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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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… Our officers shared the hardships with the meanest soldiers, and the horses stood always ready saddled, one half on the causeway, the otherat Tlacupa. Whenever we filled up any opening, the Mexicans weresure to return and open it again, and throw up more formidable entrenchmentson the opposite side. Our allies of the towns which layin the lake, who had up to this moment assisted us with their canoes,began to fall off after they had lost so many of their men and numbersof their canoes, and though they lent no aid to the Mexicans, yet theyonly awaited the final issue of the siege to forsake us altogether. Sandoval, Tapia, Lugo, and the other officers who had arrived fromthe other divisions, now thought it high time to return to their owntroops and inform Cortes as to how matters stood with us. They accordinglyhastened back to our general's head-quarters, and told himhow valiantly Alvarado and his men were defending themselves, andthe great vigilance which was observed in his camp. Sandoval, who was always a good friend to me, told Cortes on thisoccasion how he had found me, with several others, up to my middlein the water fighting away to rescue one of the brigantines; adding,that had it not been for us, she must undoubtedly have been lost with all the men on board. What he further added in my praise I will not mention, as it concerns my own person, but it was often repeated byothers and sufficiently known to all the troops. When Cortes learnt what excellent order we observed in our camp,his heart grew lighter, and he commanded the divisions to keep out ofthe way of the enemy as much as possible, and confine themselves to the defence of the respective encampments, on which the Mexicans renewed the attack every morning by throwing in darts, stones, and other missiles. But after we had strengthened our encampment by a deep and broad ditch we considered ourselves more secure, and remainedquiet for the four following days. Cortes and Sandoval allowing their troops a like period of rest, and certainly we stood much in need of it, for we were all wounded and quite enfeebled by continuedfighting, and the little nourishment we received. On that terrible daythe loss of the three divisions amounted to sixty men and seven horses.The short repose we enjoyed was most beneficial to us, but we hadnow to deliberate on our future plan of operation. [Pg 91] CHAPTER CLIII. The new plan of operation which we adopt in the siege, and how allour allies return to their several homes. For the next five days we stood at night under arms on the causeway,the brigantines lying on each side in the lake, while one half ofour cavalry kept patrolling about Tlacupa, where our baggage andbaking-house were; the other half being stationed near our camp. Assoon as the day began to dawn, the Mexicans renewed the attack uponour encampment, which they were determined to take by storm. Similar attacks were likewise made on the encampments of Sandovaland Cortes, until we changed our plan of operation. The Mexicansin the meantime made solemn sacrifices every day in the large templeon the Tlatelulco, and celebrated their feasts. Each time the infernal drum resounded from the temple, accompanied by the discordantnoise of shell trumpets, timbrels, horns, and the horrible yells andhowlings of the Mexicans. Large fires were kept up on the platformof the temple during the whole night, and each night a certain numberof our unfortunate countrymen were sacrificed to their cursed idols, Huitzilopochtli and Tetzcatlipuca, who, in the discourses which the papas held with them, promised that we https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 66/282
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… should all be killed in a fewdays. As these gods were lying and evil-minded beings, they deceivedthe Mexicans with these promises in order that they might not be inducedto sue for peace with the teules. Unfortunately the Tlascallans and our other allies began to put faith in these oracles after our lastdefeat. One morning large bodies of Mexicans again fell upon us with theintention of surrounding us on all sides. Each separate body of theMexicans was distinguished by a particular dress and certain warlikedevices, and regularly relieved each other in battle. In the midst oftheir fierce attacks they constantly cried out, "You are a set of low-mindedscoundrels, you are fit for nothing, and you neither know howto build a house nor how to cultivate maise. You are a pack ofworthless fellows, and only come to plunder our town. You have fledaway from your own country and deserted your own king; but beforeeight days are past there will not be one of you left alive. Oh! youmiserable beings, you are so bad and beastly that even your very fleshis not eatable. It tastes as bitter as gall!" [Pg 92] It is most probable that after they had feasted all the bodies ofseveral of our companions, the Almighty, in his mercy, had turnedthe flesh bitter. Against the Tlascallans they threw out more terrible language, threatening to turn them all into slaves, fatten some for their sacrifices, and reserve others for rebuilding their houses andtilling the ground. All these abominable threats they uttered in the midst of fighting,and they came pouring forth over the ruins of the houses we had destroyed,or they fell upon us in the rear from their numerous canoes;but the Almighty each time gave us fresh vigour, so that we were ableto make a good stand against the enemy and beat them back withconsiderable loss in killed and wounded. About this time our allies of Huexotzinco, Cholulla, Tezcuco, andTlascalla, had become wearied of the war, and secretly agreed witheach other to return to their homes. Without mentioning a singleword either to Cortes, Sandoval, or Alvarado, they all suddenly leftour encampments, only a few of the most faithful remaining with us.In Cortes' division there remained a brother of the king of Tezcuco, the brave Suchel, (who was subsequently baptized with the name of Don Carlos,) with about forty of his relations and friends. In Sandoval's division a cazique of Huexotzinco, with about fifty men:and in our division the sons of our honest friend Don Lorenzo de Vargas, with the brave Chichimeclatecl, and about eighty men. We were not a little dismayed to find that our allies had thus suddenlydecamped, and when Cortes questioned those who remained as to the motives which had induced their countrymen to desert us, they replied,that their companions had at length began to fear the threats of the Mexicans and the oracles of their idols, that we should all be destroyed, particularly when they saw what numbers of our men were killed and wounded; besides their own great losses, which alreadyamounted to above 1200 men. To all this was added the warnings ofthe younger Xicotencatl, whom Cortes had caused to be hung atTezcuco, namely, that sooner or later we should all be put to death,as he had been assured by his soothsayers. Our general was greatly alarmed at this desertion, but took care to hide his real feelings from those few of our allies who had remainedfaithful, and merely remarked, with a placid smile on his countenance, that there was nothing to fear, and he was surprised that their countrymendid not see through the real design of the Mexicans in promulgatingthe false oracles of their gods. By this and other plausible speeches, added to vast promises, he strengthened them in theirfidelity. [Pg 93] On one of these occasions the above-mentioned Suchel, who was a man of uncommon bravery, and a cazique in his own right, said toCortes: "Malinche, you should not humble yourself each day to renewthe conflict with the enemy. In my opinion you should rather https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 67/282
Page 1 and 2:
1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenb
Page 3 and 4:
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16: 1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenb
Page 65: 1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenb
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
Page 201 and 202:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205 and 206:
Page 207 and 208:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
Page 219 and 220:
Page 221 and 222:
Page 223 and 224:
Page 225 and 226:
Page 227 and 228:
Page 229 and 230:
Page 231 and 232:
Page 233 and 234:
Page 235 and 236:
Page 237 and 238:
Page 239 and 240:
Page 241 and 242:
Page 243 and 244:
Page 245 and 246:
Page 247 and 248:
Page 249 and 250:
Page 251 and 252:
Page 253 and 254:
Page 255 and 256:
Page 257 and 258:
Page 259 and 260:
Page 261 and 262:
Page 263 and 264:
Page 265 and 266:
Page 267 and 268:
Page 269 and 270:
Page 271 and 272:
Page 273 and 274:
Page 275 and 276:
Page 277 and 278:
Page 279 and 280:
Page 281 and 282:
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?