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wounded men who were able to march to turn out. The horfes when 

 firft brought to land were very dull and torpid, but in the courfe of a 

 day they recovered their fpirit. Several of our beft and moft alert young 

 men were at this time taken fo ill and weak by an ailment in the reins, 

 that they could not ftand on their feet, or help themfelves : we could 

 only account for it from their good living in Cuba, and the heat of the 

 weather, and weight of their arms. Cortes ordered them to be put on 

 board the fliips, and afligning the horfes to the beft horfemen, he fur- 

 niflied each with a breaftplate with bells hanging to it, and gave his 

 cavalry general inftrudtions not to halt, or make thrufts with the lance, 

 until the enemy were put to flight, but in their attack to point at their 

 facQS. He feledted the following officers and foldiers to ferve in the- 

 cavalry. Chriftoval deOli, P. deAlvarado, A. H. Puertocarrero, J. de- 

 Efcalante, F. de Montejo, Alonzo de Avila, J. V. de Leon, Francifco 

 de Morla, Lares (called by way of diftindion the good horfeman,) 

 Gonzalo Dominguez another excellent horfeman, Moron del Bayamo,. 

 and P. Gonzales de Truxillo. This body was commanded by Cortes in 

 perfon. The artillery he put under the command of Mefa, th€ infantry 

 under that of Diego de Ordas, and the colours were borne by Anthonio 

 de Villaroel. Being thus arranged and appointed, our whole force 

 took the field early on the morning of the day of our lady in the month 

 of March, after hearing mafs, and proceeded to the plain of Cintia, our 

 cavalry making a circuit in order to avoid fome marfhy ground. 



Having marched about a league we faw the enemy in the plain ia 

 our front, advancing againft us, founding their trumpets, horns, and. 

 drums, with plumes of feathers on their heads, their faces painted black,,, 

 red, and white, all of them bearing defenfive armour of quilted cotton,, 

 and fhields, and their oflPenfive arms confifting of large bows and ar- 

 rows, lances, two handed fwords, darts, and flings. Their numbers 

 covered the whole plain, and they fell upon us furioufly, wounding 

 above feventy of our foldiers by the firft difcharge of their miffile 

 weapons. One foldier fell inftantly dead by an arrow which pierced 

 his ear : his name was Saldana, The enemy then clofed upon and 



fought 



