Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/87

 by water, where, from the towns around about the lake as well as from Temixtitan, many people had collected, for they well knew that our first encounter would be with those of Iztapalapa, and they were there for their own defence and also to attack us if possible. When they saw the fleet coming, they began to shout and make great smoke signals so that all the cities of the lake might know and be prepared. Although my intention was to attack that part of Iztapalapa which is on the water, we retraced our course to that hill or knoll and I leaped on it with a hundred and fifty men; it was very steep and high and it was with much difficulty that we began to ascend it. We stormed their trenches on the top, and pitched into them in such wise that not one of them escaped, except the women and children. In this fight they wounded twenty-five Spaniards, but it was a beautiful victory.

As the people of Iztapalapa had made smoke signals from some towers of their idols which stand on a very high hill near the city, Temixtitan and the other cities on the water knew that I had already entered the lake with the brigantines, and they quickly assembled a very great fleet of canoes to attack us, and to discover what sort of things the brigantines were; and from what we could judge the canoes exceeded five hundred in number. When I saw that their course was straight towards us, I, and the people who had disembarked on that great hill, re-embarked in great haste, and I ordered the captains of the brigantines not to move at all, so that the canoes believing that from fear of them we did not dare to move out towards them might decide to attack us. Thus they directed their fleet against us with great impetus; but at about two arrow-shots' distance they stopped and remained still. I strongly desired that the first encounter with them should be a great victory and inspire them with a dread of the brigantines, which held the