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row pafles like roads between them, we found another very ftrong for- 

 trefs fimilar to that we had juft been repulfed from. We now defifted 

 for the prefent, and returned to our former pofition, in order to procure 

 water, the men and horfes not having drank during the whole day. 

 We found fome fprings at the foot of the rock, but the numbers of the 

 enemy had drained them, and left nothing but mud. We then pro- 

 ceeded to the other fortrefs which we had obferved ; there was a dif- 

 tance of about a league and a half between the two. Here, in a grove 

 of mulberry trees we found a fountain, but very fcanty of water, and 

 under thefe trees we halted for fome time. At the foot of the rock 

 whereon the fort was, flood a fmall village. The people above began 

 at our approach to (hoot at us, and appeared in much more confiderable 

 numbers than in the former place, and their fituation was fuch that no 

 (hot from us could take effed: upon them. For fome diftance from the 

 level ground, there was an appearance of paths up the rock, but it al- 

 together prefented extreme difficulties. 



• On the enfuing day we attacked, our principal body climbing the 

 rock very flowly and with great fatigue, nor could we have ever afcend- 

 ed to the works, for they were wounding and deftroying us by rolling 

 down mall'es of rock on our heads, but that fortunately for us there was 

 within (hot of the poft another rock which commanded it, and to this 

 all our fire arms and crofsbow-men were detached and although they 

 were rather too far off to have much effect, yet having killed feveral of 

 the enemy over their ramparts, it threw them off their defence, and they 

 offered to fubmit. Cortes called for five of their chiefs to defcend, and 

 reprehending them for having been the aggreffors, he told them that he 

 would pardon them on condition that they induced thofe who were in 

 the other fortrefs to give themfelves up, which they undertook to do. 

 Cortes then ordered the two captains Juan Xaramillo and Pedro de Ircio, 

 and the enfign. Corral, to afcend to the fort which had been furrendered, 

 bidding me accompany them, and he at the fame time warned us not to 

 touch a fingle grain of maiz. This expreflion I confidered as implying 

 that we fhould do ourfelves what good we had in our power. We 



found 



