me the news of your fight in the hills; how you had a bow
that carried arrows to an unheard-of distance; and how, in a
hand-to-hand fight, you had prevailed against a score of our
soldiers. After that, you seemed lost. The officers commanding the
troops were convinced that you had not descended the eastern slopes
of the mountains; and the spies, which were watching every movement
of the white men on the coast, reported that no white man had
joined them. Therefore, it was supposed that you must have returned
west of the range of hills, and every town and village was
searched, and every grove and plantation examined.

"We were all very anxious for you, and it was not until a week
after we had the news of the wonderful defeat of the Tlascalans, by
the white men, that Bathalda returned with the message you sent us,
and the news that you had joined the white men there.

"Since then we have, of course, heard nothing of you. Cacama said
that he did not see you when he met Malinzin; but of course he did
not examine the faces of the white soldiers, being occupied solely
with their chief and the officers round him. But we all felt
assured that we should hear from you, shortly.

"So, you have resumed your Aztec dress?"

"I thought it better to do so, for the purpose of coming here,"
Roger replied; "for if the priests want a victim so sorely, it
seemed to me that, if I ventured to leave the palace dressed in my
Spanish garb, I might be seized and carried off."

"You are quite right," Cuitcatl agreed. "The priests are furious
against you all, and I cannot altogether blame them. Your general
may, as he says, come as an ambassador from his king to Montezuma;
and if he had orders to come to his court, at all costs, he was not
to blame if he fought his way whenever he was opposed; but this
does not justify him in insulting our religion, and even assaulting
and hurling down our gods, at every opportunity. He even tried to
persuade the emperor that our gods were false; and spoke insolently
of them, yesterday, when Montezuma conducted him, at his request,
into the holy shrines. Cacama was one of the strongest advisors
that a peaceful reception should be accorded to the white visitors,
but even he is being greatly turned against them, by their conduct
towards our gods.

"Come, I will take you to the royal apartments, and leave you in a
room where no one will enter, until I inform Cacama that you are
here."

A few minutes later the