The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true an…
The instant the Mexicans perceived we were turning back, and sawthe Tlascallans moving
off the causeway, they set up most distractingyells, and attacked us man to man with great
fierceness. It is indeed out of my power to describe it. The whole of the causeway was
instantly covered with lances, arrows, and stones, besides that vastquantities fell into the
water. When we had again reached the mainland, we returned fervent thanks to the
Almighty for having rescued usfrom this severe battle.
Eight of our men were killed and fifty wounded: added to all this,we were obliged to put up
with the hootings and jeers of the enemy,who kept calling upon the Tlascallans to come
with double their numbersnext time, and they would very soon settle their impudence. Our
first deeds of arms, therefore, merely consisted in destroying the aqueductof Chapultepec,
and in reconnoitring the lake along the causeway,in which we did not exactly reap much
honour.
[Pg 65]
For the rest, we passed the following night very quietly in our quarters,posted our sentinels,
and dressed our wounds. One of our horseswas so severely wounded that it died soon after.
The following morning Oli determined upon taking up the positionassigned to his division
at Cojohuacan, about six miles further on; andhowever Alvarado and the other cavaliers
might beg of him not toseparate the two divisions, yet he would not alter his determination.
Christobal de Oli was a man of uncommon bravery, whose pride was wounded at the
unsuccessful attempt we had made upon the causeway, and he accused Alvarado of
inconsiderateness for having ordered the attack. Nothing, therefore, could induce him to
stay, and he marchedoff with his men to Cojohuacan.
The separation of the two divisions was very impolitic at this juncture;for if the Mexicans
had been aware of the smallness of ournumbers, and had attacked either of the divisions
during the five followingdays, before the brigantines had arrived, we should with difficulty
have escaped destruction. Both divisions, therefore, remained asquiet as the enemy would
allow them, though not a day passed by thatthe Mexicans did not land troops to annoy us in
our camp, and, ifpossible, to entice us into places where we should be unable to act, and
they could attack us to greater advantage.
Sandoval, as we have seen, left Tezcuco with his division four daysafter the feast of Corpus
Christi, and marched towards Iztapalapan. His route lay through townships which were
either subject to, or in alliance with Tezcuco. As soon as he arrived at Iztapalapan, he
commenced his military operations by burning down the greater portion of the houses
which stood on the mainland.
It was not long before large bodies of Mexican troops arrived for the protection of
Iztapalapan, with whom Sandoval had a severe skirmish,and drove them back again to their
canoes; but still they continuedto shower their arrows and darts upon him, and wounded
severalof his men.
During this conflict a thick smoke was seen to rise from several signalfires which had been
lighted on the surrounding hills. This had beena signal to call in all the canoes of Mexico
and of the other townssituated on the lake, as Cortes had just run out from Tezcuco with the
thirteen brigantines.
[Pg 66]
The first attack our general made with this fleet was against a rockyheight on an island near
Mexico. This place had been strongly fortified,and was garrisoned by a great number of
Mexicans and inhabitants of other townships. All the canoes of Mexico, Xochimilco,
Cojohuacan, Huitzilopuzco, Iztapalapan, and Mexicalzinco, had unitedin a body to oppose
Cortes, which was the reason why the attack was carried on with so little vigour against
Sandoval, who, however, wasnot able to do the enemy much damage, as most of the houses
stoodin the water; though, in the commencement of the attack, our allieshad made many
prisoners. In Iztapalapan, Saudoval found himselfon a peninsula in the lake, and the only
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