BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST
 
 MR HENTY'S HISTORICAL TALES. 
 
 THK CAT OP BCBASTES : A Story of Ancient Egypt 5*. 
 THE YOUNG CARTHAGINIAN: A Story of the Times <>f Hannibal, fit. 
 FOR THE TEMPLE : A Tale of the Kail of Jerusalem. 6*. 
 BERIC THK BRITON : A Story of the Roman Invasion. 6*. 
 THK DRAGON AND THE RAVEN : or, The Days of King Alfred. 6*. 
 WULF THE SAXON: A Story of the Norman Conquest 6*. 
 A KNIGHT op THE WHITE CROSS: The siege of Rhodes. 6*. 
 IN FREEDOM'S CAUSE : A Story of Wallace and Bruce 6*. 
 THK LION OP ST. MARK: A Story of Venice in tin- 14th Century 6. 
 ST. GKORGK FOR ENGLAND: A Tale of creiwy and Poitiers. 6*. 
 A MARCH ON LONDON : A Story of Wat Tyler, ft* 
 BOTH SIDES THE BORDER : A Tale of Hotspur ami Glendower. ft*. 
 AT AGINCOURT: A Tale of the White Hoods ..f Paris fi 
 Bv RIGHT op CONQUEST: or, With Cortez in Mexico. 6*. 
 ST. BARTHOLOMEW'.-! EVE: A Tale of the Huguenot Wnr. 6* 
 Bv PIKEAXD DYKE: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. 0*. 
 BY ENGLAND'S AID: or, The Freeing of the Netherlands. 8*. 
 UNDER DRAKE'S FLAG: A Tale of the Spanish Main. <u. 
 THE LION OK THE NURTII: A Tale of Guatavus Adolphiu. 6*. 
 WON BY THE SWORD: A Tule of the Thirty Yean*' War. *. 
 WHEN LONDON BURNED : A Story of the Great Kire. 6*. 
 ORANGE AND GREEN : A Tale of the I(4>ync and Limerick. 5* 
 A JACOBITK EXILK: In the Service <>f Charles XII. fa. 
 IN THE IRISH BRIGADE: A Tale of War in Handera and Spain. 6*. 
 THE BRAVEST OP THE BRAVE: <>r, With Peterborough in Spain, in 
 BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE : A Tule of Fonteimy nnd culliMlen. 6*. 
 WITH CLIVE IN INDIA: or, The Beginnings of an Empire. 6*. 
 WITH FREDERICK THE GREAT: 'Hie Seven Yean* War. At. 
 WITH WOLPE IN CANADA: or, The Winning of a Continent. 6*. 
 TRUE TO THE OLD FLAG: The American War of Independence. 6*. 
 HELD FAST FOR ENGLAND : A Tale of the siege of Gibraltar 5* 
 IN THE REIGN OP TERROR: The French Revolution. f*. 
 No SURRENDER ! A Tale of the Rising in la Vendoe. 6*. 
 A ROVING COMMISSION : A Story of the Hayti Insurrection. 8*. 
 THE TIGER OF MYSORE : The War with Tippoo Saib. <i*. 
 AT ABOUKIR AND ACRE: Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt. 5*. 
 WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA: A Tale of the Peninsular War 6*. 
 T'NDER WELLINGTON'S COMMAND: The Peninsular War. 6*. 
 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS: A Tale of his Exploits. 0*. 
 THROUGH THE FRAY : A Story of the Luddite Riots. 6*. 
 THROUGH RUSSIAN SNOWS: The Retreat from Moscow. 5*. 
 ONE OF THE 28TH : A Story of Waterloo. 5*. 
 IN GREEK WATERS: A story of the Grecian War (1821). 8*. 
 ON THE IRRAWADDY: A Story of the First Burmese War. 6*. 
 THROUGH THE SIKH WAR: A Tale of the Punjaub. 6*. 
 MAORI AND SETTLER : A Story of the New Zealand War 6*. 
 WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA : A Story of the American Civil War. 6* 
 BY SHEER PLUCK : A Tale of the Ashanti War. 6. 
 OUT WITH GARIBALDI : A Story of the Liberation of Italy. &. 
 FOR NAME AND FAME: or, To Cabul with Roberta, b*. 
 THE DASH FOR KHARTOUM : A Tale of the Nile Expedition. 6* 
 CONDEMNED AS A NIHILIST: A story of Escaj* from Siberia. 5* 
 WITH BULLER IN NATAL: or, A Born Leader. *.
 
 ROGER OPENS THE TREASURE HOARD.
 
 BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST 
 
 WITH CORTEZ IN MEXICO 
 
 BY 
 
 G. A. HENTY 
 
 Author at "With Olive in India- "The Lion of the North" "With Lee in Virginia" 
 " In Freedom's Cause " Ac. 
 
 WITH TXtf PAOS ILLUSTRATIONS BY W. 8. STACKT, AND TWO MAPS 
 
 LONDON 
 
 BLACKIE & SON, LIMITKD, 60 OLD BAILEY, E.G. 
 GLASGOW AND DUBLIN
 
 College 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The conquest of Mexico, an extensive empire with 
 a numerous and warlike population, by a mere handful of 
 Spaniards is one of the romances of history; indeed, a writer 
 of fiction would scarcely have dared to invent so improbable 
 a story. Even the bravery of the Spaniards and the ad- 
 vantage of superior arms would not have sufficed to give 
 them the victory, had it not been that Mexico was ripe for 
 disruption. The Aztecs, instead of conciliating by wise and 
 gentle government the peoples they had conquered, treated 
 them with such despotic harshness that they were ready to 
 ally themselves with the invaders, and to join with them 
 heartily against the central power; so that instead of battling 
 against an empire single-handed, the Spaniards had really only 
 to war with a great city, and were assisted by a vast army of 
 auxiliaries. 
 
 Fortunately, the details of the extraordinary expedition 
 of Cortez were fully related by contemporary writers, several 
 of whom were eye-witnesses of the scenes they described. 
 It was not necessary for me, however, to revert to these, as 
 Prescott in his admirable work on the conquest of Mexico 
 has given a summary of them, and has drawn a most vivid 
 picture of the events of the campaign. The book far surpasses 
 in interest any volume of fiction, and I should strongly recom- 
 mend my readers to take the first opportunity that occurs of 
 perusing the whole story, of which I have only been able to
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 touch upon the principal events. While history is silent as 
 to the voyage of the Swan, it is recorded by the Spaniards that 
 an English ship did in 1517 or 1518 appear off the port of San 
 Domingo, and was fired at by them, and chased from the 
 islands; but it was not until some twenty or thirty years later 
 that the English bucaneers openly sailed to challenge the 
 supremacy of the Spaniards among the Western Islands, and 
 to dispute their pretensions to exclude all other flags but their 
 own from those waters. It may, however, be well believed 
 that the ship spoken of was not the only English craft that 
 entered the Spanish main, and that the adventurous traders of 
 the West country more than once despatched ships to carry on 
 an illicit trade there. Such enterprises would necessarily be 
 conducted with great secrecy until the relations between Spain 
 and England changed, and religious differences broke up the 
 alliance that existed between them during the early days of 
 Henry VIII. 
 
 G. A. HENTY.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. Page 
 
 I. A STARTLING PROPOSAL, 11 
 
 II. BOUND TO UNKNOWN PARTS, 28 
 
 III. THE VOYAGE, 43 
 
 IV. AMONG THE ISLANDS, 59 
 
 V. SHIPWRECKED, 76 
 
 VI. ANAHUAC, , 98 
 
 VII. A WONDERFUL COUNTRY 110 
 
 VIII. AT TEZCUCO, 126 
 
 IX. LIFE IN A PALACE, 141 
 
 X. NEWS FROM THE COAST, 160 
 
 XI. CORTEZ 178 
 
 XII. THE FUGITIVES, 190 
 
 XIII. THE MASSACRE OF CHOLULA, 209 
 
 XIV. IN MEXICO, 225 
 
 XV. AGAIN AT TEZCCOO, 243 
 
 XVI. A TREASURE ROOM, 261 
 
 XVII. THE INSURRECTION, 279 
 
 XVIII. THE RISING IN MEXICO, 297 
 
 XIX. THE PASSAGE OF THE CAUSEWAY, 314 
 
 XX. AT TLASCALA, 331 
 
 XXI. A VICTIM FOR THE GODS, 348 
 
 XXII. HOME, 367
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page 
 ROGER OPENS THE TREASURE-HOABD, .... Frontispiece. 273 
 
 ROOER RECEIVES A LESS FORMAL SALUTE FROM HIS COUSINS, . 15 
 
 ROQER BIDS FAREWELL TO HIS FRIENDS ON SHORE 49 
 
 ROOER' SWARMS CP THE BOWSPRIT TILL HE REACHES THE CAP, 80 
 
 THE PILE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND SKULLS, 123 
 
 ('AC A MA'S SISTER ENTREATS HIM NOT TO LET ROGER GO, . . .155 
 ROGER FALLS ON HIS KNEE BEFORE CORTEZ, 206 
 
 CACAMA OFFERS TO BESTOW ON ROGER THE HAND OF HIS SISTER 
 AMENCHE, 256 
 
 THE MESSENGER RETURNS AT A GALLOP WOUNDED IN A SCORE 
 OF PLACES, 295 
 
 MALINCHE UNDERTAKES THE CARE OF THE WOUNDED AMENCHE, 365 
 
 Map of the Country traversed by the Spaniards on their route to 
 Mexico, 10 
 
 Map of the Valley of Mexico at the period of the Conquest, . . 228
 
 BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A STARTLING PROPOSAL. 
 
 March 3rd, 1516, the trading vessel, the Swan, 
 dropped anchor at Plymouth. She would in our 
 days be considered a tiny craft indeed, but she was 
 then looked upon as a large vessel, and one of 
 which her owner, Master Diggory Beggs, had good reason to 
 be proud. She was only of some eighty tons burden, but there 
 were few ships that sailed out from Plymouth of much larger 
 size ; and Plymouth was even then rising into importance as a 
 seaport, having flourished mightily since the downfall of its 
 once successful rival Fowey. Large ships were not needed in 
 those days, for the only cargoes sent across the sea were costly 
 and precious goods which occupied but small space. The cloths 
 of the Flemings, the silks and satins of Italy, the produce of the 
 East, which passed first through the hands of the Venetian and 
 Genoese merchants, and the wines of France and Spain were 
 the chief articles of commerce. Thus the freight for a vessel 
 of eighty tons was a heavy venture, and none but merchants of 
 wealth and position would think of employing larger ships. 
 
 In this respect the Spaniards and the Italian Republics 
 were far ahead of us, and the commerce of England was a
 
 12 CAPTAIN REUBEN. 
 
 small thing indeed in comparison with that of Flanders. In 
 Plymouth, however, the Swan was regarded as a goodly ship ; 
 and Master Diggory Beggs was heartily congratulated by his 
 acquaintances when the news came that the Swan was sailing 
 up the Sound, having safely returned from a voyage to Genoa. 
 As soon as the anchor was dropped and the sails were furled, the 
 captain, Reuben Hawkshaw, a cousin of Master Beggs, took 
 l;is place in the boat, accompanied by his son Roger, a lad of 
 sixteen, and was rowed by two sailors to the landing-place. 
 
 They were delayed for a few minutes there by the number 
 of Reuben's acquaintances, who thronged round to shake him by 
 the hand ; but as soon as he had freed himself of these he 
 strode up the narrow street from the quays to the house of 
 Master Diggory. Reuben Hawkshaw was a tall, powerfully- 
 built man, weather-beaten and tanned from his many coinings 
 and goings upon the sea ; with a voice that could be heard in 
 the loudest storm, and a fierce look but, as his men knew, 
 gentle and kind at heart, though very daring, and having, as 
 it seemed, no fear of danger either from man or tempest. R< ger 
 was large boned and loosely jointed, and was likely some day 
 to fill out into as big a man as his father, who stood over six- 
 feet-two without his shoes. 
 
 Reuben was wont to complain that he himself was too big 
 for shipboard. 
 
 " If a crew were men wholly of my size," he would say, " a 
 ship would be able to carry but a scant crew; for, lie they 
 as close as they would, there would not be room for a full 
 complement below." For indeed in those days space was 
 precious, and on board a ship men were packed well-nigh as 
 close as they could lie, having small thought of comfort, and 
 being well content if there was room to turn without angering 
 those lying next on either side. 
 
 The mei chant, who was so stout and portly that he offered 
 a strong contrast to his cousin, rose from his desk as the latter 
 entered. 
 
 " I am glad indeed to see you back, Cousin Reuben ; and 
 trust that all has fared well with you."
 
 A SUCCESSFUL VOYAGE. 13 
 
 " Indifferent well, Cousin Diggory. We have a good stock 
 of Italian goods on board ; but as, of course, these took up but 
 a small portion of her hold I put into Cadiz on my way back. 
 There I Glled up with three-score barrels of Spanish wine, which 
 will, I warrant me, return good profit on the price I paid for 
 them." 
 
 " And you have met with no accidents or adventures, 
 Reuben t " 
 
 " Not more than is useful. We had a fight with some Moorish 
 pirates, who coveted the goods with which, as they doubtless 
 guessed, we were laden ; but we beat them off stoutly with a 
 loss of only six men killed among us. We had bad weather 
 coming up the Portugal Coast, and had two men washed over- 
 board ; and we had another stabbed in a drunken brawl in the 
 street. And besides these there are of course many who were 
 wounded in the fight with the Moors and in drunken frays 
 ashore, but all are doing well, and the loss of a little blood will 
 not harm them, so our voyage may be termed an easy and 
 pleasant one." 
 
 11 That is well," the merchant said, in a tone of satisfaction. 
 " We cannot expect a voyage like this to pass without accident. 
 And how are you, Roger?" he asked, turning to the boy, who 
 was standing near the door with his cap in his hand until it 
 should please his elders to address him. 
 
 " 1 am well, I thank you, Master Digsory. It is seldom 
 that anything ails with me. I trust that Mistress Mercy and 
 my cousins are well." 
 
 " You had best go upstairs, and see them for yourself, Roger. 
 Your father and I have weighty matters to talk over, and 
 would fain be alone." 
 
 Roger was glad to escape from the merchant's counting- 
 house ; and bowing to his cousin, went off with a quiet step, 
 which, after he had closed the door behind him, was changed 
 in'o a rapid bound as he ascended the stairs. 
 
 "Gently, Roger," Mistress Beggs said, as he entered the 
 room where she and her two daughters were sitting at work 
 " We aie truly glad to see you, but you must remember that
 
 14 ROGBB'S RECEPTION. 
 
 we stay-at-home people are not accustomed to the boisterous 
 ways of the sea." 
 
 The reproof was administered in a kindly tone, but Roger 
 coloured to the hair ; for, indeed, in his delight at being back 
 again, he had forgotten the manners that were expected from 
 a lad of his age on shore. However, he knew that although 
 Mistress Beggs was somewhat precise in her ways, she was 
 thoroughly kind, and always treated him as if he were a 
 nephew of her own rather than a young cousin of her husband's. 
 He therefore recovered at once from his momentary confusion, 
 and stepped forward to receive the salute Mistress Beggs 
 always gave him on his return from his voyages. 
 
 " Dorothy, Agnes, you remember your Cousin Roger? " The 
 two girls who had remained seated at their work which had 
 however made but little progress since their father had run 
 in two hours before to say that the Swan was signalled in the 
 Sound now rose and each made a formal courtesy, and then 
 held up her cheek to be kissed, according to the custom of 
 the day ; but there was a little smile of amusement on their 
 faces that would have told a close observer that had their 
 mother not been present their greeting would have been a 
 warmer and less ceremonious one. 
 
 " Well, well, Roger," Mistress Beggs went on, " it is 
 marvellous to see how fast you grow ! Why, it is scarce six 
 months since you sailed away, and you seem half a head taller 
 than you were when you went ! And so the Swan has returned 
 safely without damage or peril t " 
 
 " No damage to speak of, Cousin Mercy, save for a few shot- 
 holes in her hull, and a good many patches on her side the 
 work of a Moorish corsair with whom we had a sharp brush 
 by the way." 
 
 " And was there loss of life, Roger ? " 
 
 " We have come back nine hands shorter than we sailed with, 
 and there are a few on board still unfit for hard work." 
 
 " And did you fight, Cousin Roger ? " Dorothy Beggs 
 asked. 
 
 " I did what I could with my bow until 1 got alongside, and
 
 ROGER RECEIVES A LESS FORMAL SALUTE FROM HIS COUSINS.
 
 " A MUCH BETTEB WELCOME." 15 
 
 then joined in the melee as well as I could. The heathen 
 fought bravely, but they were not a match for our men, being 
 wanting in weight and strength, and little able to stand up 
 against the crushing blows of our axes. But they are nimble 
 and quick with their curved swords, and the fierceness of their 
 faces and their shouting would have put men out of counten- 
 ance who had less reason to be confident than ours. 
 
 " And the trading has gone well ? " asked Mistress Beggs, 
 who was known to have a keen eye to the main chance. 
 
 " I believe that my father's well satisfied, Cousin Mercy, and 
 that the venture has turned out fully as well as he looked for." 
 
 " That* is well, Roger. Do you girls go on with your work. 
 You can sew while you are listening. I will go and see that 
 the preparations for dinner are going on regularly, for the 
 maids are apt to give way to talk and gossip when they know 
 that the Swan is in." 
 
 As soon as she had left the room, the two girls threw down 
 their work, and running across to Roger saluted him most 
 heartily. 
 
 " That is a much better welcome," Roger said, " than the 
 formal greetings you before gave me. I wonder what Cousin 
 Mercy would have said had she chanced to come in again." 
 
 " Mother guessed well enough what it would be when we 
 were alone together," Dorothy said, laughing. She always 
 thinks it right on special occasions to keep us to our manners, 
 and to make us sure that we know how it is becoming to 
 behave ; but you know well, Roger, that she is not strict with 
 us generally, and likes us to enjoy ourselves. When we are 
 staying up at the farm with Aunt Peggy, she lets us run about 
 as we will, and never interferes with us save when our spirits 
 carry us away altogether. I think we should be glad if we 
 always lived in the country. But now, Roger, let us hear 
 much more about your voyage and the fight with the Moors. 
 Are they black men t " 
 
 " Not at all, Dorothy. They are not very much darker than 
 our own fishermen when they are bronzed by the sun and 
 wind. There are black men who live somewhere near their
 
 16 THE FIGHT WITH THE MOORS. 
 
 country, and there were several of these fighting with them. 
 These blacks are bigger men than the Moors, and have thick 
 lips and wide mouths. I believe that they live as slaves among 
 the Moors, but those who were with them fought as bravely 
 as they did, and it needed a man with a stout heart to engage 
 with them, so ugly were their faces." 
 
 " Were you not terrified, Roger ? " 
 
 " I was frightened at first, Dorothy, and felt a strange 
 weakness in my knees as they began to swarm up the ship's 
 side, but it passed off when the scuffle began. You see there 
 was no time to think about it. We all had to do our best, and 
 even had I been frightened ever so badly, I hope that I should 
 not have showed it, for it would have brought shame upon 
 my father as well as myself \ but in truth I thought little about 
 it one way or the other. There they were on the deck, and 
 had to be driven back again, and we set about the work like 
 Englishmen and honest men; and, thanks to our pikes and axes, 
 we had not very much trouble about it, especially when we 
 once became fairly angered on seeing some of our friends un- 
 done by the heathen. I myself would rather go through two or 
 three such fights than encounter such another storm as we had 
 off the coast of Portugal for four days. It seemed that we must 
 be lost, the waves were of such exceeding bigness far surpass- 
 ing anything I had ever seen before. My heart was in my 
 mouth scores of times, and over and over again I thought 
 that she would never rise again, so great was the weight of 
 water that poured over her. Truly it was the mercy of God 
 which alone saved us, for I believe that even my father thought 
 the ship would be beaten to pieces, though he kept up a 
 show of confidence in order to inspirit the men. However, 
 at the end of the fourth day the gale abated, but it was days 
 before the great sea went down, the waves coming in long 
 regular hills which seemed to me as big as those which we have 
 here in Devonshire, but smooth and regular, so that while we 
 rolled mightily there was nought to fear from them. 
 
 " I should not like to be a sailor," Agnes said. " It would be 
 far better, Roger, were you to come into our father's counting- 
 
 (618)
 
 "YOU SHOULD NOT SPEAK SO LOUD." 17 
 
 house. You know he would take you into his business did 
 Cousin Reuben desire it." 
 
 Roger laughed. " I should make but a poor penman, Agnes ; 
 I love the sea dearly, and it is seldom that we have such 
 gales to meet as that, and after all it is no worse to be drowned 
 than it is to come to any other death. I am well content, 
 cousin, with matters as they are, and would not stay ashore 
 and spend my life in writing not to be as rich as the greatest 
 merchant in Plymouth. I almost wish sometimes I had been 
 born a Spaniard or a Portugal, for then I might have a 
 chance, of sailing to wondrous new countries, instead of voyag- 
 ing only in European waters. 
 
 " It seems to me that you have plenty to see as it is, Roger," 
 Dorothy said. 
 
 " I do not say nay to that," Roger assented ; " but I do not 
 see why Spain and Portugal should claim all the Indies, East 
 and West, and keep all others from going there." 
 
 " But the pope has given the Indies to them," Dorothy said. 
 
 "I don't see that they were the pope's to give," Roger replied. 
 " That might do for the king and his minister Wolsey and the 
 bishops, but when in time all the people have read as we do, 
 Master Wycliffe's Bible, they will come to see that there is no 
 warrant for the authority the pope claims, and then we may 
 perhaps take our share of these new discoveries." 
 
 " Hush, Roger ! You should not speak so loud about the 
 Bible. You know that though there are many who read it, 
 it is not a thing to be spoken of openly, and that it would 
 bring us all into sore trouble were anyone to hear us speak so 
 freely as you have done. There has been burning of Lollards, 
 and they say that Wolsey is determined to root out all the 
 followers of Wycliffe." 
 
 "It will take him some trouble to do that," Roger said, 
 shrugging his shoulders. " Still I will be careful, Dorothy, 
 for I would not on any account bring trouble upon you here. 
 But, thank Heaven, England is not Spain, where men are 
 for ever being tortured and burned for their religion. The 
 English would never put up with that. It may be that there 
 
 (61S) fi
 
 18 REUBEN UNFOLDS HIS PLANS. 
 
 will be persecution, but methinks it is rather those whose 
 opinions lead them to make speeches that are regarded as 
 seditious, and who stir up the people into discontent who 
 fall into trouble; and that as long as folks hold their own 
 opinions in peace and quiet, and trouble not others, neither 
 king nor cardinal will seek to interfere with them. It is not so 
 in Spain : there, upon the slightest suspicion that a man or 
 woman holds views differing from those of the priests, he is 
 dragged away and thrown into the prisons of the Inquisition, 
 and tortured and burned." 
 
 Mistress Mercy now returned, and she and the girls busied 
 themselves in laying the table for dinner. 
 
 That evening, after Mistress Mercy, the girls, and Roger 
 had retired to bed, Reuben Hawkshaw and his cousin had a 
 long talk together, concerning the next voyage of the Swan. 
 After Master Diggory had discussed the chances of a voyage 
 to the low countries, or another trip to the Mediterranean, 
 Reuben, who had been silently listening to him, said : " Well, 
 Cousin Diggory, to tell you the truth I have been turning over 
 a project that seems to me to offer a chance of greater profit, 
 though I deem it not without risk. That is the case, of 
 course, with all trading affairs; and, as you know, the greater 
 the risk the greater the profit, so the question to be considered 
 is whether the profit is in fair proportion to the risk run. I 
 think that it is in this case, and I am ready to risk my life in 
 carrying it out; it is for you to consider whether you are 
 ready to risk your venture." 
 
 " What is it, Reuben ? There are no other voyages that I 
 know of, unless, indeed, you think of sailing up to Constanti- 
 nople and trading with the Grand Turk." 
 
 " My thoughts go farther afield still, Diggory. It is a 
 matter I have thought over for some time, and when I was at 
 Cadiz the other day I made many enquiries, and these have 
 confirmed me in my opinions on the matter. You know that 
 the Spaniards are gaining huge wealth from the Indies, and 
 I heard at Cadiz that after the conquest they made a year 
 since of the island they call Cuba, the stores of precious things
 
 THE SPANIARD'S MAP. 19 
 
 brought home were vast indeed. As you know, they bring 
 from there gold and spices and precious woods, and articles 
 of native workmanship of all kinds." 
 
 " I know all that, Reuben, and also that, like dogs in the 
 manger, they suffer none others to sail those seas, and that no 
 English ship has ever yet traversed those waters." 
 
 " That is so, Diggory ; but by all I hear the number of islands 
 is large, and there are reports that there lies farther west 
 a great land from which it is they procure chiefly the gold 
 and silver and precious things. Now it seems to me that were 
 the matter secretly conducted, so that no news could be sent 
 to Spain, a ship might slip out and cruise there, dealing with 
 the natives, and return richly stored with treasures. 
 
 "The Swan is a fast sailer, and did she fall in with the 
 Spanish ships would show them a clean pair of heeln. Of 
 course she would avoid the places where the Spaniards have 
 forts and garrisons, and touch only at those at which I hear 
 they trade but little;" and he took out a scroll from his 
 bosom, unrolled it, and showed it to be a map. "This I 
 purchased, for ten gold pieces, of a Spanish captain who hud 
 come to poverty and disgrace from his ship being cast away 
 while he was asleep in liquor in his cabin a fault which is 
 rare among the Spaniards, and therefore thought all the more 
 of. I met him in Cadiz at a wineshop near the port ; he told 
 me his story as we drank together, for he spoke Dutch, having 
 traded much with the Low Countries. 
 
 " He took out a map, to show me some of the places at which 
 he had had adventures. I said that the thing was curious, and 
 would buy it of him if he was disposed to sell. He said that it 
 would be as much as his life were worth to part with it to an 
 Englishman ; and, indeed, that it was only captains of ships 
 trading in those seas who were allowed to have them, seeing 
 that all matters connected with the islands were held as a 
 State secret. After some trouble and chaffering, however, he 
 agreed to make me an exact copy, and to sell it me for ton 
 gold pieces. This is the copy ; it is exact, for I compared it 
 with the original before 1 paid for it. Now, here you bee are
 
 20 A PERILOUS SCHEME. 
 
 laid down the position and bearing of all the islands, together 
 with all the ports and places where the Spaniards have their 
 settlements. 
 
 " This line over here represents the mainland, but it is, as 
 you see, but vaguely drawn, seeing that except at one or two 
 points the Spaniards themselves have but little knowledge of 
 it. Now it seems that with the help of this I might so navigate 
 the Swan as to avoid much risk of falling in with the Dons ; 
 and might yet make a shift to fill up the ship with goods of 
 all kinds such as would sell here for great prices. I know, of 
 course, that were we taken we should be kil'ed without mercy ; 
 but in the first place they would have to catch us, which would 
 not be easy, and in the second to capture us, which, methinks 
 would be more difficult still, seeing that a crew of stout 
 Devonshire lads, fighting with halters round their necks, would 
 give a good account of themselves even if overhauled by a 
 great Spanish galleon. What think you of the scheme, Cousin 
 Diggory ? " 
 
 " It is a perilous one, certainly, Roger," the merchant replied, 
 after a long silence. " There is the risk of the loss of the 
 ship and all her freight, and there is the risk of the loss of your 
 life and of those of the crew, and I would rather lose even the 
 Swcm, Reuben, than that harm should come to you and 
 Roger. Then it may well be that, even if you carried the 
 scheme to a successful end, and returned laden with wealth, 
 the king and his counsellors, when the matter came to 
 their ears which it would be sure to do on your return, for it 
 would make a prodigious talk might be grievously offended, 
 accuse us of embroiling England with Spain, confiscate the 
 cargo, visit me with fine and imprisonment, and treat you and 
 the crew as pirates." 
 
 " I do not fear that," Reuben said ; " our relations with 
 Spain have grown cold lately, and there is a talk of peace 
 between us and France. In the next place I should say that 
 the king would be mightily glad to see a chance of us English 
 having a finger in this pie that the Spaniards want to keep to 
 themselves ; and that, he will perceive that great advantage
 
 a l LOVE NOT THE SPANIARDS." 21 
 
 will arise from our obtaining a share of the trade with the 
 Indies. There is a rare jealousy in the country at the Spaniards 
 and Portugals keeping all the trade of both the Indies in 
 their hands ; and methinks that even if he judged it necessary 
 to make a show of displeasure against the men who led the 
 way in this matter, there would in the end be much honour 
 as well as profit in this venture." 
 
 " It is a grave matter, Reuben, and one not to be under- 
 taken without much thought and calculation. Still I own that 
 the proposal is a tempting one, and that the possession of this 
 map, which I will examine at my leisure, would help you 
 much in your enterprise. Truly, as you say, although the king 
 might frown, there would be much honour as well as profit in 
 being the first English merchant to despatch a ship to the 
 Spanish main. I love not the Spaniards, and, like all English- 
 men who think as I do on matters of religion, have viewed 
 with much disfavour our alliance with men who are such cruel 
 persecutors of all who are not of their religion." 
 
 " I hate them," Reuben Hawkshaw said, energetically. 
 " They swagger as if they were the lords of the world, and 
 hold all others as of no account beside them. If you resolve 
 on this enterprise I shall, of course, do my utmost to avoid 
 them ; but should they try to lay hand on us I shall be right 
 glad to show them that we Englishmen hold ourselves fully a 
 match for them." 
 
 " Well, well, we must not think of that," Diggory Beggs 
 said hastily ; " but, nevertheless, cousin, if the Swan sails for 
 those seas I will see that she is well provided with ordnance 
 and small arms, so that she shall be able to hold her own with 
 those who would meddle with her." 
 
 " That is all I ask, Diggory. We sha'n't meddle with them 
 if they do not meddle with us ; but if they treat us as pirates, 
 to be slain without form of trial, they must not blame us if we 
 act as pirates when they come upon us. They hold that they 
 are beyond the law when they are once beyond sight of land, 
 going westward ; and we have only to take them at their word. 
 As to piracy, if the things that are whispered as to their
 
 22 IN 8BLF-DEFENOB ONLY. 
 
 cruelty to the natives be true, pirates are an innocent and 
 kindly folk compared to them. They openly proclaim that all 
 found in these seas, which they claim as their own, will be 
 treated as enemies and slain without mercy ; and we shall be 
 therefore fully justified in treating as an enemy any Spanish 
 ship that we may come across, and holding her as a fair prize, 
 if we are strong enough to take her." 
 
 " But you must not go out with that intent, Reuben. If I 
 fit out the Swan to go to the Indies it is that she may trade 
 honestly with such natives as are ready to trade with her, and 
 not that she may wage war against the Spaniards." 
 
 " I quite understand that, Cousin Diggory," Reuben Hawk- 
 shaw said with a grim smile ; " and that also is my intent, if the 
 Spaniards will but let me adhere to it : only if we are attacked 
 we must defend ourselves. If they try to capture us, and we 
 beat them, it is but natural that we should capture them." 
 
 " Against that I have nothing to say, Reuben, I can find no 
 authority in Scripture for the Spaniards claiming a portion of 
 the seas as their right. The world is all, as it seems to me, open 
 to trade, and neither the pope nor anyone else has a right to 
 parcel it out for the exclusive use of one or two nations. As 
 we all know, the seas within a mile or two of shore are held 
 to belong naturally to those who own the land ; but that is a 
 different thing altogether to holding that more than half the 
 seas, in as much as we know of them, are to be held as private 
 property by Spaniards and Portugals. Well, we will say no 
 more about it at present, there is plenty of time to think it 
 over while the Swan is unloading. I certainly do not like to 
 take so great a risk as this would be on my own shoulders, but 
 if I could get two or three others to join me I should be willing 
 enough to embark upon it." 
 
 " I need not tell you, Diggory, that it behoves you to be 
 right careful as to those to whom you may broach it. Remember 
 that an incautious word might ruin the enterprise altogether. 
 If so much as a whisper of it reached the ear of the Spanish 
 ambassador in London, he would apply to the king to put 
 a stop to it; and whatever King Harry might think of it he
 
 DIOOORT BEQO8 THINKS IT OVER. 23 
 
 could hardly permit the Swan to sail in the face of such a 
 remonstrance, for to do so would assuredly embroil him with 
 Spain." 
 
 " I will be careful, Reuben ; for I see this as well as you do, 
 and shall only speak to men who have before now worked with 
 me in joint adventures, and on whose discretion I can surely 
 rely. I will talk the matter over with them, Reuben, first; and 
 if they appear favourably disposed, you shall meet them here, 
 show them your map, and explain your intentions fully to 
 them. If three others join me in equal shares, I shall propose 
 that, as it is your idea, and as you have obtained this map, 
 you shall have an equal share with each of us in the business, 
 and shall in addition to your pay as master, take one-fifth 
 of the profits after payment of expenses. Will that content 
 you I" 
 
 " Right well, Cousin Diggory ; and from this moment I shall, 
 I can tell you, regard myself as a rich man." 
 
 The unloading of the Swan occupied some time: there was 
 no undue haste in those days. The bales were hoisted by whips 
 from the hold, and then carried up to Master Beggs' warehouse. 
 The sailors had earned a fair time for repose after the hard- 
 ships of the voyage, and took matters easily, and it was more 
 than a week before the Sioarit hold was empty. During that 
 time the merchant had not made any allusion to Reuben, as 
 to their conversation on the evening after the Swan came into 
 port. But Reuben was neither surprised nor anxious at this 
 silence ; he knew that his cousin although an enterprising was 
 a cautions man, and had hardly hoped to find his proposal so 
 favourably entertained. He had looked for absolute refusal 
 at first, and expected that he would only arrive at his end 
 after long disputes and discussion. Therefore he doubted not 
 that Diggory was turning the matter over and over in his 
 mind, settling the details, and perhaps broaching the matter to 
 the merchants he had spoken of. 
 
 The Swan once empty was laid up on the shore, where she 
 dried at low tide, so that she could have her seams caulked, 
 and a coat of pitch laid on below the water-line, and be made
 
 24 THREE WORSHIPFUL TRADERS. 
 
 tight and sound for any voyage on which she might be des- 
 patched. Reuben Hawkshaw had lost his wife years before, 
 and when in port at Plymouth always occupied lodgings in a 
 house a short distance from that of his cousin, spending hig 
 evenings mostly at Master Diggory's, but refusing to take his 
 breakfast or dinner there. 
 
 "I know what is what, cousin," he would say, when the 
 merchant pressed him and Roger to come to* breakfast or 
 dinner. " Women are women, and, as is only right, they hold 
 to the nicety of things ; and nothing displeases them more 
 than for people to come in late for their meals. When I am 
 at work I work, and if when the clock strikes the hour for 
 meals I am in the middle of a job I see that it is finished 
 before the men knock off. Then there is the matter of 
 washing and cleaning up, for one gathers much dust and dirt 
 in the hold of a ship, so that, do what I would, Roger and I 
 could never reckon upon being punctual, and the matter would 
 weigh on my mind when I ought to be thinking of other 
 things. No, no, Diggory, we will be free men, taking our bite 
 and sup on board, as we can make shift to get them, and then 
 when work is over, coming with clean hands and a clear mind, 
 to supper with you. When the Swan's hold is empty, it will 
 be time enough to talk about amusement." 
 
 The evening after the unlading of the cargo was completed, 
 Master Diggory said to his wife, "Get the table cleared as 
 soon as you can, Mercy, and bring two flasks of that last batch 
 of Spanish wine out of the cellar, and put them and some 
 cups on the board. I have two or three friends coming in, to 
 talk over a matter of business with Reuben and me." 
 
 As soon as the table was cleared Roger asked permission 
 of his aunt to take his cousins for a walk upon the Hoe. This 
 was readily granted, as there was no other room in which they 
 could well be bestowed, and having set the wine upon the table, 
 Dame Mercy retired to look after domestic matters, of which 
 she always found an abundance to occupy her. 
 
 In a short time Master Turnbull, Master Streatham, and 
 Master Winslow, three worshipful traders of Plymouth, arrived.
 
 THE CONFERENCE. 25 
 
 " Cousin Reuben," Master Diggory said, " I have spoken to 
 these good friends of mine in respect of that venture which 
 you proposed to me, and they would fain hear more of it from 
 your own lips. You can speak with confidence before them, 
 for, whether they agree to cast in their lot with us or not, no 
 word of this matter will pass their lips." 
 
 Reuben addressed himself to his task, and that at much 
 greater detail than he had given when first speaking of the 
 matter to Diggory. 
 
 He told them what he had gathered from the sea captains 
 and others, as to the articles with which the Dons traded with 
 the natives. That they were for the most part cheap and 
 common, and that the amount required for a sufficient stock 
 of such merchandise would be very small. Small hand-mirrors, 
 strings of coloured glass beads, brass rings and trinkets, 
 coloured handkerchiefs and bright cloths, were the articles 
 chiefly used in barter. Knives and axes were greatly prized, 
 the natives considering iron to be more valuable than silver 
 or gold. Small bells and brass vessels were also valued, and 
 iron spear and arrow heads were eagerly sought for ; but the 
 Spaniards were chary of providing such goods, seeing that they 
 might be used in conflicts against themselves. 
 
 Then he produced a list of the stores that would be required 
 for the ship and crew. " In this matter," he said, " you will 
 think, perhaps, that my demands are excessive ; but I am of 
 opinion that money in this way would be well spent. As a 
 rule though I say it before men accustomed to victualling 
 ships our crews are vilely provided for. Salt meat they 
 must eat, for no other can be obtained at sea, but it should 
 be of good quality, likewise the other provisions. I want not 
 biscuits that are alive with maggots, nor mouldy flour, nor 
 peas or other things that cattle would turn up their noses at. 
 I want everything to be the very best of its kind, with cider 
 good and sound and in fair abundance. 
 
 " This is not an ordinary voyage. We shall be away for 
 many months, maybe for a year or two ; and unless the men 
 are well fed they will assuredly lose their health, and likely
 
 26 AS TO ARMS. 
 
 enough become mutinous. If we come upon a Spanish ship 
 when three parts of the crew are weak with scurvy, we shall 
 make but a poor fight of it. Therefore, I want to keep my 
 men in good strength and in good heart, and to do this they 
 must be well fed. Such a voyage as this no English ship has ever 
 made before, and cooped up as we shall be in the Swan for 
 we must carry a great crew everything depends upon there 
 being no fair ground for grumbling. Many a ship has been 
 lost from the crew being weakened by scurvy, and if you 
 are to bring this enterprise to a good end, I say that there 
 must be no stint in the matter of provisions, and that all 
 must be the very best of their kind. I trust that once out 
 there, we shall be able to obtain an abundance of fruit and 
 vegetables from the natives, for these are things above all 
 necessary to keep men's blood sweet on shipboard. 
 
 " Then as to arms. I think we should carry twelve pieces, 
 six of a side, of which four should be of good size, and yet 
 not too large to be quickly handled. In the matter of 
 weight, the Spaniards are sure to have the advantage of us ; 
 but if we can shoot much more quickly than they can, it will 
 equalize matters. Then, of course, there will be bows and 
 arrows ; I do not hold greatly to the new musketoona a man 
 can shoot six arrows while he can fire one of them, and that 
 with a straighter and truer aim, though it is true they can 
 carry somewhat farther. Then, of course, there will be pikes, 
 and boarding axes, and a good stock of powder and balls for 
 the cannon. These are the complete lists I have made out. 
 Now I hold that we should carry from eighty to a hundred 
 men. These I should pay only the ordinary rate of wage, 
 but each should have an interest in the venture according 
 to his rank. As to the profits I would leave it to you, my 
 masters, to reckon ; but seeing that in fair trade one can get 
 gold, to say nothing of silver, weight for weight for iron, and 
 other things in proportion, you can judge for yourselves what 
 it will amount to to say nothing of the chance of our falling 
 in with a Spanish treasure ship, which may be rash enough, 
 regarding us an easy prize, to fall foul of us."
 
 COUNTING THB COST. 27 
 
 "There is no doubt that the profits will be great if you 
 return safely home, Master Hawkshaw," Nicholas Turnbull 
 said ; " but the chances of that seem but small." 
 
 " I think that the chances are good enough to risk my 
 life upon, Master Turnbull," Reuben replied ; " and no man 
 can show greater confidence than that. This is the map of 
 which my Cousin Diggory has no doubt spoken to you. You 
 see that the islands are many, and some of them great, and 
 that the places at which the Spaniards have ports are few in 
 comparison. We have to avoid these, but anywhere else we 
 can open trade with the natives. If we are chased, and find 
 the place too hot for us, we can make away to the mainland, 
 and cruising along there, may come upon places that the 
 Spaniards have never visited, and may there gather great 
 store of gold and silver without danger. But I wish no one, 
 and certainly not my Cousin Diggory, to enter upon this 
 affair unless with confidence and good heart. I would far 
 rather take a horse and travel to Bristol, and lay my scheme 
 before some of the traders there." 
 
 This idea was most distasteful to the traders, for Plymouth 
 regarded Bristol with great jealousy, and Diggory Beggs at 
 once said, " No, no, Beuben. My friend Master Nicholas 
 Turnbull did not mean that he regarded your scheme as 
 hopeless, only that the risks were doubtless great. But we all 
 know that to earn great profit one must run such risk, and 
 the venture, divided between four of us, would not be a very 
 heavy one that is to say, not beyond what we are justified in 
 perilling. Would you leave us for a while, Reuben 1 We will 
 examine these lists that you have made, and reckon up the 
 total cost; and we shall then see the better how much we shall 
 each have to contribute to make up our ventura" 
 
 Reuben nodded, and putting on his hat, left the room, 
 saying, " In an hour I will return ; " and then strolled over to 
 a tavern much frequented by the masters of the ships in the 
 port.
 
 28 "THE MATTER is SRTTLED." 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 BOUND TO UNKNOWN PARTS. 
 
 WHEN Reuben Hawkshaw returned to the chamber where 
 Diggory Beggs was in conference with the other three 
 traders he found that these had finished their calculations. 
 
 " The matter is settled, Reuben, as far as we are concerned. 
 My three friends and myself will go equal shares in the 
 matter. The value of the Swan is to be taken as part of my 
 contribution, and if she ever comes back again, as we hope 
 she may do, that sum will be deducted from my share of the 
 profits, due allowance being made for what damage or injury 
 she may have suffered. You, it is understood, will take a 
 share of the profits equal to ours, and one-third share will, in 
 the first place, be set aside to be divided among the other 
 officers and crew. It will be left entirely to you to choose your 
 officers and men ; and I need not tell you the sort of fellows 
 to pick out for such a business. 
 
 " I shall see that the Swan is provided with new rigging 
 and gear, and that tliere is a plentiful store of all things on 
 board, to repair any damage you may suffer from storm or foe. 
 My good friends here are willing that the purchasing of all the 
 stores required shall be in my hands, and you shall yourself 
 test the quality of all the provisions before the bargains are 
 concluded, so as to see that everything is sweet and wholesome. 
 My friends here will not appear in the affair at all, for if 
 folks saw that four of us were concerned in the venture they 
 would think that it was something quite out of ordinary. 
 
 " All preparation will be made as quietly as possible, and 
 it will be given out that the Swan is going to make a voyage 
 to the Levant, and that she will carry a stronger battery of 
 guns than usual to beat off* any Moorish pirates she may 
 meet by the way. As it is known that she had a sharp fight 
 coming homeward it will seem only natural that we should 
 add to her armament. I shall write up to my agent in
 
 TWO SIDES TO EVERYTHING. 29 
 
 London to purchase for me the articles required to trade with 
 the natives, and bid him send them round here by sea, well 
 packed in bales. If we were to purchase so many strange 
 articles here it would give rise to talk, for people would wonder 
 with whom we intended to trade such goods. To-morrow morn- 
 ing you and I will make out a list of what you deem advisable 
 for the purpose." 
 
 For another hour the party sat and talked ; for now that 
 the other traders had fully determined to go into the venture 
 they were quite excited over it. 
 
 " Truly if I could but be spared from my business here I 
 would gladly go with you myself," Master Streatham said. 
 " I have always had a longing to see strange climes, and as no 
 Englishman has yet set eyes on these countries you are about 
 to visit, Friend Reuben, I would gladly be by your side, and 
 take share in your perils and adventures." 
 
 " I doubt not your heart and courage, Master Jonas," 
 Reuben replied, " and would warrant that you would behave 
 doughtily in case of fight with Spaniard or Indian; but I 
 question whether you would support the hardships of the 
 voyage as cheerfully as you would the dangers. Although you 
 may store the Swan with the best provisions that money can 
 buy, a diet of naught but biscuit and salt meat palls after some 
 weeks to say nothing of some months of it : and this all the 
 more in a hot climate where the appetite weakens, and one 
 comes to pine for dainty cates such as our Devonshire wives 
 are famous for." 
 
 " Yes, I fear I never should support that," Master Streatham, 
 who was a large corpulent man, mightily fond of the pleasures 
 of the table, agreed with a sigh. 
 
 " Besides, Friend Jonas," Diggory Beggs put in ; " Mistress 
 Tabitha would have her voice in the matter; and however 
 much your spirit would lead you to such an adventure, I 
 doubt whether she would let you put foot on board." 
 
 " No, it is not for us to be running after adventure," Nicholas 
 Turnbull said. " In the first place, we are sober citizens, and 
 have our wives and families to think about, and our business
 
 30 UNPLEASANT PASSENGERS. 
 
 and the affairs of the town ; and in the next place, even could 
 we leave all these, Master Reuben Hawkshaw would not thank 
 us for our company. Every foot of space is of value on the ship, 
 and men who take up space and consume food and can neither 
 set a sail nor work a cannon are but useless encumbrances." 
 
 " You have spoken truly, Master Nicholas," Reuben said 
 bluntly. " In the matter of a trip to London, or even as far 
 as the Low Countries, we could accommodate your worshipful 
 honours well enough, but on a journey like this any man who 
 cannot, if needs be, drink bilge- water and eat shoe-leather is 
 best at home. I took a voyage once it is many years ago 
 now to Amsterdam, and the owner, not my good cousin here, 
 but another, took a fancy to go with me, and his wife must 
 needs accompany him, and verily before that voyage was over 
 I wished I was dead. I was no longer captain of the ship : my 
 owner was niy captain, and his wife was his. We were for 
 ever putting into port for fresh bread and meat, milk and 
 eggs, for she could eat none other. 
 
 " If the wind got up but ever so little we had to run into 
 shelter and anchor until the sea was smooth. The manners 
 of the sailors shocked her. She would scream at night when 
 a rat ran across her, and would lose her appetite if a living 
 creature, of which, as usual, the ship was full, fell from a 
 beam on to her platter. I was tempted more than once to run 
 the ship on to a rock and make an end of us all. No, no : a 
 day's sail out from Plymouth, in a freshly launched ship, on 
 a fine day, with a store of good victuals, and a few flasks 
 of good wine, is a right merry business; but farther than 
 that I wish not to see a passenger on board any ship which 
 I command." 
 
 The others laughed. 
 
 " Well, Master Diggory, we must be going," Nicholas Turn- 
 bull said ; " it is getting late. To-morrow I will come over in 
 the forenoon, as you suggest, and we will go through these 
 lists more carefully and talk over prices and see what bulk 
 they will occupy, and discuss many other matters with the 
 aid and advice of Master Hawkshaw. There is no occasion
 
 "NO MAN CAN BEE THE FUTURE." 31 
 
 for undue haste ; and yet, if the thing is to be done, the sooner 
 it be done the better." 
 
 As the party went out Reuben found his son waiting outside 
 the door. 
 
 " Well, father t " he asked anxiously, when the three mer- 
 chants had walked briskly off towards their homes. 
 
 " It is all settled, Roger. As soon as everything is prepared 
 the Swan will sail for the Spanish main." 
 
 Roger threw his cap high in the air with a lusty shout that 
 startled the belated passers-by hurrying towards their homes, 
 for it was now long after dark, and although the town watch 
 patrolled the streets regularly prudent citizens did not care 
 to be abroad after nightfall. 
 
 " You silly boy ; " Reuben said ; " you have lost your cap." 
 
 " Nay, I heard it fall somewhere here," Roger said, search- 
 ing ; " besides a cap is a small matter one way or other. Ah ! 
 here it is, floating in a pool of mud; however, a bucket of 
 water will set it all right in the morning. O father ! I feel 
 wild with joy, only to think that all we have talked over 
 together is going to be true, and that we are to be the first 
 Englishmen who ever saw the beautiful islands they talk 
 about, and the natives with their feathers and strange attire. 
 And " 
 
 " And the Spaniards with their loade-1 guns and their 
 dungeons and gibbets," Reuben Hawkshaw put in. 
 
 "Not for us, father. The bottom of the sea maybe, but 
 not a Spanish dungeon." 
 
 " I hope not, my lad : still no man can see the future. How- 
 ever, I am right glad that we are to try this adventure ; it 
 is a glorious one, and will bring us honour in the eyes of all 
 Englishmen if we succeed, to say nothing of wealth. But 
 mind that you let not your spirits run away with your tongue ; 
 no word of this must be spoken to a soul : nor must any 
 mention be made of it in the hearing of my Cousin Mercy or 
 the girls. The four partners in the adventure have all taken 
 a solemn promi.se to each other that they will not breathe a 
 word of it even to their wives, averring that women could never
 
 32 REUBEN'S PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 be trusted to keep a secret, though as far as I have seen of them 
 methinks a woman can keep a bridle on her tongue just as 
 well as a man and, indeed somewhat better, since they do not 
 loosen them with cider or wine or strong waters. But I 
 believe, myself, it was not so much that they doubted whether 
 their wives would keep the secret as whether they would 
 approve of the enterprise, and that they made the contract to- 
 gether in order that each might afterwards be able to assure 
 
 o o 
 
 his wife that, for his part, he would gladly have taken her into 
 his confidence, but that he was obliged to fall in with the 
 wishes of his partners. It is a strange thing, Roger, but 
 methinks that, whereas most men behave valiantly enough 
 when it comes to blows with an enemy, a great proportion are 
 but cowards with their wives." 
 
 " But why should they be, father ? " 
 
 " That is an easy question to ask, Roger, but a difficult one 
 to answer. Maybe you will understand the matter better 
 some day when you have taken a wife to yourself. In some 
 matters there is no doubt that women's wits outrun those of 
 men, and that they have a wonderful sharpness of tongue. 
 Now a man, when things go wrong with him, speaks out loudly 
 and roundly ; he storms and he rages; but when it is over there 
 is an end of it. Now a woman is not like that, she seems to 
 ponder the matter over in her heart, and to bring it out as it 
 were piecemeal, throwing little darts at you when you don't 
 expect it, saying little things to which from their suddenness 
 you can find no reply, and pricking you furiously all over 
 until you are ready to roar out with pain and vexation. You 
 see, Roger, a prick hurteth more than a great cut." 
 
 " I should not have thought that, father." 
 
 "That is because you have not thought the matter over, 
 Roger. In that fight with the Moors many of the men were 
 sorely cut and wounded, but you heard no cry from them : 
 they only set their teeth the harder and smote more furiously 
 upon their foes; but there was no one of them all but had 
 he sat down suddenly on a small nail would have roared 
 out like a bull, and have sworn lustily for a good half-hour.
 
 "GIVE THEM A WIDE BERTH." 33 
 
 So it is in domestic matters : the man rages and storms 
 when things go wrong ; and his wife, if she be a woman of 
 judgment, holds her peace until it is over, knowing well enough 
 that he will be at her mercy afterwards. Then she sets to 
 work, like those gnats that came on board at Genoa, that 
 they call mosquitoes, and startles him with shrill buzzings in 
 his ears, and pricketh him in the tenderest spots she can 
 find, drawing but the smallest speck of blood, but causing an 
 itching that makes him ready to tear his flesh. 
 
 " Your mother, Roger, was one of the best of women. She 
 was a good housewife and an affectionate. I do not know 
 that I ever saw her greatly ruffled in temper, but there were 
 times when I would fly from my house and not come up from 
 my work on board, until it was time to go straight away to 
 bed, so did she prick and sting me with her tongue ; and that 
 not shrilly or with anger, but with little things let slip as it were 
 unawares and with an air of ignorance that they in any way 
 applied to me. No, Roger, if you will take my advice you 
 will make your ship your mistress. She will have her ways, 
 but you will learn them and will know just how much helm 
 she requires, and how the sail should be trimmed ; but with 
 a woman no man attains to this knowledge, and if you take 
 my advice you will give them a wide berth. 
 
 " I know," he went on, in answer to Roger's merry laugh, 
 " that this is a matter in which no man will trust to other 
 experience than his own. Every man who takes a woman to 
 wife thinks that he can manage her, and goes into the matter 
 with a light heart, as if it were a mere pleasure excursion on 
 which he is embarking, whereas in truth it is a voyage as full 
 of dangers and perils as that upon which we are about to 
 adventure. Now let us turn back to our lodging, for I have 
 nearly gone on my face four times already in these deep ruts 
 and holes. I would that the councillors of this town could see 
 the streets of Genoa, or Cadiz, or Amsterdam ! They might 
 then try to mend the ways of Plymouth, and make them 
 somewhat less perilous to passengers after dark." 
 
 Work began in earnest upon the following day. A number 
 
 (018)
 
 34 A SURPRISING LAVI8HNB88. 
 
 of shipwrights were set upon the hull of the Swan, which 
 was to be thoroughly overhauled, caulked and pitched within 
 and without; the masts and rigging were to be carefully 
 looked to, and every defect repaired. A new suit of sails was 
 ordered, the old ones to be patched where the Moorish shot 
 had torn them, soastobeofuseasa second suit did any 
 misadventure happen to the others. 
 
 James Standing, the first mate, took charge of these matters ; 
 Reuben Hawkshaw assisting Diggory Beggs in all things 
 relating to the stores. Greatly were the provision merchants 
 of the town surprised at the quality of the provisions that 
 Master Beggs ordered for the use of the Swan. Nothing but 
 fine flour of the last year's grinding, freshly killed beef 
 and pork to be carefully salted down in barrels, and newly 
 baked biscuits, would satisfy Reuben Hawkshaw. They could 
 scarce believe that such articles could be meant for use on 
 shipboard, for, as a rule, the very cheapest and worst quality 
 of everything was considered as amply good enough for the 
 use of sailors. 
 
 Then, too, the cider and beer must be neither thin nor sour, 
 but sweet and of good body. Surely, Master Beggs must have 
 gone off his head thus to furnish his ship ! for never before had 
 a vessel sailed out of Plymouth harbour provided after this 
 fashion. An ample store of ropes and cordage and of all 
 matters required for a ship's equipage were also laid in. To 
 all questions as to the surprising lavishnass of cost, Diggory 
 replied : 
 
 " I would have the ship well found in all matters. It 
 was but the other day that the Antelope returned from a 
 voyage to the Levant. She had lost a third of her crew from 
 scurvy, and of the rest but six were strong enough to pull at 
 a rope when she came into port. Did not the women follow 
 Master Skimpole, her owner, through the streets and cry 
 after him that he was the murderer of their husbands, by 
 reason of the foul victual that he had provided for their use? 
 No, no, it will cost more to start with, but it will be cheaper 
 in the end, for a weak crew often means the losing of a ship
 
 TOWN TALK. 35 
 
 besides the loss of a good name. I have never carried economy 
 to such lengths as did Master Skiinpole, but I am resolved 
 in the future that those who sail in my ships shall have good 
 and wholesome fare. Then, if misfortune happens, no one will 
 be able to point to me in the streets and say that I fed my 
 men worse than dogs, and thought only of my profits and 
 nothing of the lives of those who served me." 
 
 Indeed, Master Diggory after a short time quite forgot that 
 all this provision for the health and comfort of the crew was 
 but the outcome of Reuben Hawkshaw's insistence, and came 
 to regard himself with a feeling of pride as a man possessed of 
 greater benevolence than his fellow-merchants. A week after 
 the reflating of the Swan was completed, she was afloat with 
 a large proportion of her stores in her hold. A ship from 
 London came round and took up her berth alongside of her, 
 discharging large numbers of bales and cases into her, together 
 with six cannon in addition to those she before carried, and 
 a large store of ammunition. 
 
 This naturally gave rise to fresh talk in the town. " They 
 say that you are fitting the Swan out for a pirate, Master 
 Beggs," one of the merchants said to him : " for twelve cannon 
 are more than a peaceful trader can positively require." 
 
 " Yes, if she is to meet with none but peaceful people, 
 neighbour ; but if she meets with those who are not peaceful 
 at all she needs just as much defence as if she were a ship of 
 war. Master Hawkshaw had much ado to beat off the 
 Moorish pirates who attacked him on his last voyage ; and as 
 the present one will be longer and more dangerous he has put 
 stress upon me to add much to her armament. She will 
 have valuable cargo on her return voyage, and he has strongly 
 urged upon me to provide such means of defence as may 
 ensure her being able to beat off any who meddle with her ; 
 besides, as far as I can read the course of politics it seems to 
 me that our alliance with Spain is well-nigh at an end, and 
 before the Swan is on her return we may be at war with her. 
 This in itself is good reason why I should give my master the 
 means of defending himself stoutly. The money spent on the
 
 36 PICKING A CREW. 
 
 guns is not wasted. They will be none the worse for keeping, 
 and should the Swan on her next voyage go into a safer line 
 of trade I can sell them for as much as they now cost me." 
 
 In the meantime Reuben Hawkshaw had been carefully 
 and quietly picking a crew. He was going to take with him 
 fully twice as many as had before sufficed to navigate the Swan. 
 Of the forty men who had sailed with him he had lost nine, and 
 five others had not sufficiently recovered from their wounds to 
 sail with him again. Of the remainder he engaged twenty, all 
 of whom were stout and willing fellows who would, he knew, 
 sail with him wherever he bid them ; the remaining six being 
 given to grumbling he would have none of, good sailors though 
 they were. " Half-a-dozen grumblers are enough to spoil a whole 
 crew," he said. There were, therefore, some sixty new hands 
 to engage. Towards these he found eighteen who had sailed with 
 him on previous voyages, and were glad enough to rejoin him, for 
 he had the name of being a good captain, considerate to his men, 
 one who would be obeyed, but who did not harass his crew, and 
 did all he could in reason to make them comfortable. 
 
 The others were picked up carefully one by one. For this 
 purpose he took some of his best men aside, and confided to them 
 privately that the present voyage was to be out of the ordinary, 
 and that he needed not only stout fellows but willing and 
 cheerful ones : men who would take hardships without grum- 
 bling, and who with a prospect of good reward in addition to 
 their pay would go without question where they were told, 
 and do as they were ordered were it to singe the beard of 
 the Grand Turk himself in his own palace. He charged 
 them, therefore, to find for him men of this kind among their 
 relations or men who had sailed with him. 
 
 " I would rather," he said, " have landsmen, providing they 
 are strong, and stout-hearted, than sailors however skilful who 
 are given to grumbling and disaffection. We shall have 
 plenty of good sailors on board and the others will soon learn 
 their business ; therefore, choose you not for seamanship, but 
 rather for willingness and good temper. And broach not the 
 subject to any unless you feel assured beforehand that they
 
 MISTRESS MERCT IS INDIGNANT. 37 
 
 will be willing to join, for I want not the matter talked about. 
 Therefore those who join are to keep the matter private, and 
 are not to come on board until the night before we get up our 
 anchors. We are taking a much stronger crew than usual, 
 for we have many guns that need working if it comes to 
 fighting." 
 
 As these instructions were given separately, none of the 
 twelve men he spoke to knew that the others had received 
 similar instructions, and that instead of forty men as usual, the 
 Swan was to carry nearly ninety. As to the officers, Reuben 
 Hawkshaw needed none others than those who had before sailed 
 with him. The two mates had each been with him for upwards 
 of ten years, and had learned their business under his eye ; and 
 he intended, although he had not as yet told him so, to rate 
 Roger as third mate. His boatswain would go in the same 
 capacity as before ; and he shipped, as gunner, one who had 
 served for some years in a king's ship in that rank, and was 
 well acquainted with the working of ordnance. 
 
 Mistress Mercy had, of course, heard from her gossips of the 
 talk that was going on concerning the unusual preparations 
 that were being made by her husband for the forthcoming 
 voyage of the Swan ; and the trader was often put to his wits' 
 end by her questions on the subject. His professions of bene- 
 volence towards the crew, and his explanations of his reasons 
 for her powerful armament had sufficed for others, but they by 
 no means satisfied her. 
 
 " Do you think, Diggory Beggs," she asked, indignantly, 
 " that after all these years I do not know you as well as I do 
 the contents of my linen-chest ? I have never before known 
 you open your purse strings one inch wider than was necessary. 
 Have I not always had to ask until I am verily ashamed, 
 before I can get a new gown for myself, or a decent cloak for 
 the girls ? You have ever been hardfisted with your money, 
 and never disposed to spend a groat save on good occasion. 
 There is not the wife of a trader of your standing in Plymouth 
 but makes a braver show than I do, when we walk on the 
 Hoe on holidays or feast-days. There is something at the
 
 38 "A PABLOUS ILL TURN." 
 
 bottom of all this I don't understand ; but mark you, Diggory, 
 I am not to be kept in the dark. As your wife, I have a 
 right to know why you are throwing about good and lawful 
 money. I toil and slave to keep your house decent and 
 respectable at small cost, but I shall do so no longer. If you 
 can afford to throw money into the gutter in one way, you can 
 in another ; and people will cry shame on you, when, as they 
 say, you are pampering up your sailors in such manner as will 
 cause discontent among all others in the port, while your wife 
 and daughters are walking about in homespun ! " 
 
 Mistress Mercy did not succeed in extracting the informa- 
 tion she desired from her husband, who was, however, forced 
 to fall back upon the defence that he had his reasons, but that 
 he was pledged to say nothing concerning them. 
 
 " Pledged ! " she replied, scornfully. " And to whom are you 
 pledged, I should like to know ? I thought you were pledged 
 to me, and that you were bound to cherish and comfort me ; 
 which means, of course, that you were to have no secrets from 
 me, and to tell me all that I desire to know." 
 
 But though Diggory kept the secret, albeit with much trouble 
 and with many misgivings as to what would happen in the 
 future, when his wife came to learn of the important venture 
 he had undertaken without consulting her, she nevertheless 
 succeeded so far that, in order to pacify her, he was obliged to 
 allow her a free hand in choosing from his magazines such pieces 
 of cloth and silk for herself and the girls as she had a fancy 
 to. This permission she did not abuse as to quality, for she 
 knew well enough what was becoming in the way of dress for 
 the wife of a merchant, and that it was not seemly for such a 
 one to attire herself in apparel suited for the wives of nobles 
 and ladies of the Court. But Diggory groaned in spirit, 
 although he prudently said nothing, at seeing that she took 
 advantage of the present position to carry off a store which 
 would amply suffice for at least two or three years' wearing 
 for herself and the girls. 
 
 " You have done me a parlous ill turn, Cousin Reuben," he 
 eaid sadly to his cousin, " by bidding me hide this matter
 
 DIQGORY'S SUPREMACY is ENDANGERED. 39 
 
 from my wife. A few more such secrets, and I should be a 
 ruined man. Never before have I known her seized with a 
 desire for such prodigality of vesture. I have looked upon her 
 all these years as a sober and discreet woman, well content to 
 wear what was quiet and becoming to her station ; but now 
 truly my heart melted when I saw how she fingered the goods, 
 and desired John, my assistant, to cut off such lengths as she 
 desired from some of my goodliest cloths." 
 
 " Tut, tut, cousin ; you exaggerate things greatly. It is no 
 wonder that Mistress Mercy, seeing that you are flourishing 
 greatly in trade, and able to spend your money freely, should 
 deem it but fitting that she, as your wife, should make a 
 braver show than heretofore. Besides, the girls are growing 
 up, and need to be a little bright and gay. Why, man, there 
 are many London citizens, who could not count their broad 
 pieces with you, whose wives spend many times as much every 
 year on their attire as Mistress Mercy has cost you now." 
 
 " Well, well, Reuben, there may be something in what you 
 say, but no more secrets, or there is no saying what wild 
 extravagance she might take in her head next time. She 
 might quarrel with the house and insist upon a new one 
 furnished from top to bottom, or set her heart on a coach with 
 running footmen. No, no more secrets, or I shall be having 
 her so set herself up that I shall be no more master of my 
 own house." 
 
 Roger was plied with many questions by his cousins, who 
 tried alternately coaxing and pouting, to learn from him why 
 it was that, as all told them, preparations were being made 
 for the voyage of the Swan such as were unknown before 
 at Plymouth. All he could reply was, that the ship was only 
 being victualled as all ships ought to be whose owners cared as 
 they should do for the comfort and health of their crews. 
 More than that he could not say. He would not deny that he 
 had certain ideas of his own as to the voyage ; but if Cousin 
 Diggory and his father thought it well to make no talk 
 about the matter, it was not for him to say what were his 
 thoughts about it.
 
 40 THE PREPARATIONS ARE COMPLETED. 
 
 " But we would tell nobody," Dorothy urged. " Don't you 
 think we could keep a secret as well as you can ? " 
 
 "That is just it, Cousin Dorothy! don't you see if I were 
 to tell you, it would be a proof that I could not keep a secret ? 
 and then, if you told it I could not blame you for blabbing. 
 I don't say there is any secret ; but if there is, I must keep it." 
 
 " I know that you are going into danger, Reuben ; else you 
 would not have all those great guns they say there are on 
 board." 
 
 " The great guns will keep us out of danger, you see. The 
 more guns the less danger." 
 
 " Come away, Agnes," Dorothy said with an assumption of 
 stateliness. " Cousin Roger is altogether too smart for us. 
 Let him keep his secrets if he will, and let us go and help 
 mother with her sewing." 
 
 And so for the last two or three days before the Swan sailed 
 there was a coolness between Roger and the girls, as well as 
 between Diggory Beggs and his wife. 
 
 At last the day came when everything was complete, the 
 water casks filled, and the last packet and bale stored away 
 in the hold ; and even Reuben Hawkshaw admitted that there 
 was nothing else that he could think of requisite either for the 
 safety or navigation of the ship, or the provisioning or health 
 of the crew. The order was passed round for all the old hands 
 to be aboard before sunset that evening, together with those 
 who had been openly engaged to fill up the vacancies. 
 
 As for the rest the twelve recruiters each received private 
 orders. Three of them were to bring down the men they had 
 engaged to the wharf, abreast of the Swan, at eight o'clock, 
 and to go off in the boat which would be awaiting them there 
 under charge of Master Standing ; three others were to come 
 half an hour later ; the other six were to bring down their 
 men at daybreak, so that all would get on board unnoticed. 
 
 The last meal at Master Diggory's was but a dull one. The 
 subject of the Swan and her voyage had by common consent 
 been dropped altogether for the last day or two, and it was 
 not until supper was over that Mistress Mercy and the girls
 
 BEUBEN HAWK8HAW KXPLAIN8. 41 
 
 knew that the hour of sailing was at hand ; then Reuben 
 spoke up : 
 
 " We go on board to-night, Cousin Mercy, and shall get up 
 our anchor and loose our sails the first thing in the morning. 
 I know that you have been somewhat aggrieved at not learning 
 more about our intentions ; but it was not Cousin Diggory's 
 fault that you have not been told." 
 
 " I do not seek to pry into matters which my husband 
 thinks fit to conceal from me," she said, coldly. 
 
 " Nevertheless, cousin, you are hurt ; and I cannot blame 
 you, seeing that it is natural that a woman should like to 
 know what is passing around her. But I wish before I go 
 that you should see that Diggory is not to blame in this 
 matter. There is no harm in my telling you now that he 
 stands not alone in this venture, but that others have joined 
 with him. Now he himself, knowing you to be a circumspect 
 woman, who could be trusted to keep to yourself anything 
 that you might learn, would willingly have taken you into 
 our councils ; but all women are not so discreet, and matters 
 which it is very important should be kept secret might have 
 leaked out had it not been proposed that all concerned in the 
 matter should bind themselves solemnly to each other to say 
 no words about it, even to their wives; and thus, you see, 
 Diggory's lips have been sealed, and that not by any mistrust 
 of you. It may be some time before it will be prudent for 
 the truth about this voyage to be known, but in good time 
 those concerned may think fit to relieve each other of this 
 agreement they have entered upon, and to let their wives and 
 others who may be depended upon, into the secret. I wanted 
 to tell you this before we sailed, for I should not like to go 
 away feeling that you cherished aught of .malice against me ; 
 for I have seen for some time that you have held me, as well 
 as your husband, to blame. We are going on a long voyage, 
 Cousin Mercy, and one from which it may well be that 
 none of us will ever return to this good town of Plymouth. 
 I am somewhat breaking my promise in saying this, and I 
 rely upon you and the girls repeating it to no one. It is a
 
 42 RECONCILIATION. 
 
 long and venturous journey, and one not without much peril ; 
 but if it succeeds it will bring much honour as well as wealth 
 to all concerned. And now, Cousin Mercy, as I have told 
 you so much as that, I trust that we may part as we have 
 always parted, in friendly and kindly fashion. You and your 
 husband have been good friends to me and my boy, and have 
 gone in that matter far beyond the ordinary bounds of kinship ; 
 and I should not like to start upon this voyage knowing that 
 there was a cloud between us." 
 
 Mistress Mercy rose from her seat, walked round to Reuben 
 Hawkshaw, and kissed him. " Forgive me, Cousin Reuben," 
 she said, " for my cross looks and shrewish ways. I see that 
 I have acted altogether wrongly in the matter, and that 
 neither you nor Diggory are to blame. I knew not that others 
 were concerned, and thought that a mystery was being made 
 because it was considered that, did I know it, I should run 
 out and blab it in the streets of Plymouth. Now I know 
 how it is I am well content as to that, but not so at the 
 thought of this unknown peril into which you are about to 
 run, and I wonder that Diggory should adventure your life 
 and that of Roger upon such an expedition." 
 
 " It is my own proposal, Cousin Mercy, and Diggory has 
 but yielded to my wishes. Roger is as hot for the adventure 
 as I am, and we are both content to run what risks we may 
 encounter for the honour which we shall gain if we return 
 safely home. And now, Roger, let us be going, leave-takings 
 are sad things, and the shorter they are made the better." 
 
 While these words had been said, the girls, who sat on 
 either side of Roger, were silently making their peace with 
 him by furtive squeezes of his hands below the table, and they 
 burst into tears as Roger and his father rose. 
 
 " Good-bye, Agnes," Roger said. " Good-bye, Dorothy," and 
 as he kissed her he whispered, " if I return I will bring you 
 the prettiest trinkets ever seen in Plymouth." 
 
 "Bring back yourself, Roger, and I shall be more than 
 content," she replied. 
 
 In another minute they were gone, Diggory Beggs taking
 
 THE CREW GOME ABOABD. 43 
 
 his hat and starting with them, telling his wife that he should 
 not return until morning, as he should go on board the Swan 
 with them and remain until she sailed. 
 
 " You will not go before daybreak, Cousin Reuben 1 " Mistress 
 Mercy asked. 
 
 " No ; it will more likely be an hour after sunrise before we 
 weigh anchor." 
 
 "Then I and the girls will be down on the wharf to see 
 the last of you and wave our kerchiefs, and wish you a pleasant 
 voyage and a safe return." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE VOYAGE. 
 
 i~^ REAT was the surprise of the original crew of the Swan, 
 VJT when boat-load after boat-load of fresh hands arrived. 
 They themselves had been quietly told that the voyage was 
 likely to be one of unusual length, and that none save those 
 willing and ready to stay away as long as might be required 
 were to sail in the Swan on her present venture. There was, 
 therefore, a general idea current among them that Master 
 Hawkshaw had some adventure quite out of the ordinary in 
 his mind; and the news that some heavy guns had arrived from 
 London for her had confirmed their opinion as to the voyage. 
 
 " Let us have no loud talk to-night," Reuben Hawkshaw 
 ordered ; " when we get our sails spread to-morrow and are well 
 out of port, you can talk to your hearts' content, but the night 
 is still, and I want not that attention of any on shore should 
 be called to the ship : there has been more foolish talk than 
 enough about her already ; so turn in to rest, lads, without ado. 
 The boatswain will serve you each out a pottle of cider, such 
 as you never drank on board ship before, I warrant me, and 
 which is a sample of what you will have all the voyage. When 
 you have tossed that off, let each lie down as he can find
 
 44 THE SECOND MATB. 
 
 space. We will divide into watches and settle as to each man's 
 place to-morrow. Pengarvan, set four hands aside to go on 
 shore with the boat an hour before daybreak ; tell them off 
 to sleep where you can lay hands upon them easily. Keep 
 the boat alongside, and make off to the wharf as noiselessly as 
 you can ; but I shall be on deck then, and will give you further 
 orders." 
 
 The second mate only replied, " Ay, ay, Captain Hawk- 
 shaw," for he was a man of but few words. Reuben Hawk- 
 shaw was not fond of Cornishmen, but he made an exception 
 in the case of Pengarvan indeed, although their borders 
 joined, there was little liking among Cornish and Devon men 
 for each other. 
 
 " They are black, ill-conditioned dogs," Reuben Hawkshaw 
 would say ; " good sailors I own, none better, but glum and surly 
 in their ways, and with nothing joyous in their natures. It 
 seems to me that working in the darkness in those holes of 
 theirs underground has infected the spirits of the whole 
 county, as it might well do, seeing that, as everyone knows, 
 there are little people who guard the treasures of the mines, 
 and who, if they cannot do bodily hurt to those who delve for 
 metals, can yet infect their spirits with a black melancholy and 
 do them other grievous harm. So when Pengarvan came to me 
 as a boy on the quay here, and asked me to take him with 
 me to sea, I did not much like doing so, for I saw at once by 
 his speech that he was Cornish ; but I did not like to turn him 
 away, for he said that he was willing, and accustomed to the 
 sea. So I gave him a trial, and he has turned out a first-rate 
 sailor ; he is chary of speech, and not given to jest or laughter ; 
 but he is always quick and willing to obey orders, taking 
 whatever comes in good part, and bearing himself just the 
 same in storm as in sunshine. 
 
 " I know nought of his history. The Swan has been his home 
 since he first came on board twelve years ago. As long as she 
 is afloat he never leaves her ; when she is laid down for repairs 
 he takes the nearest lodging on hand and abides there till she 
 is afloat again. I believe that he comes from Fowey, and
 
 GOLD IN PLENTY. 45 
 
 guess that he got into some trouble or other, and had to run 
 for it. But that's nothing to me. I want no better man, and 
 know that whatever comes I can rely upon Pengarvan to stand 
 by me and the ship to the last." 
 
 If the men were astonished at the thirty new hands who 
 came on board on the previous evening, they were still more 
 astonished when as many more embarked in the morning. 
 The new-comers were ordered to keep in the forecastle and in 
 the quarters under it until the Swan was well away from land. 
 
 " There will be a good many eyes turned on the ship as soon 
 as we are seen to be shaking out our canvas," Reuben said ; 
 " and there is no need to set their tongues wagging by showing 
 more men on deck than we usually carry." 
 
 The captain and Diggory Beggs talked late on into the night. 
 They went over all the ground again ; and Reuben brought 
 out the map of the islands and showed where he intended 
 to touch. 
 
 " I think not to do much trading there," he said. " There is 
 gold in Hispaniola and Cuba ; but the captain I got the chart 
 from said there was no very great store there, and that the 
 natives had but little of it when the Spaniards first arrived, 
 seeing that it took trouble and labour to obtain, and they are 
 by nature altogether averse to hard work, and moreover place 
 but little value on the gold ; but there were rumours among 
 them that farther west there was a land where gold was in 
 great plenty, and where there was a powerful people dressed in 
 gay attire and wearing great bracelets and necklaces of gold. 
 
 " So far, the Spaniards have not found this land, though 
 they have sailed down the coast a long way to the south, and 
 northward as far as the point that Master Cabot reached 
 when he sailed down from Newfoundland ; but due west they 
 have never sailed far, and have found the sea ever stretching 
 away in front of them ; so that it is clear that either the great 
 mainland is split in two at this point, or there is a vast bay. 
 This I shall try to discover, and if we find these people of 
 whom the Indians speak, we may well return loaded down 
 with gold.
 
 46 FALSE INSTRUCTIONS. 
 
 " My advice to you, Cousin Diggory, is, that you and your 
 partners should continue to keep silent as to this voyage of 
 ours. If we come not back, and after a time there is a talk 
 here that we have gone to the Indies, the news may be carried 
 to London, and you may be questioned and may be blamed 
 mightily for undertaking such an adventure without the king's 
 permission ; and all sorts of harm may fall upon you. Success 
 would, in my mind, altogether excuse you, and you will bo able 
 to offer so great a present to the king that he will be mighty 
 contented ; but if you fail it will be otherwise. Therefore, my 
 advice is, till the Swan is anchored in the port say nothing 
 about her. It were best from the moment we sail to write 
 off all that has been spent upon her as money lost, just the 
 same as if you knew for certain that she had gone down as 
 soon as she was out of sight of land. 
 
 " Folks will ask you what has become of her, and you will 
 truly say that you have had no news ; and when months pass 
 on, and she comes not, you will shake your head and say that 
 you begin to fear that evil has befallen her. She may have 
 gone down in a storm, or been cast on some rocky coast and 
 all perished, or been captui-ed by pirates. If the friends of 
 the sailors make a stir and go to the magistrates, you have 
 but to show the copy of the letter of instructions which we 
 drew up the other day, laying it down that I was to make 
 for the African Straits, and to put into no Portuguese or 
 Spanish port by the way; that I was then to shape my 
 course for the island of Malta, and to take in fresh stores of 
 food and water there; then that I was to pass round the 
 southernmost point of Greece, and sail upwards to Constan- 
 tinople, and there to dispose of such portion of my cargo as 
 I could sell at good profit, buying goods suited for our market 
 with the monies I received ; and if my hold was full I was 
 then to return straight to England, but if I had still some of 
 my cargo unsold, I could trade as best seemed to me among 
 the Eastern Islands, and with the ports of Asia. 
 
 " There would be your instructions to show, and as it is 
 notorious to all that you provisioned the ship in the best manner
 
 LOOKING AHEAD. 47 
 
 possible, and laid in greater stores than ordinary of all things 
 necessary for the voyage, none can hold you to blame in any 
 way if the chances of the seas have proved too masterful for 
 us, and the Sican returns no more. Should we carry out our 
 enterprise to the fullest, and gain great store of gold, I shall, if 
 it is possible, come not directly home, but to some port maybe 
 in Ireland, maybe in the Low Countries whence we can send 
 word to you. 
 
 " Upon hearing of our coming there, I should advise you 
 and your fellow-adventurers to journey straight to London, 
 to gain audience with one of the ministers, and tell him you 
 have a /matter of great importance to communicate to the 
 king himself ; and that you should then lay before his majesty 
 an account of what you have done, and pray him to pardon 
 your boldness, which was due to your desire for the honour 
 of the country as much as to wish for profit, and beg him 
 to accept such share of the gold as you may think fit. I shall, 
 of court*, when I write let you know about what weight of 
 the metal I have on board. In that way when the ship comes 
 into port all will be smooth sailing for you, whereas if I come 
 unannounced there is no saying what share of your profits 
 his majesty may think fit to take." 
 
 " I think the plan is a very good one, indeed, Reuben ; and 
 I will follow it to the letter. When think you may I begin to 
 expect to hear news of you I " 
 
 ' It is difficult to say, seeing that we know neither the 
 distance we may have to sail nor the difficulties we may have 
 to meet with, nor the winds and currents of those regions. 
 I should say fifteen months at the earliest ; and if double that 
 time passes without your hearing aught, then I should say 
 you may give up all hope of ever seeing us again." 
 
 " I am disposed even now, Reuben, to regret that I ever 
 embarked in this venture not, as you surely know, from any 
 fear of losing the money that I have put into it, but from 
 the risk that will be run by you and the lad Roger, who are 
 both very dear to me." 
 
 " Whatever comes you must not blame yourself in that
 
 48 PARTING WORDS. 
 
 matter, Diggory. You have only yielded to my solicitations, 
 and if we go to our death it is our choosing and none of 
 thine." 
 
 " Should the Swan come back without you, Reuben as may 
 possibly be, for if there be any danger you are sure to expose 
 yourself in the front of it Roger shall be as a son to me, and 
 shall either in time have a ship to command, and a share in 
 her, as thou hast; and he shall come in our business when 
 he has had enough of adventure at sea and is willing to settle 
 down on land." 
 
 Reuben wrung his cousin's hand silently, and then said, 
 " Let us take one more glass of strong water, Diggory, and 
 then get a few hours' sleep before morning. It is past mid- 
 night now, and I must be up by four, for at that hour the 
 boat must go off for the first batch of our new hands." 
 
 Day broke just as the last batch of men were brought 
 on board. As soon as these had gone below the whistle was 
 sounded, the old crew came up on deck, and the preparations 
 for making sail commenced. The anchor was hove short, the 
 lashings of the sails were loosened, the flags run up to the mast- 
 heads, the last casks and bales lowered into the hold, the hatches 
 put on, and the decks washed down. Before these preparations 
 were all complete a little group was seen standing at the end 
 of the wharf. 
 
 " There is your good-wife, Diggory, and the girls. She has 
 kept her word to be up betimes to see the last of us." 
 
 At last all was ready, and Diggory shook hands with Reuben 
 and turned to Roger, when the captain said, " The lad can go 
 in charge of the boat that takes you ashore, Diggory, and just 
 say another word of parting to them there." 
 
 In five minutes Roger stood on the wharf. " I cannot wait, 
 Cousin Mercy," he said, " for all is ready for hoisting the 
 anchor ; but my father said I might just come ashore for one 
 more good-bye." 
 
 " May God protect you, Roger," Mistress Mercy said, as 
 she folded him in a motherly embrace. " We shall all pray 
 for you daily and nightly, until you return. Good-bye,
 
 ROGER BIDS FAREWELL TO HIS FRIENDS ON SHORE.
 
 THE STABT. 49 
 
 Roger ! Don't imperil your life needlessly, but be prudent and 
 careful." 
 
 " For your sake, Dorothy," he whispered as he kissed her. 
 
 " Yes, for my sake, Roger," she said softly. Agnes hung 
 round his neck crying loudly, and her mother had to unclasp 
 the child's fingers. 
 
 " God bless you all," Roger said hoarsely, and then ran 
 down the steps and leapt into the stern of the boat. 
 
 When he gained the deck of the Swan the boat was hoisted 
 in, and the men began to heave round the windlass. As soon as 
 the anchor was up the sails were sheeted home; and the Swan, 
 yielding to the light breeze off the land, began to make her 
 way through the water. Roger from the poop waved his cap 
 in reply to the signals of farewell from shore, and then running 
 down into the waist busied himself with the work of the 
 ship until they were too far away from the land for the figures 
 there to be any longer visible. 
 
 The rest of the crew now came on deck, and all were 
 mustered in watches. Reuben Hawkshaw, standing on the 
 edge of the poop then said a few words to them. 
 
 " Men," he said, " I dare say there is some wonderment 
 among you in finding yourselves so strong a crew, and at 
 seeing the Swan so well provided with guns and with all other 
 necessaries. You will learn in good time all about it, but 
 at present it is best for many reasons that you should know 
 nothing about the matter. We may be overhauled by a king's 
 ship ; we may meet with foul weather and have to put back 
 into port ; and a loose tongue might do us grievous damage. 
 It is enough for you to know that where the ship is going you 
 are going ; that she is stored with provisions of such quality 
 as was never put on board a trader before ; that everything 
 will be done for your comfort. As to myself I am content to 
 know that I have a crew of eighty-five stout Devonshire lads 
 under me, and that we can give an account of ourselves who- 
 soever may meet us. Those who have sailed with me before 
 know that I do my best for my men, that there will be no 
 harsh words or violence on board this ship save they are well 
 
 (618) T>
 
 50 SETTLING DOWN. 
 
 merited. Discipline, order, and obedience I will have, and that 
 strictly. Above all I will have no grumbling; a grumbling 
 crew is a useless crew, and a sick crew ; while a cheerful crew 
 can meet with confidence whatever befalls them ; but I think 
 not that I have any grumblers on board, since every man 
 has been carefully chosen. A merry heart goes all the way, 
 as the saying has it, and I want this crew to be a happy one. 
 
 " So far as the order of the ship permits it, you shall have 
 every indulgence. At first you will find yourselves pressed 
 for space, but you will soon eat and drink room for yourselves. 
 The stores to be first used are all down in the forehold, and 
 I reckon that in three weeks or a month that will be cleared ; 
 and there will then be room for all to lie in shelter when we 
 are in harbour; and the present accommodation is sufficient for 
 the watch below, providing all sleep quietly, and have good 
 conscience. And now to work. While you get everything 
 tidy and in good shipshape the cooks will get to work at the 
 coppers ; and I can promise you a good breakfast, washed 
 down by sound cider such as you had last night." 
 
 The men gave a cheer, and were soon at work under the 
 direction of their officers. It mattered little to them where 
 they were going or what was before them. They liad guessed 
 that it was no ordinary voyage they were going to under- 
 take; but the thought that wherever it was thoy were to 
 be well kept and well cared for, satisfied them mightily, and 
 if fighting were to come into their way so much the better. 
 With such a crew they could well take their part against any 
 enemy they were likely to meet. 
 
 In the poop of the Swan there was a small saloon extending 
 across the stern, and two cabins on either side of the passage 
 leading to it. These were occupied by the captain, the two 
 mates, and Roger ; and they took their meals together in the 
 saloon. In a cabin underneath this, the three petty officers and 
 twenty of the sailors lived together, the main body of the crew 
 occupying the raised forecastle and the cabin underneath it. 
 The galley was forward, built up against the forecastle, and thus 
 sheltered from heavy seas which might sweep tho waist of the
 
 IN THE SALOON. 51 
 
 vessel. Four small cannon were mounted on the poop, two on 
 the forecastle, the six larger guns were in the waist three on 
 either side. 
 
 The breeze freshened as the Swan drew out from under the 
 shelter of the land, and by midday the shore had faded from 
 the sight. The crew had by this time settled down in their 
 places, and sat in groups on deck, some overhauling the con- 
 tents of their sea-bags, looking over their clothes, and setting 
 to, with needle and thread, to make such repairs as were needed. 
 Some of the new hands were leaning over the side wishing 
 heartily that they were on shore again. Those who had made 
 voyages were talking to their companions about the various 
 ports at' which they might touch, and the sights they would 
 behold. All save those suffering from the effects of the sea 
 were in high good temper. As much fresh beef as was like to 
 keep good till eaten, had been brought on board. The wind 
 set in the next morning freshly from the north-east, and with 
 all sail set the Swan ran gaily before it. 
 
 "Would that this wind would blow without a break for 
 another month," Reuben Hawkshaw said, as he sat at dinner 
 with the two mates and Roger. Standing and Pengarvan 
 looked up quickly, but the latter without a question again 
 betook himself to feeding. Standing, however, laid down his 
 jack-knife in astonishment. 
 
 "A month, Captain Hawkshaw 1 I should have thought four 
 or five days of this would give us ample westing, and that after 
 that a westerly breeze, somewhat from the north, would suit 
 us best." 
 
 " Ay, ay, you would think so, Standing ; but then you see 
 you know not to within a good many points where our journey 
 tendeth. Wait till I have finished my dinner, for man cannot 
 talk and eat together with comfort. Then, when my boy has 
 removed the trenchers, I will tell you over an extra mug of 
 cider what all this is about." 
 
 The meal lasted for some time longer, for Reuben Hawkshaw 
 was a good trencherman, and one not given to hurrying himself, 
 unless there was need ; and neither of the other men were far
 
 52 CAPTAIN REUBEN UNFOLDS HIS PURPOSE. 
 
 behind their chief in the matter of the stowage of victuals. 
 But at last the meal was done, and the trenchers were carried 
 off; the earthenware mugs were again filled with cider, and 
 then Reuben Hawkshaw sitting at one end of the table, 
 with Eoger facing him, and the mates one on either hand, 
 threw himself back in his settle, which he used in right of 
 captaincy, while the others contented themselves with stools, 
 and began : 
 
 " I had not thought, comrades, to broach tliis matter until 
 we were down in the latitude of the African Straits ; but seeing 
 that the wind has taken us in charge, I see no reason for 
 longer keeping silent. You who have both sailed with me for 
 years must have known right well that this was no ordinary 
 voyage the number of men I have taken on board, the care 
 I have had as to the stores, and the great number of water- 
 casks, must have told you that. You have asked no quastions, 
 and I did not expect that you would." 
 
 "Why should we?" James Standing growled. "It mattered 
 nought to us where we went, as we knew we should hear in 
 good time." Pengarvan said nothing, but he nodded to show 
 that he agreed with the first mate. 
 
 " Well, men, our intent is this : I see not why the Spaniards 
 should have all the good things to themselves, and I purpose 
 to go a-trading with the natives, down in these new islands of 
 theirs." 
 
 An exclamation of surprise broke from James Standing, but 
 Pengarvan only nodded again. 
 
 "But this is not all," Reuben went on. "So far the Spaniards 
 have not gained much store of gold from these islands ; but I 
 have learned that among the natives there is talk of a rich 
 nation lying somewhere farther to the west, where gold and 
 riches of all sorts abound. So far the Spaniards have not 
 found it, having their hands pretty well full. They have sailed 
 down the land to the south, and as you know Master Cabot 
 sailed from the north, down almost to the latitude of these 
 islands ; but due west no man has sailed yet, or, if he has, 
 has never returned to tell of it."
 
 THE SPANIARD'S CHART. 53 
 
 " Well, Captain Reuben," James Standing said, " as I said 
 before, it makes no difference to me where we go. If the 
 Spaniards catch us there, they will cut our throats to a 
 surety if they can ; but if you are ready to take your chance of 
 that I have nothing against it. I feel as if I am taken aback 
 a bit just now, as it comes new to me my own fancy being 
 that you intended to trade with the Turkish ports and islands, 
 and had taken a strong crew on board to beat off any pirates 
 that they might meet." 
 
 "And you, PengarvanJ" 
 
 "It is as I expected, Captain. I thought that you did not 
 bring the Spaniard on board at Cadiz, and sit plying him with 
 wine and talking to him by the hour for nothing. So when 
 I saw what was being done on board the Swan, it came to me 
 that you intended to try a venture in the Spanish main." 
 
 " Here is a map which I got from the Spaniard," Reuben 
 said, laying it out upon the table. " Here, you see, all 
 the great islands are marked in their places, with their ports 
 and the Spanish settlements. There are besides these, the 
 Spaniards said, numbers of small ones not marked on the chart. 
 In these large islands, Cuba and Hispaniola, the Spaniards 
 have made themselves masters of the people and reduced them 
 to slavery, and there would be no touching at these with either 
 safety or profit. The small ones have been only occasionally 
 vL*<ited, and with these we may do trade. Here is the line of 
 the mainland to the south of the islands. You see it runs 
 along as far as the easternmost of them, and then turns away 
 to the south, while from the north the mainland comes down 
 well-nigh to Cuba. One reason, the Spaniard said, why they 
 have not sailed west to find out this land of gold, is, that there 
 is a great current which runs in between the islands and the 
 southern land, and sweeps out again with great force between 
 the Bahamas and this northern land ; and that they fear 
 being swept away by it and getting driven into whiilpools, 
 and moreover they say that there are great storms to be 
 encountered in the waters to the west. 
 
 " Now the fact that there is a current into, and another
 
 54 "A FAIB PROPOSAL." 
 
 current out of, this western sea seems to show that there is no 
 exit to the west, and that the water that comes in at the south 
 finds itself in a great bay, and so is forced to pass out to the north. 
 How great this bay may be I know not, but surely it cannot 
 be too great to search. At any rate it is clear to me that 
 somewhere to the west these two great lands that we see to 
 the north and south join. Now, that men who have, with 
 much toil and risk, made a discovery of a new land should 
 claim it for their king seems to me fair and right, but not 
 that they should claim sole traffic with lands of whose very ex- 
 istence they know nothing, and, therefore, although it is true 
 that the pope has given these western islands to Spain, I see 
 not how he can give to them land not as yet discovered. 
 
 " If there is, as the natives in the islands say, a land lying 
 somewhere to the wast where gold is abundant, I see no reason 
 why, if we are first there, we should not gather great stores. 
 The bales and boxes that were brought round from London 
 contain a great quantity of all the things that are, as the 
 Spaniard told me, most prized by the natives. Glass beads of all 
 sorts and kinds, vessels of brass, iron hatchets and arrow heads, 
 hawk-bells, mirrors, and trinkets. The venture is, I admit, a 
 perilous one ; but if we succeed every man on board will have 
 a share in the profit." Reuben then explained the arrange- 
 ments he had made with the owners for the division of such 
 treasure as they might bring home. 
 
 " That is a fair proposal," the first mate said ; " and I doubt 
 not that all on board will gladly fall in with it. If we succeed 
 we shall set every tongue in England wagging ; and there will 
 be plenty of others, I warrant, who will be ready to follow 
 our example. 
 
 " I had intended," Reuben went on, " to sail as far as the 
 straits, then to head for the island of Madeira, and when 
 within sight of it to head away west-sou'- west; but if we 
 carry this wind with us we will make straight for the islands, 
 and thereby shall escape the risk of being seen by vessels 
 coming and going, as they all follow a track south of Madeira. 
 We can make a good fight with any Spaniard that falls foul
 
 "IT IS THB FASTING MAN WHO KICKS." 65 
 
 of us, and are as likely to take him as he is to capture us ; but 
 I would fain keep clear of them if I can, since we go to trade 
 and not to fight. Now I think you had best give a hint of 
 the matter in hand to our old crew, all of whom we can 
 depend upon, as indeed I hope we can upon all, though as yet 
 their mettle has not been tried. Take them aside singly, and 
 open the matter to them ; in a few days I shall tell the rest, 
 but the matter will go more fairly and easily if we have a 
 proportion of them ready to throw up their caps and shout." 
 
 " Aye, aye, Captain Reuben. One bell-wether will carry a 
 whole flock after it, but I fear not that any will want to hold 
 back: it is just the adventure that will suit a brave man's 
 spirit plenty to see, plenty to do, the chance of a fight, and 
 the chance of a fortune. I should like to know what one 
 could want better than that; besides, all are in high feather 
 at the quality of the food, which they say the like of was never 
 known on shipboard before, and that goes a long way. It is 
 the fasting man who kicks ; the full one is content, however 
 matters go." 
 
 Fengarvan had not again opened his lips ; he nodded occa- 
 sionally, and that was all his captain expected of him ; but the 
 fact that he had guessed the destination of the ship added to the 
 esteem which Reuben Hawkshaw hail for his second mate. 
 
 Three days later Reuben Hawk.-haw called the crew together, 
 and informed them of their destination ; he possessed the rough 
 eloquence bent suited for the class he was addressing, and carried 
 his hearers with him. He s]x>ke as if the idea that any of 
 them could shrink from undertaking such an adventure had 
 not entered his mind, but assumed that they were the most 
 fortunate of men in having such a chance offered to them. 
 
 " You do not yet know," he said, " how great a piece of 
 good fortune has befallen you by being chosen to sail with 
 me on this voyage. Had the news been as much as whispered 
 in Plymouth I could hav gathered a thousand volunteers in 
 an hour. You all know how careful have been the prepara- 
 tions for the voyage, how strongly we are manned, how well 
 we are armed, what stores of excellent provisions and what casks
 
 56 THE CAPTAIN'S ADDRESS. 
 
 of good cider and ale are in the hold. Now I am going to tell 
 you what all this is for. We are going, lads, to get gold, and 
 if we succeed, as I doubt not we shall, each man on his return 
 will, in addition to his wages, have a share in the spoil, 
 such a share as will, I hope, make him comfortable for life." 
 
 A loud cheer broke from the men as they pressed forward 
 eagerly to listen. 
 
 " I have learned, lads," he said, " from a Spaniard who has 
 been out there, of a land abounding with gold lying to the 
 west of the Spanish Islands. As yet none of them have 
 ventured thither, and I mean that we shall be the first to reap 
 the harvest. Why should these Spaniards keep every good 
 thing to themselves ? We are as good sailors as they are and 
 better, as good men and better : therefore, I say, we will 
 have a share of the prizes. We shall touch on our way at 
 some of the islands for wood and water and fruit and vege- 
 tables. There are plenty of them where we can find these 
 without meeting with a Spaniard; if we do meet with one, 
 and he tries to interfere with us, so much the worse for him. 
 Then, when we have taken in what we want, we will sail west, 
 and if we find this land, as I doubt not we shall, we will return 
 home with such treasures as were never brought before into 
 an English port 
 
 " You must make up your minds, lads, that it Ls not to be 
 all plain sailing, and that we may have hardships and trials 
 to meet with, but no true sailor shrinks from those. It is a 
 grand adventure, lads an adventure that nobles and princes 
 would be glad to share in ; there is honour and glory in it as 
 well as booty. We shall be the first Englishmen who ever 
 sailed those seas or dared to dispute the right of the Spaniards 
 to keep all the treasures of the west in their hands ; and in 
 time to come your children's children will be proud to say, ' My 
 grandsire was one of those who sailed in the Swan.' " 
 
 When the captain ceased speaking there was a shout of 
 enthusiasm from his hearers, not one of whom but considered 
 himself to be one of the most fortunate of men in being chosen 
 as one of the crew of the Swan. This was an adventure,
 
 A CONTENTED CREW. 57 
 
 indeed. It was no mere trading voyage, but a grand expe- 
 dition. There were new lands to be seen, there was the 
 satisfaction of outwitting the Spaniards, there were glory and 
 honour and gold to be obtained. As for hardships and danger 
 they recked little of them. These always formed part of their 
 lot ; and with so well found a ship and so good a crew they felt 
 confident of being able to face anything that might befall 
 them. 
 
 They speedily broke up into excited groups eagerly discuss- 
 ing the news they had heard. The new hands plied the older 
 ones with questions as to the general strength of the Spanish 
 ships, the number of men they carried, and their armament. 
 The guns were examined with fresh attention and admiration, 
 and men looked along the sights as if already in fancy engaging 
 in an encounter with the Dons. A horn of strong ale was 
 served out to each by the captain's orders to celebrate the 
 occasion, and the men drank success to the enterprise, shaking 
 each other by the hand, and each vowing to do his share 
 bravely. 
 
 The wind continued favourable until they had passed 
 M adeira, which was seen like a cloud on the port side. Three 
 days later the breeze dropped, and there was a stark calm, in 
 which the Swan lay motionless on the sea for well-nigh a 
 fortnight. The captain, knowing well that idleness is of all 
 things the most harmful to a crew, set them to work to get up 
 the cases of arms and polish their swords and pikes until they 
 shone. Then the crew were exercised with boarding-pike and 
 cutlass. Single-sticks and staffs, which the captain had pro- 
 vided for such an occasion, were brought up, and men were 
 matched against each other with these small prizes being 
 given to those who showed themselves the most proficient. 
 Squads were told off to the great guns and instructed how 
 these should best be worked by the gunner, so that each man 
 should do his share without hurry or confusion. He would 
 fain have practised them at a mark, but this the captain would 
 not have, as with the air so still the guns would be heard at 
 a long distance, and might even bring up some Spanish or
 
 58 A OALE. 
 
 Portuguese vessel to enquire into the cause of the firing for 
 they were now far below the line which the ships of other 
 nations were forbidden to cross. 
 
 Nor was there great need for practice, for to each gun was 
 appointed as captain one of the old hands accustomed to the 
 work, who could be trusted to send the ball straight when the 
 time should come. With these and other exercises, and with 
 such sports as the sailors could devise, the time of the calm 
 was got through well enough. They had now been over a month 
 at sea ; but, thanks to the honest food and sound cider, the 
 men's health in no way suffered, and all were as well and hearty 
 as upon the day when they set sail. 
 
 When the wind came it came with sudden fury, but Reuben 
 Hawkshaw had heard of the sudden gales that ships sailing 
 west had to encounter, and took precautions as soon as it 
 began to rise furling up all the great sails, passing life- 
 lines along the sides, to which the men could cling if the waves 
 washed boisterously over her, and clearing the decks and 
 closing up all hatchways and openings. So, though for a 
 week she tossed and laboured in the gale, she was none the 
 worse when it ceased; and indeed the seas she encountered 
 were by no means so heavy as those with which she had 
 battled on her voyage home from Spain. 
 
 While the gale lasted Reuben Hawkshaw took every pre- 
 caution to enable him to keep his reckoning, heaving the log 
 every half-hour, and noting constantly each change in the 
 direction of the wind ; so that when all was over he could tell 
 within fifty miles the spot where the gale left her for in those 
 days the instruments of navigation were in their infancy, and 
 sailors relied chiefly on the compass and dead reckoning to 
 bring them safe to port, however long their voyage might be. 
 Reuben Hawkshaw knew of no other plan, but as far as these 
 went he was an excellent navigator, and was seldom many 
 miles out in making a land-fall. As soon as the gale abated 
 sail was again made on the ship and she proceeded on her 
 course. 
 
 In another three weeks the mates were seen frequently to
 
 LAND IN SIGHT. 59 
 
 ascend into the tops, and the news spread among the crew that 
 the Spanish islands lay not far ahead. The justness of the 
 captain's reckoning was soon proved, for at daybreak one 
 morning land was perceived directly ahead though still lying like 
 a patch of low cloud on the horizon. A cheer broke from those 
 on deck as soon as the mate proclaimed that to a certainty it 
 was land they saw, and the watch below came pouring up. 
 Another cheer saluted the captain as he came out from his 
 cabin a tribute to his seamanship in thus bringing them 
 straight across the ocean on a path that no Englishman had 
 ever before sailed. He, with the two mates, at once ascended 
 to the foretop. From here, as the morning brightened, two 
 other points of land could be seen far away on either hand. 
 
 " We are evidently approaching small islands. This is just 
 what we hoped ; my fear was that we might strike Hispaniola 
 or Porto Rico. When we get nearer land we will lower our top- 
 sails, so as not to be so easily made out from the land. Now 
 we will go below, and try and mark off our place on the 
 chart," 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AMONG THE ISLANDS. 
 
 " "YfOW let us go through our calculations again," the captain 
 i. 1 said when they entered his cabin. 
 
 " How long will you be, Captain ? " the first mate asked. 
 
 " Half-an-hour, Standing." 
 
 " Then I will come again, or if you want me before that 
 send for me ; " and the first mate went out on deck again, for 
 though well skilled to handle a ship in all weathers, and as 
 brave and hardy a seaman as sailed out of Plymouth, James 
 Standing could neither read nor write ; and though in a rough 
 sort of way he could reckon the course a ship should lie, and 
 make allowance for leeway and currents and baffling winds,
 
 60 COMPARING LOGS. 
 
 and could bring a ship into any port in England or the Low 
 Countries, he was of no use in a matter of this kind. 
 
 Pengarvan was a good scholar, and Reuben had taught him 
 what he knew of navigation, and always made him keep a log 
 from the time when he first became a mate : at first comparing 
 their calculations every day, and then but once a week ; arguing 
 over the allowances each had made for tide and leeway, and some- 
 times finding to his surprise on arriving in port that Pengarvan's 
 calculations were even nearer to the truth than his own. 
 
 This was a great satisfaction to him, for he felt that if aught 
 should happen to himself when on a voyage, Pengarvan could 
 be trusted to bring the Swan home as safely and surely as he 
 could himself. Roger had for the last two years been going 
 through the same schooling ; but as yet he was very far from 
 attaining accuracy, being unwilling to make sufficient allow- 
 ance for the great leeway that a vassel in those days made 
 with the wind abeam. 
 
 " Now, Pengarvan," Reuben said in great glee, " bring out 
 your log-book. We have not compared notes since we started, 
 for till we expected to reach land there was no occasion to do 
 so, as our general course was clear enough. Now let us see 
 where you put her ; and you too, Roger, let us see what hand 
 you have made of it. I went through my calculations yesterday, 
 and I am sure that there is no mistake in the figures. If I 
 am right this is the island that we see ahead, the one called 
 Samona, while that we see dimly away on the port hand is 
 Mariguana. I don't see by this map any land marked that 
 could be that which we see on the starboard hand. Now what 
 do you make of it ? " 
 
 " 1 put it more than a degree to the south-east, Captain ; 
 and believe that the three islands we see are those marked 
 as the Caicos : the Great Caicos in the centre, North and East 
 on either hand." 
 
 " And you, Roger, what do you make of it ? " 
 
 " According to my calculation, father, we ought to be full 
 two hundred miles from land, and heading straight for Abaoo, 
 the northernmost of these islands."
 
 THE FUTURE COURSE. 61 
 
 The captain laughed and even Pengarvan smiled. 
 
 " I fear, Roger, it would be hardly safe to leave the ship 
 in your hands at present. You are some six hundred miles 
 away from Pengarvan's islands, and but seventy less from 
 mine. Well, Pengarvan, whether you or I be right we may 
 congratulate ourselves, for we have made a near cast indeed, 
 seeing that it is eight weeks since we left England, and more 
 than six since we sailed out of sight of Madeira ; and that we 
 traversed a sea altogether strange to us, and of whose currents 
 we know nothing. We are both right to a day in our reckon- 
 ing of distance, and neither of us need feel hurt if the other 
 turns out right, at finding himself but sixty miles out on a 
 voyage of such length as this. 
 
 " I headed for this point because, as I said, we must steer 
 clear of the great islands, which are, as you know, wholly 
 in the possession of the Spaniards, who have dispossessed 
 the inhabitants, and use them as slaves for working the 
 plantations and mines. As you see by the chart they have 
 no posts in all these islands running from here north-west, 
 nearly up to the mainland, except a small post at San Sal- 
 vador. Now we will "coast up through these islands till we 
 get within sight of Columbus Point at the southerly end of 
 San Salvador, for that was the island you know that was 
 first discovered by him in '92 ; then we will strike westward 
 to Andros, and after that shape her course due west. This 
 will take us north of the west end of Cuba, and well out 
 of sight of land ; but we must be careful of our navigation, 
 for as you see it is written here, ' Small islands innumerable 
 scattered among those marked here, these being the principal. 
 Many of these islands are low, and show but little above the 
 water ; sailing is very perilous, and not to be attempted at 
 night.' You see, in this course we shall have the advantage of 
 being well out of the ordinary line of passage of the Spaniards, 
 who shape their course more to the southward, make Porto 
 Rico their first landfall, and then have the two great islands, 
 Hispaniola and Cuba, lying straight before them, free, as it 
 seems, by the chart, from any dangers to navigation. Roger,
 
 02 A PROBLEM. 
 
 from this evening, we will compare our log-books day by day, 
 so that you may learn where it is that you have gone wrong. 
 But I can guess how it is ; the wind is blowing chiefly from the 
 east, and you will never make allowance enough for drift; 
 and I have told you over and over again that with a light wind 
 on our beam we drive a mile to leeward for every two we go 
 on our course. There are many ships which will drift nigh a 
 mile for every mile they sail in light winds. When the wind is 
 brisk, and we are going fast through the water, then we drift 
 but little, not more perhaps than one mile to six or seven." 
 
 " But why is that, father? How is it that a light wind 
 blows us away sideways, and that a strong wind instead of 
 blowing us more blows us less ? " 
 
 " That I cannot tell you, Roger ; you must leave those 
 questions for wiser heads to settle. I only know that it is 
 so of that there is no doubt at all ; but why, I have not the 
 least idea. How does it strike you, Pengarvan 1 " 
 
 The Cornishman shook his head : " I have thought it over, 
 Captain, many times. It seems to me sometimes that I have 
 a sort of notion why it is, but it is not clear even to myself. 
 I could not put it into words." 
 
 The first mate now looked into the cabin. 
 
 " Here we are, James. Pengarvan puts her here opposite 
 these three little islands; I put her here some sixty miles 
 away." 
 
 " It matters not at all, that I can see, which it is," Standing 
 said ; " one island is as good as another, so that it has got 
 water and fruit. The tubs are getting low, and the men are 
 beginning to need a change of diet, so I hope, Captain, you 
 will lay her to at the first we come to, and get what we want 
 whether it is Spaniard or native we have to fight for it." 
 
 " I hope we shall have to fight neither, Standing ; but I 
 don't think we are likely to meet with Spaniards for all the 
 islands in these groups are small ones, and the navigation 
 dangerous. As for the Indians I fear we may not find 
 them very friendly, seeing that they will, of course, take us 
 for Spaniards, whom they have little reason to love. Still when
 
 THE CAICOB. 68 
 
 they see that our intentions are peaceable, and that we wish 
 only to trade, they may abate their hostility." 
 
 In three hours they were close to the island that they had 
 first seen, which proved to be much nearer than they had 
 supposed at first sight. It was low and thickly covered with 
 trees, and of only a few miles' circumference. 
 
 " There is no chance of finding the natives hostile here," 
 Reuben Hawkshaw said ; " their numbers can be but scanty, 
 and the only fear is that they may hide themselves in the 
 woods at our approach, and refuse to have dealing with us. 
 Get the lead ready to sound, James, and put some grease on 
 the bottom that we may see what kind of holding ground it is." 
 
 As the sun had risen the wind had fallen, and the Swan 
 was now moving very slowly through the water. They were 
 about a mile from the land when the log was first hove. 
 
 " Eighteen fathoms, Captain," the mate reported, adding 
 when the lead was hauled up, " and a sandy bottom." 
 
 Casting the lead regularly, they sailed on until within little 
 more than a quarter of a mile of the shore, and there dropped 
 anchor in six fathoms of water. 
 
 " I shouldn't like to be caught in a gale here," the captain 
 said ; " but if it did come on to blow we could get up our 
 anchor and sail round to the other side of the island, where we 
 should be in shelter. 
 
 " There are some natives, father," Roger, who was watching 
 the shore, exclaimed ; " they are waving green branches." 
 
 " Wave a white flag, Roger. Fasten anything white to a 
 boat-hook and wave it. They may understand that, as the 
 white flag is in use by all nations as a sign of peace, and 
 they may have seen the Spaniards use it. Get one of the boats 
 lowered, James the long boat will be the best let its crew 
 take their arms with them, but lay them under the seats so as 
 to land in peaceable guise. I myself will go ashore in her, and 
 see what are the intentions of the natives. Get a couple of 
 guns loaded, and if you see they attack us, fire a shot over their 
 heads into the woods. That will be enough to frighten them. 
 However, I think not that we shall have trouble."
 
 64 THE F1K8T SIGHT OF NATIVES. 
 
 A couple of boxes had already been got on deck by the 
 captain's orders, and some strings of glass beads, hawk-bells, 
 and other articles of trade taken out. 
 
 " You can come with me, Roger," the captain said ; and in 
 a few minutes the boat rowed towards the shore. Eight men 
 sat at the oars and eight others were bestowed in the bow and 
 stern. She would have carried twice as many, but the captain 
 wished to avoid any show of force. The gi-oup of natives had 
 increased by the time the boat reached the shore, and the 
 captain saw that they consisted of two men who were appar- 
 ently chiefs and some thirty of inferior rank. They continued 
 to wave green branches, and their attitude was so peaceful 
 that the captain did not hesitate to leap ashore as soon as the 
 boat touched the strand. 
 
 " You follow me, Roger ; and you others keep your hands on 
 your arms ready to use them. But sit quiet, and do not show 
 your weapons unless there be occasion." 
 
 The chiefs advanced with a timid air towards the new-comers, 
 and on approaching saluted in an attitude of deep humility, 
 using the Spanish word Amigos. 
 
 " Amigos Friends," repeated the captain in a cheerful tone. 
 
 Roger gazed with intense intei-est upon these strange beings. 
 They were in colour but little darker than the Moors who had 
 tried to capture the Swan on her last voyage. They were of 
 good height, but of slender figure ; their countenances were soft 
 and almost feminine, with large dark eyes and mild and gentle 
 expression ; they had no hair upon their faces ; that on their 
 heads was long and black ; round their heads were light gold 
 bands from which rose plumes of coloured feathers ; they were 
 naked above the waist, save that over one shoulder cotton 
 cloths ornamented with fantastic patterns wrought in bright 
 feathers were lightly thrown. 
 
 From the waist they wore cotton petticoats reaching to the 
 knees; both had belts decorated by shells worked into in- 
 tricate patterns, and from similar belts crossing the shoulder 
 hung quivers filled with small arrows ; they had necklaces and 
 bracelets of bright beads of European manufacture, and both
 
 A FRIENDLY BECEPTION. 65 
 
 carried light spears, their bows hanging from their shoulders. 
 Their followers were similarly dressed, save that the fillets 
 round their heads instead of being gold were strips of skin 
 decorated with shells and beads, and the mantles were of plain 
 cotton. The captain took from his pouch two necklaces of large 
 blue beads, and presented them to the chiefs, and also gave 
 to each of them a small hatchet. These they received with 
 tokens of gratitude, being specially pleased with the hatchets, 
 which were articles vastly prized by the natives, and rarely 
 bestowed upon them by the Spaniards, who were very chary 
 of presenting the natives with anything that could be used as 
 a weapon. 
 
 The captain then made a sign to the natives to approach, 
 and bestowed a necklace of smaller beads upon each. He 
 next called to the sailors, and bade them come ashore bringing 
 with them only their hangers, for there was no doubt that 
 the natives were friendly. While they were doing so, four of 
 the natives, at the order of their chiefs, brought forward 
 large baskets beautifully plaited, and, as Roger judged, made 
 of the tender bark of some tree. The chiefs took these from 
 their attendants, and opening them placed them before the 
 captain with a gesture of humility. They were filled with 
 fruits, all of which were of kinds such as neither Roger nor his 
 father had seen before. 
 
 The sailors now brought forward an empty barrel, and the 
 captain signified that they required water ; one or two billets 
 of wood were also shown, and the captain signified by action 
 that he wished his men should be allowed to cut wood to 
 carry on board ship. He also pointed to the baskets of fruit, 
 and then showed some more strings of beads, and some hawk- 
 bells, intimating his desire to trade. The natives readily com- 
 prehended the gestures. Pointing to the keg they intimated by 
 signs that the ship should be moved round to the other side 
 of the island, and that fruit would be taken to them there. 
 
 The men would gladly enough have wandered at once into 
 the woods, to look at the trees and flowers which differed 
 widely from anything they had ever before seen ; but the 
 
 (818) E
 
 66 INSTRUCTIONS TO THB SAILORS. 
 
 captain said: "We shall have time enough for that, men. 
 Let us get off with this fruit ; our comrades on board will be 
 thirsting for their share. Then we will get the ship round 
 on the other side; and all will have an opportunity to go 
 ashore." 
 
 As soon as they got on board a portion of the fruit was set 
 aside for the use of the officers, and the rest divided among the 
 crew. Although they were ignorant of the names, the men 
 enjoyed hugely the pine-apples, guavas, and custard apples that 
 formed the major portion of the contents of the baskets ; and 
 cheerfully set about the work of getting up their anchor 
 and setting the sails. But the wind had now entirely dropped, 
 and the Swan scarce moved through the water. So anxious, 
 however, were the men to land that they gladly obeyed 
 the captain's orders to get out all the boats and tow her 
 although the heat was so great that at any other time they 
 would have shrunk from such a labour. As soon as they 
 reached the other side of the island, the anchor was dropped ; 
 and the men on board having already made everything snug, 
 Captain Reuben called those who had been towing out of the 
 boats : 
 
 " My lads," he said, " I wish to say a few words before you 
 land. In the first place you cannot all go, it would never do 
 to leave the ship without sufficient hands on board to fight 
 her, seeing that at any moment a Spaniard may come round 
 one end of the island or the other and fall upon us; con- 
 sequently, half must remain on board and take their turn on 
 shore to-morrow. I wish to give no advantage to any ; therefore, 
 the boatswain shall put two pieces of folded paper in his hat, 
 one being blank and the other having a cross upon it. If the 
 blank paper is drawn the starboard watch shall go ashore, and 
 the larboard take their turn to-morrow. If the paper with 
 the cross comes out it will be the other way. One more 
 matter : I shall expect the discipline on shore to be as good as 
 it has been on board ship. The natives are to be treated well, 
 and all that we get from them shall be by fair barter, and it 
 shall be conducted for the advantage of all ; the first mate and
 
 GOOD ADVICE. 67 
 
 boatswain will take ashore some of the goods we have brought 
 for the purpose of trade, and they will buy not only such 
 things as we require for the ship fruit and vegetables but 
 whatever the natives may have to sell. 
 
 All these things will be brought on board, and then those 
 of you who wish for any of these articles as a token from the 
 first island at which we touched, can take them, making an 
 auction among yourselves, the sums to be deducted from your 
 wages. In this way all will be on a fair footing, and the 
 proceeds of the sale will go into the general fund to be divided 
 at the end of the voyage. Nevertheless, I should advise you 
 not to purchase now, but to leave it until we have finished all 
 our business, and are on our homeward way; then we shall 
 see what we have obtained, and each man can buy accord- 
 ing to his liking. I say this because if you get things now 
 they will litter up the ship, and will get broken, lost, or 
 thrown overboard; and it were far better that everything 
 remained packed in the hold until we are on the homeward 
 voyage. Another thing : Let each man behave himself decently 
 on shore ; be gentle and kind to the natives, who, though but 
 heathens, are a harmless people and friendly. Let there be 
 no quarrels or disputes ; and above all, let none meddle with 
 the women. I warn you that any breach of these orders will 
 be most severely punished ; and that, moreover, anyone who 
 does so offend will never have leave to go ashore again, not 
 if we cruise for ten years among these islands." 
 
 The second mate and Roger remained on board with the 
 starboard watch, the drawing giving the advantage to the 
 others ; and these with the captain and first mate were soon 
 rowing towards the shore. Those on board although dis- 
 appointed that fate had decided against them, had their share 
 of amusement, for a good many canoes afterwards came off to 
 them filled with goods for barter, and as the captain before 
 leaving had told the second mate that he could buy and sell 
 with those who came out, a brisk trade was soon established. 
 They had no fear of treachery from the natives, who were in 
 such dread of the white men that they would not venture to
 
 68 ON SHORE. 
 
 lift a hand against them, however great the odds might be, and 
 they were therefore allowed to come on board and mix freely 
 with the sailors. The contents of the canoes, chiefly fruit and 
 vegetables, were spread out on the deck, and the mate and 
 Roger bargained with them, giving them little looking-glasses 
 and strings of beads in exchange for their wares. 
 
 " They are mighty reasonable in their demands," Roger 
 said to Pengarvan. " It seems almost a shame to take these 
 great baskets of fruit and vegetables in return for such trifles." 
 
 " They are not trifles to them," the mate replied, " and there 
 is nothing unfair in the exchange. These things are to them 
 what gold and jewels are to us : we would give gladly a score 
 of boat-loads of vegetables for a diamond the size of a pea, 
 and these glass beads are as valuable in their eyes as diamonds 
 are in ours." 
 
 After buying up the main stock they trafficked with the 
 natives for the little ornaments they wore, necklaces and 
 bracelets cunningly worked with bright shells and seeds, and 
 weapons of curiously carved wood. At nightfall the other 
 boats returned, laden down with fruit and vegetables. 
 
 " We must buy no more of these commodities at present," 
 Captain Reuben said, when he saw what had been purchased 
 on board. " We have got enough to last us as long as they 
 will keep, eat we never so heartily ; " and indeed the next day 
 a number of the crew were ill from the quantity of fruit that 
 they consumed. This, however, soon passed off, and the change 
 of diet did great good ; the scurvy disappeared, and in a short 
 time all even those who had suffered most were again fit 
 for duty. 
 
 The following morning Roger and Pengarvan went ashore 
 with the starboard watch. The captain again accompanied 
 them, and for hours they rambled about the island, wondering 
 at the strange trees and foliage and the bright flowers, and 
 filled especially with admiration at the tiny birds with feathers 
 like jewels, that flitted about among the flowers, and concerning 
 which there was much dispute among the men some assert- 
 ing that they were a sort of great bee, while others maintained
 
 NO TRADE TO BB DONE. 69 
 
 that they were birds. So quickly did they fly that the men, 
 although they tried hard, failed to catch any of them ; but the 
 dispute as to their nature was solved by the discovery that one 
 of the chiefs had a robe fringed with the skins of these little 
 creatures, and examining these they saw surely enough that 
 they were birds, with feathers glistening in the sun like jewels 
 of many colours. Captain Reuben persuaded the chief to cut 
 off the fringe and sell it to him, giving in exchange for it the 
 high price of four copper rings and a tiny looking-glass. 
 
 In the afternoon the crew set to work to re-water the ship, 
 and by nightfall all the casks were filled up and the vessel was 
 ready to proceed again on her way. The next morning sails 
 were hoisted and the anchor weighed, the natives came out in 
 great numbers in their canoes and surrounded the Swan as she 
 glided away from her anchorage, waving their hands and 
 raising cries of farewell evidently greatly satisfied at the 
 treatment they had received at the hands of their white 
 visitors. For a fortnight the Swan cruised from island to 
 island ; but beyond giving the crew a run ashore at each, and 
 so building up their strength and getting them in fighting 
 trim should there be occasion to call upon them for action, 
 little advantage was obtained from these visits. Fruit and 
 vegetables were obtainable in abundance ; but beyond these and 
 little trinkets and feathers there was no trade to be done. 
 
 " It is clear," Captain Keuben said, as he and his officers were 
 gathered in the cabin, " that there is neither gain nor advan- 
 tage to be obtained from trade here. The natives have doubt- 
 less sufficient for their wants, which are of the simplest ; but 
 of wealth such as we prize in England there is none to be had. 
 It is different with the Spaniards they make slaves of these 
 poor creatures, and force them to till their plantations, to raise 
 crops for them, and to work mines; but we, who cannot do 
 these things, can get nothing from a longer stay in these 
 coasts. 
 
 " We touched here chiefly to get water and fruit to keep 
 us all in health, and in that we have abundantly succeeded. 
 We had best now shape our course westward, and try to find
 
 70 A SURPRISE. 
 
 this new land rich in gold, of which my friend the Spanish 
 captain learned by report from the natives. So far we have 
 fallen in with no Spaniards, but we may do so at any time ; 
 and although I have no fear of beating off any that might 
 meddle with us, it would do us great harm did the news 
 spread that a strange ship was in these waters : for they would 
 assuredly send out expeditions in search of us from all their 
 ports, as soon as the news reached them." 
 
 The others quite agreed with Captain Reuben's views, and 
 the next morning the ship's head was pointed west. Two days 
 later, when passing an island, they saw, on opening a headland, 
 a port with many houses and a Spanish flag flying from a 
 mast on shore. Two large Spanish vessels were lying there. 
 They were apparently on the point of sailing, for the sails were 
 already dropped. An exclamation of surprise broke from all 
 on the deck of the S*mn, and the men ran to the braces and 
 sheets in order to trim the saila " Steady, men ! " Captain 
 Reuben shouted. " Touch not sheet or tack ; we must sail past 
 as if bent on our own business ; if we change our course now 
 they will suspect that something is wrong. Pengarvan, do you 
 get out the Spanish flag from the locker, and run it up to 
 the peak." 
 
 This was done, though it was easy to see by the looks the 
 crew cast towards the strange craft that they would gladly go 
 in and fight them. "Another time, lads," Captain Reuben 
 said cheerfully, as he saw their mood. " I doubt not we shall 
 have enough fighting to satisfy you before we have done ; but 
 our object here is to trade and get rich. If thrashing the Dons 
 comes in the way of business we shall do it contentedly; but 
 there is no occasion for us to put ourselves out of the way to 
 meet them. Supposing we were to go in and sink those two ships, 
 as I doubt not we are men enough to do if we were to try it, 
 they would see it all from the shore ; and no sooner did we 
 set sail again than boats would carry the news to every Spanish 
 port in these quarters, and we should have a score of ships in 
 pursuit of us in no time ; and, whatever came of it, that would 
 interfere with the hopes of gain with which we have sailed to
 
 "SHALL WE ANSWER THEM?" 71 
 
 these seas. This port must be a newly formed one," he went 
 on, turning to Roger, " for there is no Spanish station marked 
 hereabout in my chart." 
 
 The course which the Swan was taking would have carried 
 her half a mile to seaward of the two Spanish vessels, but she 
 now edged a point or two farther out. Doubtless the Spaniards 
 were surprised at seeing that the vessel, instead of entering the 
 port, continued her course ; and it may be that they very soon 
 discovered such points in her hull and rigging as set them 
 wondering what she could be. Presently a gun was fired from 
 one of the ships as a signal, doubtless, for her to heave-to. 
 The Swan paid no attention to the command, but kept on her 
 course. In two minutes there was another flash and a puff 
 of white smoke from the Spaniard, and a shot skipped across 
 the water in front of the Swan. A growl of anger broke from 
 her crew. 
 
 "Put up the helm," Captain Reuben ordered; and the 
 vessel, which was running before the wind, came up till her 
 head pointed straight to sea. Although the Spanish ships 
 were still three-quarters of a mile away, a bustle was at once 
 observable on their decks ; men clustered at the bows, and 
 could be seen at work there. 
 
 " They are getting up the anchors," Pengarvan said, as 
 he watched them, shading his eyes with his hands. Three 
 or four minutes later the sails were sheeted home, and the 
 Spaniard began to move through the water, having set sail 
 as soon as the anchors were tripped. 
 
 No sooner were they under weigh and the crews at their 
 quarters, than they began to discharge their bow guns after 
 the Swan. 
 
 " Shall we answer them, Captain 1 " James Standing asked. 
 " We can bring a couple of guns aft, and fire over the rail." 
 
 " By no means," Captain Reuben replied. " At present 
 they know nothing about us, and though they may guess 
 that we are not licensed traders, with due authority to 
 trade among the bslando, T do not suppose they suspect for a 
 moment that we are foreigners; but deem us a piirio venture
 
 72 " WHAT ABB THE LUBBERS UP TO ? " 
 
 from one of their own ports. No Spanish trader would dare 
 to fire on their own flag, and as long as we do not reply, they 
 will suppose that we are only trying to escape the payment 
 of some heavy fine, or perhaps forfeiture for breach of their 
 regulations. No, they can fire away. They are not likely to 
 hurt us. They are fully a mile behind us, and we shall soon 
 leave them." 
 
 But in this respect the captain was mistaken. The 
 Spaniards were both fast vessels ; and although the Swan kept 
 her distance, those on board presently saw that she gained 
 nothing. The shot continued to fall around them, but the 
 Spaniards worked their guns slowly ; the pieces on their fore- 
 castles were light ones, and though two or three shot passed 
 through the sails of the Swan, they did but little damage. 
 
 " As long as they don't knock away a spar we will hold on," 
 Captain Reuben said ; " if they do, we will turn and fight then. 
 But the wind is dropping a little, and I think that if anything 
 we are gaining upon them now." 
 
 By the afternoon the Swan was fully two miles ahead, and 
 the Spaniards had discontinued firing. The Swan was heading 
 now to pass an island which had for some hours been visible 
 ahead. Presently the Spaniards again began firing, although 
 their shot fell in the water far astern of the Swan. 
 
 " What are the lubbers up to now? " James Standing said. 
 " They cannot think they aro going to frighten us into stop- 
 ping, now that we have fairly got away from them." 
 
 Captain Reuben was anxiously gazing at the island ahead ; 
 they had laid their course to pass it to windward, as they 
 sailed better close-hauled than did the Spaniard, who had not 
 only fallen behind, but had lagged to leeward nigh half a mile. 
 
 " They must be firing as a signal," he said ; " there may 
 either be a Spanish port in the island, or they may know that 
 there are some of their ships lying there ; though I can see no 
 signs either of a port or ships." 
 
 " It would matter little if we could, Captain," Pengarvan 
 said j " for any ships along that, shore would be to leeward of 
 us, and we should pass the end of the island long before they
 
 FRESH FOES. 73 
 
 could beat up there; but it would be awkward if there 
 happened to be a port with two or three of their ships just 
 beyond that point. We should be caught between two fires 
 then, and have to fight the lot of them." 
 
 The captain nodded. " You are right, Pengarvan. We 
 should be in a fix then ; and four Spaniards at once is more 
 than we bargained for." 
 
 They were now within two miles of the point towards 
 which they were steering, and towards which the eyes of the 
 two officers on the poop were directed. Five minutes later an 
 exclamation broke from them simultaneously, as the sails of a 
 lofty ship made their appearance over the extremity of the 
 point, and a minute later a great hull came into sight. 
 
 " Helm to larboard," Captain Reuben ordered sharply ; " we 
 must run down the island ; we can never weather that fellow 
 that has just appeared. Ah ! there are two others coming 
 out ; we are in a hornets' nest." 
 
 The sails were squared off, and the Swan was soon running 
 before the wind almost parallel with the coast, but edging in a 
 little, to keep her farther from the vessels that had first chased 
 them ; these had also changed their course, and their position 
 to leeward now gave them an advantage. Ere long the Swan 
 was almost abreast her late pursuers, who were about a mile 
 and a quarter to seaward, while the other three Spanish ships, 
 with all sails set, were a mile and a half astern, but a good 
 deal nearer in shore. 
 
 " The sun will be down in another five minutes," Captain 
 Reuben said, " and in half an hour it will be dark. The 
 Spaniards can run quite as fast as we can a bit faster, I 
 think ; but we can beat them close hauled. The wind is falling 
 lighter and lighter ; if it was not for that we would haul our 
 wind and be off on the other tack, and throw all of them out. 
 But it will be a dead calm before long, and they will be either 
 lowering all their boats to attack us, or towing their ships up 
 to us. If we were close under the land they might miss us, 
 but they will be able to make us out here. At any rate, we 
 must hold on as we are until the wind drops altogether."
 
 74 PUBSUED BY BOATS. 
 
 After sunset the breeze died away rapidly, and by the time 
 night had fully set in the sails dropped motionless, and the 
 Swan ceased to move through the water. The captain at 
 once ordered all the boats to be lowered, and the men swarmed 
 into them, double -banking the oars. Hawsers were handed into 
 them, and the vessel's head swept round in the direction from 
 which she had come, but somewhat farther seaward. 
 
 " Now, lads," the captain said, " pull with a will. There 
 will be a good supper and an allowance of strong ale when 
 you come on board." 
 
 After rowing for half an hour, the captain ordered them 
 to cease, and to keep silence. Listening attentively, he could 
 hear in the still night air the sound of oars ; but whether the 
 boats were towing the ships, or rowing independently, he 
 could not tell. Again the men set to work. 
 
 " I hope they are towing," he said to the first mate, " they 
 would have no chance whatever of catching us, for our strong 
 crew can take a vessel like the Swan through the water at 
 twice the rate they could row their big ships. I can't see the 
 fellows in shore, can you ? " 
 
 " No, Captain ; they are hid in the shadow of the land. I 
 can make out the others, but they are a long way farther off 
 than when we started." 
 
 " I expect we shall have the boats after us, Standing. 
 Both lots can make us out, and can see that we are gaining 
 on them. Ah ! I felt a breath of wind. I did not expect 
 it for an hour or two yet; but if the breeze springs up, we 
 shall soon run away from them." 
 
 Stopping and listening again, they could hear the sound of 
 oars from two directions. 
 
 " They are coming," the captain said ; " the beat is 
 quicker than it would be if they were towing ; besides, it is a 
 great deal more distinct than it was. I don't think they are 
 more than a mile behind us. Ah 1 there is the wind again." 
 
 There was a deep flapping sound, and a rattling of blocks, 
 as the sails bellied out for a moment, and then fell against 
 the masts again. Captain , Reuben went to the forecastle :
 
 WAITING FOB THB WIND. 75 
 
 " Keep it up, lads. You won't have much longer to row, 
 for the wind ifl coming. The Spaniards are after us, but 
 they won't be up for a quarter of an hour, and I hope we 
 shall get it before that ; remember, every yard we can 
 keep away from them is of importance. Put your backs to 
 it, lads." 
 
 The Swan carried four boats, and strongly manned as these 
 were she was gliding through the water at a fair rate. It 
 was five minutes before another breath of wind came, but this 
 lasted three or four minutes and greatly relieved the strain 
 from the tawsers. 
 
 " She is going through the water now," the captain said, 
 "they cannot be gaining very much upon us at present. 
 Confound it ! " he added a minute later ; " there is an end of 
 it again." 
 
 The boats were now but half a mile away, and the voices 
 of the officers urging the rowers to exert themselves could be 
 plainly heard, On the Swan the officers were all gazing in the 
 direction from which the wind was to come. The yards were all 
 braced sharply aft. Presently there was an exclamation of 
 relief as they felt the wind in their faces and the vessel heeled 
 a little over. The boats behind were but a quarter of a mile 
 away now, while those from the vessels in shore were perhaps 
 twice that distance. " If this is the true breeze we are safe," 
 the captain said ; " if not we shall have to fight for it." The 
 men had already without orders cast loose the guns and armed 
 themselves with pike and cutlass. 
 
 " Now, listen lads," the captain said as he went forward to 
 the poop-rail, " if these fellows come up and try to board us, 
 let no man utter a word ; fight like bulldogs and as silently. 
 We shall beat them off, never fear ; no doubt they believe 
 that we are their countrymen, who have broken their trading 
 regulations, and are afraid of being overhauled. But if there 
 is a word spoken they will know that we are foreigners, and we 
 shall be chased wherever we go." 
 
 Then he went to the forecastle, and bade all the men in 
 the boats cast off the hawsers and come on board. They were
 
 76 THE BOATS SHAKEN OFF. 
 
 indeed no longer of any use, as the vessel was going through 
 the water almost as fast as they could row ahead of her. 
 
 As they gained the deck he repeated the orders he had 
 given that strict silence should be observed in case the 
 Spaniards came alongside. Everything now depended on 
 continuance of breeze, and those on board the boats saw 
 that the vessel was now holding her own with them. Orders 
 to throw the ship up into the wind and heave-to were shouted, 
 and as no attention was paid to thase, several musket shots 
 were fired at her, but the wind held, and faster and faster 
 the Swan made her way through the water. At last the boats 
 fell behind and were lost to sight. 
 
 " We are safe now," Reuben said, exultantly ; " we are to 
 windward of them all, and shall have them well out of sight 
 before morning." 
 
 When day broke, indeed, the topsails of three of the 
 Spanish ships could be seen on the horizon, but in two or 
 three hours these sank out of sight, and the Swan was headed 
 on her course west. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SHIPWRECKED. 
 
 FOR six days the Swan sailed westward before a gentle 
 wind ; then clouds were seen rising in the north, and 
 spreading with great rapidity across the horizon. 
 
 " We are in for a tempest," Captain Reuben said ; " never 
 have I seen the clouds rising more rapidly. Get her sail off 
 her, Standing, as quickly as possible." 
 
 The crew fell to work, and in a very few minutes the Sivan 
 was stripped of the greater part of her canvas. But quickly 
 as the men worked the storm came up more rapidly, and the 
 crew had but half finished their work when with a roar and 
 turmoil that almost bewildered them the gale struck the vessel. 
 Her head had been laid to the south so that the wind should
 
 A HEAVY GAI.F. 77 
 
 take her astern, and it was well that it was so for had it struck 
 her on the beam, she would assuredly have been capsized, even 
 had not a rag of canvas been shown, for the wind would have 
 caught her lofty forecastle and poop. As it was she plunged 
 heavily forward quivering as if from a blow. Then her bluff 
 bows bore her up, and with a leap she sprang forward and 
 sped along before the gale. 
 
 " I have seen as sudden a squall among the Greek islands," 
 Captain Reuben shouted in the mate's ear ; " but never else- 
 where. I hope that this may prove as short as do the galas 
 in that quarter." 
 
 " I hope so," the mate replied, " for we know not how far 
 the land may be distant." 
 
 But though the captain knew it not, they had been caught 
 in one of those furious gales that were afterwards the terror 
 of the Spaniards, blowing for a week or ten days without inter- 
 mission, and being the cause of the wreck of many a stout 
 ship. The sea got up rapidly and the wind seemed to increase 
 in fury as night fell, and for three days the ship ran before 
 it. The waist was frequently deluged with water, and 
 it required six men at the helm to keep her straight before 
 the wind. The crew were worn-out with fatigue and want of 
 sleep, for running as they were in this unknown sea none 
 could say what might happen or when land might be sighted 
 ahead. The captain never left the poop he and the mates 
 taking their places by turn with the men at the helm, for the 
 slightest error in steering might have caused the vessel to 
 broach to, in which case nothing could have saved her. 
 Sheltered as was the caboose it was found impossible to keep 
 a fire alight, and officers and men alike had to content them- 
 selves with biscuit and draughts of ale. 
 
 The vessel rolled till her bulwarks were under water and 
 the yard-arms at times dipped into the sea, and the men on 
 deck were forced to lash themselves to some standing object to 
 retain their footing. The captain occasionally made his way 
 forward to the forecastle, where the men not on duty were 
 huddled together, and spoke cheeringly to them, saying that
 
 78 "IT IS OUB ONLY CHANCB." 
 
 the gale could not last much longer, and that as the Swan 
 had weathered it so far she would hold on to the end. At the 
 commencement of the storm a tremendous rain had fallen, but 
 when this had ceased the sky had cleared up, and for the last 
 two days the sun had shone out brightly and not a cloud 
 had been seen. 
 
 When morning broke on the fourth day a cry of dismay broke 
 from the wearied men on deck, for ahead could be seen land 
 stretching away on both bows. The news brought the crew 
 from below, and they clustered on the forecastle gazing in the 
 direction of this new danger. 
 
 " We must try and get some sail on her mizen, Standing," 
 the captain said. " Our only chance is to bring her head to 
 wind." 
 
 " We can try, Captain, but I fear that you will never bring 
 her round." 
 
 " It is our only chance," the captain repeated, and with a 
 loud shout he called for some hands to come aft. The mizen 
 was shaken out, and as soon as the sheets were hauled aft the 
 helm was put down. A cry burst from the crew as she came 
 round, for as the wind took her on the beam she lay farther 
 and farther over. A great wave struck her broadside, sweep- 
 ing the bulwarks away as if they had been paper, and carrying 
 a number of the crew off the forecastle into the sea. Still 
 farther over she went, and all thought that she would capsize, 
 when there were a series of reports like musket-shots as the 
 lashings of the shrouds parted. This was followed instantly 
 by a crash as the mizen-mast snapped off two feet above 
 the deck. Relieved of the strain the Swan righted somewhat. 
 Another great wave swept over her forecastle, still further 
 diminishing the number of the crew, but it carried her head 
 round. She came up on to an even keel, and again started on 
 her mad course before the wind. 
 
 " Go forward, Pengarvan, and see how many hands we have 
 lost," the captain said : " not that it makes much difference, 
 for they have but gone a short time before the rest of us, for 
 nothing short of a miracle can save us now."
 
 "WE WILL DEB AS WE HAVE LIVED." 79 
 
 It could now be seen that the coast was steep and rocky, and 
 that the waves were breaking with tremendous force upon it. 
 It was but about four miles distant, and in less than half an 
 hour they would be upon it. 
 
 " We must try to anchor, Standing." 
 
 The first mate shook his head. " We will try, Captain, but 
 our anchors will never hold her in the teeth of this gale ; if 
 they did the hawsers would go like pack-thread." 
 
 " I am afraid so, Standing; but there is nothing else to do." 
 
 The first mate went forward, and he and Pergarvan saw 
 the anchors got in readiness and the cables ranged along, so 
 as to run out with perfect freedom. Then Pengarvan made his 
 way aft again to the poop. 
 
 " Do you mean to cut away the mast, Captain I " The 
 captain nodded. " I wouldn't, sir," the mate went on. " She 
 will never hold, mast or no mast ; and if it stands we make 
 a shift to run her head foremost on the rocks, and this will 
 give us a better chance than if she drifts broadside on." 
 
 " You are right, Pengarvan. Yes, it will be better to 
 leave it standing." 
 
 When within a quarter of a mile of the shore the helm 
 was again put down, and as the vessel came partly round the 
 the anchors were let go. The hawsers ran out rapidly, and 
 the topsail, which was the only sail on her, was let go, the 
 wind catching it and tearing it into ribands as it was loosed. 
 There was a jerk and a surge as the anchors brought her up, 
 but at the same moment a great wave struck her head. The 
 cables parted, and she again swung round towards the shore. 
 
 " It is all over with us, my lad," the captain said to Roger, 
 who was standing quietly beside him. " God forgive me, I 
 have brought you all here to die." 
 
 " It is not your fault, father ; it was all for the best ; and 
 we knew when we started that there were perils before us." 
 
 " Good-bye, my lads ! We will die as we have lived brave 
 men ; and may God have mercy on us all. Now, Roger, obey 
 my last orders. Go forward, and climb up to the end of the 
 bowsprit : it may be that if she strikes you may be able to
 
 80 " GOD BLESS YOU MY BOY." 
 
 leap forward on to the rocks, they are somewhat lower just 
 ahead than elsewhere." 
 
 " But I do not want to be saved if no one else is, father," 
 Roger cried passionately. 
 
 " You have always obeyed me heretofore," the captain said, 
 quietly, " and you will do so now. Go forward at once, and do 
 as I say. God bless you, my boy." He clasped Roger in his 
 arms in a moment's close embrace, and then pointed forward. 
 
 Roger's eyes were blinded with tears as he obeyed the order. 
 The bowsprit in those days did not as now run out almost 
 horizontally from the ship's bow, but stood up like a mast, 
 leaning somewhat over the bow, and carried a yard and small 
 square sail upon it. Roger climbed up as far as the yard, 
 and then aiding himself by the hallyards, swarmed up until 
 he reached the cap. When he did so the vessel was but little 
 more than a hundred yards from the shore. The water was 
 deep up to the rocks, for the waves struck on these unbroken, 
 flying up in masses of spray which flew far over the land. 
 
 On his lofty post thirty feet above the forecastle and forty- 
 five above the water, Roger was nearly level with the top of 
 the rock ahead, and as the vessel rose on the waves could see 
 a flat land extending far inland. He looked down; two. or 
 three of the sailors had followed him as high as the yard, 
 and many others were gathered on the forecastle. Some 
 were kneeling in prayer, others had thrown themselves down 
 despairingly on the deck, but most were standing, looking 
 forward with set faces at the rocky barrier so close at hand. 
 Roger looked aft, the men at the tiller had quitted it now and 
 gone forward ; Standing and Pengarvan were standing one on 
 each side of the captain. The latter took off his cap and 
 waved it to his son, and the mates lifted their hands in token 
 of adieu. 
 
 A cry from below caused Roger, as he returned the salute, 
 to look round ; they were but a ship's length from the rocks. 
 Another moment a great wave lifted the vessel, and on its 
 crest she went thundering forward. The rocks seemed to leap 
 up against the spar to which Roger clung ; it snapped off
 
 ROGER SWARMS UP THE BOWSPRIT TILL HE REACHES THE CAP.
 
 ALONB I 81 
 
 just below his feet, then a great volume of water and spray 
 shot up from below, and he was thrown high into the air. 
 The wind caught him and carried him away inland, and he 
 fell with a crash that left him senseless. It was long before 
 he recovered consciousness. As soon as he did so he crawled 
 on his hands and knees to the edge of the cliff, and looked 
 down. The Swan had disappeared, not a sign of her remained, 
 not so much as a floating timber showed on the surface of 
 the water. 
 
 Roger crawled back again for some distance, and then threw 
 himself down and wept despairingly. He lay there for hours, 
 until the heat of the sun blazing almost vertically down 
 roused him. Then he got on to his feet and looked round. 
 In front of him stretched a slightly undulating country. 
 Patches of maize here and there showed that it was cultivated, 
 and in the distance he saw a large village with buildings 
 of a size that proved that the people had made some advance 
 towards civilization. Slowly and painfully, for he was greatly 
 bruised by his fall, he made his way to the nearest maize 
 patch and eat several heads of green corn. Then he started for 
 the village. 
 
 When within a few hundred yards of it, he came upon three 
 women who were coming out with baskets on their heads. 
 They paused as he approached them, and then, with a cry of 
 astonishment and fear, turned and ran towards the village. 
 Their cries brought a number of people to the doors; among 
 these were many men who had caught up spears and bows 
 and arrows at the alarm. Seeing but one person approaching, 
 in a garb altogether strange to them, they stood in surprise. 
 As he came up, their wonder heightened at perceiving that 
 his colour was altogether different from their own, and they 
 dropped their threatening weapons and stood as if paralyzed 
 by wonder. 
 
 Roger had not faltered in his step as he saw them issue out. 
 Death had no terror for him now his father and all his friends 
 were gone, and he was altogether reckless of what befell him. 
 The fearlessness of his demeanour added to the effect produced 
 
 (618) F
 
 82 THE NATIVES. 
 
 by his appearance. His cap was gone, and the rays of the 
 sun falling upon his fair hair added to the effect produced 
 by his white skin. The natives, taking him for a supernatural 
 being, bowed themselves to the ground before him in an atti- 
 tude of adoration. The cries and uproar that but a minute 
 before had sounded in the village suddenly ceased, and were 
 succeeded by the hush of deep awe. Roger walked on between 
 the prostrate natives and seated himself on a stone at the 
 door of a hut. The natives gradually rose to their feet and 
 approached him timidly. He made signs that he wanted to 
 drink, for a raging thirst had been induced by the heat. 
 
 One of the natives ran into a hut and reappeared with a 
 bowl, filled with a liquid, which he humbly presented to Roger. 
 The latter patted his head in token of thanks, and then took 
 a long drink of the contents of the bowl. These were totally 
 unlike anything he had before tasted, being pulque, a slightly 
 fermented drink, obtained from the juice of the agave, most 
 useful of all the vegetable productions of Central America. 
 A native, who was distinguished by his dress from the rest, 
 now gave an order ; and in a short time two women approached 
 bearing a tray with some flat cakes of fine bread and fruits 
 of different kinds. More to please the natives than because 
 he was hungry, for he felt little inclination for food, Roger 
 partook of some of these. 
 
 The chief then harangued him at considerable length. When 
 he had finished, Roger, who had stood up while he was 
 addressing him, said, " I do not know a single word of what 
 you are saying to me, but I thank you for your kindness." 
 He then shook hands with the chief, to whom that form of 
 greeting was evidently new, and patted him on the shoulder 
 The chief then conducted him to a large house; it was no 
 higher than the rest, but was built of stone well fitted together. 
 The roof was roughly thatched, and could, Roger thought, 
 afford but a poor shelter in time of rain. He did not know 
 that, except at the commencement of a storm, rain was of com- 
 paratively rare occurrence upon the coast. Inside the house 
 showed signs of comfort. There were some seats decorated with
 
 A ruMi-i SSION. 83 
 
 carving; a finely woven mat covered the floor; arms and 
 utensils hung from the walls. 
 
 Several of the natives, evidently persons of consideration 
 in the village, followed the chief in. Some girls and women 
 came in from an interior room, and saluted the stranger with 
 the greatest respect. They examined him timidly, one of the 
 younger girls touching his hand gently as if to make sure 
 that it was skin and not some strange covering that gave 
 it its colour. Roger took off his jacket, which was hy this 
 time dry, and turned up the sleeve of his shirt ; as he did 
 so a general exclamation of surprise and admiration broke 
 from the natives at the whiteness of the skin, which was 
 far more striking to them than the bronzed hue of his face 
 and hands. The chief made various signs which Roger at last 
 understood to be a question as to whence he had come. He 
 pointed in the direction of the sea, and tried to signify that he 
 had arrived from a very long distance. 
 
 An hour passed, and Roger was beginning to wonder what 
 the next move would be, when a native entered, and, saluting 
 the chief, said something to him. The women and children 
 at once retired. A few minutes afterwards the chief went to 
 the door, and motioned Roger to accompany him. 
 
 Coming down the street of the village was a procession. 
 At its head walked two persons evidently of high rank. They 
 wore mantles falling from their shoulders nearly to the ground, 
 ornamented with designs executed in brightly coloured feathers ; 
 they had circlets of gold round their heads and heavy neck- 
 laces and bracelets of the same metal; beneath the mantles 
 they wore short petticoats of soft white material. Their 
 spears and their arms were carried behind them by attendants ; 
 behind these came a number of men and women walking in 
 regular order, carrying bowls of fruit, trays of cooked food, 
 and other offerings. Roger saw at once that they must have 
 come from a place of importance, which must be near at 
 hand, as they had doubtless set out upon the receipt of a 
 message despatched by his present entertainer. He guessed 
 that the report must have been a favourable one of him ;
 
 84 ROGER IMPRESSES THE NATIVES. 
 
 and that the natives were impressed with the idea that he was 
 a superior being ; it was therefore needful for him to comport 
 himself so that this impression should be confirmed. 
 
 The chiefs bowed profoundly as they approached him, 
 stooping so far forward that one hand touched the earth and 
 was then carried to their forehead. Roger did not under- 
 stand the meaning of this, but he bowed graciously, as if 
 accepting the homage that was offered. The bearers then 
 advanced and placed the offerings on the ground. Among 
 these was a mantle similar to that worn by the chiefs, but 
 more richly embroidered. It struck Roger that, as his white 
 skin excited so much admiration, it would be as well to show 
 it; he was, too, somewhat ashamed of his garments, which 
 were much worn, had turned a dingy hue from the sun and 
 salt water, and had moreover shrunk much from their recent 
 immersion. Taking up the robe, therefore, he motioned to 
 the chiefs to stay where they were, and returning into the 
 room stripped to his waist, and then throwing the mantle over 
 his shoulders returned to the entrance. 
 
 Something like a shout of welcome saluted him ; the whiteness 
 of his skin as seen through the open mantle astonished the 
 natives, and they accepted his assumption of the garment with 
 which he had been presented as a sign of the benevolent 
 intentions of this supernatural visitor towards them. The 
 ambassadors now made signs in the direction from which they 
 had come, and seemed to ask if he were willing to accompany 
 them. He nodded his assent, and in a few minutes the pro- 
 cession again started, the chiefs taking their places one on 
 either side of him, and the villagers falling in behind. 
 
 The women struck up a sort of chant in which all except 
 the chiefs joined. For an hour they kept on their way, and 
 then on ascending a small hill, a large town was seen. 
 " Tabasco," the chief said, pointing towards it. Roger repeated 
 the word, and in doing so evidently gave much pleasure to the 
 chiefs. As they approached the town he could see many lofty 
 buildings rising above it, and as they passed through a line of 
 long palisades that surrounded the place a body of men issued
 
 THE CACIQUE OP TABASCO. 85 
 
 out to meet him. As they approached, they formed in order 
 on each side of the road. All were armed with spears tipped 
 with sharp shiny stones, and carried bows and arrows. They 
 were dressed in doublets of thickly quilted cotton, capable of 
 turning an arrow or resisting the thrust of a native spear, 
 although they would offer but poor protection against English 
 arrows or English weapons. 
 
 As they entered the town the streets were lined with 
 similarly dressed soldiers, behind whom stood a crowd of 
 natives, men and women saluting their strange visitor with 
 loud cries of welcome. The procession continued its way until 
 it stopped before a large building, at the entrance to which 
 stood an aged chief. His mantle was completely composed of 
 feather-work, and plumes of feathers sprang from the golden 
 fillet that encircled his head. Behind him were clustered a 
 number of inferior chiefs. 
 
 He welcomed Roger courteously but gravely, and Roger 
 guessed at once that he was superior to the superstitions of 
 his people, and that he viewed him with a certain amount of 
 suspicion. Roger bowed, and taking off the jack-knife which 
 hung in its sheath from a string at his waist, drew it out and 
 presented it to the chief. The latter was evidently greatly 
 struck by the gift. Gold and silver he knew, but this bright 
 and shining metal was altogether new to him. He examined 
 it closely, felt the edge and point, and then handed it to the 
 chiefs behind him to be examined by them. Roger saw by 
 his manner that he had been favourably impressed, for the 
 weapon was as strange and mysterious to him as the visitant. 
 The chief undid a large gold necklace that he wore, and offered 
 it to Roger, who bowed and clasped it round his neck. The 
 chief now led him inside the house, which was similar, but on 
 a much larger scale, to that which he had before entered. 
 Refreshments were placed before him ; these he did not need, 
 but thought it better to eat of them. While he was so doing 
 an animated conversation was maintained between the chief 
 and his followers. 
 
 After a time the chief made signs to him to follow him, and
 
 86 MASTER OF A HOUSB. 
 
 conducted him to a smaller house close by, which he made 
 signs to him that he was to consider as his own. Mats had 
 been already spread on the ground, ruga made of quilted cotton 
 for sleeping upon piled in a corner, vases of flowers placed 
 about the room, and all made ready for occupation. An old 
 woman followed by two young girls came forward and saluted 
 to the ground ; they were slaves whom the chief had appointed 
 to wait upon the visitor. No sooner had the chief left than 
 a perfect levee commenced and went on for hours, until it 
 seemed to Roger that every man, woman, and child in the 
 town must have called upon him. 
 
 Most of them brought little presents as tokens of good will. 
 Garlands of flowers were thrown round his neck, baskets of 
 fruit, cakes made from maize flour, dishes of meat of various 
 kinds, little trinkets of gold, baskets containing beans and 
 many other eatable seeds and a ground powder of brownish 
 hue, of whose uses Roger was ignorant, but which he after- 
 wards discovered to be cocoa, which furnished the most popular 
 beverage of the natives. Not until it was quite dark did 
 the stream of visitors cease ; then the old slave dropped a 
 hanging across the door, and one of the young ones brought 
 forward to Roger, who was utterly worn out with the fatigues 
 of the day, a bowl of steaming cocoa, and some cakes of 
 fruit. 
 
 Roger found the cocoa extremely palatable, and wholly 
 unlike anything he had ever before tasted ; and it seemed to 
 invigorate him greatly. After drinking he spread some of the 
 quilted mats upon the floor and threw himself down upon 
 them. The old woman had lighted a lamp, and withdrawn 
 with the younger ones to an apartment behind, which served 
 as their sleeping-place as well as kitchen. 
 
 Now that he was alone and had time to think Roger broke 
 down entirely. Was it possible that it was but this morning he 
 was on board ship with his father and friends, and that now all 
 were gone, gone for ever, and he was in a strange land, cut off 
 from all hope of return, surrounded by people who, if they 
 were friendly to-day, might yet for aught he knew slay him
 
 MALINOHB. 87 
 
 on the morrow ? For the time, however, his own fate occupied 
 him but little. His thoughts turned almost exclusively upon 
 his father, upon their voyages together, his kindness and care 
 for him, the high hopes they had cherished when they started 
 upon their voyage, and above all upon his parting words and 
 the last gesture of farewell just as the ship struck. 
 
 For hours Roger lay and sobbed. At last he heard a slight 
 movement in the room, and looking up saw one of the young 
 slave-girls regarding him with a look of deep pity. To her, as 
 to everyone else, Roger had appeared as a supernatural being, 
 come from they knew not whence; but the lad's sobs had 
 touched her human feelings, and shown her that he had sorrows 
 like herself. Her look brought a feeling of comfort and com- 
 panionship to Roger's heart, and as, on seeing that she was 
 observed, she turned timidly to retire, he held out his hand to 
 her. She approached and knelt down beside him, and taking 
 his hand pressed it to her forehead. She was a girl of some 
 fourteen years old, already according to Mexican ideas a woman. 
 
 " What is your name ? " Roger asked. 
 
 The girl looked at him wonderingly, but shook her head. 
 Roger thought a moment and then touched himself on the breast. 
 " Roger," he said. He repeated the word several times ; then 
 he touched her lips and repeated "Roger," and seeing what 
 was expected she repeated the word in a soft voice. He nodded 
 again, touched himself and said " Roger," and then touched her. 
 She now saw what he meant, it was his own name he had 
 spoken, and he now asked for hers. " Malinche," she said, in 
 her soft Indian voice. 
 
 " Malinche," he repeated, " you are a kind-hearted girl. I 
 can see that, Malinche ; and I hope we shall understand each 
 other better one of these days. I suppose you are a servant 
 or a slave, and are not in a much better condition than myself. 
 Now you had better go and sleep." He patted her on the 
 shoulder, pointed to the door by which she had entered, closed 
 his eyes as if in sleep, and then said, " Good-night, Malinche." 
 The girl uttered some words he did not understand ; but as 
 they ended with Roger, and with a nod of her head she stole
 
 88 NATIVE SOAP. 
 
 silently away, he supposed that it was something equivalent 
 to his own Good-night. 
 
 Greatly comforted by this little incident, he rolled up one 
 of the rugs as a pillow, laid his head upon it and was almost 
 instantaneously asleep. He woke with a feeling of surprise ; 
 the events of the previous day seemed to him but a dream, 
 and he looked round expecting to see the bulk-head of the little 
 cabin he had occupied on board the Swan ; but the first glance 
 assured him of the reality of the dream, and that he was 
 alone among a strange people. He sprang at once to his feet ; 
 pulled aside a cloth that hung before an opening that served 
 as a window, and let the rays of the sun stream in. 
 
 " I want some water, old dame," he said, in a loud voice. 
 
 The old woman at once entered. Roger made signs by 
 rubbing his hands together, and passing them over his face 
 and head, that he wanted water. This the old woman brought 
 in a basin formed of the half of an immense gourd, and a 
 soft cotton cloth with which to dry himself. Then she brought 
 in a small pot filled with something which looked to him 
 like fat, but which he afterwards found was extracted from 
 a vegetable, and put it down by the side of the water. 
 
 " I suppose that this is some sort of soap," Roger said to 
 himself, and found on trial to his great satisfaction that it 
 made an excellent lather. After a good wash he felt greatly 
 refreshed, and now attired himself completely in Mexican 
 costume, a pile of garments of all sorts having been placed in 
 one corner of the room. When he had finished the two girls 
 entered with a tray containing cocoa, fruits, and bread. He 
 was about to address Malinche by her name ; but the girl kept 
 her eyes fixed upon the ground, and it struck him that she did 
 not wish her late visit to him to be known, as it might bring 
 upon her a scolding from the old woman whose voice he had 
 more than once heard on the previous afternoon raised in 
 shrill anger. 
 
 He therefore began afresh, first naming himself and then 
 touching Malinche's companion. She did not at first under- 
 stand, but Malinche said something in a low tone, and she
 
 PICKING UP THE LANGUAGE. 89 
 
 then replied, " Nishka." Roger repeated the name and then 
 touched Malinche, who at once gave her name. He next 
 pointed to the contents of the howl, and the girls replied 
 together " Coca." Roger repeated the word several times, and 
 then in the same manner learned the native names of the cakes 
 and fruit. The old woman, hearing the voices, now came into 
 the room. The girls spoke eagerly to her in their language, 
 and when Roger touched her she at once answered "Quizmoa." 
 
 "That is pretty well for a first lesson," Roger said; " now 
 I will eat my breakfast. I suppose that if anyone in this 
 place did not have a stare at me yesterday, they will be coming 
 to-day." , 
 
 Visitors, indeed, soon began to arrive, and it was more 
 than a week before the curiosity of the crowd was at all 
 satisfied. But even this did not bring what Roger considered 
 a terrible annoyance to an end, for the news had spread rapidly 
 through all the country round of the strange white being who 
 had come to Tabasco, and parties of visitors kept on arriving, 
 some of them from a great distance. 
 
 Roger, however, had made a good use of his tongue. He 
 kept one or other of the girls always near him, and by touch- 
 ing the articles brought to him as presents, the garments and 
 arms of his visitors, and the various objects in his room, he 
 soon learned their names. Almost every day the chief sent 
 for him, for a talk ; but as neither party could understand the 
 other these conversations generally ended by a sudden loss of 
 temper on the part of the cacique, at being unable to obtain 
 the information he required as to the origin of his visitor, and 
 the object with which he had come to his country. Having 
 acquired a large number of the names of objects, Roger, for a 
 time, came to a standstill ; then it struck him that by listen- 
 ing to what the old woman said to the girls, and by watching 
 what they did, he might make a step farther. 
 
 In this way he scon learnt " bring me," " fetch me," and 
 other verbs. When the old woman was present the two girls 
 were silent and shy ; but as Quizmoa was fond of gossipping, 
 and so was greatly in request among the neighbours, who
 
 90 MALINCHE'B ADVICE. 
 
 desired to learn something of the habits of the white man, 
 she was often out, and the girls were then ready to talk as 
 much as Roger wished. For a time it seemed to him that he 
 was making no progress whatever with the language, and at 
 the end of the first month began almost to despair of ever 
 being able to converse in it, although by this time he had 
 learnt the name of almost every object. Then he found that, 
 perhaps as much from their gestures as from their words, he 
 began to understand the girls, and in another month was able 
 to make himself understood in turn. After this his progress 
 was extremely rapid. 
 
 As soon as Malinche learned from him that he belonged 
 to a great nation of white people, living far away across the 
 sea, and that he had been wrecked in a ship upon the coast, 
 she warned him against telling these things to the chief. 
 "They hold you in high honour," she said, "because they 
 think that you have come down from the sky, and might do 
 them grievous harm if they displeased you. But if they knew 
 that you were a man like themselves cast by chance upon 
 their shores, they would perhaps make you a slave or might 
 put you to death in one of the temples; therefore on this 
 subject be always silent. When the chief asks you questions 
 shake your head, and say that these things cannot be spoken 
 of, and that it might bring down the anger of the gods were 
 their secret told." 
 
 The advice seemed good to Roger, and he followed it. Now 
 that he was able to talk in his language the chief soon plied 
 him with questions as to whence he had come. But Roger 
 always shook his head when the subject was approached, and 
 said : " It is not good to talk of these things ; evil might come 
 to the land. I am here, and that is enough. I will tell you 
 many things about other people who live far over the sea, and 
 who are very great and powerful. When they go out they sit 
 upon great animals, which carry them easily at a speed much 
 exceeding that at which a man can run; they live in lofty 
 dwellings, and when they go to war are covered with an armour 
 made of a metal so strong that arrows would not pierce it nor
 
 A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. 91 
 
 swords cut it ; they traverse the sea in floating castles and 
 when they want to convey their thought to others, many days' 
 journey away, they make marks upon a thin white stuff they 
 call paper, and send it by a messenger, and these marks tell 
 him who receives it what the writer's thoughts are just the 
 same as if he had spoken in their ears." 
 
 The hearing of such wonders as these reconciled the chief 
 to his disappointment at not learning more about his visitor. 
 The knife Roger had given him was a never-ending source of 
 wonder to the cacique and those whom he permitted to inspect 
 it. Gold and silver and copper they knew, and also tin, which 
 they used for hardening the copper, but this new metal was 
 altogether strange to them. It enormously exceeded copper in 
 strength and hardness ; its edge did not, like that of their own 
 weapons, blunt with usage, and they could well understand 
 that if armour could be formed of it, it would be altogether 
 unpierceable. 
 
 For a time Roger was every day at the chiefs house, and 
 his narration afforded astonishment and wonder to the audi- 
 ences that gathered round him. At the same time Roger 
 perceived that a difference of opinion existed among the principal 
 men concerning him. Some believed as at first in his super- 
 natural origin, and credited all that he told them, while others 
 were of opinion that he was a man like themselves, only of 
 different colour, and that these tales were simply inventions 
 designed to add to his importance. The fact that month 
 after month passed without his exhibiting any supernatural 
 powers, or reproducing in any way the wonders of which he 
 told them, added gradually to the strength of the party hostile 
 to him. 
 
 " Why should this god, if he were a god, have come to dwell 
 at Tabasco only to learn the language and behave as an 
 ordinary man 1 He had been kindly received why did he not 
 bestow benefits in return? Were the fields more fruitful? 
 Had any extraordinary prosperity fallen upon the people since 
 his arrival among them ? Had he taught them any of the arts 
 of those people of whom he spoke ? The gods always bestowed
 
 92 A SHIP ON THE COAST. 
 
 benefits upon those among whom they dwelt. He did not ever 
 pay reverence to their gods, nor had he entered a temple to 
 worship or sacrifice : How then could he be a god ? " Gradually 
 this opinion gained strength, and Roger perceived that his 
 popularity was decreasing. No longer were daily presents 
 sent in by the inhabitants of Tabasco. No longer did they 
 prostrate themselves when he walked in the streets. His 
 stories were received with open expressions of doubt and 
 derision, and he saw that ere long some great change would 
 take place in his condition. 
 
 One morning, to his surprise, the chief with six men 
 entered his chamber, and ordered him to come out and accom- 
 pany them instantly. Much surprised at the order, Roger at 
 once went out. 
 
 " You must go away for a time," the cacique said ; " but you 
 shall return before long." His guard conducted him eight or 
 ten miles into the interior, and established him in a hut 
 situated at a distance from any other dwelling. Three of 
 them by turns kept watch night and day over him, refusing to 
 answer any questions as to the cause of this singular conduct. 
 Beyond being kept a prisoner he had nothing to complain of, 
 being well fed and treated with all courtesy. A fortnight later 
 he was taken back to Tabasco as suddenly as he had left it. 
 
 When he arrived there he learnt the reason of his being 
 carried inland. A great floating castle filled with white men 
 had arrived at the mouth of the river, and had opened a trade 
 with the natives, exchanging glass beads, looking-glasses, and 
 trinkets for gold ornaments and articles of Mexican work- 
 manship. Their leader he heard was called Grijalva. The 
 cacique had been afraid that if Roger had heard that other 
 white men were in the river he would make an effort to join 
 them, or if they heard that a man of their colour was in the 
 town they would insist upon his being handed over to them ; 
 he had therefore hurried him away inland, and had issued 
 the most stringent orders that none should by signs or other- 
 wise acquaint the new-comers that a white man was in the 
 town.
 
 ROGER OBTAINS INFORMATION. 93 
 
 A guard had been placed over the house in which Roger 
 had dwelt, and none of those within it had been allowed to go 
 out while the strangers were in the river. These had sailed 
 away the day before Roger was fetched back. He was not 
 altogether disappointed at having missed the strangers, who 
 were of course Spaniards, for he wanted if possible to see 
 something more of this beautiful country before he left ; and he 
 was, moreover, more than doubtful as to the reception he should 
 meet with at the Spaniards' hands, when, by his ignorance of 
 their language, they discovered that he was a foreign intruder 
 in what they considered their territory. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ANAHUAO. 
 
 Fwas now six months since Roger was wrecked on the coast 
 >f Tabasco, he spoke the native language with perfect 
 fluency, and had learned all that was known as to the nations 
 round Tabasco. Malinche was his chief source of information. 
 She herself did not belong to the country, but, as she told 
 Roger, to a tribe that had been conquered by far mightier 
 people called Aztecs, who lived farther to the west. 
 
 It was from them, she said, that the people of Tabasco 
 obtained their gold, which was there very plentiful and was 
 thought but little of, as being useful only for ornaments, 
 drinking-cups, and similar purposes. They dwelt in a city 
 named Mexico, standing in the midst of a lake; there were 
 kindred peoples near them, and the country generally was called 
 Anahuac. All were subject to the Aztecs, and their armies 
 had gradually conquered all the surrounding peoples. They 
 possessed great temples, compared to which those of Tabasco 
 were as nothing. Their gods were very powerful, and all 
 prisoners taken in war were sacrificed to them. They had
 
 94 "AN INFAMOUS WOMAN I n 
 
 rich mantles and clothing, and the Tabascans were but savages 
 in comparison. 
 
 Being asked how it was that she, who was a native of such 
 a nation, came to be a slave among the Tabascans, she replied 
 with tears that she had been sold. Her father had been a 
 rich and powerful cacique of Painalla, on the south-eastern 
 borders of the Mexican kingdom ; he had died when she was 
 very young, and her mother had married again and had a son. 
 One night her mother had handed her over to some traders, by 
 whom she had been carried away. She had learned from their 
 conversation that her mother desired her son to inherit all her 
 possessions, and that she had, therefore, sold her to these 
 traders. The daughter of one of her slaves had died that 
 evening, and she intended to give out that Malinche was dead, 
 and to celebrate her funeral in the usual way. The traders 
 had brought her to Tabasco, and sold her to the cacique of 
 that town. 
 
 " But this mother of yours must be an infamous woman, 
 Malinche," Roger said indignantly, " thus to sell away her 
 own daughter to be a slave ! " 
 
 4< Girls are not much good," Malinche said sadly ; " they 
 cannot fight and they cannot govern a people. It was natural 
 that my mother should prefer her son to me, and should wish 
 to see him a cacique when he grew up." 
 
 Roger refused to see the matter in that light at all, and 
 was indignant at Malinche for the forbearance that she showed 
 in speaking of the author of her misfortunes. This conversa- 
 tion had taken place at the time when Roger had first learnt 
 to converse in the Tabascan language. The girl's statements 
 with regard to the wealth of the country to which she belonged, 
 had fired his imagination. This was doubtless the country 
 concerning which rumours were current among the Spanish 
 islands, and with whom it had been the purpose of his father's 
 expedition to open trade. Malinche told him that they spoke 
 a language quite different from that of the Tabascans. There 
 were many dialects among the various peoples under the sway 
 of the Aztecs ; but all could understand each other, as they
 
 CHANGES. 95 
 
 had all come down from the far north to settle in the country. 
 Thinking the matter over he determined, if possible, that he 
 would someday make his way over to Malinche's country, 
 which seemed so far in advance of the Tabascans. 
 
 " The Spaniards will go there some day," he said ; " and 
 although they would kill me without hesitation, if they found 
 an Englishman there before them, I might yet, in some way or 
 other, manage to achieve my escape." Accordingly, he asked 
 Malinche to teach him her language, and at the end of the six 
 months he could converse with her in it almost as readily as 
 he could in Tabascan, for in learning it he had none of the 
 initial difficulties he had at first encountered in acquiring 
 Tabascan, the latter language serving as a medium. 
 
 The year which had elapsed since the Swan sailed from 
 Plymouth had effected great alteration in Roger's figure ; he 
 had grown several inches and had widened out greatly ; and 
 was fulfilling the promise of his earlier figure by growing into 
 an immensely large and powerful man. He was even now 
 half a head taller than the very tallest of the natives of 
 Tabasco ; and in point of strength was still more their superior. 
 Thus, although the belief in his supernatural origin was rapidly 
 dying out a certain respect for his size and strength prevented 
 any of his opponents from any open exhibition of hostility. 
 The fact, too, of his perfect fearlessness of demeanour added to 
 this effect. Roger carried himself well, and as with head erect 
 he strolled through the streets of Tabasco, with a step that 
 contrasted strongly with the light and nimble one of the 
 slenderly built natives, men made way for him; while his 
 sunny hair, which fell in short waves back from his forehead, 
 his fearless grey eyes, and the pleasant expression of his mouth, 
 rendered him a source of admiration to the women, who, with 
 scarce an exception, still believed firmly that he was no 
 ordinary human being. 
 
 One day when Roger was dressing in the morning he heard 
 excited talking in the street and the sound of hurrying feet. 
 
 " What has happened this morning, Malinche ? " he called 
 out.
 
 96 THE AZTEC TRADERS. 
 
 " The merchants have come," she said ; " the merchants 
 from my country." 
 
 As Roger had heard from her that a trade was carried 
 on by Mexico with the surrounding countries, by merchants 
 who travelled in parties, with strong bodies of armed men, 
 and that they had been at Tabasco but a few days only 
 before he had first arrived there, and might be expected again 
 in about a year, he was not surprised at the news. He had, 
 indeed, been looking forward to this visit ; for he felt that his 
 position was getting more and more unsafe, and that the 
 cacique would not be able much longer to support him against 
 the hostility of the majority of the men of importance in the 
 town. What he had heard from Malinche had greatly raised 
 his curiosity with regard to her country, and his longing to see 
 these people whom she described as invincible in war, and so 
 infinitely superior in civilization to the Tabascans. He had 
 closely inquired from Malinche whether she thought he would 
 be well received did he reach her country- Malinche's opinion 
 was not encouraging. " I think," she eaid, " that they would 
 sacrifice you in the temples. All our gods love sacrifices, and 
 every year countless persons are offered up to them." 
 
 " It is a horrible custom, Malinche." 
 
 Malinche did not seem to be impressed as he expected. 
 
 " Why ? " she asked. " They would be killed in battle were 
 they not kept for sacrifice. The Aztecs never kill if they can 
 help it, but take prisoners, so that death comes to them in one 
 way instead of another ; and it is better to be killed in the 
 service of the gods than to fall uselessly in battle." 
 
 " I don't think so at all, Malinche. In battle one's blood's up, 
 and one scarcely feels pain, and if one is killed one is killed 
 and there is an end of it : that is quite different to being put 
 to death in cold blood. And do they sacrifice women as well 
 as men 1 " 
 
 " Sometimes, but not so many," she said ; " and in dry 
 weather they offer up children to Talloc, the god of rain." 
 
 " But they cannot capture them in war," Roger said, 
 horrified.
 
 QUETZALCOATL. 97 
 
 " No, they are sold by their parents, who have large families, 
 and can do without one or two." 
 
 To Malinche, brought up in the hideous religion of the 
 Mexicans, these things appeared as a matter of course ; and 
 she could scarcely understand the horror and disgust which 
 her description of the sacrifices to her gods caused him. 
 
 " And you think that they would sacrifice me, Malinche? " 
 
 " I cannot say," she replied, " the priests are masters in 
 these things. If they said sacrifice, they would sacrifice you ; 
 but if they thought you a god, you would be treated with great 
 honour. How can I tell] I think that they would pay you 
 greater honour than here, but of course I cannot tell." 
 
 " Why should they pay me greater honour, Malinche ? " 
 
 " Because one of our gods was white. Quetzalcoatl was the 
 kindest of our gods. He taught us the use of metals, in- 
 structed us how to till the ground, and laid down all the rules 
 for good government. When he lived in Anahuac everyone 
 was happy. Every head of corn was so big that a man could 
 scarce carry one. The earth was full of flowers and fruit. 
 Cotton grew of many colours, so that there was no need to dye 
 it, and the very birds sang more sweetly than they have ever 
 sung since. Ah ! if Quetzalcoatl had always stopped with us, 
 we should have been happy, indeed ! " 
 
 " But why did he not, Malinche ? " 
 
 Malinche shook her head. " He was a god, but not one of 
 the greatest, and one of these grew angry with him I cannot 
 tell who, perhaps it was the god of war, who saw that the 
 Anahuans were so happy that they no longer went out to 
 conquer other people and to provide sacrifices for him perhaps 
 they were jealous because the people worshipped Quetzalcoatl 
 more than them : anyhow they were angry with him and he 
 was obliged to leave us. He came down to the sea, and took 
 leave of the people, promising that he or his descendants 
 would some day revisit them. Then he took his seat in his 
 boat, which was formed of serpent-skins, and sailed away, and 
 has never been seen again ; but we all know that one day, if 
 he does not come himself, white people will come from the sea 
 
 (618) O
 
 98 AN UNPLEASANT ALTERNATIVE. 
 
 to us. I think, Roger, that you are one of the descendants of 
 Quetzalcoatl ; and I think my countrymen would think so too, 
 and would hold you in great honour if the priests, who are 
 very powerful, did not turn them against you." 
 
 " What was this god like ? " asked Roger. 
 
 " He was tall in stature, and he had a white skin ; and his 
 hair was not like yours, for it was long and dark and flowed 
 over his shoulders, and he had a great beard ; but as you are 
 tall and white, you are like him ; and as he went towards the 
 rising sun it may be that afterwards his hair changed from 
 black to a colour like yours, which seems to me brown when 
 you are sitting here, but gold when the sun falls on it." 
 
 " So it seems, Malinche, that I may be sacrificed, or I may 
 be taken for a god ! I would much rather that they would 
 be content to treat me for what I am a man like themselves, 
 only of a different race and colour." 
 
 Roger had many conversations of this kind with Malinche, 
 and as he felt his position becoming daily more precarious 
 among the Tabascans, had come to believe that he should have 
 at least as good a chance among the Aztecs as where he was. 
 In return for all the girl told him about her country, he told 
 her much about his own. He explained to her that there 
 were many peoples among the whites, as among the reds ; and 
 they fought against each other in battle, having weapons which 
 made a noise like thunder and killed at a great distance. He 
 told her how one of these peoples, named Spaniards, had con- 
 quered many islands not very far distant from Tabasco, and 
 how assuredly they would come in time and try to conquer 
 this country, too. He explained that, while the nation to 
 which he belonged was at present at peace with the Spaniards, 
 they were not allowed to come into this part of the world; 
 and that had he and those who had sailed with him fallen into 
 their hands they would have been all put to death. 
 
 The news, then, that the Aztec traders had arrived was a 
 matter of as much interest to Roger as to the people of the 
 town. These looked forward to purchasing many things which 
 they could not otherwise obtain, for the gold ornaments, the
 
 AN ORDER OF KNIGHTHOOD. 99 
 
 rich feather mantles, and most of the other articles of superior 
 manufacture which Roger had seen were not the work of the 
 natives of Tabasco, but of their powerful neighbours. 
 
 The traders would stay, Malinche said, for four or five days 
 at least ; and Roger therefore thought it better not to go out 
 to see them until he learned what were the cacique's views 
 concerning him. He, therefore, remained quietly at home all 
 day. Upon the following morning he received a summons 
 from the cacique. 
 
 " White man," the chief said, " I have spoken to the 
 Anahuac traders concerning you, and they have a great desire 
 to see you. Therefore you will this morning accompany us to 
 their camp." 
 
 An hour afterwards Roger started with the cacique, and 
 a numerous body of the latter's counsellors and attendants. 
 The encampment of the Anahuans was a quarter of a mile 
 from the town. In the centre rose a large tent, the abode of 
 the merchants, and around, ranged in regular order, were the 
 rough huts erected by their escort. These were assembled in 
 military array ; they were, like the Tabascan soldiers, clad in 
 thick quilted doublets. Their spears were tipped with copper 
 or with obsidian, a stone resembling flint, of great hardness 
 and capable of taking a very sharp edge. In front of the tent 
 were several banners, embroidered in different devices in gold 
 and feather work. 
 
 Roger afterwards learned that merchants were held in far 
 higher consideration in Anahuac than in Europe, that their 
 business was considered as one of great honour, and that they 
 were permitted to assume what may be called heraldic devices 
 on their standards, to carry bright-feathered plumes, and to 
 wear gold ornaments such decorations being only allowed 
 to warriors who had, by their deeds in battle, been admitted 
 into an institution which closely resembled that of knighthood, 
 all others dressing in plain white cloths woven from thread 
 obtained from the aloe. Even members of the royal family 
 were not exempted from this law. 
 
 The whole trade of the country was in the hands of these
 
 100 A VISIT TO THE TRADERS. 
 
 merchants, who traded not only to its utmost borders, but 
 with neighbouring people. They were allowed to raise forces 
 sufficient for their protection ; they furnished the govern- 
 ment with descriptions of the people they visited, and often 
 afforded th'j State a pretext for wars and annexations by 
 getting up quarrels with the natives. They resembled, in fact, 
 the East India Company during the last century, mingling in 
 their persons the military and mercantile character. 
 
 In addition to their soldier escort, they took with them on 
 their journeys a vast number of slaves. These carried the mer- 
 chandize, made up into packets weighing about eighty pounds. 
 Many of these slaves had been instructed in the arts of the Aztecs, 
 and there were among them musicians, singers, dancers, and 
 workers in metal and feather work, and these were sold at high 
 rates to the people with whom they traded. 
 
 The merchants, who were attired in rich feather mantles 
 with plumes of bright feathers upon their heads, came to the 
 entrance of their tent when the cacique with his company 
 approached. After some talk between them and the chief, by 
 means of an interpreter, Roger was brought forward from the 
 rear of the company. The merchants inspected him with grave 
 curiosity. They turned and talked among themselves; then 
 they invited the chief to enter their tent. He remained there 
 for some time, and when he came out again returned to 
 his companions, and ordering four of his soldiers to accompany 
 him back to the town, left the rest of his party to traffic as 
 they chose with the merchants. 
 
 He did not address Roger until they reached his house, and 
 then bade him enter with him. " White man," he said, " the 
 Anahuan merchants wish to carry you away with them to 
 their own country, and have offered in exchange sundry slaves 
 and articles of merchandize. I would not have parted with 
 you ; and have told them, indeed, that you were no slave of 
 mine to sell as I chose, but a stranger who had come to visit 
 me from I know not where ; and have also told them that if 
 you go with them it must be of your own free choice, for that 
 misfortune might fall upon my people did I treat you with
 
 BOGKB IS WILLING TO GO. 101 
 
 aught but honour. It is, then, for you to decide. You know 
 that I wish well to you, and hold you in great esteem, deeming 
 that your visit here will give prosperity as well as honour 
 to Tabasco; but there are those among my people who are 
 foolish and headstrong, and who view your coming with sus- 
 picion. The priests, too, are unfavourably disposed towards you, 
 and have long urged that you would make a most acceptable 
 sacrifice to the gods. So far I have withstood them, but I am 
 old and cannot look to live long, and after I have gone your 
 enemies would assuredly have their way ; therefore I think it 
 is for your good that you should go with these merchants." 
 
 The cacique was speaking the truth but not the whole 
 truth. The merchants had offered in slaves and goods an 
 amount which had excited his cupidity ; and he was, moreover, 
 glad to be rid of the presence of one who was the cause of 
 constant dispute and trouble in his councils. At the same 
 time he still believed in the supernatural powers of his visitor, 
 and was afraid that if the latter went against his will, he 
 might invoke all sorts of ills and misfortunes upon Tabasco. 
 He was much relieved then, when Roger replied that he was 
 willing to go with the merchants. 
 
 " I have seen," he said, " that my presence here is unwel- 
 come to many, and that I was the cause of trouble. I know 
 too, Cacique, that you have befriended me to the utmost, while 
 many others have been against me. I am willing, then, to 
 depart." 
 
 Great was the grief of Malinche when she learned from 
 Roger that he was to go with the Anahuans. 
 
 " Could not my lord take me with him ? " she asked pre- 
 sently, as her sobs lessened in violence. 
 
 " I shall be but a slave myself, Malinche." 
 
 " If you ask the cacique he will let me go with you : I am 
 but of little value to him." 
 
 Roger did not answer for some minutes ; he would have been 
 glad, indeed, to have had Malinche who had been his companion 
 and friend, and whom he regarded almost as a sister with him, 
 but there were many things to be considered. He might be
 
 102 MALINCHB'S REQUEST. 
 
 well received in this new country, but he might be sacrificed 
 to these gods of theirs ; and in that case Malinche might share 
 his fate as she said that even women were offered up. Even 
 if well received he might not be able to have Malinche with 
 him. Besides, of course he did not want her as an attendant, 
 and in what other capacity could she go ? If he got into trouble 
 and had to try to escape from their land, he might not be able 
 to carry her off too. If they were separated what was to 
 become of her? She could not go to the mother who had 
 sold her as a slave. No; certainly, he decided, he must go 
 without her. 
 
 "Malinche," he said, after a long silence, "it cannot be. 
 There is no saying what my fate may be among your people. 
 I may be offered up to those terrible gods you told me of. I 
 may be treated as a slave. There is no saying what might 
 happen. At any rate I shall be unable to afford you any pro- 
 tection. Were we separated, as it is almost certain we should 
 be, where could you go, or what would become of you? Besides, 
 how in any case could we keep together? I could not have 
 you as a slave, even if I wanted to do so, in your own country ; 
 and how else could you go with me? If you like, I will ask 
 the cacique for your freedom, so that you might travel back to 
 your own country with the merchants ? " 
 
 The girl shook her head, " I have no friends there now," she 
 said, " where should I go ? " 
 
 " That is just what I am saying, Malinche. There is no- 
 where for you to go except with me ; and I do not see how you 
 could go with me. If you do not like this, I will promise you 
 that if things turn out well with me in your country, I will 
 send by the next merchants who come here, and buy you from 
 the cacique, and find friends for you there and place you with 
 them." 
 
 " You would have wives there," the girl said passionately ; 
 " and you would never think any more of me." 
 
 Roger burst into a loud laugh. 
 
 ' Why, Malinche, I am only a boy ! I am not yet eighteen ; 
 and in my country we do not think of taking wives until we
 
 A PAINFUL PASTING. 103 
 
 are eight or ten years older than that. It is a serious thing 
 with us, for each man has only one wife ; and it behoves him, 
 therefore, to be very careful in making his choice. I hope long 
 before it comes to my time for thinking of marriage to be back 
 in my own country and among my own people. If I were to 
 marry here how could I ever think of going away ? I could not 
 go and leave a wife behind me. I could not take her away 
 with me, because she would never be happy among a strange 
 people, any more than I should be happy if I lived here. No, 
 no, Malinche, there is no fear of my marrying any more than 
 there is of my forgetting you. You can trust me. If I live and 
 do well in your country I will send for you j and I will tell 
 your people that you have been as a sister to me, and will see 
 that this mother of yours does you justice, and that you shall 
 come to your own again, and you shall marry some cacique 
 of your own choice. If you do not hear from me you will 
 know that things have gone badly with me, and that either 
 I have been sacrificed to your gods, or that I am held as a 
 slave and have no power whatever to help you." 
 
 Malinche said no more; her dark eyes were full of tears, 
 but with the habit of submission natural to Mexican women, 
 she simply took Roger's hand and placed it against her fore- 
 head : " Malinche will wait," she said, and then hurried from 
 the room. 
 
 Before leaving, Roger gave Malinche several of the hand- 
 somest of the bracelets and necklaces that had been bestowed 
 on him in the first flush of his popularity at Tabasco, and 
 gave presents also to the old woman. The two girls wept 
 bitterly when he said good-bye to them, and Roger himself had 
 to fight hard to restrain his tears. 
 
 " It is as bad," he said to himself, " as it was saying good- 
 bye to Dorothy and Agnes. Colour does not matter much, after 
 all. Malinche is just as good and kind as if she were white." 
 
 The cacique himself conducted Roger to the Anahuac 
 encampment. He had that morning made him various 
 presents of robes and mantles, for he was very desirous that 
 his visitor should part in good will from him ; and he again
 
 104 TREATED WITH HONOUR. 
 
 impressed upon him the fact that he only parted with him 
 because he felt that he could not protect him from the ill-will 
 of some of his people. 
 
 The merchants made no secret of their satisfaction as soon 
 as they had handed to the cacique the goods and slaves they 
 had agreed to give in exchange for Roger. They had, like the 
 cacique, pretended to be indifferent as to the bargain, and had 
 haggled with him over the terms of the purchase. But both 
 parties were equally desirous of concluding the agreement ; and 
 while the cacique considered that he was making an excellent 
 bargain for the visitor who had voluntarily placed himself in 
 his hands, the merchants were still more delighted. 
 
 In the first place, the Mexicans were, as Malinche had told 
 Roger, looking for the arrival of Quetzalcoatl, or of a white 
 descendant of his from the sea ; and, if Roger were to turn out 
 to be the expected god, the honour which would fall upon them 
 as his producer would be great indeed. But even should this 
 not prove so, they would gain great credit, to say nothing of 
 profit, by bringing home so singular a being who would either be 
 received in high honour by the king or would be one of the most 
 acceptable sacrifices ever offered to the gods. As soon, there- 
 fore, as the cacique had left they addressed Roger in terms of 
 high respect, and presented to him some of their most handsome 
 feather robes, tiaras with plumes, ornaments, and arms. 
 
 To their stupefaction Roger replied in their own language, 
 and as they were in ignorance that the cacique possessed a 
 country-woman of their own among his slaves, they regarded 
 this as a miracle of the most singular kind, and as an indis- 
 putable proof of the supernatural nature of their visitant. It 
 was true that he did not speak as a native, but Quetzalcoatl him- 
 self might well have forgotten somewhat of his own language, 
 in his hundreds of years of absence from Mexico. The large 
 tent was at once placed at Roger's disposal, the merchants 
 contenting themselves with a smaller one raised beside it. A 
 number of slaves were told off to attend upon him, and his meals 
 were served with the greatest ceremony and deference. 
 
 That night, as Roger lay upon the soft pile of quilted rugs,
 
 ON THE JOURNEY. 105 
 
 prepared for him, his mind was sorely troubled as to his posi- 
 tion. Was he right in allowing them to deceive themselves 
 into a belief that he was a supernatural being ? Ought he not 
 rather to tell them that all these gods they worshipped were 
 false, and that there was but one true God : He who was 
 worshipped by the White men ? Thinking it over in every way, 
 he concluded at last that there was no necessity for him at 
 present to undeceive the Anahuans : he would do no good by 
 doing so, and would ensure his own destruction. He resolved 
 however, that nothing should induce him to pay honour to 
 their gods, or to take any part in their bloody sacrifices. 
 
 " They can kill me if they will," he said ; " but I am not 
 going to be false to my religion. If they should not kill me 
 I may be able in time to persuade them that their gods are 
 false ; but for the present it would be madness to try to do so. 
 From what Malinche said they are devoted to their religion, 
 and the priests are all-powerful. If I am to do any good, there- 
 fore, it must be done gradually. What should we think at 
 home if an Indian were to arrive, and to try and teach us 
 that our God was a false one ? Why, he would be burnt at 
 the stake in no time. And one cannot expect that these Indians 
 would be more patient in such a matter than we should. 
 When the Spaniards come they will doubtless overthrow their 
 gods, and force them to be Christians, just as they have the 
 peoples in the islands." 
 
 The next morning, early, the tents were pulled down, the 
 slaves loaded up with what merchandize remained unsold, 
 with the tents and provisions for the journey, and the caravan 
 started for the west. A party of the soldiers marched first ; 
 then came the merchants with Roger and a small guard of 
 armed men ; they were followed by the slaves, and another 
 body of troops brought up the rear. For six days they passed 
 through a country more or less cultivated, with villages scat- 
 tered about. One of these was always chosen for their stopping 
 place, and Roger admired the regularity and order with which 
 the encampment was formed, and the good conduct observed 
 in the dealings with the people.
 
 106 IN ANAHUAO. 
 
 Provisions were obtained by barter, and the inhabitants 
 mingled fearlessly with the trading party. He remarked on 
 this to the merchants, who replied, that it was always their 
 custom to keep on the most friendly terms with the people. 
 
 " Our caravans," they said, " visit all the countries round our 
 own, and did one of them ill-treat the natives, the others would 
 suffer for it. Therefore, we are always particular to give them 
 no cause for dissatisfaction. The empire is extensive, and many 
 parts of it are but newly conquered, therefore we should be 
 gravely blamed were we to embroil ourselves with its neigh- 
 bours, until the king desired to carry his arms in that direction. 
 Sometimes we have trouble. We were with a party who, a few 
 years back were attacked of the people of Ayotlan. We saw 
 that trouble was coming, and fortified our camp ; and for four 
 years carried on war with the town, and in the end captured 
 it. But this was forced upon us, and we had the approval of 
 the king. All those concerned in the struggle were permitted 
 to have banners of their own and military emblems." 
 
 " How did you supply yourselves with provisions all the 
 time ? " 
 
 " The country-people were neutral ; that was the advantage 
 we had from having always treated them well, while the 
 Cacique of Ayotlan had been a tyrant, and had greatly 
 oppressed them. So they brought in provisions to us for sale, 
 and we had less difficulty in that way than the people of the 
 town." 
 
 At last the villages of the Tabascans were left behind. For 
 some days the caravans travelled through a very sparsely popu- 
 lated country, and then arrived at a large village, where the 
 Anahuac language was spoken. 
 
 " We are now in the country of the king," the principal 
 merchant said. " All over it you will find the same language 
 spoken ; for although there are many people who lived under 
 their own chiefs, and many of whom have been but lately 
 conquered, the language is similar, though spoken with dif- 
 ferences, for all the tribes came down from the north and 
 settled here."
 
 MEXICAN HISTORY. 107 
 
 " And who dwelt here before they came ? " 
 
 " A people called the Toltecs. They were a great people, 
 well instructed in agriculture, great workers in metals and 
 builders of grand cities." 
 
 " And what became of them ? " 
 
 " It is not known, but misfortunes came upon them, famine 
 or disease, and it is said that they went away to the south. 
 Then came a people called the Chichemecs, a barbarous people 
 from the north, whom we found here when we came. Of us, 
 the greatest tribe were the Aztecs, who settled on one side 
 of the great lake and built a city there, called Tenochtitlan, 
 or sometimes Mexico, from the great war-god Mexitli. An- 
 other great tribe were the Tezcucans, to which we belong; 
 and our capital is Tezcuco, on the eastern side of the same 
 lake. Mexico and Tezcuco formed an alliance, and with us 
 was Tlacopan, a smaller kingdom hard by. It was agreed 
 that in all wars, one-fifth of the spoil should go to the 
 Tlacopans, and the rest be divided between the Aztecs and 
 the Tezcucans. This alliance has remained unbroken, and 
 together we have conquered all the countries round and from 
 sea to sea." 
 
 " What sea ? " Roger interrupted. 
 
 " There is on the west another great sea like this on the 
 east, which stretches away no man knows whither ; and 
 between these two seas all the peoples save one acknowledge 
 the dominion of .Mexico for although we are in alliance, the 
 Aztecs have of late years taken the lead, for they have had 
 very great monarchs, and are more war-loving than we of 
 Tezcuco ; and our kings and those of Tlacopan acknowledge the 
 Aztecs to be the leading power, and give to their king the 
 title of ' Emperor.' We maintain our own laws and usages. 
 Our king places the crown upon the head of each new 
 monarch of Mexico, but we own him to be the chief of our 
 Confederacy, and the more distant countries that have but 
 recently been conquered have been assigned entirely to the 
 Aztecs, although we have had our proper share in the slaves 
 and spoil taken in the war."
 
 108 AN INDEPENDENT STATE. 
 
 " And what is the one state that has not been conquered by 
 your Confederacy 1 " 
 
 " Tlascala; it lies high up among the mountains, and although 
 but a small state has maintained its independence, and has 
 several times repulsed the attacks of our best soldiers." 
 
 Roger thought that Tlascala must be a sort of Mexican 
 Switzerland. 
 
 " It is singular that a small state should have resisted so 
 long," he said. 
 
 "They have not been very often attacked," the merchant 
 replied ; " there is little to be got from them but hard knocks ; 
 the country is not fertile, the cold is too great, and they have 
 only the necessities of life. Except for slaves and for sacrifice 
 to the gods, there is nothing to be gained by their conquest." 
 
 " And you all worship the same gods? " Roger asked. 
 
 " Assuredly," he said, " although some are thought more 
 highly of in one kingdom, some in another. Mexitli or as he 
 is generally called, Huitzilopotchli is of course the greatest 
 everywhere ; but he is worshipped most of all by the Aztecs. 
 Quetzalcoatl is also greatly worshipped." 
 
 As he spoke the merchant glanced furtively up at Roger. 
 The lad saw that this was a favourable opportunity for 
 creating an impression. He smiled quietly : " It is right that 
 he should be," he said, "since he taught you all the good 
 things you know, and \\as, like myself, white." This proof of 
 the great knowledge possessed by the being before him vastly 
 impressed the Mexican. How could this strange being know 
 the Mexican tongue and be acquainted with its gods unless he 
 were one of them ? It had pleased him to assume ignorance of 
 other matters, but doubtless he was well aware of everything 
 that had passed in the country since he left it. Henceforth 
 the respect which he and his companions paid to Roger was 
 redoubled. 
 
 As soon as they had reached the borders of Mexico, a swift 
 runner had been despatched to the nearest post with a message 
 to be sent forward to the King of Tezcuco, with the tidings of 
 the arrival of a strange white being in the land, and asking
 
 PICTURE-WRITING. 109 
 
 for instructions as to what was to be done with him. In the 
 meantime the merchants told Roger that they wished him to 
 abstain from going out into the various villages and towns at 
 which they stopped. 
 
 " Until we know what are the king's wishes concerning you 
 it were better that you were not seen. In the first place all 
 this country by the coast is under the Aztec rule, and as soon 
 as you were seen, messages would be sent forward to Mexico, 
 and the Emperor might desire that so great a wonder should 
 be sent direct to him ; whereas if our own King sends first 
 for you, you would be his property as it were, and even 
 Montezuma would not interfere. It will not be long before 
 an answer arrives, for along all the roads there are post- 
 houses two leagues apart from each other. At each of these 
 couriers are stationed, men trained to run at great speed, 
 and these carry the despatches from post to post at the rate 
 of eight or nine miles an hour." 
 
 " But the messages must get changed, where they have to be 
 given so often ? " 
 
 " Not at all," he said, " the couriers know nothing of the 
 despatches they carry." 
 
 "Oh, they are written despatches ? " Roger said. " Then 
 you possess the art of writing ? " 
 
 " Writing, what is writing ? " the merchant asked. 
 
 " Letters are inscribed on paper," Roger said ; " so that the 
 person receiving them at a distance understands exactly what 
 the one who wrote wished to say." 
 
 The merchant shook his head. 
 
 " I know nothing of what you call letters," he said, " we 
 draw pictures on a fabric formed of prepared skins, or of a 
 composition of silk and gum, but chiefly on a paper prepared 
 from the leaves of the aloe. Besides the pictures there are 
 marks, which are understood to represent certain things. 
 These picture despatches are made in the form of rolls or 
 books. I myself have a slave who is skilled in such work, 
 and who has depicted you and added all particulars, and the 
 roll has been forwarded to Tezcuco."
 
 110 PICTURESQUE SCENERY. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A WONDERFUL COUNTRY. 
 
 SO anxious were the merchants to avoid arriving at any 
 town of importance, where there would be an Aztec 
 commander and garrison, until they received an answer 
 from Tezcuco, that they travelled by very slow stages, camp- 
 ing in small villages where they could obtain water and 
 supplies. Roger asked many questions of them as to the 
 country, and learnt that the hot and arid soil they were now 
 crossing extended only about one-third of the distance to be 
 traversed. Then that they would pass over a range of lofty 
 mountains offering great difficulties to travel, that the cold 
 was extreme, and that snow lay almost continuously upon the 
 highest summits. After crossing this range they would 
 journey across a rich country and descend at last into a most 
 lovely and fertile valley, in which lay the lake, upon which the 
 capitals of the two countries were situated. 
 
 The country they were now traversing varied considerably. 
 In some places it consisted of parched and sandy plains almost 
 free of vegetation. In others, where the rains were less able 
 to drain quickly away, were districts of extraordinary fertility. 
 Here grew the cocoa, vanilla, indigo and aromatic shrubs 
 innumerable, forming thick and tangled jungles, impervious 
 to the foot of man. Flowers of gorgeous colours bordered 
 these groves, and lofty trees of foliage, altogether strange to 
 Roger, reared their heads above them. The lad was delighted 
 with the extraordinary richness of colour, and the variety of 
 the foliage, but he would have enjoyed it more had it not been 
 for the intense heat of the sun and the closeness of the air. 
 
 They crossed several large streams. The slaves cut down the 
 great rushes which bordered them, and tying these together in 
 bundles, formed rafts, upon which four or five at a time were 
 ferried over. Roger learned that the principal road from the 
 coast ran from Cempoalla, a large town near the sea, but that
 
 A MESSAGE FROM TEZCUCO. Ill 
 
 this lay a long distance to the north, and that the route they 
 were travelling ran nearly due west to Tepeaca, and thence 
 north-west to Pueblo, after which the towns lay thickly 
 all the way to the lake. As far as Roger could learn the 
 distance from the coast which they had lately been following 
 to Mexico was by this route about three hundred miles. 
 
 On the fifth day after the messenger had been despatched, 
 a courier ran into the camp just as the caravan was about to 
 start, and handed to the chief merchant what looked to Roger 
 like a portfolio. This, indeed, was something of its character ; 
 it consisted of two thin boards, within which was a sheet of 
 paper. It contained a number of paintings and signs of which 
 Roger could make nothing, but the merchants informed him 
 that it expressed the satisfaction of the King of Tezcuco at 
 the news that had been sent him of the arrival of a strange 
 white personage in the land; that the priests would consult 
 the auguries, and decide whether it boded well or ill for the 
 country ; and in the meantime that they were to journey on 
 to Tepeaca, where they would be met by an envoy charged to 
 receive the white stranger and to conduct him to Tezcuco. 
 
 The merchants themselves were only able to gather the 
 general contents of this picture despatch, but the slave who 
 had drawn the one sent forward, interpreted every sign and 
 colour, for Roger found that colours as well as signs had their 
 meaning. He learned from the merchants that this picture- 
 writing was a science in itself, and that it needed years of 
 instruction and labour to acquire it. In every town and 
 village there were certain persons skilled in the art, so that 
 messages of all kinds could be sent to the capital, and orders 
 and instructions received. The national archives were entirely 
 written in this manner, and in the temples were immense stores 
 of these documents, affording information of every event of 
 interest, however minute, in the history of the people. 
 
 The caravan now pushed on rapidly. After travel 1 : ng, as 
 Roger calculated, nearly a hundred miles from the sea, the 
 ground began to rise rapidly, and in a single day the change 
 in temperature was very marked. Roger felt the sense of
 
 112 VOLCANOES. 
 
 listlessness and oppression, which had weighed upon him while 
 crossing the low country, pass away as if by magic; and it 
 seemed so him that he was again breathing the air of Devon- 
 shire. The vegetation had greatly changed ; the vanilla, cocoa, 
 and indigo had disappeared, and trees totally different from those 
 of the plain met his eye. 
 
 Another day's march, and they were four thousand feet 
 above the sea. Here everything was green and bright, showing 
 that rain constantly fell. Groves of a tree of rich foliage, which 
 was, the merchant told him, the liquid amber tree, grew near the 
 road, while on both sides lofty mountains rose precipitously 
 to a great height, their summits being clothed in snow. 
 
 Some of these, he heard, had in times past burnt with 
 terrible fires, and vast quantities of melted rock flowed over 
 the country, carrying destruction in course. In many cases 
 the road was a mere track, winding along the side of these 
 mountains with precipices yawning below. A day's march 
 through the mountains brought them into a lofty plateau, some 
 seven thousand feet above the sea. Here were wide-spreading 
 forests of trees, which Roger recognized as large oaks and 
 cypress. Around the villages were clearings, and whereas in 
 the plains below maize was chiefly cultivated, the largest pro- 
 portion of the fields here were devoted to plantations of the 
 aloe or maquey. 
 
 Here, even at midday, the temperature was not too hot to 
 be pleasant, while at night the cold was great, and Roger was 
 glad to pile the thick quilted rugs over him. 
 
 After traversing this plateau for some distance, they came 
 upon another range of hills, far loftier than those they had 
 before crossed, and vastly higher than anything Roger had 
 ever before beheld in his travels. These mountains were, the 
 merchant told him, the Cordilleras; they extended from 
 unknown regions in the north through Anahuac to the south, 
 The snow never melted upon the summits, and several of the 
 highest of these were terrible volcanoes, whose eruptions were 
 dreaded by the whole nation. 
 
 " Sometimes before these commenced," the merchant said,
 
 ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. 113 
 
 "the earth trembled and shook so that men could scarce stand 
 upon it, houses were thrown down, and terrible destruction 
 of life and property took place. Fortunately, these are rare 
 occurrences ; but several of them have taken place since the 
 time when the Aztecs first established themselves here." 
 
 The passage through this range was attended with real 
 hardship. Roger, accustomed to our English winter only in 
 the mild climate of South Devonshire, felt the cold to be severe ; 
 but the natives suffered far more, and the merchants con- 
 tinued their march right through one night, for the labour 
 of carrying their burdens kept the blood of the thinly clad 
 slaves in motion, whereas if they had halted many would 
 have succumbed to the cold. At last the path began to 
 descend, and soon after daybreak, as the road crossed a 
 shoulder of the hill, they saw a plateau similar to that they had 
 left stretching out below them as far as the eye could reach. 
 Even at the height at which they were standing, Roger could 
 see that it was densely populated. Villages were scattered 
 thickly, and the forest was restricted to patches here and there, 
 the greater portion of the land being under cultivation. 
 
 Directly in front rose the lofty buildings and temples of a 
 town of considerable size ; seen through the clear mountain air 
 it seemed but three or four miles away, and Roger had difficulty 
 in believing the merchants when they assured him that it was 
 fully twenty. This was Tepeaca. The slaves, wearied as they 
 were, quickened in their pace, and in two hours they emerged 
 from the mountain gorges on to the temperate plateau. Here 
 they halted for some hours near a post-house, a courier being 
 sent on to Tepeaca to inform the king's envoys that they had 
 arrived thus far, and to ask whether they should proceed at 
 noon, when the slaves had rested, or make their entry into the 
 town in the morning. 
 
 In a little over four hours the answer was received : the mer- 
 chants were directed to wait where they were until three hours 
 after noon, then to move forward until they arrived within 
 eight miles of the town, and then to halt for the night, and to 
 start again at sunrise next morning. Roger was as glad as 
 
 (618) H
 
 114 A BRAVE SHOW. 
 
 were the slaves that he had not another fifteen miles' march 
 before him, for the journey had been a most fatiguing one. 
 He thought that the absolute distance traversed did not exceed 
 thirty miles, but owing to the difficulties of the road, and the 
 care that had to be taken in traversing it at night, even with 
 the assistance of the torches carried by the soldiers of the 
 caravan, it had taken them twenty hours, including occasional 
 halts, to perform the journey. An abundance of food was 
 brought in by the neighbouring villagers, and the merchants 
 issued an extra supply of cocoa to the slaves ; and when the 
 march was resumed late in the afternoon the latter had com- 
 pletely recovered from their fatigue. 
 
 After a march of little more than two hours' duration the 
 caravan halted for the night, and resumed its journey at day- 
 break. The merchants had presented Roger with a mantle 
 more highly decorated than that which he had before worn, 
 and with some rich plumes of feathers for his head, and seeing 
 that they wished him to make as brave a show as possible, he 
 put on some of the gold necklaces and bracelets he had received 
 at Tabasco. The caravan was formed up in military order, 
 the standards of the traders being displayed at the head of the 
 column. The porters were placed four abreast, and the soldiers 
 who marched on either side were ordered to see that they kept 
 their ranks. 
 
 The merchants had put on their handsomest mantles, and 
 everything was done to show off the procession to the best. 
 As they approached Tepeaca the road was lined with people, 
 the news of the approach of the wonderful white man having 
 spread rapidly. As Roger passed they bowed to the ground 
 with the same respect that they paid to their own chiefs. He 
 fully came up to their expectations, for not only was the 
 whiteness of his skin and the colour of his hair wonderful to 
 them, but he stood many inches higher than the merchants 
 who walked by his side, for Roger had now attained his full 
 height although but a few months past seventeen and stood 
 six feet two in the thin sandals that he wore. He was as 
 yet far from the width that he would attain in another five
 
 A STATELY RECEPTION. 115 
 
 or six years, but looked broad and massive as compared with 
 the slight frames of the Mexicans. 
 
 When within a quarter of a mile of the gates of the town 
 a procession was seen approaching from it ; at its head were 
 two nobles, whose appearance far exceeded anything Roger 
 had hitherto seen. They wore cuirasses formed of thin plates 
 of gold, and over these mantles of gorgeous feather-work. 
 On the head of one was a helmet of wood fashioned to repre- 
 sent the head of the puma, or Mexican lion ; the other wore 
 a helmet of silver, above which was a cluster of variegated 
 feathers sprinkled with precious stones. They wore heavy 
 collars, bracelets, and earrings of gold and precious stones; 
 beside them were borne their banners, richly embroidered with 
 gold and feather-work, while behind them were a body of 
 soldiers in close vests of quilted cotton, and a train of slaves. 
 
 The merchants bowed low as the nobles approached. The 
 latter paused for a moment as they came near to Roger, and 
 then saluted him by touching the ground with their hands 
 and then carrying them to their heads. Roger did the same. 
 In the meantime several attendants round the nobles were 
 filling the air with incense from censers which they bore. 
 
 " The King of Tezcuco has sent us to welcome you," one of 
 the nobles said ; " he longs to see the white stranger who has 
 arrived in our land." 
 
 " I have heard of the greatness of the king," Roger replied, 
 " and desire to look upon him. I have come from a great 
 distance beyond the sea to see for myself the greatness of the 
 Anahuac kingdoms, and am glad to meet two of its great 
 nobles." 
 
 The Mexicans were not surprised at Roger understanding 
 their language and replying in it, for the despatches had 
 already acquainted the king with the fact that the white 
 stranger could converse in their language. There had been 
 an animated debate at the royal council at Tezcuco when the 
 news of his coming had arrived. Some were of opinion that 
 it was an evil omen, for there was a prophecy existing among 
 them that white strangers would coine from beyond the seas
 
 116 GORGEOUS PEE8BNTS. 
 
 and overthrow the Aztec power; but, upon the other hand, 
 it was pointed out that this could only refer to a large body 
 of men, and that as this stranger came alone it was far more 
 probable that he was either Quetzalcoatl himself or one of his 
 descendants, and that he came in a spirit of good will. If he 
 were a man, one man could do nothing to shake the Aztec 
 power j if he were a god he could work evil to the whole 
 country whether he remained on the sea-shore or advanced to 
 the capital ; and it was far better to propitiate him with gifts 
 than to anger him with opposition. 
 
 Some slaves next brought forward some delicately wrought 
 mats, and laid upon them the various articles they had brought. 
 A shield, helmet, and a cuirass, all with embossed plates and 
 ornaments of gold ; a collar and bracelets of the same metal ; 
 sandals and fans ; crests of variegated feathers, intermingled 
 with gold and silk thread, sprinkled with pearls and precious 
 stones; imitations of birds and animals in cast and wrought 
 gold and silver, of exquisite workmanship ; curtains, coverlets, 
 and robes of cotton as fine as silk, of rich and various colours, 
 interwoven with feather-work so finely wrought that it resem- 
 bled the delicacy of painting. 
 
 Roger was astonished at the richness and variety of these 
 goods, and as he viewed them muttered to himself : " If I 
 were but back in Plymouth with these, my Cousin Mercy and 
 Dorothy and Agnes would open their eyes indeed. I wish 
 to goodness I had something to send back to the king. One 
 of the cannon from the tiwan, with a supply of ammunition 
 and bullets, would have astonished him. However, as it is, I 
 suppose that I must make the best of it." 
 
 When the goods were all displayed, Roger addressed the am- 
 bassadors, saying how great was the pleasure that the gifts 
 afforded him. Not, he said, because he desired gold or 
 jewels or articles of luxury, but because they were proofs of 
 the good will of the king and of the mightiness of his power. 
 " Will you convey my earnest thanks to him for these presents, 
 and say that I regret deeply that I have come to his country 
 empty-handed, and have nought to send him in return ; but
 
 ROGER'S DIPLOMACY. 117 
 
 that there are reasons why I could not bring aught with me 
 from the place far across the seas from which I came ? There 
 are many strange and wonderful things there. People move 
 across the water in floating castles as big as your temples ; 
 they ride on great animals which carry them with the speed 
 of the wind ; when they fight they use weapons which twenty 
 men could not lift, which make a noise like thunder, and destroy 
 their foes at two or three miles' distance. But I was not 
 permitted to bring at present any of these wonders from the 
 far-distant country. I wanted to come myself, and I have 
 come ; but, as I have said, I had to come alone and empty- 
 handed. In time these wonderful things will be brought to 
 your shores, but the time has not come yet." 
 
 The nobles listened with respectful attention. It seemed 
 to them probable enough that a supernatural personage might 
 convoy himself vast distances through the air, but that he 
 could not burden himself with mortal appliances if, indeed, 
 such things were the work of merely mortal men. 
 
 " I could bring with me," Roger went on, " but one small 
 specimen of the metal most used in that distant country." 
 
 Then the merchants advanced, and handed to Roger his 
 knife, which they had purchased of the Cacique of Tabasco in 
 exchange for two accomplished slaves, and he presented it to 
 the nobles. 
 
 " You see it is a metal of extraordinary hardness. Swords 
 made of it will cut through a man's head to the chin. No 
 arrows or spears will penetrate armour made of it ; it can be 
 beaten into all shapes when hot ; the weapons of which I spoke 
 to you are constructed of it, and it is now used in the arts in 
 manufacture and for domestic purposes, as well as for armour 
 and weapons. So common is it that, as you see, the handle is 
 made only of rough horn which shows you that it is such a 
 one as is commonly used and is prized but little. It may be 
 that such a metal is found in your country, though as yet you 
 know it not, for in its natural state it is but a stone like < tiers, 
 although greater in weight ; and if so, I may be permitted some 
 day to instruct you in the methods of working it."
 
 118 IN TEPEACA. 
 
 The nobles were greatly impressed with this speech. Quet- 
 zalcoatl had instructed the Mexicans in all the arts that they 
 possessed, and this hint that their visitor might bestow upon 
 them the knowledge of this new and most valuable metal, 
 seemed a fresh proof of his relationship to the White God 
 whose return had been so long expected and longed for. They 
 now begged him to enter the city, and a party of their slaves 
 took up the gifts and ranged themselves behind him. The 
 Mexican troops fell in on either side and prevented the crowd 
 from pressing in upon them ; and then accompanied by the 
 two nobles and followed immediately by the merchants Roger 
 headed the procession as it again set forward. 
 
 As he entered the town Roger saw that it was vastly in ad- 
 vance of Tabasco. The walls were of stone, strong and massive, 
 the streets were wide and straight, bordered by well built 
 houses with flat roofs, upon which great numbers of people 
 were assembled. These uttered cries of welcome as he came 
 along and threw down wreaths of flowers. The Aztec gover- 
 nor, with a strong guard of soldiers, met them in a large square 
 in the centre of the town, and in the name of the Emperor 
 Montezuma welcomed Roger, and presented him with gifts of 
 even greater value than those sent by the King of Tezcuco, 
 saying that his master hoped that he would pay a visit to his 
 capital as well as to that of the neighbouring sovereign. 
 
 Roger replied suitably, and the procession then took its way 
 to a large house that had been assigned to the visitor. Here 
 a banquet was served in grand style, the governor and the two 
 ambassadors alone taking their seats with him. The meal 
 was served up on golden dishes, and pulque was handed round 
 in goblets of the same metal, by white-robed slaves. Strains 
 of music rose in the air, the performers being stationed in an 
 adjoining apartment. The music was unlike anything Roger 
 had ever before heard, and seemed to him to be of a plaintive 
 nature. With the exception of the fruits the dishes served 
 were all strange to him, and he was unable even to guess at 
 their nature. Among them was a large bird, which Roger 
 judged to be either a swan or a peacock, but which he was
 
 A STATBLY BANQUET. 119 
 
 informed was a turkey, a bird common in the country, but of 
 which he had never before heard. 
 
 There were other sorts of game, and all these were prepared 
 with delicate sauces and seasonings. There were a large 
 number of various confections and pastry, and a great variety of 
 vegetables and fruits. Under the dishes of meats small tires 
 of charcoal were burning in order to keep them hot. The 
 table was ornamented with vases of silver and gold of delicate 
 workmanship, and the confections were eaten with spoons 
 made of gold or silver or of tortoise-shell. Several varieties 
 of pulque, flavoured with sweets and acids, were handed, as 
 also chocolate flavoured with vanilla and other spices. 
 
 When the viands were removed slaves brought round, as 
 they Lad done before the meal began, basins of water and soft 
 cotton towels, and each of those present washed his hands 
 and face. Then a surprise even greater than those which 
 had preceded it awaited Roger. Two attendants brought 
 round waiters, upon one of which was placed a pile of a sub- 
 stance which looked to Roger as if it were the leaves of some 
 vegetable broken into small pieces, and also a gold box con- 
 taining a brown dust. On the other tray were placed a variety 
 of instruments of whose use Roger was ignorant. They were 
 small tubes inserted into bowls of gold or silver, and in addi- 
 tion to these were some things that looked like yellowish-brown 
 sticks of two or three inches in length, with tubes into which 
 they fitted. 
 
 These trays were first handed to Roger, who, after examining 
 their contents, turned to the noble next to him and said : " I 
 know not what these may be or how they are used. They are 
 not in use in the country from which I come." 
 
 The noble looked surprised. " It is yetl," he said, " and is 
 good for soothing the nerves and preparing for the siesta, 
 besides being very pleasant. All these are made from the 
 same leaf," and he touched the short sticks, the heap of broken 
 leaves and the powder. " This powder we apply to the nose," 
 and he and his companions took a pinch from the box and 
 thrust it into their nostrils. Roger followed their example,
 
 120 AN ASTONISHING CUSTOM. 
 
 but a pungent odour brought the tears into his eyes, and in 
 another moment he was seized with a violent fit of sneezing, 
 from which he was some time before he recovered. 
 
 " You will get over this in time," the noble said gravely, 
 but with a slight smile ; " this effect is only experienced when 
 the herb is first used." 
 
 Much as Roger had been astonished by the effect of 
 the powder, he was still more surprised at the use to which 
 the broken leaf and the little sticks were put. Two of the 
 Mexicans filled the small bowls with the leaf, while the other 
 took one of the tubes holding a small stick. An attendant 
 then approached with a small piece of wood on fire ; this was 
 applied first to the stick and then to the small bowls, and to 
 Roger's stupefaction great clouds of smoke at once issued 
 from the mouths of the three Mexicans. Had it not been 
 that, from the tranquil expression of their faces, he saw that 
 this was the regular course of events, he would have thought 
 that some accident had occurred, and that the Mexicans had in 
 some mysterious way taken fire in the interior. He remained 
 silent for a minute or two, and then asked : " Do you like it ? 
 is it really pleasant to you ? " 
 
 " It is, indeed," the governor said. " This herb is largely 
 used ; its effect is to produce a feeling of repose and content- 
 ment. You will get to like it in time." 
 
 " Possibly I may," Roger replied ; " although at present that 
 hardly seems probable." 
 
 The music now struck up a more lively air. Presently a 
 number of young men and women, who had been feasting in 
 another apartment, came in and performed several graceful 
 dances to the accompaniment of the music; singing, as they 
 did BO, a sort of chant, which reminded Roger of those he had 
 so often heard in the churches at home. 
 
 When all was over the ambassadors withdrew, saying that 
 doubtless their guests would wish to enjoy a siesta during the 
 heat of the day. Some slaves led the way into another apart- 
 ment in which was a couch heaped with soft rugs, and here 
 Roger threw himself down.
 
 BOGER'S REFLECTIONS. 121 
 
 " Was there ever an English boy in so strange a strait as 
 mine? " he said to himself. " What an extraordinary people ! 
 Gold seems as plentiful with them as common pottery with us ; 
 and as to the magnificence of their dresses, I verily believe that 
 the court of King Harry would make but a poor show beside 
 them. If I could land at Plymouth to-morrow, with all the 
 presents I have received to-day, I should be a rich man. Here 
 they are valueless. I received presents at first at Tabasco, 
 and yet had I remained there a month longer I should have 
 been sacrificed to those cruel gods of theirs. These presents 
 mean really nothing to me ; they seem magnificent, but gold 
 is so common here that it is no more than if at home one 
 presented a man with necklaces of glass, and some woollen 
 cloths. It is a mark of civility, but that is all. When I get 
 there, the priest will be enquiring into my religion, and when 
 they see that I pay no honour to their gods they will be sure 
 to raise a cry against me. 
 
 " Malinche was telling me that every year some special 
 prisoner is chosen for sacrifice, and is treated with great honour 
 and has every luxury until the time comes, and then they put 
 him to death. Brutes ! I have no doubt they will consider 
 that from my very rarity I shall make a specially acceptable 
 sacrifice. I wish I was back on the Hoe again. Cousin Diggory, 
 and Mistress Mercy, and the girls little think into what a 
 horrible fix I have fallen alone among a strange people, who 
 breathe smoke out of their mouths, and load me with rich 
 presents one day, and may kill me on the next. Well, when 
 the day comes I shall try not to disgrace my country and 
 religion and colour ; but it is very hard being all alone here. 
 If I had but two or three of my companions of the Swan with 
 me I should feel that I could face whatever came ; but it 
 is hard to stand quite alone, and I am only a boy. Still they 
 shall find that I can strike a rough blow or two before I die. 
 They shall not find that it is a lamb that they are going to 
 sacrifice, but a Devonshire lad with such bone and muscle as 
 one gets from a life on the sea. 
 
 "It is strange that these people should be so cruel, they
 
 122 A WALK THROUGH THB TOWN. 
 
 seem so mild and so gentle ; and yet Malinche says they sacri- 
 fice tens of thousands of captives every year to their gods. 
 They never kill in battle if they can avoid it, striving only to 
 take their enemies prisoners for this horrible service. I must 
 try if I can to make friends among them. The old Cacique 
 of Tabasco stood by me well, and it may be that here I may 
 find some like him; but it will need a powerful protector 
 indeed to stand against the priests, who, Malinche says, are 
 far more powerful here than in Tabasco." 
 
 Three hours later an attendant came in, and said that the 
 governor invited his guest to walk with him through the town, 
 and survey the temples and other edifices. " Now for it," Roger 
 said, clenching his fist. " Now, Roger Hawkshaw, you have got 
 to show yourself a true man, whatever comes of it." He fastened 
 the sword, which was one of the weapons with which he had 
 been presented, to his girdle, and then went out into the great 
 hall from which all the other apartments opened. The go- 
 vernor and the two nobles from Tezcuco were awaiting him. 
 Upon sallying out, Roger found that the streets were as crowded 
 as when he entered. He was received with a long quavering 
 cry of welcome by the women, and by a deeper hum of applause 
 by the men. All bent to the ground before him and his com- 
 panions, before whom a party of soldiers moved to clear the 
 way. 
 
 " Now, we will go first to the Great Temple," the governor 
 said. " It is but small in comparison with those of the great 
 cities of the valley, but it is a very holy shrine, and numbers 
 come from all the cities round to pay their devotion there or. 
 the days of festival. There are forty temples in the town, 
 on all of which fire burns night and day; but this is the 
 largest and holiest of them." 
 
 After passing through several streets, Roger saw a great 
 hill rising in front of him. Whether it was the work of man, 
 or had a natural hill for its foundation, he knew not It 
 was four-sided and pyramidal in form. There were terraces 
 rising one above the other, supported by stone walls ; steps at 
 the angles led from one terrace to another, but these were so
 
 THE PILE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND SKULLS.
 
 A TERRIBLE SUPERSTITION. 123 
 
 placed that anyone mounting had to pass right along the 
 terrace round the pyramid, before he arrived at the steps 
 leading to that above. The top of the pyramid seemed to be 
 cut off, leaving an area of, as far as he could judge, some fifty 
 feet square. Smoke ascended from the summit, where, as 
 Malinche had told him, fire always burns before the altar in 
 its centre. Just before reaching the foot of the pyramid the 
 governor pointed to a building of considerable size. 
 
 " Here you will see, he said, leading Roger towards a great 
 gateway, " how well the god has been honoured." 
 
 As he neared the gateway Roger saw that the building 
 was well-nigh filled with an immense pile, carefully built up 
 of whaf at first appeared to him cannon balls, only of 
 larger size than any he had seen piled in the batteries of 
 Plymouth, and of a white colour. Then the thought struck 
 him they were great turnips or some such root, which might 
 be held sacred to the god, but as he entered the building the 
 truth flashed across him, the great pile was composed entirely 
 of human skulls. Roger had made up his mind that although 
 he would not give way in the slightest in the matter of his 
 faith, he would yet abstain from shocking the religious feeling 
 of the natives. After the first involuntary start at the dis- 
 covery he silenced his feelings and asked how many skulls 
 there were in the heap. He could not, however, understand 
 the reply, as he had not yet mastered the Aztec method of 
 enumeration, which was a very complicated one. Roger walked 
 along one side of the pile, counted the number of skulls in a 
 line, and the number of rows, and then tried to reckon how 
 many skulls there were. 
 
 Roger was not quick at figures, although his father had tried 
 hard to teach him to calculate rapidly, as it was necessary for 
 one who traded and bought and sold goods of all descriptions 
 to be able to keep his own figures, or he would otherwise be 
 forced always to carry a supercargo, as was indeed the custom 
 in almost all trading ships, for there were few masters who 
 could read and write, far less keep accounts. However, as he 
 found there were a hundred skulls in each line, and ten rows,
 
 124 "HE SHOULD INDEED BE PLEASED." 
 
 and as the heap was nearly square it was not a difficult task to 
 arrive at the conclusion that there must be a hundred thousand 
 skulls in the pile. 
 
 This seemed to him beyond belief, and yet he could arrive 
 at no other conclusion. If a hundred thousand victims had been 
 offered up in one temple of this comparatively small city, what 
 must be the total of men killed throughout the country ? The 
 pile had, no doubt, been a long time in growing, perhaps a hun- 
 dred years ; but even then it would give a thousand victims 
 yearly in this one temple. Although it seemed well-nigh im- 
 possible to Roger, it was yet by no means excessive, for according 
 to the accounts of all historians, Mexican and Spanish, the 
 number of victims slain annually on the altars of Mexico 
 amounted to from twenty- five to fifty thousand. 
 
 " The god has good reason to be pleased ? " the Aztec am- 
 bassador, who was watching Roger's face closely, remarked. 
 
 " If he is fond of blood and sacrifices, he should indeed be 
 pleased," Roger said quietly ; " but all gods do not love 
 slaughter. Quetzalcoatl, your god of the air, he who loved men 
 and taught them what they know such a god would abhor 
 sacrifices of blood. Offerings of fruit and flowers, which he 
 taught men to grow, of the arts in which he instructed them, 
 would be vastly more pleasing to him than human victims." 
 Roger spoke in a tone of authority, as if he were sure of what he 
 stated. " When the white god left yoxir shores there were no 
 human sacrifices offered to the gods " this fact Roger had 
 learnt from Malinche, who had told him that the custom had 
 been introduced in comparatively late years ; she said ten 
 generations, which he supposed would mean about two hundred 
 years " and such a custom would be abhorrent to him." 
 
 The Aztec governor looked very grave. It was to the god 
 of war that these sacrifices were offered, but the idea that 
 the kindly white god, who stood next to him in public estima- 
 tion, might not only object to be so worshipped himself, but 
 might object altogether to human sacrifices being offered, was 
 unpleasant to him ; and yet this white stranger clearly spoke 
 as if he were acquainted with the mind of Quetzalcoatl. The
 
 "HE PREACHED PEACE." 125 
 
 Tezcucan envoys, on the other hand, looked pleased. Tezcuco 
 had maintained for a long time a milder form of worship, 
 her people were more gentle than the Aztecs ; and had only 
 reluctantly, and in part, adopted the terrible rites of their 
 formidable neighbours. 
 
 " Will you ascend the temple ? " the governor asked. 
 
 "No," Roger said firmly, " I say not aught against the god 
 of battles, let those who will make offerings to him. The God 
 of the Air," and Roger raised his hand towards the sky, 
 " loves flowers and fruit and peace and good will. When He 
 came down to earth He preached peace, and would have had 
 all men as brothers ; and I who follow Him will not bow down 
 at altars where human beings have been sacrificed." 
 
 The Mexican naturally thought that Roger was speaking 
 of Quetzalcoatl, and this strange knowledge he possessed of 
 the god and his ways and wishes, struck him with deep awe. 
 Without making any further attempt to induce him to ascend 
 the teocalli, which was the name they gave to their pyramidal 
 temples, the governor led the way back to the palace. 
 
 The next morning Roger started with the Tezcucan envoys 
 on his journey. They informed him on the way that the 
 Aztec governor had on the previous evening despatched an 
 officer of high rank to Mexico, to give the emperor the full 
 details of the conversation and sayings of the strange visitor : 
 for the despatches were available only for sending news of 
 facts and occurrences, but could not be used as mediums for 
 conveying thought. " Montezuma is mild and gentle in his 
 disposition, and quite unlike his two predecessors, who were 
 mighty warriors ; and doubtless in his heart he will welcome 
 the words you said yesterday concerning Quetzalcoatl. But 
 he is swayed wholly by the priests, and such sentiments will 
 not be agreeable to them, for sacrifices are for ever going on 
 at the teocalli. At the dedication of the great temple for 
 H uitzilopotchli just thirty years ago, seventy thousand captives 
 were put to death." 
 
 "They must have been miserable creatures," Roger said 
 indignantly, " to have submitted tamely to such a fate ; they
 
 126 A SUCCESSION OF BANQUETS. 
 
 might at least have rushed upon their guards, however numer- 
 ous, and died fighting." 
 
 Roger said little more during that day's journey. The admira- 
 tion he had at first felt for the arts and civilization of these 
 people had been succeeded by a feeling of abhorrence. He had 
 heard from Malinche that all victims sacrificed to the gods, 
 were afterwards cooked and eaten, and although he had 
 scarcely believed the girl in spite of her solemn assurances, 
 he could now, after seeing the vast pile of human skulls, quite 
 believe that it was true. 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 AT TEZCUCO. 
 
 TN each city through which they passed, and several of these 
 JL were of vastly greater size and importance than Tepeaca, 
 Roger was received with the same welcome and rejoicings that 
 had greeted him there. The houses were decorated with 
 flowers and garlands, dense crowds lined the streets, proces- 
 sions came out to meet him ; banquets were given in his 
 honour, and everything seemed gay and joyous. But Roger 
 was low and depressed, to him the whole thing appeared a 
 mockery; he seemed to see blood everywhere, and the fact 
 that, as he learned from the casual remark of one of the 
 envoys, numbers of victims were offered upon the altars on 
 the evening before his arrival at each town, in order to please 
 the gods and bring about favourable omens, added to his 
 depression, and he thought that he had better a thousand 
 times have been drowned with his father and friends than be 
 the cause of men being thus put to death. 
 
 It was true that, as he was told, these captives were reserved 
 for this purpose, and had they not been slain on that night 
 might have been sacrificed on the next, but this was a small con- 
 solation, it seemed to him that above the joyful cries of greeting 
 he could hear the screams of agony of the victims, and to such
 
 THE AZTEC PRIESTHOOD. 127 
 
 a pitch was he wrought up, that had he seen any whom he 
 could have recognized as priests, he would have fallen upon 
 them with his sword. But the priests held aloof from the 
 gatherings, they knew not as yet how their chiefs would 
 regard this stranger, and it was not their policy to join in 
 welcoming one who might afterwards be denounced and sacri- 
 ficed as an enemy of their religion, nor upon the other hand 
 would they commit themselves to hostility to one who might 
 be held to be a god. 
 
 From the summits of the teocallis they looked down upon 
 the great gatherings, angry that, instead of as usual figuring 
 in the chief places in the procession, they were forced to stand 
 aloof. As in Egypt, the Aztec priests embraced within their 
 order all the science and learning of the nation, they were 
 skilled in the sciences of astrology and divination, and were 
 divided into numerous ranks and classes. Those best instructed 
 in music took the management of the choirs, others arranged 
 the festivals conformably to the calendar, some superintended 
 the education of the young of both sexes, others had charge 
 of the hieroglyphic paintings and records and of the oral 
 traditions, while the rites of sacrifice were practised by the 
 chief dignitaries of the order. They were each devoted to the 
 service of some particular deity, and had quarters provided 
 within the spacious precincts of his temple. 
 
 Here a certain number were always on duty, and men 
 living there practised the stern severity of conventual discipline. 
 Thrice during the day, and once at night, they were called to 
 prayers ; they mortified the flesh by fasting and cruel penance, 
 drawing blood from their bodies by flagellation or by piercing 
 themselves with the thorns of the aloe. When their turn of 
 duty was over, they resided with their wives and families out- 
 side the temples. The great cities were divided into districts, 
 placed under the charge of a sort of parochial clergy. These 
 administered the rites of baptism, confession, and absolu- 
 tion, each of which strongly resembled that of the Christian 
 religion. 
 
 In baptism the lips and bosom of the infant were sprinkled
 
 128 EDUCATION. 
 
 with water, and the Lord was implored to permit the holy 
 drops to wash away the sin that was given to it before the 
 foundation of the world, so that the child might be born anew. 
 The secrets of confession were held inviolable, and penances 
 were laid upon the penitents. There was one peculiarity in the 
 Aztec ceremony of confession, namely, that the repetition of an 
 offence once atoned for was deemed inexpiable, and confession 
 was therefore made but once in a man's life, and generally 
 deferred until a late period of it. 
 
 One of the most important duties of the priesthood was that 
 of education, to which certain buildings were appropriated within 
 the enclosure of the principal temple of each city. Here the 
 youth of both sexes of the middle and higher classes were 
 placed when very young ; the girls being entrusted to the care 
 of priestesses, for women exercised all sacerdotal functions 
 except those of sacrifice. In these institutions the boys were 
 drilled in monastic discipline; they decorated the shrines of the 
 gods with flowers, fed the sacred fires, and took part in the 
 religious chants and festivals ; those in the higher schools were 
 initiated in the traditionary law, the mysteries of hieroglyphics, 
 the principles of government, and in astronomical and natural 
 science. The girls were instructed in all feminine employments, 
 especially in weaving and embroidery. The discipline, both in 
 male and female schools, was stern and rigid. The temples were 
 supported by the revenue from lands bestowed upon them by 
 successive princes. These were managed by the priests, who 
 were considered as excellent masters, treating their tenants 
 with liberality and indulgence. Besides this they were entitled 
 to the firstfruits of all produce, and were constantly receiving 
 rich offerings from the pious. The surplus beyond what was 
 required for the support of the priests was distributed in alms 
 among the poor : charity being strongly prescribed by the 
 moral code of the nation. 
 
 Thus the Aztec religion was a strange mixture of good and 
 evil. The moral discipline enforced by it was excellent. Many 
 of its precepts resembled very closely those of Christianity, and 
 yet the whole was contaminated by the wholesale sacrifices.
 
 THE VALLEY OF MEXICO. 129 
 
 It is supposed that this dual religion was the result of the 
 mixture of two peoples, the mild and gentle tenets of the Toltecs 
 being adopted by the fierce Aztec invaders, who added to them 
 their own superstitious and bloody rites. All this, however, 
 was unknown to Roger at the time; he saw the dark side 
 of their religion only, and was ignorant that there under- 
 lay it a system which, in point of morality, love of order and 
 method, and a broad charity, was in no way inferior to that 
 practised among Christian nations. 
 
 For some reason, of which Roger was ignorant but which 
 was doubtless in order to avoid the delays occasioned by stop- 
 pages at large towns, and to push on the faster towards the 
 capital, where the king and his counsellors were impatient to 
 behold the white stranger a detour was made. The towns of 
 Puebla and Cholula were avoided, and the party pushed on 
 rapidly across the plateau-land they were now ascending, where 
 the air was again keen and piercing. The road passed between 
 two of the highest mountains in the North American continent 
 the great volcano Popocatepetl, meaning " the hill that 
 smokes," and Iztaccihuatl, or "the white woman," so called 
 from the bright robe of snow which extended far down its 
 sides. The lower part of these mountains was covered with 
 dense forests, above which rock, lava, and ashes extended to 
 the summit of the crater of the volcano. 
 
 At night the party sheltered in one of the stone buildings, 
 erected by government at intervals along the road, for the 
 accommodation of travellers and couriers. Pushing on the next 
 morning, they came upon a view which caused an exclamation 
 of surprise and delight to burst from Roger. At their feet lay 
 the valley of Mexico with its lakes glistening in the sunshine, 
 its cultivated plains, and numerous cities and villages. Stretch- 
 ing away from the point at which he was standing, were 
 forests of oak, sycamore, and cedar ; beyond, fields of yellow 
 maize and aloe intermingled with orchards and bright patches 
 of many colours. These were flowers, which were grown on a 
 very large scale, as they were used in vast quantities in the 
 religious festivals and almost universally worn by the women. 
 
 (618) I
 
 130 TEZOTTOO. 
 
 In the centre of the valley lay the great lakes, their borders 
 thickly studded with towns and hamlets. Rising from an 
 island in the centre of the largest of these, was the city of 
 Mexico ; its great buildings and lofty teocallis being seen clearly 
 through the dry atmosphere. The envoys first pointed out the 
 capital to Roger, and then another great city some distance to 
 the right, as being Tezcuco. Beyond the lakes, a barrier of 
 dark hills rose, forming a suitable background to the lovely 
 prospect. 
 
 Upon the road Roger learned much from the Tezcucan 
 envoys of the character of the king of their country, and of 
 the Emperor Montezuma. The grandfather of the present 
 king had been the greatest and most powerful of the Tezcucan 
 princes. In his youth he had gone through a series of strange 
 adventures. Tezcuco had been captured, the people sub- 
 jugated by the Tepanecs, and the king killed when the young 
 prince was but fifteen years old. The boy himself was thrown 
 into a dungeon, but escaped and fled to Mexico, and on the 
 intercession of the king of that city was allowed to return, and 
 to live for eight years quietly in a palace belonging to the 
 family. When the Tepanec usurper died, his son Maxtla, who 
 succeeded him, determined to kill the rightful heir to the throne, 
 but being warned in time Nezahualcoyotl escaped, and for a long 
 time wandered about the country, hotly pursued by his enemies, 
 who were many times on the edge of capturing him, but he 
 was always sheltered by the peasantry. At last the neigh- 
 bouring powers, fearing the aggression of the Tepanecs, united 
 and routed them. Maxtla was put to death, and the lawful 
 prince placed upon the throne. He showed great magnanimity, 
 granting a general amnesty, and then set about to remodel the 
 government. 
 
 Three departments were formed: the Council of War, the 
 Council of Finance, and the Council of Justice ; and in each of 
 these bodies a certain number of citizens were allowed to have 
 seats with the nobles and state officers. The highest body was 
 composed of fourteen members, all belonging to the highest 
 orders of nobles; this was called the Council of State, which aided
 
 A GBEAT MONARCH. 131 
 
 the king in the despatch of business, and advised him in all 
 matters of importance; its members had seats provided for 
 them at the royal table. Lastly, there was a tribunal known as 
 the Council of Music ; this was composed of the best instructed 
 persons in the country, without regard of rank, and was de- 
 voted to the encouragement of all branches of science and art. 
 All works on these subjects had to be submitted to them 
 before they could be made public. They had the supervision of 
 all the productions of art and the more delicate fabrics ; they 
 decided on the qualifications of the teachers of the various 
 branches of science, enquired into the proper performance of 
 their duties, and instituted examinations of the pupils. The 
 Council gave prizes for historical composition and poems treating 
 of moral or traditional topics. It was, in fact, at once a board 
 of education, and a council of science and art. The kings of the 
 three allied states had seats upon it, and deliberated with the 
 other members on the adjudication of the prizes. 
 
 Thus Tezcuco became the centre of the education, science, and 
 art of Anahuac, and was at this time the head of the three 
 allied kingdoms. Nezahualcoyotl greatly encouraged agri- 
 culture as well as all the productive arts. The royal palace 
 and the edifices of the nobles were magnificent buildings, and 
 were upon an enormous scale, the Spaniards acknowledging 
 that they surpassed any buildings in their own country. Not 
 satisfied with receiving the reports of his numerous officers, 
 the monarch went frequently in disguise among his people, 
 listening to their complaints, and severely punishing wrong- 
 doers. Being filled with deep religious feeling, he openly 
 confessed his faith in a God far greater than the idols of wood 
 and stone worshipped by his subjects, and built a great temple 
 which he dedicated to the Unknown God. 
 
 After fifty years' reign this great monarch died, and was 
 succeeded by his son Nezahualpilli, who resembled his father 
 in his tastes, encouraging learning, especially astronomical 
 studies, and building magnificent public edifices. He was 
 severe in his morals and stern in the execution of justice. 
 In his youth he had been devoted to war, and had extended
 
 132 A 8TKANGB COUNTRY. 
 
 the dominion of Tezcuco, but he afterwards became indolent 
 and spent much of his time in retirement. His Mexican 
 rival took advantage of this, for as the rule of Tezcuco became 
 relaxed distant provinces revolted, the discipline of the army 
 became shaken, and Montezuma, partly by force, partly by 
 fraud, possessed himself of a considerable portion of its 
 dominions and assumed the title hitherto held by the Tezcucan 
 princes of " Emperor." 
 
 These misfortunes pressed heavily on the spirits of the king, 
 and their effect was increased by certain gloomy prognostics of 
 a great calamity which was shortly to overwhelm the country. 
 His health rapidly gave way ; he had died but two years 
 before ; and had been succeeded by his son Cacama, the present 
 king, a young prince who was two-and-twenty years old when 
 he ascended the throne after a sanguinary war with an ambi- 
 tious younger brother. In Tezcuco, as in Mexico, the office of 
 king was elective and not hereditary. It was, indeed, confined 
 to the royal family, but the elective council, composed of the 
 great nobles and of the kings of the other two confederate 
 monarchies, selected the member of that family whom they 
 considered best qualified to rule. 
 
 Roger was greatly impressed with these accounts of the 
 government of this strange country. It appeared to him that 
 art and learning were there held of much higher account than 
 they were in England; and it seemed more strange to him 
 than ever that a people so enlightened could be guilty of such 
 wholesale human sacrifices as those of which he had heard, and 
 had indeed seen proof, still more that they could absolutely feast 
 upon the flesh of these victims of their cruel superstitions. 
 
 Descending into the valley the party avoided as before the 
 numerous cities in the plain. The Tezcucans told him that they 
 did so simply because they were anxious to arrive as soon as 
 possible at the capital ; but as Roger learnt from them that 
 the sway of Montezuma was paramount in this part of the 
 valley, he thought it probable that they feared the Aztecs 
 might take him from their hands and send him direct to the 
 emperor.
 
 A MAGNIFICENT CITY. 133 
 
 After a long march, across a richly cultivated country, they 
 approached the town of Tezcuco just as evening was closing in. 
 A messenger had gone on ahead to announce the exact hour at 
 which they would arrive, and a party of soldiers were stationed 
 a short distance outside the town to escort them through the 
 city to the royal palace. They formed up on either side of the 
 party when they arrived, and without a pause the caravan 
 kept on its way. Roger had been astonished at the magnifi- 
 cence of the houses of the wealthy, scattered for a long distance 
 round the city, and at the extraordinary beauty of the gardens 
 with their shady groves, their bright flowers, their fishponds 
 and fountains ; but the splendour of the buildings of the 
 capital surpassed anything he had before beheld. 
 
 Not even in Genoa or Cadiz were there such stately build- 
 ings, while those of London were insignificant in comparison. 
 The crowd in the streets were quiet and orderly, and although 
 they looked with curiosity and interest on the white stranger, of 
 whose coming they had heard, evinced none of the enthusiasm 
 with which he had been greeted at Tepeaca. This was natural 
 enough : the inhabitants of a capital being accustomed to 
 splendid fStes and festivals are less easily moved than those 
 of a small provincial town by any unaccustomed events, and 
 are more restrained in the expression of their feelings. The 
 dresses of the people were greatly superior to those he had 
 seen hitherto ; they wore over their shoulders a cloak made 
 of cottons of different degrees of fineness, according to the con- 
 dition of the wearer. These and the ample sashes worn round 
 the loins were wrought in rich and elegant figures, and edged 
 with a deep fringe or tassels. 
 
 The women went about as freely as the men ; instead of the 
 cloaks, they wore mantles of fur or gorgeous feather-work. 
 Beneath these were several skirts or petticoats of different 
 lengths, with highly ornamented borders. Sometimes loose 
 flowing robes were worn over these, reaching to the ankles 
 those of the upper classes being of very fine textures and 
 prettily embroidered. Some of the women wore veils made of 
 fine thread of the aloe, or that spun from the hair of rabbits
 
 134 THE AUDIENCE CHAMBER. 
 
 and other animals. Others had their faces entirely exposed, 
 their dark tresses falling luxuriantly over their shoulders. 
 These, Roger learned afterwards, were Aztecs, the rest of the 
 women of Anahuac mostly wearing the veil, which was, how- 
 ever, extremely thin, and scarcely concealed the features. 
 
 The guards ahead with difficulty cleared the way through 
 the crowd, until they at last arrived at the king's palace, a 
 building of extraordinary splendour. 
 
 A number of nobles in gorgeous attire received the party at 
 the entrance, and passing along a stately corridor they entered 
 a vast hall. A cornice of carved stonework covered with thin 
 plates of gold ran round the walls, and from this dropped hang- 
 ings of the most delicately embroidered stuffs. The roof was 
 of carved cedar, the floor a mosaic of stone of different colours, 
 so delicately fitted together that they seemed one. At the 
 farther end of the hall upon a raised dais was a throne. 
 Upon this the young king was sitting, while a number of his 
 counsellors and nobles, together with several princesses and 
 ladies of the court, were gathered around him. 
 
 When Roger approached, he bowed low, saluting in Mexican 
 fashion. The king rose as he approached, looking with lively 
 curiosity and interest at the strange visitor of whom he had 
 already received so many reports. 
 
 Roger, on his part, regarded the king with no less interest. 
 He saw before him a young man of three or four and twenty, 
 with a bright intelligent face. His figure showed signs of 
 considerable strength as well as activity, and there was a 
 certain martial air in his carriage that spoke of the soldier 
 rather than of the king. The nobles had endeavoured to impress 
 upon Roger the necessity for him to salute the king by pro- 
 strating himself on the ground as they themselves did. But 
 Roger had refused to comply with their request. " King Hal 
 himself would not expect me to go before him like a worm if 
 he gave me audience," he said to himself; "and I will not 
 demean myself, as an Englishman, to bow as a slave before any 
 other monarch. Besides, to do so would be to acknowledge 
 that I was his humble subject, and would at once show that
 
 "YOU ABE WELCOME, WHITE STRANGER." 135 
 
 I have no pretension whatever to be the superior creature they 
 seem to consider me. I will salute him as his nobles saluted 
 me paying due deference to his rank, and no more." 
 
 The king himself did not seem displeased at Roger's breach 
 of the usual etiquette. He looked with admiration at the tall 
 figure of this strange white man, and at the frank and honest 
 expression of his pleasant face, his blue eyes, and sunny hair. 
 
 " Whoever he may be, he comes not as an enemy," he said 
 in a low voice to his sister, who was standing next to him. 
 "There is neither deceit nor treachery in that face." Then 
 he said aloud to Roger : 
 
 " You are welcome, white stranger. We rejoice to see you 
 in our courts. We have heard wonderful stories concerning 
 you, and about the people in the distant lands from which you 
 come, and shall gladly hear them from your lips, for we are 
 told that you speak our tongue." 
 
 " I thank you, King Cacama, and I am glad, indeed, that 
 it is my good fortune to behold so great and magnificent a 
 king. I have come, as you have heard, from a far country, 
 towards the rising sun ; so far, that it takes many months to 
 traverse the sea which divides it from you; but had the distance 
 been far greater than it is, I should have been more than 
 repaid for the journey by the sight of you, and of this great 
 city over which you rule." 
 
 " And is it true that your people move about the sea in 
 floating castles, and that they fight with weapons that make 
 a noise like thunder, and can batter down walls at a distance 
 of two miles ? " 
 
 " They can kill men at more than that distance, Sire ; but 
 for battering down walls they are used at shorter distances. 
 The ships are, as you say, floating castles, and will carry 
 hundreds of men with provisions and stores for many months, 
 besides merchandize and goods. These castles are armed with 
 weapons such as you speak of, some of them carrying twenty 
 or more, besides which each man carries a weapon of the same 
 kind, but small and light in make, so that it can be carried on 
 the shoulders. These weapons also make a great noise, though
 
 136 QUESTIONED. 
 
 not comparable with that of the large pieces which are called 
 cannon." 
 
 " And they have animals on which they sit, and which carry 
 them at a speed far greater than that at which a man can 
 run ? " 
 
 " That is so, Sire." 
 
 " Of what colour are they, and of what form ? " 
 
 " They are all colours : some are black, and some white, 
 others brown, or grey, or roan, or bay." 
 
 This answer seemed to surprise the king more than any other 
 he had heard. All the beasts and birds with which he was 
 acquainted were of the particular colour which appertained to 
 their species, and that the animals of any one kind should thus 
 differ in so extraordinary degree from each other struck him 
 as remarkable indeed. Roger had always been fond of sketch- 
 ing, and had often whiled away dull hours on board ship, with 
 pencil and paint-brush, and his cousins at home had quite a 
 collection of sketches that he made for them in foreign parts. 
 He now said : 
 
 "If your Majesty will order that gentleman who is at 
 present taking my likeness, to hand me a sheet of paper and 
 his brushes, I will endeavour to draw for your Majesty 
 an outline of the animal I speak of, and which we call a 
 horse." 
 
 At the king's order the scribe at once handed the neces- 
 sary materials to Roger, who in three or four minutes dashed 
 off a spirited sketch of a horse with a rider upon his back. 
 The king was greatly struck with the representation. The 
 Aztecs possessed the art of copying objects with a fair amount 
 of accuracy, but the figures were stiff and wooden, without the 
 slightest life or animation. To the king, then, this little sketch 
 appeared almost supernatural. Here was before him an ani- 
 mal which looked alive, as if already in movement. He passed 
 it to those next to him and continued the conversation : 
 
 " And the men fight on the backs of those animals ? " 
 
 " The nobles and a certain portion of the troops fight on 
 horseback, the rest of the army on foot."
 
 KOGEB DESCRIBES FIRE-ARMS. 137 
 
 " And are not these animals frightened at the terrible noises 
 made by the weapons you speak of ? " 
 
 " They speedily become accustomed to them, your Majesty, 
 just as men do ; and will carry their rider into the midst of 
 the enemy, however great the noise. Some other time I wiU 
 draw for your Majesty a representation of one of our knights 
 or captains, charging in full armour, which is as you have 
 perhaps heard, made of a metal that is not known here." 
 
 " And these weapons that you speak of are made of the 
 same metal ? " 
 
 " They are mostly made of that metal, Sire, though some- 
 times they are made of a metal which we call brass, which is 
 a compound of copper, and of another metal called tin, which 
 adds greatly to its strength and hardness." 
 
 "But how do they work? What machinery can be used 
 to hurl a missile at so vast a distance ? " 
 
 " There is no machinery, Sire ; the weapon is a hollow tube 
 of vast strength, closed at one end, with only a small hole 
 left there by which fire can be applied ; a black powder, com- 
 posed of various substances, is placed in the tube and pressed 
 up to the end, a wad of cotton or other material being forced 
 down upon it ; a large ball made of this metal, which is called 
 iron, and almost the same diameter as the tube, is pushed down 
 upon the wad ; and the weapon is pointed at the enemy, or at 
 the wall to be knocked down. Then fire is applied to the 
 small hole, the powder at once explodes with a noise like 
 thunder ; and the ball is sent through the air with so great 
 a speed that the eye cannot follow its flight, and all that it 
 strikes goes down before it." 
 
 " Even one of these captains on his horse ? " the king asked. 
 
 " Fifty of them, Sire, were they ranged up in line one behind 
 the other." 
 
 " Will you be able to teach us to make such weapons ? " 
 
 " Your Majesty, I have had a share in the using of these 
 weapons, but not in the making of them; and they require 
 great skill in their manufacture. I know not whether iron- 
 stone exists in this country, and were it found it would require
 
 138 "WE TREAT THEM HONOURABLY AND WELL." 
 
 a long experiment and great knowledge to manufacture a 
 cannon from it. As to the powder, it is composed of three 
 ingredients, one is charcoal, which can be obtained wherever 
 trees grow ; another is called by us saltpetre ; and the third, 
 sulphur; but I cannot say whether either is found in this 
 land. Nor, your Majesty, do I think that such knowledge, 
 could I impart it, would be a blessing to the land ; on the con- 
 trary, the battles would be far more terrible and bloody than 
 they now are. Vast numbers would be slain, and valour and 
 bravery would a^iail but little against these terrible missiles." 
 
 "No," the king said, thoughtfully: "you would take few 
 prisoners if you fought with such weapons as these. You take 
 some prisoners, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Yes, your Majesty ; we always take as prisoners those who 
 ask for mercy." 
 
 " And what do you do with them ? " 
 
 " We treat them honourably and well, as is befitting men 
 who have fought bravely. We exchange them for men of our 
 own side who have been taken prisoners by the enemy, or if 
 they are knights or nobles they pay a ransom according to their 
 rank to their captor, and so return home." 
 
 " That is good," the young king said with animation; "though 
 it differs altogether from our usages ; but, then, how are their 
 altars of the gods to be served 1 " 
 
 "I believe," Roger said, "that your Majesty's grandfather 
 erected a temple here to the Unknown God. It is the Unknown 
 God unknown to you, but known to us that the white peoples 
 across the sea worship. He is a good and gentle and loving 
 God, and would abhor sacrifices of blood." 
 
 The king did not reply for a minute. The introduction of 
 human sacrifices was a comparatively recent innovation in 
 Tezcuco, and although the Aztecs had lately almost forced their 
 own hideous rites upon their neighbours, there were many 
 who were still at heart opposed to them. He turned the subject 
 by saying : " There will be much for you to tell me when we 
 have leisure ; at present the banquet waits." 
 
 The eighteen months that had elapsed since the wreck of
 
 THE BANQUET. 139 
 
 the Swan had prepared Roger for taking part in such scenes 
 as those in which he was at present placed. From living so long 
 among natives, and in native costume, he had acquired some- 
 thing of their manner, which, unless under strong excitement, 
 was quiet and dignified. He had done this the more because 
 whenever he went out all eyes had been upon him, and he 
 had felt that it was necessary, so far as he could, to support 
 the mysterious reputation he possessed. He had lost alike the 
 sailor walk and carriage, the careless gaiety of a boy, and the 
 roughness of one brought up to life at sea. He himself was 
 only half -conscious of this transformation, but to one who had 
 seen him last when he sailed from Plymouth it would have 
 appeared absolutely marvellous. 
 
 Undoubtedly it impressed both the king and his nobles 
 most favourably ; and as the party followed the king and Roger 
 to the banqueting-hall, there was a chorus of approval of the 
 manners, bearing, and appearance of the white stranger. The 
 banquet was similar, but on a vastly greater scale, to that of 
 which Roger had partaken at Tepeaca. 
 
 Mexico contained within comparatively narrow limits extreme 
 diversities of climate, and by means of the swift couriers the 
 kings and nobles could place upon their tables the tropical 
 fruits and vegetables from the zone of the sea, the temperate 
 fruits from the lofty plateau-land, and the products of the rich 
 and highly cultivated valley of the capital. 
 
 The twenty counsellors sat down at table with the king, 
 other tables were spread at which the principal nobles feasted, 
 while the king's wife and sister and other ladies dined in the 
 same hall, but had tables apart. The king abstained from 
 asking questions of Roger about his country during the 
 meal, but conversed with him concerning his journey, and his 
 impressions of the country ; and enquired particularly whether 
 he was perfectly satisfied with the treatment he had received 
 from the merchants. Roger assured him that nobody could 
 have been kinder or more courteous than they had been, and 
 that he hoped his Majesty would express his satisfaction at 
 their conduct.
 
 140 THE PRIVATE APARTMENTS. 
 
 " That has already been done," the king said ; " the reports of 
 my envoys were sufficient for that. They have been raised in 
 rank, have received permission to carry specially decorated 
 banners, with other privileges and immunities." 
 
 After dinner was over, the king, without waiting as usual 
 for the smoking and entertainments of musicians, dancers, and 
 acrobats rose, saying to Roger : "I am too anxious to talk 
 with you to take pleasure in these amusements ; come with me 
 now." 
 
 He led the way to the entrance to the private apartments ; 
 these were enclosed by magnificent hangings, which were 
 drawn aside by two attendants, as he approached them. The 
 walls were here entirely hidden by hangings, and the floor 
 covered with a thick carpeting of richly dyed cotton stuff; 
 the air was heavy with odours of perfumes. The king led the 
 way to an apartment of considerable size, although small in 
 comparison to the two great halls they had left. Couches of 
 quilted mats, covered with silken embroidery, extended round 
 the room, and a general air of comfort as well as luxury 
 pervaded it. 
 
 From the open windows a view extended over a lovely 
 garden below, and then across the lake, to the walls and temples 
 of Mexico, shining in the moonlight and dotted with innumer- 
 able spots of fire on the summits of the teocallis. The room 
 itself was lighted with open lamps, in which burned cotton 
 wicks embedded in wax. Cacama clapped his hands, and a 
 young noble in attendance entered. The king bade him summon 
 six of his counsellors, and tell the queen and the princess that 
 he awaited them. 
 
 In a short time these entered. The pomp and ceremony of 
 royalty were, to a considerable extent, laid aside in Tezcuco in 
 the interior of the palace the custom there differing much from 
 that which prevailed at the court of Montezuma, where the 
 emperor never relaxed in the slightest in exacting the lowliest 
 and most profound homage from all who approached him.
 
 AFTER THE BANQUET. 141 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LIFE IN A PALACE. 
 
 " "VfOW," the young king exclaimed joyously, as soon as the 
 
 i_M party he had invited had assembled, and the silk hang- 
 ings at the entrance of the door had been closed : " Now we 
 can talk at our ease. In the first place what can I call you ? " 
 
 " My name is Roger Hawkshaw, your Majesty." The king 
 repeated the name. " It is two words," Roger said. " With 
 us, people have two names the one which is common to all 
 the family, the other which is given particularly to each 
 person. The name of my family is Hawkshaw, my own name 
 is Roger. Your Majesty can call me by either name, or by 
 both." 
 
 Long names were common in Mexico, and Roger Hawkshaw 
 seemed by no means long to the king. 
 
 " Roger Hawkshaw shall be your name in public," he said. 
 " It has a strange grand sound, and will impress the people ; 
 but I will call you Roger. This is my queen and first wife, 
 Maclutha ; this is my sister, Amenche ; these are two of my 
 oldest and ablest counsellors, both are great nobles, and have 
 led the armies of my father to victory ; these four young men 
 are, as you see, my friends they are the sons of four of my 
 chief nobles, and have been brought up with me since we were 
 children. Now tell us more about yourself and your people." 
 
 The whole party took their seats upon the couches, half 
 sitting, half reclining. Attendants brought in cocoa of many 
 different flavours, confections, and tobacco. 
 
 Roger took the cocoa, but refused the tobacco. " We do not 
 know this herb in our country," he said. 
 
 " That is a grave misfortune for you," the king remarked. 
 " It is known and used by all peoples that we know of here ; 
 it was used by the people we found here, when we came from 
 the far north, and all the tribes there used it also. First tell 
 me what induced you to make this long journey across the sea."
 
 142 " HAVE YOU SEEN THEM YOUBSELF ? " 
 
 Roger had been expecting this question, and as he had 
 already determined that he would in all matters adhere to the 
 truth, he did not hesitate in his reply. 
 
 " Your Majesty will understand that all the white peoples 
 who dwell on the borders of the sea journey much in ships, 
 which is the name we give to the floating castles. We do 
 trade with many peoples ; for example, there is far to the south 
 of us a great land wholly inhabited by people who are quite 
 black." 
 
 A general exclamation of astonishment broke from the party. 
 
 " They must be frightful ! " the young queen exclaimed. 
 
 " They are very ugly," Roger said, " with very wide mouths 
 and very thick lips, and flat noses ; and instead of having long 
 soft hair, they have only a short curly sort of black wool on the 
 top of their heads." 
 
 " Have you seen them yourself ? " asked Cacama, rather 
 gravely. 
 
 " I have seen some of them, Sire," Roger replied. " I was in 
 a ship that was attacked by others manned by a people who 
 live on the northern coast of this land, and who are themselves 
 not black but yellow; and they had with them several of 
 these people of whom I speak, who were frightful in their ugli- 
 ness, but who, to do them justice, fought bravely, though we 
 managed at last to beat them off. I pray your Majesty not to 
 doubt any facts that I may tell you, for in my country it is 
 considered disgraceful to lie ; and however extraordinary some of 
 the things I may say may appear to you, I can assure you that 
 they will all be absolutely true. They may seem to you hard to 
 believe, but you must remember that things which are strange 
 to us always seem wonderful ; my own countrymen, for example, 
 would find it hard to believe that there could be a people who 
 took delight in drawing in the smoke of a burning vegetable 
 and puffing it out again." 
 
 " I will not doubt what you say in future," Cacama said. 
 " Now continue what you were telling us." 
 
 " The white people are divided into nations, as are your 
 people on this side of the water. Some, however, are much more
 
 EXPLANATIONS. 143 
 
 powerful than others. While in times of peace all the ports of 
 different countries are open to the ships of the others, there are 
 two countries that claim the right over great seas, although as 
 yet untravelled and unknown." 
 
 " But how can they claim such a right as that ? " one of the 
 two chief counsellors asked. 
 
 " Partly by the right that they have been the first to try to 
 make discoveries in those seas ; secondly, because one of these 
 countries is the strongest at the present time ; and thirdly, 
 because they have been confirmed in their claim by the pope, 
 who is the chief priest of the religion that is held in common 
 among all white people. To the Spaniards was assigned that 
 vast space of water lying towards the setting sun." 
 
 " You do not belong to that nation ? " 
 
 " No. My country is called England. It is a great island 
 divided into two kingdoms, of which ours is the larger. " 
 
 " Are your people great fighters ? " 
 
 " Yes. We have fought many obstinate wars with the nation 
 lying on the mainland opposite to us, and our men have beaten 
 theirs when they have outnumbered us many-fold; but at 
 present we are at peace. We found that while we could beat 
 them in battle, we could not continue to hold a country that 
 lay separated from us by the sea." 
 
 " And you are friends with the Spaniards also ? " 
 
 " Yes. We have never warred with Spain, and our king has 
 as his wife a princess of that country. Trading at Spanish ports 
 we learnt that there was a rumour among the Spaniards 
 that far to the west lay a great people possessing vast stores 
 of gold, and riches of all kinds ; and so my father, who was 
 the captain of one of these floating castlas, determined to sail 
 across the sea, and, in despite of the Spaniards and their rules, 
 endeavour to perform the adventure of discovering, if possible, 
 this great nation." 
 
 " What would have happened if the Spaniards had met you 
 as you passed through their waters ? " 
 
 " Had they succeeded in taking our ship, they would have 
 killed us without mercy ; but we had a strong crew, and would
 
 144 "l AM AWARE OF IT, SIRE." 
 
 have matched ourselves willingly enough against any Spanish 
 ship, however big, that interfered with us." 
 
 " And what became of your ship ? " 
 
 " She struck during a gale on the coast of Tabasco, and was 
 dashed to pieces. My father and all on board were drowned. 
 But God protected me, and I was thrown ashore unhurt ; it 
 being doubtless His intention that I should live to be the first 
 white man to see your great country, and to bring to you the 
 news of the white peoples beyond the sea." 
 
 " You know the story about our god Quetzalcoatl," the king 
 said after a long pause. " We had news that you knew all 
 about him. We believe that his descendants will return hither 
 to teach us many things." 
 
 " I am aware of it, Sire." 
 
 " But do you know also that we of Tezcuco have reason to 
 view the arrival of the Whites with fear? My father, who was 
 full of learning and wisdom, predicted, when on his deathbed, 
 that a white people would shortly arrive from the sea, and 
 would overthrow the Anahuac kingdoms. It is strange, indeed, 
 that within three years of his death you should appear." 
 
 " It is strange," Roger agreed. " Assuredly, your Majesty, 
 your father's prophecy did not allude to my people. We are a 
 comparatively small nation, and are not even masters of the 
 whole of our island. We have not one ship to fifty that the 
 Spaniards possess, and have no desire for foreign conquests. 
 We are strong if attacked, and even Spain would find it a hard 
 matter did she endeavour to conquer us; but we should not dream 
 of challenging the rights she exercises over the seas to the west 
 of her. Moreover, our climate is a cold one, and we should 
 not be able to support with comfort the heat of a country like 
 this. It is not from our nation that danger can ever approach 
 you." 
 
 " But from the Spaniards 1 " the king asked gravely. 
 
 " I cannot think, Sire, that so great and powerful a nation 
 as yours has reason to dread conquest by the Spaniards. But 
 they are a mighty people ; they have extended their rule over 
 many peoples on the other side of the water ; and they have
 
 "WITH EQUAL ABMS AND ABMOUB, NO." 145 
 
 captured many islands which lie not so very far from your 
 shores." 
 
 " How far away ? " one of the old counsellors asked. 
 
 " A vessel with a favouring wind would sail to your coast 
 thence in twelve or fourteen days," Roger replied. 
 
 There was a general exclamation of surprise and uneasiness 
 from Roger's hearers. Many questions were asked him as to 
 the number of men the Spaniards could put in the field. His 
 answer somewhat reassured them. 
 
 "Perhaps two thousand would be the utmost they could 
 send from these islands," he said; "though I know not the 
 strength of their various garrisons. But from Spain they could, 
 if they chose, send across the seas in their ships ten times as 
 many." 
 
 " We could put over two hundred thousand in the field," 
 the king said proudly. 
 
 Roger was silent. 
 
 " You do not think," the king went on after a pause, " that 
 twenty thousand of these men are to be feared by a host like 
 ours?" 
 
 " With equal arms and armour, no, your Majesty ; but with 
 the advantage of their weapons, the fact that they are clad in 
 armour which your spears and arrows and knives would be 
 powerless to pierce, and that many of them would be mounted 
 soldiers, whose rush and impetus in battle it is nigh impossible 
 even for white infantry who have no fear of the horses, and 
 are themselves clad in armour to withstand ; and that they 
 have in addition these terrible cannon of which I spoke to 
 you ; I think that should twenty thousand of the Spaniards 
 land here they would be irresistible. However, I do not think 
 that there is any chance of such an army being brought 
 against you; rich and powerful as Spain is, the expense of 
 preparing such an expedition and the ships required to carry 
 it would be so vast that I do not think she would under- 
 take it. Moreover, she is always so occupied with wars at 
 home that she could not spare such a force for a distant 
 expedition, and I do not therefore think you have any ground 
 
 (618) K
 
 146 EOGER HANDED OVER TO THE LADIES. 
 
 for alarm in the present. I believe that in a very short 
 time Spanish ships may arrive at your ports, and will open 
 trade with your people. I wonder that they have not long 
 since found their way here. Trade would be beneficent to both. 
 They have many commodities that would be most useful to 
 you ; you have others that they would prize greatly." 
 
 " What are our products they would most value ? " the king 
 asked. 
 
 " First, and most of all, gold," Roger said. " It is with us 
 the scarcest and most valuable of metals, and all things are 
 valued by it. As with you bags of cocoa are your standard 
 of value, so with them are pieces of gold ; a wide estate is 
 worth so much gold ; a ship, or a horse, or a suit of armour, 
 so many pieces of gold ; and so through everything. All your 
 delicate embroidery work would be valuable in their eyes, as 
 being strange and different to anything we possess ; while on 
 their side they could provide you with silks, and satins, and 
 velvets, and cloths, and other fabrics new to you; to say 
 nothing of arms and ironwork vastly superior to any you 
 possess." 
 
 One of the old counsellors whispered something in the king's 
 ear, and the latter said to the queen : " Maclutha, I would talk 
 these matters over with my counsellors. I am sure that you 
 and my sister are longing to hear from Roger Hawkshaw all 
 about the ladies of his race, and their dresses and fashions : 
 take him, therefore, into your room while we discuss this 
 matter here." 
 
 The two ladies and Roger thereupon went into another 
 apartment, similar in style to that which they had left. The 
 conversation here took a light turn, unrestrained by the 
 presence of the king and his counsellors. They plied him with 
 questions, which Roger answered to the best of his power. 
 He was soon furnished with paper, pens, brushes, and paint ; 
 and he drew them several sketches, showing ladies in European 
 fashions, which filled his companions with surprise. It seemed 
 to them impossible that a woman could move with ease and 
 comfort in so much clothing. Then he drew for them a noble
 
 "ARE THEY VERY PRETTY?" 147 
 
 in the court dress of the period, and also the figure of a knight 
 in full armour. 
 
 The last astonished them most of all. How could a man 
 move and breathe thus enclosed in metal? Roger admitted 
 that, in a hot climate like that of Mexico, the heat would be 
 terrible. But he pointed out that men so clad were carried on 
 horses, and had no occasion for movement, save of their arms, 
 which, as there were joints in the armour at the shoulder, could 
 be moved in any way with freedom. 
 
 " There cannot be much bravery required to fight when 
 protected in this way by metal," the queen said. 
 
 " Numbers are killed, nevertheless," Roger replied. " The 
 armour, strong as it is, will not resist the missiles fired from 
 cannon ; and the helmets that is, the part that protects the 
 head can be beaten in by blows with heavy maces. Moreover, 
 when two parties similarly armed, charge, the shock is so 
 terrible, that horses and riders are alike thrown to the ground, 
 and when thrown down they may be trampled to death by the 
 horses, or killed by footmen before they can recover their feet. 
 Still, there are many who think that some day armour will 
 be given up altogether, for the guns are being improved con- 
 stantly, and when the balls sent by those carried by footmen 
 are able to pierce any armour, it will no longer be any pro- 
 tection whatever." 
 
 " And these ladies of yours," the Princess Amenche asked ; 
 " are they very pretty ? Because these matters are more to 
 our taste than these ugly arms." 
 
 " They differ much from each other, just as they do here," 
 Roger said ; " some are homely and others are pretty." 
 
 " Are their eyes always blue, and their hair of a bright 
 colour, like yours ? " 
 
 " Oh no ! There is a great difference. Some have hair almost 
 as light as flax, some almost as dark as yours, but not quite so 
 dark. Some have hair almost exactly the colour of gold ; some 
 a red, like the fringe of your garments ; then there are many 
 shades of brown between red and black. The eyes vary in the 
 same way, people with light hair, and golden, and red, have
 
 148 "AH, YOU KNOW HOW TO FLATTER l w 
 
 either grey or blue eyes ; those with brown hair of different 
 shades have brown eyes, sometimes light and sometimes dark 
 brown." 
 
 " How strange it must be," the girl laughed, " to see people 
 with hair of so many colours ! And which do you like best, 
 Roger Hawkshaw ? " 
 
 "At the present moment, Princess, I cannot imagine any 
 colour more beautiful than a deep glossy black." 
 
 The girl coloured through her hazel skin. " Ah, you know 
 how to flatter in your country also ! " 
 
 Roger was about to reply when a message was brought from 
 the king desiring them to return to the next room. 
 
 " We have been taking all these things that you have told 
 us into grave consideration," the king said, when they were 
 seated ; " and have concluded that it will be for the best that 
 this matter of these Spaniards should remain an absolute 
 secret, and that no word shall be spoken to a single person, 
 however dear, by any of those who have heard it. The country 
 has long been in a disturbed state, and constant expeditions 
 are necessary for ourselves and for Mexico, to suppress risings, 
 and put down outbreaks of discontent. Were the news to be 
 whispered about that there is a strange, terrible white people 
 within but a short distance of our shores the result would be 
 disastrous. 
 
 " Men's minds would become unsettled, their ordinary employ- 
 ment would be neglected, all sorts of dismal forebodings would 
 seize them, the very worship of the gods might be affected; and 
 instead of being able, should the time of danger ever come, to 
 meet our invaders boldly and fearlessly, they would find us dis- 
 organized and disheartened, and our power of resistance greatly 
 diminished. You, Roger Hawkshaw, have told us everything 
 with frankness ; we feel that every word you have spoken is 
 true, and that you have a real feeling of friendliness towards 
 us, and that your sympathies are with us rather than with the 
 people of this other white nation. But others would not see 
 it so. Even as it is, there is sure to be a party against you. 
 Were it known that a nation, possibly hostile, of your colour
 
 THE DECISION OF THE COUNCIL. 149 
 
 were but a short distance away, nothing could save you. You 
 would be sacrificed at once to the gods ; therefore as for the 
 sake of the nation we have decided that what you have told us 
 shall remain a profound secret to ourselves, so for your own 
 sake we pray you henceforth to say nothing to any of what 
 you have told us. Let men think what they like as to how you 
 have reached our shores : preserve a sort of mystery as to your- 
 self. There is no reason why you should not speak, but even 
 then guardedly, of the wonders of the land inhabited by white 
 men many months' sail across the seas; but it were best 
 that as little should be said as possible. Montezuma is sure 
 to wish to see you, but before you visit him we will again 
 take counsel together." 
 
 " I will, to the best of my power, carry out your Majesty's 
 orders," Roger said. " I fully recognize their wisdom. Indeed, 
 neither at Tabasco nor upon the journey, either to the mer- 
 chants or to your envoys, have I said a word respecting the 
 Spaniards; but I thought that it was but right that you 
 should know the truth of the matter, especially when you told 
 me of the prediction of your royal father. In future, when 
 I am asked questions, I can always fall back upon silence and 
 reply, truly, ' I am forbidden to tell this.' " 
 
 " That will do excellently," the king said. " There is but one 
 point connected with you now that puzzles us a point which, 
 before you came, confirmed us in the belief that there was 
 something supernatural in your character : How is it that you 
 have come to understand and speak our tongue ? " 
 
 Roger smiled. "To anyone else, your Majesty, I should 
 have replied, ' I am forbidden to answer that question ; ' but 
 I wish not to have any mystery with you. During the time I 
 was at Tabasco I was waited upon by a Mexican slave-girl, 
 who taught me her tongue." 
 
 The king burst into a hearty laugh, in which even the 
 grave counsellors joined, at this simple solution at what had 
 appeared to them so strange a mystery. 
 
 " Cuitcatl," the king said to one of the young nobles, " I hand 
 over Roger Hawkshaw to your charge. You see you need not
 
 150 A LOVELY PROSPECT. 
 
 be afraid of him, and he will throw no spells over you. Show 
 him all there is to see in the city ; but go not far away, for 
 we shall have frequent occasions to speak to him. He will 
 have a seat in the council, and at our own table. See that all 
 know that we most highly esteem and desire to honour him." 
 
 Bowing deeply to the king, queen, and princess, Roger 
 followed the young noble into whose charge he had been given. 
 For a long time they continued their way down passages and 
 corridors, until it seemed to Roger that it was a town rather 
 than a building that he was traversing. At last his conductor 
 pushed aside a hanging and entered an apartment. 
 
 " These are my rooms," he said ; " you are now master here. 
 All the nobles of the council, and those whom the king wishes 
 to have about his person, have suites of apartments in the 
 palace. I hope some day to have the pleasure of entertaining 
 you on my own estate, which lies a day's journey away to the 
 north-east of the lake. Now, you will doubtless be glad to re- 
 tire to rest at once, for you have had a long and weary time." 
 
 So saying, he led the way to a small chamber, leading out of 
 the larger one. Here a luxurious couch was arranged, and it 
 was not many minutes before Roger was asleep, for he was 
 indeed completely worn out, and was too much fatigued even 
 to think over the strange position in which he found himself. 
 
 He woke early, for upon his journeys the caravan had always 
 started at daybreak, so as to get as much as possible of the 
 journey done before the heat of the day set in. For a moment 
 he wondered vaguely where he was, and then as recollection 
 returned to him he leapt from his couch, threw back the 
 hangings before the window, and gazed out. 
 
 Glass was unknown in Mexico, nor was it a requisite in 
 the balmy climate of the valley. The prospect was a charming 
 one. Before him lay a garden more beautiful than any he had 
 ever beheld. It was filled with shrubs and flowers, and a 
 delightful perfume filled the air; fountains of bright water 
 threw their jets high above the sweet-scented groves and 
 shrubberies. Several large ponds glistened in the morning sun : 
 on some of these were islands accessible by light bridges, and
 
 A MOBNINQ BATH. 151 
 
 on the islands were fanciful pavilions. Waterfowl floated on 
 the surface of the ponds 01 stalked fearlessly on the marble 
 pavement that surrounded them; the songs of innumerable 
 birds filled the air. Roger was gazing in delight at the scene 
 when Cuitcatl's voice saluted him : 
 
 " So you are up betimes ; are you ready for your bath, or 
 will you take some chocolate first ? " 
 
 " Bath first, please," Roger replied ; and his guide led the 
 way across the large room, and, drawing a hanging aside, 
 showed Roger into a bath-room. 
 
 The walls and floors were entirely covered with marble ; in 
 the centre was a bath, some seven feet square, with a stream 
 of water running into it from the mouth of a grotesque animal's 
 head. 
 
 " Every apartment has its bath-room," Cuitcatl said. " The 
 water runs for an hour after sunrise only, but it can be turned 
 on at any hour. It seems a waste, but we are far above the 
 lower portion of the garden, and the water therefore runs into 
 a tank and thence works the fountains there. Would you 
 like your attendant to rub you in the bath, or when you come 
 out of it, for both methods are in use with us." 
 
 Roger declined both alternatives, and it was not very long 
 before he rejoined his companion in the central apartment. 
 Chocolate, light cakes, and fruit were at once served. 
 
 " We had best visit the gardens first, before the sun gains 
 too much power. There are charming arbours and pavilions in 
 shady spots for taking one's ease at the middle of the day ; but 
 for walking about the early hours are the best." 
 
 The gardens were of great extent, and Roger was surprised 
 at the extreme fearlessness of the innumerable birds of all 
 kinds that seem to regard them as their natural home. 
 
 " Why should they not be fearless ? " Cuitcatl said, when 
 he expressed his surprise. " They have never been frightened, 
 and regard all who come here as their friends, rather than as 
 their enemies. They have abundance of the food which they 
 love best. They make their nests among the plants or in the 
 trees which they would use were they wild. The ponds are
 
 152 THE MARKET. 
 
 full of fish, and the water-birds can find a far richer supply 
 here than elsewhere. When the ladies come the birds flock 
 around them and settle on their heads and shoulders, and take 
 crumbs of sweet cake from their hands. Many birds must, 
 of course, be caged, and you will see that there are large 
 aviaries scattered here and there in the garden. In these are 
 the hawks and eagles and many other birds which could not be 
 tamed so far as to remain in the garden unconfined." 
 
 After wandering for nearly two hours in the garden they 
 returned to the palace, and afterwards went down to the 
 market-place, which was crowded, as it was the fifth day of 
 the week. Cuitcatl had taken with them six officials of 
 the palace, to clear the way and prevent the people from 
 crowding in upon them. Roger was struck with the orderly 
 demeanour of the people. They seemed merry and lively, but 
 their mirth was of a quiet kind, and there was everywhere an 
 air of decorum and gentleness, in strong contrast to that of a 
 European crowd. " Why," he said to himself, " there is more 
 noise at home, when two or three boats come in laden with 
 pilchards, than is made by all these thousands and thousands 
 of people ! " 
 
 There was no pressing or pushing, and the order of the 
 officials, " Make way for the king's guest, the great Roger 
 Hawkshaw ! " was at once obeyed, and the people drew aside, 
 gazing at him curiously but respectfully, and saluting as if to 
 one of their own great nobles. The market was an extensive 
 square, surrounded by deep porticoes, and each description of 
 merchandize had its allotted quarter. In one was seen cotton 
 piled up in bales, or manufactured into dresses and articles of 
 domestic use, such as tapestry, curtains and coverlids. The 
 goldsmiths had a quarter assigned to them. There Roger 
 admired bracelets, necklaces and ear-rings, delicately chased 
 and carved, together with many curious toys made in imitation 
 of birds and fishes, with scales and feathers alternately of 
 gold and silver, and with movable heads and bodies. 
 
 In another quarter were the stores of the potters, with dishes 
 and plates, cups and basins of every degree of fineness, for
 
 A VARIETY OF MERCHANDIZE. 153 
 
 the use of poor and rich, vases of wood, elaborately carved 
 varnished or gilt. Near these Roger examined some hatchets 
 made of copper alloyed with tin, and as he felt the hardness 
 of the metal thought to himself that the natives, if informed 
 as to the size and proportions of cannon, would have no diffi- 
 culty in founding those weapons. Then there were certain 
 shops devoted to the sale of articles needed by soldiers. The 
 helmets fashioned into the shape of the head of some wild 
 animal, with grinning teeth and bristling crest; the quilted 
 doublets of cotton ; the rich surcoats of feather ; mail and 
 weapons of all sorts ; copper-headed lances and arrows, and 
 the broad Mexican sword, with its sharp blade of itztli, a hard 
 polished stone, which served many of the purposes of steel to 
 the Aztecs. Of this material were the razors made, with 
 which barbers were engaged in operating in their booths. 
 
 Many shops were well provided with drugs, roots, and 
 different medicinal preparations; for Mexico abounded in 
 medicinal plants, and the study of their uses was considered 
 one of the most useful of the sciences, and in this respect the 
 Mexicans were considerably in advance of the people of Europe. 
 There were shops for the sale of blank books, or rolls, for the 
 hieroglyphic picture-writing. Under some of the porticoes 
 were hides, raw and dressed ; and various articles for domestic 
 or personal use, made of leather. 
 
 Animals, both wild and tame, were offered for sale, and 
 near them Roger saw a gang of slaves with collars round 
 their necks, and these were also, Cuitcatl told him, for sale. 
 The portion of the market devoted to the sale of provisions 
 was a large one. Here were meats of all kinds, domestic 
 poultry, game from the neighbouring mountains, and fish from 
 the streams ; together with an immense variety of fruit, green 
 vegetables, and maize. Here were ready cooked foods for 
 immediate use sold hot to passers-by, and eaten as they 
 stood with stalls of pastry of many kinds, bread, cakes, and 
 confectionery ; chocolate, flavoured with vanilla and other 
 spices, and pulque, prepared with many varying flavours, 
 tempted the passers-by. All these commodities and every
 
 154 ALARMING NEWS. 
 
 stall and portico were set out and well-nigh covered with 
 flowers. 
 
 After leaving the market Roger proceeded with his com- 
 panion to the edge of the lake. It was dotted with countless 
 canoes traversing it in all directions, filled with people passing 
 to and fro between the great capitals or neighbouring cities, 
 bent either upon pleasure or trade. After feasting his eyes 
 for a considerable time upon the lovely and animated scene 
 Roger returned with his companion to the palace. 
 
 In the afternoon there was a great gathering of nobles at 
 the palace to enable a far wider circle than those assembled 
 the evening before to see and hear the king's white guest. 
 One of the old counsellors who had been present at the 
 previous meeting, acted as questioner, and this enabled Roger 
 to escape certain queries to which he would have had difficulty 
 in replying ; and while the assembly heard much of the various 
 wonders of the white people they learned nothing of the 
 manner in which the stranger had reached their shores, or 
 the object of his coming ; and at the end the general impression 
 that remained upon them was that he was a mysterious and 
 supernatural being, who had come to teach the people new arts 
 and inventions. When the meeting was over, Roger retired 
 again to the private apartments, and entertained the ladies 
 there with many details of European life and manners, and 
 by sketching for them houses, and ships, and other objects 
 they demanded. 
 
 Two hours later Cacama came in. He was evidently vexed 
 and anxious : " I am sorry to say, Roger Hawkshaw," he said, 
 " that to-morrow you must accompany me across the lake to 
 Mexico. I have had four despatches to-day from my Uncle 
 Montezuma ; he blames me for having permitted you to entei 
 the city before consulting the priests at his capital. You know 
 they are all-powerful there. Montezuma, with all his pride 
 and haughtiness, is but their humble servant. He says that 
 sacrifices have been offered up, and that the auguries are 
 unfavourable, and that the priests declare your presence to 
 be a danger to Mexico. I have no doubt that when they see
 
 CACAMA'S SISTER ENTREATS HIM NOT TO LET ROGER GO.
 
 "MY BROTHER, DO NOT LET HIM GO." 155 
 
 you this opinion will be changed, and I shall do my best to 
 prepare the way for you. I have already sent a private 
 messenger to the high-priest, speaking in the highest terms of 
 you, and strengthening my recommendation by some valuable 
 presents, to which priests are not more than other men 
 inaccessible. 
 
 Roger saw, by the look of dismay upon the faces of the queen 
 and the princess, that they considered the news very grave. 
 
 " Must he go 1 " the queen asked in a low voice. 
 
 " How can it be helped ? " Cacama replied. " Montezuma is 
 supreme ; and he and the priests together are all-powerful. 
 Roger is not like other men. Were he so, I would tell him when 
 night falls to fly, and Cuitcatl would risk the consequences, I 
 am sure, and act as his guide ; but being as he is, where could 
 he go, or where could he hide 1 Were it known in the morning 
 that he was missing, a hundred messengers from Mexico would 
 carry the news to every town and village in the country. 
 Even if we coloured his skin and his hair, his height would 
 attract attention, for he is taller by half a head, and broader 
 by far than any Mexican. But even did he, by travelling by 
 night and hiding by day, get at last beyond the boundary of 
 our kingdoms, what would then be his fate 1 to die of hunger 
 or thirst, or to be slain by wild tribes. What say you, Roger 
 Hawkshaw ? Will you risk these unknown dangers, or will 
 you go to Montezuma to-morrow?" 
 
 " Were I sure that the priests would decide against me, and 
 that I should be sacrificed to their great idol, I would risk 
 death in any other form rather than that," Roger replied; 
 " but it may be that when they see I have no evil intentions, 
 and neither thought nor power of injuring Mexico, they may 
 lay aside their animosity against me." 
 
 " They do not believe that you will injure Mexico," Amenche 
 said passionately ; " they only want you for a sacrifice. They 
 think that a being so strange and rare as a white man would 
 be of all the most acceptable victim to their god. My brother, 
 do not let him go," and the girl burst into tears. 
 
 " My little sister," Cacama said tenderly, " you know that I
 
 156 "IF IT MUST BE SO, IT MUST." 
 
 am powerless in the matter. In my grandfather's time he would 
 have answered a demand that a guest of his should be given 
 up by a message of defiance; but times have changed since 
 then, and the greater part of my kingdom no longer remains 
 to me. My brother, who disputed my right to the throne, reigns 
 over a large portion of it. Montezuma has seized fertile pro- 
 vinces. I am little more than the lord of a city, and could 
 offer no resistance for a single day to the power of the Emperor. 
 But you must remember that as yet we do not know that the 
 priests will decide against him. I myself shall go with him, and 
 I have already, as I have told you, taken some steps to incline 
 the priests in his favour. When I arrive there to-morrow I 
 will exert myself personally ; I have many friends among the 
 highest at Montezuma's court, and will also pray these to use 
 their influence. Should I fail all will not be lost. It is likely 
 that if they decide upon sacrificing you, Roger, they will make 
 you the victim to the god Tezcatlepoca, ' the soul of the world.' 
 For him is always chosen the captive most distinguished for 
 his appearance. For a year he is treated as the representative of 
 the god, he is nobly cared for, he is attended by a train of royal 
 pages, is worshipped by the people as he passes through the 
 street, and is feasted at the tables of the nobles. Were you 
 selected for this, as we consider it, great honour there would be 
 at least a year before you; and you might then in some 
 manner make your escape beyond our boundaries. At any rate, 
 some time is sure to elapse before your fate will be determined 
 upon ; and I can promise that I will do all in my power to aid 
 you to escape, should you determine upon flight." 
 
 " I thank you most heartily," Roger said. " I have no fear 
 of death in battle, but to me it would be very horrible to be 
 put to death as a victim on a festival; and I would rather 
 escape and drown myself in the lake than that such should 
 be my fate. Still, if it must be so, it must ; and I trust that 
 I may behave as befits an Englishman in such an extremity." 
 
 Amenche here stepped forward to her brother, and spoke 
 earnestly in his ear. 
 
 " My sister reminds me," he said, " that we have sometimes
 
 "l SHOULD DO MY BEST." 157 
 
 another form of sacrifice ; and that if I can do nought else I 
 might be able to persuade the priests to pronounce in favour of 
 that. It is only adopted in the case of a captive of distinction ; 
 who, instead of being sacrificed, is sometimes matched against 
 a number of Mexicans. The combat takes place on a great 
 circular stone in the sight of the whole city. The captive is 
 provided with arms, and meets his opponents one by one. If 
 he defeat them all which has more than once happened in our 
 history he is allowed to go free." 
 
 " That would suit me best by far," Roger said eagerly. " I 
 have no doubt but that I should be killed, still I should die 
 in fair fighting against numbers; and it would be no worse 
 than if I had fallen fighting the Moorish pirates on the deck 
 of our ship." 
 
 " I should think that it could be managed," Cacama said. 
 " I should tell them that, at present none could say whether 
 you were a superhuman being or no, and that it might bring 
 some misfortune upon the nation were a messenger of the gods 
 put to death. This trial would prove that. If the gods pro- 
 tected you, you would triumph ; if they were not on your side, 
 you would be defeated." 
 
 " I should do my best," Roger said quietly. " I have been 
 well taught the use of arms, and in our long voyage here we 
 practised daily. In point of skill I could hold my own with 
 any on board, though there were many to whom I was but a 
 child in point of strength. In that matter, however, I have 
 doubtless gained much since then. I shall be thankful indeed, 
 Prince, if you can persuade them to fix on this mode of exe- 
 cution for me ; and I thank you very gratefully, Princess, for 
 suggesting it." 
 
 They talked for some time longer, and then Roger retired to 
 his apartment. 
 
 The next morning, soon after sunrise, he embarked with 
 Cacama in a canoe, paddled by six rowers. 
 
 " My wife and sister bade me say farewell to you," Cacama 
 said ; " they are sorely grieved at your going, and hope that you 
 may return with me this afternoon. But if not they bade mo
 
 158 MEXICO. 
 
 say that they will do all that is in their power ; and women 
 can exert influence as well as men on your behalf." 
 
 It was a long row across the lake to Mexico. Large as was 
 the population of Tezcuco, which was estimated by the Spaniards 
 to contain a hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants, that 
 of Mexico was fully three times as great. As Montezuma had 
 not yet determined upon the course which was to be pursued 
 towards this mysterious stranger, the people had not been in- 
 formed of his coming. A strong guard of soldiers with several 
 officers of the palace met the party upon its landing, sur- 
 rounded them, and marched quickly through the streets to the 
 palace. The buildings resembled those of Tezcuco, and were 
 massive and solid in character ; but were not, Roger thought, 
 grander or more splendid than those in the rival capital. The 
 town was intersected by canals, and the bridges across these 
 could be raised, adding largely to the defensive power of the 
 place. 
 
 Upon reaching the palace the soldiers drew back, and the 
 palace guard took charge of the party and led them into a 
 large apartment, where they waited until the emperor was 
 ready to receive them. Presently two court officials entered, 
 and placing a mantle of coarse cotton over Roger signed to 
 him to take off his sandals. Cacama had already informed 
 him that even the highest nobles of the land, with the excep- 
 tion of those of royal blood, were obliged to enter Montezuma's 
 presence in this attire as emblematic of their humility. 
 He also charged Roger that it was the etiquette that all 
 should keep their eyes fixed on the ground until addressed by 
 Montezuma. 
 
 Accompanied by Cacama, Roger followed the officials. Pass- 
 ing through several corridors they entered a vast hall. Roger 
 was aware that at the farther end the emperor was seated, 
 surrounded by a numerous body of nobles ; but the instant he 
 entered the room he followed the instructions of Cacama, and 
 saluted to the ground, and then advanced with downcast eyes 
 until the officials by his side ordered him to pause. Montezuma 
 was a victim of superstition, and had been seriously discom-
 
 "l COMB IN PEACE AND GOOD WILL." 159 
 
 posed at the news of the arrival of this mysterious visitor; 
 the more so that the priests themselves were unable to decide 
 whether his visit was a good or evil augury. As he looked at 
 the tall figure before him, with its strange coloured skin and 
 hair and the air of independence and fearlessness that was 
 visible in the pose, notwithstanding the downcast eyes, he could 
 not but be favourably impressed despite his fears. 
 
 " You are welcome to our court," he said, " if you come 
 in peace and goodwill." 
 
 " I come in peace and good will to your Majesty and your 
 empire," Roger said. 
 
 " We have heard that you come from far beyond the seas, 
 where dwell a people having strange ways, who live in floating 
 castles, and who fight with weapons making thunder." 
 
 Roger bowed. " Your Majesty has been correctly informed." 
 
 " Do the people there worship the same gods that we do ? " 
 
 " They do not, your Majesty ; the people there worship the 
 one Great God the God of the skies, the air, and the earth." 
 
 " And that God sent you hither ? " Montezuma asked. 
 
 " Assuredly, Sire, He directs all things." 
 
 "Each country has its gods. The gods of Mexico have 
 given us victory over all the peoples from sea to sea." 
 
 Roger bowed. He did not feel called upon to contradict the 
 emperor. 
 
 " How is it that you came alone to this land ? " 
 
 " I wished to see it," Roger said, " reports of its greatness 
 and power having reached across the seas. Had I come with 
 others it might have been thought that I came as an enemy ; 
 but coming alone, and without arms, it could not be suspected 
 that my intentions were other than friendly." 
 
 Montezuma appeared impressed with this answer. The 
 audience lasted for upwards of half an hour ; Montezuma 
 asking many questions about the ships, the arms, the mode 
 of government, and other matters among the white people. He 
 then bowed his head. The official signified that the audience was 
 over, and that Roger was to retire. As he had been instructed 
 by Cacama he withdrew, keeping his face to the emperor. He
 
 160 DIVIDED COUNSELS. 
 
 was conducted to a different apartment. Here a table was 
 laid, and he was served by attendants of the court, who, how- 
 ever, made no reply to any questions he asked them, and had 
 evidently received orders to hold no verbal communication 
 with him. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 NEWS FROM THE COAST. 
 
 TT was with a feeling of pleasure and relief that, after some 
 A hours, Roger saw the hangings drawn aside, and Cacama 
 enter. " Come, my friend, the council is over, and you may 
 return with me." 
 
 Cacama was evidently anxious to be off at once, and Roger 
 followed him without a question. One of the pages of the 
 palace led the way through a long series of passages, and at 
 last Roger found himself outside the palace, where a door 
 opened into a canal. Here Cacama's boat was lying; the 
 young king and Roger took their seats, and the canoe dashed 
 off at once. 
 
 " It has been a hard fight in the council," Cacama said. 
 " No two men were of the same opinion. Even the priests were 
 divided among themselves ; and Montezuma was as undecided 
 at the end as he was at the beginning, so that the decision 
 is postponed. Then the question arose, were you to be treated 
 as a guest or as a prisoner, and this I settled by saying that 
 I would take you back with me to Tezcuco, and produce you 
 whenever required. So in order to avoid excitement among 
 the people, I sent word for the boat to be brought round to 
 that quiet entrance to the palace, by which means we avoided 
 passing through the streets altogether. 
 
 " At one time it seemed to me that the decision would go 
 against you, on the ground that had you been a supernatural 
 being you would have had new arts to teach the people. 
 Fortunately, I had brought with me the pictures you made
 
 A TALBNT FOB PAINTING. 161 
 
 for my wife and sister, and these I showed them. I pointed 
 out that they were altogether different from the work of our 
 own scribes ; that these drew stiff images that looked like 
 representations, not of men and animals, but of wooden 
 creatures, while in your drawings it seemed as if the men 
 and animals were moving across the paper; and that were 
 you to teach our scribes thus to portray objects it would make 
 a profound alteration in Mexican art. 
 
 " This made a great impression upon them. Many of the 
 nobles belonging to the Council of Education were present, 
 and Montezuma himself is fond of art; all were greatly 
 struck with your paintings, and these certainly went a long 
 way towards strengthening my party. When we get back 
 you shall do some pictures of things such as they see here, and 
 are accustomed to. Perhaps you could do even better still if 
 you were to try." 
 
 " I could make much more finished pictures," Roger said ; 
 " these were only sketched off in haste, and with such colours 
 as came to hand ; but if I had pigments, and could mix the 
 colours as I wanted them, I could produce very much better 
 effect." 
 
 Roger, as a child, had been placed by his father during the 
 latter 's long absences from home, at a school kept by some 
 monks at a monastery at Plymouth, in order that he might 
 learn to read and write as these accomplishments would be 
 of great use to him as a master mariner. His fondness for 
 painting attracted the attention of one of the old monks, who 
 illuminated missals, and he had permitted him to copy many 
 of the manuscripts in the monastery, and had given him in- 
 structions in the art. He had indeed been so struck with the 
 talent the boy showed that he told Reuben Hawkshaw that if 
 he would let his son devote himself to art he would make a 
 famous painter. The sailor had scoffed at the idea ; and Roger 
 himself, fond as he was of painting, would have been reluctant 
 to abandon the idea of going to sea. The instructions he had 
 obtained, however, up to the age of twelve, when he went on 
 his first voyage with his father, had been of great assistance to 
 
 (618) L
 
 162 A FINISHED PICTURE. 
 
 him. Thanks to his natural talent, his visits to the churches 
 at the various ports at which the ship touched, and to the fact 
 that he had plenty of time on board to practise the art, his 
 pictures were surprisingly good, and had excited a great deal 
 of attention on the part of the friends and acquaintances of 
 Master Diggory Beggs. 
 
 Upon his return to Tezcuco, Cacama ordered the scribes to 
 furnish him with large sheets of the best paper, brushes, and 
 pigments. The colours were all bright and glaring ones ; but 
 by mixing them, and adding some sombre dyes he obtained 
 in the market, Roger succeeded in getting the required tints. 
 Taking his place in the garden, at a point where he com- 
 manded the lake near at hand, dotted with canoes, and the 
 city of Mexico, with its background of hills, in the distance, 
 Roger set to work. To the surprise of the scribe who had been 
 ordered to assist him, he mixed the colours with oil instead 
 of water, and then began his picture. He worked as long as 
 there was sufficient light, and recommenced it the next morn- 
 ing directly after sunrise, and continued at work all day, and 
 by evening had finished the picture, three feet by two, which, 
 although it would not be considered remarkable in Europe, 
 excited the most lively admiration on the part of Cacama and 
 the ladies. He explained to the king that as he had none of 
 the spirit that was used in conjunction with the oil to make 
 it dry rapidly it would be some days before the picture would 
 be sufficiently dry to be touched. 
 
 Cacama, however, sent it off the next morning under charge 
 of his principal scribe to Montezuma, who sent back word 
 that he was astonished indeed at this work of art, which 
 seemed to him to be almost magical ; and he sent in return a 
 large golden goblet to Roger, in token of his satisfaction. 
 Cacama was summoned to a council on the following day ; and 
 returned, saying that the picture had quite turned the scale 
 in Roger's favour; that it had been examined by the chief 
 scribes and the men of science, who all agreed that no such 
 thing had been seen before ; and that a person who was thus 
 able to turn, as it were, a piece of paper into a mirror, and
 
 A SCHOOL OP ABT. 163 
 
 to fix upon it the representation of scenes just as the eye 
 beheld them, must be possessed of powers altogether strange 
 and supernatural. They desired to know whether he would 
 teach his methods to some of the chief scribes of the emperor. 
 
 Cacama warmly congratulated Roger on the result : l< You 
 are now safe for the present, at any rate," he said, " and the 
 priests are silenced. You may have trouble in the future, but 
 for the time Montezuma's love of art has overcome his doubts 
 and fears as to good and evil omens." 
 
 " Shall I have to take up my residence in Mexico ? " 
 
 " I hardly think so," Cacama replied. " Tezcuco is still 
 acknowledged the centre of the arts and sciences of Anahuac. 
 Here are the best schools of the scribes, and they come here 
 to be instructed in hieroglyphic writing from all parts of the 
 kingdom. Moreover, in that way Montezuma will have less 
 uneasiness concerning you; he will think that even if the 
 omens be unfavourable there will be no danger so long as 
 you are at a distance from his capital ; therefore, I think he 
 is more likely to order some of the scribes to take up their 
 residence here for a time than he is to bid you to cross to teach 
 them there." 
 
 Such in fact was the purport of the message received from 
 Montezuma on the following day. Six of the most accomplished 
 scribes of Mexico were to proceed at once to Tezcuco, there to 
 be instructed in the new art ; and the next day Roger found 
 himself established in a room in the palace with the six 
 Aztec scribes, and six of those most celebrated for their skill in 
 Tezcuco. Some attendants were told off to mix colours under 
 his directions, and to purchase for him in the market all kinds 
 of dyes and colours he might require. 
 
 A male and female slave, were, at Roger's request, placed at 
 his service, to act as models ; and the attendants had orders to 
 fetch from the cages and aviaries any beasts and birds he 
 might desire to copy. Roger had at first some difficulty in 
 preserving his gravity at thus undertaking charge of an art 
 school. At first he confined himself to sketching from the 
 models with a burnt stick on the white paper, and in seeing
 
 164 AN UNEXPECTED VISIT. 
 
 that his pupils did the same. Their drawing had hitherto 
 been purely conventional ; they had always drawn a man in a 
 certain way, not because they saw him so, but because that 
 was the way in which they had been taught to draw him ; 
 and he had great difficulty in getting them to depart altogether 
 from these lines and to draw the model exactly as he stood 
 before them. 
 
 What he called his school hours lasted but four hours a day ; 
 and as he did this work in the middle of the day, when it was 
 too hot to go out, but very pleasant in the rooms with their 
 thick walls and semi-shaded windows, it interfered but little 
 with his daily life. He had now a set of apartments next to 
 those of Cuitcatl, with attendants to wait upon him ; but his 
 time was spent as much in the young noble's rooms as in his 
 own. In the morning they walked together, either in the 
 town or beyond its walls, in the evening they spent hours 
 upon the lake, sometimes in large canoes with gay parties, the 
 boats decked with flowers ; while at a short distance another 
 boat with musicians followed in their wake, the melody, which 
 was by no means agreeable to Roger when close, coming softly 
 across the water. With Cuitcatl as a guide, Roger visited the 
 schools where the young nobles were educated, and which 
 reminded him much of that at which he had for five or six 
 years been taught. 
 
 He also frequently witnessed the drilling of the soldiers. 
 This was of a very simple character, consisting principally in 
 teaching them to move together in masses and to shoot with 
 a bow. The bows were light and the arrows small, and Roger 
 thought that they could scarcely be very formidable weapons 
 even against men clad in quilted cotton ; for although they 
 might wound and annoy they could seldom kill. 
 
 One evening, about five months after his arrival, Roger had 
 just returned from an excursion upon the lake, and he and 
 Cuitcatl were seated in the latter's rooms sipping chocolate, 
 when the hangings of the door were drawn aside suddenly and 
 Amenche entered. With an exclamation of surprise, the two 
 young men rose to their feet and saluted deeply.
 
 "BUT JUST IN TIME." 165 
 
 " You must fly," she exclaimed to Eoger, " and at once. The 
 royal boat has just come from Mexico with two nobles and 
 a guard ; they have orders to carry you bank with them. The 
 news has arrived that several floating castles, filled with white 
 men with strange arms and animals, have arrived on the 
 coast. Secret council has been held, and Montezuma is full of 
 alarm. The priests have decided that you are undoubtedly a 
 spy, and must be sacrificed at once to the gods. I happened to 
 be behind the hanging, heard what was said, and hurried away 
 to warn you. There is not a moment to lose. Go round to the 
 garden, and conceal yourself in the shrubbery near the eagle- 
 house. I will tell Cacama where you are, and he will come or 
 send down to you to say what had best be done, and where you 
 are to go. Do not delay an instant ; the orders were urgent, 
 and they will be here in a minute or two to seize you. Not 
 a word now. Go ! I must not be found here. I will see you 
 again," and she was gone. 
 
 " Come, my friend," Cuitcatl said ; " there is evidently not 
 a moment to be lost." 
 
 Roger ran into his room, emptied from a drawer where they 
 wero lying, the gold ornaments and presents he had received, 
 and tied them in a cloth ; caught up his sword, and then with 
 Cuitcatl hurried down the passage. Just as they reached the 
 end, they saw a party appear at the other extremity preceded 
 by an official carrying torches. 
 
 " We are but just in time," the young noble said ; " the 
 princess has saved your life." 
 
 In two or three minutes they were in the garden, and keep- 
 ing carefully in the shade of the shrubs, so as to escape the 
 view of any who might be sitting at the windows or on the 
 flat roof of the palace, enjoying the lovely evening and the bright 
 moonlight, they made their way cautiously down to the eagle- 
 house, which lay at the other end of the garden, nearly half 
 a mile from the palace. The whole thing had come so suddenly 
 upon Roger, that he could scarcely believe, even now, that 
 his pleasant and tranquil time had come to an end, and ho 
 was in danger of being dragged away and instantly sacrificed.
 
 166 A STAUNCH FRIEND. 
 
 Scarce a word was spoken until they reached the spot indicated. 
 Close to this grew a large patch of bamboos. 
 
 " We will take refuge here for the present," Cuitcatl said. 
 " It is hardly likely they will search the gardens at night ; it 
 would need an army to do so thoroughly. If we hear footsteps 
 approaching we can take refuge inside, and meantime let us 
 seat ourselves here. These must be the people you told us 
 of the first night you came." 
 
 " No doubt they are so ; but, Cuitcatl, you had best return 
 at once to your chamber. You will be missed as well as I shall, 
 and it would be suspected that you had a share in my flight ; 
 and if I should make my escape the emperor's vengeance may 
 fall on you. Pray leave me at once. I should be most unhappy 
 if my misfortunes brought trouble upon you ; you have been 
 like a brother to me since I came here." 
 
 " I should not think of leaving you," the young noble said 
 firmly. 
 
 " But you can do me more good by going, Cuitcatl. You 
 will see what is taking place there, and may throw them off 
 the scent ; while here you can do me no good whatever, and 
 indeed might do me harm. Were I found here with you I 
 should be forced to surrender without striking a blow, for 
 I should be afraid to resist, lest I should bring harm upon you : 
 whereas, if I am alone, I would fight to the death rather than 
 surrender. Besides you will be able to consult the princess, and 
 can bring down such things as you may consider will aid me 
 in my flight ; though how I am to escape the search there will 
 be after me is more than I can guess. Pray go at once, for the 
 sooner you go the sooner you can bring me back news of what 
 is being done up there." 
 
 Cuitcatl saw the justice of Roger's reasoning. " I may, at 
 least, throw them off the scent," he said, " and see about pre- 
 paring for your flight. You promise to hide in the bamboos 
 there, if searchers should come in this direction ? " 
 
 " Certainly I do. I will do all in my power to conceal myself, 
 and will only fight if there be no other way." 
 
 Cuitcatl at once glided noiselessly off, keeping as before in
 
 OUITCATL RETURNS. 167 
 
 the shadow of the bushes. For an hour and a half Roger 
 remained alone. He was sitting under the shadow of the 
 bamboos, and could in a moment withdraw himself among 
 them. At last he thought he heard a slight noise, and drew 
 back towards the thick canes. A moment later, however, he 
 stepped forward, as a figure he at once recognized advanced 
 across a patch of moonlight from the next clump of shrubs. 
 
 " All is well so far," Cuitcatl said. " Directly I entered the 
 palace, an attendant told me that I was being enquired for, 
 and I proceeded straight to the royal apartments. Montezuma's 
 messengers were there ; they at once asked me if I had seen 
 you. I said yes, that we had been walking together, but that 
 you had not returned with me, as you said that the night 
 was so lovely you should remain out for some time longer. 
 They asked me if I could lead them to where you were ; but 
 I said that you had not told me which way you should go, and 
 you might, for aught I knew, have taken a canoe and gone for 
 a moonlight row on the lake, as was often your custom. 
 
 " Orders have been issued to the city guard to arrest you 
 immediately, wherever you might be found ; and the envoys 
 themselves started at once with the guard they had brought 
 with them to the waterside. Up to that time Cacama, who had 
 not left them, was in ignorance what had become of you, and I 
 could see he was anxious and much troubled." 
 
 " ' Do you know where he is ?' he asked me as soon as we 
 were alone. 
 
 " ' Would it not be better, your Majesty,' I said, ' that you 
 should remain in ignorance? Should he escape, Montezuma 
 will be furious ; and it might be well that you should be able 
 to affirm on your oath that you knew nothing of him, and were 
 in no way privy to his escape.' 
 
 " ' But is there a chance of his escaping ? ' he asked. 
 
 " ' We will do what we can,' I said ; ' and we can do no 
 more. With a disguise, a guide, and arms, Eoger Hawkshaw 
 may be able to make his way through the country, in spite of 
 Montezuma and his army. I should think that the best thing 
 will be to get him into a small canoe, take him to the end of
 
 168 THE PLAN OF BSCAPB. 
 
 the lake, and land him near Tepechpan. Then he can strike 
 up north, take to the hills there, and then journey east. All 
 the roads direct from here will be so guarded that it will be 
 impossible to get through. The search will be close every- 
 where ; but there will be more chance of escape on that line 
 than from here.' 
 
 " ' But how about the guide ? Whom can we trust ? ' 
 
 " ' I have one of my hunters in the town ; he brought some 
 game down from my estate to-day, and was not to return 
 until to-morrow. I know where he lodges ; he is a brave fellow, 
 and carried my banner in the last campaign.' 
 
 " ' You will let me know before he starts ? ' the king asked. 
 
 " ' I will, your Majesty. The moon will not be down for three 
 hours yet, and he cannot attempt to fly until it has set.' 
 
 " As I left the royal apartment, one of the female attendants 
 came up, and putting her finger on her lip signed to me to follow 
 her. I did so, and she led me to the apartment where the 
 Queen and Princess Amenche were awaiting me. 
 
 " ' You have left your friend safe, Cuitcatl ? ' the queen said. 
 ' The princess has told me the part she has taken in the affair. 
 It was foolish, but I cannot blame her, though if Montezuma 
 knew by whose means the prey had slipped from his fingers 
 the least she could expect would be to be ordered to retire for 
 life to one of the temples. Have you formed any plans ? ' 
 
 " I told her what I had thought of. 
 
 " ' That seems as good a plan as any other,' she said. * He 
 will need paints to disguise himself, the dress of a peasant, and 
 arms.' 
 
 " ' He has his sword,' I said. 
 
 " ' He cannot take that. Its golden handle would betray 
 him at once. A heavy woodman's axe and a bow and spear 
 would be the most suitable.' 
 
 " ' He shall have them,' I said ; ' my hunter shall take them, 
 and place them in the canoe in readiness.' 
 
 " ' What are you going to do now ? ' 
 
 " * I am going first into the town to give my hunter his 
 instructions, and bid him be at the lake entrance to the
 
 THE DISGUISE. 169 
 
 gardens half an hour after the moon has set. I shall want 
 the key of the gate. Next I shall go down and tell Roger 
 what preparations have been made, and then return here, for 
 it is best I should be seen in the palace. Then, just as the 
 moon sets, I shall go down again to him.' 
 
 " * Come here on your way, Cuitcatl. I shall go down with 
 Amenche to say good-bye to him. This obstinate girl has deter- 
 mined to go, and I cannot let her go alone.' 
 
 "As soon as I left them, I went down to the town and 
 found my hunter, who has taken a vow to lay down his life 
 to save you if necessary. Here are some peasant's clothes a 
 coarse cotton mantle, and a short skirt. Here is a jar of dye. 
 You had better strip at once and let me colour you, and then 
 put on these clothes, it will be too dark to see to do it properly 
 when I return ; besides, time will be short then. This small 
 jar contains some dye from the juice of a plant which will turn 
 your hair black at least, as they use it for dyeing the skins of 
 animals black I suppose it will affect your hair." 
 
 Roger at once took off his gaudy attire, and was stained from 
 head to foot with the contents of the jug, and then rubbed 
 his hair with the liquid from the smaller vessel. Then he put 
 on the peasant's clothes. 
 
 " You will pass well now," Cuitcatl said, leading him out in 
 the moonlight, so that he could obtain a good view of him. 
 " It is only your height that is against you ; still some men are 
 taller than others ; though I never saw one as tall as you, 
 and you will certainly be stared at. Is there anything else 
 in the way of arms you would like beside the axe and spear ? " 
 
 " I shall make myself a bow and arrows, when we get fairly 
 away," Roger said. 
 
 " I did not know you could use them." 
 
 " I could not use such little things as those your people carry ; 
 but we still use the bow in England, and every boy is obliged by 
 law to practise with it. With such a bow as I should make 
 I could send an arrow three times as far as those puny 
 weapons of yours, and could keep my foes at a distance, 
 whereas otherwise they could shoot me down as they chose."
 
 170 "THEY WILL OOME." 
 
 " They will not shoot you down," Cuitcatl said. " You may 
 be quite sure that the orders will be to take you alive, and 
 this will give you a great advantage if you are attacked. But 
 I must be going up now to the palace again, to show myself 
 for a time among our friends. Just as the moon sets I will 
 be here." 
 
 " Will you thank the queen and princess for their kindness," 
 Roger said, " and say that much as I should like to say good- 
 bye to them, I would not that they should run any risks by 
 coming to see me ? " 
 
 " They will come," Cuitcatl said, " unless I am greatly 
 mistaken. The princess would come, even if her uncle Monte- 
 zuma were himself watching her." 
 
 Roger sat down again, and watched the moon going down, 
 he felt a certain sense of exhilaration at the thought that he was 
 about to enter upon a life of active adventure again. It had 
 seemed to him lately that his lif e was to be spent in this strange 
 country, cut off from all chances of ever returning to England ; 
 and that sooner or later he was assuredly destined to form a 
 part of their hideous sacrifices. The party against him had 
 been silenced for a moment, but would be sure to gather 
 strength again, and he would be called upon either to worship 
 these bloodstained idols, or to die. Life was pleasant enough 
 as it was at present, with the friendship of the young king, 
 and the kindness of the queen and princess ; but he would soon 
 get tired of it with its everlasting sunshine, and its flowers, and 
 its idleness. 
 
 At last the moon set, and in a few minutes he heard foot- 
 steps approaching, and Cuitcatl and two veiled figures came 
 up. The queen came straight up to him. 
 
 "We are very sorry to lose you, Roger Hawkshaw," she 
 said gently ; " and were there a hope of doing so successfully, 
 we would defy the cruel orders from Montezuma ; but it would 
 bring ruin on our people." 
 
 " I know that it cannot be done, Madam," Roger said. " I 
 thank you and the king most heartily for all your kindness 
 to me. If I escape to my own country, I shall remember it all
 
 "IT IS BEST SO, BY FAB." 171 
 
 my life ; and I will pray to the God we worship to give you 
 happiness." 
 
 " Take this," the queen said, putting a small bag into his 
 hand ; " you have told me that these gems are as much prized 
 among your people as they are here, and you can more easily 
 conceal them than gold. I have taken them with the king's 
 permission from the royal treasure, and should you reach your 
 distant home in safety, they ought to make you rich for the 
 rest of your life; and now farewell. Whatever the priests 
 may say, Cacama and I know that you came as a friend 
 and meant us no harm. Now Amenche," she said, " come and 
 say good-bye." 
 
 The girl came forward slowly. She took Roger's hand and 
 gazed up into his face, she seemed to try to s}>eak, and then 
 Roger felt her sway suddenly, and caught her just as she 
 would have fallen. 
 
 " Give her to me," the queen said, " it is l>est so, by far. 
 Hurry away, Roger; you have done harm enough without 
 meaning it. Cuitcatl, take him away at once." 
 
 The young noble took Roger's hand and hurried him away. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " he asked, bewildered. " What did 
 the queen mean that I had done harm enough 1 " 
 
 " Do you mean to say that you have not seen that Amenche 
 loves you ? " 
 
 " I never dreamt of such a thing," Roger exclaimed. 
 
 " Cacama and the queen, and all of us who have seen her 
 with you, knew it long ago; and had it not been for this 
 unlucky news to-day, Cacama would, in a short time, have 
 offered you her hand. There has been a scene to-night 
 between her and her brother, for she declared that she would 
 go with you, and share your dangers whatever they might be. 
 She has for the last three hours been confined in her chamber, 
 and she was only allowed to come down to say good-bye to 
 you on her swearing that she would return with the queen 
 to her room." 
 
 " I am awfully sorry," Roger said ; " I never dreamt of such 
 a thing ; the princess has always been very kind to me, but
 
 172 "MY LIFE is YOURS, MY LORD." 
 
 I should never have thought of raising my eyes so high. 
 Besides, as I have told you, I am still scarce a man; and 
 with us one does not think of marriage until he is five or six 
 years older than I am." 
 
 "No one blames you at all," Cuitcatl said. "The king 
 and queen both told her that they were sure you had not 
 thought of her in that way, though they naturally supposed 
 that, had you remained here, you would have gladly formed 
 such an alliance when it was offered you. However, it is 
 no use talking any more about it, you will have difficulties 
 enough before you, and would have had no chance whatever 
 of getting through them if encumbered with her. Cacama told 
 her so, but she scoffed at the idea of danger. Mexican women, 
 when they love, are ready for any sacrifice. Cacama did not 
 press that, but chiefly spoke of the terrible scandal it would 
 be, were she his sister and the niece of Montezuma to be 
 brought back with you a captive." 
 
 They were now at the gate. Cuitcatl opened it, and locked 
 it again after him. A figure was standing outside. 
 
 " This is my follower ; you may rely upon him to serve you 
 to the last. Bathalda, this is my white friend ; you will serve 
 him as you would me ? " 
 
 The man took Roger's hand, and carried it to his forehead. 
 " My life is yours, my lord," he said. 
 
 " Is everything ready, Bathalda ? " asked Cuitcatl. 
 
 " Yes, my lord ; I have the canoe hidden among the rocks 
 with the arms and some food. It is but a few hundred yards 
 away." 
 
 " Let us be off then, at once," Cuitcatl said. 
 
 The man led the way down to the lake, and then along the 
 shore for some little distance. 
 
 " There is the canoe," he said. 
 
 Cuitcatl embraced Roger : " I wish that I could go with 
 you, my white brother, and share your dangers down to the 
 coast," he said, " but I could aid you but little, and my life 
 would be forfeited on my return. May the gods of Mexico, 
 and the God you worship, protect you. It may be (who knows?)
 
 CEO 8 SING THE LAKE. 173 
 
 that some day you may return hither : Cuitcatl's heart will be 
 rejoiced to see you." 
 
 " Thank you for all your kindness," Roger said ; " what- 
 ever befalls me I shall never forget it. Thank Cacama for 
 all he has done in my favour; and say good-bye for me 
 to the princess. Tell her that it is better so, for that so 
 soft a flower would soon droop and pine away in my cold 
 country." 
 
 Roger took his seat in the canoe, Bathalda seized the paddle, 
 and the little boat shot out from the shore. For some distance 
 they kept close in under the shadow of the land, Bathalda 
 saying that two or three royal canoes were rowing up and 
 down opposite the town, and that every canoe putting off had 
 been stopped and questioned. Several times, when the sound of 
 a paddle was heard out on the lake, Bathalda stopped rowing 
 for a time ; but after keeping close to the shore for an hour he 
 struck out more boldly, and after two hours' further rowing, 
 approached the shore again. 
 
 " This is the point where we must land," he said. " Four 
 hours' walking will take us among the hills; but before we 
 leave the canoe we will half fill it with stones, then knock a 
 hole in her bottom and push her out into the lake to sink. 
 Were she found here in the morning it might afford a clue 
 as to the way we had taken." 
 
 This was done, and then they started for the hills. 
 
 Alone Roger would have had great difficulty in making his 
 way along the paths running between the cultivated fields, 
 but his companion led the way without hesitation, seeing, 
 apparently, as well as if it had been broad daylight. Roger 
 carried the axe, which was a heavy one, on one shoulder and 
 in the other hand the spear, which he used as a walking-stick. 
 Before daylight broke they were ascending the hills, which 
 were wild and rugged. They passed several villages lying 
 high up on rugged hilltops, and inaccessible, save by ladders, 
 which could be drawn up in case of attack. 
 
 "The tribes here have only recently been conquered," 
 Bathalda said. " They pay tribute to Mexico, but are a wild
 
 174 THB FLIGHT. 
 
 race ; and as there is nothing to he obtained from them but 
 hard knocks they are but little interfered with." 
 
 Getting deeper among the hills, Bathalda, just as morning 
 was breaking, led the way up a ravine down which a little 
 stream trickled, and found a resting-place among a number of 
 great rocks that had fallen from above. 
 
 " Here," he said, " we shall be perfectly safe for the day ; 
 it is not likely that even a shepherd will enter this ravine, 
 and if he does he is not likely to come upon us here. First, 
 let us eat our breakfast ; and then we will lie down and sleep 
 till evening. I will keep watch if you like, but I do not think 
 there is any occasion for it." 
 
 " Not the least," Roger agreed ; " we had both better get 
 what sleep we can : we shall have a long tramp before us 
 to-night." 
 
 They were undisturbed during the day, and as soon as the 
 sun set were again on their feet. The journey was a toilsome 
 one, the country was so broken that they were continually 
 either climbing the steep hills or descending into the valleys. 
 After the moon had set they were forced to come to a halt 
 for some hours, finding it impossible to climb the steep hills in 
 the darkness. With the first light of day they were again 
 in motion, and continued walking for some hours. 
 
 ' There," Bathalda said at last, as he gained the brow of 
 the hill, " that is the plateau-land. The town you see there 
 away on our right is Otompan. Now we will keep due west. 
 There are no large towns now, till we reach Tlatlauquitepec 
 and Perote ; from that point our danger will be the greatest, 
 for all the roads across the mountains are sure to be watched. 
 The guards at the station-houses on these roads have, no doubt, 
 by this time had orders to look for you and arrest you, but by 
 travelling at night we may pass them safely. We may as 
 well enter that field of maize and lie down until evening. After 
 that we will follow a path till we gain a main road, and then 
 travel straight on. We can go so much faster on a road than 
 through the fields ; and I know where the post-houses are 
 situated, so we can make a detour to avoid them."
 
 A TOUGH BOW. 175 
 
 That night they walked, as far as Roger could guess, fifty 
 miles, and again entered a very hilly country. In the morning 
 they left the road, and encamped in a wood far up the hillside. 
 During the day they saw several parties of troops following the 
 road, and many couriers passed along at a swift run. 
 
 " The whole country is up," Bathalda said ; " we shall have 
 to be very careful in future." 
 
 The first night, while passing through the low, hot country 
 near the lake, Roger had cut a strong bamboo, together with 
 a bundle of smaller rods, suitable for arrows. Bathalda had 
 brought with him a bag of sharp obsidian arrow-heads and 
 some feathers for winging them, together with a bowstring 
 of twice the ordinary strength. He had looked on with 
 amusement when Roger cut the bamboo, making it, as was 
 the custom of English archers, of his own height. 
 
 " My lord is not intending that surely for a bow ? " he said. 
 
 "Yes, Bathalda, I think that will do well," Roger said, 
 trying with his knee the stiffness of the cane. 
 
 At the halt next day Roger had cut the notches for the 
 string. 
 
 " Now, Bathalda," he said, " can you string this? " 
 
 " No, my lord ; nor can any other man." 
 
 " I think it is about the strength of the bows we use at 
 home," Roger said ; " the stringing them is a matter of knack, 
 as well as of strength." And, to the amazement of the Aztec, 
 he strung the bow. " Now," said he, " let us make some 
 arrows. They should be a cloth yard in length that is, from 
 the middle of my chest to the end of my middle finger." 
 
 A dozen of the light bamboos were cut to this length. 
 The huntsman fitted the obsidian points to them, and Roger 
 stepped back a hundred yards from the small tree, with a 
 trunk some six inches in diameter, under whose shade they 
 had been sitting. Then he fitted the arrow to the string, bent 
 the bow to its head, and loosed the arrow. It struck the 
 trunk, but glanced off. 
 
 " I am out of practice, indeed," he said, " or I should have 
 hit that fair in the centre."
 
 176 A USEFUL WEAPON. 
 
 To the huntsman, however, the shot seemed well-nigh 
 miraculous, the distance being twice as great as the Mexican 
 bows would carry with anything like accuracy ; while the speed 
 with which the arrow flew, and the distance it went after 
 glancing from the tree, showed that it would have been fatal 
 at least fifty yards beyond the object aimed at. Taking the 
 bow from Roger he fitted another arrow in and tried to bend 
 it ; but with all his efforts could only draw the arrow four or 
 five inches. 
 
 " It is wonderful," he said, returning the weapon to Roger. 
 " If I had not seen it done I could not have believed it." 
 
 " It is merely a matter of practice," Roger said. " My 
 people are famous for their dexterity with the bow, and J have 
 seen men hit a mark no bigger than the palm of my hand, 
 ten times in succession at that distance." 
 
 The next time they halted, Bathalda made the rest of the 
 bamboos into arrows, and making a quiver of the bark of a 
 tree, hung them over his shoulder. Roger left his spear behind, 
 using the bow, which he had unstrung, as a walking-staff. 
 Bathalda offered to carry the spear, in addition to his own 
 weapon, but Roger told him that he did not care about it 
 
 " If it should come to a hand-to-hand fight," he said, " I 
 would rather rely on my axe ; besides, the bow, now it is 
 unstrung, makes an excellent quarter-staff, a weapon with 
 which I have practised a great deal. With a spear your people 
 would know quite as much as I should, but I fancy that with 
 a quarter-staff I should astonish them. It has the advantage, 
 too, that it disables without killing ; and as your soldiers would 
 only be doing their duty in arresting me, I should be sorry to 
 do them more harm than I could help. There were a great 
 many men on the road below there to-day." 
 
 "A great many, my lord ; and no doubt the garrisons of the 
 two towns we shall have to pass to-night will be all out and 
 on the watch. This is the most dangerous part of the journey : 
 the mountains are rugged, and there are only certain passes by 
 which we can travel, and they are sure to be watched narrowly 
 They will guess that we shall travel by night."
 
 DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS. 177 
 
 " I suppose it will not be possible to make a detour either to 
 the south or north ? " 
 
 The Aztec shook his head. 
 
 " To the north lie terrible mountains, of whose passes I 
 know nothing. Our provisions are exhausted, and we must 
 in future depend upon maize and other things we can pick by 
 the way. Were we to go there we should find nothing. 
 To the south lies Tlascala, whose people are independent of 
 Montezuma. They are fierce and warlike, and would seize 
 and offer you to the gods without pity." 
 
 " Still they would not be on the look-out for us, and we 
 might, therefore, pass through their country without being 
 seen." 
 
 " We might do so, my lord," Bathalda agreed. 
 
 " At any rate," Roger said, " it seems to me that there would 
 be more chance in that direction than in going straight for- 
 ward ; from what you say it seems well-nigh impossible for us to 
 get through the passes ahead of us without being captured." 
 
 Accordingly, when night fell they struck off to the south. 
 The journey was a very toilsome one, for they were now cross- 
 ing the spurs of the hills running far down into the plateau 
 As before, they had to halt when the moon set, but continued 
 their way at daybreak. 
 
 " There is a road down in the valley there," Roger said, after 
 three hours' more walking. 
 
 Bathalda stood looking down for some time. " J know it 
 now," he said ; " it is the last road north of Tlascala, and runs 
 from Huejotlipan to Yxtacamaxtitlan. We are already east 
 of Tlascala, and about fifteen miles from Yxtacamaxtitlan. 
 If we get past that town without accident, we shall then 
 have to cross the Pass of Obispo, over the great range of moun- 
 tains, and come down near Naulinco. Once past that town 
 our dangers will be over, for there are few towns and villages 
 in the Tierra Calliente. Our great danger will lie in the pass ; 
 there are but two or three roads across these mountains, and 
 they will know that we must follow them." 
 
 " Well, we must take our chance," Roger said. " So far we 
 
 (618) M
 
 178 THB PASS OF OBI8PO. 
 
 have met with no difficulties whatever, and, provided we don't 
 come across too large a force, we ought to be able to manage to 
 get through. I noticed there were trees right through the pass 
 I came over ; and I see the country ahead is thickly wooded. 
 How far is the pass from where we are now 1 " 
 
 "About thirty miles. It is where you see that cleft in the 
 great line of hills." 
 
 " Well, we can get near it before the moon sets, and will try 
 to pass through by daylight. It would be useless attempting to 
 make our way through the trees at night, and if we have to 
 fight I would rather do so in the light. We will lie down 
 now, for I own I am completely tired out." 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 CORTEZ. 
 
 expedition, whose arrival had caused such excitement 
 _L in Mexico, was commanded by Hernando Cortez, a man 
 who united in his person all the gifts requisite for a great 
 leader of men. He possessed a handsome person, great strength 
 and skill at arms, extraordinary courage and daring, singular 
 powers of conciliation and of bringing others to his way of 
 thinking ; pleasing and courteous demeanour ; a careless and 
 easy manner which concealed great sagacity and wisdom, an 
 inexhaustible flow of spirits, and an iron determination. Born 
 in Estremadura in 1485, of an ancient and respectable family, 
 he was like many others who have distinguished themselves 
 as great soldiers while at school and college remarkable 
 rather for mischievous freaks and disregard of authority than 
 for love of learning. 
 
 At the age of seventeen he had exhausted his parents' 
 patience, and was on the point of starting with the expedition 
 of Ovando, the successor to Columbus, when he so injured 
 himself by a fall, incurred in one of his wild escapades, that he
 
 A DI8CONTBNTBD 80LDIBK. 179 
 
 was unable to sail with it. Two years later, however, he went 
 out in a merchant vessel to the Indies. On reaching His- 
 paniola, Ovando, who was governor of the island, received him 
 kindly, gave him a grant of land, and a number of Indians 
 to till it. The quiet life of the planter, however, little suited 
 the restless young fellow; and after taking part in several 
 military expeditions against insurgent natives, under the com- 
 mand of Diego Velasquez, he sailed in 1511 with that officer 
 to undertake the conquest of Cuba. 
 
 He displayed great courage and activity during the cam- 
 paign, and his cheerful manner and fund of high spirits made 
 him a great favourite with the soldiers. When the fighting 
 was over Cortez soon became discontented with the quiet life 
 in the island, and joined a party of men who were disaffected to 
 Velasquez, owing to their not having received such rewards 
 as they considered their services merited. Cortez undertook to 
 carry their complaints to the Governor of Hispaniola, and was 
 about starting when the matter came to the ears of Velasquez, 
 who seized him, put him in irons, and threw him into prison. 
 He was not long in making his escape, and sought sanctuary 
 in a church; but a few days later, when carelessly strolling 
 outside its walls, he was again seized and imprisoned. 
 
 He was put on board a ship to be sent to Hispaniola, there 
 to be tried for exciting disaffection and revolt ; but at night, 
 before she set sail, he managed to free himself from his irons, 
 gain the deck, and swim ashore, where he again took refuge 
 in the church. Here several influential people interfered on 
 his behalf among them the family of Catalina Xuares, a 
 young lady to whom he was engaged and a reconciliation was 
 brought about between him and the governor. Cortez received a 
 large estate, with an ample number of Indians for its cultiva- 
 tion, married, and settled down, and for some years devoted 
 himself to agriculture and gold-mining. 
 
 Success attended him, and he accumulated some three thou- 
 sand castalanos a considerable sum. So he might have li ved 
 and died, had not the news of discoveries made by Grijalva 
 who had sailed west and discovered Yucatan, and traded with
 
 180 PREPARATIONS FOR THE EXPEDITION. 
 
 Tabasco, and had returned with a good deal of gold and 
 wonderful tales of fabulous wealth existing in a great nation 
 farther to the north caused an excitement in the islands. The 
 governor at once prepared to fit out a large expedition, and 
 among the many who offered to undertake its command, and 
 to contribute largely towards its expenses, he finally selected 
 Cortez, who had gained the ear and influence of the governor's 
 secretary, Duero, and the royal treasurer, Lares. Cortez was 
 appointed captain-general of the expedition, and at once set 
 to work with his accustomed energy to gather material for 
 it. He not only contributed all the fortune he had made, 
 but raised funds by mortgaging his estates to their full 
 value, and by borrowing money from merchants and others, 
 on security of the wealth that was to be acquired by the 
 expedition. 
 
 His personal popularity in the island enabled him to gather 
 numerous recruits, and many of his intimate friends who 
 joined him assisted him from their own resources or by raising 
 money on their estates. Velasquez himself contributed com- 
 paratively little towards the expenses, which were almost 
 entirely borne by Cortez and his friends. Six ships were 
 fitted out, and three hundred recruits enrolled. The instruc- 
 tions Cortez received were first to find Grijalva, and, joining 
 company with him, to visit Yucatan, and endeavour to rescue 
 six Christians who were reported as still living there, the sur- 
 vivors of a vessel wrecked years before on the coast. 
 
 He was to make a survey of the whole coast-line, to acquaint 
 himself with the natural productions of the country, and with 
 the character and institutions of the native races. He was to 
 barter with the natives and to treat them with kindness and 
 humanity, and to remember above all things that the object the 
 emperor had most at heart was the conversion of the Indians. 
 He was to invite them to give in their allegiance to the king, 
 and to send such presents as would ensure his favour and 
 protection. The governor gave no directions for colonizing 
 or conquering, having received no warrant from Spain that 
 would enable him to invest his agent with such powers.
 
 A TREACHEROUS PLOT DEFEATED. 181 
 
 But while Cortez was preparing to start, many of the 
 leading men of the island who were jealous of his rapid rise, 
 roused the suspicions of Velasquez against him, saying that 
 when he had once sailed he would no longer recognize the 
 governor's authority, and would be thinking only of winning 
 renown and wealth for himself. 
 
 Velasquez determined to appoint another commander, but 
 Duero and Lares, to whom he confided his intentions, at once 
 informed Cortez of them. With the same promptitude that 
 always distinguished him in moments of danger, Cortez went 
 round to his officers after nightfall, got them and his men 
 on board, visited the contractor, carried off all his stock 
 of meat, giving him a massive gold chain in security for 
 payment, and before daybreak the fleet left its moorings and 
 the sails were hoisted. As soon as the news was carried to 
 Velasquez he hurriedly dressed and rowed down to the shore. 
 Cortez, when he saw him, got into a boat and rowed to within 
 speaking distance. 
 
 " This is a courteous way of taking leave, indeed ! " the 
 angry governor said. 
 
 " I was pressed for time," Cortez replied. "There are some 
 things that should be done even before they are thought of. 
 Has your Excellency any orders ? " 
 
 Velasquez saw by the innuendo in the words of Cortez that 
 the latter was aware of his intention to deprive him of his 
 command. He had no orders to give, for it was evident that 
 Cortez would not obey them ; the latter therefore returned to 
 his vessel and the fleet instantly set sail for the port of Macaca. 
 This was in November 1516. 
 
 The act of Cortez was doubtless one of insubordination ; but, 
 after he had embarked the whole of his resources in the 
 expedition, and had received the command from the governor, 
 this being ratified by the authorities of Hispaniola, it could 
 hardly be expected that he would submit to disgrace and ruin 
 being brought, not only upon himself, but upon all the friends 
 who had aided him in the enterprise. At Macaca, Cortez laid 
 in some more stores, and then sailed for Trinidad, an important
 
 182 A CHANGED MAN. 
 
 town on the southern coast of Cuba. Here he issued procla- 
 mations inviting recruits to join him. These came in in con- 
 siderable numbers, among them a hundred men from Grijalva's 
 ship, which had just before reached the port. 
 
 What was still more important, several cavaliers of high 
 family and standing joined him : among them the Alvarados, 
 Olid, A vila, Velazquez de Leon (a near relation of the governor), 
 and Sandoval. He purchased at Trinidad large military 
 stores and provisions. While he was taking these and other 
 steps to strengthen his position, Verdugo, the commander of 
 the town, received letters from Velasquez ordering him to 
 seize Cortez ; but upon his communicating these orders to the 
 principal officers of the expedition they pointed out to him 
 that if he attempted to take such a grave step, the soldiers 
 and sailors would certainly resist it, and the town would not 
 improbably be laid in ashes. The expedition then sailed round 
 the island to Havana, where Cortez completed his preparations ; 
 and, in spite of another ineffectual attempt of Velasquez to 
 detain him, set sail. 
 
 In the time that had intervened between the inception of 
 the expedition and its departure, the historians agree that a 
 remarkable change had come over Cortez. He was still frank 
 and pleasant in his manner, courteous and cheery with all ; 
 but he was no longer the gay, careless character who had been 
 liked, but scarcely greatly respected, in the island. His whole 
 actions were marked by an air of resolute determination and 
 authority ; he himself superintended every detail of work and 
 exhibited a thoughtfulness, prudence, and caution that seemed 
 alien to his former character. He was immensely popular both 
 among his soldiers and officers, but all felt that he was entitled 
 to their respect as well as their liking, and that he was not 
 only commander, but thoroughly master, of the expedition. 
 
 Although extremely careless himself as to food, comfort, or 
 appearance, he now assumed the state befitting his appointment 
 and authority. He dressed handsomely but quietly, appointed 
 officers and domestics for his household, and placed it on the 
 footing of a man of high station. Before sailing he despatched
 
 THE NATIVES HOSTILE. 183 
 
 a letter to Velasquez, begging him to rely on his devotion 
 to his interests. On February 10th, 1519, the expedition 
 started. It consisted of eleven vessels, only one of which was 
 as large as a hundred tons ; of a hundred and ten sailors, five 
 hundred and fifty-three soldiers, and two hundred Indians of 
 the islands. There were ten heavy guns and four light ones, 
 and sixteen horses. 
 
 Before sailing, Cortez gave an address to his soldiers, and 
 aroused their enthusiasm to the utmost. He had the advan- 
 tage of obtaining the services as chief pilot, of Alaminos, a 
 veteran who had acted as pilot to Columbus on his last voyage, 
 and to Grijalva in his late expedition. Soon after they started 
 they met with a storm, and put in at the island of Cozumal ; 
 and Cortez thence sent Ordaz to Yucatan to try to recover 
 the captives said to be there. That officer returned without 
 tidings, but before the fleet sailed a canoe arrived containing 
 one of them, Aquilar, who had been wrecked there eight years 
 previously. He had been a priest, and had so won the esteem 
 and reverence of the barbarians among whom he lived that they 
 had with great reluctance allowed him to depart in exchange 
 for glass beads and other trinkets promised by Ordaz. 
 
 The fleet now sailed along the coast of Yucatan, until they 
 reached the mouth of the Tabasco River, where Grijalva had 
 carried on so profitable a trade. Leaving the ships at anchor 
 they ascended the river in boats ; but instead of meeting with 
 the friendly reception that Grijalva had done, they found the 
 banks lined with the natives whose menacing attitude showed 
 that a landing would be opposed. After solemnly summoning 
 them to surrender, Cortez landed. The natives fought bravely ; 
 but were unable to resist the astounding effect of the Spaniards' 
 fire-arms ; and the invaders, advancing, drove them back and 
 took possession of the town, which was found to be deserted. 
 
 Two strong parties were sent out next morning to recon- 
 noitre, but were attacked and driven back to the town ; they 
 reported that the whole country was under arms. Cortez was 
 much vexed at finding himself thus engaged in a war, from 
 which no benefit was to be gained ; but he felt that it would
 
 184 A CAVALRY CHARGE. 
 
 impair the confidence of his troops were he now to draw back. 
 He, therefore, landed six of the guns and the horses, and the 
 following day sallied out to the attack. Ordaz commanded 
 the infantry, while Cortez himself led the little body of cavalry, 
 the horses being mounted by the cavaliers of the party. 
 
 After marching a league the infantry came in sight of the 
 enemy. The natives attacked them as they were struggling 
 through deeply irrigated ground, poured volleys of missiles 
 of all kinds upon them, and wounded many before they could 
 get across to solid ground, where they could bring the guns 
 into play. But even these and the discharges of musketry 
 did not appal the natives, who pressed forward with such 
 fury that, after the engagement had lasted an hour, the 
 position of the Spaniards became perilous in the extreme. 
 But at this moment Cortez and his companions, who had been 
 compelled to make a great detour, owing to the difficult nature 
 of the ground, fell suddenly upon the rear of the enemy. The 
 latter, who had never before seen horses, and who believed that 
 horse and rider were the same animal, were seized with a 
 sudden panic at this extraordinary apparition. The panic 
 speedily communicated itself to the whole army, and while the 
 cavalry trampled down and slaughtered many in the rear the 
 infantry charged, and the Indians fled in wild confusion. 
 
 Great numbers had fallen, whilst on the Christian side a few 
 only were killed, and a hundred wounded. No pursuit was 
 attempted. Cortez released the prisoners taken in battle, 
 among whom were two chiefs, and sent them to their country- 
 men, with a message that he would forgive the past if they 
 would at once come in and tender their submission ; otherwise 
 he would ride over the land and put every living creature to 
 the sword. The Tabascans, cowed by the dreadful thunder 
 weapons, and by the astounding armed creatures that had 
 fallen upon them, had no wish for further fighting, and the 
 principal caciques soon came in with offerings to propitiate 
 the Spaniards. 
 
 Among these were twenty female slaves one of whom 
 turned out a more valuable gift to the Spaniards than all the
 
 LANDING IN MEXICO. 185 
 
 other presents put together. Among the gifts were only a few 
 small gold ornaments, and when asked where the metal was pro- 
 cured they pointed to the north-west and said Mexico. As there 
 was nothing to be done here, the Spaniards prepared to depart ; 
 but before doing so insisted on the people consenting to become 
 Christians. As they had but little idea of what was required 
 by them, and were in no mood for argument with the 
 Spaniards, a solemn Mass was held, at which the whole people 
 became nominally Christians. Re-embarking, the Spaniards 
 sailed along the coast, until they reached the island of San 
 Juan de Uloa, and anchored in the strait between it and the 
 mainland. A canoe speedily came off from the latter with 
 presents of fruit and flowers, and small gold trinkets, which 
 the natives willingly bartered with the Spaniards. 
 
 Cortez was, however, unable to converse with them, for 
 Aquilar, who had acted as interpreter with the Tabascans, 
 was unable to understand their dialect. Presently, however, 
 the female slaves informed him that one of their number, 
 named Malinche, was a native of Mexico, and spoke that 
 language as well as the tongue of the Tabascans. She was 
 at once installed as interpreter she informing Aquilar what 
 the Mexicans said, and he interpreting it to Cortez. By this 
 means he learned that the Indians were subjects of the great 
 Mexican Empire, which was ruled over by a monarch named 
 Montezuma, whose capital lay seventy leagues from the coast. 
 
 A strong force at once landed on the mainland and threw up 
 a fortified camp. The Mexicans came in in crowds with fruit, 
 vegetables, flowers, and other ai*ticles, which they bartered with 
 the Spaniards. They brought news that the Mexican governor 
 of the province intended to visit them the next day. Before 
 noon he arrived with his numerous suite. A banquet was 
 served to them, and then, in answer to the cacique's inquiries 
 as to the objects of their visit, he was informed by Cortez 
 that he was the subject of a great monarch beyond the seas, 
 who ruled over a vast empire ; and that, hearing of the great- 
 ness of the Mexican Emperor, he had sent him as an envoy 
 with a present in token of his good will, and a message which
 
 186 IMPERIAL GIFTS. 
 
 he must deliver in person. The cacique said that he would 
 send couriers with the royal gift to Montezuma, and that as 
 soon as he had learnt his will he would communicate it. 
 
 He then presented ten slave-loads of fine cottons, mantles 
 of rich feather-work, and a basket filled with gold ornaments, 
 to Cortez, who then handed over the presents intended for 
 Montezuma. These consisted of a richly carved and painted 
 armchair, a crimson cap with a gold medal, and a quantity 
 of collars, bracelets, and other ornaments of cut glass. Cortez 
 observed one of the cacique's attendants busy sketching, and 
 found that he was drawing the Spaniards, their costumes, 
 and arms. This was the picture-writing of the Aztecs, and 
 the chief informed him that the pictures would be sent to 
 Montezuma. 
 
 In order to impress the monarch Cortez ordered the cavalry 
 to manoeuvre, and the cannon to be fired, and these exhibitions 
 as well as the ships were faithfully depicted by the artist. 
 The chief then took his leave. Eight days later an embassy 
 arrived from Montezuma, with an enormous quantity of 
 extremely valuable presents shields, helmets, cuirasses, collars 
 and bracelets of gold, crests of variegated feathers sprinkled with 
 pearls and precious stones, birds and animals in excellent work- 
 manship in gold and silver, curtains, coverings, and robes of 
 the finest cotton of rich colours, interwoven with marvellous 
 feather-work. 
 
 Among the presents were two circular plates of gold and 
 silver, as large as cart-wheels the value of the silver wheel was 
 estimated at five thousand pounds, that of the gold one at fifty- 
 five thousand. The Spaniards were astounded at this display 
 of treasure, and delighted at the prospect it opened to them. 
 The ambassadors, however, brought a message from the 
 emperor, saying that he regretted much that he could not 
 have a personal interview with them, the distance from his 
 capital being too great, and the journey beset with difficulties 
 and dangers ; and that all that could be done, therefore, was 
 for them to return to their own land with the proofs thus 
 afforded of his friendly disposition.
 
 IMPORTANT VISITORS. 187 
 
 Cortez was much mortified by the refusal, but requested 
 the envoys to lay before the emperor his immense desire for a 
 personal interview with him, and that the dangers of a short 
 land journey were as nothing to one who had accomplished 
 so long a voyage over the sea to see him. The Mexicans 
 repeated their assurance that his application would be un- 
 availing, and left with some coldness of manner. The effect 
 of their displeasure at the insistence of the Spaniards was 
 soon manifest, the natives ceasing to bring in provisions. 
 
 While awaiting the emperor's reply the soldiers suffered 
 greatly from the heat and the effluvia from the neighbouring 
 marshes. Thirty died, and as the anchorage was exposed to 
 the northern gales, Cortez decided to sail north as soon as the 
 answer to his last application was received, and sent off two 
 vessels to see where a safe port could be found. Ten days 
 after the departure of the envoys they returned with a large 
 quantity of fresh presents, but with a positive refusal on the 
 part of the emperor to allow them to advance near the capital, 
 and a request that, now they had obtained what they most 
 desired, they would at once return to their own country. 
 Four days later the ships returned with the news that they 
 had found but one sheltered port, and that the country round 
 it was well watered and favourable for a camp. 
 
 The soldiers, however, were now growing discontented : the 
 treasure already acquired was large, the unhealthiness of the 
 climate had alarmed them, and the proofs of the wealth and 
 greatness of the Mexican Empire had convinced them that it 
 needed a vastly larger force than that which Cortez had under 
 his orders to undertake an expedition against it; for the 
 courage showed by the Tabascans had proved conclusively that, 
 ill armed as they were, the natives were not to be despised. 
 Fortunately for Cortez five Indians made their appearance in 
 camp one morning ; their dress and appearance were wholly 
 different from those of the Aztecs, and they spoke a different 
 language, but Malinche who had been baptized, and christened 
 Marina, by Father Olmedo, the leading priest of the expedition 
 found that two of them could converse in Aztec. They said
 
 188 A COLONY FOUNDED. 
 
 that they were Totonacs, and had come from Cempoalla, their 
 capital ; they had been but recently conquered by the Aztecs, 
 and were so oppressed by them that they were anxious to 
 throw off their yoke, and they came to ask the wonderful 
 strangers of whom they had heard to visit them. 
 
 Cortez at once saw the immense importance of the com- 
 munication. Hitherto he had regarded the Mexican Empire as 
 a great and united power against which success with so small 
 a force was impossible; but now that he saw it was com- 
 posed of subjugated peoples, many of whom would gladly ally 
 themselves with him against their conquerors, the enterprise 
 wore a far more hopeful aspect. He dismissed the Indians 
 with presents, and a promise to visit their country shortly. 
 He talked the matter over with his principal friends, who were 
 as reluctant as he was himself to abandon the enterprise and 
 return to Cuba, where the governor would appropriate the 
 largest share of the spoils they had taken. They accordingly 
 went about among the soldiery, urging them to persuade the 
 general to astablish a permanent colony in the country ; it was 
 true that he had no authority from Velasquez to do so, but the 
 interests of the emperor and of Spain to say nothing of their 
 own were of more importance than those of the Governor 
 of Cuba. 
 
 This talk reached the ears of the special friends and adherents 
 of Velasquez, who, going to Cortez, remonstrated with him 
 against such proceedings. He said that nothing was farther 
 from his desires than to exceed his instructions, and on the 
 following morning issued a proclamation to the troops order- 
 ing them to prepare for embarkation. The sensation caused 
 among the troops was great, and his partisans thronged round 
 his tent calling upon him to countermand his orders and form 
 a settlement. Cortez after due hesitation gave in to their 
 wishes, nominated magistrates, and proclaimed the territory a 
 colony of Spain. As soon as the new magistrates and officers 
 came together, Cortez came before them and tendered his re- 
 signation of his office as captain-general, but was re-nominated 
 not only captain-general but Chief Justice of the colony.
 
 A CONSPIRACY SUPPRESSED. 189 
 
 The partisans of Velasquez were most indignant at the 
 whole proceedings, and so violent were some of the leaders, 
 that Cortez put them in irons and sent them on board ship. 
 Then he set to work with the soldiers, and soon brought them 
 round ; and the prisoners on board being also won over, 
 the whole army re-embarking sailed up the coast until they 
 reached the port before discovered, and landing, set out for 
 Cempoalla. They were delighted with the country, which 
 was rich and fertile ; and as they neared the town the natives 
 poured out with lively demonstrations of welcome, the women 
 throwing garlands of flowers round the necks of the soldiers. 
 They were greatly struck with the town, although it was but 
 a small place in comparison with those they were afterwards 
 to see. Oortez lost no time in sending off a vessel to Spain 
 with despatches to the emperor ; and his influence over the 
 soldiers was so great, that they, as well as the officers, relin- 
 quished all their shares of the treasure they had gained, in 
 order that a worthy present should be sent home to their 
 monarch. 
 
 In his despatches Cortez related all that had befallen them, 
 dilated on the prospect of annexing so rich a country to the 
 Spanish dominions, and asked for a confirmation of his acts 
 and for an authorization for the magistrates of the new town, 
 which was called Villa Rica de Vera Cruz. 
 
 The ship touched at Cuba, but continued its voyage before 
 Velasquez, who was furious at the news of the important dis- 
 coveries made by Cortez, could stop it. Scarcely had the ship 
 sailed when Cortez discovered that a conspiracy was on foot 
 among the partizans of Velasquez, to seize one of the vessels 
 and to sail away to Cuba. The conspirators were seized, two of 
 them executed and others flogged, but the discovery that there 
 were a number of timid spirits in the camp, who might seri- 
 ously interfere with his plans, greatly annoyed Cortez, and he 
 took the extraordinary resolution of destroying all the ships. 
 Through some of his devoted friends he bribed the captains 
 of the vessels to fall in with his views ; and they appeared be- 
 fore him and made a solemn report that the ships were worm-
 
 190 THE FLEET DESTROYED. 
 
 eaten and unfit for sea. Cortez pretended great surprise, 
 and ordered everything movable to be brought ashore and the 
 ships to be sunk. 
 
 Nine vessels were so destroyed, and but one small craft was 
 left afloat. When the news reached the troops at Cempoalla 
 they were filled with consternation. It seemed to them that 
 nothing but destruction awaited them, and from murmurings 
 they broke out into mutiny. Cortez, however, as usual, speedily 
 allayed the tumult. He pointed out that his loss was the 
 greatest, since the ships were his property, and that the troops 
 would in fact derive great advantage by it, since it would 
 swell their force by a hundred men, who must otherwise have 
 remained in charge of the vessels. He urged them to place their 
 confidence in him, and they might rely upon it that success 
 would attend their efforts. If there were any cowards there, 
 they might take the remaining ship and sail to Cuba with 
 it, and wait patiently there until the army returned, laden 
 with the spoils of the Aztecs. The troops at once returned to 
 their duty, and declared their readiness to follow him, where- 
 soever he would. Without further delay, Cortez, taking with 
 him a number of natives to act as carriers, set out on his 
 march towards Mexico. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE FUGITIVES. 
 
 AT nightfall Roger and his guide continued their journey ; 
 but now moved with great caution, keeping but a short 
 distance from the road. Several times they saw fires burning, 
 and had to take long detours to avoid them. Consequently 
 the moon had set when they were still more than ten miles 
 from the pass. Next morning they continued their journey, 
 avoiding as much as possible crossing tracts of cultivated land ; 
 and when forced to do so, lying down and crawling between 
 the rows of the maize or yuccas.
 
 SURBOtJNDED. 191 
 
 " They are sure to have scouts high up on the mountain-side," 
 Bathalda said ; " and they thence can look down upon all these 
 fields ; and although, as we cross them we are perfectly hidden 
 from people standing on the same level, they can see us clearly 
 enough from there." 
 
 " The distance is very great to make out a man." 
 
 " The air is very clear, my lord, in these mountains ; and a 
 figure can be seen a vast distance off. However, we can do 
 nothing but what we are doing, and must take our chance." 
 
 " If we are attacked," Roger said, " we must make straight 
 up the mountains. Steep as they may be there are few places 
 where active men cannot climb, and numbers would avail 
 nothing if we once got up among those heights." 
 
 They were now mounting rapidly towards the pass. The 
 country was still thickly wooded, but Bathalda said that in the 
 narrowest part of the pass there were no trees, and it was here 
 that the danger would be greate-st. As they neared the 
 mouth of the gorge they moved with the greatest care, keep- 
 ing their eyes in every direction. Presently Bathalda stopped 
 and held up his hand. Eoger listened. 
 
 " They are coming behind us," Bathalda said ; " they must 
 have made us out in the distance, and have sent a party down 
 the road to enter the wood behind us, and so prevent us from 
 retreating." 
 
 " Then we had better bear away to the left, Bathalda. 
 They are sure to be in force in the pass ; and since they are 
 behind us also, our only hope is to try and scale the hill to the 
 left." 
 
 Bathalda, without a word, moved forward in the direction 
 indicated. The trees grew thinner in front, and through them 
 they could see rocky ground rising steeply up. They issued out 
 and began to climb, when the sound of a horn rose loudly in 
 the air, and a moment afterwards a number of men were seen 
 running from the right along the edge of the trees. 
 
 " They will not shoot," Roger said, " they want to take me 
 alive. Never mind their arrows, it is a question of legs at 
 present."
 
 192 A HAND-TO-HAND FIGHT. 
 
 The rocks were extremely steep, and in many places they 
 had to use their hands as well as their feet in making the ascent. 
 The Aztecs, who had on first seeing them broken into loud cries, 
 were now silent, and were toiling up the hillside in pursuit. 
 
 " Now," Roger said, after a very severe piece of climbing, 
 " we must stop them." 
 
 He strung his bow, and placing an arrow to the string 
 shouted to the Aztecs that he should shoot unless they desisted 
 from pursuit. They paid no attention, their officer shouting to 
 them to press on. They were now less than a hundred yards 
 behind ; Roger drew his bow to the fullest, and the arrow 
 whizzed through the air. It struck the officer in the throat, 
 and he fell prone. A cry of astonishment broke from the 
 soldiers ; however they did not hesitate a moment, but pushed 
 on with loud shouts. Roger discharged six arrows in rapid suc- 
 cession, and five of them flew true to the mark. The Aztecs 
 paused, the distance to which the arrows were sent and the 
 accuracy of the shooting struck them with consternation, and 
 it was evident to them that before they could climb the steep 
 ascent, the greater portion of them would be shot down. Some 
 took shelter behind rocks and began to discharge their arrows, 
 others fell back in haste. 
 
 " Now we will be moving on again, Bathalda," Roger said ; 
 " we have taught them a lesson of caution." 
 
 They proceeded on their way until they reached a shoulder 
 which led straight up the mountain. Just as they stopped to 
 draw breath there was a shout, and a party of twenty men, 
 who had evidently climbed straight up from the pass to cut 
 them off, rushed at them. Roger rapidly discharged five 
 arrows into the midst of them, and then slipped the string 
 from the notch and seized the bamboo as a quarter-staff. 
 At the order of their leader the Aztecs threw down their 
 spears and flung themselves on him, with the intention of 
 dragging him to the ground; but making his quarter-staff 
 swing round his head, he brought the ends down upon them 
 with tremendous force, striking them to the ground as if 
 they had been ninepins.
 
 A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE. 193 
 
 Bathalda seconded him well by guarding him from attack 
 behind. Finding that in spite of his efforts he could not keep 
 back his assailants, Roger threw down the quarter-staff and 
 seized his axe. Four more of them fell, cleft through the 
 head, and then four of them sprang upon him together, but 
 Roger's practice in Devonshire wrestling now stood him in 
 good service ; and although in a moment the four were hanging 
 upon him they could neither get him off his legs, nor hold his 
 arms, and he beat three of them down with heavy blows on 
 their faces, while Bathalda freed him from one on his back 
 by a thrust with his spear. Roger again caught up the axe, 
 which he had let fall to have the use of both of his fists, 
 but the fight was over. The fire Aztecs still remaining on 
 their feet appalled at the, to them, supernatural strength of 
 their gigantic foe, fled to join their comrades, who had now 
 nearly reached the crest on which the combat had taken 
 place. 
 
 " Come on, Bathalda," Roger exclaimed, " we have not a 
 moment to lose. They will shoot now, seeing that they have 
 little chance of taking me alive." And they accordingly started 
 up the steep ascent as rapidly as their breathless condition 
 would allow. Their pursuers paused a moment on gaining the 
 brow to get their wind, and then followed ; but as soon as 
 the ground again became too steep to allow of rapid movement, 
 Roger turned, and betaking himself to his bow and arrows 
 speedily checked the pursuit, the Aztecs being unable to 
 stand against these terrible weapons, whose force and accuracy 
 seemed to them supernatural. The sight, too, of the heap of 
 their comrades lying on the slope, had greatly cooled their 
 courage; their officers had all fallen under Roger's arrows, 
 together with most of their bravest comrades, and although 
 the rest still continued the pursuit, it was at a distance 
 that showed that they had no intention whatever of closing 
 again. 
 
 Paying no further heed to them, Roger and his com- 
 panion now directed their whole attention to the work of 
 climbing. At times they came on perpendicular precipices, 
 
 (618) N
 
 194 "WE WILL BE MOVING ON AGAIN." 
 
 and had to make long detours to surmount them. After some 
 hours' labour they reached the snow ; they were now near a 
 shoulder between two lofty peaks, and after an hour's climb- 
 ing stood on its crest. The Aztecs were now mere spots far 
 behind them. 
 
 " They will be an hour before they are here," Roger said ; 
 " we need fear no more trouble with them. It was a sharp 
 fight while it lasted, Bathalda." 
 
 These were the first words they had spoken beyond a mo- 
 mentary consultation, now and then, as to the best mode 
 of surmounting difficulties. 
 
 " My lord is wonderful," the hunter said. " Never did I see 
 such strength and skill ; it was like a mountain tiger attacked 
 by jackals." 
 
 " You did your share too, Bathalda ; your spear rid me of 
 several of them." 
 
 " I did what I could, my lord ; but that was little enough. 
 A few men like you would defeat an army." 
 
 " Well, Bathalda, now we will be moving on again. We 
 will keep straight down this slope, until we are off the snow, 
 for they can follow our footsteps. Beyond that we must press 
 on until we get into the woods again, and there we can turn 
 right or left as we please, and throw them off the scent alto- 
 gether. We shall then be safe until we leave the forest, and 
 begin to descend into the hot country." 
 
 Another hour, and they had left the snow behind them, 
 and after two more hours on the rocky hill-side they again 
 entered a forest. As soon as they were well among the 
 trees, they turned to the right again, and after travelling 
 through the wood for two or three miles they halted, secure 
 now against any search on the part of their pursuers. Just 
 before halting they had the good luck to come across a small 
 bear, which Roger wounded with an arrow, and his companion 
 dispatched with his spear. Bathalda speedily made a fire by 
 rubbing two sticks together, and after skinning the bear cut it 
 up ; and while Roger was superintending the roasting of some 
 pieces over the fire, Bathalda searched in the wood, and
 
 BATHALDA'S OPINION. 195 
 
 speedily returned with some roots, which he placed in the 
 ashes, and wh;ch turned out excellent eating with the bear's 
 flesh. 
 
 As it was now far on in the afternoon, and as they had 
 already performed a very fatiguing day's work, they resolved 
 to wait where they were until the morning. 
 
 " What do you think would be our best course, now ? " Roger 
 asked after they had eaten their meal, and were stretched 
 close to the fire for warmth for at this elevation the cold was 
 great. Bathalda did not reply, but sat pouring out volumes 
 of smoke from the pipe he had just filled. At last Roger 
 repeated the question. 
 
 " I am ready to go where my lord wills." 
 
 " Yes, Bathalda ; but that is no answer to my question. You 
 know the ways of your people, and I do not. We have had a 
 sharp fight with them to-day. What is likely to come of it ? " 
 
 Bathalda shook his head. " The news will long before this 
 have been sent by swift runners to every town and village 
 on this slope of the mountains. The garrisons of Perote, 
 Tlatlauquitepec, Xalapa, and Naulinco will all be in movement. 
 Naulinco is but some eight or ten miles away down the pass ; 
 and not only the soldiers, but every man in the town will be 
 ordered out. They will be posted as thick as blades of grass at 
 the mouth of every valley leading down from the mountains. 
 You have resisted the emperor's officers and have killed numbers 
 of his soldiers. They will know that the wrath of Montezuma 
 will be terrible if they fail to arrest you." 
 
 " Then you think that it will almost be impossible to make 
 our way through them ? " Bathalda nodded his head. " And 
 in time, I suppose, they will search these woods ? " 
 
 " Every foot of them, wide though they are, my lord." 
 
 " Then what is your advice, Bathalda ? " 
 
 " It depends whether my lord's mind is altogether set upon 
 joining the white men of the sea at once." 
 
 Roger in turn was silent for a time. The Spaniards would 
 have learnt the wealth of the land, it was not likely they 
 would speedily depart, but if they did it would only be to
 
 196 A FRESH PLAN. 
 
 return again in far greater force than at present. Other 
 opportunities would occur for rejoining them, aad it would be 
 folly to throw away his life and that of his companion in an 
 attempt that the latter evidently felt to be desperate. He had 
 already had proof of the vigilance of the Aztec scouts, and 
 doubtless that vigilance would now be redoubled. 
 
 " No, Bathalda," he replied at last ; " I should be content to 
 remain in hiding for a time, and to risk the departure of the 
 white men." 
 
 " Then, my lord, my advice is, that we retrace our steps across 
 to the other side of the mountains. Then we will head north, 
 avoiding the towns, and take refuge for a time in the forests, 
 that stretch for many leagues over the mountains. There 
 we can build a hut and hunt, there are turkeys and other 
 game in abundance. From time to time I can go down to a 
 town and gather news, and bring back such things as may be 
 necessary for you. Then, when the search for you abates, we 
 can strike down thence to the sea-coast, if the white men are 
 still there. At any rate we can live by hunting as long as 
 you may find it necessary to remain in concealment." 
 
 " That will be by far the best plan, Bathalda. I have no 
 objection to a few weeks of life in the woods, and you can 
 teach me your craft of a hunter. What do you say : shall we 
 start back this evening ? " 
 
 " If my lord is not too wearied, it would be well if we could 
 get across the crest before morning. They will have sentries at 
 every point, whence they can command a view of the hills ; and 
 our figures could be made out on the snow at a great distance 
 away." 
 
 " I should have preferred a night's rest, Bathalda ; but it 
 would be foolish to lose a day, and no doubt parties will be 
 searching the woods in the morning. We have still four hours 
 before the sun goes down, and that should be enough to fit us 
 for starting again." 
 
 The hunter was pleased at Roger's decision. 
 
 " Let my lord sleep at once," he said. " I will watch ; I am 
 accustomed to long journeys, and to pass my nights in search
 
 EECEOSSING THE MOUNTAINS. 197 
 
 of game ; it is nothing to me. I used dry sticks for the fire, 
 and but little smoke will have made its way through the trees. 
 Still it may possibly be noticed, and it were best one of us 
 should remain on watch." 
 
 Roger felt that he should never be able to make the cscent 
 over the crest of the hill, unless he had some rest ; and therefore, 
 without argument, he wrapt himself in his cotton mantle and 
 lay down before the fire. It seemed to him that he had but 
 just closed his eyes when his companion touched him. 
 
 " It is time that we should be moving, my lord ; the sun 
 has just set." 
 
 " Why, it appears to me to be night already, Bathalda." 
 
 " It has been dark here for the last hour, my lord ; but on 
 the other side of the mountains the sun has but now gone 
 down. See, the full moon has just risen in the east." 
 
 " That is so, Bathalda ; and we shall have her light till 
 morning. Well, I am ready, though I could have slept on 
 comfortably until sunrise. Have you heard anything ? " 
 
 " I have heard the sound of horns far down the hill-side, but 
 nothing near us save animals, disturbed by the voices below, 
 and passing up towards the rocks. I have cooked some 
 more flesh ; it is always best to make a good meal when one 
 can ; we have a rough journey before us, and the cold will be 
 great. Fortunately the air is still ; were it blowing I should 
 say that there was less danger in waiting here than in crossing 
 the mountain." 
 
 The meal was quickly eaten. Bathalda slung a large piece 
 of bear's flesh over his shoulder, and they started. So bright 
 was the moonlight that they had no more difficulty in climbing 
 than if it had been day, and after six hours of severe toil they 
 again came down upon the forest on the other side of the 
 mountains. They proceeded among the trees for some little 
 distance till they came to some very thick undergrowth, where 
 Bathalda thought it would be perfectly safe to light a fire. 
 This he accordingly did, as Roger said he would rather run 
 any danger than go without a fire. In spite of the exer- 
 tions they had made, they were chilled to the bone; their
 
 198 LIFE IN THB FOREST. 
 
 clothes were stiff with the frozen moisture from their bodies, 
 and the cotton mantles offered but small protection against the 
 cold. A pleasant glow stole over them as the fire burnt up. 
 
 " I will watch now, Bathalda, and you shall sleep." 
 
 " I do not think that there is any danger, my lord. They 
 believe us among the woods on the other side of the mountains, 
 and it is not at all likely there will be any vigilant watch kept 
 upon this side. We can both sleep without fear." 
 
 Roger was glad to hear his companion's opinion, and in a 
 few minutes was fast asleep. When he awoke it was day ; 
 Bathalda was cooking some flash over the embers of the fire. 
 
 " You have been asleep I hope, Bathalda ? " Roger said, as 
 he rose to his feet and shook himself. 
 
 " I have slept, my lord," the hunter said, although in fact 
 it was not until morning began to break that he had relaxed 
 his watchfulness. 
 
 " We will be off as soon as we have eaten. It is possible 
 that parties may, as soon as it is daybreak, go along by the 
 edge of the snow-line to assure themselves that we are still on 
 the other side of the mountain ; and if so, they will probably 
 come across our footsteps therefore we had best be moving at 
 once." 
 
 Two long days' marches took them deep into the woods lying 
 north of Tlatlauquitepec. Here they set to work to construct 
 a rough hut of boughs near a mountain spring, and when this 
 was completed they set to work hunting. Turkeys abounded. 
 These they generally obtained by shooting them at night as 
 they roosted in the trees, but they sometimes hunted them by 
 day, Bathalda imitating their call so accurately that they 
 came up within easy shot of them without the least suspicion 
 of danger. They killed several small bears, which were useful, 
 not only for their flesh, but for the warmth of their skins at 
 night. Once or twice they shot deer, and obtained other game 
 in abundance. At night they frequently heard the roar of 
 the mountain tiger. Once or twice when the sounds approached 
 too close to their hut, they left it and took refuge in trees, as 
 the hunter said that even Roger's arrows would scarcely slay
 
 TIDINGS OF THE SPANISH. 199 
 
 these fierce beasts at once, and that when wounded they were 
 terrible enemies. 
 
 Roger enjoyed the life much, the air was fresh and bracing, 
 the forest magnificent in its varied foliage, and the abund- 
 ance of game so great, that it needed no special exertion to 
 keep themselves well supplied with food. Two or three times, 
 at intervals of a week or ten days, Bathalda went down to 
 Tlatlanquitepec with a load of turkeys and other game slung 
 on a pole over his shoulder, and returned with maize, flour, 
 chocolate, and pulque, and other articles of food ; and which 
 was of much greater importance to Roger news of the white 
 strangers. 
 
 The first time he learnt that they had arrived in several float- 
 ing castles, and had landed at once. The natives had received 
 them with kindness, and the chief of that district, Teuhtlile, 
 had on the following day had an interview with their chief. 
 Presents had been exchanged. Five days later an embassy 
 with many very rich gifts from the emperor arrived at the 
 camp. They were the bearers of friendly messages from 
 Montezuma, who, however, had declined to allow them to 
 proceed into the country, and had requested them to leave the 
 coast at once. The white men had sent back a message to 
 Montezuma praying him to alter his determination, and showed 
 no signs of obeying his orders and re embarking on board 
 their ships. By the orders of Montezuma's envoys, the people 
 had now abstained from visiting the camp, or bringing in 
 supplies. 
 
 Three weeks after, Bathalda returned from the town with 
 the news that another embassy from Montezuma had visited 
 the white camp with another great store of valuable presents; 
 but that Montezuma positively prohibited them advancing 
 towards the capital. Two days later they were visited by 
 envoys from Cempoalla, the chief town of the Totonacs, who 
 had been lately conquered by the Aztecs, and had invited the 
 white men to visit their city. They had accordingly marched 
 there, and were now dwelling in this town. It was said that 
 the Aztecs were extremely indignant at the action of the
 
 200 NEWS OF MALINCHB. 
 
 Totonacs, and that dire vengeance would be taken upon them 
 for daring to act in this manner without the permission of 
 Montezuma. 
 
 The next news was, that the white men had marched farther 
 north to Chiahuitztla, that they were founding a city there, 
 and that they had actually seized and imprisoned a party 
 of Aztec envoys. The white men had visited other towns, 
 and at Cempoalla had insulted the gods, rolled the idols 
 down from the tops of the temples, and had erected altars to 
 their own gods there. This act had created a profound im- 
 pression throughout the country ; and the greatest astonish- 
 ment was felt that Montezuma did not at once put his armies 
 in motion to crush these profane and insolent strangers. A 
 still greater sensation had been caused by the news that the 
 Spaniards had destroyed all their floating castles, and that it 
 was therefore evident that they intended to remain perma- 
 nently in the land. 
 
 This news greatly surprised Roger ; the reports were unani- 
 mous that there were at the utmost but three or four hundred 
 of the Whites, and that the Spaniards should dream of match- 
 ing themselves against the whole force of Mexico, seemed 
 almost incredible. 
 
 " How do the white men communicate with the natives ? " 
 Roger asked. 
 
 " They have with them some slaves whom they obtained at 
 Tabasco ; among them was one who was a Mexican by race. 
 They say that the white men speak to another white man who 
 understands the language of Tabasco, and that he speaks to 
 this young woman who speaks in Mexican what she is told. 
 She is treated with great honour by the white men." 
 
 " What is her name did you hear ? " 
 
 " The natives say she is called Malinche, but the white men 
 call her Marina." 
 
 " That is good news, indeed, Bathalda," Roger said ; " for 
 when I was at Tabasco, I knew a Mexican slave-girl of that 
 name, and if it is the same she will befriend us." 
 
 It was nearly three weeks before Roger again obtained
 
 STARTLING TIDINGS. 201 
 
 news. Bathalda had injured his leg in a fall down a precipice, 
 while stalking a deer, and was obliged to lie up in the hut for 
 more than a fortnight. As soon as he was well enough to get 
 about again he joined Roger in a turkey hunt, and started the 
 next day for the city. He returned with surprising news. 
 The white men had marched from the coast through Naulinco 
 and the Pass of Obispo. They had been everywhere well 
 received by the natives, who all belonged to the Totonac 
 tribe. They had gone to Yxtacamaxtitlan, a great city, 
 where they had stayed three days ; they had then marched 
 on towards Tlascala, the republic that had so long resisted the 
 strength of all Mexico. 
 
 They were said to number four hundred foot and fifteen 
 strange creatures, who were partly man and partly some fleet 
 animal; and they had seven great black tubes that made 
 thunder. Thirteen hundred Totonac fighting men accompanied 
 them, and a thousand porters to drag the tubes and carry their 
 baggage. They had sent embassies to the Tlascalans, but the 
 latter had chosen war, and there had been some terrible battles 
 fought. But the white men were invincible, and had defeated 
 the Tlascalans with great slaughter ; and the news had arrived 
 only that morning that they had captured the city. The 
 sensation throughout the country was that of stupefaction. 
 It seemed absolutely incredible that a state which had success- 
 fully defied the armies of Montezuma and his predecessors 
 should, after four or five days of fighting, be overthrown by 
 this handful of white strangers. There seemed but one comfort ; 
 it was said that several of the Whites had been killed, and 
 this showed, at least, that they were not superhuman creatures, 
 and that it might yet be possible to destroy them. 
 
 No sooner did Roger hear the news than he determined to 
 start at once to join the Spaniards, who were already far to 
 the west. Accordingly, the next morning at daybreak, he 
 started with Bathalda, and late on the following afternoon 
 arrived in sight of Tlascala. They thought it better not to 
 enter the city until the following morning, and therefore 
 passed the night in a clump of bushes. The next day they
 
 202 IN TLASCALA. 
 
 boldly entered the town. The city was a large one, divided 
 into four quarters, separated by lofty walls and each ruled 
 over by one of the four great chiefs of the republic. Its 
 population was very large, and the town was strongly and 
 solidly built. At ordinary times the appearance of two seem- 
 ing Aztecs in the streets would have been the signal for their 
 instant destruction, but at the present time the people were 
 solely occupied with the presence of their white conquerors, 
 with whom, as Roger soon learnt, they had made treaties of 
 friendship and whom they now viewed as friends and allies. 
 
 The whole of the Spaniards were lodged in one of the palaces. 
 The crowd of people proceeding in that direction was a suffi- 
 cient index to its position; and Roger and his companion, 
 joining the throng, were soon in front of the palace. Some 
 Spanish soldiers were standing as sentries at its gate, but none 
 came out or mixed with the people Cortez having given the 
 strictest orders that they should remain in their quarters, as 
 he feared that did they go abroad some brawl might arise 
 between them and the inhabitants, and so break the newly- 
 formed alliance, which was of the most extreme importance to 
 them. Presently some Spanish officers and several richly 
 dressed chiefs came out from the palace. The people raised 
 a shout, and it was evident to Roger that in spite of the ter- 
 rible losses suffered by their troops in the attacks upon the 
 white men, their admiration for their visitors far outweighed 
 any animosity for the defeats inflicted upon them. 
 
 Near the officer whom Roger judged to be the leader of the 
 expedition were an elderly man and a young woman. The 
 Spaniard addressed the old man, who spoke to the girl, and 
 she translated it to the chiefs. Roger recognized her at once 
 it was certainly his friend the slave-girl of Tabasco. In the 
 eight months since he had seen her, she had grown to complete 
 womanhood ; and now richly attired as she was, and evidently 
 regarded as a person of great importance, both by the Spaniards 
 and the native chiefs carried herself with an air of confi- 
 dence and pride ; and was, Roger thought, the most beautiful 
 woman he had seen in Mexico.
 
 "DO YOU BEMEMBBB YOUR WHITE FRIEND?" 203 
 
 As the party moved down the steps of the palace and along 
 the street, evidently discoursing on some important business, 
 Roger followed them closely. He waited until Malinche 
 happened for a moment to be at the outside of the party, then 
 he pressed forward and said to her : 
 
 " Malinche, do you remember your white friend 1 " 
 
 She looked up, and would have cried out with astonishment, 
 had he not touched his lips. 
 
 " I want to speak to you alone first. Where can I meet 
 you ? " 
 
 " In an hour I shall be able to slip away from their meal," 
 she said ; " be near the palace gate." 
 
 Roger at once fell back into the crowd, and soon took an 
 opportunity to extricate himself from it, and to go down a side 
 street. He and Bathalda then ascended to the top of the wall, 
 where they were likely to be undisturbed, and waited there for 
 an hour. They then went back to the palace. The square in 
 the front of it was almost deserted now, for the Spaniards had 
 retired half an hour before, and were not likely to appear 
 again until the evening ; especially as it was known that at 
 noon there was to be a great council held in the palace. Ten 
 minutes later Malinche appeared at the entrance. As soon as 
 her eyes fell on Roger she raised her hand, and leaving 
 Bathalda he at once went up to her. 
 
 The two sentinels looked with some surprise at this tall 
 native, but as they saw that he was known to Malinche, they 
 offered no opposition to his entering the palace with her. She 
 led him down some corridors and then out into a garden. As 
 soon as she saw that they were in a spot where they could not 
 be overlooked, she turned and seized his hands and would have 
 pressed them to her forehead, had not Roger prevented her 
 doing so, and put her hands to his lips. 
 
 " Ah ! " she exclaimed. " How happy you have made me 
 to-day I I have wondered so much how it has fared with you, 
 and have dreamt at night so often that you were being sacri- 
 ficed on the altars of the gods." 
 
 " I have thought of you very often, also, Malinche ; and I
 
 204 "WHAT ARE WE TO DO, THEN?" 
 
 was surprised, indeed, when I heard that you for I felt sure 
 that it was you were with the Spaniards, and were not only 
 an interpreter but in high honour with them." 
 
 " But why do you not join them ? " she asked. " Why do 
 you come to me first ? What can I do for you ? I will take 
 you at once to Cortez, and when I tell him that you were my 
 friend, and were so kind and good to the slave-girl, he will 
 welcome you most warmly." 
 
 " Yes, Malinche ; but that is why I wanted to see you first 
 alone. You remember that I told you all about the Spaniards, 
 and how they owned the islands, and would some day surely 
 come to Mexico ; but that I belong to another white people, 
 who are forbidden by the Spaniards under pain of death to 
 come to these parts. They must not know that I am not 
 of their nation. You see I cannot speak their tongue. I see 
 that you have learnt it fast, for I saw Cortez speaking to 
 you." 
 
 " What are we to do, then ? " the girl asked with a puzzled 
 look. " When they find that you cannot speak their lan- 
 guage, they will, of course, see that you are not of their 
 people." 
 
 " Yes, Malinche ; but they might think that I had forgotten 
 it. That is just where I want you to help me. If you take 
 me to Cortez, and tell him that years ago a ship was wrecked 
 on the coast of Tabasco, and that all were drowned except a 
 little white boy, and that he was brought up at Tabasco, and 
 that you were great friends with him until he was sold to 
 some Mexican traders they will think that I have altogether 
 forgotten my native language. They are not likely to ask you 
 how many years ago it is or how big I was then, and will 
 imagine that I was quite a child, and that I belonged to a 
 Spanish ship, for they will not dream of an English vessel 
 having been in these parts. When you introduce me to 
 Cortez, you must tell him that 1 have quite forgotten the 
 language save a few words for I picked up a few sentences 
 when in their ports." 
 
 " They will easily believe that you may have been wrecked,"
 
 "MY HEART BLEEDS." 205 
 
 said Malinche; " for they rescued a man who had been living 
 many years among a tribe at Yucatan, to the west of Tabasco. 
 There were other white men living among them, though these 
 they could not recover. You saw him by me this morning he 
 is an old man, a priest ; and he translates from the Spanish 
 into the Yucatan dialect, which is so like that of Tabasco that 
 I can understand it, and then I tell the people in Mexican. 
 There will be no difficulty at all. Cortez and the Spaniards 
 know that I love them, and they trust me altogether, and 
 I am able to do good to my country-people, and to intercede 
 with them sometimes with Cortez. Now tell me what has 
 happened since I last saw you." 
 
 Roger gave her a sketch of what had happened in Mexico, 
 and how he had escaped by flight from being sacrificed. 
 
 " It is terrible these sacrifices," Malinche said, shuddering. 
 " I did not think so in the old days, but I have learned better 
 from the Spaniards and from their priests ; and I rejoice that 
 the white men will destroy these horrible idols, and will teach 
 the people to worship the great God and His Son. They will 
 suffer my heart bleeds to think how they will suffer but it 
 will be good for them in the end, and put a stop to rivers of 
 blood that flow every year at their altars." 
 
 Although Roger was not imbued with the passion for con- 
 version which animated the Spaniards, and led them to believe 
 that it was the most glorious of all duties to force their reli- 
 gion upon the natives, he had been so filled with horror at the 
 wholesale sacrifices of human victims, and the cannibal feasts 
 that followed them, that he was in no way disposed to question 
 the methods which the Spaniards adopted to put a stop to 
 such abominations. But for the friendship of Cacama he would 
 himself assuredly have been a victim to these sanguinary gods. 
 He and his father had, like the Beggs, and many other of 
 his friends at Plymouth been secretly followers of Wycliffe, 
 but they were still Catholics. They believed that there were 
 many and deep abuses in the Church, but had no thought of 
 abandoning it altogether. The doings of the Inquisition in 
 Spain were regarded by all Englishmen with horror, but
 
 206 MALINCHB PREPARES THE WAT. 
 
 these excesses were as nothing to the wholesale horrors of the 
 Mexican religion. 
 
 He talked for some time with Malinche, and saw that she 
 was completely devoted to the Spaniards, and regarded Cortez 
 as a hero almost more than mortal ; and was in no slight 
 degree relieved at observing that, although ready to be friendly 
 in every way, and evidently still much attached to him, the 
 warmer feeling which she had testified at their parting no 
 longer existed, but had been transferred to her present friends 
 and protectors. 
 
 " Come with me," she said at last. " The meal will be over 
 now. I will take you to an apartment near the banqueting- 
 hall, and will leave you there while I tell Cortez about you, 
 and will then lead you to him." 
 
 Seeing how confident Malinche was as to the reception she 
 could procure for him, Roger awaited her return to the cham- 
 ber where she had placed him, with little anxiety. In a quarter 
 of an hour she returned, and beckoned him to follow. 
 
 " I have told him," she said. " It did not seem to him 
 strange that some vessel should have been driven by the storms 
 and wrecked here. He asked no questions as to how many 
 years ago it was. I told him you were a young boy at the 
 time, and have forgotten all but a few words of the language ; 
 and how when you grew to be a man you were sold to some 
 Mexican merchants, and would have been sacrificed to the 
 gods had you not made your escape. As I had told him 
 before that there had been a white man living at Tabasco, 
 who had been very good to me, he was not surprised at the 
 story." 
 
 She took Roger to an apartment in which Cortez and several 
 of his principal officers were standing. As Malinche had told 
 them that he was painted and disguised as a native, they were 
 not surprised at his appearance ; although his height, which 
 was far beyond that attained by Spaniards, somewhat as- 
 tonished them. Roger approached the group, and at once fell 
 on one knee before Cortez, took his hand and kissed it. Cortez 
 raised him and embraced him warmly.
 
 ROr.ER FAI.I.S ON HIS KNEE BEFORE CORTEZ.
 
 WELCOMED BY CORTEZ. 207 
 
 " I am delighted to find another of my countrymen," he said ; 
 " and all the more since Marina tells me that she knows you 
 well, and that you were most kind and good to her." 
 
 " Sefior," Eoger said, in broken Spanish, " I do not under- 
 stand, I have forgotten." 
 
 " You will soon recover it/' Cortez said. " Tell him, Aquilar, 
 that he will soon learn to speak his native language again." 
 
 The interpreter repeated the words to Roger in the Yucatan 
 dialect, adding that he himself had been a prisoner for eight 
 years among the natives, and that although a man when 
 captured by them, had with difficulty spoken Spanish when 
 restored to his friends; but it had now quite come back to 
 him. 
 
 " You were but a boy when you were wrecked, Marina tells 
 me ? " Cortez said. 
 
 " Only a boy," Roger repeated, when Marina translated this 
 to him. 
 
 " Do you remember anything of Spain 7 " Cortez asked. 
 
 Roger shut his eyes as if considering. " I seem to have a 
 remembrance," he said, "of a place with many great ships. 
 It was a city built on a rock rising from the sea. It had high 
 walls with great guns upon them, which fired sometimes with 
 a terrible noise when vessels came in and out." 
 
 When this was translated by Aquilar, Cortez said : 
 
 " It was Cadiz, of course. Doubtless the ship he was wrecked 
 in sailed from that port ; " a murmur of assent passed round 
 the other Spaniards. " Show him a cross, Aquilar ; see if he 
 remembers his religion." 
 
 Aquilar took out a cross from under his doublet, and held it 
 out towards Roger, who, after looking at it for a moment, fell 
 on his knees and kissed it. 
 
 " He remembers much, you see," Cortez said. " Father 
 Aquilar, you will succeed soon in making a good Catholic of 
 him again. Well, gentlemen, I think we may congratulate 
 ourselves upon this new companion. Every arm is of assist- 
 ance ; and if he is as brave as he is big and strong he will 
 prove a doughty comrade. Besides, he will be able to tell us
 
 208 "l CAME AT MY LORD*S ORDERS.** 
 
 something of Mexico, although, as Marina says, he was only 
 once at the capital. Question him, Aquilar, and find out from 
 him whether its magnificence is as great as we hear." 
 
 Roger told all he knew of the capital, and said that although 
 he himself could not say more than that it was a great city, 
 he had heard that its population was nearly three hundred 
 thousand, and that it certainly seemed to him fully three 
 times as large as that of Tezcuco, where he said there were 
 one hundred thousand people. 
 
 " And it stands on an island in a lake ? " Cortez asked. 
 
 " There are three causeways leading to the land, each wide 
 enough for six horsemen to ride abreast," Roger replied ; " but 
 it would be a difficult thing to force an entrance by these in 
 the face of Montezuma's army. 
 
 "Well, gentlemen," Cortez said, "it is time for us to be 
 going to the council. Marina, do you take your friend to my 
 private apartment, and bid Juan furnish him with a suit of 
 clothes, and with armour from that belonging to our friends 
 who fell in the fights the other day. We will soon make a 
 true cavalier of him." 
 
 As soon as Roger was equipped he went out to the steps of 
 the palace, and presently descried Bathalda in the crowd. He 
 beckoned to him, and taking him into the garden had a long 
 talk with him. He would have rewarded him largely for his 
 services, but Bathalda refused to accept anything. 
 
 " I came at my lord's orders," he said ; " and am rejoiced to 
 have been of service to one who is at once so kind, so strong, 
 and so valiant." 
 
 " As you will. We shall have further opportunities of meet- 
 ing, Bathalda. Do you now make your way back to Tezcuco. 
 Tell your lord all that has happened, and that I am with 
 the Spaniards, and shall accompany them if, as I believe, they 
 go forward to Mexico ; that I hope to see all my friends 
 again before long ; and that I always think of their kindness 
 to me."
 
 THE TLASCALAN ALLIANCE. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE MASSACRE OF CHOLULA. 
 
 Tlascalans had from the moment when they admitted 
 JL themselves beaten by the Spaniards, laid aside all hostility, 
 and had indeed accepted the alliance with enthusiasm. They 
 had a right to be proud of their own valour, for they had 
 resisted all the attempts of the great Aztec monarchy to con- 
 quer them, and had defeated with slaughter greatly superior 
 forces ; and that a mere handful of white men should be 
 able to withstand their attacks day after day, and to defeat 
 their best and hardiest troops, led by generals who had 
 hitherto been always successful, excited their surprise and 
 admiration in the highest degree. They were not gods, they 
 knew, for some had been killed in the conflict, but as men they 
 seemed to them infinitely superior in strength and courage 
 to any that they had before heard of, and they were proud to 
 enter into an alliance with such heroes. Moreover, they saw 
 they would now have an opportunity of turning the tables 
 upon their enemies of the plains. 
 
 They did not believe for a moment that Montezuma would 
 admit the white men to his capital, and in that case there 
 would be great battles, and perhaps much plunder to be gained ; 
 and therefore, when the Spaniards were again ready to advance, 
 the whole fighting force of Tlascala was placed at their dis- 
 posal. Cortez, however, declined to take with him so large an 
 army ; the appearance of such a force composed of the bitter 
 foes of the Aztecs, would have combined against him the whole 
 strength of that empire, and would have destroyed any hope that 
 might remain of peaceful arrangements. Moreover, the diffi- 
 culty of feeding so large a body of men would be great indeed ; 
 and as his authority over them would be but feeble, constant 
 broils with the Aztecs would be the inevitable result. He, there- 
 fore, with many thanks, declined the offer, but said that he 
 would gladly take with him a force of six thousand volunteers. 
 
 (618) O
 
 210 STARTING FROM TLASCALA. 
 
 The first march was to be to Cholula, whose people had sent 
 a warm invitation to Cortez to visit them, and Montezuma 
 by his last envoys also requested them to journey forward by 
 way of that city. The Tlascalans had strongly urged him to 
 refuse the invitation: the Cholulans were, they said, a 
 treacherous people and not to be trusted. They were bigoted 
 beyond the people of other cities, Cholula being the holy city 
 of Anahuac. It was here the god Quetzalcoatl had remained 
 for twenty years on his way down to the coast, instructing the 
 people in the arts of civilization. Here was the great temple of 
 the god, a pyramid whose base covered forty-four acres, and 
 whose height was a hundred and eighty feet ; the platform 
 on its summit, where the sacrifices took place, being an acre 
 in size. 
 
 Cortez, however, decided upon visiting Cholula ; he deemed 
 the reports of the Tlascalans to be prejudiced, as there was 
 a long-standing animosity between the two peoples, and he 
 thought that were he to avoid visiting this important town 
 which lay almost on his road to Mexico, it might be set down 
 by the Aztecs to distrust or fear. 
 
 The departure from Tlascala was witnessed by the whole of 
 the population of the state, who assembled to bid the white 
 men farewell, and to wish them success upon their way. 
 
 A day's march took them to within a mile or two of Cholula. 
 Here they were met by many nobles from the city, who urged 
 them to enter it that evening ; but Cortez, bearing in mind the 
 warnings he had received, and thinking it dangerous to enter 
 the streets of an unknown and possibly hostile city after dark, 
 declined to move forward until morning. Seeing the hostility 
 and distrust excited in the minds of his visitors at the sight of 
 the Tlascalans in his camp, he ordered his allies to remain in 
 camp when he advanced in the morning, and to join him only 
 when he left the city on his way to Mexico. 
 
 The Spaniards as they entered Cholula were greatly struck 
 with the appearance of the city and its inhabitants, it being a 
 very much larger and more highly civilized place than any 
 they had yet met with. The buildings Were large and handsome,
 
 CHOLULA. 211 
 
 the streets wide, the population very large, and exhibiting in 
 their dress every sign of wealth and luxury. There was, too, a 
 great variety among the population, for, as it was the sacred 
 city of the empire, people from all other parts were in the 
 habit of making pilgrimages there, and most of the towns had 
 their own temples and establishments. So numerous were the 
 temples, that fully two hundred towers could be counted rising 
 above the city, with the stupendous pyramid towering above 
 them all. 
 
 The Spaniards were quartered in the court of one of the 
 temples and in the surrounding buildings. As soon as they 
 were established there the principal nobles of the town paid 
 them visits of ceremony ; and presents of everything necessary 
 for their comfort and accommodation, and stores of provisions 
 of all kinds, poured in. Roger had in the line of march 
 taken his place among the troops, but Cortez directed that he 
 should at other times be near at hand to him, as he alone 
 of those in the army had any personal knowledge of the 
 country they were to traverse, and could give information 
 as to the size of the towns, the nature of the roads, and the 
 advantages which these offered respectively in the supply of 
 provisions likely to be obtained, the facilities for getting water, 
 etc. Cortez therefore, Father Aquilar acting as interpreter, 
 enjoined him to ramble about the city, releasing him from all 
 guards and exercises. 
 
 " Now that you are dressed like the rest of us," he said, 
 " none will dream that you understand their language, and 
 as you pass along they will express freely before you the 
 sentiments they may entertain of us. I do not expect them 
 to love us, and doubtless though they may flatter us to our 
 faces they curse us heartily behind our backs. But we care 
 nothing for their curses or for their ill-will, so long as they 
 do not proceed to plots and conspiracies against us. They 
 seem courteous and friendly, and I think that the Tlascalans 
 have spoken far too strongly against them. Nevertheless we 
 will be on our guard. These men are not like our mountain 
 friends, who were rough fighters, but hearty and honest people.
 
 212 NEW COMRADES. 
 
 They are traders, or nobles, or priests, accustomed to let their 
 faces hide their thoughts, but through you we may get nearer 
 to them than we otherwise should do. 
 
 " But go not alone. One man can easily be jostled into 
 one of the temples and made away with without any being the 
 wiser. I will choose two comrades for you ; men of discretion, 
 and courageous without being quarrelsome. With them, too, 
 you will, ere long, begin to recover your mother tongue, which 
 you will never do so long as you only talk these heathen lan- 
 guages with Marina and Father Aquilar." Cortez struck the 
 table with his hand, and an attendant entered. " Summon 
 Juan Algones and Pedro de Gasconda." 
 
 In a minute two men entered. Juan was a weather-beaten 
 soldier, whose face bore the marks of several deep scars, and 
 who had fought for Spain on most of the battle-fields of Europe. 
 Pedro was young enough to be his son ; Juan had saved his 
 life in a fight with the natives of Cuba, and since then they 
 had been inseparable. 
 
 " Juan, I have sent for you to ask you and Pedro to take 
 our new comrade into your party. I know you are always 
 together, and that you are quiet and peaceable, and not given 
 either to quarrel in your cups or to spend your evenings in 
 gambling and dicing. He has, as you know, almost forgotten 
 his own language, and it will be for our advantage, as well as 
 his own, that he should learn it as soon as possible ; for as he 
 knows the country and people it is well that he should be able 
 to communicate with the rest of us without having to hunt 
 up an interpreter. But that is not the principal thing just 
 at the present moment. We know not whether the people 
 of this city mean treacherously towards us or not. They 
 will not speak in the presence of Donna Marina or of the 
 good Father here, knowing that they are acquainted with the 
 language ; but as they will not imagine that this tall Spanish 
 soldier can know aught of what they say, they will not mind 
 speaking out their thoughts before him. Therefore, while he 
 is here it will be his duty to wander about the streets, and 
 learn what the people are saying and what they think of us.
 
 "HE WILL DO, GENERAL." 213 
 
 But here, as elsewhere, I have ordered that not less than 
 three men shall go out together ; I have chosen you to accom- 
 pany him. You will be free from all other duty." 
 
 " That we will do right willingly," Juan said, " it is pleasanter 
 to walk about the streets and look at these strange peoples 
 than it is to be cooped up here. As to the other part of the 
 business, we will do what we can towards teaching him Spanish, 
 but as to being our comrade that must depend upon himself. 
 I like the young fellow's looks much; he looks honest and 
 straightforward, though where he got that light wavy hair 
 and that fair skin from I can't guess they are rare enough in 
 Cadiz, where I heard one say that he came from." 
 
 " We don't know that he came from there, Juan ; he may 
 have come from the mountains of Biscaya, where fair skins 
 are commoner than they are in the south. It is only that he 
 described to us a port which must have been Cadiz as the last 
 thing he recollected in Spain." 
 
 " Ah well, his skin matters nothing ! " the soldier said. " His 
 face is an honest one, and as to height and strength one could 
 wish no better comrade. He is young yet, not more than nine- 
 teen or twenty, I should guess ; but I will warrant that there 
 is not a man in the expedition he could not put on his back 
 if it came to a tussle. At any rate, we will try him ; what 
 do you say, Pedro ? " 
 
 " I like his looks," the young fellow said. " At any rate we 
 are not like to quarrel with him. As to more than that we 
 can say better when we know more of each other." 
 
 Father Aquilar, who had listened attentively to all that had 
 been said, explained to Roger the purport of the conversation 
 between Cortez and the men. When he had finished, Roger 
 held out his hand to the two soldiers and gave them a hearty 
 grasp, expressive of his willingness to join in the arrangement 
 that had been made. 
 
 " He will do, General," Juan said. " We will look after 
 him ; never fear." 
 
 Cortez gave orders that the three men were to be allowed to 
 leave the quarters, and go into the town at all times without
 
 214 A START IN SPANISH. 
 
 further question, and they at once started for a turn through 
 the streets. 
 
 " How are we to begin to teach this young chap to talk, 
 Pedro ? It is out of the regular line of duty altogether." 
 
 Pedro shook his head : " I don't know, comrade ; I have 
 heard women teaching their babies to talk; but I should 
 hardly think that would be the way with him." 
 
 " No, no, that is quite different, Pedro ; you see the little 
 ones have not got their tongues twisted rightly, and they can't 
 talk plain, do as much as they will, but this young fellow 
 could say plain enough what we told him ; the question is, 
 What are we to tell him ? Suppose I say to him, ' They are a 
 curiously dressed lot of people here ; ' well, he might say it after 
 me, but as he would not have an idea what we meant I don't 
 see that we should be getting any forwarder." 
 
 Roger, however, had already gone through the work of 
 learning the two native langages, and knew how to begin ; he 
 touched Juan's sword, and gave the Mexican word for it. 
 
 " What does he mean by that, Pedro ? " 
 
 Roger repeated the action. 
 
 " Perhaps he wants to know what you call your sword," 
 Pedro suggested. 
 
 " Perhaps it is that, I will try him anyhow : ' spada.' " 
 
 Roger nodded, and repeated the word after him, and then 
 touched his own helmet. 
 
 " That is what he means," Juan said, with great satisfaction ; 
 " what he has got to do is to touch things, and for us to tell 
 him the names." 
 
 " That is capital. I had no idea teaching a language was 
 such easy work." 
 
 However, after a few more words had been said, and a 
 method established, Roger asked no more questions ; his com- 
 panions being now fully occupied in gazing at the houses, the 
 temples, and the crowd in the streets, while he himself was 
 busy listening to the remarks of the people. 
 
 It was curious to him, to hear everyone around freely dis- 
 cussing them, assured that no word they said was understood.
 
 "I AM SORRY FOR THEM." 215 
 
 Had he been vain he would have felt gratified at the favourable 
 comments passed on his personal appearance by many of the 
 women and girls ; but he put them down entirely to the fact 
 that he differed more from them than did the Spaniards, and 
 it was simply the colour of his hair and the fairness of his 
 skin that seemed wonderful to the Mexicans. 
 
 " Ah ! " he heard one woman say to another ; " I marked 
 that tall soldier when they came into the town this morning. 
 They are all grand men, and look wonderfully strong and 
 brave with their arms and armour ; I know that such fighters 
 as these were never heard of before, for have they not, few as 
 they are, beaten the Tlascalans, who, as we all know, are good 
 fighters, though they are little better than savages ? But as 
 to their faces they were not what I expected to see, they are 
 lighter than ours, but they are not white. But I noted this 
 soldier, he is just like what I expected just like what they said 
 the white man who has been at Mexico for some time is like." 
 
 " I am sorry for them," the girl said ; " they say that 
 Montezuma will offer them all up at the temples when he gets 
 them to Mexico." 
 
 " Perhaps they will never get there," a man standing next 
 to her said ; " at least, unless they enter the town as captives." 
 
 " Perhaps some of them will stay here. Why should not 
 our god have his share of victims as well as the war god 
 of Mexico?" 
 
 The speaker was a priest, who was scowling angrily at the 
 three Spaniards, who after stopping to look at the carving over 
 the gate of a temple were now moving on again. 
 
 But although Roger heard occasional remarks that showed 
 it was the opinion of the inhabitants that Montezuma had 
 only allowed these strangers to enter his country for the 
 purpose of destroying them, there was no general feeling of 
 hostility to them the satisfaction at the defeat they had 
 inflicted upon Tlascala far outweighing any other feeling. 
 
 After wandering about for some hours, the party returned 
 to their quarters, where Roger gave, through Malinche, to 
 Cortez an account of what he had gathered.
 
 216 "IT IS GOOD FOR YOU, LAD." 
 
 " There is nothing new in that," Cortez said ; " we know 
 that Montezuma has done all in his power to prevent us from 
 coming, and that now he knows he has wasted his treasures 
 in vain, he must feel no good will towards us. However, we 
 shall be prepared for him. But continue your search, there 
 may be a change come. Montezuma may even now be pre- 
 paring to crush us ; if so, as soon as the people here know it, 
 you will see a change in their demeanour. The priests are all- 
 powerful here, and the devils whom they worship are sure to 
 set them on to do us mischief if they can. Therefore relax not 
 your watchfulness j Marina and yourself are the only two 
 among us who understand their language, and it is upon you 
 both that we have to depend to shield us from treachery. 
 Against an open assault I have no fear, but in a crowded 
 town like this an attack at night might be fatal." 
 
 Cortez had, indeed, taken the precaution upon his arrival of 
 stating to the nobles, that as it would be inconvenient for 
 Marina to reside in buildings occupied solely by men, he should 
 be glad if one of their wives would receive her as a guest, and 
 she was accordingly installed at once in the house of one of 
 the principal nobles. Some days passed, as Cortez was waiting 
 for the arrival of a fresh embassy from Montezuma. During 
 that time Roger was unable to detect any change in the 
 attitude of the population. The Spaniards were greeted 
 courteously when they went abroad, and their leaders were 
 entertained at fetes and banquets by the nobles. 
 
 Roger and his two comrades were well satisfied with each 
 other. Juan was a taciturn soldier, but he was amused at the 
 efforts of Pedro and Roger to converse. " I am glad, Pedro," 
 he said, on the third day of their making acquaintance with 
 Roger, " that this young fellow has joined. If I had had my 
 will, I should have said nay when Cortez proposed it ; but it 
 is good for you, lad. It is well enough for an old soldier like 
 me to toil along all day without speaking, under a burning 
 sun, and to say but little even over his cup of wine at the end 
 of the march ; but it is not good for a lad like you. You 
 were getting old before your time ; I could sing a song, and
 
 A CHANGE IN THE ASPECT. 217 
 
 dance a measure with the best of them when I was at your 
 age, and you see what has come of my campaigning, for, like 
 yourself, I took to an old soldier for a comrade. This young 
 fellow seems to have a cheerful spirit, and when he can talk 
 our language well will be a gay companion, and will do you 
 good. Yes, and do me good, too, Pedro. You are too apt to 
 get into my moods, and be silent when I am silent, and thus 
 I make you dull, while you do not make me bright. Only I 
 want to see this young fellow at work before I quite give him 
 my heart. I believe that he will bear himself bravely; it 
 were a shame, indeed, if there should be faint heart in a body 
 of such thews and muscle. Truly he is a stately figure, and 
 has the air of the great noble rather than a rough soldier; 
 but that, I take it, comes from his being brought up among 
 these Mexicans, who, though in most respects ignorant, carry 
 themselves with much dignity, and with a stately and gentle- 
 manly manner, such as one sees in Europe chiefly in men of 
 good blood." 
 
 On the evening of the fourth day the embassy arrived from 
 Montezuma. The emperor had apparently again changed his 
 mind, for he expressed his regret at their determination to 
 visit the capital, and begged them to relinquish the idea. 
 Upon leaving Cortex the ambassadors had an interview with 
 several of the chief nobles of Cholula. They left for the 
 capital again in the night. The next morning a change was 
 visible in the behaviour of the people. They no longer visited 
 the Spanish quarters, but held aloof from them. The nobles 
 upon being invited to come to see Cortez, sent in excuses on 
 the ground of illness, or that they were about to undertake a 
 journey, or other pretexts, and the supply of provisions sent 
 in fell off greatly. 
 
 Roger and his comrades also marked a great difference in 
 the manner of the people in the streets. The buzz of talking 
 and laughing was hushed as they approached ; people turned 
 away as if desirous of avoiding the sight of them ; the priests 
 regarded them with an insolent air ; on one or two occasions 
 they were roughly jostled; and on arriving at the end of a
 
 218 HOSTILE PREPARATIONS. 
 
 street the people gathered round, and by words and gesture 
 told them to go no farther. Cortez had particularly enjoined 
 Roger and his companions against embroiling themselves in 
 any way with the people, and they therefore suffered them- 
 selves to be turned back without exhibiting any air of concern ; 
 but Juan muttered many oaths beneath his moustache, and 
 Eoger and Pedro had difficulty in restraining their anger. 
 
 Cortez looked very grave upon hearing Roger's report on 
 their return. " I fear that treachery is intended," he said, 
 " and if I did but know it, I would be beforehand with them. 
 You had best not go abroad again, for it may be their intention 
 to provoke a quarrel by an affray in the streets. I will send 
 some of the Cempoallans who are with us out ; they will be less 
 observed, and may find out what is going on." 
 
 " I think," Marina said, " that if we go up to the flat roof 
 we may see something of what is going on ; this house is more 
 lofty than most." 
 
 Cortez, with Roger and the girl, ascended to the roof ; from 
 it they commanded a considerable prospect. On some of the 
 roofs they could make out bodies of men at work, but these 
 were too far off to see what they were doing. 
 
 In the evening the Cempoallans returned, and said that they 
 had come upon barricades erected across several of the streets, 
 and that on many of the roofs great stones and beams of 
 timber were piled ; while they had discovered holes dug in the 
 streets and covered with branches, and apparently intended 
 to entrap cavalry. 
 
 A portion of the troops were ordered to remain under arms 
 all night in case of attack, but the city remained quiet. In 
 the course of the following day, some Tlascalans came in 
 from their camp and informed Cortez they had heard that a 
 great sacrifice of children had been offered up in one of the 
 temples, a custom which prevailed whenever an enterprise of 
 a serious nature was about to be undertaken. They said, too, 
 that large numbers of the citizens with their wives and children 
 were leaving the town by the various gates. 
 
 The situation had now become very grave, and Cortez and
 
 A PLOT DISCOVERED. 219 
 
 his officers were at a loss to know what had best be done, as 
 they had still no positive proof that treachery was intended. 
 This proof was, however, furnished by Marina next day. The 
 wife of the cacique had taken a great fancy to her, and urged 
 her to take up her abode altogether at her house, hinting that 
 it would be safer for her to do so. Marina at once pretended 
 that she should be glad to leave the white men, who held her in 
 captivity in order that they might use her as an interpreter. The 
 Cholulan then gave her a full account of the conspiracy. 
 
 " It was," she said, " the work of the emperor ; who had sent 
 rich presents by the ambassadors to the great nobles, and had 
 urged upon them the necessity of making an end of the white 
 intruders, Twenty thousand troops had been marched down 
 to within a short distance of the city, and these were to enter 
 and take part in the assault on the Spaniards. The attack 
 was to be made as these left the city. The streets were to be 
 barricaded, and impediments to prevent the action of the 
 cavalry placed in the way, and the Spaniards were to be over- 
 whelmed with the missiles from the roofs, while the troops 
 would pour out from the houses to the attack. Some of the 
 Spaniards were to be sacrificed at the altars at Cholula, the 
 rest to be marched in chains to the capital, and there put to 
 death. This scheme was unfolded to Marina in her apartment 
 in the Spanish quarters, and she appeared to assent to the 
 proposal that she should that night leave the Spaniards 
 altogether. 
 
 Making an excuse to leave the room for a few minutes, 
 Marina hastened to Cortez and informed him of what she had 
 heard. The cacique's wife was at once seized, and being in 
 terror of her life she repeated the statements she had made to 
 Marina. The news was alarming, indeed the position of the 
 Spaniards in the midst of a hostile city seemed well-nigh hope- 
 less the barricades and pitfalls would paralyze the action of the 
 cavalry and artillery, every house would be a fortress, and 
 under such difficulties even the bravery of the handful of 
 Spaniards would avail but little against the overwhelming 
 force by which they would be attacked.
 
 220 CONFIRMATION. 
 
 Before deciding as to the best course to be adopted, Cortez 
 determined to obtain further confirmation of the story of the 
 cacique's wife. He accordingly sent an invitation to two priests, 
 who resided in the temple close to his quarters, to visit him. 
 When they came he received them most courteously, but in- 
 formed them that by the powers he possessed he was perfectly 
 aware that treachery was intended. He bestowed upon them 
 some very valuable presents from the gifts he had received from 
 Montezuma, and promised that none should be aware that he 
 had received any information from them. The rich bribes had 
 their effect, and the priests confirmed the report Marina had 
 heard. 
 
 They said that the emperor had since their arrival been in 
 a state of vacillation, constantly consulting the oracles, and 
 unable to make up his mind whether to fight them, or to 
 receive them with honour. He had, when he heard that they 
 were going to Cholula, first issued orders that they should be 
 well received ; but since then the oracles had again been con- 
 sulted, and had declared that Cholula would be the grave of 
 the white men, for that the gods would assuredly lend their 
 aid in destroying the enemies who had dared to violate the 
 sanctity of the holy city. He had, therefore, ordered the 
 attack to take place in the manner described, and so certain 
 were the Aztecs of success that the manacles to secure the 
 prisoners, had already been sent to the city. 
 
 Cortez dismissed the priests, telling them that he intended 
 to leave the city the following morning, and requested that 
 they would induce the principal nobles engaged in the plot, 
 to pay him a visit at once. As soon as the priests had left, he 
 summoned his principal officers and disclosed to them the plot 
 he had discovered. There was much difference of opinion 
 between them ; some were in favour of returning at once to the 
 friendly city of Tlascala ; others voted for still advancing, but 
 by the northerly route their allies had recommended ; but the 
 majority agreed with their general, that their only chance of 
 safety was in taking a bold course, for that retreat would raise 
 the whole country against them and ensure their destruction.
 
 THE AMBASSADORS CONFOUNDED. 221 
 
 When the nobles arrived Cortez rebuked them mildly for 
 their altered conduct and for the failure of supplies, and said 
 that the Spaniards would no longer be a burden upon the city, 
 but would march out on the following morning, and requested 
 that they would furnish a body of two thousand men to trans- 
 port his artillery and baggage. As this suited admirably the 
 designs of the natives, they at once agreed to furnish the 
 required force. Upon their leaving, Cortez had an interview 
 with Montezuma's ambassadors, who had accompanied him 
 from the coast, and told them that he was aware of the 
 treacherous plot to destroy him and his army, and that he was 
 grieved to find that this vile act of treachery was instigated 
 by M nut c/.u ma. 
 
 The ambassadors, astounded at what appeared to them the 
 supernatural knowledge of Cortez, and terrified at the position 
 in which they found themselves, made earnest protestations of 
 their entire ignorance of the scheme, and declared that they 
 were convinced that the emperor was wholly innocent of it, 
 and that it was entirely the act of the Cholulans. Cortez 
 pretended to believe them, as he was desirous as long as pos- 
 sible of keeping up a semblance of friendship with Montezuma, 
 and declared that he was willing to believe that after the 
 friendly messages and gifts the emperor had sent, he could not 
 be guilty of such baseness and treachery, his anger therefore 
 would be directed chiefly against the Cholulans, who were guilty 
 not only of foul treachery to himself, but of dishonouring the 
 emperor's name by their conduct. 
 
 As soon, however, as the ambassadors had retired, a strong 
 guard was placed over them to prevent them from communi- 
 cating with the citizens. Every precaution was taken in case 
 the plans of the enemy should be altered, and an attack made 
 during the night. The guns were placed so as to command 
 the approaches. The horses were kept saddled and ready 
 for action. Strong guards were placed, and the troops lay 
 down in their armour. Orders were despatched to the 
 Tlascalans, to hold themselves ready to march into the city in 
 the morning and join the Spaniards. As soon as daylight
 
 222 A TERRIBLE MASSACRE. 
 
 broke the troops were under arms. A portion of those with 
 the guns were posted outside the building, so as to sweep the 
 streets. A strong body were told off to guard the three gates 
 of entrance. The rest were drawn up in the great court, which 
 was surrounded partly by buildings, partly by high walls. 
 
 Soon after the arrangements were completed the caciques 
 arrived, having with them a body of men even larger than they 
 had agreed to bring. As soon as they entered, Cortez called 
 them to him, and informed him that he was acquainted with 
 all the particulars of the conspiracy. He had come to that 
 city upon the invitation of the emperor, had given them no 
 cause of complaint, and had left his allies outside the walls. 
 Under the guise of kindness and hospitality they had prepared 
 a snare to cut off and destroy them. 
 
 The Cholulans were astounded ; it seemed to them useless 
 to deny anything to men who could thus read their thoughts, 
 and they confessed that the accusation was true. 
 
 Cortez raised his hand ; a gun gave the signal, a terrible 
 volley was poured into the Cholulans, and the Spaniards then 
 fell upon them with pikes and swords. The unfortunate na- 
 tives thus taken by surprise, and penned up like sheep in the 
 enclosure, scarcely offered any resistance ; some tried to escape 
 through the gateways, but were repulsed by the troops sta- 
 tioned there. Others strove, but in vain, to scale the walls, and 
 the only survivors of the massacre owed their lives to hiding 
 under the great piles of dead. 
 
 In the meantime, the Mexicans without, being made aware 
 by the heavy firing of the failure of their plan of surprise, 
 rushed from the buildings in which they had been stationed, 
 and poured up to the assault. They were swept down by the 
 discharges of the guns, but the places of the slain were rapidly 
 filled, and with reckless bravery they pressed up to the 
 Spaniards, although Cortez at the head of his cavalry, charged 
 them again and again, so as to give the gunners time to reload. 
 The struggle was still proceeding when the Tlascalans entered 
 the gates of the city, and coming up at a run to the scene of 
 conflict, fell upon the rear of the Mexicans.
 
 THE SACK OF CHOLULA. 223 
 
 These could no longer resist their terrible opponents, and 
 breaking their ranks, took refuge in the houses, or fled to the 
 temples. One large body, headed by the priests, made a stand 
 upon the great central teocalli. 
 
 There was a tradition among them that if its stones were 
 removed, the god would pour out an inundation of water to 
 overwhelm his enemies. The Cholulans tore down some of 
 the stones, and when the expected miracle did not take place, 
 were seized with despair. Many shut themselves up in the 
 wooden towers on the platform of the summit, and poured 
 down missiles on their foes as they climbed the great staircase ; 
 but the darts and arrows fell harmless upon the armour of the 
 Spaniards,' and when these gained the platform, they snatched 
 up the blazing arrows shot at them, and fired the turrets. 
 The Cholulans fought to the last, and either threw themselves 
 over the parapet, or perished in the flames. 
 
 In the meantime, many of the wooden houses in the town 
 had caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly. The Spanish 
 cavalry charging through the street trampled the Mexicans 
 under foot, while the Tlascalan allies gratified their long 
 enmity against the Cholulans by slaying them without mercy. 
 When all resistance had ceased, the victors burst into the 
 houses and temples, and plundered them of their valuables. 
 The sack continued for some hours; and then Cortez, at the 
 entreaties of some Cholulan caciques who had been spared at 
 the massacre, and of the Mexican ambassadors, consented to 
 call off his troops, and two of the nobles were allowed to go 
 into the town and to assure the surviving inhabitants that no 
 further harm would be done to them if they would return to 
 their homes. 
 
 The Spaniards and Tlascalans were drawn up under their 
 respective leaders. The division of the booty offered no diffi- 
 culties. The mountaineers attached no value to gold or jewels, 
 and were well content with wearing apparel and provisions, 
 while to the share of the Spaniards fell the valuables taken. 
 Cortez had given strict orders that no violence should be 
 offered to the women or children, and his orders had been
 
 224 "A STAIN UPON THE MEMORY OF CORTEZ ." 
 
 respected, but many of these and numbers of men had been 
 made prisoners by the Tlascalans, to carry away into slavery. 
 Cortez, however, now persuaded them to liberate their captives, 
 and so great was his influence that they acceded to his request. 
 The dead bodies were now collected and carried outside the city 
 by the inhabitants. 
 
 Cortez, in his letter to the Emperor Charles, says that three 
 thousand were slain, but most contemporary writers put down 
 the number of victims at six thousand, and some at even a 
 higher figure. Order was promptly restored ; the inhabitants 
 who had left the town speedily returned, and the people of the 
 neighbourhood flocked in with supplies. The markets were 
 re-opened, and only the lines of blackened ruins told of the 
 recent strife. The massacre was a terrible one, and is a stain 
 upon the memory of Cortez, who otherwise throughout the 
 campaign acted mercifully, strictly prohibiting any plundering 
 or ill-treatment of the natives, and punishing all breaches of 
 his orders with great severity. 
 
 The best excuse that can be offered is, that in desperate 
 positions desperate measures must be taken ; that the plot, 
 if successful, would have resulted in the extermination of the 
 Spaniards ; and that the terrible lesson taught was necessary 
 to ensure the safety of the expedition. Moreover, a consider- 
 able portion of those who fell, fell in fair fight; and after 
 the action was over the inhabitants were well treated. It 
 must, too, be taken into consideration that the Spaniards were 
 crusaders as well as discoverers, and that it was their doctrine 
 that all heretics must be treated as enemies of God, and de- 
 stroyed accordingly. Such was not the doctrine of their 
 Church, for as the great historian Bede writes of King Ethel- 
 bert, " He had learned from the teachers and authors of his 
 salvation that men are to be drawn, not dragged, to heaven." 
 
 Roger, with his two companions, had formed part of the 
 force stationed outside the gates to resist the attack of the 
 citizens, and he had taken his share in the fierce fighting that 
 went on there. He was not free from the prejudices of his 
 times, and the horrible sacrifices of the temples, and the narrow
 
 THE EFFECT OF THE MASSACRE. 225 
 
 escape he himself had had in being offered up as a victim, had 
 inspired him with a deep hatred of the religion of the people, 
 although against them personally he had no feeling of hostility. 
 Even in the height of the conflict he felt pity for the men 
 who, in their cotton armour, rushed so fearlessly to the attack 
 of the iron-clad Spaniards, armed with their terrible weapons. 
 But at the same time, he knew that if they were successful, 
 the most horrible fate awaited him and his companions ; and 
 the treacherous plot of which they had so nearly been, the 
 victims, excited the same feelings in his mind as in that of 
 the Spaniards. 
 
 T 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 IN MEXICO. 
 
 1HE terrible vengeance taken by the Spaniards at Cholula 
 
 men had shown in their conflict with the Tlascalans how 
 terrible they were in battle, and it now seemed that treachery 
 was of no avail against them. The cities in the neighbour- 
 hood of Cholula hastened to send messages expressive of sub- 
 mission to the terrible White warriors, accompanied by presents 
 of all kinds. Montezuma saw with awe and affright that even 
 the oracles of the gods could not be depended upon against 
 these strangers; and that bribes, force, and treachery, had 
 alike failed to arrest their march towards his capital. Vast 
 numbers of victims were again offered up on the altars, but no 
 favourable responses were returned for the priests, seeing how 
 complete had been the failure of their predictions as to events 
 at Cholula, were unwilling again to commit themselves. 
 
 The emperor consequently sent fresh ambassadors laden 
 with presents to Cortez, with assurances that he was in 
 no way responsible for the attack upon them, and that he 
 considered they had done well in punishing its authors. 
 
 (618) P
 
 226 NATIVE FEELING. 
 
 Cortez endeavoured to induce the inhabitants of the city to 
 embrace Christianity, and would have resorted to force here 
 as at Cempoalla, but he was dissuaded by Father Olmedo, who, 
 as on former occasions, urged that conversions effected by 
 force were of little use, and that the cause would be injured 
 rather than benefited by such measures. Christianity would 
 as a matter of course, result from the success of the Spaniards, 
 and that success would be imperilled by exciting the animosity 
 of the whole people by violence to their gods. As the great 
 teocalli had been captured in fair fight, and a large portion of 
 its buildings burnt, Cortez converted a massive stone edifice that 
 had escaped the flames into a church, and erected a gigantic 
 crucifix on the summit of the teocalli, visible from all points 
 of the city. 
 
 A fortnight after his entrance to Cholula, Cortez again 
 began to move forward. His Cempoallan allies, who had fought 
 with great bravery against the Tlascalans, and had rendered 
 him immense assistance upon the march, now asked to be 
 allowed to return home, for much as they believed in the 
 prowess of the Whites, the dread of Montezuma's name was 
 too great for them to dare trust themselves in his capital. 
 Cortez dismissed them with many presents, and with his Tlas- 
 calan army set forward towards the capital. As they pro- 
 ceeded on their way, parties came in from various towns on 
 the plateau with friendly messages. 
 
 The enormous taxation imposed to keep up the luxurious 
 court of the emperor pressed heavily upon the land, and the 
 greater portion of the inhabitants hailed with real satisfaction 
 the coming of a power that appeared likely to overthrow the 
 Aztec tyranny. Had it not been for this widespread dis- 
 affection, the little army of Cortez would, in spite of its bravery 
 and superior weapons, have been powerless against the vast 
 hosts which could have been hurled against it. But the people 
 of the empire in general regarded Mexico as its oppressor and 
 tyrant, and hailed the opportunity of freeing themselves from 
 its dominations. 
 
 Cortez, except when the question of religion was concerned,
 
 THE MARCH UPON MEXICO. 227 
 
 was politic in the highest degree, and inspired all the natives 
 who came to him with the full belief that in him they would 
 have a kind and generous protector against Montezuma. 
 Warm as were the assurances of friendship sent by that 
 monarch, the Spaniards were well aware that no confidence 
 could be placed in them. Their new friends, indeed, informed 
 them that he was already preparing for an attack upon the 
 Spaniards, and that the straight and level road had been 
 blocked up, in order that they might be forced to take their 
 passage through the mountains, where they could be attacked 
 and overwhelmed at points at which their cavalry and artillery 
 would be unable to act. 
 
 On arriving, therefore, at the place where the roads had been 
 blocked, Cortez caused the piled-up obstacles to be removed, 
 and the army proceeded by the level road, where they felt 
 confident in their power to defend themselves if attacked. 
 Upon the march Roger sometimes kept with Juan and Pedro, 
 at other times walked beside Malinche, who although wholly 
 devoted to Cortez, had yet a warm and kindly feeling for her 
 former friend. Cortez himself often consulted Roger as to 
 the roads and places ahead, for he always received the native 
 descriptions with some doubt, as he could not be sure whether 
 they were honestly given. 
 
 After passing across the plateau, the little army ascended 
 the steep range of hills separating it from the table-land of 
 Mexico. The cold was sufficient to affect them seriously after 
 the heat of the plains, and the difficulties of taking up the 
 guns and their ammunition were great. This work was prin- 
 cipally performed by the native allies, the Spaniards holding 
 themselves in readiness to repel any attack that might be 
 made upon them in the forest-clad hills or in the deep defiles ; 
 but no foes showed themselves, and they at last gained the 
 western slopes whence the plains of Mexico burst into sight. 
 
 The Spaniards stood astonished as Roger had done, on his 
 first journey at the beauty of the prospect ; but the sight of 
 the numerous cities, telling of an immense population, filled 
 them with uneasiness, and a clamour presently arose that to
 
 Map of the Valley of Mexico at the period of the Conquest.
 
 A SLAVE OP SUPERSTITION. 229 
 
 march onward against such overwhelming odds, was nothing 
 short of madness; and that, having accomplished such vast 
 things, they had done sufficient for honour, and should now 
 return with the spoils they had captured to the coast. But, as 
 before, the enthusiasm and influence of Cortez soon reanimated 
 their courage; he and the other leaders went among them, 
 and by argument and entreaty persuaded them again to form 
 their ranks and press forward ; and in a short time the army 
 wound down from the heights into the valley. 
 
 Happily for them, the ruler of Mexico was altogether 
 dominated by superstitious fears. Against native enemies he 
 had shown himself a resolute and valiant leader, had carried 
 on numerous successful wars, and had by force of arms greatly 
 extended 'his dominions; but against these strange White 
 enemies his faculties seemed altogether to fail him. He had 
 for years given himself up to the priesthood, and in this crisis, 
 instead of consulting with his trusted generals, he was swayed 
 wholly by the advice of the priests, and sought protection, not 
 from the armies at his command, but from the gods whom he 
 strove to influence in his favour by hecatombs of human 
 victims sacrificed upon their altars. 
 
 In the month that had elapsed since he joined Cortez at 
 Tlascala, Roger had made considerable progress in Spanish, 
 and although incapable of supporting a long conversation with 
 his comrades, could make himself understood in simple matters. 
 His behaviour at the fight in Cholula had gained him the 
 respect of the old soldier, who however, was not wholly satisfied 
 with him. 
 
 " The young fellow is no coward," he said to Pedro. " When 
 the Mexicans were pressing us sorely, he fought as stoutly and 
 well as any in our ranks. He is well skilled in the use of the 
 sword, which is wonderful, seeing that the Mexicans among 
 whom he has been brought up are but poor hands with that 
 weapon; and both with thrust and point he showed himself 
 perfectly at home with the heavy blade the general gave him. 
 I saw him pressed at one time by four Mexicans together, and 
 was making to his assistance, but there was no need for
 
 230 "l LIKE HIM NONE THE WOESE FOB THAT." 
 
 it : he ran one through the body, and with heavy downright 
 blows, well-nigh cleft the heads of two others ; and the fourth, 
 with a cry of astonishment and fear, sprang back into the 
 crowd. But though he fought so stoutly when attacked, he 
 showed less ardour in the assault, and lagged behind when we 
 were pursuing the enemy." 
 
 " I like him none the worse for that, Juan," Pedro said ; 
 " he has lived among these people ; and though I hear that 
 when they heard of our landing they would have sacrificed 
 him, and he had to fly for his life and fight hard to make his 
 escape, he must in other respects look upon them without 
 animosity and doubtless he felt some pity for the poor 
 wretches." 
 
 "I felt some pity myself," Juan said; "but as they had 
 intended so treacherously towards us, and proposed to put us 
 all to a cruel death, I did not let my pity interfere with my 
 sword arm." 
 
 " Ah, but you have been accustomed to battles and blood- 
 shed all your life, Juan. One does not take to the trade of 
 killing all at once, and I like him none the worse that he was 
 disinclined for the slaughter of the people among whom he 
 had been brought up." 
 
 " Well, we shall see," the old soldier grumbled ; " it seems 
 to me that when two or three hundred men are fighting 
 against a whole nation, and that nation proposes to cut all 
 their throats on the altars of their gods, it is not a time for 
 scruples. I approve of the orders the general gave, that no 
 one was to injure women and children, and I heartily wish 
 that such were always the orders ; but when it comes to men 
 who have set their minds upon killing me I don't draw nice 
 distinctions, and I just smite where I see a chance." 
 
 The news that the Spaniards had crossed the mountains and 
 had entered the valley completed the dejection and despair of 
 Montezuma ; and after shutting himself up in his palace and 
 refusing food, he at last turned from the gods, from whom he 
 could obtain no assistance, and summoned a meeting of his 
 counsellors. These were divided in opinion : Cacama was at
 
 AN EMBASSY. 231 
 
 the head of the peace party ; he pointed out that had they in- 
 tended to oppose the advance of the white men by force of arms 
 the whole strength of the empire should have been despatched 
 to dispute the passage of the mountains. As that had not 
 been done, they should now be received in friendly fashion as 
 the ambassadors of the great king whom Cortez claimed to 
 represent. Some of the other counsellors led by Cuitlahua, 
 Montezuma's brother, were in favour of turning out all the 
 forces and repelling the invasion ; but Cacama's counsel pre- 
 vailed, and an embassy was despatched under his leadership to 
 greet the Spaniards and conduct them to the capital. 
 
 The Spanish army advanced slowly. They halted for two 
 days at Amaquemecan, where they were well received and 
 hospitably' entertained ; and presented with a considerable 
 sum in gold. They then marched forward to Ajotzinco, a 
 town standing at the southern extremity of Lake Chalco, and 
 partly erected on piles rising from the lake itself. Here, as at 
 Venice, canals took the place of roads and all traffic was carried 
 on in boats. 
 
 Upon the following morning, a messenger arrived with the 
 news that the King of Tezcuco was approaching as an 
 ambassador from the emperor, and in a short time the royal 
 procession approached the city. Cacama was borne in a 
 magnificent litter, shaded by a gorgeous canopy, and was 
 attended by a number of nobles and officials. As the palan- 
 quin neared the spot where Cortez was standing, Cacama left 
 his litter and advanced towards him; saluting by touching 
 the ground with his hand and raising it in the air. Cortez 
 also advanced and embraced the young prince, who told 
 him that he came as the ambassador of the emperor to 
 welcome him to his capital. An exchange of presents took 
 place, and Cortez assured the prince of the friendliness of his 
 intentions and of the respect he entertained for the emperor. 
 Cacama then withdrew, and returned at once to Mexico ; while 
 the army resumed its march. 
 
 Roger did not make any attempt to approach the prince 
 after his interview with Cortez : he knew that he would have
 
 232 THE APPROACH TO THE CAPITAL. 
 
 received from Cuitcatl the news that he had surmounted the 
 dangers of his journey and joined the Spaniards at Tlascala, 
 and thought that it would be better to defer presenting him- 
 self to the prince until he could do so more privately at Tezcuco. 
 He considered it possible that Montezuma might have blamed 
 Cacama for his escape, and that if he were to greet him it 
 would be reported to the emperor, who might regard it as 
 a proof that there had been a secret understanding between 
 them, and that Cacama had aided his flight. 
 
 Crossing the causeway that divided the Lake of Chalco 
 from that of Xochical, the army marched to Iztapalapan, a 
 large town with a royal residence, governed by the emperor's 
 brother Cuitlahua. The prince had assembled a number of 
 the great nobles, and Cortez was received with great state 
 and ceremony; and after the usual presentation of gifts a 
 banquet was served to the Spaniards in one of the great halls 
 of the palace. After this Cortez was conducted over the 
 gardens, which were the finest in Mexico. They contained 
 all the vegetable productions of the empire, with magnifi- 
 cent aviaries and a fish-pond built of stone nearly a mile in 
 circumference. 
 
 At daybreak next morning, that of November 8th, 1519, 
 the Spaniards were mustered and again set forward. The four 
 hundred White troops led the way. They were followed by the 
 baggage, after which came what was numerically the main por- 
 tion of the army, six thousand five hundred Tlascalan soldiers. 
 Keeping on by the shore of the lake, and crossing the narrow 
 strip of land dividing the Lake of Xochical from that of Tezcuco, 
 they arrived at the head of the great causeway running across 
 the lake to the island on which the capital was built. The 
 causeway was a massive construction built of large stones 
 laid in cement, and was wide enough to permit of ten horsemen 
 riding abreast. 
 
 The shores of the lake on either side were closely dotted 
 with towns and villages, and the lake itself was well-nigh 
 covered with the canoes and rafts of the natives. The Spaniards 
 saw too, with surprise and admiration, floating gardens some
 
 WELCOMED BY THE EMPEROR. 233 
 
 of them of considerable extent on the surface of the lake, 
 covered with flowers and shrubs. The scene was the most 
 beautiful that had ever met their eyes, and they were filled 
 with delight and admiration. Half way across the causeway 
 they came upon the fort of Xoloc. Here a massive stone 
 wall, twelve feet high, crossed the dyke, and stretched out on 
 to the lake on either side ; towers were erected at its angles, 
 and, properly defended, it could have resisted the attack of 
 an army. 
 
 An archway gave passage through the wall. Here a great 
 number of nobles were assembled, who welcomed the Spaniards 
 with formal ceremony ; and the army then marched forward 
 along the dyke till it reached a wooden drawbridge near the 
 gate of the city. As they crossed this a splendid procession 
 was seen approaching. It was preceded by three great 
 officers of state, bearing golden wands; behind them the 
 emperor himself lay in his palanquin, borne on the shoulders 
 of nobles, with a canopy of rich feather-work sparkling with 
 jewels above his head. Montezuma alighted when within a 
 short distance, and with the canopy still carried over his head, 
 and leaning upon his brother and nephew, he advanced towards 
 Cortez. 
 
 The general, dismounting, went forward with a few of his 
 principal officers to meet him. The emperor received his guest 
 with courtesy, and expressed his pleasure at seeing him in 
 his capital, while Cortez replied with expressions of profound 
 respect, accompanied by thanks for the superb presents that 
 Montezuma had sent him. The emperor re-entered his litter, 
 and the Spaniards followed with music playing and colours 
 flying. Although already familiar with Mexican architecture, 
 they were astonished by the magnificence of the buildings that 
 bordered the great streets along which they marched. Here 
 were the mansions of the nobles, built of a red porous stone 
 and covering a large space of ground. The flat roofs were 
 protected by stone parapets, and many of them were laid out 
 as gardens. Between these mansions were broad terraces 
 which presented a mass of flowers. Here and there were
 
 234 IN MEXICO. 
 
 great market-places, surrounded by porticoes of stone, and 
 above all the temples with their towering pyramids rose high 
 in the air. 
 
 Along the whole line crowds of people watched the procession 
 of the troops, gazing with surprise and admiration at the 
 cavaliers on horseback and at the flashing armour and arms 
 of the Spaniards, and with wrath and indignation at the 
 Tlascalan army which followed in their rear. The street was 
 in many places intersected by canals. Passing over these on 
 light bridges, they at last reached a great square near the 
 centre of the city, on one side of which rose the huge temple 
 of the war god of the Aztecs. Facing this was a palace of 
 Montezuma's father, which had been appropriated by the 
 emperor as quarters for the Spaniards. 
 
 The emperor himself received them in the courtyard, pre- 
 sented Cortez with a magnificent necklace, and then, saying 
 he would visit them later on, withdrew. The palace was 
 large enough to afford accommodation for the whole army, and 
 as it was surrounded by a massive stone wall, flanked with 
 towers, Cortez saw with satisfaction that it could without 
 difficulty resist any sudden attack. He placed sentries on the 
 walls and planted his cannon to command the approaches ; and 
 in order to prevent any chance of a quarrel arising, he 
 forbade any soldiers to leave the palace without orders. A 
 large number of Mexican slaves had been appointed to attend 
 upon the strangers, and a meal was speedily served by them 
 to the troops, who were then permitted to take a sleep for 
 some hours during the heat of the day. 
 
 The emperor paid another visit in the evening, and had a 
 long conversation with Cortez, distributing a large number of 
 rich presents among the Spaniards before leaving. After he 
 had left they celebrated their arrival in the city by a salute 
 with their cannon, whose thunder added to the impression 
 produced upon the natives by the tales they had heard of the 
 prowess of their visitors, and heightened their belief in the 
 supernatural powers of the Spaniards. The next day Cortez 
 returned the emperor's visit. He was accompanied by a few
 
 FIEST ATTEMPT AT CONVERSION. 235 
 
 of his principal officers, and five or six soldiers. The palace 
 was of immense size, built, like the rest of the houses, of 
 red stone, and ornamented with marble. Fountains sparkled 
 in the courts through which the Spaniards passed, and crowds 
 of Aztec nobles thronged the squares and great halls. The 
 walls of these apartments were hung with richly dyed cotton, 
 or with draperies of gorgeous feather-work, while the fumes 
 of incense rose up in clouds from censers. 
 
 Montezuma, surrounded by a few of his nobles, received them ; 
 and Cortez at once opened to him what he considered to be the 
 chief object of his enterprise, and through the medium of 
 Marina expounded the doctrines of Christianity, and besought 
 the emperor to turn from his false gods. As Montezuma had 
 himself , been a priest, and was an ardent devotee of his religion, 
 it was scarcely to be expected that he would favourably en- 
 tertain the proposal to change his religion. He answered 
 courteously that no doubt the god of Cortez was good to 
 the Spaniards just as his own gods were good to him. What 
 his visitors said of the creation of the world was similar to 
 what he himself believed; his people had occupied the land 
 but for a few years, having been led there by a great being, 
 who after giving them laws had withdrawn to the regions 
 of the east. When he left he had promised that he or his 
 descendants would again visit them and resume his empire. 
 The wonderful deeds of the Spaniards, their complexion, the 
 fact that they came from the east all showed that they were 
 the descendants of this god. 
 
 " Your sovereign beyond the waters is, I know, the rightful 
 lord of all. I rule in his name. You, Malinzin, are his ambas- 
 sador, and you and your brethren shall share what I have." 
 
 He then dismissed his visitors with fresh presents. Malinzin 
 was the name by which Cortez was universally known by the 
 natives. Malinche was ever with him, and they connected him 
 with her, and called him by the masculine form of her name. 
 
 But gratified as the Spaniards were at the kindness of their 
 reception, and with the munificent gifts showered upon them, 
 they could not but feel that their position was a precarious one.
 
 236 AN INTERVIEW WITH COETEZ. 
 
 They were in the centre of a great city, with a warlike popu- 
 lation ; it was broken up by its canals with their movable 
 bridges into a series of fortresses, and it would be well-nigh 
 hopeless to endeavour by force to make their way out of it. 
 At present all seemed fair, but they were well aware that 
 Montezuma had endeavoured in every way, save by open war, 
 to prevent their coming ; and that, influenced as he was by the 
 oracles of the gods, he might at any moment exchange his 
 apparent friendship for open enmity. 
 
 Two days after arriving at the capital Roger asked Malinche 
 if she could obtain permission from the general for him to 
 cross the lake to Tezcuco, in order that he might pay his 
 friends there a visit. 
 
 Presently she returned, saying that the general himself 
 would speak to him. 
 
 Roger had been named Sancho by the Spaniards, as he had 
 not ventured to give his own name ; and it was supposed that 
 he had forgotten that which he had borne as a child. 
 
 " Sancho," the general said ; " I know, from what Marina 
 says, that you have great intelligence, though you have so 
 long been cut off from your own people. You see that our 
 position here is a strange one ; we are guests, and yet, to some 
 extent, we are prisoners. The Tlascalans with us are hated 
 by the Mexicans, and either between them and the natives, or 
 maybe between some of my own soldiers and the citizens, a 
 brawl might arise which would be used as a pretext for an 
 attack upon us. As I feel that I can rely upon your discre- 
 tion, I will tell you of some news that I received at Cholula ; 
 but which I have kept to myself. 
 
 " The natives on the coast have shown themselves hostile 
 to the garrison of a hundred and fifty men, whom I left there 
 under Juan de Escalante. A chief near there sent in to 
 tender his allegiance, and asked that four white men should 
 be sent to escort him to the town. As soon as they got to 
 him two of them were murdered, but the other two managed 
 to escape and made their way back. Don Juan marched 
 with fifty of his men and several thousand Indian allies to
 
 "TEZCUCO WAS LONG THE BIVAL OF MEXICO." 237 
 
 attack the treacherous chief. There was a desperate battle, 
 our allies fled, but the soldiers stood their ground, and thanks 
 to the aid of the Blessed Virgin resisted all the attacks made 
 upon them. But eight of the men were slain, and Juan him- 
 self was mortally wounded. 
 
 " The Indian prisoners taken said that the attack, like that 
 at Cholula, had been made by the orders of Montezuma. You 
 may do us good service by finding out what are the intentions 
 of the Mexicans. Therefore, by all means, carry out your inten- 
 tion of going across to Tezcuco. The young king is a nephew 
 of the emperor, but he has suffered much at Montezuma's 
 hands, and has been stripped of the greater part of his father's 
 dominions. He can, therefore, hardly be friendly to him at 
 heart. At any rate you may be able to learn in conversation 
 with him what are his sentiments towards us. Tezcuco was 
 long the rival of Mexico, and as the alliance of the Tlascalans 
 has proved of the greatest advantage to us, still more should 
 we benefit if the Tezcucans were our friends. If we have to 
 retire from Mexico we might take refuge there. At any rate, 
 if nothing else comes of it, you might learn from the king 
 whether he is aware of any treachery meditated against us. 
 He saved you, Malinche says, from Montezuma and the priests 
 once ; and would be likely, therefore, to warn you did he know 
 that danger was impending." 
 
 When Marina had translated this, Roger at once agreed to 
 do his best to discover if any treachery were meant. 
 
 " You had best go in disguise," Cortez said. " Donna 
 Marina will make arrangements for a canoe to be here after 
 nightfall ; and by staining your face and putting on the attire 
 of an Aztec noble for which we have ample materials at hand 
 you would not be noticed as you pass through the throng of 
 boats on the lake. It would be best that you did not go as 
 a Spanish soldier: you might be arrested on the road, and 
 perhaps carried away and sacrificed at one of the altars. 
 Once at Tezcuco you must, of course, act in the matter as you 
 think best." 
 
 Marina who was not, like the Spaniards, confined to the
 
 238 IN TEZOUCO AGAIN. 
 
 palace had no difficulty in arranging for a canoe, and as soon 
 as it became dark, Roger, dressed as an Aztec cacique, and 
 with his face slightly stained, took his place in it. The lake 
 was thronged with canoes, but the craft in which he was 
 seated passed without notice through them, and after two 
 hours' paddling reached Tezcuco. Telling the natives that 
 they were to wait for his return, however long that might be, 
 Roger proceeded to the palace. Avoiding the principal streets 
 and squares, where his unusual height would attract attention, 
 he passed unquestioned into the palace amid the throng of 
 chiefs and nobles who were entering or leaving it ; and made 
 his way to the apartment of Cuitcatl. It was empty, but 
 clapping his hand the attendant who had before waited upon 
 him entered. 
 
 As Roger's attire was similar to the one he had worn while 
 at Tezcuco the man recognized him at once. 
 
 Roger bade him go in search of Cuitcatl, and tell him 
 privately that he was there and beg him to come. 
 
 In a few minutes Cuitcatl entered the room and greeted 
 Roger most heartily. 
 
 " I am glad, indeed, to see you, my friend, and Cacama 
 and the queen and the princess will rejoice also. There was 
 great anxiety for you after your first escape, for the emperor 
 was furious when he heard that you had slipped off. The 
 priests had assured him that the sacrifice of a white man to 
 the god of war would ensure his aid and protection against 
 the white invaders. Runners were despatched in scores to every 
 town and village, and although I knew that Bathalda was 
 familiar with every foot of the country, and would give his 
 life for you if needs be, it seemed impossible that you should 
 be able to make your way through. Then came the news of 
 your fight in the hills, how you had a bow that carried arrows 
 to an unheard-of distance, and how in a hand-to-hand fight 
 you had prevailed against a score of our soldiers. After that 
 you seemed lost. The officers commanding the troops were con- 
 vinced that you had not descended the eastern slopes of the 
 mountains ; and the spies who were watching every movement
 
 a THB PRIESTS ABB FUBIOUS AGAINST YOU." 239 
 
 of the white men on the coast reported that no white man 
 had joined them. Therefore, it was supposed that you must 
 have returned west of the range of hills, and every town and 
 village was searched, and every grove and plantation exam- 
 ined. We were all very anxious for you, and it was not until 
 a week after we had the news of the wonderful defeat of the 
 Tlascalans hy the white men, that Bathalda returned with 
 the message you sent us, and the news that you had joined the 
 white men there. 
 
 " Since then we have, of course, heard nothing of you. 
 Cacama said that he did not see you when he met Malinzin ; 
 but of course he did not examine the faces of the white soldiers, 
 being occupied solely with their chief and the officers round 
 him. IJut we all felt assured that we should hear from you 
 shortly. So you have resumed your Aztec dress ? " 
 
 "I thought it better to do so for the purpose of coming 
 here," Roger replied : " for if the priests want a victim so 
 sorely, it seemed to me that if I ventured to leave the palace 
 dressed in my Spanish garb I might be seized and carried off." 
 
 " You are quite right," Cuitcatl agreed ; " the priests are 
 furious against you all, and I cannot altogether blame them. 
 Your general may, as he says, come as an ambassador from his 
 king to Montezuma ; and if he had orders to come to his court 
 at all costs he was not to blame if he fought his way whenever 
 he was opposed ; but this does not justify him in insulting our 
 religion and even assaulting and hurling down our gods at 
 every opportunity. He even tried to persuade the emperor that 
 our gods were false, and spoke insolently of them yesterday 
 when Montezuma conducted him at his request into the holy 
 shrines. Cacama was one of the strongest advisers that a 
 peaceful reception should be accorded to the white visitors, but 
 even he is being greatly turned against them by their conduct 
 towards our gods. Come, I will take you to the royal apart- 
 ments, and leave you in a room where no one will enter until 
 I inform Cacama that you are here." 
 
 A few minutes later the young king entered the apartment 
 where Cuitcatl had placed Roger, and embraced him with real
 
 240 CACAMA'8 INDIGNATION. 
 
 affection. " Truly I am glad to see you again, Roger Hawkshaw. 
 I am glad to see you for yourself, and I hail you as a counsellor 
 in the strange pass to which we have come. Here are Maclutha 
 and my sister Amenche." 
 
 The queen and the princess entered as he spoke, and each 
 gave Roger their hand, which, bowing deeply, he raised to his 
 lips, having before told them that this was the salutation 
 among his own people to ladies of high rank. 
 
 " We did not think, Roger Hawkshaw, when we last parted, 
 that we should meet again so soon. Who could have believed 
 then that the little band of white men, of whose arrival upon 
 the coast we had heard, would have made their way on to the 
 capital when the emperor was bent upon preventing their 
 coming ? We have trembled for you, and have prayed the 
 gods to protect you ; and greatly did we rejoice when we heard 
 from Cuitcatl's follower that you had surmounted all your 
 dangers safely and joined the Whites. 
 
 " It has been a strange time here, since you left. I have 
 been for the most part at the capital. The news that came from 
 day to day of the progress of the Whites filled everyone with 
 surprise and consternation. We of the council met daily, but 
 Montezuma passed his time at the shrines and among the 
 priests. He was a brave warrior and a great general once, but 
 he is no longer himself. My father's prophecy seems to have 
 unmanned him, and he has given himself up wholly to supersti- 
 tion. I believe in our gods and pay them due honour, but I 
 do not hold that a man should not think for himself, or that he 
 should trust wholly in the priests, who are but men like our- 
 selves; and who are, methinks, but poor judges of worldly 
 affairs, though wise and learned in matters concerning reli- 
 gion. Montezuma thinks otherwise, and the result is, that no 
 orders have been issued, no determination arrived at, and we 
 have the disgrace of seeing a handful of strangers installed in 
 the capital. 
 
 " Mind, my counsels have always been that they should be 
 conducted honourably from the coast, and treated as ambas- 
 sadors; but we have done neither one thing nor the other. They
 
 "TELL us WHAT is TO BB DONB." 241 
 
 have been loaded with gifts, but forbidden to come here ; yet 
 since they came, in spite of orders, we have seemed as if we feared 
 to meet them ; and I blush at the thought of the treacherous 
 plan to destroy them at Cholula. The gods had prophesied that 
 they would find their grave there. But the gods were wrong ; 
 and it may be that the God of the Whites is more powerful 
 than ours. If not, how is it that they did not avenge the 
 indignities offered to them by the Whites at Cempoalla, where 
 their images were hurled down from their altars? and at 
 Cholula, where the most sacred of all the temples was attacked 
 and captured, and the emblem of the White God set up on its 
 summit ? 
 
 " You yourself, Roger Hawkshaw, warned us against these 
 Spaniards. You said that they were cruel masters to the people 
 they had conquered, and above all things cruel in the matter of 
 religion, forcing all who came under their sway to accept 
 their God under pain of death, and that they would slay 
 even you, a white man like themselves, did they know that 
 you did not belong to their people. Tell us what is to be done. 
 Why are these men in our capital 1 What are their objects ? 
 Brave and strong as they are, they cannot hope to overcome 
 a nation, or to force all Anahuac to forsake their own gods 
 
 * O 
 
 and to accept the God of the Whites." 
 
 " I know not what are the designs of Cortez, the leader whom 
 you call Malinzin. I should say the Spaniards are here with 
 several motives. In the first place, there is the desire for 
 wealth and spoil ; in the second, religious ardour the desire 
 to bring all within the pale of their Church; in the third 
 place, the love of adventure \ and, lastly, the honour they will 
 receive at the hands of their sovereign for opening so rich an 
 empire to his arms." 
 
 " You do not think, then, they intend to conquer us f " 
 "Cortez cannot think of doing so with the means at his 
 disposal, Cacama ; but doubtless he has sent home reports of 
 the richness of the country, and forces many times more 
 numerous than those under his command may be sent out 
 to his assistance." 
 
 (618) Q
 
 242 " AT PBESBNT WE WAIT." 
 
 " Does he know that you have come hither ? " Oacama asked 
 suddenly. 
 
 " He does," Roger replied. " I could not leave the palace 
 without permission ; and Malinche told him of the kindness I 
 had experienced at your hands. He himself is uneasy at the 
 position in which he finds himself, uncertain of Montezuma's 
 intentions, and fearful of an assault ; and he bade me try to 
 find out, as far as might be, what was the general opinion 
 respecting the Spaniards." 
 
 " The opinion of the ignorant," Cacama said, with a con- 
 temptuous wave of the hand, " is worth nothing. They go 
 where they are led ; they believe what they are last told ; they 
 shout when they are told to shout. They have no opinion of 
 their own upon aught but what relates to themselves. Among 
 the nobles, the priests, and the learned there is much division 
 of opinion. At present we wait ; but, frankly, at any moment 
 a storm may follow the calm. The priests, who of course 
 are bitterly hostile to the strangers, are without doubt work- 
 ing, and they have great power with all. But I should 
 say that, on the whole, you are safer here with me than you 
 would be across the water there. I do not mean that there 
 is any immediate danger, but you must remember that Monte- 
 zuma has been insulted and humiliated, and made to appear 
 small in the sight of the people. He is one of the proudest 
 of men, and although at present he feigns friendship with 
 the Spaniards, a moment will come when he will revolt against 
 being thus bearded in his capital ; and he has but to wave his 
 hand for these invaders to be wiped out. However, let us talk 
 of other matters at present. Of course you are not thinking of 
 returning to-night 1 " 
 
 "I intended to do so; and the canoe in which I came is 
 waiting for me." 
 
 " We cannot think of letting you go," Cacama said, decidedly. 
 " I will send an official back with a message from you saying 
 that you think you can do more here than by returning ; and 
 that you crave leave to stay for the present; but that you 
 will come over in the morning and report to him all that you
 
 AMENCHB IS CURIOUS. 243 
 
 have learned here. You can leave here soon after daybreak, see 
 your general, and be back again before the full heat of the day." 
 As Roger was in no hurry to return, Cuitcatl went out to 
 despatch an official with the message to Cortez, or rather to 
 Malinche, as the message would then be delivered privately 
 to him ; whereas if Cortez were asked for, the man might be 
 brought into his presence when engaged with some of his 
 officers. Roger did not know whether the fact of his being 
 away from the palace had been made public, for Cortez might 
 consider it would cause discontent among some of his followers 
 were it known that their last joined recruit was permitted to 
 leave the town, whereas no one else was allowed to stir beyond 
 the limits of their quarters. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 AGAIN AT TEZCUCO. 
 
 TTNTIL a late hour in the night Roger sat talking to Cacama 
 U and his family. Although they had heard from Bathalda 
 all that had happened from the time of their leaving Tezcuco 
 to their arrival at Tlascala, he had to go over it again. 
 Bathalda had told them that Roger had found a former ac- 
 quaintance in Malinche, who was all-powerful with the white 
 leaders; and Amenche asked many questions concerning her 
 how Roger had known her before, and for how long, what 
 she was like, and why he applied to her instead of going 
 straight to the white general. 
 
 " You have heard me speak of her before," Roger said, in 
 answer to the first question. " I told you that I had learnt 
 your language from a Mexican slave-girl, who was one of my 
 attendants during the time I was at Tabasco. She was with 
 me the whole time I was there, and if it had not been for 
 learning the language from her, and conversing with her, I 
 do not know how I should have got through the time. I was
 
 244 4< 18 SHE VERY BEAUTIFUL ? " 
 
 sorry to leave her behind, and promised her that if ever I got 
 rich enough here, I would send and purchase her freedom." 
 
 " You seem to have taken a strange interest in a slave-girl ! " 
 Amenche said. 
 
 " It was natural that it should be so, Princess ; I was little 
 better than a slave myself. At any rate I was a prisoner, and 
 naturally took to the one person who was kind to me ; we 
 were companions and friends, rather than master and atten- 
 dant ; and directly I heard that she was with Cortez, and had 
 gained great influence with him, I naturally went to her." 
 
 " Is she very beautiful ? " 
 
 " I used not to think her beautiful at all, when we were 
 at Tabasco together ; but she has changed greatly during the 
 months that have passed since I saw her. Yes, I think she 
 is certainly beautiful now. But not so beautiful as others I 
 have seen." 
 
 " But why did you go to her 1 " the girl again persisted. 
 
 " Because I cannot speak the language of the Spaniards ; 
 and it was necessary for my safety for them to believe that I 
 am one of themselves, rescued from some Spanish ship cast 
 by a gale on their shores when I was a little lad. Had I 
 gone to Cortez direct, he would probably have guessed from 
 my dress and from my speaking the language that this was 
 how I came to be here ; but had I not seen Malinche before 
 I saw him, she would have recognized me, and would no doubt 
 have told Cortez that she had known me from the time I 
 was cast ashore near Tabasco, somewhat over two years ago. 
 He would then have known that I could not be a Spaniard, 
 for if so, I could not in so short a time have lost my own 
 language." 
 
 Cacama now interposed, and asked many questions about 
 Tlascala and its people. 
 
 " Some of the Tlascalan princes and caciques gave their 
 daughters as wives to the Spaniards, did they not ? " 
 
 "Six of them did so," Roger replied. "The ladies were first 
 baptized into the Christian religion, and then married by the 
 priests to as many of the chief leaders of the Spaniards."
 
 " COULD THEY NOT MARRY AGAIN ? " 245 
 
 " And what did you think of that ? " Cacama asked. 
 
 " I did not think much about it," Roger said ; " for it was 
 no business of mine, but that of the ladies and their friends. 
 It was certainly a politic course on the part both of Cortez and 
 the Tlascalans, and bound the alliance more closely together. 
 But methinks that, upon such work as the Spaniards are 
 engaged in, a man were better without a wife both for his 
 sake and her own. A man who goes into battle with no one 
 but himself to think of may take joy in the strife, for he 
 knows that if he falls it makes no very great matter to any- 
 one. But if he has a wife hard by, who will be left a widow 
 if he is slain, it must be ever present to him while he is 
 fighting; and though he may not fight less stoutly, it must 
 cause him grievous anxiety, and take away the pleasure of 
 fighting." 
 
 " You have already told us that the white men are good 
 husbands," the queen said. 
 
 " I do not know that they are in any way better in that 
 respect than your own people, Queen Maclutha ; there are 
 good and bad men who treat their wives well, and men who 
 neglect them." 
 
 " But you told us that they only had one wife each," she 
 said ; " and that even kings are kept to this rule, as well as 
 their humblest subjects." 
 
 " That is so," Roger said ; " one man one wife, whatever 
 his rank. There is no occasion for the palaces of our king to 
 be as extensive as those of Montezuma." 
 
 " And if these officers who have married here, were to return 
 home, and leave their wives behind them, could they not marry 
 again t " 
 
 " No," Roger said ; " as the ladies have become Christians, 
 and been married according to the rites of the Church, they 
 could not be lawfully set aside." 
 
 " And you have no wife in England, Roger Hawkshaw 1 " 
 Cacama asked. 
 
 Roger laughed merrily: "Why I was but a boy when I 
 left home ; and as far as marriage goes I am but a boy still.
 
 246 " TBABS OO FOB NOTHING." 
 
 We consider it young enough if we take a wife at five-and- 
 twenty, and I lack six years of that yet." 
 
 " You are a man," Cacama said gravely. " You are a man 
 in size and strength, and a man in courage, as you well showed 
 the other day when you were attacked by numbers of our best 
 soldiers. You are thoughtful and prudent ; years go for 
 nothing. You are a man, and even in years you are not, 
 according to our customs, too young to marry. Now, tell me 
 we have heard much of that bad business at Cholula tell me, 
 do you think that there was treachery on the part of the 
 people, or was it a mere pretext of the Spaniards to fall upon 
 the inhabitants and sack the town ? " 
 
 " I am sure that treachery was intended," Roger said. " We 
 learnt it from three people, a lady and two priests ; and the 
 Cholula nobles themselves when taxed by Cortez with their 
 intention to fall upon us, admitted that the accusation was 
 true. Besides, the whole people were under arms and ready to 
 attack, and poured out under their leaders to the assault the 
 moment the first gun told that their intentions were discovered. 
 No, there is no doubt whatever that a general destruction of 
 the white men was intended ; and although the punishment 
 inflicted was terrible, I cannot say that it was not justified 
 under the circumstances. Moreover, we knew that there was 
 a Mexican army lying but a short distance away, in readiness 
 to enter the town and join in the attack against us." 
 
 " It was a terrible error, as well as a crime on the part of 
 the emperor, if it be true that he was concerned in it," Cacama 
 said. " If so, he took no one here into his counsel, but acted 
 wholly on the advice of the priests." 
 
 " That is where the general considers the danger lies. He 
 would trust the caciques, for men of rank in whatever country 
 are faithful to their word, and do not pretend friendship 
 when they mean hostility. Were Montezuma guided by them 
 there would be no fear of treachery, but as he has given him- 
 self to the priests, and they can by means of the oracles 
 persuade him to almost anything, Cortez feels that the danger 
 is great."
 
 " HAVE YOU ANY SEKIOUS NEWS ? " 247 
 
 " Well now, we had better to rest," Cacama said, rising. 
 " You are to start with the first streak of light, so as to be 
 back before the sun is high, and it is long past midnight now. 
 Cuitcatl, it would, I think, be well for you to accompany our 
 friend. A rumour may have got abroad that he is again 
 our guest, and those who longed for his blood before may long 
 for it again. I would not that he should cross the lake 
 unattended." 
 
 " I was about to propose doing so," the young noble said. 
 " I know the priests, and can guess that at present a white 
 victim is what they most of all desire. Therefore, I will cer- 
 tainly accompany him to Mexico." 
 
 Roger and his Mexican friend were taken across the lake 
 in a canoe, rowed by four strong men. It was one of the private 
 canoes of the palace, without the royal insignia, used for 
 the conveyance of messengers, and built for speed. She took 
 them across to the capital in a very short time, and, entering 
 one of the canals, landed them close to the palace occupied by 
 the Spaniards. The sentry at the gate was surprised at the 
 height of the young Aztec chief who approached, and did not 
 recognize him until he spoke. Even then he would not let 
 him pass until he called an officer. 
 
 " I have been absent by the order of the general," Roger 
 said. 
 
 "I have no doubt it is all right," the officer replied, "but 
 I must take you to him." 
 
 Cortez had only just risen, for the hour was still very early, 
 and the sun was but now showing himself over the mountains 
 to the east. He was taking a cup of chocolate. 
 
 " That is all right," he said to the officer, as soon as he saw 
 Roger. " Sancho has been absent upon my orders." 
 
 He then called Malinche from an adjoining room. 
 
 " You are back earh'er than I expected," he said, as soon as 
 the interpreter entered. " Have you any serious news ? " 
 
 " No, General ; Cacama is himself friendly. He is unaware 
 of any treacherous designs on the part of the emperor, but 
 admits that the situation is a critical one, and that it is possible
 
 248 " WE ABB SITTING ON A MINE." 
 
 the influence of the priests may again induce Montezuma to 
 take a hostile action." 
 
 " Do you think we could count upon him as an ally t " 
 
 " I think not, sir ; although I have not as yet sounded him. 
 Cacama has been very badly treated by Montezuma, and he 
 by no means approves of the emperor's conduct throughout 
 this matter, but I think that his patriotism would overcome 
 his sense of private wrong. I can tell you more farther on. 
 Cacama has invited me to stay with him for the present, and 
 I think I might be of more use to you there than here." 
 
 " I think so, too," Cortez said, " and, indeed, you have not 
 yet entered my band regularly like the rest. It is right that 
 you should have freedom of action, especially as you are the 
 only man among us who knows anything of the Mexicans, for 
 even Marina knows nothing of this side of the mountains." 
 
 " Don't you think that you will run great risk in staying 
 there alone ? " Marina asked on her own account. 
 
 " Some danger no doubt, Malinche ; but I shall be on my 
 guard, and Cacama will take precautions for my safety. Even 
 the priests would not venture to seize me in his palace, and the 
 Tezcucans are far less bigoted than the people of this city." 
 
 " I do not think he will be in much greater danger there 
 than he would be here," Cortez said, when these remarks 
 were translated to him. " We are all in danger, we are 
 sitting on a mine that may explode any minute. The young 
 fellow is sharp-witted, and with his knowledge of the language 
 and the people can be trusted to take care of himself. Sancho, 
 if anything should happen to us, and you should hear that we 
 have been destroyed, I charge you to carry the news to the 
 coast, and to order in my name, that all shall embark on 
 board ship and sail to Cuba. It would be useless to try to 
 maintain a foothold here. Spain would avenge it, and with 
 ampler means than mine carry out the conquest of this 
 country." 
 
 A few minutes later, Roger, having said good-bye to Juan and 
 Pedro, and told them that he might be absent for some time, 
 started to Tezcuco. They had scarcely left the town, when a
 
 PURSUED. 249 
 
 canoe with six rowers, issued from one of the canals and followed 
 in their wake. 
 
 " See, they are after us 1 " Cuitcatl said, looking back. 
 " Doubtless the Spanish quarters are closely watched to see who 
 enter and leave them, and the news that a tall young noble had 
 entered was carried at once to the authorities, and the boat 
 was got in readiness to follow when you left, and see who 
 you were and where you were going. However, they will not 
 overhaul us. I bade the officer in charge of the canoes last 
 night to pick me out four of his best men, and in so light a 
 boat we shall travel as fast as that behind us, although they 
 have two extra hands." 
 
 " Yes, and they have four sitters," Roger said, looking back. 
 
 " No doubt they had orders to arrest you and bring you 
 back ; they did not reckon on our speed. The two extra men 
 destroy their chances of coming up to us, altogether. Row 
 hard, men ; I don't want that boat to overtake us." 
 
 The paddlers redoubled their exertions, and the light boat 
 almost flew along over the water. For a few minutes those 
 in the canoe behind also did their utmost ; but it was plain 
 that they were falling behind rather than gaining. Then one 
 of the officials stood up and shouted an order for them to stop. 
 They were some distance behind, but the words could be 
 plainly heard. The Tezcucans looked scared as they heard 
 the words " In the name of the Emperor." 
 
 "Nevermind them," Cuitcatl said; "we are acting under 
 the orders of our king. Besides, we are so far away that 
 they cannot be sure their words are heard. If they have any 
 complaint to make they can make it to Cacama, and he will 
 answer them." 
 
 The boat was soon out of hearing of its pursuer, who fell 
 farther and farther behind, and was a good mile away when 
 they landed at Tezcuco. 
 
 " Run the boat up and lay her by the side of the others," 
 Cuitcatl said to the rowers. " Then go at once to your homes 
 and say nought to anyone about the journey you have made. 
 The officials will find out what they want to know as to whom
 
 250 BATHALDA AGAIN. 
 
 we are, and will care nothing as to who were the individual 
 boatmen who rowed us ; still it is as well to keep silent. 
 
 " Of course, Roger," for the lad had asked him to drop the 
 second part of his name, " it will soon be known that you have 
 returned here. With such numbers of persons in the palace 
 it cannot be hidden ; besides, you are well known by sight to 
 most people in the town." 
 
 " I quite see that, Cuitcatl, and perceive no good in trying 
 in any way to conceal myself ; these long legs of mine cannot 
 be got rid of, and tell their story too plainly. However, it 
 makes no difference, I shall be safe in the palace, and shall 
 only go abroad in the daytime. They will not venture to 
 try to carry off openly one known to be under Cacama's 
 protection." 
 
 Cacama, on their return, agreed with Roger that it was of no 
 use to try to conceal his identity ; and the lad, after washing 
 the stains from his face and hands, took his accustomed place 
 at the banquet, and was greeted by many of his former 
 acquaintances. After the meal Cacama told him that, having 
 heard from Bathalda of the wonderful shooting he had made 
 with his great bow, he was desirous of seeing it, and that 
 by his orders the forester, who had been sent for the evening 
 before by Cuitcatl, had been directing some of the artisans to 
 manufacture a weapon of similar strength. 
 
 " We will go and see how it is getting on," he said. 
 
 Proceeding to the workshops attached to the palace, they 
 found that the bow was finished. It was constructed of a 
 very tough, but elastic, wood. Three slips of this had been 
 placed together and bound with sinews. Bathalda ran 
 forward when he saw Roger, and taking his hand carried 
 it to his forehead. Roger shook the stout fellow's hand 
 heartily. 
 
 " He is a brave fellow," he said to Cuitcatl, who had accom- 
 panied them, "and fought manfully and well. Had he not 
 guarded my back during the fight, I should not be here to tell 
 the tale now." 
 
 " We have made the bow according to our instructions," the
 
 "A GOOD BOW." 251 
 
 head of the artisans said respectfully to the king; "but it 
 does not seem to us possible that anyone can use it. Three 
 of us have tried together to string it, but in vain." 
 
 " It is a good bow," Roger said, examining it. 
 
 " Do they shoot with weapons like that over there," Cacama 
 asked, nodding in the direction of Mexico. 
 
 " No," Roger said, " for the most part they use cross-bows, 
 and their bows are much smaller than this. The English are 
 the only people who use bows like this. They are our national 
 weapons, and outside our island there are few indeed who can 
 even bend them. As to the stringing, it is knack rather than 
 strength. See here," and taking the bow which was just his 
 own height, he placed his knee against it, bent it and slipped 
 the string into the notch with ease. Then holding it at arm's 
 length, he drew it till the string touched his ear. 
 
 " It is a great deal stifler than that I made before, Bathalda ; 
 and is about the strength of those we use at home. Now for 
 the arrows." 
 
 These had been made by another set of men, and were an 
 inch or two over a yard in length, with copper tips. While he 
 was examining them Cacama had taken up the bow, but, 
 though a strong and vigorous man for his race, he could bend 
 it but a very short distance. 
 
 "It is a wonderful weapon," he said, " and I should not 
 have thought that mortal man, whatever his colour, could 
 have used it. Now, let us go down into the practice yard. 
 Cuitcatl, do you fetch the queen and her ladies to look on." 
 
 " I am no great marksman, Prince," Roger said. " I am 
 perhaps somewhat better than an average shot, but I have 
 seen marksmen who could do feats that I would not even 
 attempt." 
 
 They descended to the piece of ground, where many of the 
 young nobles were engaged in shooting, and in practice with 
 arms. Roger had often been there before, but had carefully 
 abstained from taking any part in the mimic contests, for he 
 knew that men who are beaten sometimes feel malice, and he 
 was anxious to keep on the best terms with all. Cuitcatl had
 
 252 "THE THING WAS IMPOSSIBLE." 
 
 often urged him to try a bout with himself or others with 
 the sword ; but this, too, he had always declined, and his friend 
 had supposed that he was aware his skill was by no means 
 equal to his strength. But now the Spaniards had proved to 
 the Mexicans the fighting powers of white men, Roger had 
 no longer any reasons for hanging back. As soon as he was 
 seen approaching with Cacama, the Mexicans abandoned their 
 sport, and gathered round. The story of the defeat of a band of 
 Montezuma's soldiers by the white man had been whispered 
 abroad, and Cuitcatl had mentioned to his friends what he had 
 heard from Bathalda of the mighty bow Roger had used ; but 
 when they saw the weapon with which he was now provided, 
 their wonder was to a large extent mingled with incredulity, 
 they passed it from hand to hand, tried but in vain to bend it, 
 and murmured among themselves that the thing was impossible. 
 
 " What will you have for your mark," Cacama asked. 
 
 " One of these targets will do well enough," he said ; point- 
 ing to those at which the Mexicans had been shooting. These 
 were boards about five feet six in height, and some fourteen 
 inches in width, presenting the size of a man. Thoy were 
 painted white and supported by a leg hinged behind them. The 
 distance at which the Mexicans had been shooting was about 
 forty yards. Roger stepped a hundred from one of them, and 
 made a mark upon the ground. 
 
 "An English archer would laugh at a target like that," he 
 said to Cacama, " but it is nigh three years since I practised. 
 I have seen men who could with certainty, at this distance, hit 
 a bird the size of a pigeon sitting on the top of that target 
 twenty times in succession, and think it by no means extra- 
 ordinary shooting." 
 
 The queen and some of her ladies now appeared upon a 
 terrace looking down into the court-yard. Roger took the bow, 
 fitted an arrow to the string, and drew it to his ear a 
 murmur of astonishment rising from the Aztecs. There was 
 a pause for a moment, and then the arrow sped. There was a 
 sharp tap as it struck the target, and stood quivering in it 
 just in the centre line about four feet from the ground.
 
 " DO NOT TOUCH THE ARROW." 253 
 
 " The bow is an excellent one," Roger said, and quickly dis- 
 charged two more arrows, both of which struck within two 
 or three inches of the first. As it was the power of the bow, 
 rather than his own shooting, that Roger wished to exhibit 
 he now had the target removed a hundred yards farther back, 
 and others placed one on each side of it. At this distance he 
 discharged three more arrows, shooting more carefully than 
 before. All three struck the boards, although at varying 
 heights ; and a shout of surprise arose from the lookers on. 
 
 " How far will it carry ? " Cacama asked. 
 
 " It might carry another hundred yards, but the aim 
 cannot be depended upon at over two hundred yards, even by 
 good shots," Roger said. " Of course the longer ranges are 
 useful for firing at a body of men. I should say that large tree 
 would be about the extreme range. If you will send two men 
 down to it, I will see whether I can shoot as far : we should 
 not see the arrow from here. Will you tell them to stand one 
 on each side of the tree, but well away from it ? there is no 
 saying where the arrow may go at this distance." 
 
 When two of the attendants had taken their places, twenty 
 or thirty yards from the tree, Roger drew the bow to the 
 fullest, and giving to the arrow the elevation he had been taught, 
 as most suitable for an extreme range, unloosed the string. 
 The arrow, which was of dark wood, glanced through the 
 air ; the eye could follow it only a short distance. No sound 
 was heard this time, but in a few seconds the Mexicans were 
 seen running towards the tree. 
 
 " Do not touch the arrow," Cacama shouted ; and then, 
 followed by the crowd, for the numbers had greatly increased as 
 the news of what was going on had spread through the palace, 
 he walked forward to the tree. The massive stem was more 
 than four feet in diameter, and within a few inches of the 
 centre, and at a height of three feet from the ground, the 
 arrow was sticking. The Mexicans were silent with astonish- 
 ment, mingled with a certain amount of awe, for shooting like 
 this seemed to them to be supernatural. 
 
 " And you said you were not a good shot ! " the king said.
 
 254 THBT SHALL REMAIN AS A MEMENTO. 
 
 " It was a pure accident," Roger asserted. " I might shoot 
 twenty arrows, and not hit the tree again. I had not the least 
 idea that I should do so. I only wished to show you how 
 far a well-made bow would send an arrow, when drawn by an 
 Englishman." 
 
 Cacama ordered the arrow to be left in the tree, and a large 
 stone to be placed at the spot from which Roger had fired. 
 
 " They shall remain," he said, " as a memento of this shot. 
 I will introduce among my people the custom which you say 
 prevails in your country; and every child shall be bound to 
 practise daily with bows and arrows. I do not think that any 
 of our race will ever come to use such a weapon as that, but 
 they may at least learn to bend bows greatly stronger than 
 those we are accustomed to use." 
 
 " They will doubtless do so," Roger said. " It is a matter of 
 practice, and of strengthening certain muscles of the right arm, 
 for a man far stronger than I am would be unable to bend 
 that bow had he not been trained to its use from the earliest 
 age. I should recommend, Prince, that you not only give the 
 order you have spoken of, but institute a monthly gathering, 
 with prizes for skill, and honours to the best marksmen. In this 
 way all would take an interest in the sport, and it would 
 become as popular among your youth as it is with us." 
 
 Again Roger's bow was passed round. It had seemed to bend 
 so easily in his hands that those who had not tried it before 
 could scarce credit its strength until they had handled it ; but 
 even the most powerful men found that they could only draw 
 the arrow a few inches. 
 
 As they walked towards the terrace upon which the queen 
 and her ladies were standing, Cuitcatl said : 
 
 " I had intended to ask you, Roger, to try a bout of 
 sword-play with some of us, but I will not do so now. After 
 what we have seen of the strength of your arm, I should be 
 sorry indeed to stand up against you, even with blunted 
 weapons or with sticks, for there would be no resisting a 
 downright blow. The news came to us of the terrible blows 
 struck by the Spaniards and how they clave through sword,
 
 CACAMA'S OFFEB. 255 
 
 helmet, and head ; I scarce credited them before, but now I 
 can well believe them to be true." 
 
 " Well, Maclutha," Cacama said ; " what think you of what 
 you have seen? No wonder those who met with the white 
 men in battle said that they had supernatural strength, and 
 that even the sturdy Tlascalans could not resist them. We 
 will have the bow hung up in the armoury with a great gold 
 chain, which shall be the reward of the first man who can, 
 like our friend, draw the arrow to the head." 
 
 " It is wonderful," the queen said ; " and it would be well 
 indeed, if, as you say, the youth of Tezcuco could shoot like 
 that." 
 
 Amenche said nothing, but her cheeks were flushed with 
 excitement and pleasure. 
 
 That Evening, when Cacama was conversing alone with 
 Roger, he said : 
 
 " My friend, you know that the Tluscalan caciques have 
 given their daughters as wives to some of the Spaniards; I 
 was talking to you of marriage last night, and what you said 
 about your age was ridiculous : you are a man and a warrior. 
 I now ofFer you the hand of my sister Amenche ; she loves 
 you, as Maclutha and I have seen for some time. From 
 what you said, I gather that your religion would not regard 
 the ceremony as binding did she not accept your God; but 
 I do not think she would raise any objection on that score, 
 seeing, as we all do, that your God has proved more powerful 
 than ours." 
 
 Roger was struck with astonishment at the offer. He had 
 regarded marriage as a matter not to be thought of for many 
 years ; and until lately he would have said that, if he ever did 
 marry, it would be the little cousin who had three years before 
 said good-bye to him at Plymouth. But of late he had felt the 
 charm of this beautiful little princess ; and since the night when 
 she had come down to say farewell to him in the garden, and 
 he had felt her hand tremble in his, and had seen a tear glisten 
 on her cheek in the moonlight, he had thought a good deal of 
 her. The chances of his ever returning to England were
 
 256 " THE LOVE OF COUNTRY IS STRONG." 
 
 comparatively slight ; dangers of all kinds surrounded him, 
 the Spaniards might be attacked and massacred at any moment, 
 and if so, he would probably share their fate. If, however, he 
 was married to this Mexican princess, and a brother-in-law of 
 the King of Tezcuco, he would be regarded as one of the people. 
 His position would be a high and honourable one, and although 
 his life would be far different from that to which he had 
 hitherto looked forward, it might be a very happy one. 
 
 He sat in silence for two or three minutes after Cacama 
 had ceased speaking, and then said : " Forgive me, Prince, for 
 not responding at once to an offer so far above my deserts, and 
 of the honour of which I am most deeply sensible ; there could 
 be no greater happiness for a man than to be the husband of 
 one so fair and in every way charming as the Princess Amenche, 
 but your offer came upon me altogether as a surprise. As I 
 have told you, I have hitherto regarded myself as still a lad, 
 and marriage as an event not to be thought of for years ; but 
 as you do not regard my youth as an objection there is no 
 reason why I should do so. It is of the future that I rather 
 think. It seems to me now that I could be content to settle 
 down for life here with so charming a wife ; but I cannot say 
 that I might always be of that mind. The love of country is 
 strong in every man, and the time might come when, if oppor- 
 tunity offered, I might long to return home to England." 
 
 " That I have talked over with the queen and with Amenche 
 herself," Cacama said. " My sister naturally would be sorry to 
 leave her own country, but if the time came that you should 
 wish to return home, she would not hesitate to make the 
 sacrifice and to accompany you. A Mexican woman when 
 she loves is ready to give up everything." 
 
 For a moment Roger turned the matter rapidly over in 
 his mind, and saw that even were he disposed to refuse 
 Amenche's hand, which indeed he was not, it would be almost 
 impossible for him to do so. It would be a deep offence to 
 this friendly prince ; it would be a cruel blow to the girl who 
 had confessed her devotion for him. As to Dorothy, she would 
 have deemed him dead years ago ; and should he ever return,
 
 CACAMA OFFERS TO BESTOW ON ROGER THE HAND OF HIS 
 SISTER AMENCHE.
 
 "l ACCEPT MOST GRATEFULLY." 257 
 
 he would find that she had long since been married ; for the 
 daughters of the wealthy merchant, Diggory Beggs, would not 
 want for suitors. He held out his hand to the prince : 
 
 " I accept most gratefully your offer, Cacama, and promise 
 that, so far as in me lies, I will do my best to render your sister 
 happy, and to prove myself worthy of her choice." 
 
 " I am heartily glad," the prince said warmly. " I love my 
 sister, and I have watched you closely. I believe you to be 
 worthy of her, and I am sure that in you I shall find not only 
 a friend and a brother, but a wise counsellor and a valiant 
 leader of my troops ; and that, with your advice, I shall be 
 able to advance my people in the arts of peace as well as war, 
 and perhaps to win back my father's possessions. As to the 
 question of religion of which you spoke, there is indeed no diffi- 
 culty. My grandfather, the great Nezahualcoyotl, the wisest 
 and most powerful of our monarchs, did not believe in the Aztec 
 gods. He built a great temple which he dedicated to the Un- 
 known God. Here he worshipped himself, and did his utmost to 
 induce his subjects to abandon the cruel worship of the Aztec 
 gods ; he forbade all sacrifices, even of animals, and permitted 
 only flowers and sweet-scented perfumes to be offered up on the 
 altars. When after his death the Aztec power increased, and 
 that of Tezecuco diminished, the people again embraced the 
 cruel faith of the Aztecs. Neither my father nor myself have 
 been strong enough to set ourselves against the priests ; but he, 
 as well as I, believed that my grandfather was right, and that 
 the Unknown God is the Ruler of the world. My sister, has 
 of course, been educated by the priests, but she knows my 
 father's opinions and my own ; she has a horror of the human 
 sacrifices, and believes that there must be a greater and better 
 God than those who are said to delight in blood. So you need 
 not fear that she will make any difficulty as to accepting what 
 you tell her of the white man's God. Now I will fetch her in 
 to you. I think it will be better to allow a short time to pass, 
 and to see how matters go in Mexico, before announcing to 
 others your approaching marriage. If any misfortune should 
 happen to the Spaniards I should at once publish the news, 
 
 (618) R
 
 258 A BETROTHAL. 
 
 and have the ceremony performed without loss of time, pro- 
 claiming to the people that, although white, you are not of the 
 same race as the Spaniards. If matters go on well, Monte- 
 zuma himself will doubtless be present at his niece's marriage ; 
 and I shall, of course, invite Malinzin and all his officers." 
 
 The prince left the room, and in a few minutes returned 
 with his wife, the latter leading Amenche by the hand. 
 
 " My friend, Roger Hawkshaw," the young king said, gravely; 
 " I hereby promise to bestow upon you the hand of my sister 
 Amenche. May you find in her a good, loving, and obedient 
 wife." 
 
 " I on my part," Roger said, taking the girl's hand, which 
 the queen held out to him, " promise to be a true and loving 
 husband to her." The girl, who had not raised her eyes 
 since she entered the room, looked up at the tall figure with 
 an expression of perfect confidence. 
 
 " I will be true and obedient," she said softly ; " and will 
 love you all my life." 
 
 " What do you do next in your country t " Cacama asked, 
 with a smile. 
 
 " This is how an engagement is sealed with us," Roger said, 
 and drawing the girl up to him he stooped and kissed her lips. 
 
 Three days later, as Roger was sitting with Cuitcatl, an 
 attendant entered, and said that the king wished to see them 
 immediately. They hastened to the royal apartment. Cacama 
 was walking up and down with an angry frown upon his face, 
 while the queen and princess were sitting on the couch pale 
 and agitated. 
 
 " Strange news has come from Mexico," Cacama said : " the 
 white men have seized Montezuma, and are holding him 
 prisoner in their quarters. Did anyone ever hear of such an 
 outrage ? Mexico is in a state of consternation, but at present 
 none know what to do." 
 
 " It seems incredible," Roger exclaimed. " Are you sure of 
 your news ? " 
 
 " Quite certain," the prince replied. 
 
 The news was indeed true. Cortez had found his position
 
 A BOLD DECISION. 259 
 
 unbearable ; he believed that the attack upon the Spaniards on 
 the coast, as well as the meditated treachery at Cholula, were 
 the outcome of the emperor's orders. His native allies had 
 heard rumours in the town that the bridges across the canals 
 were all to be raised ; in which case the Spaniards would be 
 prisoners in their palace. He was in the Mexican capital, but 
 he had as yet effected nothing towards the conquest of the 
 country. At any moment he might hear of the landing of 
 an expedition from Cuba, that his authority was revoked, and 
 that another was to reap the benefit of all he had done. He, 
 therefore, called a council of his most trusted officers, and dis- 
 cussed the situation with them. All agreed that some step must 
 at once be taken. Some were in favour of starting that night, 
 and making their way out of the city before a sufficient force 
 could be collected to oppose their retreat ; while others were of 
 opinion that it were better to retire openly, with the consent 
 of Montezuma, whose conduct since they had reached the city 
 appeared to be most friendly. 
 
 Cortez pointed out that both these methods would be retreats, 
 and the whole country would probably rise against them. 
 Moreover, even if they reached the coast they would have 
 sacrificed all they had won by their valour and sufferings. He 
 proposed a measure which astonished even his boldest com- 
 panions, namely, that they should go to the royal palace, and 
 bring the emperor by persuasion if possible, by force if neces- 
 sary to their quarters, and there hold him as a hostage for 
 their safety. The proposal was agreed to, and on the follow- 
 ing morning Cortez asked for an interview with the emperor, 
 which was at once granted. He proceeded to the palace with 
 his principal officers, ordering the soldiers to follow in groups 
 of twos and threes, so as not to attract particular attention. 
 
 Montezuma began to converse with his usual courtesy, but 
 Cortez roughly cut him short, and charged him with being the 
 author of the attack upon the garrison at the port. Monte- 
 zuma indignantly denied this, and said that he would send at 
 once and arrest the author of the attack. Cortez replied that 
 it was necessary for their safety that Montezuma should come
 
 260 A DISHONOURABLE ACTION. 
 
 and reside among them. The emperor was thunderstruck at 
 the proposal, but the soldiers crowded in, loud and threatening 
 words were used, and Montezuma in fear of his life gave 
 way. Had he possessed any of the courage with which he 
 was credited in his youth, he would have called his guards and 
 nobles around him, and died fighting. Having once given in 
 he assumed the air of having done so voluntarily, and ordered 
 his litter to be brought. 
 
 In the meantime his attendants, and the nobles who had 
 been present, had spread the news through the city. The 
 Mexicans catching up their arms, ran to the rescue of their 
 monarch ; but the Spaniards closed round the litter, and had 
 a blow been struck, the emperor would doubtless have been 
 murdered. Montezuma exhorted the people to be tranquil, 
 assuring them that he was going willingly ; and the Mexicans, 
 accustomed to implicit obedience, and fearing that harm would 
 come to the emperor if a struggle began, drew back and 
 allowed the Spaniards to pass, and Montezuma was conveyed 
 a prisoner into the palace occupied by the Spaniards. The 
 act was one of almost unparalleled boldness, but as performed 
 upon a monarch who was the host of his assailants, and with 
 whom they were previously on the mast friendly relations, it 
 was an act of treachery, and reflects dishonour upon the fame 
 of Cortez. At the same time the position occupied by the 
 Spaniards was so strange, and even desperate, as to palliate, 
 though it cannot excuse, such a course of action. 
 
 There is no reason to believe that Montezuma intended to 
 act treacherously : but he was under the domination of the 
 priests ; and had he again changed his mind, as he had already 
 several times done, nothing could have saved the Spaniards 
 from absolute destruction. No honourable man would have 
 acted as Cortez did; but Cortez was a rough soldier, and, 
 moreover, firmly held the doctrine at that time and long after- 
 wards held by the Spaniards in their dealing with those of 
 other religions, that faith need. not be kept with heretics and 
 heathen.
 
 "WHAT THOUGH MONTEZUMA FALL?" 261 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 A TREASURE ROOM. 
 
 " IT is infamous," Cacama said, as he paced up and down 
 _L the room ; " but what is to be done ? They hold him 
 in their hands as a hostage in the heart of his own capital, 
 and among his own people, and are capable of hanging him 
 from the walls should a hostile movement be made against 
 them. You were right, Roger Hawkshaw, in warning us 
 against these men. They are without faith and honour thus 
 to seize a host who has loaded them with presents, who has 
 emptied his treasuries to appease their greed, and who has 
 treated them with the most extraordinary condescension. It 
 is a crime unheard of, an act of base ingratitude without a 
 parallel. What is to be done ? " 
 
 Roger was silent. Such a situation, so strange and unlocked 
 for, confounded him. 
 
 " I should say," Cuitoatl burst out passionately, " that every 
 Mexican should take up arms and annihilate this handful of 
 invaders. What though Montezuma fall? Better that a 
 monarch should perish than a nation. Besides, Montezuma 
 has shown himself unfit to govern ; it is his weakness that has 
 brought things to this pass. Think you that the white men 
 could ever have advanced beyond the plateau of Tlascala, had 
 all the forces of Mexico barred the way ? Think you that they 
 could ever have entered the capital had it been defended with 
 resolution ? One moment he flattered the strangers and loaded 
 them with gifts; the next he was ready to send his forces 
 against them. The Cholulans had good reason for believing 
 that he designed the annihilation of the Whites if he did not 
 actually order the attack upon them. 
 
 " So on the sea-coast : had the chiefs believed that Monte- 
 zuma was really friendly to the Whites, would they ever have 
 attacked them ? There were two courses open : he might 
 from the first have received the Spaniards frankly, and sent
 
 262 A BARBAROUS EXECUTION. 
 
 a mission to escort them honourably to the capital ; or he 
 might have called upon every man in his dominion to take up 
 arms and drive them into the sea. He took neither. It is 
 he who has brought them here, and it is better a thousand 
 times that he should die than that ruin should fall upon the 
 country. My advice is, that the troops be called out, that 
 messengers be sent to every city in the valley, bidding them 
 send in their contingent, and that we march to aid the people 
 of Mexico to annihilate this handful of treacherous white men." 
 
 Cacama was silent. The advice was in accordance with his 
 own feelings and temperament; but the extreme reverence 
 with which the Aztecs regarded their emperor, paralyzed him. 
 
 " We shall see," he said, gloomily. " In a short time we shall 
 know why Montezuma thus tamely submitted to be made a 
 prisoner. He may have some motives which we cannot fathom ; 
 I cannot believe him to be a coward. No Aztec monarch yet 
 has ever shown want of courage." 
 
 Three or four days later another event occurred which 
 heightened the fury of the Mexicans against the Spaniards. 
 The cacique who had attacked the Spaniards on the coast 
 arrived at Mexico, accompanied by his son and fifteen other 
 chiefs who had acted with them. Montezuma referred the 
 matter to the examination of Cortez. The cacique admitted 
 the part he had taken in the attack on the Spaniards, and 
 did not seek to shelter himself under royal authority until 
 sentence of death was passed on him and the other chiefs, 
 when they all declared that they had acted on the authority of 
 Montezuma. They were condemned to be burnt alive in the 
 space in front of the palace, and this sentence was carried 
 out. 
 
 Not content with this, Cortez placed irons upon Montezuma 
 himself, saying there could now be no longer a doubt as to his 
 guilt. After the execution was carried out Montezuma was 
 released from his fetters. The news of this insult to their 
 monarch created a profound impression upon the Mexicans. 
 Although they despised the weakness of a sovereign who 
 appeared ready to sufier every indignity, and yet to retain an
 
 "I CAN NO LONGER RETAIN YOU HERE." 263 
 
 appearance of courtesy and good will towards his oppressors, 
 the bolder spirits determined that the nation should be no 
 longer humiliated in the person of its sovereign, and that even 
 should it cost Montezuma his life, an effort should be made to 
 overthrow his oppressors. 
 
 As soon as the news of the execution of the seventeen nobles, 
 ind of the indignity to Montezuma, was received Cacama said 
 to Roger : 
 
 " My friend, I can no longer retain you here. You have told 
 me why you cannot have it proclaimed that you are of different 
 blood to the Spaniards, and I quite understand your motives ; 
 but there are two reasons why in that case you must for a 
 time return to the capital. My people would look upon me 
 with scorn did I retain here as my friend one whom they 
 regard as the countryman of the men who have so outraged 
 us; moreover you yourself cannot wish to stay. You have 
 told me that Cortez has charged you to acquaint him with 
 the state of feeling in this city; and were you to remain 
 here you would be placed in the painful position of either 
 giving information which would ruin my plans, or of deceiving 
 the man whom you nominally serve. I know that you 
 would say nothing against me, but should I fail and the 
 Spaniards triumph, Cortez would accuse you of being a traitor, 
 and you would be put to death by him. Therefore, I think it 
 in all ways best that you should return there for the present. 
 You will, of course, inform Cortez that I have sent you back 
 because the feeling against the white men, on account of their 
 treatment of the emperor, is so great that I felt that I could 
 not protect you against their fury." 
 
 " I quite agree with you, Cacama. My position here has 
 become a very painful one. I abhor as much as you do the 
 doings of the Spaniards, and am perfectly ready to avow that 
 I belong to another nation, and to join you in an enterprise 
 against them." 
 
 " But that, as you have told me," Cacama said, " would cut 
 off any chance of your ever being able to return to your own 
 country."
 
 264 "THAT YOUNG FELLOW MUST BE WATCHED." 
 
 " I am ready to accept that," Roger said firmly. " In 
 marrying your sister I shall become one of yourselves, and 
 am ready to cast in my lot with you altogether." 
 
 The prince was silent for a minute or two. " No, Roger, I 
 think that my plan is the best. Were you to do as you say, 
 the Spaniards would be at once placed on their guard ; while, 
 save by the strength of your arm, you could aid but little in 
 any enterprise against them. Moreover, if you return to the 
 Spaniards, I shall have the satisfaction that, if I fall and 
 ruin comes upon my house, you will take care of my sister, 
 and that my wife will also have a protector. For all reasons, 
 therefore, it is better you should go. But if aught is to be 
 attempted against the Spaniards I will take care to give you 
 notice, so that you can leave them in disguise and come here, 
 and so avoid their fate." 
 
 Although Roger's own feelings would have led him to 
 throw in his lot openly against the Spaniards he saw that 
 Cacama's plan was the best. The boat was ordered to be 
 at once got in readiness; and after a painful parting with 
 Amenche, who wept bitterly, Roger left the palace, and again 
 accompanied by Cuitcatl, in order to ensure his safety across 
 the lake, was taken over to Mexico. He at once sought the 
 presence of Cortez, and through Marina explained to him that 
 Cacama had sent him back, fearing that in the excited state 
 of the population harm might come to him. He had, since 
 he had been in Tezcuco, sent a letter across each day to Cortez, 
 saying that all was tranquil there ; that the young king was 
 pursuing his ordinary round of court ceremonial, and was 
 certainly, as far as he could learn, taking no steps whatever 
 towards interfering with the affairs of the capital, although 
 the imprisonment of Montezuma had evidently made a painful 
 impression upon him. 
 
 Cortez asked him a few questions, and when he left the 
 room said to Marina : " That young fellow must be watched, 
 Marina ; he has been brought up with these people, and must 
 to some extent feel with them. I know that he is a friend of 
 yours, but see that you say nothing to him on public affairs.
 
 " CACAMA INCITES THE NOBLES." 265 
 
 Let him be kept wholly in the dark as to our plans and inten- 
 tions. This Cacama is, next to Montezuma, the most powerful 
 and important of the Aztec chiefs. He is young and energetic, 
 and although he has been so badly treated by Montezuma 
 he resents our treatment of him. Had it been otherwise he 
 would probably ere this have made some propositions to us, 
 through Sancho, for a closer alliance with us, on the under- 
 standing that the territories Montezuma has taken from him 
 shall be returned. We must have Cacama's actions closely 
 watched. There are other Aztecs who are willing enough to 
 act as our spies, and who will keep us informed of what is 
 going on. Hitherto their reports have agreed with Sancho's, 
 but from his sending the young fellow back here Cacama may 
 now be intending to act against us." 
 
 Cacama, indeed, lost no time in setting to work, and began 
 to form a league with many of the leading nobles, to rescue 
 the emperor and destroy the Spaniards. Montezuma's brother 
 Cuitlahua and many others agreed at once to join him, 
 but the greater part of the Aztec nobles hung back, upon 
 the ground that they did not like to move in the matter, 
 without the orders of their emperor. Their refusal prevented 
 any general rising taking place, and thus destroyed the last 
 chance of Mexico retaining its independence. Cortez learnt 
 from his spies what was going on, and would have marched 
 against Tezcuco had not Montezuma dissuaded him, telling him 
 that Cacama was a powerful prince, and would certainly be 
 aided by many other chiefs, and that the enterprise would be 
 hazardous in the extreme. 
 
 Cortez then endeavoured to negotiate, but received a haughty 
 answer from Cacama. He then tried threats, asserting the 
 supremacy of the Spanish emperor. Cacama replied " that he 
 acknowledged no such authority, he knew nothing of the 
 Spanish sovereign or his people, nor did he wish to know any- 
 thing of them." Cortez then invited Cacama to come to 
 Mexico to discuss their differences ; but Cacama had no faith 
 in Spanish loyalty, and he replied " that when he did visit the 
 capital, it would be to rescue it as well as the emperor himself,
 
 266 BASENESS AND TREACHERY. 
 
 and their common gods from bondage. He should come, not 
 with his hand upon his breast but on his sword, to drive out 
 the Spaniards, who had brought such disgrace upon the 
 country." While this had been going on, Montezuma had 
 still further forfeited all claim to sympathy by the willing- 
 ness with which he accepted the attentions of those who were 
 in fact his gaolers. They paid him all the outward marks of 
 respect, pretending still to regard him as a powerful sovereign ; 
 and he, in return, was present at their exercises and sports, took 
 the greatest interest in two ships they were building for naviga- 
 tion on the lake, and in all respects behaved to them as if 
 they were his best friends. He now carried his baseness still 
 further, and informed Cortez that several of the Tezcucan 
 nobles were regularly in his pay, and that it would be easy 
 through them to capture Cacama and thus break up the 
 confederacy. 
 
 Cortez at once took means to carry out the suggestion. The 
 traitors invited Cacama to a conference at a house overhanging 
 the lake near Tezcuco. Upon going there he was seized by 
 them, bound, placed in a boat, and carried to Mexico. He was 
 there brought before Montezuma. In spite of the perils of 
 his position, Cacama bore himself nobly. He boldly accused 
 his uncle of foul treachery, and with the cowardice which he 
 had betrayed since the Spaniards had entered his kingdom. 
 Montezuma handed him over to Cortez, who ordered him to 
 be loaded with fetters and thrown into a dungeon. The 
 emperor then issued an order, declaring that Cacama had 
 forfeited his sovereignty by his rebellion, and that he there- 
 fore deposed him, and appointed a younger brother named 
 Cuicuitzca in his place. The other leaders of the confederacy 
 were all seized by the orders of Montezuma in their own 
 cities, and brought in chains to the capital, where they were 
 imprisoned with Cacama. 
 
 Upon Roger the news of Cacama's arrest and imprisonment 
 came like a thunder-clap. He was in the habit of frequently 
 seeing Malinche, who still retained the warm feeling of friend- 
 ship for him that had originated at Tabasco, and with whom
 
 "l WILL MANAGE IT FOR YOU." 267 
 
 he often had long talks of their life in those days ; but she had 
 let no word drop as to the doings of Cacama. She had ques- 
 tioned him somewhat closely as to his relations with that 
 prince; and he had made no secret to her of the fact that 
 Cacama had promised him his sister's hand in marriage. 
 As many of the Spaniards had already married the daughters 
 of great caciques, this appeared to her natural, and she had 
 congratulated him upon the prospect of an alliance which 
 would bring him wealth and land, but had said that for the 
 present it would not do to think of marriage, as it would be 
 unsafe for him to leave the capital. When therefore Roger 
 heard of the misfortune that had befallen Cacama, he was 
 filled alike with surprise and consternation, and hurrying to 
 Malinche, begged her to use her influence with Cortez to spare 
 the young prince's life. 
 
 " I have already done so," she said ; " and he has promised 
 that no blood shall be shed, though the chiefs who have 
 leagued themselves with Cacama must all be imprisoned ; the 
 safety of the army requires it. No harm, however, shall 
 befall Cacama, of that be assured ; I may tell you now, that 
 it has been settled that his brother Cuicuitzca shall be 
 appointed Lord of Tezcuco in his place. This will be done 
 by a decree to-morrow." 
 
 " Malinche, I must go at whatever hazard to warn Cacama's 
 wife and sister, in order to give them the opportunity of 
 leaving the palace before this young prince arrives; pray 
 obtain for me leave from Cortez to go away for twenty-four 
 hours. You can tell him of the interest I have in the 
 matter." 
 
 " I will manage it for you," Malinche said ; " but as your 
 princess is also sister to the new king, I see no reason for 
 uneasiness." 
 
 " She is devoted to Cacama," Roger replied ; " and would 
 not, I feel sure, consent to remain in the palace with the 
 usurper." 
 
 " You had best advise her," Malinche said with a little nod 
 of the head ; " to disguise her sentiments, and make the best of
 
 268 "YOU HAD BEST DISGUISE YOURSELF." 
 
 the matter. It may make, you know, a good deal of differ- 
 ence in the amount of dowry you will get with her." 
 
 " I am not greedy, Malinche," Roger said ; " but the present 
 is, at any rate, no time for talking of marriage." 
 
 " Most of the officers have married," Malinche said. 
 
 "They may have done so, but they are officers, and can 
 maintain their wives in all honour and respect; and have 
 apartments allotted to them here. I have neither rank nor 
 station, and shall certainly not ask my princess to share my 
 rough quarters as a soldier. There is no hurry. As I told you 
 but a year ago, Malinche, I am scarcely out of my boyhood ; 
 and there will be plenty of time when matters settle down, and 
 we see what is going to happen, to think of marrying." 
 
 " I will go and speak to Cortez at once, and get leave for 
 you. But you had best disguise yourself well Tezcuco will 
 be in an uproar to-night ; for the capture of Cacama will be 
 known there ere many hours, if it is not known already." 
 
 She soon returned with the required permission. This 
 time Roger dressed himself in the attire of a trader, as being 
 less likely to attract attention. Malinche again secured a 
 boat for him, and having dyed his face and hands, he started 
 at once, as it would be dark before he reached Tezcuco. 
 Since Montezuma had been captive in their hands, there was 
 no longer any fear of an attack being made upon the Spaniards, 
 and the soldiers were now able to come and go through the 
 town at pleasure. 
 
 Upon landing, Roger at once made his way to the palace. 
 There was great excitement in the town. The people were 
 assembled in crowds, discussing the news that had reached 
 them ; and even at the palace gate the guards were careless of 
 their duty, and Roger entered without question. He hurried 
 direct to the royal apartments. An official who would have 
 barred his way allowed him to pass at once when he recog- 
 nized his identity. When he entered he found a scene of 
 grief and confusion ; the queen was extended upon a couch 
 weeping bitterly, while Amenche and some of her ladies, 
 although themselves weeping, were trying to console her.
 
 " HIS LIFE IS NOT IN DANGER." 269 
 
 The princess gave a cry of joy when she saw him, and running 
 forward threw herself into his arms. 
 
 " You have heard the news ? " she exclaimed. " Cacama is 
 lost. These monsters will put him to death." 
 
 " I can reassure you as to that," Roger said ; " he is a 
 captive, but his life is not in danger. Malinche has inter- 
 ceded for him, and Cortez has promised that his life shall be 
 spared." 
 
 A cry of gladness burst from all present. 
 
 " I have other and less pleasant news to give you, Amenche," 
 Roger whispered in her ear. " Get rid of all these ladies ; my 
 news must be for you only." 
 
 A minute or two later the queen dismissed her ladies. 
 " The news I have to tell you," Roger went on, " is, that to- 
 morrow Montezuma will issue a decree deposing Cacama, and 
 appointing Cuicuitzca Lord of Tezcuco." 
 
 An exclamation of anger and indignation broke from the 
 queen and Amenche. 
 
 " He cannot do it," the latter exclaimed passionately ; " it 
 is beyond his power. The emperor has a voice in the council, 
 but beyond that he has no power to make or unmake the Lords 
 of Tezcuco." 
 
 " At the present moment," Roger said gravely ; " he has 
 got the Spanish power at his back, or rather, he is but the 
 mouthpiece of the Spaniards. They are the masters, and care 
 nothing for the law or usages of your country." 
 
 "The Tezcucans will not receive Ciucuitzca," Amenche said; 
 " everyone knows that he is weak and cowardly, and of late 
 he has been at Mexico, dancing attendance on the Spaniards. 
 They will never receive him." 
 
 The queen raised her head from the couch. " We must 
 not build on that, Amenche. He comes, sent here by the 
 Whites, and when Mexico dares not rise against them you 
 may be sure that the people here will not dare to provoke 
 their anger. Besides, who have they to lead them ? Was not 
 Cacama betrayed by his own nobles ? Let us send for Cuitcatl, 
 and hear what he advises us."
 
 270 "THE GODS HAVE, INDEED, DESERTED us." 
 
 Cuitcatl, on his arrival, was so thunderstruck on hearing that 
 Montezuma had so debased himself to the Spaniards as to 
 depose his own nephew, whose only fault was patriotism, and 
 who had been endeavouring to effect his rescue, that he was 
 for a minute or two speechless with indignation. 
 
 " The gods have, indeed, deserted us," he said, " when they 
 have turned a monarch who was considered brave and honour- 
 able into a base slave. May their vengeance fall upon him ! 
 May the curse of our ruined country descend upon the man 
 who is the real author of our misfortunes ! " 
 
 " Do you think, Cuitcatl," Amenche asked, " that the people 
 will receive this usurper 1 " 
 
 " I fear, indeed, that they will do so," he replied. " Monte- 
 zuma has appointed him, and Montezuma's name still has 
 power. At any rate it will afford them an excuse for submis- 
 sion ; besides, how could they fight when so many of our own 
 nobles are treacherous ? Doubtless Cacama will not be the only 
 victim, and Montezuma will, at the orders of the Spaniards, 
 disgrace all who have acted with him." 
 
 "Then what would you advise us to do? We are both 
 resolved that we will not await the coming of this usurper." 
 
 " My house is at your service," Cuitcatl said ; " it lies, as 
 you know, near the foot of the hills ; and whatever strife may 
 go on here, its quiet is little likely to be invaded. Cuicuitzca 
 will not concern himself at present with you, nor would he 
 venture to take any hostile steps against you, for did he do so 
 it would excite a storm of indignation. As to you, Princess, 
 as his own sister, and of the royal blood, you could if you liked 
 stay here, as at present ; and, indeed, were it not that I am 
 sure you would not leave the queen, I should advise you to do 
 so, for you might then act in the interests of Cacama should 
 you see an opportunity." 
 
 Amenche shook her head : " No," she said, " brother though 
 he is, I would not bend my head before a usurper while 
 Cacama lives. When do you think we had better leave 
 here ? " 
 
 " I should say it were best to leave at once," Cuitcatl
 
 A HIDDEN TBEA8UBB. 271 
 
 replied. "I will order three or four litters to be prepared 
 for yourselves, and say two of your most trusted attendants. 
 Bathalda will find in the town men on whom he can rely to 
 take you. In this way none here will know where you have 
 gone. I will have the litters in readiness at a short distance 
 from the palace, and you can then issue out by the garden 
 gate unobserved. I shall, of course, myself escort you." 
 
 " What shall we take with us, Cuitcatl ? " 
 
 " I will get in addition to those who carry the litters five or 
 six porters. These I will bring up through the gardens to the 
 private door, and Roger and I will carry down to them such 
 parcels of your clothes as you may make up. I should then 
 make up two large caskets with your own jewels, those of 
 Cacamrf, and some of the most valuable stones and jewels from 
 the royal treasury leaving all the royal ornaments worn on 
 state occasions, so that the usurper will not know that any 
 have been abstracted." 
 
 " I would rather take nothing but my own and Cacama's 
 personal jewels," the queen said. 
 
 " The contents of the whole treasury are his by rights, and 
 you must remember, Madam, that jewels may be very useful 
 to you. You will have to work for Cacama, and unhappily 
 there are many who are not insensible to bribes; and the 
 possession of valuable jewels may enable you to be of great 
 assistance to the king." 
 
 " I did not think of that," the queen said. " Yes, you are 
 right. There is a hoard stowed away by the late king and by 
 his father before him, its existence is only known to my 
 husband and myself. I have never seen it, but Cacama 
 tells me that it is of immense value, and was to be used only 
 in case of an extreme emergency and danger to the state. 
 We can take what we choose from this separate hoard, and 
 Cuicuitzca will find from the list in the hands of the chief of 
 the treasury that the royal store is untouched." 
 
 " That will be vastly better, indeed," Cuitcatl said ; " it is 
 well that he should have no possible cause of complaint against 
 you. Where is this hidden receptacle ? "
 
 272 A DESERTED PALACE. 
 
 " Before I show it you I will send all our attendants to bed, 
 save the two we will take with us my own maid and 
 Amenche's." 
 
 " I will be going. Roger Hawkshaw will help you," Cuitcatl 
 said. " It will take some time for Bathalda to get the litters 
 and the men. It is now ten o'clock; in three hours the 
 litters shall be outside the little gate of the garden, and I 
 will bring six porters to the private door at the foot of the 
 stairs." 
 
 " That will be enough," the queen said ; " two will be ample 
 for our garments, and you and Roger Hawkshaw can take the 
 jewels, which, when we start, can go in the litters with us." 
 
 Cuitcatl left. The two ladies who were to accompany the 
 party were then called in, and informed of what had taken 
 place, and that they had been chosen to accompany the queen 
 and princess in their flight. 
 
 " Tell all the others," the queen said, " that we are overcome 
 with the news we have received, and will dispense with all 
 further attendance except your own for the night. When all is 
 quiet, make up your jewels and such clothes as you may wish to 
 bring in bundles ; then go to the wardrobe-room and make up 
 two bundles, each as much as a man can carry, of my garments 
 and two of the same size of those of the princess ; take all our 
 jewels out of the caskets and put them in with our clothes." 
 
 When the two waiting-ladies had retired, the queen said to 
 Roger : " Now come with me, and we will open the treasure 
 closet." 
 
 The palace was by this time hushed and quiet, the greater 
 part of the courtiers had long since left, having hurried away 
 to their homes when the news came of Cacama's arrest, and 
 the remainder had gone to friends in the town or neighbour- 
 hood, as it was thought probable that the Spaniards might at 
 once send a force to take possession of the palace and arrest 
 all found there. 
 
 Taking some keys from a strong coffer in Cacama's room, 
 and bidding Roger take a torch from the wall, the queen led 
 the way to the royal treasury. A massive door was first
 
 A CUNNING HIDING-PL A CB. 273 
 
 unlocked, and in a large room were seen ranged vessels of gold 
 and silver ; strong boxes containing gold necklaces, armlets, and 
 other ornaments ; while on lower shelves were bars of gold and 
 silver ready to be worked up. They passed through this room 
 into another the same size, around it ran deep shelves, in 
 which were piled the treasury papers with the accounts of the 
 royal revenues and the tributes paid by the various cities and 
 villages and land-owners of the kingdom. In one corner stood 
 a small cupboard of about four feet high, also filled with 
 papers. The queen put her hand inside and touched a small 
 spring at the back. 
 
 " Now," she said to Roger ; " pull at that corner of the 
 cupboard." 
 
 He obeyed her instructions, and at a vigorous pull the cup- 
 board, which had appeared solidly embedded in the wall, swung 
 round on one of its angles. Nothing, however, was to be seen 
 save a bare wall behind it. 
 
 " Now, Roger Hawkshaw, take your dagger and cut away 
 that plaster for it is but plaster, though it looks like stone." 
 
 Roger obeyed, the task was an easy one, for the plaster was 
 but half an inch thick, and came off in flakes, showing a massive 
 copper door three feet six in height, and three feet in width 
 behind it. No keyhole was visible. 
 
 " Press upwards against the lintel," the queen said ; " that 
 will release the catch of the door." 
 
 Roger did so, and at the same moment pushed with his 
 shoulder against the door, and it swung round with ease. 
 
 " Do you enter first with the torch, and we will follow," the 
 queen said. 
 
 Roger found himself in a room about twelve feet square. 
 At the farther end was a pile of gold bars four feet deep, and 
 as much high, extending right across the room. On the floor, 
 along the other two sides, were ranged a number of large 
 chests. 
 
 " Open these," the queen said ; " the gold is of no use to us." 
 
 The chests were full of manufactured gold ornaments, many 
 of them studded with jewels. 
 
 (018) 8
 
 274 A MARVELLOUS TREASURE. 
 
 Roger was astounded at the amount of wealth thus stored 
 away. 
 
 " Cacama told me," the queen said, " that even the treasure- 
 houses of Montezuma are poor in comparison to the treasure 
 his grandfather and father stowed away here, and I can well 
 believe it. You have not opened that small chest yet." 
 
 This was opened, and was found to contain a number of 
 bags which were full of pearls, turquoise, and other precious 
 stones, of large size and immense value. 
 
 " We will take this chest away as it stands," the queen said. 
 
 " It would be awkward to carry," Roger objected ; " it is 
 very heavy, and its shape would tell at once that it contained 
 valuables. The contents do not weigh many pounds, and could 
 easily be wrapped up in a cloth and put into one of the litters 
 without exciting observation. If you will allow me, I will go 
 back to one of the sleeping rooms and fetch two or three thick 
 rugs." 
 
 He hurried away, and in a few minutes returned. The 
 bags were transferred from the chest to one of the rugs he 
 had brought, which was then wrapped round and tied into 
 a bundle. On two other rugs were placed heaps of necklaces 
 and other ornaments from the larger chests, until each con- 
 tained, as nearly as Roger could guess by lifting them, some 
 sixty pounds' weight of gold ornaments. These were similarly 
 tied up, and the three bundles were then carried out from the 
 hidden room, and conveyed to the apartment they had before 
 left. 
 
 Roger then went back to the treasury, closed the copper 
 door, swept up and placed in a rug every particle of plaster, 
 and then swung the cabinet back into its position, where 
 it fastened with a loud click. So firmly was it fixed, that, 
 although Roger tried with his whole strength, it did not shake 
 in the slightest ; and the work was so admirably done, that, 
 from the closest inspection, he was unable to discern aught 
 that would have shown that the cabinet was not built into the 
 wall. He then returned to where the ladies were waiting 
 him.
 
 FLIGHT. 275 
 
 The queen urged him to take two or three of the bags of 
 jewels, but this he absolutely refused to do. 
 
 " I am acting as Cacama's friend," he said ; " and as the 
 promised husband of his sister, and I should feel myself 
 degraded, indeed, were I to receive even one of those 
 jewels." 
 
 " But there is no saying when we shall meet again," the 
 queen said ; " there is no knowing what terrible events may 
 occur." 
 
 " Whatever occurs, lady, I shall see you again if I live," 
 Roger said. " If not, of what use are the jewels to me? " 
 
 At the appointed hour Cuitcatl returned. 
 
 " All is in readiness," he said. 
 
 The two attendants were summoned from the apartments 
 where they had been waiting. Roger and his friend first 
 carried down the bundles of clothing, and then took up the 
 rugs containing the heavy gold ornaments, Roger taking in 
 addition the small parcel with the jewels. The attendants 
 then took up their own bundles, and the whole party pro- 
 ceeded downstairs, and out into the garden. Cuitcatl led the 
 way with the queen. Roger followed with Amenche, the two 
 ladies with the porters came behind. 
 
 " How strange," Roger said ; " last time I came at night 
 through this garden, I was a fugitive, and you came down to 
 bid me farewell : now it is you who have to fly 1 " 
 
 " When shall we meet again ? " the girl sobbed. 
 
 " I cannot tell you, dear ; but if I live we will meet again. 
 Things may right themselves yet, and at least, whatever 
 happens to this unfortunate country, we may be happy 
 together. I have a good friend in Malinche, and if the 
 Spaniards conquer, Cortez will certainly give me leave to 
 marry you ; it is his policy to mai-ry his soldiers to the 
 daughters of Mexicans. If Cortez fails, and the Spaniards 
 are finally driven out, Cacama will recover his own again, and 
 can then proclaim that I am not of Spanish birth, and can 
 give you to me. So you see that whatever comes there is hope 
 that things will go happily with us."
 
 276 "l SHALL LOVE YOU UNTIL DEATH." 
 
 " I am afraid, Roger. I fear there is to be no happiness in 
 this unfortunate country." 
 
 " Then we must leave it together," Roger said cheerfully. 
 " You are naturally depressed now, and see things in their 
 darkest light ; but you will grow more hopeful again when you 
 are once established in Cuitcatl's home. Arrange with him 
 for Bathalda to act as messenger between us : he is faithful 
 and brave, and will manage to reach me whatever comes 
 of it." 
 
 A few minutes later they were beyond the gardens, the 
 four litters stood ready, the queen and princess and the two 
 ladies took their seats in them, and the three bundles of 
 valuables were also placed inside. 
 
 " I shall love you I shall love you until death," Amenche 
 sobbed out, and then the procession moved away, leaving 
 Roger standing by himself. Skirting the outside wall of the 
 garden, he made his way to the shore of the lake. 
 
 He found the boatmen asleep in their canoe. As soon 
 as he aroused them, they seized their paddles, and on his 
 taking his seat pushed off. 
 
 " There is no occasion for speed," he said ; " it is but two 
 o'clock now, and it is of no use our reaching Mexico vmtil 
 daybreak, for the gates of the palace will be closed, and there 
 will be no getting in, dressed as I am, until sunrise." 
 
 They therefore paddled quietly across the lake, often resting 
 for a considerable time, and so arranging that they approached 
 the city at the same time as a number of market boats from 
 the villages on the lake. 
 
 " Well," Malinche asked with a smile, as he met her in 
 one of the courts as he entered, " and where is your lady- 
 love?" 
 
 "I have not brought her here," he said, rather indignantly. 
 " You did not suppose that I was going to bring her back to 
 a barrack-room ; I am not an officer to have a suite of apart- 
 ments to myself. Besides, if I could have had the whole palace 
 to myself, I should not have asked her to forsake her sister-in- 
 law in her distress. The two have fled together, and when the
 
 THE PRISONER. 277 
 
 usurper arrives there to-day, he will find that no one knows 
 where they have gone. However, I hope he will not trouble 
 himself about them ; after having taken Cacama's place, he 
 could hardly wish to have Cacama's wife there, and I think he 
 will be very glad when he hears that she has left. Can I see 
 Cacama? I should like to tell him that his wife is in safety.'' 
 
 " I will take you with me," Malinche said. " I saw him 
 yesterday when he was brought before Montezuma; he is a 
 gallant prince, and I grieve that misfortune has befallen him." 
 
 Malinche led the way to the prison room where Cacama was 
 confined. The sentries at the door passed her and her com- 
 panion without hesitation, for they knew that her influence 
 was supreme with Cortez, and that orders did not apply to 
 her. 
 
 " I will come again for you in half an hour," she said, as 
 the sentry unbolted the door. 
 
 Cacama was lying on a couch covered with rough mats. 
 He sat up as the door opened, and leapt to his feet with an 
 exclamation of satisfaction when he saw who his visitor was. 
 
 "I have been longing to see you, Roger," he said. "1 
 knew that you would come to me as soon as you could. 
 Have you heard that Montezuma has deposed me, and 
 appointed Cuicuitzca Lord of Tezcuco?" 
 
 " I heard it yesterday afternoon, Cacama, and crossed at 
 nightfall to Tezcuco with the news." 
 
 " You saw my wife 1 " Cacama asked eagerly. " How is 
 she ? How does she bear the blow ? " 
 
 " She was lost in grief when I first arrived there, but the 
 necessity for action aroused her. She and Ainenche agreed 
 that they would not await the coming of the usurper to-day. 
 They left the palace secretly, under the charge of Cuitcatl, 
 who had litters in readiness for them, and started for his 
 house, which he placed at their disposal. None save two 
 attendants, whom they took with them, knew that they had 
 left ; and should the usurper seek for them which, Cuitcatl 
 agreed with me, is not likely to be the case, as he will have 
 enough to occupy his time and thoughts it will be long
 
 278 CACAMA APPROVES. 
 
 before he can find whither they have gone. I must tell you, 
 Prince, that the queen last night opened the secret treasury, 
 and took with her a considerable amount of the gold ornaments 
 and the precious stones, so that she should have the means, 
 if opportunity occur, of offering bribes either to the nobles of 
 Tezcuco, or to your guards here." 
 
 " I would I were free but for an hour," Cacama said 
 passionately ; " I would make an example of the treacherous 
 nobles who betrayed ua The queen has done well in going 
 to the secret chamber. It was to be kept for an emergency, 
 and never was there a greater emergency for Tezcuco than 
 now. Still, there were a large number of jewels in the public 
 treasury, which she might have taken without breaking in 
 upon the hoard." 
 
 " She thought that Cuicuitzca would, on his arrival, inquire 
 from the chief of the treasury if everything was untouched ; 
 if he had found that a large number of valuables had been 
 taken, he would connect it with the flight, and would at once 
 send in all directions to overtake them ; whereas, if he found 
 that everything were untouched, he would think no more 
 of her." 
 
 "Quite right," Cacama agreed. " Yes, it was certainly better 
 to open the secret chamber. It was closed up again, I hope ; 
 for I would not that all the treasure which my father and 
 grandfather stored away should be wasted by Cuicuitzca, or 
 fall into the hands of his greedy friends the Spaniards." 
 
 Roger informed him of the steps that had been taken, and 
 that, with the exception of the fact that the plaster had 
 been removed, all was exactly as before, and that the entrance 
 could never be discovered unless the cupboard was torn from 
 its place. 
 
 "There is little fear of that being done. All the shelves 
 and fittings of the treasury are of the plainest wood, and 
 offer no inducement to anyone to take the trouble to break 
 them down. The treasury might be sacked a do/en times 
 without its occurring to anyone to break down that solid 
 cupboard in the corner."
 
 THE TIME WILL COME. 279 
 
 Roger now told Cacama of the arrangement that had been 
 made that Bathalda should act as messenger between himself 
 and Amenche, and said he doubted not that on the following 
 day the man would present himself. 
 
 " Have you any message to send to the queen ? " he asked. 
 
 "Tell her that I am well, and that I am delighted to 
 hear she has left the palace before Cuicuitzca arrives. Bid 
 her on no account to try to stir up the false nobles in my 
 favour, they would only betray her to Montezuma : and so 
 long as the Spaniards are masters here it is useless to think 
 of revolt elsewhere. I do not believe that this will last long. 
 The Mexicans are patient and submissive, but there is a limit, 
 and Montezuma has almost reached it. The time cannot be 
 far off when the people will no longer endure the present 
 state of things here ; and when they rise they will overwhelm 
 these Spanish tyrants, and then I shall be freed. I can wait 
 for a few weeks, and I shall doubtless have companions here 
 ere long." 
 
 The door now opened, and Malinche looking in told Roger 
 that he must leave, as she was required by Oortez. Saying 
 good-bye to Cacama, therefore, he returned to his quarters. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE INSURRECTION. 
 
 /^jACAMA'S prognostication was speedily verified; for in 
 \J the course of the next two or three days, all the 
 nobles who had joined him in preparations for a rising were, 
 by Montezuma's orders, arrested and sent in in chains, and 
 were placed with him in prison. Bathalda came on the 
 day after Roger's return, with the news that the two ladies 
 had reached Cuitcatl's house in safety, and, as they believed, 
 without exciting observation. The queen was anxious to 
 know if he had seen Cacama, and whether her husband had
 
 280 FABULOUS WEALTH. 
 
 any instructions for her. Amenche simply sent him some 
 flowers gathered by her own hand. Roger gave Bathalda 
 Cacama's message to the queen. While out in the market, 
 he purchased a large packet of choice and delicate sweet- 
 meats, of which he knew Amenche was particularly fond, and 
 gave them to Bathalda, with the message that he would some 
 day teach her to read and write, and then when they were 
 away from each other, they could talk at a distance. 
 
 For some little time things went on quietly, but the Spanish 
 greed and bigotry gradually worked the Mexicans up to a 
 point of fury. At the suggestion of Cortez, Montezuma sent 
 collectors to all the principal cities and provinces, accompanied 
 by Spaniards, and these brought back immense quantities of 
 gold and silver plate and other valuables, and to these Monte- 
 zuma added an enormous treasure that had been accumulated 
 and hidden by his father, amounting to a sum which astounded 
 even the Spaniards. The value of the gold alone was equal 
 to nearly a million and a half pounds sterling in the present 
 day, besides a vast amount of gold ornaments and jewellery, 
 and feather-work of excellent manufacture. A fifth of this was 
 set aside for the King of Spain, the rest divided among the 
 officers and soldiers. 
 
 Even the extortion of this vast sum from the people might 
 have been passed over in quiet had the Spaniards been con- 
 tent to abstain from interference with their religion, but 
 during the weeks that had elapsed since Montezuma had been 
 a prisoner in their hands, they had vainly endeavoured to 
 convert the emperor and the nobles and attendants on him to 
 Christianity. They had listened attentively to the preaching 
 and exhortations of Father Olmedo; but their faith in their 
 own gods was unshaken, the bloody sacrifices were carried on 
 as usual in the temples, and these horrible spectacles natur- 
 ally excited the wrath and indignation of the Spaniards to 
 the utmost, although they themselves had in Cuba and the 
 islands put to death great numbers of the natives in pursuance 
 of their own religious views. Cortez, with many of his leaders, 
 went to the emperor, and told him that they would no longer
 
 A WARNING. 281 
 
 consent to have the services of their religion conducted in the 
 palace, but wished to celebrate them publicly; and therefore 
 requested that the great temple should be handed over to 
 them for their services. 
 
 Montezuma was much agitated ; he was a devout believer 
 in his gods, and his conduct towards the Spaniards had been 
 in no slight degree influenced by the belief that their coming 
 had been foretold by Quetzalcoatl, and that they were the 
 descendants of that god. However, after a conference with the 
 priests, he consented that they should occupy one of the sanc- 
 tuaries on the summit of the temple. Great joy was caused 
 among the Spaniards at this permission. They at once took 
 possession of the sanctuary, and thoroughly cleansed it ; they 
 then decorated its walls with flowers, and raised an altar, 
 surmounted by a crucifix, and an image of the "Virgin. When 
 all was ready the whole army moved up the winding ascent to 
 the summit, and a solemn Mass was celebrated. 
 
 The result of this occupation of the temple of their god was 
 soon visible in the conduct of the Mexicans. Montezuma 
 himself became grave and distant towards the Spaniards ; and 
 a few days later sent for Cortez, and informed them that they 
 were in great danger, and that they had best leave the country 
 at once. Cortez replied that he should regret to leave the 
 capital so suddenly, when he had no ship to take him from the 
 country ; but that if he should be driven to take such a step 
 he should feel compelled to carry the emperor along with him. 
 
 Montezuma then agreed to send at once a number of work- 
 men to the coast to build vessels under the instructions of the 
 Spaniards, and promised to use his authority to restrain his 
 people, assuring them that the Spaniards would leave as soon 
 as means were provided. A large number of artisans were 
 accordingly sent off at once, with some of the Spaniards most 
 skilled in ship-building, and on their arrival at the coast they 
 began to fell trees, and to make all preparations for building 
 the vessels. 
 
 In the meantime at Mexico every precaution was taken by 
 the Spaniards. Since Montezuma had been in their hands they
 
 282 A HOSTILE ARMY. 
 
 had felt in perfect security, had wandered about the city and 
 neighbouring country as they chose, fished upon the lake, and 
 hunted in the royal preserves. Now the utmost vigilance was 
 observed, strong guards were mounted, the soldiers slept in 
 their armour with their arms beside them, and were no longer 
 permitted to leave the palace. 
 
 At this moment news arrived that filled the mind even of 
 Cortez with consternation. The expedition that he felt sure 
 Velasquez, the Governor of Cuba, would despatch against him, 
 had arrived on the coast, and had landed. It consisted of 
 eighteen vessels, carrying nine hundred men, of whom eighty 
 were cavalry. So large a fleet had never before been collected 
 in the Indies. It was commanded by a Castilian noble, named 
 Panfilo de Narvaez. Until they arrived at the coast they had 
 learnt very little of what was happening in Mexico, as the 
 vessels which Cortez had despatched had avoided touching at 
 the islands. They now learnt from the Spaniards left on the 
 coast all that had taken place ; and Narvaez found with 
 indignation that Cortez was the conqueror of a great empire, 
 and that the honour and wealth had been reaped by a man 
 whom he considered as an insolent adventurer, instead of by 
 Velasquez. He therefore at once proclaimed his intention to 
 march against Cortez, and to punish him for his rebellion, and 
 the natives who had flocked to his camp soon comprehended 
 that the new army had arrived as enemies, and not as friends, 
 of the white men who had preceded them. 
 
 A small body of the troops of Cortez, commanded by 
 Sandoval, were in garrison at Villa Rica ; and he at once des- 
 patched a messenger with the news to Cortez and prepared 
 for a vigorous defence. A priest, a noble, and four Spaniards 
 who arrived from Narvaez, ordering him to surrender, were 
 bound, placed on the backs of Indian porters, and sent off to 
 Mexico under a strong guard. 
 
 When the news of the arrival of the force of Narvaez 
 reached Mexico the soldiers were delighted, believing that 
 means were now at their disposal for their return home ; but 
 when they heard from their officers that the new-comers were
 
 PEACEABLE OVERTURES REJECTED. 283 
 
 sent by the Governor of Cuba, and had assuredly arrived as 
 enemies, the troops declared that come what might, they would 
 remain true to their leader. 
 
 On the arrival of the prisoners, Cortez received them with 
 the greatest courtesy, apologized for the rough conduct of 
 Sandoval, and loading them with presents converted them 
 into allies. He learned from the priest that the soldiers of 
 Narvaez had no hostility towards them, and that the arro- 
 gance of their leader caused much discontent among them. 
 
 When he was sure of the good offices of the priest, Cortez 
 sent him back with a friendly letter to Narvaez, whom he 
 adjured to lay aside his hostile designs, which if persisted in 
 might cause the loss of all the conquests he had made. He 
 was ready, he said, to greet him as a brother, and to share 
 with him the fruits of his successes. The priest fulfilled his 
 mission, and added his own advice that the offers of Cortez 
 should be accepted. Narvaez rejected the counsel with scorn, 
 but the accounts of the priest of the splendour of the country, 
 the rich spoils won by the soldiers, and also of the generosity 
 and popularity of Cortez, exercised a great influence over the 
 soldiers. 
 
 The priest was followed by Father Olmedo with some more 
 letters. These were similarly rejected by Narvaez, but Olmedo 
 during his stay at the camp, contrived largely to add to the 
 feeling in favour of Cortez, by his eloquence and the numerous 
 presents he distributed among the officers and soldiers. Cortez 
 had some time before despatched Don Velasquez de Leon, 
 one of his trusted officers, with a hundred and fifty men, 
 to plant a colony near the mouth of one of the great rivers. 
 He was a kinsman of the Governor of Cuba, and Narvaez had 
 on landing sent to him begging him to quit the service of Cortez 
 and march with his troops to join him. 
 
 Velasquez, instead of doing so, set out at once for Mexico, 
 but on his way was met by a messenger from Cortez, who 
 ordered him to stop at Cholula for further orders. Cortez 
 summoned a force of two thousand natives from the distant 
 province of Chinantla, and leaving Pedro d'Alvarado in
 
 284 AN EASY VICTORY. 
 
 command of a hundred and fifty Spaniards in Mexico, marched 
 with the remainder of his force, consisting of some seventy 
 men only, for Cholula. 
 
 Here he was joined by Velasquez with his hundred and 
 fifty men. Thus reinforced they marched to Tlascala, where 
 six hundred native troops joined him. But his allies soon fell 
 off. They had had too severe an experience of the fighting 
 powers of the white men to care about taking part in a battle 
 with them, and so many deserted on the way that Cortez dis- 
 missed the rest, saying that he would rather part with them 
 then than in the hour of trial. On reaching Perote they were 
 joined by Sandoval with fifty Spaniards, which brought their 
 number up to two hundred and sixty-six, only five of whom 
 were mounted. On their march towards Cempoalla, where 
 Narvaez had now established his headquarters, they were met 
 by an embassy from him, requiring the acknowledgment by 
 Cortez of his authority, offering at the same time that all who 
 wished to leave should be transported in his vessels. 
 
 By liberal presents Cortez won over the members of the 
 embassy, who returned to Cempoalla to inform the soldiers 
 there of the liberality of Cortez, and of the wonderful array of 
 gold ornaments and chains worn by his soldiers. Narvaez 
 advanced to meet Cortez, but the weather proving bad again 
 fell back on Cempoalla. Cortez, on the other hand, took 
 advantage of the weather, and in the night fell upon the 
 garrison, and took them completely by surprise. 
 
 Sandoval, with a small band, had been told off to attack 
 the temple occupied by Narvaez, and to take him prisoner. 
 The general, with the troops in the temple, defended himself 
 bravely until seriously wounded by one of the long spears with 
 which Cortez had armed his men. The thatched roof of the 
 temple was set on fire, the defenders were driven out by the 
 smoke, and Narvaez was seized and made prisoner. Another 
 division under Olid fell upon the guns, captured them, and 
 turned them upon the temples in which the troops were 
 quartered, when the soldiers, whose loyalty to their commander 
 had already been sapped, accepted the offer of Cortez of an
 
 STARTLING NEWS. 285 
 
 amnesty for the past, and a full participation in the advantages 
 of the conquest of the country. Having sworn allegiance to 
 Cortez as captain-general they were incorporated in his little 
 army. 
 
 In the morning, when they saw how small had been the 
 body of men who had defeated them, many regretted the course 
 they had taken, but in the course of the day the two thousand 
 native allies from Chinantla arrived, and their military appear- 
 ance, and the proof afforded by their presence of the influence 
 of Cortez with the inhabitants of the country, put a stop to the 
 murmuring, especially as Cortez ordered all the spoils taken 
 from them to be returned, and distributed among them con- 
 siderable sums of money exciting, indeed, murmurs of dis- 
 content among his own veterans, who considered that they had 
 been deprived of the spoil they had rightfully won. 
 
 The eloquence of their general, however, as usual, was suc- 
 cessful in pacifying them ; but to prevent further difficulties, 
 he broke up his force, and sent off two hundred men under 
 Diego de Ordaz and a similar number under Velasquez de Leon, 
 to form settlements on the coasts and rivers, and two hundred 
 men to Vera Cruz to dismantle the fleet of Narvaez. Scarcely 
 had these parties left, when a messenger arrived with letters 
 from Alvarado, saying that the Mexicans had risen and 
 assaulted the Spaniards in their quarters, and had partly 
 undermined the walls, and that in the fighting several of the 
 garrison had been killed and a great number wounded. Cortez 
 at once despatched messengers after Velasquez and Ordaz, and 
 ordered them to march to join him at Tlascala, recalled a 
 hundred men from Vera Cruz, and then set forward. 
 
 The troops suffered much in their march across the low 
 country to the foot of the hills, beneath a sun of terrible 
 power. However, they reached Tlascala, and were there joined 
 by Ordaz and Velasquez. They were most hospitably enter- 
 tained by their allies, and a number of levies joined them, and 
 with these and eleven hundred Spaniards, of whom a hundred 
 were cavalry, they marched towards Mexico. They took a more 
 northern route than before, and crossing the mountains held
 
 286 A FOUL MASSACRE. 
 
 their way on to Tezcuco. Upon their route through the plains 
 the peasantry held aloof, and the greater portion of the popula- 
 tion of Tezcuco withdrew before their arrival, and even its 
 new lord, although appointed at the instigation of Cortez, 
 was absent from the city. Despatches arrived from Alvarado 
 saying that the Mexicans had for the last fortnight ceased 
 their attacks, but were blockading him in the palace. 
 
 Cortez marched down the lake shore on the following day 
 and crossed the causeway to the city. Not a native was to be 
 seen near the line of march, not a boat was visible on the 
 lake, and an air of gloom and solitude hung over everything, 
 showing but too plainly the altered feelings with which the 
 natives regarded the Whites. The streets were similarly 
 deserted. When the head of the column reached the palace 
 the gates were thrown open and the garrison rushed out to 
 greet the new-comers with joyful shouts. 
 
 Cortez now learned the reason of the rising of the Mexicans. 
 It was the result of a hideous act of treachery on the part 
 of Alvarado. In the month of May was the great festival of 
 the war god, which was held in his great temple, and the caciques 
 asked permission of Alvarado to use for the day that portion 
 which had been handed over to the Spaniards. He agreed to 
 the request on the condition that the Aztecs should celebrate 
 no human sacrifices, and should come unarmed. At least six 
 hundred nobles attended in their most gorgeous robes, and 
 Alvarado and his soldiers were present as spectators. While 
 the Aztecs were employed in a religious dance, Alvarado gave 
 the signal, his men rushed upon them with their arms, and 
 every one of them was massacred unresistingly, not a single 
 soul escaping. 
 
 Various motives were assigned for this most foul massacre ; 
 some writers have ascribed it solely to the desire for plunder ; 
 others to the desire of Alvarado to strike a blow that would 
 intimidate the Mexicans from making any insurrectionary move- 
 ment. Alvarado himself declared that he had information 
 that the Mexicans intended to rise, but he gave no proofs 
 whatever to justify his suspicions. The affair, indeed, seems
 
 A FUKIOUS ATTACK. 287 
 
 to have been utterly indefensible, and must ever remain a 
 foul blot upon Spanish honour. 
 
 Cortez was extremely angry at hearing what had taken 
 place, and after listening to Alvarado's explanation, said : 
 " You have done badly ; you have been false to your trust ! 
 Your conduct has been that of a madman ! " 
 
 It was, however, no time for quarrels ; and as it was the 
 impolicy of the deed, rather than its treachery, that angered 
 Cortez, he speedily forgave the offender, who was one of the 
 most popular officers in his army. 
 
 The Wow Alvarado had struck had a contrary effect to 
 that which he had expected of it. No sooner had the news 
 of the massacre spread through the city than the whole 
 population rose, and at dawn next morning they attacked the 
 palace with desperate fury. Volumes of missiles were poured 
 upon the defenders. The walls were assaulted, and the works 
 set on fire, and the palace might have been taken had not 
 Montezuma, yielding to the entreaties and perhaps threats 
 of the garrison, mounted the walls, and urged the people to 
 desist from the attack, as his own safety would be imperilled 
 did they continue it. 
 
 They obeyed him as usual, and withdrew from the assault, 
 but threw up works round the place and proceeded to starve 
 the Spaniards out. The latter had considerable stores of food, 
 but suffered severely from thirst until they were fortunate 
 enough to discover a spring, and were thus enabled to hold 
 out until the arrival of Cortez. 
 
 The latter refused to comply with the request of Montezuma 
 to see him. He had some reason to doubt the good faith of the 
 emperor, for he had discovered that the latter had sent envoys 
 to Narvaez; and he had upon his arrival at Tlascala been 
 informed that the rising at Mexico had been to a great extent 
 prepared beforehand by the orders of Montezuma, and even 
 the assurances of the officers of the garrison that they owed 
 their safety to the emperor's intervention did not pacify 
 him. The real reason, no doubt, of his anger was that he 
 found he had overrated the advantages he would gain from
 
 288 A FRESH INSULT. 
 
 Montezuma being in his hands ; but for this he himself, and 
 not the emperor, was to blame. 
 
 At first the capture had all the success that he had expected 
 from it. The people had obeyed their emperor as implicitly 
 when a captive as when his power had been supreme ; they had 
 sent in their nobles prisoners and bound at his orders ; they 
 had built ships for these strangers ; they had suffered them to 
 go unmolested through the country; but there was an end 
 even to Aztec patience. 
 
 The avarice of the white men had drained the country of 
 its wealth ; their arrogance had humiliated their pride ; their 
 occupation of their holiest temple and the insults to their gods 
 had aroused them to fury, and the massacre in cold blood of 
 six hundred of their nobles while engaged in religious devotions 
 had been the signal for an explosion. 
 
 Their emperor, formerly so venerated, they now regarded 
 with contempt, as the creature of the Spaniards, as the betrayer 
 of his country, and the thought of his safety no longer restrained 
 their thirst for vengeance. 
 
 Cortez, however, was in no mood to reflect. 
 
 " What have I to do with this dog of a king," he exclaimed, 
 " who suffers us to starve before his eyes ? Go, tell your master 
 and his people," he said, fiercely, to the Mexicans, " to open 
 the markets, or we will do it for them at their cost ! " 
 
 The chiefs, who were the bearers of Montezuma's message, 
 left his presence in deep resentment, and reported to the 
 emperor and to the people outside the manner in which 
 Montezuma's request for an interview had been refused. 
 Cortez, however, thought it politic to release Cuitlahua, 
 Montezuma's brother, who had been among those imprisoned 
 for taking share in Cacama's league, and allowed him to go 
 into the city, thinking that he would allay the tumult. But 
 Cuitlahua was a man of different spirit from his brother, he 
 was heir-presumptive to the throne and a bold and daring 
 prince. The people welcomed him at once as Montezuma's 
 representative, and chose him to represent the emperor during 
 his confinement. Cuitlahua accepted the post, and immediately
 
 "YOU ABB OUT OF SPIRITS, YOUNG FELLOW." 289 
 
 set to work to organize the fighting men and to arrange a plan 
 of attack. 
 
 Roger had not been with the party that accompanied Cortez 
 on his expedition against Narvaez, but with his two companions 
 remained to form part of the garrison of the palace. 
 
 " You are out of spirits, young fellow," Juan said on the 
 day after Cortez had marched away ; " you are changed very 
 much since you first joined us." 
 
 " I have much to make me so, Juan," Roger replied, in his 
 broken Spanish : " you see I am white by blood, but I have 
 dear friends among the natives. What do I see ? As a white 
 I perceive that our position here is one of the gravest danger, 
 and that destruction may fall upon us all. As a friend of 
 the natives I see the country plundered, the people trodden 
 down, and sooner or later the ruin and misery of the whole 
 people." 
 
 " You mean we are in danger from Narvaez's people," Juan 
 said. " I have faith in Cortez : he will either fight them or 
 bring them over. He is a wonderful man, and will find some 
 way out of the difficulty." 
 
 " I do not mean that entirely " Roger replied ; " I mean 
 that there is danger from the natives." 
 
 " Pooh ! " the old soldier said disdainfully. " The natives are 
 no better than so many women." 
 
 " But even women may be serious opponents when they 
 are fifty to one, Juan; and you mistake these Mexicans. 
 They have been friendly and submissive, because it has 
 been the order of the emperor, but although physically not 
 strong they are brave. The Aztec army has spread the 
 dominion of Mexico over a wide extent of country; they 
 have conquered many peoples, and are by no means to be 
 despised. It is true you beat the Tlascalans, but that was 
 not because you were braver than they were, but because 
 of your superior arms and armour, and above all by the 
 terror inspired by your horses but this will not last; the 
 Mexicans now know that you are but men, like themselves ; 
 and when they fight, inspired both by national spirit and the 
 
 (618) T
 
 290 ROGER'S POSITION. 
 
 memory of their wrongs, I tell you that you will have hard 
 work to hold your own." 
 
 " Ah well ; " Juan grumbled ; " if it must come it must, it 
 will not disturb my appetite." 
 
 When Roger learned that orders had been given for the 
 massacre at the temple, he determined firmly that he would take 
 no part in the deed, whatever it might cost him to refuse. 
 Fortunately he found no difficulty in persuading one of the 
 soldiers, told off to act as a guard at the palace during the 
 absence of the rest, to change places with him, as the man 
 wanted to have his share in the expected plunder. Had 
 Cacama been at liberty, Roger would not have hesitated a 
 moment, but would have left the Spaniards and thrown in his 
 lot with the Mexicans ; but now it was impossible to do so. 
 The frenzied population would have seized any white man they 
 came upon outside the walls of the palace, and would have 
 carried him to the altars of their gods. 
 
 It would be hopeless to endeavour to explain that he was 
 of another race. All white men would be alike in their eyes. 
 He bitterly regretted now that he had returned from Tezcuco. 
 Had he at that time gone with the queen and princess to the 
 house of his friend Cuitcatl, he could have remained there in 
 quiet, and the natives would have seen that he, at least, had no 
 part or share in this horrible massacre. Now it seemed to him, 
 that there was nothing to be done, save to share the lot of the 
 Spaniards, whatever that might be. He believed that the 
 Mexicans would storm the palace, and slaughter all within it, 
 long before the return of Cortez, and he by no means shared 
 the confident anticipation of the soldiers, that the general 
 on his arrival would very speedily put down any insurrection 
 that might occur, and would with the assistance of the soldiers 
 of Narvaez soon bring all Mexico into subjection. 
 
 It had happened that both Juan and Pedro had also been 
 on guard during the massacre. This was a great satisfaction to 
 him, for he felt he could no longer have remained in inti- 
 mate communion with them, had their hands been drenched 
 with innocent blood. When, upon their being relieved at their
 
 "IT IS A BAD BUSINESS." 291 
 
 posts, they joined each other in the chamber they shared in 
 common, the old soldier held up his hand and said gruffly : 
 
 " Do you hold your tongue, Sancho. I know what you are 
 thinking, lad, as well as if you said it ; and maybe I do not 
 disagree with you, but least said soonest mended. These 
 rooms without doors are not places for a man to relieve his 
 mind by strong language, if he happens to differ from his 
 superiors. It is a bad business and a shameful one. At 
 Cholula there was some excuse for it ; here there is none. I 
 am an old soldier, and have taken many a life in my time, but 
 never in cold blood like this. Say nothing, lad, at any rate 
 until you get a chance of being outside this city, or on the 
 lake, where none can get near you then pour it out as much 
 as you like." 
 
 " It is like enough," Roger said, " that none of us will ever 
 go out of the city alive, and it will serve us thoroughly 
 right. If this is to be a Spaniard and a Catholic let me be a 
 Mexican and a heathen." 
 
 " There, there, that is enough," Juan interrupted. " Now 
 let us have our supper." 
 
 " I can eat nothing," Roger said, throwing himself down on 
 the couch, where he remained in silence until a sudden outburst 
 of wild shouts and cries, followed instantly by the trumpet 
 calling every man to his allotted place on the walls aroused 
 him. 
 
 "The work of vengeance has begun," he said, gravely, as 
 he put on his thick padded jerkin and helmet, and took up his 
 pike. " I only hope I may see Alvarado, the author of this 
 massacre, killed before I am." 
 
 Juan shook his head as Roger left the room, and he followed 
 with Pedro. 
 
 " In faith I do not blame him, he has been brought up 
 among these people." 
 
 " He is quite right," the young soldier said : "it is a shame- 
 ful business. Had 1 known that we were coming here to be 
 butchers I would never have taken service under Cortez. 
 What should we have said if, on our first arrival here, when
 
 292 "THE THING is DONE." 
 
 Montezuma entertained Cortez and all the cavaliers, his people 
 had slain them at the feast ? " 
 
 " Hold your tongue, you young fool ! " Juan muttered angrily. 
 " The thing is done, and you cannot undo it. What we have 
 to do now is to fight for our lives ; even if these poor devils 
 have right on their side, it is not a matter to stop and discuss 
 now ; so keep your breath for fighting. I doubt not that we 
 shall soon scatter them like chaff." 
 
 But this was by no means the case, and it was only the 
 intervention of Montezuma that saved the garrison from 
 destruction. 
 
 The time until the arrival of Cortez had passed slowly. 
 The soldiers, weakened by hunger and thirst, muttered angrily 
 against the officer who had so rashly brought them into this 
 strait. Few of them regretted the deed for its own sake, but 
 simply because it had brought on them peril and misfortune. 
 Roger had borne his share of the fighting on the walls. He 
 was defending his life, and although at first he had fought 
 with little ardour, the pain given by two arrows which pierced 
 his cotton armour heated his blood, and he afterwards fought 
 as stoutly as the rest. 
 
 During the period of inaction he had more than once tried 
 to obtain an interview with Gacama ; but the prisoners were 
 jealously watched, and no one was allowed access to them on 
 any pretext, and two officers always accompanied the men 
 who took in their daily rations. They were regarded as 
 hostages, only less important than Montezuma himself ; and 
 as most of them were very rich and powerful caciques, they 
 might offer bribes which might well shake the fidelity of any 
 private soldier. 
 
 When the news arrived that Cortez, with the whole of the 
 army of Narvaez, was at hand, the depression that had reigned 
 gave way to exultation, and the soldiers believed that they 
 would now take the offensive, and without loss of time put an 
 end to the insurrection. 
 
 Marina had accompanied Cortez on his expedition, for she 
 was still necessary to him as an interpreter, and her influence
 
 "MY HEART IS BROKEN, ROGER." 293 
 
 with the natives was great. Roger obtained an interview with 
 her a few hours after her return. She had evidently been 
 crying passionately. 
 
 " My heart is broken, Roger," she said. " I had hoped that 
 the white men would have done great things for my country. 
 They know so much, and although I thought there might be 
 trouble at first, for great changes can never be introduced 
 without trouble, I never dreamt of anything like this. Cholula 
 was bad enough ; but there the people brought it on themselves, 
 and the Spaniards would have been slain had they not first 
 begun to kill ; but here it is altogether different. It was an 
 unprovoked massacre, and after this, who can hope that the 
 Whites and Mexicans can ever be friendly together ? I love 
 Cortez, he is great and generous, and had he been here this 
 would have never happened ; but many of his people are cruel, 
 and they are all greedy of wealth, and he, general though 
 he is, has to give way to them. 
 
 " I remember that in the old days at Tabasco you told me 
 how cruelly the Spaniards had treated the people of the 
 islands ; but when I saw them first, I thought that you, being 
 of a different nation, had spoken too hardly of them. I see, 
 now, that you were right. I have all along done what I could 
 for my people, and though I am with the invaders, I am sure 
 they recognize this, and tnat they feel no ill-will against me ; 
 but now I fear that they will curse me as they will curse 
 them, and that through all time my name will be abhorred in 
 Mexico," and she again burst into tears. 
 
 "I do not think so, Malinche. At Tezcuco it was always 
 said that you stood between the natives and the Whites, and 
 it was owing to you that they were not more harsh than they 
 were. As to this massacre, God forbid that I should say a 
 single word in defence of it ! As a white man and a Christian, 
 I feel it is an act of horrible atrocity ; but it should not make 
 such an impression upon your people, who make wars solely to 
 obtain victims whom they may sacrifice at the altars of their 
 gods ; and who every year slay in cold blood fully twenty-five 
 thousand people wno have done them no wrong. By the side
 
 294 " WHAT WILL YOU DO, ROGER ? " 
 
 of such horrible slaughter as this the murder of six hundred the 
 other day was but a drop in the ocean of blood annually shed 
 here." 
 
 " Had it been in battle it would have been nothing," Malinche 
 said. " Had they offered them up at the altars of the gods, 
 the people would have understood it, for they do it themselves ; 
 but this was a foul act of treachery. Who, after this, can 
 believe in the promises of the Whites? I know the people. 
 You Whites despise them because they have hitherto allowed 
 themselves to be subdued without resistance; but now that 
 their first awe of the Spaniards has died away, and they have 
 nerved themselves to take up arms, you will find that they 
 are brave. I see nothing but trouble before us. Cortez feels 
 confident that he can easily repulse any attack, and subdue 
 the city and the country round ; but I do not think so." 
 
 "Nor do I, Malinche. No men could have fought more 
 bravely than the Mexicans the other day. It is true that we 
 were but in small numbers, and that we are now many times 
 stronger, and have Cortez to command us; but on the other 
 hand, the attack was but a hasty one, and the next time we 
 shall have the whole Mexican force upon us." 
 
 " What will you do, Roger? " 
 
 " I must fight for the Spaniards," Roger said gloomily. 
 "They are not my countrymen, but they are white men as 
 I am, and surrounded by foes; besides, I have no option. 
 The Mexicans cannot distinguish between Spaniards and 
 Englishmen, and I should be seized and sacrificed were I to 
 set foot beyond the walls. Were it not for that I would leave 
 the city, join Amenche, and leave the Spaniards and Mexicans 
 to fight out their quarrel as they might ; but now whichever 
 won the result would be fatal to me. If the Mexicans were 
 victorious, I, like all other Whites, would be sacrificed to their 
 gods ; if the Spaniards won I should be executed as a traitor. 
 Therefore, there is nothing for me to do but to remain with 
 the Spaniards, and share their fate, whatever it may be." 
 
 The next morning silence reigned over the city, not a 
 Mexican was to be seen anywhere near the palace, within
 
 THE MESSENGER RETURNS AT A GALLOP WOUNDED 
 IN A SCORE OK PLACES.
 
 THE MEXICANS' ADVANCE. 295 
 
 which the Spaniards were virtually prisoners. Cortez hoped 
 however, that Cuitlahua would soon persuade the people to 
 return to their usual habits, and to open the markets for 
 provisions ; but in any case he felt so confident of his power to 
 overawe the city, that he sent off a messenger with despatches 
 to the coast, saying that he had arrived safely, and should 
 soon overcome all opposition. In half-an-hour, however, the 
 messenger returned at a gallop wounded in a score of places. 
 He reported that the city was up in arms, the drawbridges 
 were raised, and the Mexicans were marching towards the 
 palace. 
 
 Scarcely had he arrived when the sentinels on the towers 
 shouted that masses of men were approaching by all the streets 
 leading to the palace, and immediately afterwards the terraces 
 and flat roofs of the houses near were darkened by throngs of 
 natives, shouting and brandishing their weapons. The trumpet 
 instantly sounded to arms, and so strict was the discipline 
 that prevailed, that in an incredibly short time every soldier 
 was at his post. The position was capable of being defended 
 against a very numerous enemy unprovided with artillery, for 
 the wall round the great one-storied building though low was 
 strong, and the turrets, placed at intervals upon it, enabled 
 the defenders to command its face, and to pour missiles upon 
 any who might be bold enough to endeavour to effect a breach 
 by undermining it with crowbars and levers. The garrison, 
 too, were sufficient for its defence, for there were not only some 
 twelve hundred Spaniards, but the eight thousand Tlascalan 
 allies. 
 
 The Aztecs rushed forward with the shrill whistle used as a 
 battle-cry by the people of Anahuac, and as they advanced 
 poured a rain of missiles of all kinds upon the palace, to 
 which were added those shot from the terraces and flat roofs. 
 
 The Spaniards had pierced the walls with embrasures for their 
 cannon, and these commanded all the avenues. The gunners 
 waited until the columns were close at hand, and then their 
 terrible discharge swept lanes through the crowded masses in 
 the streets. For a moment the Mexicans paused, paralyzed
 
 296 A TERRIBLE ASSAULT. 
 
 by the terrible slaughter, and then rallying rushed forward 
 again. Three times the cannon were discharged into their midst, 
 but though broken and disordered, they still pressed on until 
 they swept up to the very foot of the walls, pouring in a hail 
 of arrows. 
 
 They were well seconded by those on the house-tops, who 
 from their elevated position were on a level with the Spaniards, 
 and whose missiles, arrows, javelins, and stones thrown with 
 great force from slings, galled the defenders greatly, and 
 wounded great numbers of them. In vain did the Aztecs 
 strive to climb the walls. These were of no great height, but 
 as they showed their heads above the parapet, they were shot 
 down by the Spanish arquebus men, or struck backwards by 
 the weapons of the Tlascalans. Failing to scale the walls, they 
 tried to batter down the parapet with heavy pieces of timber, 
 but the stonework was too strong ; and they then shot burning 
 arrows into the palace, and hurled blazing torches over the 
 wall. 
 
 The palace itself was of stone, but some of the exterior 
 works which had been constructed were of wood, and these 
 were soon on fire. The defenders had no water with which 
 to extinguish the flames, and at the point where the new 
 works joined the wall the fire was so fierce that they were 
 afraid it would spread to the palace; and to extinguish it 
 were forced to adopt the desperate expedient of overthrowing 
 the wall upon the burning mass. The breach thus made was 
 guarded by a battery of heavy guns and a party of arquebusiers, 
 and these repelled every attempt of the Mexicans to take 
 advantage of the breach which had been thus formed. 
 
 The fight continued until night fell, and the Mexicans then 
 drew off. Cortez and his followers were astonished at the 
 obstinacy with which they had fought and the contempt of 
 death they had displayed. They had obtained such easy victories 
 with forces but a fourth of those which Cortez now commanded 
 that he had formed the lowest opinion of the fighting powers of 
 the Aztecs. But he now found that a nation was not to be 
 trampled upon with impunity. However, he consoled himself
 
 MEXICO IN ARMS. 297 
 
 with the thought that this was but a temporary outbreak of 
 fury, and he determined to sally out with all his force on the 
 following morning, and to inflict a terrible chastisement upon 
 his assailants. 
 
 As soon as the morning broke the Spaniards were under 
 arms. Cortez was speedily undeceived in his hopes that the 
 slaughter of the previous day would have cowed the Mexicans. 
 The great square and the streets leading to it were seen to 
 be crowded with foes who appeared better organized than on 
 the previous day, being divided into regiments, each with 
 its banners. These, the Mexican attendants on Montezuma 
 told them, were the cognizances of the many cities of the plain, 
 showing that the whole people were joining in the movement 
 commenced by those of the capital. Towering above the rest 
 was the royal standard of Mexico. Among the crowd were 
 numerous priests who, with excited gestures, called upon 
 them to avenge the insulted gods, and to destroy the handful 
 of invaders who had brought disgrace upon the nation, had 
 trampled it under foot, had made their sovereign a captive, 
 and murdered their nobles in cold blood. 
 
 It was evident that fierce as had been the fighting on the 
 previous day the renewed assault would be even more formidable. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE RISING IN MEXICO. 
 
 THE appearance of the vast crowd that surrounded the 
 palace differed much from that which they had pre- 
 sented on the previous day, when the Mexicans had fought 
 in their usual garments or in their padded cuirasses. To- 
 day they had laid aside all their garments save their loin- 
 cloths, h.iving found by experience that their cotton armour 
 was absolutely useless against the missiles of the Spaniards. 
 The chiefs were now conspicuous as they moved to and fro
 
 298 OBSTINATE FIGHTING. 
 
 among the dark masses, by their gay dresses and the metal 
 breastplates worn over the bright feather-work. They wore 
 helmets made to resemble the heads of ferocious wild beasts, 
 crested with bristly hair or surmounted by bright feather 
 plumes. Some wore only a red fillet round their head, having 
 tufts of cotton hanging from it, each tuft denoting some 
 victory in which they had taken part, and their own rank 
 in the army. Noble and citizen, priest and soldier, had all 
 united in the common cause. 
 
 The assault was about to commence when the Spaniards' 
 artillery and musketry poured death into the crowded ranks ; 
 the gates were at once thrown open, and Cortez at the head 
 of his cavalry dashed out followed by the infantry and the 
 Tlascalan allies. Confused by the slaughter made by the 
 fire-arms the Aztecs could offer no resistance to the onslaught. 
 The cavalry trampled them under foot and mowed them down 
 with sword and lance. The Spanish foot and Tlascalans 
 following close behind carried on the work of destruction, 
 and it seemed to the Spaniards that the fight was already over 
 when the Aztecs fled before them. 
 
 The movement of retreat, however, ceased the moment the 
 Mexicans reached the barricades which they had thrown up 
 across the streets; and forming behind these they made a 
 gallant stand, while those upon the housetops poured showers 
 of arrows, darts, and great stones down upon the advancing 
 Spaniards. In vain the Spanish artillery were brought up, and 
 their fire swept away the barricades : there were still others 
 behind, and at each the desperate fight was renewed. Coming 
 down from the side streets the Aztecs fell upon the Spanish 
 flanks, and clouds of missiles were shot from the boats which 
 crowded the canals everywhere intersecting the streets. 
 
 Cortes and his cavaliers continued to make desperate charges 
 through the Aztecs, who, although unable to withstand the 
 weight and impetus of the horses, closed round them, striving 
 to throw the riders from their backs and to stab the horses 
 themselves throwing away their h'ves without hesitation 
 on the chance of getting one blow at the Spaniards. The
 
 CORTEZ WOUNDED. 299 
 
 moment the horsemen drew back, the Aztecs followed them, and 
 although their loss was immense their ranks were instantly 
 filled up again, while the Spaniards could ill spare the compara- 
 tively small number who fell on their side. 
 
 At last after hours of carnage, the Spaniards, exhausted by 
 their exertions, and having eaten nothing since the night 
 before, fell back to the palace. Diaz, one of the historians of 
 the events, who was present at the combat, expressed the 
 astonishment felt by the Spaniards at the desperation with 
 which the despised Mexicans had fought. " The Mexicans," 
 he said ; " fought with such ferocity that if we had had the 
 assistance of ten thousand Hectors and as many Orlandos 
 we should have made no impression on them. There were 
 several of our troops who had served in the Italian wars, 
 but neither there nor in the battles with the Turk have 
 they ever seen anything like the desperation shown by these 
 Indians." 
 
 As the Spaniards fell back, the Aztecs followed them, 
 pouring in volleys of stones and arrows ; and as soon as they 
 had entered the palace encamped around it, showing that their 
 spirit was wholly unbroken. Although as it was contrary 
 to their custom to fight at night they did not renew the attack, 
 they shouted insulting threats as to the Spaniards' fate when 
 they should fall into their hands, and were evidently well 
 satisfied with the events of the day and looked for victory on 
 the morrow. 
 
 Cortez had received a severe wound in the hand during 
 the fight, and he and his companions felt how grievously they 
 had mistaken the character of the Aztecs. They had sallied 
 out that morning confident in their power to crush out the 
 insurrection; they returned, feeling that their situation was 
 well-nigh desperate, and that henceforth they must fight, not 
 for dominion but for life. 
 
 As soon as day broke the fight was renewed, but this time 
 it was the Aztecs and not the Spaniards who began it. There 
 was no idea of a fresh sortie, " all that the garrison could 
 hope was to defend their position. So furiously did the natives
 
 300 "l DESIRE ONLY TO DIE." 
 
 attack, that, for a time, they forced their way into the 
 entrenchments ; but the Spaniards, whose turn it was to fight 
 with the bravery of despair, fell upon them with such fury that 
 none of those who had gained an entry returned. 
 
 Cortez now sent to Montezuma, to request him to interpose 
 as he had done before between them and his people. The 
 emperor refused to interfere. He had viewed the desperate 
 fighting of the last two days with bitter humiliation. He had 
 seen his brother Cuitlahua leading on his troops with the 
 greatest gallantry, while he himself, thanks to his own conduct, 
 was a helpless prisoner. He mourned over the terrible losses 
 his people were suffering ; and the fact that his kindness to the 
 Spaniards had brought upon him nothing but ill-treatment 
 and insult at their hands, had earned him the contempt of 
 his people, and had involved his country in misfortune and 
 ruin, cut him to the heart. 
 
 " What have I to do with Malinzin ? " he said coldly, " I 
 desire only to die." When still further urged, he added : " It 
 is useless; they will neither believe me nor the false words 
 and promises of Malinzin. You will never leave these walls 
 alive." 
 
 On being assured that the Spaniards would willingly depart 
 and leave the country, if their assailants would open a way to 
 them, he at last consented to address the people. Clothing 
 himself in his richest robes of state he ascended the central 
 turret of the palace, surrounded by a guard of Spaniards, 
 and accompanied by several Aztec nobles. When he was 
 seen, the din of war ceased as if by magic. A dead silence 
 fell upon the multitude, and they knelt and prostrated 
 themselves before the sovereign they had so long held in the 
 deepest reverence. But when he addressed them, assuring 
 them that he was a guest, and not a prisoner, of the Spaniards, 
 and ordered them to lay down their arms and to allow the 
 Spaniards to march to the coast, indignation at his cowardice 
 overpowered their feelings of reverence and respect. They 
 burst into taunts and execrations, and a moment later a storm 
 of missiles were hurled at the man who had betrayed them.
 
 MONTEZUMA WOUNDED. 301 
 
 The Spanish guards, seeing the effect his presence had 
 produced, had stood aside, to enable him the better to be seen ; 
 and before they could close around him and cover him with 
 their shields, three missiles struck him, one, a stone hurled 
 from a sling, smiting him on the head with such violence 
 that he fell insensible. 
 
 When the Aztecs saw him fall, their brief outburst of 
 indignation was succeeded by one of sorrow, and with a cry 
 of grief the whole multitude dispersed, and in a minute or 
 two the crowded square was wholly deserted. 
 
 Montezuma was carried to his chamber. When he recovered 
 sensibility he refused absolutely to allow his wounds to be 
 dressed, and tore off the bandages. Not a word passed his 
 lips. He sat in an attitude of the deepest dejection. His own 
 people despised him, and had raised their hands against him. 
 He had drunk deeply of the cup of humiliation at the hands 
 of the Spaniards ; but this last drop filled it to overflowing ; 
 there was nothing for him but to die. 
 
 The Spanish leaders tried, but in vain, to persuade him to 
 submit to surgical treatment ; he paid no attention to their 
 words, and they were soon called away by fresh danger 
 from without. The Aztecs had speedily recovered from their 
 emotion at seeing the fall of the emperor, and a body of five 
 or six hundred of them, including many nobles and military 
 leaders of high rank, had taken possession of the great temple, 
 and now from its summit, a hundred and fifty feet high, 
 opened a rain of missiles upon the palace. The Spaniards 
 could not effectually return their fire, for the Aztecs were 
 sheltered by the sanctuaries on the summit of the pyramids. 
 
 It was absolutely necessary for the safety of the defenders 
 to dislodge them from this position, and Cortez ordered his 
 chamberlain, Don Escobar, with a hundred men to storm the 
 teocalli, and set fire to the sanctuaries. But the little force 
 were three times repulsed, and forced to fall back with 
 considerable loss. Cortez then, though suffering much from 
 the wound in his left hand, determined himself to lead the 
 assault. As he was incapable of holding his shield, he had it
 
 302 THB ASSAULT OF THE PYRAMID. 
 
 strapped to his left arm, and with three hundred picked men, 
 and some thousands of the Tlascalans, sallied out from the 
 palace, and attacked the Aztecs in the temple at the foot of 
 the pyramid. 
 
 The Spaniards made their way through these without much 
 difficulty, and then commenced the ascent of the pyramid. This 
 offered great facilities for defence. There were five terraces, 
 connected by steps so placed, that 'those mounting the pyramid 
 had to make the whole circuit on each terrace before reaching 
 the steps leading to the next. It was thus necessary to pass 
 round the pyramid four times, or nearly two miles, exposed 
 to the missiles of those upon the summit. 
 
 Leaving a strong body of Spaniards and Tlascalans at the 
 bottom, to prevent the natives ascending and attacking him in 
 the rear, Cortez led the way up the staircase, followed closely 
 by his principal officers. In spite of the heavy stones and beams 
 of wood which, with a storm of arrows, were hurled down upon 
 them, the Spaniards won their way from terrace to terrace, 
 supported by the fire of their musketeers below, until at last 
 they reached the great platform on the summit of the pyramid, 
 Here a terrible conflict commenced : the Aztecs, brought to 
 bay, and fighting not only for life, but in the presence of 
 their country's gods, displayed a valour at least equal to that 
 of the Spaniards. Numbers were slightly in their favour, 
 but this was far more than counter-balanced by the superior 
 arms of the Spaniards, and by the armour, which rendered 
 them almost invulnerable to the comparatively puny weapons 
 of the Mexicans ; and yet for three hours the fight continued. 
 At the end of that time, all the Mexicans, save two or three 
 priests, were killed, while forty-five of the Spaniards had fallen, 
 and almost all the others were wounded. 
 
 While this fight had been raging, the combat had ceased 
 elsewhere, the combatants on both sides being absorbed in 
 the struggle taking place at the summit of the temple. They 
 could not of course judge how it was going, though they caught 
 sight of the combatants as they neared the edges of the plat- 
 form, which was unprotected by wall or fence, and many in
 
 COBTEZ OFFERS TERMS. 303 
 
 the course of the struggle fell or were hurled over it. The 
 moment the struggle was over the Spaniards rushed with 
 exulting shouts into the sanctuary of the Mexican god, reeking 
 with the blood of fresh-killed victims; cast the image from 
 its pedestal, rolled it across the platform to the head of the 
 steps, and then amid shouts that were echoed by their comrades 
 below, sent it bounding down, while a cry of anguish and dismay 
 rose from the Mexicans. 
 
 The image dethroned, fire was applied to the sanctuary, 
 and the smoke and flames rising up must have told countless 
 thousands watching the capital from the housetops of the 
 neighbouring cities that the white men had triumphed over 
 the gods of Mexico ; and that, as at Cholula so at the capital, 
 these had proved impotent to protect their votaries from the 
 dread invaders. So dismayed were the Mexicans at the mis- 
 fortune, that they offered no resistance to the return of the 
 Spaniards from the temple, and retired to their houses without 
 further fighting. 
 
 At night the Spaniards sallied out again, relying upon the 
 habit of the Mexicans to abstain from fighting at night, and 
 burnt several hundred houses. 
 
 Believing that the spirit of the Mexicans would be broken 
 now, Cortez, on the following morning, mounted the turret 
 from which Montezuma had addressed them. Malinche was 
 by his side ; and when he held up his hands to show that he 
 wished to address them, a silence fell upon the multitude, and 
 Malinche's voice was heard plainly by them as she translated 
 the words of Cortez. He told them they must now feel that 
 they could not struggle against the Spaniards. Their gods 
 had been cast down, their dwellings burnt, their warriors 
 slaughtered. And all this they had brought on themselves by 
 their rebellion. Yet if they would lay down their arms and 
 return to the obedience of their sovereign he would stay his 
 hand ; if not he would make their city a heap of ruins, and 
 leave not a soul alive to mourn over it. 
 
 But Cortez learned at once that the spirit he had roused in 
 the Mexicans was in no way lowered by their reverses. One
 
 304 A NOBLE SPIRIT. 
 
 of the great chiefs answered him that it was true he had 
 hurled down their gods and massacred their countrymen, but 
 they were content to lose a thousand lives for every one that 
 they took. 
 
 " Our streets," he said, " are still thronged with warriors ; 
 our numbers are scarcely diminished. Yours are lessening 
 every day. You are dying with hunger and sickness. Your 
 provisions and water are failing ; you must soon fall into our 
 hands. The bridges are broken down, and you cannot escape. 
 There will be too few of you left to satisfy the vengeance of 
 the gods." 
 
 When he had finished a shower of arrows showed that 
 hostilities had recommenced. The garrison were now com- 
 pletely disheartened. Of what use the tremendous exertions 
 they had made, and the lives that had been lost. They were 
 still, as they had been on the first day of their arrival, hemmed 
 in in their fortress, surrounded by foes thirsting for their 
 blood ; great numbers were wounded more or less severely ; 
 their provisions were well-nigh gone ; the enemy were bolder 
 than ever; they had been promised wealth and honour, they 
 were starving, and death stared them in the face. They 
 loudly exclaimed that they had been deceived and betrayed. 
 
 But the men who had served all along with Cortez stood 
 firm. They had still every confidence in their leader. It was 
 not his fault that they had been brought to this pass, but by 
 the misconduct of others during his absence. At any rate, as 
 they pointed out to their comrades, the only chance of escape 
 was unity and obedience. Cortez himself was, as always in a 
 moment of great danger, calm and collected. The thought of 
 having to leave the city, to abandon all the treasures they had 
 taken, was even more painful to him than to the soldiers. It 
 was not the loss of his own share of the booty, but of that of 
 the emperor, that he regretted, for he felt that this, together 
 with the downfall of all his plans, and the loss of the kingdom 
 he had already counted won, would bring upon him the dis- 
 pleasure of his emperor, would give strength to his enemies at 
 court, and would probably ensure his being recalled in disgrace.
 
 PREPARING FOR RETREAT. 305 
 
 Nevertheless he saw that retreat was necessary, for the posi- 
 tion could not be maintained. Every day the defences became 
 weaker, the men more exhausted by fighting, and there would 
 soon be no longer a morsel of bread to serve out to them. A 
 retreat must therefore be made, the question was which route 
 should be chosen. In any case, one of the narrow dykes con- 
 necting the island city with the shore must be traversed, and 
 on these causeways the Spaniards would fight under great dis- 
 advantage. Finally, he settled upon that leading to Tlacopan, 
 which was much the shortest, being only two miles in length. 
 
 For some days a large party of men had been at work 
 constructing movable towers, similar to those used centuries 
 before in sieges. They moved on rollers and were to be 
 dragged by the Tlascalan allies. From their summits the 
 soldiers could shoot down upon the housetops, from which 
 they had been hitherto so annoyed. The towers were also 
 provided with bridges which could be let down on to the roofs, 
 and so enable the soldiers to meet their opponents hand to 
 band. 
 
 When the structures were completed the Spaniards again 
 took the offensive, the gates were opened, and the three towers, 
 dragged by the Tlascalans, moved out. The Mexicans, as- 
 tonished at the sight of these machines, from whose summits 
 a heavy fire of musketry were kept up, fell back for a time. 
 The towers were moved up close to the terraces, and the 
 soldiers, after partly clearing them by their fire, lowered the 
 light bridges, and crossing, engaged in a hand-to-hand fight 
 with the Mexicans, and drove them from their positions. 
 
 But from the lofty houses of the nobles the Mexicans still 
 maintained their resistance. The towers were not high enough 
 to overlook these, and as they came up beams of wood and 
 huge stones were cast down upon them, striking with such 
 force that it soon became evident to those within them that 
 the towers would not hold together. They were dragged on, 
 however, until a canal crossed the road. The bridge had been 
 removed, and both the cavalry and the towers were brought 
 to a standstill. The latter were abandoned, and Cortez 
 
 (618) U
 
 306 A CONTINUED STRUGGLE. 
 
 ordered his troops to make a road forward by filling up the 
 canal with stones and wood from the houses near. While en- 
 gaged in this operation they were exposed to an incessant fire 
 from every point of advantage in the neighbourhood, and from 
 the opposite bank of the canal. The work was, however, com- 
 pleted, and the cavalry crossing, drove the Mexicans head- 
 long down the great street, until they came to another canal, 
 where the same work had again to be performed. 
 
 No less than seven canals crossed the street, and it took 
 two days of constant fighting before the last of these was 
 crossed, and the whole street in their hands. Just as the last 
 canal had been captured, Cortez, who was ever at the head of 
 his men, received news that the Mexicans desired to open a 
 parley with him, and that some of their nobles had arrived at 
 the palace for that purpose. Delighted at the news he rode 
 back with his officers. The Mexicans requested that the two 
 priests who had been captured in the great temple, should be 
 released, and should be the bearers of his terms and discuss the 
 negotiations. 
 
 Cortez at once consented, and the priests left with the envoys, 
 with instructions that if the Mexicans would lay down their 
 arms the past should be forgiven. 
 
 The mission was, however, a mere trick. The Mexicans 
 were most anxious to rescue the priests, one of whom was the 
 high-priest, and therefore most sacred in their eyes. Cortez 
 had scarcely sat down to a meal, which he sorely needed after 
 his fatigues, when the news was brought that the Mexicans 
 had again attacked with greater fury than ever, and at three 
 points had driven off the detachments placed to guard the 
 newly-made causeways across the canal. Cortez and his com- 
 panions leaped on their horses, and riding down the great 
 street again cleared it. But no sooner had he reached the 
 other end, than the Mexicans gathering in the lanes and side 
 streets, poured in again, and overpowered the guard at one 
 of the principal canals. 
 
 Swarms of warriors poured in on all sides, and a storm of 
 arrows and other missiles was poured down upon Cortez and
 
 DEATH OF MONTEZUMA. 307 
 
 his cavaliers. The confusion at the broken bridge was tremen- 
 dous. The cavalry and infantry struggled fiercely with the 
 crowds of foes, while others strove again to repair the bridge 
 which the Mexicans had again torn down. Cortez himself 
 performed prodigies of valour in covering the retreat of his 
 men, dashing alone into the midst of the ranks of the enemy, 
 shouting his battle-cry, and dealing death with every blow of 
 his sword. So far did he penetrate among his foes, that 
 reports spread that he was killed ; and when at last he fought 
 his way back, and leapt his horse over a chasm still remain- 
 ing in the bridge, his escape was regarded by his troops as 
 absolutely miraculous, and it was said that he had been saved 
 by the national Apostle St. James and the Virgin Mary, who 
 had fought by his side. At night the Mexicans as usual drew 
 off; and the Spaniards, dispirited and exhausted, fell back to 
 their citadel. 
 
 Thal^ evening Montezuma died. He had refused all nourish- 
 ment as well as medicine from the time he had been wounded. 
 Father Olmedo did his best to persuade him to embrace the 
 Christian faith, but Montezuma stoutly refused. Just before he 
 died he sent for Cortez, and recommended his three daugh- 
 ters by his principal wife to his charge, begging him to interest 
 his master the emperor on their behalf, and to see that they 
 had some portion of their rightful inheritance. 
 
 " Your lord will do this," he said, " if only for the friendly 
 offices I have rendered the Spaniards, and for the love that 
 I have shown them, though it has brought me to this condition ; 
 but for this I bear them no ill-will." 
 
 This Cortez promised, and after the conquest, took the three 
 ladies into his own family. They were instructed in the doc- 
 trines of Christianity, and were married to Spanish nobles and 
 handsome dowries assigned to them. 
 
 The news of Montezuma's death was received with real 
 grief by the Spaniards, to whom his generosity and constant 
 kindness and gentleness of manner had endeared him. There 
 can be but little doubt that, in spite of the accusations against 
 him of meditating treachery, Montezuma was, from the time
 
 308 RETREAT DETERMINED UPON. 
 
 they entered the capital, sincere in his good will towards the 
 Spaniards. He was devoted to his own gods, and believed 
 implicitly in the prophecy that Quetzalcoatl or his descendants 
 would return to rule Mexico. Their superior science and 
 attainments confirmed him in his belief that the Spaniards 
 fulfilled the prophecy, and he was willing to resign alike 
 his power, his possessions, and himself to their hands. In 
 his early days he had shown great personal bravery, and the 
 cowardice he displayed throughout the whole of his dealing with 
 the Spaniards was the result of superstition, and not that 
 of personal fear. 
 
 Cortez paid all respect to the remains of his late unhappy 
 captive. The body was arrayed in royal robes, and laid 
 on a bier, and was carried by the nobles who had remained 
 faithful to him during his imprisonment into the city. It is 
 uncertain where Montezuma was finally buried. 
 
 With the death of the emperor the last hope of the 
 Spaniards of making terms with their assailants vanished; 
 there was nothing now but retreat. After some debate it 
 was settled that this should take place at night, when they 
 would find the Mexicans unprepared. The difficulties of 
 passage would be greater, but these would, it was thought, be 
 counterbalanced by the advantage of being able to make at 
 least a portion of their retreat unobserved. 
 
 It was determined that no time should be lost. The Mexicans 
 would doubtless be mourning over the body of Montezuma, 
 and would be unprepared for such prompt action on the part 
 of the Spaniards. The first question was the disposal of the 
 treasure ; the soldiers had for the most part converted their 
 share of the gold into chains, which they wore round their 
 necks. But there was a vast amount in bars and ornaments, 
 constituting the one-fifth which had been set aside for the 
 crown, the one-fifth for Cortez himself, and the shares of his 
 principal officers. One of the strongest horses was laden with 
 the richest portion of the crown treasure, but all the rest was 
 abandoned. The gold lay in great heaps. 
 
 " Take what you like of it ! " Cortez said to his men, " but
 
 A FAULTY ARRANGEMENT. 309 
 
 be careful not to overload yourselves : ' He travels safest in 
 the dark, who travels lightest.' " 
 
 His own veterans took his advice, and contented themselves 
 with picking out a few of the most valuable ornaments; but 
 the soldiers of Narvaez could not bring themselves to leave 
 such treasures behind them, and loaded themselves up with as 
 much gold as they could carry. Cortez now arranged the 
 order of march ; the van was composed of two hundred Spanish 
 foot, and twenty horsemen, under the orders of Gonzalo de 
 Sandoval ; the rearguard with the main body of the infantry 
 and the greater portion of the guns was commanded by 
 Alvarado and Velasquez de Leon. Cortez himself led the 
 centre, which was in charge of the baggage, some of the heavy 
 guns, and the prisoners, among whom were a son and two 
 daughters of Montezuma, Cacama, and the other nobles who 
 had been in prison with him. 
 
 The Tlascalans were divided among the three corps. A 
 portable bridge had been prepared for crossing the canals 
 which intersected the causeway ; the intention being that it 
 should be laid across a canal, that the army should pass 
 over it, and that it should then be carried forward to the next 
 gap in the causeway. This was a most faulty arrangement, 
 necessitating frequent and long delays, and entailing almost 
 certain disaster. Had three such portable bridges been 
 constructed, the column could have crossed the causeway with 
 comparatively little risk, and there was no reason why these 
 bridges should not have been constructed, as they could have 
 been carried without difficulty by the Tlascalans. 
 
 At midnight the troops were in readiness for the march. 
 Mass was performed by Father Olmedo, and at one o'clock on 
 July 1st, 1520, the Spaniards sallied out from the fortress 
 that they had so stoutly defended. Silence reigned in the 
 city. As noiselessly as possible, the troops made their way 
 down the broad street, expecting every moment to be attacked ; 
 but even the tramping of the horses, and the rumbling of the 
 baggage waggons and artillery did not awake the sleeping 
 Mexicans, and the head of the column arrived at the head
 
 310 " ALL HOPB SEEMED LOST." 
 
 of the causeway before they were discovered. Then, as the ad- 
 vanced guard were preparing to lay the portable bridge across 
 the first opening, some Aztec sentinels gave the alarm. 
 
 The priests on the summits of the temples heard their cries, 
 and at once sounded their horns and the huge war-drum. 
 Instantly the city awoke, and the silence was succeeded by a 
 roar of sound ; the vanguard had scarcely got upon the cause- 
 way when canoes shot out upon the lake, and soon a storm of 
 stones and arrows burst upon the column. More and more 
 terrible did it become, as fresh canoes crowded with the warriors 
 came up. Many of these pushed up to the causeway itself, 
 and the natives landing fell upon the Spaniards with fury. 
 The latter made no stay; fighting their way through their 
 foes they pressed on until they reached the next opening in the 
 causeway, and there waited for the bridge to come up. 
 
 But a column many thousands strong, with baggage and 
 artillery, takes a long time to cross a bridge, and the advanced 
 guard had reached the opening long before the rear had passed 
 the bridge, and there stood helpless, exposed to the terrible 
 storm of missiles, until at last the column were all across 
 the bridge. Then forty picked men, who had been specially 
 told off for the task, tried to raise it so that it might be carried 
 to the front, but the weight of the baggage waggons and 
 artillery had so wedged it into the earth, that they were 
 unable to move it. 
 
 They persevered in their efforts until most of them had fallen ; 
 the rest bore the terrible news to the army that the bridge 
 was immovable. A terrible cry of despair arose as the newa 
 spread. All hope seemed lost; and, regardless of order or 
 discipline, all pressed forward to endeavour in some way or 
 other to cross the obstacle that barred their way. Pressed 
 on by those behind them, Sandoval and his cavaliers dashed 
 into the water. The distance was short, but the horses were 
 weak from hunger, and burdened by their own heavy armour 
 and that of their riders. Some succeeded in swimming across, 
 others sank, while some reached the opposite side only to fall 
 back again, as they tried to climb the steep bank.
 
 THE PASSAGE OF THE GAPS. 311 
 
 The infantry followed them, throwing away their armour 
 to enable them to swim ; some succeeded, others were pressed 
 down by their comrades ; many were killed by the war-clubs 
 or spears of the Mexicans in their canoes ; others again, half 
 stunned by the clubs, were dragged into the canoes and carried 
 off to the city to be sacrificed. 
 
 All along the causeway the fight raged unceasingly, the 
 Aztecs in the boats alongside leaping ashore and grappling 
 with their foes, and rolling with them down the causeway 
 into the water, wliile those in the distance kept up their rain 
 of missiles. The opening in the causeway was at last filled : 
 choked up with ammunition waggons and guns, bales of rich 
 goods, chests of gold, and the bodies of men and horses, and 
 over these the Spaniards made their way. 
 
 Cortez had swum or waded across on his horse, and he rode 
 on until he joined Sandoval and the remains of the advanced 
 guard, who were checked at the third and last opening. The 
 cavaliers set the example to their followers by plunging into 
 the water ; the rest followed as best they could. Many were 
 drowned by the weight of the gold they carried, others got 
 across by clinging to the tails and manes of the horses. Cortez, 
 with Sandoval and other cavaliers, led the retreat until they 
 reached the end of the causeway. The din of battle was now 
 far behind, but those who came up brought the news that the 
 rearguard were so sorely pressed, that they would be destroyed 
 unless aid reached them. 
 
 Cortez and his companions did not hesitate. They dashed 
 along the causeway, again swam the canal, and made their way 
 through the crowd until they reached the rearguard. Morning 
 was breaking now, and it showed the lake covered with canoes 
 filled with warriors. Along the whole length of the causeway 
 a desperate fight was raging. Cortez found Alvarado on foot, 
 his horse had been killed under him. With a handful of 
 followers he was still desperately defending the rear against 
 the Mexicans, who had poured out from the city in pursuit. 
 The artillery had at first done good service, sweeping the 
 causeway and mowing down hundreds of their assailants, but
 
 312 ALVABADO'S LEAP. 
 
 the Aztecs were careless of life, and rushed on so furiously 
 that they swept over the guns, killing those who served them, 
 and fell upon the infantry. 
 
 The charge of Cortez and his companions for a moment bore 
 back the foe, but pressed by those behind they swept aside 
 resistance, and bore back the Spaniards to the edge of the 
 canal. Cortez and his companions plunged in and swam across. 
 Alvarado stood on the brink hesitating ; unhorsed and defence- 
 less he could not make his way across the gap, which was now 
 crowded with the canoes of the enemy. He set his strong lance 
 on the bottom of the canal, and using it as a leaping pole 
 sprang across. The feat was an extraordinary one, for although 
 the width is not given, it was declared by those who witnessed 
 it, to be impossible for any mortal. It filled friends and foes 
 alike with astonishment, and the spot is to this day known by 
 the Mexicans as " Alvarado's Leap." 
 
 The Aztecs followed no farther. They were occupied now in 
 securing the enormous wealth the Spaniards had left behind 
 them; and the remnants of the army marched along the 
 causeway unmolested, and took possession of the village at its 
 end. Cortez, iron-hearted as he was, sat down and burst into 
 tears as he viewed the broken remnant of his army. He was 
 consoled, however, by finding that many of his most trusted 
 companions had escaped, Sandoval, Alvarado, Olid, Ordaz, and 
 Avila were safe ; and, so to his great joy, was Marina. She 
 had, with a daughter of a Tlascalan chief, been placed under 
 the escort of a party of Tlascalan warriors, in the van of the 
 column, and had passed unharmed through the dangers of the 
 night. 
 
 The loss of the Spaniards in their retreat is variously 
 estimated, but the balance of authority among contemporary 
 writers places it at four hundred and fifty Spaniards and 
 four thousand Tlascalans. This, with the loss sustained in 
 the previous conflicts, reduced the Spaniards to about a 
 third and the Tlascalans to a fifth of the force which had 
 entered the capital. The greater part of the soldiers of 
 Narvaez had been killed ; they had formed the rearguard,
 
 AN EXHAUSTED BAND. 313 
 
 and had not only borne the brunt of the battle, but had 
 suffered from the effect of their cupidity. Of the cavalry but 
 twenty-three remained mounted, all the artillery had been 
 lost, and every musket thrown away in the flight. 
 
 Velasquez de Leon had fallen in the early part of the retreat, 
 bravely defending the rear ; and several others among the 
 leaders had also fallen, together with all the prisoners whom 
 they had brought out from the capital. 
 
 The remains of the army straggled on into the town of 
 Tlacopan, but Cortez would allow of no halt there. At any 
 moment the exultant Aztecs from the capital might arrive, 
 and in a battle in the streets the Spaniards would stand no 
 chance whatever with their foes; he therefore hurried the 
 soldiers through, and when outside endeavoured to form them 
 into some sort of order. 
 
 It was necessary to give them a few hours of repose, and 
 he led them towards an eminence crowned by a temple which 
 commanded the plain. It was held by a party of natives, 
 and the troops, dispirited and exhausted, refused at first to 
 advance against them, but the influence of Cortez backed by 
 the example of his officers had its usual effect. The column 
 moved forward against the temple, and the natives after a 
 few discharges of missiles abandoned the place. It was a 
 large building, affording ample shelter for the Spaniards and 
 their allies ; provisions were found there and a large supply 
 of fuel intended for the service of the temple. Here, lighting 
 great fires, they dried their clothing, bound up their wounds, 
 and after partaking of food threw themselves down to sleep. 
 
 Fortunate it was for the Spaniards that the Mexicans, 
 contented with the slaughter they had inflicted, the plunder 
 they had captured, and most of all with the prisoners whom 
 they had carried off to be sacrificed on their altars, retired to the 
 capital and allowed the invaders twenty-four hours' breathing 
 time. Had they pressed them hotly and relentlessly, from the 
 moment when they emerged from the causeway, they would 
 have annihilated them ; for at that time the Spaniards were 
 too worn-out and dispirited to be capable of any effectual
 
 314 STAUNCH TROOPS. 
 
 resistance. Food and rest, however, did wonders for them; 
 they were hardy veterans, and with Cortez and the leaders 
 they most trusted with them, they soon came to look at 
 matters in a more cheerful light. They were still stronger 
 than they were when they first marched upon Mexico, why, 
 then, should they despair of making their way back to Tlascala 
 where they would have rest and friends? They knew there 
 was a long and painful march before them, and probably 
 desperate battles to fight ; but in a fair field they felt them- 
 selves a match for any number of the enemy, and when, late 
 in the evening, their officers bade them form up and prepare 
 for a night's march they fell in steadily and willingly, and 
 Cortez felt that they could again be relied upon under every 
 emergency. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE PASSAGE OP THE CAUSEWAY. 
 
 ON marching out from the city Roger and his two comrades 
 formed part of a picked band, to whom was entrusted the 
 charge of the prisoners. Roger had been specially selected, 
 as he could translate to them any order given by the officer 
 of the party ; and he was ordered to march next to them. 
 
 He had once or twice in the past few days been enabled, 
 by the intervention of Marina, to visit the prisoners. Cacama's 
 spirit was in no way shaken by captivity. 
 
 "Your general has made a fatal mistake," he said, "in 
 sending Cuitlahua out to pacify the populace. He is of very 
 different stuff from Montezuma, who has become a woman 
 in the hands of the Spanish. You will see that he will never 
 return, but will lead the people on to the attack. It matters 
 little to us, I know that we shall never escape ; the Spaniards 
 will slay us all rather than that we should rejoin our people. 
 But for that I care not ; one would rather die in battle than
 
 "I AM WELL CONTENT NOW." 315 
 
 be slain as a captive, but in either case we shall be dying for 
 our country, and what can we wish for more ? It is the duty 
 of all to risk their lives whenever they be needed for their 
 country. Some here have fought in fifty battles for Mexico. I 
 am younger, but not too young to have shared in many a battle. 
 I fear death in no way, my friend, and should welcome it as 
 a change from captivity. I am well content now. I should 
 have grieved to have died believing that the Mexicans had 
 lost all their ancient spirit and courage, and were content to 
 be slaves beneath the yoke of a handful of strangers ; but now 
 I see that they were asleep and not dead, and that these 
 boasting strangers will find that the despised Mexican is a 
 match for them, I shall die happy." 
 
 The news of the wounding of Montezuma and the desperate 
 fighting in the streets and round the palace, excited the 
 prisoners to the utmost. In their place of confinement they 
 heard the thunder of the guns, the perpetual rattle of the 
 musketry, and the shouts and yells of the combatants ; but it 
 was only when Roger visited them that they obtained any 
 details as to the combat that was going on. They were filled 
 with enthusiasm as they heard how desperately their country- 
 men were fighting ; and their only regret was that they could 
 not join in the struggle and die leading the assault against the 
 Spaniards. Roger did not see them upon the last day until 
 he took his place by their side, when the column formed up 
 in the courtyard. 
 
 " I am to keep near you, Cacama," he said, " in order to 
 translate anything the officer may have to say to you." 
 
 " We are going to leave the city ? " Cacama asked, eagerly. 
 
 " Yes, we are going to cross the causeway." The officer 
 in charge here came up and gave an order which Roger 
 interpreted : " He asks whether you will all give a pledge 
 to remain silent as we march out. If you will do so he will 
 accept your promise ; but if not he will be forced to gag you, 
 as the safety of the army depends upon our getting beyond the 
 streets before our march is discovered." 
 
 " I wonder that they are ready to take our promise,"
 
 316 "THE GAME HAS BEGUN." 
 
 Cacama said disdainfully, " after their own treachery. How- 
 ever, an Aztec noble is not like a Spaniard, our faith may be 
 depended upon ; we will give our word to be silent." The other 
 prisoners also promised, and were allowed to take their places 
 in the column ungagged. 
 
 The alarm was given long before the rear of the column had 
 got out from the street. Cacama gave an exclamation of joy 
 when he heard the silence broken by loud cries at the end 
 of the street, and immediately afterwards by the shouts of the 
 priests on the lofty temples, by the blowing of horns, and the 
 beating of the great war-drum. 
 
 " The game has begun," he said. " We shall see how many 
 Spaniards remain alive when the sun rises. Long before they 
 can get across the causeway, our people will be upon them. 
 We shall not see the triumph, for without defensive armour we 
 shall fall in the darkness beneath the missiles of our own 
 people. That matters not : better to die at the hands of a 
 Mexican struggling to be free than at those of these treacherous 
 invaders." 
 
 The missiles showered down thickly upon the column from the 
 houses till they emerged from the street and made their way 
 out on to the causeway; then they became exposed to the 
 storm of arrows, darts, and stones, from the canoes on the lake. 
 By their officer's orders the soldiers immediately in charge 
 of the prisoners drew their swords and formed a circle round 
 them, with orders to fall upon and kill them at once did they 
 make the slightest movement to escape. Roger translated 
 to the captives the officer's assurance that, although he was 
 most anxious for their safety, he had no resource but to 
 order the soldiers to slay them at once if they made any 
 movement to escape. 
 
 " We shall not try to escape," Cacama said. " How can we 
 do so with our hands bound ? " 
 
 During the long pause that ensued before the rear of the 
 column passed over the bridge on to the causeway the im- 
 patience among the soldiers was great. Many had already 
 fallen beneath the missiles of the enemy. Scarce one but had
 
 "THEIR FATE is NOW SEALED." 317 
 
 received wounds more or less severe. Several of the prisoners, 
 too, had fallen. 
 
 " What is it ? " Cacama asked, as the cry of despair went 
 up when it became known that the bridge was immovable, 
 and that there were no means of crossing the breaks in the 
 causeway ahead. He muttered an exclamation of triumph 
 when Roger repeated to him the news he had just learnt. 
 
 " That settles it," he said ; " their fate is now sealed. The 
 gods are at last fighting again for Mexico. Roger, I am sorry 
 for you, I am sorry for my wife, and for Amenche; but I 
 rejoice for my country. If you should escape this night, 
 Roger, and you have more chance than most, since you speak 
 our language, do all you can for them." 
 
 " You may be sure that I shall do that, Cacama ; but the 
 chance of any escaping seems to me a small one. Still, it may 
 be that some will get over alive. The Spaniards have their 
 faults, Cacama, but they are grand soldiers ; and at any rate, 
 now that they see they must win their way or perish, they 
 will perform wonders." 
 
 " Ah ! " the exclamation was caused by an arrow striking 
 the young prince in the chest. At this time a terrible fight 
 was raging all around them. The natives had gained a footing 
 on the causeway, and the Spaniards were fighting hand to 
 hand with them. 
 
 " I am mortally wounded, Roger," Cacama said. " Most of 
 the others have already fallen. It is better so ; I have lived 
 long enough to see vengeance taken on our oppressors. Roger, 
 there is one chance for you, wrap round you one of our 
 mantles; in the darkness none will see that you are not a 
 Mexican, and they will not shoot at you. Listen, there is 
 Cuitcatl's war cry. I know his voice, and doubtless they have 
 discerned our white dresses in the darkness, and he is trying 
 to rescue us." 
 
 The crowd pressing along the causeway had swept the 
 guards away from the prisoners indeed there were now 
 scarcely any prisoners left to guard. Unprotected by any 
 defensive armour, most of them had fallen very early in the
 
 318 DEATH OF CACAMA. 
 
 conflict. Roger was supporting Cacama, and another prisoner 
 lay dead at their feet. Roger stooped and snatched off his 
 mantle, then, lifting Cacama in his arms, forced his way 
 through the press to the edge of the causeway just as a canoe 
 ran up alongside, and a number of Aztecs sprang ashore. 
 
 " Cuitcatl ! " Roger shouted at the top of his voice. 
 
 " Here," the young noble exclaimed as he sprang forward. 
 
 " Here is Cacama," Roger cried. At the same moment he 
 received a stunning blow on the back of his helmet from one 
 of the Spaniards, who took him for a Mexican, and fell down 
 the side of the causeway into the water with his burden in his 
 arms." 
 
 When Roger recovered his senses, he was lying in a canoe 
 which was being paddled rapidly. He had been insensible but 
 a few minutes, for the cries of the combatants still sounded 
 close at hand. Cuitcatl was bending over him. 
 
 " How is Cacama ? " he asked, as soon as he could speak. 
 
 " Alas ! he is dead," Cuitcatl replied, " you did your best to 
 save him, Roger ; he spoke but once after we had got him into 
 the canoe. He said : ' Protect my wife, Cuitcatl, and save our 
 friend.'" 
 
 " Where are you taking us ? " Roger asked next. 
 
 " We will land some distance up the lake. There I will obtain 
 bearers and carry Cacama home that he may be buried as 
 one of his rank should be. As to you, we must think what had 
 best be done. None of those with me know who you are, 
 believing, in the darkness, that you are one of ourselves. 
 They are my own men, and I can rely upon them when their 
 blood is cooled, but it were best that at present they remained 
 in ignorance. Bathalda is in the bow, and his influence and 
 mine will be suflicient to control them when we are once out 
 of hearing of the conflict. Nothing save my duty to Cacama 
 would have withdrawn me from it, but they must do without 
 me. Not a Spaniard will see to-morrow's sun. Are you 
 badly hurt, Roger ? It is too dark to see anything." 
 
 " Not badly, I have several arrow-points sticking in me in 
 one place or another, but they have not gone deep, my
 
 "I THINK THAT ALL HAVE FALLEN." 319 
 
 armour kept them out. It was a blow on the head that felled 
 me. There were many Mexicans on the causeway fighting 
 with the Spaniards, and I was of course mistaken for one of 
 them. My helmet broke the blow, and I was stunned rather 
 than injured, I think. How came you to be just at that 
 spot ? " 
 
 " I was on the look-out for the prisoners, being determined 
 to rescue Cacama if possible ; and as I was fighting farther 
 back, I heard it said that there were several white dresses 
 among the Spaniards ahead, so I made to that point, and 
 just as I was springing ashore heard your shout, and saw you 
 roll down, you and another. I guessed it might be Cacama, 
 for I knew that you would do your best to save him, and so 
 sprang back again to the water's edge and found that it was 
 so; and found, alas ! that Cacama was mortally wounded. 
 How about the other prisoners ? " 
 
 " I think that all had fallen before he did. You see they had 
 no protection, and even we who had armour were suffering 
 terribly from the missiles poured in among us. I know that 
 two ladies, Montezuma's daughters, were among the first to 
 fall. More than that I cannot say, for I kept close to Cacama, 
 hoping that in some way I might find an opportunity to 
 aid his escape ; and had he not been struck just when he 
 was I might have done so, for after the news came that the 
 bridge could not be removed all was confusion, and each man 
 thought only of saving his own life." 
 
 After rowing for three hours, the canoe, having made a 
 circuit of the city and crossed the lake, reached the shore at 
 a distance of a few miles from Tezcuco. Cacama's body was 
 lifted ashore, then Cuitcatl said to Bathalda : 
 
 " Bathalda, you will be glad to know that we have saved 
 Cacama's friend and mine, Roger Hawkshaw." 
 
 The forester gave an exclamation of pleasure : " I am glad, 
 indeed," he exclaimed ; " I wondered what had become of him 
 in the fight. 
 
 Bathalda's exclamation silenced the murmur with which the 
 others had heard that one of the white men had been saved by
 
 320 "A MOURNFUL SCENB." 
 
 them from the general destruction which as they believed had 
 fallen upon their oppressors. 
 
 " He is a friend of our people," Cuitcatl went on, " and is 
 of another race to these Spaniards. As you see, men, he speaks 
 our language well, and is like one of ourselves. Cacama held 
 him as a dear friend; and, as you know, Cacama hated the 
 Spaniards, and had it not been for treason would have attacked 
 them long ago. Now form a litter with the paddles and lay 
 Cacama upon it ; morning is breaking and we have far to go. 
 The new Lord of Tezcuco is a friend of the Spaniards, we must 
 get well away as soon as we can." 
 
 Roger threw aside the Spanish helmet, Cuitcatl took some 
 of the plumes from his own head-dress and bound them round 
 his head, and as soon as the bier was constructed the little 
 party started. 
 
 In the afternoon they arrived at Cuitcatl's house, the chief 
 having himself gone forward to inform the queen of Cacama's 
 fate, and of the near approach of the party with his body. It 
 was a mournful scene when they arrived ; the whole of the 
 male and female retainers were assembled outside the house, 
 the women filling the air with cries and lamentations, the 
 men weeping and wailing. The bearers of the bier passed into 
 the house, where Maclutha awaited it. Roger, unwilling to 
 intrude upon the grief of the unhappy queen, remained without 
 talking to Bathalda, the natives viewing him with hostility 
 and wonder, being unable to understand how it was that their 
 lord had brought one of the white men to his house. In 
 a minute or two, however, Amenche's attendant ran down the 
 steps to Roger, and, telling him to follow her, led the way 
 to the apartment where the princess was waiting him. She 
 fell crying into his arms. 
 
 " It is terrible, Roger," she sobbed ; " as long as my brother 
 was but a captive we had hoped that he might be restored to 
 us, and now he is brought home dead slain, too, by a Mexican 
 arrow." 
 
 " Cacama was ready for death, Amenche ; I was beside 
 him from the time he left his prison. He was sure that we
 
 "IF YOUR PEOPLE WILL ALLOW ME." 321 
 
 should be attacked, and saw that as he and those with him 
 were unprotected by any armour they would be the first to fall 
 when the fighting began, as in the darkness the Mexicans 
 would not be able to distinguish them from their enemies ; but 
 he said that he was quite content to die, seeing that the people 
 had now recovered their ancient spirit and were battling with 
 heroes against their oppressors." 
 
 " And they are all destroyed," Amenche exclaimed, passion- 
 ately. 
 
 " We do not know that," Roger replied. " Their position 
 was a terrible one and seemed well-nigh hopeless. I know 
 that Cuitcatl regarded it as quite hopeless, and deems that all 
 have fallen, but I do not think so. The passages to be crossed 
 were of no great width, and though numbers may have fallen, 
 I believe that some will have made their way across. They 
 will have lost their guns, and if the Aztecs continue to press 
 them as hotly as they did upon the causeway they may slay 
 them all ; but if they give them time to rally they may yet 
 fight their way back to Tlascala." 
 
 " And you will stop here with us, Roger : is it not so ? " 
 
 " If your people will allow me to do so I will, Amenche. I 
 ask for nothing better ; but remember that even Cacama him- 
 self felt doubtful whether he could protect me from the power 
 of the priests and at that time their reason for hating the 
 Spaniards was small to what it now is, and Cacama himself 
 has gone. Cuitcatl, though a powerful cacique, has but small 
 influence in comparison with that which Cacama as King of 
 Tezcuco and nephew of Montezuma possessed." 
 
 " How is Montezuma ? What has become of him ? We heard 
 that he was wounded ; but it scarce seems possible that his 
 own subjects should raise a hand against him." 
 
 " He died yesterday afternoon, and Cortez delivered his 
 body to the people of the city." 
 
 The girl uttered an exclamation of horror. " This is dreadful, 
 indeed," she said, bursting again into tears. " To think of the 
 great emperor being dead ! What horrors and misfortunes 
 nave befallen us ! It is bad for us, too, Roger ; I was one 
 
 (618) X
 
 322 "NOT ONE SHALL LEAVE THE COUNTBY." 
 
 of his favourite nieces, and I thought of going to him and 
 obtaining his permission to marry you, in order that you 
 should be received into the nation; now that hope is gone. 
 But I must leave you for a while and go to Maclutha. I must 
 not leave her longer alone in her grief." 
 
 Soon afterwards Cuitcatl entered the room. " Come, Roger," 
 he said ; " a meal has been prepared, and we both sorely need 
 food and rest. To-morrow we shall have time to talk over 
 the future, and by that time I shall have news whether any 
 of the Spaniards have escaped. If they have, I must hurry 
 off again ; for Cuitlahua has sworn that not one shall leave 
 the country alive, and every man who can bear arms must 
 take the field against them. But it will be an easy task, for, 
 at any rate, few can have got off that causeway alive." 
 
 Roger was glad, as soon as he had finished his meal, to 
 throw himself down on a couch. He had been on guard the 
 greater part of the night before the sortie to clear the street 
 leading to the causeway, and had slept but an hour or two 
 the following evening. He had lost a good deal of blood from 
 the blow he had received on the head, and from the arrow 
 wounds, of which he had several, although none were serious, 
 and he was now completely done up. 
 
 Amenche stole away from Maclutha for a few minutes' 
 talk with him and Cuitcatl, while they had their meal ; and 
 after hearing an outline of the later events of the siege of the 
 palace and of the fight on the causeway she had herself insisted 
 that Roger should instantly seek repose. " I shall be occupied 
 with Maclutha, and there is much to see about in such times 
 as these. There can be no pomp and ceremonial of burial ; 
 that must come when peace is restored, and we carry Cacama's 
 ashes to be laid with his father's at Tezcuco. Bathalda and 
 some of the slaves have already started to bring in wood for 
 the funeral pile. All will be ready by sunrise to-morrow." 
 
 Roger's wounds were dressed by one of the slaves, who was 
 skilled in all operations connected with wounds, and he slept, 
 without once waking, until Cuitcatl came to him in the 
 morning, and bade him arise, as all was ready for the ceremony
 
 "THB UNKNOWN GOD.*' 323 
 
 of Cacama's cremation. The rule in Mexico was, that on the 
 death of anyone, the body was attired in the garments peculiar 
 to his tutelary deity ; but Cacama was dressed simply in the 
 robe indicating his rank. 
 
 " You see," Amenche said, when Roger joined them ; " we 
 have dressed him in a warrior's robes, not in those of a Lord of 
 Tezcuco, for we have none such here; nor have we attired 
 him in the garments of our god, for Cacama, as you know, 
 worshipped chiefly the great Unknown God, in whom his 
 grandfather believed, who is Lord of all the gods, and of all 
 peoples, and who must be the same, Roger, that you white 
 people worship." 
 
 " No doubt He is the same," Roger said ; " and I am glad, 
 Amenche, that you and your brother have already come 
 to love Him. He is not Lord of all gods, for He is the only 
 God. There are none others ; some day, dear, when you come 
 to England with me, a priest shall instruct you in all we know 
 of Him. But I see they are going to light the pile. What 
 are all those pieces of paper that cover his body 1 " 
 
 "They are charms, Roger, against the dangers of the 
 unknown road he has to travel. It is the custom of the 
 country; and we did not think it worth while to depart 
 from it. It is also the custom to sacrifice numbers of slaves, 
 and send them to be his attendants upon the road. But 
 the Unknown God hates all sacrifices of blood, and Cacama, 
 although forced to yield to the power of the priests, would 
 have had none, could he have helped it, in Tezcuco." 
 
 Cuitcatl, as the oldest friend of the dead prince, applied a 
 torch to the pile, which was composed for the most part of 
 aromatic wood. Maclutha and Amenche broke into a plaintive 
 hymn, in which their attendants and the females who had col- 
 lected in considerable numbers from the neighbouring villages 
 joined. Higher and higher rose the flames, the voices rising 
 with them, until the dirge culminated in a loud wailing cry, 
 as the flames reached the corpse and hid it from view. 
 Then the hymn re-commenced, and continued until the pile 
 had been burnt down. The mourners then re-entered the
 
 324 "l CANNOT REJOICE WITH YOU." 
 
 house, leaving the two or three priests who were present to 
 collect the ashes and to place them in a large gold vase, of 
 which they would act as guardians, until the time came for its 
 removal in solemn procession to Tezcuco. 
 
 Cuitcatl took Roger aside, " I have bad news from Mexico," 
 he said. " You were right, and I was mistaken ; a portion of 
 the Spaniards and Tlascalans succeeded in crossing the breaches 
 in the causeway and gaining the mainland. However, it is said 
 that two-thirds of their number perished. As they have lost 
 the terrible weapons that committed such destruction they 
 will be at our mercy. We know now that they are not invinci- 
 ble, their terror has departed. Be assured that they will not 
 escape us; they have reached land on the opposite side of the 
 lake, and will have to make a great circuit, which will give us 
 time to collect our forces. Cuitlahua has already despatched a 
 messenger to every town and village, ordering all to assemble 
 under their chiefs, and to be prepared to march at a moment's 
 notice when the rendezvous is settled upon. I would it had all 
 been finished on the causeway, but there can be no doubt as 
 to the result. 
 
 "At most there are but four hundred Whites and four 
 thousand Tlascalans, while we shall number over one hundred 
 thousand. They say the white men have lost not only their 
 great guns, but those they carry on their shoulders, and that 
 only twenty or thirty of their strange animals have survived. 
 Therefore this time, we shall fight with something like equal 
 arms, and shall overwhelm them as the sea overwhelms the 
 rock." 
 
 " Your simile is an unfortunate one, Cuitcatl. The sea covers 
 the rock, but when it retires the rock remains. Still, it does 
 seem to me that, however valiantly the Spaniards may fight, 
 they cannot withstand such terrible odds. 
 
 " But I cannot rejoice with you. You know that I abhor 
 as much as you do the cruel massacre at the temple. My 
 sympathies were with your people while struggling to throw 
 off the yoke that the Spaniards had imposed upon them ; but 
 I am white like them. I know that many among them are
 
 "MY FATE IS ALTOGETHER UNCERTAIN." 325 
 
 noble men, and that much of the harm they have committed has 
 been done from conscientious motives, just as your people have, 
 from a desire to please the gods, offered up thousands of human 
 victims every year. Much as they love God, many of them 
 and certainly Cortez among them think more of spreading 
 their religion than they do of personal ambition or even of 
 gain. I have many acquaintances, and some good friends 
 among them ; and I cannot think of their being all destroyed 
 without regret and horror. I do not say that you are not 
 justified in killing all, for your existence as a nation is at 
 stake, but to me it is terrible." 
 
 " I can understand that, my friend ; but nothing can avert 
 their destruction. Now as to yourself, had it not been for 
 Cacama's death I should have said it were best that you 
 should marry Amenche at once; but among us it would be 
 most unseemly for a sister to think of marrying when her 
 brother has but just died." 
 
 " It is the same with us," Roger said. " A certain time 
 must always pass after the death of a near relative before 
 marriage. Besides, the present is no time for thinking of such 
 a thing. My fate is altogether uncertain, and I own that 1 
 consider there is small ground for hope that I can escape from 
 the present troubles. If, as seems certain now, the Spaniards 
 are all destroyed, the people will more than ever venerate their 
 gods, and the power of the priests will be almost unlimited. 
 It is useless for me to try to deceive myself, Ouitcatl. I know 
 your friendship ; but you would not have the power to with- 
 stand the decision of the priests. They will never permit a 
 single white man to remain alive in the land. Had Cacama 
 lived he might possibly have protected me ; but I think that 
 even his authority would have been insufficient to do so. If 
 the Spaniards are destroyed, I have but one chance of my life : 
 and that is, to make my way down to the coast, and to sail 
 away with the Spaniards there." 
 
 Cuitcatl was silent, for he felt the force of what Roger said. 
 
 " If you go you must not go alone," he replied at last. 
 " Amenche would die were you to desert her."
 
 326 " THEBB IB NOTHING TO DO BUT TO WAIT." 
 
 " I will assuredly take her if she will accompany me," Roger 
 said ; " but I do not think that there is much chance of my 
 escape, even in that way. The news of the destruction of the 
 Spaniards will be carried with the speed of the wind down to 
 the coast, and the tribes there will instantly rise and fall upon 
 the Spaniards; those who have been the most friendly with 
 them will be the very first to take up arms against them, in 
 order to make their peace with the Aztecs, and to avert their 
 vengeance for the aid they have given the Spaniards. Long 
 before we could reach the coast the Spaniards there would 
 either be killed or driven on board their ships." 
 
 Cuitcatl could not deny the justice of Roger's reasoning. 
 " There is nothing to do," the latter went on, " but to wait 
 at any rate until this battle has taken place. Impossible as 
 it seems, the Spaniards may yet extricate themselvas from the 
 toils, in which case I should join them ; if not, and I find my 
 escape by the coast cut off by the rising of the tribes there, 
 the only thing that I can see is to take to the mountains, and 
 to live there as I did with Bathalda, on the proceeds of the 
 chase. I might then, perhaps, in time make my way to people 
 in the far north, who have not such reason as they have here 
 for hating a man with a white skin, or I might wait until the 
 Spaniards send another expedition to carry out what Cortez 
 has failed to accomplish." 
 
 Leaving their fires burning the remains of the Spanish army 
 marched at midnight from the temple where they had enjoyed 
 rest, and had recruited their strength and spirits. The sick 
 and wounded were placed in the centre, and carried on Utters 
 or on the backs of the porters, while others, who were strong 
 enough to sit upright, rode on the horses behind the mounted 
 soldiers. All night the march continued without disturbance ; 
 but in the morning large parties of natives were seen moving 
 about. Tlacopan lay on the most westerly point of the lake, 
 and the most direct route of the Spaniards would have been to 
 keep along by its margin ; but had they done so, they would 
 have been liable to attack from the capital, as the troops could 
 have poured out across the causeway to Tepejacac, and headed
 
 THE RETREAT. 327 
 
 them there. They therefore struck oft due north, with the 
 intention of passing to the west of Lake Xaltocan. 
 
 The country was a broken one, and the Mexicans, gathering 
 on the hills, rolled stones down upon them with volleys of 
 arrows and darts. Sometimes they even ventured to descend 
 into the plain and fall upon the rear of the column. As 
 often as they did so, however, the little body of cavalry drove 
 them off. The infantry column kept steadily on its way, 
 though greatly harassed by the continued attacks. Day after 
 day passed in this manner, the Spaniards being reduced to 
 great straits from want of food, as the natives, in the small 
 towns and villages through which they passed, carried off all 
 provisions and stores, and the only food the soldiers could 
 obtain were wild cherries and a few ears of corn that had 
 been left by the harvesters. 
 
 Sometimes a horse fell dead from exhaustion, and afforded 
 a welcome supply of food. Many of the soldiers dropped 
 lifeless from fatigue and famine; others, unable to keep up 
 the march, fell behind and were captured by the enemy, and 
 carried off to furnish sacri6ces for the gods. To lighten them- 
 selves the soldiers threw away the gold to obtain which they 
 had dared so many dangers and suffered so many hardships. 
 Life itself was at stake, and the precious metal had ceased 
 to have any value in their eyes. Through those terrible days, 
 Cortez as usual set a splendid example to his soldiers. He 
 was in the front wherever danger threatened ; he bore his 
 full share of the hardships, and by his cheerfulness and calm- 
 ness kept up the spirits of the soldiers and cheered them by 
 assuring them they might yet escape from the dangers that 
 menaced them. 
 
 The Tlascalans also behaved admirably, and appeared to 
 bear no grudge whatever against the Spaniards for the suffer- 
 ings which their alliance had brought upon them. Passing 
 through the town of Quauhtitlan, and round the north of Lake 
 Tzompanco, they at last turned their faces east, and on the 
 seventh day reached the edge of the plateau and looked down 
 upon the plains of Otompan. They were still but thirty miles
 
 328 A MIGHTY ABMY. 
 
 in a direct line from the capital ; but they had traversed fully 
 three times that distance in their circuitous journey. 
 
 During the last day's march the numbers of the natives 
 who surrounded them had considerably increased, and menacing 
 shouts of the fate that awaited them greeted them as they 
 marched along. The nature of the peril was not understood 
 until, on reaching the crest from which they looked down on 
 the valley of Otompan, they saw that it was filled with a 
 mighty army, whose white cotton mail gave it as one of their 
 historians states the appearance of being covered with snow. 
 Here were all the levies that Cuitlahua had collected; the 
 whole of the cities of the plains had sent in their quota, and 
 the bright banners of the chiefs and nobles waved gaily over 
 the snowy array of their followers. 
 
 The numbers of the Mexicans were put down at varying 
 amounts by the Spanish historians, some of them laying them 
 as high as two hundred thousand ; but it is probable that at 
 least half that number were assembled to bar the march of 
 the worn-out little force that surveyed them from the heights. 
 Even the most hopeful and courageous of the Spaniards felt 
 something like dismay as they viewed the tremendous array 
 before them. Deprived of the weapons on which they had 
 chiefly depended for victory, with their cavalry reduced to a 
 mere handful, the prospect seemed indeed desperate. But 
 there was no room for hesitation, they must cut a way through 
 the enemy or die. 
 
 Cortez addressed the troops in a short speech of encourage- 
 ment. He reminded them that they had already won victories 
 against enormous odds, and that numbers, indeed, were but of 
 slight consequence, when the arm of God was with them. 
 " Assuredly He who had carried them safely through so many 
 perils, would not now abandon them and His own good cauge, 
 to perish by the hand of these infidels." 
 
 With steady step and in compact array, the little force 
 descended the hill into the plain, and as soon as they reached 
 the level ground, the Aztec host attacked them on all sides. 
 The handful of calvary, consisting almost entirely of the
 
 AN UNEQUAL STRUGGLE. 329 
 
 personal friends and officers of Cortez, cleared the way for the 
 head of the column by repeated and desperate charges ; while 
 the infantry with pike and sword maintained a front that the 
 Aztecs, although fighting with the greatest bravery, were unable 
 to break. The Tlascalans fought as stoutly as the Spaniards, 
 their native land lay almost within sight, and the love of 
 home and the remembrance of many a victory gained over 
 the A/tecs, animated them to rival the steadfastness of their 
 white comrades. 
 
 Yet though unbroken the little force was but as an island 
 in the midst of an ocean ; the attacks, although always repulsed, 
 were constantly renewed ; the gaps in the ranks of the enemy 
 were filled up with fresh combatants, and as hour after hour 
 went on, even the most hopeful in the Spanish band began 
 to feel that the contest could have but one termination, and 
 that they would be overcome not so much by the arms of the 
 Aztecs, as by fatigue, thirst and hunger. 
 
 The cavalry had performed prodigies of valour ; breaking up 
 into knots of threes and fours, they had charged into the dense 
 crowd of the enemy, clearing a way for themselves with lance 
 and sword, and by the weight of the horses and armour. 
 
 But such charges could have but little effect on the fortunes 
 of the day; the numbers of those they slew counted for nothing 
 in such a host, and the lanes they made closed behind them, 
 until after making a circuit they again joined the main body. 
 For hours the fight raged. The Spanish battle-cry, " St. James 
 and Our Lady ! " still rose sternly in answer to the triumphant 
 yells of the Aztecs ; their front was still unbroken, but all felt 
 that nothing short of a miracle could save them. Not one but 
 was wounded in many places by the Aztec missiles. Their 
 arms were weary with striking, the sun blazed down upon 
 them with scorching heat. Their throats were parched with 
 thirst ; they were enfeebled by hunger. The Aztecs, seeing 
 that their foes were becoming faint and wearied, that the 
 horses of the cavaliers could scarce carry them, and that the 
 end was approaching, redoubled their shouts and pressed more 
 heartily and eagerly than ever upon the Spaniards, driving
 
 330 " THERE IS OUR MARK 1 " 
 
 the cavalry back by sheer weight into the ranks of the 
 infantry. 
 
 Cortez at this supreme moment still maintained his calmness, 
 he saw that all was lost unless a change was made, and that 
 speedily. Another hour at latest, and the resistance would 
 be over, and the brave men who had followed him be either 
 dead or prisoners reserved for sacrifice. Throughout the day 
 he had ordered his cavaliers to strike ever at the chiefs, know- 
 ing well that undisciplined bodies of men become lost without 
 leaders. Raising himself in his stirrups, he looked round over 
 the seething mass of the foe, and at some distance beheld a 
 small body of officers whose gay and glittering attire showed 
 them to belong to the highest rank of nobles, gathered round 
 a litter on which was a chief, gorgeously attired with a lofty 
 plume of feathers floating above his head, rising above which 
 was a short staff bearing a golden net. 
 
 Cortez knew that this was the symbol carried by the Aztec 
 commanders-in-chief. He called to his comrades Sandoval, 
 Olid, Alvarado, Avila, and the other cavaliers and pointing 
 to the chief cried : " There is our mark ! Follow and support 
 me." Then he spurred his wearied horse forward, and dashed 
 into the throng followed by his cavaliers. The fury and sudden- 
 ness of the attack bore all before it ; the compact little body of 
 horsemen, shouting their battle-cry, clove through the ranks of 
 the enemy, making straight for the Indian commander, whose 
 name was Cihuaca. In vain the Mexicans tried to bar the 
 way ; in vain when, after a few minutes of tremendous exertion, 
 Cortez reached his goal, the nobles and the body-guard strove 
 to defend their chief. Cortez, fighting with almost super- 
 human vigour, clove his way through all opposition, and with 
 his lance ran through the Aztec general and hurled him to 
 the ground, when one of his followers, leaping from his horse, 
 quickly dispatched him. 
 
 The guard, appalled by the suddenness of the attack, broke 
 and fled in all directions, scattering panic among the lately 
 triumphant host. Scarce knowing what had happened, but 
 feeling that some dreadful misfortune had occurred and all was
 
 A MARVELLOUS DELIVERANCE. 331 
 
 lost, the Aztecs were seized with a blind terror, and breaking 
 their ranks thought only of escape. 
 
 As if by magic a victorious army was transformed into a 
 flying inob. The Spaniards and Tlascalans took instant advan- 
 tage of the change. Fatigue and thirst, wounds and exhaus- 
 tion, were forgotten. With shouts of triumph and vengeance 
 they broke their ranks, and followed hotly upon the fugitives. 
 These, impeded by their very numbers and half mad with 
 panic, offered no resistance whatever. Great numbers were 
 overtaken and slain, and when the Spaniards abandoned the 
 pursuit at the summons of their leader's trumpet, and as- 
 sembled round him, the field was covered with the bodies of 
 their fallen foes. 
 
 An hour was spent in gathering the booty from the bodies 
 of the chiefs, of whom great numbers had fallen; and then, after 
 offering up thanks to God for their marvellous deliverance, the 
 army again renewed their march. It was already late in the 
 afternoon, and they halted at sunset at a temple, standing on 
 an eminence which afforded them shelter and a defensive 
 position, should the Aztecs renew the assault. But of this 
 there was little fear, their defeat had been utter and complete, 
 there was no chance of their rallying. 
 
 The victory of Otompan was one of the most remarkable 
 ever won. The discrepancy of numbers was immense; the 
 Spaniards were unprovided with artillery or fire-arms, and 
 owed their success to their discipline and bravery, and still 
 more to the extraordinary valour and quick-sightedness of 
 their leader. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 AT TLASCALA. 
 
 T) OGER was sitting in the evening, conversing with Maclutha 
 \j and Amenche on the probabilities of the battle that 
 was expected to take place on that day, when Cuitcatl
 
 332 "THE WHITE MAN'S GOD HAS TRIUMPHED." 
 
 suddenly entered. His robe of bright f eatherwork was gone ; 
 the panache of floating plumes was shorn from his head; 
 his white garment was stained with blood ; he was overcome 
 by exhaustion and grief. No words were needed to explain 
 what had taken place. Impossible as it had seemed, the 
 Aztec army had been defeated. A cry broke from the two 
 ladies as he entered. 
 
 " The white man's God has triumphed," he said ; " and the 
 Aztecs have been defeated. You were right, Roger. Mere 
 handful as they were, the white men have gained the day. 
 Even now I hardly know how it came about. Never did my 
 countrymen fight more bravely. For hours the Spaniards 
 stood as a wall which we in vain tried to break ; thousands fell 
 on our side, but not for a moment did we waver. Others took 
 their places until, as the hours went on, the Spaniards grew 
 weary and victory seemed in our grasp. Their horsemen had 
 charged through and through us, but though many chiefs 
 were slain, it mattered little ; the ranks closed up, and each 
 time they fell back on their infantry having achieved nothing. 
 Their horses were weary, and their attacks grew more feeble. 
 
 " Already our cries of victory were raised ; an hour more, 
 and not a Spaniard would have remained on foot. Just at 
 this time my command had been ordered up, and we were 
 fighting in the front rank. Suddenly I heard from all parts 
 of the field loud cries. What had happened I knew not. We 
 stood for a moment irresolute, not knowing what had befallen 
 us elsewhere, then a panic seized my men. In vain I shouted 
 and ordered ; they were deaf to my voice, they were deaf to 
 everything save fear. I was swept away with them as a leaf 
 on a stream. When at last I freed myself from the torrent, 
 and looked round, I saw that the whole army was in mad 
 flight, while the Whites and Tlascalans, like hounds in pursuit 
 of deer, were hanging on their rear, slaughtering all they 
 overtook. 
 
 " In vain I gathered a few men and made a stand. It 
 was useless; we were beaten down and overpowered. With 
 the greatest difficulty I broke away and escaped ; and had
 
 ** TOU MUST LEAVE UB TO-NIGHT." 333 
 
 it not been for Bathalda, who fought side by side with me, I 
 should have been taken by two or three fleet-footed Tlascalans. 
 For the present all is lost; the fight cannot be renewed to- 
 morrow, and before the sun sets the enemy will have reached 
 the borders of Tlascala, and will be safe there." 
 
 " But what was it that caused so sudden a panic in your 
 ranks ? " Roger asked. 
 
 " It was the death of Cihuaca, our leader. The Spanish 
 horse, headed, as I hear, by their general himself, burst 
 through our ranks, cut their way to his litter, overthrew his 
 body-guard, and slew him. His death would have mattered 
 little, as the victory was already won. We needed no further 
 orders, we had but to keep on fighting, and the end would soon 
 have come. It was simply a panic; none knew what had 
 happened. The word passed from man to man, ' All is lost ! ' 
 and, like a herd of deer, our bravest soldiers fled. It is not 
 a thing to reason about the gods deserted us, and we were 
 no longer men. That is all I can tell you about it." 
 
 And the chief flung himself down upon a pile of rugs. 
 Wine and food were brought to him, and his wounds dressed. 
 
 " Roger," he said presently, " you must leave us to-night. 
 Those of my followers who have escaped will soon make their 
 way back, and my authority will be unable to save you. The 
 priests would head the movement against you ; you would be 
 bound and carried to Mexico at once. The Whites, in their 
 march to-morrow, will pass along the road four miles to the 
 north of this. Conceal yourself in a wood until morning, and 
 join them as they come along. As to the future you can make 
 no plans now; you know not whether Cortez will retire to 
 the coast and take ship there, or whether he will remain at 
 Tlascala till reinforcements arrive from across the sea, and 
 then again advance. When this is decided, you will know 
 what course to take. Bathalda will accompany you, I have 
 already given him orders to do so. He will bring down a 
 message from you when you know what course has been 
 decided on." 
 
 " And if you go, dear, I will go with you," Amenche said,
 
 334 " THERE IS NO TIME TO BE LOST.** 
 
 rising and putting her hand on Roger's shoulder. " Send for 
 me, and Bathalda will escort me to you. I will bring such gems 
 and gold as we can carry, so I shall not be a bride without 
 a dower. You promise to send for me, do you not, Roger ? " 
 
 " Certainly I do," Roger said, pressing her to him ; " if I 
 quit this land alive you shall accompany me. I should be 
 unworthy of your love indeed, Amenche, were I to prove 
 faithless to you now. I regard you as being as truly my wife 
 as if we were already married." 
 
 A short time afterwards Bathalda entered, and said that 
 a number of soldiers were gathering in the courtyard, that 
 some priests were among them, and that they were talking 
 loudly about carrying the white man to Mexico, as a sacrifice 
 to appease the wrath of the gods. 
 
 " There is no time to be lost," Cuitcatl said ; " you had 
 best go, Roger, before they surround the house and make 
 escape impossible. I will fetch you a dark-coloured robe, so 
 that you may escape unseen by anyone who may be approach- 
 ing the house on this side." 
 
 So saying he left the room. Maclutha signed to Bathalda 
 to follow her, and they went out leaving Roger alone with 
 Amenche. The girl's firmness deserted her now, and she threw 
 herself weeping into Roger's arms. He consoled her by his 
 assurances that their parting would not be for long, and that 
 the next time they met, whatever the circumstances, he would 
 make her his own. 
 
 " If we retire and you join me in Tlascala," he said ; " we 
 will be married by Father Olmedo in Christian fashion. If 
 I return hither to you, we will be married at once in Mexican 
 fashion, and go through the ceremony again when we join the 
 Spaniards." 
 
 A few minutes later Cuitcatl returned, as did Maclutha 
 and Bathalda, the latter bearing a basket with some pro- 
 visions. The parting was brief, for the servants had brought 
 news that the soldiers were becoming more and more clamorous, 
 and were threatening to force an entrance if the white man 
 were not handed over to them.
 
 BBJOININO THE SPANIARDS. 335 
 
 Bathalda and Roger left by a small door at the back of tbe 
 house, and passing through the garden took their way across 
 the country. An hour's walking brought them to a wood near 
 the road by which the Spaniards would travel in the morning, 
 and there they sat down and awaited daylight. It was not 
 until some hours after sunrise that the little army was seen 
 approaching. On its flanks were large bodies of natives, who, 
 however, contented themselves by hovering at a distance, 
 except where the ground was impracticable for the action of 
 cavalry, when they approached near enough to discharge their 
 missiles at the line of troops. As the head of the column 
 approached Roger threw off his Aztec cloak and, accompanied 
 by Bathalda, issued from the wood and ran towards them, and 
 in two or three minutes reached the horsemen who rode in 
 the van. 
 
 " Why, Sancho ! " Cortez exclaimed, as Roger ran up. " Is 
 it you ? We all thought you had fallen in the fight on the 
 causeway. I am glad to see that you are safe. How did you 
 escape ? " 
 
 "I was, like many others, your Excellency, seized by the 
 Aztecs, pulled down the causeway, and thrown into a boat. 
 I should have been taken to Mexico and sacrificed, had it not 
 been that the commander of the boat was a young cacique 
 who had been my closest friend while dwelling in Tezcuco. 
 He directed his men to row me across the lake, and took me to 
 his house, which is but four miles away from here ; there I have 
 remained, having my wounds cared for until now. He took 
 part in the fight at Otompan, and returned last evening with 
 the news of your wonderful victory, and that you would pass 
 along here this morning. I had a narrow escape last night, 
 for some of the Aztec soldiers would have seized me and 
 taken me a prisoner to Mexico ; but the cacique aided me to 
 escape, and gave me this follower of his as a guide. He is the 
 same man who accompanied me in my flight from Tezcuco, and 
 brought me to join you at Tlascala." 
 
 " I am right glad that you have escaped, Sancho : firstly, 
 because every stout arm is sorely needed; secondly, because
 
 336 " CORTBZ WILL MANAGE THINGS.*' 
 
 Marina has grieved much for your loss. Truly, had you been 
 her brother she could not have been more affected. She is in 
 the centre of the column. You had best tarry here until she 
 comes along, and then join her; she will be rejoiced to see 
 you again." 
 
 Marina was indeed delighted when she caught sight of 
 Roger's tall figure, and greeted him with much emotion. As 
 they walked together she heard how he had escaped, and she 
 related to him how she, under the guard of the Tlascalans, 
 had survived the terrible fight on the causeway, and then gave 
 him a full account of the great battle on the previous day. 
 
 " And what are we going to do now ? " Roger asked, when 
 she had finished her narration. " Think you that we shall 
 proceed to the coast, and take ship for Europe ? " 
 
 Marina tossed her head scornfully. 
 
 " You do not know Cortez," she said ; " or you would not 
 ask such a question. He is already thinking how he can 
 return and capture the capital." 
 
 " But unless he receives large reinforcements, that would 
 seem impossible," Roger said. " You have yourself told me 
 that had it not been for the fall of the Mexican leader, nothing 
 could have saved you from destruction. The Aztec loss was 
 heavy, no doubt ; but they can fill up their ranks and take the 
 field again in a week or two, with a force as large as that 
 which fought at Otompan. They will not be dispirited, for they 
 will know that it was but an accident which deprived them of 
 victory, and will no longer deem the Spaniards invincible." 
 
 " It matters not," Marina said carelessly ; " Cortez will 
 manage things. Whatever he undertakes that he will carry 
 out." 
 
 Late in the afternoon the army arrived at the barrier, 
 across the road that marked the boundary of the Tlascalan 
 territory. As they passed it the native allies burst into cries 
 of gladness, and the Spaniards joined in the shout ; for to them, 
 too, it seemed that their dangers were at an end, and that they 
 had reached rest and abundance. Cortez and the leaders, 
 however, were by no means sanguine as to the reception they
 
 AMONG FRIENDS. 337 
 
 should meet with. Their alliance had brought misfortune 
 upon the Tlascalans ; little more than one thousand out of the 
 eight thousand men who had marched with them had returned 
 to tell the tale, the rest had fallen in the defence of the palace, 
 in the fighting in the streets of Mexico, in the passage of the 
 causeway, or in the battle of Otompan. 
 
 What would the Tlascalans think when they saw the broken 
 remnant of the army, which had marched out so proudly, and 
 knew that they brought on themselves the bitter enmity of 
 the whole of the people of Anahuac ? Might they not well be 
 tempted to avert the wrath of the Aztecs, by falling upon the 
 strangers, whose alliance had cost them so dearly ? 
 
 At the place at which they halted for the night, a town of 
 some fifteen thousand inhabitants, they were so kindly received 
 by the natives that these apprehensions were somewhat laid to 
 rest. The people came out to meet them, invited them to their 
 houses, and treated them with the greatest hospitality. Here 
 they remained three days, resting after their terrible fatigues. 
 They were visited here by Maxixca, the most influential of the 
 four great chiefs of the Tlascalans. He had been their most 
 cordial friend on their first arrival, and his sentiments were 
 in nowise changed by the misfortunes that had befallen them. 
 Indeed his admiration for them was heightened by the manner 
 in which they had withstood the whole power of the Aztec 
 nation. 
 
 The cordial greeting given to them by one whose counsels 
 were of the highest authority in the Tlascalan nation, restored 
 the confidence of Cortez ; and he accepted the invitation to 
 continue his march at once to the capital, which was some 
 fifteen miles away. The sick and wounded were placed in 
 hammocks, which were carried on the shoulders of the friendly 
 natives; and as the army approached the capital, crowds of 
 people flocked out to meet them with cries of welcome, and 
 escorted them into the city. Cortez and his officers took up 
 their abode in the palace of Maxixca, and the rest of the 
 army were quartered in that part of the city over which he 
 exercised special authority. 
 
 (018) T
 
 338 SENDING FOR AMENCHB. 
 
 Here they remained for some weeks, during which the 
 wounded recovered from their injuries, the sick regained their 
 strength in the bracing mountain air, and the whole army 
 shook off the effects of the terrible hardships they had under- 
 gone while retreating from Mexico. Cortez, during this time, 
 was confined to his couch, the wound on the hand which he 
 had received in the conflict in the capital had been so in- 
 flamed and aggravated that he had lost the use of two fingers ; 
 and he had in the retreat received two severe wounds in the 
 head, one of which became so inflamed from inattention, and 
 from the fatigue and excitement he had gone through, that 
 a portion of the bone had to be removed, and the general lay 
 for some time at the point of death. 
 
 The news came in a day or two after the army reached 
 its resting-place that a party of five horsemen and forty 
 foot, who had gone forward in charge of invalids and treasure 
 from Tlascala, had all been massacred, and twelve other soldiers 
 marching in the same direction had also been killed. Upon 
 the other hand they heard that all was quiet on the coast, and 
 the friendly demeanour of the natives there was in no way 
 changed. Roger, seeing for a time that nothing could be done, 
 and that the troops were all eager to retire to the coast, 
 despatched Bathalda a few days after his arrival at Tlascala, 
 to Amenche, to say that he considered it certain that the 
 Spaniards would retire, and that if she would come up to him 
 in charge of Cuitcatl, whose safety he could guarantee while 
 in Tlascalan territory, they might be united, as Malinche had 
 promised to obtain the consent of Cortez, who always encouraged 
 marriages between his followers and the natives. Before leav- 
 ing, Bathalda handed to Roger a small bag. 
 
 " This," he said, " Maclutha gave to me for you ; it was 
 for that purpose she drew me aside before you started. She 
 bade me not deliver it to you unless I was compelled to part 
 from you. It contains some of the principal jewels taken from 
 the treasure-house, and she said, they might make you and the 
 princess rich when you reach home. They are useless to her ; 
 she has no children, and now that Cacama has gone it is nought
 
 BAD NEWS. 339 
 
 to her who rules over Tezcuco. Moreover, these are but a 
 small portion of the treasure in her possession." 
 
 Roger sent his warm thanks to Maclutha, and after Bathalda 
 had started examined the contents of the bag, which he saw 
 at once were very valuable consisting of large pearls, diamonds, 
 and other gems. On the evening of the second day after 
 starting, Bathalda returned alone. 
 
 " I have very bad news," 'he said, " so bad that I hardly 
 like to tell it. Four days since, an officer and guard arrived 
 from Mexico with orders to arrest Cuitcatl, who was reported 
 by the priests in the neighbourhood to have harboured a 
 white man, and to have permitted him to escape. Maclutha 
 and Amenche were also arrested, and though treated with 
 every personal courtesy, were conducted to Mexico, where the 
 official said they were for the present to remain in seclusion 
 in the royal palace." 
 
 Roger was stupefied by the news. What was to be done 
 he knew not. To desert Amenche was not to be thought of, 
 and yet he saw no way of rejoining her, still less of rescuing 
 her. In the present excited state of the Aztec population it 
 would be certain death to venture beyond the frontier of 
 Tlascala. He regarded his height now as the greatest misfor- 
 tune ; had he been short and slight he would have disguised 
 himself as a Mexican, and under the guidance of Bathalda, 
 have made his way to the capital ; but with a figure which 
 would be instantly remarked wherever he went this would be 
 impossible. He entered the palace, and sent in an urgent 
 message to Malinche, who was nursing Cortez. She listened 
 patiently to his narrative. 
 
 " I pity you, Roger," she said when he had finished ; " but 
 there is nothing to be done." 
 
 " But I cannot march away and leave her," he said. " Rather 
 than that I will disguise myself and take all risks, even 
 though I know that I must fail." 
 
 " You must have patience, Roger," she said. " Cortez will, 
 I feel sure, recover." 
 
 "But if so, it will only be to march down to the coast,"
 
 340 THE INFLUENCE OF COKTEZ. 
 
 Roger broke in. " The whole army are eager to be off before 
 the Mexicans can gather their forces and be ready to fall upon 
 them." 
 
 " The army may think what it likes, and wish what it likes," 
 Malinche said quietly; "I am sure that Cortez will not 
 go down to the coast ; and what he wills he does. The others 
 may grumble, but Cortez leads them like tame deer. When 
 he is well enough to speak to them they will listen and obey 
 him. His thoughts, ill as he is, are all of a fresh march to 
 Mexico." 
 
 Hitherto Roger had been as desirous as any of his comrades 
 of a return to the coast. It had seemed to him that there was 
 no possibility of success, and he longed to be on his way to 
 Europe with his Indian bride. But now everything was 
 changed ; he had come to have a faith in Cortez, almost as 
 absolute as that entertained by the general's devoted followers ; 
 and he well knew that if he still thought there was a possi- 
 bility of a successful march to Mexico, that march would be 
 made ; he now therefore waited with impatience for Cortez to 
 be on his feet again. 
 
 But the waiting was long and tedious. Four weeks passed 
 before the general was again himself. As soon as he became 
 convalescent, the regulations which he issued for the army 
 and the orders that he sent to the coast for every available 
 man to be sent up to reinforce him, showed the soldiers that 
 he had no intentions of retiring, and a remonstrance was 
 signed by a large number of officers and soldiers against a 
 further stay in the country. But Cortez was not shaken ; he 
 prayed them not to discredit the great name they had won, 
 nor to leave their glorious enterprise for others more daring to 
 finish. How could they with honour desert their allies who 
 at their persuasion had taken up arms, and had shared their 
 fortunes, and so leave them to the vengeance of the Aztecs ? 
 To retreat now would be but to proclaim their weakness 
 and give confidence to their foes. If, however, there were any 
 who preferred going home to the glory of this great enter- 
 prise, then in God's Name let them go, he would feel stronger
 
 THB AZTEC PROPOSAL. 341 
 
 with but a few brave spirits with him than if surrounded by 
 a host of false or cowardly men. 
 
 The troops of Narvaez had been the loudest in their com- 
 plaints, but they were silenced now by the enthusiasm with 
 which the soldiers of Cortez responded to the appeal of their 
 leader; and all agreed to postpone their departure for the 
 present. 
 
 A fresh source of danger speedily arose. Six Aztec ambas- 
 sadors arrived, bearing presents and inviting the Tlascalans to 
 forget old animosities, and to enter into a treaty with them. 
 All the nations of Anahuac, they urged, should make common 
 cause in defence of their country; and they conjured them 
 by their common religion not to allow the white men to escape 
 from their hands, but to sacrifice them at once to their 
 gods. 
 
 These proposals were made at a solemn council called to 
 receive them. There had, even before the arrival of the 
 ambassadors, been a strong party in Tlascala who viewed the 
 Spaniards with hostility as the authors of the heavy losses 
 they had suffered, and as becoming, by their continued stay 
 there, a burden to the state. 
 
 The head of this party was the young chief Xicotencatl, who 
 had led the Tlascalan armies in the desperate resistance they 
 offered to the Spaniards on their first coming. When the 
 ambassadors had made their offers he rose and urged his 
 hearers to assent to the proposal, saying that it were better 
 to unite with their kindred and those of their own language, 
 faith, and custom, than with these fierce strangers. The 
 young warriors enthusiastically agreed ; but, happily for the 
 Spaniards the four great chiefs, one of whom was the father of 
 Xicotencatl, were opposed to the proposal. 
 
 Maxixca especially combated the idea. " The Aztecs," he 
 said, " are always false in speech and false in heart. It is 
 fear that drives them now to offer their friendship to the 
 Tlascalans, and when the cause for fear has passed they 
 will again be hostile. What ? Are we to sacrifice the white 
 men to the gods the men who have fought with us side by
 
 342 " A TERBIBLB SCOURGE." 
 
 side against our enemies, and who are now our guests t Were 
 we to act thus it would be an act of the grossest perfidy." 
 
 Xicotencatl replied, but Maxixca, losing his temper, seized 
 him and with sudden violence thrust him from the chamber. 
 So unusual a step so astonished the assembly that it silenced 
 all opposition, and the alliance with the Mexican* was unani- 
 mously rejected. Confident now that the Tlascalans were to 
 be trusted, Cortez sent out expeditions composed of his own 
 men and bodies of the allies, and inflicted terrible punishment 
 on the districts where the isolated parties of Spaniards had 
 been cut off and destroyed, and defeated the natives in several 
 hardly fought battles, capturing their towns and enslaving 
 the inhabitants. 
 
 Having thus restored the confidence of his followers and 
 allies he prepared for a forward movement. Martin Lopez, 
 shipbuilder to the expedition, had escaped the slaughter on 
 the causeway, and he now ordered him to build at Tlascala 
 thirteen ships, which could be taken to pieces and carried on 
 the shoulders of the Indians, to be launched on Lake Tezcuco. 
 The sails, rigging, and ironwork were to be brought from the 
 coast, where they had been stored since Cortez had sunk his 
 ships. The Tlascalans placed a great number of men at the 
 shipbuilders' disposal ; timber was cut from the forest ; pitch, 
 an article unknown to the natives, obtained from the pines; 
 new arms were manufactured ; powder was made with sulphur 
 obtained from the volcanoes ; and the work, heavy though it 
 was, was rapidly brought to a conclusion. 
 
 While it was going on, however, a terrible scourge swept 
 over the country. Small-pox, a disease hitherto unknown there, 
 broke out on the sea-coast and swept across Mexico, carry- 
 ing off great numbers among the victims being Maxixca, the 
 faithful friend of the Spaniards, and Cuitlahua, Montezuma's 
 successor. The latter was succeeded by Guatirnozin, nephew 
 of the two last monarchs; who had married his cousin, one of 
 Montezuma's daughters. Like Cuitlahua he was a gallant 
 prince, and had distinguished himself greatly in the attacks 
 on the Spaniards in Mexico. He continued the preparations
 
 WELCOME REINFORCEMENTS. 343 
 
 Cuitlahua had begun for the defence ; but, like him, was 
 greatly hampered by the fact that a large proportion of the 
 tribes recently conquered by the Aztecs had seized the oppor- 
 tunity caused by the confusion in the empire to throw off 
 their allegiance ; the royal orders being really obeyed only by 
 the population of the Valley of Mexico itself. 
 
 Before starting on his march towards Mexico, Cortez per- 
 mitted several of his companions, who were disinclined to face 
 a renewal of the trials and hardships they had suffered, to 
 leave, placing his best ship at their disposal. Their loss was 
 more than made up by the capture of two vessels sent by 
 Velasquez, who was ignorant of the fate which had befallen 
 Narvaez, and who considered it certain that Cortez was a 
 prisoner in his hands. The ships sailed into port, where the 
 captains and crews were at once seized, and were then easily 
 persuaded to join Cortez. Two ships fitted out by the Gover- 
 nor of Jamaica also put into port, to repair damages after 
 a storm ; and their crews were also persuaded by the liberal 
 promises of Cortez to abandon their service and join him. 
 He thus received a reinforcement of at least a hundred and 
 fifty well-armed men, together with fifty horses. 
 
 But this was not the end of the good fortune of Cortez: 
 a merchant ship, laden with arms and military stores, touched 
 at Cuba ; and the captain, hearing of the discoveries in Mexico, 
 thought that he should find a good market there. He there- 
 fore sailed to Vera Cruz, where his ship and cargo were 
 purchased by Cortez, and the crew swelled the force under 
 him. By Christmas everything was ready for the advance ; 
 the army now amounted to six hundred men, forty of whom 
 were cavalry, with eighty musketeers and cross-bowmen. It 
 had also nine cannon taken from the ships. The force of the 
 native allies which joined them was estimated at from one 
 hundred and ten thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand, 
 and consisted not only of the Tlascalan troops, but of those of 
 Cholula, Tepeaca, and other neighbouring towns, who, after 
 their defeat by Cortez had submitted themselves to the Spanish 
 rule.
 
 344 AT TEZCUCO AGAIN. 
 
 But Cortez had no idea of taking all these with him, as 
 it would be difficult to obtain provisions for such a host ; and 
 he left them behind, to bring on the vessels when completed, 
 and to aid in further operations. He himself marched with 
 the Spaniards and a small body of allies, and reached Tezcuco 
 without opposition. The prince whom Montezuma had ap- 
 pointed to succeed Cacama, fearing the vengeance of the popu- 
 lation, had fled to Tlascala ; but returning, in hopes of finding 
 a party there in his favour, was seized and put to death by 
 Coanaco, another brother, who had been recognized as king 
 by the Tezcucans. 
 
 When the Spaniards approached the city they found it 
 almost entirely deserted, the inhabitants having fled across the 
 lake to Mexico. Their ruler had accompanied them, and 
 Cortez appointed another brother in his place. This prince 
 lived but a few months, and was succeeded by another member 
 of the royal house the prince who had, during Cacama's life- 
 time obtained a large portion of his dominion, and who proved 
 a valiant and faithful ally of the Spaniards in their struggle 
 with his countrymen. 
 
 The Tezcucans gradually returned after Cortez had nominated 
 a new sovereign, and Cortez at once set a large number of 
 them to dig a canal from the town itself to the lake, so that 
 the men putting together the ships could labour under his 
 very eye. 
 
 Several of the cities round sent in to make their sub- 
 mission ; and a week after his arrival Cortez marched with a 
 body of Spaniards and allies against Iztapalapan, a town of 
 fifty thousand inhabitants, lying near the narrow tongue of 
 land dividing the great lake from that of Xochicalco. The 
 natives came out to meet them, and fought bravely, but were 
 driven into the city. The greater part of those who could 
 not escape were slaughtered. While engaged in the work of 
 plunder the Spaniards were alarmed by a rush of water, the 
 natives having broken the bank of the great lake. The troops 
 with the greatest difficulty escaped with their lives, many of 
 the allies being drowned.
 
 THE SHIPS BROUGHT DOWN. 345 
 
 The fate of Iztapalapan excited consternation among the 
 other cities, and many sent in to make their submission, among 
 them Otompan and Chalco. Not only had the Mexican 
 Empire fallen to pieces by the detachment of its distant pro- 
 vinces, but even near home long smouldering rivalries broke 
 into flame. The Aztecs were but a small portion even of the 
 people of the Valley of Mexico, and the greater portion of 
 these were glad to take advantage of the distress of the capital, 
 to break up the union that had so long existed. Cortez by 
 promises and presents assisted the work. 
 
 After some weeks' stay at Tezcuco, the news came that the 
 ships were all completed, and ready to be carried down ; and 
 two hundred foot and fifteen horse, under the command of 
 Sandoval, were sent to escort them. But scarcely had he 
 reached the frontier of Tlascala, than he saw a vast procession 
 advancing. The ships had already been put together and 
 tried on a lake among the hills, and were now being brought 
 down in pieces by an immense number of porters a with great 
 military escort. Sandoval sent the larger portion of the Indian 
 escort home, but kept twenty thousand of the best warriors. 
 After four days of painful labour the host of porters and fight- 
 ing men reached Tezcuco. 
 
 It was, indeed, an immense undertaking that had been 
 accomplished, for the whole of the wood and iron work of 
 thirteen ships had to be carried for upwards of sixty miles, 
 over a difficult and mountainous country. 
 
 A few days later Cortez took half of his Spanish force and 
 the whole of his allies, and started on an expedition to recon- 
 noitre the capital, and to punish some of the towns which 
 had returned insolent answers in reply to his summons. The 
 town of Xaltocan, standing on an island, was first attacked; 
 <he dyke leading to it was found to be cut through, and the 
 Spaniards for a time suffered greatly. They found a ford, 
 however; reached the town, and put all who resisted to the 
 sword. Three other towns, which had been deserted by their 
 inhabitants, were occupied and sacked. They then marched 
 against Tlacopan, and after a battle outside the town occupied
 
 346 CONTINUED FIGHTING. 
 
 the suburbs. Another hot fight was necessary before the town 
 was fully taken. 
 
 Here the Spaniards halted for some days, fighting almost 
 daily with the Aztecs. In one encounter, Cortez allowed 
 himself to be decoyed on to the great causeway upon which 
 he had before suffered such disaster. When he was half-way 
 across the Aztecs turned, reinforcements arrived from the 
 city, swarms of canoes attacked the Spaniards in flank, and 
 it was only after desperate fighting and some loss that they 
 regained the mainland. 
 
 Having accomplished their object, the force returned to 
 Tezcuco, greatly harassed on the march by the enemy. Other 
 expeditions were undertaken. During these events the work of 
 putting together the vessels was continued, and, to the great 
 satisfaction of the Spaniards, news reached them from the coast 
 of the arrival of three ships with reinforcements : two hundred 
 men, seventy or eighty horses, arms, and ammunition. 
 
 When these reached Tezcuco, Cortez felt confident that he 
 should now be able to overcome all opposition. On the fifth of 
 April he again started on an expedition; passing through 
 some deep gorges he attempted to carry a mountain fortress, 
 but was repulsed with loss, from the volleys of stones and 
 rocks rolled down upon the assailants. 
 
 After several other battles they neared Xochimilco, one of 
 the richest of the Aztec towns. Like Mexico, it stood in the 
 water, but at a small distance from the edge of the lake. 
 This was only captured after desperate fighting, Cortez himself 
 having a narrow escape of his life. 
 
 The next morning at dawn, great numbers of Aztecs landed 
 from canoes, and fell upon the Spaniards, and it was only 
 after a long and desperate struggle that the latter gained the 
 day. They now continued their march to Tlacopan, the enemy 
 following closely, and striking whenever they saw an oppor- 
 tunity, and the troops were glad, indeed, when they again 
 reached Tezcuco. By this time the canal was finished and the 
 ships were put together, and after discovering and punishing 
 another conspiracy against his life, Cortez gave orders for the
 
 AN EXECUTION. 347 
 
 fleet to advance. Solemn Mass was held, and then the vessels, 
 in the sight of an enormous concourse of people, dropped down 
 the canal one after the other and reached the lake. 
 
 Cortez mustered his men and found that he had eighty-seven 
 horse ; eight hundred and eighteen foot, of which one hundred 
 and eighteen were musketeers or cross-bowmen ; three large 
 iron field-pieces, and fifteen light brass guns. Three hundred 
 of the men were told off to man the ships. 
 
 The Indian confederates arrived punctually : fifty thousand 
 Tlascalans, and a vast number of levies from the other tribes. 
 
 The army was divided into three corps : one was to take up its 
 pqst under Alvarado at Tlacopan ; another, under Olid, was to 
 aid in capturing the causeway; while Sandoval had command 
 of the third, whose movements were to be determined by cir- 
 cumstances. Cortez himself took charge of the fleet. 
 
 A quarrel arose between a Spanish soldier and a Tlascalan 
 chief, who was a relation of Xicotencatl, who at once left the 
 army, and started for Tlascala. He had always been bitterly 
 hostile to the Spaniards; and Cortez saw that unless the 
 movement was stopped it might become very serious. He 
 sent a party of natives after him, with instructions to prevail 
 upon him if possible to return. He refused to do so. Cortez 
 despatched a body of cavalry in pursuit, arrested him in 
 Tlascala, brought him down to Tezcuco, and there hung him 
 in the sight of his own countrymen. 
 
 The divisions of Alvarado and Olid met with no resistance in 
 establishing themselves at Tlacopan. They cut the reservoir that 
 supplied the city with fresh water, the great lake being salt. 
 The next day the two divisions marched on to the causeway 
 to make themselves masters, if possible, of the first bridge. 
 The natives pursued their former tactics, desperately defending 
 barricades thrown across the causeway, and attacking the in- 
 vaders with a crowd of missiles from canoes. After a long 
 and obstinate fight the Spaniards and their allies were obliged 
 to fall back with considerable loss, and Olid drew oft with his 
 division to his station commanding the other causeway. 
 
 Iztapalapan having been again occupied by the enemy,
 
 348 THE CAUSEWAY CAPTURED. 
 
 Sandoval's division attacked them by land while Cortez 
 with his fleet lay off' the shore. After capturing the town, 
 Cortez turned his attention to the canoes of the natives which 
 darkened the surface of the lake. At this moment a fresh 
 breeze sprang up, and the ships, spreading their canvas, 
 dashed amongst the canoes, overturning and destroying great 
 numbers, while the cannon tore others to pieces with discharges 
 of bullets, and comparatively few succeeded in regaining the 
 city. It was now getting nearly dark, and the fleet coasted 
 along the great southern causeway to the fort of Xoloc, where 
 another branch of the causeway joined the main dyke. 
 
 The fort was feebly garrisoned. Cortez landed his soldiers 
 and carried it by storm. Here he established his head-quarters, 
 landing some of the cannon from the ships to strengthen the 
 position. He was now within half a league of the city, and two 
 out of the three great approaches were aheady in his hands. 
 Night and day the natives attacked the garrison, but the 
 ships and the guns in positions repulsed their assaults. After 
 some days' delay a simultaneous attack was made by the 
 Spaniards. Two of the ships, one on each side of the cause- 
 way, advanced abreast of the army, sweeping the dyke with 
 their fire ; the enemy were driven back, and Cortez, passing 
 gap after gap, reached the island on which the city stood. 
 Behind them, as they advanced, the native allies filled up the 
 breaches, and made them practicable for artillery and cavalry, 
 and as soon as the work was completed, the Spaniards who 
 had already passed were reinforced by large numbers of their 
 allies. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A VICTIM FOR THE GODS. 
 
 fTlHE street which the Spaniards entered after leaving the 
 _L causeway intersected the city from north to south. It 
 was broad and perfectly straight, and from the roofs of the
 
 IN THE HEART OF THE CITY. 349 
 
 houses which lined it, a storm of missiles was poured on the 
 Spaniards as they advanced. Cortez set the allies to work 
 to level the houses as fast as the Spaniards won their way 
 along the street. This they did until they reached the first 
 canal ; the bridge here had been broken down, and after the 
 Indians had crossed, the temporary planks were pulled after 
 them, and they joined their countrymen behind a solid ram- 
 part of stone, erected on the other side of the canal. 
 
 It was not until after two hours' hard fighting and the use 
 of artillery, that this obstacle was cleared away, and the 
 Spaniards wading across the canal pressed forward without 
 further resistance, until they reached the great square, on one 
 side of which stood the palace they had so long occupied. The 
 Aztecs disheartened at the manner in which all the defences 
 on which they relied had been captured by the Spaniards, and by 
 their presence in the heart of the city for some time desisted 
 from their efforts ; but they were roused to fury as a body of 
 Spaniards rushed up the winding terraces to the summit of the 
 great temple, and hurled the priests from its summit. 
 
 Then with a yell of fury they threw themselves upon their 
 enemies; their headlong rush swept the Spaniards back into 
 the square, when they were attacked by bodies of natives 
 pouring down every street. For once the Spaniards lost their 
 presence of mind, fell into disorder, and were swept before the 
 torrent down the street which they had just traversed. In vain 
 Cortez attempted to stem the stream, the panic spread to the 
 allies, and the whole mass were flying before the natives, when 
 a body of cavalry came up and plunged into the crowd. The 
 natives were shaken by the appearance of the enemies they 
 feared so much, and Cortez taking advantage of the confusion 
 rallied his followers, and again drove the Aztecs back into the 
 square. 
 
 Night was now at hand, and dragging off the cannon which 
 had been abandoned in their flight, the force marched off in 
 good order, though hotly pressed by the natives, and retired 
 to Xoloc. Alvarado and Sandoval also succeeded in crossing 
 their respective causeways, but neither of them could penetrate
 
 350 CONTINUED ATTACKS. 
 
 into the city. The attack had failed, but it had strengthened 
 the position of the Spaniards, for seeing the speedy manner in 
 which they had overcome all the defences erected by the Mexicans, 
 many of the cities which had hitherto stood aloof, now sent in 
 their submission and supplied levies to assist them in their 
 work, while Ixtlilxochitl, who had now become Lord of Tezcuco, 
 and was a strong adherent of the Spaniards, brought up a force 
 of fifty thousand Tezcucans, who were divided among the three 
 armies. 
 
 Another simultaneous attack was now made, the advance 
 along the causeway being, as before, covered by the ships ; but 
 the enemy fought stoutly, and some hours elapsed before the 
 Spaniards again entered the city. The advance was now more 
 easy than on the previous occasion, owing to the destruction of 
 the buildings bordering the streets. The natives, however, still 
 fought with the greatest obstinacy ; but the great square was 
 at last reached. 
 
 Thinking to discourage the natives by the destruction of 
 some of the principal edifices, Cortez ordered the palace which 
 had served as the former barracks to be set on fire, as also 
 the house of birds adjoining Montezuma's palace, and these 
 were soon a mass of flames. The Aztecs, however, were in- 
 furiated rather than intimidated, and the fight raged with 
 greater fury than ever. Having accomplished his object, 
 Cortez again gave the order to fall back, and covered by the 
 cavalry retired down the street, so desperately assailed by the 
 natives, that but few men reached the fort unwounded. 
 
 Day after day the same tactics were repeated, the Mexicans 
 every night repairing the breaches cleared out every day by 
 the Spanish allies. Cortez found it impossible to guard the 
 causeway and prevent this, the soldiers being already over- 
 come by the fatigue of their daily encounters. Alvarado's 
 division, however, held at night the ground they won in the 
 daytime ; but the troops suffered dreadfully from the incessant 
 toil, and from the rain which poured down in torrents. The 
 soldiers of Cortez fared little better, for the buildings in the 
 fort of Xoloc afforded shelter but to few, and the rest had to
 
 NO GROUND GAINED. 351 
 
 sleep on the causeway in its rear, exposed to all the tempestuous 
 weather. 
 
 Frequently, too, they were called up to battle, for the Aztec 
 emperor, contrary to the usual practice of his countrymen, 
 frequently attacked by night, often making simultaneous 
 attacks on the three divisions on the causeways, while at the 
 same moment troops from the neighbouring towns attacked 
 their camps in the rear. He did not content himself with 
 open attacks, but resorted to stratagem. On one occasion he 
 had a large number of canoes in ambuscade among some 
 tall reeds bordering the lake. Several large boats then rowed 
 near the Spanish vessels. Believing that they were filled with 
 provisions intended for the city two of the smaller vessels 
 pursued them. The Aztec boats made for the reeds, the 
 Spaniards followed, and presently struck upon submerged 
 timbers the Indians had driven in. They were instantly 
 attacked by the whole fleet of canoes, most of the men were 
 wounded, and several, including the two captains, slain, and 
 one of the Spanish craft captured. 
 
 It was now three months since the siege had begun, and 
 the attitude of the Mexicans was as bold and defiant as ever. 
 Several attempts which Cortez had made to open negotiations 
 with the young emperor had been received with scorn. It 
 was certain that, sooner or later, famine would do its work, 
 for the approaches to the city were all in the hands of the 
 Spaniards; and as the towns of the lake were either 
 friendly or overawed by the great army of their allies, even 
 the canoes which at first made their way in at night with 
 provisions had ceased to steal across in the darkness. The 
 great native levies were of little use to the Spaniards in the ab- 
 solute fighting, but they did good service by overawing the 
 towns, making expeditions against the tribes that had not 
 yet consented to throw in their lot with the invaders, and 
 by sweeping in provisions from a wide extent of country. 
 
 But to wait until famine did its work little suited the spirit 
 of the Spaniards. The process would assuredly be a long 
 one, for men who fought so stoutly would resist starvation
 
 352 THB GRAND ASSAULT. 
 
 with equal tenacity; besides, the duration of the siege was 
 already beginning to excite discontent among the allies, whose 
 wars were generally of very short duration. The Spaniards, too, 
 were suffering from severe illness brought on by fatigue, expo- 
 sure, and hardship. It was now determined to make a grand 
 effort to obtain possession of the great market of Tlatelolco, 
 which lay on the north-western part of the city. Its possession 
 would enable the force of Cortez to join hands with those of 
 Alvarado and Sandoval ; and the spacious market itself, with its 
 halls and porticoes, would furnish accommodation for the army, 
 and enable them to attack the city at close quarters, instead of 
 having to fight their way every day along the causeway. 
 
 Sandoval was to join Alvarado, sending seventy picked troops 
 to support Cortez. Advancing along the causeway, and sup- 
 ported not only by the ships, but by a countless host of 
 canoes filled with the allies of the lake cities, who penetrated 
 the canals, and caused confusion in the rear of the Aztecs, the 
 division of Cortez cleared the suburbs of their opponents, 
 and then advanced towards the square of Tlatelolco by three 
 great streets. Alderete commanded the force that advanced 
 by the main central avenue. This was a raised causeway with 
 canals running on either side of the road. Tapia and a brother 
 of Alvarado commanded one of the other columns, while 
 Cortez led the third. A small body of cavalry with three guns 
 remained in reserve in the great street leading to the cause- 
 way, and here the column were to rally in case of disaster. 
 
 The three columns advanced simultaneously. The Spanish 
 pressed the Aztecs back before them ; their allies filled up the 
 canals as they took them one by one ; the Tlascalans stormed 
 the houses, and attacked the enemy on their roofs, while the 
 canoes engaged those of the Aztecs, and so prevented them from 
 interfering with the men occupied in filling up the breaches. 
 The parallel streets were near enough to each other for the 
 Spaniards to hear the shouts of their companions in the other 
 columns, and to know that all were gaining ground steadily. 
 The enemy in the streets fought with less obstinacy than usual ; 
 and Cortez, with his usual keen-sightedness, at once apprehended
 
 THE SIGNAL. 353 
 
 that the feebleness of the resistance indicated some device, and 
 that the Aztecs were allowing them to advance only to lead 
 them into a trap. 
 
 He had received a message from Alderete saying that he 
 was getting on fast, and that he was but a short distance from 
 the great square. Fearing that this officer, eager to be the 
 first to gain the market-place, was not taking proper precau- 
 tions to secure his retreat, Cortez, with a small body of troops, 
 retraced his steps, and turned up the street by which Alderete's 
 column had advanced. He had gone but a short distance, when 
 he saw that his stringent orders had been neglected ; for he came 
 upon an opening some thirty feet wide, full of water at least 
 twelve feet deep. A slight attempt only had been made to stop 
 the gap ; and stones and timber lying by the side showed that 
 it had been abandoned as soon as commenced. 
 
 The general saw, too, that the road had been narrowed 
 as it approached this point, and that the work had evidently 
 been recently done. Much alarmed at the consequence of this 
 neglect, he at once set his men to fill up the breach, but they 
 had scarcely begun the operation when a terrific yell arose, 
 drowning the mingled clamour of the distant conflict. 
 
 Alderete had, as Cortez supposed, pressed on the retreating 
 Aztecs with too great eagerness , he had carried the barricades 
 which defended the breach, and had given orders that the 
 chasm should be filled up. But in their eagerness to be first 
 in the square, the Spaniards had pressed on, none caring to 
 stop to see that the allies carried out the order; so, taking 
 position after position, they pressed on until they were clo.-e 
 to the square. 
 
 Suddenly the horn of Guatimozin, the emperor, sent forth 
 a piercing note from the summit of a temple. As if by magic 
 the retreating Aztecs turned and fell on their pursuers, while 
 swarms of warriors from the adjoining streets, lanes, and 
 corners attacked the advancing column. Taken completely by 
 surprise, bewildered by the suddenness and fury of the on- 
 slaught, appalled by the terrific war-yells, smitten down by 
 the rain of missiles from the Aztecs, the Spaniards fell into 
 
 (618) 2
 
 354 DEFEAT OF THE SPANIARDS. 
 
 confusion, and were swept down the street like foam on the 
 crest of a wave. In vain their leaders attempted to rally them. 
 Their voices were drowned in the din, and their followers, 
 panic-stricken, now thought only of preserving their lives. 
 On they came until they reached the edge of the cut. Here 
 some plunged in, others were pushed in by the pressure from 
 behind. 
 
 Those who could swim were pulled down by their struggling 
 comrades. Some got across and tried to climb the slippery 
 side of the dyke, but fell back and were seized by the Aztecs, 
 whose canoes now dashed up and added to the confusion 
 by hurling a storm of missiles into the crowd. Cortez, with 
 his little party, kept his station on the other side of the breach. 
 They were already surrounded by Aztecs, who had landed on 
 the causeway behind them, but held their ground desperately, 
 and endeavoured, as far as possible, to assist their comrades 
 to climb out of the water. 
 
 Cortez was speedily recognized and storms of missiles were 
 poured upon him, but these glanced harmlessly from his helmet 
 and armour. Six of the Aztecs threw themselves upon him to- 
 gether, and made a desperate effort to drag him into their boat. 
 In the struggle he received a severe wound in the leg and fell. 
 Olid, one of his followers, sprang to his rescue, severed the 
 arm of one of the natives and ran another through the body, 
 and being joined by a comrade named Lerma and by a 
 Tlascalan chief, stood over the body of Cortez and drove off 
 his foes, dispatching three more of his assailants ; but Olid 
 fell mortally wounded by the side of his leader. Quinones, the 
 captain of the guard, with several of his men now fought his 
 way up, lifted Cortez from the water and laid him on the 
 road. One of his pages brought up his horse, but fell, wounded 
 in the throat by a javelin. Guzman, the chamberlain, then 
 seized the bridle, and held it while Cortez was helped into the 
 saddle, but was himself seized by the Aztecs and carried off 
 in a canoe. 
 
 Cortez, wounded as he was, would still have fought on, but 
 Quinones, taking his horse by the bridle, turned it to the
 
 A GENERAL REPULSE. 355 
 
 rear, exclaiming that his leader's life was " too important to 
 the army to be thrown away there ! " 
 
 The mass of fugitives poured along the causeway. The road 
 was soft, and was so cut up that it was knee-deep in mud, 
 and in some places the water of the canals beside it met across 
 it. Those on the flanks were often forced by the pressure 
 down the slippery sides, and were instantly captured and 
 carried off by the canoes of the enemy. Cortex's standard- 
 bearer was among those who fell in the canal, but he succeeded 
 in recovering his footing and saved the standard. 
 
 At last the fugitives reached the spot where the cannon and 
 cavalry had been placed in reserve. Here Cortez rallied them, 
 and charged the Aztecs with the little body of horse while 
 the artillery opened a hot fire upon them. He then sent 
 orders to the other two columns to fall back, and when these 
 had rejoined him the division retired, Cortez covering the 
 movement with the cavalry. 
 
 As soon as they were freed from the city, Tapia was sent 
 round on horseback to acquaint the other commanders of the 
 failure. They had advanced at the same time as Cortez, and 
 had on their side nearly gained the square, when they, too, 
 were startled by the blast of Guatimozin's horn and by the 
 terrible yell that followed it. Then they heard the sound of 
 battle, which had before been clearly audible, roll away in the 
 distance, and knew that the division of Cortez had been driven 
 back. 
 
 In a short time the attack upon themselves increased in 
 fury, as the troops who had been engaged with Cortez returned 
 and joined in the attack upon them. Two or three bloody 
 heads were thrown among them with shouts of " Malinzin ! " 
 
 Although Sandoval and Alvarado did not credit the death 
 of their commander they felt that it was useless to persevere, 
 and indeed were unable to withstand the furious assaults of 
 the Aztecs. With great difficulty they drew off their troops 
 to the entrenchment on the causeway, and here the guns of 
 the ships sweeping the road drove back their assailants. The 
 greatest anxiety prevailed as to the fate of Cortez, until Tapia
 
 356 " YOU FIGHT LIKE A PALADIN." 
 
 arrived, bleeding from several wounds which he had received 
 from parties of men whom Guatimozin had stationed to interrupt 
 the communication between the two camps. 
 
 Sandoval at once rode round. He, too, was attacked on the 
 road, but his armour and that of his horse protected him from 
 the missiles showered upon them. On arriving at the camp 
 he found the troops much dispirited. Numbers had been killed 
 and wounded, and no less than sixty -two Spaniards, with a 
 multitude of allies, had fallen into the hands of the enemy. 
 Indeed, the column around Alverete had been almost entirely 
 destroyed, and two guns and seven horses had been lost. 
 Cortez explained to his follower the cause of the disaster, and 
 told Sandoval that as he should be unable to take the field 
 for a few days, he must take his place and watch over the 
 safety of the camps. 
 
 Roger Hawkshaw had borne his full share in the desperate 
 conflicts that had taken place. In the previous combats he 
 had fought only to preserve his own life, but now he was 
 eager for the fray : his friend Cuitcatl and his promised bride 
 were prisoners in Mexico, and he fought now to deliver them. 
 It was nearly a year from the time when he had first retreated 
 along the fatal causeway, and in that time his frame had 
 broadened out and his strength increased, and so terrible were 
 the blows he dealt that Cortez himself had several times 
 spoken to him in terms of approval of his valour, and had 
 appointed him to be one of his own body-guard. He had 
 stood beside him at the edge of the breach, and had done good 
 service there. 
 
 " You fight like a paladin," Cortez said, as Roger cut down 
 three natives who had rushed upon him ; " but see, Sancho, put 
 up your sword for a minute and take up that pike. If you 
 hand the end to those poor fellows in the water your strength 
 will be sufficient to haul them up." 
 
 Roger at once set to at the work of saving life, and dragged 
 up more than a score of men who would otherwise have been 
 drowned. He heard the cry which was raised when Cortez 
 was attacked, and throwing down his pike and drawing his
 
 A PRISONER. 357 
 
 sword turned to rush to his assistance, but at this moment two 
 Mexicans threw themselves upon him, his foot slipped in the 
 mud, and in another moment he and his two assailants were 
 rolling down the deep bank into the water. 
 
 With a mighty effort he freed himself from their grasp and 
 gaining the bank tried to climb up; but a canoe dashed up 
 alongside, a dozen Mexicans threw themselves upon him, and 
 with a triumphant shout drew him into the boat, which at 
 once paddled off from the scene of conflict. Roger as he lay 
 at the bottom of the canoe felt that all hope was over. He 
 knew that the Aztecs never spared a captive takon in war, 
 and that all who fell into their hands were destined for the 
 altars of their gods. He regretted deeply that he had not 
 fallen in battle, but determined that at any rate he would not 
 die tamely, and resolved that rather than be slaughtered in cold 
 blood on the altar, when the time came, he would offer so 
 desperate a resistance that they would be forced to kill him. 
 
 Passing along several canals, the canoe stopped at some 
 stairs. Roger was taken out, and led through a shouting 
 crowd to a great temple, where he was thrust into a prison- 
 room already occupied by several Spaniards. Their numbers 
 increased until they amounted to twenty. Few words were 
 spoken among the prisoners ; their arms were free, but their 
 legs firmly secured with ropes; and ten armed Aztecs kept watch 
 over them, to see that they made no attempt to unfasten their 
 bonds. One of the prisoners Roger saw, to his regret, was his 
 friend Juan. He was severely wounded in several places, as 
 indeed was Roger himself, although in the excitement of the 
 battle, he had scarce noticed it. 
 
 " Well, lad ! " the old soldier said. " This is a bad ending of 
 our gold-seeking. Who would have thought that it was to be 
 one's lot first to be murdered on the altars of a hideous god, 
 and then to furnish a meal to a race of savages ? " 
 
 "The furnishing the meal does not trouble me," Roger 
 replied. " Whether one is drowned and eaten by fishes, or 
 killed and eaten by Aztecs, makes, as far as I can see, but little 
 difference to one. However, I don't quite make up my mind
 
 358 "NEVER DID i SEE MEN so RECKLESS." 
 
 to the worst yet, Juan. They must have captured a great 
 number of us, for I saw many carried off who are not here, 
 besides a multitude of Tlascalans and our other allies. I do not 
 suppose they will sacrifice us all at once, but are likely to take 
 so many a day. In that case we may have the luck to be 
 among the last, and before our turn comes the Spaniards may 
 be masters of the town. 
 
 Juan shook his head : " It is just as well to hope, lad ; but 
 I think the chances are next to nothing. Even if Cortez him- 
 self gets out safe, and the troops draw off without much 
 further loss, it will be some days before they will attack 
 again, after such a maiming as we got this time. Even 
 then their chances of success will be no better than they were 
 to-day ; worse, in fact, for we have lost something like a sixth 
 of our force, beside what may have fallen in the attack from 
 the other side, put it at a quarter altogether. Our natives 
 will be dispirited by their defeat to-day, and the Aztecs will 
 have gained in confidence. By St. James, but those fellows 
 fight well 1 Who would have thought when we saw them 
 bowing and smiling when we first arrived in the city, and 
 submitting so meekly to everything, that they could fight 
 like fiends? Never did I see men so reckless of life. Pedro 
 has fallen ; I loved him as a son. But far better dead than 
 here." 
 
 " I am sorry, indeed, to hear that he has fallen, Juan. I 
 feared that he had, for he would not have let you be captured 
 had he been alive. I don't give up all hope for ourselves. 
 The Mexicans fight like heroes, but in the end we must win 
 in spite of their valour. Even if we do not take the town by 
 storm, which I don't think we ever should do if it were pro- 
 visioned, we shall take it by hunger. They must be well-nigh 
 starving now. In another month there will not be a soul 
 alive in the city. You do not think there is any chance of 
 our making our escape ? " 
 
 " Not unless wings could sprout out from our shoulders," 
 Juan said, " and we could fly through the air. You may be 
 sure thase fellows will keep too sharp a look-out upon us to
 
 THE VICTIMS. 359 
 
 give us the shadow of a chance ; besides, if we were to get out, 
 we could not go on foot without being detected. You might 
 manage, lad, with a dark night to hide your colour, and with 
 the aid of a native dress, for you can speak their tongue ; but 
 as for me the idea is hopeless, and not to be thought of. No, 
 no, lad, I do not delude myself ; my time has come, and I shall 
 bear it I hope, like a man, and a Christian." 
 
 From time to time Aztecs came in to see that the prisoners 
 were safe. From their conversation with the guards Roger 
 gathered that the attack had everywhere failed, and that the 
 Spaniards had retired to their camps. Late in the afternoon 
 some priests entered; two of the prisoners were selected by 
 them, their bonds cut, and they were taken away. Scon 
 afterwards, the sound of the great war-drum reverberated 
 through the city. The Spaniards in their camps started 
 to arms on hearing the sound; but they were not long in 
 understanding its meaning, for from their camps they beheld 
 a great procession winding up the principal pyramid. Alvar- 
 ado's camp, which was the nearest to the city, was a short mile 
 away from the temple, and in the clear evening air the troops 
 could see that there were five or six white figures among 
 them. 
 
 As usual, the victims were decorated with plumes of feathers 
 to do honour to their own sacrifice. They were driven along 
 with blows, and when they reached the summit of the temple 
 were seized and thrown one by one upon their backs upon 
 the sacrificial stone, which was convex, so as to give a curve 
 to their bodies. The principal priest then with a sharp stone 
 knife cut through the skin and flesh, between two of the ribs, 
 and plunging his hand into the orifice dragged out the heart, 
 which he presented to the figure of the god. The sight, distant 
 as it was, excited the Spaniards to the verge of madness, and 
 if it had not been for their officers, they would have seized 
 their weapons and rushed forward again to the attack to avenge 
 the murder of their comrades. 
 
 The feelings of the captives, as they heard the sound of th< 
 drums, the shouts of the natives, and once or twice caught
 
 360 A FRIEND. 
 
 the scream of agony of their comrades, were terrible. This 
 was the fate that they, too, were to undergo, and men who had 
 a hundred times looked death in battle in the face shuddered 
 and trembled at their approaching doom. 
 
 Each day two of their number were taken, and the same 
 terrible scene was gone through. Roger was rather surprised 
 that he himself was not one of the first selected, as his height 
 and figure made him specially conspicuous among his comrades ; 
 but he supposed that he was being one of those reserved for 
 some special festival. 
 
 Whatever the famine might be in the city, the captives 
 were well fed, for it was a point of honour among the Aztecs 
 that all victims offered to the gods should be in good health 
 and condition. The guards were changed every six hours, and 
 on the third day, in the officer over the relief Roger recog- 
 nized to his surprise and delight his friend Bathalda. The 
 latter, as he entered, made a significant motion to Roger, as 
 he caught his eye, to make no sign that he recognized him. 
 The Aztecs as usual sat down in groups chatting. They had 
 no fear whatever of the prisoners attempting to escape in the 
 daytime, and it was only at night that they exercised any 
 special vigilance in seeing that they did not attempt to unloose 
 their bonds. Bathalda presently sauntered up into the corner 
 in which Roger was sitting. 
 
 " How are my friends? " the latter asked, in a low voice. 
 
 " Well," Bathalda replied. " Cuitcatl explained to the young 
 emperor the circumstances under which he came to know 
 and assist you, and was at once restored to favour, and now 
 commands a large body of troops here. I have not seen the 
 princess, she is at the palace ; Cuitcatl bade me tell you that 
 they are working for you, and will rescue you before the time 
 comes for your sacrifice, but at present the watch is too strict." 
 
 " But I may be chosen any day," Roger said. 
 
 Bathalda shook his head : " Cuitcatl has bribed the priests 
 who choose the victims to leave you until the last ; so you need 
 not feel uneasiness on that score. Be patient and watchful. If 
 any of your guard approach you and say, 'The time is at
 
 " THE TIME IS AT HAND.** 361 
 
 hand,' you will know that he is a friend ; act as he tells you. 
 I dare not say more now." 
 
 Ten days passed, Juan had gone, and Roger had been much 
 moved at parting with him more so, indeed, than the old 
 soldier himself, who had kept up firmly and was prepared to 
 meet his fate with contempt for his enemies, in the assurance 
 that his death would be terribly avenged. Bathalda had not 
 reappeared. As the number of prisoners had decreased the 
 guard had been diminished ; and as there now only remained 
 Roger and one other, and both were still bound, a single 
 Aztec relieved the two who had the night before kept 
 guard. 
 
 He stood indifferently gazing through the loophole until 
 Roger's companion fell asleep ; then he approached him and 
 said : " The time is at hand. To-morrow the other will be 
 taken, the number will be made up from the other prisons. 
 At night Cuitcatl will be outside ; the door here will not be 
 bolted. You will have but one man to watch you; but we 
 know not whom he may be, and may not be able to arrange 
 with him. If we do he will give you the password; if 
 not you must deal with him. The man who will follow me 
 is in the secret ; you must unfasten your ropes while he is 
 here, and he will aid you to do them up again, so that, while 
 to the eye they will seem secure, they can be shaken off 
 instantly. Bathalda and another will accompany you. I do 
 not know who the other is ; but I was told that you would 
 understand." 
 
 That other Roger felt sure must be Amenche ; and his 
 heart beat hotly at the thought that his dear princess would 
 share his flight. The hours passed quickly ; the next day the 
 last Spaniard was taken, and no sooner had he been forced 
 struggling and resisting from the chamber than the guard 
 who, since he had taken up his post four hours before, had 
 made no sign to Roger, gave the password agreed upon. The 
 latter rose to his feet, and with the aid of the native unfastened 
 the cords that bound his ankles together. 
 
 For haJf-an-hour he paced up and down the chamber to
 
 362 FREE ! 
 
 restore the circulation to his feet. Then the guard replaced 
 the cords, but did it in such a way that, though they seemed as 
 tight and secure as before, they would at a slight effort fall off 
 and leave him free. At eight o'clock in the evening the 
 guard was relieved ; he had told Roger that he was to listen 
 for the cry of an owl outside, twice repeated ; and that upon 
 hearing this he would know that his friends were without. 
 Roger listened anxiously for the password from his new guard ; 
 but as it did not come he concluded that Cuitcatl had not 
 been able to bribe him, and that he must himself overpower 
 the man. The Aztec placed himself at the loop-hole, and 
 stood looking out, turning from time to time to see by the 
 light of the torch which was fixed close to where Roger was 
 lying, that he was making no attempt to release himself from 
 his bonds. 
 
 It was not until nearly midnight that Roger heard the 
 expected signal. No sooner was the second call given than 
 he pulled the knot which kept the cords together, raised 
 himself noiselessly to his feet and sprang upon the Aztec. 
 Taken by surprise, the man was no more than a child in 
 Roger's strong grasp. In a moment he was thrown down, his 
 cloth was twisted round his mouth so as to prevent any cry 
 from escaping him, and his arms were bound behind him with 
 Roger's rope. Roger then took his sword and javelin and went 
 to the door. As he had been told would be the case, the outer 
 bolts were unfastened ; passing along a passage he came to the 
 outside gate. This was securely fastened, but Roger had no 
 difficulty in scaling the roof of a building leaning against 
 the outer wall ; and on reaching this he pulled himself up and 
 dropped down into the street beyond. 
 
 Three persons were standing at the gate, and he at once 
 made towards them. One ran forward with a little cry, and 
 threw herself into his arms. The others were, as he had 
 expected, Cuitcatl and Bathalda. The former saluted him 
 warmly. 
 
 " Thank the gods you are free, Roger," he said. " I have 
 a canoe close at hand for you. Bathalda will accompany you
 
 " I CABB NOT TO LIVB." 363 
 
 and the princess. I cannot leave : I am an Aztec, and shall 
 fight until the last with our brave young emperor." 
 
 " I hope, Cuitcatl, that when the resistance is over as it must 
 be before long, for I know from the talk of the guards that 
 famine is among you, and that hundreds are dying daily I 
 hope that I may be able to aid you as you are aiding me." 
 
 " I care not to live," Cuitcatl said ; " the empire is lost." 
 
 " But there is no dishonour in that," Roger replied. " No men 
 could defend themselves more bravely than you have done, and 
 there is no disgrace in being vanquished by superior arms. I 
 trust that you may live and be happy yet." 
 
 " Let us not stand here talking," the young cacique said. 
 41 It is not as it was before ; then you might walk through the 
 city at midnight without meeting with a single person. We 
 sleep no longer now, but make nightly attacks on the Spaniards ; 
 and at any moment bodies of troops may come along." 
 
 The little party moved forward, and in a minute descended 
 the steps. Bathalda took his place in a small canoe lying 
 there. 
 
 " Here is a weapon which will suit you better than that 
 sword and javelin," he said, handing him a war-club, a heavy 
 weapon with pieces of sharp-pointed obsidian fixed in it. 
 Roger helped Amenche into the canoe, wrung Cuitcatl warmly 
 by the hand, and then stepped in. " Go," the latter exclaimed ; 
 "I can hear troops approaching." So saying, he bounded 
 swiftly away. Bathalda sat listening for a moment to discover 
 the direction from which the troops were coming. As soon as 
 he made out the soft tread of the shoeless feet, he dipped his 
 paddle in the water, and the boat glided noiselessly away. It 
 was not long before they emerged from the narrow water-way, 
 on to the lake ; and then the boat's head was turned in the 
 direction in which lay the Tlacopan causeway. 
 
 Presently Amenche, who had been sitting nestled close to 
 Roger too happy even to speak sat up and said : " Hush ! " 
 
 Bathalda ceased rowing : " There is a large canoe coming up 
 behind us," he said, listening intently. " I can hear others 
 on the lake beyond us."
 
 364 " I WILL DEAL WITH THEM." 
 
 " We had better make into the shore again," Roger said. 
 " and let them pass us." 
 
 The canoe, however, was not very far behind, and those on 
 board caught sight of the little craft as she rowed in towards 
 shore. It was unusual to see so small a boat at night ; the 
 idea that it might contain a spy occurred to them, and they 
 shouted to them to stop. Bathalda exerted himself to the 
 utmost, but the canoe came rapidly up to them. As the com- 
 mand to stop was again disregarded, a volley of javelins was 
 discharged. 
 
 " We cannot escape," Bathalda said. " They will be upon 
 us before we can land." 
 
 " Cease rowing," Roger said. " Amenche, lie still, dear, at 
 the bottom of the boat. I will deal with them." 
 
 Seeing that the oarsmen had stopped paddling, the volley of 
 javelins ceased ; and the canoe, which contained some twenty 
 men, ran alongside. As she did so Roger sprang on board 
 her. Three or four of the natives were struck down in an 
 instant with his terrible weapon. The others, as soon as they 
 recovered from their astonishment, rose from their seats and 
 attacked him. Their numbers were but of slight avail. Stand- 
 ing in the bow of the boat, and swinging his weapon round his 
 head, Roger kept them off, beating down one each time his 
 weapon fell. 
 
 In vain they tried to close with him ; his great size, and the 
 suddenness with which he had attacked them, acted upon their 
 superstitious fears. They knew not what sort of being it was 
 with whom they had to deal, and the terrible strength dis- 
 played and the instant fate that fell on all who approached him, 
 appalled them. Roger soon took the offensive, and making 
 his way along the boat, drove them back before him. At last, 
 when more than half their number had fallen, the rest sprang 
 overboard and swam to the shore. Roger had been wounded 
 by three or four spear-thrusts, but these had been too hastily 
 given to penetrate very deeply. 
 
 " I am unhurt, Amenche," he said, making his way forward 
 again and stepping into the canoe. There was no reply. He
 
 MALINCHE UNDERTAKES THE CARE OF THE WOUNDED AMENCHE.
 
 AMENCHE'S FACE WAS BLOODLESS. 365 
 
 stooped over as she lay quietly there. " She has fainted," 
 he said. " Row on, Bathalda. You had best give me the 
 other paddle ; I can hear boats coming in this direction. No 
 doubt they heard the yells. Skirt along the shore, we shall 
 be unseen close in, and if they approach us can take refuge in 
 a canal." 
 
 But they passed along unnoticed. When they caught sight 
 of the causeway, stretching away dimly in front of them, they 
 again rowed out into the lake, and making a long circuit 
 to avoid the canoes attacking Xoloc, the guns of which were 
 firing hotly, came down on the causeway again in its rear. 
 They were hailed as they approached, for the Spaniards were 
 all under arms. Roger shouted that he was a friend who had 
 escaped from the prison ; and the Spaniards in return gave 
 a shout of welcome. In another two minutes the canoe lay 
 alongside the causeway. Bathalda sprang on shore, and held 
 the canoe while Roger lifted Amenche up and stepped out. 
 A dozen hands were held out to assist him to climb the slippery 
 bank. His figure was known by them all ; many exclama- 
 tions of welcome greeted him, and many were the inquiries as 
 to the other captives. 
 
 " I will tell you all about it directly. Bring the torch a 
 little closer ; I have a lady here who has fainted. We were 
 attacked as we came out ; the fight was a sharp one, and has 
 scared her." 
 
 A soldier brought a torch, and as he did so Roger uttered 
 a loud cry. Amenche's face was bloodless, and her eyes were 
 closed. But it was not this that had caused Roger's cry. 
 There was a dark stain on her white dress, and in its centre 
 the feathered head of an arrow. While Bathalda and Roger 
 had escaped the missiles with which those in the boat heralded 
 their attack, an arrow had struck Amenche, as she turned 
 when Roger sprang on board. So great was Roger's horror 
 that he reeled, and would have fallen had not the soldiers 
 standing round supported him. 
 
 "I think that she has but fainted from loss of blood," 
 Bathalda said ; and Roger, refusing all assistance, carried
 
 366 "l WILL SEE TO HEB." 
 
 Amenche to the fort through the ranks of the Spaniards, who 
 were engaged hotly with their assailants in the canoes. 
 
 He bore her at once to the chamber occupied by Marina. 
 She was up and dressed, for the attack was a hot one, and 
 there was no sleep in Xoloc. She uttered a cry of welcome 
 and gladness as Roger entered. 
 
 " I have escaped, Malinche," he saH ; " but I fear that she 
 has died in saving me. I have brought her to you, as you 
 are the only woman here." 
 
 Marina took the girl tenderly and laid her on a couch. 
 
 " I will see to her," she said softly. " Leave her to me, 
 Roger." 
 
 As Roger, blinded with tears, left the room, an officer met 
 him at the door, and told him that Cortez had just heard of 
 his arrival and desired his presence. The general received him 
 with great kindness. 
 
 " It is something to see one of my comrades back again, 
 Sancho," he said. " I hear how sad a misfortune has befallen 
 you; for I suppose the lady you brought ashore was she of 
 whom Marina spoke to me. She told me that she did not 
 give up all hope that you might return ; for that the princess 
 whom you loved was in the city, and would, she was sure, do 
 all that she could to save your life." 
 
 " She did so, General " Roger said, " and I fear at the cost of 
 her own she and a noble young cacique, who was a brother 
 to me when I was living at Tezcuco." 
 
 " I will not trouble you now with questions," Cortez said ; 
 " but tell me do you know whether any of the other prisoners 
 are alive ? Every evening we have marked that terrible pro- 
 cession to the summit of the temple. Fifty-eight have been 
 sacrificed, but we know not exactly how many more remain, 
 being ignorant which of our comrades fell and which were 
 captured." 
 
 " I cannot tell," Roger replied. " I was the only one left out 
 of twenty who were in prison together. If they were taken 
 in the same proportion from the other prisons there can be 
 but a few remaining now. I was set aside until the last
 
 SOME SLIGHT HOPE. 367 
 
 because the priest who had daily chosen out the victims had 
 been bribed by my friend Cuitcatl." 
 
 Roger hastened away as soon as Cortez dismissed him, and 
 hurried back to Malinche's apartment. Her Mexican attendant 
 who was standing outside the door, opened it when she saw 
 him approaching, and as she came up, Malinche stole out with 
 her finger on her lips. 
 
 " We have taken out the arrow," she said, " She is still 
 insensible ; but the leech thinks that it is from loss of blood, 
 and hopes that no vital point has been injured. More than 
 that he cannot say at present. You had best have your own 
 wounds attended to now. I will have a pile of rugs laid for 
 you' in this Kttle room to the left, and will let you know if any 
 change takes place." 
 
 " Do you think that there is any hope, Malinche ? " 
 
 Malinche shook her head. " I know not, Roger. I have 
 already sent off to the mainland to fetch a leech famous for 
 his skill in the use of herbs. Our people have many simples 
 of which you know nothing in Europe, and they are very 
 skilful in the treatment of wounds much more so, I think, 
 than the white men." 
 
 CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 HOME. 
 
 AFTER having had his wounds dressed, Roger threw himself 
 down upon the bed that had been prepared for him, and 
 lay tossing for hours. Hitherto he had believed, and had 
 often reproached himself for it, that he had not loved Amenche 
 as she had loved him. She had loved him with the passion 
 and devotion of the people of her race, and it was no figure of 
 speech when she said that she was ready to give her life for 
 him. Roger knew that until lately his love had been poor by 
 the side of hers. From the time he had sailed from England
 
 368 " SHE IS SENSIBLE." 
 
 to his first meeting with her, he had pictured to himself that 
 some day, when he came to command a ship of his own, he 
 would marry his cousin, if she had borne him in mind since he 
 parted with her on Plymouth Hoe. This dream had faded 
 away from the time he had first met Amenche, and when 
 Cacama had proposed the marriage to him he had accepted 
 the offer gladly. 
 
 His chance of ever leaving the country at that time seemed 
 slight, and he felt sure that he should be happy with Amenche. 
 Since that time the girl's frank expression of her love for him, 
 her tender devotion, and her willingness to sacrifice country 
 and people and all to throw in her lot with him, had greatly 
 heightened the feeling he had towards her, and he had come 
 to love her truly; but still, perhaps, rather with the calm 
 earnest affection of a brother than the passionate devotion of 
 a lover. But now he knew that she had his whole heart. If 
 she died it seemed of little consequence to him what became 
 of his life. It was for his sake that she had risked everything, 
 had left all friends and home and country and he felt that 
 he would gladly die with her. 
 
 Morning was breaking before Malinche came into his 
 room. " She is sensible," she said, " and my countryman who 
 is with her thinks that she will live." 
 
 The relief was so great that Roger burst into tears. 
 " Come with me," Malinche said, taking his hand. " We do 
 not think she knows what has happened, but she looks anxiously 
 about the room. She is very, very weak, but the leech thinks 
 that if she sees you, and knows that you are safe and well, 
 it will rouse her and put her in the way of recovery. You 
 must not talk to her or excite her in any way." 
 
 Roger followed Malinche into her room. Amenche was 
 lying without a vestige of colour on her face, and with her 
 eyes closed and her breathing so faint that Roger as he looked 
 at her thought that she was dead. 
 
 " Take her hand and kneel down beside her," Malitiche 
 whispered. 
 
 Roger took the girl's hand ; as he did so a slight tremour
 
 AMENCHB RBVIVHS. 369 
 
 ran through her as if she recognized his touch. Then her eyes 
 opened. 
 
 " Amenche, my darling, do you know me ? " Roger said as 
 he stooped his face close to hers. 
 
 Her face brightened suddenly, and a look of intense happi- 
 ness came into her eyes. 
 
 " O Roger ! " she whispered ; " I dreamt that they had 
 killed you." 
 
 " I am safe and well, as you see," he said ; " they have hurt 
 you, darling, but you will get better, and we shall be happy 
 together. You must not talk, but I may stay by you if you 
 will keep quiet. Drink this first," and he handed to her a 
 cup that the Mexican doctor held out to him, and placing his 
 arm under Amenche's head raised it and poured the liquid 
 between her lips. Then he laid her head down again on the 
 pillow, and kneeling beside her held her hand in his. She lay 
 looking up into his face with an expression of quiet happiness, 
 occasionally murmuring, " Dear Roger." Presently her eyelids 
 drooped, and in a few minutes her regular breathing showed 
 that she was asleep. 
 
 The Mexican doctor placed another cup of medicine within 
 Roger's reach, and murmured in his ear, " I think that she 
 will do now ; give her this when she awakes. I shall be within 
 call if I am wanted." 
 
 Amenche slept for some hours, and Roger, overcome by 
 want of sleep and from the anxiety through which he had 
 passed, dropped off many times into short dozes. He woke 
 from one of these at a slight movement of Amenche's hand, 
 and opened his eyes at the moment that she was opening hers. 
 
 " What has happened, Roger ? and where am I ? " she 
 asked in wonder. 
 
 "First drink this medicine, and then I will tell you," he 
 said. " You remember, dear, we were in the boat together, 
 and we were attacked. An arrow struck you, but I knew 
 nothing about it until I had reached the causeway and found 
 you senseless, and brought you here to Malinche's room, and 
 she and one of the doctors of your country dressed your 
 
 (618) 2A
 
 370 "l CANNOT LBAVB BOGEB AGAIN." 
 
 wound, and now you have been sleeping quietly for Borne 
 hours." 
 
 " Oh yes," she said ; " I remember now. I was struck with 
 an arrow ; it was a sharp pain, but I did not cry out, for you 
 had need of all your strength and vigour. I lay there quietly 
 and heard the din of fighting, and at last when I knew that 
 you had conquered I felt a faintness stealing over me, and 
 thought that I was dying, and then I remember nothing more ; 
 only it seemed that in my dreams you came to me and knelt 
 by the side of me and kissed me, and now I know that that 
 part is true ; and I have been having such happy dreams ever 
 since. But why should I lie here ; cannot I get up ? " 
 
 " No, dear ; you are weak from loss of blood, and quiet is 
 necessary. Lie here a minute ; I will fetch the leech in to 
 see how you are." 
 
 The Mexican was sleeping on some mats outside the door ; 
 he at once came in, and after examining Amenche pronounced 
 her decidedly better. Malinche, who had given orders that she 
 was to be informed as soon as the princess was awake, came in 
 a minute or two, and a consultation was held, when it was 
 decided that Amenche should at once be taken from the fort, 
 which was crowded with soldiers, as well as exposed to the din 
 and turmoil of the night attacks. Malinche went out and 
 soon returned, saying that she had spoken to one of the 
 Tezcucan caciques in alliance with the Spaniards. He had at 
 once offered to receive Amenche at his palace, which was situate 
 but three miles from the end of the causeway. 
 
 " I cannot leave Roger again," the princess said when she 
 understood what was proposed. 
 
 " There is no thought of your leaving him," Malinche said 
 kindly ; " Roger is to accompany you, he needs rest and peace 
 almost as much as you do ; besides he has been seriously 
 wounded, though he makes light of it. The cacique has sent 
 off a messenger for a party of his people to meet you ; a boat will 
 be in readiness to take you across the lake at sunset. You will 
 be carried in litters from the landing-place to his palace." 
 
 This programme was carried out, and by nine o'clock that
 
 A SUMMONS TO SURRENDER. 371 
 
 evening Roger and Amenche were both settled in luxurious 
 apartments in the cacique's palace. 
 
 Cortez, now recovered from his wounds, prepared for a fresh 
 advance, which was this time to be conducted in a different 
 manner. Against so stubborn and active a foe the advance 
 must be irresistible, steady, and continued. In future no step 
 backward was to be taken. Every breach, every canal, was 
 to be filled up so firmly and solidly that it could never again 
 be disturbed ; and for this purpose every building whether a 
 private house, temple, or palace was to be demolished. It was 
 with the greatest reluctance that Cortez arrived at this deter- 
 mination : he would fain have saved the city intact, as the 
 ni6st glorious trophy of his success ; but his experience showed 
 him that with every house a fortress, every street cut up by 
 canals, it was hopeless to expect to conquer it. 
 
 The Indian allies heard his intention with the greatest 
 satisfaction, for there was ever in their mind the dread that 
 should the white men depart, the Aztecs would take a terrible 
 revenge upon their rebellious subjects. Enormous numbers of 
 men were assembled and provided with implements for the work ; 
 this was steadily carried out, until the whole of the suburbs 
 were levelled and a wide space round the city left open for the 
 manoeuvres of the cavalry and the play of the artillery. Before 
 making the last attack, Cortez tried once more to persuade 
 the emperor to yield, and sent three Aztec nobles who had been 
 captured in one of the late fights to bear a message to him. 
 
 He told Guatimozin that he and his people had done all 
 that brave men could, and that there remained no hope, no 
 chance, of escape. Their provisions were exhausted, their 
 communications cut oft. Their vassals had deserted them, and 
 the nations of Anahuac were banded against them. He prayed 
 him, therefore, to have compassion on his brave subjects, who 
 were daily perishing before his eyes, and on the fair city now 
 fast crumbling into ruins. He begged him to acknowledge his 
 allegiance to the sovereign of Spain ; in which case he should 
 be confirmed in his authority, and the persons, the property, 
 and all the rights of the Aztecs should be respected.
 
 372 THE WORK OF DESTRUCTION. 
 
 The young monarch would have instantly refused the terms, 
 but he called a council to deliberate upon them. Many would 
 have accepted them, but the priests threw all their influence in 
 the scale against it, reminding the king of the fate of Monte- 
 zuma after all his hospitality to the Whites, of the seizure and 
 imprisonment of Cacama, of the massacre of the nobles, of the 
 profanation of the temple, and of the insatiable greed that had 
 stripped the country of its treasures. 
 
 The answer to the Spaniards was given in the form of a 
 tremendous sortie along each causeway j but the guns of the 
 Spanish batteries and ships drove the assailants back, and the 
 operations of destruction went on. Day by day the army of 
 workers levelled the houses and filled the canals, although the 
 Mexicans made incessant attacks upon the troops who covered 
 the workmen. For several weeks the work continued, while 
 the wretched inhabitants were fast wasting away with hunger ; 
 all the food stored up had long since been consumed, and the 
 population reduced to feed on roots dug up in the gardens, on 
 the bark of trees, leaves, and grass, and on such rats, mice, and 
 lizards as they could capture. 
 
 The houses, as the besiegers advanced, were found to be full 
 of dead, while in some lay men, women, and children in the 
 last btage of famine ; and yet, weakened and suffering as they 
 were, the Aztecs maintained their resolution, rejecting every 
 overture of Cortez. At last the division of Alvarado cleared 
 its way into the great square, and a party mounting the great 
 temple, where so many of their comrades had been massacred, 
 defeated the Aztecs who guarded the position, slaughtered the 
 priests and set fire to the sanctuary, and the next day the 
 division of Cortez won their way to the same spot and joined 
 that of Alvarado. 
 
 Seven-eighths of the city was now destroyed ; and, with the 
 exception of the king's palace and a few temples, all the build- 
 ings that had when they first saw it so excited the admiration 
 of the Spaniards, and had made the city one of the loveliest 
 in the world, had been levelled. In the portion that remained 
 the whole of the Aztec population were crowded. Their
 
 THB FINAL ASSAULT. 373 
 
 number was still vast, for before the siege began the people 
 from many of the surrounding cities had flocked into the 
 capital. Pestilence was aiding famine in its work; and the 
 Spanish writers say that " as the troops advanced the bodies 
 lay so thick that it was impossible to walk without treading 
 on them." 
 
 Again and again Cortez endeavoured to negotiate with the 
 emperor. Although so reduced by weakness that they could 
 scarce keep their feet, the Aztecs maintained their defiant 
 attitude, and the advance of the allies recommenced. The 
 Aztecs fought as bravely as ever ; but they were so weakened 
 that their missiles were no longer dangerous, and their arms 
 could scarce lift their weapons. It was a dreadful carnage. 
 The confederates, panting with hatred of the race that had 
 subdued and so long humiliated them, showed no pity, and 
 even when Cortez ordered that quarter should be shown to 
 all who asked it, the allies refused to be checked, and the 
 work of slaughter went on until the Spanish trumpets sounded 
 a retreat. 
 
 During that day alone it was calculated that forty thousand 
 persons had fallen. That night a mournful stillness reigned 
 over the city. In silent despair, and yet with no thought of 
 surrender, the Aztecs awaited their fate. The next morning, 
 August 15th, 1521, the troops were formed up again; but 
 before ordering the advance Cortez obtained an interview with 
 some of the principal chiefs, and persuaded them to see the 
 emperor, and try to induce him to surrender ; but the answer 
 came that Guatimozin was ready to die where he was, and would 
 hold no parley with the Spanish commander. Cortez still post- 
 poned the assault for several hours ; then, finding delay unavail- 
 ing, he reluctantly gave the order for the attack to recommence. 
 
 As upon the previous day it was a mere slaughter. Many 
 ol the Aztecs sought to fly in canoes, but these were cut off 
 by the fleet. Presently, however, while the butchery was still 
 going on, the welcome news was brought that Guatimozin 
 himself had been captured by one of the vessels. With him 
 was his wife, the beautiful Princess Tecuichpo, a daughter of
 
 374 THE END OF THE SIEGE. 
 
 Montezuma, and twenty nobles of high rank. The news of his 
 capture spread rapidly through the fleet and city, and the 
 feeble resistance the Aztecs still offered ceased at once. Guati- 
 mozin was brought before Cortez, and behaved with a dignity 
 and calmness that excited the admiration and respect of the 
 general and his followers. 
 
 The next morning, at the emperor's request, Cortez gave 
 permission for all the survivors of the siege to leave the town, 
 and issued strict orders both to the Spaniards and their savage 
 allies that no insult or injury should be offered to them. For 
 three days sad processions of men, women, and children worn 
 out with fatigue, wasted with fever and hunger, and in many 
 cases scarred with wounds- made their way along the causeways. 
 The number of men alone was variously estimated at from 
 thirty to seventy thousand. The losses during the siege were 
 also placed at varying figures by contemporary writers, the 
 lowest estimate was one hundred and twenty thousand, while 
 some writers place it at double that amount. 
 
 The higher figures probably approximate most nearly to the 
 truth, for the population of the city, in itself very large, was 
 enormously swelled by the vast number of persons from all 
 the surrounding cities, who took refuge there at the approach 
 of the Spaniards. The Spanish loss was comparatively small, 
 the larger portion of it being incurred upon the day of the 
 destruction of Alderete's column. The loss of the allies, how- 
 ever, was very large, as they were not provided, as were the 
 Spaniards, with armour which defied the missiles of the enemy. 
 Of the Tezcucans alone it is said that thirty thousand perished. 
 
 The amount of booty taken in the city was comparatively 
 small, and the army was bitterly disappointed at the poor 
 reward which it reaped for its labours and sacrifices. There 
 can be no doubt that the Aztec treasures were removed and 
 buried before the approach of the Spaniards to the city. 
 Indeed, during the siege the Aztecs constantly taunted them 
 with shouts that even if they ever took the city, they would find 
 no gold there to reward their efforts. 
 
 The defence of the city of Mexico has been frequently 
 likened to that of Jerusalem against Titus. In each case a 
 vast population, ignorant of the arts of war, resisted with 
 heroic constancy the efforts of a civilized enemy, and suc- 
 cumbed to hunger and disease rather than to the foe.
 
 THE CAUSE OF THE FALL OF MEXICO. 375 
 
 The fate of the Aztecs befell them because, while a con- 
 quering people, they had enslaved and tyrannized over the 
 nations they subdued, extending to them no rights or privileges, 
 but using them simply as means of supplying the pomp and 
 luxury of the capital, and of providing men for its wars. 
 
 Even the cities of the valley, the near neighbours of Mexico, 
 were kept in a galling state of dependence, and the result 
 was that the whole of the Aztec Empire broke up at once 
 and fell upon its oppressors as soon as the coming of the 
 Spaniards afforded them the opportunity for retaliation and 
 revenge. Had it not been for this it would have needed a 
 force many times as numerous as that of Cortez to conquer 
 an empire so extensive and populous, and composed of peoples 
 so brave and fearless of death. Terrible as the destruction of 
 life was in the capture of Mexico, the Spaniards were not open 
 to blame for it, except in the massacre of the nobles, for which 
 conduct Cortez was in no way responsible. The war was not 
 conducted with the cruelty that too often distinguished the 
 warfare of the Spaniards. 
 
 Cortez had certainly no desire to destroy the beautiful capital 
 of the country he had conquered for Spain. The prisoners taken 
 during the siege, and the people who came out and surrendered, 
 were always treated with kindness, even when the Spaniards 
 were maddened by the sight of the daily sacrifices of their 
 countrymen by the Aztecs. Again and again during the siege 
 Cortez endeavoured to induce the enemy to come to terms, 
 and after the fighting was over the whole of the survivors 
 were permitted to depart unharmed. 
 
 A fortnight after the fall of Mexico Amenche and Roger 
 were both convalescent. Amenche's wound had after the first 
 day caused but little anxiety; she had fainted from loss of 
 blood and from the effects of the long strain which she had 
 undergone from the time that she had heard that Roger 
 was a captive in the hands of the Mexicans, and destined for 
 sacrifice at the temple. Under the influence then of happiness, 
 and of the care and attention she received, she was in two 
 or three days well enough to get up and go into the adjoining 
 room, and sit by the couch of Roger, who was prostrated by 
 fever, the result of imprisonment, anxiety, and his wounds. 
 For a time his life was in danger, but after the crisis had 
 passed he too recovered rapidly.
 
 376 MARRIED. 
 
 Malinche came several times to see them, and a warm affec- 
 tion sprang up between her and Amenche. 
 
 " What do you mean to do, Roger 1 " she asked him one day 
 when she found him alone. 
 
 " I mean to marry Amenche at once," he said, "and to go 
 back to Europe if possible, without delay." 
 
 " I have managed that for you," Malinche said. " I spoke 
 to Cortez yesterday. The city cannot resist many days 
 longer, and after that we hope that there will be no more 
 fighting ; at any rate, I told him that you were so shaken 
 from what you had gone through, it would be a long time 
 before you would be fit to carry arms again, and that you 
 desired greatly to go to Europe for a time ; and he has con- 
 sented that you shall go down to the coast with the first 
 convoy of wounded as soon as the city falls. Of course he 
 has given consent for your marriage with Amenche, and said 
 when I asked him that she had fairly won you ; he says that 
 if you return hither he will give to Amenche a wide portion 
 of her brother's dominions. I did not tell him that it was little 
 likely he would ever see you out here again." 
 
 During the next fortnight Roger instructed Amenche in 
 the outlines of the Christian faith, and the day before the 
 convoy was to start, three weeks after the fall of Mexico, 
 Father Olmedo received her into the Church, and the marriage 
 ceremony took place. It was attended by Cortez and most of 
 his leaders and by many of the native nobles. 
 
 Among them Roger was glad to meet Cuitcatl. He was 
 one of the party who had been captured with the emperor, 
 and had been at once released by Cortez when the latter was 
 informed by Malinche that he had befriended and released 
 Roger. That evening the two friends had a long talk together. 
 
 " You will be happy," Cuitcatl said, " and will come in time, 
 in your home in your own country, to look back at this terrible 
 time as a troubled dream. I do not mourn for Cacama or 
 Maclutha ; they are fortunate in escaping the troubles that yet 
 remain for my unhappy country ; for I well foresee that the 
 Spaniards will gradually subdue those who have served them 
 so well in their campaign against us. Their allies will in time 
 become their subjects until the whole empire of the Aztecs 
 will lie prostrate at their feet. But whatever happens I shall 
 take no further part in it. I have fought by the side of
 
 CUITCATL'S HOPES. 377 
 
 the Aztecs against my own countrymen ; I have done my best 
 to save our nation from falling under the dominion of the 
 Spaniards. I shall retire now to my estates and devote myself 
 to them. Cortez has given me a paper, signed by him, saying 
 that I, although fighting against him, saved the life of a Spanish 
 prisoner, who was the only one of those captured who escaped 
 being sacrificed; and that, therefore, he orders all Spaniards 
 to treat me with kindness and consideration, and confirms to 
 me and my heirs to all time the possession of my estates 
 free from all taxes or imposts whatever. Malinche obtained 
 this document from him, and has induced the treasurer and 
 chamberlain also to affix their seals to it, and she says that it 
 will be undoubtedly respected. 
 
 " As you know, Roger, I should long ago have married my 
 cousin, who was one of Maclutha's ladies in waiting, but we 
 deferred it until these troubles should be over. I have been 
 to Tezcuco to-day, and we shall be married at the end of the 
 week, so that I have every hope of leading a quiet and happy 
 life, and think that in the end these troubles will tend to the 
 happiness of the people of the country. As a Tezcucan, I can 
 acknowledge that the Aztec tyranny was a heavy one, that the 
 people were sorely oppressed ; the wholesale sacrifices at the 
 temples, now abolished for ever, were the cause of constant 
 wars ; and I think that when the Spaniards once overcome all 
 resistance, and establish a firm and stable government, the 
 people will be happier than they ever could have been under 
 the Aztec rule. What has become of Bathalda ? " 
 
 " He accompanied us here, and then went off to your 
 estates, saying that he should collect a few of his friends and 
 occupy your house, to see that none took advantage of the 
 troubles to plunder it. I recommend him to your care, 
 Cuitcatl." 
 
 "There is no occasion to do that, Roger. He has been a 
 faithful servant and friend, and shall in future be my right 
 hand." 
 
 The next morning Malinche came to say farewell to them. 
 
 " How much has taken place in the last four years, Roger ! " 
 she said. " Then, I was a slave-girl ; you were a captive in a 
 strange country. What scenes we have passed through since 
 then ! I am sorry indeed that you are going, Roger," and the 
 tears came into her eyes ; " you were my first friend, and I
 
 378 "l HAVE SOMETHING OF YOITOS." 
 
 have loved you ever since as a brother. I shall miss you sorely, 
 indeed ; however, I know that you and Amenche will be happy 
 together. Princess, I have something of yours," and she held 
 up a heavy girdle. Amenche gave a cry of joy. 
 
 " I missed it," she said, " but I thought that it must have 
 fallen off in the boat, or as Roger carried me thence to the 
 castle. See, Roger," she said, holding it out to them, " this 
 is my dowry. I told you I should not come to you a penni- 
 less bride, but I have thought lately that I was mistaken. 
 Maclutha, when she died, gave me all the jewels we carried away 
 from the treasure-room at Tezcuco. I selected all the most 
 valuable ones, and sewed them into this broad girdle, which 
 I put on under my things on the night when you escaped. 
 Its loss has grieved me, though you have said that the two 
 little bags you have already would suffice to make you rich ; 
 still they were Maclutha's, and I wanted to give you mine, but 
 I could not think what had become of the belt." 
 
 " I found it on you, Amenche, when we loosened your robe 
 to examine your wound, and put it by to give to you or Roger, 
 which ever might recover ; and now I am glad to hand it over 
 as your joint property. I have already returned Roger his own 
 two little bags that he had given me to take care of. And 
 now farewell to you both. You will think of me sometimes in 
 your distant home in England ? " And Malinche, bursting 
 into tears, hurried away. 
 
 The journey to the coast was an easy one, as the sick were 
 all transported on litters carried by native porters. The 
 bracing air of the high land did much to restore the strength 
 of the sick men, who had been suffering much from the terrible 
 heat of the valley. The officer in command of the convoy 
 halted them for a week on the Tlascalan plateau, in order 
 that they might get the full benefit of the cool air ; and by the 
 time they reached the coast, and were carried on board ship, 
 Roger felt his strength fast returning. A comfortable cabin 
 was assigned to him and Amenche, as Cortez had at Malinche's 
 request written a letter specially commending them to the care 
 of the officer in command of the ship. The voyage to Spain 
 was a long one ; and, before the vessel arrived at Cadiz, Roger 
 and Amenche were completely restored to health and strength. 
 
 Roger's success, indeed, had been beyond his wildest hopes. 
 The two bags of jewels and those which Amenche had brought
 
 ON AN ENGLISH SHIP. 379 
 
 away with her would suffice to make him a very rich man 
 He had, too, an assortment of the finest Mexican stuffs, which 
 Malinche had given him as a special present for his friends 
 at home ; and he had a bar of gold, of the value of a thousand 
 pounds, which was his share (as one of Cortez's body-guard) of 
 the gold found at the capture of the capital. 
 
 He had learnt from a vessel which was spoken as they 
 neared Spain that England and Spain were in alliance against 
 France ; and he had no doubt, therefore, that he should find 
 English ships at Cadiz. His heart was gladdened as the vessel 
 entered the port by seeing the English flag flying on several 
 vessels in harbour. 
 
 As soon as Roger and his companions landed they were sur- 
 rounded by an eager crowd, all anxious to learn more of the 
 capture of Mexico, of which a swift vessel sent off as soon as 
 the city fell had brought news six weeks earlier ; and Roger 
 had to tell the story of the siege a dozen times over. 
 
 As soon as he could get free from the crowd, he went, to a 
 money-changer's, and obtained Spanish gold in exchange for 
 his bar ; then he purchased at a clothier's a suit of garments 
 of Spanish fashion, and putting these on was able to move about 
 without attracting observation. Amenche did not disembark 
 until after nightfall, but Roger's first care after landing was 
 to purchase a chestful of garments fit for a Spanish lady of 
 rank, and to send them out to the vessel. Having sent these 
 off he made his way down to the port, and, enquiring among 
 the sailors, found that an English ship would sail on the 
 following day. Hiring a boat, he went on board. He deter- 
 mined to maintain his character as a Spaniard to the last, as 
 he would thereby avoid all questions ; and it was accordingly 
 in that language that he arranged for a passage for himself 
 and his wife, the captain taking him for a Spanish gentleman 
 having business with the Court in London. 
 
 Having settled this Roger returned on board, and late in the 
 evening was rowed with Amenche to the English ship, which was 
 to sail early the next morning. The wind was favourable, and 
 the ship made a quick passage. The captain and sailors amused 
 Roger by their comments on his appearance. Never, they agreed, 
 had they seen a Spaniard of such size and strength before. 
 
 " He stands six-feet-three if he is an inch," an old sailor 
 said, " and he is as broad as any man I ever saw. He is
 
 380 DOWN TO PLYMOUTH. 
 
 never a bit like a Spaniard in appearance, with his blue eyes 
 and light brown hair. If you were to put him in good 
 English broadcloth, and teach him to talk like a Christian, 
 no one would dream he was other than an Englishman. The 
 Spaniards generally have solemn faces, but this chap looks as 
 if he could laugh and joke with the best of us. One could 
 almost swear that he understood what I am saying now." 
 
 Roger was several times tempted to say that he did under- 
 stand, but he kept his counsel. As soon as they landed near 
 London Bridge they went to an inn, and when the sailors 
 who had carried his trunk for him had left, he addressed the 
 landlord in English. 
 
 " Can you direct me to a clothier where I can obtain suit- 
 able clothes? " he said. "I have been staying in Spain, and 
 having been wrecked and lost all my outfit had to rig myself 
 in Spanish fashion. I also wish to purchase clothing of 
 English fashion for my wife." 
 
 " I thought you were an Englishman by your looks," the land- 
 lord said, " though the fashion of your clothes was altogether 
 foreign, and you speak, too, with a strange accent." For 
 indeed, Roger found the English words come with difficulty, 
 after having for nearly six years spoken nothing but Mexican 
 and Spanish. 
 
 " I have been some time away," he said ; " and have been 
 talking with the Spaniards until I have well-nigh forgotten 
 my own tongue." 
 
 Two hours later, he was attired in the fashion of a well-to-do 
 merchant, and Amenche made, as he told her, the prettiest 
 wife merchant ever had. They stayed for a week in London, 
 Amenche being greatly amused and interested in all she saw. 
 At the end of that time, having purchased a stout horse and a 
 sword to defend himself against any robbers he might meet 
 with on the way, Roger stai'ted to ride down to Plymouth, with 
 Amenche behind him on a pillion. Six days after leaving 
 London they entered the town, and Roger, having seen 
 Amenche comfortably bestowed at the principal inn, took his 
 way to the house of Master Diggory Beggs. The latter was 
 in his shop, and came forward, bowing, as Roger entered it. 
 
 " What can I do for you to-day, good sir ? " he said. " I 
 have goods of all sorts and kinds : Italian work and Spanish ; 
 silks, and satins, and velvets."
 
 "IT IS ROGER COME BACK.** 381 
 
 " I would have a talk with you alone, Master Beggs. I am 
 the bearer of a message from an old friend of yours. If you will 
 grant me a few minutes' talk we may do business together." 
 
 " By all means," the merchant said, thinking that such an 
 introduction offered some important transactions. " Will you 
 be good enough to follow me ? " and he led the way upstairs. 
 
 Dame Mercy was sitting at work with her youngest daughter 
 when they entered the room, Diggory saying, " Please to leave, 
 Dame ; this gentleman and I have business of importance to 
 discuss together." 
 
 "There is no occasion for you to leave us," Roger said. 
 " My business is not so private but that you and Mistress 
 Agnes may hear us." 
 
 " You know my daughter's name ! " Dame Beggs exclaimed 
 in surprise. 
 
 " The gentleman comes with a message from an old friend 
 of ours," Diggory said, " and has doubtless heard him mention 
 our daughter's name." 
 
 " And Dorothy," Roger asked ; " she is well, I hope." 
 
 " My eldest daughter was married three months since," 
 Dame Mercy replied. 
 
 Roger gave an exclamation of satisfaction. " And so none 
 of you know me ? " he asked. " And yet you are but little 
 changed, except that Mistress Agnes has grown into a young 
 woman, whereas she was but a child when I parted from her." 
 
 Diggory Beggs and his wife gazed at Roger in astonishment ; 
 Agnes stood up with her hands tightly clasped together : 
 
 " It is Roger," she cried. " Oh, mother ! it is Roger come 
 back to us. 
 
 "I am Roger, sure enough, aunt," he said, stooping and kissing 
 her, and then shaking hands with his uncle and kissing Agnes. 
 
 " And your father," Diggory asked, " and the Swan ? " 
 
 " It is a sad story," Roger said, " a very sad story, uncle. 
 Six years ago the Swan was wrecked on the coast of Tabasco, 
 and every soul save myself lost." 
 
 It was a blow for Diggory Beggs. He had, indeed, long since 
 given up all hope of ever seeing his cousin Reuben, or of 
 obtaining any return for the capital he had embarked on the 
 Swan ; but the sight of Roger had for a moment raised his hopes 
 that the venture had after all been productive. However, he 
 speedily recovered himself :
 
 382 "l KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING OF.** 
 
 " I am grieved to hear it, Roger, though in no ways sur- 
 prised. For two years we looked for your return, but we have 
 all long since given up hope, and written off our shares in the 
 Swan as lost money. I am sorry for Reuben, very sorry, for 
 I loved him like a brother. Well, well, do not let us talk about 
 it now. You are restored to us safe and sound ; and though 
 the loss was a heavy one and crippled me for a time, I have 
 got over it. Now tell us what have you been doing ever since ; 
 and by what miracle have you returned safe and sound? " 
 
 "It is a long story, uncle, a very long story ; but before I 
 begin it, I may tell you that, though the ship and its venture 
 were lost, I myself have returned by no means penniless ; and 
 can, indeed, repay to the full all the money expended upon the 
 Swan and her outfit. Now I want you all to come round with 
 me to the inn, for there I have left a lady whom I would fain 
 introduce to you." 
 
 " Your wife ? " Mistress Mercy cried. " You don't say you 
 have brought home a wife, Roger ? " 
 
 " That do I, aunt. She is a princess in her own country ; 
 but what is much better she is the dearest of women, and all 
 but gave her life to save mine." 
 
 Mistress Mercy looked grave, and was about to speak when 
 Roger interrupted her. 
 
 " I know what you are about to say, aunt. The thought 
 of having a foreign woman for your niece is shocking to you. 
 Never mind, leave it unsaid until you have seen her. But as 
 we go let us call in and see Dorothy, and take her on with us ; 
 I should wish her to be one of the first to welcome iny wife." 
 
 Dorothy was as astonished as the others had been when they 
 arrived at her house with Roger, and cast a meaning glance at 
 him when she heard that he had brought home a wife. 
 
 " I know what you are thinking of, Dorothy our parting 
 on the Hoe." Dorothy laughed. " I meant it when I said it, 
 Dorothy and meant it for a good time afterwards. It was 
 only when it seemed that I should never come back again that 
 I fell in love with some one else ; and when you have heard 
 my story, and know what she did for me, and how much I owe 
 her, and come to love her for herself, you won't blame me." 
 
 "I don't blame you one bit, Roger," she said, frankly. 
 " When you went away we thought we cared for each other ; 
 but of course we were only boy and girl then, and when
 
 DAME MERCY'S LAST PREJUDICE VANISHED. 383 
 
 I grew up and you did not come home, and it seemed that you 
 never would come home, as you say, I fell in love with some 
 one else. And now I will put on my hood, and come round and 
 see your wife. What is her name ? " 
 
 "Her name is Amenche," Roger said; "and Amenche I 
 mean to call her. When she was christened for of course she 
 had to be christened before we were married Father Olmedo 
 said she must have a Christian name, and christened her 
 Caterina ; but for all that her name is Amenche, and we mean 
 to stick to it. But come along ; she has been an hour alone in 
 this strange place already, and must begin to think that I 
 have run away from her." 
 
 Dorothy and Agnes were at once won by the soft beauty of 
 the dark-skinned princess ; and when that evening Roger told 
 the story of all that had taken place in Mexico, Dame Mercy's 
 last prejudice vanished, and she took Amenche in her arms 
 and kissed her tenderly. 
 
 " My dear," she said, " Roger has always been as a son to 
 me, and henceforth you will be as one of my daughters." 
 
 As to Diggory, his delight and satisfaction were almost too 
 great for words. He was overjoyed that Roger had returned, 
 vastly gratified that the money he expended on the Swan was 
 to be repaid, and greatly captivated by Amenche. The princess 
 could speak but a few words of English, for Roger had been 
 afraid to commence her tuition in that language until they were 
 safely in England : but she was greatly pleased with the welcome 
 she received, and began for the first time to feel that some day 
 she might come to regard this strange country as home. 
 
 There was a long talk between Roger and his uncle as to the 
 steps that should be taken. It was agreed that now Spain and 
 England were so closely allied, it would be imprudent in the 
 extreme to allow it to become known that the Swan had 
 sailed for the Western Indies, or that Roger had obtained 
 wealth there ; for if it came to the ears of the Court and such 
 strange news would travel fast it might well be that a ruinous 
 fine might be imposed upon all concerned in the matter. 
 
 Therefore it was arranged that nothing whatever should be 
 said about it, but that it should be given out that the Swan had 
 been wrecked in foreign parts ; and that Roger, who had been 
 sole survivor of the wreck, had settled abroad and made money 
 there, and had married a foreign lady. More than that it
 
 384 WEALTH AND HONOUR. 
 
 would be unnecessary to tell. The gems could be sent over a 
 few at a time to Amsterdam, and there sold to merchants 
 who would care nothing whence they came ; and the partners 
 of Diggory Beggs in the venture of the Swan would be only too 
 glad to receive their money back again, and to ask no questions as 
 to how it had been obtained. And so matters were carried out. 
 For some months Roger remained in nominal partnership 
 with his uncle, and then bought a large estate a few miles 
 out of the town, where he set up as a country gentleman. 
 He was for a time somewhat shyly looked upon by the 
 magistrates of the county, who deemed it an unheard-of 
 thing for a Plymouth merchant thus to settle among them ; 
 but in time he was accepted, especially after it became known 
 that when he went up to Town he held his place among the 
 highest there, and kept a state and expenditure equal to that 
 of many of the nobles. His wife was remarkable not only 
 for her beauty but for the richness of her jewels, many of 
 which were fashioned in a way such as had never before been 
 seen at the English Court. As time went on, and the relations 
 between England and Spain grew cold, there was no longer 
 any occasion for secrecy, and little by little it became known 
 that the Swan had sailed to the Spanish main, that Roger 
 had formed one of the conquering band of Cortez, and that 
 Amenche was not a Spaniard but an Aztec Princess. This 
 caused a great talk at the time, and added much to the con- 
 sideration in which Roger was held. He took a leading 
 position in the country, and many years after fitted out two 
 ships at his own cost to fight against the Spanish Arrnada. 
 Happily Amenche's health never suffered from the change to 
 the comparatively cold climate of Devonshire. She bore Roger 
 several children, and to this day many of the first families in 
 Devonshire are proud that there runs in their veins the blood 
 of the Aztec princess. 
 
 THE END.
 
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 BLACKIES STORY BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 G. A. HENTY 
 
 Under Wellington's Command: ' 
 
 sular War. With 12 page Illustrations by WAL PAGET. 6s. 
 
 In this stirring romance Mr. Henty gives us the further adventures of 
 Terence O'Connor, the hero of With Moore at Corunna. We are told 
 how, in alliance with a small force of Spanish guerillas, the gallant regiment 
 of Portuguese levies commanded by Terence keeps the whole of the French 
 army in check at a critical period of the war, rendering invaluable service 
 to the Iron Duke and his handful of British troops. 
 
 "Will be found extremely entertaininf ." Daily Telegraph. 
 
 "An admirable exposition of Mr. Henty's masterly method of combining instruction 
 with amusement." World. 
 
 " Humour, adventure, and hard fighting." Navy and Army. 
 
 At Aboukir and Acre: f Story f L w 
 
 Invasion of Egypt. With 
 8 page Illustrations by WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I. 5^. 
 
 Shortly before the battle of the Nile, Edgar Blagrove, the son of an 
 English merchant in Alexandria, saves the life of a young Bedouin chief. 
 The two boys become inseparable, and on the arrival of the French, Edgar 
 makes common cause with the Bedouins against the invader. He after- 
 wards enters the British navy as a midshipman, and as interpreter to Sir 
 Sydney Smith assists in the defence of Acre. 
 
 "The boys who are so fortunate as to get the book as a Christmas present will 
 enjoy many hours of supreme delight, and will learn almost unconsciously much that 
 is worth knowing. " Manchester Guardian. 
 
 "A thoroughly patriotic story, with brisk action, and incidents crowding upon each 
 other." Tatler. 
 
 With Cochrane the Dauntless: * f 
 
 his Exploits. 
 With 12 page Illustrations by W. H. MARGETSON. 6s. 
 
 It would be hard to find, even in sensational fiction, a more daring leader 
 than Lord Cochrane, or a career which supplies so many thrilling exploits. 
 The manner in which, almost single-handed, he scattered the French fleet 
 in the Basque Roads is one of the greatest feats in English naval history. 
 
 " As rousing and interesting a book as boys could wish for." Saturday Review. 
 "This tale we specially recommend." St. James's Gazette. 
 
 " We honour the author of With Cochrane the Dauntless as the head of his pro- 
 fession." National Observer. 
 
 " Full of thrilling adventure, as well as of historical and biographical information." 
 
 Glasgow Herald. 
 
 U)
 
 STORIES BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 G. A. HENTY 
 
 With Buller in Natal: ^ A Bom Leader, with 
 
 10 page Illustrations by 
 W. RAINEY, R.I., and a Map. 6s. 
 
 The heroic story of the relief of Laclysmith forms the theme of one of the 
 most powerful romances that have come from Mr. Henty's pen. When the 
 war breaks out, the hero, Chris King, and his friends band themselves to- 
 gether under the title of the Maritzburg Scouts. From first to last the boy 
 scouts are constantly engaged in perilous and exciting enterprises, from 
 which they always emerge triumphant, thanks to their own skill and cour- 
 age, and the dash and ingenuity of their leader. 
 
 " A glowing tale of heroism." Eastern Daily Press. 
 
 " Just the sort of book to inspire an enterprising boy." Army and Navy Gazette. 
 
 By England's Aid: 
 
 J o lands (i 585- 1 604). With 10 page 
 
 Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE, and 4 Maps. 6s. 
 
 Two English lads go to Holland in the service of one of " the fighting 
 Veres ". After many adventures one of the lads finds himself on board a 
 Spanish ship at the defeat of the Armada, and escapes from Spain only to 
 fall into the hands of the Corsairs. He is successful, however, in getting 
 back to Spain, and regains his native country after the capture of Cadiz. 
 
 " Boys know and love Mr. Henty's books of adventure, and will welcome his tale 
 of the freeing of the Netherlands." Athcnaum. 
 
 " Mr. Henty can give you the sense of battle in the veins." National Observer. 
 
 " Geoffrey's adventures will impart to the tale that element which lays hold of the 
 boy reader. 'Christian Leader. 
 
 - By Right of Conquest: ^wuh cortez in Mexico. 
 
 J o TL With 10 page Illustrations 
 
 by W. S. STAGEY, and 2 Maps. 6s. 
 
 The conquest of Mexico, by a small band of resolute men under the 
 magnificent leadership of Cortez, is rightly ranked amongst the most romantic 
 exploits in history. With this as the groundwork of his story, Mr. Henty 
 has interwoven the adventures of an English youth, Roger Hawkshaw, the 
 sole survivor of the good ship Swan, which had sailed from a Devon port to 
 challenge the supremacy of the Spaniards in the New World. 
 
 " Mr. Henty's skill has never been more convincingly displayed than in this 
 admirable and ingenious story. " Saturday Review. 
 
 "Cleverly written and wonderfully interesting." Birmingham Gazette. 
 
 "A volume full of interest and excitement, which cannot fail to charm its readers." 
 
 Journal of Education.
 
 From AT THE POINT OF THE BAYONET 
 BY G. A. HENTY. 6s. (See page i) 
 
 "HARRY RAN UP TO THE PROCLAMATION AND TORE IT DOWN"
 
 STOXIES BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 G. A. HENTY 
 
 A Roving Commission: r ' Through th f e * lack 
 
 O Insurrection of Hayti. 
 
 With 12 page Illustrations by WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I. 6s. 
 
 The hero of this story takes part in some of the principal engagements in 
 the revolt of the slaves of Hayti against their French masters at the end of 
 last century, and is able to rescue many of the unfortunate French colonists 
 from the infuriated blacks. He also does good service against the pirates 
 who infested the West Indian seas at that period, for which he is rapidly 
 promoted from midshipman to commander. 
 
 "A stirring tale, which may be confidently recommended to schoolboy readep." 
 
 Guardian. 
 
 " A singularly lucky and attractive hero, for whom boy readers will have an intense 
 admiration. " Standard. 
 
 Rrif-nn ^ Story of the Roman Invasion of 
 
 1 -) 1 \. L v / 1 1 * i Tir'ii TII . 
 
 Britain. With 12 page Illustrations 
 by W. PARKINSON. 6s. 
 
 Beric is a boy-chief of a British tribe which takes a prominent part in the 
 insurrection under Boadicea : and after the defeat of that heroic queen he 
 continues the struggle in the fen-country. Ultimately Beric is defeated and 
 carried captive to Rome, where he succeeds in saving a Christian maid by 
 slaying a lion in the arena, and is rewarded by being made the personal 
 protector of Nero. Finally, he escapes and returns to Britain, where he 
 becomes a wise ruler of his own people. 
 
 " He is a hero of the most attractive kind. . . . One of the most spirited and well- 
 imagined stories Mr. Henty has written." Saturday Review. 
 
 "His conflict with a lion in the arena is a thrilling chapter." School Board 
 Chronicle. 
 
 " Full of every form of heroism and pluck." Christian World. 
 
 The Dash {or Khartoum A Tale of the Nile 
 
 JVJ1 1 * Expedition. With 10 
 
 page Illustrations by JOHN SCHONBERG and J. NASH. 6s. 
 
 In the record of recent British history there is no more captivating page 
 for boys than the story of the Nile campaign, and the attempt to rescue 
 General Gordon. For, in the difficulties which the expedition encountered, 
 and in the perils which it overpassed, are found all the excitement of 
 romance, as well as the fascination which belongs to real events. 
 
 " The Dash for Khartoum is your ideal boys' book." Tablet. 
 " It is literally true that the narrative never flags a moment." Academy. 
 " The Dash for Khartoum will be appreciated even by those who don't ordinarily 
 care a dash for anything." Punch. 
 
 (7)
 
 BLACKIES STORY BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 G. A. HENTY 
 
 Bonnie Prince Charlie- A Tale of Fonten y and 
 
 L1C * Culloden. With 12 page 
 Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 6s. 
 
 The hero, brought up by a Glasgow baijie, is arrested for aiding a 
 Jacobite agent, escapes, but is wrecked on the French coast, reaches Paris, 
 and serves with the French army at Dettingen. He succeeds in obtaining, 
 through Marshal Saxe, the release from confinement of both his parents. 
 He kills his father's foe in a duel, and, escaping to the coast, shares the 
 adventures of Prince Charlie. 
 
 " Mr. Henty can tell a cr pital story; but here, for freshness of treatment and 
 variety of incident, he has surpassed himself." Spectator. 
 
 " The adventures and incidents throughout are of the most exciting kind, and the 
 interest is never for one moment allowed to flag." Literary World. 
 
 " Is most intensely thrilling." Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 Tn tViP TrUVi "Rrio-arle- A Tale of War in Flanders 
 
 rigaae . and Spain with I2 page 
 
 Illustrations by CHARLES M. SHELDON. 6s. 
 
 The hero is a young officer in the Irish Brigade, which for many years 
 after the siege of Limerick formed the backbone of the French army. He 
 goes through many stirring adventures, successfully carries out dangerous 
 missions in Spain, saves a large portion of the French army at Oudenarde, 
 and even has the audacity to kidnap the Prime Minister of England. 
 
 " A good subject made good use of.'' Spectator. 
 
 "A stirring book of military adventure." Scotsman. 
 
 " Should be popular among boys of all ages." Yorkshire Post. 
 
 Af Amnrnnrt' A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. 
 
 .TLL ^gllK-UUlL. WJth I2 page IUustrations by WAL 
 
 PAGET. 6s. 
 
 Sir Eustace de Villeroy, in journeying from Hampshire to his castle in 
 France, made young Guy Aylmer one of his escort. Soon thereafter the 
 castle was attacked, and the English youth displayed such valour that hi:; 
 liege-lord made him commander of a special mission to Paris. This he 
 accomplished, returning in time to take part in the campaign against the 
 French which ended in the glorious victory for England at Agincourt. 
 
 " Is one of Mr. Henty's best." Standard. 
 
 "There is not a better book for boys in Mr. Henty's extensive repertory." 
 
 Scotsman. 
 
 " Cannot fail to commend itself to boys of all ages." Manchester Courier. 
 (8)
 
 ' Young readers have no better friends than Blackie & Son." Westminster Gazette 
 
 
 
 Blackie & Son's 
 Story Books for Boys 
 
 G. MANVILLE FENN 
 
 Devon ROVS* A Tale of the North Shore. With 12 page 
 / * Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 6j. 
 
 The scene is laid on the picturesque rocky coast of North Devon, where 
 the three lads pass through many perils both afloat and ashore. Fishermen, 
 smugglers, naval officers, and a stern old country surgeon play their parts 
 in the story, which is one of honest adventure with the mastering of diffi- 
 culties in a wholesome manly way, mingled with sufficient excitement to 
 satisfy the most exacting reader. 
 
 "An admirable story, as remarkable for the individuality of its heroes as for the 
 excellent descriptions of coast scenery and life in North Devon. One of the best 
 books we have seen this season." Atkerueunt. 
 
 - Nat the Naturalist: A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern 
 
 Seas. With 8 page Pictures by 
 GORDON BROWNE. 5^. 
 
 The boy Nat and his uncle go on a voyage to the islands of the Eastern 
 seas to seek specimens in natural history, and their adventures there are full 
 of interest and excitement. The descriptions of Mr. Ebony, their black 
 comrade, and of the scenes of savage life sparkle with genuine humour. 
 
 "This book encourages independence of character, develops resource, and teaches 
 a boy to keep his eyes open." Saturday Review. 
 
 Yussuf the Guide: * 6 P a ^ e "^rations b y j. 
 
 SCHONBERG. 3-T. 
 
 A lad who has been almost given over by the doctors, but who rapidly 
 recovers health and strength in a journey through Asia Minor with his 
 guardians and Yussuf as their guide. Their adventures culminate in their 
 being snowed up for the winter in the mountains, from which they escape 
 while their captors are waiting for the ransom that does not come. 
 
 " This story is told with such real freshness and vigour that the reader ftels he is 
 actually one of the party, sharing in the fun and facing the dangers with them." 
 
 Pall Mall Gazette.
 
 From THE DRAGON OF PEKIN 
 BY'CAPT. F. S. -BRERETON. $s. (Seepage n) 
 
 "WITH A SHOUT HE THREW HIMSELF UPON THE MAN BEARING 
 THE SWORD"
 
 BLACKIES STORY BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 Dr. GORDON STABLES, R.N. 
 
 In Far Bolivia : * St <y of a s ; n f wild 
 
 With 6 page Illustrations by J. 
 FINNEMORE, R.I. y. 6d. 
 
 Life on the beautiful plantation on the banks of the great Amazon flows 
 gently and dreamily on, until the abduction of the heroine by Bolivian 
 savages. Then the stir indeed begins, and the adventures of the rescue- 
 party, in which the heroine's boy cousin and his chum are the moving 
 spirits, are the subject of an enthralling narrative. 
 
 "Written in Dr. Gordon Stables' best style." Yorkshire Herald. 
 
 "An exciting and altogether admirable story." Sheffield Telegraph. 
 
 -In Quest of the Giant Sloth. th6 foil-page 
 
 , Illustrations by 
 
 J. FINNEMORE, R.I. Cloth elegant, 3^. 6d. 
 
 The hero and his companions set out to find that most marvellous 
 South American survival the Giant Sloth. . In the course of their eventful 
 journey they meet many strange animals, and men far wilder than the 
 beasts themselves. 
 
 " Marked by all the author's characteristic breeziness." Saturday Review. 
 
 Capt. F. S. BRERETON, R.A.M.C. 
 
 TVie Dracrnn of Pel: in A Stor y of the Boxer 
 
 urago reKin . Revolt WUh 8 full 
 
 page Illustrations by W. RAINEY, R.I., and Map. Cloth elegant, 5^. 
 
 Bob Duncan and his friend enter the besieged Legations in Pekin, 
 and volunteer to carry despatches to Tientsin. They rescue Mr. Duncan 
 from the Chinese, and having seen heavy fighting at Tientsin, and 
 marched to the relief of the Legations, they follow his captor hotly, only 
 to witness his tragic death at the hands of a Boxer whom he has cruelly 
 wronged. 
 
 " Gives an excellent picture of life in China, and is brimful of brave deeds, hair- 
 breadth escapes, battles, and stratagems.' 1 Literary World. 
 
 A Osllanf- Orpnarlier A Story of the Crimean 
 
 -/v valiant ^renaaier. War with 8 full . page 
 
 Illustrations by WAL PAGET, and Map. Cloth elegant, t>s. 
 
 Phil Western, who is high-spirited to the verge of recklessness, longs for 
 the life of a soldier, and disappoints his adoptive father by enlisting. He 
 sails to the Crimea, and takes part in the historic battles fought on the 
 outskirts of Sebastopol. Many and hazardous are his adventures, for he 
 is twice a prisoner, and actually takes part in the famous charge of the 
 Light Brigade at Balaclava. 
 
 " Full of dash and spirit." Atheiueum.
 
 BLACKIES STORY BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 LEON GOLSCHMANN 
 
 Story of the Siberian Forest. Adapted 
 Russian by L ^ ON GOLSCHMANN. 
 
 With 6 page Illustrations by J. FINNEMORE, R.I. y. 6d. 
 
 Two Russian lads are so deeply impressed by reading Robinson Crusoe 
 that they run away from home. They lose their way in a huge trackless 
 forest, and for two years are kept busy hunting for food, fighting against 
 wolves and other enemies, and labouring to increase their comforts, before 
 they are rescued. 
 
 "This is a story after a boy's own heart." Nottingham Guardian. 
 
 FRED SMITH 
 
 The World of Animal Life. ^ e T d H by F p R r E o D 
 
 fusely Illustrated with Engravings after F. SPECHT and other 
 eminent artists. Cloth elegant, 55-. 
 
 The aim of The World of Animal Life is to give in non-scientific lan- 
 guage an account of those inhabitants of the land, sea, and sky with whose 
 names we are all familiar, but concerning whose manner of life the majority 
 of us have only the haziest conceptions. 
 
 "An admirable volume for the young mind enquiring after Nature." 
 
 Birmingham Gazette. 
 
 MEREDITH FLETCHER 
 
 A S( * o t Q 
 
 page Illustrations by SYDNEY 
 COWELL. $s. 6d. 
 
 This story is written from the point of view of an ordinary boy, who gives 
 an animated account of a young public-schoolboy's life. No moral is 
 drawn; yet the story indicates a kind of training that goes to promote 
 veracity, endurance, and enterprise ; and of each of several of the characters 
 it might be truly said, he is worthy to be called, " Every Inch a Briton ". 
 
 " In Every Inch a Briton Mr. Meredith Fletcher has scored a success." 
 
 Manchester Guardian. 
 
 JOHN SAMSON 
 
 In the Dictator's Grip: A Story of Adventure in 
 
 l the Pampas and Para- 
 guay. With 6 page Illustrations by PAUL HARDY. 3.$-. 6d. 
 
 The hero, an English country lad, goes to sea, and, arriving at Montevideo 
 at the time of the British invasion of 1801, takes part in General Whitelock's 
 disastrous expedition. Afterwards he lives on the pampas, hunts game in 
 Patagonia, and ultimately journeys to Paraguay, where he witnesses and 
 experiences the effects of the rule of the terrible Dictator, Dr. Francia. 
 
 " Full of movement and 'go', and as fresh as to be especially exciting." World, 
 
 Every Inch a Briton : A S( * ool t Story ; with 6 
 
 J ae Illustrations b
 
 BLACKIES STORY BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 E. HARCOURT BURRAGE 
 
 A Stor y of the Boer War - 
 
 with 4 paffe Illustrations 
 
 by N. TESTELIN. Cloth elegant, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Hugh Dunstan and Cyril Johnstone are driven by circumstances into 
 the arena of war, and, having joined the Carbineers, are selected for 
 special scouting service. In this work their pluck and resource find ample 
 scope, and the story presents a kaleidoscopic picture of the battles, 
 skirmishes, and ambushes, and the thousand and one incidents of warfare. 
 
 "Crammed with exciting incidents, and cannot fail to arouse the interest and 
 patriotism of young readers." Graphic. 
 
 FRED SMITH 
 
 The Boyhood of a Naturalist, with 6 page 
 
 J Illustrations. 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, y. 6d. New Edition. 
 
 Few lovers of Nature have given to the world a series of recollections so 
 entertaining, so vigorous, and so instinct with life as these delightful remin- 
 iscences. The author takes the reader with him in the rambles in which he 
 spent the happiest hours of his boyhood, a humble observer of the myriad 
 forms of life in field and copse, by stream and hedgerow. 
 
 "We cannot too highly recommend the book to all readers." Guardian. 
 
 EDGAR PICKERING 
 
 An Old-Time Yam: Adventures in the West Indies 
 
 and Mexico with Hawkins and 
 Drake. With 6 page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. 3^. 6d. 
 
 The hero sails from Plymouth in the flagship of Master John Hawkins. 
 Divers are the perils through which he passes. Chief of these are the 
 destruction of the English ships by the treacherous Spaniards, the fight 
 round the burning vessels, the journey of the prisoners to the city of Mexico, 
 the horrors of the Inquisition, and the final escape to England. 
 
 "An excellent story of adventure. . . . The book is thoroughly to be recom- 
 mended. " Guardian. 
 
 WALTER P. WRIGHT . 
 
 An Ocean Adventurer: r '7 he ^ ise f the 
 
 Orb. With 4 page 
 Illustrations by PAUL HARDY. 2s. 6d. 
 
 There is a fight at the beginning of this story, and treasure at the end of 
 it. From the day he is robbed of his father's priceless secret, through all 
 the desperate adventures of the privateer Orb, until he solves the great 
 mystery, Frank Pingle has a thrilling time of it, and so will his reader. 
 
 "A breezy and exciting sea story . . . which is full of stirring incidents from be- 
 ginning to end." Court Circular.
 
 BLACKIES STORY BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 CHARLES SQUIRE , \ 
 
 The Great Khan's Treasure: * ? 
 
 Chinese Tartary. With 6 full-page Illustrations by MONRO S. 
 ORR. Cloth elegant, y. 6d. 
 
 The hero fits out a small expedition to go to Mongolia and search for a 
 treasure the whereabouts of which' he learned from a letter in the possession 
 of his father. The adventurers run the gauntlet of wolves and brigands in 
 the great Gobi Desert, and find the treasure only to discover that it is 
 guarded by Tartars. After many hairbreadth escapes, they succeed in 
 carrying off the treasure in the face of their enemies. 
 "A capital book of stirring adventure." Guardian. 
 
 S. BARING-GOULD 
 
 Grettir the Outlaw A Story of Iceland in the days 
 
 of the Vikings. With 6 page 
 Illustrations by M. ZENO DIEMER. 3-y. New Edition. 
 
 A narrative of adventure of the most romantic kind. No boy will be able 
 to withstand the magic of such scenes as the fight of Grettir with the twelve 
 bearserks, the wrestle with Karr the Old in the chamber of the dead, the 
 combat with the spirit of Glam the thrall, and the defence of the dying 
 Grettir by his younger brother. 
 
 " Has a freshness, a freedom, a sense of sun and wind and the open air, which make 
 it irresistible." National Observer. 
 
 C. J. 
 
 CUTCLIFFE HYNE 
 
 The Captured Cruiser: . T"? Years * L t and - 
 
 i With 6 page Illustrations 
 
 by F. BRANGWYN. New Edition, y. 6d. 
 
 The central incidents deal with the capture, during the war between Chili 
 and Peru, of an armed cruiser. The heroes and their companions break 
 from prison in Valparaiso, board this warship in the night, overpower the 
 watch, escape to sea under the fire of the forts, and finally, after marvellous 
 adventures, lose the cruiser among the icebergs near Cape Horn. 
 
 "The two lads and the two skippers are admirably drawn. Mr. Hyne has now 
 secured a position in the first rank of writers of fiction for boys." Spectator. 
 
 ^t-imQrm'i Rppf With 4- P a ge Illustrations by W. S. 
 
 ^J \- HJ.lC3vyl O J.X.V_V^A . _ - T T- _. fj 
 
 STAGEY. New Edition. 2s. 6a. 
 
 This is the extended log of a cutter which sailed from the Clyde to the 
 Amazon in search of a gold reef. It relates how they discovered the 
 bucaneer's treasure in the Spanish Main, fought the Indians, turned aside 
 the river Jamary by blasting, and so laid bare the gold of Stimsoris Reef. 
 
 " Few stories come within hailing distance of Stitnson's Reefm startling incidents 
 and hairbreadth 'scapes. It may almost vie with Mr. R. L. Stevenson's Treasure 
 If land. "G-uardian.
 
 From A GALLANT GRENADIER 
 BY CAPT. F. S. BRERETON. 5-r. (See page u) 
 
 "A PISTOL EXPLODED ALMOST IN HIS FACE"
 
 BLACKIE'S STORY BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 MICHAEL MACMILLAN 
 
 Tales of Indian Chivalry. th 6 p * ge " lus " 
 
 J trations by PAUL 
 HARDY. 25. 6d. 
 
 Professor Macmillan's great acquaintance with India and Indian litera- 
 ture has placed an almost unequalled store of romance at his disposal; and 
 the present collection of typical stories of Rajput, Moghul, and Mahratta 
 chivalry should win for itself a permanent place among the treasures of the 
 British schoolboy. 
 
 " Capital reading for boys." Outlook. 
 
 HARRY COLLINGWOOD 
 
 Pirate T<i1anrl With 6 P a S e Illu strations by C. 
 
 siana. ; STANILAND and ;> R< WELLS- 
 
 3^. New Edition. 
 
 By a deed of true gallantry the hero's whole destiny is changed, and, going 
 to sea, he forms one of a party who, after being burned out of their ship in 
 the South Pacific, are picked up by a pirate brig and taken to the " Pirate 
 Island ". After many thrilling adventures, they ultimately succeed in 
 effecting their escape. 
 
 "A capital story of the sea; indeed in our opinion the author is superior in some 
 respects as a marine novelist to the better-known Mr. Clark Russell." Times. 
 
 FLORENCE COOMBE 
 Boys of the Priory School. 
 
 HAROLD COPPING, zs. 6J. 
 
 The interest centres in the relations of Raymond and Hal Wentworth, 
 and the process by which . Raymond, the hero of the school, learns that in 
 the person of his ridiculed cousin there beats a heart more heroic than his 
 own. 
 
 "It is an excellent work of its class, cleverly illustrated with 'real boys' by Mr. 
 Harold Copping." Literature. 
 
 JANE H. SPETTIGUE 
 A Trek and a Laager: A Borderland story, with 
 
 O 4 page Illustrations by 
 
 PAUL HARDY, is. 6d. 
 
 A story of pioneer life in South Africa, full of stirring adventure and in- 
 teresting information about the country. The hero and his sister are cut 
 off from the laager by a party of natives, and are captured by the Kafirs 
 after making a bold stand against overwhelming odds. They escape and 
 reach the laager, which is afterwards fiercely attacked by the natives, but 
 is successfully defended. 
 
 " Full of novelty and excitement." Spectator. 
 (16)
 
 Blackie & Son's 
 
 Story Books for Girls 
 
 KATHARINE TYNAN 
 
 A Hirl of Osl ws v With 8 full -P a g e Illustrations 
 
 A uirl uaiway. by JOHN H BACON ^ 
 
 When Bertha Grace is on the threshold of young womanhood, she goes 
 to stay with her grandfather in Ireland, with the trust from her mother of 
 reconciling him and his son, Bertha's father. Bertha finds her grandfather 
 a* recluse and a miser, and in the hands of an underling, who is his evil 
 genius. How she keeps faith with her mother and finds her own fate, 
 through many strange adventures, is the subject of the story. 
 
 " Full of the poetic charm we are accustomed to find in the works of that gifted 
 writer." \Vorld. 
 
 ETHEL F. HEDDLE 
 
 An Orimrml Girl with 8 full -P a e Illustrations 
 
 An ungmai ^m. by GORDON BROWNE> ^ 
 
 The heroine, Christobel Beauchamp, makes her living by typewriting in 
 an office till chance throws her across the path of Lady Anne Prideaux, 
 her grandmother, from whom her parents have been estranged. Lady 
 Anne desires to adopt Christobel, but the girl returns to her father, who 
 sadly needs her help. A love story, in which Donald Ramsay, a rising 
 young Scotsman, is the wooer, forms a not unimportant part of the plot. 
 
 "Will be acceptable and enjoyable at any time and whoever the reader may 
 be." Glasgmu Herald. 
 
 CAROLINE AUSTIN 
 
 t 
 
 trations by W. 
 
 Cousin Geoffrey and I. wi ' h 6 
 
 J 
 INSON. 3-r. 
 
 The only daughter of a country gentleman finds herself unprovided for at 
 her father's death, and for some time lives as a dependant upon her kins- 
 man. Life is kept from being unbearable to her by her young cousin 
 Geoffrey, who at length meets with a serious accident for which she is held 
 responsible. She makes a brave attempt to earn her own livelihood, until 
 a startling event brings her cousin Geoffrey and herself together again. 
 
 " Miss Austin's story is bright, clever, and well developed." Saturday Review. 
 [46] (17) B
 
 BLACKIES BOOKS FOR GIRLS 
 
 ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS 
 
 With 6 Illustrati 
 by HAROLD COPPING. 
 
 A Queen among Girls. with 6 Illustrations 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3.?. 6d. 
 
 Augusta Pembroke is the head of her school, the favourite of her teachers 
 and fellow-pupils, who are attracted by her fearless and independent nature, 
 and her queenly bearing. She dreams of a distinguished professional 
 career; but the course of her life is changed suddenly by pity for her 
 timid little brother Adrian, the victim of his guardian-uncle's harshness. 
 The story describes the daring means adopted by Augusta for Adrian's relief. 
 
 "An interesting and well-written narrative, in which humour and a keen eye for 
 . character unite to produce a book happily adapted for modern maidens." Globe. 
 
 A Oir1 nf Tn-Dav with 6 P a S e Illustrations by 
 */ ' G. D. HAMMOND, R.I. y. 6d. 
 
 " What are Altruists?" humbly asks a small boy. " They are only people 
 who try to help others," replies the Girl of To-Day. To help their poorer 
 neighbours, the boys and girls of Woodend band themselves together into 
 the Society of Altruists. That they have plenty of fun is seen in the 
 shopping expedition and in the successful Christmas entertainment. 
 
 " It is a spirited story. The characters are true to nature and carefully developed. 
 Such a book as this is exactly what is needed to give a school-girl an interest in the 
 development of character." Educational Times. 
 
 FRANCES ARMSTRONG 
 
 A Fair Plaimanf- The Story of a Girl's Life. With 
 
 A rair Claimant. 6 page Illustrations by G< DEMAIN 
 
 HAMMOND, R.I. 3*. 
 
 The heroine, when a child, is found deserted in an attic. She is adopted 
 by a wealthy lady, and resides abroad until the death of her benefactress. 
 Thereafter, Olive Bethune comes to England as a governess, and then 
 begins to learn her own strange history. It is a tale of surprising vicissi- 
 tude, but in the end all the wrongs are pleasantly righted. 
 
 " There is a fascination about this story. The splendid character of the heroine, 
 together with the happy manner in which the interest is sustained to the end, combine 
 to make this one of the most acceptable gift-books of the season." Church Review. 
 
 G. NORWAY :''" 
 
 A True Cornish Maid. 
 
 The heroine of the tale is sister to a young fellow who gets into trouble 
 in landing a contraband cargo on the Cornish coast. In his extremity the 
 girl stands by her brother bravely, and by means of her daring scheme he 
 manages to escape. 
 
 " The success of the year has fallen, we think, to Mrs. Norway, whose True 
 Cornish. Maid is really an admirable piece of work." Review of Reviews.
 
 From A GIRL OF GALWAY 
 BY KATHARINE TYNAN. 6s. (See page 17) 
 
 "COAL AND GOLD, MISS, COAL AND GOLD );
 
 BLACKIE'S BOOKS FOR GIRLS 
 
 ROSA MULHOLLAND (LADY GILBERT) 
 Cynthia's Bonnet Shop. t w * h 8 [ ull ;? a f, e Illus - 
 
 J trations by G. DEMAIN 
 
 HAMMOND, R.I. 5-r. 
 
 Cynthia and her star-struck sister Befind go to London, the former to 
 open the bonnet shop, and the other to pursue the study of astronomy. 
 How both girls find new interests in life, more important even than bonnet 
 shop or star-gazing, is described With mingled humour and pathos in this 
 charming story. 
 
 "Just of the kind to please and fascinate a host of girl readers." 
 
 Liverpool Mercury. 
 
 .,. 
 
 Pisnneffa A Girl ' s Story of Herselt - with 6 full-page 
 Illustrations by LOCKHART BOGLE. 3^. 
 
 The story of a changeling who is suddenly transferred to the position of 
 a rich English heiress. She develops into a good and accomplished woman, 
 and has gained too much love and devotion to be a sufferer by the surrender 
 of her estates. 
 
 ANNIE E. ARMSTRONG 
 Violet Vereker's Vanity. 1t 
 
 J lustrations by G. DE- 
 MAIN HAMMOND, R.I. 3^. 6d 
 
 The heroine was an excellent girl in most respects. But she had one 
 small weakness, which expressed itself in a snobbish dislike of her neigh- 
 bours the Sugdens, whose social position she deemed beneath her own. In 
 the end, however, the girl acknowledged her folly, with results which are 
 sure to delight the reader. 
 
 "A book for girls that we can heartily recommend, for it is bright, sensible, ard 
 with a right tone of thought and feeling." Sheffield Independent. 
 
 ALICE CORKRAN 
 
 Tirl nnnn 
 
 page Illustra- 
 
 Margery Merton's Girlhood. with 6 ful1 ' 
 
 tions by GORDON BROWNE. 3^. 6d. 
 
 The experiences of an orphan girl who in infancy is left by her father an 
 officer in India to the care of an elderly aunt residing near Paris. The 
 accounts of the various persons who have an after influence on the story are 
 singularly vivid. 
 
 " Margery Merton's Girlhood is a piece of true literature, as dainty as it is deli- 
 cate, and as sweet as it is simple." Woman's World.
 
 BLACKIE'S BOOKS FOR GIRLS 
 
 ELIZA F. POLLARD 
 
 The Doctor's Niece. 
 
 The scene of this charming story is laid in Brittany at the end of the 
 eighteenth century. Rosette, the heroine, is brought up very simply as 
 the niece of a country doctor, but is educated considerably above her 
 station. When she is about sixteen she becomes companion to a little 
 girl at a neighbouring chateau. The peasants break out in rebellion, 
 under the leadership of a young Royalist refugee. Her charge mysteriously 
 disappears, and she goes out into the woods to find her. The result of 
 the adventure is that Rosette discovers her mother, who proves to be the 
 rightful owner of the chateau, and the tale ends happily. 
 
 " Sure to interest girls who love a good, wholesome, exciting book." 
 
 Literary World. 
 
 MRS. E. J. LYSAGHT 
 
 Rrnf-her anrl Sister* with 6 P a S e Illustrations by 
 
 no. sister . GoRDON BROWNE> y . ^ 
 
 A story showing, by the narrative of the vicissitudes and struggles of a 
 family which has " come down in the world ", and of the brave endeavours 
 of its two younger members, how the pressure of adversity is mitigated by 
 domestic affection, mutual confidence, and hopeful honest effort. 
 
 "A pretty story, and well told. The plot is cleverly constructed, and the moral is 
 excellent." A thenaum. 
 
 ANNE BEALE 
 The Heiress of Courtleroy. with s fuu-page 
 
 J Illustrations by 
 T. C. H. CASTLE. $s. 
 
 Mimica, the heroine, comes to England as an orphan, and is coldly 
 received by her uncle. The girl has a brave nature, however, and succeeds 
 in saving the estate from ruin and in reclaiming her uncle from the misan- 
 thropical disregard of his duties as a landlord. 
 
 SARAH TYTLER 
 
 A Loyal Little Maid, with 4 page illustrations b y 
 
 J PAUL HARDY. 2s. 6d. 
 
 This pretty story is founded on a romantic episode of Mar's rebellion. 
 A little girl has information which concerns the safety of her father in hid- 
 ing, and this she firmly refuses to divulge to a king's officer. She is lodged 
 in the Tolbooth, where she finds a boy champion, whom in future years she 
 rescues in Paris from the lettrede cachet which would bury him in the Bastille. 
 
 " Has evidently been a pleasure to write, and makes very enjoyable reading." 
 
 Literature.
 
 I- 
 
 M. CALLWELL 
 
 A Little Irish Girl. * b / H - COPPING. 
 
 Cloth elegant, 2s. 6a. 
 
 An orphaned family inherit a small property on the coast of Clare. The 
 two youngest members of the party have some thrilling adventures in their 
 western home. They encounter seals, smugglers, and a ghost, and lastly, 
 by most startling means, they succeed in restoring their eldest brother to 
 his rightful place as heir to the ancestral estates. 
 
 "Sure to prove of thrilling interest to both boys and girls." Literary World. 
 
 SARAH DOUDNEY 
 
 Under False Colours: f. Story j^. Two ^ irls> 
 
 Lives. With o page Illus- 
 trations by G. G. KILBURNE. 4^-. 
 
 A story which will attract readers of all ages and of either sex. The 
 incidents of the plot, arising from the thoughtless indulgence of a deceptive 
 freak, are exceedingly natural, and the keen interest of the narrative is sus- 
 tained from beginning to end. Under False Colours is a book which will 
 rivet the attention, amuse the fancy, and touch the heart. 
 
 " This is a charming story, abounding in delicate touches of sentiment and pathos. 
 Its plot is skilfully contrived. It will be read with a warm interest by every girl who 
 takes it up." Scotsman. 
 
 E. EVERETT-GREEN 
 
 Miriam's Ambition, with illustrations. 2s.6d 
 
 Miriam's ambition is to make someone happy, and her endeavour carries 
 with it a train of incident, solving a mystery which had thrown a shadow 
 over several lives. A charming foil to her grave elder sister is to be found 
 in Miss Babs, a small coquette of five, whose humorous child-talk is so 
 attractive. 
 
 " Miss Everett-Green's children are real British boys and girls, not small men and 
 women. Babs is a charming little one." Liverpool Mercury. 
 
 EMMA LESLIE 
 
 ' c f Saxon land with 
 
 Gytha's Message: 
 
 j o 
 
 Illustrations. 2s. 
 
 We get a glimpse of the stirring events taking place at that period ; and 
 both boys and girls will delight to read of the home life of Hilda and 
 Gytha, and of the brave deeds of the impulsive Gurth and the faithful 
 Leofric. 
 
 " This is a charmingly told story. It is the sort of book that all girls and some 
 boys like, and can only get good from." Journal of Education. 
 
 (*>)
 
 Blackie & Son's 
 
 Finely Illustrated Books for 
 
 Children 
 
 CHARLES ROBINSON- -WALTER 
 ' JERROLD 
 
 Nonsense, Nonsense ! th 28 ? ag t es in Colour ' 
 
 36 pages in two colours, cover 
 
 Design and end papers, by CHARLES ROBINSON. Verses by 
 WALTER JERROLD. Picture boards, cloth back, 6s. 
 
 Mr. Charles Robinson has excelled himself in this irresistibly droll series 
 of nonsense pictures, and he has had a fruitful source of inspiration in the 
 verses of Mr. Walter Jerrold, who shows himself a master of the difficult 
 art of writing nonsense jingles for children. The book forms an ideal gift 
 for a child of whatever age. 
 
 "The chief nonsense book of the year is Nonsense, Nonsense!" Academy. 
 
 STEWART ORR JOHN BRYMER 
 
 Gammon and Spinach: 
 
 BRYMER. Cover design and 24 pages in Full Colour. Picture 
 boards, cloth back, 6.y. 
 
 In Gammon and Spinach Mr. Stewart Orr has produced a picture-book 
 unique of its kind. Nothing could be more droll than the situations in 
 which he represents the frog, the pig, the mouse, the elephant, and the 
 other well-known characters who appear in his pages. Little folk will 
 find in these pictures a source of endless delight, and the artistic skill which 
 they display will have a special appeal to children of an older growth. 
 " Should attain a wide popularity in the nursery." Morning' Post. 
 
 MRS. PERCY DEARMER 
 
 Roundabout Rhymes. with 20 full 'P a s e Illustra - 
 
 / . tions in colour by Mrs. 
 
 PERCY DEARMER. Imperial 8vo, cloth extra, 2s. 6d. 
 
 A charming volume of verses and colour pictures for little folk rhymes 
 and pictures about most of the everyday events of nursery life. 
 
 "The best verses written for children since Stevenson's Child's Garden." 
 
 The Guardian. 
 
 (25)
 
 BLACKI&S BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 
 
 HARRY B. NEILSON 
 
 F)ro11 lOoinD'S Illustrated by HARRY B. NEILSON, with 
 O * Verses by the Cockiolly Bird. Twenty- 
 three full pages and 18 vignettes in full colour. Royal 4to, picture 
 boards, cloth back, 6s. 
 
 In Droll Doings Mr. Harry B. Neilson has produced a picture-book of 
 striking originality and irresistible humour. He shows us our most familiar 
 friends in the animal world engaged in the same pursuits, playing the same 
 tricks, and involved in the same scrapes, as ordinary human girls and_boys. 
 The Cockiolly Bird pipes a merry note, and his song will add not a little 
 to the enjoyment of the happy youngsters into whose hands this delightful 
 volume may come. 
 
 " Distinctly clever and funny." Record. 
 
 "A really delightful picture book." Gentlewoman. 
 
 H. B. NEILSON 
 An Animal ABC. w f ? pages in 7, l lour ;' 
 
 and 26 pages in black-and- 
 white. Picture boards, cloth back, 2s. 6d. 
 
 A novel and most amusing picture alphabet. "Mr. Neilson", says 
 the Academy, "has a positive genius for making animals comic." 
 "Children", says the Daily Graphic, "will certainly revel in his work." 
 All the most familiar figures in the animal world have a place in these 
 pages; and Mr. Neilson's extraordinary skill shows itself in the fact that, 
 although his characters are masquerading in human garb, their identity 
 can never be mistaken. 
 
 "Will make the alphabet a subject of laughter instead of tears." World. 
 
 FRED SMITH 
 
 The Animal Book. "**%?. "^ ** Li " le 
 
 Folk. With a Coloured Frontis- 
 piece and 34 full-page Illustrations by F. SPECHT. Crown quarto, 
 iiX inches by 9^ inches, picture boards, cloth back, 2s. 6d. 
 
 This book consists of a series of bright and instructive sketches of the 
 better-known wild beasts, describing their appearance, character and habits, 
 and the position they hold in the animal kingdom. The text is printed in 
 a large, clear type, and is admirably illustrated with powerful, realistic 
 pictures of the various creatures in their native state by that eminent animal 
 artist F. Specht. 
 
 "A work of the greatest value to the young." Eastern Morning News.
 
 From NONSENSE, NONSENSE' 
 BY CHARLES ROBINSON WALTER JERROLD. 6s. (See page 25) 
 
 THere are Twing on a farm on tKe prairie, 
 "WKo are Known as young' Marg'*ret and Mary; 
 
 EacH is so liKe tKe otHer 
 
 TKat even tHeir MotKer 
 Calls Mary, Madg'e; Marg'aret, Mary!
 
 BLACKIES BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 
 
 OUR DARLING'S FIRST BOOK 
 
 Bright Pictures and Easy Lessons for 
 
 T if HP T^nllr Quarto, 10^ inches by 7^ inches, picture 
 1J ^* boards, u.; cloth, gilt edges, 2s. 
 
 An interesting and instructive picture lesson-book for very little folk. 
 Beginning with an illustrated alphabet of large letters, the little reader goes 
 forward by easy stages to word-making, reading, counting, writing, and 
 finally to the most popular nursery rhymes and tales. 
 
 "The very perfection of a child's alphabet and spelling-book." St. James's Budget. 
 
 ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS 
 
 With a Frontispiece and 28 Illustrations 
 by S. B. PEARSE. Cloth elegant, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Two little rogues are the twins, Horatio and Tommy; but loyal-hearted 
 and generous to boot, and determined to resist the stern decree of their 
 aunt that they shall forsake the company of their scapegrace grown-up 
 cousin Algy. So they deliberately set to work to "reform" the scape- 
 grace; and succeed so well that he wins back the love of his aunt, and 
 delights the twins by earning a V.C. in South Africa. 
 " A merry story for young and old." World. 
 
 A. B. ROMNEY 
 
 Little Village Folk. ^ p h 37 Rations by ROBERT 
 
 A series of delightful stories of Irish village children. Miss Romney 
 opens up a new field in these beautiful little tales, which have the twofold 
 charm of humour and poetic feeling. 
 
 "A story-book that will be welcomed wherever it makes its way." Literary World. 
 
 JENNIE CHAPPELL 
 
 Terne's Travel Q- Or ' The Adventures of a Sma11 
 VClb ' Boy. With 21 Illustrations by 
 S. B. PEARSE. Cloth extra, 2s. 
 
 Terrie wanders away from the nurse who has charge of him, and after 
 being carried out to sea in a drifting boat, and rescued by a fishing smack, 
 is handed from one guardian to another, is believed to be drowned, has 
 sundry scrapes and adventures, and is finally restored to his father's arms. 
 
 "Will keep young readers in a state of excited suspense and bewilderment to the 
 very end. 1 '- Glasgow Herald.
 
 BLACKIEb &OOKS FOR CHILDREN 
 
 STORIES BY GEORGE MAC DONALD 
 
 (NEW AND UNIFORM EDITION) 
 
 A Rough Shaking. 
 
 elegant, y. 6d. 
 
 Clare, the hero of the story, is a boy whose mother is killed at his side by 
 the fall of a church during an earthquake. The kindly clergyman and his 
 wife, who adopt him, die while he is still very young, and he is thrown upon 
 the world a second time. The narrative of his wanderings is full of interest 
 and novelty, the boy's unswerving honesty and his passion for children and 
 animals leading him into all sorts of adventures. He works on a farm, sup- 
 ports a baby in an old deserted house, finds employment in a menagerie, 
 becomes a bank clerk, is kidnapped, and ultimately discovers his father on 
 board the ship to which he has been conveyed. 
 
 At the Back of the North Wind. th f 75 
 
 Illustra- 
 
 tions by ARTHUR HUGHES, and a Frontispiece by LAURENCE Hous- 
 MAN. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 2 s - 6d. 
 
 " In At the Back of the North Wind we stand with one foot in fairyland and one on 
 common earth. The story is thoroughly original, full of fancy and pathos." The Times. 
 
 Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood, wi? 36 nius- 
 
 / trations by 
 
 ARTHUR HUGHES. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, y. 6d. 
 
 " Dr. Mac Donald has a real understanding of boy nature, and he has in consequence 
 written a capital story, judged from their stand-point, with a true ring all through which 
 ensures its success." The Spectator. 
 
 The Princess and the Goblin, wim 30 
 
 tions by ARTHUR 
 
 HUGHES, and a Frontispiece by LAURENCE HOUSMAN. Crown 8vo, 
 cloth elegant, y. 6d. 
 
 In the sphere of fantasy George Mac Donald has very few equals, and his 
 rare touch of many aspects of life invariably gives to his stories a deeper mean- 
 ing of the highest value. His Princess and Goblin exemplifies both gifts. A 
 fine thread of allegory runs through the narrative of the adventures of the 
 young miner, who, amongst other marvellous experiences, finds his way into 
 the caverns of the gnomes, and achieves a final victory over them. 
 
 The Princess and Curdie. with Frontispiece and 
 
 30 Illustrations by 
 HELEN STRATTON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, y. 6d. 
 
 A sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, tracing the history of the young 
 miner and the princess after the return of the latter to her father's court, where 
 more terrible foes have to be encountered than the grotesque earth-dwellers.
 
 From a Colour Illustration in 
 MY PRETTY PICTURE BOOK 
 
 (See page 32) 
 
 HIGHER STILL!
 
 BLACKIES BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 
 
 NEW "GRADUATED" SERIES 
 
 With coloured frontispiece and black-and-white illustrations 
 
 "M"O child of six or seven should have any difficulty in reading- and 
 understanding- unaided the pretty stories in the 6d. series. In the 
 gd. series the language used is slightly more advanced, but is well within 
 the capacity of children of seven and upwards, while the is. series is de- 
 signed for little folk of somewhat greater attainments. If the stories are 
 read to and not by children, it will be found that the 6d. gd. and is. series 
 are equally suitable for little folk of all ages. 
 
 "GRADUATED" STORIES AT A SHILLING 
 
 Bears and Dacoits. By G. A. HENTY. New Edition. 
 
 Crusoes of the Frozen North. By Dr. GORDON STABLES. 
 
 A Saxon Maid. By ELIZA F. POLLARD. 
 
 Uncle Bob. By MEREDITH FLETCHER. 
 
 Betty the Bold. By ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS. 
 
 Jack of Both Sides. By FLORENCE COOMBE. 
 
 Do Your Duty! By G. A. HENTY. 
 
 Tony's Pains and Gains. By W. L. ROOFER. 
 
 Terry. By ROSA MULHOLLAND (Lady Gilbert). 
 
 The Choir School. By FREDERICK HARRISON. 
 
 The Skipper. By E. CUTHELL. 
 
 "GRADUATED" STORIES AT NINEPENCE 
 
 Cherrythorpe Fair. By MABEL MACKNESS. 
 
 Little Greycoat. By ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS. 
 
 Tommy's Trek. By BESSIE MARCHANT. 
 
 That Boy Jim. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE. 
 
 The Adventures of Carlo. By KATHARINE TYNAN. 
 
 The Shoeblack's Cat. By W. L. ROOPER. 
 
 Three Troublesome Monkeys. By A. B. ROMNEY. 
 
 The Little Red Purse. By JENNIE CHAPPEL~L. 
 
 Put to the Proof. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE. 
 
 Irma's Zither. By EDITH KING HALL. 
 
 "GRADUATED" STORIES AT SIXPENCE 
 
 Two Little Crusoes. By A. B. ROMNEY. 
 The Lost Doll. By JENNIE CHAPPELL. 
 Bunny and Furry. By GERALDINE MOCKLER. 
 Bravest of All. By MABEL MACKNESS. 
 Winnie's White Frock. By JENNIE CHAPPELL 
 Lost Toby. By M. S. HAYCRAFT. 
 A Boy Cousin. By GERALDINE MOCKLER. 
 Travels of Fuzz and Buzz. By GERALDINE MOCKLER. 
 Teddy's Adventures. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE. 
 Sahib's Birthday. By L. E. TIDDEMAN. 
 The Secret in the Loft. By MABEL MACKNESS. 
 (31)
 
 BLACKIES BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 
 
 NEW CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS 
 
 Each of these books contains many full-page and other illustrations, a number 
 of which are in colour. The text is printed in bold type, and comprises 
 bright and humorous stories and rhymes, specially written for the purpose. 
 
 IN DOORS AND OUT | STORY-BOOK TIME 
 
 Each contains 38 colour pages, over 40 full-page black-and-white 
 .Illustrations, and a large number of Vignettes. Quarto, io^s 
 inches by 7^" inches, picture boards, 2s. 6d. each; cloth, gilt 
 edges, y. 6d. each. 
 
 TWO SHILLING SERIES 
 
 Quarto, lo^j inches by "]% inches 
 
 Faithful Friends. 
 
 My Book of Nursery Stories. 
 
 My Very Best Book. 
 
 Arm-chair Stories. 
 
 My Very Own Picture Book. 
 
 Cosy Corner Stories. 
 
 Our Darling's First Book. 
 Twenty pages in colour. Cloth, gilt edges, 2s. ; picture boards, is. 
 
 EIGHTEENPENNY SERIES 
 
 My Pretty Picture Book. Strongly and attractively bound in cloth, 
 inches by 6% inches. Twenty-four pages in colour. 
 
 SIXPENNY SERIES 
 
 Quarto, io l /i inches by 7% inches 
 
 Bow-Wow Picture Book. 
 Cats and Kits. 
 Friends at the Fa'jti. 
 Once upon a Time. 
 Long, Long Ago. 
 Fairy Tales for Little Folk. 
 Smiles and Dimples. 
 Little Bright-Eyes. 
 For Kittie and Me. 
 
 As Nice as Nice Can Be. 
 Round the Mulberry Bush. 
 Little Rosebud. 
 For My Little Darling. 
 For Dolly and Me. 
 My Own Story Book. 
 Play-time Pictures. 
 Bed-time Stories. 
 For Little Chicks. 
 
 The cover and seven pages in colour. Picture boards. 
 THREEPENNY SERIES 
 
 Baby's Book. 
 Hushaby Stories. 
 Dolly Dimple. 
 
 Dolly's Peep-show. 
 Pussie*s Picture Book. 
 A Picture Book for Me. 
 
 Cover and four pages in colour. Picture boards $% inches by 6J/& inches. 
 
 (3*)
 
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