capture one, but not to inflict any wounds. These were followed at a
distance by five others, to assist them should they fall into an ambush;
the rest of our army marched direct for the narrow pass, but with the
utmost circumspection, as our friends had assured us that we should
undoubtedly meet with a large body of the enemy in some hiding place or
other. When the thirty Indians above mentioned found our cavalry
approaching them, and saw how they beckoned to them with their hands,
they began to retreat slowly, and arranged themselves again in order,
whenever our men attempted to take any of them prisoners. They defended
themselves right valiantly with their swords and lances, wounding
several of our horses. The blood of our men now also began to boil, who,
in return, killed five of the Indians. At that moment a swarm of more
than 3000 Tlascallans rushed furiously from an ambush, pouring forth a
shower of arrows upon our cavalry, who now immediately closed their
ranks. At the same time we fired among them with our cannon, and so at
last we obliged the enemy to give ground, though they fought bravely and
with a good deal of manoeuvring. On our side we had four wounded, of
whom one died a few days after, if I still remember rightly. Seventeen
of the enemy lay dead, and the number of their wounded was very
considerable. As it was growing very late they continued to retreat, and
we to follow them.

As soon as we had passed over the mountain we came into a plain, and
found numerous plantations of maise and maguey,[23] from which the
inhabitants make their wine. We took up our night's quarters near a
brook, and for want of oil we dressed the wounds of our men with the fat
of a corpulent Indian who had been killed. We made our supper off young
dogs, which we found here in great numbers; for, although the
inhabitants had left all their plantations and taken the dogs with them,
these animals during the night time had come back to their old places
again; and we were thus able to catch a good many, and so procured
ourselves some very delicious joints. The whole of this night we kept a
most vigilant look-out. We placed outposts in all quarters; our horses
stood ready saddled and bridled, and the rounds were regularly made. I
will, however, break off here, and relate our further battles in the
next chapter.

[22] Of this fortification Torquemada gives a different account. He says
it was a wall of twenty feet in thickness, that it