everal distinguished personages. When they
arrived in presence of Cortes they paid him the profoundest respect,
making him and us who stood around three deep bows. They likewise
perfumed with copal, touched the ground with their hands, and kissed it.

The elder Xicotencatl then addressed Cortes as follows:

"Malinche! Malinche! often have we begged of you to forgive the hostile
attacks we made upon you. We have already explained to you that we
imagined you were in league with Motecusuma. Indeed, if we had known
before what we now do, instead of refusing you admission, we would not
only have marched out to meet you by the shortest route with a quantity
of provisions, but have come to the very coast where your vessels lie,
in order to conduct you hither. But, as you have now pardoned all this,
I am come with all the caziques to beg of you to accompany us
immediately to our city, and to construct in good part the reception
which we intend to give you there according to the best of our
abilities. Stay all other business for the present, Malinche, we beg of
you, and go with us now. We greatly deplore that the Mexicans should
have attempted to poison your mind with all manner of falsehoods
respecting us, and that this should alone have withheld you from paying
us a visit. We are quite accustomed to their slanders. You must not
believe them, no, nor even listen to them, for all their actions and
words are full of deceit."

To which Cortes said, with serenity depicted on his countenance, "He
knew years ago that we should one time visit this country. They were a
brave people, and he was astonished they should have treated us as
enemies. With regard to the Mexicans who were now present, they were
merely waiting his commands to return to their monarch Motecusuma. He
joyously accepted of their invitation to visit their city, and thanked
them for the provisions they had sent, and also for all their other
kind offers; they might depend upon our services in return. The reason
why he had not visited them before this was solely owing to our want of
men to transport the tepuzques," so they termed our cannon. When they
heard this, they appeared exceedingly pleased, and immediately cried
out, "How! was it nothing but this, and you would not tell us?" And,
sure enough, scarcely half an hour elapsed before there were 500 porters
on the spot, so that next morning early we were enabled to set out for
the metropolis of Tlascalla. We marched f