authority in front of him, and with four of our officers, scores of our soldiers, and Padre de Olmedo to hold him to his pledge about sacrifices. When we neared the temple of Huitzilopochtli, his nephews and other chieftains assisted the monarch from his litter and carried him on their shoulders, all the caciques in reverence keeping their eyes on the ground as he passed. At the foot of the temple many papas waited to aid him in mounting the steps. The monarch was not long at his devotions and went back appearing in better spirits, and giving each of us who had gone with him presents of gold. But we found that the night before the papas had sacrificed four Indians in spite of all our captain and Padre de Olmedo had done and said. All we could now do was to feign ignorance of their deed, for Montezuma's nephews, intent on rebellion, had roused Mexico and other great towns.
The good reader will recall that some chapters back I told how Montezuma's nephew, Cacamatzin, lord of Texcoco, the largest town in all that country after Mexico, came toward us four hundred Spaniards as we drew near the capital city and, with show of regal pomp, bade us welcome in behalf of his uncle. When this prince now knew that with Montezuma imprisoned we were taking all the power we could get—even that we had opened, although we had not taken anything from it, the chamber where
