100 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



insurgents. Hernando de Chaves determined to pun- 

 ish him, and marched against Copan, then one of the 

 largest, most opulent, and most populous places of the 

 kingdom. The camp of the cacique, v^ith his auxil- 

 iaries, consisted of thirty thousand men, well disci- 

 plined, and veterans in v^ar, armed vs^ith w^ooden swords 

 having stone edges, arrov^s, and slings. On one side, 

 says the historian, it was defended by the ranges of 

 mountains of Chiquimula and Gracios a Dios, and on 

 the opposite side by a deep fosse, and an intrenchment 

 formed of strong beams of timber,, having the interstices 

 filled with earth, with embrasures, and loopholes for 

 the discharge of arrows. Chaves, accompanied by 

 some horsemen, well armed, rode to the fosse, and 

 made sign that he wished to hold conference. The 

 cacique answered with an arrow. A shower of arrows, 

 stones, and darts followed, which compelled the Span- 

 iards to retreat. The next day Chaves made an attack 

 upon the intrenchment. The infantry wore loose coats 

 stuffed with cotton ; swords and shields ; the horsemen 

 wore breastplates and helmets, and their horses were 

 covered. The Copanes had each a shield covered with 

 the skin of the danta on his arm, and his head guarded 

 by bunches of feathers. The attack lasted the whole 

 day. The Indians, with their arrows, javelins, and 

 pikes, the heads of which were hardened by fire, main- 

 tained their ground. The Spaniards were obliged to 

 retreat. Chaves, who had fought in the thickest of the 

 battle, was alarmed at the difficulties of the enterprise 

 and the danger to the credit of the Spanish arms, but 

 received information that in one place the depth of the 

 ditch which defended Copan was but trifling, and the 

 next day he proceeded to the spot to make an attack 

 there. The Copanes had watched his movements, and 



