FIGHT AND REVERSES OF THE SPANIARDS. 



67 



success of Cortez, in all his engagements by land and water, his 

 victorious incursions into the very heart of the city, and the general 

 odium which was cherished against the central power of the empire 

 by all the tributary tribes and dependant provinces, combined, at 

 this moment, to aid the efforts of the conqueror in cutting off sup- 

 plies from the famishing capital. The great towns and small 

 villages in the neighborhood threw off their allegiance, and the 

 camps of the Spanish leaders thronged with one hundred and fifty 

 thousand auxiliaries selected from among the recreants. The 

 Spaniards were amply supplied with food from these friendly 

 towns, and never experienced the sufferings from famine that were 

 soon to overtake the beleagured capital. 



At length the day was fixed for a general assault upon the city 

 by the two divisions under Alvarado and Cortez. As usual, the 

 battle was preceded by the celebration of mass, and the army then 

 advanced in three divisions up the most important streets. They 

 entered the town, cast down the barricades which had been erected 

 to impede their progress, and, with remarkable ease, penetrated 

 even to the neighborhood of the market-place. But the very 

 facility of their advance alarmed the cautious mind of Cortez, and 

 induced him to believe that this slack resistance was but designed 

 to seduce him farther and farther within the city walls until he 

 found himself beyond the reach of succor or retreat. This made 

 him pause. His men, more eager for victory and plunder than 

 anxious to secure themselves by filling up the canals and clearing 

 the streets of their impediments, had rushed madly on without 

 taking proper precaution to protect their rear, if the enemy became 

 too hot in front. Suddenly the horn of Guatemozin was heard 

 from a neighboring Teocalli, and the flying Indians, at the sacred 

 and warning sound, turned upon the Spaniards with all the 

 mingled feeling of reinspired revenge and religion. For a while 

 the utmost disorder prevailed in the ranks of the invaders, Span- 

 iards, Tlascalans, Tezcocans and Otomies, were mixed in a com- 

 mon crowd of combatants. From the tops of houses ; from con- 

 verging streets; from the edges of canals, — crowds of Aztecs 

 swarmed and poured their vollies of javelins, arrows and stones. 

 Many were driven into the lake. Cortez himself had nigh fallen a 

 victim in the dreadful melee, and was rescued with difficulty. 

 Meanwhile, Alvarado and Sandoval had penetrated the city from 

 the western causeway, and aided in stemming the onslaught of 

 the Aztecs. For a while the combined forces served to check the 



