u by the general
Xicotencatl, that you may eat, in case you are teules, as the people of
Sempoalla have assured us. If you require a sacrifice with them, kill
these four women, and devour their flesh and their hearts. As we do not
know what your wish is on this head we have not sacrificed them for you.
But if you are human beings, be contented with the fruit and the fowls;
and if you are kind-hearted teules, take the copal and the parrot
feathers as an offering."

Cortes answered, by means of our interpreters, that he was desirous of
making peace, not war, which he had already made known to them. He was
come into their country to beg of them, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and of our great emperor Don Carlos, to abstain from human
sacrifices. We were all human beings made of flesh and bone like
themselves, and not teules, but Christians. We killed no one, excepting
when we were attacked, then, indeed, we destroyed our enemies, whether
it happened to be day or night. He was very thankful for the provisions,
but now they should likewise have the good sense to send us messengers
of peace.

We readily perceived that these people whom Xicotencatl had despatched
to us were spies, who came to gain the necessary information respecting
the accesses to our camp, and the number of our troops, of the horses
and the cannon, and everything else. They remained with us the whole day
and following night. From time to time some returned to Xicotencatl, and
others again arrived in their stead. All this greatly surprised our
friends of Sempoalla, as it was not customary with them to stay night
and day in an enemy's camp without some particular design. This
accordingly aroused their suspicions, which were further confirmed by
some hints which fell from two old men of Zumpanzingo that Xicotencatl
stood ready with a large army to fall upon us unawares. At first they
had laughed at the idea, thinking it a mere piece of bragging, and had,
therefore, not mentioned it to Cortes. Dona Marina, to whom they had
made this known, immediately brought the intelligence to our general,
who, to fathom this matter more deeply, ordered two of the Tlascallans,
who appeared to be honest fellows, to be seized, when they confessed
that Xicotencatl had sent them as spies into our camp. These men were
then liberated, and several others seized, who all gave the same answer,
adding, that their commander Xicotencatl was merely waiting their
information to fa