in.--His behavior.--Anniversary of the capture
of Mexico.

While Cortez was thus vigorously preparing to renew the assault
upon the city of Mexico, the Mexicans were no less busy in their
preparations for defense. Upon the death of Montezuma, the crown
passed to his more warlike brother Cuitlahua. By his energies the
Spaniards had been driven from the metropolis, and he immediately,
with great vigor, fortified the city anew, and recruited and drilled
his armies, now familiar with the weapons of European warfare. He sent
an embassy to the Tlascalans, urging alliance against a common foe,
and endeavoring to incite them to rise and crush the Spaniards,
who, without their alliance, would have been entirely helpless. The
sagacity of Cortez, however, baffled these efforts, and he succeeded
in binding the Tlascalans to him by still stronger ties.

Among other woes, the Spaniards had introduced the small-pox into
Mexico. The terrible curse now swept like a blast of destruction
through the land. The natives perished by thousands. Many cities and
villages were almost depopulated. The fearful pestilence reached the
Mexican capital, and the emperor, Cuitlahua, soon fell a victim to its
ravages.

Guatemozin, the son-in-law of Montezuma, was then, by the unanimous
acclaim of his countrymen, placed upon the throne. He was a young man
of high reputation for ability and force of character, and proved
himself the worthy leader of his nation in this dreadful crisis of
its fate. Guatemozin assembled all his forces in the capital, as the
strongest point upon which they could stand upon their defense.

Cortez decided to make the assault by three divisions of the army,
each marching over one of the causeways. Sandoval was to command
on the north, Alvarado on the west, and Olid on the south. Cortez
reserved to himself the command of the brigantines, which were to
sweep the lakes, and drive the war-canoes of the natives from the
causeways. Each brigantine was manned with twenty-five Spaniards,
and armed with a cannon, whose shot would make fearful havoc among
the frail and crowded canoes of the Mexicans.

Guatemozin immediately foresaw how much he had to dread from this
fleet, and decided that, at every hazard, he must attempt its
destruction. He accordingly assembled an enormous mass of canoes,
hoping by numbers to overpower the enemy. The day was calm; not a
ripple disturbed the glassy surface of the water, when a fleet of
canoes, in