Roger the Bold: A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico

by F. S. Brereton

"Not a great number," was the answer; "for, of those who fell, quite half sank beneath the water of the lake, where they lie now."

"Then you must send men with poles and hooks at the end, and must recover the arms," said Roger, with emphasis. "Then portions of the armour must be used to manufacture lance heads, while men must be practised in the use of the sword. Others must be trained to use the crossbow, which can easily be constructed here. I will give the plans, and I advise that the work be carried out at once."

"There will be no delay," answered the noble. "Tell our men how to proceed, and a hundred weapons will be ready in two days' time. And now for other matters. The king has already spoken of stores and of the causeways."

"You must decide to meet them outside the city," said Roger, thoughtfully. "You must fall on them at night, cut off their baggage, and endeavour to capture their guns and ammunition. Then I should build forts where the causeways and the aqueducts commence, for the latter in particular must be defended to the very last. Finally, I advise that we go to the top of the tower again, where we can see the whole city, and from which point we can pick out the spots which most require defending."

There was a murmur of approval, and several of the nobles leapt to their feet and began to discuss the matter eagerly. Guatemozin nodded his approval, and came to Roger's side.

"These crossbows could be handed to our best bowmen," he said, "and then you might train them for us. How many do you advise us to have."

"As many as you can construct," answered Roger, promptly. "Your own bows are useless against the Spanish armour, but a shaft from a crossbow will often penetrate, particularly if aimed at a vulnerable spot, or at the face. Then the men with the lances should be trained together, and put under a leader. It will be their task to charge down upon the Spaniards when they are gathering strongly, and particularly to meet the rush of the horsemen. Let them be armed with short swords or knives, and then, if the horsemen beat down the lances, the men should throw themselves on to the ground, and as the Spaniards pass, leap on their backs or drag them from the saddle."

"The advice is good," said Guatemozin, thoughtfully. "The lances will hold the enemy back, while the crossbows will bring death to their ranks. But we must have some suggestion for the causeways. They will fight their way among those, and these brigantines will lie on one side and take us in the flank."

This, in fact, was the very reason for their construction, for the wily Cortes had long ago seen that a powerful enemy could hold his men in check on the narrow causeway. If, however, he could keep their boats from the water, and could advance there himself, he would, with the help of his guns, be able to drive the enemy back, and so gain the causeway without much loss.

"You cannot stop the brigantines if the water is deep," said Roger, after a while. "If shallow, you might drive in numbers of piles."