HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



311 



ble, not to fay difficult, for victims to liberate themfelves, 

 not only on account of the clofenefs of the cage which 

 confined them, but alfo the vigilance of the guards which 

 watched them ; and (till more fo, becaufe there is no me- 

 mory among thofe nations that the Tlafcalans had ever 

 failed in the refpect due to the characters of ambafla- 

 dors, and efpecially where they were fo ftrictly connect- 

 ed in friendftiip as they were with the Totonacas. What 

 appears more probable is, that the fenate, after it had 

 fent back the two firft meffengers, detained the other 

 two to defpatch them after they had tried the flrength 

 of the Spanifh troops ; but that the two laft, grown im- 

 patient of delay, abfented fecretly, and endeavoured to 

 excufe their flight with thefe pretences. 



The Chempoallefe had hardly finiflied their (lory, 

 when a Tlafcalan fquadron, confuting of about a thou- 

 fand men, made their appearance ; and, as they drew 

 near the Spaniards, began to throw ftones, darts, and 

 arrows at them. Cortes, after having protefted to them, 

 before the notary royal of the army, by means of three 

 prifoners, that he had not come to do them any hurt, 

 and having entreated them not to treat him as an ene- 

 my, perceiving that nothing would avail, he gave orders 

 to repulfe them. The Tlafcalans retreated gradually 

 until they brought the Spaniards to the deep grounds 

 where they could not make ufe of their horfes 5 and 

 where a large army of the enemy expected them, con- 

 cerning the number of which authors have been various 

 in their opinions (z). There a terrible conteft began, 



in 



(z) Bernal Diaz fays, that the army of the Tlafcalans confifted of about 

 fdrty thoufand men. To Cortes they appeared to exceed a hundred thoufand. 

 Other hiftorians have faid thirty thoufand. It is difficult to compute the num- 

 ber of a large army by the eye, efpecially when they do not preferve the order 

 of European troops. In order to avoid an error, we have faid limply that the 

 army was numerous. 



