The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true an…
brigantines, and he (Holguin) stood under his commands,and had acted upon his orders;
that he had purposely selected him forthis purpose, because he was his particular friend,
and his brigantinethe fastest sailer.
While Sandoval and Holguin were thus disputing, another brigantinehastened off to Cortes,
(who was still standing on the summit ofthe temple, watching Sandoval's movements), in
order to obtain thereward for bringing the first news of the monarch's capture. They atthe
same time informed him of the dispute between Sandoval and Holguin as to whom the
honour was due of taking him prisoner.
[Pg 109]
On this news our general instantly despatched Luis Marin and Lugoto settle the dispute, by
telling Sandoval and Holguin that they werejointly to bring in the monarch, his wife and
family, captives, when he himself would decide whose prisoner the monarch was, and to
whomthe honour was due.
Our general in the meantime ordered some elevated seats to beerected, and covered with
soft cushions and mantles, and a goodrepast to be prepared. Holguin and Sandoval soon
after arrived with the monarch, and conducted him into the presence of Cortes, who
received him with the utmost respect, and embraced him affectionately,at the same time
expressing the kindest feelings towards him and hisofficers. Quauhtemoctzin then said to
Cortes, "Malinche! I havedone what I was bound to do in the defence of my metropolis,
and ofmy subjects. My resources have now become entirely exhausted. Ihave succumbed
to superior power, and stand a prisoner before you.Now draw the dagger which hangs at
your belt, and plunge it into mybosom."
These words the monarch uttered under a flood of tears, and withheavy sighs, while several
of his officers broke out into loud lamentations. Cortes assured him, by means of our
interpreters, in the mostkind manner, that he esteemed him the more for his bravery, his
powerful and courageous defence of his city, and that, far from makinghim any reproaches
on that head, it redounded more to his honourthan to his shame. He certainly could have
wished that he had acceptedhis offers of peace, to save the city from destruction, and the
lives of so many of his subjects that had been sacrificed in battle; as,however, it had been
impossible to avoid all this, and it could not nowbe remedied, he ought no longer to grieve,
but compose his mind, andstrive to raise the desponding spirits of his officers; assuring him
heshould remain, as heretofore, lord of Mexico, and of the other provincesattached to it.
Quauhtemoctzin and his officers thanked Cortes for this promise; upon which the latter
inquired after his wife and the other women, who, he had been given to understand, had
likewise accompanied him in the brigantine. Quauhtemoctzin said that he had himself
begged of Sandoval and Holguin to leave them behind in the canoes until Malinche's
pleasure should be known. Our general then sent forthem, and regaled them with the best of
everything he had at hand. As it was now getting late, and beginning to rain, he
commissioned Sandovalto convey the monarch, with his family and suite, to Cojohuacan;
Alvarado and Oli at the same time being ordered off to their respectivestations, and Cortes
himself returned to his head-quarters at Tepeaquilla.
[Pg 110]
Quauhtemoctzin was taken prisoner on St. Hippolytus' day, the 13thAugust, 1521, about the
hour of vespers. Praise and glory be to ourLord Jesus Christ, and to his blessed mother, the
Virgin Mary. Amen.
During the night of this day it thundered and lightened without intermission, and about
midnight with terrific vehemence.
Subsequent to Quauhtemoctzin's capture we soldiers had become sovery deaf that we could
scarcely hear anything, and we felt a similarsensation to what a person experiences when
standing in a belfry andall the bells are ringing at once, and then cease all of a sudden. The
reader will certainly not think this an ill-timed comparison if he onlyconsiders how our ears
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