Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/48

22 not help feeling a good deal astonished that we, who had just arrived, should be wanting to put a master over them; we should beware about making war as we had done at Chanpoton, for they had at hand three armies, each of eight thousand men; to find what we intended to do was their real errand, however, and whatever it was they should report to caciques assembled from many towns to unite for peace or war.

In token of peace our captain now embraced the ambassadors and presented them with strings of glass beads, desiring them to bring back answer as soon as possible, and adding that if they did not come back, we should have to enter their town by force.

But after consulting their caciques and papas, they returned and told us they would accept our offers of peace and supply us with food; and not only they themselves, but the neighboring towns would make us a present of gold to insure our friendship. Indians commonly, we afterwards learned, give presents when making peace.

The following day about thirty Indians, laden with roasted fish and fowls, maize bread and fruit, came to the promontory where the palms stood. They also brought pans filled with live coals on which they strewed resin and incensed all of us. After this they spread some mats on the ground, and over the mats cotton cloths, and on these some small ornaments