all our officers and soldiers
determine to march to Mexico._

We had now been seventeen days in Tlascalla, and had heard so much
during that time respecting the immense treasures of Motecusuma, and the
splendour of his metropolis, that Cortes resolved to hold a consultation
concerning our march to Mexico, with all those officers and soldiers
amongst us whom he presumed were inclined to advance further on. In this
council of war it was agreed that we should commence our march thither
without delay; various opinions, however, were expressed on the occasion
in our camp. Many maintained that it would be acting over-rashly to
venture with a mere handful of men into a strongly fortified city,
whose monarch had such vast numbers of warriors at his command. But
Cortes declared that all arguing on this point was useless; we could not
alter the resolution we had come to, and we had on every occasion
expressed our desire to pay our respects personally to Motecusuma. When
those who were averse to this step saw his determination, and that the
majority of us warriors were devoted with our very hearts to him, crying
out, "Forward, now or never!" they ceased to make any further
opposition. Those who opposed us were those again who had possessions in
the island of Cuba; we other poor soldiers were ready to sacrifice our
very existence in battle, and to undergo all manner of fatigues for God
and our sovereign. When Xicotencatl and Maxixcatzin were convinced that
it was our determination to march to Mexico, they grew anxious on our
account. They urgently dissuaded Cortes from it, and warned him not to
put the slightest trust in Motecusuma, nor altogether in any of the
Mexicans,--to put no faith in his show of veneration, his courteous and
humble talk. All their professions of friendship, said they, and even
their very presents had treachery at the bottom; for what they give at
one moment they take away at another. They advised us to be upon our
guard night and day; for they were perfectly assured that the Mexicans
would fall upon us when we were least prepared to defend ourselves.
Neither were we to spare life to any of them, if it should come to a
battle;--to the young man that he might not again take up arms against
us, to the old man that he might not do us injury by his counsel.

They gave us many similar precautions, and our captain assured them how
grateful he was for it, and otherwise showed them every possible
kindness, ma