In the meantime Cortes to his great delight observed that the slave Marina of Tabasco was conversing with some of the Indians and found that this person, who had been born in a Mexican province and been kidnapped, and taken to Yucatan, could speak the language of both countries with equal facility. Marina spoke with them in her own dialect, communicating what they said to Aguilar in Yucatanish, who in turn spoke to Cortes in Spanish. By this fortunate occurrence Cortes learned that Pilpatoe, the governor of that country, and Teutile, the great Emperor Montezuma’s general, had sent these Indians to ascertain his object in coming and to offer him assistance in continuing his journey, should he need it. Their appearance showed them to be a very different people from those wild tribes of the West Indies before encountered. Cortes recognized the difference immediately and replied in a cordial way that he had come with the friendly purpose of bringing tidings to their ruler which would prove of great importance. He dismissed them with gifts and, without waiting for a reply, began sending his people, horses, cannon, and war material to land. The hospitable natives submitted, hastened to lend helping hands to their future oppressors, and set up straw huts for them. Unfortunates! If some friendly spirit could have revealed the future to them and shown them how dearly they would have to pay for this friendly service, how they would have recoiled from these wolves in sheep’s clothing! How they would have put forth all their strength and joyfully spent the last drop of blood to drive these dangerous strangers from their shores!
On the following day Pilpatoe and Teutile appeared in person with a numerous retinue of armed Mexicans. Their appearance was imposing as befitted the majesty of their great sovereign. Cortes also displayed as much pomp as his circumstances permitted, to impress them with his own importance and that of the sovereign he represented. He ordered his troops to march at his side with military precision and in respectful silence, and received the Mexican officers with a display of dignity which deeply impressed them. Upon being asked who had commissioned him, he haughtily replied with intentional brevity that he came in the name of Charles of Austria, the great and powerful monarch of the East, who had entrusted him with a message to the Emperor Montezuma that could only be delivered in person. He desired therefore that he should be conducted to him.