Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/132

 dare to come out against an Indian or foot soldier, fearing that another ambush might spring up beneath their feet. The victory God was pleased to give us that day was one of the principal causes why the city was taken sooner, for the natives were dismayed by it and our friends doubly encouraged; so we returned to our camp, intending to hasten on the war, and, until we finished it, not to let a single day pass without entering the city. We suffered no loss that day, except that, during the ambush, some of the horsemen collided with each other, and one was thrown from his mare, which galloped directly towards the enemy who wounded her severely with arrows, and she, seeing the ill-treatment she got, returned to us; and that night she died. Although we grieved exceedingly at it, for the horses and mares gave life to us, our grief was less than had she died in the hands of our enemies, as we feared would happen; had such been the case, their satisfaction would have outweighed their grief for those we had killed. The brigantines and canoes of our friends made great havoc that day in the city without suffering any loss.

We already knew that the Indians of the city were much discouraged, and two poor creatures, who came  Suffering in the City out by night to our camp because they were starving, told us that during the night they came to hunt amongst the houses and search in those parts we had already captured, looking for herbs and wood and roots to eat. Since we had already filled up many of the water streets, and repaired many of the bad places, I determined to enter the city before daybreak, and do all the damage I could. The brigantines left before dawn and I with twelve horsemen and some foot soldiers and our friends, came in suddenly, having first placed spies, who, at daybreak made signs to us in our ambush to come and charge on a vast number of people. But they were of