Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/529

Rh road, and a similar work swept the road skirting the aqueduct along the north base. The exterior fringe of the grove at the western foot was shielded by an embankment with ditch and redan, facing the Molino del Rey. General Bravo, of independence-war fame, commanded here a garrison reduced by desertion to about 800 regular troops, of which 250 were posted on the summit and the rest in the grove and batteries.

Pillow takes possession of the unoccupied mill at dawn on the 12th, under an ineffective fusillade from the grove, and at the same time the southern batteries open fire. Blazing fuse and balls whirl fast and furious against the castle, crushing through the walls, and scattering dust and débris upon the defenders. The monumental frame begins to gape in ruins, and even the girdling parapet is torn by noisy shells. But like a lion at bay, it rises in defiance and roars in prompt reply, a counterpart to the song of battle. It is a music of the spheres; but death wields the baton beneath a lurid canopy, wherein Valkyries chant the dread refrain while watching for their prey.

The aim of the assailing batteries is becoming fearfully precise for the garrison pent up above within the narrow space, the artillerists suffering so severely that toward noon several of the cannon are silenced. But the din and crash do not diminish, for Pillow seizes the opportunity to place the battery just south of the mill, so far held in check by the summit fire; and now the bombardment grows fiercer still, throughout the afternoon, till darkness interferes.