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by him amounted to about forty. With Sandoval remained the. chief 

 of Guaxocingo, with about fifty, and in ours the brave Chichimecate-.. 

 cle, the two fons of our friend D. Lorenzo de Vargas, and about eighty 

 Tlafcalans. Being queftioned as to the flight of their countrymen they 

 faid, that the gods of the Mexicans had predided our deftrudion ; that 

 they faw us all wounded, and many killed, that their owrr lofs-was 

 above one thoufand two hundred killed, and that the younger Xicoten- 

 ga had from the firft foretold that we fhould be all put to death; and 

 therefore, confidering us as loft, their countrymen had quitted us. Cor- 

 tes though he thought what they faid much too true, put on a chear- 

 ful appearance, ridiculed the predidlions of the enemy, and afTured them 

 that all would do well. He thereby was fortunate enough to induce 

 the few who yet remained to ftay with us to the laft. The Indian Don 

 Carlos, a brave and wife man now reprefented to Cortes the erroneous 

 fyftem on which he had adled, and alfo that which the fituation of the 

 enemy pointed out, advifing him not to fuffer his troops to fight. "Cut 

 1 *' off" faid he "their provifions and water; there are in Mexico fo ma- 

 " ny Xiquipils of warriors, how can they fubfift? their provifions muft 

 " at fome time be expended, the water which they get from the wells 

 " is fait, and they have no refource but from the frequent rains; fight 

 " them by hunger and thirft, and do not throw away your own force." 

 Cortes embraced D. Carlos for his advice; not that the fame had not 

 occurred to many of us before, but we were too impatient. 



Cortes began upon his new fyftem, by fending orders to all th« 

 detachments to remain in their quarters for the next three days. As 

 the enemy were fo ftrong upon the lake, we always fent out two veflels 

 in company ; they had now acquired the method of breaking through 

 the pallifadoes by the force of oars and fails, when there was a good 

 wind. Thus we were mafters of the lake, and alfo of all the houfes 

 which were at any little diftance from the city. This flackened the 

 triumphs of the Mexicans. As our veflels broke through the enemy's 

 pallifadoes, they could flank us wliile we carried on our work, filling 



the 



