ortes
still remained behind with the cavalry, though we so greatly longed for
that reinforcement: we began to fear that some misfortune might also
have befallen him. I shall never forget the piping and yelling which the
Indians set up at every shot we fired, and how they sought to hide their
loss from us by tossing up earth and straw into the air, making a
terrible noise with their drums and trumpets, and their war-whoop _Ala
lala_.[11]

In one of these moments Cortes came galloping up with the horse. Our
enemies being still busily engaged with us, did not immediately observe
this, so that our cavalry easily dashed in among them from behind. The
nature of the ground was quite favorable for its manoeuvres; and as it
consisted of strong active fellows, most of the horses being, moreover,
powerful and fiery animals, our small body of cavalry in every way made
the best use of their weapons. When we, who were already hotly engaged
with the enemy, espied our cavalry, we fought with renewed energy, while
the latter, by attacking them in the rear at the same time, now obliged
them to face about. The Indians, who had never seen any horses before,
could not think otherwise than that horse and rider were one body. Quite
astounded at this to them so novel a sight, they quitted the plain and
retreated to a rising ground.

Cortes now related why he had not come sooner. First, he had been
delayed by the morass; then again he was obliged to fight his way
through other bodies of the enemy whom he had met, in which five men and
eight horses were wounded.

Having somewhat rested from our fatigue under the trees which stood on
the field of battle, we praised God and the holy Virgin, and thanked
them with uplifted hands for the complete victory they had granted us:
and, as it was the feast of the annunciation to the holy Virgin, the
town which was subsequently built here in memory of this great victory,
was named Santa Maria de la Vitoria. This was the first battle we fought
under Cortes in New Spain.

After this pious solemnity we bandaged the wounds of our men with linen,
which was all we had for that purpose. Those of our horses we dressed
with melted fat, which we cut from the dead bodies of the Indians. We
likewise took this opportunity of counting the number of killed left by
the enemy on the field of battle. We found above eight hundred, numbers
still showing signs of life. Our swords had done the most carnage among
them, though