The paper showed names surprising to Cortes: the conspiracy was far deeper than he had supposed. It was impossible, however, to bring these men to execution; he could not spare them. With great presence of mind, he ordered the prisoners to be set at liberty, and then assembled all his troops. He now told them of the awful plot that had threatened destruction to all their hopes. Pointing to the body of Villafaña, he called on them to look upon the traitor, declaring that he was very happy that his doom fell upon no other Spaniard; that there were other conspirators, but he was ignorant as to who they were; he himself had arrested Villafaña, but in his confusion and fright the guilty man had swallowed a paper containing the names of his accomplices; and who these accomplices might be, could now never be known. The guilty men in the crowd were at once relieved; they fancied they were unsuspected, while at the same time their leader knew them all, and watched them closely. In a little time, they were gathered together on a more joyous occasion. Martin Lopez had worked diligently, and all was now ready for the launch. The Spaniards having attended mass and received the communion, the whole army was drawn up on the banks of the canal. The brigantines glided gently into the water, while Father Olmedo stood by to bless them and give their names. The sails were then hoisted, to try them; and, as they ploughed the water, the “_te Deum_” was chanted, while the words echoed with the roar of artillery and shouts of joy. CHAPTER IX. CORTES reviewed his army once more, preparatory to his attack upon the city of Mexico. He found that he had eighty-six horsemen, eight hundred infantry, together with three large cannons, fifteen small field-pieces, a thousand pounds of gunpowder, and a large quantity of balls and arrows. To these he added an immense number of Tlascalans and other allies, and then divided his army into three parts, placing over these his well-tried officers Sandoval, Alvarado, and Olid. The towns of Tepejacac, Tacuba, and Cojohuacan, were situated on the causeways, and served to guard the city from the first attacks. The three divisions were to take possession of these three places, while Cortes himself took the command of the fleet, which was considered the most important part of the enterprise.