Note 51 — Chapter II · ORIGIN AND LANDSCAPE (B) THE GROUP OF THE HIGHER CULTURES

According to Prescott, Cortez’s force on landing had thirteen hand firearms and fourteen cannon, great and small, altogether. The whole of these were lost in the first defeat at Mexico. Later a pure accident gave Cortez the contents of a supply-ship from Europe. In a military sense horses contributed to the Spanish victories nearly if not quite as much as firearms, but these, too, were in small numbers, sixteen at the outset.—Tr.