us in revenge for the loss of his horse; then how he had prevailed on Narvaez to turn out his troops in review, merely to laugh at him; and in all these stories he mimicked Narvaez and Salvatierra most admirably, so that we laughed and enjoyed ourselves as if going to a wedding-feast, though we well knew that on the morrow we must conquer or die, having to attack five times our number.  Such is the fortune of war!  After the heat of the day was over, we proceeded on our march, and halted for the night at a river about a league from Chempoalla, where there is now a bridge and a dairy farm.

After the departure of Father Olmedo and Velasquez from the quarters of Narvaez, some of his officers gave him warning of the secret practices going on, and advised him to be on his guard, as Cortes had many friends in his army.  The fat cacique of Chempoalla, being terrified for being called to account by Cortes for delivering up the women and mantles that had been confided to his care, was extremely vigilant in watching all our motions.  Finding that we drew near Chempoalla, he said to Narvaez, “Why are you so careless! Malinatzin and his teules will come upon you by surprise and put you all to death.”  Narvaez, being confident in his vast superiority, laughed heartily at the fears of the fat cacique, yet did not neglect the warning.  In the first place, he declared war against us as rebels, with fire, sword, and rope, and then drew up his whole army, cavalry, artillery, and infantry, in a plain about a quarter of a league from Chempoalla, where he resolved to wait for us; all of which we learned from a soldier, named El Galleguillo, who either deserted to us, or was sent by Duero to Cortes.  The day happened to be very rainy, and the troops of Narvaez, being unaccustomed to hardships, and despising our small number, became restless and dissatisfied with their situation, on which his officers advised him to march them back to quarters, which he did, placing all his guns in a line before the house in which he lodged.  He likewise placed a grand guard of forty cavalry on the road by which we were expected to advance, and some cavalry videts and active foot soldiers at the ford where we must pass on our way to Chempoalla.  Twenty of his cavalry were also appointed to patrole during the whole night around his quarters.  All this was done by the advice of his officers, who were anxious to get under cover, and who alleged it was absurd to suppose that Cortes would venture to attack them with so pitiful a handful of men, and that he only advanced from ostentation, or to induce them to come to an agreement.  On returning to quarters, Narvaez publickly offered a reward of two thousand crowns to whoever should kill Cortes or Sandoval; and he stationed as spies at the ford, Gonzalo Carrasco, who now dwells in La Puebla, and a soldier named Hurtado.  He also filled his own quarters, and those of Salvatierra, Gamarra, and Buono, with musketeers, crossbow-men, and soldiers armed with partizans or halberts.