Spaniards, with four horses, were wounded;
the enemy, at the same time, yelling most hideously, accompanied by the
wild music of shell-trumpets, pipes, and drums, all of which must indeed
have terrified those who had never heard the like before. Our captain
soon discovered that the cavalry would not be able to act at all among
these rugged mountains, and therefore ordered them to move back again
into the plain beneath, and watch the movements of the Quiahuitlans, who
had likewise revolted, and might fall upon our rear while we were thus
hotly engaged with the Chamulans.

We now commenced an incessant fire upon the enemy with our muskets and
crossbows, but were unable to do them any injury, so securely were they
posted behind the breastworks, their position being in every respect
advantageous, and they continually wounded our men. In this way the
battle lasted until nightfall, and we were no further advanced than when
we commenced our attack in the morning. At one time we attempted to
force a passage which led between the ramparts; but here no less than
2000 Indians stretched out against us a forest of long lances; and if we
had entered this passage we should have run great danger of being pushed
headlong down the deep hollow, and so have been dashed to atoms. Finding
we should never be able to make any impression on the fortress in this
way, we determined to send to a small township in the neighbourhood for
some wood and other materials, and to construct a species of penthouse
sufficiently large to cover twenty men, who were to undermine the
fortress with mattocks and pick-axes. Accordingly, when the penthouse
was finished, our men set hard to work, and at length succeeded in
cutting an opening sufficiently large to admit one person at a time; and
by this means only was it possible to get into the town, for we had
carefully inspected the spot on all sides, full four miles in
circumference, and we found but one other entrance to this rocky height,
which would have been even more difficult to force, and a person might
as well have thrown himself at once down an abyss as to have attempted
an attack upon it, so very steep was the descent. While we were busily
at work under our penthouse in widening the breach, the enemy cast down
upon us a quantity of burning pitch and resin, boiling water and blood,
hot ashes and firebrands; but when they found we were not to be daunted
by this, they rolled down huge pieces of rock upon the