es to the garrison there.

I must now beg the kind reader to pause a moment upon the heroic deeds
we performed, and consider their magnitude! First of all, we destroy all
our vessels, and thereby cut off all hopes of escaping from this
country. We then venture to march into this strong city, though we were
warned against it on all sides, and assured we should merely be allowed
a peaceable entrance to be the more easily destroyed. We then have the
audacity to imprison the monarch of this vast empire, the powerful
Motecusuma, in his own metropolis, in his very palace, amidst his
numerous troops. At last, we even fearlessly burn some of his generals
to death in front of his own palace, and throw the monarch himself in
chains while this was being executed! Even now, in my old age, the
heroic deeds we then accomplished come vividly to my memory. I imagine I
see all passing before me now, but must also acknowledge that, although
we had our hands full, we were aided by Divine Providence. When again on
earth will be found such a handful of soldiers, in all scarcely 550, who
would dare to penetrate, at a distance of above 6000 miles from their
native country, into the heart of such a strong city, larger than
Venice, take its very monarch prisoner, and execute his generals in his
very presence? These things, indeed, ought to be deeply pondered on, and
not mentioned so briefly as I here have done! But it is time I should
continue my history.

[69*] Bernal Diaz only mentions three of these generals by name:
Quetzalpopoca, Coatl, and Quiahuitle, which we thought better to insert
here. When Quetzalpopoca, says Torquemada, was brought into the presence
of the Spaniards, and asked whether he was a vassal of Motecusuma, he
replied: "Is it possible in this world to be the vassal of any other
monarch." (p. 253.)

CHAPTER XCVI.

_How our general appoints Alonso Grado lieutenant of Vera Cruz, and
Sandoval alguacil-major of the same place._

After the execution of the Mexican generals, and Motecusuma had become
pacified again, Cortes despatched one of our officers, named Alonso de
Grado, a very active, handsome, and sensible man, to Vera Cruz, with the
appointment of lieutenant, who, besides being an excellent musician, was
a capital penman.

This Grado was one of those who had always opposed our march to Mexico,
and particularly on the occasion when the intrigues were set on foot by
the discontented during our stay in