espatched messengers. The
younger Xicotencatl, however, would by no means listen to these orders,
but evinced excessive grief and used harsh language. "As affairs stood
there was no need of sueing for peace," he said. "Many of the teules
were already killed, besides one of their horses; he would fall upon us
the night following and destroy us all."

When the elder Xicotencatl, Maxixcatzin, and the other caziques received
this answer, they were so exasperated, that they immediately sent orders
round to all the officers and the whole army not to obey Xicotencatl in
anything which related to an attack upon us, and altogether to stay all
hostilities against us. Neither would Xicotencatl submit to these
orders, so that it was found necessary to send the four old men, who
were appointed to make a treaty of peace between us, the Tlascallans and
inhabitants of Huexotzinco, to these refractory fellows in order to
bring them to reason. These four men, however, stood in such awe of the
young hothead that they neglected to fulfil their commission.

As two or three different occurrences took place at the same time, I
must relate what comes first in order, and give an account of our
excursion to another township which lay in the neighbourhood.

CHAPTER LXVIII.

_How we came to the determination of marching to a township in the
neighbourhood of our camp, and what happened upon this._

After two days had passed by without our doing anything worthy of
notice, we proposed to Cortes that we should make an excursion to a
township situated about four miles from our encampment, to the
inhabitants of which we had fruitlessly made overtures of peace. We
determined upon taking them by surprise during night-time; not with the
intention of injuring, killing, wounding, or taking the inhabitants
prisoners, but merely to procure provisions, frighten them a little, and
make new offers of peace according as circumstances might be. This
township was called Zumpanzingo, and was the chief of many smaller ones.
The district Tecodcungapacingo, where we had taken up our quarters,
stood likewise under it; the whole country round about moreover being
covered with straggling houses and villages. Cortes fell in with this
proposal, and we accordingly commenced our march shortly before daybreak
with all our men who were best able to bear the fatigue, six of our
cavalry, ten crossbow-men, and eight musketeers. The command was taken
by Cortes h