HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



73 



moft laviftily fpilt ; the wretched citizens, having now 

 neither arms to repel the multitude and fury of their 

 enemies, ftrength to defend themfelves, nor fpace to fight 

 upon; the ground of the city was covered with dead 

 bodies, and the water of every ditch and canal purpled 

 with blood. Nothing was to be feen but {laughter and 

 ruin, and nothing was heard but piteous moans and cries 

 of defperation. The allies grew {till more cruel againft 

 that miferable people, and gave the Spaniards more 

 trouble to check their fiercenefs and inhuman rage, than 

 to combat with the enemy. The havoc made of the 

 Mexicans that day was fo great, that, according to the 

 account of Cortes himfelf, the number of victims ex- 

 ceeded forty thoufand. 



The intolerable ftench arifing from fo many unburied 

 dead carcafes, obliged the befiegers at this time to with- 

 draw from the city : but the day after, being the thir- 

 teenth of Auguft, they returned, to give the lad alfault 

 to that diftricl: of Tlatelolco which yet remained in the 

 poffefllon of the Mexicans. Cortes carried three pieces 

 of artillery with him, alligned to each captain the place 

 where he was to make the aifault, and commanded them 

 to make every exertion to force the befieged to throw 

 themfelves upon the water towards that place where he 

 expe&ed Sandoval with the briganiines, which was a 

 fort of harbour entirely furrounded with houfes, where 

 the veffels of the merchants ufed to come on ihore when 

 they came to the market of Tlatelolco; and, above all, 

 to endeavour to feize the king Quauhtemotzin, as that 

 was fufficient to render them matters of the city, and to 

 put an end to the war : but before he proceeded to this 

 decifive blow, he made new attempts to bring about an 

 accommodation. He was induced to this, not only from 



Vol. III. L compaffion 



