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Show H I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. T In his family were thirty wives, and amongft his pro- BOOK x. to ezcuco. ~ t a large quantity of gold. per yl . I d 01' d continued their march towards Tlacopan, w 11 Cre A varauo an 1 1 t ff the 1 . b'ett was to break the aqueduCt of Chapo tepee, to cu o tleJr o ~ h M . . b t they were unable to execute this mea-water from t e extcans , u 1 fmc without furmounting a powerful refi!bnce.from the enemy, w 10, havin forefeen the blow, had made preparatwns both by lan~ and watergfor their defence. They were foon defeated, and ~he Tl~f<.:alans S Xv ll in purfuing them killed twenty, and made [even or etght pnfonders. .r. r.T. . . · • ·a d h' fi t1 fe two com man ers f:irft ho!hh· Having fo fuccefsfully accomph 1e t 1S ep, 10 . ti CS o.f the . b h f Tlacopan to take fome ditCh by affault; Spar11rmls, rcfol vcd to go Y t e way 0 • ' • ft 1 :u.td l>q,;in- b (! great was the multitude of Mexicans who came agam. t lCm, nmg ot the ut 0 d . d. ft es whtch were ti q~c. of nnd fo thick the !hower of arrows, arts,. al;\ . on ' . 1\lexiL:u. lhot at th em, tha t e1· gt,t Spaniards were ktlled and more than fifty 11 ' • d d and they with difficulty were able to retreat m ihame to woun e ' ' d di t the order of the Tlacopan, where Alvarado eocampe , accor ng ~ . 1 d Olid marched to Coiohuacan on the tlurttet~ day of May, genera , an J • • 1 · 1 confecrated that year to the folemnity of Corpus Dom1111, on w :1c 1 day began, according to the computation made by Cortes, the i1ege ()f Mexico. . While Alvarado and Olid were employed in filling up tot~~ d1tches which were made upon the border of the lake, and were repamng fome paffilges for the convenience of the cavalry,. the commat~der Sa~doval~ with the number of Spaniards above mentwned, and w1th . mote than thirty-five thoufrmd allies, marched from Te2cuco on the t~11rty-fir~ of May, with an intent to take· the city of Iztapalapan by -~fiault, agatnil: which Cortes was particularly bent. Sandoval made nts entry there,. c0 mmitting te11rible devafiation. and havoc by fire upon the ho_ufcs an.d by his arms upon the inhabitants,. who in terror attempted. to iave thet.r lives by. water~ Cortes, in order to attack at the fame t~me that pat t cf the city wh-ich was. contiguous to the water,. after ha;mg ~ad~ the whole lake be founded, embarked wi.th his people in h1s bngantmcs, and proceeded by means of fuils and oars towards. Iztapulapan.. He. £huck grou:nd near t<? an. infulated little mountain, at a fmaU d1fulnce from that city,. the top of which was occupied' by a numerous enemy1 refolved to. defend themfdves and annoy the: Spaniards as much as pof- 8 fibk. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. fible. Cortes difemharked there, and, with one hundred and fifty men, furmounting the fteepnefs and difficulty of the afcent and the refiftance of the enemy, took the mount and killed all the Mexicans who defended it. But they ~ad hardJy taken po!Teffion of it, when they perceived a fleet of boats coming again!l: them, which had been fummoncd there by a fignal of fmoke, that, on the firfi appearance of the brigantines, was n1ade from that little mountain and from fome temples in that n,eighbourhood. The Spaniards immediately r·e .. embarked and !l:ood without moving upon their defence, until at length being f.woured with a frelh breeze which fprung up fuddenly, and increaiing the velocity of the brigantines, with the impulfc of the oars, they rufhed violently upon the boats, breaking Come of them to pieces and overfetting others. Some of the enemy were killed by balls and many were drowned; all the others fled, and were purfued for eight miles by t!lC brigantines, as far as the capital. The commander Olid, as foon as he difcovered from a temple of Cojohuacan the engagement of the brigantines, marched with his troop" in order of battle along the road which led tb Mexico, took fome ditches and trenches, and killed a number of the enemy. Cortes, on his part, colleCted that night all his brigantines, and went with them to attack the bafi:ion, which, as we have already mentioned, was ereCted in that angle which wa5 formed by the junCtion of the road of Cojohuacan with the road of Iztapalapan. He made the attack by land as well as water, and in fpite of the bravery with which it was defended by the Mexican garrifon pofied there, he took it, and made a horrid {laughter, with two large pieces of cannon, of the multitude which covered the lake as well as the road. That place, called by the Mexicans . Xoloc, appeared extremely advantageous to Cortes for the ell:abliihment of.his camp, and it certainly would not have been ealy to have found another more fuitable to his defigns; for, by means of it he became mafl:er of the principal road and that part of the lake where the greatefl: fuccours could enter to the city, and befides that of the road of Cojohuacan which formed a communication with the· camp of Olid. The ftnall diftance of that place from the camps of ojohnacan and Tlacopan was of great importance to ortes, iu giving his orders with expe-y 2 clition, \ BOOK X. ~ • |