ferocious in war as the Aztecs themselves, upon being defeated, after a single unsuccessful effort to surprise the Spanish camp by night, sent an embassy to the victors, asking for a supension of hostilities, and inviting them to Tlascala, where they were welcomed in a manner as hospitable as their first reception had proved violent, and from this time forward the gallant mountaineers-"as faithful and generous in friendship as they were fearless in war" -became the most devoted allies of the Spaniards. With six thousand Tlascalan warriors as allies, the Spanish army next marched to the beautiful city of Cholula, where they received a friendly reception; which, however, as they soon discovered, was only intended as a snare to lead them to certain ruin. In this emergency, Cortez owed his preservation, and that of his army, to the devotion of his Tlascalan allies, who discovered the plot, and gave them information by which they were enabled to counteract it. While indulging in the warmest professions of friendship, the Cholulans were secretly preparing a force to overwhelm the invaders. The only hope of Cortez, in this trying situation, was to draw them into premature action, without exposing his men; and in pursuit of this intention, he requested the Cholulans to supply him with two thousand of their number, to assist him in the transportation of his supplies and baggage. This was acceded to; and when they were all at length assembled, Cortez turned to the caciques, and, in a tone of great severity, reproved them for their duplicity. Before they could regain their self-possession, a heavy fire was opened upor the panic-stricken Cholulans, and a desperate charge made upon them by the exasperated Spaniards. This general slaughter, which could only be excused on the plea of urgent necessity, had the anticipated effect of drawing the Cholulan soldiers from their posts, and, aided by the warlike Tlascalans, who had encamped without the city, Cortez accomplished a decisive victory, for which he was indebted equally to the vigilance and honesty of the Tlascalans, and to the bravery of his own troops, seconded by the exertions of his allies. Several days elapsed, when Cortez quitted Cholula, and entered the hereditary dominions of the Aztec race. Here his Totonac allies, who had heretofore rendered him essential service, unwilling to brave the anger of an offended sovereign, became anxious to return to their province, and were honorably dismissed by Cortez. A plan having been hastily agreed

upon, the Spaniards and their faithful friends, the Tlascalans, proceeded to climb the rugged sierra which encircles the valley of Mexico. The description given by Prescott, of the appearance which it presented to the eyes of the wondering strangers, is vivid and enticing. After a toilsome march of two or three days, they (the Spaniards) arrived in sight of the promised land, lying at their feet in its belt of dark porphyry, and resplendent in the pure and lucid atmosphere of the tropics. It was a scene of extraordinary beauty, blooming with rich cultivation, adorned with noble sheets of water, and stately forests of oak and cedar, and gemmed with white towers of towns and vilLages-some nestling amid the luxuriant foliage of the woods, and others appearing to float upon the blue surface of the lakes. So striking was the spectacle, and such a promise of power and prosperity did it display, that the feebler spirits among the invaders were ready to abandon their enterprise in the very crisis of its fate; and it required all the energy and resolution of their leader to restore their confidence. Having succeeded in renovating the zeal of his adherents, Cortez now marched his army down the southern slope of the valley, and they proceeded without opposition to Ajotzinco, a city lying at the southern extremity of the lake of Chalco; and here they were visited and welcomed by the King of Tezcuco, formerly the ally, but now the greatest vassal of the Mexican Emperor. Under this honorable escort Cortez pursued his way towards the city of Mexico, the surface of the lake being filled with canoes, and the shores with human beings, during his progress. After several halts, the Spanish army at length arrived at the city of their destination. The feelings of the Aztecs-accustomed only to conquer and subdue-may be better imagined than described; nor were those of their invaders entirely free from the misgivings incidental to their situation.

When they drew near the city, about a thousand persons, seemingly of distinction, approached to meet them, adorned with plumes, and clad in mantles of fine cotton. Each in his order, in passing Cortez, saluted him according to the custom of the country. These were but forerunners of Montezuma himself, whose train shortly afterwards appeared in sight. First of all came two hundred persons, uniformly clad with large plumes, alike in shape and color, marching two and two, barefooted, and in deep silence, with their eyes fixed

on the ground. Then came a company higher in rank, and more showy in apparel, in the midst of whom was Montezuma, supported upon the shoulders of four attendants, in a chair or litter, richly ornamented with gold and various colored feathers, while others supported above his head a canopy of curious workmanship. Before him marched three officers with rods of gold in their hands, which they lifted up on high at certain intervals, and at that signal all the people bowed their heads, and hid their faces, as unworthy to look upon so great a monarch. When he drew near, Cortez, dismounting with officious haste, accosted him with a profound reverence, after the European fashion, which was returned by Montezuma, who had approached, leaning on the arms of two attendants, by touching the earth with his hand, and then kissing it-after the custom of his country. This token of condescension, amounting almost to reverence, from so proud a monarch, caused the people to look upon their visitors as divinities. Nothing material passed during this first interview. Montezuma conducted Cortez to the quarters which he had prepared for his reception, and immediately took leave of him with a politeness not unworthy of a court more refined.* Commodious quarters were furnished them, and they were frequently visited by the Emperor, and supplied with every comfort by the citizens. Thus received and treated, the situation of Cortez, had he entered the dominions of the Aztecs under different auspices, would have left him nothing to desire; but the position of the Spaniards, few in number, and in the heart of an enemy's country, was anything but one of security; and having heard rumors of Montezuma's duplicity, and fearing a surprise, he visited the Emperor, accompanied by some of his principal officers and a guard, and informed him that he should be under the necessity of making him a hostage for the good faith of his subjects. At first, the proposal that Montezuma should take up his residence in the quarters of the Spaniards, was received with indignation by the proud chieftain; but his superstitious terrors had deprived his character of that firmness which had been considered as one of his attributes in former times, and he reluctantly suffered himself to be made, in all but the name, a prisoner. Various excuses have been made, on the part of historians, in behalf of Cortez, for the commission of this act

* Dr. Robertson.

of seeming ingratitude, which we will not here pause to canvass. In an enemy's country many things appear excusable on the score of policy, which, under different circumstances, would bring disgrace upon the head of the perpetrator. About this time it happened that an attack was made, by some of Montezuma's people, upon one of the detachments which Cortez had left behind, and Cortez, believing it to have been instigated by the Emperor himself, had the latter put in chains; but repenting himself of this act, committed in a moment of passion, he had them removed, and did everything in his power to soothe his royal captive, but in vain. The self-respect and peace of mind of Montezuma were gone forever. Shortly af ter this humiliation, he swore allegiance to Spain, and one of the Mexican temples was assigned the Spaniards as a place of worship. The idols were accordingly removed, and mass publicly performed. These proceedings infuriated the Aztecs to such a degree, that Montezuma warned the Spaniards to depart; but Cortez only made use of this advice and information to put himself in a state of defence. At this crisis, an armament, with a powerful force, arrived at Villa Rica, di-patched by Velasquez, who, intent upon his former purpose, had sent Pamphilo de Narvaez, a brave but arrogant leader, to supersede Cortez. On learning this, Cortez formed the hasty determination to make Narvaez a prisoner, trusting to the dislike entertained towards him in the Spanish army, for the reconciliation of his followers. He therefore set out from Mexico, accompanied by seventy chosen men, whose number was increased by the drawing in of several detachments upon the route, and entering the camp of Narvaez, in the night, took him and his attendants prisoners, with but a trifling loss of life. Next morning, the main body, no doubt well pleased at the exchange, went over to Cortez, and the united forces passed on to Mexico without opposition.

In the mean time a change had taken place in the aspect of affairs at the capital. Pedro de Alvarado, the leader whom Cortez had left in command, had massacred six hundred nobles in the temple of Huitzilopotchli, without any apparent object, and thus added to the longsmothered feelings of the natives. An attack was commenced upon the Spaniards after the return of Cortez, which lasted for six days without intermission, and during which some deeds of valor were performed on both sides. The Spaniards having experienced much an

noyance from the enemy stationed in the great temple of Huitzilopotchli, which overlooked their position, it was carried, sword in hand, by a body of three hundred soldiers, led by Cortez himself, who was foremost wherever the fray was thickest. But the losses of the besiegers were supplied fast as they fell, while those of the Spaniards remained unsupplied. Seeing his danger, Cortez at length persuaded Montezuma to make favorable terms with the people; but no sooner did the unfortunate Emperor make known his wishes from the ramparts of the besieged palace, whither he went clad in his royal robes, and attended by his whole retinue, than he was assailed by a volley of missiles, and a storm of execrations. The injuries thus received were not mortal, but the grief and mortification occasioned by this reception had crushed completely the proud spirit of the royal captive, and he expired shortly after of a broken heart.

Thus situated, having met with severe losses, and being once more threatened with insubordination Cortez determined on cutting his way through the enemy to Tlascala, where he intended to recruit his shattered ranks; and on the night of the 1st of July, 1520, according to Prescott, a night memorable for its terrors in the annals of New Spain, the besieged army, after hearing mass, marched forth in deep silence from the palace of Axayacatl, and, having traversed the city apparently unobserved, arrived in safety upon the causeway of Taculaya-a road about two miles in length, intersected by three wide moats or trenches, which were crossed without difficulty by means of a portable bridge, constructed by Cortez's orders. But in the mean time the alarm was given; the great Mexican war drum was sounded from the summit of Huitzilopotchli; the dashing of oars was heard rapidly advancing through the stillness of the tropical night; the lake was covered by a rush of innumerable canoes; and the Aztec warriors on both sides impetuously scaled the causeway. But the Spaniards were not yet disconcerted, but fought their way steadily to the second gap in the dike, when it was discovered that the portable bridge was missing, and, on inquiry, it was ascertained that the passage of the artillery had wedged it so firmly in the earth, as to render its extrication impossible. A disorderly rush was made through the shallow water, upon the receipt of this intelligence, and many lives were lost. A passage was, however, soon effected over the carriages, rubbish and bodies

which encumbered the trench, and the. army, although assaulted on every side, slowly pursued its retreat, until it had gained the third moat, when it was discovered that the rear guard was making no progress, and Cortez hastened with a small body to their assistance. They were hemmed in completely by the Aztecs, and would have been already cut off, had it not been for the exertions of the fierce Alvarado, who, though wounded and unhorsed, continued to rally his disordered ranks. He himself only escaped by leaping the trench, to the amazement of all who witnessed the attempt; and the spot was long afterwards known as Alvarado's Leap. This memorable affair was designated most appropriately as the Noche Triste.

Upon only one occasion after this did Cortez meet with serious opposition, in his march to Tlascala. Upon surmounting the ridge commanding the Valley of Otompan, or Otumba, they were beset by the inhabitants of the surrounding country in such numbers that the plain appeared to be filled to the very horizon with weapons, banners and waving plumes. A bloody and desperate battle ensued, but the Spaniards, infuriated by the cruelties which they had witnessed, fought like tigers, and at length the overthrow of their adversaries was complete. Never was victory achieved by more desperate exertions, and, on the succeeding day the Spaniards passed the frontier of Tlascala.

Finding that the Tlascalans remained faithful to him under all reverses, and being greatly strengthened by reinforcements sent from Spain to his assistance, Cortez resolved once more to attempt the conquest of the city of Mexico. Returning, therefore, without opposition, accompanied by a large body of Tlascalan and Cholulan warriors, in addition to his own forces, he traversed the sierra, and on New-Year's eve, fixed his head-quarters at the royal city of Tezcuco, whose king and citizens fled at the approach of the invaders. Cuitlahua, brother and successor to Montezuma, had died in the interim; and Guatemozin, a chieftain of indomitable courage, and the determined and implacable enemy of the Spanish race, had succeeded to the throne. After conquering in succession some of the most powerful cities in the Valley, and receiving farther reinforcements from Villa Rica, Cortez returned to Tezcuco, where he found everything prepared for the siege. He had now a force of nine hundred Spanish soldiers, eighty-seven of whom were

THIS leaf is furnished by Mr. J. Barker, in his | work on "The People." We desire that every upgrowing American should be made thoroughly acquainted with the price at which their liberties were purchased, that they may place upon them the par value at least, and refuse to part with them for anything less than cost. Mr. Barker, shows us here one small contract in the transaction. He says:

"In their war with the Americans in 1776 and 1777, the English tyrants employed a number of soldiers belonging to the Prince of Hesse Cassel. The English tyrants engaged to give the Prince of Hesse Cassel so much a piece for every soldier of his who was killed in their service. It will be seen from the following letter, that this Prince of Hesse Cassel, this foreign Aristocrat, was as reckless of the lives of his soldiers, nay, was as eager, in fact, to convert their life and blood into gold, as the English tyrants who hired his soldiers were to annihilate the friends of liberty in America. The following is a part of a letter he wrote to Hohendroff with respect to the fate of the men whom he had hired out to the British Aristocrats. It shows with what coolness, or rather with what pleasure, he could hear of the death of his soldiers, when contemplating the sums he was entitled to receive in consideration of their death:

"BARON HOHENDROFF:-I received at Rome, on my return from Naples, your letter of the 27th of December last. I learned with inexpressible pleasure the courage displayed by my troops at Trenton; and you cannot imagine my joy at reading, that of nineteen hundred and fifty Hessians who were engaged in the battle, only three hundred escaped. There were just sixteen hundred and fifty slain, and I cannot sufficiently commend your pru

adventure, characteristic of nearly all the proceedings of the middle ages. There was an old tradition that a fountain existed at a certain part of the American Continent, which possessed the remarkable property of conferring eternal youth and beauty upon all who should bathe in, or taste of, its waters. The people inhabiting this favored region were pictured as being gifted with almost superhuman beauty, and their strength, far from diminishing, never decayed. Believing implicitly in this legend, Leon fitted out a small squadron, and set sail to discover the quarter where those precious waters were supposed to be

dence in sending a correct list of the slain to my agent in London. This precaution was more necessary, because the list sent to the dred and fifty were killed. English minister stated that only fourteen hun

"In this way I should lose one hundred and sixty thousand and fifty florins. According to the account of the lord of the treasury, there would come to me only four hundred and eightythree florins instead of six hundred and fortythree thousand five hundred florins, which I have a right to demand according to our agree

ment.

"You will understand how seriously my finances would be effected by an error in the utmost pains to prove that your list is correct calculation, and you will therefore take the and that his is wrong. The British court objects that there were a hundred wounded, for whom they ought not to pay the price of dead men; but I hope that you remember the advice I gave you on your departure from Cassel, and those who could be saved only by depriving that you have not attempted to restore to life them of a leg or an arm. Life would be a fatal present to them, and I am sure that they would prefer to die with glory, rather than to live mutilated and not in a condition to serve must be humane, my dear Baron; but you me. I do not wish them to be sacrificed; you can hint to the surgeons that a maimed man is a disgrace to their skill, and that it is a deed of charity to permit a warrior to die when he is not in a condition to fight. Farther, I am about to send you numerous recruits; do not spare them! remember that glory excels all things. Glory is true riches. You think, then, only of honor and reputation; but this reputation must be gained amid danger. Remember, that of three hundred Lacedemonians who defended the defile of Thermopyla, not one returned.

666

"Finally be careful to avoid any decisive action; for it is against my interests that this war should terminate. I am about making arrangements at Naples for the large Italian opera.'"

concealed; but the result proved no more successful than the expeditions in search of El Dorado, and after discovering, on Easter Day, a vast land, to which he gave the name of Florida, from the Spanish name of that festival Pasqua de Flores, and attempting to found there a settlement, which the hostility of the Indians prevented him from accomplishing, he returned in discouragement to Puerto Rico. The expedition of Narvaez, consisting of four hundred men from the Island of Cuba, was never heard of.