ner,
for day and night the palace was guarded by sixty sentinels in front and
sixty in the rear, while another body was stationed in the royal
antechamber. This was the state of affairs when Quanhpopoca arrived from
the coast. Montezuma received him coldly, and referred the matter to
Cortes, who speedily made an end of it by condemning the unhappy chief
and his followers to be burnt to death. The funeral piles were erected
in the courtyard before the palace, and were made of arrows, javelins,
and other weapons drawn by the emperor's permission from those stored
round the great teocalli. To crown these extraordinary proceedings,
Cortes, just before the executions took place, entered the emperor's
apartments, followed by a soldier bearing fetters in his hands. Sternly
he again accused Montezuma of having been the original contriver of the
treacherous deed, and said that a crime which merited death in a subject
must in some way be atoned for even by a king, whereupon he ordered the
soldier to fasten the fetters upon Montezuma's ankles, and after coolly
waiting until it was done turned his back and quitted the room.

The emperor was speechless under this last insult, like one struck down
by a heavy blow. But though he offered no resistance low moans broke
from him, which showed the anguish of his spirit. His faithful
attendants did their utmost to console him, holding his feet in their
arms, and trying to keep the irons from touching him by inserting their
own robes; but it was not the bodily discomfort that so afflicted him,
but the feeling that he was no more a king, and so utterly broken in
spirit was he that when Cortes came after the execution had taken place,
and with his own hands unclasped the irons, Montezuma actually thanked
him as if for some great and unmerited favour. Not long after the
Spanish general expressed his willingness that the emperor should if he
wished return to his own palace, but Montezuma declined the offer,
doubtless fearing to trust himself again to the haughty and ferocious
chieftains, who could not but despise the cowardly proceedings of their
master, so unlike the usual conduct of an Aztec monarch. Montezuma often
amused himself with seeing the Spanish troops go through their
exercises, or with playing at some of the national games with Cortes and
his officers. A favourite one was called 'totoloque,' played with
golden balls, which were thrown at a golden target, and the emperor
always stake