Page:The Mastering of Mexico.djvu/39

Rh on us such a shower of arrows, lances and stones that they wounded more than eighty of our men at the first onset. But when they rushed furiously forward and attacked us man for man, we dealt many a good blow, keeping up at the same time an incessant fire with our muskets and crossbows, for while some loaded others fired. At last by dint of heavy thrusts we forced them to give way, and then we made for our boats.

But serious misfortunes still awaited us, for our boats sank, or capsized, in our rush to get into them, and we were forced to cling to them as well as we could, and so, partly by swimming, to make our way to our small ship, which was now hastening to our aid. Our assailants wounded many of us even while we were climbing into the ship.

The battle had lasted little longer than half an hour, but more than fifty of us were killed, and two the Indians had carried off alive. We who survived returned thanks to Almighty God for the preservation of our lives as soon as we found ourselves in safety. When we began dressing our wounds we found that none of us had escaped without two or three, save one soldier; and our captain had as many as twelve. Those of the sailors who had accompanied us to shore were also hurt, and since we had now not hands enough to work the sails, we determined to return to Cuba.