The neighboring cacique now joined Taxmar’s enemies with all his army, and the councilors took alarm and repeated the suggestion that Aguilar should be sacrificed to make sure of the help of the gods.  Taxmar again spoke plainly.

“Our gods,” he said, “have helped us when we were strong and powerful and sacrificed many captives in their honor.  This man’s gods help him when he is a slave, alone, far from his people, with nothing to offer in sacrifice.  We will see now what they will do for my army.”

In the battle which followed, the cacique adopted a plan which Aguilar suggested.  That loyal follower was placed in command of a force hidden in the woods near the route by which the enemy would arrive.  The hostile forces marched past it, and charged upon the front of Taxmar’s army.  It gave way, and they rushed in with triumphant yells.  When they were well past, Aguilar’s division came out of the bushes and took them in the rear.  At the same instant Taxmar and his warriors faced about and sprang at them like a host of panthers.  There was a great slaughter, many prisoners were taken, among them the cacique himself and many men of importance; and Taxmar made a little speech to them upon the wisdom of the white man’s gods.

In the years that passed the captive’s hope of escape faded.  Once he had thought he might slip away and reach the coast, but he was too carefully watched.  Even if he could get to the sea from so far inland, without the help of the natives, he could not reach any Spanish colony without a boat.  There were rumors of strange ships filled with bearded men, whose weapons were the thunder and the lightning.  Old people wagged their heads and recalled a prophecy of the priest Chilam Cambal many years ago, that a white people, bearded, would come from the east, to overturn the images of the gods, and conquer the land.

Hernando de Cordova’s squadron came and went; Grijalva’s came and went; Aguilar heard of them but never saw them.  At last, seven long years after he came to Jamacana, three coast Indians from the island of Cozumel came timidly to the cacique with gifts and a letter.  The gifts were for Taxmar, to buy his Christian slaves, if he had any, and the letter was for them.

Hernando Cortes, coming from Cuba with a squadron to discover and conquer the land ruled by the Lord of the Golden House, had stopped at Cozumel and there heard of white men held as captives somewhere inland.  He had persuaded the Indians to send messengers for them, saying that if the captives were sent to the sea-coast, at the cape of Cotoche, he would leave two caravels there eight days, to wait for them.

While Aguilar read this letter the Indians were telling of the water-houses of the strangers, their sharp weapons, their command of thunder and lightning, and the wonderful presents they gave in exchange for what they wanted.  Aguilar’s account of the squadron was even more complete.  He described the dress of the Spaniards, their weapons and their manner of life without having seen them at all, and the Indians, when asked, said it was so.