CHAPTER VIII.
THE COMBATANTS SALUTE.
April-May, 1519.
The Embassy from the Shore-The New Interpreter — Marina — Her Appearance and Quality — Her Romantic History — She Cleaves to the Spaniards and to Cortés — And Becomes One of the most Important Characters of the Conquest — The Spaniards Land and Form an Encampment — The Governor Comes with Presents — The Spaniards Astonish the Natives — Who Report all to Montezuma — Cortes Sends the Monarch Presents — Council Called in Mexico — Montezuma Determines not to Receive the Strangers — Reciprocates in Presents a Hundredfold — Cortes Persists — Montezuma Declines more Firmly — Olmedo Attempts Conversion — Teuhtlile, Offended, Withdraws his People from the Camp of the Spaniards.
Under San Juan de Ulua the fleet of Cortés rests at anchor, lying lazily there, its fiery purpose clothed in peaceful white, like a snow-capped volcano basking in the sunlight. The ships had been watched from afar by expectant eyes; and now from the wondering multitude that lines the Chalchiuhcuecan[1] shore come two large canoes, whose occupants step to the deck of the flag-ship and reverentially ask for the Tlatoani. Their language is new to Aguilar; none of the company can understand it. What is to be done? Modestly speaks one of the female slaves, "These are Mexicans, sent by Cuitlalpitoc,[2] cacique of the
- ↑ See Native Races, iv. 434. Duran's native records call this the 'port' of Chalchuihqueyacan. Hist. Ind., MS., ii. 389. The spelling by different authorities differs greatly. Clavigero, and Veytia, Hist. Ant. Méj., iii. 377, give April 21 as the date of arrival, while Bustamante, in Sahagun, Hist. Conq. (ed. Mex. 1845), 135, makes it the 22d. Year Ce Acatl. Ixtlilxochitl, Rel., 411. Sahagun, Hist. Conq., i. 7., says 13 conejos.
- ↑ Torquemada, i. 387. Bernal Diaz writes Pitalpitoque, named by the
