Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/353

Rh I have been able to do no less, for during more than eighty days we were fighting all the time. We welcomed the days when it rained in the afternoon, for when heavy showers fell the enemy left us unmolested at night.

After we had by degrees gained so many advantages, had captured most of the bridges, causeways and entrenchments, had levelled so many houses and had fought our way to wells from which the Mexicans drew their drinking water, and had destroyed the springs, then Cortes ordered three Mexican caciques who were our prisoners to go to Guatemoc and offer terms of peace. At first the caciques refused, but at length induced by fair words and promises, they bore the message to their monarch, saying that Cortes had great affection for so near a relative of his friend, the great Montezuma, and he would indeed be sorely grieved if he were forced to destroy the great city of Mexico. He grieved, too, to see not only many people of the city Itself but also of the country round about every day becoming victims of battles; therefore he offered peace in the name of his majesty, our king, who would pardon all the wrong they had done us. The monarch should remember that already, four several times, we had made this very offer, and through his youth and the bad advice of his papas and accursed idols, he had not accepted it, but had preferred war.