stored, and were
on the eve of setting sail for Cuba, when one of their number repented
of the part he had taken in the plot, and betrayed it to Cortes, who at
once took measures for the arrest of the ringleaders, two of whom were
afterwards hanged. This affair showed the general that there were some
among his followers who were not heart and soul in the expedition, and
who might therefore fail him when he most needed them, and might also
cause their comrades to desert if there was any chance for them to
escape. He therefore determined to take the bold step of destroying the
ships without the knowledge of his army. Accordingly, he marched the
whole army to Cempoalla, and when he arrived there he told his plan to a
few of his devoted adherents, who entirely approved of it. Through them
he persuaded the pilots to declare the ships unseaworthy, and then
ordered nine of them to be sunk, having first brought on shore their
sails, masts, iron, and all movable fittings. When the news of this
proceeding reached Cempoalla, it caused the deepest consternation among
the Spaniards, who felt themselves betrayed and abandoned, a mere
handful of men arrayed against a great and formidable empire, and cut
off from all chance of escape. They murmured loudly, and a serious
mutiny was threatened. But Cortes, whose presence of mind never deserted
him, managed to reassure them, and to persuade them that he had only
done what was really best for everyone; and he so cunningly dwelt upon
the fame and the treasure which they were on the eve of gaining, that
not one of them accepted the offer which he made to them of returning to
Cuba in the only remaining ship. Their enthusiasm for their leader
revived, and as he concluded his speech they made the air ring with
their shouts of 'To Mexico! To Mexico!'

THE MARCH TO MEXICO

While he was still at Cempoalla, news came to Cortes from Villa Rica
that four strange ships were hovering off the coast, and that they
refused to respond to repeated signals made to them by Don Juan de
Escalante, who was in command of the garrison left in the town. This
greatly alarmed Cortes, who was continually dreading the interference of
his enemy, the governor of Cuba. He rode hastily back to Villa Rica,
and, almost without stopping to rest, pushed on a few leagues northwards
along the coast, where he understood the ships were at anchor. On his
way he met with three Spaniards just landed from them, and learned that
t