Chapter XIII Cortes, About to Retreat, Finds the Causeways Cut—The Spaniards Escape with Heavy Loss—The Tlaxcalans Remain True—Guatemozin is Elected Emperor of Mexico
On the next day both sides remained quiet. Cortes made preparations for his departure and the Mexicans did not appear disposed to resume hostilities. But their apparent peacefulness was far from being genuine. They were more determined than ever to extirpate the Spaniards and they were engaged upon a well considered change of plans to accomplish it. Their design now was to prevent his retreat by cutting the causeways and leaving them to perish from hunger. But Cortes, whose foresight never failed him, built a floating bridge with incredible swiftness, which could be thrown across the opening. As soon as it was ready, he ordered that the retreat should be made in the night. He hoped that either the darkness would enable him to make his escape or that the well known night superstition of the Mexicans would prevent them from interfering with him. But in this he was mistaken.
As soon as night came he divided his army into three columns. Sandoval was appointed leader of the advance. He himself led the centre column, and Velasquez de Leon, a near relative of the governor of Cuba, brought up the rear. The army set out in the stillness of midnight. Noise of any kind was carefully avoided and the falling rain seemed to favor them. For a time not a trace of counter preparation was discovered and at last they reached the causeway leading to Tacuba which had been selected for two reasons by Cortes. In the first place, it was the shortest, and in the second, he had hopes that the Mexicans might have neglected to cut it, as it was in an entirely different direction from that which the Spaniards had taken when they came. But this hope was soon dissipated, for when they reached the spot, they found it cut. With the help of the floating bridge, they attempted to make the crossing, but before it was accomplished the terrible battle cry of the enemy was heard, announcing death and destruction on every hand. The lake was suddenly alive with canoes. The beginning of the battle was marked by a terrible storm of arrows and stones. The place, the darkness, and the desperation of the assailants made it one of the most deadly in history.