Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/193

 of vespers we came in sight of a very beautiful town, and marched towards it as it still lay on the shore of the lake. Upon approaching, it was already late and no people appeared, but to make sure I sent ten horsemen into the town by the main road and I with another ten went round towards the lake; for the other ten were bringing up the rear-guard and had not yet arrived. On entering the town, a number of people who had been hiding in ambush in the houses, so as to take us unawares, came out and fought so stoutly that they killed a horse and wounded almost all the others besides many Spaniards. Their determination was such that the battle lasted a long time; though we broke through them three or four times, they're-formed in a phalanx, kneeling on the ground, and, without speaking or shouting as the other natives are accustomed to do, they would await us; and each time we charged them they discharged such a volley of arrows against us that, had we not been well armoured, they would have gained a great advantage, and I believe that none of us would have escaped. It pleased our Lord that some of them who were nearest the river, which emptied into the lake near there and whose course I had followed all day long, began to throw themselves into the water, and all the others followed; and thus they dispersed, though they did not go further than the other bank of the river. Thus they on one side, and I on the other, remained until night fell, as on account of the depth of the water we could not cross to them. Indeed we were glad when they crossed, for we then returned to the town, about a sling's throw from the river, where we mounted guard and remained that night: and we ate the horse which they killed for we had no other provisions. The next day, we went out on the road, for the people of the day before did not appear; and we marched through three or four towns where there were no people nor anything but a few wine vaults, in which we found large