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

by Robert Montgomery Bird

  CHAPTER XXXII.

  Passing the night in a little hamlet on the mountain side, the army wasprepared, at the dawn of the following day, to resume its march. But theevents of this march being varied by nothing but the change of prospect,and the wonder of those by whom the valley was seen for the first time,we will not imitate the prolixity of our authority, the worthy DonCristobal, but despatch, in a word, the increasing delight andastonishment with which Don Amador de Leste, after having satiated hisappetite with views of lake and garden, surveyed the countless villagesand towns of hewn stone that rose, almost at every moment, among them. Aneck of land now separates the lakes of Chalco and Xochimilco; and theretreat of the waters has left their banks deformed with fens andmorasses, wherein the wild-duck screams among waving reeds andbulrushes. Originally, these basins were united in one long and lovelysheet of water, divided indeed, yet only by a causey built by the handsof man, which is now lost in the before-mentioned neck, together withits sluices and bridges, as well as a beautiful little city, that laymidway between the two shores, called by the Spaniards Venezuela,(because rising, like its aristocratic godmother, from among thewaters,) until they discovered that this was a peculiarity presented bydozens of other cities in the valley. Here was enjoyed the spectacle ofinnumerable canoes, paddled, with corn and merchandise, from distanttowns, or parting with a freight of flowers from the _chinampas_, orfloating gardens. But this was a spectacle disclosed by other cities ofgreater magnitude and beauty; and when, from the streets of the royalcity Iztapalapan, the army issued at once upon the broad and straightdike that stretched for more than two leagues in length, a noblehighway, through the salt floods of Tezcuco; when the neophyte beheldislands rocking like anchored ships in the water, the face of the lakethronged with little piraguas, and the air alive with snowy gulls; whenhe perceived the banks of this great sheet, as far as they could beseen, lined with villages and towns; and especially when he traced faraway in the distance, in the line of the causeway, such a multitude ofhigh towers and shadowy pyramids looming over the waters, as denoted thepresence of a vast city,--he was seized with a species of awe at thethought of the marvellous ways of God, who had raised up that mightyempire, all unknown to the men of his own hemisphere, and now revealedit, for the accomplishment of a destiny which he trembled to imagine. Herode at the head of the army, in a post of distinction, by the side ofCortes, and fell moved to express some of the strange ideas whichhaunted him; but looking on the general attentively, he perceived abouthis whole countenance and figure an expression of singular gloom,mingled with such unusual haughtiness, as quickly indisposed him toconversation.

  The feelings that struggled in the bosom of the Conqueror were, at thisinstant, akin to those of the destroyer, as he sat upon 'the Assyrianmount,' overlooking the walls of Paradise, almost lamenting, and yetexcusing to himself, the ruin he was about to bring upon that heavenlyscene. Perhaps 'horror and doubt' for a moment distracted his thoughts;for no one knew better than he the uncertain chances and tremendousperils of the enterprise, or mused with more fear upon the probable andmost sanguinary resistance of his victims, as foreboded by the tumultsthat followed after the late massacre. But when he cast his eye backwardon the causey, and beheld the long train of foot and horse following athis beck; the many cannons, which, as they were dragged along, openedtheir brazen throats towards the city; the rows of spears and arquebusesbristling, and the banners flapping, over the heads of his people, andbehind them the feathered tufts of his Tlascalans; and heard the musicof his trumpets swell from the dike to the lake, from the lake to theshores, and die away, with pleasant echoes, among the hills; when hesurveyed and listened to these things, and contrasted with them theimperfect weapons and naked bodies of his adversaries; the weakness oftheir institutions; the feebleness of their princes; the generaldisorganization of the people; and counted the guerdon of wealth andimmortal renown that should wait upon success; he stifled at once hisapprehensions and his remorse, ceased to remember that those, whosedestruction he meditated, were, to him, 'harmless innocence,' andsatisfied himself, almost with the arguments of the fiend, that--

  Public reason just, Honour and empire, with revenge enlarged, By conquering this new world, compels me now To do what else, though damn'd, I should abhor.

  Triumph and regret were at once dividing his bosom; he knew he was adestroyer, but felt he should be a conqueror.

  There were many things in Don Hernan, which notwithstanding thegratitude and the desires of the neophyte, prevented the latter frombestowing upon him so much affection as he gave to one or two of hisfollowers. The spirit of the leader was wholly, and, for his station,necessarily, crafty; and this very quality raised up a wall between himand one who was of so honourable a nature that he knew no concealment.The whole schemes and aims of the general were based upon such afoundation of fraud and injustice, that, he well knew, he could not,without expecting constant and vexatious opposition, give his fullconfidence to any truly noble spirit; and the same wisdom that estrangedhim from the lofty, taught him to keep aloof from the base. While artfulenough to make use of the good qualities of the one, and the badprinciples of the other class, he was satisfied with their respect; hecared not for their friendship. It was enough to him, that he hadzealous and obedient followers: his situation allowed him no friends;and he had none. Of all the valiant cavaliers who shared with him theperils and the rewards of the invasion, there was not one who, afterpeace had severed the bonds of companionship, did not, at the firstfrown of fortune, or the first invitation of self-interest, arrayhimself in arms against his leader.

  While the general gave himself up to his proud and gloomy imaginings,the novice of Rhodes again cast his eyes over the lake. It seemed tohim, that, notwithstanding the triumphant blasts of the trumpet, theneighing of horses, and the multitudinous tread of the foot-soldiers, aswell as the presence of so many canoes on the water, there was an air ofsadness and solitude pervading the whole spectacle. The new soldierswere perhaps impressed with an awe like his own, at the strangeprospect; the veterans were, doubtless, revolving in their minds some ofthe darker contingencies, over which their commander was brooding. Theirsteps rung heavily on the stone mole; and as the breeze curled up thesurface of the lake into light billows, and tossed them against thecauseway, Don Amador fancied, they approached and dashed at his feetwith a certain sullen and hostile voice of warning. He thought itremarkable, also, that, among the throngs of canoes, there rose noshouts of welcome: the little vessels, forming a fleet on either side ofthe dike, were paddled along, at the distance of two or three hundredyards, so as to keep pace with the army; and the motion of the rowers,and the gleaming of their white garments, might have given animation, aswell as picturesqueness, to the scene, but for the death-like silencethat was preserved among them. The novelty of everything about thecavalier gave vigour to his imagination--he thought these paddlinghordes resembled the flight of ravens that track the steps of a woundedbeast in the desert,--or a shoal of those ravenous monsters that scent apestilence on the deep, and swim by the side of the floating hospital,waiting for their prey.

  "What they mean, I know not," mused the cavalier. "After what De Morlahas told me, I shall be loath to slay any of them; but if they desire tomake a dinner of me, I swear to St. John! I will carve their brownbodies into all sorts of dishes, before I submit my limbs to theimprisonment of their most damnable maws! And yet, poor infidels!methinks they have some cause, after that affair of the festival, tolook upon us with fear, if not with wrath; for if a garrison of anhundred men could be prompted to do them such a foul and murderouswrong, there is much reason to apprehend this well-appointed thousandmight be, with as little provocation and warning, incited to work them astill more deadly injury. I would, however, that they might shout alittle, were it only to make me feel more like a man awake; for, atpresent, it seems to me, that I am dreaming all these things which I amlooking at!"

  The wish of the cavalier was not obeyed; and many a sus
picious glancewas cast, both by soldier and officer, to the dumb myriads paddling ontheir flanks; for it could not be denied, though no one dared to giveutterance to such a suggestion, that were these countless barbariansprovided with arms, as was perhaps the case, and could they but conceivethe simple expedient of landing both in front and rear, and thus cut offtheir invaders from the city and the shore, and attack them at the sametime, with good heart, in this insulated and very disadvantageousposition, there was no knowing how obscure a conjecture the historianmight hazard for the story of their fate. But this suspicion was alsoproved to be groundless; no sort of annoyance was practised, none indeedwas meditated. The thousands that burthened the canoes, had issued fromtheir canals to indulge a stupid curiosity, or, perhaps, under animpulse which they did not understand, to display to their enemies thelong banquet of slaughter which fate was preparing for them.

  The army reached, at last, a point where another causeway of equalbreadth, and seemingly of equal length, coming from the south-west, fromthe city Cojohuacan, ruled by a king, (the brother and feudatory ofMontezuma,) terminated in the dike of Iztapalapan. At the point ofjunction was a sort of military work, consisting of a bastion, a strongwall, and two towers, guarding the approach to the imperial city. It wasknown by the name of Xoloc, (or, as it should be written in our tongue,Holoc,) and was in after times made famous by becoming the head-quartersof Cortes, during the time of the siege. It stood at the distance ofonly half a league from the city; and from hence could be plainly seen,not only the huge pyramids, with their remarkable towers rising aloft,but the low stone fabrics whereon, among the flowers (for every roof wasa terrace, and every terrace a garden,) stood the gloomy citizens,watching the approach of the Christian army.

  At this point of Xoloc, at a signal of the general, every drum wasstruck with a lusty hand, every trumpet filled with a furious blast, andthe Christians and Tlascalans, shouting together, while two or threefalconets were at the same time discharged, there rose such a sudden andmighty din as startled the infidels in their canoes, and conveyed to theremotest quarters of Tenochtitlan, the intelligence of the advance ofits masters.

  Scarcely had the echoes of this uproar died away on the lake, whenthere came, faintly indeed, but full of joyous animation, the responseof the Christian garrison; and as the army resumed its march, theyrepeated their shouts loudly and blithely, for they now perceived, bythe waving of banners and the glittering of spears, that their friends,rescued, as they all understood, by their presence, from the fear of amiserable death, were coming forth to meet them. Two or three mountedcavaliers were seen to separate themselves from this little and distantband, and gallop forwards, while the causeway rung to the sound of theirhoofs. Don Amador, being in advance, was able, as they rushed forwardswith loud and merry halloos, to observe their persons, as well as thereception they obtained from Don Hernan. His eye was attracted to himwho seemed to be their leader, and who, he already knew, was Don Pedrode Alvarado, a cavalier that had no rival (the gallant Sandovalexcepted,) in fame and in the favour of his general. He was in the primeof life, of a most noble stature, and of a countenance so engaging andanimated, that this, in addition to the constant splendour of hisapparel, whether the gilded mail of a warrior, or the costly vestmentsof a courtier,--had won him from the Mexicans themselves the flatteringtitle of _Tonatiuh_, or the Sun; a compliment which his friends did notscruple to perpetuate, nor he to encourage. He rode immediately up toCortes, and stretching out his hand, said gayly, and indeed,affectionately,--

  "Long life to thee, Cortes! I welcome thee as my saint. God be praisedfor thy coming--Amen! Thou hast snatched me from a most ignoble andhound-like death; for Sir Copilli, the emperor, has been starving me!"

  Don Hernan took the hand of the cavalier, and eyeing him steadfastly andsternly, while his old companions gathered around, said with a mostpointed asperity,--

  "My friend Alvarado! thou hast done me, as well as these noblecavaliers, thy friends, and also thy lord the king, a most grievouswrong; for, by the indulgence of thy hot wrath and indiscretion, thouhast, as I may say, dashed the possession of this empire out of ourhands: and much blood shall be shed, and many Christian lives sacrificedin a war that might have been spared us, before we can remedy theconsequences of thy rashness!"

  A deep gloom that darkened to a scowl, instantly gathered over thehandsome visage of Don Pedro; and snatching his hand roughly away, hedrew himself up, and prepared to reply to his general with wrath, andperhaps with defiance. But it was no part of the policy of Cortes tocarry his anger further than might operate warningly on the officer andon those around; for which reason, offering his hand again, as if notnoticing the discontent of his lieutenant, he said, with an artfulappearance of sincerity,

  "I have often thought how thou mightest have been spared the necessityof slaying these perfidious and plotting hounds; and it seems to me,even now, if thou couldst, by shutting thyself in thy quarters andavoiding a contest, have submitted to the foolish imputations some mighthave cast on thee, of acting from fear rather than from prudence, thiskilling of the nobles might have been avoided. I say, some, indeed,might have accused thee of being in fear, hadst thou not killed theknaves that were scheming thine own destruction; but this is anaspersion which _thou_ couldst have borne with as little injury as anyother brave cavalier in this army, being second to none in a high andwell-deserved reputation; and so well am I persuaded that none couldhave better than thyself withstood the uncommon dangers of thy commandin this treasonable city, that I should have excused any precaution ofpeace, that might have seemed cowardly to others. Nevertheless, I mustown, thou wert forced to do as thou hast done; for no brave man cansubmit to be thought capable of fear; and, I know, 'twas this thoughtalone, that drove thee out to kill the nobles."

  No cloud in those tropical skies could have vanished more suddenly inthe sunbeam, than did the frown of Alvarado at these complimentary wordsof his general. He caught the hand that was still proffered, shook itheartily, kissed it, and said,--his whole countenance beaming withdelight and pride,--

  "I thank your excellency for this just consideration of my actions, andthis expression of a true excuse for what seems, and what perhaps mayhave been, a great indiscretion. Your excellency, and these noblesenores, my friends, would have esteemed me a coward, had I sat securelyand quietly in the palace, watching, without attempting to forestall,the conspiracy of the lords of Mexico; and I have great hopes, when Ihave permission to explain all these things to your excellency, though Ido not much plume myself on wisdom, but rather on fighting, (which isthe only thing I have ever studied with diligence,) that you will say Iacted as wisely as, in such case, was possible."

  "I have no doubt of it," said Cortes, smiling, as he rodeonwards.--"But, nevertheless, there is more wisdom in thy knocks than inthy noddle," he muttered to himself.--The shame of the reproof, thoughdispelled by the flattery of the rebuker, did not wholly disappear fromthe bosom of Alvarado. A word of sarcasm will live longer than thememory of a benefit. Alvarado was, in after days, a traitor to hisgeneral.

  But without now giving himself leisure for consideration, the cavalieraddressed himself to his old companions; and even, (for his joy at beingso rescued out of peril, warmed his heart to all,) made up with muchsatisfaction to the knight Calavar. But since the confession at Cholula,the distemper of Don Gabriel had visibly increased; and his fits ofabstraction were becoming, every hour, so frequent and so profound, asto cause the greatest alarm and anxiety to his kinsman. He neither heardnor saw the salutations of Don Pedro; nor indeed did he seem at allsensible to any part of the strange scene that surrounded him. Foiled inthis attempt, the courteous and vivacious soldier turned himself to DonAmador, as presenting the appearance of a noble and gallant hidalgo, andwould speedily have been on a footing of the most perfect friendshipwith him, had it not been that the neophyte still freshly remembered thestory of the massacre, and met his advances with a frigid haughtiness.

  "By'r lady!" said the offended cavalier, "it see
ms to me that the devil,or the cold mountain, has got into the bosoms of all; for here am I,with my heart at this moment as warm as a pepper-pod, or a black cloakin the sunshine, and ready to love everybody, old and young, vile andvirtuous, base and gentle; and yet everybody, notwithstanding, meets mewith a most frosty unconcern. I swear to thee, valiant cavalier,whosoever thou art, my breast is open to thee, and I crave thyaffection; for, besides perceiving that thou art assuredly an hidalgo, Isee thou hast a Moorish page at thy side, with a lute at his back; andif his pipe be half so good as his face, I cannot live without being thyfriend; for I love music!"

  Jacinto shrunk away from his admirer, alarmed as much at the suddennessof his praise, as at the many evolutions of the lance, which, by way ofgesticulation, he flourished about him in a very vigorous manner. ButDon Amador, greatly amused at the freedom, and, in spite of himself,gained by the frankness, of Don Pedro, replied with good-humour.

  "Senor," said he, "I am Amador de Leste, of the castle Del Alcornoque,near to Cuenza; and having heard certain charges against you, in thematter of the Mexican nobles, I replied to you, perhaps, with prejudice.Nevertheless, what the general has said, does, in some sort, seem tolessen the force of the charge; and if you will, at your leisure,condescend to satisfy my doubts, as I begin to be assured you can, Iwill not hesitate to receive your friendship, and to tender you my ownin return. Only, previous to which, I must beg of you to turn yourlance-point another way, so that the boy Jacinto, who is somewhat afraidof its antics, may be enabled to walk again at my side."

  "Senor Don Amador de Leste," said the soldier, taking this speech ingood part, "I avow myself satisfied with your explanation, and sodetermined to pursue your friendship, (inasmuch as I have not heard anygood singing since the little Orteguilla, the page of the Indianemperor, or, what is the same thing, of Cortes, lost his voice in aquinsy,) that I will give you the whole history of the nobles, theiratrocious conspiracy and their just punishment, as soon as we haveleisure in our quarters. And now, if you will have the goodness to ridewith me a little in advance, I will have much satisfaction, as Iperceive you are a stranger, to introduce you to this great andwonderful city, Tenochtitlan, of which I have been, as I may say, insome sort, the king, for two long and tumultuous months; and I swear toyou, no king ever clutched upon a crown with more good will and joy thando I, this moment, abdicate my authority."

  Thus invited by his courteous and jocund friend, the neophyte rodeonwards so as to reach the heels of Cortes, just as the garrison,inspired by the sight of their leader, broke their ranks, and rushedforwards to salute him.