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…
command your officers to cruize round the town with the brigantines,in order to cut off all
its supplies of water and provisions. In thatcity there are so many thousands of warriors that
their store of provisionsmust soon become exhausted. The only supply of water theyhave
is from the rain that falls, and what they obtain from wellsrecently dug, which cannot be
wholesome to drink. What can theydo if you cut off their supplies of provisions and water?
for a waragainst hunger and thirst is the most direful of all calamities!"
When he had done speaking Cortes gave him a hearty embrace,thanked him for his good
advice, and promised to bestow valuabletownships upon him. To this he had been advised
all along by manyof us soldiers; but a Spanish soldier has too much spirit to reduce atown
by famine; he is all impatience to fight his way in.
After Cortes had maturely considered this plan, he sent word by means of brigantines to
Alvarado and Sandoval to desist from thedaily attacks upon the town. This new method of
conducting thesiege was greatly favoured by the circumstance that our brigantinesstood no
longer in fear of the stakes which the enemy had driven into the lake, for if there was a
stiffish breeze and the men vigorously pliedtheir oars, the brigantines were sure each time
to break through them.By this means we became complete masters of the lake, and all the
detached buildings which stood in the water. When the Mexicanssaw the great advantage
we gained over them in this way they becameconsiderably disheartened.
In the meantime we continued the combat on the causeways, andin the space of four days
we had with great difficulty and labour filledup the wide opening in front of our camp. Two
companies repellingthe attacks of the enemy, while the third was occupied in filling upthe
aperture. Cortes did the same with his division, and himself assisted in dragging along
beams and planks to make the causewaymore safe. Sandoval was similarly engaged on his
causeway, and nowthe brigantines were able to lend us considerable assistance, since they
no longer feared the stakes.
[Pg 94]
In this way we continually kept advancing nearer and nearer to thecity, though the enemy
constantly renewed their attacks upon us, andthat with so much fury and intrepidity that it
was often with difficulty we could repulse them. But the Almighty had strengthened our
arms,and our crossbow-men and musketeers did great execution among thecrowded ranks
of the enemy; yet we had still every evening to retreat along the causeway to our
encampment, which was not the easiest partof the day's work, as the enemy, still big with
the recent victory theyhad gained over us, fought with great confidence. At one time they
fell upon us from three sides, and wounded two horses, but thankheavens we cut our way
through, slaughtered a considerable numberof them and made many prisoners. On our side
we had likewise severalwounded, but this did not discourage us, we each day returned to
the conflict, dressed our wounds at night with bandages steeped in warm oil, supped off
vegetables, maize-cakes, and figs, and then posted ourwatches for the night.
The hellish rejoicings on the summit of the large temple were stillkept up during the night.
Really it is impossible to describe the dreadfuland dismal sound of this diabolical drum,
with the yelling and other dissonant noises which burst forth each time the Mexicans
sacrificedone of our countrymen between the large fires they had kindled on thesummit of
the temple! For ten successive days were these inhumansacrifices continued, until all their
prisoners were gone; Christobal deGuzman, who was among the number, they had reserved
for the last,and kept alive for eighteen days.
During these sacrifices the idols delivered their oracles, and promised the Mexicans our
total destruction before ten days had expired, if theyonly persevered in their attacks upon
us. And thus it was they allowedthemselves to be deceived!
The following morning early the Mexicans again advanced in numerous bodies to the
attack, and would undoubtedly have forced their wayup to our encampment if we had not
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 68/282