They Closed Upon Us
With Great Bravery, Fighting Us Hand To Hand, While We Maintained Our
Ground With Firmness, Using Our Cannon, Muskets, Cross-Bows, And Swords
As Well As We Could.
After some time, they drew off a little, but in this
they had rather the advantage by means of
Their bows and arrows, though
our cannon made vast havock among their crowded bodies, which were at such
a distance as enabled our gunners to fire among them to the greatest
possible advantage. At every discharge of the cannon, they shouted,
whistled, and sounded all their warlike instruments, calling out lala!
lala! and throwing straw and dust in the air, as if to prevent our seeing
the destruction produced among them by our artillery. I advised de Ordas
to close with the enemy, which he objected to, saying that they
outnumbered us thirty for one; yet we did advance, and as they wished to
avoid encountering our sharp swords, they inclined towards a marsh. We
were all this time exceedingly anxious for the arrival of Cortes and the
cavalry, being afraid that he had met with some disaster; and were at
length rejoiced when we saw him approaching to our relief on the rear of
the Indians, who were so entirely occupied in their attack on us that they
did not perceive him till he came dashing among them. The ground was quite
level and open, most of the horses strong and active, and the riders brave
and expert; so that they charged through among the crowded Indians in
every direction, and we renewed our efforts to make them give way,
encouraged by this seasonable assistance.
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