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Show :H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ~OOKVIII. been refufed this fatisfaetion, in order to be in fame meafure revenged, "'--v--" he withdrew from the field with the troops which were under his cotnmand, and prevailed upon thofe ofTlehuexolotzin to follow him, In fpitc of this, disjunCl:ivn of the army, the battle wa~ ob!l:inate and bloody. The Spaniards after having bravely repulfed the force which had afiimlted their camp, marched in order of battle again 0:: the body of the Tlafcalan army. The havock made by the artillery upon tht.: crouded multitude of the enemy, was not fufficient to put the Tlaii·alans to flight, nor prevent them from filling up with cxpediti6n all the vacancies left by the dead; on the contrary, by their !l:eadinefs aud in .. trcpidity, they threw the Spaniards into fome confufion, notwithfbnding the cries and reproaches of Cortes and his captains. At length, after fame hours of engagement, the Spaniards returned victorious to th~ir camp, although. the Tlafcalans did not defifl:: from frequent afiaults upon them dunng the whole of that day. Of the Spaniards one man was mifiing, and fixty were wounded; likewife all the hades: Of the Tlafcalans, great numbers were killed, but not a fingle dead b?dy ~as to ~e feen by the Spaniards, owing to the diligence and acti VIty With which they carried them off the field of battle. Xicotenc~tl.' difgufl:ed at the unhappy ilfue of this expedition, confulted ~he rlJVJners of Tlafcala, who reported that thofe il:rangers bein'g the c.h 1hl dren .o f the fun were invincible during the day., but ' as 1r0 01) as mg t ~mved, by want of the genial heat of that luminary, they were depnved of firength to defend themfelves. In confequence of this oracle, th~t general. refolved to make another afiault upon the Spanilh can~p du~mg th·e· ~tgl~t. In the mean while, Cortes [allied out afrefh to comm1t hofhhttes m the neighbouring villages, of·which he bttrncd ten, and ~mong thofe one of three thoufand houfes~ and returned with fevera. l pnfoners. . th Xs!c ote·n cda tl, thakt the. blow might not fail wh'th h . d' d 1 e me 1tate upon d.; Ka.mar ;· to~ pams firfl:: to g.1in information of the ftrength and I po lt10n o their camp. He fent therefore fifty men to Cortes with ate fp. refenht , a·c .com1p anied with manv• expreflions of' k'm d ne1r.s an d cour-y, c argmg t lem to obferve every thing minutely. but th , unabledto do this with diffimulation fufficient p'rev~nt its bey gwd~rfe covere by Teuch , one of t hc .. t hr ee principal Chempoallefe, wemh o ·jmI .-• mediatey H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M· E ~ I C 0. mediately intimated his fufpicion to C.ortes. This general having called fame of the fpies afide, forced them by means of threats to. reveal that Xicotencatl was preparing to attack them the following night, and that they wen~ fent on purpofe to obferve, a,t wh;at part of the camp they could moll: ~afily make their entry. Cortes having heard. this confeilion (a),, made the hands of all the fifty be cut off, and fent them back to Xicotencatl, defiring them to let him know that come when he would, by day or by night, he would always make him .fe~fible that they. were Spaniards; and th<; circumftan<;es appearing to fav. our the battle expected before the army h<\d made all theit· preparat. 10ns for the alfault, he fet out about the clofe o( the night with a conftderable number of troops and his horfes, to which he ordered little bells to be hung at the armour of their breafl::s, and went to meet the enemy, who were jull: beginning tht:ir march toward's the Spani{h Clmp. The fight of the puni!hment executed upon the fpies, and th~ found of the little bells in the filence and darknefs of the night, ~,ufed fuch a tremor ~mong the Tlafcalans, that they fuddenly !l:arted mto confufion and difordcr, and fled different ways, while Xicotenca~ l himf~lf, de.ferted and alone, returned in lhame to Tlafcala. U pan th1s Max1xcatzm took occafion to inculcate his firfi counfel, adding to the. a.rgument~ h~ had already uft:d, the fi1d experience of fo many expedlttons wh1ch had e1~ded unfuccefsfully; he accordinoly moved their minds to peace. o While this affair was agitating in Tlafcala, the Mexicans were deliberating what courfe lhould be taken with thofe {hangers. Montezu~ na having heard of the viCtories of the Sp.miards, and appreheniive ~f their confederating with the Tlafcalans, fummoned the king of Tezcuco, his nephew, the prince Cuitlahuatz in ~ and his other coun& llors, explained the il:ate of affairs to them, difclofed his fears, an l (ieman.dtld their advice. The king of Tezcuco adhered to his former .opi~ion; which was, that thof~ il:rangers lhould be courteouOy trcat, e~ m evrtry place through wh1ch they pa!fed; that they !houlcl be ,¥.1ndly welcomed at court, and their propofitions heard, as wd l as theft! ~f any other vaf.fal, the king il:ill pre(erving his fu preme authority, and '~41c.l:ing the decorum and n:fpeCt due to the majdty of the throne; (n) Some hiftorinns fay, thnt tho fingers only of the Tlafcalan fpics were cut off"; but Cor- tu htrn(elf fnys, that hu made their hands be C4t oft: that 39. BOOKVUI. .. •• fl EeT. XX, New cmbnflica and prcfcntu from Montezuma to Cortes . |