Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/88

 key of the whole war, for both the Mexicans and we were exposed to the greatest damage on the water. It pleased Our Lord that, while we were observing one another, a very favourable land wind sprang up, enabling us to attack them; so I immediately ordered the captains to break through the fleet of canoes and pursue them till they took refuge in Temixtitan. As the wind was very good, we bore down in the midst of them, though they fled as fast as they could, and destroyed an infinite number of canoes and killed and drowned many of the enemy, the greatest sight to be seen in the world. We followed them in this pursuit fully three long leagues, until we shut them up amidst the houses of the city; and thus it pleased Our Lord to give us the best and greatest victory which we could have asked or desired.

The garrison of Cuyoacan could see better than that of Tacuba the movements of the brigantines, and when they beheld all the thirteen sails on the water, favoured by such good weather, knocking the enemy's canoes to pieces, they afterwards assured me it was the one thing in the world which gave them the most pleasure and that they most wished for. As I have said, they and those at Tacuba strongly wished me to come there, and with good reason, for both garrisons were in the midst of such multitudes of enemies; but Our Lord miraculously inspired them and diminished the enemy's courage so that they were unable to decide to attack our camp, but had they done so, they would have done great harm to the Spaniards, although they were always well prepared and determined to conquer or die, like men cut off from all succour save what they hoped from God. When the garrison of Cuyoacan saw us pursuing the canoes, most of the horsemen and foot soldiers took the road towards the city of Temixtitan, and fought very stoutly with the Indians who were on the causeway. They captured the trenches which had been made, and passed over many