Lugo threw themselves on horseback and galloped
off for our encampment, where they arrived about the hour of vespers,
but we had received intelligence of Cortes' defeat many hours
beforehand. They still found us engaged with the Mexicans, who were
doing their utmost to storm our camp from that side of the causeway
where we had pulled down several houses, while, at the same time, they
attacked us with their canoes from the side towards the lake. They had
driven one of our brigantines between the stakes, killed two of the men,
and wounded all the rest.

When Sandoval saw how I and many of my comrades stood up to our middles
in the water to get the brigantine clear of the stakes, he applauded our
courage, and bid us do our utmost to save the vessel from falling into
the hands of the enemy, as the Mexicans had already fastened many ropes
to her, and were trying to tow her off into the town behind their
canoes. Sandoval's encouraging words were not lost upon us, and we
fought with such determination that at length we rescued the vessel. On
this occasion I was wounded by an arrow.

While we were fighting for the possession of this brigantine, fresh
bodies of the enemy kept continually crowding up the causeway. We
received many more wounds, and even Sandoval was hit in the face by a
stone at the moment Alvarado was coming up to his assistance with
another small body of the cavalry; and when Sandoval saw how daringly I,
with many of my comrades, opposed the enemy, he ordered us to retreat
slowly, that all our horses might not be sacrificed. As we did not
immediately obey his commands, he cried out to us, "Are we then all to
perish for your sakes? For heaven's sake, my brave companions, make good
your retreat!" These words were scarcely out of his mouth when both he
and his horse were again wounded. We now ordered our Indian allies to
move off the causeway, and we began to retreat slowly but with our faces
always turned towards the enemy. Our musketeers and crossbow-men kept up
a continued fire upon them; the cavalry at intervals charged the enemy's
line at half speed, and Pedro Moreno thundered away with the cannon. But
whatever number of the infuriated enemy we might mow down, it mattered
not, they still continued to follow us, for they had made up their minds
to overcome us that very night and sacrifice us to their idols.

After we had at last, with excessive toil, crossed a deep opening, and
had arrived at our encampment,