.Chaa III, for the ReduBion ^ Ne w ,S P A i N. - - 71 
Cortes had the foie' Command. Such were the Difpofi^ 
tions of the Spaniards while Preparations were making 
to profecute their Voyage to the Main. 
2. The Fleet left this Wand the fecond time on the 
4th of March^ 1519, doubled the Point of Catoche^ 
which is the moft Eafterly Part of Yucatan^ and follow- 
' ing the Coaft came to the Road of Champatan, where 
the Queftion was put in a Council held on that Subject, 
Whether they fhould land or not ? Cortes inclined to the 
Affirmative, that he might chaftize ,the Indiam for the 
Oppofition given to Juan de Grijalva^ and before that to 
Francifco Hernandez de Cordova and fome Soldiers that 
had been prefent on both thefe Occafions, puffied by a 
Spirit of Revenge, fiipported his Opinion with an ex- 
treme Warmth •, but the chief Pilot, and the reft of his 
Profeffion oppofed it with unanfv/erable Reafons ; for the 
Wind that favoured the Continuance of their Voyage, 
dired:ly oppofed their landing in that Place. Where- 
upon they purfued their Courfe, and arrived at the Ri- 
ver Grijalva. There was no Occafion to deliberate here, 
for the good Treatment which t\\t, Spaniards had receiv- 
ed formerly from the Indians of YahafcOy and the Gold 
at that time brought from thence, were two powerful 
Attradives, and Cortes readily complied with the Inch-’ 
nations of his Soldiers, although he had no Defign to 
ftay there many Days, for his Thoughts were continu- 
ally bent on the Dominions of Motezuma, of which 
Juan de Grijalva had his firft Account in this Province ; 
it being his Opinion, That in this fort of Expeditions it 
was advifeable to begin with attacking the Head rather 
than the Members, and fo encounter the greateft Diffi- 
culties with his Forces entire. 
As he had fome Knowledge of this Place by the Ex- 
perience of thofe who had been there before, he made a 
Difpofition for entering the River. And leaving the 
larger Veffels at an Anchor, he embarked all his Soldiers, 
well armed, in thofe of a fmaller lize, and in the Boats, 
and was beginning to make the beft of his way againft the 
Current, in the fame Order as had been before obferved 
by Juan de Grijalva •, when he perceived a confiderable 
Number of Canoes, with armed Indians., cover both 
Sides of the River, fupported by feveral other Bodies on 
the Shore. Cortes drew near in clofe Order, and com- 
manded that none ffiould fire or fhew the leaft Sign of 
Hoftility. He followed in this likewife the Condudl of 
Grijalva, for he was more folicitous to ufe the proper 
Means of fucceeding in his Enterprize, than to avoid 
the Imputation of copying after another, well knowing 
what Rifques they run who value themfelves upon find- 
ing new w^ays with no other Defign than to be diftin- 
guiffied from thofe who went before them. The Indi- 
ans thought to put a Stop to the Spaniards by their hor- 
rible Outcries ; and as foon as they were fo near that 
what they faid could be diftinguifhed, Jerom de Aguilar 
found that he underftood their Language, which was 
the fame, or with little Difference from that of Yucatan. 
And Cortes looked upon it as the Work of Providence 
that he was furniffied with fo good an Interpreter. Agui- 
lar informed him, that the Words he underftood were 
Menaces, and that the hdians were inclined to War. 
Upon which Cortes ftopt, and ordered him to advance 
in one of the Boats with Offers of Peace. Aguilar exe- 
cuted his Orders, and returned in a very ffioit time 
with an Account, that the Indians were in great Num- 
bers prepared to defend the Entrance of the River, and 
fo obftinate. in their Refolution, that they had very info- 
lently refufed fo much as tq hear him. Cortes had no 
Defign to begin a War in that Country, or delay his 
Voyage ; but finding that he was now engaged, he 
thought it would be diffionourable to retreat, and fuffcr 
this Infolence of the Barbarians to go unpuniffied. The 
Night overtaking them in a Country unknown, Cortes 
thought it moft advifable to lye by till Day, and difpof- 
ed every thing after the beft manner for the Engage- 
ment. During this Sufpenfion he commanded 'all the 
Artillery out of the great Veffels •, and his Soldiers had 
Orders to arm themfelves with their Cotton Coats, for 
the better refifting the Arrows; to which he added fuch 
other Directions as he thought neceffary, without repre- 
lenting the Danger greater or Icfs than it was. 
As foon as Day appeared the Veffels were drawn up 
in a Half Moon, whole Figure leffened by Degrees til! 
it ended in the Boats, the River being large enough to 
allow Room for that Difpolition. Their Advance was 
very flow, and feemed to invite to Peace ; but the Men 
foon difcovered the Canoes of the Indians who waited 
their coming in the fame Order as the Night before. 
The General commanded his Men not to ftir till they 
were attacked, telling them all. That they ought to ufe 
their Shields before their Swords, as the Jtiftice of this W ar 
depended on the Provocation, to it. And being defirous 
to have Reafon ftill more on his Side, he fent Aguilar 
to them a fecond time with Offers of Peace, and to af- 
fure them that this was a Fleet of their Friends who de- 
figned their Advantage, and came on the Foot of that 
Alliance v/hich had been formerly made with Juan de 
Grijalva ; That to ref ufe them Entrance, w^ciild be a 
Breach of it, and would oblige the Spaniards to open 
their way by force of Arms; and that whatever Damage 
they ftiould fuftain, muft be imputed to themfelves. 
The Anfwer to this fecond Propofal, was the giving the 
Signal for the A ttack. They advanced by the Favour of 
the Current near enough to ufe their Arrows, of which they 
difcharged fo great a Number, both from the Canoes and 
the Banks of the River, xhatxht Spaniards w tec very much 
embarraffed in their Endeavours to cover themfelves; but 
having received the firft Charge, according to Order, 
they returned it with fo much Vigour, that the Canoes 
quickly left the Paffage free : And many of the Indians, 
intimidated at the Deaths of their Companions, flung 
themfelves into the River. The Veffels purfued their 
way up the River, without farther Oppofition, and ap- 
proaching the Shore on the left Side, the Troops began 
to land, but in a Place fo marffiy and covered with 
Brambles, that they found themfelves engaged in a fe- 
cond Conflidt, for the Indians who lay there in Ambuffi, 
and thofe who efcaped from the Engagement on the Ri- 
ver, united in one Body, and renewed the Attack with 
prodigious Fury. The great Quantity of Arrows, Darts, 
and Stones which they difcharged, increafed the Difficul- 
ty of the Morafs. 
But Hernan Cortes drew up his Men, and thpfe Ranks 
which were formed making head againft the Enemy, co- 
vered the reft of their Troops, who were landing. Hav- 
ing formed his Batallion in Sight of the Einemy, whofe 
Numbers continually increafed, he gave Orders to Cap-* 
tain Alonfo Davila to advance with an hundred Soldiers 
through the Wood, and poffefs himfelf of the Town of 
Yabafco, the Capital of that Province, not far diftant from 
the Place of Adlion, according to the Accounts of thofe 
who had been upon the former Expedition. After which 
he engaged that vaft Multitude, forcing them back wdth 
equal Courage and Difficulty, for he was obliged very 
often to march up to the Knees in. Mud ; and it is faid, 
that in the Heat of the Engagement the General loft one 
of his Shoes, and fought a great while without miffing 
it, fo thoroughly was his Attention employed upon the 
Bufinefs of the Day. After the Spaniards had paffed the 
Marffi, the Indians gave way, and difappeared in an In- 
ftant among the Bulhes. Their Flight was owing in 
Part to their lofing the Advantage of Ground, and in 
Part, to their Concern for the Town of Y ahajcoi upon 
their difcovering the March of Davila-, as it prefently 
appeared by the great Multitudes that repaired to the 
Defence of that Place. 
This Town was fortified with a kind of -Wall, gene- 
rally ufed in the Indies, made of large Trunks of Trees 
fixed in the Ground after the manner of Palifadoes, and 
fo placed together, that there was Room between to dif- 
charge their Arrows. The Compafs was round, with- 
out any Traverfes or other Defences ; and at the clo- 
fing of the Circle, the Extremity of one line cover- 
ed the other, and formed a narrow winding Street, in 
which were two or three little Caftles of Wood, which 
filled up the Paffage, and wherein they ufed to poll their 
Sentinels. A fufficient Fortrefs againft the Arms of this 
new World, where they were happily ignorant of the 
Arts of War, and of thofe Methods to attack and de^ 
fend, in which Mankind have been inftruded elfewhere 
either by Malice or Neceffity, 
3, Cortes 
