16

MARCH TO MEXICO.

[Book III.

their women and children, as if to remove them toa place of safety. These tidings confirmed the worstsuspicions of Cortés, who had no doubt that somehostile scheme was in agitation. If he had felt any,a discovery by Marina, the good angel of the expe-dition, would have turned these doubts into certainty.

The amiable manners of the Indian girl had wonher the regard of the wife of one of the caciques,who repeatedly urged Marina to visit her house,darkly intimating that in this way she would escapethe fate that awaited the Spaniards. The inter-preter, seeing the importance of obtaining furtherintelligence at once, pretended to be pleased withthe proposal, and affected, at the same time, greatdiscontent with the white men, by whom she wasdetained in captivity. Thus throwing the credulousCholulan off her guard, Marina gradually insinuatedherself into her confidence, so far as to draw fromher a full account of the conspiracy.

It originated, she said, with the Aztec emperor,who had sent rich bribes to the great caciques, andto her husband among others, to secure them in hisviews. The Spaniards were to be assaulted as theymarched out of the capital, when entangled in itsstreets, in which numerous impediments had beenplaced to throw the cavalry into disorder. A forceof twenty thousand Mexicans was already quarteredat no great distance from the city, to support theCholulans in the assault. It was confidently expect-ed that the Spaniards, thus embarrassed in theirmovements, would fall an easy prey to the superior