him so vigorously with
their lances, slings, and arrows, that three horses and several of his
men were instantly wounded, nor was Sandoval able to get at the enemy,
who immediately retreated to the rocks and the fortified heights above,
making a terrific noise with their drums, shell trumpets, and hideous
yells.

Sandoval now despatched a few horse in advance, to see whether the
Mexicans, in case he should attack the town itself, could march to its
assistance, and halted, with the rest of his troops, in the plain. As
the caziques of Chalco and the other Indian allies showed no desire to
come to an engagement with the enemy, Sandoval determined to put them to
the proof, and cried out to them: "Well, why do you stand looking idly
on there? Why don't you advance to the attack? Are we not come here to
protect you?" But they replied, they durst not attack this strong place,
and considered that the teules had come to do the hardest part of the
work for them.

Sandoval was soon convinced that there was not much dependence to be
placed in these Indians, and he therefore stormed the fortified heights
with the whole of his Spanish troops. Although numbers of his men were
wounded, and he himself severely so on the head, he continued to push
forward, and forced his way into the town, where considerable havoc was
made among the enemy's ranks, which was increased by the Chalcans and
Tlascallans, who now joined in the conflict with great intrepidity. Our
troops, indeed, gladly left the last part of the work to them, as soon
as the enemy was put to flight, for they felt compassion for the
inhabitants, and satisfied themselves by capturing some few pretty
females and other objects of value. The Spaniards even checked our
allies in their horrid cruelties, and rescued many a man and woman from
their grasp who otherwise would have been sacrificed to the idols.

The Mexicans had fled to some steep rocks beyond the town; and, as
numbers of them were wounded, they washed off the blood from their
bodies in a small brook, so that the very water was tinctured by it,
though for no longer a space of time than would take to repeat an Ave
Maria. Yet Gomara relates that the water was so completely mixed with
blood that our men would not quench their thirst at it.[10] But it was
not necessary for them to go to this brook for that purpose, as in the
town itself there were numbers of wells full of the purest water. After
this engagement, Sandoval mar