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red, and who put under Cortes' commands such
courageous officers and soldiers. The second praise is certainly due to
us, whose valiant arms overcame every obstacle. We it were who firmly
withstood the enemy's attack, who broke their line, and who punctually
obeyed the commands of our general and his officers. And yet Cortes is
said to have done all himself at the battle of Otumpan! Why does this
Gomara not mention as well the heroic deeds of the officers and soldiers
in that battle? But it is quite evident that all he relates in his book
is intended for the praise of Cortes only, otherwise he could not have
passed by all the rest of us in silence. He should have asked how often
the brave Christobal de Olea had saved Cortes' life, until he met with
his death in a similar attempt during the subsequent siege of Mexico?

I had nearly forgotten to mention the battle near Sochimilco, where Olea
again saved Cortes' life, but which had nearly cost him his own, for he
was severely wounded.

In order not to confound names, I must observe that we had among our
troops a Christobal de Olea and a Christobal de Oli.

Gomara is right when he says that Cortes made a run at the Mexican
commander-in-chief, which caused the latter to drop the standard from
his hands; but then it is also a fact that Juan Salamanca, of Ontiveras,
who became alcalde mayor of Guacasualco after the fall of Mexico,
killed that chief with a thrust of his lance, tore away the splendid
crest of plumes which adorned his head, and presented it to Cortes; for
which reason he was subsequently permitted to add a bunch of feathers to
his armorial bearings.

I do not mention these things to diminish Cortes' glory, for the praise
and merit of all the victories we gained, and of the battles we fought,
down to the total conquest of New Spain, are due to him, and he has
deserved those honours with which the Castillians were wont to crown
their generals after some splendid victories, and the triumphs which the
Romans decreed to Pompey, Julius Cæsar, and the Scipios. Cortes, indeed,
has merited greater honours than all these Romans!

Gomara further relates that Cortes ordered the younger Xicotencatl to be
secretly executed in Tlascalla as punishment for his treacherous designs
against us; but this likewise is an untruth, for Cortes ordered him to
be hung in a village near Tezcuco, as will be seen hereafter.

In the same way Gomara sends so many thousands of Indians with us into
the field of battle, that there is neither sense nor meaning in what he
says; and he likewise gives a very exaggerated account of the numbers of
cities, towns, and villages, of which not one fifth part ever existed;
and if we sum up what he says of the population, we shall find there are
more millions than there are villages in Spain. Wherever he speaks of
80,000, we must really write down 1000. Everything certainly sounds very
fine in his work, because he never at any time relates all that
happened. When, therefore, the reader compares his account with mine, he
must not allow himself to be blinded by the ornaments of his beautiful
style, for mine is plain and rude, but truth supplies the place of art
and eloquence. How much it is to be regretted that Dr. Illescas and Paul
Jovio should have copied him so closely!

I must, however, return to my history on the campaign of Tepeaca.

[97] According to Torquemada, Cortes had left one of his officers, named
Juan Perez, with eighty Spaniards in Tlascalla, when he first marched to
Mexico. On learning from this officer that Maxixcatzin had offered to
march at the head of 100,000 men to his assistance, he grew excessively
angry with him, and reproached him in the severest terms for not having
accepted of the offer. (p. 359.)

[98] Torquemada throws more light on the reason of the younger
Xicotencatl's wishing to form an alliance with Mexico. The Mexicans
being aware that the Spaniards would derive great advantages by their
alliance with Tlascalla, sent an embassy of six distinguished personages
to draw this republic into an alliance with them. The matter was
formally discussed by the Tlascallan chiefs in council, and though the
Mexican ambassadors tried their utmost to persuade them into an
alliance, the majority decided against it.

At the head of the minority stood the younger Xicotencatl, and the
debate was carried on with such asperity that the young hero, who had
more penetration than the rest, was at length forcibly expelled the
meeting. (p. 362.)

CHAPTER CXXX.

 _How we marched into the province of Tepeaca, what we did there, and
 of other things which happened._

Cortes had desired the caziques of Tlascalla to furnish him with 5000
men to join him on his march into the province of Tepeaca, whose
inhabitants he was going to punish for the murder of several Spaniards.
It was the township of Tepeaca, Quauhquechola, and Tecalco, which lay
from twenty-four to twenty-eight miles from Tlascalla, against which
our arms were particularly bent. If our desire to be revenged upon them
was great, that of Maxixcatzin and the elder Xicotencatl was more so, as
the inhabitants of those places had done great damage to their
plantations; four thousand Tlascallan warriors, therefore, stood ready
equipped to join us. All the provinces, however, which we intended to
invade were quite prepared to receive us; for when the inhabitants there
learnt that we had met with a kind reception in Tlascalla after our
overthrow in Mexico, they did not doubt for an instant that, after we
had recruited our strength a little, we should invade their territories
in conjunction with the armed force of the former republic. Mexican
troops were therefore stationed everywhere on the confines, and Tepeaca
itself was strongly garrisoned. Maxixcatzin and the elder Xicotencatl
were well aware of this, and, consequently, not without their fears.
Notwithstanding all this, we commenced our march thither, but without
either cannon or matchlocks, for we had lost all these in our flight
from Mexico: though we had saved a few of the latter, we could make no
use of them as we had not a grain of powder left.

Our small army now consisted of seventeen horse, six crossbow-men, and
420 Spaniards, most of whom were only armed with swords and shields, and
4000 Tlascallans. We merely took a single day's provision with us, as
the provinces we were going to invade were very populous, and contained
quantities of maise, fowls, and musk swine. We observed our usual good
custom of sending out a few scouts in advance, and we quartered
ourselves for the first night about twelve miles from Tepeaca. The
inhabitants, upon the news of our approach, had everywhere fled away,
and carried off everything they could with them, so that we only found
six men and four women in a small settlement near Tepeaca. Cortes, who
always observed the strictest justice and order in all matters,
questioned these prisoners respecting the eighteen Spaniards who had
been murdered without any cause, a

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