We Accordingly Began Our March From Tlascala Immediately After The Junction Of Our Last Reinforcement From Villa Rica, Consisting Of The Soldiers Who Came With Medel And De Burgos.

[1] A long digression is here omitted, in which Diaz severely reprehends the account given by Gomara of this and other transactions in his history of the conquest of Mexico, altogether uninteresting to the English reader.

- E.

[2] Clavigero, II. 132, mentions about this time an expedition against Tochtepec, a considerable town on the river of Papaloapan, in which Salcedo and a detachment of 80 Spaniards were entirely cut off. - E.

[3] This must have been a very considerable treasure. On one occasion, Clavigero reckons a load of gold at 800 ounces. The eighty Tlascalans might therefore carry off 64,000 ounces, which at L4 the ounce, is worth L256,000 Sterling, and of considerably more efficacious value in those days than a million is now. - E.

SECTION XII.

_Transactions of Cortes and the Spaniards from their March against Mexico, to the Commencement of the Siege of that City_.

We began our March from Tlascala on the 26th of December 1520, with the whole of our Spanish force, and accompanied by ten thousand of our Tlascalan allies[1], and halted that night within the territories of the state of Tezcuco, the inhabitants of which place supplied us with provisions. We marched about three leagues on the 27th, when we halted at the foot of a ridge of mountains, finding the weather extremely cold. Early next day we began to ascend the mountains, the bad roads having been made more difficult by the enemy, by means of ditches and felled trees, which were removed by the exertions of our allies.

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