h vessels, upon which they, in their
turn, rushed out upon the pirogues and canoes with the utmost velocity,
and bored several of them into the ground. Now the other brigantine also
came up which had shammed flight, so that many of the canoes were
captured, and numbers of the enemy killed and wounded. From this moment
the Mexicans never again attempted similar stratagems on the lake, nor
durst they venture so close in our neighbourhood with their convoys of
provisions.

When the inhabitants of those towns which lay in the lake found that we
were daily gaining fresh victories both by land and water, and that our
allies of Chalco, Tezcuco, Tlascalla, and other districts, became more
and more closely united to us, they began to consider the great losses
they continually sustained, and the numbers of prisoners we took. The
chiefs of these towns, therefore, held a conference among themselves,
which ended in their sending an embassy to Cortes to sue for peace, and
humbly to beg forgiveness for the past; adding, that they had been
obliged to obey the commands of Quauhtemoctzin.

Cortes was uncommonly rejoiced to find these people were coming to their
senses, and we others belonging to the divisions of Alvarado and
Sandoval likewise congratulated ourselves on this circumstance.

Our general received the ambassadors kindly, and told them their towns
had certainly deserved severe punishment, but he would, nevertheless,
pardon them. The towns which sued for peace on this occasion were
Iztapalapan, Huitzilopuzco, Cojohuacan, Mizquic, and all the other towns
lying in that part of the lake which contained sweet water.

On this occasion Cortes declared that he would not alter his present
position until Mexico itself had sued for peace, or that the town was
conquered by force of arms.

The above-mentioned towns were now ordered to assist us with all their
canoes and troops in the siege of the metropolis, and to furnish us with
provisions. They promised faithfully to obey these commands, joined us
with all their armed men, but were very sparing with their supplies of
provisions.

In our division, under Alvarado, there was no room to quarter any of
these new troops, which those who have visited this country during the
months of June, July, and August, can easily imagine, as the whole
surrounding neighbourhood is covered with water. The fighting on the
causeways in the meantime continued without intermission, and by degrees
we had