cho," the general said; "I know, from what Marina says, that
you have great intelligence, though you have so long been cut off
from your own people. You see that our position here is a strange
one. We are guests and yet, to some extent, we are prisoners. The
Tlascalans with us are hated by the Mexicans, and either between
them and the natives, or maybe between some of my own soldiers and
the citizens, a brawl might arise which would be used as a pretext
for an attack upon us.

"As I feel that I can rely upon your discretion, I will tell you of
some news that I received at Cholula, but which I have kept to
myself. The natives on the coast have shown themselves hostile to
the garrison of a hundred and fifty men, whom I left there under
Juan de Escalante. A chief near there sent in to tender his
allegiance, and asked that four white men should be sent to escort
him to the town. As soon as they got to him two of them were
murdered, but the other two managed to escape and made their way
back. Don Juan marched, with fifty of his men and several thousand
Indian allies, to attack the treacherous chief. There was a
desperate battle, our allies fled, but the soldiers stood their
ground and--thanks to the aid of the Blessed Virgin--resisted all
the attacks made upon them. But eight of the men were slain, and
Juan himself was mortally wounded. The Indian prisoners taken said
that the attack, like that at Cholula, had been made by the orders
of Montezuma.

"You may do us good service by finding out what are the intentions
of the Mexicans. Therefore, by all means, carry out your intention
of going across to Tezcuco. The young king is a nephew of the
emperor, but he has suffered much at Montezuma's hands, and has
been stripped of the greater part of his father's dominions. He
can, therefore, hardly be friendly to him at heart. At any rate you
may be able to learn, in conversation with him, what are his
sentiments towards us. Tezcuco was long the rival of Mexico, and as
the alliance of the Tlascalans has proved of the greatest advantage
to us, still more should we benefit if the Tezcucans were our
friends. If we have to retire from Mexico, we might take refuge
there.

"At any rate, if nothing else comes of it, you might learn from the
king whether he is aware of any treachery meditated against us. He
saved you, Malinche says, from Montezuma and the priests, once; and
would be likely, therefore, to warn you, did he know that danger