our of them were killed, and three taken prisoners.

After this skirmish, Cortes returned to Tezcuco, and the enemy ever
after left those townships in peace. I must now relate what happened to
Sandoval on his march to Tlascalla, whither he had been despatched to
fetch the materials for building our brigantines.

CHAPTER CXL.

_How Sandoval marches to Tlascalla in order to fetch the woodwork
for building the brigantines, and what happened to him in a place
which we termed the Moorish town._

Having so long impatiently awaited the completion of the brigantines,
and ardently longed to commence the siege of Mexico, Cortes ordered
Sandoval, with two hundred foot, twenty horse, and twenty musketeers and
crossbow-men, besides a strong body of Tlascallans, and twenty of the
most distinguished persons of Tezcuco, to march to Tlascalla, in order
to fetch the woodwork for constructing the brigantines. He was also to
take along with him the aged persons and young children of Chalco, as
they would be in greater security there. Cortes had previously brought
about a friendly alliance between the Chalcans and Tlascallans; for as
the Chalcans, up to this moment, had belonged to the confederation of
Mexico, they had always joined the Mexicans in their expeditions against
Tlascalla, so that a deadly enmity existed between these two states. By
his mediation, Cortes now put an end to this ill-feeling, and made
friendship between them, which proved greatly to the advantage of both.

Sandoval, on this occasion, was also ordered to repair to another
township which lay close to the road leading to Tlascalla, in order to
chastise the inhabitants there. This township was subject to Tezcuco,
and was commonly termed by us the Moorish town.[5] Here, on our retreat
from Mexico, about forty of Narvaez's men and several of Cortes' old
soldiers, with numbers of Tlascallans, had been put to death, and the
latter plundered of three loads of gold. These people were now to be
severely punished for their conduct, although the principal guilt lay
with Tezcuco, which, at that time, was closely allied with the Mexicans,
and had had the chief hand in that affair.

After Sandoval had safely conducted the Chalcans into Tlascalla, he
marched on to the Moorish town, where, however, the inhabitants had been
duly apprized of our approach, and were all fled to the mountains.
Sandoval, however, pursued them, and killed three or four of the
inha