y depredations in his country, and wishes you to take up
your quarters in his city, where he will provide you with everything you
may require."

These persons likewise assured us that the troops which lay in wait for
us in the defiles and mountain passes were not of Tezcuco, but the whole
of them were Mexicans sent out against us by Quauhtemoctzin. Cortes and
the whole of us were overjoyed at the message which the king of Tezcuco
had sent us. He embraced the ambassadors and three of them most
affectionately, for they were relatives of Motecusuma, and well known to
most of us as having been officers of that monarch. Our general then
ordered the Tlascallan chiefs into his presence, and strictly enjoined
them not to allow their men to commit any depredations in this country,
nor injure any one, as we were at peace with the inhabitants. These
orders they obeyed, though they were not so very particular as to the
manner in which they procured themselves provisions, as every house had
a plentiful supply of maise, beans, dogs, and fowls.

Cortes, however, suspected the Tezcucans were not in earnest in sueing
for peace, and deliberated with our officers on the subject, who were
all of the same opinion, and observed that if the Tezcucans had been
honestly inclined they would not have come in so great a hurry, and
would have brought provisions with them. Cortes, nevertheless, accepted
of the golden banner, which may have been worth about eighty pesos; he
thanked the ambassadors, and assured them that it was not our custom to
ill-use any of our emperor's subjects; on the contrary, they always
experienced the kindest treatment from us. This they themselves would
find to be true, if they abided faithfully by the peace they now sought
of us; he had also commanded the Tlascallans not to injure any of the
inhabitants; but as the Tezcucans on our retreat from Mexico had
murdered upwards of forty Spaniards and 200 Tlascallans, and plundered
them of all they possessed, he must demand of their king Coanacotzin,
and of the caziques of Tezcuco, restitution of the stolen property, and
if they delivered up this to him he would pardon the murder of the
Spaniards, whom they could not restore to us again. The ambassadors
replied, that they would faithfully communicate all this to their
monarch, but assured us that the teules he spoke of were, by order of
Cuitlahuatzin, all sent to Mexico with everything they had possessed,
and were there sacrific