sue
for peace with us and beg forgiveness, if we thought they had been any
way implicated in the late murders of our countrymen. Cortes received
them most kindly, and took them into his friendship. The building of our
brigantines was now rapidly continued, and there were every day from
seven to eight thousand Indians employed to lengthen and deepen one of
the canals. As we had an equal number of Tlascallans in our service, who
greatly desired to heap up honour for themselves in assisting us against
the Mexicans, Cortes easily persuaded them to accompany him in an
expedition against Iztapalapan, through which town we had passed on our
first march to Mexico. Cuitlahuatzin, the king of this township, had
been raised to the throne of Mexico, after the death of Motecusuma, and
the inhabitants had done us considerable damage, and were continually
committing their depredations on the townships of Chalco, Tlalmanalco,
Amaquemecan, and Chimalhuacan, because these had entered into alliance
with us. We had now been twelve days in Tezcuco without having achieved
any thing worthy of mention, and therefore determined to open the
campaign against Iztapalapan.

CHAPTER CXXXVIII.

_How we marched against Iztapalapan; Cortes taking along with him
Alvarado and Oli; while Sandoval was left behind to protect
Tezcuco._

The expedition against Iztapalapan was principally undertaken to please
the Tlascallans, so great was their desire to try their strength again
with the Mexicans on the field of battle. Their patience was almost
exhausted, and they longed to revenge the death of their countrymen who
were slain in our disastrous flight from Mexico. To this was likewise
added, that the Tezcucans could scarcely supply the necessary provisions
for so great a body of men, and it was not our interest to be too
burdensome to them.

Cortes commanded this expedition in person, accompanied by Alvarado,
Oli, thirteen horse, twenty crossbow-men, six musketeers, and two
hundred Spanish foot. These troops were joined by the whole of our
Tlascallan friends, and twenty of the Tezcucan chiefs, all relations of
the Prince Don Hernando, and enemies to Quauhtemoctzin.

After the necessary arrangements had been made, we commenced our march
towards Iztapalapan, which lies above sixteen miles from Tezcuco, and,
as I have before stated, half the town stands in the lake itself. We
marched forward with every military precaution, as the Mexica