_How Cortes issues orders to the inhabitants of all the townships in
the neighbourhood of Tezcuco which were allied with us, to furnish
us with arrows and copper points for the same, and what further took
place at our head-quarters._
Our brigantines were now so far advanced towards completion, that they
had merely to be rigged. For each brigantine a number of spare oars had
been made in case of need. The canal in which these vessels were to be
launched, and through which they were to be conveyed into the lake, was
now also sufficiently deep and wide to swim these vessels.[20] Cortes
now, therefore, began to make active preparations for the siege of
Mexico. He issued orders to all the townships which lay in the vicinity
of Tezcuco, and were in alliance with us, for each of them to furnish
him with 8000 copper points for our arrows, to be made after the model
of our Spanish ones, of which some were sent them for that purpose. They
were also to furnish an equal number of arrows, which were to be made
from a wood particularly adapted for that use, and they received some of
our Spanish arrows to work by. He allowed them eight days for the making
and delivery of these; and indeed both the arrows and the copper points
arrived at Tezcuco in the time specified. Our stock of these now
consisted of 50,000 pieces, and the arrow points made by these people
were even better than those we brought from Spain.
Cortes then ordered Pedro Barba, who commanded the crossbow-men to
divide the arrows and copper points among his men, and see that every
man fixed the points neatly to the arrows, and attached the feathers
with strong glue. Every crossbow-man was also to furnish himself with
two closely twisted cords for his bow; further to provide himself with a
number of spare nuts for the bows, that if one should crack or fly off
he might have another in readiness. The crossbow-men were also to
exercise themselves in shooting at heaps of earth to ascertain the
strength of their bows. Care was therefore taken that they should not
want for Valencian strings to twist the cords of, for the vessel of Juan
Burgos, which had recently arrived from Spain, had fortunately brought a
good supply of these as well as of bows, powder, muskets and other arms,
besides a quantity of horseshoes. In the same way our cavalry were
ordered to equip themselves, have their horses fresh shod, and to
exercise them daily in all manner of cavalry evolutions.
Cortes then sent word to the elder Xicotencatl, his two sons, and to
Chichimeclatecl, informing them that we should leave Tezcuco after the
feast of Corpus Christi, and begin the siege of Mexico. He therefore
requested them to send him 20,000 warriors from their country, from
Huexotzinco, and from Cholulla, who were now all in friendly alliance
with each other. But it was unnecessary to inform the Tlascallans of our
intentions, for they were always duly apprized beforehand by those of
their countrymen who accompanied us in our expeditions and returned home
with the booty they had made. The inhabitants of Tlalmanalco and Chalco
were also requested to hold themselves in readiness to march out at a
moment's notice. These and all our other allies were informed of the day
when we proposed to commence operations against Mexico. From all sides
we received the most friendly assurances of assistance, and that Cortes'
orders would be punctually obeyed.