ced the
arrival, within the mountain wall which encompassed his golden valley,
of the dreaded strangers. It heralded their near approach to his
capital, and the exposure of all he held dear to their irresistible
power--their terrible rapacity. His heart sunk within him. But he had
gone too far to retract. It was the act of the gods, not his. Banishing
from his mind the impressions of the scenes just passed, he waved his
hand to the rowers, and instantly every prow was turned, and the gaily
caparisoned, but melancholy, terror-stricken pageant moved rapidly back
to the city.

Tenochtitlan was now alive with the bustle of preparation. It was the
preparation, not for war, which would far better have suited the
multitude both of the chiefs and the people, but for the hospitable
reception and entertainment of the strangers. The great imperial palace,
which had been the royal residence of the father of Montezuma, was
fitted up for their accommodation. With its numberless apartments, its
spacious courts, and magnificent gardens, it was sufficient for an army
much larger than that of the Castilians, swelled as it was by the
company of their Tlascalan allies. Every room was newly hung with
beautifully colored tapestry, and furnished with all the conveniences
and luxuries of Mexican life. The appointments and provisions were all
on a most liberal scale, for the Emperor was as generous and munificent
as the golden mountains from which he drew his inexhaustible treasures.

Intending that nothing should be wanting to the graciousness of his
submission to this act of constrained courtesy, Montezuma proposed to
his brother Cuitlahua, to choose a royal retinue from the flower of the
Aztec nobility, and go out to meet the strangers; and bid them welcome,
in his name, to his realm and his capital. From this the soul of the
proud undaunted soldier revolted, and he entreated so earnestly to be
excused from executing a commission, so much at variance with his
feelings and his convictions, that the monarch relented, and assigned
the mission to Cacama, the young prince of Tezcuco.

Nothing could exceed the gorgeous splendor of this embassy. Borne in a
beautiful palanquin, canopied and curtained with the rarest of Mexican
feather-work, richly powdered with jewels, and glittering with gold,
Cacama, preceded and followed by a long train of noble veterans and
youths, all apparelled in the gayest costume of their country, presented
himself befor