eter, sent them in fair terms. If
they would make peace he would forget and forgive all; if not, he would
kill every man of them, and level their city to the ground. Whereon,
after more fighting, the Tlascalans behaved like wise and brave men. They
understood at last that Cortez's point was not Tlascala, but Mexico; and
the Mexicans were their bitterest enemies; and they had the good sense to
shake hands with the Spaniards, and make all up. And faithful friends
they were, and bravely they fought side by side during all the terrible
campaign that followed. Meanwhile, Cortez's own men began to lose heart.
They had had terrible fighting already, and no plunder. As for getting
to Mexico, it was all a dream. But Cortez and Dona Marina, this
wonderful Indian girl, kept them up. No doubt they were in awful
danger--a handful of strangers walking blindfold in a vast empire, not
one foot of ground of which they knew: but Cortez knew the further they
went the further they must go, for it was impossible to go back. So on
and on they went; and as they went they met ambassadors from Montezuma,
the great Emperor of Mexico. The very sight of these men confirmed all
that they had heard of the riches of that great empire, for these Indian
lords came blazing with gold and jewels, and the most magnificent
dresses; and of their power, for at one city which had let Cortez in
peaceably without asking the Emperor's leave, they demanded as a fine
five and twenty Indian young men and forty girls to be offered in
sacrifice to their idols. Cortez answered that by clapping them in
irons, and then sending them back to the Emperor, with a message that
whether he liked or not, he was coming to Mexico.

You may call that desperate rashness; but like a good deal of rashness,
it paid. This great Emperor Montezuma was utterly panic-stricken. There
were old prophecies that white gods should come over the sea and destroy
him and his empire; and he took it into his head that these Spaniards
were the white gods, and that there was no use resisting them. He had
been a brave man in his youth, and a great warrior; but he utterly lost
his head now. He sent magnificent presents to the Spaniards to buy them
off; but that only made them the more keen to come on; and come they did,
till they saw underneath them the city of Mexico, which must have been
then one of the wonders of the world.

It lay in the midst of a great salt lake, and could only be rea