The herald., 1895-05-05
the fight one soldier and two horses, and
q after this they did not follow him.

the fight one soldier and two horses. and
after this they did not follow him.
BY easy marches he shortly reached
Aculman, a town subject to Tezcuco, and
distant from that place about two leagues
and half and the next day he reached
Tezcuco. The Tlascalans now being
loaded with spoils asked permission to
return to their own country, and Cortes
gave it, and they reached home with
their spols without accident. About
four days afterward there came people
from two towns on the north coast called
asked to be admitted to our
friendship and declared themselves
vassals of our King. They brought
presents of cotton and gold, and when
they came before Cortes after they had
given him their presents. they asked that
they be admitted as vassals of the King
of Castillo and they told Cortes that when
Montezuma's Captain, Quete Alpopoca.
whom the reader will remember we exc
cuted justice on by burning alive, killed
Juan de Escalante and six soldiers, that
they had gone to the assistance OF the
reules. And although Cortes knew this
to be false, anaethat on the contrary they
assisted the Mexicans at that time, still
he dssimulated and received their pre-
sent and accepted them as vassals and
with kind words and promises sent them
away contented. At this time there came
were friendly to us asking assistance
against the Mexicans. who had entered
their territories, killing their people and
carrying off many prisoners and the peo-
pie of Chalco and Talmanalco came also
and brought pictures painted on ne
quen cloth showing the numb of the
Mexicans and the battles they had with
them, and to these complaints Coites
knew not VIII at to reply, as at this time
many of our soldiers were sick and eight
had recently died and many were splitting
blood, caused by the weight of their armor
and arms which we carried day and night,
and the overwork, for it was almost
continual fight. To the first towns Cor
tes replied that they must unite with
their neighbors against the Mexicans
and go out and meet them and fight like
men.
Mexicans, as they could not now send such
great forces as formerly, because they had
so many enemies all attacking them at the
same time, and he spoke so confidently to
them that he put new hearts in them, and
presently they asked for letters to some
neighboring towns which were friendly
to us Cortes gave the letters to them,
for although they could not read, yet it
was con nsidered among them as "a mark of
confidence to receive letters from Cortes,
and a great honor and in fact as COM
mand of some kind. They carried the
letters 10 the toWns Ior Wnlch thev were
intended, and. as CorteS had advised
them awaited the MeXicans in the open
plain and with the assistance of those to
whom Cortes sent the letters, they de-
feated the Mexcans.
He then considered the case of Chdlco.
1t was absolutely necessary to protect this
place in order to keep the road open to
Vera Cruz and Tlascala. because it was
province rich in provisions from which
we supplied our camp. He ordered Con
zalo de Sandoval. who was Alguazil May
or. to prepare himself to march next
orning to the assistance of the Chal-
cans. and to take with him 200 foot and
twenty horse and ten arquebusiers and
twelve crossbowmen and a squadron of
which were but few, as nearly all had ie
turned to Tlascala. And there went with
De Sandoval, also Captain Louis Marin,
who was his brother in arms.