The battayle of Otumpan, a notable victory.

TOC

The Inhabitants of Tlacopan, knewe not how our men came spoyled, hurte, and ouerthrowen, and againe our men stoode in a maze, and knew not what to doe nor whither to goe. Cortes came vnto them, & cōforted them & placed them in order before him, requyring them to make hast, vntill they might come into the broade field, before such tyme as the men of Tlacopan should heare of the newes passed, & so to arme thēselues and to ioyne with fourtie thousande Mexicans, who after the mournyng for their friends, came marchyng after them. He placed in the vantgard the Indians his friēds, and passed through certayne tilled grounde, and continually fought as they went, vntill they came to a high hill, where was a tower and a Temple, whiche is called our Lady churche at this day.

A vvery iourney.

The Indians slewe some of the Spaniardes whiche came in the reregard, and many of their Indian friends, before they could get vp to the toppe of the hill. They loste muche of the golde, that had remayned, and with greate hazarde escaped through the multitude of Indians with life, their horses whiche remayned aliue, were foure and twentie, who were tyred both with trauell and hunger, & the Spaniardes their maisters, with the residue coulde scarsely stirre hande or foote with wearinesse of fightyng, and penurie of hunger, for al that day and night they ceassed not from fight, eating nothing at all.

A payneful man.

In this Temple were reasonable lodgings, where they fortified themselues as well as they myght, and dranke one to an other, but theyr supper was very slēder. After their simple feast was ended, they went and beheld an infinite number of Indians, whiche had beset them almost round about, makyng a maruellous shoute and crie, knowyng that they were without victuals, whiche onely is a warre worser than to fight with the enimie. They made many fires with the woodde of sacrifice, rounde about the tower and Temple, & with this pollicie, at midnight departed secretely. It happened that they had Tlaxcalteca to be their guide, who knew well the way, assuring to bring them into the iurisdiction of Tlaxcallan: with this guide they began to iourney. Cortes placed his wounded men and fardage in the middest of his company, the souldiours that were whole and in health, he deuided into the vantgarde & reregarde: he could not passe so secretly, but y^t they were espied by the Indian scoute, whiche was neare at hand, who gaue aduise therof incōtinent. Fiue horsemē which went before to discouer, fell among certayne cōpanies of Indians, which attended their cōming to robbe thē, & seing the horsemen, they suspected that the whole army was at hand, whervpon they fled, but yet seing them few in number stāde and ioyned with the other Mexicans that followed & pursued our men thrée leagues vntil they came to a hill where was an other temple with a good tower & lodgyng, where they lodged that night without supper. They departed in the mornyng from thence, and wente through a cragged & naughty way, to a great towne the enhabitantes whereof were fledde for feare, so that they abode there two daies to rest thēselues, to cure their mē, & horses: also they somewhat eased their hūgery stomakes and carried frō thence prouision, although not muche, for they had none to carrie it. And being departed frō thence, many enimies pursued them & persecuted them very sore. Likewise y^e guide erred out of his way, & at lēgth came to a little village of few houses, where they reposed y^e night. In the morning they procéeded vpon their way, and the enimies still pursuyng and troubled them sore all the day.

Cortes vvounded vvith a slyng.

Oh noble Cortez.

Cortes was woūded with the stripe of a sling, and therewith was in greate daunger of life, for his head so rancbled, that of necessitie they were forced to take out certaine péeces of his skull, whervpon he was driuen to séeke a solitarie place in the wildernesse to cure him, and in goyng thitherwardes, the enimies wounded fiue Spaniardes and foure horses, whereof one died, and that was eaten among them for a sumptuous supper, and yet not sufficient for them all, for there was none of them whiche were not vexed with hunger. I speake not of their woundes and wearinesse, things sufficient to haue made an ende of lyfe. But certainely the Spanishe nation can abide more hunger than any other, and especially these with Cortes dyd shewe the proofe. The nexte day in the mornyng departing from a litle Village, and fearyng the multitude of enimies, Cortes commaunded eche horseman to take a sicke manne behinde him, and those that were somewhat stronger, to holde by the horse tayles and stirroppes: he likewise made cruches for other some to ease them, and woulde not leaue one of his men behinde him to be a pray and supper for the Indian enimies. This aduise was very profitable as things fell out, yea also there were some of them that carried vpon their backe their fellowes, & thereby were saued. They had not iourneyed a full league into a playne fielde, when there mette them an infinite number of Indians who compassed them round aboute, and assaulted our men in such sorte, that they verily beléeued that day to ende generally their liues, for there were many Indians that durst wrastell with our men, man to man, yea and layd some of them in the duste, and drewe them by the héeles, whether it were with the great courage whiche they had, or whether it were with the trauayle, hunger and hurtes of our men I know not, but great pittie it was to sée, how they were drawen by the Indian enimies, and what grieuous mone they made.

Oh valiant Cortez.

200000. Indians.

Cortes that wente with vigilant care comfortyng his men, as muche as was possible to doe, and well perusing the great daunger that they were in, commendyng himselfe to God, sette spurres to his horse and made way thorow the greatest troupe of Indians, and came vnto the captayne generall who bare the Royall standart of Mexico, and passed him through with his Lance, whereof he incontinent died. But when the Indians sawe the standart fallen, they threw their auncient on the grounde and fled, scattering them here and there like men amazed, knowing not whither to fly, for such is their custome in warre, that when they sée the generall slayne, they forthwith leaue the fielde. Then our wery soules began to recouer hart and strength, and the horsemen followed thē to their great anoyance and slaughter. It was credibly reported, that there were that day in fielde .200000. Indians. And the fielde where this battayle was fought is called Otumpan: there was neuer a more notable facte done in India, nor greater victorie since the first discouery of the same. And as manye Spaniardes as sawe Hernando Cortes fighte that day, did holde opinion, that neuer one man did more greater feates in armes, and that he only was the meane in his owne person to saue and deliuer them all.