. The true story book . head he wore only a plume of royal greenfeathers, a badge of his military rank. He was at this time aboutforty years of age, and was tall and thin, and of a lighter complex-ion than is usual among his countrymen; he moved with dignity,and there was a benignity in his whole demeanour which was not cj t/ to have been anticipated from the reports of his character whichhad reached the Spaniards. The army halted as Montezuma drewnear, and Cortes dismounted and advanced to meet him with a fewof the principal cavaliers. The emperor received him with princelycourtesy, and expre
. The true story book . head he wore only a plume of royal greenfeathers, a badge of his military rank. He was at this time aboutforty years of age, and was tall and thin, and of a lighter complex-ion than is usual among his countrymen; he moved with dignity,and there was a benignity in his whole demeanour which was not cj t/ to have been anticipated from the reports of his character whichhad reached the Spaniards. The army halted as Montezuma drewnear, and Cortes dismounted and advanced to meet him with a fewof the principal cavaliers. The emperor received him with princelycourtesy, and expressed his satisfaction at seeing him in his responded by the most profound expressions of respect andgratitude for all Montezumas munificence to the Spaniards ; hethen hung round the emperors neck a chain of coloured crystal,making at the same time a movement as if to embrace him, butwas restrained by the two Aztec lords, who were shocked at theidea of such presumption. Montezuma then appointed his brother. MON1EZUMA GREETS THE SPANIARDS \ )TT p r Tp , i^J-> R T7TK CONQUEST OF MONTEZUMAS EMPIRE 273 to conduct the Spaniards to their (quarters in the city, and againentering his litter was borne off amid prostrate crowds in the samestate in which he had come. The Spaniards quickly followed, andwith colours flying and music playing entered the southern portionof the cit}* of Mexico. The great wide street facing the causewaystretched for some miles in nearly a straight line through the centreof the city. In the clear atmosphere of the tableland it was easy tosee the blue mountains in the distance beyond the temples, houses,and gardens which stood on either side of it. But what most im-pressed the Spaniards was the swarm of people who throngedevery street, canal, and roof, and filled every window and the Aztecs it must indeed have been a strange sensation whenthey beheld the fair-faced strangers, and for the first time heardtheir well-paved streets ringing
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