This sorowfull night, which was the tenth of July in An .1520. were slaine aboute .450. Spaniardes, 4000. Indian friends, and .46. horse, yea & (as I iudge) all the prisoners which were in his company. If this mishap had fortuned in the day time, possible so many and so great a nūber had not perished. But where it fortuned by night, the noyse of the wounded was sorrowful, & of the victors horrible and feareful. The Indians cried victory, calling vpon their diuelish and filthy Goddes with ioy & pleasure, our men being ouercome, cursed their vnfortunate lot, yea the hower, and he that brought them thither, others cried vnto God for succour, others sayd helpe, help, for I stande in daūger of drowning. I know not certenly whether moe perished in the water or the lande, hopyng to saue themselues by swimming and leapyng ouer the sluces and broken places, for they say, that a Spaniarde was no sooner in the water, but an Indian was vppon his backe. They haue great dexteritie & skill in swimming, so that catching any Spaniarde in the water, they would take him by the one arme, and carrie him whither they pleased, yea & would vnpanch him in the water. If these Indians had not occupied themselues in taking the spoyle of those that were fallen and slaine, certenly one Christian had not escaped that day: but in fine, the greatest number of Spaniardes that were killed, were those that went moste laden with golde plate and other iewels, & those which escaped, were they that carried least burdens, & the first that with noble courage made way to passe through the troupe of Indians.
Nowe wée may safely say, that the couetous desire of gold, wherof they had plenty, was cause of their death, and they may answere that they died riche. After that those, whiche had escaped, were paste the calsey, the Indians stayed and followed them no further, eyther for that they contented themselues with that whiche they had done, or else they durst not fight in open fields: But principally it is thought, that they abode to mourne and lament for the death of Mutezuma his chyldren, not knowing till then their sorrowfull ende. But nowe seyng the thyng present before their eyes, they wrang theyr hands, and made a pitifull dole and crie, and the rather, bycause they themselues had slayne them against their willes.
The battayle of Otumpan, a notable victory.
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 yt 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 ye guide erred out of his way, & at lēgth came to a little village of few houses, where they reposed ye night. In the morning they procéeded vpon their way, and the enimies still pursuyng and troubled them sore all the day.