58 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



they were able to make ufe of their artillery to drive off 

 the enemy. The brigantines were a good deal damaged, 

 the Spaniards wounded, and of the two captains who 

 commanded them, one was killed in the fight, and the 

 other died in three days of his wounds. The Mexicans 

 refitted their veffels to repeat the ftratagem, but Cortes 

 being fecretly informed of the place where they lay, dif- 

 pofed himfelf a counter-ambufcade of fix brigantines, and 

 profiting by the example of the enemy, he ordered one 

 brigantine to cruize near the place where the Mexican 

 veffels were in ambufh. Every thing fucceeded as he 

 had planned, for the Mexicans, upon feeing the brigan- 

 tine, pufhed out immediately from their ambufcade, and 

 when they imagined themfelves moft certain of their 

 prey, the other five brigantines came out impetuoufly 

 againfl them, and began to play off their artillery, with 

 the firft fire of which they overfet fome of the enemy's 

 veffels and routed the reft. The greater part of the 

 Mexicans perifhed in the attack, fome were made pri- 

 foners, and among them fome nobles, whom Cortes 

 thought immediately of employing to folicit fome accom- 

 modation with the court of Mexico. 



Thofe noble prifoners were accordingly fent to tell 

 king Quauhtemotzin that he fhould reflecl: how much 

 the forces of Mexico were daily diminifhing, while, at 

 the fame time, thofe of the Spaniards were augmenting: 

 that at the laft they would be obliged to yield to fupe- 

 rior ftrength ; that although the Spaniards did not enter 

 the capital to commit hoftilities, in order to reduce them, 

 it would be fufficient alone to hinder them from receiv- 

 ing any fupplies*, that they might ftill ihun the difafters 

 which awaited them ; that if they would accede to pro- 

 pofitions of peace, he would immediately ceafe all hofti- 



litiesj 



