his day hung at my side.
Now we must needs prepare our defence, for our only hope lay in
boldness. Once before the Spaniards had attacked us with thousands of
their allies, and of their number but few had lived to look again on the
camp of Cortes. What had been done could be done a second time--so said
Otomie in the pride of her unconquerable heart. But alas! in fourteen
years things had changed much with us. Fourteen years ago we held sway
over a great district of mountains, whose rude clans would send up their
warriors in hundreds at our call. Now these clans had broken from our
yoke, which was acknowledged by the people of the City of Pines alone
and those of some adjacent villages. When the Spaniards came down on me
the first time, I was able to muster an army of ten thousand soldiers to
oppose them, now with much toil I could collect no more than between two
and three thousand men, and of these some slipped away as the hour of
danger drew nigh.
Still I must put a bold face on my necessities, and make what play I
might with such forces as lay at my command, although in my heart I
feared much for the issue. But of my fears I said nothing to Otomie, and
if she felt any she, on her part, buried them in her breast. In truth I
do believe her faith in me was so great, that she thought my single wit
enough to over-match all the armies of the Spaniards.
Now at length the enemy drew near, and I set my battle as I had done
fourteen years before, advancing down the pass by which alone they
could approach us with a small portion of my force, and stationing the
remainder in two equal companies upon either brow of the beetling cliffs
that overhung the road, having command to overwhelm the Spaniards with
rocks, hurled upon them from above, so soon as I should give the signal
by flying before them down the pass. Other measures I took also, for
seeing that do what I would it well might happen that we should be
driven back upon the city, I caused its walls and gates to be set in
order, and garrisoned them. As a last resource too, I stored the lofty
summit of the teocalli, which now that sacrifices were no longer offered
there was used as an arsenal for the material of war, with water and
provisions, and fortified its sides by walls studded with volcanic
glass and by other devices, till it seemed well nigh impossible that any
should be able to force them while a score of men still lived to offer a
defence.
It was on one night
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