alry, we attacked with renewed energy. The Indians, busily fighting us toward their faces, did not see our horsemen dashing on them from behind, spearing them in their fine and rapid galloping and finally forcing them to face about. They had never seen a horse before, and could not think other than that our good riders and their powerful, fiery animals were one body. Astounded at so strange a sight, they took to flight.
Under trees which stood on the field of battle we then thanked God with uplifted hands for giving us so complete a victory. After this we rested and bandaged the wounds of our men and buried the two who had been killed, one shot in the neck and the other in the ear. Our fighting had lasted about an hour and over eight hundred of the Indians lay dead on the battle field, and others wounded.
In an account of this battle a historian, Gomara, says that before the coming of Cortes the holy apostles Santiago and San Pedro galloped up to our aid on a grey horse. I say that for the work of our arms and our victory we stand indebted to our Lord, and that in this battle every man of us was set upon by so many of the enemy that if each had merely thrown a handful of dust upon us, we should, but for the mercy of God, have been buried. It may be that the two glorious apostles, Santiago and San Pedro, did come to our assistance. Perhaps on account of my
