Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/49

 told them that, by Our Lord's blessing, the Spaniards and myself were well and had always been victorious over the enemy, and that, besides greatly rejoicing in their good will and presence, I rejoiced still more to form an alliance of friendship between them and the Calcans who were present; and I prayed them, as they were both vassals of Your Majesty, to become good friends and help one another against the Culuans who were wicked and perverse, especially now when the Calcans were in need of aid as the Culuans intended to attack them. Thus they became very good friends and confederates, and, after remaining there two days with me, both departed very happy and satisfied, and rendered one another mutual service.

Three days later, when we knew that the brigantines had been completed and the people who were to bring them were ready, I sent Gonzalo de Sandoval,  Relics of the Murdered Spaniards alguacil mayor with fifteen horsemen and two the hundred foot soldiers to escort them to me. Murdered I gave orders to destroy and raze a large Spaniards town, subject to this of Tesaico, which borders on the confines of the province of Tascaltecal, because its natives had killed five horsemen and forty-five foot soldiers who were coming from Vera Cruz to Temixtitan when I was besieged there, ignorant at the time that such a great treachery had been practised against us. When we entered Tesaico this time, we found in their places of worship or mosques of the city the skins of five horses with their hoofs and shoes, as well tanned as they could have been in any part of the world. They had offered these to their idols in token of victory, together with much wearing apparel and other things belonging to the Spaniards. We found the blood of our brothers and companions spilled and sacrificed all about these towers and mosques, a thing which filled us with grief, for all our past tribulations were thus revived. The traitors of that