‘Que todos los que allí se hallaron afirman.’ Cortés, Cartas, 190. The
general lauds the achievement with rare fervor for him. Bernal Diaz sneers
at the river of blood story; but then he was not present to share the glory.
The Roman Mario was less dainty than these Spaniards under a similar circumstance,
commemorated by Plutarch; or as Floro more prosaically puts it:
‘Ut victor Romanus de cruento flumine non plus aquæ biberit quam sanguinis
barbarorum.’ Epitome, lib. iii. cap. iii.
Fifteen, says Bernal Diaz. Chimalpain, the Chalcan narrator, states that
his tribe lost 350 men, but killed 1500 foes, capturing the captain-general,
Chimalpopocatzin, a relative of the emperor, who now became a captain among
the Tezcucans, and was killed during the siege. Hist. Conq., ii. 34. Some of
these facts are evidently not very reliable. He also assumes that Sandoval
lost eight soldiers on again returning to Tezcuco.
The ‘comissario’ or clerk in charge of the bulls was Gerónimo Lopez,
afterward secretary at Mexico. Bernal Diaz, Hist. Verdad., 129. This author
names several of the arrivals, some of whom became captains of vessels. A
number also arrived during the following week, he adds, notably in Juan de
Búrgos’ vessel, which brought much material.