Twenty of each
corps mounted guard at once, maintaining a careful watch day and
night. Another body, under command of Velasquez de Leon, was stationed
in the royal antechamber. Cortes punished any departure from duty,
or relaxation of vigilance, in these sentinels, with the utmost
severity. He felt, as, indeed, every Spaniard must have felt, that the
escape of the emperor now would be their ruin. Yet the task of this
unintermitting watch sorely added to their fatigues. "Better this
dog of a king should die," cried a soldier one day, "than that we
should wear out our lives in this manner." The words were uttered in
the hearing of Montezuma, who gathered something of their import,
and the offender was severely chastised by order of the general.
Such instances of disrespect, however, were very rare. Indeed, the
amiable deportment of the monarch, who seemed to take pleasure in
the society of his jailers, and who never allowed a favour or
attention from the meanest soldier to go unrequited, inspired the
Spaniards with as much attachment as they were capable of feeling- for
a barbarian.
Things were in this posture, when the arrival of Quauhpopoca
from the coast was announced. He was accompanied by his son and
fifteen Aztec chiefs. He had travelled all the way, borne, as became
his high rank, in a litter. On entering Montezuma's presence, he threw
over his dress the coarse robe of nequen, and made the usual
humiliating acts of obeisance.
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