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Show 168 BOOK X. \ .. ,J ~ 8 CT· XX. NciV entries into the city. H I s T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. infantry, feven brigantines, and inriumerable multitudes of allies. They found the ditches open, the intrenchments throw~ up, .and the enemy welt prepared to refill: them; but n?twith!l:andmg thts, they . took all the ditches a11d intrenchments, whtch were formed between them and the principal [quare of Tenochtitlan. Here tl:e army m~de a halt, ortr::s not permitting them to proceed forward, wtthout l~r~vmg all the diHicult pafles which they had taken levelled.; but whtlc ten thoufand of the allies were bufied in filling up the dttches, others fet fire to and demolia1ed fome of the temples, houfes, and palaces, and, among!l: others, that of king Axajacatl, where the. Spaniards were formerly quartered, and the celebrated palace of bu·d~ ~f Montezuma. After having committed thofe ho!l:ilities with gre~t dtfliculty and .danger, on account of the efforts wh~ch the Mext.cans made to hmder them, Cortes founded a retreat, whtch was happtly effeCl:ed, although the rear-guard was inceffimtly harrafred by the troops of the. cnem~. The fame thing was performed by Sandoval and Alvarado m thell· qur~rter. This was indeed a day of great f~ti~ue to the Span~ard s and their allies, but likewi[e of unfpeakable affhCl:ton to the Mextcans, as much on account of fo many beautiful edifices which were detl:royed, ns the fcorn .and mockery they fuffered from their own vaffills who were leagued with the Spaniards, and from their mortal enemies the Tlafcalans, who, while they combated, il1ewed the arms and legs of the Mexicans whom they had {lain, and threatened to eat them that night to their fu pper, as in fatl: they did. The next day, in order to give no time to the Mexicans to dig the ditches which had been filled up, or repair the intrenchments which had bt:en beat down, Cortes !ct out early from his camp, in the fame manner as the preceding day; but, in fpite of his diligence, the Mexicans had already renewed the greater part of the fortifications, and defended them fo ob!l:inately, that the army of the beliegers could not take them till after a moil: furious engagement of five hours. The army pu!hcd forward, and took two ditches on the road of Tlacopa.n ; but the day being now near finifhed, they retired to their camp, .fighting all the way with the troops of the enemy, who fell upon the rearguard. The armies of Sandoval and Alvarado had fimilar conteft:s, the befieged being obliged to oppofe, at the fame time, three moil: numer-ous . H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. otls armies, fuperior to them in arms, in horfes, in the brigantines, and in military difcipline. Alvarado, on his fide, had now demolifhed all the houfcs, from one end to the other, on both. fides ·of the road of Tlacopan (e), for the habitations of the cnpital were continued on th.ut road unto the continent or main land, according to the acc0unts both of Cortes and Bernal Diaz. Cortes would willingly have faved his troops the trouble and fatjgue of daily repeating their engagements to take the fctrne ditches an·d intrenchments, but he could not leave a garrifon to preferve thofe acquifitions, without facrificing it to the fury of the enemy, nor was he willing to encamp withiJl the city, as fome of his cap tains advifed him; for, befides the ince.fl~lllt aff'ault which they . mufi have endured from the enemy, they could not from thence fo cafily as from the po£1: of Xoloc prevent fupplies from coming into the city. While fuccours were daily diminiibing to the befieged, thofe of the befiegers were gradually increafing; and at this very junCture they received one which was as advantageous for them as it was hurtful to ·the enemy. The inhabitants of the cities fituate upon the border and lit:tle iflands of the lake of Chalco, had been hitherto the enemies of the Spaniards, and could have done much damage to the camp of Cortes, if their troops had attacked it from one part of the road, while at the fame time the Mexicans had attacked it from another; but they had not attempted any hotl:ilities againfi: the Spaniards, perhaps becaufe they referved themfelves for fome very fa~ouring occafion. The Chalchefe, and other allies, who did not like the neighbourhood of fo many enemies, endeavoured to draw them over to their party, fometimes by promifes, fometimes by threats aBd vexations; and their importunity, and perhaps alfo the fear of revenge from the Spaniards, had fo much influenc-e , that the nobles of lztapalan, Mexicaltzinco, Colhuacan, Huitzilopochco, Mizquiz, and Cuitlahuac, which cities formed a con ... iiderable part of the Mexicaa vale, came to the camp to make a confederacy with the Spaniards. Cortes was extremely glad of their alliance, (e) Thcfe houfes were not built on the road itfclf, but upon little Hlnnds ncar to it, ou both fides. We do not find thnt the1·c was any other building IIJ.lOll t.he road but n temple, fituated on thnt pnrt where the road broadened out, and formed n li ttle fqun n:. This temple was taken by Alvarado, who J<cpt a ganifon there almoll the whole time of the liege. Vor .. II. Z and nooK x. .. ' S'Ec·r . XXI. ConfcdC' racy of fev er~! citi S 011 I h.: lake with the Spaniards. |