Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/361

Rh Cortes might think they were not in want of provisions. To all this our captain answered that whether Guatemoc came or not was immaterial to him; he himself would soon pay their houses a visit to see how much maize and poultry they had.

For five days we made no attack; but many poor Indians, starving for lack of food, came to our camp every night. In this was the main reason Cortes ordered our attacks stayed—thinking they might make peace. But although we entreated them they would not. Cortes therefore commanded Sandoval with the twelve sloops to penetrate that part of the city where Guatemoc with the flower of his army had retreated. And at the same time he gave orders that our men should not wound or kill any Indians unless they should begin the attack—even if they should make an onset, our men were merely to defend themselves and not to do further harm. But houses our troops were to level to the ground and also to destroy the many defences the Mexicans had built on the lake. Cortes then mounted to the top of the temple to watch how the work went on.

Sandoval advanced the sloops with the ardor of a true soldier. Some time before this Guatemoc had ordered fifty large canoes always to stand ready, so that he might escape to the reed thickets and from there reach land and hiding in some friendly town, if he should find himself hard pressed