most
extreme importance to them.

Presently some Spanish officers, and several richly dressed chiefs,
came out from the palace. The people raised a shout, and it was
evident to Roger that, in spite of the terrible losses suffered by
their troops in the attacks upon the white men, their admiration
for their visitors far outweighed any animosity for the defeats
inflicted upon them.

Near the officer, whom Roger judged to be the leader of the
expedition, were an elderly man and a young woman. The Spaniard
addressed the old man, who spoke to the girl, and she translated it
to the chiefs.

Roger recognized her at once--it was certainly his friend, the
slave girl of Tabasco. In the eight months since he had seen her,
she had grown to complete womanhood; and now--richly attired as she
was, and evidently regarded as a person of great importance, both
by the Spaniards and the native chiefs--carried herself with an air
of confidence and pride; and was, Roger thought, the most beautiful
woman he had seen in Mexico.

As the party moved down the steps of the palace, and along the
street, evidently discoursing on some important business, Roger
followed them closely. He waited until Malinche happened, for a
moment, to be at the outside of the party, then he pressed forward
and said to her:

"Malinche, do you remember your white friend?"

She looked up, and would have cried out with astonishment, had he
not touched his lips.

"I want to speak to you alone, first. Where can I meet you?"

"In an hour I shall be able to slip away from their meal," she
said; "be near the palace gate."

Roger at once fell back into the crowd, and soon took an
opportunity to extricate himself from it, and to go down a side
street. He and Bathalda then ascended to the top of the wall, where
they were likely to be undisturbed, and waited there for an hour.
They then went back to the palace.

The square in the front of it was almost deserted now; for the
Spaniards had retired, half an hour before, and were not likely to
appear again until the evening; especially as it was known that, at
noon, there was to be a great council held in the palace.

Ten minutes later Malinche appeared at the entrance. As soon as her
eyes fell on Roger she raised her hand and, leaving Bathalda, he at
once went up to her. The two sentinels looked with some surprise at
this tall native, but as they saw that he was known to Malinche,
they offered no opposition to his e