. The true story book . greatand unmerited favour. Not long after the Spanish general expressedhis willingness that the emperor should if he wished return to hisOWTII palace, but Montezuma declined the offer, doubtless fearing totrust himself again to the haught^y and ferocious chieftains, whocould not but despise the cowardly proceedings of their master, sounlike the usual conduct of an Aztec monarch. Montezuma oftenamused himself with seeing the Spanish troops go through theirexercises, or with playing at some of the national games withCortes and his officers. A favourite one was called toto
. The true story book . greatand unmerited favour. Not long after the Spanish general expressedhis willingness that the emperor should if he wished return to hisOWTII palace, but Montezuma declined the offer, doubtless fearing totrust himself again to the haught^y and ferocious chieftains, whocould not but despise the cowardly proceedings of their master, sounlike the usual conduct of an Aztec monarch. Montezuma oftenamused himself with seeing the Spanish troops go through theirexercises, or with playing at some of the national games withCortes and his officers. A favourite one was called totoloque, 284 THE CONQUEST OF MONTEZUMAS EMPIRE played with golden balls, which were thrown at a golden target,and the emperor always staked precious stones or ingots of gold,and won or lost with equal good-humour, and indeed it did notmuch matter to him, since if he did win he gave away his gainsto his attendants. But while Montezuma thus resigned himselfwithout a struggle to a life of captivity, some of his kinsmen were. very differently about the matter, and especially his nephewCacama, lord of the Tezcuco, and second in power to MontezuniHhimself. This prince saw with alarm and indignation his uncles abjectsubmission to the Spaniards, and endeavoured to form a league withthe other chiefs to rescue him out of their hands. But they, from THE CONQUEST OF MONTEZUMAS EMPIRE 285 jealousy, declined to join him, declaring themselves unwilling to do;niything without the emperors sanction. These plots came to thecars of Cortes, who wished at once to march upon Tezcuco andstamp out this spark of rebellion, but Montezuma dissuaded therefore sent a friendly message of expostulation, which metwith a haughty response, and to a second message asserting thesupremacy of the King of Spain Cacama replied that he acknow-ledged no such authority. He knew nothing of the Spanishsovereign or his people, nor did he wish to know anything of them.\Y1 icii Montezuma sent to him to come to
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