by urging their allegiance to Montezuma,
and the duty and necessity of obeying his commands, however repugnant
to their own feelings.

It was not the policy of Cortez to admit this plea, in extenuation of
their treachery. He preferred to cast the whole burden upon them alone,
and leave the way open for an easy disclaimer on the part of the
emperor, hoping thereby the more readily to gain a peaceable entry into
the capital. Without waiting, therefore, for any further explanations,
or instituting any inquiry into the comparative guilt of the parties, he
gave the signal to his soldiers, who, with a general discharge of their
artillery and fire arms, rushed upon the unprepared multitude, mowing
them down like grass, and trampling them under the hoofs of their
horses. A general massacre ensued. Not one of the chiefs escaped, and
only so many of their panic-struck followers, as could feign themselves
dead, or bury themselves, till the tempest was past, under the heaps of
their slain comrades.

Thus taken by surprise, and driven, before they were ready, into an
unequal conflict with enemies who had, by some miracle, as they
supposed, anticipated their movements, and struck the first blow, the
Cholulans rushed in from all parts of their city, hoping to retrieve, by
their numbers and prowess, the disadvantage of the lost onset. Cortez
had prepared for this. He had ordered his artillery to be stationed at
the main entrances to the square, where they poured in a raking fire
upon the assailants, rushing in from all the avenues. The surprise being
so sudden, and the leaders having been shot down at the first charge,
confusion and consternation prevailed among the discomfited Cholulans,
who alternately fled, like affrighted sheep, from the scene of
slaughter, and then rushed back, like exasperated wolves, to the work of
death.

In anticipation of this conflict, the Spanish general had concerted a
signal with his Tlascalan allies, without the gates, who now came
rushing in, like hungry tigers, revelling in the opportunity to inflict
a terrible vengeance upon their ancient enemies. Falling upon their
rear, as they crowded in from the remoter quarters of the city towards
the field of carnage, they drove them in upon the weapons of the
Spaniards, from which there was now no escape. Turning upon this new
enemy, they fought with desperate bravery, to win a retreat. But they
were cut down on this side and that, till the streets were scar