shed courtiers, with the usual display
of pomp, preceded by the staff of honour, to announce the monarch's
approach. Four of our principal officers, Leon, Alvarado, Avila, and
Lugo, with 150 soldiers, accompanied him as a guard, and father Olmedo
to restrain the monarch from instituting any human sacrifices.

When Motecusuma had arrived at the cursed temple of Huitzilopochtli, he
was assisted out of the sedan by his nephews and other caziques. As the
procession moved along, all the Mexican grandees kept their eyes fixed
to the ground, not daring to look up in the monarch's face. At the foot
of the temple he was met by a number of papas who assisted him in
mounting the steps. The night previous, they had sacrificed four
Indians; for, notwithstanding all Cortes and father Olmedo might say,
they were not to be deterred, and continued those abominations. At that
time, indeed, all we could do was to feign ignorance of their having
taken place; for Mexico and other great towns had already been aroused
into rebellion by Motecusuma's nephews, as will be presently seen.

The monarch having finished his devotions, which were of short duration,
again returned with us to our quarters. He appeared now in better
spirits, and presented each of us who had accompanied the procession
with trinkets of gold.

CHAPTER XCIX.

_How our two brigantines are launched, and Motecusuma, expressing a
wish to go a hunting, sails in one of these vessels to a river where
he usually went for that purpose._

When both our brigantines were launched, and completely rigged and
manned with sailors, Motecusuma expressed a wish to take a trip by water
to a river where he was accustomed to go for the purpose of hunting,
situated at the foot of a mountain along the banks of the lake. No one,
not even his principal officers, durst visit this spot for the sake of
killing game, under pain of death. Cortes answered, that, as far as
regarded himself, he in no way objected, but again impressed upon his
mind what he had told him on his visit to the temple: and he would
advise him to make use of one of the brigantines on the occasion, which
were much more safe than the canoes or pirogues.

Motecusuma was vastly pleased with this offer, and went on board the
better of the two, with a great number of his principal officers: the
other brigantine conveyed a son of the monarch, attended by numbers of
caziques; and the royal huntsmen followed in the