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fingle, it alfo rained fo heavily that fome of the horfes were terrifyed» 

 and growing reftive fell into the water, and the bridge was broken in at 

 the fame time. The enemy attacked us here now with redoubled 

 fury, and our foldiers making a ftout refiftance, the aperture of water 

 was foon filled with the dead and dying men, and horfes, and thofe who 

 were ftruggling to efcape, all heaped together, with artillery, packs, and 

 bales of baggage, and thofe who carried them. Many were drowned 

 here, and many put into the canoes and carried off for facrifice. It Was 

 dreadful to hear the cries of the unfortunate fufterers, calling for affif- 

 tance and invoking the Holy Virgin or St. Jago, while others who 

 efcaped by fwimming, or by clambering upon the chefts, bales of bag- 

 gage, and dead bodies, earneftly begged for help to get up to the caufe- 

 way. Many who on their reaching the ground thought themfelves fafe, 

 were there feized or knocked in the head with clubs. 



Away went whatever regularity had been in the march at firft j for 

 Cortes and the captains and foldiers who were mounted clapt fpurs to 

 their horfes and gallopped off, along the caufeway ; nor can I blame 

 them, for the cavalry could do nothing againfl the enemy, of any efFedt; 

 for when they attacked them, the latter threw themfelves into the wa- 

 ter on each fide the caufeway, and others from the houfes with arrows, or 

 on the ground with large lances, killed the horfes. It is evident we could 

 make no battle with them in the water, and without powder, and in the; 

 night, what elfe could we do than what we did; which was, to join 

 in bodies of thirty or forty foldiers, and when the Indians clofed upon 

 us, to drive them off with a few cuts and thrufls of our fwords, and then 

 hurry on, to get over the caufeway as foon as we could. As to waiting 

 for one another, that would have lofl us all j and had it happened in 

 the day time, things would have been even worfe with us. The efcape 

 of fuch as were fortunate enough to effect it, was owing to Gods mer- 

 cy, who gave us force to do fo j for the very fight of the number of the 

 enemy who furrounded us, and carried off our companions in their ca- 

 noes to facrifice, was terrible. About fifty of us, foldiers of Cortes, 

 and fome of thofe of Narvaez, went together in a body, by the caufe- 

 way i 



