into the midst of the throng. Their keen-edged swords fell on the
right hand and on the left upon the almost naked bodies of the
natives. At the same moment, the energies of musketry and artillery
were plied with murderous carnage.

[Illustration: FIRST CAVALRY CHARGE HEADED BY CORTEZ.]

The natives had never seen a horse before. They thought the rider and
the steed one animal. As these terrific monsters, half human, half
beast, came bounding into their midst, cutting down and trampling
beneath iron hoofs all who stood in the way, while at the same time
the appalling roar of the cannonade seemed to shake the very hills,
the scene became too awful for mortal courage to endure. The whole
mighty mass, in uncontrollable dismay, fled from the presence of foes
of such demoniac aspect and energy. The slaughter of these poor
Indians was so awful that some of the Spaniards extravagantly
estimated the number left dead upon the field at thirty thousand.
Though many of the Spaniards were wounded, but two were killed.

Cortez immediately assembled his army under a grove upon the field of
battle to give thanks to God for the victory. The pomp and pageantry
of war gave place to the pomp and pageantry of the Church. Canonical
robes and banners fluttered in the breeze, processions marched, the
smoke of incense floated in the air, and mass, with all its imposing
solemnities, was celebrated in the midst of prayers and thanksgivings.

"Then," says Diaz, "after dressing our wounds with the fat of
Indians whom we found dead thereabout, and having placed good
guards round our post, we ate our supper and went to our
repose."

Under the placable influence of these devotions, the conqueror sent
word to the vanquished that he would now _forgive them_ if they would
submit unconditionally to his authority. But he declared that if they
refused this, he would ride over the land, and put every thing in it,
man, woman, and child, to the sword.

The spirit of resistance was utterly crushed. The natives immediately
sent a delegation to him laden with presents. To impress these
embassadors still more deeply with a sense of his power, he exhibited
before them the martial evolutions of his cavalry, and showed them the
effects of his artillery as the balls were sped crashing through the
trees of the forest. The natives were now effectually conquered, and
looked upon the Spaniards as beings of supernatural powers, wielding
the terrors