g when at length I saw the great
temple with its stone gateways opening to the north and the south,
the east and the west, its wall carven everywhere with serpents, its
polished pavements, its teocallis decked with human skulls, thousands
upon thousands of them, and its vast surrounding tianquez, or market
place. I caught but a glimpse of it then, for the darkness was falling,
and afterwards we were borne on through the darkness, I did not know
whither.

A while went by and I saw that we had left the city, and were passing
up a steep hill beneath the shadow of mighty cedar trees. Presently we
halted in a courtyard and here I was bidden to alight. Then the prince
Guatemoc led me into a wondrous house, of which all the rooms were
roofed with cedar wood, and its walls hung with richly-coloured cloths,
and in that house gold seemed as plentiful as bricks and oak are with
us in England. Led by domestics who bore cedar wands in their hands,
we went through many passages and rooms, till at length we came to
a chamber where other domestics were awaiting us, who washed us with
scented waters and clothed us in gorgeous apparel. Thence they conducted
us to a door where we were bidden to remove our shoes, and a coarse
coloured robe was given to each of us to hide our splendid dress. The
robes having been put on, we were suffered to pass the door, and found
ourselves in a vast chamber in which were many noble men and some women,
all standing and clad in coarse robes. At the far end of this chamber
was a gilded screen, and from behind it floated sounds of sweet music.

Now as we stood in the great chamber that was lighted with
sweet-smelling torches, many men advanced and greeted Guatemoc the
prince, and I noticed that all of them looked upon me curiously.
Presently a woman came and I saw that her beauty was great. She was
tall and stately, and beneath her rough outer robe splendidly attired
in worked and jewelled garments. Weary and bewildered as I was, her
loveliness seized me as it were in a vice, never before had I seen such
loveliness. For her eye was proud and full like the eye of a buck, her
curling hair fell upon her shoulders, and her features were very noble,
yet tender almost to sadness, though at times she could seem fierce
enough. This lady was yet in her first youth, perchance she may have
seen some eighteen years, but her shape was that of a full-grown woman
and most royal.

'Greeting, Guatemoc my cousin,' she said