leja had swelled his reports, every body knew that he had been repulsed, and outwitted at last, by Morelos; and, as for the army, its appearance spoke for itself. A comedy was acted a few nights afterwards, in which a soldier was introduced, who, on his return from battle, presents his general with a turban, and tells him in a very pompous manner, "Here is the turban of the Moor, whom I took prisoner!" "And the Moor himself?" "O! he unfortunately escaped!" The passage was received with bursts of laughter, and the application instantly made by all the spectators.
Such was the event of the siege of Cūāūtlă Āmīlpăs, which I have given in some detail, because it may fairly be considered as the most important military occurrence in the whole Revolution. The resources displayed by Morelos, in the course of it, gave him a degree of celebrity, and influence, which none of the Insurgent chiefs attained after him. His authority was recognised every where; and continued to be respected until his death, in spite of the singular change of fortune, which marked the latter part of his career.
Mŏrēlŏs was detained some time at Īzūcăr, by an injury which he received, by a fall from his horse, on the retreat from Cuautla. On his recovery, he put himself again at the head of his troops, whom Matamoros had brought into admirable order, and soon convinced Vĕnēgăs, that "the monster of the South," as he was termed in the Gazette of Mexico,
