THIS ACCOUNT UNSATISFACTORY. 101 



manned the intrenchment with their bravest soldiers. 

 The infantry were unable to make a lodgment. The 

 cavalry came to their assistance. The Indians brought 

 up their whole force, and the Spaniards stood like 

 rocks, impassable to pikes, arrows, and stones. Sev- 

 eral times they attempted to scale the intrenchments, 

 and were driven back into the fosse. Many were killed 

 on both sides, but the battle continued without advan- 

 tage to either until a brave horseman leaped the ditch, 

 and, his horse being carried violently with his breast 

 against the barrier, the earth and palisadoes gave way, 

 and the frightened horse plunged among the Indians. 

 Other horsemen followed, and spread such terror among 

 the Copanes, that their lines were broken and they fled* 

 Copan Calel rallied at a place where he had posted a 

 body of reserve ; but, unable to resist long, retreated, 

 and left Copan to its fate. 



This is the account which the Spanish historians have 

 given of Copan ; and, as applied to the city, the wall of 

 which we saw from the opposite side of the river, it ap- 

 peared to us most meager and unsatisfactory ; for the 

 massive stone structures before us had little the air of 

 belonging to a city, the intrenchment of which could be 

 broken down by the charge of a single horseman. At 

 this place the river was not fordable ; we returned to 

 our mules, mounted, and rode to another part of the 

 bank, a short distance above. The stream was wide, 

 and in some places deep, rapid, and with a broken and 

 stony bottom. Fording it, we rode along the bank by 

 a footpath encumbered with undergrowth, which Jose 

 opened by cutting away the branches, until we came to 

 the foot of the wall, where we again dismounted and 

 tied our mules. 



The wall was of cut stone, well laid, and in a good 



