es, who had assembled from
Chalco, Tezcuco, Huexotzinco, Tlascalla, and other townships. This was a
larger body of Indians than had ever, up to this time, joined our troops
in New Spain. All these warriors had been induced to join us in the
hopes of making a rich booty; but the expectation of plentiful repasts
off human flesh, which never failed after an engagement, was no less an
incitement; and I cannot better compare these many thousands of Indians
than to the large flocks of vultures, ravens, and other birds of prey
which, in the Italian wars, follow the armies, to satiate themselves on
the dead bodies which have fallen in battle.

This ferocious appetite of our Indian allies was but too soon to be
glutted; for we received information that large bodies of Mexican
troops, with their allies from the surrounding neighbourhood, stood
ready prepared to attack us in an adjoining valley. At this
intelligence, Cortes issued orders that we should equip ourselves for
battle early the following morning. We accordingly left Chimalhuacan
next day very early, after we had attended mass.

Our march lay through some steep rocks, and we soon arrived between two
small mountains whose tops had been fortified. Hither a vast number of
Indians, with their wives, had fled, who yelled excessively, and threw
out all manner of abusive language towards us. We, however, took no
notice of them, but marched on quietly to an extensive township called
Yauhtepec, which was quite deserted by its inhabitants. We made no stay
in this place, but marched on until we arrived in a plain where there
were several small wells, but little water. On one side of the plain was
a high rocky mountain, with a fortification which was most difficult of
approach. When we had arrived in the vicinity of this rock, we found
that it was crowded with Indians, who jeered at us and greeted us with a
shower of arrows, lances, and stones, by which three of our men were
wounded. Here Cortes ordered us to halt, and said, "It appears that the
Mexicans have everywhere taken up some stronghold, and mock at us,
because they imagine we cannot get at them." He then despatched a few of
the horse and crossbow-men to reconnoitre a part of the rock, in order
to discover some more favorable point to attack the enemy. They,
however, returned with the answer that the rock was only accessible at
the spot where we had halted, and that, on all other sides, it rose up
perpendicularly. Cortes th