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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of By Right of Conquest, by G. A. Henty
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: By Right of Conquest
+       Or, With Cortez in Mexico
+
+Author: G. A. Henty
+
+Release Date: September 28, 2006 [EBook #19398]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Martin Robb
+
+
+
+
+By Right of Conquest:
+Or, With Cortez in Mexico
+by G. A. Henty.
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+            Preface.
+Chapter  1: A Startling Proposal.
+Chapter  2: Bound To Unknown Parts.
+Chapter  3: The Voyage.
+Chapter  4: Among The Islands.
+Chapter  5: Shipwrecked.
+Chapter  6: Anahuac.
+Chapter  7: A Wonderful Country.
+Chapter  8: At Tezcuco.
+Chapter  9: Life In A Palace.
+Chapter 10: News From The Coast.
+Chapter 11: Cortez.
+Chapter 12: The Fugitives.
+Chapter 13: The Massacre Of Cholula.
+Chapter 14: In Mexico.
+Chapter 15: Again At Tezcuco.
+Chapter 16: A Treasure Room.
+Chapter 17: The Insurrection.
+Chapter 18: The Rising In Mexico.
+Chapter 19: The Passage Of The Causeway.
+Chapter 20: At Tlascala.
+Chapter 21: A Victim For The Gods.
+Chapter 22: Home.
+
+
+
+Preface.
+
+
+The conquest of Mexico, an extensive empire with a numerous and
+warlike population, by a mere handful of Spaniards, is one of the
+romances of history. Indeed, a writer of fiction would scarcely
+have dared to invent so improbable a story. Even the bravery of the
+Spaniards, and the advantage of superior arms would not have
+sufficed to give them the victory, had it not been that Mexico was
+ripe for disruption. The Aztecs, instead of conciliating by wise
+and gentle government the peoples they had conquered, treated them
+with such despotic harshness that they were ready to ally
+themselves with the invaders, and to join with them heartily
+against the central power; so that instead of battling against an
+empire single-handed, the Spaniards had really only to war with a
+great city, and were assisted by a vast army of auxiliaries.
+
+Fortunately, the details of the extraordinary expedition of Cortez
+were fully related by contemporary writers, several of whom were
+eyewitnesses of the scenes they described. It was not necessary for
+me, however, to revert to these; as Prescott, in his admirable work
+on the conquest of Mexico, has given a summary of them; and has
+drawn a most vivid picture of the events of the campaign. The book
+far surpasses in interest any volume of fiction, and I should
+strongly recommend my readers to take the first opportunity that
+occurs of perusing the whole story, of which I have only been able
+to touch upon the principal events.
+
+While history is silent as to the voyage of the Swan, it is
+recorded by the Spaniards that an English ship did, in 1517 or
+1518, appear off the port of San Domingo, and was fired at by them,
+and chased from the islands; but it was not until some twenty or
+thirty years later that the English buccaneers openly sailed to
+challenge the supremacy of the Spaniards among the Western Islands,
+and to dispute their pretensions to exclude all other flags but
+their own from those waters. It may, however, be well believed that
+the ship spoken of was not the only English craft that entered the
+Spanish main; and that the adventurous traders of the West country,
+more than once, dispatched ships to carry on an illicit trade
+there. Such enterprises would necessarily be conducted with great
+secrecy, until the relations between Spain and England changed, and
+religious differences broke up the alliance that existed between
+them during the early days of Henry the 8th.
+
+G. A. Henty.
+
+
+
+Chapter 1: A Startling Proposal.
+
+
+On March 3rd, 1516, the trading vessel the Swan dropped anchor at
+Plymouth. She would in our days be considered a tiny craft indeed,
+but she was then looked upon as a large vessel, and one of which
+her owner, Master Diggory Beggs, had good reason to be proud. She
+was only of some eighty tons burden, but there were few ships that
+sailed out from Plymouth of much larger size; and Plymouth was even
+then rising into importance as a seaport, having flourished
+mightily since the downfall of its once successful rival--Fowey.
+Large ships were not needed in those days, for the only cargoes
+sent across the sea were costly and precious goods, which occupied
+but small space. The cloths of the Flemings, the silks and satins
+of Italy, the produce of the East, which passed first through the
+hands of the Venetian and Genoese merchants, and the wines of
+France and Spain were the chief articles of commerce. Thus the
+freight for a vessel of eighty tons was a heavy venture, and none
+but merchants of wealth and position would think of employing
+larger ships. In this respect the Spaniards and the Italian
+Republics were far ahead of us, and the commerce of England was a
+small thing, indeed, in comparison with that of Flanders.
+
+In Plymouth, however, the Swan was regarded as a goodly ship; and
+Master Diggory Beggs was heartily congratulated, by his
+acquaintances, when the news came that the Swan was sailing up the
+Sound, having safely returned from a voyage to Genoa.
+
+As soon as the anchor was dropped and the sails were furled, the
+captain, Reuben Hawkshaw, a cousin of Master Beggs, took his place
+in the boat, accompanied by his son Roger, a lad of sixteen, and
+was rowed by two sailors to the landing place. They were delayed
+for a few minutes there by the number of Reuben's acquaintances,
+who thronged round to shake him by the hand; but as soon as he had
+freed himself of these, he strode up the narrow street from the
+quays to the house of Master Diggory.
+
+Reuben Hawkshaw was a tall, powerfully built man, weatherbeaten and
+tanned from his many comings and goings upon the sea; with a voice
+that could be heard in the loudest storm, and a fierce look--but,
+as his men knew, gentle and kind at heart, though very daring; and
+having, as it seemed, no fear of danger either from man or tempest.
+
+Roger was large boned and loosely jointed, and was likely some day
+to fill out into as big a man as his father, who stood over
+six-feet-two without his shoes.
+
+Reuben was wont to complain that he, himself, was too big for
+shipboard.
+
+"If a crew were men wholly of my size," he would say, "a ship would
+be able to carry but a scant crew; for, lie they as close as they
+would, there would not be room for a full complement below."
+
+For indeed, in those days space was precious, and on board a ship
+men were packed well-nigh as close as they could lie; having small
+thought of comfort, and being well content if there was room to
+turn, without angering those lying next on either side.
+
+The merchant, who was so stout and portly that he offered a strong
+contrast to his cousin, rose from his desk as the latter entered.
+
+"I am glad, indeed, to see you back, Cousin Reuben; and trust that
+all has fared well with you."
+
+"Indifferent well, Cousin Diggory. We have a good stock of Italian
+goods on board; but as, of course, these took up but a small
+portion of her hold, I put into Cadiz on my way back. There I
+filled up with three-score barrels of Spanish wine, which will, I
+warrant me, return good profit on the price I paid for them."
+
+"And you have met with no accidents or adventures, Reuben?"
+
+"Not more than is useful. We had a fight with some Moorish pirates,
+who coveted the goods with which, as they doubtless guessed, we
+were laden; but we beat them off stoutly, with a loss of only six
+men killed among us. We had bad weather coming up the Portugal
+Coast, and had two men washed overboard; and we had another stabbed
+in a drunken brawl in the street. And besides these there are, of
+course, many who were wounded in the fight with the Moors and in
+drunken frays ashore; but all are doing well, and the loss of a
+little blood will not harm them, so our voyage may be termed an
+easy and pleasant one.
+
+"That is well," the merchant said, in a tone of satisfaction. "We
+cannot expect a voyage like this to pass without accident.
+
+"And how are you, Roger?" he asked, turning to the boy, who was
+standing near the door with his cap in his hand, until it should
+please his elders to address him.
+
+"I am well, I thank you, Master Diggory. It is seldom that anything
+ails with me. I trust that Mistress Mercy and my cousins are well."
+
+"You had best go upstairs, and see them for yourself, Roger. Your
+father and I have weighty matters to talk over, and would fain be
+alone."
+
+Roger was glad to escape from the merchant's counting house and,
+bowing to his cousin, went off with a quiet step; which, after he
+had closed the door behind him, was changed into a rapid bound as
+he ascended the stairs.
+
+"Gently, Roger," Mistress Beggs said, as he entered the room where
+she and her two daughters were sitting, at work. "We are truly glad
+to see you, but you must remember that we stay-at-home people are
+not accustomed to the boisterous ways of the sea."
+
+The reproof was administered in a kindly tone, but Roger colored to
+the hair; for indeed, in his delight at being back again, he had
+forgotten the manners that were expected from a lad of his age, on
+shore. However, he knew that, although Mistress Beggs was somewhat
+precise in her ways, she was thoroughly kind; and always treated
+him as if he were a nephew of her own, rather than a young cousin
+of her husband's. He therefore recovered at once from his momentary
+confusion, and stepped forward to receive the salute Mistress Beggs
+always gave him, on his return from his voyages.
+
+"Dorothy, Agnes, you remember your Cousin Roger?"
+
+The two girls, who had remained seated at their work--which had,
+however, made but little progress since their father had run in,
+two hours before, to say that the Swan was signaled in the
+Sound--now rose, and each made a formal courtesy, and then held up
+her cheek to be kissed, according to the custom of the day; but
+there was a little smile of amusement on their faces that would
+have told a close observer that, had their mother not been present,
+their greeting would have been a warmer and less ceremonious one.
+
+"Well, well, Roger," Mistress Beggs went on, "it is marvelous to
+see how fast you grow! Why, it is scarce six months since you
+sailed away, and you seem half a head taller than you were when you
+went! And so the Swan has returned safely, without damage or
+peril?"
+
+"No damage to speak of, Cousin Mercy, save for a few shot holes in
+her hull, and a good many patches on her side--the work of a
+Moorish corsair, with whom we had a sharp brush by the way."
+
+"And was there loss of life, Roger?"
+
+"We have come back nine hands shorter than we sailed with, and
+there are a few on board still unfit for hard work."
+
+"And did you fight, Cousin Roger?" Dorothy Beggs asked.
+
+"I did what I could with my bow, until I got alongside, and then
+joined in the melee as well as I could. The heathen fought bravely,
+but they were not a match for our men; being wanting in weight and
+strength, and little able to stand up against the crushing blows of
+our axes. But they are nimble and quick with their curved swords;
+and the fierceness of their faces, and their shouting, would have
+put men out of countenance who had less reason to be confident than
+ours."
+
+"And the trading has gone well?" asked Mistress Beggs, who was
+known to have a keen eye to the main chance.
+
+"I believe that my father's well satisfied, Cousin Mercy, and that
+the venture has turned out fully as well as he looked for."
+
+"That is well, Roger.
+
+"Do you girls go on with your work. You can sew while you are
+listening. I will go and see that the preparations for dinner are
+going on regularly, for the maids are apt to give way to talk and
+gossip, when they know that the Swan is in."
+
+As soon as she had left the room, the two girls threw down their
+work and, running across to Roger, saluted him most heartily.
+
+"That is a much better welcome," Roger said, "than the formal
+greetings you before gave me. I wonder what Cousin Mercy would have
+said, had she chanced to come in again."
+
+"Mother guessed well enough what it would be, when we were alone
+together," Dorothy said, laughing. "She always thinks it right on
+special occasions to keep us to our manners, and to make us sure
+that we know how it is becoming to behave; but you know well,
+Roger, that she is not strict with us generally, and likes us to
+enjoy ourselves. When we are staying up at the farm with Aunt
+Peggy, she lets us run about as we will; and never interferes with
+us, save when our spirits carry us away altogether. I think we
+should be glad if we always lived in the country.
+
+"But now, Roger, let us hear much more about your voyage, and the
+fight with the Moors. Are they black men?"
+
+"Not at all, Dorothy. They are not very much darker than our own
+fishermen, when they are bronzed by the sun and wind. There are
+black men who live somewhere near their country, and there were
+several of these fighting with them. These blacks are bigger men
+than the Moors, and have thick lips and wide mouths. I believe that
+they live as slaves among the Moors, but those who were with them
+fought as bravely as they did; and it needed a man with a stout
+heart to engage with them, so ugly were their faces."
+
+"Were you not terrified, Roger?"
+
+"I was frightened at first, Dorothy, and felt a strange weakness in
+my knees, as they began to swarm up the ship's side; but it passed
+off when the scuffle began. You see, there was no time to think
+about it. We all had to do our best, and even had I been frightened
+ever so badly, I hope that I should not have showed it, for it
+would have brought shame upon my father as well as myself; but in
+truth I thought little about it, one way or the other. There they
+were on the deck, and had to be driven back again; and we set about
+the work like Englishmen and honest men and, thanks to our pikes
+and axes, we had not very much trouble about it; especially when we
+once became fairly angered, on seeing some of our friends undone by
+the heathen.
+
+"I myself would rather go through two or three such fights, than
+encounter such another storm as we had off the coast of Portugal,
+for four days. It seemed that we must be lost, the waves were of
+such exceeding bigness--far surpassing anything I had ever seen
+before. My heart was in my mouth scores of times, and over and over
+again I thought that she would never rise again, so great was the
+weight of water that poured over her. Truly it was the mercy of God
+which alone saved us, for I believe that even my father thought the
+ship would be beaten to pieces, though he kept up a show of
+confidence in order to inspirit the men. However, at the end of the
+fourth day the gale abated; but it was days before the great sea
+went down, the waves coming in long regular hills, which seemed to
+me as big as those which we have here in Devonshire; but smooth and
+regular, so that while we rolled mightily, there was naught to fear
+from them."
+
+"I should not like to be a sailor," Agnes said. "It would be far
+better, Roger, were you to come into our father's counting house.
+You know he would take you into his business, did Cousin Reuben
+desire it."
+
+Roger laughed.
+
+"I should make but a poor penman, Agnes. I love the sea dearly, and
+it is seldom that we have such gales to meet as that; and after
+all, it is no worse to be drowned than it is to come to any other
+death. I am well content, cousin, with matters as they are; and
+would not stay ashore and spend my life in writing, not to be as
+rich as the greatest merchant in Plymouth. I almost wish,
+sometimes, I had been born a Spaniard or a Portugal; for then I
+might have a chance of sailing to wondrous new countries, instead
+of voyaging only in European waters."
+
+"It seems to me that you have plenty to see as it is, Roger,"
+Dorothy said.
+
+"I do not say nay to that," Roger assented; "but I do not see why
+Spain and Portugal should claim all the Indies, East and West, and
+keep all others from going there."
+
+"But the pope has given the Indies to them," Dorothy said.
+
+"I don't see that they were the pope's to give," Roger replied.
+"That might do for the king, and his minister Wolsey, and the
+bishops; but when in time all the people have read, as we do,
+Master Wycliffe's Bible, they will come to see that there is no
+warrant for the authority the pope claims; and then we may,
+perhaps, take our share of these new discoveries."
+
+"Hush, Roger! You should not speak so loud about the Bible. You
+know that though there are many who read it, it is not a thing to
+be spoken of openly; and that it would bring us all into sore
+trouble, were anyone to hear us speak so freely as you have done.
+There has been burning of Lollards, and they say that Wolsey is
+determined to root out all the followers of Wycliffe."
+
+"It will take him some trouble to do that," Roger said, shrugging
+his shoulders. "Still, I will be careful, Dorothy, for I would not
+on any account bring trouble upon you, here. But, thank Heaven,
+England is not Spain, where men are forever being tortured and
+burned for their religion. The English would never put up with
+that. It may be that there will be persecution, but methinks it is
+rather those whose opinions lead them to make speeches that are
+regarded as seditious, and who stir up the people into discontent,
+who fall into trouble; and that, as long as folks hold their own
+opinions in peace and quiet, and trouble not others, neither king
+nor cardinal will seek to interfere with them.
+
+"It is not so in Spain. There, upon the slightest suspicion that a
+man or woman holds views differing from those of the priests, he is
+dragged away and thrown into the prisons of the Inquisition, and
+tortured and burned."
+
+Mistress Mercy now returned, and she and the girls busied
+themselves in laying the table for dinner.
+
+That evening, after Mistress Mercy, the girls, and Roger had
+retired to bed, Reuben Hawkshaw and his cousin had a long talk
+together, concerning the next voyage of the Swan. After Master
+Diggory had discussed the chances of a voyage to the low countries,
+or another trip to the Mediterranean, Reuben, who had been silently
+listening to him, said:
+
+"Well, Cousin Diggory, to tell you the truth, I have been turning
+over a project that seems to me to offer a chance of greater
+profit, though I deem it not without risk. That is the case, of
+course, with all trading affairs; and, as you know, the greater the
+risk the greater the profit, so the question to be considered is
+whether the profit is in fair proportion to the risk run. I think
+that it is, in this case, and I am ready to risk my life in
+carrying it out. It is for you to consider whether you are ready to
+risk your venture."
+
+"What is it, Reuben? There are no other voyages that I know of;
+unless, indeed, you think of sailing up to Constantinople, and
+trading with the Grand Turk."
+
+"My thoughts go farther afield still, Diggory. It is a matter I
+have thought over for some time, and when I was at Cadiz the other
+day I made many inquiries, and these have confirmed me in my
+opinions on the matter. You know that the Spaniards are gaining
+huge wealth from the Indies, and I heard at Cadiz that, after the
+conquest they made, a year since, of the island they call Cuba, the
+stores of precious things brought home were vast indeed. As you
+know, they bring from there gold and spices and precious woods, and
+articles of native workmanship of all kinds."
+
+"I know all that, Reuben; and also that, like dogs in the manger,
+they suffer none others to sail those seas; and that no English
+ship has ever yet traversed those waters."
+
+"That is so, Diggory; but by all I hear the number of islands is
+large, and there are reports that there lies, farther west, a great
+land from which it is they procure, chiefly, the gold and silver
+and precious things. Now it seems to me that, were the matter
+secretly conducted, so that no news could be sent to Spain, a ship
+might slip out and cruise there, dealing with the natives, and
+return richly stored with treasures.
+
+"The Swan is a fast sailer and, did she fall in with the Spanish
+ships, would show them a clean pair of heels. Of course she would
+avoid the places where the Spaniards have forts and garrisons, and
+touch only at those at which, I hear, they trade but little;" and
+he took out a scroll from his bosom, unrolled it, and showed it to
+be a map.
+
+"This I purchased, for ten gold pieces, of a Spanish captain who
+had come to poverty and disgrace from his ship being cast away,
+while he was asleep in liquor, in his cabin--a fault which is rare
+among the Spaniards, and therefore thought all the more of. I met
+him in Cadiz, at a wine shop near the port. He told me his story as
+we drank together, for he spoke Dutch, having traded much with the
+Low Countries.
+
+"He took out a map, to show me some of the places at which he had
+had adventures. I said that the thing was curious, and would buy it
+of him, if he was disposed to sell. He said that it would be as
+much as his life were worth to part with it, to an Englishman; and,
+indeed, that it was only captains of ships trading in those seas
+who were allowed to have them, seeing that all matters connected
+with the islands were held as a state secret. After some trouble
+and chaffering, however, he agreed to make me an exact copy, and to
+sell it me for ten gold pieces.
+
+"This is the copy. It is exact, for I compared it with the
+original, before I paid for it. Now here, you see, are laid down
+the position and bearing of all the islands, together with all the
+ports and places where the Spaniards have their settlements. This
+line over here represents the mainland, but it is, as you see, but
+vaguely drawn; seeing that, except at one or two points, the
+Spaniards themselves have but little knowledge of it. Now it seems
+that, with the help of this, I might so navigate the Swan as to
+avoid much risk of falling in with the Dons; and might yet make a
+shift to fill up the ship with goods of all kinds, such as would
+sell here for great prices. I know, of course, that were we taken
+we should be killed without mercy; but in the first place they
+would have to catch us, which would not be easy; and in the second
+to capture us, which, methinks would be more difficult still,
+seeing that a crew of stout Devonshire lads, fighting with halters
+round their necks, would give a good account of themselves, even if
+overhauled by a great Spanish galleon.
+
+"What think you of the scheme, Cousin Diggory?"
+
+"It is a perilous one, certainly, Reuben," the merchant replied,
+after a long silence. "There is the risk of the loss of the ship
+and all her freight, and there is the risk of the loss of your life
+and of those of the crew; and I would rather lose even the Swan,
+Reuben, than that harm should come to you and Roger. Then it may
+well be that, even if you carried the scheme to a successful end,
+and returned laden with wealth, the king and his counselors, when
+the matter came to their ears--which it would be sure to do on your
+return, for it would make a prodigious talk--might be grievously
+offended, accuse us of embroiling England with Spain, confiscate
+the cargo, visit me with fine and imprisonment, and treat you and
+the crew as pirates."
+
+"I do not fear that," Reuben said. "Our relations with Spain have
+grown cold, lately, and there is a talk of peace between us and
+France. In the next place, I should say that the king would be
+mightily glad to see a chance of us English having a finger in this
+pie, that the Spaniards want to keep to themselves; and that he
+will perceive that great advantage will arise, from our obtaining a
+share of the trade with the Indies. There is a rare jealousy in the
+country, at the Spaniards and Portugals keeping all the trade of
+both the Indies in their hands; and methinks that, even if he
+judged it necessary to make a show of displeasure against the men
+who led the way in this matter, there would in the end be much
+honor, as well as profit, in this venture."
+
+"It is a grave matter, Reuben, and one not to be undertaken without
+much thought and calculation. Still, I own that the proposal is a
+tempting one, and that the possession of this map, which I will
+examine at my leisure, would help you much in your enterprise.
+Truly, as you say, although the king might frown, there would be
+much honor as well as profit in being the first English merchant to
+dispatch a ship to the Spanish main. I love not the Spaniards and,
+like all Englishmen who think as I do on matters of religion, have
+viewed with much disfavor our alliance with men who are such cruel
+persecutors of all who are not of their religion."
+
+"I hate them," Reuben Hawkshaw said, energetically. "They swagger
+as if they were the lords of the world, and hold all others as of
+no account beside them. If you resolve on this enterprise I shall,
+of course, do my utmost to avoid them; but should they try to lay
+hand on us, I shall be right glad to show them that we Englishmen
+hold ourselves fully a match for them."
+
+"Well, well, we must not think of that," Diggory Beggs said,
+hastily; "but, nevertheless, cousin, if the Swan sails for those
+seas, I will see that she is well provided with ordnance and small
+arms, so that she shall be able to hold her own with those who
+would meddle with her."
+
+"That is all I ask, Diggory. We shan't meddle with them, if they do
+not meddle with us; but if they treat us as pirates, to be slain
+without form of trial, they must not blame us if we act as pirates
+when they come upon us. They hold that they are beyond the law,
+when they are once beyond sight of land, going westward; and we
+have only to take them at their word.
+
+"As to piracy, if the things that are whispered as to their cruelty
+to the natives be true, pirates are an innocent and kindly folk
+compared to them. They openly proclaim that all found in these
+seas, which they claim as their own, will be treated as enemies and
+slain without mercy; and we shall be, therefore, fully justified in
+treating as an enemy any Spanish ship that we may come across; and
+holding her as a fair prize, if we are strong enough to take her."
+
+"But you must not go out with that intent, Reuben. If I fit out the
+Swan to go to the Indies, it is that she may trade honestly with
+such natives as are ready to trade with her, and not that she may
+wage war against the Spaniards."
+
+"I quite understand that, Cousin Diggory," Reuben Hawkshaw said,
+with a grim smile; "and that also is my intent, if the Spaniards
+will but let me adhere to it; only if we are attacked, we must
+defend ourselves. If they try to capture us, and we beat them, it
+is but natural that we should capture them."
+
+"Against that I have nothing to say, Reuben. I can find no
+authority, in Scripture, for the Spaniards claiming a portion of
+the seas as their right. The world is all, as it seems to me, open
+to trade, and neither the pope nor anyone else has a right to
+parcel it out, for the exclusive use of one or two nations. As we
+all know, the seas within a mile or two of shore are held to
+belong, naturally, to those who own the land; but that is a
+different thing, altogether, to holding that more than half the
+seas, inasmuch as we know of them, are to be held as private
+property by Spaniards and Portugals.
+
+"Well, we will say no more about it, at present. There is plenty of
+time to think it over, while the Swan is unloading. I certainly do
+not like to take so great a risk as this would be on my own
+shoulders; but if I could get two or three others to join me, I
+should be willing enough to embark upon it."
+
+"I need not tell you, Diggory, that it behooves you to be right
+careful as to those to whom you may broach it. Remember that an
+incautious word might ruin the enterprise altogether. If so much as
+a whisper of it reached the ear of the Spanish ambassador in
+London, he would apply to the king to put a stop to it; and
+whatever King Harry might think of it, he could hardly permit the
+Swan to sail in the face of such a remonstrance, for to do so would
+assuredly embroil him with Spain."
+
+"I will be careful, Reuben; for I see this as well as you do, and
+shall only speak to men who have, before now, worked with me in
+joint adventures, and on whose discretion I can surely rely. I will
+talk the matter over with them, Reuben, first; and if they appear
+favorably disposed, you shall meet them here, show them your map,
+and explain your intentions fully to them. If three others join me,
+in equal shares, I shall propose that, as it is your idea, and as
+you have obtained this map, you shall have an equal share with each
+of us in the business; and shall, in addition to your pay as
+master, take one-fifth of the profits, after payment of expenses.
+Will that content you?"
+
+"Right well, Cousin Diggory; and from this moment I shall, I can
+tell you, regard myself as a rich man."
+
+The unloading of the Swan occupied some time. There was no undue
+haste, in those days. The bales were hoisted by whips from the
+hold, and then carried up to Master Beggs' warehouse. The sailors
+had earned a fair time for repose, after the hardships of the
+voyage, and took matters easily, and it was more than a week before
+the Swan's hold was empty.
+
+During that time the merchant had not made any allusion, to Reuben,
+as to their conversation on the evening after the Swan came into
+port. But Reuben was neither surprised nor anxious at this silence.
+He knew that his cousin although an enterprising was a cautious
+man, and had hardly hoped to find his proposal so favorably
+entertained. He had looked for absolute refusal at first, and
+expected that he would only arrive at his end after long disputes
+and discussion. Therefore he doubted not that Diggory was turning
+the matter over and over in his mind, settling the details, and
+perhaps broaching the matter to the merchants he had spoken of.
+
+The Swan, once empty, was laid up on the shore; where she dried at
+low tide, so that she could have her seams caulked, and a coat of
+pitch laid on below the waterline, and be made tight and sound for
+any voyage on which she might be dispatched. Reuben Hawkshaw had
+lost his wife years before and, when in port at Plymouth, always
+occupied lodgings in a house a short distance from that of his
+cousin; spending his evenings mostly at Master Diggory's, but
+refusing to take his breakfast or dinner there.
+
+"I know what is what, cousin," he would say, when the merchant
+pressed him and Roger to come to breakfast or dinner. "Women are
+women and, as is only right, they hold to the nicety of things; and
+nothing displeases them more than for people to come in late for
+their meals. When I am at work I work, and if when the clock
+strikes the hour for meals I am in the middle of a job, I see that
+it is finished before the men knock off. Then there is the matter
+of washing and cleaning up, for one gathers much dust and dirt in
+the hold of a ship; so that, do what I would, Roger and I could
+never reckon upon being punctual, and the matter would weigh on my
+mind when I ought to be thinking of other things. No, no, Diggory,
+we will be free men, taking our bite and sup on board, as we can
+make shift to get them; and then, when work is over, coming with
+clean hands and a clear mind, to supper with you. When the Swan's
+hold is empty, it will be time enough to talk about amusement."
+
+The evening after the unlading of the cargo was completed, Master
+Diggory said to his wife:
+
+"Get the table cleared as soon as you can, Mercy, and bring two
+flasks of that last batch of Spanish wine out of the cellar, and
+put them and some cups on the board. I have two or three friends
+coming in, to talk over a matter of business with Reuben and me."
+
+As soon as the table was cleared, Roger asked permission of his
+aunt to take his cousins for a walk upon the Hoe. This was readily
+granted, as there was no other room in which they could well be
+bestowed; and having set the wine upon the table, Dame Mercy
+retired to look after domestic matters, of which she always found
+an abundance to occupy her.
+
+In a short time Master Turnbull, Master Streatham, and Master
+Winslow, three worshipful traders of Plymouth, arrived.
+
+"Cousin Reuben," Master Diggory said, "I have spoken to these good
+friends of mine in respect of that venture which you proposed to
+me, and they would fain hear more of it, from your own lips. You
+can speak with confidence before them; for, whether they agree to
+cast in their lot with us or not, no word of this matter will pass
+their lips."
+
+Reuben addressed himself to his task, and that at much greater
+detail than he had given, when first speaking of the matter to
+Diggory. He told them what he had gathered from the sea captains,
+and others, as to the articles with which the Dons traded with the
+natives. That they were for the most part cheap and common, and
+that the amount required for a sufficient stock of such merchandise
+would be very small. Small hand mirrors, strings of colored glass
+beads, brass rings and trinkets, colored handkerchiefs and bright
+cloths, were the articles chiefly used in barter. Knives and axes
+were greatly prized, the natives considering iron to be more
+valuable than silver or gold. Small bells and brass vessels were
+also valued, and iron spear and arrow heads were eagerly sought
+for; but the Spaniards were chary of providing such goods, seeing
+that they might be used in conflicts against themselves.
+
+Then he produced a list of the stores that would be required for
+the ship and crew.
+
+"In this matter," he said, "you will think, perhaps, that my
+demands are excessive; but I am of opinion that money in this way
+would be well spent. As a rule--though I say it before men
+accustomed to victualing ships--our crews are vilely provided for.
+Salt meat they must eat, for no other can be obtained at sea; but
+it should be of good quality, likewise the other provisions. I want
+not biscuits that are alive with maggots, nor moldy flour, nor peas
+or other things that cattle would turn up their noses at. I want
+everything to be the very best of its kind, with cider good, and
+sound, and in fair abundance.
+
+"This is not an ordinary voyage. We shall be away for many months,
+maybe for a year or two; and unless the men are well fed they will
+assuredly lose their health, and likely enough become mutinous. If
+we come upon a Spanish ship when three parts of the crew are weak
+with scurvy, we shall make but a poor fight of it. Therefore, I
+want to keep my men in good strength and in good heart, and to do
+this they must be well fed. Such a voyage as this no English ship
+has ever made before and, cooped up as we shall be in the Swan--for
+we must carry a great crew--everything depends upon there being no
+fair ground for grumbling. Many a ship has been lost from the crew
+being weakened by scurvy, and if you are to bring this enterprise
+to a good end, I say that there must be no stint in the matter of
+provisions, and that all must be the very best of their kind.
+
+"I trust that, once out there, we shall be able to obtain an
+abundance of fruit and vegetables from the natives; for these are
+things, above all, necessary to keep men's blood sweet on
+shipboard.
+
+"Then, as to arms. I think we should carry twelve pieces, six of a
+side; of which four should be of good size, and yet not too large
+to be quickly handled. In the matter of weight, the Spaniards are
+sure to have the advantage of us; but if we can shoot much more
+quickly than they can, it will equalize matters. Then, of course,
+there will be bows and arrows. I do not hold greatly to the new
+musketoons--a man can shoot six arrows while he can fire one of
+them, and that with a straighter and truer aim, though it is true
+they can carry somewhat farther. Then, of course, there will be
+pikes, and boarding axes, and a good stock of powder and balls for
+the cannon. These are the complete lists I have made out.
+
+"Now I hold that we should carry from eighty to a hundred men.
+These I should pay only the ordinary rate of wage, but each should
+have an interest in the venture, according to his rank. As to the
+profits, I would leave it to you, my masters, to reckon; but seeing
+that in fair trade one can get gold, to say nothing of silver,
+weight for weight for iron; and other things in proportion; you can
+judge for yourselves what it will amount to--to say nothing of the
+chance of our falling in with a Spanish treasure ship, which may be
+rash enough, regarding us an easy prize, to fall foul of us."
+
+"There is no doubt that the profits will be great, if you return
+safely home, Master Hawkshaw," Nicholas Turnbull said; "but the
+chances of that seem but small."
+
+"I think that the chances are good enough to risk my life upon,
+Master Turnbull," Reuben replied; "and no man can show greater
+confidence than that. This is the map of which my Cousin Diggory
+has no doubt spoken to you. You see that the islands are many, and
+some of them great; and that the places at which the Spaniards have
+ports are few, in comparison. We have to avoid these, but anywhere
+else we can open trade with the natives. If we are chased, and find
+the place too hot for us, we can make away to the mainland and,
+cruising along there, may come upon places that the Spaniards have
+never visited, and may there gather great store of gold and silver,
+without danger. But I wish no one, and certainly not my Cousin
+Diggory, to enter upon this affair unless with confidence and good
+heart. I would far rather take a horse and travel to Bristol, and
+lay my scheme before some of the traders there."
+
+This idea was most distasteful to the traders, for Plymouth
+regarded Bristol with great jealousy; and Diggory Beggs at once
+said:
+
+"No, no, Reuben. My friend Master Nicholas Turnbull did not mean
+that he regarded your scheme as hopeless, only that the risks were
+doubtless great. But we all know that to earn great profit one must
+run such risk; and the venture, divided between four of us, would
+not be a very heavy one--that is to say, not beyond what we are
+justified in periling.
+
+"Would you leave us for a while, Reuben? We will examine these
+lists that you have made, and reckon up the total cost; and we
+shall then see the better how much we shall each have to
+contribute, to make up our venture."
+
+Reuben nodded and, putting on his hat, left the room, saying, "In
+an hour I will return;" and then strolled over to a tavern much
+frequented by the masters of the ships in the port.
+
+
+
+Chapter 2: Bound To Unknown Parts.
+
+
+When Reuben Hawkshaw returned to the chamber where Diggory Beggs
+was in conference with the other three traders, he found that these
+had finished their calculations.
+
+"The matter is settled, Reuben, as far as we are concerned. My
+three friends and myself will go equal shares in the matter. The
+value of the Swan is to be taken as part of my contribution, and if
+she ever comes back again, as we hope she may do, that sum will be
+deducted from my share of the profits, due allowance being made for
+what damage or injury she may have suffered. You, it is understood,
+will take a share of the profits equal to ours, and one-third share
+will, in the first place, be set aside to be divided among the
+other officers and crew. It will be left entirely to you to choose
+your officers and men, and I need not tell you the sort of fellows
+to pick out for such a business.
+
+"I shall see that the Swan is provided with new rigging and gear,
+and that there is a plentiful store of all things on board, to
+repair any damage you may suffer from storm or foe. My good friends
+here are willing that the purchasing of all the stores required
+shall be in my hands, and you shall yourself test the quality of
+all the provisions before the bargains are concluded, so as to see
+that everything is sweet and wholesome. My friends here will not
+appear in the affair at all, for if folks saw that four of us were
+concerned in the venture, they would think that it was something
+quite out of ordinary.
+
+"All preparation will be made as quietly as possible, and it will
+be given out that the Swan is going to make a voyage to the Levant,
+and that she will carry a stronger battery of guns than usual to
+beat off any Moorish pirates she may meet by the way. As it is
+known that she had a sharp fight, coming homeward, it will seem
+only natural that we should add to her armament. I shall write up
+to my agent in London to purchase for me the articles required to
+trade with the natives, and bid him send them round here by sea,
+well packed in bales. If we were to purchase so many strange
+articles, here, it would give rise to talk; for people would wonder
+with whom we intended to trade such goods.
+
+"Tomorrow morning you and I will make out a list of what you deem
+advisable for the purpose."
+
+For another hour the party sat and talked; for, now that the other
+traders had fully determined to go into the venture, they were
+quite excited over it.
+
+"Truly if I could but be spared from my business, here, I would
+gladly go with you myself," Master Streatham said. "I have always
+had a longing to see strange climes, and as no Englishman has yet
+set eyes on these countries you are about to visit, Friend Reuben,
+I would gladly be by your side, and take share in your perils and
+adventures."
+
+"I doubt not your heart and courage, Master Jonas," Reuben replied,
+"and would warrant that you would behave doughtily, in case of
+fight with Spaniard or Indian; but I question whether you would
+support the hardships of the voyage, as cheerfully as you would the
+dangers. Although you may store the Swan with the best provisions
+that money can buy, a diet of naught but biscuit and salt meat
+palls after some weeks--to say nothing of some months--of it; and
+this all the more in a hot climate, where the appetite weakens, and
+one comes to pine for dainty cakes such as our Devonshire wives are
+famous for."
+
+"Yes, I fear I never should support that," Master Streatham, who
+was a large corpulent man, mightily fond of the pleasures of the
+table, agreed with a sigh.
+
+"Besides, Friend Jonas," Diggory Beggs put in, "Mistress Tabitha
+would have her voice in the matter; and however much your spirit
+would lead you to such an adventure, I doubt whether she would let
+you put foot on board."
+
+"No, it is not for us to be running after adventure," Nicholas
+Turnbull said. "In the first place, we are sober citizens, and have
+our wives and families to think about, and our business and the
+affairs of the town; and in the next place, even could we leave all
+these, Master Reuben Hawkshaw would not thank us for our company.
+Every foot of space is of value on the ship; and men who take up
+space and consume food, and can neither set a sail nor work a
+cannon, are but useless encumbrances."
+
+"You have spoken truly, Master Nicholas," Reuben said bluntly. "In
+the matter of a trip to London, or even as far as the Low
+Countries, we could accommodate your worshipful honors well enough;
+but on a journey like this, any man who cannot, if needs be, drink
+bilge water and eat shoe leather, is best at home. I took a voyage
+once--it is many years ago, now--to Amsterdam, and the owner, not
+my good cousin here, but another, took a fancy to go with me; and
+his wife must needs accompany him, and verily, before that voyage
+was over, I wished I was dead.
+
+"I was no longer captain of the ship. My owner was my captain, and
+his wife was his. We were forever putting into port for fresh bread
+and meat, milk and eggs, for she could eat none other. If the wind
+got up but ever so little, we had to run into shelter and anchor
+until the sea was smooth. The manners of the sailors shocked her.
+She would scream at night when a rat ran across her, and would lose
+her appetite if a living creature, of which, as usual, the ship was
+full, fell from a beam onto her platter. I was tempted, more than
+once, to run the ship on to a rock and make an end of us all.
+
+"No, no: a day's sail out from Plymouth, in a freshly launched
+ship, on a fine day, with a store of good victuals and a few flasks
+of good wine, is a right merry business; but farther than that I
+wish not to see a passenger, on board any ship which I command."
+
+The others laughed.
+
+"Well, Master Diggory, we must be going," Nicholas Turnbull said;
+"it is getting late. Tomorrow I will come over in the forenoon, as
+you suggest; and we will go through these lists more carefully, and
+talk over prices and see what bulk they will occupy, and discuss
+many other matters with the aid and advice of Master Hawkshaw.
+There is no occasion for undue haste; and yet, if the thing is to
+be done, the sooner it be done the better."
+
+As the party went out, Reuben found his son waiting outside the
+door.
+
+"Well, father?" he asked anxiously, when the three merchants had
+walked briskly off towards their homes.
+
+"It is all settled, Roger. As soon as everything is prepared, the
+Swan will sail for the Spanish main."
+
+Roger threw his cap high in the air, with a lusty shout that
+startled the better passers-by, hurrying towards their homes; for
+it was now long after dark, and although the town watch patrolled
+the streets regularly, prudent citizens did not care to be abroad
+after nightfall.
+
+"You silly boy;" Reuben said; "you have lost your cap."
+
+"Nay, I heard it fall somewhere here," Roger said, searching;
+"besides, a cap is a small matter, one way or other.
+
+"Ah! Here it is, floating in a pool of mud; however, a bucket of
+water will set it all right, in the morning.
+
+"O father! I feel wild with joy, only to think that all we have
+talked over together is going to be true, and that we are to be the
+first Englishmen who ever saw the beautiful islands they talk
+about, and the natives with their feathers and strange attire.
+And--"
+
+"And the Spaniards with their loaded guns, and their dungeons and
+gibbets," Reuben Hawkshaw put in.
+
+"Not for us, father. The bottom of the sea maybe, but not a Spanish
+dungeon."
+
+"I hope not, my lad. Still, no man can see the future. However, I
+am right glad that we are to try this adventure. It is a glorious
+one, and will bring us honor in the eyes of all Englishmen if we
+succeed, to say nothing of wealth.
+
+"But mind that you let not your spirits run away with your tongue.
+No word of this must be spoken to a soul, nor must any mention be
+made of it in the hearing of my Cousin Mercy, or the girls. The
+four partners in the adventure have all taken a solemn promise to
+each other, that they will not breathe a word of it even to their
+wives, averring that women could never be trusted to keep a secret;
+though as far as I have seen of them, methinks a woman can keep a
+bridle on her tongue just as well as a man--and indeed, somewhat
+better, since they do not loosen them with cider, or wine, or
+strong waters. But I believe, myself, it was not so much that they
+doubted whether their wives would keep the secret, as whether they
+would approve of the enterprise; and that they made the contract
+together, in order that each might, afterwards, be able to assure
+his wife that, for his part, he would gladly have taken her into
+his confidence, but that he was obliged to fall in with the wishes
+of his partners.
+
+"It is a strange thing, Roger, but methinks that, whereas most men
+behave valiantly enough when it comes to blows with an enemy, a
+great proportion are but cowards with their wives."
+
+"But why should they be, father?"
+
+"That is an easy question to ask, Roger, but a difficult one to
+answer. Maybe you will understand the matter better, some day, when
+you have taken a wife to yourself. In some matters there is no
+doubt that women's wits outrun those of men, and that they have a
+wonderful sharpness of tongue. Now a man, when things go wrong with
+him, speaks out loudly and roundly; he storms and he rages, but
+when it is over, there is an end of it. Now a woman is not like
+that. She seems to ponder the matter over in her heart, and to
+bring it out as it were piecemeal--throwing little darts at you
+when you don't expect it; saying little things to which, from their
+suddenness, you can find no reply; and pricking you furiously all
+over, until you are ready to roar out with pain and vexation. You
+see, Roger, a prick hurteth more than a great cut."
+
+"I should not have thought that, father."
+
+"That is because you have not thought the matter over, Roger. In
+that fight with the Moors many of the men were sorely cut and
+wounded, but you heard no cry from them; they only set their teeth
+the harder, and smote more furiously upon their foes; but there was
+no one of them all but, had he sat down suddenly on a small nail,
+would have roared out like a bull, and have sworn lustily for a
+good half hour. So it is in domestic matters: the man rages and
+storms when things go wrong; and his wife, if she be a woman of
+judgment, holds her peace until it is over, knowing well enough
+that he will be at her mercy, afterwards. Then she sets to work,
+like those gnats that came on board at Genoa, that they call
+mosquitoes, and startles him with shrill buzzings in his ears, and
+pricketh him in the tenderest spots she can find; drawing but the
+smallest speck of blood, but causing an itching that makes him
+ready to tear his flesh.
+
+"Your mother, Roger, was one of the best of women. She was a good
+housewife, and an affectionate. I do not know that I ever saw her
+greatly ruffled in temper, but there were times when I would fly
+from my house, and not come up from my work on board, until it was
+time to go straight away to bed, so did she prick and sting me with
+her tongue; and that not shrilly or with anger, but with little
+things, let slip as it were unawares, and with an air of ignorance
+that they in any way applied to me.
+
+"No, Roger, if you will take my advice you will make your ship your
+mistress. She will have her ways, but you will learn them, and will
+know just how much helm she requires, and how the sail should be
+trimmed; but with a woman no man attains to this knowledge, and if
+you take my advice, you will give them a wide berth.
+
+"I know," he went on, in answer to Roger's merry laugh, "that this
+is a matter in which no man will trust to other experience than his
+own. Every man who takes a woman to wife thinks that he can manage
+her, and goes into the matter with a light heart, as if it were a
+mere pleasure excursion on which he is embarking; whereas, in
+truth, it is a voyage as full of dangers and perils as that upon
+which we are about to adventure.
+
+"Now let us turn back to our lodging, for I have nearly gone on my
+face four times already, in these deep ruts and holes. I would that
+the councilors of this town could see the streets of Genoa, or
+Cadiz, or Amsterdam! They might then try to mend the ways of
+Plymouth, and make them somewhat less perilous to passengers, after
+dark."
+
+Work began in earnest upon the following day. A number of
+shipwrights were set upon the hull of the Swan, which was to be
+thoroughly overhauled, caulked and pitched, within and without. The
+masts and rigging were to be carefully looked to, and every defect
+repaired. A new suit of sails was ordered, the old ones to be
+patched where the Moorish shot had torn them, so as to be of use as
+a second suit, did any misadventure happen to the others.
+
+James Standing, the first mate, took charge of these matters;
+Reuben Hawkshaw assisting Diggory Beggs in all things relating to
+the stores. Greatly were the provision merchants of the town
+surprised at the quality of the provisions that Master Beggs
+ordered for the use of the Swan. Nothing but fine flour of the last
+year's grinding; freshly killed beef and pork, to be carefully
+salted down in barrels; and newly baked biscuits would satisfy
+Reuben Hawkshaw. They could scarce believe that such articles could
+be meant for use on shipboard; for, as a rule, the very cheapest
+and worst quality of everything was considered as amply good enough
+for the use of sailors.
+
+Then, too, the cider and beer must be neither thin nor sour, but
+sweet and of good body. Surely, Master Beggs must have gone off his
+head, thus to furnish his ship! For never before had a vessel
+sailed out of Plymouth harbor, provided after this fashion. An
+ample store of ropes and cordage, and of all matters required for a
+ship's equipage, were also laid in. To all questions as to the
+surprising lavishness of cost, Diggory replied:
+
+"I would have the ship well found in all matters. It was but the
+other day that the Antelope returned from a voyage to the Levant.
+She had lost a third of her crew from scurvy, and of the rest but
+six were strong enough to pull at a rope when she came into port.
+Did not the women follow Master Skimpole, her owner, through the
+streets, and cry after him that he was the murderer of their
+husbands, by reason of the foul victual that he had provided for
+their use? No, no, it will cost more to start with, but it will be
+cheaper in the end; for a weak crew often means the losing of a
+ship, besides the loss of a good name. I have never carried economy
+to such lengths as did Master Skimpole; but I am resolved, in the
+future, that those who sail in my ships shall have good and
+wholesome fare. Then, if misfortune happens, no one will be able to
+point to me in the streets, and say that I fed my men worse than
+dogs, and thought only of my profits and nothing of the lives of
+those who served me."
+
+Indeed Master Diggory, after a short time, quite forgot that all
+this provision for the health and comfort of the crew was but the
+outcome of Reuben Hawkshaw's insistence; and came to regard
+himself, with a feeling of pride, as a man possessed of greater
+benevolence than his fellow merchants.
+
+A week after the refitting of the Swan was completed she was
+afloat, with a large proportion of her stores in her hold. A ship
+from London came round and took up her berth alongside of her,
+discharging large numbers of bales and cases into her; together
+with six cannon, in addition to those she before carried, and a
+large store of ammunition. This naturally gave rise to fresh talk
+in the town.
+
+"They say that you are fitting the Swan out for a pirate, Master
+Beggs," one of the merchants said to him; "for twelve cannon are
+more than a peaceful trader can positively require."
+
+"Yes, if she is to meet with none but peaceful people, neighbor;
+but if she meets with those who are not peaceful, at all, she needs
+just as much defense as if she were a ship of war. Master Hawkshaw
+had much ado to beat off the Moorish pirates who attacked him on
+his last voyage; and as the present one will be longer, and more
+dangerous, he has put stress upon me to add much to her armament.
+She will have valuable cargo on her return voyage, and he has
+strongly urged upon me to provide such means of defense as may
+ensure her being able to beat off any who meddle with her; besides,
+as far as I can read the course of politics, it seems to me that
+our alliance with Spain is well nigh at an end, and before the Swan
+is on her return we may be at war with her. This in itself is good
+reason why I should give my master the means of defending himself
+stoutly.
+
+"The money spent on the guns is not wasted. They will be none the
+worse for keeping; and should the Swan, on her next voyage, go into
+a safer line of trade, I can sell them for as much as they now cost
+me."
+
+In the meantime, Reuben Hawkshaw had been carefully and quietly
+picking a crew. He was going to take with him fully twice as many
+as had, before, sufficed to navigate the Swan. Of the forty men who
+had sailed with him he had lost nine, and five others had not
+sufficiently recovered from their wounds to sail with him again. Of
+the remainder he engaged twenty, all of whom were stout and willing
+fellows who would, he knew, sail with him wherever he bid them. The
+remaining six, being given to grumbling, he would have none of,
+good sailors though they were.
+
+"Half-a-dozen grumblers are enough to spoil a whole crew," he said.
+
+There were, therefore, some sixty new hands to engage. Towards
+these he found eighteen who had sailed with him on previous
+voyages, and were glad enough to rejoin him; for he had the name of
+being a good captain, considerate to his men; one who would be
+obeyed, but who did not harass his crew, and did all he could, in
+reason, to make them comfortable.
+
+The others were picked up carefully, one by one. For this purpose
+he took some of his best men aside, and confided to them,
+privately, that the present voyage was to be out of the ordinary,
+and that he needed not only stout fellows but willing and cheerful
+ones: men who would take hardships without grumbling, and who, with
+a prospect of good reward in addition to their pay, would go
+without question where they were told, and do as they were
+ordered--were it to singe the beard of the Grand Turk, himself, in
+his own palace. He charged them, therefore, to find for him men of
+this kind, among their relations, or men who had sailed with him.
+
+"I would rather," he said, "have landsmen, providing they are
+strong and stout hearted, than sailors, however skillful, who are
+given to grumbling and disaffection. We shall have plenty of good
+sailors on board, and the others will soon learn their business;
+therefore, choose you not for seamanship, but rather for
+willingness and good temper. And broach not the subject to any
+unless you feel assured, beforehand, that they will be willing to
+join; for I want not the matter talked about. Therefore those who
+join are to keep the matter private, and are not to come on board
+until the night before we get up our anchors. We are taking a much
+stronger crew than usual, for we have many guns that need working,
+if it comes to fighting."
+
+As these instructions were given separately, none of the twelve men
+he spoke to knew that the others had received similar instructions;
+and that instead of forty men, as usual, the Swan was to carry
+nearly ninety.
+
+As to the officers, Reuben Hawkshaw needed none others than those
+who had before sailed with him. The two mates had each been with
+him for upwards of ten years, and had learned their business under
+his eye; and he intended, although he had not as yet told him so,
+to rate Roger as third mate. His boatswain would go in the same
+capacity as before; and he shipped, as gunner, one who had served
+for some years in a king's ship in that rank, and was well
+acquainted with the working of ordnance.
+
+Mistress Mercy had, of course, heard from her gossips of the talk
+that was going on, concerning the unusual preparations that were
+being made, by her husband, for the forthcoming voyage of the Swan;
+and the trader was often put to his wits' end by her questions on
+the subject. His professions of benevolence towards the crew, and
+his explanations of his reasons for her powerful armament had
+sufficed for others, but they by no means satisfied her.
+
+"Do you think, Diggory Beggs," she asked, indignantly, "that after
+all these years I do not know you as well as I do the contents of
+my linen chest? I have never before known you open your purse
+strings one inch wider than was necessary. Have I not always had to
+ask, until I am verily ashamed, before I can get a new gown for
+myself, or a decent cloak for the girls? You have ever been hard
+fisted with your money, and never disposed to spend a groat, save
+on good occasion. There is not the wife of a trader of your
+standing in Plymouth but makes a braver show than I do, when we
+walk on the hoe on holidays or feast days.
+
+"There is something at the bottom of all this I don't understand;
+but mark you, Diggory, I am not to be kept in the dark. As your
+wife, I have a right to know why you are throwing about good and
+lawful money. I toil and slave to keep your house decent and
+respectable, at small cost; but I shall do so no longer. If you can
+afford to throw money into the gutter in one way, you can in
+another; and people will cry shame on you, when, as they say, you
+are pampering up your sailors, in such manner as will cause
+discontent among all others in the port, while your wife and
+daughters are walking about in homespun!"
+
+Mistress Mercy did not succeed in extracting the information she
+desired from her husband, who was, however, forced to fall back
+upon the defense that he had his reasons, but that he was pledged
+to say nothing concerning them.
+
+"Pledged!" she replied, scornfully. "And to whom are you pledged, I
+should like to know? I thought you were pledged to me, and that you
+were bound to cherish and comfort me; which means, of course, that
+you were to have no secrets from me, and to tell me all that I
+desire to know."
+
+But though Diggory kept the secret, albeit with much trouble; and
+with many misgivings as to what would happen in the future, when
+his wife came to learn of the important venture he had undertaken,
+without consulting her; she nevertheless succeeded so far that, in
+order to pacify her, he was obliged to allow her a free hand in
+choosing, from his magazines, such pieces of cloth and silk for
+herself and the girls as she had a fancy to. This permission she
+did not abuse as to quality, for she knew well enough what was
+becoming, in the way of dress, for the wife of a merchant; and that
+it was not seemly, for such a one, to attire herself in apparel
+suited for the wives of nobles, and ladies of the Court. But
+Diggory groaned in spirit, although he prudently said nothing, at
+seeing that she took advantage of the present position to carry off
+a store which would amply suffice, for at least two or three years'
+wearing, for herself and the girls.
+
+"You have done me a parlous ill turn, Cousin Reuben," he said sadly
+to his cousin, "by bidding me hide this matter from my wife. A few
+more such secrets, and I should be a ruined man. Never before have
+I known her seized with a desire for such prodigality of vesture. I
+have looked upon her, all these years, as a sober and discreet
+woman, well content to wear what was quiet and becoming to her
+station; but now--truly my heart melted when I saw how she fingered
+the goods, and desired John, my assistant, to cut off such lengths
+as she desired from some of my goodliest cloths."
+
+"Tut, tut, cousin; you exaggerate things greatly. It is no wonder
+that Mistress Mercy, seeing that you are flourishing greatly in
+trade, and able to spend your money freely, should deem it but
+fitting that she, as your wife, should make a braver show than
+heretofore. Besides, the girls are growing up, and need to be a
+little bright and gay. Why, man, there are many London citizens,
+who could not count their broad pieces with you, whose wives spend
+many times as much, every year, on their attire as Mistress Mercy
+has cost you now."
+
+"Well, well, Reuben, there may be something in what you say; but no
+more secrets, or there is no saying what wild extravagance she
+might take in her head, next time. She might quarrel with the house
+and insist upon a new one, furnished from top to bottom; or set her
+heart on a coach, with running footmen. No, no more secrets, or I
+shall be having her so set herself up that I shall be no more
+master of my own house."
+
+Roger was plied with many questions by his cousins, who tried
+alternately coaxing, and pouting, to learn from him why it was
+that, as all told them, preparations were being made for the voyage
+of the Swan such as were unknown, before, at Plymouth. All he could
+reply was that the ship was only being victualed as all ships ought
+to be whose owners cared, as they should do, for the comfort and
+health of their crews. More than that he could not say. He would
+not deny that he had certain ideas of his own as to the voyage; but
+if Cousin Diggory and his father thought it well to make no talk
+about the matter, it was not for him to say what were his thoughts
+about it.
+
+"But we would tell nobody," Dorothy urged. "Don't you think we
+could keep a secret, as well as you can?"
+
+"That is just it, Cousin Dorothy! Don't you see, if I were to tell
+you, it would be a proof that I could not keep a secret? And then,
+if you told it, I could not blame you for blabbing. I don't say
+there is any secret; but if there is, I must keep it."
+
+"I know that you are going into danger, Reuben; else you would not
+have all those great guns they say there are, on board."
+
+"The great guns will keep us out of danger, you see. The more guns,
+the less danger."
+
+"Come away, Agnes," Dorothy said, with an assumption of
+stateliness. "Cousin Roger is altogether too smart for us. Let him
+keep his secrets, if he will; and let us go and help mother with
+her sewing."
+
+And so, for the last two or three days before the Swan sailed,
+there was a coolness between Roger and the girls, as well as
+between Diggory Beggs and his wife.
+
+At last the day came when everything was complete, the water casks
+filled, and the last packet and bale stored away in the hold; and
+even Reuben Hawkshaw admitted that there was nothing else that he
+could think of, requisite either for the safety or navigation of
+the ship, or the provisioning or health of the crew.
+
+The order was passed round for all the old hands to be aboard
+before sunset, that evening, together with those who had been
+openly engaged to fill up the vacancies. As for the rest, the
+twelve recruiters each received private orders. Three of them were
+to bring down the men they had engaged to the wharf, abreast of the
+Swan, at eight o'clock; and to go off in the boat which would be
+awaiting them there, under charge of Master Standing. Three others
+were to come half an hour later. The other six were to bring down
+their men at daybreak--so that all would get on board unnoticed.
+
+The last meal at Master Diggory's was but a dull one. The subject
+of the Swan and her voyage had, by common consent, been dropped
+altogether for the last day or two; and it was not until supper was
+over that Mistress Mercy, and the girls, knew that the hour of
+sailing was at hand. Then Reuben spoke up:
+
+"We go on board tonight, Cousin Mercy, and shall get up our anchor
+and loose our sails the first thing in the morning. I know that you
+have been somewhat aggrieved, at not learning more about our
+intentions; but it was not Cousin Diggory's fault that you have not
+been told."
+
+"I do not seek to pry into matters which my husband thinks fit to
+conceal from me," she said, coldly.
+
+"Nevertheless, cousin, you are hurt; and I cannot blame you, seeing
+that it is natural that a woman should like to know what is passing
+around her. But I wish, before I go, that you should see that
+Diggory is not to blame in this matter. There is no harm in my
+telling you, now, that he stands not alone in this venture, but
+that others have joined with him. Now he himself, knowing you to be
+a circumspect woman, who could be trusted to keep to yourself
+anything that you might learn, would willingly have taken you into
+our councils; but all women are not so discreet, and matters which
+it is very important should be kept secret might have leaked out,
+had it not been proposed that all concerned in the matter should
+bind themselves solemnly to each other, to say no words about it,
+even to their wives; and thus, you see, Diggory's lips have been
+sealed, and that not by any mistrust of you.
+
+"It may be some time before it will be prudent for the truth about
+this voyage to be known, but in good time those concerned may think
+fit to relieve each other of this agreement they have entered upon,
+and to let their wives, and others who may be depended upon, into
+the secret. I wanted to tell you this before we sailed, for I
+should not like to go away feeling that you cherished aught of
+malice against me; for I have seen for some time that you have held
+me, as well as your husband, to blame. We are going on a long
+voyage, Cousin Mercy, and one from which it may well be that none
+of us will ever return to this good town of Plymouth. I am somewhat
+breaking my promise in saying this, and I rely upon you, and the
+girls, repeating it to no one. It is a long and venturous journey,
+and one not without much peril; but if it succeeds, it will bring
+much honor, as well as wealth, to all concerned.
+
+"And now, Cousin Mercy, as I have told you so much as that, I trust
+that we may part as we have always parted, in friendly and kindly
+fashion. You and your husband have been good friends to me and my
+boy, and have gone in that matter far beyond the ordinary bounds of
+kinship; and I should not like to start upon this voyage knowing
+that there was a cloud between us."
+
+Mistress Mercy rose from her seat, walked round to Reuben Hawkshaw,
+and kissed him.
+
+"Forgive me, Cousin Reuben," she said, "for my cross looks and
+shrewish ways. I see that I have acted altogether wrongly in the
+matter, and that neither you nor Diggory are to blame. I knew not
+that others were concerned, and thought that a mystery was being
+made because it was considered that, did I know it, I should run
+out and blab it in the streets of Plymouth. Now I know how it is, I
+am well content as to that; but not so, at the thought of this
+unknown peril into which you are about to run, and I wonder that
+Diggory should adventure your life, and that of Roger, upon such an
+expedition."
+
+"It is my own proposal, Cousin Mercy, and Diggory has but yielded
+to my wishes. Roger is as hot for the adventure as I am, and we are
+both content to run what risks we may encounter, for the honor
+which we shall gain if we return safely home.
+
+"And now, Roger, let us be going. Leave takings are sad things, and
+the shorter they are made, the better."
+
+While these words had been said the girls, who sat on either side
+of Roger, were silently making their peace with him, by furtive
+squeezes of his hands below the table; and they burst into tears,
+as Roger and his father rose.
+
+"Goodbye, Agnes," Roger said.
+
+"Goodbye, Dorothy," and as he kissed her he whispered, "if I
+return, I will bring you the prettiest trinkets ever seen in
+Plymouth."
+
+"Bring back yourself, Roger, and I shall be more than content," she
+replied.
+
+In another minute they were gone, Diggory Beggs taking his hat and
+starting with them; telling his wife that he should not return
+until morning, as he should go on board the Swan with them, and
+remain until she sailed.
+
+"You will not go before daybreak, Cousin Reuben?" Mistress Mercy
+asked.
+
+"No; it will more likely be an hour after sunrise before we weigh
+anchor."
+
+"Then I and the girls will be down on the wharf, to see the last of
+you and wave our kerchiefs, and wish you a pleasant voyage and a
+safe return."
+
+
+
+Chapter 3: The Voyage.
+
+
+Great was the surprise of the original crew of the Swan, when boat
+load after boat load of fresh hands arrived. They themselves had
+been quietly told that the voyage was likely to be one of unusual
+length, and that none save those willing and ready to stay away, as
+long as might be required, were to sail in the Swan on her present
+venture. There was, therefore, a general idea current among them
+that Master Hawkshaw had some adventure quite out of the ordinary
+in his mind; and the news that some heavy guns had arrived from
+London for her, had confirmed their opinion as to the voyage.
+
+"Let us have no loud talk, tonight," Reuben Hawkshaw ordered. "When
+we get our sails spread tomorrow, and are well out of port, you can
+talk to your hearts' content; but the night is still, and I want
+not that attention of any on shore should be called to the ship.
+There has been more foolish talk than enough about her already; so
+turn in to rest, lads, without ado. The boatswain will serve you
+each out a pottle of cider, such as you never drank on board ship
+before, I warrant me, and which is a sample of what you will have,
+all the voyage. When you have tossed that off, let each lie down as
+he can find space. We will divide into watches, and settle as to
+each man's place, tomorrow.
+
+"Pengarvan, set four hands aside to go on shore, with the boat, an
+hour before daybreak. Tell them off to sleep where you can lay
+hands upon them, easily. Keep the boat alongside, and make off to
+the wharf as noiselessly as you can; but I shall be on deck, then,
+and will give you further orders."
+
+The second mate only replied, "Ay, ay, Captain Hawkshaw," for he
+was a man of but few words.
+
+Reuben Hawkshaw was not fond of Cornishmen, but he made an
+exception in the case of Pengarvan--indeed, although their borders
+joined, there was little liking among Cornish and Devon men for
+each other.
+
+"They are black, ill-conditioned dogs," Reuben Hawkshaw would say;
+"good sailors, I own; none better; but glum and surly in their
+ways, and with nothing joyous in their natures. It seems to me that
+working in the darkness--in those holes of theirs, underground--has
+infected the spirits of the whole county; as it might well do,
+seeing that, as everyone knows, there are little people who guard
+the treasures of the mines; and who, if they cannot do bodily hurt
+to those who delve for metals, can yet infect their spirits with a
+black melancholy, and do them other grievous harm.
+
+"So when Pengarvan came to me as a boy, on the quay here, and asked
+me to take him with me to sea, I did not much like doing so; for I
+saw at once, by his speech, that he was Cornish; but I did not like
+to turn him away, for he said that he was willing, and accustomed
+to the sea. So I gave him a trial, and he has turned out a
+first-rate sailor. He is chary of speech, and not given to jest or
+laughter; but he is always quick, and willing to obey orders;
+taking whatever comes in good part, and bearing himself just the
+same, in storm, as in sunshine.
+
+"I know naught of his history. The Swan has been his home since he
+first came on board, twelve years ago. As long as she is afloat, he
+never leaves her. When she is laid down for repairs, he takes the
+nearest lodging on hand, and abides there till she is afloat again.
+I believe that he comes from Fowey, and guess that he got into some
+trouble or other, and had to run for it. But that's nothing to me.
+I want no better man; and know that, whatever comes, I can rely
+upon Pengarvan to stand by me, and the ship, to the last."
+
+If the men were astonished at the thirty new hands who came on
+board on the previous evening, they were still more astonished when
+as many more embarked in the morning. The newcomers were ordered to
+keep in the forecastle, and in the quarters under it, until the
+Swan was well away from land.
+
+"There will be a good many eyes turned on the ship, as soon as we
+are seen to be shaking out our canvas," Reuben said; "and there is
+no need to set their tongues wagging, by showing more men on deck
+than we usually carry."
+
+The captain and Diggory Beggs talked late on into the night. They
+went over all the ground again; and Reuben brought out the map of
+the islands, and showed where he intended to touch.
+
+"I think not to do much trading there," he said. "There is gold in
+Hispaniola and Cuba; but the captain I got the chart from said
+there was no very great store there, and that the natives had but
+little of it when the Spaniards first arrived; seeing that it took
+trouble and labor to obtain, and they are by nature altogether
+averse to hard work, and moreover place but little value on the
+gold. But there were rumors among them that, farther west, there
+was a land where gold was in great plenty; and where there was a
+powerful people, dressed in gay attire, and wearing great bracelets
+and necklaces of gold.
+
+"So far, the Spaniards have not found this land; though they have
+sailed down the coast a long way to the south, and northward as far
+as the point that Master Cabot reached, when he sailed down from
+Newfoundland; but due west they have never sailed far, and have
+found the sea ever stretching away in front of them; so that it is
+clear that either the great mainland is split in two at this point,
+or there is a vast bay. This I shall try to discover, and if we
+find these people of whom the Indians speak, we may well return
+loaded down with gold.
+
+"My advice to you, Cousin Diggory, is that you and your partners
+should continue to keep silent as to this voyage of ours. If we
+come not back, and after a time there is a talk here that we have
+gone to the Indies, the news may be carried to London; and you may
+be questioned, and may be blamed mightily for undertaking such an
+adventure, without the king's permission; and all sorts of harm may
+fall upon you. Success would, in my mind, altogether excuse you;
+and you will be able to offer so great a present to the king that
+he will be mighty contented. But if you fail, it will be otherwise.
+Therefore my advice is, till the Swan is anchored in the port say
+nothing about her. It were best, from the moment we sail, to write
+off all that has been spent upon her as money lost, just the same
+as if you knew for certain that she had gone down as soon as she
+was out of sight of land.
+
+"Folks will ask you what has become of her, and you will truly say
+that you have had no news; and when months pass on, and she comes
+not, you will shake your head, and say that you begin to fear that
+evil has befallen her. She may have gone down in a storm, or been
+cast on some rocky coast and all perished, or been captured by
+pirates.
+
+"If the friends of the sailors make a stir, and go to the
+magistrates, you have but to show the copy of the letter of
+instructions which we drew up the other day, laying it down that I
+was to make for the African Straits, and to put into no Portuguese
+or Spanish port by the way; that I was then to shape my course for
+the island of Malta, and to take in fresh stores of food and water
+there; then that I was to pass round the southernmost point of
+Greece, and sail upwards to Constantinople, and there to dispose of
+such portion of my cargo as I could sell at good profit, buying
+goods suited for our market with the monies I received; and if my
+hold was full I was then to return straight to England; but if I
+had still some of my cargo unsold, I could trade as best seemed to
+me among the Eastern Islands, and with the ports of Asia.
+
+"There would be your instructions to show, and as it is notorious
+to all that you provisioned the ship in the best manner possible,
+and laid in greater stores than ordinary of all things necessary
+for the voyage, none can hold you to blame, in any way, if the
+chances of the seas have proved too masterful for us, and the Swan
+returns no more.
+
+"Should we carry out our enterprise to the fullest, and gain great
+store of gold, I shall, if it is possible, come not directly home, but
+to some port--maybe in Ireland, maybe in the Low Countries--whence we
+can send word to you. Upon hearing of our coming there, I should
+advise you and your fellow adventurers to journey straight to London,
+to gain audience with one of the ministers, and tell him you have a
+matter of great importance to communicate to the king himself; and
+that you should then lay before his majesty an account of what you
+have done, and pray him to pardon your boldness, which was due to
+your desire for the honor of the country as much as to wish for profit,
+and beg him to accept such share of the gold as you may think fit. I
+shall, of course, when I write let you know about what weight of the
+metal I have on board. In that way, when the ship comes into port all
+will be smooth sailing for you; whereas if I come unannounced, there
+is no saying what share of your profits his majesty may think fit to
+take."
+
+"I think the plan is a very good one, indeed, Reuben; and I will
+follow it to the letter. When think you may I begin to expect to
+hear news of you?"
+
+"It is difficult to say, seeing that we know neither the distance
+we may have to sail, nor the difficulties we may have to meet with,
+nor the winds and currents of those regions. I should say fifteen
+months at the earliest; and if double that time passes, without
+your hearing aught, then I should say you may give up all hope of
+ever seeing us again."
+
+"I am disposed even now, Reuben, to regret that I ever embarked in
+this venture--not, as you surely know, from any fear of losing the
+money that I have put into it, but from the risk that will be run
+by you and the lad Roger, who are both very dear to me."
+
+"Whatever comes, you must not blame yourself in that matter,
+Diggory. You have only yielded to my solicitations, and if we go to
+our death it is our choosing, and none of thine."
+
+"Should the Swan come back without you, Reuben--as may possibly be,
+for if there be any danger you are sure to expose yourself in the
+front of it--Roger shall be as a son to me; and shall either in
+time have a ship to command, and a share in her, as thou hast; and
+he shall come in our business, when he has had enough of adventure
+at sea, and is willing to settle down on land."
+
+Reuben wrung his cousin's hand silently, and then said:
+
+"Let us take one more glass of strong water, Diggory, and then get
+a few hours' sleep before morning. It is past midnight now, and I
+must be up by four; for at that hour the boat must go off for the
+first batch of our new hands."
+
+Day broke, just as the last batch of men were brought on board. As
+soon as these had gone below the whistle was sounded, the old crew
+came up on deck, and the preparations for making sail commenced.
+The anchor was hove short, the lashings of the sails were loosened,
+the flags run up to the mast heads, the last casks and bales
+lowered into the hold, the hatches put on, and the decks washed
+down.
+
+Before these preparations were all complete, a little group was
+seen, standing at the end of the wharf.
+
+"There is your good wife, Diggory, and the girls. She has kept her
+word to be up, betimes, to see the last of us."
+
+At last all was ready, and Diggory shook hands with Reuben, and
+turned to Roger, when the captain said:
+
+"The lad can go in charge of the boat that takes you ashore,
+Diggory, and just say another word of parting to them there."
+
+In five minutes, Roger stood on the wharf.
+
+"I cannot wait, Cousin Mercy," he said, "for all is ready for
+hoisting the anchor; but my father said I might just come ashore,
+for one more goodbye."
+
+"May God protect you, Roger," Mistress Mercy said, as she folded
+him in a motherly embrace. "We shall all pray for you, daily and
+nightly, until you return. Goodbye, Roger! Don't imperil your life
+needlessly, but be prudent and careful."
+
+"For your sake, Dorothy," he whispered, as he kissed her.
+
+"Yes, for my sake, Roger," she said softly.
+
+Agnes hung round his neck, crying loudly, and her mother had to
+unclasp the child's fingers.
+
+"God bless you all," said Roger hoarsely, and then ran down the
+steps, and leaped into the stern of the boat.
+
+When he gained the deck of the Swan, the boat was hoisted in, and
+the men began to heave round the windlass. As soon as the anchor
+was up, the sails were sheeted home; and the Swan, yielding to the
+light breeze off the land, began to make her way through the water.
+Roger, from the poop, waved his cap in reply to the signals of
+farewell from shore; and then, running down into the waist, busied
+himself with the work of the ship, until they were too far away
+from the land for the figures there to be any longer visible.
+
+The rest of the crew now came on deck, and all were mustered in
+watches. Reuben Hawkshaw, standing on the edge of the poop, then
+said a few words to them.
+
+"Men," he said, "I dare say there is some wonderment among you, in
+finding yourselves so strong a crew, and at seeing the Swan so well
+provided with guns, and with all other necessaries. You will learn,
+in good time, all about it; but at present it is best, for many
+reasons, that you should know nothing about the matter. We may be
+overhauled by a king's ship; we may meet with foul weather, and
+have to put back into port; and a loose tongue might do us grievous
+damage. It is enough for you to know that where the ship is going
+you are going; that she is stored with provisions of such quality
+as was never put on board a trader before; that everything will be
+done for your comfort. As to myself, I am content to know that I
+have a crew of eighty-five stout Devonshire lads under me, and that
+we can give an account of ourselves, whosoever may meet us. Those
+who have sailed with me before know that I do my best for my men,
+that there will be no harsh words or violence on board this ship,
+save they are well merited. Discipline, order, and obedience I will
+have, and that strictly. Above all, I will have no grumbling. A
+grumbling crew is a useless crew, and a sick crew; while a cheerful
+crew can meet, with confidence, whatever befalls them; but I think
+not that I have any grumblers on board, since every man has been
+carefully chosen. A merry heart goes all the way, as the saying has
+it, and I want this crew to be a happy one.
+
+"So far as the order of the ship permits it, you shall have every
+indulgence. At first you will find yourselves pressed for space,
+but you will soon eat and drink room for yourselves. The stores to
+be first used are all down in the fore hold, and I reckon that, in
+three weeks or a month, that will be cleared; and there will then
+be room for all to lie in shelter, when we are in harbor; and the
+present accommodation is sufficient for the watch below, providing
+all sleep quietly, and have good conscience.
+
+"And now, to work. While you get everything tidy and in good
+shipshape, the cooks will get to work at the coppers; and I can
+promise you a good breakfast, washed down by sound cider, such as
+you had last night."
+
+The men gave a cheer, and were soon at work, under the direction of
+their officers. It mattered little to them where they were going,
+or what was before them. They had guessed that it was no ordinary
+voyage they were going to undertake; but the thought that, wherever
+it was, they were to be well kept and well cared for, satisfied
+them mightily; and if fighting were to come into their way, so much
+the better. With such a crew, they could well take their part
+against any enemy they were likely to meet.
+
+In the poop of the Swan there was a small saloon, extending across
+the stern, and two cabins on either side of the passage leading to
+it. These were occupied by the captain, the two mates, and Roger;
+and they took their meals together in the saloon. In a cabin
+underneath this, the three petty officers and twenty of the sailors
+lived together, the main body of the crew occupying the raised
+forecastle and the cabin underneath it. The galley was forward,
+built up against the forecastle, and thus sheltered from heavy seas
+which might sweep the waist of the vessel. Four small cannon were
+mounted on the poop, two on the forecastle, the six larger guns
+were in the waist--three on either side.
+
+The breeze freshened as the Swan drew out from under the shelter of
+the land, and by midday the shore had faded from the sight. The
+crew had by this time settled down in their places, and sat in
+groups on deck, some overhauling the contents of their sea bags,
+looking over their clothes, and setting to, with needle and thread,
+to make such repairs as were needed. Some of the new hands were
+leaning over the side, wishing heartily that they were on shore
+again. Those who had made voyages were talking to their companions
+about the various ports at which they might touch, and the sights
+they would behold.
+
+All, save those suffering from the effects of the sea, were in high
+good temper. As much fresh beef as was like to keep good till eaten
+had been brought on board. The wind set in, the next morning,
+freshly from the northeast; and with all sail set, the Swan ran
+gaily before it.
+
+"Would that this wind would blow, without a break, for another
+month," Reuben Hawkshaw said, as he sat at dinner with the two
+mates and Roger.
+
+Standing and Pengarvan looked up quickly; but the latter, without a
+question, again betook himself to feeding. Standing, however, laid
+down his jackknife in astonishment.
+
+"A month, Captain Hawkshaw? I should have thought four or five days
+of this would give us ample westing, and that after that a westerly
+breeze, somewhat from the north, would suit us best."
+
+"Ay, ay, you would think so, Standing; but then you see, you know
+not to within a good many points where our journey tendeth. Wait
+till I have finished my dinner, for man cannot talk and eat
+together, with comfort. Then, when my boy has removed the
+trenchers, I will tell you, over an extra mug of cider, what all
+this is about."
+
+The meal lasted for some time longer, for Reuben Hawkshaw was a
+good trencherman, and one not given to hurrying himself, unless
+there was need; and neither of the other men were far behind their
+chief, in the matter of the stowage of victuals. But at last the
+meal was done, and the trenchers were carried off. The earthenware
+mugs were again filled with cider, and then Reuben Hawkshaw--sitting
+at one end of the table, with Roger facing him, and the mates one
+on either hand--threw himself back in his settle, which he used in
+right of captaincy, while the others contented themselves with stools,
+and began.
+
+"I had not thought, comrades, to broach this matter until we were
+down in the latitude of the African Straits; but seeing that the
+wind has taken us in charge, I see no reason for longer keeping
+silent. You, who have both sailed with me for years, must have
+known right well that this was no ordinary voyage--the number of
+men I have taken on board, the care I have had as to the stores,
+and the great number of water casks, must have told you that. You
+have asked no questions, and I did not expect that you would."
+
+"Why should we?" James Standing growled. "It mattered naught to us
+where we went, as we knew we should hear, in good time."
+
+Pengarvan said nothing, but he nodded, to show that he agreed with
+the first mate.
+
+"Well, men, our intent is this: I see not why the Spaniards should
+have all the good things to themselves, and I purpose to go
+a-trading with the natives, down in these new islands of theirs."
+
+An exclamation of surprise broke from James Standing, but Pengarvan
+only nodded again.
+
+"But this is not all," Reuben went on. "So far, the Spaniards have
+not gained much store of gold from these islands; but I have
+learned that, among the natives, there is talk of a rich nation
+lying somewhere farther to the west, where gold and riches of all
+sorts abound. So far the Spaniards have not found it, having their
+hands pretty well full. They have sailed down the land to the south
+and, as you know, Master Cabot sailed from the north, down almost
+to the latitude of these islands; but due west no man has sailed
+yet, or if he has, has never returned to tell of it."
+
+"Well, Captain Reuben," James Standing said, "as I said before, it
+makes no difference to me where we go. If the Spaniards catch us
+there, they will cut our throats to a surety, if they can; but if
+you are ready to take your chance of that, I have nothing against
+it. I feel as if I am taken aback a bit, just now, as it comes new
+to me--my own fancy being that you intended to trade with the
+Turkish ports and islands, and had taken a strong crew on board to
+beat off any pirates that they might meet."
+
+"And you, Pengarvan?"
+
+"It is as I expected, Captain. I thought that you did not bring the
+Spaniard on board at Cadiz, and sit plying him with wine, and
+talking to him by the hour, for nothing. So when I saw what was
+being done on board the Swan, it came to me that you intended to
+try a venture in the Spanish main."
+
+"Here is a map which I got from the Spaniard," Reuben said, laying
+it out upon the table. "Here, you see, all the great islands are
+marked in their places, with their ports and the Spanish
+settlements. There are besides these, the Spaniard said, numbers of
+small ones not marked on the chart. In these large islands, Cuba
+and Hispaniola, the Spaniards have made themselves masters of the
+people, and reduced them to slavery; and there would be no touching
+at these with either safety or profit. The small ones have been
+only occasionally visited, and with these we may do trade.
+
+"Here is the line of the mainland, to the south of the islands. You
+see it runs along as far as the easternmost of them, and then turns
+away to the south; while from the north the mainland comes down
+well nigh to Cuba. One reason, the Spaniard said, why they have not
+sailed west to find out this land of gold, is that there is a great
+current, which runs in between the islands and the southern land,
+and sweeps out again with great force between the Bahamas and this
+northern land; and that they fear being swept away by it, and
+getting driven into whirlpools; and moreover they say that there
+are great storms to be encountered, in the waters to the west.
+
+"Now the fact that there is a current into, and another current out
+of, this western sea, seems to show that there is no exit to the
+west; and that the water that comes in at the south finds itself in
+a great bay, and so is forced to pass out to the north. How great
+this bay may be I know not, but surely it cannot be too great to
+search. At any rate it is clear to me that, somewhere to the west,
+these two great lands that we see to the north and south join. Now
+that men who have, with much toil and risk, made a discovery of a
+new land should claim it, for their king, seems to me fair and
+right; but not that they should claim sole traffic, with lands of
+whose very existence they know nothing; and therefore, although it
+is true that the pope has given these western islands to Spain, I
+see not how he can give to them land not, as yet, discovered.
+
+"If there is, as the natives in the islands say, a land lying
+somewhere to the west, where gold is abundant, I see no reason why,
+if we are first there, we should not gather great stores. The bales
+and boxes, that were brought round from London, contain a great
+quantity of all the things that are, as the Spaniard told me, most
+prized by the natives. Glass beads of all sorts and kinds, vessels
+of brass, iron hatchets and arrowheads, hawk bells, mirrors, and
+trinkets. The venture is, I admit, a perilous one; but if we
+succeed, every man on board will have a share in the profit."
+
+Reuben then explained the arrangements he had made, with the
+owners, for the division of such treasure as they might bring home.
+
+"That is a fair proposal," the first mate said; "and I doubt not
+that all on board will gladly fall in with it. If we succeed, we
+shall set every tongue in England wagging; and there will be plenty
+of others, I warrant, who will be ready to follow our example."
+
+"I had intended," Reuben went on, "to sail as far as the straits;
+then to head for the island of Madeira and, when within sight of
+it, to head away west-sou'-west. But if we carry this wind with us,
+we will make straight for the islands, and thereby shall escape the
+risk of being seen by vessels coming and going, as they all follow
+a track south of Madeira. We can make a good fight with any
+Spaniard that falls foul of us, and are as likely to take him as he
+is to capture us; but I would fain keep clear of them, if I can,
+since we go to trade and not to fight.
+
+"Now I think you had best give a hint of the matter in hand to our
+old crew, all of whom we can depend upon; as indeed, I hope we can
+upon all, though as yet their mettle has not been tried. Take them
+aside singly, and open the matter to them. In a few days I shall
+tell the rest; but the matter will go more fairly, and easily, if
+we have a proportion of them ready to throw up their caps, and
+shout."
+
+"Aye, aye, Captain Reuben. One bellwether will carry a whole flock
+after it, but I fear not that any will want to hold back. It is
+just the adventure that will suit a brave man's spirit--plenty to
+see, plenty to do, the chance of a fight, and the chance of a
+fortune. I should like to know what one could want, better than
+that. Besides, all are in high feather at the quality of the food,
+which they say the like of was never known on shipboard before; and
+that goes a long way. It is the fasting man who kicks. The full one
+is content, however matters go."
+
+Pengarvan had not again opened his lips. He nodded occasionally,
+and that was all his captain expected of him; but the fact that he
+had guessed the destination of the ship, added to the esteem which
+Reuben Hawkshaw had for his second mate.
+
+Three days later Reuben Hawkshaw called the crew together, and
+informed them of their destination. He possessed the rough
+eloquence best suited for the class he was addressing, and carried
+his hearers with him. He spoke as if the idea, that any of them
+could shrink from undertaking such an adventure, had not entered
+his mind; but assumed that they were the most fortunate of men, in
+having such a chance offered to them.
+
+"You do not yet know," he said, "how great a piece of good fortune
+has befallen you, by being chosen to sail with me on this voyage.
+Had the news been as much as whispered, in Plymouth, I could have
+gathered a thousand volunteers in an hour. You all know how careful
+have been the preparations for the voyage, how strongly we are
+manned, how well we are armed, what stores of excellent provisions
+and what casks of good cider and ale are in the hold.
+
+"Now I am going to tell you what all this is for. We are going,
+lads, to get gold; and if we succeed, as I doubt not we shall, each
+man on his return will, in addition to his wages, have a share in
+the spoil--such a share as will, I hope, make him comfortable for
+life."
+
+A loud cheer broke from the men, as they pressed forward eagerly to
+listen.
+
+"I have learned, lads," he said, "from a Spaniard who has been out
+there, of a land abounding with gold, lying to the west of the
+Spanish Islands. As yet, none of them have ventured thither; and I
+mean that we shall be the first to reap the harvest. Why should
+these Spaniards keep every good thing to themselves? We are as good
+sailors as they are, and better; as good men, and better.
+Therefore, I say, we will have a share of the prizes.
+
+"We shall touch on our way at some of the islands, for wood and
+water and fruit and vegetables. There are plenty of them where we
+can find these, without meeting with a Spaniard. If we do meet with
+one, and he tries to interfere with us, so much the worse for him.
+
+"Then, when we have taken in what we want, we will sail west; and
+if we find this land, as I doubt not we shall, we will return home
+with such treasures as were never brought before into an English
+port.
+
+"You must make up your minds, lads, that it is not to be all plain
+sailing, and that we may have hardships and trials to meet with;
+but no true sailor shrinks from these. It is a grand adventure,
+lads--an adventure that nobles and princes would be glad to share
+in. There is honor and glory in it, as well as booty. We shall be
+the first Englishmen who ever sailed those seas, or dared to
+dispute the right of the Spaniards to keep all the treasures of the
+west in their hands; and in time to come your children's children
+will be proud to say, 'My grandsire was one of those who sailed in
+the Swan.'"
+
+When the captain ceased speaking, there was a shout of enthusiasm
+from his hearers; not one of whom but considered himself to be one
+of the most fortunate of men, in being chosen as one of the crew of
+the Swan. This was an adventure, indeed. It was no mere trading
+voyage, but a grand expedition. There were new lands to be seen,
+there was the satisfaction of outwitting the Spaniards, there were
+glory and honor and gold to be obtained.
+
+As for hardships and danger, they recked little of them. These
+always formed part of their lot; and with so well found a ship, and
+so good a crew, they felt confident of being able to face anything
+that might befall them.
+
+They speedily broke up into excited groups, eagerly discussing the
+news they had heard. The new hands plied the older ones with
+questions, as to the general strength of the Spanish ships, the
+number of men they carried, and their armament. The guns were
+examined with fresh attention and admiration, and men looked along
+the sights as if already, in fancy, engaging in an encounter with
+the Dons. A horn of strong ale was served out to each, by the
+captain's orders, to celebrate the occasion; and the men drank
+success to the enterprise, shaking each other by the hand, and each
+vowing to do his share, bravely.
+
+The wind continued favorable until they had passed Madeira, which
+was seen like a cloud on the port side. Three days later the breeze
+dropped, and there was a stark calm, in which the Swan lay
+motionless on the sea for well nigh a fortnight. The captain,
+knowing well that idleness is, of all things, the most harmful to a
+crew, set them to work to get up the cases of arms, and polish
+their swords and pikes until they shone. Then the crew were
+exercised with boarding pike and cutlass. Singlesticks and staffs,
+which the captain had provided for such an occasion, were brought
+up; and men were matched against each other with these--small
+prizes being given to those who showed themselves the most
+proficient.
+
+Squads were told off to the great guns, and instructed how these
+should best be worked by the gunner, so that each man should do his
+share without hurry or confusion. He would fain have practiced them
+at a mark, but this the captain would not have as, with the air so
+still, the guns would be heard at a long distance, and might even
+bring up some Spanish or Portuguese vessel, to inquire into the
+cause of the firing--for they were now far below the line which the
+ships of other nations were forbidden to cross. Nor was there great
+need for practice, for to each gun was appointed, as captain, one
+of the old hands accustomed to the work, who could be trusted to
+send the ball straight when the time should come.
+
+With these and other exercises, and with such sports as the sailors
+could devise, the time of the calm was got through well enough.
+They had now been over a month at sea; but, thanks to the honest
+food and sound cider, the men's health in no way suffered, and all
+were as well and hearty as upon the day when they set sail.
+
+When the wind came, it came with sudden fury; but Reuben Hawkshaw had
+heard of the sudden gales that ships sailing west had to encounter,
+and took precautions as soon as it began to rise--furling up all the
+great sails; passing lifelines along the sides, to which the men could
+cling, if the waves washed boisterously over her; and clearing the
+decks and closing up all hatchways and openings. So, though for a week
+she tossed and labored in the gale, she was none the worse when it
+ceased; and indeed, the seas she encountered were by no means so heavy
+as those with which she had battled, on her voyage home from Spain.
+
+While the gale lasted, Reuben Hawkshaw took every precaution to
+enable him to keep his reckoning, heaving the log every half hour,
+and noting constantly each change in the direction of the wind; so
+that, when all was over, he could tell within fifty miles the spot
+where the gale left her--for in those days the instruments of
+navigation were in their infancy, and sailors relied chiefly on the
+compass, and dead reckoning, to bring them safe to port, however
+long their voyage might be. Reuben Hawkshaw knew of no other plan,
+but as far as these went he was an excellent navigator, and was
+seldom many miles out in making a landfall.
+
+As soon as the gale abated, sail was again made on the ship, and
+she proceeded on her course. In another three weeks, the mates were
+seen frequently to ascend into the tops, and the news spread among
+the crew that the Spanish islands lay not far ahead. The justness
+of the captain's reckoning was soon proved; for at daybreak, one
+morning, land was perceived directly ahead; though still lying,
+like a patch of low cloud, on the horizon.
+
+A cheer broke from those on deck, as soon as the mate proclaimed
+that to a certainty it was land they saw, and the watch below came
+pouring up. Another cheer saluted the captain as he came out from
+his cabin--a tribute to his seamanship, in thus bringing them
+straight across the ocean, on a path that no Englishman had ever
+before sailed.
+
+He, with the two mates, at once ascended to the fore top. From here,
+as the morning brightened, two other points of land could be seen,
+far away on either hand.
+
+"We are evidently approaching small islands. This is just what we
+hoped. My fear was that we might strike Hispaniola, or Porto Rico.
+When we get nearer land we will lower our topsails, so as not to be
+so easily made out from the land. Now we will go below, and try and
+mark off our place on the chart."
+
+
+
+Chapter 4: Among The Islands.
+
+
+"Now, let us go through our calculations again," the captain said
+when they entered his cabin.
+
+"How long will you be, Captain?" the first mate asked.
+
+"Half an hour, Standing."
+
+"Then I will come again or, if you want me before that, send for
+me," and the first mate went out on deck again, for though well
+skilled to handle a ship in all weathers, and as brave and hardy a
+seaman as sailed out of Plymouth, James Standing could neither read
+nor write; and though in a rough sort of way he could reckon the
+course a ship should lie, and make allowance for leeway and
+currents and baffling winds, and could bring a ship into any port
+in England or the Low Countries, he was of no use in a matter of
+this kind.
+
+Pengarvan was a good scholar, and Reuben had taught him what he
+knew of navigation, and always made him keep a log from the time
+when he first became a mate; at first comparing their calculations
+every day, and then but once a week; arguing over the allowances
+each had made for tide and leeway; and sometimes finding to his
+surprise, on arriving in port, that Pengarvan's calculations were
+even nearer to the truth than his own.
+
+This was a great satisfaction to him, for he felt that, if aught
+should happen to himself when on a voyage, Pengarvan could be
+trusted to bring the Swan home, as safely and surely as he could
+himself. Roger had, for the last two years, been going through the
+same schooling; but as yet he was very far from attaining accuracy,
+being unwilling to make sufficient allowance for the great leeway
+that a vessel, in those days, made with the wind abeam.
+
+"Now, Pengarvan," Reuben said in great glee, "bring out your log
+book. We have not compared notes since we started, for till we
+expected to reach land there was no occasion to do so, as our
+general course was clear enough. Now let us see where you put her.
+
+"And you, too, Roger; let us see what hand you have made of it.
+
+"I went through my calculations yesterday, and I am sure that there
+is no mistake in the figures. If I am right, this is the island
+that we see ahead, the one called Samona; while that we see dimly
+away on the port hand is Mariguana. I don't see, by this map, any
+land marked that could be that which we see on the starboard hand.
+
+"Now, what do you make of it?"
+
+"I put it more than a degree to the southeast, Captain; and believe
+that the three islands we see are those marked as the Caicos: the
+Great Caicos in the center, North and East on either hand."
+
+"And you, Roger, what do you make of it?"
+
+"According to my calculation, father, we ought to be full two
+hundred miles from land, and heading straight for Abaco, the
+northernmost of these islands."
+
+The captain laughed, and even Pengarvan smiled.
+
+"I fear, Roger, it would be hardly safe to leave the ship in your
+hands, at present. You are some six hundred miles away from
+Pengarvan's islands, and but seventy less from mine.
+
+"Well, Pengarvan, whether you or I be right, we may congratulate
+ourselves; for we have made a near cast, indeed, seeing that it is
+eight weeks since we left England, and more than six since we
+sailed out of sight of Madeira; and that we traversed a sea
+altogether strange to us, and of whose currents we know nothing. We
+are both right, to a day, in our reckoning of distance; and neither
+of us need feel hurt, if the other turns out right, at finding
+himself but sixty miles out, on a voyage of such length as this.
+
+"I headed for this point because, as I said, we must steer clear of
+the great islands; which are, as you know, wholly in the possession
+of the Spaniards, who have dispossessed the inhabitants, and use
+them as slaves for working the plantations and mines. As you see by
+the chart, they have no posts in all these islands, running from
+here northwest, nearly up to the mainland; except a small post at
+San Salvador. Now we will coast up through these islands, till we
+get within sight of Columbus Point, at the southerly end of San
+Salvador; for that was the island, you know, that was first
+discovered by him in '92. Then we will strike westward to Andros,
+and after that shape her course due west. This will take us north
+of the west end of Cuba, and well out of sight of land; but we must
+be careful of our navigation, for as you see it is written here:
+
+"'Small islands, innumerable, scattered among those marked here;
+these being the principal. Many of these islands are low, and show
+but little above the water. Sailing is very perilous, and not to be
+attempted at night.'
+
+"You see, in this course we shall have the advantage of being well
+out of the ordinary line of passage of the Spaniards, who shape
+their course more to the southward, make Porto Rico their first
+landfall, and then have the two great islands, Hispaniola and Cuba,
+lying straight before them; free, as it seems, by the chart, from
+any dangers to navigation.
+
+"Roger, from this evening we will compare our log books day by day,
+so that you may learn where it is that you have gone wrong. But I
+can guess how it is. The wind is blowing chiefly from the east, and
+you will never make allowance enough for drift; and I have told you
+over and over again that, with a light wind on our beam, we drive a
+mile to leeward for every two we go on our course. There are many
+ships which will drift nigh a mile for every mile they sail, in
+light winds. When the wind is brisk, and we are going fast through
+the water, then we drift but little, not more perhaps than one mile
+to six or seven."
+
+"But why is that, father? How is it that a light wind blows us away
+sideways; and that a strong wind, instead of blowing us more, blows
+us less?"
+
+"That I cannot tell you, Roger. You must leave those questions for
+wiser heads to settle. I only know that it is so--of that there is
+no doubt at all; but why, I have not the least idea.
+
+"How does it strike you, Pengarvan?"
+
+The Cornishman shook his head.
+
+"I have thought it over, Captain, many times. It seems to me,
+sometimes, that I have a sort of notion why it is; but it is not
+clear, even to myself. I could not put it into words."
+
+The first mate now looked into the cabin.
+
+"Here we are, James. Pengarvan puts her here, opposite these three
+little islands. I put her here some sixty miles away."
+
+"It matters not at all, that I can see, which it is," Standing
+said. "One island is as good as another, so that it has got water
+and fruit. The tubs are getting low, and the men are beginning to
+need a change of diet; so I hope, Captain, you will lay her to at
+the first we come to, and get what we want, whether it is Spaniard
+or native we have to fight for it."
+
+"I hope we shall have to fight neither, Standing; but I don't think
+we are likely to meet with Spaniards--for all the islands in these
+groups are small ones, and the navigation dangerous. As for the
+Indians, I fear we may not find them very friendly, seeing that
+they will, of course, take us for Spaniards, whom they have little
+reason to love. Still, when they see that our intentions are
+peaceable, and that we wish only to trade, they may abate their
+hostility."
+
+In three hours they were close to the island that they had first
+seen, which proved to be much nearer than they had supposed, at
+first sight. It was low, and thickly covered with trees, and of
+only a few miles' circumference.
+
+"There is no chance of finding the natives hostile here," Reuben
+Hawkshaw said. "Their numbers can be but scanty, and the only fear
+is that they may hide themselves in the woods at our approach, and
+refuse to have dealing with us.
+
+"Get the lead ready to sound, James, and put some grease on the
+bottom, that we may see what kind of holding ground it is."
+
+As the sun had risen the wind had fallen, and the Swan was now
+moving very slowly through the water. They were about a mile from
+the land when the log was first hove.
+
+"Eighteen fathoms, Captain," the mate reported, adding when the
+lead was hauled up, "and a sandy bottom."
+
+Casting the lead regularly, they sailed on until within little more
+than a quarter of a mile of the shore, and there dropped anchor in
+six fathoms of water.
+
+"I shouldn't like to be caught in a gale here," the captain said;
+"but if it did come on to blow, we could get up our anchor and sail
+round to the other side of the island, where we should be in
+shelter."
+
+"There are some natives, father," Roger, who was watching the
+shore, exclaimed. "They are waving green branches."
+
+"Wave a white flag, Roger. Fasten anything white to a boat hook,
+and wave it. They may understand that, as the white flag is in use
+by all nations as a sign of peace, and they may have seen the
+Spaniards use it.
+
+"Get one of the boats lowered, James--the long boat will be the
+best--let its crew take their arms with them, but lay them under
+the seats, so as to land in peaceable guise. I myself will go
+ashore in her, and see what are the intentions of the natives. Get
+a couple of guns loaded, and if you see they attack us, fire a shot
+over their heads into the woods. That will be enough to frighten
+them. However, I think not that we shall have trouble."
+
+A couple of boxes had already been got on deck by the captain's
+orders, and some strings of glass beads, hawk bells, and other
+articles of trade taken out.
+
+"You can come with me, Roger," the captain said; and in a few
+minutes the boat rowed towards the shore.
+
+Eight men sat at the oars, and eight others were bestowed in the
+bow and stern. She would have carried twice as many, but the
+captain wished to avoid any show of force.
+
+The group of natives had increased, by the time the boat reached
+the shore; and the captain saw that they consisted of two men who
+were apparently chiefs, and some thirty of inferior rank. They
+continued to wave green branches, and their attitude was so
+peaceful that the captain did not hesitate to leap ashore, as soon
+as the boat touched the strand.
+
+"You follow me, Roger; and you others keep your hands on your arms,
+ready to use them. But sit quiet, and do not show your weapons
+unless there be occasion."
+
+The chiefs advanced with a timid air towards the newcomers; and, on
+approaching, saluted in an attitude of deep humility, using the
+Spanish word Amigos.
+
+"Amigos--Friends," repeated the captain, in a cheerful tone.
+
+Roger gazed with intense interest upon these strange beings. They
+were, in color, but little darker than the Moors who had tried to
+capture the Swan, on her last voyage. They were of good height, but
+of slender figure. Their countenances were soft and almost
+feminine, with large dark eyes and mild and gentle expression. They
+had no hair upon their faces; that on their heads was long and
+black. Round their heads were light gold bands, from which rose
+plumes of colored feathers. They were naked above the waist, save
+that over one shoulder cotton cloths, ornamented with fantastic
+patterns wrought in bright feathers, were lightly thrown.
+
+From the waist they wore cotton petticoats, reaching to the knees.
+Both had belts decorated by shells, worked into intricate patterns;
+and from similar belts, crossing the shoulder, hung quivers filled
+with small arrows. They had necklaces and bracelets of bright
+beads, of European manufacture; and both carried light spears,
+their bows hanging from their shoulders.
+
+Their followers were similarly dressed, save that the fillets round
+their heads, instead of being gold, were strips of skin decorated
+with shells and beads, and the mantles were of plain cotton.
+
+The captain took from his pouch two necklaces of large blue beads,
+and presented them to the chiefs, and also gave to each of them a
+small hatchet. These they received with tokens of gratitude; being
+specially pleased with the hatchets, which were articles vastly
+prized by the natives, and rarely bestowed upon them by the
+Spaniards, who were very chary of presenting the natives with
+anything that could be used as a weapon.
+
+The captain then made a sign to the natives to approach, and
+bestowed a necklace of smaller beads upon each. He next called to
+the sailors, and bade them come ashore, bringing with them only
+their hangers; for there was no doubt that the natives were
+friendly.
+
+While they were doing so, four of the natives, at the order of
+their chiefs, brought forward large baskets; beautifully plaited
+and, as Roger judged, made of the tender bark of some tree. The
+chiefs took these from their attendants and, opening them, placed
+them before the captain with a gesture of humility. They were
+filled with fruits, all of which were of kinds such as neither
+Roger, nor his father, had seen before.
+
+The sailors now brought forward an empty barrel, and the captain
+signified that they required water. One or two billets of wood were
+also shown, and the captain signified, by action, that he wished
+his men should be allowed to cut wood, to carry on board ship. He
+also pointed to the baskets of fruit, and then showed some more
+strings of beads, and some hawk bells, intimating his desire to
+trade.
+
+The natives readily comprehended the gestures. Pointing to the keg,
+they intimated, by signs, that the ship should be moved round to
+the other side of the island; and that fruit would be taken to them
+there.
+
+The men would, gladly enough, have wandered at once into the woods
+to look at the trees and flowers, which differed widely from
+anything they had ever before seen; but the captain said:
+
+"We shall have time enough for that, men. Let us get off with this
+fruit. Our comrades on board will be thirsting for their share.
+Then we will get the ship round on the other side; and all will
+have an opportunity to go ashore."
+
+As soon as they got on board, a portion of the fruit was set aside,
+for the use of the officers, and the rest divided among the crew.
+Although they were ignorant of the names, the men enjoyed hugely
+the pineapples, guavas, and custard apples that formed the major
+portion of the contents of the baskets; and cheerfully set about
+the work of getting up their anchor, and setting the sails.
+
+But the wind had now entirely dropped, and the Swan scarce moved
+through the water. So anxious, however, were the men to land, that
+they gladly obeyed the captain's orders to get out all the boats
+and tow her--although the heat was so great that, at any other
+time, they would have shrunk from such a labor.
+
+As soon as they reached the other side of the island, the anchor
+was dropped and, the men on board having already made everything
+snug, Captain Reuben called those who had been towing out of the
+boats.
+
+"My lads," he said, "I wish to say a few words, before you land. In
+the first place, you cannot all go. It would never do to leave the
+ship without sufficient hands on board to fight her, seeing that at
+any moment a Spaniard may come round one end of the island or the
+other, and fall upon us. Consequently, half must remain on board,
+and take their turn on shore tomorrow. I wish to give no advantage
+to any; therefore the boatswain shall put two pieces of folded
+paper in his hat, one being blank and the other having a cross upon
+it. If the blank paper is drawn, the starboard watch shall go
+ashore, and the larboard take their turn tomorrow. If the paper
+with the cross comes out, it will be the other way.
+
+"One more matter: I shall expect the discipline on shore to be as
+good as it has been on board ship. The natives are to be treated
+well, and all that we get from them shall be by fair barter, and it
+shall be conducted for the advantage of all. The first mate and
+boatswain will take ashore some of the goods we have brought for
+the purpose of trade, and they will buy not only such things as we
+require for the ship--fruit and vegetables--but whatever the
+natives may have to sell.
+
+"All these things will be brought on board, and then those of you
+who wish for any of these articles, as a token from the first
+island at which we touched, can take them; making an auction among
+yourselves, the sums to be deducted from your wages. In this way
+all will be on a fair footing, and the proceeds of the sale will go
+into the general fund, to be divided at the end of the voyage.
+Nevertheless, I should advise you not to purchase now, but to leave
+it until we have finished all our business, and are on our homeward
+way. Then we shall see what we have obtained, and each man can buy
+according to his liking. I say this because, if you get things now,
+they will litter up the ship, and will get broken, lost, or thrown
+overboard; and it were far better that everything remained packed
+in the hold, until we are on the homeward voyage.
+
+"Another thing: Let each man behave himself decently on shore. Be
+gentle and kind to the natives who, though but heathens, are a
+harmless people, and friendly. Let there be no quarrels or
+disputes; and above all, let none meddle with the women. I warn you
+that any breach of these orders will be most severely punished; and
+that, moreover, anyone who does so offend will never have leave to
+go ashore again, not if we cruise for ten years among these
+islands."
+
+The second mate and Roger remained on board with the starboard
+watch, the drawing giving the advantage to the others; and these,
+with the captain and first mate, were soon rowing towards the
+shore. Those on board, although disappointed that fate had decided
+against them, had their share of amusement, for a good many canoes
+afterwards came off to them, filled with goods for barter; and as
+the captain, before leaving, had told the second mate that he could
+buy and sell with those who came out, a brisk trade was soon
+established.
+
+They had no fear of treachery from the natives, who were in such
+dread of the white men that they would not venture to lift a hand
+against them, however great the odds might be; and they were,
+therefore, allowed to come on board and mix freely with the
+sailors. The contents of the canoes, chiefly fruit and vegetables,
+were spread out on the deck, and the mate and Roger bargained with
+them, giving them little looking glasses, and strings of beads, in
+exchange for their wares.
+
+"They are mighty reasonable in their demands," Roger said to
+Pengarvan. "It seems almost a shame to take these great baskets of
+fruit and vegetables, in return for such trifles."
+
+"They are not trifles to them," the mate replied, "and there is
+nothing unfair in the exchange. These things are to them what gold
+and jewels are to us. We would give, gladly, a score of boatloads
+of vegetables for a diamond the size of a pea; and these glass
+beads are as valuable, in their eyes, as diamonds are in ours."
+
+After buying up the main stock, they trafficked with the natives
+for the little ornaments they wore, necklaces and bracelets
+cunningly worked with bright shells and seeds, and weapons of
+curiously carved wood. At nightfall the other boats returned, laden
+down with fruit and vegetables.
+
+"'We must buy no more of these commodities, at present," Captain
+Reuben said, when he saw what had been purchased on board. "We have
+got enough to last us as long as they will keep, eat we never so
+heartily;" and indeed, the next day a number of the crew were ill,
+from the quantity of fruit that they consumed.
+
+This, however, soon passed off, and the change of diet did great
+good. The scurvy disappeared, and in a short time all--even those
+who had suffered most--were again fit for duty.
+
+The following morning, Roger and Pengarvan went ashore with the
+starboard watch. The captain again accompanied them, and for hours
+they rambled about the island, wondering at the strange trees and
+foliage and the bright flowers; and filled especially with
+admiration at the tiny birds, with feathers like jewels, that
+flitted about among the flowers, and concerning which there was
+much dispute among the men--some asserting that they were a sort of
+great bee, while others maintained that they were birds. So quickly
+did they fly that the men, although they tried hard, failed to
+catch any of them; but the dispute as to their nature was solved,
+by the discovery that one of the chiefs had a robe fringed with the
+skins of these little creatures; and examining these they saw,
+surely enough, that they were birds, with feathers glistening in
+the sun like jewels of many colors Captain Reuben persuaded the
+chief to cut off the fringe and sell it to him, giving in exchange
+for it the high price of four copper rings, and a tiny looking
+glass.
+
+In the afternoon the crew set to work to re-water the ship, and by
+nightfall all the casks were filled up, and the vessel was ready to
+proceed again on her way. The next morning sails were hoisted and
+the anchor weighed. The natives came out in great numbers in their
+canoes, and surrounded the Swan as she glided away from her anchorage,
+waving their hands and raising cries of farewell--evidently greatly
+satisfied at the treatment they had received at the hands of their
+white visitors.
+
+For a fortnight the Swan cruised from island to island; but beyond
+giving the crew a run ashore at each, and so building up their
+strength and getting them in fighting trim, should there be
+occasion to call upon them for action, little advantage was
+obtained from these visits. Fruit and vegetables were obtainable in
+abundance; but beyond these, and little trinkets and feathers,
+there was no trade to be done.
+
+"It is clear," Captain Reuben said, as he and his officers were
+gathered in the cabin, "that there is neither gain nor advantage to
+be obtained from trade here. The natives have doubtless sufficient
+for their wants, which are of the simplest; but of wealth such as
+we prize in England there is none to be had. It is different with
+the Spaniards--they make slaves of these poor creatures, and force
+them to till their plantations, to raise crops for them, and to
+work mines; but we, who cannot do these things, can get nothing
+from a longer stay in these coasts.
+
+"We touched here chiefly to get water and fruit, to keep us all in
+health, and in that we have abundantly succeeded. We had best now
+shape our course westward, and try to find this new land, rich in
+gold, of which my friend the Spanish captain learned by report from
+the natives. So far we have fallen in with no Spaniards, but we may
+do so at any time; and although I have no fear of beating off any
+that might meddle with us, it would do us great harm did the news
+spread that a strange ship was in these waters; for they would
+assuredly send out expeditions in search of us, from all their
+ports, as soon as the news reached them."
+
+The others quite agreed with Captain Reuben's views, and the next
+morning the ship's head was pointed west. Two days later, when
+passing an island they saw, on opening a headland, a port with many
+houses, and a Spanish flag flying from a mast on shore. Two large
+Spanish vessels were lying there. They were apparently on the point
+of sailing, for the sails were already dropped.
+
+An exclamation of surprise broke from all on the deck of the Swan,
+and the men ran to the braces and sheets, in order to trim the
+sails.
+
+"Steady, men!" Captain Reuben shouted. "Touch not sheet or tack. We
+must sail past as if bent on our own business. If we change our
+course, now, they will suspect that something is wrong.
+
+"Pengarvan, do you get out the Spanish flag from the locker, and
+run it up to the peak."
+
+This was done, though it was easy to see, by the looks the crew
+cast towards the strange craft, that they would gladly go in and
+fight them.
+
+"Another time, lads," Captain Reuben said cheerfully, as he saw
+their mood. "I doubt not we shall have enough fighting to satisfy
+you, before we have done; but our object here is to trade, and get
+rich. If thrashing the Dons comes in the way of business, we shall
+do it contentedly; but there is no occasion for us to put ourselves
+out of the way to meet them. Supposing we were to go in, and sink
+those two ships; as I doubt not we are men enough to do, if we were
+to try it. They would see it all from the shore; and no sooner did
+we set sail again, than boats would carry the news to every Spanish
+port in these quarters, and we should have a score of ships in
+pursuit of us, in no time; and, whatever came of it, that would
+interfere with the hopes of gain with which we have sailed to these
+seas.
+
+"This port must be a newly formed one," he went on, turning to
+Roger, "for there is no Spanish station marked hereabout, in my
+chart."
+
+The course which the Swan was taking would have carried her half a
+mile to seaward of the two Spanish vessels, but she now edged a
+point or two farther out. Doubtless the Spaniards were surprised at
+seeing that the vessel, instead of entering the port, continued her
+course; and it may be that they very soon discovered such points in
+her hull, and rigging, as set them wondering what she could be.
+
+Presently a gun was fired from one of the ships--as a signal,
+doubtless, for her to heave to. The Swan paid no attention to the
+command, but kept on her course. In two minutes there was another
+flash and a puff of white smoke from the Spaniard, and a shot
+skipped across the water in front of the Swan. A growl of anger
+broke from her crew.
+
+"Put up the helm," Captain Reuben ordered; and the vessel, which
+was running before the wind, came up till her head pointed straight
+to sea.
+
+Although the Spanish ships were still three-quarters of a mile
+away, a bustle was at once observable on their decks. Men clustered
+at the bows, and could be seen at work there.
+
+"They are getting up the anchors," Pengarvan said, as he watched
+them, shading his eyes with his hands.
+
+Three or four minutes later the sails were sheeted home, and the
+Spaniard began to move through the water, having set sail as soon
+as the anchors were tripped. No sooner were they under weigh, and
+the crews at their quarters, than they began to discharge their bow
+guns after the Swan.
+
+"Shall we answer them, Captain?" James Standing asked. "We can
+bring a couple of guns aft, and fire over the rail."
+
+"By no means," Captain Reuben replied. "At present they know
+nothing about us, and though they may guess that we are not
+licensed traders, with due authority to trade among the islands, I
+do not suppose they suspect, for a moment, that we are foreigners;
+but deem us a private venture, from one of their own ports. No
+Spanish trader would dare to fire on their own flag and, as long as
+we do not reply, they will suppose that we are only trying to
+escape the payment of some heavy fine, or perhaps forfeiture, for
+breach of their regulations.
+
+"No, they can fire away. They are not likely to hurt us. They are
+fully a mile behind us, and we shall soon leave them."
+
+But in this respect the captain was mistaken. The Spaniards were
+both fast vessels; and although the Swan kept her distance, those
+on board presently saw that she gained nothing. The shot continued
+to fall around them, but the Spaniards worked their guns slowly.
+The pieces on their forecastles were light ones, and though two or
+three shot passed through the sails of the Swan, they did but
+little damage.
+
+"As long as they don't knock away a spar we will hold on," Captain
+Reuben said. "If they do, we will turn and fight them. But the wind
+is dropping a little, and I think that, if anything, we are gaining
+upon them now."
+
+By the afternoon the Swan was fully two miles ahead, and the
+Spaniards had discontinued firing. The Swan was heading now to pass
+an island which had, for some hours, been visible ahead. Presently
+the Spaniards again began firing, although their shot fell in the
+water far astern of the Swan.
+
+"What are the lubbers up to now?" James Standing said. "They cannot
+think they are going to frighten us into stopping, now that we have
+fairly got away from them."
+
+Captain Reuben was anxiously gazing at the island ahead. They had
+laid their course to pass it to windward, as they sailed better,
+close-hauled, than did the Spaniard; who had not only fallen
+behind, but had lagged to leeward nigh half a mile.
+
+"They must be firing as a signal," he said. "There may either be a
+Spanish port in the island, or they may know that there are some of
+their ships lying there; though I can see no signs, either of a
+port or ships."
+
+"It would matter little if we could, Captain," Pengarvan said; "for
+any ships along that shore would be to leeward of us, and we should
+pass the end of the island long before they could beat up there;
+but it would be awkward if there happened to be a port, with two or
+three of their ships, just beyond that point. We should be caught
+between two fires then, and have to fight the lot of them."
+
+The captain nodded.
+
+"You are right, Pengarvan. We should be in a fix, then; and four
+Spaniards at once is more than we bargained for."
+
+They were now within two miles of the point towards which they were
+steering, and towards which the eyes of the two officers on the
+poop were directed. Five minutes later an exclamation broke from
+them, simultaneously, as the sails of a lofty ship made their
+appearance over the extremity of the point, and a minute later a
+great hull came into sight.
+
+"Helm to larboard," Captain Reuben ordered sharply. "We must run
+down the island. We can never weather that fellow that has just
+appeared.
+
+"Ah! There are two others coming out. We are in a hornets' nest."
+
+The sails were squared off, and the Swan was soon running before
+the wind; almost parallel with the coast, but edging in a little,
+to keep her farther from the vessels that had first chased them.
+These had also changed their course, and their position to leeward
+now gave them an advantage.
+
+Ere long the Swan was almost abreast her late pursuers, who were
+about a mile and a quarter to seaward; while the other three
+Spanish ships, with all sails set, were a mile and a half astern,
+but a good deal nearer in shore.
+
+"The sun will be down in another five minutes," Captain Reuben
+said, "and in half an hour it will be dark. The Spaniards can run
+quite as fast as we can--a bit faster, I think; but we can beat
+them, close hauled. The wind is falling lighter and lighter. If it
+was not for that, we would haul our wind and be off on the other
+tack, and throw all of them out. But it will be a dead calm before
+long, and they will be either lowering all their boats to attack
+us, or towing their ships up to us. If we were close under the land
+they might miss us, but they will be able to make us out, here. At
+any rate, we must hold on as we are, until the wind drops
+altogether."
+
+After sunset the breeze died away rapidly and, by the time night
+had fully set in, the sails dropped motionless, and the Swan ceased
+to move through the water. The captain at once ordered all the
+boats to be lowered, and the men swarmed into them, double banking
+the oars. Hawsers were handed into them, and the vessel's head
+swept round in the direction from which she had come, but somewhat
+farther seaward.
+
+"Now, lads," the captain said, "pull with a will. There will be a
+good supper, and an allowance of strong ale, when you come on
+board."
+
+After rowing for half an hour, the captain ordered them to cease,
+and to keep silence. Listening attentively, he could hear in the
+still night air the sound of oars; but whether the boats were
+towing the ships, or rowing independently, he could not tell. Again
+the men set to work.
+
+"I hope they are towing," he said to the first mate. "They would
+have no chance whatever of catching us, for our strong crew can
+take a vessel like the Swan through the water at twice the rate
+they could row their big ships. I can't see the fellows in shore,
+can you?"
+
+"No, Captain. They are hid in the shadow of the land. I can make
+out the others, but they are a long way farther off than when we
+started."
+
+"I expect we shall have the boats after us, Standing. Both lots can
+make us out, and can see that we are gaining on them.
+
+"Ah! I felt a breath of wind. I did not expect it for an hour or
+two yet; but if the breeze springs up, we shall soon run away from
+them."
+
+Stopping and listening again, they could hear the sound of oars,
+from two directions.
+
+"They are coming," the captain said. "The beat is quicker than it
+would be if they were towing; besides, it is a great deal more
+distinct than it was. I don't think they are more than a mile
+behind us.
+
+"Ah! There is the wind again."
+
+There was a deep flapping sound, and a rattling of blocks, as the
+sails bellied out for a moment, and then fell against the masts
+again. Captain Reuben went to the forecastle:
+
+"Keep it up, lads. You won't have much longer to row, for the wind
+is coming. The Spaniards are after us, but they won't be up for a
+quarter of an hour, and I hope we shall get it before that.
+Remember, every yard we can keep away from them is of importance.
+Put your backs to it, lads."
+
+The Swan carried four boats and, strongly manned as these were, she
+was gliding through the water at a fair rate. It was five minutes
+before another breath of wind came, but this lasted three or four
+minutes, and greatly relieved the strain from the hawsers.
+
+"She is going through the water now," the captain said. "They
+cannot be gaining very much upon us, at present.
+
+"Confound it!" he added, a minute later. "There is an end of it
+again."
+
+The boats were now but half a mile away, and the voices of the
+officers, urging the rowers to exert themselves, could be plainly
+heard, On the Swan the officers were all gazing in the direction
+from which the wind was to come. The yards were all braced sharply
+aft. Presently there was an exclamation of relief, as they felt the
+wind in their faces, and the vessel heeled a little over. The boats
+behind were but a quarter of a mile away now, while those from the
+vessels inshore were perhaps twice that distance.
+
+"If this is the true breeze we are safe," the captain said. "If
+not, we shall have to fight for it."
+
+The men had already, without orders, cast loose the guns, and armed
+themselves with pike and cutlass.
+
+"Now listen, lads," the captain said, as he went forward to the
+poop rail, "if these fellows come up and try to board us, let no
+man utter a word. Fight like bulldogs, and as silently. We shall
+beat them off, never fear. No doubt they believe that we are their
+countrymen, who have broken their trading regulations, and are
+afraid of being overhauled. But if there is a word spoken they will
+know that we are foreigners, and we shall be chased wherever we
+go."
+
+Then he went to the forecastle, and bade all the men in the boats
+cast off the hawsers and come on board. They were, indeed, no
+longer of any use, as the vessel was going through the water almost
+as fast as they could row ahead of her. As they gained the deck he
+repeated the orders he had given--that strict silence should be
+observed, in case the Spaniards came alongside.
+
+Everything now depended on continuance of breeze, and those on
+board the boats saw that the vessel was now holding her own with
+them. Orders to throw the ship up into the wind and heave to were
+shouted and, as no attention was paid to these, several musket
+shots were fired at her; but the wind held and, faster and faster,
+the Swan made her way through the water. At last the boats fell
+behind, and were lost to sight.
+
+"We are safe now," Reuben said, exultantly. "We are to windward of
+them all, and shall have them well out of sight, before morning."
+
+When day broke, indeed, the topsails of three of the Spanish ships
+could be seen on the horizon; but in two or three hours these sank
+out of sight, and the Swan was headed on her course west.
+
+
+
+Chapter 5: Shipwrecked.
+
+
+For six days the Swan sailed westward before a gentle wind. Then
+clouds were seen rising in the north, and spreading with great
+rapidity across the horizon.
+
+"We are in for a tempest," Captain Reuben said. "Never have I seen
+the clouds rising more rapidly.
+
+"Get her sail off her, Standing, as quickly as possible."
+
+The crew fell to work, and in a very few minutes the Swan was
+stripped of the greater part of her canvas. But quickly as the men
+worked, the storm came up more rapidly, and the crew had but half
+finished their work when, with a roar and turmoil that almost
+bewildered them, the gale struck the vessel. Her head had been laid
+to the south, so that the wind should take her astern; and it was
+well that it was so, for had it struck her on the beam, she would
+assuredly have been capsized, even had not a rag of canvas been
+shown, for the wind would have caught her lofty forecastle and
+poop. As it was she plunged heavily forward, quivering as if from a
+blow. Then her bluff bows bore her up and, with a leap, she sprang
+forward and sped along before the gale.
+
+"I have seen as sudden a squall among the Greek islands," Captain
+Reuben shouted in the mate's ear; "but never elsewhere. I hope that
+this may prove as short as do the gales in that quarter."
+
+"I hope so," the mate replied, "for we know not how far the land
+may be distant."
+
+But though the captain knew it not, they had been caught in one of
+those furious gales that were, afterwards, the terror of the
+Spaniards; blowing for a week or ten days without intermission, and
+being the cause of the wreck of many a stout ship. The sea got up
+rapidly, and the wind seemed to increase in fury as night fell, and
+for three days the ship ran before it. The waist was frequently
+deluged with water, and it required six men at the helm to keep her
+straight before the wind.
+
+The crew were worn out with fatigue and want of sleep, for running
+as they were in this unknown sea, none could say what might happen,
+or when land might be sighted ahead. The captain never left the
+poop--he and the mates taking their places, by turn, with the men
+at the helm; for the slightest error in steering might have caused
+the vessel to broach to, in which case nothing could have saved
+her. Sheltered as was the caboose, it was found impossible to keep
+a fire alight, and officers and men, alike, had to content
+themselves with biscuit and draughts of ale.
+
+The vessel rolled till her bulwarks were under water, and the
+yardarms at times dipped into the sea, and the men on deck were
+forced to lash themselves to some standing object, to retain their
+footing. The captain occasionally made his way forward to the
+forecastle, where the men not on duty were huddled together, and
+spoke cheeringly to them, saying that the gale could not last much
+longer, and that as the Swan had weathered it so far, she would
+hold on to the end.
+
+At the commencement of the storm a tremendous rain had fallen, but
+when this had ceased the sky had cleared up, and for the last two
+days the sun had shone out brightly, and not a cloud had been seen.
+
+When morning broke on the fourth day a cry of dismay broke from the
+wearied men on deck, for ahead could be seen land, stretching away
+on both bows. The news brought the crew from below, and they
+clustered on the forecastle, gazing in the direction of this new
+danger.
+
+"We must try and get some sail on her mizzen, Standing," the
+captain said. "Our only chance is to bring her head to wind."
+
+"We can try, Captain, but I fear that you will never bring her
+round."
+
+"It is our only chance," the captain repeated, and with a loud
+shout, he called for some hands to come aft.
+
+The mizzen was shaken out and, as soon as the sheets were hauled
+aft, the helm was put down. A cry burst from the crew as she came
+round, for as the wind took her on the beam she lay farther and
+farther over. A great wave struck her broadside, sweeping the
+bulwarks away as if they had been paper, and carrying a number of
+the crew off the forecastle into the sea. Still farther over she
+went, and all thought that she would capsize; when there were a
+series of reports, like musket shots, as the lashings of the
+shrouds parted. This was followed instantly by a crash, as the
+mizzen mast snapped off, two feet above the deck.
+
+Relieved of the strain, the Swan righted somewhat. Another great
+wave swept over her forecastle, still further diminishing the
+number of the crew, but it carried her head round. She came up onto
+an even keel, and again started on her mad course before the wind.
+
+"Go forward, Pengarvan, and see how many hands we have lost," the
+captain said. "Not that it makes much difference, for they have but
+gone a short time before the rest of us, for nothing short of a
+miracle can save us, now."
+
+It could now be seen that the coast was steep and rocky, and that
+the waves were breaking with tremendous force upon it. It was but
+about four miles distant, and in less than half an hour they would
+be upon it.
+
+"We must try to anchor, Standing."
+
+The first mate shook his head.
+
+"We will try, Captain, but our anchors will never hold her in the
+teeth of this gale. If they did, the hawsers would go like pack
+thread."
+
+"I am afraid so, Standing; but there is nothing else to do."
+
+The first mate went forward, and he and Pengarvan saw the anchors
+got in readiness, and the cables ranged along, so as to run out
+with perfect freedom. Then Pengarvan made his way aft again to the
+poop.
+
+"Do you mean to cut away the mast, Captain?"
+
+The captain nodded.
+
+"I wouldn't, sir," the mate went on. "She will never hold, mast or
+no mast; and if it stands, we make a shift to run her head foremost
+on the rocks, and this will give us a better chance than if she
+drifts broadside on."
+
+"You are right, Pengarvan. Yes, it will be better to leave it
+standing."
+
+When within a quarter of a mile of the shore, the helm was again
+put down and, as the vessel came partly round, the the anchors were
+let go. The hawsers ran out rapidly, and the topsail, which was the
+only sail on her, was let go, the wind catching it and tearing it
+into ribbons as it was loosed. There was a jerk and a surge as the
+anchors brought her up, but at the same moment a great wave struck
+her head. The cables parted, and she again swung round towards the
+shore.
+
+"It is all over with us, my lad," the captain said to Roger, who
+was standing quietly beside him. "God forgive me, I have brought
+you all here to die."
+
+"It is not your fault, father. It was all for the best, and we knew
+when we started that there were perils before us."
+
+"Goodbye, my lads! We will die as we have lived--brave men--and may
+God have mercy on us all.
+
+"Now, Roger, obey my last orders. Go forward, and climb up to the
+end of the bowsprit. It may be that, if she strikes, you may be
+able to leap forward onto the rocks. They are somewhat lower, just
+ahead, than elsewhere."
+
+"But I do not want to be saved, if no one else is, father," Roger
+cried passionately.
+
+"You have always obeyed me heretofore," the captain said, quietly,
+"and you will do so now. Go forward at once, and do as I say. God
+bless you, my boy."
+
+He clasped Roger in his arms, in a moment's close embrace, and then
+pointed forward.
+
+Roger's eyes were blinded with tears as he obeyed the order. The
+bowsprit in those days did not, as now, run out almost horizontally
+from the ship's bow; but stood up like a mast, leaning somewhat
+over the bow, and carried a yard and small square sail upon it.
+Roger climbed up as far as the yard and then, aiding himself by the
+halyards, swarmed up until he reached the cap. When he did so the
+vessel was but little more than a hundred yards from the shore.
+
+The water was deep up to the rocks, for the waves struck on these
+unbroken, flying up in masses of spray which flew far over the
+land. On his lofty post, thirty feet above the forecastle and
+forty-five above the water, Roger was nearly level with the top of
+the rock ahead; and as the vessel rose on the waves, could see a
+flat land, extending far inland.
+
+He looked down. Two or three of the sailors had followed him as
+high as the yard, and many others were gathered on the forecastle.
+Some were kneeling in prayer, others had thrown themselves down
+despairingly on the deck, but most were standing, looking forward
+with set faces at the rocky barrier so close at hand.
+
+Roger looked aft. The men at the tiller had quitted it now, and
+gone forward. Standing and Pengarvan were standing, one on each
+side of the captain. The latter took off his cap and waved it to
+his son, and the mates lifted their hands in token of adieu.
+
+A cry from below caused Roger, as he returned the salute, to look
+round. They were but a ship's length from the rocks. Another moment
+a great wave lifted the vessel, and on its crest she went
+thundering forward. The rocks seemed to leap up against the spar to
+which Roger clung. It snapped off just below his feet, then a great
+volume of water and spray shot up from below, and he was thrown
+high into the air. The wind caught him and carried him away inland,
+and he fell, with a crash that left him senseless.
+
+It was long before he recovered consciousness. As soon as he did
+so, he crawled on his hands and knees to the edge of the cliff, and
+looked down. The Swan had disappeared. Not a sign of her remained,
+not so much as a floating timber showed on the surface of the
+water.
+
+Roger crawled back again for some distance, and then threw himself
+down, and wept despairingly. He lay there for hours, until the heat
+of the sun, blazing almost vertically down, roused him. Then he got
+on to his feet and looked round.
+
+In front of him stretched a slightly undulating country. Patches of
+maize, here and there, showed that it was cultivated; and in the
+distance he saw a large village, with buildings of a size that
+proved that the people had made some advance towards civilization.
+Slowly and painfully, for he was greatly bruised by his fall, he
+made his way to the nearest maize patch, and ate several heads of
+green corn. Then he started for the village.
+
+When within a few hundred yards of it, he came upon three women,
+who were coming out with baskets on their heads. They paused as he
+approached them, and then, with a cry of astonishment and fear,
+turned and ran towards the village.
+
+Their cries brought a number of people to the doors. Among these
+were many men, who had caught up spears, and bows and arrows, at
+the alarm. Seeing but one person approaching, in a garb altogether
+strange to them, they stood in surprise. As he came up their wonder
+heightened, at perceiving that his color was altogether different
+from their own; and they dropped their threatening weapons, and
+stood as if paralyzed by wonder.
+
+Roger had not faltered in his step, as he saw them issue out. Death
+had no terror for him, now his father and all his friends were
+gone; and he was altogether reckless of what befell him. The
+fearlessness of his demeanor added to the effect produced by his
+appearance. His cap was gone, and the rays of the sun, falling upon
+his fair hair, added to the effect produced by his white skin.
+
+The natives, taking him for a supernatural being, bowed themselves
+to the ground before him in an attitude of adoration. The cries and
+uproar that but a minute before had sounded in the village suddenly
+ceased, and were succeeded by the hush of deep awe.
+
+Roger walked on between the prostrate natives, and seated himself
+on a stone at the door of a hut. The natives gradually rose to
+their feet and approached him timidly. He made signs that he wanted
+to drink, for a raging thirst had been induced by the heat.
+
+One of the natives ran into a hut and reappeared with a bowl,
+filled with a liquid, which he humbly presented to Roger. The
+latter patted his head in token of thanks, and then took a long
+drink of the contents of the bowl. These were totally unlike
+anything he had before tasted; being pulque, a slightly fermented
+drink obtained from the juice of the agave, most useful of all the
+vegetable productions of Central America.
+
+A native, who was distinguished by his dress from the rest, now
+gave an order; and in a short time two women approached, bearing a
+tray with some flat cakes of fine bread, and fruits of different
+kinds. More to please the natives than because he was hungry, for
+he felt little inclination for food, Roger partook of some of
+these.
+
+The chief then harangued him at considerable length. When he had
+finished, Roger, who had stood up while he was addressing him,
+said:
+
+"I do not know a single word of what you are saying to me, but I
+thank you for your kindness."
+
+He then shook hands with the chief, to whom that form of greeting
+was evidently new, and patted him on the shoulder.
+
+The chief then conducted him to a large house. It was no higher
+than the rest, but was built of stone, well fitted together. The
+roof was roughly thatched, and could, Roger thought, afford but a
+poor shelter in time of rain. He did not know that, except at the
+commencement of a storm, rain was of comparatively rare occurrence
+upon the coast.
+
+Inside the house showed signs of comfort. There were some seats
+decorated with carving. A finely woven mat covered the floor. Arms
+and utensils hung from the walls.
+
+Several of the natives, evidently persons of consideration in the
+village, followed the chief in. Some girls and women came in from
+an interior room, and saluted the stranger with the greatest
+respect. They examined him timidly, one of the younger girls
+touching his hand gently, as if to make sure that it was skin, and
+not some strange covering, that gave it its color.
+
+Roger took off his jacket, which was by this time dry, and turned
+up the sleeve of his shirt. As he did so, a general exclamation of
+surprise and admiration broke from the natives at the whiteness of
+the skin; which was far more striking, to them, than the bronzed
+hue of his face and hands.
+
+The chief made various signs, which Roger at last understood to be
+a question as to whence he had come. He pointed in the direction of
+the sea, and tried to signify that he had arrived from a very long
+distance.
+
+An hour passed, and Roger was beginning to wonder what the next
+move would be, when a native entered and, saluting the chief, said
+something to him. The women and children at once retired. A few
+minutes afterwards the chief went to the door, and motioned Roger
+to accompany him.
+
+Coming down the street of the village was a procession. At its head
+walked two persons, evidently of high rank. They wore mantles,
+falling from their shoulders nearly to the ground, ornamented with
+designs executed in brightly colored feathers. They had circlets of
+gold round their heads, and heavy necklaces and bracelets of the
+same metal. Beneath the mantles they wore short petticoats of soft
+white material. Their spears and their arms were carried behind
+them, by attendants. Behind these came a number of men and women,
+walking in regular order, carrying bowls of fruit, trays of cooked
+food, and other offerings.
+
+Roger saw at once that they must have come from a place of
+importance; which must be near at hand, as they had doubtless set
+out upon the receipt of a message, dispatched by his present
+entertainer. He guessed that the report must have been a favorable
+one of him, and that the natives were impressed with the idea that
+he was a superior being. It was, therefore, needful for him to
+comport himself so that this impression should be confirmed.
+
+The chiefs bowed profoundly as they approached him, stooping so far
+forward that one hand touched the earth, and was then carried to
+their forehead. Roger did not understand the meaning of this, but
+he bowed graciously, as if accepting the homage that was offered.
+
+The bearers then advanced, and placed the offerings on the ground.
+Among these was a mantle similar to that worn by the chiefs, but
+more richly embroidered. It struck Roger that, as his white skin
+excited so much admiration, it would be as well to show it. He was,
+too, somewhat ashamed of his garments; which were much worn, had
+turned a dingy hue from the sun and salt water, and had, moreover,
+shrunk much from their recent immersion. Taking up the robe,
+therefore, he motioned to the chiefs to stay where they were and,
+returning into the room, stripped to his waist; and then, throwing
+the mantle over his shoulders, returned to the entrance.
+
+Something like a shout of welcome saluted him. The whiteness of his
+skin, as seen through the open mantle, astonished the natives; and
+they accepted his assumption of the garment, with which he had been
+presented, as a sign of the benevolent intentions of this
+supernatural visitor towards them.
+
+The ambassadors now made signs in the direction from which they had
+come, and seemed to ask if he were willing to accompany them. He
+nodded his assent, and in a few minutes the procession again
+started, the chiefs taking their places one on either side of him,
+and the villagers falling in behind. The women struck up a sort of
+chant, in which all except the chiefs joined. For an hour they kept
+on their way and then, on ascending a small hill, a large town was
+seen.
+
+"Tabasco," the chief said, pointing towards it.
+
+Roger repeated the word, and in doing so evidently gave much
+pleasure to the chiefs. As they approached the town he could see
+many lofty buildings rising above it; and, as they passed through a
+line of long palisades that surrounded the place, a body of men
+issued out to meet him.
+
+As they approached, they formed in order on each side of the road.
+All were armed with spears tipped with sharp, shiny stones, and
+carried bows and arrows. They were dressed in doublets of thickly
+quilted cotton, capable of turning an arrow or resisting the thrust
+of a native spear; although they would offer but poor protection
+against English arrows, or English weapons.
+
+As they entered the town the streets were lined with similarly
+dressed soldiers; behind whom stood a crowd of natives, men and
+women saluting their strange visitor with loud cries of welcome.
+The procession continued its way until it stopped before a large
+building, at the entrance to which stood an aged chief. His mantle
+was completely composed of feather work, and plumes of feathers
+sprang from the golden fillet that encircled his head. Behind him
+were clustered a number of inferior chiefs.
+
+He welcomed Roger courteously but gravely; and Roger guessed, at
+once, that he was superior to the superstitions of his people, and
+that he viewed him with a certain amount of suspicion. Roger bowed
+and, taking off the jackknife, which hung in its sheath from a
+string at his waist, drew it out and presented it to the chief.
+
+The latter was evidently greatly struck by the gift. Gold and
+silver he knew, but this bright and shining metal was altogether
+new to him. He examined it closely, felt the edge and point, and
+then handed it to the chiefs behind him, to be examined by them.
+Roger saw by his manner that he had been favorably impressed, for
+the weapon was as strange and mysterious, to him, as the visitant.
+
+The chief undid a large gold necklace that he wore, and offered it
+to Roger, who bowed and clasped it round his neck. The chief now
+led him inside the house, which was similar, but on a much larger
+scale, to that which he had before entered. Refreshments were
+placed before him. These he did not need, but thought it better to
+eat of them. While he was so doing, an animated conversation was
+maintained between the chief and his followers.
+
+After a time, the chief made signs to him to follow him, and
+conducted him to a smaller house close by, which he made signs to
+him that he was to consider as his own. Mats had been already
+spread on the ground; rugs made of quilted cotton, for sleeping
+upon, piled in a corner; vases of flowers placed about the room,
+and all made ready for occupation. An old woman, followed by two
+young girls, came forward and saluted to the ground. They were
+slaves, whom the chief had appointed to wait upon the visitor.
+
+No sooner had the chief left than a perfect levee commenced, and
+went on for hours; until it seemed to Roger that every man, woman,
+and child in the town must have called upon him. Most of them
+brought little presents as tokens of goodwill. Garlands of flowers
+were thrown round his neck, baskets of fruit, cakes made from maize
+flour, dishes of meat of various kinds, little trinkets of gold,
+baskets containing beans and many other eatable seeds, and a ground
+powder of brownish hue, of whose uses Roger was ignorant, but which
+he afterwards discovered to be cocoa, which furnished the most
+popular beverage of the natives.
+
+Not until it was quite dark did the stream of visitors cease. Then
+the old slave dropped a hanging across the door, and one of the
+young ones brought forward to Roger, who was utterly worn out with
+the fatigues of the day, a bowl of steaming cocoa, and some cakes
+of fruit. Roger found the cocoa extremely palatable, and wholly
+unlike anything he had ever before tasted; and it seemed to
+invigorate him greatly.
+
+After drinking, he spread some of the quilted mats upon the floor,
+and threw himself down upon them. The old woman had lighted a lamp,
+and withdrawn with the younger ones to an apartment behind; which
+served as their sleeping place, as well as kitchen.
+
+Now that he was alone and had time to think, Roger broke down
+entirely. Was it possible that it was but this morning he was on
+board ship, with his father and friends; and that now all were
+gone, gone forever, and he was in a strange land, cut off from all
+hope of return, surrounded by people who, if they were friendly
+today, might yet, for aught he knew, slay him on the morrow?
+
+For the time, however, his own fate occupied him but little. His
+thoughts turned almost exclusively upon his father. Upon their
+voyages together, his kindness and care for him, the high hopes
+they had cherished when they started upon their voyage, and above
+all upon his parting words, and the last gesture of farewell, just
+as the ship struck.
+
+For hours Roger lay and sobbed. At last he heard a slight movement
+in the room and, looking up, saw one of the young slave girls
+regarding him with a look of deep pity. To her, as to everyone
+else, Roger had appeared as a supernatural being, come from they
+knew not whence; but the lad's sobs had touched her human feelings,
+and shown her that he had sorrows, like herself. Her look brought a
+feeling of comfort and companionship to Roger's heart; and as, on
+seeing that she was observed, she turned timidly to retire, he held
+out his hand to her.
+
+She approached and knelt down beside him and, taking his hand,
+pressed it to her forehead. She was a girl of some fourteen years
+old, already, according to Mexican ideas, a woman.
+
+"What is your name?" Roger asked.
+
+The girl looked at him wonderingly, but shook her head. Roger
+thought a moment, and then touched himself on the breast.
+
+"Roger," he said.
+
+He repeated the word several times. Then he touched her lips and
+repeated "Roger," and, seeing what was expected, she repeated the
+word in a soft voice.
+
+He nodded again, touched himself and said "Roger," and then touched
+her. She now saw what he meant. It was his own name he had spoken,
+and he now asked for hers.
+
+"Malinche," she said, in her soft Indian voice.
+
+"Malinche," he repeated, "you are a kind-hearted girl. I can see
+that, Malinche; and I hope we shall understand each other better,
+one of these days. I suppose you are a servant or a slave, and are
+not in a much better condition than myself. Now you had better go,
+and sleep."
+
+He patted her on the shoulder, pointed to the door by which she had
+entered, closed his eyes as if in sleep, and then said, "Good
+night, Malinche."
+
+The girl uttered some words he did not understand; but as they
+ended with Roger, and with a nod of her head she stole silently
+away, he supposed that it was something equivalent to his own
+"Goodnight."
+
+Greatly comforted by this little incident, he rolled up one of the
+rugs as a pillow, laid his head upon it, and was almost
+instantaneously asleep. He woke with a feeling of surprise. The
+events of the previous day seemed to him but a dream, and he looked
+round, expecting to see the bulkhead of the little cabin he had
+occupied, on board the Swan. But the first glance assured him of
+the reality of the dream, and that he was alone, among a strange
+people.
+
+He sprang at once to his feet, pulled aside a cloth that hung
+before an opening that served as a window, and let the rays of the
+sun stream in.
+
+"I want some water, old dame," he said, in a loud voice.
+
+The old woman at once entered. Roger made signs, by rubbing his
+hands together, and passing them over his face and head, that he
+wanted water. This the old woman brought, in a basin formed of the
+half of an immense gourd, and a soft cotton cloth with which to dry
+himself. Then she brought in a small pot, filled with something
+which looked to him like fat, but which he afterwards found was
+extracted from a vegetable, and put it down by the side of the
+water.
+
+"I suppose that this is some sort of soap," Roger said to himself,
+and found on trial, to his great satisfaction, that it made an
+excellent lather.
+
+After a good wash he felt greatly refreshed, and now attired
+himself completely in Mexican costume, a pile of garments of all
+sorts having been placed in one corner of the room. When he had
+finished the two girls entered, with a tray containing cocoa,
+fruits, and bread. He was about to address Malinche by her name;
+but the girl kept her eyes fixed upon the ground, and it struck him
+that she did not wish her late visit to him to be known, as it
+might bring upon her a scolding from the old woman; whose voice he
+had more than once heard, on the previous afternoon, raised in
+shrill anger.
+
+He therefore began afresh, first naming himself, and then touching
+Malinche's companion.
+
+She did not at first understand, but Malinche said something in a
+low tone, and she then replied, "Nishka."
+
+Roger repeated the name, and then touched Malinche, who at once
+gave her name.
+
+He next pointed to the contents of the bowl, and the girls replied
+together, "Coca."
+
+Roger repeated the word several times, and then, in the same
+manner, learned the native names of the cakes and fruit.
+
+The old woman, hearing the voices, now came into the room. The
+girls spoke eagerly to her in their language, and when Roger
+touched her, she at once answered, "Quizmoa."
+
+"That is pretty well, for a first lesson," Roger said. "Now I will
+eat my breakfast. I suppose that, if anyone in this place did not
+have a stare at me yesterday, they will be coming today."
+
+Visitors, indeed, soon began to arrive; and it was more than a week
+before the curiosity of the crowd was at all satisfied. But even
+this did not bring what Roger considered a terrible annoyance to an
+end; for the news had spread rapidly, through all the country
+round, of the strange white being who had come to Tabasco, and
+parties of visitors kept on arriving, some of them from a great
+distance.
+
+Roger, however, had made a good use of his tongue. He kept one or
+other of the girls always near him, and by touching the articles
+brought to him as presents, the garments and arms of his visitors,
+and the various objects in his room, he soon learned their names.
+
+Almost every day the chief sent for him, for a talk; but as neither
+party could understand the other, these conversations generally
+ended by a sudden loss of temper, on the part of the cazique, at
+being unable to obtain the information he required as to the origin
+of his visitor, and the object with which he had come to his
+country.
+
+Having acquired a large number of the names of objects, Roger, for
+a time, came to a standstill. Then it struck him that by listening
+to what the old woman said to the girls, and by watching what they
+did, he might make a step farther.
+
+In this way he soon learned "bring me," "fetch me," and other
+verbs. When the old woman was present, the two girls were silent
+and shy; but as Quizmoa was fond of gossiping, and so was greatly
+in request among the neighbors, who desired to learn something of
+the habits of the white man, she was often out; and the girls were
+then ready to talk as much as Roger wished. For a time it seemed to
+him that he was making no progress whatever with the language and,
+at the end of the first month, began almost to despair of ever
+being able to converse in it; although by this time he had learned
+the name of almost every object. Then he found that, perhaps as
+much from their gestures as from their words, he began to
+understand the girls; and in another month was able to make himself
+understood, in turn. After this his progress was extremely rapid.
+
+As soon as Malinche learned, from him, that he belonged to a great
+nation of white people, living far away across the sea, and that he
+had been wrecked in a ship upon the coast, she warned him against
+telling these things to the chief.
+
+"They hold you in high honor," she said, "because they think that
+you have come down from the sky, and might do them grievous harm if
+they displeased you. But if they knew that you were a man like
+themselves, cast by chance upon their shores, they would perhaps
+make you a slave, or might put you to death in one of the temples.
+Therefore, on this subject be always silent. When the chief asks
+you questions, shake your head, and say that these things cannot be
+spoken of, and that it might bring down the anger of the gods, were
+their secret told."
+
+The advice seemed good to Roger, and he followed it. Now that he
+was able to talk in his language, the chief soon plied him with
+questions as to whence he had come. But Roger always shook his head
+when the subject was approached, and said:
+
+"It is not good to talk of these things. Evil might come to the
+land. I am here, and that is enough. I will tell you many things
+about other people, who live far over the sea, and who are very
+great and powerful. When they go out they sit upon great animals,
+which carry them easily, at a speed much exceeding that at which a
+man can run. They live in lofty dwellings and, when they go to war,
+are covered with an armor, made of a metal so strong that arrows
+would not pierce it nor swords cut it. They traverse the sea in
+floating castles; and when they want to convey their thought to
+others, many days' journey away, they make marks upon a thin white
+stuff they call paper, and send it by a messenger, and these marks
+tell him who receives it what the writer's thoughts are, just the
+same as if he had spoken in their ears."
+
+The hearing of such wonders as these reconciled the chief to his
+disappointment at not learning more about his visitor. The knife
+Roger had given him was a never-ending source of wonder to the
+cazique, and those whom he permitted to inspect it. Gold and silver
+and copper they knew, and also tin, which they used for hardening
+the copper. But this new metal was altogether strange to them. It
+enormously exceeded copper in strength and hardness. Its edge did
+not, like that of their own weapons, blunt with usage, and they
+could well understand that, if armor could be formed of it, it
+would be altogether unpierceable.
+
+For a time Roger was every day at the chief's house, and his
+narration afforded astonishment and wonder to the audiences that
+gathered round him. At the same time, Roger perceived that a
+difference of opinion existed, among the principal men, concerning
+him. Some believed, as at first, in his supernatural origin, and
+credited all that he told them; while others were of opinion that
+he was a man, like themselves, only of different color, and that
+these tales were simply inventions, designed to add to his
+importance.
+
+The fact that month after month passed without his exhibiting any
+supernatural powers, or reproducing, in any way, the wonders of
+which he told them, added gradually to the strength of the party
+hostile to him. Why should this god, if he were a god, have come to
+dwell at Tabasco only to learn the language, and behave as an
+ordinary man? He had been kindly received--why did he not bestow
+benefits in return? Were the fields more fruitful? Had any
+extraordinary prosperity fallen upon the people since his arrival
+among them? Had he taught them any of the arts of those people of
+whom he spoke? The gods always bestowed benefits upon those among
+whom they dwelt. He did not ever pay reverence to their gods, nor
+had he entered a temple to worship or sacrifice. How then could he
+be a god?
+
+Gradually this opinion gained strength, and Roger perceived that
+his popularity was decreasing. No longer were daily presents sent
+in by the inhabitants of Tabasco. No longer did they prostrate
+themselves, when he walked in the streets. His stories were
+received with open expressions of doubt and derision, and he saw
+that, ere long, some great change would take place in his
+condition.
+
+One morning, to his surprise, the chief with six men entered his
+chamber, and ordered him to come out and accompany them, instantly.
+Much surprised at the order, Roger at once went out.
+
+"You must go away for a time," the cazique said; "but you shall
+return, before long."
+
+His guard conducted him eight or ten miles into the interior, and
+established him in a hut, situated at a distance from any other
+dwelling. Three of them, by turns, kept watch night and day over
+him, refusing to answer any questions as to the cause of this
+singular conduct. Beyond being kept a prisoner he had nothing to
+complain of, being well fed and treated with all courtesy.
+
+A fortnight later he was taken back to Tabasco, as suddenly as he
+had left it. When he arrived there, he learned the reason of his
+being carried inland. A great floating castle, filled with white
+men, had arrived at the mouth of the river; and had opened a trade
+with the natives, exchanging glass beads, looking glasses, and
+trinkets, for gold ornaments and articles of Mexican workmanship.
+Their leader, he heard, was called Grijalva. The cazique had been
+afraid that, if Roger had heard that other white men were in the
+river, he would make an effort to join them; or if they heard that
+a man of their color was in the town, they would insist upon his
+being handed over to them. He had therefore hurried him away
+inland, and had issued the most stringent orders that none should,
+by signs or otherwise, acquaint the newcomers that a white man was
+in the town. A guard had been placed over the house in which Roger
+had dwelt, and none of those within it had been allowed to go out,
+while the strangers were in the river.
+
+These had sailed away, the day before Roger was fetched back. He
+was not altogether disappointed at having missed the strangers, who
+were of course Spaniards; for he wanted, if possible, to see
+something more of this beautiful country before he left; and he
+was, moreover, more than doubtful as to the reception he should
+meet with at the Spaniards' hands, when, by his ignorance of their
+language, they discovered that he was a foreign intruder, in what
+they considered their territory.
+
+
+
+Chapter 6: Anahuac.
+
+
+It was now six months since Roger was wrecked on the coast of
+Tabasco, he spoke the native language with perfect fluency, and had
+learned all that was known as to the nations round Tabasco.
+Malinche was his chief source of information. She herself did not
+belong to the country, but, as she told Roger, to a tribe that had
+been conquered by far mightier people, called Aztecs, who lived
+farther to the west.
+
+It was from them, she said, that the people of Tabasco obtained
+their gold; which was there very plentiful, and was thought but
+little of, as being useful only for ornaments, drinking cups, and
+similar purposes. They dwelt in a city named Mexico, standing in
+the midst of a lake. There were kindred peoples near them, and the
+country generally was called Anahuac. All were subject to the
+Aztecs, and their armies had gradually conquered all the
+surrounding peoples.
+
+They possessed great temples, compared to which those of Tabasco
+were as nothing. Their gods were very powerful, and all prisoners
+taken in war were sacrificed to them. They had rich mantles and
+clothing, and the Tabascans were but savages, in comparison.
+
+Being asked how it was that she, who was a native of such a nation,
+came to be a slave among the Tabascans, she replied with tears that
+she had been sold. Her father had been a rich and powerful cazique,
+of Painalla, on the southeastern borders of the Mexican kingdom. He
+had died when she was very young, and her mother had married again,
+and had a son. One night her mother had handed her over to some
+traders, by whom she had been carried away. She had learned, from
+their conversation, that her mother desired her son to inherit all
+her possessions; and that she had, therefore, sold her to these
+traders. The daughter of one of her slaves had died that evening,
+and she intended to give out that Malinche was dead, and to
+celebrate her funeral in the usual way. The traders had brought her
+to Tabasco, and sold her to the cazique of that town.
+
+"But this mother of yours must be an infamous woman, Malinche,"
+Roger said indignantly, "thus to sell away her own daughter to be a
+slave!"
+
+"Girls are not much good," Malinche said, sadly. "They cannot
+fight, and they cannot govern a people. It was natural that my
+mother should prefer her son to me, and should wish to see him a
+cazique, when he grew up."
+
+Roger refused to see the matter in that light, at all, and was
+indignant at Malinche for the forbearance that she showed, in
+speaking of the author of her misfortunes.
+
+This conversation had taken place at the time when Roger had first
+learned to converse in the Tabascan language. The girl's
+statements, with regard to the wealth of the country to which she
+belonged, had fired his imagination. This was doubtless the country
+concerning which rumors were current among the Spanish islands, and
+with whom it had been the purpose of his father's expedition to
+open trade.
+
+Malinche told him that they spoke a language quite different from
+that of the Tabascans. There were many dialects among the various
+peoples under the sway of the Aztecs; but all could understand each
+other, as they had all come down, from the far north, to settle in
+the country.
+
+Thinking the matter over he determined, if possible, that he would
+someday make his way over to Malinche's country, which seemed so
+far in advance of the Tabascans.
+
+"The Spaniards will go there some day," he said; "and although they
+would kill me without hesitation, if they found an Englishman there
+before them; I might yet, in some way or other, manage to achieve
+my escape."
+
+Accordingly, he asked Malinche to teach him her language; and at
+the end of the six months he could converse with her in it, almost
+as readily as he could in Tabascan; for in learning it he had none
+of the initial difficulties he had at first encountered, in
+acquiring Tabascan--the latter language serving as a medium.
+
+The year which had elapsed, since the Swan sailed from Plymouth,
+had effected great alteration in Roger's figure. He had grown
+several inches, and had widened out greatly; and was fulfilling the
+promise of his earlier figure, by growing into an immensely large
+and powerful man. He was, even now, half a head taller than the
+very tallest of the natives of Tabasco; and in point of strength,
+was still more their superior. Thus, although the belief in his
+supernatural origin was rapidly dying out, a certain respect for
+his size and strength prevented any of his opponents from any open
+exhibition of hostility. The fact, too, of his perfect fearlessness
+of demeanor added to this effect. Roger carried himself well, and
+as, with head erect, he strolled through the streets of Tabasco,
+with a step that contrasted strongly with the light and nimble one
+of the slenderly built natives, men made way for him; while his
+sunny hair, which fell in short waves back from his forehead, his
+fearless gray eyes, and the pleasant expression of his mouth,
+rendered him a source of admiration to the women; who, with scarce
+an exception, still believed firmly that he was no ordinary human
+being.
+
+One day, when Roger was dressing in the morning, he heard excited
+talking in the street, and the sound of hurrying feet.
+
+"What has happened this morning, Malinche?" he called out.
+
+"The merchants have come," she said. "The merchants from my
+country."
+
+As Roger had heard, from her, that a trade was carried on by Mexico
+with the surrounding countries, by merchants who traveled in
+parties, with strong bodies of armed men, and that they had been at
+Tabasco but a few days only before he had first arrived there, and
+might be expected again in about a year, he was not surprised at
+the news. He had, indeed, been looking forward to this visit; for
+he felt that his position was getting more and more unsafe, and
+that the cazique would not be able, much longer, to support him
+against the hostility of the majority of the men of importance in
+the town. What he had heard from Malinche had greatly raised his
+curiosity with regard to her country, and his longing to see these
+people, whom she described as invincible in war, and so infinitely
+superior in civilization to the Tabascans.
+
+He had closely inquired, from Malinche, whether she thought he
+would be well received, did he reach her country. Malinche's
+opinion was not encouraging.
+
+"I think," she said, "that they would sacrifice you in the temples.
+All our gods love sacrifices, and every year countless persons are
+offered up to them."
+
+"It is a horrible custom, Malinche."
+
+Malinche did not seem to be impressed, as he expected.
+
+"Why?" she asked. "They would be killed in battle, were they not
+kept for sacrifice. The Aztecs never kill if they can help it, but
+take prisoners, so that death comes to them in one way instead of
+another; and it is better to be killed in the service of the gods,
+than to fall uselessly in battle."
+
+"I don't think so at all, Malinche. In battle one's blood's up, and
+one scarcely feels pain; and if one is killed one is killed, and
+there is an end of it. That is quite different to being put to
+death in cold blood. And do they sacrifice women, as well as men?"
+
+"Sometimes, but not so many," she said; "and in dry weather they
+offer up children to Talloc, the god of rain."
+
+"But they cannot capture them in war," Roger said, horrified.
+
+"No, they are sold by their parents, who have large families, and
+can do without one or two."
+
+To Malinche, brought up in the hideous religion of the Mexicans,
+these things appeared as a matter of course; and she could scarcely
+understand the horror, and disgust, which her description of the
+sacrifices to her gods caused him.
+
+"And you think that they would sacrifice me, Malinche?"
+
+"I cannot say," she replied. "The priests are masters in these
+things. If they said sacrifice, they would sacrifice you; but if
+they thought you a god, you would be treated with great honor. How
+can I tell? I think that they would pay you greater honor than
+here, but of course I cannot tell."
+
+"Why should they pay me greater honor, Malinche?"
+
+"Because one of our gods was white. Quetzalcoatl was the kindest of
+our gods. He taught us the use of metals, instructed us how to till
+the ground, and laid down all the rules for good government. When
+he lived in Anahuac everyone was happy. Every head of corn was so
+big that a man could scarce carry one. The earth was full of
+flowers and fruit. Cotton grew of many colors, so that there was no
+need to dye it, and the very birds sang more sweetly than they have
+ever sung since. Ah! If Quetzalcoatl had always stopped with us, we
+should have been happy, indeed!"
+
+"But why did he not, Malinche?"
+
+Malinche shook her head.
+
+"He was a god, but not one of the greatest, and one of these grew
+angry with him--I cannot tell who. Perhaps it was the god of war,
+who saw that the Anahuans were so happy that they no longer went
+out to conquer other people, and to provide sacrifices for him.
+Perhaps they were jealous, because the people worshiped
+Quetzalcoatl more than them. Anyhow, they were angry with him, and
+he was obliged to leave us.
+
+"He came down to the sea, and took leave of the people, promising
+that he or his descendants would some day revisit them. Then he
+took his seat in his boat, which was formed of serpent skins, and
+sailed away, and has never been seen again. But we all know that
+one day, if he does not come himself, white people will come from
+the sea to us.
+
+"I think, Roger, that you are one of the descendants of
+Quetzalcoatl; and I think my countrymen would think so, too, and
+would hold you in great honor, if the priests, who are very
+powerful, did not turn them against you."
+
+"What was this god like?" asked Roger.
+
+"He was tall in stature, and he had a white skin; and his hair was
+not like yours, for it was long and dark, and flowed over his
+shoulders, and he had a great beard. But as you are tall and white,
+you are like him; and as he went towards the rising sun, it may be
+that, afterwards, his hair changed from black to a color like
+yours, which seems to me brown when you are sitting here, but gold
+when the sun falls on it."
+
+"So it seems, Malinche, that I may be sacrificed, or I may be taken
+for a god! I would much rather that they would be content to treat
+me for what I am--a man like themselves, only of a different race
+and color."
+
+Roger had many conversations of this kind with Malinche, and as he
+felt his position becoming daily more precarious among the
+Tabascans, had come to believe that he should have at least as good
+a chance, among the Aztecs, as where he was.
+
+In return for all the girl told him about her country, he told her
+much about his own. He explained to her that there were many
+peoples among the whites, as among the reds; and they fought
+against each other in battle, having weapons which made a noise
+like thunder, and killed at a great distance. He told her how one
+of these peoples, named Spaniards, had conquered many islands not
+very far distant from Tabasco; and how assuredly they would come,
+in time, and try to conquer this country, too. He explained that,
+while the nation to which he belonged was, at present, at peace
+with the Spaniards, they were not allowed to come into this part of
+the world; and that, had he and those who had sailed with him
+fallen into their hands, they would have been all put to death.
+
+The news, then, that the Aztec traders had arrived was a matter of
+as much interest, to Roger, as to the people of the town. These
+looked forward to purchasing many things which they could not
+otherwise obtain; for the gold ornaments, the rich feather mantles,
+and most of the other articles of superior manufacture which Roger
+had seen, were not the work of the natives of Tabasco, but of their
+powerful neighbors.
+
+The traders would stay, Malinche said, for four or five days, at
+least; and Roger, therefore, thought it better not to go out to see
+them, until he learned what were the cazique's views concerning
+him. He therefore remained quietly at home, all day.
+
+Upon the following morning he received a summons from the cazique.
+
+"White man," the chief said, "I have spoken to the Anahuac traders
+concerning you, and they have a great desire to see you. Therefore
+you will, this morning, accompany us to their camp."
+
+An hour afterwards Roger started with the cazique, and a numerous
+body of the latter's counselors and attendants. The encampment of
+the Anahuans was a quarter of a mile from the town. In the center
+rose a large tent, the abode of the merchants; and around, ranged
+in regular order, were the rough huts erected by their escort.
+
+These were assembled in military array. They were, like the
+Tabascan soldiers, clad in thick quilted doublets. Their spears
+were tipped with copper; or with obsidian, a stone resembling
+flint, of great hardness, and capable of taking a very sharp edge.
+
+In front of the tent were several banners, embroidered in different
+devices in gold and feather work. Roger afterwards learned that
+merchants were held in far higher consideration in Anahuac than in
+Europe, that their business was considered as one of great honor,
+and that they were permitted to assume what may be called heraldic
+devices on their standards, to carry bright-feathered plumes, and
+to wear gold ornaments--such decorations being only allowed to
+warriors who had, by their deeds in battle, been admitted into an
+institution which closely resembled that of knighthood; all others
+dressing in plain white cloths, woven from thread obtained from the
+aloe. Even members of the royal family were not exempted from this
+law.
+
+The whole trade of the country was in the hands of these merchants,
+who traded not only to its utmost borders, but with neighboring
+people. They were allowed to raise forces sufficient for their
+protection; they furnished the government with descriptions of the
+people they visited; and often afforded the State a pretext for
+wars and annexations, by getting up quarrels with the natives. They
+resembled, in fact, the East India Company during the last century,
+mingling in their persons the military and mercantile character.
+
+In addition to their soldier escort, they took with them on their
+journeys a vast number of slaves. These carried the merchandise,
+made up into packets weighing about eighty pounds. Many of these
+slaves had been instructed in the arts of the Aztecs, and there
+were among them musicians, singers, dancers, and workers in metal
+and feather work; and these were sold, at high rates, to the people
+with whom they traded.
+
+The merchants, who were attired in rich feather mantles, with
+plumes of bright feathers upon their heads, came to the entrance of
+their tent when the cazique, with his company, approached. After
+some talk between them and the chief, by means of an interpreter,
+Roger was brought forward from the rear of the company.
+
+The merchants inspected him with grave curiosity. They turned and
+talked among themselves; then they invited the chief to enter their
+tent. He remained there for some time, and when he came out again
+returned to his companions and, ordering four of his soldiers to
+accompany him back to the town, left the rest of his party to
+traffic as they chose with the merchants.
+
+He did not address Roger until they reached his house, and then
+bade him enter with him.
+
+"White man," he said, "the Anahuan merchants wish to carry you away
+with them to their own country; and have offered, in exchange,
+sundry slaves and articles of merchandise. I would not have parted
+with you; and have told them, indeed, that you were no slave of
+mine, to sell as I chose, but a stranger who had come to visit me
+from I know not where; and have also told them that, if you go with
+them, it must be of your own free choice, for that misfortune might
+fall upon my people, did I treat you with aught but honor.
+
+"It is, then, for you to decide. You know that I wish well to you,
+and hold you in great esteem, deeming that your visit here will
+give prosperity, as well as honor, to Tabasco. But there are those
+among my people who are foolish and headstrong, and who view your
+coming with suspicion. The priests, too, are unfavorably disposed
+towards you, and have long urged that you would make a most
+acceptable sacrifice to the gods. So far I have withstood them, but
+I am old and cannot look to live long, and after I have gone your
+enemies would assuredly have their way. Therefore I think it is for
+your good that you should go with these merchants."
+
+The cazique was speaking the truth, but not the whole truth. The
+merchants had offered, in slaves and goods, an amount which had
+excited his cupidity; and he was, moreover, glad to be rid of the
+presence of one who was the cause of constant dispute and trouble
+in his councils. At the same time, he still believed in the
+supernatural powers of his visitor; and was afraid that, if the
+latter went against his will, he might invoke all sorts of ills and
+misfortunes upon Tabasco.
+
+He was much relieved then, when Roger replied that he was willing
+to go with the merchants.
+
+"I have seen," he said, "that my presence here is unwelcome to
+many, and that I was the cause of trouble. I know, too, cazique,
+that you have befriended me to the utmost, while many others have
+been against me. I am willing, then, to depart."
+
+Great was the grief of Malinche when she learned, from Roger, that
+he was to go with the Anahuans.
+
+"Could not my lord take me with him?" she asked presently, as her
+sobs lessened in violence.
+
+"I shall be but a slave myself, Malinche."
+
+"If you ask the cazique he will let me go with you. I am but of
+little value to him."
+
+Roger did not answer for some minutes. He would have been glad,
+indeed, to have had Malinche--who had been his companion and
+friend, and whom he regarded almost as a sister--with him, but
+there were many things to be considered. He might be well received
+in this new country, but he might be sacrificed to these gods of
+theirs; and in that case Malinche might share his fate--as she said
+that even women were offered up. Even if well received, he might
+not be able to have Malinche with him.
+
+Besides, of course he did not want her as an attendant, and in what
+other capacity could she go? If he got into trouble, and had to try
+to escape from their land, he might not be able to carry her off,
+too. If they were separated, what was to become of her? She could
+not go to the mother who had sold her as a slave. No; certainly, he
+decided, he must go without her.
+
+"Malinche," he said, after a long silence, "it cannot be. There is
+no saying what my fate may be, among your people. I may be offered
+up to those terrible gods you told me of. I may be treated as a
+slave. There is no saying what might happen. At any rate, I shall
+be unable to afford you any protection. Were we separated, as it is
+almost certain we should be, where could you go, or what would
+become of you? Besides, how in any case could we keep together? I
+could not have you as a slave, even if I wanted to do so, in your
+own country; and how else could you go with me? If you like, I will
+ask the cazique for your freedom, so that you might travel back to
+your own country with the merchants."
+
+The girl shook her head.
+
+"I have no friends there, now," she said. "Where should I go?"
+
+"That is just what I am saying, Malinche. There is nowhere for you
+to go except with me; and I do not see how you could go with me. If
+you do not like this, I will promise you that, if things turn out
+well with me in your country, I will send by the next merchants who
+come here, and buy you from the cazique, and find friends for you
+there, and place you with them."
+
+"You would have wives there," the girl said passionately; "and you
+would never think any more of me."
+
+Roger burst into a loud laugh.
+
+"Why, Malinche, I am only a boy! I am not yet eighteen; and in my
+country we do not think of taking wives, until we are eight or ten
+years older than that. It is a serious thing with us, for each man
+has only one wife; and it behooves him, therefore, to be very
+careful in making his choice. I hope, long before it comes to my
+time for thinking of marriage, to be back in my own country and
+among my own people. If I were to marry here, how could I ever
+think of going away? I could not go and leave a wife behind me. I
+could not take her away with me, because she would never be happy
+among a strange people, any more than I should be happy if I lived
+here.
+
+"No, no, Malinche, there is no fear of my marrying, any more than
+there is of my forgetting you. You can trust me. If I live, and do
+well in your country, I will send for you; and I will tell your
+people that you have been as a sister to me, and will see that this
+mother of yours does you justice, and that you shall come to your
+own again, and you shall marry some cazique of your own choice. If
+you do not hear from me, you will know that things have gone badly
+with me, and that either I have been sacrificed to your gods, or
+that I am held as a slave and have no power, whatever, to help
+you."
+
+Malinche said no more. Her dark eyes were full of tears, but with
+the habit of submission natural to Mexican women, she simply took
+Roger's hand and placed it against her forehead.
+
+"Malinche will wait," she said, and then hurried from the room.
+
+Before leaving, Roger gave Malinche several of the handsomest of
+the bracelets and necklaces that had been bestowed on him, in the
+first flush of his popularity at Tabasco; and gave presents also to
+the old woman. The two girls wept bitterly when he said goodbye to
+them, and Roger, himself, had to fight hard to restrain his tears.
+
+"It is as bad," he said to himself, "as it was saying goodbye to
+Dorothy and Agnes. Color does not matter much, after all. Malinche
+is just as good and kind as if she were white."
+
+The cazique himself conducted Roger to the Anahuac encampment. He
+had, that morning, made him various presents of robes and mantles,
+for he was very desirous that his visitor should part in goodwill
+from him; and he again impressed upon him the fact that he only
+parted with him because he felt that he could not protect him from
+the ill will of some of his people.
+
+The merchants made no secret of their satisfaction, as soon as they
+had handed to the cazique the goods and slaves they had agreed to
+give, in exchange for Roger. They had, like the cazique, pretended
+to be indifferent as to the bargain; and had haggled with him over
+the terms of the purchase. But both parties were equally desirous
+of concluding the agreement and, while the cazique considered that
+he was making an excellent bargain for the visitor who had
+voluntarily placed himself in his hands, the merchants were still
+more delighted.
+
+In the first place, the Mexicans were, as Malinche had told Roger,
+looking for the arrival of Quetzalcoatl, or of a white descendant
+of his from the sea; and if Roger were to turn out to be the
+expected god, the honor which would fall upon them, as his
+producer, would be great, indeed. But even should this not prove
+so, they would gain great credit, to say nothing of profit, by
+bringing home so singular a being, who would either be received in
+high honor by the king, or would be one of the most acceptable
+sacrifices ever offered to the gods.
+
+As soon, therefore, as the cazique had left, they addressed Roger
+in terms of high respect, and presented to him some of their most
+handsome feather robes, tiaras with plumes, ornaments, and arms.
+
+To their stupefaction, Roger replied in their own language, and as
+they were in ignorance that the cazique possessed a countrywoman of
+their own, among his slaves, they regarded this as a miracle of the
+most singular kind, and as an indisputable proof of the
+supernatural nature of their visitant. It was true that he did not
+speak as a native, but Quetzalcoatl, himself, might well have
+forgotten somewhat of his own language, in his hundreds of years of
+absence from Mexico.
+
+The large tent was at once placed at Roger's disposal, the
+merchants contenting themselves with a smaller one, raised beside
+it. A number of slaves were told off to attend upon him, and his
+meals were served with the greatest ceremony and deference.
+
+That night, as Roger lay upon the soft pile of quilted rugs
+prepared for him, his mind was sorely troubled as to his position.
+Was he right in allowing them to deceive themselves into a belief
+that he was a supernatural being? Ought he not, rather, to tell
+them that all these gods they worshiped were false, and that there
+was but one true God--He who was worshiped by the White men?
+
+Thinking it over in every way, he concluded at last that there was
+no necessity for him, at present, to undeceive the Anahuans. He
+would do no good by doing so, and would ensure his own destruction.
+He resolved however, that nothing should induce him to pay honor to
+their gods, or to take any part in their bloody sacrifices.
+
+"They can kill me if they will," he said; "but I am not going to be
+false to my religion. If they should not kill me I may be able, in
+time, to persuade them that their gods are false; but for the
+present it would be madness to try to do so. From what Malinche
+said they are devoted to their religion, and the priests are all
+powerful. If I am to do any good, therefore, it must be done
+gradually.
+
+"What should we think, at home, if an Indian were to arrive, and to
+try and teach us that our God was a false one? Why, he would be
+burnt at the stake, in no time. And one cannot expect that these
+Indians would be more patient, in such a matter, than we should.
+When the Spaniards come, they will doubtless overthrow their gods,
+and force them to be Christians, just as they have the peoples in
+the islands."
+
+The next morning, early, the tents were pulled down, the slaves
+loaded up with what merchandise remained unsold, with the tents and
+provisions for the journey, and the caravan started for the west. A
+party of the soldiers marched first. Then came the merchants, with
+Roger and a small guard of armed men. They were followed by the
+slaves, and another body of troops brought up the rear.
+
+For six days they passed through a country more or less cultivated,
+with villages scattered about. One of these was always chosen for
+their stopping place, and Roger admired the regularity and order
+with which the encampment was formed, and the good conduct observed
+in the dealings with the people.
+
+Provisions were obtained by barter, and the inhabitants mingled
+fearlessly with the trading party. He remarked on this to the
+merchants, who replied that it was always their custom to keep on
+the most friendly terms with the people.
+
+"Our caravans," they said, "visit all the countries round our own,
+and did one of them ill treat the natives, the others would suffer
+for it. Therefore, we are always particular to give them no cause
+for dissatisfaction. The empire is extensive, and many parts of it
+are but newly conquered; therefore we should be gravely blamed,
+were we to embroil ourselves with its neighbors, until the king
+desired to carry his arms in that direction.
+
+"Sometimes we have trouble. We were with a party who, a few years
+back, were attacked of the people of Ayotlan. We saw that trouble
+was coming, and fortified our camp; and for four years carried on
+war with the town, and in the end captured it. But this was forced
+upon us, and we had the approval of the king. All those concerned
+in the struggle were permitted to have banners of their own, and
+military emblems."
+
+"How did you supply yourselves with provisions all the time?"
+
+"The country people were neutral. That was the advantage we had
+from having always treated them well, while the cazique of Ayotlan
+had been a tyrant, and had greatly oppressed them. So they brought
+in provisions to us for sale, and we had less difficulty, in that
+way, than the people of the town."
+
+At last the villages of the Tabascans were left behind. For some
+days the caravans traveled through a very sparsely populated
+country, and then arrived at a large village, where the Anahuac
+language was spoken.
+
+"We are now in the country of the king," the principal merchant
+said. "All over it you will find the same language spoken; for
+although there are many people who lived under their own chiefs,
+and many of whom have been but lately conquered, the language is
+similar, though spoken with differences, for all the tribes came
+down from the north and settled here."
+
+"And who dwelt here before they came?"
+
+"A people called the Toltecs. They were a great people, well
+instructed in agriculture, great workers in metals and builders of
+grand cities."
+
+"And what became of them?"
+
+"It is not known, but misfortunes came upon them, famine or
+disease, and it is said that they went away to the south. Then came
+a people called the Chichemecs, a barbarous people from the north,
+whom we found here when we came. Of us, the greatest tribe were the
+Aztecs, who settled on one side of the great lake and built a city
+there, called Tenochtitlan, or sometimes Mexico, from the great war
+god Mexitli.
+
+"Another great tribe were the Tezcucans, to which we belong; and
+our capital is Tezcuco, on the eastern side of the same lake.
+Mexico and Tezcuco formed an alliance; and with us was Tlacopan, a
+smaller kingdom, hard by. It was agreed that in all wars, one-fifth
+of the spoil should go to the Tlacopans, and the rest be divided
+between the Aztecs and the Tezcucans. This alliance has remained
+unbroken, and together we have conquered all the countries round,
+and from sea to sea."
+
+"What sea?" Roger interrupted.
+
+"There is, on the west, another great sea like this on the east,
+which stretches away no man knows whither; and between these two
+seas all the peoples, save one, acknowledge the dominion of
+Mexico--for although we are in alliance, the Aztecs have of late
+years taken the lead, for they have had very great monarchs, and
+are more war loving than we of Tezcuco; and our kings, and those of
+Tlacopan, acknowledge the Aztecs to be the leading power, and give
+to their king the title of Emperor.
+
+"We maintain our own laws and usages. Our king places the crown
+upon the head of each new monarch of Mexico, but we own him to be
+the chief of our Confederacy, and the more distant countries, that
+have but recently been conquered, have been assigned entirely to
+the Aztecs, although we have had our proper share in the slaves and
+spoil taken in the war."
+
+"And what is the one state that has not been conquered by your
+Confederacy?"
+
+"Tlascala. It lies high up among the mountains and, although but a
+small state, has maintained its independence, and has several times
+repulsed the attacks of our best soldiers."
+
+Roger thought that Tlascala must be a sort of Mexican Switzerland.
+
+"It is singular that a small state should have resisted so long,"
+he said.
+
+"They have not been very often attacked," the merchant replied.
+"There is little to be got from them but hard knocks. The country
+is not fertile, the cold is too great, and they have only the
+necessities of life. Except for slaves, and for sacrifice to the
+gods, there is nothing to be gained by their conquest."
+
+"And you all worship the same gods?" Roger asked.
+
+"Assuredly," he said, "although some are thought more highly of in
+one kingdom, some in another. Mexitli--or as he is generally
+called, Huitzilopotchli--is of course the greatest everywhere; but
+he is worshiped most of all by the Aztecs. Quetzalcoatl is also
+greatly worshiped."
+
+As he spoke, the merchant glanced furtively up at Roger. The lad
+saw that this was a favorable opportunity for creating an
+impression. He smiled quietly.
+
+"It is right that he should be," he said, "since he taught you all
+the good things you know; and was, like myself, white."
+
+This proof of the great knowledge possessed by the being before him
+vastly impressed the Mexican. How could this strange being know the
+Mexican tongue, and be acquainted with its gods, unless he were one
+of them? It had pleased him to assume ignorance of other matters,
+but doubtless he was well aware of everything that had passed in
+the country since he left it. Henceforth the respect which he and
+his companions paid to Roger was redoubled.
+
+As soon as they had reached the borders of Mexico, a swift runner
+had been dispatched to the nearest post with a message, to be sent
+forward to the King of Tezcuco, with the tidings of the arrival of
+a strange white being in the land; and asking for instructions as
+to what was to be done with him. In the meantime, the merchants
+told Roger that they wished him to abstain from going out into the
+various villages and towns at which they stopped.
+
+"Until we know what are the king's wishes concerning you, it were
+better that you were not seen. In the first place, all this country
+by the coast is under the Aztec rule, and as soon as you were seen,
+messages would be sent forward to Mexico, and the Emperor might
+desire that so great a wonder should be sent direct to him;
+whereas, if our own King sends first for you, you would be his
+property as it were, and even Montezuma would not interfere.
+
+"It will not be long before an answer arrives, for along all the
+roads there are post houses, two leagues apart from each other. At
+each of these couriers are stationed, men trained to run at great
+speed, and these carry the dispatches from post to post, at the
+rate of eight or nine miles an hour."
+
+"But the messages must get changed, where they have to be given so
+often?"
+
+"Not at all," he said. "The couriers know nothing of the dispatches
+they carry."
+
+"Oh, they are written dispatches?" Roger said. "Then you possess
+the art of writing?"
+
+"Writing, what is writing?" the merchant asked.
+
+"Letters are inscribed on paper," Roger said, "so that the person
+receiving them at a distance understands exactly what the one who
+wrote wished to say."
+
+The merchant shook his head.
+
+"I know nothing of what you call letters," he said. "We draw
+pictures, on a fabric formed of prepared skins, or of a composition
+of silk and gum, but chiefly on a paper prepared from the leaves of
+the aloe. Besides the pictures there are marks, which are
+understood to represent certain things. These picture dispatches
+are made in the form of rolls, or books. I myself have a slave who
+is skilled in such work, and who has depicted you, and added all
+particulars, and the roll has been forwarded to Tezcuco."
+
+
+
+Chapter 7: A Wonderful Country.
+
+
+So anxious were the merchants to avoid arriving at any town of
+importance, where there would be an Aztec commander and garrison,
+until they received an answer from Tezcuco, that they traveled by
+very slow stages, camping in small villages where they could obtain
+water and supplies. Roger asked many questions of them as to the
+country, and learned that the hot and arid soil they were now
+crossing extended only about one-third of the distance to be
+traversed. Then that they would pass over a range of lofty
+mountains, offering great difficulties to travel, that the cold was
+extreme, and that snow lay almost continuously upon the highest
+summits. After crossing this range they would journey across a rich
+country, and descend at last into a most lovely and fertile valley,
+in which lay the lake, upon which the capitals of the two countries
+were situated.
+
+The country they were now traversing varied considerably. In some
+places it consisted of parched and sandy plains, almost free of
+vegetation. In others, where the rains were less able to drain
+quickly away, were districts of extraordinary fertility. Here grew
+the cocoa, vanilla, indigo and aromatic shrubs innumerable, forming
+thick and tangled jungles, impervious to the foot of man. Flowers
+of gorgeous colors bordered these groves, and lofty trees of
+foliage, altogether strange to Roger, reared their heads above
+them.
+
+The lad was delighted with the extraordinary richness of color, and
+the variety of the foliage, but he would have enjoyed it more had
+it not been for the intense heat of the sun, and the closeness of
+the air.
+
+They crossed several large streams. They cut down the great rushes
+which bordered them and, tying these together in bundles, formed
+rafts, upon which four or five at a time were ferried over. Roger
+learned that the principal road from the coast ran from Cempoalla,
+a large town near the sea, but that this lay a long distance to the
+north, and that the route they were traveling ran nearly due west
+to Tepeaca, and thence northwest to Pueblo, after which the towns
+lay thickly, all the way to the lake. As far as Roger could learn
+the distance, from the coast which they had lately been following
+to Mexico, was by this route about three hundred miles.
+
+On the fifth day after the messenger had been dispatched, a courier
+ran into the camp, just as the caravan was about to start, and
+handed to the chief merchant what looked to Roger like a portfolio.
+This, indeed, was something of its character. It consisted of two
+thin boards, within which was a sheet of paper. It contained a
+number of paintings and signs, of which Roger could make nothing,
+but the merchants informed him that it expressed the satisfaction
+of the King of Tezcuco, at the news that had been sent him of the
+arrival of a strange white personage in the land; that the priests
+would consult the auguries, and decide whether it boded well or ill
+for the country; and in the meantime that they were to journey on
+to Tepeaca, where they would be met by an envoy, charged to receive
+the white stranger and to conduct him to Tezcuco.
+
+The merchants themselves were only able to gather the general
+contents of this picture dispatch, but the slave who had drawn the
+one sent forward interpreted every sign and color; for Roger found
+that colors, as well as signs, had their meaning. He learned from
+the merchants that this picture writing was a science in itself,
+and that it needed years of instruction and labor to acquire it. In
+every town and village there were certain persons skilled in the
+art, so that messages of all kinds could be sent to the capital,
+and orders and instructions received. The national archives were
+entirely written in this manner, and in the temples were immense
+stores of these documents, affording information of every event of
+interest, however minute, in the history of the people.
+
+The caravan now pushed on rapidly. After traveling, as Roger
+calculated, nearly a hundred miles from the sea, the ground began
+to rise rapidly, and in a single day the change in temperature was
+very marked. Roger felt the sense of listlessness and oppression,
+which had weighed upon him while crossing the low country, pass
+away as if by magic; and it seemed to him that he was again
+breathing the air of Devonshire.
+
+The vegetation had greatly changed. The vanilla, cocoa, and indigo
+had disappeared, and trees totally different from those of the
+plain met his eye.
+
+Another day's march, and they were four thousand feet above the
+sea. Here everything was green and bright, showing that rain
+constantly fell. Groves of a tree of rich foliage, which was, the
+merchant told him, the liquid amber tree, grew near the road; while
+on both sides lofty mountains rose precipitously to a great height,
+their summits being clothed in snow. Some of these, he heard, had
+in times past burnt with terrible fires, and vast quantities of
+melted rock flowed over the country, carrying destruction in its
+course. In many cases the road was a mere track winding along the
+side of these mountains, with precipices yawning below.
+
+A day's march through the mountains brought them into a lofty
+plateau, some seven thousand feet above the sea. Here were
+wide-spreading forests of trees, which Roger recognized as large
+oaks and cypress. Around the villages were clearings, and whereas
+in the plains below maize was chiefly cultivated, the largest
+proportion of the fields, here, were devoted to plantations of the
+aloe or maguey. Here, even at midday, the temperature was not too
+hot to be pleasant; while at night the cold was great, and Roger
+was glad to pile the thick quilted rugs over him.
+
+After traversing this plateau for some distance, they came upon
+another range of hills, far loftier than those they had before
+crossed, and vastly higher than anything Roger had ever before
+beheld in his travels. These mountains were, the merchant told him,
+the Cordilleras; they extended from unknown regions in the north
+through Anahuac to the south. The snow never melted upon the
+summits, and several of the highest of these were terrible
+volcanoes, whose eruptions were dreaded by the whole nation.
+
+"Sometimes before these commenced," the merchant said, "the earth
+trembled and shook, so that men could scarce stand upon it: Houses
+were thrown down, and terrible destruction of life and property
+took place. Fortunately, these are rare occurrences; but several of
+them have taken place since the time when the Aztecs first
+established themselves here."
+
+The passage through this range was attended with real hardship.
+Roger, accustomed to our English winter only in the mild climate of
+South Devonshire, felt the cold to be severe; but the natives
+suffered far more, and the merchants continued their march right
+through one night, for the labor of carrying their burdens kept the
+blood of the thinly clad slaves in motion; whereas, if they had
+halted, many would have succumbed to the cold. At last the path
+began to descend, and soon after daybreak, as the road crossed a
+shoulder of the hill, they saw a plateau similar to that they had
+left, stretching out below them as far as the eye could reach.
+
+Even at the height at which they were standing, Roger could see
+that it was densely populated. Villages were scattered thickly, and
+the forest was restricted to patches, here and there, the greater
+portion of the land being under cultivation.
+
+Directly in front rose the lofty buildings and temples of a town of
+considerable size. Seen through the clear mountain air it seemed
+but three or four miles away, and Roger had difficulty in believing
+the merchants, when they assured him that it was fully twenty. This
+was Tepeaca.
+
+The slaves, wearied as they were, quickened in their pace; and in
+two hours they emerged from the mountain gorges onto the temperate
+plateau. Here they halted for some hours near a post house, a
+courier being sent on to Tepeaca, to inform the king's envoys that
+they had arrived thus far; and to ask whether they should proceed
+at noon, when the slaves had rested, or make their entry into the
+town in the morning.
+
+In a little over four hours the answer was received. The merchants
+were directed to wait where they were until three hours after noon,
+then to move forward until they arrived within eight miles of the
+town, and then to halt for the night, and to start again at sunrise
+next morning.
+
+Roger was as glad as were the slaves that he had not another
+fifteen miles' march before him, for the journey had been a most
+fatiguing one. He thought that the absolute distance traversed did
+not exceed thirty miles, but owing to the difficulties of the road,
+and the care that had to be taken in traversing it at night, even
+with the assistance of the torches carried by the soldiers of the
+caravan, it had taken them twenty hours, including occasional
+halts, to perform the journey. An abundance of food was brought in
+by the neighboring villagers, and the merchants issued an extra
+supply of cocoa to the slaves; and when the march was resumed, late
+in the afternoon, the latter had completely recovered from their
+fatigue.
+
+After a march of little more than two hours' duration, the caravan
+halted for the night, and resumed its journey at daybreak. The
+merchants had presented Roger with a mantle, more highly decorated
+than that which he had before worn, and with some rich plumes of
+feathers for his head; and seeing that they wished him to make as
+brave a show as possible, he put on some of the gold necklaces and
+bracelets he had received, at Tabasco.
+
+The caravan was formed up in military order, the standards of the
+traders being displayed at the head of the column. The porters were
+placed four abreast, and the soldiers who marched on either side
+were ordered to see that they kept their ranks. The merchants had
+put on their handsomest mantles, and everything was done to show
+off the procession to the best.
+
+As they approached Tepeaca the road was lined with people, the news
+of the approach of the wonderful white man having spread rapidly.
+As Roger passed they bowed to the ground, with the same respect
+that they paid to their own chiefs. He fully came up to their
+expectations, for not only was the whiteness of his skin and the
+color of his hair wonderful to them, but he stood many inches
+higher than the merchants who walked by his side; for Roger had now
+attained his full height--although but a few months past
+seventeen--and stood six feet two in the thin sandals that he wore.
+He was, as yet, far from the width that he would attain in another
+five or six years, but looked broad and massive as compared with
+the slight frames of the Mexicans.
+
+When within a quarter of a mile of the gates of the town, a
+procession was seen approaching from it. At its head were two
+nobles, whose appearance far exceeded anything Roger had hitherto
+seen. They wore cuirasses formed of thin plates of gold, and over
+these mantles of gorgeous feather work. On the head of one was a
+helmet of wood, fashioned to represent the head of the puma, or
+Mexican lion. The other wore a helmet of silver, above which was a
+cluster of variegated feathers, sprinkled with precious stones.
+They wore heavy collars, bracelets, and earrings of gold and
+precious stones. Beside them were borne their banners, richly
+embroidered with gold and feather work, while behind them were a
+body of soldiers, in close vests of quilted cotton, and a train of
+slaves.
+
+The merchants bowed low as the nobles approached. The latter paused
+for a moment as they came near to Roger, and then saluted him by
+touching the ground with their hands, and then carrying them to
+their heads. Roger did the same. In the meantime several attendants
+round the nobles were filling the air with incense, from censers
+which they bore.
+
+"The King of Tezcuco has sent us to welcome you," one of the nobles
+said. "He longs to see the white stranger who has arrived in our
+land."
+
+"I have heard of the greatness of the king," Roger replied, "and
+desire to look upon him. I have come from a great distance beyond
+the sea, to see for myself the greatness of the Anahuac kingdoms,
+and am glad to meet two of its great nobles."
+
+The Mexicans were not surprised at Roger understanding their
+language and replying in it, for the dispatches had already
+acquainted the king with the fact that the white stranger could
+converse in their language.
+
+There had been an animated debate, at the royal council at Tezcuco,
+when the news of his coming had arrived. Some were of opinion that
+it was an evil omen, for there was a prophecy existing among them
+that white strangers would come from beyond the seas, and overthrow
+the Aztec power; but upon the other hand, it was pointed out that
+this could only refer to a large body of men, and that as this
+stranger came alone, it was far more probable that he was either
+Quetzalcoatl himself, or one of his descendants, and that he came
+in a spirit of goodwill. If he were a man, one man could do nothing
+to shake the Aztec power. If he were a god, he could work evil to
+the whole country, whether he remained on the seashore or advanced
+to the capital; and it was far better to propitiate him with gifts,
+than to anger him with opposition.
+
+Some slaves next brought forward some delicately wrought mats, and
+laid upon them the various articles they had brought. A shield,
+helmet, and a cuirass, all with embossed plates and ornaments of
+gold; a collar and bracelets of the same metal; sandals and fans;
+crests of variegated feathers, intermingled with gold and silk
+thread, sprinkled with pearls and precious stones; imitations of
+birds and animals in cast and wrought gold and silver, of exquisite
+workmanship; curtains, coverlets, and robes of cotton as fine as
+silk, of rich and various colors, interwoven with feather work so
+finely wrought that it resembled the delicacy of painting.
+
+Roger was astonished at the richness and variety of these goods,
+and as he viewed them muttered to himself:
+
+"If I were but back in Plymouth with these, my Cousin Mercy and
+Dorothy and Agnes would open their eyes, indeed. I wish to goodness
+I had something to send back to the king. One of the cannon from
+the Swan, with a supply of ammunition and bullets, would have
+astonished him. However, as it is, I suppose that I must make the
+best of it."
+
+When the goods were all displayed, Roger addressed the ambassadors,
+saying how great was the pleasure that the gifts afforded him. Not,
+he said, because he desired gold or jewels or articles of luxury,
+but because they were proofs of the goodwill of the king, and of
+the mightiness of his power.
+
+"Will you convey my earnest thanks to him for these presents, and
+say that I regret deeply that I have come to his country empty
+handed, and have naught to send him in return; but that there are
+reasons why I could not bring aught with me, from the place far
+across the seas from which I came? There are many strange and
+wonderful things there. People move across the water in floating
+castles as big as your temples. They ride on great animals, which
+carry them with the speed of the wind. When they fight they use
+weapons which twenty men could not lift, which make a noise like
+thunder, and destroy their foes at two or three miles' distance.
+But I was not permitted to bring, at present, any of these wonders
+from the far-distant country. I wanted to come myself, and I have
+come; but as I have said, I had to come alone and empty handed. In
+time these wonderful things will be brought to your shores, but the
+time has not come yet."
+
+The nobles listened with respectful attention. It seemed to them
+probable enough that a supernatural personage might convoy himself
+vast distances through the air, but that he could not burden
+himself with mortal appliances--if, indeed, such things were the
+work of merely mortal men.
+
+"I could bring with me," Roger went on, "but one small specimen of
+the metal most used in that distant country."
+
+Then the merchants advanced, and handed to Roger his knife, which
+they had purchased of the cazique of Tabasco in exchange for two
+accomplished slaves, and he presented it to the nobles.
+
+"You see it is a metal of extraordinary hardness. Swords made of it
+will cut through a man's head to the chin. No arrows or spears will
+penetrate armor made of it. It can be beaten into all shapes, when
+hot. The weapons of which I spoke to you are constructed of it, and
+it is now used in the arts, in manufacture, and for domestic
+purposes, as well as for armor and weapons. So common is it that,
+as you see, the handle is made only of rough horn; which shows you
+that it is such a one as is commonly used, and is prized but
+little. It may be that such a metal is found in your country,
+though as yet you know it not; for in its natural state it is but a
+stone like others, although greater in weight; and if so, I may be
+permitted, some day, to instruct you in the methods of working it."
+
+The nobles were greatly impressed with this speech. Quetzalcoatl
+had instructed the Mexicans in all the arts that they possessed,
+and this hint that their visitor might bestow upon them the
+knowledge of this new, and most valuable metal, seemed a fresh
+proof of his relationship to the White God, whose return had been
+so long expected and longed for.
+
+They now begged him to enter the city, and a party of their slaves
+took up the gifts, and ranged themselves behind him. The Mexican
+troops fell in on either side, and prevented the crowd from
+pressing in upon them; and then, accompanied by the two nobles, and
+followed immediately by the merchants, Roger headed the procession
+as it again set forward.
+
+As he entered the town, Roger saw that it was vastly in advance of
+Tabasco. The walls were of stone, strong and massive. The streets
+were wide and straight, bordered by well-built houses with flat
+roofs, upon which great numbers of people were assembled. These
+uttered cries of welcome as he came along, and threw down wreaths
+of flowers.
+
+The Aztec governor, with a strong guard of soldiers, met them in a
+large square in the center of the town; and in the name of the
+Emperor Montezuma welcomed Roger, and presented him with gifts of
+even greater value than those sent by the King of Tezcuco, saying
+that his master hoped that he would pay a visit to his capital, as
+well as to that of the neighboring sovereign.
+
+Roger replied suitably, and the procession then took its way to a
+large house that had been assigned to the visitor. Here a banquet
+was served in grand style, the governor and the two ambassadors,
+alone, taking their seats with him. The meal was served up on
+golden dishes, and pulque was handed round, in goblets of the same
+metal, by white-robed slaves.
+
+Strains of music rose in the air, the performers being stationed in
+an adjoining apartment. The music was unlike anything Roger had
+ever before heard, and seemed to him to be of a plaintive nature.
+
+With the exception of the fruits, the dishes served were all
+strange to him, and he was unable even to guess at their nature.
+Among them was a large bird, which Roger judged to be either a swan
+or a peacock; but which he was informed was a turkey, a bird common
+in the country, but of which he had never before heard.
+
+There were other sorts of game, and all these were prepared with
+delicate sauces and seasonings. There were a large number of
+various confections and pastry, and a great variety of vegetables
+and fruits. Under the dishes of meats, small fires of charcoal were
+burning in order to keep them hot. The table was ornamented with
+vases of silver and gold, of delicate workmanship, and the
+confections were eaten with spoons made of gold or silver, or of
+tortoise shell. Several varieties of pulque, flavored with sweets
+and acids, were handed, as also chocolate flavored with vanilla and
+other spices.
+
+When the viands were removed, slaves brought round, as they had
+done before the meal began, basins of water and soft cotton towels;
+and each of those present washed his hands and face. Then a
+surprise even greater than those which had preceded it awaited
+Roger. Two attendants brought round waiters, upon one of which was
+placed a pile of a substance which looked to Roger as if it were
+the leaves of some vegetable, broken into small pieces, and also a
+gold box containing a brown dust. On the other tray were placed a
+variety of instruments, of whose use Roger was ignorant. They were
+small tubes, inserted into bowls of gold or silver; and in addition
+to these were some things that looked like yellowish-brown sticks,
+of two or three inches in length, with tubes into which they
+fitted.
+
+These trays were first handed to Roger, who, after examining their
+contents, turned to the noble next to him and said:
+
+"I know not what these may be, or how they are used. They are not
+in use in the country from which I come."
+
+The noble looked surprised.
+
+"It is yetl," he said, "and is good for soothing the nerves and
+preparing for the siesta, besides being very pleasant. All these
+are made from the same leaf," and he touched the short sticks, the
+heap of broken leaves, and the powder.
+
+"This powder we apply to the nose," and he and his companions took
+a pinch from the box, and thrust it into their nostrils.
+
+Roger followed their example, but a pungent odor brought the tears
+into his eyes, and in another moment he was seized with a violent
+fit of sneezing, from which he was some time before he recovered.
+
+"You will get over this, in time," the noble said gravely, but with
+a slight smile. "This effect is only experienced when the herb is
+first used."
+
+Much as Roger had been astonished by the effect of the powder, he
+was still more surprised at the use to which the broken leaf and
+the little sticks were put. Two of the Mexicans filled the small
+bowls with the leaf, while the other took one of the tubes holding
+a small stick. An attendant then approached with a small piece of
+wood, on fire. This was applied first to the stick, and then to the
+small bowls; and, to Roger's stupefaction, great clouds of smoke at
+once issued from the mouths of the three Mexicans. Had it not been
+that, from the tranquil expression of their faces, he saw that this
+was the regular course of events, he would have thought that some
+accident had occurred, and that the Mexicans had, in some
+mysterious way, taken fire in the interior.
+
+He remained silent for a minute or two, and then asked:
+
+"Do you like it? Is it really pleasant to you?"
+
+"It is, indeed," the governor said. "This herb is largely used. Its
+effect is to produce a feeling of repose and contentment. You will
+get to like it, in time."
+
+"Possibly I may," Roger replied; "although at present, that hardly
+seems probable."
+
+The music now struck up a more lively air. Presently a number of
+young men and women, who had been feasting in another apartment,
+came in and performed several graceful dances, to the accompaniment
+of the music; singing, as they did so, a sort of chant, which
+reminded Roger of those he had so often heard in the churches at
+home.
+
+When all was over the ambassadors withdrew, saying that, doubtless,
+their guests would wish to enjoy a siesta during the heat of the
+day. Some slaves led the way into another apartment, in which was a
+couch heaped with soft rugs, and here Roger threw himself down.
+
+"Was there ever an English boy in so strange a strait as mine?" he
+said to himself. "What an extraordinary people! Gold seems as
+plentiful with them as common pottery with us; and as to the
+magnificence of their dresses, I verily believe that the court of
+King Harry would make but a poor show beside them. If I could land
+at Plymouth tomorrow, with all the presents I have received today,
+I should be a rich man. Here they are valueless.
+
+"I received presents at first at Tabasco, and yet, had I remained
+there a month longer, I should have been sacrificed to those cruel
+gods of theirs. These presents mean really nothing to me. They seem
+magnificent, but gold is so common, here, that it is no more than
+if, at home, one presented a man with necklaces of glass, and some
+woolen cloths. It is a mark of civility, but that is all.
+
+"When I get there, the priest will be inquiring into my religion,
+and when they see that I pay no honor to their gods, they will be
+sure to raise a cry against me.
+
+"Malinche was telling me that, every year, some special prisoner is
+chosen for sacrifice, and is treated with great honor, and has
+every luxury until the time comes, and then they put him to death.
+Brutes! I have no doubt they will consider that, from my very
+rarity, I shall make a specially acceptable sacrifice.
+
+"I wish I was back on the Hoe again. Cousin Diggory, and Mistress
+Mercy, and the girls little think into what a horrible fix I have
+fallen--alone among a strange people, who breathe smoke out of
+their mouths, and load me with rich presents one day, and may kill
+me on the next. Well, when the day comes I shall try not to
+disgrace my country, and religion, and color; but it is very hard,
+being all alone here. If I had but two or three of my companions of
+the Swan with me, I should feel that I could face whatever came;
+but it is hard to stand quite alone, and I am only a boy.
+
+"Still, they shall find that I can strike a rough blow or two,
+before I die. They shall not find that it is a lamb that they are
+going to sacrifice, but a Devonshire lad, with such bone and muscle
+as one gets from a life on the sea.
+
+"It is strange that these people should be so cruel. They seem so
+mild and so gentle, and yet Malinche says they sacrifice tens of
+thousands of captives, every year, to their gods. They never kill
+in battle if they can avoid it, striving only to take their enemies
+prisoners, for this horrible service.
+
+"I must try, if I can, to make friends among them. The old cazique
+of Tabasco stood by me well, and it may be that here I may find
+some like him; but it will need a powerful protector, indeed, to
+stand against the priests, who, Malinche says, are far more
+powerful here than in Tabasco."
+
+Three hours later an attendant came in, and said that the governor
+invited his guest to walk with him through the town, and survey the
+temples and other edifices.
+
+"Now for it," Roger said, clenching his fist. "Now, Roger Hawkshaw,
+you have got to show yourself a true man, whatever comes of it."
+
+He fastened the sword, which was one of the weapons with which he
+had been presented, to his girdle; and then went out into the great
+hall, from which all the other apartments opened. The governor and
+the two nobles from Tezcuco were awaiting him.
+
+Upon sallying out, Roger found that the streets were as crowded as
+when he entered. He was received with a long quavering cry of
+welcome by the women, and by a deeper hum of applause by the men.
+All bent to the ground before him and his companions, before whom a
+party of soldiers moved to clear the way.
+
+"Now, we will go first to the Great Temple," the governor said. "It
+is but small in comparison with those of the great cities of the
+valley, but it is a very holy shrine; and numbers come, from all
+the cities round, to pay their devotion there on the days of
+festival. There are forty temples in the town, on all of which fire
+burns night and day; but this is the largest and holiest of them."
+
+After passing through several streets, Roger saw a great hill
+rising in front of him. Whether it was the work of man, or had a
+natural hill for its foundation, he knew not. It was four sided and
+pyramidal in form. There were terraces rising, one above the other,
+supported by stone walls. Steps at the angles led from one terrace
+to another, but these were so placed that anyone mounting had to
+pass right along the terrace round the pyramid, before he arrived
+at the steps leading to that above. The top of the pyramid seemed
+to be cut off, leaving an area of, as far as he could judge, some
+fifty feet square. Smoke ascended from the summit, where, as
+Malinche had told him, fire always burns before the altar in its
+center.
+
+Just before reaching the foot of the pyramid, the governor pointed
+to a building of considerable size.
+
+"Here you will see," he said, leading Roger towards a great
+gateway, "how well the god has been honored."
+
+As he neared the gateway, Roger saw that the building was well-nigh
+filled with an immense pile, carefully built up, of what at first
+appeared to him cannon balls, only of larger size than any he had
+seen piled in the batteries of Plymouth, and of a white color. Then
+the thought struck him they were great turnips, or some such root,
+which might be held sacred to the god. But as he entered the
+building the truth flashed across him--the great pile was composed
+entirely of human skulls.
+
+Roger had made up his mind that, although he would not give way in
+the slightest in the matter of his faith, he would yet abstain from
+shocking the religious feeling of the natives. After the first
+involuntary start at the discovery, he silenced his feelings, and
+asked how many skulls there were in the heap. He could not,
+however, understand the reply, as he had not yet mastered the Aztec
+method of enumeration, which was a very complicated one.
+
+Roger walked along one side of the pile, counted the number of
+skulls in a line, and the number of rows, and then tried to reckon
+how many skulls there were. Roger was not quick at figures,
+although his father had tried hard to teach him to calculate
+rapidly, as it was necessary for one who traded, and bought and
+sold goods of all descriptions, to be able to keep his own figures;
+or he would otherwise be forced always to carry a supercargo, as
+was indeed the custom in almost all trading ships, for there were
+few masters who could read and write, far less keep accounts.
+However, as he found there were a hundred skulls in each line, and
+ten rows, and as the heap was nearly square, it was not a difficult
+task to arrive at the conclusion that there must be a hundred
+thousand skulls in the pile.
+
+This seemed to him beyond belief, and yet he could arrive at no
+other conclusion. If a hundred thousand victims had been offered
+up, in one temple of this comparatively small city, what must be
+the total of men killed throughout the country? The pile had, no
+doubt, been a long time in growing, perhaps a hundred years; but
+even then it would give a thousand victims, yearly, in this one
+temple.
+
+Although it seemed well-nigh impossible to Roger, it was yet by no
+means excessive, for according to the accounts of all historians,
+Mexican and Spanish, the number of victims slain, annually, on the
+altars of Mexico amounted to from twenty-five to fifty thousand.
+
+"The god has good reason to be pleased?" the Aztec ambassador, who
+was watching Roger's face closely, remarked.
+
+"If he is fond of blood and sacrifices, he should indeed be
+pleased," Roger said quietly; "but all gods do not love slaughter.
+Quetzalcoatl, your god of the air, he who loved men and taught them
+what they know--such a god would abhor sacrifices of blood.
+Offerings of fruit and flowers, which he taught men to grow, of the
+arts in which he instructed them, would be vastly more pleasing to
+him than human victims."
+
+Roger spoke in a tone of authority, as if he were sure of what he
+stated.
+
+"When the white god left your shores, there were no human
+sacrifices offered to the gods"--this fact Roger had learned from
+Malinche, who had told him that the custom had been introduced in
+comparatively late years. She said ten generations, which he
+supposed would mean about two hundred years--"and such a custom
+would be abhorrent to him."
+
+The Aztec governor looked very grave. It was to the god of war that
+these sacrifices were offered, but the idea that the kindly white
+god, who stood next to him in public estimation, might not only
+object to be so worshiped himself, but might object altogether to
+human sacrifices being offered, was unpleasant to him; and yet this
+white stranger clearly spoke as if he were acquainted with the mind
+of Quetzalcoatl.
+
+The Tezcucan envoys, on the other hand, looked pleased. Tezcuco had
+maintained for a long time a milder form of worship. Her people
+were more gentle than the Aztecs, and had only reluctantly, and in
+part, adopted the terrible rites of their formidable neighbors.
+
+"Will you ascend the temple?" the governor asked.
+
+"No," Roger said firmly. "I say not aught against the god of
+battles. Let those who will make offerings to him. The God of the
+Air," and Roger raised his hand towards the sky, "loves flowers and
+fruit and peace and goodwill. When He came down to earth He
+preached peace, and would have had all men as brothers; and I, who
+follow Him, will not bow down at altars where human beings have
+been sacrificed."
+
+The Mexican naturally thought that Roger was speaking of
+Quetzalcoatl, and this strange knowledge he possessed of the god,
+and his ways and wishes, struck him with deep awe. Without making
+any further attempt to induce him to ascend the teocalli, which was
+the name they gave to their pyramidal temples, the governor led the
+way back to the palace.
+
+The next morning Roger started with the Tezcucan envoys on his
+journey. They informed him on the way that the Aztec governor had,
+on the previous evening, dispatched an officer of high rank to
+Mexico, to give the emperor the full details of the conversation
+and sayings of the strange visitor; for the dispatches were
+available only for sending news of facts and occurrences, but could
+not be used as mediums for conveying thought.
+
+"Montezuma is mild and gentle in his disposition, and quite unlike
+his two predecessors, who were mighty warriors; and doubtless, in
+his heart, he will welcome the words you said yesterday concerning
+Quetzalcoatl. But he is swayed wholly by the priests, and such
+sentiments will not be agreeable to them, for sacrifices are
+forever going on at the teocalli. At the dedication of the great
+temple for Huitzilopotchli, just thirty years ago, seventy thousand
+captives were put to death."
+
+"They must have been miserable creatures," Roger said indignantly,
+"to have submitted tamely to such a fate. They might, at least,
+have rushed upon their guards, however numerous, and died
+fighting."
+
+Roger said little more during that day's journey. The admiration he
+had at first felt, for the arts and civilization of these people,
+had been succeeded by a feeling of abhorrence. He had heard, from
+Malinche, that all victims sacrificed to the gods were afterwards
+cooked and eaten; and although he had scarcely believed the girl,
+in spite of her solemn assurances, he could now, after seeing the
+vast pile of human skulls, quite believe that it was true.
+
+
+
+Chapter 8: At Tezcuco.
+
+
+In each city through which they passed, and several of these were
+of vastly greater size and importance than Tepeaca, Roger was
+received with the same welcome and rejoicings that had greeted him
+there. The houses were decorated with flowers and garlands, dense
+crowds lined the streets, processions came out to meet him;
+banquets were given in his honor, and everything seemed gay and
+joyous. But Roger was low and depressed. To him the whole thing
+appeared a mockery. He seemed to see blood everywhere, and the fact
+that, as he learned from the casual remark of one of the envoys,
+numbers of victims were offered upon the altars on the evening
+before his arrival at each town, in order to please the gods and
+bring about favorable omens, added to his depression; and he
+thought that he had better, a thousand times, have been drowned
+with his father and friends, than be the cause of men being thus
+put to death.
+
+It was true that, as he was told, these captives were reserved for
+this purpose, and had they not been slain on that night might have
+been sacrificed on the next; but this was a small consolation. It
+seemed to him that above the joyful cries of greeting he could hear
+the screams of agony of the victims, and to such a pitch was he
+wrought up that, had he seen any whom he could have recognized as
+priests, he would have fallen upon them with his sword.
+
+But the priests held aloof from the gatherings. They knew not, as
+yet, how their chiefs would regard this stranger, and it was not
+their policy to join in welcoming one who might, afterwards, be
+denounced and sacrificed as an enemy of their religion; nor, upon
+the other hand, would they commit themselves to hostility to one
+who might be held to be a god.
+
+From the summits of the teocallis they looked down upon the great
+gatherings; angry that instead of, as usual, figuring in the chief
+places in the procession, they were forced to stand aloof. As in
+Egypt, the Aztec priests embraced within their order all the
+science and learning of the nation. They were skilled in the
+sciences of astrology and divination, and were divided into
+numerous ranks and classes. Those best instructed in music took the
+management of the choirs, others arranged the festivals conformably
+to the calendar, some superintended the education of the young of
+both sexes, others had charge of the hieroglyphic paintings and
+records and of the oral traditions, while the rites of sacrifice
+were practiced by the chief dignitaries of the order. They were
+each devoted to the service of some particular deity, and had
+quarters provided within the spacious precincts of his temple.
+
+Here a certain number were always on duty, and men living there
+practiced the stern severity of conventual discipline. Thrice
+during the day, and once at night, they were called to prayers.
+They mortified the flesh by fasting and cruel penance, drawing
+blood from their bodies by flagellation or by piercing themselves
+with the thorns of the aloe. When their turn of duty was over, they
+resided with their wives and families outside the temples.
+
+The great cities were divided into districts, placed under the
+charge of a sort of parochial clergy. These administered the rites
+of baptism, confession, and absolution, each of which strongly
+resembled that of the Christian religion. In baptism the lips and
+bosom of the infant were sprinkled with water, and the Lord was
+implored to permit the holy drops to wash away the sin that was
+given to it, before the foundation of the world, so that the child
+might be born anew. The secrets of confession were held inviolable,
+and penances were laid upon the penitents. There was one
+peculiarity in the Aztec ceremony of confession--namely, that the
+repetition of an offense, once atoned for, was deemed inexpiable--and
+confession was therefore made but once in a man's life, and generally
+deferred until a late period of it.
+
+One of the most important duties of the priesthood was that of
+education, to which certain buildings were appropriated, within the
+enclosure of the principal temple of each city. Here the youth of
+both sexes, of the middle and higher classes, were placed when very
+young; the girls being entrusted to the care of priestesses, for
+women exercised all sacerdotal functions except those of sacrifice.
+In these institutions the boys were drilled in monastic discipline.
+They decorated the shrines of the gods with flowers, fed the sacred
+fires, and took part in the religious chants and festivals. Those
+in the higher schools were initiated in the traditionary law, the
+mysteries of hieroglyphics, the principles of government, and in
+astronomical and natural science. The girls were instructed in all
+feminine employments, especially in weaving and embroidery. The
+discipline, both in male and female schools, was stern and rigid.
+
+The temples were supported by the revenue from lands bestowed upon
+them by successive princes. These were managed by the priests, who
+were considered as excellent masters, treating their tenants with
+liberality and indulgence. Besides this they were entitled to the
+first fruits of all produce, and were constantly receiving rich
+offerings from the pious. The surplus, beyond what was required for
+the support of the priests, was distributed in alms among the poor,
+charity being strongly prescribed by the moral code of the nation.
+
+Thus the Aztec religion was a strange mixture of good and evil. The
+moral discipline enforced by it was excellent. Many of its precepts
+resembled very closely those of Christianity, and yet the whole was
+contaminated by the wholesale sacrifices. It is supposed that this
+dual religion was the result of the mixture of two peoples, the
+mild and gentle tenets of the Toltecs being adopted by the fierce
+Aztec invaders, who added to them their own superstitious and
+bloody rites.
+
+All this, however, was unknown to Roger at the time. He saw the
+dark side of their religion, only, and was ignorant that there
+underlay it a system which, in point of morality, love of order and
+method, and a broad charity, was in no way inferior to that
+practiced among Christian nations.
+
+For some reason, of which Roger was ignorant--but which was,
+doubtless, in order to avoid the delays occasioned by stoppages at
+large towns, and to push on the faster towards the capital, where
+the king and his counselors were impatient to behold the white
+stranger--a detour was made. The towns of Puebla and Cholula were
+avoided, and the party pushed on rapidly across the plateau land
+they were now ascending, where the air was again keen and piercing.
+The road passed between two of the highest mountains in the North
+American continent--the great volcano Popocatepetl, meaning "the
+hill that smokes," and Iztaccihuatl, or "the white woman," so
+called from the bright robe of snow which extended far down its
+sides. The lower part of these mountains was covered with dense
+forests, above which rock, lava, and ashes extended to the summit
+of the crater of the volcano.
+
+At night the party sheltered in one of the stone buildings, erected
+by government at intervals along the road, for the accommodation of
+travelers and couriers. Pushing on the next morning, they came upon
+a view which caused an exclamation of surprise, and delight, to
+burst from Roger. At their feet lay the valley of Mexico, with its
+lakes glistening in the sunshine, its cultivated plains, and
+numerous cities and villages. Stretching away, from the point at
+which he was standing, were forests of oak, sycamore, and cedar;
+beyond, fields of yellow maize and aloe, intermingled with orchards
+and bright patches of many colors. These were flowers, which were
+grown on a very large scale, as they were used in vast quantities
+in the religious festivals, and almost universally worn by the
+women.
+
+In the center of the valley lay the great lakes, their borders
+thickly studded with towns and hamlets. Rising from an island, in
+the center of the largest of these, was the city of Mexico; its
+great buildings and lofty teocallis being seen clearly through the
+dry atmosphere. The envoys first pointed out the capital to Roger,
+and then another great city, some distance to the right, as being
+Tezcuco. Beyond the lakes, a barrier of dark hills rose, forming a
+suitable background to the lovely prospect.
+
+Upon the road, Roger learned much from the Tezcucan envoys of the
+character of the king of their country, and of the Emperor
+Montezuma.
+
+The grandfather of the present king had been the greatest and most
+powerful of the Tezcucan princes. In his youth he had gone through
+a series of strange adventures. Tezcuco had been captured, the
+people subjugated by the Tepanecs, and the king killed when the
+young prince was but fifteen years old. The boy himself was thrown
+into a dungeon, but escaped and fled to Mexico; and on the
+intercession of the king of that city was allowed to return, and to
+live for eight years, quietly, in a palace belonging to the family.
+When the Tepanec usurper died, his son Maxtla, who succeeded him,
+determined to kill the rightful heir to the throne; but being
+warned in time Nezahualcoyotl escaped, and for a long time wandered
+about the country, hotly pursued by his enemies; who were many
+times on the edge of capturing him, but he was always sheltered by
+the peasantry.
+
+At last the neighboring powers, fearing the aggression of the
+Tepanecs, united and routed them. Maxtla was put to death, and the
+lawful prince placed upon the throne. He showed great magnanimity,
+granting a general amnesty, and then set about to remodel the
+government.
+
+Three departments were formed: the Council of War, the Council of
+Finance, and the Council of Justice; and in each of these bodies, a
+certain number of citizens were allowed to have seats with the
+nobles and state officers. The highest body was composed of
+fourteen members, all belonging to the highest orders of nobles.
+This was called the Council of State, which aided the king in the
+dispatch of business, and advised him in all matters of importance.
+Its members had seats provided for them at the royal table.
+
+Lastly, there was a tribunal known as the Council of Music. This
+was composed of the best instructed persons in the country, without
+regard of rank, and was devoted to the encouragement of all
+branches of science and art. All works on these subjects had to be
+submitted to them, before they could be made public. They had the
+supervision of all the productions of art, and the more delicate
+fabrics. They decided on the qualifications of the teachers of the
+various branches of science, inquired into the proper performance
+of their duties, and instituted examinations of the pupils. The
+Council gave prizes for historical composition, and poems treating
+of moral or traditional topics. It was, in fact, at once a board of
+education, and a council of science and art. The kings of the three
+allied states had seats upon it, and deliberated with the other
+members on the adjudication of the prizes.
+
+Thus Tezcuco became the center of the education, science, and art
+of Anahuac, and was at this time the head of the three allied
+kingdoms. Nezahualcoyotl greatly encouraged agriculture, as well as
+all the productive arts. The royal palace and the edifices of the
+nobles were magnificent buildings, and were upon an enormous scale,
+the Spaniards acknowledging that they surpassed any buildings in
+their own country.
+
+Not satisfied with receiving the reports of his numerous officers,
+the monarch went frequently in disguise among his people, listening
+to their complaints, and severely punishing wrongdoers. Being
+filled with deep religious feeling, he openly confessed his faith
+in a God far greater than the idols of wood and stone worshiped by
+his subjects, and built a great temple which he dedicated to the
+Unknown God.
+
+After fifty years' reign this great monarch died, and was succeeded
+by his son Nezahualpilli, who resembled his father in his tastes,
+encouraging learning, especially astronomical studies, and building
+magnificent public edifices. He was severe in his morals, and stern
+in the execution of justice. In his youth he had been devoted to
+war, and had extended the dominion of Tezcuco; but he afterwards
+became indolent, and spent much of his time in retirement.
+
+His Mexican rival took advantage of this, for as the rule of
+Tezcuco became relaxed distant provinces revolted, the discipline
+of the army became shaken, and Montezuma, partly by force, partly
+by fraud, possessed himself of a considerable portion of its
+dominions, and assumed the title, hitherto held by the Tezcucan
+princes, of Emperor.
+
+These misfortunes pressed heavily on the spirits of the king, and
+their effect was increased by certain gloomy prognostics of a great
+calamity, which was shortly to overwhelm the country. His health
+rapidly gave way. He had died but two years before, and had been
+succeeded by his son Cacama, the present king, a young prince who
+was two-and-twenty years old when he ascended the throne, after a
+sanguinary war with an ambitious younger brother. In Tezcuco, as in
+Mexico, the office of king was elective and not hereditary. It was,
+indeed, confined to the royal family; but the elective council,
+composed of the nobles and of the kings of the other two great
+confederate monarchies, selected the member of that family whom
+they considered best qualified to rule.
+
+Roger was greatly impressed with these accounts of the government
+of this strange country. It appeared to him that art and learning
+were there held of much higher account than they were in England;
+and it seemed more strange to him than ever, that a people so
+enlightened could be guilty of such wholesale human sacrifices as
+those of which he had heard, and had indeed seen proof; still more
+that they could absolutely feast upon the flesh of these victims of
+their cruel superstitions.
+
+Descending into the valley the party avoided, as before, the
+numerous cities in the plain. The Tezcucans told him that they did
+so simply because they were anxious to arrive as soon as possible
+at the capital; but as Roger learned from them that the sway of
+Montezuma was paramount in this part of the valley, he thought it
+probable that they feared the Aztecs might take him from their
+hands, and send him direct to the emperor.
+
+After a long march across a richly cultivated country, they
+approached the town of Tezcuco just as evening was closing in. A
+messenger had gone on ahead, to announce the exact hour at which
+they would arrive; and a party of soldiers were stationed a short
+distance outside the town, to escort them through the city to the
+royal palace. They formed up on either side of the party when they
+arrived and, without a pause, the caravan kept on its way.
+
+Roger had been astonished at the magnificence of the houses of the
+wealthy, scattered for a long distance round the city, and at the
+extraordinary beauty of the gardens with their shady groves, their
+bright flowers, their fish ponds and fountains; but the splendor of
+the buildings of the capital surpassed anything he had before
+beheld. Not even in Genoa or Cadiz were there such stately
+buildings, while those of London were insignificant in comparison.
+The crowd in the streets were quiet and orderly and, although they
+looked with curiosity and interest on the white stranger, of whose
+coming they had heard, evinced none of the enthusiasm with which he
+had been greeted at Tepeaca. This was natural enough. The
+inhabitants of a capital, being accustomed to splendid fetes and
+festivals, are less easily moved than those of a small provincial
+town by any unaccustomed events, and are more restrained in the
+expression of their feelings.
+
+The dresses of the people were greatly superior to those he had
+seen hitherto. They wore over their shoulders a cloak, made of
+cottons of different degrees of fineness, according to the
+condition of the wearer. These and the ample sashes worn round the
+loins were wrought in rich and elegant figures, and edged with a
+deep fringe, or tassels.
+
+The women went about as freely as the men. Instead of the cloaks,
+they wore mantles of fur or gorgeous feather work. Beneath these
+were several skirts or petticoats of different lengths, with highly
+ornamented borders. Sometimes loose flowing robes were worn over
+these, reaching to the ankles--those of the upper classes being of
+very fine textures, and prettily embroidered. Some of the women
+wore veils made of fine thread of the aloe, or that spun from the
+hair of rabbits and other animals. Others had their faces entirely
+exposed, their dark tresses falling luxuriantly ever their
+shoulders. These, Roger learned afterwards, were Aztecs, the rest
+of the women of Anahuac mostly wearing the veil; which was,
+however, extremely thin, and scarcely concealed the features.
+
+The guards ahead with difficulty cleared the way through the crowd,
+until they at last arrived at the king's palace, a building of
+extraordinary splendor. A number of nobles, in gorgeous attire,
+received the party at the entrance; and passing along a stately
+corridor, they entered a vast hall. A cornice of carved stonework
+covered with thin plates of gold ran round the walls, and from this
+dropped hangings of the most delicately embroidered stuffs. The
+roof was of carved cedar, the floor a mosaic of stone of different
+colors, so delicately fitted together that they seemed one.
+
+At the farther end of the hall, upon a raised dais, was a throne.
+Upon this the young king was sitting, while a number of his
+counselors and nobles, together with several princesses and ladies
+of the court, were gathered around him.
+
+When Roger approached, he bowed low, saluting in Mexican fashion.
+The king rose as he approached, looking with lively curiosity and
+interest at the strange visitor, of whom he had already received so
+many reports.
+
+Roger, on his part, regarded the king with no less interest. He saw
+before him a young man of three or four and twenty, with a bright
+intelligent face. His figure showed signs of considerable strength
+as well as activity, and there was a certain martial air in his
+carriage that spoke of the soldier rather than of the king. The
+nobles had endeavored to impress upon Roger the necessity for him
+to salute the king, by prostrating himself on the ground as they
+themselves did. But Roger had refused to comply with their request.
+
+"King Hal, himself, would not expect me to go before him like a
+worm, if he gave me audience," he said to himself; "and I will not
+demean myself, as an Englishman, to bow as a slave before any other
+monarch. Besides, to do so would be to acknowledge that I was his
+humble subject, and would at once show that I have no pretension,
+whatever, to be the superior creature they seem to consider me. I
+will salute him as his nobles saluted me--paying due deference to
+his rank, and no more."
+
+The king himself did not seem displeased at Roger's breach of the
+usual etiquette. He looked with admiration at the tall figure of
+this strange white man, and at the frank and honest expression of
+his pleasant face, his blue eyes, and sunny hair.
+
+"Whoever he may be, he comes not as an enemy," he said in a low
+voice to his sister, who was standing next to him. "There is
+neither deceit nor treachery in that face."
+
+Then he said aloud to Roger:
+
+"You are welcome, white stranger. We rejoice to see you in our
+courts. We have heard wonderful stories concerning you, and about
+the people in the distant lands from which you come; and shall
+gladly hear them from your lips, for we are told that you speak our
+tongue."
+
+"I thank you, King Cacama, and I am glad, indeed, that it is my
+good fortune to behold so great and magnificent a king. I have
+come, as you have heard, from a far country, towards the rising
+sun; so far that it takes many months to traverse the sea which
+divides it from you; but had the distance been far greater than it
+is, I should have been more than repaid for the journey by the
+sight of you, and of this great city over which you rule."
+
+"And is it true that your people move about the sea in floating
+castles, and that they fight with weapons that make a noise like
+thunder, and can batter down walls at a distance of two miles?"
+
+"They can kill men at more than that distance, Sire, but for
+battering down walls they are used at shorter distances. The ships
+are, as you say, floating castles, and will carry hundreds of men,
+with provisions and stores for many months, besides merchandise and
+goods. These castles are armed with weapons such as you speak of,
+some of them carrying twenty or more; besides which each man
+carries a weapon of the same kind, but small and light in make, so
+that it can be carried on the shoulders. These weapons also make a
+great noise, though not comparable with that of the large pieces,
+which are called cannon."
+
+"And they have animals on which they sit, and which carry them at a
+speed far greater than that at which a man can run?"
+
+"That is so, Sire."
+
+"Of what color are they, and of what form?"
+
+"They are all colors: some are black, and some white, others brown,
+or gray, or roan, or bay."
+
+This answer seemed to surprise the king more than any other he had
+heard. All the beasts and birds with which he was acquainted were
+of the particular color which appertained to their species, and
+that the animals of any one kind should thus differ in so
+extraordinary degree from each other struck him as remarkable,
+indeed.
+
+Roger had always been fond of sketching, and had often whiled away
+dull hours on board ship with pencil and paintbrush; and his
+cousins at home had quite a collection of sketches that he made for
+them in, foreign parts. He now said:
+
+"If your Majesty will order that gentleman, who is at present
+taking my likeness, to hand me a sheet of paper and his brushes, I
+will endeavor to draw for your Majesty an outline of the animal I
+speak of, and which we call a horse."
+
+At the king's order the scribe at once handed the necessary
+materials to Roger, who in three or four minutes dashed off a
+spirited sketch of a horse, with a rider upon his back. The king
+was greatly struck with the representation. The Aztecs possessed
+the art of copying objects with a fair amount of accuracy, but the
+figures were stiff and wooden, without the slightest life or
+animation. To the king, then, this little sketch appeared almost
+supernatural. Here was before him an animal which looked alive, as
+if already in movement. He passed it to those next to him, and
+continued the conversation.
+
+"And the men fight on the backs of those animals?"
+
+"The nobles and a certain portion of the troops fight on horseback,
+the rest of the army on foot."
+
+"And are not these animals frightened at the terrible noises made
+by the weapons you speak of?"
+
+"They speedily become accustomed to them, Your Majesty, just as men
+do; and will carry their rider into the midst of the enemy, however
+great the noise. Some other time I will draw for your Majesty a
+representation of one of our knights, or captains, charging in full
+armor; which is, as you have perhaps heard, made of a metal that is
+not known here."
+
+"And these weapons that you speak of are made of the same metal?"
+
+"They are mostly made of that metal, Sire, though sometimes they
+are made of a metal which we call brass, which is a compound of
+copper, and of another metal called tin, which adds greatly to its
+strength and hardness."
+
+"But how do they work? What machinery can be used to hurl a missile
+at so vast a distance?"
+
+"There is no machinery, Sire. The weapon is a hollow tube of vast
+strength, closed at one end, with only a small hole left there by
+which fire can be applied. A black powder, composed of various
+substances, is placed in the tube and pressed up to the end, a wad
+of cotton or other material being forced down upon it. A large ball
+made of this metal, which is called iron, and almost the same
+diameter as the tube, is pushed down upon the wad; and the weapon
+is pointed at the enemy, or at the wall to be knocked down. Then
+fire is applied to the small hole, the powder at once explodes with
+a noise like thunder, and the ball is sent through the air with so
+great a speed that the eye cannot follow its flight, and all that
+it strikes goes down before it."
+
+"Even one of these captains on his horse?" the king asked.
+
+"Fifty of them, Sire, were they ranged up in line, one behind the
+other."
+
+"Will you be able to teach us to make such weapons?"
+
+"Your Majesty, I have had a share in the using of these weapons,
+but not in the making of them; and they require great skill in
+their manufacture. I know not whether iron stone exists in this
+country, and were it found it would require a long experiment and
+great knowledge to manufacture a cannon from it. As to the powder,
+it is composed of three ingredients--one is charcoal, which can be
+obtained wherever trees grow; another is called by us saltpeter;
+and the third, sulphur; but I cannot say whether either is found in
+this land. Nor, your Majesty, do I think that such knowledge, could
+I impart it, would be a blessing to the land; on the contrary, the
+battles would be far more terrible and bloody than they now are.
+Vast numbers would be slain, and valor and bravery would avail but
+little, against these terrible missiles."
+
+"No," the king said, thoughtfully: "you would take few prisoners,
+if you fought with such weapons as these. You take some prisoners,
+I suppose?"
+
+"Yes, your Majesty; we always take as prisoners those who ask for
+mercy."
+
+"And what do you do with them?"
+
+"We treat them honorably and well, as is befitting men who have
+fought bravely. We exchange them for men of our own side who have
+been taken prisoners by the enemy, or if they are knights or nobles
+they pay a ransom according to their rank to their captor, and so
+return home."
+
+"That is good," the young king said, with animation; "though it
+differs altogether from our usages; but then, how are their altars
+of the gods to be served?"
+
+"I believe," Roger said, "that your Majesty's grandfather erected a
+temple here to the Unknown God. It is the Unknown God--unknown to
+you, but known to us--that the white peoples across the sea
+worship. He is a good and gentle and loving God, and would abhor
+sacrifices of blood."
+
+The king did not reply for a minute. The introduction of human
+sacrifices was a comparatively recent innovation in Tezcuco, and
+although the Aztecs had, lately, almost forced their own hideous
+rites upon their neighbors, there were many who were still, at
+heart, opposed to them. He turned the subject by saying:
+
+"There will be much for you to tell me, when we have leisure. At
+present the banquet waits."
+
+The eighteen months that had elapsed, since the wreck of the Swan,
+had prepared Roger for taking part in such scenes as those in which
+he was, at present, placed. From living so long among natives, and
+in native costume, he had acquired something of their manner;
+which, unless under strong excitement, was quiet and dignified. He
+had done this the more because, whenever he went out, all eyes had
+been upon him, and he had felt that it was necessary, so far as he
+could, to support the mysterious reputation he possessed. He had
+lost, alike, the sailor walk and carriage, the careless gaiety of a
+boy, and the roughness of one brought up to life at sea. He himself
+was only half conscious of this transformation, but to one who had
+seen him last when he sailed from Plymouth, it would have appeared
+absolutely marvelous. Undoubtedly it impressed both the king and
+his nobles most favorably; and as the party followed the king and
+Roger to the banqueting hall, there was a chorus of approval of the
+manners, bearing, and appearance of the white stranger.
+
+The banquet was similar, but on a vastly greater scale, to that of
+which Roger had partaken at Tepeaca. Mexico contained, within
+comparatively narrow limits, extreme diversities of climate; and by
+means of the swift couriers, the kings and nobles could place upon
+their tables the tropical fruits and vegetables from the zone of
+the sea, the temperate fruits from the lofty plateau land, and the
+products of the rich and highly cultivated valley of the capital.
+
+The twenty counselors sat down at table with the king. Other tables
+were spread at which the principal nobles feasted, while the king's
+wife and sister and other ladies dined in the same hall, but had
+tables apart. The king abstained from asking questions of Roger
+about his country, during the meal, but conversed with him
+concerning his journey, and his impressions of the country; and
+inquired particularly whether he was perfectly satisfied with the
+treatment he had received from the merchants. Roger assured him
+that nobody could have been kinder or more courteous than they had
+been, and that he hoped his Majesty would express his satisfaction
+at their conduct.
+
+"That has already been done," the king said. "The reports of my
+envoys were sufficient for that. They have been raised in rank,
+have received permission to carry specially decorated banners, with
+other privileges and immunities."
+
+After dinner was over, the king, without waiting as usual for the
+smoking and entertainments of musicians, dancers, and acrobats,
+rose, saying to Roger:
+
+"I am too anxious to talk with you to take pleasure in these
+amusements. Come with me now."
+
+He led the way to the entrance to the private apartments. These
+were enclosed by magnificent hangings, which were drawn aside by
+two attendants as he approached them. The walls were here entirely
+hidden by hangings, and the floor covered with a thick carpeting of
+richly-dyed cotton stuff. The air was heavy with odors of perfumes.
+
+The king led the way to an apartment of considerable size, although
+small in comparison to the two great halls they had left. Couches
+of quilted mats, covered with silken embroidery, extended round the
+room; and a general air of comfort, as well as luxury, pervaded it.
+
+From the open windows, a view extended over a lovely garden below,
+and then across the lake to the walls and temples of Mexico,
+shining in the moonlight and dotted with innumerable spots of fire
+on the summits of the teocallis. The room itself was lighted with
+open lamps, in which burned cotton wicks embedded in wax.
+
+Cacama clapped his hands, and a young noble in attendance entered.
+The king bade him summon six of his counselors, and tell the queen
+and the princess that he awaited them.
+
+In a short time these entered. The pomp and ceremony of royalty
+were, to a considerable extent, laid aside in Tezcuco in the
+interior of the palace--the custom there differing much from that
+which prevailed at the court of Montezuma, where the emperor never
+relaxed, in the slightest, in exacting the lowliest and most
+profound homage from all who approached him.
+
+
+
+Chapter 9: Life In A Palace.
+
+
+"Now," the young king exclaimed joyously, as soon as the party he
+had invited had assembled, and the silk hangings at the entrance of
+the door had been closed: "Now we can talk at our ease. In the
+first place, what can I call you?"
+
+"My name is Roger Hawkshaw, your Majesty."
+
+The king repeated the name.
+
+"It is two words," Roger said. "With us, people have two names--the
+one which is common to all the family, the other which is given
+particularly to each person. The name of my family is Hawkshaw, my
+own name is Roger. Your Majesty can call me by either one, or by
+both."
+
+Long names were common in Mexico, and Roger Hawkshaw seemed by no
+means long to the king.
+
+"Roger Hawkshaw shall be your name in public," he said. "It has a
+strange grand sound, and will impress the people; but I will call you
+Roger. This is my queen and first wife, Maclutha. This is my sister,
+Amenche. These are two of my oldest and ablest counselors--both are
+great nobles, and have led the armies of my father to victory. These
+four young men are, as you see, my friends--they are the sons of four
+of my chief nobles, and have been brought up with me since we were
+children. Now, tell us more about yourself and your people."
+
+The whole party took their seats upon the couches, half sitting,
+half reclining. Attendants brought in cocoa of many different
+flavors, confections, and tobacco. Roger took the cocoa, but
+refused the tobacco.
+
+"We do not know this herb in our country," he said.
+
+"That is a grave misfortune for you," the king remarked. "It is
+known and used by all peoples that we know of, here. It was used by
+the people we found here, when we came from the far north, and all
+the tribes there used it also.
+
+"First, tell me what induced you to make this long journey across
+the sea."
+
+Roger had been expecting this question, and as he had already
+determined that he would, in all matters, adhere to the truth, he
+did not hesitate in his reply.
+
+"Your Majesty will understand that all the white peoples who dwell
+on the borders of the sea journey much in ships, which is the name
+we give to the floating castles. We do trade with many peoples. For
+example there is, far to the south of us, a great land wholly
+inhabited by people who are quite black."
+
+A general exclamation of astonishment broke from the party.
+
+"They must be frightful!" the young queen exclaimed.
+
+"They are very ugly," Roger said, "with very wide mouths and very
+thick lips, and flat noses; and instead of having long soft hair,
+they have only a short, curly sort of black wool on the top of
+their heads."
+
+"Have you seen them yourself?" asked Cacama, rather gravely.
+
+"I have seen some of them, Sire," Roger replied. "I was in a ship
+that was attacked by others, manned by a people who live on the
+northern coast of this land, and who are themselves not black but
+yellow; and they had with them several of these people of whom I
+speak, who were frightful in their ugliness; but who, to do them
+justice, fought bravely, though we managed at last to beat them
+off.
+
+"I pray your Majesty not to doubt any facts that I may tell you,
+for in my country it is considered disgraceful to lie; and however
+extraordinary some of the things I may say may appear to you, I can
+assure you that they will all be absolutely true. They may seem to
+you hard to believe, but you must remember that things which are
+strange to us always seem wonderful. My own countrymen, for
+example, would find it hard to believe that there could be a people
+who took delight in drawing in the smoke of a burning vegetable,
+and puffing it out again."
+
+"I will not doubt what you say, in future," Cacama said. "Now,
+continue what you were telling us."
+
+"The white people are divided into nations, as are your people on
+this side of the water. Some, however, are much more powerful than
+others. While in times of peace all the ports of different
+countries are open to the ships of the others, there are two
+countries that claim the right over great seas, although as yet
+untraveled and unknown."
+
+"But how can they claim such a right as that?" one of the two chief
+counselors asked.
+
+"Partly by the right that they have been the first to try to make
+discoveries in those seas; secondly because one of these countries
+is the strongest, at the present time; and thirdly, because they
+have been confirmed in their claim by the pope, who is the chief
+priest of the religion that is held in common among all white
+people. To the Spaniards was assigned that vast space of water
+lying towards the setting sun."
+
+"You do not belong to that nation?"
+
+"No. My country is called England. It is a great island divided
+into two kingdoms, of which ours is the larger."
+
+"Are your people great fighters?"
+
+"Yes. We have fought many obstinate wars with the nation lying on
+the mainland opposite to us, and our men have beaten theirs when
+they have outnumbered us many-fold; but at present we are at peace.
+We found that, while we could beat them in battle, we could not
+continue to hold a country that lay separated from us by the sea."
+
+"And you are friends with the Spaniards also?"
+
+"Yes. We have never warred with Spain, and our king has as his wife
+a princess of that country. Trading at Spanish ports, we learned
+that there was a rumor among the Spaniards that, far to the west,
+lay a great people possessing vast stores of gold, and riches of
+all kinds; and so my father, who was the captain of one of these
+floating castles, determined to sail across the sea and, in despite
+of the Spaniards and their rules, endeavor to perform the adventure
+of discovering, if possible, this great nation."
+
+"What would have happened if the Spaniards had met you, as you
+passed through their waters?"
+
+"Had they succeeded in taking our ship, they would have killed us
+without mercy; but we had a strong crew, and would have matched
+ourselves, willingly enough, against any Spanish ship, however big,
+that interfered with us."
+
+"And what became of your ship?"
+
+"She struck during a gale on the coast of Tabasco, and was dashed
+to pieces. My father and all on board were drowned. But God
+protected me, and I was thrown ashore unhurt; it being doubtless
+His intention that I should live to be the first white man to see
+your great country, and to bring to you the news of the white
+peoples beyond the sea."
+
+"You know the story about our god, Quetzalcoatl," the king said,
+after a long pause. "We had news that you knew all about him. We
+believe that his descendants will return hither, to teach us many
+things."
+
+"I am aware of it, Sire."
+
+"But do you know, also, that we of Tezcuco have reason to view the
+arrival of the Whites with fear? My father, who was full of
+learning and wisdom, predicted when on his deathbed that a white
+people would shortly arrive, from the sea, and would overthrow the
+Anahuac kingdoms. It is strange, indeed, that within three years of
+his death you should appear."
+
+"It is strange," Roger agreed. "Assuredly, your Majesty, your
+father's prophecy did not allude to my people. We are a
+comparatively small nation, and are not even masters of the whole
+of our island. We have not one ship to fifty that the Spaniards
+possess, and have no desire for foreign conquests. We are strong if
+attacked, and even Spain would find it a hard matter, did she
+endeavor to conquer us; but we should not dream of challenging the
+rights she exercises over the seas to the west of her. Moreover,
+our climate is a cold one, and we should not be able to support,
+with comfort, the heat of a country like this. It is not from our
+nation that danger can ever approach you."
+
+"But from the Spaniards?" the king asked, gravely.
+
+"I cannot think, Sire, that so great and powerful a nation as yours
+has reason to dread conquest by the Spaniards. But they are a
+mighty people. They have extended their rule over many peoples, on
+the other side of the water; and they have captured many islands
+which lie not so very far from your shores."
+
+"How far away?" one of the old counselors asked.
+
+"A vessel with a favoring wind would sail to your coast, thence, in
+twelve or fourteen days," Roger replied.
+
+There was a general exclamation of surprise and uneasiness from
+Roger's hearers. Many questions were asked him, as to the number of
+men the Spaniards could put in the field. His answer somewhat
+reassured them.
+
+"Perhaps two thousand would be the utmost they could send from
+these islands," he said; "though I know not the strength of their
+various garrisons. But from Spain they could, if they chose, send
+across the seas in their ships ten times as many."
+
+"We could put over two hundred thousand in the field," the king
+said proudly.
+
+Roger was silent.
+
+"You do not think," the king went on after a pause, "that twenty
+thousand of these men are to be feared by a host like ours?"
+
+"With equal arms and armor, no, your Majesty; but with the
+advantage of their weapons, the fact that they are clad in armor
+which your spears and arrows and knives would be powerless to
+pierce, and that many of them would be mounted soldiers, whose rush
+and impetus in battle it is nigh impossible--even for white
+infantry, who have no fear of the horses, and are themselves clad
+in armor--to withstand; and that they have, in addition these,
+terrible cannon of which I spoke to you, I think that should twenty
+thousand of the Spaniards land here, they would be irresistible.
+
+"However, I do not think that there is any chance of such an army
+being brought against you. Rich and powerful as Spain is, the
+expense of preparing such an expedition, and the ships required to
+carry it, would be so vast that I do not think she would undertake
+it. Moreover, she is always so occupied with wars at home that she
+could not spare such a force for a distant expedition; and I do
+not, therefore, think you have any ground for alarm, in the
+present.
+
+"I believe that in a very short time Spanish ships may arrive at
+your ports, and will open trade with your people. I wonder that
+they have not, long since, found their way here. Trade would be
+beneficent to both. They have many commodities that would be most
+useful to you. You have others that they would prize greatly."
+
+"What are our products they would most value?" the king asked.
+
+"First, and most of all, gold," Roger said. "It is with us the
+scarcest and most valuable of metals, and all things are valued by
+it. As with you bags of cocoa are your standard of value, so with
+them are pieces of gold. A wide estate is worth so much gold; a
+ship, or a horse, or a suit of armor, so many pieces of gold; and
+so through everything. All your delicate embroidery work would be
+valuable in their eyes, as being strange and different to anything
+we possess; while on their side they could provide you with silks,
+and satins, and velvets, and cloths, and other fabrics new to you;
+to say nothing of arms and iron work vastly superior to any you
+possess."
+
+One of the old counselors whispered something in the king's ear,
+and the latter said to the queen:
+
+"Maclutha, I would talk these matters over with my counselors. I am
+sure that you and my sister are longing to hear, from Roger
+Hawkshaw, all about the ladies of his race, and their dresses and
+fashions. Take him, therefore, into your room, while we discuss
+this matter here."
+
+The two ladies and Roger thereupon went into another apartment,
+similar in style to that which they had left. The conversation here
+took a light turn, unrestrained by the presence of the king and his
+counselors. They plied him with questions, which Roger answered to
+the best of his power. He was soon furnished with paper, pens,
+brushes, and paint; and he drew them several sketches, showing
+ladies in European fashions, which filled his companions with
+surprise. It seemed to them impossible that a woman could move with
+ease and comfort in so much clothing. Then he drew for them a noble
+in the court dress of the period, and also the figure of a knight
+in full armor.
+
+The last astonished them most of all. How could a man move and
+breathe, thus enclosed in metal? Roger admitted that, in a hot
+climate like that of Mexico, the heat would be terrible. But he
+pointed out that men so clad were carried on horses, and had no
+occasion for movement; save of their arms, which, as there were
+joints in the armor at the shoulder, could be moved in any way with
+freedom.
+
+"There cannot be much bravery required to fight, when protected in
+this way by metal," the queen said.
+
+"Numbers are killed, nevertheless," Roger replied. "The armor,
+strong as it is, will not resist the missiles fired from cannon;
+and the helmets--that is, the part that protects the head--can be
+beaten in by blows with heavy maces. Moreover, when two parties
+similarly armed charge, the shock is so terrible that horses and
+riders are alike thrown to the ground, and when thrown down they
+may be trampled to death by the horses, or killed by footmen before
+they can recover their feet. Still, there are many who think that
+some day armor will be given up altogether; for the guns are being
+improved constantly, and when the balls sent by those carried by
+footmen are able to pierce any armor, it will no longer be any
+protection, whatever."
+
+"And these ladies of yours," the Princess Amenche asked; "are they
+very pretty? Because these matters are more to our taste than these
+ugly arms."
+
+"They differ much from each other, just as they do here," Roger
+said. "Some are homely, and others are pretty."
+
+"Are their eyes always blue, and their hair of a bright color, like
+yours?"
+
+"Oh no! There is a great difference. Some have hair almost as light
+as flax; some almost as dark as yours, but not quite so dark. Some
+have hair almost exactly the color of gold; some a red, like the
+fringe of your garments; then there are many shades of brown,
+between red and black. The eyes vary in the same way. People with
+light hair, and golden, and red, have either gray or blue eyes.
+Those with brown hair of different shades have brown eyes,
+sometimes light and sometimes dark brown."
+
+"How strange it must be," the girl laughed, "to see people with
+hair of so many colors! And which do you like best, Roger
+Hawkshaw?"
+
+"At the present moment, Princess, I cannot imagine any color more
+beautiful than a deep, glossy black."
+
+The girl colored through her hazel skin.
+
+"Ah, you know how to flatter in your country, also!"
+
+Roger was about to reply, when a message was brought from the king,
+desiring them to return to the next room.
+
+"We have been taking all these things that you have told us into
+grave consideration," the king said, when they were seated; "and
+have concluded that it will be for the best that this matter of
+these Spaniards should remain an absolute secret, and that no word
+shall be spoken to a single person, however dear, by any of those
+who have heard it. The country has long been in a disturbed state,
+and constant expeditions are necessary, for ourselves and for
+Mexico, to suppress risings, and put down outbreaks of discontent.
+Were the news to be whispered about that there is a strange,
+terrible white people within but a short distance of our shores,
+the result would be disastrous.
+
+"Men's minds would become unsettled, their ordinary employment
+would be neglected, all sorts of dismal forebodings would seize
+them, the very worship of the gods might be affected; and instead
+of being able, should the time of danger ever come, to meet our
+invaders boldly and fearlessly, they would find us disorganized and
+disheartened, and our power of resistance greatly diminished.
+
+"You, Roger Hawkshaw, have told us everything with frankness. We
+feel that every word you have spoken is true, and that you have a
+real feeling of friendliness towards us, and that your sympathies
+are with us, rather than with the people of this other white
+nation. But others would not see it so. Even as it is, there is
+sure to be a party against you. Were it known that a nation,
+possibly hostile, of your color were but a short distance away,
+nothing could save you. You would be sacrificed at once to the
+gods. Therefore as, for the sake of the nation, we have decided
+that what you have told us shall remain a profound secret to
+ourselves; so, for your own sake, we pray you henceforth to say
+nothing to any of what you have told us. Let men think what they
+like as to how you have reached our shores. Preserve a sort of
+mystery as to yourself. There is no reason why you should not
+speak, but even then guardedly, of the wonders of the land
+inhabited by white men many months' sail across the seas; but it
+were best that as little should be said as possible.
+
+"Montezuma is sure to wish to see you, but before you visit him, we
+will again take counsel together."
+
+"I will, to the best of my power, carry out your Majesty's orders,"
+Roger said. "I fully recognize their wisdom. Indeed, neither at
+Tabasco nor upon the journey, either to the merchants or to your
+envoys, have I said a word respecting the Spaniards; but I thought
+that it was but right that you should know the truth of the matter,
+especially when you told me of the prediction of your royal father.
+In future, when I am asked questions, I can always fall back upon
+silence and reply, truly, 'I am forbidden to tell this.'"
+
+"That will do excellently," the king said. "There is but one point
+connected with you now that puzzles us--a point which, before you
+came, confirmed us in the belief that there was something
+supernatural in your character: How is it that you have come to
+understand and speak our tongue?"
+
+Roger smiled.
+
+"To anyone else, your Majesty, I should have replied, 'I am
+forbidden to answer that question;' but I wish not to have any
+mystery with you. During the time I was at Tabasco I was waited
+upon by a Mexican slave girl, who taught me her tongue."
+
+The king burst into a hearty laugh, in which even the grave
+counselors joined, at this simple solution at what had appeared to
+them so strange a mystery.
+
+"Cuitcatl," the king said to one of the young nobles, "I hand over
+Roger Hawkshaw to your charge. You see you need not be afraid of
+him, and he will throw no spells over you. Show him all there is to
+see in the city; but go not far away, for we shall have frequent
+occasions to speak to him. He will have a seat in the council, and
+at our own table. See that all know that we most highly esteem and
+desire to honor him."
+
+Bowing deeply to the king, queen, and princess, Roger followed the
+young noble into whose charge he had been given. For a long time
+they continued their way down passages and corridors, until it
+seemed to Roger that it was a town, rather than a building, that he
+was traversing. At last his conductor pushed aside a hanging, and
+entered an apartment.
+
+"These are my rooms," he said. "You are now master here. All the
+nobles of the council, and those whom the king wishes to have about
+his person, have suites of apartments in the palace. I hope some
+day to have the pleasure of entertaining you on my own estate,
+which lies a day's journey away to the northeast of the lake. Now,
+you will doubtless be glad to retire to rest at once, for you have
+had a long and weary time."
+
+So saying, he led the way to a small chamber, leading out of the
+larger one. Here a luxurious couch was arranged, and it was not
+many minutes before Roger was asleep; for he was indeed completely
+worn out, and was too much fatigued even to think over the strange
+position in which he found himself.
+
+He woke early, for upon his journeys the caravan had always started
+at daybreak, so as to get as much as possible of the journey done
+before the heat of the day set in. For a moment he wondered vaguely
+where he was, and then, as recollection returned to him, he leaped
+from his couch, threw back the hangings before the window, and
+gazed out.
+
+Glass was unknown in Mexico, nor was it a requisite in the balmy
+climate of the valley. The prospect was a charming one. Before him
+lay a garden, more beautiful than any he had ever beheld. It was
+filled with shrubs and flowers, and a delightful perfume filled the
+air. Fountains of bright water threw their jets high above the
+sweet-scented groves and shrubberies. Several large ponds glistened
+in the morning sun. On some of these were islands accessible by
+light bridges, and on the islands were fanciful pavilions.
+Waterfowl floated on the surface of the ponds, or stalked
+fearlessly on the marble pavement that surrounded them. The songs
+of innumerable birds filled the air. Roger was gazing in delight at
+the scene, when Cuitcatl's voice saluted him.
+
+"So you are up betimes; are you ready for your bath, or will you
+take some chocolate first?"
+
+"Bath first, please," Roger replied; and his guide led the way
+across the large room and, drawing a hanging aside, showed Roger
+into a bathroom.
+
+The walls and floors were entirely covered with marble. In the
+center was a bath, some seven feet square, with a stream of water
+running into it from the mouth of a grotesque animal's head.
+
+"Every apartment has its bathroom," Cuitcatl said. "The water runs
+for an hour after sunrise only, but it can be turned on at any
+hour. It seems a waste, but we are far above the lower portion of
+the garden, and the water therefore runs into a tank and thence
+works the fountains there. Would you like your attendant to rub you
+in the bath, or when you come out of it? For both methods are in
+use with us."
+
+Roger declined both alternatives, and it was not very long before
+he rejoined his companion in the central apartment. Chocolate,
+light cakes, and fruit were at once served.
+
+"We had best visit the gardens first, before the sun gains too much
+power. There are charming arbors and pavilions, in shady spots, for
+taking one's ease at the middle of the day; but for walking about,
+the early hours are the best."
+
+The gardens were of great extent, and Roger was surprised at the
+extreme fearlessness of the innumerable birds, of all kinds, that
+seemed to regard them as their natural home.
+
+"Why should they not be fearless?" Cuitcatl said, when he expressed
+his surprise. "They have never been frightened, and regard all who
+come here as their friends, rather than as their enemies. They have
+abundance of the food which they love best. They make their nests
+among the plants, or in the trees which they would use, were they
+wild. The ponds are full of fish, and the water birds can find a
+far richer supply, here, than elsewhere. When the ladies come, the
+birds flock around them and settle on their heads and shoulders,
+and take crumbs of sweet cake from their hands.
+
+"Many birds must, of course, be caged, and you will see that there
+are large aviaries scattered here and there in the garden. In these
+are the hawks and eagles, and many other birds which could not be
+tamed so far as to remain in the garden, unconfined."
+
+After wandering for nearly two hours in the garden, they returned
+to the palace; and afterwards went down to the marketplace, which
+was crowded, as it was the fifth day of the week. Cuitcatl had
+taken with them six officials of the palace, to clear the way and
+prevent the people from crowding in upon them.
+
+Roger was struck with the orderly demeanor of the people. They
+seemed merry and lively, but their mirth was of a quiet kind; and
+there was, everywhere, an air of decorum and gentleness, in strong
+contrast to that of a European crowd.
+
+"Why," he said to himself, "there is more noise at home, when two
+or three boats come in laden with pilchards, than is made by all
+these thousands and thousands of people!"
+
+There was no pressing or pushing, and the order of the officials,
+"Make way for the king's guest, the great Roger Hawkshaw!" was at
+once obeyed; and the people drew aside, gazing at him curiously but
+respectfully, and saluting as if to one of their own great nobles.
+
+The market was an extensive square, surrounded by deep porticoes,
+and each description of merchandise had its allotted quarter. In
+one was seen cotton piled up in bales, or manufactured into dresses
+and articles of domestic use, such as tapestry, curtains and
+coverings. The goldsmiths had a quarter assigned to them. There
+Roger admired bracelets, necklaces and earrings, delicately chased
+and carved, together with many curious toys made in imitation of
+birds and fishes, with scales and feathers alternately of gold and
+silver, and with movable heads and bodies.
+
+In another quarter were the stores of the potters, with dishes and
+plates, cups and basins of every degree of fineness, for the use of
+poor and rich, vases of wood elaborately carved, varnished or gilt.
+Near these Roger examined some hatchets made of copper, alloyed
+with tin; and as he felt the hardness of the metal, thought to
+himself that the natives, if informed as to the size and
+proportions of cannon, would have no difficulty in founding those
+weapons.
+
+Then there were certain shops devoted to the sale of articles
+needed by soldiers. The helmets, fashioned into the shape of the
+head of some wild animal, with grinning teeth and bristling crest;
+the quilted doublets of cotton; the rich surcoats of feather; mail
+and weapons of all sorts; copper-headed lances and arrows; and the
+broad Mexican sword, with its sharp blade of itztli, a hard
+polished stone, which served many of the purposes of steel to the
+Aztecs. Of this material were the razors made, with which barbers
+were engaged in operating in their booths.
+
+Many shops were well provided with drugs, roots, and different
+medicinal preparations; for Mexico abounded in medicinal plants,
+and the study of their uses was considered one of the most useful
+of the sciences, and in this respect the Mexicans were considerably
+in advance of the people of Europe. There were shops for the sale
+of blank books, or rolls, for the hieroglyphic picture writing.
+Under some of the porticoes were hides, raw and dressed; and
+various articles for domestic or personal use, made of leather.
+
+Animals, both wild and tame, were offered for sale; and near them
+Roger saw a gang of slaves, with collars round their necks, and
+these were also, Cuitcatl told him, for sale.
+
+The portion of the market devoted to the sale of provisions was a
+large one. Here were meats of all kinds, domestic poultry, game
+from the neighboring mountains, and fish from the streams; together
+with an immense variety of fruit, green vegetables, and maize. Here
+were ready-cooked foods for immediate use--sold hot to passers by,
+and eaten as they stood--with stalls of pastry of many kinds,
+bread, cakes, and confectionery; chocolate, flavored with vanilla
+and other spices, and pulque, prepared with many varying flavors,
+tempted the passers by. All these commodities, and every stall and
+portico, were set out and well-nigh covered with flowers.
+
+After leaving the market, Roger proceeded with his companion to the
+edge of the lake. It was dotted with countless canoes, traversing
+it in all directions, filled with people passing to and fro between
+the great capitals or neighboring cities, bent either upon pleasure
+or trade. After feasting his eyes for a considerable time upon the
+lovely and animated scene, Roger returned with his companion to the
+palace.
+
+In the afternoon there was a great gathering of nobles at the
+palace, to enable a far wider circle than those assembled the
+evening before to see and hear the king's white guest. One of the
+old counselors, who had been present at the previous meeting, acted
+as questioner, and this enabled Roger to escape certain queries to
+which he would have had difficulty in replying; and while the
+assembly heard much of the various wonders of the white people,
+they learned nothing of the manner in which the stranger had
+reached their shores, or the object of his coming; and at the end,
+the general impression that remained upon them was that he was a
+mysterious and supernatural being, who had come to teach the people
+new arts and inventions.
+
+When the meeting was over, Roger retired again to the private
+apartments, and entertained the ladies there with many details of
+European life and manners, and by sketching for them houses, and
+ships, and other objects they demanded.
+
+Two hours later, Cacama came in. He was evidently vexed and
+anxious.
+
+"I am sorry to say, Roger Hawkshaw," he said, "that tomorrow you
+must accompany me across the lake to Mexico. I have had four
+dispatches today from my Uncle Montezuma. He blames me for having
+permitted you to enter the city before consulting the priests at
+his capital. You know they are all powerful there. Montezuma, with
+all his pride and haughtiness, is but their humble servant. He says
+that sacrifices have been offered up, and that the auguries are
+unfavorable, and that the priests proclaim your presence to be a
+danger to Mexico.
+
+"I have no doubt that, when they see you, this opinion will be
+changed; and I shall do my best to prepare the way for you. I have
+already sent a private messenger to the high priest, speaking in
+the highest terms of you, and strengthening my recommendation by
+some valuable presents, to which priests are not more than other
+men inaccessible."
+
+Roger saw, by the look of dismay upon the faces of the queen and
+the princess, that they considered the news very grave.
+
+"Must he go?" the queen asked, in a low voice.
+
+"How can it be helped?" Cacama replied. "Montezuma is supreme; and
+he and the priests, together, are all powerful. Roger is not like
+other men. Were he so, I would tell him when night falls to fly,
+and Cuitcatl would risk the consequences, I am sure, and act as his
+guide; but being as he is, where could he go, or where could he
+hide? Were it known in the morning that he was missing, a hundred
+messengers from Mexico would carry the news to every town and
+village in the country. Even if we colored his skin and his hair,
+his height would attract attention; for he is taller by half a
+head, and broader, by far, than any Mexican. But even did he, by
+traveling by night and hiding by day, get at last beyond the
+boundary of our kingdoms, what would then be his fate?--To die of
+hunger or thirst, or to be slain by wild tribes.
+
+"What say you, Roger Hawkshaw? Will you risk these unknown dangers,
+or will you go to Montezuma tomorrow?"
+
+"Were I sure that the priests would decide against me, and that I
+should be sacrificed to their great idol, I would risk death in any
+other form, rather than that," Roger replied. "But it may be that,
+when they see I have no evil intentions, and neither thought nor
+power of injuring Mexico, they may lay aside their animosity
+against me."
+
+"They do not believe that you will injure Mexico," Amenche said,
+passionately. "They only want you for a sacrifice. They think that
+a being so strange and rare as a white man would be, of all, the
+most acceptable victim to their god.
+
+"My brother, do not let him go," and the girl burst into tears.
+
+"My little sister," Cacama said tenderly, "you know that I am
+powerless in the matter. In my grandfather's time, he would have
+answered a demand that a guest of his should be given up by a
+message of defiance; but times have changed since then, and the
+greater part of my kingdom no longer remains to me. My brother, who
+disputed my right to the throne, reigns over a large portion of it.
+Montezuma has seized fertile provinces. I am little more than the
+lord of a city; and could offer no resistance, for a single day, to
+the power of the Emperor.
+
+"But you must remember that, as yet, we do not know that the
+priests will decide against him. I myself shall go with him, and I
+have already, as I have told you, taken some steps to incline the
+priests in his favor. When I arrive there tomorrow, I will exert
+myself personally. I have many friends among the highest at
+Montezuma's court, and will also pray these to use their influence.
+
+"Should I fail, all will not be lost. It is likely that, if they
+decide upon sacrificing you, Roger, they will make you the victim
+to the god Tezcatlepoca, 'the soul of the world.' For him is always
+chosen the captive most distinguished for his appearance. For a
+year he is treated as the representative of the god. He is nobly
+cared for, he is attended by a train of royal pages, is worshiped
+by the people as he passes through the street, and is feasted at
+the tables of the nobles. Were you selected for this, as we
+consider it, great honor, there would be at least a year before
+you; and you might then, in some manner, make your escape beyond
+our boundaries. At any rate, some time is sure to elapse before
+your fate will be determined upon; and I can promise that I will do
+all in my power to aid you to escape, should you determine upon
+flight."
+
+"I thank you most heartily," Roger said. "I have no fear of death
+in battle, but to me it would be very horrible to be put to death
+as a victim, on a festival; and I would rather escape and drown
+myself in the lake, than that such should be my fate. Still, if it
+must be so, it must; and I trust that I may behave as befits an
+Englishman, in such an extremity."
+
+Amenche here stepped forward to her brother, and spoke earnestly in
+his ear.
+
+"My sister reminds me," he said, "that we have sometimes another
+form of sacrifice; and that if I can do naught else, I might be
+able to persuade the priests to pronounce in favor of that. It is
+only adopted in the case of a captive of distinction; who, instead
+of being sacrificed, is sometimes matched against a number of
+Mexicans. The combat takes place on a great circular stone, in the
+sight of the whole city. The captive is provided with arms, and
+meets his opponents one by one. If he defeat them all--which has
+more than once happened in our history--he is allowed to go free."
+
+"That would suit me best, by far," Roger said eagerly. "I have no
+doubt but that I should be killed, still, I should die in fair
+fighting against numbers; and it would be no worse than if I had
+fallen fighting the Moorish pirates, on the deck of our ship."
+
+"I should think that it could be managed," Cacama said. "I should
+tell them that, at present, none could say whether you were a
+superhuman being or no; and that it might bring some misfortune
+upon the nation, were a messenger of the gods put to death. This
+trial would prove that. If the gods protected you, you would
+triumph. If they were not on your side, you would be defeated."
+
+"I should do my best," Roger said quietly. "I have been well taught
+the use of arms, and in our long voyage here we practiced daily. In
+point of skill I could hold my own with any on board, though there
+were many to whom I was but a child, in point of strength. In that
+matter, however, I have doubtless gained much since then.
+
+"I shall be thankful indeed, Prince, if you can persuade them to
+fix on this mode of execution for me; and I thank you very
+gratefully, Princess, for suggesting it."
+
+They talked for some time longer, and then Roger retired to his
+apartment. The next morning, soon after sunrise, he embarked with
+Cacama in a canoe, paddled by six rowers.
+
+"My wife and sister bade me say farewell to you," Cacama said.
+"They are sorely grieved at your going, and hope that you may
+return with me this afternoon. But if not, they bade me say that
+they will do all that is in their power; and women can exert
+influence, as well as men, on your behalf."
+
+It was a long row across the lake to Mexico. Large as was the
+population of Tezcuco, which was estimated by the Spaniards to
+contain a hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants, that of Mexico
+was fully three times as great. As Montezuma had not yet determined
+upon the course which was to be pursued towards this mysterious
+stranger, the people had not been informed of his coming. A strong
+guard of soldiers, with several officers of the palace, met the
+party upon its landing, surrounded them, and marched quickly
+through the streets to the palace.
+
+The buildings resembled those of Tezcuco, and were massive and
+solid in character; but were not, Roger thought, grander or more
+splendid than those in the rival capital. The town was intersected
+by canals, and the bridges across these could be raised, adding
+largely to the defensive power of the place.
+
+Upon reaching the palace the soldiers drew back, and the palace
+guard took charge of the party and led them into a large apartment,
+where they waited until the emperor was ready to receive them.
+Presently two court officials entered and, placing a mantle of
+coarse cotton over Roger, signed to him to take off his sandals.
+Cacama had already informed him that even the highest nobles of the
+land, with the exception of those of royal blood, were obliged to
+enter Montezuma's presence in this attire, as emblematic of their
+humility. He also charged Roger that it was the etiquette that all
+should keep their eyes fixed on the ground, until addressed by
+Montezuma.
+
+Accompanied by Cacama, Roger followed the officials. Passing
+through several corridors they entered a vast hall. Roger was aware
+that at the farther end the emperor was seated, surrounded by a
+numerous body of nobles; but the instant he entered the room he
+followed the instructions of Cacama, and saluted to the ground, and
+then advanced with downcast eyes until the officials by his side
+ordered him to pause.
+
+Montezuma was a victim of superstition, and had been seriously
+discomposed at the news of the arrival of this mysterious visitor;
+the more so that the priests, themselves, were unable to decide
+whether his visit was a good or evil augury. As he looked at the
+tall figure before him, with its strange-colored skin and hair, and
+the air of independence and fearlessness that was visible in the
+pose, notwithstanding the downcast eyes, he could not but be
+favorably impressed, despite his fears.
+
+"You are welcome to our court," he said, "if you come in peace and
+goodwill."
+
+"I come in peace and goodwill to your Majesty and your empire,"
+Roger said.
+
+"We have heard that you come from far beyond the seas, where dwell
+a people having strange ways, who live in floating castles, and who
+fight with weapons making thunder."
+
+Roger bowed.
+
+"Your Majesty has been correctly informed."
+
+"Do the people there worship the same gods that we do?"
+
+"They do not, your Majesty. The people there worship the one Great
+God--the God of the skies, the air, and the earth."
+
+"And that God sent you hither?" Montezuma asked.
+
+"Assuredly, Sire. He directs all things."
+
+"Each country has its gods. The gods of Mexico have given us
+victory over all the peoples from sea to sea."
+
+Roger bowed. He did not feel called upon to contradict the emperor.
+
+"How is it that you came alone to this land?"
+
+"I wished to see it," Roger said, "reports of its greatness and
+power having reached across the seas. Had I come with others, it
+might have been thought that I came as an enemy; but coming alone,
+and without arms, it could not be suspected that my intentions were
+other than friendly."
+
+Montezuma appeared impressed with this answer. The audience lasted
+for upwards of half an hour, Montezuma asking many questions about
+the ships, the arms, the mode of government, and other matters
+among the white people, He then bowed his head.
+
+The official signified that the audience was over, and that Roger
+was to retire. As he had been instructed by Cacama he withdrew,
+keeping his face to the emperor.
+
+He was conducted to a different apartment. Here a table was laid,
+and he was served by attendants of the court; who, however, made no
+reply to any questions he asked them, and had evidently received
+orders to hold no verbal communication with him.
+
+
+
+Chapter 10: News From The Coast.
+
+
+It was with a feeling of pleasure and relief that, after some
+hours, Roger saw the hangings drawn aside, and Cacama enter.
+
+"Come, my friend, the council is over, and you may return with me."
+
+Cacama was evidently anxious to be off at once, and Roger followed
+him without a question. One of the pages of the palace led the way
+through a long series of passages, and at last Roger found himself
+outside the palace, where a door opened into a canal. Here Cacama's
+boat was lying. The young king and Roger took their seats, and the
+canoe dashed off at once.
+
+"It has been a hard fight in the council," Cacama said. "No two men
+were of the same opinion. Even the priests were divided among
+themselves; and Montezuma was as undecided, at the end, as he was
+at the beginning; so that the decision is postponed. Then the
+question arose, were you to be treated as a guest or as a prisoner?
+And this I settled by saying that I would take you back with me to
+Tezcuco, and produce you whenever required. So in order to avoid
+excitement among the people, I sent word for the boat to be brought
+round to that quiet entrance to the palace, by which means we
+avoided passing through the streets, altogether.
+
+"At one time it seemed to me that the decision would go against
+you, on the ground that, had you been a supernatural being, you
+would have had new arts to teach the people. Fortunately, I had
+brought with me the pictures you made for my wife and sister, and
+these I showed them. I pointed out that they were altogether
+different from the work of our own scribes; that these drew stiff
+images that looked like representations, not of men and animals,
+but of wooden creatures, while in your drawings it seemed as if the
+men and animals were moving across the paper; and that, were you to
+teach our scribes thus to portray objects, it would make a profound
+alteration in Mexican art.
+
+"This made a great impression upon them. Many of the nobles belonging
+to the Council of Education were present, and Montezuma himself is
+fond of art. All were greatly struck with your paintings, and these
+certainly went a long way towards strengthening my party. When we get
+back, you shall do some pictures of things such as they see here, and
+are accustomed to.  Perhaps you could do even better, still, if you
+were to try."
+
+"I could make much more finished pictures," Roger said. "These were
+only sketched off in haste, and with such colors as came to hand;
+but if I had pigments, and could mix the colors as I wanted them, I
+could produce very much better effect."
+
+Roger, as a child, had been placed by his father, during the
+latter's long absences from home, at a school kept by some monks at
+a monastery at Plymouth, in order that he might learn to read and
+write--as these accomplishments would be of great use to him, as a
+master mariner. His fondness for painting attracted the attention
+of one of the old monks, who illuminated missals; and he had
+permitted him to copy many of the manuscripts in the monastery, and
+had given him instructions in the art. He had, indeed, been so
+struck with the talent the boy showed, that he told Reuben Hawkshaw
+that if he would let his son devote himself to art, he would make a
+famous painter. The sailor had scoffed at the idea; and Roger
+himself, fond as he was of painting, would have been reluctant to
+abandon the idea of going to sea.
+
+The instructions he had obtained, however, up to the age of twelve,
+when he went on his first voyage with his father, had been of great
+assistance to him. Thanks to his natural talent, his visits to the
+churches at the various ports at which the ship touched, and to the
+fact that he had plenty of time on board to practice the art, his
+pictures were surprisingly good, and had excited a great deal of
+attention on the part of the friends and acquaintances of Master
+Diggory Beggs.
+
+Upon his return to Tezcuco, Cacama ordered the scribes to furnish
+him with large sheets of the best paper, brushes, and pigments. The
+colors were all bright and glaring ones; but by mixing them, and
+adding some sombre dyes he obtained in the market, Roger succeeded
+in getting the required tints. Taking his place in the garden, at a
+point where he commanded the lake, near at hand, dotted with
+canoes; and the city of Mexico, with its background of hills, in
+the distance, Roger set to work. To the surprise of the scribe who
+had been ordered to assist him, he mixed the colors with oil
+instead of water, and then began his picture. He worked as long as
+there was sufficient light, and recommenced it the next morning,
+directly after sunrise, and continued at work all day; and by
+evening had finished the picture, three feet by two, which,
+although it would not be considered remarkable in Europe, excited
+the most lively admiration on the part of Cacama and the ladies.
+
+He explained to the king that, as he had none of the spirit that
+was used in conjunction with the oil to make it dry rapidly, it
+would be some days before the picture would be sufficiently dry to
+be touched. Cacama, however, sent it off the next morning under
+charge of his principal scribe to Montezuma, who sent back word
+that he was astonished, indeed, at this work of art, which seemed
+to him to be almost magical; and he sent, in return, a large golden
+goblet to Roger, in token of his satisfaction.
+
+Cacama was summoned to a council on the following day; and
+returned, saying that the picture had quite turned the scale in
+Roger's favor; that it had been examined by the chief scribes and
+the men of science, who all agreed that no such thing had been seen
+before; and that a person who was thus able to turn, as it were, a
+leaf of paper into a mirror, to fix upon it the representation of
+scenes just as the eye beheld them, must be possessed of powers
+altogether strange and supernatural. They desired to know whether
+he would teach his methods to some of the chief scribes of the
+emperor.
+
+Cacama warmly congratulated Roger on the result.
+
+"You are now safe, for the present, at any rate," he said, "and the
+priests are silenced. You may have trouble in the future, but for
+the time Montezuma's love of art has overcome his doubts and fears
+as to good and evil omens."
+
+"Shall I have to take up my residence in Mexico?"
+
+"I hardly think so," Cacama replied. "Tezcuco is still acknowledged
+the center of the arts and sciences of Anahuac. Here are the best
+schools of the scribes, and they come here to be instructed in
+hieroglyphic writing from all parts of the kingdom. Moreover, in
+that way Montezuma will have less uneasiness concerning you. He
+will think that, even if the omens be unfavorable, there will be no
+danger so long as you are at a distance from his capital;
+therefore, I think he is more likely to order some of the scribes
+to take up their residence here, for a time, than he is to bid you
+to cross to teach them there."
+
+Such in fact was the purport of the message received from Montezuma
+on the following day. Six of the most accomplished scribes of
+Mexico were to proceed at once to Tezcuco, there to be instructed
+in the new art; and the next day Roger found himself established in
+a room in the palace, with the six Aztec scribes, and six of those
+most celebrated for their skill in Tezcuco. Some attendants were
+told off to mix colors under his directions, and to purchase for
+him, in the market, all kinds of dyes and colors he might require.
+A male and female slave were, at Roger's request, placed at his
+service to act as models; and the attendants had orders to fetch,
+from the cages and aviaries, any beasts and birds he might desire
+to copy.
+
+Roger had, at first, some difficulty in preserving his gravity at
+thus undertaking charge of an art school. At first he confined
+himself to sketching, from the models, with a burnt stick on the
+white paper, and in seeing that his pupils did the same. Their
+drawing had hitherto been purely conventional. They had always
+drawn a man in a certain way, not because they saw him so, but
+because that was the way in which they had been taught to draw him;
+and he had great difficulty in getting them to depart altogether
+from these lines, and to draw the model exactly as he stood before
+them.
+
+What he called his school hours lasted but four hours a day; and as
+he did this work in the middle of the day, when it was too hot to
+go out, but very pleasant in the rooms with their thick walls and
+semi-shaded windows, it interfered but little with his daily life.
+He had now a set of apartments next to those of Cuitcatl, with
+attendants to wait upon him; but his time was spent as much in the
+young noble's rooms as in his own. In the morning they walked
+together, either in the town or beyond its walls. In the evening
+they spent hours upon the lake, sometimes in large canoes with gay
+parties, the boats decked with flowers; while at a short distance
+another boat with musicians followed in their wake, the melody,
+which was by no means agreeable to Roger when close, coming softly
+across the water. With Cuitcatl as a guide, Roger visited the
+schools where the young nobles were educated, and which reminded
+him much of that at which he had, for five or six years, been
+taught.
+
+He also frequently witnessed the drilling of the soldiers. This was
+of a very simple character, consisting principally in teaching them
+to move together in masses, and to shoot with a bow. The bows were
+light and the arrows small, and Roger thought that they could
+scarcely be very formidable weapons, even against men clad in
+quilted cotton; for although they might wound and annoy, they could
+seldom kill.
+
+One evening, about five months after his arrival, Roger had just
+returned from an excursion upon the lake; and he and Cuitcatl were
+seated in the latter's rooms, sipping chocolate, when the hangings
+of the door were drawn aside suddenly, and Amenche entered. With an
+exclamation of surprise, the two young men rose to their feet and
+saluted deeply.
+
+"You must fly," she exclaimed to Roger, "and at once. The royal
+boat has just come from Mexico, with two nobles and a guard. They
+have orders to carry you back with them. The news has arrived that
+several floating castles, filled with white men with strange arms
+and animals, have arrived on the coast. Secret council has been
+held, and Montezuma is full of alarm. The priests have decided that
+you are undoubtedly a spy, and must be sacrificed, at once, to the
+gods. I happened to be behind the hanging, heard what was said, and
+hurried away to warn you.
+
+"There is not a moment to lose. Go round to the garden, and conceal
+yourself in the shrubbery near the eagle house. I will tell Cacama
+where you are, and he will come or send down to you, to say what
+had best be done, and where you are to go. Do not delay an instant.
+The orders were urgent, and they will be here in a minute or two to
+seize you.
+
+"Not a word, now. Go! I must not be found here. I will see you
+again," and she was gone.
+
+"Come, my friend," Cuitcatl said; "there is evidently not a moment
+to be lost."
+
+Roger ran into his room; emptied, from a drawer where they were
+lying, the gold ornaments and presents he had received, and tied
+them in a cloth; caught up his sword and then, with Cuitcatl,
+hurried down the passage. Just as they reached the end, they saw a
+party appear at the other extremity, preceded by an official
+carrying torches.
+
+"We are but just in time," the young noble said. "The princess has
+saved your life."
+
+In two or three minutes they were in the garden and keeping
+carefully in the shade of the shrubs, so as to escape the view of
+any who might be sitting at the windows, or on the flat roof of the
+palace, enjoying the lovely evening and the bright moonlight. They
+made their way cautiously down to the eagle house, which lay at the
+other end of the garden, nearly half a mile from the palace. The
+whole thing had come so suddenly upon Roger that he could scarcely
+believe, even now, that his pleasant and tranquil time had come to
+an end, and he was in danger of being dragged away and instantly
+sacrificed.
+
+Scarce a word was spoken until they reached the spot indicated.
+Close to this grew a large patch of bamboos.
+
+"We will take refuge here, for the present," Cuitcatl said. "It is
+hardly likely they will search the gardens at night. It would need
+an army to do so thoroughly. If we hear footsteps approaching, we
+can take refuge inside; and meantime, let us seat ourselves here.
+
+"These must be the people you told us of, the first night you
+came."
+
+"No doubt they are so; but, Cuitcatl, you had best return at once
+to your chamber. You will be missed as well as I shall, and it
+would be suspected that you had a share in my flight; and if I
+should make my escape, the emperor's vengeance may fall on you.
+Pray leave me at once. I should be most unhappy if my misfortunes
+brought trouble upon you. You have been like a brother to me, since
+I came here."
+
+"I should not think of leaving you," the young noble said firmly.
+
+"But you can do me more good by going, Cuitcatl. You will see what
+is taking place there, and may throw them off the scent; while here
+you can do me no good whatever, and indeed might do me harm. Were I
+found here with you, I should be forced to surrender without
+striking a blow; for I should be afraid to resist, lest I should
+bring harm upon you; whereas, if I am alone, I would fight to the
+death rather than surrender. Besides, you will be able to consult
+the princess, and can bring down such things as you may consider
+will aid me in my flight--though how I am to escape the search
+there will be after me is more than I can guess. Pray go at once,
+for the sooner you go the sooner you can bring me back news of what
+is being done up there."
+
+Cuitcatl saw the justice of Roger's reasoning.
+
+"I may, at least, throw them off the scent," he said, "and see
+about preparing for your flight. You promise to hide in the bamboos
+there, if searchers should come in this direction?"
+
+"Certainly I do. I will do all in my power to conceal myself, and
+will only fight if there be no other way."
+
+Cuitcatl at once glided noiselessly off, keeping as before in the
+shadow of the bushes. For an hour and a half Roger remained alone.
+He was sitting under the shadow of the bamboos, and could in a
+moment withdraw himself among them.
+
+At last he thought he heard a slight noise, and drew back towards
+the thick canes. A moment later, however, he stepped forward, as a
+figure he at once recognized advanced across a patch of moonlight
+from the next clump of shrubs.
+
+"All is well so far," Cuitcatl said. "Directly I entered the
+palace, an attendant told me that I was being inquired for, and I
+proceeded straight to the royal apartments. Montezuma's messengers
+were there. They at once asked me if I had seen you. I said yes,
+that we had been walking together, but that you had not returned
+with me, as you said that the night was so lovely you should remain
+out for some time longer. They asked me if I could lead them to
+where you were; but I said that you had not told me which way you
+should go, and you might, for aught I knew, have taken a canoe and
+gone for a moonlight row on the lake, as was often your custom.
+
+"Orders have been issued to the city guard to arrest you,
+immediately, wherever you might be found; and the envoys themselves
+started at once, with the guard they had brought with them, to the
+waterside. Up to that time Cacama, who had not left them, was in
+ignorance what had become of you; and I could see he was anxious,
+and much troubled."
+
+"'Do you know where he is?' he asked me, as soon as we were alone.
+
+"'Would it not be better, your Majesty,' I said, 'that you should
+remain in ignorance? Should he escape, Montezuma will be furious;
+and it might be well that you should be able to affirm, on your
+oath, that you knew nothing of him, and were in no way privy to his
+escape.'
+
+"'But is there a chance of his escaping?' he asked.
+
+"'We will do what we can,' I said; 'and we can do no more. With a
+disguise, a guide, and arms, Roger Hawkshaw may be able to make his
+way through the country, in spite of Montezuma and his army. I
+should think that the best thing will be to get him into a small
+canoe, take him to the end of the lake, and land him near
+Tepechpan. Then he can strike up north, take to the hills there,
+and then journey east. All the roads direct from here will be so
+guarded that it will be impossible to get through. The search will
+be close everywhere; but there will be more chance of escape, on
+that line, than from here.'
+
+"'But how about the guide? Whom can we trust?'
+
+"'I have one of my hunters in the town. He brought some game down
+from my estate today, and was not to return until tomorrow. I know
+where he lodges. He is a brave fellow, and carried my banner in the
+last campaign.'
+
+"'You will let me know before he starts?' the king asked.
+
+"'I will, your Majesty. The moon will not be down for three hours,
+yet, and he cannot attempt to fly until it has set.'
+
+"As I left the royal apartment, one of the female attendants came
+up and, putting her finger on her lip, signed to me to follow her.
+I did so, and she led me to the apartment where the Queen and
+Princess Amenche were awaiting me.
+
+"'You have left your friend safe, Cuitcatl?' the queen said. 'The
+princess has told me the part she has taken in the affair. It was
+foolish, but I cannot blame her, though if Montezuma knew by whose
+means the prey had slipped from his fingers, the least she could
+expect would be to be ordered to retire, for life, to one of the
+temples. Have you formed any plans?'
+
+"I told her what I had thought of.
+
+"'That seems as good a plan as any other,' she said. 'He will need
+paints to disguise himself, the dress of a peasant, and arms.'
+
+"'He has his sword,' I said.
+
+"'He cannot take that. Its golden handle would betray him, at once.
+A heavy woodman's ax, and a bow and spear, would be the most
+suitable.'
+
+"'He shall have them,' I said. 'My hunter shall take them, and
+place them in the canoe, in readiness.'
+
+"'What are you going to do now?'
+
+"'I am going first into the town, to give my hunter his
+instructions, and bid him be at the lake entrance to the gardens,
+half an hour after the moon has set. I shall want the key of the
+gate. Next I shall go down, and tell Roger what preparations have
+been made; and then return here, for it is best I should be seen in
+the palace. Then, just as the moon sets, I shall go down again to
+him.'
+
+"'Come here on your way, Cuitcatl. I shall go down with Amenche to
+say goodbye to him. This obstinate girl has determined to go, and I
+cannot let her go alone.'
+
+"As soon as I left them, I went down to the town and found my
+hunter, who has taken a vow to lay down his life to save you, if
+necessary.
+
+"Here are some peasant's clothes--a coarse cotton mantle, and a
+short skirt. Here is a jar of dye. You had better strip at once,
+and let me color you, and then put on these clothes. It will be too
+dark to see to do it properly, when I return. Besides, time will be
+short then.
+
+"This small jar contains some dye from the juice of a plant which
+will turn your hair black--at least, as they use it for dyeing the
+skins of animals black, I suppose it will affect your hair."
+
+Roger at once took off his gaudy attire, and was stained from head
+to foot with the contents of the jug, and then rubbed his hair with
+the liquid from the smaller vessel. Then he put on the peasant's
+clothes.
+
+"You will pass well, now," Cuitcatl said, heading him out in the
+moonlight, so that he could obtain a good view of him. "It is only
+your height that is against you. Still, some men are taller than
+others; though I never saw one as tall as you, and you will
+certainly be stared at.
+
+"Is there anything else in the way of arms you would like, beside
+the ax and spear?"
+
+"I shall make myself a bow and arrows, when we get fairly away,"
+Roger said.
+
+"I did not know you could use them."
+
+"I could not use such little things as those your people carry; but
+we still use the bow in England, and every boy is obliged, by law,
+to practice with it. With such a bow as I should make, I could send
+an arrow three times as far as those puny weapons of yours, and
+could keep my foes at a distance; whereas, otherwise, they could
+shoot me down as they chose."
+
+"They will not shoot you down," Cuitcatl said. "You may be quite
+sure that the orders will be to take you alive, and this will give
+you a great advantage, if you are attacked. But I must be going up
+now to the palace again, to show myself, for a time, among our
+friends. Just as the moon sets I will be here."
+
+"Will you thank the queen and princess for their kindness," Roger
+said, "and say that, much as I should like to say goodbye to them,
+I would not that they should run any risks by coming to see me?"
+
+"They will come," Cuitcatl said, "unless I am greatly mistaken. The
+princess would come, even if her uncle Montezuma were, himself,
+watching her."
+
+Roger sat down again, and watched the moon going down. He felt a
+certain sense of exhilaration at the thought that he was about to
+enter upon a life of active adventure, again. It had seemed to him,
+lately, that his life was to be spent in this strange country, cut
+off from all chances of ever returning to England; and that, sooner
+or later, he was assuredly destined to form a part of their hideous
+sacrifices. The party against him had been silenced for a moment,
+but would be sure to gather strength again; and he would be called
+upon either to worship these bloodstained idols, or to die.
+
+Life was pleasant enough as it was, at present, with the friendship
+of the young king, and the kindness of the queen and princess; but
+he would soon be tired of it, with its everlasting sunshine, and
+its flowers, and its idleness.
+
+At last the moon set, and in a few minutes he heard footsteps
+approaching, and Cuitcatl and two veiled figures came up. The queen
+came straight up to him.
+
+"We are very sorry to lose you, Roger Hawkshaw," she said, gently;
+"and were there a hope of doing so successfully, we would defy the
+cruel orders from Montezuma. But it would bring ruin on our
+people."
+
+"I know that it cannot be done, Madam," Roger said. "I thank you
+and the king, most heartily, for all your kindness to me. If I
+escape to my own country, I shall remember it all my life; and I
+will pray, to the God we worship, to give you happiness."
+
+"Take this," the queen said, putting a small bag into his hand.
+"You have told me that these gems are as much prized among your
+people as they are here, and you can more easily conceal them than
+gold. I have taken them, with the king's permission, from the royal
+treasure; and should you reach your distant home in safety, they
+ought to make you rich for the rest of your life.
+
+"And now, farewell. Whatever the priests may say, Cacama and I know
+that you came as a friend, and meant us no harm.
+
+"Now, Amenche," she said, "come and say goodbye."
+
+The girl came forward slowly. She took Roger's hand, and gazed up
+into his face. She seemed to try to speak, and then Roger felt her
+sway suddenly, and caught her just as she would have fallen.
+
+"Give her to me," the queen said. "It is best so, by far.
+
+"Hurry away, Roger. You have done harm enough, without meaning it.
+
+"Cuitcatl, take him away, at once."
+
+The young noble took Roger's hand, and hurried him away.
+
+"What is the matter?" he asked, bewildered. "What did the queen
+mean--that I had done harm enough?"
+
+"Do you mean to say that you have not seen that Amenche loves you?"
+
+"I never dreamed of such a thing," Roger exclaimed.
+
+"Cacama and the queen, and all of us who have seen her with you,
+knew it long ago; and had it not been for this unlucky news, today,
+Cacama would, in a short time, have offered you her hand. There has
+been a scene tonight between her and her brother; for she declared
+that she would go with you, and share your dangers, whatever they
+might be. She has for the last three hours been confined in her
+chamber, and she was only allowed to come down to say goodbye to
+you, on her swearing that she would return with the queen to her
+room."
+
+"I am awfully sorry," Roger said. "I never dreamed of such a thing.
+The princess has always been very kind to me, but I should never
+have thought of raising my eyes so high. Besides, as I have told
+you, I am still scarce a man; and with us, one does not think of
+marriage until he is five or six years older than I am."
+
+"No one blames you at all," Cuitcatl said. "The king and queen both
+told her that they were sure you had not thought of her in that
+way; though they naturally supposed that, had you remained here,
+you would have gladly formed such an alliance when it was offered
+you. However, it is no use talking any more about it. You will have
+difficulties enough before you, and would have had no chance
+whatever of getting through them, if encumbered with her.
+
+"Cacama told her so, but she scoffed at the idea of danger. Mexican
+women, when they love, are ready for any sacrifice. Cacama did not
+press that, but chiefly spoke of the terrible scandal it would be,
+were she--his sister and the niece of Montezuma--to be brought back
+with you, a captive."
+
+They were now at the gate. Cuitcatl opened it, and locked it again
+after him. A figure was standing outside.
+
+"This is my follower. You may rely upon him to serve you, to the
+last.
+
+"Bathalda, this is my white friend. You will serve him as you would
+me."
+
+The man took Roger's hand, and carried it to his forehead.
+
+"My life is yours, my lord," he said.
+
+"Is everything ready, Bathalda?" asked Cuitcatl.
+
+"Yes, my lord. I have the canoe hidden among the rocks, with the
+arms and some food. It is but a few hundred yards away."
+
+"Let us be off then, at once," Cuitcatl said.
+
+The man led the way down to the lake, and then along the shore for
+some little distance.
+
+"There is the canoe," he said.
+
+Cuitcatl embraced Roger.
+
+"I wish that I could go with you, my white brother, and share your
+dangers down to the coast," he said; "but I could aid you but
+little, and my life would be forfeited on my return. May the gods
+of Mexico, and the God you worship, protect you.
+
+"It may be--who knows?--that some day you may return hither.
+Cuitcatl's heart will be rejoiced to see you."
+
+"Thank you for all your kindness," Roger said. "Whatever befalls
+me, I shall never forget it. Thank Cacama for all he has done in my
+favor, and say goodbye for me to the princess. Tell her that it is
+better so, for that so soft a flower would soon droop, and pine
+away, in my cold country."
+
+Roger took his seat in the canoe, Bathalda seized the paddle, and
+the little boat shot out from the shore. For some distance they
+kept close in under the shadow of the land, Bathalda saying that
+two or three royal canoes were rowing up and down, opposite the
+town, and that every canoe putting off had been stopped and
+questioned. Several times, when the sound of a paddle was heard out
+on the lake, Bathalda stopped rowing for a time; but after keeping
+close to the shore for an hour, he struck out more boldly and,
+after two hours' further rowing, approached the shore again.
+
+"This is the point where we must land," he said. "Four hours'
+walking will take us among the hills; but before we leave the canoe
+we will half fill it with stones, then knock a hole in her bottom
+and push her out into the lake to sink. Were she found here in the
+morning, it might afford a clue as to the way we had taken."
+
+This was done, and then they started for the hills. Alone, Roger
+would have had great difficulty in making his way along the paths
+running between the cultivated fields; but his companion led the
+way without hesitation, seeing, apparently, as well as if it had
+been broad daylight. Roger carried the ax, which was a heavy one,
+on one shoulder; and in the other hand the spear, which he used as
+a walking stick.
+
+Before daylight broke they were ascending the hills, which were
+wild and rugged. They passed several villages lying high up on
+rugged hilltops, and inaccessible, save by ladders, which could be
+drawn up in case of attack.
+
+"The tribes here have only recently been conquered," Bathalda said.
+"They pay tribute to Mexico, but are a wild race; and as there is
+nothing to be obtained from them but hard knocks, they are but
+little interfered with."
+
+Getting deeper among the hills, Bathalda, just as morning was
+breaking, led the way up a ravine down which a little stream
+trickled, and found a resting place among a number of great rocks
+that had fallen from above.
+
+"Here," he said, "we shall be perfectly safe for the day. It is not
+likely that even a shepherd will enter this ravine, and if he does,
+he is not likely to come upon us here. First, let us eat our
+breakfast; and then we will lie down, and sleep till evening. I
+will keep watch if you like, but I do not think there is any
+occasion for it."
+
+"Not the least," Roger agreed. "We had both better get what sleep
+we can. We shall have a long tramp before us, tonight."
+
+They were undisturbed during the day and, as soon as the sun set,
+were again on their feet. The journey was a toilsome one. The
+country was so broken that they were continually either climbing
+the steep hills or descending into the valleys. After the moon had
+set they were forced to come to a halt, for some hours, finding it
+impossible to climb the steep hills in the darkness. With the first
+light of day they were again in motion, and continued walking for
+some hours.
+
+"There," Bathalda said at last, as he gained the brow of the hill,
+"that is the plateau land. The town you see there, away on our
+right, is Otompan. Now we will keep due west. There are no large
+towns now, till we reach Tlatlanquitepec and Perote. From that
+point our danger will be the greatest, for all the roads across the
+mountains are sure to be watched. The guards at the station houses
+on these roads have, no doubt, by this time had orders to look for
+you and arrest you; but by traveling at night, we may pass them
+safely.
+
+"We may as well enter that field of maize, and lie down until
+evening. After that we will follow a path till we gain a main road,
+and then travel straight on. We can go so much faster on a road
+than through the fields; and I know where the post houses are
+situated, so we can make a detour to avoid them."
+
+That night they walked, as far as Roger could guess, fifty miles,
+and again entered a very hilly country. In the morning they left
+the road and encamped in a wood, far up the hillside. During the
+day they saw several parties of troops following the road; and many
+couriers passed along, at a swift run.
+
+"The whole country is up," Bathalda said. "We shall have to be very
+careful, in future."
+
+The first night, while passing through the low, hot country near
+the lake, Roger had cut a strong bamboo; together with a bundle of
+smaller rods, suitable for arrows. Bathalda had brought with him a
+bag of sharp obsidian arrowheads, and some feathers for winging
+them, together with a bowstring of twice the ordinary strength. He
+had looked on with amusement when Roger cut the bamboo, making it,
+as was the custom of English archers, of his own height.
+
+"My lord is not intending that, surely, for a bow?" he said.
+
+"Yes, Bathalda, I think that will do well," Roger said, trying with
+his knee the stiffness of the cane.
+
+At the halt next day, Roger had cut the notches for the string.
+
+"Now, Bathalda," he said, "can you string this?"
+
+"No, my lord; nor can any other man."
+
+"I think it is about the strength of the bows we use at home,"
+Roger said. "The stringing them is a matter of knack, as well as of
+strength."
+
+And, to the amazement of the Aztec, he strung the bow.
+
+"Now," said he, "let us make some arrows. They should be a cloth
+yard in length--that is, from the middle of my chest to the end of
+my middle finger."
+
+A dozen of the light bamboos were cut to this length. The huntsman
+fitted the obsidian points to them, and Roger stepped back a
+hundred yards from the small tree, with a trunk some six inches in
+diameter, under whose shade they had been sitting. Then he fitted
+the arrow to the string, bent the bow to its head, and loosed the
+arrow. It struck the trunk, but glanced off.
+
+"I am out of practice, indeed," he said, "or I should have hit that
+fair in the center."
+
+To the huntsman, however, the shot seemed well-nigh miraculous, the
+distance being twice as great as the Mexican bows would carry, with
+anything like accuracy; while the speed with which the arrow flew,
+and the distance it went after glancing from the tree, showed that
+it would have been fatal at least fifty yards beyond the object
+aimed at. Taking the bow from Roger, he fitted another arrow in and
+tried to bend it; but with all his efforts could only draw the
+arrow four or five inches.
+
+"It is wonderful," he said, returning the weapon to Roger. "If I
+had not seen it done, I could not have believed it."
+
+"It is merely a matter of practice," Roger said. "My people are
+famous for their dexterity with the bow, and I have seen men hit a
+mark no bigger than the palm of my hand, ten times in succession,
+at that distance."
+
+The next time they halted, Bathalda made the rest of the bamboos
+into arrows and, making a quiver of the bark of a tree, hung them
+over his shoulder. Roger left his spear behind; using the bow,
+which he had unstrung, as a walking staff. Bathalda offered to
+carry the spear, in addition to his own weapon, but Roger told him
+that he did not care about it.
+
+"If it should come to a hand-to-hand fight," he said, "I would
+rather rely on my ax. Besides, the bow, now it is unstrung, makes
+an excellent quarterstaff, a weapon with which I have practiced a
+great deal. With a spear your people would know quite as much as I
+should; but I fancy that, with a quarterstaff, I should astonish
+them. It has the advantage, too, that it disables without killing;
+and as your soldiers would only be doing their duty in arresting
+me, I should be sorry to do them more harm than I could help.
+
+"There were a great many men on the road below there, today."
+
+"A great many, my lord; and no doubt the garrisons of the two towns
+we shall have to pass tonight will be all out, and on the watch.
+This is the most dangerous part of the journey. The mountains are
+rugged, and there are only certain passes by which we can travel,
+and they are sure to be watched narrowly. They will guess that we
+shall travel by night."
+
+"I suppose it will not be possible to make a detour, either to the
+south or north?"
+
+The Aztec shook his head.
+
+"To the north lie terrible mountains, of whose passes I know
+nothing. Our provisions are exhausted, and we must, in future,
+depend upon maize and other things we can pick by the way. Were we
+to go there, we should find nothing.
+
+"To the south lies Tlascala, whose people are independent of
+Montezuma. They are fierce and warlike, and would seize and offer
+you to the gods, without pity."
+
+"Still, they would not be on the lookout for us; and we might,
+therefore, pass through their country without being seen."
+
+"We might do so, my lord," Bathalda agreed.
+
+"At any rate," Roger said, "it seems to me that there would be more
+chance, in that direction, than in going straight forward. From
+what you say, it seems well-nigh impossible for us to get through
+the passes ahead of us, without being captured."
+
+Accordingly, when night fell they struck off to the south. The
+journey was a very toilsome one, for they were now crossing the
+spurs of the hills, running far down into the plateau. As before,
+they had to halt when the moon set, but continued their way at
+daybreak.
+
+"There is a road down in the valley there," Roger said, after three
+hours' more walking.
+
+Bathalda stood looking down, for some time.
+
+"I know it, now," he said. "It is the last road north of Tlascala,
+and runs from Huejotlipan to Yxtacamaxtitlan. We are already east
+of Tlascala, and about fifteen miles from Yxtacamaxtitlan. If we
+get past that town without accident, we shall then have to cross
+the Pass of Obispo, over the great range of mountains, and come
+down near Naulinco. Once past that town our dangers will be over,
+for there are few towns and villages in the Tierra Caliente. Our
+great danger will lie in the pass. There are but two or three roads
+across these mountains, and they will know that we must follow
+them."
+
+"Well, we must take our chance," Roger said. "So far we have met
+with no difficulties, whatever, and provided we don't come across
+too large a force, we ought to be able to manage to get through. I
+noticed there were trees right through the pass I came over; and I
+see the country ahead is thickly wooded. How far is the pass from
+where we are now?"
+
+"About thirty miles. It is where you see that cleft in the great
+line of hills."
+
+"Well, we can get near it before the moon sets, and will try to
+pass through by daylight. It would be useless attempting to make
+our way through the trees at night; and if we have to fight, I
+would rather do so in the light. We will lie down now, for I own I
+am completely tired out."
+
+
+
+Chapter 11: Cortez.
+
+
+The expedition, whose arrival had caused such excitement in Mexico,
+was commanded by Hernando Cortez, a man who united in his person
+all the gifts requisite for a great leader of men. He possessed a
+handsome person, great strength and skill at arms, extraordinary
+courage and daring, singular powers of conciliation and of bringing
+others to his way of thinking, pleasing and courteous demeanor, a
+careless and easy manner which concealed great sagacity and wisdom,
+an inexhaustible flow of spirits, and an iron determination.
+
+Born in Estremadura in 1485, of an ancient and respectable family,
+he was--like many others who have distinguished themselves as great
+soldiers--while at school and college remarkable rather for
+mischievous freaks, and disregard of authority, than for love of
+learning. At the age of seventeen he had exhausted his parents'
+patience, and was on the point of starting with the expedition of
+Ovando, the successor to Columbus, when he so injured himself by a
+fall, incurred in one of his wild escapades, that he was unable to
+sail with it. Two years later, however, he went out in a merchant
+vessel to the Indies.
+
+On reaching Hispaniola Ovando, who was governor of the island,
+received him kindly, and gave him a grant of land and a number of
+Indians to till it. The quiet life of the planter, however, little
+suited the restless young fellow; and after taking part in several
+military expeditions against insurgent natives, under the command
+of Diego Velasquez, he sailed in 1511, with that officer, to
+undertake the conquest of Cuba.
+
+He displayed great courage and activity during the campaign, and
+his cheerful manner and fund of high spirits made him a great
+favorite with the soldiers. When the fighting was over, Cortez soon
+became discontented with the quiet life in the island, and joined a
+party of men who were disaffected to Velasquez, owing to their not
+having received such rewards as they considered their services
+merited. Cortez undertook to carry their complaints to the Governor
+of Hispaniola, and was about starting when the matter came to the
+ears of Velasquez, who seized him, put him in irons, and threw him
+into prison. He was not long in making his escape, and sought
+sanctuary in a church; but a few days later, when carelessly
+strolling outside its walls, he was again seized and imprisoned.
+
+He was put on board a ship to be sent to Hispaniola, there to be
+tried for exciting disaffection and revolt; but at night, before
+she set sail, he managed to free himself from his irons, gain the
+deck, and swim ashore, where he again took refuge in the church.
+Here several influential people interfered on his behalf--among
+them the family of Catalina Xuares, a young lady to whom he was
+engaged--and a reconciliation was brought about between him and the
+governor. Cortez received a large estate, with an ample number of
+Indians for its cultivation; married, and settled down, and for
+some years devoted himself to agriculture and gold mining.
+
+Success attended him, and he accumulated some three thousand
+castalanos--a considerable sum. So he might have lived and died,
+had not the news of discoveries made by Grijalva--who had sailed
+west and discovered Yucatan, and traded with Tabasco, and had
+returned with a good deal of gold and wonderful tales of fabulous
+wealth, existing in a great nation farther to the north--caused an
+excitement in the islands. The governor at once prepared to fit out
+a large expedition, and among the many who offered to undertake its
+command, and to contribute largely towards its expenses, he finally
+selected Cortez, who had gained the ear and influence of the
+governor's secretary, Duero, and the royal treasurer, Lares.
+
+Cortez was appointed captain general of the expedition, and at once
+set to work, with his accustomed energy, to gather material for it.
+He not only contributed all the fortune he had made, but raised
+funds by mortgaging his estates to their full value, and by
+borrowing money from merchants and others, on security of the
+wealth that was to be acquired by the expedition.
+
+His personal popularity in the island enabled him to gather
+numerous recruits, and many of his intimate friends, who joined
+him, assisted him from their own resources or by raising money on
+their estates. Velasquez himself contributed comparatively little
+towards the expenses, which were almost entirely borne by Cortez
+and his friends.
+
+Six ships were fitted out, and three hundred recruits enrolled. The
+instructions Cortez received were first to find Grijalva and,
+joining company with him, to visit Yucatan, and endeavor to rescue
+six Christians who were reported as still living there, the
+survivors of a vessel wrecked, years before, on the coast. He was
+to make a survey of the whole coastline, to acquaint himself with
+the natural productions of the country, and with the character and
+institutions of the native races. He was to barter with the
+natives, and to treat them with kindness and humanity, and to
+remember, above all things, that the object the emperor had most at
+heart was the conversion of the Indians. He was to invite them to
+give in their allegiance to the king, and to send such presents as
+would ensure his favor and protection. The governor gave no
+directions for colonizing or conquering, having received no warrant
+from Spain that would enable him to invest his agent with such
+powers.
+
+But while Cortez was preparing to start, many of the leading men of
+the island, who were jealous of his rapid rise, roused the
+suspicions of Velasquez against him; saying that, when he had once
+sailed, he would no longer recognize the governor's authority, and
+would be thinking only of winning renown and wealth for himself.
+Velasquez determined to appoint another commander, but Duero and
+Lares, to whom he confided his intentions, at once informed Cortez
+of them. With the same promptitude that always distinguished him in
+moments of danger, Cortez went round to his officers after
+nightfall, got them and his men on board, visited the contractor,
+carried off all his stock of meat (giving him a massive gold chain
+in security for payment), and before daybreak the fleet left its
+moorings and the sails were hoisted.
+
+As soon as the news was carried to Velasquez, he hurriedly dressed
+and rowed down to the shore. Cortez, when he saw him, got into a
+boat and rowed to within speaking distance.
+
+"This is a courteous way of taking leave, indeed!" the angry
+governor said.
+
+"I was pressed for time," Cortez replied. "There are some things
+that should be done even before they are thought of. Has your
+Excellency any orders?"
+
+Velasquez saw, by the innuendo in the words of Cortez, that the
+latter was aware of his intention to deprive him of his command. He
+had no orders to give, for it was evident that Cortez would not
+obey them. The latter therefore returned to his vessel, and the
+fleet instantly set sail for the port of Macaca. This was in
+November, 1516.
+
+The act of Cortez was doubtless one of insubordination; but, after
+he had embarked the whole of his resources in the expedition, and
+had received the command from the governor, this being ratified by
+the authorities of Hispaniola, it could hardly be expected that he
+would submit to disgrace and ruin being brought, not only upon
+himself, but upon all the friends who had aided him in the
+enterprise. At Macaca Cortez laid in some more stores, and then
+sailed for Trinidad, an important town on the southern coast of
+Cuba. Here he issued proclamations inviting recruits to join him.
+These came in in considerable numbers, among them a hundred men
+from Grijalva's ship, which had just before reached the port.
+
+What was still more important, several cavaliers of high family and
+standing joined him: among them the Alvarados, Olid, Avila,
+Velasquez de Leon (a near relation of the governor), and Sandoval.
+He purchased at Trinidad large military stores and provisions.
+While he was taking these and other steps to strengthen his
+position, Verdugo, the commander of the town, received letters from
+Velasquez ordering him to seize Cortez; but upon his communicating
+these orders to the principal officers of the expedition, they
+pointed out to him that, if he attempted to take such a grave step,
+the soldiers and sailors would certainly resist it, and the town
+would not improbably be laid in ashes. The expedition then sailed
+round the island to Havana, where Cortez completed his preparations;
+and in spite of another ineffectual attempt of Velasquez to detain
+him, set sail.
+
+In the time that had intervened between the inception of the
+expedition and its departure, the historians agree that a
+remarkable change had come over Cortez. He was still frank and
+pleasant in his manner, courteous and cheery with all; but he was
+no longer the gay, careless character who had been liked, but
+scarcely greatly respected, in the island. His whole actions were
+marked by an air of resolute determination and authority. He
+himself superintended every detail of work and exhibited a
+thoughtfulness, prudence, and caution that seemed alien to his
+former character. He was immensely popular both among his soldiers
+and officers, but all felt that he was entitled to their respect as
+well as their liking, and that he was not only commander, but
+thoroughly master, of the expedition.
+
+Although extremely careless himself as to food, comfort, or
+appearance, he now assumed the state befitting his appointment and
+authority. He dressed handsomely but quietly, appointed officers
+and domestics for his household, and placed it on the footing of a
+man of high station. Before sailing he dispatched a letter to
+Velasquez, begging him to rely on his devotion to his interests.
+
+On February 10th, 1519, the expedition started. It consisted of
+eleven vessels, only one of which was as large as a hundred tons;
+of a hundred and ten sailors, five hundred and fifty-three
+soldiers, and two hundred Indians of the islands. There were ten
+heavy guns and four light ones, and sixteen horses.
+
+Before sailing, Cortez gave an address to his soldiers, and aroused
+their enthusiasm to the utmost. He had the advantage of obtaining
+the services, as chief pilot, of Alaminos, a veteran who had acted
+as pilot to Columbus on his last voyage, and to Grijalva in his
+late expedition. Soon after they started they met with a storm, and
+put in at the island of Cozumal; and Cortez thence sent Ordaz to
+Yucatan, to try to recover the captives said to be there. That
+officer returned without tidings, but before the fleet sailed a
+canoe arrived containing one of them, Aquilar, who had been wrecked
+there eight years previously. He had been a priest, and had so won
+the esteem and reverence of the barbarians among whom he lived,
+that they had with great reluctance allowed him to depart, in
+exchange for glass beads and other trinkets promised by Ordaz.
+
+The fleet now sailed along the coast of Yucatan, until they reached
+the mouth of the Tabasco River, where Grijalva had carried on so
+profitable a trade. Leaving the ships at anchor they ascended the
+river in boats; but instead of meeting with the friendly reception
+that Grijalva had done, they found the banks lined with the
+natives, whose menacing attitude showed that a landing would be
+opposed.
+
+After solemnly summoning them to surrender, Cortez landed. The
+natives fought bravely, but were unable to resist the astounding
+effect of the Spaniards' firearms; and the invaders, advancing,
+drove them back and took possession of the town, which was found to
+be deserted.
+
+Two strong parties were sent out next morning to reconnoiter, but
+were attacked and driven back to the town. They reported that the
+whole country was under arms. Cortez was much vexed at finding
+himself thus engaged in a war, from which no benefit was to be
+gained; but he felt that it would impair the confidence of his
+troops, were he now to draw back. He therefore landed six of the
+guns and the horses, and the following day sallied out to the
+attack. Ordaz commanded the infantry, while Cortez himself led the
+little body of cavalry, the horses being mounted by the cavaliers
+of the party.
+
+After marching a league, the infantry came in sight of the enemy.
+The natives attacked them as they were struggling through deeply
+irrigated ground, poured volleys of missiles of all kinds upon
+them, and wounded many before they could get across to solid
+ground, where they could bring the guns into play. But even these,
+and the discharges of musketry did not appall the natives, who
+pressed forward with such fury that, after the engagement had
+lasted an hour, the position of the Spaniards became perilous in
+the extreme.
+
+But at this moment Cortez and his companions, who had been
+compelled to make a great detour, owing to the difficult nature of
+the ground, fell suddenly upon the rear of the enemy. The latter,
+who had never before seen horses, and who believed that horse and
+rider were the same animal, were seized with a sudden panic at this
+extraordinary apparition. The panic speedily communicated itself to
+the whole army, and while the cavalry trampled down and slaughtered
+many in the rear, the infantry charged, and the Indians fled in
+wild confusion.
+
+Great numbers had fallen, whilst on the Christian side a few only
+were killed, and a hundred wounded. No pursuit was attempted.
+Cortez released the prisoners taken in battle, among whom were two
+chiefs, and sent them to their countrymen, with a message that he
+would forgive the past if they would at once come in and tender
+their submission; otherwise he would ride over the land, and put
+every living creature to the sword. The Tabascans, cowed by the
+dreadful thunder weapons, and by the astounding armed creatures
+that had fallen upon them, had no wish for further fighting, and
+the principal caziques soon came in with offerings to propitiate
+the Spaniards.
+
+Among these were twenty female slaves--one of whom turned out a
+more valuable gift to the Spaniards than all the other presents,
+put together. Among the gifts were only a few small gold ornaments,
+and when asked where the metal was procured, they pointed to the
+northwest and said Mexico. As there was nothing to be done here,
+the Spaniards prepared to depart; but before doing so insisted on
+the people consenting to become Christians. As they had but little
+idea of what was required by them, and were in no mood for argument
+with the Spaniards, a solemn mass was held, at which the whole
+people became nominally Christians.
+
+Re-embarking, the Spaniards sailed along the coast, until they
+reached the island of San Juan de Uloa, and anchored in the strait
+between it and the mainland. A canoe speedily came off from the
+latter, with presents of fruit and flowers, and small gold
+trinkets, which the natives willingly bartered with the Spaniards.
+Cortez was, however, unable to converse with them; for Aquilar, who
+had acted as interpreter with the Tabascans, was unable to
+understand their dialect. Presently, however, the female slaves
+informed him that one of their number, named Malinche, was a native
+of Mexico, and spoke that language as well as the tongue of the
+Tabascans. She was at once installed as interpreter--she informing
+Aquilar what the Mexicans said, and he interpreting it to Cortez.
+By this means he learned that the Indians were subjects of the
+great Mexican Empire, which was ruled over by a monarch named
+Montezuma, whose capital lay seventy leagues from the coast.
+
+A strong force at once landed on the mainland, and threw up a
+fortified camp. The Mexicans came in, in crowds, with fruit,
+vegetables, flowers, and other articles, which they bartered with
+the Spaniards. They brought news that the Mexican governor of the
+province intended to visit them, the next day.
+
+Before noon, he arrived with his numerous suite. A banquet was
+served to them, and then, in answer to the cazique's inquiries as
+to the objects of their visit, he was informed by Cortez that he
+was the subject of a great monarch beyond the seas, who ruled over
+a vast empire; and that, hearing of the greatness of the Mexican
+Emperor, he had sent him as an envoy, with a present in token of
+his goodwill, and a message which he must deliver in person. The
+cazique said that he would send couriers with the royal gift to
+Montezuma; and that, as soon as he had learned his will, he would
+communicate it.
+
+He then presented ten slave loads of fine cottons, mantles of rich
+feather work, and a basket filled with gold ornaments to Cortez;
+who then handed over the presents intended for Montezuma. These
+consisted of a richly carved and painted armchair, a crimson cap
+with a gold medal, and a quantity of collars, bracelets, and other
+ornaments of cut glass.
+
+Cortez observed one of the cazique's attendants busy sketching, and
+found that he was drawing the Spaniards, their costumes, and arms.
+This was the picture writing of the Aztecs, and the chief informed
+him that the pictures would be sent to Montezuma. In order to
+impress the monarch, Cortez ordered the cavalry to maneuver, and
+the cannon to be fired; and these exhibitions, as well as the
+ships, were faithfully depicted by the artist. The chief then took
+his leave.
+
+Eight days later an embassy arrived from Montezuma, with an
+enormous quantity of extremely valuable presents--shields, helmets,
+cuirasses, collars and bracelets of gold; crests of variegated
+feathers sprinkled with pearls and precious stones; birds and
+animals in excellent workmanship in gold and silver; curtains,
+coverings, and robes of the finest cotton of rich colors,
+interwoven with marvelous feather work. Among the presents were two
+circular plates of gold and silver, as large as cartwheels--the
+value of the silver wheel was estimated at five thousand pounds,
+that of the gold one at fifty-five thousand.
+
+The Spaniards were astounded at this display of treasure, and
+delighted at the prospect it opened to them. The ambassadors,
+however, brought a message from the emperor, saying that he
+regretted much that he could not have a personal interview with
+them, the distance from his capital being too great, and the
+journey beset with difficulties and dangers; and that all that
+could be done, therefore, was for them to return to their own land,
+with the proofs thus afforded of his friendly disposition.
+
+Cortez was much mortified by the refusal, but requested the envoys
+to lay before the emperor his immense desire for a personal
+interview with him, and that the dangers of a short land journey
+were as nothing to one who had accomplished so long a voyage over
+the sea to see him. The Mexicans repeated their assurance that his
+application would be unavailing, and left with some coldness of
+manner. The effect of their displeasure at the insistence of the
+Spaniards was soon manifest, the natives ceasing to bring in
+provisions.
+
+While awaiting the emperor's reply, the soldiers suffered greatly
+from the heat and the effluvia from the neighboring marshes. Thirty
+died, and as the anchorage was exposed to the northern gales,
+Cortez decided to sail north as soon as the answer to his last
+application was received, and sent off two vessels to see where a
+safe port could be found. Ten days after the departure of the
+envoys they returned with a large quantity of fresh presents, but
+with a positive refusal on the part of the emperor to allow them to
+advance near the capital, and a request that, now they had obtained
+what they most desired, they would at once return to their own
+country.
+
+Four days later the ships returned, with the news that they had
+found but one sheltered port, and that the country round it was
+well watered and favorable for a camp.
+
+The soldiers, however, were now growing discontented. The treasure
+already acquired was large, the unhealthiness of the climate had
+alarmed them, and the proofs of the wealth and greatness of the
+Mexican Empire had convinced them that it needed a vastly larger
+force than that which Cortez had under his orders to undertake an
+expedition against it; for the courage showed by the Tabascans had
+proved conclusively that, ill armed as they were, the natives were
+not to be despised.
+
+Fortunately for Cortez, five Indians made their appearance in camp
+one morning. Their dress and appearance were wholly different from
+those of the Aztecs, and they spoke a different language, but
+Malinche--who had been baptized, and christened Marina, by Father
+Olmedo, the leading priest of the expedition--found that two of
+them could converse in Aztec. They said that they were Totonacs,
+and had come from Cempoalla, their capital. They had been but
+recently conquered by the Aztecs, and were so oppressed by them
+that they were anxious to throw off their yoke, and they came to
+ask the wonderful strangers, of whom they had heard, to visit them.
+
+Cortez at once saw the immense importance of the communication.
+Hitherto he had regarded the Mexican Empire as a great and united
+power, against which success with so small a force was impossible;
+but now that he saw it was composed of subjugated peoples, many of
+whom would gladly ally themselves with him against their
+conquerors, the enterprise wore a far more hopeful aspect. He
+dismissed the Indians with presents, and a promise to visit their
+country, shortly.
+
+He talked the matter over with his principal friends, who were as
+reluctant as he was, himself, to abandon the enterprise and return
+to Cuba, where the governor would appropriate the largest share of
+the spoils they had taken. They accordingly went about among the
+soldiery, urging them to persuade the general to establish a
+permanent colony in the country. It was true that he had no
+authority from Velasquez to do so, but the interests of the emperor
+and of Spain--to say nothing of their own--were of more importance
+than those of the Governor of Cuba.
+
+This talk reached the ears of the special friends and adherents of
+Velasquez; who, going to Cortez, remonstrated with him against such
+proceedings. He said that nothing was farther from his desires than
+to exceed his instructions, and on the following morning issued a
+proclamation to the troops, ordering them to prepare for
+embarkation. The sensation caused among the troops was great, and
+his partisans thronged round his tent, calling upon him to
+countermand his orders and form a settlement. Cortez, after due
+hesitation, gave in to their wishes, nominated magistrates, and
+proclaimed the territory a colony of Spain. As soon as the new
+magistrates and officers came together, Cortez came before them and
+tendered his resignation of his office as captain general, but was
+re-nominated not only captain general, but Chief Justice of the
+colony.
+
+The partisans of Velasquez were most indignant at the whole
+proceedings, and so violent were some of the leaders that Cortez
+put them in irons, and sent them on board ship. Then he set to work
+with the soldiers, and soon brought them round; and the prisoners
+on board being also won over, the whole army, re-embarking, sailed
+up the coast until they reached the port before discovered and,
+landing, set out for Cempoalla.
+
+They were delighted with the country, which was rich and fertile;
+and as they neared the town, the natives poured out with lively
+demonstrations of welcome, the women throwing garlands of flowers
+round the necks of the soldiers. They were greatly struck with the
+town, although it was but a small place in comparison with those
+they were afterwards to see. Cortez lost no time in sending off a
+vessel to Spain, with dispatches to the emperor; and his influence
+over the soldiers was so great that they, as well as the officers,
+relinquished all their shares of the treasure they had gained, in
+order that a worthy present should be sent home to their monarch.
+
+In his dispatches Cortez related all that had befallen them,
+dilated on the prospect of annexing so rich a country to the
+Spanish dominions, and asked for a confirmation of his acts, and
+for an authorization for the magistrates of the new town, which was
+called Villa Rica de Vera Cruz. The ship touched at Cuba, but
+continued its voyage before Velasquez, who was furious at the news
+of the important discoveries made by Cortez, could stop it.
+
+Scarcely had the ship sailed when Cortez discovered that a
+conspiracy was on foot, among the partisans of Velasquez, to seize
+one of the vessels and to sail away to Cuba. The conspirators were
+seized, two of them executed and others flogged; but the discovery
+that there were a number of timid spirits in the camp, who might
+seriously interfere with his plans, greatly annoyed Cortez, and he
+took the extraordinary resolution of destroying all the ships.
+Through some of his devoted friends he bribed the captains of the
+vessels to fall in with his views; and they appeared before him,
+and made a solemn report that the ships were worm eaten and unfit
+for sea. Cortez pretended great surprise, and ordered everything
+movable to be brought ashore, and the ships to be sunk.
+
+Nine vessels were so destroyed, and but one small craft was left
+afloat. When the news reached the troops at Cempoalla, they were
+filled with consternation. It seemed to them that nothing but
+destruction awaited them, and from murmurings they broke out into
+mutiny.
+
+Cortez however, as usual, speedily allayed the tumult. He pointed
+out that his loss was the greatest, since the ships were his
+property; and that the troops would in fact derive great advantage
+by it, since it would swell their force by a hundred men, who must
+otherwise have remained in charge of the vessels. He urged them to
+place their confidence in him, and they might rely upon it that
+success would attend their efforts. If there were any cowards
+there, they might take the remaining ship and sail to Cuba with it,
+and wait patiently there until the army returned, laden with the
+spoils of the Aztecs.
+
+The troops at once returned to their duty, and declared their
+readiness to follow him, wheresoever he would. Without further
+delay, Cortez, taking with him a number of natives to act as
+carriers, set out on his march towards Mexico.
+
+
+
+Chapter 12: The Fugitives.
+
+
+At nightfall Roger and his guide continued their journey, but now
+moved with great caution, keeping but a short distance from the
+road. Several times they saw fires burning, and had to take long
+detours to avoid them. Consequently the moon had set when they were
+still more than ten miles from the pass. Next morning they
+continued their journey, avoiding as much as possible crossing
+tracts of cultivated land; and when forced to do so, lying down and
+crawling between the rows of the maize or yuccas.
+
+"They are sure to have scouts, high up on the mountainside,"
+Bathalda said; "and they thence can look down upon all these
+fields; and although, as we cross them we are perfectly hidden from
+people standing on the same level, they can see us clearly enough
+from there."
+
+"The distance is very great to make out a man."
+
+"The air is very clear, my lord, in these mountains; and a figure
+can be seen a vast distance off. However, we can do nothing but
+what we are doing, and must take our chance."
+
+"If we are attacked," Roger said, "we must make straight up the
+mountains. Steep as they may be, there are few places where active
+men cannot climb, and numbers would avail nothing if we once got up
+among those heights."
+
+They were now mounting rapidly towards the pass. The country was
+still thickly wooded, but Bathalda said that in the narrowest part
+of the pass there were no trees, and it was here that the danger
+would be greatest.
+
+As they neared the mouth of the gorge they moved with the greatest
+care, keeping their eyes in every direction. Presently Bathalda
+stopped, and held up his hand. Roger listened.
+
+"They are coming behind us," Bathalda said. "They must have made us
+out in the distance, and have sent a party down the road to enter
+the wood behind us, and so prevent us from retreating."
+
+"Then we had better bear away to the left, Bathalda. They are sure
+to be in force in the pass; and since they are behind us, also, our
+only hope is to try and scale the hill to the left."
+
+Bathalda, without a word, moved forward in the direction indicated.
+The trees grew thinner in front, and through them they could see
+rocky ground rising steeply up. They issued out and began to climb,
+when the sound of a horn rose loudly in the air, and a moment
+afterwards a number of men were seen, running from the right along
+the edge of the trees.
+
+"They will not shoot," Roger said. "They want to take me alive.
+Never mind their arrows, it is a question of legs, at present."
+
+The rocks were extremely steep, and in many places they had to use
+their hands, as well as their feet, in making the ascent. The
+Aztecs, who had on first seeing them broken into loud cries, were
+now silent, and were toiling up the hillside in pursuit.
+
+"Now," Roger said, after a very severe piece of climbing, "we must
+stop them."
+
+He strung his bow and, placing an arrow to the string, shouted to
+the Aztecs that he should shoot unless they desisted from pursuit.
+They paid no attention, their officer shouting to them to press on.
+They were now less than a hundred yards behind.
+
+Roger drew his bow to the fullest, and the arrow whizzed through
+the air. It struck the officer in the throat, and he fell prone. A
+cry of astonishment broke from the soldiers; however they did not
+hesitate a moment, but pushed on with loud shouts. Roger discharged
+six arrows in rapid succession, and five of them flew true to the
+mark.
+
+The Aztecs paused, the distance to which the arrows were sent, and
+the accuracy of the shooting struck them with consternation; and it
+was evident to them that before they could climb the steep ascent,
+the greater portion of them would be shot down. Some took shelter
+behind rocks, and began to discharge their arrows. Others fell back
+in haste.
+
+"Now we will be moving on again, Bathalda," Roger said. "We have
+taught them a lesson of caution."
+
+They proceeded on their way, until they reached a shoulder which
+led straight up the mountain. Just as they stopped to draw breath
+there was a shout, and a party of twenty men, who had evidently
+climbed straight up from the pass to cut them off, rushed at them.
+Roger rapidly discharged five arrows into the midst of them, and
+then slipped the string from the notch, and seized the bamboo as a
+quarterstaff.
+
+At the order of their leader, the Aztecs threw down their spears
+and flung themselves on him, with the intention of dragging him to
+the ground; but making his quarterstaff swing round his head, he
+brought the ends down upon them with tremendous force, striking
+them to the ground as if they had been ninepins. Bathalda seconded
+him well, by guarding him from attack behind.
+
+Finding that, in spite of his efforts, he could not keep back his
+assailants, Roger threw down the quarterstaff and seized his ax.
+Four more of them fell, cleft through the head; and then four of
+them sprang upon him together, but Roger's practice in Devonshire
+wrestling now stood him in good service; and although in a moment
+the four were hanging upon him, they could neither get him off his
+legs, nor hold his arms; and he beat three of them down with heavy
+blows on their faces, while Bathalda freed him from one on his
+back, by a thrust with his spear.
+
+Roger again caught up the ax, which he had let fall to have the use
+of both of his fists, but the fight was over. The five Aztecs still
+remaining on their feet, appalled at the, to them, supernatural
+strength of their gigantic foe, fled to join their comrades, who
+had now nearly reached the crest on which the combat had taken
+place.
+
+"Come on, Bathalda," Roger exclaimed. "We have not a moment to
+lose. They will shoot now, seeing that they have little chance of
+taking me alive."
+
+And they accordingly started up the steep ascent, as rapidly as
+their breathless condition would allow. Their pursuers paused a
+moment on gaining the brow to get their wind, and then followed;
+but as soon as the ground again became too steep to allow of rapid
+movement, Roger turned and, betaking himself to his bow and arrows,
+speedily checked the pursuit; the Aztecs being unable to stand
+against these terrible weapons, whose force and accuracy seemed to
+them supernatural.
+
+The sight, too, of the heap of their comrades lying on the slope
+had greatly cooled their courage. Their officers had all fallen
+under Roger's arrows, together with most of their bravest comrades;
+and although the rest still continued the pursuit, it was at a
+distance that showed that they had no intention, whatever, of
+closing again.
+
+Paying no further heed to them, Roger and his companion now
+directed their whole attention to the work of climbing. At times
+they came on perpendicular precipices, and had to make long detours
+to surmount them. After some hours' labor they reached the snow.
+They were now near a shoulder between two lofty peaks, and after an
+hour's climbing stood on its crest. The Aztecs were now mere spots,
+far behind them.
+
+"They will be an hour before they are here," Roger said. "We need
+fear no more trouble with them. It was a sharp fight while it
+lasted, Bathalda."
+
+These were the first words they had spoken, beyond a momentary
+consultation, now and then, as to the best mode of surmounting
+difficulties.
+
+"My lord is wonderful," the hunter said. "Never did I see such
+strength and skill. It was like a mountain tiger attacked by
+jackals."
+
+"You did your share, too, Bathalda. Your spear rid me of several of
+them."
+
+"I did what I could, my lord; but that was little enough. A few men
+like you would defeat an army."
+
+"Well, Bathalda, now we will be moving on again. We will keep
+straight down this slope, until we are off the snow; for they can
+follow our footsteps. Beyond that we must press on until we get
+into the woods again, and there we can turn right or left, as we
+please, and throw them off the scent altogether. We shall then be
+safe until we leave the forest, and begin to descend into the hot
+country."
+
+Another hour, and they had left the snow behind them; and after two
+more hours on the rocky hillside, they again entered a forest. As
+soon as they were well among the trees, they turned to the right
+again, and after traveling through the wood for two or three miles
+they halted, secure now against any search on the part of their
+pursuers.
+
+Just before halting they had the good luck to come across a small
+bear, which Roger wounded with an arrow, and his companion
+dispatched with his spear. Bathalda speedily made a fire by rubbing
+two sticks together, and after skinning the bear, cut it up; and
+while Roger was superintending the roasting of some pieces over the
+fire, Bathalda searched in the wood, and speedily returned with
+some roots, which he placed in the ashes, and which turned out
+excellent eating with the bear's flesh.
+
+As it was now far on in the afternoon, and as they had already
+performed a very fatiguing day's work, they resolved to wait where
+they were until the morning.
+
+"What do you think would be our best course, now?" Roger asked,
+after they had eaten their meal, and were stretched close to the
+fire for warmth--for at this elevation the cold was great.
+
+Bathalda did not reply, but sat pouring out volumes of smoke from
+the pipe he had just filled. At last Roger repeated the question.
+
+"I am ready to go where my lord wills."
+
+"Yes, Bathalda; but that is no answer to my question. You know the
+ways of your people, and I do not. We have had a sharp fight with
+them today. What is likely to come of it?"
+
+Bathalda shook his head.
+
+"The news will, long before this, have been sent by swift runners
+to every town and village on this slope of the mountains. The
+garrisons of Perote, Tlatlanquitepec, Xalapa, and Naulinco will all
+be in movement. Naulinco is but some eight or ten miles away down
+the pass; and not only the soldiers, but every man in the town will
+be ordered out. They will be posted as thick as blades of grass at
+the mouth of every valley leading down from the mountains.
+
+"You have resisted the emperor's officers, and have killed numbers
+of his soldiers. They will know that the wrath of Montezuma will be
+terrible, if they fail to arrest you."
+
+"Then you think that it will almost be impossible to make our way
+through them?"
+
+Bathalda nodded his head.
+
+"And in time, I suppose, they will search these woods?"
+
+"Every foot of them, wide though they are, my lord."
+
+"Then what is your advice, Bathalda?"
+
+"It depends whether my lord's mind is altogether set upon joining
+the white men of the sea, at once."
+
+Roger, in turn, was silent for a time. The Spaniards would have
+learned the wealth of the land. It was not likely they would
+speedily depart; but if they did, it would only be to return again,
+in far greater force than at present. Other opportunities would
+occur for rejoining them, and it would be folly to throw away his
+life, and that of his companion, in an attempt that the latter
+evidently felt to be desperate. He had already had proof of the
+vigilance of the Aztec scouts, and doubtless that vigilance would
+now be redoubled.
+
+"No, Bathalda," he replied at last; "I should be content to remain
+in hiding for a time, and to risk the departure of the white men."
+
+"Then, my lord, my advice is, that we retrace our steps across to
+the other side of the mountains. Then we will head north, avoiding
+the towns, and take refuge for a time in the forests, that stretch
+for many leagues over the mountains. There we can build a hut and
+hunt. There are turkeys and other game in abundance. From time to
+time I can go down to a town and gather news, and bring back such
+things as may be necessary for you. Then, when the search for you
+abates, we can strike down thence to the seacoast, if the white men
+are still there. At any rate, we can live by hunting as long as you
+may find it necessary to remain in concealment."
+
+"That will be by far the best plan, Bathalda. I have no objection
+to a few weeks of life in the woods, and you can teach me your
+craft of a hunter. What do you say: shall we start back this
+evening?"
+
+"If my lord is not too wearied, it would be well if we could get
+across the crest before morning. They will have sentries at every
+point whence they can command a view of the hills; and our figures
+could be made out, on the snow, at a great distance away."
+
+"I should have preferred a night's rest, Bathalda; but it would be
+foolish to lose a day, and no doubt parties will be searching the
+woods in the morning. We have still four hours before the sun goes
+down, and that should be enough to fit us for starting again."
+
+The hunter was pleased at Roger's decision.
+
+"Let my lord sleep at once," he said. "I will watch. I am
+accustomed to long journeys, and to pass my nights in search of
+game. It is nothing to me. I used dry sticks for the fire, and but
+little smoke will have made its way through the trees. Still it may
+possibly be noticed, and it were best one of us should remain on
+watch."
+
+Roger felt that he should never be able to make the ascent over the
+crest of the hill, unless he had some rest; and therefore, without
+argument, he wrapped himself in his cotton mantle, and lay down
+before the fire.
+
+It seemed to him that he had but just closed his eyes, when his
+companion touched him.
+
+"It is time that we should be moving, my lord. The sun has just
+set."
+
+"Why, it appears to me to be night already, Bathalda."
+
+"It has been dark here for the last hour, my lord; but on the other
+side of the mountains the sun has but now gone down. See, the full
+moon has just risen in the east."
+
+"That is so, Bathalda; and we shall have her light till morning.
+Well, I am ready, though I could have slept on comfortably until
+sunrise. Have you heard anything?"
+
+"I have heard the sound of horns, far down the hillside; but
+nothing near us save animals, disturbed by the voices below, and
+passing up towards the rocks. I have cooked some more flesh. It is
+always best to make a good meal when one can. We have a rough
+journey before us, and the cold will be great. Fortunately, the air
+is still. Were it blowing, I should say that there was less danger
+in waiting here than in crossing the mountain."
+
+The meal was quickly eaten. Bathalda slung a large piece of bear's
+flesh over his shoulder, and they started. So bright was the
+moonlight that they had no more difficulty in climbing than if it
+had been day, and after six hours of severe toil they again came
+down upon the forest, on the other side of the mountains.
+
+They proceeded among the trees for some little distance, till they
+came to some very thick undergrowth, where Bathalda thought it
+would be perfectly safe to light a fire. This he accordingly did,
+as Roger said he would rather run any danger than go without a
+fire.
+
+In spite of the exertions they had made, they were chilled to the
+bone. Their clothes were stiff with the frozen moisture from their
+bodies, and the cotton mantles offered but small protection against
+the cold. A pleasant glow stole over them, as the fire burnt up.
+
+"I will watch now, Bathalda, and you shall sleep."
+
+"I do not think that there is any danger, my lord. They believe us
+among the woods on the other side of the mountains, and it is not
+at all likely there will be any vigilant watch kept upon this side.
+We can both sleep without fear."
+
+Roger was glad to hear his companion's opinion, and in a few
+minutes was fast asleep.
+
+When he awoke it was day. Bathalda was cooking some flesh over the
+embers of the fire.
+
+"You have been asleep, I hope, Bathalda?" Roger said, as he rose to
+his feet and shook himself.
+
+"I have slept, my lord," the hunter said, although in fact it was
+not until morning began to break that he had relaxed his
+watchfulness. "We will be off as soon as we have eaten. It is
+possible that parties may, as soon as it is daybreak, go along by
+the edge of the snow line, to assure themselves that we are still
+on the other side of the mountain; and if so, they will probably
+come across our footsteps--therefore we had best be moving, at
+once."
+
+Two long days' marches took them deep into the woods lying north of
+Tlatlanquitepec. Here they set to work to construct a rough hut of
+boughs, near a mountain spring; and when this was completed, they
+set to work hunting.
+
+Turkeys abounded. These they generally obtained by shooting them at
+night, as they roosted in the trees; but they sometimes hunted them
+by day, Bathalda imitating their call so accurately that they came
+up within easy shot of them, without the least suspicion of danger.
+They killed several small bears, which were useful, not only for
+their flesh, but for the warmth of their skins at night. Once or
+twice they shot deer, and obtained other game in abundance.
+
+At night they frequently heard the roar of the mountain tiger. Once
+or twice, when the sounds approached too close to their hut, they
+left it and took refuge in trees, as the hunter said that even
+Roger's arrows would scarcely slay these fierce beasts at once; and
+that, when wounded, they were terrible enemies.
+
+Roger enjoyed the life much. The air was fresh and bracing, the
+forest magnificent in its varied foliage, and the abundance of game
+so great that it needed no special exertion to keep themselves well
+supplied with food. Two or three times, at intervals of a week or
+ten days, Bathalda went down to Tlatlanquitepec, with a load of
+turkeys and other game slung on a pole over his shoulder, and
+returned with maize, flour, chocolate, and pulque, and other
+articles of food; and--which was of much greater importance to
+Roger--news of the white strangers.
+
+The first time he learned that they had arrived in several floating
+castles, and had landed at once. The natives had received them with
+kindness, and the chief of that district, Teuhtlile, had on the
+following day had an interview with their chief. Presents had been
+exchanged. Five days later an embassy, with many very rich gifts
+from the emperor, arrived at the camp. They were the bearers of
+friendly messages from Montezuma; who, however, had declined to
+allow them to proceed into the country, and had requested them to
+leave the coast at once. The white men had sent back a message to
+Montezuma praying him to alter his determination, and showed no
+signs of obeying his orders, and re-embarking on board their ships.
+By the orders of Montezuma's envoys, the people had now abstained
+from visiting the camp, or bringing in supplies.
+
+Three weeks after, Bathalda returned from the town with the news
+that another embassy from Montezuma had visited the white camp,
+with another great store of valuable presents; but that Montezuma
+positively prohibited them advancing towards the capital. Two days
+later they were visited by envoys from Cempoalla, the chief town of
+the Totonacs, who had been lately conquered by the Aztecs, and had
+invited the white men to visit their city. They had accordingly
+marched there, and were now dwelling in this town. It was said that
+the Aztecs were extremely indignant at the action of the Totonacs,
+and that dire vengeance would be taken upon them, for daring to act
+in this manner without the permission of Montezuma.
+
+The next news was, that the white men had marched farther north to
+Chiahuitztla, that they were founding a city there, and that they
+had actually seized and imprisoned a party of Aztec envoys. The
+white men had visited other towns, and at Cempoalla had insulted
+the gods, rolled the idols down from the tops of the temples, and
+had erected altars to their own gods there.
+
+This act had created a profound impression throughout the country;
+and the greatest astonishment was felt that Montezuma did not, at
+once, put his armies in motion to crush these profane and insolent
+strangers. A still greater sensation had been caused by the news
+that the Spaniards had destroyed all their floating castles, and
+that it was therefore evident that they intended to remain,
+permanently, in the land.
+
+This news greatly surprised Roger. The reports were unanimous that
+there were, at the utmost, but three or four hundred of the Whites;
+and that the Spaniards should dream of matching themselves against
+the whole force of Mexico, seemed almost incredible.
+
+"How do the white men communicate with the natives?" Roger asked.
+
+"They have with them some slaves, whom they obtained at Tabasco.
+Among them was one who was a Mexican by race. They say that the
+white men speak to another white man who understands the language
+of Tabasco, and that he speaks to this young woman, who speaks in
+Mexican what she is told. She is treated with great honor by the
+white men."
+
+"What is her name--did you hear?"
+
+"The natives say she is called Malinche, but the white men call her
+Marina."
+
+"That is good news, indeed, Bathalda," Roger said; "for when I was
+at Tabasco, I knew a Mexican slave girl of that name, and if it is
+the same she will befriend us."
+
+It was nearly three weeks before Roger again obtained news.
+Bathalda had injured his leg in a fall down a precipice, while
+stalking a deer; and was obliged to lie up in the hut for more than
+a fortnight. As soon as he was well enough to get about again, he
+joined Roger in a turkey hunt, and started the next day for the
+city.
+
+He returned with surprising news. The white men had marched from
+the coast through Naulinco and the Pass of Obispo. They had been
+everywhere well received by the natives, who all belonged to the
+Totonac tribe. They had gone to Yxtacamaxtitlan, a great city,
+where they had stayed three days. They had then marched on towards
+Tlascala, the republic that had so long resisted the strength of
+all Mexico.
+
+They were said to number four hundred foot and fifteen strange
+creatures, who were partly man and partly some fleet animal; and
+they had seven great black tubes that made thunder. Thirteen
+hundred Totonac fighting men accompanied them, and a thousand
+porters to drag the tubes and carry their baggage. They had sent
+embassies to the Tlascalans, but the latter had chosen war, and
+there had been some terrible battles fought. But the white men were
+invincible, and had defeated the Tlascalans with great slaughter;
+and the news had arrived, only that morning, that they had captured
+the city.
+
+The sensation throughout the country was that of stupefaction. It
+seemed absolutely incredible that a state which had successfully
+defied the armies of Montezuma and his predecessors should, after
+four or five days of fighting, be overthrown by this handful of
+white strangers. There seemed but one comfort. It was said that
+several of the Whites had been killed, and this showed, at least,
+that they were not superhuman creatures, and that it might yet be
+possible to destroy them.
+
+No sooner did Roger hear the news than he determined to start, at
+once, to join the Spaniards, who were already far to the west.
+Accordingly, the next morning at daybreak, he started with
+Bathalda, and late on the following afternoon arrived in sight of
+Tlascala. They thought it better not to enter the city until the
+following morning, and therefore passed the night in a clump of
+bushes.
+
+The next day they boldly entered the town. The city was a large
+one, divided into four quarters separated by lofty walls, and each
+ruled over by one of the four great chiefs of the republic. Its
+population was very large, and the town was strongly and solidly
+built.
+
+At ordinary times the appearance of two seeming Aztecs in the
+streets would have been the signal for their instant destruction,
+but at the present time the people were solely occupied with the
+presence of their white conquerors; with whom, as Roger soon
+learned, they had made treaties of friendship, and whom they now
+viewed as friends and allies.
+
+The whole of the Spaniards were lodged in one of the palaces. The
+crowd of people proceeding in that direction was a sufficient index
+to its position; and Roger and his companion, joining the throng,
+were soon in front of the palace. Some Spanish soldiers were
+standing as sentries at its gate, but none came out or mixed with
+the people--Cortez having given the strictest orders that they
+should remain in their quarters, as he feared that, did they go
+abroad, some brawl might arise between them and the inhabitants,
+and so break the newly-formed alliance, which was of the most
+extreme importance to them.
+
+Presently some Spanish officers, and several richly dressed chiefs,
+came out from the palace. The people raised a shout, and it was
+evident to Roger that, in spite of the terrible losses suffered by
+their troops in the attacks upon the white men, their admiration
+for their visitors far outweighed any animosity for the defeats
+inflicted upon them.
+
+Near the officer, whom Roger judged to be the leader of the
+expedition, were an elderly man and a young woman. The Spaniard
+addressed the old man, who spoke to the girl, and she translated it
+to the chiefs.
+
+Roger recognized her at once--it was certainly his friend, the
+slave girl of Tabasco. In the eight months since he had seen her,
+she had grown to complete womanhood; and now--richly attired as she
+was, and evidently regarded as a person of great importance, both
+by the Spaniards and the native chiefs--carried herself with an air
+of confidence and pride; and was, Roger thought, the most beautiful
+woman he had seen in Mexico.
+
+As the party moved down the steps of the palace, and along the
+street, evidently discoursing on some important business, Roger
+followed them closely. He waited until Malinche happened, for a
+moment, to be at the outside of the party, then he pressed forward
+and said to her:
+
+"Malinche, do you remember your white friend?"
+
+She looked up, and would have cried out with astonishment, had he
+not touched his lips.
+
+"I want to speak to you alone, first. Where can I meet you?"
+
+"In an hour I shall be able to slip away from their meal," she
+said; "be near the palace gate."
+
+Roger at once fell back into the crowd, and soon took an
+opportunity to extricate himself from it, and to go down a side
+street. He and Bathalda then ascended to the top of the wall, where
+they were likely to be undisturbed, and waited there for an hour.
+They then went back to the palace.
+
+The square in the front of it was almost deserted now; for the
+Spaniards had retired, half an hour before, and were not likely to
+appear again until the evening; especially as it was known that, at
+noon, there was to be a great council held in the palace.
+
+Ten minutes later Malinche appeared at the entrance. As soon as her
+eyes fell on Roger she raised her hand and, leaving Bathalda, he at
+once went up to her. The two sentinels looked with some surprise at
+this tall native, but as they saw that he was known to Malinche,
+they offered no opposition to his entering the palace with her.
+
+She led him down some corridors and then out into a garden. As soon
+as she saw that they were in a spot where they could not be
+overlooked, she turned and seized his hands; and would have pressed
+them to her forehead, had not Roger prevented her doing so, and put
+her hands to his lips.
+
+"Ah!" she exclaimed. "How happy you have made me, today! I have
+wondered so much how it has fared with you, and have dreamed at
+night, so often, that you were being sacrificed on the altars of
+the gods."
+
+"I have thought of you very often, also, Malinche; and I was
+surprised, indeed, when I heard that you--for I felt sure that it
+was you--were with the Spaniards, and were not only an interpreter,
+but in high honor with them."
+
+"But why do you not join them?" she asked. "Why do you come to me
+first? What can I do for you? I will take you at once to Cortez,
+and when I tell him that you were my friend, and were so kind and
+good to the slave girl, he will welcome you most warmly."
+
+"Yes, Malinche; but that is why I wanted to see you first alone.
+You remember that I told you all about the Spaniards, and how they
+owned the islands, and would some day surely come to Mexico; but
+that I belong to another white people, who are forbidden by the
+Spaniards, under pain of death, to come to these parts. They must
+not know that I am not of their nation.
+
+"You see, I cannot speak their tongue. I see that you have learned
+it fast, for I saw Cortez speaking to you."
+
+"What are we to do, then?" the girl asked, with a puzzled look.
+"When they find that you cannot speak their language, they will, of
+course, see that you are not of their people."
+
+"Yes, Malinche; but they might think that I had forgotten it. That
+is just where I want you to help me. If you take me to Cortez, and
+tell him that, years ago, a ship was wrecked on the coast of
+Tabasco, and that all were drowned except a little white boy; and
+that he was brought up at Tabasco, and that you were great friends
+with him, until he was sold to some Mexican traders--they will
+think that I have altogether forgotten my native language. They are
+not likely to ask you how many years ago it is, or how big I was
+then, and will imagine that I was quite a child, and that I
+belonged to a Spanish ship, for they will not dream of an English
+vessel having been in these parts. When you introduce me to Cortez,
+you must tell him that I have quite forgotten the language, save a
+few words--for I picked up a few sentences when in their ports."
+
+"They will easily believe that you may have been wrecked," said
+Malinche; "for they rescued a man who had been living many years
+among a tribe at Yucatan, to the west of Tabasco. There were other
+white men living among them, though these they could not recover.
+You saw him by me this morning--he is an old man, a priest; and he
+translates from the Spanish into the Yucatan dialect, which is so
+like that of Tabasco that I can understand it, and then I tell the
+people in Mexican.
+
+"There will be no difficulty at all. Cortez and the Spaniards know
+that I love them, and they trust me altogether, and I am able to do
+good to my country people, and to intercede with them sometimes
+with Cortez. Now tell me what has happened since I last saw you."
+
+Roger gave her a sketch of what had happened in Mexico, and how he
+had escaped, by flight, from being sacrificed.
+
+"It is terrible--these sacrifices," Malinche said, shuddering. "I
+did not think so in the old days, but I have learned better from
+the Spaniards and from their priests; and I rejoice that the white
+men will destroy these horrible idols, and will teach the people to
+worship the great God and His Son. They will suffer--my heart
+bleeds to think how they will suffer--but it will be good for them
+in the end, and put a stop to rivers of blood that flow, every
+year, at their altars."
+
+Although Roger was not imbued with the passion for conversion which
+animated the Spaniards, and led them to believe that it was the
+most glorious of all duties to force their religion upon the
+natives, he had been so filled with horror at the wholesale
+sacrifices of human victims, and the cannibal feasts that followed
+them, that he was in no way disposed to question the methods which
+the Spaniards adopted to put a stop to such abominations. But for
+the friendship of Cacama he would himself, assuredly, have been a
+victim to these sanguinary gods.
+
+He and his father had--like the Beggs, and many other of his
+friends at Plymouth--been secretly followers of Wycliffe, but they
+were still Catholics. They believed that there were many and deep
+abuses in the Church, but had no thought of abandoning it
+altogether. The doings of the Inquisition in Spain were regarded by
+all Englishmen with horror, but these excesses were as nothing to
+the wholesale horrors of the Mexican religion.
+
+He talked for some time with Malinche, and saw that she was
+completely devoted to the Spaniards, and regarded Cortez as a hero,
+almost more than mortal; and was in no slight degree relieved at
+observing that, although ready to be friendly in every way, and
+evidently still much attached to him, the warmer feeling which she
+had testified at their parting no longer existed, but had been
+transferred to her present friends and protectors.
+
+"Come with me," she said at last. "The meal will be over, now. I
+will take you to an apartment near the banqueting hall, and will
+leave you there while I tell Cortez about you, and will then lead
+you to him."
+
+Seeing how confident Malinche was as to the reception she could
+procure for him, Roger awaited her return, to the chamber where she
+had placed him, with little anxiety. In a quarter of an hour she
+returned, and beckoned him to follow.
+
+"I have told him," she said. "It did not seem to him strange that
+some vessel should have been driven by the storms and wrecked here.
+He asked no questions as to how many years ago it was. I told him
+you were a young boy at the time, and have forgotten all but a few
+words of the language; and how, when you grew to be a man, you were
+sold to some Mexican merchants, and would have been sacrificed to
+the gods had you not made your escape. As I had told him, before,
+that there had been a white man living at Tabasco, who had been
+very good to me, he was not surprised at the story."
+
+She took Roger to an apartment in which Cortez, and several of his
+principal officers, were standing. As Malinche had told them that
+he was painted, and disguised as a native, they were not surprised
+at his appearance; although his height, which was far beyond that
+attained by Spaniards, somewhat astonished them.
+
+Roger approached the group, and at once fell on one knee before
+Cortez, took his hand and kissed it. Cortez raised him, and
+embraced him warmly.
+
+"I am delighted to find another of my countrymen," he said; "and
+all the more, since Marina tells me that she knows you well, and
+that you were most kind and good to her."
+
+"Senor," Roger said, in broken Spanish, "I do not understand. I
+have forgotten."
+
+"You will soon recover it," Cortez said.
+
+"Tell him, Aquilar, that he will soon learn to speak his native
+language again."
+
+The interpreter repeated the words to Roger in the Yucatan dialect,
+adding that he himself had been a prisoner for eight years among
+the natives; and that, although a man when captured by them, had
+with difficulty spoken Spanish when restored to his friends; but it
+had now quite come back to him.
+
+"You were but a boy when you were wrecked, Marina tells me?" Cortez
+said.
+
+"Only a boy," Roger repeated, when Marina translated this to him.
+
+"Do you remember anything of Spain?" Cortez asked.
+
+Roger shut his eyes, as if considering.
+
+"I seem to have a remembrance," he said, "of a place with many
+great ships. It was a city built on a rock rising from the sea. It
+had high walls with great guns upon them, which fired sometimes,
+with a terrible noise, when vessels came in and out."
+
+When this was translated by Aquilar, Cortez said:
+
+"It was Cadiz, of course. Doubtless the ship he was wrecked in
+sailed from that port."
+
+A murmur of assent passed round the other Spaniards.
+
+"Show him a cross, Aquilar. See if he remembers his religion."
+
+Aquilar took out a cross from under his doublet, and held it out
+towards Roger, who, after looking at it for a moment, fell on his
+knees and kissed it.
+
+"He remembers much, you see," Cortez said. "Father Aquilar, you
+will succeed soon in making a good Catholic of him, again.
+
+"Well, gentlemen, I think we may congratulate ourselves upon this
+new companion. Every arm is of assistance; and if he is as brave as
+he is big and strong, he will prove a doughty comrade. Besides, he
+will be able to tell us something of Mexico; although, as Marina
+says, he was only once at the capital.
+
+"Question him, Aquilar, and find out from him whether its
+magnificence is as great as we hear."
+
+Roger told all he knew of the capital, and said that, although he
+himself could not say more than that it was a great city, he had
+heard that its population was nearly three hundred thousand; and
+that it certainly seemed to him fully three times as large as that
+of Tezcuco, where he said there were one hundred thousand people.
+
+"And it stands on an island in a lake?" Cortez asked.
+
+"There are three causeways leading to the land, each wide enough
+for six horsemen to ride abreast," Roger replied; "but it would be
+a difficult thing to force an entrance, by these, in the face of
+Montezuma's army."
+
+"Well, gentlemen," Cortez said, "it is time for us to be going to
+the council.
+
+"Marina, do you take your friend to my private apartment, and bid
+Juan furnish him with a suit of clothes; and with armor, from that
+belonging to our friends who fell in the fights the other day. We
+will soon make a true cavalier of him."
+
+As soon as Roger was equipped, he went out to the steps of the
+palace, and presently descried Bathalda in the crowd. He beckoned
+to him and, taking him into the garden, had a long talk with him.
+He would have rewarded him largely for his services, but Bathalda
+refused to accept anything.
+
+"I came at my lord's orders," he said; "and am rejoiced to have
+been of service to one who is at once so kind, so strong, and so
+valiant."
+
+"As you will. We shall have further opportunities of meeting,
+Bathalda. Do you now make your way back to Tezcuco. Tell your lord
+all that has happened, and that I am with the Spaniards, and shall
+accompany them if, as I believe, they go forward to Mexico; that I
+hope to see all my friends again, before long; and that I always
+think of their kindness to me."
+
+
+
+Chapter 13: The Massacre Of Cholula.
+
+
+The Tlascalans had, from the moment when they admitted themselves
+beaten by the Spaniards, laid aside all hostility; and had, indeed,
+accepted the alliance with enthusiasm. They had a right to be proud
+of their own valor, for they had resisted all the attempts of the
+great Aztec monarchy to conquer them, and had defeated, with
+slaughter, greatly superior forces; and that a mere handful of
+white men should be able to withstand their attacks, day after day,
+and to defeat their best and hardiest troops, led by generals who
+had hitherto been always successful, excited their surprise and
+admiration in the highest degree. They were not gods, they knew,
+for some had been killed in the conflict; but as men they seemed to
+them infinitely superior, in strength and courage, to any that they
+had before heard of; and they were proud to enter into an alliance
+with such heroes. Moreover, they saw they would now have an
+opportunity of turning the tables upon their enemies of the plains.
+
+They did not believe, for a moment, that Montezuma would admit the
+white men to his capital, and in that case there would be great
+battles, and perhaps much plunder to be gained; and therefore, when
+the Spaniards were again ready to advance, the whole fighting force
+of Tlascala was placed at their disposal. Cortez, however, declined
+to take with him so large an army. The appearance of such a force,
+composed of the bitter foes of the Aztecs, would have combined
+against him the whole strength of that empire, and would have
+destroyed any hope that might remain of peaceful arrangements.
+Moreover, the difficulty of feeding so large a body of men would be
+great, indeed; and as his authority over them would be but feeble,
+constant broils with the Aztecs would be the inevitable result. He
+therefore, with many thanks, declined the offer; but said that he
+would gladly take with him a force of six thousand volunteers.
+
+The first march was to be to Cholula, whose people had sent a warm
+invitation to Cortez to visit them; and Montezuma, by his last
+envoys, also requested them to journey forward by way of that city.
+
+The Tlascalans had strongly urged him to refuse the invitation. The
+Cholulans were, they said, a treacherous people and not to be
+trusted. They were bigoted beyond the people of other cities,
+Cholula being the holy city of Anahuac. It was here the god
+Quetzalcoatl had remained for twenty years on his way down to the
+coast, instructing the people in the arts of civilization. Here was
+the great temple of the god, a pyramid whose base covered
+forty-four acres, and whose height was a hundred and eighty feet;
+the platform on its summit, where the sacrifices took place, being
+an acre in size.
+
+Cortez, however, decided upon visiting Cholula. He deemed the
+reports of the Tlascalans to be prejudiced, as there was a
+long-standing animosity between the two peoples; and he thought
+that, were he to avoid visiting this important town, which lay
+almost on his road to Mexico, it might be set down by the Aztecs to
+distrust or fear.
+
+The departure from Tlascala was witnessed by the whole of the
+population of the state, who assembled to bid the white men
+farewell, and to wish them success upon their way. A day's march
+took them to within a mile or two of Cholula. Here they were met by
+many nobles from the city, who urged them to enter it that evening;
+but Cortez, bearing in mind the warnings he had received, and
+thinking it dangerous to enter the streets of an unknown and
+possibly hostile city after dark, declined to move forward until
+morning. Seeing the hostility and distrust excited in the minds of
+his visitors at the sight of the Tlascalans in his camp, he ordered
+his allies to remain in camp when he advanced in the morning, and
+to join him only when he left the city on his way to Mexico.
+
+The Spaniards, as they entered Cholula, were greatly struck with
+the appearance of the city and its inhabitants, it being a very
+much larger and more highly civilized place than any they had yet
+met with. The buildings were large and handsome, the streets wide,
+the population very large, and exhibiting in their dress every sign
+of wealth and luxury. There was, too, a great variety among the
+population; for, as it was the sacred city of the empire, people
+from all other parts were in the habit of making pilgrimages there,
+and most of the towns had their own temples and establishments. So
+numerous were the temples that fully two hundred towers could be
+counted, rising above the city, with the stupendous pyramid
+towering above them all.
+
+The Spaniards were quartered in the court of one of the temples,
+and in the surrounding buildings. As soon as they were established
+there, the principal nobles of the town paid them visits of
+ceremony; and presents of everything necessary for their comfort
+and accommodation, and stores of provisions of all kinds, poured
+in.
+
+Roger had, in the line of march, taken his place among the troops;
+but Cortez directed that he should, at other times, be near at hand
+to him, as he alone of those in the army had any personal knowledge
+of the country they were to traverse, and could give information as
+to the size of the towns, the nature of the roads, and the
+advantages which these offered, respectively, in the supply of
+provisions likely to be obtained, the facilities for getting water,
+etc. Cortez therefore, Father Aquilar acting as interpreter,
+enjoined him to ramble about the city, releasing him from all
+guards and exercises.
+
+"Now that you are dressed like the rest of us," he said, "none will
+dream that you understand their language, and as you pass along
+they will express freely before you the sentiments they may
+entertain of us. I do not expect them to love us, and doubtless
+though they may flatter us to our faces, they curse us heartily
+behind our backs. But we care nothing for their curses, or for
+their ill will, so long as they do not proceed to plots and
+conspiracies against us.
+
+"They seem courteous and friendly, and I think that the Tlascalans
+have spoken far too strongly against them. Nevertheless we will be
+on our guard. These men are not like our mountain friends, who were
+rough fighters, but hearty and honest people. They are traders, or
+nobles, or priests, accustomed to let their faces hide their
+thoughts, but through you we may get nearer to them than we
+otherwise should do.
+
+"But go not alone. One man can easily be jostled into one of the
+temples, and made away with, without any being the wiser. I will
+choose two comrades for you; men of discretion, and courageous
+without being quarrelsome. With them, too, you will, ere long,
+begin to recover your mother tongue; which you will never do, so
+long as you only talk these heathen languages with Marina and
+Father Aquilar."
+
+Cortez struck the table with his hand, and an attendant entered.
+
+"Summon Juan Algones and Pedro de Gasconda."
+
+In a minute two men entered. Juan was a weatherbeaten soldier,
+whose face bore the marks of several deep scars, and who had fought
+for Spain on most of the battlefields of Europe. Pedro was young
+enough to be his son. Juan had saved his life in a fight with the
+natives of Cuba, and since then they had been inseparable.
+
+"Juan, I have sent for you to ask you and Pedro to take our new
+comrade into your party. I know you are always together, and that
+you are quiet and peaceable, and not given either to quarrel in
+your cups or to spend your evenings in gambling and dicing. He has,
+as you know, almost forgotten his own language; and it will be for
+our advantage, as well as his own, that he should learn it as soon
+as possible; for as he knows the country and people, it is well
+that he should be able to communicate with the rest of us, without
+having to hunt up an interpreter.
+
+"But that is not the principal thing, just at the present moment.
+We know not whether the people of this city mean treacherously
+towards us, or not. They will not speak in the presence of Donna
+Marina or of the good Father here, knowing that they are acquainted
+with the language; but as they will not imagine that this tall
+Spanish soldier can know aught of what they say, they will not mind
+speaking out their thoughts before him. Therefore, while he is here
+it will be his duty to wander about the streets, and learn what the
+people are saying, and what they think of us. But here, as
+elsewhere, I have ordered that not less than three men shall go out
+together.
+
+"I have chosen you to accompany him. You will be free from all
+other duty."
+
+"That we will do, right willingly," Juan said. "It is pleasanter to
+walk about the streets, and look at these strange peoples, than it
+is to be cooped up here. As to the other part of the business, we
+will do what we can towards teaching him Spanish; but as to being
+our comrade, that must depend upon himself. I like the young
+fellow's looks much. He looks honest and straightforward, though
+where he got that light wavy hair and that fair skin from I can't
+guess--they are rare enough in Cadiz, where I heard one say that he
+came from."
+
+"We don't know that he came from there, Juan. He may have come from
+the mountains of Biscaya, where fair skins are commoner than they
+are in the south. It is only that he described to us a port, which
+must have been Cadiz, as the last thing he recollected in Spain."
+
+"Ah, well, his skin matters nothing!" the soldier said. "His face
+is an honest one, and as to height and strength one could wish no
+better comrade. He is young yet, not more than nineteen or twenty,
+I should guess; but I will warrant that there is not a man in the
+expedition he could not put on his back, if it came to a tussle. At
+any rate, we will try him.
+
+"What do you say, Pedro?"
+
+"I like his looks," the young fellow said. "At any rate, we are not
+like to quarrel with him. As to more than that, we can say better
+when we know more of each other."
+
+Father Aquilar, who had listened attentively to all that had been
+said, explained to Roger the purport of the conversation between
+Cortez and the men. When he had finished, Roger held out his hand
+to the two soldiers, and gave them a hearty grasp, expressive of
+his willingness to join in the arrangement that had been made.
+
+"He will do, General," Juan said. "We will look after him, never
+fear."
+
+Cortez gave orders that the three men were to be allowed to leave
+the quarters and go into the town at all times, without further
+question; and they at once started for a turn through the streets.
+
+"How are we to begin to teach this young chap to talk, Pedro? It is
+out of the regular line of duty, altogether."
+
+Pedro shook his head.
+
+"I don't know, comrade. I have heard women teaching their babies to
+talk, but I should hardly think that would be the way with him."
+
+"No, no, that is quite different, Pedro. You see the little ones
+have not got their tongues twisted rightly, and they can't talk
+plain, do as much as they will; but this young fellow could say,
+plain enough, what we told him. The question is, what are we to
+tell him?
+
+"Suppose I say to him, 'They are a curiously dressed lot of people
+here.'
+
+"Well, he might say it after me, but as he would not have an idea
+what we meant, I don't see that we should be getting any
+forwarder."
+
+Roger, however, had already gone through the work of learning the
+two native languages, and knew how to begin. He touched Juan's
+sword, and gave the Mexican word for it.
+
+"What does he mean by that, Pedro?"
+
+Roger repeated the action.
+
+"Perhaps he wants to know what you call your sword," Pedro
+suggested.
+
+"Perhaps it is that. I will try him, anyhow.
+
+"'Spada.'"
+
+Roger nodded, and repeated the word after him, and then touched his
+own helmet.
+
+"That is what he means," Juan said, with great satisfaction. "What
+he has got to do is to touch things, and for us to tell him the
+names."
+
+"That is capital. I had no idea teaching a language was such easy
+work."
+
+However, after a few more words had been said, and a method
+established, Roger asked no more questions; his companions being
+now fully occupied in gazing at the houses, the temples, and the
+crowd in the streets, while he himself was busy listening to the
+remarks of the people.
+
+It was curious to him, to hear everyone around freely discussing
+them, assured that no word they said was understood. Had he been
+vain, he would have felt gratified at the favorable comments passed
+on his personal appearance by many of the women and girls; but he
+put them down, entirely, to the fact that he differed more from
+them than did the Spaniards, and it was simply the color of his
+hair, and the fairness of his skin, that seemed wonderful to the
+Mexicans.
+
+"Ah!" he heard one woman say to another, "I marked that tall
+soldier when they came into the town, this morning. They are all
+grand men, and look wonderfully strong and brave with their arms
+and armor. I know that such fighters as these were never heard of
+before; for have they not, few as they are, beaten the Tlascalans?
+Who, as we all know, are good fighters, though they are little
+better than savages. But as to their faces, they were not what I
+expected to see. They are lighter than ours, but they are not
+white.
+
+"But I noted this soldier. He is just like what I expected--just
+like what they said the white man, who has been at Mexico for some
+time, is like."
+
+"I am sorry for them," the girl said. "They say that Montezuma will
+offer them all up at the temples, when he gets them to Mexico."
+
+"Perhaps they will never get there," a man standing next to her
+said. "At least, unless they enter the town as captives.
+
+"Perhaps some of them will stay here. Why should not our god have
+his share of victims, as well as the war god of Mexico?"
+
+The speaker was a priest, who was scowling angrily at the three
+Spaniards; who, after stopping to look at the carving over the gate
+of a temple, were now moving on again.
+
+But although Roger heard occasional remarks that showed it was the
+opinion of the inhabitants that Montezuma had only allowed these
+strangers to enter his country for the purpose of destroying them,
+there was no general feeling of hostility to them--the satisfaction
+at the defeat they had inflicted upon Tlascala far outweighing any
+other feeling.
+
+After wandering about for some hours, the party returned to their
+quarters, where Roger gave, through Malinche, to Cortez an account
+of what he had noticed.
+
+"There is nothing new in that," Cortez said. "We know that
+Montezuma has done all in his power to prevent us from coming, and
+that now he knows he has wasted his treasures in vain, he must feel
+no goodwill towards us. However, we shall be prepared for him.
+
+"But continue your search. There may be a change come. Montezuma
+may, even now, be preparing to crush us. If so, as soon as the
+people here know it, you will see a change in their demeanor. The
+priests are all powerful here, and the devils whom they worship are
+sure to set them on to do us mischief, if they can. Therefore,
+relax not your watchfulness. Marina and yourself are the only two
+among us who understand their language, and it is upon you both
+that we have to depend, to shield us from treachery. Against an
+open assault I have no fear, but in a crowded town like this, an
+attack at night might be fatal."
+
+Cortez had, indeed, taken the precaution upon his arrival of
+stating to the nobles that, as it would be inconvenient for Marina
+to reside in buildings occupied solely by men, he should be glad if
+one of their wives would receive her as a guest; and she was
+accordingly installed, at once, in the house of one of the
+principal nobles.
+
+Some days passed, as Cortez was waiting for the arrival of a fresh
+embassy from Montezuma. During that time Roger was unable to detect
+any change in the attitude of the population. The Spaniards were
+greeted courteously when they went abroad, and their leaders were
+entertained at fetes and banquets by the nobles.
+
+Roger and his two comrades were well satisfied with each other.
+Juan was a taciturn soldier, but he was amused at the efforts of
+Pedro and Roger to converse.
+
+"I am glad, Pedro," he said, on the third day of their making
+acquaintance with Roger, "that this young fellow has joined. If I
+had had my will, I should have said nay when Cortez proposed it;
+but it is good for you, lad. It is well enough for an old soldier
+like me to toil along all day without speaking, under a burning
+sun; and to say but little, even over his cup of wine, at the end
+of the march. But it is not good for a lad like you. You were
+getting old before your time. I could sing a song, and dance a
+measure with the best of them, when I was at your age; and you see
+what has come of my campaigning for, like yourself, I took to an
+old soldier for a comrade. This young fellow seems to have a
+cheerful spirit, and when he can talk our language well will be a
+gay companion, and will do you good.
+
+"Yes, and do me good, too, Pedro. You are too apt to get into my
+moods, and be silent when I am silent; and thus I make you dull,
+while you do not make me bright. Only I want to see this young
+fellow at work, before I quite give him my heart. I believe that he
+will bear himself bravely. It were a shame, indeed, if there should
+be faint heart in a body of such thews and muscle. Truly he is a
+stately figure, and has the air of the great noble rather than a
+rough soldier; but that, I take it, comes from his being brought up
+among these Mexicans; who, though in most respects ignorant, carry
+themselves with much dignity, and with a stately and gentlemanly
+manner, such as one sees, in Europe, chiefly in men of good blood."
+
+On the evening of the fourth day, the embassy arrived from
+Montezuma. The emperor had apparently again changed his mind, for
+he expressed his regret at their determination to visit the
+capital, and begged them to relinquish the idea. Upon leaving
+Cortez, the ambassadors had an interview with several of the chief
+nobles of Cholula. They left for the capital again in the night.
+
+The next morning a change was visible in the behavior of the
+people. They no longer visited the Spanish quarters, but held aloof
+from them. The nobles, upon being invited to come to see Cortez,
+sent in excuses on the ground of illness, or that they were about
+to undertake a journey, or other pretexts, and the supply of
+provisions sent in fell off greatly.
+
+Roger and his comrades also marked a great difference in the manner
+of the people in the streets. The buzz of talking and laughing was
+hushed, as they approached. People turned away, as if desirous of
+avoiding the sight of them. The priests regarded them with an
+insolent air. On one or two occasions they were roughly jostled,
+and on arriving at the end of a street the people gathered round,
+and by words and gesture told them to go no farther.
+
+Cortez had particularly enjoined in Roger and his companions
+against embroiling themselves, in any way, with the people; and
+they therefore suffered themselves to be turned back, without
+exhibiting any air of concern; but Juan muttered many oaths beneath
+his mustache, and Roger and Pedro had difficulty in restraining
+their anger.
+
+Cortez looked very grave upon hearing Roger's report, on their
+return.
+
+"I fear that treachery is intended," he said, "and if I did but
+know it, I would be beforehand with them. You had best not go
+abroad again, for it may be their intention to provoke a quarrel,
+by an affray in the streets. I will send some of the Cempoallans
+who are with us out. They will be less observed, and may find out
+what is going on."
+
+"I think," Marina said, "that if we go up to the flat roof, we may
+see something of what is going on. This house is more lofty than
+most."
+
+Cortez, with Roger and the girl, ascended to the roof. From it they
+commanded a considerable prospect. On some of the roofs they could
+make out bodies of men at work, but these were too far off to see
+what they were doing.
+
+In the evening the Cempoallans returned, and said that they had
+come upon barricades erected across several of the streets, and
+that on many of the roofs great stones and beams of timber were
+piled; while they had discovered holes dug in the streets, and
+covered with branches, and apparently intended to entrap cavalry.
+
+A portion of the troops were ordered to remain under arms all
+night, in case of attack, but the city remained quiet. In the
+course of the following day some Tlascalans came in from their
+camp, and informed Cortez they had heard that a great sacrifice of
+children had been offered up, in one of the temples, a custom which
+prevailed whenever an enterprise of a serious nature was about to
+be undertaken. They said, too, that large numbers of the citizens,
+with their wives and children, were leaving the town by the various
+gates. The situation had now become very grave, and Cortez and his
+officers were at a loss to know what had best be done, as they had
+still no positive proof that treachery was intended.
+
+This proof was, however, furnished by Marina next day. The wife of
+the cazique had taken a great fancy to her, and urged her to take
+up her abode altogether at her house, hinting that it would be
+safer for her to do so. Marina at once pretended that she should be
+glad to leave the white men, who held her in captivity in order
+that they might use her as an interpreter. The Cholulan then gave
+her a full account of the conspiracy.
+
+It was, she said, the work of the emperor, who had sent rich
+presents by the ambassadors to the great nobles, and had urged upon
+them the necessity of making an end of the white intruders. Twenty
+thousand troops had been marched down to within a short distance of
+the city, and these were to enter and take part in the assault on
+the Spaniards.
+
+The attack was to be made as these left the city. The streets were
+to be barricaded, and impediments to prevent the action of the
+cavalry placed in the way; and the Spaniards were to be overwhelmed
+with the missiles from the roofs, while the troops would pour out
+from the houses to the attack. Some of the Spaniards were to be
+sacrificed at the altars at Cholula, the rest to be marched in
+chains to the capital, and there put to death.
+
+This scheme was unfolded to Marina in her apartment in the Spanish
+quarters, and she appeared to assent to the proposal that she
+should, that night, leave the Spaniards altogether. Making an
+excuse to leave the room for a few minutes, Marina hastened to
+Cortez and informed him of what she had heard. The cazique's wife
+was at once seized, and being in terror of her life, she repeated
+the statements she had made to Marina.
+
+The news was alarming, indeed. The position of the Spaniards in the
+midst of a hostile city seemed well-nigh hopeless--the barricades
+and pitfalls would paralyze the action of the cavalry and
+artillery, every house would be a fortress, and under such
+difficulties even the bravery of the handful of Spaniards would
+avail but little against the overwhelming force by which they would
+be attacked.
+
+Before deciding as to the best course to be adopted, Cortez
+determined to obtain further confirmation of the story of the
+cazique's wife. He accordingly sent an invitation to two priests,
+who resided in the temple close to his quarters, to visit him. When
+they came he received them most courteously, but informed them
+that, by the powers he possessed, he was perfectly aware that
+treachery was intended. He bestowed upon them some very valuable
+presents, from the gifts he had received from Montezuma, and
+promised that none should be aware that he had received any
+information from them. The rich bribes had their effect, and the
+priests confirmed the report Marina had heard.
+
+They said that the emperor had, since their arrival, been in a
+state of vacillation, constantly consulting the oracles, and unable
+to make up his mind whether to fight them, or to receive them with
+honor. He had, when he heard that they were going to Cholula, first
+issued orders that they should be well received; but since then the
+oracles had again been consulted, and had declared that Cholula
+would be the grave of the white men, for that the gods would
+assuredly lend their aid in destroying the enemies who had dared to
+violate the sanctity of the holy city. He had, therefore, ordered
+the attack to take place in the manner described; and so certain
+were the Aztecs of success that the manacles to secure the
+prisoners had already been sent to the city.
+
+Cortez dismissed the priests, telling them that he intended to
+leave the city the following morning, and requested that they would
+induce the principal nobles engaged in the plot to pay him a visit,
+at once. As soon as the priests had left, he summoned his principal
+officers, and disclosed to them the plot he had discovered. There
+was much difference of opinion between them. Some were in favor of
+returning at once to the friendly city of Tlascala. Others voted
+for still advancing, but by the northerly route their allies had
+recommended. But the majority agreed, with their general, that
+their only chance of safety was in taking a bold course; for that
+retreat would raise the whole country against them, and ensure
+their destruction.
+
+When the nobles arrived, Cortez rebuked them mildly for their
+altered conduct and for the failure of supplies; and said that the
+Spaniards would no longer be a burden upon the city, but would
+march out on the following morning; and requested that they would
+furnish a body of two thousand men, to transport his artillery and
+baggage. As this suited admirably the designs of the natives, they
+at once agreed to furnish the required force.
+
+Upon their leaving, Cortez had an interview with Montezuma's
+ambassadors, who had accompanied him from the coast, and told them
+that he was aware of the treacherous plot to destroy him and his
+army, and that he was grieved to find that this vile act of
+treachery was instigated by Montezuma. The ambassadors, astounded
+at what appeared to them the supernatural knowledge of Cortez, and
+terrified at the position in which they found themselves, made
+earnest protestations of their entire ignorance of the scheme; and
+declared that they were convinced that the emperor was wholly
+innocent of it, and that it was entirely the act of the Cholulans.
+Cortez pretended to believe them, as he was desirous, as long as
+possible, of keeping up a semblance of friendship with Montezuma;
+and declared that he was willing to believe that, after the
+friendly messages and gifts the emperor had sent, he could not be
+guilty of such baseness and treachery. His anger therefore would be
+directed chiefly against the Cholulans, who were guilty not only of
+foul treachery to himself, but of dishonoring the emperor's name by
+their conduct.
+
+As soon, however, as the ambassadors had retired, a strong guard
+was placed over them, to prevent them from communicating with the
+citizens. Every precaution was taken, in case the plans of the
+enemy should be altered, and an attack made during the night. The
+guns were placed so as to command the approaches. The horses were
+kept saddled, and ready for action. Strong guards were placed, and
+the troops lay down in their armor. Orders were dispatched, to the
+Tlascalans, to hold themselves ready to march into the city in the
+morning, and join the Spaniards.
+
+As soon as daylight broke, the troops were under arms. A portion of
+those, with the guns, were posted outside the building, so as to
+sweep the streets. A strong body were told off to guard the three
+gates of entrance. The rest were drawn up in the great court, which
+was surrounded partly by buildings, partly by high walls.
+
+Soon after the arrangements were completed the caziques arrived,
+having with them a body of men even larger than they had agreed to
+bring. As soon as they entered, Cortez called them to him, and
+informed him that he was acquainted with all the particulars of the
+conspiracy. He had come to that city upon the invitation of the
+emperor, had given them no cause of complaint, and had left his
+allies outside the walls. Under the guise of kindness and
+hospitality, they had prepared a snare to cut off and destroy them.
+
+The Cholulans were astounded. It seemed to them useless to deny
+anything to men who could thus read their thoughts, and they
+confessed that the accusation was true.
+
+Cortez raised his hand. A gun gave the signal, a terrible volley
+was poured into the Cholulans, and the Spaniards then fell upon
+them with pikes and swords. The unfortunate natives, thus taken by
+surprise, and penned up like sheep in the enclosure, scarcely
+offered any resistance; some tried to escape through the gateways,
+but were repulsed by the troops stationed there. Others strove, but
+in vain, to scale the walls, and the only survivors of the massacre
+owed their lives to hiding under the great piles of dead.
+
+In the meantime, the Mexicans without, being made aware by the
+heavy firing of the failure of their plan of surprise, rushed from
+the buildings in which they had been stationed, and poured up to
+the assault. They were swept down by the discharges of the guns,
+but the places of the slain were rapidly filled, and with reckless
+bravery they pressed up to the Spaniards; although Cortez, at the
+head of his cavalry, charged them again and again, so as to give
+the gunners time to reload.
+
+The struggle was still proceeding when the Tlascalans entered the
+gates of the city and, coming up at a run to the scene of conflict,
+fell upon the rear of the Mexicans. These could no longer resist
+their terrible opponents and, breaking their ranks, took refuge in
+the houses, or fled to the temples.
+
+One large body, headed by the priests, made a stand upon the great
+central teocalli. There was a tradition among them that, if its
+stones were removed, the god would pour out an inundation of water
+to overwhelm his enemies. The Cholulans tore down some of the
+stones, and when the expected miracle did not take place, were
+seized with despair. Many shut themselves up in the wooden towers
+on the platform of the summit, and poured down missiles on their
+foes as they climbed the great staircase; but the darts and arrows
+fell harmless upon the armor of the Spaniards, and when these
+gained the platform, they snatched up the blazing arrows shot at
+them, and fired the turrets. The Cholulans fought to the last, and
+either threw themselves over the parapet, or perished in the
+flames.
+
+In the meantime, many of the wooden houses in the town had caught
+fire, and the flames spread rapidly. The Spanish cavalry charging
+through the street trampled the Mexicans under foot, while the
+Tlascalan allies gratified their long enmity against the Cholulans
+by slaying them without mercy.
+
+When all resistance had ceased, the victors burst into the houses
+and temples, and plundered them of their valuables. The sack
+continued for some hours, and then Cortez, at the entreaties of
+some Cholulan caziques who had been spared at the massacre, and of
+the Mexican ambassadors, consented to call off his troops; and two
+of the nobles were allowed to go into the town, and to assure the
+surviving inhabitants that no further harm would be done to them,
+if they would return to their homes.
+
+The Spaniards and Tlascalans were drawn up under their respective
+leaders. The division of the booty offered no difficulties. The
+mountaineers attached no value to gold or jewels, and were well
+content with wearing apparel and provisions; while to the share of
+the Spaniards fell the valuables taken. Cortez had given strict
+orders that no violence should be offered to the women or children,
+and his orders had been respected; but many of these and numbers of
+men had been made prisoners by the Tlascalans, to carry away into
+slavery.
+
+Cortez, however, now persuaded them to liberate their captives; and
+so great was his influence that they acceded to his request. The
+dead bodies were now collected, and carried outside the city by the
+inhabitants.
+
+Cortez, in his letter to the Emperor Charles, says that three
+thousand were slain; but most contemporary writers put down the
+number of victims at six thousand, and some at even a higher
+figure. Order was promptly restored. The inhabitants who had left
+the town speedily returned, and the people of the neighborhood
+flocked in with supplies. The markets were re-opened, and only the
+lines of blackened ruins told of the recent strife.
+
+The massacre was a terrible one, and is a stain upon the memory of
+Cortez; who otherwise throughout the campaign acted mercifully,
+strictly prohibiting any plundering or ill treatment of the
+natives, and punishing all breaches of his orders with great
+severity. The best excuse that can be offered is, that in desperate
+positions desperate measures must be taken; that the plot, if
+successful, would have resulted in the extermination of the
+Spaniards; and that the terrible lesson taught was necessary, to
+ensure the safety of the expedition. Moreover, a considerable
+portion of those who fell, fell in fair fight; and after the action
+was over, the inhabitants were well treated. It must, too, be taken
+into consideration that the Spaniards were crusaders as well as
+discoverers; and that it was their doctrine that all heretics must
+be treated as enemies of God, and destroyed accordingly.
+
+Such was not the doctrine of their Church, for as the great
+historian Bede writes of King Ethelbert:
+
+"He had learned, from the teachers and authors of his salvation,
+that men are to be drawn, not dragged, to heaven."
+
+Roger, with his two companions, had formed part of the force
+stationed outside the gates to resist the attack of the citizens;
+and he had taken his share in the fierce fighting that went on
+there. He was not free from the prejudices of his times, and the
+horrible sacrifices of the temples, and the narrow escape he
+himself had had in being offered up as a victim, had inspired him
+with a deep hatred of the religion of the people; although against
+them, personally, he had no feeling of hostility. Even in the
+height of the conflict he felt pity for the men who, in their
+cotton armor, rushed so fearlessly to the attack of the iron-clad
+Spaniards, armed with their terrible weapons. But at the same time,
+he knew that if they were successful, the most horrible fate
+awaited him and his companions; and the treacherous plot, of which
+they had so nearly been the victims, excited the same feelings in
+his mind as in that of the Spaniards.
+
+
+
+Chapter 14: In Mexico.
+
+
+The terrible vengeance taken by the Spaniards at Cholula struck
+terror into the minds of the Mexicans. The white men had shown, in
+their conflict with the Tlascalans, how terrible they were in
+battle, and it now seemed that treachery was of no avail against
+them. The cities in the neighborhood of Cholula hastened to send
+messages expressive of submission to the terrible white warriors,
+accompanied by presents of all kinds. Montezuma saw, with awe and
+affright, that even the oracles of the gods could not be depended
+upon against these strangers; and that bribes, force, and treachery
+had alike failed to arrest their march towards his capital. Vast
+numbers of victims were again offered up on the altars, but no
+favorable responses were returned--for the priests, seeing how
+complete had been the failure of their predictions as to events at
+Cholula, were unwilling again to commit themselves. The emperor
+consequently sent fresh ambassadors laden with presents to Cortez,
+with assurances that he was in no way responsible for the attack
+upon them, and that he considered they had done well in punishing
+its authors.
+
+Cortez endeavored to induce the inhabitants of the city to embrace
+Christianity; and would have resorted to force here, as at
+Cempoalla, but he was dissuaded by Father Olmedo; who, as on former
+occasions, urged that conversions effected by force were of little
+use, and that the cause would be injured, rather than benefited by
+such measures. Christianity would, as a matter of course, result
+from the success of the Spaniards; and that success would be
+imperiled, by exciting the animosity of the whole people by
+violence to their gods. As the great teocalli had been captured in
+fair fight, and a large portion of its buildings burnt, Cortez
+converted a massive stone edifice that had escaped the flames into
+a church, and erected a gigantic crucifix on the summit of the
+teocalli, visible from all points of the city.
+
+A fortnight after his entrance to Cholula, Cortez again began to
+move forward. His Cempoallan allies, who had fought with great
+bravery against the Tlascalans, and had rendered him immense
+assistance upon the march, now asked to be allowed to return home;
+for much as they believed in the prowess of the whites, the dread
+of Montezuma's name was too great for them to dare trust themselves
+in his capital. Cortez dismissed them with many presents and, with
+his Tlascalan army, set forward towards the capital.
+
+As they proceeded on their way, parties came in from various towns
+on the plateau with friendly messages. The enormous taxation,
+imposed to keep up the luxurious court of the emperor, pressed
+heavily upon the land; and the greater portion of the inhabitants
+hailed, with real satisfaction, the coming of a power that appeared
+likely to overthrow the Aztec tyranny. Had it not been for this
+widespread disaffection, the little army of Cortez would, in spite
+of its bravery and superior weapons, have been powerless against
+the vast hosts which could have been hurled against it. But the
+people of the empire, in general, regarded Mexico as its oppressor
+and tyrant, and hailed the opportunity of freeing themselves from
+its dominations. Cortez, except when the question of religion was
+concerned, was politic in the highest degree; and inspired all the
+natives who came to him with the full belief that, in him, they
+would have a kind and generous protector against Montezuma.
+
+Warm as were the assurances of friendship sent by that monarch, the
+Spaniards were well aware that no confidence could be placed in
+them. Their new friends, indeed, informed them that he was already
+preparing for an attack upon the Spaniards; and that the straight
+and level road had been blocked up, in order that they might be
+forced to take their passage through the mountains, where they
+could be attacked and overwhelmed at points at which their cavalry
+and artillery would be unable to act.
+
+On arriving, therefore, at the place where the roads had been
+blocked, Cortez caused the piled-up obstacles to be removed; and
+the army proceeded by the level road, where they felt confident in
+their power to defend themselves, if attacked.
+
+Upon the march Roger sometimes kept with Juan and Pedro, at other
+times walked beside Malinche, who, although wholly devoted to
+Cortez, had yet a warm and kindly feeling for her former friend.
+Cortez himself often consulted Roger as to the roads and places
+ahead, for he always received the native descriptions with some
+doubt, as he could not be sure whether they were honestly given.
+
+After passing across the plateau, the little army ascended the
+steep range of hills separating it from the table land of Mexico.
+The cold was sufficient to affect them seriously, after the heat of
+the plains; and the difficulties of taking up the guns and their
+ammunition were great. This work was principally performed by the
+native allies, the Spaniards holding themselves in readiness to
+repel any attack that might be made upon them, in the forest-clad
+hills or in the deep defiles; but no foes showed themselves, and
+they at last gained the western slopes, whence the plains of Mexico
+burst into sight.
+
+The Spaniards stood astonished--as Roger had done, on his first
+journey--at the beauty of the prospect; but the sight of the
+numerous cities, telling of an immense population, filled them with
+uneasiness; and a clamor presently arose, that to march onward
+against such overwhelming odds was nothing short of madness; and
+that, having accomplished such vast things, they had done
+sufficient for honor, and should now return with the spoils they
+had captured to the coast.
+
+But, as before, the enthusiasm and influence of Cortez soon
+reanimated their courage. He and the other leaders went among them,
+and by argument and entreaty persuaded them again to form their
+ranks and press forward; and in a short time the army wound down
+from the heights into the valley.
+
+Happily for them, the ruler of Mexico was altogether dominated by
+superstitious fears. Against native enemies he had shown himself a
+resolute and valiant leader, had carried on numerous successful
+wars, and had by force of arms greatly extended his dominions; but
+against these strange white enemies, his faculties seemed
+altogether to fail him. He had, for years, given himself up to the
+priesthood; and in this crisis, instead of consulting with his
+trusted generals, he was swayed wholly by the advice of the
+priests; and sought protection, not from the armies at his command,
+but from the gods, whom he strove to influence in his favor by
+hecatombs of human victims, sacrificed upon their altars.
+
+In the month that had elapsed since he joined Cortez at Tlascala,
+Roger had made considerable progress in Spanish; and although
+incapable of supporting a long conversation with his comrades,
+could make himself understood in simple matters. His behavior at
+the fight in Cholula had gained him the respect of the old soldier;
+who, however, was not wholly satisfied with him.
+
+"The young fellow is no coward," he said to Pedro. "When the
+Mexicans were pressing us sorely, he fought as stoutly and well as
+any in our ranks. He is well skilled in the use of the sword, which
+is wonderful, seeing that the Mexicans among whom he has been
+brought up are but poor hands with that weapon; and both with
+thrust and point he showed himself perfectly at home with the heavy
+blade the general gave him. I saw him pressed at one time by four
+Mexicans together, and was making to his assistance. But there was
+no need for it. He ran one through the body, and with heavy
+downright blows, well-nigh cleft the heads of two others; and the
+fourth, with a cry of astonishment and fear, sprang back into the
+crowd.
+
+"But though he fought so stoutly when attacked, he showed less
+ardor in the assault, and lagged behind when we were pursuing the
+enemy."
+
+"I like him none the worse for that, Juan," Pedro said. "He has
+lived among these people, and though I hear that, when they heard
+of our landing, they would have sacrificed him, and he had to fly
+for his life and fight hard to make his escape, he must in other
+respects look upon them without animosity; and doubtless he felt
+some pity for the poor wretches."
+
+"I felt some pity myself," Juan said; "but as they had intended so
+treacherously towards us, and proposed to put us all to a cruel
+death, I did not let my pity interfere with my sword arm."
+
+"Ah, but you have been accustomed to battles and bloodshed all your
+life, Juan. One does not take to the trade of killing all at once,
+and I like him none the worse that he was disinclined for the
+slaughter of the people among whom he had been brought up."
+
+"Well, we shall see," the old soldier grumbled. "It seems to me
+that when two or three hundred men are fighting against a whole
+nation, and that nation proposes to cut all their throats on the
+altars of their gods, it is not a time for scruples. I approve of
+the orders the general gave, that no one was to injure women and
+children, and I heartily wish that such were always the orders; but
+when it comes to men who have set their minds upon killing me, I
+don't draw nice distinctions, and I just smite where I see a
+chance."
+
+The news that the Spaniards had crossed the mountains, and had
+entered the valley, completed the dejection and despair of
+Montezuma; and after shutting himself up in his palace, and
+refusing food, he at last turned from the gods, from whom he could
+obtain no assistance, and summoned a meeting of his counselors.
+
+These were divided in opinion. Cacama was at the head of the peace
+party. He pointed out that, had they intended to oppose the advance
+of the white men by force of arms, the whole strength of the empire
+should have been dispatched to dispute the passage of the
+mountains. As that had not been done, they should now be received
+in friendly fashion, as the ambassadors of the great king whom
+Cortez claimed to represent. Some of the other counselors, led by
+Cuitlahua, Montezuma's brother, were in favor of turning out all
+the forces and repelling the invasion; but Cacama's counsel
+prevailed, and an embassy was dispatched, under his leadership, to
+greet the Spaniards and conduct them to the capital.
+
+The Spanish army advanced slowly. They halted for two days at
+Amaquemecan, where they were well received and hospitably
+entertained, and presented with a considerable sum in gold. They
+then marched forward to Ajotzinco, a town standing at the southern
+extremity of Lake Chalco, and partly erected on piles rising from
+the lake itself. Here, as at Venice, canals took the place of
+roads, and all traffic was carried on in boats.
+
+Upon the following morning, a messenger arrived with the news that
+the King of Tezcuco was approaching, as an ambassador from the
+emperor, and in a short time the royal procession approached the
+city. Cacama was borne in a magnificent litter, shaded by a
+gorgeous canopy, and was attended by a number of nobles and
+officials. As the palanquin neared the spot where Cortez was
+standing, Cacama left his litter and advanced towards him; saluting
+by touching the ground with his hand, and raising it in the air.
+Cortez also advanced and embraced the young prince, who told him
+that he came as the ambassador of the emperor, to welcome him to
+his capital. An exchange of presents took place, and Cortez assured
+the prince of the friendliness of his intentions, and of the
+respect he entertained for the emperor. Cacama then withdrew, and
+returned at once to Mexico, while the army resumed its march.
+
+Roger did not make any attempt to approach the prince, after his
+interview with Cortez. He knew that he would have received, from
+Cuitcatl, the news that he had surmounted the dangers of his
+journey and joined the Spaniards at Tlascala, and thought that it
+would be better to defer presenting himself to the prince until he
+could do so more privately at Tezcuco. He considered it possible
+that Montezuma might have blamed Cacama for his escape; and that,
+if he were to greet him, it would be reported to the emperor, who
+might regard it as a proof that there had been a secret
+understanding between them, and that Cacama had aided his flight.
+
+Crossing the causeway that divided the Lake of Chalco from that of
+Xochical, the army marched to Iztapalapan, a large town with a
+royal residence, governed by the emperor's brother Cuitlahua. The
+prince had assembled a number of the great nobles, and Cortez was
+received with great state and ceremony; and after the usual
+presentation of gifts, a banquet was served to the Spaniards in one
+of the great halls of the palace.
+
+After this Cortez was conducted over the gardens, which were the
+finest in Mexico. They contained all the vegetable productions of
+the empire, with magnificent aviaries, and a fish pond built of
+stone, nearly a mile in circumference.
+
+At daybreak next morning, that of November 8th, 1519, the Spaniards
+were mustered and again set forward. The four hundred white troops
+led the way. They were followed by the baggage, after which came
+what was numerically the main portion of the army, six thousand
+five hundred Tlascalan soldiers. Keeping on by the shore of the
+lake, and crossing the narrow strip of land dividing the Lake of
+Xochical from that of Tezcuco, they arrived at the head of the
+great causeway running across the lake to the island on which the
+capital was built. The causeway was a massive construction, built
+of large stones laid in cement, and was wide enough to permit of
+ten horsemen riding abreast.
+
+The shores of the lake on either side were closely dotted with
+towns and villages, and the lake itself was well-nigh covered with
+the canoes and rafts of the natives. The Spaniards saw, too, with
+surprise and admiration, floating gardens--some of them of
+considerable extent--on the surface of the lake, covered with
+flowers and shrubs. The scene was the most beautiful that had ever
+met their eyes, and they were filled with delight and admiration.
+
+Halfway across the causeway they came upon the fort of Xoloc. Here
+a massive stone wall, twelve feet high, crossed the dike, and
+stretched out on to the lake on either side. Towers were erected at
+its angles and, properly defended, it could have resisted the
+attack of an army.
+
+An archway gave passage through the wall. Here a great number of
+nobles were assembled, who welcomed the Spaniards with formal
+ceremony; and the army then marched forward along the dike, till it
+reached a wooden drawbridge near the gate of the city.
+
+As they crossed this a splendid procession was seen approaching. It
+was preceded by three great officers of state, bearing golden
+wands; behind them the emperor himself lay in his palanquin, borne
+on the shoulders of nobles, with a canopy of rich feather work
+sparkling with jewels above his head. Montezuma alighted when
+within a short distance, and with the canopy still carried over his
+head, and leaning upon his brother and nephew, he advanced towards
+Cortez.
+
+The general, dismounting, went forward with a few of his principal
+officers to meet him. The emperor received his guest with courtesy,
+and expressed his pleasure at seeing him in his capital; while
+Cortez replied with expressions of profound respect, accompanied by
+thanks for the superb presents that Montezuma had sent him. The
+emperor re-entered his litter, and the Spaniards followed, with
+music playing and colors flying.
+
+Although already familiar with Mexican architecture, they were
+astonished by the magnificence of the buildings that bordered the
+great streets along which they marched. Here were the mansions of
+the nobles, built of a red porous stone and covering a large space
+of ground. The flat roofs were protected by stone parapets, and
+many of them were laid out as gardens. Between these mansions were
+broad terraces, which presented a mass of flowers. Here and there
+were great marketplaces, surrounded by porticoes of stone; and
+above all the temples, with their towering pyramids, rose high in
+the air.
+
+Along the whole line, crowds of people watched the procession of
+the troops; gazing with surprise and admiration at the cavaliers on
+horseback, and at the flashing armor and arms of the Spaniards; and
+with wrath and indignation at the Tlascalan army, which followed in
+their rear.
+
+The street was in many places intersected by canals. Passing over
+these on light bridges, they at last reached a great square near
+the center of the city, on one side of which rose the huge temple
+of the war god of the Aztecs. Facing this was a palace of
+Montezuma's father, which had been appropriated, by the emperor, as
+quarters for the Spaniards. The emperor himself received them in
+the courtyard, presented Cortez with a magnificent necklace, and
+then, saying he would visit them later on, withdrew.
+
+The palace was large enough to afford accommodation for the whole
+army; and as it was surrounded by a massive stone wall, flanked
+with towers, Cortez saw, with satisfaction, that it could without
+difficulty resist any sudden attack. He placed sentries on the
+walls, and planted his cannon to command the approaches; and in
+order to prevent any chance of a quarrel arising, he forbade any
+soldiers to leave the palace, without orders. A large number of
+Mexican slaves had been appointed to attend upon the strangers, and
+a meal was speedily served by them to the troops, who were then
+permitted to take a sleep, for some hours, during the heat of the
+day.
+
+The emperor paid another visit in the evening, and had a long
+conversation with Cortez, distributing a large number of rich
+presents among the Spaniards before leaving. After he had left they
+celebrated their arrival in the city by a salute with their cannon,
+whose thunder added to the impression produced upon the natives by
+the tales they had heard of the prowess of their visitors, and
+heightened their belief in the supernatural powers of the
+Spaniards.
+
+The next day Cortez returned the emperor's visit. He was
+accompanied by a few of his principal officers, and five or six
+soldiers. The palace was of immense size, built, like the rest of
+the houses, of red stone, and ornamented with marble. Fountains
+sparkled in the courts through which the Spaniards passed, and
+crowds of Aztec nobles thronged the squares and great halls. The
+walls of these apartments were hung with richly dyed cotton, or
+with draperies of gorgeous feather work, while the fumes of incense
+rose up in clouds from censors.
+
+Montezuma, surrounded by a few of his nobles, received them; and
+Cortez at once opened to him what he considered to be the chief
+object of his enterprise, and through the medium of Marina
+expounded the doctrines of Christianity, and besought the emperor
+to turn from his false gods. As Montezuma had himself been a
+priest, and was an ardent devotee of his religion, it was scarcely
+to be expected that he would favorably entertain the proposal to
+change his religion. He answered courteously that, no doubt, the
+god of Cortez was good to the Spaniards, just as his own gods were
+good to him. What his visitors said of the creation of the world
+was similar to what he himself believed. His people had occupied
+the land but for a few years, having been led there by a great
+being who, after giving them laws, had withdrawn to the regions of
+the east. When he left he had promised that he or his descendants
+would again visit them, and resume his empire. The wonderful deeds
+of the Spaniards, their complexion, the fact that they came from
+the east--all showed that they were the descendants of this god.
+
+"Your sovereign beyond the waters is, I know, the rightful lord of
+all. I rule in his name. You, Malinzin, are his ambassador, and you
+and your brethren shall share what I have."
+
+He then dismissed his visitors with fresh presents.
+
+Malinzin was the name by which Cortez was universally known by the
+natives. Malinche was ever with him, and they connected him with
+her, and called him by the masculine form of her name.
+
+But gratified as the Spaniards were at the kindness of their
+reception, and within the munificent gifts showered upon them, they
+could not but feel that their position was a precarious one. They
+were in the center of a great city, with a warlike population. It
+was broken up, by its canals with their movable bridges, into a
+series of fortresses; and it would be well-nigh hopeless to
+endeavor, by force, to make their way out of it. At present all
+seemed fair, but they were well aware that Montezuma had endeavored
+in every way, save by open war, to prevent their coming; and that,
+influenced as he was by the oracles of the gods, he might at any
+moment exchange his apparent friendship for open enmity.
+
+Two days after arriving at the capital, Roger asked Malinche if she
+could obtain permission from the general for him to cross the lake
+to Tezcuco, in order that he might pay his friends there a visit.
+Presently she returned, saying that the general himself would speak
+to him.
+
+Roger had been named Sancho by the Spaniards, as he had not
+ventured to give his own name; and it was supposed that he had
+forgotten that which he had borne as a child.
+
+"Sancho," the general said; "I know, from what Marina says, that
+you have great intelligence, though you have so long been cut off
+from your own people. You see that our position here is a strange
+one. We are guests and yet, to some extent, we are prisoners. The
+Tlascalans with us are hated by the Mexicans, and either between
+them and the natives, or maybe between some of my own soldiers and
+the citizens, a brawl might arise which would be used as a pretext
+for an attack upon us.
+
+"As I feel that I can rely upon your discretion, I will tell you of
+some news that I received at Cholula, but which I have kept to
+myself. The natives on the coast have shown themselves hostile to
+the garrison of a hundred and fifty men, whom I left there under
+Juan de Escalante. A chief near there sent in to tender his
+allegiance, and asked that four white men should be sent to escort
+him to the town. As soon as they got to him two of them were
+murdered, but the other two managed to escape and made their way
+back. Don Juan marched, with fifty of his men and several thousand
+Indian allies, to attack the treacherous chief. There was a
+desperate battle, our allies fled, but the soldiers stood their
+ground and--thanks to the aid of the Blessed Virgin--resisted all
+the attacks made upon them. But eight of the men were slain, and
+Juan himself was mortally wounded. The Indian prisoners taken said
+that the attack, like that at Cholula, had been made by the orders
+of Montezuma.
+
+"You may do us good service by finding out what are the intentions
+of the Mexicans. Therefore, by all means, carry out your intention
+of going across to Tezcuco. The young king is a nephew of the
+emperor, but he has suffered much at Montezuma's hands, and has
+been stripped of the greater part of his father's dominions. He
+can, therefore, hardly be friendly to him at heart. At any rate you
+may be able to learn, in conversation with him, what are his
+sentiments towards us. Tezcuco was long the rival of Mexico, and as
+the alliance of the Tlascalans has proved of the greatest advantage
+to us, still more should we benefit if the Tezcucans were our
+friends. If we have to retire from Mexico, we might take refuge
+there.
+
+"At any rate, if nothing else comes of it, you might learn from the
+king whether he is aware of any treachery meditated against us. He
+saved you, Malinche says, from Montezuma and the priests, once; and
+would be likely, therefore, to warn you, did he know that danger
+was impending."
+
+When Marina had translated this, Roger at once agreed to do his
+best to discover if any treachery were meant.
+
+"You had best go in disguise," Cortez said. "Donna Marina will make
+arrangements for a canoe to be here, after nightfall; and by
+staining your face, and putting on the attire of an Aztec
+noble--for which we have ample materials at hand--would not be
+noticed as you pass through the throng of yon boats on the lake. It
+would be best that you did not go as a Spanish soldier. You might
+be arrested on the road, and perhaps carried away and sacrificed at
+one of the altars. Once at Tezcuco you must, of course, act in the
+matter as you think best."
+
+Marina--who was not, like the Spaniards, confined to the
+palace--had no difficulty in arranging for a canoe; and as soon as
+it became dark, Roger, dressed as an Aztec cazique, and with his
+face slightly stained, took his place in it. The lake was thronged
+with canoes, but the craft in which he was seated passed without
+notice through them, and after two hours' paddling reached Tezcuco.
+
+Telling the natives that they were to wait for his return, however
+long that might be, Roger proceeded to the palace. Avoiding the
+principal streets and squares, where his unusual height would
+attract attention, he passed unquestioned into the palace amid the
+throng of chiefs and nobles who were entering or leaving it, and
+made his way to the apartment of Cuitcatl. It was empty but,
+clapping his hand, the attendant who had before waited upon him
+entered. As Roger's attire was similar to the one he had worn while
+at Tezcuco, the man recognized him at once.
+
+Roger bade him go in search of Cuitcatl, and tell him privately
+that he was there, and beg him to come. In a few minutes Cuitcatl
+entered the room, and greeted Roger most heartily.
+
+"I am glad, indeed, to see you, my friend; and Cacama and the queen
+and the princess will rejoice, also. There was great anxiety for
+you after your first escape, for the emperor was furious when he
+heard that you had slipped off. The priests had assured him that
+the sacrifice of a white man, to the god of war, would ensure his
+aid and protection against the white invaders. Runners were
+dispatched in scores to every town and village, and although I knew
+that Bathalda was familiar with every foot of the country, and
+would give his life for you if needs be, it seemed impossible that
+you should be able to make your way through.
+
+"Then came the news of your fight in the hills; how you had a bow
+that carried arrows to an unheard-of distance; and how, in a
+hand-to-hand fight, you had prevailed against a score of our
+soldiers. After that, you seemed lost. The officers commanding the
+troops were convinced that you had not descended the eastern slopes
+of the mountains; and the spies, which were watching every movement
+of the white men on the coast, reported that no white man had
+joined them. Therefore, it was supposed that you must have returned
+west of the range of hills, and every town and village was
+searched, and every grove and plantation examined.
+
+"We were all very anxious for you, and it was not until a week
+after we had the news of the wonderful defeat of the Tlascalans, by
+the white men, that Bathalda returned with the message you sent us,
+and the news that you had joined the white men there.
+
+"Since then we have, of course, heard nothing of you. Cacama said
+that he did not see you when he met Malinzin; but of course he did
+not examine the faces of the white soldiers, being occupied solely
+with their chief and the officers round him. But we all felt
+assured that we should hear from you, shortly.
+
+"So, you have resumed your Aztec dress?"
+
+"I thought it better to do so, for the purpose of coming here,"
+Roger replied; "for if the priests want a victim so sorely, it
+seemed to me that, if I ventured to leave the palace dressed in my
+Spanish garb, I might be seized and carried off."
+
+"You are quite right," Cuitcatl agreed. "The priests are furious
+against you all, and I cannot altogether blame them. Your general
+may, as he says, come as an ambassador from his king to Montezuma;
+and if he had orders to come to his court, at all costs, he was not
+to blame if he fought his way whenever he was opposed; but this
+does not justify him in insulting our religion, and even assaulting
+and hurling down our gods, at every opportunity. He even tried to
+persuade the emperor that our gods were false; and spoke insolently
+of them, yesterday, when Montezuma conducted him, at his request,
+into the holy shrines. Cacama was one of the strongest advisors
+that a peaceful reception should be accorded to the white visitors,
+but even he is being greatly turned against them, by their conduct
+towards our gods.
+
+"Come, I will take you to the royal apartments, and leave you in a
+room where no one will enter, until I inform Cacama that you are
+here."
+
+A few minutes later the young king entered the apartment where
+Cuitcatl had placed Roger, and embraced him with real affection.
+
+"Truly, I am glad to see you again, Roger Hawkshaw. I am glad to
+see you for yourself, and I hail you as a counselor, in the strange
+pass to which we have come. Here are Maclutha, and my sister,
+Amenche."
+
+The queen and the princess entered as he spoke, and each gave Roger
+their hand; which, bowing deeply, he raised to his lips, having
+before told them that this was the salutation, among his own
+people, to ladies of high rank.
+
+"We did not think, Roger Hawkshaw, when we last parted, that we
+should meet again so soon. Who could have believed then that the
+little band of white men, of whose arrival upon the coast we had
+heard, would have made their way on to the capital, when the
+emperor was bent upon preventing their coming? We have trembled for
+you, and have prayed the gods to protect you; and greatly did we
+rejoice when we heard, from Cuitcatl's follower, that you had
+surmounted all your dangers safely, and joined the whites.
+
+"It has been a strange time here, since you left. I have been, for
+the most part, at the capital. The news that came, from day to day,
+of the progress of the whites filled everyone with surprise, and
+consternation.
+
+"We of the council met daily, but Montezuma passed his time at the
+shrines and among the priests. He was a brave warrior and a great
+general, once, but he is no longer himself. My father's prophecy
+seems to have unmanned him, and he has given himself up wholly to
+superstition. I believe in our gods, and pay them due honor; but I
+do not hold that a man should not think for himself, or that he
+should trust wholly in the priests, who are but men like ourselves;
+and who are, methinks, but poor judges of worldly affairs, though
+wise and learned in matters concerning religion. Montezuma thinks
+otherwise, and the result is that no orders have been issued, no
+determination arrived at, and we have the disgrace of seeing a
+handful of strangers installed in the capital.
+
+"Mind, my counsels have always been that they should be conducted
+honorably from the coast, and treated as ambassadors; but we have
+done neither one thing nor the other. They have been loaded with
+gifts, but forbidden to come here. Yet since they came, in spite of
+orders, we have seemed as if we feared to meet them; and I blush at
+the thought of the treacherous plan to destroy them, at Cholula.
+
+"The gods had prophesied that they would find their grave there.
+But the gods were wrong; and it may be that the God of the whites
+is more powerful than ours. If not, how is it that they did not
+avenge the indignities offered to them by the whites, at Cempoalla,
+where their images were hurled down from their altars? And at
+Cholula, where the most sacred of all the temples was attacked and
+captured, and the emblem of the White God set up on its summit?
+
+"You yourself, Roger Hawkshaw, warned us against these Spaniards.
+You said that they were cruel masters to the people they had
+conquered, and above all things cruel in the matter of religion,
+forcing all who came under their sway to accept their God, under
+pain of death; and that they would slay even you, a white man like
+themselves, did they know that you did not belong to their people.
+Tell us what is to be done. Why are these men in our capital? What
+are their objects? Brave and strong as they are, they cannot hope
+to overcome a nation, or to force all Anahuac to forsake their own
+gods and to accept the God of the whites."
+
+"I know not what are the designs of Cortez, the leader whom you
+call Malinzin. I should say the Spaniards are here with several
+motives. In the first place, there is the desire for wealth and
+spoil; in the second, religious ardor--the desire to bring all
+within the pale of their Church; in the third place, the love of
+adventure; and, lastly, the honor they will receive, at the hands
+of their sovereign, for opening so rich an empire to his arms."
+
+"You do not think, then, they intend to conquer us?"
+
+"Cortez cannot think of doing so, with the means at his disposal,
+Cacama; but doubtless he has sent home reports of the richness of
+the country, and forces many times more numerous than those under
+his command may be sent out to his assistance."
+
+"Does he know that you have come hither?" Cacama asked suddenly.
+
+"He does," Roger replied. "I could not leave the palace without
+permission, and Malinche told him of the kindness I had experienced
+at your hands. He himself is uneasy at the position in which he
+finds himself, uncertain of Montezuma's intentions, and fearful of
+an assault; and he bade me try to find out, as far as might be,
+what was the general opinion respecting the Spaniards."
+
+"The opinion of the ignorant," Cacama said, with a contemptuous
+wave of the hand, "is worth nothing. They go where they are led.
+They believe what they are last told. They shout when they are told
+to shout. They have no opinion of their own, upon aught but what
+relates to themselves.
+
+"Among the nobles, the priests, and the learned there is much
+division of opinion. At present we wait; but frankly, at any moment
+a storm may follow the calm. The priests, who of course are
+bitterly hostile to the strangers, are without doubt working, and
+they have great power with all. But I should say that, on the
+whole, you are safer here with me than you would be across the
+water there. I do not mean that there is any immediate danger, but
+you must remember that Montezuma has been insulted and humiliated,
+and made to appear small in the sight of the people. He is one of
+the proudest of men, and although at present he feigns friendship
+with the Spaniards, a moment will come when he will revolt against
+being thus bearded in his capital; and he has but to wave his hand
+for these invaders to be wiped out.
+
+"However, let us talk of other matters, at present. Of course, you
+are not thinking of returning tonight?"
+
+"I intended to do so, and the canoe in which I came is waiting for
+me."
+
+"We cannot think of letting you go," Cacama said, decidedly. "I
+will send an official back, with a message from you saying that you
+think you can do more, here, than by returning; and that you crave
+leave to stay for the present, but that you will come over, in the
+morning, and report to him all that you have learned here. You can
+leave here soon after daybreak, see your general, and be back again
+before the full heat of the day."
+
+As Roger was in no hurry to return, Cuitcatl went out to dispatch
+an official with the message to Cortez; or rather to Malinche, as
+the message would then be delivered privately to him; whereas if
+Cortez were asked for, the man might be brought into his presence
+when engaged with some of his officers. Roger did not know whether
+the fact of his being away from the palace had been made public,
+for Cortez might consider it would cause discontent among some of
+his followers, were it known that their last-joined recruit was
+permitted to leave the town, whereas no one else was allowed to
+stir beyond the limits of their quarters.
+
+
+
+Chapter 15: Again At Tezcuco.
+
+
+Until a late hour in the night, Roger sat talking to Cacama and his
+family. Although they had heard, from Bathalda, all that had
+happened from the time of their leaving Tezcuco to their arrival at
+Tlascala, he had to go over it again. Bathalda had told them that
+Roger had found a former acquaintance in Malinche, who was all
+powerful with the white leaders; and Amenche asked many questions
+concerning her--how Roger had known her before, and for how long;
+what she was like, and why he applied to her, instead of going
+straight to the white general.
+
+"You have heard me speak of her before," Roger said, in answer to
+the first question. "I told you that I had learned your language
+from a Mexican slave girl, who was one of my attendants during the
+time I was at Tabasco. She was with me the whole time I was there,
+and if it had not been for learning the language from her, and
+conversing with her, I do not know how I should have got through
+the time. I was sorry to leave her behind, and promised her that,
+if ever I got rich enough here, I would send and purchase her
+freedom."
+
+"You seem to have taken a strange interest in a slave girl!"
+Amenche said.
+
+"It was natural that it should be so, Princess. I was little better
+than a slave, myself. At any rate I was a prisoner, and naturally
+took to the one person who was kind to me. We were companions and
+friends, rather than master and attendant; and directly I heard
+that she was with Cortez, and had gained great influence with him,
+I naturally went to her."
+
+"Is she very beautiful?"
+
+"I used not to think her beautiful at all, when we were at Tabasco
+together; but she has changed greatly during the months that have
+passed since I saw her. Yes, I think she is certainly beautiful
+now. But not so beautiful as others I have seen."
+
+"But why did you go to her?" the girl again persisted.
+
+"Because I cannot speak the language of the Spaniards; and it was
+necessary, for my safety, for them to believe that I am one of
+themselves, rescued from some Spanish ship cast, by a gale, on
+their shores when I was a little lad. Had I gone to Cortez direct,
+he would probably have guessed, from my dress and from my speaking
+the language, that this was how I came to be here; but had I not
+seen Malinche before I saw him, she would have recognized me, and
+would no doubt have told Cortez that she had known me from the time
+I was cast ashore, near Tabasco, somewhat over two years ago. He
+would then have known that I could not be a Spaniard, for if so, I
+could not in so short a time have lost my own language."
+
+Cacama now interposed, and asked many questions about Tlascala and
+its people.
+
+"Some of the Tlascalan princes and caziques gave their daughters as
+wives to the Spaniards, did they not?"
+
+"Six of them did so," Roger replied. "The ladies were first
+baptized into the Christian religion, and then married by the
+priests to as many of the chief leaders of the Spaniards."
+
+"And what did you think of that?" Cacama asked.
+
+"I did not think much about it," Roger said; "for it was no
+business of mine, but that of the ladies and their friends. It was
+certainly a politic course, on the part both of Cortez and the
+Tlascalans, and bound the alliance more closely together.
+
+"But methinks that, upon such work as the Spaniards are engaged in,
+a man were better without a wife, both for his sake and her own. A
+man who goes into battle with no one but himself to think of may
+take joy in the strife; for he knows that, if he falls, it makes no
+very great matter to anyone. But if he has a wife hard by, who will
+be left a widow if he is slain, it must be ever present to him
+while he is fighting; and though he may not fight less stoutly, it
+must cause him grievous anxiety, and take away the pleasure of
+fighting."
+
+"You have already told us that the white men are good husbands,"
+the queen said.
+
+"I do not know that they are in any way better, in that respect,
+than your own people, Queen Maclutha. There are good and bad--men
+who treat their wives well, and men who neglect them."
+
+"But you told us that they only had one wife, each," she said; "and
+that even kings are kept to this rule, as well as their humblest
+subjects."
+
+"That is so," Roger said. "One man one wife, whatever his rank.
+There is no occasion for the palaces of our king to be as extensive
+as those of Montezuma."
+
+"And if these officers who have married here were to return home,
+and leave their wives behind them, could they not marry again?"
+
+"No," Roger said; "as the ladies have become Christians, and been
+married according to the rites of the Church, they could not be
+lawfully set aside."
+
+"And you have no wife in England, Roger Hawkshaw?" Cacama asked.
+
+Roger laughed merrily.
+
+"Why, I was but a boy when I left home; and as far as marriage
+goes, I am but a boy still. We consider it young enough, if we take
+a wife at five and twenty; and I lack six years of that, yet."
+
+"You are a man," Cacama said gravely. "You are a man in size and
+strength, and a man in courage; as you well showed, the other day,
+when you were attacked by numbers of our best soldiers. You are
+thoughtful and prudent. Years go for nothing. You are a man, and
+even in years you are not, according to our customs, too young to
+marry.
+
+"Now, tell me--we have heard much of that bad business at
+Cholula--tell me, do you think that there was treachery on the part
+of the people, or was it a mere pretext of the Spaniards to fall
+upon the inhabitants, and sack the town?"
+
+"I am sure that treachery was intended," Roger said. "We learned it
+from three people, a lady and two priests; and the Cholula nobles,
+themselves, when taxed by Cortez with their intention to fall upon
+us, admitted that the accusation was true. Besides, the whole
+people were under arms and ready to attack, and poured out under
+their leaders to the assault, the moment the first gun told that
+their intentions were discovered. No, there is no doubt, whatever,
+that a general destruction of the white men was intended; and
+although the punishment inflicted was terrible, I cannot say that
+it was not justified, under the circumstances.
+
+"Moreover, we knew that there was a Mexican army, lying but a short
+distance away, in readiness to enter the town and join in the
+attack against us."
+
+"It was a terrible error, as well as a crime on the part of the
+emperor, if it be true that he was concerned in it," Cacama said.
+"If so, he took no one here into his counsel, but acted wholly on
+the advice of the priests."
+
+"That is where the general considers the danger lies. He would
+trust the caziques, for men of rank in whatever country are
+faithful to their word, and do not pretend friendship when they
+mean hostility. Were Montezuma guided by them, there would be no
+fear of treachery; but as he has given himself to the priests, and
+they can, by means of the oracles, persuade him to almost anything,
+Cortez feels that the danger is great."
+
+"Well now, we had better to rest," Cacama said, rising. "You are to
+start with the first streak of light, so as to be back before the
+sun is high, and it is long past midnight now.
+
+"Cuitcatl, it would, I think, be well for you to accompany our
+friend. A rumor may have got abroad that he is again our guest, and
+those who longed for his blood, before, may long for it again. I
+would not that he should cross the lake unattended."
+
+"I was about to propose doing so," the young noble said. "I know
+the priests, and can guess that, at present, a white victim is what
+they most of all desire. Therefore, I will certainly accompany him
+to Mexico."
+
+Roger and his Mexican friend were taken across the lake in a canoe,
+rowed by four strong men. It was one of the private canoes of the
+palace, without the royal insignia; used for the conveyance of
+messengers, and built for speed. She took them across to the
+capital in a very short time and, entering one of the canals,
+landed them close to the palace occupied by the Spaniards.
+
+The sentry at the gate was surprised at the height of the young
+Aztec chief who approached, and did not recognize him until he
+spoke. Even then he would not let him pass, until he called an
+officer.
+
+"I have been absent by the order of the general," Roger said.
+
+"I have no doubt it is all right," the officer replied, "but I must
+take you to him."
+
+Cortez had only just risen, for the hour was still very early, and
+the sun was but now showing himself over the mountains to the east.
+He was taking a cup of chocolate.
+
+"That is all right," he said to the officer, as soon as he saw
+Roger. "Sancho has been absent upon my orders."
+
+He then called Malinche from an adjoining room.
+
+"You are back earlier than I expected," he said, as soon as the
+interpreter entered. "Have you any serious news?"
+
+"No, General. Cacama is himself friendly. He is unaware of any
+treacherous designs on the part of the emperor, but admits that the
+situation is a critical one, and that it is possible the influence
+of the priests may again induce Montezuma to take a hostile
+action."
+
+"Do you think we could count upon him as an ally?"
+
+"I think not, sir; although I have not as yet sounded him. Cacama
+has been very badly treated by Montezuma, and he by no means
+approves of the emperor's conduct throughout this matter, but I
+think that his patriotism would overcome his sense of private
+wrong. I can tell you more farther on. Cacama has invited me to
+stay with him, for the present, and I think I might be of more use
+to you there than here."
+
+"I think so, too," Cortez said; "and indeed, you have not yet
+entered my band regularly, like the rest. It is right that you
+should have freedom of action, especially as you are the only man
+among us who knows anything of the Mexicans; for even Marina knows
+nothing of this side of the mountains."
+
+"Don't you think that you will run great risk in staying there
+alone?" Marina asked, on her own account.
+
+"Some danger, no doubt, Malinche; but I shall be on my guard, and
+Cacama will take precautions for my safety. Even the priests would
+not venture to seize me in his palace, and the Tezcucans are far
+less bigoted than the people of this city."
+
+"I do not think he will be in much greater danger there than he
+would be here," Cortez said, when these remarks were translated to
+him. "We are all in danger. We are sitting on a mine that may
+explode any minute. The young fellow is sharp witted, and with his
+knowledge of the language and the people can be trusted to take
+care of himself.
+
+"Sancho, if anything should happen to us, and you should hear that
+we have been destroyed, I charge you to carry the news to the
+coast, and to order in my name that all shall embark on board ship
+and sail to Cuba. It would be useless to try to maintain a foothold
+here. Spain would avenge it, and with ampler means than mine carry
+out the conquest of this country."
+
+A few minutes later, Roger, having said goodbye to Juan and Pedro,
+and told them that he might be absent for some time, started to
+Tezcuco. They had scarcely left the town, when a canoe with six
+rowers issued from one of the canals and followed in their wake.
+
+"See, they are after us!" Cuitcatl said, looking back. "Doubtless
+the Spanish quarters are closely watched, to see who enter and
+leave them; and the news that a tall young noble had entered was
+carried at once to the authorities, and the boat was got in
+readiness to follow when you left, and see who you were and where
+you were going. However, they will not overhaul us. I bade the
+officer in charge of the canoes last night to pick me out four of
+his best men, and in so light a boat we shall travel as fast as
+that behind us, although they have two extra hands."
+
+"Yes, and they have four sitters," Roger said, looking back.
+
+"No doubt they had orders to arrest you, and bring you back. They
+did not reckon on our speed. The two extra men destroy their
+chances of coming up to us, altogether.
+
+"Row hard, men. I don't want that boat to overtake us."
+
+The paddlers redoubled their exertions, and the light boat almost
+flew along over the water. For a few minutes those in the canoe
+behind also did their utmost; but it was plain that they were
+falling behind, rather than gaining. Then one of the officials
+stood up, and shouted an order for them to stop. They were some
+distance behind, but the words could be plainly heard.
+
+The Tezcucans looked scared as they heard the words, "In the name
+of the Emperor."
+
+"Never mind them," Cuitcatl said. "We are acting under the orders
+of our king. Besides, we are so far away that they cannot be sure
+their words are heard. If they have any complaint to make they can
+make it to Cacama, and he will answer them."
+
+The boat was soon out of hearing of its pursuer, who fell farther
+and farther behind, and was a good mile away when they landed at
+Tezcuco.
+
+"Run the boat up and lay her by the side of the others," Cuitcatl
+said to the rowers. "Then go at once to your homes, and say naught
+to anyone about the journey you have made. The officials will find
+out what they want to know as to whom we are, and will care nothing
+as to who were the individual boatmen who rowed us. Still, it is as
+well to keep silent.
+
+"Of course, Roger," for the lad had asked him to drop the second
+part of his name, "it will soon be known that you have returned
+here. With such numbers of persons in the palace, it cannot be
+hidden; besides, you are well known, by sight, to most people in
+the town."
+
+"I quite see that, Cuitcatl, and perceive no good in trying in any
+way to conceal myself. These long legs of mine cannot be got rid
+of, and tell their story too plainly. However, it makes no
+difference. I shall be safe in the palace, and shall only go abroad
+in the daytime. They will not venture to try to carry off, openly,
+one known to be under Cacama's protection."
+
+Cacama, on their return, agreed with Roger that it was of no use to
+try to conceal his identity; and the lad, after washing the stains
+from his face and hands, took his accustomed place at the banquet,
+and was greeted by many of his former acquaintances.
+
+After the meal Cacama told him that, having heard from Bathalda of
+the wonderful shooting he had made with his great bow, he was
+desirous of seeing it; and that by his orders the forester, who had
+been sent for the evening before by Cuitcatl, had been directing
+some of the artisans to manufacture a weapon of similar strength.
+
+"We will go and see how it is getting on," he said.
+
+Proceeding to the workshops attached to the palace, they found that
+the bow was finished. It was constructed of a very tough, but
+elastic, wood. Three slips of this had been placed together and
+bound with sinews. Bathalda ran forward when he saw Roger, and
+taking his hand carried it to his forehead. Roger shook the stout
+fellow's hand, heartily.
+
+"He is a brave fellow," he said to Cuitcatl, who had accompanied
+them, "and fought manfully and well. Had he not guarded my back
+during the fight, I should not be here to tell the tale, now."
+
+"We have made the bow according to our instructions," the head of
+the artisans said respectfully to the king; "but it does not seem
+to us possible that anyone can use it. Three of us have tried
+together to string it, but in vain."
+
+"It is a good bow," Roger said, examining it.
+
+"Do they shoot with weapons like that, over there?" Cacama asked,
+nodding in the direction of Mexico.
+
+"No," Roger said, "for the most part they use crossbows, and their
+bows are much smaller than this. The English are the only people
+who use bows like this. They are our national weapons, and outside
+our island there are few, indeed, who can even bend them. As to the
+stringing, it is knack rather than strength. See here," and taking
+the bow, which was just his own height, he placed his knee against
+it, bent it and slipped the string into the notch, with ease. Then
+holding it at arms length, he drew it till the string touched his
+ear.
+
+"It is a great deal stiffer than that I made before, Bathalda; and
+is about the strength of those we use at home. Now for the arrows."
+
+These had been made by another set of men, and were an inch or two
+over a yard in length, with copper tips.
+
+While he was examining them Cacama had taken up the bow, but though
+a strong and vigorous man for his race, he could bend it but a very
+short distance.
+
+"It is a wonderful weapon," he said, "and I should not have thought
+that mortal man, whatever his color, could have used it. Now, let
+us go down into the practice yard.
+
+"Cuitcatl, do you fetch the queen and her ladies, to look on."
+
+"I am no great marksman, Prince," Roger said. "I am perhaps
+somewhat better than an average shot, but I have seen marksmen who
+could do feats that I would not even attempt."
+
+They descended to the piece of ground, where many of the young
+nobles were engaged in shooting, and in practice with arms. Roger
+had often been there before, but had carefully abstained from
+taking any part in the mimic contests; for he knew that men who are
+beaten sometimes feel malice, and he was anxious to keep on the
+best terms with all. Cuitcatl had often urged him to try a bout
+with himself, or others, with the sword; but this, too, he had
+always declined, and his friend had supposed that he was aware his
+skill was by no means equal to his strength. But now the Spaniards
+had proved to the Mexicans the fighting powers of white men, Roger
+had no longer any reasons for hanging back.
+
+As soon as he was seen approaching with Cacama, the Mexicans
+abandoned their sport, and gathered round. The story of the defeat
+of a band of Montezuma's soldiers by the white man had been
+whispered abroad, and Cuitcatl had mentioned to his friends what he
+had heard, from Bathalda, of the mighty bow Roger had used; but
+when they saw the weapon with which he was now provided, their
+wonder was to a large extent mingled with incredulity. They passed
+it from hand to hand, tried but in vain to bend it, and murmured
+among themselves that the thing was impossible.
+
+"What will you have for your mark," Cacama asked.
+
+"One of these targets will do well enough," he said, pointing to
+those at which the Mexicans had been shooting.
+
+These were boards about five feet six in height, and some fourteen
+inches in width, presenting the size of a man. They were painted
+white and supported by a leg hinged behind them. The distance at
+which the Mexicans had been shooting was about forty yards.
+
+Roger stepped a hundred from one of them, and made a mark upon the
+ground.
+
+"An English archer would laugh at a target like that," he said to
+Cacama, "but it is nigh three years since I practiced. I have seen
+men who could with certainty, at this distance, hit a bird the size
+of a pigeon sitting on the top of that target, twenty times in
+succession, and think it by no means extraordinary shooting."
+
+The queen and some of her ladies now appeared upon a terrace
+looking down into the courtyard. Roger took the bow, fitted an
+arrow to the string, and drew it to his ear--a murmur of
+astonishment rising from the Aztecs. There was a pause for a
+moment, and then the arrow sped. There was a sharp tap as it struck
+the target, and stood quivering in it just in the center line about
+four feet from the ground.
+
+"The bow is an excellent one," Roger said, and quickly discharged
+two more arrows, both of which struck within two or three inches of
+the first. As it was the power of the bow, rather than his own
+shooting, that Roger wished to exhibit, he now had the target
+removed a hundred yards farther back, and others placed one on each
+side of it. At this distance he discharged three more arrows,
+shooting more carefully than before. All three struck the boards,
+although at varying heights; and a shout of surprise arose from the
+lookers on.
+
+"How far will it carry?" Cacama asked.
+
+"It might carry another hundred yards, but the aim cannot be
+depended upon at over two hundred yards, even by good shots," Roger
+said. "Of course, the longer ranges are useful for firing at a body
+of men. I should say that large tree would be about the extreme
+range. If you will send two men down to it, I will see whether I
+can shoot as far. We should not see the arrow from here. Will you
+tell them to stand one on each side of the tree, but well away from
+it? There is no saying where the arrow may go, at this distance."
+
+When two of the attendants had taken their places, twenty or thirty
+yards from the tree, Roger drew the bow to the fullest and, giving
+to the arrow the elevation he had been taught, as most suitable for
+an extreme range, unloosed the string. The arrow, which was of dark
+wood, glanced through the air. The eye could follow it only a short
+distance. No sound was heard this time, but in a few seconds the
+Mexicans were seen running towards the tree.
+
+"Do not touch the arrow," Cacama shouted; and then, followed by the
+crowd, for the numbers had greatly increased, as the news of what
+was going on had spread through the palace, he walked forward to
+the tree.
+
+The massive stem was more than four feet in diameter, and within a
+few inches of the center, and at a height of three feet from the
+ground, the arrow was sticking. The Mexicans were silent with
+astonishment, mingled with a certain amount of awe, for shooting
+like this seemed to them to be supernatural.
+
+"And you said you were not a good shot!" the king said.
+
+"It was a pure accident," Roger asserted. "I might shoot twenty
+arrows, and not hit the tree again. I had not the least idea that I
+should do so. I only wished to show you how far a well-made bow
+would send an arrow, when drawn by an Englishman."
+
+Cacama ordered the arrow to be left in the tree, and a large stone
+to be placed at the spot from which Roger had fired.
+
+"They shall remain," he said, "as a memento of this shot. I will
+introduce, among my people, the custom which you say prevails in
+your country; and every child shall be bound to practice, daily,
+with bows and arrows. I do not think that any of our race will ever
+come to use such a weapon as that, but they may at least learn to
+bend bows greatly stronger than those we are accustomed to use."
+
+"They will doubtless do so," Roger said. "It is a matter of
+practice, and of strengthening certain muscles of the right arm;
+for a man far stronger than I am would be unable to bend that bow,
+had he not been trained to its use from the earliest age.
+
+"I should recommend, Prince, that you not only give the order you
+have spoken of, but institute a monthly gathering, with prizes for
+skill, and honors to the best marksmen. In this way all would take
+an interest in the sport, and it would become as popular, among
+your youth, as it is with us."
+
+Again Roger's bow was passed round. It had seemed to bend so
+easily, in his hands, that those who had not tried it before could
+scarce credit its strength, until they had handled it; but even the
+most powerful men found that they could only draw the arrow a few
+inches.
+
+As they walked towards the terrace, upon which the queen and her
+ladies were standing, Cuitcatl said:
+
+"I had intended to ask you, Roger, to try a bout of sword play with
+some of us; but I will not do so now. After what we have seen of
+the strength of your arm, I should be sorry, indeed, to stand up
+against you, even with blunted weapons or with sticks; for there
+would be no resisting a downright blow. The news came to us of the
+terrible blows struck by the Spaniards, and how they clove through
+sword, helmet, and head. I scarce credited them before, but now I
+can well believe them to be true."
+
+"Well, Maclutha," Cacama said; "what think you of what you have
+seen? No wonder those who met with the white men, in battle, said
+that they had supernatural strength; and that even the sturdy
+Tlascalans could not resist them. We will have the bow hung up in
+the armory, with a great gold chain; which shall be the reward of
+the first man who can, like our friend, draw the arrow to the
+head."
+
+"It is wonderful," the queen said; "and it would be well indeed if,
+as you say, the youth of Tezcuco could shoot like that."
+
+Amenche said nothing, but her cheeks were flushed with excitement
+and pleasure.
+
+That evening, when Cacama was conversing alone with Roger, he said:
+
+"My friend, you know that the Tlascalan caziques have given their
+daughters as wives to some of the Spaniards. I was talking to you
+of marriage, last night, and what you said about your age was
+ridiculous. You are a man, and a warrior. I now offer you the hand
+of my sister Amenche. She loves you, as Maclutha and I have seen
+for some time. From what you said, I gather that your religion
+would not regard the ceremony as binding, did she not accept your
+God; but I do not think she would raise any objection on that
+score, seeing, as we all do, that your God has proved more powerful
+than ours."
+
+Roger was struck with astonishment at the offer. He had regarded
+marriage as a matter not to be thought of, for many years; and
+until lately he would have said that, if he ever did marry, it
+would be the little cousin who had, three years before, said
+goodbye to him at Plymouth. But of late he had felt the charm of
+this beautiful little princess; and since the night when she had
+come down to say farewell to him, in the garden, and he had felt
+her hand tremble in his, and had seen a tear glisten on her cheek
+in the moonlight, he had thought a good deal of her.
+
+The chances of his ever returning to England were comparatively
+slight. Dangers of all kinds surrounded him. The Spaniards might be
+attacked and massacred at any moment, and if so, he would probably
+share their fate. If, however, he was married to this Mexican
+princess, and a brother-in-law of the King of Tezcuco, he would be
+regarded as one of the people. His position would be a high and
+honorable one, and although his life would be far different from
+that to which he had hitherto looked forward, it might be a very
+happy one.
+
+He sat in silence for two or three minutes after Cacama had ceased
+speaking, and then said:
+
+"Forgive me, Prince, for not responding, at once, to an offer so
+far above my deserts, and of the honor of which I am most deeply
+sensible. There could be no greater happiness, for a man, than to
+be the husband of one so fair, and in every way charming, as the
+Princess Amenche; but your offer came upon me altogether as a
+surprise. As I have told you, I have hitherto regarded myself as
+still a lad, and marriage as an event not to be thought of for
+years; but as you do not regard my youth as an objection, there is
+no reason why I should do so.
+
+"It is of the future that I rather think. It seems to me, now, that
+I could be content to settle down for life here, with so charming a
+wife; but I cannot say that I might always be of that mind. The
+love of country is strong in every man, and the time might come
+when, if opportunity offered, I might long to return home to
+England."
+
+"That I have talked over with the queen, and with Amenche,
+herself," Cacama said. "My sister naturally would be sorry to leave
+her own country, but if the time came that you should wish to
+return home, she would not hesitate to make the sacrifice, and to
+accompany you. A Mexican woman, when she loves, is ready to give up
+everything."
+
+For a moment Roger turned the matter rapidly over in his mind, and
+saw that, even were he disposed to refuse Amenche's hand, which
+indeed he was not, it would be almost impossible for him to do so.
+It would be a deep offense to this friendly prince. It would be a
+cruel blow to the girl, who had confessed her devotion for him. As
+to Dorothy, she would have deemed him dead years ago; and should he
+ever return, he would find that she had long since been married;
+for the daughters of the wealthy merchant, Diggory Beggs, would not
+want for suitors.
+
+He held out his hand to the prince.
+
+"I accept most gratefully your offer, Cacama, and promise that, so
+far as in me lies, I will do my best to render your sister happy,
+and to prove myself worthy of her choice."
+
+"I am heartily glad," the prince said warmly. "I love my sister,
+and I have watched you closely. I believe you to be worthy of her,
+and I am sure that in you I shall find, not only a friend and a
+brother, but a wise counselor and a valiant leader of my troops;
+and that, with your advice, I shall be able to advance my people in
+the arts of peace as well as war, and perhaps to win back my
+father's possessions.
+
+"As to the question of religion, of which you spoke, there is
+indeed no difficulty. My grandfather, the great Nezahualcoyotl, the
+wisest and most powerful of our monarchs, did not believe in the
+Aztec gods. He built a great temple which he dedicated to the
+Unknown God. Here he worshiped, himself, and did his utmost to
+induce his subjects to abandon the cruel worship of the Aztec gods.
+He forbade all sacrifices, even of animals, and permitted only
+flowers and sweet-scented perfumes to be offered up on the altars.
+When, after his death, the Aztec power increased, and that of
+Tezcuco diminished, the people again embraced the cruel faith of
+the Aztecs. Neither my father nor myself have been strong enough to
+set ourselves against the priests; but he, as well as I, believed
+that my grandfather was right, and that the Unknown God is the
+ruler of the world. My sister has of course, been educated by the
+priests; but she knows my father's opinions, and my own. She has a
+horror of the human sacrifices, and believes that there must be a
+greater and better God than those who are said to delight in blood.
+So you need not fear that she will make any difficulty as to
+accepting what you tell her of the white man's God.
+
+"Now I will fetch her in to you. I think it will be better to allow
+a short time to pass, and to see how matters go in Mexico, before
+announcing to others your approaching marriage. If any misfortune
+should happen to the Spaniards, I should at once publish the news,
+and have the ceremony performed without loss of time; proclaiming
+to the people that, although white, you are not of the same race as
+the Spaniards. If matters go on well, Montezuma himself will
+doubtless be present at his niece's marriage; and I shall, of
+course, invite Malinzin and all his officers."
+
+The prince left the room, and in a few minutes returned with his
+wife, the latter leading Amenche by the hand.
+
+"My friend, Roger Hawkshaw," the young king said, gravely; "I
+hereby promise to bestow upon you the hand of my sister Amenche.
+May you find in her a good, loving, and obedient wife."
+
+"I, on my part," Roger said, taking the girl's hand, which the
+queen held out to him, "promise to be a true and loving husband to
+her."
+
+The girl, who had not raised her eyes since she entered the room,
+looked up at the tall figure with an expression of perfect
+confidence.
+
+"I will be true and obedient," she said softly; "and will love you
+all my life."
+
+"What do you do next, in your country?" Cacama asked, with a smile.
+
+"This is how an engagement is sealed, with us," Roger said; and
+drawing the girl up to him, he stooped and kissed her lips.
+
+Three days later, as Roger was sitting with Cuitcatl, an attendant
+entered and said that the king wished to see them, immediately.
+They hastened to the royal apartment. Cacama was walking up and
+down, with an angry frown upon his face; while the queen and
+princess were sitting on the couch, pale and agitated.
+
+"Strange news has come from Mexico," Cacama said. "The white men
+have seized Montezuma, and are holding him prisoner in their
+quarters. Did anyone ever hear of such an outrage? Mexico is in a
+state of consternation, but at present none know what to do."
+
+"It seems incredible," Roger exclaimed. "Are you sure of your
+news?"
+
+"Quite certain," the prince replied.
+
+The news was indeed true. Cortez had found his position unbearable.
+He believed that the attack upon the Spaniards, on the coast, as
+well as the meditated treachery at Cholula, were the outcome of the
+emperor's orders. His native allies had heard rumors, in the town,
+that the bridges across the canals were all to be raised; in which
+case the Spaniards would be prisoners in their palace. He was in
+the Mexican capital, but he had as yet effected nothing towards the
+conquest of the country. At any moment he might hear of the landing
+of an expedition from Cuba, that his authority was revoked, and
+that another was to reap the benefit of all he had done.
+
+He therefore called a council of his most trusted officers, and
+discussed the situation with them. All agreed that some step must,
+at once, be taken. Some were in favor of starting that night, and
+making their way out of the city before a sufficient force could be
+collected to oppose their retreat; while others were of opinion
+that it were better to retire openly, with the consent of
+Montezuma, whose conduct since they had reached the city appeared
+to be most friendly.
+
+Cortez pointed out that both these methods would be retreats, and
+the whole country would probably rise against them. Moreover, even
+if they reached the coast, they would have sacrificed all they had
+won by their valor and sufferings. He proposed a measure which
+astonished even his boldest companions; namely, that they should go
+to the royal palace, and bring the emperor--by persuasion if
+possible, by force if necessary--to their quarters, and there hold
+him as a hostage for their safety.
+
+The proposal was agreed to, and on the following morning Cortez
+asked for an interview with the emperor, which was at once granted.
+He proceeded to the palace with his principal officers, ordering
+the soldiers to follow in groups of twos and threes, so as not to
+attract particular attention.
+
+Montezuma began to converse with his usual courtesy, but Cortez
+roughly cut him short, and charged him with being the author of the
+attack upon the garrison at the port. Montezuma indignantly denied
+this, and said that he would send at once, and arrest the author of
+the attack. Cortez replied that it was necessary, for their safety,
+that Montezuma should come and reside among them.
+
+The emperor was thunderstruck at the proposal; but the soldiers
+crowded in, loud and threatening words were used, and Montezuma, in
+fear of his life, gave way. Had he possessed any of the courage
+with which he was credited, in his youth, he would have called his
+guards and nobles around him, and died fighting. Having once given
+in, he assumed the air of having done so voluntarily, and ordered
+his litter to be brought.
+
+In the meantime his attendants, and the nobles who had been
+present, had spread the news through the city. The Mexicans,
+catching up their arms, ran to the rescue of their monarch; but the
+Spaniards closed round the litter and, had a blow been struck, the
+emperor would doubtless have been murdered. Montezuma exhorted the
+people to be tranquil, assuring them that he was going willingly;
+and the Mexicans, accustomed to implicit obedience, and fearing
+that harm would come to the emperor if a struggle began, drew back
+and allowed the Spaniards to pass; and Montezuma was conveyed, a
+prisoner, into the palace occupied by the Spaniards.
+
+The act was one of almost unparalleled boldness; but as performed
+upon a monarch who was the host of his assailants, and with whom
+they were previously on the most friendly relations, it was an act
+of treachery, and reflects dishonor upon the fame of Cortez. At the
+same time, the position occupied by the Spaniards was so strange,
+and even desperate, as to palliate, though it cannot excuse, such a
+course of action.
+
+There is no reason to believe that Montezuma intended to act
+treacherously. But he was under the domination of the priests, and
+had he again changed his mind, as he had already several times
+done, nothing could have saved the Spaniards from absolute
+destruction. No honorable man would have acted as Cortez did; but
+Cortez was a rough soldier, and moreover, firmly held the doctrine,
+at that time and long afterwards held by the Spaniards in their
+dealing with those of other religions, that faith need not be kept
+with heretics and heathen.
+
+
+
+Chapter 16: A Treasure Room.
+
+
+"'Tis infamous," Cacama said, as he paced up and down the room;
+"but what is to be done? They hold him in their hands as a hostage,
+in the heart of his own capital, and among his own people; and are
+capable of hanging him from the walls, should a hostile movement be
+made against them.
+
+"You were right, Roger Hawkshaw, in warning us against these men.
+They are without faith and honor, thus to seize a host who has
+loaded them with presents, who has emptied his treasuries to
+appease their greed, and who has treated them with the most
+extraordinary condescension. It is a crime unheard of, an act of
+base ingratitude, without a parallel. What is to be done?"
+
+Roger was silent. Such a situation, so strange and unlooked for,
+confounded him.
+
+"I should say," Cuitcatl burst out passionately, "that every
+Mexican should take up arms, and annihilate this handful of
+invaders. What though Montezuma fall? Better that a monarch should
+perish than a nation. Besides, Montezuma has shown himself unfit to
+govern. It is his weakness that has brought things to this pass.
+Think you that the white men could ever have advanced beyond the
+plateau of Tlascala, had all the forces of Mexico barred the way?
+Think you that they could ever have entered the capital, had it
+been defended with resolution? One moment he flattered the
+strangers and loaded them with gifts; the next he was ready to send
+his forces against them. The Cholulans had good reason for
+believing that he designed the annihilation of the Whites, if he
+did not actually order the attack upon them.
+
+"So on the seacoast. Had the chiefs believed that Montezuma was
+really friendly to the whites, would they ever have attacked them?
+There were two courses open: he might from the first have received
+the Spaniards frankly, and sent a mission to escort them honorably
+to the capital; or he might have called upon every man in his
+dominion to take up arms, and drive them into the sea. He took
+neither. It is he who has brought them here; and it is better, a
+thousand times, that he should die than that ruin should fall upon
+the country.
+
+"My advice is, that the troops be called out; that messengers be
+sent to every city in the valley, bidding them send in their
+contingent; and that we march to aid the people of Mexico to
+annihilate this handful of treacherous white men."
+
+Cacama was silent. The advice was in accordance with his own
+feelings and temperament; but the extreme reverence with which the
+Aztecs regarded their emperor paralyzed him.
+
+"We shall see," he said, gloomily. "In a short time we shall know
+why Montezuma thus tamely suhmitted to be made a prisoner. He may
+have some motives which we cannot fathom. I cannot believe him to
+be a coward. No Aztec monarch, yet, has ever shown want of
+courage."
+
+Three or four days later, another event occurred which heightened
+the fury of the Mexicans against the Spaniards. The cazique who had
+attacked the Spaniards on the coast arrived at Mexico, accompanied
+by his son and fifteen other chiefs who had acted with them.
+Montezuma referred the matter to the examination of Cortez. The
+cazique admitted the part he had taken in the attack on the
+Spaniards, and did not seek to shelter himself under royal
+authority; until sentence of death was passed on him and the other
+chiefs, when they all declared that they had acted on the authority
+of Montezuma. They were condemned to be burnt alive, in the space
+in front of the palace, and this sentence was carried out.
+
+Not content with this, Cortez placed irons upon Montezuma himself,
+saying there could now be no longer a doubt as to his guilt. After
+the execution was carried out, Montezuma was released from his
+fetters.
+
+The news of this insult to their monarch created a profound
+impression upon the Mexicans. Although they despised the weakness
+of a sovereign who appeared ready to suffer every indignity, and
+yet to claim an appearance of courtesy and goodwill towards his
+oppressors, the bolder spirits determined that the nation should be
+no longer humiliated in the person of its sovereign, and that even
+should it cost Montezuma his life, an effort should be made to
+overthrow his oppressors.
+
+As soon as the news of the execution of the seventeen nobles, and
+of the indignity to Montezuma was received; Cacama said to Roger:
+
+"My friend, I can no longer retain you here. You have told me why
+you cannot have it proclaimed that you are of different blood to
+the Spaniards, and I quite understand your motives; but there are
+two reasons why, in that case, you must for a time return to the
+capital. My people would look upon me with scorn, did I retain here
+as my friend one whom they regard as the countryman of the men who
+have so outraged us. Moreover, you yourself cannot wish to stay.
+You have told me that Cortez has charged you to acquaint him with
+the state of feeling in this city; and were you to remain here, you
+would be placed in the painful position of either giving
+information which would ruin my plans, or of deceiving the man whom
+you nominally serve. I know that you would say nothing against me,
+but should I fail and the Spaniards triumph, Cortez would accuse
+you of being a traitor, and you would be put to death by him.
+
+"Therefore, I think it in all ways best that you should return
+there, for the present. You will, of course, inform Cortez that I
+have sent you back because the feeling against the white men, on
+account of their treatment of the emperor, is so great that I felt
+that I could not protect you against their fury."
+
+"I quite agree with you, Cacama. My position here has become a very
+painful one. I abhor, as much as you do, the doings of the
+Spaniards; and am perfectly ready to avow that I belong to another
+nation, and to join you in an enterprise against them."
+
+"But that, as you have told me," Cacama said, "would cut off any
+chance of your ever being able to return to your own country."
+
+"I am ready to accept that," Roger said firmly. "In marrying your
+sister, I shall become one of yourselves, and am ready to cast in
+my lot with you, altogether."
+
+The prince was silent for a minute or two.
+
+"No, Roger, I think that my plan is the best. Were you to do as you
+say, the Spaniards would be at once placed on their guard; while,
+save by the strength of your arm, you could aid but little in any
+enterprise against them. Moreover, if you return to the Spaniards,
+I shall have the satisfaction that, if I fall and ruin comes upon
+my house, you will take care of my sister, and that my wife will
+also have a protector. For all reasons, therefore, it is better you
+should go. But if aught is to be attempted against the Spaniards, I
+will take care to give you notice, so that you can leave them in
+disguise and come here, and so avoid their fate."
+
+Although Roger's own feelings would have led him to throw in his
+lot openly against the Spaniards, he saw that Cacama's plan was the
+best. The boat was ordered to be at once got in readiness; and
+after a painful parting with Amenche, who wept bitterly, Roger left
+the palace; and again accompanied by Cuitcatl, in order to ensure
+his safety across the lake, was taken over to Mexico.
+
+He at once sought the presence of Cortez, and through Marina
+explained to him that Cacama had sent him back, fearing that in the
+excited state of the population harm might come to him. He had,
+since he had been in Tezcuco, sent a letter across each day to
+Cortez, saying that all was tranquil there; that the young king was
+pursuing his ordinary round of court ceremonial, and was certainly,
+as far as he could learn, taking no steps whatever towards
+interfering with the affairs of the capital, although the
+imprisonment of Montezuma had evidently made a painful impression
+upon him.
+
+Cortez asked him a few questions, and when he left the room said to
+Marina:
+
+"That young fellow must be watched, Marina. He has been brought up
+with these people, and must to some extent feel with them. I know
+that he is a friend of yours, but see that you say nothing to him
+on public affairs. Let him be kept wholly in the dark, as to our
+plans and intentions. This Cacama is, next to Montezuma, the most
+powerful and important of the Aztec chiefs. He is young and
+energetic, and although he has been so badly treated by Montezuma,
+he resents our treatment of him. Had it been otherwise he would
+probably, ere this, have made some propositions to us, through
+Sancho, for a closer alliance with us, on the understanding that
+the territories Montezuma has taken from him shall be returned.
+
+"We must have Cacama's actions closely watched. There are other
+Aztecs who are willing enough to act as our spies, and who will
+keep us informed of what is going on. Hitherto their reports have
+agreed with Sancho's, but from his sending the young fellow back
+here, Cacama may now be intending to act against us."
+
+Cacama, indeed, lost no time in setting to work, and began to form
+a league with many of the leading nobles, to rescue the emperor and
+destroy the Spaniards. Montezuma's brother Cuitlahua and many
+others agreed, at once, to join him; but the greater part of the
+Aztec nobles hung back, upon the ground that they did not like to
+move in the matter, without the orders of their emperor. Their
+refusal prevented any general rising taking place, and thus
+destroyed the last chance of Mexico retaining its independence.
+
+Cortez learned from his spies what was going on, and would have
+marched against Tezcuco, had not Montezuma dissuaded him; telling
+him that Cacama was a powerful prince, and would certainly be aided
+by many other chiefs, and that the enterprise would be hazardous in
+the extreme. Cortez then endeavored to negotiate, but received a
+haughty answer from Cacama. He then tried threats, asserting the
+supremacy of the Spanish emperor.
+
+Cacama replied "that he acknowledged no such authority, he knew
+nothing of the Spanish sovereign or his people, nor did he wish to
+know anything of them."
+
+Cortez then invited Cacama to come to Mexico to discuss their
+differences; but Cacama had no faith in Spanish loyalty, and he
+replied "that when he did visit the capital, it would be to rescue
+it, as well as the emperor himself, and their common gods, from
+bondage. He should come, not with his hand upon his breast but on
+his sword, to drive out the Spaniards, who had brought such
+disgrace upon the country."
+
+While this had been going on, Montezuma had still further forfeited
+all claim to sympathy, by the willingness with which he accepted
+the attentions of those who were, in fact, his gaolers. They paid
+him all the outward marks of respect, pretending still to regard
+him as a powerful sovereign; and he, in return, was present at
+their exercises and sports, took the greatest interest in two ships
+they were building for navigation on the lake, and in all respects
+behaved to them as if they were his best friends. He now carried
+his baseness still further, and informed Cortez that several of the
+Tezcucan nobles were regularly in his pay, and that it would be
+easy, through them, to capture Cacama and thus break up the
+confederacy.
+
+Cortez at once took means to carry out the suggestion. The traitors
+invited Cacama to a conference, at a house overhanging the lake
+near Tezcuco. Upon going there he was seized by them, bound, placed
+in a boat, and carried to Mexico. He was there brought before
+Montezuma.
+
+In spite of the perils of his position, Cacama bore himself nobly.
+He boldly accused his uncle of foul treachery, and with the
+cowardice which he had betrayed since the Spaniards had entered his
+kingdom. Montezuma handed him over to Cortez, who ordered him to be
+loaded with fetters and thrown into a dungeon. The emperor then
+issued an order, declaring that Cacama had forfeited his
+sovereignty by his rebellion, and that he therefore deposed him,
+and appointed a younger brother named Cuicuitzca in his place. The
+other leaders of the confederacy were all seized by the orders of
+Montezuma in their own cities, and brought in chains to the
+capital, where they were imprisoned with Cacama.
+
+Upon Roger, the news of Cacama's arrest and imprisonment came like
+a thunderclap. He was in the habit of frequently seeing Malinche,
+who still retained the warm feeling of friendship for him that had
+originated at Tabasco, and with whom he often had long talks of
+their life in those days; but she had let no word drop as to the
+doings of Cacama. She had questioned him somewhat closely as to his
+relations with that prince; and he had made no secret to her of the
+fact that Cacama had promised him his sister's hand in marriage. As
+many of the Spaniards had already married the daughters of great
+caziques, this appeared to her natural; and she had congratulated
+him upon the prospect of an alliance which would bring him wealth
+and land, but had said that, for the present, it would not do to
+think of marriage, as it would be unsafe for him to leave the
+capital.
+
+When therefore Roger heard of the misfortune that had befallen
+Cacama, he was filled alike with surprise and consternation, and
+hurrying to Malinche, begged her to use her influence with Cortez
+to spare the young prince's life.
+
+"I have already done so," she said; "and he has promised that no
+blood shall be shed, though the chiefs who have leagued themselves
+with Cacama must all be imprisoned. The safety of the army requires
+it. No harm, however, shall befall Cacama, of that be assured. I
+may tell you, now, that it has been settled that his brother
+Cuicuitzca shall be appointed Lord of Tezcuco in his place. This
+will be done by a decree, tomorrow."
+
+"Malinche, I must go at whatever hazard to warn Cacama's wife and
+sister, in order to give them the opportunity of leaving the palace
+before this young prince arrives. Pray obtain for me leave from
+Cortez to go away for twenty-four hours. You can tell him of the
+interest I have in the matter."
+
+"I will manage it for you," Malinche said; "but as your princess is
+also sister to the new king, I see no reason for uneasiness."
+
+"She is devoted to Cacama," Roger replied; "and would not, I feel
+sure, consent to remain in the palace with the usurper."
+
+"You had best advise her," Malinche said, with a little nod of the
+head, "to disguise her sentiments, and make the best of the matter.
+It may make, you know, a good deal of difference in the amount of
+dowry you will get with her."
+
+"I am not greedy, Malinche," Roger said; "but the present is, at
+any rate, no time for talking of marriage."
+
+"Most of the officers have married," Malinche said.
+
+"They may have done so, but they are officers, and can maintain
+their wives in all honor and respect, and have apartments allotted
+to them here. I have neither rank nor station, and shall certainly
+not ask my princess to share my rough quarters as a soldier. There
+is no hurry. As I told you but a year ago, Malinche, I am scarcely
+out of my boyhood; and there will be plenty of time when matters
+settle down, and we see what is going to happen, to think of
+marrying."
+
+"I will go and speak to Cortez at once, and get leave for you. But
+you had best disguise yourself well--Tezcuco will be in an uproar
+tonight; for the capture of Cacama will be known there ere many
+hours, if it is not known already."
+
+She soon returned with the required permission. This time Roger
+dressed himself in the attire of a trader, as being less likely to
+attract attention. Malinche again secured a boat for him, and
+having dyed his face and hands, he started at once, as it would be
+dark before he reached Tezcuco. Since Montezuma had been captive in
+their hands, there was no longer any fear of an attack being made
+upon the Spaniards; and the soldiers were now able to come and go
+through the town, at pleasure.
+
+Upon landing, Roger at once made his way to the palace. There was
+great excitement in the town. The people were assembled in crowds,
+discussing the news that had reached them; and even at the palace
+gate the guards were careless of their duty, and Roger entered
+without question.
+
+He hurried direct to the royal apartments. An official who would
+have barred his way allowed him to pass at once, when he recognized
+his identity.
+
+When he entered, he found a scene of grief and confusion. The queen
+was extended upon a couch, weeping bitterly; while Amenche and some
+of her ladies, although themselves weeping, were trying to console
+her.
+
+The princess gave a cry of joy when she saw him and, running
+forward, threw herself into his arms.
+
+"You have heard the news?" she exclaimed. "Cacama is lost. These
+monsters will put him to death."
+
+"I can reassure you as to that," Roger said. "He is a captive, but
+his life is not in danger. Malinche has interceded for him, and
+Cortez has promised that his life shall be spared."
+
+A cry of gladness burst from all present.
+
+"I have other and less pleasant news to give you, Amenche," Roger
+whispered in her ear. "Get rid of all these ladies. My news must be
+for you, only."
+
+A minute or two later, the queen dismissed her ladies.
+
+"The news I have to tell you," Roger went on, "is that tomorrow
+Montezuma will issue a decree deposing Cacama, and appointing
+Cuicuitzca Lord of Tezcuco."
+
+An exclamation of anger and indignation broke from the queen and
+Amenche.
+
+"He cannot do it," the latter exclaimed, passionately. "It is
+beyond his power. The emperor has a voice in the council, but
+beyond that he has no power to make or unmake the Lords of
+Tezcuco."
+
+"At the present moment," Roger said gravely; "he has got the
+Spanish power at his back; or rather, he is but the mouthpiece of
+the Spaniards. They are the masters, and care nothing for the law
+or usages of your country."
+
+"The Tezcucans will not receive Cuicuitzca," Amenche said.
+"Everyone knows that he is weak and cowardly, and of late he has
+been at Mexico, dancing attendance on the Spaniards. They will
+never receive him."
+
+The queen raised her head from the couch.
+
+"We must not build on that, Amenche. He comes, sent here by the
+whites; and when Mexico dares not rise against them, you may be
+sure that the people here will not dare to provoke their anger.
+Besides, who have they to lead them? Was not Cacama betrayed by his
+own nobles? Let us send for Cuitcatl, and hear what he advises us."
+
+Cuitcatl, on his arrival, was so thunderstruck on hearing that
+Montezuma had so debased himself, to the Spaniards, as to depose
+his own nephew, whose only fault was patriotism, and who had been
+endeavoring to effect his rescue, that he was for a minute or two
+speechless with indignation.
+
+"The gods have, indeed, deserted us," he said; "when they have
+turned a monarch who was considered brave and honorable into a base
+slave. May their vengeance fall upon him! May the curse of our
+ruined country descend upon the man who is the real author of our
+misfortunes!"
+
+"Do you think, Cuitcatl," Amenche asked, "that the people will
+receive this usurper?"
+
+"I fear, indeed, that they will do so," he replied. "Montezuma has
+appointed him, and Montezuma's name still has power. At any rate,
+it will afford them an excuse for submission. Besides, how could
+they fight when so many of our own nobles are treacherous?
+Doubtless Cacama will not be the only victim, and Montezuma will,
+at the orders of the Spaniards, disgrace all who have acted with
+him."
+
+"Then what would you advise us to do? We are both resolved that we
+will not await the coming of this usurper."
+
+"My house is at your service," Cuitcatl said. "It lies, as you
+know, near the foot of the hills; and whatever strife may go on
+here, its quiet is little likely to be invaded. Cuicuitzca will not
+concern himself at present with you, nor would he venture to take
+any hostile steps against you; for did he do so, it would excite a
+storm of indignation.
+
+"As to you, Princess, as his own sister, and of the royal blood,
+you could if you liked stay here, as at present; and indeed, were
+it not that I am sure you would not leave the queen, I should
+advise you to do so; for you might then act in the interests of
+Cacama, should you see an opportunity."
+
+Amenche shook her head.
+
+"No," she said, "brother though he is, I would not bend my head
+before a usurper, while Cacama lives. When do you think we had
+better leave here?"
+
+"I should say it were best to leave at once," Cuitcatl replied. "I
+will order three or four litters to be prepared; for yourselves
+and, say, two of your most trusted attendants. Bathalda will find,
+in the town, men on whom he can rely to take you. In this way none
+here will know where you have gone. I will have the litters in
+readiness at a short distance from the palace, and you can then
+issue out by the garden gate, unobserved. I shall, of course,
+myself escort you."
+
+"What shall we take with us, Cuitcatl?"
+
+"I will get, in addition to those who carry the litters, five or
+six porters. These I will bring up through the gardens to the
+private door, and Roger and I will carry down to them such parcels
+of your clothes as you may make up. I should then make up two large
+caskets with your own jewels, those of Cacama, and some of the most
+valuable stones and jewels from the royal treasury--leaving all the
+royal ornaments worn on state occasions, so that the usurper will
+not know that any have been abstracted."
+
+"I would rather take nothing but my own and Cacama's personal
+jewels," the queen said.
+
+"The contents of the whole treasury are his, by rights; and you
+must remember, Madam, that jewels may be very useful to you. You
+will have to work for Cacama, and unhappily there are many who are
+not insensible to bribes; and the possession of valuable jewels may
+enable you to be of great assistance to the king."
+
+"I did not think of that," the queen said. "Yes, you are right.
+There is a hoard stowed away by the late king, and by his father
+before him. Its existence is only known to my husband and myself. I
+have never seen it, but Cacama tells me that it is of immense
+value; and was to be used only in case of an extreme emergency, and
+danger to the state. We can take what we choose from this separate
+hoard, and Cuicuitzca will find, from the list in the hands of the
+chief of the treasury, that the royal store is untouched."
+
+"That will be vastly better, indeed," Cuitcatl said. "It is well
+that he should have no possible cause of complaint against you.
+Where is this hidden receptacle?"
+
+"Before I show it you, I will send all our attendants to bed, save
+the two we will take with us--my own maid, and Amenche's."
+
+"I will be going. Roger Hawkshaw will help you," Cuitcatl said. "It
+will take some time for Bathalda to get the litters and the men.
+
+"It is now ten o'clock. In three hours the litters shall be outside
+the little gate of the garden, and I will bring six porters to the
+private door at the foot of the stairs."
+
+"That will be enough," the queen said. "Two will be ample for our
+garments, and you and Roger Hawkshaw can take the jewels; which,
+when we start, can go in the litters with us."
+
+Cuitcatl left. The two ladies who were to accompany the party were
+then called in, and informed of what had taken place, and that they
+had been chosen to accompany the queen and princess in their
+flight.
+
+"Tell all the others," the queen said, "that we are overcome with
+the news we have received, and will dispense with all further
+attendance, except your own, for the night. When all is quiet, make
+up your jewels and such clothes as you may wish to bring in
+bundles. Then go to the wardrobe room and make up two bundles, each
+as much as a man can carry, of my garments; and two of the same
+size, of those of the princess. Take all our jewels out of the
+caskets, and put them in with our clothes."
+
+When the two waiting ladies had retired, the queen said to Roger:
+
+"Now come with me, and we will open the treasure closet."
+
+The palace was by this time hushed and quiet, the greater part of
+the courtiers had long since left, having hurried away to their
+homes when the news came of Cacama's arrest; and the remainder had
+gone to friends in the town or neighborhood, as it was thought
+probable that the Spaniards might, at once, send a force to take
+possession of the palace, and arrest all found there.
+
+Taking some keys from a strong coffer in Cacama's room, and bidding
+Roger take a torch from the wall, the queen led the way to the
+royal treasury. A massive door was first unlocked, and in a large
+room were seen ranged vessels of gold and silver; strong boxes
+containing gold necklaces, armlets, and other ornaments; while on
+lower shelves were bars of gold and silver, ready to be worked up.
+
+They passed through this room into another the same size. Around it
+ran deep shelves, in which were piled the treasury papers; with the
+accounts of the royal revenues, and the tributes paid by the
+various cities and villages and land owners of the kingdom. In one
+corner stood a small cupboard of about four feet high, also filled
+with papers. The queen put her hand inside, and touched a small
+spring at the back.
+
+"Now," she said to Roger; "pull at that corner of the cupboard."
+
+He obeyed her instructions, and at a vigorous pull the cupboard,
+which had appeared solidly embedded in the wall, swung round on one
+of its angles. Nothing, however, was to be seen save a bare wall
+behind it.
+
+"Now, Roger Hawkshaw, take your dagger and cut away that
+plaster--for it is but plaster, though it looks like stone."
+
+Roger obeyed. The task was an easy one, for the plaster was but
+half an inch thick, and came off in flakes; showing a massive
+copper door, three feet six in height, and three feet in width,
+behind it. No keyhole was visible.
+
+"Press upwards against the lintel," the queen said. "That will
+release the catch of the door."
+
+Roger did so, and at the same moment pushed with his shoulder
+against the door, and it swung round with ease.
+
+"Do you enter first, with the torch, and we will follow," the queen
+said.
+
+Roger found himself in a room about twelve feet square. At the
+farther end was a pile of gold bars, four feet deep and as much
+high, extending right across the room. On the floor, along the
+other two sides, were ranged a number of large chests.
+
+"Open these," the queen said. "The gold is of no use to us."
+
+The chests were full of manufactured gold ornaments, many of them
+studded with jewels. Roger was astounded at the amount of wealth
+thus stored away.
+
+"Cacama told me," the queen said, "that even the treasure houses of
+Montezuma are poor, in comparison to the treasure his grandfather
+and father stowed away here; and I can well believe it. You have
+not opened that small chest, yet."
+
+This was opened, and was found to contain a number of bags which
+were full of pearls, turquoise, and other precious stones, of large
+size and immense value.
+
+"We will take this chest away, as it stands," the queen said.
+
+"It would be awkward to carry," Roger objected. "It is very heavy,
+and its shape would tell at once that it contained valuables. The
+contents do not weigh many pounds, and could easily be wrapped up
+in a cloth and put into one of the litters, without exciting
+observation. If you will allow me, I will go back to one of the
+sleeping rooms and fetch two or three thick rugs."
+
+He hurried away, and in a few minutes returned. The bags were
+transferred from the chest to one of the rugs he had brought, which
+was then wrapped round and tied into a bundle. On two other rugs
+were placed heaps of necklaces and other ornaments from the larger
+chests, until each contained, as nearly as Roger could guess by
+lifting them, some sixty pounds' weight of gold ornaments. These
+were similarly tied up, and the three bundles were then carried out
+from the hidden room, and conveyed to the apartment they had before
+left.
+
+Roger then went back to the treasury, closed the copper door, swept
+up and placed in a rug every particle of plaster, and then swung
+the cabinet back into its position, where it fastened with a loud
+click. So firmly was it fixed that, although Roger tried with his
+whole strength, it did not shake in the slightest; and the work was
+so admirably done that, from the closest inspection, he was unable
+to discern aught that would have shown that the cabinet was not
+built into the wall. He then returned to where the ladies were
+waiting him.
+
+The queen urged him to take two or three of the bags of jewels, but
+this he absolutely refused to do.
+
+"I am acting as Cacama's friend," he said; "and as the promised
+husband of his sister; and I should feel myself degraded, indeed,
+were I to receive even one of those jewels."
+
+"But there is no saying when we shall meet again," the queen said.
+"There is no knowing what terrible events may occur."
+
+"Whatever occurs, lady, I shall see you again, if I live," Roger
+said. "If not, of what use are the jewels to me?"
+
+At the appointed hour, Cuitcatl returned.
+
+"All is in readiness," he said.
+
+The two attendants were summoned from the apartments where they had
+been waiting. Roger and his friend first carried down the bundles
+of clothing, and then took up the rugs containing the heavy gold
+ornaments; Roger taking, in addition, the small parcel with the
+jewels. The attendants then took up their own bundles, and the
+whole party proceeded downstairs, and out into the garden.
+
+Cuitcatl led the way with the queen. Roger followed with Amenche,
+the two ladies with the porters came behind.
+
+"How strange," Roger said. "Last time I came at night through this
+garden I was a fugitive, and you came down to bid me farewell. Now
+it is you who have to fly!"
+
+"When shall we meet again?" the girl sobbed.
+
+"I cannot tell you, dear; but if I live, we will meet again. Things
+may right themselves, yet; and at least, whatever happens to this
+unfortunate country, we may be happy together. I have a good friend
+in Malinche, and if the Spaniards conquer, Cortez will certainly
+give me leave to marry you. It is his policy to marry his soldiers
+to the daughters of Mexicans. If Cortez fails, and the Spaniards
+are finally driven out, Cacama will recover his own again, and can
+then proclaim that I am not of Spanish birth, and can give you to
+me. So you see that, whatever comes, there is hope that things will
+go happily with us."
+
+"I am afraid, Roger. I fear there is to be no happiness in this
+unfortunate country."
+
+"Then we must leave it together," Roger said cheerfully. "You are
+naturally depressed now, and see things in their darkest light; but
+you will grow more hopeful again, when you are once established in
+Cuitcatl's home. Arrange with him for Bathalda to act as messenger
+between us. He is faithful and brave, and will manage to reach me,
+whatever comes of it."
+
+A few minutes later they were beyond the gardens. The four litters
+stood ready. The queen and princess and the two ladies took their
+seats in them, and the three bundles of valuables were also placed
+inside.
+
+"I shall love you--I shall love you until death," Amenche sobbed
+out, and then the procession moved away, leaving Roger standing by
+himself.
+
+Skirting the outside wall of the garden, he made his way to the
+shore of the lake. He found the boatmen asleep in their canoe. As
+soon as he aroused them, they seized their paddles and, on his
+taking his seat, pushed off.
+
+"There is no occasion for speed," he said. "It is but two o'clock
+now, and it is of no use our reaching Mexico until daybreak; for
+the gates of the palace will be closed, and there will be no
+getting in, dressed as I am, until sunrise."
+
+They therefore paddled quietly across the lake, often resting for a
+considerable time, and so arranging that they approached the city
+at the same time as a number of market boats, from the villages on
+the lake.
+
+"Well," Malinche asked with a smile, as he met her in one of the
+courts, as he entered, "and where is your lady love?"
+
+"I have not brought her here," he said, rather indignantly. "You
+did not suppose that I was going to bring her back to a barrack
+room? I am not an officer, to have a suite of apartments to myself.
+Besides, if I could have had the whole palace to myself, I should
+not have asked her to forsake her sister-in-law, in her distress.
+The two have fled together, and when the usurper arrives there
+today, he will find that no one knows where they have gone.
+
+"However, I hope he will not trouble himself about them. After
+having taken Cacama's place, he could hardly wish to have Cacama's
+wife there; and I think he will be very glad when he hears that she
+has left.
+
+"Can I see Cacama? I should like to tell him that his wife is in
+safety."
+
+"I will take you with me," Malinche said. "I saw him yesterday,
+when he was brought before Montezuma. He is a gallant prince, and I
+grieve that misfortune has befallen him."
+
+Malinche led the way to the prison room where Cacama was confined.
+The sentries at the door passed her and her companion without
+hesitation, for they knew that her influence was supreme with
+Cortez, and that orders did not apply to her.
+
+"I will come again for you, in half an hour," she said, as the
+sentry unbolted the door.
+
+Cacama was lying on a couch, covered with rough mats. He sat up as
+the door opened; and leaped to his feet, with an exclamation of
+satisfaction, when he saw who his visitor was.
+
+"I have been longing to see you, Roger," he said. "I knew that you
+would come to me, as soon as you could. Have you heard that
+Montezuma has deposed me, and appointed Cuicuitzca Lord of
+Tezcuco?"
+
+"I heard it yesterday afternoon, Cacama; and crossed at nightfall
+to Tezcuco, with the news."
+
+"You saw my wife?" Cacama asked eagerly. "How is she? How does she
+bear the blow?"
+
+"She was lost in grief when I first arrived there, but the
+necessity for action aroused her. She and Amenche agreed that they
+would not await the coming of the usurper today. They left the
+palace secretly, under the charge of Cuitcatl, who had litters in
+readiness for them; and started for his house, which he placed at
+their disposal. None save two attendants, whom they took with them,
+knew that they had left; and should the usurper seek for
+them--which, Cuitcatl agreed with me, is not likely to be the case,
+as he will have enough to occupy his time and thoughts--it will be
+long before he can find whither they have gone.
+
+"I must tell you, Prince, that the queen last night opened the
+secret treasury, and took with her a considerable amount of the
+gold ornaments and the precious stones; so that she should have the
+means, if opportunity occur, of offering bribes either to the
+nobles of Tezcuco, or to your guards here."
+
+"I would I were free but for an hour," Cacama said passionately. "I
+would make an example of the treacherous nobles who betrayed us.
+The queen has done well, in going to the secret chamber. It was to
+be kept for an emergency, and never was there a greater emergency
+for Tezcuco than now. Still, there were a large number of jewels in
+the public treasury, which she might have taken without breaking in
+upon the hoard."
+
+"She thought that Cuicuitzca would, on his arrival, inquire from
+the chief of the treasury if everything was untouched. If he had
+found that a large number of valuables had been taken, he would
+connect it with the flight, and would at once send in all
+directions to overtake them; whereas, if he found that everything
+were untouched, he would think no more of her."
+
+"Quite right," Cacama agreed. "Yes, it was certainly better to open
+the secret chamber. It was closed up again, I hope; for I would not
+that all the treasure which my father and grandfather stored away
+should be wasted by Cuicuitzca, or fall into the hands of his
+greedy friends, the Spaniards."
+
+Roger informed him of the steps that had been taken; and that, with
+the exception of the fact that the plaster had been removed, all
+was exactly as before; and that the entrance could never be
+discovered, unless the cupboard was torn from its place.
+
+"There is little fear of that being done. All the shelves and
+fittings of the treasury are of the plainest wood, and offer no
+inducement to anyone to take the trouble to break them down. The
+treasury might be sacked a dozen times, without its occurring to
+anyone to break down that small cupboard in the corner."
+
+Roger now told Cacama of the arrangement that had been made, that
+Bathalda should act as messenger between himself and Amenche; and
+said he doubted not that, on the following day, the man would
+present himself.
+
+"Have you any message to send to the queen?" he asked.
+
+"Tell her that I am well, and that I am delighted to hear she has
+left the palace before Cuicuitzca arrives. Bid her on no account to
+try to stir up the false nobles in my favor. They would only betray
+her to Montezuma. And so long as the Spaniards are masters here, it
+is useless to think of revolt elsewhere.
+
+"I do not believe that this will last long. The Mexicans are
+patient and submissive, but there is a limit, and Montezuma has
+almost reached it. The time cannot be far off when the people will
+no longer endure the present state of things, here; and when they
+rise, they will overwhelm these Spanish tyrants, and then I shall
+be freed. I can wait for a few weeks, and I shall doubtless have
+companions here, ere long."
+
+The door now opened, and Malinche, looking in, told Roger that he
+must leave, as she was required by Cortez. Saying goodbye to
+Cacama, therefore, he returned to his quarters.
+
+
+
+Chapter 17: The Insurrection.
+
+
+Cacama's prognostication was speedily verified; for in the course
+of the next two or three days, all the nobles who had joined him in
+preparations for a rising were, by Montezuma's orders, arrested and
+sent in, in chains, and were placed with him in prison.
+
+Bathalda came on the day after Roger's return, with the news that
+the two ladies had reached Cuitcatl's house in safety and, as they
+believed, without exciting observation. The queen was anxious to
+know if he had seen Cacama, and whether her husband had any
+instructions for her. Amenche simply sent him some flowers,
+gathered by her own hand.
+
+Roger gave Bathalda Cacama's message to the queen. While out in the
+market, he purchased a large packet of choice and delicate
+sweetmeats, of which he knew Amenche was particularly fond, and
+gave them to Bathalda; with the message that he would someday teach
+her to read and write, and then, when they were away from each
+other, they could talk at a distance.
+
+For some little time things went on quietly, but the Spanish greed
+and bigotry gradually worked the Mexicans up to a point of fury. At
+the suggestion of Cortez, Montezuma sent collectors to all the
+principal cities and provinces, accompanied by Spaniards, and these
+brought back immense quantities of gold and silver plate and other
+valuables; and to these Montezuma added an enormous treasure that
+had been accumulated and hidden by his father, amounting to a sum
+which astounded even the Spaniards. The value of the gold alone was
+equal to nearly a million and a half pounds sterling, in the
+present day, besides a vast amount of gold ornaments and jewelry,
+and feather work of excellent manufacture. A fifth of this was set
+aside for the King of Spain, the rest divided among the officers
+and soldiers.
+
+Even the extortion of this vast sum from the people might have been
+passed over in quiet, had the Spaniards been content to abstain
+from interference with their religion; but during the weeks that
+had elapsed since Montezuma had been a prisoner in their hands,
+they had vainly endeavored to convert the emperor, and the nobles
+and attendants on him, to Christianity.
+
+They had listened attentively to the preaching and exhortations of
+Father Olmedo; but their faith in their own gods was unshaken, the
+bloody sacrifices were carried on as usual in the temples, and
+these horrible spectacles naturally excited the wrath and
+indignation of the Spaniards to the utmost; although they
+themselves had, in Cuba and the islands, put to death great numbers
+of the natives in pursuance of their own religious views.
+
+Cortez with many of his leaders went to the emperor, and told him
+that they would no longer consent to have the services of their
+religion conducted in the palace, but wished to celebrate them
+publicly; and therefore requested that the great temple should be
+handed over to them, for their services. Montezuma was much
+agitated. He was a devout believer in his gods; and his conduct
+towards the Spaniards had been, in no slight degree, influenced by
+the belief that their coming had been foretold by Quetzalcoatl, and
+that they were the descendants of that god. However, after a
+conference with the priests, he consented that they should occupy
+one of the sanctuaries on the summit of the temple.
+
+Great joy was caused among the Spaniards at this permission. They
+at once took possession of the sanctuary, and thoroughly cleansed
+it. They then decorated its walls with flowers, and raised an
+altar, surmounted by a crucifix and an image of the Virgin. When
+all was ready, the whole army moved up the winding ascent to the
+summit, and a solemn mass was celebrated.
+
+The result of this occupation of the temple of their god was soon
+visible in the conduct of the Mexicans. Montezuma himself became
+grave and distant towards the Spaniards; and a few days later sent
+for Cortez, and informed them that they were in great danger, and
+that they had best leave the country, at once. Cortez replied that
+he should regret to leave the capital so suddenly, when he had no
+ship to take him from the country; but that if he should be driven
+to take such a step, he should feel compelled to carry the emperor
+along with him.
+
+Montezuma then agreed to send, at once, a number of workmen to the
+coast, to build vessels under the instructions of the Spaniards;
+and promised to use his authority to restrain his people, assuring
+them that the Spaniards would leave, as soon as means were
+provided. A large number of artisans were accordingly sent off at
+once, with some of the Spaniards most skilled in ship building; and
+on their arrival at the coast they began to fell trees, and to make
+all preparations for building the vessels.
+
+In the meantime, at Mexico, every precaution was taken by the
+Spaniards. Since Montezuma had been in their hands, they had felt
+in perfect security, had wandered about the city and neighboring
+country as they chose, fished upon the lake, and hunted in the
+royal preserves. Now the utmost vigilance was observed, strong
+guards were mounted, the soldiers slept in their armor with their
+arms beside them, and were no longer permitted to leave the palace.
+
+At this moment news arrived that filled the mind even of Cortez
+with consternation. The expedition that he felt sure Velasquez, the
+Governor of Cuba, would dispatch against him, had arrived on the
+coast, and had landed. It consisted of eighteen vessels, carrying
+nine hundred men, of whom eighty were cavalry. So large a fleet had
+never before been collected in the Indies. It was commanded by a
+Castilian noble, named Panfilo de Narvaez.
+
+Until they arrived at the coast, they had learned very little of
+what was happening in Mexico, as the vessels which Cortez had
+dispatched had avoided touching at the islands. They now learned,
+from the Spaniards left on the coast, all that had taken place; and
+Narvaez found, with indignation, that Cortez was the conqueror of a
+great empire, and that the honor and wealth had been reaped by a
+man whom he considered as an insolent adventurer, instead of by
+Velasquez. He therefore at once proclaimed his intention to march
+against Cortez, and to punish him for his rebellion; and the
+natives who had flocked to his camp soon comprehended that the new
+army had arrived as enemies, and not as friends, of the white men
+who had preceded them.
+
+A small body of the troops of Cortez, commanded by Sandoval, were
+in garrison at Villa Rica; and he at once dispatched a messenger
+with the news to Cortez, and prepared for a vigorous defense. A
+priest, a noble, and four Spaniards who arrived from Narvaez,
+ordering him to surrender, were bound, placed on the backs of
+Indian porters, and sent off to Mexico under a strong guard.
+
+When the news of the arrival of the force of Narvaez reached
+Mexico, the soldiers were delighted, believing that means were now
+at their disposal for their return home; but when they heard, from
+their officers, that the newcomers were sent by the Governor of
+Cuba, and had assuredly arrived as enemies, the troops declared
+that, come what might, they would remain true to their leader.
+
+On the arrival of the prisoners, Cortez received them with the
+greatest courtesy, apologized for the rough conduct of Sandoval
+and, loading them with presents, converted them into allies. He
+learned from the priest that the soldiers of Narvaez had no
+hostility towards them, and that the arrogance of their leader
+caused much discontent among them.
+
+When he was sure of the good offices of the priest, Cortez sent him
+back with a friendly letter to Narvaez, whom he adjured to lay
+aside his hostile designs which, if persisted in, might cause the
+loss of all the conquests he had made. He was ready, he said, to
+greet him as a brother, and to share with him the fruits of his
+successes. The priest fulfilled his mission, and added his own
+advice that the offers of Cortez should be accepted.
+
+Narvaez rejected the counsel with scorn, but the accounts of the
+priest of the splendor of the country, the rich spoils won by the
+soldiers, and also of the generosity and popularity of Cortez,
+exercised a great influence over the soldiers.
+
+The priest was followed by Father Olmedo, with some more letters.
+These were similarly rejected by Narvaez; but Olmedo, during his
+stay at the camp, contrived largely to add to the feeling in favor
+of Cortez, by his eloquence and the numerous presents he
+distributed among the officers and soldiers.
+
+Cortez had, some time before, dispatched Don Velasquez de Leon, one
+of his trusted officers, with a hundred and fifty men, to plant a
+colony near the mouth of one of the great rivers. He was a kinsman
+of the Governor of Cuba, and Narvaez had, on landing, sent to him
+begging him to quit the service of Cortez, and march with his
+troops to join him. Velasquez, instead of doing so, set out at once
+for Mexico; but on his way was met by a messenger from Cortez, who
+ordered him to stop at Cholula for further orders.
+
+Cortez summoned a force of two thousand natives from the distant
+province of Chinantla and, leaving Pedro d'Alvarado in command of a
+hundred and fifty Spaniards in Mexico, marched with the remainder
+of his force, consisting of some seventy men only, for Cholula.
+Here he was joined by Velasquez, with his hundred and fifty men.
+Thus reinforced, they marched to Tlascala, where six hundred native
+troops joined him.
+
+But his allies soon fell off. They had had too severe an experience
+of the fighting powers of the white men to care about taking part
+in a battle with them, and so many deserted on the way that Cortez
+dismissed the rest, saying that he would rather part with them,
+then, than in the hour of trial. On reaching Perote they were
+joined by Sandoval with fifty Spaniards, which brought their number
+up to two hundred and sixty-six, only five of whom were mounted.
+
+On their march towards Cempoalla, where Narvaez had now established
+his headquarters, they were met by an embassy from him, requiring
+the acknowledgment by Cortez of his authority, offering at the same
+time that all who wished to leave should be transported in his
+vessels. By liberal presents Cortez won over the members of the
+embassy, who returned to Cempoalla to inform the soldiers there of
+the liberality of Cortez, and of the wonderful array of gold
+ornaments and chains worn by his soldiers.
+
+Narvaez advanced to meet Cortez but, the weather proving bad, again
+fell back on Cempoalla. Cortez, on the other hand, took advantage
+of the weather, and in the night fell upon the garrison, and took
+them completely by surprise.
+
+Sandoval, with a small band, had been told off to attack the temple
+occupied by Narvaez, and to take him prisoner. The general, with
+the troops in the temple, defended himself bravely, until seriously
+wounded by one of the long spears with which Cortez had armed his
+men. The thatched roof of the temple was set on fire, the defenders
+were driven out by the smoke, and Narvaez was seized and made
+prisoner.
+
+Another division, under Olid, fell upon the guns, captured them,
+and turned them upon the temples in which the troops were
+quartered; when the soldiers, whose loyalty to their commander had
+already been sapped, accepted the offer of Cortez of an amnesty for
+the past, and a full participation in the advantages of the
+conquest of the country. Having sworn allegiance to Cortez as
+captain general, they were incorporated in his little army.
+
+In the morning, when they saw how small had been the body of men
+who had defeated them, many regretted the course they had taken,
+but in the course of the day the two thousand native allies from
+Chinantla arrived, and their military appearance, and the proof
+afforded by their presence of the influence of Cortez with the
+inhabitants of the country, put a stop to the murmuring; especially
+as Cortez ordered all the spoils taken from them to be returned,
+and distributed among them considerable sums of money--exciting,
+indeed, murmurs of discontent among his own veterans, who
+considered that they had been deprived of the spoil they had
+rightfully won.
+
+The eloquence of their general, however, as usual, was successful
+in pacifying them; but to prevent further difficulties, he broke up
+his force, and sent off two hundred men under Diego de Ordaz, and a
+similar number under Velasquez de Leon, to form settlements on the
+coasts and rivers; and two hundred men to Vera Cruz, to dismantle
+the fleet of Narvaez.
+
+Scarcely had these parties left when a messenger arrived with
+letters from Alvarado, saying that the Mexicans had risen and
+assaulted the Spaniards in their quarters, and had partly
+undermined the walls; and that, in the fighting, several of the
+garrison had been killed, and a great number wounded.
+
+Cortez at once dispatched messengers after Velasquez and Ordaz, and
+ordered them to march to join him at Tlascala; recalled a hundred
+men from Vera Cruz, and then set forward. The troops suffered much
+in their march across the low country to the foot of the hills,
+beneath a sun of terrible power. However, they reached Tlascala,
+and were there joined by Ordaz and Velasquez. They were most
+hospitably entertained by their allies, and a number of levies
+joined them; and with these and eleven hundred Spaniards, of whom a
+hundred were cavalry, they marched towards Mexico.
+
+They took a more northern route than before and, crossing the
+mountains, held their way on to Tezcuco. Upon their route through
+the plains the peasantry held aloof, and the greater portion of the
+population of Tezcuco withdrew before their arrival; and even its
+new lord, although appointed at the instigation of Cortez, was
+absent from the city. Dispatches arrived from Alvarado saying that
+the Mexicans had, for the last fortnight, ceased their attacks; but
+were blockading him in the palace.
+
+Cortez marched down the lake shore on the following day, and
+crossed the causeway to the city. Not a native was to be seen near
+the line of march, not a boat was visible on the lake, and an air
+of gloom and solitude hung over everything; showing but too plainly
+the altered feelings with which the natives regarded the whites.
+The streets were similarly deserted. When the head of the column
+reached the palace, the gates were thrown open and the garrison
+rushed out to greet the newcomers, with joyful shouts.
+
+Cortez now learned the reason of the rising of the Mexicans. It was
+the result of a hideous act of treachery, on the part of Alvarado.
+In the month of May was the great festival of the war god, which
+was held in his great temple; and the caziques asked permission of
+Alvarado to use, for the day, that portion which had been handed
+over to the Spaniards. He agreed to the request, on the condition
+that the Aztecs should celebrate no human sacrifices, and should
+come unarmed.
+
+At least six hundred nobles attended, in their most gorgeous robes,
+and Alvarado and his soldiers were present as spectators. While the
+Aztecs were employed in a religious dance, Alvarado gave the
+signal, his men rushed upon them with their arms, and every one of
+them was massacred unresistingly, not a single soul escaping.
+
+Various motives were assigned for this most foul massacre. Some
+writers have ascribed it solely to the desire for plunder; others
+to the desire of Alvarado to strike a blow that would intimidate
+the Mexicans from making any insurrectionary movement. Alvarado
+himself declared that he had information that the Mexicans intended
+to rise, but he gave no proofs, whatever, to justify his
+suspicions. The affair, indeed, seems to have been utterly
+indefensible, and must ever remain a foul blot upon Spanish honor.
+
+Cortez was extremely angry at hearing what had taken place and,
+after listening to Alvarado's explanation, said:
+
+"You have done badly. You have been false to your trust! Your
+conduct has been that of a madman!"
+
+It was, however, no time for quarrels; and as it was the impolicy
+of the deed, rather than its treachery, that angered Cortez, he
+speedily forgave the offender, who was one of the most popular
+officers in his army.
+
+The blow Alvarado had struck had a contrary effect to that which he
+had expected of it. No sooner had the news of the massacre spread
+through the city than the whole population rose, and at dawn next
+morning they attacked the palace, with desperate fury. Volumes of
+missiles were poured upon the defenders. The walls were assaulted,
+and the works set on fire, and the palace might have been taken had
+not Montezuma, yielding to the entreaties--and perhaps threats--of
+the garrison, mounted the walls, and urged the people to desist
+from the attack, as his own safety would be imperiled did they
+continue it.
+
+They obeyed him as usual, and withdrew from the assault; but threw
+up works round the place, and proceeded to starve the Spaniards
+out. The latter had considerable stores of food, but suffered
+severely from thirst until they were fortunate enough to discover a
+spring, and were thus enabled to hold out until the arrival of
+Cortez.
+
+The latter refused to comply with the request of Montezuma to see
+him. He had some reason to doubt the good faith of the emperor, for
+he had discovered that the latter had sent envoys to Narvaez; and
+he had, upon his arrival at Tlascala, been informed that the rising
+at Mexico had been, to a great extent, prepared beforehand by the
+orders of Montezuma; and even the assurances of the officers of the
+garrison, that they owed their safety to the emperor's intervention,
+did not pacify him.
+
+The real reason, no doubt, of his anger was that he found he had
+overrated the advantages he would gain from Montezuma being in his
+hands; but for this he himself, and not the emperor, was to blame.
+At first the capture had all the success that he had expected from
+it. The people had obeyed their emperor as implicitly, when a
+captive, as when his power had been supreme. They had sent in their
+nobles, prisoners and bound, at his orders. They had built ships
+for these strangers. They had suffered them to go unmolested
+through the country.
+
+But there was an end even to Aztec patience. The avarice of the
+white men had drained the country of its wealth. Their arrogance
+had humiliated their pride. Their occupation of their holiest
+temple and the insults to their gods had aroused them to fury; and
+the massacre, in cold blood, of six hundred of their nobles, while
+engaged in religious devotions, had been the signal for an
+explosion. Their emperor, formerly so venerated, they now regarded
+with contempt as the creature of the Spaniards; as the betrayer of
+his country; and the thought of his safety no longer restrained
+their thirst for vengeance.
+
+Cortez, however, was in no mood to reflect.
+
+"What have I to do with this dog of a king," he exclaimed, "who
+suffers us to starve before his eyes?
+
+"Go, tell your master and his people," he said fiercely to the
+Mexicans, "to open the markets, or we will do it for them, at their
+cost!"
+
+The chiefs, who were the bearers of Montezuma's message, left his
+presence in deep resentment; and reported to the emperor, and to
+the people outside, the manner in which Montezuma's request for an
+interview had been refused. Cortez, however, thought it politic to
+release Cuitlahua, Montezuma's brother, who had been among those
+imprisoned for taking share in Cacama's league; and allowed him to
+go into the city, thinking that he would allay the tumult.
+
+But Cuitlahua was a man of different spirit from his brother. He
+was heir presumptive to the throne, and a bold and daring prince.
+The people welcomed him, at once, as Montezuma's representative;
+and chose him to represent the emperor during his confinement.
+Cuitlahua accepted the post, and immediately set to work to
+organize the fighting men, and to arrange a plan of attack.
+
+Roger had not been with the party that accompanied Cortez on his
+expedition against Narvaez; but, with his two companions, remained
+to form part of the garrison of the palace.
+
+"You are out of spirits, young fellow," Juan said, on the day after
+Cortez had marched away. "You are changed, very much, since you
+first joined us."
+
+"I have much to make me so, Juan," Roger replied, in his broken
+Spanish. "You see, I am white by blood, but I have dear friends
+among the natives. What do I see? As a white, I perceive that our
+position here is one of the gravest danger, and that destruction
+may fall upon us all. As a friend of the natives, I see the country
+plundered, the people trodden down and, sooner or later, the ruin
+and misery of the whole people."
+
+"You mean we are in danger from Narvaez' people," Juan said. "I
+have faith in Cortez. He will either fight them or bring them over.
+He is a wonderful man, and will find some way out of the
+difficulty."
+
+"I do not mean that, entirely," Roger replied. "I mean that there
+is danger from the natives."
+
+"Pooh!" the old soldier said, disdainfully. "The natives are no
+better than so many women."
+
+"But even women may be serious opponents, when they are fifty to
+one, Juan; and you mistake these Mexicans. They have been friendly
+and submissive, because it has been the order of the emperor; but
+although physically not strong, they are brave. The Aztec army has
+spread the dominion of Mexico over a wide extent of country. They
+have conquered many peoples, and are by no means to be despised. It
+is true you beat the Tlascalans, but that was not because you were
+braver than they were, but because of your superior arms and armor,
+and above all by the terror inspired by your horses--but this will
+not last. The Mexicans now know that you are but men, like
+themselves; and when they fight, inspired both by national spirit
+and the memory of their wrongs, I tell you that you will have hard
+work to hold your own."
+
+"Ah well," Juan grumbled. "If it must come, it must. It will not
+disturb my appetite."
+
+When Roger learned that orders had been given for the massacre at
+the temple, he determined firmly that he would take no part in the
+deed, whatever it might cost him to refuse. Fortunately, he found
+no difficulty in persuading one of the soldiers, told off to act as
+a guard at the palace during the absence of the rest, to change
+places with him, as the man wanted to have his share in the
+expected plunder. Had Cacama been at liberty, Roger would not have
+hesitated a moment, but would have left the Spaniards and thrown in
+his lot with the Mexicans; but now it was impossible to do so. The
+frenzied population would have seized any white man they came upon,
+outside the walls of the palace, and would have carried him to the
+altars of their gods. It would be hopeless to endeavor to explain
+that he was of another race. All white men would be alike, in their
+eyes.
+
+He bitterly regretted, now, that he had returned from Tezcuco. Had
+he, at that time, gone with the queen and princess to the house of
+his friend Cuitcatl, he could have remained there in quiet; and the
+natives would have seen that he, at least, had no part or share in
+this horrible massacre. Now it seemed to him that there was nothing
+to be done, save to share the lot of the Spaniards, whatever that
+might be.
+
+He believed that the Mexicans would storm the palace, and slaughter
+all within it, long before the return of Cortez; and he by no means
+shared the confident anticipation of the soldiers, that the
+general, on his arrival, would very speedily put down any
+insurrection that might occur; and would, with the assistance of
+the soldiers of Narvaez, soon bring all Mexico into subjection.
+
+It had happened that both Juan and Pedro had also been on guard,
+during the massacre. This was a great satisfaction to him, for he
+felt he could no longer have remained in intimate communion with
+them, had their hands been drenched with innocent blood. When, upon
+their being relieved at their posts, they joined each other in the
+chamber they shared in common, the old soldier held up his hand and
+said gruffly:
+
+"Do you hold your tongue, Sancho. I know what you are thinking,
+lad, as well as if you said it; and maybe I do not disagree with
+you; but least said, soonest mended. These rooms without doors are
+not places for a man to relieve his mind by strong language, if he
+happens to differ from his superiors. It is a bad business, and a
+shameful one. At Cholula there was some excuse for it. Here there
+is none. I am an old soldier, and have taken many a life in my
+time, but never in cold blood like this. Say nothing, lad, at any
+rate until you get a chance of being outside this city; or on the
+lake, where none can get near you--then pour it out, as much as you
+like."
+
+"It is like enough," Roger said, "that none of us will ever go out
+of the city alive; and it will serve us thoroughly right. If this
+is to be a Spaniard and a Catholic, let me be a Mexican and a
+heathen."
+
+"There, there, that is enough," Juan interrupted. "Now let us have
+our supper."
+
+"I can eat nothing," Roger said, throwing himself down on the
+couch, where he remained in silence until a sudden outburst of wild
+shouts and cries, followed instantly by the trumpet, calling every
+man to his allotted place on the walls, aroused him.
+
+"The work of vengeance has begun," he said gravely, as he put on
+his thick padded jerkin and helmet, and took up his pike. "I only
+hope I may see Alvarado, the author of this massacre, killed before
+I am."
+
+Juan shook his head as Roger left the room, and he followed with
+Pedro.
+
+"In faith, I do not blame him. He has been brought up among these
+people."
+
+"He is quite right," the young soldier said. "It is a shameful
+business. Had I known that we were coming here to be butchers, I
+would never have taken service under Cortez. What should we have
+said if, on our first arrival here, when Montezuma entertained
+Cortez and all the cavaliers, his people had slain them at the
+feast?"
+
+"Hold your tongue, you young fool!" Juan muttered angrily. "The
+thing is done, and you cannot undo it. What we have to do now is to
+fight for our lives. Even if these poor devils have right on their
+side, it is not a matter to stop and discuss, now. So keep your
+breath for fighting. I doubt not that we shall soon scatter them
+like chaff."
+
+But this was by no means the case, and it was only the intervention
+of Montezuma that saved the garrison from destruction.
+
+The time until the arrival of Cortez had passed slowly. The
+soldiers, weakened by hunger and thirst, muttered angrily against
+the officer who had so rashly brought them into this strait. Few of
+them regretted the deed for its own sake, but simply because it had
+brought on them peril and misfortune.
+
+Roger had borne his share of the fighting on the walls. He was
+defending his life, and although at first he had fought with little
+ardor, the pain given by two arrows which pierced his cotton armor
+heated his blood; and he afterwards fought as stoutly as the rest.
+
+During the period of inaction he had, more than once, tried to
+obtain an interview with Cacama; but the prisoners were jealously
+watched, and no one was allowed access to them on any pretext, and
+two officers always accompanied the men who took in their daily
+rations. They were regarded as hostages, only less important than
+Montezuma himself; and as most of them were very rich and powerful
+caziques, they might offer bribes which might well shake the
+fidelity of any private soldier.
+
+When the news arrived that Cortez, with the whole of the army of
+Narvaez, was at hand, the depression that had reigned gave way to
+exultation; and the soldiers believed that they would now take the
+offensive, and without loss of time put an end to the insurrection.
+
+Marina had accompanied Cortez on his expedition, for she was still
+necessary to him as an interpreter, and her influence with the
+natives was great. Roger obtained an interview with her, a few
+hours after her return. She had evidently been crying passionately.
+
+"My heart is broken, Roger," she said. "I had hoped that the white
+men would have done great things for my country. They know so much,
+and although I thought there might be trouble at first, for great
+changes can never be introduced without trouble, I never dreamed of
+anything like this. Cholula was bad enough, but there the people
+brought it on themselves; and the Spaniards would have been slain,
+had they not first begun to kill. But here it is altogether
+different. It was an unprovoked massacre, and after this, who can
+hope that the whites and Mexicans can ever be friendly together?
+
+"I love Cortez. He is great and generous, and had he been here this
+would have never happened; but many of his people are cruel, and
+they are all greedy of wealth; and he, general though he is, has to
+give way to them.
+
+"I remember that, in the old days at Tabasco, you told me how
+cruelly the Spaniards had treated the people of the islands; but
+when I saw them first, I thought that you, being of a different
+nation, had spoken too hardly of them. I see, now, that you were
+right. I have, all along, done what I could for my people; and
+though I am with the invaders, I am sure they recognize this, and
+that they feel no ill will against me. But now I fear that they
+will curse me, as they will curse them; and that, through all time,
+my name will be abhorred in Mexico," and she again burst into
+tears.
+
+"I do not think so, Malinche. At Tezcuco it was always said that
+you stood between the natives and the whites, and it was owing to
+you that they were not more harsh than they were.
+
+"As to this massacre, God forbid that I should say a single word in
+defense of it! As a white man and a Christian, I feel it is an act
+of horrible atrocity; but it should not make such an impression
+upon your people, who make wars solely to obtain victims, whom they
+may sacrifice at the altars of their gods; and who, every year,
+slay in cold blood fully twenty-five thousand people who have done
+them no wrong. By the side of such horrible slaughter as this, the
+murder of six hundred, the other day, was but a drop in the ocean
+of blood annually shed here."
+
+"Had it been in battle, it would have been nothing," Malinche said.
+"Had they offered them up at the altars of the gods, the people
+would have understood it, for they do it themselves; but this was a
+foul act of treachery. Who, after this, can believe in the promises
+of the whites?
+
+"I know the people. You whites despise them, because they have
+hitherto allowed themselves to be subdued without resistance; but
+now that their first awe of the Spaniards has died away, and they
+have nerved themselves to take up arms, you will find that they are
+brave. I see nothing but trouble before us. Cortez feels confident
+that he can easily repulse any attack, and subdue the city and the
+country round; but I do not think so."
+
+"Nor do I, Malinche. No men could have fought more bravely than the
+Mexicans, the other day. It is true that we were but in small
+numbers, and that we are now many times stronger, and have Cortez
+to command us; but on the other hand, the attack was but a hasty
+one, and the next time we shall have the whole Mexican force upon
+us."
+
+"What will you do, Roger?"
+
+"I must fight for the Spaniards," Roger said gloomily. "They are
+not my countrymen, but they are white men as I am, and surrounded
+by foes. Besides, I have no option. The Mexicans cannot distinguish
+between Spaniards and Englishmen, and I should be seized and
+sacrificed, were I to set foot beyond the walls. Were it not for
+that I would leave the city, join Amenche, and leave the Spaniards
+and Mexicans to fight out their quarrel as they might; but now,
+whichever won, the result would be fatal to me. If the Mexicans
+were victorious, I, like all other whites, would be sacrificed to
+their gods. If the Spaniards won, I should be executed as a
+traitor. Therefore, there is nothing for me to do but to remain
+with the Spaniards, and share their fate, whatever it may be."
+
+The next morning silence reigned over the city. Not a Mexican was
+to be seen anywhere near the palace, within which the Spaniards
+were virtually prisoners. Cortez hoped, however, that Cuitlahua
+would soon persuade the people to return to their usual habits, and
+to open the markets for provisions; but in any case, he felt so
+confident of his power to overawe the city, that he sent off a
+messenger with dispatches to the coast, saying that he had arrived
+safely, and should soon overcome all opposition.
+
+In half an hour, however, the messenger returned at a gallop,
+wounded in a score of places. He reported that the city was up in
+arms, the drawbridges were raised, and the Mexicans were marching
+towards the palace. Scarcely had he arrived, when the sentinels on
+the towers shouted that masses of men were approaching, by all the
+streets leading to the palace; and immediately afterwards the
+terraces and flat roofs of the houses near were darkened by throngs
+of natives, shouting and brandishing their weapons.
+
+The trumpet instantly sounded to arms, and so strict was the
+discipline that prevailed that, in an incredibly short time, every
+soldier was at his post. The position was capable of being defended
+against a very numerous enemy, unprovided with artillery; for the
+wall round the great one-storied building, though low, was strong;
+and the turrets, placed at intervals upon it, enabled the defenders
+to command its face, and to pour missiles upon any who might be
+bold enough to endeavor to effect a breach, by undermining it with
+crowbars and levers. The garrison, too, were sufficient for its
+defense; for there were not only some twelve hundred Spaniards, but
+the eight thousand Tlascalan allies.
+
+The Aztecs rushed forward, with the shrill whistle used as a battle
+cry by the people of Anahuac; and, as they advanced, poured a rain
+of missiles of all kinds upon the palace, to which were added those
+shot from the terraces and flat roofs.
+
+The Spaniards had pierced the walls with embrasures for their
+cannon, and these commanded all the avenues. The gunners waited
+until the columns were close at hand, and then their terrible
+discharge swept lanes through the crowded masses in the streets.
+For a moment the Mexicans paused, paralyzed by the terrible
+slaughter; and then, rallying, rushed forward again. Three times
+the cannon were discharged into their midst; but though broken and
+disordered, they still pressed on until they swept up to the very
+foot of the walls, pouring in a hail of arrows.
+
+They were well seconded by those on the housetops who, from their
+elevated position, were on a level with the Spaniards; and whose
+missiles, arrows, javelins, and stones thrown with great force from
+slings, galled the defenders greatly, and wounded great numbers of
+them.
+
+In vain did the Aztecs strive to climb the walls. These were of no
+great height but, as they showed their heads above the parapet,
+they were shot down by the Spanish arquebus men, or struck
+backwards by the weapons of the Tlascalans. Failing to scale the
+walls, they tried to batter down the parapet with heavy pieces of
+timber. But the stonework was too strong, and they then shot
+burning arrows into the palace, and hurled blazing torches over the
+wall.
+
+The palace itself was of stone, but some of the exterior works
+which had been constructed were of wood, and these were soon on
+fire. The defenders had no water with which to extinguish the
+flames and, at the point where the new works joined the wall, the
+fire was so fierce that they were afraid it would spread to the
+palace; and, to extinguish it, were forced to adopt the desperate
+expedient of overthrowing the wall upon the burning mass. The
+breach thus made was guarded by a battery of heavy guns and a party
+of arquebusiers, and these repelled every attempt of the Mexicans
+to take advantage of the breach which had been thus formed.
+
+The fight continued until night fell, and the Mexicans then drew
+off. Cortez and his followers were astonished at the obstinacy with
+which they had fought, and the contempt of death they had
+displayed. They had obtained such easy victories, with forces but a
+fourth of those which Cortez now commanded, that he had formed the
+lowest opinion of the fighting powers of the Aztecs. But he now
+found that a nation was not to be trampled upon with impunity.
+
+However, he consoled himself with the thought that this was but a
+temporary outbreak of fury; and he determined to sally out with all
+his force, on the following morning, and to inflict a terrible
+chastisement upon his assailants.
+
+As soon as the morning broke, the Spaniards were under arms. Cortez
+was speedily undeceived in his hopes that the slaughter of the
+previous day would have cowed the Mexicans. The great square and
+the streets leading to it were seen to be crowded with foes, who
+appeared better organized than on the previous day, being divided
+into regiments, each with its banners. These, the Mexican
+attendants on Montezuma told them, were the cognizances of the many
+cities of the plain, showing that the whole people were joining in
+the movement commenced by those of the capital. Towering above the
+rest was the royal standard of Mexico.
+
+Among the crowd were numerous priests who, with excited gestures,
+called upon them to avenge the insulted gods, and to destroy the
+handful of invaders who had brought disgrace upon the nation, had
+trampled it under foot, had made their sovereign a captive, and
+murdered their nobles in cold blood. It was evident that, fierce as
+had been the fighting on the previous day, the renewed assault
+would be even more formidable.
+
+
+
+Chapter 18: The Rising In Mexico.
+
+
+The appearance of the vast crowd that surrounded the palace
+differed much from that which they had presented on the previous
+day, when the Mexicans had fought in their usual garments, or in
+their padded cuirasses. Today they had laid aside all their
+garments save their loincloths, having found by experience that
+their cotton armor was absolutely useless against the missiles of
+the Spaniards. The chiefs were now conspicuous, as they moved to
+and fro among the dark masses, by their gay dresses and the metal
+breastplates worn over the bright feather work. They wore helmets
+made to resemble the heads of ferocious wild beasts, crested with
+bristly hair or surmounted by bright feather plumes. Some wore only
+a red fillet round their head, having tufts of cotton hanging from
+it; each tuft denoting some victory in which they had taken part,
+and their own rank in the army. Noble and citizen, priest and
+soldier, had all united in the common cause.
+
+The assault was about to commence, when the Spaniards' artillery
+and musketry poured death into the crowded ranks. The gates were at
+once thrown open, and Cortez at the head of his cavalry dashed out,
+followed by the infantry and the Tlascalan allies. Confused by the
+slaughter made by the firearms, the Aztecs could offer no
+resistance to the onslaught. The cavalry trampled them underfoot,
+and mowed them down with sword and lance. The Spanish foot and
+Tlascalans following close behind carried on the work of
+destruction, and it seemed to the Spaniards that the fight was
+already over, when the Aztecs fled before them.
+
+The movement of retreat, however, ceased the moment the Mexicans
+reached the barricades which they had thrown up across the streets;
+and forming behind these they made a gallant stand, while those
+upon the housetops poured showers of arrows, darts, and great
+stones down upon the advancing Spaniards. In vain the Spanish
+artillery were brought up, and their fire swept away the
+barricades; there were still others behind, and at each the
+desperate fight was renewed.
+
+Coming down from the side streets, the Aztecs fell upon the Spanish
+flanks; and clouds of missiles were shot from the boats, which
+crowded the canals everywhere intersecting the streets.
+
+Cortez and his cavaliers continued to make desperate charges
+through the Aztecs, who, although unable to withstand the weight
+and impetus of the horses, closed round them, striving to throw the
+riders from their backs and to stab the horses themselves--throwing
+away their lives without hesitation, on the chance of getting one
+blow at the Spaniards. The moment the horsemen drew back, the
+Aztecs followed them; and although their loss was immense, their
+ranks were instantly filled up again, while the Spaniards could ill
+spare the comparatively small number who fell on their side.
+
+At last, after hours of carnage, the Spaniards, exhausted by their
+exertions and having eaten nothing since the night before, fell
+back to the palace. Diaz, one of the historians of the events, who
+was present at the combat, expressed the astonishment felt by the
+Spaniards at the desperation with which the despised Mexicans had
+fought.
+
+"The Mexicans," he said; "fought with such ferocity that if we had
+had the assistance of ten thousand Hectors, and as many Orlandos,
+we should have made no impression on them. There were several of
+our troops who had served in the Italian wars; but neither there,
+nor in the battles with the Turk, have they ever seen anything like
+the desperation shown by these Indians."
+
+As the Spaniards fell back the Aztecs followed them, pouring in
+volleys of stones and arrows; and as soon as they had entered the
+palace encamped around it, showing that their spirit was wholly
+unbroken. Although--as it was contrary to their custom to fight at
+night--they did not renew the attack, they shouted insulting
+threats as to the Spaniards' fate, when they should fall into their
+hands; and were evidently well satisfied with the events of the
+day, and looked for victory on the morrow.
+
+Cortez had received a severe wound in the hand during the fight,
+and he and his companions felt how grievously they had mistaken the
+character of the Aztecs. They had sallied out that morning,
+confident in their power to crush out the insurrection. They
+returned, feeling that their situation was well-nigh desperate, and
+that henceforth they must fight, not for dominion, but for life.
+
+As soon as day broke the fight was renewed, but this time it was
+the Aztecs and not the Spaniards who began it. There was no idea of
+a fresh sortie. All that the garrison could hope was to defend
+their position. So furiously did the natives attack that, for a
+time, they forced their way into the entrenchments; but the
+Spaniards, whose turn it was to fight with the bravery of despair,
+fell upon them with such fury that none of those who had gained an
+entry returned.
+
+Cortez now sent to Montezuma, to request him to interpose, as he
+had done before, between them and his people. The emperor refused
+to interfere. He had viewed the desperate fighting of the last two
+days with bitter humiliation. He had seen his brother Cuitlahua
+leading on his troops, with the greatest gallantry; while he
+himself, thanks to his own conduct, was a helpless prisoner. He
+mourned over the terrible losses his people were suffering; and the
+fact that his kindness to the Spaniards had brought upon him
+nothing but ill treatment and insult at their hands, had earned him
+the contempt of his people, and had involved his country in
+misfortune and ruin, cut him to the heart.
+
+"What have I to do with Malinzin?" he said coldly. "I desire only
+to die."
+
+When still further urged, he added:
+
+"It is useless. They will neither believe me, nor the false words
+and promises of Malinzin. You will never leave these walls alive."
+
+On being assured that the Spaniards would willingly depart, and
+leave the country, if their assailants would open a way to them, he
+at last consented to address the people. Clothing himself in his
+richest robes of state, he ascended the central turret of the
+palace; surrounded by a guard of Spaniards, and accompanied by
+several Aztec nobles. When he was seen, the din of war ceased as if
+by magic. A dead silence fell upon the multitude, and they knelt
+and prostrated themselves before the sovereign they had so long
+held in the deepest reverence.
+
+But when he addressed them, assuring them that he was a guest, and
+not a prisoner, of the Spaniards; and ordered them to lay down
+their arms, and to allow the Spaniards to march to the coast,
+indignation at his cowardice overpowered their feelings of
+reverence and respect. They burst into taunts and execrations, and
+a moment later a storm of missiles were hurled at the man who had
+betrayed them.
+
+The Spanish guards, seeing the effect his presence had produced,
+had stood aside, to enable him the better to be seen; and before
+they could close around him, and cover him with their shields,
+three missiles struck him; one, a stone hurled from a sling,
+smiting him on the head with such violence that he fell insensible.
+When the Aztecs saw him fall, their brief outburst of indignation
+was succeeded by one of sorrow; and with a cry of grief the whole
+multitude dispersed, and in a minute or two the crowded square was
+wholly deserted.
+
+Montezuma was carried to his chamber. When he recovered
+sensibility, he refused absolutely to allow his wounds to be
+dressed, and tore off the bandages. Not a word passed his lips. He
+sat in an attitude of the deepest dejection. His own people
+despised him, and had raised their hands against him. He had drunk
+deeply of the cup of humiliation, at the hands of the Spaniards;
+but this last drop filled it to overflowing. There was nothing for
+him but to die.
+
+The Spanish leaders tried, but in vain, to persuade him to submit
+to surgical treatment. He paid no attention to their words, and
+they were soon called away by fresh danger from without.
+
+The Aztecs had speedily recovered from their emotion at seeing the
+fall of the emperor, and a body of five or six hundred of them,
+including many nobles and military leaders of high rank, had taken
+possession of the great temple; and now from its summit, a hundred
+and fifty feet high, opened a rain of missiles upon the palace. The
+Spaniards could not effectually return their fire, for the Aztecs
+were sheltered by the sanctuaries on the summit of the pyramids.
+
+It was absolutely necessary, for the safety of the defenders, to
+dislodge them from this position; and Cortez ordered his
+chamberlain, Don Escobar, with a hundred men, to storm the teocalli
+and set fire to the sanctuaries. But the little force were three
+times repulsed, and forced to fall back with considerable loss.
+Cortez then, though suffering much from the wound in his left hand,
+determined himself to lead the assault. As he was incapable of
+holding his shield, he had it strapped to his left arm; and with
+three hundred picked men, and some thousands of the Tlascalans,
+sallied out from the palace, and attacked the Aztecs in the temple
+at the foot of the pyramid.
+
+The Spaniards made their way through these without much difficulty,
+and then commenced the ascent of the pyramid. This offered great
+facilities for defense. There were five terraces connected by
+steps, so placed that those mounting the pyramid had to make the
+whole circuit, on each terrace, before reaching the steps leading
+to the next. It was thus necessary to pass round the pyramid four
+times, or nearly two miles, exposed to the missiles of those upon
+the summit.
+
+Leaving a strong body of Spaniards and Tlascalans at the bottom, to
+prevent the natives ascending and attacking him in the rear, Cortez
+led the way up the staircase, followed closely by his principal
+officers. In spite of the heavy stones and beams of wood which,
+with a storm of arrows, were hurled down upon them, the Spaniards
+won their way from terrace to terrace, supported by the fire of
+their musketeers below, until at last they reached the great
+platform on the summit of the pyramid.
+
+Here a terrible conflict commenced. The Aztecs, brought to bay, and
+fighting not only for life, but in the presence of their country's
+gods, displayed a valor at least equal to that of the Spaniards.
+Numbers were slightly in their favor, but this was far more than
+counter-balanced by the superior arms of the Spaniards; and by the
+armor, which rendered them almost invulnerable to the comparatively
+puny weapons of the Mexicans. And yet, for three hours the fight
+continued. At the end of that time, all the Mexicans, save two or
+three priests, were killed; while forty-five of the Spaniards had
+fallen, and almost all the others were wounded.
+
+While this fight had been raging the combat had ceased, elsewhere;
+the combatants on both sides being absorbed in the struggle taking
+place at the summit of the temple. They could not, of course, judge
+how it was going; though they caught sight of the combatants as
+they neared the edges of the platform, which was unprotected by
+wall or fence; and many in the course of the struggle fell, or were
+hurled, over it.
+
+The moment the struggle was over, the Spaniards rushed with
+exulting shouts into the sanctuary of the Mexican god, reeking with
+the blood of fresh-killed victims; cast the image from its
+pedestal; rolled it across the platform to the head of the steps;
+and then, amid shouts that were echoed by their comrades below,
+sent it bounding down, while a cry of anguish and dismay rose from
+the Mexicans.
+
+The image dethroned, fire was applied to the sanctuary; and the
+smoke and flames, rising up, must have told countless thousands,
+watching the capital from the housetops of the neighboring cities,
+that the white men had triumphed over the gods of Mexico; and that,
+as at Cholula so at the capital, these had proved impotent to
+protect their votaries from the dread invaders. So dismayed were
+the Mexicans, at the misfortune, that they offered no resistance to
+the return of the Spaniards from the temple, and retired to their
+houses without further fighting.
+
+At night the Spaniards sallied out again, relying upon the habit of
+the Mexicans to abstain from fighting at night, and burnt several
+hundred houses.
+
+Believing that the spirit of the Mexicans would be broken now,
+Cortez, on the following morning, mounted the turret from which
+Montezuma had addressed them. Malinche was by his side; and when he
+held up his hands, to show that he wished to address them, a
+silence fell upon the multitude; and Malinche's voice was heard
+plainly by them, as she translated the words of Cortez. He told
+them they must now feel that they could not struggle against the
+Spaniards. Their gods had been cast down, their dwellings burnt,
+their warriors slaughtered. And all this they had brought on
+themselves, by their rebellion. Yet if they would lay down their
+arms, and return to the obedience of their sovereign, he would stay
+his hand. If not, he would make their city a heap of ruins, and
+leave not a soul alive to mourn over it.
+
+But Cortez learned, at once, that the spirit he had roused in the
+Mexicans was in no way lowered by their reverses. One of the great
+chiefs answered him that it was true he had hurled down their gods,
+and massacred their countrymen; but they were content to lose a
+thousand lives for every one that they took.
+
+"Our streets," he said, "are still thronged with warriors. Our
+numbers are scarcely diminished. Yours are lessening every day. You
+are dying with hunger and sickness. Your provisions and water are
+failing. You must soon fall into our hands. The bridges are broken
+down, and you cannot escape. There will be too few of you left to
+satisfy the vengeance of the gods."
+
+When he had finished, a shower of arrows showed that hostilities
+had recommenced.
+
+The garrison were now completely disheartened. Of what use the
+tremendous exertions they had made, and the lives that had been
+lost? They were still, as they had been on the first day of their
+arrival, hemmed in in their fortress, surrounded by foes thirsting
+for their blood. Great numbers were wounded, more or less severely.
+Their provisions were well-nigh gone. The enemy were bolder than
+ever. They had been promised wealth and honor--they were starving,
+and death stared them in the face. They loudly exclaimed that they
+had been deceived, and betrayed.
+
+But the men who had served all along with Cortez stood firm. They
+had still every confidence in their leader. It was not his fault
+that they had been brought to this pass, but by the misconduct of
+others, during his absence. At any rate, as they pointed out to
+their comrades, the only chance of escape was unity and obedience.
+
+Cortez himself was, as always in a moment of great danger, calm and
+collected. The thought of having to leave the city, to abandon all
+the treasures they had taken, was even more painful to him than to
+the soldiers. It was not the loss of his own share of the booty,
+but of that of the emperor, that he regretted; for he felt that
+this, together with the downfall of all his plans, and the loss of
+the kingdom he had already counted won, would bring upon him the
+displeasure of his emperor, would give strength to his enemies at
+court, and would probably ensure his being recalled in disgrace.
+
+Nevertheless, he saw that retreat was necessary, for the position
+could not be maintained. Every day the defenses became weaker, the
+men more exhausted by fighting, and there would soon be no longer a
+morsel of bread to serve out to them. A retreat must therefore be
+made.
+
+The question was, which route should be chosen? In any case, one of
+the narrow dikes connecting the island city with the shore must be
+traversed; and on these causeways the Spaniards would fight under
+great disadvantage. Finally, he settled upon that leading to
+Tlacopan, which was much the shortest, being only two miles in
+length.
+
+For some days a large party of men had been at work constructing
+movable towers, similar to those used, centuries before, in sieges.
+They moved on rollers, and were to be dragged by the Tlascalan
+allies. From their summits the soldiers could shoot down upon the
+housetops, from which they had been hitherto so annoyed. The towers
+were also provided with bridges, which could be let down on to the
+roofs, and so enable the soldiers to meet their opponents hand to
+hand.
+
+When the structures were completed, the Spaniards again took the
+offensive. The gates were opened, and the three towers, dragged by
+the Tlascalans, moved out. The Mexicans, astonished at the sight of
+these machines, from whose summits a heavy fire of musketry were
+kept up, fell back for a time. The towers were moved up close to
+the terraces, and the soldiers, after partly clearing them by their
+fire, lowered the light bridges and, crossing, engaged in a
+hand-to-hand fight with the Mexicans, and drove them from their
+positions.
+
+But from the lofty houses of the nobles, the Mexicans still
+maintained their resistance. The towers were not high enough to
+overlook these and, as they came up, beams of wood and huge stones
+were cast down upon them; striking with such force that it soon
+became evident, to those within them, that the towers would not
+hold together.
+
+They were dragged on, however, until a canal crossed the road. The
+bridge had been removed, and both the cavalry and the towers were
+brought to a standstill. The latter were abandoned, and Cortez
+ordered his troops to make a road forward, by filling up the canal
+with stones and wood from the houses near.
+
+While engaged in this operation, they were exposed to an incessant
+fire from every point of advantage in the neighborhood, and from
+the opposite bank of the canal. The work was, however, completed;
+and the cavalry, crossing, drove the Mexicans headlong down the
+great street; until they came to another canal, where the same work
+had again to be performed. No less than seven canals crossed the
+street, and it took two days of constant fighting before the last
+of these was crossed, and the whole street in their hands.
+
+Just as the last canal had been captured, Cortez, who was ever at
+the head of his men, received news that the Mexicans desired to
+open a parley with him, and that some of their nobles had arrived
+at the palace for that purpose. Delighted at the news, he rode back
+with his officers. The Mexicans requested that the two priests who
+had been captured in the great temple should be released, and
+should be the bearers of his terms, and discuss the negotiations.
+
+Cortez at once consented, and the priests left with the envoys;
+with instructions that, if the Mexicans would lay down their arms,
+the past should be forgiven. The mission was, however, a mere
+trick. The Mexicans were most anxious to rescue the priests, one of
+whom was the high priest, and therefore most sacred in their eyes.
+Cortez had scarcely sat down to a meal, which he sorely needed
+after his fatigues, when the news was brought that the Mexicans had
+again attacked, with greater fury than ever; and, at three points,
+had driven off the detachments placed to guard the newly-made
+causeways across the canal.
+
+Cortez and his companions leaped on their horses and, riding down
+the great street, again cleared it. But no sooner had he reached
+the other end than the Mexicans, gathering in the lanes and side
+streets, poured in again, and overpowered the guard at one of the
+principal canals.
+
+Swarms of warriors poured in on all sides, and a storm of arrows
+and other missiles was poured down upon Cortez and his cavaliers.
+The confusion at the broken bridge was tremendous. The cavalry and
+infantry struggled fiercely with the crowds of foes, while others
+strove again to repair the bridge which the Mexicans had again torn
+down.
+
+Cortez himself performed prodigies of valor in covering the retreat
+of his men, dashing alone into the midst of the ranks of the enemy,
+shouting his battle cry, and dealing death with every blow of his
+sword. So far did he penetrate among his foes, that reports spread
+that he was killed; and when at last he fought his way back, and
+leaped his horse over a chasm still remaining in the bridge, his
+escape was regarded by his troops as absolutely miraculous; and it
+was said that he had been saved by the national Apostle, Saint
+James, and the Virgin Mary, who had fought by his side. At night
+the Mexicans, as usual, drew off; and the Spaniards, dispirited and
+exhausted, fell back to their citadel.
+
+That evening Montezuma died. He had refused all nourishment, as
+well as medicine, from the time he had been wounded. Father Olmedo
+did his best to persuade him to embrace the Christian faith, but
+Montezuma stoutly refused. Just before he died he sent for Cortez,
+and recommended his three daughters by his principal wife to his
+charge; begging him to interest his master, the emperor, on their
+behalf, and to see that they had some portion of their rightful
+inheritance.
+
+"Your lord will do this," he said, "if only for the friendly
+offices I have rendered the Spaniards; and for the love that I have
+shown them, though it has brought me to this condition; but for
+this I bear them no ill will."
+
+This Cortez promised and, after the conquest, took the three ladies
+into his own family. They were instructed in the doctrines of
+Christianity, and were married to Spanish nobles, and handsome
+dowries assigned to them.
+
+The news of Montezuma's death was received with real grief by the
+Spaniards, to whom his generosity, and constant kindness, and
+gentleness of manner had endeared him. There can be but little
+doubt that, in spite of the accusations against him of meditating
+treachery, Montezuma was, from the time they entered the capital,
+sincere in his goodwill towards the Spaniards. He was devoted to
+his own gods, and believed implicitly in the prophecy that
+Quetzalcoatl, or his descendants, would return to rule Mexico.
+Their superior science and attainments confirmed him in his belief
+that the Spaniards fulfilled the prophecy, and he was willing to
+resign alike his power, his possessions, and himself to their
+hands. In his early days he had shown great personal bravery; and
+the cowardice he displayed, throughout the whole of his dealing
+with the Spaniards, was the result of superstition, and not that of
+personal fear.
+
+Cortez paid all respect to the remains of his late unhappy captive.
+The body was arrayed in royal robes, and laid on a bier; and was
+carried, by the nobles who had remained faithful to him during his
+imprisonment, into the city. It is uncertain where Montezuma was
+finally buried.
+
+With the death of the emperor, the last hope of the Spaniards of
+making terms with their assailants vanished. There was nothing,
+now, but retreat. After some debate, it was settled that this
+should take place at night, when they would find the Mexicans
+unprepared. The difficulties of passage would be greater; but these
+would, it was thought, be counterbalanced by the advantage of being
+able to make at least a portion of their retreat unobserved.
+
+It was determined that no time should be lost. The Mexicans would
+doubtless be mourning over the body of Montezuma, and would be
+unprepared for such prompt action on the part of the Spaniards.
+
+The first question was the disposal of the treasure. The soldiers
+had, for the most part, converted their share of the gold into
+chains; which they wore round their necks. But there was a vast
+amount in bars and ornaments, constituting the one-fifth which had
+been set aside for the crown, the one-fifth for Cortez himself, and
+the shares of his principal officers.
+
+One of the strongest horses was laden with the richest portion of
+the crown treasure, but all the rest was abandoned. The gold lay in
+great heaps.
+
+"Take what you like of it!" Cortez said to his men, "but be careful
+not to overload yourselves. 'He travels safest, in the dark, who
+travels lightest.'"
+
+His own veterans took his advice, and contented themselves with
+picking out a few of the most valuable ornaments; but the soldiers
+of Narvaez could not bring themselves to leave such treasures
+behind them, and loaded themselves up with as much gold as they
+could carry.
+
+Cortez now arranged the order of march. The van was composed of two
+hundred Spanish foot, and twenty horsemen, under the orders of
+Gonzalo de Sandoval. The rearguard, with the main body of the
+infantry and the greater portion of the guns, was commanded by
+Alvarado and Velasquez de Leon. Cortez himself led the center,
+which was in charge of the baggage, some of the heavy guns, and the
+prisoners; among whom were a son and two daughters of Montezuma,
+Cacama, and the other nobles who had been in prison with him. The
+Tlascalans were divided among the three corps.
+
+A portable bridge had been prepared for crossing the canals which
+intersected the causeway; the intention being that it should be
+laid across a canal, that the army should pass over it, and that it
+should then be carried forward to the next gap in the causeway.
+This was a most faulty arrangement, necessitating frequent and long
+delays, and entailing almost certain disaster. Had three such
+portable bridges been constructed, the column could have crossed
+the causeway with comparatively little risk; and there was no
+reason why these bridges should not have been constructed, as they
+could have been carried, without difficulty, by the Tlascalans.
+
+At midnight the troops were in readiness for the march. Mass was
+performed by Father Olmedo; and at one o'clock on July 1st, 1520,
+the Spaniards sallied out from the fortress that they had so
+stoutly defended.
+
+Silence reigned in the city. As noiselessly as possible, the troops
+made their way down the broad street, expecting every moment to be
+attacked; but even the tramping of the horses, and the rumbling of
+the baggage wagons and artillery did not awake the sleeping
+Mexicans, and the head of the column arrived at the head of the
+causeway before they were discovered. Then, as the advanced guard
+were preparing to lay the portable bridge across the first opening,
+some Aztec sentinels gave the alarm.
+
+The priests on the summits of the temples heard their cries, and at
+once sounded their horns and the huge war drum. Instantly the city
+awoke, and the silence was succeeded by a roar of sound. The
+vanguard had scarcely got upon the causeway when canoes shot out
+upon the lake, and soon a storm of stones and arrows burst upon the
+column. More and more terrible did it become, as fresh canoes,
+crowded with the warriors, came up. Many of these pushed up to the
+causeway itself; and the natives, landing, fell upon the Spaniards
+with fury.
+
+The latter made no stay. Fighting their way through their foes they
+pressed on until they reached the next opening in the causeway, and
+there waited for the bridge to come up. But a column many thousands
+strong, with baggage and artillery, takes a long time to cross a
+bridge; and the advanced guard had reached the opening long before
+the rear had passed the bridge, and there stood helpless, exposed
+to the terrible storm of missiles, until at last the column were
+all across the bridge.
+
+Then forty picked men, who had been specially told off for the
+task, tried to raise it so that it might be carried to the front;
+but the weight of the baggage wagons and artillery had so wedged it
+into the earth, that they were unable to move it. They persevered
+in their efforts until most of them had fallen. The rest bore the
+terrible news to the army that the bridge was immovable.
+
+A terrible cry of despair arose, as the news spread. All hope
+seemed lost and, regardless of order or discipline, all pressed
+forward to endeavor, in some way or other, to cross the obstacle
+that barred their way.
+
+Pressed on by those behind them, Sandoval and his cavaliers dashed
+into the water. The distance was short, but the horses were weak
+from hunger, and burdened by their own heavy armor and that of
+their riders. Some succeeded in swimming across. Others sank; while
+some reached the opposite side, only to fall back again, as they
+tried to climb the steep bank.
+
+The infantry followed them, throwing away their armor to enable
+them to swim. Some succeeded, others were pressed down by their
+comrades. Many were killed by the war clubs or spears of the
+Mexicans in their canoes. Others again, half stunned by the clubs,
+were dragged into the canoes and carried off to the city to be
+sacrificed.
+
+All along the causeway the fight raged unceasingly; the Aztecs in
+the boats alongside leaping ashore, and grappling with their foes,
+and rolling with them down the causeway into the water; while those
+in the distance kept up their rain of missiles. The opening in the
+causeway was at last filled--choked up with ammunition wagons and
+guns, bales of rich goods, chests of gold, and the bodies of men
+and horses--and over these the Spaniards made their way.
+
+Cortez had swum or waded across on his horse, and he rode on until
+he joined Sandoval and the remains of the advanced guard, who were
+checked at the third and last opening. The cavaliers set the
+example to their followers by plunging into the water. The rest
+followed as best they could. Many were drowned by the weight of the
+gold they carried. Others got across by clinging to the tails and
+manes of the horses.
+
+Cortez, with Sandoval and other cavaliers, led the retreat until
+they reached the end of the causeway. The din of battle was now far
+behind, but those who came up brought the news that the rear guard
+were so sorely pressed, that they would be destroyed unless aid
+reached them.
+
+Cortez and his companions did not hesitate. They dashed along the
+causeway, again swam the canal, and made their way through the
+crowd until they reached the rear guard. Morning was breaking now,
+and it showed the lake covered with canoes filled with warriors.
+Along the whole length of the causeway a desperate fight was
+raging.
+
+Cortez found Alvarado on foot, his horse had been killed under him.
+With a handful of followers, he was still desperately defending the
+rear against the Mexicans, who had poured out from the city in
+pursuit. The artillery had at first done good service, sweeping the
+causeway and mowing down hundreds of their assailants; but the
+Aztecs were careless of life, and rushed on so furiously that they
+swept over the guns, killing those who served them, and fell upon
+the infantry.
+
+The charge of Cortez and his companions for a moment bore back the
+foe; but, pressed by those behind, they swept aside resistance, and
+bore back the Spaniards to the edge of the canal. Cortez and his
+companions plunged in and swam across. Alvarado stood on the brink,
+hesitating. Unhorsed and defenseless, he could not make his way
+across the gap, which was now crowded with the canoes of the enemy.
+He set his strong lance on the bottom of the canal and, using it as
+a leaping pole, sprang across. The feat was an extraordinary one,
+for although the width is not given, it was declared, by those who
+witnessed it, to be impossible for any mortal. It filled friends
+and foes alike with astonishment; and the spot is, to this day,
+known by the Mexicans as "Alvarado's Leap."
+
+The Aztecs followed no farther. They were occupied, now, in
+securing the enormous wealth the Spaniards had left behind them;
+and the remnants of the army marched along the causeway unmolested,
+and took possession of the village at its end.
+
+Cortez, iron hearted as he was, sat down and burst into tears as he
+viewed the broken remnant of his army. He was consoled, however, by
+finding that many of his most trusted companions had escaped.
+Sandoval, Alvarado, Olid, Ordaz and Avila were safe; and so, to his
+great joy, was Marina. She had, with a daughter of a Tlascalan
+chief, been placed under the escort of a party of Tlascalan
+warriors, in the van of the column, and had passed unharmed through
+the dangers of the night.
+
+The loss of the Spaniards in their retreat is variously estimated;
+but the balance of authority, among contemporary writers, places it
+at four hundred and fifty Spaniards, and four thousand Tlascalans.
+This, with the loss sustained in the previous conflicts, reduced
+the Spaniards to about a third, and the Tlascalans to a fifth of
+the force which had entered the capital. The greater part of the
+soldiers of Narvaez had been killed. They had formed the rear
+guard, and had not only borne the brunt of the battle, but had
+suffered from the effect of their cupidity. Of the cavalry but
+twenty-three remained mounted, all the artillery had been lost, and
+every musket thrown away in the flight.
+
+Velasquez de Leon had fallen in the early part of the retreat,
+bravely defending the rear; and several others among the leaders
+had also fallen, together with all the prisoners whom they had
+brought out from the capital.
+
+The remains of the army straggled on into the town of Tlacopan, but
+Cortez would allow of no halt there. At any moment the exultant
+Aztecs from the capital might arrive and, in a battle in the
+streets, the Spaniards would stand no chance, whatever, with their
+foes. He therefore hurried the soldiers through and, when outside,
+endeavored to form them into some sort of order.
+
+It was necessary to give them a few hours of repose, and he led
+them towards an eminence, crowned by a temple, which commanded the
+plain. It was held by a party of natives; and the troops,
+dispirited and exhausted, refused at first to advance against them;
+but the influence of Cortez, backed by the example of his officers,
+had its usual effect. The column moved forward against the temple,
+and the natives, after a few discharges of missiles, abandoned the
+place.
+
+It was a large building, affording ample shelter for the Spaniards
+and their allies. Provisions were found there, and a large supply
+of fuel intended for the service of the temple. Here, lighting
+great fires, they dried their clothing, bound up their wounds and,
+after partaking of food, threw themselves down to sleep.
+
+Fortunate it was for the Spaniards that the Mexicans, contented
+with the slaughter they had inflicted, the plunder they had
+captured, and most of all with the prisoners whom they had carried
+off to be sacrificed on their altars, retired to the capital, and
+allowed the invaders twenty-four hours' breathing time. Had they
+pressed them hotly and relentlessly, from the moment when they
+emerged from the causeway, they would have annihilated them; for at
+that time the Spaniards were too worn out, and dispirited, to be
+capable of any effectual resistance. Food and rest, however, did
+wonders for them. They were hardy veterans, and with Cortez and the
+leaders they most trusted with them, they soon came to look at
+matters in a more cheerful light.
+
+They were still stronger than they were when they first marched
+upon Mexico. Why, then, should they despair of making their way
+back to Tlascala, where they would have rest and friends? They knew
+there was a long and painful march before them, and probably
+desperate battles to fight; but in a fair field, they felt
+themselves a match for any number of the enemy; and when, late in
+the evening, their officers bade them form up and prepare for a
+night's march, they fell in steadily and willingly; and Cortez felt
+that they could again be relied upon, under every emergency.
+
+
+
+Chapter 19: The Passage Of The Causeway.
+
+
+On marching out from the city, Roger and his two comrades formed
+part of a picked band, to whom was entrusted the charge of the
+prisoners. Roger had been specially selected, as he could translate
+to them any order given by the officer of the party; and he was
+ordered to march next to them.
+
+He had once or twice in the past few days been enabled, by the
+intervention of Marina, to visit the prisoners. Cacama's spirit was
+in no way shaken by captivity.
+
+"Your general has made a fatal mistake," he said, "in sending
+Cuitlahua out to pacify the populace. He is of very different stuff
+from Montezuma, who has become a woman in the hands of the Spanish.
+You will see that he will never return, but will lead the people on
+to the attack.
+
+"It matters little to us. I know that we shall never escape. The
+Spaniards will slay us all, rather than that we should rejoin our
+people. But for that I care not. One would rather die in battle
+than be slain as a captive; but in either case we shall be dying
+for our country, and what can we wish for more? It is the duty of
+all to risk their lives, whenever they be needed for their country.
+Some here have fought in fifty battles for Mexico. I am younger,
+but not too young to have shared in many a battle. I fear death in
+no way, my friend, and should welcome it, as a change from
+captivity.
+
+"I am well content, now. I should have grieved to have died,
+believing that the Mexicans had lost all their ancient spirit and
+courage, and were content to be slaves beneath the yoke of a
+handful of strangers; but now I see that they were asleep, and not
+dead; and that these boasting strangers will find that the despised
+Mexican is a match for them; I shall die happy."
+
+The news of the wounding of Montezuma, and the desperate fighting
+in the streets and round the palace, excited the prisoners to the
+utmost. In their place of confinement they heard the thunder of the
+guns, the perpetual rattle of the musketry, and the shouts and
+yells of the combatants; but it was only when Roger visited them
+that they obtained any details as to the combat that was going on.
+They were filled with enthusiasm, as they heard how desperately
+their countrymen were fighting; and their only regret was that they
+could not join in the struggle, and die leading the assault against
+the Spaniards.
+
+Roger did not see them, upon the last day, until he took his place
+by their side, when the column formed up in the courtyard.
+
+"I am to keep near you, Cacama," he said, "in order to translate
+anything the officer may have to say to you."
+
+"We are going to leave the city?" Cacama asked, eagerly.
+
+"Yes, we are going to cross the causeway."
+
+The officer in charge here came up, and gave an order which Roger
+interpreted:
+
+"He asks whether you will all give a pledge to remain silent, as we
+march out. If you will do so, he will accept your promise; but if
+not, he will be forced to gag you, as the safety of the army
+depends upon our getting beyond the streets, before our march is
+discovered."
+
+"I wonder that they are ready to take our promise," Cacama said
+disdainfully, "after their own treachery. However, an Aztec noble
+is not like a Spaniard. Our faith may be depended upon. We will
+give our word to be silent."
+
+The other prisoners also promised, and were allowed to take their
+places in the column, ungagged.
+
+The alarm was given long before the rear of the column had got out
+from the street. Cacama gave an exclamation of joy, when he heard
+the silence broken by loud cries at the end of the street; and
+immediately afterwards by the shouts of the priests on the lofty
+temples, by the blowing of horns, and the beating of the great war
+drum.
+
+"The game has begun," he said. "We shall see how many Spaniards
+remain alive, when the sun rises. Long before they can get across
+the causeway, our people will be upon them. We shall not see the
+triumph, for without defensive armor we shall fall, in the
+darkness, beneath the missiles of our own people. That matters not.
+Better to die at the hands of a Mexican, struggling to be free,
+than at those of these treacherous invaders."
+
+The missiles showered down thickly upon the column, from the
+houses, till they emerged from the street and made their way out on
+to the causeway. Then they became exposed to the storm of arrows,
+darts, and stones from the canoes on the lake. By their officer's
+orders, the soldiers immediately in charge of the prisoners drew
+their swords and formed a circle round them; with orders to fall
+upon and kill them, at once, did they make the slightest movement
+to escape. Roger translated to the captives the officer's assurance
+that, although he was most anxious for their safety, he had no
+resource but to order the soldiers to slay them, at once, if they
+made any movement to escape.
+
+"We shall not try to escape," Cacama said. "How can we do so, with
+our hands bound?"
+
+During the long pause that ensued, before the rear of the column
+passed over the bridge on to the causeway, the impatience among the
+soldiers was great. Many had already fallen beneath the missiles of
+the enemy. Scarce one but had received wounds, more or less severe.
+Several of the prisoners, too, had fallen.
+
+"What is it?" Cacama asked, as the cry of despair went up; when it
+became known that the bridge was immovable, and that there were no
+means of crossing the breaks in the causeway, ahead.
+
+He muttered an exclamation of triumph, when Roger repeated to him
+the news he had just learned.
+
+"That settles it," he said. "Their fate is now sealed. The gods are
+at last fighting again for Mexico.
+
+"Roger, I am sorry for you, I am sorry for my wife, and for
+Amenche; but I rejoice for my country. If you should escape this
+night, Roger--and you have more chance than most, since you speak
+our language--do all you can for them."
+
+"You may be sure that I shall do that, Cacama; but the chance of
+any escaping seems, to me, a small one. Still, it may be that some
+will get over alive. The Spaniards have their faults, Cacama, but
+they are grand soldiers; and at any rate, now that they see they
+must win their way or perish, they will perform wonders."
+
+"Ah!" the exclamation was caused by an arrow striking the young
+prince in the chest.
+
+At this time a terrible fight was raging all around them. The
+natives had gained a footing on the causeway, and the Spaniards
+were fighting hand to hand with them.
+
+"I am mortally wounded, Roger," Cacama said. "Most of the others
+have already fallen. It is better so. I have lived long enough to
+see vengeance taken on our oppressors.
+
+"Roger, there is one chance for you. Wrap round you one of our
+mantles. In the darkness, none will see that you are not a Mexican,
+and they will not shoot at you.
+
+"Listen, there is Cuitcatl's war cry. I know his voice; and
+doubtless they have discerned our white dresses, in the darkness,
+and he is trying to rescue us."
+
+The crowd, pressing along the causeway, had swept the guards away
+from the prisoners--indeed, there were now scarcely any prisoners
+left to guard. Unprotected by any defensive armor, most of them had
+fallen very early in the conflict. Roger was supporting Cacama, and
+another prisoner lay dead at their feet.
+
+Roger stooped and snatched off his mantle; then, lifting Cacama in
+his arms, forced his way through the press to the edge of the
+causeway, just as a canoe ran up alongside, and a number of Aztecs
+sprang ashore.
+
+"Cuitcatl!" Roger shouted, at the top of his voice.
+
+"Here," the young noble exclaimed, as he sprang forward.
+
+"Here is Cacama," Roger cried.
+
+At the same moment, he received a stunning blow on the back of his
+helmet from one of the Spaniards, who took him for a Mexican; and
+fell down the side of the causeway, into the water, with his burden
+in his arms.
+
+When Roger recovered his senses, he was lying in a canoe, which was
+being paddled rapidly. He had been insensible but a few minutes,
+for the cries of the combatants still sounded close at hand.
+Cuitcatl was bending over him.
+
+"How is Cacama?" he asked, as soon as he could speak.
+
+"Alas! He is dead," Cuitcatl replied. "You did your best to save
+him, Roger.
+
+"He spoke but once, after we had got him into the canoe. He said
+'Protect my wife, Cuitcatl; and save our friend.'"
+
+"Where are you taking us?" Roger asked next.
+
+"We will land some distance up the lake. There I will obtain
+bearers, and carry Cacama home, that he may be buried as one of his
+rank should be. As to you, we must think what had best be done.
+None of those with me know who you are; believing, in the darkness,
+that you are one of ourselves. They are my own men, and I can rely
+upon them when their blood is cooled; but it were best that, at
+present, they remained in ignorance. Bathalda is in the bow, and
+his influence and mine will be sufficient to control them, when we
+are once out of hearing of the conflict. Nothing, save my duty to
+Cacama, would have withdrawn me from it; but they must do without
+me. Not a Spaniard will see tomorrow's sun.
+
+"Are you badly hurt, Roger? It is too dark to see anything."
+
+"Not badly. I have several arrow points sticking in me, in one
+place or another; but they have not gone deep. My armor kept them
+out. It was a blow on the head that felled me. There were many
+Mexicans on the causeway, fighting with the Spaniards; and I was,
+of course, mistaken for one of them. My helmet broke the blow, and
+I was stunned rather than injured, I think.
+
+"How came you to be just at that spot?"
+
+"I was on the lookout for the prisoners, being determined to rescue
+Cacama, if possible; and as I was fighting, farther back, I heard
+it said that there were several white dresses among the Spaniards
+ahead. So I made to that point and, just as I was springing ashore,
+heard your shout; and saw you roll down, you and another. I guessed
+it might be Cacama, for I knew that you would do your best to save
+him; and so sprang back again to the water's edge, and found that
+it was so.
+
+"And found, alas! that Cacama was mortally wounded. How about the
+other prisoners?"
+
+"I think that all had fallen, before he did. You see, they had no
+protection; and even we who had armor were suffering, terribly,
+from the missiles poured in among us. I know that two ladies,
+Montezuma's daughters, were among the first to fall. More than that
+I cannot say, for I kept close to Cacama, hoping that in some way I
+might find an opportunity to aid his escape; and had he not been
+struck, just when he was, I might have done so; for after the news
+came that the bridge could not be removed, all was confusion, and
+each man thought only of saving his own life."
+
+After rowing for three hours the canoe, having made a circuit of
+the city and crossed the lake, reached the shore at a distance of a
+few miles from Tezcuco. Cacama's body was lifted ashore, then
+Cuitcatl said to Bathalda:
+
+"Bathalda, you will be glad to know that we have saved Cacama's
+friend, and mine, Roger Hawkshaw."
+
+The forester gave an exclamation of pleasure.
+
+"I am glad, indeed," he exclaimed. "I wondered what had become of
+him, in the fight."
+
+Bathalda's exclamation silenced the murmur with which the others
+had heard that one of the white men had been saved, by them, from
+the general destruction which, as they believed, had fallen upon
+their oppressors.
+
+"He is a friend of our people," Cuitcatl went on, "and is of
+another race to these Spaniards. As you see, men, he speaks our
+language well, and is like one of ourselves. Cacama held him as a
+dear friend; and as you know, Cacama hated the Spaniards, and had
+it not been for treason would have attacked them, long ago.
+
+"Now, form a litter with the paddles and lay Cacama upon it.
+Morning is breaking, and we have far to go. The new Lord of Tezcuco
+is a friend of the Spaniards. We must get well away, as soon as we
+can."
+
+Roger threw aside the Spanish helmet. Cuitcatl took some of the
+plumes from his own headdress, and bound them round his head and,
+as soon as the bier was constructed, the little party started. In
+the afternoon they arrived at Cuitcatl's house, the chief having
+himself gone forward, to inform the queen of Cacama's fate, and of
+the near approach of the party, with his body.
+
+It was a mournful scene, when they arrived. The whole of the male
+and female retainers were assembled outside the house, the women
+filling the air with cries and lamentations, the men weeping and
+wailing. The bearers of the bier passed into the house, where
+Maclutha awaited it.
+
+Roger, unwilling to intrude upon the grief of the unhappy queen,
+remained without, talking to Bathalda; the natives viewing him with
+hostility and wonder, being unable to understand how it was that
+their lord had brought one of the white men to his house.
+
+In a minute or two, however, Amenche's attendant ran down the steps
+to Roger and, telling him to follow her, led the way to the
+apartment where the princess was waiting him. She fell, crying,
+into his arms.
+
+"It is terrible, Roger," she sobbed. "As long as my brother was but
+a captive, we had hoped that he might be restored to us; and now he
+is brought home dead--slain, too, by a Mexican arrow."
+
+"Cacama was ready for death, Amenche. I was beside him, from the
+time he left his prison. He was sure that we should be attacked;
+and saw that, as he and those with him were unprotected by any
+armor, they would be the first to fall when the fighting began as,
+in the darkness, the Mexicans would not be able to distinguish them
+from their enemies. But he said that he was quite content to die,
+seeing that the people had now recovered their ancient spirit, and
+were battling with heroes against their oppressors."
+
+"And they are all destroyed," Amenche exclaimed, passionately.
+
+"We do not know that," Roger replied. "Their position was a
+terrible one and seemed well-nigh hopeless. I know that Cuitcatl
+regarded it as quite hopeless, and deems that all have fallen; but
+I do not think so. The passages to be crossed were of no great
+width; and though numbers may have fallen, I believe that some will
+have made their way across. They will have lost their guns, and if
+the Aztecs continue to press them as hotly as they did upon the
+causeway, they may slay them all; but if they give them time to
+rally, they may yet fight their way back to Tlascala."
+
+"And you will stop here with us, Roger. Is it not so?"
+
+"If your people will allow me to do so, I will, Amenche. I ask for
+nothing better; but remember that even Cacama, himself, felt
+doubtful whether he could protect me from the power of the
+priests--and at that time their reason for hating the Spaniards was
+small to what it now is, and Cacama himself has gone. Cuitcatl,
+though a powerful cazique, has but small influence in comparison
+with that which Cacama, as King of Tezcuco and nephew of Montezuma,
+possessed."
+
+"How is Montezuma? What has become of him? We heard that he was
+wounded; but it scarce seems possible that his own subjects should
+raise a hand against him."
+
+"He died yesterday afternoon, and Cortez delivered his body to the
+people of the city."
+
+The girl uttered an exclamation of horror.
+
+"This is dreadful, indeed," she said, bursting again into tears.
+"To think of the great emperor being dead! What horrors and
+misfortunes have befallen us!
+
+"It is bad for us, too, Roger. I was one of his favorite nieces,
+and I thought of going to him and obtaining his permission to marry
+you, in order that you should be received into the nation. Now that
+hope is gone.
+
+"But I must leave you for a while, and go to Maclutha. I must not
+leave her longer, alone in her grief."
+
+Soon afterwards, Cuitcatl entered the room.
+
+"Come, Roger," he said; "a meal has been prepared, and we both
+sorely need food and rest. Tomorrow we shall have time to talk over
+the future, and by that time I shall have news whether any of the
+Spaniards have escaped. If they have, I must hurry off again; for
+Cuitlahua has sworn that not one shall leave the country, alive,
+and every man who can bear arms must take the field against them.
+But it will be an easy task for, at any rate, few can have got off
+that causeway alive."
+
+Roger was glad, as soon as he had finished his meal, to throw
+himself down on a couch. He had been on guard, the greater part of
+the night before the sortie to clear the street leading to the
+causeway, and had slept but an hour or two, the following evening.
+He had lost a good deal of blood, from the blow he had received on
+the head; and from the arrow wounds, of which he had several,
+although none were serious; and he was now completely done up.
+
+Amenche stole away from Maclutha, for a few minutes' talk with him
+and Cuitcatl, while they had their meal; and after hearing an
+outline of the later events of the siege of the palace, and of the
+fight on the causeway, she had herself insisted that Roger should
+instantly seek repose.
+
+"I shall be occupied with Maclutha, and there is much to see about,
+in such times as these. There can be no pomp and ceremonial of
+burial. That must come when peace is restored, and we carry
+Cacama's ashes to be laid with his father's, at Tezcuco. Bathalda
+and some of the slaves have already started to bring in wood for
+the funeral pile. All will be ready by sunrise, tomorrow."
+
+Roger's wounds were dressed, by one of the slaves who was skilled
+in all operations connected with wounds; and he slept, without once
+waking, until Cuitcatl came to him in the morning and bade him
+arise, as all was ready for the ceremony of Cacama's cremation.
+
+The rule in Mexico was that, on the death of anyone, the body was
+attired in the garments peculiar to his tutelary deity; but Cacama
+was dressed, simply, in the robe indicating his rank.
+
+"You see," Amenche said, when Roger joined them; "we have dressed
+him in a warrior's robes, not in those of a Lord of Tezcuco; for we
+have none such here. Nor have we attired him in the garments of our
+god. For Cacama, as you know, worshiped chiefly the great Unknown
+God, in whom his grandfather believed; who is Lord of all the gods,
+and of all peoples; and who must be the same, Roger, that you white
+people worship."
+
+"No doubt He is the same," Roger said; "and I am glad, Amenche,
+that you and your brother have already come to love Him. He is not
+Lord of all gods, for He is the only God. There are none others.
+
+"Some day, dear, when you come to England with me, a priest shall
+instruct you in all we know of Him.
+
+"But I see they are going to light the pile. What are all those
+pieces of paper that cover his body?"
+
+"They are charms, Roger, against the dangers of the unknown road he
+has to travel. It is the custom of the country, and we did not
+think it worth while to depart from it. It is also the custom to
+sacrifice numbers of slaves, and send them to be his attendants
+upon the road. But the Unknown God hates all sacrifices of blood;
+and Cacama, although forced to yield to the power of the priests,
+would have had none, could he have helped it, in Tezcuco."
+
+Cuitcatl, as the oldest friend of the dead prince, applied a torch
+to the pile, which was composed for the most part of aromatic wood.
+Maclutha and Amenche broke into a plaintive hymn, in which their
+attendants, and the females who had collected, in considerable
+numbers, from the neighboring villages, joined. Higher and higher
+rose the flames, the voices rising with them; until the dirge
+culminated in a loud wailing cry, as the flames reached the corpse,
+and hid it from view. Then the hymn recommenced, and continued
+until the pile had been burnt down.
+
+The mourners then re-entered the house, leaving the two or three
+priests who were present to collect the ashes, and to place them in
+a large gold vase; of which they would act as guardians, until the
+time came for its removal, in solemn procession, to Tezcuco.
+
+Cuitcatl took Roger aside.
+
+"I have bad news from Mexico," he said. "You were right, and I was
+mistaken. A portion of the Spaniards and Tlascalans succeeded in
+crossing the breaches in the causeway, and gaining the mainland.
+However, it is said that two-thirds of their number perished. As
+they have lost the terrible weapons, that committed such
+destruction, they will be at our mercy. We know now that they are
+not invincible. Their terror has departed.
+
+"Be assured that they will not escape us. They have reached land on
+the opposite side of the lake, and will have to make a great
+circuit, which will give us time to collect our forces. Cuitlahua
+has already dispatched a messenger to every town and village,
+ordering all to assemble under their chiefs; and to be prepared to
+march, at a moment's notice, when the rendezvous is settled upon. I
+would it had all been finished on the causeway, but there can be no
+doubt as to the result.
+
+"At most there are but four hundred Whites and four thousand
+Tlascalans, while we shall number over one hundred thousand. They
+say the white men have lost not only their great guns, but those
+they carry on their shoulders; and that only twenty or thirty of
+their strange animals have survived. Therefore, this time, we shall
+fight with something like equal arms, and shall overwhelm them as
+the sea overwhelms the rock."
+
+"Your simile is an unfortunate one, Cuitcatl. The sea covers the
+rock, but when it retires the rock remains. Still, it does seem to
+me that, however valiantly the Spaniards may fight, they cannot
+withstand such terrible odds.
+
+"But I cannot rejoice with you. You know that I abhor, as much as
+you do, the cruel massacre at the temple. My sympathies were with
+your people, while struggling to throw off the yoke that the
+Spaniards had imposed upon them; but I am white, like them. I know
+that many among them are noble men, and that much of the harm they
+have committed has been done from conscientious motives; just as
+your people have, from a desire to please the gods, offered up
+thousands of human victims, every year. Much as they love gold, many
+of them--and certainly Cortez among them--think more of spreading
+their religion than they do of personal ambition, or even of gain.
+I have many acquaintances and some good friends, among them; and I
+cannot think of their being all destroyed, without regret and
+horror. I do not say that you are not justified in killing all, for
+your existence as a nation is at stake; but to me, it is terrible."
+
+"I can understand that, my friend; but nothing can avert their
+destruction.
+
+"Now, as to yourself. Had it not been for Cacama's death, I should
+have said it were best that you should marry Amenche, at once; but
+among us, it would be most unseemly for a sister to think of
+marrying, when her brother has but just died."
+
+"It is the same with us," Roger said. "A certain time must always
+pass, after the death of a near relative, before marriage. Besides,
+the present is no time for thinking of such a thing. My fate is
+altogether uncertain, and I own that I consider there is small
+ground for hope that I can escape from the present troubles. If, as
+seems certain now, the Spaniards are all destroyed, the people will
+more than ever venerate their gods, and the power of the priests
+will be almost unlimited.
+
+"It is useless for me to try to deceive myself, Cuitcatl. I know
+your friendship, but you would not have the power to withstand the
+decision of the priests. They will never permit a single white man
+to remain alive in the land. Had Cacama lived, he might possibly
+have protected me; but I think that even his authority would have
+been insufficient to do so. If the Spaniards are destroyed, I have
+but one chance of my life: and that is, to make my way down to the
+coast, and to sail away with the Spaniards there."
+
+Cuitcatl was silent, for he felt the force of what Roger said.
+
+"If you go, you must not go alone," he replied at last. "Amenche
+would die, were you to desert her."
+
+"I will assuredly take her, if she will accompany me," Roger said;
+"but I do not think that there is much chance of my escape, even in
+that way. The news of the destruction of the Spaniards will be
+carried, with the speed of the wind, down to the coast; and the
+tribes there will instantly rise and fall upon the Spaniards. Those
+who have been the most friendly with them will be the very first to
+take up arms against them, in order to make their peace with the
+Aztecs, and to avert their vengeance for the aid they have given
+the Spaniards. Long before we could reach the coast, the Spaniards
+there would either be killed, or driven on board their ships."
+
+Cuitcatl could not deny the justice of Roger's reasoning.
+
+"There is nothing to do," the latter went on, "but to wait--at any
+rate, until this battle has taken place. Impossible as it seems,
+the Spaniards may yet extricate themselves from the toils; in which
+case I should join them. If not, and I find my escape by the coast
+cut off, by the rising of the tribes there, the only thing that I
+can see is to take to the mountains; and to live there, as I did
+with Bathalda, on the proceeds of the chase. I might then, perhaps,
+in time make my way to people in the far north, who have not such
+reason as they have here for hating a man with a white skin; or I
+might wait until the Spaniards send another expedition, to carry
+out what Cortez has failed to accomplish."
+
+Leaving their fires burning, the remains of the Spanish army
+marched, at midnight, from the temple where they had enjoyed rest,
+and had recruited their strength and spirits. The sick and wounded
+were placed in the center, and carried on litters, or on the backs
+of the porters; while others, who were strong enough to sit
+upright, rode on the horses behind the mounted soldiers. All night
+the march continued without disturbance; but in the morning, large
+parties of natives were seen moving about. Tlacopan lay on the most
+westerly point of the lake, and the most direct route of the
+Spaniards would have been to keep along by its margin; but had they
+done so, they would have been liable to attack from the capital; as
+the troops could have poured out across the causeway to Tepejacac,
+and headed them there. They therefore struck off due north, with
+the intention of passing to the west of Lake Xaltocan.
+
+The country was a broken one; and the Mexicans, gathering on the
+hills, rolled stones down upon them, with volleys of arrows and
+darts. Sometimes they even ventured to descend into the plain, and
+fall upon the rear of the column. As often as they did so, however,
+the little body of cavalry drove them off. The infantry column kept
+steadily on its way, though greatly harassed by the continued
+attacks.
+
+Day after day passed in this manner, the Spaniards being reduced to
+great straits, from want of food; as the natives, in the small
+towns and villages through which they passed, carried off all
+provisions and stores; and the only food the soldiers could obtain
+were wild cherries, and a few ears of corn that had been left by
+the harvesters. Sometimes a horse fell dead, from exhaustion, and
+afforded a welcome supply of food.
+
+Many of the soldiers dropped, lifeless from fatigue and famine.
+Others, unable to keep up the march, fell behind and were captured
+by the enemy, and carried off to furnish sacrifices for the gods.
+To lighten themselves, the soldiers threw away the gold, to obtain
+which they had dared so many dangers, and suffered so many
+hardships. Life itself was at stake, and the precious metal had
+ceased to have any value in their eyes.
+
+Through those terrible days Cortez, as usual, set a splendid
+example to his solders. He was in the front, wherever danger
+threatened. He bore his full share of the hardships, and by his
+cheerfulness and calmness kept up the spirits of the soldiers, and
+cheered them by assuring them they might yet escape from the
+dangers that menaced them.
+
+The Tlascalans also behaved admirably; and appeared to bear no
+grudge, whatever, against the Spaniards, for the sufferings which
+their alliance had brought upon them.
+
+Passing through the town of Quauhtitlan, and round the north of
+Lake Tzompanco, they at last turned their faces east; and on the
+seventh day reached the edge of the plateau, and looked down upon
+the plains of Otompan. They were still but thirty miles, in a
+direct line, from the capital; but they had traversed fully three
+times that distance, in their circuitous journey.
+
+During the last day's march, the numbers of the natives who
+surrounded them had considerably increased; and menacing shouts, of
+the fate that awaited them, greeted them as they marched along. The
+nature of the peril was not understood until, on reaching the crest
+from which they looked down on the valley of Otompan, they saw that
+it was filled with a mighty army; whose white cotton mail gave
+it--as one of their historians states--the appearance of being
+covered with snow. Here were all the levies that Cuitlahua had
+collected. The whole of the cities of the plains had sent in their
+quota, and the bright banners of the chiefs and nobles waved gaily
+over the snowy array of their followers.
+
+The numbers of the Mexicans were put down at varying amounts by the
+Spanish historians, some of them having them as high as two hundred
+thousand; but it is probable that at least half that number were
+assembled, to bar the march of the worn-out little force that
+surveyed them from the heights. Even the most hopeful and
+courageous of the Spaniards felt something like dismay, as they
+viewed the tremendous array before them. Deprived of the weapons on
+which they had chiefly depended for victory, with their cavalry
+reduced to a mere handful, the prospect seemed indeed desperate.
+But there was no room for hesitation. They must cut a way through
+the enemy, or die.
+
+Cortez addressed the troops in a short speech of encouragement. He
+reminded them that they had already won victories against enormous
+odds; and that numbers, indeed, were but of slight consequence,
+when the arm of God was with them.
+
+"Assuredly He, who had carried them safely through so many perils,
+would not now abandon them, and His own good cause, to perish by
+the hand of these infidels."
+
+With steady step and in compact array, the little force descended
+the hill into the plain; and as soon as they reached the level
+ground, the Aztec host attacked them, on all sides. The handful of
+cavalry, consisting almost entirely of the personal friends and
+officers of Cortez, cleared the way for the head of the column by
+repeated and desperate charges; while the infantry, with pike and
+sword, maintained a front that the Aztecs, although fighting with
+the greatest bravery, were unable to break.
+
+The Tlascalans fought as stoutly as the Spaniards. Their native
+land lay almost within sight, and the love of home, and the
+remembrance of many a victory gained over the Aztecs, animated them
+to rival the steadfastness of their white comrades.
+
+Yet though unbroken, the little force was but as an island in the
+midst of an ocean. The attacks, although always repulsed, were
+constantly renewed. The gaps in the ranks of the enemy were filled
+up with fresh combatants and, as hour after hour went on, even the
+most hopeful in the Spanish band began to feel that the contest
+could have but one termination; and that they would be overcome,
+not so much by the arms of the Aztecs, as by fatigue, thirst and
+hunger.
+
+The cavalry had performed prodigies of valor. Breaking up into
+knots of threes and fours, they had charged into the dense crowd of
+the enemy; clearing a way for themselves with lance and sword, and
+by the weight of the horses and armor. But such charges could have
+but little effect on the fortunes of the day. The numbers of those
+they slew counted for nothing, in such a host; and the lanes they
+made closed behind them, until, after making a circuit, they again
+joined the main body.
+
+For hours the fight raged. The Spanish battle cry, "Saint James and
+Our Lady!" still rose sternly, in answer to the triumphant yells of
+the Aztecs. Their front was still unbroken, but all felt that
+nothing, short of a miracle, could save them. Not one but was
+wounded in many places by the Aztec missiles. Their arms were weary
+with striking. The sun blazed down upon them with scorching heat.
+Their throats were parched with thirst. They were enfeebled by
+hunger.
+
+The Aztecs, seeing that their foes were becoming faint and wearied,
+that the horses of the cavaliers could scarce carry them, and that
+the end was approaching, redoubled their shouts; and pressed more
+heartily and eagerly than ever upon the Spaniards, driving the
+cavalry back, by sheer weight, into the ranks of the infantry.
+
+Cortez, at this supreme moment, still maintained his calmness. He
+saw that all was lost, unless a change was made, and that speedily.
+Another hour at latest, and the resistance would be over, and the
+brave men who had followed him be either dead, or prisoners
+reserved for sacrifice.
+
+Throughout the day he had ordered his cavaliers to strike ever at
+the chiefs, knowing well that undisciplined bodies of men become
+lost, without leaders. Raising himself in his stirrups, he looked
+round over the seething mass of the foe; and at some distance
+beheld a small body of officers, whose gay and glittering attire
+showed them to belong to the highest rank of nobles; gathered round
+a litter on which was a chief, gorgeously attired with a lofty
+plume of feathers floating above his head; rising above which was a
+short staff, bearing a golden net.
+
+Cortez knew that this was the symbol carried by the Aztec
+commanders in chief. He called to his comrades--Sandoval, Olid,
+Alvarado, Avila, and the other cavaliers--and pointing to the
+chief, cried:
+
+"There is our mark! Follow, and support me."
+
+Then he spurred his wearied horse forward, and dashed into the
+throng, followed by his cavaliers.
+
+The fury and suddenness of the attack bore all before it. The
+compact little body of horsemen, shouting their battle cry, clove
+through the ranks of the enemy, making straight for the Indian
+commander, whose name was Cihuaca. In vain the Mexicans tried to
+bar the way. In vain, when after a few minutes of tremendous
+exertion, Cortez reached his goal, the nobles and the bodyguard
+strove to defend their chief. Cortez, fighting with almost
+superhuman vigor, clove his way through all opposition; and with
+his lance ran through the Aztec general, and hurled him to the
+ground, when one of his followers, leaping from his horse, quickly
+dispatched him.
+
+The guard, appalled by the suddenness of the attack, broke and fled
+in all directions, scattering panic among the lately triumphant
+host. Scarce knowing what had happened, but feeling that some
+dreadful misfortune had occurred, and all was lost, the Aztecs were
+seized with a blind terror; and breaking their ranks, thought only
+of escape.
+
+As if by magic, a victorious army was transformed into a flying
+mob. The Spaniards and Tlascalans took instant advantage of the
+change. Fatigue and thirst, wounds and exhaustion were forgotten.
+With shouts of triumph, and vengeance, they broke their ranks and
+followed hotly upon the fugitives. These, impeded by their very
+numbers, and half mad with panic, offered no resistance whatever.
+Great numbers were overtaken and slain and, when the Spaniards
+abandoned the pursuit at the summons of their leader's trumpet, and
+assembled round him, the field was covered with the bodies of their
+fallen foes.
+
+An hour was spent in gathering the booty from the bodies of the
+chiefs, of whom great numbers had fallen; and then, after offering
+up thanks to God for their marvelous deliverance, the army again
+renewed their march. It was already late in the afternoon, and they
+halted at sunset at a temple standing on an eminence, which
+afforded them shelter and a defensive position, should the Aztecs
+renew the assault.
+
+But of this there was little fear. Their defeat had been utter and
+complete. There was no chance of their rallying.
+
+The victory of Otompan was one of the most remarkable ever won. The
+discrepancy of numbers was immense. The Spaniards were unprovided
+with artillery or firearms, and owed their success to their
+discipline and bravery, and still more to the extraordinary valor
+and quick-sightedness of their leader.
+
+
+
+Chapter 20: At Tlascala.
+
+
+Roger was sitting in the evening, conversing with Maclutha and
+Amenche on the probabilities of the battle that was expected to
+take place on that day, when Cuitcatl suddenly entered. His robe of
+bright feather work was gone. The panache of floating plumes was
+shorn from his head. His white garment was stained with blood. He
+was overcome by exhaustion and grief.
+
+No words were needed to explain what had taken place. Impossible as
+it had seemed, the Aztec army had been defeated. A cry broke from
+the two ladies, as he entered.
+
+"The white man's God has triumphed," he said, "and the Aztecs have
+been defeated. You were right, Roger. Mere handful as they were,
+the white men have gained the day. Even now, I hardly know how it
+came about. Never did my countrymen fight more bravely. For hours,
+the Spaniards stood as a wall which we, in vain, tried to break.
+Thousands fell on our side, but not for a moment did we waver.
+Others took their places until, as the hours went on, the Spaniards
+grew weary, and victory seemed in our grasp. Their horsemen had
+charged through and through us, but though many chiefs were slain,
+it mattered little. The ranks closed up, and each time they fell
+back on their infantry, having achieved nothing. Their horses were
+weary, and their attacks grew more feeble.
+
+"Already, our cries of victory were raised. An hour more, and not a
+Spaniard would have remained on foot. Just at this time my command
+had been ordered up, and we were fighting in the front rank.
+
+"Suddenly I heard, from all parts of the field, loud cries. What
+had happened I knew not. We stood for a moment, irresolute, not
+knowing what had befallen us elsewhere. Then a panic seized my men.
+In vain I shouted and ordered. They were deaf to my voice. They
+were deaf to everything, save fear.
+
+"I was swept away with them, as a leaf on a stream. When at last I
+freed myself from the torrent, and looked round, I saw that the
+whole army was in mad flight; while the whites and Tlascalans, like
+hounds in pursuit of deer, were hanging on their rear, slaughtering
+all they overtook.
+
+"In vain I gathered a few men, and made a stand. It was useless. We
+were beaten down and overpowered. With the greatest difficulty I
+broke away and escaped; and had it not been for Bathalda, who
+fought side by side with me, I should have been taken by two or
+three fleet-footed Tlascalans.
+
+"For the present, all is lost. The fight cannot be renewed
+tomorrow, and before the sun sets the enemy will have reached the
+borders of Tlascala, and will be safe there."
+
+"But what was it that caused so sudden a panic in your ranks?"
+Roger asked.
+
+"It was the death of Cihuaca, our leader. The Spanish horse,
+headed, as I hear, by their general himself, burst through our
+ranks, cut their way to his litter, overthrew his bodyguard, and
+slew him. His death would have mattered little, as the victory was
+already won. We needed no further orders. We had but to keep on
+fighting, and the end would soon have come. It was simply a panic.
+None knew what had happened. The word passed from man to man, 'All
+is lost!' and, like a herd of deer, our bravest soldiers fled. It
+is not a thing to reason about--the gods deserted us, and we were
+no longer men. That is all I can tell you about it."
+
+And the chief flung himself down upon a pile of rugs. Wine and food
+were brought to him, and his wounds dressed.
+
+"Roger," he said presently, "you must leave us, tonight. Those of
+my followers who have escaped will soon make their way back, and my
+authority will be unable to save you. The priests would head the
+movement against you. You would be bound and carried to Mexico, at
+once.
+
+"The whites, in their march tomorrow, will pass along the road four
+miles to the north of this. Conceal yourself in a wood until
+morning, and join them as they come along.
+
+"As to the future, you can make no plans, now. You know not whether
+Cortez will retire to the coast and take ship there; or whether he
+will remain at Tlascala, till reinforcements arrive from across the
+sea, and then again advance. When this is decided, you will know
+what course to take.
+
+"Bathalda will accompany you. I have already given him orders to do
+so. He will bring down a message from you, when you know what
+course has been decided on."
+
+"And if you go, dear, I will go with you," Amenche said, rising and
+putting her hand on Roger's shoulder. "Send for me, and Bathalda
+will escort me to you. I will bring such gems and gold as we can
+carry, so I shall not be a bride without a dower. You promise to
+send for me, do you not, Roger?"
+
+"Certainly I do," Roger said, pressing her to him; "if I quit this
+land alive, you shall accompany me. I should be unworthy of your
+love, indeed, Amenche, were I to prove faithless to you now. I
+regard you as being as truly my wife, as if we were already
+married."
+
+A short time afterwards Bathalda entered, and said that a number of
+soldiers were gathering in the courtyard, that some priests were
+among them, and that they were talking loudly about carrying the
+white man to Mexico, as a sacrifice to appease the wrath of the
+gods.
+
+"There is no time to be lost," Cuitcatl said. "You had best go,
+Roger, before they surround the house and make escape impossible. I
+will fetch you a dark-colored robe, so that you may escape, unseen,
+by anyone who may be approaching the house on this side."
+
+So saying, he left the room. Maclutha signed to Bathalda to follow
+her, and they went out, leaving Roger alone with Amenche.
+
+The girl's firmness deserted her now, and she threw herself,
+weeping, into Roger's arms. He consoled her by his assurances that
+their parting would not be for long; and that the next time they
+met, whatever the circumstances, he would make her his own.
+
+"If we retire, and you join me in Tlascala," he said, "we will be
+married by Father Olmedo, in Christian fashion. If I return hither
+to you, we will be married at once, in Mexican fashion, and go
+through the ceremony again, when we join the Spaniards."
+
+A few minutes later Cuitcatl returned, as did Maclutha and
+Bathalda, the latter bearing a basket with some provisions. The
+parting was brief, for the servants had brought news that the
+soldiers were becoming more and more clamorous; and were
+threatening to force an entrance, if the white man were not handed
+over to them.
+
+Bathalda and Roger left by a small door at the back of the house
+and, passing through the garden, took their way across the country.
+An hour's walking brought them to a wood, near the road by which
+the Spaniards would travel in the morning, and there they sat down
+and awaited daylight.
+
+It was not until some hours after sunrise that the little army was
+seen approaching. On its flanks were large bodies of natives; who,
+however, contented themselves by hovering at a distance; except
+where the ground was impracticable for the action of cavalry, when
+they approached near enough to discharge their missiles at the line
+of troops. As the head of the column approached, Roger threw on
+his Aztec cloak and, accompanied by Bathalda, issued from the wood
+and ran towards them, and in two or three minutes reached the
+horsemen who rode in the van.
+
+"Why, Sancho!" Cortez exclaimed, as Roger ran up. "Is it you? We
+all thought you had fallen in the fight on the causeway. I am glad
+to see that you are safe. How did you escape?"
+
+"I was, like many others, your Excellency, seized by the Aztecs,
+pulled down the causeway, and thrown into a boat. I should have
+been taken to Mexico and sacrificed, had it not been that the
+commander of the boat was a young cazique, who had been my closest
+friend while dwelling in Tezcuco. He directed his men to row me
+across the lake, and took me to his house, which is but four miles
+away from here. There I have remained, having my wounds cared for,
+until now. He took part in the fight at Otompan, and returned last
+evening with the news of your wonderful victory, and that you would
+pass along here this morning.
+
+"I had a narrow escape, last night, for some of the Aztec soldiers
+would have seized me and taken me a prisoner to Mexico; but the
+cazique aided me to escape, and gave me this follower of his, as a
+guide. He is the same man who accompanied me in my flight from
+Tezcuco, and brought me to join you at Tlascala."
+
+"I am right glad that you have escaped, Sancho. Firstly, because
+every stout arm is sorely needed. Secondly, because Marina has
+grieved much for your loss. Truly, had you been her brother she
+could not have been more affected. She is in the center of the
+column. You had best tarry here until she comes along, and then
+join her. She will be rejoiced to see you again."
+
+Marina was indeed delighted, when she caught sight of Roger's tall
+figure, and greeted him with much emotion. As they walked together,
+she heard how he had escaped; and she related to him how she, under
+the guard of the Tlascalans, had survived the terrible fight on the
+causeway; and then gave him a full account of the great battle, on
+the previous day.
+
+"And what are we going to do now?" Roger asked, when she had
+finished her narration. "Think you that we shall proceed to the
+coast, and take ship for Europe?"
+
+Marina tossed her head scornfully.
+
+"You do not know Cortez," she said, "or you would not ask such a
+question. He is already thinking how he can return, and capture the
+capital."
+
+"But unless he receives large reinforcements, that would seem
+impossible," Roger said. "You have yourself told me that, had it
+not been for the fall of the Mexican leader, nothing could have
+saved you from destruction. The Aztec loss was heavy, no doubt; but
+they can fill up their ranks and take the field again, in a week or
+two, with a force as large as that which fought at Otompan. They
+will not be dispirited, for they will know that it was but an
+accident which deprived them of victory, and will no longer deem
+the Spaniards invincible."
+
+"It matters not," Marina said, carelessly. "Cortez will manage
+things. Whatever he undertakes, that he will carry out."
+
+Late in the afternoon, the army arrived at the barrier across the
+road that marked the boundary of the Tlascalan territory. As they
+passed it, the native allies burst into cries of gladness; and the
+Spaniards joined in the shout, for to them, too, it seemed that
+their dangers were at an end, and that they had reached rest and
+abundance.
+
+Cortez and the leaders, however, were by no means sanguine as to
+the reception they should meet with. Their alliance had brought
+misfortune upon the Tlascalans. Little more than one thousand out
+of the eight thousand men who had marched with them had returned to
+tell the tale. The rest had fallen in the defense of the palace, in
+the fighting in the streets of Mexico, in the passage of the
+causeway, or in the battle of Otompan.
+
+What would the Tlascalans think, when they saw the broken remnant
+of the army, which had marched out so proudly, and knew that they
+brought on themselves the bitter enmity of the whole of the people
+of Anahuac? Might they not well be tempted to avert the wrath of
+the Aztecs, by falling upon the strangers, whose alliance had cost
+them so dearly?
+
+At the place at which they halted for the night, a town of some
+fifteen thousand inhabitants, they were so kindly received by the
+natives that these apprehensions were somewhat laid to rest. The
+people came out to meet them, invited them to their houses, and
+treated them with the greatest hospitality. Here they remained
+three days, resting after their terrible fatigues.
+
+They were visited here by Maxixca, the most influential of the four
+great chiefs of the Tlascalans. He had been their most cordial
+friend, on their first arrival; and his sentiments were in no wise
+changed by the misfortunes that had befallen them. Indeed, his
+admiration for them was heightened, by the manner in which they had
+withstood the whole power of the Aztec nation.
+
+The cordial greeting, given to them by one whose counsels were of
+the highest authority in the Tlascalan nation, restored the
+confidence of Cortez; and he accepted the invitation to continue
+his march, at once, to the capital, which was some fifteen miles
+away. The sick and wounded were placed in hammocks, which were
+carried on the shoulders of the friendly natives; and as the army
+approached the capital, crowds of people flocked out to meet them,
+with cries of welcome, and escorted them into the city.
+
+Cortez and his officers took up their abode in the palace of
+Maxixca, and the rest of the army were quartered in that part of
+the city over which he exercised special authority. Here they
+remained for some weeks, during which the wounded recovered from
+their injuries, the sick regained their strength in the bracing
+mountain air, and the whole army shook off the effects of the
+terrible hardships they had undergone, while retreating from
+Mexico.
+
+Cortez, during this time, was confined to his couch. The wound on
+the hand, which he had received in the conflict in the capital, had
+been so inflamed and aggravated that he had lost the use of two
+fingers; and he had, in the retreat, received two severe wounds in
+the head, one of which became so inflamed from inattention, and
+from the fatigue and excitement he had gone through, that a portion
+of the bone had to be removed; and the general lay, for some time,
+at the point of death.
+
+The news came, in a day or two after the army reached its resting
+place, that a party of five horsemen and forty foot, who had gone
+forward in charge of invalids and treasure from Tlascala, had all
+been massacred; and twelve other soldiers, marching in the same
+direction, had also been killed. Upon the other hand, they heard
+that all was quiet on the coast; and the friendly demeanor of the
+natives, there, was in no way changed.
+
+Roger, seeing that for a time nothing could be done, and that the
+troops were all eager to retire to the coast, dispatched Bathalda,
+a few days after his arrival at Tlascala, to Amenche; to say that
+he considered it certain that the Spaniards would retire; and that,
+if she would come up to him in charge of Cuitcatl, whose safety he
+could guarantee, while in Tlascalan territory, they might be
+united; as Malinche had promised to obtain the consent of Cortez,
+who always encouraged marriages between his followers and the
+natives.
+
+Before leaving, Bathalda handed to Roger a small bag.
+
+"This," he said, "Maclutha gave to me, for you. It was for that
+purpose she drew me aside, before you started. She bade me not
+deliver it to you, unless I was compelled to part from you. It
+contains some of the principal jewels taken from the treasure
+house; and she said they might make you and the princess rich, when
+you reach home.
+
+"They are useless to her. She has no children and, now that Cacama
+has gone, it is naught to her who rules over Tezcuco. Moreover,
+these are but a small portion of the treasure in her possession."
+
+Roger sent his warm thanks to Maclutha and, after Bathalda had
+started, examined the contents of the bag, which he saw at once
+were very valuable--consisting of large pearls, diamonds, and other
+gems.
+
+On the evening of the second day after starting, Bathalda returned,
+alone.
+
+"I have very bad news," he said, "so bad that I hardly like to tell
+it. Four days since, an officer and guard arrived from Mexico, with
+orders to arrest Cuitcatl, who was reported by the priests in the
+neighborhood to have harbored a white man, and to have permitted
+him to escape. Maclutha and Amenche were also arrested, and though
+treated with every personal courtesy, were conducted to Mexico,
+where the official said they were, for the present, to remain in
+seclusion, in the royal palace."
+
+Roger was stupefied by the news. What was to be done, he knew not.
+To desert Amenche was not to be thought of, and yet he saw no way
+of rejoining her, still less of rescuing her. In the present
+excited state of the Aztec population, it would be certain death to
+venture beyond the frontier of Tlascala.
+
+He regarded his height, now, as the greatest misfortune. Had he
+been short and slight, he would have disguised himself as a
+Mexican, and under the guidance of Bathalda, have made his way to
+the capital; but with a figure which would be instantly remarked,
+wherever he went, this would be impossible.
+
+He entered the palace, and sent in an urgent message to Malinche,
+who was nursing Cortez. She listened patiently to his narrative.
+
+"I pity you, Roger," she said, when he had finished; "but there is
+nothing to be done."
+
+"But I cannot march away and leave her," he said. "Rather than
+that, I will disguise myself and take all risks, even though I know
+that I must fail."
+
+"You must have patience, Roger," she said. "Cortez will, I feel
+sure, recover."
+
+"But if so, it will only be to march down to the coast," Roger
+broke in. "The whole army are eager to be off, before the Mexicans
+can gather their forces and be ready to fall upon them."
+
+"The army may think what it likes, and wish what it likes,"
+Malinche said, quietly. "I am sure that Cortez will not go down to
+the coast; and what he wills, he does. The others may grumble, but
+Cortez leads them like tame deer. When he is well enough to speak
+to them, they will listen and obey him. His thoughts, ill as he is,
+are all of a fresh march to Mexico."
+
+Hitherto, Roger had been as desirous as any of his comrades of a
+return to the coast. It had seemed to him that there was no
+possibility of success, and he longed to be on his way to Europe,
+with his Indian bride.
+
+But now everything was changed. He had come to have a faith in
+Cortez, almost as absolute as that entertained by the general's
+devoted followers; and he well knew that, if he still thought there
+was a possibility of a successful march to Mexico, that march would
+be made. He now, therefore, waited with impatience for Cortez to be
+on his feet again.
+
+But the waiting was long and tedious. Four weeks passed before the
+general was again himself.
+
+As soon as he became convalescent, the regulations which he issued
+for the army, and the orders that he sent to the coast, for every
+available man to be sent up to reinforce him, showed the soldiers
+that he had no intentions of retiring; and a remonstrance was
+signed, by a large number of officers and soldiers, against a
+further stay in the country. But Cortez was not shaken. He prayed
+them not to discredit the great name they had won, nor to leave
+their glorious enterprise for others, more daring, to finish. How
+could they, with honor, desert their allies who, at their
+persuasion, had taken up arms, and had shared their fortunes, and
+so leave them to the vengeance of the Aztecs? To retreat now would
+be but to proclaim their weakness, and give confidence to their
+foes.
+
+If, however, there were any who preferred going home to the glory
+of this great enterprise, then in God's Name let them go. He would
+feel stronger, with but a few brave spirits with him, than if
+surrounded by a host of false or cowardly men.
+
+The troops of Narvaez had been the loudest in their complaints, but
+they were silenced now by the enthusiasm with which the soldiers of
+Cortez responded to the appeal of their leader; and all agreed to
+postpone their departure, for the present.
+
+A fresh source of danger speedily arose. Six Aztec ambassadors
+arrived, bearing presents, and inviting the Tlascalans to forget
+old animosities, and to enter into a treaty with them. All the
+nations of Anahuac, they urged, should make common cause in defense
+of their country; and they conjured them, by their common religion,
+not to allow the white men to escape from their hands; but to
+sacrifice them, at once, to their gods. These proposals were made
+at a solemn council, called to receive them.
+
+There had, even before the arrival of the ambassadors, been a
+strong party in Tlascala who viewed the Spaniards, with hostility,
+as the authors of the heavy losses they had suffered; and as
+becoming, by their continued stay there, a burden to the state. The
+head of this party was the young chief Xicotencatl, who had led the
+Tlascalan armies in the desperate resistance they offered to the
+Spaniards, on their first coming. When the ambassadors had made
+their offers, he rose and urged his hearers to assent to the
+proposal; saying that it were better to unite with their kindred,
+and those of their own language, faith, and custom, than with these
+fierce strangers.
+
+The young warriors enthusiastically agreed; but, happily for the
+Spaniards, the four great chiefs, one of whom was the father of
+Xicotencatl, were opposed to the proposal. Maxixca especially
+combated the idea.
+
+"The Aztecs," he said, "are always false in speech, and false in
+heart. It is fear that drives them, now, to offer their friendship
+to the Tlascalans; and when the cause for fear has passed, they
+will again be hostile. What? Are we to sacrifice the white men to
+the gods--the men who have fought with us side by side against our
+enemies, and who are now our guests? Were we to act thus, it would
+be an act of the grossest perfidy."
+
+Xicotencatl replied; but Maxixca, losing his temper, seized him
+and, with sudden violence, thrust him from the chamber. So unusual
+a step so astonished the assembly that it silenced all opposition,
+and the alliance with the Mexicans was unanimously rejected.
+
+Confident now that the Tlascalans were to be trusted, Cortez sent
+out expeditions, composed of his own men and bodies of the allies,
+and inflicted terrible punishment on the districts where the
+isolated parties of Spaniards had been cut off and destroyed; and
+defeated the natives in several hardly fought battles, capturing
+their towns and enslaving the inhabitants.
+
+Having thus restored the confidence of his followers and allies, he
+prepared for a forward movement. Martin Lopez, ship builder to the
+expedition, had escaped the slaughter on the causeway; and he now
+ordered him to build at Tlascala thirteen ships, which could be
+taken to pieces and carried on the shoulders of the Indians, to be
+launched on Lake Tezcuco. The sails, rigging, and ironwork were to
+be brought from the coast, where they had been stored since Cortez
+had sunk his ships.
+
+The Tlascalans placed a great number of men at the ship builders'
+disposal. Timber was cut from the forest. Pitch, an article unknown
+to the natives, obtained from the pines. New arms were manufactured.
+Powder was made, with sulphur obtained from the volcanoes. And the
+work, heavy though it was, was rapidly brought to a conclusion.
+
+While it was going on, however, a terrible scourge swept over the
+country. Smallpox, a disease hitherto unknown there, broke out on
+the seacoast and swept across Mexico, carrying off great
+numbers--among the victims being Maxixca, the faithful friend of
+the Spaniards; and Cuitlahua, Montezuma's successor.
+
+The latter was succeeded by Guatimozin, nephew of the two last
+monarchs, who had married his cousin, one of Montezuma's daughters.
+Like Cuitlahua he was a gallant prince, and had distinguished
+himself greatly in the attacks on the Spaniards, in Mexico. He
+continued the preparations Cuitlahua had begun for the defense;
+but, like him, was greatly hampered by the fact that a large
+proportion of the tribes recently conquered by the Aztecs had
+seized the opportunity, caused by the confusion in the empire, to
+throw off their allegiance; the royal orders being really obeyed
+only by the population of the Valley of Mexico, itself.
+
+Before starting on his march towards Mexico, Cortez permitted
+several of his companions, who were disinclined to face a renewal
+of the trials and hardships they had suffered, to leave; placing
+his best ship at their disposal. Their loss was more than made up
+by the capture of two vessels sent by Velasquez, who was ignorant
+of the fate which had befallen Narvaez; and who considered it
+certain that Cortez was a prisoner in his hands. The ships sailed
+into port, where the captains and crews were at once seized, and
+were then easily persuaded to join Cortez. Two ships fitted out by
+the Governor of Jamaica also put into port, to repair damages after
+a storm; and their crews were also persuaded, by the liberal
+promises of Cortez, to abandon their service and join him. He thus
+received a reinforcement of at least a hundred and fifty well-armed
+men, together with fifty horses.
+
+But this was not the end of the good fortune of Cortez. A merchant
+ship, laden with arms and military stores, touched at Cuba; and the
+captain, hearing of the discoveries in Mexico, thought that he
+should find a good market there. He therefore sailed to Vera Cruz,
+where his ship and cargo were purchased by Cortez, and the crew
+swelled the force under him.
+
+By Christmas everything was ready for the advance. The army now
+amounted to six hundred men, forty of whom were cavalry, with
+eighty musketeers and crossbow men. It had also nine cannon taken
+from the ships. The force of the native allies which joined them
+was estimated at from one hundred and ten thousand, to one hundred
+and fifty thousand; and consisted not only of the Tlascalan troops,
+but of those of Cholula, Tepeaca, and other neighboring towns; who,
+after their defeat by Cortez, had submitted themselves to the
+Spanish rule.
+
+But Cortez had no idea of taking all these with him, as it would be
+difficult to obtain provisions for such a host; and he left them
+behind, to bring on the vessels when completed, and to aid in
+further operations. He himself marched with the Spaniards and a
+small body of allies, and reached Tezcuco without opposition. The
+prince whom Montezuma had appointed to succeed Cacama, fearing the
+vengeance of the population, had fled to Tlascala; but returning,
+in hopes of finding a party there in his favor, was seized and put
+to death by Coanaco, another brother, who had been recognized as
+king by the Tezcucans.
+
+When the Spaniards approached the city, they found it almost
+entirely deserted, the inhabitants having fled across the lake to
+Mexico. Their ruler had accompanied them, and Cortez appointed
+another brother in his place. This prince lived but a few months,
+and was succeeded by another member of the royal house--the prince
+who had, during Cacama's lifetime, obtained a large portion of his
+dominion; and who proved a valiant and faithful ally of the
+Spaniards, in their struggle with his countrymen.
+
+The Tezcucans gradually returned after Cortez had nominated a new
+sovereign, and Cortez at once set a large number of them to dig a
+canal from the town itself to the lake, so that the men putting
+together the ships could labor under his very eye.
+
+Several of the cities round sent in to make their submission; and a
+week after his arrival Cortez marched, with a body of Spaniards and
+allies, against Iztapalapan, a town of fifty thousand inhabitants,
+lying near the narrow tongue of land dividing the great lake from
+that of Xochicalco.
+
+The natives came out to meet them, and fought bravely, but were
+driven into the city. The greater part of those who could not
+escape were slaughtered. While engaged in the work of plunder, the
+Spaniards were alarmed by a rush of water; the natives having
+broken the bank of the great lake. The troops with the greatest
+difficulty escaped with their lives, many of the allies being
+drowned.
+
+The fate of Iztapalapan excited consternation among the other
+cities, and many sent in to make their submission, among them
+Otompan and Chalco. Not only had the Mexican Empire fallen to
+pieces, by the detachment of its distant provinces; but even near
+home long smoldering rivalries broke into flame. The Aztecs were
+but a small portion, even of the people of the Valley of Mexico;
+and the greater portion of these were glad to take advantage of the
+distress of the capital to break up the union that had so long
+existed. Cortez, by promises and presents, assisted the work.
+
+After some weeks' stay at Tezcuco, the news came that the ships
+were all completed, and ready to be carried down; and two hundred
+foot and fifteen horse, under the command of Sandoval, were sent to
+escort them. But scarcely had he reached the frontier of Tlascala
+than he saw a vast procession advancing. The ships had already been
+put together, and tried on a lake among the hills; and were now
+being brought down in pieces by an immense number of porters, with
+a great military escort. Sandoval sent the larger portion of the
+Indian escort home, but kept twenty thousand of the best warriors.
+After four days of painful labor, the host of porters and fighting
+men reached Tezcuco. It was, indeed, an immense undertaking that
+had been accomplished; for the whole of the wood and iron work, of
+thirteen ships, had to be carried for upwards of sixty miles, over
+a difficult and mountainous country.
+
+A few days later, Cortez took half of his Spanish force and the
+whole of his allies, and started on an expedition to reconnoiter
+the capital, and to punish some of the towns which had returned
+insolent answers in reply to his summons.
+
+The town of Xaltocan, standing on an island, was first attacked.
+The dike leading to it was found to be cut through; and the
+Spaniards, for a time, suffered greatly. They found a ford,
+however; reached the town, and put all who resisted to the sword.
+
+Three other towns, which had been deserted by their inhabitants,
+were occupied and sacked. They then marched against Tlacopan and,
+after a battle outside the town, occupied the suburbs. Another hot
+fight was necessary before the town was fully taken.
+
+Here the Spaniards halted for some days, fighting almost daily with
+the Aztecs. In one encounter, Cortez allowed himself to be decoyed
+on to the great causeway, upon which he had before suffered such
+disaster. When he was halfway across the Aztecs turned,
+reinforcements arrived from the city, swarms of canoes attacked the
+Spaniards in flank; and it was only after desperate fighting, and
+some loss, that they regained the mainland.
+
+Having accomplished their object, the force returned to Tezcuco,
+greatly harassed on the march by the enemy. Other expeditions were
+undertaken. During these events the work of putting together the
+vessels was continued and, to the great satisfaction of the
+Spaniards, news reached them from the coast of the arrival of three
+ships, with reinforcements: two hundred men, seventy or eighty
+horses, arms, and ammunition.
+
+When these reached Tezcuco, Cortez felt confident that he should
+now be able to overcome all opposition. On the fifth of April he
+again started on an expedition. Passing through some deep gorges,
+he attempted to carry a mountain fortress; but was repulsed, with
+loss, from the volleys of stones and rocks rolled down upon the
+assailants.
+
+After several other battles they neared Xochimilco, one of the
+richest of the Aztec towns. Like Mexico, it stood in the water, but
+at a small distance from the edge of the lake. This was only
+captured after desperate fighting, Cortez himself having a narrow
+escape of his life. The next morning at dawn, great numbers of
+Aztecs landed from canoes, and fell upon the Spaniards; and it was
+only after a long and desperate struggle that the latter gained the
+day.
+
+They now continued their march to Tlacopan, the enemy following
+closely, and striking whenever they saw an opportunity; and the
+troops were glad, indeed, when they again reached Tezcuco. By this
+time the canal was finished and the ships were put together; and
+after discovering and punishing another conspiracy against his
+life, Cortez gave orders for the fleet to advance. Solemn mass was
+held, and then the vessels, in the sight of an enormous concourse
+of people, dropped down the canal, one after the other, and reached
+the lake.
+
+Cortez mustered his men, and found that he had eighty-seven horse;
+eight hundred and eighteen foot, of which one hundred and eighteen
+were musketeers or crossbow men; three large iron field pieces, and
+fifteen light brass guns. Three hundred of the men were told off to
+man the ships.
+
+The Indian confederates arrived punctually: fifty thousand
+Tlascalans, and a vast number of levies from the other tribes.
+
+The army was divided into three corps. One was to take up its post,
+under Alvarado, at Tlacopan. Another, under Olid, was to aid in
+capturing the causeway; while Sandoval had command of the third,
+whose movements were to be determined by circumstances. Cortez
+himself took charge of the fleet.
+
+A quarrel arose between a Spanish soldier and a Tlascalan chief,
+who was a relation of Xicotencatl; who at once left the army, and
+started for Tlascala. He had always been bitterly hostile to the
+Spaniards; and Cortez saw that, unless the movement was stopped, it
+might become very serious. He sent a party of natives after him,
+with instructions to prevail upon him, if possible, to return. He
+refused to do so. Cortez dispatched a body of cavalry in pursuit,
+arrested him in Tlascala, brought him down to Tezcuco, and there
+hung him in the sight of his own countrymen.
+
+The divisions of Alvarado and Olid met with no resistance in
+establishing themselves at Tlacopan. They cut the reservoir that
+supplied the city with fresh water, the great lake being salt. The
+next day the two divisions marched on to the causeway to make
+themselves masters, if possible, of the first bridge.
+
+The natives pursued their former tactics, desperately defending
+barricades thrown across the causeway, and attacking the invaders
+with a crowd of missiles from canoes. After a long and obstinate
+fight, the Spaniards and their allies were obliged to fall back,
+with considerable loss; and Olid drew off with his division to his
+station commanding the other causeway.
+
+Iztapalapan having been again occupied by the enemy, Sandoval's
+division attacked them by land; while Cortez, with his fleet, lay
+off the shore. After capturing the town, Cortez turned his
+attention to the canoes of the natives, which darkened the surface
+of the lake. At this moment a fresh breeze sprang up; and the
+ships, spreading their canvas, dashed amongst the canoes,
+overturning and destroying great numbers; while the cannon tore
+others to pieces, with discharges of bullets; and comparatively few
+succeeded in regaining the city.
+
+It was now getting nearly dark, and the fleet coasted along the
+great southern causeway to the fort of Xoloc, where another branch
+of the causeway joined the main dike.
+
+The fort was feebly garrisoned. Cortez landed his soldiers and
+carried it by storm. Here he established his headquarters, landing
+some of the cannon from the ships to strengthen the position.
+
+He was now within half a league of the city, and two out of the
+three great approaches were already in his hands. Night and day the
+natives attacked the garrison; but the ships, and the guns in
+positions, repulsed their assaults.
+
+After some days' delay, a simultaneous attack was made by the
+Spaniards. Two of the ships, one on each side of the causeway,
+advanced abreast of the army, sweeping the dike with their fire.
+The enemy were driven back; and Cortez, passing gap after gap,
+reached the island on which the city stood. Behind them, as they
+advanced, the native allies filled up the breaches, and made them
+practicable for artillery and cavalry; and as soon as the work was
+completed, the Spaniards who had already passed were reinforced by
+large numbers of their allies.
+
+
+
+Chapter 21: A Victim For The Gods.
+
+
+The street which the Spaniards entered, after leaving the causeway,
+intersected the city from north to south. It was broad and
+perfectly straight and, from the roofs of the houses which lined
+it, a storm of missiles was poured on the Spaniards, as they
+advanced. Cortez set the allies to work to level the houses, as
+fast as the Spaniards won their way along the street. This they
+did, until they reached the first canal. The bridge here had been
+broken down, and after the Indians had crossed, the temporary
+planks were pulled after them, and they joined their countrymen
+behind a solid rampart of stone, erected on the other side of the
+canal.
+
+It was not until after two hours' hard fighting, and the use of
+artillery, that this obstacle was cleared away; and the Spaniards,
+wading across the canal, pressed forward without further resistance,
+until they reached the great square, on one side of which stood the
+palace they had so long occupied. The Aztecs--disheartened at the
+manner in which all the defenses on which they relied had been
+captured by the Spaniards, and by their presence in the heart of
+the city--for some time desisted from their efforts; but they were
+roused to fury, as a body of Spaniards rushed up the winding terraces
+to the summit of the great temple, and hurled the priests from its summit.
+
+Then, with a yell of fury, they threw themselves upon their
+enemies. Their headlong rush swept the Spaniards back into the
+square, when they were attacked by bodies of natives, pouring down
+every street. For once the Spaniards lost their presence of mind,
+fell into disorder, and were swept before the torrent, down the
+street which they had just traversed.
+
+In vain Cortez attempted to stem the stream. The panic spread to
+the allies, and the whole mass were flying before the natives; when
+a body of cavalry came up and plunged into the crowd. The natives
+were shaken by the appearance of the enemies they feared so much;
+and Cortez, taking advantage of the confusion, rallied his
+followers, and again drove the Aztecs back into the square.
+
+Night was now at hand and, dragging off the cannon which had been
+abandoned in their flight, the force marched off in good order,
+though hotly pressed by the natives, and retired to Xoloc. Alvarado
+and Sandoval also succeeded in crossing their respective causeways,
+but neither of them could penetrate into the city.
+
+The attack had failed, but it had strengthened the position of the
+Spaniards; for seeing the speedy manner in which they had overcome
+all the defenses erected by the Mexicans, many of the cities which
+had hitherto stood aloof now sent in their submission, and supplied
+levies to assist them in their work; while Ixtlilxochitl, who had
+now become Lord of Tezcuco, and was a strong adherent of the
+Spaniards, brought up a force of fifty thousand Tezcucans, who were
+divided among the three armies.
+
+Another simultaneous attack was now made, the advance along the
+causeway being, as before, covered by the ships; but the enemy
+fought stoutly, and some hours elapsed before the Spaniards again
+entered the city. The advance was now more easy than on the
+previous occasion, owing to the destruction of the buildings
+bordering the streets. The natives, however, still fought with the
+greatest obstinacy; but the great square was at last reached.
+
+Thinking to discourage the natives, by the destruction of some of
+the principal edifices, Cortez ordered the palace which had served
+as the former barracks to be set on fire, as also the house of
+birds adjoining Montezuma's palace, and those were soon a mass of
+flames. The Aztecs, however, were infuriated rather than
+intimidated; and the fight raged with greater fury than ever.
+Having accomplished his object, Cortez again gave the order to fall
+back and, covered by the cavalry, retired down the street; so
+desperately assailed, by the natives, that but few men reached the
+fort unwounded.
+
+Day after day the same tactics were repeated, the Mexicans every
+night repairing the breaches cleared out every day by the Spanish
+allies. Cortez found it impossible to guard the causeway and
+prevent this, the soldiers being already overcome by the fatigue of
+their daily encounters. Alvarado's division, however, held at night
+the ground they won in the daytime; but the troops suffered
+dreadfully from the incessant toil, and from the rain, which poured
+down in torrents. The soldiers of Cortez fared little better, for
+the buildings in the fort of Xoloc afforded shelter but to few; and
+the rest had to sleep on the causeway in its rear, exposed to all
+the tempestuous weather.
+
+Frequently, too, they were called up to battle; for the Aztec
+emperor, contrary to the usual practice of his countrymen,
+frequently attacked by night; often making simultaneous attacks on
+the three divisions on the causeways, while at the same moment
+troops from the neighboring towns attacked their camps in the rear.
+He did not content himself with open attacks, but resorted to
+stratagem. On one occasion he had a large number of canoes in
+ambuscade, among some tall reeds bordering the lake. Several large
+boats then rowed near the Spanish vessels. Believing that they were
+filled with provisions intended for the city, two of the smaller
+vessels pursued them. The Aztec boats made for the reeds, the
+Spaniards followed, and presently struck upon submerged timbers the
+Indians had driven in. They were instantly attacked by the whole
+fleet of canoes, most of the men were wounded, and several,
+including the two captains, slain, and one of the Spanish craft
+captured.
+
+It was now three months since the siege had begun, and the attitude
+of the Mexicans was as bold and defiant as ever. Several attempts
+which Cortez had made to open negotiations with the young emperor
+had been received with scorn. It was certain that, sooner or later,
+famine would do its work; for the approaches to the city were all
+in the hands of the Spaniards, and as the towns of the lake were
+either friendly or overawed by the great army of their allies, even
+the canoes, which at first made their way in at night with
+provisions, had ceased to steal across in the darkness. The great
+native levies were of little use to the Spaniards in the absolute
+fighting, but they did good service by overawing the towns, making
+expeditions against the tribes that had not yet consented to throw
+in their lot with the invaders, and by sweeping in provisions from
+a wide extent of country.
+
+But to wait until famine did its work little suited the spirit of
+the Spaniards. The process would assuredly be a long one, for men
+who fought so stoutly would resist starvation with equal tenacity;
+besides, the duration of the siege was already beginning to excite
+discontent among the allies, whose wars were generally of very
+short duration. The Spaniards, too, were suffering from severe
+illness brought on by fatigue, exposure, and hardship.
+
+It was now determined to make a grand effort to obtain possession
+of the great market of Tlatelolco, which lay on the northwestern
+part of the city. Its possession would enable the force of Cortez
+to join hands with those of Alvarado and Sandoval; and the spacious
+market itself, with its halls and porticoes, would furnish
+accommodation for the army; and enable them to attack the city at
+close quarters, instead of having to fight their way, every day,
+along the causeway.
+
+Sandoval was to join Alvarado, sending seventy picked troops to
+support Cortez. Advancing along the causeway, and supported not
+only by the ships, but by a countless host of canoes filled with
+the allies of the lake cities, who penetrated the canals, and
+caused confusion in the rear of the Aztecs, the division of Cortez
+cleared the suburbs of their opponents, and then advanced towards
+the square of Tlatelolco by three great streets.
+
+Alderete commanded the force that advanced by the main central
+avenue. This was a raised causeway, with canals running on either
+side of the road. Tapia and a brother of Alvarado commanded one of
+the other columns, while Cortez led the third. A small body of
+cavalry, with three guns, remained in reserve in the great street
+leading to the causeway; and here the column were to rally, in case
+of disaster.
+
+The three columns advanced simultaneously. The Spanish pressed the
+Aztecs back before them. Their allies filled up the canals as they
+took them, one by one. The Tlascalans stormed the houses, and
+attacked the enemy on their roofs; while the canoes engaged those
+of the Aztecs, and so prevented them from interfering with the men
+occupied in filling up the breaches. The parallel streets were near
+enough to each other for the Spaniards to hear the shouts of their
+companions in the other columns, and to know that all were gaining
+ground steadily.
+
+The enemy in the streets fought with less obstinacy than usual; and
+Cortez, with his usual keen-sightedness, at once apprehended that
+the feebleness of the resistance indicated some device, and that
+the Aztecs were allowing them to advance, only to lead them into a
+trap.
+
+He had received a message from Alderete saying that he was getting
+on fast, and that he was but a short distance from the great
+square. Fearing that this officer, eager to be the first to gain
+the marketplace, was not taking proper precautions to secure his
+retreat; Cortez, with a small body of troops, retraced his steps,
+and turned up the street by which Alderete's column had advanced.
+He had gone but a short distance, when he saw that his stringent
+orders had been neglected; for he came upon an opening some thirty
+feet wide, full of water at least twelve feet deep. A slight
+attempt, only, had been made to stop the gap; and stones and
+timber, lying by the side, showed that it had been abandoned as
+soon as commenced.
+
+The general saw, too, that the road had been narrowed as it
+approached this point, and that the work had evidently been
+recently done. Much alarmed at the consequence of this neglect, he
+at once set his men to fill up the breach; but they had scarcely
+begun the operation when a terrific yell arose, drowning the
+mingled clamor of the distant conflict.
+
+Alderete had, as Cortez supposed, pressed on the retreating Aztecs
+with too great eagerness. He had carried the barricades which
+defended the breach, and had given orders that the chasm should be
+filled up. But in their eagerness to be first in the square, the
+Spaniards had pressed on, none caring to stop to see that the
+allies carried out the order. So, taking position after position,
+they pressed on until they were close to the square.
+
+Suddenly the horn of Guatimozin, the emperor, sent forth a piercing
+note from the summit of a temple. As if by magic, the retreating
+Aztecs turned and fell on their pursuers; while swarms of warriors
+from the adjoining streets, lanes, and corners attacked the
+advancing column.
+
+Taken completely by surprise, bewildered by the suddenness and fury
+of the onslaught, appalled by the terrific war yells, smitten down
+by the rain of missiles from the Aztecs, the Spaniards fell into
+confusion, and were swept down the street like foam on the crest of
+a wave. In vain their leaders attempted to rally them. Their voices
+were drowned in the din, and their followers, panic stricken, now
+thought only of preserving their lives.
+
+On they came, until they reached the edge of the cut. Here some
+plunged in, others were pushed in by the pressure from behind.
+Those who could swim were pulled down by their struggling comrades.
+Some got across and tried to climb the slippery side of the dike,
+but fell back and were seized by the Aztecs; whose canoes now
+dashed up, and added to the confusion by hurling a storm of
+missiles into the crowd.
+
+Cortez, with his little party, kept his station on the other side
+of the breach. They were already surrounded by Aztecs, who had
+landed on the causeway behind them; but held their ground
+desperately, and endeavored, as far as possible, to assist their
+comrades to climb out of the water. Cortez was speedily recognized,
+and storms of missiles were poured upon him, but these glanced
+harmlessly from his helmet and armor. Six of the Aztecs threw
+themselves upon him together, and made a desperate effort to drag
+him into their boat. In the struggle he received a severe wound in
+the leg, and fell.
+
+Olid, one of his followers, sprang to his rescue, severed the arm
+of one of the natives, and ran another through the body; and being
+joined by a comrade named Lerma, and by a Tlascalan chief, stood
+over the body of Cortez and drove off his foes, dispatching three
+more of his assailants; but Olid fell, mortally wounded, by the
+side of his leader.
+
+Quinones, the captain of the guard, with several of his men now
+fought his way up, lifted Cortez from the water, and laid him on
+the road. One of his pages brought up his horse, but fell, wounded
+in the throat by a javelin. Guzman, the chamberlain, then seized
+the bridle, and held it while Cortez was helped into the saddle;
+but was himself seized by the Aztecs, and carried off in a canoe.
+
+Cortez, wounded as he was, would still have fought on; but
+Quinones, taking his horse by the bridle, turned it to the rear,
+exclaiming that his leader's life was "too important to the army to
+be thrown away there!"
+
+The mass of fugitives poured along the causeway. The road was soft,
+and was so cut up that it was knee deep in mud; and in some places
+the water of the canals beside it met across it. Those on the
+flanks were often forced, by the pressure, down the slippery sides;
+and were instantly captured and carried off by the canoes of the
+enemy. Cortez's standard bearer was among those who fell in the
+canal, but he succeeded in recovering his footing, and saved the
+standard.
+
+At last the fugitives reached the spot where the cannon and cavalry
+had been placed in reserve. Here Cortez rallied them, and charged
+the Aztecs with the little body of horse, while the artillery
+opened a hot fire upon them. He then sent orders to the other two
+columns to fall back and, when these had rejoined him, the division
+retired, Cortez covering the movement with the cavalry.
+
+As soon as they were freed from the city, Tapia was sent round on
+horseback to acquaint the other commanders of the failure. They had
+advanced at the same time as Cortez, and had on their side nearly
+gained the square; when they, too, were startled by the blast of
+Guatimozin's horn, and by the terrible yell that followed it. Then
+they heard the sound of battle, which had before been clearly
+audible, roll away in the distance; and knew that the division of
+Cortez had been driven back.
+
+In a short time the attack upon themselves increased in fury, as
+the troops who had been engaged with Cortez returned and joined in
+the attack upon them. Two or three bloody heads were thrown among
+them, with shouts of "Malinzin!"
+
+Although Sandoval and Alvarado did not credit the death of their
+commander, they felt that it was useless to persevere, and indeed
+were unable to withstand the furious assaults of the Aztecs. With
+great difficulty they drew off their troops to the entrenchment on
+the causeway, and here the guns of the ships, sweeping the road,
+drove back their assailants. The greatest anxiety prevailed as to
+the fate of Cortez, until Tapia arrived, bleeding from several
+wounds, which he had received from parties of men whom Guatimozin
+had stationed to interrupt the communication between the two camps.
+
+Sandoval at once rode round. He, too, was attacked on the road; but
+his armor, and that of his horse protected him from the missiles
+showered upon them. On arriving at the camp, he found the troops
+much dispirited. Numbers had been killed and wounded, and no less
+than sixty-two Spaniards, with a multitude of allies, had fallen
+into the hands of the enemy. Indeed, the column around Alderete had
+been almost entirely destroyed, and two guns and seven horses had
+been lost.
+
+Cortez explained to his follower the cause of the disaster, and
+told Sandoval that, as he should be unable to take the field for a
+few days, he must take his place, and watch over the safety of the
+camps.
+
+Roger Hawkshaw had borne his full share in the desperate conflicts
+that had taken place. In the previous combats he had fought only to
+preserve his own life, but now he was eager for the fray. His
+friend Cuitcatl and his promised bride were prisoners in Mexico,
+and he fought now to deliver them. It was nearly a year from the
+time when he had first retreated along the fatal causeway; and in
+that time his frame had broadened out, and his strength increased;
+and so terrible were the blows he dealt that Cortez, himself, had
+several times spoken to him in terms of approval of his valor, and
+had appointed him to be one of his own bodyguard. He had stood
+beside him at the edge of the breach, and had done good service
+there.
+
+"You fight like a paladin," Cortez said, as Roger cut down three
+natives who had rushed upon him; "but see, Sancho, put up your
+sword for a minute, and take up that pike. If you hand the end to
+those poor fellows in the water, your strength will be sufficient
+to haul them up."
+
+Roger at once set to, at the work of saving life, and dragged more
+than a score of men who would otherwise have been drowned. He heard
+the cry which was raised, when Cortez was attacked; and throwing
+down his pike and drawing his sword, turned to rush to his
+assistance; but at this moment two Mexicans threw themselves upon
+him, his foot slipped in the mud, and in another moment he and his
+two assailants were rolling down the deep bank into the water.
+
+With a mighty effort, he freed himself from their grasp and,
+gaining the bank, tried to climb up; but a canoe dashed up
+alongside, a dozen Mexicans threw themselves upon him, and with a
+triumphant shout drew him into the boat, which at once paddled off
+from the scene of conflict.
+
+Roger, as he lay at the bottom of the canoe, felt that all hope was
+over. He knew that the Aztecs never spared a captive taken in war,
+and that all who fell into their hands were destined for the altars
+of their gods. He regretted deeply that he had not fallen in
+battle; but determined that, at any rate, he would not die tamely;
+and resolved that, rather than be slaughtered in cold blood on the
+altar, when the time came, he would offer so desperate a resistance
+that they would be forced to kill him.
+
+Passing along several canals, the canoe stopped at some stairs.
+Roger was taken out, and led through a shouting crowd to a great
+temple, where he was thrust into a prison room, already occupied by
+several Spaniards. Their numbers increased, until they amounted to
+twenty.
+
+Few words were spoken among the prisoners. Their arms were free,
+but their legs firmly secured with ropes; and ten armed Aztecs kept
+watch over them, to see that they made no attempt to unfasten their
+bonds.
+
+One of the prisoners Roger saw, to his regret, was his friend Juan.
+He was severely wounded in several places; as indeed was Roger
+himself, although in the excitement of the battle he had scarce
+noticed it.
+
+"Well, lad!" the old soldier said. "This is a bad ending of our
+gold seeking. Who would have thought that it was to be one's lot,
+first to be murdered on the altars of a hideous god, and then to
+furnish a meal to a race of savages?"
+
+"The furnishing the meal does not trouble me," Roger replied.
+"Whether one is drowned and eaten by fishes, or killed and eaten by
+Aztecs, makes, as far as I can see, but little difference to one.
+However, I don't quite make up my mind to the worst yet, Juan. They
+must have captured a great number of us, for I saw many carried off
+who are not here; besides a multitude of Tlascalans and our other
+allies. I do not suppose they will sacrifice us all at once, but
+are likely to take so many a day. In that case, we may have the
+luck to be among the last; and before our turn comes, the Spaniards
+may be masters of the town."
+
+Juan shook his head.
+
+"It is just as well to hope, lad; but I think the chances are next
+to nothing. Even if Cortez himself gets out safe, and the troops
+draw off without much further loss, it will be some days before
+they will attack again, after such a maiming as we got, this time.
+Even then their chances of success will be no better than they were
+today; worse, in fact, for we have lost something like a sixth of
+our force, beside what may have fallen in the attack from the other
+side; put it at a quarter, altogether. Our natives will be
+dispirited by their defeat today, and the Aztecs will have gained
+in confidence.
+
+"By Saint James, but those fellows fight well! Who would have
+thought, when we saw them bowing and smiling when we first arrived
+in the city, and submitting so meekly to everything, that they
+could fight like fiends? Never did I see men so reckless of life.
+
+"Pedro has fallen. I loved him as a son. But far better dead than
+here."
+
+"I am sorry, indeed, to hear that he has fallen, Juan. I feared
+that he had, for he would not have let you be captured, had he been
+alive.
+
+"I don't give up all hope for ourselves. The Mexicans fight like
+heroes, but in the end we must win, in spite of their valor. Even
+if we do not take the town by storm, which I don't think we ever
+should do, if it were provisioned, we shall take it by hunger. They
+must be well-nigh starving now. In another month there will not be
+a soul alive in the city.
+
+"You do not think there is any chance of our making our escape?"
+
+"Not unless wings could sprout out from our shoulders," Juan said,
+"and we could fly through the air. You may be sure these fellows
+will keep too sharp a lookout upon us to give us the shadow of a
+chance; besides, if we were to get out, we could not go on foot
+without being detected.
+
+"You might manage, lad, with a dark night to hide your color, and
+with the aid of a native dress, for you can speak their tongue; but
+as for me, the idea is hopeless, and not to be thought of. No, no,
+lad, I do not delude myself. My time has come; and I shall bear it,
+I hope, like a man, and a Christian."
+
+From time to time, Aztecs came in to see that the prisoners were
+safe. From their conversation with the guards, Roger gathered that
+the attack had everywhere failed, and that the Spaniards had
+retired to their camps.
+
+Late in the afternoon some priests entered. Two of the prisoners
+were selected by them, their bonds cut, and they were taken away.
+Soon afterwards, the sound of the great war drum reverberated
+through the city.
+
+The Spaniards in their camps started to arms, on hearing the sound;
+but they were not long in understanding its meaning, for from their
+camps they beheld a great procession winding up the principal
+pyramid. Alvarado's camp, which was the nearest to the city, was a
+short mile away from the temple; and in the clear evening air the
+troops could see that there were five or six white figures among
+them.
+
+As usual, the victims were decorated with plumes of feathers, to do
+honor to their own sacrifice. They were driven along with blows
+and, when they reached the summit of the temple, were seized and
+thrown, one by one, upon their backs upon the sacrificial stone,
+which was convex, so as to give a curve to their bodies. The
+principal priest then, with a sharp stone knife, cut through the
+skin and flesh between two of the ribs and, plunging his hand into
+the orifice, dragged out the heart, which he presented to the
+figure of the god.
+
+The sight, distant as it was, excited the Spaniards to the verge of
+madness; and if it had not been for their officers, they would have
+seized their weapons and rushed forward again to the attack, to
+avenge the murder of their comrades.
+
+The feelings of the captives, as they heard the sound of the drums,
+the shouts of the natives, and once or twice caught the scream of
+agony of their comrades, were terrible. This was the fate that
+they, too, were to undergo; and men who had, a hundred times,
+looked death in battle in the face, shuddered and trembled at their
+approaching doom.
+
+Each day two of their number were taken, and the same terrible
+scene was gone through. Roger was rather surprised that he himself
+was not one of the first selected, as his height and figure made
+him specially conspicuous among his comrades; but he supposed that
+he was being one of those reserved for some special festival.
+Whatever the famine might be in the city, the captives were well
+fed; for it was a point of honor, among the Aztecs, that all
+victims offered to the gods should be in good health and condition.
+
+The guards were changed every six hours, and on the third day, in
+the officer over the relief, Roger recognized, to his surprise and
+delight, his friend Bathalda. The latter, as he entered, made a
+significant motion to Roger, as he caught his eye, to make no sign
+that he recognized him.
+
+The Aztecs, as usual, sat down in groups, chatting. They had no
+fear whatever of the prisoners attempting to escape in the daytime,
+and it was only at night that they exercised any special vigilance
+in seeing that they did not attempt to unloose their bonds.
+Bathalda presently sauntered up into the corner in which Roger was
+sitting.
+
+"How are my friends?" the latter asked, in a low voice.
+
+"Well," Bathalda replied. "Cuitcatl explained to the young emperor
+the circumstances under which he came to know and assist you, and
+was at once restored to favor, and now commands a large body of
+troops here. I have not seen the princess. She is at the palace.
+Cuitcatl bade me tell you that they are working for you, and will
+rescue you before the time comes for your sacrifice; but at present
+the watch is too strict."
+
+"But I may be chosen, any day," Roger said.
+
+Bathalda shook his head.
+
+"Cuitcatl has bribed the priests who choose the victims to leave
+you until the last; so you need not feel uneasiness on that score.
+Be patient and watchful. If any of your guard approach you and say,
+'The time is at hand,' you will know that he is a friend. Act as he
+tells you. I dare not say more, now."
+
+Ten days passed. Juan had gone, and Roger had been much moved at
+parting with him--more so, indeed, than the old soldier himself,
+who had kept up firmly, and was prepared to meet his fate with
+contempt for his enemies, in the assurance that his death would be
+terribly avenged.
+
+Bathalda had not reappeared. As the number of prisoners had
+decreased, the guard had been diminished; and as there now only
+remained Roger and one other, and both were still bound, a single
+Aztec relieved the two who had, the night before, kept guard.
+
+He stood, indifferently gazing through the loophole, until Roger's
+companion fell asleep. Then he approached him and said:
+
+"The time is at hand. Tomorrow the other will be taken. The number
+will be made up from the other prisons. At night Cuitcatl will be
+outside. The door here will not be bolted. You will have but one
+man to watch you; but we know not whom he may be, and may not be
+able to arrange with him. If we do, he will give you the password.
+If not, you must deal with him. The man who will follow me is in
+the secret. You must unfasten your ropes while he is here, and he
+will aid you to do them up again, so that, while to the eye they
+will seem secure, they can be shaken off instantly.
+
+"Bathalda and another will accompany you. I do not know who the
+other is; but I was told that you would understand."
+
+That other Roger felt sure must be Amenche; and his heart beat
+hotly, at the thought that his dear princess would share his
+flight.
+
+The hours passed quickly. The next day the last Spaniard was taken;
+and no sooner had he been forced, struggling and resisting, from
+the chamber; than the guard who, since he had taken up his post
+four hours before, had made no sign to Roger, gave the password
+agreed upon. The latter rose to his feet and, with the aid of the
+native, unfastened the cords that bound his ankles together.
+
+For half an hour he paced up and down the chamber, to restore the
+circulation to his feet. Then the guard replaced the cords, but did
+it in such a way that, though they seemed as tight and secure as
+before, they would at a slight effort fall off, and leave him free.
+
+At eight o'clock in the evening the guard was relieved. He had told
+Roger that he was to listen for the cry of an owl outside, twice
+repeated; and that upon hearing this, he would know that his
+friends were without. Roger listened anxiously for the password
+from his new guard; but as it did not come, he concluded that
+Cuitcatl had not been able to bribe him, and that he must himself
+overpower the man.
+
+The Aztec placed himself at the loophole, and stood looking out;
+turning, from time to time, to see by the light of the torch, which
+was fixed close to where Roger was lying, that he was making no
+attempt to release himself from his bonds.
+
+It was not until nearly midnight that Roger heard the expected
+signal. No sooner was the second call given, than he pulled the
+knot which kept the cords together, raised himself noiselessly to
+his feet, and sprang upon the Aztec. Taken by surprise, the man was
+no more than a child in Roger's strong grasp. In a moment he was
+thrown down, his cloth was twisted round his mouth, so as to
+prevent any cry from escaping him, and his arms were bound behind
+him with Roger's rope.
+
+Roger then took his sword and javelin, and went to the door. As he
+had been told would be the case, the outer bolts were unfastened.
+Passing along a passage, he came to the outside gate. This was
+securely fastened, but Roger had no difficulty in scaling the roof
+of a building leaning against the outer wall; and on reaching this,
+he pulled himself up and dropped down into the street beyond.
+
+Three persons were standing at the gate, and he at once made
+towards them. One ran forward with a little cry, and threw herself
+into his arms. The others were, as he had expected, Cuitcatl and
+Bathalda. The former saluted him warmly.
+
+"Thank the gods you are free, Roger," he said. "I have a canoe
+close at hand for you. Bathalda will accompany you and the
+princess. I cannot leave. I am an Aztec, and shall fight until the
+last, with our brave young emperor."
+
+"I hope, Cuitcatl, that when the resistance is over--as it must be
+before long, for I know from the talk of the guards that famine is
+among you, and that hundreds are dying daily--I hope that I may be
+able to aid you, as you are aiding me."
+
+"I care not to live," Cuitcatl said. "The empire is lost."
+
+"But there is no dishonor in that," Roger replied. "No men could
+defend themselves more bravely than you have done, and there is no
+disgrace in being vanquished by superior arms. I trust that you may
+live, and be happy, yet."
+
+"Let us not stand here talking," the young cazique said. "It is not
+as it was before. Then you might walk through the city at midnight,
+without meeting with a single person. We sleep no longer now, but
+make nightly attacks on the Spaniards; and at any moment bodies of
+troops may come along."
+
+The little party moved forward, and in a minute descended the
+steps. Bathalda took his place in a small canoe lying there.
+
+"Here is a weapon which will suit you better than that sword and
+javelin," he said, handing him a war club, a heavy weapon, with
+pieces of sharp-pointed obsidian fixed in it.
+
+Roger helped Amenche into the canoe, wrung Cuitcatl warmly by the
+hand, and then stepped in.
+
+"Go," the latter exclaimed. "I can hear troops approaching."
+
+So saying, he bounded swiftly away. Bathalda sat listening for a
+moment, to discover the direction from which the troops were
+coming. As soon as he made out the soft tread of the shoeless feet,
+he dipped his paddle in the water, and the boat glided noiselessly
+away.
+
+It was not long before they emerged from the narrow water way on to
+the lake; and then the boat's head was turned in the direction in
+which lay the Tlacopan causeway. Presently Amenche, who had been
+sitting nestled close to Roger--too happy even to speak--sat up and
+said:
+
+"Hush!"
+
+Bathalda ceased rowing.
+
+"There is a large canoe coming up behind us," he said, listening
+intently. "I can hear others on the lake, beyond us."
+
+"We had better make into the shore again," Roger said, "and let
+them pass us."
+
+The canoe, however, was not very far behind; and those on board
+caught sight of the little craft, as she rowed in towards shore. It
+was unusual to see so small a boat at night. The idea that it might
+contain a spy occurred to them, and they shouted to them to stop.
+
+Bathalda exerted himself to the utmost, but the canoe came rapidly
+up to them. As the command to stop was again disregarded, a volley
+of javelins was discharged.
+
+"We cannot escape," Bathalda said. "They will be upon us, before we
+can land."
+
+"Cease rowing," Roger said.
+
+"Amenche, lie still, dear, at the bottom of the boat. I will deal
+with them."
+
+Seeing that the oarsmen had stopped paddling, the volley of
+javelins ceased; and the canoe, which contained some twenty men,
+ran alongside.
+
+As she did so, Roger sprang on board her. Three or four of the
+natives were struck down in an instant, with his terrible weapon.
+The others, as soon as they recovered from their astonishment, rose
+from their seats and attacked him. Their numbers were but of slight
+avail. Standing in the bow of the boat, and swinging his weapon
+round his head, Roger kept them off; beating down one, each time
+his weapon fell. In vain they tried to close with him. His great
+size, and the suddenness with which he had attacked them, acted
+upon their superstitious fears. They knew not what sort of being it
+was with whom they had to deal, and the terrible strength
+displayed, and the instant fate that fell on all who approached
+him, appalled them.
+
+Roger soon took the offensive and, making his way along the boat,
+drove them back before him. At last, when more than half their
+number had fallen, the rest sprang overboard and swam to the shore.
+Roger had been wounded by three or four spear thrusts, but these
+had been too hastily given to penetrate very deeply.
+
+"I am unhurt, Amenche," he said, making his way forward again, and
+stepping into the canoe.
+
+There was no reply. He stooped over, as she lay quietly there.
+
+"She has fainted," he said.
+
+"Row on, Bathalda. You had best give me the other paddle. I can
+hear boats coming in this direction. No doubt they heard the yells.
+
+"Skirt along the shore. We shall be unseen, close in; and if they
+approach us, can take refuge in a canal."
+
+But they passed along unnoticed. When they caught sight of the
+causeway, stretching away dimly in front of them, they again rowed
+out into the lake and, making a long circuit to avoid the canoes
+attacking Xoloc, the guns of which were firing hotly, came down on
+the causeway again in its rear.
+
+They were hailed as they approached, for the Spaniards were all
+under arms. Roger shouted that he was a friend, who had escaped
+from the prison; and the Spaniards, in return, gave a shout of
+welcome. In another two minutes, the canoe lay alongside the
+causeway.
+
+Bathalda sprang on shore, and held the canoe while Roger lifted
+Amenche up, and stepped out. A dozen hands were held out to assist
+him to climb the slippery bank.
+
+His figure was known by them all. Many exclamations of welcome
+greeted him, and many were the inquiries as to the other captives.
+
+"I will tell you all about it, directly. Bring the torch a little
+closer. I have a lady here who has fainted. We were attacked as we
+came out. The fight was a sharp one, and has scared her."
+
+A soldier brought a torch and, as he did so, Roger uttered a loud
+cry. Amenche's face was bloodless, and her eyes were closed. But it
+was not this that had caused Roger's cry. There was a dark stain on
+her white dress, and in its center the feathered head of an arrow.
+While Bathalda and Roger had escaped the missiles, with which those
+in the boat heralded their attack; an arrow had struck Amenche, as
+she turned, when Roger sprang on board.
+
+So great was Roger's horror that he reeled, and would have fallen,
+had not the soldiers standing round supported him.
+
+"I think that she has but fainted from loss of blood," Bathalda
+said; and Roger, refusing all assistance, carried Amenche to the
+fort through the ranks of the Spaniards, who were engaged hotly
+with their assailants in the canoes.
+
+He bore her, at once, to the chamber occupied by Marina. She was up
+and dressed, for the attack was a hot one, and there was no sleep
+in Xoloc. She uttered a cry of welcome, and gladness, as Roger
+entered.
+
+"I have escaped, Malinche," he said; "but I fear that she has died
+in saving me. I have brought her to you, as you are the only woman
+here."
+
+Marina took the girl tenderly, and laid her on a couch.
+
+"I will see to her," she said, softly. "Leave her to me, Roger."
+
+As Roger, blinded with tears, left the room, an officer met him at
+the door, and told him that Cortez had just heard of his arrival,
+and desired his presence. The general received him with great
+kindness.
+
+"It is something to see one of my comrades back again, Sancho," he
+said. "I hear how sad a misfortune has befallen you; for I suppose
+the lady you brought ashore was she of whom Marina spoke to me. She
+told me that she did not give up all hope that you might return;
+for that the princess whom you loved was in the city, and would,
+she was sure, do all that she could to save your life."
+
+"She did so, General," Roger said; "and I fear at the cost of her
+own--she and a noble young cazique, who was a brother to me, when I
+was living at Tezcuco."
+
+"I will not trouble you now with questions," Cortez said; "but tell
+me--do you know whether any of the other prisoners are alive? Every
+evening we have marked that terrible procession to the summit of
+the temple. Fifty-eight have been sacrificed, but we know not
+exactly how many more remain; being ignorant which of our comrades
+fell, and which were captured."
+
+"I cannot tell," Roger replied. "I was the only one left, out of
+twenty who were in prison together. If they were taken in the same
+proportion from the other prisons, there can be but a few remaining
+now. I was set aside until the last, because the priest who had
+daily chosen out the victims had been bribed by my friend
+Cuitcatl."
+
+Roger hastened away, as soon as Cortez dismissed him, and hurried
+back to Malinche's apartment. Her Mexican attendant, who was
+standing outside the door, opened it when she saw him approaching;
+and as she came up Malinche stole out, with her finger on her lips.
+
+"We have taken out the arrow," she said. "She is still insensible;
+but the leech thinks that it is from loss of blood, and hopes that
+no vital point has been injured. More than that he cannot say, at
+present.
+
+"You had best have your own wounds attended to, now. I will have a
+pile of rugs laid for you, in this little room to the left; and
+will let you know if any change takes place."
+
+"Do you think that there is any hope, Malinche?"
+
+Malinche shook her head.
+
+"I know not, Roger. I have already sent off to the mainland, to
+fetch a leech famous for his skill in the use of herbs. Our people
+have many simples of which you know nothing in Europe, and they are
+very skillful in the treatment of wounds--much more so, I think,
+than the white men."
+
+
+
+Chapter 22: Home.
+
+
+After having had his wounds dressed, Roger threw himself down upon
+the bed that had been prepared for him, and lay tossing for hours.
+Hitherto he had believed, and had often reproached himself for it,
+that he had not loved Amenche as she had loved him. She had loved
+him with the passion and devotion of the people of her race, and it
+was no figure of speech when she said that she was ready to give
+her life for him.
+
+Roger knew that, until lately, his love had been poor by the side
+of hers. From the time he had sailed from England, to his first
+meeting with her, he had pictured to himself that some day, when he
+came to command a ship of his own, he would marry his cousin, if
+she had borne him in mind since he parted with her on Plymouth Hoe.
+This dream had faded away, from the time he had first met Amenche;
+and when Cacama had proposed the marriage to him, he had accepted
+the offer gladly. His chance of ever leaving the country, at that
+time, seemed slight; and he felt sure that he should be happy with
+Amenche. Since that time, the girl's frank expression of her love
+for him, her tender devotion, and her willingness to sacrifice
+country, and people, and all, to throw in her lot with him, had
+greatly heightened the feeling he had towards her; and he had come
+to love her truly; but still, perhaps, rather with the calm earnest
+affection of a brother, than the passionate devotion of a lover.
+
+But now he knew that she had his whole heart. If she died, it
+seemed of little consequence to him what became of his life. It was
+for his sake that she had risked everything, had left all--friends
+and home and country--and he felt that he would gladly die with
+her.
+
+Morning was breaking before Malinche came into his room.
+
+"She is sensible," she said, "and my countryman, who is with her,
+thinks that she will live."
+
+The relief was so great that Roger burst into tears.
+
+"Come with me," Malinche said, taking his hand. "We do not think
+she knows what has happened, but she looks anxiously about the
+room. She is very, very weak; but the leech thinks that if she sees
+you, and knows that you are safe and well, it will rouse her and
+put her in the way of recovery. You must not talk to her, or excite
+her in any way."
+
+Roger followed Malinche into her room. Amenche was lying, without a
+vestige of color on her face, and with her eyes closed and her
+breathing so faint that Roger, as he looked at her, thought that
+she was dead.
+
+"Take her hand and kneel down beside her," Malinche whispered.
+
+Roger took the girl's hand. As he did so, a slight tremor ran
+through her, as if she recognized his touch. Then her eyes opened.
+
+"Amenche, my darling, do you know me?" Roger said, as he stooped
+his face close to hers.
+
+Her face brightened suddenly, and a look of intense happiness came
+into her eyes.
+
+"O Roger!" she whispered; "I dreamed that they had killed you."
+
+"I am safe and well, as you see," he said. "They have hurt you,
+darling; but you will get better, and we shall be happy together.
+You must not talk, but I may stay by you, if you will keep quiet.
+
+"Drink this first," and he handed to her a cup that the Mexican
+doctor held out to him; and placing his arm under Amenche's head,
+raised it and poured the liquid between her lips.
+
+Then he laid her head down again on the pillow and, kneeling beside
+her, held her hand in his.
+
+She lay looking up into his face, with an expression of quiet
+happiness, occasionally murmuring, "Dear Roger."
+
+Presently her eyelids drooped, and in a few minutes her regular
+breathing showed that she was asleep.
+
+The Mexican doctor placed another cup of medicine within Roger's
+reach, and murmured in his ear, "I think that she will do now. Give
+her this when she awakes. I shall be within call, if I am wanted."
+
+Amenche slept for some hours, and Roger, overcome by want of sleep,
+and from the anxiety through which he had passed, dropped off many
+times into short dozes.
+
+He woke from one of these at a slight movement of Amenche's hand,
+and opened his eyes at the moment that she was opening hers.
+
+"What has happened, Roger? And where am I?" she asked, in wonder.
+
+"First drink this medicine, and then I will tell you," he said.
+"You remember, dear, we were in the boat together, and we were
+attacked. An arrow struck you, but I knew nothing about it until I
+had reached the causeway, and found you senseless, and brought you
+here to Malinche's room; and she and one of the doctors of your
+country dressed your wound, and now you have been sleeping quietly
+for some hours."
+
+"Oh yes," she said, "I remember now. I was struck with an arrow. It
+was a sharp pain, but I did not cry out; for you had need of all
+your strength and vigor. I lay there quietly, and heard the din of
+fighting; and at last, when I knew that you had conquered, I felt a
+faintness stealing over me, and thought that I was dying; and then
+I remember nothing more, only it seemed that, in my dreams, you
+came to me and knelt by the side of me and kissed me; and now I
+know that that part is true, and I have been having such happy
+dreams, ever since.
+
+"But why should I lie here? Cannot I get up?"
+
+"No, dear. You are weak from loss of blood, and quiet is necessary.
+Lie here a minute. I will fetch the leech in, to see how you are."
+
+The Mexican was sleeping on some mats outside the door. He at once
+came in and, after examining Amenche, pronounced her decidedly
+better. Malinche, who had given orders that she was to be informed
+as soon as the princess was awake, came in a minute or two; and a
+consultation was held, when it was decided that Amenche should at
+once be taken from the fort, which was crowded with soldiers, as
+well as exposed to the din and turmoil of the night attacks.
+
+Malinche went out and soon returned, saying that she had spoken to
+one of the Tezcucan caziques in alliance with the Spaniards. He had
+at once offered to receive Amenche at his palace, which was situate
+but three miles from the end of the causeway.
+
+"I cannot leave Roger again," the princess said, when she
+understood what was proposed.
+
+"There is no thought of your leaving him," Malinche said, kindly.
+"Roger is to accompany you. He needs rest and peace almost as much
+as you do. Besides, he has been seriously wounded, though he makes
+light of it.
+
+"The cazique has sent off a messenger for a party of his people to
+meet you. A boat will be in readiness to take you across the lake,
+at sunset. You will be carried in litters from the landing place to
+his palace."
+
+This programme was carried out and, by nine o'clock that evening,
+Roger and Amenche were both settled in luxurious apartments in the
+cazique's palace.
+
+Cortez, now recovered from his wounds, prepared for a fresh
+advance; which was this time to be conducted in a different manner.
+Against so stubborn and active a foe the advance must be
+irresistible, steady, and continued. In future, no step backward
+was to be taken. Every breach, every canal, was to be filled up so
+firmly and solidly that it could never again be disturbed; and for
+this purpose every building--whether a private house, temple, or
+palace--was to be demolished. It was with the greatest reluctance
+that Cortez arrived at this determination. He would fain have saved
+the city intact, as the most glorious trophy of his success; but
+his experience showed him that with every house a fortress, every
+street cut up by canals, it was hopeless to expect to conquer it.
+
+The Indian allies heard his intention with the greatest
+satisfaction, for there was ever in their mind the dread that,
+should the white men depart, the Aztecs would take a terrible
+revenge upon their rebellious subjects. Enormous numbers of men
+were assembled, and provided with implements for the work. This was
+steadily carried out, until the whole of the suburbs were leveled,
+and a wide space round the city left open for the maneuvers of the
+cavalry and the play of the artillery.
+
+Before making the last attack, Cortez tried once more to persuade
+the emperor to yield; and sent three Aztec nobles, who had been
+captured in one of the late fights, to bear a message to him. He
+told Guatimozin that he and his people had done all that brave men
+could, and that there remained no hope, no chance, of escape. Their
+provisions were exhausted. Their communications cut off. Their
+vassals had deserted them, and the nations of Anahuac were banded
+against them. He prayed him, therefore, to have compassion on his
+brave subjects, who were daily perishing before his eyes, and on
+the fair city now fast crumbling into ruins. He begged him to
+acknowledge his allegiance to the sovereign of Spain; in which case
+he should be confirmed in his authority, and the persons, the
+property, and all the rights of the Aztecs should be respected.
+
+The young monarch would have instantly refused the terms, but he
+called a council to deliberate upon them. Many would have accepted
+them, but the priests threw all their influence in the scale
+against it; reminding the king of the fate of Montezuma, after all
+his hospitality to the Whites, of the seizure and imprisonment of
+Cacama, of the massacre of the nobles, of the profanation of the
+temple, and of the insatiable greed that had stripped the country
+of its treasures.
+
+The answer to the Spaniards was given in the form of a tremendous
+sortie along each causeway; but the guns of the Spanish batteries
+and ships drove the assailants back, and the operations of
+destruction went on. Day by day the army of workers leveled the
+houses and filled the canals, although the Mexicans made incessant
+attacks upon the troops who covered the workmen. For several weeks
+the work continued, while the wretched inhabitants were fast
+wasting away with hunger. All the food stored up had long since
+been consumed, and the population reduced to feed on roots dug up
+in the gardens, on the bark of trees, leaves, and grass, and on
+such rats, mice, and lizards as they could capture.
+
+The houses, as the besiegers advanced, were found to be full of
+dead; while in some lay men, women, and children in the last stage
+of famine. And yet, weakened and suffering as they were, the Aztecs
+maintained their resolution, rejecting every overture of Cortez.
+
+At last the division of Alvarado cleared its way into the great
+square, and a party, mounting the great temple where so many of
+their comrades had been massacred, defeated the Aztecs who guarded
+the position, slaughtered the priests, and set fire to the
+sanctuary; and the next day the division of Cortez won their way to
+the same spot, and joined that of Alvarado.
+
+Seven-eighths of the city was now destroyed; and with the exception
+of the king's palace and a few temples, all the buildings that had,
+when they first saw it, so excited the admiration of the Spaniards,
+and had made the city one of the loveliest in the world, had been
+leveled.
+
+In the portion that remained the whole of the Aztec population were
+crowded. Their number was still vast, for before the siege began
+the people from many of the surrounding cities had flocked into the
+capital. Pestilence was aiding famine in its work; and the Spanish
+writers say that "as the troops advanced, the bodies lay so thick
+that it was impossible to walk without treading on them."
+
+Again and again Cortez endeavored to negotiate with the emperor.
+Although so reduced by weakness that they could scarce keep their
+feet, the Aztecs maintained their defiant attitude, and the advance
+of the allies recommenced. The Aztecs fought as bravely as ever;
+but they were so weakened that their missiles were no longer
+dangerous, and their arms could scarce lift their weapons.
+
+It was a dreadful carnage. The confederates, panting with hatred of
+the race that had subdued and so long humiliated them, showed no
+pity; and even when Cortez ordered that quarter should be shown to
+all who asked it, the allies refused to be checked, and the work of
+slaughter went on until the Spanish trumpets sounded a retreat.
+
+During that day, alone, it was calculated that forty thousand
+persons had fallen. That night a mournful stillness reigned over
+the city. In silent despair, and yet with no thought of surrender,
+the Aztecs awaited their fate.
+
+The next morning, August 15th, 1521, the troops were formed up
+again; but before ordering the advance Cortez obtained an interview
+with some of the principal chiefs, and persuaded them to see the
+emperor, and try to induce him to surrender; but the answer came
+that Guatimozin was ready to die where he was, and would hold no
+parley with the Spanish commander. Cortez still postponed the
+assault for several hours.
+
+Then, finding delay unavailing, he reluctantly gave the order for
+the attack to recommence. As upon the previous day it was a mere
+slaughter. Many of the Aztecs sought to fly in canoes, but these
+were cut off by the fleet.
+
+Presently, however, while the butchery was still going on, the
+welcome news was brought that Guatimozin himself had been captured
+by one of the vessels. With him was his wife, the beautiful
+Princess Tecuichpo, a daughter of Montezuma; and twenty nobles of
+high rank. The news of his capture spread rapidly through the fleet
+and city, and the feeble resistance the Aztecs still offered ceased
+at once.
+
+Guatimozin was brought before Cortez, and behaved with a dignity
+and calmness that excited the admiration and respect of the general
+and his followers. The next morning, at the emperor's request,
+Cortez gave permission for all the survivors of the siege to leave
+the town; and issued strict orders, both to the Spaniards and their
+savage allies, that no insult or injury should be offered to them.
+For three days sad processions of men, women, and children--worn
+out with fatigue, wasted with fever and hunger, and in many cases
+scarred with wounds--made their way along the causeways. The number
+of men, alone, was variously estimated at from thirty to seventy
+thousand.
+
+The losses during the siege were also placed at varying figures by
+contemporary writers. The lowest estimate was one hundred and
+twenty thousand, while some writers place it at double that amount.
+The higher figures probably approximate most nearly to the truth,
+for the population of the city, in itself very large, was
+enormously swelled by the vast number of persons from all the
+surrounding cities, who took refuge there at the approach of the
+Spaniards.
+
+The Spanish loss was comparatively small, the larger portion of it
+being incurred upon the day of the destruction of Alderete's
+column. The loss of the allies, however, was very large; as they
+were not provided, as were the Spaniards, with armor which defied
+the missiles of the enemy. Of the Tezcucans, alone, it is said that
+thirty thousand perished.
+
+The amount of booty taken in the city was comparatively small, and
+the army was bitterly disappointed at the poor reward which it
+reaped for its labors and sacrifices. There can be no doubt that
+the Aztec treasures were removed and buried, before the approach of
+the Spaniards to the city. Indeed, during the siege the Aztecs
+constantly taunted them with shouts that, even if they ever took
+the city, they would find no gold there to reward their efforts.
+
+The defense of the city of Mexico has been frequently likened to
+that of Jerusalem against Titus. In each case a vast population,
+ignorant of the arts of war, resisted with heroic constancy the
+efforts of a civilized enemy, and succumbed to hunger and disease
+rather than to the foe.
+
+The fate of the Aztecs befell them because, while a conquering
+people, they had enslaved and tyrannized over the nations they
+subdued; extending to them no rights or privileges, but using them
+simply as means of supplying the pomp and luxury of the capital,
+and of providing men for its wars. Even the cities of the valley,
+the near neighbors of Mexico, were kept in a galling state of
+dependence; and the result was that the whole of the Aztec Empire
+broke up at once, and fell upon its oppressors as soon as the
+coming of the Spaniards afforded them the opportunity for
+retaliation and revenge. Had it not been for this, it would have
+needed a force many times as numerous as that of Cortez to conquer
+an empire so extensive and populous, and composed of peoples so
+brave and fearless of death.
+
+Terrible as the destruction of life was, in the capture of Mexico,
+the Spaniards were not open to blame for it; except in the massacre
+of the nobles, for which conduct Cortez was in no way responsible.
+The war was not conducted with the cruelty that too often
+distinguished the warfare of the Spaniards. Cortez had certainly no
+desire to destroy the beautiful capital of the country he had
+conquered for Spain. The prisoners taken during the siege, and the
+people who came out and surrendered, were always treated with
+kindness, even when the Spaniards were maddened by the sight of the
+daily sacrifices of their countrymen by the Aztecs. Again and
+again, during the siege, Cortez endeavored to induce the enemy to
+come to terms; and after the fighting was over, the whole of the
+survivors were permitted to depart unharmed.
+
+A fortnight after the fall of Mexico, Amenche and Roger were both
+convalescent. Amenche's wound had, after the first day, caused but
+little anxiety. She had fainted from loss of blood, and from the
+effects of the long strain which she had undergone, from the time
+that she had heard that Roger was a captive in the hands of the
+Mexicans, and destined for sacrifice at the temple. Under the
+influence, then, of happiness; and of the care and attention she
+received; she was, in two or three days, well enough to get up and
+go into the adjoining room, and sit by the couch of Roger; who was
+prostrated by fever, the result of imprisonment, anxiety, and his
+wounds. For a time his life was in danger; but after the crisis had
+passed, he too recovered rapidly.
+
+Malinche came several times to see them, and a warm affection
+sprang up between her and Amenche.
+
+"What do you mean to do, Roger?" she asked him one day, when she
+found him alone.
+
+"I mean to marry Amenche, at once," he said; "and to go back to
+Europe, if possible, without delay."
+
+"I have managed that for you," Malinche said. "I spoke to Cortez
+yesterday. The city cannot resist many days longer, and after that
+we hope that there will be no more fighting. At any rate, I told
+him that you were so shaken from what you had gone through, it
+would be a long time before you would be fit to carry arms again;
+and that you desired greatly to go to Europe, for a time; and he
+has consented that you shall go down to the coast with the first
+convoy of wounded, as soon as the city falls. Of course, he has
+given consent for your marriage with Amenche; and said, when I
+asked him, that she had fairly won you. He says that, if you return
+hither, he will give to Amenche a wide portion of her brother's
+dominions. I did not tell him that it was little likely he would
+ever see you out here, again."
+
+During the next fortnight, Roger instructed Amenche in the outlines
+of the Christian faith and, the day before the convoy was to start,
+three weeks after the fall of Mexico, Father Olmedo received her
+into the Church, and the marriage ceremony took place. It was
+attended by Cortez and most of his leaders, and by many of the
+native nobles.
+
+Among them, Roger was glad to meet Cuitcatl. He was one of the
+party who had been captured with the emperor; and had been at once
+released, by Cortez, when the latter was informed by Malinche that
+he had befriended and released Roger. That evening, the two friends
+had a long talk together.
+
+"You will be happy," Cuitcatl said, "and will come, in time, in
+your home in your own country, to look back at this terrible time
+as a troubled dream. I do not mourn for Cacama or Maclutha. They
+are fortunate in escaping the troubles that yet remain, for my
+unhappy country; for I well foresee that the Spaniards will
+gradually subdue those who have served them so well in their
+campaign against us. Their allies will in time become their
+subjects, until the whole empire of the Aztecs will lie prostrate
+at their feet.
+
+"But whatever happens, I shall take no further part in it. I have
+fought by the side of the Aztecs against my own countrymen. I have
+done my best to save our nation from falling under the dominion of
+the Spaniards. I shall retire now to my estates, and devote myself
+to them. Cortez has given me a paper, signed by him, saying that I,
+although fighting against him, saved the life of a Spanish
+prisoner, who was the only one of those captured who escaped being
+sacrificed; and that, therefore, he orders all Spaniards to treat
+me with kindness and consideration, and confirms to me and my
+heirs, to all time, the possession of my estates free from all
+takes or imposts whatever. Malinche obtained this document from
+him, and has induced the treasurer and chamberlain, also, to affix
+their seals to it; and she says that it will be undoubtedly
+respected.
+
+"As you know, Roger, I should long ago have married my cousin, who
+was one of Maclutha's ladies in waiting; but we deferred it until
+these troubles should be over. I have been to Tezcuco today, and we
+shall be married at the end of the week; so that I have every hope
+of leading a quiet and happy life, and think that, in the end,
+these troubles will tend to the happiness of the people of the
+country. As a Tezcucan, I can acknowledge that the Aztec tyranny
+was a heavy one, that the people were sorely oppressed. The
+wholesale sacrifices at the temples, now abolished forever, were
+the cause of constant wars; and I think that when the Spaniards
+once overcome all resistance, and establish a firm and stable
+government, the people will be happier than they ever could have
+been under the Aztec rule.
+
+"What has become of Bathalda?"
+
+"He accompanied us here, and then went off to your estates; saying
+that he should collect a few of his friends and occupy your house,
+to see that none took advantage of the troubles to plunder it. I
+recommend him to your care, Cuitcatl."
+
+"There is no occasion to do that, Roger. He has been a faithful
+servant and friend, and shall in future be my right hand."
+
+The next morning Malinche came to say farewell to them.
+
+"How much has taken place, in the last four years, Roger!" she
+said. "Then, I was a slave girl. You were a captive in a strange
+country. What scenes we have passed through since then!
+
+"I am sorry, indeed, that you are going, Roger," and the tears came
+into her eyes; "you were my first friend, and I have loved you ever
+since, as a brother. I shall miss you sorely, indeed. However, I
+know that you and Amenche will be happy together.
+
+"Princess, I have something of yours," and she held up a heavy
+girdle.
+
+Amenche gave a cry of joy.
+
+"I missed it," she said, "but I thought that it must have fallen
+off in the boat, or as Roger carried me thence to the castle.
+
+"See, Roger," she said, holding it out to them, "this is my dowry.
+I told you I should not come to you a penniless bride, but I have
+thought lately that I was mistaken. Maclutha, when she died, gave
+me all the jewels we carried away from the treasure room at
+Tezcuco. I selected all the most valuable ones, and sewed them into
+this broad girdle, which I put on under my things on the night when
+you escaped. Its loss has grieved me, though you have said that the
+two little bags you have, already, would suffice to make you rich.
+Still, they were Maclutha's, and I wanted to give you mine; but I
+could not think what had become of the belt."
+
+"I found it on you, Amenche, when we loosened your robe to examine
+your wound; and put it by to give to you or Roger, whichever might
+recover; and now I am glad to hand it over, as your joint property.
+I have already returned Roger his own two little bags, that he had
+given me to take care of.
+
+"And now, farewell to you both. You will think of me, sometimes, in
+your distant home in England?"
+
+And Malinche, bursting into tears, hurried away.
+
+The journey to the coast was an easy one, as the sick were all
+transported on litters, carried by native porters. The bracing air
+of the high land did much to restore the strength of the sick men,
+who had been suffering much from the terrible heat of the valley.
+The officer in command of the convoy halted them for a week on the
+Tlascalan plateau, in order that they might get the full benefit of
+the cool air; and by the time they reached the coast, and were
+carried on board ship, Roger felt his strength fast returning.
+
+A comfortable cabin was assigned to him and Amenche, as Cortez had,
+at Malinche's request, written a letter specially commending them
+to the care of the officer in command of the ship. The voyage to
+Spain was a long one and, before the vessel arrived at Cadiz, Roger
+and Amenche were completely restored to health and strength.
+
+Roger's success, indeed, had been beyond his wildest hopes. The two
+bags of jewels, and those which Amenche had brought away with her,
+would suffice to make him a very rich man. He had, too, an
+assortment of the finest Mexican stuffs, which Malinche had given
+him as a special present for his friends at home; and he had a bar
+of gold, of the value of a thousand pounds, which was his share (as
+one of Cortez's bodyguard) of the gold found at the capture of the
+capital.
+
+He had learned, from a vessel which was spoken as they neared
+Spain, that England and Spain were in alliance against France; and
+he had no doubt, therefore, that he should find English ships at
+Cadiz. His heart was gladdened, as the vessel entered the port, by
+seeing the English flag flying on several vessels in harbor.
+
+As soon as Roger and his companions landed, they were surrounded by
+an eager crowd, all anxious to learn more of the capture of Mexico;
+of which a swift vessel, sent off as soon as the city fell, had
+brought news six weeks earlier; and Roger had to tell the story of
+the siege a dozen times over.
+
+As soon as he could get free from the crowd, he went to a money
+changer's, and obtained Spanish gold in exchange for his bar. Then
+he purchased, at a clothier's, a suit of garments of Spanish
+fashion and, putting these on, was able to move about without
+attracting observation.
+
+Amenche did not disembark until after nightfall, but Roger's first
+care after landing was to purchase a chestful of garments, fit for
+a Spanish lady of rank, and to send them out to the vessel. Having
+sent these off, he made his way down to the port and, inquiring
+among the sailors, found that an English ship would sail on the
+following day.
+
+Hiring a boat, he went on board. He determined to maintain his
+character as a Spaniard to the last, as he would thereby avoid all
+questions; and it was, accordingly, in that language that he
+arranged for a passage for himself and his wife, the captain taking
+him for a Spanish gentleman having business with the Court in
+London.
+
+Having settled this, Roger returned on board and, late in the
+evening, was rowed with Amenche to the English ship, which was to
+sail early the next morning. The wind was favorable, and the ship
+made a quick passage. The captain and sailors amused Roger by their
+comments on his appearance. Never, they agreed, had they seen a
+Spaniard of such size and strength before.
+
+"He stands six feet three, if he is an inch," an old sailor said,
+"and he is as broad as any man I ever saw. He is never a bit like a
+Spaniard in appearance, with his blue eyes and light brown hair. If
+you were to put him in good English broadcloth, and teach him to
+talk like a Christian, no one would dream he was other than an
+Englishman. The Spaniards generally have solemn faces, but this
+chap looks as if he could laugh and joke with the best of us. One
+could almost swear that he understood what I am saying, now."
+
+Roger was several times tempted to say that he did understand, but
+he kept his counsel.
+
+As soon as they landed, near London Bridge, they went to an inn;
+and when the sailors who had carried his trunk for him had left, he
+addressed the landlord in English.
+
+"Can you direct me to a clothier, where I can obtain suitable
+clothes?" he said. "I have been staying in Spain and, having been
+wrecked and lost all my outfit, had to rig myself in Spanish
+fashion. I also wish to purchase clothing of English fashion for my
+wife."
+
+"I thought you were an Englishman, by your looks," the landlord
+said; "though the fashion of your clothes was altogether foreign,
+and you speak, too, with a strange accent."
+
+For indeed, Roger found the English words come with difficulty;
+after having, for nearly six years, spoken nothing but Mexican and
+Spanish.
+
+"I have been some time away," he said; "and have been talking with
+the Spaniards until I have well-nigh forgotten my own tongue."
+
+Two hours later, he was attired in the fashion of a well-to-do
+merchant; and Amenche made, as he told her, the prettiest wife
+merchant ever had. They stayed for a week in London, Amenche being
+greatly amused and interested in all she saw. At the end of that
+time, having purchased a stout horse, and a sword to defend himself
+against any robbers he might meet with on the way, Roger started to
+ride down to Plymouth, with Amenche behind him on a pillion.
+
+Six days after leaving London they entered the town, and Roger,
+having seen Amenche comfortably bestowed at the principal inn, took
+his way to the house of Master Diggory Beggs. The latter was in his
+shop, and came forward, bowing, as Roger entered it.
+
+"What can I do for you today, good sir?" he said. "I have goods of
+all sorts and kinds: Italian work and Spanish; silks, and satins,
+and velvets."
+
+"I would have a talk with you alone, Master Beggs. I am the bearer
+of a message from an old friend of yours. If you will grant me a
+few minutes' talk, we may do business together."
+
+"By all means," the merchant said, thinking that such an
+introduction offered some important transactions. "Will you be good
+enough to follow me?" and he led the way upstairs.
+
+Dame Mercy was sitting at work with her youngest daughter when they
+entered the room, Diggory saying:
+
+"Please to leave, Dame. This gentleman and I have business of
+importance to discuss together."
+
+"There is no occasion for you to leave us," Roger said. "My
+business is not so private but that you and Mistress Agnes may hear
+us."
+
+"You know my daughter's name!" Dame Beggs exclaimed, in surprise.
+
+"The gentleman comes with a message from an old friend of ours,"
+Diggory said; "and has doubtless heard him mention our daughter's
+name."
+
+"And Dorothy," Roger asked; "she is well, I hope."
+
+"My eldest daughter was married, three months since," Dame Mercy
+replied.
+
+Roger gave an exclamation of satisfaction.
+
+"And so none of you know me?" he asked. "And yet, you are but
+little changed; except that Mistress Agnes has grown into a young
+woman, whereas she was but a child when I parted from her."
+
+Diggory Beggs and his wife gazed at Roger in astonishment. Agnes
+stood up, with her hands tightly clasped together.
+
+"It is Roger," she cried. "Oh, mother! It is Roger, come back to
+us."
+
+"I am Roger, sure enough, aunt," he said, stooping and kissing her;
+and then shaking hands with his uncle, and kissing Agnes.
+
+"And your father," Diggory asked, "and the Swan?"
+
+"It is a sad story," Roger said. "A very sad story, uncle. Six
+years ago, the Swan was wrecked on the coast of Tabasco; and every
+soul, save myself, lost."
+
+It was a blow for Diggory Beggs. He had, indeed, long since given
+up all hope of ever seeing his cousin Reuben, or of obtaining any
+return for the capital he had embarked on the Swan; but the sight
+of Roger had, for a moment, raised his hopes that the venture had,
+after all, been productive. However, he speedily recovered himself.
+
+"I am grieved to hear it, Roger, though in no ways surprised. For
+two years we looked for your return; but we have all, long since,
+given up hope, and written off our shares in the Swan as lost
+money. I am sorry for Reuben, very sorry, for I loved him like a
+brother.
+
+"Well, well, do not let us talk about it, now. You are restored to
+us, safe and sound; and though the loss was a heavy one, and
+crippled me for a time, I have got over it.
+
+"Now, tell us what have you been doing, ever since. And by what
+miracle have you returned, safe and sound?"
+
+"It is a long story, uncle. A very long story. But before I begin
+it, I may tell you that, though the ship and its venture were lost,
+I myself have returned by no means penniless; and can, indeed,
+repay to the full all the money expended upon the Swan and her
+outfit.
+
+"Now I want you all to come round with me to the inn, for there I
+have left a lady whom I would fain introduce to you."
+
+"Your wife?" Mistress Mercy cried. "You don't say you have brought
+home a wife, Roger?"
+
+"That do I, aunt. She is a princess, in her own country; but what
+is much better, she is the dearest of women, and all but gave her
+life to save mine."
+
+Mistress Mercy looked grave, and was about to speak, when Roger
+interrupted her.
+
+"I know what you are about to say, aunt. The thought of having a
+foreign woman for your niece is shocking to you. Never mind, leave
+it unsaid, until you have seen her.
+
+"But as we go, let us call in and see Dorothy, and take her on with
+us. I should wish her to be one of the first to welcome my wife."
+
+Dorothy was as astonished as the others had been, when they arrived
+at her house with Roger; and cast a meaning glance at him, when she
+heard that he had brought home a wife.
+
+"I know what you are thinking of, Dorothy--our parting on the hoe."
+
+Dorothy laughed.
+
+"I meant it when I said it, Dorothy, and meant it for a good time
+afterwards. It was only when it seemed that I should never come
+back again that I fell in love with some one else; and when you
+have heard my story, and know what she did for me, and how much I
+owe her, and come to love her for herself, you won't blame me."
+
+"I don't blame you one bit, Roger," she said, frankly. "When you
+went away, we thought we cared for each other; but of course we
+were only boy and girl then, and when I grew up and you did not
+come home, and it seemed that you never would come home, as you
+say, I fell in love with someone else.
+
+"And now I will put on my hood, and come round and see your wife.
+What is her name?"
+
+"Her name is Amenche," Roger said; "and Amenche I mean to call her.
+When she was christened--for of course she had to be christened
+before we were married--Father Olmedo said she must have a
+Christian name, and christened her Caterina; but for all that her
+name is Amenche, and we mean to stick to it.
+
+"But come along; she has been an hour alone in this strange place,
+already, and must begin to think that I have run away from her."
+
+Dorothy and Agnes were at once won by the soft beauty of the
+dark-skinned princess; and when, that evening, Roger told the story
+of all that had taken place in Mexico, Dame Mercy's last prejudice
+vanished, and she took Amenche in her arms and kissed her tenderly.
+
+"My dear," she said, "Roger has always been as a son to me, and
+henceforth you will be as one of my daughters."
+
+As to Diggory, his delight and satisfaction were almost too great
+for words. He was overjoyed that Roger had returned, vastly
+gratified that the money he expended on the Swan was to be repaid,
+and greatly captivated by Amenche.
+
+The princess could speak but a few words of English, for Roger had
+been afraid to commence her tuition in that language until they
+were safely in England: but she was greatly pleased with the
+welcome she received; and began, for the first time, to feel that
+someday she might come to regard this strange country as home.
+
+There was a long talk, between Roger and his uncle, as to the steps
+that should be taken. It was agreed that, now Spain and England
+were so closely allied, it would be imprudent in the extreme to
+allow it to become known that the Swan had sailed for the Western
+Indies, or that Roger had obtained wealth there; for if it came to
+the ears of the Court--and such strange news would travel fast--it
+might well be that a ruinous fine might be imposed upon all
+concerned in the matter. Therefore, it was arranged that nothing
+whatever should be said about it; but that it should be given out
+that the Swan had been wrecked in foreign parts; and that Roger,
+who had been sole survivor of the wreck, had settled abroad and
+made money there, and had married a foreign lady.
+
+More than that, it would be unnecessary to tell. The gems could be
+sent over, a few at a time, to Amsterdam; and there sold to
+merchants who would care nothing whence they came; and the partners
+of Diggory Beggs, in the venture of the Swan, would be only too
+glad to receive their money back again, and to ask no questions as
+to how it had been obtained. And so matters were carried out.
+
+For some months, Roger remained in nominal partnership with his
+uncle; and then bought a large estate, a few miles out of the town,
+where he set up as a country gentleman. He was, for a time,
+somewhat shyly looked upon by the magistrates of the county, who
+deemed it an unheard-of thing for a Plymouth merchant thus to
+settle among them; but in time he was accepted, especially after it
+became known that, when he went up to town, he held his place among
+the highest there, and kept a state and expenditure equal to that
+of many of the nobles.
+
+His wife was remarkable, not only for her beauty, but for the
+richness of her jewels, many of which were fashioned in a way such
+as had never before been seen at the English Court. As time went
+on, and the relations between England and Spain grew cold, there
+was no longer any occasion for secrecy; and little by little it
+became known that the Swan had sailed to the Spanish main, that
+Roger had formed one of the conquering band of Cortez, and that
+Amenche was not a Spaniard but an Aztec Princess. This caused a
+great talk at the time, and added much to the consideration in
+which Roger was held. He took a leading position in the country
+and, many years after, fitted out two ships at his own cost to
+fight against the Spanish Armada.
+
+Happily, Amenche's health never suffered from the change to the
+comparatively cold climate of Devonshire. She bore Roger several
+children, and to this day many of the first families in Devonshire
+are proud that there runs in their veins the blood of the Aztec
+princess.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of By Right of Conquest, by G. A. Henty
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