HISTORY OF MEXICO* 



61 



Quauhnahuac and Malinalca, had a pitched battle with 

 the enemy, defeated and purfued them to the foot of the 

 mountain, on whofe top the city of Malinalca flood. He 

 could not, according to his wifh, make an affault upon it, 

 as it was inacceffible to his cavalry, but he laid the 

 country wafte, and the ten days being now expired, 

 which was the time of abfence prefcribed him, he re- 

 turned to the camp. 



Two days after, meffengers from the Otomies of the 

 valley of Tolloccan arrived at the lame camp, praying 

 aid againfl the Matlatzincas, a powerful and warlike na- 

 tion of the fame valley, who kept them continually at 

 war, had burned one of their fettlements, made many 

 of them prifoners, and befides had agreed with the Mex- 

 icans to attack with all their forces the camp of Cortes, 

 by the way of the main land while the Mexicans attack- 

 ed them from the city. In the entries which the Spani- 

 ards had made into Mexico, they had fometimes heard 

 the Mexicans threaten them with the power of the Mat- 

 latzincas, and Cortes now perceived, from the account 

 of the Otomies, the great danger he would run, if he 

 fliould give the enemy an opportunity of putting their 

 defign in execution. He would not truft this expedition 

 to any other than the brave and gallant Sandoval. This 

 indefatigable officer, although he had been wounded on 

 the day of the defeat of Cortes, had a£ted for fome days 

 as general, inceffantly going round the three camps, 

 making the beft difpofition for their fecurity. Scarcely 

 fourteen days elapfed after the defeat of Cortes, when 

 he marched towards the valley of Tolloccan with eigh- 

 teen horfes, a hundred Spanifh infantry, and iixty thou- 

 fand allies. In their way they faw fome marks of devas- 

 tation committed by the Matlatzincas, and when they 



entered 



