Calavar; or, The Knight of The Conquest, A Romance of Mexico

by Robert Montgomery Bird

  CHAPTER XIX.

  When Don Amador fled from the side of Calavar, the instinct of hisvengeance carried him to the spot where it seemed most likely to begratified. The chief tower, as well as the two others, was invested; butin the crowd of musketeers and crossbowmen who stood valiantly at itsdoor, repelling the assailants, he not only heard the voice, but veryplainly perceived the tall figure, of his enemy, Don Panfilo. Infuriatedat the sight, he rushed forwards, and calling out with an indiscreetvigour that drew both the attention of that general and the thickestshots of his companions, he quickly found himself in a situation ofgreat jeopardy. Though bullet and cross-bow shaft fell harmless from hismail of proof, the thrust of some half a score partisans aimed at hisshining and exposed breast, beat down the insufficient defence of hisbuckler, and hurled him instantly to the ground. But the voice withwhich he had challenged the Biscayan had been heard by friends as wellas enemies; and as his faithful Lazaro dashed aside the most threateningweapon, the shield of another friend was extended over his body, and hefound himself raised by the hand of Cortes.

  "I knew my valiant friend would not desert me, this night!" cried thecommander. "But risk thyself no further. We will sack these towers,without the loss of so invaluable a life.--What ho! yield thee,Narvaez!" he exclaimed, with a voice heard above the din; "yield thee upa prisoner, or thine own cannon shall bury thee under the temple!"

  "_El Espiritu Santo_, and on!" cried fifty eager men, as they rushed bytheir leader, and drove the followers of Narvaez into the sanctuary.They vanished; but the pikes and muskets bristling through the curtain,checked the audacity of the besiegers at the door; and the voice ofSandoval was heard exclaiming from behind, "Clear for the cannon, andstand aside!" when suddenly a fire-brand dashed by some unseen hand tothe roof, lodged among the palm-leaves, and in a moment the wholesuperstructure was in flames.

  "Spare your powder, and stand by for the rats!" cried Lazaro, for it washe who had achieved this cunning and well-timed exploit; "Basta! So wecatch rabbits in La Mancha!"

  "An hundred crowns to the knave of the fire-brand!" cried Cortes,exultingly;--"and three thousand paid in gold, to him who lays the firsthand on Narvaez!--Burn, fire! smother, smoke! the night is ours!"

  "Ay! Don Panfilo! I await thee!" exclaimed Amador, as the rushingdescent of beams and embers drove the besieged from the temple, andagain discovered the person of his wronger. He sprang towards thecommander, who, however hot and foolish of temper, now bore himself likea courageous soldier, and struck fast and fiercely at his foes, whileshouting good cheer to his friends. But before Don Amador could wellreach him, he saw the unfortunate man struck down, and in the act ofbeing transfixed by many spears. Magnanimity--for the fury of a braveman cannot live without opposition--took the place of wrath; and nosooner did he hear Don Panfilo exclaim, with a piteous voice, "_Diosmio!_ I am slain, and mine eye is struck out forever!" than he rushed tohis assistance, and seemed resolved to perform in his service the sameact of valour with which he had befriended Abdalla. Again, too, as hecaught an outstretched arm, did he find himself confronted with Botello:but this time the magician's arm was extended in the office of mercy;and as he raised the vanquished general, and displayed his countenance,covered with blood oozing from his right eye, he exclaimed with atriumphal solemnity: "I saw him blindfold; and lo, his eye is blindedwith blood!--Victory! victory! A Dios, a Cristo, y al Espiritu Santo,gracias! gloria y gracias! Amen!--Victory!"

  Loud was the shout with which the besiegers responded to the cry of themagician; and the disordered and unavailing shots from the other towerswere lost in the uproar of voices exclaiming, "Viva Cortes, el soldadoverdadero! Viva Don Carlos, el rey! Viva el Espiritu Santo! el EspirituSanto santisimo!"

  "Away with him!" cried Cortes. "Guard thy prisoner, magico mio,--thouhast won the prize.--Leave shouting, ye rebel hounds, and bring up thecannon!--What ho, ye rogues of the towers! will ye have quarter andfriendship, or flames and cannonballs? Point the ordnance against theflank towers. Bury me the knaves that resist us longer.--In the name ofGod and the emperor, fire!"

  But this measure was unnecessary. The shout of triumph, with which theassailants proclaimed the capture of the Biscayan, was carried to everyear in the adoratories; and it was at this instant that the besieged, asmuch bewildered by the surprise as discomfited by the fury of theattack, disheartened, too, by the misadventure of their general, lookedfrom the loops of their strong-holds, and made that famous blunder ofconverting the host of _cucujos_, or fire-flies, into a multitude ofmatch-locks; whereby their hearts were turned to water, and theirassurance of victory humbled to the hope of capitulation.

  At the very moment that Don Amador, foiled in the gratification of hispassions in one quarter, turned to indulge them in another, and rushedwith increasing animation to that tower, around which he heard manyvoices echoing the name of Salvatierra, he beheld that worthy captainissue from the door, fling his weapon to the earth, and stretch out hisarms, as if beseeching for quarter.

  "Oh thou thing of a white liver!" cried the young cavalier, with extremedisgust, "hast thou not the spirit to strike me one blow? I would I hadbrought thee the boy Jacinto, to inflame thy valour a little. Thou wiltfight me a boy!"

  As the neophyte thus gave vent to his indignation, he felt his armtouched, and, turning round, he beheld the secretary, holding a swordornamented with drops of blood, and otherwise looking as though he hadcommenced his pupilage in a manner that would not shame his instructor.

  "Well done, Fabueno!" he exclaimed, encouragingly: "thou lookest like asoldier already. I am glad thine arm is so strong."

  "I struck but one blow, senor, and I believe I have killed a man! Godforgive me!" he cried, in more affright than elation,--"I am not sure Idid right; for the very moment I struck the blow, my arm twinged with amost horrible pang; which was perhaps a judgment on me, for striking aman who had done me no wrong."

  "These things must not be thought of too much," said Don Amador,hastily; "in battle, we must look upon all opponents as our swornenemies, at least so long as they keep to their feet. But the battle isover--I will have thy wound looked to by some better surgeon than thiscrazy conjurer."

  "Senor," said Fabueno, "I sought you out, not to trouble you with mypains, but to recall you to the knight, your kinsman, who is in somedifficulty with certain men, about the Moor, that may end in blows, andnever a henchman but old Marco by the good Don Gabriel."

  Amador followed the secretary instantly, and found his kinsman--notunprotected, however, for both Marco and Baltasar were at hisside--surrounded by several men speaking with loud and fierce voices,among which he quickly detected the tones of the master of theIncarnation.

  "I say, and I aver," cried this man, as the neophyte approached, "thetwo knaves, both father and son, are my slaves, as can be proved bythese runagate men, my sailors; and no man shall have them from me,without payment of my price."

  "Ay! we can bear witness to that," said his companions. "These are truepagan slaves, captured in a fight at sea, out of a Barbary pirate;--veryhonest, lawful slaves: and though we have deserted our captain, to fightthese other pagans, we will not see him robbed of his property."

  To the great joy of Don Amador, he observed that his kinsman was calmand collected, and though he spoke with his usual voice of affliction,his answer was still full of dignity and gravity.

  "The Moor that is a Christian cannot be enslaved; neither can he bebought and sold--and these claim to be both _Gazies_, ChristianMoriscos. I guard them at the desire of their protector, who canassuredly support their claims; in which event thou must cease thyimportunity, and think of them no more."

  "They are my slaves, and I will have them!" said the master,ferociously. "I meet nothing but robbers in these lands; but robberpeasant, or robber knight, neither shall wrong me for naught."

  "Thou base and covetous cur!" said Amador, advancing before the sailor,"if thou usest no better language, I will strike thy head from thyshoulders! Dost thou remember me, sirrah? Di
d not the admiral satisfythee in this matter? and dost thou follow me still, like a blood-hound,after the prey that is not thine?"

  "Calm thy rage, son Amador," said the knight. "Thou hast done a good actto-night, in saving the lives of this poor child and his father, andthou shall not want my aid to preserve their freedom. But let us notquarrel: enough Christian blood has already been shed, and a woful sightwill the sun see, when he presently rises. Let us go before Cortes: heshall judge between this man, and these creatures whom thou hast rescuedfrom destruction."

  "I ask nothing but justice and my right," grumbled the master, somewhatpacified by the angry bearing of the neophyte--for this was a morecommanding argument than the mildness of Calavar.

  He fell back, and without further contention, though with a loweringlook, followed the two cavaliers and the Moriscos in search of DonHernan.