Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/118

 Immediately after obtaining this victory, the defenders of the city, in order to frighten the alguacil mayor and  Sacrifice of the Spanish Captives Pedro de Alvarado, took all the living and dead Spaniards whom they had captured, to Tlaltelulco, which is the market, and, in some lofty towers there, they stripped them and sacrificed them, opening their breasts and taking out their hearts to offer them to the idols. This the Spaniards in Pedro de Alvarado' s camp could see from where they were fighting, and in the naked white bodies which they saw sacrificed they recognised that they were Christians; and, although they were saddened and dismayed  his order never to advance without first securing his retreat. Alderete denied that he had ever had any such order, and declared that it was Cortes who had urged the troops forward. Recriminations and censures were thus exchanged, for naturally nobody would accept responsibility for such a calamity; it appears certain that Cortes had not been in favour of the assault, but had allowed his better judgment to be overruled by his companions, who were weary of the daily fighting, and thought they could storm the Tlateloco market-place, and so end the siege.

While gloom reigned in the Spanish camp, there was exultation amongst the Mexicans whose waning hopes of victory were revived by their success. The priests proclaimed that the war-god was appeased by the savour of so many Spanish victims and within eight days would give his faithful a complete victory over the impious invaders. This oracle was published amongst the allies, and shook their wavering faith in the Spaniards; they saw that the city stubbornly held out, they perceived that the strangers were neither invincible nor immortal, and, as the ancient superstitious fear of their gods reasserted itself, tens of thousands quietly detached themselves from the Spanish camp and marched off homewards. Cortes used every effort to hold them and urged that they should at least wait eight days and see whether the prophecy was fulfilled before deciding against him. The Tlascalan general, Chichimecatecle, and Prince Ixtlilxochitl of Texcoco remained steadfast to their sworn allegiance. The latter was naturally an object of peculiar hatred to the Mexicans, who reviled him, and heaped imprecations on him as a renegade from his race, and a traitor to his country. If he felt these taunts, he did not betray his feelings, but day after day joined in the scenes of carnage, facing both danger and obloquy unmoved. For five days there was some respite, the Spaniards nursing their wounds and