less, they
would inevitably have carried the defences, and swept away the little
band of ruthless murderers, had not Montezuma interposed, and besought
them, for his sake, to desist from their hostile attacks. From regard to
his safety, they suspended their active operations, but did not
relinquish their settled purpose of vengeance.

One means of annoyance was left to them, which would soon have reduced
the fortress to submission, had not an unexpected succor arrived. All
supplies were cut off from the camp,--already famine began to stare
them in the face, and relax the iron sinew and with it the iron will, of
the haughty Castilian. They were beginning to be reduced to extremities.
A few days more, and the undefended garrison would have fallen into the
hands of those merciless avengers of blood, who would have doomed every
individual to the sacrifice.

At this critical juncture, the all powerful, invincible Cortez returned,
his forces greatly increased by the accession of the very band that had
been sent against him--Narvaez, who had been commissioned to displace
him, having become his friend, and arrayed himself, with his whole
company and munitions of war, under his banner. Hearing of the
disastrous position of his friends in the capital, he hastened with
rapid strides and forced marches to their relief. His progress was
unimpeded by any hostilities on the part of Aztecs, or their allies,
till he entered the city, and joined his forces with those of Alvarado
in the beleaguered citadel. It seems to have been the purpose of the
chiefs to permit a free ingress of the entire force of the enemy,
preferring rather to shut them up to famine there, than to meet them in
the open field.

No sooner was the General, with his augmented army, enclosed within the
walls of the fortress, than active and fearful demonstrations of the
roused and unappeasable spirit of the people began to be made. The
streets and lanes of the city, which were silent and deserted as he
passed through them to his quarters, began to swarm with innumerable
multitudes of warriors, as if the stones, and the very dust of the
earth, were suddenly transformed into armed men. The flat roofs of
their temples and dwellings were covered on every side with fierce wild
figures, frantic with rage, who taunted the Spaniards with their cruel
treachery, and threatened them, in the most violent language, with a
terrible revenge. "You are now again in our power," they cr