Guatemozin, who had been informed of all that was transpiring, rejoiced at the imprudence of the enemy as he realized the advantage it placed in his hands. He immediately ordered several strong detachments to march by different roundabout ways to the abandoned causeways, enlarge the openings as much as possible, and hold their positions there. The rest of his warriors, who were engaged in a hand to hand struggle with the enemy, gradually fell back in order to lure the excited Spaniards farther into the city. His cunning scheme was successful. Assuming that his orders had been executed, Cortes without hesitation drove the enemy from one street to another and at last reached the very place where Guatemozin was awaiting him with the flower of his warriors. Suddenly, at a signal from the Emperor, the hollow boom of the war god’s sacred drum was heard from the adjacent temple—a sound which always filled the Mexican with indescribable rage and utter contempt of death. In an instant the Spaniards, to their astonishment, found themselves attacked on all sides so furiously that with all their courage and skill they were unable to withstand it. They began falling back slowly in close ranks and maintaining the defensive, but as the numbers of the enemy increased every moment and their attack grew more furious, they gradually began to seek safety in flight. At last their ranks broke. All, Spaniards and Tlaxcalans, foot-soldiers and horsemen, fled in disorder to the nearest causeway where their terror was still further increased by finding the enemy in possession. Cortes vainly sought by commands and entreaties to check the disorderly flight and restore order. They neither saw nor heard anything. Their only impulse was to save themselves in any way they could. They jumped into the openings in squads. Many of them were drowned and others were captured or killed by the enemy in their canoes, for unfortunately this part of the lake was too shallow to allow the Spanish vessels to come to their assistance. Cortes was greatly alarmed at the danger of his troops but gave not a thought to his own. While striving to rescue some from the water and others from the hands of the enemy, he was suddenly seized by six stout Mexican chiefs and dragged away in triumph. Two of his officers, seeing what had happened, determined to save their commander by sacrificing themselves. They dashed into the midst of the enemy, struggled and fell, but not until they had killed those who were holding Cortes. He was freed and made his escape, although pitifully disfigured and at the cost of his officers’ lives, which pained him more than his wounds. A thousand Tlaxcalans and over sixty Spaniards were lost, many were captured, while among those who escaped there was hardly one who was not injured in some way.