_How we entertained and amused Motecusuma during his confinement,
and granted him permission to visit his temple._
Our general was a man who thought of everything, and strove as much as
possible to enliven the monarch in his confinement, that he might not
feel the weight of his misfortune too deeply. Cortes, therefore, every
morning after we had said prayers, visited the monarch with four of our
principal officers, to inquire after his health and after his wants, and
otherwise to amuse him in every way; in which they succeeded so well
that Motecusuma one day himself declared his confinement was not irksome
to him, as our gods had given us the power to take him prisoner, and
Huitzilopochtli had allowed it.
Sometimes also Motecusuma played at a certain game with Cortes, which
the Mexicans call the game of _totoloc_: it is played with small round
glossy balls, which here were made of gold, and are pitched at a certain
mark, also of the same metal: five throws finished the game, and the
stakes were for valuable gold trinkets and jewels. I still remember once
when Motecusuma and Cortes were playing at this game, Alvarado scoring
for Cortes, and a distinguished cazique (his nephew) for the monarch,
that Alvarado continually scored one too many for Cortes. This was
observed by Motecusuma, who said, with a pleasing smile, that he was not
exactly pleased when _Tonatio_ (so they termed Alvarado) marked the game
for Cortes, for he was guilty of _Ixoxol_ in scoring, which means that
he scored falsely, by continually marking one more than he ought.
Cortes, and we others who happened to be on duty at the time in the
apartment, could not resist laughing at the observation of the monarch.
And why, it will be asked, did we find that expression so amusing?
Because Alvarado, notwithstanding the handsome and refined man he was,
could not resist the temptation of scoring falsely, and had been
discovered. However, all the gain was divided among those present; for
what Cortes won he presented to the monarch's nephew and his servants;
Motecusuma dividing his gains among those who happened to be on duty at
the time.[70] And not a day passed that he did not present Velasquez de
Leon, who was very kind to him, and was captain of the guard, and those
who were on duty, with valuable gold trinkets and manufactured stuffs.
One night a sailor, named Truxillo, stood sentinel in the monarch's
apartment. This fellow was very stout and strongly-built; he happened
to forget himself, for a moment, in a way which, out of respect for the
reader, I will not describe more minutely here. Motecusuma, who was a
monarch of refined manners, happened to hear it at the moment, and
considered himself grossly insulted. He inquired of his page Orteguilla
who the low-bred fellow was? Orteguilla replied that the man was a
sailor, and that such persons were little acquainted with good manners.
It was upon this occasion also that Orteguilla explained to him the rank
of every individual soldier, who were cavaliers and who were not, and
many other things the monarch wished to know. Motecusuma, however, had
not forgotten the insult which the sailor had offered to his person, for
daylight had scarcely broken forth when he sent for him, and reproached
him for his disrespectful behaviour, and advised him to mend his manners
for the future; but sweetened down this lecture by presenting him with
some gold trinkets, worth about five pesos. This kind treatment,
however, had little effect on the rough sailor, who repeated his filthy
conduct the following night, in the hopes of getting a second present
when morning came. Motecusuma, however, disdained speaking to him any
more, but complained to the captain of the guard, and desired that the
fellow might be severely reprimanded and never allowed again to stand
sentinel there.
Something similar happened to a soldier named Lopez, who was an
excellent crossbow-man, and had a fine figure, though otherwise a man of
little understanding. As he was one night on duty in the monarch's
apartment, and the corporal came to make the rounds, he remarked to the
latter, "A curse upon this dog, I am sure this standing sentinel at
night will be my death!"
Motecusuma heard these words, and considered his feelings deeply
wounded. When, therefore, Cortes came in the morning to pay the monarch
his usual visit, he complained bitterly to him about the insult that had
been offered him. Cortes was exceedingly vexed, and was so enraged with
Lopez that he ordered him to be whipped. From that day every one who
stood sentinel in the monarch's apartment maintained a respectful
silence; though, as far as regarded myself and others of my companions
who often stood sentinel in the same apartment, we needed no
instructions as to how we were to behave in the presence of such a great
monarch, who soon got to know all our names and peculiarities, was
exceedingly kind towards us, and often distributed gold trinkets among
us, besides manufactured cottons and pretty females. At that time I was
yet a young fellow, and whenever I stood sentinel in the monarch's
apartment, I always behaved with the greatest respect, and uncovered my
head on passing by him. This drew his attention towards me, and, on
inquiring who I was, Orteguilla informed him that I had accompanied the
two former voyages of discovery to these parts. When, therefore,
Orteguilla, at my desire, hinted to him that I should be much pleased
with a pretty Mexican female, he sent for me, and said, "I understand,
Bernal Diaz del Castillo, that you have abundance of gold and cotton
stuffs, wherefore I will now give you a pretty young female. Treat her
well, for she is the daughter of distinguished parents, who will,
besides, give you more gold and cotton stuffs with her."
I very respectfully thanked the monarch for his kindness, and hoped God
would bless him for it. When the page interpreted my answer, he said,
"Bernal Diaz appears to me to have the true feelings of a well-bred
man," and ordered three small plates of gold and two additional packages
of cotton stuffs to be given me.
With respect to Motecusuma's mode of life, it was his custom to say his
prayers the first thing in the morning, and sacrifice to his gods: he
then partook of a little breakfast, which consisted not in meat, but
solely in _agi_.[71] This being finished, he gave an hour's audience to
the caziques, who came from distant parts in great numbers to lay before
him certain disputes, and obtain his judgment. The remaining part of the
day was then spent in amusement, particularly with his concubines, of
whom he had a great number; some of these, at times, he gave in marriage
to his generals, principal favorites, and likewise to us soldiers; as I,
for instance, obtained Dona Francisca, whom you might well see was a
woman of distinction. Now and then the monarch would laugh, and then
again he was pensive, and seemed to reflect on his confinement.
I must once more return to the soldier whom Cortes had so severely
punished for calling Motecusuma a dog. Many to whom I have related this
were surprised at the severity of his punishment, as the man had not
said it to the monarch's face; besides that, our numbers were so small,
and that the Mexicans would be sure to hear of it. My reply to this is,
that all of us, even Cortes himself, paid Motecusuma the most profound
respect, and no one passed by him without uncovering his head: add to
all this, he was so very kind, and so courteous in his behaviour towards
us, that we should have considered ourselves bound to pay his person and
good breeding every possible respect, though he had not been the monarch
of New Spain.
Lastly, it must be remembered that our lives were in his hands; for, at
his very wink, his subjects would have flown to his rescue. When we saw
how he was continually surrounded by so many distinguished personages,
and the numbers of princes who came to wait upon him from distant parts
of his empire, in the same way as if he had still been at liberty in his
own palace, can we at all feel surprised, then, that Cortes should so
severely have punished on the spot an insult offered to this monarch?
Assuredly he did nothing more than the circumstances of the moment
required!
[70] Alvarado, who sometimes also played a game with Motecusuma, showed
little generosity, according to other writers. If he lost, he paid with
chalchihuis stones; if he won, he was paid with bars of gold, each worth
at least fifty ducats. Motecusuma frequently lost in one evening from
forty to fifty of such gold bars to Alvarado; but the more he lost, the
more good-humoured he appeared. (p. 258.)
[71] A kind of soup or broth, of which the so termed Spanish pepper
formed the chief ingredient. (p. 260.)