compliance with his commands he would march into the
field against them in person, and treat them as enemies.

The Mexicans received these threats with utter contempt, and returned
the haughty answer, "that they would meet him on the field of battle!"
Escalante, who was a man of great courage, and very prompt in what he
did, issued orders to our mountain allies to equip themselves for
battle, and he selected those from among his own men who were in the
best health, and most able to bear fatigue.

In this way he marched out against the Mexicans, with two cannon, a
small supply of powder, three crossbow-men, two musketeers, besides
forty Spanish soldiers and above 2000 Totonaques. The Mexicans were
double the number of our Totonaque auxiliaries, who, besides this, had
become intimidated by former battles; so that they left Escalante in the
lurch after the very first attack. Escalante now forced his way to
Almeria, which he set fire to. Here he halted for a short time, as he
was dangerously wounded. In the several engagements which here took
place Escalante lost one horse, and one of his men, named Arguello, a
young man of amazing bodily strength, with a wild-looking countenance, a
large head, and black curly beard, who was carried off alive by the
Mexicans. Six others of his men were likewise dangerously wounded; the
only alternative, therefore, which Escalante had left was to return to
Vera Cruz, where he and six others of his men died three days after
their arrival.

This is exactly what took place at Almeria; and not as Gomara relates,
who says, that all this happened under Pedro de Ircio, who had marched
out on this occasion with a few men to Panuco, in order to found a
colony there; though we had scarcely sufficient troops in Vera Cruz to
place the necessary sentinels; how much less, therefore, could the
thought have entered our mind to send out a colony to Panuco? Besides
which, Ircio was not an officer at that time; no, nor even a corporal;
had altogether nothing to do with the whole affair, being at the time
with us in Mexico. In the same way Gomara tells his tales about our
imprisoning Motecusuma, without for a moment reflecting that several of
the Conquistadores were still alive; who, when they had perused his
work, would be able to say so and so such a thing happened, and not
otherwise.

We must now turn to the Mexican generals, and relate how they announced
their victory to Motecusuma, and sent him the hea