Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/318

 anyone. The guides then explained that the village was near by, so I ordered my men to halt and went myself with two companies close enough to see the houses and even to hear the people talking; they all seemed quite tranquil, and we had evidently not been detected. I returned to my people, and made them take some rest, putting six men on watch in sight of the town on each side of the road; but when I had lain down on some straw to rest, one of my scouts whom I had left came and told me that many armed people were coming along the road, talking together and evidently unaware of our presence. I, therefore, ordered my people to form as quickly as they could; but, as the distance between the village and our camp was so short, the Indians discovered the scouts, and, as soon as they perceived them, they let fly a volley of arrows and then retreated towards the town, fighting until we entered, when it was so dark they disappeared immediately amongst the streets. Fearing an ambush, I did not allow my people to disband, but, keeping them well together, I marched to a great square where there were mosques and oratories, built in the same manner and surrounded by buildings of the same kind, and in the same fashion as those of Culua; our fears were here increased because, since leaving Acalan, we had seen nothing of the kind. There were even some who expressed the opinion that we ought to return and cross the river that same night before the people of the town, perceiving we were so few, should cut off our retreat. And, truly, this advice was not bad in view of what we had already seen of the place, and what we had reason to fear; thus we remained gathered in that great square for a long time, without hearing any sound of the people. It seemed to me we ought not to leave that town in such manner, for this reason, that, perhaps, the Indians seeing we remained would be more frightened than if they saw us leave in that way; for, if we retreated,