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ught with the Tlascallans, and what
 further took place._

It was the following morning, on the 5th of September, 1519, that we
equipped ourselves for battle. Our horse were first arranged in order,
then the foot soldiers, and even our wounded were forced to go along
with us, if only to swell out our numbers, and do what lay in their
power. The crossbow-men received orders that some were merely to load,
while others fired, and this always in platoons. The musketeers received
similar orders, and the remaining portion of our men, who were armed
with swords and shields, were principally to strike at the enemy in the
region of the belly, in order to stop them from venturing so near to us
as they had the time before. Every one was also particularly cautioned
not to leave the ranks. It was also the particular duty of our cavalry
not to leave each other in the lurch, always to attack in full gallop,
and only aim at the face and eyes. The ensign Corral received a guard of
four men, and in this way we sallied forth from our camp, with our
standard flying.

We had scarcely proceeded a quarter of a mile when we found the fields
covered with warriors; they had large feather-knots on their heads,
waved their colours, and made a terrific noise with their horns and
trumpets: indeed, the pen that would wish to describe everything we saw
here, would not find it such an easy task! this was indeed a battle of
as fearful and dubious an issue as well could be. In an instant we were
surrounded on all sides by such vast numbers of Indians, that the plain,
here six miles in breadth, seemed as if it contained but one vast body
of the enemy, in the midst of which stood our small army of 400 men, the
greater part wounded and knocked up with fatigue. We were also aware
that the enemy had marched out to battle with the determination to spare
none of us, excepting those who were to be sacrificed to their idols.
When, therefore, the attack commenced, a real shower of arrows and
stones was poured upon us; the whole ground was immediately covered with
heaps of lances, whose points were provided with two edges, so very
sharp that they pierced through every species of cuirass, and were
particularly dangerous to the lower part of the body, which was in no
way protected. They fell upon us like the very furies themselves, with
the most horrible yells; we employed, however, our heavy guns, muskets,
and crossbows, with so much effect, and received those who pressed
eagerly upon us with such well-directed blows and thrusts, that
considerable destruction was made among their ranks, nor did they allow
us to approach so near to them as in the previous battle: our cavalry,
in particular, showed great skill and bravery, so that they, next to the
Almighty, were the principal means of saving us.

Indeed our line was already half broken; all the commands of Cortes and
our other officers to restore order and form again were fruitless, the
Indians continually rushing upon us in such vast crowds that we could
only make place with sword in hand to save our line from being broken.
Our only safety was owing to the great number of the enemy itself; for
they stood so closely crowded that each shot we fired must have done
great execution among them. They left themselves altogether no room to
manoeuvre in, while many of the chiefs, with their men, were not even
able to mix at all in the engagement. Besides this, disagreements and
inimical feelings had arisen out of the previous battle between the
commander-in-chief Xicotencatl and another chief, the son of
Chichimeclatecl. Xicotencatl had accused the latter of not having done
his duty, who, in reply, said, he had discharged it better than he; so
that in this battle neither lent the other any assistance, and
Chichimeclatecl had even commanded Huexotzinco not to take any part in
the combat. To all this must be added, that the enemy had been taught in
the former battle to fear our horse, cannon, swords, and crossbows, not
to forget the courage we displayed. It must likewise be borne in mind
that a merciful God had lent us extraordinary powers during the
engagement. As Xicotencatl met with no obedience from two of his
principal officers,--we, on the contrary, fighting on the more bravely,
and killing great numbers of their men, who, as well as the wounded,
were immediately hurried from the field of battle, so that we never came
to see any of their killed,--the Indians at length grew exasperated
against those two chiefs who had thus left them in the lurch, and now
fought with less vigour. It is, however, probable that one of their
chief commanders had fallen, for they retreated in good order: our
cavalry, indeed, pursued them a short distance in full gallop, but were
soon compelled to return, from fatigue.

As soon as we had got rid of this vast crowd, we returned most fervent
thanks to the Almighty. We had, however, only lost one man, but, on the
other hand, sixty of us were wounded, with all our horses. I myself
carried off two wounds, one of which was on my head from the stone of a
sling, and the other by an arrow piercing my ankle; but neither of them
were so bad as to compel me to leave the battle, or disable me from
doing duty. This, however, was the same case with the majority of my
comrades; for, if a wound was not dangerous, they still continued to
perform duty, as the number of those who came off whole would have been
too small to make head against the enemy. We now returned to our
quarters, overjoyed at our victory, and offered up fervent thanks to
God. We buried our dead in one of the subterranean dwellings, that the
Indians might not discover us to be mortal as well as themselves, but
still continue to fancy us gods: we, therefore, heaped up a quantity of
earth over the spot, that even the stench of the decomposing body might
not betray the dead. The fat of the Indians, as before, served us to
dress our wounds. Oh, the distress we suffered here! We had neither oil
for our wounds nor salt to our food. To all this was added the
misfortune of having nothing to shelter us from the keen wind, which
blew across the Sierra Nevada, and made us shake again with cold. We,
nevertheless, kept up our spirits, and this night we slept more soundly
than on the previous one, as we had better regulated our outposts and
the patrols.

CHAPTER LXVI.

 _How we sent a message next day to the caziques of Tlascalla to
 bring about peace between us, and the determination they came to
 upon this._

In the last battle we had taken three distinguished personages
prisoners. These Cortes sent with the two others whom we had previously
taken, and once before despatched with a message to the caziques of
Tlascalla, desiring them in our name to make peace with us, and allow us
to march through their country to Mexico, as we had before requested of
them. If they still refused, we would exterminate them all. It would,
however, grieve us if they drove us to such extremities, as we were well
inclined, and 

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