Page:About Mexico - Past and Present.djvu/206

198 The commandant immediately went with fifty of his men and several hundred Indian allies to avenge this murder. In the battle which followed, the Spanish commander and several of his men were killed. The Aztec deputy and his forces were, however, completely routed, and fled to the mountains. Prisoners were found in the city, ready to be sacrificed, who accused the Aztecs of decoying the Spaniards into the clutches of their tribe, and said that an attack on Cempoalla was also part of this plan. It was arranged that this story should be told by Cortez during one of his morning visits to Montezuma. Taking with him five of his bravest cavaliers, the Spanish leader arranged that others should drop in as if by accident. The rest of the Spaniards were told to take their places quietly on the street-corners in the neighborhood, to check any attempt the people might make to rescue their chief.

Montezuma was in a very cheerful mood that morning, and so profuse in his gifts that he offered to marry one of his young daughters to Cortez or to one of his men, and to give with her some of his most valuable gems. Cortez refused the lady promptly unless she would become a Christian, but pocketed the gold and the jewels, since they did not need baptism. Leading the conversation toward graver topics, he introduced the story of the treacherous dealing on the coast. Cortez affected to consider the tidings as highly improbable; he said he did not believe his host was capable of such double dealing. Others, however, he said, would not be so charitable; and if Montezuma wished to clear himself, it would be necessary to arrest those who had been concerned in the murder and punish them as they deserved. Montezuma made no objection to this, and immediately gave orders