The threatning of the Indian campe agaynst the Spanyardes.

TOC

A present.

A reckning made before the hoste.

Battayle.

These Indians were great braggers, and sayde among themselues, what madde people are these that threatneth vs and yet knoweth vs not. But if they will be so bolde to inuade our countrey without our licence, let vs not sette vpon them so soone, it is méete they haue a litle reste, for we haue tyme inough to take & binde them, let vs also sende them meate for they are commen with empty stomackes: And againe they shall not say that we do apprehende them with wearinesse and hunger. Wherevpon they sent vnto the Christians thrée hundreth Gynnea cockes, and two hundreth baskets of bread called Centli. The whiche present was a great sucker for the néede that they stoode in. And soone after (quoth they) nowe let vs goe and sette vpon them, for by this time they haue eaten their meate, and nowe wée will eate them, and so shall they pay vs the victuals that we sent: likewise we wil know if Mutezuma commaunded them to come into our countrey, or who else. And if he sente them, then let him come and deliuer them: and if it be their owne enterpryse, they shall receyue theyr reward accordingly. These and such like bragges they vsed, seing so fewe Spaniardes before them, and not knowyng their strength. Then the foure Captaynes sente twoo thousande of their valiantest men of warre and olde Souldiers, to take the Spanyardes quietly, with commaundement that if they did resist, either to binde them or else to kill them, meanyng not to sette their whole army vpon them, saying that they shoulde gette but small honour for so great a multitude, to fight agaynst so fewe. The twoo thousande Souldiers passed the trench that was betwixt the twoo campes, and came boldely to the Tower where the Christians were. Then came foorth the Horsemen, and after them the footemen, and at the first encounter they made the Indians féele howe the yron swordes woulde cutte: and at the seconde, they shewed of what force those fewe in number were, of whome a little before they had so iested: But at the thirde brunte they made those lusty Souldiers fly, who were come to apprehende them, for none of them escaped, but onely suche as knewe the passage of the trenches or ditche.

Then the mayne battell and whole army sette foorth with a terrible and maruellous noyse, and came so fierce vppon our menne, till they entred into our campe without any resistaunce, and there were at handye strokes and wrastlyng with the Spanyardes, and in a good space coulde not gette them out, killyng many of them whiche were so bolde to enter: and in this sorte they fought foure howers, before they coulde make way among their enimies. And then the Indians began to faynt, seyng so many dead on theyr side, and the greate woundes they had, and that they coulde kill none of the Christians: yet the battayle ceased not till it drewe neare night and then they retyred. Whereof Cortes and his Souldiers were excéedyng gladde, for they were fully weried with killyng of Indians, so that all that nighte our men triumphed with more ioy than feare, consideryng that the Indians fought not by night, they slepte and tooke their reste at pleasure, whiche they had not done til that tyme, but alwayes kept bothe watche and warde.

The Indians finding many of their hoste missyng, yet they would not yéelde themselues as ouercome, as after did appeare. They coulde not well tell howe many were slayne, nor yet our men had leasure to count them.

Cortes vvas a painfull man.

The nexte day in the mornyng Cortes wente forth to runne the fieldes as he had done before, leauing halfe his menne to kéepe the campe, and bicause he shoulde not be espied he departed before day, & burned aboute .x. townes, and sacked one towne, whiche was of thrée thousande houses, in the whiche were founde but few folke of fight, bycause the moste of them were gone to their campe: After the spoyle, he set fire on the towne and came his way to his campe with a great pray by noone time. The enimies pursued thinkyng to take away their pray, and followed them into the camp, where they fought fiue houres and could not kill one Spaniarde, although many of their side were slaine: for euen as they were many and stoode on a throng togither, the ordinaunce made a wonderfull spoyle among them, so that they lefte off fighting, and the victory remayned for our men. The Indians thought that the Spanyardes were inchaunted bycause their arrowes coulde not hurte them.

A straunge presente.

The nexte day followyng, the foure Captaynes sente thrée seuerall things in present to Cortes, and the messengers that brought them sayd: Sir behold here fiue slaues, and if thou be that rigorous God that eatest mans fleshe and bloud, eate these whiche we bring vnto thée, and we will bring thée moe. And if thou be the gentle and méeke God, beholde here Franckinsense and Feathers. And if thou be mortal man, take here foule, bread, & Cherries.

Cortes answered, that both he and his were mortal men euen as they were. And bicause that alwayes he had vsed to tell them trouth, wherfore did they vse to tell him lies, and lykewise to flatter him, for he desired to bée their friende, aduising them not to be madde and stubborne in their opinion, for if they so did, assuredly they shoulde receyue great hurte and dammage. Likewise (quoth he) it is apparant vnto you how many of your side are slayne without the losse of one of mine, and with this answere sent them away. Notwithstanding the answere sent, there came aboute .30000. of them euen to Cortes his campe to proue their Corselettes, as they had done the day before, but they returned with brokē pates. Here is to be noted, that although the first day the whole host of Indians came to combat with our men, & finally all they came to fight, yet the next day they did not so, but euery seueral captaine by himselfe, for to deuide the better the trauayle & paynes equally amōg them: & bicause that one should not disturbe another through y^e multitude, considering that they should fight but with a few, & in a narrow place, & for this consideration, their battayles were more fresher & stronger, for eche captaine did contende who should do most valiantly, for to get honour, & especially in killyng one Spaniarde, for they thought that all their hurtes shoulde be satisfied with the death of one Spaniarde, or taking one prisoner.

Indian policie.

Likewyse is to bée considered, the straungenesse of their battayle, for not withstandyng their controuersse all those fiftene dayes that they were there, whether they fought or no. The Indians sente vnto the Spanyardes cakes of breade, Gynnea cockes and Cherries. But this polycie was not to giue them that meate for good will, but onely to espie and sée what hurte was done amongst them, and also to sée what feare or stomacke they had to procéede: but the Spanyardes fell not into that reckenyng, for the espies of Tlaxcallan sayde, that none had fought with them but certayne outlawes and knaues called Otomies, who lyued as vagaboundes without a Lorde or other ruler: And that they were théeues, who had theyr abyding behinde a hill, whiche they poynted vnto with their hande.