r~ " INK. W CALIF; LIBRARY* LOS ON TO MEXICO! CONQUEROR Illustrations Frank E* Schoonover 1^ THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY PHILADELPHIA' With Cortea the Conqueror To My Brother A. EUGENE WATSON, U. S. N. 2133391 INTRODUCTION The conquest of Mexico in the sixteenth century is one of the greatest true fairytales of the world. A handful of men, lured by rumors they had heard of a land where gold was as plentiful as rocks in their Spain, set forth to discover and conquer it, with small conception of the greatness of their un- dertaking. They found a country abounding in marvels, riches and dangers. By means of audacity, courage and gun- powder they made themselves masters of its monarch and of its people, gave a new realm to the King of Spain, a wider sheep fold to Christendom, and started the vast flood of western gold that for generations continued to pour into Europe's hungry coffers. In all American history there is no story so colorful as the story of the Conquistador 'es and the contest between their valor and the desperate defence of the Aztecs. There is no need to turn to European annals in search of ro- mance. And, just now when we of the northern Republic are endeavoring to understand the character and the needs of the Mexican people, in which the Aztec element is still one of the INTRODUCTION largest, this story may take on an added value due to the light it throws upon Mexico's past. The three different races who played the most prominent parts in the exploration of the New World the English, the French, the Spanish were actuated to a certain extent by the same motives. They sought for fortune, adventure, liberty and the chance to convert the heathen; but they differed in the degree by which these motives affected them. The Spaniards above all desired gold and what they believed was the saving from hell of thousands of unbaptized souls. Cortes's zeal to convert Montezuma and his people was undoubtedly as sincere as his eagerness for Montezuma's treasure. Hernando Cortes must be numbered among the great con- querors of the world. His "army," if judged by its size in comparison to what it was to achieve, would have been scoffed at by Alexander, Cassar or Napoleon. But these soldiers would have hailed the Spaniard as one of them, for his in- trepidity, his resourcefulness, his skill in handling men, his quickness in forcing an issue, and for his relentlessness. It was a cruel age; but Cortes, though there are deeds in his life which may not be condoned, was less cruel than many of his contemporaries, and was never cruel from mere wantonness. He was the true soldier who would suffer when his men suf- fered; he inspired them to deeds which seemed almost beyond the strength of men, and to personal loyalty to their leader, though many had first been his bitter foes. It is possible, as certain historians subsequent to Prescott, such as Morgan and Bandelier, would have us believe, that Mexico at the time of the Conquest was not the land of won- [6] INTRODUCTION der, beauty, riches and ordered government that Cortes, Ber- nal Diaz, Sahagun, Ixtlilxochitl, and other early historians have described it, that the eager imagination of the Conquerors made them ready to see marvels where there were none, and that they and later writers misrepresented facts and institutions for lack of understanding of their real meaning. Nevertheless, even if we concede a certain overcoloring due to enthusiasm or ignorance, there are still many facts of the beauty and size of the Mexican cities, of the warlike temper of the peo- ple, of the magnificence of religious and royal buildings, of the wise husbandry of the populace, which can be proved by remaining monuments, jewelry, pottery and the codices of an- cient picture-writing that testify to a civilization of an ad- vanced order. The contrast between it and the civilization of the Conquistador es is as wide and even more picturesque than that between the Spanish conquerors of Granada and the Moors whom they banished from Europe less than twenty years before. I have followed closely Prescott's wonderful history, "The Conquest of Mexico," for the sequence of historical events. Cortes's own letters to Charles V and portions of Bernal Diaz's history have helped make clear in my mind the pic- ture I have tried to make clear for others of the great sol- dier. Montezuma, Alvarado, Sandoval, Guatemozin, Father Olmedo, these and others are alive for ever in the stoiy of the Conquest, and in many places throughout this book I have used the exact words attributed to them by contemporaneous chron- iclers. Fernando and Ahuitzotl and other minor characters and most of the incidents owe their origin to my own fancy. [7] INTRODUCTION Years ago in a picturesque old hunting castle in Europe I was shown some capes of brilliant color and soft texture. "These are Aztec feather mantles," I was told. "They were sent by Cortes to Emperor Charles V, from Mexico, a part of the treas- ure that astounded the Spanish court." The sight of these exotic garments quickened in my imagination an interest for that strange race and its tragic history which has never lessened. Those readers who desire to learn of what the future brought to Cortes and Guatemozin may find the facts in the pages of Prescott or other historians. [8] FACE I THE LANDING OF THE SPANIAEDS 13 II THE HUNTER . *. 30 III THE FUGITIVE .... . . . . . . . . 42 IV STRANGE TIDINGS 55 V THE FOUNDING OF VERA CRUZ 67 VI CORTES FINDS ALLIES 80 VII THE BEGINNING OF THE MARCH 92 VIII ST. JAMES ! AND CLOSE UP FOR SPAIN ! 103 IX THE SPY . 116 X THE SWORD OF CORTES 128 XI WELCOMED TO TLASCALA . . . . 140 XII THE TEOCALLI AT CHOLULA 151 XIII THE SACRIFICIAL STONE 165 XIV IN SIGHT OF THE GOAL 177 XV MONTEZUMA ASKS QUESTIONS 189 XVI THE GUESTS OF MONTEZUMA 201 XVII MONTEZUMA'S HUMILIATION 218 CONTENTS PAGE XVIII CORTES GOES TO VEEA CRUZ . . . ... . , .229 XIX CAPTURE OF THE GREAT TEOCALLI 248 XX LA NOCHE TRISTE . . .261 XXI THE BATTLE OF OTUMBA . , ... . . . .273 XXII XlCOTENCATL MEETS HlS FATE . . . * . . . 286 XXIII THE SIEGE OF TENOCHTITLAN . . >. . . . . . 300 XXIV THE LAST ASSAULT . , . . . * . . . . .312 XXV VICTORY! . 321 [10] >** "On to Mexico!" Frontispiece The knife struck , 16 The eyes of the Europeans glistened 56 Map of the route of Cortes 105 He was not spared f 107 "Behold the statue of the god!" ... V 148 They saw Montezuma seated 206 In fierce rushes the Spaniards gained 255 "Take and eat," he said . . . .309 11 WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR CHAPTER I THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS HE wind blew direct from the southeast, fill- ing out the sails of the eleven ships, barks, caravels and open brigantines. Their decks were crowded with seamen and soldiers, whose eagerness to reach the goal found even their goodly speed too slow. In the waists of the caravels stood the horses balancing unsteadily in their improvised stalls and neighing nervously when an exceptionally heavy wave pounded against the sides. From the mastheads of the eleven ships floated the royal standard of Spain with its Lions of Aragon and the Castles of Castile. Against the distant horizon those on the port side of the vessels beheld a blurred line. Whenever the breeze died down for an instant the heat of the tropical sun was scarcely to be borne, and men threw themselves panting on the deck, [13] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR only to spring to their feet when a new gust of wind sent the ships flying westward. On the foremost and largest of the vessels stood the chief pilot, Antonio de Alaminos, greyhaired and greybearded, to wliose Spanish eyes the Spanish Main had become more fa- miliar than even the Bay of Biscay. "How soon, Captain?" asked of him a dark-eyed man above the middle height. "In an hour or so now, Senor, if the wind holds out," an- swered the pilot. "As you know, I have never sailed here before, but I do not believe from what I learned at Cozumel that there are any shoals or hidden rocks to delay or endanger us. But I put more faith in yonder line" and he pointed to two sailors who were heaving the lead "than I do in Indian words." "You have had many years in which to test them both, in truth," suggested the Commander. "Since the day I piloted the Great Admiral," answered the pilot proudly, "since I found the way for Christopher Colum- bus when he sailed on his last voyage in the Indies." "What was he like? Tell me, good Antonio," asked the Commander eagerly. "It was never my fortune to behold him, though I mind me well how I listened as a lad with beat- ing heart in my birthplace in Estremadura to the wonderful news that spread throughout Spain when he returned from his first voyage." "I cannot picture him for others," and the pilot shook his head; "but I see him ever in my mind's eye. Only," and he looked up at the Commander as if to verify an impression that [14] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS had just come to him, "there is a look in your eye and a tone in your voice, Senor Cortes, which might have been his." "A good omen, Antonio," and Cortes smiled ; "may the , ' grant that it means a new world for me also to discover." The Commander, whose impatience made him restless, walked aft, and a strolling forward, took his place by the pilot. "Before sundown, you say?" he repeated, "before sundown we may plant the blessed Cross on yon heathen shore? Truly am I blessed that I should live to see this." Both men stood apparently lost in thought, though the trained vision of the mariner made him aware of every differ- ence in the blue waters. His mind revolved the question which he finally put into words : "How can it be, that men tell such tales of Senor Cortes? In truth he seems to me fit timber for a great leader." The bringing back his fancies from the horizon where already he beheld a land of baptised converts, answered: "Did you ever hear the story, friend Antonio, of how the blessed St. Paul was once a sinner and the foe of all Christians and how the Lord changed him that he might accomplish the great work He had for him to do? I would not indeed call our Commander a saint," and a pleasant smile lightened his deep-sunk eyes; "but the zeal for this expedition has, like Saul's vision, transformed the man. That he was idle, a roisterer, a gambler, one even who went as lightly to a duel as to his dinner, is no more to be remembered now. You yourself have seen already at Cozumel how he showed himself inde- fatigable, grave, bold, cautious, a very leader of men." [15] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR While Cortes moved impatiently about from bow to stern, a boy who was sitting astride the bowsprit of the capitana as se- curely as if it had been the back of a surefooted mountain pony followed him with his eyes. He would glance off at the horizon or down at the curling water, but, as if drawn by a magnet, his gaze would turn back to the Commander. Now and then sailors strolling about would hide him from view, and the boy would be restless until once again he caught sight of the man who filled his thoughts. "If only I could do something for him," he said aloud, for there was no one to overhear him. Yet at the same time that he longed to attract the attention of the Commander, he feared to do so. He did not believe that Cortes was as yet even con- scious of his existence, and Fernando feared that when he did notice him he might say that he was too young to take part in the great expedition and must be sent back to Cuba. He could see now that Cortes held in his hand the banner which he had had made just before he sailed and was examining it proudly as a symbol of his future achievement. The breeze freshened suddenly and, catching the bit of velvet like a sail, whipped it out of Cortes's hand, over the rail into the waves be- low. Cortes gazed after it regretfully, and with it sank his heart as at a bad omen. Fernando's act was almost instinctive. He swung himself back on to the deck, ran to the port rail and dived off into the water. The velvet, not yet water-soaked, lay stretched out on the light wave a few feet from the ship, though the distance increased each moment. There was little danger to a good swimmer, and Fernando had not much difficulty in reaching [16] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS and grasping the banner. Holding it above his head in one hand, he swam with the other towards the ship. It was a long swim, though the ship had been turned back by orders of An- tonio, and he was glad when the capitana met him halfway. A rope was thrown over the side and, thrusting the banner inside of his jerkin, Fernando caught hold and pulled himself up to the deck. He was seized with a sudden shyness when he saw that he must stand face to face with Cortes, but he bowed and held out to him the dripping banner. Cortes smiled at the sight of the slight wet figure and said: "It was a gallant act, young sir, and I thank you. If my banner had been lost I fear me I should have thought it a bad sign for the success of our undertaking. Now Youth has brought me aid, and it needs no prophet to unriddle that omen. What are you called? I saw at Cozumel that you could pull a bow well for your years." "I am Fernando de Casteiieda, Sir," answered the boy, whose heart beat with surprised pleasure at the knowledge that the Commander had noticed him. "And how do you happen here, in this expedition that is for men?" asked Cortes again. Fernando felt that the time had come when he must plead his best. "Don Hernando," he answered, "my brother planned to sail with you, and because there were only the two of us left out of our family, he consented, after many prayers on my part, to let me accompany him. For not he, nor anyone else," and the boy's eyes now gazed straight at Cortes, "so longed to seek [17] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR adventure as did I. Only a few days before we were to em- bark he died of the fever, and I besought Don Gonsalvo de Sandoval, his friend, to take me on board. And now, Senor," Fernando clasped his hands in entreaty "y u will not send me back, I pray. For I am strong and soon can I do the work of a man." Cortes smiled. The boy's enthusiasm was akin to his own, and his quickness in rescuing the banner had touched his fancy. "I have no page," he said as if speaking to himself. "It was hard enough to get away at all and there was no time to hunt for one." Then he looked fixedly at the boy as he asked: "Fernando, would you like to serve me?" Fernando could not find words to answer. This good for- tune was more than he had ever dreamed could come to him. Cortes understood the reason of his silence, but could not resist saying: "You hesitate; you think that I shall be a harsh master. You are right. If you serve me you will not lie on a silken cushion like a page in a royal castle." Fernando was in despair, fearing that Cortes had misunder- stood his lack of words and that he would recall his offer. If words would not come, then he must trust to deeds, so kneel- ing on one knee, he kissed Cortes's hand again and again. "Good!" exclaimed Cortes, "it is settled then. You shall serve me, and time it is indeed that I had someone to look after my armour, which grows rusty in this damp air." He bade Fernando as his first duty, as soon as he had changed his clothes, to dry the banner carefully and see that no further harm came to it. [18] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS When the boy had gone below, blissfully happy, Cortes strolled to the stern and stood talking to a young man, both of them gazing at the fleet of ships that followed like a flock of white ducks where the capitana led. "If Medellin, our birthplace, could see her two sons to-day, Gonsalvo," exclaimed Cortes, resting his hand affectionately upon the shoulder of the young man. "Had she known- what mariners we both were to be she might have had special prayers for us when we were born thirty-five and twenty-one years agone. I wonder if some other boy now stands on the hills as I used to stand, looking towards the horizon and longing to push it back farther and farther and to follow to the very end of the world. And then, before I scarce knew the name of the Pillars of Hercules, came the news that Columbus had discov- ered the Indies. From that day, Gonsalvo, whenever I looked towards the horizon it was the West I faced." "Yea," said Gonsalvo de Sandoval, "I understand." "I dreamed strange dreams," continued Cortes, "of the In- dies after the reports came from Palos; but I could not see in my mind clearly what the new land could be like. 'I'll e'en go myself and find out some day,' I said in my heart. Then when I grew older they sent me to Salamanca, and there in the ancient university all there was for me to explore were the confines of books writ in Latin and the boundaries of a young man's folly. Two restless years I stayed there, wasting my father's florins. 'Twas when I went home from there that I first saw you, Gonsalvo mios, and your chestnut hair curled as tightly then as now," and he patted it, while Sandoval looked half sheepish, half pleased. [19] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR "I can scarce believe," continued Cortes, "that my dreams and longings have so far come true, that here I stand, the leader of such an expedition as never before set sail, that yonder the land waits, full of adventure, where Spanish arms shall win fame as a score of years ago they won everlasting glory before Granada." Young Sandoval nodded and felt of his sword with an un- conscious motion. He was little given to speech, but Cortes knew that his own words found echo in the heart of the youth. There was a softness in the balmy air that, like moonlight, disposed a man to confidences. Of late, since the day when Cortes had felt the weight of his great responsibility, he had grown more silent a leader can not descend too often from his lonely height. OBut Sandoval was dear to him, one whom he had known in their home town, and moreover, talking was one way of getting through the moments during which his eager spirit strained forward. "Such weary days were those in Cuba," he continued, pac- ing back and forth with short nervous steps, "when I had naught to do but play farmer on my land, scold my slaves and make money. It was at least a diversion when I could quar- rel with Don Diego Velasquez, some excitement to escape from the prison into which he threw me. He has no love for me, Gonsalvo, since he learned that I was the head of those in Cuba who would have accused him to the crown for his many unjust acts." "But you became friends once more, did you not ?" San- doval broke the silence. He had never known just how the [20] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS matter stood, a matter in which his own fortunes were now involved. "Yea, he appeared to forget his grievances and I forgot mine ; and then when he planned this expedition and I learned of it, I knew that at last the chance for which I had been wait- ing all my life had come. I begged him to give me the com- mand and I promised to find the money for the undertajdng. I could forgive now the long weary days of idleness on my estate, since they had brought me a fortune. All that I had made I got together, and I mortgaged all that I possessed to buy these ships, to provision them and to arm the soldiers. Velasquez has but a small share in the undertaking. Yet," he continued, glancing behind him and lowering his voice, "I would we had fewer amongst us who love him. I trust them not over much." "But why," asked Sandoval, "why did Governor Velasquez seek later to stay you?" "I do not know," answered Cortes, his brows knitting. "Some sudden fit of jealousy, some fear that I might have plans he knew not of to make myself independent and greater than he, may have worked in his brain. He schemed secretly to take away from me my title of Captain General and to en- trust the expedition to another. But we foiled him, did we not, Gonsalvo?" and he laughed loudly, "when we took to our heels while Velasquez thought we had not yet pulled on our boots?" "Fortune favored us," assented the young Spaniard, "as it did in our landing at Cozumel and in our fight there with the Indians. Yet indeed I hope that the folk yonder," and he [21] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR pointed to the coast whose blurred blue tinge was growing greener each minute, "will prove more warlike than those of the isle and of the land of the Tabascans. Then there will be no lack of blows for our swords." "Yours longs already to be at work?" questioned Cortes, smiling. "But it may be it will rust in the scabbard, for who knows whether the tales we have heard be not wrong. Per- chance 'tis but a meek flock waiting for us to shepherd them." "By my faith, I trust not," exclaimed Sandoval emphat- ically, but Cortes did not hear him; his dark eyes for some moments before caught sight of a small island. He called out to the pilot: "Is not yonder a fair anchorage, Antonio, sheltered from the north wind?" " 'Tis for that I have been making for an hour past, Captain General," called back the mariner, and then shouted orders to the seamen. A fisherman's boat a mile or more from land scurried back to the shore before the pilot could question the rowers as he had intended to do. Within a half hour all the ships had dropped anchors down into the sapphire waters, the light striking their forks and sil- vering them as they descended. On the mainland back of the island the strand was covered with the inhabitants from the nearby villages. Soon a long, low boat was launched and made straight for the capitana. Cortes and his shipmates watched it curiously. Did these people come as friends? If not, there was little to fear from so small a number. But as the boat approached they could see [22] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS that bottom, thwarts and even the knees of the rowers were covered with brilliant blossoms and strange fruits. The In- dians, smiling and apparently fearless, swung themselves up to the deck of the Spanish vessel, and with gestures of wel- come and of deference, handed their offerings first to Cortes, who advanced to meet them, and then to his companions. "Come hither, Aguilar," called Columbus to the interpreter, "and tell us what they are saying. "I cannot understand them, Senor," confessed Aguilar after he had listened a moment. "Their tongue is not like that spoken by the people of Yucatan, who kept me prisoner until you came and rescued me. Only by gestures can I communi- cate with them." "And that's no more than the rest of us can do," said Cor- tes in a tone of disappointment, for he had builded much upon the ease with which the Spanish castaway whom he had stum- bled upon spoke different Indian dialects. " 'Twill take us many a day now ere we can learn enough of their tongue to get from them the information about this land which we must have." It was indeed a vexatious delay. Unless some way could be discovered to interpret their words, how could he be sure, thought Cortes, that they had reached the kingdom, reports of whose riches had caused the sending of this expedition? Then Pedro de Alvarado, who had been listening to the whispers of one of the soldiers, spoke: "Senor Cortes, there is a way out of the difficulty, it seems. Juan here has just told me that one of the women slaves pre- sented by the old Indian chief at Tabasco says that she is a [23] native of this land, whence she was sold in slavery to the Tabas- cans. She can turn their words into the Tabascan tongue, and Aguilar can then render them into our Castilian. 'Tis a long and winding road, but 'twill lead us at last whither we would go-" "St. Peter, my patron saint, be praised!" cried Cortes. "Fetch the girl quickly, Aguilar." From the little group of Indian women huddled together in the waist of the ship, who were to serve as cooks and for other menial tasks, Aguilar brought back a young girl with bright features, whose quick step and easy bearing had little to recall her position as a slave. "This is Marina," he said, "or at least that is the way her name would sound to Spanish ears." The girl spoke to the Indians who had stood waiting with- out a sign of impatience, and she talked long with them. After she turned and repeated the information she had gained from them to Aguilar in the Tabascan dialect, he spoke it in Spanish, in a loud voice so that none on board should fail to hear. "We have come," he said, "to the land of the Mexicans, or Aztecs, as they call themselves. It is ruled over by a great monarch, named Montezuma, who dwells seventy leagues away, in a great city, Tenochtitlan, to reach which many high mountain passes must be traversed. It is a land of great ex- tent and of many people," says the maiden. "But is it -the land of gold and of great treasures?" inter- rupted Cortes, "the land of which we have heard? Is it the country we seek?" [*] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS "Aye," answered Aguilar. "Montezuma is the king of the richest people in the world, even so I heard in my captivity. See," and he laid in Cortes's hand a few small gold ornaments which the Indians had placed in his palm; "they say that many more of these await if you will visit their chief, or Cacique, Teuhtlile who rules this province for King Montezuma." Cortes's face grew bright as the gold in his hand. He had then in truth reached the land he had sought, and thankfulness welled up within him. He ordered presents given to the Aztecs and he bade them inform their Cacique that they were about to land. It was the first of April, 1519, that the Spaniards first set foot on Mexican soil. Boat after boatload followed that which contained Cortes and his principal officers, among them Gonsalvo de Sandoval, Pedro de Alvarado, Alonzo de Avila, Cristoval de Olid, Alonzo de Puertocarrero and Juan Vel- asquez de Leon, kinsman of Cortes's enemy, the Governor of Cuba. At the bow of this first boat the standard of Cortes was flying black velvet all, showing no sign of its wetting, embroidered with gold, in the centre a red cross surrounded by blue and white flames and beneath this the Latin motto: "Friends, let us follow the Cross, and under this sign if we have faith, we shall conquer." Cortes, as he sprang out on the strand, carried it in his left hand, and in the other he took the royal standard of Spain which Cristoval de Olid handed to him, and planting them firmly in the sand, he claimed the land for the King of Spain. The Aztecs flocked from every side to watch the disembark- ing. [25] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR "You would say," declared Sandoval to Alvarado as they examined them curiously, "that all the folk of the country were here. They do not look upon us as foes," he added al- most regretfully, for the Indians were bringing with them food of every kind, mats of cotton and flowers which they presented to the Spaniards. But Cortes was too good a soldier to let even this peaceful welcome make him neglect the precautions necessary in a strange country. He ordered the precious artillery brought ashore and mounted it on one of the few sandhills that broke the flat land. The horses were tethered in a stall quickly made of bushes. After these important weapons for so he thought of the horses had been cared for, rough huts were built for officers and men. And nightfall saw a complete if simple camp finished. In the early part of the night the men were unable to sleep for excitement and wonder. Bernal Diaz, a Castilian soldier, was the centre of a group which sought by questioning Aguilar and Marina to discover what difficulties and rewards lay ahead of them. "An army greater in number than yon stars above our heads, you say Montezuma has," commented Diaz lightly, though the glare of the campfire on the faces of his comrades showed him that not all took the news as calmly as he did. "And what of that? When I go into a tavern I do not ask the host to give me bread and wine scotfree. I pay my score. Here too we must pay with wounds for the glory and the gold we shall take from the land. We Spaniards are soldiers, [26] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS not puling children, hey comrade?" and his broad palm came down with a clap on the nearest shoulder. His cheerfulness dissipated the feeling of strangeness and unknown terror which had gripped the men for a moment. Soon they were laughing and singing until sleep overcame them. But there were others in the small army who stayed awake and talked until dawn. Ever since they had sailed from Cuba the adherents of Velasquez had found fault with all that Cortes had done. They blamed him for the fight with the Tabascans and for the loss therein of several of their number. "He plans now to shake off all allegiance to Velasquez," one of them whis- pered; "therefore we must be on the watch to prevent him, per- chance, even to make him a captive and carry him back to Cuba." "Let us not abide longer in this sickly spot," suggested an- other. "Here is little gold, and a man were mad who would seek to advance farther into an unknown country with so small a force as ours." "Fear not," said a third, who was a priest; "before Cortes can think of advancing another step we will act." Word had been brought Cortes that the Cacique would visit him the next day. It was Easter morning when Teuhtlile, attended by his train, advanced to meet Cortes, who stood surrounded by his officers. The two leaders observed each other curiously, while each gravely and ceremoniously welcomed the other. Then Father Olmedo said Mass, and the Aztecs showed no sign [27] of astonishment at a ceremony they could not comprehend. When it was over a feast was served, and then Marina and Aguilar were brought forward in order to interpret between the Spaniard and the Aztec chiefs. "Why have you come to visit our land?" asked the Cacique. Cortes answered: "I am the subject of a potent monarch beyond the seas, who rules over an immense empire, who has kings and princes for his vassals. When news came to him of the greatness of the Mexican empire my master desired me to come hither and enter into communication with its emperor, and he has sent me as an envoy to wait on Montezuma with a present of his good will and a message which I must deliver in person." The Spaniards could see that the Cacique was not pleased at this speech. The Aztec answered: "How is it that you have been here only two days and yet you demand to see the emperor? It amazes me to learn that there is another monarch in the world as powerful as Mon- tezuma ; but if that be so doubtless Montezuma will be glad to communicate with him. I will send your gift to him and when I have learned of Montezuma's will I will tell it to you." Though the bearing of the Aztec was haughty, the Spaniards forgot to resent it when they beheld the presents the slaves laid at Cortes's feet : ten loads of fine cotton, mantles of rare feather-work, and a small basket filled with ornaments of wrought gold. "It is indeed the land we sought," exclaimed Cortes joy- fully to Alvarado. Then he ordered Fernando to see that the presents for Montezuma were brought forward. These were [28] THE LANDING OF THE SPANIARDS an arm chair, carved and painted, a crimson cap with a gold medal on it, bracelets and collars of cut glass, which to the Aztecs seemed very wonderful. Then Teuhtlile, admiring a helmet worn by one of the soldiers, asked for that also to send to the emperor. "Take it and give it to Montezuma," assented Cortes, "and ask him to return it filled with gold. I would compare the metal with the gold of my country," he added craftily. Then Teuhtlile and his train withdrew, leaving the Span- iards to await word from Montezuma. [29] CHAPTER II THE HUNTER WHILE the Spaniards were approaching the Mex- ican shores the fates of many within its borders were leading aD unknown to them in directions which must soon cross those of Cortes and of Fernando. Among these were Ahuitzotl, the hunter, and Xicotencatl, the fugitive. Ahuitzotl was the son of Cacama, a noble Aztec. Since dawn he had been alone in the dense forest in search of game worthy of a hunter, and at last he had come upon the track of a mountain lion. The gaudy feathers of many-colored birds, the chattering of monkeys that sprang from bough to bough across his path, the almost overpowering odors of brilliant blossoms none of these sights, sounds and fragrances of a tropical forest had for one moment distracted the young Aztec from his object. He had not notched his bow when a wild turkey whirred up out of the thick underbrush; once even he had seen the footprints of a bear on the wet sand along the bank of a stream he waded* [30] and had not followed it. It was not for the sake of any easy quarry, thought Ahuitzotl, that one disobeyed a king. His first bear he had killed when he was nine, he recalled with pride; for even though it had not been full grown in either height or strength, still his father and his father's re- tainers had praised the young hunter. That was no bad feat for a child, he said now to himself; but it behooved one who was five years older to outdo his childish victory. In all the Mexican land, old hunters had told him, there was no beast so dangerous, so wily, so strong as the mountain lion, the ocelot. Ahuitzotl had sworn by the gods that he would not eat nor leave the forest until he had killed an ocelot. For weeks his mind had dwelt only on this desire. He feared the softness of the palace life might have weakened his muscles, that his court garments might be teaching his legs too quiet a gait. Now, as he strode naked, save for breech-cloth and sandals, he knew that his fears had been unnecessary. For five hours he had walked through the thick jungle, making a path often by slashing with his knife the twisted trunks of massive creepers. He had noted the almost imperceptible traces of many beasts, but until now he had seen none that told of the passing of an ocelot. _nd all these hours he had been climbing and the jungle had been growing less dense as he ascended. Now, as he neared the top of the mountain the sky widened from the narrow bit over the tree tops ; there were spaces too between the trees, more of which were cypresses and oaks whose straighter, compacter branches made it easier for the light to penetrate. Then he had come upon the half devoured carcass of a hare, and all about it were footprints of the ocelot. Doubtless the [31] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR beast, hearing the approaching hunter, had deserted his din- ner the moment before. Ahuitzotl's heart beat more quickly as he stood there, glancing in all directions. Three trees ahead of him he caught sight of his quarry. He fitted an arrow in his bowstring and let it fly. The arrow was well sped, and the young hunter's aim a true one; the shaft pierced the tree just behind the notch where the ocelot had crouched but the ocelot was not there when it arrived! He had sprung over to a large birch nearer to the boy. Perhaps the beast was as eager for human blood as the boy was for the beast's. At all events, he showed no desire to avoid the contest. Ahuitzotl measured the distance ; it was too short for an ef- fective shot ; so, throwing down his bow, he began to climb the trunk, knife in his teeth. The beast waited until the boy was within reach. Then with one sweeping claw, quick as a flash of lightning, he ripped open the boy's shoulder in five long red wounds. But the boy did not stop as any beast might have had the right to expect ; instead, he raised himself upright on the branch to his full height just as the ocelot leaned down to meet him. Again the awful claws scratched their way through human flesh, but, quickly shifted from teeth to hand, the knife struck almost at the same instant into the ocelot's brain, and boy and beast fell heavily to earth. When he came to himself a few seconds later, Ahuitzotl jumped up and examined proudly his dying quarry, unmind- ful even of his own wounds. It was a splendid creature, and the boy cried out aloud his chant of victory. [32] THE HUNTER After he had washed his shoulder at a cold trickling stream, Ahuitzotl lifted the dead ocelot on his back and began his de- scent to the valley. He had left the garments which he had worn when he en- tered the forest beneath a guava tree by the side of a stream and had weighted them down with pebbles. It was a long way for anyone to walk with wounds growing stiffer each moment, yet Ahuitzotl's heart so rejoiced at his success that he was almost indifferent to pain and fatigue. Nevertheless he was glad when he came in sight of the stream, into which he plunged after depositing the ocelot on the bank. The water freshened the tired muscles, and when he had moistened the leaves of certain healing plants and laid them over the cruel scratches he felt more comfortable. He found his garments where he had left them, but did not touch them. He stretched himself, delighting to feel no bind- ing clothes. He gathered some figs and cactus fruit and ate them. Then, with a long sigh that betokened both bodily fa- tigue and mental contentment, he threw himself on the ground, resting his head on the furry pillow of his dead enemy, and was soon asleep. When he awoke at dawn the forest was again verbal with the voices of birds and animals. The air was still fresh, and Ahuitzotl jumped up and down a moment to start the blood running. His eyes sparkled as they fell on the ocelot. For a moment he was as keenly happy as he had ever been in his life: he was free, unhampered by custom or rule, and he had proved himself a hunter such as old hunters could not help honouring. [33] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR Then his head drooped and he remembered. He had taken the liberty which would never have been granted him. He had thrown aside the garments and insignia of the palace, but he could not forget, hard as he tried, that he belonged there. He wondered what Montezuma, his royal master, thought of the absence of his favorite page, Ahuitzotl, whether his com- panions imagined that something serious had befallen to keep him from his duties. He was sure that no one in all the court would even dream that he had dared run away that he might enjoy a day's hunting in the forest. It was impossible that any boy should dare act thus, said Ahuitzotl, the page, to him- self; but Ahuitzotl, the hunter, wondered that anyone should choose to stay within walls when there was such sport to be had in the forest. However, the excitement of yesterday had subsided a little, and now he must decide what he would do. No man had ever deserted Montezuma's service and faced him again; and though the great king had always shown kindness to him, Ahuitzotl dared not go back and confess. The town and countryside over which his own father ruled as cacique lay farther away, some leagues from Montezuma's city of Tenochtitlan. He determined to go thither. He took up his mantle and bright sash, woven of the finest cotton and dyed red as a parrot's tail. But he could not bring himself to put them on. They were a sign of the life he had run away from. So he left them lying, and swinging the ocelot to his shoulder, once more started off through the forest in the op- posite direction to that from which he had entered it the day before. [34] THE HUNTER It was near sundown when Ahuitzotl emerged from the for- est and beheld at the farther end of the open plain before him his father's village. On a mound raised a few feet above the huts of the villagers, he saw again for the first time in three years the white stone walls of his home. Men and women sat outside of their huts eating their even- ing meal and calling across to neighbors the news of the day, of the taxes to be paid, of the height to which the maize had shot up since the last rain, of the coming festival. Chil- dren played around them, noisy and happy. Ahuitzotl stood still watching the scene. It was simple, homelike after the ceremonious court life which had so wearied him. He began to pick out different individuals in the groups before him, hunters, farmers, boys whom he had played with and fought. He wondered if they would know him. Suddenly one of the men glancing up, caught sight of him and pointed out the stranger to his wife ; and soon the eyes of all the village were upon the approaching hunter, and there were many speculations as to who he might be. Ahuitzotl gave a peculiar whistle, such as the village had not heard since he left it to be educated by the priests at Tenoch- titlan, and men and women sprang to their feet, crying out as they ran to welcome him: "Ahuitzotl! Ahuitzotl! The son of our Cacique!" Never had the boy known such a moment of triumph as now when he told how he had slain the fierce ocelot and lis- tened to the loud praise of his prowess. As he strode along towards the father's house, escorted by all the village, he asked questions of everyone, of how each had fared, who had married [35] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR and who had died. But even while he talked he kept wonder- ing what reception he would meet with from his father. There at the gate he stood; his ears had caught the call unheard since his son had been away. The two great stone figures of the gods on either side of the lintel seemed still to the boy, as they had always seemed, to grow more lifelike and more awful in the dusk. "Ahuitzotl, is it you?" asked Cacama, the Cacique. "It is I, my father," replied the boy. "I have brought you a gift." He threw the ocelot on the ground at the feet of the Ca- cique. The villagers had left the two together, only the servants of the household peered curiously from the distance at their young master. "And where did you find the beast?" asked the Cacique, bend- ing to examine him. "In the forest," answered Ahuitzotl, "near the mountain top, where my knife ended him." The boy noted with a feeling of relief and pleasure the gleam of pride in his father's eyes. " 'Tis no mean gift you bring, my son," and the older man's tone, though he tried to make it stern, could not conceal his affection. " Yet I fear me you have paid too dearly for it. Nay, I mean not your scars," he continued as the boy's hand rubbed the marks of the claws. "All hunters must be willing to pay with these; but you have paid with the favor of Mon- tezuma. Do you know that he has sent messengers in all di- rections to learn what evil has befallen you ; and what will our [36] THE HUNTER dread Lord say when he learns that you are here of your free will and unharmed?" "I hated the court, father," the boy blurted out. " 'Tis no life for a warrior. One grows soft and a weakling, with the feasting and wearing fine garments." "And where are your garments?" inquired Cacama, suddenly aware of his son's appearance. "In the forest; they had become to me like the garb of a slave." Cacama was silent. The night had fallen ; white moths were flying low through the branches and blossoms of the plants of the garden in which the Cacique, like most Aztec noblemen, took keen pleasure. At last he spoke, and now his voice was indeed stern. "What are your plans, Ahuitzotl? Since you claim for yourself the liberty of a man you must assume the responsi- bilities of a man. Do you perchance know of any spot where you can hide from the anger of Montezuma, whom you have offended?" At these words of his father all the defiance of Ahuitzotl fell away from him, and he was overwhelmed with the seriousness of the situation. The pride in his valor and endurance was vanished; instead of feeling himself a man and a warrior, he grew suddenly conscious that he was still a child, with no power to stop the descent of the stone he had started rolling with so light a heart. In a low voice he entreated: "Help me, my father, for I know not what to do." Cacama's heart grew soft at this demand for help; he laid his hand gently on the boy's shoulder. [37] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR "Come, my son, welcome to your home again. It is your refuge, and when you have eaten and drunk as a weary hunter needs to eat and drink, we will consult together." Calling a slave, he bade him care for the skin of the ocelot, and to others he gave orders to prepare a supper. When this was over and Ahuitzotl had greeted all the members of the household, he and his father sat alone. Cacama asked: "Tell me, Ahuitzotl, what it was your desire to be. I sent you to the priests to be educated, as it is meet for one of thy rank. Moreover, I thought you might be glad to become a priest yourself, to serve the gods and to be the master of much wisdom. Then you grew restless in the temple, and when Montezuma beheld you and sent for you to be his head page, you were all eagerness for this new life. Then even the favor of the Emperor was not sufficient for you and you have thrown it aside as lightly as your garments in the forest. What then, in the name of the gods, would you be if Montezuma asks not your life for your disobedience?" "I would be a warrior, father, even as you and your fathers have been," replied the boy with no hesitation. "And where should one learn better to be a warrior than under the eye of Montezuma, the great warrior?" asked Cacama in astonishment. "Have you then been deaf not to have heard of his glorious battles?" "But they were long ago," objected the boy; "now the King has less love for war and I fear me little intention of setting out on any new campaign. I grew restless waiting." "Impatient child," scolded Cacama. "Suppose yonder palm could not wait to grow. And did you think to find war [38] Los Aiir h School lib THE HUNTER in the forest after you had slain your ocelot, or here in my village?" he asked scornfully. "I scarcely knew what I expected, father," confessed Ahuitzotl. "I think I hoped that you would take rne some- where to the borders of the empire where there is always fight- ing; yet I fear I had no very clear idea of aught further than a day's freedom and to prove myself a hunter." "Ah !" sighed the Cacique with relief. "You are but a child- ish truant after all. Perhaps I may succeed in convincing Montezuma that you are still too young to be accountable." Ahuitzotl's pride suffered at this speech, yet he was wise enough to know that it was his youth alone that could serve as his excuse. Cacama rose. "We must lose no more time, my son; we must throw our- selves upon the mercy of our Lord. Not even the needed rest after thy exertions may be thine. You may console thyself for your weariness on the walk to Tenochtitlan by calling it the forced march of a warrior under orders. Bid the slaves bring you garments, and then we must set forth." It was early next morning that Cacama and Ahuitzotl were admitted to the presence of Montezuma and awaited in hum- ble posture and deep anxiety his judgment. At last, after what seemed to them years, the monarch spoke : "Because you are a child, Ahuitzotl, I shall not judge your act as that of a man nor punish you with a man's punishment, which were death. As a child I punish you by sending you back to the priests to be taught wisdom until, perchance, some day it may please me to call you to my service once more." [39] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR The boy made a humble obeisance in gratitude for this royal clemency. So Ahuitzotl found himself once more in the school within the confines of the temple, and during the hours spent in wear- isome lessons he regretted the freer days of his pagehood. He was taught music as well as the service of the gods and helped the priests in their careful calculations of the calendar. Montezuma's heart was softened towards him when Cacama presented the cured skin of the ocelot as Ahuitzotl's offering. The bravery and skill of the young hunter pleased him, and within two months he sent word to the temple that the boy was forgiven and was to return to his duties as page on the day when the wedding festivities of his daughter, Princess Tecuichpo, should take place. The High Priest who brought this message found Ahuitzotl poring over picture writings which represented the wars of the early part of Montezuma's reign. "You are free to leave us on the morrow, my son," he said in a kinder tone than anyone else had ever heard him use. "Perhaps you will serve the gods better as a warrior than as a priest, by sending plenty of captives to be sacrificed to them." "But I fear, Servant of the Gods," the boy interposed, "that there will not be many more wars. Our Lord hath conquered so many lands that with whom shall he now fight?" "Fear not, Ahuitzotl," replied the priest. "This land be- longs to the dread Huitzilopotchli, the God of War, who will never let his altars want for victims. Years and cycles shall pass, our names and, perchance it might even be, the very name of Montezuma be forgotten, but the day will never come when [40] THE HUNTER this land, this Anahuac, this Mexico, shall be long at peace. Fear not, you that glow like a lighted torch, that there will be no work for your arm to do. Even now have captives been brought from the borders of Tlascala, where there have been skirmishes, and they will be offered to the gods tomorrow. One of the youths is a young Cacique of noble bearing, though clad in rough garments such as those mountaineers wear. Ahuitzotl had many questions to ask concerning them, but the High Priest was not minded to waste more time. "Farewell," he said; "return to the palace tomorrow at dawn." [41] CHAPTER III THE FUGITIVE AS Ahuitzotl was leaving the teocalli next morning, he was nearly knocked down by a young priest who rushed past him with most unpriestly haste. As the boy glanced up in astonishment he saw that he had been mis- taken, though the robes were indeed those of a servitor in the temple, the muscular arms and legs could belong only to a soldier or hunter. Moreover, the face was not even that of an Aztec ; its features were those of a foreigner. Remembering the words of the High Priest, it came to him that here must be one of the Tlascalan captives who was trying to escape. Ahuitzotl immediately started after him. The fugitive was already a hundred yards in advance, and when he heard the flying steps behind, he increased his speed. Ahuitzotl followed him around one corner after another, running his best. But the desperate Tlascalan was older and stronger, and increased his lead at every turn. At last, fear- ing reproof for wasted time, Ahuitzotl gave up the chase and [42] THE FUGITIVE returned to the Palace. The captive could not go far before being stopped by the guards. Having shaken off his pursuer, the Tlascalan paused a mo- ment, panting. Near him was the entrance of a windowless hall, and he slipped hastily into its semi-obscurity. There he stood still in order to catch his breath and to listen. From the distance came the sounds of laughter and singing, and behind him, in the courtyard he had just left he could still hear the splashing of water in the fountain. Though for a moment he was safe, as his keen eyes and ears assured him, he dared not linger. Evidently the hall was a thoroughfare through that wing of the palace. Yet how should he know where to turn, he who had never before set foot within these walls? Any chamber or court- yard he entered might prove a trap for one ignorant of its use or occupants. Perhaps it were just as well to leave it all to the gods and to walk blindly in any direction. How- ever, a famous hunter who had stalked both the most danger- ous and the most timorous of game had gained habits of weari- ness that he could not throw off if he would; some of them might help him even here in the heart of the great city, where he was the hunted, as they had helped him when he was the hunter in the forests. He listened again. The sound of laughter came from be- fore him; the courtyard lay to his right; he had then a choice between turning to the left or continuing in the hall. He turned to the left, into a small corridor that led out of the larger hall. He did not run; if anyone appeared he might be able to pass as one who had some business there. More- [43] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR over, he did not fear any pursuers within the palace. When he reached the street again, if he ever reached it, he would find them in wait at every crossing. No causeway would be safe, not even the hills without the city ; their eagerness to re- capture him would urge them on until if the gods were kind he might at last succeed in reaching his own blessed moun- tains. He stood still again, for he had felt, almost before he had heard, footsteps coming towards him. Quickly he made his decision, as once in the past he had made one as momentous, when on a narrow mountain trail he had had to decide to turn back or to face a bear that barred his way. He had gone on then and his knife had done its work so well that it was the bear and not he that tumbled over the precipice. So now too he decided : He must go on. The steps approached, and before they rounded the corner of the corridor the fugitive's muscles relaxed that was only the tread of a slave. If need be, he could silence his outcries, but he hoped that the priestly garments he wore would be his peaceful passport. And so they proved. The slave looked his momentary as- tonishment at the strange face in this portion of the palace; but the robe of the priest which the fugitive had flung about him as he made his escape silenced all questions. Of course, on such a day, the priesthood would be active everywhere; so bowing his deference to this unknown servant of the gods, he hurried by, staggering under the load of rugs, whose vivid colors made a passing brightness in the sombre hall. There was no sombreness in the next corridor that branched [44] THE FUGITIVE again to the left. This the fugitive found carpeted with soft new palm mats, and its walls, of red stone, were hung with cot- ton cloths brilliant with paintings representing victorious bat- tles of his enemies. The sunlight too came in through the opening at the end which led, he saw, into a tiny court. He peered eagerly forward to make certain that it was unoccupied and that no one was on the low roof that surrounded it. Then he flung himself down beneath the leaves of a wide-spreading, low-growing palm that served both as a protecting screen and as a shelter from the sun. He was glad to have this moment of rest. His nerves were as strong as his body, nevertheless, he had undergone that day enough to shake the stoutest heart. For the moment he had succeeded in escaping a most horrible death; but unless the gods were on his side, he knew that no vigilance and no bravery would save him, so great were the dangers that surrounded him. Even as he lay there, so quiet that a bright butterfly lit on his knee and balanced itself, waving its wings in a drowsy rhythm, his eyes and his mind were busied reckoning up the possibilities of escape. It would not be difficult to climb to the roof, but once there, his position might be worse instead of better. He had no means of telling whether another court, or several courts, lay beyond, or whether its outer walls came down to the street. At all events, he must wait until nightfall to explore. Directly opposite him was a large room, the chamber doubt- less of some woman of high rank, to judge by the fineness of its furnishings and the rich carving of the ceiling. This room [45] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR and the corridor by which he had come were the only openings f from the court. It was so quiet beneath the palm tree that the sound of ap- proaching voices was a terrifying interruption. The fugitive again decided quickly. He sprang to his feet, rushed into the chamber and hid behind a painted cotton hanging on the wall. Even as he crouched there in danger of his life, his lip curled in disdain at all the luxury about him. His own people in the mountain homes had no need of such soft coverings, such ornaments of gold, such multitudes of slaves. And his heart cried out its scorn of his enemies so loudly that he felt it must be audible. Through the court they came, straight into the chamber two girls. One, taller than the other, as he could dimly see through the weave of the curtain, bore herself as one accus- tomed to be obeyed ; the other was doubtless a waiting maid. "Princess," said the latter as she undid the veil which hung over the dark braids, "rest a while on the couch. This will be a long fatiguing day for you, and your eye must not be dimmed." But the young princess had no desire to rest. She was too full of life for that, too young to rest in preparation for future fatigue. "It's my wedding day," she sang as she laid aside her outer mantle, "and I shall do only what I wish from now on. But oh! I would that I had my Maztla here to sing with me. Why did I leave him behind?" " 'Tis in truth a pity," condoled the other mockingly, "but [46] THE FUGITIVE why have you not sent a slave to the gardens to fetch the bird?" "Little silly one," answered Princess Tecuichpo, "do you not remember that Maztla's strong beak has broken several fingers already. He will not come down from his seat in the tree for anyone but his mistress or for Guatemozin, my cousin and my husband to be." "Then there is naught to do but forget him," suggested her companion as she began to open carved boxes and to take from them the wedding garments. "It is strange indeed if you can not forget a mere pet at such a time. Surely Lord Guatemozin will not be flattered to hear you." "He has already listened to my complaints," answered Te- cuichpo, but her thoughts were distracted by the sight of the soft cotton robes, the finest woven on any loom in Anahuac, the gorgeous mantle of featherwork that glistened like the humming-bird throats from which it was made, and the finely wrought golden chains and bracelets. She was still so young that this would be the first time she had ever worn the costume and the ornaments that belonged to her position as the daugh- ter of the King. While she fingered them lovingly the fugitive was standing as motionless as the statue of the Sun God in the corner oppo- site him. He was afraid that even his breath might ripple the curtain and betray him. He knew now that he had stumbled into the chamber of the princess, daughter of the mighty Mon- tezuma, Lord of Anahuac and many allied countries. It was her wedding day then which was the cause of the great festival at which he was to have been offered as a sacrifice ! [47] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR Though he could have easily overpowered the two maidens, their outcry, he knew, would endanger his escape. The only course for him was to wait where he was until dark. Then once more he heard footsteps advancing down the corridor. This time they were not those of a woman nor of a slave. That firm tread could belong, he felt sure, to a warrior only. The maidens also had heard the steps, though fully a half minute later than his keen ears. "Guatemozin!" exclaimed Tecuichpo, "what brings you here?" And the fugitive at the sound of that name which already was spoken with respect by his enemies, peered curiously through the curtain that he might judge what this young foe, so nearly his own age, looked like. Prince Guatemozin stood in the doorway, waiting permis- sion to enter ; the handmaid of the Princess bowed low, touching the earth with her hand, which. she then raised to her forehead. Tecuichpo, catching sight of a huge gorgeous macaw sitting on his shoulder, its long red and blue tail feathers almost touch- ing the floor, its curved beak resting confidingly against the young warrior's cheek, ran forward with a cry of delight. "Maztla, my Maztla!" she cried, and the bird, arching its neck forward and flapping its wings, could scarcely wait to climb on to the perch of her finger. It was not until she had smoothed the bird's plumage that she turned to her betrothed and said : "And did you in truth go all the way to the hill just to gratify my whim, Guatemozin?" "I would do more than that, little wife," he answered, smil- [48] THE FUGITIVE ing. "May I now sit down for a moment's rest and talk be- fore they come to array you in all that splendor?" and he pointed to the garments spread out on the chest. The handmaid brought him a seat and then ran off down the hall to fetch him refreshments. The fugitive, who studied his enemy closely, could not but admit that his vigorous body bore no sign of having been softened by the luxury of his uncle's court. His face was bronzed by long exposure, and his arms and legs uncovered by his short robe, looked firm and muscular as his own. He carried no weapons, but the fugi- tive did not doubt for an instant that he knew how to use them. The Prince and the Princess chatted lightly together. They had been playmates all their lives, and though they were now lovers and soon to be husband and wife, there was no shyness between them. They talked of the gardens of Chapultepec whence he had fetched the macaw, and of their pleasure in that beautiful spot. Then Tecuichpo asked: "What meant the excitement in the city? There was such shouting and running about in the streets an hour ago. I had meant to send a slave to discover the cause for me, but then I began to long for Maztla and forgot." "One of the sacrifices escaped from the teocalli" (Mexican temple), replied Guatemozin, "one of the number that will be offered to the gods in honour of our marriage festival. Ahuitzotl, your father's page, who has just returned, told me that he pursued him a long way. They have sought for him all through the city." "That's a bad omen," cried Tecuichpo, covering her face [49] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR with her hands as if to ward off the evil. "Has he been taken again?" she queried eagerly. "Nay, not yet, though the priests swarm through every street. It is strange where he can have hidden himself. But soon he must be discovered. He will betray himself wherever he may be ; he is a foreigner, one of those cursed Tlascalans. He is of high rank, the priests told me, the nephew of one of the four great Caciques who govern the Republic of Tlascala." "How was he captured at first?" asked the girl, leaning for- ward on her stool until her hand almost touched the curtain that hid the fugitive. "He had led a war party down the mountain slope that di- vides their tiny country from ours," answered Guatemozin. "They had come on a foraging expedition, since we are not at actual war just now, in the hopes that they might procure a goodly supply of cotton and salt, which they perforce must do without, surrounded as their boundaries are by our allies. His party was but small and though they wrought their will in a few villages near the border, a party of our troops that marched upon them as soon as a frightened farmer had reached the nearest post with the news of their presence, overpowered them easily and returned with a score of prisoners for our temples.'* The little handmaid now came back with a golden goblet filled with chocolatl chilled with snow from the mountains, and when Guatemozin had drunk she slipped back to a rug in the corner. Behind the curtain the fugitive's body was quivering, with anger, not with fear. " 'Tis a pity," and Tecuichpo spoke earnestly, for she was [50] THE FUGITIVE talking of earnest matters such as she had heard discussed by her father and his councillors when Montezuma had sometimes allowed her to sit beside his throne, "it is a pity that Anahuac and Tlascala should be at enmity. The arms of my father are very powerful, but not yet has he been able to conquer that little country." "But soon he will conquer it, oh! wise little statesman,"- ex- claimed Guatemozin, rising, "soon will another expedition be sent against those dogs of Tlascala, and I shall bid farewell for a day or two to your smiles till I bring thee back the wives and daughters of its Caciques for your slaves." "Never!" cried a voice, and the fugitive, bellying the cur- tain before him in his fury, sprang upon the astonished Prince. The little handmaid shrieked with terror, but Tecuichpo, whose quick wits told her that here was no matter to be made public, rushed towards her and held her hand over her mouth. The two youths rolled over on the ground together, their evenly matched strength giving first one and then the other a momentary mastery. Since neither was armed, the contest seemed likely to be prolonged forever. Tecuichpo knew that any minute her slaves might appear. Then she remembered the small jewelled-handled obsidian knife she wore as an ornament in her girdle. Stooping over the combatants, she slipped it into the hand of Guatemozin, who chanced to be uppermost. In another second the Prince had plunged it into the fugitive's right shoulder. After a few ineffectual struggles, the Tlascalan was impo- tent. Guatemozin bound his arms to his side with a scarf Tecuichpo handed him. Then he bade his prisoner rise. [51] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR "Are you he of whom I spake," he asked, "the sacrifice who escaped from the teocalli?" "Xicotencatl am I," answered the other proudly, "son of the great Cacique of Tlascala, known as the Old Xicotencatl." "And what have you to do here in the chamber of the Princess Tecuichpo, in the palace of King Montezuma?" "Chance led me here as chance leads the hunted deer to a place of safety." "The gods have not been good to you, Tlascalan," exclaimed the young Aztec scornfully, "to lead you into my hands." " 'Twas a woman's weapon that conquered me," replied the other as scornfully, "and not your hands." "Your words are powerless to hurt me," cried out the Prince, who, however, spoke not the truth, since it irked him to realize that it was indeed to the knife and not to his superior strength that he owed his victory. "Nor will many more words, even harmless though they be, pass your lips," he mocked; "for the priests await you on the steps of the teocalli. Their knives are far sharper than this woman's weapon, and before night falls the gods shall enjoy the fragrance of your burning heart." The Tlascalan made no answer, but his eyes looked fear- lessly into those of his captor. Guatemozin read in them what his foe meant him to read. He was silent a moment then he said : i "You believe, Tlascalan, that you are the better warrior and that I could not have conquered if we had been evenly matched with bow or knife?" The Tlascalan nodded. [52] THE FUGITIVE "That I give you up to the priests because I fear you?" questioned the Prince further. The prisoner made no answer, but his lip curled. "Nay then," cried Guatemozin, "your spirit shall not carry such a boast to Huitzilopotchli, dread God of War." Turning to the handmaiden, he commanded: "Fetch me quickly another knife." Tecuichpo started. "What is it you will do?" she asked. "I will loose him," replied her cousin, "and we two shall meet again and fight till the weaker falls." The Tlascalan's eyes sparkled. "Prince Guatemozin is a gallant foe," he exclaimed. Then from the distance there came the sound of music heralding the approach of the Princess's maidens. Already the perfume of incense and the masses of flowers they bore with them had reached the chamber. The two youths realized that it was too late now for their contest. Guatemozin cut the bonds of his captive and threw his own mantle over him. "Hide there beneath the palm in the courtyard," he com- manded, "until the night. I will send to you further disguise and a safe-conduct by which you may pass out of the city and through the country to your own borders. For I could not live to remember that, dying, you believed yourself the better warrior. Then when you have reached your own land wait and I shall come and challenge you to meet me on the battle field and the gods shall decide between us." Xicotencatl stepped forward till he stood before Tecuichpo and saluted her. [53] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR "Princess," he said, "you are mating with a gallant man. I would he were a Tlascalan." Then, facing Guatemozin, he exclaimed: "But since you are an Aztec, the foe of my land and my foe, I will hope each night that the next day will see us face to face in battle that you may see how a 'Tlascalan dog' can bite." [54] CHAPTER IV STRANGE TIDINGS PRINCESS TECUICHPO'S marriage to her cousin, Prince Guatemozin, had filled the streets of Tenochtit- lan with rejoicings. There had been f eastings and dancings at which the court and many of the populace had taken part. When these festivities were over Montezuma had left the city for the spacious gardens and cooler air of his coun- try palace at Chapultepec. He now sat beneath a wide-spreading cypress tree, hold- ing a court of justice. Behind him and at his sides the great nobles of Anahuac stood grouped, and back of them a score of the royal guard, each member of which was of high birth. Those who had known the Emperor only as a fierce warrior and relentless conqueror could scarcely believe that this pains- taking judge who patiently weighed the merits of the cases brought before him and who gave his decision after full de- liberation could be the dreaded Montezuma. One of the Caciques from the allied country of Tezcuco [55] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR expressed this amazement to his host, who had brought his friend to witness the royal audience. "Surely your Emperor is as mild as a turkey. I had thought him, a hawk in fierceness." "You see him now amongst his children," explained the Aztec. "These merchants and farmers and even slaves are close to his heart. But wait, presently you shall behold an- other Montezuma. Even now a deputation from the far South which our arms have conquered is coming. These are strangers to him and their loyalty suspect." The approaching deputation felt this enmity of their dread to beseech their new sovereign to lighten the heavy taxes that everyone, even those of high degree, had to don when they entered the presence of the Emperor, who alone might shine in the splendor of brilliant robes and jewels. They had come to beseech their new sovereign to lighten the heavy taxes that had been laid upon their province. But Montezuma frowned as he listened and then waved them away angrily, saying harshly : "Dare not to question the will of Montezuma. By his might he has conquered, and you must pay the tribute demanded." And cutting his audience short, he rose and moved off down the garden path, leaving the petitioners with heavy hearts at the thought of the news they must bear back with them. "It seems to me," said the Tezcucan to his friend, "that it had been a wiser policy, if I may judge your Emperor, to con- ciliate the conquered. They would the sooner become recon- ciled and contented subjects if their riches were not taken away from them by the tax collectors." [56] STRANGE TIDINGS "That may be," assented the other; "I am no statesman myself. Still it matters little to Montezuma whether a few thousand new subjects be content or not. There are not enough of them to rise in revolt. His power is too mighty." "A root of a vine is a weak thing," said the Tezcucan; "yet when many roots pry through a strong wall they may destroy it." Montezuma had waved back his attendants, except two of the guard who followed fifty paces behind, and his page Ahuitzotl, who bore a cushion for the monarch should he wish to sit down. The Aztec Emperor loved the gardens with their hoary trees and their brilliant and fragrant flowers, arranged with such taste and such scientific knowledge that no plant which grew within the confines of his entire realm, if it could bear transplanting, but was to be found there. Fountains and little canals kept the air fresh, and everywhere the branches were filled with bright-hued birds. The place was dear to him for many reasons : there he had spent many pleasant days, and everything spoke of the pride his ancestors had taken in making these gardens more beautiful than any other spot in their known world. Montezuma walked slowly in the shade of gigantic oaks, breathing in the spicy fragrance of the flowers, and as he went his mind was busy with thoughts of the way the kingdom won by his fathers had grown like the trees about him, enlarging its boundaries as they enlarged their girth with each year. Now, under his governance, the realm had widened until it was washed on either side by the seas. It pleased him as he strolled to play with this fancy of likening Anahuac to the garden: [57] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR the brilliant blossoms were the riches of his treasure houses, filled with gold and precious stones; the birds darting about were his people, warriors those in the most gorgeous plumage, and farmers and merchants those in soberer coloring. But the priests to what should he compare them? He had himself belonged to the priesthood before he had been a warrior and before he had been chosen king. While his mind was still pleasantly occupied with these fancies he came out from the grove into a more open terrace, below which lay the tennis-ground. A number of young nobles were playing at this favorite game; but when one of them chanced to glance up and beheld their monarch leaning upon the red stone railing above them, they threw down their balls and made low obeisances. Montezuma waved to them to con- tinue their game and stood there watching while they ran to and fro and leaped gracefully into the air, their lightly clad or almost naked bodies showing the play of their well developed muscles. It pleased him to note that the best player was Guatemozin, his nephew and husband of his daughter. And Guatemozin proved to be the victor in the hardly con- tested game, and Montezuma sent Ahuitzotl to carry to him as a prize the fan of fine feather work he took from his own girdle. The young Prince sprang up the steps to the terrace and gave thanks for the gift. "It is naught," said Montezuma, "but my son may ask of his father any gift he desires." "There is in truth one for which he longs," said Guatemozin, encouraged by Montezuma's kind words and tone. "Speak," commanded the monarch. [58] STRANGE TIDINGS "That you would make a new war against our enemies of Tlascala and let me go forth to win victory for you." Montezuma was silent for a moment, astounded at this bold- ness. That even a prince of his own blood had dared suggest when and where he the King should go to war was an unheard- of liberty. He thought of calling up the guard and order- ing the Prince to be placed in restraint and kept there until he realized the gravity of his deed. Then he remembered Tecuichpo, and his face softened. He loved his daughter dearly and he could bring no sorrow on her youthful happi- ness. "Montezuma makes war when it pleases him," he said sternly ; but he added in a kinder tone : "When the time comes see, Guatemozin, that you make good your boast." The young Prince knew that it was useless to urge further. "Perchance," the monarch continued, as if he felt a need to reply to a question that had not been asked aloud, "you have wondered, as have others, why Montezuma has not already conquered the little land of Tlascala and made it a part of his kingdom. Know then that I have spared it until now that the prisoners of its people taken in battle might furnish sacrifices for the altars of our gods." A sound of singing, of young voices, broke into the grave words, and down the glade came Princess Tecuichpo and her attendants, all youthful like herself except for the older dame who accompanied them, according to their custom. They wore finely woven cotton garments, embroidered and painted in bright colors, and Tecuichpo's neck and hair were hung with flowers. [59] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR Montezuma smiled as he greeted his daughter. Her attend- ants moved back beneath the branches of a hoary cypress where their bright raiment was as brilliant as the feathers of the par- rots who chattered above their heads. Guatemozin greeted his young bride and then stood aside that father and daughter might talk unheard. "Go back to your game, my son," commanded Montezuma kindly, his anger quite forgotten. "I have need of your wife's company this morning." And Tecuichpo at his side, the Emperor turned down an- other lane that wound round again towards the palace. "Are you happy, my little one?" he asked tenderly. "Yea, my father," she answered, "very happy. The gods are good to Anahuac and to the family of Montezuma." As they came to the palace Montezuma took a signet ring from his finger and gave it to Ahuitzotl. The boy ran swiftly through the carved pillars of the doorway, and before the mon- arch and Tecuichpo reached it a high official had hurried to meet them. Then he preceded them down corridors to a chamber Tecuichpo had never entered, though her childish curiosity had often been excited by what she had heard of it. Its walls were plain without hangings; there were no furnish- ings save a large plain heavy wooden table, one cushioned stool directly behind it, upon which Montezuma seated himself, and a cushion that the page had brought in for her. At Montezuma's gesture, Ahuitzotl left the chamber, closing the door behind him. Then the treasurer walked to the corner of the room and touching a stone in the floor which, to Tecuichpo's amazement, moved easily to one side, he descended some steps that were un- [60] STRANGE TIDINGS covered, and disappeared from view. In a minute he returned with a large box under his arm and placed it on the table ; he descended and twice again returned with other boxes. At an- other signal from his master he opened them. "Come here, Bright Eyes," called Montezuma, smiling with pleasure at her astonishment. The room was suddenly ablaze with color and glistening with gold. All the cunning of Anahuac's famous goldsmiths and jewel-workers was here displayed. There were chains of gold and precious stones, nose rings and ear-rings, delicately fash- ioned tiny birds for ornaments, with alternate scales of gold and silver, brooches of inlay and bracelets that were so heavy that they weighed down the hand. "Do you like them?" asked her father. "If you could choose which should it be?" After a moment's hesitation, she replied: "I would choose that chain of emeralds, just the color of Maztla's breast." "In truth you are a king's daughter," exclaimed Montezuma; "you have picked out the finest jewels of them all. But they are none too fine for Tecuichpo," and he placed the emerald chain about her neck. "And this bracelet and this girdle of turquoise," he continued as he put them into her hands, "will become you well. Montezuma's treasure-house is so rich they will never be missed." Tecuichpo thanked him warmly. She knew without this token of his affection that she was very near his heart, the dear- est of his many daughters. The monarch enjoyed the sight of her happiness and waited [61] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR until the treasurer had carried the precious burdens down the stairs and until he had replaced the stone in the pavement. Then he rose, and followed by Tecuichpo, left the chamber. The Princess could scarcely wait to show her presents to Guat- emozin. One of the Emperor's councillors was standing just without in the corridor, and when Montezuma, seeing that he had some- thing of importance to communicate, bade him speak, he an- swered, bowing low: "Lord Montezuma, there is news of the greatest moment fit for your ear alone." Montezuma sent the willing Tecuichpo off to show her treas- ures and turned to his councillor. "What has happened?" he asked. "It is strange news I have for you, oh my Lord," answered the noble whose tense bearing and features testified to his agi- tation, "tidings which have just been brought by a runner from the seacoast. He has a tale to tell which may scarce be be- lieved, of sights which he says he has seen with his own eyes of strange men who have come no one knows whence or with what purpose. You who are the wisdom of your people, will you listen to his words and judge whether he speaks the truth?" "Bid the courier be brought to me in the council-room, Ahuitzotl," commanded his master, turning to the page who had stood some paces away, out of hearing. Then Montezuma went directly to the hall of audience. As soon as he was seated on the throne, the courier was ad- mitted. He had come the seventy leagues from the eastern borders of the realm in two days. He bore with him, he said, [62] STRANGE TIDINGS a picture-writing sent by the Cacique so that his dread sovereign would not think that the marvels he had to report were the words of a madman. "Speak!" commanded Montezuma, "and then the pictures shall confirm your message." The courier began. "Great. Lord Montezuma, it was three days gone that seme fishermen set out to fish on the Eastern Sea. We who were idling in the shade on the shore watched them till their boat was out of sight. An hour later, it may be, we beheld them returning, their boat flying over the water as if a hurricane were behind them. They sprang to the strand, no fish in their baskets, and they cried out words that, though they were in- deed those of our own tongue, we could not comprehend. They pointed seaward, and then our eyes too beheld what their eyes had seen." The monarch and his councillors were all attention. "What did you behold?" questioned Montezuma. "We saw," answered the courier, after he had humbly saluted his sovereign, "we saw what seemed to be great houses in the water, and white wings, bigger than those of the might- iest eagle that flies over Popocatepetl, were attached to them. We cried out at the strange sight, each of us thinking that per- haps he had drunk too much pulque and therefore could not see aright. The houses with wings moved swiftly, swifter than a boat with strong rowers. They came near to the shore and then stopped, and we beheld men within them. After a while little boats left the houses, and when they reached the strand men jumped from them. But such men!" [63] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR He stopped as if to recall in all its keenness his first impres- sion of these strangers, forgetting almost before whom he stood. "Oh! Lord Montezuma," he cried out, "never has any man living beheld such men as these be. They are not even dark as other men whom the gods have made ; their faces and hands are white, the color of maize kernels." "White !" exclaimed Montezuma, in astonishment. Then he commanded : "Continue." "These men," said the courier, "came from their floating houses until there were hundreds on the sand, and if I should talk forever, I could not make you see how strange was their appearance and how wonderful their garb and ways. The picture-writing that the Cacique Teuhtlile sent you will tell better than my tongue." Montezuma nodded to a councillor to open the scroll before him. There it was, all writ so that the Emperor could see for himself. Montezuma followed it eagerly, picture by picture: the strange water-houses, the curiously garbed white-faced men on the beach, and, most marvellous of all, some beasts on which they sat astride, animals such as had never been seen or heard of since the world began, bigger even than jaguars. When Montezuma had examined the writing again and again and noted the dots and little flags beneath the pictures which told him the number of the strangers, he passed it on to the councillors, and sat silent, lost in thought. "White!" he exclaimed to himself, "men with white faces! Can it be that the old prophecy is to be fulfilled?" [64] STRANGE TIDINGS Then rousing himself, he commanded: "Send to Tenochitlan for the High Priest." The slave who was setting forth to the city in search of the priest met him at the foot of the hill at Chapultepec. Strange rumors were abroad in the city and the priest had hastened to the summer palace to verify them. When he entered the throne-room Montezuma cried out : "Servant of the Gods, it may be that my memory has lost what once I learned from you when as a youth I too served in the temples; speak therefore and tell us of the passing of Quetzalcoatl and of his coming again." The High Priest looked about and tried to understand what the story of a god could have to do with the present moment. But he could not question the sovereign's will, so speaking in a slow, measured tone, as if praying, he began: "You know, great Montezuma, that Quetzalcoatl is the God of the Air; that for many years he dwelt in Anahuac and that the earth smiled ever at his presence and brought forth fruit and flowers, and that no man had to labor. Not as now grew the maize, the size of a man's hand ; but one ear then was the weight of two strong men. No need was there of the swing- ing of sweet incense; all the air was perfumed by his breath. And Quetzalcoatl taught men how to live together, not each alone in a den as the beasts of the fields. He instructed them in the art of ruling and how to take metals from the bowels of the earth and how to fashion them for their needs. There was no lack of food in all the land, no man went hungry, no woman wept, and no child died an untimely death while Quetzalcoatl abode amongst us." [65] "Thus too did my memory speak to me," confirmed Mon- tezuma. "Then," continued the High Priest, "Quetzalcoatl left us, since the other gods were jealous of him. When he passed tornadoes swept the land, leaving it barren ; there was famine and disease and men and women labored and suffered that they and their children might not die. Quetzalcoatl passed on to the Eastern Sea and entered into his magic boat of serpent skin. Tall he was beyond the stature of men as he stood there bidding farewell to his followers, and bearded as none other of gods or men, and his face was white as the pale magnolia flower. 'I sail for the Isle of Tlapallan,' he spake to that magic isle which lies we know not where 'but I will return some day to Anahuac, I and my people, to bless the land.' Thus spake Quetzalcoatl as he departed." The High Priest ceased and gazed in amazement at the ex- pression he beheld on all the faces of those about him. Mon- tezuma handed him the picture-writing, saying: "These strangers that have landed on the eastern coast have white faces, as you may see, and are bearded. Speak and tell me, is then the prophecy fulfilled and come they in truth from Quetzaloatl?" [66] CHAPTER V THE FOUNDING OF VEEA CEUZ THE week of inaction that followed the excitement of the landing tried to the utmost the soul of Hernando Cortes. The old tales of chivalry came to his mind and he thought of himself as a knight who, having blown the horn before the castle of a powerful prince or fearful giant, must wait for him to come forth, whether as friend or foe no one could foretell. "Ask the woman how long a journey it is to the city where Montezuma dwells," he said again and again to Aguilar when there was still no news of the envoy's returning; and Aguilar, after consulting Marina, would reply that the road to the capi- tal was a long and a difficult one. There was nothing to do while he waited impatiently but drill his men, and this Cortes did each day in the cooler hours at sunrise and after sunset. It was a curiously mixed assem- blage, this expedition that had set forth from Cuba. Vastly different were the impulses which had moved the different men to embark on it. There were planters of Cuban estates which had been given them by the Crown, who looked for no more [67] in this new land than to secure more acres to plant and more slaves to work them; there were rough men of low birth and hidalgos (Spanish nobles) of ancient names equally stirred at the prospect of winning immeasurable fortunes. Others there were, young men who had never fought in any contest more important than skirmishes with the Indians of Cuba, and vet- eran warriors who had won their spurs before the walls of Granada in the armies of Ferdinand and Isabella, who hoped for more glory to be won here, who believed that the career of arms was the only one fit for those of gentle birth. And each of them, hidalgo, gambler, ruffian and youthful adventurer, was convinced that his purpose was ennobled by the Cross he helped bear into a pagan land. During the long days of his waiting, as he lay on the mats sheltered from the fierce sun by the hut covered with green boughs, or strolled alone in the cooler hours along the beach, Cortes came to realize that as yet he possessed no army only the material from which an army might be made. In his haste to set sail from Cuba before Velasquez could detain him, he had thought only of getting together enough men and materials. In the fighting at Cozumel and at Tabasco, with the insight of a born commander, he had seen what discipline would be needed to weld these adventurers into an army fit for his great purpose. "And I can do it!" he exclaimed aloud the seventh evening after the departure of the courier. "I can forge them into a body that no army has surpassed since the old Roman legions. But," he added thoughtfully, "will it be large enough?" Day by day new reports of the great extent of the kingdom and of the power of Montezuma were brought to him by the [68] THE FOUNDING OF VERA CRUZ natives who came to the camp with food or to barter with the Spaniards for trifles valuable in their eyes because of their strangeness. To a prudent man the very idea that dwelt in Cortes's brain would have seemed madness ; but no friend nor foe of Cortes had ever called him prudent. Fernando had been quick to learn his duties as a page. He had already found that his master's temper was often quick, but that he was just and generous. Gratitude that he had allowed him to take part in the expedition and devotion to his person made his service a pleasure. On the eighth day Fernando rushed into Cortes's hut and called out : "Senor, the ambassadors have arrived, and there are scores of men weighted like sumpter mules under the presents sent you by their king. Hasten, Senor, I pray. I would fain be- hold what they may be." Cortes smiled at the boy's excitement, but his own was scarcely less keen. He hastily summoned Marina, and she in- formed him that the two ambassadors who were approaching with the governor were two high Aztec nobles. "Master," cried Fernando eagerly, "look, look at him who comes first and tell me what you see." Cortes gazed at the Aztec, then he turned a puzzled glance at Alvarado, who stood behind him. "Has the sun confused my sight?" he queried. "Nay, Captain, that brown chief save for his color is as much like you as if he were your twin brother. I would he might put him into your garments and you into his." And every Spaniard noted the resemblance. They learned [69] later that the Aztec, a Cacique called Cacama, had been spe- cially chosen by Montezuma as an envoy on account of his likeness to the face of the white chief as it had appeared on the wonderfully accurate picture-writing. After saluting the Spaniards the ambassadors ordered their slaves to spread out on the mats the treasures sent by their monarch. The eyes of the Europeans glistened as they saw shields, helmets and breastplates covered with thin plates of gold, ornaments of gold, fans of bright featherwork, precious stones and robes and coverlets of the finest cotton. They saw also the helmet sent by Cortes to Montezuma now returned filled with gold dust, and there were also circular plates of gold and silver. "The finest craftsmen of Seville have never wrought as del- icate work as this," whispered Alvarado to Sandoval as he ex- amined an intricately fashioned chain. Though these treasures surpassed Cortes's hopes, he turned from them eagerly to hear the messages of Montezuma. "It has given our master great pleasure," spake the ambas- sadors gravely, "to hold this communication with the King of Spain, for whom he feels the most profound respect. He greatly regrets that he cannot enjoy a personal interview with you, but the distance of his capital is too great, and indeed the journey is beset with difficulties and with too many dangers /from formidable enemies to make it possible. Therefore he sends these tokens of his friendly disposition that you may not delay in returning to your own land." "It appears that Montezuma does not desire us greatly as guests, Captain," said Alvarado when the ambassadors had de- [70] THE FOUNDING OF VERA CRUZ parted. "And even though you did send him word again that no distance nor dangers would keep you away, I do believe he does not intend that you should ever make the journey to his city." "Nevertheless, we shall go thither," answered Cortes briefly. Though he spoke in a tone as confident as one in which he might say that on the morrow he would rise and eat, when he was alone Cortes asked himself how this thing should be done. He knew that the country was prosperous that he could judge by the products brought into camp and that there was a dense population, and warlike, if Marina's information were to be relied on. To oppose to all this he had only a few hundred men. Never, except in the fairy stories he had heard as a .child, of a prince who killed dragons singlehanded, had there been so foolhardy an exploit as the one he intended to under- take. To distract the men, made querulous and discontented by idleness, Cortes welcomed the chance for action which soon arrived. Into the camp one day had come five Indians whose garments and features were different from those of the Aztecs with which the Spaniards were familiar. They came, they said, from Cempoalla, and they said that their country which bor- dered the great sea to the northward had been conquered years before by the Aztecs. Word had reached them of the land- ing of the strangers, and they were curious to see the white men and eager to have them visit their country. Cortes prom- ised that he would come shortly. But first a more important matter sprang up to claim his [71] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR attention. Cortes was aware that among the adventurers were many men who were either openly or secretly the partisans of Velasquez, Governor of Cuba. During the excitement of the landing and on account of their eagerness for gold, he had found them willing to submit to his leadership; yet he had known that they were plotting against him in secret. Now that they had attained their object and had received their portions of the treasure, they were eager to return to Cuba, some because they were content with what they had gained, and a few more timid natures, because they feared Velasquez* enmity and the harm he might do to their Cuban property if they took the side of Cortes against him. The bolder spirits, among them Sandoval, Alvarado, Christoval de Olid, Puerto- carrero and de Avila, feared that Cortes might be influenced to submit to their desire and return to Cuba. So those who fl^J^HIH had been notified in whispers of the meeting, strolled one by one after nightfall to the hut of Cortes. They stationed Fer- nando outside to guard against interruption and eavesdrop- ping. "We are not minded, Senor," began de Olid after Cortes had welcomed them and begged them to be seated, "to turn our backs on the very gate of this enchanted land nor to carry home a mere handful of treasure when we may return with a bagful." "And how shall you get that?" asked Cortes; "it will not fall into the bag for the asking." "By the points of our good swords," cried Puertocarrero, striking his own scabbard with his fist. "This is no Cuba, to be won easily, and these warriors are [72] THE FOUNDING OF VERA CRUZ no fearful Cuban Indians," said Cortes, speaking deliberately. "But we be Spaniards," retorted de Avila proudly. "Even St. Michael and the rest of the archangels could not subdue Satan and his hosts without a struggle," replied Cortes, stroking his beard. At this speech the hidalgos glanced at each other as if to try and read whether their companions' thoughts were the same as their own. Then Alvarado spoke angrily: "And so Hernando Cortes fears for his skin and turns his back on a glorious adventure. Indeed Velasquez judged rightly when he desired to entrust the expedition to another." Cortes's eyes flashed, but it was in a calm voice that he asked: "And shall I defy lawful authority by refusing to return now to Cuba?" "Velasquez exceeds his authority," said de Avila. "It is in the name of the King of Spain that we set forth. Let us ap- peal to our sovereign to judge between us and the Governor of Cuba, and in the meantime let us continue our work here." Had the light been brighter in the hut a close observer might have beheld a smile of triumph flit across Cortes's lips. "Yes, we will stay," cried one, and there was a general out- cry from his companions, "we will stay, we will stay," till Fer- nando ran inside to warn them that their voices might carry to nearby tents. "Yea ! we will remain," said de Olid, speaking more quietly, "but we will choose another leader than Cortes, who is too" "Stop!" cried Cortes, rising. "Stop, before words pass your lips that your blood would needs wipe out. Harken, gentle- [73] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR men, I crave your pardon for my silence, but it was of design that I allowed you to misunderstand me. I but desired to test your spirits, to learn whether in truth you were minded to dare dangers here from Indians and dangers in Cuba from Ve- lasquez." "Then you will stay?" questioned Sandoval eagerly, who had not spoken before. "Stay?" exclaimed Cortes. "I would not leave this land until we have won it more than a hungry lion would leave the deer beneath its paws. Stay, Gonsalvo? If I were the only Spaniard left I would win this kingdom singlehanded!" He spoke boastfully, but his very exaggeration brought re- lief to his followers. They surrounded him, laughing, joking, begging his pardon for having misjudged him, and Cortes laid aside the stern manner he had assumed for his purpose and was again the comrade of them all. "And now," asked Puertocarrero, "how will you deal with the partisans of Velasquez? Bid us make prisoners of them this night. It will be better to lessen our force till it be all of one mind." "Have you never heard, friend," asked Cortes, "the old fable of the Wind and the Sun? Each wagered that he would make a way-farer lay aside his cloak. So the Wind blew his fiercest, but the man only drew the folds closer about him. Then the Sun cast his warm beams upon him and the man quickly threw his cloak aside." Cortes ceased, then after a pause bowed to his guests, saying "Senors, I shall play the Sun." Though Fernando had guarded the hut faithfully, rumors [74] THE FOUNDING OF VERA CRUZ of that night's council had somehow spread throughout the camp. On the following day a group of Velasquez' partisans approached Cortes after he had watched the daily drill of the soldiers on the shore and had seen the horses led back to their stalls after their exercise. There were so many of them that their comrades' presence made each bold, and they burst out with their complaints that Cortes's intention to stay longer in the land was sheer rebellion against the lawful authority of the Governor of Cuba. They spoke sharply ; and those who knew Cortes's proud nature looked for his anger to flash out. In- stead, he smiled at the deputation and said : "Sefiors, nothing is further from my desire than to exceed my instructions. I should indeed willingly remain in this land and by peaceful intercourse with the natives increase the treas- ure we have already amassed for our sovereign and for our- selves. But since my comrades think otherwise, I will defer to their opinion and I will give orders to embark at once on board the fleet and to set sail again for Cuba." This speech was received with astonishment from both par- ties. "He has betrayed us," cried out Alvarado, and others echoed him. But Sandoval went among his furious compan- ions, whispering "Remember, he told us that he would play the Sun." And de Olid, noting the dismayed glances of many of Velas- quez' friends, said to Sandoval and Alvarado: "Cortes is right, see, they have got more than they wished for. Now they regret to leave the rich land. Their hands are beginning to itch for more gold." [75] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR And de Olid was right. After thinking it over and after overcoming a certain awkwardness in approaching the subject, a deputation composed of both parties sought Cortes the fol- lowing day and protested that he should not set sail. It was necessary, they urged, to plant a colony here whose duty it would be to watch over the interests of the sovereign of Spain. And Cortes, still playing a part, pretended that it was with great reluctance that he allowed himself to be convinced. "There is no one," he said, "more deeply devoted than my- self to the welfare of my sovereign and to the glory of the Spanish name. Not only have I expended my all, but you know that I have incurred heavy debts to meet the charges of this expedition and I had hoped to repay myself by con- tinuing our traffic with these Mexicans. But I am willing to abide by the decision of my soldiers, to go or to stay." And the crowd cried out, "Stay!" "Then," continued Cortes, "that no one may say hereafter that Hernando Cortes acted for his own advantage and against lawful authority, I will settle this colony in the name of our Sovereign, King Charles, and I will appoint a magistracy to preside over it." The soldiers cheered loudly, and cheered again when Cortes appointed as civil magistrates Puertocarrero and Monti jo. The former was a faithful friend of Cortes, and the latter had been one of the most ardent adherents of Velasquez, so that his choice satisfied both parties. The other lesser officials were chosen; then it became necessary to find a name for the Spanish town to be built upon the land now covered by the huts of the camp. [76] THE FOUNDING OF VERA CRUZ "Let it be 'Villa Rica,' " suggested Cortes, "for it will be a 'rich city.' " "And since it was on Good Friday, the blessed day of our Lord's Agony, that we landed here," said Father Olmedo, "let us add 'De Vera Cruz/ of the 'Holy Cross/ " "So be it," assented Cortes; "Villa Rica de Vera Cruz is the name of this new town, and may it ever prosper." Later Cortes, still playing the part of the Sun which con- ciliates instead of exciting opposition, appeared before the newly chosen magistrates and resigned to them his office as Captain General. "This office," he said, "has expired, since it is now super- seded by that of the civil authority of the magistrates of Villa Rica de Vera Cruz." He then walked quietly out from the large pavilion where the magistrates had assembled, back to his own hut. "I am no longer the head of this expedition, Fernando," he said as he sank down on the mats, glad to escape the heat and dust without. But Fernando, familiar with his master's manner, could see that he was not discontented. And in truth it was not long before a messenger from the magistrates commanded his presence. When Cortes had once again buckled on his sword and returned to them, they an- nounced that after solemn deliberation they had found no one so suited as himself to take charge of the interests of the com- munity and, therefore, in the name of their sovereign they ap- pointed him, Hernando Cortes, Captain General and Chief Justice of the colony. [77] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR Cheers went up from the soldiers at this news. It was, how-, ever, not long before the adherents of Velasquez began to murmur : "It's a fine trick he has played us! He caught us napping with his smooth-mouthed treachery! We were fools to listen to his words, fools almost as great as those silly creatures who think that he will lead them to their fortunes instead of into their graves ! But let Cortes beware ; we shall get the better of him yet." Fernando, who had not been near enough to hear their words, knew from their angry gestures that they were threat- ening his master. He ran to one of the older soldiers and told him of his fears. Nothing loath to a quarrel, the soldier shouted to his comrades, and they all made for the spot where the disgruntled Velasquez men were planning their next step. "Traitors!" they cried. "We know the language of your scowls and shaken fists. If you have any words to utter against Cortes or against us out with them and your swords too." Immediately the fight was on, a little sooner and more openly than the Velasquez faction liked. They would have preferred a more secret attack. The fight had not lasted long before Cortes came out to learn the meaning of the noise. "What is the cause of this?" he questioned sternly. The Velasquez partisans saw that they had gone too far to cover up their intentions and therefore did not attempt to hide from Cortes their soreness at what they called his falseness. Cortes no longer felt the need of conciliating them. His au- [78] THE FOUNDING OF VERA CRUZ thority was now firmly established and he determined to make use of it. "Since you have chosen me legally and with respect to Span- ish custom, I will rule you, whether you will or no. And those who disobey or incite to rebellion against me will wish they had never laid eyes upon Hernando Cortes. Bind those men," he commanded his loyal soldiers, "and put them in irons on board the ships." The ringleaders were soon led off to imprisonment, and the wavering were sent off on a foraging expedition under Al- varado's keen eyes, so that they could find no chance of doing further harm. [79] --Vj-^Utf''-- CHAPTER VI CORTES FINDS ALLIES NOW that those of the Velasquez faction had been over- awed or won over, Cortes was eager to pay the prom- ised visit to the Cacique of Cempoalla. He sent one of the ships to explore the coast while he himself commanded the troops that followed the shore northward into the country of the Totonacs. So wearied were the eyes of the Spaniards of the low mo- notonous land surrounding Vera Cruz, that they cried out with delight at the first sign of a more varied landscape. The plains began to slope up into hills that were covered with trees, shrubs and vines undreamed of in Europe, and even many that were new to those familiar with the tropical groves of Cuba. Fruits were there for the picking; and Cortes, always glad to indulge his men when it was not at the expense of discipline, set the march at an easy pace and one that had many baitings. The men were like children let out of school. They ex- amined eagerly everything that was novel : some who had come almost direct from Spain, hearing from their comrades who [80] CORTES FINDS ALLIES had been longer in the Indies that the low hanging clusters of bananas were good to eat, plucked them and bit into them, skin and all, to the amusement of their more sophisticated com- panions. Others tried to catch the brightly colored parrots and other birds that whistled and called from the branches above them, or wondered at the strange animals they beheld the armadillo, for instance, "like a Swiss lanzknecht in his armour," declared Sandoval. Everyone kept running to Marina to ask questions : what was the name of that strange horned lizard? Was this berry good to eat? Was that gold that glittered in the sands of the shallow stream through which they waded, and were there lions and bears in the dense forests surrounding them? And Marina, who had already picked up a fair knowledge of Span- ish, answered each one, or when she could not understand them or had not the terms to reply in, would smile and do her best. "Surely this is a land of enchantment," said de Olid to Cortes as they rested at noon beneath a palm tree. "The wizards set the sandy ugly coast as a barrier to dishearten knights in search of adventure." "And who knows what new marvels lie still ahead of us," suggested Cortes. "In truth, since the days of the Crusades no man in Europe has wrought such deeds as await us, nor have his eyes beheld what we shall behold. It is as if in this New Spain of the Western Seas a spring of new blossoms were waiting man wearied of the winter monotony of existence in Europe. Is it not a very wonder that stirs the spirit to its depths that we cannot foresee nor even so much as imagine what each day shall bring forth? We rise up in the morn [81] not as in Spain, saying, 'To-day will I eat this, wear this, go hither, behold plains, cities, rivers, mountains, and meet with men and women who look as men and women have looked since the world began.' Nay, here it may be that men shall have one eye set in the middle of the forehead or walk upon their hands ; the land, for all we know, may be paved with silver, and in place of trees there may be strange beasts upholding the sky upon their shoulders. Everything i possible," he continued, his eyes sparkling, "it is the great Unknown that awaits us, and no man has ever led such a quest as I lead." "You are eloquent indeed, Captain," admitted de Olid. "Yet I confess 'tis not so much the Unknown that draws me as the known gold in the land, to be won by a few sharp blows of my blade that has served me faithfully since it first drew Moorish blood before Granada's walls." "Your few blows may grow to many," said Cortes, his ex- pression changing to one of thoughtfulness. "Marina tells me that Montezuma's troops are as numerous as the stalks in yon- der far off field of maize, as they call the plant, or as the flocks of that strange peacock-like fowl she calls turkey." But de Olid's fancy was not one that saw difficulties in ad- vance, nor did he experience the anxiety of a commander. The next day, after passing through thick forests where prickly-pear trees and trees of liquid amber and cocoas and other palms shaded the way for leagues, the Spaniards came upon several deserted villages. They judged that the inhabit- ants, having learned through some mysterious source of their approach, had flown from their homes in fear of the strangers. They examined the houses curiously and searched for treas- [82] CORTES FINDS ALLIES ures, but Cortes issued strict orders that there should be no pillaging. At the second village Cortes found awaiting him Alvarado, who had been sent ahead with an advance guard. "Senor!" cried his lieutenant, "we have beheld such a sight as no white man has ever seen before. It has turned my sol- dier's stomach till it is no stronger than a woman's." Cortes, followed by his officers, let Alvarado lead him to the temple. It was built pyramid-shape, with a flight of wide steps up the front, and its top was a square on which stood images of horrible gods wrought in dark stone. And there was another stone' also the Stone of Sacrifice and on this and on the stone pavement upon which it rested lay human bodies, a hole gaping in each where once the man's heart had beat. "Human sacrifices!" cried Cortes; " 'tis indeed a most grue- some sight. Truly the Lord has directed our coming to this land, that we may show these benighted paynims the error of their ways and awaken their souls to our blessed faith." Fernando, who but the year before had been a child cared for * by nurses, shivered at the sight, and tears sprang to his eyes. Yet the place had an awful attraction for him, and he listened eagerly while Marina explained that in every temple through- out the land hundreds of human victims were sacrificed each year and their hearts, torn from their living bodies, were lifted"*"* up as the most pleasing of offerings to the gods. jf* The following day they neared Cempoalla, and as they ap- proached thousands of men and women of the Totonac race came forth to welcome them. They threw about the necks of [83] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR the Spaniards circlets of flowers and offered to them fruit and drink which they carried in woven baskets and brilliantly dec- orated earthenware vessels. The Spaniards were interested in noting the difference between the Cempoallans and the In- dians near Vera Cruz. All, men and women, wore garments of cotton brightly colored and the men, in addition, wore capes over their shoulders and sashes about their waist. The city to which they were escorted was a large one sur- rounded by orchards and gardens; the houses w r ere well built and covered with stucco that glistened so brightly in the sun- shine that some of the Spaniards, expectant of all wonders, called out that the walls were made of silver. The Cacique, who overtopped all of his own people and most of the Spaniards also, welcomed Cortes with great courtesy, and placed at the disposal of his visitors numerous apartments opening out of a great courtyard. Though Cortes had no reason to doubt the friendliness of the Totonacs, nevertheless he did not relax any of his precautions. Guards were stationed and the rounds made as regularly as if they were in a hostile country. At the formal reception by the Cacique Marina accompanied Cortes and translated the speech of each leader to the other. Cortes said that he had come to the land to bring to Montezuma the message of his own sovereign and to overthrow the worship of idols and to teach the faith of those who worshipped the Christian God. "The gods send us sunshine and rain," answered the Cacique; "we desire no better ones." He spoke of Montezuma and of his great power, of how [84] CORTES FINDS ALLIES the Totonacs, akin to the Aztecs, had been conquered by them, and how merciless were their conquerors, how they exacted large tribute and, should the Totonacs dream of resisting, how their young men and women would be borne away to Tenoch- titlan to be offered up there as sacrifices in the temples. He added, when Cortes questioned, that there were other parts of the kingdom which were also oppressed, but he said : "How should we revolt more than the shore might revolt against the sea? Montezuma's armies would overwhelm us as the waves cover the sand, and we should be no more." During this interview the thoughts of Cortes had been rac- ing through his brain. No possible difficulties, no certain dangers confronting them had made him hesitate a moment in his design to advance on Montezuma's capital. But daily, hourly, his mind had been seeking the way, the method by which he might lead safely his few hundred men against the hosts that would probably seek to bar him. Now at last he saw the way ! Dissension and rebellion in the land itself should be his aid. He would use to the utmost the enemies Monte- zuma's harshness had made in his own realm. Cortes talked eloquently with the Cacique while his men were being feasted. "A single Spaniard," he boasted, "is worth a host of Aztecs" ; and at last his words and the awe of the white man conquered the Cacique's fears and he agreed to assist the Spaniards in their undertaking. It was not long before he was called upon to keep his word. Cortes, eager to explore the land still further, had marched along the coast to the town of Chiahuitzlan, where the Cacique joined him. While they were greeting each other a stream of 7 : WITH CORTES THE COXQUEROR people began to surge into the wide market place, sullenness and dismay painted on their features. Five men in richer garb than was worn by any of the Totonacs strode through the crowd bearing wands in their hands, and slaves with fans brushed the flies away from them. "By St. James!" cried Alvarado to Sandoval, "did you ever see such overwhelming pride? The King of Castile bears him- self more humbly." He noticed that Marina, standing behind Cortes, was trem- bling, and he pointed her out to his commander. "Speak," ordered Cortes. "Who are these men and why do you tremble, and why greets them the Cacique so hum- bly?" "They are Aztec chieftains," she answered in a low voice, hiding her head in her scarf. "They are come to collect tribute for Montezuma, and no man in all the land dare refuse aught to one who beareth a wand. And he who wears that chain of little gold rabbits, he it was who used to come for tribute to the village where I was born. His servant it is to whom my mother sold me as a slave, and he in turn sold me again to the Tabas- cans." There was a great silence in the market place ; then in a loud voice one of the Aztecs spoke, saying that Montezuma's dis- pleasure had been roused by the actions of the Totonacs be- cause they had welcomed the white strangers without his per- mission. Therefore, in addition to the tribute due, they should send twenty youths and maidens to Tenochtitlan for sacrifice in the temples. There was weeping and sobbing, and many a mother sought CORTES FINDS ALLIES to cover her daughter with her skirt, and many a father threw his cape over his son's head. "Quick! Marina," commanded Cortes as soon as she had translated this speech, "tell the Cacique of Cempoalla that now the hour has come to cast off the hated yoke of the Aztecs. Tell him to seize and bind these proud nobles, and together we will face Montezuma's wrath." Marina trembled still. The fear of the power of her dread sovereign had returned in all its old force. Yet already her heart had gone out to the Spaniards, to these men who spoke of doing what no mere human being might accomplish. She believed in them and in their powers, yet for a moment she hesitated. Then bravely in a firm loud voice she transmitted Cortes's message. The Cacique too hesitated. Which side should he choose; which would prove the stronger? Dared he revolt against the Lord of Anahuac, whose vengeance would be so frightful? But at last Cortes prevailed against his fears, and he gave the command. His guard flung themselves upon the tax collect- ors, bound them hand and foot and bore them off to prison, while the populace cried out in frenzied joy or shook their heads questioningly. Though it was from policy that these tax collectors were freed later on and sent back to Montezuma, the news that their Cacique, aided by the Spaniards, had defied the .authority of Montezuma spread rapidly throughout the entire country of the Totonacs. Everywhere, in towns, villages and in the fields, it was talked about with fear or hope, fear of the Aztec ven- geance and hope that at last the chance had come to win inde- WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR pendence. It was too late to back out now even if they would, and all the chiefs of the Totonacs swore to help the Spaniards to the utmost. Now that these valuable allies had been won, Cortes and his small force returned to Vera Cruz. During their absence a ship from Cuba had arrived with twelve soldiers and two horses. The newcomers brought word fhat Velasquez planned to send a new expedition to Mexico to interfere with Cortes's under- taking. "I'll cut them down as they land on the beach," cried San- doval angrily. "The better way would be to prevent their coming at all,'* replied Cortes, who however smiled at Sandoval, pleased at the youth's enthusiastic loyalty. "And how, Captain, may that be brought about?" ques- tioned Puertocarrero as they sat at sundown on the sand, wav- ing fans brought from Cempoalla to set the heavy air in motion. "Who is the superior of Velasquez?" asked Cortes, unbuck- ling his heavy sword and handing it to Fernando. "The Governor of Hispaniola?" asked de Olid. "Higher than that, Cristoval," said Cortes, "higher even than the Council of the Indies in Spain. I mean our gracious Sovereign, King Charles of Castile and Aragon, and now also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. We will appeal to him to confer upon us full authority to explore this land. Then Velasquez can no more act against us than yon fish there can live now that the wave hath cast it high and dry." They discussed the best means of doing this, and Cortes V \ \ CORTES FINDS ALLIES wrote a long letter to the King, setting forth all that had al- ready been accomplished and all that he hoped to do. The royal fifth of the treasure was to be sent with the letter by ship to Spain; but Cortes, who desired to overwhelm Spain by the sight of the riches won and thus make the King eager to gain more, put a suggestion to his officers that they should all give up their portions of the gol^ and jewels and send them as a gift to the King. Then the soldiers were told what their lead- ers were doing and that by this gift they would likely gain favor from their Sovereign. They, too, they were told, might contribute if they liked, but it was left to each to decide himself whether he would make a present sacrifice for a possible gain in the future. All of them brought forward the treasures they had gloated over and delivered them up more or less willingly. It may be that the suggestion to contribute their hoarded gold seemed too much like a command. At all events, it helped inflame the minds of some of the soldiers against Cortes; and they added this wrong, as they termed it, to the other wrongs they counted up against him. One day Fernando was so careless in his manner of serving his master, dropping his sword and casque and spilling wine from the goblet upon his doublet, that Cortes glanced up to ob- serve the lad. He noticed that Fernando seemed eager to speak, but he did not question him until the officers who had dined with him left the pavilion. "What is it, boy?" he asked. "Tell me before your secret makes you wreak yet more damage to me and to my apparel." Then Fernando related how the night before when he had come up from bathing in the gulf, he had approached unseen a [89] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR number of soldiers sitting together in the darkness, well away from the rest of the camp. They had set a sentry between them and the tents, but had not expected that any one would come upon them from the water side. "They were plotting against you, Senor," said the boy in an awestruck tone. "They fear you and they fear this land of wonders and strange dangers, and so they have taken one of the ships and stored provisions aboard and will sail her back to Cuba and join your enemies there. 'Tis tonight they in- tend to sail. The priest, Juan Diaz, and Escudero are the leaders." Cortes wasted no words in further questions, but began is- suing orders. Even as the conspirators were stealing down to the beach where the vessel would have weighed her anchor an hour later, they were seized and carried away to be judged and sentenced. But though Cortes had dealt successfully with two revolts, he realized that in order to prevent others in the future he must take some step that would bind the entire expedition more closely together. He thought long over this matter, and then talked it over with several of his officers. Fernando was sent with secret messages to the captains and pilots of the ships, and soon they returned a report in which they laid before the Captain General the information that the severe storms which had been raging had so strained the tim- bers of their vessels that they were no longer seaworthy. When Cortes heard this report he exclaimed: "If it be so we must make the best of it. Heaven's will be done." [90] CORTES FINDS ALLIES He ordered all the sails and spars and stores to be taken off the ships and stored at Vera Cruz and then he com- manded that all the vessels be burned. There was a terrible out- cry among the troops when this news was made known and some of the men declared that he had betrayed them and taken away all means of escape from the land where he meant them to perish. But Cortes looked calmly on when they crowded about him, crying and gesticulating angrily. He waited until their voices were hoarse with their shoutings, then he began to speak. He praised their bravery and recalled what they had al- ready accomplished, and he promised them victory in the fu- ture and innumerable spoils. "But," he called out when the loud cries had dwindled to occasional murmurs, "there is yet one vessel left. They who fear may sail on her to Cuba." He paused and waited for an answer, but no man stepped forward. Instead their leader's eloquence had inspired them. They forgot their grievances, and thought only of the glory and spoils they would take home with them some day. Toss- ing caps into the air, they cried: "To Mexico City ! On to Mexico !" By this desperate deed Cortes had indeed made the fate of one the fate of them all. There they now stood in a strange land which they must conquer or wherein they must perish. And the hearts of the brave Spaniards rose to meet the great adventure. [91] CHAPTER VII THE BEGINNING or THE MAKCH WHILE Cortes, his army increased by the three thou- sand Cempoallan allies, was marching towards the borders of the Republic of Tlascala, the streets and council palace of its capital city were noisy with the shouted opinions of its populace and councillors. News of the westward march of the whitefaced strangers ever since they set out from Vera Cruz had reached the city daily, and in the market place even bargaining for food or pottery vessels for which the land was famous had lost interest for the folk, now that there was the chance that these myste- rious strangers might try to invade their land which lay on the route to Tenochtitlan. Discussions as to this possibility grew so vehement that the police, upon whose efficiency the four- quartered city prided itself, had to interfere several times to restore quiet among the disputants. Then when the four Cempoallan envoys arrived, bearing as' a sign of their embassy from the Spaniards a token of num- berless black marks upon white paper which, unlike their own picture-writing, could not be solved even by the priests, it was [92] THE BEGINNING OF THE MARCH learned that the Spaniards asked thereby, and through the words of their allies and envoys, for permission to traverse Tlascala on their way to Montezuma's capital, and the up- roar and the expression of divers opinions increased. Within the council-hall the four Caciques who ruled Tlascala with equal authority had gathered together a large assembly composed of lesser Caciques, knights and soldiers of various grades. The youngest of the ruling Caciques, Maxixcatzin, was the first to speak after a moment of silent deliberation. "Brother Rulers and nobles, we have to decide this day such things as have never been discussed in all the long years since The Land of Bread (the Tlascalan meaning of the name of the country) was first settled by our forefathers. Our friends from Cempoalla have brought to us the message of the white- faced strangers who desire to pass through our borders. Let our deliberations be not too lengthy, since while we talk they approach nearer and nearer our wall." There was a murmur of approval and the Cacique continued : "As the youngest of us four rulers, it is my duty to speak first my opinion ; then last of all our venerable Xicotencatl, be- loved of the gods, will give us the weight of his experience, the fruit of his five-score years. Had we ever seen these myste- rious strangrs who ask this of us, it would be easier to frame our reply. When one has looked into a man's face one knows whether he is strong or weak, and oftentimes whether he is honourable or a scoundrel. But we must judge with no knowl- edge of what kind of men be these who come to us or . . . even if they be men and not gods !" [93] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR At last he had voiced the thought of many a heart in the assembly. All of them knew of the prophecy of the return of Quetzalcoatl, or of his people he had promised to send back from his magic isle. Could men be men who differed as did these strangers from all that was known of human ways? "We know not even if they be mortal," continued Maxixcat- zin. "No one has seen one of them die, and 'tis said that their leaders do not even walk as men do but sit upon some creat- ures that resemble no beasts our land hath ever bred. If they be not gods they must be at least magicians, and we should welcome them into Tlascala, since surely gods will recompense kindness or punish revolt against them." The next eldest Cacique rose and began to speak: "If they were gods would they insult the statues and tem- ples of gods as we learn they have done on their march hither? If we let them pass through our borders shall our temples be safe? And if they be not gods but men, why should Tlascala, that has ever stood proud and victorious against all her enemies, admit an army which may be that of a foe? We have not for- gotten how to defend our borders." The soldiers applauded this opinion, as the more thoughtful men in the council hall, those whose imaginations and supersti- tions were moved by the prophecy of the bearded white men, had applauded the opinion of Maxixcatzin. The third Cacique, a warrior who bore the scars of many a battle with the Aztecs, whose son had been captured by them and sacrificed on the Great Teocalli in Tenochtitlan, now sprang to his feet with a lightness and quickness of movement [94] THE BEGINNING OF THE MARCH that would not have been expected of his seventy years. He spoke quickly also: "Yes, we can defend our borders, but let us see that it is against foes and not friends that our wall is manned. These strangers seek Moritezuma ; they march against his capital whither every soul in Tlascala would march if there were but enough of us. They ask of us to be their allies. Lo! I say to all of you that the gods themselves have sent these allies men, not gods. At last our day has come, the day for which every Tlascalan knight or noble makes ready, himself and his son, when we shall go forth against the Aztecs to conquer those who would have conquered us, the foe whose name is bitterer in our mouths than aloes. Let us bid these strangers welcome ; let us hasten towards them with thanksgiving and feasting, and greet them as friends." The deep hatred of the Aztecs and the thought that with the aid of the strangers it might be possible for Tlascala to right her ancient wrongs, swayed the Council more strongly than the words that had gone before. It remained now for the venerable Xicotencatl to speak. If he were of a like mind then not a minute would be lost in sending couriers to meet the strangers and conduct them to the city. "It is indeed true," he began in a voice that was so low that the ears of all were strained not to miss its message, "that we would eagerly welcome a warlike ally against the Aztecs. I have lived many years in the hopes of seeing the power of our enemies weakened, but my eyes" and he pointed a shaking finger towards his sightless eyes "grew weary waiting for such a sight. If these white strangers are in truth foes of the [95] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR Aztecs let us join them; but would foes of Montezuma accept presents from Montezuma as these men have done?" The point he made was recognized by the Council and men shook their heads or looked grave. The blind chief turned his head from side to side as if he were trying to discover what his listeners were thinking. Then he continued: "We know not why these men have come from afar, but we do know the enmity of Montezuma to our land and folk. Who shall say that he has not sought out this new way of invading the land of Tlascala? Shall we let these men set foot on our sacred soil when our young warriors are eager for battle ? My son, as ye know, is at the head of his troops. Let us send word swiftly and secretly to him to fall upon these strangers. If he be victorious then shall we all rejoice; if he is worsted then let us say that he acted without orders from us." A cheer rose from the Council. The ancient Cacique who had lived for more than a century was revered as one possessing almost superhuman wisdom, and those who had argued for another course were almost all convinced by his arguments. So a messenger was bidden to seek young Xicotencatl and convey to him the command of the Republic. It had been a long and arduous journey for the Spaniards from the hot plains of the seacoast up into the mountains where they suffered at night bitterly from the cold. The population of the towns and villages through which they passed were too curious, too awed or too politic to begin hostilities. But Cortes allowed no relaxation of discipline. There was no straggling, no laying aside of arms, even at night they must sleep in full armour. It was better to be a horse, some of the men grum- [96] THE BEGINNING OF THE MARCH bled, since they were unsaddled and allowed to roll about at freedom when evening came. But there was no real discon- tent with their captain's stern measures. His men had already caught the contagion of Cortes's enthusiasm and were willing to submit to the restraints he considered necessary. "Yet," declared Sandoval as their horses climbed slowly up the mountain which must be crossed before they reached the borders of Tlascala, "I would that we might have some of the excitement of soldiers, since we suffer all the hardships of a soldier's life. Now I long for a sharp little contest with a foe. My blood is chilled in this hilly region, and needs a stirring." "Perchance you will not have long to wait," Cortes consoled him. "As an old sailor feels the coming storm in his bones, so I feel an approaching conflict but I prophesy not how soon." A moment later Cortes and his lieutenants who rode in the van gave a sudden cry of astonishment. Their way was blocked before them not by an army, as those in the rear imagined when the whole line before them halted suddenly but by an enormous wall. It stretched away on either side farther than the eye could reach. It was nine feet high and twenty feet thick, so that its summit was a very fortress for defenders. There was only one opening, as Cortes made sure, sending men to either side who testified that they could find no other, and that the wall seemed to have no end. This en- trance was most curiously contrived so that those who at- tempted to pass through the semi-circular passage would be at the mercy of whoever held the gate. "Now I understand," exclaimed Cortes, "what the Cempoal- [97] lans told me of the barrier the Tlascalans built to keep out their enemies. 'Tis no race of fools who fashioned such a rampart. But now let us be on the lookout whether there may not be some way of passing it. We have not travelled so far to be halted here." With the greatest caution, muskets and crossbows ready, Cortes approached the entrance. There was no foe to be seen, no warder to call out to them; but this only roused his prudence the more. A hidden enemy if the Tlascalans were indeed enemies was more dangerous than two whose presence he would observe. But there was no stir as Cortes advanced into the gateway. No Tlascalan came forward to welcome or to forbid their passage. And to their great astonishment, the Spaniards found themselves unopposed upon the soil of the Republic of Tlascala. "I would I knew what this means," Cortes said to himself, who could not know of the deliberations of the Tlascalan coun- cil to make no show of force which they could not later dis- avow, "but we must go farther before the riddle can be solved." Then he gave orders that the infantiy should follow at a good pace while with his little troop of horsemen he rode ahead to reconnoitre. About two leagues from the wall he caught sight of a small body of Indian warriors. "Call to them, Gonsalvo," he commanded, "that we may learn what the temper of this folk is towards us." Sandoval called out and waved to them, but the Tlascalans, after a glance at the astonishing spectacle of mounted men, turned and ran. [98] THE BEGINNING OF THE MARCH "After them, Senors," cried Cortes, and the sixteen horse- men dashed in pursuit. To their amazement the swift Tlascalans found that they were being overtaken. They had trusted to their speed, know- ing that no human legs could outrun them. But the beasts which bore the white men flew over the ground with a terrify- ing swiftness, and like wild animals at bay, the Indians turned face to the foe they could not escape. But they did not wait for the Spaniards' advance. They themselves sprang forward and with their notched swords gave many a terrific blow on horse and man. "Now you have a taste of the fighting you craved," called out Cortes to Sandoval even as he leaned down from his saddle to run his own blade into the back of an Indian below him. The fight, however sharp, could not last long, for the Span- iards, few as they were, outnumbered the Tlascalans. Al- ready two Indians lay dead and three more were wounded. Then, suddenly, the Spaniards heard wild cries in front of them and beheld a large body of Indians rushing to the aid of their countrymen. "Saint James!" called out Cortes, " 'tis not a taste of fight- ing, Gonsalvo, but a banquet that awaits us. There must be a thousand or more of them." His own adventurous blood was stirred by the danger; his blows were falling to right and left and he was laughing with excitement. But the prudence of the commander gained over the valor of the cavalier. There must be help, he knew, and that quickly. "Ride, Fernando," he commanded; "ride back and bid our [99] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR brothers hasten to our aid. Till then we can keep these heathen busy." But in truth that was a boast that might soon be a vain one. The Tlascalans fought as Cortes had never seen Indians fight. These were no gentle Cubans, half conquered already by awe of the Spaniards; not even the Tabascans who had fought fiercely when Cortes landed on the Isthmus a few months earlier. These warriors were as brave as Spaniards themselves, well drilled, too, Cortes, observed, though their tactics were so different from his own. His trained soldier's eye took in the details of their arms and armour. Even while he warded off a blow of an obsidian sword, Cortes wondered how it had been possible to fashion so hard a substance into so effective a weapon. And the copper spears were as deadly instruments of war as any that hung in European armouries. Yet while he noticed this and the presence of the man he knew must be their leader, whose yellow pennant floated first in one part of the field and then in the other, Cortes was call- ing out orders, bidding his little troop close up and if possible form a square against the foe. But it was too late now for this. The Tlascalans, who had been so terrified at the sight of the horses, now seemed determined to revenge themselves on the beasts for their terror. The Spaniards protected their chargers even at the expense of wounds to their own bodies. But Cortes saw with dismay that two of the poor animals had sunk to the earth, their necks severed each by a single blow. One of the horsemen too was severely wounded, but much as Cortes regretted this, his chief concern was for the loss of the [100] THE BEGINNING OF THE MARCH horses. If only his infantry would arrive, he thought. Then there flashed through his mind the words of the old ballads of Roland fighting the Moors at Roncesvalles, and how he blew his horn in vain to summon Charlemagne to his aid. And always in the thick of the fighting the yellow pennant waved, and Cortes caught glimpses of the strong body and the keen eyes of the young leader. He was shouting words the Spaniard could not comprehend, but he knew by the tone that they signified "victory." Just then, above all the din of swords, shrieks of the wounded and terrified neighing of the horses, Cortes caught another sound. It was the tramp of men and the rumbling of cannon. "Hold on bravely, men," he called out. "Our brothers will be here ere we take a long breath." The Tlascalan leader heard and saw the approaching Span- ish reinforcements, but he did not fear them. He and his troops were fighting to preserve their sacred country against invaders, and the gods were giving them the victory. Cortes cried out swift orders ; a horseman, hacking away the Indians who endeavored to stay him, flew back with them. The advancing force spread out on either side of the cavalry and the engaging foe, and then hastening forward, fired a volley of musket shots and cannon balls. The result was instantaneous. Almost before those wounded by this volley had dropped to the ground, the Tlascalans ceased their attack. They stood motionless for a moment, then as if with one impulse, turned and fled. The Spaniards waited and after a few moments saw that [101] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR their enemy had had enough and that they need not fear an- other attack. "If the man who invented gunpowder had only let us know his name," declared Alvarado, taking off his helmet and wip- ing a bloodstained cheek, "I'd have masses said to hasten his soul to the highest part of Heaven. But for our artillery none of us would have lived to see Spain again." Cortes had assured himself of the damage his little troop had sustained. He sent Fernando to bring Marina from the rear, and when she arrived he bade her ask one of the wounded Tlascalans whom they had taken prisoners the name of their young leader. "He says, my Lord," the girl answered, "that it is Prince Xicotencatl, son of one of the four Caciques, rulers of Tlas- cala." [102] V ST. JAMES! AND CLOSE UP FOB SPAIN! THOUGH his men were weary, Cortes allowed them lit- tle time for rest. Night would soon fall, and before that he must find a safer spot for an encampment. He gave orders to move forward and, with Fernando at his side, he let his little army march in front of him that he might judge of its exact condition. In addition to the Spaniards, there were about three thou- sand Indian allies, drawn from Cempoalla or from other towns and villages through which they had passed. Between these troops and the Spanish rear guard came a few Indian women whose duty it was to cook and to help prepare the camps. Cortes signalled to Marina. The girl gazed at the Spanish leader in awe. For the first time she had seen him as he was indeed, the great commander. Her eyes had followed him that day as he dashed from one part of the field to the other, and her heart had beat with anxiety lest he be wounded. "Tell me, Marina," he asked, "why is it that the Indian war- riors so often fail to give the final blow to an almost conquered enemy? Oft times this day did I believe that the last moment [103] for some one of my soldiers had come, and then the blow failed to fall, and he was saved.'* "It is because an Indian warrior values more than a dead foe one whom he can deliver alive as a sacrifice to the gods," an- swered the girl, wiping with her scarf the blood that came from a slight flesh cut on Cortes's hand which he had not noticed. "So that is why so many of us escaped, Senor," cried Fer- nando. "Methought at one time even Alvarado had been slain. 'Tis a pity though we lost the two beasts." "I would indeed it had not happened," exclaimed Cortes. "Now the Indians have learned that our steeds can die, they will have lost some awe of them." "They did not see them die," suggested Marina, "though they saw them fall. Perchance they will think they rose on their feet again." "Not when they behold their corpses yonder," and Cortes pointed mournfully. "Let us bury them, Senor," cried Fernando. " 'Tis an idea almost too big for that small head of yours," said Cortes, giving a kindly glance at the lad. Then he turned to command that a trench be hastily dug and the horses buried in it. When this was finished he rode on ahead until he saw a level spot near a stream that was suitable for a camp. Here were no hospitable or curious natives bearing food as a gift or to barter, though deserted huts told of a population which could not be far away. For the first time since the Spaniards had landed at Vera Cruz they had to depend upon foraging for provisions. And since Cortes forbade their wan- dering more than a few feet from the encampment, they had [104] ST. JAMES! AND CLOSE UP FOR SPAIN! [105] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR to content themselves with a light supper. And sleep too was curtailed, for this was no time, their commander realized, to trust to a handful of sentinels; so he placed guards of a hun- dred men at various points, and their comrades, wiping the sleep out of their eyes, and only a little less weary for their short rest, relieved them at midnight. He did not know that night attacks were contrary to the customs of the natives. It was just at dawn when Cortes awoke. He had slept but little as he lay in full armour, with only the saddle-cloth of his horse between him and the ground and his own cloak as a protection from the sharp mountain air. He bade Fernando rouse the troop by touching each captain on the arm. He had no desire to announce by trumpet-call their movements to any who might be within earshot. The world was grey and dreary at that early hour, and the Spaniards felt their hearts heavy within them, while a fear of the dangers that might be lurking behind the dense white mist encircling them made them shiver at every sound. It was not until they listened, kneeling, to the familiar Latin words of the mass and looked upon the calm face of Father Olmedo that the sense of the every-day world and their courage welled back into them. The horsemen rode first, their steeds half hidden in the mist to the infantry which followed. Cortes's orders for the day were that the entire force should keep in as close a formation as if marching in parade. They had JAce but a short distance when the sun rose and the grey worm now glowed all yellow and red, and the armour of the troops glistened like the dew upon the maguey leaves. [106] HE WAS NOT SPARED ST. JAMES! AND CLOSE UP FOR SPAIN! There before them they beheld the foe a thousand or more, yelling in defiance and shaking their spears and arrows. Cortes sent forward interpreters, bidding them inform the Tlascalans that his advance was not hostile ; that all he desired was a passage through their land to the kingdom of Monte- zuma. But the Tlascalans cut short the interpreters' speech with cries of derision and sent a shower of arrows against the Spanish ranks. "Since they will not have peace," cried Cortes, "Then let them take war. On, Alvarado, St. James! and close up for Spain!" The horsemen urged forward and the infantry followed at their heels. The plain narrowed to a defile through which a stream meandered and the ground was soggy, so that the horses sank to their fetlocks in mud. The guns too could scarcely move and now, while the Spaniards were pushing, pulling, crying out orders and counter-orders, the Indians kept up a continuous rain of missiles upon them. At last, with patience, force and the help of their Indian allies, the Spanish troops moved forward at a better pace and turned a corner of the defile around which the Tlascalans had disappeared. The defile opened out into a wide plain and there Cortes beheld a vast army spread out thirty or more thousands of Tlascalans. There was no need of parleying, of asking what their in- tentions were. The terrible war drum, the beats of which could be heard for miles away, was all the herald needed. And as if they were children answering their father's call, the Tlascalans rushed straight on their foe. [107] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR Cortes drew his horsemen close together, and rode to meet them, the horses trampling down Indian after Indian. But the fallen left no gaps, their comrades swarmed in over their bodies. Again Cortes beheld the yellow and white striped pennants and the yellow and white painted naked bodies that marked the contingent of Xicotencatl. And above them floated the banner of his house, a Heron on a Rock. Still hemmed in by the defile, the Spaniards could not bring either their infantry or their guns into effective play. Once again they must rely upon their small force of cavalry. This, the Tlascalans realized, was their chief foe, and Xico- tencatl directed his fiercest attack upon it. With arrows and spiked clubs the Indians fell upon the vanguard. One of the horsemen, Moran, whose horse had carried him a few feet be- yond his comrades, was surrounded and pulled down from his horse. At his agonized cry for help the Spaniards renewed their struggles. They fought hand to hand ; they stabbed and slashed; they drove their pikes into the ranks ahead of them, and at last succeeded in gaining possession of Moran's body, so covered with wounds that he died that night. All of his rescuers were themselves badly wounded, and Moran's horse was killed. The Cempoallan allies of the Spaniards fought desperately, but though there was no doubt about their bravery, they lost heart, and one of the Caciques called out to Marina, who would not remain in the rear with the other women: "I see nothing but death for us; we can never get through this pass alive." But Marina had already caught the dauntless spirit of the [108] ST. JAMES! AND CLOSE UP FOR SPAIN! Spaniards as well as their language. She called back to him: "The God of the Christians is with us, and He will carry us safely through." And now it became apparent that the struggle to regain Moran had not been in vain. The Tlascalans had been driven back from the mouth of the defile and, as on the day before, the artillery was able to finish what the cavalry had begun. Slowly, in perfect order, the Tlascalans began to fall back, unable to stand against this dreaded new weapon. "That chieftain is a warrior indeed," said Alvarado to San- doval after they felt they could afford to waste breath for words. "That is no terrorstricken savage, but a commander who wisely determines upon retreat because the odds are against him." It was evening again when Cortes made camp. This night there was no lack of food, as provisions in plenty were found in cottages from which the inhabitants had hastily fled. When the guards had been placed and the wounded had been cared for, Cortes had time to think of resting his own weary body. He sat down by himself on the steps of the tower that crowned the hill, and laying aside his helmet, rested his chin in his hands. He knew now that his real work had only just begun, and that his task was to be harder than it had seemed when the Cempoallans and the other tribes welcomed them as a foe to the hated Aztecs. Now these Tlascalans, whose bravery and soldierly qualities would have made them the most valuable allies, had chosen to oppose the Spaniards, and time and lives [109] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR must be spent in order to subdue them. If he did not conquer them soon or win them over, the prestige of the white men would be lost, and it was likely that the other Indians would then desert them. For a few moments Cortes experienced a weight of discouragement that he could not throw off. If he must hack his way through foes to Tenochtitlan, what would there be left of his army by the time he reached Montezuma's city? And lest he show a sign of this discouragement to others, Cortes pretended to be asleep upon the steps, though long after Alvarado, who had sought to have a word with him, was sleeping on the ground, Cortes's thoughts were busied with his problem. The next day he was again the fearless, purposeful leader. As his sentinels reported that there was no hostile force nearby, he determined to rest his men for a day or more. He sent an embassy to the capital of the Tlascalans, repeating his mes- sage of goodwill and his desire to make friends. While they were gone he exercised the more venturesome of his troops in exploring the country about. There were several skirmishes with small bodies of Indians, and Cortes brought back a number of prisoners. The envoys returned and told him that they had met Xico- tencatl on the way, and that when the warrior had listened to their message he bade them turn and take back his answer: "You Spaniards may pass on as soon as you choose to Tlas- cala. And when you reach it your flesh will be hewn from your bones for sacrifice to the gods. If you prefer to remain where you are then I will visit you there on the morrow." "I would we were back in Cuba," sighed Fernando to Ber- [110] ST. JAMES! AND CLOSE UP FOR SPAIN! nal Diaz, who was standing as sentinel before the hut in which Cortes was resting. "I think there's no one who would call me a coward," continued the boy, "who has seen the odds against which I fought the other day. The Captain himself said that once I warded off a blow from his head and praised me for it. But these paynims and their devil gods and their living sacrifices make my heart sick." "You are weary with too much fighting and with lack of sleep," added the older man sympathetically. "In truth, I mind not admitting that mine own spirit grows a bit faint when I think of the hosts against us. I would I had a good flagon of canary to hearten it. But hark, lad, wfe'll fight none the worse on the morrow for our fear this even. I'll wager there's not a soldier alive who hath not felt fear some time in his life. Yet we will feel ready for heaven, if we are destined for it soon, after we have confessed to Father Olmedo and got his absolution. Be off first, Fernando, and I will fol- low as soon as I am relieved from duty." So for half the night good Father Olmedo was kept lis- tening to confessions and shriving the soldiers. Meanwhile Cortes, knowing that a battle was inevitable, thought how he might make the best of conditions. He de- termined that he could deploy the troops more advantageously on the more level ground, and therefore that it were wiser to advance towards the Tlascal rather than to await their coming. He had not far to go. A plain six miles in length opened out before him, and there stood arrayed such a sight as no Euro- pean eyes had ever beheld an army of Indians so vast that it could not be counted. [in] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR The Spaniards gazed in wonder. Even those among them who had fought the Moors before Granada had never seen such brilliant banners and panoplies. "Behold," said Alvarado, his quick eye missing no detail, "how their banners are borne in the rear instead of in the midst of their ranks. Yon is the Heron again, the sign of their leader, and the Eagle with outspread wings must be the banner of the Republic itself." "It costs little to clothe a man in the ranks," commented Sandoval as they rode forward; "naught but a loin cloth and a few painted stripes about his body." "But the chieftains' armour is costly enough," replied Al- varado as he returned from bearing Cortes's message to the artillery to hasten forward. "That quilted cotton armour must be hard to get here where they raise no cotton, and those feathered mantles mean many a day's work for those that snare the birds and those that fit the plumage together." 'Tis their arms that interest me the most," said Sandoval; "those staves with murderous blades set along their sides might be the end of us if gunpowder had ne'er been discov- ered, and . . ." His sentence was interrupted by an arrow which struck his helmet and glanced off its steel ridge. This was the first rain- drop of the storm that followed: arrows, javelins, even stones; ,and like thunder were the cries of defiance that rolled from rank to rank of the brave Tlascalans. Many of the missiles made their way into unprotected bits of Spanish flesh; but Cortes continued to advance until he had reached the distance he had set himself. Then he formed his troops, pushing for- [112] ST. JAMES! AND CLOSE UP FOR SPAIN! ward the artillery, and the cannon balls were hurled into the compact mass of the Indians. Howls of terror, of agony and rage went up from every part of the field. There was a short period of immobility and then like the ninth wave of an army of breakers the Tlascalans fell upon the foe. There were so many and the Spaniards so few that perhaps for a moment no man in either army believed that the white men could resist this onslaught. But Spanish swords and Spanish guns accounted for far more than an equal number of their foes. The Tlascalans were checked for a moment only, then once more they dashed for- ward. Again and again was this rush and its check repeated, but this could not continue. Cortes saw his men falling about him and knew that there were none to replace the fallen, while there were hundreds of Indians behind every comrade that fell. "Only St. James himself can save us," said Father Olmedo as he went from one fallen soldier to another, binding up the wounds quickly and offering ghostly consolation. But while matters were indeed desperate for the Spaniards dis- sension arose in the ranks of their foes. Xicotencatl, burn- ing with patriotism and the passion of a warrior, had spared neither himself nor his troops. But one Cacique, older than he, and jealous of the authority given to his junior, disputed an order of Xicotencatl's and refused to advance. "I had not believed that Tlascalan earth could breed a cow- ard," taunted Xicotencatl. The enraged Cacique, oblivious to all else but his personal wrongs, challenged his commander to single combat. [113] WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR "It is no time for that," replied the young leader hotly, "now when the feet of foes are upon our sacred soil." He turned and rushed forward against the Spaniards again, not doubting that his countrymen would sink his personal in- jury for the moment to follow him against their common foe. But the disgruntled Cacique had been too deeply wounded in his pride, and while Xicotencatl advanced he withdrew from the field with all his force, amounting to ten thousand men. Thus was Cortes saved; for though Xicotencatl and his di- minished army fought with redoubled fury, the Spaniards, cheered by the knowledge that their forces were now more even, found new courage and strength to continue. Xico- tencatl with sad heart beheld his men no longer able to resist the gunfire of their foes, and gradually retreated, fighting each step of the way. Cortes could scarcely realize that the day was his, that the huge host which had opposed him that morning was now melting away. He was content to let them go without at- tempting to follow. His wounded and his dead claimed his attention. There was no oil for binding up the wounds, so, as one of the conquerors related long afterwards, they used the grease from the bodies of dead Indians for that purpose. In the meantime Xicotencatl was burning to retrieve his defeat. On the following day when Cortes sent an envoy to the capital again to demand a passage through the country, the young Cacique argued heatedly that they try another blow against the invaders. He called the priests to his aid, and the priests answered saying: "These Teules are not gods indeed, but they are the children [114] ST. JAMES! AND CLOSE UP FOR SPAIN! of the Sun. While the Sun shines great is their strength and the strength of their strange weapons. But when the Sun has gone to rest their strength declines. Therefore, oh Xi- cotencatl, though it be against the custom of our warriors, you and your host must fall upon them in the darkness and overcome them." The Spaniards slept as the silent Indian army, ten thou- sand in number, crept upon them. Only the eyes of one sen- tinel beheld by the faint moonlight the advancing dark mass. As silently as his foes advanced, he gave the alarm. Then the Tlascalans were astounded by the loud battle cry of the white men and a terrible fire of musketry. They fled, firing arrows backward as they ran, and Cortes's men rode through the semi- darkness, killing till they were weary. [115] CHAPTER IX THE SPY AHUITZOTL, Montezuma's chief page, no longer yearned for the mountains and the trail of the ocelot. One day, not long after he had returned to his regular duties, Montezuma spoke to him. "The blood of the warrior stirs in you, Ahuitzotl," he said, and the page bent low. "I read in your eyes the longing to strengthen your arm and to perfect yourself in all that a war- rior must know. Such a desire is one that a ruler of Anahuac must welcome. In truth the land has need of warriors, and perchance. . . ." The Emperor did not finish the sentence, but sat lost in thought for many minutes while Ahuitzotl fanned him slowly with a fan of tortoise-shell and turkey feathers. "So," continued the monarch, rousing himself: "it is well that you should be prepared and instructed in all the duties of a Cacique. Speak without fear and tell me who is there among all the nobles of my court whom men call the best and bravest warrior." [116] THE SPY "After you, Lord Montezuma," answered the boy, "it is Prince Guatemozin whom all men honour." "That is well," said Montezuma thoughtfully. "Take then this signet-ring to him," and the monarch handed to Ahuitzotl a ring engraved with the sign which stood for his royal name, "and say to him that Montezuma bids him instruct you in all the knowledge of a warrior." Guatemozin received the boy gladly. He found teaching him no hardship. He had noted the strong and supple body of the page when he played tennis; and the story of his truancy and the skin of the ocelot he had killed proved that he had unusual daring and courage. It was a pleasure to train one who already showed such promise. Ahuitzotl's gratitude to Emperor and Prince was unbounded. Not only was he instructed in the use of bow and arrows, javelins, spears and shields, but Guatemozin explained to him all the banners and devices borne by the great Caciques of the Empire, until they were as familiar to him as the plumage of the different birds of the forest. He taught him also the laws which governed warriors in the field. Death was the punishment for disobedience, and death too was the penalty for the soldier, no matter how high his rank, who should endeavor to win personal fame by attacking the enemy before the gen- eral signal was given. Princess Tecuichpo, who was some- times present at these lessons, related the instance of a king of Tezcuco who put two of his own sons to death for disobe- dience in the field. And Guatemozin, assured that a man fights the better for his country if he is familiar with the glorious deeds of her WITH CORTES THE CONQUEROR sons, taught Ahuitzotl the history of the coming of the Aztecs from the northwest to the land of Anahuac. "Two hundred years ago," he said, "on the spot where this great city of Tenochtitlan stands, our ancestors halted by the borders of the lake. All was wild and lonely and no sign of man's habitation. They had wandered long through plains and over mountains, seeking a spot to settle in and to build their city. The gods surely, they said, would send them some message, some sign by which they could decide when they had reached the appointed place. Suddenly one of them pointed to a great rock which rose from the water. There grew a gi- gantic cactus plant and on it, with outstretched wings, perched a royal eagle, holding a serpent in his claws. Here, the seers declared, was the omen from the gods. So upon the borders of the lake they built this our city, and called it Tenochtitlan, from tunal, a cactus on a stone." Guatemozin was stern in his discipline with Ahuitzotl. A warrior, he said, must be able to stand fatigue of all kinds; and during the hours of drill he was merciless in his exactions. No matter how wearied the boy's arms might be, he was not spared in the bending of the toughest bow or the throwing of javelin. It was the duty of Ahuitzotl, who was still the Em- peror's page, to sleep at the foot of Montezuma's couch. But many a night, by order of Guatemozin, he stood motionless on his feet, that he might accustom himself to a sentinel's watch. Fasting too was part of his training, and often when he was holding golden plates and cups before Montezuma, the boy had not tasted so much as a sip of water for two days and nights. [118] THE SPY However, Ahuitzotl had no complaint to make of Guate- mozin's methods. He knew that he was being hardened by sternness as the soldiers often hardened wooden spearheads in the fire. He felt the affection behind the sternness, and he rejoiced at a single word of praise from his master. When Cacama, his father, returned as one of the envoys from the visit to the Spaniards, Ahuitzotl listened with greedy ears to the accounts he gave his royal master of the appear- ance of the Teules. Later, when Cacama had looked on proudly at a lesson given his son by Guatemozin, he went in from the noon sunshine into the cool dark hall of the palace, and answered the boy's questions. "Yes, the Teules must be men," he remarked, "even as we are, since the features of their chief are my features. So great is the resemblance, son, that there was none present at the meeting that did not observe it and marvel." "Tell me of their arms, father," begged the young warrior; "of what shape and what material are they?" "I can not tell you much. They wore at their sides weapons, but they were encased in coverings of metal. I heard strange tales of some terrible magic they possess by which they kill their enemies, but I saw it not. The strange beasts on which they sit, those I beheld. You have seen the picture-writ- ings of them, but you can not imagine how wondrous they are." "Whence come the strangers, father?" inquired the boy, "and what will they of us?" "In this matter you are as wise as the wisest Cacique, Ahuit-