d desired
him in a loud voice not to trouble himself any further about their talk
and complaints, but to order everything, with the aid of God, as
circumstances might require, and to rely on our faithful assistance.

Herewith an end was put to all their cabals. They certainly continued
their murmurings against Cortes, and cursed us who adhered to him, and
the Sempoallans for having proposed this route; making altogether use
of language which little beseemed them; but for the time being they
remained quiet, and obeyed our general even to a wink.

In the meantime the elders of Tlascalla again sent peremptory orders to
Xicotencatl not to attack us, but to send us provisions and repair to
our camp in person to conclude a treaty of peace with us. This was the
desire of all the caziques and principal personages of Huexotzinco and
Tlascalla. A message was at the same time forwarded to each of his
officers, commanding them not to obey him in anything which had not
reference to a conclusion of peace. These orders were despatched no less
than three successive times to Xicotencatl, information having been
received that he was not only determined to lend a deaf ear to these
injunctions, but to fall upon us the very next night, for which purpose
he had assembled 20,000 warriors. Thus ever presumptuous and haughty, he
now again refused to listen to their commands, and we shall see in the
following chapter how this terminated.

CHAPTER LXX.

_How the captain Xicotencatl assembled 20,000 chosen warriors to
make an attack upon us in our camp, and what happened upon this._

The caziques, Maxixcatzin and the elder Xicotencatl, with all the chief
personages of the principal town of Tlascalla, had now for the fourth
time issued orders to their captain-general not to approach our camp,
and commanded the other officers not to accompany him unless he called
upon us to make peace. Xicotencatl lay in our immediate neighbourhood,
and was terribly exasperated at this; yet he determined to send us forty
Indians with provisions, consisting in fowls, bread, and fruits.[26]
This present was also accompanied by four disgusting old Indian females
and a quantity of copal and parrot feathers.

We, of course, concluded that these people came with peaceable
intentions. They perfumed Cortes when they were brought into his
presence, and thus addressed him, without observing the courtesies
customary among them: "These presents are sent yo