Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/351

Rh Worn out by hardships and by bearing arms without nourishing food, the troops of all three divisions now rested several days and took mature counsel. But every day the Mexicans sounded their diabolical shell trumpets and yelled and howled, and every night fires lighted the platform of the great temple as they sacrificed our unfortunate comrades before their accursed idols. For ten successive days these indescribable barbarities went on—until all their prisoners were gone.

One morning many squadrons of warriors fell on us in endeavor to surround us on all sides, and in the midst of their fierce attack they were shouting such insults as these:—" You are a set of lying cowards!" "You are fit neither to build houses nor to plant maize!" "You are a pack of knaves and can only plunder towns!" "You have fled from your own country, but within eight days not one of you will be alive!" "What villains you are! Even your flesh is as bitter as gall and we can not eat it!" It seems they had feasted off the bodies of our comrades and the Lord, in his mercy, had turned the flesh bitter.

Among the Indian allies who had remained with us was a cacique of uncommon bravery, who finally said to our captain, "Malinche, why do you humble yourself every day to renew conflict with the Mexicans? Take my advice. Keep your sloops