Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/187

Rh word that we should not enter his city, but not of his own will, his subjects had forced him, for they feared us and said we shot out lightning and fire, and killed many Indians with our horses and were unruly teules—these and other childish tales. But now he had seen us, and he knew we were of flesh and bone, and of sound understanding and enduring courage, and he thought more highly of us than he had before and was ready to share all he had with us.

Cortes and all of us answered that we thanked him for this evidence of his very friendly feeling, whereupon Montezuma said, laughing, for he was always of a bright, merry manner, "I know very well, Malinche, what those close allies of yours, the Tlaxcalans, have told you about me, how I am a sort of god or teul and my houses are filled with gold, silver and precious stones. Reasonable men such as you of course put no faith in their talk and took it for nonsense, but now, Malinche, you see for yourself that my body is of flesh and bone like yours. I am, to be sure, a powerful monarch, and have inherited treasures from my forefathers, but the rest they told is nonsense. You must think of that as I think of your lightning and flames scattered in all directions."

Cortes laughingly answered, "We knew from of old that enemies neither speak well of each other.