found a place that was fordable, and, halting
halfway across, had vainly endeavoured to check the confusion, and lead
his followers safely to the opposite bank. But his voice was lost in the
wild uproar; and at length, attended by a few trusty cavaliers, he
pushed forward to the front. Here he found Sandoval and his companions,
halting before the last breach, trying to cheer on the soldiers to
attempt the crossing; but, though not so beset with enemies as the last,
it was wide and deep, and the men's resolution failed them. Again the
cavaliers set the example, by plunging into the lake. Horse and foot
followed, swimming or clinging to the manes and tails of the horses.
Those fared best, as the general had predicted, who travelled lightest,
and many were the unfortunate wretches, who, weighed down by the fatal
treasure, were buried with it at the bottom of the lake. Cortes, with a
few others, still kept in advance, leading the miserable remnant off the
causeway. The din of battle was growing faint in the distance, when the
rumour reached them that, without speedy succour, the rearguard must be
utterly overwhelmed. It seemed a desperate venture, but the cavaliers,
without thinking of the danger, turned their horses, and galloped back
to the relief of their comrades. Swimming the canal again, they threw
themselves into the thick of the fray. The first gleam of morning light
showed the hideous confusion of the scene; the masses of combatants upon
the dyke were struggling till the very causeway seemed to rock, while as
far as the eye could see, the lake was covered with a dense crowd of
canoes full of warriors. The cavaliers found Alvarado unhorsed, and,
with a mere handful of followers, defending himself against an
overwhelming tide of the enemy, who by this time possessed the whole
rear of the causeway, and received constant reinforcements from the
city. The Spanish artillery, which had done good service at first, had
been overthrown, and utterly confounded by the rush from the back. In
the general ruin, Cortes strove by a resolute charge to give his
countrymen time to rally, but it was only for a moment: they were
speedily borne down by the returning rush. The general and his
companions were forced to plunge into the lake once more, though with
their numbers reduced this time, and Alvarado stood for an instant upon
the brink, uncertain what to do. There was no time to be lost. He was a
tall and powerful man. Setting his lo