The National tribune., 1899-04-06
without penetratinsfit fol more than few

without ,itl'o penetra'insiit.fo' more than few
Each step gained by the van was lit
orally carved by the cavalry, as out of a
fernando could do nothing more than pre-
serve his rear band in the attitude of a
fdike, slowly moving bebre the shocks OF
a flood, which it could not repel.
In addition to these alarming circum-
stances, there were others now developed,
of n not less serious ASPECT. The canals
that, in two or three places. intersected
| the street, were sWarming with canoes,
from which the sayhges discharged their
arrows with fatal aim, Or sprang at once
upon the footmen, striking with spear and
mauuahuitl, and were driven back only
after the most strenuous efforts. They
had destroyed the bridges, and the canals
could only be passed by renewing them
with such planks as the infantry could
tear from the adjoining houses, and hast
| lily throw over the water,-a work OF no
| less suffering than time and labor.
| Besides all this, the annoyance which
Don fernando had first dreaded, was
now practiced by the crafty barbarians.
The terraces were covered with armed
men, who, besides discharging their darts
and arrows down upon the exposed sol
diers, tore away, with levers, the stones
from the battlements, and hurled them
full upon the heads Of their enemies.
The sound of drums and conches, the
fierce yells, the whistling, the dying
screams, the loud and hurried prayers,
the neighing of horses-and now and
then the shriek of some beast mangled
by n rough spear,-the rattling of arrow
heads, the clang of clubs upon iron buck
lers, the heavy fall Of huge stone
crushing footman to the earth, the
plunging of some wounded wretch -strang-
ling in ditch, and the roar of cannon
at the palace, showing that the battle was
universal these, together, now made up
such a chorus of terrible sounds as Don
Amador confessed to himself he had never
heard before, not even among the horrors
of Rhodes, when sacked by other lnfi
dels, then esteemed the most valiant IN
the world. To these dismal tumults others
were speedily added, when Cortez, raging
with a fury that Increased with his de
spair, commanded the foOtmen to fire
every house. whose top afforded footing
to the ferOcious fOe,-a command that was
obeyed with good will, and with dreadful
effect; for though, from the nature OF its
materials, and the isolated condition OF
each structure, it was not possible to pro-
duce general cOnhagration, yet the
great quantity OF cotton robes, OF dry mats
and of resinOus woods ABOUT each house,
left it so combustible, that the applica-1
ton of torch to the door curtains, or the
casting OF a firebrand into the interior, IN
stantly enveloped il in flames. Ameng |
these, when they burst through the roofs
of light rafters, and the matching Of dried
reeds, the pagan warriors perished miser- |
ably; or. fiinging themselves desperately |
down, were either dashed TO pieces, or
transfixed by the lanees;. of the Span
iards. ,0fsL s--
But the same agent, which SO dread |
fully paralyzed the efforts Of the Mexican,
brought suffering scarcely less disastrous
to the Christian ranks. They were stified |
with the smoke, they were scorched by the |
flames of the burning houses; and, ever ,
and anon, some .frai.tic barbarian, per
ishing among the fses Of his dwelling,
and seeking 20 infiGt horrid vengeance,
grasped, even i'm hi9 %deasil gasp, fam
ing rafter in his arinss and sprang down |
with it upon his foes niaffhing and scorch-
ing where he did notisiu.
Thus fighting, and thus resisted, weary
and despairing, theI bodies covered with |
blood, their garme Ats sqmetimes burn
ing, the Spaniards ut last gained the
square that suuoupdesl lthe palace; and
fighting their way tfroilSh the herds that
invested it flor, almost at the same mo
ment that they had tS,ff attacked at the
temple, the quarters Stn again assailed },
and shouting to shes Ghnnoneers, lest
they should fire % fhm, they placed
their feet in the COZ yafd, and thanked
God for this respite k fSir sufferings.
ITO be cSAtinaed.)