He greeted her graciously, and they also were given to eat.

Now, one of the Spaniards who had been watching me whispered something into the ear of Cortes, and I saw his face darken.
'Say,' he said to me in Castilian, 'are you that renegade, that traitor who has aided these Aztecs against us ?' 'I am no renegade and no traitor, general,' I answered boldly, for the food and wine had put new life into me.

'I am an Englishman, and I have fought with the Aztecs because I have good cause to hate you Spaniards.' 'You shall soon have better, traitor,' he said furiously.

'Here, lead this man away and hang him on the mast of yonder ship.' Now I saw that it was finished, and made ready to go to my death, when Marina spoke into the ear of Cortes.

All she said I could not catch, but I heard the words 'hidden gold.' He listened, then hesitated, and spoke aloud: 'Do not hang this man to-day.