_The new plan of operation which we adopt in the siege, and how all
our allies return to their several homes._
For the next five days we stood at night under arms on the causeway, the
brigantines lying on each side in the lake, while one half of our
cavalry kept patrolling about Tlacupa, where our baggage and
baking-house were; the other half being stationed near our camp. As soon
as the day began to dawn, the Mexicans renewed the attack upon our
encampment, which they were determined to take by storm.
Similar attacks were likewise made on the encampments of Sandoval and
Cortes, until we changed our plan of operation. The Mexicans in the
meantime made solemn sacrifices every day in the large temple on the
Tlatelulco, and celebrated their feasts. Each time the infernal drum
resounded from the temple, accompanied by the discordant noise of shell
trumpets, timbrels, horns, and the horrible yells and howlings of the
Mexicans. Large fires were kept up on the platform of the temple during
the whole night, and each night a certain number of our unfortunate
countrymen were sacrificed to their cursed idols, Huitzilopochtli and
Tetzcatlipuca, who, in the discourses which the papas held with them,
promised that we should all be killed in a few days. As these gods were
lying and evil-minded beings, they deceived the Mexicans with these
promises in order that they might not be induced to sue for peace with
the teules. Unfortunately the Tlascallans and our other allies began to
put faith in these oracles after our last defeat.
One morning large bodies of Mexicans again fell upon us with the
intention of surrounding us on all sides. Each separate body of the
Mexicans was distinguished by a particular dress and certain warlike
devices, and regularly relieved each other in battle. In the midst of
their fierce attacks they constantly cried out, "You are a set of
low-minded scoundrels, you are fit for nothing, and you neither know how
to build a house nor how to cultivate maise. You are a pack of
worthless fellows, and only come to plunder our town. You have fled away
from your own country and deserted your own king; but before eight days
are past there will not be one of you left alive. Oh! you miserable
beings, you are so bad and beastly that even your very flesh is not
eatable. It tastes as bitter as gall!"
It is most probable that after they had feasted all the bodies of
several of our companions, the Almighty, in his mercy, had turned the
flesh bitter. Against the Tlascallans they threw out more terrible
language, threatening to turn them all into slaves, fatten some for
their sacrifices, and reserve others for rebuilding their houses and
tilling the ground.
All these abominable threats they uttered in the midst of fighting, and
they came pouring forth over the ruins of the houses we had destroyed,
or they fell upon us in the rear from their numerous canoes; but the
Almighty each time gave us fresh vigour, so that we were able to make a
good stand against the enemy and beat them back with considerable loss
in killed and wounded.
About this time our allies of Huexotzinco, Cholulla, Tezcuco, and
Tlascalla, had become wearied of the war, and secretly agreed with each
other to return to their homes. Without mentioning a single word either
to Cortes, Sandoval, or Alvarado, they all suddenly left our
encampments, only a few of the most faithful remaining with us. In
Cortes' division there remained a brother of the king of Tezcuco, the
brave Suchel, (who was subsequently baptized with the name of Don
Carlos,) with about forty of his relations and friends. In Sandoval's
division a cazique of Huexotzinco, with about fifty men: and in our
division the sons of our honest friend Don Lorenzo de Vargas, with the
brave Chichimeclatecl, and about eighty men.
We were not a little dismayed to find that our allies had thus suddenly
decamped, and when Cortes questioned those who remained as to the
motives which had induced their countrymen to desert us, they replied,
that their companions had at length began to fear the threats of the
Mexicans and the oracles of their idols, that we should all be
destroyed, particularly when they saw what numbers of our men were
killed and wounded; besides their own great losses, which already
amounted to above 1200 men. To all this was added the warnings of the
younger Xicotencatl, whom Cortes had caused to be hung at Tezcuco,
namely, that sooner or later we should all be put to death, as he had
been assured by his soothsayers.
Our general was greatly alarmed at this desertion, but took care to hide
his real feelings from those few of our allies who had remained
faithful, and merely remarked, with a placid smile on his countenance,
that there was nothing to fear, and he was surprised that their
countrymen did not see through the real design of the Mexicans in
promulgating the false oracles of their gods. By this and other
plausible speeches, added to vast promises, he strengthened them in
their fidelity.
On one of these occasions the above-mentioned Suchel, who was a man of
uncommon bravery, and a cazique in his own right, said to Cortes:
"Malinche, you should not humble yourself each day to renew the conflict
with the enemy. In my opinion you should rather command your officers to
cruize round the town with the brigantines, in order to cut off all its
supplies of water and provisions. In that city there are so many
thousands of warriors that their store of provisions must soon become
exhausted. The only supply of water they have is from the rain that
falls, and what they obtain from wells recently dug, which cannot be
wholesome to drink. What can they do if you cut off their supplies of
provisions and water? for a war against hunger and thirst is the most
direful of all calamities!"
When he had done speaking Cortes gave him a hearty embrace, thanked him
for his good advice, and promised to bestow valuable townships upon him.
To this he had been advised all along by many of us soldiers; but a
Spanish soldier has too much spirit to reduce a town by famine; he is
all impatience to fight his way in.
After Cortes had maturely considered this plan, he sent word by means of
brigantines to Alvarado and Sandoval to desist from the daily attacks
upon the town. This new method of conducting the siege was greatly
favoured by the circumstance that our brigantines stood no longer in
fear of the stakes which the enemy had driven into the lake, for if
there was a stiffish breeze and the men vigorously plied their oars, the
brigantines were sure each time to break through them. By this means we
became complete masters of the lake, and all the detached buildings
which stood in the water. When the Mexicans saw the great advantage we
gained over them in this way they became considerably disheartened.
In the meantime we continued the combat on the causeways, and in the
space of four days we had with great difficulty and labour filled up the
wide opening in front of our camp. Two companies repelling the attacks
of the enemy, while the third was occupied in filling up the aperture.
Cortes did the same with his division, and himself assisted in dragging
along beams and planks to make the causeway more safe. Sandoval was
similarly engaged on his causeway, and now the brigantines were able to
lend us considerable assistance, since they no longer feared the stakes.
In this way we continually kept advancing nearer and nearer to the city,
though the enemy constantly renewed their attacks upon us, and that with
so much fury and intrepidity that it was often with difficulty we could
repulse them. But the Almighty had strengthened our arms, and our
crossbow-men and musketeers did great execution among the crowded ranks
of the enemy; yet we had still every evening to retreat along the
causeway to our encampment, which was not the easiest part of the day's
work, as the enemy, still big with the recent victory they had gained
over us, fought with great confidence. At one time they fell upon us
from three sides, and wounded two horses, but thank heavens we cut our
way through, slaughtered a considerable number of them and made many
prisoners. On our side we had likewise several wounded, but this did not
discourage us, we each day returned to the conflict, dressed our wounds
at night with bandages steeped in warm oil, supped off vegetables,
maize-cakes, and figs, and then posted our watches for the night.
The hellish rejoicings on the summit of the large temple were still kept
up during the night. Really it is impossible to describe the dreadful
and dismal sound of this diabolical drum, with the yelling and other
dissonant noises which burst forth each time the Mexicans sacrificed one
of our countrymen between the large fires they had kindled on the summit
of the temple! For ten successive days were these inhuman sacrifices
continued, until all their prisoners were gone; Christobal de Guzman,
who was among the number, they had reserved for the last, and kept alive
for eighteen days.
During these sacrifices the idols delivered their oracles, and promised
the Mexicans our total destruction before ten days had expired, if they
only persevered in their attacks upon us. And thus it was they allowed
themselves to be deceived!
The following morning early the Mexicans again advanced in numerous
bodies to the attack, and would undoubtedly have forced their way up to
our encampment if we had not kept up a steady fire upon them with our
cannon, which Pedro Mareno served with great effect. I must not forget
to mention that they shot our own arrows at us from five crossbows which
they had captured, the use of which they had compelled the Spaniards
whom they had taken prisoners to teach them; but the injury they did us
with these was next to nothing.
Matters went on in the same way at the two other encampments, with which
we kept up a constant communication, by means of the brigantines, which
also conveyed Cortes' different commands, and these he always put down
in writing.
While the three divisions were thus steadily carrying on their
operations against the city, our brigantines were also continually on
the alert, and two of those belonging to Cortes' division diligently
chased the convoys of provisions and water going to Mexico. On one
occasion they captured a large canoe quite filled with a species of
slime,[24] which, when dried, tastes very much like cheese. The number
of prisoners our vessels took was likewise very great.
Twelve or thirteen days may now have passed away since our unfortunate
defeat; and as Suchel, the brother of the king of Tezcuco, became daily
more convinced that we had the advantage over the Mexicans, and that
their threats to destroy us all within ten days had been a mere trick of
their idols to delude them, he sent word to his brother to despatch the
whole armed force of Tezcuco to aid in the siege. The king of Tezcuco
soon complied with his brother's wishes, and before two days had elapsed
above 2000 of his warriors arrived in our camp. I still remember quite
well that they were accompanied by Pedro Sanchez Farsan and Antonio de
Villareal, who subsequently married the lady Ojeda. The first of these
gentlemen, it will be remembered, Cortes had appointed commandant of
Tezcuco, and the second chamberlain to the king of that place. Cortes
was not a little rejoiced at the arrival of this considerable body of
men, and did not forget to bestow his praises on them.
The Tlascallans followed the example of the Tezcucans, who shortly after
returned in great numbers, under the command of Tecapaneca, cazique of
Topoyanco. In the same way large bodies of men arrived from Huexotzinco,
but very few came from Cholulla.
Cortes commanded all these Indian troops to repair to his head-quarters,
having previously taken the precaution to station detachments along the
line of their march, to protect them against any attacks of the enemy.
When they had all arrived he stepped into the midst of them, and
addressed them in Spanish, which was interpreted by Aguilar and Dona
Marina. He assured them he had never doubted their being well and
faithfully inclined towards him, from the time they had become subjects
of our emperor, and experienced our bounty. When he invited them to join
him in this campaign against Mexico, he had had no other object in view
than that they might reap a real benefit by it, and return home laden
with booty; and to give them an opportunity of revenging themselves on
their old enemies, with whom they had never been able to cope previous
to our arrival in their country. Though they had fought bravely, and
stoutly assisted us on every occasion, they should nevertheless bear in
mind that each day we ordered their troops to draw off from the
causeways, because they embarrassed our movements; and though our
numbers had been so very scanty, yet we had never stood in need of their
assistance; for we had told them over and over again that the Lord Jesus
was our stronghold, from whom all victory comes. They were likewise
convinced that we were able to level houses to the ground, and pull up
the palisades, without their aid. For the rest, he was bound to make the
observation to them that, according to the strict articles of war, they
had deserved punishment of death, because they had deserted their
general at a time when the battle was at its height. He would, however,
pardon them, on account of their ignorance of our laws and articles of
war; he must now likewise forbid them, under any pretence whatever, to
kill any Mexicans that might be taken prisoners; for he was anxious to
make himself master of the city, by pacifying its inhabitants.
After Cortes had done speaking, he embraced Chichimeclatecl, the two
younger Xicotencatls, and Suchel of Tezcuco, bestowed great praise on
their faithful adherence to our emperor, promising to reward them with a
larger extent of territory than they already possessed, besides a gift
of numerous slaves. He was equally kind towards the caziques of
Topoyanco, Huexotzinco, and of Cholulla, and then distributed these
Indian auxiliaries equally among the three divisions.
As our battles with the Mexicans continued day after day in the same
manner, I will not go so much into particulars as heretofore. I have
merely to add, that during these days it began to rain very fast every
evening, and that the heavier the showers the more welcome they were to
us; for as soon as the Mexicans were wet they desisted from their
attacks, and did not molest us on our retreats at night. Neither must I
omit to mention that towards the close of the ninety-three days in which
we kept Mexico closely besieged, we upon one occasion fell with our
divisions at the same moment into the town, and fought our way up to the
wells, from which the Mexicans, as I have above mentioned, drew all
their drinkable water. These wells we completely destroyed; but we
certainly did not accomplish this without encountering a severe
opposition from the enemy, who directed their long lances more
particularly against our cavalry, which here galloped up and down on the
level dry ground in fine style.