e that I
would not consent to give them to any one save to such a powerful
emperor as yours: each of these stones are worth two loads of gold. I
further think of sending him three crossbows, with the small balls, and
bag which contains them, all richly ornamented with jewels, which will
certainly please him much. I should like to give him all I possess; now
I have very little left, as I have from time to time given you the
greater portion of my gold and jewels."

Cortes and all of us were astonished at this generosity and great
goodness of the monarch, and we took off our caps very respectfully, and
thanked him. Cortes, at the same time, assured him he would send our
majesty an accurate description of all these splendid presents.
Motecusuma did not delay one instant to fulfil his promise, for that
very same hour his house-stewards arrived to hand us over all the
treasures contained in the secret chamber. There was such a vast heap of
it that we were occupied three days in taking all out of the different
corners of this secret room, and in looking them over; we were even
obliged to send for Motecusuma's goldsmiths from Escapuzalco to assist
us. The reader may form some notion of this treasure when I tell him
that, when all the articles were set apart in three heaps and weighed,
the gold alone, not counting the silver and other precious things, was
found to be worth above 600,000 pesos: in this are not included the gold
plates, bars, and the gold dust contributed by the other provinces. All
this treasure we ordered the goldsmiths of Escapuzalco to smelt into
bars measuring three inches square.

Besides all this, Motecusuma brought another present, consisting in gold
and jewels of enormous value. There were also chalchihuis stones of
extreme beauty and size, which were considered of immense value among
the caziques of the country. Further, there were three crossbows, with
their cases set in jewels and pearls, besides a number of pictures made
of feathers and small pearls, all of great value: indeed, it would be no
easy task to describe all these splendid things one by one.

Upon this Cortes ordered an iron stamp to be made, about the size of a
Spanish real, bearing the arms of Spain, with which the royal treasurers
were to mark all the gold, with the exception of that set in jewels,
which we were loth to pull to pieces. As we possessed neither scales nor
weights, we cast the latter in iron, from twenty-five pounds to hal