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Show s6 H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X l C 0. BOOK VIII. Spaniards purfued them with fury, and fet fire to fome h.Qu fcs ; but ' • -' the victory coil: the Spaniards the life of the governor, who died of his wounds in three days after; and of fix or feven foldiers, and a number ofTotonacas. One of thefe foldiers, who1had a large head and fierce afpeet, was taken prifoner and fent to Mexico by ~auhpopo a, b~tt having died of his wounds in his way to that city, they only carried his head to Montezuma, the appearance of which fo ihocked and daunted ~hat king, that he would not have it offered t9 his gods in any temple of the court. Sacr.XXXI. Journey of the Spnninrds to Tlnlmu. nalco. ortell received intelligence of thcfe revolutions before he left Cho-lula (g),; but did not think ·proper to mention them nor difcover his uneafinefs, left it might have difcouraged his foldiers. Having nothing more to do in Cholula, he purfued his journey to Mexico with all his Spaniards, fix thoufand Tlafcalans, and fome Hucxotzincan and Cholulan troops. At Izcalpan, a village of Huexotzinco, fifteen miles dill:ant from Cholula, the chiefs of Huex-otzinco, came again to pay their refpetl:s to him, and to advertife him, that there were two ways of going to Mexico; the one, an open and well-made road, which led to f<>me precipices where there was reafon to apprehend fome ambufcades of the e~emy; the other was newly il:opped up, and obll:rucred with trees cut down on purpofe, which however was of the two the !horter and more fecure route. Cortes availed himfelf of this intimation, and in fpite of the Mexicans, made the obil: acles in .thi~ way be removed, under pretence that the difficulty was rath~r an 111~1t~ment to the courage and fpirits of the Spaniards ; ant;! contmued hts JOurney through that great wood of pines and oaks, until he afcended to the top of a high mountain, called Itbuako, between the two volcanos ~opocatepec and Iztaccihuatl, where they fo~nd fome large houfes bU1l.t f?r the accommodation of the merchants of Mexico. T?ere they. were able to judge of the bold undertaking of the captain D1ego de Ordaz, who a few days before, in order to difpl~y to thofe ~eo~)le the courage of his nation, mounted, along with ni,ne otl;ler ioldwrs,. to the highefl: fummit of Popocatepec, although he could not fee 1ts mouth, or the vent of that great volcano, on account of h (g) All, ?r near~y alL hifiorians f:1y, thnt intelligence of this' revolution reached Cortes w en he was 111 Mex1co; b\lt Cortes affirms, that he had it in <;:holuln. the I I H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. 57 tl e 'l::cp fnow which lay there, .and the clouds of finoke and allies BOOK vm. which it threw up from its bowels. (h) . 1· rom the top of lchualco tht: Spaniards got their fidl: view of the bcautilul v.tll ey of Mexico, but with vc.:ry di ffc.:rent imprellions from the profpe ; fome of them ddighted in the light of its lakes, its pleaCant lying plains, its vercla11t mountains, and numerous and fplendid cities, which were fituated within and around thoLe b.kes; others revived their hopes of enriching t!H;m{elvt:s with the plunder of [o great an c.xtent of country as they there di fc overed; but the more .Prudent of thoie advent urers, on bdwlding fo populous a t rritory, rdletl:c.:d on the t mcrity of en countering the perils bdore them, and were fud. dcnly fo chc ked by their apprchenfion s, that they would have immediatc..: ly returned to Vera Cruz, had not Cortes, by making ufe of his authority and the reafons fu ggcfl: .:!d by his fruitful gen~u s , tnfufed into them frelh ~rdour for the under taking. In the mean while Montezum. , in confternation at the event o.f holula, n.: tired to the palace Tlil.lan calmecatl, dell:ined for occalions of grief, a11d continued there eight days, fafi:ing and obfcrving the ulual aufl:eritics, in order to obtain the protection of his gods. From this pl ace of retirement he fent four p.:rt(> 1s of his court with a prefe.Qt tq,. Cortes, and new prayers and entreaties to di fluacle him from his jour~1ey; off~ ring to pay an annual tribute to the king of Spain, and to g1ve four loads of gold to the Sp:1nifh general (i ), and one to each of. his captains and fol~liers , if ~hc..:y woulc!, from that place where they 1~11g.ht be found by l11s ambafiadors, . dc.:part for their native country. ln. fu ~ h ap}~r~henfio1:s and terror did the. fmall boJy of Spaniards keep tht iupedbtJOus prmce I He could not ha ve made ufe of more diligence afld arts to ihun their fight, had he foreleen all the misfortunes (I,) Bernal Din , and almo!l :dl hiflori:ti)S, fay th at Ordaz nfccndcd ro the top of Popocn. tepee, and ohfcrvcd the mouth of rhnt famou s mountain ; lhlt Col'lcs, who knew bcltcr frtys n~t, Nothwith fbu.'d.ing Ordaz obtain ed from the C:tt lwli~.: kin g- n vo lcano to be put in 'his fhu:ld of arms. '!Ius great undertaking was rcfcl'l' ctl fo r Monw"'no, nnd others Spaniards who, nftcr the rOII (1Ltel1 of Mexico, not only ohfcn·cd the drcudful mouth of rh ut volcnrw' but entered there, :It the Utl\lOf1 I ifk of th eir Ji vcu, anO g"Ot OUt from it a Ja rgc quanti ty of fu): phur to make powder fo r their fi re-:trnu. ' (i ) The ordinary load of a Mexican having been nbout fifty Spnni{h pounds or right hund red oun ce~, IV~ m:ty cunj e<'ture, contlt.lcring tho number of the Spnninrds :hnt wh"t Montezuma 1\' :JB Willing IC) give them to ditTuad them from th(·ir jvurncy to th; COLII't wsu equal to more th an three mill ions,.of ftlqui119• • ' Y oL. II. I the.y |
