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val met with lefs violent oppolition than that which fell to the lot of the 

 divifion of Alvarado, to which I belonged. In our attack upon the. 

 firft dike, moft of the Spaniards received wounds, one was killed, , and 

 above one thoufand of our allies killed or wounded. Cortes at firfl bore • 

 down all before him, and having driven the enemy from a poft where 

 the Water was very deep and the cauleway very narrow, he was induced . 

 to purfue them in their retreat to the city, his Indian allies crouding- 

 clofe after the Spaniards. The enemy induced him by frequent halts 

 and feigned attacks to continue the purfuit, and the caufeway had been 

 narrowed, to anfwer their defign. It was the will of our Lord that 

 Cortes and his captains fhould be fo negligent as to omit filling the 

 ditch, which they had palled. The caufeway was alfo in fome parts 

 covered with water, and deep in mud. When the enemy faw our Cor- 

 tes thus run into the trap which they had laid, multitudes in canoes fal^ 

 lied out againft him and took him on his flanks and rear, his own • 

 veffels not being able to approach on account of the pallifadoes. It be- 

 came now neceffary for the troops to retreat, which they did at firfl: with 

 great regularity, but when tliey came to the narrow pafs I have before 

 mentioned, the difficulty of the ground, with the fury of the attack, 

 from a retreat turned it into a race, our people flying before the enemy 

 without attempting to defend themfelves. Our Cortes ufed every exer- 

 tion to rally them but in vain ; he received a wound in the leg from the • 

 enemy on board the canoes at the pafs, where they killed fix of our hor- 

 fes, and carried off feventy two Spaniards alive. Six chiefs feized upon 

 Cortes, but it was the will of God that he fhould efcape,. for that vali- 

 ant foldier Chrifto val de Olea, feeing his general's danger, flew to his 

 afliflance, as did another brave man named Lerma. Olea with his own 

 hand killed four of the fix Mexican chiefs ^ gallantly lofing his own life 

 in defence of his general, and Lerma efcaped with the greatefl: difficulty. 

 Other foldiers now arrived to the afiTiftance of our Cortes j amongfi: the 

 number was Quinones captain of his guards. They took him out of 

 the water in their arms, and placing him on a horfe, hurried him oft" 

 from the crowd of enemies, and fhortly after, his major domo named 

 Chriftoval de Guzman brought one of his own horfes for him. The 



enemy 



