Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/69

 accompanied us perished from thirst. We stopped that night at some farms, seven leagues from the town. At daybreak we resumed our march and came in sight of a large city, called Suchimilco, which is built on the fresh-water lake. As the Indians were notified of our coming, they had digged many ditches and canals and removed the bridges at all the entrances to the town, which is three or four leagues from Temixtitan. Within, there were many brave-looking people determined to defend themselves to the death. As soon as we arrived there and had collected all our people, disposing them in good order and discipline, I dismounted and advanced with certain foot soldiers towards a ditch which had been made, and on the other side of which were infinite warriors. When the fighting began at the ditch, the archers and musketeers did them much damage, so they abandoned it and the Spaniards threw themselves into the water and passed over to dry land. After half an hour's fighting, we captured the greater part of the city, and the defenders retired in their canoes on the waterways. They fought until nightfall, when some of them sued for peace, but others continued fighting; and so many times did they make overtures without fulfilling them, that finally we discovered they did this from two motives, first that they might carry off their property while we were discussing peace, and secondly to gain time until help should reach them from Mexico and Temixtitan. They killed two Spaniards who had got separated from the others to plunder and found themselves in their extremity beyond reach of assistance.

In the evening, the enemy was debating how to manage that we should not escape alive from their city, and a great number decided to attack us where we had entered; on seeing them advance so rapidly we were surprised