When Day Broke Next Morning, It Appeared That The Indians Had Been Joined
By Many Others During The Night, And They All Surrounded The Spaniards,
Pouring In A Great Shower Of Arrows, Stones, And Darts, By Which Eighty Of
The Spaniards Were Wounded At The First Onset.
After this they closed in
with the Christians, using their swords and spears; and though the
Spaniards were not idle with their fire-arms, cross-bows, and swords, the
Indians distressed them greatly.
On experiencing the sharpness of the
Spanish swords, the Indians drew farther off, continuing to ply their
arrows with a good aim, crying out calachani! calachani! which in the
language of Yucutan, signifies cacique or captain, meaning that they
should aim especially at the commander Cordova. In this they succeeded, as
he received twelve arrow wounds, as he exposed himself foremost in every
encounter, when he ought rather to have directed his men than fought
personally. Finding himself sorely wounded, and that the courage of his
men was unable to overcome so great a multitude, which was continually
increasing, he made a furious onset, and broke through the Indians, who
still pursued the Spaniards on their way to the boats. On getting to the
boats, they had nearly sunk them all by the hurry of so many men crowding
to embark; but they at length put off from the shore, the Indians still
plying them with missile weapons, and many of them advancing into the
water to wound the Spaniards with their spears.
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