Affairs changed. The Anger of Motezuma 
was mitigated, his Preparations for V^ar ceafed, and he 
determined again to try Negociation, and endeavour 
to divert Cortes from his Defigns by a new Embaffy 
and Prefent, to which Meafures he eafily inclined for, 
in the Midft of his Anger and Pride, he could not for- 
get the Signals of Heaven, and the Anfwers of his Idols, 
which he looked upon as evil Omens of his Undertaking, 
or 
