Now what further ceremonies were to be carried out in this unholy place
I do not know, for at that moment a great tumult arose in the square
beneath, and I was hurried from the sanctuary by the priests. Then I
perceived this: galled to madness by the storm of missiles rained upon
them from its crest, the Spaniards were attacking the teocalli. Already
they were pouring across the courtyard in large companies, led by
Cortes himself, and with them came many hundreds of their allies the
Tlascalans. On the other hand some thousands of the Aztecs were rushing
to the foot of the first stairway to give the white men battle there.
Five minutes passed and the fight grew fierce. Again and again, covered
by the fire of the arquebusiers, the Spaniards charged the Aztecs, but
their horses slipping upon the stone pavement, at length they dismounted
and continued the fray on foot. Slowly and with great slaughter the
Indians were pushed back and the Spaniards gained a footing on the first
stairway. But hundreds of warriors still crowded the lofty winding road,
and hundreds more held the top, and it was plain that if the Spaniards
won through at all, the task would be a hard one. Still a fierce hope
smote me like a blow when I saw what was toward. If the Spaniards took
the temple there would be no sacrifice. No sacrifice could be offered
till midday, so Otomie had told me, and that was not for hard upon two
hours. It came to this then, if the Spaniards were victorious within two
hours, there was a chance of life for me, if not I must die.

Now when I was led out of the sanctuary of Tezcat, I wondered because
the princess Otomie, or rather the goddess Atla as she was then called,
was standing among the chief priests and disputing with them, for I had
seen her bow her head at the door of the holy place, and thought that it
was in token of farewell, seeing that she was the last of the four women
to leave me. Of what she disputed I could not hear because of the din of
battle, but the argument was keen and it seemed to me that the priests