r to cover us from
the piercing rays of the sun, we were not to be deterred from our
purpose. The Indian females who baked our bread were obliged to remain
behind in Tlacupa, protected by our cavalry, and the Tlascallans, who at
the same time covered our rear, that the enemy might not fall upon us
from the mainland. After these precautions had been adopted, we began to
carry out our principal object, which was to make ourselves master of
the houses in the suburbs, and of the intervening canals. These last
were then immediately filled up, and the houses pulled down; for, as I
have before mentioned, it was difficult to destroy them by fire, as they
were detached, and stood in the water. It was from the tops of the
houses that we received most injury from the enemy; so that, by
destroying these, we gained a considerable advantage. Whenever we had
taken one of the enemy's entrenchments, a bridge, or forced any other
strong position, we were obliged to occupy the spot night and day with
our troops, which we regulated in the following manner:--Each company
watched by turns; the first from the evening time until midnight; the
second from midnight until a couple of hours before daylight; and the
third from that time till morning, when they were relieved by forty
other men. The watch was each time relieved by a like number, though
none of these watches left the spot; but when the following arrived, the
former lay themselves on the bare ground, and took a little repose; so
that when daylight came there were always one hundred and twenty men
collected together ready for action. On other nights, when we expected
some sudden attack, the whole of the men marched up at once, and
remained under arms until the enemy approached. We had every reason to
be upon our guard, for we learnt from several Mexican officers, whom we
had taken prisoners in the different engagements, that Quauhtemoctzin
and his generals had come to the determination of falling some day or
night suddenly upon our encampment on the causeway; and concluded that,
after they had destroyed us, they might easily make themselves masters
of the two other causeways occupied by Sandoval and Cortes. To
accomplish this finishing stroke, the nine towns lying in the lake,
besides Tlacupa, Escapuzalco, and Tenayucan, were to cooperate with
them. While we should thus be attacked on every side, they meant to
carry off the Indian females with our baggage, which we had left behind
in Tla