us imposed upon.

However this may be, one fine morning the Indians, who had resided near
us in the huts and were accustomed to furnish us with provisions and
bring gold for barter, had all secretly left with Quitlalpitoc. This, we
subsequently learnt, was done by the commands of Motecusuma, who had
forbidden all intercourse with Cortes, which he had been induced to do
from his attachment to his idol-gods. These were named _Tetzcatlipuca_
and _Huitzilopochtli_, the former being the god of hell and the latter
the god of war, to whom Motecusuma daily sacrificed some young children,
that they might disclose to him what he should do with us. His intention
was to take us prisoners if we would not re-embark, and employ some to
educate children, while others were to be sacrificed. For his idol-gods,
as we afterwards discovered, advised him not to listen to Cortes, and to
take no notice of what we had sent him word concerning the cross and the
figure of the blessed Virgin. This was also the reason why his men had
gone away so secretly.

Affairs having assumed such a posture, we now daily expected that
hostilities would break out, and were particularly on our guard. It was
during one of these days that I was standing sentinel on the sand-hills
with another soldier, when we espied five Indians approaching along the
shore. Not to alarm our camp with such a trifle we allowed them to come
up. They all appeared very good humoured, made their obeisance to us
after their fashion, and begged of us, by signs, to conduct them to our
camp. Upon which I said to my companion, I will take them there, while
you remain where you are, for at that time my legs were not so infirm as
they are now, in my old age. When I presented them to Cortes, they paid
him the profoundest respect, and continually repeated the word,
_Lopelucio_, _Lopelucio_, which in the Totonaque language means Lord,
great God. In dress and language this people differed entirely from the
Mexicans, whom Motecusuma had sent to our camp. They had large holes
bored in their under-lips, in which they wore pieces of blue speckled
stone, or thin plates of gold; the holes in their ears were still larger
in size, and adorned with similar ornaments. Neither Aguilar nor Dona
Marina understood their language; but the latter inquired of them
whether there was any _Naeyavatos_, or interpreter, among them? Upon
which two of them answered that they understood the Mexican language,
and now the d