"Are you aware, tzin Euet, that the king is dead?"
"Yes, Prince. Itzalmo informed me soon after receiving the message."
"Itzalmo is of opinion that the coming of Maxtla to the throne will, if anything, add to the distress of our people. I have great regard for his sagacity, yet withal, being deeply concerned personally, I would have your opinion also, tzin Euet, and have brought you here to obtain it. You may be able to throw some light on the matter, and, by so doing, change the present aspect of it. Maxtla is king; and, as we have reason to believe, a king without scruples, and not to be relied on. Were Tezcuco in position to demand the restoration of her rights as a nation we would know how to proceed; but she is not, and we are left with only one alternative, that of submission. Thus unhappily environed, our only recourse is to seek to mollify the king. How to do this, friend Euet, is the present and very important question."
Hualcoyotl paused, and looked inquiringly at the tzin.
"Yourself, O Prince, will be the one most affected by the change of rulers, and through you the new king must be mollified, if such a thing be possible. I fear very much that any overtures in that direction will be met by a scornful rejection, especially with reference to your own case," was Euetzin's rather discouraging reply.
"On what grounds, tzin Euet, do you rest your fears?"
"On the character of the man who now becomes the wrongful ruler of our people. His exceedingly bad record as a young man—a record full of meanness, largely made up of diabolism and cruelty, evidence of which is not lacking, furnishes sufficient grounds for fear and apprehension. I will venture an assertion, O Prince, which may seem overstrong to you, yet I feel confident I do not err in my conclusions. It does not require a prophet to foretell a thing when the conditions portend it. You, O Hualcoyotl, the rightful prince of Tezcuco, and Maxtla, the king, can not both continue to live under the same government. Mark me well! Sooner or later you will be compelled to fly or suffer death."
It was with a pale, stern face the tzin uttered his concluding words. The prince looked at him in amazement, considering the enormity implied in the prediction; yet, when he spoke, it was with perfect calmness.
"You undoubtedly believe what you say, my dear tzin; yet I am slow to think myself so obnoxious to the king as your words imply."
"You are obnoxious to him, noble prince, to the extent of being feared. He is a jealous and suspicious man, in addition to his many other faults, and will brook no possible rival to his authority over Tezcuco. While Hualcoyotl, the beloved prince of an enslaved people, lives, and is, in a measure, at liberty, Maxtla will not rest in security. Believe, O noblest of friends, I beg you, that I would not unduly excite you in this matter; but being deeply impressed with the thought that your life is in jeopardy, I am impelled to raise my voice in warning."