Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/471

Rh mice, and that is the reason he wants to resign. Poor Santa, will have to leave his own dear native home again.

To-night there are all sorts of fun at our quarters, singing, dancing and gambling. This is the fruits of getting paid off, and in a few days some of our men will be as poor as ever.

Wednesday, January 19, 1848.—This morning nearly our whole regiment went to the city to get rid of their little hard earned money.

At noon I went over to Cuyoacan, which before Cortez's time contained about six thousand houses; now it is nothing but a neat little village and plenty of ruins, all done by the sword and torches of Fernando Cortez, who professed to come with his Catholic priests to inspire new religion in this country, but which afterwards turned out to be nothing else but plunder and destruction of the Mexicans' property, who refused to submit to bow to their cross or give up their gold. It is also the place where prominent citizens rescued and executed a man for alleging that the water would some day drown the city of Mexico, which afterwards, in 1446, proved true, by the surrounding lakes of Tezeuco, Chalco and Xochimilco beginning to swell into a tide which upset some of the houses. A voice was heard in the night, crying on the waters, "Children, your ruin is at hand, whither shall I carry you that you may not be lost." It was here where Conquerer Cortez celebrated his victory over the Mexicans by a grand festival. It was here where King or Emperor Guatimozin and the Cacique or Mayor of Tacubaya, (a bosom friend of the Emperor,) were put to the torture on burning coals of fire for refusing to reveal the lost treasury. The Emperor met his punishment with a smile, saying "How faithful these Spaniards are carrying out their promises to their captives." His companion, the Cacique, died upon the bed of burning coals. Emperor Guatimozin and some of his highest officers were afterwards hung on a limb of a tree, while on their way as prisoners to Honduras. Here, like in all other towns or cities, is an inborn of flowers. In fact Mexico is the greatest flower market in the world; all