e fresh troops were
constantly pouring in. At this moment Quauhtemoctzin commanded the large
horn to be sounded, which was always a signal to his troops that he
allowed them no choice but death or victory. With this at the same time
was mingled the melancholy sound of the drum from the temple top, which
filled the Mexicans with terrific fury, and they ran headlong against
our swords. It was really a horrible sight, which I am unable to
describe, though even at this moment it comes vividly to my mind. If the
Almighty had not lent us additional strength, we must all have perished,
as the whole of us were wounded. To Him alone we are indebted for our
preservation, and without His aid we should never again have reached our
quarters. Indeed, I cannot sufficiently praise God, who this time again,
as on so many other occasions, rescued me out of the hands of the
Mexicans. When we had reached our encampment, a brisk charge of our
cavalry upon the enemy made somewhat open space for us; but we were
mostly indebted to our two brass cannon mounted in front of our camp,
which were continually fired among the dense crowds of the enemy on the
causeway, each shot mowing numbers of them down. But the Mexicans,
confident of victory, kept continually advancing to the attack, and
poured showers of stones and lances into our very quarters. No one
rendered more effectual service on this day than a cavalier named Pedro
Moreno, who is still living in Puebla: for, at this moment of imminent
danger, he himself served our cannon, as our artillerymen were all
either killed or unable to serve from their wounds. This Pedro Moreno
had indeed, on all occasions, proved himself an excellent warrior, yet
it was particularly on this day that we were so much indebted to his
assistance. The severity of our numerous wounds, and the distress we
were in, was all rendered more terrible from the uncertainty we were in
respecting the fate of Cortes' and Sandoval's divisions, as the distance
between us was full two miles. The words the Mexicans had uttered when
they threw the five bleeding heads at our feet, that Malinche and
Sandoval, with all their teules, had been cut to pieces, still rung in
our ears, and we suffered intense anxiety. Though we had firmly closed
our ranks, and were able to defend ourselves against the furious attacks
of the enemy, yet we thought we should be obliged to succumb in the end.

While we were thus assailed by the enemy by land, numero