HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



25 



culty through a fhower of darts and (tones, than he or- 

 dered a retreat ; for, befides that he perceived the at- 

 tempt to be rafli and more dangerous than fruitful, an 

 army of the enemy came in fight, marching towards the 

 fame place, with an intent to attack the Spaniards be- 

 hind, when they were moft engaged in the afiault. Cor- 

 tes immediately made againft them, with his troops well 

 formed. The battle lafted a fliort time, for the enemy 

 foon finding their inferiority of flrength, quickly aban- 

 doned the field. The Spaniards purfued them upwards 

 of an hour and a half, until they were entirely routed. 

 The lofs of the Spaniards on this occafion was almofl 

 nothing, but in the afiault of the mountain eight were 

 killed and many of them wounded. 



The third which diftreffed the army, and the intima- 

 tion which Cortes had of another mountam three miles 

 off fimilarly occupied, forced him to march towards that 

 part. He obferved on one fide of the moi ntain two lof- 

 ty rocks, defended by many warriors ; but they, think- 

 ing that the Spaniards would attempt the afiault on the 

 fide oppofite, abandoned the rocks, and repaired where 

 they apprehended mod danger. Cortes, who knew well 

 how to profit by all conjunctures which either fortune, 

 or the imprudence of his enemies prefented, ordered one 

 of his captains to endeavour to occupy one of the rocks 

 with a competent number of men, while he employed 

 the befieged on the oppofite quarter. He began then 

 to afcend, though not without the utmofl difficulty ; but 

 when he had reached a pod as high as that taken by the 

 enemy, he faw the Spanifh flag hoiiled upon one of the 

 rocks. The enemy finding themfelves attacked on both 

 fides, and having already begun to feel the lofs which 

 the fire-arms occafioned among them, furrendered. Cor- 



Vol. III. E tes 



