Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/129

 are. I ordered the captains to do nothing else but fill up the water streets and level the dangerous passes we had captured; and as for our friends, some of them should level and burn the houses and others should fight in the customary places, while the horsemen should guard the rear of all. I ascended the highest tower that the Indians might recognise me, for I also knew that they would be much vexed to see me mounted on the tower; and from there I encouraged our friends and gave aid wherever it was necessary, while they were incessantly fighting. Sometimes it was the adversaries who retreated, and sometimes our allies whom three or four horsemen aided and inspired with infinite courage to turn against the enemy.

In this wise and order, we entered the city on the five or six following days, and always at the hour of retreat we would put our allies ahead and post a number of Spaniards in ambush in some of the houses, the horsemen remaining behind and feigning to retreat hastily, so as to bring them out of the square. With these and the ambushes of the foot soldiers we would kill some of them every afternoon with our lances. On one of these days there were seven or eight horsemen in the square, hoping the enemy would come out, but, as they saw that they did not appear, they feigned to retreat, and the enemy, fearing that they would be caught at the corner, as had sometimes happened, stationed themselves by some walls and roofs in an infinite number. As the horsemen, who were eight or nine, charged towards them, the Indians held the entrance of the street from above so that they could not pursue those of the enemy who passed through it; so they were obliged to retire. The enemy, elated by having forced us to retreat, charged very lustily, and were so well on their guard that without themselves being injured they forced the horsemen to retreat, and wounded two horses. This prompted me