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…
attempt; but they were so vigorously assailed by theenemy from the entrenchments, and
those stationed on the house-tops,who literally showered down stones upon them, while the
canoes attackedthem from each side of the opening, that a great number of hismen were
wounded, and a few killed. Here the brigantines were renderedtotally useless, by the large
stakes which had been driven intothe water. Cortes and the whole of his troops were often
on thebrink of destruction; as it was, he had four men killed, and abovethirty wounded. At
length, by dint of hard fighting, he succeeded inforcing this formidable point; but the day
was already so far advanced,that there was no time left to fill up the wide aperture, and he
thereforesounded a retreat, in which he had again to fight his way through densecrowds of
the enemy, who wounded the whole of his men, and thegreater part of the Tlascallans.
Quauhtemoctzin now determined to adopt a new plan of operation,and this he commenced
on St. John's day, in the summer month, the very day we made our second entry into
Mexico, after the defeat ofNarvaez. This day, it seems, the monarch had purposely fixed
uponto attack the three divisions at the same moment with the whole of hisarmed force,
both by land and water. It was his firm resolve to destroy us all at once, and his idols
encouraged him to make the attempt. The attack was to commence before break of day,
when it was yet dark, andthe Mexicans had provided against the possibility of our obtaining
anyassistance from the brigantines, by driving numbers of additional stakesinto the water.
They now fell upon us with such fierceness and determination, that they would certainly
have stormed our camp itself, ifthe one hundred and twenty men who had the watch had
not beenveterans in service. We were certainly very nigh our destruction, andhad fifteen
men wounded, of whom two died within the space of eightdays. The two following nights
the enemy sallied out in a similar manner, but we each time repulsed them with
considerable loss.Cortes and Sandoval were likewise attacked in the same way.
Quauhtemoctzin, with his generals and papas, finding that no advantagewas to be gained
over us in this way, determined to attack ourposition at Tlacupa with his united forces. This
was accordingly putinto practice as soon as day began to dawn, and they fell upon us from
all sides with great intrepidity, and threw our line into disorder; but at this moment it
pleased the Almighty to refresh our strength; ourtroops rallied again, and in their turn fell
courageously upon the infuriated foe. Our brigantines too lent us what assistance they
could,and the cavalry, with lances fixed, spurred their horses on, while ourcrossbow-men
and musketeers, strove to do their utmost; we others, armed with swords, thrusting and
cutting in among the enemy mostvaliantly, so that at last we drove them back. This was a
more terrible battle than any we had fought on the causeways. Alvarado himself was
wounded in the head, and eight of our men were killed. If the Tlascallans had likewise
encamped this night on the causeway,we should no doubt have suffered more severely, as
their numbers would have embarrassed our movements; but experience had taught us
prudence,and each night we ordered them to draw off to Tlacupa, and weonly considered
ourselves safe when assured they had left the causeway.
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In this engagement we slew a great number of the enemy, and amongthe many men we
took prisoners there were four personages of highrank.
By this time the reader will certainly be wearied of reading of battleswhich were every day
renewed; but I have not exaggerated them, forduring the ninety-three days we lay before
this great and strong city,we were compelled to fight both day and night almost without
intermission; and certainly, of all these numerous engagements, I am at least bound to
mention the most striking occurrences. If I were desirousof relating every circumstance I
should never finish, and my book would resemble 'Amadis de Gaule,' and other such
romances, whose authorscan find no end to their pretty stories. I will, however, be as brief
aspossible in my further account of this siege, and hasten on to St.Hippolytus' day, when
we subdued this vast city, and tookQuauhtemoctzin, with all his generals, prisoners. But,
before we were so far successful, we suffered great hardships, and the whole of us were
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