Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/47

Rh on the point of firing our great guns, when It pleased God to prompt us first to try and gain their friendship. Through our Indians, Julian and Melchlor, therefore, we told them they had nothing to fear from us; that we wished to talk with them and had things to tell, which, as soon as they learned, they would be glad we came to their country; moreover, they should come to us and we would gladly give them of the things we had brought.

When they heard our message, four of the canoes neared us, and we showed the thirty Indians sitting In them strings of glass beads and small mirrors. At the sight of green beads they were delighted, for they thought them made of chalchihuites, a jadeite, which they treasure as very precious.

Then, again, through our Indian interpreters our captain told them we had come from a distant country and were subjects of a great emperor whose name was Don Carlos, who had many lords as vassals, and that they ought to acknowledge him as their lord, and then It would go well with them; also. In exchange for the beads they should bring us fowls and other food.

Two of the Indians, one of them a chief and the other a papa, that is, a priest of their religion,—these two answered and said they would bring the food we wanted, and would barter with us; but, for the rest, they already had a chief, and they could