e enemy, who had posted
strong detachments at different points along the banks of the river,
allowed our troops to cross unmolested, but were ready to receive them
on the opposite side.

If these Guastecs had come with great numbers into the field on previous
occasions, they came this time with more, and fell upon our men like so
many furious lions. In this encounter they killed two soldiers and
wounded above thirty others; three horses were likewise killed and
fifteen wounded. Our Mexican auxiliaries also suffered a considerable
loss; but Cortes gave the enemy so rough a reception that they soon took
to flight, leaving behind them great numbers of killed and wounded.

Cortes quartered his troops for the night in a township which was quite
deserted by its inhabitants, but where he found abundance of provisions.
The following morning, as his men were looking about the place, they
came to a temple, inside of which they found suspended various articles
of Spanish dress, the scalps and the tanned skins of the faces of
several Spaniards, with the beards attached to them. These were the
remains of the soldiers of Garay's expedition to the river Panuco. In
many of these skins our men recognized former acquaintances, and some
even their intimate friends. It was indeed a melancholy sight to them,
and they took down those miserable remains to give them Christian
burial.

From this place Cortes marched to another township, and observed every
military precaution, the men being each moment prepared for an attack,
as he well knew that the tribes of this province were very warlike. His
spies soon came in with the intelligence that large bodies of the enemy
lay in ambush to fall suddenly on our men while they should be dispersed
among the houses.

Our troops being thus apprized of the enemy's intentions, the latter
were unable to do them much injury; yet they bravely attacked our
troops, and fought with great intrepidity for about half an hour, when
our cavalry and musketeers succeeded in putting them to flight. In this
engagement Cortes had two horses killed, besides seven others wounded,
and fifteen of the men so severely that three died shortly after. These
Indians have the peculiar custom, when they are compelled to retreat, to
face about three several times to renew the attack, a mode of warfare
which has seldom been found among these tribes. After this battle, the
enemy retreated to a river which was of considerable depth, an