of Alvarado." By day-light, the wreck of the Spanish and Tlascalan army assembled on the firm ground. On beholding how few were left, the iron-souled Conqueror covered his face with his hands, and burst into tears.

In this terrible defeat, still known as the "Noche Triste" or "Miserable Night," four hundred and fifty of the Spaniards had been slain or carried off for sacrifice. This, with their previous losses, reduced their number to a third of those who had so exultingly entered the city. Four thousand of the Tlascalans had perished or been made prisoners, and they were now reduced to less than a fourth of their original number. All the artillery and muskets had been lost, and nothing but their swords remained to hew their way through the enemy.

The Spanish general led the remnant of his force, fatigued and wounded, to a hill, crowned by a temple, where they found temporary rest and security. The enemy, busy with plunder, and exulting over the multitude of their victims for sacrifice, had, for a while, suspended their attack. In the dead of night, the fugitives quietly left their halting-place, and marched by a circuitous route toward Tlascala. Their path was soon beset by swarms of Aztecs, who rolled down rocks from the eminences, and grievously annoyed them with missiles. Numbers were cut off by the enemy, and the remainder suffered excessively from hunger and fatigue. At the end of seven days, they had only advanced nine leagues in a direct line from the capital, though they had travelled more than thirty. On the 7th of July, they reached the mountain which overhangs the Valley of Otumba.

Here their worst forebodings were confirmed by the sight of an immense army below, drawn up to receive them. Clad in white cotton doublets, the enemy presented the appearance of a vast field of snow. The Spaniards and Tlascalans, weak with travel and privation, gave themselves up for lost; but determined to cut their way through the enemy, or to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Cortes, in a manly and encouraging speech, animated his men, and, after commending

them to the Holy Virgin and St. Jago, charged full upon

the enemy.

The ranks of the Aztecs were broken by the first shock, but they soon closed around the little body of their opponents, and a desperate combat, hand to hand, commenced. A description of this extraordinary conflict cannot be given better than in the words of the stout old chronicler who shared it.

"Oh! what it was to see this tremendous battle! how we closed foot to foot, and with what fury the dogs fought us! such wounding as there was among us with their lances and clubs, and two-handed swords, while our cavalry, favored by the plain ground, rode through them at will, galloping at half speed, and bearing down their opponents with couched lances, still fighting manfully, though they and their horses were all wounded; and we of the infantry, negligent of our former hurts, and of those which we now received, closed with the enemy, redoubling our efforts to bear them down with our swords.

"Cortes, Olid, Alvarado, and Sandoval, though all wounded, continued to ride through them. Cortes now called out to us to strike at the chiefs; for they were distinguished by great plumes of feathers, golden ornaments, richly wrought arms, and devices.

"Then to hear the valiant Sandoval, how he encouraged us, crying out, 'Now gentlemen is the day of victory! put your trust in God, we shall survive, for he preserves us for some good purpose.' All the soldiers felt determined to conquer; and thus animated as we were by our Lord Jesus Christ, and our lady the Virgin Mary, as also by St. Jago, (who undoubtedly assisted us, as certified by a chief of Guatemozin who was present in the battle,) we continued, notwithstanding many had received wounds, and some of our companions were killed, to maintain our ground."

After a furious contest of several hours, the Spaniards, sinking with wounds and fatigue, began to despair; but the valor and good fortune of their general redeemed the day. Spying the chief cacique carried in a litter, he drove full upon him,

followed by his cavaliers, and dashed him to earth with his lance, as if struck by a thunder-bolt. His banner was seized, and terror spread through the ranks of the Aztecs. They gave ground, and finally retreated with great loss, the ground being strewed with bodies, adorned with the richest spoil. It is impossible to gain a correct account of the number of Indians engaged in this combat: but they amounted to many thousands; and considering the want of fire-arms, and the enfeebled condition of the white men, it is altogether the most wonderful victory ever achieved by European courage and discipline over the unwieldy myriads of the Indies.

After this decisive action, the march to Tlascala was pursued without further interruption; and the friendly inhabitants of that country, though filled with grief at the loss of thousands of their warriors, received the fugitives with the greatest kindness and hospitality. They assured Cortes that they would stand by him to the death.

His situation was, nevertheless, disheartening in the extreme. He was severely wounded, and a dangerous fever set in, from which he with difficulty recovered. Forty-five of the garrison of Vera Cruz, marching from Tlascala to join him at the capital, had been cut off, with the loss of much treasure. Twelve others had been put to death in Tepeaca; and the scanty remains of his force, especially the followers of Narvaez, were eager for return to Cuba. Even his old friend Duero, "most heartily cursed the day he had embarked with him in the business, and the gold which he had been forced to leave in the ditches of Mexico." A formal remonstrance of the soldiers, attested by the notary, was presented to him.

But despite his late misfortunes and his enfeebled condition, the mind of this daring and indefatigable man was eagerly revolving fresh plans to retrieve his losses and regain the Conquest. He replied to the protest in the most determined and eloquent manner, "giving at least ten reasons for his plan, to every one which they alleged against it." His wonderful influence was once more asserted; his veterans pledged

themselves to constant service, and the malcontents were forced to be silent.

The fidelity of his Tlascalan friends was soon put to the trial. Cuitlahua, by the death of his brother Montezuma, had succeeded to the throne of Mexico. He was the sworn enemy of the Spaniards, "and had, probably, the satisfaction of cele brating his own coronation by the sacrifice of many of them." This warlike and patriotic prince, having repaired his capital, and put it in a state of defence, now sent an embassy of his nobles, with presents, to the Tlascalans, inviting them to bury past enmities, to unite in the common defence of Anahuac, and to sacrifice the detested strangers to the gods whose temples they had violated. A fierce debate arose in the council of Tlascalan caciques, and Xicotencatl, remembering with bitterness his former defeats, urged on his country the acceptance of the overtures. But ancient enmity proved more than equal to the claims of policy or religion; and the old chieftains, with united voice, protested against any alliance with their hereditary foes. "In reply to this, and to the discourse of his father to the same purpose, the young man made use of such outrageous and disrespectful language, as induced them to seize him by the collar, and throw him down the steps of the building into the street, and he very narrowly escaped with his life." The proposed alliance was peremptorily rejected.

CHAPTER XII.

THE WAR RENEWED-SUCCESSES OF THE SPANIARDS-GREAT FORCE OF INDIAN ALLIES-ACCESSION OF GUATEMOZIN TO THE AZTEC THRONE-MARCH TO THE VALLEY OF MEXICO-HEAD.

QUARTERS ESTABLISHED At tezcuco.

CORTES now resolved to resume hostilities. His first expedition was against the Tepeacans, a nation under the Aztec rule, who had slain several of his men. With four hundred

Spaniards and ten times that number of Tlascalan warriors, he marched upon their territory, and, after defeating them in two sanguinary engagements, entered their city in triumph. The unfortunate inhabitants were branded as slaves with the letter G, signifying that they were prisoners of war (Guerra), and were divided among the victors. Here Cortes took up his quarters, and hence made frequent incursions into the surrounding country. He took several strong places by storm, putting their Aztec garrisons to the sword, and defeated a force of thirty thousand men, which had been sent to oppose him. His lieutenants were equally successful, and in a brief time a large territory was brought under his sway. This remarkable result he accomplished as much by policy as by arms, reconciling the inhabitants of the various provinces, and uniting them in a firm alliance against their late masters the Aztecs.

In the exigency of the time, many past offences were overlooked in a way which appears strange enough, compared with the fierce revenge before taken for much slighter offences. Thus, when Sandoval called certain chiefs to account for the slaughter of his countrymen, he only gained the unsatisfactory information, "that most of the Spaniards they had killed were eaten, five of them having been sent to their monarch Guatemozin." The culprits, however, "apologized (!) for what was passed, and Sandoval, being able to do no more, was fain to accept their submissions."

Ever since his expulsion from Mexico, the Spanish leader had been brooding fiercely over the remembrance of his disastrous retreat, and planning new means to achieve the subjection of the Aztecs. That powerful and justly-enraged people, he well knew, could never be vanquished by the handful of Spaniards who remained, though the surprise of superstition, and his prompt, unscrupulous policy, had once opened the gates of their capital to a force equally insignificant. But to the powerful alliance of Tlascala was now added that of numerous other provinces, united by his address, and eager for plunder and revenge. Remembering the disasters of the causeway, he