with 



DESPERATE BATTLES. 125 



mitted, provided they would be good Chris- 

 tians and loyal subjects thereafter. But tlie 

 Indians only made sport of him and laughed 

 heartily at his propositions. He then sent a 

 detachment to dislodjje them : but was event- 

 ually obliged 



the efficient men he had. The battle con- 

 tinued the whole day, during which a great 

 number of Indians and some Spaniards were 

 killed. But late in the evenmg, the Teguas, 

 Taos as and others, were seen pouring down 

 upon the city from the north, when the troops 

 had to abandon the advantages they had 



gained, and fly to the defence of the fortifica- 

 tions. 



The siege had now continued for nine days, 

 during wliich the force of the Indians had 

 constantly been on the increase. Within the 

 last forty-eight hours they had entirely deprived 

 the city of water by turning off the stream 

 which had hitherto supplied it ; so that the 

 horses and other stock were dying of thirst. 

 Ihe want of water and provisions becoming 

 more and more insupportable every moment, 

 and seeing no chance of rescue or escape, 

 Governor Otermin resolved to make a sortie 

 the next morning, and die with sword in 



hand, rather than perish so miserably for 

 Want of suppHes. At sunrise he made a des- 

 perate charge upon the enemy, whom, not- 

 withstanding the inferiority of his forces, he 

 Was soon able to dislodge. Their ranks be- 

 coming entirely disordered, more than three 



hundred were slain, and an abundance of 



11 



