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Show H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. BOOK x. Four Spaniards, made prifoners, were conduCl:cd to the. capital, and fa- ~ crificcd without delay, and their arms and legs fent to d1fferent. places to encourage the fubj etl s againfl: the enemies of the fiate. It .Is beyond a doubt, that on this, as well as on other occafions, Cortes mtght eafily have been pnt to death by the enemy, if they had not had fo mu~h anxiety to take him alive to fa<.:rifice him to their gods. . The news of the taking of Xo himilco threw the court of M ~xtco into great confl:ernation. King ~auhtcmotzin affembled fome milita~y chiefs, and reprefented to them the lofs and dange~· occafioned to Mexico by the capture of [o confiderable a place, the ferv1ce they would render their gods and the nation in retaking it, and the courage and firength which was t1ecefiary to overcome thofe daring and ddhntl:ive firangers. They immediately gave orders, therefore, to raife an army of twelve thoufand men, to be fent by land, and another to be fent by water; which were fo fpeedily executed, that the Spaniards had hardly repofed after the fatigues of the preceding day, when Cortes was advifed by his ccntinels of the march of the Mexicans towards that city. This general divided his army into three divifions, and gave his captains the nccelhry orders ; he left fome troops to garrifon the quarte~s, and commanded that twenty horfe with five hundred Tlafcalans !hould pafs acrofs the enemy's front, to occupy a neighbouring li.ttle mountain,. and wait there his final orders for the attack. The Mexican commanders advanced full of pride, making great ofientation of fome Eu.ropean fwords which had been taken from the Spaniards on the night ' of the full: of July. The battle was begun without the city, and whea it appeared proper time, Cortes ordered the troops pofied on the little mountain to attack the rear of the Mexicans. They finding themfdves attacked on every fide,. went into diforder and fled, leaving five hundred dead on the field. The Spaniards, on their return to their quarters, found that the body of men left there had been in great danger from the great number of Xochimilcas wl10 had encountered them. Cortes, after havrng been for three days in Xochimilco in frequent ik.irmuhes with the enemy, made the ten1ples .and· houfcs b<t fet on ,fire, 2nd went to the market-place, which was withput the city, to. qrder his people for their march. The Xochimilcas being perfuaded that his departure was the.effctl: o£ fear, fell upon the rear-guard with great H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. gre:lt clamour; but they were foon fo feverely repulfed by the Sp:miard s, that they never dared again to attack them. Cortes advanced with his army as far as Cojohuacan, a la rge city fitu atcd upon the bank of the bke, fix miles difiant from Mexico towards the fouth, with a view to obferve all thofe poil:s, and make the fitt er difpolitions for the liege of the capit<ll. He found the city evacuated, and the next day he fet out from it, to examine the road which led from that city to the ro:1d of lztapalapan. Ile fou nd an entrench-ment made there by the Mexicans, and ordered his infantry to attack it, who, in fpite of the terrible relifl:ance of the enemy who defended it, took1 'it ; ten Spaniards being wounded, and fome Mexicans killed. Cortes having mounted the trench, L1.w the road of l ztapalapan dark-ened with an innumerable enemy; and the lake covered with fome thoufands of boats, and after having obferved every thing nccclfary to. his purpofe, he returned to the city, whofe houfes and temples he caufed to be fet on fire. From Cojohuacan he marched the army to Tlacopan, though harraifcd on the way by fome flying troops of the enemy, who attacked· the baggage. In one of thofe !Cu:ffi:es, where· Cortes was in great danger, they took two of his fervants prifoner.s, who were· conduCl:ed to· Mexico and immediately facrificed. Cortes arrived at Tlacopan in affliction at this misfortune, but his difpl ea fnre was greatly increafed when he beheld from the upper area of the greater temple of that court,. along with f<>me otht!r Spaniard·s,. that fatal ro,1d wherein fomc months before he had lofl: fo many of his friends and foldier~, and confidercd attentively the great difficulties which muft be overcome before he could render himfclf mafter of the capitaL Some of his oflicers fuggefted to him, to fend· his troops by that road to commit fome hollilitics on the Mexicans; but he did not chufe to expofc them to fo, great riJk; and·, without remaining lcmger in that city, he returned by Tenajoccan, ~auhtitlan, Citlaltepcc, and Acolm:m, to Tczcuco,. hav: ng made a circuit in this ex p ~dition round all the lakes of the Mexican vale, and obferved what eftorts and exertions were neceifary to execute the gre:1.t en terpri ze in his mind- with fu ccefs .. !57 ROOK X. ~----J SllCT.X TT. March of the Spaniards ruund the lake to T u: <:UCO. In Tczcuco Cortes continued all the preparations for the fiege. The· cS Rc~.,.xnn L _. . • c .1 I onfJmacy ~.,~ortga ntmes were eq.tnpped, and a canal IOrmed, a mt e and a 1alf long, again!t Cor .. futlicient1y t c& • . |