d precious stones or ingots of gold, and won or lost with
equal good-humour, and indeed it did not much matter to him, since if he
did win he gave away his gains to his attendants. But while Montezuma
thus resigned himself without a struggle to a life of captivity, some of
his kinsmen were feeling very differently about the matter, and
especially his nephew Cacama, lord of the Tezcuco, and second in power
to Montezuma himself.

[Illustration]

This prince saw with alarm and indignation his uncle's abject submission
to the Spaniards, and endeavoured to form a league with the other chiefs
to rescue him out of their hands. But they, from jealousy, declined to
join him, declaring themselves unwilling to do anything without the
emperor's sanction. These plots came to the ears of Cortes, who wished
at once to march upon Tezcuco and stamp out this spark of rebellion, but
Montezuma dissuaded him. He therefore sent a friendly message of
expostulation, which met with a haughty response, and to a second
message asserting the supremacy of the King of Spain Cacama replied that
'he acknowledged no such authority. He knew nothing of the Spanish
sovereign or his people, nor did he wish to know anything of them.' When
Montezuma sent to him to come to Mexico that this difference might be
adjusted, he answered that he understood the position of his uncle, and
that when he did visit the capital it would be to rescue it, as well as
the emperor himself and their common gods, from bondage, to drive out
the detested strangers who had brought such dishonour on their country.
This reply made Cortes very angry; but Montezuma, anxious to prevent
bloodshed, begged him still to refrain from declaring war against
Cacama, saying that it would be better to obtain possession of him
personally, which he could easily do by means of several Tezcucan nobles
who were in his own pay. So Cacama was enticed by these faithless chiefs
into a villa overhanging the lake, where he was easily overpowered and
forced into a boat, which speedily brought him to Mexico. Cortes
promptly fettered and imprisoned him, while Montezuma declared that he
had by his rebellion forfeited his kingdom and appointed his brother--a
mere boy--to reign in his stead. Now Cortes felt himself powerful enough
to demand that Montezuma and all his nobles should formally swear
allegiance to the Spanish sovereigns, and accordingly the emperor
assembled his principal caciques and briefly stated t