e up with his detachment, and though Narvaez bid a powerful
resistance, he nevertheless continued advancing up the steps of the
building, and broke through the pikes and lances of his opponents.
Seeing this, and that the enemy had given up all attempts to recover the
cannon, we gave them in charge of our artillerymen, and flew under the
command of Pizarro to Sandoval's assistance. We just arrived at the
moment when Narvaez had beaten him back down five or six of the steps;
our arrival turned the scale against the enemy, and Sandoval now pushed
forward again with renewed vigour. Indeed we had some hard work to do
with our long lances before we could clear our way through the enemy's
ranks; all at once I heard some one, and it must have been Narvaez, cry
out in a loud voice:--"Assist me, oh blessed Virgin! I am a dead man!
One of my eyes has been thrust out!" At the same moment we all cried
out, "_Victory! Victory!_ for those of the watch-word _Espiritu Santo!
Narvaez is fallen!_" Yet we were unable for some time to gain entire
possession of the temple, not until Martin Lopez, who built the
brigantines, hit upon the thought of setting fire to the straw that lay
on the top of the temple, which he immediately set about with his gaunt
figure. Narvaez's men now came rolling down the steps one after the
other, and he himself was taken prisoner. A certain Pedro Sanchez Farsan
was the first to lay hold of him, and I mentioned this to Sandoval and
several of Narvaez's officers, who were standing by at the time. In an
instant a thousand voices filled the air with cries of: "_Long live the
emperor and general Cortes, in his imperial name!_ Victory, victory!
Narvaez is dead!"

The battle, however, was still continued at various points, as several
of Narvaez's officers maintained their positions on the tops of other
temples. Cortes, however, with his accustomed forethought, sent round a
herald to summons Narvaez's men, under pain of death, immediately to
join the imperial standard. This, with the firing of the cannon, our
hurrahing, and the belief that Narvaez was dead, had the desired effect,
and only the troops of young Diego Velasquez and of Salvatierra, who had
taken up a position with the troops under their command, on the summit
of a very high temple, where it was difficult to get at them, refused to
submit. Sandoval, however, was not to be deterred by their advantageous
position. He took the half of his men with him, while the