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The Mastering of Mexico
coming to conduct us to their quarters, for finding we did not come, they determined to seek after us, and so they had set out, some in litters, some on foot. When they had come before Cortes and had done their ceremonies of respect, our captain said he thanked them for the food they had continually been sending and for other deeds, and the sole reason he had not visited their city was that he had not any one to move the tepuzques, as they termed our cannon. "Was it nothing but that!" they cried. "And you could not tell us!" and in less than half an hour five hundred porters were on the spot and early next day we were marching towards their town.
