sly along the
causeway, until the Mexicans, after Cortes' defeat, turned the great
body of their troops against him, and he was soon obliged to commence a
retreat. Two of his men were killed, and all the others wounded, he
himself in three different places, on the head, thigh, and arm. The
enemy likewise threw in among his men six bleeding heads of our fellow
soldiers, crying out that those were the heads of Malinche, Alvarado,
and other officers, and that he and his men would share a similar fate.
They then fell upon him with increased fury: but the brave Sandoval was
not to be discouraged by this; he ordered his men to close their ranks
more firmly, and, as the causeway was very narrow, he first ordered the
Tlascallans, who were in great numbers in his division, to march off the
causeway, and then commenced his retreat under cover of his brigantines,
the musketeers, and crossbow-men. It was, however, no easy task, as his
men were terribly wounded and altogether disheartened. As soon as
Sandoval had reached the end of the causeway, the Mexicans surrounded
him on all sides; but he emboldened his officers and soldiers so, that
they kept in a body together, cut their way through the enemy, and
arrived safely in their camp, where they were able to adopt every
military precaution for its defence.

Sandoval, now considering his troops out of danger, gave the command of
his division to captain Luis Marin; and, after his wounds were bandaged
up, he set off, accompanied by two horse, for Cortes' head-quarters. On
his road he was continually harassed by bodies of the enemy; for, as I
have above mentioned, Quauhtemoctzin had everywhere stationed troops in
order to cut off our communication.

Sandoval, on coming up to Cortes, said to him, "Alas! general, what a
shocking business this has been! Thus miserably have your great schemes
terminated!" At these words, tears started from Cortes' eyes, and he
cried out, "O! my son Sandoval! if this misfortune has befallen us for
my sins, I have not been so entirely the cause of it as you suppose. The
royal treasurer Juan de Alderete neglected to do his duty, and did not
obey my orders to fill up the opening in the causeway. The man is not
accustomed to war, nor does he know how to obey."

Alderete was standing by when Cortes uttered these words, and he could
not restrain himself from retorting the guilt upon Cortes, and
maintained that when the latter was advancing victoriously forward, h