so terrible. But to remain at that point was not possible; accordingly one of Cortez's most faithful soldiers, Sandoval, led the now dismayed Spaniards. Forty men carried a wooden bridge, by which the troops might cross the ditches and canals, otherwise impassable.
All crossed safely; the sentinels on duty were easily silenced, but the ever-wakeful priests in the temple, also on watch, were attracted by the unusual noise.
Instantly the cry "To arms!" was raised, the trumpets were sounded, and the inhabitants aroused from their peaceful slumbers. By the time the Spaniards had reached the second canal, they were entirely surrounded by water, and the groans of the dead and dying mingled strangely with the beating of the rain and the fury of the wind. The third canal was reached, but in attempting to cross, the few remaining soldiers were killed, and Alvarado the fearless was left alone.
Resting his lance in the bottom of the canal, he gave a spring and was landed safely on the opposite bank.
When the Indians beheld this feat, they ate handful after handful of dirt, and exclaimed: "Truly this man is the offspring of the sun!" Since that time the place has borne the name of "El Salto de Alvarado."[1]
At Popotla, somewhat over two miles from the capital, still stands in reasonable preservation the celebrated "Arbol de la Noche Triste" ("Tree of the Sad Night"), against which Cortez leant and wept on the night of his defeat by the Aztecs. Only a short distance beyond Popotla is Atzcapotzalco. In Aztec days this town was their great slave market, and on each recurring sale-day the Indian maidens were decked out in all their bewitching adornments to dance and sing, in order to please those who might become purchasers.
The city of Mexico, which stands on the site of the ancient city, is one of the finest and best built cities on the continent. The architecture
- ↑ Bernal Diaz discredits as impossible this exploit.
