surrounded by water and deprived by nature of resources; they heaped insolence upon them and loaded them with taxes; anything of value they wanted, they obtained by violence or fraud; moreover they had destroyed the images of the gods and banished the sacred rites and ancient ceremonies of Mexico. For these reasons the lords of the city, acting together with the vassals enjoying the king's intimacy and whose sons were educated from their youth in his household, resolved in their fury to exterminate these foreigners, as farmers tear up weeds from their fields. In spite of Muteczuma's wish, even in spite of his opposition, they determined to besiege the palace, and to either kill the garrison or starve them out. Thus the Spaniards were reduced to the last extremity, when the arrival of Cortes revived some hope in their wavering minds at a time when everything appeared to be lost.

The Spaniards were entrenched in the palace as though it were a fortress, but one of the lofty towers of the temple, surrounded by a pine grove, overlooked the palace. From the top of this tower and from the pine grove,' the natives threw stones and other projectiles, which did much damage to the Spaniards. As soon as they learned of the arrival of Cortes with reinforcements for his men, their anger and the fierceness of the combat redoubled. Stones, javelins, arrows, and every sort of missile fell like a black rain, in such numbers that they obscured the sun. The air rang with the cries of the multitude of determined warriors.

Cortes ordered an officer with two hundred soldiers to effect a sortie against the warriors in the square. This force opened a way through the hostile ranks, but was speedily surrounded by an immense multitude and found itself unable to advance a step. It was with

I No mention of a pine grove is elsewhere found, nor does the typography of the city, as we know it from drawings, maps, and written descriptions admit the existence of anything corresponding to a "grove" near the palace of Axayacatl and the great teocalli.

difficulty the men regained the fortress, for they had to cut their way through, losing several of their men, while the officer was seriously wounded. Cortes issued forth on the other side, but without much effect; for as soon as the barbarians had let fly their stones and javelins, they took refuge in the little towers called by the Spaniards azoteas, which are numerous in the town. The battle was long and furious, and Cortes was finally obliged to retreat inside his walls, which he only succeeded with difficulty in doing. Many of his allies were killed by the stones and other projectiles.

As soon as he had regained his quarters, the barbarians began a siege. They attacked on every side simultaneously, seeking to destroy or storm the palace and bending their efforts against the doors, which they sought to burn. The defenders killed a number of the assailants, with their cannon, muskets, and arrows, but such was the hatred animating the survivors, that they trampled, when necessary, over the bodies of their comrades, and returned to the fight. It seems they fought from dawn till dark, and their fatigue was intolerable, for they were forced to remain under arms the entire day; the assailants, on the contrary, replaced their weary men every quarter of an hour with others, while the places of the killed and wounded were taken by fresh troops, who hurled themselves into the battle with the same enthusiasm as those who had retired, worn out by fighting; to such an extent had their hatred of the Spaniards unbalanced their judgment.

They incited and encouraged each other to drive these dangerous guests from among them; it was better for them all to perish than to sit down peaceably under this odious yoke; better to lose their souls and save their country's freedom. During the whole day the barbarians, like wolves raging round a village, kept up the fight. Towards evening the combat ceased, but during the night they emitted such yells that everybody in the neighbourhood

was deafened. Even inside the citadel the men could not hear themselves speak for the fearful noise of their cries. When the barbarians drew off at the close of the first day, Cortes took stock of his wounded, and found that they numbered eighty.

On the morrow, the eighth day of the calends of July, the barbarians renewed the attack more fiercely than ever, and a determined fight began. Cortes protected his front by thirteen field pieces, some musketeers, and archers; but though every shot brought down between ten and twelve of the assailants to the ground, scattering their legs and arms in the air, it is marvellous to relate, they did not flinch. They closed up their ranks wherever the bullets had made an opening, just as Germans or Swiss might do.

Driven by the scarcity of provisions, Cortes resolved the following day to try his fortune in the open field. The Spaniards marched out from their quarters like raging lions goaded by hunger. They fell upon the enemy, killing great numbers and capturing some houses in the neighbourhood of their quarters. They also regained some of the wooden bridges across the streets, but when night fell, they returned just as hungry, and with Cortes and fifty of his companions wounded.

As their necessities increased and the need of food became daily more urgent, the Spaniards were forced to devise some means for still further punishing their enemies and forcing them to make peace. Cortes had three engines of war constructed during the night. They were built of wood in the shape of a small square house; in military engineering they are called turtles, and each one held twenty soldiers. These machines were mounted on wheels and sent out, each filled with musketeers and archers. They were followed by men carrying axes and picks, to destroy the houses and break down the barricades; but from the roofs of the little towers com

manding each of the streets, such a quantity of stones and darts was rained down upon the turtles that their roofs were broken, and the men were forced to beat a hasty retreat into the citadel.

During this time the unhappy Muteczuma, who was always a prisoner, asked to be brought before the assailants, promising to do his best to raise the siege. By an unfortunate chance he was conducted to an open platform at a place where the combatants were most numerous. Such a shower of stones greeted the Spaniards that whoever showed his face was wounded; and it was there that the omnipotent sovereign, Muteczuma, perished. He was a man well endowed by nature, and of great prudence. His end was lamentable when we remember his greatness and prosperity; on the third day of the battle, a stone thrown by one of his own subjects, struck and killed him. Thus did this master of many kingdoms, so feared by nations, disappear. The Spaniards delivered his body to his subjects, that it might receive the honours of sepulture, but what they did with it is not known. For the moment the only thing they were allowed time to think about was how to save their lives.

'Such was the version of Montezuma's death sent to Spain by Cortes. It is flatly contradicted by the Mexican accounts of the event and has failed to convince unbiased investigators. Clavigero and Prescott are two notable exceptions, both these learned writers generously accepting the statement of Cortes as truthfully presenting all the facts. The views of different authorities are discussed in MacNutt's Fernando Cortes, cap. x. For full information concerning the last hours, death and burial of Montezuma, consult: Ixtlilxochitl, Historia Chichimeca, cap. lxxxviii.; Herrera, dec. ii., lib. x., cap. x.; Bernal Diaz, Hist. Verdad., cap. cxxviii.; Clavigero, Storia Antica del Messico, tom. ii., p. 103; José Ramirez, Bautismo de Molecuhzoma II.; Torquemada, Monarchia Indiana, lib. iv., cap. lxx.; Orozco y Berra, Conquista de Mexico, tom. iv.

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BOOK VI

HE following day Cortes summoned the chiefs of the city and the relatives of the sovereign, amongst whom was his brother, Astapalappa,' to the place where the fatal accident overtook Muteczuma, and made them the following speech: "I conjure and exhort you to choose peace rather than war. If you persist in your present dispositions, I shall raze to its foundations this illustrious and noble capital where you were born. I lament the misfortunes that have overtaken you, for I consider you my friends." They answered that his proposal was not acceptable. "We do not want your friendship, for we regard you as our declared enemy. The peace you offer us we reject, until the day when you restore freedom to our country by withdrawing your troops." Cortes again reminded them of the serious harm and catastrophes to which they were exposing themselves, but they answered: "We all prefer to die bravely rather than to submit to such an odious yoke. Prepare therefore to withdraw, and do not place your faith in empty words. Death would be welcomed by us, if we succeeded in saving ourselves and our children from slavery."

Cortes replied by reminding them of what those nations who had refused his alliance had suffered, and he promised them a complete amnesty for the past, but they answered:

' Meaning presumably, Cuitlahuatzin, ruler of Iztapalapan.