havoc among them, and from that time they never ventured to annoy us on our nightly retreat.  Another trap was laid for the enemy by Alvarado, which had not the same success; but as I was now doing duty with the division which Cortes commanded in person, I was not present, and cannot, therefore recount the particulars.  Hitherto we had continued to retreat every night to the posts we had established on the causeways, which were at least half a league from the great temple; but we now quitted these posts, and formed a lodgment for the whole army in the great square of Tlaltelolco, where we remained for three days without doing any thing worth notice, as Cortes wished to abstain from destroying any more of the city, in hopes of prevailing on Guatimotzin to accept of peace.  He sent, therefore, a message, requesting him to surrender, giving him the strongest assurances that he should continue to enjoy the sovereignty, and should be treated with every honourable distinction; and he accompanied this message with a considerable present of provisions, such as fowls, game, bread, and fruit.  Guatimotzin pretended to be inclined towards a pacification, and even sent four of his principal nobles to propose an interview between him and our general.  But this, was a mere stratagem to gain time for strengthening his fortifications, and making preparations to attack us; as from the example of what had befallen his uncle Montezuma, and the suggestions of his advisers, he was afraid to trust himself in our hands.  The mask was soon thrown off, and the enemy attacked us with such extreme violence, and having taken us in some measure by surprise, that they had some success at first, killing one of our soldiers and two horses; but in the end we drove them back with considerable loss.

Cortes now ordered us to proceed on our former system, of advancing daily against that part of the city which was occupied by Guatimotzin, filling up the ditches and destroying the houses as we proceeded; and we accordingly gained ground as formerly.  Guatimotzin, on seeing this, made another offer of an interview with our general, proposing the conference might take place across a large canal.  To this Cortes readily assented, and went accordingly to the appointed place, but Guatimotzin never appeared; instead of which he sent some of his principal nobles, who said the king was apprehensive of being shot during the conference.  Cortes engaged by the most solemn oaths that no injury should be offered, but all to no purpose.  At this time two of these nobles played a most ridiculous farce:  They took out from a sack a fowl, some bread, and a quantity of cherries, which they began to eat deliberately, as if to impress us with the belief that they had abundance of provisions.  When Cortes found that the proposed conference was only a pretext to gain time, he sent a message of defiance to Guatimotzin and retired.  For four days after this, we were not attacked by the enemy; but numbers of famished Mexicans used to surround