rest remained
below, and we attacked them so vigorously with our swords, that at last
they surrendered, and we took Salvatierra and Diego Velasquez prisoners.

In the hurry of the moment we had merely fastened fetters around
Narvaez's legs; but Sandoval now, ordered him to be better secured.
Cortes happened to come up at the time, when Leon, with Ordas, brought
in Salvatierra, Diego Velasquez, and other chief officers prisoners; he
was still in full armour, and had heated himself to such a degree by
riding up and down, the weather besides being very hot, that the
perspiration literally dropped from him, and he could scarcely breathe
from over-exertion; he twice said to Sandoval, who was unable to catch
his words at first, "Where is Narvaez? Where is Narvaez?" "Here he is!
here he is!" cried Sandoval, "and quite safe." "That is all right, my
son Sandoval," said Cortes in a voice still somewhat feeble; "do not
leave this spot for the present, nor suffer any of your men to stir
away, and keep a strong guard over the officers you have taken prisoners;
I will see now how the battle is going on at the other points."

With these words Cortes rode off, and as he still found Narvaez's men
offered resistance, he again sent round a herald to summon them to
surrender, and to deliver up their arms to the alguacil.

All this took place during night-time, and it rained at intervals. When
we first forced our way into the town it was as dark as pitch, and it
rained heavily, the moon did not rise until some time after; but even
the darkness itself favoured us, for in the midst of darkness numbers
of shining beetles[82] kept continually flying about, which Narvaez's
men mistook for the lighted matches of our firearms,[83] and this gave
them a vast idea of the number of our matchlocks.

Narvaez having lost an eye and being otherwise dangerously wounded, he
begged of Sandoval to allow the surgeon he had brought with him to dress
his and the other officers' wounds. This the latter unhesitatingly
complied with, and while the surgeon was dressing Narvaez's wounds,
Cortes stepped up, as he imagined unknown, to see what was going
forward. Some one, however, remarked to Narvaez that Cortes was standing
near; when the former turned round and said: "Indeed, general, you have
reason to be proud of this victory, and of my being taken prisoner!"

"I am," replied Cortes, "every way thankful to God for it, and likewise
for the brave companions he ha