Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/301

Rh ready for action. To some of the town caciques he sent presents of gold, and others he freed from tribute. But above all he sent out companies of warriors with the command that they fight us fiercely and prevent us from entering his territory.

This new monarch, Guatemoc, had thrown especially strong garrisons, as I said, into towns that lay on the boundaries, in particular into Guacachula and Izucar. In these cities, about twelve miles from each other, his Mexican warriors were such a host, and they so felt their strength, that they took liberties and went so far as to do acts of violence—as robbing people of their mantles, their maize, their fowls, their gold, and even of their daughters and wives, if the women were pretty. So when the Guacachulans considered how the town of Cholula had enjoyed peace ever since the day it had rid itself of Mexican garrisons, and how again it was the same at Tepeaca and other towns, they secretly despatched four chieftains to Cortes and asked him to send his teules with their horses to stop the robberies and assaults; and they added that all the people of the town and neighborhood would aid us in slaying the Mexicans.

This call for aid appealed to Cortes and he determined to send out Cristobal de Olid in command of nearly all the horsemen and soldiers and a large force of Tlaxcalans—for the booty the Tlaxcalans