Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 1.djvu/250

226 day I left the city of Churultecal, I marched four leagues to some hamlets of the city of Guasucingo, where I was well received by the natives, who gave me some female slaves, and wearing apparel, and certain small pieces of gold. This last in all was but little, because these people did not have much, as they belong to the league and alliance of the Tascaltecas, and they are shut in by Montezuma, and surrounded by his country in such a manner that they can have no commerce with any other province except their own, and therefore, they live very poorly.

The following day I mounted the pass between the two mountains of which I have spoken, and, descending it, we beheld one of the provinces, of the country of the said Montezuma, called Chalco, where, about two leagues before we reached the town, I found a very good dwelling place, which had been recently built, and was so large that all my company and myself were very commodiously lodged in it; this although I had with me more than four thousand Indians, of these provinces of Tascaltecal, Guasucingo, Chuniltecal, and Cempoal, for whom there were ample provisions of food. Here great fires of plenty of wood were burned in all the rooms, for the cold was very bitter, as we were surrounded by two mountains both covered with snow.

Certain persons came to speak to me here who seemed to be chiefs, amongst whom was one who, I was told, was brother to Montezuma. He brought me about three thousand dollars of gold, and told me in