Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-06-23

I to "march.": The Captain Genera
gave the word, and the army was il
motion. But five hundred and fifty in
9 fantry. forty horsemen, and nine felt
!. pieces, with an ocean rolling between
them and their friends, in a hostile
country, surrounded by treacherou
savages, they were vending their way
! forth conquest of mighty empire
4 peopled by. millions ofinhabitants. Ad
venturous. band! Gold aud glory await
ed them if conquerors. The terrible
and horrid death of being sacrificed
upon the allars of the Mexican gods, i
overpowered. .-.. IL. 4. 80
Onward was the word, and onward
they advanced, with the crimson ban
ner of velvet and gold, bearing on il
besides the royal arms of Spain, the
white cross, on which was inscribed
the famous standard of fanaticsm: sin
noe vincimus," waving over their
heads; no obstacles could check their
progress, no impediments cool their
ardour; difficulties were met and over
come, hunger, fatigue, and thirst, en-
dured. Onward, cried the gallant
Cortez, from the boundless plains of
Mexico, and onward marched those
lndomitabIe spirits.
Tezcuco, the second town in Mexi
co, suddenly appeared to view, rising
beyond fertile meadows, in the livery
of green, fanked on the right hand by
sheet Of dark and glossy waters, with
its white towers, its turrets, its temple
tops, painted, as it were, on a back
ground of mountains, Of the purest "a
zure. Many were its defenders, but
the zeal and superiority of the Span
iards carried all before them. Tez-
cuco fell. Cortez established his head
quarters here, and made preparations
for investing the city of Mexico.
The 5th Of May, 1921, opened upon
the valley of*Mexico with clouds and
vapors, which, sweeping over the broad
lake, collected and fingered, with Boz
ding fury, around the island city, dis.
charging thunder, and rain, and light-
ming, while the sun beams shone clear
and uninterrupted over the city of Tez-
cuco, and the rich savannas which sur
rounded it. 1t was the morning of
novel and impressive ceremony. Two
hundred thousand barbarian allies; the
little army of Spaniards, from whose
spears waved bright pennons, were
gathered on the banks to witness the
mummeries of a celebration. Four
teen brigantines were launched; solemn
benedictions and an appropriate name
was pronounced and assigned TO each;
their sails were unfurled. The crim>
son banner of Spain shot up into the
air, and expanded its velvet wings to
the passing breeze. For moment, the
roar of artillery, the clang of trumpets,
the shout of human voices, rang out on
the welkin, and shook the borders OF
the lake. For the first time, CastiIian
navagators were seen launched upon
and ploughing the waves of the sea of
Anahuac. Pillars of smoke were de-
scried, rising one after another, on eve-
ry hill and headland. 1t was intelli-
gence conveyed from town 10 town Of
long expected event, that the vessels of
The Spaniards were launched, that the
sity of Mexico would soon be invaded,
that the soldiers of Mexico should as
semble. s-e = .,.x.e
e as -a CHAPTER III.
The streets of Mexico were crowd.
ed with the warriors of various nations:
care and anxiety rested on the counte.
nance Of all. Groups were collected
at every corner, and spoke together;
not one talked of ending past suffer.
ngs, or murmured the least dissatis.ac-
ton. Never did a nation fight for their
iresides and their alters with greater
courage and devotion. The few
weeks which had passed since the last
chapter, had wrought mighty changes
in the city, and war with its myriad
hosts of evil had descended like a tenn.
pest on this doomed people. The
Spanish fleet had obtained a sigma! VIC
tory over tile Mexican pirangas and
Cortez was confning them to narrower
and narrower limits. For many days
The force, the power, the skill of the
invaders, had been fiercely and power.
July resisted. The fury and attack of
is almost without a parallel
n the history Of conquests. Foot by
DOT, and inch by inch the 5eseigers ad-
,anced, staining the causeways with
heir blood, and choking the lake with
he bodies of the beseiged. Rampant
lfter rampant, ditch after ditch was
Won, re built, and re-opened. Furious
ragged above, and burst over
he heads OF the combatants, as if Heav-
n had sent its floods to efface the hor-
lble dyes OF carnage, and its thunders
0 drown the roar of mans more de-
tructive artillery. The day was de-
,oted to the battle, the night to alarms.
Then the wearied and exhausted sold
er, and the fainting barbarian, threw
themselves down to sleep upon the
rodden mud of their own, and ready
o resume the conflict at the first ap>
roach of dawn.
The tolls and distresses of the Span
ards were great, but those Of the Mex
cans were greater and endured by
hem with the noblest heroism, because
hey toug ht almost without hope. They