and eat us, and that the pots were already on the fire, prepared with salt,
pepper, and _tomatas_, in which our dissevered limbs were to be boiled. He
knew that they had doomed twenty of us to be sacrificed to their idols, to
whom they had already immolated seven of their own brethren. "Since you
were determined to attack us," said he in conclusion, "it had been more
manly to have done so openly like the Tlascalans, and not to have resorted
to mean and cowardly treachery. But be assured that the victory which your
false gods have promised is beyond their power, and the punishment of your
treason is now ready to burst on your guilty heads."

The astonished chiefs confessed every thing which was laid to their charge,
but endeavoured to excuse themselves, by laying the whole blame on the
orders they had received from Montezuma. "Wretches," said Cortes, "this
falsehood is an aggravation of your offence, and such complicated crimes
can never be permitted to pass unpunished." He then ordered a musket to be
fired, as a signal to commence the slaughter, for which we all stood
prepared. We immediately fell furiously on the multitudes who were
inclosed within the walls of our quarters, and executed their merited
punishment in such a manner as will be long remembered by the remaining
natives of Cholula. A vast number of them were put to death on the spot,
and many of them were afterwards burned alive. In less than two hours, our
Tlascalan allies arrived in the city, having been previously instructed in
our plan, and made a terrible slaughter in the streets of the city; and
when the Cholulans ceased to make resistance, they ravaged the city,
plundering it of every thing valuable they could lay hold of, and making
slaves of all the inhabitants who fell in their way. On the day following,
when intelligence reached Tlascala of the transactions at Cholula, great
numbers crowded to the devoted city, which they plundered without mercy.
It now became necessary to restrain the fury of the Tlascalans, and Cortes
gave orders to their chiefs to withdraw their troops from the city, with