But
the gods abhorred perfidy. And were not their guests the very beings
whose coming had been so long predicted by the oracles? Let us avail
ourselves of it, he concluded, and unite and make common cause with
them, until we have humbled our haughty enemy.
This discourse provoked a sharp rejoinder from Xicotencatl, tin
the passion of the elder chieftain got the better of his patience,
and, substituting force for argument, he thrust his younger antagonist
with some violence from the council chamber. A proceeding so
contrary to the usual decorum of Indian debate astonished the
assembly. But, far from bringing censure on its author, it effectually
silenced opposition. Even the hot-headed followers of Xicotencatl
shrunk from supporting a leader who had incurred such a mark of
contemptuous displeasure from the ruler whom they most venerated.
His own father openly condemned him; and the patriotic young
warrior, gifted with a truer foresight into futurity than his
countrymen, was left without support in the council, as he had
formerly been on the field of battle.- The proffered alliance of the
Mexicans was unanimously rejected; and the envoys, fearing that even
the sacred character with which they were invested might not protect
them from violence, made their escape secretly from the capital.
The result of the conference was of the last importance to the
Spaniards, who, in their present crippled condition, especially if
taken unawares, would have been, probably, at the mercy of the
Tlascalans.
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