v 
 
 i 
 
 
 " DID I NOT TELL YOU SO, O TULA ? " 
 
 ^Page 18.')
 
 THE FAIR GOD 
 
 OR, THE LAST OF THE 'TZINS 
 
 & Calc of tf)c Conquest 
 
 BY 
 
 LEW WALLACE 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 ERIC PAPE 
 
 From Mexico ... a civilization that might hare instructed Europe wa crashed cut. . . . 
 It ha been her [Spain's] evil destiny to ruin two civilizations. Oriental and Occidental, n|j 
 to be ruined thereby herself. ... In America she destroyed races more civilized th-n &M 
 Mil. DBA PI 8, JnteUectuai Development of Europe. 
 
 BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
 HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 
 
 69493
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1873, BY JAMES R. OSGOOD * CO. 
 COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN * CO, 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY LEW WALLACE 
 COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY HENRY L. WALLACE 
 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 
 TS 
 
 cO 
 H 
 
 NOTE BY THE AUTHOR 
 
 A PERSONAL experience, though ever so plainly told, 
 is, generally speaking, more attractive to listeners and 
 readers than fiction. A circumstance from the tongue 
 or pen of one to whom it actually happened, or who 
 was its hero or victim, or even its spectator, is always 
 more interesting than if given second-hand. If the 
 makers of history, contradistinguished from its writers, 
 could teach it to us directly, one telling would suffice 
 to secure our lasting remembrance. The reason is, 
 that the narrative so proceeding derives a personality 
 and reality not otherwise attainable, which assist in 
 making way to our imagination and the sources of our 
 sympathy. 
 
 With this theory or bit of philosophy in mind, when 
 the annexed book was resolved upon, I judged best to 
 assume the character of a translator, which would en- 
 able me to write in the style and spirit of one who not 
 merely lived at the time of the occurrences woven in 
 the text, but was acquainted with many of the his* 
 torical personages who figure therein, and was a native
 
 iv NOTE BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 of the beautiful valley in which the story is located. 
 Thinking to make the descriptions yet more real, and 
 therefore more impressive, I took the liberty of attrib- 
 uting the composition to a literator who, whatever may 
 be thought of his works, was not himself a fiction. 
 Without meaning to insinuate that THE FAIR GOD 
 would have been the worse for creation by Don Fer- 
 nando de Alva, the Tezcucan, I wish merely to say 
 that it is not a translation. Having been so written, 
 however, now that publication u at hand, change is 
 impossible; hence, nothing is omitted, title-page, 
 introductory, and conclusion are given to the reader 
 exactly as they were brought to the publisher by the 
 
 author. 
 
 L- W. 
 
 Boston Mass, Augusts, 1873.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 BOOK ONE. 
 
 CHAPTER PAO * 
 
 I. OUR MOTHER HAS A FORTUNE WAITING us YONDER . 
 
 II. QUETZAL', THE FAIR GOD 7 
 
 III. A CHALLENGE 13 
 
 IV. TENOCHTITLAN AT NIGHT 16 
 
 V. THE CHILD OF THE TEMPLE 20 
 
 VI. THE Cu OF QUETZAL', AND MUALOX, THE PABA . 25 
 
 VII. THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL 30 
 
 VIII. A BUSINESS MAN IN TENOCHTITLAN .... 39 
 
 IX. THE QUESTIONER OF THE MORNING . . . .46 
 
 X. GOING TO THE COMBAT 50 
 
 XL THB COMBAT 59 
 
 XII. MUALOX, AND HIS WORLD 68 
 
 XIII. THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL' 74 
 
 BOOK TWO. 
 
 I. WHO ARE THE STRANGERS? 83 
 
 II. A TEZCUCAN LOVER 89 
 
 III. THE BANISHMENT OF GUATAMOZIN .... 95 
 
 IV. GUATAMOZIN AT HOME 103 
 
 V. NIGHT AT THE CHALCAN'S 112 
 
 , VI. THE CHINAMPA 120 
 
 VII. COURT GOSSIP 126 
 
 VIII. GUATAMOZIN AND MUALOX ..... 130 
 IX. A KING'S BANQUET 135 
 
 X. THE 'TZIN'S LOTS 141 
 
 .11. THK CHANT . . . 150
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 BOOK THREE. 
 
 I. THE FIRST COMBAT 162 
 
 II. THE SECOND COMBAT . 169 
 
 III. THE POBTEAIT . .180 
 
 IV. THE TBIAJL 183 
 
 BOOK FOUR. 
 
 I. THE KINO GIVES A TBUST TO HUALPA . . . 192 
 
 II. THE KIN u AND THB 'Tzix . . . . . 198 
 
 III. LOTH ON THE LAKE ' . . . . . . . 20? 
 
 IV. THK KINO DEMANDS A SIGN OF MUALOX . . 214 
 
 V. THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA . . . , ,. . 220 
 
 VI. THE CONQUEROR WILL COMB 280 
 
 VII. MONTEZUMA GOES TO MBET COBTEZ . .,. . . . 239 
 
 VIII. THE ENTRY . . . , r?. *>,. 246 
 
 BOOK FIVE. 
 
 I. PUBLIC OPINION 257 
 
 II. A MESSAGE FROM THE GODS 261 
 
 III. How ILLS OF STATE BECOME ILLS OF SOCIETY . . 267 
 
 IV. ENNUYE IN THE OLD PALACE 275 
 
 V. ALVABADO FINDS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD . . 282 
 
 VI. THE IRON CROSS . " . . . , ; T . 291 
 
 VII. THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS . . . ., . 299 
 
 VIII. THE IRON CROSS COMES BACK TO ITS GITER . . 806 
 
 IX. TRULY WONDERFUL A FORTUNATE MAN HATH A MEMORY 315 
 
 X. How THE IRON CROSS CAME BACK .... 817 
 
 XI. THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN . . . 325 
 
 BOOK SIX. 
 
 I. THE LORD HUALPA FLEES HIS FORTUNE . . . 839 
 
 II. WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD . 847
 
 CONTENTS. vii 
 
 III. THE PUBLIC OPINION HAKES WAY .... 357 
 
 IV. THE 'TziN's FAREWELL TO QUETZAL' . . . 364 
 
 V. THE CELLS OF QUETZAL* AGAIN ..... 374 
 
 VI. LOST IN THE OLD Cu 379 
 
 VII. How THE HOLY MOTHER HELPS HEB CHILDBEN . 385 
 
 fill. THE PABA'S ANGEL 892 
 
 IX. LIFE IN THE PABA'S WOBLD 404 
 
 i. THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN . . . 410 
 
 XL THE PUBLIC OPINION PBOCLAIKS ITSELF BATTLE . 427 
 
 BOOK SEVEN. 
 
 L THK HEABT CAN BE WISEB THAN THK HEAD . . 438 
 
 II. THE CONQUEBOB ON THE CAUSEWAY AGAIN . . 449 
 
 III. LA VIBUELA 454 
 
 IV. MONTEZUMA A PROPHET. HlS PBOPHECT . . 455 
 
 V. HOW TO YIELD A CfiOWN 462 
 
 VI. IN THE LEAGUER 465 
 
 VII. IN THE LEAGUER TET 478 
 
 fill. THE BATTLE OF THE MANTAS .... 481 
 
 IX. OVEB THE WALL, INTO THB PALACE . . . 489 
 
 X. THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL .... 499 
 
 XI. BATTLE IN THE AIR .510 
 
 XII. IN THE INTERVAL OF THE BATTLE LOVE . . 524 
 
 HI!. THE BEGINNING OF THE END 527 
 
 XIV. THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN ... 532 
 
 XV. THE DEATH OF MONTEZUMA 544 
 
 XVI. ADIEU TO THE PALACE 550 
 
 XVII. THE PURSUIT BEGINS 559 
 
 LA NOCHE TBISTS 562
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 FROM THE SPANISH Of 
 
 FERNANDO DE ALVA.
 
 ESTTRODUCTOKY. 
 
 "TjlERNAXDO DE ALVA,* a noble Tezcucan, flonr- 
 *"- ished, we are told, in the beginning of the six- 
 teenth century. He was a man of great learning, 
 familiar with the Mexican and Spanish languages, 
 and the hieroglyphics of Anahuac. Ambitious to 
 rescue his race from oblivion, and inspired by love 
 of learning, he collected a library, availed himself of 
 his knowledge of picture-writing, became master of 
 the songs and traditions, and, in the Castilian lan- 
 guage, composed books of merit. 
 
 It was scarcely possible that his labors should escape 
 the researches of Mr. Prescott, who, with such incom- 
 parable genius, has given the world a history of the 
 Conquest of Mexico. From him we have a criticism 
 upon the labors of the learned Fernando, from which 
 the following paragraph is extracted. 
 
 " Iztlilzochitl's writings have many of the defects 
 belonging to his age. He often crowds the page with 
 incidents of a trivial and sometimes improbable char- 
 acter. The improbability increases with the distance 
 
 * Fernando De Alva IztlilzochitL
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 of the period; for distance, which diminishes objects 
 to the natural eye, exaggerates them to the mental 
 His chronology, as I have more than once noticed, is 
 inextricably entangled. He has often lent a too will- 
 ing ear to traditions and reports which would startle 
 the more sceptical criticism of the present time. Yet 
 there is an appearance of good faith and simplicity 
 in his writings, which may convince the reader that, 
 when he errs, it is from no worse cause than the 
 national partiality. And surely such partiality is ex- 
 cusable in the descendant of a proud line, shorn of 
 its ancient splendors, which it was soothing to his 
 own feelings to revive again though with some- 
 thing more than their legitimate lustre on the can- 
 vas of history. It should also be considered that, if 
 his narrative is sometimes startling, his researches 
 penetrate into the mysterious depths of antiquity, 
 where light and darkness meet and melt into each 
 other; and where everything is still further liable to 
 distortion, as seen through the misty medium of hiero- 
 glyphics." 
 
 Besides his Eelaciones and Historia Chichemeca, De 
 Alva composed works of a lighter nature, though 
 equally based upon history. Some were lost; others 
 fell into the hands of persons ignorant of their value j 
 a few only were rescued and given to the press. Foi 
 a considerable period he served as interpreter to the 
 Spanish Viceroy. His duties as such were trifling;
 
 INTRODUCTORY. xiii 
 
 he had ample time for literary pursuits ; his enthu- 
 siasm as a scholar permitted him no relaxation or idle- 
 ness. Thus favored, it is believed he composed the 
 books now for the first time given to the world. 
 
 The MSS. were found among a heap of old de- 
 spatches from the Viceroy Mendoza to the Emperor. 
 It is quite probable that they became mixed with 
 the State papers through accident; if, however, they 
 were purposely addressed to His Majesty, it must 
 have been to give him a completer idea of the Azte- 
 can people and their civilization, or to lighten the 
 burthens of royalty by an amusement to which, it 
 is known, Charles V. was not averse. Besides, Men- 
 doza, in his difficulty with the Marquess of the Valley 
 (Cortes), failed not to avail himself of every means 
 likely to propitiate his cause with the court, and 
 especially with the Eoyal Council of the Indies. It 
 is not altogether improbable, therefore, that the MSS. 
 were forwarded for the entertainment of the members 
 of the Council and the lordly personages of the Court, 
 who not only devoured with avidity, but, as the wily 
 Mendoza well knew, were vastly obliged for, every- 
 thing relative to the New World, and particularly the 
 dazzling conquest of Mexico. 
 
 In the translation, certain liberties have been taken, 
 for which, if wrong has been done, pardon is besought 
 both from the public and the shade of the author. 
 Thus, The Books in the original are unbroken narra-
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 tives; but, with infinite care and trouble, they have 
 all been brought out of the confusion, and arranged 
 into chapters. So, there were names, some of which 
 have been altogether changed ; while others, for the 
 sake of euphony, have been abbreviated, though with- 
 out sacrificing the identity of the heroes who wore 
 -hem so proudly. 
 And thus beginneth the FIRST BOOK
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 BOOK ONE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OUR MOTHER HAS A FORTUNE WAITING US YONDER. 
 
 THE Spanish Calendar is simpler than the Aztecan. 
 In fact, Christian methods, of whatever nature, are y - 
 better than heathen. 
 
 So, then, by the Spanish Calendar, March, 1519, had 
 about half spent itself in the valley of Anahuac, which 
 was as yet untrodden by gold-seeker, with cross-hilted sword 
 at his side, and on his lips a Catholic oath. Near noon of 
 one of its fairest days a traveller came descending the west- 
 ern slope of the Sierra de Ahualco. Since the dawn his 
 path had been amongst hills and crags ; at times traversing 
 bald rocks that towered to where the winds blew chill, then 
 dipping into warm valleys, where were grass, flowers, and 
 streamlets, and sometimes forests of cedar and fir, laby- 
 rinths in which there reigned a perpetual twilight. 
 
 Toilsome as was the way, the traveller, young, and strong, 
 marched lightly. His dress, of the kind prevalent in his 
 country, was provincial, and with few signs of rank. He 
 had sandals of buffalo-hide, fitted for climbing rocks and 
 threading pathless woods ; a sort of white tunic, covering 
 his body from the neck to the knees, leaving bare the arms 
 
 1 A
 
 2 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 from the shoulder ; maxtlatl and tilmatli sash and mantle 
 of cotton, blue tinted, and void of ornament; on the 
 wrist of his left arm he wore a substantial golden bracelet, 
 and in both ears jewelled pendants ; while an ebony band, 
 encircling his head, kept his straight black locks in place, 
 and permitted a snow-white bird's-wing for decoration. 
 There was a shield on his left arm, framed of wood, and 
 covered with padded cloth, and in the left hand a javelin 
 barbed with 'itzli ; at his back swung a maquahuitl, and a 
 quiver filled with arrows; an unstrung bow in his right 
 hand completed his equipments, and served him in lieu 
 of staff. An ocelot, trudging stealthily behind him, wai 
 his sole companion. 
 
 In the course of his journey he came to a crag that sank 
 bluffly down several hundred feet, commanding a line pros- 
 pect. Though the air was cold, he halted. Away to 
 the northwest stretched the beautiful valley of Anahuac, 
 dotted with hamlets and farm-houses, and marked with the 
 silver tracery of streams. Far across the plain, he caught a 
 view of the fresh waters of Lake Chalco, and beyond that, 
 blue in the distance and faintly relieved against the sky, the 
 royal hill of Chapultepec, with its palaces and cypress forests. 
 In all the New "World there was no scene comparable with 
 that he looked upon, none its rival for beauty, none 
 where the heavens seemed so perfectly melted into earth. 
 There were the most renowned cities of the Empire ; from 
 that plain went the armies whose marches were all triumphs ; 
 in that air hovered the gods awaiting sacrifices ; into that sky 
 rose the smoke of the inextinguishable fires; there shone 
 the brightest suns, and lingered the longest summers ; and 
 yonder dwelt that king in youth a priest, then a warrior, 
 now the terror of all nations whose signet on the hand of 
 a slave could fill the land with rustling of banners. 
 
 No traveller, I ween, could look unmoved on the picture;
 
 OUR MOTHER HAS A FORTUNE WAITING US YONDER. & 
 
 ours sat down, and gazed with brimful eyes and a beating 
 heart. For the first time he was beholding the matchless 
 vale so overhung with loveliness and full of the monuments 
 of a strange civilization. So rapt was he that he did not 
 observe the ocelot come and lay its head in his lap, like a 
 dog seeking caresses. " Come, boy ! " he said, at last rous- 
 ing himself ; " let us on. Our Mother * has a fortune wait- 
 ing us yonder." 
 
 And they resumed the journey. Half an hour's brisk walk 
 brought them to the foot of the mountain. Suddenly they 
 came upon company. 
 
 It was on the bank of a considerable stream, which, pour- 
 ing in noisy torrent over a rocky bed, appeared to rush with 
 a song forward into the valley. A clump of giant oaks 
 shaded a level sward. Under them a crowd of tamanes,^ 
 tawny, half-clad, broad-shouldered men, devoured loaves of 
 cold maize bread. Near the roots of the trees their masters 
 reclined comfortably on petates, or mats, without which an 
 Aztec trader's outfit was incomplete. Our traveller under- 
 stood at a glance the character of the strangers ; so that, as 
 his road led directly to them, he went on without hesi- 
 tation. As he came near, some of them sat up to observe 
 him. 
 
 " A warrior going to the city," said one. 
 
 " Or rather a king's courier," suggested another. 
 
 " Is not that an ocelot at his heels 1 " asked a third. 
 
 " That it is. Bring me my javelin ! " 
 
 " And mine ! And mine ! " cried several of them at once, 
 all springing to their feet. 
 
 By the time the young man came up, the whole party 
 stood ready to give him an armed welcome. 
 
 * The goddess Cioacoatl, called "Our Lady nd Mother." Sahagnn, 
 Hist, de Nueva Esp. 
 f Carrier slaves, or portera
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " I am very sorry to have disturbed you," he said, quietly, 
 finding himself obliged to stop. 
 
 " You seem friendly enough," answered one of the oldei 
 men ; " but your comrade there, what of him ? " 
 
 The traveller smiled. " See, he is muzzled." 
 
 The party laughed at their own fears. The old merchant, 
 however, stepped forward to the young stranger. 
 
 " I confess you have greatly relieved me. I feared the 
 brute might set on and wound somebody. Come up, and sit 
 down with us." 
 
 The traveller was nowise disinclined, being tempted by the 
 prospect of cheer from the provision-baskets lying around. 
 
 " Bring a mat for the warrior," said the friendly trader. 
 " Now give him bread and meat." 
 
 From an abundance of bread, fowl, and fruit the wayfarer 
 helped himself. A running conversation was meantime 
 maintained. 
 
 " My ocelot 1 The story is simple ; for your sakes, good 
 friends, I wish it were better. I killed his mother, and took 
 him when a whelp. Now he does me good service huntin^. 
 You should see him in pursuit of an antelope ! " 
 
 " Then you are not a warrior ? " 
 
 " To be a warrior," replied the hunter, modestly, " is to 
 have been in many battles, and taken many captives. I 
 have practised arms, and, at times, boasted of skill, fool- 
 ishly, perhaps ; yet, I confess, I never marched a day under 
 the banner of the great king." 
 
 " Ah ! " said the old man, quizzically, " I understand you. 
 You have served some free-trading company like our own." 
 
 " You are shrewd. My father is a merchant. At times 
 he has travelled witn strong trains, and even attacked cities 
 that have refused him admission to their market." 
 
 " Indeed ! He must be of renown. In what province 
 does he live, my son J "
 
 OUR MOTHER HAS A FORTUNE WAITING bS YONDER. & 
 
 " In Tihuanco." 
 
 " Tepaja ! old Tepaja, of Tihuanco ! Are you son of 
 his 1 " The good man grasped the young one's hand enthusi^ 
 astically. " I knew him well ; many years ago we were as 
 brothers together; we travelled and traded through many 
 provinces. That was the day of the elder Montezuma, when 
 the Empire was not as large as now; when, in fact, most 
 gates were closed against us, because our king was an Aztec, 
 and we had to storm a town, then turn its square into & 
 market for the sale of our wares. Sometimes we marched 
 an army, each of us carrying a thousand slaves ; and yet ouj 
 tasks were not always easy. I remember once, down on the 
 bank of the Great River, we were beaten back from a walled 
 town, and succeeded only after a four days' fight. Ah, but 
 we made it win ! "We led three thousand slaves back to 
 Tenochtitlan, besides five hundred captives, a present for 
 the gods." 
 
 So the merchant talked until the hunger of his new a<v 
 quaintance was appeased ; then he offered a pipe, which waa 
 declined. 
 
 " I am fond of a pipe after a good meal ; and this one haa 
 been worthy a king. But now I have no leisure for the 
 luxury ; the city to which I am bound is too far ahead of 
 me." 
 
 : " If it is your first visit, you are right. Fail not to be 
 there before the market closes. Such a sight never glad- 
 dened your dreams ! " 
 
 " So I have heard my father say." 
 
 " 0, it never was as it will be to-night ! The roads for 
 days have been thronged with visitors going up in proces- 
 sions." 
 
 " What is the occasion 1 " 
 
 " Why, to-morrow is the celebration of Quetzal' ! Cer- 
 tainly, my son, you have heard the prophecies concerning 
 that god."
 
 THE FAIR QOD. 
 
 " In rumors only. I believe lie was to return to Anahuac." 
 
 " Well, th story is long, and you are in a hurry. "We 
 also are going to the city, but will halt our slaves at Iztapa- 
 topan lor the night, and cross the causeway before the sun 
 to-morrow. If you care to keep us company, we will start 
 at once ; on the way I will tell you a few things that may 
 not be unacceptable." 
 
 " I see," said the hunter, pleasantly, " I have reason to be 
 proud of my father's good report. Certainly, I will go a dis- 
 tance with you at least, and thank you for information. To 
 speak frankly, I am seeking my fortune." 
 
 The merchant spoke to his companions, and raising a huge 
 conch-shell to his mouth, blew a blast that started every 
 slave to his feet. For a few minutes all was commotion. 
 The mats were rolled up, and, with the provision-baskets, 
 slung upon broad shoulders ; each tamane resumed his load 
 of wares, and took his place ; those armed put themselves, 
 with their masters, at the head ; and at another peal from 
 the shell all set forward. The column, if such it may be 
 called, was long, and not without a certain picturesqueness 
 as it crossed the stream, and entered a tract covered with tall 
 trees, amongst which the palm was strangely intermingled 
 with the oak and the cypress. The whole valley, from the 
 lake to the mountains, was irrigated, and under cultivation. 
 F'jtll of wonder, the hunter marched beside the merchant.
 
 QUETZAL', THE FAIPw GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 QUETZAL', THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 I "WAS speaking about Quetzal', I believe," said the old 
 man, when all were fairly on the way. "His real name 
 . was Quetzalcoatl. * He was a wonderfully kind god, who, many 
 ages ago, came into the valley here, and dwelt awhile. The 
 people were then rude and savage ; but he taught them agri- 
 culture, and other arts, of which you will see signs as we get 
 on. He changed the manners and customs ; while he stayed, 
 famine was unknown ; the harvests were abundant, and 
 happiness universal. Above all, he taught the princes wis- 
 dom in their government. If to-day the Aztec Empire is the 
 strongest in the world, it is owing to Quetzal'. Where he 
 came from, or how long he stayed, is not known. The peo- 
 ple and their governors after a time proved ungrateful, and 
 banished him ; they also overthrew his religion, and set up 
 idols again, and sacrificed men, both of which he had pro- 
 hibited. Driven away, he went to Cholula ; thence to the 
 sea-coast, where, it is said, he built him a canoe of serpent- 
 skins, and departed for Tlapallan, a heaven lying somewhere 
 toward the rising sun. But before he went, he promised to 
 return some day, and wrest away the Empire and restore his 
 own religion. In appearance he was not like our race ; his 
 skin was white, his hair long and wavy and black. He is 
 said to have been wise as a god, and more beautiful than 
 men. Such is his history ; and, as the prophecy has it, the 
 time of his return is at hand. The king and Tlalac, the 
 teotuctli,^ are looking for him ; they expect him every hour, 
 
 In Aztec mythology, God of the Air. 
 t Equivalent to Pontiff or Pope.
 
 8 ' THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 and, they say, live in continued dread of him. "Wishing to 
 propitiate him, they have called the people together, and cele- 
 brate to-morrow, with sacrifices and combats and more pomp 
 than was ever seen before, not excepting the time of the king's 
 coronation." 
 
 The hunter listened closely, and at the conclusion said, 
 " Thank you, uncle. Tell me now of the combats." 
 
 " Yes. In the days of the first kings it was the custom to 
 go into the temples, choose the bravest warriors there set 
 apart for sacrifice, bring them into the tianguez, and make 
 them do battle in the presence of the people. If they con- 
 quered, they were set free and sent home with presents."* 
 
 " With whom did they combat ? " 
 
 " True enough, my son. The fight was deemed a point of 
 honor amongst the Aztecs, and the best of them volunteered. 
 Indeed, those were royal times ! Of late, I am sorry to say, 
 the custom of which I was speaking has been neglected, but 
 to-morrow it is to be revived. The scene will be very grand. 
 The king and all the nobles will be there." 
 
 The description excited the listener's fancy, and he said, 
 with flushed cheeks, " I would not lose the chance for the 
 world. Can you tell me who of the Aztecs will combat ? " 
 
 " In the city we could easily find out ; but you must 
 recollect I am going home after a long absence. The shields 
 of the combatants are always exhibited in the tianguez the 
 evening before the day of the fight. In that way the public 
 are notified beforehand of those who take the field. As the 
 city is full of caciques, you may be assured our champions 
 will be noble." 
 
 " Thank you again, uncle. And now, as one looking for 
 service, like myself, is anxious to know with whom to en 
 gage, tell me of the caciques and chiefs." 
 
 " Then you intend entering the army ? " 
 Sahagun, Hist, de Nueva Esp.
 
 QUETZAL', THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Well, yes. I am tired of hunting ; and though trading 
 is honorable, I have no taste for it." 
 
 The merchant, as if deliberating, took out a box of snuff 
 and helped himself ; and then he replied, 
 
 " The caciques are very numerous ; in no former reign, 
 probably, were there so many of ability and renown. With 
 some of them I have personal acquaintance ; others I know 
 only by sight or reputation. You had better mention those 
 of whom you have been thinking." 
 
 " Well," said the hunter, " there is IztiiT, the Tezcucan." * 
 
 " Do not think of him, I pray you ! " And the good man 
 spoke earnestly. " He is brave as any, and perhaps as skil- 
 ful, but proud, haughty, soured, and treacherous. Every- 
 body fears him. I suppose you have heard of his father." 
 
 " You mean the wise 'Hualpilli ? " 
 
 " Yes. Upon his death, not long since, IztliT denied his 
 brotner's right to the Tezcucan throne. There was a quarrel 
 which would have ended in blood, had not Montezuma inter- 
 fered, and given the city to Cacama, and all the northern 
 part of the province to IztliT. Since that, the latter has 
 been discontented with the great king. So, I say again, do 
 not think of him, unless you are careless about honor/' 
 
 " Then what of Cacama 1 1 Tezcuco is a goodly city." 
 
 " He has courage, but is too effeminate to be a great 
 warrior. A garden and a soft couch delight him more than 
 camps, and dancing women better than fighting men. You 
 might grow rich with him, but not renowned. Look else- 
 where." 
 
 " Then there is the lord Cuitlahua." J 
 
 " The king's brother, and governor of Iztapalapan ! " said 
 the merchant, promptly. " Some have thought him better 
 
 * Iztlilxochitl, son of Nezahualpilli, king of Tezcuco. 
 
 t King of Tezcuco. 
 
 J See Prescott's Conq. of Mexico-
 
 10 THE FAIB GOD. 
 
 qualified for Chapultepec than Montezuma, but it is not wise 
 to say so. His people are prosperous, and he has the most 
 beautiful gardens in the world; unlike Cacama, he cares 
 nothing for them, when there is a field to be fought. Con- 
 sidering his influence at court and his love of war, you 
 would do well to bear shield for him ; but, on the other 
 hand, he is old. Were I in your place, my son, I would 
 attach myself to some young man." 
 
 " That brings me to Maxtla, the Tesoyucan." 
 
 " I know him only by repute. With scarcely a beard, he 
 is chief of the king's guard. There was never anything like 
 his fortune. Listen now, I will tell you a secret which may 
 be of value to you some time. The king is not as young as 
 he used to be by quite forty summers." 
 
 The hunter smiled at the caution with which the old man 
 spoke of the monarch. 
 
 " You see," the speaker continued, " time and palace life 
 have changed him : he no longer leads the armies ; his days 
 are passed in the temples with the priests, or in the gardens 
 with his women, of whom there are several hundreds ; his 
 most active amusement now is to cross the lake to his forests, 
 and kill birds and rabbits by blowing little arrows at them 
 through a reed. Thus changed, you can very well under- 
 stand how he can be amused by songs and wit, and make 
 favorites of those who best lighten his hours of satiety and 
 indolence. In that way Maxtla rose, a marvellous court- 
 ier, but a very common soldier." 
 
 The description amused the young man, but he said gravely, 
 "You have spoken wisely, uncle, and I am satisfied you know 
 the men well. Eeally, I had no intention of entering the 
 suite of either of them : they are not of my ideal ; but there 
 is a cacique, if reports are to be credited, beyond all excep- 
 tion, learned and brave, honored alike by high and low." 
 
 " Ah ! you need not name him to me. I know him, aa
 
 QUETZAL', THE PAIR GOD. 11 
 
 who does not?" And now the merchant spoke warmly. 
 " A nobler than Guatamozin,* or, as he is more commonly 
 called, the 'tzin Guatamo never dwelt in Anahuac. He 
 is the people's friend, and the Empire's hope. His valor and 
 wisdom, ah, you should see him, my son ! Such a face ! 
 His manner is so full of sweet dignity ! But I will give you 
 other evidence." 
 
 He clapped his hands three times, and a soldier sprang 
 forward at the signal. 
 
 " Do you know the 'tzin Guatamo ? " asked the merchant. 
 
 " I am an humble soldier, my master, and the 'tzin is the 
 great king's nephew ; but I know him. When he was only 
 a boy, I served under him in Tlascala. He is the beat chief 
 in Anahuac." 
 
 "That will do." 
 
 The man retired. 
 
 " So I might call up my tamanes" the merchant resumed, 
 ft and not one but would speak of him in the same way." 
 
 " Strange ! " said the Tihuancan, in a low tone. 
 
 " No ; if you allude to his popularity, it is not strange : if 
 y ju mean the man himself, you are right. The gods seldom 
 give the qualities that belong to him. He is more learned 
 than Tlalac or the king ; lie is generous as becomes a prince ; 
 in action he is a hero. You have probably heard of the 
 Tlascalan wall in the eastern valley ; t few warriors ever 
 passed it and lived ; yet he did so when almost a boy. I 
 
 * Guatamozin, nephew to Montezuma. Of him Bernal Diaz says : 
 "This monarch was between twenty-three and twenty-four years of age, 
 and could in all truth be called a handsome man, both as regards his coun- 
 Unance and figure. His face was rather of an elongated form, with a cheer- 
 ful look ; his eye had great expression, both when he assumed a majestic 
 expression, or when he looked pleasantly around ; the color of his face in- 
 clined to white more than to the copper-brown tint of the Indians in gen- 
 erul." DIAZ, Conquest of Mexico, Lockhart's Trans., VoL IV., p. 110. 
 
 t Prescott's Conq. of Mexico, VoL I., p. 417.
 
 12 THE PAIR GOD. 
 
 myself have seen him send an arrow to the heart of an eagl 
 in its flight. He has a palace and garden in Iztapalapan ; in 
 one of the halls stand the figures of three kings, two of 
 Michuaca, and one of the Ottomies. He took them prisoners 
 in battle, and now they hold torches at his feasts." 
 
 " Enough, enough ! " cried the hunter. " I have been dream- 
 .ing of him -while among the hills. I want no better leader." 
 
 The merchant cast an admiring glance at his beaming 
 countenance, and said, " You are right ; enter his service." 
 
 In such milliner the conversation was continued, until the 
 sun last declined towards the western mountains. Mean- 
 time, they had passed through several hamlets and consider 
 able towns. In nearly the whole progress, the way on eithei 
 hand had been lined with plantations. Besides the presence 
 of a busy, thriving population, they everywhere saw evi- 
 dences of a cultivation and science, constituting the real 
 superiority ot the Aztecs over their neighbors. The country 
 was thus preparing the stranger for the city, unrivalled in 
 splendor and beauty. Casting a look toward the sun, he at 
 length said, " Uncle, I have much to thank you for, you 
 and your friends. But it is growing late, and I must hurry 
 on, if I would see the. tianguez before the market closes." 
 
 " Very well," returned the old trader. " We will be in 
 the city to-morrow. The gods go with you ! " 
 
 Whistling to his ocelot, the adventurer quickened his 
 pace, and was soon far in tho advance.
 
 A CHALLENGE. 13 
 
 CHAPTEE IIL 
 
 A CHALLENGE. 
 
 IN" the valley of Anahuac, at the time I write, are four 
 lakes, Xaltocan, Chalco, Xochichalco, and Tezcuco. 
 The latter, besides being the largest, washed the walls of 
 Tonochtitlan, and was the especial pride of the Aztecs, who, 
 familiar with its ways as with the city, traversed them all 
 the days of the year, and even the nights. 
 
 " Ho, there ! " shouted a voyageur, in a voice that might 
 have been heard a long distance over the calm expanse of the 
 lake. " Ho, the canoe ! " 
 
 The hail was answered. 
 
 " Is it Guatamozin ? " asked the first speaker. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " And going to Tenochtitlan ? " 
 
 " The gods willing, yes." 
 
 The canoes of the voyageurs I use that term bfr 
 cause it more nearly expresses the meaning of the word 
 the Aztecs themselves were wont to apply to persons thus 
 abroad were, at the time, about the middle of the little 
 sea. After the 'tzin's reply, they were soon alongside, 
 when lashings were applied, and together they swept on 
 rapidly, for the slaves at the paddles vied in skill and dis- 
 cipline. 
 
 "IzthT, of Tezcuco!" said the 'tzin, lightly. "He is' 
 welcome ; but had a messenger asked me where at this hour 
 he would most likely be found, I should have bade him 
 search the chinampas, especially those most notable for theii 
 perfume and music." 
 
 The speech was courteous, yet the moment of reply wa
 
 H THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 allowed to pass. The 'tzin waited until the delay excited 
 his wonder. 
 
 " There is a rumor of a great battle with the Tlascalans," 
 he said again, this time with a direct question. " Has my 
 friend heard of it ? " 
 
 ; "The winds that carry rumors seldom come to me," 
 answered IztliT. 
 
 " Couriers from Tlascala pass directly through your capi- 
 ,tal " 
 
 The Tezcucan laid his hand on the speaker's shoulder. 
 
 " My capital ! " he said. " Do you speak of the city of 
 Tezcuco ? " 
 
 The 'tzin dashed the hand away, and arose, saying, " Your 
 meaning is dark in this dimness of stars." 
 
 " Be seated," said the other. 
 
 " If I sit, is it as friend or foe 1 " 
 
 " Hear me ; then be yourself the judge." 
 
 The Aztec folded his cloak about hini and resumed his 
 neat, very watchful 
 
 " Montezuma, the king " 
 
 " Beware ! The great king is my kinsman, and I am his 
 faithful subject." 
 
 The Tezcucan continued. " In the valley the king is next 
 to the gods ; yet to his nephew I say I hate him, and will 
 teach him that my hate is no idleness, like a passing love. 
 Tzin, a hundred years ago our races were distinct and inde- 
 pendent. The birds of the woods, the winds of the prairie, 
 were not more free than the people of Tezcuco. We had our 
 capital, our temples, our worship, and our gods ; we cele- 
 brated our own festivals, our kings commanded their own 
 armies, our priesthood prescribed their own sacrifices. But 
 where now are king, country, and gods 1 Alas ! you have 
 seen the children of 'Hualpilli, of the blood of the Acolhuan, 
 suppliants of Montezuma, the Aztec." And, as if overcome
 
 A CHALLENGE. 15 
 
 by the recollection, he burst into apostrophe. " I mourn 
 thee, Tezcuco, garden of my childhood, palace of my 
 fathers, inheritance of my right ! Against me are thy gates 
 closed. The stars may come, and as of old garland thy tow- 
 ers with their rays ; but in thy echoing halls and princely 
 courts never, never shall I be known again ! " 
 The silence that ensued, the 'tzin was the first to break. 
 
 " You would have me understand," he said, " that the king 
 has done you wrong. Be it so. But, for such cause, why 
 quarrel with me ? " 
 
 " Ah, yes ! " answered the Tezcucan, in an altered voice. 
 " Come closer, that the slaves may not hear." 
 
 The Aztec kept his attitude of dignity. Yet lower IztliT 
 dropped his voice. 
 
 " The king has a daughter whom he calls Tula, and loves 
 as the light of his palace." 
 
 The 'tzin started, but held his peace. 
 
 " You know her 1 " continued the Tezcucan. 
 
 " Name her not ! " said Guatamozin, passionately. 
 
 " Why not ? I love her, and but for you, 'tzin, she 
 would have loved me. You, too, have done me wrong." 
 
 With thoughts dark as the waters he rode, the Aztec 
 looked long at the light of fire painted on the sky above the 
 distant city. 
 
 " Is Guatamozin turned woman ? " asked IztliT, tauntingly. 
 
 " Tula is my cousin. We have lived the lives of brother 
 and sister. In hall, in garden, on the lake, always together, 
 I could not help loving her." 
 
 " You mistake me," said the other. " I seek her for wife, 
 but you seek her for ambition ; in her eyes you see only her 
 father's throne." 
 
 Then the Aztce's manner changed, and he assumed the 
 mastery. 
 
 " Enough, Tezcucan ! I listened calmly while you reviled
 
 16 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 the king, and now I have somewhat to say. In your youth 
 the wise men prophesied evil from you ; they said you were 
 ingrate and blasphemer then: your whole life has but veri- 
 fied their judgment. Well for your royal father and his 
 beautiful city had he cut you off as they counselled him 
 to do. Treason to the king, defiance to me! By the holy 
 Sun, for each offence you should answer me shield to shield ! 
 But I recollect that I am neither priest to slay a victim nor 
 officer to execute the law. I mourn a feud, still more the 
 blood of countrymen shed by my hand; yet the wrongs 
 shall not go unavenged or without challenge. To-morrow is 
 the sacrifice to Quetzal'. There will bo combat with the best, 
 captives in the temples ; the arena will be in the tianguez ; 
 Tenochtitlan, and all the valley, and all the nobility of the 
 Empire, will look on. Dare you prove your kingly blood ? 
 I challenge the son of 'Hualpilli to share the danger with 
 me." 
 
 The cacique was silent, and the 'tzin did not disturb him. 
 At his order, however, the slaves bent their dusky forms, 
 and the vessels sped on, like wingless birds. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TENOCHTITLAN AT NIGHT. 
 
 THE site of the city of Tenochtitlan was chosen by the 
 gods. In the southwestern border of Lake Tezcuco, one 
 morning in 1300, a wandering tribe of Aztecs saw an eagle 
 perched, with outspread wings, upon a cactus, and holding a 
 serpent in its talons. At a word from their priests, they took 
 possession of the marsh, and there stayed their migration 
 and founded the city : such is the tradition. As men love
 
 TENOCHTITLAN AT NIGHT. 17 
 
 to trace their descent back to some storied greatness, nations 
 delight to associate the gods with their origin. 
 
 Originally the Aztecs were barbarous. In their southern 
 inarch, they brought with them only their arms and a spirit 
 of sovereignty. The valley of Anahuac, when they reached 
 it, was already peopled ; in fact, had been so for ages. The 
 cultivation and progress they found and conquered there re- 
 acted upon them. They grew apace ; and as they carried 
 their shields into neighboring territory, as by intercourse 
 and commerce they crept from out their shell of barbarism, 
 as they strengthened in opulence and dominion, they repu- 
 diated the reeds and rushes of which their primal houses were 
 built, and erected enduring temples and residences of Oriental 
 splendor. 
 
 Under the smiles of the gods, whom countless victims kept 
 propitiated, the city threw abroad its arms, and, before the 
 passage of a century, became the emporium of the valley. Its 
 people climbed the mountains around, and, in pursuit of cap- 
 tives to grace their festivals, made the conquest of " Mexico." 
 Then the kings began to centralize. They made Tenochtit- 
 lan their capital ; under their encouragement, the arts grew 
 and flourished ; its market became famous ; the nobles an 
 privileged orders made it their dwelling-place; wealth abound- 
 ed ; as a consequence, a vast population speedily filled its 
 walls and extended them as required. At the coming of the 
 * conquistadores," it contained sixty thousand houses and 
 three hundred thousand souls. Its plat testifies to a high 
 degree of order and regularity, with all the streets running 
 north and south, and intersected by canals, so as to leavo 
 quadrilateral blocks. An ancient map, exhibiting the city 
 proper, presents the face of a checker-board, each square, 
 wtcept those of some of the temples and palaces, being meted 
 with mathematical certainty. 
 
 8uch was the city the 'tzin and the cacique were approach-
 
 18 THE FATE GOD. 
 
 ing. Left of them, half a league distant, lay the towers and 
 embattled gate of Xoloc. On the horizon behind paled 
 the fires of Iztapalapan, while those of Tenochtitlan at each 
 moment threw brighter hues into the sky, and more richly 
 empurpled the face of the lake. In mid air, high over all 
 others, like a great torch, blazed the pyre of Hujtzil'. * Out 
 on the sea, the course of the voyageurs was occasionally ob- 
 structed by ckinampas at anchor, or afloat before the light 
 *rind ; nearer the walls, the floating gardens multiplied until 
 the passage was as if through an archipelago in miniature. 
 From many of them poured the light of torches ; others gave 
 to the grateful sense the melody of flutes and blended voices ; 
 while over them the radiance from the temples fell softly, re- 
 vealing white pavilions, orange-trees, flowering shrubs, and 
 nameless varieties of the unrivalled tropical vegetation. A 
 breeze, strong enough to gently ripple the lake, hovered 
 around the undulating retreats, scattering a largesse of per- 
 fume, and so ministering to the voluptuous floramour of the 
 locality. 
 
 As the voyageurs proceeded, the city, rising to view, un- 
 derwent a number of transformations. At first, amidst the 
 light of its own fires, t it looked like a black sea-shore ; di- 
 rectly its towers and turrets became visible, some looming 
 vaguely and dark, others glowing and purpled, the whole mag- 
 nified by the dim duplication below ; then it seemed like a 
 cloud, one half kindled by the sun, the other obscured by 
 the night. As they swept yet nearer, it changed to the 
 likeness of a long, ill-defined wall, over which crept a hum 
 wing-like and strange, the hum of myriad life. 
 
 * The God of War, aptly called the " Mexican Mars." 
 t There was a fire for each altar in the temples which was inextinguish' 
 able ; and so numerous were the altars, and so brilliant their fires, that they 
 kept the city illuminated throughout the darkest nights. Prescott, Conq. 
 of Mexico, Vol. I., p 72.
 
 TENOCHT1TLAN AT NIGHT. 19 
 
 In silence still they hurried forward. Vessels like their 
 own, but with lanterns of stained aguave at the prows, seek- 
 ing some favorite chinampa, sped by with benisons from the 
 crews. At length they reached the wall, and, passing through 
 an interval that formed the outlet of a canal, entered the 
 city. Instantly the water became waveless ; houses encom- 
 passed them ; lights gleamed across their way ; the hum t/iat 
 hovered over them while out on the lake realized itself in the 
 voices of men and the notes of labor. 
 
 Yet farther into the city, the light from the temples in* 
 creased. From towers, turreted like a Moresco castle, they 
 heard the night-watchers proclaiming the hour. Canoes, 
 in flocks, darted by them, decked with garlands, and laden 
 with the wealth of a merchant, or the trade of a market-man, 
 or full of revellers singing choruses to the stars or to the fair 
 denizens of the palaces. Here and there the canal was bor- 
 dered with sidewalks of masonry, and sometimes with 
 steps leading from the water up to a portal, about which 
 were companies whose flaunting, parti-colored costumes, bril- 
 liant in the mellowed light, had ali the appearance of Vene 
 tian masqueraders. 
 
 At last the canoes gained the great street that continued 
 from the causeway at the south through the whole city ; then 
 the Tezcucan touched the 'tzin, and said, 
 
 " The son of 'Hualpilli accepts the challenge, Aztec. In 
 the tianguez to-morrow." 
 
 Without further speech, the foemen leaped on the landing, 
 .and separated.
 
 20 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE CHILD OP THE TEMPLE. 
 
 THERE were two royal palaces in the city ; one built "by 
 Axaya', the other by Montezuma, the reigning king, 
 who naturally preferred his own structure, and so resided 
 there. It was a low, irregular pile, embracing not only the 
 king's abode proper, but also quarters for his guard, and edi- 
 fices for an armory, an aviary, and a menagerie. Attached 
 to it was a garden, adorned with the choicest shrubbery and 
 plants, with fruit and forest trees, with walks strewn with 
 shells, and fountains of pure water conducted from the reser- 
 voir of Chapultepec. 
 
 At night, except when the moon shone, the garden was 
 lighted with lamps; and, whether in day or night, it was a 
 favorite lounging-place. During fair evenings, particularly, 
 its walks, of the whiteness of snow, were thronged by nobles 
 and courtiers. 
 
 Shortly after the arrival of Iztlil' and Guatamozin, a party, 
 mostly of the sons of provincial governors kept at the palace 
 as hostages, were gathered in the garden, under a canopy 
 used to shield a fountain from the noonday sun. The place 
 was fairly lighted, the air fresh with the breath of flowers, 
 and delightful with the sound of falling water. 
 
 Maxtla, chief of the guard, was there, his juvenility well 
 hidden under an ostentatious display. That he was " a very 
 common soldier " in the opinion of the people was of small 
 moment : he had the king's ear ; and that, without wit and 
 courtierly tact, would have made him what he was, the 
 oracle of the party around him. 
 
 In the midst of his gossip,. Iztlil', the Tezcucan, came sud-
 
 THE CHILD OF THE TEMPLE. 21 
 
 denly to the fountain. He coldly surveyed the assembly. 
 Maxtla alone saluted him. 
 
 " Will the prince of Tezcuco be seated 1 " said the chief. 
 
 " The place is pleasant, and the company looks inviting," 
 returned IztliT, grimly. 
 
 Since his affair with Guatamozin, he had donned the 
 uniform of an Aztec chieftain. Over his shoulders was care- 
 lessly flung a crimson tttmatli, a short, square cloak, fan- 
 tastically embroidered with gold, and so sprinkled with 
 jewels as to flash at every movement ; his body was wrapped 
 closely in an escaupil, or tunic, of cotton lightly quilted, 
 over which, and around his waist, was a maxtlatl, or sash, 
 inseparable from the warrior. A casque of silver, thin, 
 burnished, and topped with plumes, surmounted his head. 
 His features were gracefully moulded, and he would have 
 been handsome but that his complexion was deepened by 
 black, frowning eyebrows. He was excessively arrogant ; 
 though sometimes, when deeply stirred by passion, his 
 manner rose into tiie royal His character I leave to 
 history. 
 
 " I have just come from Iztapalapan," he said, as he sat 
 upon the proffered stool. M The lake is calm, the way was 
 Tery pleasant, I had the 'tzin Guatamo' for comrade." 
 
 " You were fortunate. The izin is good company," said 
 Maxtla. 
 
 IztliT frowned, and became silent. 
 
 " To-morrow," continued the courtier, upon whom the 1 
 iiscontent, slight as it was, had not been lost, " is the sacri- 
 fice to Quetzal'. I am reminded, gracious prince, that, at a 
 recent celebration, you put up a thousand cocoa,* to be for- 
 feited if you failed to see the daughter of Mualox, the paba. 
 
 * The Aztec currency consisted of bits of tin, in shape like a capital 
 T, of quills of gold-dust, and of bags of cocoa, containing a stated Hum- 
 ber of grains. Sahagun, Hist, de Nueva Esp.
 
 22 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 If not improper, how runs the wager, and what of the 
 result 1 " 
 
 The cacique shrugged his broad shoulders. 
 
 " The man trembles ! " whispered one of the party. 
 
 " "Well he may ! Old Mualox is more than a man. " 
 
 Maxtla bowed and laughed. " Mualox is a magician ; the 
 stars deal with him. And my brother will not speak, lest he 
 may cover the sky of his fortune with clouds." 
 
 " No," said the Tezcucan, proudly ; " the wager was not a 
 sacrilege to the paba or his god ; if it was, the god, not tho 
 man, should be a warrior's fear." 
 
 " Does Maxtla believe Mualox a prophet ? " asked Tlahua, 
 a noble Otompan. 
 i " The gods have power in the sun ; why not on earth ? " 
 
 " You do not like the paba," observed IzthT, gloomily. 
 
 "Who has seen him, prince, and thought of love? 
 And the walls and towers of his dusty temple, are they 
 not hung with dread, as the sky on a dark day with clouds 1 " 
 
 The party, however they might dislike the cacique, could 
 not listen coldly to this conversation. They were mostly of 
 that mystic race of Azatlan, who, ages before, had descended 
 into the valley, like an inundation, from the north; the 
 race whose religion was founded upon credulity ; the race 
 full of chivalry, but horribly governed by a crafty priesthood. 
 None of them disbelieved in star-dealing. So every eye 
 fixed on the Tezcucan, every ear drank the musical syllables of 
 Maxtla. They were startled when the former said abruptly, 
 
 " Comrades, the wrath of the old paba is not to be lightly 
 provoked ; he has gifts not of men. But, as there is nothing; 
 I do not dare, I will tell the story." 
 
 The company now gathered close around the speaker. 
 
 " Probably you have all heard," he began, " that Mualox 
 keeps in his temple somewhere a child or woman too beau- 
 tiful to be mortal. The story may be true ; yet it is only a
 
 THE CHILD OF THE TEMPLE. 23 
 
 belief; no eye has seen footprint or shadow of her. A cer- 
 tain lord in the palace, who goes thrice a week to the shrine 
 of Quetzal', has faith in the gossip and the paba. He says 
 the mystery is Quetzal' himself, already returned, and wait- 
 ing, concealed in the temple, the ripening of the time when 
 he is to burst in vengeance on Tenochtitlan. I heard him 
 talking about it one day, and wagered him a thousand cocoa 
 that, if there was such a being I would see her before tLj 
 next sacrifice to Quetzal'." 
 
 The Tezcucan hesitated. 
 
 " Is the believer to boast himself wealthier by the wager?" 
 said Maxtla, profoundly interested. " A thousand cocoa 
 would buy a jewel or a slave : surely, prince, surely 
 they were worth the winning ! M 
 
 IzthT frowned again, and said bitterly, " A thousand cocoa 
 I cannot well spare : they ao not grow on my hard northern 
 hills like flowers in Xochimilco. I did my best to save the 
 wager. Old habit lures me to the great teocallis ; * for I 
 am of those who believe that a warrior's worship is meet for 
 no god but HuitziT. But, as the girl was supposed to be 
 down in the cells of the old temple, and none but Mualox 
 could satisfy me, I began going there, thinking to bargain 
 humilities for favor. I played my part studiously, if not 
 well ; but no offering of tongue or gold ever won me word 
 of friendship or smile of confidence. Hopeless and weary, I 
 at last gave up, and went back to the teocallis. But now 
 hear my parting with tne paba. A short time ago a mystery 
 was enacted in the temple. At the end, I turned to go 
 away, determined that it should be my last visit. At the 
 eastern steps, as I was about descending, I felt a hand 
 laid on my arm. It was Mualox ; and not more terrible 
 looks Tlalac when he has sacrificed a thousand victims. 
 
 * Temple. The term appears to have applied particularly to the 
 temples of the god HuitziT. TB.
 
 24 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 There was no blood on his hands; his beard and surplice 
 were white and stainless ; the terror was in his eyes, that 
 seemed to burn and shoot lightning. You know, good chief, 
 that I could have crushed him with a blow ; yet I trembled. 
 Looking back now, I cannot explain the awe that seized 
 me. I remember how my will deserted me, how another's 
 came in its stead. With a glance he bound me hand and 
 foot. While I looked at him, he dilated, until I was covered 
 by his shadow. He magnified himself into the stature of 
 a god. ' Prince of Tezcuco,' he said, ' son of the wise 
 'Hualpilli, from the sun Quetzal' looks down on the earth. 
 Alike over land and sea he looks. Before him space melts 
 into a span, and darkness puts on the glow of day. Did 
 you think to deceive my god, O prince ? ' I could not 
 answer ; my tongue was like stone. ' Go hence, go hence ! ' 
 he cried, waving his hand. 'Your presence darkens his 
 mood. His wrath is on your soul; he has cursed you. 
 Hence, abandoned of the gods ! ' So saying, he went 
 back to the tower again, and my will returned, and I fled. 
 And now," said the cacique, turning suddenly and sternly 
 upon his hearers, "who will deny the magic of Mualox? 
 How may I be assured that his curse that day spoken was 
 not indeed a curse from Quetzal' ? " 
 
 There was neither word nor laugh, not even a smile. 
 The gay Maxtla appeared infected with a sombreness of 
 spirit; and it was not long until the party broke* up, and 
 went each his way.
 
 THE CU OF QUETZAL', AND MUALOX, THE PABA. 25 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 THE eft OP QUETZAL', AND MUALOX, THE PABA. 
 
 OVER the city from temple to temple passed the wail of 
 the watchers, and a quarter of the night was gone. 
 Few heard the cry without pleasure ; for to-morrow was 
 Quetzal's day, which would bring feasting, music, combat, 
 crowd, and flowers. 
 
 Among others the proclamation of the passing time was 
 made from a temple in the neighborhood of the Tlatelocc 
 tianguez, or market-place, which had been built by one of the 
 first kings of Tenochtitlan, and, like all edifices of that date 
 properly called Cus, was of but one story, and had but one 
 tower. At the south its base was washed by a canal ; on all 
 the other sides it was enclosed by stone walls high, probably, 
 as a man's head. The three sides so walled were bounded 
 by streets, and faced by houses, some of which were higher 
 than the Cu itself, and adorned with beautiful porticos. 
 The canal on the south ran parallel with the Tlacopan cause- 
 way, and intersected the Iztapalapan street at a point nearly 
 half a mile abo^e the great pyramid. 
 
 The antique pile thus formed a square of vast extent. Ac- 
 cording to the belief that there were blessings in the orient 
 rays of the sun, the front was to the east, where a flight of 
 steps, wide as the whole building, led from the ground to the 
 azoteas, a paved area constituting the roof, crowned in the 
 centre by a round tower of wood most quaintly carved with 
 religious symbols. Entering the door of the tower, the dev ! 
 otee might at once kneel before the sacred image of Quetzal'. 
 
 A circuitous stairway outside the tower conducted to its 
 summit, where blazed the fire. Another flight of steps about
 
 26 THE FAIR GOB. - 
 
 midway the tower and the western verge of the atotcas do- 
 scended into a court-yard, around which, in the shade of a 
 colonnade, were doors and windows of habitable apartment* 
 and passages leading far into the interior. And there, 
 shrouded in a perpetual twilight and darkness, once slept 
 ate, prayed, and studied or dreamed the members of a frater- 
 ( nity powerful as the Templars and gloomy as the Fratref 
 Minores. 
 
 The interior was cut into rooms, and long, winding halls, 
 and countless cellular dens. 
 
 Such was the Cu of Quetzal', stern, sombre, and massive 
 as in its first days ; unchanged in all save the prosperity 
 of its priesthood and the popularity of its shrine. Time was 
 when every cell contained its votaries, and kings, returning 
 from battle, bowed before the altar. But Montezuma had 
 built a new edifice, and set up there a new idol ; and as if a 
 king could better make a god than custom, the people aban- 
 doned the old ones to desuetude. Up in the ancient cupola, 
 however, sat the image said to have been carved by Quetzal's 
 own hand. Still the fair face looked out benignly on its realm 
 of air ; carelessly the winds waved " the plumes of fire " that 
 decked its awful head ; and one stony hand yet grasped a 
 golden sceptre, while the other held aloft the painted shield, 
 symbols of its dominion.* But the servitors and surpliced 
 mystics were gone ; the cells were very solitudes ; the last 
 paba lingered to protect the image and its mansion, all un- 
 witting how, in his faithfulness of love, he himself had as- 
 sumed the highest prerogative of a god. 
 
 The fire from the urn on the tower flashed a red glow down 
 over the azoteas, near a corner of which Mualox stood, his, 
 beard white and flowing as his surplice. Thought of days 
 palmier for himself and more glorious for his temple and god 
 traggled to his lips. 
 
 " Children of Azatlan, ye have strayed from his shrine, 
 * Sahaguij, Hist, de Nueta Esp.
 
 THE CO OF QUETZAL', AND MUALOX, THE PABA. 27 
 
 and dust is on his shield. The temple is of his handiwork, 
 but its chambers are voiceless ; the morning comes and falls 
 asleep on its steps, and no foot disturbs it, no one seeks its 
 blessings. Where is the hymn of the choir ? Where the 
 prayer ? Where the holiness that rested, like a spell, around 
 the altar ? Is the valley fruitless, and are the gardens with- 
 out flowers, that he should be without offering or sacrifice ? 
 .... Ah ! well ye know that the day is not distant when 
 he will glister again in the valley ; when he will come, not 
 as of old he departed, the full harvest quick ripening in his 
 footsteps, but with the power of Mictlan,* the owl on his 
 skirt, and death in his hand. Eeturn, O children, and Tenoch- 
 titlan may yet live ! " 
 
 In the midst of his pleadings there was a clang of san- 
 dalled feet on the pavement, and two men came near him, 
 and stopped. One of them wore the hood and long black 
 gown of a priest ; the other the full mili tary garb, bur- 
 nished casque crested with plumes, a fur-trimmed tilmatli, 
 escaupil, and maxtlatl, and sandals the thongs of which were 
 embossed with silver. He also carried a javelin, and a 
 shield with an owl painted on its face. Indeed, one will 
 travel far before finding, among Christians or unbelievers, 
 his peer. He was then not more than twenty-five years old, 
 tall and nobly proportioned, and with a bearing truly royal. 
 In Spain I have seen eyes as large and lustrous, but none of 
 euch power and variety of expression. His complexion was 
 merely the brown of the sun. Though very masculine, his 
 features, especially when the spirit was in repose, were soft- 
 ened by an expression unusually gentle and attractive, 
 Such was the 'tzin Guatamo', or, as he is more commonly 
 known in history, Guatamozin, the highest, noblest type 
 of his race, blending in one its genius and heroism, with 
 but few of its debasements. 
 
 * The Mexican Hell. The owl was the symbol of the Devil, whose name 
 signifies " the rational owL"
 
 28 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Mualox," said the priestly stranger. 
 
 The paba turned, and knelt, and kissed the pavement. 
 
 " king, pardon your slave ! He was dreaming of hia 
 country." 
 
 " No slave of mine, but Quetzal's. Up, Mualox ! " said 
 Montezuma, throwing back the hood that covered his head. 
 * Holy should be the dust that mingles in your beard ! " 
 
 And the light from the tower shone full on the face of 
 Uim, the priest of lore profound, and monarch wise of 
 thought, for whom Heaven was preparing a destiny most 
 memorable among the melancholy episodes of history. 
 
 A slight mustache shaded his upper lip, and thin, dark 
 beard covered his chin and throat; his nose was straight; 
 his brows curved archly ; his forehead was broad and full, 
 while he seemed possessed of height and strength. His 
 neck was round, muscular, and encircled by a collar 01 
 golden wires. His manner was winsome, and he spoke to 
 the kneeling man in a voice clear, distinct, and sufficiently 
 emphatic for the king he was.* 
 
 Mualox arose, and stood with downcast eyes, and hands 
 crossed over his breast. 
 
 " Many a coming of stars it has been," he said, " since 
 the old shrine has known the favor of gift from Montezuma. 
 Gloom of clouds in a vale of firs is not darker than the 
 mood of Quetzal' ; but to the poor paba, your voice, O 
 king, is welcome as the song of the river in the ear of the 
 thirsty." 
 
 The king looked up at the fire on the tower. 
 . " Why should the mood of Quetzal' be dark ? A new 
 teocallis holds his image. His priests are proud; and they say 
 he is happy, and that when he comes from the golden land 
 his canoe wil be full of blessings." 
 
 '* 'ternal Diaz, Hist, de la Conquista
 
 THE CU OF QUETZAL 7 . AND MUALOX, THE PABA. 29 
 
 Mualox sighed, and when he ventured to raise his eyes 
 to the king's, they were wet with tears. 
 
 " king, have you forgotten that chapter of the teoamox- 
 tli, * in which is written how this Cu was built, and its 
 first fires lighted, by Quetzal' himself ? The new pyramid 
 may be grand ; its towers may be numberless, and its fires 
 far reaching as the sun itself : but hope not that will satisfy 
 the god, while his own house is desolate. In the name of 
 Quetzal', I, his true servant, tell you, never again look for 
 smile from Tlapallan." 
 
 The paba's speech was bold, and the king frowned ; but 
 in the eyes of the venerable man there was the unaccount- 
 able fascination mentioned by Iztlil'. 
 
 " I remember the Mualox of my father's day ; surely he 
 was not as you are ! " Then, laying his hand on the 'tzin's 
 arm, the monarch added, " Did you not say the holy man 
 had something to tell me ? " 
 
 Mualox answered, " Even so, O king ! Few are the 
 friends left the paba, now that his religion and god are 
 mocked ; but the 'tzin is faithful. At my bidding he went 
 to the palace, Will Montezuma go with his servant ? " 
 
 " Where ? 
 
 "Only into the Cu." 
 
 The monarch faltered. 
 
 " Dread be from you ! " said Mualox. "Think you it is 
 as hard to be faithful to a king as to a god whom even he 
 has aoandoned ? " 
 
 M'.mtezuma was touched. "Let us go," he said to the 
 
 The Divine Book, or Bible. Ixtlil's Relaciones M. S. \/
 
 30 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL. 
 
 "li yTUALOX led them into the tower. The light of pur- 
 J.V1 pled lamps filled the sacred place, and played softly 
 around the idol, before which they bowed. Then he took a 
 light from the altar, and conducted them to the azoteas, and 
 down into the court-yard, from whence they entered a hall 
 leading on into the Cu. 
 
 The way was labyrinthine, and both the king and the 
 'tzin became bewildered ; they only knew that they de- 
 scended several stairways, and walked a considerable dis- 
 tance ; nevertheless, they submitted themselves entirely to 
 their guide, who went forward without hesitancy. At last 
 he stopped ; and, by the light which he held up for the pur- 
 pose, they saw in a wall an aperture roughly excavated, and 
 large enough to admit them singly. 
 
 " You have read the Holy Book, wise king," said Mualox. 
 " Can you not recall its saying that, before the founding of 
 Tenochtitlan, a Cu was begun, with chambers to lie under 
 the bed of the lake? Especially, do you not remember 
 the declaration that, in some of those chambers, besides a 
 store of wealth so vast as to be beyond the calculation of 
 men, there were prophecies to be read, written on the walls 
 by a god 1 " 
 
 " I remember it," said the king. 
 
 " Give me faith, then, and I will show you all you there 
 read." 
 
 Thereupon the paba stepped into the aperture, saying, 
 
 " Mark I I am now standing under the eastern wall of the 
 old Cu."
 
 THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL. 31 
 
 He passed through, and they followed him, and were 
 Amazed. 
 
 " Look around, O king ! You are in one of the chambers 
 mentioned in the Holy Book." 
 
 The light penetrated but a short distance, so that MOD- 
 tezuma could form no idea of the extent of the apartment. 
 He would have thought it a great natural cavern but for 
 the floor smoothly paved with alternate red and gray flags, 
 and some massive stone blocks rudely piled up in places to 
 support the roof. 
 
 As they proceeded, Mualox said, " On every side of us 
 there are rooms through which we might go till, in stormy 
 weather, the waves of the lake can be heard breaking over- 
 head." 
 
 In a short tun they again stopped. 
 
 "We are nearly there. Son of a king, is your heart 
 strong 1 " said Mualox, solemnly. 
 
 Montezuma made no answer. 
 
 " Many a time," continued the paba, " your glance has 
 rented on the tower of the old Cu, then flashed to where, in 
 prouder state, your pyramids rise. You never thought the 
 gray pile you smiled at was the humblest of all Quetzal's 
 works. Can a man, though a king, outdo a god ? " 
 
 " I never thought so, I never thought so ! " 
 
 But the mystic did not notice the deprecation. 
 
 " See," he said, speaking louder, " the pride of man says, I 
 will build upward that the sun may show my power ; but 
 the gods are too great for pride ; so the sun shines not on 
 their especial glories, which as frequently lie in the earth 
 and sea as in the air and heavens. mighty king ! You 
 crush the worm under your sandal, never thinking that its 
 humble life is more wonderful than all your temples and 
 state. It was the same folly that laughed at the simple towel 
 of Quetzal', which has mysteries "
 
 32 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Mysteries ! " said the king. 
 
 "I will show you wealth enough to restock the uiinea 
 and visited valleys with all their plundered gold and 
 jewels." 
 
 " You are dreaming, paba." 
 
 " Come, then ; let us see ! " 
 
 They moved past some columns, and caino before a great, 
 arched doorway, through which streamed a brilliance like 
 day. 
 
 " Now, let your souls be strong ! " 
 
 They entered the door, and for a while were blinded by the 
 glare, and could see only the floor covered with grains of gold 
 large as wheat. Moving on, they came to a great stone table, 
 and stopped. 
 
 " You wonder ; and so did I, until I was reminded that a 
 god had been here. Look up, king ! look up, and see the 
 handiwork of Quetzal' ! " 
 
 The chamber was broad and square. The obstruction of 
 many pillars, forming the stay of the roof, was compensated by 
 their lightness and wonderful carving. Lamps, lit by Mua- 
 lox in anticipation of the royal coming, blazed in all quarters. 
 The ceiling was covered with lattice-work of shining white 
 and yellow metals, the preciousness of which was palpable to 
 eyes accustomed like the monarch's. Where the bars crossed 
 each other, there were fanciful representations of flowers, 
 wrought in gold, some of them large as shields, and garnished 
 with jewels that burned with star-like fires. Between the 
 columns, up and down ran rows of brazen tables, bearing* 
 urns and vases of the royal metals, higher than tall men, and 
 carved all over with gods in bas-relief, not as hideous cari- 
 catures, but beautiful as love and Grecian skill could niako 
 them. Between the vases and urns there were heaps of 
 rubies and pearls and brilliants, amongst which looked out 
 aoftly the familiar, pale-green lustre of the chaldiuites, 01
 
 THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL. 33 
 
 priceless Aztecan diamond.* And here and there, like 
 guardians of the buried beauty and treasure, statues looked 
 down from tall pedestals, crowned and armed, as became tho 
 kings and demi-gods of a great and martial people. The 
 monarch was speechless. Again and ag^in he surveyed the 
 golden chamber. As if seeking an explanation, but too 
 overwhelmed for words, he turned to Mualox. 
 
 " And now does Montezuma believe his servant dream- 
 ing ? " said the paba. " Quetzal' directed the discovery of 
 the chamber. I knew of it, king, before you were born. 
 And here is the wealth of which I spoke. If it so confounds 
 you, how much more will the other mystery ! I have dug 
 up a prophecy ; from darkness plucked a treasure richer than 
 all these. O king, I will give you to read a message from 
 the gods ! " 
 
 The monarch's face became bloodless, and it had now not 
 a trace of scepticism. 
 
 " I will show you from Quetzal 1 himself that the end of 
 your Empire is at hand, and that every wind of the earth ia 
 full sown with woe to you and yours. Tho writing is on 
 the walls. Come ! " 
 
 And he led the king, followed by Guatamozin, to tho 
 northern corner of the eastern wall, on which, in square 
 marble panels, bas-relief style, were hierograms and sculp- 
 tured pictures of men, executed apparently by the same 
 hand that chiselled the statues in the room. The ground 
 of the carvings was coated with coarse gray coral, whicl 
 had the effect to bring out the white figures with marvel 
 lous perfection. 
 
 "This, O king, is the writing," said Mualox, "which 
 begins here, and continues around the walls. I will read, 
 if you please to hear." 
 
 * A kind of emerald, used altogether by the nobility. Sahagun, Hist 
 de Nueva Esp.
 
 34 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Montezuma waved his hand, and the paba proceeded. 
 
 " This figure is that of the first king of Tenochtitlan ; th 
 others are his followers. The letters record -the time of the 
 march from the north. Observe that the first of the writing 
 its commencement is here in the north." 
 
 After a little while, they moved on to the second panel. 
 
 " Here," said Mualox, " is represented the march of the 
 king. It was accompanied with battles. See, he stands 
 with lifted javelin, his foot on the breast of a prostrate foe. 
 His followers dance and sound shells ; the priests sacrifice a 
 victim. The king has won a great victory." 
 
 They stopped before the third panel. 
 
 " And here the monarch is still on the march. He is in 
 the midst of his warriors ; no doubt the crown he is receiving 
 is that of the ruler of a conquered city." 
 
 This cartoon Montezuma examined closely. The chief, or 
 king, was distinguished by a crown in all respects like that 
 then in the palace ; the priests, by their long gowns ; and the 
 warriors, by their arms, which, as they were counterparts 
 of those still in use, sufficiently identified the wanderers. 
 Greatly was the royal inspector troubled. And as the paba 
 slowly conducted him from panel to panel, he forgot the 
 treasure with which the chamber was stored. What he read 
 was the story of his race, the record of their glory. The, 
 whole eastern wall, he found, when he had passed before it, 
 given to illustrations of the crusade from Azatlan, the father- 
 land, northward so far that corn was gathered in the snow, 
 and flowers were the wonder of the six weeks' summer. 
 
 In front of the first panel on the southern wall Mualox 
 said, 
 
 ' All we have passed is the first era in the history ; this is 
 the beginning of the second ; and the first writing on the 
 western wall will commence a third. Here the king stands 
 on a rock ; a priest points him to an eagle on a cactus, hold
 
 THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL. 35 
 
 ing a serpent. At last they have reached the place where 
 Tenochtitlan is to be founded." 
 
 The paba passed on. 
 
 " Here," he said, " are temples and palaces. The king re- 
 clines on a couch ; the city has been founded." 
 
 And before another panel, " Look well to this, king 
 A new character is introduced ; here it is before an altar, 
 offering a sacrifice oi fruits and flowers. It is Quetzal' ! In 
 his worship, you recollect, there is no slaughter of victims. 
 My hands are pure of blood." 
 
 The Quetzal', with its pleasant face, flowing curls, and 
 gimple costume, seemed to have a charm for Montezuma, for 
 he mused over it a long time. Some distance on, the figure 
 again appeared, stepping into a canoe, while the people, tem- 
 ples, and palaces of the city were behind it. Mualox ex- 
 plained, " See, king ! The fair god is departing from 
 Tenochtitlan; he has been banished. Saddest of all the 
 days was that ! " 
 
 And so, the holy man interpreting, they moved along tha 
 southern wall. Not a scene but was illustrative of some in- 
 cident memorable in the Aztecan history. And the review- 
 ers were struck with the faithfulness of the record not less 
 than with the beauty of the work. 
 
 On the western wall, the first cartoon represented a young 
 man sweeping the steps of a temple. Montezuma paused be- 
 fore it amazed, and Guatamozin for the first time cried out, 
 * It is the king ! It is the king ! " The likeness was per- 
 fect. 
 
 After that came a coronation scene. The teotuctli was 
 placing a panache* on Montezuma's head. In the third 
 iartoon, he was with the army, going to battle. In the 
 
 * Or capilli, the king's crown. A panache was the head-dress of -9 
 
 h-un-ior.
 
 36 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 fourth, he was seated, while a man clad in nequen* but 
 crowned, stood before him. 
 
 " You have grown familiar with triumphs, and it is many 
 summers since, king," said Mualox ; " but you have not 
 yet forgotten the gladness of your first conquest. Here is 
 its record. As we go on, recall the kings who were thus 
 made to stand before you." 
 
 And counting as they proceeded, Montezuma found that 
 in every cartoon there was an additional figure crowned 
 and in nequen. When they came to the one next the last 
 on the western wall, he said, 
 
 " Show me the meaning of all this : here are thirty 
 kings." 
 
 " Will the king tell his slave the number of cities he has 
 conquered 1 " 
 
 He thought awhile, and replied, " Thirty." 
 
 " Then the record is faithful. It started with the first 
 king of Tenochtitlan ; it came down to your coronation ; 
 now, it has numbered your conquests. See you not, 
 king ? Behind us, all the writing is of the past ; this is 
 Montezuma and Tenochtitlan as they are : the present is 
 before us! Could the hand that set this chamber and 
 carved these walls have been a man's ? Who but a god six 
 cycles ago could have foreseen that a son of the son of Axa- 
 ya' would carry the rulers of thirty conquered cities in his 
 train?" 
 
 The royal visitor listened breathlessly. He began to com- 
 prehend the writing, and thrill with fast-coming presenti- 
 ments. Yet he struggled with his fears. 
 
 "Prophecy has to do with the future," he said; "and you 
 have shown me nothing that the sculptors and jewellers in 
 
 * A garment of coarse white material, made from the fibre of the aloe, 
 and by court etiquette required to be worn by courtiers and suitors in the 
 king's presence. The rule appears to have been of universal application.
 
 THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL. 37 
 
 my palace cannot do. Would you have me believe all this 
 from Quetzal', show me something that is to come." 
 
 Mualox led him to the next scene which represented the 
 king sitting in state ; above him a canopy ; his nobles an 
 the women of his household around him ; at his feet the peo 
 p]e ; and all were looking at a combat going on between, 
 warriors. 
 
 "You have asked for prophecy, behold!" said Mua- 
 lox. 
 
 " I see nothing," replied the king. 
 
 " Nothing I Is not this the celebration to-morrow ? Since 
 it was ordered, could your sculptors have executed what you 
 see?" 
 
 Back to the monarch's face stole the pallor. 
 
 " Look again, king ! You only saw yourself, your peo- 
 ple and warriors. But what is this ? " 
 
 Walking up, he laid his finger on the representation of a 
 man landing from a canoe. 
 
 " The last we beheld of Quetzal'," he continued, " was on 
 the southern wall ; his back was to Tenochtitlan, which he 
 was leaving with a curse. All you have heard about his 
 promise to return is true. He himself has written the very- 
 day, and here it is. Look ! While the king, his warriors 
 and people, are gathered to the combat, Quetzal' steps from 
 the canoe to the sea-shore." 
 
 The figure in the carving was scarcely two hands high, but 
 exquisitely wrought. With terror poorly concealed, Monte- 
 zuma recognized it, 
 
 "And now my promise is redeemed. I said I would 
 give you to read a message from the sun." 
 
 " Bead, Mualox: I cannot." 
 
 The holy man turned to the writing, and said, with a 
 swelling voice, "Thus writes Quetzal' to Montezuma, the 
 king ! In the last day he will seek to stay my vengeance ; 
 
 69493
 
 38 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 he will call together his people ; there will be combat iii 
 Tenochtitlan ; but in the midst of the rejoicing I will land 
 on the sea-shore, and end the days of Azatlan forever." 
 
 " Forever ! " said the unhappy monarch. " No, no 3 
 Read the next writing." 
 
 " There is no other ; this is the last." 
 
 The eastern, southern, and western walls had been suc- 
 cessively passed, and interpreted. Now the king turned to 
 the northern wall : it was blank I His eyes flashed, and he 
 almost shouted, 
 
 " Liar .' Quetzal' may come to-morrow, but it will be as 
 friend. There is no curse ! " 
 
 The paba humbled himself before the speaker, and said, 
 slowly and tearfully, " The wise king is blinded by his hope. 
 When Quetzal' finished this chapter, his task was do& ; ha 
 had recorded the last day of perfect glory, and ceased to 
 write because, Azatlan being now to perish, there was noth- 
 ing more to record. unhappy king 1 that is the curse, 
 and it needed no writing ! " 
 
 Montezuma shook with passion. 
 
 " Lead me hence, lead me hence ! " he cried. " I will 
 watch ; and if Quetzal' comes not on the morrow, conies 
 not during the celebration, I swear to level this temple, 
 and let the lake into its chambers ! And you, paba 
 though you be, I will drown you like a slave ! Lead on ! " 
 
 Mualox obeyed without a word. Lamp in hand, he led 
 his visitors from the splendid chamber up to the azoleas of 
 the ancient house. As they descended the eastern steps, ha 
 knelt, and kissed the pavement
 
 A. BUSINESS MAN IN TENOCHTITLAN. 39 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 A BUSINESS MAN IN TENOCHTITLAN. 
 
 OLI, the Chalcan, was supposed to be the richest citi< 
 ../v. zen, exclusive of the nobles, in Tenochtitlan. Amongst 
 other properties, he owned a house on the eastern side of the 
 Tlateloco tianguez, or market-place ; which, whether con- 
 sidered architecturally, or with reference to the business to 
 which it was devoted, or as the device of an unassoilzied 
 heathen, was certainly very remarkable. Its portico had six 
 great columns of white marble alternating six others of green 
 porphyry, with a roof guarded by a parapet intricately and 
 tastefully carved; while cushioned lounges, heavy curtains 
 festooned and flashing with cochineal, and a fountain of 
 water pure enough for the draught of a king, all within the 
 columns, perfected it as a retreat from the sultry summer sun. 
 The house thus elegantly garnished was not a mesn, or a 
 caf, or a theatre, or a broker's office ; but rather a combina- 
 tion of them all, and therefore divided into many apart- 
 ments ; of which one was for the sale of beverages favorite 
 among the wealthy and noble Aztecs, Bacchic inventions, 
 with pulque for chief staple, since it had the sanction of 
 antiquity and was mildly intoxicating ; another was a res-^ 
 taurant, where the cuisine was only excelled at the royal' 
 table ; indeed, there was a story abroad that the king had 
 several times borrowed the services of the Chalcan 's 
 artistes; but, whether derived from the master or his 
 slaves, the shrewd reader will conclude from it, that 
 the science of advertising was known and practised as 
 well in Tenochtitlan as in Madrid, NOT were these 
 all. Under the same roof were rooms for tiie amusement of
 
 THE FAIK UOJJ. 
 
 patrons, for reading, smoking, and games ; one in especial 
 for a play of hazard called totoloque, then very popular, be- 
 muse a passion of Montezuma's. Finally, as entertainments 
 ot prohibited by the teotuctli, a signal would, at any time, 
 *ummon a minstrel, a juggler, or a dancing-girl Hardly 
 need I say that the establishment was successful. Always 
 ringing with music, and of nights always resplendent with 
 'lamps, it was always overflowing with custom. 
 
 " So old Tepaja wanted you to be a merchant," said the 
 Chalcan, in his full, round voice, as, comfortably seated under 
 the curtains of his portico, he smoked his pipe, and talked 
 with our young friend, the Tihuancan. 
 
 " Yes. Now that he is old, he thinks war dangerous." 
 
 " You mistake him, boy. He merely thinks with me, that 
 there is something more real in wealth and many slaves. 
 As he has grown older, he has grown wiser." 
 
 " As you will. I could not be a merchant." 
 
 " Whom did you think of serving 1 " 
 
 " The 'tzin Guatamo." * 
 
 " I know him. He comes to my portico sometimes, but 
 not to borrow money. You see, I frequently act as broker, 
 and take deposits from the merchants and securities from 
 the spendthrift nobles ; he, however, has no vices. 
 When not with the army, he passes the time in study; 
 though they do say he goes a great deal to the palace to 
 make love to the princess. And now that I reflect, I doubt 
 if you can get place with him." 
 
 "Why so?" ^ ... 
 
 " Well, he keeps no idle train, and the time is very quiet 
 2f he were going to the frontier it would be different." 
 
 "Indeed!" 
 
 " You see, boy, he is the bravest man and best fighter in 
 
 * 'Tzin was a title equivalent to lord in English. Guatamotsin. a* 
 compounded, signifies Lord Guatamo.
 
 A BUSINESS MAN IN TENOCHTITLAN. 41 
 
 the army; and the sensible fellows of moderate skill and 
 ambition have no fancy for the hot place in a fight, which 
 is generally where he is." 
 
 "The discredit is not to him, by Our Mother!" said 
 Hualpa, laughing. 
 
 The broker stopped to cherish the fire in his pipe, an 
 act which the inexperienced consider wholly incompatible 
 with the profound reflection he certainly indulged. When 
 aext he spoke, it was with smoke wreathing his round face, 
 as white clouds sometimes wreathe the full moon. 
 
 " About an hour ago a fellow came here, and said he had 
 fleard that IztliT, the Tezcucan, had challenged the 'tzin to go 
 tnto the arena with him to-morrow. Not a bad thing for 
 the god Quetzal', if all I hear be true ! " 
 
 Again the pipe, and then the continuation. 
 -"You see, when the combat was determined on, there 
 happened to be in the temples two Othmies and two Tlas- 
 fcdans, warriors of very great report. As soon as it became 
 known that, by the king's choice, they were the challengers, 
 the young fellows about the palace shunned the sport, and 
 there was danger that the god would find himself without a 
 champion. To avoid such a disgrace, the 'tzin was coming 
 here to-night to hang his shield in the portico. If he and 
 the Tezcucan both take up the fight, it will be a great day 
 indeed." 
 
 The silence that ensued was broken by the hunter, whom 
 the gossip had plunged into revery. 
 
 " I pray your pardon, Xoli ; but you said, I think, that the 
 lords hang back from the danger. Can any one volunteer 1 " 
 
 "Certainly; any one who is a warrior, and is in time. 
 Are you of that mind?" 
 
 The Chalcan took down the pipe, and looked at him ear- 
 nestly. 
 
 "If I had the arms "
 
 42 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 \ 
 
 " But you know nothing about it, not even how such 
 combats are conducted ! " 
 
 The broker was now astonished. 
 
 " Listen to me," he said. '" " These combats are always in 
 honor of some one or more of the Aztecan gods, generally 
 of HuitziT, god of war. They used to be very simple af- 
 fairs. A small platform of stone, of the height of a man, 
 was put up in th& midst of the tianguez, so as to be seen by 
 the people standing around; and upon it, in pairs, the 
 champions fought their duels. This, however, was too plain 
 to suit the tastes of the last Montezurna ; and he changed 
 the ceremony into a spectacle really honorable and great. 
 Now, the arena is first prepared, a central space in a great 
 many rows of seats erected so as to rise one above the other. 
 At the proper time, the people, the priests, and the soldiers 
 go in and take possession of their allotted places. Some 
 time previous, the quarters of the prisoners taken in battle 
 are examined and two or more of the best of the warriors 
 found there are chosen by the king, and put in training for 
 the occasion. They are treated fairly, and are told that, if 
 they fight and win, they shall be crowned as heroes, and 
 returned to their tribes. No need, I think, to tell you how 
 brave men fight when stimulated by hope of glory and hope 
 of life. When chosen, their names are published, and their 
 shields hung up in a portico on the other side of the square 
 yonder ; after which they are understood to be the challeng- 
 ers of any equal number of warriors who dare become 
 champions of the god or gods in whose honor the celebra- 
 tion is had. Think of the approved skill and valor of the 
 foe ; think of the thousands who will be present ; think of 
 your own inexperience in war, and of your youth, your 
 stature hardly gained, your muscles hardly matured ; think 
 of everything tending to weaken your chances of success, 
 and then speak to me."
 
 A BUSINESS MAN IN TENOCHTITLAN. 43 
 
 Hualpa met the sharp gaze of the Chalcan steadily, and 
 answered, " I am thought to have some skill with the bow 
 and maquahuitl. Get me the opportunity, and I will fight." 
 
 And Xoli, who was a sincere friend, reflected awhile. 
 "There is peril in the undertaking, to be sure; but then 
 he is resolved to be a warrior, and if he survives, it is glory 
 at once gained, fortune at once made." Then he arose, and, 
 smiling, said aloud, " Let us go to the portico. If the list 
 be not full, you shall have the arms, yes, by the Sun ! as 
 the lordly Aztecs swear, the very best in Tenochtitlan." 
 
 And they lifted the curtains, and stepped into the tian- 
 guez* The light of the fires on the temples was hardly more 
 in strength than the shine of the moon ; so that torches had 
 to be set up at intervals over the celebrated square. On an 
 ordinary occasion, with a visitation of forty thousand busy 
 "buyers and sellers, it was a show of merchants and mer- 
 chantable staples worthy the chief mart of an empire so 
 notable ; but now, drawn by the double attraction of market 
 and celebration, the multitude that thronged it was trebly 
 greater ; yet the order was perfect. 
 
 An officer, at the head of a patrol, passed them with a 
 prisoner. 
 
 " Ho, Chalcan ! If you would see justice done, follow 
 me." 
 
 "Thanks, thanks, good friend; I have been before the 
 \udges too often already." 
 , So the preservation of the peace was no mystery. 
 
 The friends made way slowly, giving the Tihuancan time 
 to gratify his curiosity. He found the place like a great 
 national fair, in which few branches of industry were unrep- 
 resented. There were smiths who worked in the coarser 
 
 * The great market-place or square of Tlateloco. The Spaniards called it 
 tianguez. For description, see Prescott, Conq. of Mexico, VoL II., Book 
 IV. Bernal Diaz's Work, Hist, de k Conq.
 
 44 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 metals, and jewellers skilful as those of Europe ; there were 
 makers and dealers in furniture, and sandals, and plumaje ; 
 at one place men were disposing of fruits, flowers, and vege- 
 tables ; not far away fishermen boasted their stock caught 
 that day in the fresh waters of Chalco ; tables of pastry and 
 maize bread were set next the quarters of the hunters of 
 Xilotepec ; the armorers, clothiers, and dealers in cotton 
 were each of them a separate host. In no land where a 
 science has been taught or a book written have the fine arts 
 been dishonored ; and so in the great market of Tenoch tit- 
 Ian there were no galleries so rich as those of the painters, 
 nor was any craft allowed such space for their exhibitions as 
 the sculptors. 
 
 They halted an instant before a porch full of slaves. A 
 rapid glance at the miserable wretches, and Xoli said, piti- 
 lessly, " Bah! Mictlan has many such. Let us go." 
 
 Farther on they came to a platform on which a band of 
 mountebanks was performing. Hualpa would have stayed 
 to witness their tableaux, but Xoli was impatient. 
 
 <f You see yon barber's shop," he said ; " next to it is the 
 portico we seek. Come on ! " 
 
 At last they arrived there, and mixed with the crowd 
 curious like themselves. 
 
 " Ah, boy, you are too late ! The list is full." 
 
 The Chalcan spoke regretfully. 
 
 Hualpa looked for himself. On a clear white wall, that 
 fairly glistened with the flood of light pouring upon it, he i 
 counted eight shields, or gages of battle. Over the four to the 
 left were picture-written, " Othmies," " Tlascalans." They 
 belonged to the challengers, and were battered and stained, 
 proving that their gathering had been in no field of peace. 
 The four to the right were of the Aztecs, and all bore de- 
 vices except one. A sentinel stood silently beneath them. 
 
 " Welcome, Chalcan ! " said a citizen, saluting the broker.
 
 A BUSINESS MAN IN TENOCHTITLAN. 45- 
 
 You are in good time to tell us the owners of the shields 
 
 " Of the Aztecs ? " 
 
 Yes." 
 
 " Well," said Xoli, slowly and gravely. " The shields I 
 do not know are few and of little note. At one time or 
 another I have seen them all pass my Dortico going to 
 battle." 
 
 A bystander, listening, whispered to his friends, 
 
 " The braggart ! He says nothing of the times the owners 
 passed his door to get a pinch of his snuff." 
 
 " Or to get drunk on his abominable pulque" said another. 
 
 " Or to get a loan, leaving their palaces in pawn," said a 
 third party. 
 
 But Xoli went on impressively, 
 
 " Those two to the left belong to a surly Otompan and a 
 girl-faced Cholulan. They had a quarrel in the king's gar- 
 den, and this is the upshot. That other, surely, O citizens, 
 you know the shield of IztliT, the Tezcucan 1 " 
 
 " Yes ; but its neighbor ] " 
 
 " The plain shield ! Its owner has a name to win. I can 
 find you enough such here in the market to equip an army. 
 Say, soldier, whose gage is that ] " 
 
 The sentinel shook his head. " A page came not long age, 
 and asked me to hang it up by the side of the Tezcucan's. 
 He said not whom he served." 
 
 " "Well, maybe you know the challengers." 
 
 " Two of the shields belong to a father and son of the 
 tribe of Othmies. In the last battle the son alone slew eight 
 Cempoallan warriors for us. Tlascalans, whose names I do 
 Uot know, own the others." 
 
 J< Do you think they will escape ? " asked^a citizen. 
 
 The sentinel smiled grimly, and said, " Not if it be true 
 Jhat yon plain shield belongs to Guatamo, the 'tzin."
 
 46 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Directly a patrol, rudely thrusting the citizens aside, came 
 to relieve the guard. In the confusion, the Chalcan whis- 
 pered to his friend, " Let us go back. There is no chance 
 for you in the arena to-morrow ; and this new fellow is sul- 
 len ; his tongue would not wag though I promised him drink 
 from the king's vase." 
 
 Soon after they reached the Chalcan's portico and disap- 
 peared in the building, the cry of the night-watchers arose 
 from the temples, and the market was closed. The great 
 crowd vanished ; in stall and portico the lights were extin- 
 guished ; but at once another scene equally tumultuous 
 usurped the tianguez. Thousands of half-naked tamanea 
 rushed into the deserted place, and all night long it its- 
 sounded, like a Babel, with clamor of tongues, and 
 of mighty preparation. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE QUESTIONER OP THE MORNING. 
 
 "TTTHEN Montezuma departed from the old Cu for his 
 VV palace, it was not to sleep or rest. The revelation 
 that so disturbed him, that held him wordless on the street, 
 and made him shrink from his people, wild with the promise 
 of pomp and combat, would not be shut out by gates and 
 guards ; it clung to his memory, and with him stood by the 
 fountain, walked in the garden, and laid down on his couch. 
 Royalty had no medicine for the trouble ; he was restless aa 
 a fevered slave, and at times muttered prayers, pronouncing 
 no name but Quetzal's. When the morning approached, he 
 called Maxtla, and bade him get ready his canoe : from 
 Chapultepec, the palace and tomb of his fathers, he would see 
 the sun rise.
 
 THE QUESTIONER OF THE MORNING. 47 
 
 From one of the westerly canals they put out. The lake 
 was still rocking the night on its bosom, and no light other 
 than of the stars shone in the east. The gurgling sound of 
 waters parted by the rushing vessel, and the regular dip of 
 the paddles, were all that disturbed the brooding of majesty 
 Abroad thus early on Tezcuco. 
 
 The canoe struck the white pebbles that strewed the land- 
 ing at the princely property just as dawn was dappling the 
 sky. On the highest point of the hill there was a tower 
 from which the kings were accustomed to observe the stars. 
 Thither Montezuma went. Maxtla, who alone dared follow, 
 spread a mat for him on the tiles ; kneeling upon it, and 
 folding his hands worshipfully upon his breast, he looked 
 to the east. 
 
 And the king was learned; indeed, one more so was 
 not in all his realm. In his student days, and in his priest- 
 hood, before he was taken from sweeping the temple to be 
 arch-ruler, he had gained astrological craft, and yet practised 
 it from habit. The heavens, with their blazonry, were to 
 him as pictured parchments. He loved the stars for their 
 sublime mystery, and had faith in them as oracles. He con- 
 sulted them always ; his armies marched at their bidding ; 
 and they and the gods controlled every movement of his 
 civil polity. But as he had never before been moved by so 
 great a trouble, and as the knowledge he now sought directly 
 concerned his throne and nations, he came to consult and 
 question the Morning, that intelligence higher and purer 
 than the stars. If Quetzal' was angered, and would that 
 day land for vengeance, he naturally supposed the Sun, his 
 dwelling-place, would give some warning. So he came seek- 
 ing the mood of the god from the Sun. 
 
 And while he knelt, gradually the gray dawn melted into 
 purple and gold. The stars went softly out. Long rays, 
 like radiant spears, shot up and athwart the sky. As the in-
 
 48 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 dications multiplied, his hopes arose. Farther back he threw 
 the hood from his brow ; the sun seemed coming clear and 
 cloudless above the mountains, kindling his heart no less 
 than the air and earth. 
 
 A wide territory, wrapped in the dim light, extended be- 
 neath his feet. There slept Tenochtitlan, with her shining 
 temples and blazing towers, her streets and resistless nation- 
 ality ; there were the four lakes, with their blue waters, their 
 shores set with cities, villages and gardens ; beyond them 
 lay eastern Anahuac, the princeliest jewel of the Empire. 
 What with its harvests, its orchards, and its homesteads, its 
 forests of oak, sycamore, and cedar, its population busy, 
 happy, and faithful, contented as tillers of the soil, and brave 
 as lions in time of need, it was all of Aden he had ever 
 known or dreamed. 
 
 In the southeast, above a long range of mountains, rose 
 the volcanic peaks poetized by the Aztecs into " The White 
 Woman"* and "The Smoking HiU."t Mythology had 
 covered them with sanctifying faith, as, in a different age 
 and more classic clime, it clothed the serene mountain of 
 Thessaly. 
 
 But the king saw little of all this beauty ; he observed 
 /lothing but the sun, which was rising a few degrees north 
 of " The Smoking Hill." In all the heavens round there 
 was not a fleck ; and already his heart throbbed with de- 
 light, when suddenly a cloud of smoke rushed upward from 
 the mountain, and commenced gathering darkly about its 
 white summit. Quick to behold it, he scarcely hushed a cry 
 of fear, and instinctively waved his hand, as if, by a kingly 
 gesture, to stay the eruption. Slowly the vapor crept over 
 the roseate sky, and, breathless and motionless, the seeker 
 of the god's mood and questioner of the Morning watched 
 its progress. Across the pathway of the sun it stretched, so 
 
 IztaccihuatL f Popocatepetl.
 
 THE QUESTIONER OF THE MORNING. 49 
 
 that when the disk wheeled fairly above the mountain- 
 range, it looked like a ball of blood. 
 
 The king was a reader of picture-writing, and skilful in 
 deducing the meaning of men from cipher and hieroglyph. 
 Straightway he interpreted the phenomenon as a direful por- 
 tent ; and because he came looking for omens, the idea that 1 , 
 this was a message sent him expressly from the gods was 
 but a right royal vanity. He drew the hood over his face 
 again, and drooped his head disconsolately upon his breast. 
 His mind filled with a host of gloomy thoughts. The rev- 
 elation of Mualox was prophecy here confirmed, Quet- 
 zal' was coming ! Throne, power, people, all the glo- 
 ries of his country and Empire, he saw snatched from 
 his nerveless grasp, and floating away, like the dust of thfl 
 valley. 
 
 After a while he arose to depart. One more look he gave 
 the sun before descending from the roof, and shuddered at 
 the sight of city, lake, valley, the cloud itself, and the sky 
 above it, all colored with an ominous crimson. 
 
 " Behold ! " he said, tremulously, to Maxtla, " to-day we 
 will sacrifice to Quetzal' : how long until Quetzal' sacrifices 
 to himself ]" 
 
 The chief cast down his eyes ; for he knew how dangerous 
 it was to look on royalty humbled by fear. Then Monte- 
 rama shaded his face again, and left the proud old hill, with 
 a sigh for its palaces and the beauty of its great cypress- 
 groves.
 
 50 TUB FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 GOING TO THE COMBAT. 
 
 AS the morning advanced, the city grew fully animate. 
 A festal spirit was abroad, seeking display in masks, 
 mimes, and processions. Jugglers performed on the street- 
 corners ; dancing-girls, with tambours, and long elf-locks 
 dressed in flowers, possessed themselves of the smooth side- 
 walks. Very plainly, the evil omen of the morning affected 
 the king more than his people. 
 
 The day advanced clear and beautiful. In the eastern 
 sky the smoke of the volcano still lingered; but the sun 
 rose above it, and smiled on the valley, like a loving 
 god. 
 
 At length the tambour in the great temple sounded the 
 signal of assemblage. Its deep tones, penetrating every 
 recess of the town and rushing across the lake, were heard 
 in the villages on the distant shores. Then, in steady cur- 
 rents, the multitudes set forward for the tianguez. The 
 ckinampas were deserted ; hovels and palaces gave up their 
 tenantry ; canoes, gay with garlands, were abandoned in the 
 waveless canals. The women and children came down from 
 the roofs ; from all the temples all but the old one with 
 the solitary gray tower and echoless court poured the 
 priesthood in processions, headed by chanting choirs, and 
 interspersed with countless sacred symbols. Many were the 
 pomps, but that of the warriors surpassed all others. March- 
 ing in columns of thousands, they filled the streets with 
 flashing arms and gorgeous regalia, roar of attabals and peals 
 of minstrelsy. 
 
 About the same time the royal palanquin stood at tho
 
 GOING TO THE COMBAT. 51 
 
 palace portal, engoldened, jewelled, and surmounted with a 
 panache of green plumes. Cuitlahua, Cacama, Maxtla, and 
 the lords of Tlacopan, Tepejaca, and Cholula, with other 
 nobles from the provinces far and near, were collected about 
 it in waiting, sporting on their persons the wealth of princi- 
 palities. When the monarch came out, they knelt, and 
 every one of them placed his palm on the ground before 
 him. On the last stone at the portal he stopped, and raised 
 his eyes to the sky. A piece of aguave, fluttering like a 
 leaf, fell so near him that he reached out his hand and 
 caught it. 
 
 " Read it, my lords," he said, after a moment's study. 
 
 The paper contained only the picture of an eagle attacked 
 by an owl, and passed from hand to hand. Intent on de- 
 ciphering the writing, none thought of inquiring whether its 
 coming was of design or accident. 
 
 " What does it mean, my lord Cacama 1 " asked the mon- 
 arch, gravely. 
 
 Cacama's eyes dropped as he replied, 
 
 "When we write of you, king, we paint an eagle; 
 when we write of the 'tzin Guatamo, we paint an owl." 
 
 " What ! " said the lord Cuitlahua, " would the 'tzin attack 
 his king ] " 
 
 And the monarch looked from one to the other strangely, 
 eaying only, " The owl is the device on his shield." 
 
 Then he entered the palanquin ; whereupon some of the' 
 nobles lifted it on their shoulders, and the company, in 
 procession, set out for the tianguez. On the way they were/ 
 joined by Iztlil', the Tezcucan ; and it was remarkable 
 that, of them all, he was the only one silent about the 
 paper. 
 
 The Iztapalapan street, of great width, and on both sides 
 lined with gardens, palaces, and temples, was not only the 
 boast of Tenochtitlan ; its beauty was told in song and story
 
 C2 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 throughout the Empire. The signal of assemblage for the 
 day's great pastime found Xoli and his provincial friend 
 lounging along the broad pave of the beautiful thorouglifare. 
 They at once started for the tianguez. The broker was fat, 
 aad it was troublesome for him to keep pace with the hunter \ 
 nevertheless, they overtook a party of tamanes going in the 
 same direction, and bearing a palanquin richly caparisoned. 
 The slaves, very sumptuously clad, proceeded slowly and 
 with downcast eyes, and so steadily that the carriage had 
 the onward, gliding motion of a boat. 
 
 " Lower, down, boy ! See you not the green panache? " 
 whispered Xoli, half frightened. 
 
 Too late. The Chalcan, even as he whispered, touched 
 the pavement, but Hualpa remained erect : not only that ; 
 he looked boldly into the eyes of the occupants of the palan- 
 quin, two women, whose beauty shone upon him like a sud- 
 den light. Then he bent his head, and his heart closed upon 
 the recollection of what he saw so that it never escaped. The 
 picture was of a girl, almost a woman, laughing ; opposite 
 her, and rather in the shade of the fringed curtain, one older, 
 though young, and grave and stately ; her hair black, her 
 face oval, her eyes large and lustrous. To her he made his 
 involuntary obeisance. Afterwards she reminded many a 
 Spaniard of the dark-eyed hermosura with whom he had 
 left love-tokens in his native land. 
 
 "They are the king's daughters, the princesses Tula 
 and Nenetzin," said Xoli, when fairly past the carriage. 
 " And as you have just come up from the country, listen. 
 Green is the royal color, and* Belongs to the king's family ; 
 and wherever met, in the city or on the lake, the people 
 salute it. Though what they meet be but a green feather in 
 a slave's hand, they salute. Remember the lesson. By the 
 way, the gossips say that Guatamozin will marry Tula, th 
 oldest one."
 
 GOING TO THE COMBAT. 63 
 
 " She is very beautiful," said the hunter, as to himself, 
 and slackening his steps. 
 
 " Are you mad 1 " cried the broker, seizing his arm. 
 " Would you bring the patrol upon us ] They are not for 
 such as you. Come on. It may be we can get seats to see 
 the king and his whole household." 
 
 At the entrance to the arena there was a press which the 
 police could hardly control In the midst of it, Xoli pulled 
 his companion to one side, saying, " The king comes ! Let 
 us under the staging here until he passes." 
 
 They found themselves, then, close by the spears, which, 
 planted in the ground, upheld the shields of the combatants ; 
 and when the Tihuancan heard the people, as they streamed 
 in, cheer the champions of the god, he grieved sorely that he 
 was not one of them. 
 
 The heralds then came up, clearing the way ; and all there- 
 about knelt, and so received the monarch. He stopped to 
 inspect the shields ; for in all his realm there was not one 
 better versed in its heraldry. A diadem, not unlike the 
 papal tiara, crowned his head ; his tunic and cloak were of 
 the skins of green humming-birds brilliantly iridescent ; a 
 rope of pearls large as grapes hung, many times doubled, from 
 his neck down over his breast ; his sandals and sandal- 
 thongs were embossed with gold, and besides anklets of 
 massive gold, cuiskes of the same metal guarded his legs from 
 knee to anklet. Save the transparent, lustrous gray of the 
 pearls, his dress was of the two colors, green and yellow, and 
 the effect was indescribably royal ; yet all the bravery of his 
 trappings could not hide from Hualpa, beholding him for the 
 first time, that, like any common soul, he was suffering from 
 some trouble of mind. 
 
 " So, Cacama," he said, pleasantly, after a look at the 
 gages, " your brother has a mind to make peace with the god* 
 Ifc is well ! "
 
 64 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 And thereupon Iztlil' himself stepped out and knelt before 
 him in battle array, the javelin in his hand, and bow, quiver, 
 and maquahuitl at his back ; and in his homage tho floating 
 feathers of his helm brushed the dust from the royal feet. 
 
 " It is well ! " repeated the king, smiling. " But, son of 
 my friend, where are your comrades ? " 
 
 Tlahua, the Otompan, and the young Cholulan, equipped 
 like Iztlil', rendered their homage also. Over their heads he 
 extended his hands, and said, softly, " They who love the 
 gods, the gods love. Put your trust in them, my children* 
 And upon you be their blessing ! " 
 
 And already he had passed the spears : one gage was for 
 gotten, one combatant unblessed. Suddenly he looked back, 
 
 " Whose shield is that, my lords ? " 
 
 All eyes rested upon the plain gage, but no one replied. 
 
 " Who is he that thus mocks the holy cause of Quetzal' J 
 Go, Maxtla, and bring him to me ! " 
 
 Then outspake Iztlil'. 
 
 " The shield is Guatamozin's. Last night he challenged 
 me to this combat, and he is not here. king, the ow] 
 may be looking for the eagle." 
 
 A moment the sadly serene countenance of the monarch 
 knit and flushed as from a passing pain ; a moment he re- 
 garded the Tezcucan. Then he turned to the shields of the 
 Othmies and Tlascalans. 
 
 " They are a sturdy foe, and I warrant will fight hard," he 
 aid, quietly. " But such victims are the delight of the gods. 
 ail me not, children ! " 
 
 When the Tihuancan and his chaperone climbed half-way 
 to the upper row of seats, in the quarter assigned to the peo- 
 ple, the former was amazed. He looked down on a circulai 
 arena, strewn with white sand from the lake, and large enough 
 for manoeuvring half a thousand men. It was bounded by 
 a rope, outside of which was a broad margin crowded with
 
 GOING TO THE COMBAT. 55 
 
 rank on rank of common soldiery, whose shields were ar- 
 ranged before them like a wall impervious to a glancing 
 arrow. Back from the arena extended the staging, rising 
 gradually seat above seat, platform above platform, until the 
 whole area of the tianguez was occupied. 
 
 " Is the king a magician, that he can do this ohing in a 
 single night ? " asked Hualpa, 
 
 Xoli laughed. " He has done many things much greater. 
 The timbers you see were wrought long ago, and have been 
 lying in the temples ; the tamanes had only to bring them 
 out and put them together." 
 
 In the east there was a platform, carpeted, furnished with 
 lounges, and. protected from the sun by a red canopy ; broad 
 passages of entrance separated it from the ruder structure 
 erected for the commonalty ; it was also the highest of the 
 platforms, so that its occupants could overlook the whole 
 amphitheatre. This lordlier preparation belonged to the king, 
 his household and nobles. So, besides bis wives and daugh 
 ters, under the red canopy sat the three hundred women of 
 his harem, soft testimony that Orientalism dwelt not alone 
 in the sky and palm-trees of the valley. 
 
 As remarked, the margin around the arena belonged to the 
 soldiery ; the citizens had seats in the north and south ; 
 while the priesthood, superior to either of them in sanctity 
 of character, sat aloof in the west, also screened by a canopy. 
 And, as the celebration was regarded in the light of a relig- 
 ious exercise, not only did women crowd the place, but 
 mothers brought their children, that, from the examples of 
 the arena, they might learn to be warriors. 
 
 Upon the appearance of the monarch there was a perfect 
 calm. Standing awhile by his couch, he looked over the 
 scene ; and not often has royal vision been better filled with 
 all that constitutes royalty. Opposite him he saw the servi- 
 tors of his religion ; at his feet were Ms warriors and people
 
 56 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 almost innumerable. When, at last, the minstrels of the 
 soldiery poured their wild music over the theatre, he thrilled 
 with the ecstasy of power. 
 
 The champions for the god then came in; and as they 
 strode across to the western side of the arena the air was 
 filled with plaudits and flying garlands ; but hardly was the 
 welcome ended before there was a great hum and stir, as the 
 spectators asked each other why the fourth combatant came 
 not with the others. 
 
 " The one with the bright panache, asked you ? That is 
 IztliT, the Tezcucan," said Xoli. 
 
 " Is he not too fine 1 " 
 
 " No. Only think of the friends the glitter has made him 
 among the women and children." 
 
 The Chalcan laughed heartily at the cynicism. 
 
 " And the broad-shouldered fellow now fixing the thongs. 
 of his shield ? " 
 
 " The Otompan, a good warrior. They say he goes to 
 battle with the will a girl goes to a feast. The other is the 
 Cholulan ; he has his renown to win, and is too young." 
 
 "But he may have other qualities," suggested Hualpa. 
 " I have heard it said that, in a battle of arrows, a quick eye 
 is better than a strong arm." 
 
 The broker yawned. " Well, I like not those Cholulans. 
 They are proud ; they scorn the other nations, even the 
 Aztecs. Probably it is well they are better priests than 
 soldiers. Under the red canopy yonder I see his father." 
 
 " Listen, good Xoli. I hear the people talking about the 
 'tzin? Where can he be?" 
 
 Just then within the wall of shields there came a warrior, 
 who strode swiftly toward the solitary gage. His array was 
 less splendid than his comrades'; his helm was of plain 
 leather without ornament; his escaupil was secured by a 
 simple loop : yet the people knew him, and shouted ; and
 
 GOING TO THE COMBAT. 57 
 
 when he took down the plain shield and fixed it to his arm, 
 the approbation of the common soldiery arose like a storm. 
 As they bore such shields to battle, he became, as it were, 
 their peculiar representative. It was Guatamozin. 
 
 And under the royal canopy there was rapid exchange of 
 whispers and looks ; every mind reverted to the paper 
 dropped so mysteriously into the king's hand at the palace 
 door ; and some there were, acuter than the rest, who saw 
 corroboration of the meaning given the writing in the fact 
 that the shield the 'tziii now chose was without the owl, his 
 usual device. Whether the monarch himself was one of 
 them might not be said; his face was as impassive as 
 bronze. 
 
 Next, the Othmies and Tlascalans, dignified into cominen 
 challengers of the proudest chiefs of Tenochtitlan, were con- 
 ducted into the arena. 
 
 The Tlascalans were strong men used to battle ; and 
 though, like their companions in danger, at first bewildered 
 by the sudden introduction to so vast a multitude, they 
 became quickly inured to the situation. Of the Oth- 
 mies, a more promising pair of gladiators never exhibited , 
 before a Roman audience. The father was past the prime of 
 life, but erect, broad-shouldered, and of unusual dignity; 
 {he son was slighter, and not so tall, but his limbs were 
 "round and beautiful, and he looked as if he might outleap,' 
 an antelope. The people were delighted, and cheered the 
 rhallengers with scarcely less heartiness than their own 
 champions. Still, the younger Othnii appeared hesitant, 
 and, when the clamor somewhat abated, the sire touched 
 Jum, and said, 
 
 "Does my boy dream 1 What voice is in his ear that hig 
 heart is so melted ? Awake J the shield is on the arm of 
 <** foe." 
 
 'Che young man aroused. " I saw the sun on the green
 
 58 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 hills of Othmi. But see!" he said, proudly, and with 
 flashing eyes, " there is no weakness in the dreamer's arm." 
 And with the words, he seized a bow at his feet, fitted an 
 arrow upon the cord, and, drawing full to the head, sent 
 it cleaving the sunshine far above them. Every eye fol- 
 lowed its flight but his own. " The arm, chief, is not 
 stronger than the heart," he added, carelessly dropping the 
 bow. 
 
 The old warrior gazed at him tenderly ; but as that was 
 no time for the indulgence of affection, he turned to the 
 Tlascalans, and said, " We must be ready : let us arm." ^ 
 
 Each donned a leathern helm, and wrapped himself in a 
 quilted escaitpil ; each buckled the shield on his arm, and 
 tightened the thongs of his sandals. Their arms lay at 
 hand. 
 
 Such were the preparations for the combat, such the 
 combatants. And as the foemen faced each other, awaiting 
 the signal for the mortal strife, I fancy no Christian has 
 seen anything more beautiful than the theatre. Among the 
 faces the gaze swam as in a sea ; the gleaming of arms and 
 ornaments was bewildering ; while the diversity of colors in 
 the costumes of the vast audience was without comparison. 
 With the exception of the arena, the royal platform was 
 the cynosure. Behind the king, with a shield faced with 
 silver, stood Maxtla, vigilant against treachery or despair. 
 The array of nobles about the couch was imperial ; and 
 what with them, and the dark-eyed beauties of his house' 
 hold, and the canopy tingeing the air and softly undulating 
 above him, and the mighty congregation of subjects at his 
 feet, it was with Montezuma like a revival of the glory of 
 the Hystaspes. Yet the presence of his power but increased 
 his gloom ; in a short time he heard no music and saw no 
 splendor ; everything reminded him of the last picture on 
 the western wall of the golden chamber.
 
 THE COMBAT. 59 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE COMBAT. 
 
 HE champions for the god drew themselves up in the 
 _L west, while their challengers occupied the east of the 
 avena. This position of parties was the subject of much 
 speculation with the spectators, who saw it might prove a 
 point cf great importance if the engagement assumed the 
 form of single combats. 
 
 Considering age and appearance, the Tlascalans were ad- 
 judged most dangerous of the challengers, a palm readily 
 awarded to the Tezcucan and the 'tzin on their side. The 
 common opinion held also, that the Cholulan, the youngest 
 and least experienced of the Aztecs, should have been the 
 antagonist of the elder Othmi, whose vigor was presumed 
 to be affected by his age ; as it was, that combat belonged to 
 Tlahua, the Otompan, while the younger Othmi confronted 
 the Cholulan. 
 
 And now the theatre grew profoundly still with expec- 
 tancy. 
 
 " The day grows old. Let the signal be given." And so 
 saying, the king waved his hand, and sunk indolently back 
 upon his couch. 
 
 A moment after there was a burst of martial symphony, 
 and the combat began. 
 
 It was opened with arrows ; and to determine, if possi- 
 ble, the comparative skill of the combatants, the spectators 
 watched the commencement with closest attention. The 
 younger Othmi sent his missile straight into the shield of 
 the Cholulan, who, from precipitation probably, was not so 
 successful. The elder Othmi and his antagonist each planted
 
 60 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 his arrow fairly, as did Iztlil* and the Tlascalans. But a 
 great outcry of applause attended Guatamozin, when hia 
 bolt, flying across the space, buried its barb in the crest of 
 his adversary. A score of feathers, shorn away, floated 
 slowly to the sand. 
 
 " It was well done ; by Our Mother, it was well done !" 
 murmured Hualpa. 
 
 " Wait ! " said the Chalcan patronizingly. " Wait till 
 they come to the maquahuitl ! " 
 
 Quite a number of arrows were thus interchanged by the 
 parties without effect, as they were always dexterously intei- 
 cepted. The passage was but the preluding skirmish, partici- 
 pated in by all but the 'tzin, who, after his first shot, stood 
 a little apart from his comrades, and, resting his long bow 
 on the ground, watched the trial with apparent indifference. 
 Like the Chalcan, he seemed to regard it as play ; and the 
 populace after a while fell into the same opinion : there was 
 not enough danger to fully interest them. So there began to 
 arise murmurs and cries, which the Cholulan was the first to 
 observe and interpret. Under an impulse which had rela- 
 tion, probably, to his first failure, he resolved to avail him- 
 self of the growing feeling. Throwing down his bow, he 
 seized the maquahuitl at his back, and, without a word to his 
 friends, started impetuously across the arena. The peril was 
 great, for every foeman at once turned his arrow against him. 
 
 Then the 'tzin stirred himself. " The boy is mad, and will 
 die if we do not go with him," he said ; and already his 
 foot was advanced to follow, when the young Othnii sprang 
 forward from the other side to meet the Cholulan. 
 
 The eagerness lest an incident should be lost became 
 intense ; even the king sat up to see the duel. The theatre 
 rang with cries of encouragement, none, however, so cheery 
 as that of the elder Othmi, whose feelings of paternity were, 
 for the moment, lost in his passion of warrior.,.
 
 THE COMBAT. 61 
 
 " On, boy ! Bemeiuber the green hills, and the hammock 
 by the stream. Strike hard, strike hard ! " 
 
 The combatants were apparently well matched, being 
 about equal in height and age ; both brandished the maqua- 
 huitl, the deadliest weapon known to their wars. Wielded 
 by both hands and swung high above the head, its blades 
 of glass generally clove their way to the life. About mid- 
 way the arena the foemen met. At the instant of contact 
 the Cholulan brought a downward blow, well aimed, at the 
 head of his antagonist; but the lithe Othmi, though at 
 full speed, swerved like a bird on the wing. A great 
 shout attested the appreciation of the audience. The Cho- 
 lulan wheeled, with his weapon uplifted for another blow ; 
 the action called his left arm into play, and drew his shield 
 from its guard. The Othmi saw the advantage. One step 
 he took nearer, and then, with a sweep of his arm and an 
 upward stroke, he drove every blade deep into the side of 
 his enemy. The lifted weapon dropped in its half-finished 
 circle, the shield flew wildly up, and, with a groan, the vic- 
 tim fell heavily to the sand, struggled once to rise, fell 
 back again, and his battles were ended forever. A cry of 
 anguish went out from under the royal canopy. 
 
 " Hark ! " cried Xoli. " Did you hear the old Cholulan ? 
 See ! They are leading him from the platform ! " 
 
 Except that cry, however, not a voice was heard ; from 
 rising apprehension as to the result of the combat, or touched 
 by a passing sympathy for the early death, the multitude was 
 perfectly hushed. 
 
 " That was a brave blow, Xoli ; but let him beware now ! " 
 said Hualpa, excitedly. 
 
 And in expectation of instant vengeance, all eyes watched 
 the Othmi. Around the arena he glanced, then back to his 
 friends. Retreat would forfeit the honor gained : death 
 was preferable. So he knelt upon the breast of his enemy,
 
 62 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 and, setting his shield before him, waited sternly and ia 
 silence the result. And IztliT and Tlahua launched their 
 arrows at him in quick succession, but Gaatamozin was as 
 indifferent as ever. 
 
 " What ails the 'tzin ? " said Maxtla to the king. " The 
 Othmi is at his mercy." 
 
 The monarch deigned no reply. 
 
 The spirit of the old Othmi rose. On the sand behind 
 him, prepared for service, was a dart with three points of 
 copper, and a long cord by which to recover it when once 
 thrown. Catching the weapon up, aud shouting, " I am com- 
 ing, I am coming!" ho ran to avert or share the danger. 
 The space to be crossed was inconsiderable, yet such his 
 animation that, as he ran, he poised the dart, and exposed 
 his hand above the shield. The 'tzin raised his bow, and 
 let the arrow fly. It struck right amongst the supple joints 
 of the veteran's wrist. The unhappy man stopped bewil- 
 dered ; over the theatre he looked, then at the wound ; in 
 despair he tore the shaft out with his teeth, and rushed on 
 till he reached the boy. 
 
 The outburst of acclamation shook the theatre. 
 
 " To have seen such archery, Xoli, were worth all the years 
 of a hunter's life ! " said Hualpa. 
 
 The Chalcan smiled like a connoisseur, and replied, " It is 
 nothing. Wait ! " 
 
 And now the combat again presented a show of equality.' 
 The advantage, if there was any, was thought to be with the 
 Aztecs, since the loss of the Cholulan was not to be weighed 
 against the disability of the Othmi. Thus the populace were 
 released from apprehension, without any abatement of in- 
 terest; indeed, the excitement increased, for there was a 
 promise of change in the character of the contest ; from 
 tjuiet archery was growing bloody action. 
 
 The Tlascalaus, alive to the necessity of supporting theit
 
 THE COMBAT. 63 
 
 friends, advanced to where the Cholulan lay, but more cau- 
 tiously. "When they were come up, the Othmies both arose, 
 rjid calmly perfected the front. The astonishment at thia 
 was very great. 
 
 " Brave fellow ! He is worth ten live Cholulans ! " said 
 Xoli. " But now look, boy ! The challengers have advanced 
 half-way ; the Aztecs must meet them." 
 
 The conjecture was speedily verified. Iztlil' had, in fact, 
 ill brooked the superior skill, or better fortune, of the 'tzin , 
 the applause of the populace had been worse than wounds to 
 his jealous heart. Till this time, however, he had restrained 
 his passion ; now the foe were ranged as if challenging attack : 
 he threw away his useless bow, and laid his hand on his 
 maquahuitl. 
 
 " It is not for an Aztec god that we are fighting, core- 
 rade ! " he cried to Tlahua. " It is for ourselves. Come, let 
 us show yon king a better war ! " 
 
 And without waiting, he set on. The Otompan followed, 
 leaving the 'tzin alone. The call had not been to him, and 
 as he was fighting for the god, and the Tezcucan for himself, 
 he merely placed another arrow on his bow, and observed the 
 attack. 
 
 Leaving the Otompan to engage the Othmies, the fierce 
 Tezcucan assaulted the Tlascalans, an encounter in which 
 there was no equality ; but the eyes of Tenochtitlan were 
 upon him, and at his back was a hated rival. His antago- 
 nists each sent an arrow to meet him ; but, as he skilfully 
 caught them on his shield, they, too, betook themselves to 
 the maquahuitl. Eight on he kept, until his shield struck 
 theirs; it was gallantly done, and won a furious outburst 
 from the people. Again Montezuma sat up, momentarily 
 animated. 
 
 " Ah, my lord Cacama ! " he said, " if your brother's lova 
 but equal to his courage, I would give him an army."
 
 64 THE PAIR GOD. 
 
 " All the gods forfend ! " replied the jealous prince. " The 
 viper would recover his fangs." 
 
 The speed with which he went was all that saved IzthT 
 from the blades of the Tlascalans. Striking no blow himself, 
 he strove to make way between them, and get behind, 
 so that, facing about to repel his returning onset, their 
 backs would be to the 'tzin. But they were wary, and did 
 not yield. As they pushed against him, one, dropping hia 
 more cumbrous weapon, struck him in the breast with a cop- 
 per knife. The blow was distinctly seen by the spectators. 
 
 Hualpa started from his seat. " He has it ; they will 
 finish him now! JSTo, he recovers. Our Mother, what a 
 blow!" 
 
 The Tezcucan disengaged himself, and, maddened by the 
 blood that began to flow down his quilted armor, as- 
 saulted furiously. He was strong, quick of eye, and skil- 
 ful ; the blades of his weapon gleamed in circles around 
 his head, and resounded against the shields. At length a 
 desperate blow beat down the guard of one of the Tlascalans ; 
 ere it could be recovered, or IztliT avail himself of the advan- 
 tage, there came a sharp whirring through the air, and an 
 arrow from the 'tzin pierced to the warrior's heart. Up he 
 leaped, dead before he touched the sand. Again IztliT heard 
 the acclamation of his rival. "Without a pause, he rushed 
 upon the surviving Tlascalan, as if to bear him down by 
 stormy dint. 
 
 Meantime, the combat of Tlalma, the Otompan, was not 
 without its difficulties, since it was not singly with the young 
 Othmi. 
 
 " Mictlan take the old man ! " cried the lord Cuitlahua, 
 bending from his seat. " I thought him done for ; but, see ! 
 he defends, the other fights." 
 
 And so it was. The Otompan struck hard, but was dis- 
 tracted by the tactics of his foernen : if he aimed at the
 
 TEE COMBAT. 65 
 
 younger, both their shields warded the blow ; if he assaulted 
 the elder, he was in turn attacked by the younger ; and so, 
 without advantage to either, their strife continued until the 
 fall of the Tlascalan. Then, inspired by despairing valor, 
 the boy threw down his maquahuitl, and endeavored to push 
 aside the Otompan's shield. Once within its guard, the 
 knife would finish the contest. Tlahua retreated ; but the 
 foe clung to him, one wrenching at his shield, the other in- 
 tercepting his blows, and both carefully avoiding the deadly 
 archery of the 'tzin, who, seeing the extremity of the danger, 
 started to the rescue. All the people shouted, " The 'tzin, 
 the 'tzin 1 " Xoli burst into ecstasy, and clapped his hand&r 
 " There Ke goes ! Now look for something ! " 
 
 The rescuer went as a swift wind ; but the clamor had 
 been as a warning to the young Othmi. By a great effort h* 
 tore away the Otompan's shield. In vain the latter struggled. 
 There was a flash, sharp, vivid, like the sparkle of the sutt 
 upon restless waters. Then his head drooped forward, 
 and he staggered blindly. Once only the death-stroke was 
 repeated ; and so still was the multitude that the dull sound 
 of the knife driving home was heard. The 'tzin was too 
 late. 
 
 The prospect for the Aztecs was now gloomy. The Cholu- 
 lan and Otompan were dead ; the Tezcucan, wounded and 
 bleeding, was engaged in a doubtful struggle with the Tlas- 
 calan ; the 'tzin was the last hope of his party. Upon him 
 devolved the fight with the Othmies. In the interest thus 
 excited Mil's battle was forgotten. 
 
 Twice had the younger Othmi been victor, and still he was 
 scathless. Instead of the maquahuitl, he was now armed 
 with the javelin, which, while effective as a dart, was excel- 
 lent to repel assault. 
 
 From the crowded seats of the theatre not a sound \vai 
 teard. At no time had the excitement risen to such a pitch,
 
 66 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Breathless and motionless, the spectators awaited the advance 
 of the 'tzin. He was, as I have said, a general favorite, be- 
 loved by priest and citizen, and with the wild soldiery an 
 object of rude idolatry. And if, under the royal canopy 
 there were eyes that looked not lovingly upon him, there 
 were lips there murmuring soft words of prayer for his 
 
 When within a few steps of the waiting Othmies, he 
 halted. They glared at him an instant in silence ; then the 
 old chief said tauntingly, and loud enough to be heard above 
 the noise of the conflict at his side, 
 
 " A woman may wield a bow, and from a distance slay a 
 warrior ; but the maquahuM is heavy in the hand of the 
 coward, looking in the face of his foeman." 
 
 The Aztec made no answer; he was familiar with the 
 wile. Looking at the speaker as if against him he intended 
 his first attack, with right hand back he swung the heavy 
 weapon above Ms shoulder till it sung in quickening circles ; 
 when its force was fully collected, he suddenly hurled it 
 from him. The old Othrui crouched low behind his shield : 
 but his was not the form in the 'tzin's eyes ; for right in the 
 centre of the young victor's guard the flying danger struck. 
 Nor arm nor shield might bar its way. The boy was lifted 
 sheer above the body of the Otompan, and driven backward 
 is if shot from a catapult. 
 
 Guatamozin advanced no further. A thrust of his javelin 
 would have disposed of the old Othmi, now unarmed and help- 
 less. The acclamation of the audience, in which was blent 
 the shrill voices of women, failed to arouse his passion. 
 
 The sturdy chief arose from his crouching ; he looked for the 
 boy to whom he had so lately spoken of home ; he saw him 
 lying outstretched, his face in the sand, and his shield, so 
 often bound with wreaths and garlands, twain-broken beneath 
 him ; and his will, that in the fight had been tougher than
 
 THE COMBAT. 67 
 
 the gold of his bracelets, gave way ; forgetful of all else, 
 he ran, and, with a great cry, threw himself upon the body. 
 
 The Chalcan was as exultant as if the achievement had 
 been his own. Even the prouder souls under the red canopy 
 yielded their tardy praise ; only the king was silent. 
 
 As none now remained of the challengers but the Tlasealan 
 occupied with IztliT, none whom he might in honor engage, 
 Guatamozin moved away from the Othmies ; and as he 
 went, once he allowed his glance to wander to the royal plat- 
 form, but with thought of love, not wrong. 
 
 The attention of the people was again directed to the 
 combat of the Tezcucan. The death of his comrades nowise 
 daunted the Tlascalan; he rather struck the harder for 
 revenge ; his shield was racked, the feathers in his crest 
 torn away, while the blades were red with his blood. Still 
 it fared but ill with IztliT fighting for himself. His wound 
 in the breast bled freely, and his equipments were in no bet- 
 ter plight than his antagonist's. The struggle was that of 
 the hewing and hacking which, whether giving or taking, 
 soon exhausts the strongest frame. At last, faint with loss 
 of blood, he went down. The Tlascalan attempted to strike 
 a final blow, but darkness rushed upon him ; he staggered, 
 the blades sunk into the sand, and he rolled beside his 
 enemy. 
 
 With that the combat was done. The challengers might 
 not behold their " land of bread " again ; nevermore for 
 them was hammock by the stream or echo of tambour 
 amongst the hills. 
 
 And all the multitude arose and gave way to their rejoic- 
 ing ; they embraced each other, and shouted and sang ; the 
 pabas waved their ensigns, and the soldiers saluted with 
 Voice and pealing shells ; and up to the sun ascended the 
 name of Quetzal' with form and circumstance to soften the 
 mood of the most demanding god; but all the time the
 
 68 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 audience saw only the fortunate hero, standing so calmly before 
 them, the dead at his feet, and the golden light about him. 
 
 And the king was happy as the rest, and talked gayly, 
 earing little for the living or the dead. The combat was 
 over, and Quetzal' not come. Mualox was a madman, not 
 a prophet; the Aztecs had won, and the god was propiti- 
 ated : so the questioner of the Morning flattered himself ! ; 
 
 " If the Othmi cannot fight, he can serve for sacrifice. 
 Let him be removed. And the dead But hold ! " he cried, 
 and his cheeks blanched with mortal pallor. " Who comes 
 yonder ? Look to the arena, nay, to the people ! By 
 my father's ashes, the paba shall perish ! White hairs and 
 prophet's gifts shall not save him." 
 
 While the king was speaking, Mualox, the keeper of the 
 temple, rushed within the wall of shields. His dress was 
 disordered, and he was bareheaded and tmsandalled. Over 
 his shoulders and down his breast flowed his hair and beard, 
 tangled and unkempt, wavy as a billow and white as the 
 foam. Excitement flashed from every feature ; and far as 
 his vision ranged, in every quarter, on every platform, 
 in the blood of others he kindled his own unwonted passion. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MUALOX AND HIS WORLD. 
 
 TV /JTFALOX, after the departure of the king and 'tzin, 
 JA(i_ ascended the tower of the old Cu, and remained there 
 all night, stooped beside the sacred fire, sorrowing and dream- 
 ing, hearkening to the voices of the city, or watching the mild- 
 eyed stars. So the morning found him. He, too, beheld 
 the coming of the sun, and trembled when the Smoking HiU
 
 MUALOX AND HIS WORLD. 69 
 
 dent up its cloud. Then he heaped fresh fagots on the 
 dying fire, and went down to the court-yard. It was the 
 hour when in all the other temples worshippers came to pray. 
 
 He took a lighted lamp from a table in his ceD, and fol- 
 lowed a passage on deeper into the building. The way, like 
 that to the golden chamber, was intricate and bewildering. 
 Before a door at the foot of a flight of steps he stopped. A 
 number of earthen jars and ovens stood near ; while from 
 the room to which the door gave entrance there came a strong, 
 savory perfume, very grateful to the sense of a hungry man. 
 Here was the kitchen of the ancient house. The paba 
 went in. 
 
 This was on a level with the water of the canal at the 
 south base ; and when the good man came out, and descended 
 another stairway, he was in a hall, which, though below the 
 canal, was dusty and perfectly dry. Down the hall further 
 he came to a doorway in the floor, or rather an aperture, 
 which had at one time been covered and hidden by a pon- 
 derous flag-stone yet lying close by. A rope ladder was coiled 
 tip on the stone. Flinging the ladder through the door, he 
 heard it rattle on the floor beneath ; then he stooped, and 
 called, 
 
 " Tecetl, Tecetl ! " 
 
 "No one replied. He repeated the call. 
 
 " Poor child ! She is asleep," he said, in a low voice. 
 " I will go down without her." 
 
 Leaving the lamp above, he committed himself to the 
 unsteady rope, like one accustomed to it. Below all was 
 darkness ; but, pushing boldly on, he suddenly flung aside a 
 curtain which had small silver bells in the fringing ; and, 
 ushered by the tiny ringing, he stepped into a chamber 
 lighted and full of beauty, a grotto carven with infinite 
 labor from the bed-rock of the laka 
 
 And here, in the daj mourned by the paba, when the
 
 70 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 temple was honored, and its god had worshippers, and 
 the name of Quetzal' was second to no other, not even 
 Huitzil's, must have been held the secret conclaves of 
 the priesthood, so great were the dimensions of the cham- 
 ber, and so far was it below the roll of waters. But now it 
 .might be a place for dwelling, or for thought and dreaming, 
 or for pleasure, or in which the eaters of the African lotus 
 might spend their hours and days of semi-consciousness 
 sounding of a life earthly yet purely spiritual. There were 
 long aisles for walking, and couches for rest; there were 
 pictures, flowers, and a fountain; the walls and ceiling 
 glowed with frescoing ; and wherever the eye turned it rested 
 upon some cunning device intended to instruct, gladden, 
 comfort, and content. Lamplight streamed into every corner, 
 ill supplying the perfect sunshine, yet serving its grand pur- 
 pose. The effect was more than beautiful. The world above 
 was counterfeited, so that one ignorant of the original and 
 dwelling in the counterfeit could have been happy all his 
 life long. Scarcely is it too much to say of the master who 
 designed and finished the grotto, that, could he have borrowed 
 the materials of nature, he had the taste and genius to set a 
 star with the variety and harmony that mark the setting of 
 the earth's surface, and of themselves prove its Creator 
 divine. 
 
 In the enchantment of the place there was a peculiarity 
 indicative of a purpose higher than mere enjoyment, and 
 that was the total absence of humanity in the host of things 
 visible. Painted on the ceiling and walls were animals of 
 almost every kind common to the clime ; birds of wondrous 
 plumage darted hither and thither, twittering and singing ; 
 there, also, were flowers the fairest and most fragrant, and 
 orange and laurel shrubs, and pines and cedars and oaks, and 
 other trees of the forest, dwarfed, and arranged for conven- 
 ient carriage to the azoteas ; in the pictures, moreover, wera
 
 MUALOX AND HIS WORLD. 71 
 
 the objects most remarkable in the face of nature, rivers, 
 woods, plains, mountains, oceans, the heavens in storm and 
 calm ; but nowhere was the picture of man, woman, or child. 
 In the frescoing were houses and temples, grouped as in 
 hamlets and cities, or standing alone on a river's bank, or in 
 the shadow of great trees ; but of their habitants aud build- 
 ers there was not a trace. In fine, the knowledge there 
 taught was that of a singular book. A mind receiving im- 
 pressions, like a child's, would be carried by it far enough 
 in the progressive education of life to form vivid ideas of the 
 world, and yet be left in a dream of unincelligence to people 
 it with fairies, angels, or gods. Almost everything had there 
 a representation but humanity, the brightest fallen nature. 
 
 Mualox entered as one habituated to the chamber. The 
 tir was soft, balmy, and pleasant, and the illumination mel- 
 lowed, as if the morning were shut out by curtains of gos- 
 samer tinted with roses and gold. Near the centre of the 
 room he came to a fountain of water crystal clear and in full 
 play, the jet shooting from a sculptured stone up almost to 
 the ceiling. Around it were tables, ottomans, couches, and 
 things of vertu, such as would have adorned the palace ; 
 there, also, were vases of flowers, culled and growing, and of 
 such color and perfume as would have been estimable in 
 Cholula, and musical instrument, and pencils and paints. 
 
 It was hardly possible that this conception, so like the 
 Restful World of Brahma, should be without its angel ; for 
 the atmosphere and all were for a spirit of earth or heaven 
 softer than man's. And by the fountain it was, a soul 
 fresh and pure as the laughing water. 
 
 ; The girl of whom I speak was asleep. Her head lay 
 upon a cushion ; over the face, clear and almost white, shone 
 a lambent transparency, which might have been the reflec- 
 tion of the sparkling water. The garments gathered close 
 $bout her did not conceal the delicacy and childlike grace
 
 72 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 of her form. One foot was exposed, and it was bare, small, 
 and nearly lost in the tufted mattress of her couch. Under 
 a profusion of dark hair, covering the cushion like the floss 
 of silk, lay an arm ; a hand, dimpled and soft, rested lightly 
 on her breast. The slumber was very deep, giving the face 
 the expression of dreamless repose, with the promise of 
 health and happiness upon waking. 
 
 The paba approached her tenderly, and knelt down. His 
 face was full of holy affection. He bent his cheek close to 
 her parted lips, listening to her breathing. He brought the 
 straying locks back, and laid them across her neck. Now 
 and then a bird came and lighted on the table, and he waved 
 his mantle to scare it away. And when the voice of the 
 fountain seemed, under an increased pulsation of the water, 
 to grow louder, he looked around, frowning lest it might dis- 
 turb her. She slept on, his love about her like a silent 
 prayer that has found its consummation in perfect peace. 
 
 And as he knelt, he became sad and thoughtful. The 
 events that were to come, and his faith in their coming, 
 were as actual sorrows. His reflections were like a plea 
 addressed to his conscience. 
 
 " God pardon me, if, after all, I should be mistaken ! The 
 wrong would be so very great as to bar me from the Sun. 
 Is any vanity like that which makes sorrows for our fellows ? 
 And such is not only the vanity of the warrior, and that of 
 the ruler of tribes ; sometimes it is of the priests who go 
 into the temples thinking of things that do not pertain to 
 the gods. What if mine were such ? 
 
 " The holy Quetzal' knows that I intended to be kind to 
 the child. I thought my knowledge greater than that of 
 ordinary mortals ; I thought it moved in fields where only 
 the godi walk, sowing wisdom. The same vanity, taking 
 words, t< id me, ' Look up ! There is no abyss between you 
 find the gods; they cannot make themselves of the dust,
 
 MUALOX AND HIS WORLD. 73 
 
 but you can reach their summit almost a god.' And I 
 labored, seeking the principles that would accomplish my 
 dream, if such it were. Heaven forgive me, but I once 
 thought I had found them ! Other men looking out on 
 creation could see nothing but Wisdom Wisdom every- 
 where ; but I looked with a stronger vision, and wherever 
 there was a trace of infinite WISDOM, there was also for me 
 An infinite WILL. 
 
 "Here were the principles, but they were not enough. 
 Something said to me, What were the Wisdom and Will 
 of the gods without subjects ? ' It was a great idea : I 
 thought I stood almost upon the summit! 
 
 " And I set about building me a world. 1 took the treas- 
 ure of Quetzal', and collected these marvels, and bought me 
 the labor of art. Weavers, florists, painters, masons, all 
 toiled for me. Gold, labor, and time are here, there is 
 little beauty without them. Here is my world," he said 
 aloud, glancing around the great hall. 
 
 " I had my world ; next I wanted a subject for my will. 
 But where to go ? Not among men, alas, they are their 
 own slaves ! One day I stood in the fianguez where a 
 woman was being sold. A baby in her arms smiled, it 
 might have been at the sunshine, it might have been 
 at me. The mother said, ' Buy.' A light flashed upon 
 me I bought you, my poor child. Men say of the 
 bud, It will be a rose, and of the plant, It will be a 
 tree ; you were so young then that I said, ' It will be a 
 mind.' And into my world I brought you, thinking, as I 
 had made it, so I would make a subject. This, I told you, 
 was your birthplace; and here passed your infancy and 
 childhood ; here you have dwelt. Your cheeks are pale, my 
 little one, but full and fresh ; your breath is sweet as the air 
 above a garden ; and you have grown in beauty, knowing 
 nothing living but the birds and me. My will has a sub-
 
 74 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 ject, O Tecetl, and my heart a child. And judge me, 
 holy Quetzal', if I have not tried to make her happy ! I 
 have given her knowledge of everything but humanity, and 
 ignorance of that is happiness. My world has thus far been a 
 heaven to her ; her dreams have been of it ; I am its god ! " 
 And yet unwilling to disturb her slumber, Mualox arose, 
 and walked away. 
 
 CHAPTER XHL 
 
 THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL*. 
 
 BY and by he returned, and standing by the couch, 
 passed his hand several times above her face. Silent 
 as the movements were, she awoke, and threw her arms 
 around his neck. 
 
 " You have been gone a long while," she said, in a child- 
 ish voice. " I waited for you ; but the lamps burned down 
 low, and the shadows, from their hiding among the bushes, 
 came creeping in' upon the fountain, and I slept." 
 
 " I saw you," he answered, playing with her hair. " I 
 saw you; I always see you." 
 
 " I tried to paint the fountain," she went on ; " but when 
 I watched the water to catch its colors, I thought its singing 
 changed to voices, and, listening to them, they stole my 
 thoughts away. Then I tried to blend my voice with them, 
 and sing as they sung ; but whenever mine sank low enough, 
 it seemed sad, while they went on gayer and more ringing 
 than ever. I can paint the flowers, but not the water ; 1 
 can sing with the birds, but not with the fountain. But you 
 promised to call me, that you would always call me." 
 
 " I knew you were asleep." 
 
 " But you had only to think to waken me."
 
 THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL'. 75 
 
 He smiled at this acknowledgment of the power of his 
 will. Just then a bell sounded faintly through the chamber ; 
 hastening away, he shortly returned with breakfast on a great 
 shell waiter ; there were maize bread and honey, quails and 
 chocolate, figs and oranges. Placing them on a table, he 
 rolled up an ottoman for the girl ; and, though she talked 
 .much and lightly, the meal was soon over. Then he com- 
 posed himself upon the couch, and in the quiet, unbroken 
 save by Tecetl, forgot the night and its incidents. 
 
 His rest was calm ; when he awoke, she was sitting by the 
 basin of the fountain talking to her birds gleefully as a child. 
 She had given them names, words more of sound pleasant to 
 the ear than of signification ; so she understood the birds, 
 whose varied cries were to her a language. And they were 
 fearless and tame, perching on her hand, and courting her 
 caresses ; while she was as artless, with a knowledge as inno- 
 cent, and a nature as happy. If Quetzal' was the paba's idol 
 in religion, she was his idol in affection. 
 
 He watched her awhile, then suddenly sat up ; though he 
 said not a word, she flung her birds off, and came to him 
 smiling. < 
 
 , " You called me, father." 
 
 He laid his hand upon her shoulder, all overflowed with the 
 dark hair, and said in a low voice, " The time approaches 
 when Quetzal' is to come from the home of the gods ; it may 
 be he is near. I will send you over the sea and the land 
 to find him ; you shall have wings to carry you into the air ; 
 and you shall fly swifter than the birds you have been talk- 
 ing to." 
 
 Her smile deepened. 
 
 " Have you -not told me that Quetzal' is good, and that his 
 foice is like the fountain's, and that wheu he speaks it is like 
 dinging ? I am ready." 
 
 He kissed her, and nearer the basin rolled the couch, upon
 
 76 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 which she sat reclined against a heap of cushions, her hand* 
 clasped over her breast. 
 
 " Do not let me be long gone ! " she said. " The lamps 
 will burn low again, and I do not like to have the shadows 
 come and fold up my flowers." 
 
 The paba took a pearl from the folds of his gown, and laid 
 it before her ; then he sat down, and fixed his eyes upon her 
 face ; she looked at the jewel, and composed herself as for 
 eleep. Her hands settled upon her bosom, her features grew 
 impassive, the lips slowly parted ; gradually her eyelids 
 drooped, and the life running in the veins of her cheeks and 
 forehead went back into her heart. Out of the pearl seemed 
 to issue a spell that stole upon her spirits gently as an atomy 
 settles through the still air. Finally, there was a sigh, a sob, 
 and over the soul of the maiden the will of Mualox became 
 absolute. He took her hand in his. 
 
 " Wings swifter than the winds are yours, Tecetl. Go," 
 be said, " search for the god ; search the land." 
 
 She moved not, and scarcely breathed. 
 
 " Speak," he continued ; " let me know that I am obeyed. 1 * 
 
 The will was absolute ; she spoke, and though at first the 
 words came slowly, yet he listened like a prophet waiting for 
 revelation. She spoke of the land, of its rivers, forests, and 
 mountains ; she spoke of the cities, of their streets and 
 buildings, and of their people, for whom she knew no name. 
 She spoke of events transpiring in distant provinces, as well 
 as in Tenochtitlan. She went into the temples, markets,, 
 f and palaces. Wherever men travelled, thither her spirit flew. 
 When the flight was done, and her broken description ceased,, 
 the holy man sighed. 
 
 " Not yet, Tecetl ; he is not found. The* god is not on 
 the land. Search the air." 
 
 And still the will was absolute, though the theme of the 
 seer changed ; it was not of the land now, but of the higher
 
 THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL'. 77 
 
 realm ; she spoke of the sunshine and the cloud, of the wind 
 rushing and chill, of the earth far down, and grown so small 
 that the mountains levelled with the plains. 
 
 " Not yet, not yet," he cried ; " the god is not in the air. 
 Go search the sea ! " 
 
 In the hollow of his hand he lifted water, and sprinkled 
 her face ; and when he resumed his seat she spoke, not slowly 
 as before, hut fast and free. 
 
 " The land is passed ; behind me are the cities and lakes, 
 and the great houses and blue waters, such as I have seen in 
 my pictures. I am hovering now, father, where there is 
 nothing before me but waves and distance. White birds go 
 skimming about careless of the foam ; the winds pour upon 
 me steadily ; and in my ear is a sound as of a great voice. 1 
 listen, and it is the sea ; or, father, it may be the voice of the 
 god whom you seek." 
 
 She was silent, as if waiting for an answer. 
 
 " The water, is it ? Well, well, whither shall I go now?" 
 
 " Follow the shore ; it may lead where only gods hare 
 been." 
 
 " Still the waves and the distance, and the land, where it 
 goes down into the sea sprinkled with shells. Still the deep 
 voice in my ear, and the wind about me. I hurry on, but it 
 is all alike, all water and sound. No ! Out of the waves 
 rises a new land, the sea, a girdle of billows, encircling ilj 
 everywhere ; yet there are blue clouds ascending from the. 
 fields, and I see palm-trees and temples. May not thy god 
 dwell here ? " 
 
 " No. You see but an island. On ! " 
 
 " Well, well. Behind me fades the island ; before me is 
 nothing 'but sheen and waves and distance again ; far around 
 runs the line separating the sea and sky. Waste, all waste ; 
 the sea oil green, the sky all blue ; no life ; no god. But 
 rtay!"
 
 78 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Something moves on the waste : speak, child ! " 
 
 But for a time she was still. 
 
 " Speak ! " he said, earnestly. " Speak, Tecetl ! " 
 
 " They are far off, far off," she replied, slowly and. in a 
 doubting way. " They move and live, but I cannot tell 
 whether they come or go, or what they are. Their course is 
 Unsteady, and, like the flight of birds, now upon the sea, 
 then in air, a moment seeming of the waves, then of the sky. 
 They look like white clouds." 
 
 " You are fleeter than birds or clouds, nearer ! " he said, 
 sternly, the fire in his eyes all alight. 
 
 " I go, I approach them, - I now see them coming. 
 father, father ! I know not what your god is like, nor what 
 shape he takes, nor in what manner he travels ; but surely 
 these are his ! There are many of them, and as they sweep 
 along they are a sight to be looked at with trembling." 
 
 " What are they, Tecetl ? " 
 
 " How can I answer ? They are not of the things I have 
 Been in my pictures, nor heard in my songs. The face of the 
 sea is whitened by them ; the largest leads the way, looking 
 like a shell, of them I have heard you speak as coming 
 from the sea, a great shell streaked with light and shade, 
 and hollow, so that the sides rise above the reach of the 
 waves, wings ." 
 
 " Nay, what would a god of the air with wings to journey 
 upon the sea ! " 
 
 " Above it are clouds, clouds white as the foam, and such 
 as a god might choose to waft him on his way. I can see 
 them sway and toss, but as the shell rushes into the hollow 
 places, they lift it up, and drive it on." 
 
 A brighter light flashed from his eyes. " It is the canoe, 
 the canoe ! " he exclaimed. " The canoe from Tlapallan ! " 
 
 ** The canoe, father ! The waves rush joyously around it , 
 they lift themselves in its path, and roll on to meet it ; then,
 
 THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL*. 79 
 
 ^ _ ,-, . __ . 
 
 as if they knew it to be a god's, in peace make way for it3 
 coming. Upon the temples in my pictures I have seen signs 
 floating in the air " 
 
 " You mean banners, banners, child," he said, tremulously. 
 
 " I remember now. Above the foremost canoe, above 
 its clouds, there is a banner, and it is black " 
 
 " T is Quetzal's ! T is Quetzal's ! " he muttered. 
 
 " It is black, with golden embroidery, and something pio> 
 t ure- written on it, but what I cannot tell." 
 
 " Look in the canoe." 
 
 " I see 0, I know not what to call them." 
 
 " Of what shape are they, child 1 " 
 
 " Yours, father." 
 
 " Go on : they are gods ! " he said, and still the naming 
 of men was unheard in the great chamber. 
 
 " There are many of them," she continued j " their gar- 
 ments flash and gleam ; around one like themselves they are 
 met ; to me he seems the superior god ; he is speaking, they 
 are listening. He is taller than you, father, and has a fair 
 face, and hair and beard like the hue of his banner. His 
 garments are the brightest of all." 
 
 " Yoii have described a god ; it is Quetzal', the holy, beau- 
 tiful Quetzal' ! " he said, with rising voice. " Look if his 
 course be toward the land." 
 
 " Every canoe moves toward the shore." 
 
 " Enough ! " he cried. " The writing on the wall is the 
 god's ! " And, rising, he awoke the girl. 
 
 As Tecetl awake had no recollection of her journey, or of 
 what she had seen in its course, she wondered at his trouble 
 and excitement, and spoke to him, without answer. 
 
 " Father, what has Tecetl done that you should be so trou- 
 bled 1" 
 
 He put aside her arms, and in silence turned slowly from 
 the pleasant place, and retraced his steps back through the 
 of the Cu to the court-re rd and azoteas.
 
 80 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The weight of the secret did not oppress him ; it rested 
 apon him lightly as the surplice upon his shoulders ; for the 
 humble servant of his god was lifted above his poverty and 
 trembling, and, vivified by the consciousness of inspiration, 
 felt more than a warrior's strength. But what should he do I 
 Where proclaim the revelation ? Upon the temple ? 
 
 " The streets are deserted ; the people are in the theatre \ 
 the king is there with all Anahuac," he muttered. "The 
 coming of Quetzal' concerns the Empire, and it shall hear the 
 announcement: so not on the temple, but to the tianguez. 
 The god speaks to me ! To the tianguez ! " 
 
 In the chapel he exchanged his white surplice for the 
 regalia of sacrifice. Never before, to his fancy, wore the idol 
 such seeming of life. Satisfaction played grimly about its 
 mouth ; upon its brow, like a coronet, sat the infinite Will. 
 From the chapel he descended to the street that led to the 
 great square. Insensibly, as he hurried on, his steps quick- 
 ened ; and bareheaded and unsandalled, his white beard and 
 hair loose and flowing, and his face beaming with excite- 
 ment, he looked the very embodiment of direful prophecy. 
 On the streets he met only slaves. At the theatre the entrance 
 was blocked by people ; soldiery guarded the arena : but 
 guard and people shrunk at his approach ; and thus, without 
 word or cry, he rushed within the wall of shields, where 
 were none but the combatants, living and dead. 
 
 Midway the arena he halted, his face to the king. Around 
 ran his wondrous glance, and, regardless of the royalty pres- 
 ent, the people shouted, " The paba, the paba ! " and their 
 many voices shook the theatre. Flinging the white locks 
 back on his shoulders, he tossed his arms aloft; and the 
 tumult rose into the welkin, and a calm settled over the 
 multitude. Montezuma, with the malediction warm on hia 
 lips, bent from his couch to hear his words. 
 
 " Woe is Tenochtitlan, the beautiful ! " he cried, in the
 
 THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL'. 81 
 
 unmeasured accents of grief. " Woe to homes, and people, 
 and armies, and king ! Why this gathering of dwellers on 
 the hills and in the valleys ? Why the combat of warriors 7 
 Quetzal' is at hand. He comes for vengeance. Woe is 
 Tenochtitlan, the beautiful ! * * * * This, king, is the 
 day of the fulfilment of prophecy. From out the sea, wafted 
 by clouds, even now the canoes of the god are coming. His 
 ,power whitens the waves, and the garments of his warriors 
 gleam with the light of the sky. Woe is Tenochtitlan ! This 
 day is the last of her perfect glory ; to-morrow Quetzal' will 
 glisten on the sea-shore, and her Empire vanish forever. 
 * * * * People, say farewell to peace! Keepers of th 
 temples, holy men, go feed the fires, and say the prayer, and 
 sacrifice the victim ! And thou, king ! summon thy strong 
 men, leaders in battle, and be thy banners counted, and thy 
 nations marshalled. In vain ! Woe is Tenochtitlan ! Sit* 
 ting in the lake, she shines lustrously as a star ; and though 
 in a valley of gardens, she is like a great tree snadowing in a 
 desert. But the ravager comes, and the tree shall be felled, 
 and the star go out darkling forever. The fires shall fade, 
 the bones of the dead kings be scattered, altars and gods 
 overthrown, and every temple levelled with the streets. Woe 
 is Tenochtitlan ! Ended, ended forever is the march of 
 Azatlan, the mighty ! " 
 
 His arms fell down, and, without further word, his head 
 bowed upon his breast, the prophet departed. The spell he 
 left behind him remained unbroken. As they recovered 
 from the effects of his bodement, the people left the theatre, 
 their minds full of indefinite dread. If perchance they 
 gpoke of the scene as they went, it was in whispers, and 
 rather to sound the depths of each other's alarm. And for 
 the rest of the day they remained in their houses, brooding 
 alone, or collected in groups, talking in low voices, wonder- 
 ing about the prescience of the paba, and looking each mo 
 ment for the development of something more terrible.
 
 82 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The king watched the holy man until he disappeared in 
 the crowded passage ; then a deadly paleness overspread his 
 face, and he sunk almost to the platform. The nobles rushed 
 around, and bore him to his palanquin, their brave souls 
 astonished that the warrior and priest and mighty monarch 
 could be so overcome. They carried him to his palace, and 
 left him to a solitude full of unkingly superstitions. 
 
 Guatamozin, serene amid the confusion-, called the tamanes, 
 and ordered the old Othnxi and the dead removed. The Tez- 
 cucan still breathed. 
 
 ' The reviler of the gods shall be cared for," he said to 
 himself. " If he lives, their justice will convict him." 
 
 Before the setting of the sun, the structure in the tianguez 
 was taken down and restored to the temples, never again to 
 be used. Yet the market-place remained deserted and vacant ; 
 the whole city seemed plague-smitten. 
 
 And the common terror was not without cause, any more 
 than Mualox was without inspiration. That night the ships 
 of Cortes, eleven in number, and freighted with the materials 
 of conquest, from the east of Yucatan, came sweeping clown 
 the bay of Campeachy. Next morning they sailed up the 
 Eio de Tabasco, beautiful with its pure water and its banks 
 fringed with mangroves. Tecetl had described the fleet, 
 the sails of which from afar looked like clouds, while they 
 did, indeed, whiten the sea. 
 
 Next evening a courier sped hotly over the causeway and 
 up the street, stopping at the gate of the royal palace. He 
 was taken before the king ; and, shortly after, it went flying 
 over the city how Quetzal' had arrived, in canoes larger than 
 temples, wafted by clouds, and full of thunder and lightning. 
 Then sank the monarch's heart ; and, though the Spaniard 
 knew it not, his marvellous conquest was half completed 
 before his iron shoe smote the shore at San Juan de Ulloa.* 
 
 * Cortes' squadron reached the mouth of the river Tabasco on tbe 12tb 
 9( March. 161-
 
 BOOK TWO. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 WHO ARE THE STRANGERS ? 
 
 MARCH passed, and April came, and still the strangers, 
 in their great canoes, lingered on the coast. Montezuma 
 obeerved them with becoming prudence; through his lookouts, 
 he was informed of their progress from the time they left the 
 Rio de Tabasco. 
 
 The constant anxiety to which he was subjected affected 
 Ms temper ; and, though roused from the torpor into which 
 he had been plunged by the visit to the golden chamber, and 
 the subsequent prophecy of Mualox, his melancholy was a 
 thing of common observation. He renounced his ordinary 
 amusements, even totoloque, and went no more to the hunting- 
 grounds on the shore of the lake ; in preference, he took 
 long walks in the gardens, and reclined in the audience- 
 chamber of his palace; yet more remarkable, conversa- 
 tion with his councillors and nobles delighted him more 
 than the dances of his women or the songs of his min- 
 strels. In truth, the monarch was himself a victim of the 
 delusions he had perfected for his people. Polytheism had 
 come to hhn with the Empire ; but he had enlarged upon it, 
 and covered it with dogmas; and so earnestly, through a 
 long and glorious reign, had he preached them, that, at last, 
 he had become his own most zealous convert. In all his 
 dominions, there was not one whom faith more inclined to 
 absolute fear of Quetzal' than himseli.
 
 84 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 One evening he passed from his bath to the dining-hall 
 for the last meal of the day. Invigorated, and, as was his 
 custom, attired for the fourth time since morning in fresh 
 garments, he walked briskly, and even droned a song. 
 
 No monarch in Europe fared more sumptuously than 
 Montezuma. The room devoted to the purpose was spacious, 
 and, on this occasion, brilliantly lighted. The floor was 
 spread with figured matting, and the walls hung with beau- 
 tiful tapestry ; and in the centre of the apartment a lux- 
 urious couch had been rolled for him, it being his habit to 
 eat reclining ; while, to hide him from the curious, a screen 
 had been contrived, and set up between the couch and prin- 
 cipal door. The viands set down by his steward as the 
 substantial of the first course were arranged upon the floor 
 before the couch, and kept warm and smoking by chafing- 
 dishes. The table, if such it may be called, was supplied by 
 contributions from the provinces, and furnished, in fact, no 
 contemptible proof of his authority, and the perfection with 
 which it was exercised. The ware was of the finest Cholclan 
 manufacture, and, like his clothes, never used by him but 
 the once, a royal custom requiring him to present it to his 
 Iriends.* 
 
 "When he entered the room, the evening I haw* mentioned, 
 there were present only his steward, four or fire aged coun- 
 cillors, whom he was accustomed to address a& " uncles," and 
 a couple of women, who occupied themselves in preparing 
 certain wafers and confections which he particularly affected. 
 He stretched himself comfortably upon the couch, much, I 
 presume, after the style of the Eomans, and at once began 
 the meal. The ancients moved back several steps, and a 
 score of boys, noble, yet clad in the inevitable nequen, re- 
 sponding to a bell, came in and posted themselves to answe* 
 his requests. 
 
 Prescott, Conq. of Mexico.
 
 WHO ARE THE STRANGERS? 85 
 
 Sometimes, by invitation, the councillors were permitted 
 to share the feast ; oftener, however, the only object of their 
 presence was to afford him the gratification of remark. The 
 conversation was usually irregular, and hushed and renewed 
 as he prompted, and not unfrequently extended to the gravest 
 political and religious subjects. On the evening in question 
 he spoke to them kindly. 
 
 "I feel better this evening, uncles. My good star is rising 
 above the mists that have clouded it. We ought not to com- 
 plain of what we cannot help; still, I have thought that 
 when the gods retained the power to afflict us with sorrows, 
 they should have given us some power to correct them." 
 
 One of the old men answered reverentially, "A king 
 should be too great for sorrows; he should wear his crown 
 against them as we wear our mantles against the cold winds." 
 
 "A good idea," said the monarch, smiling; "but you for- 
 get that the crown, instead of protecting, is itself the trouble. 
 Come nearer, uncles ; there is a matter more serious about 
 which I would hear your minds." 
 
 They obeyed him, and he went on. 
 
 "The last courier brought me word that the strangers 
 were yet on the coast, hovering about the islands. Tell me, 
 who say you they are, and whence do they come 1 " 
 
 " How may we know more than our wise master 1 " said 
 one of them. 
 
 " And our thoughts, do we not borrow them from you, 
 O king?" added another. 
 
 " What ! Call you those answers ? Nay, uncles, my 
 fools can better serve me ; if they cannot instruct, they can 
 at least amuse." 
 
 The king spoke bitterly, and looking at one, probably the 
 oldest of them all, said, 
 
 " Uncle, you are the poorest courtier, but you are discreet 
 and honest. I want opinions that have in them more wis-
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 dom than flattery. Speak to me truly : who are these 
 strangers ? " 
 
 " For your sake, my good king, I wish I were wise ; 
 for the trouble they have given my poor understanding is 
 indeed very great. I believe them to be gods, landed from 
 the-Sun." And the old man went on to fortify his belief 
 with arguments. In the excited state of his fancy, it was 
 easy for him to convert the cannon of the Spaniards into 
 engines of thunder and lightning, and transform their 
 horses into creatures of Mictlan mightier than men. Right 
 summarily he also concluded, that none but gods could 
 traverse the dominions of Haloc,* subjecting the variant 
 winds to their will Finally, to prove the strangers irresist- 
 ible, he referred to the battle of Tabasco, then lately fought 
 between Cortes and the Indians. 
 
 Montezuma heard him in silence, and replied, " Not 
 badly given, uncle ; your friends may profit by your exam- 
 ple ; but you have not talked as a warrior. You have for- 
 gotten that we, too, have beaten the lazy Tabascans. That 
 reference proves as much for my caciques as for your gods." 
 
 He waved his hand, and the first course was removed. 
 The second consisted for the most part of delicacies in the 
 preparation of which his artistes delighted ; at this time ap 
 peared the choclatl, a rich, frothy beverage served in xicaras, 
 or small golden goblets. Girls, selected for their rank and 
 beauty, succeeded the boys. Flocking around him with light 
 nd echoless feet, very graceful, very happy, theirs was in- 
 deed the service that awaits the faithful in Mahomet's Para- 
 dise. To each of his ancients he passed a goblet of choclatl, 
 then continued his eating and talking. 
 
 " Yes. Be they gods or men, I would give a province to 
 know their intention ; that, uncles, would enable me to de- 
 termine my policy, whether to give them war or peace, 
 
 - - God of tba
 
 WHO ARE THE STRANGEB* - 87 
 
 As yet, they have asked nothing but the privilege of trading 
 with us ; and, judging them by our nations, I want not bet- 
 ter warrant of friendship. As you know, strangers have 
 twice before been upon our coast in such canoes, and with 
 such arms ; * and in both instances they sought gold, and 
 getting it they departed. "Will these go like them ? " 
 
 " Has my master forgotten the words of Mualox 1 " 
 
 " To Mictlan with the paba ! " said the king, violently. 
 " He has filled my cities and people with trouble." 
 
 " Yet he is a prophet," retorted the old councillor, boldly. 
 *' How knew he of the coming of the strangers before it 
 was known in the palace ? " 
 
 The flush of the king's face faded. 
 
 " It is a mystery, uncle, a mystery too deep for me. 
 All the day and night before he was in his Cu ; he went not 
 into the city even." 
 
 " If the wise master will listen to the words of his slave, 
 he will not again curse the paba, but make him a friend." 
 
 The monarch's lip curled derisively. 
 
 " My palace is now a house of prayer and sober life ; ha 
 would turn it into a place of revelry." 
 
 All the ancients but the one laughed at the irony ; that 
 one repeated his words. 
 
 " A friend ; but hoAv ? " asked Montezuma. 
 
 " Call him from the Cu to the palace ; let him stand here 
 with us ; in the councils give him a voice. He can read the 
 future ; make of him an oracle. king, who like him can 
 stand between you and Quetzal' 1 " 
 
 For a while Montezuma toyed idly with the xicara. He 
 also believed in the prophetic gifts of Mualox, and it was 
 not the first time he had pondered the question of how the 
 holy man had learned the coming of tha strangers ; to satisfy 
 
 * The allusion was doubtless to the expedition* of Hernandez de COP 
 dova, in 1517, and Juan de Grijaiva, in 1518.
 
 88 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 himself as to his means of information, he had even insti- 
 tuted inquiries outside the palace. And yet it was but one 
 of several mysteries ; behind it, if not superior, were the 
 golden chamber, its wealth, and the writing on the walls. 
 They were not to be attributed to the paba : works so won- 
 drous could not have been done in one lifetime. They were 
 the handiwork of a god, who had chosen Mualox for his ser- 
 vant and prophet ; such was the judgment of the king. 
 
 Nor was that all. The monarch had come to believe that 
 the strangers on the coast were Quetzal' and his followers, 
 whom it were vain to resist, if their object was vengeance. 
 But the human heart is seldom without its suggestion of 
 hope ; and he thought, though resistance was impossible, 
 might he not propitiate ? This policy had occupied his 
 thoughts, and most likely without result, for the words of 
 the councillor seemed welcome. Indeed, he could scarcely 
 fail to recognize the bold idea they conveyed, nothing 
 less, in fact, than meeting the god with his own prophet. 
 
 "Very well," he said, in his heart. " I will use the paba. 
 He shall come and stand between me and the woe." 
 
 Then he arose, took a string of pearls from his neck, 
 and with his own hand placed it around that of the 
 ancient. 
 
 " Your place is with me, uncle. I will have a chamber 
 fitted for you here in the palace. Go no more away. Ho, 
 steward ! The supper is done j let the pipes be brought, 
 and give me music and dance. Bid the minstrels come. A 
 oug of the olden time maj make me strong again."
 
 A TEZCUCAN LOVER. 80 
 
 CHAPTEE IL 
 
 A TEZCUCAN LOVER. 
 
 fFlKACES of the supper speedily disappeared. The screen 
 JL was rolled away, and pipes placed in the monarch's 
 hand for distribution amongst his familiars. Blue vapor 
 began to ascend to the carved rafters, when the tapestry on 
 both sides of the room was flung aside, and the sound of 
 cornets and flutes poured in from an adjoining apartment ; 
 and, as if answering the summons of the music, a company 
 of dancing-girls entered, and filled the space in front of the 
 monarch ; half nude were they, and flashing with ornaments, 
 and aerial with gauze and flying ribbons ; silver bells tinkled 
 with each step, and on their heads were wreaths, and in their 
 hands garlands of flowers. Voluptuous children were they 
 of the voluptuous valley. 
 
 Saluting the monarch, they glided away, and commenced 
 a dance. "With dreamy, half-shut eyes, through the scented 
 cloud momently deepening around him, he watched them ; 
 and in the sensuous, animated scene was disclosed one of 
 the enchantments that had weaned him from the martial 
 love of his youth. 
 
 Every movement of the figure had been carefully studied, 
 and a kind of aesthetic philosophy was blent with its perfect 
 time and elegance of motion. Slow and stately at first, it 
 gradually quickened ; then, as if to excite the blood and 
 fancy, it became more mazy and voluptuous ; and finally, as 
 that is the sweetest song that ends with a long decadence, it 
 was so concluded as to soothe the transports itself had 
 awakened. Sweeping along v it reached a point, a very 
 climax of abandon and beauty, in which the dancers ap?
 
 90 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 peared to forget the music and the method of the figure ; 
 then the eyes of the king shone brightly, and the pipe lin- 
 gered on his lips forgotten ; and then the musicians began, 
 one by one, to withdraw from the harmony, and the dancers 
 to vanish singly from the room, until, at last, there was but 
 one flute to be heard, while but one girl remained. Finally, 
 she also disappeared, and all grew still again. 
 
 And the king sat silent and listless, surrendered to the 
 enjoyment which was the object of the diversion ; yet he 
 heard the music ; yet he saw the lithe and palpitating forms 
 of the dancers in posture and motion ; yet he felt the sweet 
 influence of their youth and grace and beauty, not as a 
 passion, but rather a spell full of the suggestions of passion, 
 when a number of men came noiselessly in, and, kneeling, 
 Baluted him. Their costume was that of priests, and each 
 of them carried an instrument of music fashioned somewhat 
 like a Hebrew lyre. 
 
 " Ah, my 'ninstrels, my minstrels ! " he said, his face 
 flushing with pleasure. " Welcome in the streets, welcome 
 in the camp, welcome in the palace, also ! What have you 
 to-night 1 " 
 
 " When last we were admitted to your presence, king, 
 you bade us compose hymns to the god Quetzal' " 
 
 " Yes ; I remember." 
 
 " We pray you not to think ill of your slaves if we say 
 that the verses which come unbidden are the best ; no song 
 of the bird's so beautiful as the one it sings when its heart 
 is full" 
 
 The monarch sat up. 
 
 " Nay, I did not command. I know something of the spirit 
 of poetry. It is not a thing to be driven by the will, like a 
 canoe by a strong arm ; neither is it a slave, to come or go 
 at a signal. I bid my warriors march ; I order the sacri- 
 fice ; but the lays of my minstrels have ever been of their
 
 A TEZCUCAN LOVER. 91 
 
 free will. Leave me now. To you are my gardens and pal- 
 aces. I warrant the verses you have are good ; but go ask 
 your hearts for better." 
 
 They retired with their faces toward him until hidden 
 behind the tapestry. 
 
 " I love a song, uncles," continued the king ; " I love a 
 hymn to the gods, and a story of battle chanted in a deep 
 voice. In the halls of the Sun every soul is a minstrel, and 
 every tale a song. But let them go ; it is well enough. I 
 promised ItzliT, the Tezcucan, to give him audience to-night. 
 He comes to the palace but seldom, and he has not asked a 
 favor since I settled his quarrel with the lord Cacama. Send 
 pne to see if he is now at the door." 
 
 Thereupon he fell to reflecting and smoking ; and when 
 next he spoke, it was from the midst of an aromatic cloud. 
 
 " I loved the wise 'Hualpilli ; for his sake, I would have 
 his children happy. He was a lover of peace, and gave 
 more to policy than to war. It were grievous to let his 
 city be disturbed by feuds and fighting men ; therefore 1 
 gave it to the eldest son. His claim was best ; and, besides, 
 he has the friendly heart to serve me. Still still, I wish 
 there had been two Tezcucos." 
 
 " There was but one voice about the judgment in Tezcuco, 
 
 king ; the citizens all said it was just." 
 
 " And they would have said the same if I had given them 
 IztliT. I know the knaves, uncle. It was not their applause 
 
 1 cared for ; but, you see, in gaining a servant, I lost one. 
 .IzthT is a warrior. Had he the will, he could serve me in 
 ithe field as weU as his brother in the council. I must attach 
 'him to me. A strong arm is pleasant to lean on ; it is better 
 than a staff." 
 
 Addressing himself to the pipe again, he sat smoking, and 
 moodily observing the vapor vanish above him. There was 
 silence until IztliT was ushered in.
 
 92 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The cacique was still suffering from his wounds. His step 
 was feeble, so that his obeisance was stopped by the monarch 
 himself. 
 
 " Let the salutation go, my lord IztkT. Your courage has 
 cost you much. I remember you are the son of my old friend, 
 and bid you welcome." 
 
 "The Tlascalans are good warriors," said the Tezcucan, 
 coldly. 
 
 "And for that reason better victims," added the king, 
 quickly. " By the Sun, I know not what we would do with- 
 out them. Their hills supply our temples." 
 
 " And I, good king I am but a warrior. My heart is not 
 softened by things pertaining to religion. Enough for me to 
 worship the gods." 
 
 " Then you are not a student 1 " 
 
 " I never studied in the academies." 
 
 " I understand," said the king, with a low laugh. " You 
 cannot name as many stars as enemies whom you have slain. 
 No matter. ~ I have places for such scholars. Have you 
 commanded an army ? " 
 
 " It pleased you to give me that confidence. I led my 
 companies within the Tlascalan wall, and came back with 
 captives." 
 
 " I recollect now. But as most good warriors are modest, 
 my son, I will not tell you what the chiefs said of your con 
 duct ; you would blush " 
 
 IztliT started. 
 
 " Content you, content you ; your blush would not be for 
 ehame." 
 
 There was a pause, which the king gave to his pipe. Sud- 
 denly he said, "There have been tongues busy with your 
 fame, my son. I have heard you were greatly dissatisfied 
 because I gave your father's city to your elder brother. But 
 I consider that men are never without detractors, and I can-
 
 A TEZCUCAN LOVER. 93 
 
 not forget that you have perilled your life for the gods. 
 Actions I accept as the proofs of will. If the favor that 
 brought you here be reasonable, it is yours for the asking. I 
 have the wish to serve you." 
 
 "I am not surprised that I have enemies," said IztlilV 
 calmly. " I will abuse no one on that account ; for I am an 
 enemy, and can forgive in others what I deem virtue in my- 
 self. But it moves me greatly, O king, that my enemies 
 should steal into your palace, and, in my absence, wrong me 
 in your opinion. But pardon me j I did not come to defend 
 
 " You have taken my words in an evil sense," interposed 
 the king, with an impatient gesture. 
 
 "Or to conceal the truth," the Tezcucan continued. 
 " There is kingly blood in me, and I dare speak as my 
 father's son. So if they said merely that I was dissatisfied 
 with your judgment, they said truly." 
 
 Montezuma frowned. 
 
 " I intend my words to be respectful, most mighty king. 
 A common wisdom teaches us to respect the brave man and 
 dread the coward. And there is not in your garden a flower 
 as beautiful, nor in your power a privilege as precious, as free 
 speech ; and it would sound ill of one so great and secure as 
 my father's friend if he permitted in the streets and in the 
 farmer's hut what he forbade in his palace. I spoke of dis- 
 satisfaction ; but think not it was because you gave Tezcuco 
 to my brother, and to me the bare hills that have scarcely 
 herbage enough for a wolf-covert. I am less a prince than a 
 warrior ; all places are alike to me ; the earth affords me 
 royal slumber, while no jewelled canopy is equal to the starred 
 heavens ; and as there is a weakness in pleasant memories, I 
 have none. To such as I am, king, what matters a barren 
 hill or a proud palace ? I murmured, nay, I did more, be- 
 cause, in judging my quarrel, you overthrew the indepen-
 
 I'HE FAIR GOD. 
 
 dence of my country. When my father visited you from 
 across the lake, he was not accustomed to stand before you, 
 or hide his kingly robes beneath a slave's garb." 
 
 Montezuma half started from his seat. " Holy gods ! Is 
 rebellion so bold 1 " 
 
 "I meant no disrespect, great king. I only sought to 
 justify myself, and in your royal presence say what I have 
 thought while fighting under your banner. But, without 
 more abuse of your patience, I will to my purpose, especially 
 as I came for peace and friendship." 
 
 " The son of my friend forgets that I have ways to make 
 peace without treating for it," said the king. 
 
 The Tezcucan smothered an angry reply. 
 
 " By service done, I have shown a disposition to serve you, 
 O king. Very soon every warrior will be needed. A throne 
 may be laid amid hymns and priestly prayers, yet have no 
 strength ; to endure, it must rest upon the allegiance of love. 
 Though I have spoken unpleasant words, I came to ask that, 
 by a simple boon, you give me cause to love. I have re- 
 flected that I, too, am of royal blood, and, as the son of a 
 king, may lead your armies, and look for alliance in your 
 house. By marriage, king, I desire, come good or evil, to 
 link my fortune to yours." 
 
 Montezuma's countenance was stolid ; no eye could have 
 detected upon it so much as surprise. He quietly asked, 
 " Which of my daughters has found favor in your eyes 1 " 
 
 "They are aU beautiful, but only one of them is fitted for 
 a warrior's wife." 
 
 "Tula?" 
 
 Iztlil' bowed. 
 
 " She is dear to me," said the king, softly, " dearer than a 
 city ; she is holy as a temple, and lovelier than the morning ; 
 her voice is sweet as the summer wind, and her presence as 
 the summer itself. Have you spoken to her of this thing ? "
 
 THE BANISHMENT OF GUATAMOZIN. 95 
 
 "I love her, so that her love is nothing to me. Her 
 feelings are her own, but she is yours ; and you are more 
 powerful to give than she to withhold." 
 
 " Well, well," said the monarch, after a little thought ; 
 " in my realm there are none of better quality than the chil- 
 li-en of 'Hualpilli, none from whom such demand is as 
 proper. Yet it is worthy deliberation. It is true, I have 
 /the power to bestow, but there are others who have the right 
 .to be consulted. I study the happiness of my people, and 
 it were unnatural if I cared less for that of my children. 
 So leave me now, but take with you, brave prince, the assur- 
 ance that I am friendly to your suit. The gods go with 
 you ! " 
 
 And IztliT, after a low obeisance, withdrew ; and then the 
 overture was fully discussed. Montezuma spoke freely, wel- 
 coming the opportunity of securing the bold, free-spoken 
 cacique, and seeing in the demand only a question of policy. 
 As might be expected, the ancients made no opposition ; 
 they could see no danger in the alliance, and had no care for 
 the parties. It was policy. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BANISHMENT OP GUATAMOZIN. 
 
 THE palace of Montezuma was regarded as of very great 
 sanctity, so that his household, its economy, and the 
 exact relation its members bore to each other were mysteries 
 to the public. From the best information, however, it would 
 seem that he had two lawful and acknowledged wives, the 
 queens Tecalco and Acatlan.* who, with their families, occu- 
 
 * These are the proper names of the queens. MSS of Mufioz. Also, 
 note to Prescott, Conq. of Mexico, Vol. II., p. 351.
 
 96 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 pied spacious apartments secure from intnision. They were 
 good-looking, middle-aged women, whom the monarch hon- 
 ored with the highest respect and confidence. By the first 
 one, he had a son and daughter ; by the second, two 
 daughters. 
 
 " Help me, Acatlan ! I appeal to your friendship, to 
 the love you bear your children, help me in my trouble." 
 So the queen Tecalco prayed the queen Acatlan in the palace 
 the morning after the audience given the Tezcucan by the 
 
 The two were sitting in a room furnished with some taste. 
 Through the great windows, shaded by purple curtains, 
 streamed the fresh breath of the early day. There were 
 female slaves around them in waiting ; while a boy nearly 
 grown, at the eastern end of the apartment, was pitching 
 the golden balls in totoloque. This was prince Io', the 
 brother of Tula, and son of Tecalco. 
 
 " What is the trouble 1 What can I do ? " asked Acatlan. 
 
 " Listen to me," said Tecalco. " The king has just gone. 
 He came in better mood than usual, and talked pleasantly. 
 Something had happened ; some point of policy had been 
 gained. Nowadays, you know, he talks and thinks of noth- 
 ing but policy; formerly it was all of war. We cannot 
 deny, Acatlan, that he is much changed. Well, he played 
 a game with Io', then sat down, saying he had news which 
 he thought would please me. You will hardly believe it, 
 but he said that IztliT, the proud Tezcucan, asked Tula in 
 marriage last night. Tlu'nk of it! Tula, my blossom, my^ 
 soul ! and to that vile cacique ! " 
 
 "Well, he 'is brave, and the son of 'Hualpilli," said 
 Acatlan. 
 
 "What! You!" said Tecalco, despairingly. "Do you, 
 too, turn against me ? I do not like him, and would not if 
 ho were the son of a god. Tula hates him ! "
 
 THE BANISHMENT OF GUATAMOZIN. 97 
 
 " I will not turn against you, Tecalco. Be calmer, and 
 tell me what more the king said." 
 
 " I told him I was surprised, but not glad to hear the 
 news. He frowned, and paced the floor, now here, now 
 there. I was frightened, but could bear his anger better 
 than the idea of my Tula, so good, so beautiful, the wife of 
 the base Tezcucan. He said the marriage must go on ; it 
 was required by policy, and would help quiet the Empire, 
 which was never so threatened. You will hardly believe I 
 ventured to tell him that it should not be, as Tula was 
 already contracted to Guatamozin. I supposed that an- 
 nouncement would quiet the matter, but it only enraged 
 him ; he spoke bitterly of the 'tzin. I could scarcely believe 
 my ears. He used to love him. What has happened to 
 change his feeling ? " 
 
 Acatlan thrummed her pretty mouth with her fingers, and 
 thought awhile. 
 
 " Yes, I have heard some stories about the 'tzin " 
 
 '' Indeed ! " said Tecalco, opening her eyes. 
 
 " He too has changed, as you may have observed," con- 
 tinued Acatlan. " He used to be gay and talkative, fond of 
 company, and dance ; latterly, he stays at home, and whea 
 abroad, mopes, and is silent ; while we all know that no 
 great private or public misfortune has happened him. The 
 king appears to have noticed it. And, my dear sister," - 
 the queen lowered her voice to a confidential whisper, 
 " they say the 'tziu aspires to the throne." 
 
 "What! Do you believe it? Does the king?" cried 
 Tecalco, more in anger than surprise. 
 
 " I believe nothing yet, though there are some groundr 
 for his accusers to go upon. They say he entertains at his 
 palace near Iztapalapan none but men of the army, and that 
 while in Tenochtitlan, he studies the favor of the people, and 
 uses his wealth to win popularity with all classes. Indeed,
 
 98 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Tecalco, somehow the king learned that, on the day of the 
 celebration of Quetzal', the 'tzin was engaged in a direct 
 conspiracy against him." 
 
 "It is false, Acatlan, it is false! The king has not a 
 more faithful subject. I know the 'tzin. He is worth a 
 thousand of the Tezcucan, who is himself the traitor." And 
 the vexed queen beat the floor with her sandalled foot. 
 
 " As to that, Tecalco, I know nothing. But what more 
 from the king ] " 
 
 " He told me that Tula should never marry the 'tzin ; he 
 would use all his power against it ; he would banish him 
 from the city first. And his rage increased until, finally, he 
 swore by the gods he would order a banquet, and, in pres- 
 ence of all the lords of the Empire, publicly betroth Tula and 
 the Tezcucan. He said he would do anything the safety of 
 the throne and the gods required of him. He never was so 
 angry. And that, Acatlan, my sister, that is my trouble. 
 How can I save my child from such a horrid betrothal ? " 
 
 Acatlan shook her head gloomily. " The king brooks de- 
 feat better than opposition. We would not be safe to do 
 anything openly. I acknowledge myself afraid, and unable 
 to advise you." 
 
 Tecalco burst into tears, and wrung her hands, overcomn 
 by fear and rage. Io' then left his game, and came to her. 
 He was not handsome, being too large for his years, and un- 
 graceful ; this tendency to homeliness was increased by the 
 smallness of his face and head ; the features were actually 
 childish. 
 
 " Say no more, mother," he said, tears standing in his 
 eyes, as if to prove his sympathy and kindliness. "You 
 know it would be better to play with the tigers than stir the 
 king to anger." 
 
 "Ah, Io', what shall I dol I always heard you speak 
 well of the 'tzin. You loved him once."
 
 THE BANISHMENT OP GUATAMOZIN. 99 
 
 " And I love him yet." 
 
 Teoalco was less pacified than ever. 
 
 " What would I not give to know who set the king BO 
 against him ! Upon the traitor be the harm there is in a 
 mother's curse ! If my child must be sacrificed, let it be by 
 priest, and as a victim to the gods." 
 
 " Do not speak so. Be wise, Tecalco. Recollect such 
 sorrows belong to our- rank." 
 
 " Our rank, Acatlan ! I can forget it sooner than that I 
 am a mother! 0, you do not know how long I have 
 nursed the idea of wedding Tula to the 'tzin ! Since their 
 childhood I have prayed, plotted, and hoped for it. With 
 what pride I have seen them grow up, he so brave, gener- 
 ous, and princely, she so staid and beautiful ! I have never 
 allowed her to think of other destiny : the gods made them 
 for each other." 
 
 " Mother," said Io', thoughtfully, " I have heard you say 
 that Guatamozin was wise. Why not send him word of 
 what has happened, and put otir trust in him ? " 
 
 The poor queen cauglit af the suggestion eagerly ; for -with 
 a promise of aid, at the same time it relieved her of responsi- 
 bility, of all burthens the most dreadful to a woman. And 
 Acatlan, really desirous of helping her friend, but at a 
 loss for a plan, and terrified by the idea of the monarch's 
 wrath incurred, wondered they had not thought of the pro- 
 posal sooner, and urged the 'tzin's right to be informed ot 
 the occurrence. 
 
 "There must be secrecy, Tecalco. The king must never 
 know us as traitors : that would be our ruin." 
 
 " There shall be no danger ; I can go myself," said lo*. 
 w It is long since I was at Iztapalapan, and they say the 'tzin 
 has such beautiful gardens. I want to see the three kings 
 who hold torches in his hall; I want to try a bow with 
 him."
 
 100 THE FAIR GOD. s 
 
 After some entreaty, Tecalco assented. She required him, 
 however, to put on a costume less likely to attract attention, 
 and take some other than a royal canoe across the lake. 
 Half an hour later, he passed out of a garden gate, and, by 
 a circuitous route, hurried to the canal in which lay the ves- 
 sels of the Iztapalapan watermen. He found one, and was 
 bargaining with its owner, when a young man walked briskly 
 up, and stepped into a canoe close by. Something in the 
 gay dress of the stranger made Io' look at him a second 
 time, and he was hardly less pleased than surprised at being 
 addressed, 
 
 " Ho, friend ! I am going to your city. Save your cocoa, 
 aud go with me." 
 
 Io' was confused. 
 
 " Come on ! " the stranger persisted, with a pleasant smile. 
 " Come on ! I want company. You were never so wel- 
 come." 
 
 The smile decided the boy. He set one foot in the vessel, 
 but instantly retreated an ocelot, crouched in the bottom, 
 raised its round head, and stared fixedly at him. The 
 stranger laughed, and reassured him, after which he walked 
 boldly forward. Then the canoe swung from its mooring, 
 and in a few minutes, under the impulsion of three strong 
 slaves, went flying down the canaL Under bridges, through 
 incoming flotillas, and past the great houses on either hand 
 they darted, until the city was left behind, and the lake, 
 colored with the borrowed blue of the sky, spread out rich 
 and billowy before them. The eyes of the stranger bright- 
 ened at the prospect. 
 
 "I like this. By Our Mother, I like it!" he said, ear- 
 nestly. " We have lakes in Tihuanco on which I have spent 
 days riding waves and spearing fish ; but they were dull to 
 this. See the stretch of the water! Look yonder at the 
 vilages, and here at the city and Chapultepec ! Ah, that
 
 THE BANISHMENT OF GUATAMOZIN. 101 
 
 you were born in Tenochtitlan be [proud. There is no 
 grander birthplace this side of the Sun ! " 
 
 " I am an Aztec," said Io', moved by the words. 
 
 The other smiled, and added, " Why not go further, and 
 say, ' and son of the king ] ' " 
 
 Io' was startled. 
 
 " Surprised ! Good prince, I am a hunter. From habit, I 
 observe everything ; a track, a tree, a place, once seen is never 
 forgotten ; and since I came to the city, the night before the 
 combat of Quetzal', the habit has not left me. That day 
 you were seated under the red canopy, with the princesses 
 Tula and Nenetzin. So I came to know the king's son." 
 
 " Then you saw the combat ? ' " 
 
 " And how brave it was ! There never was its match, 
 never such archery as the 'tzin's. Then the blow with which 
 he killed the Othmi ! I only regretted that the Tezcucan 
 escaped. I do not like him ; he is envious and spiteful ; it 
 would have been better had he fallen instead of the Otompan. 
 You know IztlilT 
 
 "Not to love him," said Io'. 
 
 "Ishelikethe'tzinl" 
 
 "Not at all." 
 
 "So I have heard," said the hunter, shrugging his shoul- 
 ders. " But Down, fellow ! " he cried to the ocelot, whose 
 approaches discomposed the prince. " I was going to say," 
 he resumed, with a look which, as an invitation to confidence, 
 was irresistible, "that there is no reason why you and I 
 should not be friends. We are both going to see the 
 'tzin " 
 
 Io' was again much confused. 
 
 " I only heard you say so to the waterman on the landing. 
 If your visit, good prince, was intended as a secret, you are 
 a careless messenger. But have no fear. I intend entering 
 the 'tzin's service j that is, if he will take me."
 
 102 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Is the 'tzin enlisting men ? " asked Io'. 
 
 " No. I am merely weary of hunting. My father is a 
 good merchant whose trading life is too tame for me. I love 
 excitement. Even hunting deer and chasing wolves are too 
 tame. I will now try war, and there is but one whom I 
 care to follow. Together we will see and talk to him." 
 
 " You speak as if you were used to arms." 
 
 " My skill may be counted nothing. I seek the service 
 more from what I imagine it to be. The march, the camp, 
 the battle, the taking captives, the perilling life, when it is 
 but a secondary object, as it must be with every warrior of 
 true ambition, all have charms for my fancy. Besides, I am 
 discontented with my condition. I want honor, rank, and 
 command, wealth I have. Hence, for me, the army is the 
 surest road. Beset with trials, and needing a good heart 
 and arm, yet it travels upward, upward, and that is all I 
 seek to know." 
 
 The naivete and enthusiasm of the hunter were new and 
 charming to the prince, who was impelled to study him onco 
 more. He noticed how exactly the arms were rounded ; 
 that the neck was long, muscular, and widened at the base, 
 like the trunk of an oak ; that the features, excited by the 
 passing feeling, were noble and good ; that the very carriage 
 of the head was significant of aptitude for brave things, 
 if not command. Could the better gods have thrown Io' in 
 such company for self-comparison ? Was that the time they 
 had chosen to wake within him the longings of mind nat- 
 ural -to coming manhood? He felt the inspiration of an 
 idea new to him. All his life had been passed in the splen- 
 did monotony of his father's palace ; he had been permitted 
 merely to hear of war, and that from a distance ; of the 
 noble passion for arms he knew nothing. Accustomed to 
 childish wants, with authority to gratify them, ambition for 
 power had not yet disturbed him. But, as he listened, it
 
 GUATAMOZIN AT HOME. 103 
 
 was given him to see the emptiness of his past life, and 
 understand the advantages he already possessed; he said 
 to himself, " Am I not master of grade and opportunities, 
 so coveted by this unknown hunter, and so far above his 
 reach 1 " In that moment the contentment which had cano- 
 pied his existence, like a calm sky, full of stars and silence 
 and peace, was taken up, and whirled away ; his spirit 
 strengthened with a rising ambition and a courage royally 
 descended. 
 
 "You are going to study with the 'tzin. I would like to 
 be your comrade," he said. 
 
 " I accept you, I give you my heart ! " replied the 
 hunter, with beaming face. " We will march, and sleep, and 
 fight, and practise together. I will be true to you as shield 
 to the warrior. Hereafter, prince, when you would speak 
 of me, call me Hualpa ; and if you would make me happy, 
 say of me, ' He is my comrade ! ' " 
 
 The sun stood high in the heavens when they reached 
 the landing. Mounting a few steps that led from the 
 water's edge, they found themselves in a garden rich with 
 flowers, beautiful trees, running streams, and trellised sum- 
 mer-houses, the garden cf a prince, of Guatamozin, th 
 true hero of his country. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 GUATAMOZIN AT HOME. 
 
 UATAMOZItf inherited a great fortune, ducal rank, 
 \JT~ and an estate near Iztapalapan. Outside the city, 
 midst a garden that extended for miles around, stood his 
 palace, built in the prevalent style, one story high, but broad
 
 J04 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 and wide enough to comfortably accommodate several thou- 
 sand men. His retainers, a legion in themselves, inhabited 
 it for the most part ; and whether soldier, artisan, or farmer, 
 each had his quarters, his exclusive possession as against 
 every one but the 'tzin. 
 
 i The garden was almost entirely devoted to the cultivation 
 of fruits and flowers. Hundreds of slaves, toiling there 
 constantly under tasteful supervision, made and kept it 
 beautiful past description. Rivulets of pure -water, spanned' 
 by bridges and bordered with flowers, ran through every 
 part over beds of sand yellow as gold. The paths fre- 
 quently led to artificial lagoons, delightful for the coolness 
 that lingered about them, when the sun looked with his 
 burning eye down upon the valley ; for they were fringed 
 with willow and sycamore trees, all clad with vines as with 
 garments ; and some were further garnished with little 
 islands, plumed with palms, and made attractive by kiosks. 
 Nor were these all. Fountains and cascades filled the air 
 with sleepy songs ; orange-groves rose up, testifying to the 
 clime they adorned ; and in every path small teules, on 
 pedestals of stone, so mingled religion with the loveliness 
 that there could be no admiration without worship. 
 
 Io' and Hualpa, marvelling at the beauty they beheld, 
 pursued a path, strewn with white sand, and leading across 
 the garden, to the palace. A few armed men loitered about 
 the portal, but allowed them to approach without question. 
 From the antechamber they sent their names to the 'tzin, 
 and directly the slave returned with word to Io' to follow 
 him. 
 
 The study into which the prince was presently shown was 
 furnished with severe plainness. An arm-chair, if such it 
 may be called, some rude tables and uncushioned benches, 
 offered small encouragement to idleness. 
 
 Sand, glittering like crushed crystal, covered the floor,
 
 GUATAMOZIN AT HOME. 105 
 
 and, instead of tapestry, the walls were hung with maps of 
 the Empire, and provinces the most distant. Several piles 
 of MSS., the books of the Aztecs, with parchment and 
 writing-materials, lay on a table ; and half concealed amongst 
 them was a harp, such as we have seen in the hands of the 
 royal minstrels. 
 
 " Welcome, Io', welcome ! " said the 'tzin, in his full voice. 
 " You have come at length, after so many promises, . 
 come last of all my friends. When you were here before, 
 you were a child, and I a boy like you now. Let us go and 
 talk it over." And leading him to a bench by a window, 
 they sat down. 
 
 " I remember the visit," said Io'. " It was many years 
 ago. You were studying then, and I find you studying yet." 
 
 A serious thought rose to the 'tzin's mind, and his smile 
 was clouded. 
 
 " You do not understand me, Io r . Shut up in your father's 
 palace, your life is passing too dreamily. The days with 
 you are like waves of the lake : one rolls up, and, scarcely 
 murmuring, breaks on the shore ; another succeeds, that 
 is all. Hear, and believe me. He who would be wise 
 must study. There are many who live for themselves, a 
 few who live for their race. Of the first class, no thought 
 is required ; they eat, sleep, are merry, and die, and have no 
 hall in heaven : but the second must think, toil, and be 
 patient ; they must know, and, if possible, know everything. 
 God and ourselves are the only sources of knowledge. I 
 would not have you despise humanity, but all that is 
 from ourselves is soon learned. There is but one inex- 
 haustible fountain of intelligence, and that is Nature, the 
 God Supreme. See those volumes ; they are of men, full 
 of wisdom, but nothing original ; they are borrowed from 
 the book of deity, the always-opened book, of which the 
 sky is one chapter, and earth the other. Very deep are the
 
 106 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 lessons of life and heaven there taught. I confess to you, 
 Jo 1 , that I aspire to be of those whose lives are void of self- 
 ishness, who live for others, for their country. Your father'g 
 servant, I would serve him understandingly ; to do so, 1 
 must be wise ; and I cannot be wise without patient study." 
 
 lo's unpractised mind but half understood the philosophy 
 to which he listened ; but when the 'tzin called himself his 
 father's servant, Acatlan's words recurred to the boy. 
 
 " 'tzin," he said, " they are not all like you, so good, so 
 true. There have been some telling strange stories about you 
 *o the king." 
 
 "About me?" 
 
 " They say you want to be king," the listener's face 
 was passive, " and that on Quetzal's day you were looking 
 for opportunity to attack my father." Still there was no sign 
 of emotion. " Your staying at home, they say, is but a pre- 
 tence to cover your designs." 
 
 " And what more, Io' ? " 
 
 " They say you are taking soldiers into your pay ; that 
 you give money, and practise all manner of arts, to become 
 popular in Tenochtitlan ; and that your delay in entering the 
 avena on the day of the combat had something to do with 
 your conspiracy." 
 
 For a moment the noble countenance of the 'tzin was dis- 
 turbed. 
 ; " A lying catalogue ! But is that all ] " 
 
 " No," and lo's voice trembled, " I am a secret mes- 
 senger from the queen Tecalco, my mother. She bade me 
 say to you, that last night IztliT, the Tezcucan, had audience 
 with the king, and asked Tula for his wife." 
 
 Guatamozin sprang from his seat more pallid than ever in 
 battle. 
 
 " And what said Montezuma ? " 
 
 " This morning he came to the queen, my mother, and told
 
 GUATAMOZIN AT HOME. 107 
 
 her about it ; on your account she objected ; but he became 
 angry, spoke harshly of you, and swore Tula should not wed 
 with you ; he would banish you first." 
 
 Through the silent cell the 'tzin strode gloomily ; the blow 
 weakened him. Mualox was wrong ; men cannot make them- 
 selves almost gods ; by having many ills, and bearing them 
 bravely, they can only become heroes. After a long struggle 
 he resumed his calmness and seat. 
 
 " What more from the queen ? " 
 
 " Only, that as she was helpless, she left everything to 
 you. She dares not oppose the king." 
 
 " I understand 1 " exclaimed the 'tzin, starting li-oni the 
 bench again. " The Tezcucan is my enemy. Crossing the 
 }ake, night before~the combat, he told me he loved Tula, and 
 charged me with designs against the Empire, and cursed the 
 .king and his crown. Next day he fought under my chal- 
 lenge. The malice of a mean soul cannot be allayed by kind- 
 ness. But for me the tamanes would have buried him with 
 the Tlascalans. I sent him to my house ; my slaves tended 
 him ; yet his hate was only sharpened." 
 He paced the floor to and fro, speaking vehemently. 
 
 "The ingrate charges me with aspiring to the throne. Judge 
 me, holy gods ! Judge how willingly I would lay down my 
 life to keep the crown where it is ! He says my palace has 
 been open to men of the army. It was always so, I am a 
 warrior. I have consulted them about the Empire, but 
 always as a subject, never for its ill. Such charges I 
 laugh at ; but that I sought to slay the king is too horrible 
 for endurance. On the day of the combat, about the time of 
 the assemblage, I went to the Cft of Quetzal' for blessing. I 
 saw no smoke or other sign of fire upon the tower. Mualox 
 was gone, and I trembled iest the fire should be dead. I 
 climbed up, and found only a few living embers. There 
 were no fagots on the roof, nor in the court-yard ; the shrine
 
 108 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 was abandoned, Mualox old. The desolation appealed to 
 me. The god seemed to claim my service. I broke my 
 spear and shield, and flung the fragments into the urn, then 
 hastened to the palace, loaded some tamanes with wood, and 
 went back to the Cu. I was not too late there ; but, hurrying 
 to the tianguez, I found myself almost dishonored. So was 
 T kept from the arena ; that service to the god is now helping 
 my enemy as proof that I was waiting on a housetop to mur- 
 der my king and kinsman ! Alas ! I have only slaves to bear 
 witness to the holy work that kept me on the temple. Much 
 I fear the gods are making the king blind for his ruin and 
 the ruin of us all. He believes the strangers on the coast 
 are from the Sun, when they are but men. Instead of war 
 against them, he is thinking of embassies and presents*. JSTow, 
 more than ever, he needs the support of friends ; but he di- 
 vides his family against itself, and confers favors on enemies. 
 I see the danger. Unfriendly gods are moving against us, 
 not in the strangers, but in our own divisions. Eemember 
 the prophecy of Mualox, ' The race of Azatlan is ended for- 
 ever.' " 
 
 The speaker stopped his walking, and his voice became 
 low and tremulous. 
 
 " Yet I love him ; he has been kind ; he gave me com- 
 mand ; through his graciousness I have dwelt unmolested in 
 this palace of my father. I am bound to him by love and law. 
 As he has been my friend, I will be his ; when his peril is 
 greatest, I will be truest. Nothing but ill from him to Ana- 
 huac can make me his enemy. So, so, let it pass. I trust 
 the future to the gods." 
 
 Then, as if seeking to rid himself of the bitter subject, he 
 turned to Io'. " Did not some one come with you ] " 
 
 The boy told what he knew of Hualpa. 
 
 " I take him to be no common fellow ; he has some proud 
 ideas. I think you would like him."
 
 GUATAMOZIN AT HOME. 109 
 
 " I will try your hunter, Io'. And if he is what you say 
 of him, I will accept his service." 
 
 And they went immediately to the antechamber, where 
 Hualpa saluted the 'tzin. The latter surveyed his fine person 
 approvingly, and said, " I am told you wish to enter my ser- 
 vice. Were you ever in battle ? " 
 
 The hunter told his story with his wonted modesty. 
 
 " Well, the chase is a good school for warriors. It trains 
 the thews, teaches patience and endurance, and sharpens the 
 spirit's edge. Let us to the garden. A hand to retain 
 skill must continue its practice ; like a good memory, it is 
 the better for exercise. Come, and I will show you how I 
 keep prepared for every emergency of combat." And so say- 
 ing, the 'tzin led the visitors out. 
 
 They went to the garden, followed by the retainers loung- 
 ing at the door. A short walk brought them to a space sur- 
 rounded by a copse of orange-trees, strewn with sand, and 
 broad enough for a mock battle ; a few benches about the 
 margin afforded accommodation to spectators; a stone house 
 at the northern end served for armory, and was full of arms 
 and armor. A glance assured the visitors that the place had 
 been prepared expressly for training. Some score or more 
 of warriors, in the military livery of the 'tzin, already occu- 
 pied a portion of the field. Upon his appearance they 
 quitted their games, and closed around him with respectful 
 salutations. j 
 
 " How now, my good Chinantlan ! " he said, pleasantly. 
 u Did I not award you a prize yesterday ? There are few in 
 the valley who can excel you in launching the spear." 
 
 " The plume is mine no longer," replied the warrior. " I 
 was beaten last night. The winner, however, is a country- 
 man." 
 
 " A countryman ! You Chinaatlans seem born to the 
 gpear. Where is the man 1 "
 
 HO THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The victor stepped forward, and drew up before the mas- 
 ter, who regarded his brawny limbs, sinewy neck, and 
 bold eyes with undisguised admiration \ so an artist would 
 regard a picture or a statue. Above the fellow's helm floated 
 a plume of scarlet feathers, the trophy of his superior skill. 
 ' " Get your spear," said the 'tzin. " I bring you a com- 
 petitor." 
 
 The spear was brought, an ugly weapon in any hand. The 
 head was of copper, and the shaft sixteen feet long. The 
 cough Chinantlan handled it with a loving grip. 
 " Have you such in Tihuanco ? " asked Guatamozin. 
 
 Hualpa balanced the weapon and laughed. 
 
 "We have only javelins, mere reeds to this. Unless 
 k> hold an enemy at bay, I hardly know its use. Certainly, 
 it is not for casting." 
 
 " Set the mark, men. "We will give the stranger a lesson. 
 Set it to the farthest throw." 
 
 A pine picket was then set up a hundred feet away, pre- 
 senting a target of the height and breadth of a man, to 
 which a shield was bolted breast-high from the sand. 
 
 " Now give the Chinantlan room ! " 
 
 The wearer of the plume took his place ; advancing one 
 foot, he lifted the spear above his head with the right hand, 
 poised it a moment, then hurled it from him, and struck the 
 picket a palm's breadth below the shield. 
 
 " Out, out ! " cried the 'tzin. " Bring me the spear ; I 
 have a mind to wear the plume myself." 
 
 When it was brought him, he cast it lightly as a child 
 vould toss a weed ; yet the point drove clanging through the 
 Drazen base of the shield, and into the picket behind. Amid 
 the applause of the sturdy warriors he said to Hualpa, 
 
 " Get ready ; the hunter must do something for the honoi 
 of his native hills." 
 
 " I cannot use a spear in competition with Guatamozin.'
 
 GUATAMOZIN AT HOME. 11? 
 
 said Hualpa, with brightening eyes ; " but if he will have 
 brought a javelin, a good comely weapon, I will show him 
 my practice." 
 
 A slender-shafted missile, about half the length of the 
 spear, was produced from the armory, and examined care- 
 fully. 
 
 " See, good 'tzin, it is not true. Let me have another." 
 
 The next one was to his satisfaction, 
 
 " Now," he said, " set the target thrice a hundred feet 
 away. If the dainty living of Xoli have not weakened my 
 arm, I will at least strike yon shield." 
 
 The bystanders looked at each other wonderingly, and the 
 'tzin was pleased. He had not lost a word or a motion of 
 Hualpa's. The feat undertaken was difficult and but seldom 
 achieved successfully ; but the aspirant was confident, and 
 he manifested the will to which all achievable things are 
 
 The target was reset, and the Tihuancan took the stand. 
 Resting the shaft on the palm of his left hand, he placed the 
 fingers of his right against the butt, and drew the graceful 
 weapon arm-length backward. It described an arc in the 
 air, and to the astonishment of all fell in the shield a little 
 left of the centre. 
 
 " Tell me, Hualpa," said Guatamozin, " are there more 
 hunters in Tihuanco who can do such a deed ? I will have 
 you bring them to me." 
 
 The Tihuancan lowered his eyes. " I grieve to say, good 
 'tzin, that I know of none. I excelled them all. But I can 
 promise that in my native province there are hundreds braver 
 ( than I, ready to serve you to the death." 
 " Well, it is enough. I intended to try you further, and 
 with other weapons, but not now. He who can so wield a 
 javelin must J^now to bend a bow and strike with a maqua- 
 buitl. I accept your service. Let us to the palace."
 
 112 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Hualpa thrilled with delight. Already he felt himself in 
 the warrior's path, with a glory won. All his dreams were 
 about to be realized. In respectful silence he followed Guata- 
 mozin, and as they reached the portal steps, Io' touched his 
 arm : 
 
 " Remember our compact on the lake," he whispered. 
 
 The hunter put his arm lovingly about the prince, and so 
 they entered the house. And that day Fate wove a brother- 
 hood of three hearts which was broken only by death. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 NIGHT AT THE CHALCAN's. 
 
 TETE same day, in the evening, Xoli lay on a lounge by 
 the fountain under his portico. His position gave 
 him the range of the rooms, which glowed like day, and 
 resounded with life. He could even distinguish the occupa- 
 tions of some of his guests. In fair view a group was lis- 
 tening to a minstrel ; beyond them he occasionally caught 
 sight of girls dancing ; and every moment peals of laughter 
 floated out from the chambers of play. A number of per- 
 sons, whose arms and attire published them of the nobler 
 class, sat around the Chalcan in the screen of the curtains, 
 conversing, or listlessly gazing out on the square. 
 
 Gradually Xoli's revery became more dreamy ; sleep stole 
 upon his senses, and shut out the lullaby of the fountain, 
 and drowned the influence of his cuisine. His patrons after 
 a while disappeared, and the watchers on the temples told tlie 
 passing time without awakening him. Very happy was tL 
 Chalcan. 
 
 The slumber was yet strong upon him, when an old man
 
 NIGHT AT THE CHALCAN'S. 113 
 
 and a girl came to the portico. The former, decrepit and 
 ragged, seated himself on the step. Scanty hair hung in 
 white locks over his face ; and grasping a staff, he rested his 
 head wearily upon his hands, and talked to himself. 
 
 The girl approached the Chalcan with the muffled tread of 
 fear. She was clad in the usual dress of her class, a 
 white chemise, with several skirts short and embroidered, over 
 which, after being crossed at the throat, a red scarf dropped 
 its tasseled ends nearly to her heels. The neatness of the 
 garments more than offset their cheapness. Above her fore- 
 head, in the fillet that held the mass of black hair off her face, 
 Jeaving it fully exposed, .there was the gleam of a common 
 /ewel ; otherwise she was without ornament. In all beauty 
 there is nay, must be an idea ; so that a countenance 
 to be handsome even, must in some way at sight quicken a 
 sentiment or stir a memory in the beholder. It was so here. 
 To look at the old man's guardian was to know that she had 
 a sorrow to tell, and to pity her before it was told ; to be 
 sure that under her tremulous anxiety there was a darksome 
 etory and an extraordinary purpose, the signs of which, too 
 fine for the materialism of words, but plain to the sympa- 
 thetic inner consciousness, lurked in the corners of her 
 mouth, looked from her great black eyes, and blent with 
 every action. 
 
 Gliding over the marble, she stopped behind the sleeper, 
 and spoke, without awakening him ; her voice was too 
 like the murmur of the fountain. Frightened at the 
 words, low as they were, she hesitated \ but a look at 
 the old man reassured her, and she called again. Xoli 
 started. 
 
 " How now, mistress ! " he said, angrily, reaching for her 
 hand. 
 
 " I wast to see Xoli, the Chalcan," she replied, escaping 
 his touch.
 
 f!4 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " What have you to do with him 1 " 
 
 He sat up, and looked at her in wonder. 
 
 " What have you to do with him ? " he repeated, in 8 
 kindlier tone. 
 
 Her face kindled with a sudden intelligence. " Xoli ! 
 The gods be praised ! And their blessing on you, if you 
 will do a kind deed for a countryman ! " 
 
 " Well ! But what beggar is that ? Came he with 
 you?" 
 
 "It is of him I would speak. Hear me ! " she asked, 
 drawing near him again. " He is poor, but a Chalcan. If 
 you have memory of the city of your birth, be merciful t& 
 his child." 
 
 " His child ! Who ? Nay, it is a beggar's tale ! Ho. 
 fellow ! How many times have I driven you away already ! 
 How dare you return ! " 
 
 Slowly the old man raised his head from his staff, and 
 turned his face to the speaker ; there was no light there : he 
 was blind ! 
 
 " By the holy fires, no trick this ! Say on, girl. He is a 
 Chalcan, you said." 
 
 " A countryman of yours," and her tears fell fast. "A 
 hut is standing where the causeway leads from Chalco to 
 Iztapalapan ; it is my father's. He was happy under its 
 roof ; for, though blind and poor, he could hear my mother's 
 voice, which was the kindliest thing on earth to him. But 
 Our Mother called her on the coming of a bright morning, 
 and since then he has asked for bread, when I had not a 
 tuna * to give him. Xoli ! did you but know what it 
 is to ask for bread, when there is none ! I am his child 
 and can think of but one way to quiet his cry." And she 
 paused, looking in his face for encouragement. 
 
 "Tell me your name, girl; tell me your name, then 
 * A species of fig.
 
 NIGHT AT THE CHALCAN'S. 115 
 
 go on," he said, with a trembling lip, for his soul was 
 clever. 
 
 At that instant the old man moaned querulously, " Yeteve, 
 Yeteve ! " 
 
 She went, and clasped his neck, and spoke to him sooth- 
 ingly. Xoli's eyes became humid ; down in the depths of 
 his heart an emotion grew strangely warm. 
 
 " Yeteve, Yeteve ! " he repeated, musingly, thinking the 
 syllables soft and pretty. " Come ; stand here again, 
 Yeteve," said he, aloud, when the dotard was pacified. 
 " He wants bread, you say : how would you supply him ? " 
 
 " You are rich. You want many slaves ; and the law 
 permits the poor to sell themselves.* I would be your 
 slave, asking no price, except that you give the beggar 
 bread." 
 
 " A slave ! Sell yourself ! " he cried, in dismay. '* A 
 slave ! Why, you are beautiful, Yeteve, and have not be- 
 thought yourself that some day the gods may want you for / 
 a victim." 
 
 She was silent. 
 
 " "What can you do 1 Dance ? Sing 1 Can you weave soft 
 veils and embroider golden flowers, like ladies in the pal- 
 aces 1 If you can, no slave in Anahuac will be so peerless ; 
 the lords will bid more cocoa than you can carry ; you will 
 be rich." 
 
 " If so, then can I do all you have said." 
 
 And she ran, and embraced the old man, saying, " Patience, 
 patience ! In a little while we will have bread, and be 
 rich. Yes," she continued, returning to the Chalcan, " they 
 taught me in the teocallis, where they would have had me as 
 priestess." 
 
 " It is good to be a priestess, Yeteve ; you should have 
 stayed there." 
 
 Prescott, Conq. of Mexico.
 
 116 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " But I did so love the little hut by the causeway. And 
 I loved the heggar, and they let me go." 
 
 " And now you wish to sell yourself? I want slaves, but 
 jot such as you, Yeteve. I want those who can work, 
 slaves whom the lash will hurt, but not kill. Besides, you 
 are worth more cocoa than I can spare. Keep back youi 
 tears. I will do better than buy you myself. I will seli 
 you, and to-night. Here in my house you shall dance fo* 
 the bidders. I know them all. He shall be brave and rich 
 and clever who buys, clever and brave, and the owner of 
 a palace, full of bread for the beggar, and love for Yeteve." 
 
 Clapping his hands, a slave appeared at the door. 
 
 " Take yon beggar, and give him to eat. Lead him, ha 
 is blind. Come, child, follow me." 
 
 He summoned his servants, and bade them publish the 
 sale in every apartment ; then he led the girl to the hall 
 used for the exhibition of his own dancing-girls. It was 
 roomy and finely lighted ; the floor was of polished marble ; 
 a blue drop-curtain extended across the northern end, in 
 front of which were rows of stools, handsomely cushioned, 
 for spectators. Music, measured for the dance, greeted the 
 poor priestess, and had a magical effect upon her ; her eyes 
 brightened, a smile played about her mouth. Never was 
 the chamber of the rich Chalcan graced by a creature fairer 
 or more devoted. 
 
 " A priestess of the dance needs no teaching from me," said 
 Xoli, patting her flushed cheek. " Get ready ; they are com- 
 ing. Beware of the marble ; and when I clap my hands, begin." 
 
 She looked around the hall once ; not a point escaped 
 her. Springing to the great curtain, and throwing her robe 
 away, she stood before it in her simple attire ; and no studied 
 effect of art could have been more beautiful ; motionless and 
 lovely, against the relief of the blue background, she seemed 
 actually spiritudle.
 
 NIGHT AT THE CHALCAN'S. 117 
 
 Upon the announcement of the auction, the patrons of the 
 house hurried to the scene. Voluntary renunciation of 
 freedom was common enough among the poorer classes in 
 Tenochtitlan, hut a transaction of the kind under the auspices 
 of the rich "broker was a novelty; so that curiosity and 
 expectation ran high. The nobles, as they arrived, occupied 
 the space in front of the curtain, or seated themselves, 
 marvelling at the expression of her countenance. 
 
 The music had not ceased ; and the bidders being gath- 
 ered, Xoli, smiling with satisfaction, stepped forward to give 
 the signal, when an uproar of merriment announced the 
 arrival of a party of the younger dignitaries of the court, 
 amongst them Iztlil', the Tezcucan, and Maxtla, chief of the 
 guard, the former showing signs of quick recovery from his 
 wounds, the latter superbly attired. 
 
 " Hold ! "What have we here? " cried the Tezcucan, sur- 
 veying the girl. " Has this son of Chalco been robbing the 
 
 " The temples, my lord Iztlil' ! He has robbed the tem- 
 ples ! By all the gods, it is the priestess Yeteve ! " answered 
 Maxtla, amazed. " Say, Chalcan, what does priestess of the 
 Blessed Lady in such unhallowed den 1 " 
 
 The broker explained. 
 
 " Good, good ! " shouted the new-comers. 
 
 " Begin, Xoli ! A thousand cocoa for the priestess, ' 
 millions of bread for the beggar ! " This from Maxtla. 
 
 " Only a thousand 1 " said Iztlil', scornfully. " Only a 
 thousand] Five thousand to begin with, more after she 
 dances." 
 
 Xoli gave the signal, and the soul of the Chalcan girl 
 broke forth in motion. Dancing had been her rdle in the 
 religious rites of the temple ; many a time the pabas around 
 the altar, allured by her matchless grace, had turned from 
 the bleeding heart indifferent to its auguration. And she
 
 118 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 had always danced moved by no warmer impulse than duty j 
 so that the prompting of the spirit in the presence of a 
 strange auditory free to express itself, like that she now 
 faced, came to her for the first time. The dance chosen was 
 one of the wild, quick, pulsating figures wont to be given in 
 thanksgiving for favorable tokens from the deity. The steps 
 were irregular and difficult j a great variety of posturing was 
 required ; the head, arms, and feet had each their parts, all 
 to be rendered in harmony. At the commencement she was 
 frightened by the ecstasy that possessed her ; suddenly the 
 crowd vanished, and she saw only the beggar, and him 
 wanting bread. Then her form became divinely gifted ; she 
 bounded as if winged ; advanced and retreated, a moment 
 swaying like a reed, the next whirling like a leaf in a circling 
 wind. The expression of her countenance throughout was 
 so full of soul, so intense, rapt, and beautiful, that the 
 lords were spell-bound. When the figure was ended, there 
 was an outburst of voices, some bidding, others applauding ; 
 though most of the spectators were silent from pity and 
 admiration. 
 
 Of the competitors the loudest was IzthT. In his excite- 
 ment, he would have sacrificed his province to become the 
 owner of the girl. Maxtla opposed him. 
 
 " Five thousand cocoa ! Hear, Chalcan ! " shouted the 
 Tezcucan. 
 
 " A thousand better ! " answered Maxtla, laughing at the 
 cacique's rage. 
 
 "By all the gods, I will have her! Put me down a 
 thousand quills of gold ! " 
 
 " A thousand quills above him ! N"ot bread, but riches 
 for the beggar ! " replied Maxtla, half in derision. 
 
 " Two thousand, only two thousand quills ! More, 
 noble lords ! She is worth a palace ! " sung Xoli, trembling 
 with excitement ; for in such large bids he saw an extra-
 
 NIGHT AT THE CHALCAN'S. 119 
 
 ordinary loan. Just then, under the parted curtain of the 
 principal doorway, he beheld one dear to every lover of 
 Tenochtitlan ; he stopped. All eyes turned in that direction, 
 and a general exclamation followed, " The 'tzin, the 'tzin ! " 
 
 Guatamozin was in full military garb, and armed. As he 
 lingered by the door to comprehend the scene, what with his 
 height, brassy helm, and embossed shield, he looked like a 
 Greek returned from Troy. 
 
 " Yeteve, the priestess ! " he said. " Impossible ! " 
 
 He strode to the front. 
 
 " How ? " he said, placing his hand on her head. " Has 
 Yeteve flown the temple to become a slave ? " 
 
 Up to this time, it would seem that, in the fixedness of 
 her purpose, she had been blind to all but the beggar, and 
 deaf to everything but the music. Now she knelc at the 
 feet of the noble Aztec, sobbing broken-heartedly. The 
 spectators were moved with sympathy, all save on 
 
 Who stays the sale 1 By all the gods, Chalcan, you shall 
 proceed ! " 
 
 Scarcely had the words been spoken, or the duller facul- 
 ties understood them, before Guatamozin confronted the 
 epeaker, his javelin drawn, and his shield in readiness. 
 Naturally his countenance was womanly gentle ; but the 
 transition of feeling was mighty, and those looking upon him 
 then shrank with dread ; it was as if their calm blue lake 
 had in an instant darkened with storm. Face to face he 
 stood with the Tezcucan, the latter unprepared for combat, 
 but in nowise daunted. In their angry attitude a seer 
 might have read the destiny of Anahuac. 
 
 One thrust of the javelin would have sent the traitor to 
 Mictlan ; the Empire, as well as the wrongs of the lover, 
 called for it ; but before the veterans, recovering from their 
 panic, could rush between the foemen, all the 'tzin's calmness 
 returned.
 
 120 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Xoli," he said, " a priestess belongs to the temple, and 
 cannot be sold ; such is the law. The sale would have sent 
 your heart, and that of her purchaser, to the Blessed 
 Lady. Eemove the girl. I will see that she is taken 
 to a place of safety. Here is gold ; give the beggar what he 
 wants, and keep him until to-morrow. And, my lords and 
 brethren," he added, turning to the company, "I did not 
 think to behave so unseemly. It is only against the enemies 
 of our country that we should turn our arms. Blood is 
 sacred, and accursed is his hand who sheds that of a coun- 
 tryman in petty quarrel. I pray you, forget all that has 
 passed." And with a low obeisance to them, he walked 
 away, taking with him the possibility of further rencounter. 
 
 He had just arrived from his palace at Iztapalapan. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE CHINAMPA. 
 
 T^ETWEEN Tula, the child of Tecalco, and Nenetzin, 
 IJ daughter and child of Acatlan, there existed a sisterly 
 affection. The same sports had engaged them, and they had 
 been, and yet were, inseparable. Their mothers, themselves 
 friends, encouraged the intimacy ; and so their past lives had 
 vanished, like two summer clouds borne away by a soft south 
 wind. 
 
 The evening after Iztlil's overture of marriage was deepen- 
 ing over lake Tezcuco; the breeze became murmurous and 
 like a breath, and all the heavens filled with starlight. Cloud- 
 less must be the morrow to such a night ! 
 
 So thought the princess Tula. Won by the beauty of the 
 evening, she had flown from the city to her chinampa, which
 
 THE CHINAMPA. 121 
 
 vaa lying anchored in a quarter of the lake east of the cause- 
 way to Tepejaca, beyond the noise of the town, and where 
 no sound Jess agreeable than the plash of light waves could 
 disturb her dreamg. 
 
 A retreat more delightful would be a task ft* fenry 
 The artisan who knitted the timbers of the chinampa had 
 doubtless been a lover of the luxuriant, and built as only a 
 lover can build. The waves of the lake had not been over- 
 looked in his plan ; he had measured their height, and the- 
 depth and width of their troughs, when the weather was calm 
 and the water gentle. So he knew both what rocking they 
 would make, and what rocking would be pleasantest to a 
 delicate soul ; for, as there were such souls, there were also 
 such artisans in Tenochtitlan. 
 
 Viewed from a distance, the chinampa looked like an island 
 of flowers. Except where the canopy of a white pavilion 
 rose from the midst of the green beauty, it was covered to 
 the water's edge with blooming shrubbery, which, this even- 
 ing, was luminous with the light of lamps. The radiance, 
 glinting through the foliage, tinted the atmosphere above it 
 with mellow rays, and seemed the visible presence of en- 
 chantment. 
 
 The humid night breeze blew softly under the raised walls 
 of the pavilion, within which, in a hammock that swung to 
 and fro regularly as the chinampa obeyed the waves, lay 
 Tula and Nenetzin. 
 
 They were both beautiful, but different in their beauty. 
 Tula's face was round and of a transparent olive complexion, 
 without being fair ; her eyes were hazel, large, clear, and full 
 of melancholy earnestness; masses of black hair, evenly 
 parted, fell over her temples, and were gathered behind in a 
 simple knot ; with a tall, full form, her presence and man- 
 ner were grave and very queenly. Whereas, Nenetzin's 
 eyes, though dark, were bright with the light of laughter ;
 
 122 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 her voice was low and sweet, and her manner that of a 
 hoyden. One was the noble woman, the other a jocund 
 child. 
 
 " It is late, Tula ; our father may want us. Let us return." 
 
 " Be patient a little longer. The 'tzin will come for us ; 
 he promised to, and you know he never forgets." 
 
 "Patience, sister ! Ah ! you may say it, you who know; 
 but how am I to practise it, I, who have only a hope ? " 
 
 " What do you mean, Nenetzin 1 " 
 
 The girl leaned back, and struck a suspended hoop, in 
 which was perched a large parrot. The touch, though light, 
 interrupted the pendulous motion of the bird, and it pecked 
 at her hand, uttering a gruff scream of rage. 
 
 " You spoke of something I know, and you hope. "What 
 do you mean, child ] " 
 
 Nenetzin withdrew her hand from the perch, looked in 
 the questioner's face, then crept up to win her embrace. 
 
 " Tula, I know you are learned and thoughtful. Often 
 after the banquet, when the hall was cleared, and the music 
 begun, have I seen you stand apart, silent, while all others 
 danced or laughed. See, your eyes are on me now, but more 
 itn thought than love. 0, indeed, you are wise I Tell me, 
 did you ever think of me as a woman 1 " 
 
 The smile deepened on the lips, and burned in the eyes of 
 the queenly auditor. 
 
 " No, never as a woman," continued Nenetzin. " Listen 
 to me, Tula. The other night I was asleep in your arms, 
 I felt them in love around me, and I dreamed so strangely." 
 
 " Of what ? " asked Tula, seeing she hesitated. 
 
 " I dreamed there entered at the palace door a being with 
 a countenance white like snow, while its hair and beard wero 
 yellow, like the silk of the maize ; its eyes were blue, like 
 the deep water of the lake, but bright, so bright that they 
 terrified while they charmed me. Thinking of it now,
 
 THE CHINA MPA. 123 
 
 Tula, it was a man, though it looked like a god. He entered 
 at the palace door, and came into the great chamber where 
 our father sat with his chiefs ; but he came not barefooted 
 and in nequen ; he spoke as he were master, and our father 
 a slave. Looking and listening, a feeling thrilled me, 
 thrilled warm and deep, and was a sense of joy, like a bless- 
 ing of Tlalac. Since then, though I have acted as a girl, I NT 
 have felt as a woman." 
 
 " Very strange, indeed, Nenetzin ! " said Tula, playfully. 
 " But you forget : I asked you what I know, and you only 
 hope?" 
 
 " I will explain directly ; "but as you are wise, first tell me 
 what that feeling was." 
 
 " Nay, I can tell you whence the water flows, but I cannot 
 tell you what it is." 
 
 " Well, since then I have had a hope " 
 
 "Well!" 
 
 " A hope of seeing the white face and blue eyes." 
 
 " I begin to understand you, Nenetzin. But go on : what 
 is it I know 1 " 
 
 " What I dreamed, a great warrior, who loves you. 
 You will see him to-night, and then, Tula, then 
 you may tell of the feeling that thrilled me so in my 
 dream." 
 
 And with a blush and a laugh, she laid her face in Tula's - 
 bosom. 
 
 Both were silent awhile, Nenetzin with her face hidden, 
 (and Tula looking wistfully up at the parrot swinging lazily 
 in the perch. The dream was singular, and made an im- 
 pression on the mind of the one as it had on the heurt of 
 the other. 
 
 " Look up, Nenetzin ! " said Tula, after a while. " Look 
 up, and I will tell you something that has seemed as strange 
 to me as the dream to you."
 
 124 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The girl raised her head. 
 
 " Did you ever see Mualox, the old paba of Quetzal' t 
 No 1 Well, he is said to be a prophet ; a look of his will 
 make a warrior tremble. He is the friend of Guatamozin, 
 who always goes to his shrine to worship the god. I went 
 there once to make an offering. I climbed the steps, went 
 in where the image is, laid my gift on the altar, and turned 
 to depart, when a man came and stood by the door, wearing 
 a surplice, and with long, flowing white beard. He looked 
 at me, then bowed, and kissed the pavement at my feet. 1 
 shrank away. ' Fear not, Tula ! ' he said. ' I bow to 
 you, not for what you are, but for what you shall be. You 
 shall be queen in your father's palace t ' With that he arose, 
 and left me to descend." 
 
 " Said he so ? How did he know you were Tula, the 
 king's daughter?" 
 
 " That is part of the mystery. I never saw him before ; 
 nor, until I told the story to the 'tzin, did I know the paba. 
 Now, sister, can the believer of a dream refuse to believe 
 a priest and prophet ] " 
 
 "A queen! You a queen! I will kiss you now, and 
 pray for you then." And they threw their arms lovingly 
 around each other. 
 
 Then the bird above them awoke, and, with a fluttering 
 of its scarlet wings, cried, " Guatamo ! Guatamo ! " taught 
 it by the patient love of Tula. 
 
 " 0, what a time that will be ! " Nenetzin -^ent on, with 
 sparkling eyes. " What a garden we will make of Anahuac ! 
 How happy we shall be ! None but the brave and beauti- 
 ful shall come around us ; for you will be queen, my 
 Tula." 
 
 " Yes ; and Nenetzin shall have a lord, he whom she 
 loves best, for she will be as peerless as I am powerful," 
 answered Tula, humoring the mood. " Whom will she
 
 THE CHINAMPA. 125 
 
 take? Let us decide now, there are so many to choose 
 from. What says she to Cacama, lord of Tezcuco?" 
 
 The girl made no answer. 
 
 " There is the lord of Chinantla, once a king, who has 
 already asked our father for a wife." 
 
 Still Nenetzin was silent. 
 
 " Neither of them ! Then there are left but the lord of 
 Tlacopan, and IztliP, the Tezcucan." 
 
 At the mention of the last name, a strong expression of 
 disgust burst from Nenetzin. 
 
 " A tiger from the museum first ! It could be taught to 
 love me. No, none of them for me ; none, Tula, if you 
 let me have my way, but the white face and blue eyes I saw 
 in my dream." 
 
 "You are mad, Nenetzin. That was a god, not a man." 
 
 " All the better, Tula ! The god will forgive me for lov- 
 ing him." 
 
 Before Tula spoke again, Guatamozin stepped within the 
 pavilion. Nenetzin was noisy in expressing her gladness, 
 while the elder sister betrayed no feeling by words ; only 
 her smile and the glow of her eyes intensified. 
 
 The 'tzin sat down by the hammock, and with his strong 
 hand staying its oscillation, talked lightly. As yet Tula 
 knew nothing of the proposal of the Tezcucan, or of the favor 
 the king had given it ; but the ken of love is as acute as an 
 angel's ; sorrow of the cherished heart cannot be hidden 
 from it ; so in his very jests she detected a trouble ; but, 
 thinking it had relation to the condition of the Empire, she 
 asked nothing, while he, loath to disturb her happiness, coun- 
 selled darkly of his own soul. 
 
 After a while, as Nenetzin prayed to return to the city, 
 they left the pavilion ; and, following a little path through 
 the teeming shrubbery, and under the boughs of orange- 
 *xeea, overarched like an arbor, they came to the 'tzin's
 
 126 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 canoe. The keeper of the chinampa was there with great 
 bundles of flowers. Tula and Nenetzin entered the vessel ; 
 then was the time for the slave ; so he threw in the bundles 
 until they were nearly buried under them, his gifts of 
 love and allegiance. When the rowers pushed off, he knelt 
 with his face to the earth. 
 
 Gliding homeward through the dusk, Guatamo/in told the 
 story of Yeteve ; and Tula, moved by the girl's devotion, 
 consented to take her into service, at least, until the tem- 
 ple claimed its own. 
 
 CHAPTER VTL 
 
 COURT GOSSIP. 
 
 A PINCH of your snuff, Xoli I To be out thus early 
 dulls a nice brain, which nothing clarifies like snuff. 
 By the way, it is very strange that when one wants a good 
 article of any kind, he can only get it at the palace or of 
 you. So, a pinch, my fat fellow ! " 
 
 " I can commend my snuff," said the Chalcan, bowing 
 very low, " only a little less than the good taste of the most 
 noble Maxtla." 
 
 While speaking, the scene being in his pulque room, 
 he uncovered a gilded jar sitting upon the counter. 
 
 " Help yourself ; it is good to sneeze." 
 
 Maxtla snuffed the scented drug freely, then rushed to the 
 door, and through eyes misty with tears of pleasure looked 
 at the sun rising over the mountains. A fit of sneezing 
 seized him, at the end of which, a slave stood by his elbo\v 
 with a ewer of water and a napkin. He bathed his face. 
 Altogether, it was apparent that sneezing had been reduced 
 to an Aztec science.
 
 COURT GOSSIP. 127 
 
 " Elegant ! By the Sun, I feel inspired ! " 
 
 " No doubt," responded the Chalcan. " Such ought to be 
 the effect of tobacco and rose-leaves, moistened with dew. 
 But tell me ; that tilmatli you are wearing is quite royal, 
 is it from the king ? " 
 
 The young chief raised the folds of the mantle ofplumaje, 
 which he was sporting for the first time. " From the king ? 
 No ; my tailor has just finished it." 
 
 " Certainly, my lord. How dull I was ! You are prepar- 
 ing for the banquet at the palace to-morrow night." 
 
 " You recollect the two thousand quills of gold I bid for 
 your priestess the other evening," said Maxtla, paying no 
 attention to the remark. " I concluded to change the invest- 
 ment ; they are all in that collar and loop." 
 
 Xoli examined the loop. 
 
 " A chalchuite I What jeweller in the city could sell you 
 one so rich ? " 
 
 " Not one. I bought it of Cacama. It is a crown jewel 
 of Tezcuco." 
 
 " You were lucky, my lord. But, if you will allow me, 
 what became of the priestess ] Saw you ever such danc- 
 ing 1" 
 
 " You are late inquiring, Chalcan. The beggar was fast 
 by starvation that night ; but you were nearer death. The 
 stury was told the king, ah ! you turn pale. Well you 
 may, and he swore, by the fires of the temple, if the girl 
 had been sold he would have flayed alive both buyer and 
 seller. Hereafter we had both better look more closely to 
 the law." 
 
 " But she moved my pity as it was never moved before ; 
 moreover, she told me they had discharged her from the tem- 
 ple." 
 
 " No matter ; the peril is over, and our nearts are our own. 
 Yesterday I saw her in the train of the princess Tula. The
 
 128 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 'tzin cared for her. But speaking of the princess, the ban- 
 quet to-morrow night will be spicy." 
 
 The Chalcan dropped the precious loop. Gossip that con- 
 cerned the court was one of his special weaknesses. 
 
 " You know," continued Maxtla, " that the 'tzin has 
 always been a favorite of the king's " 
 
 "As he always deserved to be." 
 
 " Not so fast, Chalcan ! Keep your praise. You ought 
 to know that nothing is so fickle as fortune ; that what 
 was most popular yesterday may be most unpopular to-day. 
 Hear me out. You also know that IztliT, the Tezcucan, was 
 down in the royal estimation quite as much as the 'tzin was 
 up ; on which account, more than anything else, he lost his 
 father's city." 
 
 Xoli rested his elbow on the counter, and listened eagerly. 
 
 " It has been agreed on all sides for years," continued 
 Maxtla, in his modulated voice, " that the 'tzin and Tula 
 were to be married upon her coming of age. No one else 
 has presumed to pay her court, lest it might be an interfer- 
 ence. Now, the whole thing is at an end. IztliT, not the 
 'tzin, is the fortunate man." 
 
 " Iztlil* ! And to-morrow night ! " 
 
 " The palace was alive last evening as with a swarming 
 of bees. Some were indignant, all astonished. In fact, 
 Xoli, I believe the 'tzin had as many friends as the king. 
 Several courtiers openly defended him, notwithstanding his 
 fall, something that, to my knowledge, never happened 
 before. The upshot was, that a herald went in state to Izta- 
 palapan with a decree prohibiting the 'tzin from visiting 
 Tenochtitlan, under any pretence, until the further pleasure 
 of the king is made known to him." 
 
 " Banished, banished ! But that the noble Maxtla told 
 me, I could not believe what I hear. " 
 
 " Certainly. The affair is mysterious, as were the means
 
 COURT GOSSIP. 129 
 
 by wliich the result was brought ahout. Look you, Chalcan*. 
 the 'tzin loved the princess, and was contracted to her, and 
 now comes this banishment just the day before the valley 
 is called to witness her betrothal to the Tezcuean. Cer- 
 tainly, it would ill become the 'tzin to be a guest at such a 
 banquet." 
 
 " I understand," said Xoli, with a cunning smile. " It 
 Was to save his pride that he was banished." 
 
 " If to be a Chalcan is to be so stupid, I thank the gods 
 for making me what I am!" cried Maxtla, impatiently. " What 
 cares the great king for the pride of the enemy he would hum- 
 ble ? The banishment is a penalty, it is ruin." 
 
 There was a pause, during which the Chalcan hung his 
 head. 
 
 " Ah, Xoli ! The king has changed ; he used to be a 
 warrior, loving warriors as the eagle loves its young. Now 
 alas ! I dare not speak. Time was when no envious- 
 hearted knave could have made him believe that Guatamo- 
 zin was hatching treason in his garden at Iztapalapan. Now, 
 surrounded by mewling priests, he sits in the depths of his 
 palace, and trembles, and, like a credulous child, believes 
 everything. ' Woe is Tenochtitlan ! ' said Mualox ; and 
 the days strengthen the prophecy. But enough, more 
 than enough! Hist, Chalcan! What I have said and 
 you listened to yea, the mere listening would suffice, 
 if told in the right ears, to send us both straightway to the 
 tigers. I have paid you for your snuff, and the divine 
 sneeze. In retailing, recollect, I am not the manufacturer. 
 Farewell" 
 
 " Stay a moment, most noble chief, but a moment," said 
 the Chalcan. " I have invented a drink which I desire you 
 to inaugurate. If I may be counted a judge, it is fit for a 
 god." ' 
 
 " A judge ! You ? Where is the man who would deny
 
 130 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 you that excellence ? Your days have been spent in the prac- 
 tice ; nay, your whole life has been one long, long drink. 
 Make haste. I will wager pulque is chief in the compound." 
 
 The broker went out, and directly returned, bearing on a 
 waiter a Cholulan goblet full of cool liquor, exquisitely 
 colored with the rich blood of the cactus apple. Maxtla 
 sipped, drank, then swore the drink was without a rival. 
 
 " Look you, Chalcan. They say we are indebted to our 
 heroes, our minstrels, and our priests, and I believe so ; but 
 hereafter I shall go farther in the faith. This drink is worth 
 a victory, is pleasant as a song, and has all the virtues of a 
 prayer. Do not laugh. I am in earnest. You shall be 
 canonized with the best of them. To show that I am no 
 vain boaster, you shall come to the banquet to-morrow, and 
 the king shall thank you. Put on your best tilmatli, and 
 above all else, beware that the vase holding this liquor is 
 not empty when I call for it. Farewell ! " 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 GTJATAMOZIN AND MUALOX. 
 
 UP the steps of the old Cft of Quetzal', early in the 
 evening of the banquet, went Guatamozin unattended. 
 As the royal interdiction rested upon his coming to the cap- 
 ital, he was muffled in a priestly garb, which hid his face 
 and person, but could not all disguise the stately bearing 
 that so distinguished him. Climbing the steps slowly, and 
 without halting at the top to note the signs of the city, all 
 astir with life, he crossed the azoteas, entered the chamber 
 most sanctified by the presence of the god, and before the 
 image bowed awhile in prayer. Soon Mualox came in.
 
 GUATAMOZIN AND MTJALOX. 131 
 
 "Ask anything that is not evil, best beloved of Quet, 
 zal', and it shall be granted," said the paba, solemnly, laying 
 a hand upon the visitor's shoulder. " I knew you were com- 
 ing; I saw you on the lake. Arise, ray son." 
 
 Guatamozin stood up, and flung back his hood. 
 
 " The house is holy, Mualox, and I have come to speak 
 of the things of life that have little to do with religion." 
 
 " That is not possible. Everything has to do with life, 
 which has all to do with heaven. Speak out. This pres^ 
 ence will keep you wise ; if your thoughts be of wrong, it 
 is not likely you will give them speech in the very ear of 
 Quetzal'." 
 
 Slowly the 'tzin then said, 
 
 "Thanks, father. In what I have to say, I will be 
 brief, and endeavor not to forget the presence. You love me, 
 and I am coma for counsel. You know how often those 
 most discreet in the affairs of others are foolish in what con- 
 cerns themselves. Long time ago you taught me the impor- 
 tance of knowledge ; how it was the divine secret of happi- 
 ness, and stronger than a spear to win victories, and better 
 in danger than a shield seven times quilted. Now I have 
 come to say that my habits of study have brought evil upon 
 me ; out of the solitude in which I was toiling to lay up a 
 great knowledge, a misfortune has arisen, father to my ruin. 
 My stay at home has been misconstrued. Enemies have 
 said I loved books less than power ; they charge that in the 
 qiiiet of my gardens I have been taking council of my am- 
 bition, which nothing satisfies but the throne ; and so they 
 have estranged from me the love of the king. Here against 
 his order, forbidden the city," and as he spoke he raised 
 his head proudly, " forbidden the city, behold me, paba, a 
 banished man ! " 
 
 Mualox smiled, and grim satisfaction was in the smile. 
 
 " If you seek sympathy," he said, the errand is fruit-
 
 132 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 less. I have no sorrow for what you call your misfor- 
 tune." 
 
 " Let me understand you, father." 
 
 " I repeat, I have no sorrow for you. Why should T 1 I 
 y>e you as you should see yourself. You confirm the les- 
 sons of which you complain. Not vainly that you wrought 
 in solitude for knowledge, which, while I knew it would, 
 make you a mark for even kingly envy, I also intended 
 should make you superior to misfortunes and kings. Under- 
 stand you now 1 What matters that you are maligned 1 
 What is banishment ? They only liken you the more to 
 Quetzal', whose coming triumph, heed me well, 'tzin, 
 whose coming triumph shall be your triumph." 
 
 Th look and voice of the holy man were those of on* 
 with authority. 
 
 "For this time," he continued, "and others like it, 
 yet to come, I thought to arm your soul with a strong 
 intelligence. Your life is to be a battle against evil ; fail not 
 yourself in the beginning. Success will be equal to your 
 wisdom and courage. But your story was not all told." 
 
 The 'tzin's face flushed, and he replied, with some fal- 
 tering, 
 
 "You have known and encouraged the love I bear the 
 princess Tula, and counted on it as the means of some great 
 fortune in store for ma Yet, in part at least, I am ban- 
 ished on that account. Mualox, the banquet which the 
 king holds to-night is to make public the betrothal of Tula 
 to IzthT, the Tezcucan ! " 
 
 " Well, what do you intend ? " 
 
 " Nothing. Had the trouble been a friend's, I might have 
 advised him ; but being my own, I have no confidence in 
 myself. I repose on your discretion and friendship." 
 
 Mualox softened his manner, and said, pleasantly at first, 
 * 'tzin, is humanity all frailty ? Must chief and philogo.
 
 GUATAMOZIN AND MUALOX. 133 
 
 pher bow to the passion, like a slave or a dealer in wares 1 " 
 Suddenly he became serious ; his eyes shone full of the 
 magnetism he used so often and so well. " Can Guatamozin 
 find nothing higher to occupy his mind than a trouble born 
 of a silly love ? Unmanned by such a trifle ? Arouse ! 
 Ponder the mightier interests in peril ! "What is a woman, 
 with all a lover's gild about her, to the nation ? " 
 
 " The nation ? " repeated the 'tzin, slowly. 
 
 The paba looked reverently up to the idol. " I have with' 
 drawn from the world, I live but for Quetzal' and Anahuac. 
 0, generously has the god repaid me ! He has given me to 
 look out upon the future ; all that is to come affecting my 
 country he has shown me." Turning to the 'tzin again, he 
 said with emphasis, " I could tell marvels, let this content 
 you : words cannot paint the danger impending over our 
 country, over Anahuac, the beautiful and beloved ; her exist- 
 ence, and the glory and power that make her so worthy love 
 like ours, are linked to your action. Your fate, 'tzin, and 
 hers, and that of the many nations, are one and the same. 
 Accept the words as a prophecy ; wear them in memory ; and 
 when, as now, you are moved by a trifling fear or anger, 
 they should and will keep you from shame and folly." 
 
 Both then became silent. The paba might have been 
 observing the events of the future, as, one by one, they rose 
 and passed before his abstracted vision. Certain it was, with 
 ( the thoughts of the warrior there mixed an ambition no 
 'longer selfish, but all his country's. 
 
 Mualox finally concluded. " The future belongs to 
 the gods ; only the present is ours. Of that let us think.* 
 Admit your troubles worthy vengeance : dare you tell me 
 what you thought of doing ? My son, why are you here 1 " 
 
 " Does my father seek to mortify me ? " 
 
 " Would the 'tzin have me encourage folly, if not worse 1 
 And that in the presence of my god and his 1 "
 
 134 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "Speak plainly, Mualox." 
 
 " So I will. Obey the king. Go not to the palace to-night. 
 If the thought of giving the woman to another is so hard, 
 could you endure the sight ? Think : if present, what could 
 you do to prevent the betrothal ? " 
 
 A savage anger flashed from the 'tzin's face, and he 
 answered, " What could I ? Slay the Tezcucan on the step 
 of the throne, though I died ! " 
 
 "It would come to that. And Anahuac! What then 
 of her ? " said Mualox, in a voice of exceeding sorrow. 
 
 The love the warrior bore his country at that moment 
 surpassed all others, and his rage passed away. 
 
 " True, most true ! If it should be as you say, that my 
 destiny " 
 
 " If ! 'tzin, if you live ! If Anahuac lives ! If there 
 are gods ! " 
 
 " Enough, Mualox ! I know what you would say. Con- 
 tent you ; I give you all faith. The wrong that tortures 
 me is not altogether that the woman is to be given to another ; 
 her memory I could pluck from my heart as a feather from 
 my helm. If that were all, I could curse the fate, and sub- 
 mit ; hut there is more : for the sake of a cowardly policy I 
 have been put to shame ; treachery and treason have been 
 crowned, loyalty and blood disgraced. Hear me, father! 
 After the decree of interdiction was served upon me, I ven' 
 tared to send a messenger to the king, and he Avas spurned 
 from the palace. Next went the lord Cuitlahua, uncle of 
 mine, and true love* of Anahuac ; he was forbidden the men- 
 tion of my name. I am not withdrawn from the world ; my 
 pride will not down at a word ; so wronged, I cannot reason ; 
 therefore I am here." 
 
 " And the coming is a breach of duty ; the risk is great. 
 Return to Iztapalapan before the midnight is out. And I, 
 but you do not know, my son, what a fortune has befallen
 
 A KING'S BANQUET. 135 
 
 me." The paba smiled faintly. " I have been promoted to 
 the palace ; I am a councillor at the royal table." 
 
 " A councillor ! You, father 1 " 
 
 The good man's face grew serious again. "I accepted 
 the appointment, thinking good might result. But, alas ! 
 the hope was vain. Montezuma, once so wise, is past coun- 
 sel. He will take no guidance. And what a vanity ! O 
 'tzin, the asking me to the palace was itself a crime, since it 
 was to make me a weapon in his hand with which to resist 
 the holy Quetzal.' As though I could not see the design ! " 
 
 He laughed scornfully, and then said, " But be not de- 
 tained, my son. What I can, I will do for you ; at the 
 council-table, and elsewhere, as opportunity may offer, I will 
 exert my influence for your restoration to the city and palace. 
 Go now. Farewell ; peace be with you. To-morrow I will 
 send you tidings." 
 
 Thereupon he went out of the tower, and down into the 
 temple. 
 
 CHAPTEE DC 
 
 A KING'S BANQUET. 
 
 AT last the evening of the royal banquet arrived, theme 
 of incessant talk and object of preparation for two days 
 and a night, out of the capital no less than in it ; for all the 
 nobler classes within a convenient radius of the lake had 
 been bidden, and, with them, people of distinction, such as 
 successful artists, artisans, and merchants. 
 
 It is not to be supposed that a king of Montezuma's sub- 
 tlety in matters governmental could overlook the importance 
 of the social element, or neglect it. Education imports a 
 society ; more yet, academies, such as were in Tenoch-
 
 136 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 titlan for the culture of women, always import a refined and 
 cultivated society. And such there was in the beautiful 
 valley. 
 
 My picture of the entertainment will be feeble, I know, 
 and I give it rather as a suggestion of the reality, which was 
 gorgeous enough to be interesting to any nursling even of 
 the court of His Most Catholic Majesty ; for, though heathen 
 in religion, Montezuma was not altogether barbarian in taste ; 
 and, sooth to say, no monarch in Christendom better under- 
 stood the influence of kingliness splendidly maintained. 
 About it, moreover, was all that makes chivalry adorable, 
 the dance, the feast, the wassail ; brave men, fair women, 
 and the majesty of royalty in state amidst its most absolute 
 proofs of power. 
 
 On such occasions it was the custom of the great king to 
 throw open the palace, with all its accompaniments, for 
 the delight of his guests, admitting them freely to aviary, 
 menagerie, and garden, the latter itself spacious enough for 
 the recreation of thirty thousand persons. 
 
 The house, it must be remembered, formed a vast square, 
 with patios or court-yards in the interior, around which the 
 rooms were ranged. The part devoted to domestic uses was 
 magnificently furnished. Another very considerable portion 
 was necessary to the state and high duties of the monarch ; 
 such were offices for his functionaries, quarters for his guards, 
 and chambers for the safe deposit of the archives of the Em- 
 pire, consisting of maps, laws, decrees and proclamations, 
 accounts and reports financial and military, and the accumu- 
 lated trophies of campaigns and conquests innumerable. 
 When we consider the regard in which the king was held by 
 his people, amounting almost to worship, and their curiosity 
 to see all that pertained to his establishment, an idea may bo 
 formed of what the palace and its appurtenances were as 
 accessaries to one of his entertainments.
 
 A KING'S BANQUET. 137 
 
 Passing from the endless succession of rooms, the visitor 
 might go into the garden, where the walks were freshly 
 strewn with shells, the shrubbery studded with colored 
 lamps, the fountains all at play, and the air loaded with 
 the perfume of flowers, which were an Aztec passion, and 
 seemed everywhere a part of everything. 
 
 And all this convenience and splendor was not Wasted 
 upon an inappreciative horde, ferocious Caribs or simple 
 children of Hispaniola. At such times the order requiring 
 the wearing of nequen was suspended ; so that in the matter 
 of costume there were no limits upon the guest, except such 
 as were prescribed by his taste or condition. In the ani- 
 mated current that swept from room to room and from 
 house to garden might be seen citizens in plain attire, and 
 warriors arrayed in regalia which permitted all dazzling 
 colors, and pabas hooded, surpliced, and gowned, brooding 
 darkly even there, and stoled minstrels, with their harps, and 
 pages, gay as butterflies, while over all was the beauty of the 
 presence of lovely women. 
 
 Yet, withal, the presence of Montezuma was more attrac- 
 tive than the calm night in the garden ; neither stars, nor 
 perfumed summer airs, nor singing fountains, nor walks 
 strewn with shells, nor chant of minstrels could keep the 
 guests from the great hall where he sat in state ; so that it was 
 alike the centre of all coming and all going. There the aged 
 nnd sedate whiled away the hours in conversation ; the young 
 danced, laughed, and were happy ; and in the common joy- 
 ousness none exceeded the beauties of the harem, transiently 
 released from the jealous thraldom that made the palace their 
 prison. 
 
 From the house-tops, or from the dykes, or out on the 
 water, the common people of the capital, in vast multitudes, 
 witnessed the coming of the guests across the lake. The 
 rivalry of the great lords and families was at all times ex-
 
 138 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 travagant in the matter of pomp and show ; a king's banquet, 
 however, seemed its special opportunity, and the kke ita 
 particular field of display. The king Cacama, for example, 
 left his city in a canoe of exquisite workmanship, pranked 
 with pennons, ribbons, and garlands ; behind him, or at his 
 right and left, constantly ploying and deploying, attended a 
 flotilla of hundreds of canoes only a little less rich in deco- 
 ration than his own, and timed in every movement, even that 
 of the paddles, by the music of conch-shells and tambours ; 
 yet princely as the turn-out was, it did not exceed that of 
 the lord Cuitlahua, governor of Iztapalapan. And if others 
 were inferior to them in extravagance, nevertheless they 
 helped clothe the beloved sea with a beauty and interest 
 scarcely to be imagined by people who never witnessed or 
 read of the grand Venetian pageants. 
 
 Arrived at the capital, the younger warriors proceeded to 
 the palace afoot ; while the matrons and maids, and the older 
 and more dignified lords, were borne thither in palanquins. 
 By evening the whole were assembled. 
 
 About the second quarter of the night two men came up 
 the great street to the palace, and made their way through 
 the palanquins stationed there in waiting. They were 
 guests ; so their garbs bespoke them. One wore the gown 
 and carried the harp of a minstrel ; very white locks es- 
 caped from his hood, and a staff was required to assist his 
 enfeebled steps. The other was younger, and with consistent 
 Vanity sported a military costume. To say the truth, his ex- 
 tremely warlike demeanor lost nothing by the flash of a daunt- 
 less eye and a step that made the pave ring again. 
 
 An official received them at the door, and, by request, con- 
 ducted them to the garden. 
 
 " This is indeed royal ! " the warrior said to the minstrel 
 * It bewilders me. Be yours the lead." 
 
 "I know the walks as a deer his paths, or a bird the
 
 A KING'S BANQUET. 139 
 
 brake that shelters its mate. Come," and the voice was 
 strangely firm for one so aged, " come, let us see the 
 company." 
 
 Xow and then they passed ladies, escorted by gallants, and 
 frequently there were pauses to send second looks after the 
 handsome soldier, and words of pity for his feeble companion. 
 By and by, coming to an intersection of the walk they were 
 pursuing, they were hailed, " Stay, minstrel, and give us a 
 song." 
 
 By the door of a summer-house they saw, upon stopping, 
 a girl whose beauty was worthy the tribute she sought. 
 The elder sat down upon a bench and replied, 
 
 " A song is gentle medicine for sorrows. Have you such ? 
 You are very young." 
 
 Her look of sympathy gave place to one of surprise. 
 
 " I would I were assured that minstrelsy is your proper 
 calling." 
 
 " You doubt it ! Here is my harp : a soldier is known 
 by his shield." 
 
 " But I have heard your voice before," she persisted. 
 
 " The children of Tenochtitlan, and many who are old 
 now, have heard me sing." 
 
 " But I am a Chalcan." 
 
 " I have sung in Chalco." 
 
 " May I ask your name 1 " 
 
 " There are many streets in the city, and on each they call 
 me differently." 
 
 The girl was still perplexed. 
 
 " Minstrels have patrons," she said, directly, " who " 
 
 "Nay, child, this soldier here is all the friend I 
 have." 
 
 Some one then threw aside the vine that draped the door. 
 While the minstrel looked to see who the intruder was, his 
 inquisitor gazed at the soldier, who, on his part, saw neither
 
 140 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 of them ; he was making an obeisance so very low that hi* 
 face and hand both touched the ground. 
 
 " Does the minstrel intend to sing, Yeteve ? " asked Nenet- 
 rin, stepping into the light that flooded the walk. 
 
 The old man bent forward on his seat. 
 
 " Heaven's best blessing on the child of the king ! It 
 should be a nobler hand than mine that strikes a string to 
 one so beautiful." 
 
 The comely princess replied, her fa-je beaming with pleas- 
 ure, " Verily, minstrel, much familiarity with song has given 
 you courtly speech." 
 
 " I have courtly friends, and only borrow their words. 
 This place is fair, but to my dull fancy it seems that a maiden 
 would prefer the great hall, unless she has a grief to indulge." 
 
 " O, I have a great grief," she returned ; " though I do 
 borrow it as you your words." 
 
 " Then you love some one who is unhappy. I understand. 
 Is this child in your service 1 " he asked, looking at Yeteve. 
 
 " Call it mine. She loves me well enough to serve me." 
 
 The minstrel struck the strings of his harp softly, as if 
 commencing a mournful story. 
 
 " I have a friend," he said, " a prince and warrior, whose 
 presence here is banned. He sits in his palace to-night, and 
 is visited by thoughts such as make men old in their youth. 
 He has seen much of life, and won fame, but is fast finding 
 that glory does not sweeten misfortune, and that of all 
 things, ingratitude is the most bitter. His heart is set upon 
 a noble woman ; and now, when his love is strongest, he i 
 separated from her, and may not say farewell. 0, it is not 
 in the ear of a true woman that lover so unhappy could 
 breathe his story in vain. What would the princess Nenet- 
 zin do, if she knew a service of hers might soothe his great 
 grief?" 
 
 Nenetzin's eyes were dewy with tears.
 
 THE 'TZIN'S LOVE. 141 
 
 "Good minstrel, I know the story; it is the 'tzin's. 
 Are you a friend of his ? " 
 
 " His true friend. I bring his farewell to Tula." 
 
 " I will serve him." And, stepping to the old man, she 
 laid her hand on his. " Tell me what to do, and what you 
 would have." 
 
 " Only a moment's speech with her." 
 
 "With Tula]" 
 
 " A moment to say the farewell he cannot. Go to the 
 palace, and tell her what I seek. I will follow directly. 
 Tell her she may know me in the throng by these locks, 
 whose whiteness will prove my sincerity and devotion. 
 And further, I will twine my harp with a branch of this 
 vine ; its leaves will mark me, and at the same time tell her 
 that his love is green as in the day a king's smile sunned it 
 into ripeness. Be quick. The moment comes when she 
 cannot in honor listen to the message I am to speak." 
 
 He bent over his harp again, and Nenetzin and Yeteve 
 hurried away. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE 'TZIN'S LOVE. 
 
 THE minstrel stayed a while to dress his harp with the 
 vine. 
 
 " A woman would have done it better ; they have a spe- 
 cial cunning for such things ; yet it will serve the purpose. 
 ^fow let us on ! " he said, when the task was finished. 
 
 To the palace they then turned their steps. As they ap- 
 proached it, the walk became more crowded with guests. 
 Several times the minstrel was petitioned to stay and sing, 
 but he excused himself. He proceeded, looking steadily at
 
 142 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 the ground, as is the custom of the very aged. Amongst 
 others, they met Maxtla, gay in his trappings as a parrot from 
 the Great Eiver. 
 
 " Good minstrel," he said, " in your wanderings through 
 the garden, have you seen Iztlil", the Tezcucan ? " 
 
 " I have not seen the Tezcucan. I should look for him. 
 in the great hall, where his bride is, rather than in the gar- 
 den, dreaming of his bridal." 
 
 " Well said, uncle ! I infer your harp is not carried for 
 show ; you can sing ! I will try vou after a while." 
 
 When he was gone, the minstrel spoke bitterly, 
 
 " Beware of the thing known in the great house yondei 
 as policy. A week ago the lord Maxtla would have scorned 
 to be seen hunting the Tezcucan, whom he hates." 
 
 They came to a portal above which, in a niche of the 
 wall, sat the teotl * of the house, grimly claiming attention 
 and worship. Under the portal, past the guard on duty 
 there, through many apartments full of objects of wonder 
 to the stranger, they proceeded, and, at last, with a current 
 of guests slowly moving in the same direction, reached the 
 hall dominated by the king, where the minstrel thought to 
 find the princess Tula. 
 
 " my friend, I pray you, let me stay here a moment," 
 said the warrior, abashed by dread of the sudden intro- 
 duction to the royal presence. The singer heard not, but 
 went on. 
 
 Standing by the door, the young stranger looked down a 
 hall of great depth eastwardly, broken by two rows of pil- 
 lars supporting vast oaken girders, upon which rested raft- 
 ers of red cedar. The walls were divided into panels, with 
 borders broad and intricately arabesqued. A massive brack- 
 et in the centre of each panel held the image of a deity, 
 the duplicate of the idol in the proper sanctuary ; and from 
 * A household god.
 
 THE 'TZIN'S LOVE. 143 
 
 the feet of the image radiated long arms of wood, well 
 carved, crooked upward at the elbows, and ending with 
 shapely hands, clasping lanterns of aguave which emitted 
 lights of eveiy tint. In the central space, between the rows 
 of pillars, immense chandeliers dropped from the rafters, so 
 covered with lamps that they looked like pyramids aglow. 
 ,A.nd arms, and images, and chandeliers, and even the huge 
 'pillars, were wreathed in garlands of cedar boughs and 
 flowers, from which the air drew a redolence as of morning 
 in a garden. 
 
 Through all these splendors, the gaze of the visitor sped 
 to the further end of the hall, and there stayed as charmed. 
 He saw a stage, bright with crimson carpeting, rising three 
 steps above the floor, and extending from wall to wall ; and 
 on that, covered with green phumaje, a dais, on which, in a 
 chair or throne glittering with burnished gold, the king sat. 
 Above him spread a canopy fashioned like a broad sunshade, 
 the staff resting on the floor behind the throne, sustained by 
 two full-armed warriors, who, while motionless as statues, 
 were yet vigilant as sentinels. Around the dais, their cos- 
 tumes and personal decorations sharing the monarch's splen^ 
 dor, were collected his queens, and their children, and all 
 who might claim connection with the royal family. The 
 light shone about them as the noonday, so full that all that 
 portion of the hall seemed bursting with sunshine. Never 
 satin richer than the emerald cloth of the canopy, inwoven, 
 as it was, with feathers of humming-birds ! Never sheen 
 of stars, to the eyes of the wondering stranger, sharper than 
 he glinting of the jewels with which it was fringed ! 
 i And the king appeared in happier mood than common, 
 though the deep, serious look which always accompanies a 
 great care came often to his face. He had intervals of 
 silence also ; yet his shrewdest guests were not permitted to 
 see that he did not enjoy their enjoyment.
 
 144 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 His queens were seated at his left, Tecalco deeply troubled, 
 sometimes tearful, and Acatlan cold and distant; for, in 
 thought of her own child, the beautiful Nenetzin, she trem- 
 bled before the remorseless policy. 
 
 And Tula, next to the king the recipient of attention, sat 
 in front of her mother, never more queenly, never so unhappy. 
 Compliments came to her, and congratulations, given in 
 courtly style ; minstrels extolled her grace and beauty, and 
 the prowess and martial qualities of the high-born Tezcucan ; 
 and priest and warrior laid their homage at her feet. Yet her 
 demeanor was not that of the glad young bride ; she never 
 smiled, and her eyes, commonly so lustrous, were dim and 
 hopeless ; her thoughts were with her heart, across the lake 
 with the banished 'tziii. 
 
 As may be conjectured, it was no easy game to steal her 
 from place so conspicuous ; nevertheless, Nenetzin awaited the 
 opportunity. 
 
 It happened that Maxtla was quite as anxious to get the 
 monarch's ear for the benefit of his friend, the Chakan, 
 in fact, for the introduction of the latter's newly invented 
 drink. Experience taught the chief when the felicitous 
 moment arrived. He had then but to say the word : a page 
 was sent, the liquor brought. Montezuma sipped, smiled, 
 quaffed deeper, and was delighted. 
 
 " There is nothing like it ! " he said. " Bring goblets for 
 my friends, and fill up again ! " 
 
 All the lordly personages about him had then to follow 
 his example, to drink and approve. At the end, Xoli was 
 summoned. 
 
 Nenetzin saw the chance, and said, " Tula, such a song 
 as we have heard ! It was sweeter than that of the bird 
 that wakes us in the morning, sweeter than all the flutei 
 in the hall." 
 
 " And the singer, who was he 1 "
 
 THE "TZIN'S LOVE. 145 
 
 Neither Nenetzin nor Yeteve could tell his name. 
 
 " He charmed us so," said the former, " that we thought 
 only of taking you to hear him. Come, go with us. There 
 never was such music or musician." 
 
 And the three came down from the platform unobserved 
 by the king. When the minstrel's message was delivered, 
 then was shown how well the Tezcucan had spoken when he 
 said of the royal children, "They are all beautiful, but only 
 one is fitted to be a warrior's wife." 
 
 " Let us see the man," said Tula. " How may we know 
 him, Nenetzin ] " 
 
 And they went about eagerly looking for the singer with 
 the gray locks and the vine-wreathed harp. They found him 
 at last about midway the hall, leaning on his staff, a solitary 
 amidst the throng. No one thought of asking him for a 
 eong ; he was too old, too like one come from a tomb with 
 unfashionable stories. 
 
 " Father," said Tula, " we claim your service. You look 
 weary, yet you must know the ancient chants, which, though 
 I would not like to say it everywhere, please me best. "Will 
 you sing 1 " 
 
 He raised his head, and looked at her : she started. 
 Something she saw in his eyas that had escaped her friends. 
 
 " A song from me ! " he replied, as if astonished. " No, 
 it cannot be. I have known some gentle hearts, and studied 
 them to remember ; but long since they went to dust. You 
 do not know me. Imagining you discerned of what I was 
 thinking, you were moved; you only pitied me, here so 
 desolate." 
 
 As he talked, she recovered her composure. 
 
 " Will you sing for me, father ? " she again asked. 
 
 " O willingly ! My memory is not so good as it used t 
 fee ; yet one song, at least, I will give you from the number 
 less ills that crowd it."
 
 146 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Ho looked slowly and tremulously around at the guests 
 who had followed her, or stopped, as they were passing, to 
 hear the conversation. 
 
 " As you say," he then continued, " I am old and feeble, 
 *nd it is wearisome to stand here ; besides, my theme will 
 be sad, and such as should be heard in quiet. Time was 
 when my harp had honor, to me it seems but yesterday ; 
 but now enough ! Here it were not well that my voice 
 should be heard." 
 
 She caught his meaning, and her whole face kindled ; but 
 Kenetzin spoke first. 
 
 " yes ; let us to the garden ! " 
 
 The minstrel bowed reverently. As they started, a wo- 
 man, who had been listening, said, " Surely, the noble Tula 
 is not going ! The man is a dotard ; he cannot sing; he is 
 palsied." 
 
 But they proceeded, and through the crowd and out of the 
 hall guided the trembling minstrel Coming to a passage 
 that seemed to be deserted, they turned into it, and Nenetzin, 
 at Tula's request, .went back to the king. Then a change 
 came over the good man ; his stooping left him, his step be- 
 came firm, and, placing himself in front, he said, in a deep, 
 strong voice, 
 
 ' It is mine to lead now. I remember these halls. Once 
 again, Tula, let me lead you here, as I have a thousand 
 times in childhood." 
 
 And to a chamber overlooking the garden, by the hand he 
 led her, followed by Yeteve, sobbing like a child. A dim 
 light from the lamps without disclosed the walls hung with 
 trophies captured in wars with the surrounding tribes and 
 nations. Where the rays were strongest, he stopped, and re- 
 inoved the hood, and said, earnestly, 
 
 " Against the king's command, and loving you better than 
 life, Tula, Guatamozin has come to say farewell.*
 
 THE TZIN'S LOVE. 147 
 
 There was a great whence ; each heard the beating of tha 
 other's heart. 
 
 " You have passed from me," he continued, " and I send 
 my grief after you. I look into your face, and see fade our 
 youth, our hopes, and our love, and all the jrist that bore it 
 relation. The days of pleasantness are ended ; the spring 
 that fed the running brook is dry. Tula, dear one, the 
 bird that made us such sweet music is songles forever ! " 
 
 Her anguish was too deep for the comfort of words OP 
 tears. Closer he clasped her hand. 
 
 " 0, that power should be so faithless ! Here are banners 
 that I have taken. Yonder is a shield of a king of Michuaca 
 whom I slew. I well remember the day. Montezuma led 
 the army ; the fight was hard, the peril great ; and after I 
 struck the blow, he said I had saved his life, and vowed me 
 boundless love and a splendid reward. What a passion the 
 field of fighting men was ! And yet there was another al- 
 ways greater. I had dwelt in the palace, and learned that 
 in the smile of the noble Tula there was to my life what the 
 sunshine is to the flower." 
 
 He faltered, then continued brokenly, 
 
 " He had honors, palaces, provinces, and crowns to bestow ; 
 but witness, gods, whose sacred duty it is to punish in- 
 gratitude, witness that I cared more to call Tula wife than 
 for all the multitude of his princeliest gifts ! " 
 
 And now fast ran the tears of the princess, through sorrow 
 rising to full womanhood, while the murky chamber echoed 
 with the sobs of Yeteve. If the ghost of the barbarian king 
 yet cared for the shield he died defending, if it were there 
 present, seeing and hearing, its revenge was perfect. 
 
 " If Guatamozin so dear to me now, so dear always 
 will overlook the womanly selfishness that could find a pleas* 
 are in his grief, I will prove that he has not loved unworthily. 
 You have asked nothing of me, nor urged any counsel, and 1
 
 148 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 thank you for the moderation. I thank you, also, that you 
 have spoken as if this sorrow were not yours more than mine. 
 Most of all, 'tzin, I thank you for not accusing me. Need 
 I say how T hate the Tezcucan ? or that I am given away 
 against my will ? I am to go as a price, as so much cocoa, 
 in purchase of the fealty of a wretch who would league with 
 Mictlan to humble my father. I am a weak woman, with- 
 out tribes or banner, and therefore the wrong is put upon 
 me. But have I no power?" And, trembling with the 
 strong purpose, she laid her hand upon his breast. " Wife 
 will I never be except of Guatamozin. I am the daughter 
 of a king. My father, at least, should know me. He may 
 sell me, but, thank the holy gods, I am the keeper of my own 
 life. And what would life be with the base Tezcucan for my 
 master ? Eoyal power in a palace of pearl and gold would 
 not make it worth the keeping. 'tzin, you never threw a 
 worthless leaf upon the lake more carelessly than I would 
 then fling this poor body there ! " 
 
 Closer to his heart he pressed the hand on his breast. 
 
 " To you, to you, Tula, be the one blessing greater than 
 all others which the gods keep back in the Sun ! So only 
 can you be rewarded. I take your words as an oath. Keep 
 them, only keep them, and I will win for you all that can be 
 won by man. What a time is coming " 
 
 Just then a joyous cry and a burst of laughter from the 
 garden interrupted his passionate speech, and recalled him to 
 himself and the present, to the present, which was not to 
 be satisfied with lovers' rhapsodies. And so he said, when 
 next he spoke, 
 
 "You have anwered my most jealous wish. Go back 
 now ; make no objection to the Tezcucan : the betrothal 
 is not the bridal. The king and IztliT cannot abide togethei 
 in peace. I know them." 
 
 And sinking his voice, he added, " Your hand is on my
 
 THE 'TZIN'S LOVE. 140 
 
 heart, and by its beating you cannot fail to know how full it 
 is of love. Take my blessing to strengthen you. Farewell 
 I will return to my gardens and dreams." 
 
 " To dreams ! And with such a storm coming upon Ana- 
 huac ! " said Tula. " No, no ; to dream is mine." 
 
 Up, clear to his vision, rose the destiny prophesied for 
 him by Mualox. As he pondered it, she said, tearfully, 
 
 " I love my father, and he is blind or mad. Now is his 
 peril greatest, now most he needs friendship and help. 
 'tzin, leave him not, I conjure you by his past kindness ! 
 Remember I am his child." 
 
 Thereupon he dropped her hand, and walked the floor, 
 while the banners and the shields upon the walls, and the 
 mute glory they perpetuated, whispered of the wrong and 
 shame he was enduring. When he answered, she knew 
 how great the struggle had been, and that the end was 
 scarcely a victory. 
 
 " You have asked that of me, my beloved, which is a 
 sore trial," he said. " I will not deny that the great love I 
 bore your father is disturbed by bitterness. Think how ex- 
 cessive my injury is, I who revered as a son, and have al- 
 ready put myself in death's way for him. In the halls, and 
 out in the gardens, my name has been a jest to-night. And 
 how the Tezcucan has exulted ! It is hard for the sufferer to 
 love his wrong-doer, so hard ! But this I will, and as an 
 oath take the promise : as long as the king acts for Anahuac, 
 not imperilling her safety or glory, so long will I uphold him ; 
 this, Tula, from love of country, and nothing more ! " 
 
 And as the future was veiled against the woman and du- 
 tiful child, she replied simply, "I accept the oath. Now 
 lead me hence." 
 
 He took her hand again, and said, " In peril of life I 
 came to say farewell forever ; but I will leave a kiss upon 
 your forehead, and plant its memory in your heart, and 
 some day come again to claim you mine." -
 
 150 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 And he put his arm around her, and left the kiss on her 
 forehead, and, as the ancient he entered, conducted the un- 
 happy princess from the chamber of banners back to the 
 Wl of betrothal 
 
 CHAPTEK XL 
 
 THE CHANT. 
 
 you have there anything for laughter, Maxtla, I bid 
 you welcome," said the king, his guests around him. 
 
 And the young chief knelt on the step before the throne, 
 and answered with mock solemnity, " Your servant, O king, 
 knows your great love of minstrelsy, and how it delights 
 you to make rich the keeper of a harp who sings a good 
 song well. I have taken one who bears him like a noble 
 singer, and has age to warrant his experience." 
 
 " Call you that the man ? " asked the king, pointing to 
 Guatamozin. 
 
 " He is the man." 
 
 The monarch laughed, and all the guests listening laughed. 
 
 Now, minstrels were common on all festive occasions ; in- 
 deed, an Aztec banquet was no more perfect without them 
 than without guests : but it was seldom the royal halls were 
 graced by one so very aged ; so that the bent form and gray 
 locks, that at other places and times would have insured 
 safety and respect, now excited derision. The men thought 
 his presence there presumptuous, the women laughed at him 
 as a dotard. In brief, the 'tzin's peril was very great. 
 
 He seemed, however, the picture of aged innocence, and 
 stood before the throne, his head bowed, his face shaded by 
 the hood, leaning humbly on his staff, and clasping the harp 
 elose to his breast, the vines yet about it. So well did he
 
 THE CHANT. 151 
 
 observe his disguise, that none there, save Tula and Yeteve, 
 might dream that the hood and dark gown concealed the 
 boldest warrior in Tenochtitlan. The face of the priestess 
 was turned away ; but the princess sat a calm witness of the 
 scene j either she had too much pride to betray her solici- 
 tude, or a confidence in his address so absolute that she felt 
 none. 
 
 " He is none of ours," said the king, when he had sev- 
 eral times scanned the minstrel. " If the palace ever knew 
 him, it was in the days of Axaya', from whose tomb he 
 seems to have come." 
 
 " As I came in from the garden, I met him going out," 
 said Maxtla, in explanation. " I could not bear that my 
 master should lose such a promise of song. Besides, I have 
 heard the veterans in service often say that the ancient 
 chants were the best, and I thought it a good time to test the 
 boast." 
 
 The gray courtiers frowned, and the king laughed again. 
 
 "My minstrel here represented that old time so well," 
 continued Maxtla, "that at first I was full of reverence; 
 therefore I besought him to come, and before you, O king, 
 sing the chants that used to charm your mighty father. I 
 thought it no dishonor for him to compete with the singers 
 now in favor, they giving us something of the present time. 
 He declined in courtliest style ; saying that, though his voice 
 was good, he was too old, and might shame the ancient min- 
 strelsy ; and that, from what he had heard, my master de- 
 lighted only in things of modern invention. A javelin in 
 the hand of a sentinel ended the argument, and he finally 
 consented. "Wherefore, king, I claim him captive, to 
 whom, if it be your royal pleasure, I offer liberty, if he will 
 sing in competition before this noble company." 
 
 What sport could be more royal than such poetic contest, 
 the old reign against the new? Montezuma welcomed 
 the idea^
 
 152 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " The condition is reasonable," lie said. " Is there a min- 
 strel in the valley to call it otherwise 1 " 
 
 In a tone scarcely audible, though all were silent that they 
 might hear, the 'tzin answered, 
 
 " Obedience was the first lesson of every minstrel of the 
 old time ; but as the master we served loved us as his chil- 
 dren, we never had occasion to sing for the purchase of our 
 liberty. And more, the capture of a harmless singer, though 
 he were not aged as your poor slave, king, was not 
 deemed so brave a deed as to be rewarded by our master's 
 smile." 
 
 The speech, though feebly spoken, struck both the king 
 and his chief. 
 
 " Well done, uncle ! " said the former, laughing. " And 
 since you have tongue so sharp, we remove the condition " 
 
 " Thanks, many thanks, most mighty king ! May the 
 gods mete you nothing but good ! I will depart." And the 
 'tzin stooped till his harp struck the floor. 
 
 The monarch waved his hand. " Stay. I merely spoke 
 of the condition that made your liberty depend upon your 
 song. Go, some of you, and call my singers." A courtier 
 hurried away, then the king added, "It shall be well for 
 him who best strikes the strings. I promise a prize that 
 shall raise him above trouble, and make his life what a poet's 
 ought to be." 
 
 Guatamoziii advanced, and knelt on the step from which 
 Maxtla had risen, and said, his voice sounding tremulous 
 with age and infirmity, 
 
 " If the great king will deign to heed his servant again, 
 I am old and weak. There was a time when I would have 
 rejoiced to hear a prize so princely offered in such a trial. But 
 that was many, many summers ago. And this afternoon, in 
 my hut by the lake-shore, when I took my harp, all covered 
 with dust, from the shelf where it had so long lain untouched
 
 THE CHANT. 153 
 
 and neglected, and wreathed it with this fresh vine, thinking 
 a gay dress might give it the appearance of use, and myself 
 a deceitful likeness to the minstrel I once was, alas ! I did 
 not think of my trembling hand and my shattered memory, 
 or of trial like this. I only knew that a singer, however 
 humble, was privileged at your banquet, and that the privi- 
 lege was a custom of the monarchs now in their halls in the 
 Sun, true, kingly men, who, at time like this, would have 
 put gold in my hand, and bade me arise, and go in peace. 
 Is Montezuma more careless of his glory ? Will he compel 
 my song, and dishonor my gray hair, that I may go abroad 
 in Tenochtitlan and tell the story ? In pity, king, suffer 
 me to depart." 
 
 The courtiers murmured, and even Maxtla relented, but 
 the king said, " Good uncle, you excite my curiosity the 
 more. If your common speech have in it such a vein of 
 poetry, what must the poetry be ? And then, does not youi 
 obstinacy outmeasure my cruelty? Get ready, I hold tin 
 fortune. "Win it, and I am no king if it be not yours." 
 
 The interest of the bystanders now exceeded their pity. 
 It was novel to find one refusing reward so rich, when th* 
 followers of his art were accustomed to gratify an audience,, 
 even one listener, upon request. 
 
 And, seeing that escape from the trial was impossible, tht 
 'tzin arose, resolved to act boldly. Minstrelsy, as practised 
 by the Aztecs, it must be remembered, was not singing so 
 much as a form of chanting, accompanied by rhythmical 
 touches of the lyre or harp, of all kinds of choral music the 
 most primitive. This he had practised, but in the solitude 
 of his study. The people present knew the 'tzin Guatamo, 
 supposed to be in his palace across the lake, as soldier, 
 scholar, and prince, but not as poet 01 singer of heroic tales. 
 So that confident minstrelsy was now but another, if not a 
 surer, disguise. And the eyes of th princess Tula shining 
 7
 
 154 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 upon him calmly and steadily, he said, his voice this time 
 trembling with suppressed wrath, 
 
 " Be it so, king ! Let the singers come, let them 
 come. Your slave will fancy himself before the great Axaya', 
 or your father, not less royal. He will forget his age, and 
 put his trust in the god whose story he will sing." 
 
 Then other amusements were abandoned, and, intelli- 
 gence of the trial flying far and fast, lords and ladies, soldiers 
 and priests crowded about the throne and filled the hall. 
 That any power of song could belong to one so old and 
 unknown was incredible. 
 
 " He is a provincial, the musician of one of the hamlets,' J 
 said a courtier, derisively. 
 
 " Yes," sneered another, " he will tell how the flood came, 
 and drowned the harvest in his neighborhood." 
 
 " Or," ventured a third, " how a ravenous vulture onca 
 descended from the hills, and carried off his pet rabbit." 
 
 By and by the royal minstrels came, sleek, comely men, 
 wearing long stoles fringed with gold, and having harps in- 
 laid with pearl, and strung with silver wires. With scarce 
 a glance at their humble competitor, they ranged themselves 
 before the monarch. 
 
 The trial began. One after another, the favorites were 
 called upon. The first sang of love, the next of his mis- 
 tress, the third of Lake Tezcuco, the fourth of Monte^uma, 
 his power, wisdom, and glory. Before all were through, 
 the patience of the king and crowd was exhausted. The 
 pabas wanted something touching religion, the soldiers some- 
 thing heroic and resounding with war ; and all waited for 
 the stranger, as men listening to a story wait for the laughter 
 it may chance to excite. How were they surprised ! Be- 
 fore the womanly tones of the last singer ceased, the old 
 man dropped his staff, and, lifting his harp against his breast, 
 struck its chords, and in a voice clear and vibratory as the
 
 THE CHANT. 155 
 
 blast of a shell, a voice that filled the whole hall, and 
 startled maid and king alike, began his chant 
 
 QUETZAL". 
 
 Beloved of the Son ! Mother of the 
 
 Brave ! Azatlan, the North -born ! Heard be thou 
 
 In my far launched voice ! I sing to thy 
 
 Listening children of thee and Heaven. 
 
 Vale in the Sun, where dwell the Gods ! Sum of 
 
 The beautiful art thou ! Thy forests are 
 
 Flowering trees ; of crystal and gold thy 
 
 Mountains ; and liquid light are thy rivers 
 
 Flowing, all murmurous with songs, over 
 
 Beds of stars. Vale of Gods, the summery 
 
 Sheen that flecks Earth's seas, and kisses its mountains, 
 
 And fairly floods its plains, we know is of thee, 
 
 A sign sent us from afar, that we may 
 
 Feebly learn how beautiful is Heaven 1 
 
 The singer rested a moment ; then, looking in the eyes of 
 the king, with a rising voice, he continued, 
 
 Richest hall in all the Vale is Quetzal's 
 
 At that name Montezuma started. The minstrel noted 
 Fell the sign. 
 
 O, none so fair as Quetzal's ! The winds that 
 Play among its silver columns are Love's 
 Light laughter, while of Love is all the air 
 About. From its orient porch the young 
 Mornings glean the glory with which they rise 
 On earth. 
 
 First God and fairest was Quetzal'. 
 As him none so full of holiness, 
 And by none were men so lov'd ! Sat he always 
 In his hall, in deity rol *d, watching 
 Humanity, its genius, and its struggles 
 Upward. But most he watch'd its wars, no hero 
 Fell but he call'd the wand'ring soul in love 
 To rest with him forever. 
 
 Sat he once 
 Thus watching, and where least expected, ia
 
 156 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The far North, by stormy Winter rul'd, up 
 
 From the snows he saw a Nation rise. Shook 
 
 Their bolts, glistened their shields, flashed the 
 
 Light of their fierce eyes. A king, in wolf-skin 
 
 Girt, pointed Southward, and up the hills, through 
 
 The air, to the Sun, flew the name Azatlan. 
 
 Then march'd they; by day and night they march'd, march'd 
 
 Ever South, across the desert, up the 
 
 Mountains, down the mountains ; leaping rivers, 
 
 Smiting foes, taking cities, thus they march'd ; 
 
 Thus, a cloud of eagles, roll'd they from the 
 
 North ; thus on the South they fell, as autumn 
 
 Frosts upon the fruits of summer fall. 
 
 And now the priests were glad, the singer sung of 
 Heaven ; and the warriors were aroused, his voice was 
 like a battle-cry, and the theme was the proud tradition of 
 the conquering march of their fathers from the distant 
 North. Sitting with clasped hands and drooped head, the 
 king followed the chant, like one listening to an oracle. 
 Yet stronger grew the minstrel's voice, 
 
 Pass 'd 
 
 Many years of toil, and still the Nation march'd ; 
 Still Southward strode the king ; still Sunward rose 
 The cry of Azatlan I Azatlan I And 
 Warmer, truer, brighter grew the human 
 Love of Quetzal'. He saw them reach a lake ; 
 As dew its waves were clear ; like lover's breath 
 The wind flew o'er it. 'T was in the clime of 
 Starry nights, the clime of orange-groves and 
 Plumy palms. 
 
 Then Quetzal' from his watching 
 Rose. Aside he flung his sunly symbols. 
 Like a falling star, from the Vale'of Gods 
 He dropp'd , like a falling star shot through the 
 Shoreless space ; like a golden morning reach'd 
 The earth, reach'd the lake. Then stay'd the Nation'i 
 March. Still Sunward rose the cry, but Southward 
 Strode the king no more. 
 
 In his roomy heart, in 
 The chambers of its love, Quetzal' took the
 
 THE CHANT. 157 
 
 Nation. He swore its kings should be his sons, 
 They should conquer, by the Sun, he swore ! In 
 The laughing Lake he bade them build ; and up 
 Sprang Tenochtitlan, of the human love 
 Of Quetzal child ; up rose its fire-lit towers, 
 Outspread its piles, outstretched its streets 
 Of stone and wave. And as the city grew, 
 Still stronger grew the love of Quetzal'. 
 
 Thine 
 
 Is the Empire. To the shields again, 
 Azatlan ! 'T was thus he spoke ; and feather'd 
 Crest and oaken spear, the same that from the 
 North came conquering, through the valley, 
 Ou a wave of war went swiftly floating. 
 Down before the flaming shields fell all the 
 Neighb'ring tribes ; open flew the cities' gates ; 
 Fighting kings gave up their crowns ; from the hilla 
 The Chichimecan fled ; on temple towers 
 The Toltec fires to scattering ashes 
 Died. Like a scourge upon the city, like 
 A fire across the plain, like storms adown 
 The mountain, such was Azatlan that day 
 It went to battle ! Like a monarch 'mid 
 His people, like a god amid the Heavens, 
 O such was Azatlan, victor from the 
 Battle, the Empire in its hand 1 
 
 At this point the excitement of the audience rose into 
 interruption : they clapped their hands and stamped ; some 
 shouted. As the strong voice rolled the grand story on, 
 even the king's dread of the god disappeared ; and had the 
 'tzin concluded then, the prize had certainly been his. But 
 when the silence was restored, he resumed the attitude so 
 proper to his disguise, and, sinking his voice and changing 
 the measure of the chant, solemnly proceeded, 
 
 A.S the river runneth ever, like the river ran the love of 
 
 Quetzal'. The clime grew softer, and the Vale fairer. To weave, and 
 
 trade, 
 And sow, and build, he taught, with countless other ways of peace. He 
 
 broke 
 The seals of knowledge, and unveiled the mystic paths of wisdom ;
 
 158 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Gathered gold from the earth, and jewels from the streams ; and happy 
 Peace, as terrible in war, became Azatlan. Only one more 
 Blessing, a religion sounding of a quiet heaven and a 
 Godly love, this only wanted Azatlaii. And alas, for the 
 Suuly Quetzal' ! He built a temple, with a single tower, a 
 Temple over many chambers." 
 
 Slowly the 'tzin repeated the last sentence, and under his 
 gaze the monarch's face changed visibly. 
 
 Worship he asked, and offerings, 
 
 And sacrifices, not of captives, heart-broken and complaining, 
 But of blooming flowers, and ripened fruits, emblems of love, and peace, 
 And beauty. Alas, for the gentle Quetzal' ! Cold grew the people 
 Lov'd so well. A little while they worshipped ; then, as bees go no 
 More to a withered flower, they forsook his shrine, and mock'd his 
 Image. His love, longest lingering, went down at last, but slowly 
 Went, as the brook, drop by drop, runs dry in the drought of a rainless 
 Summer. Wrath 'rose instead. Down in a chamber below the temple, 
 A chamber full of gold and unveiled splendor, beneath the Lake that 
 Long had ceased its laughing, thither went the god, and on the walls, 
 On the marble and the gold, he wrote 
 
 The improvisation, if such it was, now wrought its full 
 effect upon Montezuma, who saw the recital coming nearer 
 and nearer to the dread mysteries of the golden chamber in 
 the old Cu. At the beginning of the last sentence, the 
 blood left his face, and he leaned forward as if to check the 
 speech, at the same time some master influence held him 
 wordless. His look was that of one seeing a vision. The 
 vagaries of a mind shaken by days and nights of trouble 
 are wonderful ; sometimes they are fearful. How easy for 
 his distempered fancy to change the minstrel, with his white 
 locks and venerable countenance, into a servant of Quetzal', 
 sent by the god to confirm the interpretation and prophecies 
 of his other servant Mualox. At the last word, he arose, 
 and, with an imperial gesture, cried, 
 
 " Peace enough ! " 
 
 Then his utterance failed him, another vision seemed
 
 THE CHANT. 159 
 
 to fix his gaze. The audience, thrilling with fear, turned to 
 see what he saw, and heard a commotion, which, from the 
 further end of the hall, drew slowly near the throne, and 
 ceased not until Mualox, in his sacrificial robes, knelt upon 
 the step in the minstrel's place. Montezuma dropped into 
 his throne, and, covering his eyes with his hands, said 
 faintly, 
 
 " Evil betides me, father, evil betides me ! But I am a 
 king. Speak what you can ! " 
 
 Mualox prostrated himself until his white hair covered 
 his master's feet. 
 
 "Again, king, your servant comes speaking for his 
 od." 
 
 " For the god, Mualox 1 " 
 
 The hall became silent as a tomb. 
 
 " I come," the holy man continued, " to tell the king that 
 Quetzal' has landed, this time on the sea-shore in Cempoalla. 
 At set of sun his power was collected on the beach. Summon 
 all your wisdom, the end is at hand." 
 
 All present and hearing listened awe-struck. Of the war- 
 riors, not one, however battle-tried, but trembled with unde- 
 fined terror. And who may accuse them 1 The weakness 
 was from fear of a supposed god ; their heathen souls, after 
 the manner of the Christian, asked, Who may war against 
 Heaven 1 
 
 " Rise, Mualox ! You love me ; I have no better servant," 
 said the king, with dignity, but so sadly that even the proph- 
 et's heart was touched. " It is not for me to say if your 
 news be good or evil. All things, even my Empire, are in the 
 care of the gods. To-morrow I will hold a council to deter- 
 mine how this visit may be best met." With a mighty ef- 
 fort he freed his spirit of the influence of the untimely visi- 
 tation, and said, with a show of unconcern, " Leave the 
 morrow to whom it belongs, mjr children. Let us now to
 
 160 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 the ceremony which was to crown the night. Come forward, 
 son of 'Hualpilli ! Room for the lord Iztlil', my friends ! " 
 
 Tula looked down, and the queen Tecalco bowed her face 
 upon the shoulder of the queen Acatlan ; and immediately, 
 all differences lost in loving loyalty, the caciques and chiefs 
 gathered before him, a nobility as true and chivalric as ever 
 fought beneath an infidel banner. 
 
 And they waited, but the Tez'cucan came not. 
 
 " Go, Maxtla. Seek the lord Iztlil', and bring him to my 
 presence." 
 
 Through the palace and through the gardens they sought 
 the recreant lover. And the silence of the waiting in the 
 great hall was painful. Guest looked in the face of guest, 
 mute, yet asking much. The prince Cacama whispered to 
 the prince Cuitlahua, "It is a happy interference of tha 
 gods ! " 
 
 Tecalco wept on, but not from sorrow, and the eyes of the 
 devoted princess were lustrous for the first time ; hope had 
 come back to the darkened soul. 
 
 And the monarch said little, and erelong retired A great 
 portion of the company, despite his injunction, speedily fol- 
 lowed his example, leaving the younger guests, with what hu- 
 mor they could command, to continue the revel till morning. 
 
 Next day at noon couriers from Cempoalla confirmed the 
 announcement of Mualox. Cortes had indeed landed ; and 
 that Good Friday was the last of the perfect glory of Ana- 
 huac. 
 
 Poor king ! Not long now until I may sing for thee the 
 iamentation of the Gothic Roderick, whose story is but little 
 liess melancholy than thine. 
 
 He look'd for the brave captains that led the hosts of Spain, 
 
 But all were fled, except the dead, and who could count the slain ? 
 
 Where'er his eye could wander all bloody was the plain ; 
 
 And while thus he said the tears he shed ran down his cheeks like rain.
 
 THE CHANT. 161 
 
 Last night I was the king of Spain : to-day no king am I. 
 
 Last night fair castles held my train : to-night where shall I lie ? ; 
 
 Last night a hundred pages did serve me on the knee, 
 
 To-night not one I call my own, not one pertains to me.* 
 
 * The fifth and sixth verses of the famous Spanish ballad, " The Lam en- 
 tation of Don Roderic." The translation I have borrowed from Lockhartl^ 
 Spanish Ballads. Ta.
 
 BOOK THREE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE FIRST COMBAT. 
 
 THE 'tzin's companion the night of the banquet, as the 
 reader has no doubt anticipated, was Hualpa, the Ti- 
 huancan. To an adventure of his, more luckless than hia 
 friend's, I now turn. 
 
 It will be remembered that the 'tzin left him at the door 
 of the great hall. In a strange scene, without a guide, it was 
 natural for him to be ill at ease ; light-hearted and fearless, 
 however, he strolled leisurely about, at one place stopping to 
 hear a minstrel, at another to observe a dance, and all the 
 time half confused by the maze and splendor of all he be- 
 held. In such awe stood he of the monarch, that he gave the 
 throne a wide margin, contented from a distance to view the 
 accustomed interchanges of courtesy between the guests and 
 their master. Finding, at last, that he could not break 
 through the bashfulness acquired in his solitary life among 
 the hills, and imitate the ease and nonchalance of those 
 born, as it were, to the lordliness of the hour, he left the 
 house, and once more sought the retiracy of the gardens. 
 Out of doors, beneath the stars, with the fresh air in his 
 nostrils, he felt at home again, the whilom hunter, ready for 
 any emprise. 
 
 As to the walk he should follow he had no choice, for in 
 every direction he heard laughter, music, and conversation ; 
 everywhere were flowers and the glow of lamps. Merest
 
 THE FIRST COMBAT. 163 
 
 chance put him in a path that led to the neighborhood of 
 the museum. 
 
 Since the night shut in, be it said in a whisper, a 
 memory of wonderful brightness had taken possession of his 
 mind. Nenetzin's face, as he saw it laughing in the door of 
 ihe kiosk when Yeteve called the 'tzin for a song, he thought 
 outshone the lamplight, the flowers, and everything most 
 beautiful about his path ; her eyes were as stars, rivalling the 
 insensate ones in the mead above him. He remembered 
 them, too, as all the brighter for the tears through which 
 they had looked down, alas ! not on him, but upon his rev- 
 erend comrade. If Hualpa was not in love, he was, at least, 
 borrowing wings for a flight of that kind. 
 
 Indulging the delicious revery, he came upon some nobles, 
 conversing, and quite blocking up the way, though going in 
 his direction. He hesitated ; but, considering that, as a 
 guest, the freedom of the garden belonged equally to him, 
 he proceeded, and became a listener. 
 
 " People call him a warrior. They know nothing of what 
 makes a warrior ; they mistake good fortune, or what the 
 traders in the tianguez call luck, for skill. Take his conduct 
 at the combat of Qiietzal' as an example ; say he threw his 
 arrows well : yet it was a cowardly war. How much braver 
 to grasp the maquahuitl, and rush to blows ! That requires 
 manhood, strength, skill. To stand back, and kill with a 
 chance arrow, a woman could do as much." 
 
 The 'tzin was the subject of discussion, and the voice 
 that of IztliT, the Tezcucan. Hualpa moved closer to the 
 party. 
 
 " I thought his course in that combat good," said a stran. 
 ger ; " it gave him opportunities not otherwise to be had., 
 That he did not join the assault cannot be urged against his 
 courage. Had you, my lord Iztlil', fallen like the Otompan, 
 he would have been left alone to fight the challengers. A
 
 164 THE PAIR GOD. 
 
 fool would have seen the risk ; a coward would not have 
 courted it." 
 
 " That argument," replied Iztlil', " is crediting him witL 
 too much shrewdness. By the gods, he never doubted the 
 result, not he ! He knew the Tlascalans would never 
 pass my shield ; he knew the victory was mine, two against 
 me as there were. A prince of Tezcuco was never con- 
 quered ! " 
 
 The spirit of the hunter was fast rising ; yet he followed, 
 listening. 
 
 " And, my friends," the Tezcucan continued, " who better 
 judged the conduct of the combatants that day than the 
 king 1 See the result. To-night I take from the faint heart 
 his bride, the woman he has loved from boyhood. Then this 
 banquet. In whose honor is it ? "What does it celebrate ? 
 There is a prize to be awarded, the prize of courage and 
 skill ; and who gets it 1 And further, of the nobles and 
 chiefs of the valley, but one is absent, he whose pru- 
 dence exceeds his valor." 
 
 In such strain the Tezcucan proceeded. And Hualpa, fully 
 aroused, pushed through the company to the speaker, but so 
 quietly that those who observed him asked no questions. 
 Assured that the 'tzin must have friends present, he waited 
 for some one to take up his cause. His own impulse was 
 restrained by his great dread of the king, whose gardens he 
 knew were not fighting-grounds at any time or in any quar- 
 rel. But, as the boastful prince continued, the resolve to 
 punish him took definite form with the Tihuancan, to 
 such degree had his admiration for the 'tzin already risen ! 
 Gradually the auditors dropped behind or disappeared; 
 finally but one remained, a middle-aged, portly noble, 
 whose demeanor was not of the kind to shake the resolution 
 taken. 
 
 Hualpa made his first advance close by the eastern gate of
 
 THE FIRST COMBAT. 165 
 
 the garden, to which point he held himself in check lest 
 the want of arms should prove an apology for refusing the 
 fight. 
 
 " Will the lord IztliT stop ? " he said, laying his hand on 
 the Tezcucan's arm. 
 
 " I do not know you," was the answer. 
 
 The sleek courtier also stopped, and stared broadly. 
 
 " You do not know me ! I will mend my fortune in that 
 respect," returned the hunter, mildly. " I have heard what 
 you said so ungraciously of my friend and comrade," the 
 last word he emphasized strongly, "Guatamozin." Then 
 he repeated the offensive words as correctly as if he had been 
 a practised herald, and concluded, " Now, you know the 'tzin 
 cannot be here to-night ; you also know the reason ; but, for 
 him and in his place, I say, prince though you are, you have 
 basely slandered an absent enemy." 
 
 " Who are you ? " asked the Tezcucan, surprised. 
 
 " The comrade of Guatamozin, here to take up his quar- 
 rel." 
 
 " You challenge me ? " said IztliT, in disdain. 
 
 "Does a prince of Tezcuco, son of 'Hualpilli, require a 
 blow ? Take it then." 
 
 The blow was given. 
 
 " See ! Do I not bring you princely blood ? " And, in his 
 turn, Hualpa laughed scornfully. 
 
 The Tezcucan was almost choked with rage. " This to 
 me, to me, a prince and warrior ! " he cried. 
 
 A danger not considered by the rash hunter now offered 
 itself. An outcry would bring down the guard ; and, in 
 the event of his arrest, the united representations of IztliT 
 and his friend would be sufficient to have him sent forthwith 
 to the tigers. The pride of the prince saved him. 
 
 " Have a care, 't is an assassin ! I will call the guard at 
 the gate ! " said the courtier, alarmed.
 
 166 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Call them not, call them not ! I am equal to my own 
 revenge. 0, for a spear or knife, anything to kill ! " 
 
 " "Will you hear me, a word ? " the hunter said. " I am 
 without arms also ; but they can he had." 
 
 " The arms, the arms ! " cried IztliT, passionately. 
 
 " We can make the sentinels at the gate clever by a few 
 quills of gold; and here are enough to satisfy them." Hual- 
 pa produced a handful of the money. "Let us try them. 
 Outside the gate the street is clear." 
 
 The courtier protested, but the prince was determined. 
 
 " The arms ! Pledge my province and palaces, every, 
 thing for a maquahuitl now." 
 
 They went to the gate and obtained the use of two of the 
 weapons and as many shields. Then the party passed into 
 the street, which they found deserted. To avoid the great 
 thoroughfare to Iztapalapan, they turned to the north, and 
 kept on as far as the corner of the garden wall. 
 
 " Stay we here," said the courtier. " Short time is all you 
 want, lord Iztlil'. The feathers on the hawk's wings are not 
 full-fledged." 
 
 The man spoke confidently j and it must be confessed that 
 the Tezcucan's reputation and experience justified the assur- 
 ance. One advantage the hunter had which his enemies 
 both overlooked, a surpassing composure. From a temple 
 near by a red light flared broadly over the place, redeeming 
 it from what would otherwise have been vague starlight ; by 
 its aid they might have seen his countenance without a trace 
 of excitement or passion. One wish, and but one, he had, 
 that Guatamozin could witness the trial 
 
 The impatience of the Tezcucan permitted but few pre- 
 liminaries. 
 
 " The gods of Mictlan require no prayers. Stand out ! " 
 he said. 
 
 " Strike ! " answered Hualpa.
 
 THE FIRST COMBAT. 167 
 
 Up rose the glassy blades of the Tezcucan, flashing in the 
 light; quick and strong the blow, yet it clove but the 
 empty air. " For the 'tzin ! " shouted the hunter, striking 
 back before the other was half recovered. The shield was 
 dashed aside ; a groan acknowledged a wound in the breast, 
 and Iztlil' staggered ; another blow stretched him on the 
 pavement. A stream of blood, black in the night, stole 
 slowly out over the flags. The fight was over. The victor 
 dropped the bladed end of his weapon, and surveyed his foe, 
 with astonishment, then pity. 
 
 " Your friend is hurt ; help him ! " he said, turning to the 
 courtier; but he was alone, the craven had run. For 
 one fresh from the hills, this was indeed a dilemma ! A 
 duel and a death in sight of the royal palace ! A chill 
 tingled through his veins. He thought rapidly of the alarm, 
 the arrest, the king's wrath, and himself given to glut the 
 monsters in the menagerie. Up rose, also, the many fast- 
 nesses amid the cedared glades of Tihuanco. Could he but 
 reach them ! The slaves of Montezuma, to please a whim, 
 might pursue and capture a quail or an eagle ; but there he 
 could laugh at pursuit, while in Tenochtitlan he was nowhere 
 safe. 
 
 Sight of the flowing blood brought him out of the panic. 
 He raised the Tezcucan's arm, and tore the rich vestments 
 from his breast. The wound was a glancing one ; it might 
 not be fatal after all ; to save him were worth the trial. Tak- 
 ing off his own maxtlatl, he wound it tightly round the body 
 and over the cut. Across the street there was a small, open 
 house ; lifting the wounded man gently as possible, he carried 
 him thither, and laid him in a darkened passage. Where 
 else to convey him he knew not ; that was all he could do. 
 Now for flight, for Tihuanco. Tireless and swift of foot 
 shall they be who catch him on the way ! 
 
 He started for the lake, intending to cross in a canoe rather
 
 168 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 than by the causeway ; already a square was put behind, 
 when it occurred to him that the Tezcucan might have slaves 
 and a palanquin waiting before the palace door. He began, 
 also, to reproach himself for the baseness of the desertion. 
 How would the 'tzin have acted ? When the same Tezcucan 
 lay with the dead in the arena, who nursed him back to life ! 
 
 If Hualpa had wished his patron's presence at the begin 
 x ing of the combat, now, flying from imaginary dangers, 
 flying, like a startled coward, from his very victory, much 
 did he thank the gods that he was alone and unseen. In a 
 kind of alcove, or resting-place for weary walkers, with 
 which, by the way, the thoroughfares of Tenochtitlan were 
 well provided, he sat down, recalled his wonted courage, and 
 determined on a course more manly, whatever the risk. 
 
 Then he retraced his steps, and went boldly to the portal 
 of the palace, where he found the Tezcucan's palanquin. 
 The slaves in charge followed him without objection. 
 
 " Take your master to his own palace. Be quick ! " he 
 jaid to them, when the wounded man was transferred to the 
 carriage. 
 
 " It is in Tecuba," said one of them. 
 
 " To Tecuba then." 
 
 He did more; he accompanied the slaves. Along the 
 street, across the causeway, which never seemed of such 
 weary length, they proceeded. On the road the Tezcucan 
 revived. He said little, and was passive in his enemy's 
 hands. From Tecuba the latter hastened back to Tenochtit- 
 lan, and reached the portico of Xoli, the Chalcan, jyt as 
 day broke over the valley. 
 
 And such was the hunter's first emprise as a warrior.
 
 THE SECOND COMBAT. 169 
 
 CHAPTEE II 
 
 THE SECOND COMBAT. 
 
 Fis hardly worth while to detail the debate between 
 Hualpa and Xoli ; enough to know that the latter, an- 
 ticipating pursuit, hid the son of his friend in a closet attached 
 to his restaurant. 
 
 That day, and many others, the police went up and down, 
 ferreting for the assassin of the noble IztliT. Few premises 
 escaped their search. The Chalcan's, amongst others, was 
 examined, but without discovery. Thus safely concealed, the 
 hunter throve on the cuisine, and for the loss of liberty was 
 consoled by the gossip and wordy wisdom of his accessory, 
 and, by what was better, the gratitude of Guatamozin. In 
 such manner two weeks passed away, the longest and most 
 wearisome of his existence. How sick at heart he grew in 
 his luxurious imprisonment ; how he pined for the old hills 
 and woodlands ; how he longed once more to go down the 
 shaded vales free -footed and fearless, stalking deer or follow- 
 ing his ocelot. Ah, what is ambition gratified to freedom 
 lost ! 
 
 Unused to the confinement, it became irksome to him, and 
 at length intolerable. " When," he asked himself, " is this to 
 end ? Will the king ever withdraw his huntsmen ? Through 
 whom am I to look or hope for pardon ? " He sighed, paced 
 the narrow closet, and determined that night to walk out and 
 see if his old friends the stars were still in their places, and 
 take a draught of the fresh air, to his remembrance sweeter 
 than the new beverage of the Chalcan. And when the night 
 came he was true to his resolution. 
 
 Pass we his impatience while waiting an opportunity to
 
 170 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 leave the house unobserved ; his attempts unsuccessfully re- 
 peated ; his vexation at the " noble patrons " who lounged 
 in the apartments and talked so long over their goblets. At 
 a late hour he made good his exit. In the tianguez, which 
 was the first to receive him, booths and porticos were closed 
 for the night ; lights were everywhere extinguished, except 
 on the towers of the temples. As morning would end his 
 furlough and drive him back to the hated captivity, he re- 
 solved to make the most of the night ; he would visit the 
 lake, he would stroll through the streets. By the gods ! he 
 would play freeman to the full. 
 
 In his situation, all places were alike perilous, houses, 
 streets, temples, and palaces. As, for that reason, one direc- 
 tion was good as another, he started up the Iztapalapan street 
 from the tianguez. -Passengers met him now and then; 
 otherwise the great thoroughfare was unusually quiet. Saun- 
 tering along in excellent imitation of careless enjoyment, he 
 strove to feel cheerful ; but, in spite of his efforts, he became 
 lonesome, while his dread of the patrols kept him uneasy. 
 Such freedom, he ascertained, was not all his fancy colored 
 it ; yet it was not so bad as his prison. On he went. Some- 
 times on a step, or in the shade of a portico, he would 
 sit and gaze at the houses as if they were old friends 
 basking in the moonlight ; at the bridges he would also stop, 
 and, leaning over the balustrades, watch the waveless water 
 in the canal below, and envy the watermen asleep in their 
 open canoes. The result was a feeling of recklessness, 
 sharpened by a yearning for something to do, some place 
 to visit, some person to see ; in short, a thousand wishes, 
 BO vague, however, that they amounted to nothing. 
 
 In this mood he thought of Nenetzin, who, in the tedium 
 of his imprisonment, had become to him a constant dream, 
 a vision by which his fancy was amused and his impatience 
 ioothed ; a vision that faded not with the morning, but at
 
 THE SECOND COMBAT. 171 
 
 noon was sweet as at night. With the thought came anoth- 
 er, the idea of an adventure excusable only in a lover. 
 
 " The garden ! " he said, stopping and thinking. " The 
 garden ! It is the king's ; so is the street. It is guarded ; 
 BO is the city. I will be in danger ; but that is around me 
 everywhere. By the gods ! I will go to the garden, and 
 look at the house in which she sleeps." 
 
 Invade the gardens of the great king at midnight ! The 
 project would have terrified the Chalcan ; the 'tzin would 
 have forbade it ; at any other time, the adventurer himself 
 would rather have gone unarmed into the den of a tiger. 
 The gardens were chosen places sacred to royalty ; otherwise 
 they would have been without walls and without sentinels 
 at the gates. In the event of detection and arrest, the 
 intrusion at such a time would be without excuse; death 
 was the penalty. 
 
 But the venture was agreeable to the mood he was in ; he 
 welcomed it as a relief from loneliness, as a rescue from his 
 tormenting void of purpose; if he saw the dangers, they 
 were viewed in the charm of his gentle passion, griffins 
 and goblins masked by Love, the enchanter. He started at 
 once ; and now that he had an object before him, there was 
 no more loitering under porticos or on the bridges. As the 
 squares were put behind him, he repeated over and over, as 
 a magical exorcism, " I will look at the house in which she 
 sleeps, the house in which she sleeps." 
 
 Once in his progress, he turned aside from the great street, 
 and went up a footway bordering a canal. At the next street, 
 however, he crossed a bridge, and proceeded to the north 
 again. Almost before he was aware of it, he reached the 
 corner of the royal garden, always to be remembered by him 
 as the place of his combat with the Tezcucan. But so intent 
 was he upon his present project he scarcely gave it a second 
 look.
 
 172 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The wall was but little higher than his head, and covered 
 with snowy stucco ; and where, over the coping, motionless 
 in the moonshine, a palm-tree lifted its graceful head, he 
 boldly climbed, and entered the sacred enclosure. Drawing 
 his mantle close about him, he stole toward the palace, 
 selecting the narrow walks most protected by overhanging 
 shrubbery. 
 
 A man's instinct is a good counsellor in danger; often 
 it is the only counsellor. Gliding through the shadows, 
 cautiously as if hunting, he seemed to hear a recurrent 
 whisper, 
 
 " Have a care, O hunter ! This is not one of thy 
 familiar places. The gardens of the great king have other 
 guardians than the stars. Death awaits thee at every gate." 
 
 But as often came the reply, " Nenetzin, I will see 
 the house in which she sleeps." 
 
 He held on toward the palace, never stopping until the 
 top, here and there crowned with low turrets, rose above 
 the highest trees. Then he listened intently, but heard not 
 A sound of life from the princely pile. He sought next 
 a retreat, where, secure from observation, he might sit in 
 the pleasant air, and give wings to his lover's fancy. At 
 last he found one, a little retired from the central walk, and 
 not far from a tank, which had once been, if it were not now, 
 the basin of a fountain. Upon a bench, well shaded by a 
 clump of flowering bushes, he stretched himself at ease, and 
 was soon absorbed. 
 
 The course of his thought, in keeping with his youth, was 
 to the future. Most of the time, however, he had no distinct 
 idea ; revery, like an evening mist, settled upon him. Some- 
 times he lay with closed eyes, shutting himself in, as it 
 were, from the world ; then he stared vacantly at the stars, 
 or into those blue places in the mighty vault too deep for 
 rtars ; but most he loved to look at the white walls of the
 
 THE SECOND COMBAT. 173 
 
 palace. And for the time he was happy ; his soul may ba 
 said to have been singing a silent song to the unconscious 
 Nenetzm. 
 
 Once or twice he was disturbed by a noise, like the 
 suppressed cry of a child ; but he attributed it to some 
 of the restless animals in the museum at the farther side 
 of the garden. Half the night was gone ; so the watchers 
 on the temples proclaimed ; and still he stayed, still 
 dreamed. 
 
 About that time, however, he was startled by footsteps 
 coming apparently from the palace. He sat up, ready for 
 action. The appearance of a man alone and unarmed 
 allayed his apprehension for the moment. Up the walk, 
 directly by the hiding-place, the stranger came. As be 
 passed slowly on, the intruder thrilled at beholding, not 
 a guard or an officer, but Montezuma in person ! As far 
 as the tank the monarch walked ; there he stopped, put his 
 hands behind him, and looked moodily down into the pooL 
 
 Garden, palace, Nenetzin, everything but the motionless 
 figure by the tank faded from Hualpa's mind. Fear came 
 upon him ; and no wonder : there, almost within reach, at 
 midnight, unattended, stood what was to him the positive 
 realization of power, ruler of the Empire, dispenser of richest 
 gifts, keeper of life and death ! Guilty, and tremulously 
 apprehensive that he had been discovered, Hualpa looked 
 ach instant to be dragged from his hiding. 
 
 The space around the tank was clear, and strewn with 
 shells perfectly white in the moonlight. While the adven- 
 turer sat fixed to his seat, watching the king, watching, also, 
 a chance of escape, he saw something come from the shrub- 
 bery, move stealthily out into the walk, then crouch down. 
 Now, as I have shown, he was brave ; but this tested all his 
 courage. Out further crept the object, moving with the 
 stillness of a spirit Scarcely could he persuade himself at
 
 174 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 first that it was not an illusion begotten of his fears ; but its 
 form and movements, the very stillness of its advance, at 
 last identified it. In all his hunter's experience, he had 
 never seen an ocelot so large. The screams he had heard 
 were now explained, the monster had escaped from the 
 'menagerie ! 
 
 I cannot say the recognition wrought a subsidence of 
 Hualpa's fears. He felt instinctively for his arms, he had 
 .nothing but a knife of brittle itzli. Then he thought of the 
 stories he had heard of the ferocity of the royal tigers, 
 and of unhappy wretches flung, by way of punishment, 
 into their dens. He shuddered, and turned to the king, 
 who still gazed thoughtfully over the wall of the tank. 
 
 Holy HuitziT ! the ocelot was creeping upon the mon- 
 arch ! The flash of understanding that revealed the fact to 
 Hualpa was like the lightning. Breathlessly he noticed the 
 course the brute was taking; there could be no doubt. 
 Another flash, and he understood the monarch's peril, 
 alone, unarmed, before the guards at the gates or in the 
 palace could come, the struggle would be over; child of 
 the Sun though he was, there remained for him but one 
 hope of rescue. 
 
 As, in common with provincials generally, he cherished a 
 reverence for the monarch hardly secondary to that he felt 
 for the gods, the Tihuancan was inexpressibly shocked to 
 see him subject to such a danger. An impulse aside from 
 native chivalry urged him to confront the ocelot ; but under 
 the circumstances, and he recounted them rapidly, he 
 feared the king more than the brute. Brief time was there 
 for consideration ; each moment the peril increased. He 
 thought of the 'tzin, then of Nenetzin. 
 
 " Now or never ! " he said. " If the gods do but help me, 
 I will prove myself ! " 
 
 And he unlooped the mantle, and wound it about his left
 
 THE SECOND COMBAT. 175 
 
 arm ; the knife, poor as it was, he took from his maxtlatl / 
 then he was ready. Ah, if he only had a javelin ! 
 
 To place himself between the king and his enemy was 
 what he next set about. Experience had taught him how 
 much such animals are governed by curiosity, and upon that 
 he proceeded to act. On his hands and knees he crept out 
 into the walk. The moment he became exposed, the ocelot 
 stopped, raised its round head, and watched him with a 
 gaze as intent as his own. The advance was slow and 
 stealthy ; when the point was almost gained, the kin^,' 
 turned about. 
 
 " Speak not, stir not, king ! " he cried, without stop- 
 ping. " I will save you, no other can." 
 
 From creeping man the monarch looked to crouching 
 beast, and comprehended the situation. 
 
 Forward went Hualpa, now the chief object of attraction 
 to the monster. At last he was directly in front of it. 
 
 " Call tba guard and fly ! It is coming now ! " 
 
 And through the garden rang the call. Verily, the hun- 
 ter had become the king ! 
 
 A moment after the ocelot lowered its head, and leaped. 
 The Tihuancan had barely time to put himself in posture 
 to receive the attack, his left arm serving as shield ; upon 
 his knee, he struck with the knife. The blood Hew, and 
 there was a howl so loud that the shouts of the monarch 
 were drowned. The mantle was rent to ribbons; and 
 through the feathers, cloth, and flesh, the long fangs 
 craunched to the bone, but not without return. This 
 time the knife, better directed, was driven to the heart, 
 where it snapped short off, and remained. The clenched 
 jaws relaxed. Bushing suddenly in, Hualpa contrived to 
 push the fainting brute into the tank. He saw it sink, saw 
 the pool subside to its calm, than turned to Montezuma, 
 who, though calling lustily for the guard, had stayed to
 
 176 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 the end. Kneeling upon the stained shells, he laid the 
 broken knife at the monarch's feet, and waited for him 
 to speak. 
 
 " Arise ! " the king said, kindly. 
 
 The hunter stood up, splashed with hlood, the fragments 
 of his tilmatli clinging in shreds to his arm, his tunic 
 torn, the hair fallen over his face, a most uncourtierlika 
 figure. 
 
 " You are hurt," said the king, directly. " I was onco 
 thought skilful with medicines. Let me see." 
 
 He found the wounds, and untying his own sash, rich with 
 emhroidery, wrapped it in many folds around the bleeding 
 arm. 
 
 Meantime there was commotion in many quarters. 
 
 " Evil take the careless watchers ! " he said, sternly, no- 
 ticing the rising clamor. " Had I trusted them, hut are 
 you not of the guard 1 " 
 
 " I am the great king's slave, his poorest slave, but not 
 of his guard." 
 
 Montezuma regarded him attentively. 
 
 " It cannot be ; an assassin would not have interfered 
 with the ocelot. Take up the knife, and follow me." 
 
 Hualpa obeyed. On the way they met a number of the 
 guard running in great perplexity ; but without a word to 
 them, the monarch walked on, and into the palace. In a 
 room where there were tables and seats, books and writing 
 materials, maps on the walls and piles of them on the floor, 
 he stopped, and seated himself. 
 
 " You know what truth is, and how the gods punish false- 
 hood," he began ; then, abruptly, " How came you in the 
 garden ? " 
 
 Hualpa fell on his knees, laid his palm on the floor, 
 and answered without looking up, for such he knew to be 
 a courtly custom.
 
 THE SECOND COMBAT. 177 
 
 " Who may deceive the wise king Monteznma 1 I will 
 answer as to the gods : the gardens are famous in song and 
 story, and I was tempted to see them, and climbed the wall. 
 When you came to the fountain, I was close by ; and while 
 waiting a chance to escape, I saw the ocelot creeping upon 
 ^ou ; and and the great king is too generous to deny 
 liis slave the pardon he risked his life for." 
 
 " Who are you 1 " 
 
 "I am from the province of Tihuanco. My name is 
 Hualpa." 
 
 "Hualpa, Hualpa," repeated the king, slowly. "You 
 serve Guatamozin." 
 
 " He is my friend and master, king." 
 
 Montezuma started. " Holy gods, what madness ! My 
 people have sought you far and wide to feed you to the 
 tiger in the tank." 
 
 Hualpa faltered not. 
 
 " king, I know I am charged with the murder of 
 IztliT, the Tezcucan. Will it please you to hear my 
 story ? " 
 
 And taking the assent, he gave the particulars of the com- 
 bat, not omitting the cause. " I did not murder him," he 
 concluded. "If he is dead, I slew him in fair fight, 
 shield to shield, as a warrior may, with honor, slay a foe- 
 jnan." 
 
 " And you carried him to Tecuba ? " 
 
 "Before the judges, if you choose, I will make the ac- 
 count good." 
 
 " Be it so ! " the monarch said, emphatically. " Two days 
 hence, in the court, I will accuse you. Have there your wit- 
 nesses : it is a matter of life and death. Now, what of 
 your master, the 'tzin 1 " 
 
 The question was dangerous, and Hualpa trembled, but 
 resolved to be bold.
 
 178 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "If it be not too presumptuous, most mighty king, if 
 a slave may seem to judge his master's judgment by the offer 
 of a word " 
 
 " Speak ! I give you liberty." 
 
 " I wish to say," continued Hualpa, " that in the court 
 there are many noble courtiers who would die for you, 
 king ; but, of them all, there is not one who so loves you, or 
 whose love could be made so profitable, being backed by 
 skill, courage, and wisdom, as the generous prince whom you 
 call my master. In his banishment he has chosen to servo 
 you ; for the night the strangers landed in Cempoalla, he left 
 his palace in Iztapalapan, and entered their camp in the 
 train of the governor of Cotastlan. Yesterday a courier, 
 whom you rewarded richly for his speed in coming, brought 
 you portraits of the strangers, and -pictures of their arms and 
 camp ; that courier was Guatamozin, and his was the hand 
 that wrought the artist's work. 0, much as your faculties 
 become a king, you have been deceived : he is not a trai- 
 tor." 
 
 " "Who told you such a fine minstrel's tale ] " 
 
 " The gods judge me, O king, if, without your leave, I had 
 so much as dared kiss the dust at your feet. What you 
 have graciously permitted me to tell I heard from the 'tzin 
 himself." 
 
 Montezuma sat a long time silent, then asked, " Did 
 your master speak of the strangers, or of the things he 
 saw?" 
 
 " The noble 'tzin regards me kindly, and therefore spoke 
 with freedom. He said, mourning much that he could not 
 be at your last council to declare his opinion, that you were 
 mistaken." 
 
 The speaker's face was cast down, so that he could not see 
 the frown with which the plain words were received, and he 
 continued,
 
 THE SECOND COMBAT. 179 
 
 " ' They are not teules,' * so the 'tzin said, ' but men, as 
 you and I are ; they eat, sleep, drink, like us ; nor is that 
 all, they die like us ; for in the night,' he said, ' I was in 
 their camp, and saw them, by torchlight, bury the body of 
 one that day dead.' And then he asked, ' Is that a practice 
 among the gods ? ' Your slave, king, is not learned as a 
 paba, and therefore believed him." 
 
 Montezuma stood up. 
 
 " Not teules ! How thinks he they should be dealt with ! " 
 
 " He says that, as they are men, they are also invaders, 
 with whom an Aztec cannot treat. Nothing for them but 
 war!" 
 
 To and fro the monarch walked. After which he returned 
 to Hualpa and said, 
 
 " Go home now. To-morrow I will send you a tilmatli 
 for the one you wear. Look to your wounds, and recollect 
 the trial. As you love life, have there your proof. I will be 
 your accuser." 
 
 " As the great king is merciful to his children, the gods 
 will be merciful to him. I will give myself to the guards," 
 said the hunter, to whom anything was preferable to the 
 closet in the restaurant. 
 
 " No, you are free." 
 
 Hualpa kissed the floor, and arose, and hurried from the 
 palace to the house of Xoli on the tianguez. The eriect of 
 his appearance upon that worthy, and the effect of the story 
 afterwards, may be imagined. Attention to the wounds, a 
 bath, and sound slumber put the adventurer in a better con- 
 dition by the next noon. 
 
 And from that night he thought more than ever of glory 
 
 and Nenetzin. 
 
 *Gods.
 
 180 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PORTRAIT. 
 
 NEXT day, after the removal of the noon comfitures, 
 and when the princess Tula had gone to the hammock 
 for the usual siesta, Nenetzin rushed into her apartment un- 
 usually excited. 
 
 " O, I have something so strange to tell you, something 
 so strange ! " she cried, throwing herself upon the hammock. 
 
 Her face was bright and very beautiful. Tula looked at 
 her a moment, then put her lips lovingly to the smooth fore- 
 head. 
 
 " By the Sun ! as our royal father sometimes swears, my 
 sister seems in earnest." 
 
 " Indeed I am ; and you will go with me, will you not ? " 
 
 " Ah ! you want to take me to the garden to see the dead 
 tiger, or, perhaps, the warrior who slew it, or now I have 
 it you have seen another minstrel." 
 
 Tula expected the girl to laugh, but was surprised to see 
 her eyes fill with tears. She changed her manner instantly, 
 and bade the slave who had been sitting by the hammock 
 fanning her, to retire. Then she said, 
 
 " You jest so much, Nenetzin, that I do not know when 
 you are serious. I love you : now tell me what has hap- 
 pened." 
 
 The answer was given in a low voice. 
 
 " You will think me foolish, and so I am, but I cannot 
 help it. Do you recollect the dream I told you the night on 
 the chinampa ? " 
 
 " The night Yeteve came to us ? I recollect." 
 
 " You know I saw a man come and sit down in our father's
 
 THE PORTRAIT. 181 
 
 palace, a stranger with blue eyes and fair face, and hair and 
 beard like the silk of the ripening maize. I told you I loved 
 him, and would have none but him ; and you laughed at me, 
 and said he was the god Quetzal'. O Tula, the dream has 
 come back to me many times since ; so often that it seems, 
 when I am awake, to have been a reality. I am childish, 
 you think, and very weak ; you may even pity me ; but I 
 have grown to look upon the blue-eyed as something lovable 
 and great, and thought of him is a part of my mind ; so 
 much so that it is useless for me to say he is not, or that J 
 am loving a shadow. And now, dear Tula, now comes the 
 strange part of my story. Yesterday, you know, a courier 
 from Cempoalla brought our father some pictures of the 
 strangers lately landed from the sea. This morning I heard 
 there were portraits among them, and could not resist a 
 curiosity to see them ; so I went, and almost the first one I 
 came to, do not laugh, almost the first one I came to 
 was the picture of him who comes to me so often in my 
 dreams. I looked and trembled. There indeed he was ; there 
 were the blue eyes, the yellow hair, the white face, even the 
 dress, shining as silver, and the plumed crest. I did not stay 
 to look at anything else, but hurried here, scarcely knowing 
 whether to be glad or afraid. I thought if you went with 
 Vme I would not be afraid. Go you must ; we will look at the 
 portrait together." And she hid her face, sobbing liko a child. 
 
 " It is too wonderful for belief. I will go," said Tula. 
 
 She arose, and the slave brought and threw over hej 
 ^shoulders the long white scarf so invariably a part of an 
 Aztec woman's costume. Then the sisters took their way to 
 the chamber where the pictures were kept, the same into 
 which Hualpa had been led the night before. The king was 
 elsewhere giving audience, and his clerks and attendants 
 were with him. So the two were allowed to indulge theit 
 \uriosity undisturbed.
 
 182 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Nenetzin went to a pile of manuscripts lying on the floor. 
 The elder sister was startled by the first picture exposed ; for 
 she recognized the handiwork, long since familiar to her, of 
 the 'tzin. Nor was she less surprised by the subject, which 
 was a horse, apparently a nobler instrument for a god's re- 
 venge than man himself. 
 
 Next she saw pictured a horse, its rider mounted, and in 
 Christian armor, and bearing shield, lance, and sword. Then 
 came a cannon, the gunner by the carriage, bis match lighted, 
 while a volume of flame and smoke was bursting from the 
 throat of the piece. A portrait followed ; she lifted it up, 
 and trembled to see the hero of Nenetzin's dream ! 
 
 "Did I not tell you so, Tula?" said the girl, in a 
 whisper. 
 
 "The face is pleasant and noble," the other answered, 
 thoughtfully ; " but I am afraid. There is evil in the smile, 
 evil in the blue eyes." 
 
 The rest of the manuscripts they left untouched. The one 
 absorbed them ; but with what different feelings ! Nenetzin 
 was a-flutter with pleasure, restrained by awe. Impressed 
 by the singularity of the vision, as thus realized, a passionate 
 wish to see the man or god, whichever he was, and hear his 
 voice, may be called her nearest semblance to reflection. 
 Like a lover in the presence of the beloved, she was glad and 
 contented, and asked nothing of the future. But with Tula, 
 older and wiser, it was different. She was conscious of the 
 novelty of the incident ; at the same time a presentiment, a 
 gloomy foreboding, filled her soul. In slumber we sometimes 
 see spectres, and they sit by us and smile ; yet we shrink, 
 and cannot keep down anticipations of ill So Tula was af-. 
 fected by what she beheld. 
 
 She laid the portrait softly down, and turned to Nenetzin, 
 who had now no need to deprecate her laugh.
 
 THE TRIAL. 183 
 
 "The ways of the gods are most strange. Something tells 
 me this is their work. I am afraid ; let us go." 
 
 And they retired, and the rest of the day, swinging in the 
 hammock, they talked of the dream and the portrait, and 
 wondered what would come of them. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE TRIAL. 
 
 HUALPA'S adventure in the garden made a great stir 
 in the palace and the city. Profound was the 
 astonishment, therefore, when it became known that the 
 savior of the king and the murderer of the Tezcucan were 
 one and the same person, and that, in the latter character, he 
 was to be taken into court and tried for his life, Montezuma 
 himself acting as accuser. Though universally discredited, 
 the story had the effect of drawing an immense attendance 
 at the trial. 
 
 " Ho, Chalcan ! Fly not your friends in that way ! " 
 
 So the broker was saluted by some men nobly dressed, 
 whom he was about passing on the great street. He stopped, 
 and bowed very low. 
 
 " A pleasant day, my lords ! Your invitation honors me ; 
 the will of his patrons should always be law to the poor 
 keeper of a portico. I am hurrying to the trial." 
 
 " Then stay with us. We also have a curiosity to see the 
 
 " My good lord speaks harshly. The boy, whom I love as 
 a son, cannot be what you call him." 
 
 The noble laughed. " Take it not ill, Chalcan. So much 
 do I honor the hand that slew the base Tezcucan that I care
 
 184 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 not whether it was in fair fight or by vantage taken. But 
 what do you know about the king being accuser to-day 1 " 
 
 " So he told the boy." 
 
 "Incredible!" 
 
 " I will not quarrel with my lord on that account," re- 
 joined the broker. " A more generous master than Montezu- 
 ma never lived. Are not the people always complaining of 
 his liberality ? At the last banquet, for inventing a simple 
 drink, did he not give me, his humblest slave, a goblet fit 
 for another ting 1 " 
 
 "And what is your drink, though ever so excellent, to the 
 saving his life 1 Is not that your argument, Chalcan 1 " 
 
 " Yes, my lord, and at such peril ! Ah, you should have 
 seen the ocelot when taken from the tank ! The keepers 
 told me it was the largest and fiercest in the museum." 
 
 Then Xoli proceeded to edify his noble audience with all 
 the gossip pertaining to the adventure ; and as his object was 
 to take into court some friends for the luckless hunter more 
 influential than himself, he succeeded admirably. Every few 
 steps there were such expressions as, "It would be pitiful 
 if so brave a fellow should die ! " " If I were king, by the 
 Sun, I would enrich him from the possessions of the Tezcu- 
 tan ! " And as they showed no disposition to interrupt him, 
 his pleading lasted to the house of justice, where the com- 
 pany arrived not any too soon to procure comfortable seats. , 
 
 The court-house stood at the left of the street, a little re- 
 tired from the regular line of buildings. The visitors had 
 first to pass through a spacious hall, which brought them to 
 a court-yard cemented under foot, and on all sides bounded 
 with beautiful houses. Then, on the right, they saw the en- 
 trance to the chamber of justice, grotesquely called the Tri- 
 bunal of God,* in which, for ages, had been administered a 
 code, vindictive, but not without equity. The great dooi 
 
 Prescott, Conq. of Mexico, VoL I. p. 33.
 
 THE TRIAL. 185 
 
 tras richly carved ; the windows high and broad, and lined 
 with fluted marble ; while a projecting cornice, tastefully fin- 
 ished, gave airiness and beauty to the venerable structure. 
 
 The party entered the room with profoundest reverence. 
 On a dais sat the judge ; in front of him was the stool bear- 
 ing the skull with the emerald crown and gay plumes. Turn-; 
 ing from the plain tapestry along the walls, the spectators 
 failed not to admire the jewels that blazed with almost starry 
 splendor from the centre of the canopy above him. . 
 
 The broker, not being of the class of privileged noblea, 
 found a seat with difficulty. To his comfort, however, he 
 was placed by the side of an acquaintance. 
 
 " You should have come earlier, Chalcan ; the judge has 
 twice used the arrow this morning." 
 
 " Indeed ! " 
 
 " Once against a boy too much given to pulque, a drunk- 
 ard. With the other doubtless you were acquainted." 
 
 " "Was he noble 1 " 
 
 " He had good blood, at least, being the son of a Tetzmel- 
 locan, who died immensely rich. The witnesses said the 
 fellow squandered his father's estate almost as soon as it came 
 to him." 
 
 " Better had he been born a thief," * said Xoli, coolly. 
 
 Suddenly, four heralds, with silver maces, entered the 
 court-room, announcing the monarch. The people fell upon- 
 their knees, and so remained until he was seated before the 
 dais. Then they arose, and, with staring eyes, devoured the 
 beauty of his costume, and the mysterious sanction of man- 
 ner, office, power, and custom, which the lovers of royalty 
 throughout the world have delighted to sum up in the one 
 word, majesty. The hum of voices filled the chamber.' 
 Then, by another door, in charge of officers, Hualpa ap- 
 
 * A thief might be punished with slavery : death was the penalty for 
 rodigalism and drunkenness.
 
 186 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 peared, and was led to the dais opposite the king. Before 
 an Aztecan court there was no ceremony. The highest and 
 the lowliest stood upon a level : such, at least, was the beau- 
 tiful theory. 
 
 So intense was the curiosity to see the prisoner that the 
 spectators pressed upon each other, for the moment mindless 
 of the monarch's presence. 
 
 " A handsome fellow ! " said an old cacique, approvingly. 
 
 " Only a boy, my lord ! " suggested the critic. 
 
 " And not fierce-looking, either." 
 
 "Yes " :;, 
 
 No _ 
 
 . "He might kill, but in fair fight : so I judge him." 
 
 And that became the opinion amongst the nobles. 
 
 " Your friend seems confident, Xoli. I like him," re- 
 marked the Chalcan's acquaintance. 
 
 " Hush ! The king accuses." 
 
 " The king, said you ! " And the good man, representing 
 the commonalty, was frozen into silence. 
 
 In another quarter, one asked, " Does he not wear the 
 'tzin's livery ] " 
 
 The person interrogated covered his mouth with both 
 hands, then drew to the other's ear, and whispered, 
 
 " Yes, he 's a 'tzin's man, and that, they say, is his 
 crime." 
 
 The sharp voice of the executive officer of the court rang 
 out, and there was stillness almost breathless. Up rose the 
 clerk, a learned man, keeper of the records, and read the in- 
 dictment ; that done, he laid the portrait of the accused on 
 the table before the judge ; then the trial began. 
 
 The judge, playing carelessly with the fatal arrow, said, 
 " Hualpa, son of Tepaja, the Tihuancan, stand up, and an- 
 swer." 
 
 And the prisoner arose, and saluted court and king, and
 
 THE TRIAL. 187 
 
 answered, "It is true, that on the night of the banquet, I 
 fought the Tezcucan ; by favor of the gods, I defeated, with- 
 out slaying him. He is here in person to acquit me." 
 
 " Bring the witness," said the judge. 
 
 Some of the officers retired ; during their absence a sol- 
 emn hush prevailed ; directly they returned, carrying a palan- 
 quin. Eight before the dais they set it down, and drew 
 aside the curtains. Then slowly the Tezcucan came forth, 
 weak, but unconquered. At the judge he looked, and at the 
 king, and all the fire of his haughty soul burned in the glance. 
 Borrowing strength from his pride, he raised his head high 
 and said, scornfully, 
 
 " The power of my father's friend is exceeding great ; h* 
 speaks, and all things obey him. I am sick and suffering ; 
 but he bade me come, and I am here. What new shame 
 awaits me 1 " 
 
 Montezuma answered, never more a king than then : 
 
 Hualpill -was wise ; his son is foolish ; for the memory of 
 the one I spare the other. The keeper of this sacred place 
 will answer why you are brought here. Look that he par- 
 dons you lightly as I have." 
 
 Then the judge said, " Prince of Tezcuco, you are here by 
 my order. There stands one charged with your murder. 
 Would you have had him suffer the penalty? You have 
 dared be insolent. See, prince, that before to-morrow you 
 pay the treasurer ten thousand quills of gold. See to it." 
 And, returning the portrait to the clerk, he added, " Let the 
 accused go acquit." 
 
 " Ah ! said I not so, said I not so 1 " muttered the Chalcan, 
 rubbing his hands joyfully, and disturbing the attentive peo- 
 ple about him. 
 
 " Hist, hist ! " they said, impatiently. " What more 
 hearken ! " 
 
 Hualpa was kneeling before the monarch.
 
 188 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Most mighty king," he said, " if what I have done be 
 worthy reward, grant me the discharge of this fine." 
 
 " How ! " said Montezuma, amazed. " The Tezcucan is 
 your enemy ! " 
 
 " Yet he fought me fairly, and is a warrior." 
 
 The eyes of the king sought those of Iztlil'. 
 
 " What says the son of 'Hualpilli ?" 
 
 The latter raised his head with a flash of the old pride. . 
 * He is a slave of Guatamozin's : I scorn the intercession. 
 I am yet a prince of Tezcuco." 
 
 Then the monarch went forward, and sat by the judge. 
 Not a sound was heard, till he spoke. 
 
 " Arise, and come near," he said to Hualpa. " I will do 
 what becomes me." 
 
 His voice was low and tremulous with feeling, and over 
 his face came the peculiar suffusion of sadness afterwards its 
 habitual expression. The hunter kissed the floor at his feet, 
 and remained kneeling. Then he continued, 
 
 " Son of the Tihuancan, I acknowledge I owe my life to 
 you, and I call all to hear the acknowledgment. If the peo- 
 ple have thought this prosecution part of my gratitude, if 
 they have marvelled at my appearing as your accuser, much 
 have they wronged me. I thought of reward higher than 
 they could have asked for you ; but I also thought to try 
 you. A slave is not fit to be a chief, nor is every chief fit 
 to be a king. I thought to try you : I am satisfied. When 
 your fame goes abroad, as it will ; when the minstrels sing 
 your valor ; when Tenochtitlan talks of the merchant's son, 
 who, in the garden, slew the tiger, and saved the life of 
 Montezuma, let them also tell how Montezuma rewarded 
 him ; let them say I made him noble." 
 
 Thereupon he arose, and transferred the panache from 
 his head to Hualpa's. Those close by looked at the gift, 
 and saw, for the first time, that it was not the crown.
 
 THE TRIAL. 189 
 
 but the crest of a chief or cacique. Then they knew 
 that the trial was merely to make more public the honors 
 designed. 
 
 " Let them say further," he continued, " that with my owr} 
 hand I made him a warrior of the highest grade." And, bend- 
 ing over the adventurer, he clasped around his neck the col- 
 lar of the supreme military order of the realm.* " Nor ia 
 that all Eank, without competence, is a vexation and 
 shame. At the foot of Chapultepec, on the shore of the 
 lake, lie an estate and a palace of which I have been 
 proud. Let it be said, finally, that I gave them to enrich 
 him and his forever." He paused, and turned coldly to 
 the Tezcucan. "But as to the son of 'Hualpilli, his fine 
 must stand ; such pride must be punished. He shall pay 
 the gold, or forfeit his province." Then, outstretching 
 toward the audience both his arms, he said, so as to be 
 heard throughout the chamber, " Now, O my children, 
 justice has been done 1 " 
 
 The words were simple ; but the manner, royal as a king's 
 and patriarchal as a pontiff's, brought every listener to his 
 knees. 
 
 " Stand up, my lord Hualpa ! Take your place in my 
 train. I will return to the palace." 
 
 With that he passed out. 
 
 And soon there was but one person remaining, IztliF, the 
 Tezcucan. Brought from Tlacopan by officers of the court, 
 too weak to walk, without slaves to help him, at sight of the 
 deserted hall his countenance became haggard, the light in 
 his hollow eyes came and went, and his broad breast heaved 
 passionately ; in that long, slow look he measured the depth 
 of his fall. 
 
 * The authorities touching the military orders of the Aztecs are full and 
 complete. Prescott, Conq. of Mexico, Vol. I. p. 45 ; Acosta, Book VI. 
 h. 26 ; Kendoza's Collec. Antiq. of Mexico, Vol. I, pi. 65.
 
 190 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Tezcuco, Tezcuco, city of my fathers ! " he cried aloud. 
 " This is the last wrong to the last of thy race of kings." 
 
 A little after he was upon a bench exhausted, hj* head 
 covered by his mantle. Then a hand was laid uyon his 
 shoulder ; he looked up and saw Hualpa. 
 
 " How now ! Has the base-born come to enjo^ his tri- 
 umph? I cannot strike. Laugh and revile me; but re- 
 member, mine is the blood of kings. The gods l^ved my 
 father, and will not abandon his son. In their names I curse 
 you ! " 
 
 " Tezcucan, you are proud to foolishness," said the hunter, 
 ealmly. " I came to serve you. Within an hour I have be- 
 come master of slaves " 
 
 " And were yourself a slave ! " 
 
 " Well, I won my freedom ; I slew a beast and conquered 
 a But, prince, my slaves are at the door. Command thorn 
 to Tlacopan." 
 
 " Play courtier to those who have influence ; lean your 
 ambition upon one who can advance it. I am undone." 
 
 " I am not a courtier. The service I offer you springs 
 from a warrior's motive. I propose it, not to a man of 
 power, but to a prince whose courage is superior to his 
 fortune." 
 
 For a moment the Tezcucan studied the glowing face; 
 then his brows relaxed, and, sighing like a woman, and like 
 a woman overcome by the unexpected gentleness, he bowed 
 his head, and covered his face with his hands, that he might 
 not be accused of tears. 
 
 "Let me call the slaves, O prince," said Hualpa. 
 
 Thrice he clapped his hands, whereat four tattooed tamanes 
 stalked into the chamber with a palanquin. Iztlil' took seat 
 in the carriage, and was being borne away, when he called 
 the hunter. 
 
 " A word," he said, in a voice from which all passion was
 
 THE TRIAL. l91 
 
 gone. " Though my enemy, you have been generous, and re- 
 membered my misfortunes when all others forsook me. Take 
 with you this mark. I do not ask you to wear it, for the 
 time is nearly come when the son of 'Hualpilli will be pro- 
 scribed throughout the valley ; but keep it in witness that I, 
 the son of a king, acknowledged your right and fitness to be 
 a noble. Farewell." 
 
 Hualpa could not refuse a present so delicately given ; ex 
 tending his hand, he received a bracelet of gold, set with an 
 Aztec diamond of immense value. He clasped it upon his 
 arm, and followed the carriage into the street.
 
 BOOK FOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE KING GIVES A TRUST TO HUALPA. 
 
 A NT) now was come the time of all the year most pleas- 
 jL\. ant, the time when the maguey was greenest, when 
 the cacti burst into flowers, and in every field women and 
 children, with the strong men, went to pluck the ripened 
 maize. Of the summer, only the wealth and beauty remained. 
 The Goddess of Abundance divided the worship which, at 
 other seasons, was mostly given to HuitziT and Tezca' ; * in 
 her temples the days were all of prayer, hymning, and 
 priestly ceremony. No other towers sent up such columns of 
 the blue smoke so grateful to the dwellers in the Sun ; in no 
 other places were there such incessant burning of censers, 
 presentation of gifts, and sacrifice of -victims. Throughout 
 the valley the people carolled those songs the sweetest and 
 most millennial of men, the songs of harvest, peace, and 
 plenty. 
 
 I have before said that Tezcuco, the lake, was the especial 
 pride of the Aztecs. When the sky was clear, and the air 
 tranquil, it was very beautiful ; but when the king, with his 
 court, all in state, set out for the hunting-grounds on the 
 northern shore, its beauty rose to splendor. By his invita- 
 tion great numbers of citizens, in style suited to the honor, 
 
 * Tezcatlipoca, a god next in rank to the Supreme Being. Supposed 
 reator of the world.
 
 THE KING GIVES A TRUST TO HUALPA. 193 
 
 joined their canoes to the flotilla composing the retinue. 
 And let it not be forgotten that the Aztec loved his canoe as 
 in Christendom the good knight loves his steed, and deco- 
 rated it with all he knew of art. ; that its prow, rising high 
 above tho water, and touched by the master sculptors, was 
 dressed in garlands and fantastic symbols ; that its light and 
 shapely canopy, elegantly trimmed within, was shaded by 
 curtains, and surmounted by trailing streamers ; and that the 
 slaves, four, six, and sometimes twelve in number, dipped/ 
 and drew their flashing paddles in faultless time, and shone 
 afar brilliant in livery. So, when the multitude of vessels 
 cleared the city walls, and with music and songs dashed into 
 the open lake, the very water seemed to dance and quiver 
 with a sensuous pleasure. 
 
 In such style did Montezuma one pleasant morning leave 
 his capital. Calm was the lake, and so clear that the reflec- 
 tion of the sky above seemed a bed of blue below. There 
 were music, and shouts, and merry songs, and from the city 
 the cheers and plaudits of the thousands who, from the 
 walls and housetops, witnessed the pageant. And his canoe 
 was the soul of the pomp, and he had with him his favorite 
 minstrel and jester, and Maxtla ; yet there was something 
 on his mind that made him indifferent to the scene and pro- 
 spective sport. Some distance out, by his direction, the 
 slaves so manoeuvred that all the flotilla passed him ; then 
 he said to Maxtla, " The will lias left me. I will not huntt 
 lo-dy ; yet the pastime must go on ; a recall now were 
 unkingly. Look out for a way to follow the train, while I 
 return," 
 
 The chief arose, and swept the lake with a bright glance. 
 u Yonder is a chinampa ; I can take its master's canoe." 
 
 " Do so. Give this ring to the lord Cuitlahua, and tell 
 him to conduct the hunt." 
 
 And soon Mnxtla was hurrying to the north with the sig<
 
 J94 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 net, while the monarch was speeding more swiftly to the 
 outh. 
 
 " For Iztapalapan," said the latter to his slaves. " Take 
 me there before the lords reach the hunting-grounds, and you 
 *hall have a feast to-night." 
 
 They bent to the paddles, and rested not until he saw the 
 white houses of the ity, built far into the lake in imitation 
 t>f the capita?. 
 
 " Not to the town, but the palace of Guatamozin," he then 
 said. " Speed ! the sun is rising high." 
 
 Arrived at the landing, Montezunia set forward alone to the 
 palace. The path led into a grove of cedar and wild orange- 
 trees, interspersed with ceibas, the true kings of the forests 
 of New Mexico. The air was sweet with perfume ; birds 
 Bang to each other from the coverts ; the adjacent cascades 
 played their steady, muffled music ; and altogether morning 
 on the lake was less beautiful than morning in the tzin's 
 garden. In the multitude of walks he became bewildered ; 
 but, as he was pleased by all he beheld, he walked on with- 
 out consulting the sun. At length, guided by the sound of 
 voices, he came to the arena for martial games ; and there ha 
 found Hualpa and Io' practising with the bow. 
 
 He had been wont to regard Io' as a child, unripe for 
 any but childish amusements, and hardly to be trusted alone. 
 Absorbed in his business of governing, he had not observed 
 how increase of years brought the boy strength, stature, and 
 corresponding tastes. Now he was admonished of his neglect : 
 the stripling should have been familiarized with bow, sling, 
 and maquahuitl ; men ought to have been given him for 
 comrades ; the warrior's school, even the actual field, had 
 been better for him than the nursery. An idea of ambition 
 also occurred to the monarch. When he himself was gathered 
 to his fathers, who was to succeed him on the throne! 
 Cuitlahua, Cacama, the lord of Tlacopanl Why not Io'
 
 THE KING GIVES A TRUST TO HUALPA. 195 
 
 Meanwhile the two diligently pursued their sport. At 
 the moment the king came upon them, Hualpa was giving 
 Borne directions as to the mode of holding the brave weapon. 
 The boy listened eagerly, a sign that pleased the observer, 
 for nothing is so easy as to flatter the hope of a dreamy 
 heart. Observing them further, he saw Io' take the stand, 
 draw the arrow quite to the head, and strike the target. At 
 the second trial, he pierced the centre. Hualpa embraced 
 the scholar joyously ; and thereupon the king warmed to- 
 ward the warrior, and tears blinded his eyes. Advancing 
 into the arena, the clanging of his golden sandals announced 
 his presence. 
 
 And they knelt and kissed the earth. 
 " Stand up ! " he said, with the smile which gave his coun- 
 tenance a womanly beauty. And to Hualpa he added, " I 
 thought your palace by Chapultepec would be more attrac- 
 tive than the practice of arms; more credit should have 
 been given the habits of a hunter. I was right to make 
 you noble. But what can you make of Io' 1 " 
 
 " If you will give the time, king, I can make him of 
 excellent skill." 
 
 " And what says the son of Tecalco t n 
 Io' knelt again, saying, " I have a pardon to ask " 
 " A pardon ! For wishing to be a warrior ? " 
 " If the king will hear me, I have heard you say that in 
 your youth you divided your days between the camp and 
 the temples, learning at the same time the duties of the 
 priest and the warrior. That I may be able some day to 
 serve you, king, I have stolen away from Tenochtitlan * 
 Montezuma laid his hand tenderly on the boy's head, and 
 said, " No more. I know all you would say, and will ask 
 the great Huitzil' to give you strength and courage. Take 
 my permission to be a warrior. Arise, now, and give me 
 the bow. It is long since I pulled the cord, and my hand
 
 J96 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 inay have weakened, and my eyes become dim ; but I chal- 
 lenge you both ! I have a shield wrought of pearl and gold, 
 unfit for the field, yet beautiful as a prize of skill. "Who 
 7)lants an arrow nearest yon target's heart, his the shield 
 shall be." 
 
 The challenge was accepted, and after preparation, the 
 monarch dropped his mantle, and took the stand. He drew 
 the shaft to his ear with a careless show of skill; and when 
 it quivered in the target about a palm's breadth below tha 
 mark, he said, laughing, " I am at least within the line of 
 the good bowman. A Tlascalan would not have escaped 
 scarless." 
 
 Io' next took the bow, and was so fortunate as to hit the 
 lower edge of the heart squarely above the king's bolt. 
 
 " Mine is the shield, mine is the shield ! " he cried, exult- 
 antly. " that a minstrel were here ! I would have a 
 *.mg, my first song ! " 
 
 " Very proud ! " said the king, good-humoredly. " Know 
 you, boy, the warrior counts his captives only when the bat- 
 tlo is ended. Here, lord Hualpa, the boaster should be 
 beaten. Prove your quality. To you there may be more 
 in tnis trial than a song or a golden shield." 
 
 Ths hunter took the vacant place ; his arrow whistled 
 away, and the report came back from the target. By a happy 
 accident, if such it were, the copper point was planted ex- 
 actly in the middle of the space between the other two. 
 
 More joyous than before arose the cry of Io', " I have 
 beaten a king and a warrior ! Mine ''s the shield, mine is 
 the shield ! " 
 
 And the king, listening, said to himself, " I remember my 
 rwn youth, and its earliest victory, and how I passed from 
 successes at first the most trifling. Ah ! who but HuitziT, 
 father of all the gods, can tell the endl Blessed the da;
 
 THE KING GIVES A TRtfST TO HUALPA. T97 
 
 when I can set before him the prospect of a throne ^instead 
 of a shield ! " 
 
 The target was brought him, and he measured the dis- 
 tance of each arrow from the centre ; and when he saw how 
 exactly Hualpa's was planted between the others, his subtile 
 mind detected the purpose and the generosity. 
 
 " The victory is yours, my son, and so is the shield," 
 he said, slowly and thoughtfully. "But ah ! were it given 
 you to look with eyes like mine, with eyes sharpened by 
 age for the discovery of blessings, your rejoicing would be 
 over a friend found, whose love is proof against vanity and 
 the hope of reward." 
 
 Hualpa understood him, and was proud. What was the 
 prize lost to Montezuma gained ] 
 
 " It grows late ; my time is sacred," said the king. 
 " Lord Hualpa, stay and guide me to the palace. And 
 Io', be you my courier to the 'tzin. Go before, and tell him 
 I am coming." 
 
 The boy ran ahead, and as they leisurely followed him, 
 the monarch relapsed into melancholy. In the shade of a 
 ceiba tree he stopped, and said, " There is a service you 
 might do me, that lies nearer my heart than any other." 
 
 " The will of the great king is mine," Hualpa replied, with 
 a low reverence. 
 
 " When I am old," pursued Montezuma, " when the things 
 of earth begin to recede from me, it would be pleasant to 
 have a son worthy to lift the Empire from my shoulders. 
 While I am going up the steps of the temple, a seeker of the 
 holy peace that lies in worship and prayer, the government 
 would not then be a care to disturb me. But I am sensible 
 that no one could thus relieve me unless he had the strong 
 iiand of a warrior, and was fearless except of the gods. Io' 
 is my only hope. From you he first caught the desire of 
 greatness, and you can make him great. Take him as a
 
 198 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 comrade ; love him as a brother ; teach him the elements of 
 war, to wield spear and maquahuitl ; to bear shield, to 
 command, and to be brave and generous. Show him the 
 ways of ambition. Above all," as he spoke he raised his 
 head and hand, and looked the impersonation of his idea, 
 " above all, let him know that a king may find his glory as 
 much in the love of his people as in his power. Am I 
 understood 1 " 
 
 Hualpa did not look up, but said, "Am I worthy! I 
 have the skill of hand ; but have I the learning 1 " 
 
 "To make him learned belongs to the priests. I only 
 asked you to make him a warrior." 
 
 " Does not that belong to the gods 1 " 
 
 " No : he derives nothing from them but the soul. They 
 will not teach him to launch the arrow." 
 
 " Then I accept the charge. Shall he go with me 1 " 
 
 " Always, even to battle." 
 
 mighty king ! was the shadow of the coming fate upon 
 thy spirit then ? 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 THE KING AND THE 
 
 HE visit was unexpected to Guatunozin, and its object 
 _L a mystery ; but he thought only of paying the guest 
 meet honor and respect, for he was still the great king. And 
 80, bareheaded and unanneo^ he went forth, and meeting 
 him in the garden, knelt, and saluted him after the manner 
 !>f the court. 
 
 " I am glad to say the word of welcoma to my father's 
 brother. Know, king, that my house, my garden, and all 
 fou behold are yours."
 
 THE KING AND THE 'TZItf. 199 
 
 Hualpa left them ; then Montezuma replied, the sadness 
 of his voice softening the austerity of his manner, 
 
 " I have loved you well, Guatamozin. Very good it was 
 to mark you come up from boyhood, and day by day grow 
 in strength and thought. I never knew one so rich in 
 promise. Ours is a proud race, and you seemed to have all its 
 genius. From the beginning you were thoughtful and provi- 
 dent ; in the field there was always a victory for you, and in 
 council your words were the soul of policy. 0, ill was the 
 day evil came between us, and suspicion shattered the love 
 I bore you! Arise! I have not crossed the lake for ex- 
 planations ; there is that to speak of more important to us 
 both." 
 
 The 'tzin arose, and looked into the monarch's face, his 
 own suffused with grief. 
 
 " I* not a king punished for the wrong he doee 1 " 
 
 Montezuma's brows lowered, chilling the fixed look which 
 was his only answer ; and the 'tzin spoke on. 
 
 "I cannot accuse you directly; but this I will say, 
 king : a just man, and a brave, never condemns another upon 
 suspicion." 
 
 The monarch's eyes blazed with sudden fire, and from his 
 maxtlatl he drew a knife. The 'tzin moved not ; the armed 
 hand stopped ; an instant each met the other's gaze, then the 
 weapon was flung away. 
 
 "I am a child," said the king, vexed and ashamed: 
 " When I came here I did not think of the past, I thought 
 only of the Empire ; but trouble has devoured my strength 
 of purpose, until my power mocks me, and, most miserable 
 of men, I yearn to fly from myself, without knowing where 
 to find relief. A vague impulse whence derived, except 
 from intolerable suffering of mind, I know not brought 
 me to you. 'tzin, silent be the differences that separate 
 us. Yours I know to be a tongue of undented truth ; and
 
 200 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 if not for me now, for our country, and the renown of our 
 fathers, I believe you will speak." 
 
 The shame, the grief, and the self-accusation moved the 
 'tzin more than the deadly menace. 
 
 " Set my feet, king ! set my feet in the way to serve or 
 save my country, and I will tread it, though every step be 
 BO wn with the terrors of Mictlan." 
 
 " I did not misjudge you, my son," the king said, when 
 he had again perfectly mastered his feelings. 
 
 And Guatamozin, yet more softened, would have given 
 him all the old love, but that Tula, contracted to the Tez- 
 cucan, rose to memory. Checking the impulse, he regarded 
 the unhappy monarch sorrowfully. 
 
 And the latter, glancing up at the sun, said, 
 
 " It is getting late. I left the train going to the hunting- 
 grounds. By noon they will return, and I wish to be at the 
 city before them. My canoe lies at the landing ; walk there 
 with me, and on the way I will speak of the purpose of my 
 visit." 
 
 Their steps as they went were slow, and their faces down- 
 cast and solemn. The king was first to speak. 
 
 " As the time requires, I have held many councils, and 
 taken the voice of priest, warrior, and merchant ; and they 
 agree in nothing but their confusion and fear." 
 
 " The king forgets, I have been barred his councils, and 
 know not what they considered." 
 
 " True, true ; yet there is but one topic in all Anahuac, 
 in the Empire. Of that, the tamanes talk gravely as their 
 masters ; only one class asks, ' Who are the white men making 
 all this trouble ? ' while the other argues, ' They are here 
 khey are gods. What are we to do 1 ' " 
 
 "And what say the councils, O king? " 
 
 " It could not be that all would speak as one man. Of 
 different castes, they are differently moved. The pabaa
 
 THE KING AND THE 'TZIN. 201 
 
 believe the Sun has sent us some godly warriors, whom 
 nothing earthly can subdue. They advise patience, friend- 
 ship, and peace. 'The eye of Huitzil' is on them, num- 
 bering their marches. In the shade of the great temple 
 he awaits, and there he will consume them with a breath/ 
 so say the paba*. The warriors are dumb, or else bor- 
 row and reassert the opinions of the holy men. 'Give 
 *hem gold, if they will depart ; if not that, give them 
 ( leace, and leave the issue to the gods,' so they say. 
 Cuitlahua says war ; so does Cacama. The merchants 
 and the people have no opinion, nothing but fear. For 
 myself, yesterday I was for war, to-day I am for peace. "So 
 far I have chosen to act upon the advice of the pabas. I 
 have sent the strangers many presents and friendly messages, 
 and kept ambassadors in their camp ; but while preserving 
 such relations, I have continually forbade their coming to 
 Tenochtitlan. They seem bolder than men. "Who but 
 they would have undertaken the march from Ompoalla 1 
 What tribes or people could have conquered Tlascala, as they 
 have ? You have heard of their battles. Did they not in a 
 day what we have failed to do in a hundred years ? "With 
 Tlascala for ally, they have set my word at naught, and, 
 whether they be of the sun or the earth, they are now 
 marching upon Cholula, most sacred city of the gods. And 
 from Cholula there is but one more march. Already from 
 the mountains they have looked wistfully down on our valley 
 of gardens, upon Tenochtitlan. 'tzin, 'tzin, can we forget 
 the prophecy ? " 
 
 " Shall I say what I think? Will the king hear me?" 
 asked Guatamozin. 
 , " For that I came. Speak ! " 
 
 " I obey gladly. The opportunity is dearer to me than 
 any honor. And, speaking, 1 will remember of what rac 
 I am."
 
 202 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Speak as if you were king." 
 
 " Then I condemn your policy." 
 
 The monarch's face remained placid. If the bluff words 
 wounded him, he dissembled consummately. 
 
 " It was not well to go so often to the temple," Guata- 
 mozin continued. " Huitzil' is not there ; the pabas have 
 only his name, his image and altar ; your breast is Iris true 
 temple; there ought you to find him. Yesterday, you 
 say, you were for war ; the god was with you then : to-day 
 you are for peace; the god has abandoned you. I know 
 not in what words the lords Cuitlahua and Cacama urged 
 their counsel, nor on what grounds By the Sun ! theirs is 
 the only policy that comports with the fame of a ruler of 
 Aztecs. Why speak of any other 1 For me, I would seek 
 the strangers in battle and die, sooner than a minstrel should 
 sing, or tradition tell, how Guatamozin, overcome by fear, 
 dwelt in their camp praying peace as the beggar prays for 
 bread." 
 
 Literally, Guatamozin was speaking like a king. 
 
 " I have heard your pearl-divers say," he continued, " that 
 they never venture into a strange sea without dread. Like tliQ 
 new sea to them, this subject has been to your people ; but how- 
 ever the declaration may strike your ears, O king, I have sound- 
 ed all its depths. While your priests were asking questions of 
 speechless hearts ; while your lords were nursing their love 
 of ease in the shade and perfume of your palace ; while your 
 warriors, forgetful of their glory, indulged the fancy that the 
 new enemy were gods ; while Montezuma was watching stars, 
 and studying omens, and listening to oracles which the gods 
 know not, hoping for wisdom to be found nowhere as cer- 
 tainly as in his own royal instincts, face to face with the 
 strangers, in their very camp, I studied them, their cus- 
 toms, language, and nature. Take heart, king! Gods, 
 indeed ! Why, like men, I have seen them hunger and thirst;
 
 THE KING AND THE 'TZIN. 203 
 
 like men, heard them complain ; on the other hand, like 
 men, I have seen them feed and drink to surfeit, and heard 
 tKem sing from gladness. What means their love of gold ? 
 If they come from the Sun, where the dwellings of the gods, 
 and the hills they are "built on, are all of gold, why should 
 they be seeking it here ? Nor is that alL I listened to 
 the interpreter, through whom their leader explained his 
 religion, and they are worshippers, like us, only they adore a 
 woman, instead of a great, heroic god " 
 
 " A woman ! " exclaimed the king. 
 
 " Xay, the argument is that they worship at all Gods do 
 not adore each other ! " 
 
 They had now walked some distance, and so absorbed had 
 Montezuma been that he had not observed the direction 
 they were pursuing. Emerging suddenly from a cypress- 
 grove, he was surprised to find the path terminate in a small 
 lake, which, at any other time, would have excited his ad- 
 miration. Tall trees, draped to their topmost boughs in lux- 
 uriant vines, encircled the little expanse of water, and in its 
 midst there was an island, crowned with a kiosk or sum- 
 mer-house, and covered with orange shrubs and tapering 
 palms. 
 
 " Bear with me, king," said Guatamozin, observing his 
 wonder. "I brought you here that you may be abso- 
 lutely convinced of the nature of our enemies. On that 
 island I have an argument stronger than the vagaries of 
 pabas or the fancies of warriors, a visible argument." 
 
 He stepped into a canoe lying at the foot of the path, and, 
 with a sweep of the paddle, drove across to the island. 
 Remaining there, he pushed the vessel back. 
 
 " Come over, king, come over, and see." 
 
 Montezuma followed boldly, and was led to the kiosk. 
 The retreat was not one of frequent resort. Several times 
 they were stopped by vines grown across the path. In-
 
 204 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 side the house, the visitor had no leisure for observation ; 
 he was at once arrested by an object that filled him with 
 horror. On a table was a human head. Squarely severed 
 from the body, it stood upright on the base of the neck, 
 looking, with its ghastly, white face, directly toward the en- 
 trance. The features were swollen and ferocious ; the black 
 brows locked in a frown, with which, as was plainly to 
 "be seen, nature had as much to do as death ; the hair was 
 short, and on the crown almost worn away ; heavy, matted 
 beard covered the cheeks and chin ; finally, other means of 
 identification being wanted, the coarse, upturned mustache 
 would have betrayed the Spaniard. Montezuma surveyed 
 the head for some time ; at length, mastering his deep loath- 
 ing, he advanced to the table. 
 
 " A tenle ! " he said, in a low voice. 
 
 " A man, only a man ! " exclaimed Guatamozin, so 
 sternly that the monarch shrank as if the blue lips of the 
 dead had spoken to Mm. " Ask yourself, king, Do the 
 gods die 1 " 
 
 Montezuma smiled, either at his own alarm or at the 
 ghastly argument. 
 
 " Whence came the trophy ? " he asked. 
 
 " Have you not heard of the battle of Nauhtlan ? " 
 
 " Surely ; but teU it again." 
 
 " When the strangers marched to Tlascala," the 'tzin be- 
 gan, " their chief left a garrison behind him in the town he 
 founded. I was then on the coast. To convince the people, 
 and particularly the army, that they were men, I determined 
 to attack them. An opportunity soon occurred. Your tax- 
 gatherers happening to visit Nauhtlan, the township re- 
 volted, and claimed protection of the garrison, who marched 
 to their relief. At my instance, the caciques drew their 
 bands together, and we set upon the enemy. The Totona- 
 ques fled at our first war-cry ; but the strangers welcomed us
 
 THE KING AND THE 'TZIN. 205 
 
 with a new kind of war. They were few in number, but 
 the thunder seemed theirs, and they hailed great stones 
 upon us, and after a while came against us upon their fierce 
 animals. When my warriors saw them come leaping on, 
 they fled. All was lost. I had but one thought more, a 
 captive taken might save the Empire. I ran where the 
 strangers clove their bloody way. This " and he pointed 
 to the head " was the chief, and I met him in the rout, 
 raging like a tiger in a herd of deer. He was bold and 
 strong, and, shouting his battle-cry, he rushed upon me. 
 His spear went through my shield. I wrenched it from him, 
 and slew the beast ; then I dragged him away, intending to 
 bring him alive to Tenochtitlan ; but he slew himself. So 
 look again ! What likeness is there in that to a god ? O 
 king, I ask you, did ever its sightless eyes see the glories of 
 the Sun, or its rotting lips sing a song in heaven? Is 
 HuitziT or Tezca' made of such stuff?" 
 
 The monarch, turning away, kid his hand familiarly on 
 the 'tzin's arm, and said, 
 
 " Come, I am content. Let us go." 
 
 And they started for the landing. 
 
 " The strangers, as I have said, my son, are marching to 
 Cholula. And Malinche so their chief is called now 
 says he is coming to Tenochtitlan." 
 
 " To Tenochtitlan ! In its honored name, in the name of 
 its kings and gods, I protest against his coming ! " 
 
 " Too late, too late ! " replied Montezuma, his face work- 
 ing as though a pang were at his heart. " I have invited 
 him to come." 
 
 ; " Alas, alas ! " cried Guatamozin, solemnly. " The day he 
 enters the capital will be the commencement of the woe, if 
 it has not already commenced. The many victories will 
 have been in vain. The provinces will drop away, like 
 threaded pearls when the string is broken. O king, better
 
 206 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 had you buried your crown, better for your people, better 
 for your own glory ! " 
 
 " Your words are bitter," said the monarch, gloomily. 
 
 " I speak from the fulness of a heart darkened by a vision 
 of Anahuac blasted, and her glory gone," returned the 'tzin. 
 Then in a lament, vivid with poetic coloring, he set forth a 
 picture of the national ruin, the armies overthrown, the 
 city wasted, the old religion supplanted by a new. At the 
 shore where the canoe was waiting, Montezuma stopped, and 
 said, 
 
 " You have spoken boldly, and I have listened patiently. 
 One thing more : What does Guatamozin say the king should 
 do?" 
 
 "It is not enough for the servant to know his own place ; 
 he should know his master's also. I say not what the 
 king should do, but I will say what I would do if I were 
 king." 
 
 Rising from the obeisance with which he accompanied the 
 words, he said, boldly, 
 
 " Cholula should be the grave of the invaders. The whole 
 population should strike them in the narrow streets where 
 they can be best assailed. Shut up in some square or temple, 
 hunger will fight them for us, and win. But I would not 
 trust the citizens alone. In sight of the temples, so close that 
 a conch could summon them to the attack, I would encamp 
 a hundred thousand warriors. Better the desolation of 
 Cholula than Tenochtitlan. If all things else failed, I would 
 take to the last resort ; I would call in the waters of Tezcuco 
 and drown the city to the highest azoteas. So would I, 
 king, if the crown and signet were mine." 
 
 Montezuma looked from the speaker to the lake. 
 
 " The project is bold," he said, musingly ; " but if it 
 foiled, my son 1 " 
 
 " The failure should be but the beginning of the war."
 
 LOVE ON THE LAKE. 207 
 
 " What -would the nations say ? " 
 
 " They would say, ' Montezuma is still the great king.' If 
 they do not that " 
 
 " What then 1 " 
 
 " Call on the teotuctli. The gods can be made speak what 
 ever your policy demands." 
 
 " Does my son blaspheme ? " said Montezuma, angrily. 
 
 " 2x"ay, I but spoke of what has happened. Long rule the 
 good god of our fathers ! " 
 
 Yet the monarch was not satisfied. Never before had dis- 
 course been addressed to him in strain so bold. 
 
 " They see all things, even our hearts," he said, turning 
 coldly away. " Farewell. A courier will come for you whsn 
 your presence is wanted in the city." 
 
 And so they separated, conscious that no healing had been 
 brought to their broken friendship. As the canoe moved off, 
 the 'tzin knelt, but the king looked not that way again. 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 LOVE ON THE LAKE. 
 
 " ~TTT"HAT can they mean ? Here have they been loiter- 
 V V ing since morning, as if the lake, like the tiangnez, 
 were a place for idlers. As I love the gods, if I knew 
 them, they should be punished ! " 
 
 So the farmer of the ckinampa heretofore described as the 
 property of the princess Tula gave expression to his wrath ; 
 after which he returned to his employment ; that is, he 
 went crawling among the shrubs and flowers, pruning-knife 
 in hand, here clipping a limb, there loosening the loam. 
 Emerging from the thicket after a protracted stay, his ire was 
 again aroused.
 
 208 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Still there ! Thieves maybe, watching a chance to steal. 
 But we shall see. My work is done, and I will not take eyes 
 off of them again." 
 
 The good man's alarm was occasioned by the occupants of 
 a canoe, which, since sunrise, had been plying about the 
 garden, never stationary, seldom more than three hundred 
 yards away, yet always keeping on the side next the city. 
 Once in a while the slaves withdrew their paddles, leaving 
 the vessel to the breeze ; at such times it drifted so near that 
 swells, something like those of the sea when settling into 
 calm, tumbled the surface ; far to the south, however, he dis- 
 cerned the canoe, looking no larger than a blue-winged gull. 
 
 "It is coming; I see the prow this way. Is the vase 
 ready?" 
 
 {< The vase ! You forget ; there are two of them." 
 
 Hualpa looked down confused. 
 
 " Does the 'tzin intend them both for Tula ? " 
 
 Hualpa was the more embarrassed. 
 
 "Flowers have a meaning; sometimes they tell tales. 
 Let me see if I cannot read what the 'tzin would say to 
 Tula." 
 
 And Io' went forward and brought the vases, and, placing 
 them before him, began to study each flower. 
 
 " Io'," said Hualpa, in a low voice, " but one of the vases 
 )is the 'tzin's." 
 
 "And the other ? " askcJ the prince, looking up. 
 
 Hualpa's face flushed deeper. 
 
 " The other is mine. Have you not two sisters ? " 
 
 lo'ji eyes dilated; a moment he was serious, then he 
 burst out laughing. 
 
 " I have you now ! Nenetzin, she, too, has a lover." 
 
 The hunter never found himself so at loss ; he played with 
 the loops of his escaupil, and refused to take his eyes off tha 
 coming canoe. Through his veins the blood ran merrily ; is 
 his brain it intoxicated, like wine.
 
 LOVE ON THE LAKE. 20& 
 
 " And pleasanter yet to be made noble and master of a 
 palace over by Chapultepec," Io' answered. " But see i 
 Yonder is a canoe." 
 
 "From the city?" 
 
 " It is too far off ; wait awhile." 
 
 But Hualpa, impatient, leaned over the side, and looker! 
 for himself. At the time they were up in the northern part 
 jpf the lake, at least a league from the capital. Long, regular) 
 he could see the voyageurs reclining in the shade of the blue 
 canopy, wrapped in escaupils such as none but lords or dis- 
 tinguished merchants were permitted to wear. 
 
 The leisurely voyageurs, on their part, appeared to have a 
 perfect understanding of the light in which they were viewed 
 from the chinampa. 
 
 " There he is again ! See ! " said one of them. 
 
 The other lifted the curtain, and looked, and laughed. 
 
 " Ah ! if we could send an arrow there, just near enough to 
 whistle through the orange-trees. Tula would never hear 
 the end of the story. He would tell her how two thieves 
 came to plunder him ; how they shot at him ; how narrowly 
 he escaped " 
 
 " And how valiantly he defended the garden. By Our 
 Mother, Io', I have a mind to try him ! " 
 
 Hualpa half rose to measure the distance, but fell back at 
 once. " No. Better that we get into no difficulty. We 
 are messengers, and have these flowers to deliver. Besides, 
 the judge is not to my liking." 
 
 " Tula is merciful, and would forgive you for the 'tzinV 
 sake." 
 
 " I meant the judge of the court," Hualpa said, soberly. 
 " You never saw him lift the golden arrow, as if to draw it 
 across your portrait. It is pleasanter sitting here, in the 
 shade, rocked by the water."
 
 210 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " I have heard how love makes women of warriors ; now 
 I will see, I will see how brave you are." 
 
 " Ho, slaves ! Put the canoe about ; yonder are those 
 whom I would meet," Hualpa shouted. 
 
 The vessel was headed to the south. A long distance had 
 to be passed, and in the time the ambassador recovered him- 
 self. Lying down again, and twanging the chord of his bow, 
 he endeavored to compose a speech to accompany the deliv- 
 ery of the vase to Tula. But his thoughts would return to 
 his own love ; the laugh with which Io' received his explan- 
 ation flattered him; and, true to the logic of the passion, 
 he already saw the vase accepted, and himself the favored 
 of Nenetzin. From that point the world of dreams was 
 but a step distant ; he took the step, but was brought back 
 by Io'. 
 
 " They recognize us ; Nenetzin waves her scarf ! " 
 
 The approaching vessel was elegant as the art of the Aztecan 
 shipmaster could make it. The prow was sculptured into 
 the head and slender, curved neck of a swan. The passen- 
 gers, fair as ever journeyed on sea wave, sat under a canopy 
 of royal green, above which floated a panache of long, trailing 
 feathers, colored like the canopy. Like a creature of the 
 water, so lightly, so gracefully, the boat drew nigh the mes- 
 sengers. When alongside, Io' sprang aboard, and, with boy- 
 ish ardor, embraced his sisters. 
 
 " What has kept you so ? " 
 
 " We stayed to see twenty thousand warriors cross the 
 causeway," replied Nenetzin. 
 
 " Where can they be going?" 
 
 " To Cholula." 
 
 The news excited the boy ; turning to speak to Hualpa, 
 he was reminded of his duty. 
 
 " Here is a messenger from Guatamozin, the lord 
 Hualpa, who slew the tiger in the garden."
 
 LOVE ON THE LAKE. 211 
 
 The heart of the young warrior beat violently ; he touched 
 the floor of the canoe with his palm. 
 
 And Tula spoke. ' ' We have heard the minstrels sing the 
 story. Arise, lord Hualpa." 
 
 " The words of the noble Tula are pleasanter than any 
 song. Will she hear the message I bring ? " 
 
 She looked at Io' and Nenetzin, and assented. 
 
 " Guatamozin salutes the noble Tula. He hopes the 
 blessings of the gods are about her. He bade me say, that 
 four mornings ago the king visited him at his palace, but 
 talked of nothing but the strangers ; so that the contract 
 with Iztlil', the Tezcucan, still holds good. Further, the king 
 asked his counsel as to what should be done with the stran- 
 gers. He advised war, whereupon the king became angry, 
 and departed, saying that a courier would come for the 'tzin 
 when his presence was wanted in the city ; so the banish- 
 ment also holds good. And so, finally, there is no more hope 
 from interviews with the king. All that remains is to leave 
 the cause to time and the gods." 
 
 A moment her calm face was troubled ; but she recovered, 
 and said, with simple dignity, 
 
 " I thank you. Is the 'tzin well and patient ? " 
 
 " He is a warrior, noble Tula, and foemen are marching 
 through the provinces, like welcome guests; he thinks of 
 them, and curses the peace as a season fruitful of dishonor." 
 
 Nenetzin, who had been quietly listening, was aroused. 
 
 " Has he heard the news ? Does he not know a battle is 
 to be fought in Cholula ? " 
 
 " Such tidings will be medicine to his spirit." 
 
 A battle ! " cried Io'. Tell me about it, Nenetzin." 
 ' " I, too, will listen," said Hualpa ; " for the gods have 
 given me a love of words spoken with a voice sweeter than 
 the flutes of Tezca'." 
 
 The girl laughed aloud, and was well pleased, although 
 she answered,
 
 212 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " My father gave me a bracelet this morning, but he did 
 not carry his love so far as to tell me his purposes ; and I 
 am not yet a warrior to talk to warriors about battles. The 
 lord Maxtla, even Tula here, can better tell you of such 
 things." 
 
 " Of what 1 " asked Tula. 
 
 " Io' and his friend wish to know all about the war." 
 
 The elder princess mused a moment, and then said gravely, 
 "You may tell the 'tzin, as from me, lord Hualpa, that 
 twenty thousand warriors this morning marched for Cho 
 lula ; that the citizens there have been armed ; and to-morrow, 
 the gods willing, Malinche will be attacked. The king at 
 one time thought of conducting the expedition himself ; but, 
 by persuasion of the paba, Mualox, he has given the com- 
 mand to the lord Cuitlahua." 
 
 Io' clapped his hands. " The gods are kind ; let us re- 
 joice, Hualpa ! What marching of armies there will be ! 
 What battles ! Hasten, and let us to Cholula ; we can be 
 there before the night sets in." 
 
 " What ! " said Nenetzin. " Would you fight, Io' ? No, 
 no ; come home with us, and I will put my parrot in a 
 tree, and you may shoot at him all day." 
 
 The boy went to his own, canoe, and, returning, held up a 
 shield of pearl and gold. " See ! With a bow I beat our 
 father and the lord Hualpa, and this was the prize." 
 
 " That a shield ! " Nenetzin said. " A toy, a mere 
 brooch to a Tlascalan. I have a tortoise-shell that will 
 serve you better." 
 
 The boy frowned, and a rejoinder was on his lips when 
 
 fula spoke. 
 
 " The flowers in your vases are very beautiful, lord Hualpa. 
 What altar is to receive the tribute ? " 
 
 Nenetzin's badinage had charmed the ambassador into for- 
 getfulness of hia embassy ; so he answered confusedly, " Th
 
 LOVE ON THE LAKE. 213 
 
 noble Tula reminds me of my duty. Before now, standing 
 upon the hills of Tihuanco, watching the morning bright- 
 ening in the east, I have forgotten myself. I pray par- 
 don " 
 
 Tula glanced archly at Nenetzin. " The morning looks 
 pleasant ; doubtless, its worshipper will be forgiven." 
 
 And then he knew the woman's sharp eyes had seen into 
 Ids inner heart, and that the audacious dream he there 
 cherished was exposed ; yet his confusion gave place to de- 
 light, for the discovery had been published with a smile. 
 Thereupon, he set one of the vases at her feet, and touched 
 the floor with his palm, and said, 
 
 " I was charged by Guatainozin to salute you again, and 
 say that these flowers would tell you all his hopes and 
 wishes." 
 
 As she raised the gift, her hand trembled ; then he dis- 
 covered how precious a simple Cholulan vase could become ; 
 and with that his real task was before him. Taking the 
 other vase, he knelt before Nenetzin. 
 
 " I have but little skill in courtierly ways," he said. " In 
 flowers I see nothing but their beauty ; and what I would 
 have these say is, that if Nenetzin, the beautiful Nenetzin, 
 will accept them, she will make me very happy." 
 
 The girl looked at Tula, then at him ; then she raised the 
 vase, and, laughing, hid her face in the flowers. 
 
 But little more was said ; and soon the lashings were 
 cast off, and the vessels separated. 
 
 ] On the return Hualpa stopped at Tenochtitlan, and in the 
 shade of the portico, over a cup of the new beverage, noM 
 all the fashion, received from Xoli the particulars of the 
 contemplated attack upon the strangers in Cholula ; for, with 
 his usual diligence in the fields of gossip, the broker had 
 early informed himself of all that was to be heard of the 
 affair. And that night, while Io' dreamed of war, and
 
 214 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 the hunter of love, the 'tzin paced his study or wandered 
 through his gardens, feverishly solicitous about the result 
 of the expedition. 
 
 " If it fail," he repeated over and over, " if it fail, 
 Malinche will enter Tenochtitlan as a god ! " 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE KING DEMANDS A SIGN OP MUALOX. 
 
 NEXT morning Mualox ascended the tower of his old 
 Cu. The hour was so early that the stars were still 
 ehining in the east. He fed the fire in the great urn until 
 it burst into cheery flame ; then, spreading his mantle on 
 the roof, he laid down to woo back the slumber from which 
 he had been taken. By and by, a man, armed with a jave- 
 lin, and clad in cotton mail, came up the steps, and spoke to 
 the paba. 
 
 " Does the servant of his god sleep this morning ? " 
 
 Mualox arose, and kissed the pavement. 
 
 " Montezuma is welcome. The blessing of the gods upon 
 him !" 
 
 " Of aU the gods, Mualox 1" 
 
 " Of all, even Quetzal's, king ! " 
 
 " Arise ! Last night I bade you wait me here. I said I 
 would come with the morning star ; yonder it is, and I am 
 faithful. The time is fittest for my business." 
 
 Mualox arose, and stood before the monarch with bowed 
 bead and crossed hands. 
 
 " Montezuma knows his servant." 
 
 " Yet I seek to know him better. Mualox, Mualox, have 
 you room for a perfect love aside from Quetzal' 1 What would 
 you do lor me ?"
 
 THE KING DEMANDS A SIGN OF MUALOX. 215 
 
 " Ask me rather what I would not do." 
 
 " Hear me, then. Lately you have been a counsellor in 
 my palace ; with my policy and purposes you are acquainted ; 
 you knew of the march to Cholula, and the order to at- 
 tack tho strangers ; you were present when they were re- 
 solved " 
 
 " And opposed them. Witness for me to Quetzal', king ! " 
 
 "Yes, you prophesied evil and failure from them, and 
 for that I seek you now. Tell me, Mualox, spake you* 
 then as a prophet ? " 
 
 The paba ventured to look up and study the face of the 
 questioner as well as he could in the flickering light. 
 
 " I know the vulgar have called me a magician," he said, 
 slowly ; " and sometimes they have spoken of my commerce 
 with the stars. To say that either report is true, were 
 wrong to the gods. Eegardful of them, I cannot answer 
 you ; but I can say and its sufficiency depends on your 
 wisdom - your slave, king, is warned of your intention. 
 You come asking a sign ; you would have me prove my- 
 power, that it may be seen." 
 
 "By the Sun " 
 
 " Nay, if my master will permit, another word." 
 
 " I came to hear you ; say on." 
 
 " You spoke of me as a councillor in the palace. How 
 may we measure the value of honors ? By the intent with 
 which they are given ? king, had you not thought the 
 poor paba would use his power for the betrayal of his god ; 
 had you not thought he could stand between you and the 
 wrath " 
 
 " No more, Mualox, no more ! " said Montezuma. " I con- 
 fess I asked you to the palace that you might befriend me. 
 Was I wrong to count on your loyalty 1 Are you not of 
 Anahuac ? And further ; I confess I come now seeking a. 
 sign. I command you to show me the future ! "
 
 216 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " If you do indeed believe me the beloved of Quetzal' and 
 his prophet, then are you bold, even for a king." 
 
 " Until I wrong the gods, why should I fear ? I, too, am 
 * priest." 
 
 "Be wise, my master! Let the future alone; it is 
 sown with sorrows to all you love." 
 
 " Have done, paba ! " the king exclaimed, angrily. " I am 
 weary, by the Sun ! I am weary of such words." 
 
 The holy man bowed reverently, and touched the floor 
 with his palm, saying, 
 
 " Mualox lays his heart at his master's feet. In the timo 
 when his beard was black and his spirit young, he began 
 the singing of two 'songs, one of worship to Quetzal', the 
 other of love for Montezuma." 
 
 These words he said tremulously ; and there was that in 
 the manner, in the bent form, in the low obeisance, which 
 soothed the impatience of the king, so that he turned away, 
 and looked out over the city. And day began to gild the 
 east ; in a short time the sun would claim his own. Still the 
 monarch thought, still Mualox stood humbly waiting his 
 pleasure. At length the former approached the fire. 
 
 "Mualox," he said, speaking slowly, "I crossed the lake 
 the other day, and talked with Guatamozin about the 
 strangers. He satisfied me they are not teules, and, more, ha 
 urged me to attack them in Cholula." 
 
 " The 'tzin ! " exclaimed Mualox, in strong surprise. 
 
 Montezuma knew the love of the paba for the young 
 cacique rested upon his supposed love of Quetzal'; so he 
 continued, 
 
 " The attack was planned by him ; only he would have 
 sent a hundred thousand warriors to help the citizens. The 
 order is out ; the companies are there ; blood will run in the 
 streets of the holy city to-day. The battle waits on the sun, 
 and it is nearly up. Mualox," his manner became solemn,
 
 THE KING DEMANDS A SIGN OF MUALOX. 217 
 
 " Mualox, on this day's work bides my peace. The morn- 
 ing comes : by all your prophet's power, tell me what the 
 night will bring ! " 
 
 Sorely was the paba troubled. The king's faith in his 
 qualities as prophet he saw was absolute, and that it was too 
 late to deny the character. 
 
 " Does Montezuma believe the Sun would tell me what it 
 withholds from its child 1 " 
 
 " Quetzal', not the Sun, will speak to you." 
 
 " But Quetzal' is your enemy." 
 
 Montezuma laid his hand on the paba's. " I have heard 
 you speak of love for me ; prove it now, and your reward 
 shall be princely. I will give you a palace, and many slaves, 
 and riches beyond count." 
 
 Mualox bent his head, and was silent. Enjoyment of a 
 palace meant abandonment of the old Cu and sacred ser- 
 vice. Just then the wail of a watcher from a distant temple 
 swept faintly by ; he heard the cry, and from his surplice 
 drew a trumpet, and through it sung with a swelling 
 voice, 
 
 " Morning is come ! Morning is come ! To the temples, 
 O worshippers ! Morning is come ! " 
 
 And the warning hymn, the same that had been heard 
 from the old tower for so many ages, heard heralding suns 
 while the city was founding, given now, amid the singer's 
 sore perplexity, was an assurance to his listening deity that 
 he was faithful against kingly blandishments as well as 
 kingly neglect. While the words were being repeated from 
 the many temples, he stood attentive to them, then he turned, 
 and said, 
 
 " Montezuma is generous to his slave ; but ambition is a 
 goodly tree gone to dust in my heart ; and if it were not, O 
 king, what are all your treasures to that in the golden cham- 
 ber ? Nay, keep your offerings, and let me keep the templa
 
 218 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 I hunger after no riches except such as lie in the love of 
 Quetzal'." 
 
 "Then tell me," said the monarch, impatiently, "with- 
 out price, tell me his will" 
 
 " I cannot, I am hut a man ; but this much I can " He 
 faltered ; the hands crossed upon his breast closed tightly, 
 and the breast labored painfully. 
 
 " I am waiting. Speak ! "What can you 1 " 
 
 " Will the king trust his servant, and go with him down 
 into the Cu again 1 " 
 
 " To talk with the Morning, this is the place/' said the 
 monarch, too well remembering the former introduction to 
 the mysteries of the ancient house. 
 
 " My master mistakes me for a juggling soothsayer ; he 
 thinks I will look into the halls of the Sun through burning 
 drugs, and the magic of unmeaning words. I have nothing 
 to do with the Morning ; I have no incantations. I am but 
 the dutiful slave of Quetzal', the god, and Montezuma, the 
 king." 
 
 The royal listener looked away again, debating with his 
 fears, which, it is but just to say, were not of harm from 
 the paba. Men unfamiliar with the custom do not think 
 lightly of encountering things unnatural ; in this instance, 
 moreover, favor was not to be hoped from the god through 
 whom the forbidden knowledge was to come. But curiosity 
 and an uncontrollable interest in the result of the affair in 
 Cholula overcame his apprehensions. 
 
 " I will go with you. I am ready," he said. 
 
 The old man stooped, and touched the roof, and, rising, 
 said, " I have a little world of my own, king ; and though 
 without sun and stars, and the grand harmony which only 
 the gods can give, it has its wonders and beauty, and is to 
 me a place of perpetual delight. Bide my return a litti* 
 while. I will go aad prepare the way for you."
 
 THE KING DEMANDS A SIGN OF MUALOX. 219 
 
 Kesuming his mantle, he departed, leaving the king to 
 study the new-born day. When he came back, the valley 
 and the sky were full of the glory of the sun full risen. 
 And they descended to the azoteas, thence to the court- 
 yard. Taking a lamp hanging in a passage-door, the holy 
 man, with the utmost reverence, conducted his guest into 
 the labyiinth. At first, the latter tried to recollect the 
 course taken, the halls and stairs passed, and the stories 
 descended ; but the thread was too often broken, the light 
 too dim, the way too intricate. Soon he yielded himself 
 entirely to his guide, and followed, wondering much at the 
 massiveness of the building, and the courage necessary to 
 live there alone. Ignorant of the zeal which had become 
 the motive of the paba's life, inspiring him with incredible 
 cunning and industry, and equally without a conception of 
 the power there is in one idea long awake in the soul and 
 nursed into mania, it was not singular that, as they went, 
 the monarch should turn the very walls into witnesses cor- 
 roborant of the traditions of the temple and the weird 
 claims of its keeper. 
 
 Passing the kitchen, and descending the last flight of steps, 
 they came to the trap-door in the passage, beside which lay 
 the ladder of ropes. 
 
 " Be of courage a little longer, king, " said Mualox, 
 flinging the ladder through the doorway. " We are almost 
 there." 
 
 And the paba, leaving the lamp above, committed him- 
 self confidently to the ropes and darkness below. A sus- 
 picion of his madness occurred to the king, whose situa- 
 tion called for consideration ; in fact, he hesitated to 
 follow farther ; twice he was called to ; and when, finally, 
 ha did go down, the secret of his courage was an idea that 
 they were about to emerge from the dusty caverns into 
 the freer air of day ; for, while yet in the passage, he
 
 220 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 heard the whistle of a bird, and fancied he detected a fra- 
 grance as of flowers. 
 
 , " Your hand now, king, and Mualox will lead you into 
 his world." 
 
 The motives that constrained the holy man to this step are' 
 not easily divined. Of all the mysteries of the house, that 
 hall was by him the most cherished ; and of all men the kiny 
 was the last whom he would have voluntarily chosen as a 
 participant in its secrets, since he alone had power to break 
 them up. The necessity must have been very great ; pos- 
 sibly he felt his influence and peculiar character dependent 
 upon yielding to the pressure ; the moment the step was 
 resolved upon, however, nothing remained but to use the 
 mysteries for the protection of the abode; and with that 
 purpose he went to prepare the way. 
 
 Much study would most of us have required to know 
 what was essential to the purpose; not so the paba. He 
 merely trimmed the lamps already lighted, and lighted and 
 disposed others. His plan was to overwhelm the visitor by 
 the first glance; without warning, without time to study 
 details, to flash upon him a crowd of impossibilities. In the 
 mass, the generality, the whole together, a god's hand was 
 to be made apparent to a superstitious fancy. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA. 
 
 INSIDE the hall, scarcely a step from the curtain, the 
 monarch stopped bewildered ; half amazed, half alarmed, 
 he surveyed the chamber, now glowing as with day. Flowers 
 blooming, birds singing, shrubbery, thick and green as in
 
 THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA, 221 
 
 his own garden. "Whence came they ? how were they nur- 
 tured down so far ? And the countless subjects painted on 
 the ceiling and walls, and woven in colors on the tapestry, 
 surely they were the work of the same master who har 1 
 wrought so marvellously in the golden chamber. The extent 
 of the hall, exaggerated by the light, impressed him. Pilled 
 with the presence of what seemed impossibilities, he cried 
 jut, 
 
 " The abode of Quetzal' ! " 
 
 " No," answered Mualox, " not his abode, only his tem- 
 ple, the temple of his own building." 
 
 And from that time it was with the king as if the god 
 were actually present. 
 
 The paba read the effect in the monarch's manner, in 
 his attitude, in the softness of his tread, in the cloudy, 
 eaddened expression of his countenance, in the whisper with 
 which he spoke ; he read it, and was assured. 
 
 " This way, king ! Though your servant cannot let 
 you see into the Sun, or give you the sign required, follow 
 him, and he will bring you to hear of events in Cholula even 
 as they transpire. Remember, however, he says now that 
 the Cholulans and the twenty thousand warriors will fail, 
 and the night bring you but sorrow and repentance." 
 
 Along the aisles he conducted him, until they came to the 
 fountain, where the monarch stopped again. The light there 
 was brighter than in the rest of the hall. A number of 
 birds flew up, scared by the stranger ; in the space around 
 the marble basin stood vases crowned with flowers ; the floor 
 was strewn with wreaths and garlands ; the water sparkled 
 with silvery lustre ; yet all were lost on the wondering guest, 
 who saw only Tecetl, a vision, once seen, to be looked at 
 again and again. 
 
 Upon a couch, a little apart from the fountain, she sat, 
 leaning against a pile of cushions, which was covered by a
 
 222 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 mantle of plumaje. Her garments were white, and wholly 
 without ornament ; her hair strayed lightly from a wreath 
 upon her head ; the childish hands lay clasped in her lap ; 
 upon the soft mattress rested the delicate limbs, covered, but 
 not concealed, the soles of the small feet tinted with warmth 
 and life, like the pink and rose lining of certain shells. So 
 fragile, innocent, and beautiful looked she, and so hushed 
 and motionless withal, so like a spirituality, that the 
 monarch's quick sensation of sympathy shot through his 
 heart an absolute pain. 
 
 " Disturb her not ; let her sleep," he whispered, waving 
 his hand. 
 
 Mualox smiled. 
 
 " Nay, the full battle-cry of your armies would not waken 
 her." 
 
 The influence of the Will was upon her, stronger than 
 slumber. Not yet was she to see a human being other than 
 the paba, not even the great king. A little longer was sho 
 to be happy in ignorance of the actual world. Ah, many, 
 many are the victims of affection unwise in its very fulness ! 
 
 Again and again the monarch scanned the girl's face, 
 charmed, yet awed. The paba had said the sleep was wake- 
 less ; and that was a mystery unreported by tradition, un- 
 known to his philosophy, and rarer, if not greater, than 
 death. If life at all, what kind was it? The longer he 
 looked and reflected, the lovelier she grew. So completely 
 was his credulity gained that he thought not once of 
 questioning Mualox about her; he was content with be- 
 lieving. 
 
 The paba, meantime, had been holding one of her hands, 
 and gazing intently in her face. When he looked up, the 
 monarch was startled by his appearance ; his air was impos- 
 ing, his eyes lighted with the mesmeric force. 
 
 "Sit, king, and give ear. Through the lips of his
 
 THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA. 223 
 
 will speak, and tell you of the day in Cho- 
 lula." 
 
 He spoke imperiously, and the monarch obeyed. Then, 
 disturbed only by the chiming of the fountain, and some- 
 times by the whistling of the birds, Tecetl began, and softly, 
 brokenly, unconsciously told of the massacre in the holy city 
 of Cholula. Not a question was asked her. There was little 
 prompting aloud. Much did the king marvel, never once 
 doubted he. 
 
 " The sky is very clear," said TecetL " I rise into the 
 air ; I leave the city in the lake, and the lake itself ; now the 
 mountains are below me. Lo, another city ! I descend 
 again ; the azoteas of a temple receives me ; around are great 
 houses. Who are these I see 1 There, in front of the tem- 
 ple, they stand, in lines ; even in the shade their garments 
 glisten. They have shields ; some bear long lances, some sit 
 on strange animals that have eyes of fire and ring the pave- 
 ment with their stamping." 
 
 " Does the king understand 1 " asked Mualox. 
 
 " She describes the strangers," was the reply. 
 
 And Tecetl resumed. " There is one standing in the midst 
 of a throng ; he speaks, they listen. I cannot repeat his 
 words, or understand them, for they are not like ours. Now 
 I see his face, and it is white ; his eyes are black, and his 
 cheeks bearded ; he is angry ; he points to the city around the 
 temple, and his voice grows harsh, and his face dark." 
 
 The king approached a step, and whispered, " Malinche ! " 
 
 But Mualox replied with flashing eyes, "The servant 
 knows his god ; it is Quetzal' ! " 
 
 " He speaks, I listen," Tecetl continued, after a rest, and 
 thenceforth her sentences were given at longer intervals. 
 " Now he is through ; he waves his hand, and the listeners 
 retire, and go to different quarters ; in places they kindle 
 tiros ; the gates are open, and some station themselves there."
 
 224 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Named she where this is happening ? " asked Montezuma, 
 
 " She describes the strangers ; and are they not in Cholula, 
 king 1 She also spoke of the azoteas of a temple " 
 
 " True, true," replied the king, moodily. " The prepara- 
 tions must be going on in the square of the temple in which 
 Malinche was lodged last night." 
 
 Tecetl continued. " And now I look down the street ; a 
 crowd approaches from the city " 
 
 " Speak of them," said Mualox. " I would know who they 
 are." 
 
 "Most of them wear long beards and robes, like yours, 
 father, robes white and reaching to their feet ; in front a 
 few come, swinging censers " 
 
 " They are pabas from the temples," said Mualox. 
 
 " Behind them I see a greater crowd," she continued 
 " How stately their step ! how beautiful their plumes ! " 
 
 " The twenty thousand ! the army ! " said Mualox. 
 
 " No, she speaks of them as plumed. They must be lord* 
 and caciques going to the/temple." While speaking, the 
 monarch's eyes wandered restlessly, and he sighed, saying, 
 " Where can the companies be ? It is time they were in the 
 city." 
 
 So his anxiety betrayed itself. 
 
 Then Mualox said, grimly, "Hope not, O king. The 
 priests and caciques go to death ; the army would but swell 
 the flow of blood." 
 
 Monte/uma clapped his hands, and drooped his head. 
 
 " Yet more," said Tecetl, almost immediately ; " another 
 crowd comes on, a band reaching far down the street ; they 
 are naked, and come without order, bringing " 
 
 "The tamanes," said Mualox, without looking from her face. 
 
 " And now," she said, " the city begins to stir. I look, 
 and on the house-tops and temples hosts collect ; from all 
 the towers the smoke goes up in bluer columns : yet all ia
 
 THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA. 229 
 
 utilL Those who carry the censers come near the gate below 
 me ; now they are within it ; the plumed train follows them, 
 and the square begins to fill. Back by the great door, on on 
 of the animals, the god " 
 
 " Quetzal'," muttered Mualox. 
 
 " A company, glistening, surrounds him ; his face seems 
 whiter than before, his eyes darker ; a shield is on his arm, 
 white plumes toss above his head. The censer-bearers cross 
 the square, and the air thickens with a sweet perfume. Now 
 he speaks to them ; his voice is harsh and high ; they are 
 frightened; some kneel, and begin to pray as to a god; 
 others turn and start quickly for the gate." 
 
 " Take heed, take heed, king ! " said Mualox, his eyes 
 aflame. 
 
 And Montezuma answered, trembling with fear and rage, 
 ' Has Anahuac no gods to care for her children 1 " 
 
 " What can they against the Supreme Quetzal' ? It is a 
 jrial of power. The end is at hand ! " 
 
 Never man spoke more confidently than the paba. 
 
 By this time Tecetl's face was flushed, and her voice faint. 
 Mualox filled the hollow of his hand with water, and laved 
 her forehead. And she sighed wearily and continued, 
 
 "JThe fair-faced god " 
 
 " Mark the words, king, mark the words ! " said th* 
 
 " The fair-faced god quits speaking ; he waves his hand, 
 and one of his company on the steps of the temple answers 
 with a shout. Lo ! a stream of fire, and a noise like the burst- 
 ing of a cloud ! a rising, rolling cloud of smoke veils tho 
 whole front of the house. How the smoke thickens ! How 
 the strangers rush into the square ( The square itself trem- 
 bles ! I do not understand it, father '' 
 
 " It is battle ! On, child ! a king waits to see a god io 
 battle."
 
 22G THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " In my pictures there is nothing like this, nor have you 
 told me of anything like it. O, it is fearful ! " she said. 
 " The crowd in the middle of the square, those who canie 
 from the city, are broken, and rush here and there ; at the 
 gates they are beaten back ; some, climbing the walls, are 
 struck by arrows, and fall down screaming. Hark ! how they 
 call on the gods, Huitzil', Tezca', Quetzal'. And why 
 are they not heard ? Where, father, where is the good Quet- 
 zal'?" 
 
 Flashed the paba's eyes with the superhuman light, 
 other answer he deigned not ; and she proceeded. 
 
 " What a change has come over the square ! Where are 
 they that awhile ago filled it with white robes and dancing 
 plumes ? " 
 
 She shuddered visibly. 
 
 " I look again. The pavement is covered with heaps of 
 the fallen, and among them I see some with plumes and 
 some with robes ; even the censer-bearers lie still. What can 
 it mean ? And all the time the horror grows. When the 
 thunder and fire and smoke burst from near the temple- 
 steps, how the helpless in the square shriek with terror 
 and run blindly about ! How many are torn to pieces ! 
 Down they go ; I cannot count them, they fall so fast, and in 
 euch heaps ! Then ah, the pavement looks red ! father, 
 it is blood ! " 
 
 She stopped. Montezuma covered his face with his 
 hands ; the good heart that so loved his people sickened 
 at their slaughter. 
 
 Again Mualox bathed her face. Joy flamed in his eyes ; 
 Quetzal' was consummating his vengeance, and confirming 
 the prophecies of his servant. 
 
 " Go on ; stay not ! " he said, sternly. " The story is not 
 kold." 
 
 " Still the running to and fro, and the screaming ; still
 
 THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA. 22? 
 
 the fire flashing, and the smoke rising, and the hissing of 
 arrows and sound of blows ; still the prayers to Huitzil' ! " 
 said Tecetl. " I look down, and under the smoke, which 
 has a choking smell, I see the fallen. Eed pools gather in 
 the hollow places, plumes are broken, and robes are no longer 
 white. 0, the piteous looks I see, the moans I hear, the 
 many faces, brown like oak-leaves faded, turned stilly up to 
 the sun ! " 
 
 " The people of the god, teU of them," said Mualox. 
 
 " I search for them, I see them on the steps and out 
 by the walls and the gates. They are all in their places yet ; 
 not one of them is down ; theirs the arrows, and the fire and 
 thunder." 
 
 " Does the king hear ] " asked Mualox. " Only the pabas 
 and caciques perish. "Who may presume to oppose Quetzal' 1 
 Look further, child. Tell us of the city." 
 
 " Gladly, most gladly ! Now, abroad over the city. The 
 people quit the house-tops; they run from all directions 
 to the troubled temple ; they crowd the streets ; about 
 the gates, where the gods are, they struggle to get into 
 the square, and the air thickens with their arrows. The 
 god 
 
 " What god 1 " asked Mualox. 
 
 " The white-plumed one." 
 
 " Quetzal' ! Go on ! " 
 
 " He has " She faltered. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " In my pictures, father, there is nothing like them. Fire 
 leaps from their mouths, and smoke, and the air and earth 
 tremble when they speak ; and see ah, how the crowds in 
 the streets go down before them ! " 
 
 Again she shuddered, and faltered. 
 
 " Hear, king ! " said Mualox, who not only recognized 
 the cannon of the Spaniards in the description, but saw
 
 228 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 their weight at that moment as an argument. " What can 
 the slingers, and the spearmen of Chinantla, and the swords- 
 men of Tenochtitlan, against warriors of the Sun, with theii 
 lightning and thunder ! " 
 
 And he looked at the monarch, sitting with his face 
 covered, and was satisfied. With faculties sharpened by a 
 zeal too fervid for sympathy, he saw the fears of the proud 
 but kindly soul, and rejoiced in them. Yet he permitted 
 no delay. 
 
 " Go on, child ! Look for the fair-faced god ; he holds 
 the battle in his hand." 
 
 " I see him, I see his white plumes nodding in a group 
 of spears. Now he is at the main gate of the temple, and 
 speaks. Hark ! The earth is shaken by another roar, 
 from the street another great cry ; and through the smoke, 
 out of the gate, he leads his band. And the animals, 
 what shall I call them ]" 
 
 " Tell us of the god ! " replied the enthusiast, himself 
 ignorant of the name and nature of the horse. 
 
 " Well, well, they run like deer ; on them the god and 
 his comrades plunge into the masses in the street ; beating 
 back and pursuing, striking with their spears, and trampling 
 down all in their way. Stones and arrows are flung from 
 the houses, but they avail nothing. The god shouts joy- 
 ously, he plunges on ; and the blood flows faster than 
 before ; it reddens the shields, it drips from the spear- 
 points " 
 
 " Enough, Mualox ! " said Montezuma, starting from his 
 seat, and speaking firmly. " I want no more. Guide me 
 hence ! " 
 
 The paba was surprised ; rising slowly, he asked, 
 
 " Will not the king stay to the end ? " 
 
 " Stay ! " repeated the monarch, with curling lip. " Are 
 my people of Cholula wolves that I should be glad at their
 
 THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA. 229 
 
 slaughter ? It is murder, massacre, not battle ! Show me 
 to the roof again. Come ! " 
 
 Mualox turned to Tecetl ; touching her hand, he found 
 it cold ; the sunken eyes, and the lips, vermeil no longer, 
 admonished him. of the delicacy of her spirit and body. 
 He filled a vase at the ftnintain, and laved her face, the 
 'while soothingly repeating, " Tecetl, Tecetl, child ! " Some 
 minutes were thus devoted ; then kissing her, and replacing 
 the hand tenderly in the other lying in her lap, he said to 
 the monarch, 
 
 "Until to-day, king, this sacredness has been sealed 
 from the generations that forsook the religion of Quetzal'. 
 Eye of mocker has not seen, nor foot of unbeliever trod 
 this purlieu, the last to receive his blessing. You alone 
 I am of the god you alone can go abroad knowing what 
 is here. Never before were you so nearly face to face with 
 the Ruler of the Winds ! And now, with what force a ser- 
 vant may, I charge you, by the glory of the Sun, respect 
 this house ; and when you think of it, or of what here you 
 have seen, be it as friend, lover, and worshipper. If the 
 king will follow me, I am ready." 
 
 " I am neither mocker nor unbeliever. Lead on," replied 
 Montezuma. 
 
 And after that, the king paid no attention to the chamber ; 
 he moved along the aisles too unhappy to be curious. The 
 twenty thousand warriors had not been mentioned by Tecetl ; 
 they had not, it would seem, entered the city cr the battle, 
 BO there was a chance of the victory ; yet was he hopeless, 
 for never a doubt had he of her story. Wherefore, his lamen- 
 tation was twofold, for his people and for himself. 
 
 And Mualox was silent as the king, though for a different 
 cause. To him, suddenly, the object of his life put on the 
 garb of quick possibility. Quetzal', he was sure, would fill 
 the streets of Cholula with the dead, and crown his wrath
 
 230 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 amid the ruins of the city. In the face of example so 
 dreadful, none would dare oppose him, not even Montezuma, 
 whose pride broken was next to his faith gained. And 
 around the new-born hope, as cherubs around the Madonna, 
 rustled the wings of fancies most exalted. He saw the su- 
 premacy of Quetzal' acknowledged above all others, the 
 Cft restored to its first glory, and the silent cells repeopled. 
 O happy day ! Already he heard the court-yard resounding 
 with solemn chants as of old ; and before the altar, in the 
 presence-chamber, from morn till night he stood, receiving 
 offerings, and dispensing blessings to the worshippers who, 
 with a faith equal to his own, believed the ancient image the 
 ONE SUPREME GOD. 
 
 At the head of the eastern steps of the temple, as the 
 king began the descent, the holy man knelt, and said, 
 
 " For peace to his people let the wise Montezuma look to 
 Quetzal*. Mualox gives him his blessing. Farewell." 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE CONQUEROR WILL COMB. 
 
 A FEW weeks more, weeks of pain, vacillation, em- 
 bassies, and distracted councils to Montezuma ; of 
 doubt and anxiety to the nobles j of sacrifice and cere- 
 monies by the priests ; of fear and wonder to the people. 
 In that time, if never before, the Spaniards became the one 
 subject of discourse throughout Anahuac. In the tianguez, 
 merchants bargaining paused to interchange opinions about 
 them ; craftsmen in the shops entertained and frightened 
 each other with stories of their marvellous strength and 
 ferocity ; porters, bending under burdens, speculated on
 
 THE CONQUEROR WILL COME. 231 
 
 their character and mission ; and never a waterman passed 
 an acquaintance on the lake, without lingering awhile to ask 
 or give the latest news from the Holy City, which, with the 
 Lest grace it could, still entertained its scourgers. 
 
 What Malinche for by that name Cortes was now 
 universally known would do was the first conjecture; 
 what the great king intended was the next. 
 
 As a matter of policy, the dismal massacre in Cholula 
 accomplished all Cortes proposed ; it made him a national 
 terror ; it smoothed the causeway for his march, and held 
 the gates of Xoloc open for peaceful entry into Tenoch- 
 titlan. Yet the question on the many tongues was, Would 
 he come ? 
 
 And he himself answered. One day a courier ran up the 
 great street of Tenochtitlan to the king's palace ; imme- 
 diately the portal was thronged by anxious citizens. That 
 morning Malinche began his march to the capital, he was 
 coming, was actually on the way. The thousands trem- 
 bled as they heard the news. 
 
 After that the city was not an hour without messengers 
 reporting the progress of the Spaniards, whose every step 
 and halt and camping-place was watched with the distrust of 
 fear and the sleeplessness of jealousy. The horsemen and 
 footmen were all numbered ; the personal appearance of each 
 leader was painted over and over again with brush and 
 tongue; the devices on the shields and pennons were de- 
 scribed with heraldic accuracy. And though, from long 
 service and constant exposure and repeated battles, the 
 equipments of the adventurers had lost the freshness 
 that belonged to them the day of the departure from 
 Cuba; though plumes and scarfs were stained, and casques 
 and breastplates tarnished, and good steeds tamed by strange 
 fare and wearisome marches, nevertheless the accounts that 
 went abroad concerning them, were sufficiently splendid
 
 232 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 and terrible to confirm the prophecies by which they were 
 preceded. 
 
 And the people, made swift by alarm and curiosity, out- 
 marched Cortes many days. Before he reached Iztapalapan, 
 the capital was full of them ', in multitudes, lords and slaves, 
 men, women, and children, like Jews to the Passover, scaled 
 the mountains, and hurried through the valley and across 
 the lakes. Better opportunity to study the characteristics of 
 the tribes was never afforded. 
 
 All day and night the public resorts streets, houses,- 
 temples were burdened with the multitude, whose fear, 
 as the hour of entry drew nigh, yielded to their curiosity. 
 And when, at last, the road the visitors would come by was 
 settled, the whole city seemed to breathe easier. From the 
 village of Iscalpan, so ran the word, they had boldly plunged 
 into the passes of the Sierra, and thence taken the directest 
 route by way of Tlalmanalco. And now they were at 
 Ayotzinco, a town on the eastern shore of lake Tezcuco; 
 to-morrow they would reach Iztapalapan, and then Tenoch- 
 titlan. Not a long time to wait, if they brought the ven- 
 geance of Quetzal' ; yet thousands took canoes, and crossed 
 to the village, and, catching the first view, hurried back, each 
 with a fancy more than ever inflamed. 
 
 A soldier, sauntering down the street, is beset with citi- 
 zens. 
 
 " A pleasant day, son of Iluitzil' ! " 
 
 " A pleasant day ; may all that shine on Tenochtitlan 
 be like it ! " he answers. 
 
 "What news?" 
 
 " I have been to the temple." 
 
 "' And what says the teotuctli now ? " 
 
 " Nothing. There are no signs. Like the stars, the hearts 
 of the victims will not answer." 
 
 What ! Did not Huitzil' speak last night ? "
 
 THE CONQUEROR WILL COME. 233 
 
 " yes ! " And the warrior smiles with satisfaction. 
 " Last night he bade the priests tell the king not to oppose 
 the entry of Malinche." 
 
 " Then what ? " 
 
 " Why, here in the city he would cut the strangers off to 
 the last one." 
 
 And all the citizens cry in chorus, " Praised be Huitzil' ! '* 
 
 Farther on the warrior overtakes a comrade in arms. 
 
 " Are we to take our shields to the field, my brother?" 
 he asks. 
 
 " All is peaceful yet, nothing but embassies." 
 
 " Is it true that the lord Cacama is to go in state, and in- 
 vite Malinche to Tenochtitlan 1 " 
 
 " He sets out to-day." 
 
 " Ha, ha ! Of all voices for war, his was the loudest. 
 Where caught he the merchant's cry for peace ? " 
 
 " In the temples ; it may be from Huitzil'." 
 
 The answer is given in a low voice, and with an ironic 
 laugh. 
 
 " Well, well, comrade, there are but two lords fit, in time 
 like this, for the love of warriors, Cuitlahua and Guata- 
 mozin. They still talk of war." 
 
 " Cuitlahua, Cuitlahua ! " And the laugh rises to boisterous 
 contempt. " Why, he has consented to receive Malinche in 
 Iztapalapan, and entertain him with a banquet in his palace. 
 He has gone for that purpose now. The lord of Cojohuaca 
 is with him." 
 ' " Then we have only the 'tzin ! " 
 
 The fellow sighs like one sincerely grieved. 
 
 " Only the 'tzin, brother, only the 'tzin ! and he is ban- 
 ished ! " 
 
 They shake their heads, and look what they dare not 
 speak, and go their ways. The gloom they take with theru 
 is a sample of that which rests over the whole valley.
 
 234 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 When the Spaniards reached Iztapalapan, the excitement 
 in the capital became irrepressible. The cities were but 
 an easy march apart, most of it along the causeway. The 
 going and coming may be imagined. The miles of dike 
 were covered by a continuous procession, while the lake, in 
 a broad line from town to town, was darkened by canoes. 
 Cortes' progress through the streets of Iztapalapan was 
 antitypical of the grander reception awaiting him in Te- 
 nochtitlan. 
 
 In the latter city there was no sleep that night. The tian- 
 guez in particular was densely filled, not by traders, but by 
 a mass of newsmongers, who hardly knew whether they 
 were most pleased or alarmed. The general neglect of busi- 
 ness had exceptions ; at least one portico shone with un- 
 usual brilliancy till morning. Every great merchant is a 
 philosopher ; in the midst of calamities, he is serene, because 
 it is profit's time ; before the famine, he buys up all the corn ; 
 in forethought of pestilence, he secures all the medicine : 
 and the world, counting his gains, says delightedly, What a 
 wise man ! I will not say the Chalcan was of that honored 
 class ; he thought himself a benefactor, and was happy to 
 accommodate the lords, and help them divide their time 
 between his palace and that of the king. It is hardly neces- 
 sary to add, that his apartments were well patronized > 
 though, in truth, his pulque was in greater demand than 
 his ckoclatl. 
 
 The drinking-chamber, about the close of the third quar- 
 ter of the night, presented a lively picture. For the con- 
 venience of the many patrons, tables from other rooms had 
 been brought in. Some of the older lords were far gone in 
 intoxication ; slaves darted to and fro, removing goblets, or 
 bringing them back replenished. A few minstrels found lis- 
 teners among those who happened to be too stupid to talk, 
 though not too sleepy to drink. Every little while a new-
 
 THE CONQUEROR WILL COME. 235 
 
 comer would enter, when, if he were from Iztapalapan, a 
 crowd would surround him, allowing neither rest nor refresh- 
 ment until he had told the things he had seen or heard. 
 Amongst others, Hualpa and Io' chanced to find their way 
 thither. Maxtla, seated at a table with some friends, in- 
 cluding the Chalcan, called them to him ; and, as they had 
 attended the banquet of the lord Cuitlahua, they were 
 quickly provided with seats, goblets, and an audience of 
 eager listeners. 
 
 " Certainly, my good chief, I have seen Malinche, and 
 passed the afternoon looking at him and his people," said 
 Hualpa to Maxtla. " It may be that I am too much influ- 
 enced by the 'tzin to judge them ; but, if they are teules, so 
 are we. 1 longed to try my javelin on them." 
 
 " "Was their behavior unseemly ? " 
 
 " Call it as you please. I was in the train when, after the 
 banquet, the lord Cuitlahua took them to see his gardens. 
 As they strode the walks, and snuffed the flowers, and 
 plucked the fruit ; as they moved along the canal with 
 its lining of stone, and stopped to drink at the fountains, 
 I was made feel that they thought everything, not merely my 
 lord's property, but my lord himself, belonged to them ; they 
 said as much by their looks and actions, by their insolent 
 swagger." 
 
 "Was the 'tzin there?" 
 
 " From the azoteas of a temple he saw them enter the city ; 
 but he was not at the banquet. I heard a story showing 
 tow he would treat the strangers, if he had the power. One 
 of their priests, out with a party, came to the temple where 
 he happened to be, and went up to the tower. Tn the sanc- 
 tuary one of them raised his spear and struck the image of the 
 god. The pabas threw up their hands and shrieked; he 
 rushed upon the impious wretch, and carried him to the sacri' 
 ficial atone, stretched him out, and called to the pabas,
 
 236 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Come, the victim is ready ! " When the other teule* 
 would have attacked him, he offered to fight them all. The 
 strange priest interfered, and they departed." 
 
 The applause of the bystanders was loud and protracted j 
 when it had somewhat abated, Xoli, whose thoughts, from 
 habit, ran chiefly upon the edibles, said, 
 
 " My lord Cuitlahua is a giver of good suppera, Praj^ 
 tell us about the courses " 
 
 " Peace ! be still, Chalcan ! " cried Maxtla, angrily. 
 " What care we whether Malinche ate wolf -meat or 
 quail?" 
 
 Xoli bowed ; the lords laughed. 
 
 Then a gray-haired cacique behind Io' asked, "Tell us 
 rather what Malinche said." 
 
 Hualpa shook his head. " The conversation was tedious. 
 Everything was said through an interpreter, a woman 
 born in the province Painalla ; so I paid little attention. I 
 recollect, however, he asked many questions about the great 
 king, and about the Empire, and Tenochtitlan. He said his 
 master, the governor of the universe, had sent him here. He 
 gave much time, also, to explaining his religion. I might 
 have understood him, uncle, but my ears were too full of the 
 rattle of arms." 
 
 " What ! Sat they at the table armed 1 " asked Maxtla. - 
 
 " All of them ; even Malinche." 
 
 " That was not the worst," said Io', earnestly. " At the 
 same table my lord Cuitlahua entertained a band of beg, 
 garly Tlascalan chiefs. Sooner should my tongue have been 
 torn out ! " 
 
 The bystanders made haste to approve the sentiment, and 
 for a time it diverted the conversation. Meanwhile, at Hual- 
 pa's order, the goblets were refilled. 
 
 " Dares the noble Maxtla," he then asked, " tell what the 
 king will do ? "
 
 THE CONQUEROR WILL GOMEL 237 
 
 " The question is very broad." And the chief smiled, 
 " What special information does my comrade seek ? " 
 
 " Can you tell tis when Malinche will enter Tenochtit- 
 lan?" 
 
 "Certainly. Xoli published that in the tiangucz before 
 the sun was up." 
 
 " To be sure," answered the Chalcan. " The lord Maxtla 
 knows the news cost me a bowl of pulque" 
 
 There was much laughter, in which the chief joined. Then 
 he said, gravely, 
 
 " The king has arranged everything. As advised by the 
 gods, Malinche enters Tenochtitlan day after to-morrow. He 
 will leave Iztapalapan at sunrise, and march to the causeway 
 by the lake shore. Cuitlahua, with Cacama, the lord of 
 Tecuba, and others of like importance, will meet him at 
 Xoloc. The king will follow them in state. As to the pro- 
 cession, I will only say it were ill to lose the sight. Such 
 splendor was never seen on the causeway." 
 
 Ordinarily the mention of such a prospect would have, 
 kindled the liveliest enthusiasm ; for the Aztecs were lovers 
 of spectacles, and never so glad as when the great green ban- 
 ner of the Empire was brought forth to shed its solemn 
 beauty over the legions, and along the storied street of Te- 
 nochtitlan. Much, therefore, was Maxtla surprised at the cold- 
 ness that fell upon the company. 
 
 " Ho, friends ! One would think the reception not mud. 
 to your liking," he said. 
 
 " We are the king's, dust under his feet, and it is not 
 for us to murmur," said a sturdy cacique, first to break the 
 disagreeable silence. " Yet our fathers gave their enemies 
 bolts instead of banquets." 
 
 " Who may disobey the gods 1 " asked Maxtla. 
 
 The argument was not more sententious than 
 able.
 
 238 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Well, well ! " said Hualpa. " I will get ready. Advise 
 me, good chief : had I better take a canoe 1 " 
 
 "The procession will doubtless be better seen from the 
 lake ; but to hear what passes between the king and Ma- 
 linche, you should be in the train. By the way, will tha 
 < tzin be present 1 " 
 
 " As the king may order," replied Hualpa. 
 
 Maxtla threw back his look, and said with enthusiasm, 
 r real or affected, " Much would I like to see and hear him 
 when the Tlascalans come flying their banners into the city 1 
 How he will flame with wrath ! " 
 
 Then Hualpa considerately changed the direction of the 
 iiscourse. 
 
 " Malinche will be a troublesome guest, if only from the 
 number of his following. Will he be lodged in one of the 
 temples ? " 
 
 " A temple, indeed ! " And Maxtla laughed scornfully. "A 
 temple wou"d be fitter lodging for the gods of Mictlan ! At 
 Cempoalla, you recollect, the teules threw down the sacred 
 gods, and butchered the pabas at the altars. Lest they 
 should desecrate a holy house here, they are assigned to the 
 old palace of Axaya'. To-morrow the tamanes will put it 
 in order." 
 
 Io' then asked, " Is it known how long they will stay ? " 
 
 Maxtla shrugged his shoulders, and drank his pulque. 
 
 "Hist!" whistled a cacique. "That is what the king 
 would give half his kingdom to know ! " 
 
 "And why?" asked the boy, reddening. "Is he not 
 master ? Does it not depend upon him ] " 
 
 " It depends upon no other ! " cried Maxtla, dashing his 
 palm upon the table until the goblets danced. " By the 
 holy gods, he has but to speak the word, and these guests 
 fcrill turn to victims ! " 
 
 And Hualpa, surprised at the display of spirit, seconded
 
 MONTEZUMA GOES TO MEET CORTES. 239 
 
 the chief : " Brave words, my lord Maxtla ! They give 
 us hope." 
 
 " He will treat them graciously," Maxtla continued, " be- 
 cause they come "by his request ; but when he tells them to 
 depart, if they obey not, if they obey not, when was 
 his vengeance other than a king's 1 Who dares say he can* 
 (not, by a word, end this visit ? " 
 
 " No one ! " cried Io'. 
 
 , " Ay, no one ! But the goblets are empty. See ! Io', 
 good prince," and Maxtla's voice changed at once, 
 "would another draught be too much for us 1 ? We drink 
 slowly ; one more, only one. And while we drink, we will 
 forget Malinche." 
 
 " Would that were possible ! " sighed the boy. 
 
 They sent up the goblets, and continued the session until 
 daylight. 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 MONTEZUMA GOES TO MEET CORTES. 
 
 CAME the eighth of Kovember^jyhich no Spaniard^ 
 himself a Conquistador, can ever forget ; that day 
 Cortes entered Tenochtitlan. 
 
 The morning dawned over Anahuac as sometimes it dawns 
 over the Bay of Naples, bringing an azure haze in which 
 the world seemed set afloat. 
 
 " Look you, uncles," said Montezuma, yet at breakfast, and 
 speaking to his councillors : " they are to go before me, 
 my heralds ; and as Malinche is the servant of a king, and 
 used to courtly styles, I would not have them shame me. 
 Admit them with the nequen off. As they will appear before 
 him, let them come to me."
 
 240 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 And thereupon four nobles were ushered in, full-armed, 
 even to the shield. Their helms were of glittering silver ; 
 their escaupiles, or tunics of quilted mail, were stained vivid 
 green, and at the neck and borders sparkled with pearls ; over 
 their shoulders hung graceful mantles of plumaje, softer than 
 cramoisy velvet ; upon their breasts blazed decorations and 
 military insignia ; from wrist to elbow, and from knee to 
 sandal-strap, their arms and legs were sheathed in scales of 
 gold. And so, ready for peaceful show or mortal combat, 
 his heroes and ambassadors, they bided the monarch's 
 careful review. 
 
 " Health to you, my brothers ! and to you, my children ! " 
 he said, with satisfaction. " What of the morning ? How 
 looks the sun ? " 
 
 " Like the beginning of a great day, king, which we 
 pray may end happily for you," replied Cuitlahua. 
 
 " It is the work of HuitziT ; doubt not ! I have called 
 you, my children, to see how well my fame will be main- 
 tained. I wish to show Malinche a power and beauty such 
 as he has never seen, unless he come from the Sun itself. 
 Earth has but one valley of Anahuac, one city of Tenoch- 
 titlan : so he shall acknowledge. Have you directed his 
 march as I ordered 1 " 
 
 And Cacama replied, "Through the towns and gardens, 
 he is to follow the shore of the lake to the great causeway. 
 By this time he is on the road." 
 
 Then Montezuma's face flushed ; and, lifting his head as it 
 were to look at objects afar off, he said aloud, yet like one 
 talking to himself, 
 
 "He is a lover of gold, and has been heard speak of cities 
 and temples and armies ; of his people numberless as the 
 sands. 0, if he be a man, with human weaknesses, if he 
 has hope, or folly of thought, to make him less than a god, 
 ere the night fall he F T iall give me reverence. Sign of my
 
 'MONTEZUMA GOES TO MEET CORTES. 241 
 
 power shall he find at every step : cities built upon the 
 waves ; temples solid and high as the hills ; the lake covered 
 with canoes and gardens ; people at his feet, like stalks in 
 the meadow ; my warriors ; and Tenochtitlan, city of empire ! 
 And then, if he greet me with hope or thought of conquest, 
 then " He shuddered. 
 
 "And then what?" said Cuitlahua, upon whom not a 
 word had been lost. 
 
 The thinker, startled, looked at him coldly, saying, 
 
 " I will take council of the gods." 
 
 And for a while he returned to his cJtoclatl. When next 
 he looked up, and spoke, his face was bright and smiling. 
 
 " With a train, my children, you are to go in advance of 
 me, and meet Malinche at Xoloc. Embrace him, speak to 
 him honorably, return with him, and I will be at the first 
 bridge outside the city. Cuitlahua and Cacama, be near 
 when he steps forward to salute me. I will lean upon your 
 shoulders. Get you gone now. Remember Anahuac ! " 
 
 Shortly afterward a train of nobles, magnificently ar- 
 rayed, issued from the palace, and marched down the great 
 street leading to the Iztapalapan causeway. The house-tops, 
 the porticos, even the roofs and towers of temples, and the 
 pavements and cross-streets, were already occupied by spec- 
 tators. At the head of the procession strode the four 
 heralds. Silently they marched, in silence the populace re- 
 ceived them. The spectacle reminded very old men of the 
 day the great Axaya' was borne in mournful pomp to Cha- 
 pultepec. Once only there was a cheer, or, rather, a war-cry 
 from the warriors looking down from the terraces of a 
 temple. So the cortege passed from the city ; so, through a 
 continuous lane of men, they moved along the causeway ; so 
 they reached the gates of Xoloc, at which the two dikes, 
 one from Iztapalapan, the other from Cojohuaca, intersected 
 each other. There they halted, waiting for Cortes. 
 11
 
 242 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 And while the train was on the road, out of on* of the 
 gates of the royal garden passed a palanquin, borne by four 
 slaves in the king's livery. The occupants were the prin- 
 cesses Tula and Nenetzin, with Yeteve in attendance. In 
 any of the towns of old Spain there would have been much 
 remark upon the style of carriage, but no denial of their 
 beauty, or that they were Spanish born. The elder sister 
 was thoughtful and anxious; the younger kept constant 
 lookout ; the priestess, at their feet, wove the flowers with 
 which they were profusely supplied into ramilletes, and 
 threw them to the passers-by. The slaves, when in the 
 great street, turned to the north. 
 
 "Blessed Lady!" cried Yeteve. "Was the like ever 
 seen?" 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Nenetzin. 
 
 " Such a crowd of people ! " 
 
 Xenetzin looked out again, saying, " I wish I could see a 
 ncble or a warrior." 
 
 " That may not be," said Tula. " The nobles are gone 
 to receive Malinche, the warriors are shut up in the tem- 
 ples." 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " They may be needed." 
 
 " Ah ! was it thought there is such danger ? But look, 
 6ee ! " And Nenetzin drew back alarmed, yet laughing. 
 
 There was a crash outside, and a loud shout, and thf 
 palanquin stopped. Tula drew the curtain quickly, not 
 knowing but that the peril requiring the soldiery was at 
 hand. A vendor of little stone images, teotls, or house- 
 hold gods, unable to get out of the way, had been run upon 
 by the slaves, and the pavement sprinkled with the broken 
 fteads and legs of the luckless lares. Aside, surveying the 
 wreck, stood the pedler, clad as usual with his class. In 
 his girdle he carried a mallet, significant of his trade. He
 
 MONTEZUMA GOES TO MEET CORTES. 243 
 
 was uncommonly tall, and of a complexion darker than the 
 lowest slaves. "While the commiserate princess observed 
 him, he raised his eyes ; a moment he stood uncertain what 
 to do ; then he stepped to the palanquin, and from the folds 
 of his tunic drew an image elaborately carved upon the face 
 of an agate. 
 
 " The good princess," he said, bending so low as to hide 
 his face, " did not laugh at the misfortune of her poor 
 slave. She has a friendly heart, and is loved by every 
 artisan in Tenochtitlan. This carving is of a sacred god, 
 who will watch over and bless her, as I now do. If she 
 will take it, I shall be glad." 
 
 " It is very valuable, and maybe you are not rich," she 
 replied. 
 
 " Rich ! When it is told that the princess Tula was 
 pleased with a teotl of my carving, I shall have patrons with' 
 out end. And if it were not so, the recollection will make 
 me rich enough. Will she please me so much 1 " 
 
 She took from her finger a ring set with a jewel that, in 
 any city of Europe, would have bought fifty such cameos, 
 and handed it to him. 
 
 " Certainly ; but take this from me. I warrant you are a 
 gentle artist." 
 
 The pedler took the gift, and kissed the pavement, and, 
 after the palanquin was gone, picked up such of his wares 
 as were uninjured, and went his way well pleased. 
 
 At the gate of the temple of Huitzil' the three alighted, 
 and made their way to the azoteas. The lofty place was 
 occupied by pabas and citizens, yet a sun-shade of gaudy 
 feather-work was pitched for them close by the eastern 
 verge, overlooking the palace of Axaya', and commanding the 
 street up which the array was to come. In the area below, 
 encompassed by the Coatapantli, or Wall of Serpents, ten 
 Uiousand warriors were closely ranked, ready to march at
 
 244 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 beat of the great drum hanging in the tower. Thus, com- 
 fortably situated, the daughters of the king awaited the 
 strangers. 
 
 When Montezuma started to meet his guests, the morning 
 was far advanced. A vast audience, in front of his palace, 
 waited to catch a view of his person. Of his policy the 
 mass knew but the little gleaned from a thousand rumors, 
 enough to fill them with forebodings of evil. Was he 
 going out as king or slave ? At last he came, looking their 
 ideal of a child of the Sun, and ready for the scrutiny. Stand- 
 ing in the portal, he received their homage ; not one but 
 kissed the ground before him. 
 
 He stepped out, and the sun, as if acknowledging his 
 presence, seemed to pour a double glory about him. In the 
 time of despair and overthrow that came, alas ! too soon, 
 those who saw him, in that moment of pride, spread his 
 arms in general benediction, remembered his princeliness, 
 and spoke of him ever after in the language of poetry. The 
 tilmatli, looped at the throat, and falling gracefully from his 
 shoulders, was beaded with jewels and precious stones ; the 
 long, dark-green plumes in his panache drooped with pearls ; 
 his sash was in keeping with the mantle ; the thongs of his 
 sandals were edged with gold, and the soles were entirely of 
 gold. Upon his breast, relieved against the rich embroidery 
 of hip tunic, symbols of the military orders of the realm 
 literally blazed with gems. 
 
 About the royal palanquin, in front of the portal, bare- 
 headed and barefooted, stood its complement of bearers, lords 
 of the first rank, proud of the service. Between the car- 
 riage and the doorway a carpet of white cloth was stretched : 
 common dust might not soil his feet. As he stepped out, 
 he was saluted by a roar of attabals and conch-shells. The 
 music warmed his blood ; the homage was agreeable to him, 
 was to his soul what incense is to the gods. He gazed proud-
 
 MONTEZUMA GOES TO MEET CORTES. 245 
 
 ly around, and it was easy to see how much he was in lova 
 with his own royalty. 
 
 Taking his place in the palanquin, the cortege moved 
 slowly down the street. In advance walked stately caciques 
 with wands, clearing the way. The carriers of the canopy, 
 which was separate from the carriage, followed next; and 
 behind them, reverently, and with downcast faces, marched 
 an escort of armed lords indescribably splendid. 
 
 The street traversed was the same Malinche was to trav- 
 erse. Often and again did the subtle monarch look to paves 
 and house-tops, and to the canals and temples. Well he 
 knew the cunning guest would sweep them all, searching for 
 evidences of his power ; that nothing would escape examina- 
 tion ; that the myriads of spectators, the extent of the city, 
 its position in the lake, and thousands of things not to be 
 written would find places in the calculation inevitable if the 
 visit were with other than peaceful intent. 
 
 At a palace near the edge of the city the escort halted to 
 abide the coming. 
 
 Soon, from the lake, a sound of music was heard, more 
 plaintive than that of the conchs. 
 
 " They are coming, they are coming ! The teules are 
 coming ! " shouted the people ; and every heart, even the 
 king's, beat quicker. Up the street the cry passed, like a 
 hurly gust of wind.
 
 24G THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE ENTRY. 
 
 IT is hardly worth while to eulogize the Christians who 
 took part in Cortes' crusade. History has assumed their 
 commemoration. I may say, however, they were men who 
 had acquired fitness for the task by service in almost every 
 clime. Some had tilted with the Moor under the walls of 
 Granada ; some had fought the Islamite on the blue Danube ; 
 some had performed the first Atlantic voyage with Colum- 
 bus ; all of them had hunted the Carib in the glades of 
 Hispaniola. It is not enough to describe them as fortune- 
 hunters, credulous, imaginative, tireless ; neither is it enough 
 to write them soldiers, bold, skilful, confident, cruel to ene- 
 mies, gentle to each other. They were characters of the age 
 in which they lived, unseen before, unseen since ; knights 
 errant, who believed in hippogriff and dragon, but sought 
 them only in lands of gold ; missionaries, who compla' 
 cently broke the body of the converted that Christ might 
 the sooner receive his soul; palmers of pike and shield, 
 who, in care of the Virgin, followed the morning round the 
 world, assured that Heaven stooped lowest over the most 
 profitable plantations. 
 
 The wonders of the way from the coast to Iztapalapan had 
 so beguiled the little host that they took but partial account 
 of its dangers. When, this morning, they stepped upon the 
 causeway, and began the march out into the lake, a sense of 
 __insecurity fell upon them, like the shadow of a cloud ; back 
 to the land they looked, as to a friend from whom they might 
 be parting forever ; and as they proceeded, and the watei 
 spread around them, wider, deeper, and up-bearing dense*
 
 THE ENTRY. 247 
 
 multitudes of people, the enterprise suddenly grew in pro- 
 portions, and challenged their self-sufficiency ; yet, as I have 
 heard them confess, they did not wake to a perfect compre- 
 hension of their situation, and its dangers and difficulties, 
 until they passed the gates of Xoloc : then Tenochtitlan 
 shone upon them, a city of enchantment ! And then- each 
 one felt that to advance was like marching in the face of death,, 
 at the same time each one saw there was no hope except in 
 advance. Every hand grasped closer the weapon with which 
 it was armed, while the ranks were intuitively closed. What 
 most impressed them, they said, was the silence of the peo- 
 ple; a word, a shout, a curse, or a battle-cry would have 
 been a relief from the fears and fancies that beset them ; as 
 it was, though in the midst of myriad life, they heard only 
 their own tramp, or the clang and rattle of their own arms. 
 As if aware of the influence, and fearful of its effect upon 
 his weaker followers, Cortes spoke to the musicians, and 
 trumpet and clarion burst into a strain which, with beat of 
 drum and clash of cymbal, was heard in the city. 
 
 " Ola, Sandoval, Alvarado ! Here, at my right and left 1 " 
 cried Cortes. 
 
 They spurred forward at the call. 
 
 " Out of the way, dog ! " shouted Sandoval, thrusting a 
 naked tamene over the edge of the dike with the butt of his 
 lance. 
 
 " By my conscience, Senores," Cortes said, " Itbin^ true. 
 Christian in a land of unbelievers never beheld city like this. 
 If it be wrong to the royal good knight, Eichard, of England, 
 or that valorous captain, the Flemish Duke Godfrey, may 
 the saints pardon me ; but I dare say the walled towns they 
 took, and, for that matter, I care not if you number Antioch 
 and the Holy City of the Sepulchre among them, were not 
 to be put in comparison with this infidel stronghold." 
 
 And as they ride, listening to his comments, let me bring 
 vhem particularly to view.
 
 248 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 They were in full armor, except that Alvarado's squire 
 carried his helmet for him. In preparation for the entry, 
 their skilful furbishers had well renewed the original lustre 
 of helm, gorget, breastplate, glaive, greave, and shield. The 
 plumes in their crests, like the scarfs across their breasts, had 
 been carefully preserved for such ceremonies. At the saddle- 
 bows hung heavy hammers, better known as battle-axes.! 
 Rested upon the iron shoe, and balanced in the right hand, ', 
 each carried a lance, to which, as the occasion was peaceful, 
 a silken pennon was attached. The horses, opportunely 
 rested in Iztapalapan, and glistening in mail, trod the cause- 
 way as if conscious of the terror they inspired. 
 
 Cortes, between his favorite captains, rode with lifted visor, 
 smiling and confident. His complexion was bloodless and 
 ashy, a singularity the more noticeable on account of his thin, 
 black beard. The lower lip was seamed with a scar. He 
 was of fine stature, broad-shouldered, and thin, but strong, 
 active, and enduring. His skill in all manner of martial ex- 
 ercises was extraordinary. He conversed in Latin, composed 
 poetry, wrote unexceptionable prose, and, except when in 
 passion, spoke gravely and with well-turned periods.* In 
 argument he was both dogmatic and convincing, and espe- 
 cially artful in addressing soldiers, of whom, by constitution, 
 mind, will, and courage, he was a natural leader. Now, 
 gay and assured, he managed his steed with as little concern 
 and talked carelessly as a knight returning victorious from 
 some joyous passage of arms. 
 
 Gonzalo de Sandoval, not twenty-three years of age, was 
 better looking, having a larger frame and fuller face. His 
 beard was auburn, and curled agreeably to the prevalent 
 fashion. Next to his knightly honor, he loved his beautiful 
 chestnut horse, Motilla.t 
 
 * Bernal Diaz, Hist, of the Conq. of Mexico, 
 fib.
 
 THE ENTRY. 249 
 
 Handsomest man of the party, however, was Don Pedro 
 de Alvarado. Generous as a brother to a Christian, he hated 
 a heathen with the fervor of a crusader. And now, in scorn 
 of Aztecan treachery, he was riding unhelmed, his locks, 
 long and yellow, flowing freely over his shoulders. His fac 
 was fair as a gentlewoman's, and neither sun nor weather 
 could alter it. Except in battle, his countenance expressed 
 the friendliest disposition. He cultivated his beard assidu* 
 ously, training it to fall in ringlets upon his breast, and 
 there was reason for the weakness, if such it was ; yellow 
 a* gold, with the help of his fair face and clear blue eyes, it 
 gave him a peculiar expression of sunniness, from which the 
 Aztecs called him Tonitiah, child of the Sun.* 
 
 And over what a following of cavaliers the leader looked 
 when, turning in his saddle, he now and then glanced down 
 the column, Christobal de Oli, Juan Velasquez de Leon, 
 Francisco de Montejo, Luis Marin, Andreas de Tapia, Alonzo 
 de Avila, Francisco de Lugo, the Manjarezes, Andreas and 
 Gregorio, Diego de Ordas, Francisco de Morla, Christobal de 
 Olea, Gonzalo de Dominguez, Rodriques Magarino, Alonzo 
 Hernandez Carrero, most of them gentlemen of the class 
 who knew the songs of Rodrigo, and the stories of Amadia 
 and the Paladins ! 
 
 And much shame would there be to me if I omitted men- 
 tion of two others, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who, after 
 the conquest, became its faithful historian, and Father Bar- 
 tolome de Olmedo,t sweet singer, good man, and devoted 
 servant of God, the first to whisper the names of Christ and 
 the Holy Mother in the ear of New Spain. In the column 
 behind the cavaliers, with his assistant, Juan de las Varillas, 
 he rode bareheaded, and clad simply in a black serge gown. 
 The tinkle of the little silver bell, which the soldiers, in token 
 
 * Bernal Diaz, Hist, of the Conq. of Mexico, 
 t Ib. 
 
 11*
 
 250 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 of love, had tied to the neck of his mule, sounded, amid the 
 harsher notes of war, like a gentle reminder of shepherds and 
 grazing flocks in peaceful pastures near Old World homes. 
 
 After the holy men, in care of a chosen guard of honor, 
 the flag of Spain was carried ; and then came the artillery, 
 drawn by slaves; next, in close order, followed the cross- 
 bowmen and arquebusiers, the latter with their matches 
 lighted. Eearward still, in savage pomp and pride, strode 
 the two thousand Tlascalans, first of their race to bear shield 
 and fly banner along the causeway into Tenochtitlan. And 
 bO the Christians, in order of battle, but scarcely four hundred 
 strong, marched into a capital of full three hundred thousand 
 inhabitants, swollen by the innumerable multitudes of tht 
 valley. 
 
 As they drew nigh the city, the cavaliers became silent 
 end thoughtful. With astonishment, which none of them 
 sought to conceal, they gazed at the white walls and crowded 
 houses, and, with sharpened visions, traced against the sky 
 the outlines of temples and temple-towers, more numerous 
 than those of papal Eome. Well they knew that the story 
 rjf \vhat they saw so magnificently before them would be re- 
 ceived with incredulity in all the courts of Christendom. 
 Indeed, some of the humbler soldiers marched convinced that 
 all they beheld was a magical delusion. Not so Cortes. 
 
 " Ride on, gentlemen, ride on ! " he said. " There is n 
 question I would ask of a good man behind us. I will rejoin 
 you shortly." 
 
 From the artillerists he singled a soldier. 
 
 " Martin Lopez ! Martin Lopez ! " 
 
 The man came to him. 
 
 " Martin, look out on this lake. Beareth it resemblance 
 bo the blue bays on the southern shore of old Spain? Aa 
 thou art a crafty sailor, comrade mine, look carefully." 
 
 Lopez raised his morion, and, leaning on his pike, glanced 
 over tho expanse.-
 
 THE ENTRY. 251 
 
 " Seiior, the water is fair enough, and, for that, looks like 
 bayous I have seen without coming so far ; "but I doubt if a 
 two-decker could float on it long enough for Father Olmedo 
 to say mass for our souls in peril." 
 
 " Peril ! Plague take thee, man ! Before the hour of 
 Vespers, by the Blessed Lady, whose image thou wearest, this 
 lake, yon city, its master, and all thou seest here, not except- 
 ing the common spawn of idolatry at our feet, shall be the 
 property of our sovereign lord. But, Martin Lopez, thou 
 hast hauled sail and tacked ship in less room than this. 
 "What say'st thou to sailing a brigantine here?" 
 
 The sailor's spirit rose ; he looked ovttr the lake again. 
 
 " It might be done, it might be done ! " 
 
 " Then, by my conscience, it shall be ! Confess thyself 
 an Admiral to-night." 
 
 And Cortes rode to the front. Conquest might not be, 
 he saw, without vessels ; and true to his promise, it came to 
 pass that Lopez sailed, not one, but a fleet of brigantines on 
 the gentle waters. 
 
 "When the Christians were come to the first bridge outside 
 the walls, their attention was suddenly drawn from the city. 
 Down the street came Monteztima and his retinue. Curious 
 as they were to see ths arch-infidel, the soldiers kept their 
 ranks ; but Cortes, taking with him the cavaliers, advanced 
 to meet the monarch. "When the palanquin stopped, the 
 Spaniards dismounted. About the same time an Indian 
 woman, of comely features, came forward. 
 
 " Stay thou here, Marina," said Cortes. " I will embrace 
 the heathen, then call thee to speak to him." 
 
 " Jesu ! " cried Alvarado. " There is gold enough on his 
 litter to furnish a cathedral." 
 
 " Take thou the gold, Seiior ; I choose the jewels on hia 
 mantle," said De Ordas. 
 
 " By my patron saint of excellent memorv 1 " said Sando-,
 
 252 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 val, lisping his words, " I think for noble cavaliers ye are 
 easily content. Take the jewels and the gold ; but give 
 me that train of stalwart dogs, and a plantation worthy of 
 my degree here by Tezcuco." 
 
 So the captains talked. 
 
 Meantime, the cotton cloth was stretched along the dike. 
 Then on land and sea a hush prevailed. 
 
 Montezuma came forward supported by the lords Cuitlahua 
 and Cacarna. Cortes met him half-way. When face to 
 face, they paused, and looked at each other. Alas, for the 
 Aztec then ! In the mailed stranger he beheld a visitant 
 from the Sun, a god ! The Spaniard saw, wrapped in the 
 rich vestments, only a man, a king, yet a heathen ! He 
 opened his arms : Montezuma stirred not. Cuitlahua ut- 
 tered a cry to HuitziT, and caught one of the extended arms. 
 Long did Cortes keep in mind the cacique's look at that 
 moment ; long did he remember the dark brown face, swollen 
 with indignation and horror. Alvarado laid his hand on his 
 sword. 
 
 " Peace, Don Pedro ! " said Cortes. " The knave knows 
 nothing of respectable customs. Instead of taking to thy 
 sword, bless the Virgin that a Christian knight hath been 
 saved the sin of embracing an unbeliever. Call Marina." 
 
 The woman came, and stood by the Spaniard, and in a 
 sweet voice interpreted the speeches. The monarch expressed 
 delight at seeing his visitors, and welcomed them to Tenoch- 
 titkn ; his manner and courteous words won even Alva- 
 rado. Cortes answered, acknowledging surprise at the beauty 
 and extent of the city, and in token of his gratification at 
 being at last before a king so rich and powerful begged him 
 to accept a present. Into the royal hand he then placed a 
 string of precious stones, variously colored, and strongly per- 
 fumed with musk. Thereupon the ceremony ended. Two of 
 the princes were left to conduct the strangers to their quarters.
 
 THE ENTRY. 253 
 
 Resuming his palanquin, Montezuma himself led the proces- 
 sion as far as his own palace. 
 
 And Cortes swung himself into the saddle. " Let the 
 trumpets sound. Forward ! " 
 
 Again the music, again the advance ; then the pa- 
 geant passed from the causeway and lake into the ex- 
 pectant city. 
 
 Theretofore, the Christians had been silent from discipline, 
 now they were silent from wonder. Even Cortes held his 
 peace. They had seen the irregular towns of Tlascala, and 
 the pretentious beauty of Cholula, and Iztapalapan, in whose 
 streets the lake contended with the land for mastery, yet 
 were they unprepared for Tenochtitlan. Here, it was plain, 
 wealth and power and time and labor, under the presidency 
 of genius, had wrought their perfect works, everywhere visi- 
 ble : under foot, a sounding bridge, or a broad paved way, 
 dustless, and unworn by wheel or hoof ; on the right and 
 left, airy windows, figured portals, jutting balconies, embat- 
 tled cornices, porticos with columns of sculptured marble, 
 and here a palace, there a temple ; overhead pyramidal 
 heights crowned with towers and smoking braziers, or lower 
 roofs, from which, as from hanging gardens, floated wafture? 
 sweet as the perfumed airs of the Indian isles ; and every- 
 where, looking up from the canals, down from the porticos, 
 houses, and pyramids, and out of the doors and windows, 
 crowding the pavement, clinging to the walls, everywhere 
 the PEOPLE ! After ages of decay I know it has been other 
 wise ; but I also know that conquerors have generally found 
 the builders of a great state able and willing to defend it. 
 
 " St. James absolve me, Senor ! but I like not the cold- 
 ness of these dogs," said Monjarez to Avila. 
 
 " Nor I," was the reply. " Seest thou the women on yon 
 balcony ] I would give my helmet full of ducats, if they 
 would but once cry, " Viva Espa&a J "
 
 254 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Nay, that would I if they would but wave a scarf." 
 
 The progress of the pageant was necessarily slow ; "but at 
 last the spectators on the temple of Huit/il' heard its music ; 
 at last the daughters of the king beheld it in the street below 
 them. 
 
 " Gods of my fathers ! " thought Tula, awed and trembling,; 
 " what manner of beings are these ? " 
 
 And the cross-bowmen and arquebusiers, their weapons 
 and glittering iron caps, the guns, and slaves that dragged 
 them, even the flag of Spain, objects of mighty interest 
 to others, drew from Nenetzin but a passing glanoe. 
 Very beautiful to her, however, were the cavaliers, insomuch 
 that she cared only for their gay pennons, their shields, 
 their plumes nodding bravely above their helms, their armor 
 of strange metal, on which the sun seemed to play with a 
 fiery love, and their steeds, creatures tamed for the service 
 of gods. Suddenly her eyes fixed, her heart stopped ; point- 
 ing to where the good Captain Alvarado rode, scanning, 
 with upturned face, the great pile, " Tula, Tula ! " she 
 cried. " See ! There goes the blue-eyed warrior of my 
 dream ! " 
 
 But it happened that Tula was, at the moment, too much 
 occupied to listen or look. The handsome vendor of images, 
 standing near the royal party, had attracted the attention of 
 Yeteve, the priestess. 
 
 " The noble Tula is unhappy. She is thinking of " 
 
 A glance checked the name. 
 
 Then Yeteve whispered, " Look at the image-maker." 
 
 The prompting was not to be resisted. She looked, and 
 recognized Guatamozin. Not that only ; through his low 
 disguise, in his attitude, his eyes bright with angry fire, she 
 discerned his spirit, its pride and heroism. Not for her was 
 it to dispute the justice of his banishment. Love scorned 
 the argument. There he stood, the man for the time ; strong-
 
 THE ENTRY. 255 
 
 armed, stronger-hearted, prince by birth, king by nature, 
 watching afar off a scene in which valor and genius entitled 
 him to prominence. Then there were tears for him, and a 
 love higher, if not purer, than ever. 
 
 Suddenly he leaned over the verge, and shouted, " Al-a- 
 lula ! Al-a-lala ! " and with such energy that he was heard in 
 the street below. Tula looked down, and saw the cause of 
 the excitement, the Tlascalans were marching by ! Again 
 his cry, the same with which he had so often led his coun- 
 trymen to battle. No one took it up. The companies inside 
 the sacred wall turned their faces, and stared at him in 
 dull wonder. And he covered his eyes with his hands, while 
 every thought was a fierce invective. Little he then knew 
 how soon, and how splendidly, they were to purchase his 
 forgiveness ! 
 
 When the Tlascalans were gone, he dropped his hands, 
 and found the mallet ! So it was the artisan, the image- 
 maker, not the 'tzin, who had failed to wake the army 
 to war ! He turned quickly, and took his way through 
 the crowd, and disappeared ; and none but Tula and Yeteve 
 ever knew that, from the teocallis, Guatainozin had witnessed 
 the entry of the teules. 
 
 And so poor Nenetzin had been left to follow the warrioi 
 of her dream ; the shock and the pleasure were hers alone. 
 
 The palace of Axaya' faced the temple of Huitzil' on the 
 west. In one of the halls Montezuma received Cortes and 
 the cavaliers ; and all their lives they recollected his gentle- 
 ness, courtesy, and unaffected royalty in that ceremony. 
 Putting a golden collar around the neck of his chief guest, 
 he said, " This palace belongs to you, Malinche, and to your 
 brethren. Rest after your fatigues ; you have much need to 
 do so. In a little while I will come again." 
 
 And when he was gone, straightway the guest so honored 
 proceeded to change the palace into a fort. Along the massive
 
 256 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 walls that encircled it he stationed sentinels ; at every gate 
 planted cannon ; and, like the enemy he was, he began, and 
 from that time enforced, a discipline sterner than before. 
 
 The rest of the day the citizens, from the top of the tem- 
 ple, kept incessant watch upon the palace. When the shades 
 of evening were collecting over the city, and the thousands, 
 grouped along the streets, were whispering of the incidents 
 they had seen, a thunderous report broke the solemn still* 
 ness ; and they looked at each other, and trembled, and 
 called the evening guns of Cortes " Voices of the Gods."
 
 BOOK FIVE. 
 
 CHAPTEE L 
 
 PUBLIC OPINION. 
 
 GTJATAMOZIN, accompanied by Hualpa, left the city 
 a little after nightfall. Impressed, doubtless, by the 
 great event of the day, the two journeyed in silence, until 
 so far out that the fires of the capital faded into a rosy tint 
 low on the horizon. 
 
 Then the 'tzin said, "I am tired, body and spirit; yet 
 must I go back to Tenochtitlan." 
 
 " To-night 1 " Hualpa asked. 
 
 " To-night ; and I need help." 
 
 "What I can, 'tzin, that will I." 
 
 " You are weary, also." 
 | " I could follow a wounded deer till dawn, if you so wished." 
 
 " It is well" 
 
 After a while the 'tzin again spoke. 
 
 " To-day I have unlearned all the lessons of my youth. 
 The faith I thought part of my life is not ; I have seen the 
 great king conquered without a blow ! " I 
 
 There was a sigh such as only shame can wring from a 
 strong man. 
 
 " At the Chalcan's, where the many discontented meet to- 
 night, there will be," he resumed, " much talk of war with-i 
 out the king. Such conferences are criminal ; and yet there 
 shall be war." 
 
 He spoke with emphasis. 
 
 Q
 
 "258 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " In my exile without a cause," he next said, " I have 
 learned to distinguish between the king and country. I 
 have even reflected upon conditions when the choosing be- 
 tween them may become a duty. Far be they hence ! but 
 when they come, Anahuac shall have her son. To accom- 
 plish their purpose, the lords in the city rely upon their 
 united power, which is nothing ; with the signet in his hand, 
 Maxtla alone could disperse their forces. There is that, 
 however, by which what they seek can be wrought right- 
 fully, something under the throne, not above it, where 
 they are looking, and only the gods are, a power known to 
 every ruler as his servant when wisely cared for, and his 
 master when disregarded ; public opinion we call it, meaning 
 the judgment and will of the many. In this garb of artisan, 
 I have been with the people all day, and for a purpose 
 higher than sight of what I abhorred. I talked with them. 
 I know them. In the march from Xoloc there was not a 
 shout. In the awful silence, what of welcome was there I 
 Honor to the people ! Before they are conquered the lake 
 will wear a red not of the sun ! Imagine them of one 
 mind, and zealous for war : how long until the army catches 
 the sentiment ? Imagine the streets and temples resounding 
 with a constant cry, ' Death to the strangers ! ' how long 
 until the king yields to the clamor 1 comrade, that would 
 be the lawful triumph of public opinion ; and so, I say, war 
 shall be." 
 
 After that the 'tzin remained sunk in thought until the 
 canoe touched the landing at his garden. Leaving the boat- 
 men there, he proceeded, with Hualpa, to the palace. In 
 his study, he said, " You have seen the head of the stranger 
 whom I slew at Nauhtlan. I have another trophy. Coma 
 with me." 
 
 Providing himself with a lamp, he led the way to what 
 seemed a kind of workshop. Upon the walls, mixed with
 
 PUBLIC OPINION. 259 
 
 strange banners, hung all kinds of Aztec armor; a bench 
 stood by one of the windows, covered with tools ; on the 
 floor lay bows, arrows, and lances, of such fashion as to be- 
 tray the experimentalist. The corners were decorated, if the 
 term may be used, with effigies of warriors preserved by the 
 process peculiar to the people. In the centre of the room, a 
 superior attraction to Hualpa, stood a horse, which had been 
 subjected to the same process, but was so lifelike now that 
 he could hardly think it dead. The posture chosen for the 
 animal was that of partial repose, its head erect, its ears 
 thrown sharply forward, its nostrils distended, the forefeet 
 firmly planted ; so it had, in life, often stood watching the 
 approach or disappearance of its comrades. The housings 
 were upon it precisely as when taken from the field. 
 
 " I promised there should be war," the 'tzin said, when he 
 supposed Hualpa's wonder spent, "and that the people 
 should bring it about. Now I say, that the opinion I rely 
 upon would ripen to-morrow, were there not a thick cloud 
 about it. The faith that Malinche and his followers are 
 teulet has spread from the palace throughout the valley. 
 Unless it be dispelled, Anahuac must remain the prey of the 
 spoiler. Mualox, the keeper of the old Cu of Quetzal', taught 
 me long ago, that in the common mind mystery can only 
 be assailed by mystery ; and that, comrade, is what I now 
 propose. This nameless thing here belonged to the stranger 
 whom I slew at Nauhtlan. Come closer, and lay your hand 
 upon it ; mount it, and you may know how its master felt 
 the day he rode it to death. There is his lance, there his 
 shield, here his helm and whole array ; take them, and 
 learn what little is required to make a god of a man." 
 
 For a moment he busied himself getting the property of 
 the unfortunate Christian together , then he stopped before 
 the Tihuancan, saying, " Let others choose their parts, 
 comrade. All a warrior may do, that will L If the Empire
 
 260 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 must die, it shall be like a fighting man, a hero's song for 
 future minstrels. Help me now. We will take the trophy 
 to the city, and set it up in the lianguez along with the 
 shield, arms, and armor. The rotting head in the summer- 
 house we will fix near by ou the lance. To-morrow, when 
 the traders open their stalls, and the thousands so shamelessly 
 sold come back to their bartering and business, a mystery 
 shall meet them which no man can look upon and afterwards 
 believe Malinche a god. I see the scene, the rush of the 
 people, their surprise, their pointing fingers. I hear the 
 eager questions, 'What are they?' 'Whence came they?' 
 I hear the i^ady answer, ' Death to the strangers ! ' Then, O 
 comrade, will begin the Opinion, by force of which, the gods 
 willing, we shall yet hear the drum of Huitzil'. Lay hold 
 now, and let us to the canoe with the trophies." 
 
 "If it be heavy as it seems, good 'tzin," said Hualpa, 
 stooping to the wooden slab which served as the base of the 
 effigy, " I fear we shall be overtasked." 
 
 " It is not heavy ; two children could carry it. A word 
 more before we proceed. In what I propose there is a peril 
 aside from the patrols in the tianguez. Malinche will hear 
 of " 
 
 Hualpa laughed. " Was ever a victim sacrificed before he 
 was caught ? " 
 
 " Hear further," said the 'tzin, gravely. " I took the king 
 to the summer-house, and showed him the head, which ho 
 will recognize. Your heart, as well as mine, may pay the 
 forfeit. Consider." 
 
 " Lay hold, O 'tzin ! Did you not but now call me com- 
 rade ? Lay hold ! " 
 
 Thereupon they carried the once good steed out to the 
 landing. Then the 'tzin went to the kiosk for the Span, 
 lard's head, while Hualpa returned to the palace for the 
 arms and equipments. The head, wrapped in a cloth, was
 
 A MESSAGE FROM THE GODS. 261 
 
 dropped in the bow of the boat, and the horse and trappings 
 carried on board. Trusting in the gods, the voyageurs 
 pushed off, and were landed, without interruption, near the 
 great tiangutz. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A MESSAGE FROM THE GODS. 
 
 * -T~T is done ! " said the 'tzin, in a whisper. " It is done 1 
 
 JL One more service, comrade, if " 
 
 " Do not spare me, good 'tzin. I am happiest when serv 
 ing you." 
 
 " Then stay in the city to-night, and be here early after 
 the discovery. Take part with the crowd, and, if oppor- 
 tunity offer, direct it. I must return to my exile. Eeport 
 when all is over. The gods keep you ! Farewell." 
 
 Hualpa, familiar with the square, went to the portico of 
 the Chalcan ; and as the lamps were out, and the curtains of 
 the door drawn for the night, with the privilege of an habitue 
 he stretched himself upon one of the lounges, and, lulled by 
 the fountain, fell asleep. 
 
 A shout awoke him. He looked out to see the day break- 
 ing in gloom. The old sky of blue, in which the summer 
 had so long and lovingly nestled, was turned to lead ; the 
 smoke seemed to have fallen from the temples, and, burden- 
 ing the atmosphere, was driving along slowly and heavily, like 
 something belonging to the vanishing night. Another crj 
 louder than the first ; then the door, or, rather, the screen, 
 behind him was opened, and the Chalcan himself came 
 forth. 
 
 " Ah, son of my friend ! Hark ! Some maudlin fellow 
 hallooes. The fool would like to end his sleep, hard enough
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 out there, in the temple. But you, where have you 
 
 " Here, good Xoli, on this lounge." 
 
 " The night ? Ah ! the pulque was too much for you. For 
 your father's sake, boy, I give you advice : To be perfectly 
 happy in Tenochtitlan, it is necessary to remember, first, how 
 the judges punish drunkenness ; next, that there is no pure 
 liquor in the city except in the king's jars, and There, 
 the shout again ! two of them ! a third ! " 
 
 And the broker also looked out of the portico. 
 
 ;< Holy gods, what a smoke ! There go some sober citi- 
 zens, neighbors of mine, and running. Something of in- 
 terest ! Come, Hualpa, let us go also. The times are won- 
 derful. You know there are gods in Teuochtitlan besides 
 those we worship. Come ! " 
 
 " I am hungry." 
 
 " I will feed you to bursting when we get back. Come on." 
 
 As they left the portico, people were hastening to the CCD 
 tre of the square, where the outcry was now continuous and 
 growing. 
 
 " Eoom for the Chalcan ! " said a citizen, already on the 
 ground. " Let him see what is here fallen from the clouds." 
 
 Great was the astonishment of the broker when his eyes 
 first rested on the stately figure of the horse, and the terrible 
 head on the lance above it. Hualpa affected the same feel- 
 ing, but, having a part to play, shouted, as in alarm, 
 
 " It is one of the fighting beasts of Malinche ! Beware, 
 citizens ! Your lives may be in danger." 
 
 The crowd, easily persuaded, fell back. 
 
 " Let us get arms ! " shouted one. 
 
 " Arms ! Get arms ! " then rose, in full chorus. 
 
 Hualpa ventured nearer, and cried out, " The beast is 
 dead ! " 
 
 " Keep off, boy ! " said Xoli, himself at a respectable dis- 
 tance. " Trust it not ; such things do not die."
 
 A MESSAGE FROM THE GODS. 263 
 
 Never speech, more opportune for the Tihuancan. 
 
 " Be it of the earth or Sun, I tell you, friends, it is dead," 
 he replied, more loudly. " Who knows but that the holy 
 Huitzil' has set it up here to be seen of all of us, that we 
 may know Malinche is not a god. Is there one among you 
 who has a javelin ? " 
 
 A weapon was passed to him over the heads of the fast in- 
 creasing crowd. 
 
 " Stand aside ! I will see." 
 
 Without more ado, the adventurer thrust deep in the 
 horse's flank. Those directly about held their breath from 
 fear ; and Avhen the brute stirred not, they looked at each 
 other, not knowing what to say. That it was dead, was past 
 doubt. 
 
 " Who will gainsay me now ? " continued Hualpa. " It 
 is dead, and so is he to whom yon head belonged. Gods 
 fall not so low." 
 
 It was one of those moments when simple minds are easily 
 converted to any belief. 
 
 " Gods they are not," said a voice in the throng ; " but 
 whence came they 1 " 
 
 " And who put them here 1 " asked another. 
 
 Hualpa answered swiftly, 
 
 " Well said ! The gods speak not directly to those whom 
 they would admonish or favor. And if this be the handi- 
 work of Huitzil', and what more likely 1 should we not 
 inquire if it have a meaning ] It may be a message. Is 
 there a reader of pictures among you, friends 1 " 
 
 " Here is one ! " 
 
 " Let him come ! Make way for him ! " 
 A citizen, from his dress a merchant, was pushed forward 
 
 " What experience have you ? " 
 
 " I studied in the calmecac ! " * 
 
 * The University
 
 264 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The man raised his eyes to the head on the lance, and they 
 became transfixed with horror. 
 
 " Look, then, to what we have here, and, saying it is a 
 message from the holy Huitzil', read it for us. Speak out, 
 that all may hear." 
 
 The citizen was incapable of speech, and the people cried 
 out, " He is a shame to the heroic god ! Off with him, off 
 with him ! " 
 
 But Hualpa interfered. " No. He still believes Malinche 
 a god. Let him alone ! I can use him." Then he spoke 
 to the merchant. " Hear me, my friend, and I will read. If 
 I err, stop me." 
 
 " Read, read ! " went up on all sides. 
 
 Hualpa turned to the group as if studying it. Around- 
 hirn fell the silence of keen expectancy. 
 
 " Thus writes Huitzil', greatest of gods, to the children of 
 Anahuac, greatest of peoples ! " so Hualpa began. " ' The 
 strangers in Tenochtitlan are my enemies, and yours, peo- 
 ple. They come to overthrow my altars, and make you a 
 nation of slaves. You have sacrificed and prayed to me, and 
 now I say to you, Arise ! Take arms before it is too late. 
 Malinche and his followers are but men. Strike them, and 
 chey will die. To convince you that they are not gods, lo ! 
 here is one of them dead. So I say, slay them, and every- 
 thing that owns them master, even the beasts they ride ! ' 
 Ho, friend, is not that correct 1 " 
 
 " So I would have read," said the merchant. 
 
 " Praised be Huitzil' ! " cried Hualpa, devoutly. 
 
 " Live the good god of our fathers ! Death to the stran 
 gers ! " answered the people. 
 
 And amid the stir and hum of many voices, the comrade' 
 of the 'tzin, listening, heard his words repeated, and passed 
 from man to man ; so that he knew his mission done, and 
 that by noon the story of the effigy would be common
 
 A MESSAGE FROM THE GODS. 265 
 
 throughout the city, and in flight over the valley, with 
 his exposition of its meaning accepted and beyond counter- 
 action. 
 
 After a while the Chalcan caught his arm, saying, " The 
 smell is dreadful to a cultivated nose sharpened by an empty 
 stomach. Snuff for one, breakfast for the other. Let us 
 
 g-" 
 
 Hualpa followed him. 
 
 " Who is he 1 who is he ? " asked the bystanders, eagerly. 
 
 " Him ! Not know him ! It is the brave lad who slew 
 the tiger and saved the king's life." 
 
 And the answer was to the exposition like an illuminated 
 seal to a royal writ. 
 
 Morning advanced, curtained with clouds ; and, as the ac- 
 count of the spectacle flew, the multitude in the tianguez 
 increased, until there was not room left for business. Ali 
 who caught the news hurried to see the sight, and for 
 themselves read the miraculous message of Huitzil'. The 
 clamor of tongues the while was like the clamor of waves, 
 and not singularly; for thus was fought the first great 
 battle, the battle of the mysteries, and with this re- 
 sult : if a believer in the divinity of Cortes looked once at 
 the rotting head on the lance, he went away of the 'tzin's 
 opinion, impatient for war. 
 
 About noon a party of Spaniards, footmen, armed and out 
 Inspecting the city, entered the square. The multitude 
 daunted them not the least. Talking, sometimes laughing, 
 they sauntered along, peering into the open booths and stalls, 
 and watching with practised eyes for gold. 
 
 " Holy mass ! " exclaimed one of them, stopping. " The 
 heathen are at sacrifice." 
 
 " Sacrifice, saidst thou ? This is their market-place." 
 
 " That as thou wilt. I tell thee they have been at wor- 
 ehip. My eyes are not dim as my mother's, who was past
 
 266 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 fifty the day we sailed from Cuba, may the saints preserve 
 her ! If they were, yet could I swear that yonder hangs the 
 head of a victim." 
 
 Over the restless crowd they looked at the ghastly object, 
 eager yet uncertain. 
 
 " Now I bethink me, the poor wretch who hath suffered 
 the death may have been one of the half-assoilzied sons of 
 Tlascala. If we are in a stronghold of enemies, as I have 
 concluded from the wicked, Carib looks of these savages, 
 Heaven and St. James defend us ! We are a score with 
 weapons ; in the Mother's name, let us to the bloody sign ! " 
 
 The unarmed mass into which, without further consider- 
 ation, they plunged, was probably awed by the effrontery of 
 the movement, for the leader had not once occasion to shorten 
 his advancing step. Halted before the spectacle, they looked 
 first at the horse, then at the head. Remembrance was faith- 
 ful : in one, they recognized the remains of a comrade ; in 
 the other, his property. 
 
 " Arguella, Arguella ! Good captain ! Santa Maria ! " 
 burst from them. 
 
 As they gazed, tears of pity and rage filled their eyes, and 
 coursed down their bronzed cheeks. 
 
 " Peace ! " said the sterner fellow at whose suggestion they 
 had come. " Are ye soldiers, or whimpering women 1 Do 
 as I bid ! Save your tears for Father Bartolome to mix with 
 masses for the poor fellow's soul. Look to the infidels ! I 
 will take down the head." 
 
 He lowered the lance, and took off the loathsome ob- 
 ject. 
 
 44 We will carry it to the Senor Hernan. It shall have 
 ourial, and masses, and a cross. Hands to the horse now 1 
 Arguella loved it well ; many a day I have seen him comb 
 its mane kindly as if it had been the locks of his sweetheart. 
 Nay, it is too unwieldy. Let it stand, but take the armor.
 
 HOW ILLS OF STATE BECOME ILLS OF SOCIETY. 267 
 
 Hug the good sword close. Heaven willing, it shall redden 
 in the carcasses of some of these hounds of hell. Are we 
 ready 1 To quarters, then ! As we go, mark the unbelievers, 
 and cleave the first that lifts a hand or bars the way." 
 
 They reached the old palace in safety. Needless to depict 
 the grief and rage of the Christians at sight of the counte- 
 nance of the unfortunate Arguella. 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 HOW ILLS OF STATE BECOME ILLS OP SOCIETY. 
 
 BY this time, Io', the prince, had acquired somewhat 
 of the importance of a man. Thanks to Hualpa, and 
 his own industry, he could hurl a javelin, strike stoutly with 
 a maquahuitl, and boast of skill with the bow. As well he 
 might, he smiled at thought of the maternal care, and from 
 his sisters demanded a treatment due to one of his accom- 
 plishments and dignity. 
 
 The day after the incidents narrated in the preceding 
 chapter, he entered Tula's apartment, and requested her to 
 dismiss her attendants. 
 
 " Sit down, my brother," she said, when they were alone. 
 " You look vexed. What has happened 1 " 
 
 Going to a table close by, he commenced despoiling a vase 
 of flowers. She repeated the question. 
 
 " I am glad," he answered, " to find one whom the coming 
 f the strangers has not changed." 
 
 " What now 1 " 
 
 " I have been again and again to see Nenetzin, but she re- 
 fuses me. Is she sick ? " 
 
 " Not that I know."
 
 268 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Then why is she so provoking 1 " 
 
 " My brother, you know not what it is for a girl to find 
 her lover. Nenetzin has found hers." 
 
 " It is to talk about him I want to see her." 
 
 " You know him ! How ? when ? " 
 
 "Do I not see him every day? Is he not my comrade?", 
 
 " Your comrade ! " 
 
 " The lord Hualpa ! He came to you once with a message 
 from the 'tzin." 
 
 To a woman, the most interesting stories are those that 
 have to do with the gentle passion. Seeing his mistake, she 
 encouraged it. 
 
 " Yes, I remember him. He is both brave and handsome." 
 
 Io' left the vase, and came to her side. His curiosity was 
 piqued. 
 
 " How came you to hnow he was her lover ? He would 
 hardly confess it to me." 
 
 " Yet he did tell you ? " she answered, evasively. 
 
 " Yes. One day, tired of practising with our slings, we 
 lay down in the shade of a ceiba-tree. We talked about 
 what I should do when I became a man. I should be a war- 
 rior, and command armies, and conquer Tlascala ; he should 
 be a warrior also, and in my command. That should not be, 
 I told him, as he would always be the most skilful He 
 laughed, but not as merrily as I have heard him. Then he 
 said, ' There are many things you will have learned by that 
 time ; such as what rank is, and especially what it is to be, 
 of the king's blood.' I asked him why he spoke so. He said 
 he would tell me some day, but not then. And I thought 
 of the time we went to meet you at the chinampa, and of 
 how he gave you a vase from the 'tzin, and one to Nenetzin 
 from himself. Then I thought I understood him, but in- 
 sisted on his telling. He put me off; at last he said he was a 
 foolish fellow, and in his lonely haunts in Tihuanco had ac-
 
 HOW ILLS OF STATE BECOME ILLS OF SOCIETY. 269 
 
 quired a habit of dreaming, which was not broken as he 
 Would like. He had first seen Nenetzin at the Quetzal' com- 
 bat, and thought her handsomer than any one he had ever 
 met. The day on the lake he ventured to speak to her ; she 
 smiled, and took his gift ; and since that he had not been 
 strong enough to quit thinking about her. It was great 
 folly, he said. 'Why so?' I asked him. He hid his face 
 in the grass, and answered, ' I am the son of a merchant j 
 she is of the king's blood, and would mock me.' ' But,' said 
 I, ' you are now noble, and owner of a palace.' He raised 
 his head, and looked at me ; had she been there, she would 
 not have mocked him. * All,' he said, ' if I could only get 
 her to cease thinking of me as the trader's son ! ' ' Now you 
 are foolish,' I told him. ' Did you not win your rank by 
 fighting 1 Why not fight for' Nenetzin, I was about to 
 say, but he sprang up and ran off, and it was long before I 
 could get him to speak of her again. The other day, however, 
 he consented to let me try and find out what she thought of 
 him. To-morrow I rejoin him ; and if he asks me about heij 
 what can I say 1 " 
 
 "So you wished to help your poor comrade. Tell me 
 what you intended saying to her." 
 
 " I intended to tell her how I was passing the time, and 
 then to praise him for his courage and skill, his desire to be 
 great, his gentleness 0, there are a thousand things to 
 say ! " 
 
 Tula smiled sorrowfully. " Did you imagine she would 
 learn to love him from that ? " 
 
 " Why not 1 " asked Io', innocently. 
 
 " I cannot explain now ; time will teach you. My brother, 
 long will an Aztec woo before he wins our wayward sister ! " 
 
 " Well," he said, taking her hand, " what I wanted to say 
 to her will come better from you. Ah, if you but knew 
 him as I and the 'tzin do ! "
 
 270 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Does the 'tzin so love him ? " 
 
 " Was he not a chosen messenger to you ? " 
 
 She shook her head doubtfully. " I fear she is beyond 
 our little arts. Fine speeches alone will not do. Though we 
 painted him fair as Quetzal', and set the picture before her 
 every hour in the day, still it would not be enough. Does 
 he come often to the city 1 " 
 
 " Never, except for the 'tzin." 
 
 " We must get them together. Let me see, ah, yes ; the 
 chinampa ! We have not been there for a long time, and 
 that will be an excuse for going to-morrow. You can bring 
 the lord Hualpa, and I will take a minstrel, and have him 
 sing, and tell stories of love and lovers." 
 
 She stopped, and sighed, thinking, doubtless, how the 
 'tzin's presence would add to the pleasure of the meeting. 
 At that moment the curtain of the door was flung aside, and 
 Nenetzin herself came in, looking vexed and pouting. 
 
 " Yesterday was too much for mj sister," said Tula, pleas- 
 antly. " I hope she is well again." 
 
 " I slept, poorly," was the reply. 
 
 " If you are sick, we will send to the temples " 
 
 " No, I hate the herb-dealers." 
 
 " What ails you, Nenetzin ] " asked Io', irritated. 
 
 " Who would not be ailing, afflicted as I have been 1 One 
 graceless fellow after another calling to see me, until I am 
 out of patience ! " 
 
 Io' colored, and turned away. 
 
 " But what if they had news," said Tula ; " something 
 from the strangers 1 " 
 
 Nenetzin's face brightened. "What of them? Have 
 they waited on our father ? " 
 
 " Have they, Io' ? " Tula asked. 
 
 He made no answer ; he was angry. 
 
 " Well, well ! what foUy ! You, Io', I shall have to send
 
 HOW ILLS OF STATE BECOME ILLS OF SOCIETY. 271 
 
 back to the 'tzin ; and, Nenetzin, fie ! the young lords would 
 be afraid to see you now." 
 
 " The monkeys ! " 
 
 Io', without a word, left the room. 
 
 " You are too hard, Nenetzin. Our brother wants to bo 
 treated like a man. Many of the young lords are his friends. 
 When you came in, he was telling me of the fine fellow 
 who saved our father's life." 
 
 Nenetzin appeared uninterested. 
 
 " From lo's account, he must be equal to the 'tzin. Have 
 you forgotten him ? " 
 
 " I have his vase somewhere." 
 
 " Somewhere ! I hope you have not lost it. I received 
 one at the same time ; there mine is, that one filled with 
 flowers." 
 
 Nenetzin did not look. 
 
 " When he made you the gift, I think he meant more 
 than a compliment. He is a lover to be proud of, and, sis- 
 ter, a smile might win him." 
 
 " I do not care for lovers." 
 
 " Not care to be loved ? " 
 
 Nenetzin turned to her with tearful eyes. "Just now 
 you said Io' wanted to be treated as a man ; for the same 
 reason, O Tula, I want to be treated as a woman. I do want 
 to be loved, but not as children are." 
 
 Tula put her arm around her, lovingly. " Never mind. I 
 will learn better afterwhile. I treat you as a child from 
 habit, and because of the warm, sweet love of our child- 
 hood. O that the love would last always ! " 
 
 They were silent then, each intent upon her separate 
 thought, both unconscious that the path theretofore so 
 peacefully travelled together was now divergent, and that the 
 fates were leading them apart forever. Of all the evil angels 
 of humanity, that one is the most cruel whose mission it is 
 to sunder the loves of the household.
 
 272 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Kenetzin, you have been crying, over what ? Lean 
 on me, confide in me ! " 
 
 " You will make light of what I say." 
 
 " When was I a jester 1 You have had ills before, childish 
 ills ; if I did not mock them, am I likely to laugh at your 
 woman's troubles 1 " 
 
 " But this is something you cannot help." 
 
 " The gods can." 
 
 " A god is the trouble. I saw him, and love him better 
 than any our father worships. " 
 
 Bold confirmation that of the elder sister's fears. " You 
 saw him?" she asked, musingly. 
 
 "And know him by name. Tonatiah, Tonatiah: is it 
 not pretty 1 " 
 
 " Are you not afraid ? " 
 
 *' Of what ? Him 1 Yes, but he is so handsome ! You 
 saw him also. Did you not notice his white forehead, and 
 the brightness of his blue eyes, the sunshine of his face 1 
 As against him, ah, Tula ! what are the lords you would have 
 me love 1 " 
 
 " He is our father's enemy." 
 
 " His guest ; he came by invitation." 
 
 " All the gods of our race threaten him." 
 
 "Yet I love him, and would quit everything to follow 
 him." 
 
 " Gods ask not the love we give each other." 
 
 " You mean he would despise me. Never ! I am the 
 daughter of a king." 
 
 " You are mad, Kenetzin." 
 
 " Then love is madness, and I am very mad. 0, I was 
 so happy yesterday ! Once I thought he saw me. It was 
 when he was passing the coatapantli. The base artisan was 
 shouting, and he heard him, or seemed to, for he raised his 
 glance to the azoteas. My heart stood still ; the air brightened
 
 HOW ILLS OF STATE BECOME ILLS OF SOCIETY. 273 
 
 around me ; if I had been set down in the Sun itself, I could 
 not have been happier." 
 
 " Have you mentioned this to the queen Acatlan ? " 
 
 " Why should I ? I will choose my own love. No one, 
 not even my mother, would object to the king Cacama : 
 why should she when my choice is nobler, handsomer,* 
 mightier than he ? " {. 
 
 " What do you know of the strangers 1 " 
 
 " Nothing. He is one of them ; that is enough." 
 . "T meant of their customs; marriage, for instance." 
 
 " The thought is new." 
 
 " Tell me, Nenetzin : would you go with him, except as 
 his wife?" 
 
 She turned away her glowing eyes, confused. " I know 
 not what I would do. If I went with him except as his 
 wife, our father would curse me, and my mother would die. 
 I shudder ; yet I remember how his look from a distance 
 made me tremble with strange delight." 
 
 " It was magic, like Mualox's." 
 
 " I do not know. I was about to say, if such was his 
 power over me at a distance, what may it be near by 1 Could 
 I refuse to follow him, if he should ask me face to face, as 
 we now are 1 " 
 
 " Avoid him, then." 
 
 " Stay here, as in a prison ! Never look out of doors for 
 fear of seeing him whom I confess I so love ! And then, 
 the music, marching, banquets : shall I lose them, and for 
 such a cause 1 " , 
 
 "Nenetzin, the strangers will not abide here in peace. ' 
 War there will be. The gods have so declared, and in every 
 temple preparation is now going on." 
 
 " Who told you so 1 " the girl asked, tremulously. 
 
 " This morning I was in the garden, culling flowers. I 
 met Mualox. He seemed sad. I saluted him, and gave 
 12* &
 
 274 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 him the sweetest of my collection, and said something about 
 them as a cure for ills of the mind. ' Thank you, daughter,' 
 he said, ' the ills I mourn are your father's. If you can get 
 him to forego his thoughts of war against Malinche, do so 
 at any price. If flowers influence him, come yourself, and 
 bring your maidens, and gather them all for him. Leave not 
 a bud in the garden.' ' Is he so bent on war 1 ' I asked. 
 ' That is he. In the temples every hand is making ready.'/ 
 ' But my father counsels otherwise.' The old man shook his 
 head. * I know every purpose of his soul.' " 
 
 " And is that all 1 " asked Nenetzin. 
 
 " No. Have you not heard what took place in the tian- 
 guez this morning ] " 
 
 And Tula told of the appearance of the horse and the 
 stranger's head ; how nobody knew who placed them there ; 
 how they were thought to have come from HuitziT, and 
 with what design ; and how the wish for war was spread, 
 until the beggars in the street were clamoring. " War there 
 will be, my sister, right around us. Our father will lead 
 the companies against Malinche. The 'tzin, Cuitlahua, Io', 
 and all we love best of our countrymen will take part. 
 O Neuetzin, of the children of the Sun, will you alone 
 side with the strangers ? Tonatiah may slay our great 
 father." 
 
 " And yet I would go with him," the girl said, slowly, 
 and with sobs. 
 
 "Then you are not an Aztec," cried Tula, pushing her 
 away. 
 
 Nenetzin stepped back speechless, and throwing her scarf 
 over her head, turned to go. 
 
 The elder sister sprang up, conscience-struck, and caught 
 her. " Pardon, Nenetzin. I did not know what I was say- 
 ing. Stay " 
 
 " Not now. I cannot help loving the stranger."
 
 ENNUYE IN THE OLD PALACE. 275 
 
 " The love shall not divide us ; we are sisters ! " And Tula 
 clung to her passionately. 
 
 " Too late, too late ! " sobbed ^enetzin. 
 
 And she passed out the door ; the curtain dropped behind 
 her ; and Tula went to the couch, and wept as if her heart 
 were breaking. 
 
 Not yet have all the modes in which ills of state become 
 ills of society been written. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BNNUYE IN THE OLD PALACE. 
 
 " "TpATHEE, holy father ! and by my sword, as belted 
 _lJ knight, Olmedo, I call thee so in love and honor, 
 I have heard thee talk in learned phrase about the saints, 
 and quote the sayings of monks, mere makers of books, 
 which I will swear are for the most part dust, or, at 
 .least, not half so well preserved as the bones of their 
 scribblers, I say I have thus heard thee talk and quote for 
 hours at a time, until I have come to think thy store of 
 knowledge is but jargon of that kind. Shake thy head! 
 Jargon, I say a second time." 
 
 - " It is knowledge that leadeth to righteousness. Bien 
 quisto ! Thou wouldst do well to study it," replied the 
 padre, curtly. 
 
 A mocking smile curled the red-haired lip of the cavalier. 
 " Knowledge truly ! I recollect hearing the Senor Hernan 
 once speak of thee. He said thou wert to him a magazine, 
 full of learning precious as breadstuff's. " 
 
 "Right, my son.' Breadstuff's for the souls of sinners 
 irreverent as "
 
 276 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Out with it ! " 
 
 "As them." 
 
 " Picaro ! Only last night thou didst absolve me, and, 
 by the Palmerins, I have just told my beads ! " 
 
 " I think I have heard of the Palmerins," said the priest, 
 gravely ; " indeed, I am certain of it ; but I never heard 
 of them as things to swear by before. Hast thou a license 
 as coiner of oaths < \ " 
 
 " Cierto, father, thou dost remind me of my first purpose ; 
 which was to test thy knowledge of matters, both ancient 
 and serious, outside of what thou callest the sermons of the 
 schoolmen. And I will not take thee at disadvantage. 
 no ! If I would play fairly with the vilest heathen, and 
 slay him with none but an honest trick of the sword, surely 
 I cannot less with thee." 
 
 " Slay me ! " 
 
 " That will I, in a bout at dialectics. I will be fair, I 
 say. I will begin by taking thee in a field which every 
 knight hath traversed, if, perchance, he hath advanced so far 
 in clerkliness as to read, a field divided between heralds, 
 troubadours, and poets, and not forbidden to monks ; with 
 which thou shouldst be well acquainted, seeing that, of late 
 days at least, thou hast been more prone to knightly than 
 saintly association ! " 
 
 " Santa Maria ! " said Olmedo, crossing himself. " It is 
 our nature to be prone to things sinful." 
 
 " I smell the cloister in thy words. Have at thee ! Stay 
 thy steps." 
 
 The two had been pacing the roof of the palace during the 
 foregoing passage. Both stopped now, and Alvarado said, 
 " Firstly, nay, I will none of that ; numbering the heads 
 of a discourse is a priestly trick. To begin, by my con- 
 science ! ho, father, that oath offends thee not, for it is the 
 Senor Hernan's, and by him thou art thyself always
 
 ENNUYE IN THE OLD PALACE. 277 
 
 " If thou wouldst not get lost in a confusion of ideas, to 
 thy purpose quickly." 
 
 " Thank thee. Who was Amadis de Gaul 1 " 
 
 " Hero of the oldest Spanish poem." 
 
 "Eight!" said the knight, stroking his beard. "And 
 who was Oriana ? " 
 
 " Heroine of the same story ; more particularly, daughter 
 of Lisuarte, King of England." 
 
 " Thou didst reprove me for swearing by the Palmerins > 
 who were they ? " 
 
 " Famous knights, who founded chivalry by going about 
 slaying dragons, working charities, and overthrowing armies 
 of heathen, for the Mother's sake." 
 
 " Excellently answered, by my troth ! I will have to lead 
 thee into deeper water. Pass we the stories of Euy Diaz, 
 and Del Carpio, and Pelayo. I will even grant that thou 
 hast heard of Hernan Gonzales ; but canst thou tell in how 
 many ballads his prowess hath been sung ]" 
 
 Olmedo was silent. 
 
 " Already ! " cried Alvarado, exultant. " Already ! By 
 the cross on my sword, I have heard of thirty. But to pro- 
 ceed. Omitting Roland, and Roncesvalles, and the brethren 
 of the Round Table, canst thou tell me of the Seven Lords 
 of Lares'?" 
 
 " No. But there is a Lord of whom I can tell thee, and 
 of whom it will be far more profitable for thee to inquire." 
 
 " I knew a minstrel a rare fellow who had a won- 
 drous voice and memory, and who sang fifteen songs all 
 about the Lords of Lares ; and he told me there were as 
 many more. 0, for the time of the true chivalry, when our 
 Spanish people were song-lovers, and honor was of higher 
 esteem than gold ! In one respect, Olmedo, I am more 
 Moslem than Christian." 
 
 The padre crossed himself.
 
 278 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Mahomet so saith history taught his warriors that 
 Paradise lieth in the shade of crossing scimitars, as unlike 
 thy doctrine as a stone is unlike a plum. Picaro ! It 
 pleaseth me ; it hardeneth the heart and grip ; it is more 
 inspiring than clarions and drums." 
 
 Olmedo looked into the blue eyes of the knight, now un-i 
 usually bright, and said, " Thou didst jest at my knowledge ; 
 now I ask thee, son, is it not better to have a mind full of 
 saintly lore than one which nothing holds but swords and 
 lances and high-bred steeds? What dost thou know but 
 war ? " 
 
 " The taste of good wine," said Alvarado, seriously ; " and 
 by Sta. Agnes, holy father, I would I had my canteen full ; 
 the smoke from these dens is turning me into a Dutch sau- 
 sage. Look to the towers of yon temple, the great one 
 just before us. How the clouds ascending from them poison 
 the morning air ! When my sword is at the throats of the 
 fire-keepers, Heaven help me to slay them ! " 
 
 Alvarado then took the tassels of the cord around the good 
 man's waist, and pulled him forward. " Come briskly, 
 father ! This roof is all the field left us for exercise ; and 
 much do I fear that we will dream many times of green 
 meadows before we see them again." Half dragging him, 
 the knight lengthened his strides. " Step longer, father ! 
 Thou dost mince the pace, like a woman." 
 
 " Hands off, irreverent ! " cried the padre, holding back. 
 " My feet are not iron-shod, like thine." 
 
 " What ! Didst thou not climb the mountains on the 
 way hither barefooted 1 And dost now growl at these tiles 1 
 Last night Sandoval shod his mare, the gay Motilla, with 
 silver, which he swore was cheaper, if not better, than iron. 
 When next we take a morning trot, like this, cierto, I will 
 borrow two of the precious shoes for thee." 
 
 Olmedo's gown, of coarse, black woollen serge, was not a
 
 ENNUYE IN THE OLD PALACE. 279 
 
 garment a Greek, preparing for a race, would have chosen ; 
 the long skirts hampered his legs ; he stumbled, and would 
 have fallen, but for his tormentor. 
 
 " Stay thee, father ! Hast been drinking ? Not here 
 shouldst thou kneel unless in prayer ; and for that, bethink 
 thee, house-tops are for none but Jews." And the rough 
 knight laughed heartily. " Nay, talking will tire thee," he 
 continued. " Take breath first. If my shield were at hand, 
 I would fan thee. Or wouldst thou prefer to sit ? or bet- 
 ter still, to lie down ? Do so, if thou wouldst truly oblige 
 me ; for, by my conscience, as Cortes sweareth, I have not 
 done testing thy knowledge of worthy things outside the 
 convent libraries. I will take thee into a new field, and ask 
 of the Moorish lays ; for, as thou shouldst know, if thou 
 dost not, they have had their minstrels and heroes as fanciful 
 and valiant as infidels ever were ; in truth, but little inferior 
 to the best of old Castile." 
 
 Olmedo attempted to speak. 
 
 " Open not thy mouth, father, except to breathe. I will 
 talk until thy tire is over. I was on the Moors. A fine 
 race they were, bating always their religion. Of their songs, 
 thou hast probably heard that mournful roundelay, the Loves 
 of Gazul and Abindarraez ; probably listened to Tales of the 
 Arabian Nights, or to verses celebrating the tournaments in 
 the Bivarrambla. Certainly, thou hast heard recitals of the 
 rencontres, scimitar in hand, between the Zegris and Aben- 
 cerrages. By Sta. Agnes ! they have had warriors fit for the 
 noblest songs. At least, father, thou knowest " He stopped 
 abruptly, while a lad mounted the roof and approached them, 
 cap in hand. 
 
 " Excellent Senor, so it please thee, my master hath some- 
 what to say to thee in his chamber below. And " cross- 
 ing himself to Olmedo "if the holy father will remember 
 me in his next prayer, I will tell him that Bernal Diaz is 
 looking for him,"
 
 280 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Doth thy master want me also ? " 
 
 *' That is Diaz's massage." 
 
 * What can be in the wind now ? " asked Alvarado, mus- 
 ingly. 
 
 " Hadst thou asked me that question " 
 
 " Conldst thou have answered 1 Take the chance ! What 
 doth thy master intend 1 " 
 
 " look, Don Pedro, and thou, good father," replied the 
 page : '' look to the top of yon pile so ridiculously called a 
 temple of " 
 
 " Speak it, as thou lovest me," cried Alvarado. 
 
 " Wilt thou pronounce it after me 1 " 
 
 " That will I ; though, cierto, I will not promise my horse 
 if I fail." 
 
 " ffuitzilpotchli" said the boy, slowly. 
 
 " The saints defend us ! " exclaimed the knight, crossing 
 himself. " Where didst thou get so foul a name ? " 
 
 " Of the Dona Marina. Well, the Senor Hernan, my 
 master, designeth visiting those towers, and seeing what hor- 
 rors they hold." 
 
 Olmedo's countenance became unusually grave. " Holy 
 Mother, keep his temper in check, that nothing rash be 
 done ! " 
 
 Alvarado received the news differently. " Thou art a good 
 boy, Orteguilla," he said. " I owe thee a ducat. Eemind 
 me of the debt when next thou seest me with gold. Espiritu 
 Santo ! Now will I take the rust out of my knees, and the 
 dull out of my head, and the spite from my stomach ! Now 
 will I give my sword, that hath hungered so long, to surfeit 
 on the heart-eaters ! Bien Quisto ! What jargon didst thou 
 use a moment ago when speaking of the temple ? " 
 
 " Huitzilpotchli" said the boy, laughing. 
 
 "Murrain take the idol, if only for his name's sakeJ 
 Come ; wo shall have a good time."
 
 ENNUYE IN THE OLD PALACE. 
 
 The knight turned to descend. Orteguilla caught him by 
 the mantle. " A word, Don Pedro." 
 
 " Picaro ! A thousand of them, quickly ! " 
 
 " Thou didst promise me a ducat " 
 
 " Truly, and thou shalt have it. Only wait till the division 
 cometh, and thy master saith to me, ' Take thy share.' " 
 
 " Thou hearest, father ? " 
 
 " How ! Dost doubt me ? " 
 
 The boy stepped back. " No. Alvarado's promise is good 
 against the world. But dost thou not think the Senor Her- 
 nan will attack the temple ] " 
 
 " Cierto, with horse, foot, guns, Tlascalans, and all." 
 
 " He goeth merely on a visit, and by invitation of Monte- 
 zuma, the king." 
 
 Olmedo's face relaxed, and he rubbed his hands ; but the 
 captain said, dismally, " By invitation ! Picaro I Instead 
 of the ducat, that for thy news ! " And he struck open- 
 handedly at the page, but with such good-will that the 
 latter gave him wide margin the rest of the day.
 
 282 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ALVARADO FINDS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 
 
 fTlHERE was a bluster of trumpets and drums, and out 
 _1_ of the main gate of the palace in which he was lodged, 
 under the eyes of a concourse of spectators too vast to be 1 
 nearly estimated, Cortes marched with the greater part of his 
 Christians. The column was spirited, even brilliant. Good 
 steeds had improved with rest ; while good fare, not to speak 
 of the luxury of royal baths, had reconstituted both footmen 
 and riders. At the head, as guides, walked four commis- 
 sioners of the king, stately men, gorgeous in escaupiles and 
 plumed helms. 
 
 The Spaniards were full of glee, vented broad exaggera- 
 tions, and manifested the abandon I have seen in sailors 
 ashore the first time after a long voyage. 
 
 " Be done, good horse ! " said Sandoval to Motilla, whose 
 blood warmed under the outcry of trumpet and clarion. 
 " Be done ! " 
 
 Montejo laughed. " Chide her not ! She feels the silver 
 on her heels as a fine lady the ribbons on her head." 
 
 " No," said Alvarado, laying his lance half in rest, " Mo- 
 tilla is a Christian, and the scent of the pagan is in her 
 nostrils." 
 
 " Up with thy lance, Seiior Capitan f The guides, if they 
 were to look back, would leave us without so much as good 
 day." 
 
 " Cierto, thou 'rt right ! But how pleasant it would be to 
 impale two of them at once ! " 
 
 " Such thy speculation ? I cannot believe thee. I have 
 been thy comrade too long," said Leon, gravely.
 
 ALVARADO FINDS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 283 
 
 Alvarado turned curtly, as if to say, " Explain thyself." 
 " The gold in their ears and on their wrists, Senor, 
 there were thine eyes. And thou didst look as if summing 
 up, ear-rings, four ; bracelets, six ; sundries, three ; total, 
 thirteen ounces pure. Confess thee, confess thee ! " 
 The laugh was loud and long. 
 
 I have already given the reader an idea of the tianguez, 01 
 market, whither Cortes, by request, was first conducted. It 
 is sufficient to say now, that the exhibition of the jewellers 
 attracted most attention ; in front of their booths many of 
 the footmen actually broke ranks, determined to satisfy 
 themselves if all they there saw was indeed of the royal 
 metal. Years after, they vaunted the sight as something 
 surpassing all the cities of Europe could display. 
 
 Cortes occupied himself questioning the guides ; for which 
 purpose Marina was brought forward. Nothing of impor- 
 tance escaped him. 
 
 At one of the corners, while the interpreter was in the 
 midst of a reply, Cortes' horse suddenly stopped, startled 
 by an obstacle in the way. Scarcely a lance-length off, 
 pictures of terror, stood four slaves, richly liveried, and 
 bearing a palanquin crowned by a green panache. 
 " By Our Lady, I will see what is here contained ! " 
 So saying, Alvarado spurred impetuously forward. The 
 guides threw themselves in his way ; he nearly rode one of 
 them down ; and, laughing at the fright of the slaves, he 
 drew aside the curtain of the carriage, and peered in. 
 
 "Jesu!" he cried, dropping the cloth, and reining his 
 horse back. 
 
 " Hast thou the fiend there ? Or only a woman 1 " asked 
 Cortes. 
 
 " A paragon, an houri, your excellency ! "What a rude 
 fellow I have been ! She is frightened. Come hither, Ma- 
 rina. Say to the girl "
 
 284 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Not now, not now ! " said Cortes, abruptly. " If shf 
 is pretty, thou wilt see her again." 
 
 Alvarado frowned. 
 
 " What ! angry ? " continued the general. " Out on thee, 
 captain ! How can an - untaught infidel, though paragon 
 and houri, understand knightly phrases 1 What the merit, 
 of an apology in her eyes 1 Pass on ! " 
 
 " Perhaps thou 'rt right. Stand aside ! Out of the way 
 there ! " And as if to make amends, he cleared a passage for 
 the slaves and their burden. 
 
 " To the devil all of ye ! " he replied, to the laughter of 
 his comrades. " Ye did not see her, nor know ye if she is 
 old or young, harridan or angel." 
 
 From the market, the column marched back to the great 
 temple, with which, as it rose, broad and high, like a ter- 
 raced hill, between the palace they occupied and the sun at 
 rising, they were somewhat familiar. Yet, when fairly in 
 view of the pile, Cortes called Olmedo to his side. 
 
 I thank thee, Father Bartolome". That thou art near, I 
 feel better. A good surcoat and shield, as thou knowest, 
 give a soldier confidence in battle ; and so, as I come nigh 
 yon abomination, full of bloody mysteries, called worship, 
 and carven stones, called gods, may they be accursed from 
 the earth ! I am pleased to make use of thee and thy 
 holiness. Doubtless the air of the place is thick with sor-( 
 ceries and evil charms ; if so, thy crucifix hath more of safe- 
 guard than my sword. Eide nearer, father, and hearken, 
 that thou inayst answer what more I have to say. WoulJ 
 not this pile look the better of a cross upon every tower 1 " 
 
 " Thy zeal, my son, I commend, and thy question strictly 
 hath but one answer," Olmedo replied. "The impulse, 
 moreover, is to do at once what thou hast suggested. Roll 
 away a stone, and in its bed plant a rose, and the blooming 
 will be never so sweet ; and so, never looketh the cross so
 
 ALVARADO FINDS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 285' 
 
 beautiful as when it taketh the place of an idoL And for the 
 conversion of heathen, the Holy Mother careth not if the 
 worship be under Christian dome or in pagan chamber." 
 
 " Say'st thou so ! " said Cortes, checking his horse. " By 
 my conscience, I will order a cross ! " 
 
 " Be not so fast, I pray you. What armed hand now 
 putteth up, armed hand must keep ; and that is war. May 
 not the good end be reached without such resort ? In my 
 judgment we should first consult the heathen king. How 
 knowest thou that he is not already inclined to Christian 
 ways ? Let us ask him." 
 
 Cortes relaxed the rein, and rode on convinced. 
 
 Through the gate of the coatapantli, amid much din and 
 clangor, the entire column entered the yard of the temple. 
 On a pavement, glassy-smooth, and spotless as a good house- 
 wife's floor, the horsemen dismounted, and the footmen stood 
 at rest. Then Cortes, with his captains and Marina, ap- 
 proached the steps, where he was received by some pabas, 
 who offered to carry him to the azoteas, a courtesy he 
 declined with many protestations of thanks. 
 
 At the top, under a green canopy, and surrounded by 
 courtiers and attendants, Montezuma stood, in the robes of 
 a priest, and with only his sceptre to indicate his royalty. 
 
 " You have my welcome, Malinche. The ascent is weari- 
 some. "Where are the pabas whom I sent to assist you 1 " 
 
 The monarch's simple dignity affected his visitors, Cortes 
 as much as the others. 
 
 " I accept thy welcome, good king," he replied, after the 
 interpretation. " Assure thyself that it is given to a friend. 
 The priests proffered their service as you directed ; they said 
 your custom was to be carried up the steps, which I grant 
 accords with a sovereign, but not with a warrior, who should 
 be superior to fatigue." 
 
 To favor a view of the city, which was after a while sug-
 
 286 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 gested, the king conducted Cortes to the southern side of 
 the azoteas, where were also presented a great part of the lake, 
 bordered with white towns, and the valley stretching away 
 to the purple sierras. The train followed them with mats and 
 stools, and erected the canopy to intercept the sun; and 
 thus at ease, the host explained, and the guest listened. 
 Often, during the descriptions, the monarch's eyes rested 
 wistfully on his auditor's face ; what he sought, we can 
 imagine ; but well I ween there was more revelation in a 
 cloudy sky than in that bloodless countenance. The de- 
 meanor of the Spaniard was courtierly ; he failed not to 
 follow every gesture of the royal hand ; and if the meaning 
 of what he heard was lost because of the strange language, 
 the voice was not. In the low, sad intonations, unmarked by 
 positive emphasis, he divined more than the speaker read 
 in his face, a soul goodly in all but its irresolution. If 
 now and then the grave attention relaxed, or the eye wan- 
 dered from the point indicated, it was because the city 
 and lake, and the valley to the mountains, were, in the 
 visitor's mind, more a military problem than a picture of 
 power or beauty. 
 
 The interview was at length interrupted. Two great 
 towers crowned the broad azoteas of the temple, one dedi- 
 cated to Tezca', the other to Huitzil'. Out of the door of 
 the latter issued a procession of pabas, preceded by boys 
 swinging censers, the smoke of which was sickening sweet. 
 Tlalac, the teotuctli, came last, walking slowly, bareheaded, 
 barefooted, his gown trailing behind him, its sleeves and 
 front, like his hands and face, red with the blood of recent 
 sacrifice. While the gloomy train gathered about the aston- 
 ished Christians, the heathen pontiff, as if unconscious of 
 their presence, addressed himself to the king. His worda 
 were afterwards translated by Marina. 
 
 " To your application, king, there is no answer. Whal
 
 ALVAKAUO FINDS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 287 
 
 you do will be of your own inspiration. The victims are 
 removed ; the servants of the god, save whom you see, 
 are in their cells. If such be thy will, the chamber is ready 
 for the strangers." 
 
 Montezuma sat a moment hesitant, his color coming and 
 going ; then, feeling the gaze of his guest upon him, he 
 arose, and said kindly, but with dignity, " It is welL I 
 thank you." Turning to Cortes, he continued, " If you will 
 go with me, Malinche, I will show you our god, and the 
 place in which we celebrate his worship. I will explain our 
 religion, and you may explain yours. Only give me respect 
 for respect." 
 
 Bowing low, Cortes replied, " I will go with thee, and 
 thou shalt suffer no wrong from the confidence. The hand 
 or tongue that doeth grievance to anything pertaining to thy 
 god or his worship shall repeat it never." The last sentence 
 was spoken with a raised voice, and a glance to the captains 
 around ; then, observing the frowns with which some of 
 them received the notice, he added, almost without a pause, 
 to Olrnedo, "What saith the Church of Christ ]" 
 
 " That thou hast spoken well, for this time," answered 
 the priest, kissing the crucifix chained to his girdle. " Go 
 on. I will go with thee." 
 
 Then they followed the king into the sanctuary, leaving 
 the teotuctli and his train on the azoteas. 
 
 I turn gladly from that horrible chamber. "With quite as 
 much satisfaction, I turn from the conversation of the king 
 and Cortes. Not even the sweet voice of Marina could 
 make the Aztec theogony clear, or the Catholic commentary 
 of the Spaniard interesting. 
 
 Alvarado approached the turret door with loathing. Stag- 
 gered by the stench that smote him from within, he stopped 
 a moment. Orteguilla, the page, pulled his mantle, and 
 said, " I have news for thee. Wilt thou hear ? "
 
 288 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Picaro I To-morrow, if the Mother doth spare me sc 
 long, I will give thee a lash for every breath of this sin-laden 
 air thou makest me draw with open mouth. As thou lovest 
 life, speak, and have done ! " 
 
 " What if I bring thee a message of love ? " 
 
 " If thou couldst bring me such a message from a comely 
 Christian maiden, I would kiss thee, lad." 
 
 Orteguilla held out an exquisite ramillete. " Seest thou 
 this ? If thou carest and wilt follow me, I will show thee 
 an infidel to swear by forever." 
 
 "Give me the flowers, and lead me to the infidel. If 
 thou speakest truly, thy fortune is made; if thou liest, I 
 will fling thee from the temple." 
 
 He turned from the door, and was conducted to the shade 
 of the turret of Tezca'. 
 
 " I was loitering after the tall priest, the one with the 
 bloody face and hands, what a monster he is ! " said the 
 page, crossing himself, " when a slave came in my way, 
 offering some flowers, and making signs. I spoke to him. 
 ' What do you want 1 ' ' Here is a message from the prin- 
 cess Nenetzin. 1 'Who is she?' 'Daughter of the great 
 king.' ' Well, what did she say 1 ' ' She bade me ' and, 
 tenor capitan, these are almost his words, ' she bade me 
 give these flowers to one of the teules, that he might give 
 them to Tonatiah, him with the red beard.' I took the pres- 
 ent, and asked, ' What does the princess say to the TonatiaJit* 
 * Let him read the flowers,' the fellow answered. I remem- 
 bered then that it is a custom of this people to send mes- 
 sages in that form. I asked him where his mistress was ; 
 he told me, and I went to see her." 
 
 " What of her 1 Is she handsome 1 " 
 
 " Here she is ; judge thou. " 
 
 " Holy Mother ! 'T is the girl I so frightened on the 
 street. She is the pearl of the valley, the light of the
 
 ALVARADO FINDS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 289 
 
 world ! " exclaimed Alvarado. " Stay thou, sir page. In- 
 terpret for me. I will speak to her." 
 
 " Simply, then. Thou knowest I am not so good an 
 Aztec as Marina." 
 
 i^enetzin was sitting in the shade of the turret. Apart 
 several paces stood her carriage-bearers. Her garments of 
 finest cotton, white as snow, were held close to her waist by 
 a green sash. Her ornaments necklace, bracelets, and 
 anklets were of gold, enriched by chalchuites. Softest san- 
 dals protected her feet ; and the long scarf, heavy with em- 
 broidery, and half covering her face, fell from her head to 
 the mat of scarlet feathers upon which she was sitting. 
 
 When the tall Spaniard, in full armor, except the helmet, 
 stopped thus suddenly before her, the large eyes dilated, th 
 blood left her cheeks, and she shrank almost to the roof. 
 Was it not as if the' dream, so strange in the coming, had 
 vitalized its subject, and sent it to her, a Fate the more irre- 
 sistible because of its peculiarities, the blue eyes, the fore- 
 head womanly white, the hair long and waving, the beard 
 dyed, apparently, in the extremest brightness of the sun, all 
 so unheard of among the brown and olive children of Ana- 
 huac ? And what if the Fate had come demandingly 1 Re- 
 fuse ! Can the chrysalis, joyous in the beauty of wings 
 just perfected, refuse the sun 1 
 
 The cavalier could not mistake the look with which she 
 regarded him. In pity for her fear, in admiration of her 
 beauty, in the native gallantry of his soul, he knelt, and 
 took her hand, and kissed it ; then, giving it back, and look- 
 ing into her face with an expression as unmistakable as her 
 own, he said, 
 
 " My beautiful princess must not be afraid. I would die 
 sooner than harm her." 
 
 While the page interpreted, as best he could, the captain 
 gmiled so winsomely that she sat up, and listened with a 
 IS
 
 290 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 smile in return. She was won, and shall we say lostl 
 The future comes rapidly now to answer for itself. 
 
 " Here is the message," Alvarado continued. " which I 
 could not read ; but if it meant to tell me of love, what 
 better can I than give it back to tell the same story for 
 me?" 
 
 He kissed the flowers, and laid them before her. Picking 
 them up, she said, with a laugh, " Tonatiah is a poet, a 
 god and a poet." 
 
 He heard the interpretation, and spoke again, without re- 
 laxing his ardent gaze. 
 
 " Jesu Christo ! That one so beautiful should be an in- 
 fidel ! She shall not be, by the holy sepulchre, she shall 
 not ! Here, lad, take off the chain which is about my neck. 
 It hath an iron crucifix, the very same my mother rested 
 be her soul ! gave me, with her blessing and prayer, what 
 time I last bade her farewell." 
 
 Orteguilla took off the chain and crucifix, and put them 
 in the cavalier's hand. 
 
 " Will my beautiful princess deign to receive these gifts 
 from me, her slave forever ? And in my presence will she 
 put them on ? And for my sake, will she always wear them 'J 
 They have God's blessing, which cannot be better bestowed." 
 
 Instead of laying the presents down to be taken or not, this 
 time he held them out to her directly; and she took them, and, 
 childlike, hung them around her neck. In the act, the scarf 
 fell, and left bare her head and face. He saw the glowing 
 countenance, and was about to speak further, when Orteguilla 
 stopped him. 
 
 " Moderate thyself, I pray thee, Don Pedro. Look at the 
 hounds ; they are closing us in. The way to the turret is 
 already cut off. Have a care, I pray ! " 
 
 The tone of alarm had instant effect. 
 
 ''How! Cut off, say'st thou, lad?" And Alvarado
 
 THE IRON CROSS. 291 
 
 sprang up, his hand upon his sword. He swept the circle 
 with a falcon's glance ; then turning once more to the girl, 
 he said, resuming the tenderness of voice and manner, " By 
 what name may I know my love hereafter 1 " 
 
 " Nenetzin, the princess JJenetzin." 
 
 " Then farewell, Nenetzin. Ill betide the man or fortune 
 that keepeth thee from me hereafter ! May I forfeit life, and 
 the Holy Mother's love, if I see thee not again ! Farewell." 
 
 He kissed his mailed hand to her, and, facing the array of ; 
 scowling pabas, strode to them, and through their circle, 
 with a laugh of knightly scorn. 
 
 At the door of the turret of Huitzil' he said to the page, 
 " The love of yon girl, heathen no longer, but Christian, by 
 the cross she weareth, her love, and the brightness of her 
 presence, for the foulness and sin of this devil's den, what 
 an exchange ! Vcdgame Dios I Thou shalt have the ducat. 
 She is the glory of the world ! " 
 
 CHAPTEE VL 
 
 THE IRON CROSS. 
 
 M "A yf~Y lord Maxtla, go see if there be none coming this 
 
 -LV.J_ way now." 
 
 And while the chief touched the ground with his palm, 
 the king added, as to himself, and impatiently, " Surely it is 
 time." 
 
 " Of whom speak you ? " asked Cuitlahua, standing by. 
 Only the brother would have so presumed. 
 
 The monarch looked into the branches of the cypress-tree 
 above him ; he seemed holding the words in ear, whiltt he 
 followed a thought.
 
 292 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 They were in the grove of Chapultepec at the time. About 
 them were the famous trees, apparently old as the hill itself, 
 with trunks so massive that they had likeness to things of 
 cunning labor, products of some divine art. The sun touched 
 them here and there with slanting yellow rays, by contrast 
 deepening the shadows that purpled the air. From the 
 gnarled limbs the gray moss drooped, like listless drapery. 
 Nesting birds sang from the topmost boughs, and parrots, 
 flitting to and fro, lit the gloaming with transient gleams of 
 scarlet and gold : yet the effect of the place was mysterious ; 
 the hush of the solitude softened reflection into dreaming ; 
 the silence was a solemn presence in which speech sunk to a 
 whisper, and laughter would have been profanation. In such 
 primeval temples men walk with Time, as in paradise Adam 
 walked with God. 
 
 " I am waiting for the lord Hualpa," the king at last re- 
 plied, turning his sad eyes to his brother's face. 
 
 " Hualpa ! " said Cuitlahua, marvelling, as well he might, 
 to find the great king waiting for the merchant's son, so lately 
 a simple hunter. 
 
 " Yes. He serves me in an affair of importance. His ap- 
 pointment was for noon ; he tarries, I fear, in the city. Next 
 time I will choose an older messenger." 
 
 The manner of the explanation was that of one who has 
 in mind something of which he desires to speak, yet doubts 
 the wisdom of speaking. So the cacique seemed to under- 
 stand, for he relapsed into silence, while the monarch again 
 looked upwards. Was the object he studied in the sky or in 
 his heart 1 
 
 Maxtla returned ; saluting, he said, " The lake is thronged 
 with canoes, king, but none come this way." 
 
 The sadness of the royal face deepened. 
 
 " Montezuma, my brother," said Cuitlahua. 
 
 "Well"
 
 THE IRON CROSS. 293 
 
 "Give me a moment's audience." 
 
 " Certainly. The laggard comes not ; the rest of the day 
 is yours." And to Maxtla he said, " In the palace are the 
 queens, and the princesses Tula and Nenetzin. Inform them 
 that I am coming." 
 
 When the chief was gone, the monarch turned to Cui- 
 tlahua, smiling : " Yes, the rest of the day is yours, and the 
 night also ; for I must wait for the merchant's son ; and our 
 mother, were she here, would say it was good of you to share 
 my waiting." 
 
 The pleasantry and the tender allusion were hardly ob- 
 served by the cacique. " I wished to call your attention to 
 Iztlil', the Tezcucan," he said, gravely. 
 
 " Iztlil' ? what of him now 1 " 
 
 " Trouble. What else can come of him 1 Last night at 
 the house of Xoli, the Chalcan, he drank too much jrulque, 
 quarrelled with the good man's guests, and abused everybody 
 loyal, abused you, my brother. I sent a servant to watch 
 him. You must know if not, you should that all 
 Tenochtitlan believes the Tezcucan to be in alliance with 
 Malinche and his robbers." 
 
 " Robbers ! " said Montezuma, starting. 
 
 The cacique went on. "That he has corresponded with 
 the Tlascalans is well understood. Only last night he 
 spoke of a confederacy of tribes and cities to overturn the 
 Empire." 
 
 "Goes he so far 1 ?" exclaimed the king, now very atten- 
 tive. 
 
 " He is a traitor ! " replied Cuitlahua, emphatically. " So 
 I sent a servant to follow him. From the Chalcan's, he was 
 seen go to the gates of the palace of Axaya'. Malinche re- 
 ceived him. He is there now." 
 
 The two were silent awhile, the cacique observing the 
 king, the king gazing upon the ground.
 
 294 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Well," said the latter, at length, " is that all ? " 
 
 " Is it not enough 1 " 
 
 " You are right. He must be arrested. Keep close watch 
 on the gates of the palace, and upon his coming out, seize 
 him, and put him safely away in the temple." 
 
 " But if he comes not out 1 " 
 
 " To-morrow, at noon, if he be yet within, go to Malinche 
 and demand him. Here is your authority." 
 
 At that, the monarch took from a finger of his left hand a 
 ring of gold, set with an oval green malachite, on which his 
 likeness was exquisitely cut. 
 
 " But," said the other, while the royal hand was out- 
 stretched, " if Malinche refuses your demand ? " 
 
 " Then then " And the speaker paused so long that 
 his indecision was apparent. 
 
 " Behind the refusal, see you what lies there 1 " asked 
 Cuitlahua, bluntly. 
 
 The king reflected. 
 
 " Is it not war 1 " the cacique persisted. 
 
 The hand fell down, and closed upon the signet. 
 
 " The demand is just, and will not be refused. Take the 
 ring, my brother ; we will at least test Malinche's disposi- 
 tion. Say to him that the lord IztliT is a traitor ; that he 
 is conspiring against me ; and that I require his person for 
 punishment. So say to him ; but go not yet. The messen- 
 ger I await may bring me something to make your mission 
 unnecessary." 
 
 The cacique smiled grimly. " If the Tezcucan is guilty, 
 so is Malinche," he said. " Is it well to tell him what you 
 know ? " 
 
 " Yes. He will then be careful ; at least, he will not be 
 deceived." 
 
 " Be it so," said Cuitiahua, taking the ring. " I will bring 
 you his answer ; then "
 
 THE IRON CROSS. 295 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " Bear with me, king. The subject I now wish to speak 
 of is a tender one, though I know not why. To win tho 
 good-will of the Tezcucan, was not Guatamozin, our nephew, 
 banished the city 1 " 
 
 " Well ? " 
 
 " Xow that the Tezcucan is lost, why should not the 'tzin 
 return ? He is a happy man, my brother, who discovers 
 an enemy ; happier is he who, at the same time, discovers a 
 friend." 
 
 Montezuma studied the cacique's face, then, with his eyes 
 upon the ground, walked on. Cuitlahua went with him. 
 Past the great trees, under the gray moss, up the hill to the 
 summit, and along the summit to the verge of the rocky 
 bluff, they went. At the king's side, when he stopped, was 
 a porphyritic rock, bearing, in bas-relief, his own image, and 
 that of his father. Below him, westwardly, spread the placid 
 lake ; above it, the setting sun ; in its midst, a fair child on 
 a fair mother's breast, Tenochtitlan. 
 
 " See ! a canoe goes swiftly round yon chinampa ; now it 
 outstrips its neighbors, and turns this way. How the slaves 
 bend to the paddles ! My laggards at last ! " 
 
 The king, while speaking, rubbed his hands gleefully. 
 For the time, Cuitlahua and his question were forgotten. 
 
 " The lord Hualpa has company," observed the brother, 
 quietly. 
 
 "Yes. Io'." 
 
 Another spell of silence, during which both watched the 
 canoe. 
 
 " Come, let us to the palace. Lingering here is useless." 
 And with another look to the city and lake, and a last one 
 at the speeding vessel, yet too far off to be identified, the 
 king finally turned away. And Guatamozin was still ail 
 exile.
 
 THE FAIR GOD." 
 
 Tecalco and Acatlan, the queens, and Tula, and their at- 
 tendants, sitting on the azoteas of the ancient house, taking 
 the air of the declining day, arose to salute the monarch and 
 his brother. The latter took the hand of each, saying, " The 
 gods of our fathers be good to you." Tula's forehead he 
 touched with his lips. His countenance, like his figure and 
 nature, Indian in type, softened somewhat under her glance. 
 He knew her sorrow, and in sympathy thought of the 'tzin, 
 *nd of the petition in his behalf, as yet unanswered. 
 
 " All are not here, one is absent, Nenetzin. "Where is 
 she ? I may not sleep well without hearing her laugh once 
 more." 
 
 Acatlan said, " You are very good, my lord, to remember 
 my child. She chose to remain below." 
 
 " She is not sick, I hope." 
 
 " Not sick, yet not welL" 
 
 " Ah ! the trouble is of the mind, perhaps. How old is 
 she now." 
 
 " Old enough to be in love, if that is your meaning." 
 
 Cuitlahua smiled. " That is not a sickness, but a happi- 
 ness ; so, at least, the minstrels say." 
 
 " What ails Nenetzin 1 " asked the king. 
 
 Acatlan cast down her eyes, and hesitated. 
 
 "Speak! What ails her?" 
 
 " I hardly know. She hardly knows herself," the queen 
 answered. " If I am to believe what she tells me, the lord 
 Cuitlahua is right ; she is in love." 
 
 " With Tula, I suppose," said the king, laughing. 
 
 " Would it were ! She says her lover is called Tonatiah. 
 Much I fear, however, that what she thinks love is really 
 a delusion, wrought by magic. She is not herself. When 
 did Malinche go to the temple 1 " 
 
 " Four days ago," the king replied. 
 
 " Well, the teute met her there, and spoke to her, and gava
 
 THE IRON CROSS. 297 
 
 her a present. Since that, like a child, she has done little 
 else than play with the trinket." 
 
 Montezuma became interested. He seated himself, and 
 asked, " You said the spell proceeds from the present : why 
 do you think so ? " 
 
 "The giver said the gift was a symbol of his religion, and 
 whoever wore it became of his faith, and belonged to his god." 
 
 " Mictlan ! " muttered Cuitlahua. 
 
 " Strange ! what is the thing ? " the king persisted. 
 
 " Something of unknown metal, white, Jike silver, about a 
 hand in length, and attached to a chain." 
 
 " Of unknown metal, a symbol of religion ! "Where is 
 the marvel now ? " 
 
 " Around the child's neck, where I believe it has been 
 since she came from the temple. Once she allowed me to 
 see if I could tell what the metal was, but only for a mo- 
 ment, and then her eyes never quit me. She sits hours by 
 herself, with the bauble clasped in both hands, and sighs, and 
 mopes, and has no interest in what used to please her most." 
 
 The king mused awhile. The power of the strangers was 
 very great ; what if the gift was the secret of the power ? 
 
 " Go, Acatlan," he said, " and call Nenetzin. See that she 
 brings the charm with her." 
 
 Then he arose, and began moodily to walk. Cuitlahua 
 talked with Tecalco and Tula. The hour was very pleasant. 
 The sun, lingering above the horizon, poured a flood of bril- 
 liance upon the hill and palace, and over the flowers, trailing 
 )vines, and dwarfed palm and banana trees, with which the 
 azoteas was provided. 
 
 i Upon the return of the queen with Nenetzin, the king 
 resumed his seat. The girl knelt before him, her face very 
 pale, her eyes full of tears. So lately a child, scarce a 
 woman, yet so weighted with womanly griefs, the father 
 could not view her except with compassion ; so he raised
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 her, and, holding her hand, said, "What is this I hear, 
 Nenetzin 1 Yesterday I was thinking of sending you to 
 school. Nowadays lovers are very exacting ; they require 
 of their sweethearts knowledge as well as beauty ; but you 
 outrun my plans, you have a lover already. Is it so 1 " 
 
 Nenetzin looked down, blushing. 
 
 "And no common lover either," continued the king. 
 " Not a 'tzin, or a cacique, or a governor ; not a lord or a 
 prince, a god ! Brave child ! " 
 
 Still Nenetzin was silent. 
 
 " You cannot call your lover by name, nor speak to him 
 in his language ; nor can he speak to you in yours. Talking 
 by signs must be tedious for the uses of love, which I 
 understand to be but another name for impatience ; yet you 
 are far advanced ; you have seen your beloved, talked with 
 him, and received what ? " 
 
 Nenetzin clasped the iron cross upon her breast firmly, 
 not as a good Catholic, seeking its protection ; for she would 
 have laid the same hands on Alvarado rather than Christ, 
 and for the first time she looked in the questioner's face 
 straight and fearlessly. A moment he regarded her ; in the 
 moment his smile faded away ; and for her it came neve* 
 again never. 
 
 " Give me what you have there," he said sternly, extend- 
 ing his hand. 
 
 " It is but a simple present," she said, holding back. 
 
 "No, it has to do with religion, and that not of oui 
 fathers." 
 
 " It is mine," she persisted, and the aueen mother turned 
 pale at sight of her firmness. 
 
 " The child is bewitched," interposed Cuitlahua. 
 
 " And for that I should have the symbol. Obey me, or " 
 
 Awed by the look, now dark with anger, Nenetzin took 
 the chain from her neck, and put the cross in his hand. 
 " There ! I prav> you. return them
 
 THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS. 299 
 
 Now, the cross, as a religious symbol, was not new to the 
 monarch ; in Cozumel it was an object of worship ; in Ta- 
 basco it had been reverenced for ages as emblematic of the 
 God of Eain ; in Palenque, the Palmyra of the New "World, 
 it is sculptured on the fadeless walls, and a child held up to 
 idore it (in the same picture) proves its holy character; it 
 aras not new to the heathen king; but the cross of Christ 
 was ; and singularly enough, he received the latter for the 
 first time with no thought of saving virtues, but as a problem 
 in metallurgy. 
 
 " To-morrow I will send the trinkets to the jewellers," he 
 said, after close examination. " They shall try them in the 
 fire. Strange, indeed, if, in all my dominions, they do not 
 find whereof they are made." 
 
 He was about to pass the symbol to Maxtla, when a mes- 
 senger came up, and announced the lord Hualpa and the 
 prince Io'. Instantly, the cross, and Nenetzin, and her tear* 
 and troubles, vanished out of his mind. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS. 
 
 " ~T~ ET the azoteas be cleared of all but my family. You, 
 
 I J my brother, will remain." 
 
 So saying, the king arose, and began walking again. As 
 he did so, the cross slipped from his fingers, and fell, ringing 
 sharply upon the roof. Nenetzin sprang forward and picked 
 the symbol up. 
 
 " Now, call the messengers." 
 
 When the chief was gone, the monarch stepped to Cui- 
 tlahna, and, laying a hand upon his arm, said, " At last,
 
 SOU THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 brother, at last ! The time so long prayed for is come. The 
 enemy is in the snare, and he is mine. So the god of our 
 fathers has promised. The messengers bring me his permis- 
 sion to make wax." 
 
 " At last ! Praised be Huitzil' ! " exclaimed Cuitlahua, 
 with upraised hands and eyes. 
 
 " Praised be Huitzil' ! " cried Tula, with equal fervor. 
 
 " Malinche began his march to Tenochtitlan against my 
 order, which, for a purpose, I afterwards changed to invita- 
 tion. Since that, my people, my army, the lords, the pabas, 
 the Empire, have upbraided me for weakness. I only bided 
 my time, and the assent of Huitzil'. And the result ? The 
 palace of Axaya' shall be the tomb of the insolent strangers." 
 
 As he spoke, the monarch's bosom swelled with the old 
 warrior spirit. 
 
 " You would have had me go meet Malinche, and in the 
 open field array my people to be trodden down by his beasts 
 of war. Now, ours is the advantage. We will shut him in 
 with walls of men as well as of houses. Over them he may 
 ride, but the first bridge will be the end of his journey ; 
 it will be raised. Mictlan take our legions, if they cannot 
 conquer him at last ! " 
 
 He laughed scornfully. 
 
 " In the temples are seventy thousand fighting men, gath- 
 ered unknown to all but Tlalac. They are tired of their 
 prison, and cry for freedom and battle. Two other measures 
 taken, and the war begins, only two. Malinche has no 
 stores ; he is dependent upon me for to-morrow's bread. 
 ;What if I say, not a grain of corn, not a mouthful of meat 
 shall pass his palace gate ] As to the other step, what if 
 I bid you raise the bridges 1 What then ? His beasts must 
 starve ; so must his people, unless they can fly. Let him 
 use his engines of fire ; the material he serves them with 
 cannot last always, so that want will silence them also. The
 
 THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS. 301 
 
 measures depend on my word, which, by the blessing of Huit- 
 ziT, I will speak, and " 
 
 " When ? " asked Cuitlahua, earnestly. 
 
 " To-morrow " 
 
 "The day, O my kingly brother! the day will be 
 memorable in Anahuac forever ! " 
 
 The monarch's eyes flashed with evil fire. " It shall be 
 so. Part of the invaders will not content me ; none shall 
 escape, not one ! In the world shall not one be left ! " 
 
 All present listened eagerly. Nenetzin alone gave no sign 
 of feeling, though she heard every word. 
 
 The couriers now appeared. Over their uniforms was the 
 inevitable nequen. Instead of helms, they wore broad bands, 
 ornamented with plumes and brilliants. At their backs hung 
 their shields. The prince, proud and happy, kissed his 
 mother's hand, and nodded to the sisters. Hualpa went to 
 the king, and knelt in salute. 
 
 " I have been waiting since noon," said Montezuma, coldly. 
 
 " We pray your pardon, king, good master. The fault 
 was not ours. Since yesterday at noon we have not ate or 
 drank or slept ; neither have we been out of the great temple, 
 except to embark and come here, which was with all possible 
 speed." 
 
 " It is well. Arise ! What says the god ? " 
 
 Every ear was strained to hear. 
 
 " We followed your orders in all things, king. In the 
 )emple we found the teotuctli, and the pabas of the city, 
 with many from Tezcuco and Cholula." 
 
 " Saw you Mualox, of the old Cii of Quetzal 1 1 " 
 
 " Mualox was not there." 
 
 The king waved his hand. 
 
 " We presented ourselves to the teotuctfi, and gave him you* 
 message ; in proof of our authority, we showed him the sig' 
 net, which we now return."
 
 302 -THE FAIR 'GOD. 
 
 The seal was taken in silence. 
 
 " In presence, then, of all the pabas, the sacrifices were 
 begun. I counted the victims, nine hundred in all. The 
 afternoon and night, and to-day, to the time of our departure, 
 the service lasted. The sound of prayer from the holy men 
 was unintermitted and loud. I looked once to the palace of. 
 Axaya', and saw the azoteas crowded with the strangers and 
 their Tlascalans." 
 
 : The king and the lord Cuitlahua exchanged glances of 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " At last the labors of the teotuctli were rewarded. I saw 
 him tear a heart from a victim's breast, and study the signs j 
 then, with a loud cry, he ran and flung the heart into the fire 
 before the altar of Huitzil' ; and all there joined in the cry, 
 which was of rejoicing, and washed their hands in the blood. 
 The holy man then came to me, and said, ' Say to Montezuma, 
 the wise king, that Huitzil', the Supreme God, has answered, 
 and bids him begin the war. Say to him, also, to be of 
 cheer ; for the land shall be delivered from the strangers, and 
 the strangers shall be delivered to him, in trust for the god. 
 Then he stood in the door of the sanctuary, and made procla- 
 mation of the divine will. And that was all, king." 
 
 " To Huitzil' be the praise ! " exclaimed the king, piously. 
 
 " And to Montezuma the glory ! " said Cuitlahua. 
 
 And the queens and Tula kissed the monarch's hand, and 
 at his feet Io' knelt, and laid his shield, saying, 
 
 " A favor, king, a favor ! " 
 
 Well." 
 
 " Let not my years be counted, but give me a warrior's 
 part in the sacred war." 
 
 And Cuitlahua went to the suppliant, and laid a hand 
 upon his head, and said, his massive features glowing with 
 honest pride, " It was well spoken, my brother, well spo- 
 ken. The blood and spirit of our race will survive us. I,
 
 THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS. - 303 
 
 the oldest, rejoice, and, with the youngest, pray; give us 
 each to do a warrior's part." 
 
 Brighter grew the monarch's eyes. 
 
 " Your -will be done," he said to Io'. " Arise ! " Then 
 looking toward the sun, he added, with majestic fervor, " The 
 inspiration is from you, holy gods ! strengthen it, I pray, 
 and help him in the way he would go." A moment after, he 
 turned to Cuitlahua, " My brother, have your wish also. I 
 give you the command. You have my signet already. To- 
 morrow the drum of Huitzil' will be beaten. At the sound, 
 let the bridges next the palace of Axaya" on all the cause- 
 ways be taken up. Close the market to-night. Supplies for 
 one day more Malinche may have, and that is all. Around 
 the teocallis, in hearing of a shell, are ten thousand warriors ; 
 take them, and, after the beating of the drum, see that the 
 strangers come not out of the palace, and that nothing goes 
 through its gates for them. But until the signal, let there 
 be friendship and perfect peace. And " he looked around 
 slowly and solemnly " what I have here spoken is between 
 ourselves and the gods." 
 
 And Cuitlahua knelt and kissed his hand, in token of 
 loyalty. 
 
 While the scene was passing, as the only one present not 
 of the royal family, Hualpa stood by, with downcast eyes ; 
 and as he listened to the brave words of the king, involving 
 so much of weal or woe to the realm, he wondered at the 
 fortune which had brought him such rich confidence, not as 
 the slow result of years of service, but, as it were, in a day. 
 Suddenly, the monarch turned to him. 
 
 "Thanks are not enough, lord Hualpa, for the report 
 you bring. As a messenger between me and the mighty 
 Huitzil', you shall have reason to rejoice with us. Lands 
 and rank you have, and a palace ; now," a smile broke 
 through his seriousness, " now I will give you a wife. Here
 
 304. THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 ' he is." And to the amazement of all, he pointed to Uenefc- 
 in. " A wild hird, by the Sun ! What say you, lord 
 Hualpa 1 Is she not beautiful 1 Yet," he became grave in 
 an instant, " I warn you that she is self-willed, and spoiled, 
 and now suffers from a distemper which she fancies to be 
 love. I warn you, lest one of the enemy, of whom we were 
 but now talking, lure her from you, as he seems to have lured 
 her from us and our gods. To save her, and place her in 
 good keeping, as well as to bestow a proper reward, I will 
 give her to you for wife." 
 
 Tecalco looked at Acatlan, who governed her feelings 
 well ; possibly she was satisfied, for the waywardness of the 
 girl had, of late, caused her anxiety, while, if not a prince, 
 like Cacarna, Hualpa was young, brave, handsome, ennobled, 
 and, as the proposal itself proved, on the high road to 
 princely honors. Tula openly rejoiced ; so did Io'. The 
 lord Cuitlahua was indifferent ; his new command, and the 
 prospects of the morrow, so absorbed him that a betrothal or 
 a wedding was a trifle. As for Hualpa, it was as if the 
 flowery land of the Aztec heaven had opened around him. 
 He was speechless ; but in the step half taken, his flushed 
 face, his quick breathing, Nenetzin read all he could have 
 said, and more ; and so he waited a sign from her, a sign, 
 though but a glance or a motion of the lip or hand. And 
 ehe gave him a smile, not like that the bold Spaniard 
 received on the temple, nor warm, as if prompted by the 
 loving soul, a smile, witnessed by all present, and by all 
 accepted as her expression of assent. 
 
 " I will give her to you for wife," the monarch repeated, 
 slowly and distinctly. " This is the betrothal ; the wedding 
 shall be when the war is over, when not a white-faced 
 stranger is left in all my domain." 
 
 While yet he spoke, Nenetzin ran to her mother, and hid 
 her face in her bosom.
 
 THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS. 305 
 
 " Listen further, lord Hualpa," said the king. " In the 
 great "business of to-morrow I give you a part. At daylight 
 return to the temple, and remain there in the turret where 
 hangs the drum of Huitzil'. Io' will come to you about 
 noon, with my command ; then, if such be its effect, with 
 your own hand give the signal for which the lord Cuitlahua 
 will bu waiting. Strike so as to be heard by the city, and 
 by th& cities on the shores of the lake. Afterwards, with 
 Io', go to the lord Cuitlahua. Here is the signet again, 
 The teotuctli may want proof of your authority." 
 
 Hualpa, kneeling to receive the seal, kissed the monarch's 
 hand. 
 
 " Aid now," the latter said, addressing himself to Cuitla- 
 hua, " the interview is ended. You have much to do. Go. 
 The gods keep you." 
 
 Huaipa, at last released, went and paid homage to his 
 betrotl^ed, and was made still more happy by her words, and 
 the congratulations of the queens. 
 
 Tula alone lingered at the king's side, her large eyes fixed 
 appealiugly on his face. 
 
 " What now, Tula 1 " he asked, tenderly. 
 
 And she answered, " You have need, king and good 
 father, of faithful, loving warriors. I know of one. He 
 should be here, but is not. Of to-morrow, its braveries and 
 sacrifices, the minstrels will sing for ages to come ; and the 
 burden of their songs will be how nobly the people fought, 
 and died, and conquered for you. Shall the opportunity be 
 for all but him ? Do not so wrong yourself, be not so cruel 
 to to me," she said, clasping her hands. 
 
 His look of tenderness vanished, and he walked away, and 
 from the parapet of the azoteas gazed long and fixedly, ap- 
 parently observing the day dying in the west, or the royal 
 gardens that stretched out of sight from the base of the cas- 
 tled hilL
 
 306 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 She waited expectantly, but no answer came, none ever 
 came. 
 
 And when, directly, she joined the group about Nenetzin 
 and Hualpa, and leaned confidingly upon Io', she little 
 thought that his was the shadow darkening her love ; that 
 the dreamy monarch, looking forward to the succession, saw, 
 in the far future, a struggle for the crown between the prince 
 and the 'tzin ; that for the former hope there was not, except 
 in what might now be done ; and that yet there was not hope, 
 if the opportunities of war were as open to the one as to th- 
 other. So the exile continued. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE IRON CROSS COMES BACK TO ITS GIVER, 
 
 A EMITTING that the intent with which the Spaa- 
 ~i- A_ iards came to Tenochtitlan took from them the sanc- 
 tity accorded by Christians to guests, and at the same time 
 justified any measure in prevention, a subject belonging 
 to the casuist rather than the teller of a story, their situa- 
 tion has now become so perilous, and possibly so interesting 
 to my sympathetic reader, that he may be anxious to enter 
 the old palace, and see what they are doing. 
 
 The dull report of the evening gun had long since spent 
 itself over the lake, and along the gardened shores. So, too, 
 mass had been said in the chapel, newly improvised, and 
 very limited for such high ceremony ; yet, as Father Barto- 
 lome observed, roomy enough for prayer and penitence. 
 Nor had the usual precautions against surprise been omitted ; 
 on the contrary, extra devices in that way had been resorted 
 to ; the guards had been doubled ; the horses stood capari-
 
 THE IRON CROSS COMES BACK TO ITS GIVER. 307 
 
 eoned ; by the guns at the gates low fires were burning, to 
 light, in an instant, the matches of the gunners ; and at in- 
 tervals, under cover of the walls, lay or lounged detachments 
 of both Christians and Tlascalans, apparently told off for 
 battle. A yell without or a shot within, and the palace 
 would bristle with defenders. A careful captain was Cortes. 
 
 In his room, once the audience- chamber of the kings, 
 paced the stout conquistador. He was alone, and, as usual, 
 in armor, except of the head and hands. On a table were 
 his helm, iron gloves, and battle-axe, fair to view, as was the 
 chamber, in the cheerful, ruddy light of a brazen lamp. As 
 he walked, he used his sword for staff ; and its clang, joined 
 to the sharp concussion of the sollerets smiting the tessellated 1 
 floor at each step, gave notice in the adjoining chamber, and 
 out in the patio, that the general or, as he was more famil- 
 iarly called, the Senor Hernan was awake and uncom-' 
 monly restless. After a while the curtains of the doorway 
 parted, and Father Bartolome entered without challenge.' 
 The good man was clad in a cassock of black serge, much 
 frayed, and girt to the waist by a leathern belt, to which 
 hung an ivory cross, and a string of amber beads. At sight 
 of him, Cortes halted, and, leaning on his sword, said, " Bring 
 thy bones here, father ; or, if such womanly habit suit thea 
 better, rest them on the settle yonder. Anyhow, thou'rt 
 welcome. I assure thee of the fact in advance of thy re- 
 port." 
 
 " Thank thee, Senor," he replied. " The cross, as thou 
 mayst have heard, is proverbially heavy ; but its weight is 
 to the spirit, not the body, like the iron with which thou 
 keep'st thyself so constantly clothed. I will come and stand 
 by thee, especially as my words must be few, and to our own 
 ears." 
 
 He went near, and continued in a low voice, and rapidly, 
 " A deputation, appointed to confer with thee, is now corn-
 
 308 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 ing. I sounded the men. I told them our condition ; how 
 we are enclosed in the city, dependent upon an inconstant 
 king for bread, without hope of succor, without a road of 
 retreat. Following thy direction, I drew the picture darkly. 
 Very soon they began asking, ' What think'st thou ought to 
 be done ? ' As agreed between us, I suggested the seizure of < 
 Montezuma. They adopted the idea instantly ; and, that no 
 consideration like personal affection for the king may influ- 
 ence thee to reject the proposal, the deputation cometh, with 
 Diaz del Castillo at the head." 
 
 A gleam of humor twinkled in Cortes's eyes. 
 
 " Art sure they do not suspect me as the author of the 
 scheme ? " 
 
 " They will urge it earnestly as their own, and support it 
 with arguments which " the father paused a moment "I 
 am sure thou wilt find irresistible." 
 
 Cortes raised himself from the sword, and indulged a laugh 
 while he crossed the room and returned. 
 
 " I thank thee, father," he said, resuming his habitual 
 gravity. " So men are managed ; nothing more simple, if 
 we do but know how. The project hath been in my mind 
 since we left Tlascala ; but, as thou know'st, I feared it 
 might be made of account against me with our imperial 
 master. Now, it cometh back as business of urgency to 
 the army, to which men think I cannot say nay. Let them 
 come ; I am ready." 
 
 He began walking again, thumping the floor with his 
 sword, while Olmedo took possession of a bench by the 
 table. Presently, there was heard at the door the sound of 
 many feet, which you may be sure were not those of slip- 
 pered damsels ; for, at the bidding of Cortes, twelve soldiers 
 came in, followed by several officers, and after them yet 
 other soldiers. The general went to the table and seated 
 himself. They ranged themselves about him, standing.
 
 THE IRON CROSS COMES BACK TO ITS GIVER. 309 
 
 And for a time the chamber went back to its primitive 
 use ; but what were the audiences of Axaya' compared with 
 this? Here was no painted cotton, or feather- work gaudy 
 with the spoils of humming-birds and parrots : in their 
 stead, the gleam and lustre blent with the brown of iron. 
 One such Christian warrior was worth a hundred heathen 
 chiefs. So thought Cortes, as he glanced at the faces before 
 him, bearded, mustachioed, and shaded down to the eyes by 
 well-worn morions. 
 
 " Good evening, gentlemen and soldiers," he said, kindly, 
 but without a bow. " This hath the appearance of business." 
 
 Diaz advanced a step, and replied, 
 
 " Senor, we are a deputation from the army, appointed to 
 beg attention to a matter which to us looketh serious ; 
 enough so, at least, to justify this appearance. We have 
 been, and are, thy faitnful soldiers, in whom thou mayst 
 trust to the death, as our conduct all the way from the coast 
 doth certify. Nor do we come to complain ; on that score 
 be at rest. But we are men of experience ; a long campaign 
 hath given us eyes to see and ability to consider a situation ; 
 while we submit willingly to all thy orders, trusting in thy 
 superior sense, we yet think thou wilt not take it badly, 
 nor judge us wanting in discipline and respect, if we venture 
 the opinion that, despite the courtesies and fair seeming of 
 the unbelieving king, Montezuma, we are, in fact, cooped 
 up in this strong city as in a cage." 
 
 " I see the business already," said Cortes ; " and, by my 
 conscience ! ye are welcome to help me consider it. Speak 
 out, Bernal Diaz." 
 
 " Thank thee, Senor. The question in our minds is, "What 
 shall be done next ? We know that but few things bearing 
 anywise upon our expedition escape thy eyes, and that of what 
 is observed by thee nothing is forgotten ; therefore, what I 
 tvish, first, is to refer some points to thy memory. When
 
 310 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 we left Cuba, we put ourselves in the keeping of the Holy 
 Vir ( in, without any certain purpose. We believed there 
 was in this direction somewhere a land peopled and full of 
 gold for the finding. Of that we were assured when we set 
 out from the coast to come here. And now that we are 
 come, safe from so many dangers, and hardships, and battles, 
 we think it no shame to admit that we were not prepared for 
 what we find, so far doth the fact exceed all our imaginings ; 
 neither can we be charged justly with weakness or fear, if 
 we all desire to know whether the expedition is at an end, 
 and whether the time hath arrived to collect our gains, and 
 divide them, and set our faces homeward. There are in the 
 army some who think that time come ; but I, and my asso- 
 ciates here, are not of that opinion. We believe with Father 
 Olmedo, that God and the Holy Mother brought us to this 
 land, and that we are their instruments ; and that, in reward 
 for our toils, and for setting up the cross in all these abom- 
 inable temples, and bringing about the conversion of these 
 heathen hordes, the country, and all that is in it, are 
 ours." 
 
 " They are ours ! " cried Cortes, dashing his sword against 
 the floor until the chamber rang. " They are ours, all ours ; 
 subject only to the will of our master, the Emperor." 
 
 The latter words he said slowly, meaning that they should 
 be remembered. 
 
 "We are glad, Senor, to hear thy approval so heartily 
 given," Diaz resumed. "If we are not mistaken in the 
 opinion, and, following it up, decide to reduce the country to 
 possession and the true belief, something, I confess, not 
 difficult to determine, since we have no ships in which to 
 sail away, then we think a plan of action should be adopt- 
 ed immediately. If the reduction can be best effected from 
 the city, let us abide here, by all means ; if not, the sooner 
 We are beyond the dikes and bridges, and out of the valley,
 
 THE IRON CROSS COMES BACK TO ITS GIVER. 311 
 
 the better. "Whether we shall remain, Senor, is for thee to 
 say. The army hath simply chosen us to make a suggestion, 
 which we hope thou wilt accept as its sense ; and that is, to 
 seize the person of Montezuma, and bring him to these quar- 
 tsrs, after which there will be no difficulty in providing for 
 our wants and safety, and controlling, as may be best, the 
 people, the city, the provinces, and all things else yet un- 
 discovered. 
 
 "Jesu Christo!" exclaimed Cortes, like one surprised. 
 " Whence got ye this idea ? Much I fear the Devil is abroad 
 again." And he began to walk the floor, using long strides, 
 and muttering to himself ; retaking his seat, he said, 
 
 " The proposition hath a bold look, soldiers and comrades, 
 and for our lives' sake requireth careful thought. That we 
 can govern the Empire through Montezuma, I have always 
 held, and with that idea I marched you here, as the cavaliers 
 now present can testify ; but the taking and holding him 
 prisoner, by my conscience ! ye out-travel me, and I must 
 have time to think about the business. But, gentlemen," 
 turning to the Captains Leon, Ordas, Sandoval, and Alvarado, 
 who, as part of the delegation, had stationed themselves behind 
 him, "ye have reflected upon the business, and are of made- 
 up minds. Upon two points I would have your judgments : 
 first, can we justify the seizure to his Majesty, the Emperor 1 
 secondly, how is the arrest to be accomplished? Speak 
 thou, Sandoval." 
 
 " As thou know'st, Senor Hernan, what I say must be 
 said bluntly, and with little regard for qualifications," San- 
 doval replied, lisping. " To me the seizure is a neces- 
 sity, and as such justifiable to our royal master, himself 
 so good a soldier. I have come to regard the heathen king 
 as faithless, and therefore unworthy, except as an instrument 
 in our hands. I cannot forget how we were cautioned 
 against him in all the lower towns, and how, from all quar-
 
 312 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 ters, we were assured lie meant to follow the pretended in- 
 structions of his god, allow us to enter the capital quietly, 
 then fall upon us without notice and at disadvantage. And 
 now that we are enclosed, he hath only to cut off our sup- 
 plies of "bread and water, and break down the bridges. So, 
 Senor, I avouch that, in my opinion, there is but one ques- 
 tion for consideration, Shall we move against him, or wait 
 until he is ready to move against us ? I would rather sur- 
 prise my enemy than be surprised by him." 
 
 " And what sayest thou, Leon ? " 
 
 " The good Captain Sandoval hath spoken for me, Senor. 
 I would add, that some of us have to-day noticed that the 
 king's steward, besides being insolent, hath failed to supply 
 our tables as formerly. And from Aguilar, the interpreter, 
 who hath his news from the Tlascaians, I learn that the Mex- 
 icans certainly have some evil plot in progress." 
 
 " And yet further, captain, say for me," cried Alvarado, 
 impetuously, " that the prince now with us, his name 
 The fiend take his name ! " 
 
 " Thou would'st say, the Prince of Tezcuco ; never mind 
 his name," Cortes said, gravely. 
 
 " Ay, never mind his name," Olmedo repeated, with a 
 scarce perceptible gleam of humor. " At the baptism to- 
 morrow I will give him something more Christian." 
 
 " As ye will, as ye will ! " Alvarado rejoined, impatiently. 
 " I was about to say, that the Tezcucan averreth most roundly 
 that the yells we heard this afternoon from the temple over 
 the way signified a grand utterance from the god of war ; and 
 of opinion that we will now be soon attacked, he refuseth to 
 go into the city again." 
 
 " And thou, Ordas." 
 
 " Senor," that captain replied, " I am in favor of the seiz- 
 are. If, as all believe, Montezuma is bent to make war upon 
 us, the best way to meet the danger is to arrest him in time.
 
 THE IRON CROSS COMES BACK TO ITS GIVER. 313 
 
 The question, simply stated, is, his liberty or our lives. 
 Moreover, I want an end to the uncertainty that so vexeth 
 us night and day ; worse, by far, than any battle the heathen 
 can offer." 
 
 Cortes played with the knot of his sword, and reflected. 
 
 " Such, then, is the judgment of the army," he finally 
 said. "And such, gentlemen, is mine, also. But is that 
 enough 1 What we do as matter of policy may be approved 
 of man, even our imperial master, of whom I am always re- 
 gardful ; but, as matter of conscience, the approval of Heaven 
 must be looked for. Stand out, Father Bartolom^ ! Upon 
 thy brow is the finger of St. Peter, at thy girdle the cross 
 of Christ. "What saith the Church ? " 
 
 The good man arose, and held out the cross, saying, 
 
 " My children, upon the Church, by Christ himself, this 
 solemn hest hath been placed, good for all places, to be parted 
 from never : * Go ye into all the world, and preach the gos- 
 pel to every creature.' The way hither hath been through 
 strange seas and deadly climates. Hear me, that ye may 
 know yourselves. Ye are the swords of the Church. In 
 Cempoalla she preached ; so in Tlascala ; so in Cholula ; and 
 in all, she cast out false gods, and converted whole tribes. 
 Only in this city hath the gospel not been proclaimed. And 
 why ? Because of a king who to-day, almost in our view, 
 sacrificed men to his idols. Swords of the Church, which 
 go before to make smooth her path, Christ and the Holy 
 Mother must be taught in yon temple of sin. So saith the 
 Church ! 
 
 There was much crossing of forehead and breast, and 
 u Amen," and the sweet name " Ave Maria " sounded through 
 the chamber, not in the murmur of a cathedral response, but 
 outspokenly as became the swords of Christ. The sensation 
 was hardly done, when some one at the door called loudly 
 for Alvarado.
 
 314 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Who is ho that so calleth ? " the captain asked, angrily. 
 " Let him choose another time." 
 
 The name was repeated more loudly. 
 
 " Tell the mouther to seek me to-morrow." 
 
 A third time the captain was called. 
 
 " May the Devil fly away with the fellow ! I will not 
 go." 
 
 " Bid the man enter," said Cortes. " The disturbance if 
 strange." 
 
 A soldier appeared, whom AJvarado, still angry, addressed, 
 " How now 1 Dost thou take me for a kitchen girl, appren- 
 ticed to answer thee at all times 1 What hast thou ? Be 
 brief. This goodly company waiteth." 
 
 " I crave thy pardon, captain. I crave pardon of the 
 company," the soldier answered, saluting Cortes. " I am on 
 duty at the main gate. A little while ago, a woman " 
 
 " Picaro ! " cried Alvarado, contemptuously. " Only a 
 woman ! " 
 
 " Peace, captain ! Let the man proceed," said Cortes, 
 whose habit it was to hear his common soldiers gravely. 
 
 " As I was about saying, Senor, a woman came running to 
 the gate. She was challenged. I could not understand her, 
 and she was much scared, for behind her on the street was 
 a party that seemed to have been in pursuit. She cried, 
 and pressed for admittance. My order is strict, Admit no 
 one after the evening gun. While I was trying to make her 
 understand me, some arrows were shot by the party outside, 
 and one passed through her arm. She then flung herself on 
 the pavement, and gave me this cross, and said ' Tonatiah, 
 Tonatiah ! ' As that is what the people call thee, Senor 
 Alvarado, I judged she wanted it given to thee for some pur- 
 pose. The shooting at her made me think that possibly the 
 business might be of importance. If I am mistaken, I 
 again pray pardon. Here is the cross. Shall I admit the 
 woman]"
 
 A FORTUNATE MAN HATH A MEMORY. 315 
 
 Alvarado took the cross, and looked at it once. 
 
 " By the saints ! my mother's gift to me, and mine to the 
 
 princess Nenetzin." Of the soldier he asked, in a suppressed 
 
 voice, " Is the woman old or young 1 " 
 " A girl, little more than a child." 
 " 'T is she ! Mother of Christ, 't is Nenetzin ! " 
 And through the company, without apology, he rushed. 
 
 iTie soldier saluted, and followed him. 
 
 " To the gate, Sandoval ! See the rest of this affair, and 
 
 report," said Cortes, quietly. " We will stay the business 
 
 until you return." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TRULY WONDERFUL. A FORTUNATE MAN HATH A MEMORY. 
 
 TWO canoes, tied to the strand, attested that the royal 
 party, and Ic? and Hualpa, were yet at Chapultepec, 
 which was no doubt as pleasant at night, seen of all the 
 stars, as in the day, kissed by the softest of tropical suns. 
 
 That the lord Hualpa should linger there was most nat- 
 ural. Raised, almost as one is transported in dreams, from 
 hunting to warriorship ; from that again to riches and no- 
 bility ; so lately contented, though at peril of life, to look 
 from afar at the house in which the princess Nenetzin slept ; 
 now her betrothed, and so pronounced by the great king 
 himself, what wonder that he loitered at the palace ? Yet 
 , it was not late, in fact, on the horizon still shone the tint, 
 the last and faintest of the day, when he and Io' came out, 
 and, arm in arm, took their way down the hill to the land- 
 ing. What betides the lover? Is the mistress coy 1 ? Or 
 runs he away at call of some grim duty? 
 
 Out of the high gate, down the terraced descent, past the
 
 316 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 avenue of ghostly cypresses, until their sandals struck the 
 White shells of the landing, they silently went. 
 
 " Is it not well with you, my brother 1 " asked the prince, 
 stopping where the boats, in keeping of their crews, were 
 lying. 
 
 " Thank you for that word," Hualpa replied. " It is 
 better even than comrade. Well with me? I look my 
 fortune in the face, and am dumb. If I should belie 
 expectation, if I should fall from such a height ! O 
 Mother of the World, save me from that ! I would rather 
 die ! " 
 
 " But you will not fail," said Io', sympathetically. 
 
 " The gods keep the future ; they only know. The 
 thought came to me as I sat at the feet of Tula and Nenet- 
 zin, came to me like a taste of bitter in a cup of sweets. 
 Close after followed another even stronger, how could I be 
 so happy, and our comrade over the lake so miserable 1 We 
 know how he has hoped and worked and lived for what the 
 morrow is to bring : shall he not be notified even of its 
 nearness ? You have heard the sound of the war-drum : 
 what is it like 1 " 
 
 " Like the roll of thunder." 
 
 " Well, when the thunder crosses the lake, and strikes lifc 
 ear, saying, ' Up, the war is here ! ' he will come to the door, 
 and down to the water's edge ; there he must stop ; and as 
 he looks wistfully to the city, and strains his ear to catch 
 the notes of the combat, will he not ask for us, and, ac- 
 cuse us of forgetf ulness ? Rather than that, my brother, 
 let my fortune all go back to its giver." 
 
 " I understand you now," said the prince, softly. 
 
 " Yes," Hualpa continued, " I am to be at the temple by 
 the break of day ; but the night is mine, and I will go t 
 the 'tzin, my first friend, of Anahuac the soul, as Nenefr 
 zin is the flower."
 
 HOW THE IRON CROSS CAME BACK. 317* 
 
 " And I will go with you." 
 
 " No, you cannot. You have not permission. So fare, 
 well." 
 
 " Until to-morrow," said Io'. 
 
 " In the temple," answered Hualpa. 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 HOW THE IRON CROSS CAME BACK. 
 
 10' stayed at the landing awhile, nursing the thought left 
 him by his comrade. And he was still there, the plash 
 of the rowers of the receding canoe in his ear, when the 
 great gate of the palace gave exit to another person, this 
 time a girl. The guards on duty paid her no attention. 
 She was clad simply and poorly, and carried a basket. 
 Around the hill were scores of gardeners' daughters like 
 her. 
 
 From the avenue she turned into a path which, through 
 one of the fields below, led her to an inlet of the lake, 
 where the market-people were accustomed to moor their 
 canoes. The stars gave light, but too feebly to reclaim any- 
 thing from the darkness. Groping amongst the vessels, she 
 at length entered one, and, seating herself, pushed clear of 
 the land, and out in the lake toward the glow in the sky 
 beneath which reposed the city. 
 
 Like the night, the lake was calm ; therefore, no fear for 
 the adventuress. The boat, under her hand, had not the 
 speed of the king's when driven by his twelve practised 
 rowers ; yet she was its mistress, and it obeyed her kindly. 
 But why the journey 1 Why alone on the water at such a 
 time?
 
 318 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Half an hour of steady work. The city was, of course, 
 much nearer. At the same time, the kbor began to tell ; the 
 reach of her paddle was not so great as at the beginning, nor 
 was the dip so deep ; her breathing was less free, and some- 
 times she stopped to draw a dripping hand across her fore- 
 head. Surely, this is not a gardener's daughter. 
 
 Voyageurs now became frequent. Most of them passed by 
 with the salutation usual on the lake, " The blessings of 
 the gods upon you ! " Once she was in danger. A canoe full 
 of singers, and the singers full of pulque, came down at 
 speed upon her vessel. Happily, the blow was given ob- 
 liquely ; the crash suspended the song ; the wassailers 
 sprang to their feet ; seeing only a girl, and no harm, done, 
 they drew off, laughing. " Out with your lamp next time ! " 
 shouted one of them. A law of the lake required some 
 such signal at night. 
 
 In the flurry of the collision, a tamane, leaning over the 
 bow of the strange canoe, swung a light almost in the girl's 
 face. With a cry, she shrank away ; as she did so, from her 
 bosom fell a shining cross. To the dull slave the symbol told 
 no tale ; but, good reader, we know that there is but one 
 maiden in all Anahuac who wears such a jewel, and we 
 know for whom she wears that one. By the light of that 
 cross, we also know the weary passenger is, not a gardener's 
 daughter, but Nenetziu, the princess. 
 
 And the wonder grows. What does the 'tzin Xene so 
 they called her in the days they swung her to sleep in the 
 swinging cradle out so far alone on the lake ? And where 
 goes she in such guise, this night of all others, and now 
 when the kiss of her betrothed is scarcely cold on her lips ? 
 Where are the slaves ? Where the signs of royalty ? As 
 prayed by the gentle voyageurs, the blessings of the gods may 
 be upon her, but much I doubt if she has her mother's, 
 almost as holy.
 
 HOW THE IRON CROSS CAME BACK. 319 
 
 Slowly now she wins her way. The paddle grows 
 heavier in her unaccustomed hands. On her brow gathers 
 a dew which is neither of the night nor the lake. She is 
 not within the radius of the temple lights, yet stops to rest, 
 and bathe her palms in the cooling waves. Later, when the 
 vail of the city, close by, stretches away on either side, far 
 teaching, a margin of darkness under the illuminated sky, 
 the canoe seems at last to conquer ; it floats at will idly as a 
 log ; and in that time the princess sits motionless as the 
 boat, lapsed in revery. Her purpose, if she has one, may 
 have chilled in the solitude or weakened under the labor. 
 Alas, if the purpose be good ! If evil, help her, sweet 
 Mary, Mother ! 
 
 The sound of paddles behind her broke the spell. With 
 a hurried glance over her shoulder, she bent again to the 
 task, and there was no more hesitation. She gained the 
 wall, and passed in, taking the first canal. By the houses, 
 and through the press of canoes, and under the bridges, to 
 the heart of the city, she went. On the steps bordering a 
 basin close to the street which had been Cortes' line of 
 march the day of the entry, she landed, and, ascending to 
 the thoroughfare, set out briskly, basket in hand, her face to 
 the south. With never a look to the right or left, never a 
 response to the idlers on the pavement, she hurried down 
 the street. The watchers on the towers sung the hour ; 
 she scarcely heard them. At last she reached the great 
 temple. A glance at the coatapantli, one at the shadowy 
 sanctuaries, to be sure of the locality ; then her eyes fell upon 
 the palace of Axaya', and she stopped. The street to this 
 point had been thronged with people ; here there were none ; 
 the strangers were by themselves. The main gate of the 
 ancient house stood half open, and she saw the wheels 
 of gun-carriages, and now and then a Christian soldier 
 pacing his round, slowly and grimly ; of the little host, he
 
 320 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 alone gave signs of life. Over the walls she heard the 
 stamp of horses' feet, and once a neigh, shrill and loud. 
 The awe of the Indian in presence of the white man seized 
 her, and she looked and listened, half frightened, half wor- 
 shipful, with but one clear sense, and that was of the near- 
 jiess of the Tonatiah. 
 
 A sound of approaching feet disturbed her, and she ran 
 across to the gate ; at once the purpose which had held her 
 silent on the azoteas, which prompted her ready acquiescence 
 in the betrothal to Hualpa, which had sustained her in the 
 passage of the lake, was revealed. She was seeking her 
 lover to save him. 
 
 She would have passed through the gateway, but for a 
 number of lances dropped with their points almost against 
 her breast. What with fear of those behind and of those 
 before her, she almost died. On the pavement, outside 
 the entrance, she was lying when Alvarado came to the 
 rescue. The guard made way for him quickly ; for in his 
 manner was the warning which nothing takes from words, 
 not even threats ; verily, it had been as well to attempt to 
 hinder a leaping panther. He threw the lances up, and 
 knelt by her, saying tenderly, " Nenetzin, Nenetzin, poor 
 child ! It is I, come to save you ! " 
 
 She half arose, and, smiling through her tears, clasped her 
 hands, and cried, " Tonatiah ! Tonatiah ! " 
 
 There are times when a look, a gesture, a tone of the voice, 
 do all a herald's part. "What need of speech to tell the 
 Spaniard why the truant was there 1 The poor disguise, the 
 basket, told of flight ; her presence at that hour said, " I 
 have come to thee " ; the cross returned, the tears, the joy at 
 sight of him, certified her love ; and so, when she put her 
 arm around his neck, and the arrow, not yet taken away, 
 rattled against his corselet, to his heart there shot a pain so. 
 sharp and quick it seemed as if the very soul of him wau 
 Spins out
 
 HOW THE IRON CROSS CAME BACK. 321 
 
 He raised her gently, and carried her through the entrance. 
 The rough men looking on saw upon his cheek what, if the 
 cheek had been a woman's, they would have sworn was a tear. 
 
 " Ho, Marina ! " he cried to the wondering interpreter. 
 u I bring thee a bird dropped too soon from the nest. The 
 hunter hath chased the poor thing, and here is a bolt in its 
 wing. Give place in thy cot, while I go for a doctor, and 
 room with thee, that malice hurt not a good name." 
 
 And at the sight the Indian woman was touched ; she ran 
 to the cot, smoothed the pillow of feathers, and said, " Here, 
 rest her here, and run quickly. I will care for her." 
 
 He laid her down tenderly, but she clung to his hand, and 
 said to Marina, " He must not go. Let him first hear what 
 I have to say." 
 
 " But you are hurt." 
 
 ** It is nothing, nothing. He must stay." 
 
 So earnestly did she speak, that the captain changed his 
 mind. "Very well. What is spoken in pain should be 
 spoken quickly. I will s'ay." 
 
 Nenetzin caught the assent, and went on rapidly. " Let 
 him know that to-morrow at noon the drum in the great tem- 
 ple will be "beaten, and the bridges taken up, and then there 
 will be war." 
 
 " By the saints ! she bringeth doughty news," said Alva- 
 cado, in his voice of soldier. "Ask her where she got it; 
 tsk her, as you love us, Marina." 
 
 " From my father, from the king himself." 
 
 " And this is child of Montezuma ! " cried Marina. 
 
 " The princess Nenetzin," said the cavalier. " But stay not 
 . Ask her when and where she heard the news." 
 
 " To-day, at Chapultepec." 
 
 " What of the particulars ? How is the war to be made f 
 RThat are the preparations 1 " 
 
 " The lord Cuitlahua is to take up the bridges. Maize an<?
 
 322 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 moat will be furnished to-morrow only. About the great tem- 
 ple now there are ten thousand warriors for an attack, and 
 elsewhere in the city there are seventy thousand more." 
 
 " Enough," said Alvarado, kissing the little hand. " Look 
 now to the hurt, Marina. Bring the light ; mayhap we can 
 take the bolt away ourselves." 
 
 Marina knelt, and examined the wounded arm, and shortly 
 held up the arrow. 
 
 " Good ! " the cavalier said. " Thou art a doctor, indeed, 
 Marina. In the schools at home they give students big-let- 
 tered parchments. I will do better by thee ; I will cover the 
 arm that did this surgery with bracelets of gold. Eun now, 
 and bring cloth and water. The blood thou seest trickling 
 here is from her heart, which loveth me too dearly to suffer 
 such waste. Haste thee ! haste thee ! " 
 
 They bathed the wound, and applied the bandages, thougl 
 all too roughly to suit the cavalier, who, thereupon, turned 
 to go, saying, " Sit thou there, Marina, and leave her not, 
 except to do her will. Tell her I will return, and to be at 
 rest, for she is safe as in her father's house. If any do but 
 look at her wrongfully, they shall account to me. So, by my 
 mother's cross, I swear ! " 
 
 And he hurried back to the audience-chamber, where the 
 council was yet in session. While he related what had been 
 told by Kenetzin, a deep silence pervaded the assemblage, 
 and the brave men, from looking at each other, turned, with 
 singular unanimity, to Cortes ; who, thus appealed to, threw 
 off his affectation, and standing up, spoke, so as to be heard 
 by all, 
 
 " Comrades, soldiers, gentlemen, let there be no words 
 more. The step you have urged upon me, in the name of 
 Une army, I hesitated to take. I grant you, I hesitated ; 
 but not from love of the soft-tongued, lying, pagan king. 
 Bethink ye. We left Cuba hastily, as ye all remember,
 
 HOW THE IRON CROSS CAME BACK. 323 
 
 because of a design to arrest us there as malefactors and 
 traitors. Now, when our enemies in that island hear from 
 our expedition, and have told them all its results, the 
 wealth we have won, and the country, cities, peoples, and 
 empire discovered, envy and jealousy will pursue us, and 
 false tongues go back to Spain, and fill the ears of our 
 royal master with reports intended to rob us of our glory 
 and despoil us of our hire. How could I know but the 
 seizure in question might be magnified into impolicy and 
 cruelty, and furnish cause for disgrace, imprisonment, and 
 forfeiture *? For that I hesitated. This news, however, end- 
 eth doubt and debate. The over-cunning king hath put 
 himself outside of mercy or compassion ; we are compelled 
 to undo him. So far, well. Let me remind ye now, that 
 the news of which I speak hath in it a warning which it 
 were sinful not to heed. Yesterday the great infidel was at 
 our mercy ; not more difficult his capture then than a visit 
 to his palace ; but now, in all the histories of bold perform 
 ances, nothing bolder, nothing of the Cid's, nothing of King 
 Arthur's. In the heart of his capital we are to make pris- 
 oner him, the head of millions, the political ruler and relig- 
 ious chief, not merely secure in the love and fear of his sub- 
 jects, but in the height of his careful preparation for war, in 
 the centre of his camp, within call, nay, under the eyes, of 
 his legions, numbering thousands where we number tens, 
 lake ye each, my brave brethren, the full measure of the 
 design, and then tell me, in simple words, how it may be 
 best done. And among ye, let him speak who can truly say, 
 I dare do what my tongue delivereth. I wait your answer.'* 
 And in the chamber there again fell a hush so deep that 
 those present might well have been taken for ghosts. The 
 idea as first seen by them was commonplace ; under his de- 
 scription, it became heroic ; and struggling, as he suggested, 
 to measure it each for himself, all were dumb.
 
 324 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Good gentlemen," said Cortes, smiling, " why so laggard 
 now 1 Speak, Diaz del Castillo. Offer what thou canst." 
 
 The good soldier, and afterward good chronicler, of the 
 conquest and its trials, this one among the rest, replied, " I 
 confess, Senor, the enterprise is difficult beyond my first 
 thought. I confess, also, to more reflection about its neceS' 
 sity than its achievement. To answer truthfully, at this 
 time I see but one way to the end ; and that is, to invite the 
 monarch here under some sufficient pretence, and then lay 
 hands on him." 
 
 " Are ye all of the same minds, gentlemen ? " 
 
 There was a murmur of assent, whereupon Cortes arose 
 from leaning upon his sword, and said, sharply, 
 
 " To hear ye, gentlemen, one would think the summer all 
 before us in which to interchange courtesies with the royal 
 barbarian. What is the fact ? At noon to-morrow our hours 
 of grace expire. A beat of drum, and then assault, and 
 after that," he paused, looking grimly round the circle, 
 " and after that, sacrifices to the gods, I suppose." 
 
 There was a general movement and outcry. Some griped 
 their arms, others crossed themselves. Cortes saw and pressed 
 his advantage. 
 
 " I shall not take your advice, Bernal Diaz ; not I, by my 
 conscience ! Heaven helping me, I expect to see old Spain 
 again ; and more, I expect to take these comrades back with 
 me, rich in glory and gold." Then, to the officers behind 
 him, he said, in his ordinary tone of command, " Ordas, do 
 thou bid the carpenters prepare quarters in this palace foi 
 Montezuma and his court ; and let them begin their work to 
 night, for he will be our guest before noon to-morrow. And 
 thou, Leon, thou, Lugo, thou, Avila, and thou, Sandoval, ge* 
 ye ready to go with me to the " 
 
 " And I ? " asked Alvarado. 
 > " Thou shalt RO also."
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN. 325 
 
 " And the army, Senor ? " Diaz suggested. 
 
 " The army shall remain in quarters." 
 
 I^ever man's manner more calm, never man more abso- 
 lutely assured. The listeners warmed with admiration. As 
 unconscious of the effect he was working, he went on, 
 
 " I have shown the difficulties of the enterprise ; now I 
 say further, the crisis of the expedition is upon us : if I suc- 
 ceed, all is won ; if I fail, all is lost. In such strait, what 
 should we do between this and then ? Let us not trust in 
 our cunning and strength : we are Christians ; as such, put 
 we our faith in Christ and the Holy Mother. Olmedo, 
 father, go thou to the chapel, and get ready the altar. The 
 night to confession and prayer ; and let the morning find us 
 on our knees shrieved and blessed. "We are done, comrades. 
 Let the chamber be cleared. To the chapel all." 
 
 And they did the bidding cheerfully. All night the good 
 father was engaged in holy work, confessing, shrieving, pray- 
 ing. So the morning found them. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OP HIS OWN. 
 
 HUALPA returned to the city about the time the stars, 
 which in that clime and season herald the morning, 
 take their places in the sky. He had lightened his heart, 
 and received the sympathy of a lover in return ; he had told 
 the great things done and promised by the king, and sor- 
 rowed that his friend could take no part in the events which, 
 he imagined, were to make the day heroic forever ; and now, 
 his enthusiasm of youth sobered by the plaints to which h 
 had listened while traversing the dusky walks of the beau-
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 tiful garden, he clomb the stairs of the teocallis. Before 
 the day was fairly dawned, he was at his post, waiting, 
 dreaming of Nenetzin, and hearkening to the spirit-songs of 
 ambition, always so charming to unpractised souls. 
 
 And the lord Cuitlahua perfected his measures. On all 
 the dikes, and at the entrance of all the canals, guards were 
 stationed. The bridges nearest the palace occupied by the 
 strangers were held by chosen detachments. Except those 
 thus detailed, the entire military in the city were pent in the 
 temples. And to all, including the lord steward, the proper 
 orders were confided. All awaited the signal. 
 
 And the king, early in the night, ignorant of the flight 
 of Nenetzin, had come from Chapultepec to his palace in the 
 capital. He retired as he was wont, and slept the sleep as 
 restful to a mind long distracted by irresolution as to a 
 body exhausted by labor ; such slumber as comes to him who, 
 in time of doubt, involving all dearest interests, at last dis- 
 covers what his duty is, and, fully determined, simply awaits 
 the hour of performance, trustful of the action taken, and of 
 the good-will of the god or gods of his faith. 
 
 On the side of the Christians, the preparation, more sim- 
 ple, was also complete. From mass the little host went to 
 breakfast, then to arms. The companies formed ; even the 
 Tlascalans behaved as if impressed with a sense that their 
 fate had been challenged. 
 
 To the captains, again convoked in the audience-chamber, 
 Cortes detailed his plan of operation. His salutation of eacb 
 was grave and calm. Though very watchful, they heard him 
 without question ; and when they went out, they might 
 have said, The hour of trial is come, and now will be seen 
 which holds the conquering destiny, the God of the Chris- 
 tian or that of the Aztec. 
 
 From the council, Alvarado went first to Marina ; finding 
 that Nenetzin slept, ho joined his companions in the great
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN. 327 
 
 court, where, gay and careless, he carolled a song, and twirled 
 his sword, and, in thought of smiling fortune and a princely 
 Indian love, walked complacently to and fro. And so wait, 
 ready for action, the Christian lover and the heathen, one 
 in the palace, the other in the temple, both, in fancy, 
 lord of the same sweet mistress. 
 
 At the stated hour, as had been the custom, the three 
 lords came, in splendid costume, and with stately ceremonial, 
 bringing the king's compliments, and asking Cortes will 
 for the day. And they returned with compliments equally 
 courteous and deceptive, taking with them Orteguilla, the 
 page, instructed to inform the monarch that directly, if such 
 were the royal pleasure, Malinche would be happy to visit 
 him in his palace. 
 
 A little later there went out parties of soldiers, apparently 
 to view the city ; yet the point was noticeable that, besides be- 
 ing fully armed, each was in charge of a chosen subor- 
 dinate. Later, the army was drawn up, massed in the gar- 
 den ; the matches of the gunners were lighted ; the horse- 
 men stood at their bridles ; the Tlascalans were stationed 
 to defend the outer walls. De Oli, Morla, Marin, and 
 Monjarez passed through the lines in careful inspection. 
 
 " Heard'st thou when the drum was to be sounded 1 " asked 
 Be Oh', looking to the sun. 
 
 " At noon," answered Marin. 
 
 " Three hours yet, as I judge. Short time, by Our Lady ! " 
 
 The party was impatient. To their relief, Cortes at lasf 
 came out, with his five chosen cavaliers, Sandoval, Alvarado, 
 Leon, Avila, and Lugo. As he proceeded to the gate, aii 
 eyes turned to him, all hearts became confident, so much 
 of power over the weak is there in the look of one master 
 spirit. 
 
 At the gate he waited for the Dona Marina. 
 
 " Are ye ready, gentlemen t "
 
 328 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " All ready," they replied. 
 
 " With thee, De OH, I leave the command. At sight or 
 sound of attack or combat, come quickly. Charge straight 
 to the palace, lances in the lead. Bring our horses. Fare- 
 well. Christ and the Mother for us ! " And with tliat, 
 Cortes stepped into the street. 
 
 For a time the party proceeded silently. 
 
 " Is not this what the pagans call the beautiful street 1 " 
 Sandoval asked. 
 
 " Why the question ? " 
 
 " I have gone through graveyards not more deserted." 
 
 " Thou 'rt right," said Lugo. " By Our Lady ! when last 
 we went this way, I remember the pavements, doors, porticos, 
 and roofs were crowded. Now, not a woman or a child." 
 
 " In faith, Senor, we are a show suddenly become stale." 
 
 " Be it so," replied Leon, sneeringly. " We will give the 
 public a new trick." 
 
 " Mirad, Senores ! " said Cortes. " Last night, all through 
 this district, particularly along this street, there went patrols, 
 removing the inhabitants, and making ready for what the 
 drum is advertised to let loose upon us. Don Pedro, thy 
 princess hath told the truth." And looking back to the 
 towers of the teocallis, he added, after a fit of laughter, " The 
 fools, the swine ! They have undone themselves ; or, rather," 
 his face became grave on the instant, " the Holy Mother 
 hath undone them for us. Give thanks, gentlemen, our em- 
 prise is already won ! Yonder the infidel general hath his 
 army in waiting for the word of the king. Keep we that 
 unspoken or undelivered, only that, and the way of our 
 return, prisoner in hand, will be as clear of armed men as 
 
 The customary guard of nobles kept the portal of the 
 palace ; the antechamber, however, was crowded to its full 
 capacity with unarmed courtiers, through whom the Chris-
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN. 329 
 
 tians passed with grave assurance. To acquaintances Cortes 
 bowed courteously. Close by the door of the audience-cham- 
 ber, he found Orteguilla conversing with Maxtla, who, at 
 sight of him, knelt, and, touching the floor with his palm, 
 offered to conduct the party to the royal presence j such 
 Vrere his orders. Cortes stopped an instant. 
 
 " Hath the king company 1 " he asked Orteguilla. 
 
 " None of account, a boy and three or four old men." > 
 
 "He is ours. Let us on, gentlemen ! " 
 
 And forthwith they passed under the curtains held aside 
 for them by Maxtla. 
 
 On a dais covered with a carpet of phimaje, the monarch 
 sat. Three venerable men stood behind him. At his feet, 
 a little to the right, was the prince Io', in uniform. A flood 
 of light poured through a window on the northern side of 
 the chamber, and fell full on the group, bringing out with 
 intense clearness the rich habiliments of the monarch, and 
 every feature of his face. The Christians numbered the at- 
 tendance, and, trained to measure dangers and discover advan- 
 tages by a glance, smiled at the confidence of the treacherous 
 heathen. Upon the stillness, broken only by their ringing 
 tread, sped the voice of Cortes. 
 
 " Alvarado, Lugo, all of ye, watch well whom we have 
 here. On your lives, see that the boy escape not." 
 
 Montezuma kept his seat. 
 
 " The gods keep you this pleasant morning," he said. " I 
 am glad to see you." 
 
 They bowed to him, and Cortes replied, 
 
 " We thank thee, good king. May the Holy Virgin, of 
 our Christian faith, have thee in care. Thus pray we, than 
 whom thou hast no truer servants." 
 
 " If you prefer to sit, I will have seats brought." 
 
 " We thank thee again. In the presence of our master, it 
 is the custom to stand, and he would hold us discourteous if
 
 330 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 we did otherwise before a sovereign friend as dear to him as 
 thou art, great king." 
 
 The monarch waved his hand. 
 
 " Your master is no doubt a rare and excellent sovereign," 
 he said, then changed the subject. " The lords, whom I 
 sent to you this morning, reported that all goes well with 
 you in the palace. I hope so. If anything is wanted, you 
 have only to speak. My provinces are at your service." 
 
 " The lords reported truly." 
 
 " I am very glad. Thinking of you, Malinche, and study- 
 ing to make your contentment perfect, I have wondered if 
 you have any amusements or games with which to pass the 
 time." 
 
 As there were not in all the New World, however it might 
 be in the Old, more desperate gamblers than the cavaliers, 
 they looked at each other when the translation was concluded, 
 and smiled at the simplicity of the speaker. Nevertheless, 
 Cortes replied with becoming gravity, 
 
 " We have our pastimes, good king, as all must have ; for 
 without them, nature hath ordered that the body shall grow 
 old and the mind incapable. Our pastimes, however, relate 
 almost entirely to war." 
 
 " That is labor, Malinche." 
 
 " So is hunting," said Cortes, smiling. 
 
 " My practice is not," answered the monarch, taking the 
 remark as an allusion to his own love of the sport, and 
 laughing. " The lords drive the game to me, and my pleas- 
 ure is in exercising the skill required to take it. Some day 
 you must go with me to my preserves over the lake, and I 
 will show you my modes ; but I did not mean that kind 
 of amusement. I will explain my meaning. Io'," he 
 said to the prince, who had arisen, " bid Maxtla bring 
 hither the silver balls. I will teach Malinche to play toto 
 loque"
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN. 331 
 
 " Have a care, gentlemen ! " said Cortes, divining the speech 
 from the action of the speaker. " The lad must stay. And 
 thou, Marina, tell him so," 
 
 The comely, gentle-hearted Indian woman hastened tremu- 
 lously to say, " Most mighty king, Malinche "bids me tell 
 thee that he has heard of the beautiful game, and will be 
 glad to learn it, but not now. He wishes the prince to re- 
 main." 
 
 One step Io' had in the mean time taken, but one ; in 
 front of him Leon stepped, hand on sword, and menace on 
 his brow. The blood fled the monarch's face. 
 
 " Go not," he at length said to the boy ; and to Cortes, " I 
 do not understand you, Malinche." 
 
 The time of demand was come. Cortes moved nearer the 
 dais, and replied, his eyes fixed coldly and steadily on those 
 of the victim, 
 
 " I have business with thee, king ; and until it is con- 
 cluded, thou, the prince, and thy councillors must stay. Out- 
 cry, or attempt at escape, will be at peril of life." 
 
 The monarch sat upright, pale and rigid ; the ancients 
 dropped upon their knees. Io' alone was brave ; he stepped 
 upon the platform, as if to defend the royal person. Then' 
 in the same cold, inflexible manner, Cortes proceeded, 
 
 " I have been thy guest, false king, long enough to learn 
 thee well. The power which, on all occasions, thou hast been 
 so careful to impress upon me, hath but made thy hypocrisy 
 the more astonishing. Listen, while I expose thee to thyself. 
 We started hither at thy invitation. In Cholula, neverthe- 
 less, we were set upon by the army. No thanks to thee that 
 we are alive to-day. And, in the same connection, when 
 thou wert upbraided for inviting us, the lords and princes 
 were told that such was the instruction of one of thy bloody 
 gods, who had promised here in the capital to deliver us 
 prisoners for sacrifice."
 
 32 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Montezuma offered to speak. 
 
 " Deny it not, deny it not ! " said Cortes, with the slight- 
 est show of passion. " In god or man, such perfidy cannot 
 be excused. But that is not all. Say nothing about the 
 command sent the troops near Tuzpan to attack my people ; 
 nor about the demand upon townships under protection of 
 my royal master for women and children to feed to thy hun- 
 gry idols ; now " 
 
 Here the king broke in upon the interpreter, 
 
 "I do not understand what Malinche says about my 
 troops attacking his people at Tuzpan." 
 
 " Thy governor killed one of my captains." 
 
 " Not by my order." 
 
 " Then make good the denial, by sending for the officer 
 who did the murder, that he may be punished according to 
 the wickedness of his crime." 
 
 The king took a signet from his wrist, and said to one of 
 his councillors, " Let this be shown to the governor of that 
 province. I require him to come here immediately, with all 
 who were concerned with him at the time spoken of by Ma- 
 linche." 
 
 The smile with which the monarch then turned to the 
 Spaniard was lost upon him, for he continued, pitilessly as 
 before, 
 
 " The punishment of the governor is not enough. I ac- 
 cuse thee further. Thou treacherous king ! Go with me to 
 the temple, and now, this instant, I will show thee thy 
 brother, with an army at call, waiting thy signal to attack 
 us in the palace whese so lately we received thy royal 
 welcome." 
 
 The listener started from his seat. Upon his bewildered 
 faculties flashed the remembrance of how carefully and with 
 what solemn injunction he had locked his plans of war in 
 the breasts of the members of his family, gathered about him
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN. 333 
 
 on the azoteas at Chapultepec. His faith in them forbade 
 suspicion. Whence then the exposure ? And to the dealer 
 in mysteries Mystery answered, " The gods I" If his former 
 faith in the divinity of the stranger came not back, now, 
 at least, he knew him sustained by powers with which con-, 
 tentlon were folly. He sunk down again ; his head dropped' 
 upon his struggling breast ; HE WAS CONQUERED ! 
 
 And the stern Spaniard, as if moved by the sight, said, 
 in a softened voice, 
 
 "I know not of thy religion; but there is a law of 
 ours, a mercy of the dear Christ who hath us in his 
 almighty keeping, by which every sin may be atoned by 
 sacrifices, not of innocent victims, but of the sinner's self. In 
 the world I come from, so much is the law esteemed, that 
 kings greater than thou have laid down their crowns, the 
 better to avail themselves of its salvation. Thou art an un- 
 believer, and I may do wrong, if so, I pray pardon of the 
 Holy Ghost that heareth me, I may do wrong, I say, but, 
 infidel as thou art, if thou wilt obey the precept, thou shalt 
 have the benefit of the privilege. I do not want war which 
 would end in thy destruction and the ruin of thy city and 
 people ; therefore I make thee a proposal. Hear me ! " 
 
 The unhappy king raised his head, and listened eagerly. 
 
 " Arise, and go with us to our quarters, and take up thy 
 abode there. King shalt thou continue. Thy court can go 
 with thee, and thou canst govern from one palace as well 
 as another. To make an end of speech," and Cortes 
 raised his hand tightly clenched, "to make an end of 
 speech, finally and plainly, choose now : go with us or die ! 
 I have not brought these officers without a purpose." 
 
 All eyes centred on the pale face of the monarch, and the 
 stillness of the waiting was painful and breathless. At 
 Jast, from the depths of his tortured soul, up rose a sparkle 
 f resentment.
 
 334 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Who ever heard of a great prince, like myself, volunta- 
 rily leaving his own palace to become a prisoner in the handa 
 of a stranger ? " 
 
 " Prisoner ! Not so. Hear me again. Court, household. 
 and powjr, with full freedom for its exercise, and the treat 
 ment d T xe a crowned prince, all these shalt thou have. So, 
 j:i my master's name, I pledge thee." 
 
 " No, Malinche, press me not so hardly. Were I to con- 
 sent to such a degradation, my people would not. Take one 
 of my sons rather. This one," and he laid his hand on 
 lo's shoulder, " whom I love best, and have thought to 
 make my successor. Take him as hostage ; but spare me 
 this infamy." 
 
 The debate continued ; an hour passed. 
 
 " Gentlemen, why waste words on this wretched barba- 
 rian?" exclaimed Leon, at last, half drawing his sword, 
 while his face darkened with dreadful purpose. " We can- 
 not recede now. In Christ's name, let us seize him, or 
 plunge our swords in his body ! " 
 
 The captains advanced, baring their swords ; Cortes retired 
 a step, as if to make way for them. Brief time remained for 
 decision. Trembling and confused, the monarch turned to 
 Marina, and asked, " What did the teule say ? " 
 
 As became a gentle woman, fearful lest death be done be 
 fore her, she replied, 
 
 " king, I pray you make no further objection. If you 
 yield, they will treat you kindly ; if you refuse, they will 
 kill you. Go with them, I pray you.' 
 
 Upon the advance of the captains, Io' stepped in front of 
 the king ; as they hesitated, either waiting Cortes' order or 
 the answer to Marina's prayer, he knelt, and clasped hia 
 father's knees, and cried tearfully, 
 
 " Do not go, king ! Rather than endure such shame, 
 et us die ! "
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN. 335 
 
 Stupefied, almost distraught, the monarch seemed not 
 to hear the heroic entreaty. His gaze was on the face of 
 Cortes, now as impenetrable and iron-like as the armor o 
 his breast. " The gods have abandoned me ! " he cried, 
 despairingly. " I am lost ! Malinche, I will go with you ! " 
 His head drooped, and his hands fell nerveless on the chair. 
 
 The boy arose, and turned to the conquerors, every feature 
 convulsed with hate. 
 
 " Thanks, good king, thanks ! " said Cortes, smiling. 
 " Thou hast saved my soul a sin. I will be thy friend till 
 death ! " 
 
 Thereupon, he stepped forward, and kissed the royal hand, 
 which fell from his lips as if palsied I will not say, pro- 
 faned by the touch. And, one after another, Leon, Lugo, 
 Avila, Alvarado, and Sandoval approached, and knelt on the 
 dais, and in like manner saluted the fallen prince. 
 
 " Are you done, Malinche ? " the victim asked, when 
 somewhat revived. 
 
 "What I wish now, above all things," was the reply, 
 spoken with rare pretence of feeling, " is to be assured, good 
 king, that we are forgiven the pain we have caused thee, 
 since, though of our doing, it was not of our will as much as 
 of the ambition of some of thy own lords and chiefs. What 
 I desire next is, that thy goodness may not be without im- 
 mediate results. I and my officers, thy son and these coun- 
 cillors, are witnesses that thou didst consent to my proposal 
 put of great love of peace and thy people. To secure the 
 object, noble beyond praise, the lords here in the pal- 
 ace, and those of influence throughout the provinces, must 
 be convinced that thou dost go with me of thine own free 
 will ; not as prisoner, but as trusted guest returning the favor 
 of guest. How to do that best is in thy knowledge more 
 than mine. Only, what thy judgment approveth, set about 
 quickly. We wait thy orders."
 
 S36 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "Io', uncles," said Montezuma, his eyes dim with tears, 
 " as you love me, be silent as to what has hero taken place. 
 I charge you that you tell it to no man, while I live. Bid 
 Maxtla come." 
 
 Summoning all his strength to meet the shrewd eyes of 
 the chief, the monarch sat up with a show of cheerfulness. 
 
 "Bring my palanquin," he said, after Maxtla's salutation v 
 " and direct some of the elder lords to be ready to accom- 
 pany me without arms or ceremony. As advised by Huitzil', 
 aid these good uncles, I have resolved to go, and for a time 
 abide with Malinche in the old palace. Send an officer, with 
 the workmen, to prepare quarters for my use and that of the 
 court. Publish my intention. Go quickly." 
 
 Afterwhile from the palace issued a procession which no 
 man, uninformed, might look upon and say was not a funeral : 
 in the palanquin, the dead ; on its right and left, the guard 
 of honor; behind, the friends, a long train, speechless and 
 sorrowing. The movement was quiet and solemn ; three 
 squares and as many bridges were passed, when, from down 
 the street, a man came running with all speed. He gained 
 the rear of the cortege, and spoke a few hurried words there ; 
 a murmur arose, and spread, and grew into a furious outcry, 
 a moment more, and the cortege was dissolved in tumult. At 
 the last corner on the way, the cavaliers had been joined by 
 eome of the armed parties, who, for the purpose, had preceded 
 them into the city in the early morning ; these closed firmly 
 around, a welcome support. 
 
 " Miradl" cried Cortes, loudly. " The varlets are with- 
 out arms. Let no one strike until I say so." 
 
 The demonstration increased. Closer drew the mob, some 
 ndjuring the monarch, some threatening the Christians. That 
 an understanding of the situation was abroad was no longer 
 doubtful ; still Cortes held his men in check, for he knew, 
 if blood were shed now, the common-sense of the people
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN 337 
 
 would refuse the story lie so relied upon, that the king's 
 coming was voluntary. 
 
 " Can our guest," he asked of Sandoval, " be sleeping the 
 while 1 " 
 
 " Treachery, Sefior." 
 
 " By God's love, captain, if it so turn out, drive thy sword 
 first of all things through him ! " 
 
 "While yet he spoke, the curtains of the carriage were 
 drawn aside ; the carriers halted instantly ; and of the con- 
 course, all the natives fell upon their knees, and became still, 
 so that the voice of the monarch was distinctly heard. 
 
 " The noise disturbs me," he said, in ordinary tone. " Let 
 the street be cleared." 
 
 The lords whom he addressed kept their faces to the 
 ground. 
 
 " What is the cause of the clamor ? " 
 
 No one answered. A frown was gathering upon his face, 
 when an Aztec sprang up, and drew near him T He was 
 dressed as a citizen of the lower class. At the side of the 
 carriage he stopped, and touched the pavement with his palm. 
 
 " Guatamozin ! " said the king, more in astonishment than 
 anger. 
 
 "Even so. king, father, to bear a soldier's part 
 to-day, I have dared your judgment." Lifting his eyes to 
 the monarch's, he endured his gaze steadily, but, at the same 
 time, with such an expression of sympathy that reproof was 
 impossible. " I am prepared for any sentence ; but first, let 
 me know, let these lords and all the people know, is this 
 going in truth of your own free will 1 " 
 
 Montezuma regarded him fixedly, but not in wrath. 
 
 " I conjure you, uncle, father, king, I conjure you, by 
 our royal blood, by our country, by all the gods, are these 
 strangers guests or guards ? Speak, I pray you, speak but 
 one word."
 
 338 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The poor, stricken monarch heard, and was penetrated by 
 the tone of anguish ; yet he replied, 
 
 " My brother's son insults me by his question. I am still 
 the king, free to go and come, to reward and punish." 
 
 He would have spoken further, and kindly, but for the in- 
 terruption of Cortes, who cried impatiently, 
 
 " Ho, there ! Why this delay ? Forward ! " 
 
 And thereupon Avila stepped rudely and insolently be- 
 tween the king and 'tzin. The latter's broad breast swelled, 
 and his eyes blazed ; he seemed like a tiger about to leap. 
 
 " Beware ! " said the king, and the warning was in time. 
 " Beware ! Not here, not now ! " 
 
 The 'tzin turned to him with a quick, anxious look of in- 
 quiry ; a revulsion of feeling ensued ; he arose, and said, 
 vath bowed head, " I understand. king, if we help not 
 ourselves, we aie lost. ' Not here, not now.' I catch the 
 permission." Pointing to Avila, he added, " This man's life 
 is in my hands, but I pass it by ; thine, uncle, is the most 
 precious. We will punish these insoleuts, but not here ; we 
 will give you rescue, but not now. Be of cheer." 
 
 He stepped aside, and the melancholy cortege passed on, 
 leaving the lords and people and the empire, as represented 
 by them, in the dust. Before the teocallis, under the eyes 
 of Cuitlahua, within hailing distance of the ten thousand 
 warriors, the doughty cavaliers bore their prize unchallenged. 
 
 And through the gates of the old palace, through the file? 
 of Spaniards in order of battle waiting, they also carried 
 what they thought was the empire, won without a blow, to 
 be parcelled at pleasure, its lauds, its treasure, its cities, 
 nd its people.
 
 BOOK SIX. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE LORD HUALPA FLEES HIS FORTUNE. 
 
 r"T"lHE 'tzin Guatamo sat at breakfast alone in his palace 
 _J_ near Iztapalapan. The fare was simple, a pheasant, 
 bread of maize, oranges and bananas, and water from the 
 spring ; and the repast would have been soon despatched but 
 for the announcement, by a slave in waiting, of the lord 
 Hualpa. At mention of the name the 'tzin's countenance 
 assumed a glad expression. 
 
 " The lord Hualpa ! The gods be praised ! Bid him 
 come." 
 
 Directly the visitor appeared at the door, and paused 
 there, his eyes fixed upon the floor, his body bent, like one 
 half risen from a salutation. The 'tzin went to him, and 
 taking his hand said, 
 
 " Welcome, comrade. Come and account for yourself- 
 I know not yet how to punish you ; but for the present, 
 sit there, and eat. If you come from Tenochtitlan thi? 
 morning, you must bring with you the appetite which is OUP 
 of the blessings of the lake. Sit, and I will order your 
 breakfast." 
 
 , " No, good 'tzin, not for me, I pray you. I am from the 
 lake, but do not bring any blessing." 
 
 The 'tzin resumed his seat, looking searchingly and curi- 
 ously at his guest, and pained by his manner and appear- 
 arr>. His face was careworn ; his frame bent and emaciated ;
 
 340 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 his look constantly downward ; the voice feehle and of 
 uncertain tone ; in short, his aspect was that of one come 
 up from a battle in which shame and grief had striven with 
 youth of body and soul, and, fierce as the struggle had been, 
 the end was not yet. He was the counterpart of his former 
 self. 
 
 " You have been sick," said the 'tzin, afterwhile. 
 
 " Very sick, in spirit," replied Hualpa, without raising his 1 
 eyes. 
 
 The 'tzhi went on. " After your desertion, I caused in- 
 quiry to be made for you everywhere, at the Chalcan's, 
 and at your palace. No one could give me any tidings. I 
 sent a messenger to Tihuanco, and your father was no better 
 informed. Your truancy has been grievous to your friends, 
 no less than to yourself. I have a right to call you to 
 account." 
 
 " So you have ; only let us to the garden. The air out- 
 side is sweet, and there is a relief in freedom from walls." 
 
 From habit, I suppose, they proceeded to the arena set 
 apart for military exercise. No one was there. The 'tzin 
 seated himself on a bench, making room for Hualpa, who 
 still declined the courtesy, saying, 
 
 " I will give an account of myself to you, brave 'tzin, not 
 only because I should, but because I stand in need of your 
 counsel. Look for nothing strange ; mine is a simple story 
 of shame and failure. You know its origin already. You 
 remember the last night I spent with you here. I do, at 
 least. That day the king made me happier than I shall ever 
 be again. When I met you at the landing, the kiss of my 
 betrothed was sweet upon my lips, and I had but one sor- 
 row iii the world, that you were an exile, and could not 
 take part, as you so wished and deserved, in the battle which 
 my hand was to precipitate next noon. I left you, and ty 
 dawn was at my post in the temple. The hours were long
 
 THE LORD HUALPA FLEES HIS FORTUNE. 341 
 
 At last the time came. All was ready. The ten thousand 
 warriors chosen for the assault were in their quarters. 
 The lord Cuitlahua was in the tower of HuitziT, with the 
 teotuctli and his pabas, at prayer. We awaited only the 
 king's word. Finally, Io' appeared. I saw him coming. I 
 raised the stick, my blood was warm, another instant and 
 the signal would have been given " Hualpa's voice trem- 
 bled, and he stopped. 
 
 " Go on," said the 'tzin. " What restrained you 1 " 
 
 " I remembered the words of the king, ' Io' will come 
 to you at noon with my commands,' those were the 
 words. I waited. ' Strike ! ' said Io'. ' The command, 
 quick ! ' I cried. * As you love life, strike ! ' he shouted. 
 Something unusual had taken place; I hesitated. 'Does 
 the king so command?' I asked. 'Time never was as 
 precious ! Give me the stick ! ' he replied. But the duty 
 was mine. ' With your own hand give the signal,' such 
 was the order. I resisted, and he gave over the effort, 
 and, throwing himself at my feet, prayed me to strike. I 
 refused the prayer, also. Suddenly he sprang up, and 
 ran out to the verge of the temple overlooking the street. 
 Lest he should cast himself off, I followed. He turned to 
 me, .as I approached, and cried, with upraised hands, ' Too 
 late, too late ! We are undone. Look where they carry 
 him off!' 'Whom?' I asked. 'The king my father 
 . a prisoner ! ' Below, past the coatapantli, the royal palan- 
 quin was being borne, guarded by the strangers. The blood 
 stood still in my heart. I turned to the prince ; he was 
 gone. A sense of calamity seized me. I ran to the tower, 
 and called the lord Cuitlahua, who was in time to see the 
 procession. I shall never forget the awful look he gave me, 
 or his words." Hualpa again paused. 
 
 " What were they ? " asked the 'tzin. 
 
 " ' My lord Hualpa,' he said, ' had you given the signal
 
 342 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 when Io' came to you first, I could have interposed my com- 
 panies, and saved him. It is now too late ; he is lost. 
 May the gods forgive you ! A ruined country cannot.' " 
 
 " Said he so ? " exclaimed the 'tzin, indignantly. " By all 
 the gods, he was wrong ! " 
 
 At these words, Hualpa for the first time dared look in- 
 to the 'tzin's face, surprised, glad, yet doubtful. 
 : " How ? " he asked. " Did you say I was right ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Tears glistened in the Tihuancan's eyes, and he seized and 
 kissed his friend's hand with transport. 
 
 " I begin to understand you," the 'tzin said, still more 
 kindly. " You thought it your fault that the king was a 
 prisoner ; you fled for shame." 
 
 Yes, for shame." 
 
 " My poor friend ! " 
 
 "But consider," said Hualpa, "consider how rapidly I 
 had risen, and to what height. Admitting my self-accusa- 
 tions, when before did man fall so far and so low 1 What 
 wonder that I fled ? 
 
 " Well, you have my judgment. Seat yourself, and hear 
 me further." 
 
 Hualpa took the seat this time ; after which the 'tzin con- 
 tinued. " The seizure was made in the palace. The king 
 yielded to threats of death. He could not resist. While 
 the strangers were bearing him past the teocallis, and you 
 were looking at them, their weapons were at his throat. 
 Had you yielded to lo's prayer, and given the signal, and 
 had Cuitlahua obeyed, and with his bands attempted a 
 rescue, your benefactor would have been slain. Do not 
 think me dealing in conjectures. I went to him in the 
 street, and prayed to be allowed to save him ; he forbade me. 
 Therefore, hold not yourself in scorn j be happy ; you saved 
 his life a second time."
 
 THE LORD HUALPA FLEES HIS FORTUNE. 343 
 
 Again Hualpa gave way to his gratitude. 
 
 " Nor is that all," the 'tzin continued. " In my opinion, 
 the last rescue was nobler than the first. As to the lord 
 Cuitlahua, be at rest. He was not himself when he chid 
 you so cruelly ; he now thinks as I do j he exonerates 
 you; his messengers have frequently come, asking if you 
 had returned. So, no more of shame. Give me now what 
 else you did." 
 
 The sudden recall to the past appeared to throw Hualpa 
 back ; his head sunk upon his breast again, and for a time 
 he was silent ; at length he replied, " As I see now, good 
 'tzin, I have been very foolish. Before I go on, assure me 
 that you will listen with charity." 
 
 " "With charity and love." 
 
 " I have hardly the composure to tell what more I 
 did ; yet the story will come to you in some form. Judge 
 me mercifully, and let the subject be never again re- 
 called." 
 
 " You have spoken." 
 
 " Very well. I have told you the words of the lord Cui- 
 tlahua ; they burnt me, like fire. Thinking myself forever 
 disgraced, I descended from the azoteas to the street, and 
 there saw the people's confusion, and heard their cries and 
 curses. I could not endure myself. I fled the city, like a 
 guilty wretch. Instinctively, I hurried to Tihuanco. There 
 I avoided every habitation, even my father's. News of evil 
 travels fast. The old merchant, I knew, must needs hear of 
 the king's seizure and what I regarded as my crime. So 
 I cared not to meet his eyes. I passed the days in th& 
 jungles hunting, but the charm of the old occupation was 
 gone ; somehow my arrows flew amiss, and my limbs refused 
 a long pursuit. How I subsisted, I scarcely know. At last, 
 however, my ideas began to take form, and I was able to in- 
 terrogate myself. Through the king's bounty, I was a lord,
 
 344 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 and owner of a palace ; by his favor, I further reflected, 
 Nenetzin was bound to me in solemn betrothal. What would 
 she think of me 1 What right had I, so responsible for his 
 great misfortune, to retain his gifts ? I could release her 
 from the odious engagement. At his feet I could lay down 
 the title and property ; and then, if you refused me as a sol- 
 dier or slave, I could hide myself somewhere ; for the grief- 
 struck and unhappy, like me, earth has its caverns and ocean 
 its islands. And so once more I hurried to Tenochtitlan. 
 Yesterday I crossed the lake. From the Chalcan I heard 
 the story which alone was needed to make my humiliation 
 complete, how Nenetzin, false to me, betrayed the great 
 purpose of her father, betook herself to the stranger's house, 
 adopted his religion, and became his wife or spare me the 
 word, good 'tzin. After that, I lost no time, but went to 
 the palace, made way through the pale-faced guards at the 
 gate and doors, each of whom seemed placed there to at- 
 test the good king's condition and my infamy. Suitors 
 and lords of all degrees crowded the audience-chamber when 
 I entered, and upon every face was the same look of sorrow 
 and dejection which I had noticed upon the faces of the 
 people whom I passed in the street. All who turned eyes 
 upon me appeared to become accusers, and say, ' Traitor, be- 
 hold thy victim ! ' Imagine the pressure upon my spirit. I 
 made haste to get away, unseemly haste. AVhat my salu- 
 tation was I hardly know. I only remember that, in some 
 form of speech, I publicly resigned all his honorable gifts. I 
 remember, also, that when I took what I thought was my last 
 look at him, friend, patron, king, father, may the gods, 
 who have forbidden the relation, forgive the allusion! 
 I could not see him for tears. My heart is in my throat 
 now ; then it nearly choked me. And so ends my account 
 And once more, true friend, I come to you, Hualpa, the 
 Tihuancan, without title, palace, or privilege; without dis-
 
 THE LORD HUALPA FLEES HIS FORTUNE. 345 
 
 tinction, except as the hero and victim of a marvellous for- 
 tune." 
 
 The 'tzin was too deeply touched, too full of sympathy, to 
 reply immediately. He arose, and paced the arena awhile. 
 Resuming his seat again, he asked simply, " And what said 
 the king 1 " 
 
 " To what ? " 
 
 " Your resignation." 
 
 " He refused to take back his gifts. They could not revert, 
 he said, except for crime." 
 
 " And he was right. You should have known him better. 
 A king cannot revoke a gift in any form." 
 
 After a spell of silence, the 'tzin spoke again. 
 
 " One matter remains. You are not guilty, as you sup* 
 posed ; your friends have not lost their faith in you ; such 
 being the case, it were strange if your feelings are as when 
 you came here ; and as purposes too often follow feelings, I 
 ask about the future. What do you intend ? What wish ? * 
 
 " I see you understand me well, good 'tzin. My folly has 
 been so great that I feel myself unworthy to be my own mas- 
 ter. I ought not to claim a purpose, much less a wish. I 
 came to your door seeking to be taken back into service ; 
 that was all the purpose I had. I rely upon your exceeding 
 kindness." 
 
 Hualpa moved as if to kneel ; but the 'tzin caught him, 
 and said, " Keep your seat." And rising, he contimted, se- 
 verely, " Lord Hualpa, for such you still are, all men, 
 even the best, are criminals ; but as for the most part their 
 crimes are against themselves, we take no notice of them. 
 In that sense you are guilty, and in such degree that you 
 deserve forfeiture of all the king refused to take back. Put 
 pass we that, pass the folly, the misconduct. I will not 
 take you into service ; you have your old place of friend and 
 comrade, more fitting your rank."
 
 346 THE PAIR GOD. 
 
 Hualpa's face brightened, arid he answered, 
 
 " Command me, 'tzin ! With you I can be brave war- 
 rior, good citizen, true friend ; without you, I am noth. 
 ing. Whatever the world thinks of me, this I know, I 
 can reinstate myself in its good opinion before I can in 
 my own. Show me the way back to self-respect; restore 
 nie that, and I will be your slave, soldier, comrade, what 
 you will." 
 
 " It is well," said Guatamozin, smiling at his earnestness. 
 " It is well. I can show you the way. Listen. The war, 
 about which we have so often talked, thanks to the gods ! is 
 finally at hand. The public opinion has done its work. The 
 whole nation would throw itself upon the strangers to-mor- 
 row, but for the king, who has become their shield ; and he 
 must be rescued ; otherwise, we must educate the people to 
 see in him an enemy to be removed. We cannot spare the 
 time for that, and consequently have tried rescue in many 
 ways, so far in vain. To-morrow we try again. The plot 
 is arranged and cannot fail, except by the king's own default. 
 Reserving explanation, I congratulate you. You ara in 
 time ; the good fortune clings to you. To-morrow I will set 
 your feet in the way you seek." 
 
 Hualpa gazed at him doubtingly. " To-morrow ! " he said. 
 " Will you trust me so soon, and in a matter so high ] " 
 
 VPG " 
 
 JL es. 
 
 " Will my part take me from you 1 " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Then I thank you for the opportunity. On the teocallis, 
 that dreadful morning, I lost my assurance ; whether it will 
 ever return is doubtful ; but with you, at your side, I dare 
 walk in any way." 
 
 " I understand you," the 'tzin replied. " Go now, and get 
 ready. Unless the king fail us, we will have combat requir- 
 ing all our strength. To the bath first, then to breakfast,
 
 WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD. 347 
 
 then to find more seemly garments, then to rest. I give 
 you to midnight. Go." 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD. 
 
 morning after Hualpa's return Xoli, the Chalcan. 
 JL as was his wont, passed through his many rooms, malt- 
 ing what may be called a domestic reconnoissance. 
 
 " What ! " he cried, perplexed. " Plow is this 1 The 
 house is empty ! Where are all the lords ] " 
 
 The slaves to whom he spoke shook their heads. 
 
 " Have there been none for breakfast 1 " 
 
 Again they shook their heads. 
 
 " Nor for pulque ? " 
 
 " Not one this morning," they replied. 
 
 " Not even for a draught of pulque ! Wonderful ! " cried 
 the broker, bewildered and amazed. Then he hurried to 
 his steward, soliloquizing as he went, " Not one for break- 
 fast ; not even a draught of pulque ! Holy gods, to what is 
 the generation coming 1 " 
 
 The perplexity of the good man was not without cause. 
 The day the king removed to the palace of Axaya', the royal 
 hospitality went with him, and had thenceforth been admin- 
 istered there ; but though no less princely and profuse than 
 before, under the new regime it was overshadowed by the 
 presence of the strangers, and for that reason became dis^ 
 tasteful to the titled personages accustomed to its enjoyment. 
 Consequently, owners of palaces in the city betook them- 
 selves to their own boards ; others, especially non-residents, 
 quartered with the Chalcan ; as a further result, his house
 
 348 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 assumed the style of a meson, with accommodations equal t 
 those of the palace ; such, at least, was the disloyal whisper, 
 and I am sorry to say Xoli did not repudiate the impeach- 
 ment as became a lover of the king. And such eating, 
 drinking, playing, such conspiring and plotting, such politi- 
 cal discussion, such transactions in brokerage went on daily 
 and nightly under his roof as were never before known. 
 Now all this was broken oif. The silence was not more 
 frightful than unprofitable. 
 
 " Steward, steward ! " said Xoli to that functionary, dish 
 tinguished by the surpassing whiteness of his apron. " What 
 has befallen 1 Where are the patrons this morning 1 " 
 
 "Good master, the most your slave knows is, that last 
 night a paba from the great temple passed through the cham- 
 bers, after which, very shortly, every guest departed." 
 
 " A paba, a paba ! " And Xoli was more than ever per 
 plexed. " Heard you what he said ? " 
 
 " Not a word." 
 
 " About what time did he come ? " 
 
 " After midnight." 
 
 " And that is all you know V ' 
 
 The steward bowed, and Xoli passed distractedly to the 
 front door, only to find the portico as deserted as the cham- 
 bers. Sight of the people beginning to collect in the square, 
 however, brought him some relief, and he hailed the first pass- 
 ing acquaintance. 
 
 " A pleasant morning to you, neighbor." 
 
 " The same to you." 
 
 " Have you any news ? " 
 
 " None, except I hear of a crowd of pabas in the city, 
 come, as rumor says, from Tezcuco, Cholula, Iztapalapan, 
 and other lake towns." 
 
 " When did they come ? " 
 
 " In the night."
 
 WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD. 345* 
 
 " Oho ! There 's something afoot." And Xoli wiped the 
 perspiration from his forehead. 
 
 " So there is," the neighbor replied. " The king goes to 
 the temple to worship to-day." 
 
 A light broke in upon the Chalcan. " True, true ; I had 
 forgotten." 
 
 " Such is the talk," the citizen continued. " Will you be 
 there ? Everybody is going." 
 
 " Certainly," answered Xoli, dryly. " If I do not go, 
 everybody will not be there. Look for me. The gods keep 
 you ! " 
 
 And with that, he re-entered his house, satisfied, but not 
 altogether quieted ; wandering restlessly from chamber to 
 chamber, he asked himself continually, " Why so many 
 pabas ? And why do they come in the night ? And what 
 can have taken the lords away so silently, and at such a 
 time, without breakfast, without even a draught of 
 pulque ? " 
 
 Invariably these interrogatories were followed by appeals 
 to the great ebony jar of snuff; after sneezing, he would 
 answer himself, " Pabas for worship, lords and soldiers 
 for fighting ; but pabas and soldiers together ! Something is 
 afoot. I will stay at home, and patronize myself. And yet 
 and yet they might have told me something about 
 it ! " 
 
 * * * * # 
 
 About ten o'clock to count the time as Christians do > 
 the king issued from the old palace, going in state to the 
 rfeocallis, attended by a procession of courtiers, warriors, and 
 pabas. He was borne in an open palanquin, shaded by the 
 detached canopy, the whole presenting a spectacle of im- 
 perial splendor. 
 
 The movement was slow and stately, through masses of 
 people on the pavements, under the gaze of other thousands
 
 350 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 on the housetops ; but neither the banners, nor the music, 
 nor the pomp, nor the king himself, though fully exposed to 
 view, amused or deceived the people ; for at the right and 
 left of the carriage walked Lugo, Alvarado, Avila, and 
 Leon ; next, Olmedo, distinguishable from the native clergy 
 by his shaven crown, and the cross he carried aloft on the 
 shaft of a lance ; after him, concluding the procession, one 
 hundred and fifty Spaniards, ready for battle. Priesthood, 
 
 king, the strangers ! Clearer, closer, more inevitable, 
 in the eyes of the people, arose the curse of Quetzal'. 
 
 When the monarch alighted at the foot of the first stair- 
 way of the temple, the multitude far and near knelt, and so 
 remained until the pabas, delegated for the purpose, took 
 him in their arms to carry him to the azoteas. Four times 
 in the passage of the terraces the cortege came in view from 
 the side toward the palace, climbing, as it were, to the Sun ; 
 
 dimmer the holy symbols, fainter the solemn music ; and 
 each time the people knelt. The unfortunate going to wor- 
 ship was still the great king ! 
 
 A detachment of Christians, under De Morla, preceded 
 the procession as an advance-guard. Greatly were they sur- 
 prised at what they found on the azoteas. Behind Tlalac, at 
 the head of the last stairway, were a score or more of 
 naked boys, swinging smoking censers ; yet farther toward 
 the tower or sanctuary of Huitzil' was an assemblage of dan- 
 cing priestesses, veiled, rather than dressed, in gauzy robes 
 and scarfs ; from the steps to the door of the sanctuary a 
 passage-way had been left ; elsewhere the sacred area was 
 occupied by pabas, drawn up in ranks close and scrupu- 
 lously ordered. Like their pontiff, each of them wore a 
 gown of black ; but while his head was bare, theirs were 
 covered by hoods. Thus arranged, silent, motionless, more 
 like phantoms than men, they both shocked and dis- 
 quieted the Spaniards. Indeed, so sensible were the latter
 
 WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD. 351 
 
 of the danger of their position, alone and unsupported in 
 the face of an array so dismal and solid, that many of them 
 fell to counting their beads and muttering Aves. 
 
 A savage dissonance greeted the king when he was set 
 down on the azoteas, and simultaneously the pabas burst 
 I into a hymn, and from the urn over the tower a denser 
 column of smoke arose, slow mounting, but erelong visible 
 throughout the valley. Half bending, he received the bless- 
 ing of Tlalac ; then the censer-bearers swept around him ; 
 then, too, jangling silver bells and beating calabashes, the 
 priestesses began to dance ; in the midst of the salutation, 
 the arch-priest, moving backward, conducted him slowly 
 toward the entrance of the sanctuary. At his side strode 
 the four cavaliers. The escort of Christians remained out- 
 side ; yet the pabas knew the meaning of their presence, 
 and their hymn deepened into a wail ; the great king had 
 gone before his god a prisoner ! 
 
 The interior of the sanctuary was in ordinary condi- 
 tion ; the floor and the walls black with the blood of vic- 
 tims ; the air foul and sickening, despite the smoking cen- 
 sers and perfuming pans. The previous visit had prepared 
 the cavaliers for these horrors ; nevertheless, a cry broke 
 from them upon their entrance. In a chafing-dish before 
 the altar four human hearts were slowly burning to coals ! 
 
 " Jesu Christo ! " exclaimed Alvarado. " Did not the 
 pagans promise there should be no sacrifice ? Shrieve me 
 never, if I toss not the contents of yon dish into the god's 
 face ! " 
 
 " Stay ! " cried Olmedo, seizing his arm. " Stir not ! 
 The business is mine. As thou lovest God, the true God, 
 get thee to thy place ! " 
 
 The father spoke firmly, and the captain, grinding his 
 teeth with rage, submitted. 
 
 The pedestal of the idol was of stone, square in form, and
 
 352 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 placed in the centre of the sanctuary. Several "broad steps, 
 fronting the doorway, door there was not, assisted dev- 
 otees up to a platform, upon which stood a table curiously 
 carved, and resting, as it were, under the eyes of the god. 
 The chamber, bare of furniture, was crowded with pabas, 
 kneeling and hooded and ranked, like their brethren outside., 
 The cavaliers took post by the entrance, with Olmedo be- 
 tween them and the altar. Two priests, standing on the 
 lower step, seemed waiting to assist in the ceremonial, 
 although, at the time, apparently absorbed in prayer. 
 
 Tlalac led the monarch by the hand up the steps. 
 
 " king," he said, " the ears of the god are open. He 
 will hear you. And as to these companions in devotion," 
 he pointed to the assistants as he spoke, " avoid them not : 
 they are here to pi-ay for you ; if need be, to die for you. If 
 they speak, be not surprised, but heed them well ; what 
 they say will concern you, and all you best love." 
 
 Thereupon the arch-infidel let go the royal hand, and 
 descended the steps, moving backward ; upon the floor he 
 continued his movement. Suddenly he stopped, turned, and 
 was face to face with Olmedo ; all the passions of his savage 
 nature blazed in his countenance; in reply, the Christian 
 priest calmly held up the cross, and smiled, and was content. 
 
 Meantime the monarch kissed the altar, and, folding his 
 hands upon his breast, was beginning to be abstracted in 
 prayer, when he heard himself addressed. 
 
 " Look not this way, king, nor stir ; but listen." 
 
 The words, audible throughout the chamber, proceeded 
 from the nearest devotee, a tall man, well muffled in gown 
 and hood. The monarch controlled himself, and listened, 
 while the speaker continued in a slow, monotonous manner, 
 designed to leave the cavaliers, whom he knew to be observ- 
 ing him, in doubt whether he was praying or intoning some 
 part of the srvice of the occasion,
 
 WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD. 353 
 
 " It is in the streets and in the palaces, and has gone 
 forth into the provinces, that Montezuma is the willing guest 
 of the strangers, and that from great love of them and their 
 society, he will not come away, although his Empire is dis- 
 solving, and the religion of his fathers menaced by a new 
 one ; but know, king, that the chiefs and caciques refuse 
 to credit the evil spoken of you, and, believing you a prisoner, 
 are resolved to restore you to freedom. Know further, O 
 king, that this is the time chosen for the rescue. The way 
 back to the throne is clear; you have only to go hence. What 
 Bays the king 1 The nation awaits his answer." 
 
 " The throne is inseparable from me, is where I am, 
 under my feet always," answered the monarch, coldly. 
 
 " And there may it remain forever ! " said the devotee, 
 with fervor. " I only meant to pray you to come from 
 amongst the strangers, and set it once more where it belongs, 
 amongst the loving hearts that gave it to you. Misunder- 
 stand me not, king. Short time have we for words. The 
 enemy is present. I offer you rescue and liberty." 
 
 " To offer me liberty is to deny that I am free. Who is he 
 that proposes to give me what is mine alone to give ? I am 
 with Huitzil'. Who comes thus between me and the god 1 " 
 
 From the pabas in the chamber there was a loud murmur ; 
 but as the king and devotee retained their composure, and, 
 like praying men, looked steadily at the face of Huitzil', the 
 cavaliers remained unsuspicious observers of what was to 
 them merely a sinful ceremony. 
 
 " I am the humblest, though not the least loving, of all 
 your subjects," the devotee answered. 
 
 " The name ? " said the king. " You ask me to go hence : 
 whither and with whom ? " 
 
 " Know me without speaking my name, king. I am 
 your brother's son." 
 
 Montezuma was visibly affected. Afterwhile he said,
 
 354 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Speak further. Consider what you have said true, 
 that I am a prisoner, that the strangers present are my 
 guards, what are the means of rescue ? Speak, that I 
 may judge of them. Conspiracy is abroad, and I do not 
 choose to be blindly led from what is called my prison to 
 a tomb." 
 
 To the reasonable demand the 'tzin calmly replied, " That 
 you were coming to worship to-day, and the conditions upon 
 which you had permission to come, I learned from the 
 teotuctli. I saw the opportunity, and proposed to attempt 
 your rescue. In Tlalac the gods have a faithful servant, and 
 you, O king, a true lover. When you were received upon 
 the azoteas, you did not fail to notice the pabas. Never 
 before in any one temple have there been so many assembled. 
 They are the instruments of the rescue." 
 
 " The instruments ! " exclaimed the king, unable to repress 
 his scorn. 
 
 The 'tzin interposed hastily. " Beware ! Though what 
 we say is not understood by the strangers, their faculties are 
 sharp, and very little may awaken their suspicion and alarm ; 
 and if our offer be rejected, better for you, king, that 
 they go hence ignorant of their danger and our design. 
 Yes, if your conjecture were true, if we did indeed propose 
 to face the teules with barehanded pabas, your scorn would 
 *e ju tified ; but know that the concourse on the azoteas 
 is, in fact, of chiefs and caciques, whose gowns do but conceal 
 vtheir preparation for battle." 
 
 A pang contracted the monarch's face, and his hands closed 
 harder upon his breast ; possibly he shuddered at the neces- 
 sity so thrust upon him of deciding between Maliuche 
 whom he feared, and the people whom he so loved. 
 
 " Yes," continued the 'tzin, " here are the chosen of the 
 realm, the noblest and the best, each with his life in 
 his hand, an offering to you. "What need of further words I
 
 WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD. 855 
 
 Ton have not forgotten the habits of war ; you divine the 
 object of the concourse of priests ; you understand they are 
 formed in ranks, that, upon a signal, they may throw them- 
 selves as one man upon the strangers. Here in the sanctuary 
 are fifty more with maquahuitls ; behind them a door has 
 been constructed to pass you quickly to the azoteas ; they 
 will help me keep the door, and stay pursuit, while you de- 
 scend to the street. And now, king, said I not rightly 1 ? 
 What have you to do more than go hence ? Dread not for 
 us. In the presence of Huitzil', and in defence of his altar, 
 we will fight. If we fall in such glorious combat, he will 
 waft our souls straightway to the Sun." 
 
 " My son," the king answered, after a pause, " if I were a 
 prisoner, I would say you and the lords have done Avell ; 
 but, being free and pursuing my own policy, I reject the 
 rescue. Go your ways in peace ; leave me to my prayers. In 
 a few days the strangers will depart ; then, if not sooner, I 
 will come back as you wish, and bring the old time with me, 
 and make all the land Jiappy." 
 
 The monarch ceased. He imagined the question answered 
 and passed ; but a murmur, almost a groan, recalled him from 
 the effort to abstract himself. And then the teot^lctl^, exer- 
 cising his privilege, went to him, and, laying a hand upon his 
 arm, and pointing up to the god, said, 
 
 " Hearken, king ! The strangers have already asked 
 you to allow them to set up an altar here in the house of 
 Huitzil', that they may worship their god after their manner. 
 The request was sacrilege ; listening to it, a sin ; to grant it 
 would make you accursed forever. Save yourself and the god, 
 by going hence as the lords have besought. Be wise in 
 time." 
 
 " I have decided," said the poor king, in a trembling voice, 
 " I have decided." 
 
 Tlalac looked to the 'tziu despairingly. The appeal to the
 
 356 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 monarch's veneration for the god of his fathers had failed ; 
 what else remained 1 And the 'tzin for the first time looked 
 to the king, saying sorrowfully, 
 
 " Anahuac is the common mother, as HuitziT is the father. 
 The foot of the stranger is heavy on her breast, and she cries 
 aloud, ' Where is Montezuma ? Where is the Lord of the 
 Earth ? Where is the Child of the Sun 1 ' " 
 
 And silence hung heavy in the sanctuary, and the waiting 
 was painful. Again the 'tzin's voice, 
 
 " A bride sits in the house waiting. Love puts its songs 
 in her mouth, and kindles her smiles with the dazzle of stars. 
 But the bridegroom lingers, and the evening and the morn- 
 ing bring him not. Ah, what is she, though ever so beauti- 
 ful and sweet-singing, when he comes not, and may never 
 come ? king, you are the lingering lord, and Anahuac 
 the waiting bride ; as you love her, come." 
 
 The fated king covered his face with his hands, as if, by 
 shutting out the light, to find relief from pangs too acute for 
 endurance. Minutes passed, minutes of torture to him, 
 and of breathless expectancy to all present, except the cava- 
 liers, who, unconscious of peril, watched the scene with in- 
 difference, or rather the scornful curiosity natural to men 
 professing a purer and diviner faith. At last his hand dropped, 
 and he said with dignity, 
 
 " Let this end now, so I command. My explanation 
 must be accepted. I cannot understand why, if you love me 
 as you say, you should receive my word with so little credit ; 
 and if you can devote yourselves so entirely to me, why 
 can you not believe me capable of equal devotion to my- 
 self ? Hear me once more. I do not love the strangers. I 
 hope yet to see them sacrificed to HuitziT. They promise in 
 a few days to leave the country, and I stay with them to 
 hasten their departure, and, in the mean time, shield you, the 
 nation, the temples, and the gods, from their power, which
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION MAKES WAY. 357 
 
 is past finding out. Therefore, let no blow be struck at them, 
 here or elsewhere, without my order. I am yet the king. Let 
 ms have peace. Peace be with you ! I have spoken." 
 
 The 'tzin looked once to heaven, as if uttering a last ap- 
 peal, or calling it to witness a vow, then he fell upon his 
 fenees ; he, too, had despaired. And as if the feeling 
 were contagious, the teotuctli knelt, and in the sanctuary 
 there was stillness consistent with worship, save when some 
 overburdened breast relieved itself by a sigh, a murmur, or 
 a groan. 
 
 And history tells how Montezuma remained a little while 
 at the altar, aiivi went peacefully back to his residence with 
 the strangers. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 TUB l-UBLIC OPINION MAKES WAT. 
 
 IN tha tianyuez, one market-day, there was an immense 
 crowd, yet trade was dull ; indeed, comparatively noth- 
 ing in that way was boing done, although the display of com- 
 modities was rich and tempting. 
 
 " Holy gods, what is to become of us 1 ?" cried a Cholulan 
 merchant. 
 
 " You ! You are rich. Dulness of the market cannot 
 hurt you. But I, 1 am going to ruin." 
 
 The second cpeaker was a slave-dealer. Only the day be 
 fore, he had, at great cost, driven into the city a large train 
 of his " stock " from the wilderness beyond the Great Eiver. 
 
 " Tell me, my friend," said a third party, addressing the 
 slave-dealer, though in hearing of the whole company, 
 * heard you ever of a slave owning a slave 1 " 
 
 " Not I."
 
 558 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Heard you ever of a man going into the market to bur 
 a slave, when he was looking to become one himself ? " 
 
 " Never." 
 
 " You have it then, the reason nobody has been to you! 
 exhibition." 
 
 The bystanders appeared to assent to the proposition, which 
 ell understood but the dealer in men, who begged an explana- 
 tion. 
 
 " Yes, -yes. You have just come home. I had forgct- 
 ten. A bad time to be abroad. But listen, friend." The 
 speaker quietly took his pipe from his mouth, and knocked 
 the ashes out of the bowl " "We belong to Malinche ; you 
 know who he is." 
 
 " I am not so certain," the dealer replied, gravely. " The 
 most I can say is, I have heard of him." 
 
 " 0, he is a god " 
 
 " With all a man's wants and appetites," interposed one. 
 
 " Yes, I was about to say that. For instance, day before 
 yesterday he sent down the king's order for three thousand 
 escaupiles. What need " 
 
 " They were for his Tlascalans." 
 
 " O, possibly. For whom were the cargoes of cotton cloth 
 delivered yesterday ? " 
 
 " His women," answered the other, quickly. 
 
 " And the two thousand sandals ? " 
 
 " For his soldiers 1 " 
 
 "And the gold of which the market was cleaned last 
 week? And the gold now being hunted in Tustepec and 
 Chinantla 1 And the tribute being levied so harshly in all 
 the provinces, for whom are they ? " 
 
 " For Malinche himself." 
 
 " Yes, the god Malinche. Slave of a slave ! My friend," 
 said the chief speaker to the slave-dealer, " there is no such 
 relation known to th law, and for that reason we cannot
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION MAKES WAY. 359 
 
 buy of you. Better go back with all you have, and let the 
 wilderness have its own again." 
 
 " But the goods of which you spoke ; certainly they were 
 paid for," said the dealer, turning pale. 
 
 " No. There is nothing left of the royal revenue. Even 
 the treasure which the last king amassed, and walled up in 
 the old palace, has been given to Malinche. The empire is 
 like a man in one respect, at least, when beggared, it can' 
 not pay." 
 
 " And the king 1 " 
 
 " He is Malinche's, too." 
 
 "Yes," added the bystander; "for nowadays we never 
 see his signet, except in the hands of one of the strangers." 
 
 The dealer in men drew a long breath, something as near 
 a sigh as could come from one of his habits, and said, "I re- 
 member Mualox and his prophecy ; and, hearing these things, 
 I know not what to think." 
 
 " We have yet one hope," said the chief spokesman, as if 
 desirous of concluding the conversation. 
 
 "And that?" 
 
 " Is the 'tzin Guatamo." 
 ~~* # * * * 
 
 " What luck, Pepite ? " 
 
 "Bad, very bad." 
 
 The questioner was the wife of the man questioned, who 
 had just returned from the market. Throwing aside his empty 
 baskets, he sat down in the shade of a bridge spanning one 
 if the canals, and, locking his hands across his bare knees, 
 boked gloomily in the water. His canoe, with others, was 
 ilose at hand. 
 
 The wife, without seeming to notice his dejection, busied 
 herself setting out their dinner, which was humble as them- 
 lelves, being of boiled maize, tuna figs, and tecuitlatl, or 
 cheese of the lake. When the man began to eat, he began
 
 560 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 to talk, a peculiarity in which he was not altogether sin- 
 gular. 
 
 " Bad luck, very bad," he repeated. " I took my baskets 
 to the old stand. The flowers were fresh and sweet, gathered, 
 you know, only last night. The market was full of people, 
 many of whom I knew to be rich enough to buy at two 
 prices ; they came, and looked, and said, ' They are very 
 nice, Pepite, very nice/ but did not offer to buy. By and 
 by the sun went up, and stood overhead, and still no pur- 
 chaser, not even an offer. It was very discouraging, I tell 
 you ; and it would have been much more so, if I had not 
 pretty soon noticed that the market-people around me, fruit- 
 erers and florists, were doing no better than I. Then I 
 walked about to see my friends ; and in the porticos and 
 booths as elsewhere in the square, no trade ; plenty 
 of people, but no trade. The jewellers had covered their 
 fronts with flowers, I never saw richer, you should have 
 been there ! and crowds stood about breathing the sweet 
 perfume ; but as to purchasing, they did nothing of the sort. 
 In fact, may the mitlou * of our little house fly away to- 
 night, if, in the whole day, I saw an instance of trade, or so 
 much as a cocoa-bean pass from one hand to another ! " 
 
 " It has been so many days now, only not quite so bad, 
 Pepite," the wife said, struggling to talk cheerfully. " What 
 did they say was the cause ? Did any one speak of that 1 " 
 
 "O yes, everybody. Nothing else was talked. 'What 
 is the use of working ? Why buy or sell ? We have no 
 longer a king or country. We are all slaves now. We 
 belong to Malinche. Afterwhile, because we are poor, 
 he will take us off to some of his farms, like that one he 
 has down in Oajaca, and set us to working, and keep the 
 fruits, while he gives us the pains. No, we do not want 
 
 * Household god of the lowest grade.
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION MAKES WAY. 361 
 
 anything ; the less we have, the lighter will be our going 
 down.' That is the way the talk went all day." 
 
 For the first time the woman threw off her pretence 
 of cheerfulness, and was still, absorbed in listening and 
 thinking. 
 
 " Belong to Malinche ! "We ? And our little ones at 
 home 1 Not while the gods live ! " she said, confi- 
 dently. 
 
 " Why not ? You forget. Malinche is himself a god." 
 
 A doubt shook the strong faith of the wife ; and soon, 
 gloomy and hopeless as Pepite, she sat down by him, and 
 partook of the humble fare. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " The nation is dying. Let us elect another king," said 
 an old cacique to a crowd of nobles, of whom he was the 
 centre, in the pulque chamber of the Chalcan. Bold words, 
 which, half a year before, would have been punished on the 
 spot ; now, they were heard in silence, if not with approba- 
 tion. " A king has no right to survive his glory," th 
 veteran continued ; " and how may one describe his shame 
 and guilt, when, from fear of death, he suffers an enemy to 
 use him, and turn his power against his people ! " 
 
 He stopped, and for a time the hush was threatening ; 
 then there was clapping of hands, and voices cried out, 
 "Good, good!" 
 
 " May the gods forgive me, and witness that the speech 
 was from love of country, not hatred of Montezuma," said 
 the cacique, deferentially. 
 
 " Whom would you have in his place 1 Name him,* 
 shouted an auditor. 
 
 " Montezuma, if he will come back to us." 
 
 "He will not; he has already refused. Another, give 
 us another ! " 
 
 " Be it so I " said the veteran, -with decision. " My lift
 
 362 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 is forfeit for what I have said. The cell that holds the king 
 Cacarua and the good lord Cuitlahua yawns for me also. I 
 will speak." Quaffing a bowl of pulque, he added, " Of all 
 Anahuac, my brothers, who, with the fewest years, is 
 wisest of head and bravest of heart, and therefore fittest to 
 be king in time like this ? " 
 
 The question was of the kind that addresses itself pecu- 
 liarly to individual preferences, the kind which has af- 
 flicted the world with its saddest and greatest wars ; yet, 
 strange to say, the company, as with one voice, and in- 
 stantly, answered, 
 
 " The 'tzin, the 'tzin. Guatamo, the 'tzin ! " 
 * # * # * 
 
 In the evening time three pabas clomb the stairs by which 
 the top of the turret of HuitziT on the teocallis was reached 
 from the azoteas. Arrived at the top, they found there the 
 night-watcher, who recognized the teotuctli, and knelt to 
 him. 
 
 " Arise, and get you down now," the arch-priest said ; 
 " we would be alone awhile." 
 
 On a pedestal of stone, or rather ot many stones, rested 
 the brazier, or urn, that held the sacred fire. In it crackled 
 the consuming fagots, while over it, with unsteady bril^ 
 liancy, leaped the flames which, for so many leagues away, 
 were as a beacon in the valley. The three stopped in the 
 shadow of the urn, and might have studied the city, or 
 those subjects greater and more fascinating, mysteries 
 now, to-night, forever, Space, and its children, the Stars ; 
 but it was not to indulge a common passion or uncertain 
 speculations that Tlalac had brought from their temples 
 and altars his companions, the high-priests of Cholula anct 
 Tezcuco. And there for a long time they remained, the 
 grave and holy servants of the gods of the New World, 
 talking earnestly, on what subject and with what conclusion 
 we may gather.
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION MAKES WAY. 363 
 
 " He is of us no longer," said Tlalac, impressively. " He 
 has abandoned his people ; to a stranger he has surrendered 
 himself, his throne and power ; he spends his days learning, 
 from a new priesthood, a new creed, and the things that per- 
 tain to a god of whom everything is unknown to us, ex- 
 cept that he is the enemy of our gods. I bore his desertion 
 patiently, as we always bear with those we love. By per- 
 mission, as you heard, he came one day to worship HuitziT ; 
 the permission was on condition that there should be no 
 sacrifices. Worship without sacrifice, my brethren ! Can 
 such thing be 1 When he came, he was offered rescue ; the 
 preparations were detailed to him ; he knew they could not 
 fail ; the nobles begged him to accept the offer ; I warned 
 niin against refusal; yet, of choice, he went back to Ma- 
 linche. Then patience almost forsook me. Next, as you 
 also know, came the unpardonable sin. In the chamber be- 
 low the chamber sanctified by the presence of the mighty 
 HuitziT I will give you to see, if you wish, a profanation 
 the like of which came never to the most wicked dream of 
 the most wicked Aztec, an altar to the new and unknown 
 God. And to-morrow, if you have the curiosity, I will give 
 you to see the further sight, a service, mixed of singing 
 and prayer, by priests of the strange God, at the same time, 
 and side by side with the worship of our gods, all with 
 the assent nay, by order of Montezuma. Witness these 
 crimes once, and your patience will go quickly, whereas 
 mine went slowly; but it is gone, and in its stead live* 
 only the purpose to do what the gods command." 
 
 " Let us obey the gods ! " said the reverend high-priest of 
 Cholula. 
 
 " Let us obey the gods ! " echoed his holy brother of 
 fezcuco. 
 
 " Hear me, then," said Tlalac, with increased fervor. " I 
 will give their command. ' Eaise up a new king, and sav
 
 364 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 yourselves, by saving our worship in the land ! * so the gods 
 say. And I am ready." 
 
 " But the law," said the Tezcucan. 
 
 " By the law," answered Tlalac, " there can be kings only 
 in the order of election." 
 
 " And so ? " 
 
 " Montezuma must DIE ! " 
 
 Tlalac said these terrible words slowly, but firmly. 
 
 " And who will be the instrument ? " they asked. 
 
 " Let us trust the gods," he answered. " For love of 
 them men go down to death every day ; and of the many 
 lovers, doubt not some one will be found to do their bid- 
 ding." 
 
 And so it was agreed. 
 
 # * # * * 
 
 And so, slowly but surely, the Public Opinion made its 
 way, permeating all classes, laborers, merchants, warriors, 
 and priests. 
 
 CHAPTEK IV. 
 
 THE 'TZIN'S FAREWELL TO QUETZAL*. 
 
 JF I were writing history, it would delight me to linger 
 over the details of Cortes' management after the arrest 
 of Montezuma ; for in them were blent, fairly as ever before 
 seen, the grand diversities of war, politics, and governmental 
 administration. Anticipating interference from the head- 
 quarters in Cuba, he exercised all his industry and craft to 
 recommend himself directly to his Majesty, the Emperor 
 Charles. The interference at last came in the form of a 
 grand expedition under Panfilo de Narvaez ; but in the in- 
 terval, a period of little more than five months, he had
 
 THE 'TZIN'S FAREWELL TO QUETZAL'. 365 
 
 practically reduced the new discovery to possession, as at 
 tested by numerous acts of sovereignty, such, for instance, 
 as the coast of the gulf surveyed ; colonies established ; 
 plantations opened and worked with profit ; tribute levied ; 
 high officials arrested, disseized, and executed ; the collection 
 and division of a treasure greater than ever before seen by 
 Christians in the New World ; communication with the cap- 
 ital secured by armed brigantines on the lakes ; the cross se 
 up and maintained in the teocallis ; and last, and, by custom 
 of the civilized world, most absolute, Montezuma brought to 
 acknowledge vassalage and swear allegiance to the Emperor j 
 and withal, so perfect was the administration of affairs, that 
 a Spaniard, though alone, was as safe in the defiles between 
 Vera Cruz and Tenochtitlan as he would have been in tho 
 caminos reales of old Spain, as free in the great tianguez as 
 on the quay of Cadiz. 
 
 Narvaez's expedition landed in May, six months after 
 Cortes entered Tenochtitlan ; and to that time I now beg to 
 advance my reader. 
 
 Cortes himself is down in Cempoalla; having defeated 
 Narvaez, he is lingering to gather the fruits of his extraor- 
 dinary Tictory. In the capital Alvarado is commanding, 
 supported by the Tlascalans, and about one hundred and 
 fifty Christians. Under his administration, affairs have 
 gone rapidly from bad to worse ; and in selecting him for 
 a trust so delicate and important, Cortes has made his first 
 serious mistake. 
 
 * * # * * 
 
 At an early hour in the evening Mualox came out of the 
 sanctuary of his Cu, bearing an armful of the flowers which 
 had been used in the decoration of the altar. The good 
 man's hair and beard were whiter than when last I noticed 
 him ; he was also feebler, and more stooped ; so the time 
 is not far distant when Quetzal' will lose his last and
 
 366 'THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 most faithful servant. As he was about to ascend the stair- 
 way of the tower, his name was called, and, stopping, he was 
 overtaken by two men. 
 
 " Guatamozin ! " he exclaimed, in surprise. 
 
 " Be not alarmed, father, but put down your burden, and 
 rest awhile. My friend here, the lord Hualpa, has brought 
 me news, which calls me away. Eest, therefore, and give 
 ine time for thanks and explanation." 
 
 , " What folly is this ] " asked Mualox, hastily, and with- 
 out noticing Hualpa's salutation. " Go back to the cell. 
 The hunters are abroad and vigilant as ever. I will cast 
 these faded offerings into the fire, and come to you." 
 
 The 'tzin was in the guise of a paba. To quiet the 
 good man's alarm, he drew closer the hood that covered 
 his head, remarking, " The hunters will not come. Giv* 
 Hualpa the offerings ; he will carry them for you." 
 
 Hualpa took them, and left ; then Mualox said, " I am. 
 ready to hear. Speak." 
 
 " Good father," the 'tzin began, " not long since, in the 
 sanctuary there, you told me I well remember the words 
 that the existence of my country depended upon my action ; 
 by which I understood you to prefigure for me an honorable, 
 if not fortunate, destiny. I believe you had faith in what 
 you said ; for on many occasions since you have exerted 
 yourself in my behalf. That I am not now a prisoner in the 
 old palace with Cacama and the lord Cuitlahua is due to you ; 
 indeed, if it be true, as I was told, that the king gave in 
 to Malinche to be dealt with as he chose, I owe you my lift* 
 These are the greatest debts a man can be bound for ; I ac- 
 knowledge them, and, if the destiny should be fortunate as 
 we hope, will pay them richly ; but now all I can give you 
 is my thanks, and what I know you will better regard, my 
 solemn promise to protect this sacred property of the holy 
 Quetzal'. Take the thanks and the promise, and let me have 
 your blessing. I wish now to go."
 
 THE 'TZIN'S FAREWELL TO QUETZAL*. 367 
 
 " Whither 1 " asked Mualox. 
 
 " To the people. They have called me ; the lord Hualpa 
 brings me their message." 
 
 "]S"o, you will not go," said the paba, reproachfully. 
 " Your resolution is only an impulse ; impatience is not a 
 purpose ; and and here are peace, and safety, and a holy 
 presence." 
 
 " But honor, father, " 
 
 " That will come by waiting." 
 
 " Alas ! " said the 'tzin, bitterly, " I have waited too long 
 already. I have most dismal news. When Malinche 
 marched to Cempoalla, he left in command here the red- 
 haired chief whom we call Tonatiak. This, you know, is 
 the day of the incensing of HuitziT " 
 
 " I know, my son, an awful day ! The day of cruel 
 sacrifice, itself a defiance of Quetzal'." 
 
 " What ! " said Guatamozin, in angry surprise. " Are you 
 not an Aztec 1 " 
 
 " Yes, an Aztec, and a lover of his god, the true god, 
 whose return he knows to be near, and," to gather energy 
 of expression, he paused, then raised his hands as if flinging 
 the words to a listener overhead, " and whom he would 
 welcome, though the land be swimming in the blood of un- 
 believers." 
 
 The violence and incoherency astonished the 'tzin, and as 
 he looked at the paba fixedly, he was sensible for the first 
 time of a fear that the good man's mind was affected. And 
 he considered his age and habits, his days and years spent in 
 a great, cavernous house, without amusement, without com- 
 panionship, without varied occupation; for the thinker, it 
 must be remembered, knew nothing of Tecetl or the world 
 she made so delightful. Moreover, was not mania the effect 
 of long brooding over wrongs, actual or imaginary 1 Or, to 
 put the thought in another form, how natural that the soli-
 
 368 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 tary watcher of decay, where of all places decay is most a* 
 fecting, midst antique and templed splendor, should make 
 the cause of Quetzal' his, until, at last, as the one idea of 
 his being, it mastered him so absolutely that a division of 
 his love was no longer possible. If the misgiving had come 
 alone, the pain that wrung the 'tzin would have resolved 
 itself in pity for the victim, so old, so faithful, so passionate j 
 but a dreadful consequence at once presented itself. By a 
 strange fatality, the mystic had been taken into the royal 
 councils, where, from force of faith, he had gained faith. 
 Now, and this was the dread, what if he had cast the 
 glamour of his mind over the king's, and superinduced a 
 policy which had for object and end the peaceable transfer 
 of the nation to the strangers ? 
 
 This thought thrilled the 'tziii indefinably, and in a mo- 
 ment his pity changed to deep distrust. To master himself, 
 he walked away , coming back, he said quietly, " The day 
 you pray for has come ; rejoice, if you can." 
 
 " I do not understand you," said Mualox. 
 
 " I will explain. This is the day of the incensing of Huit- 
 ziT, which, you know, has been celebrated for ages as a festi- 
 val religious and national. This morning, as customary, 
 lords and priests, personages the noblest and most venerated, 
 assembled in the court-yard of the temples. To bring the 
 great wrong out in clearer view, I ought to say, father, that 
 permission to celebrate had been asked of Tonatiah, and given, 
 to such a depth have we fallen ! And, as if to plunge 
 us into a yet lower deep, he forbade the king's attendance, 
 ^--^juid said to the teotuctli, ' There shall be no sacrifice.' " 
 
 " No victims, no blood ! " cried Mualox, clasping his hands. 
 Blessed be Quetzal' ! " 
 
 The 'tzin bore the interruption, though with an effort. 
 
 " In the midst of the service," he continued, " when the 
 yard was most crowded, and the rovelry gayest, and the good
 
 THE "TZIN'S FAREWELL TO QUETZAL. 369 
 
 company most happy and unsuspecting, dancing, singing,/ 
 feasting, suddenly Tonatiah and his people rushed upon 
 them, and began to kill, and stayed not their hands until, of 
 all the revellers, not one was left alive ; leaders in battle, 
 ministers at the altar, old and young, all were slain ! * 
 O such a piteous sight ! The court is a pool of blood. 
 Who will restore the flower this day torn from the nation ? 
 
 holy gods, what have we done to merit such calamity ] " 
 Mualox listened, his hands still clasped. \ 
 " Not one left alive ! Not one, did you say 1 " 
 
 " Not one." 
 
 The paba arose from his stooping, and upon the 'tzin 
 flashed the old magnetic flame. 
 
 "What have you done, ask you? Sinned against the 
 true and only god " 
 
 " I } " said the 'tzin, for the moment shrinking. 
 
 " The nation, the nation, blind to its crimes, no less 
 blind to the beginning of its punishment ! What you call 
 calamity, I call vengeance. Starting in the house of Huitzil', 
 the god for whom my god was forsaken, it will next 
 go to the city ; and if the lords so perish, how may the 
 people escape 1 Let them tremble ! He is come, he is come ! 
 
 1 knew him afar, I know him here. I heard his step in the 
 valley, I see his hand in the court. Rejoice, 'tzin ! He 
 has drunk the blood of the sacrificers. To-morrow his house 
 must be made ready to receive him. Go not away ! Stay, 
 and help me ! I am old. Of the treasure below I might 
 make use to buy help ; but such preparation, like an offer- 
 ing at the altar, is most acceptable when induced by love. 
 JLove for love. So said Quetzal' in the beginning; so he 
 Bays now." 
 
 * Sahagun, Hist, de Nue\a Esp. Gomara, Cronica. Preacott, Conq 
 f Mexico. 
 
 16
 
 370 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Let me be sure I understand you, father. What do you 
 
 sffer me 1 " asked the 'tzin, quietly. 
 
 " Escape from the wrath," replied Mualox. 
 
 " And what is required of me 1 " 
 
 11 To stay here, and, with me, serve his altar." 
 
 " Is the king also to be saved 1 " 
 
 " Surely ; he is already a servant of the god's." 
 
 Under his gown the 'tzin's heart beat quicker, for the ques-' 
 
 tion and answer were close upon the fear newly come to him, 
 
 as I have said ; yet, to leave the point unguarded in the 
 
 paba's mind, he asked, 
 
 " And the people : if I become what you ask, will they 
 
 " No. They have forgotten Quetzal' utterly." 
 
 " "When the king became your Bellow-servant, father, made 
 he no terms for his dependants, for the nation, for his 
 family ? " 
 
 " None." 
 
 Guatamozin dropped the hood upon his shoulders, and 
 looked at Mualox sternly and steadily ; and between them 
 ensued one of those struggles of spirit against spirit in which 
 glances are as glittering swords, and the will holds the place 
 of skill. 
 
 " Father," he said, at length, " I have been accustomed to 
 love and obey you. I thought you good and wise, and con- 
 versant with things divine, and that one so faithful to hi 
 god must be as faithful to his country ; for to me, love of 
 one is love of the other. But now I know you better. You 
 tell me that Quetzal' has come, and for vengeance ; and that, 
 in the fire of his wrath, the jnation will be destroyed ; yet 
 you exult, and endeavor to speed the day by prayer. And 
 no-v, too, I understand the destiny you had in store for me. 
 By hiding in this gown, and becoming a priest at your altar, 
 I M sis to escape the universal death. What the king did, I
 
 THE 'TZIN'S FAREWELL TO QUETZAL*. 371 
 
 was to do. Hear me now : I cut myself loose from you. 
 "With my own eyes I look into the future. I spurn the des- 
 tiny, and for myself will carve out a better one by saving or 
 perishing with my race. No more waiting on others ! no 
 more weakness ! I will go hence and strike " 
 
 " Whom 1 " asked Mualox, impulsively. " The king and 
 the god ] " 
 
 " He is not my god," said the 'tzin, interrupting him in 
 turn. " The enemy, of my race is my enemy, whether he be 
 king or god. As for Montezuma," at the name his voice 
 and manner changed, " I will go humbly, and, from the 
 dust into which he flung them, pick up his royal duties. 
 Alas ! no other can. Cuitlahua is a prisoner ; so is Cacama ; 
 and in the court-yard yonder, cold in death, lie the lords who 
 might with them contest the crown and its tribulations. I 
 alone am left. And as to Quetzal', I accept the doom of 
 my country, into the heart of his divinity I cast my spear ! 
 So, farewell, father. As a faithful servant, you cannot bless 
 whom your god has cursed. With you, however, be all the 
 peace and safety that abide here. Farewell" 
 
 " Go not, go not ! " cried Mualox, as the 'tzin, calling to 
 flualpa, turned his back upon him. "We have been as 
 father and son. I am old. See how sorrow shakes these 
 hands, stretched toward you in love." 
 
 Seeing the appeal was vain, the paba stepped forward and 
 caught the 'tzin's arm, and said, " I pray you stay, stay. 
 The destiny follows Quetzal', and is close at hand, and brings 
 in its arms the throne." 
 
 Neither the temper nor the temptation moved the 'tzin ; 
 He called Hualpa again ; then the holy man let go his arm, 
 and said, sadly, " Go thy way, one scoffer more ! Or, if 
 you stay, hear of what the god will accuse you, so that, 
 when your calamity comes, as come it will, you may not 
 accuse him."
 
 372 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "I will hear." 
 
 " Know, then, 'tzin, that Quetzal', the day he landed 
 from Tlapallan, took you in his care ; a little later, he caused 
 you to be sent into exile " 
 
 " Your god did that ! " exclaimed the 'tzin. " And why 1 " 
 
 " Out of the city there was safety," replied Mualox, 
 sententiously ; in a moment, he continued, " Such, I say, 
 was the beginning. Attend to what has followed. After 
 Montezuma went to dwell with the strangers, the king 
 of Tezcuco revolted, and drew after him the lords of 
 Iztapalapan, Tlacopan, and others ; to-day they are prisoners, 
 while you are free. Next, aided by Tlalac, you planned the 
 rescue of the king by force in the teocallis ; for that offence 
 the officers hunted you, and have not given over their quest ; 
 but the cells of Quetzal' are deep and dark ; I called you in, 
 and yet you are safe. To-day Quetzal' appeared amongst the 
 celebrants, and to-night there is mourning throughout the 
 valley, and the city groans under the bloody sorrow ; still 
 you are safe. A few days ago, in the old palace of Axaya', 
 the king assembled his lords, and there he and they became 
 the avowed subjects of a new king, Malinche's master ; since 
 that the people, in their ignorance, have rung the heavens 
 with their curses. You alone escaped that bond ; so that, if 
 Montezuma were to join his fathers, asleep in Chapultepec, 
 whom would soldier, priest, and citizen call to the throne ] 
 Of the nobles living, how many are free to be king 1 And 
 of all the empire, how many are there of whom I might 
 say, * He forgot not Quetzal' ' ? One only. And now, 
 son, ask you of what you will be accused, if you abandon this 
 house and its god ? or what will be forfeit, if now you turn 
 your back upon them ? Is there a measure for the iniquity 
 of ingratitude ? If you go hence for any purpose of war, 
 jemember Quetzal' neither forgets nor forgives ; better that 
 you had never been born."
 
 THE 'TZIN'S FAREWELL TO QUETZAL*. 373 
 
 By this time, Hualpa had joined the party. Resting his 
 hand upon the young man's shoulder, the 'tzin fixed on 
 Mualox a look severe and steady as his own, and replied, 
 " Father, a man knows not himself; still less knows he other 
 men ; if so, how should I know a being so great as you 
 claim your god to be ? Heretofore, I have been contented 
 to see Quetzal' as you have painted him, a fair-faced, 
 gentle, loving deity, to whom human sacrifice was espe- 
 cially abhorrent ; but what shall I say of him whom you 
 have now given me to study ? If he neither forgets nor 
 forgives, wherein is he better than the gods of Mictlan? 
 Hating, as you have said, the sacrifice of one man, he 
 now proposes, you say, not as a process of ages, but at 
 once, by a blow or a breath, to slay a nation number- 
 ing millions. When was Huitzil' so awfully worshipped? 
 He will spare the king, you further say, because he has 
 become his servant; and I can find grace by a like sub- 
 mission. Father," and as he spoke the 'tzin's manner be- 
 came inexpressibly noble, "father, who of choice would 
 live to be the last of his race ? The destiny brings me a 
 crown : tell me, when your god has glutted himself, where 
 shall I find subjects ? Comes he in person or by representa- 
 tive? Am I to be his crowned slave or Malinche's? Once 
 for all, let Quetzal' enlarge his doom; it is sweeter than 
 what you call his love. 1 will go fight ; and, if the gods of 
 my fathers in this hour become dearer and holier than 
 ever so decree, will die with my people. Again, father, 
 farewell." 
 
 Again the withered hands arose tremulously, and a look 
 of exceeding anguish came to the paba's help. 
 
 " If not for love of me, or of self, or of Quetzal', then 
 for love of woman, stay " 
 
 Guatamozin turned quickly. " What of her ? " 
 
 " O 'tzin, the destiny you put aside is hers no less than 
 yours."
 
 374 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The 'tzin raised higher his princely head, and answered, 
 smiling joyously, 
 
 " Then, father, by whatever charm, or incantation, or 
 virtue of prayer you possess, hasten the destiny, hasten 
 it, I conjure you. A tomb would be a palace with her, a 
 palace would be a tomb without her." 
 
 And with the smile still upon his face, and the resolution 
 yet in his heart, he again, and for the last time, turned hia 
 back upon Mualox. t 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE CELLS OP QUETZAL* AGAIN. 
 
 " Hi, hi ! " 
 
 " Catch him ! " 
 
 " Stone him ! " 
 
 " Kill him ! " 
 
 So cried a mob, at the time in furious motion up the 
 beautiful street. Numbering hundreds already, it increased 
 momentarily, and howled as only such a monster can. 
 Scarce eighty yards in front ran its game, Orteguilla, the 
 
 The boy was in desperate strait. His bonnet, secured by 
 a braid, danced behind him ; his short cloak, of purple vel- 
 vet, a little faded, fluttered as if struggling to burst the 
 throat-loop ; his hands were clenched ; his face pale with 
 fear and labor. He ran with all his might, often looking 
 back ; and as his course was up the street, the old palace of 
 Axaya' must have been the goal he sought, a long, long 
 way off for one unused to such exertion and so fiercely 
 pressed. At every backward glance, he cried, in agony of
 
 THE CELLS OP QUETZAL' AGAIN. 375 
 
 terror, " Help me, Mother of Christ ! By God's love, 
 help me ! " The enemy was gaining upon him. 
 
 The lad, as I think I have before remarked, had been de- 
 tailed by Cortes to attend Montezurna, with whom, as he 
 was handsome and witty, and had soon acquired the Aztecan 
 tongue and uncommon skill at totoloque, he had become an 
 accepted favorite ; so that, while useful to the monarch as a 
 servant, he was no less useful to the Christian as a detective. 
 In the course of his service, he had been frequently in- 
 trusted with his royal master's signet, the very highest mark 
 of confidence. Every day he executed errands in the tian- 
 guez, and sometimes in even remoter quarters of the city. 
 As a consequence he had come to be quite well known, and 
 to this day nothing harmful or menacing had befallen him, 
 although, as was not hard to discern, the people would 
 have been better satisfied had Maxtla been charged with 
 such duties. 
 
 On this occasion, the day after the interview between 
 the 'tzin and Mualox, while executing some trifling com- 
 mission in the market, he became conscious of a change in 
 the demeanor of those whom he met; of courtesies, there 
 were none ; he was not once saluted ; even the jewellers with 
 whom he dealt viewed him coldly, and asked not a word 
 about the king ; yet, unaware of danger, he went to the 
 portico of the Chalcan, and sat awhile, enjoying the shade 
 and the fountain, and listening to the noisy commerce 
 without. 
 
 Presently, he heard a din of conchs and attabals, the 
 martial music of the Aztecs. Somewhat startled, and 
 half hidden by the curtains, he looked out, and be- 
 held, coming from the direction of the king's palace, a 
 procession bearing ensigns and banners of all shapes, de- 
 eigns, and colors. 
 
 At the first sound of the music, the people, of whom, as
 
 376 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 usual, there were great numbers in the tianguez, quitted their 
 occupations, and ran to meet the spectacle, which, without 
 halting, came swiftly down to the Chalcan's ; so that 
 there passed within a few feet of the adventurous page 
 a procession rarely beautiful, a procession of warriors march- 
 ing in deep files, each one helmeted, and with a shield at his 
 back, and a banner in his hand, an army with banners. 
 
 At the head, apart from the others, strode a chief whom 
 all eyes followed. Even Orteguilla was impressed with his 
 appearance. He wore a tunic of very brilliant feather- work, 
 the skirt of which fell almost to his knees ; from the skirt 
 to the ankles his lower limbs were bare ; around the ankles, 
 over the thongs of the sandals, were rings of furbished silver ; 
 on his left arm he earned a shield of shining metal, probably 
 brass, its rim fringed with locks of flowing hair, and in the 
 centre the device of an owl, snow-white, and wrought of the 
 plumage of the bird ; over his temples, fixed firmly in the 
 golden head-band, there were wings of a parrot, green as 
 emerald, and half spread. He exceeded his followers in 
 stature, which appeared the greater by reason of the long 
 Chinantlan spear in his right hand, used as a staff. To the 
 whole was added an air severely grand ; for, as he marched, he 
 looked neither to the right nor left, apparently too absorbed 
 to notice the people, many of whom even knelt upon hia 
 approach. From the cries that saluted the chief, together 
 with the descriptions he had often heard of him, Orteguilla 
 recognized Guatamozin. 
 
 The procession wellnigh passed, and the young Span- 
 iard was studying the devices on the ensigns, when a hand 
 was laid upon his shoulder ; turning quickly to the intruder, 
 he saw the prince Io', whom he was in the habit of meet- 
 ing daily in the audience-chamber of the king. The prince 
 met his smile and pleasantry with a sombre face, and said, 
 coldly,
 
 THE CELLS OF QUETZAL' AGAIN. 377 
 
 " You have been kind to the king, my father ; he loves 
 you ; on your hand I see his signet ; therefore I will serve 
 you. Arise, and begone; stay not a moment. You were 
 never nearer death than now." 
 
 Orteguilla, scarce comprehending, would have questioned 
 him, but the prince spoke on. 
 
 " The chiefs who inhabit here are in the procession. Had 
 they found you, Huitzil' would have had a victim before sun- 
 set. Stay not ; begone ! " 
 
 While speaking, Io' moved to the curtained doorway from 
 which he had just come. " Beware of the people in the 
 square ; trust not to the signet. My father is still the king ; 
 but the lords and pabas have given his power to another, 
 him whom you saw pass just now before the banners. In 
 all Anahuac Guatamozin's word is the law, and that word 
 is War." And with that he passed into the house. 
 
 The page was a soldier, not so much in strength as experi- 
 ence, and brave from habit ; now, however, his heart stood 
 still, and a deadly coldness came over him ; his life was in 
 peril. What was to be done ? 
 
 The procession passed by, with the multitude in a fever of 
 enthusiasm ; then the lad ventured to leave the portico, and 
 start for his quarters, to gain which he had first to traverse the 
 side of the square he was on ; that done, he would be in the 
 beautiful street, going directly to the desired place. He strove 
 to carry his ordinary air of confidence; but the quick step, 
 pale face, and furtive glance would have been tell-tales to the 
 shopkeepers and slaves whom he passed, if they had been the 
 least observant. As it was, he had almost reached the street, 
 and was felicitating himself, when he heard a yell behind 
 him. He looked back, and beheld a party of warriors 
 coming at full speed. Tbir cries and gestures left no room 
 to doubt that he was their object. He started at once for life. 
 
 The noise drew everybody to the doors, and forthwith
 
 378 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 everybody joined the chase. After passing several bridges, 
 the leading pursuers were about seventy yards behind him, 
 folloAved by a stream of supporters extending to the tianguez 
 and beyond. So we have the scene with which the chapter 
 opens. 
 
 The page's situation was indeed desperate. He had not 
 yet reached the king's palace, on the other side of which, as 
 he knew, lay a stretch of street frightful to think of in such 
 a strait. The mob was coming rapidly. To add to hia 
 horror, in front appeared a body of men armed and marching 
 toward him ; at the sight, they halted ; then they formed a 
 line of interception. His steps flagged ; fainter, but more, 
 agonizing, arose his prayer to Christ and the Mother. Into 
 the recesses on either hand, and into the doors and windows, 
 and up to the roofs, and down into the canals, he cast des^ 
 pairing glances ; but chance there was not ; capture was cer- 
 tain, and then the SACRIFICE ! 
 
 That moment he reached a temple of the ancient construe* 
 tion, properly speaking, a Cu, low, broad, massive, in 
 architecture not unlike the Egyptian, and with steps along 
 the whole front. He took no thought of its appearance, 
 nor of what it might contain; he saw no place of refuge 
 within ; his terror had become a blind, unreasoning madness. 
 To escape the sacrifice was his sole impulse ; and I am not 
 sure but that he would have regarded death in any form other 
 than at the hands of the pabas as an escape. So he turned, 
 and darted up the steps ; before his foremost pursuer was at 
 the bottom, he was at the top. 
 
 With a glance he swept the azotea*. Through the wide, 
 doorless entrance of a turret, he saw an altar of stainless 
 white marble, decorated profusely with flowers; imagining 
 there might be pabas present, and possibly devotees, he ran 
 around the holy place, and came to a flight of steps, down 
 which he passed to a court-yard bounded on every side by a
 
 LOST IN THE OLD CO. 379 
 
 colonnade. A narrow doorway at his right hand, full oi 
 darkness, offered him a hiding-place. 
 
 In calmer mood, I doubt if the young Spaniard could have 
 been induced alone to try the interior of the Cu. He would 
 at least have studied the building with reference to the car- 
 dinal points of direction ; now, however, driven by the ter- 
 rible fear, without thought or question, without precaution 
 of any kind, taking no more note of distance than course, 
 into the doorway, into the unknown, headlong he plunged. 
 The darkness swallowed him instantly ; yet he did not abate 
 his speed, for behind him he heard at least he fancied so 
 the swift feet of pursuers. Either the dear Mother of his 
 prayers, or some ministering angel, had him in keeping dur- 
 ing the blind flight ; but at last he struck obliquely against 
 a wall ; in the effort to recover himself, he reeled against 
 another ; then he measured his length upon the floor, and 
 remained exhausted and fainting. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 LOST IN THE OLD eft. 
 
 r I iHE page at last awoke from his stupor. "With difficulty 
 _1_ he recalled his wandering senses. He sat up, and was 
 confronted everywhere by a darkness like that in sealed 
 tombs. Could he be blind? He rubbed his eyes, and 
 strained their vision ; he saw nothing. Baffled in the ap- 
 peal to that sense, he resorted to another ; he felt of his 
 head, arms, limbs, and was reassured : he not only lived, 
 but, save a few bruises, was sound of body. Then he ex- 
 tended the examination ; he felt of the floor, and, stretching 
 his anna right and left, discovered a wall, which, like ^he
 
 380 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 floor, was of masonry. The cold stone, responding to the 
 touch, sent its chill along his sluggish veins ; the close air 
 made breathing hard ; the silence, absolutely lifeless, and 
 in that respect so unlike what we call silence in the outer 
 world, which, after all, is but the time chosen by small 
 things, the entities of the dust and grass and winds, for 
 their hymnal service, heard full-toned in heaven, if not by 
 us, the dead, stagnant, unresonant silence, such as haunts 
 the depths of old mines and lingers in the sunken crypts of 
 abandoned castles, awed and overwhelmed his souL 
 
 Where was he ? How came he there ? "With head droop- 
 ing, and hands and arms resting limp upon the floor, weak 
 in body and spirit, he sat a long time motionless, struggling 
 to recall the past, which came slowly, enabling him to set 
 the race again with all its incidents : the enemy in rear, the 
 enemy in front ; the temple stairs, with their offer of escape ; 
 the azoteas, the court, the dash into the doorway under the 
 colonnade, all came back slowly, I say, bringing a dread 
 that he was lost, and that, in a frantic effort to avoid death 
 in one form, he had run open-eyed to embrace it in another 
 even more horrible. 
 
 The dread gave him strength. He arose to his feet, and 
 stood awhile, straining his memory to recall the direction of 
 the door which had admitted him to the passage. Could he 
 find that door, he would wait a 'fitting time to slip from the 
 temple ; for which he would trust the Mother and watch. 
 But now, what was done must needs be done quickly ; for, 
 though but an ill-timed fancy, he thought he felt a sen- 
 eation of hunger, indicating that he had been a long time 
 lying there ; how long, of course, he knew not. 
 
 Memory served him illy, or rather not at all ; so that 
 nothing would do now but to feel his way out. for a 
 tight, if only a spark from a gunner's match, or the moony 
 gleam of a Cuban glow-worm 1
 
 LOST IN THE OLD CCH 381' 
 
 As every faculty was now alert, he was conscious of the 
 importance of the start ; if that were in the wrong direction, 
 every inch would be from the door, and, possibly, toward 
 his grave. First, then, was he in a hall or a chamber 1 He 
 hoped the former, for then there would be but two directions 
 from which to choose ; and if he took the wrong one, no 
 matter ; he had only to keep on until the fact was made clear 
 by the trial, and then retrace his steps. " Thanks, Holy 
 Mother ! In the darkness thou art with thy children no less 
 than in the day ! " And with the pious words, he crossed 
 himself, forehead and breast, and set about the work. 
 
 To find if he were in a passage, that was the first point. 
 He laid his hand upon the wall again, and started in the 
 course most likely, as he believed, to take him to the day- 
 light, never before so beautiful to his mind. 
 
 The first step suggested a danger. There might be traps 
 in the floor. He had heard the question often at the camp- 
 fire, What is done with the bodies of the victims offered up 
 in the heathen worship 1 Some said they were eaten ; others, 
 that there were vast receptacles for them in the nngodly 
 temples, miles and miles of catacombs, filled with myriads 
 of bones of priests and victims. If he should step off into a 
 pit devoted to such a use ! His hair bristled at the thought. 
 Carefully, slowly, therefore, his hands pressed against the 
 rough wall, his steps short, one foot advanced to feel the 
 way for the other, so he went, and such was the necessity. 
 
 Scarcely three steps on he found another dilemma. The 
 wall suddenly fell away under his hand ; he had come to 
 the angle of a corner. He stopped to consider. Should he 
 follow the wall in its new course ] It occurred to him that 
 the angle was made by a crossing of passages, that he was 
 then in the square of their intersection ; so the chances of 
 finding the right outlet were three to one against him. He 
 was more than ever confused. Hope went into low ebb.
 
 382 'THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Would he ever get out] Had he been missed in the old 
 palace t If hostilities had broken out, as intimated by the 
 prince Io', would his friends be permitted to look for him in 
 the city ? The king was his friend, but, alas ! his power had 
 been given to another. No, there was no help for him ; he 
 must stay there as in his tomb, and die of hunger and thirst, 
 g die slowly, hour by hour, minute by minute. Already 
 the fever of famine was in his blood, next to the fact is 
 the fancy. If his organism had begun to consume itself, 
 how long could he last ? Never were moments so precious 
 to him. Each one carried off a fraction of the strength 
 upon which his escape depended ; each one must, therefore, 
 be employed. No more loitering ; action, action ! In the 
 darkness he looked to heaven, and prayed tearfully to the 
 Mother. 
 
 The better to understand his situation, and what he did, 
 it may be well enough to say here, that the steps by which 
 he descended into the court-yard faced the west ; and as, 
 from the court, he took shelter in a door to his right, the 
 passage must have run due north. When, upon recovery 
 from the fainting-spell, he started to regain the door, he was 
 still in the passage, but unhappily followed its continuation 
 northward ; every step, in that course, consequently, was 
 so much into instead of out of the labyrinth. And now, 
 to make the situation worse, he weakly clung to the wall, 
 and at the corner turned to the right ; after which his pain- 
 ful, toilsome progress was to the east, where the chances 
 were sure to be complicated. 
 
 If the reader has ever tried to pass through a strange 
 hull totally darkened, he can imagine the young Spaniard 
 in motion. Each respiration, each movement, was doubly 
 loud; the slide and shuffle of the feet, changing position, 
 filled the rock-bound space with echoes, which, by a cooler 
 head than his, might have been made tell the width and
 
 LOST IN THE OLD CO. 383 
 
 height of the passage, and something of its depth. There 
 were times when the sounds seemed startlingly like the 
 noise of another person close by ; then he would stop, lay 
 hand on his dagger, the only weapon he had, and listen ner- 
 vously, undetermined what to do. 
 
 In the course of the tedious movement, he came to narrow 
 apertures at intervals in the wall, which he surmised to be 
 doors of apartments. Before some of them he paused, think- 
 ing they might be occupied ; but nothing came from them, 
 or was heard within, but the hollow reverberations usual 
 to empty chambers. The crackle of cement underfoot and 
 the crevices in the wall filled with dust assured him that 
 a long time had passed since a saving hand had been there ; 
 yet the evidences that the old pile had once been popu- 
 lous made its present desertion all the more impressive. 
 Afterwhile he began to wish for the appearance of some- 
 body, though an enemy. Yet farther on, when the awful 
 silence and darkness fully kindled his imagination, and gave 
 him for companionship the spirits of the pagans who had 
 once how far back, who could say? made the cells 
 animate with their prayers and orgies, the yearning for the 
 company of anything living and susceptible of association 
 became almost insupportable. 
 
 Several times, as he advanced, he came to cross passages. 
 Of the distance made, he could form no idea. Once he 
 descended a flight of steps, and at the bottom judged him- 
 self a story below the level of the court and street ; reflect- 
 ing, however, that he could not have clomb them on the 
 way in without some knowledge of them, he again paused 
 for consideration. The end of the passage was not reached : 
 he could not say the door he sought was not there ; he simply 
 believed not ; still he resolved to go back to the starting-point 
 und begin anew. 
 
 He set out bravely, and proceeded with less caution than
 
 384 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 in coming. Suddenly he stopped. He had neglected to 
 count the doors and intersecting passages along the way; 
 consequently he could not identify the startirg- point when 
 he reached it. Merciful God ! he was now indeed LOST ! 
 
 For a time he struggled against the conviction ; but when 
 the condition was actually realized, a paroxysm seized him. 
 He raised his hands wildly, and shouted, Ola I Ola ! The 
 cry smote the walls near by until they rang again, and, flying 
 down the passage, died lingeringly in the many chambers, 
 leaving him so shaken by the discordance that he cowered 
 uearly to the floor, as if, instead of human help, he had con- 
 jured a demon, and looked for its instant appearance. Sum- 
 moning all his resolution, he again shouted the challenge, 
 but with the same result ; no reply except the mocking 
 echoes, no help. He was in a tomb, buried alive ! And at 
 that moment, resulting doubtless from the fever of mind 
 and body, he was conscious of the first decided sensation 
 of thirst, accompanied by the thought of running water, 
 cool, sweet, and limpid ; as if to add to his torture, he 
 saw then, not only that he was immured alive, but how 
 and of what he was to die. Then also he saw why his 
 enemies gave up the pursuit at the passage-door. Lost in 
 the depths of the Cu, out of reach of help, groping here 
 and there through the darkness, in hours condensing years 
 of suffering, dead, finally, of hunger and thirst, was he 
 not as much a victim as if formally butchered by the teo- 
 tuctli? And if, in the eyes of the heathen god, suffering 
 made the sacrifice appreciable, when was there one more 
 perfect ? 
 
 " No, no," he cried, "I am a Christian, in care of 
 the Christian's God. I am too young, too strong. I cau 
 walk ; if need be, run ; and there are hours and days be- 
 fore me. I will find the door. Courage, courage ! And 
 thou, dear, blessed Mother ! if ever thou dost permit i
 
 HOW THE HOLY MOTHER HELPS HER CHILDREN. 385 
 
 shrine in the chapel of this heathen house, all that which 
 the Senor Hernan may apportion to me thou shalt have. 
 Hear my vow, sweet Mother, and help me ! " 
 
 How many heroisms, attributed to duty, or courage, or 
 some high passion, are in fact due to the utter hopelessness, 
 the blindness past seeing, the fainting of the soul called 
 despair ! In that last motive what mighty energy ! How it 
 now nerved Orteguilla ! Down the passage he went, and with 
 alacrity. Not that he had a plan, or with the mind's eye 
 even saw the way, not at all. He went because in mo- 
 tion there was soothing to his very despair ; in motion he 
 could make himself believe there was still a hope ; in mo- 
 tion he could expect each moment to hail the welcome door 
 and the glory of the light. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HOW THE HOLY .MOTHER HELPS HER CHILDREN. 
 
 I DOUBT not my reader is gentle, good, and tender-heart- 
 ed, easily moved by tales of suffering, and nothing 
 delighting in them ; and that, with such benignant qualities 
 of heart and such commendable virtues of taste, he will ex- 
 cuse me if I turn from following the young Spaniard, who 
 has now come to be temporarily a hero of my story, and 
 leave to the imagination the details of the long round of 
 misery he endured in his wanderings through the interior of 
 the old Cu. 
 
 Pathologists will admit they are never at fault or loss 
 in the diagnosis of cases of hunger and thirst. Whether 
 considered as disease or accident, their marks are unmis- 
 takable, and their symptoms before dissolution, like theii
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 effects afterwards, invariable. Both may be simply de- 
 scribed as consumption of the body by its own organs ; pre- 
 cisely as if, to preserve life, one devoured his own flesh and 
 drank his own blood. Not without reason, therefore, the 
 suicide, what time he thinks of his crime, always, when 
 possible, chooses some mode easier and more expeditious. 
 The gradations to the end are, an intense desire for food 
 and drink ; a fever, accompanied by exquisite pain ; 
 then delirium; finally, death. It is in the second and 
 third stages that the peculiarities show most strangely ; 
 then the mind cheats the body with visions of Tantalus. 
 If the sufferer be thirst-stricken, he is permitted to see 
 fountains and sparkling streams, and water in draughts and 
 rivers ; if he be starving, the same mocking fancy spreads 
 Apician feasts before his eyes, and stimulates the intolerable 
 misery by the sight and scent of all things delicious and 
 appetizing. I have had personal experience of the anguish 
 and delusions of which I speak. I know what they are. I 
 pray the dear Mother, who has us all in holy care, to keep 
 them far from my gentle friends. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 A day and night in the temple, another day and night, 
 morning of the third day, and we discover the page sit- 
 ting upon the last of a flight of steps. No water, no food 
 in all that time. He slept once ; how long, he did not know. 
 A stone floor does not conduce to rest even where there is 
 sleep. All that time, too, the wearisome search for the door ; 
 groping along the wall, feeling the way ell by ell ; always 
 at fault and lost utterly. His condition can be understood 
 almost without the aid of description. He sits on the step 
 in a kind of stupor ; his cries for help have become a dull, 
 unmeaning moan ; before him pass the fantasies of food and 
 water ; and could the light the precious, beautiful light, so 
 long sought, so earnestly prayed and struggled for fall upon
 
 HOW THE HOLY MOTHER HELPS HER CHILDREN. 3b7 
 
 him, we should have a sad picture of the gay youth who, 
 in the market, sported his velvet cloak and feathered bonnet, 
 and half disdainfully flashed the royal signet in the faces of 
 the wondering merchants, the picture of a despairing 
 creature whom much misery was rapidly bringing down to 
 death. i 
 
 And of his thoughts, or, rather, the vagaries that had taken 
 the place of thoughts, ah, how well they can be divined ! 
 Awhile given to the far-off native land, and the loved ones 
 there, land and loved ones never again to be seen ; then 
 to the New World, full of all things strange ; but mostly to 
 his situation, lost so hopelessly, suffering so dreadfully. 
 There were yet ideas of escape, reawakenings of the energy 
 of despair, but less frequent every hour ; indeed, he was be- 
 coming submissive to the fate. He prayed, also ; but his 
 prayers had more relation to the life to come than to this 
 one. To die without Christian rite, to leave his bones in 
 such unhallowed place ! 0, for one shrieving word from 
 Father Bartolome" ! 
 
 In the midst of his wretchedness, and of the sighs and 
 sobs and tears which were its actual expression, suddenly 
 the ceiling overhead and all the rugged sides of the passage 
 above the line of the upper step of the stairway at the foot 
 of which he was sitting were illumined by a faint red glow 
 of light. He started to his feet. Could it be ? Was it not 
 a delusion? Were not his eyes deceiving him? In the 
 darkness he had seen banquets, and the chambers thereof, 
 and had heard the gurgle of pouring wine and water. Was 
 not this a similar trick of the imagination? or had the 
 Blessed Mother at last heard his supplications ? 
 
 He looked steadily ; the glow deepened. wondrous 
 charm of life ! To be, after dying so nearly, brought back 
 with such strength, so quickly, and by such a trifle ! 
 
 While he looked, bis doubts gave way to certainty. Light
 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 there was, essential, revealing, beautiful light. He clasped 
 his hands, and the tears of despair became tears of joy ; all 
 the hopes of his being, which, in the dreary hours just 
 passed, had gone out as stars go behind a spreading cloud, 
 rose up whirring, like a flock of startled birds, and, filling 
 all his heart, once more endued him with strength of mind 
 and body. He passed his hands across his eyes : still the 
 light remained. Surer than a fantasy, good as a miracle, 
 there it was, growing brighter, and approaching, and that, 
 too, by the very passage in which he was standing ; whethei 
 borne by man or spirit, friend or foe, it would speedily reach 
 the head of the steps, and then 
 
 Out of the very certainty of aid at hand, a reaction of 
 feeling came. A singular caution seized him. What if 
 those bearing the light were enemies ? Through the glow 
 dimly lighting the part of the passage below the stairway, 
 he looked eagerly for a place of concealment. Actually, 
 though starving, the prospect of relief filled him with all 
 the instincts of life renewed. A door caught his eye. He 
 ran to the cell, and hid, but in position to see whomsoever 
 might pass. He had no purpose : he would wait and see, 
 that was all. 
 
 The light approached slowly, in his suspense, how 
 slowly ! Gradually the glow in the passage became a fair 
 illumination. There were no sounds of feet, no forerun- 
 ning echoes; the coming was noiseless as that of spirits. 
 Out of the door, nevertheless, he thrust his head, in time to 
 see the figure of a man on the upper step, bareheaded, bare- 
 footed, half wrapped in a cotton cloak, and carrying a broad 
 wooden tray or waiter, covered with what seemed table-ware ; 
 the whole brought boldly into view by the glare of a lamp 
 fastened, like a miner's, to his forehead. 
 
 The man was alone ; with that observation, Orteguilla 
 drew back, and waited, his hand upon his dagger. He
 
 HOW THE HOLY MOTHER HELPS HER CHILDREN. 389 
 
 trembled with excitement. Here was an instrument of 
 escape ; what should he do ? If he exposed himself sud- 
 denly, might not the stranger drop his burden, and run, and 
 in the race extinguish the lamp? If he attacked, might 
 he not have to kill? Yet the chance must not be lost. 
 Life depended upon it, and it was, therefore, precious as life. 
 
 The man descended the steps carefully, and drew near the 
 cell door. Orteguilla held his breath. The stepping of 
 bare feet became distinct. A gleam of light, almost blind- 
 ing, flashed through the doorway, and, narrow at first but 
 rapidly widening, began to wheel across the floor. At length 
 the cell filled with brightness ; the stranger was passing the 
 door, not a yard away. 
 
 The young Spaniard beheld an old man, half naked, and 
 bearing a tray. That he was a servant was clear; that 
 there was no danger to be apprehended from him was equal- 
 ly clear : b/j was too old. These were the observations 
 of a glance. From the unshorn, unshaven head and face, 
 the eyes of the lad dropped to the tray ; at the same instant, 
 the smell of meat, fresh from the coals, saluted him, mixed 
 with the aroma of chocolate, still smoking, and sweeter to 
 the starving fugitive than incense to a devotee. Another 
 note : the servant was carrying a meal to somebody, his 
 master or mistress. Still another note : the temple was in- 
 habited, and the inhabitants were near by. The impulse to 
 rush out and snatch the tray, and eat and drink, was almost 
 irresistible. The urgency there is in a parched throat, and 
 in a stomach three days empty, cannot be imagined. Yet 
 he restrained himself. 
 
 The lamp, the food, the human being the three things 
 most desirable had come, and were going, and the page 
 still undetermined what to do. Instinct and hunger and 
 thirst, and a dread of the darkness, and of the death so lately 
 hnnnxient, moved him to follow, and he obeyed. He had
 
 390 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 cunning enough left to take off his boots. That done, he 
 stepped into the passage, and, moving a few paces behind, 
 put himself in the guidance of the servant, sustained by a 
 hope that daylight and liberty were but a short way off. 
 
 For a hundred steps or more the man went his way, when 
 he came to a great flat rock or flag cumbering the passage \ 
 there he stopped, and set down the tray ; and taking the 
 lamp from the fastening on his head, he knelt by the side 
 of a trap, or doorway, in the floor. Orteguilla stopped at 
 the same time, drawing, as a precaution, close to the left 
 wall. Immediately he heard the tinkling of a bell, which 
 he took to be a signal to some one in a chamber below. 
 His eyes fixed hungrily upon the savory viands. He savr 
 the slave fasten a rope to the tray, and begin to lower it 
 through the trap ; he heard the noise of the contact with 
 the floor beneath : still he was unresolved. The man 
 arose, lamp in hand, and without more ado, as if a familiar 
 task were finished, started in return. And now the two 
 must come within reach of each other ; now the page must 
 discover himself or be discovered. Should he remain] 
 Was not retreat merely going back into the terrible laby- 
 rinth ] He debated ; and while he debated, chance came 
 along and took control. The servant, relieved of his load, 
 walked swiftly, trying, while in motion, to replace the lamp 
 over his forehead ; failing in that, he stopped ; and as for- 
 tune ordered, stopped within two steps of the fugitive. A 
 moment, and the old man's eyes, dull as they were, be- 
 came transfixed ; then the lamp fell from his hand and 
 rolled upon the floor, and with a scream, he darted forward 
 in a flight which the object of his fear could not hope to 
 outstrip. The lamp went out, and darkness dropped from 
 the ceiling, and leaped from the walls, reclaiming everything. 
 
 Orteguilla stood overwhelmed by the misfortune. All the 
 former horrors returned to plague him. He upbraided him-
 
 HOW THE HOLY MOTHER HELPS HER CHILDREN. 391 
 
 self for irresolution. Why allow the man to escape ? Why 
 not seize, or, at least, speak to him ? The chance had been 
 sent, he could now see, by the Holy Mother ; would she 
 send another ? If not, and he died there, who would be to 
 blame but himself 1 ? He wrung his hands, and gave way to 
 bitter tears. 
 
 Eventually the unintermitting craving of hunger aroused 
 him by a lively suggestion. The smell of the meat and 
 chocolate haunted him. What had become of them 1 Then 
 he remembered the ringing of the bell, and their disappear- 
 ance through the trap. There they were ; and more, 
 somebody was there enjoying them ! Why not have his 
 share ? Ay, though he fought for it ! Should an infidel 
 feed while a Christian starved ? The thought lent him new 
 strength. Such could not be God's will. Then, as often 
 happens, indignation begat a certain shrewdness to discern 
 points, and put them together. The temple was not vacant, 
 as he at first feared. Indeed, its tenants were thereabouts. 
 Neither was he alone ; on the floor below, he had neighbors. 
 " Ave Maria ! " he cried, and crossed himself. 
 
 His neighbors, he thought, advancing to another conclu- 
 sion, his neighbors, whoever they were, had communica- 
 tion with the world ; otherwise, they would perish, as he 
 was perishing. Moreover, the old servant was the medium 
 of the communication, and would certainly come again. 
 Courage, courage ! 
 
 A sense of comfort, derived from the bare idea of neigh- 
 borship with something human, for the time at least, lulled 
 him into forgetfulness of misery. 
 
 Upon his hands and knees, he went to the great stone, 
 and to the edge of the trap. 
 
 " Salvado f Soy salvado ! I am saved ! " And with 
 tears of joy he rapturously repeated the sweet salutation of 
 the angels to the Virgin. The space below was lighted I
 
 392 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The light, as he discovered upon a second look, came 
 through curtains stretched across a passage similar to the one 
 he was in, and was faint, but enough to disclose two objects, 
 the sight of which touched him with a fierce delight, the 
 tray on the floor, its contents untouched, and a rope ladder 
 by which to descend. 
 
 He lost no time now. Placing his dagger between his 
 teeth, he swung off, though with some trouble, and landed 
 safely. At his feet, then, lay a repast to satisfy the daintiest 
 appetite, fish, white bread, chocolate, in silver cups and 
 beaten into honeyed foam, and fruits from vine and tree. 
 He clasped his hands and looked to Heaven, and, as became 
 a pious Spaniard, restrained the maladies that afflicted him, 
 while he said the old Paternoster, dear, hallowed utterance 
 taught him in childhood by the mother who, but for this 
 godsend, would have lost him forever. Then he stooped to 
 help himself, and while his hand was upon the bread the 
 curtain parted, and he saw, amidst a flood of light pouring 
 in over her head and shoulders, a girl, very young and very 
 beautiful 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE PABA'S ANGEL. 
 
 IF I were writing a tale less true, or were at all acconv 
 plished in the charming art of the story-teller, which has 
 come to be regarded as but little inferior to that of the poet, 
 possibly I could have disguised the incidents of the preced- 
 ing chapters so as to have checked anticipation. But many 
 pages back the reader no doubt discovered that the Cil in 
 which the page took shelter was that of Quetzal' ; and now, 
 while to believe I could, by any arrangement or conceit con-
 
 THE PABA'S ANGEL. 393 
 
 sistent with truth, agreeably surprise a 'friend, I must admit 
 that he is a dull witling who failed, at the parting of the 
 curtain as above given, to recognize the child of the paba, 
 Tecetl, to whom, beyond peradventure, the memory of all who 
 follow me to this point has often returned, in tender 
 sympathy for the victim of an insanity so strange or as 
 the critic must decide a philosophy so cruel. 
 
 Now, however, she glides again into the current of my 
 story, one of those wingless waifs which we have all at one 
 time or another seen, and which, if not from heaven, as 
 their purity and beauty suggest, are, at least, ready to be 
 wafted there. 
 
 I stop to say that, during the months past, as before, 
 her life had gone sweetly, pleasantly, without ruffle or 
 labor or care or sickness, or division, even, into hours and 
 days and nights, a flowing onward, like time, an exist- 
 ence so serenely perfect as not to be a subject of conscious- 
 ness. Her occupation was a round of gentle ministrations to 
 the paba. Her experience was still limited to the chamber, 
 its contents and expositions. If the philosophy of the vener- 
 able mystic that ignorance of humanity is happiness was 
 correct, then was she happy as mortal can be, for as yet she 
 had not seen a human being other than himself. Her pleas- 
 ure was still to chatter and chirrup with the friendly birds ; or 
 to gather flowers and fashion them into wreaths and garlands 
 to be offered at the altar of the god to whom she herself had 
 been so relentlessly devoted ; or to lie at rest upon the couch, 
 and listen to the tinkling voices of the fountain, or join in 
 their melody. And as I do not know why, in speaking of 
 her life, I should be silent as to that part which is lost in 
 slumber, particularly when the allusion will help me illus- 
 trate her matchless innocency of nature, I will say, fur- 
 ther, that sleep came to her as to children, irregularly and 
 in the midst of play, and waking was followed by no in-
 
 394 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 terval of heaviness, or brooding over a daily task, or bracing 
 the soul for a duty. In fact, she was still a child ; though not 
 to be thought dealing with anything seraphic, I will add, that 
 in the months past she had in height become quite womanly, 
 while the tone of her voice had gained an equality, and her 
 figure a fulness, indicative of quick maturity. 
 
 Nor had the " World " undergone any change. The uni- 
 versal exposition on the walls and ceiling remained the 
 same surpassing marvel of art. At stated periods, work- 
 men had come, and, through the shaft constructed for the 
 purpose, like those in deep mines, lifted to the azoteas such 
 plants and shrubs as showed signs of suffering for the indis- 
 pensable sun ; but as, on such occasions, others were let down, 
 and rolled to the vacant places, there was never an abatement 
 of the garden freshness that prevailed in the chamber. The 
 noise of the work disturbed the birds, but never Tecetl, 
 whose spirit during the time was under the mesmeric Will 
 of the paba. 
 
 There was a particular, however, in which the god who 
 was supposed to have the house in keeping had not been so 
 gracious. A few days before the page appeared at the door, 
 exactness requires me to say the day of the paba's last 
 interview with Guatamozin, * Mualox came down from the 
 sanctuary in an unusual state of mind and body. He was 
 silent and exhausted ; his knees tottered, as, with never a 
 smile or pleasant word, or kiss in reply to the salutation he 
 received, he went to the couch to lie down. He seemed like 
 one asleep ; yet he did not sleep, but lay with his eyes 
 fixed vacantly on the ceiling, his hand idly stroking his 
 beard. 
 
 In vain Tecetl plied all her little arts ; she sang to him, 
 caressed him, brought her vases and choicest flowers and 
 sweetest singing-birds, and asked a thousand questions about 
 the fair, good Quetzal', a topic theretofore of never-failing 
 .interest, to thahol? man.
 
 THE PABA-S ANGEL. 395 
 
 She had never known sickness, so kindly had the god 
 dealt by her. Her acquaintance with infirmity of any 
 kind was limited to the fatigue of play, and the weariness 
 of tending flowers and birds. Her saddest experience had 
 been to see the latter sicken and die. All her further 
 knowledge of death was when it came and touched a plant,, 
 withering leaf and bud. To die was the end of such things ; 
 but they the paba and herself were not as such : they 
 were above death ; Quetzal' was immortal, and, happy souls ! 
 they were to serve him for ever and ever. Possessed of such 
 faith, she was not alarmed by the good man's condition ; on 
 the contrary, taking his silence as a wish to be let alone, she 
 turned and sought her amusements. 
 
 And as to his ailment. If there be such a thing as a bro- 
 ken heart, his was broken. He had lived, as noticed before, 
 for a single purpose, hope of which had kept him alive, sur- 
 vivor of a mighty brotherhood. That hope the 'tzin in the 
 last interview took away with him ; and an old man without 
 a hope is already dead. 
 
 Measuring time in the chamber by its upper-world divisions, 
 noon and night came, and still the paba lay in the dismal 
 coma. Twice the slave had appeared at the door with the 
 customary meais. Tecetl heard and answered his signals. 
 Meantime, last and heaviest of misfortunes, the fire 
 of the temple went out. When the sacred flame was first 
 kindled is not known ; relighted at the end of the last 
 great cycle of fifty-two years, however, it had burned ever 
 since, served by the paba. Year after year his steps, ascend- 
 ing and descending, had grown feebler ; now they utterly 
 failed. " Where is the fire on the old Cu ? " asked the night- 
 watchers of each other. " Dead," was the answer. " Then 
 is Mualox dead." 
 
 And still another day like the other ; and at its close the 
 faded hands of the sufferer dropped upon his breast. Many
 
 396 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 times did Tecetl come to the couch, and speak to him, and 
 call him father, and offer him food and drink, and go away 
 unnoticed. " He is with Quetzal'," she would say to herself 
 and the birds. " How the dear god loves him ! " 
 
 Yet another, the fourth day ; still the sleep, now become 
 a likeness of death. And Tecetl, she missed his voice, 
 and the love-look of his great eyes, and his fondnesses of 
 touch and smile ; she missed his presence, also. True, he 
 was there, but not with her ; he was with Quetzal'. Strange 
 that they should forget her so long ! She hovered around 
 the couch, a little jealous of the god, and disquieted, though 
 she knew not by what. She was very, very lonesome. 
 
 And in that time what suspense would one familiar with 
 perils have suffered in her situation ! If the paba dies, 
 what will become of her ? We know somewhat of the dif- 
 ficulties of the passages in the Cu. Can she find the way 
 out alone 1 The slave will, doubtless, continue to bring food 
 to the door, so that she may not starve ; and at the fountain 
 she will get drink. Suppose, therefore, the supplies come 
 for years, and she live so long ; how will the solitude affect 
 her? "We know its results upon prisoners accustomed to 
 society ; but that is not her case : she never knew society, 
 its sweets or sorrows. With her the human life of the great 
 outside world is not a thing of conjecture, or of dreams, 
 hopes, and fears, as the future life with a Christian; 
 she does not even know there is such a state of being. 
 Changes will take place in the chamber; the birds and 
 plants, all of life there besides herself, will die ; the body 
 of the good man, through sickening stages of decay, will re- 
 turn to the dust, leaving a ghastly skeleton on the couch. 
 Consequently, hers will come to be a solitude without relief, 
 without amusement or occupation or society, and with but 
 few memories, and nothing to rest a hope upon. Can a 
 mind dupport itself, any more than a body ? In other words,
 
 THE PABA'S ANGEL. 397 
 
 if Mualox dies, how long until she becomes what it were 
 charity to kill ? Ah, never mortal more dependent or more 
 terribly threatened ! Yet she saw neither the cloud nor 
 its shadow, but followed her pastimes as usual, and sang her 
 little songs, and slept when tired, a simple-hearted child. 
 
 I am not an abstractionist ; and the reader, whom I char- 
 itably take to be what I am in that respect, has reason to be 
 thankful ; for the thought of this girl, so strangely educated, 
 if the word may be so applied, this pretty plaything 
 of a fortune so eccentric, opens the gates of many a misty 
 field of metaphysics. But I pass them by, and, following 
 the lead of my story, proceed to say that, in the evening of 
 the fourth day of the paba's sickness, the bell, as usual, an- 
 nounced the last meal at the door of the chamber. Tecetl 
 went to the couch, and, putting her arms around the sleeper's 
 neck, tried to wake him ; but he lay still, his eyes closed, 
 his lips apart, in appearance, he was dying. 
 
 " Father, father, why do you stay away so long ] " she 
 aid. " Come back, speak to me, say one word, call 
 me once more ! " 
 
 The dull ear heard not; the hand used to caressing 
 was still. 
 
 Tenderly she smoothed the white beard upon his breast. 
 
 " Is Quetzal' angry with me 1 I love him. Tell him how 
 lonely I am, and that the birds are not enough to keep me 
 happy when you stay so long ; tell him how dear you are 
 to me. Ask him to let you como back now." 
 
 Yet no answer. 
 
 " O Quetzal', fair, beautiful god ! hear me," she con- 
 tinued. " Your finger is on his lips, or he would speak. 
 Your veil is over his eyes, or he would see me. I am his 
 child, and love him so much ; and he is hungry, and here 
 are bread and meat. Let him come for a little while, and I 
 will love you more thaa ever."
 
 398 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 And so she prayed and promised, but in vain. Quetzal 1 
 was obdurate. With tears fast flowing, she arose, and stood 
 by the couch, and gazed upon the face now sadly changed 
 by the long abstinence. And as she looked, there came upon 
 her own face a new expression, that which the very young 
 . always have when at the side of the dying, half dread, 
 ; half curiosity, wonder at the manifestation, awe of the 
 r power that invokes it, the look we can imagine on the 
 countenance of a simple soul in the presence of Death in- 
 terpreting himself. 
 
 At last she turned away, and went to the door. Twice 
 she hesitated, and looked back. Wherefore ? Was she pon- 
 dering the mystery of the deep sleep, or expecting the 
 sleeper to awake, or listening to the whisper of a premo- 
 nition fainter in her ears than the voice of the faintest 
 breeze 1 She went on, nevertheless ; she reached the door, 
 and drew the curtain ; and there, in the full light, was 
 Orteguilla. 
 
 That we may judge the impression, let us recall what kind 
 of youth the page was. I never saw him myself, but those 
 who knew him well have toid me he was a handsome fel- 
 low; tall, graceful, and in manner and feature essentially 
 Spanish. He wore at the time the bonnet and jaunty 
 feather, and the purple mantle, of which I have spoken, and 
 under that a close black jerkin, with hose to correspond ; half- 
 boots, usual to the period, and a crimson sash about the 
 waist, its fringed ends hanging down the left side, completed 
 his attire. N Altogether, a goodly young man ; not as gay, 
 probably, as some then loitering amongst the alamedas of 
 Seville ; for rough service long continued had tarnished his 
 finery and abused his complexion, to say nothing of the im- 
 prints of present suffering ; yet he was enough so to excita 
 admiration in eyes older than Tecetl's, and more familial 
 with the race.
 
 THE PABA'S ANGEL. 399 
 
 The two gazed at each other, wonder-struck. 
 
 " Holy Mother ! " exclaimed Orteguilla, the bread in his 
 hand. " Into what world have I been brought ? Is this a 
 spirit thou hast sent me ? " 
 
 In his eyes, she was an angel ; in hers, he was more. She 
 went to him, and knelt, and said, " Quetzal', dear Quetzal', 
 beautiful god ! You are come to bring my father back to 
 me. He is asleep by the fountain." 
 
 In her eyes, the page was a god. 
 
 The paba's descriptions of Quetzal' had given her the ideal 
 of a youth like Orteguilla. Of late, moreover, he had been 
 constantly expected from Tlapallan, his isle of the blest; 
 indeed, he had come, so the father said. And the house 
 was his. Whither would he go, if not there ? So, from 
 tradition oft repeated, from descriptions colored by passionate 
 love, she knew the god ; and as to the man, between the 
 image and his maker there is a likeness ; so saith a book 
 holier than the teoamoxtli. 
 
 The page, as we have seen, was witty and shrewd, and 
 acquainted well with the world ; his first impression went 
 quickly ; her voice assured him that he was not come to any 
 spirit land. The pangs of hunger, for the moment forgotten, 
 returned, and I am sorry to say that he at once yielded to 
 their urgency, and began to eat as heroes in romances never 
 do. "When the edge of his appetite was dulled, and he could 
 think of something else, an impulse of courtesy moved him, 
 and he said, 
 
 " I crave thy pardon, fair mistress. I have been so much 
 an animal as to forget that this food is thine, and required 
 to subsist thee, and, perhaps, some other inhabiting here. 
 I admit, moreover, that ordinarily the invitation should 
 proceed from the owner of the feast ; but claim thy own, 
 and partake with me ; else it may befall that in my great 
 hunger thy share will be wanting. Fall to, I pray thee."
 
 400 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Still kneeling, she stared at him, and, folding her hands 
 Upon her breast, replied, " Quetzal' knows that I am his ser- 
 vant. Let him speak so that I may understand." 
 
 " For derto ! it is true ! What knoweth she of my 
 mother tongue 1 " 
 
 And thereupon, in the Aztecan, he asked her to help herself. 
 
 " No," said she. " The house and all belong to you. I 
 am glad you have come." 
 
 " Mine ? Whom do you take me for ? " 
 
 "The good god of my father, to whom I say all my 
 prayers, Quetzal' ! " 
 
 " Quetzal', Quetzal' ! " he repeated, looking steadily in her 
 face ; then, as if assured that he understood her, he took one 
 of the goblets of chocolate, and tried to drink, but failed ; 
 the liquid had been beaten into foam. 
 
 " In the world I come from, good girl," he said, replacing 
 the cup, " people find need of water, which, just now, would 
 be sweeter to my tongue than all the honey in the valley. 
 Canst thou give me a drink 1 " 
 
 She arose, and answered eagerly, " Yes, at the fountain. 
 Let us go. By this time my father is awake." 
 
 " So, so ! " he said to himself. " Her father, indeed ! I 
 have eaten his supper or dinner, according to the time of 
 day outside, and he may not be as civil as his daughter. I 
 will first know something about him." And he asked, 
 " Your father is old, is he not 1 " 
 
 " His beard and hair are very white. They have always 
 been so." 
 
 Again he looked at her doubtingly. " Always, said you ? " 
 
 " Always." 
 
 " Is he a priest ? " 
 
 She smiled, and asked, " Does not Quetzal' know his own 
 servant 1 " 
 
 " Has he company 3 "
 
 THE PABA'S ANGEL. 401 
 
 " The birds may be with him." 
 
 He quit eating, and, much puzzled by the answer, re- 
 flected. 
 
 " Birds, birds ! Am I so near daylight and freedom ? Grant 
 it, O Blessed Mother ! " And he crossed himself devoutly. 
 
 Then Tecetl said, earnestly, " Now that you have eaten,, 
 good Quetzal', come and let us go to my father." 
 
 Orteguilla made up his mind speedily : he could not do 
 worse than go back the way he came ; and the light here 
 was so beautiful, and the darkness there so terrible : an<* 
 here was company. Just then, also, as a further inducement 
 he heard the whistle of a bird, and fancied he distinguished 
 the smell of flowers. 
 
 " A garden," he said, in his soul, "a garden, and birds, 
 and liberty ! " The welcome thought thrilled him inexpres- 
 sibly. " Yes, I will go " ; and, aloud, " I am ready." 
 
 Thereupon she took his hand, and put the curtains aside, 
 and led him into the paba's World, never but once before 
 seen by a stranger. 
 
 This time forethought had not gone in advance to prepare 
 for the visitor. The master's eye was dim, and his careful 
 hand still, in the sleep by the fountain. The neglect that 
 darkened the fire on the turret was gloaming the lamps in 
 the chamber ; one by one they had gone out, as all would 
 have gone but for Tecetl, to whom the darkness and the 
 shadows were hated enemies. Nevertheless, the light, fall- 
 ing suddenly upon eyes so long filled with blackness as 
 his had been, was blinding bright, insomuch that he clapped 
 his hand over his face. Yet she led him on eagerly, 
 saying, 
 
 " Here, here, good Quetzal'. Here by the fountain he 
 lies." 
 
 All her concern was for the paba. 
 
 And through the many pillars of stone, and along a walk
 
 402 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 bounded by shrubs and all manner of dwarfed tropical tree*, 
 half blinded by the light, but -with the scent of flowers and 
 living vegetation in his nostrils, and the carol of birds in hi* 
 ears, and full of wonder unspeakable, he was taken, without 
 pause, to the fountain. At sight of the sparkling jet, his 
 fever of thirst raged more intensely than ever. 
 
 " Here he is. Speak to him, call him. back to me ! As 
 you love him, call him back, Quetzal' ? " 
 
 He scarcely heard her. 
 
 " "Water, water ! Blessed Mother, I see it again ! A cup, 
 quick, a cup ! " 
 
 He seized one on the table, and drank, and drank again, 
 crying between each breath, " To the Mother the praise ! * 
 Not until he was fully satisfied did he give ear to the girl's 
 entreaty. 
 
 Looking to the couch, whither she had gone, he saw the 
 figure of the paba stretched out like a corpse. He approached, 
 and, searching the face, and laying his hand upon the breast 
 over the heart, asked, in a low voice, " How long has your 
 father been asleep 1 " 
 
 " A long time," she replied. 
 
 " Jesu Christo ! He is dead, and she does not know it ! " 
 he thought, amazed at her simplicity. 
 
 Again he regarded her closely, and for the first time was* 
 struck by her beauty of face and form, by the brightness of 
 her eyes, by the hair, wavy on the head and curling over 
 the shoulders, by the simple, childish dress, and sweet voice ; 
 above all, by the innocence and ineffable purity of her look 
 and manner, all then discernible in the full glare of the 
 lamps. And with what feeling he made discovery of her 
 loveliness may be judged passably well by the softened tone 
 in which he said, "Poor girU your faf-b^r will never, never 
 wake." 
 
 Her eyes opened wide.
 
 THE PABA'S ANGEL. 403 
 
 " Never, never wake ! Why 1 " 
 
 " He is dead." 
 
 She looked at him wistfully, and he, seeing that she did 
 not understand, added, "He is in heaven ; or, as he him- 
 self would have said, in the Sun." 
 
 " Yes, but you will let him come back." 
 
 He took note of the trustful, beseeching look with which 
 she accompanied the words, and shook his head, and, return- 
 ing to the fountain, took a seat upon a bench, reflecting. 
 
 " What kind of girl is this ? Not know death when he 
 showeth so plainly ! Where hath she been living 1 And I 
 am possessed of St. Peter's keys. I open Heaven's gate to 
 let the heathen out ! By the bones of the saints ! let him get 
 there first ! The Devil hath him ! " 
 
 He picked up a withered flower lying by the bowl of the 
 fountain, and went back to Tecetl. 
 
 " You remember how beautiful this was when taken from 
 the vine 1 " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "What ails it now?" 
 
 " It is dead." 
 
 " Well, did you ever know one of these, after dying, to 
 come back to life ] " 
 
 "No." 
 
 "No more can thy father regain his life. He, too, is 
 dead. From what you see, he will go to dust; therefore, 
 leave him now, and let us sit by the fountain, and talk of 
 <>scape ; for surely you know the way out of this." 
 
 From the flower, she looked to the dead, and, comprehend- 
 (ag the illustration, sat by the body, and cried. And so it 
 happened that knowledge of death was her first lesson in life. 
 
 And he respected her grief, and went and took a t>ench by 
 foe basin, and thought 
 
 " Quetzal', Quetzal', who is he 1 A god, no doubt ; yes,
 
 404 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 the one of whom the king so liveth in dread. I have heard 
 his name. And I am Quetzal' ! And this is his house 
 that is, my house ! A scurvy trick, by St. James ! Lost in 
 my own house, a god lost in his own temple ! " 
 
 And as he could then well afford, being full-fed, he 
 laughed at the absurd idea ; and in such mood, fell into a 
 revery, and grew drowsy, and finally composed himself on 
 the bench, and sunk to sleep. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LIFE IN THE PABA's WORLD. 
 
 "TT"T"HEN" the page awoke, after a long, refreshing sleep, 
 VV ho saw the fountain first, and Tecetl next. She 
 was sitting a little way off, upon a mat stretched on the 
 floor. A number of birds were about her, whistling and 
 coquetting with each other. One or two of very beautiful 
 plumage balanced themselves on the edge of the basin, and 
 bathed their wings in the crystal water. Through half-shut 
 eyes, he studied her. She was quiet, thinking of what 1 
 Of what do children think in their waking dreams ? Yet he 
 might have known, from her pensive look and frequent 
 sighs, that the fountain was singing to deaf ears, and the 
 birds playing their tricks before sightless eyes. She was 
 most probably thinking of what he had so lately taught 
 her, and nursed the great mystery as something past finding 
 out ; many a wiser head has done the same thing. 
 
 Now, Orteguilla was very sensible of her loveliness ; ha 
 was no less sensible, also, that she was a mystery out of the 
 common way of life ; and had he been in a place of safety, 
 in the palace of Axaya', he would have stayed a long time,
 
 LIFE IN THE PABA r S WORLD. 405 
 
 pretending sleep, in order to study her unobserved. But 
 his situation presently rose to mind ; the yellow glow of 
 the lamps suggested the day outside; the birds, liberty; 
 the fountain and shrubbery, the world he had lost; and 
 the girl, life, his life, and all its innumerable strong at- 
 tachments. And so, in his mind, he ran over his adven- 
 tures in the house. Ho surveyed all of the chamber that 
 was visible from the bench. The light, the fountain, the 
 vegetation, the decorated walls, everything in view de- 
 pendent upon the care of man. "Where so much was to be 
 done constantly, was there not something to be done at 
 once, something to save life ? There were the lamps : 
 how were they supplied 1 They might go out. And, Jesu 
 Christo ! the corpse of the paba ! He sat up, as if touched 
 by a spear : there it was, in all the repulsiveness of death. 
 
 The movement attracted the girl's attention; she arose, 
 and waited for him to speak. 
 
 " Good morning, if morning it be," he said. 
 
 She made no reply. 
 
 " Come here," he continued. " I have some questions to 
 ask." 
 
 She drew a few steps nearer. A bird with breast of 
 purple and wings of snow flew around her for a while, 
 then settled upon her hand, and was drawn close to her 
 bosom. He remembered, from Father Bartolome's reading, 
 how the love of God once before took a bird's form ; and 
 forthwith his piety and superstition hedged her about with 
 sanctity. What with the white wings upon her breast, and 
 the whiter innocency within, she was safe as if bound by 
 walls of brass. 
 
 " Have no fear, I pray you," he said, misinterpreting her 
 respectful sentiment. " You and I are two people in a diffi- 
 cult strait, and, if I mistake not, much dependent upon 
 each other. A God, of whom you never heard, but whom
 
 406 THE FAIR GOD-. 
 
 I will tell you all about, took your father away, and sent 
 me in his stead. The road thither, I confess, has been toil- 
 some and dreadful Ah me, I shudder at the thought ! 
 
 He emphasized his feelings by a true Spanish shrug of th 
 shoulders. 
 
 " This is a strange place," he next said. " Bow long hav 
 you been here ? " 
 , " I cannot say." 
 
 " Can you remember coming, and who brought youl" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " You must have been a baby." He looked at her witb 
 pity. " Have you never been elsewhere " 
 
 " No, never." 
 
 " Ah, by the Mother that keeps me ! Always here ! And 
 the sky, and sun, and stars, and all God's glory of nature, 
 seen in the valleys, mountains, and rivers, and seas, have 
 they been denied you, poor girl 1 
 
 " I have seen them all," she answered. 
 
 Where ? " 
 
 /' On the ceiling and walls." 
 
 He looked up at the former, and noticed its excellence of 
 representation. 
 
 " Very good, beautiful ! " he said, in the way of crit- 
 icism. " Who did the work ? " 
 " Quetzal'." 
 
 " And who is Quetzal' ? " 
 
 Who should know better than the god himself 1" 
 
 "Me?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Again he shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " My name, then, is Quetzal'. Now, what is yours 1 " 
 
 "TecetL" 
 
 " Well, then, Tecetl, let me undeceive you. In the first 
 place, I am not Quetzal', or any god. I am a man, as yout
 
 LIFE IN THE PABA'S WORLD. 407 
 
 father there was. My name is Orteguilla ; and for the time 
 I am page to the great king Montezuma. And before long, 
 if I live, and get out of this place, as I most devoutly pray, 
 I will be a soldier. In the next place you are a girl, and 
 soon will be a woman. You have been cheated of life. By 
 God's help, I will take you out of this. Do you understand 
 me?" 
 
 " No ; unless men and gods are the same." 
 
 " Heaven forbid ! " He crossed himself fervently. " Do 
 you not know what men are ? " 
 
 " All my knowledge of things is from the pictures on the 
 walls, and what else you see here." 
 
 " Jesu Christo ! " he cried, in open astonishment. " And 
 did the good man never tell you of the world outside, of 
 its creation, and its millions upon millions of people ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Of the world in which you may find the originals 
 f all that is painted on the walls, more beautiful than 
 colors can make them ? " 
 
 He received the same reply, but, still incredulous, went on. 
 
 " Who takes care of these plants ? " 
 
 "My father." 
 
 "A servant brings your food to the door may he do 
 BO again ! Have you not seen bjrn 1 " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Where does the oil that feeds the lamps come from 1 " 
 
 " From Quetzal'." 
 
 Just then a lamp went out. He arose hastily, and saw 
 that the contents of the cup were entirely consumed. 
 * Tecetl, is there plenty of oil ? Where do you keep it 1 
 Tell me." 
 
 " In a jar, there by the door. While you were asleep, I 
 refilled the cups, and now the jar is empty." 
 
 He turned pale. Who better than he knew the value of
 
 408 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 the liquid that saved them from the darkness so horribly 
 peopled by hunger and thirst 1 If exhausted, where could 
 they get more ? Without further question, he went through 
 the chamber, and collected the lamps, and put them all out 
 except one. Then he brought the jar from the door, and 
 poured the oil back, losing not a drop. 
 
 Tecetl remonstrated, and cried when she saw the darkness 
 invade the chamber, blotting out the walls, and driving the 
 birds to their perches, or to the fountain yet faintly illumi- 
 nated. But he was firm. 
 
 " Fie, fie ! " he said. " You should laugh, not cry. Did I 
 not tell you about the world above this, so great, and so full 
 of people, like ourselves ? And did I not promise to take 
 you there 1 I am come in your father's stead. Everything 
 must contribute to our escape. We must think of nothing 
 else. Do you understand? This- chamber is but one of 
 many, in a house big as a mountain, and full of passages in 
 which, if we get lost, we might wander days and days, and 
 then not get out, unless we had a light to show us the way. 
 So we must save the oil. When this supply gives out, as it 
 soon will if we are not careful, the darkness that so fright- 
 ens you will come and swallow us, and we shall die, as did 
 your father there." 
 
 The last suggestion sufficed ; she dried her tears, and drew 
 closer to him, as if to say, " I confide in you ; save me." 
 
 Nature teaches fear of death ; so that separation from the 
 breathless thing upon the couch was not like parting from 
 Mualox. Whether she touched his hand or looked in his 
 face now, " Go hence, go hence ! " was what she seemed to 
 hear. The stony repulsion that substituted his living love 
 reconciled her to the idea of leaving home, for such the 
 chamber had been to her. 
 
 Here I may as well confess the page began to do a great 
 deal of talking, a consequence, probably, of having a good
 
 LIFE IN THE PABA'S WORLD. 409 
 
 listener ; or he may have thought it a duty to teach all 
 that was necessary to prepare his disciple for life in the new 
 world. In the midst of a lecture, the tinkle of a bell 
 brought him to a hasty pause. 
 
 " Xow, Blessed Mother, now I am happy ! Thou hast 
 not forsaken me ! I shall see the sun again, and brave old 
 Spain. Live my heart ! " he cried, as the last tinkle trem- 
 bled, and died in the silence. 
 
 Seeing that she regarded him with surprise, he said, in 
 her tongue, " I was thanking the Mother, Tecetl. She will 
 save us both. Go now, and bring the breakfast, I say 
 breakfast, not knowing better, and while we eat I will 
 tell you why I am so glad. When you have heard me, you 
 will be glad as I am." 
 
 She went at once, and, coming back, found him bathing 
 his face and head in the water of the basin, a healthful 
 act, but not one to strengthen the idea of his godship. 
 She placed the tray upon the table, and helped him to 
 napkin and comb ; then they took places opposite each 
 other, with the lamp between them; whereupon she had 
 other proof of his kind of being ; for it is difficult to think 
 of a deity at table, eating. The Greeks felt the incongruity, 
 and dined their gods on nectar and ambrosia, leaving us to 
 imagine them partaken in some other than the ordinary, 
 vulgar way. Verily, Tecetl was becoming accustomed to the 
 stranger ! 
 
 And while they ate, he explained his plans, and talked of 
 the upper world, and described its wonders and people, 
 until, her curiosity aroused, she plied him with questions ; 
 and as point after point was given, we may suppose nature 
 asserted itself, and taught her, by what power there is in 
 handsome youth, with its bright eyes, smooth face, and 
 tongue more winsome than wise, that life in the said world 
 tfas a desirable exchange for the monotonous drifting to 
 18
 
 410 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 which she had been so long subjected. We may also sup- 
 pose that she was not slow to observe the difference between 
 Mualox and the page ; which was that between age and 
 youth, or, more philosophically, that between a creature to 
 be revered and a creature to be admired. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 
 
 stars at the foot of the last chapter I called in as 
 I an easy bridge by which to cross an interval of two 
 days, a trick never to be resorted to except when there is 
 nothing of interest to record, as was he case here. 
 
 Orteguilla occupied the interval very industriously, if not 
 pleasantly. He had in hand two tasks, one to instruct 
 Tecetl about the world to which he had vowed to lead her ; 
 the other to fix upon a plan of escape. The first he found 
 easy, the latter difficult ; yet he had decided, and his prepara- 
 tions for the attempt, sufficient, he thought, though simple, 
 lay upon the floor by the fountain. A lamp shed a dim light 
 over the scene. 
 
 " So, so, Tecetl : are we ready now ? " he asked. 
 
 " You are the master," she replied. 
 
 " Very good, I will be assured." 
 
 He went through a thorough inspection. 
 
 " Here are the paint and brush ; here the oil and lamp ; 
 here the bread and meat, and the calabash of water. So far, 
 good, very good. And here is the mat, very comfortable, 
 Tecetl, if you have to make your bed upon a stone in the 
 floor. Now, are we ready 1 "
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 411 
 
 " Yes, if you say so." 
 
 " Good again ! The Mother is with us. Courage ! You 
 shall see the sun and sky, or I am not a Spaniard. Listen, 
 now, and I will explain." 
 
 They took seats upon the bench, this time together ; foi 
 the strangeness was wellnigh gone, and they had come to 
 have an interest in a common purpose. 
 
 " You must know, then, that I have two reliances : first, 
 the man who brings the tray to the door ; next, the Blessed 
 Mother." 
 
 " I will begin with the first," he said, after a pause. " The 
 man is a slave, and, therefore, easy to impose upon. If he 
 is like his class, from habit, he asks no questions of his 
 superiors. Your father I speak from what you have told 
 me was thoughtful and dreamy, and spoke but little to 
 anybody, and seldom, if ever, to his servants. You are not 
 well versed in human nature ; one day, no doubt, you will 
 be ; then you will be able to decide whether I am right in 
 believing that the traits of master and slave, which I have 
 mentioned, are likely to help us. I carried your father's 
 body over to the corner yonder, you were asleep at the 
 time, and laid it upon the floor, as we Christians serve our 
 dead. I made two crosses, and put one upon his lips, the 
 other on his breast ; he will sleep all the better for them. 
 As you would have done, had you been present, I also cov- 
 ered him with flowers. One other thing I did." 
 
 He took a lamp, and was gone a moment. 
 
 " Here are your father's gown and hood," he said, com- 
 ing back. " I doubt whether they would sell readily in 
 the market. He will never need them again. I took them 
 to help save your life, a purpose for which he would 
 certainly have given them, had he been alive. I will put 
 them on." 
 
 He laid his bonnet on the bench ; then took off his boots,
 
 412 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 and put on the gown, a garment of coarse black manta, 
 loose in body and sleeves, and hanging nearly to the feet. 
 Tying the cord about his waist, and drawing the hood over 
 his head, he walked away a few steps, saying, 
 
 " Look at me, Tecetl. Your father was very old. Did he 
 stoop much 1 as much as this 1 " 
 
 He struck the good man's habitual posture, and, in a mo- 
 ment after, hie slow, careful gait. At the sight, she could 
 not repress her tears. 
 
 " What, crying again ! " he said. " I shall be ashamed of 
 you soon. If we fail, then you may cry, and I do not 
 know but that I will join you. People who weep much 
 cannot hear as they ought, and I want you to hear every 
 word. To go on, then : In this guise I mean to wait for 
 the old slave. When he lets the tray down, I will be 
 there to climb the ladder. He will see the hood and gown, 
 and think me his old master. He will not speak, nor will I. 
 He will let me get to his side, and then " 
 
 After reflection, he continued, 
 
 " Ah, Tecetl ! you know not what troubles women soma- 
 times are. Here am I now. How easy for me, in this 
 guise, to follow the slave out of the temple ! The most I 
 would have to do would be to hold my tongue. But you, 
 I cannot go and leave you ; the Sefior Hernan would not 
 forgive me, and I could not forgive myself. Nevertheless, 
 you are a trouble. For instance, when the slave sees you 
 with me, will he not be afraid, and runl or, to prevent 
 that, shall I not have to make him a prisoner? That 
 involves a struggle. I may have to fight him, to wound 
 him. I may get hurt myself, and then alas ! what would 
 become of us ? " 
 
 Again, he stopped, but at length proceeded, 
 
 " So much for that. Now for my other reliance, the 
 Blessed Lady. If the slave escapes me, you see, Tecetl, I muat
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 413 
 
 trust to what the infidels call Fortune, a wicked spirit, 
 sometimes good, sometimes bad. I mean we shall then have 
 to hunt the way out ourselves ; and, having already tried 
 that, I know what will happen. Hence these preparations. 
 With the paint, I will mark the corners we pass, that I may 
 know them again ; the lamp will enable me to see the marks 
 and keep the direction ; if we get hungry, here are bread and 
 meat, saved, as you know, from our meals ; if we get thirsty, 
 the calabash will be at hand. . That is what I call trusting 
 to ourselves ; yet the Blessed Mother enabled me to antici- 
 pate all these wants, and provide for them, as we have 
 done ; therefore I call her my reliance. Now you have my 
 plans. I said you were my trouble ; you cannot work, or 
 think, or fight ; yet there is something you can do. Tecetl, 
 you can be my pretty beadswoman. I see you do not know 
 what that is. I will explain. Take these beads." 
 
 While speaking, he took a string of them from his 
 neck. 
 
 " Take these beads, and begin now to say, ' Blessed 
 Mother, beautiful Mother, save us for Christ's sake.' Eepeat ! 
 Good ! " he said, his eyes sparkling. " I think the prayer 
 never sounded as sweetly before ; nor was there ever cavalier 
 with such a beadswoman. Again." 
 
 And again she said the prayer. 
 
 " Now," he said, " take the string in your own hand, 
 thus ; drop one bead, thus j and keep on praying, and 
 for every prayer drop one bead. Only think, Tecetl, how I 
 shall be comforted, as I go along the gloomy passages, to know- 
 that right behind me comes one, so lately a heathen but now 
 a Christian, at every step calling on the Mother. Who 
 knows but we shall be out and in the beautiful day before 
 the beads are twice counted 1 If so, then shall we know 
 that she cared for us ; and when we reach the palace we will 
 go to the chapel, with good Father Bartolom<$, and say the
 
 414 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 prayer together once for every bead on the string. So I 
 vow, and do you the same." 
 
 " So I vow," she said, with a pretty submission. 
 
 Then, by ropes fixed for the purpose, he raised the cala- 
 bash, and mat, and bundle of provisions, and swung them 
 lightly over his shoulders. Under his arm he took an earthen 
 vase filled with oil. 
 
 "Let us to the door now. The slave should be there. 
 Before we start, look around : you are leaving this place 
 forever." 
 
 The thought went to her heart. 
 
 " O my birds ! What will become of them ? " 
 
 " Leave them to God," he replied, laconically. 
 
 There were tears and sobs, in the midst of which he 
 started off, lamp in hand. She gave a look to the fountain, 
 within the circle of whose voice nearly all her years had 
 been passed. In her absence, it would play and sing, would 
 go on as of old ; but in her absence who would be there to 
 see and hear 1 In the silence and darkness it would live, 
 but nevermore for her. 
 
 And she looked to the corner of the chamber where Orte- 
 guilla had carried the body of the paba. Her tears attested 
 her undiminished affection for him. The recollection of his 
 love outlived the influence of his Will. His World was 
 being abandoned, having first become a tomb, capacious and 
 magnificent, his tomb. But Quetzal' had not come. 
 Broken are thy dreams, Mualox, wasted thy wealth of 
 devotion ! Yet, at this parting, thou hast tears, first 
 and last gift of Love, the sweetest of human principles, 
 and the strongest, stronger than the Will ; for if the lat- 
 ter cannot make God of a man, the former can take him 
 to God. 
 
 And while she looked, came again the bird of the breast 
 of purple and wings of snow, which she placed in her bosom ;
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 415 
 
 tb*m she followed the page, saying, trustfully, "0 Blessed 
 Mother, beautiful Mother, save us for Christ's sake ! " 
 
 Outside the curtain door he deposited his load, and care- 
 fully explained to Tecetl the use of the ladder. Then he 
 placed a stool for her. 
 
 " Sit now ; you can do nothing more. Everything de- 
 pends on the slave : if he behaves well, we shall have no 
 need of these preparations, and they may be left here. But 
 whether he behave well or ill, remember this, Tecetl, cease 
 not to pray ; forget not the beads." 
 
 And so saying, he tossed a stout cord up through the 
 trap ; then, leaving the lamp below, he clomb to the floor 
 above. His anxiety may be imagined. Fortunately, the 
 waiting was not long. Through the gallery distantly he saw 
 a light, which praise to the Mother ! came his way. He 
 descended the ladder. 
 
 " He comes, and is alone. Be of cheer, Tecetl ; be of 
 iheer, and pray. if the Mother but stay with us 
 >ow ! " 
 
 Faster fell the beads. 
 
 When the sound of footsteps overhead announced the ar- 
 Jval of the slave, Orteguilla put his dagger between his 
 teeth, drew the hood over his head, and began to ascend. 
 He dared not look up ; he trusted in the prayers of the little 
 beadswoman, and clomb on. 
 
 His head reached the level of the floor, and with the trap 
 gaping wide around, he knew himself under the man's eyes. 
 Another moment, and his hand was upon the floor ; slowly 
 he raised himself clear of the rope ; he stood up, then turned 
 to the slave, and saw him to be old, and feeble, and almost 
 naked ; the lamp was on his forehead, the tray at his feet ; 
 his face was downcast, his posture humble. The Spaniard's 
 blood leaped exultantly ; nevertheless, carefully and deliber- 
 ately, as became his assumed character, he moved to one side
 
 416 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 of the passage, to clear the way to the trap. The servant 
 accepted the movement, and without a word took the lamp 
 from his head, crossed the great stone, fixed the ropes, and 
 stooped to lower the tray. 
 
 Orteguilla had anticipated everything, even this action, 
 which gave him his supreme advantage ; so he picked up 
 the cord lying near, and stepped to the old man's side. 
 When the tray was landed below, the latter raised him- 
 self upon his knees ; in an instant the cord was around 
 his body ; before he understood the assault, escape was im- 
 possible. 
 
 Orteguilla, his head yet covered by the hood, said calmly, 
 " Be quiet, and you are safe." 
 
 The man looked up, and replied, " I am the paba's servant 
 now, even as I was when a youth. I have done no wrong, 
 and am not afraid." 
 
 " I want you to live. Only move not." 
 
 Then the page called, " Tecetl ! Tecetl ! " 
 
 " Here," she answered. 
 
 " Try, now, to come up. Be careful lest you falL If 
 you need help, tell me." 
 
 " What shall I do with the bread and meat, and " 
 
 "Leave them. The Mother has been with us. Come 
 up." 
 
 The climbing was really a sailor's feat, and difficult for 
 her ; finally, she raised her head through the trap. At the 
 sight, the slave shrank back, as if to run. Orteguilla spoke 
 to him. 
 
 "Be not afraid of the child. I have raised her to help 
 me take care of the temple. We are going to the chapel 
 now." 
 
 The man turned to him curiously ; possibly he detected 
 a strange accent under the hood. When, on her part, Tecetl 
 saw him, she stopped, full of wonder as of fear. Old and
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 417 
 
 ugly as he was, he yet confirmed the page's story, and brought 
 the new world directly to her. So a child stops, and regards 
 the first person met at the door of a strange house, at- 
 tracted, curious, afraid. 
 
 " Come on," said Orteguilla. 
 
 She raised her hand overhead, and held up the bird with 
 the white wings. 
 i " Take it," she said. 
 
 Used as he was to wonderful things in connection with 
 his old master, the servant held hack. A girl and a bird 
 *rom the cells, a mystery, indeed 1 
 
 " Take it," said Orteguilla. 
 
 He did so ; whereupon the page assisted her to the floor. 
 
 " We are almost there, almost," he said, cheerfully. 
 " Have you kept count of the prayers 1 Let me see the 
 beads." 
 
 She held out the rosary. 
 
 " Ten beads more, ten prayers yet. The Mother is with 
 us. Courage ! " 
 
 Then of the slave he asked, 
 
 " How is the day without ? " 
 
 " There is not a cloud in the sky." 
 
 " Is it morning or evening 1 " 
 
 " About midday." 
 
 "Is the city quiet?" 
 
 " I cannot say." 
 
 " Very well Give the girl her bird, and lead to the court- 
 yard." 
 
 And they started, the slave ahead, held in check by the 
 cord in the Spaniard's hand. The light was faint and un- 
 steady. Once they ascended a flight of steps, and twice 
 changed direction. When the page saw the many cells on 
 either side, and the number of intersecting passages, all equal 
 in height and width, and bounded by the same walls of
 
 418 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 rough red stone, he understood how he became lost; and 
 with a shuddering recollection of his wanderings through 
 the great house, he could not sufficiently thank the Provi- 
 dence that was now befriending him. 
 
 They clomb yet another stairway, and again changed di- 
 rection ; after that, a little farther walk, and Orteguilla 
 caught sight of a doorway penetrated by a pure white light, 
 which he recognized as day. Words cannot express his 
 emotion ; his spirit could hardly be controlled ; he would 
 have shouted, sung, danced, anything to relieve himself 
 of this oppression of happiness. But he thought, if he were 
 out of the temple, he would not yet be out of danger ; that 
 he had to make way, by the great street from which he 
 had been driven, to the quarters of his friends, before he 
 could promise himself rest and safety ; the disguise was the 
 secret of his present good-fortune, and must help him further. 
 So he restrained himself, saying to Tecetl, 
 
 " For the time, cease your prayers, little one. The world 
 I promised to bring you to is close by. I see the daylight." 
 
 There was indeed a door into the patio, or court-yard, of 
 the temple. Under the lintel the page lingered a moment, 
 the court was clear. Then he gave the cord into the ser- 
 vant's hand, with the usual parting salutation, and stepped 
 once more into the air, fresh with the moisture of the lake and 
 the fragrance of the valley. He looked to the sky, blue as 
 ever ; and through its serenity, up sped his grateful Ave Maria. 
 In the exulting sense of rescue, he forgot all else, and was well 
 across the court to the steps leading to the azoteas, when he 
 thought of Tecetl. He looked back, and did not see her ; 
 he ran to the door ; she was there. The bird had fallen to 
 the floor, and was fluttering blindly about ; her hands were 
 pressed hard over her face. 
 
 " What ails you 1 " he asked, petulantly. " This is not a 
 time to halt and cry. Come on,"
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 419 
 
 " I cannot " 
 
 " Cannot ! Give me your hand." 
 
 He led her through the door, under the colonnade, out into 
 the court. 
 
 " Look up, Tecetl, look up ! See the sky, drink the air. 
 You are free ! " 
 
 She uncovered her eyes ; they filled as with fiery arrows. 
 She screamed, staggered as if struck, and cried, "Where 
 ore you 1 I am lost, I am blind ! " 
 
 "0 Madre de Dios ! " said Orteguilla, comprehending the 
 calamity, and all its inconveniences to her and himself. 
 "Help me, most miserable of wretches, help me to a little 
 wisdom ! " 
 
 To save her from falling, he had put his arm around her ; 
 and as they stood thus, she the picture of suffering, and he 
 overwhelmed by perplexity, help from any quarter would 
 have been welcome ; had the slave been near, he might have 
 abandoned her ; but aid there was not. So he led her tender- 
 ly to the steps, and seated her. 
 
 " How stupid," he said in Spanish, " how stupid not to 
 think of this ! If, the moment I was born, they had carried 
 me out to take a look at the sun, shining as he is here, I 
 would have been blinder than any beggar on the Prado, 
 blinder than tne Bernardo of whom I have heard Don 
 Pedro tell. My nurse was a sensible woman." 
 
 Debating what to do, he looked at Tecetl ; and for the 
 first time since she had come out of the door, he noticed 
 her dress, simply a cotton chemise, a skirt of the same 
 Teaching below the knees, a blue sash around the waist, 
 - very simple, but very clean. He noticed, also, the exceed- 
 ing delicacy of her person, the transparency of her complex- 
 ion, the profusion of her hair, which was brown in the sun. 
 Finally, he observed the rosary. 
 
 " She is not clad according to the laws which govern high-
 
 420 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 born ladies over the water; yet she is beautiful, and by 
 the Mother ! she is a Christian. Enough. By God's love, I, 
 who taught her to pray, will save her, though I die. Help 
 me, all the saints ! " 
 
 He adjusted the hood once more, and, stooping, said, in 
 Ms kindliest tone, "Pshaw, Tecetl, you 1 are not blind. The 
 light of the sun is so much stronger than that of your lamps 
 that your eyes could not bear it. Cheer up, cheer up ! And 
 now put your arm around my neck. I will carry you to 
 the top of these steps. We cannot stay here." 
 
 She stretched out her arms. 
 
 " Hark ! " he cried. " What is that ? " 
 
 He stood up and listened. The air above the temple 
 seemed full of confused sounds ; now resembling the distant 
 roar of the sea, now the hum of insects, now the yells of 
 men. 
 
 " Jesu / I know that sound. There, there ! " 
 
 He listened again. Through the soaring, muffled din, 
 came another report, as of thunder below the horizon. 
 
 " It is the artillery ! By the mother that bore me, the 
 guns of Mesa ! " 
 
 The words of Io', spoken in Xoli's portico, came back to 
 him. 
 
 " Battle ! As I live, they are fighting on the street ! " 
 
 And he, too, sat down, listening, thinking. How was h 
 to get to his countrymen ? 
 
 The sounds overhead continued, at intervals intensified 
 by the bellowing guns. Battle has a fascination which 
 draws men as birds are said to be drawn by serpents. They 
 listen ; then wish to see ; lingering upon the edge, they catch 
 its spirit, and finally thrill with fierce delight to find them- 
 selves within the heat and fury of its deadly circle. The 
 page knew the feeling then. To see the fight was an over 
 mastering desire.
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 421 
 
 " Tecetl, poor child, you are better now ? " 
 
 " I dare not open my eyes." 
 
 " "Well, I will see for you. Put your arms around my 
 neck." 
 
 And with that, he carried her up the steps. All the time, 
 he gave ear to the battle. 
 
 " Listen, Tecetl ; hear that noise ! A battle is going on 
 out in the street, and seems to be coming this way. I 
 will lead you into the chapel here, a holy place, so your 
 father would have said. In the shade, perhaps, you can 
 find relief." 
 
 " How pleasant the air is ! " she said, as they entered. 
 
 " Yes, and there is Quetzal'," he pointed to the idol, 
 ( ' and here the step before the altar upon which, I venture, 
 your father spent half his life in worship. Sit, and rest 
 until I return." 
 
 " Do not leave me," she said. 
 
 " A little while only. I must see the fight. Some good 
 may come of it, who knows ? Be patient ; I will not 
 leave you." 
 
 He went to the door. The sounds were much louder and 
 nearer. All the air above the city apparently was filled 
 with them. Amongst the medley, he distinguished the 
 yells of men and peals of horns. Shots were frequent, and 
 now and then came the heavy, pounding report of cannon. 
 He had been at Tabasco, at Tzimpantzinco, and in the three 
 pitched battles in Tlascala, and was familiar with what he 
 heard. 
 
 " How they fight ! " he said to himself. " Don Pedro is 
 a good sword and brave gentlemen, but ah ! if the Senor 
 Hernan were there, I should feel better : he is a good 
 sword, brave gentleman, and wise general, also. Heaven 
 fights for him. Ill betide Narvaez I Why could he not 
 have put off bis coming until the city was reduced 1 Jeu 1
 
 422 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The sounds come this way now. Victory ! The guns have 
 quit, the infidels fly, on their heels ride the cavaliers. 
 Victory ! " 
 
 And so, intent upon the conflict, insensibly he approached 
 the front of the temple, before described as one great 
 stairway. On the topmost step he paused. A man look- 
 ing at him from the street below would have said, "It 
 is only a paba " ; and considering, further, that he was a 
 paba serving the forsaken shrine, he would have passed by 
 without a second look. 
 
 What he looked down upon was a broad street, crowded 
 with men, not citizens, but warriors, and warriors in such 
 splendor of costume that he was fairly dazzled. Their 
 movement suggested a retreat, whereat pride dashed his eyes 
 with the spray of tears ; he dared not shout. 
 
 More and more eagerly he listened to the coming tumult. 
 At last, finding the attraction irresistible, he descended the 
 steps. 
 
 The enemy were not in rout. They moved rapidly, 
 but in ranks extending the width of the street, and per- 
 fectly ordered. The right of their column swept by the 
 Spaniard almost within arm's reach. He heard the breath- 
 ing of the men, saw their arms, their shields of quilted 
 cotton, embossed with brass ; their armor, likewise of 
 quilted cotton, but fire-red with the blood of the cochineal ; 
 he saw their musicians, drummers, and conch-blowers, the 
 latter making a roar ragged and harsh, and so loud that 
 a groan or death-shriek could not be heard ; he saw, too, 
 their chiefs, with helms richly plumed or grotesquely 
 adorned with heads of wild animals, with escaupiles of 
 plumage, gorgeous as hues of sunset, with lances and ma- 
 quahuitls, and shields of bison-hide or burnished silver, 
 mottoed and deviced, like those of Christians ; amongst 
 them, also, ha saw pabas, bareheaded, without arms, frocked
 
 THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 42? 
 
 like himself, singing wild hymns, or chanting wilder 
 epics, or shouting names of heroic gods, or blessing the 
 brave and cursing the craven, the Sun for the one, Mict- 
 lan for the other. The seeing all these things, it must be 
 remembered, was very different from their enumeration; 
 but a glance was required. 
 
 The actual struggle, as he knew, was at the rear of the 
 passing column. In fancy he could see horsemen plunging 
 through the ranks, plying sword, lance, and battle-axe. And 
 nearer they came. He could tell by the signs, as well as the 
 sounds ; by the files beginning to crowd each other ; by the 
 chiefs laboring to keep their men from falling into confused 
 masses. At length the bolt of a cross-bow, striking a man, 
 fell almost at his feet. Only the hand of a Spaniard could 
 have launched the missile. 
 
 " They come, they are almost here ! " he thought, and 
 then, " Madre de Dios ! If they drive the infidels past 
 this temple, I am saved. And they wilL Don Pedro's 
 blood is up, and in pursuit he thinks of nothing but to slay, 
 slay. They will come ; they are coming ! There Jem 
 Christo I That was a Christian shout ! " 
 
 The cross-bow bolts now came in numbers. The warriors 
 protected themselves by holding their shields over the 
 shoulder behind ; yet some dropped, and were trampled 
 under foot. Orteguilla was himself in danger, but his sus- 
 pense was so great that he thought only of escape; each 
 bolt was a welcome messenger, with tidings from friends. 
 
 The column, meantime, seemed to become more disordered ; 
 finally, its formation disappeared utterly; chiefs and war- 
 riors were inextricably mixed together ; the conch-blowers 
 blew hideously, but could not altogether drown the yelk of 
 the fighting men. 
 
 Directly the page saw a rush, a parting in the crowd as 
 of waters before a ship ; scores of dark faces, each a picture
 
 424 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 of dismay, turned suddenly to look back ; he also looked, 
 and over the heads and upraised shields, half obscured by a 
 shower of stones and arrows, he saw a figure which might 
 well have been taken for the fiend of slaughter, a horse and 
 rider, in whose action there were a correspondence and unity 
 that made them for the time one fighting animal. A front- 
 leted head, tossed up for a forward plunge, was what he saw 
 of the horse ; a steel-clad form, swinging a battle-axe with 
 the regularity of a machine, now to the right, now to the 
 left of the horse's neck, was all he saw of the rider. He 
 fell upon his knees, muttering what he dared not shout, 
 " Don Pedro, brave gentleman ! I am saved ! I am saved I " 
 Instantly he sprang to his feet. "0 my God! Tecetl, I 
 had almost forgotten her ! " 
 
 He climbed the steps again fast as the gown would 
 permit. 
 
 " My poor girl, come ; the Mother offers us rescue. Can 
 you not see a little 1 " 
 
 She smiled faintly, and replied, " I cannot say. I have 
 tried to look at Quetzal' here. He was said to be very beau- 
 tiful ; my father always so described him ; but this thing ia 
 ugly. I fear I cannot see." 
 
 "It is a devil's image, Tecetl, a devil's image, Satan 
 himself," said the page, vehemently. " Let him not lose us a 
 moment ; for each one is of more worth to us than the gold 
 on his shield there. If you cannot see, give me your hand. 
 Come ! " 
 
 He led her to the steps. The infidels below seemed to have 
 held their ground awhile, fighting desperately. Eight or ten 
 horsemen were driving them, though slowly ; if one was 
 struck down, another took his place. The street was dusty as' 
 with the sweeping of a whirlwind. Under the yellow cloud 
 lay the dead and wounded. The air was alive with missiles, 
 of which some flew above the temple, others dashed against
 
 THE ANOEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN. 425 
 
 the steps. It looked like madness to go down into such a 
 vortex ; but there was no other chance. What moment Don 
 Pedro might tire of killing no one could tell ; whenever he 
 did, the recall would be sounded. 
 
 " What do I hear ? What dreadful sounds ! " said Tecetl, 
 shrinking from the tumult. 
 
 " Battle," he answered ; " and what that is I have not 
 time to tell ; we must go down and see." 
 
 He waited until the fighting was well past the front of 
 the old Cu, leaving a space behind the cavaliers clear of all 
 save those who might never fight again ; then he threw back 
 the hood, loosed the cord from his waist, and flung the dis- 
 guise from him. 
 
 " Now, my pretty beadswoman, now is the time ! Begin 
 the prayer again : ' Mother, beautiful Mother, save us for 
 Christ's sake ! ' Keep the count with one hand ; put the 
 other about my neck. Life or death, now we go ! " 
 
 He carried her down the steps. Over a number of 
 wounded wretches who had dragged themselves, half dead, 
 out of the blood and trample, he crossed the pavement. A 
 horseman caught sight of him, and rode to his side, and 
 lifted the battle-axe. 
 
 " Hold, Sefior ! I am Orteguilla. Viva Espana!" 
 
 The axe dropped harmless ; up went the visor. 
 
 " In time, boy, in time ! An instant more, and thy soul 
 had been in Paradise," cried Alvarado, laughing heartily. 
 " What hast thou there ? Something from the temple ? 
 But stay not to answer. To the rear, fast as thy legs 
 can carry thee ! Faster ! Put the baggage down. We 
 are tired of the slaughter ; but for thy sake, we will push 
 the dogs a little farther. Begone ! Or stay ! Arrows are 
 thicker here than curses in hell, and thou hast no armor. 
 Take my shield, which I have not used to-day. Now l>e 
 off!"
 
 426 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Orteguilla set the girl upon her feet, took the shield, 
 and proceeded to buckle it upon his arm, while Alvarado 
 rode into the fight again. A moment more, and he would 
 have protected her with the good steel wall. Before ho 
 could complete the preparation, he heard a cry, quick, shrill, 
 and sharp, that seemed to pierce his ear like a knife, the 
 cry by which one in battle announces himself death-struck, 
 
 the cry once heard, never forgotten. He raised the shield, 
 
 too late ; she reeled and fell, dragging him half down. 
 
 " What ails thee now 1 " he cried, in Spanish, forgetting 
 himself. " What ails thee ? Hast thou looked at the sun 
 
 He lifted her head upon his knee. 
 
 " Mother of Christ, she is slain ! " he cried, in horror. 
 
 An arrow descending had gone through her neck to the 
 heart. The blood gushed from her mouth. He took her 
 in his arms, and carried her to the steps of the temple. As 
 he laid her down, she tried to speak, but failed ; then she 
 opened her eyes wide : the light poured into them as into 
 the windows of an empty house ; the soul was gone ; she 
 was dead. 
 
 In so short a space habitant of three worlds, when was 
 there the like ? 
 
 From the peace of the old chamber to the din of battle, 
 from the din of battle to the calm of paradise, brief 
 time, short way ! 
 
 ' From the sinless life to the sinful she had come ; from 
 the sinful life sinless she had gone ; and in the going what 
 fulness of the mercy of God ! 
 
 I cannot say the Spaniard loved her ; most likely his feel- 
 ing was the simple affection we all have for things gentle and 
 helpless, a bird, a lamb, a child ; now, however, he knelt 
 over her with tears ; and as he did so, he saw the rosary, 
 and that all the beads but one were wet with her blood. He
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF. BATTLE. 427 
 
 took the string from the slender neck and laid her head 
 upon the stone, and thought the unstained bead was for a 
 prayer uncounted, a prayer begun on earth and finished 
 in heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF. BATTLE. 
 
 " "rnrOW now, thou here yet? In God's name, what 
 
 I 1 madness hast thou ] Up, idiot ! up, and fly, or in 
 mercy I will slay thee here ! " 
 
 As he spoke, Alvarado touched Orteguilla with the handle 
 of his axe. The latter sprang up, alarmed. 
 
 " Mira, Senor I She is just dead. I could not leave het 
 dying. I had a vow." 
 
 The cavalier looked at the dead girl ; his heart soft- 
 ened. 
 
 " I give thee honor, lad, I give thee honor. Hadst thou 
 ieft her living, shame would have been to thee forever. But 
 waste not time in maudlin. Hell's spawn is loose." With 
 Jtaised visor, he stood in his stirrups. " See, far as eye can 
 ireach, the street is full ! And hark to their yells ! Here, 
 mount behind me \ we must go at speed." 
 
 The infidels, faced about, were coming back. The page 
 gave them one glance, then caught the hand reached out 
 to him, and placing his foot on the captain's swung 
 himself behind. At a word, up the street, over the bridges, 
 by the palaces and temples, the horsemen galloped. The 
 detachment, at the head of which they had sallied from 
 the palace, gunners, arquebusiers, and cross-bowmen, 
 had been started in return some time before ; upon over- 
 taking them, Alvarado rode to a broad-shouldered fellow,
 
 428 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 whose grizzly beard overflowed the chin-piece of his mo- 
 rion : 
 
 " Ho, Mesa ! the hounds we followed so merrily were only 
 feigning ; they have turned upon us. Do thou take the rear, 
 with thy guns. "We will to the front, and cut a path to the 
 gate. Follow closely." 
 
 " Doubt not, captain. I know the trick. I caught it in' 
 Italy." 
 
 " Cierto I What thou knowest not about a gun is not 
 worth the knowing," Alvarado said ; then to the page, " Dis- 
 mount, lad, and take place with these. "What we have ahead 
 may require free man and free horse. Picaro I If anybody 
 is killed, thou hast permission to use his arms. What say 
 ye, companeros mios ? " he cried, facing the detachment. 
 " What say ye ? Here I bring one whom we thought roasted 
 and eaten by the cannibals in the temples. Either he hath 
 escaped by miracle, or they are not judges of bones good 
 to mess upon. He is without arms. Will ye take care of 
 him? I leave him my shield. Will ye take care of that 
 also ] " 
 
 And Najerra, the hunchback, replied, " The shield we 
 will take, Senor ; but " 
 
 " But what ? " 
 
 " Senor, may a Christian lawfully take what the infidels 
 have refused 1 " 
 
 And they looked at Orteguilla, and laughed roundly, 
 the bold, confident adventurers ; in the midst of the jollity, 
 however, down the street came a sound deeper than that of i 
 the guns, a sound of abysmal depth, like thunder, but 
 without its continuity, a divided, throbbing sound, such 
 as has been heard in the throat of a volcano. Alvarado 
 threw up his visor. 
 
 " What now ? " asked Serrano, first to speak. 
 
 " One, two, three, I have it ! " the captain replied,
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF. BATTLE. 429 
 
 " Count ye the strokes, one, two, three. By the bones of 
 the saints, the drum in the great temple ! Forward, com- 
 rades ! Our friends are in peril ! If they are lost, so are 
 we. Forward, in Christ's name ! " 
 
 Afterwards they became familiar with the sound; but 
 now, heard the first time in battle, every man of them was 
 affected. They moved off rapidly, and there was no jesting, 
 none of the grim wit with which old soldiers sometimes 
 cover the nervousness preceding the primary plunge into a 
 doubtful fight. 
 
 " Close the files. Be ready ! " shouted Serrano. 
 
 And ready they were, matches lighted, steel-cords full 
 drawn. Every drum-beat welded them a firmer unit. 
 
 The roar of the combat in progress around the palace had 
 been all the time audible to the returning party ; now they 
 beheld the teocallis covered with infidels, and the street 
 blockaded with them, while a cloud of smoke, slowly rising 
 and slowly fading, bespoke the toils and braveries of the 
 defence enacting under its dun shade. Suddenly, Alvarado 
 stood in his stirrups, 
 
 " Ola ! what have we here 1 " 
 
 A body of Aztecs, in excellent order, armed with spears of 
 unusual length, and with a front that swept the street from 
 wall to wall, was marching swiftly to meet him. 
 
 " There is wood enough in those spears to build a ship," 
 eaid a horseman. 
 
 A few steps on another spoke, 
 
 " If I may be allowed, S^Sor, I suggest that Mesa be called 
 up to play upon them awhile." , 
 
 But Alvarado's spirit rose. 
 
 " ISTo ; there is an enemy fast coming behind us ; turn thy 
 ear in that direction, and thou mayest hear them already. "We 
 cannot wait. Battle-axe and horse first; if they fail, then 
 the guns. Look to girth and buckle ! "
 
 430 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Rode they then without halt or speech until the space be- 
 tween them and the coming line was not more than forty 
 yards. 
 
 " Are ye ready ? " asked Alvarado, closing his visor. 
 
 " Ready, Senor." 
 
 " Axes, then ! Follow me. Forward ! Christo y Santi- 
 ago 1" 
 
 At the last word, the riders loosed reins, and standing in 
 their stirrups bent forward over the saddle-bow, as well to 
 guard the horse as to discover points of attack ; each poised 
 his shield to protect his breast and left side, the axe and 
 right arm would take care of the right side ; each took up 
 the cry, Christo y Santiago ; then, like pillars of iron on 
 steeds of iron, they charged. From the infidels one answer- 
 ing yell, and down they sank, each upon his knee; and 
 thereupon, the spears, planted on the ground, presented a 
 front so bristling that leader less reckless than Alvarado 
 would have stopped in mid-career. Forward, foremost in the 
 charge, he drove, right upon the brazen points, a score or 
 more of which rattled against his mail or that of his steed, 
 and glanced harmlessly, or were dashed aside by the axe 
 whirled from right to left with wonderful strength and skill. 
 Something similar happened to each of his followers. A 
 moment of confusion, man and beast in furious action, 
 clang of blows, splintering of wood, and battle-cries, then 
 two results : the Christians were repulsed, and that before 
 the second infidel rank had been reached ; and while they 
 were in amongst the long spears, fencing and striking, clear 
 above the medley of the mGlee they heard a shout, Al- 
 a-lala ! Al-a-lala ! Alvarado looked that way ; looked 
 through the yellow shafts and brazen points. Brief time 
 had he ; yet he beheld and recognized the opposing leader. 
 Behind the kneeling ranks he stood, without trappings, 
 without a shield even; a maquahuitl, edged with liint,
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF. BATTLE. 431 
 
 sharp as glass, hard as steel, was his only weapon ; behind 
 him appeared an irregular mass of probably half a thou- 
 sand men, unarmed and almost naked. Even as the good 
 captain looked, the horde sprang forward, and by press- 
 ing between the files of spearmen, or leaping panther-like 
 over their shoulders, gained the front. There they rushed 
 upon the horsemen, entangled amidst the spears, to cap- 
 ture, not slay them ; for, by the Aztec code of honor, the 
 measure of a warrior's greatness was the number of prisoners 
 he brought out of battle, a present to the gods, not the num- 
 ber of foemen he slew. The rush was like that of wolves 
 upon a herd of deer. First to encounter a Christian was the 
 chief. The exchange of blows was incredibly quick. The 
 horse reared, plunged blindly, then rolled upon the ground ; 
 the flinty maquahuitl, surer than the axe, had broken its 
 leg. A cry, sharpened by mortal terror, a Spanish cry 
 for help, in the Mother's name. Christians and infidels 
 looked that way, and from the latter burst a jubilant 
 
 yell, 
 
 " The 'tzin ! The 'tzin ! " 
 
 The successful leader stooped, and wrenched the shield 
 from the fallen man ; then he swung the maquahuitl twice, 
 and brought it down on the mailed head of the horse : the 
 weapon broke in pieces ; the steed lay still forever. 
 
 Now, Alvarado was not the man to let the cry of a comrade 
 go unheeded. 
 
 " Turn, gentlemen ! One of us is down ; hear ye not the 
 name of Christ and the Mother 1 To the rescue ! Charge ! 
 Christo y Santiago ! " 
 
 Forward the brave men spurred ; the spears closed around 
 them as before, while the unarmed foe, encouraged by the 
 tzin's achievement, redoubled their efforts to drag them from 
 their saddles. In disregard of blows, given fast as skilled 
 hands could rise and fall, seme flung themselves upon the
 
 432 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 legs and necks of the horses, where they seemed to cling 
 after the axe had spattered their brains or the hoofs crushed 
 their bones ; some caught the bridle-reins, and hung to them 
 full weight ; others struggled with the riders directly, haul- 
 ing at them, leaping behind them, catching sword-arm and 
 shield ; and so did the peril finally grow that the Christians 
 were forced to give up the rescue, the better to take care of 
 themselves. 
 
 " God's curses upon the dogs ! " shouted Alvarado, in fury 
 at sight of the Spaniard dragged away. "Back, some 
 of ye, who can, to Serrano 1 Bid him advance. Quick, 
 or we, too, are lost ! " 
 
 No need; Serrano was coming. To the very spears ho 
 advanced, and opened with cross-bow and arquebus ; yet the 
 infidels remained firm. Then the dullest of the Christians 
 discerned the 'tzin's strategy, and knew well, if the line in 
 front of them were not broken before the companies coming 
 up the street closed upon their rear, they were indeed lost. 
 So at the word, Mesa came, his guns charged to the muzzles. 
 To avoid his own people, he sent one piece to the right of 
 the centre of combat, and the other to the left, and trained 
 both to obtain the deepest lines of cross-fire. The effect 
 was indescribable ; yet the lanes cloven through the kneel- 
 ing ranks were instantly refilled. 
 
 The 'tzin became anxious. 
 
 " Look, Hualpa ! " he said. " The companies should be up 
 by this time. Can you see them 1 " 
 
 " The smoke is too great ; I cannot see." 
 
 Some of his people attacking the horsemen began to 
 retreat behind the spearmen. He caught up the axe of 
 the Spaniard, and ran where the smoke was most blinding. 
 In a moment he was at the front ; clear, inspiring, joyous 
 even, rose his cry. He rushed upon a bowman, caught him 
 in his arms, and bore him off with aii nis armor on, A
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF. BATTLE. 433 
 
 handred ready hands seized the unfortunate. Again the 
 cry, 
 
 " The 'tzin ! The 'tzin ! " 
 
 " Another victim for the gods ! " he answered. " Hold 
 fast, my countrymen ! Behind the strangers come the 
 companies. Do what I say, and Anahuac shall live." 
 
 At his word, they arose ; at his word again, they advanced, 
 with levelled spears. Faster the missiles smote them ; the 
 horsemen raged ; each Spaniard felt, unless that line were 
 broken his doom was come. Alvarado fought, never thinking 
 of defence. The bowmen and arquebusiers recoiled. Twice 
 Mesa drew back his guns. Finally, Don Pedro outdid him- 
 self, and broke the fence of spears ; his troop followed him ; 
 right and left they plunged, killing at every step. At places, 
 the onset of the infidels slackened, halted ; then the ranks 
 began to break into small groups ; at last, they dropped their 
 arms, and fairly fled, bearing the 'tzin away in the mighty 
 press for life. At their backs rode the vengeful horsemen, and 
 behind the horsemen, over the dead and. shrieking wretches, 
 moved Serrano and Mesa. 
 
 And to the very gates of the palace the fight continued 
 A ship in its passage displaces a body of water ; behind, 
 however, follows an equal reflux : so with the Christians, 
 except that the masses who closed in upon their rear out- 
 numbered those they put to rout in front. Their rapid 
 movement had the appearance of flight ; on the other hand, 
 that of the infidels had the appearance of pursuit. The 
 sortie was not ag'ain repeated. 
 
 ***** 
 
 Seven days the assault went on, a week of fighting, in- 
 termitted only at night, under cover of which the Aztecs 
 carried off their dead and wounded, the former to the lake, 
 the latter to the hospitals. Among the Christians some there 
 were who had seen grand wars ; some had even served under 
 19 BB
 
 434 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 / the Great Captain : but, as they freely averred, never had, 
 they seen such courage, devotion, and endurance, sucn in 
 difference to wounds and death, as here. At times, the. 
 struggle was hand to hand ; then, standing upon their point 
 of honor, the infidels perished by scores in vain attempts to 
 take alive whom they might easily have slain ; and this it 
 was, this fatal point of honor, more than superiority in 
 any respect, that made great battles so bloodless to the Span- 
 iards. Still, nearly all of the latter were wounded, a few 
 disabled, and seven killed outright. Upon the Tlascalans 
 the losses chiefly fell ; hundreds of them were killed ; hun- 
 dreds more lay wounded in the chambers of the palace. 
 
 The evening of the seventh day, the 'tzin, standing on the 
 western verge of the teocallis, from which he had constantly 
 directed the assault, saw coming the results which could 
 alone console him for the awfui sacrifice of his countrymen. 
 The yells of the Tlascalans were not as defiant as formerly ; 
 the men of iron, the Christians, were seen to sink wearily 
 down at their posts, and sleep, despite the tumult of the 
 battle ; the guns were more slowly and carefully served ; and 
 whereas, before Cortes departure there had been three meals 
 a day, now there were but two : the supply of provisions 
 was failing. The ancient house, where constructed of wood, 
 showed signs of demolition ; fuel was becoming scant. 
 Where the garrison obtained its supply of water was a mar- 
 vel. He had not then heard of what Father Bartolome after- 
 wards celebrated as a miracle of Christ, the accidental find* 
 ing of a spring in the middle of the garden. 
 
 Then the assault was discontinued, and a blockade estab- 
 lished. Another week, during which nothing entered the 
 gates of the palace to sustain man or beast. Then there waa 
 but one meal a day, and the sentinels on the walls began to 
 Bhow the effect. 
 
 One day the main gate opened, and a wonan and a man
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF. BATTLE. 435 
 
 came out. The 'tzin descended from his perch to meet them. 
 At the foot of the steps they knelt to him, the princess 
 Tula and the prince Io'. 
 
 " See, O 'tzin," said the princess, " see the king's signet. 
 We bring you a message from him. He has not wherewith 
 to supply his table. Yesterday he was hungry. He bids 
 you re-open the market, aud send of the tributes of the prov- 
 inces without stint, all that is his kingly right." 
 
 "And if I fail ? " asked Guatamozin. 
 
 ** He said not what, for no one has ever failed his order." 
 
 And the 'tzin looked at Io'. 
 
 " What shall I do, O son of the king ? " 
 
 In all the fighting, Io' had stayed in the palace with his 
 father. Through the long days he had heard the voices of 
 the battle calling to him. Many times he walked to the 
 merlons of the azoleas, and saw the 'tzin on the temple, 
 or listened to his familiar cry in the street. And where, 
 so ran his thought the while, where is Hualpa ? Hap- 
 py fellow ! What glory he must have won, true war- 
 rior-glory to flourish in song forever ! A heroic jealousy 
 would creep upon him, and he would go back miserable to 
 his chamber. 
 
 ** One day more, O 'tzin, and all there is in the palace 
 king and stranger alike is yours," Io' made answer- 
 " More I need not say." 
 
 " Then you go not back ? " 
 
 No," said Tula. 
 
 " No," said Io'. I came out to fight. Anahuac is oof 
 mother. Let us save her, O 'tzin ! " 
 
 And the 'tzin looked to the sun ; his eyes withstood its 
 piercing splendors awhile, then he said, calmly, 
 
 " Go with the princess Tula where she chooses, Io' ; 
 Aen come back. The gods shall have one day more, though 
 it be my last. Farewell."
 
 436 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 They arose and went away. He returned to the azoteas. 
 
 Next day there was not one meal in the palace. Starva- 
 tion had come. And now the final battle, or surrender I 
 Morning passed ; noon came ; later, the sun began to go 
 down the sky. In the streets stood the thousands, on all 
 the housetops, on the temple, they stood, waiting and 
 looking, now at the leaguered house, now at the 'tzin seated 
 at the verge of the teocattis, also waiting. 
 
 Suddenly a procession appeared on the central turret of 
 the palace, and in its midst, Montezuma. 
 
 " The king ! the king ! " burst from every throat ; then 
 upon the multitude fell a silence, which coulj not have been 
 deeper if the earth had opened and swallowed the city. 
 
 The four heralds waved their silver wands ; the white car- 
 pet was spread, and the canopy brought and set close by the 
 eastern battlement of the turret; then the king came and 
 stood in the shade before the people. At sight of him 
 and his familiar royalty the old love came back to them, 
 and they fell upon their knees. He spoke, asserting his 
 privileges ; he bade them home, and the army to its quarters. 
 He promised that in a short time the strangers, whose guest 
 he was, would leave the country ; they were already prepar- 
 ing to depart, he said. How wicked the revolt would then 
 be ! How guilty the chiefs who had taken arras against his 
 order ! He spoke as one not doubtful of his position, but 
 as king and priest, and was successful Stunned, confused, 
 uncertain as to duty, nigh broken-hearted, the fighting 
 people and disciplined companies arose, and, like a con- 
 quered mob, turned to go away. 
 
 Down from his perch rushed the 'tzin. He put himself 
 in the midst of the retiring warriors. He appealed to them 
 in vain. The chiefs gathered around him, and knelt, an<J 
 kissed his hands, and bathed his feet with their tears ; the) 
 acknowledged his heroism, they would die with
 
 THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF. BATTLE. 437 
 
 but while the king lived, under the gods, he was master, 
 and to disobey him was sacrilege. 
 
 Then the 'tzin saw, as if it were a god's decree, that Ana- 
 huac and Montezuma could not both live. ONE OB THE 
 OTHER MUST DIE ! And never so wise as in his patience, he 
 submitted, and told them, 
 
 " I will send food to the palace, and cease the war now, 
 and until we have the voice of HuitziT to determine what 
 we shall do. Go, collect the companies, and put them in theii 
 quarters. This night we will to Tlalac ; together, from his 
 sacred lips, we will hear our fate, and our country's. Go 
 now. At midnight come to the teocallis." 
 
 At midnight the sanctuary of Huitzil' was crowded ; so 
 was all the azaleas. Till the breaking of dawn the sacrifices 
 continued. At last, the teotuctli, with a loud cry, ran and 
 laid a heart in the fire before the idol ; then turning to the 
 spectators, he said, in a loud voice, 
 
 " Let the war go on ! So saith the mighty Huitzil' ! Woe 
 to him who refuses to hear ! " 
 
 And the heart that attested the will was the heart of a 
 Spaniard.
 
 BOOK SEVENTH. 
 
 CHAPTEE L 
 
 THE HEART CAN BE WISER THAN THE HEAD. 
 
 "T" WILL now ask the reader to make a note of the passage 
 J_ of a fortnight. By so doing he will find himself close 
 upon the 24th of June, another memorable day in the 
 drama of the conquest. 
 
 'Tzin Guatamo, as is already known, had many times 
 proven himself a warrior after the manner of his country, 
 and, in consequence, had long been the idol of the army ; 
 now he gave token of a ruling faculty which brought the 
 whole people to his feet ; so that in Tenochtitlan, for the 
 first time in her history, were seen a sceptre unknown to the 
 law and a royalty not the king's. 
 
 He ruled in the valley everywhere, except in the palace 
 of Axaya' ; and around that he built works, and set guards, 
 and so contrived that nothing passed in or out without his 
 permission. His policy was to wait patiently, and in the 
 mean time organize the nation for war j and the nation obeyed 
 him, seeing that in obedience there was life ; such, moreover, 
 was the will of HuitaT. 
 
 As may be thought, the Christians thus pent up fared 
 illy ; in fact, they would have suffered before the fortnight 
 was gone but for the king, who stinted himself and his 
 household in order to divide with his keepers the supplies 
 sent in for his use. 
 
 In the estimation of the people of the empire, it wat
 
 ,' THE HEART CAN BE WISER THAN THE HEAD. 439 
 
 great glory to have shut so many teules in a palace, and held 
 them there ; but the success did not deceive the 'tzin : in his 
 view, that achievement was not the victory, but only the 
 beginning of the war ; every hour he had news of Malinche, 
 the real antagonist, who had the mind, the will, and the hand 
 of a warrior, and was conning with another army, more 
 numerous, if not braver, than the first one. In pure, strong 
 love there is an element akin to the power of prophecy, 
 something that gives the spirit eyes to see what is to hap- 
 pen. Such an inspiration quickened the 'tzin, and told him 
 Anahuac was not saved, though she should be : if not, the 
 conquerors should take an empty prize ; he would leave them 
 nothing, so he swore, neither gods, gold, slaves, city, nor 
 people. He set about the great idea by inviting the New 
 "World I speak as a Spaniard to take part in the struggle. 
 And he was answered. To the beloved city, turned into a 
 rendezvous for the purpose, flocked the fighting vassals of the 
 great caciques, the men of the cities, and their dependencies, 
 the calpulli, or tribes of the loyal provinces, and, mixed with 
 them, wild-eyed bands from the Unknown, the wildernesses, 
 in all, a multitude such as had never been seen in the val- 
 ley. At the altars he had but one prayer, " Time, time, O 
 gods of my fathers ! Give me time ! " He knew the differ- 
 ence between a man and a soldier, and that, likewise, be- 
 tween a multitude and an army. As he used the word, time 
 meant organization and discipline. He not only prayed, he 
 worked ; and into his work, as into his prayers, he poured 
 all his soul. 
 
 The organization was simple : first, a company of three or 
 four hundred men ; next an army of thirty or forty com- 
 panies, a system which allowed the preservation of the 
 identity of tribes and cities. The companies of Cholula, for 
 example, were separate from those of Tezcuco ; while the 
 Acolmanes marched and fought side by side with the Coato-
 
 440 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 pecs, but under their own chiefs and flags. The system also 
 gave him a number of armies, and he divided them, one to 
 raise supplies, another to bring the supplies to the depots, 
 a third to prepare material of war ; the fourth was the ac- 
 tive or fighting division ; and each was subject to take the 
 place of the other. To the labor of so many hands, sys- 
 tematized and industriously exerted, though for a fortnight, 
 almost everything is possible. One strong will, absolutely 
 operative over thousands, is nearer omnipotency than any- 
 thing else human. 
 
 The climate of the valley, milder and more equable than 
 that of Naples, permits the bivouac in all seasons. The 
 sierra west of the capital, and'bending around it like a half- 
 drawn bow, is marked on its interior, or city side by verdant 
 and watered vales ; these were seized ; and the bordering 
 cliffs, which theretofore had shaded the toiling husbandman, 
 or been themselves the scenes of the hunter's daring, now 
 hid the hosts of New World's men, in the bivouac, biding 
 the day of battle. 
 
 War, good reader, never touches anything and leaves it as 
 it was. And the daughter of the lake, fair Tenochtitlan, 
 was no exception to the law. The young master, having re- 
 duced the question of strategy to the formula, a street or 
 a plain, chose the street, and thereby dedicated the city to 
 all of ruin or horror the destroyer could bring. Not long, 
 therefore, until its presence could have been detected by the 
 idlest glance : the streets were given up to the warriors ; the 
 palaces were deserted by families; houses conveniently 
 situated for the use were turned into forts ; the shrubbery 
 garnishing roofs that dominated the main streets concealed 
 heaps of stones made ready for the hand ; the bridges were 
 taken up, or put in condition to be raised ; the canoes on the 
 lakes were multiplied, and converted to the public service ; 
 the great markets were suspended ; even the sacred temple*
 
 THE HEART CAN BE WISER THAN THE HEAD. 441 
 
 were changed into vast arsenals. When the 'tzin, going 
 hither and thither, never idle, observed the change, he would 
 sigh, but say to himself, " 'T is well. If we win, we can 
 restore ; if we lose, if we lose, then, to the strangers, 
 waste, to the waters, welcome ! " 
 
 And up and down, from city to bivouac and back again, 
 passed the minstrels, singing of war, and the pabas, pro- 
 claiming the oracles and divine promises ; and the services 
 in the temples were uninterrupted ; those in the leocallis 
 were especially grand ; the smoke from its turrets overhung 
 the city, and at night the fire of HuitziT, a new star redden- 
 ing in the sky, was seen from the remotest hamlet in the 
 valley. The 'tzin had faith in moral effects, and he studied 
 them, and was successful. The army soon came to have, 
 like himself, but one prayer, " Set us before the strangers ; 
 let us fight ! " 
 And the time they prayed for was come. 
 
 ***** 
 
 The night of the 23d of June was pleasant as night can be 
 in that region of pleasant nights. The sky was clear and 
 starry. The breeze abroad brought coolness to outliers on 
 the housetops, without threshing the lake to the disturbance 
 of its voyageurs. 
 
 Up in the northeastern part of tke little sea lay a dii- 
 nampa at anchor. Over its landing, at the very edge of the 
 water, burned a flambeau of resinous pine. Two canoes, 
 richly decorated, swung at the mooring. The path from the 
 landing to the pavilion was carpeted, and lighted by lamps 
 pendent in the adjoining shrubbery. In the canoes the 
 slaves lay at rest, talking idly, and in low voices crooning 
 Indian songs. Close by the landing, on a bench, over which 
 swayed the leaves of an immense banana-tree, rested a 
 couple of warriors, silent, and nodding, as it were, to the 
 nodding leaves. From the rising to the setting of the day's
 
 442 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Bun, many a weary league, from the city to the vales of the 
 Sierra in which bivouacked the hope of Anahuac, had they 
 travelled, Hualpa and Io'. One familiar with the streets 
 in these later days, at sight of them would have said, 
 " Eeware ! the 'tzin is hereaway." The three were almost 
 as one, so had their friendship grown. The pavilion, a 
 circular canopy, spread like a Bedouin's tent, was brightly 
 lighted ; and there, in fact, was the 'tzin, with Tula and 
 Yeteve, the priestess. 
 
 Once before, I believe, I described this pavilion ; and now 
 I know the imagination of the reader will give the floating 
 garden richer colors than lie within compass of my pen ; 
 will surround it with light, and with air delicious with the 
 freshness of the lake and the exhalations of the flowers ; 
 will hover about the guardian palm and willow trees, the 
 latter with boughs lithe and swinging, and leaves long and 
 fine as a woman's locks ; will linger about the retreat, I 
 say, and, in thought of its fitness for meeting of lovers, ad- 
 mit the poetry and respect the passion of the noble Aztec. 
 
 Within, the furniture was as formerly ; there were yet the 
 carven stools, the table with its bowl-like top, now a mass 
 of flowers, a couch draped with brilliant plumage, the floor 
 covered with matting of woven grasses, the hammock, and 
 the bird-cage, all as when we first saw them. Nenetzin 
 was absent, and alas ! might never come again. 
 
 And if we enter now, we shall find the 'tzin standing a 
 little apart from Tula, who is in the hammock, with Yeteve 
 by her side. On a stool at his feet is a waiter of ebony, 
 with spoons of tortoise-shell, and some xicaras, or cups, used 
 for chocolate. 
 
 Their faces are grave and earnest. 
 
 " And Malinche 1 " asked Tula, as if pursuing a question. 
 
 " The gods have given me time j I am ready for him," 
 he replied.
 
 THE HEART CAN BE WISER THAN THE HEAD. 443 
 
 " When will he come ? " 
 
 "Yesterday, about noon, he set oat from Tezcuco, by way 
 f the shore of the lake; to-night he lodges in Iztapalapan; 
 to-morrow, marching by the old causeway, he will re-enter 
 the city." 
 
 " Poor, poor country ! " she said, after a long silence. 
 
 The words touched him, and he replied, in a low voice, 
 " You have a good heart, O Tula, a good heart and true. 
 Your words were what I repeat every hour in the day. You 
 were seeing what I see all the time " 
 
 " The battle ! " she said, shuddering. 
 
 " Yes. I wish it could be avoided ; its conditions are 
 such that against the advantage of arms I can only oppose 
 the advantage of numbers ; so that the dearest of all things 
 will be the cheapest. I must take no account of lives. I 
 have seen the streets run with blood already, and now, 
 Enough ! we must do what the gods decree. Yet the 
 slaughter shall not be, as heretofore, on one side alone." 
 
 She looked at him inquiringly. 
 
 " You know the custom of our people to take prisoners 
 rather than kill in battle. As against the Tlascalans and 
 tribes, that was well enough ; but new conditions require 
 new laws, and my order now is, Save nothing but the 
 arms and armor of the strangers. Life for life as against 
 Malinche ! And I could conquer him, but " 
 
 He stopped, and their glances met, his full of fire, hers 
 fcad and thoughtful. 
 
 " Ah, Tula ! your woman's soul prompts you already of 
 '-whom I would speak, the king." 
 
 " Spare me," she said, covering her face with her hands. 
 ."I am his child ; I love him yet." 
 
 " So I know," he replied ; " and I would not have you do 
 else. The love is proof of fitness to be loved. Nature cannot 
 be silenced. He is not as near to me as to you ; yet I feel the
 
 444 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 impulse that moves you, though in a less degree. In memory, 
 he is a part of my youth. For that matter, who does not love 
 him? He has charmed the strangers; even the guards at 
 his chamber-door have been known to weep at sight of his 
 sorrow. And the heroes who so lately died before his prison- 
 gates, did not they love him 1 And those who will die to- 
 morrow and the next day, what else may be said of them 1 
 In arms here, see the children of the valley. What seek 
 they 1 In their eyes, he is Anahuac. And yet " 
 
 He paused again ; her hands had fallen ; her cheeks glis- 
 tened with tears. 
 
 " If I may not speak plainly now, I may not ever. 
 Strengthen yourself to hear me, and hear me pitifully. To 
 begin, you know that I have been using the king's power 
 without his permission, that, I say, you know, and have 
 forgiven, because the usurpation was not of choice but neces- 
 sity, and to save the empire ; but you will hear now, for the 
 first time probably, that I could have been king in fact." 
 
 Her gaze became intent, and she listened breathlessly. 
 
 " Three times," he continued, " three times have the ca- 
 ciques, for themselves and the army, offered me the crown. 
 The last time, they were accompanied by the electors,* and 
 deputations from all the great cities." 
 
 " And you refused," she said, confidently. 
 
 " Yes. I will not deny the offer was tempting, that for 
 the truth. I thought of it often ; and at such times came 
 revenge, and told me I had been wronged, and ambition, 
 whispering of glory, and, with ready subtlety, making ac- 
 ceptance appear a duty. But, Tula, you prevailed ; your love 
 was dearer to me than the crown. For your sake, I refused 
 the overture. You never said so, there was no need of 
 the saying, yet I knew you could never be queen while 
 your father lived." 
 * The monarchy was elective. PRESCOTT, Conq. of Mexico, VoL I., p. 24.
 
 THE HEART CAN BE WISUR THAN THE HEAD. 445 
 
 Kot often has a woman heard such a story of love, or 
 been given such proofs of devotion ; her face mantled, and 
 she dropped her gaze, saying, 
 
 " Better to be so loved than to be queen. If not here, 
 'tzin, look for reward in the Sun. Surely, the gods take 
 note of such things ! " 
 
 " Your approval is my full reward," he replied. " But hear 
 me further. What I have said was easy to say ; that which 
 I go to now is hard, and requires all my will ; for the utter- 
 ance may forfeit not merely the blessing just given me, but 
 your love, more precious, as I have shown, than the crown. 
 You were in the palace the day the king appeared and 
 bade the people home. The strangers were in my hand at 
 the time. O, a glad time, so long had we toiled, so many 
 had died ! Then he came, and snatched away our triumph. 
 I have not forgotten, I never can forget the disappoint- 
 ment. In all the labor of the preparation since, I have 
 seen the scene, sometimes as a threat, sometimes as a warning, 
 always a recurring dream whose dreaming leaves me less 
 resolved in the course I am running. Continually I find 
 myself saying to myself, * The work is all in vain ; what 
 has been will be again ; while he lives, you cannot win.' 
 Tula, such influence was bad enough of itself. Hear now 
 how the gods came in to direct me. Last night I was at 
 the altar of Huitzil', praying, when the teotuctli appeared, 
 and said, "Tzin Guatamo, pray you for your country 1 ' ' For 
 country and king,' I answered. He laid his hand upon my 
 , shoulder, ' If you seek the will of the god with intent to do 
 what he imposes, hear then : The king is the shield of the 
 strangers ; they are safe while he lives ; and if he lives, Ana- 
 'iuac dies. Let him who leads choose between them. So the 
 god says. Consider ! ' He was gone before I could answer. 
 Since that I have been like one moving in a cloud, seeing 
 nothing clearly, and the duty least of all When I should be
 
 446 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 strongest, I am weakest. My spirit faints under the load. If 
 the king lives, the empire dies : if it is to die, why the bat- 
 tle, and its sacrifices ? This night have I in which to choose ; 
 to-morrow, Malinche and action ! Help me, Tula, help me 
 to do right ! Love of country, of king, and of me, you 
 have them all Speak." 
 
 And she answered him, 
 
 " I may not doubt that you love me ; you have told me 
 so many times, but never as to-uight. I thank you, 'tzin ! 
 Your duties are heavy. I do not wonder that you bend under 
 them. I might say they are yours by gift of the gods, and 
 not to be divided with another, not even with me ; but I will 
 give you love for love, and, as I hope to share your fortunes, 
 I will share your trials. I am a woman, without judgment 
 by which to answer you ; from my heart I will answer." 
 
 " From your heart be it, Tula." 
 
 " Has the king heard the things of which you have 
 spoken ? " 
 
 " I cannot say." 
 
 " Does he know you were offered the crown ? " 
 
 " No ; the offer was treason." 
 
 " Ah, poor king, proud father ! The love of the people, 
 that of which you were proudest, is lost. What wretched- 
 ness awaits you ! " 
 
 She bowed her head, and there was a silence broken only, 
 by her sobs. The grief spent itself; then she said, ear-' 
 nestly, ; '& 
 
 " I know him. He, too, is a lover of Anahuac. More 
 than once he has exposed himself to death for her. Such 
 loves age not, nor do they die, except with the hearts they 
 animate. There was a time but now No matter, I 
 will try. < Let him who leads choose ' : was not that tlw 
 decree, good 'tzin ? " 
 
 " Yes," he replied.
 
 THE HEART CAN BE WISER THAN THE HEAD. 447 
 
 " Must the choice be made to-night ? " 
 
 " I may delay until to-morrow." 
 
 " To-morrow ; what time ? " 
 
 " Malinche will pass the causeway in the cool of the 
 morning ; by noon he will have joined his people in the old 
 palace ; the decision must then be made." 
 
 " Can you set me down at the gate before he passes in T' 
 
 The 'tzin started. " Of the old palace ? " he asked. 
 
 " J. wish to see the king." 
 
 " For what ? " 
 
 " To tell him the things you have told me to-night." 
 
 " All ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 His face clouded with dissatisfaction. 
 
 " Yes," she continued, calmly ; " that, as becomes a king, 
 he may choose which shall live, himself or Anahuac." 
 
 So she answered the 'tzin's appeal, and the answer was 
 from her heart ; and, seeing of what heroism she dreamed, 
 his dark eyes glowed with admiration. Yet his reply was 
 full of hopelessness. 
 
 " I give you honor, Tula, I give you honor for the 
 thought ; but forgive me if I think you beguiled by your 
 love. There was a time when he was capable of what you 
 have imagined. Alas ! he is changed ; he will never choose, 
 never ! " 
 
 She looked at him reproachfully, and said, with a sad 
 smile, " Such changes are not always of years. Who is he 
 that to-night, only to-night, driven by a faltering of the 
 will, which in the king, my father, is called weakness, 
 brought himself prayerfully to a woman's feet, and begged 
 her to divide with him a burden imposed upon his con- 
 science by a decree of the gods ? Who is he, indeed 1 
 Study yourself, 'tzin, and commiserate him, and bethink 
 you, if he choose not, it will be yours to choose for him.
 
 448 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 His duty will then become yours, to be done without re- 
 morse, and " 
 
 She hesitated, and held out her hand, as if to say, " And 
 I can love you still." 
 
 He caught the meaning of the action, and went to her, 
 and kissed her forehead tenderly, and said, 
 
 " I see now that the heart can be wiser than the head. 
 Have your way. I will set you down at the gate, and of 
 war there shall be neither sign nor sound until you re- 
 turn." 
 
 " Until I return ! May be I cannot. Malinche may hold 
 me prisoner." 
 
 From love to war, the step was short. 
 
 " True," he said. " The armies will await my signal of 
 attack, and they must not wait upon uncertainties." 
 
 He arose and paced the floor, and when he paused he 
 said, firmly, 
 
 " I will set you down at the gate in the early morning, 
 that you may see your father before Malinche sees him. 
 And when you speak to him, ask not if I may make the 
 war : on that I am resolved ; but tell him what no 
 other can, that I look forward to the time when Ma- 
 linche, like the Tonatidh, will bring him from his cham- 
 ber, and show him to the people, to distract them again. 
 And when you have told him that, speak of what the gods 
 have laid upon me, and then say that I say, ' Comes he so, 
 whether of choice or by force, the dread duty shall be done. 
 The gods helping me, I will strike for Anahuac.' And if he 
 ask what I would have him do, answer, A king's duty to 
 his people, die that they may live ! " 
 
 Tula heard him to the end, and buried her face in her 
 hands, and there was a long silence. 
 
 " Poor king ! poor father ! " she said at last. " For me to 
 ask him to die ! A heavy, heavy burden, 'tzin ! "
 
 THE CONQUEROR ON THE CAUSEWAY AGAIN. 449 
 
 " The gods help you ! " he replied. 
 
 " If Malinche hold me prisoner, how will the answer arail 
 you ? " 
 
 " Have you not there two scarfs, the one green, the other 
 white 1" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Take them with you, and from the roof, if your father 
 resolve not, show the green one. Alas, then, for me ! If, 
 in its stead, you wave the white one, I shall know that he 
 conies, if so he does, by force, and that " his voice trem- 
 bled " it is his will Anahuac should live" 
 
 She listened wistfully, and replied, " I understand : 
 Anahuac saved means Montezuma lost. But doubt him 
 not, doubt him not ; he will remember his glory's day, 
 and die as he has lived." 
 
 ***** 
 
 An hour later, and the canoe of the 'tzin passed into one 
 of the canals of the city. The parting on the chinampa may 
 be imagined. Love will have its way even in war. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CONQUEROR ON THE CAUSEWAY AGAIN. 
 
 AS predicted by the 'tzin, the Spaniards set out early 
 next morning the morning of the 24th of June 
 by the causeway from Iztapalapan, already notable in this 
 etory. 
 
 At their head rode the Senor Hernan, silent, thoughtful, 
 and not well pleased ; pondering, doubtless, the misconduct 
 of the adelantado in the old palace to which he was march- 
 ing, and the rueful condition it might impose upon the expe- 
 dition. 
 
 oo
 
 450 THE FAIR GOD. " 
 
 The cavaliers next in the order of march, which was that 
 of battle, rode and talked as men are wont when drawing 
 nigh the end of a long and toilsome task. This the leader 
 at length interrupted, 
 
 " Senores, come near. Yonder ye may see the gate of 
 Xoloc," he continued, when they were up. " If the heathen 
 captains think to obstruct our entry, they would do well, 
 now that our ships lie sunken in the lake, to give us battle 
 there. Ride we forward to explore what preparations, if any, 
 they have made." 
 
 So they rode, at quickened pace, arms rattling, spurs jin. 
 gling, and found the gate deserted. 
 
 " Viva companeros f " cried Cortes, riding through tha 
 shadow of the battlements. "Give the scabbards their 
 swords again. There will be no battle ; the way to the pal- 
 ace is open." And, waiting till the column was at their heels, 
 he turned to the trumpeters, and shouted, cheerily, " Ola, ye 
 lazy knaves ! Since the march began, ye have not been 
 heard from. Out now, and blow ! Blow as if ye were each 
 a Roland, with Roland's horn. Blow merrily a triumphal 
 march, that our brethren in the leaguer ahead may know 
 deliverance at hand." 
 
 The feeling of the chief spread rapidly; first, to the 
 cavaliers ; then to the ranks, where soon there were shout- 
 ing and singing ; and simultaneous with the trumpetry, over 
 the still waters sped the minstrelsy of the Tlascalans: Ere 
 long they had the answer of the garrison; every gun in 
 the palace thundered welcome. 
 
 Cortes settled in his saddle smiling : he was easy in mind ; 
 the junction with Alvarado was assured ; the city and the 
 king were his, and he could now hold them ; nevertheless, 
 back of his smile there was much thought. True, his ene- 
 mies in Spaiu would halloo spitefully over the doughty 
 deed he had just done down in Cempoalla. No matter .
 
 THE CONQUEROR ON THE CAUSEWAY AGAIN. 451 
 
 The Court and the Council had pockets, and he could fill them 
 with gold, gold by the caravel, if necessary ; and for the 
 pacification of his most Catholic master, the Emperor, had 
 he not the !New World 1 And over the schedule of guerdons 
 sure to follow such a gift to such a master he lingered com- 
 placently, as well he might. Patronage, and titles, and high 
 employments, and lordly estates danced before his eyes, as 
 ianced the sun's glozing upon the crinkling water. 
 
 One thought, however, only one, brought him trou- 
 ble. The soldiers of Narvaez were new men, ill-disciplined, 
 footsore, grumbling, discontented, disappointed. He remem- 
 bered the roseate pictures by which they had been won 
 from their leader before the battle was joined. 'The 
 Empire was already in possession ; there would be no 
 fighting ; the march would be a promenade through grand 
 landscapes, and by towns and cities, whose inhabitants 
 would meet them in processions, loaded with fruits and 
 flowers, tributes of love and fear,' so he had told them 
 through his spokesmen, Olmedo, the priest, and Duero, the 
 secretary. Nor failed he now to recall the chief inducements 
 in the argument, the charms of the heathen capital, and the 
 easy life there waiting, a life whose sole vexation would 
 be apportionment of the lands conquered and the gold gath- 
 ered. And the wonderful city, here it was, placid as 
 ever ; and neither the valley, nor the lake, nor the summer- 
 ing climate, nor the abundance of which he had spoken, 
 failed his description ; nothing was wanting but the people, 
 THE PEOPLE ! Where were they 1 He looked at the prize 
 ahead ; gyres of smoke, slowly rising and purpling as they 
 rose, were all the proofs of life within its walls. He swept 
 the little sea with angry eyes ; in the distance a canoe, sta- 
 tionary, and with a solitary occupant, and he a spy ! And 
 this was the grand reception promised the retainers of 
 Jf arvaez ! He struck his mailed thigh with his mailed hand
 
 452 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 fiercely, and, turning in his saddle, looked back. The col- 
 umn was moving forward compactly, the new men distin- 
 guishable by the freshness of their apparel and equipments. 
 " Bien ! " he said, with a grim smile and cunning solace, 
 " Bien f they will fight for life, if not for majesty and me." 
 
 Close by the wall Father Bartolome overtook him, and, 
 after giving rein to his mule, and readjusting his hood, said> 
 gravely, " If the tinkle of my servant's bell disturb not thy 
 musing, Seiior, I have been through the files, and bring 
 thee wot of the new men." 
 
 " Welcome, father," said Cortes, laughing. " I am not an 
 evil spirit to fly the exorcisement of thy bell, not I ; and so 
 I bid thee welcome. But as for whereof thou comest to 
 tell, no more, I pray. I know of what the varlets speak. 
 And as I am a Christian, I blame them not. We promised 
 them much, and this is all : fair sky, fair land, strange 
 city, and all without people ! Eueful enough, I grant ; 
 but, as matter more serious, what say the veterans 1 Came 
 they within thy soundings ? " 
 
 " Thou mayest trust them, Senor. Their tongues go with 
 their swords. They return to the day of our first entry here, 
 and with excusable enlargement tell what they saw then in 
 contrast with the present." 
 
 " And whom blame they for the failure now ? " 
 
 " The captain Alvarado." 
 
 Cortes' brows dropped, and he became thoughtful again, 
 and in such temper rode into the city. 
 
 Within the walls, everywhere the visitors looked, were 
 signs of life, but nowhere a living thing ; neither on the 
 street, nor in the houses, nor on the housetops, not 
 even a bird in the sky. A stillness possessed the place, 
 peculiar in that it seemed to assert a presence, and palpably 
 lurk in the shade, lie on the doorsteps, issue from the win- 
 dows, and pervade the air ; giving notice, so that not a man,
 
 THE CONQUEROR ON THE CAUSEWAY AGAIN. 453 
 
 new or veteran, but was conscious that, in some way, he was 
 menaced with danger. There is nothing so appalling as the 
 unaccountable absence of life in places habitually populous ; 
 nothing so desolate as a deserted city. 
 
 ' " For Dios ! " said Olmedo, toying with the beads at his 
 side, " I had rather the former reception than the present. 
 Pleasanter the sullen multitude than the silence without the 
 multitude." 
 
 Cortes made him no answer, but rode on abstractedly, 
 \antil stopped by his advance-guard. 
 
 " At rest ! " he said, angrily. " Had ye the signal ? 1 
 heard it not." 
 
 " Uor did we, Senor," replied the officer in charge. " But, 
 craving thy pardon, approach, and see what the infidels have 
 done here." 
 
 Cortes drew near, and found himself on the brink of the 
 first canal. He swore a great oath ; the bridge was dis- 
 mantled. On the hither side, however, lay the timbers, 
 frame and floor. The tamanes detailed from the guns re- 
 place,d them. 
 
 " Bartolome", good father," said Cortes, confidentially, 
 when the march was resumed, " thou hast a commendable 
 habit of holding what thou hearest, and therefore I shame 
 not to confess that I, too, prefer the first reception. The 
 absence of the heathen and the condition of yon bridge 
 are parts of one plan, and signs certain of battle now ready 
 to be delivered." 
 
 " If it be God's will, amen ! " replied the priest, calmly. 
 " "We are stronger than when we went out." 
 
 " So is the enemy, for he hath organized his people. The 
 hordes that stared at us so stupidly when we first came 
 be the curse of the saints upon them ! are now fighting 
 men." 
 
 Olmedo searched his face, and said, coldly, " To doubt 
 is to dread the result."
 
 454 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Nay, by my conscience ! I neither doubt nor dread. Yet 
 I hold it not unseemly to confess that I had rather meet the 
 brunt on the firm land, with room for what the occasion 
 offers. I like not yon canal, with its broken bridge, too 
 wide for horse, too deep for weighted man ; it putteth us to 
 disadvantage, and hath a hateful reminder of the brigantiiies, 
 which, as thou mayest remember, we left at anchor, mis- 
 tresses of the lake ; in our absence they have been lost, a 
 most measureless folly, father ! But let it pass, let it pass 1 
 The Mother blessed be her name ! hath not forsaken us. 
 Montezunia is ours, and " 
 
 " He is victory," said Olmedo, zealously. 
 
 " He is the New "World ! " answered Cortes. 
 
 And so it chanced that the poor king was centre of 
 thought for both the 'tzin and his enemy, the dread of one 
 and the hope of the other. 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 LA VIRTJELA. 
 
 ALONG interval behind the rear-guard indeed, the 
 very last of the army, and quite two hours behind 
 came four Indian slaves, bringing a man stretched upon 
 a litter. 
 
 And the litter was open, and the sun beat cruelly on the 
 man's face ; but plaint he made not, nor motion, except that 
 his head rolled now right, now left, responsive to the ca- 
 denced steps of his hearers. 
 
 "Was he sick or wounded ? 
 
 Nathless, into the city they carried him. 
 
 And in front of the new palace of the king, they stopped,
 
 MONTEZUMA A PROPHET. HIS PROPHECY. 455 
 
 less wearied than overcome by curiosity. And as they stared 
 at the great house, imagining vaguely the splendor within, 
 a groan startled them. They looked at their charge; he 
 was dead ! Then they looked at each other, and fled. 
 
 And in less than twice seven days they too died, and died 
 horribly ; and in dying recognized their disease as that of 
 the stranger they had abandoned before the palace, the 
 small-pox, or, in the language which hath a matchless trick 
 of melting everything, even the most ghastly, into music, 
 la viruela of the Spaniard. 
 
 The sick man on the litter was a negro, first of his race 
 on the new continent ! 
 
 And most singular, in dying, he gave his masters another 
 servant stronger than himself, and deadlier to the infidels 
 than swords of steel, a servant that found way every- 
 where in the crowded city, and rested not. And every- 
 where its breath, like its touch, was mortal ; insomuch that 
 a score and ten died of it where one fell in battle. 
 
 Of the myriads who thus perished, one was a KINO. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MOWTEZUMA A PROPHET. HIS PROPHECY. 
 
 SCARCE five weeks before, Cortes sallied from the palace 
 with seventy soldiers, ragged, yet curiously bedight 
 with gold and silver ; now he returned full-handed, at his 
 back thirteen hundred infantry, a hundred horse, additional 
 guns and Tlascalans. Surely, he could hold what he had 
 gained. 
 
 The garrison stood in the court-yard to receive him. 
 Trumpet replied to trumpet, and the reverberation of drums
 
 456 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 shook the ancient house. When all were assigned to quar- 
 ters, the ranks were broken, and the veterans those \vho had 
 remained, and those who had followed their chief rushed 
 clamorously into each other's arms. Comradeship, with its 
 strange love, born of toil and danger, and nursed by red- 
 handed battle, asserted itself. The men of Narvaez looked 
 on indifferently, or clomb the palace, and from the roof sur- 
 veyed the vicinage, especially the great temple, apparently 
 as forsaken as the city. 
 
 And in the court-yard Cortes met Alvarado, saluting him 
 coldly. The latter excused his conduct as best he could ; 
 but the palliations were unsatisfactory. The general turned 
 from him with bitter denunciations ; and as he did so, a 
 procession approached : four nobles, carrying silver wands; 
 then a train in doubled files ; then Montezuma, in the royal 
 regalia, splendid from head to foot. The shade of the 
 canopy borne above him wrapped his person in purpled soft- 
 ness, but did not hide that other shadow discernible in the 
 slow, uncertain step, the bent form, the wistful eyes, the 
 shadow of the coming Fate. Such of his family as shared 
 his captivity brought up the cortege. 
 
 At the sight, Cortes waited ; his blood was hot, and his 
 head filled with the fumes of victory ; from a great height, 
 as it were, he looked upon the retinue, and its sorrowful mas- 
 ter ; and his eyes wandered fitfully from the Christians, worn 
 by watching and hunger, to the sumptuousness of the infi- 
 dels ; so that when the monarch drew nigh him, the temper 
 of his heart was as the temper of his corselet. 
 
 " I salute you, Malinche, and welcome your return," 
 said Montezuma, according to the interpretation of Marina. , 
 
 The Spaniard heard him without a sign of recognition. 
 
 " The good Lady of your trust has had you in care ; 
 she has given you the victory. I congratulate you, Ma- 
 linche."
 
 MONTEZUMA A PROPHET. HIS PROPHECY. 457 
 
 Still the Spaniard was obstinate. 
 
 The king hesitated, dropped his eyes under the cold stare, 
 and was frozen into silence. Then Cortes turned upon hia 
 heel, and, without a word, sought his chamber. 
 
 The insult was plain, and the witnesses, Christian and 
 infidel, were shocked ; and while they stood surprised, Tula 
 rushed up, and threw her arms around the victim's neck, and 
 laid her head upon his breast. The retinue closed around 
 them, as if to hide the shame ; and thus the unhappy 
 monarch went back to his quarters, back to his captiv- 
 ity, to his remorse, and the keener pangs of pride savagely 
 lacerated. 
 
 For a time he was like one dazed ; but, half waking, he 
 wrung his hands, and said, feebly, " It cannot be, it can- 
 not be ! Maxtla, take the councillors and go to Malinche, 
 *nd say that I wish to see him. Tell him the business is 
 urgent, and will not wait. Bring me his answer, omitting 
 nothing." 
 
 The young chief and the four nobles departed, and the 
 king relapsed into his dazemeut, muttering, " It cannot be, 
 \t cannot be ! " 
 
 The commissioners delivered the message. Olid, Leon, 
 and others who were present begged Cortes to be consid- 
 erate. 
 
 " No," he replied ; " the dog of a king would have be- 
 trayed us to Narvaez; before his eyes we are allowed to 
 hunger. Why are the markets closed ? I have nothing to 
 do with him." 
 
 And to the commissioners he said, " Tell your master to 
 open the markets, or we will for him. Begone ! " 
 
 And they went back and reported, omitting nothing, not 
 even the insulting epithet. The king heard them silently ; 
 as they proceeded, he gathered strength ; when they ceased, 
 he was calm and resolved.
 
 458 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "Return to Malinche," he said, "and tell him what I 
 wished to say : that my people are ready to attack him, and 
 that the only means I know to divert them from their pur- 
 pose is to release the lord Cuitlahua, my brother, and send 
 him to them to enforce my orders. There is now no other of 
 authority upon whom I can depend to keep the peace, and 
 open the markets ; he is the last hope. Go." 
 
 The messengers departed ; and when they were gone the 
 monarch said, " Leave the chamber now, all but Tula." 
 
 At the last outgoing footstep she went near, and knelt 
 before him ; knowing, with the divination which is only of 
 woman, that she was now to have reply to the 'tzin's mes- 
 sage, delivered by her in the early morning. Her tearful 
 look he answered with a smile, saying tenderly, " I do not 
 know whether I gave you welcome. If I did not, I will 
 amend the fault. Come near." 
 
 She arose, and, putting an arm over his shoulder, knelt 
 closer by his side ; he kissed her forehead, and pressed her 
 close to his breast. Nothing could exceed the gentleness 
 of the caress, unless it was the accompanying look. She 
 replied with tears, and such breaking sobs as are only per- 
 mitted to passion and childhood. 
 
 " Now, if never before," he continued, " you are my best 
 beloved, because your faith in me fell not away with that of 
 all the world besides ; especially, good heart ! especially 
 because you have to-day shown me an escape from my in- 
 tolerable misery and misfortunes, for which may the gods 
 who have abandoned me bless you ! " 
 
 He stroked the dark locks under his hand lovingly. 
 
 "Tears? Let there be none for me. I am happy. I 
 have been unresolved, drifting with uncertain currents, doubt- 
 ful, yet hopeful, seeing nothing, and imagining everything; 
 waiting, sometimes on men, sometimes on the gods, and 
 that so long, ah, so long ! But now the weakness is past
 
 MONTEZUMA A PROPHET. HIS PROPHECY. 459 
 
 Rejoice with me, Tula ! In this hour I have recovered do- 
 minion over myself; with every faculty restored, the very 
 king whom erst you knew, I will make answer to the 'tzin. 
 Listen welL I give you my last decree, after which I shall 
 regard myself as lost to the world. If I live, I shall never 
 rule again. Somewhere in the temples I shall find a cell 
 like that from which they took me to be king. The sweetness 
 of the solitude I remember yet. There I will wait for death ; 
 and my waiting shall be so seemly that his coming shall be 
 as the coming of a restful sleep. Hear then, and these words 
 give the 'tzin : Not as king to subject, nor as priest to peni- 
 tent, but as father to son, I send him my blessing. Of par- 
 don I say nothing. All he has done for Anahuac, and all 
 he hopes to do for her, I approve. Say to him, also, that 
 in the last hour Malinche will come for me to go with him 
 to the people, and that I will go. Then, I say, let the 'tzin 
 remember what the gods have laid upon him, and with his 
 own hand do the duty, that it may be certainly done. A 
 man's last prayer belongs to the gods, his last look to those 
 who love him. In dying there is no horror like lingering 
 long amidst enemies." 
 
 His voice trembled, and he paused. She raised her eyes 
 to his face, which was placid, but rapt, as if his spirit had 
 been caught by a sudden vision. 
 
 " To the world," he said, in a little while, " I have bid 
 farewell. I see its vanities go from me one by one ; last 
 in the train, and most glittering, most loved, Power, and 
 in its hands is my heart. A shadow creeps upon me, darken- 
 ing all without, but brightening all within ; and in the 
 brightness, lo, my People and their Future ! " 
 
 He skipped again, then resumed : 
 
 " The long, long cycles two, four, eight pass 
 away, and I see the tribes newly risen, like the trodden 
 grass, and in their midst a Priesthood and a Cross. An age
 
 460 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 of battles more, and, lo ! the Cross but not the priests ; in 
 their stead Freedom and God." 
 
 And with the last word, as if to indicate the Christian 
 God, the report of a gun without broke the spell of the 
 seer ; the two started, and looked at each other, listening 
 for what might follow ; but there was nothing more, and he 
 went on quietly talking to her. 
 
 " I know the children of the Aztec, crushed now, will live, 
 and more, after ages of wrong suffered by them, they will 
 rise up, and take their place a place of splendor amongst 
 the deathless nations of the earth. What I saw was reve- 
 lation. Cherish the words, Tula; repeat them often; 
 make them an utterance of the people, a sacred tradition ; 
 let them go down with the generations, one of which wiD, at 
 last, rightly interpret the meaning of the words FREEDOM 
 and GOD, now dark to my understanding ; and then, not till 
 then, will be the new birth and new career. And so shall my 
 name become of the land a part, suggested by all things, 
 by the sun mildly tempering its winds ; by the rivers sing- 
 ing in its valleys ; by the stars seen from its mountain-tops ; 
 by its cities, and their palaces and halls ; and so shall its red 
 races of whatever blood learn to call me father, and in their 
 glory, as well as misery, pray for and bless me." 
 
 In the progress of this speech his voice grew stronger, 
 and insensibly his manner ennobled ; at the conclusion, his 
 appearance was majestic. Tula regarded him with awe, and 
 accepted his utterances, not as the song habitual to the Aztec 
 warrior at the approach of death, nor as the rhapsody of 
 pride soothing itself ; she accepted them as prophecy, and as 
 a holy trust, a promise to be passed down through time, 
 to a generation of her race, the first to understand truly the 
 simple words, FREEDOM and GOD. And they were silent 
 * long time. 
 
 At length there was a warning at the door ; the little
 
 MONTEZUMA A PROPHET. HIS PROPHECY. 461 
 
 bells filled the worn with music strangely inharmonious. 
 The king looked that way, frowning. The intruder entered 
 without nequen; as he drew near the monarch's seat, his 
 steps became slower, and his head drooped upon his breast. 
 
 " Cuitlahua ! my "brother ! " said Montezuma, surprised. 
 
 " Brother and king ! " answered the cacique, as he knelt 
 and placed both palms upon the floor. 
 
 " You bring me a message. Arise and speak." 
 
 " No," said Cuitlahua, rising. " I have come to receive 
 your signet and orders. I am free. The guard is at the 
 door to pass me through the gate. Malinche would have me 
 go and send the people home, and open the markets ; he said 
 such were your orders. But from him I take nothing ex- 
 cept liberty. But you, king, what will you, peace or 
 war?" 
 
 Tula looked anxiously at the monarch ; would the old 
 vacillation return ? He replied firmly and gravely, 
 
 " I have given my last order as king. Tula will go with 
 you from the palace, and deliver it to you." 
 
 He arose while speaking, and gave the cacique a ring ; then 
 for a moment he regarded the two with suffused eyes, and 
 said, " I divide my love between you and my people. For 
 their sake, I say, go hence quickly, lest Malinche change his 
 mind. You, my brother, and you, my child, take my 
 blessing and that of the gods ! FarewelL" 
 
 He embraced them both. To Tula he clung long and pas- 
 sionately. More than his ambassadress to the 'tzin, she bore 
 his prophecy to the generations of the future. His last kiss 
 was dewy with her tears. With their faces to him, they 
 moved to the door; as they passed out, each gave a last 
 look, and caught his image then, the image of a man 
 breaking because he happened to be in God's way.
 
 462 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 HOW TO YIELD A CROWN. 
 
 AS the guard passed the old lord and the princess out 
 of the gate opposite the teocallis, the latter looked up 
 to the azoteas of the sacred pile, and saw the 'tzin standing 
 near the verge ; taking off the white scarf that covered her 
 head, and fell from her shoulders, after passing once around 
 her neck, she gave him the signal. He waved his hand in 
 reply, and disappeared. 
 
 The lord Cuitlahua, just released from imprisonment and 
 ignorant of the situation, scarcely knowing whither to turn 
 yet impatient to set his revenge in motion, accepted the 
 suggestion of Tula, and accompanied her to the temple. The 
 ascent was laborious, especially to him ; at the top, however, 
 they were received by Io' and Hualpa, and with every show 
 of respect conducted to the 'tzin. He saluted them gravely, 
 yet affectionately. Cuitlahua told him the circumstances of 
 his release from imprisonment. 
 
 " So," said the 'tzin, " Malinche expects you to open the 
 market, and forbid the war; but the king, what of 
 him?" 
 
 " To Tula he gave his will ; hear her." 
 
 And she repeated the message of her father. At the 
 end, the calm of the 'tzin's temper was much disturbed 
 At his instance she again and again recited the prophecy. 
 The words "Freedom and God" were as dark to him as 
 to the king, and he wondered at them. But that was 
 not all. Clearly, Montezuma approved the war; that ho 
 intended its continuance was equally certain ; unhappily, 
 there was no designation of a commander. And in thought
 
 HOW TO YIELD A CROWN. 463 
 
 < , 
 
 of the omission, the young chief hesitated never did am- 
 bition appeal to him more strongly ; but he brushed the 
 allurement away, and said to Cuitlahua, 
 
 " The king has been pleased to be silent as to which of us 
 should govern in his absence ; but we are both of one mind : 
 the right is yours naturally, and your coming at this time, 
 good uncle, looks as if the gods sent you. Take the gov- 
 ernment, therefore, and give me your orders. Malinche is 
 stronger than ever." He turned thoughtfully to the palace 
 below, over which the flag of Spain and that of Cortes were 
 now displayed. " He will require of us days of toil and 
 fighting, and many assaults. In conquering him there will 
 be great glory, which I pray you will let me divide with 
 you." 
 
 The lord Cuitlahua heard the patriotic speech wifrh glisten- 
 ing eyes. Undoubtedly he appreciated the self-denial that 
 made it beautiful ; for he said, with emotion, " I accept the 
 government, and, as its cares demand, will take my brother's 
 place in the palace ; do you take what else would be my 
 place under him in the field. And may the gods help us 
 each to do his duty ! " 
 
 He held out his hand, which the 'tzin kissed in token of 
 fealty, and so yielded the crown ; and as if the great act 
 were already out of mind, he said, 
 
 " Come, now, good uncle, and you, also, Tula, come 
 both of you, and I will show what use I made of the kingly 
 power." 
 
 I He led them closer to the verge of the azoteas, so close 
 that they saw below them the whole western side of the city, 
 and beyond that the lake and its shore, clear to the sierra 
 bounding the valley in that direction. 
 
 " There," said he, in the same strain of simplicity, " there, 
 in the shadow of the hills, I gathered the people of the val- 
 ley, and the flower of all the tribes that pay us tribute,
 
 464 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 They make an army the like of which was never seen. Th 
 chiefs are chosen ; you may depend upon them, uncle. The 
 whole great host will die for you." 
 
 " Say, rather, for us," said the lord Cuitlahua. 
 
 " No, you are now Anahuac " ; and, as deeming the point 
 settled, the 'tzin turned to Tula. " good heart," he said, 
 " you have been a witness to all the preparation. At youi 
 signal, given there by the palace gate, I kindled the piles 
 which yet burn, as you see, at the four corners of the 
 temple. Through them I spoke to the chiefs and armies 
 waiting on the lake-shore. Look now, and see their an- 
 
 They looked, and from the shore and from each preten- 
 tious summit of the sierra, saw columns of smoke rising and 
 melting into the sky. 
 
 " In that way the chiefs tell me, ' "We are ready,' or ' We 
 are coming.' And we cannot doubt them ; for see, a dark 
 line on the white face of the causeway to Cojohuacan, its 
 head nearly touching the gates at Xoloc ; and another from 
 Tlacopan ; and from the north a third ; and yonder on the 
 kke, in the shadow of Chapultepec, a yet deeper shadow." 
 
 " I see them," said Cuitlahua. 
 
 " And I," said Tula. What are they ? " 
 
 For the first time the 'tzin acknowledged a passing sen- 
 timent ; he raised his head and swept the air with a haughty 
 gesture. 
 
 " What are they 7 Wait a little, and you shall see the lines 
 on the causeways grow into ordered companies, and the 
 shadows under Chapultepec become a multitude of canoes ; 
 wait a little longer, and you shall see the companies fill all the 
 great streets, and the canoes girdle the city round about ; 
 wait a little longer, and you may see the battle." 
 
 And silence fell upon the three, the silence, however, in 
 which hearts beat like drums. From point to point they
 
 IN THE LEAGUER. 403 
 
 turned their eager eyes, from the causeways to the lake, 
 from the lake to the palace. 
 
 Slowly the converging lines crawled toward the city; 
 slowly the dark mass under the royal hill, sweeping out on 
 the lake, broke into divisions ; slowly the banners came into 
 view, of every color and form, and then the shields and 
 uniforms, until, at last, each host on its separate way 
 looked like an endless unrolling ribbon. 
 
 "When the column approaching by the causeway from 
 Tlacopan touched the city with its advance, it halted, wait- 
 ing for the others, which, having farther to march, were yet 
 some distance out. Then the three on the teocallis separated ; 
 the princess retired to her chinampa; the lord Cuitlahua, 
 with some nobles of the 'tzin's train, betook himself to the 
 new palace, there to choose a household ; the 'tzin, for pur- 
 poses of observation, remained on the azoteas. 
 
 And all the time the threatened palace was a picture of 
 peace ; the flags hung idly down ; only the sentinels were in 
 motion, and they gossiped with each other, or lingered 
 lazily at places where a wall or a battlement flung them a 
 friendly shade. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IN THE LEAGUER. 
 
 BY and by a Spaniard came out through the main gate* 
 way of the palace ; after brief leave-taking with the 
 guard there, he walked rapidly down the street. The 'tzin, 
 observing that the man was equipped for a journey, sur- 
 mised him to be a courier, and smiled at the confidence of 
 the master who sent him forth alone at such a time. 
 
 20" D D
 
 46G THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The courier went his way, and the great movement pro- 
 ceeded. 
 
 After a while Hualpa and Io' came down from the turret 
 where, under the urn of fire, they too had been watching, 
 and the former said, 
 
 " Your orders, 'tzin, are executed. The armies all 
 stand halted at the gates of the city, and at the outlet 
 of each canal I saw a division of canoes lying in wait." 
 
 The 'tzin looked up at the sun, then past meridian, and re 
 plied, " It is well. When the chiefs see but one smoke from 
 this temple they will enter the city. Go, therefore, and 
 put out all the fires except that of Huitzil'." 
 
 And soon but one smoke was to be seen. 
 
 A little afterwards there was a loud cry from the street, 
 and, looking down, the 'tzin saw the Spanish courier, with- 
 out morion or lance, staggering as he ran, and shouting. 
 Instantly the great gate was flung open, and the man taken 
 in ; and instantly a trumpet rang out, and then another and 
 another. Guatamozin sprang up. The alarm-note thrilled 
 him no less than the Christians. 
 
 The palace, before so slumberous, became alive. The 
 Tlascalans poured from the sheds, that at places lined the 
 interior of the parapet, and from the main building forth 
 rushed the Spaniards, bowmen, slingers, and arquebusiers ; 
 and the gunners took post by their guns, while the cavalry! 
 clothed their horses, and stood by the bridles. There was 
 no tumult, no confusion ; and when the ' tzin saw them in 
 their places placid, confident, ready his heart beat 
 hard : he would win, on that he was resolved, but 
 ah, at Avhat mighty cost ! 
 
 Soon, half drowned by the voices of the captains muster- 
 ing the enemy below, he heard another sound rising from 
 every quarter of the city, but deeper and more sustained, 
 where the great columns marched. He listened intently.
 
 IN THE LEAGUER. 467 
 
 Though far and faint, he recognized the susurrante, liter- 
 ally the commingled war-cries of almost all the known fight- 
 ing tribes of the New World. The chiefs were faithful ; 
 they were coming, by the canals, and up and down the 
 great streets, they were coming ; and he listened, measuring 
 their speed by the growing distinctness of the clamor. As 
 they came nearer, he became confident, then eager. Sud- 
 denly, everything, objects far and near, the old palace, and 
 the hated flags, the lake, and the purple distance, and the 
 unflecked sky, all melted into mist, for he looked at them 
 through tears. So the Last of the 'Tzins welcomed his 
 tawny legions. 
 
 While he indulged the heroic weakness, Io' and Hualpa 
 rejoined him. About the same time Cortes and some of his 
 cavaliers appeared on the azoteas of the central and higher 
 part of the palace. They were in armor, but with raised 
 visors, and seemed to be conjecturing one with another, and 
 listening to the portentous sounds that now filled the wel- 
 kin. And as the 'tzin, in keen enjoyment, watched the 
 wonder that plainly possessed the enemy, there was a flutter 
 of gay garments upon the palace, and two women joined 
 the party. 
 
 " Nenetzin ! " said Io', in a low voice. 
 
 " Nenetzin ! " echoed Hualpa. 
 
 And sharper grew his gaze, while down stooped the sun 
 to illumine the face of the faithless, as, smiling the old 
 smile, she rested lovingly upon Alvarado's arm. He turned 
 away, and covered his head. But soon a hand was laid 
 upon his shoulder, and he heard a voice, the voice of the 
 'tzin, 
 
 " Lord Hualpa, as once before you were charged, I charge 
 you now. With your own hand make the signal. Io' will 
 bring you the word. Go now." Then the voice sunk to a 
 whisper. " Patience, comrade. The days for many to come
 
 468 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 will be days of opportunity. Already the wrong-doer is in 
 the toils ; yet a little longer. Patience ! " 
 
 The noise of the infidels had now come to be a vast 
 uproar, astonishing to the bravest of the listeners. Even 
 Cortes shared the common feeling. That war was intended 
 he knew ; but he had not sufficiently credited the Aztec 
 genius. The whole valley appeared to be in arms. His face 
 became a shade more ashy as he thought, either this was 
 of the king, or the people were capable of grand action 
 without the king ; and he griped his sword-hand hard in 
 emphasis of the oath he swore, to set the monarch and his 
 people face to face ; that would he, by his conscience, 
 by the blood of the saints ! 
 
 And as he swore, here and there upon the adjacent houses 
 irmed men showed themselves ; and directly the heads of 
 columns came up, and, turning right and left at the corners, 
 began to occupy all the streets around the royal enclosure. 
 
 If one would fancy what the cavaliers then saw, let him 
 first recall the place. It was in the heart of the city. East- 
 ward arose the teocallis, a terraced hill in fact, and every 
 terrace a vantage-point. On all other sides of the palace were 
 sdifices each higher than its highest part ; and each fronted 
 with a wall resembling a parapet, except that its outer face 
 was in general richly ornamented with fretwork and mould- 
 ings and arches and grotesque corbals and cantilevers. 
 Every roof was occupied by infidels ; over the sculptured 
 walls they looked down into the fortress, if I may so call it, 
 of the strangers. 
 
 As the columns marched and countermarched in the 
 streets thus beautifully bounded, they were a spectacle of 
 extraordinary animation. Over them played the semi-trans- 
 parent shimmer or thrill of air, so to speak, peculiar to armies 
 in rapid movement, curious effect of changing colors and 
 multitudinous motion. The Christians studied them with
 
 IN THE LEAGUER. 469 
 
 an interest inappreciable to such as have never known the 
 sensations of a soldier watching the foe taking post for 
 combat. 
 
 Of arms there were in the array every variety known to 
 the Aztecan service, the long bow ; the javelin ; slings of 
 the ancient fashion, fitted for casting stones a pound or more 
 in weight ; the maquahuiU, limited to the officers ; and here 
 and there long lances with heads of bronze or sharpened flint 
 The arms, it must be confessed, added little to the general 
 appearance of the mass, a deficiency amply compensated 
 by the equipments. The quivers of the bowmen, and the 
 pouches of the slingers, and the broad straps that held them 
 to the person were brilliantly decorated. Equally striking 
 were the costumes of the several branches of the service : 
 the fillet, holding back the long, straight hair, and full of 
 feathers, mostly of the eagle and turkey, though not un- 
 frequently of the ostrich, costly prizes come, in the way of 
 trade, from the far llanos of the south ; the escaupU, of bright- 
 est crimson ; the shield, faced with brazen plates, and edged 
 with flying tufts of buffalo hair, and sometimes with longer 
 and brighter locks, the gift of a mistress or a trophy of war. 
 These articles, though half barbaric, lost nothing by contrast 
 with the naked, dark-brown necks and limbs of the warriors, 
 - lithe and stately men, from whom the officers were distin- 
 guished by helmets of hideous device and mantles indescrib- 
 ably splendid. Over all shone the ensigns, indicia of the 
 tribes : here a shining sphere ; there a star, or a crescent, or 
 a radial sun ; but most usually a floating cloth covered with 
 blazonry. 
 
 With each company marched a number of priests, bare- 
 headed and frocked, and a corps of musicians, of whom some 
 blew unearthly discords from conchs, while others clashed 
 cymbals, and beat atabals fashioned like the copper tam-tams 
 of the Hindoos.
 
 470 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Even the marching of the companies was peculiar. In- 
 stead of the slow, laborious step of the European, they 
 came on at a pace which, between sunrise and sunset, 
 habitually carried them from the bivouac tAventy leagues 
 away. 
 
 And as they marched, the ensigns tossed to and fro ; the- 
 priests sang monotonous canticles ; the cymbalists danced 
 and leaped joyously at the head of their companies ; and the 
 warriors in the ranks flung their shields aloft, and yelled 
 their war-cries, as if drunk with happiness. 
 
 As the inundation of war swept around the palace, a cav- 
 alier raised his eyes to the temple. 
 
 " Valgame Dies ! " he cried, in genuine alarm. " The 
 levies of the valley are not enough. Lo, the legions of the 
 air ! " 
 
 On the azoteas where but the moment before only the 'tzin 
 and Io' were to be seen, there were hundreds of caparisoned 
 warriors; and as the Christians looked at them, they all 
 knelt, leaving but one man standing ; simultaneously the 
 companies on the street stopped, and, with those on the 
 house-tops, hushed their yells, and turned up to him their 
 faces countless and glistening. 
 
 " Who is he 1 " the cavaliers asked each other. 
 
 Cortes, cooler than the rest, turned to Marina : " Ask the 
 princess Nenetzin if she knows him." 
 
 And ISTenetzin answered, 
 
 " The 'tzin Guatamo." 
 
 As the two chiefs surveyed each other in full recognition, 
 down from the sky, as it were, broke an intonation so deep 
 that the Christians were startled, and the women fled from 
 the roof. 
 
 " Ola ! " cried Alvarado, with a laugh. " I have heard 
 that thunder before. Down with your visors, gentlemen, as 
 ;e care for the faces your mothers love 1 w
 
 IN THE LEAGUER. 471 
 
 Three times Hualpa struck the great drum in the sanctuary 
 of HuitziT ; and as the last intonation rolled down over the 
 city the clamor of the infidels broke out anew, and into 
 the enclosure of the palace they poured a cloud of missiles 
 so thick that place of safety there was not anywhere outside 
 the building. 
 
 To this time the garrison had kept silence ; now, standing 
 each at his post, they answered. In the days of the former- 
 siege, besides preparing banquettes for the repulsion of esca- 
 lades, they had pierced the outer walls, generally but little 
 higher than a man's head, with loop-holes and embrasures, 
 out of which the guns, great and small, were suddenly pointed 
 and discharged. No need of aim ; outside, not farther than 
 the leap of the flames, stood the assailants. The effect, 
 especially of the artillery, was dreadful ; and the prodigious 
 noise, and the dense, choking smoke, stupefied and blinded 
 the masses, so unused to such enginery. And from the wall 
 they shrank staggering, and thousands turned to fly ; but in 
 pressed the chiefs and the priests, and louder rose the clangor 
 of conchs and cymbals : the very density of the multitude 
 helped stay the panic. 
 
 And down from the temple came the 'tzin, not merely to 
 give the effect of his presence, but to direct the assault. In 
 the sanctuary he had arrayed himself; his escaupil and til- 
 matli, of richest feather-work, fairly blazed ; his helm and 
 shield sparkled ; and behind, scarcely less splendid, walked 
 Io' and Hualpa. He crossed the street, shouting his war-cry. 
 At sight of him, men struggling to get away turned to fight 
 again. 
 
 Next the wall of the palace the shrinking of the infidels 
 had left a clear margin ; and there, the better to be seen by 
 his people, the 'tzin betook himself. In front of the em- 
 brasures he cleared the lines of fire, so that the guns were 
 i)ften ineffectual ; he directed attention to the loopholes, so
 
 472 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 that the appearance of an arbalist or arquebus drew a hun- 
 dred arrows to the spot. Taught by his example, the war- 
 riors found that under the walls there was a place of safety ; 
 then he set them to climbing ; for that purpose some stuck 
 their javelins in the cracks of the masonry ; some formed 
 groups over which others raised themselves ; altogether the 
 crest of the wall was threatened in a thousand places, 
 insomuch that the Tlascalans occupied themselves exclusively 
 in its defence ; and as often as one raised to strike a climber 
 down, he made himself a target for the quick bowmen on 
 the opposite houses. 
 
 And so, wherever the 'tzin went he inspired his country- 
 men; the wounded, and the many dead and dying, and 
 the blood maddened instead of daunting them. They 
 rained missiles into the enclosure ; upon the wall they fought 
 hand to hand with the defenders ; in their inconsiderate fury, 
 many leaped down inside, and perished instantly, but all 
 in vain. 
 
 Then the 'tzin had great timbers brought up, thinking to 
 batter in the parapet. Again and again they were hurled 
 against the face of the masonry, but without effect. 
 
 Yet another resort. He had balls of cotton steeped in oil 
 shot blazing into the palace-yard. Against the building, and 
 on its tiled roof, they fell harmless. It happened, however, 
 that the sheds in which the Tlascalans quartered consisted 
 almost entirely of reeds, with roofs of rushes and palm- 
 leaves ; they burst into flames. "Water could not be spared 
 by the garrison, for the drought was great ; in the extremity, 
 the Tlascalans and many Christians were drawn from the de- 
 fences, and set to casting earth upon the new enemy. Hun- 
 dreds of the former were killed or disabled. The flames 
 spread to the wooden outworks of the wall. The smoke 
 almost blotted out the day. After a while a part of the wall 
 fell down, and the infidels rushed in ; a steady fire of arque-
 
 IN THE LEAGUER YET 
 
 473 
 
 buses swept them away, and choked the chasin with the 
 slain ; still others braved the peril ; company after company 
 dashed into the fatal snare uselessly, as waves roll forward 
 and spend themselves in the gorge of a sea-wall. 
 
 The conflict lasted without abatement through long hours. 
 The sun went down. In the twilight the great host with- 
 drew, all that could. The smoke from the conflagration 
 and guns melted into the shades of night ; and the stars, 
 mild-eyed as ever, came out one by one to see the wrecks 
 heaped and ghastly lying in the bloody street and palace- 
 yard. 
 
 All night the defenders lay upon their arms, or, told off in 
 working parties, labored to restore the breach. 
 
 All night the infidels collected their dead and wounded, 
 thousands in number. They did not offer to attack, custom 
 forbade that ; yet over the walls they sent their vengeful 
 warnings. 
 
 All night the listening sentinels on the parapet noted the 
 darkness filled with sounds of preparation from every quar- 
 ter of the city. And they crossed themselves, and muttered 
 the names of saints and good angels, and thought shudder- 
 ingly of the morrow. 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 IN THE LEAGUER YET. 
 
 UATAMOZIN" took little rest that night. The very 
 uncertainty of the combat multiplied his cares. It 
 was not to be supposed that his enemy would keep to the 
 palace, content day after day with receiving assaults ; that 
 was neither his character nor his policy. To-morrow he would 
 certainly open the gates, and try conclusions in tiu* streets
 
 474 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The first duty, therefore, was to provide for such a con- 
 tingency. So the 'tzin went along all the streets leading 
 to the old palace, followed by strong working-parties ; and 
 where the highest houses fronted each other, he stopped, 
 and thereat the details fell to making barricades, and carry- 
 ing stones and logs to the roofs. As a final measure of im- 
 portance, he cut passages through the walls of the house? 
 and gardens, that companies might be passed quickly and 
 secretly from one thoroughfare to another. 
 
 Everywhere he found great cause for mourning ; but the 
 stories of the day were necessarily lost in the demands of 
 the morrow. 
 
 He visited his caciques, and waited on the lord Cuitlahua 
 to take his orders ; then he passed to the temples, whence, 
 as he well knew, the multitudes in great part derived their 
 inspiration. The duties of the soldier, politician, and devotee 
 discharged, he betook himself to the chinampa, and to Tula 
 told the heroisms of the combat, and his plans and hopes ; 
 there he renewed his own inspirations. 
 
 Toward morning he returned to the great temple. Hualpa 
 and Io', having followed him throughout his round, spread 
 their mantles on the roof, and slept : he could not ; between 
 the work of yesterday and that to come, his mind played 
 pendulously, and with such forceful activity as forbade 
 slumber. From the quarters of the strangers, moreover, ho 
 heard constantly the ringing of hammers, the neighing and 
 trampling of steeds, and voices of direction. It was a long 
 night to him ; but at last over the crown of the White 
 Woman the dawn flung its first light into the valley ; and 
 then he saw the palace, its walls manned, the gunners by 
 their pieces, and in the great court lines of footmen, and at 
 the main gate horsemen standing by their bridles. 
 
 " Thanks, O gods ! " he cried. " Walls will not separaw 
 my people from their enemies to-day ! "
 
 IN THE LEAGUER YET. 475 
 
 "With the sunrise the assault began, a repetition of thai 
 of the day before. 
 
 Then the guns opened ; and while the infidels reeled 
 under the fire, out of the gates rode Cortes and his chivalry, 
 a hundred men-at-arms. Into the mass they dashed. Space 
 sufficient having been won, they wheeled southward down 
 the beautiful street, followed by detachments of bowmen 
 and arquebusiers and Tlascalans. "With them also went 
 Mesa and his guns. 
 
 "When fairly in the street, environed with walls, the 'tzin's 
 tactics and preparation appeared. Upon the approach of 
 the cavalry, the companies took to the houses ; only those 
 fell who stopped to fight or had not time to make the exit. 
 All the time, however, the horsemen were exposed to the 
 missiles tossed upon them from the roofs. Soon as they 
 passed, out rushed the infidels in hordes, to fall upon the 
 flanks and rear of the supporting detachments. Never was 
 Mesa so hard pressed ; never were helm and corselet so 
 nearly useless; never gave up the ghost so many of the 
 veteran Tlascalans. 
 
 At length the easy way of the cavalry was brought to a 
 stop ; before them was the first barricade, a work of earth 
 and stones too high to be leaped, and defended by Chinan- 
 tlan spears, of all native weapons the most dreaded. Never- 
 theless, Cortes drew rein only at its foot. On the instant 
 his shield and mail warded off a score of bronzed points, 
 whirled his axe, crash went the spears, that was all. 
 
 Meantime, the eager horsemen in the rear, not knowing 
 (of the obstacle in front, pressed on ; the narrow space be- 
 came packed ; then from the roofs on the right hand and 
 the left descended a tempest of stones and lances, blent 
 with beams of wood, against which no guard was strong 
 enough. Six men and horses fell there. A cry of dismay 
 arose from the pack, and much calling was there -in
 
 476 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 taints, much writhing and swaying of men and plunging of 
 steeds, and vain looking upward through bars of steel 
 Cortes quitted smashing spears over the barricade. 
 
 " Out ! out ! Back, in Christ's name ! " he cried. 
 
 The jam was finally relieved. 
 
 Again his voice, 
 
 " To Mesa, some of ye ; "bring the guns ! Speed ! " 
 
 Then he, too, rode slowly back; and sharper than the 
 shame of the retreat, sharper than the arrows or the taunts 
 of the foe, sharper than all of them together, was the sight 
 of the six riders in their armor left to quick despoilment, 
 they and their good steeds. 
 
 It was not easy for Mesa to come ; but he did, opening 
 within a hundred feet of the barricade. Again and again 
 he fired ; the smoke wreathed blinding white about him. 
 
 " What sayest thou now 1 " asked Cortes, impatiently. 
 
 " That thou mayest go, and thou wilt. The saints go with 
 thee ! " 
 
 The barricade was a ruin. 
 
 At the first bridge again there was a fierce struggle ; when 
 taken, the floor was heaped with dead and wounded infidels. 
 
 And so for hours. Only at the last gate, that opening on 
 the causeway to Iztapalapan, did Cortes stay the sally. There, 
 riding to the rear, now become the front, he started in re- 
 turn. Needless to tell how well the Christians fought, or 
 how devotedly the pagans resisted and perished. Enough, 
 that the going back was more difficult than the coming. 
 Four more of the Spaniards perished on the way. 
 
 At a late hour that night Sandoval entered Cortes' room, 
 and gave him a parchment. The chief went to the lamp and 
 read ; then, snatching his sword from the table, he walked 
 to and fro, as was his wont when much disturbed ; only his 
 strides were longer, and the gride of the weapon on the tiled 
 floor more relentless than common.
 
 IN THE LEAGUER YET. 477 
 
 He stopped abruptly. 
 
 " Dead, ten of them ! And their horses, captain 1 " 
 
 " Three were saved," replied Sandoval. 
 
 " By my conscience, I like it not ! and thou 1 " 
 
 " I like it less," said the captain, naively. 
 
 " What say the men ? " 
 
 " They demand to be led from the city while yet they 
 have strength to go." 
 
 Cortes frowned and continued his walk. When next he 
 stopped, he said, in the tone of a man whose mind was 
 made up, 
 
 " Good night, captain. See that the sentinels sleep not j 
 and, captain, as thou goest, send hither Martin Lopez, and 
 mind him to bring one or two of his master carpenters. 
 Good night." 
 
 The mind of the leader, never so quick as in time of 
 trouble, had in the few minutes reviewed the sortie. True, 
 he had broken through the barricades, taken bridge after 
 bridge, and driven the enernv often as they opposed him ; 
 he had gone triumphantly to the v^erv gates of the city, and 
 returned, and joined Olmedo in unctuous celebration of the 
 achievement ; yet the good was not as clear and immediate 
 as at first appeared. 
 
 He recalled the tactics of his enemy : how, on his ap- 
 proach, they had vanished from the street and assailed him 
 from the roofs ; how, when he had passed, they poured into 
 the street again, and flung themselves hand to hand upon 
 the infantry and artillery. And the result, ten riders and 
 seven horses were dead ; of the Tlascalans in the column 
 nearly all had perished ; every Christian foot-soldier had one 
 or more wounds. At Cempoalla he himself had been hurt 
 in the left hand ; now he was sore with contusions. He set 
 Ms teeth hard at thought of the moral effect of the day's 
 work ; how it would raise the spirit of the infidels, and de-
 
 478 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 press that of his own people. Already the latter were 
 clamoring to be led from the city, so the blunt Captain 
 Sandoval had said. 
 
 The enemy's advantage was in the possession of the 
 houses. The roofs dominated the streets. Were there no 
 means by which he could dominate the roofs 1 He bent 
 his whole soul to the problem. Somewhere he had read or 
 'heard of the device known in ancient warfare as mantelets, 
 
 literally, a kind of portable roof, under which besiegers 
 approached and sapped or battered a wall. The recollection 
 was welcome ; the occasion called for an extraordinary re- 
 sort. He laid the sword gently upon the table, gently as h(. 
 would a sleeping child, and sent for Lopez. 
 
 That worthy came, ad with him two carpenters, each a? 
 rough as himself. And it was a picture, if not a comedy, 
 to watch the four bending over the table to follow Cortes, 
 while, with his dagger-point, he drew lines illustrative of tha 
 etrange machine. They separated with a perfect understand- 
 ing. The chief slept soundly, his confidence stronger than 
 ever. 
 
 Another day, the third. From morn till noon and 
 night, the clamor of assault and the exertion of defence, the 
 roar of guns from within, the rain of missiles from without, 
 
 Death everywhere. 
 
 All the day Cortes held to the palace. On the other side, 
 the 'tzin kept close watch from the teocallis. That morning 
 early he had seen workmen bring from the palace some stout 
 timbers, and in the great court-yard proceed to frame them. 
 He plied the party with stones and arrows ; again and again, 
 best of all the good bowmen of the valley, he himself sent 
 his shafts at the man who seemed the director of the 
 work ; as often did they splinter upon his helm or corselet, or 
 drop harmless from the close links of tempered steel de- 
 fending his limbs. The work went steadily on, and by noon
 
 IN THE LEAGUER YET. 479 
 
 had taken the form of towers, two in number, and high 
 as ordinary houses. By sunset both were under roof. 
 
 When the night came, the garrison were not rested ; and 
 as to the infidels, the lake received some hundreds more of 
 them, which was only room made for other hundreds as brave 
 and devoted. 
 
 Over the palace walls the besiegers sent words ominous and 
 disquieting, and not to be confounded with the half-sung 
 formulas of the watchers keeping time on the temples by the 
 movement of the stars. 
 
 "Malinche, Malinche, we are a thousand to your one. 
 Our gods hunger for vengeance. You cannot escape 
 them." 
 
 So the Spaniards heard in their intervals of unrest. 
 
 " false sons of Anahuac, the festival is making ready ; 
 your hearts are Huitzil's ; the cages are open to receive you." 
 
 The Tlascalans heard, and trembled. 
 
 The fourth day. Still Cortes kept within the palace, and 
 still the assault ; nor with all the slaughter could there be 
 perceived any decrease either in the number of the infidels 
 or the spirit of their attack. 
 
 Meantime the workmen in the court-yard clung to the 
 construction of the towers. Lopez was skilful, Cortes im- 
 patient. At last they were finished. 
 
 That night the 'tzin visited Tula. At parting, she followed 
 him to the landing. Yeteve went with her. " The blessing 
 of the gods be upon you ! " she said ; and the benediction, so 
 trustful arid sweetly spoken, was itself a blessing. Even 
 the slaves, under their poised oars, looked at her and for- 
 got themselves, as well they might. The light of the great 
 torch, kindled by the keeper of the chinampa, revealed her 
 perfectly. The head slightly bent, and the hands crossed 
 over the breast, helped the prayerful speech. Her eyes were 
 not upon the slaves, yet their effect was; and they were
 
 480 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 such eyes as give to night the beauty of stars, while taking 
 nothing from it, neither depth nor darkness. 
 
 The canoe put off. 
 
 " Farewell," said Io'. His warrior-life was yet in its 
 yoxith. 
 
 " Farewell," said Hualpa. And she heard him, and knew 
 him thinking of his lost love. 
 
 In the 'tzin's absence the garrison of the temple had been 
 heavily reinforced. The azoteas, when he returned, was 
 covered with warriors, asleep on their mantles, and pillowed 
 on their shields. He bade his companions catch what 
 slumber they could, and went into the grimy but full-lighted 
 presence-chamber, and seated himself on the step of the 
 altar. In a little while Hualpa came in, and stopped before 
 him as if for speech. 
 
 "You have somewhat to say," said the 'tzin, kindly. 
 
 " A word, good 'tzin, a single word. Io' lies upon his 
 mantle ; he is weary, and sleeps well. I am weary, but can- 
 not sleep. I suffer " 
 
 " What 1 " asked the 'tzin. 
 
 " Discontent." 
 
 " Discontent ! " 
 
 " 'tzin, to follow you and win your praise has been 
 my greatest happiness; but as yet I have- done nothing by 
 myself. I pray you, give me liberty to go where I please, 
 if only for a day." 
 
 " Where would you go ? " 
 
 " Where so many have tried and failed, over the wall, 
 into the palace." 
 
 There was a long silence, during which the supplicant 
 looked on the floor, and the master at him. 
 
 " I think I understand you," the latter at length said. 
 fc To-morrow I will give you answer. Go now."
 
 THE BATTLE OP THE MANTAS. 481 
 
 Hualpa touched the floor with his palm, and left the 
 chamber. The 'tzin remained thoughtful, motionless. An 
 hour passed. 
 
 "Over the wall, into the palace!" he said, musingly. 
 " Not for country, not for glory, for Nenetzin. Alas, 
 poor lad ! From his life she has taken the life. Over the 
 wall into the Sun. To-morrow comes swiftly; good or 
 ill, the gifts it brings are from the gods. Patience ! " 
 
 And upon the step he spread his mantle, and slept, mut- 
 tering, " Over the wall, into the palace, and she has not 
 called him! Poor lad!" 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 THE BATTLE OP THE MANIAS. 
 
 THE report of a gun awoke the 'tzin in the morning. 
 The great uproar of the assault, now become familial 
 to him, filled the chamber. He knelt on the step and prayed, 
 for there was a cloud upon his spirit, and over the idol's stony 
 face there seemed to be a cloud. He put on his helm and 
 mantle ; at the door Hualpa offered him his arms. 
 
 "No," he said, " bring me those we took from the 
 stranger." 
 
 Hualpa marked the gravity of his manner, and with a 
 rising heart and a. smile, the first seen on his lips for many 
 a day, he brought a Spanish shield and battle-axe, and gave 
 them to him. 
 
 Then the din below, bursting out in greater volume, drew 
 
 the 'tzin to the verge of the temple. The warriors made 
 
 way for him reverently. He looked down into the square, 
 
 and through a veil of smoke semilucent saw Cortes and hia 
 
 21
 
 482 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 cavaliers charge the ranks massed in front of the palace 
 gate. The gate stood open, and a crowd of the Tlascalans were 
 pouring out of the portal, hauling one of the towers whose 
 construction had been the mystery of the days last passed ; 
 they bent low to the work, and cheered each other with their 
 war-cries ; yet the manta so called by Cortes moved 
 slowly, as if loath to leave. In the same manner the other 
 tower was drawn out of the court ; then, side by side, both 
 were started down the street, which they filled so nearly 
 that room was hardly left for the detachments that guarded 
 the Tlascalans on the flanks. 
 
 The fighting ceased, and silently the enemies stared at the 
 spectacle, such power is there in curiosity. 
 
 At sight of the structures, rolling, rocking, rumbling, and 
 creaking dismally in every wheel, Cortes' eyes sparkled fire- 
 like through his visor. The 'tzin, on the other hand, was dis- 
 turbed and anxious, although outwardly calm ; for the ob- 
 jects of the common wonder were enclosed on every side, 
 and he knew as little what they contained as of their use 
 and operation. 
 
 Slowly they rolled on, until past the intersection of the 
 streets ; there they stopped. Eight and left of them were 
 beautiful houses covered with warriors for the moment con- 
 verted into spectators. A hush of expectancy everywhere 
 prevailed. The 'tzin shaded his eyes with his hand, and 
 leant eagerly forward. Suddenly, from the sides of the 
 machine next the walls, masked doors dropped out, and guns, 
 charged to the muzzle, glared over the house-tops, then swept 
 them with fire. 
 
 A horrible scream flew along the street and up to the 
 moteas of the temple ; at the same time, by ladders extended 
 to the coping of the walls, the Christians leaped on the roofs, 
 like boarders on a ship's deck, and mastered them at once ; 
 Whereupon they returned, and were about taking in the lad-
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE MANTAS. 483 
 
 ders, when Cortes galloped back, and, riding from one to the 
 other, shouted, 
 
 "Ordas! Avila ! Mirad ! Where are the torches I gave 
 ye ? Out again ! Leave not a stone to shelter the dogs 1 
 Leave nothing but ashes ! Pronto, pronto ! " 
 
 The captains answered promptly. "With flambeaux of 
 resinous pine and cotton, they fired all the wood-work of the 
 interior of the buildings. Smoke burst from the doors and 
 windows ; then the detachments retreated, and were rolled 
 on without the loss of a man. 
 
 Behind the manias there was a strong rear-guard of in- 
 fantry and artillery ; with which, and the guards on the 
 flanks, and the cavaliers forcing way at the front, it seemed 
 impossible to avert, or even interrupt, an attack at once so 
 novel and successful. 
 
 The smoke from the burning houses, momentarily thicken- 
 ing and widening, was seen afar, and by the heathen hailed 
 with cries of alarm : not so Cortes ; riding everywhere, in 
 the van, to the rear, often stopping by the manias, which he 
 regarded with natural affection, as an artist does his last 
 work, he tasted the joy of successful genius. The smoke 
 rising, as it were, to Heaven, carried up his vows not to 
 stop until the city, with all its idolatries, was a heap of 
 ashes and lime, a holocaust to the Mother such as had 
 never been seen. The cheeriness of his constant cry, 
 " Christo, Ckristo y Santiago ! " communicated to his people, 
 and they marched laughing and fighting. 
 
 Opposition had now almost ceased; at the approach of 
 the manias, the house-tops were given up without resistance. 
 A general panic appeared to have seized the pagans ; they 
 even vacated the street, so that the cavaliers had little else to 
 do than ride leisurely, turning now and then to see the fires 
 behind them, and the tall machines come lumbering on. 
 
 As remarked, when the manias stopped at fche intersection
 
 484 THE FAIR 
 
 of the streets, the 'tzin watched them eagerly, for he knew 
 the time had come to make their use manifest ; he saw a 
 door drop, aud the jet of flame and smoke leap from a gun ; 
 he heard the cry of agony from the house-tops, and the 
 deeper cry from all the people ; to the chiefs around him he 
 said, with steady voice, and as became a leader, 
 
 " Courage, friends ! We have them now. Malinche is 
 mad to put his people in such traps. Lord Hualpa, go round 
 the place of combat and see that the first bridge is im- 
 passable ; for there, unless the towers have wings, and can 
 fly, they must stop. And to you, Io'," he spoke to the lad 
 tenderly, " I give a command and sacred trust. Stay here, 
 and take care of the gods." 
 
 Io' kissed his hand, and said, fervently, " May the gods 
 care for me as I will for them ! " 
 
 To other chiefs, calling them by name, he gave directions 
 for the renewal of the assault on the palace, now weakened 
 by the sortie, and for the concentration of fresh companies 
 in the rear of the enemy, to contest their return. 
 
 " And now, my good lord," he said to a cacique, gray- 
 headed, but of magnificent frame, " you have a company of 
 Tezcucans, formerly the guards of king Cacama's palace. 
 Bring them, and follow me. Come." 
 
 A number of houses covering quite half a square were by 
 this time on fire. Those of wood burned furiously ; the 
 morning, however, was almost breathless, so that the cinders 
 did little harm. On the left side of the street stood a build- 
 ing of red stone, its front profusely carved, and further 
 ornamented with a marble portico, a palace, in fact, mas- 
 sively built, and somewhat higher than the manias. Its 
 entrances were barricaded, and on the roof, where an 
 enemy might be looked for, there was not a spear, helm, 
 or sign of life, except some fan-palms and long banana- 
 branches. Before the stately front the mantat were at length
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE MANTAS. 485 
 
 hauled. Immediately the door on that side was dropped, 
 and the ladder fixed, and Avila, who had the command, 
 started with his followers to take possession and apply the 
 torch. Suddenly, the coping of the palace-front flamed with 
 feathered helms and points of bronze. 
 
 Avila was probably as skilful and intrepid as any of Cortes' 
 captains ; but now he was surprised : directly before him 
 stood Guatamozin, whom every Spaniard had come to know 
 and respect as the most rodoubted of all the warriors of 
 Anahuac ; and he shone on the captain a truly martial figure, 
 confronting him with Spanish arms, a shield with a face of 
 iron and a battle-axe of steel. Avila hesitated ; and as he 
 did so, the end of the ladder was lifted from the wall, poised 
 a moment in the air, then flung off. 
 
 The 'tzin had not time to observe the effect of the fall, for 
 a score of men came quickly up, bringing a beam of wood as 
 long and large as the spar of a brigantine ; a trailing rope at 
 its further end strengthened the likeness. Besting the beam 
 on the coping of the wall, at a word, they plunged it forward 
 against the manta, which rocked under the blow. A yell 
 of fear issued from within. The Tlascalans strove to haul 
 the machine away, but the Tezcucans from their height 
 tossed logs and stones upon them, crushing many to death, 
 and putting the rest in such fear that their efforts were vain. 
 Meantime, the beam was again shot forward over the coping, 
 and with such effect that the roof of the mania sprang from 
 its fastenings, and nearly toppled off. 
 
 The handiwork so rudely treated was not as stout as the 
 ships Martin Lopez sailed on the lake. It was simply a 
 square tower, two storias high, erected on wheels. The 
 frame was enclosed with slabs, pinned on vertically, and 
 pierced with loopholes. On the sides there were apertures 
 defended by doors. The roof, sloping hip-fashion, had an 
 outer covering of undressed skins as protection against fire-
 
 486 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The lower floor was for the Tlascalans, should they be driveq 
 from the drag-ropes ; in the second story there was a gun, 
 some arquebusiers, and a body of pikemen to storm the 
 house-tops ; so that altogether the contrivance could hardly 
 stand hauling over the street, much less a battery like that 
 it was then receiving. At the third blow it became an uiv 
 tenable wreck. 
 
 " Avila ! " cried Cortes. " Where art thou 1 " 
 
 The good captain, with four of his bravest men, lay in- 
 sensible, if not dead, under the ladder. 
 
 " Mercy, Mother of God, mercy ! " groaned Cortes ; 
 next moment he was himself again. 
 
 "What do ye here, men? Out and away before thes& 
 timbers tumble and crush ye ! " 
 
 One man stayed. 
 
 " The gun, Senor, the gun ! " he protested. 
 
 Spurring close to the door, Cortes said, " As thou art a 
 Christian, get thee down, comrade, and quickly. I can bet- 
 ter spare the gun than so good a gunner." 
 
 Then the beam came again, and, with a great crash, tore 
 away the side of the manta. The gun rolled backward, and 
 burst through the opposite wall of the room. The veteran 
 disappeared. 
 
 By this time all eyes were turned to the scene. The 
 bowmen and arquebusiers in the column exerted themselves 
 to cover their unfortunate comrades. Upon the neighboring 
 houses a few infidels, on the watch, yelled joyously, 
 " The 'tzin ! the 'tzin ! " From them the shout, spread through 
 the cowering army, became, indeed, a battle-cry significant 
 of success. 
 
 To me, good reader, the miracles of the world, if any 
 there be, are not the things men do in masses, but the sub- 
 limer things done by one man over the many ; they testify 
 most loudly of God, sine* without him they could not
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE MANTAS. 487 
 
 have been. I am too good a Christian to say this of a 
 heathen; nevertheless, without the 'tzin his country had 
 perished that morning. Back to the roofs came the de- 
 fenders, into the street poured the companies again ; no 
 leisure now for the cavaliers. With the other manta Or- 
 das moved on gallantly, but the work was hard ; at some 
 houses he failed, others he dared not attack. From front 
 to rear the contest became a battle. In the low places of 
 the street and pavement the blood flowed warm, then cooled 
 in blackening pools. The smoke of the consuming houses, 
 distinguishable from that of the temples, collected into a 
 cloud, and hung wide-spread over the combat. The yells of 
 Christians and infidels, fusing into a vast monotone, roared 
 like the sea. Twice Mesa went to the front, the cava- 
 liers had need of him, twice he returned to the rear. 
 
 The wrath of the Aztecs seemed especially directed against 
 the Tlascalans tugging at the ropes of the manta ; as a con- 
 sequence, their quilted armor was torn to rags, and so many 
 of them were wounded, so many killed, that at every stop- 
 page the wheels were more difficult to start ; and to make 
 the movement still more slow and uncertain, the carcasses of 
 the dead had to be rolled or carried out of the way ; and 
 the dead, sooth to say, were not always Aztecs. 
 
 Luis Marin halted to breathe. 
 
 " Ola, companero ! What dost thou there 1 " 
 
 " By all the saints ! " answered Alvarado, on foot, tighten-! 
 ing his saddle-girth. " Was ever the like 1 It hath been 
 strike, strike, kill, kill, for an hour. I am dead in the 
 right arm from finger to shoulder. And now here is a buckle 
 that refuseth its work. Caramba/ My glove is slippery 
 with blood ! " 
 
 And so step by step, each one bought with a life, the 
 Christians won their way to the first bridge : the floor was 
 gone I Cortes reined his horse, bloody from hoof to frontlet,
 
 488 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 by the edge of the chasm. Since daybreak fighting, and but 
 a square gained ! The water, never so placid, was the utmost 
 limit of his going. He looked at the mania, now, like that 
 of Avila, a mocking failure. He looked again, and a blas- 
 phemy beyond the absolution of Olm edo, I fear, broke the 
 clenching of his jaws, not for the machines, or the hopes 
 they had raised, but the days their construction lost him. 
 As he looked, through a rift in the cloud still rising along 
 the battle's track, he saw the great temple ; gay banners and 
 gorgeous regalia, all the splendor of barbaric war, filled that 
 view, and inspired him. To the cavaliers, close around and 
 in waiting, he turned. The arrows smote his mail and 
 theirs, yet he raised his visor : the face was calm, even smil- 
 ing, for the will is a quality apart from mind and passion. 
 
 " We will go back, gentlemen," he said. " The city is on 
 fire, enough for one day. And hark ye, gentlemen. We 
 have had enough of common blood. Let us go now and see 
 of what the heathen gods are made." 
 
 His nearers were in the mood ; they raised their shields 
 and shouted, 
 
 "To the temple! To the temple! For the love of 
 Christ, to the temple ! " 
 
 The cry sped down the column ; and as the men caught its 
 meaning they faced about of their own will. Wounds, weari- 
 ness, and disappointments were forgotten ; the rudest soldier 
 became a zealot on the instant. Al templo f Addante, ade- 
 lante ! rose like a new chorus, piercing the battle's monotone. 
 
 Cortes stood in his stirrups, and lo ! the enemy, ranked 
 close, like corn in the full ear, yet outreaching his vision, 
 plumed, bannered, brilliant, and terrible. 
 
 " Close and steady, swords of the Church ! What ye see 
 is but grass for the cutting. Yonder is the temple we seek 
 Follow me. Adelantef Christo y Santiago!" 
 
 So saying, he spurred in deep amongst the infidels.
 
 OVER THE WALL, INTO THE PALACE. 489 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 OVER THE WALL, INTO THE PALACE. 
 
 THE duty Hualpa had been charged with by the 'tzin 
 was not difficult of performance ; for the bridges of 
 the capital, even those along the beautiful street, were much 
 simpler structures than they appeared. When he had seen 
 the balustrades and flooring and the great timbers that 
 spanned the canal the first one south of the old palace ~ 
 torn from their places, and hauled off by the canoemen whom 
 he had collected for the purpose, he returned to the temple 
 to rejoin his master. 
 
 The assault upon the palace, when he reached that point, 
 was more furious than at any previous time. The companies 
 in the street were fighting with marvellous courage, while the 
 missiles from the azoteas and westward terraces o* the tem- 
 ple, and all the houses around, literally darkened the air. 
 Amidst the clamor Hualpa caught at intervals the cry, 
 " The 'tzin, the 'tzin ! " He listened, and all the loyal thou- 
 sands seemed shouting, " The 'tzin, the 'tzin ! Al-a- 
 
 " Has anything befallen the 'tzin ? " he asked of an ac- 
 quaintance. 
 
 " Yes, thanks to HuitziT ! He has broken one of Ma- 
 linche's towers to pieces, and killed everybody in it." 
 
 Hualpa's love quickened suddenly. " Blessed be all the 
 gods ! " he cried, and, passing on, ascended to the azoteas. 
 It may have been the battle, full of invocations, as battles 
 always are ; or it may have been that Io', in full enjoyment 
 of his command, and so earnest in its performance, stimulated 
 his ambition ; or it may have been the influence of his pecu-
 
 490 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 liar sorrow, the haunting memories of his love, and she, its 
 star, separated from him by so little, something made him 
 restless and feverish. He talked with the caciques and 
 priests ; he clomb the turret, and watched the smoke go 
 softly up, and hide itself in the deeper blue of the sky ; with 
 Io', he stood on the temple's verge, and witnessed the fight, 
 at times using bow and sling ; but nothing brought him re- 
 lief. The opportunity he had so long desired was here call- 
 ing him, and passing away. for an hour of liberty to 
 enact himself ! 
 
 Unable to endure the excitement, he started in search of 
 the 'tzin, knowing that, wherever he was, there was action, 
 if not opportunity. At that moment he saw a cacique in 
 the street plant a ladder against the wall of the palace not 
 far from the main gate. The Tlascalans defending at that 
 point tried to throw it off, but a shower of stones from 
 the terrace of the temple deluged them, and they disap- 
 peared. Up went the cacique, up went his followers; 
 they gained the crest ; then the conflict passed from 
 Hualpa's view. 
 
 " Io'," he said, " when the 'tzin comes back, tell him I have 
 gone to make a way for him through yon wall" 
 
 " Have a care, comrade ; have a care ! " 
 
 Hualpa put an arm around him, and replied, smiling, 
 " There is one over the wall now : if he fears not, shall 1 1 
 And then," he whispered low, " Nenetzin will despise 
 me if I come not soon." 
 
 A dawning fell upon Io', and from that time he knew the 
 power of love. 
 
 " The gods go with you ! Farewell." 
 
 Hualpa set about his purpose deliberately. Near the door 
 of the presence-chamber there was a pile of trophies, shields, 
 arms, and armor of men and horses ; he made some selec- 
 tions from the heap, and carried them into the chamber.
 
 OVER THE WALL, INTO THE PALACE. 491 
 
 When he came out, under his panaclie there was a steel cap, 
 and under his mantle a cuirass ; and to some dead Spaniard 
 he was further beholden for a shield and battle-axe, the 
 latter so called, notwithstanding it had a head like a ham- 
 mer, and a handle of steel pointed at the end and more than 
 a yard in length. 
 
 Thus prepared, he went down into the street, and forced 
 his way to the ladder planted near the gate ; thence to the 
 crest of the wall. A hundred arrows splintered against his 
 shield, as he looked down upon the combat yet maintained 
 by the brave cacique at the foot of the banquette. 
 
 The wall, as I think I have elsewhere said, was built of 
 blocks of wrought stone, laid in cement only a little less 
 hard than the stone, and consequently impervious to any 
 battery against its base ; at the same time, taken piece by 
 piece from the top, its demolition was easy. Hualpa paused 
 not ; between the blocks he drove the pointed handle of his 
 axe : a moment, and down fell the capping-stone ; another 
 followed, and another. Alike indifferent to the arrows of 
 the garrison and the acclamations of the witnesses outside, 
 looking neither here nor there, bending every faculty to the 
 task, he did in a few minutes what seemed impossible : 
 through a breach wide enough for the passage of a double 
 sedan, foemen within and without the wall saw each other. 
 
 And there was hastening thither of detachments. Up the 
 ladder and over the wall leaped the devoted infidels, noth- 
 ing deterred by waiting swords and lances ; striking or 
 dying, they shouted, "The 'tzin, the 'tzin ! Al-a-lala!" 
 Live or die, they strove to cover the steadfast workman in 
 the breach. 
 
 De Olid, at the time in charge of the palace, drew nigh, 
 attracted by the increasing uproar. 
 
 " Ye fook ! Out on ye ! See ye not that the dog is hid- 
 ing behind a Christian shield .' Kun, fly, bring a brace of
 
 492 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 arquebusiers ! Bring the reserve guns ! Upon them, gentle- 
 men ! Swords and axes ! The Mother for us all 1 Christo, 
 Christo!" 
 
 And on foot, and in full armor, he pushed into the press ; 
 for, true to his training, he saw that the laborer behind the 
 .shining shield was more worthy instant notice than the 
 hordes clambering over the wall. 
 
 Still the breach widened and deepened, and every rock 
 that tumbled from its place contributed to the roadway form- 
 ing on both sides of the wall to facilitate the attack. But 
 now the guns were coming, and the arquebusiers made haste 
 to plant their pieces, against which the good shield might 
 not defend. Suddenly Hualpa stood up, his surcoat whit- 
 ened with the dust of the mortar ; without a word he de- 
 scended to the street : the work was done, a way for the 
 'tzin was ready ! Scarcely had he touched the pavement 
 before the guns opened ; scarcely had the guns opened 
 before the gorge was crowded with infidels rushing in. The 
 palace, wanting the column absent with Cortes, was in dan- 
 ger. To the one point every Christian was withdrawn ; 
 even the sick and wounded staggered from the hospital to 
 repel the attack. With all his gallantry, De Olid was beaten 
 slowly back to the house. Cursed he the infidels, prayed 
 he the return of Cortes, still he went back. In the midst 
 of his perplexity, a messenger came to tell him the enemy was 
 breaking through the wall of the western front. 
 
 Hualpa had not only made another breach, De Olid 
 found him inside the enclosure, with a support already too 
 strong for the Tlascalans. 
 
 The fight the good captain was called to witness was that 
 of native against native; and, had the peril been less de- 
 manding, he would have enjoyed its novelties. An astonish- 
 ing rattle of shields and spears, mixed with the clash of 
 tnaquahuitls, and a deafening outcry from the contending
 
 OVER THE WALL, INTO THE PALACE. 493 
 
 tribes saluted him. Over the fighting lines the air was thick 
 with stones and flying javelins and tossing banners. Quar- 
 ter was not once asked. The grim combatants engaged each 
 other to conquer or die. Hither and thither danced the 
 priests, heedless of the danger, now cursing the laggards, 
 now blessing the brave. And at times so shrilly blew the 
 conch s that where they were nothing might be heard but the 
 shriller medley of war-cry answering war-cry. 
 
 I doubt if the captain took other note of the fight than 
 its menace to the palace; and if he prayed the return of 
 Cortes a little more fervently than before, it was not from, 
 fear, or confusion of mind ; for straightway he appealed to 
 that arm which had been the last and saving resort of the 
 Christians in many a former strait. Soon every disengaged 
 gun was in position before the western door of the palace, 
 loaded full of stones not larger than bird's-eggs, and trained, 
 through the crowd, upon the breach, and afterwards there 
 were those who charged that the captain did not wait for all 
 his Tlascalans to get out of the way. The guns opened with 
 united voices ; palace and paved earth trembled ; and the 
 smoke, returning upon the pieces, enveloped everything, in- 
 somuch that the door of the house was not to be seen, nor 
 was friend distinguishable from enemy. 
 
 If my reader has been in battle, he knows the effect of 
 that fire too well to require description of me ; he can hear 
 the cries of the wounded, and see the ghastly wrecks on the 
 pavement ; he can see, too, the recoil of the Aztecs, and the 
 rush of the Tlascalans, savagely eager to follow up their ad- 
 vantage. I leave the scene to his fancy, and choose rather 
 to go with a warrior who, availing himself of the shrouding 
 of the smoke, pushed through the throng behind the guns, 
 and passed into the palace. His steps were hurried, and he 
 looked neither to the right nor left ; those whom he brushed 
 out of the way had but time to see him pass, or to catch an
 
 494 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 instant's view of a figure of motley appurtenances, a Chris< 
 lian shield and battle-axe, a close cap of steel, and the gleam 
 of a corselet under the colorless tatters of a surcoat of feather- 
 work, a figure impossible to identify as friend or foe. The 
 reader, however, will recognize Hualpa coming out of the 
 depths of the battle, but going whither ? 
 1 Once before, as may be remembered, he had been in the an 
 cient house, the time when, in a fit of shame and remorse, 
 he had come to lay his lordship and castle at the king's feet; 
 then he had entered by the eastern portal, and passed to the 
 royal presence under guidance : this time his entry was from 
 the west, and he was alone, and unacquainted with the vast 
 interior, its halls, passages, courts, and chambers. In his first 
 visit, moreover, peace had been the rule, and he could not 
 go amiss for friends : now the palace was a leaguered citadel, 
 and he could hardly go amiss for enemies. 
 
 Whatever his purpose, he held boldly on. It is possible 
 he counted on the necessities of the battle requiring, as in 
 fact they did, the presen&e of every serviceable man of the 
 garrison. The few he met passed him in haste, and without 
 question. He avoided the courts and occupied rooms. Lt 
 the heart of the building he was sensible that the walls and 
 very air vibrated to the roar without ; and as the gung in 
 the eastern, front answered those in the western, he waa ad- 
 vised momentarily of the direction in which he was proceed- 
 ing, and that his friends still maintained the combat. 
 
 Directly three men passed clad in nequen ; they were talk* 
 ing earnestly, and scarcely noticed him ; after them flame 
 another, very old, and distinguished by a green maxtlatl over 
 his white tunic, one of the king's councillors. 
 
 " Stay, uncle," said Hualpa, " stay ; I have a question 
 to ask you." 
 
 The old man seemed startled. 
 
 " Who are you ? " he inquired.
 
 OVER THE WALL INTO THE PALACE. 495 
 
 Hualpa did not appear to hear him, but asked, " Is not the 
 princess Nenetzin with the king, her father ] " 
 
 " Follow this hall to its end," replied the ancient, coldly. 
 " She is there, but not with the king, her father. Who is 
 he," he continued, after a pause, " who is he that asks for 
 the false princess 1 " 
 
 "With a groan Hualpa passed on. 
 
 The hall ended in a small patio, which, at sight, declared 
 itself a retreat for love. The walls were finished with a con- 
 fusion of arabesque moulding, brilliantly and variously 
 colored ; the tracery around the open doors and windows was 
 a marvel of the art ; there were flowers on the floor, and in 
 curious stands, urns, and swinging baskets ; there were also 
 delicate vines, and tropical trees dwarfed for the place, 
 amongst which one full grown banana lifted its long branches 
 of velvet green, and seemed to temper the light with dewy 
 coolness ; in the centre, there was a dead fountain. Indeed, 
 the patio could have been but for the one purpose. Here, 
 walled in from the cares of empire, where only the day was. 
 bold enough to come unbidden, the wise Axaya' and his less, 
 fortunate successors, Tecociatzin and Avizotl, forgot their 
 etate, and drank their cups of love, and were as other men. 
 
 All the beauty of the place, however, was lost on Hualpa.. 
 He saw only Nenetzin* She was sitting, at the time, in a 
 low sedilium, her white garments faintly tinted by the scarlet 
 stripes of a canopy extended high overhead, to protect her 
 from the too ardent sun. 
 
 At the sound of his sandals, she started ; and as he ap- 
 proached her, she arose in alarm. In sooth, his toilette was 
 not that most affected for the wooing of women ; he brought 
 with him the odor of battle ; and as he knelt but a little way 
 from her, she saw there was blood upon his hands, and upon 
 the axe and shield he laid beside him. 
 
 " Who are you ] " she asked.
 
 496 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 He took off the steel cap and shapeless panache, and looked 
 up in her face. 
 
 " The lord Hualpa ! " she exclaimed. Then a thought 
 flashed upon her mind, and with terror in every feature, she 
 cried, " Ah, you have taken the palace ! And the Tonatiah ? " 
 she clasped her hands despairingly, " dead 1 a captive? 
 Where is he ] I will save him. Take me to him." 
 
 At these words, the uncertain expression with which he 
 had looked up to her upon baring his head changed to utter 
 hopelessness. The hurried sentences tore his heart, like 
 talons. For this he had come to her through so much 
 peril ! For this he was then braving death at her feet ! His 
 head sunk upon his breast, and he said, 
 
 "The palace is not ours. The Tonatiah yet lives, and is 
 free." 
 
 With a sigh of relief, she resumed her seat, asking, 
 
 " How came you here ? " 
 
 He answered without raising his eyes, " The keepers of the 
 palace are strong ; they can stay the thousands, but they 
 could not keep me out." 
 
 The face of the 'listener softened ; she saw his love, and 
 all his heroism, but said, coldly, 
 
 "I have heard that wise men do such things only of 
 necessity." 
 
 " I do not pretend to wisdom," he replied. " Had I been 
 wise, I would not have loved you. Since our parting at 
 Chapultepec, where I was so happy, I have thought you 
 might be a prisoner here, and in my dreams I have heard 
 you call me. And a little while ago, on the temple, I 
 said to Io', ' Nenetzin will despise me, if I come not soon.' 
 Tell me, Nenetzin, that you are a prisoner, and I will take 
 you away. Tell me that the stories told of you on the 
 streets are not true, and " 
 
 " What, stories ? " she asked.
 
 OVER THE WALL INTO THE PALACE. 497 
 
 " Alas, that it should be mine to tell them ! And to you, 
 Nenetzin, my beautiful ! " 
 
 "With a strong effort, he put down the feeling, and went 
 on, 
 
 " There be those who say that the good king, your father, 
 is in this prison by your betrayal ; they say, too, that you, 
 are the keeper of a shrine unknown to the gods of Anahuac ; 
 and yet more shamelessly, they say you abide here with the 
 Tonatiak, unmindful of honor, father, or gods known or un- 
 known. Tell me, Nenetzin, tell me, I pray you, that 
 these are the tales of liars. If you cannot be mine, at least 
 let me go hence with cause to think you in purity like the 
 snow on the mountain-top. My heart is at your feet, 
 crush me not utterly ! " 
 
 Thereupon, she arose, with flushed face and flashing eyes, 
 never so proud, never so womanly. 
 
 " Lord Hualpa, were you more or less to me than you are, 
 I would make outcry, and have you sent to death. You 
 cannot understand me j yet I will answer because of the 
 love which brought you here, I will answer." 
 
 She went into a chamber, and returning, held up the iron 
 cross, more precious to her, I fear, as the gift of Alvarado 
 than as the symbol of Christ. 
 
 " Look, lord Hualpa ! This speaks to me of a religion 
 better than that practised in the temples, and of a God 
 mightier than all those known in Anahuac, a God whom 
 it is useless to resist, who may not be resisted, the only 
 God. There, in my chamber, is an altar to Him, upon 
 which rests only this cross and such flowers as I can gather 
 here in the morning ; that is the shrine of which you have 
 heard upon the street. I worship at no other. As to the 
 king, I did come and tell the strangers of the attack he 
 ordered. Lord Hualpa, to me, as is the destiny of every 
 woman, the hour came to choose between love and father. I
 
 498 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 could not else. What harm has come of my choice ] le- 
 not the king safe ? " 
 
 At that moment, the noise which had all the time been 
 heard in the patio, as of a battle up in the air, swelled 
 trebly loud. The tendrils of the vines shook ; the floor 
 trembled. 
 
 " Hark ! " she said, with an expression of dread. "Is he 
 not safer than that other for whom I forsook him? Yet 
 I thought to save them both ; and saved they shall be ! " she 
 added, with a confident smile. "The God I worship can 
 save them, and He will." 
 
 Then she became silent ; and as he could tell by her face 
 that she was struggling with a painful thought, he waited, 
 listening intently. At length she spoke, this time with 
 downcast eyes : 
 
 " It would be very pleasant, Hualpa, to have you go 
 away thinking me pure as snow on the mountain-top. And 
 if if I am not, then in this cross " and she kissed the 
 symbol tearfully " there is safety for me. I know there is 
 a love that can purify all things." 
 
 The sensibilities are not alike, in all persons ; but it is 
 not true, as some philosophers think, that infidels, merely 
 because they are such, are incapable of either great joy or 
 great grief. The mother of El Chico reviled him because he 
 took his last look at Granada through tears ; not less poig- 
 nant was the sorrow of Hualpa, looking at his love, by her 
 own confession lost to him forever ; his head drooped, and 
 he settled down and fell forward upon his face, crushed by 
 .the breath of a woman, he whom a hundred shields had 
 not sufficed to stay ! 
 
 For a time nothing was heard in the patio but the battle. 
 Nenetzin stirred not ; she was in the mood superinduced by 
 pity and remorse, when the mind merges itself in the heart, 
 and is lost in excess of feeling.
 
 THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL. 499 
 
 At length the spell was broken. A -woman rushed in, 
 clapping her hands joyfully, and crying, 
 
 " Be gkd, be glad, Nenetzin ! Malinche has come 
 back, and we are saved ! " 
 
 And more the Dona Marina would have said, but her eyes 
 fell upon the fallen man, and she stopped. 
 
 ]N"enetzin told his story, the story women never tire of 
 hearing. 
 
 " If he stays here, he dies," said Marina, weeping. 
 
 " He shall not die. I will save him too," said Nenetzin $ 
 and she went to him, and took his hands, bloody as they 
 were, and, by gentle words, woke him from his stupor. 
 Mechanically he took his cap, shield, and mace, and followed 
 her, he knew not whither. 
 
 And she paused not until he was safely delivered ta 
 Maxtla, in the quarters occupied by the king. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL. 
 
 AL TEMPLO, al templof to the temple!" shouted 
 Cortes, as he charged the close ranks of the enemy. 
 
 " Al templo ! " answered the cavaliers, plunging forward in 
 chivalric rivalry. 
 
 ' And from the column behind them rolled the hoarse echo, 
 with the words of command superadded, 
 
 " Al templo ! Adelaide, adelante I forward ! 
 
 Not a Spaniard there but felt the inspiration of the cry ; 
 felt himself a soldier of Christ, marching to a battle of the 
 gods, the true against the false; yet the way was hard, 
 harder than ever ; so much so, indeed, that the noon eaina
 
 500 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 before Cortes at last spurred into the space in front of the 
 old palace. 
 
 The first object to claim attention there was the temple 
 against which the bigotry of the Christians had been so sud- 
 denly and shrewdly directed, shrewdly, because in the 
 glory of its conquest the failure of the manias was certain to 
 be forgotten. In such intervals of the fight as he could 
 snatch, the leader measured the pile with a view to the 
 attack. Standing in his stirrups, he traced out the path to 
 its summit, beginning at the gate of the coatapantli, then up 
 the broad stairs, and around the four terraces to the azoteas, 
 a distance of nearly a mile, the whole crowded with 
 warriors, whose splendid regalia published them lords and 
 men of note, in arms to die, if need be, for glory and the 
 gods. As he looked, Sandoval rode to him. 
 
 " Turn thine eyes hither, Sefior, to the palace, the 
 palace ! ' 
 
 Cortes dropped back into his saddle, and glanced that 
 way. 
 
 " By the Mother of Christ, they have broken through 
 the wall!" 
 
 He checked his horse. 
 
 " Escobar," he said, calmly, through his half-raised visor, 
 " take thou one hundred men, the last in the column, and 
 attack the temple. Hearest thou ? Kill all thou findest ! 
 Nay, I recollect it is a people with two heads, of which I 
 have but one. Bring me the other, if thou canst find him. 
 I mean the butcher they call the high priest. And more, 
 Senor Alonzo : when thou hast taken the idolatrous moun- 
 tain, burn the towers, and fear not to tumble the bloody 
 gods into the square. Thy battle will be glorious. On thy 
 side God, the Son, and Mother ! Thou canst not fail." 
 
 "And thou, Olea," he added to another, "get thee 
 down the street, and hasten Mesa and his supports. Tell
 
 THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL. 501 
 
 them the infidels are at the door of the palace, and that the 
 captain Christobal hath scarce room to lift his axe. And 
 further, as speed is everything now, bid Ordas out with 
 the gun, and fire the manta, which hath done its work. 
 Spare not thy horse ! " 
 
 With the last word, Cortes shut his visor, and, griping his 
 axe, spurred to the front, shouting, 
 
 " To the palace, gentlemen ! for love of Christ and good 
 comrades. Eescue, rescue ! " 
 
 Down the column sped the word, then forward resist- 
 lessly, through the embattled gate, into the enclosure ; 
 and none too soon, for, as Cortes had said, though at the 
 time witless of the truth, the Aztecs were threatening the 
 very doors of the palace. 
 
 Escobar, elated with the task assigned him, arranged his 
 men, and made ready for the assault. The infidels beheld 
 his preparation with astonishment. All eyes, theretofore 
 bent upon the conflict in the palace yard, now fixed upon 
 the little band so boldly proposing to scale the sacred 
 heights. A cry came up the street : " The 'tzin, the 'tzin ! " 
 then the 'tzin himself came; and as he passed through, 
 the gate of the coatapantli, the thousands recognized him, 
 and breathed freely. " The 'tzin has come ! The gods are 
 safe ! " so they cheered each other. 
 
 The good captain led his men to the gate of the coatapantli. 
 With difficulty he gained entrance. As if to madden the 
 infidels, already fired by a zeal as great as his own, the 
 dismal thunder of the great drum of HuitziT rolled down 
 from the temple, overwhelming all other sounds. Slowly he 
 penetrated the enclosure ; closely his command followed 
 him ; yet not all of them ; before he reached the stairway he 
 was fighting for, the hundred were but ninety. 
 
 Twenty minutes, thirty : at last Escobar set his foot on 
 the first step of the ascent. There he stopped ; a shield of
 
 502 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 iron clashed against his ; his helmet rang with a deadly 
 blow. When he saw light again, he was outside the sacred 
 wall, borne away by his retreating countrymen, of whom not 
 one re-entered the palace unwounded. 
 
 Cortes, meantime, with sword and axe, cleared the palace 
 of assailants ; and, as if the day's work were done, he 
 prepared to dismount. Don Christobal, holding his stirrup, 
 said, 
 
 " Cierto, Senor, thou art welcome. I do indeed kiss thy 
 hand. I thank thee." 
 
 " Not so, captain, not so. By my conscience, we are the 
 debtors ! I will hear nothing else. It is true we came not a 
 moment too soon," he glanced at the breach in the wall, 
 and shook his head gravely, " but I speak what may 
 not be gainsaid thou hast saved the palace." 
 
 More he would have said in the same strain, but that a 
 sentinel on the roof cried out, 
 
 "Ola, SeOares!" 
 
 " What wouldst thou ? " asked Cortes, quickly. 
 
 " I am an old soldier, Senor Hernan, " 
 
 " To the purpose, varlet, to the purpose ! " 
 
 " whom much experience hath taught not to ex- 
 press himself hastily ; therefore, if thy orders were well 
 done, Senor, whither would our comrades over the way be 
 going ? " 
 
 " To the top of the temple," said Cortes, gravely, while all 
 around him laughed. 
 
 " Then I may say safely, Senor, that they will go round 
 the world before they arrive there. They come this way fast 
 as men can who have to " 
 
 A long, exulting cry from the infidels cut the speech short; 
 and the party, turning to the temple, saw it alive with 
 waving sashes and tossing shields. 
 ^ " To horse, gentlemen ! " said Cortes, quietly, but with
 
 THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL. 503 
 
 flashing eyes. " Satan hath ruled yon pile long enough. I 
 will now tilt with him. Let the trumpets be sounded ! 
 Muster the army ! God's service hath become our necessity. 
 Haste ye ! " 
 
 Out of the gate, opened to receive Escobar and his bruised 
 followers, marched three hundred chosen Christians, with as 
 many thousand Tlascalans. In their midst went Olmedo, 
 under his gown a suit of armor, in his hand a lance, and on 
 that a brazen crucifix. Other ensign there was not. Cortes 
 and his cavalry led the column, which was of all the arms 
 except artillery ; that remained with De Olid to take care 
 of the palace. 
 
 And never was precaution more timely; for hardly had 
 the gate closed upon the outgoers, before the good captain 
 sent his garrison to the walls, once more menaced by the 
 infidels. 
 
 The preparations of Escobar, as we have seen, had been 
 under lo's view ; so the prince, divining the object, drew 
 after him a strong support, and hastened to keep the advan- 
 tage of the stairways. On one of the eastern terraces he met 
 the 'tzin ascending. There was hurried salutation between 
 them. 
 
 " Look you for Hualpa ? " asked Io', observing the 'tzin 
 search the company inquiringly. 
 
 " Yes. He should be here." 
 
 The boy's face and voice fell. 
 
 " I would he were, good 'tzin. He left me on the azoteas. 
 "With the look of one who had devoted himself, he embraced 
 me. His last words were, ' Tell the 'tzin I have gone to make 
 for him a way into the palace.' " And thereupon Io' told the 
 etory through, simply and sorrowfully; at the end the 
 listener kissed him, and said, 
 
 " I will find the way he made for me." 
 
 There was a silence, very brief, however, for a burst of
 
 504 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 yells from below warned them of the fight begun. Then thu 
 tzin, recalled to himself, gave orders. 
 
 " Care of the gods is mine now. Leave me these friends, 
 and go, and with the people at command, bring stonev 
 and timbers, all you find, and heap them ready for use or. 
 the terraces at the head of each stairway. Go quickly, so 
 may you earn the double blessing of Huitzil' and Tezca' ! " 
 
 In a little time the 'tzin stood upon the last step of the 
 lowest stairway ; nor did he lift hand until Escobar, half 
 spent with exertion, confronted him shield to shield. The 
 result has been told. 
 
 And then were shown the qualities which, as a fighting 
 man, raised the 'tzin above rivalry amongst his people. The 
 axe in his hand was but another form of the maquahuitl ; 
 and that his shield was of the Christian style mattered 
 not, he was its perfect master. With a joyous cry, he 
 rushed upon the arms outstretched to save the fallen captain ; 
 played his shield like a shifting mirror ; rose and fell the 
 axe, now in feint, now in foil, but always in circles swifter 
 than eye could follow ; striking a victim but once, he amazed 
 and dazzled the Spaniards, as in the Moorish wars El Zagel, 
 the Moor, amazed and dazzled their fathers. Nor did he 
 want support. His followers, inspired by his example, strug- 
 gled to keep pace with him. On the flanks poured the masses 
 of his countrymen, in blind fury, content if, with their naked 
 hands, they could clutch the weapons that slew them. Such 
 valor was not to be resisted by the lessening band of 
 Christians, who yielded, at first inch by inch, then step by 
 step ; at length, in disorder, almost in rout, they were driven 
 from the sacred enclosure. 
 
 The victory was decided ; the temple was safe, and the 
 insult punished ! The air shook with the deep music of the 
 drum ; in the streets the companies yelled as if drunk ; the 
 temple was beautiful with waving sashes and tossing shields
 
 THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL. 505 
 
 and banners ; and on the azoteas of the great pile, in pres- 
 ence of the people, the priests appeared and danced their 
 dance of triumph, a horrible saturnalia. The fight had 
 been a trial of power between the gods Christian and Aztec, 
 and lo, HuitziT was master ! 
 
 The 'tzin felt the sweetness of the victory, and his breast 
 filled with heroic impulses. Standing in the gate of the 
 coatapantli, he saw the breach Hualpa had made in the wall 
 enclosing the palace, noticed that the ascent to the base of 
 the gorge was easy, and the gorge itself now wide enough 
 to admit of the passage of several men side by side. The 
 temptation was strong, the possibilities alluring, and he fixed 
 his purpose. 
 
 " It is the way he made for me, and I will tread it. Help 
 me. God of my fathers ! " 
 
 So he resolved, so he prayed. 
 
 And forthwith messengers ran to the chiefs on the four 
 sides of the palace with orders for them to pass the wall. 
 From the dead Spaniards the armor was stript, and arms 
 taken ; and the robbers, fourteen caciques, men notable for 
 skill and courage, stood up under cuirass, and helm or 
 morion, and with pike and battle-axe of Christian manufac- 
 ture, covered, nevertheless, with pagan trappings. 
 
 Still standing in the gateway, the 'tzin saw the companies 
 in the street begin the assaiflt. Swelled their war-cries as 
 never before, for the inspiration of the victory was upon 
 them also ; rattled the tambours, brayed the conchs, danced 
 the priests, and from the temple and housetops poured the 
 missiles in a darkening cloud. Within his view a hundred 
 ladders were planted, and crowded with eager climbers. At 
 the gorge of the breach men struggled with each other to 
 make the passage first. He called a messenger : 
 
 " Take this ring to the prince lo'," he said. " Tell him 
 the house of the gods is once more in his care." Then to
 
 506 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 his chosen caciques he turned, saying, " Follow me, 
 countrymen ! " 
 
 "With that, he -walked swiftly to the breach; calm, col 
 lected, watchful, silent, he walked. His companions shouted 
 his war-cry. From mouth to mouth it passed, thrilling and 
 inspiring, 
 
 " Tip, up, Tlateloco I Up, up, over the wall ! The 'tzin 
 is with us ! " 
 
 Meantime the beseiged were not idle ; over the crest of 
 the parapet the Tlascalans fought successfully ; through the 
 ports and embrasures the Christians kept up their fire of guns 
 great and small. Nevertheless, to the breach the 'tzin went 
 without stopping. 
 
 " Clear the way ! " he cried. 
 
 The guns within made answer ; a shower of blood 
 drenched him from head to foot. Except of the dead, the 
 way was clear ! A rush through the slippery gorge, a 
 shout, and he was inside the enclosure, backed by his 
 caciques. And as he went in, Cortes passed out, marching 
 to storm the temple. 
 
 No doubt or hesitation on the 'tzin's part now ; no look- 
 ing about, uncertain what to do, while bowmen and gunners 
 made a mark of him. He spoke to his supporters, and with 
 them faced to the right, and cleared the banquette of Tlaa- 
 calans. Over the wall, thus cleared, and through the breach 
 leaped his people ; and as they came, the iron shields covered 
 them, and they multiplied rapidly. 
 
 About eight hundred Spaniards, chiefly Narvaez' men, de- 
 fended the palace. They fought, but not with the spirit of 
 the veterans, and were pushed slowly backward. As they 
 retired, wider grew the space of undefended wall ; like waves 
 over a ship's side, in poured the companies ; the Aztecs 
 fell by scores, yet they increased by hundreds. 
 
 Again the sick and wounded staggered from their quarters ;
 
 THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL. 507 
 
 again De Olid brought his reserves into action ; again the 
 volleys shook the palace, and wrapped it in curtains of 
 smoke, whiter and softer than bridal veils : still the infidels 
 continued to master the walls and the space within. By 
 and by the gates fell into their hands ; and then, indeed, all 
 seemed lost to the Christians. 
 
 The stout heart of the good Captain Christobal was well 
 tempered for the trial. To the windows and lesser entrances 
 of the buildings he sent guards, stationing them inside ; then, 
 in front of the four great doors, he drew his men back, and 
 fought on, so that the palace was literally girt with a belt 
 of battle. 
 
 An hour like that I write of seems a long time to a com- 
 batant ; on this occasion, however, one there was, not a 
 combatant, to whom, possibly, the time seemed much longer. 
 In his darkened chamber sat the king, neither speaking nor 
 spoken to, though surrounded by his court. He must have 
 heard the cries of his people; knowing them so near, in 
 fancy, at least, he must have seen their heroism and slaugh- 
 ter. Had he no thought in sympathy with them? no 
 prayer for their success 1 no hope for himself even 1 Who 
 may answer 1 so many there are dead in the midst of life. 
 
 At length the 'tzin became weary of the mode of attack, 
 which, after all, was but a series of hand-to-hand combats 
 along lengthened lines, that might last till night, or, indeed, 
 as long as there were men to fill the places of the fallen. 
 To the companies crowding the conquered space before the 
 eastern front of the palace, he passed an order : a simul- 
 taneous forward movement from the rear took place ; the 
 intervals between the ranks were closed up ; a moment of 
 fusion, a pressure ; then a welding together of the whole 
 mass followed. After that words may not convey the scene. 
 The unfortunates who happened to be engaged were first 
 pushed, then driven, and finally shot forward, like dead
 
 508 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 weights. Useless all skill, useless strength ; the opposite 
 lines met ; blood flew as from a hundred fountains ; men, 
 impaled on opposing weapons, died, nailed together face to 
 face. As the only chance for life, very many fell down, and 
 were smothered. 
 
 The defenders broke in an instant. Back, back they 
 went, back to the guns, which, for a time, served a 
 breakwaters to the wave; then past the guns, almost to 
 the wall, forced there by the awful impetus of the rush. 
 
 The truly great leaders of men are those who, invoking 
 storms, stand out and brave them when they come. Such 
 was Guatamozin. The surge I have so faintly described 
 caught him foremost in the fighting line of his people, and 
 flung him upon his antagonists. With his shield he broka 
 the force of the collision ; the cuirass saved him from their 
 points ; close wedgud amongst them, they could not strike 
 him. Tossed like so much drift, backward they weo*. 
 forward he. Numbers of them fell and disappeared. When, 
 at last, the impetus of the movement was nigh spent, he 
 found himself close by the principal door of the palace. 
 But one man stood before him, a warrior with maquahuitl 
 lifted to strike. The 'tzin raised his shield, and caught the 
 blow ; then, upon his knee, he looked up, and saw the 
 face, and heard the exulting yell, of Iztlil', the Tezcucan ! 
 Whirled the weapon again. The noble Aztec summoned 
 all his spirit ; death glared upon him through the burning 
 eyes of his hated rival ; up, clear to vision, rose all dearest 
 things, gods, country, glory, love. Suddenly the raised arm 
 fell; down dropped the maquahuitl; and upon the shield 
 down dropped Iztlil' himself, carrying the 'tzin with him. 
 
 The Tezcucan seemed dead. 
 
 A friendly hand helped the 'tzin to his feet. He was con- 
 scious, as he arose, of a strange calm in the air ; the clamor 
 and furious stir of the combat were dying away ; he stood
 
 THE WAY THROUGH THE WALL. 509 
 
 in the midst of enemies, but they were still, and did not even 
 look at him. A shield not his own covered his breast ; he 
 turned, and lo ! the face of Hualpa ! 
 
 " Whence came you ] " asked the 'tzin. 
 
 " From the palace." 
 
 "Thanks" 
 
 " Not now, not now," said Hualpa, in a low voice. " The 
 gods who permitted me to save you, 'tzin, have not been 
 able to save themselves. Look ! to the temple ! " 
 
 His eyes followed Hualpa's directing finger, and the same 
 astonishment that held his enemies motionless around him, 
 the same horror, that, in the full tide of successful battle, 
 had so instantly stayed his countrymen, seized him also. 
 He stood transfixed, a man turned to stone ! 
 
 The towers of the temple were in flames ; and, yet more 
 awful, the image of Huitzil,' rolled to the verge of the 
 azoteas, was tottering to its fall ! A thousand hands were 
 held up instinctively, a groan, a long cry, and down 
 the stairway and terraces, grinding and crashing, thundered 
 the idol. Tezca' followed after, and the sacrificial stone; 
 then the religion of the Aztecs was ended forever. 
 
 As if to assure the great fact, when next the spectators 
 raised their eyes to the azoteas, lo ! Olmedo and his crucifix ! 
 The faithful servant of Christ had performed his mission ; 
 he had burst the last gate, and gained the last mountain in 
 the way ; and now, with bared head, and face radiant with 
 sublime emotion, he raised the symbol of salvation high 
 up in view of all the tribes, and, in the name of his Master, 
 and for his Master's Church, forever, by that simple ceremony^, 
 took possession of the New World. 
 
 And marvellous to relate further, the tribes, awed if not 
 conquered, bowed their heads in peace. Even the com- 
 panies in the palace-yard marched out over their dead, and 
 gave up the victory so nearly won. Guatamozin and Hualpa
 
 510 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 followed them, but with their faces to the foe. Needless 
 the defiance : as they went, not a word was spoken, not a 
 hand lifted. For the time, all was peace. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 
 
 AS Cortes, at the head of his column, drew near the gate 
 of the coatapantli, he saw the inclosure and the ter- 
 races on that side of the temple occupied by warriors, and 
 the edge of the azoteas above lined with pabas, chanting in 
 dismal harmony with the deep music of the great drum, 
 Ensigns and symbols of unknown meaning, and rich regalia 
 pranked the dull gray faces of the pile with holiday splen- 
 dors. Little note, however, gave he to the beautiful effect. 
 
 " God helping us," he said to his cavaliers, and with such 
 gravity that they knew him unusually impressed with the 
 task before them, " God helping us, gentlemen, we will do 
 a deed now that hath no likeness in the wars of men. Com- 
 mend we ourselves each, and all who follow us, to the holy 
 Christ, who cometh yonder on the staff of Father Olmedo." 
 
 So saying, he reversed his sword, and carried the crossed 
 handle softly and reverently to the bars of his helmet, and 
 all who heard him did likewise. 
 
 In front of the gate, under a shower of arrows, he stopped 
 to adjust the armlets of his shield, for his hand was yet sore ; 
 then, settling in his saddle again, he spurred his horse 
 through the entrance into the enclosure. 
 
 Eight into the mass waiting to receive him he broke, 
 and whom his sword left untouched the trained steed bore 
 down. After him charged the choicest spirits of the con-
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 511 
 
 quest, animated with generous rivalry and the sublime idea 
 that this time the fight was for God and His Church. And 
 BO, with every thrust of sword and every plunge of horse, 
 out rang their cries. 
 
 " On, on, for love of Christ ! Death to the infidels ! Down 
 with the false gods ! " 
 
 On the side of the infidels there was no yielding, for the 
 ground was holy ground to them. When their frail weapons 
 were broken, they flung themselves empty-handed upon the 
 nearest rider, or under the horses, and, dying even, tried to 
 hold fast locked the hoofs that beat them to death. In their 
 aid, the pavement became heaped with bodies, and so slippery 
 with blood that a number of the horses fell down ; and, in 
 such cases, if the rescue came not quickly they and their 
 riders were lost. Indeed, so much did this peril increase 
 that Cortes, when his footmen were fairly in the yard, dis- 
 mounted the horsemen the better to wage the fight. 
 
 At length resistance ceased : the inclosure was won. The 
 marble floor bore awful evidences of the prowess of one party 
 and the desperation of the other. 
 
 The Christians took up their wounded, and carried them 
 tenderly to the shade, for the sun blazed down from the 
 cloudless sky. 
 
 Around Cortes gathered the captains, resting themselves. 
 
 " The Tlascalans must hold the yard," he said, well pleased, 
 jmd with raised visor. "That charge I commit to thee, 
 Lugo." 
 
 Lugo bared his face, and said, sullenly, 
 
 " Thou knowest, Senor, that I am accustomed to obey the* 
 questionless ; but this liketh me not. I " 
 
 " By the love of Christ " 
 
 "Even so, Senor," said Lugo, interrupting him in turn. 
 * I feel bidden by love of Christ to go up, and help cast 
 iown the accursed idols."
 
 512 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The face of the crafty leader changed quickly. 
 
 " Ola, father ! " he said. " Here is one malcontent, be- 
 fause I would have him stay and take care of us while we 
 climb the stairways. What say'st thou 1 " 
 
 Olmedo answered solemnly, " What ye have in mind 
 'flow, Seiiores, the disgrace of the false gods who abide 
 in this temple of abominations, is what hath led us 
 here. And now that the end is at hand, the least cir- 
 cumstance is to be noted ; for the wise hear God as often 
 in the small voice as in the thunder. Doubt not, doubt 
 not; the prompting of the good captain is from Him. 
 Be this lower duty to the unassoilzied Tlascalans : go 
 we as the love of Christ calleth. Verily, he who doeth this 
 work well, though his sins be many as the sands of the sea, 
 yet shall he become as purity itself, and be blessed forever. 
 Take thy measures quickly, Sefior, and let us be gone." 
 
 " Amen, amen ! " said the cavaliers ; and Cortes, crossing 
 himself, hastened in person to make dispositions for the fur* 
 ther emprise. 
 
 The Tlascalans he set to hold the coatapantli from attack 
 without. To the arquebusiers and cross-bowmen he gave 
 orders to cover him with their fire while he climbed the 
 stairways and was driving the enemy around the terraces. 
 When the azaleas was gained, they were to ascend, and take 
 part in the crowning struggle for the sanctuaries. The cav- 
 alry, already dismounted, were to go with him in the assault. 
 To the latter, upon rejoining them, he said, 
 
 " In my judgment, gentlemen, the fighting we go to now is 
 of the kind wherein the sword is better than axe or lance \ 
 therefore, put away all else." 
 
 He took place at the head, with Alvarado and SandovaJ 
 next him in the column. 
 
 "And thou, father?" he asked. 
 
 Olinedo raised his crucifix, and, looking up, said,
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 513 
 
 " Hagase tu voluntad en la tierra asi como en el cielo" '' 
 Then to Cortes, " I will follow these, my children." 
 
 " Forward, then ! Christ with us, and all the saints ! 
 cried Cortes. " Adelante I Christo y Santiago ! " 
 
 In a moment they were swiftly climbing the lower stair 
 way of the temple. 
 
 Meantime Io', from the azoteas, kept watch on the combats 
 below. Two figures charmed his gaze, that of Cortes and 
 that of the 'tzin, both, in their separate ways, moving for 
 ward slowly but certainly. Before he thought of descending, 
 the Christians were in the precinct of the coatapantli, and 
 after them streamed the long line of Tlascalans. 
 
 As Ave have seen, the prince had been in battles, and more 
 than once felt the joyous frenzy nowhere else to be found ; 
 but now a dread fell upon him. Did Malinche's dream of 
 conquest reach the gods ? Again and again he turned to 
 the sanctuaries, but the divine wrath came not forth, only 
 the sonorous throbs of the drum. Once he went into 
 the presence chamber, which was full of kneeling pdbas. 
 The teotuctli stood before the altar praying. Io' joined in the 
 invocation ; but miracle there was not, neither was there 
 help ; for when he came out, all the yard around the temple 
 was Malinche's. 
 
 Then Io' comprehended that this attack, unlike Escobar's, 
 was of method ; for the ways of succor, which were also those 
 of retreat, were all closed. The supreme trial had come 
 early in his career. His spirit arose ; he saw himself the 
 stay of the religion of his fathers ; the gods leaned upon 
 him. On the roof and terraces were some two thousand 
 warriors, the fighting children of the valley : Tezcucans, 
 with countless glorious memories to sustain their native 
 pride ; Cholulans, eager to avenge the sack of their city and 
 the massacre of their countrymen ; Aztecs, full of the 
 * Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
 
 514 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 superiority of race, and the inspiration of ages of empire. 
 They would fight to the last man. He could trust them, as the 
 'tzin had trusted him. The struggle, moreover, besides being 
 of special interest on account of its religious character, would 
 be in mid-air, with the strangers and all the tribes and com- 
 panies as witnesses. So, with his caciques, he went down 
 to the landing at the top of the lower stairway. 
 
 A yell saluted Cortes when, at the head of the cavaliers, 
 he appeared on the steps, and, sword in hand and shield over- 
 head, commenced the perilous ascent. At the same time 
 javelins and spears began to rain upon the party from the 
 first terrace. Up they hurried. Half the height was gained 
 and not a man hurt, not a foot delayed ! Then, slowly 
 at first, but with longer leaps and increasing force, a block 
 of stone was started down the stairs. Fortunately, the 
 steps were broad, having been built for the accommodation of 
 processions. Down sped a warning cry ; down as swiftly 
 plunged the danger. Olmedo saw three figures of men in 
 iron follow it headlong to the bottom ; fast they fell, but not 
 too fast for his words of absolution ; before the victims 
 touched the pavement, their sins were forgiven, and their 
 aouls at rest in Paradise. 
 
 The stones and timbers placed on the landing by the 'tzin's 
 order were now laid hold of, and rolled and dragged to the 
 steps and hurled down. Thus ten Christians more were 
 slain. Even Cortes, deeming escape impossible, turned his 
 battle-cry into a prayer, and not in vain ! From below, the 
 arquebusiers and cross-bowmen suddenly opened fire, which 
 they kept so close that, on the landing, the dead and 
 wounded speedily outnumbered the living. 
 
 " The saints are with us ! Forward, swords of the Church! " 
 cried Cortes. 
 
 Before the infidels recovered from their panic, he passed 
 the last step, and stood upon the terrace. And there, first
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 515 
 
 in front of him, first to meet him, was Io', whom pride and 
 zeal would not permit to retire. 
 
 The meeting combat it can hardly be called was very 
 brief. The blades of lo's maquahuitl broke at the first blow. 
 Cortes replied with a thrust of the sword, quick, but true, 
 riving both the shield and the arm. A cacique dragged 
 the hapless boy out of reach of the second thrust, and took 
 his place before the conqueror. 
 
 The terrace so hardly gained was smoothly paved, and wide 
 enough for ten men to securely walk abreast ; on the outer side 
 there was no railing or guard of any kind, nothing but a 
 descent of such height as to make a fall certainly fatal. 
 Four times the smooth, foot-worn pavement extended around 
 the temple, broken in its course by six grand stairways, the 
 last of which landed on the azoteas, one hundred and fifty 
 feet above the level of the street. Such was the highway 
 of the gods, up which the adventurous Christians essayed to 
 march, fighting. 
 
 " To my side, Sandoval ! And ye, Alvarado, Morla, 
 Lugo, Ordas, Duero, to my side ! " said Cortes, defending 
 himself the while. " Make with me a line of shields across 
 the way. Let me hear your voices. No battle-cry here but 
 Christ and St. James ! When ye are ready, shout, that I 
 may hear ye ! " 
 
 One by one the brave gentlemen took their places ; then 
 rose the cry, " Christo y Santiago ! Ckristo y Santiago ! " 
 
 And then the voice of Cortes, 
 
 " Forward, my friends ! Push the dogs ! No quarter ! 
 Christo y Santiago ! " 
 
 Behind the line of shields moved the other cavaliers, 
 eager to help when help should be needed. 
 
 And then were shown the excellences of the sword in a 
 master's hand. The best shields of the infidels could not bar 
 its point ; it overcame resistance so quietly that men fell,
 
 516 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 wounded, or slain outright, before they thought themselves 
 in danger ; it won the terrace, and so rapidly that the Chris- 
 tians were themselves astonished. 
 
 "Ola, companeros!" said Cortes, who in the fiercest 
 melee was still the watchful captain. " Ola ! Yonder riseth 
 the second stairway. That the heathen may not use the 
 vantage against us, keep we close to this pack. On their 
 heels ! Closer ! " 
 
 So they mounted the steps of the second stairway, fight- 
 ing ; and the crowd which they kept between them and the 
 enemy on the landing was a better cover even than the fire 
 of the bowmen and arquebusiers. And so the terraces were 
 all taken. Of the eight other Christians who fell under 
 the stones and logs rolled upon them from the heights 
 above, two lived long enough to be shrived by the faithful 
 Olmedo. 
 
 The azaleas of the temple has been already described as a 
 broad, paved area, unobstructed except by the sacrificial 
 stones and the sanctuaries of Huitzil' and Tezca'. A more 
 dreadful place for battle cannot be imagined. The coming 
 and going of worshippers, singly or in processions, and of 
 barefooted pabas, to whom the dizzy height was all the world, 
 had worn its surface smooth as furbished iron. If, as the 
 combat rolled slowly around the terraces, rising higher, and 
 nearer the chiefs and warriors on the summit, if, in faint- 
 ness of heart or hope, they looked for a way of escape, the 
 sky and the remote horizon were all they saw : escape was 
 impossible. 
 
 With many others disabled by wounds, Io' ascended to 
 the azotea* in advance of the fight ; not in despair, but as 
 tLo faithful might, never doubting that, when the human 
 effort failed, Huitzil', the Omnipotent, would defend himself. 
 He passed through the ranks, and with brave words encour- 
 aged the common resolve to conquer or die. Stopping upon
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 517 
 
 the western verge, he looked down upon the palace, and lo ! 
 there was a rest in the assault, except where the 'tzin fought, 
 with his back to the temple ; and the thousands were stand- 
 ing still, their faces upturned, each where the strange 
 truce found him, to behold the hunted gods in some 
 majestic form at last assert their divinity. So lo' knew, by 
 the whisperings of his own faith. 
 
 Again he turned prayerfully to the sanctuaries. At that 
 instant Cortes mounted the last step of the last stairway, 
 after him the line of shields, and all the cavaliers, after 
 them again, Olmedo with his crucifix ! Then was wrought 
 an effect, simple enough of itself, but so timely that the 
 good man forgetful that the image of Christ dead on the 
 cross is nothing without the story of his perfect love and sor- 
 rowful death found believers when he afterwards proclaimed 
 it a miracle. He held the sacred effigy up to be seen by all 
 the infidels ; they gazed at it as at a god unfriendly to their 
 gods, and waited in awe for the beginning of a struggle be- 
 tween the divine rivals ; and while they waited, Cortes and 
 his cavaliers perfected their formation upon the azoteas, and 
 the bowmen and arquebusiers began to climb the second 
 stairway of the ascent. The moment of advantage was lost 
 to the Aztecs, and they paid the penalty. 
 
 lo' waited with the rest ; from crucifix to sanctuary, and 
 sanctuary to crucifix, he turned ; yet the gods nursed their 
 power. At last he awoke ; too late ! there was no escape. 
 Help of man was not possible, and the gods seemed to have 
 abandoned him. 
 
 "Tezcuco! CholulaJ Tenochtitlan ! Up, up, Tlateloco, 
 up ! " 
 
 Over the azoteas his words rang piercing clear, and through 
 the ranks towards the Christians he rushed. The binding 
 of the spell was broken. Shook the banners, pealed war-cry, 
 conch, and atabal, and the battk was joined.
 
 618 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Hold fast until our brethren come ; then shall our swords 
 drink their fill ! Christo y Santiago 1 " 
 
 Never was the voice of Cortes more confident. 
 
 Need, nevertheless, had the cavaliers for all their strength 
 and skill, even the nicest cunning of fence and thrust 
 Every joint of their harness was searched by javelin and 
 spear, and the clang of maquahuitls against the faces of their 
 ehields was as the noise of a thousand armeros at work. The 
 line swayed and bent before the surge, now yielding, now 
 recovering, at times ready to break, and then death awaited 
 them all on the terraces below. For life they plied their 
 swords, no, not for life alone ; behind them to and fro 
 strode Olmedo. 
 
 " Strike, and spare not ! " he cried. " Lo, the gates of hell 
 yonder, but they shall not prevail. Strike for Holy Church, 
 whose swords ye are ! For Holy Cross, and room to worship 
 above the Baals of heathendom ! For glory here, and eternal 
 life hereafter ! " 
 
 So he cried as he strode ; and the crucifix on his lance 
 and the saintly words on his lips were better than trumpets, 
 better than a hundred Cids in reserve. 
 
 The great drum, which had been for a while silent, at this 
 juncture burst out again ; and still more to inflame the in- 
 fidels, forth from the sanctuaries the pabas poured, and dis- 
 persed themselves, leaping, dancing, singing, through the 
 ranks. Doubtless they answered the Christian priest, 
 promise for promise, and with even greater effect ; the calm 
 and self-possessed among their people became zealots, and 
 the zealots became frantic madmen. 
 
 At last the bowmen and arquebusiers appeared upon the 
 scene. When Cortes saw them, their line formed, matches 
 lighted, bows drawn, he drew out of the combat to give 
 them directions. 
 
 " Viva companeros ! " he said, with a vivacity peculiar to
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 519 
 
 himself, " I bid ye welcome. The temple and its keepers 
 are ours. We with swords will now go forward. Keep ye 
 the stairway, and take care of our flanks. Ply your bolts, 
 ply them fast, and spare not a cur in the kennel ! " 
 
 They made no answer, spake not a word. Stolidly, grimly 
 they gazed at him under their morions ; they knew their 
 duty, and he knew them. Once more he turned to the 
 fight. 
 
 " To the sanctuaries ! " he shouted, to the cavaliers. " "We 
 have come for the false gods : let us at them. Charge, 
 gentlemen, Christ with us ! Forward all ! " 
 
 Back came their response, " Forward ! Christo y San- 
 tiago ! " 
 
 They advanced their shields suddenly ; the play of their 
 swords redoubled ; the weapons in front of them splintered 
 like reeds ; war-cries half uttered turned to screams ; under 
 foot blood ran like water, and feathered panoply and 
 fallen men, dying and dead, blotted out the pavement. 
 Surprised, bewildered, baffled, the bravest of the infidels 
 perished; the rest gave way or were pushed helplessly 
 back ; and the dismay thus excited rose to panic when the 
 bowmen and arquebusiers joined in the combat. A horrible 
 confusion ensued. Hundreds threw away their arms, and 
 ran wildly around the azoteas j some flung themselves from 
 the height ; some climbed the sanctuaries ; some took to 
 piteous imploration of the doomed idols ; others, in blind 
 fury, rushed empty-handed upon the dripping swords. 
 
 Steadily, as a good craft divides the current and its eddies, 
 Cortes made way to the sanctuaries, impatient to possess the 
 idols, that, at one blow, he might crush the faith they repre- 
 sented f after which he made no doubt of the submission of 
 the nations in arms. A rare faculty that which, in the heat 
 of battle, can weave webs of policy, and in the mind's eye 
 trace out lines of wise conduct.
 
 520 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 When, at last, the end was nigh, such of the pabas as 
 survived withdrew themselves from the delirious mob, and 
 assembled around the sacrificial stones. Some of them were 
 wounded; on many the black gowns hung in shreds; all 
 of them had one purpose more, usually the last to linger 
 in an enthusiast's heart. There, where they had witnessed 
 so many sacrifices, and, in eager observance of auguries, 
 overlooked or savagely enjoyed the agony of the victims, 
 they came themselves to die, there the sword found them j 
 and from their brave, patient death we may learn that Satan 
 hath had his martyrs as well as Christ. 
 
 About the same time another body collected in the space 
 "before the presence chamber of Huitzil'. They were the 
 surviving caciques, with Io' in their midst. Having borne 
 him out of the fray, they now took up a last position to de- 
 fend him and the gods. 
 
 Upon them also the battle had laid a heavy hand ; most 
 of them were hurt and bleeding ; of their beautiful regalia 
 only fragments remained ; some were without arms of any 
 kind, some bore headless javelins or spears; a few had 
 maquahuitls. Not a word was spoken : they, too, had come 
 to die, and the pride of their race forbade repining. 
 
 They saw the last of the pabas fall ; then the rapacious 
 swords, to complete the work, came to them. In the front 
 strode Cortes. His armor shone brightly, and his shield, 
 though spotted with blood, was as a mirror from which the 
 sun's rays shot, like darts, into the eyes of the infidels at- 
 tracted by its brightness. 
 
 Suddenly, three warriors, unarmed, rushed upon him ; his 
 sword passed through one of them ; the others caught him 
 in their arms. So quick, so bold and desperate was the 
 action that, before he could resist or his captains help him, 
 he was lifted from his feet and borne away. 
 - " Help, gentlemen ! Rescue ! " he cried.
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 521 
 
 Forward sprang Sandoval, forward Alvarado, forward 
 the whole line. The caciques interposed themselves. Played 
 the swords then never so fast and deadly, still the wall of 
 men endured. 
 
 Cortes with all his armor was a cumbrous "burthen ; yet 
 the warriors bore him swiftly toward the verge of the azoteas. 
 No doubt of their purpose : fair and stately were the halls 
 awaiting them in the Sun, if they but took the leap with 
 him ! He struggled for life, and called on the saints, and 
 vowed vows ; at the last moment, one of them stumbled 
 and fell ; thereupon he broke away, regained his feet, and 
 slew them both. 
 
 In the door of the sanctuary of Huitzil', meantime, Io 7 
 stood, biding the sure result of the unequal struggle. Again 
 and again he had striven to get to the enemy ; but the de- 
 voted caciques closed their circle against him as compactly 
 as against them. Nearer shone the resistless blades, nearer 
 the inevitable death. The rumble and roar of the drum 
 poured from the chamber in mighty throbs ; at times he 
 caught glimpses of the azoteas strewn with bloody wreck ; a 
 sense of the greatness of the calamity seized him, followed 
 by the sullen calm which, in brave men dying, is more an 
 accusation of fate than courage, resignation, or despair ; up- 
 on his faculties came a mist ; he shouted the old war-cry of 
 the 'tzin, and scarcely heard himself ; the loves and hopes 
 that had made his young life beautiful seemed to rise up and 
 fly away, not in the air-line of birds, but with the slow, 
 eccentric flight of star-winged butterflies ; then the light 
 faded and the sky darkened ; he reeled and staggered, but 
 while falling, felt himself drawn into the presence chamber, 
 And looking up saw the face of the teotuctli, and heard the 
 words, " I loved your father, and he loved the god, who 
 may yet save us. Come, come ! " The loving hands took 
 cif his warlike trappings, and covering him with the frock
 
 522 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 of a paba set him on the step of the altar at the feet of 
 the god ; then the darkness became perfect, and he kne-vr 
 no more. 
 
 Directly there was a great shout within the chamber, 
 blent with the clang of armor and iron-shod feet ; the teo> 
 tuctli turned, and confronted Olmedo, with Cortes and the 
 cavaliers. 
 
 The Christian priest dropped his lance to the floor, threw 
 back his cowl, raised his visor, and pointing to the crucifix 
 gazed proudly into the face of the infidel pontiff, who an- 
 swered with a look high and scornful, as became the first 
 and last servant of a god so lately the ruler of the universe. 
 And while they faced each other, the beating of the drum 
 ceased, and the clamor stilled, until nothing was heard but 
 the breathing of the conquerors, tired with slaughter. 
 
 Then Cortes said, 
 
 " Glory to Christ, whose victory this is ! Thou, father, art 
 his priest, let thy will be done. Speak ! " 
 
 Olmedo turned to that quarter of the chamber where, by 
 permission of Montezuma, a Christian shrine and cross had 
 been erected : shrine and cross were gone ! Answered he 
 then, 
 
 " The despoiler hath done his work. Vengeance is mine, 
 saith the Lord. Take this man," pointing to the teotuctli, 
 " and bind him, and lead him hence." 
 
 Alvarado stepped forward, and took off the massive silver 
 chain which he habitually wore twice encircling his neck, 
 and falling down low over his breast-plate ; with it he 
 bound the wrists of the prisoner, who once, and once only, 
 cast an appealing glance up to the stony face of the idoL 
 As they started to lead him off, his eyes fell upon Io', f 
 by a sign and look of pity, he directed their attention 
 to the boy. 
 .> " He is not dead," said Sandoval, after examination.
 
 BATTLE IN THE AIR. 523 
 
 "Take him hence, also," Olmedo ordered. "At leisure 
 to-morrow we can learn what importance he hath." 
 
 Hardly were the captives out when the chamber be- 
 came a scene of wild iconoclasm. The smoking censers 
 were overthrown; the sculpturings on the walls were de- 
 faced ; the altar was rifled of the rich accumulation of gifts ; 
 fagots snatched from the undying fires in front of the sanc- 
 tuaries were applied to the carved and gilded wood-work ; 
 and amid the smoke, and with shouting and laughter and 
 the noisy abandon of school-boys at play, the zealots de- 
 spoiled the gigantic image of its ornaments and treasure, 
 of the bow and golden arrows in its hands ; the feathers of 
 humming birds on its left foot; the necklace of gold and 
 silver hearts ; the serpent enfolding its waist in coils glisten- 
 ing with pearls and precious stones. A hundred hands then 
 pushed the monster from its sitting-place, and rolled it out 
 of the door, and finally off the azoteas. Tezca' shared the 
 same fate. The greedy flames mounted to the towers, and 
 soon not a trace of the ages of horrible worship remained, 
 except the smoking walls of the ruined sanctuaries. 
 
 Down from the heights marched the victors; into the 
 palace they marched ; and not a hand was raised against 
 them on the way ; the streets were almost deserted. 
 
 " Bien ! " said Cortes, as he dismounted once more in 
 front of his quarters. " Muy lien ! We have their king 
 and chief-priests ; we have burned their churches, disgraced 
 their gods, and slain their nobles by the thousand. The war 
 is over, gentlemen ; let us to our couches. Welcome rest ! 
 welcome peace ! " 
 
 And the weary army, accepting his words as verity, went 
 to rest, though the sun flamed in the brassy sky ; but rest 
 there was not ; ere dreams could follow slumber, the trum- 
 pets sounded, and the battle was on again, fiercer than ever. 
 
 The sun set, and the night came; then the companies
 
 624 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 thought to rest ; but Cortes, made tireless by rage, went out 
 after them, and burned a vast district of houses. 
 
 And the flames so filled the sky with brilliance that the 
 sun seemed to have stood still just below the horizon. 
 
 During the lurid twilight, Olmedo laid away, in shallow 
 graves dug for them in the palace-garden, more than fifty 
 Christians, of whom six and forty perished on the temple 
 and its terraces. 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 
 IN THE INTERVAL OP THE BATTLE LOVE. 
 
 chinampa, at its anchorage, swung lightly, like an 
 J- Indian cradle pendulous in the air. Over it stooped the 
 night, its wings of darkness brilliant with the plumage of 
 stars. The fire in the city kindled by Cortes still fitfully 
 reddened the horizon in that direction, a direful answer 
 to those who, remembering the sweetness of peace in the 
 beautiful valley, prayed for its return with the morning. 
 
 Yeteve, in the hammock, had lulled herself into the sleep 
 of dreams; while, in the canoe, Hualpa and the oarsmen 
 elept the sleep of the warrior and laborer, the sleep too 
 deep for dreams. Only Tula and the 'tzin kept vigils. 
 
 Just outside the canopy, in sight of the meridian stars, 
 and where the night winds came sighing through the thicket 
 of flowers, a petate had been spread for them ; and now 
 she listened, while he, lying at length, his head in her lap, 
 talked of the sorrowful time that had befallen. 
 
 He told her of the manias, and their destruction ; of how 
 Hualpa had made way to the presence of Nenetzin, and 
 how she had saved his life ; and as the narrative went on, 
 the listener's head drooped low over the speaker's face, and
 
 IN THE INTERVAL OF THE BATTLE LOVE. 525 
 
 there were sighs and tears which might have been appor- 
 tioned between the lost sister and the unhappy lover ; he told 
 of the attack upon the palace, and of the fall of IztliT, and 
 how, when the victory was won, Malinche flung the gods 
 from the temple, and so terrified the companies that they 
 fled. 
 
 " Then, Tula, my hopes fell down. A people without 
 gods, broken in spirit, and with duty divided between two 
 kings, are but grass to be trodden. And Io,' so young, 
 so brave, so faithful " 
 
 He paused, and there was a long silence, devoted to the 
 prince's memory. Then he resumed, 
 
 " In looking out over the lake, you may have noticed that 
 the city has been girdled with men in canoes, an army, 
 indeed, unaffected by the awful spectacle of the overthrow 
 of the gods. I brought them up, and in their places sent 
 the companies that had failed me. So, as the sun went 
 down, I was able to pour fresh thousands upon Malinche. 
 How I rejoiced to see them pass the wall with Hualpa, and 
 grapple with the strangers ! All my hopes came back again. 
 That the enemy fought feebly was not a fancy. Watching, 
 wounds, battle, and care have wrought upon them. They 
 are wasting away. A little longer, two days, a day 
 even, patience, sweetheart, patience ! " 
 
 There was silence again, the golden silence of lovers, 
 under the stars, hand-in-hand, dreaming. 
 
 The 'tzin broke the spell to say, in lower tones and witb 
 longer intervals, 
 
 " Men must worship, Tula, and there can be no worship 
 without faith. So I had next to renew the sacred fire and 
 restore the gods. The first was easy : I had only to start a 
 flame from the embers of the sanctuaries ; the fire that 
 burned them was borrowed from that kept immemorially on 
 the old altars. The next duty was harder. The images
 
 526 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 were not of themselves more estimable than other stones ; 
 neither were the jewels that adorned them more precious 
 than others of the same kind : their sanctity was from faith 
 alone. The art of arts is to evoke the faith of men : make 
 me, sweetheart, make me master of that art, and, as the 
 least of possibilities, I will make gods of things least godly. 
 In the places where they had fallen, at the foot of the 
 temple, I set the images up, and gave each an altar, with 
 censers, holy fire, and all the furniture of worship. By and 
 by, they shall be raised again to the azoteas ; and when we 
 renew the empire, we will build for them sanctuaries richer 
 even than those of Cholula. If the faith of our people 
 demand more, then " 
 
 He hesitated. 
 
 " Then, what ? " she asked. 
 
 He shuddered, and said lower than ever, " I will unseal 
 the caverns of Quetzal', and, more I cannot answer now." 
 
 The influence of Mualox was upon him yet. 
 
 " And if that fail 1 " she persisted. 
 
 Not until the stars at the time overhead had passed and 
 been succeeded by others as lustrous, did he answer, 
 
 " And if that fail ? Then we will build a temple, one 
 without images, a temple to the One Supreme God. So. 
 Tula, shall the prophecy of the king, your father, be ful- 
 filled in our day." 
 
 And with that up sprang a breeze of summery warmth, 
 lingering awhile to wanton with the tresses of the willow, 
 and swing the flowery island half round the circle of its 
 anchorage ; and from the soothing hand on his forehead, 
 or the reposeful motion of the chinampa, the languor of 
 sleep stole upon his senses ; yet recollection of the battle 
 and its cares was hard to be put away : 
 
 " I should have told you," he said, in a vanishing voice, 
 " that when the companies abandoned us, I went first to see
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 527 
 
 otir uncle, the lord Cuitlah.ua. The guards at the door re- 
 fused me admittance ; the king was sick, they said." 
 
 A tremor shook the hand on his forehead, and larger grew 
 the great eyes "bending over him. 
 
 " Did they say of what he was sick ? " she asked. 
 
 " Of the plague." 
 
 " And what is that ?" 
 
 " Death," he answered, and next moment fell asleep. 
 
 Over her heart, to hush the loudness of its beating, she 
 Gasped her hands ; for out of the chamber of the almost 
 forgotten, actual as in life, stalked Mualox, the paba, saying, 
 as once on the temple he said, " You shall be queen in your 
 father's palace." She saw his beard of fleecy white, and his 
 eyes of mystery, and asked herself again and again, " Was 
 he indeed a prophet ? " 
 
 And the loving child and faithful subject strove hard to 
 hide from the alluring promise, for in its way she descried 
 two living kings, her father and her uncle ; but it sought her 
 continually, and found her, and at last held her as a dream 
 holds a sleeper, held her until the stars heralded the 
 dawn, and the 'tzin awoke to go back to the city, back to 
 toe battle. from love to battle. 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 THE BEGINNING OP THE END. 
 
 * T EAVE the city, now so nearly won ! Surely, father, 
 
 -L-J surely thou dost jest with me ! " 
 
 So Cortes said as he sat in his chamber, resting his arm 
 on the table, the while Olmedo poured cold water on hia 
 wounded hand.
 
 528 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The father answered without lifting his face, 
 
 " Go, I say, that we may come back assured of holding 
 What we have won." 
 
 " Sayest thou so, thou ! By my conscience, here are 
 honor, glory, empire ! Abandon them, and the treasure, 
 a part of which, as thou knowest, I have already ac- 
 counted to his Majesty 1 No, no ; not yet, father ! I 
 cannot though thou may'st forget what Velasquez 
 and my enemies, the velveted minions of the court, would 
 say." 
 
 "Then it is as I feared," said Olmedo, suspending his 
 work, and tossing his hood farther back on his shoulders. 
 " It is as I feared. The good judgment which hath led us 
 so far so well, and given riches to those who care for riches, 
 and planted the Cross over so many heathen temples is, at 
 last, at fault." 
 
 The father's manner was solemn and reproachful. Cortes 
 turned to him inquiringly. 
 
 " Senor, thou knowest I may be trusted. Heed me. 1 
 speak for Christ's sake," continued Olmedo. " Leave the 
 city we must. There i* not corn for two days more ; the 
 army is worn down with wounds and watching ; scarcely 
 canst thou thyself hold an axe; the men of Narvaez are 
 mutineers ; the garden is full of graves, and it hath been 
 said of me that, for want of time, I have shorn the burial 
 service of essential Catholic rites. And the enemy, Senor, 
 the legions that broke through the wall last evening, were 
 new tribes for the first time in battle. Of what effect on 
 them were yesterday's defeats] The gods tumbled from 
 the temple have their altars and worship already. Thou 
 may'st see them from the central turret." 
 
 The good man was interrupted. Sandoval appeared at the 
 door. 
 
 " Come," said Cortes, impatiently.
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 529 
 
 'The captain advanced to the table, and saluting, said, in 
 his calm, straightforward way, 
 
 " The store for the horses is out ; we fed them to-night 
 from the rations of the men. I gave Motilla half of mine, 
 and yet she is hungry." 
 
 At these words, the hand Olmedo was nursing closed, 
 despite its wound, as upon a sword-hilt, vice-like, and up the 
 master arose, brow and cheek gray as if powdered with ashes, 
 and began to walk the floor furiously ; at last he stopped 
 abruptly : 
 
 " Sandoval, go bid the captains come. I would have their 
 opinions as to what we should do. Omit none of them. 
 Those who say nothing may be witnesses hereafter." 
 
 The order was given quietly, with a smile even. A moment 
 the captain studied his leader's face, and I would not say 
 he did not understand the meaning of the simple words ; 
 for of him Cortes afterwards said, " He is fit to command 
 great armies." 
 
 Cortes sat down, and held out the hand for Olmedo's min- 
 istrations ; but the father touched him caressingly, and said, 
 when Sandoval was gone, 
 
 " I commend thee, son, with all my soul. Men are never 
 o much on trial as when they stand face to face with neces- 
 sity; the weak fight it, and fall; the wise accept it as a 
 servant. So do thou now." 
 
 Cortes' countenance became chill and sullen. " I cannot 
 see the necessity " 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Olmedo. "Whatsoever thou dost, 
 hold fast to that. The captains will tell thee otherwise, 
 but " 
 
 "Whatl" asked Cortes, with a sneer. "The treasure is 
 vast, a million pesos or more. Dost thou believe they will 
 go and leave it " 
 
 But Olmedo was intent upon his own thought. 
 
 23 HH
 
 530 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Mira ! " he said. " If the captains say there is a neces- 
 sity, do thou put in thy denial ; stand on thy opinion boldly j 
 and when thou givest up, at last, yield thee to that other 
 necessity, the demand of the army. And so " 
 
 " And so," Cortes said with a smile, which was also a 
 sneer, " and so thou wouldst make a servant of one necces- 
 sity by invoking another." 
 
 " Yes ; another which may be admitted without danger or 
 dishonor. Thou hast the idea, my son." 
 
 " So be it, so be it, aguardamonos ! " 
 
 Thereupon Cortes retired within himself, and the father 
 began again to nurse the wounded hand. 
 
 And by and by the chamber was filled with captains, sol- 
 diers, and caciques, whose persons, darkly visible in the 
 murky light, testified to the severity of the situation : rusted 
 armor, ragged apparel, faded trappings, bandaged limbs, 
 countenances heavy with anxiety, or knit hard by suffering, 
 
 such were the evidences. 
 In good time Cortes arose. 
 
 " Ola, my friends," he said, bluntly. " I have heard that 
 there are among ye many who think the time come to give 
 the city, and all we have taken, back to the intidels. I have 
 sent for ye that I may know the truth. As the matter con- 
 cerneth interests of our royal master aside from his dominion, 
 
 property, for example, the Secretary Duero will make 
 note of all that passeth. Let him, come forward and take 
 place here." 
 
 The secretary seated himself by the table with manuscript 
 and pen. 
 
 " Now, gentlemen, begin." 
 
 So saying, the chief dropped back into his seat, and held 
 the sore hand to Olmedo for further care, never speech 
 more bluff, never face more calm. For a time, nothing was 
 heard but the silvery tinkle of the falling water. At length
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 531 
 
 one was found sturdy enough to speak ; others followed him ; 
 and, at last, when the opinion was taken, not a voice said 
 stay ; on the contrary, the clamor to go was, hy some, inde- 
 cently loud. 
 
 Cortes then stood up. 
 
 " The opinion is all one way. Hast thou so written, 
 Senor Duero 1 " 
 
 The secretary bowed. 
 
 " Then write again, write that I, Hernan Cortes, to this 
 retreat said, No ; write that, if I yield my judgment, it is 
 not to any necessity of which we have heard as coming from 
 the enemy, but to the demand of my people. Hast thou so 
 written?" 
 
 The secretary nodded. 
 
 " "Write again, that upon this demand I ordered Alonzo 
 Avila and Gonzalo Mexia to take account of all the treasure 
 belonging to our master, the most Christian king ; with leave 
 to the soldiers, when the total hath been perfected and the re- 
 treat made ready, to help themselves from the baknce, as each 
 one may wish. Those gentlemen will see that their task be 
 concluded by noon to morrow. Hast written, Duero 1 " 
 
 " Word for word," answered the secretary. 
 
 " Very well And now," Cortes raised his head, and 
 spoke loudly, " and now, rest and sleep who can. This 
 business is bad. Get ye gone ! " 
 
 And when they were alone, he said to Olmedo, 
 
 " I have done ill " 
 
 "Nay," said the father, smiling, "thou hast done welL" 
 
 " Bastcmte, we shall see. Never had knaves such need 
 of all their strength as when this retreat is begun ; yet of 
 what account will they be when loaded down with the gold 
 they cannot consent to leave behind 1 " 
 
 " Why then the permission 1 " asked the father. 
 
 Cortes smiled blandly,
 
 532 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " If I cannot make them friends, by my conscience ! I can 
 at least seal their mouths in the day of my calamity." 
 
 Then bowing his head, he added, 
 
 " Thy benediction, father." 
 
 The blessing was given. 
 
 " Amen ! " said Cortes. 
 
 And the priest departed ; but the steps of the iron-hearted 
 soldier were heard long after, not quick and determined 
 as usual, but slow and measured, and with many and long 
 pauses between. So ambition walks when marshalling its 
 resources ; so walks a heroic soul at war with itself and for- 
 tune ! He flung himself upon his couch at last, saying, 
 
 " In my quiver there are two bolts left. The saints help 
 me ! I will speed them first." 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN. 
 
 TJATAMOZIN'S call at the royal palace to see the king, 
 ~ Cuitlahua, had not been without result. When told that 
 the monarch was too sick of the plague to be seen, he called 
 for the officer who had charge of the accounts of tribute re- 
 ceived for the royal support. 
 
 " Show me," said the 'tzin, " how much corn was delivered 
 to Montezuma for Malinche." 
 
 A package of folded aguave leaves was brought and laid 
 at the accountant's feet. In a moment he took out a leaf 
 well covered with picture-writing, and gave it to the 'tzin, 
 who, after study, said to a cacique in waiting, " Bring me 
 one of the couriers," and to another, " Bring me wherewith 
 to write."
 
 THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN. 533 
 
 When the latter was brought, he sat down, and dipping 
 a brush into a vessel of liquid color, drew upon a clear, 
 yellow-tinted leaf a picture of a mother duck leading her 
 brood from the shore into the water ; by way of signature, 
 he appended in one corner the figure of an owl in flight. 
 On five other sheets he repeated the writing ; then the mis- 
 sives were given each to a separate courier with verbal direc- 
 tions for their delivery. 
 
 When he left the palace, the 'tzin laid his hand upon 
 Hualpa's shoulder, and said, joyfully, 
 
 " Better than I thought, comrade. Malinche has corn 
 for one day only ! " 
 
 The blood quickened in Hualpa's heart, as he asked, 
 " Then the end is near ? " 
 
 " To-morrow, or the next day," said the 'tzin. 
 
 " But Montezuma is generous, " 
 
 " Can he give what he has not ? To-night there will be 
 delivered for his use and that of his household, whom I have 
 had numbered for the purpose, provisions for one day, not 
 more." 
 
 " Then it is so ! Praised be the gods ! and you, my 
 master, wiser than other men ! " cried Hualpa, with upraised 
 face, and a gladness which was of youth again, and love so 
 blind that he saw Nenetzin, not the stars, and so deaf 
 that he heard not the other words of the 'tzin, 
 
 " The couriers bear my orders to bring up all the armies. 
 And they will be here in the morning." 
 
 ****** 
 
 In the depth of the night, while Cortes lay restlessly 
 dreaming, his sentinels on the palace were attracted by music 
 apparently from every quarter ; at first, so mellowed by dis- 
 tance as to seem like the night singing to itself ; afterwhile, 
 swollen into the familiar dissonant minstrelsy of conch and 
 atabal, mixed with chanting of many voices.
 
 $34 THE PAIR GOD. 
 
 " ho .' " shouted the outliers on the neighboring houses, 
 " ho, accursed strangers ! Think no more of conquest, 
 not even of escape ; think only of death by sacrifice ! 
 If you are indeed teules, the night, though deepened by the 
 amoke of our burning houses, cannot hinder you from seeing 
 the children of Anahuac coming in answer to the call of 
 HuitziT. If you are men, open wide your ears that you may 
 hear their paddles on the lake and their tramp on the cause- 
 way. victims ! one day more, then, the sacrifice ! " 
 
 Even the Christians, leaning on their lances, and listening, 
 felt the heaviness of heart which is all of fear the brave can 
 know, and crossed themselves, and repeated such pater nosters 
 as they could recollect. 
 
 And so it was. The reserve armies which had been re- 
 posing in the vales behind Chapultepec all marched to 
 the city ; and the noise of their shouting, drumming, and 
 trumpeting, when they arrived and began to occupy its 
 thoroughfares and strong places, was like the roar of the sea. 
 
 To the garrison, under arms meantime, and suffering from 
 the influence of all they heard, the dawn was a long time 
 coming ; but at last the sun came, and poured its full light 
 over the leaguered palace and courtly precincts. 
 
 But the foemen stood idly looking at each other ; for in 
 the night, Cortes, on his side, had made preparations for peace. 
 Two caciques went from him to the king Cuitlahua, propos- 
 ing a parley ; and the king replied that he would come in 
 the morning, and hear what he had to say. So there was 
 truce as well as sunshine. 
 
 " Tell me truly, Don Pedro, as thou art a gentleman, 
 tell me, didst thou ever see a sight like this ? " 
 
 Whereupon, Alvarado, who, with others, was leaning 
 against the parapet which formed part of the battlements of 
 the eastern gate of the palace, looked again, and critically, 
 over that portion of the square visible from his position, and
 
 * THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN. 535 
 
 replied, "I will answer truly and lovingly as if thou 
 wert my little princess yonder in the patio. Sight like this 
 I never saw, and " he added, with a quizzical smile - 
 " never care to see again," 
 
 Orteguilla persisted, 
 
 " Nay, didst thou ever see anything that surpassed it ? " 
 
 Once more Alvarado surveyed the scene, of men <t 
 myriad, in the streets rank upon rank ; so on the houses 
 and temple, everywhere the glinting of arms, and the brown 
 faces of warriors glistening above their glistening shields ; 
 everywhere escaupiles of flaming red, and banners ; every- 
 where the ineffable beauty and splendor of royal war. The 
 good captain withdrew his enamoured gaze slowly : 
 
 " No, never ! " he said. 
 
 Even he, the prince of gibes and strange oaths, forgot hia 
 tricks in presence of the pageant. 
 
 While the foemen looked at each other so idly, up the 
 beautiful street came heralds announcing Cuitlahua. Soon 
 his palanquin, attended by a great retinue of nobles, was 
 brought and set down in front of the eastern gate of the 
 palace. Upon its appearance, the people knelt, and touched 
 the ground with their palms. Then there was a blare of 
 Christian trumpets, and Cortes, with Olmedo and Marina, 
 came upon the turret. 
 
 The heralds waved their silver wands : the hush became 
 absolute ; then the curtains of the palanquin were rolled 
 away, and the king turned his head languidly, and looked up 
 to Cortes, who raised his visor, and looked down on him / 
 and in the style of a conqueror demanded peace and quick 
 return to obedience. 
 
 " If thou dost not," he said, " I will make thy city a ruin." 
 
 The shrill voice of Marina, interpreting, flew wide over the 
 space, so peopled, yet so still ; at the last word, there was a 
 mighty stir, but the heralds waved their wands, and the hush 
 came back.
 
 536 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 On Cuitlahua's face the pallor of sickness gave place to a 
 flush of anger ; he sat up, and signed to Guatamozin, and 
 upon his shoulder laid his hand trustingly, saying, 
 
 " My son, lend me your voice ; answer." 
 
 The 'tzin, unmindful that the breath he drew upon his 
 cheek was the breath of the plague, put his arm around the 
 king, and said, so as to be heard to the temple's top, 
 
 " The king Cuitlahua answers for himself and his people. 
 Give ear, Malinche ! You have desolated our temples, 
 and broken the images of our gods ; the smoke of our city 
 offends the sky ; your swords are terrible, many have fallen 
 before them, and many more will fall ; yet we are content to 
 exchange in death a thousand of ours for one of yours. Be- 
 hold how many of us are left ; then count your losses, and 
 know that you cannot escape. Two suns shall not pass, 
 until, amidst our plenty, we shall laugh to see you sick from 
 hunger. For further answer, Malinche, as becomes the 
 king of his people, Cuitlahua gives you the war-cry of his 
 fathers." 
 
 The 'tzin withdrew his arm, and snatching the green 
 panache from the palanquin, whirled it overhead, crying, 
 " Up, up, Tlateloco ! Up, Tlateloco ! " 
 
 At sight of the long feathers streaming over the group, 
 like a banner, the multitude sprang to foot, and with horrible 
 clamor and a tempest of missiles drove the Christians from 
 the turret. 
 
 And of the two bolts in Cortes' quiver, such was the speed- 
 ing of the FIRST ONE ! 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 An hour passed, an hour of battle without and dispute 
 Within the palace. 
 
 To Cortes in his chamber then came Orteguilla, reporting. 
 
 " I gave the king the message, Senor ; and he bade m 
 tell thee thy purpose is too late. He will not come."
 
 THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN. 537 
 
 The passion-vein * on Cortes' neck and forehead rose, and 
 Btood out like a purple cord. 
 
 " The heathen dog ! " he cried. " Will not ! He is a 
 slave, and shall come. By the holy blood of Christ, he shall 
 come, or die ! " 
 
 Then Olmedo spoke, 
 
 " If thou wilt hear, Senor, Montezuma affects me and the 
 good Captain Oli tenderly ; suffer us to go to him, and see 
 what we can do." 
 
 " So be it, so be it ! If thou canst bring him, in God's 
 name, go. If he refuse, then I have sworn ! Hearken to 
 the hell's roar without ! Let me have report quickly. I will 
 wait thee here. Begone ! " 
 
 Olmedo started. Cortes caught his sleeve, and looked at 
 him fixedly. 
 
 " Mira ! " he said, in a whisper. " As thou lovest me do 
 this work well. If he fail if he fail 
 
 " "Well ? " said Olmedo, in the same tone. 
 
 " Then then get thee to prayers ! Go." 
 
 The audience chamber whither Oli and the priest betook 
 themselves, with Orteguilla to interpret, was crowded with 
 sourtiers, who made way for them to the dais upon which 
 Montezuma sat. They kissed his hand, and declining the in- 
 vitation to be seated began their mission. 
 
 " Good king," said the father, " we bring thee a message 
 from Malinche ; and as its object is to stay the bloody battle 
 which is so grievous to us all, and the slaughter which must 
 otherwise go on, we pray thy pardon if we make haste to 
 speak." I 
 
 The monarch's face chilled, and drawing his mantle close 
 he said, coldly, 
 
 " I am listening." 
 
 Olmedo proceeded, 
 
 * Bemal Diaz, Hist, de la Conq.
 
 538 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "The Senor Hernan commiserates the hard lot which 
 compels thee to listen here to the struggle which hath lasted 
 so many days, and always with the same result, the wast- 
 ing of thy people. The contest hath become a rebellion 
 against thee as well as against his sovereign and thine. 
 Finally there will be no one left to govern, nothing, in- 
 deed, but an empty valley and a naked lake. In pity foi 
 the multitude, he is disposed to help save them from their 
 false leaders. He hath sent us, therefore, to ask thee to join 
 him in one more effort to that end." 
 
 " Said he how I could help him ? " asked the king. 
 
 " Come and speak to the people, and disperse them, as 
 once before thou didst. And to strengthen thy words, and 
 as his part of the trial, he saith thou mayst pledge him to leave 
 the city as soon as -the way is open. Only let there be no 
 delay. He is in waiting to go with thee, good king." 
 
 The monarch listened intently. 
 
 41 Too late, too late ! " he cried. " The ears of my people 
 are turned from me. I am king in name and form only ; 
 the power is another's. I am lost, so is Malinche. I will 
 not go. Tell him so." 
 
 There was a stir in the chamber, and a groan from the by- 
 standers ; but the messengers remained looking at the poor 
 king, as at one who had rashly taken a fatal vow. 
 
 " Why do you stay 1 " he continued, with a glowing face. 
 " What more have I to do with Malinche 1 Soe the state 
 to which my serving him has already reduced me." 
 
 " Eemember thy people ! " said Olmedo, solemnly. 
 
 Flashed the monarch's eyes as he answered, 
 
 " My brave people ! I hear them now. They are in arms 
 to save themselves ; and they will not believe me or the 
 promises of Malinche. I have spoken." 
 
 Then OH moved a step toward the dais, and kissing tho 
 royal hand, said, with suffused eyes,
 
 THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN. 539 
 
 " Thou knowest I love thee, king ; and I say, if thou 
 carest for thyself, go." 
 
 Something there was in the words, in the utterance, prob- 
 ably, that drew the monarch's attention ; leaning forward, hf 
 studied the cavalier curiously ; over his face the while camt 
 the look of a man suddenly called by his fate. His lips 
 parted, his eyes fixed ; and but that battle has voices which 
 only the dead may refuse to hear his spirit would have 
 drifted off into unseemly reverie. Eecalling himself with 
 an effort, he arose, and said, half-smiling, 
 
 "A man, much less a king, is unfit to live when his 
 friends think to move him from his resolve by appeals to his 
 fears." And rising, and drawing himself to his full 
 etature, he added, so as to be heard throughout the cham- 
 ber, " Very soon, if not now, you will understand me when 
 I say I do not care for myself. I desire to die. Go, my 
 friends, and tell Malinche that I will do as he asks, and 
 straightway." 
 
 Oli and Olmedo kissed his hands, and withdrew ; where- 
 upon he calmly gave his orders. 
 
 Very soon the 'tzin, who was directing the battle from a 
 point near the gate of the coatapantli, saw a warrior appear 
 on the turret so lately occupied by Cortes, and wave a royal 
 panache. He raised his shield overhead at once, and held it 
 there until on his side the combat ceased. The Christians, 
 glad of a breathing spell, quit almost as soon. All eyes then 
 turned to the turret ; even the combatants who had been 
 fighting hand to hand across the crest of the parapet, ven- 
 tured to look that way, when, according to the usage of the 
 infidel court, the heralds came, and to the four quarters of 
 the earth waved their silver wands. 
 
 Too well the 'tzin divined the meaning of the ceremony. 
 " Peace," he seemed to hear, and then, " Lover of Anahuac, 
 ervant of the gods, chooso now between king and country.
 
 540 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Now cr never ! " The ecstasy of battle fled from him ; his 
 will became infirm as a child's. In the space between him and 
 the turret the smoke of the guns curled and writhed sensu- 
 ously, each moment growing fainter and weaker, as did the 
 great purpose to which he thought he had steeled himself. 
 When he brought the shield down, his face was that of a man 
 whom long sickness had laid close to the gates of death. 
 Then came the image of Tula, and then the royal permission 
 to do what the gods enjoined, nay, more than permission, 
 a charge which left the deed to his hand, that there might 
 be no lingering amongst the strangers. " sweetheart ! " 
 he said, to himself, " if this duty leave me stainless, whom 
 may I thank but you ! " 
 
 Then he spoke to Hualpa, though with a choking voice, 
 
 " The king is coming. I must go and meet him. Get my 
 bow, and stand by me with an arrow in place for instant 
 use." 
 
 Hualpa moved away slowly, watching the 'tzin ; then ha 
 returned, and asked, in a manner as full of meaning as the 
 words themselves, 
 
 " Is there not great need that the arrow should be very 
 true ? " 
 
 The master's eyes met his as he answered, " Yes ; bo 
 careful" 
 
 Yet the hunter stayed. 
 
 " 'tzin," he said, " his blood is not in my veins. He 
 is only my benefactor. Your days are not numbered, like 
 mine, and as yet you are blameless ; for the sake of the peace 
 that makes life sweet, I pray you let my hand do this 
 service." 
 
 And the 'tzin took his hand, and replied, fervently, 
 
 " There is nothing so precious as the sight that is quick to 
 see the sorrows of others, unless it be the heart that hurries 
 to help them. After this, I may never doubt your love ;
 
 THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN. 541. 
 
 but the duty is mine, made so by the gods, and he has 
 asked it of me. Lo, the heralds appear ! " 
 
 " He has asked it of you ! that is enough," and Hualpa 
 stayed no longer. 
 
 Upon the turret the carpet was spread and th& canopy 
 set up, and forth came a throng of cavaliers and infidel 
 lords, the latter splendidly bedight ; then appeared Monte- 
 zuma and Cortes. 
 
 As the king moved forward a cry, blent of all feelings, 
 love, fear, admiration, hate, reverence, burst from the 
 great audience ; after which only Guatamozin and Hualpa, 
 in front of the gate, were left standing. 
 
 And such splendor flashed from the monarch's person, 
 from his sandals of gold, tunic of feathers, tilmatli of white, 
 and copilli * inestimably jeweled ; from his face and mien 
 issued such majesty that, after the stormy salutation, the 
 multitude became of the place a part, motionless as the 
 stones, the dead not more silent. 
 
 With his hands crossed upon his breast he stood awhile, 
 seeing and being seen, and all things waited for him to 
 speak ; even the air seemed waiting, it was so very hushed. 
 He looked to the sky, flecked with unhallowed smoke ; to 
 the sun, whose heaven, just behind the curtain of brightness, 
 was nearer to him than ever before ; to the temple, place of 
 many a royal ceremony, his own coronation the grandest of 
 all ; to the city, beautiful in its despoilment ; to the people, 
 for whom, though they knew it not, he had come to die ; at 
 last his gaze settled upon Guatamozin, and as their eyes 
 met, he smiled ; then shaking the tilmatli from his shoulder, 
 he raised his head, and said, in a voice from which all weak- 
 ness was gone, his manner never so kingly, 
 
 " 1 know, my people, that you too 1 ! up arms to set me 
 free, and that was right ; but how often since then have I 
 * The crown.
 
 542 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 told you that I am not a prisoner; that the strangers are my 
 guests ; that I am free to leave them when I please, and that 
 I live with them because I love them ] " 
 
 As in a calm a wind sometimes blows down, and breaks 
 the placid surface of a lake into countless ripples, driving 
 them hither and thither in sparkling confusion, these words 
 fell upon the listening mass ; a yell of anger rose, and from 
 the temple descended bitter reproaches. 
 
 Yet the 'tzin was steady ; and when the outcry ended, the 
 king went on, 
 
 " I am told your excuse now is, that you want to drive 
 my friends from the city. My children, here stands Ma- 
 linclie himself. He hears me say for him that, if you will 
 open the way, he and all with him will leave of their own 
 will." 
 
 Again the people broke out in revilements, but the mon- 
 arch waved his hand angrily, and said, 
 
 "As I am yet your king, I bid you lay down your 
 arms " 
 
 Then the 'tzin took the ready bow from Hualpa ; full to 
 the ear he drew the arrow. Steady the arm, strong the 
 hand, an instant, and the deed was done ! In the purple 
 shadow of the canopy, amidst his pomp of royalty, Monte- 
 zuma fell down, covered, when too late, by a score of 
 Christian shields. Around him at the same time fell a 
 shower of stones from the temple. 
 
 Then, with a shout of terror, the companies arose as at a 
 word and fled, and, panic-blind, tossed the 'tzin here and 
 there, and finally left him alone in the square with Hualpa. 
 
 " All is lost ! " said the latter, disconsolately. 
 
 " Lost ! " said the 'tzin. " On the temple yonder lies Ma- 
 linche's last hope. No need now to assail the palace. When 
 the king comes out, hunger will go in and fight for us." 
 
 " But the people, where are they ] "
 
 THE KING BEFORE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN. 543 
 
 The 'tzin raised his hand aud pointed to the palace, 
 
 " So the strangers have asked. See ! " 
 
 Hualpa turned, and saw the gate open and the cavaliers 
 begin to ride forth. 
 
 " Go they this way, or yon," continued the 'tzin, " they 
 will find the same answer. Five armies hold the city ; a 
 sixth keeps the lake." 
 
 Down the beautiful street the Christians rode unchal- 
 lenged until they came to the first canal. While restoring 
 the bridge there, they heard the clamor of an army, and lo ! 
 out of the gardens, houses, and temples, far as the vision 
 eached, the infidels poured and blocked the way. 
 
 Then the cavaliers rode back, and took the way to Tla- 
 copan. There, too, the first canal was bridgeless ; and as 
 they stood looking across the chasm, they heard the same 
 clamor and beheld the same martial apparition. 
 
 Once more they rode, this time up the street toward the 
 northern dike, and with the same result. 
 
 " Ola, father ! " said Cortes, returned to the pakci, " we 
 may not stay here after to-morrow." 
 
 " Amen ! " cried Olmedo. 
 
 " Look thou to the sick and wounded ; such as can march 
 or move, get them ready." 
 
 " And the others 1 " asked the good man. 
 
 "Do for them what thou dost for the dying. Shrieve 
 them!" 
 
 So saying, the Christian leader - ank on his seat, and gave 
 himself to sombre thought 
 
 He had sped his second and LAST BOLT ! 
 
 The rest of the day was spent in preparation for retreat.
 
 544 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE DEATH OP MONTEZUMA. 
 
 AGAIN Martin Lopez had long conference with Cortes ; 
 after which, with his assistant carpenters, he went to 
 work, and, until evening time, the echoes of the court-yard 
 danced to the sounds of saw and hammer. 
 
 And while they worked, to Cortes came Avila and Mexia. 
 
 "What thou didst intrust to us, Seiior, we have done. 
 Here is a full account of all the treasure, our royal master's 
 included." 
 
 Cortes read the statement, then called his chamberlain, 
 Christobal de Guzman. 
 
 " Go thou, Don Christobal, and bring what is here re- 
 ported into one chamber, where it may be seen of all. And 
 send hither the royal secretaries, and Pedro Hernandez, my 
 own clerk." 
 
 The secretaries came. 
 
 " Now, Senores Avila and Mexia, follow my chamberlain, 
 and in his presence and that of these gentlemen, take from 
 the treasure the portion belonging to his Majesty, the em- 
 peror. Of our wounded horses, then choose ye eight, and 
 of the Tlascalans, eighty, and load them with the royal div- 
 idend, and what more they can carry ; and have them always 
 ready to go. And as leaving anything of value where 
 the infidels may be profited is sinful, I direct, and of this 
 let all bear witness, Hernandez for me, and the secretaries for 
 his Majesty, I direct, I say, that ye set the remainder apart 
 accessible to the soldiers, with leave to each one of them to 
 take therefrom as much as he may wish. Make note, 
 further, that what is possible to save all this treasure hath
 
 THE DEATH OF MONTEZUMA. 545 
 
 been done. "Write it, good gentlemen, write it ; for if any 
 one thinketh differently, let him say what more I can do. I 
 am waiting to hear. Speak ! " 
 
 No one spoke. 
 
 And while the division of the large plunder went on, and 
 afterwards the men scrambled for the remainder, Montezuma 
 was dying. 
 
 In the night a messenger sought Cortes. 
 
 " Senor," he said, " the king hath something to ask of 
 you. He will not die comforted without seeing you." 
 
 " Die, say'st thou ? " and Cortes arose hastily. " I had 
 word that his hurts were not deadly." 
 
 "If he die, Senor, it will be by his own hand. The 
 stones wrought him but bruises ; and if he would let the 
 bandages alone the arrow-cut would shortly stop bleeding." 
 
 " Yes, yes," said Cortes. " Thou wouldst tell me that this 
 barbarian, merely from being long a king, hath a spirit of 
 such exceeding fineness that, though the arrow had not cut 
 him deeper than thy dull rowel marketh thy horse's flank, yet 
 would he die. Where is he now ? " 
 
 " In the audience chamber." 
 
 " Bastante I I will see him. Tell him so." 
 
 Cortes stood fast, thinking. 
 
 " This man hath been useful to me ; may not some 
 profit be eked out of him dead ? So many saw him get 
 his wounds, and so many will see him die of them, that the 
 manner of his taking off may not be denied. What if I 
 send his body out and indict his murderers ? If I could take 
 from them the popular faith even, then By my con- 
 science, I will try the trick 1 " 
 
 And taking his sword and plumed hat and tossing a cloak 
 over his shoulder he sought the audience chamber. 
 
 There was no guard at the door. The little bells, as he 
 threw aside the curtains, greeted him accusingly. Within,
 
 546 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 all was shadow, except where a flickering lamplight played 
 over and around the dais ; nevertheless, he saw the floor 
 covered with people, some prostrate, others on their knees or 
 crouching face down ; and the grim speculator thought, as 
 he passed slowly on, Verily, this king must also have been a 
 good man and a generous. 
 
 The couch of the dying monarch was on the dais in the 
 accustomed place of the throne. At one side stood the 
 ancients ; at the other his queens knelt, weeping. Nenetzin 
 hid her face in his hand, and sobbed as if her heart were 
 breaking ; she had been forgiven. Now and then Maxtla 
 bent over him to cleanse his face of the flowing blood. A 
 group of cavaliers were off a little way, silent witnesses ; 
 and as Cortes drew near, Olmedo, who had been in prayer, 
 extended toward the sufferer the ivory cross worn usually at 
 his girdle. 
 
 " king," said the good man imploringly, " thou hast yet 
 a moment of life, which, I pray thee, waste not. Take this 
 holy symbol upon thy breast, cross thy hands upon it, 
 and say after me : I believe in One God, the Father Al- 
 mighty, in our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of 
 God, and in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life. 
 Then pray thou : God the Father of Heaven, God the 
 Son, Redeemer of the World, God the Holy Ghost, O 
 Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy upon my soul ! Do 
 these things, say these words, king, and thou shalt b've 
 after thy bones have gone to dust. Thou shalt live forever, 
 eternally happy." 
 
 Courtiers and cavaliers, the queens, Nenetzin, even Cortes, 
 watched the monarch's waning face ; never yet were people 
 indifferent to the issue the old, old issue of true god 
 against false. Marina finished the interpretation ; then he 
 raised his hand tremulously, and put the holy sign away, 
 aying,
 
 THE DEATH OF MONTEZUMA. 547 
 
 " I have but a moment to live, and will not desert the 
 faith of my fathers now." 
 
 A great sigh of relief broke from the infidels ; the Chris- 
 tians shuddered, and crossed themselves ; then Cortes stepped 
 to Olmedo's side. 
 
 " I received your message, and am here," said he, sternly. 
 He had seen the cross rejected. 
 
 The king turned his pale face, and fixed his glazing eyes 
 upon the conqueror ; and such power was there in the look 
 that the latter added, with softening manner, " What I can 
 do for thee I will do. I have always been thy true friend." 
 
 " Malinche, I hear you, and your words make dying 
 easy," answered Montezuma, smiling faintly. 
 
 With an effort he sought Cortes' hand, and looking at 
 Acatlan and Tecalco, continued, 
 
 " Let me intrust these women and their children to you 
 and your lord. Of all that which was mine but now is 
 yours, lands, people, empire, enough to save them from 
 want and shame were small indeed. Promise me ; in the 
 hearing of all these, promise, Malinche." 
 
 Taint of anger was there no longer on the soul of the great 
 Spaniard. 
 
 " Rest thee, good king ! " he said, with feeling. " Thy 
 queens and their children shall be my wards. In the hear- 
 ing of all these, I so swear." 
 
 The listener smiled again ; his eyes closed, his hand 
 fell down ; and so still was he that they began to think 
 him dead. Suddenly he stirred, and said faintly, but dis- 
 tinctly, 
 
 "Nearer, uncles, nearer." 
 
 The old men bent over him, listening. 
 
 " A message to Guatamozin, to whom I give my last 
 thought as king. Say to him, that this lingering in death is 
 no fault of his ; the aim was true, but the arrow splintered
 
 548 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 upon leaving the bow. And lest the world hold him to ac- 
 count for my blood, hear me say, all of you, that I bade him 
 do what he did. And in sign that I love him, take my 
 sceptre, and give it to him " 
 
 The voice fell away, yet the lips moved ; lower the an- 
 cients stooped, 
 
 " Tula and the empire go with the sceptre," he mur- 
 mured, and they were his last words, his will. 
 
 A wail from the women proclaimed him dead. 
 
 The unassoilzied great may not see heaven ; they pass 
 from life into history, where, as in a silent sky, they shine 
 for ever and ever. So the light of the Indian King comes 
 to us, a glow rather than a brilliance ; for, of all fates, his 
 was the saddest. Better not to be than to become the orna- 
 ment of another's triumph. Alas for him whose death is 
 an immortal sorrow ! 
 
 Out of the palace-gate in the early morning passed the 
 lords of the court in procession, carrying the remains of the 
 monarch. The bier was heavy with royal insignia ; nothing 
 of funeral circumstance was omitted ; honor to the dead was 
 policy. At the same time the body was delivered, Cortes in- 
 dicted the murderers ; the ancients through whom he spoke 
 were also the bearers of the dead king's last will ; back to 
 the bold Spaniard, therefore, came the reply, 
 
 " Cowards, who at the last moment beg for peace ! you are 
 not two suns away from your own graves ! Think only of 
 them ! " 
 
 And while Cortes was listening to the answer, the streets 
 about the palace filled with companies, and crumbling para- 
 pet and solid wall shook under the shock of a new assault. 
 
 Then Cortes' spirit arose. 
 
 " Mount, gentlemen ! " he cried. " The hounds come 
 scrambling for the scourge ; shame on us, if we do not meet 
 them. And hearken ! The prisoners report a plague in
 
 THE DEATH OF MONTEZUMA. 549 
 
 the city, of which the new king is dying, and hundreds are 
 sick. It is the small-pox." 
 
 " Viva la viruela ! " shouted Alvarado. 
 
 The shout spread through the palace. 
 
 "Where God's curse is," continued Cortes, "Christians 
 need not stay. To-night we will go. To clear the way and 
 make this day memorable let us ride. Are ye ready ? " 
 
 They answered joyously. 
 
 Again the gates were opened, and with a goodly following 
 of infantry, into the street they rode. Nothing withstood 
 them ; they passed the canals by repairing the bridges or 
 filling up the chasms ; they rode the whole length of the 
 street until the causeway clear to Tlacopan was visible. St. 
 James fought at their head ; even the Holy Mother stooped 
 from her high place, and threw handfuls of dust in the 
 enemy's eyes. 
 
 In the heat of the struggle suddenly the companies fell 
 back, and made open space around the Christians; then 
 came word that commissioners from king Cuitlahua waited 
 in the palace to treat of peace. 
 
 " The heathen is an animal ! " said Cortes, unable to re- 
 press his exultation. " To cure him of temper and win his 
 love, there is nothing like the scourge. Let us ride back, 
 gentlemen." 
 
 In the court-yard stood four caciques, stately men in peace- 
 ful garb. They touched the pavement with their palms. 
 
 " We are come to say, Malinche, that the lord Cuitla- 
 hua, our king, yields to your demand for peace. He prays 
 you to give your terms to the pabas whom you captured on 
 the temple, that they may bring them to him forthwith." 
 
 The holy men were brought from their cells, one leaning 
 upon the other. The instructions were given ; then the two, 
 with the stately commissioners, were set without the gate, 
 and Cortes and his army went to rest, never so contented.
 
 550 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 They waited and waited ; but the envoys came not. When 
 the sun went down, they knew themselves deceived ; and 
 then there were sworn many full, round, Cliristian oaths, 
 none so full, so round, and so Christian as Cortes'. 
 
 A canoe, meantime, bore Io' to Tula. In the quiet and 
 perfumed shade of the chinampa he rested, and soothed the 
 fever of his wound. 
 
 Meanwhile, also, a courier from the teotuctli passed from 
 temple to temple ; short the message, but portentous, 
 
 " Blessed be HuitziT, and all the gods of our fathers ! 
 And, as he at last saved his people, blessed be the memory 
 of Montezuma ! Purify the altars, and make ready for the 
 sacrifice, for to-morrow there will be victims ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 ADIEU TO THE PALACE. 
 
 AT sunset a cold wind blew from the north, followed 
 by a cloud which soon filled the valley with mist ; 
 soon the mist turned to rain ; then the rain turned to night, 
 and the night to deepest blackness. 
 
 The Christians, thinking only of escape from the city, 
 saw the change of weather with sinking hearts. With one 
 voice they had chosen the night as most favorable for the 
 movement, but they had in mind then a semi-darkness 
 warmed by south winds and brilliant with stars ; not a time 
 like this so unexpectedly come upon them, tempest added 
 to gloom, icy wind splashing the earth with icy water. 
 
 Under the walls the sentinels cowered shivering and 
 listening and, as is the habit of wanderers surrounded by 
 discomforts and miseries, musing of their homes so far away,
 
 ADIEU TO THE PALACE. 551 
 
 and of the path thither ; on the land s6 beset, on the sea so 
 viewless. Kecalled to present duty, they saw nothing but the 
 fires of the nearest temple faintly iridescent, and heard only 
 the moans of the blast and the pattering of the rain, always 
 so in harmony with the spirit when it is oppressed by loneli- 
 ness and danger. 
 
 Meantime, the final preparation for retreat went on witl 
 the completeness of discipline. 
 
 About the close of the second watch of the night, Cortes, with 
 his personal attendants, page, equerry, and secretaries, 
 left his chamber and proceeded to the eastern gate, where he 
 could best receive reports, and assure himself, as the divisions 
 filed past him, that the column was formed as he had ordered. 
 The superstructure of the gate offered him shelter ; but he 
 stood out, bridle in hand, his back to the storm. There he 
 waited, grimly silent, absorbed in reflections gloomy as the 
 night itself. 
 
 Everything incident to the preparation which required 
 light had been done before the day expired ; outside the 
 house, therefore, there was not a spark to betray the move- 
 ment to the enemy ; in fact, nothing to betray it except the 
 beat of horses' hoofs and the rumble of gun-carriages, and 
 they were nigh drowned by the tempest. If the saints would 
 but help him clear of the streets of the city, would help him 
 to the causeway even, without bringing the infidels upon 
 him, sword and lance would win the rest : so the leader 
 prayed and trusted the while he waited. 
 
 " My son, is it thou ? " asked a man, close at his side. 
 
 He turned quickly, and replied, " Father Bartolome ! 
 Welcome ! What dost thou bring ? " 
 
 " Eeport of the sick and wounded." 
 
 " I remember, I remember ! Of all this bad business, by 
 my conscience ! no part so troubled me as to say what should 
 be done with them. At the last moment thou wert good
 
 552 THE FAIR GTOD. 
 
 enough to take the' task upon thyself. Speak : what did 
 thy judgment dictate ? What did thy conscience permit 1 " 
 
 The good man arranged his hood, the hotter to shield his 
 face from the rain, and answered, 
 
 " Of the Christians, all who are ahle will take their places 
 in the line ; the very sick will be borne by Tlascalans ; the 
 litters are ready for them." 
 
 " Very well," said Cortes. 
 
 " The Tlascalans " 
 
 " Cierto, there the trouble began ! " and Cortes laid his 
 hand heavily on the priest's shoulder. " Three hundred and 
 more of them too weak to rise from the straw, which yet 
 hath not kept their bones from bruising' the stony floor ! 
 Good heart, what didst thou with them 1 " 
 
 " They are dead." 
 
 " Mother of God ! Didst thou kill them ? " Cortes 
 griped the shoulder until Olmedo groaned. " Didst thou 
 kill them 1 ?" 
 
 The father shook himself loose, saying, " There is no 
 blood on my hands. The Holy Mother came to my help ; 
 and this was the way. Remembrance of the love of 
 Christ forbade the leaving one Christian behind; but the 
 heathen born had no such appeal ; they must be left, 
 necessity said so. I could not kill them. By priestly 
 office, I could prepare them for death ; and so I went from 
 man to man with holy formula and sacramental wafer. The 
 caciques were with me the while, and when I had con- 
 cluded, they spoke some words to the sufferers : then I saw 
 what never Christian saw before. Hardly wilt thou believe 
 me, but, Senor, I beheld the poor wretches, with smiles, bare 
 their breasts, and the chiefs begin and thrust their javelins 
 into the hearts of all there lying." 
 
 An exclamation of horror burst from Cortes, 
 
 " 'T was murder, murder ! What didst thou ?
 
 ADIEU TO THE PALACE. 553 
 
 Olmedo replied quickly, " Trust me, my son, I rushed 
 in, and stayed the work until the victims themselves prayed 
 the chiefs to go on. Not even then did I give over my ef- 
 forts, not until they made me understand the purpose of 
 the butchery." 
 
 "And that] Haste thee, father. What thou tellest 
 will stagger Christendom ! " 
 
 Again Cortes caught the priest's shoulder. 
 
 " Nay," said the latter, shrinking back, " thy hand is 
 hard enough without its glove of steel." 
 " Pardon, father ; but, " 
 
 " In good time, my son, in good time ! What, but for 
 thy impatience, I would have said ere this is, that the object 
 was to save the honor of the tribe, and, by killing the un- 
 fortunates, rescue them from the gods of their enemy. Ac- 
 cordingly, the bands who are first to enter the palace to-night 
 or to-morrow will find treasure, much treasure as thou 
 knowest, but not one victim." 
 
 The father spoke solemnly, for in the circumstance there 
 was a strain of pious exaltation that found an echo in his 
 own devoted nature ; greatly was he shocked to hear Cortes 
 laugh. 
 
 " Valgame Dios ! " he cried, crossing himself ; " the man 
 blasphemes ! " 
 
 " Blasphemes, saidst thou 1 " and Cortes checked himself. 
 "May the saints forget me forever, if I laughed at the 
 tragedy thou wert telling! I laughed at thy simplicity, 
 father." 
 
 " Is this a time for jesting 1 " asked Olmedo. 
 
 " Good father," said Cortes, gravely, " the bands that take 
 the palace to-night or to-morrow will find no treasure, 
 not enough to buy a Christmas ribbon for a country girL 
 Look now. I went to the treasure-room a little while be- 
 Ibre coming here, and there I found the varlets of Narvaez
 
 554 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 loading themselves with bars of silver and gold ; they had 
 sacks and pouches belted to their waists and shoulders, and 
 were filling them to bursting. Possibly some gold-dust 
 spilled on the floor may remain for those who succeed us ; 
 but nothing more. Pray thou, good priest, good friend, 
 pray thou that the treasure be not found in the road we 
 travel to-night." 
 
 A body of men crossing the court-yard attracted Cortes i 
 then four horsemen approached, and stopped before him. 
 
 " Is it thou, Sandoval 1 " he asked. 
 
 " Yes, Sefior." 
 
 " And Ordas, Lugo, and Tapia ? " 
 
 " Here," they replied. 
 
 "And thy following, Sandoval?" 
 
 " The cavaliers of Narvaez whom thou gavest me, one 
 hundred chosen soldiers, and the Tlascalans to the number 
 thou didst order." 
 
 " Bien ! Lead out of the gate, and halt after making what 
 thou deemest room for the other divisions. Christ and St. 
 James go with thee ! " 
 
 " Amen ! " responded Olmedo. 
 
 And so the vanguard passed him, a long succession of 
 shadowy files that he heard rather than saw. Hardly were 
 they gone when another body approached, led by an officer 
 on foot. 
 
 " Who art thou 1 " asked Cortes. 
 
 " Magarino," the man replied. 
 
 " Whom have you 1 " 
 
 "One hundred and fifty Christians, and four hundred 
 Tlascalans." 
 
 " And the bridge ? " 
 
 " We have it here." 
 
 " As thou lovest life and honor, captain, heed well thine 
 orders. Move on, and join thyself to Sandoval."
 
 ADIEU TO THE PALACE. 555 
 
 The bridge spoken of was a portable platform of hewn 
 plank bolted to a frame of stout timbers, designed to pass the 
 column over the three canals intersecting the causeway to 
 Tlacopan, which, in the sally of the afternoon, had been 
 found to be bridgeless. If the canals were deep as had 
 been reported, well might Magarino be charged with partic- 
 ular care ! 
 
 In the order of march next came the centre or main body, 
 Cortes' immediate command. The baggage was in their 
 charge, also the greater part of the artillery, making of itself a 
 long train, and one of vast interest ; for, though in the midst 
 of a confession of failure, the leader did not abate his in' 
 tention of conquest, such was a peculiarity of his genius. 
 
 "Mexia, Avila, good gentlemen," he said, halting the 
 royal treasurers, " let me assure myself of what beyond per- 
 d venture ye are assured." 
 
 And he counted the horses and men bearing away the 
 golden dividend of the emperor, knowing if what they had 
 in keeping were safely lodged in the royal depositaries, there 
 was nothing which might not be condoned, not usurpa- 
 tion, defeat even. Most literally, they bore his fortune. 
 
 A moment after there came upon him a procession of 
 motley composition : disabled Christians ; servants, mostly 
 females, carrying the trifles they most affected, here a 
 bundle of wearing apparel, there a cage with a bird ; prison- 
 ers, amongst others the prince Cacama, heart-broken by his 
 misfortunes ; women of importance and rank, comfortably 
 housed in curtained palanquins. So went Marina, her slaves 
 side by side with those of Nenetzin, in whose mind the 
 fears, sorrows, and emotions of the thousands setting out in 
 the march had no place, for Alvarado had wrapped her in 
 Ms cloak, and lifted her into the carriage, and left a kiss on 
 her lips, with a promise of oversight and protection. 
 
 As if to make good the promise, almost on the heels of
 
 556 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 her slaves rode the deft cavalier, blithe of spirit, because of 
 the happy chance which made the place of the lover that 
 of duty also. Behind him, well apportioned of Christians 
 and Tlascalans and much the largest of the divisions, moved 
 the rear-guard, of which he and Leon were chiefs. His 
 bay mare, Bradamante, however, seemed not to share his 
 gayety, but tossed her head, and champed the bit, and 
 frequently shied as if scared. 
 
 " Have done, my pretty girl ! " he said to her. " Fright- 
 ened, art thou ] 'T is only the wind, ugly enough, I trow, 
 but nothing worse. Or art thou jealous ? Verguenza ! To- 
 morrow she shall find thee in the green pasture, and kiss 
 thee as I will her." 
 
 " Ola, captain ! " said Cortes, approaching him. " To 
 whom speakest thou ? " 
 
 " To my mistress, Bradamantfi, Senor," he replied, check- 
 ing the rein impatiently. " Sometimes she 'hath airs prettier, 
 as thou knowest, than the prettinesses of a woman ; but now, 
 So ho, girl ! now she Have done, I say ! now she 
 hath a devil. And where she got it I know not, unless 
 from the knave Botello." * 
 
 " What of him 1 Where is he 1 " asked Cortes, with sud- 
 den interest. 
 
 " Back with Leon, talking, as is his wont, about certain 
 subtleties, nameless by good Christians, but which he never- 
 theless calleth prophecies." 
 
 " What saith the man now ? " 
 
 " Out of the mass of his follies, I remember three : that 
 thou, Senor, from extreme misfortune, shalt at last attain 
 great honor ; that to-night hundreds of us will be lost, 
 which last I can forgive in him, if only his third prediction 
 come true." 
 
 "And that?" 
 
 * A reputed soothsayer.
 
 ADIEU TO THE PALACE. 557 
 
 "Nay, Senor, except as serving to show that the rogue 
 hath in him a savor of uncommon fairness, it is the least 
 important of all ; he saith he himself will be amongst the 
 lost." 
 
 Then Cortes laughed, saying, " Wilt thou never be done 
 with thy quips? Lead on. I will wait here a little 
 longer." 
 
 Alvarado vanished, being in haste to recover his place 
 behind Nenetzin. Before Cortes then, with the echoless 
 tread of panthers in the glade, hurried the long array of 
 Tlascalans ; after them, the cross-bowmen and arquebusiers, 
 their implements clashing against their heavy armor ; yet he 
 stood silent, pondering the words of Botello. Not until, with 
 wheels grinding and shaking the pavement, the guns reached 
 him did he wake from his thinking. 
 
 " Ho, Mesa, well met ! " he said to the veteran, whom 
 he distinguished amid a troop of slaves dragging the first 
 piece. " This is not a night like those in Italy where thou 
 didst learn the cunning of thy craft; yet there might be 
 worse for us." 
 
 " Mira, Sefior ! " and Mesa went to him, and said in a 
 low voice, "What thou saidst was cheerily spoken, that I 
 might borrow encouragement ; and I thank thee, for I have 
 much need of all the comfort thou hast to give. A poor re- 
 turn have I, Senor. If the infidels attack us, rely not upon 
 the guns, not even mine : if the wind did not whisk the 
 priming away, the rain would drown it, and then," his 
 Voice sunk to a whisper ; " our matches will not burn ! " 
 
 At that moment a gust dashed Cortes with water, and for 
 the first time he was chilled, chilled until his teeth chat- 
 tered ; for simultaneously a presentiment of calamity touched 
 him with what in a man less brave would have been fear. 
 He saw how, without the guns, Botello's second prediction 
 *as possible ! Nevertheless, he replied.
 
 558 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "The saints can help their own in the dark as well 
 as in the light. Do thy best. To-morrow thou shalt be 
 captain." 
 
 Then Cortes mounted his horse, and took his shield, and 
 to his wrist chained his battle-axe : still he waited. A 
 company of horsemen brushed past him, followed by a 
 solitary rider. 
 
 " Leon ! " said Cortes. 
 
 The cavalier stopped, and replied, 
 
 "What wouldst thou, Senor?" 
 
 " Are the guards withdrawn ? " 
 
 " All of them." 
 
 " And the sentinels ? " 
 
 " I have been to every post ; not a man is left." 
 
 Cortes spoke to his attendants and they, too, rode off; 
 when they were gone he said to Leon, 
 
 " Now we may go." 
 
 And with that together they passed out into the street. 
 Cortes turned, and looked toward the palace, now deserted ; 
 but the night seemed to have snatched the pile away, and 
 in its place left a blackened void. Fugitive as he was, 
 riding he knew not to what end, he settled in his saddle 
 again with a sigh not for the old house itself, nor for the 
 comfort of its roof, nor for the refuge in time of danger ; not 
 for the Christian dead reposing in its gardens, their valor 
 wasted and their graves abandoned, nor for that other 
 victim there sacrificed in his cause, whose weaknesses might 
 not be separated from a thousand services, and a royalty 
 superbly Eastern : these were things to wake the emotions 
 of youths and maidens, young in the world, and of poets, 
 dreamy and simple-minded ; he sighed for the power he had 
 there enjoyed, the weeks and months when his word was 
 law for an empire of shadowy vastness, and he was master, 
 in fact, of a king of kings, immeasurable power now lost, 
 apparently forever.
 
 THE PURSUIT BEGINS. 559 
 
 CHAPTER XVH. 
 
 THE PURSUIT BEGINS. 
 
 IN the afternoon the king Cuitlahua, whose sickness had 
 greatly increased, caused himself to be taken to Chapul- 
 tepec, where he judged he would be safer from the enemy 
 and better situated for treatment by his doctors and nurses. 
 Before leaving, however, he appointed a deputation of an- 
 cients, and sent them, with his signet and a message, to 
 Guatamozin. 
 
 The 'tzin, about the same time, changed his quarters 
 from the teocallis, now but a bare pavement high in air, 
 to the old Cu of Quetzal'. That the strangers must shortly 
 attempt to leave the city he knew ; so giving up the assault 
 on the palace, he took measures to destroy them, if pos- 
 sible, while in retreat. The road they would move by 
 was the only point in the connection about which he was 
 undecided. Anyhow, they must seek the land by one of 
 the causeways. Those by Tlacopan and Tepejaca were 
 the shortest ; therefore, he believed one or the other of 
 them would be selected. Upon that theory, he accommo- 
 dated all his preparations to an attack from the lake, while 
 the foe were outstretched on the narrow dike. As sufficient 
 obstructions in their front, he relied upon the bridgeless 
 canals ; their rear he would himself assail with a force 
 chosen from the matchless children of the capital, whose 
 native valor was terribly inflamed by the ruin and suffering 
 they had seen and endured. The old Cu was well located 
 for his part of the operation ; and there, in the sanctuary, 
 surrounded by a throng of armed caciques and lords, the 
 deputies of the king Cuitlahua found him.
 
 560 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 If the shade of Mualox lingered about the altar of the 
 peaceful god, no doubt it thrilled to see the profanation of 
 the holy place ; if it sought refuge in the cells below, alas ! 
 they were filled by an army in concealment ; and if it went 
 further, down to what the paba, in his poetic madness, had 
 lovingly called his World, alas again ! the birds were dead, 
 the shrubs withered, the angel gone ; only the fountain 
 lived, of Darkness a sweet voice singing in the ear of 
 Silence. 
 
 So the 'tzin being found, this was the message delivered 
 to him from the king Cuitlahua : 
 
 " May the gods love you as I do ! I am sick with the 
 sickness of the strangers. Come not near me, lest you be 
 taken also. I go to Chapultepec to get ready for death. 
 If I die, the empire is yours. Meantime, I give you all 
 power." 
 
 Guatamozin took the signet, and was once more master, if 
 not king, in the city of his fathers. The deputies kissed his 
 hand ; the chiefs saluted him ; and when the tidings reached 
 the companies below, the cells rang as never before, not 
 even with the hymns of their first tenants. 
 
 While yet the incense of the ovation sweetened the air 
 about him, he looked up at the image of the god, web of 
 spider on its golden sceptre, dust on its painted shield, dust 
 bending its plumes of fire ; he looked up into the face, yet 
 fair and benignant, and back to him rushed the speech of 
 Mualox, clear as if freshly spoken, " Anahuac, the beauti- 
 'ful, her existence, and the glory and power that make it a 
 ; thing of worth, are linked to your action. O 'tzin, your fato 
 and hers, and that of the many nations, is one and the 
 same ! " and the beating of his pulse quickened thrice ; for 
 now he could see that the words were prophetic of his 
 country saved by him. 
 
 Then up the broad steps of the Cu, into the sanctuary.
 
 THE PURSUIT BEGINS. 561 
 
 and through the crowd, rushed Hualpa ; the rain streamed 
 from his quilted armor ; and upon the floor in front of the 
 'tzin, with a noise like the fall of a heavy hammer, he 
 dropped the hutt of a lance to which was affixed a Christian 
 sword -blade. 
 
 " At last, at last, 'tzin ! " he said, " the strangers are in 
 the street, marching toward Tlacopan." 
 
 The company hushed their very breathing. 
 
 "All of them 1 ?" asked the 'tzin. 
 
 "All but the dead." 
 
 Then on the 'tzin's lip a smile, in his eyes a flash as of flame. 
 
 " Hear you, friends ? " he said. " The time of vengeance 
 has come. You know your places and duty. Go, each one. 
 May the gods go with you ! " 
 
 In a moment he and Hualpa were alone. The latter bent 
 his head, and crossing his hands upon his breast said, 
 
 " When the burthen of my griefs has been greatest, and 
 I cried out continually, 'tzin, you have held me back, 
 promising that my time would come. I doubt not your bet- 
 ter judgment, but but I have no more patience. My 
 en&my is abroad, and she, whom I cannot forget, goes with 
 him. Is not the time come ? " 
 
 Guatamozin laid his hand on Hualpa's : 
 
 " Be glad, comrade ! The time has come ; and as 
 you have prepared for it like a warrior, go now, and get the 
 revenge so long delayed. I give you more than permission, 
 I give you my prayers. Where are the people who are to 
 go with you ? " 
 
 " In the canoes, waiting." 
 
 They were silent awhile. Then the 'tzin took the lance, 
 and looked at the long, straight blade admiringly ; under its 
 blue gleam lay the secret of its composition, by which the 
 few were able to mock the many, and ravage the capital and 
 country.
 
 662 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 " Dread nothing ; it will conquer," he said, handing tha 
 weapon back. 
 
 Hualpa kissed his hand, and replied, "I thought to 
 make return for your preferments, 'tzin, by serving you 
 well when you were king ; but the service need not be put 
 oft" so long. I thank the gods for this night's opportunity. 
 If I come not with the rising of the sun to-morrow, 
 Nenetzin can tell you my story. Farewell ! " 
 
 With his face to his benefactor, he moved away. 
 
 " Have a care for yourself ! " said the 'tzin, regarding him 
 earnestly ; " and remember there must be no sign of attack 
 until the strangers have advanced to the first causeway. I 
 will look for you to-morrow. Farewell ! " 
 
 While yet the 'tzin's thoughts went out compassionately 
 after his unhappy friend, up from their irksome hiding in the 
 cells came the companies he was to lead, a long array in 
 white tunics of quilted cotton. At their head, the uniform 
 covering a Christian cuirass, and with Christian helm and 
 battle-axe, he marched ; and so, through the darkness and 
 the storm, the pursuit began. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 
 
 THE movement of the fugitive army was necessarily 
 slow. Stretched out in the street, it formed a column 
 of irregular front and great depth. A considerable portion 
 was of non-combatants, such as the sick and wounded, 
 the servants, women, and prisoners ; to whom might be 
 added the Indians carrying the baggage and ammunition, and
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 563 
 
 laboriously dragging the guns. The darkness, and the rain 
 beaten into the faces of the sufferers by the wind, made the 
 keeping order impossible ; at each step the intervals between 
 individuals and between the divisions grew wider and 
 wider. After crossing two or three of the bridges, a general 
 confusion began to prevail ; the officers, in dread of the enemy, 
 failed to call out, and the soldiers, bending low to protect their 
 faces, and hugging their arms or their treasure, marched in 
 dogged silence, indifferent to all but themselves. Soon what 
 was at first a fair column in close order became an irregular 
 procession ; here a crowd of all the arms mixed, there a 
 thin line of stragglers. 
 
 It is a simple thing, I know, yet nothing has so much to 
 do with what we habitually call our spirits as the condition 
 in which we are at the time. Under an open sky, with the 
 breath of a glowing morning in our nostrils, we sing, 
 laugh, and are brave ; but let the cloud hide the blue ex- 
 panse and cover our walk with shadow, and we shrink 
 within ourselves ; or worse, let the walk be in the night, 
 through a strange place, with rain and cold added, and 
 straightway the fine thing we call courage merges itself into 
 a sense of duty or sinks into humbler concern for comfort 
 and safety. So, not a man in all the column, not a cava- 
 lier, not a slave, but felt himself oppressed by the circum- 
 stances of the situation ; those who, only that afternoon, had 
 charged like lions along that very street now yielded to the 
 indefinable effect, and were weak of heart even to timidity. 
 The imagination took hold of most of them, especially of 
 the humbler class, and, lining the way with terrors all its 
 own, reduced them to the state when panic rushes in to 
 complete what fear begins. They started at the soughing of 
 the wind ; drew to strike each other ; cursed the rattle of 
 their arms, the hoof-beats of the horses, the rumble of the 
 carriage- wheels ; on the houses, vaguely defined against the
 
 564 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 sky, they saw sentinels ready to give the alarm, and down 
 the intersecting streets heard the infidel legions rushing upon 
 them ; very frequently they stumbled over corpses yet cum- 
 bering the way after the day's fight, and then they whispered 
 the names of saints, and crossed themselves : the dead, al- 
 l ways suggestive of death, were never so much so to them. 
 
 And so, for many squares, across canals, past pakces and 
 temples, they marched, and nothing to indicate an enemy ; 
 the city seemed deserted. 
 
 " Hist, Senor ! " said Duero, speaking with bated breath. 
 " Hast thou not heard of the army of unbelievers that, in 
 the night, while resting in their camp, were by a breath put 
 to final sleep 1 Verily, the same good angel of the Lord hath 
 been here also." 
 
 " Nay, compadre mio" replied Cortes, bending in his sad- 
 dle, " I cannot so persuade myself. If the infidels meant 
 to let us go, the going would not be so peaceful. From 
 some house-top we should have had their barbarous farewell, 
 a stone, a lance, an arrow, at least a curse. By many 
 signs, for that matter, by the rain which, driven through 
 the visor bars, is finding its way down the doublet under my 
 breastplate, by many signs, I know we are in the midst of 
 a storm. Good Mother forfend, lest, bad as it is, it presage 
 something worse ! " 
 
 At that moment a watcher on the azoteas of a temple near 
 by chanted the hour of midnight. 
 
 " Didst hear 1 " asked Cortes. " They are not asleep ! 
 Olmedo ! father ! Where art thou ? " 
 
 " What wouldst thou, my son ? " 
 
 " That thou shouldst not get lost in this Tophet ; more 
 especially, that thou shouldst keep to thy prayers." 
 
 And about that time Sandoval, at . the head of his ad- 
 vanced guard, rode from the street out on the open cause* 
 .way. Farther on, but at no great distance, he came to the
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 565 
 
 first canal. While there, waiting for the bridge to be brought 
 forward, he heard from the lake to his right the peal long 
 and loud of a conch-shell. His heart, in battle steadfast 
 as a rock, throbbed faster ; and with raised shield and close- 
 griped sword, he listened, as did all with him, while other 
 shells took up and carried the blast back to the city, and far 
 out over the lake. 
 
 In the long array none failed to interpret the sound aright ; 
 all recognized a signal of attack, and halted, the slave by 
 his prolong, the knight on his horse, each one as the moment 
 found him. They said not a word, but listened ; and as they 
 heard the peal multiply countlessly in every direction, now 
 close by, now far off, surprise, the first emotion, turned to 
 dismay. Flight, darkness, storm, and now the in- 
 fidels ! " May God have mercy on us ! " murmured the 
 brave, making ready to fight. " May God have mercy on 
 us ! " echoed the timid, ready to fly. 
 
 The play of the wind upon the lake seemed somewhat 
 neutralized by the density of the rain ; still the waves 
 splashed lustily against the grass-grown sides of the cause- 
 way ; and while Sandoval was wondering if there were 
 many, who, in frail canoes, would venture upon the waste at 
 such a time, another sound, heard, as it were, under that of 
 the conchs, yet too strong to be confounded with wind or 
 surging water, challenged his attention ; then he was assured. 
 
 "Now, gentlemen," he said, "get ye ready; they are 
 coming. Pass the word, and ride one to Magarino, 
 speed to him, speed him here ! His bridge kid now were 
 worth a hundred lives ! " 
 
 As the yells of the infidels or, rather, their yell, for the 
 many voices rolled over the water in one great volume 
 grew clearer their design became manifest. 
 
 Cortes touched Olmedo : 
 
 " Dost thou remember the brigantines ? "
 
 566 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 "What of them?" 
 
 " Only, father, that what will happen to-night would not 
 if they were afloat. Now shall we pay the penalty of their 
 loss. Ay de mi/" Then he said aloud to the cavaliers, 
 Morla, Olid, Avila, and others. " By my conscience, a dark 
 day for us was that in which the lake went back to the 
 heathen, hrewer, it, of this darker night ! An end of , 
 loitering ! Bid the trumpeters blow the advance ! One 
 ride forward to hasten Magarino ; another to the rear that 
 the division may be closed up. No space for the dogs to 
 land from their canoes. Hearken ! " 
 
 The report of a gun, apparently back in the city, reached 
 them. 
 
 " They are attacking the rear-guard ! Mesa spoke then. 
 On the right hear them, and on the left ! Mother of God, 
 if our people stand not firm now, better prayers for our 
 souls than fighting for our lives ! " 
 
 A stone then struck Avila, startling the group with its 
 clang upon his armor. 
 
 " A slinger ! " cried Cortes. " On the right here, can 
 ye see him ? " 
 
 They looked that way, but saw nothing. Then the sense 
 of helplessness in exposure smote them, and, knightly as 
 they were, they also felt the common fear. 
 
 " Make way ! Room, room ! " shouted Magarino, rushing 
 to the front, through the advance-guard. His Tlascalans 
 were many and stout ; to swim the canal, with ropes 
 to draw the bridge after them, to plant it across the 
 hasm, were things achieved in a moment. 
 
 " "Well done, Magarino ! Forward, gentlemen, forward 
 all ! " so saying, Sandoval spurred across ; after him, in reck- 
 less haste, his whole division rushed. The platform, quiver- 
 ing throughout, was stancher than the stone revetments 
 upon which its ends were planted; calcined by fire, they
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 567 
 
 crumbled like chalk. The crowd then crossing, sensible 
 that the floor was giving way under them, yelled with ter- 
 ror, and in their frantic struggle to escape toppled some of 
 them into the canaL None paused to look after the unfor- 
 tunates ; for the shouting of the infidels, which had been 
 coming nearer and nearer, now rose close at hand, muffling 
 the thunder of the horses plunging on the sinking bridge. 
 Moreover, stones and arrows began to fall in that quarter 
 with effect, quickening the hurry to get away. 
 
 Cortes reached the bridge at the same time the infidels 
 reached the causeway. He called to Magarino ; before the 
 good captain could answer, the waves to the right hand 
 became luminous with the plashing of countless paddles, and 
 a fleet of canoes burst out of the darkness. Up rose the 
 crews, ghost-like in their white armor, and showered the 
 Christians with missiles. A cry of terror, a rush, and 
 the cavaliers were pushed on the bridge, which they jammed 
 deeper in the rocks. Some horses, wild with fright, leaped 
 into the lake, and, iron-clad, like their riders, were seen no 
 more. 
 
 On the further side, Cortes wheeled about, and shouted 
 to his friends. Olmedo answered, so did Morla ; then they 
 were swept onward. 
 
 Alone, and in peril of being forced down the side of the 
 dike, Cortes held his horse to the place. The occasional boom 
 of guns, a straggling fire of small arms, and the unintermitted 
 cries of the infidels, in tone exultant and merciless, assured him 
 that the attack was the same everywhere down the column. 
 One look he gave the scene near by, on the bridge, a mass 
 of men straggling, cursing, praying ; wretches falling, their 
 shrieks shrill -with despair ; the lake whitening with assail- 
 ants ! He shuddered, and called on the saints ; then the 
 instinct of the soldier prevailed : 
 
 " Ola, comrades ! " he cried. " It is nothing. Stand, if
 
 568 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 ye love life. Stand, and fight, as ye so well know how ! 
 Holy Cross ! Christo y Santiago ! " 
 
 He spurred into the thick of the throng. In vain : the 
 current was too strong ; the good steed seconded him with 
 hoof and frontlet; now he prayed, now cursed; at last 
 he yielded, seeing that on the other side of the bridge wag 
 Tear, on his side Panic. 
 
 "When the signal I have described, borne from the lake to 
 the city, began to resound from temple to temple, the rear- 
 guard were yet many squares from the causeway, and had, 
 for the most part, become merely a procession of drenched 
 and cowering stragglers. The sound alarmed them; and 
 divining its meaning, they assembled in accidental groups, 
 and so hurried forward. 
 
 Nenetzin and Marina, yet in company, were also startled 
 by the noisy shells. The latter stayed not to question or 
 argue ; at her word, sharply spoken, her slaves followed fast 
 after the central division, and rested not until they had 
 gained a place well in advance of the non-combatants, whose 
 slow and toilsome progress she had shrewdly dreaded. Not 
 so Nenetzin : the alarm proceeded from her countrymen ; 
 feared she, therefore, for her lover ; and when, vigilant as 
 he was gallant, he rode to her, and kissed her hand, and spoke 
 to her in lover's phrase, she laughed, though not understand- 
 ing a word, and bade her slaves stay with him. 
 
 Last man in the column was Leon, brave gentleman, 
 good captain. With his horsemen, he closed upon the 
 artillery. 
 
 " Friend," he said to Mesa, " the devil is in the night. 
 As thou art familiar with wars as Father Olmedo with mass, 
 how readest thou the noise we hear 1 " 
 
 The veteran, walking at the moment between two of hia 
 guns, replied, 
 
 " Interpret we each for himself, Sefior. I am ready to 
 fight. See ! ",
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 569 
 
 M"* - 
 
 And drawing his cloak aside, he showed the ruddy spark 
 of a lighted match. 
 
 " As thou seest, I am ready ; yet " and he lowered hia 
 voice " I shame not to confess that I wish we were well 
 out of this." 
 
 " Good soldier art thou ! " said Leon. " I will stay with 
 tnee. A la Madre todos 1 " 
 
 The exclamation had scarcely passed his lips when to their 
 left and front the darkness became peopled with men in 
 white, rushing upon them, and shouting, " Up, up, Tlateloco 1 
 0, luilones, luilones / " * 
 
 " Turn thy guns quickly, Mesa, or we are lost ! " cried 
 Leon ; and to his comrades, " Swords and axes ! Upon them, 
 gentlemer. | Santiago, Santiago ! " 
 
 The veteran as promptly resolved himself into action. A 
 word to his men, then he caught a wheel with one hand, 
 and swung the carriage round, and applied the match. 
 The gun failed fire, but up sprang a hissing flame, and in 
 its lurid light out came all the scene about: the infidels 
 pouring into the street, the Tlascalans and many Spaniards 
 in flight, Leon charging almost alone, and right amongst 
 the guns a fighting man, by his armor, half pagan, half 
 Christian, all this Mesa saw, and more, that the 
 slaves had abandoned the ropes, and that of the gunners the 
 few who stood their ground were struggling for life hand to 
 hand ; still more, that the gun he was standing by looked 
 point-blank into the densest ranks of the foe. Never word 
 spoke he ; repriming the piece, he applied the match again. 
 The report shook the earth, and was heard and recognized by 
 Cortes out on the causeway ; but it was the veteran's last 
 shot. To his side sprang the 'tzin : in his ear a war-cry, 
 on his morion a blow, and under the gun he died. When 
 Duty loses a good servant Honor gains a hero. 
 * Bernal Diaz, Hist, ie la Cong.
 
 570 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 The fight or, rather, the struggle of the. few against the 
 many went on. The 'tzin led his people boldly, and they 
 failed him not. Leon drew together all he could of Chris- 
 tians and Tlascalans ; then, as game to be taken at leisure, 
 his enemy left him. Soon the fugitives following Alvarado 
 heard a strange cry coming swiftly after them, " 0, luil- 
 ones ! luilones ! " 
 
 And through the rain and the night, doubly dark in the 
 canals, Hualpa sped to the open lake, followed by nine 
 canoes, fashioned for speed, each driven by six oarsmen, and 
 carrying four warriors ; so there were with him nine and 
 thirty chosen men, with linked mail under their white tunics, 
 and swords of steel on their long lances, arms and armor 
 of the Christians. 
 
 Off the causeway, beyond the first canal, he waited, until 
 the great flotillas, answering his signal, closed in on the right 
 hand and left ; then he started for the canal, chafing at the 
 delay of his vessels. 
 
 " Faster, faster, my men ! " he said aloud ; then to him- 
 self, " Now will I wrest her from the robber, and after that 
 she will give me her love again. happy, happy hour ! " 
 
 He sought the canal, thinking, doubtless, that the Chris- 
 tians would find it impassable, and that in their front, as the 
 place of safety, they would most certainly place Nenetzin. 
 There, into the press he drove. 
 
 " Not here ! Back, my men ! " he shouted. 
 
 The chasm was bridged. 
 
 And marvelling at the skill of the strangers, which over- 
 came difficulties as by magic, and trembling lest they should 
 escape and his love be lost to him after all, he turned his 
 canoe, if possible, to be the first at the next canal. Others 
 of his people were going in the same direction, but he out- 
 etript them. 
 
 " Faster, faster ! " he cried ; and the paddles threshed the
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 571 
 
 water, wings of the lake-birds not more light and free. 
 Into the causeway he bent, so close as to hear the tramp of 
 horses ; sometimes shading his eyes against the rain, and 
 looking up, he saw the fugitives, black against the clouds, 
 strangers and Tlascalans, plumes of men, but never scarf 
 of woman. 
 
 Very soon the people on the causeway heard his call to 
 the boatmen, and the plash of the paddles, and they quick- 
 ened their pace. 
 
 " Adelante ! adelante ! " cried Sandoval, and forward 
 dashed the cavaliers. 
 
 " my men, land us at the canal before the strangers 
 come up, and in my palace at ease you shall eat and drink 
 all your lives ! Faster, faster ! " 
 
 So Hualpa urged his rowers, and in their sinewy hands 
 the oaken blades bent like bows. 
 
 Behind dropped the footmen, even the Tlascalans ; and 
 weak from hunger and wounds, behind dropped some of the 
 horses. Shook the causeway, foamed the water. A hun- 
 dred yards, and the coursers of the lake were swift as the 
 coursers of the land j half a mile, and the appeal of the in- 
 fidel and the cheering cry of the Christian went down the 
 wind on the same gale. At last, as Hualpa leaped from his 
 boat, Sandoval checked his horse, both at the canal. 
 
 Up the dike the infidels clambered to the attack. And 
 there was clang of swords and axes, and rearing and plung< 
 ing of steeds ; then the voice of the good captain, 
 
 " God's curse upon them ! They have our shields ! " 
 
 A horse, pierced to the heart, leaped blindly down the 
 bank, and from the water rose the rider's imploration : 
 " Help, help, comrades ! For the love of Christ, help ! I 
 am drowning ! " 
 
 Again Sandoval, 
 
 " Cuidado, beware ! They have our swords on theii
 
 572 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 lances ! " Then, observing his horsemen giving ground, 
 " Stand fast ! Unless we hold the canal for Magarino, all is 
 lost ! Upon them ! Santiago, Santiago ! " 
 
 A rally and a charge ! The sword-blades did their work 
 well ; horses, wounded to death or dead, began to cumber the 
 causeway, and the groans and prayers of their masters caught 
 under them were horrible to hear. Once, with laughter and 
 taunting jests, the infidels retreated down the slopo ; and 
 once, some of them, close pressed, leaped into the canal 
 The lake received them kindly ; with all their harness 
 on they swam ashore. Never was Sandoval so distressed. 
 
 Meantime, the footmen began to come up ; and as they 
 were intolerably galled by the enemy, who sometimes landed 
 and engaged them hand to hand, they clamored for those 
 in front to move on. " Magarino ! The bridge, the 
 bridge ! Forward ! " With such cries, they pressed upon 
 the horsemen, and reduced the space left them for action. 
 
 At length Sandoval shouted, 
 
 " Ola, all who can swim ! Follow me ! " 
 
 And riding down the bank, he spurred into the water. 
 Many were bold enough to follow ; and though some were 
 drowned, the greater part made the passage safely. Then 
 the cowering, shivering mass left behind without a leader, 
 became an easy prey; and steadily, pitilessly, silently, 
 Hualpa and his people fought, silently, for all the time he 
 was listening for a woman's voice, the voice of his beloved. 
 
 And now, fast riding, Cortes came to the second canal, 
 with some cavaliers whom he rallied on the way ; behind 
 him, as if in pursuit, so madly did they run, followed all of 
 the central division who succeeded in passing the bridge. 
 The sick and wounded, the prisoners, even king Cacama 
 and the women, abandoned by their escort, were slain and 
 captured, all save Marina, rescued by some Tlascalans. 
 and a Spanish Amazon, who defended herself with sword 
 and shield.
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 573 
 
 At points along the line of flight the infidels intercepted 
 the fugitives. Many terrible combats ensued. When the 
 Christians kept in groups, as did most of the veterans, they 
 generally beat off the assailants. The loss fell chiefly upon 
 the Tlascalans, the cross-bowmen, and arquebusiers, whose 
 anus the rain had ruined, and the recruits of Xarvaez, who, 
 weighted down by their treasure and overcome by fear, ran 
 blindly along, and fell almost without resistance. 
 
 One great effort Cortes made at the canal to restore 
 order before the mob could come up. 
 
 " God help us ! " he cried at last to the gentlemen with, 
 him. " Here are bowmen and gunners without arms, and 
 horsemen without room to charge. Nothing now but to save 
 ourselves ! And that we may not do, if we wait. Let us 
 follow Sandoval. Hearken to the howling ! How fast they 
 come ! And by my conscience, with them they bring the 
 lake alive with fiends ! Olmedo, thou with me ! Come, 
 Morla, Avila, Olid ! Come, all who care for life ! " 
 
 And through the melee they pushed, through the murder- 
 ous lancers, down the bank, Cortes first, and good 
 knights on the right and left of the father. There was 
 plunging and floundering of horses, and yells of infidels, and 
 the soxind of deadly blows, and from the swimmers shrieks 
 for help, now to comrades, now to saints, now to Christ. 
 
 " Ho, Sandoval, right glad am I to find thee ! " said 
 Cortes, on the further side of the canal. " Why waitest 
 thou?" 
 
 " For the coming of the bridge, Sefior." 
 
 " Bastante i Take what thou hast, and gallop to the next 
 canal. I will do thy part here." 
 
 And dripping from the plunge in the lake, chilled by the 
 calamity more than by the chill wind, and careless of the 
 stones and arrows that hurtled about him, he faced the fight, 
 and waited, saying simply, "0 good Mother, hasten 
 Magarino ! "
 
 574 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Never prayer more hearty, never prayer more needed ! 
 For the central division had passed, and Alvarado had come 
 and gone, and down the causeway to the city no voice of 
 Christian was to be heard ; at hand, only the infidels with 
 their melancholy cry, of unknown import, " 0, luilones } 
 0, luilones ! " Then Magarino summoned his Tlascalans 
 and Christians to raise the bridge. How many of them had 
 died the death of the faithful, how many had basely fled, he 
 knew not ; the darkness covered the glory as well as the 
 shame. To work he went. And what sickness of the spirit, 
 what agony ineffable seized him ! The platform was too 
 fast fixed in the rocks to be moved ! Awhile he fought, 
 awhile toiled, awhile prayed ; all without avail. In his 
 ears lingered the parting words of Cortes, and he stayed 
 though his hope was gone. Every moment added to the 
 dead and wounded around him > yet he stayed. He was 
 the dependence of the army : how could he leave the 
 bridge 1 His men deserted him ; at last he was almost 
 alone ; before him was a warrior whose shield when struck 
 gave back the ring of iron, and whose blows came with the 
 weight of iron ; while around closer and closer circled the 
 white uniforms of the infidels ; then he cried, 
 
 " God's curse upon the bridge ! "What mortals can, my 
 men, we have done to save it ; enough now, if we save our- 
 selves ! " 
 
 And drawn by the great law, supreme in times of such 
 peril, they came together, and retired across the bridge. 
 
 Then rose the cry, " Todo es perdido / All is lost ! The 
 bridge cannot be raised ! " And along the causeway from 
 mouth to mouth the warning flew, of such dolorous effect 
 as not merely to unman all who heard it, but to take from 
 them the instincts to which life so painfully intrusts itself 
 when there is no judgment left. Those defending them- 
 selves quitted fighting, and turned to fly ; except the gold,
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 575 
 
 which they clutched all the closer, many flung away every- 
 thing that impeded them, even the arquebuses, so precious 
 in Cortes' eyes ; guns dragged safely so far were rolled into 
 the lake or left on the road ; the horses caught the con- 
 tagion, and, becoming unmanageable, ran madly upon the 
 footmen. 
 
 When the cry, outflying the fugitives with whom it began, 
 reached the thousands at the second canal, it had somewhere 
 borrowed a phrase yet more demoralizing. "The bridge 
 cannot be raised ! All is lost ! Save yourselves, save your- 
 selves /" Such was its form there. And about that time, as 
 ill-fortune ordered, the infidels had gathered around the fatal 
 place until, by their yells and missiles there seemed to be 
 myriads of them. Along the causeway their canoes lay 
 wedged in, like a great raft ; and bolder grown, they flung 
 themselves bodily on the unfortunates, and strove to carry 
 them off alive. Enough if they dragged them down the 
 slope, innumerable hands were ready at the water's edge to 
 take them speedily beyond rescue. Momentarily, also, the 
 yell of the fighting men of Tenochtitlan, surging from the 
 city under the 'tzin, drew nearer and nearer, driving the 
 rear upon the front, already on the verge of the canal 
 with barely room for defense against Hualpa and his 
 people. All that held the sufferers passive, all that gave 
 them endurance, the virtue rarer and greater than patience, 
 was the hope of the coming of Magarino ; and the an- 
 nouncement, at last, that the bridge could not be raised, 
 was as the voice of doom over their heads. Instantly, 
 they saw death behind them, and life nowhere but for- 
 ward, so always with panic. An impulse moved them, 
 they rushed on, they pushed each with the might 
 of despair. " Save yourselves, save yourselves ! " they 
 screamed, at the same time no one thought of any but 
 timself.
 
 576 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 To make the scene clear to the reader, he should re- 
 member that the causeway was but eight yards across its 
 superior slope ; while the canal, about as wide, and crossing 
 at right angles, was on both sides walled with dressed ma- 
 sonry to the height, probably, of twelve feet, with water at 
 least deep enough to drown a horse. Ordinarily, the peril 
 of the passage would have been scorned by a stout swim- 
 mer ; but, alas ! such were not all who must jnake the at- 
 tempt now. 
 
 The first victims of the movement I have described were 
 those in the front fighting Hualpa. No time for preparation : 
 with shields on their arms, if footmen, on their horses, if 
 riders, a struggle on the verge, a cvy for pi cy, a despairing 
 shriek, and into the yawning chasm they were plunged ; nor 
 had the water time to close above theit heads before as 
 many others were dashed in upon them. 
 
 Cortes, on the further side, could only hear what took 
 place in the canal, for the darkness hid it from view ; yet 
 ho knew that at his feet was a struggle for life impossible to 
 be imagined except as something that might happen in the 
 heart of the vortex left by a ship foundering at sea. The 
 screams, groans, prayers, and execrations of men ; the neigh- 
 ing, snorting, and plunging of horses ; the bubbling, hiss- 
 ing, and plashing of water ; the writhing and fighting, 
 a wretch a moment risen, in a moment gone, his death-cry 
 half uttered; the rolling of the mass, or rather its impul- 
 sion onward, which, horrible to think, might bo the fast 
 filling up of the passage ; now and then a piteous appeal for 
 help under the wall, reached at last (and by what mighty 
 exertion!) only to mock the hopes of the swimmers, all this 
 Cortes heard, and more. No need of light to make the 
 scene visible ; no need to see the dying and the drowning, 
 or the last look of eyes fixed upon him as they went down, 
 a look as likely to be a curse as a prayer ! If never before or
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 577 
 
 ttever again, his courage failed him then j and turning his 
 horse he fled the place, shouting as he went, 
 
 " Todo es per dido / all is lost ! Save yourselves, save 
 yourselves ! " 
 
 And in his absence the horror continued, continued 
 until the canal from side to side was filled with the bodies 
 of men and horses, blent with arms and ensigns, baggage, 
 and guns, and gun-carriages, and munitions in boxes ana 
 carts, the rich plunder of the empire, royal fifth as well aa 
 humbler dividend, and all the paraphernalia of armies, 
 infidel and Christian ; filled, until most of those who es- 
 caped clambered over the warm and writhing heap of what 
 had so lately been friends and comrades. And the gods of 
 the heathen were not forgotten by their children ; for suf- 
 ferers there were who, snatching at hands offered in help, 
 were dragged into canoes, and never heard of more. Tears 
 and prayers and the saving grace of the Holy Mother and 
 Son for them ! Better death in the canal, however dread- 
 ful, than death in the temples, for the soul's rest, better ! 
 
 Slowly along the causeway, meantime, Alvarado toiled 
 with the rear-guard. Very early he had given up Leon 
 and Mesa, and all with them, as lost. And to say truth, 
 little time had he to think of them ; for now, indeed, he 
 found the duties of lover and soldier difficult as they had 
 been pleasant. Gay of spirit, boastful but not less generous 
 and brave, skilful and reckless, he was of the kind to attract 
 and dazzle the adventurers with whom he had cast his lot ; 
 and now they were ready to do his bidding, and equally 
 ready to share his fate, life or death. Of them he consti- 
 tuted a body-guard for Nenetzin. Rough riders were they, 
 yet around her they formed, more careful of her than 
 themselves j against them rattled and rang the stones and 
 arrows ; against them dashed the infidels landed from their 
 canoes ; sometimes a cry announced a hurt, sometimes a fall 
 
 25 KK
 
 578 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 announced a death ; but never hand of foe or flying mis- 
 silo reached the curtained carriage in which rode the little 
 princess. 
 
 Nor can it be said that Alvarado, so careful as lover, tailed 
 his duty as captain. Sometimes at the rear, facing the 'tzin , 
 sometimes, with a laugh or a kiss of the hand, by the 
 palanquin ; and always his cry, blasphemous yet cheerful, 
 " Viva d Christo I Viva Santa Cruz ! Santiago, Santiago ! " 
 So from mistress and men he kept off the evil bird Feat. 
 The stout mare Bradamante gave him most concern ; she 
 obeyed willingly, indeed, seemed better when in action ; 
 yet was restless and uneasy, and tossed her head, and un- 
 pardonable as a habit in the horse of a soldier cried for 
 company. 
 
 " So-a, girl ! " he would say, as never doubting that she 
 understood him. " What seest thou that I do not ? or is 
 it what thou nearest ? Fear ! If one did but say to me that 
 thou wert cowardly, better for him that he spoke ill of my 
 mother ! But here they come again ! Upon them now ! 
 Upon them, sweetheart ! Viva d Christo I Viva la Santa 
 
 And so, fighting, he crossed the bridge ; and still all went 
 well with him. Out of the way he chased the foe ; on the 
 flanks they were beaten off; only at the rear were they 
 troublesome, for there the 'tzin led the pursuit. 
 
 Finally, the rear-guard closed upon the central division, 
 which, having reached the second canal, stood, in what con- 
 dition we have seen, waiting for Magarino. Then Alvarado 
 hurried to the palanquin; and while there, now checking 
 Bradamante, whose uneasiness seemed to increase as they 
 advanced, now cheering Nenetzin, he heard the fatal cry 
 proclaiming the loss of the bridge. On his lips the jest 
 faded, in his heart the blood stood still. A hundred voices 
 took up the cry, and there was hurry and alarm around him,
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 579 
 
 and he felt the first pressure of the impulsive movement 
 forward. The warning was not lost : 
 
 " Ola, my friends ! " he said, at once aroused, " Hell's 
 door of brass hath been opened, and the devils are loose ! 
 Keep we together " 
 
 As he spoke the pressure strengthened, and the crowd 
 yelled " Todo es perdido I Save yourselves ! " 
 
 Up went his visor, out rang his voice in fierce appeal, 
 
 " Together let us bide, gentlemen. We are Spaniards, and 
 in our saddles, with swords and shields. The foe are the 
 dogs who have bayed us so to their cost for days and weeks. 
 On the right and left, as ye are ! Remember, the woman we 
 have here is a Christian ; she hath broken the bread and 
 drunken the wine ; her God is our God ; and if we abandon 
 her, may he abandon us ! " 
 
 Not a rider left his place. The division went to pieces, 
 and rushed forward, sweeping all before it except the palan- 
 quin ; as a boat in a current, that floated on, fierce the 
 current, yet placid the motion of the boat. And nestled 
 warm within, Nenetzin heard the tumult as something terri* 
 ble afar off". 
 
 And all the time Hualpa kept the fight by the canaL 
 Hours passed. The dead covered the slopes of the causeway ; 
 on the top they lay in heaps ; the canal choked with them ; 
 still the stream of enemies poured on roaring and fighting. 
 Over the horrible bridge he saw some Tlascalans carry two 
 women, neither of them Nenetzin. Another woman came 
 up and crossed, but she had sword and shield, and used 
 them, shrilly shouting the war-cries of the strangers. Out 
 towards the land the battle followed the fugitives, beyond 
 the third canal even, and everywhere victory ! Surely, 
 the Aztecan gods had vindicated themselves ; and for the 
 tzin there was glory immeasurable. But where was Nenet- 
 ?in? where the hated Tonatiah? Why came they notl
 
 580 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 In the intervals of the slaughter he began to be shaken by 
 visions of the laughing lips and dimpled cheeks of the loved 
 face out in the rain crushed by a hoof or a wheel. At othei 
 times, when the awful chorus of the struggle swelled loudest, 
 he fancied he heard her voice in agony of fear and pain. 
 Almost he regretted not having sought her, instead of wait- 
 ing as he had. 
 
 Near morning from the causeway toward the city he heard 
 two cries, "Al-a-lala ! " one, " Viva d Christo ! " the other. 
 Friend most loved, foe most hated, woman most adored ! 
 How good the gods were to send them ! His spirit rose, all 
 its strength returned. 
 
 Of his warriors, six were with the slain; the others he 
 called together, and said, 
 
 " The 'tzin comes, and the Tonatiah. Now, my friends, I 
 claim your service. But forget not, I charge you, forget not 
 her of whom I spoke. Harm her not. Be ready to follow me." 
 
 He waited until the guardians of the palanquin were close 
 by, until he heard their horses' tread ; then he shouted, 
 ;< Now, my countrymen ! Be the 'tzin's cry our cry ! 
 follow me. Al-a-lala, al-a-lala 1 " 
 
 The rough riders faced the attack, thinking it a repetition 
 of others they had lightly turned aside on the way ; but 
 when their weapons glanced from iron-faced shields, and they 
 recognized the thrust of steel ; when their horses shrunk 
 from the contact or staggered with mortal hurts, and some 
 of them fell down dying, then they gave way to a torrent of 
 exclamations so seasoned with holy names that they could 
 be as well taken for prayers as curses. Surprised, dismayed, 
 retreating, with scarce room for defence and none foi 
 attack, still they struggled to maintain themselves. Sharp 
 the clangor of axes on shields, merciless the thrust of the 
 Mades, cry answered cry. Death to the horse, if he but 
 j to the rider death, if his horse but stumbled. Neve*
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 581 
 
 theless, step by step the patient Indian lover approached the 
 palanquin. Then that which had been as a living wall 
 around the girl was broken. One of her slaves fell down, 
 struck by a stone. Her scream, though shrill with sudden 
 fear, was faint amid the discordances of storm and fight; 
 yet two of the combatants heard it, and rushed to the res- 
 cue. And now Hualpa's hand was on the fallen carriage 
 ' happy moment! " Viva d Christo ! Santiago, Santi- 
 ago!" thundered Alvarado. The exultant infidel looked 
 up : right over him, hiding the leaden sky, a dark im- 
 pending danger, reared Bradamante. He thrust quickly, 
 and the blade on the lance was true; with a cry, in its 
 excess of agony almost human, the mare reared, fell back, 
 and died. As she fell, one foot, heavy with its silver shoe, 
 struck him to the ground ; and would that were all ! 
 
 " Ola, comrades ! " cried Alvarado, upon his feet again, to 
 some horsemen dismounted like himself, " Look ! the girl 
 is dying ! Help me ! as ye hope for life, stay and help 
 me ! " 
 
 They laid hold of the mare, and rolled her away. The 
 morning light rested upon the place feebly, as if afraid of its 
 own revelations. On the causeway, in the lake, in the canal, 
 Were many horrors to melt a heart of stone ; one fixed Alva- 
 fado's gaze, 
 
 " Dead ! she is dead ! " he said, falling upon his knees, 
 and covering his eyes with his hands, " mother of Christ 1 
 What have I done that this should befall me ? " 
 
 Under the palanquin, its roof of aromatic cedar, thin as 
 tortoise shell, and its frame of bamboo, light as the cane of 
 the maize, all a heap of fragments now, under the wreck 
 lay Nenetzin. About her head the blue curtains of the car- 
 riage were wrapped in accidental folds, making the pallor of 
 the face more pallid ; the lips so given to laughter were 
 dark with flowing blood; and the eyes had looked their
 
 582 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 love the last time ; one little hand rested palm upward upon 
 the head of a dead warrior, and in it shone the iron cross of 
 Christ. Bradamante had crushed her to death ! And this, 
 the crowning horror of the melancholy night, was what the 
 good mare saw on the way that her master did not, so the 
 master ever after believed. 
 
 The pain of grief was new to the good captain ; while yet it 
 so overcame him, a mail laid a hand roughly on his shoulder, 
 and said, 
 
 " Look thou, Senor ! She is in Paradise, while of those 
 who, at thy call, stayed to help thee save her but seven are 
 left. If not thyself, up and help us ! " 
 
 The justice of the rude appeal aroused him, and he retook 
 his sword and shield, and joined in the fight, eight 
 against the many. About them closed the lancers ; facing 
 whom one by one the brave men died, until only Alvarado 
 remained. Over the clashing of arms then rang the 'tzin's 
 voice, 
 
 " It is the Tonatiah ! Take him, my children, but harm 
 him not ; his life belongs to the gods ! " 
 
 Fortunately for Alvarado a swell of Christian war-cries 
 and the beat of galloping horses came, about the same time, 
 from the further side of the canal to distract the attention 
 of his foemen. Immediately Cortes appeared, with San- 
 doval, Morla, Avila, and others, brave gentlemen come 
 back from the land, which they had safely gained, to save 
 whom they might of the rear-guard. At the dread passage 
 all of them drew rein except Morla ; down the slope of the dyke 
 he rode, and spurring into the lake, through the canoes and 
 floating debris, he headed to save his friend. Useless the 
 gallantry ! The assault upon Alvarado had ceased, with 
 what purpose he knew. Never should they take him alive ! 
 Hualpa's lance, of great length, was lying at his feet. Sud- 
 denly, casting away his sword and shield, he snatched up
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 583 
 
 his enemy's weapon, broke the ring that girdled him, ran to 
 the edge of the canal, and vaulted in air. Loud the cry of 
 the Christians, louder that of the infidels ! An instant he 
 seemed to halt in his flight ; an instant more, and his 
 famous feat was performed, the chasm was cleared, and he 
 etood amongst his people saved. 
 
 Alas for Morla ! An infidel sprang down the dike, and 
 by running and leaping from canoe to canoe overtook him 
 while in the lake. 
 
 " Sword and shield, Senor Francisco ! Sword and shield ! 
 Look ! The foe is upon thee ! " 
 
 So he was warned ; but quick the action. First, a blow 
 with a Christian axe : down sank the horse ; then a blow 
 upon the helmet, and the wave that swallowed the steed re- 
 ceived the rider also. 
 
 " Al-a-lala t " shouted the victor. 
 
 " The 'tzin, the 'tzin ! " answered his people ; and forward 
 they sprang, over the canoes, over the bridge of the dead, 
 forward to get at their hated enemies again. 
 
 " Welcome art thou ! " said Cortes to Alvarado. " Wel- 
 come as from the grave, whither Morla God rest his soul ! 
 hath gone. Where is Leon ? " 
 
 " With Morla," answered the captain. 
 
 "And Mesa?" 
 
 " Nay, Senor Hernan, if thou stayest here for any of the 
 rear-guard, know that I am the last of them." \ 
 
 11 Bastante ! Hear ye, gentlemen ] " said Cortes. " Our 
 duty is done. Let us to the land again. Here is my foot, 
 here my hand : mount, captain, and quickly ! " 
 
 Alvarado took the seat offered behind Cortes, and the 
 party set out in retreat again. Closely, across the third 
 canal, along the causeway to the village of Popotla, the 'tzin 
 kept the pursuit. From the village, and from Tlacopan the 
 city, he drove the bleeding and bewildered fugitives. At
 
 584 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 last they took possession of a temple, from which, as from 
 a fortress, they successfully defended themselves. Then tlu> 
 'tzin gave over, and returned to the capital. 
 
 And his return was as the savior of his country, th& 
 victorious companies behind him, the great flotillas on his 
 right and left, and the clouds overhead rent by the sounding 
 of conchs and tambours and the singing and shouting of the 
 proud and happy people. 
 
 Fast throbbed his heart, for now he knew, if the crown 
 were not indeed his, its prestige and power were ; and 
 amidst fast-coming schemes for the restoration of the empire, 
 he thought of the noble Tula, and then, he halted sud- 
 denly : 
 
 " Where is the lord Hualpa ? " he asked. 
 
 " At the second canal," answered a cacique. 
 
 " And he is " 
 
 " Dead ! " 
 
 The proud head drooped, and the hero forgot his greatness 
 and his dreams ; he was the loving friend again, and as such, 
 sorrowing and silent, repassed the second canal, and stood 
 upon the causeway beyond. And the people, with quick 
 understanding of what he sought, made way for him. Over 
 the wrecks of the battle, sword and shield, helm and 
 breastplate, men and horses, he walked to where the lover 
 and his beloved lay. 
 
 At sight of her face, more childlike and beautiful than 
 ever, memory brought to him the sad look, the low voice, 
 and the last words of Hualpa, "If I come not with the 
 rising sun to-morrow, Nenetzin can tell you my story," 
 such were the words. The iron cross was yet in her hand, 
 aud the hand yet rested on the head of a warrior lying near. 
 The 'tzin stooped, and turned the dead man over, and lo ! 
 the lord Hualpa. From one to the other the princely mourner 
 looked ; a mist, not of the lake or the cloud, rose and hid
 
 LA NOCHE TRISTE. 585 
 
 them from his view ; he turned away, she had told him all 
 the story. 
 
 In a canoe, side by side, the two victims were borne to the 
 city, never to be separated. At Chapultepec they were laid 
 in the same tomb ; so that one day the dust of the hunter, 
 with that of kings, may feed the grass and color the flowers 
 of the royal hill. 
 
 HE HAD FOUND HIS FORTUNE! 
 
 Here the chronicles of the learned Don Fernando abruptly 
 terminate. For the satisfaction of the reader, a profes- 
 sional story-teller would no doubt have devoted several 
 pages to the careers of some of the characters whom he 
 leaves surviving the catastrophe. The translator is not dis- 
 posed to think his author less courteous than literators gen- 
 erally ; on the contrary, the books abound with evidences of 
 the tender regard he had for those who might chance to 
 occupy themselves with his pages ; consequently, there must 
 have been a reason for the apparent neglect in question. 
 
 If the worthy gentleman were alive, and the objection 
 made to him in person, he would most likely have replied : 
 *' Gentle critic, what you take for neglect was but a compli- 
 ment to your intelligence. The characters with which I 
 dealt were for the most part furnished me by history.^ The 
 few of my own creation were exclusively heathen, and of 
 them, except the lord Maxtla and Xoli, the Chalcan, dis- 
 position is made in one part or another of the story. The 
 two survivors named, it is to be supposed, were submerged in 
 the ruin that fell upon the country after the conquest was 
 finally completed. The other personages being real, for per- 
 fect satisfaction as to them, permit me, with the profoundest 
 lespect, to refer you to your histories again."
 
 THE PAIR GOD. 
 
 The translator has nothing to add to the explanation ex- 
 cept brief mention that the king Cuitlahua's reign lasted 
 but two months in all. The small-pox, which desolated the 
 city and valley, and contributed, more than any other cause, 
 "~ to the ultimate overthrow of the empire, sent him to the tombs 
 of Chapultepec. Guatamozin then took the vacant throne, 
 and as king exemplified still further the qualities which had 
 made him already the idol of his people and the hero of his 
 race. Some time also, but whether before or after his corona- 
 tion we are not told, he married the noble Tula, an event 
 which will leave the readers of the excellent Don Fernando 
 in doubt whether Mualox, the paba, was not more prophet 
 than monomaniac,.
 
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