Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/127

 not in our favour. Seeing that the people of the city were so rebellious, and displayed such determination to die as no race had ever shown, I knew not what means to adopt to relieve our dangers and hardships, and to avoid utterly destroying them and their city, which was the most beautiful thing in the world. It was useless to tell them that we would not raise our camps, or that the brigantines would not cease to make war on them, or that we had destroyed those of Matalcingo and Marinalco, and that nowhere in the country was anyone left to help them, or that they could not obtain maize, nor wheat, nor fruit, nor water, nor any provisions from anywhere. The more I spoke of these things, the less sign of yielding did we see in them; rather we found them more courageous than ever, both in their fighting and their scheming. Seeing that things went on in this way, and that already more than forty-five days had been spent in this siege, I determined to take means towards our security and to further straiten the enemy. This latter consisted in our gaining the streets of the city and demolishing all the houses on both sides, so that henceforward we would not go one step ahead without levelling everything, so that which was water should be made into dry land, no matter how much time it took. I called the lords and chiefs of our allies and told them what I had determined, so that they might have their workmen bring their spades and coas, which are certain poles which they use, similar to the Spanish hoe. They answered me that they would do this with the best good will, and that it was a very good decision at which they rejoiced greatly, because they perceived that in this way the city would be destroyed, which was what they desired more than anything else in the world.

Three or four days passed in concerting this plan; the people of the city easily divined that we were