Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/101

 on my soul and made me reflect on what means I might employ to frighten them, so that they should realise their error and the injury they would sustain from us; and I kept on burning and destroying the towers of their idols and their houses. In order to make them feel it the more, I this day ordered fire to be set to the great houses in the square, where the Spaniards and I had first been quartered when they expelled us from the city. They were so extensive that a prince with more than six hundred persons of his household and retinue could be lodged in them. Some others close to them, though somewhat smaller, were also very splendid and fine, and Montezuma kept all kinds of birds in them. Although it grieved me much, I determined, as it grieved them even more, to burn these edifices. This seemed to cause the enemies immense sorrow, as well as to their allies in the cities about the lake, for none of them ever thought our force would be sufficient to penetrate so far into the city; and they were greatly dismayed. After setting fire to those houses, I collected our people, as it was already late, in order to return to our camp, and, when those of the city saw we were retiring, an infinite number of them charged us and fell upon us furiously, attacking our rear-guard. As the whole street was available to the horsemen, we turned on them, lancing many every time; nevertheless they would not keep away from our rear, yelling all the time. On this day, they felt and showed great dismay, especially when they saw us in their city, burning and destroying it, and the natives of Tesaico, Calco, Suchimilco, and the Otomies fighting against them, each shouting the name of his province; and in another quarter those of Tascaltecal, all showing them their countrymen cut in pieces, telling them they would sup off them that night and breakfast off them next morning, as in fact they did. We returned to our camp to rest, for we had laboured much during