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relax in their hoftilities againft Sandoval. He now remained unmoleft- 

 ed in his infulated fituation, in a part of the town of Iztapalapa, between 

 which and Cuyoacan there were no means of communication but by a 

 caufeway which croffes the lake, and the paffage of which was imprac- 

 ticable in the face of the eneray. 



Cortes when he brought his flotilla upon the lake, firft went to 

 attack a rock which forms a fmall ifland juft by Mexico, and on which 

 many of the natives as well of that neighbourhood as of other parts had 

 taken refuge. As foon as the enemy difcovered his intention, their 

 whole force from every part of the lake proceeded againft him. Whea 

 our general perceived the immenfe number of large boats full of fight- 

 ing men, for it exceeded four thoufand, he drew his flotilla into an 

 open part of the lake, and ordered his captains to wait patiently for a 

 breeze of wind which was juft then begining to fpring up. The ene- 

 my thinking this was owing to fear, began to clofe round him with 

 great triumph, and juft at this moment the wind rifing in his favor, 

 the whole fleet fet fail, plying their oars at the fame time ; bearing down 

 upon the Mexican canoes in this manner, they funk a number of them, 

 and compelled the reft to take ftielter in the recefles on the fides of the 

 lake. 



After this Cortes failed for Cuyoacan. Here he had another at- 

 tack by the Mexicans, who aflailed his veflels from the temples on the 

 land, as well as with their canoes; but he brought four guns to bear 

 upon them, and did confiderable execution; although, by fome mif- 

 management of the gunners, his powder magazine blew up, wounding 

 many of his people. This misfortune obliged him to detach his light- 

 eft veflel to Sandoval for a fupply. At Cuyoacan he remained with the 

 flotilla for two days, and here I will leave him to relate what pafted in 

 the detachment of Alvarado. When we perceived that the flotilla was 

 upon the lake, we marched out upon the caufeway as far as the bridge, 

 where we pafted our time in a repetition of engagements with the ene- 

 my, but to little effed:, farther than repairing the paftes in our rear as 



we 



