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now attacked us with more violence. Sandoval received a blow on the 

 face with a ftone, and called to us loudly to retreat ; we not falling back 

 as faft as he wiftied, he called again to us, afking if we wanted to have 

 all the cavalry deftroyed. We then retreated until we reached our poft, 

 during the time of which, our two guns, under the direction of Me- 

 drano, though they frequently fwept the caufeway, could not prevent 

 the enemy from following us clofely. 



Here we were for a time at reft, and engaged in relating the events 

 which had happened at each poft, when on a fudden our ears were 

 Itruck by the horrific found of the great drum, the timbals, horns, and 

 trumpets, in the temple of the war god. We all direded our eyes thi- 

 ther, and fhocking to relate ! faw our unfortunate. countrymen driven by 

 force, cuffs, and baftinades, to the place where they were to be facrifi- 

 eed, which bloody ceremcmy was accompanied by the mournful found 

 of all the inftruments of the temple. We perceived that when they had 

 brought the unfortunate vid:ims t^ the flat fummit of the body of the 

 temple, where were the adoratories, they put plumes upon their heads, 

 and with a kind of fan in the hand of each, made them dance before 

 their accurfed idols. When they had done this, they laid them upon 

 their backs, on the ftone ufed for the purpofe, where they cut out their 

 hearts, alive, and having prefented them, yet palpitating, to their gods» 

 they drew the bodies down the fteps by the feet, where they were taken 

 by others of their priefts. Let the reader think what were our fenfa- 

 tions on this occafion. Oh heavenly God ! faid we to ourfelves, do 

 not fuffer us to be facrificed by thefe wretches ! do not fufter us to die 

 fo cruel a death! and then how (hocking a refledlion, that we were un- 

 able to relieve our poor friends who were thus murdered before our eyes ! 

 at this moment the enemy afl^iled our poft in great force, reviling us 

 and faying their gods had promifed us all to them. Our Indian allies 

 funk under the dreadful ideas they exprefled, when they threw among 

 them alfo fome of the mangled remains of their horrid feafts, other parts 

 being fent round all the neighbouring diftri^ls, as a triumphant me- 



morial. 



