and pointed, and left
no hope to the Spaniard, that he would then be able to effect his
purpose, of visiting in person the golden city. "If," said the prince,
"your monarch had come himself to our shores, he might well demand a
personal meeting with our lord, the emperor, but when he sends his
servant to represent him, he surely cannot presume to do more than
communicate with the servants of the great Montezuma. If it were
possible that another sun should visit yonder sky, he might look upon
our sun, in his march, and move and shine in his presence. But the moon
and the stars cannot shine when he is abroad. They can look upon each
other only when he withdraws his light."

The royal message having been delivered, the presents which accompanied
it were brought forward, and spread out upon mats, in front of the
general's tent. The Spaniards were struck, with surprise and admiration
at the fineness of the texture of the cloths, the richness of their
dyes, the gorgeous coloring and tasteful arrangement of the
feather-work, the masterly workmanship and exquisite finish of the
jewelry, and, above all, the immense value, and magnificent size of the
golden toys which were presented them. They conceived, at once, the most
exalted ideas of the riches of the country, and the munificence and
splendor of the monarch that ruled over it. Their avarice and cupidity
were strongly excited, and more than one of the inferior officers, as
well as their general, formed the immediate resolution, that, in despite
of the imperial interdict, they would endeavor, either by diplomacy or
by force, to win their way to the capital, which they supposed must of
necessity be the grand depository of all the treasures in the empire.
Their intentions were kept secret, even from each other, and, under
cover of a specious submission to the expressed will of the monarch,
Cortez requested permission to delay his departure, till his men should
be recruited, and his stores replenished for his long voyage.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of this unauthorized reprieve, the artful
and indefatigable Castilian contrived to draw off from their unwilling
and burdensome allegiance to Montezuma, the Totonacs, a considerable
tribe, residing in that part of the country where he had effected his
landing; and so to impress them with a sense of his own power and the
lenity of his government, as to bind them to him in a solemn treaty of
alliance. He also sent an embassy to the Tl