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

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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
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… kept up a steady fire upon themwith our cannon, which Pedro Mareno served with great effect. I mustnot forget to mention that they shot our own arrows at us from fivecrossbows which they had captured, the use of which they had compelledthe Spaniards whom they had taken prisoners to teach them;but the injury they did us with these was next to nothing. Matters went on in the same way at the two other encampments,with which we kept up a constant communication, by means of the brigantines,which also conveyed Cortes' different commands, and thesehe always put down in writing. [Pg 95] While the three divisions were thus steadily carrying on their operationsagainst the city, our brigantines were also continually on the alert,and two of those belonging to Cortes' division diligently chased theconvoys of provisions and water going to Mexico. On one occasion they captured a large canoe quite filled with a species of slime, [24] which,when dried, tastes very much like cheese. The number of prisonersour vessels took was likewise very great. Twelve or thirteen days may now have passed away since our unfortunate defeat; and as Suchel, the brother of the king of Tezcuco, becamedaily more convinced that we had the advantage over the Mexicans, and that their threats to destroy us all within ten days had beena mere trick of their idols to delude them, he sent word to his brotherto despatch the whole armed force of Tezcuco to aid in the siege. Theking of Tezcuco soon complied with his brother's wishes, and beforetwo days had elapsed above 2000 of his warriors arrived in our camp.I still remember quite well that they were accompanied by PedroSanchez Farsan and Antonio de Villareal, who subsequently married the lady Ojeda. The first of these gentlemen, it will be remembered,Cortes had appointed commandant of Tezcuco, and the second chamberlainto the king of that place. Cortes was not a little rejoiced atthe arrival of this considerable body of men, and did not forget tobestow his praises on them. The Tlascallans followed the example of the Tezcucans, who shortlyafter returned in great numbers, under the command of Tecapaneca,cazique of Topoyanco. In the same way large bodies of men arrivedfrom Huexotzinco, but very few came from Cholulla. Cortes commanded all these Indian troops to repair to his head-quarters,having previously taken the precaution to station detachmentsalong the line of their march, to protect them against anyattacks of the enemy. When they had all arrived he stepped into the midst of them, and addressed them in Spanish, which was interpreted by Aguilar andDoña Marina. He assured them he had never doubted their being well and faithfully inclined towards him, from the time they had becomesubjects of our emperor, and experienced our bounty. Whenhe invited them to join him in this campaign against Mexico, he had had no other object in view than that they might reap a real benefit by it, and return home laden with booty; and to give them an opportunityof revenging themselves on their old enemies, with whom theyhad never been able to cope previous to our arrival in their country.Though they had fought bravely, and stoutly assisted us on everyoccasion, they should nevertheless bear in mind that each day we ordered their troops to draw off from the causeways, because they embarrassed our movements; and though our numbers had been sovery scanty, yet we had never stood in need of their assistance; forwe had told them over and over again that the Lord Jesus was ourstronghold, from whom all victory comes. They were likewise convincedthat we were able to level houses to the ground, and pull upthe palisades, without their aid. For the rest, he was bound to makethe observation to them that, according to the strict articles of war, they had deserved punishment of death, because they had desertedtheir general at a time when the battle was at its height. He would, however, pardon them, on account of their ignorance of our laws and articles of war; he must now likewise forbid them, under any pretencewhatever, to kill any Mexicans that might be taken prisoners; for hewas anxious to make himself master of the city, by pacifying itsinhabitants. [Pg 96] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32475/32475-h/32475-h.htm 69/282
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The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

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