Cortes’ position was now most critical. His people were completely discouraged and the enemy was correspondingly encouraged. They grew so bold indeed that on the next morning they ventured an attack upon the headquarters, which the Spaniards and their allies had great difficulty in resisting. Guatemozin at this junction conceived of another cunning project for the discomfiture of his enemy. He sent the heads of the slaughtered Spaniards through the provinces and everywhere proclaimed that the blood of these enemies had appeased the wrath of the war god and that he had declared that in eight days all the hated foreigners would be destroyed. The news created general consternation among Cortes’ Indian allies. Their superstition was so great that they did not doubt for an instant the threat of their war god would be executed. They determined to abandon all association with people whom the Heavens had doomed to destruction. Some of the Tlaxcalans themselves were recreant and began to desert. But Cortes discovered a plan for preventing this withdrawal, which met with success. He suspended hostilities for eight days, meanwhile covering his well intrenched army with his vessels, and quietly awaited the expiration of the time set for his destruction. When it passed and the Spaniards had not suffered the least injury, the allies began to open their eyes. They realized they had been deceived, grew ashamed of their credulity, and came back more determined than ever to assist the Spaniards in the complete overthrow of the hated Mexican Empire. Others, who had not really believed the deceitful announcement came from their war god, were all the more grateful that the deception now made the downfall of the Mexicans inevitable. The accessions of old and new allies were so great that in a few days Cortes had an army of one hundred and fifty thousand natives. Instead, however, of being misled by this astonishing increase of his strength, he proceeded more cautiously than ever. He made several tenders of peace to the Mexicans, but Guatemozin, who was thoroughly convinced that any alliance with the Spaniards would result in the servitude of himself and his people, rejected the offers with scorn, being still determined either to rescue the fatherland or die in the attempt.