movements in the distance appeared like those of winnowers, made the captives dance before the image of Huitzilopochtli. When the dance was concluded, the victims were placed upon the sacrificial stones, their hearts were taken out and offered to the idols, and their bodies hurled down the steps of the temple. At the bottom of the steps stood "other butchers," who cut off the arms and legs of the victims, intending to eat these portions of their enemies. The skin of the face with the beard was preserved. The rest of the body was thrown to the lions, tigers, and serpents. "Let the curious readers consider," says the chronicler, "what pity we must have had for these our companions, and how we said to one another, 'Oh! thanks be to God that they did not carry me off to-day to sacrifice me." 999* And certainly no army ever looked upon a more deplorable sight. There was no time, however, for much contemplation, for at that instant numerous bands of warriors attacked the Spaniards on all sides, and fully occupied their attention in the preservation of their own lives. Modern warfare has lost one great element of the picturesque in narrative, namely, in there being no interchange now of verbal threats and menaces between the contending parties; but in those days it was otherwise, and the Mexicans were able to indulge in the most fierce and malignant language. "Look," they said, "that is the way in which all of you have to die, for our gods have promised this to us many times." To the Tlascalans their language was more insulting and much more minutely descriptive. Throwing to them the roasted flesh of their companions and of the Spanish soldiers, they shouted, "Eat of the flesh of these teules and of your brothers, for we are quite satiated with it; and, look you, for the houses you have pulled down, we shall have to make you build in their place much better ones with stones, and laminæ of stones, and likewise with hewn stone and lime, and the houses will be painted.† Wherefore, continue to * "Miren los curiosos Lectores que esto leyeren, que lástima terniamos dellos y deziamos entre nosotros: O gracias á Dios que no me llevaron á mí oy á sacrificar."-BERNAL DIAZ, cap. 152. † "Y mirad que las casas que aveis derrocado, que os hemos de assist these teules, all of whom you will see sacrificed." The The Mexicans, however, did not succeed in carrying off any more Spaniards for sacrifice that night. The Spanish camp had some few hours of repose, and some time to reckon up their losses, which were very considerable. They lost upward of sixty of their own men, six horses, two cannon, and a great number of their Indian allies. Moreover, the brigantines had not fared much better on that disastrous day than the land forces. But the indirect consequences of this defeat were still more injurious than the actual losses. allies from the neighboring cities on the lake deserted the Spaniards nearly to a man. The Mexicans regained and strengthened most of their positions, and the greatest part of the work of the besiegers seemed as if it would have to be done over again. Even the Tlascalans, hitherto so faithful, despaired of the fortunes of their allies, and could not but believe, with renewed terror, in the potency of the Mexican deities, kindred to, if not identical with, their own. Accordingly, they departed to their homes; and in the camp of Cortez no Indian remained but Ixtlilxochitl, the brother of the King of Tezcuco, with about forty friends and relations; in the camp of Sandoval, the Cacique of Huaxocingo, with about fifty men; and in Pedro de Alvarado's camp, the brave Chichimecatl, with two other chiefs and eighty Tlascalans. In a word, not more than two men out of every thousand of the allies remained to aid the Spaniards. traer para que las torneis á hazer mui mejores, y con piedras y planchas, y cal y canto, y pintadas."-BERNAL DIAZ, cap. 152. CHAPTER II. CONSEQUENCES OF THE DEFEAT. THE SIEGE LANGUISHES. -THE AL THE SIEGE IS -CORTEZ SENDS AID TO HIS INDIAN ALLIES. THE King of the Mexicans improved his victory by sending round the news of it to his tributaries, informing them how successful he had been, assuring them that he would soon destroy the rest of the Spaniards, and begging them on no account to make peace with the enemy. The vouchers which his messengers carried were two heads of horses and some heads of Christians; and these trophies told the tale of victory in an undeniable manner. One can not always sympathize with one's Christian friends, and it is impossible not to feel occasionally some satisfaction when the beleaguered party, wronged as they had been in every way by the besiegers, and making one of the most gallant defenses ever known in the history of sieges, should gain some advantage. The siege was not absolutely stopped on account of this defeat, but still the city had some relief. In the camp of Alvarado, for instance, where the men had seen but too clearly what was the fate of captives, there was no movement for four days; and, strange to say, the first attack on that side was, according to Cortez, devised and led by Chichimecatl, the brave TlasVOL. II-U calan. In the camp of Cortez little was attempted, and less effected, for ten days, and no entrance was made by the Spaniards which reached so far into the city as the Plaza, a spot which had been gained by them, as may be recollected, at an early stage of the proceedings. The main cause, however, of this apparent inactivity is one which will surprise the reader, but, when well considered, will give him a great insight into the depth of policy of Cortez. At such a juncture an ordinary commander would have kept all his resources closely about him, and would not have been induced to send away a single man. But Cortez sent out a considerable force to assist his Indian allies of the town of Cuernavaca, who were suffering from the attack of some hostile Indians of a neighboring city belonging to the Mexican faction. His own men disapproved of this, as it was natural that they should, and said that it was destruction to take men from the camp. * Cortez also sent assistance to the Otomies, who were much pressed by the inhabitants of the province of Matalcingo, a people on whose succor the Mexicans at that time placed great dependence. The expeditions mentioned above were successful. The wounded men in the camp began to recover.† "Tube mucha contradicion, y decian que me destruia en sacar Gente del Real."-LORENZANA, p. 272. The few Spanish women who were present at this siege, and of whom honorable mention ought to be made, must have been a great comfort to the wounded Spanish soldiers. One of them, named Beatriz de Palacios, a mulatto, was not only useful in nursing the sick, but she would saddle the horses of her husband's troop, and was known to take his place as sentinel. "Beatriz de Palacios, Mulata, aiudó mucho, quando fué hechado Cortés de México, y en este Cerco: era casada con un Soldado, dicho Pedro de Escobar; y sirvió tanto á su Marido, y á los de su Camarada, que hallándose cansado de pelear de |