like massacres, but this was a real
fight, and a number of Spaniards were killed, three horses also, more
valuable than the men, were despatched, and at the close of the
engagement the Spaniards had lost about fifty, a serious diminution of
the forces of Cortes, but the unfortunate Otumies and the Tlascalans
were overwhelmed with a fearful slaughter. Of course, the action of
the Otumies was disavowed, Cortes was invited into Tlascala and an
alliance between the Spaniards and the republic was consummated. The
Tlascalans threw themselves, heart and soul, into the project, which
they dimly perceived was in the mind of Cortes, the conquest of Mexico.
Nothing was said about all of this. Cortes simply declared his design
to pay a friendly visit to Montezuma to whom he sent repeated and
solemn assurances that he intended him no harm, that Montezuma could
receive him with the utmost frankness and without fear and without
anticipating any violence whatever on the part of the Spaniards. But
the wise in Tlascala knew that a collision between the Spaniards and
the Aztecs would be inevitable. They saw a chance to feed fat their
ancient grudge, and to exact bitter revenge for all that they had
suffered at the hands of the Aztecs.

To anticipate, they were faithful to the alliance and loyally carried
out their part of the agreement in the resulting campaigns. Without
them on several {143} occasions Cortes' fortunes would have been even
more desperate than they were. Montezuma's envoys, heartily detesting
the Tlascalans, sought to persuade Cortes against any dealings with
them whatsoever. They gave a very bad character to the dusky allies of
the Spaniards and the Tlascalans returned the compliment in kind.

When his wounded had recovered, accompanied by a large army of
Tlascalans under young Xicotencatl, Cortes set forth about the middle
of October on the last stage of his wonderful journey. By this time,
Montezuma had concluded to make a virtue out of a necessity, and he had
sent word to him that he would welcome him to his capital. He received
return reiterations of the statement that Cortes' intentions were
entirely pacific, that he represented the greatest monarch in the world
who lived beyond the seas, and all that he would require of Montezuma
was the acknowledgment of his dependence in common with every earthly
monarch upon this mysterious potentate across the ocean. This
Montezuma was quite willing to give. He was