The herald., 1895-03-17
CHAPTER XIV
How We Camped Near the Field OF Battle
and Sent Messengers to the TlascaIans
Offering Peace, and of Another Great
Battle With Captain XicOtenga, Ell MozO

That day we captured about twenty In
dians and our allies brought back plenty
of spoils in the shape of chickens and
dogs, and after we returned to our camp
Cortes determined to set the prisoners at
liberty, first giving them food and some
presents of beads, and telling them to tell
their people not to be fools, but to come
and make peace with us. To two of them
who were Chiefs, we gave letter and told
them to go to their chief Caciques and tell
them we came to do them no wrong. We
only desired to pass through their country
on our way to Mexico, whittier we went
to speak with Montezuma. And when
they went to the camp of Xicotengo,
which was only about two leagues distant,
and delivered our message, he said we
could go to the chief town, where his faith
err was, where they would make peace
with us by feasting on our flesh and
offering our hearts and blood to their gods
and that the next day we would see the
sort of peace he proposed to make with
us. When we heard these proud words
truly we did not take it for well, for we
were worn out with the marches and the
encounters we had already passed through;
but Cortes treated the messengers well
and gave them beads, and they told him
how and where Captain Xcontenga was
and of the number of his warriors, which
was much greater than on the former oo-
casion, having now with him fifty thous-
and warriors. Ten thousand of these be-
longed to the father of Xicotenga ten thou
sand to another great Cacique, Masecassi;
ten thousand more to Chichimeca Tecle;
ten thousand to the Cacique of Topeyano,
and ten thousand to the Cacique of Guaxoc-
go. The banner of the host was bird with
spreading wings as if about to fly, and
each Cacique had besides his own proper
device. AS with us of CASTLE, each Duque
and Condo has his own.
AS we were men and feared death, we
all confessed ourselves with the priests
Padre Olmedo and Juan Diaz, who were
all night hearing confessions, and we
prayed to God that He would not permit
us to be conquered, and SO we passed that
night.
The next morning, which was the 9TH
of September 1919, we put our men in
the best order possible. Cortes gave strict
orders that under no circumstances
should we break our ranks, and so we sal
lied forth from our camp, and had not
marched above a quarter of a league when
we saw the whole country covered with
the host of the enemy. | might compare
the number of the enemy who surrounded
us on all sides to a meadow two leagues
square, and in the center a body of 400
men; and truly we went into this battle
expecting that not one of us would es-
cape alive. When they commenced the
battle what hail of arrows and stones
they poured on us. The arrows, all of
two barbs which pierced through almost
any armor and through the entrails,
where there was no defense, and those of
SWORD and shield and lances- how boldly
they pushed us and with what fierce yells
they came upon us!
But we fought well and maintained our
order of battle, and replied to them with
our artillery and arquebuses and cross
bows and did them great injury but those
of them who fought hand to hand with
us gave us some good blows and deep
wounds and pushed us so hard that we
could not keep as good array as in the
former battle.
Our horse was managed so well and bold.
ly, however, that after God, who guarded
us, they were our strength. So many In
dams poured upon us that at one time [
saw our squadron half broken and the
voices of Cortes,and the other Captains
could scarcely be heard. Finally, how
ever, we forced them to give way and
once more closed up our ranks.
One thing saved us and that was that
there were so many of them that they
crowded each other and our shots did them
great injury. Besides they maintained no
order in their attack and they were afraid
of our horses and cannons from the
former battle.
The moment that one was killed or
wounded he was carried off the field, SO
that in this, us in former battles, we could
not see one dead Indian. Another thing
that preserved us was that it appears
that their Chiefs had quarreled among