Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/350

310 they are not carrying me to the sacrifice to-day!" fresh warriors fell suddenly on us, crying, "Look! That is the way you shall die. Our gods have promised"; while to the Tlaxcalans, throwing them roasted legs of their countrymen and arms of our soldiers from which the flesh had been torn, they shouted, "We are full of the flesh of the teules and your brothers. Take what is left on these bones. Go on helping the teules and we promise you shall be sacrificed with them."

After this celebration of their victory, Guatemoc sent to our Indian allies the heads of those horses they had killed, as well as feet and hands and bearded skins of our unhappy countrymen, with the message that one half of us were dead and he would soon have us all, and therefore the people must set aside their friendship for us and at once come to Mexico. Effects of this message were far-reaching, for about this time our allies of Tlaxcala, Texcoco and other towns by secret agreement with one another, and without a word to Cortes, Alvarado or Sandoval, suddenly left us and returned to their homes. A mere handful remained, who in our distress at the desertion said that their companions, seeing us all wounded and many of their own people dead, had at length come to believe the promise of the Mexican gods that we should all be destroyed, and had left us through fear.