The general eagerly embraced the proposal, and arranged with the
cacique that, on the appearance of the Spaniards, the inhabitants
should rise on the garrison. Everything succeeded as he had planned.
No sooner had the Christian battalions defiled on the plain before the
town, than the inhabitants attacked the garrison with the utmost fury.
The latter, abandoning the outer defences of the place, retreated to
their own quarters in the principal teocalli, where they maintained
a hard struggle with their adversaries. In the heat of it, Cortes,
at the head of his little body of horse, rode into the place, and
directed the assault in person. The Aztecs made a fierce defence.
But fresh troops constantly arriving to support the assailants, the
works were stormed, and every one of the garrison was put to the
sword.
The Mexican forces, meanwhile, stationed on the neighbouring
eminences, had marched down to the support of their countrymen in
the town, and formed in order of battle in the suburbs, where they
were encountered by the Tlascalan levies. "They mustered," says
Cortes, speaking of the enemy, "at least thirty thousand men, and it
was a brave sight for the eye to look on,- such a beautiful array of
warriors glistening with gold and jewels and variegated feather-work!"
The action was well contested between the two Indian armies. The
suburbs were set on fire, and, in the midst of the flames, Cortes
and his squadrons, rushing on the enemy, at length broke their
array, and compelled them to fall back in disorder into the narrow
gorge of the mountain, from which they had lately descended.
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