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eur, and the perfect submission and deep
veneration which every prince of New Spain and other provinces evinced
towards his person, I should, perhaps, find no end. He had merely to say
the word, and everything was brought he desired, as the following
instance will prove. One day, as many of us officers and soldiers were
with Motecusuma, a hawk pounced upon a quail, which, with others, and
numbers of pigeons, was kept by his Indian major domo, whose business it
was to see that our quarters were always clean and tidy. This hawk
succeeded in seizing its prey, and flew off with it. As we were all
looking on, one of our men, Francisco de Azenedo, cried out, "O! what a
fine bird! how beautifully it flies away with its prey!" We were all of
the same opinion, and remarked, that this country altogether abounded
with birds that might be capitally trained for hawking.

Motecusuma, observing how lively we were discoursing together, was
curious to know what it was, and inquired the reason of his page
Orteguilla, who told him we were admiring the hawk which had pounced
upon the quail, and added, that if we had such a bird in our power, we
could teach it to fly from the hand, and attack a bird of any size and
kill it.

Then, returned Motecusuma, I will have this same hawk caught, and we
shall see whether they can teach it all they say. Upon which, we all
took our caps off and thanked him for his kindness. Motecusuma then sent
for his birdcatchers, and commanded them to bring him the hawk above
mentioned. These immediately set to work, and before the hour of Ave
Maria they actually caught the bird, and presented it to Azenedo, who
immediately recognized, by the plumage, that it was the identical one we
had seen. We saw many similar instances, and even stronger proofs of the
punctuality with which this monarch's orders were fulfilled. Even now,
in his confinement, his subjects not only continued to bring him tribute
from the most distant parts of New Spain, but they likewise obeyed his
commands implicitly, and stood in such great awe of him, that even the
birds which flew in the skies above were brought down for him if he
expressed a wish that way.

It is now, however, time to relate how suddenly the wheel of fortune
turned against us, by a conspiracy, which was set on foot by the
inhabitants, to put us all to death.

CHAPTER C.

 _How the nephews of Motecusuma assembled the principal personages of
 the empire, and formed a conspiracy to rescue the monarch from
 confinement, and beat us out of the city._

When Cacamatzin, the prince of Tezcuco, which, next to Mexico, was the
largest town of all New Spain, was informed of his uncle Motecusuma's
imprisonment, and that we seized everything we could lay our hands
on,--that we had even opened the treasure of his ancestor Axayacatl,
though left it entire as yet,--he determined to put an end to our
dominion before we should likewise take him prisoner.

For this reason he assembled all the chiefs of Tezcuco, and with them
the prince of Cojohuacan, who was his cousin, and nephew to Motecusuma;
likewise the princes of Tlacupa and Iztapalapan, and another powerful
cazique, prince of Matlaltzinco, a man of great courage, and so nearly
related to Motecusuma, that many even believed the crown of right should
have devolved upon him.

These powerful caziques accordingly, with other Mexican generals, fixed
a day when all their warriors were to meet and fall upon us with their
united forces. It appeared, that the prince of Matlaltzinco, who was
considered to be the most courageous man in the kingdom, and who had
such great pretensions to the crown, had only consented to join the
conspiracy, on condition that he should be elevated to the throne. He
would himself, first of all, force his way into Mexico with the whole of
his army, drive us out of the city, or put us all to the sword.
Cacamatzin, however, it is said, had declared that the crown would
sooner devolve upon him, as nephew of Motecusuma, and that he should be
able to overcome us without paying so dearly for the prince
Matlaltzinco's assistance. It is nevertheless certain, that Cacamatzin,
and the before-mentioned princes, agreed to meet on a certain day before
Mexico, and that the troops there should, at a certain signal, rise up
in arms and admit them into the city.

Motecusuma received due intelligence of all this, through the prince of
Matlaltzinco, who had disagreed with Cacamatzin. The former to gain
surer proofs of the whole affair, summoned all the grandees of Mexico
into his presence; who then confessed that Cacamatzin had gained them
over by presents and promises to join him in the attack upon us, and to
liberate the monarch his uncle.

Motecusuma, who was extremely prudent and not willing that his
metropolis should be the scene of rebellion and bloodshed, informed
Cortes of the conspiracy. Our commander, however, as well as every
soldier among us, was perfectly aware of what was going on, though
perhaps not of all the particulars. He, therefore, proposed to
Motecusuma that he should put all his troops under his command, when in
concert with ours he would fall upon Tezcuco, destroy the town and lay
waste the whole province.

But as Motecusuma was unwilling to fall in with this advice, Cortes sent
word to Cacamatzin, that if he commenced hostilities against us it would
be his death; that it was our wish to live in friendship with him and to
render him good services.

Cacamatzin, however, was a young hothead, and supported in his views by
a great number of chiefs, who constantly kept urging him on to fall upon
us. He, therefore, sent word to Cortes that he had already heard too
much of his smooth words, and desired he would send him no more of his
messages; it would be quite time enough to talk with each other when
their armies stood one against the other in the field of battle.

Cortes, however, sent him a second warning, and desired him to pause a
little before he insulted our emperor in our persons. He would have
dearly to pay for such presumptuous behaviour, and certainly be put to
death.

To which this prince returned the haughty answer: He knew nothing of our
emperor, and wished also he had never known anything of Cortes, since he
had so grossly deceived his uncle with his vile flattery.

When Cortes received this answer he begged Motecusuma to use his own
authority against the rebels, observing at the same time, that in
Tezcuco there were many powerful men and relatives of his, who bore
Cacamatzin ill blood, on account of his persecution and haughty
behaviour towards them, and that he himself harboured one of his
brothers, a young man of great promise, who had fled from Tezcuco to
evade death, with which Cacamatzin had threatened him; for he could not
forgive him the hopes he entertained of succeeding to the throne. He
should therefore, continued Cortes to the monarch, issue orders to the
grandees of Tezcuco to take Cacamatzin prisoner, or by some means or
other try to entice him

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