Then Montezuma, who till now had said and done
nothing, took the painted scroll of their indictments and pricked it
with the arrow in his hand where the picture of each prisoner appeared
upon the scroll. Then they were led away to death, but how they died I
do not know.
When this trial was finished certain priests entered the hall clothed
in sable robes, their matted hair hanging down their backs. They were
fierce, wild-eyed men of great dignity, and I shivered when I saw them.
I noticed also that they alone made small reverence to the majesty of
Montezuma. The counsellors and nobles having fallen back, these priests
entered into talk with the emperor, and presently two of them came
forward and taking me from the custody of the guards, led me forward
before the throne. Then of a sudden I was commanded to strip myself of
my garments, and this I did with no little shame, till I stood naked
before them all. Now the priests came forward and examined every part of
me closely. On my arms were the scars left by de Garcia's sword, and on
my breast the scarcely healed marks of the puma's teeth and claws. These
wounds they scanned, asking how I had come by them. I told them, and
thereupon they carried on a discussion among themselves, and out of my
hearing, which grew so warm that at length they appealed to the emperor
to decide the point.
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