by Lew Wallace
CHAPTER VII.
THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL.
Mualox led them into the tower. The light of purpled lamps filled thesacred place, and played softly around the idol, before which theybowed. Then he took a light from the altar, and conducted them to the_azoteas_, and down into the court-yard, from whence they entered a hallleading on into the Cu.
The way was labyrinthine, and both the king and the 'tzin becamebewildered; they only knew that they descended several stairways, andwalked a considerable distance; nevertheless, they submitted themselvesentirely to their guide, who went forward without hesitancy. At last hestopped; and, by the light which he held up for the purpose, they saw ina wall an aperture roughly excavated, and large enough to admit themsingly.
"You have read the Holy Book, wise king," said Mualox. "Can you notrecall its saying that, before the founding of Tenochtitlan, a Cu wasbegun, with chambers to lie under the bed of the lake? Especially, doyou not remember the declaration that, in some of those chambers,besides a store of wealth so vast as to be beyond the calculation ofmen, there were prophecies to be read, written on the walls by a god?"
"I remember it," said the king.
"Give me faith, then, and I will show you all you there read."
Thereupon the paba stepped into the aperture, saying,--
"Mark! I am now standing under the eastern wall of the old Cu."
A CLANG OF SANDALED FEET]
He passed through, and they followed him, and were amazed.
"Look around, O king! You are in one of the chambers mentioned in theHoly Book."
The light penetrated but a short distance, so that Montezuma could formno idea of the extent of the apartment. He would have thought it a greatnatural cavern but for the floor smoothly paved with alternate red andgray flags, and some massive stone blocks rudely piled up in places tosupport the roof.
As they proceeded, Mualox said, "On every side of us there are roomsthrough which we might go till, in stormy weather, the waves of the lakecan be heard breaking overhead."
In a short time they again stopped.
"We are nearly there. Son of a king, is your heart strong?" said Mualox,solemnly.
Montezuma made no answer.
"Many a time," continued the paba, "your glance has rested on the towerof the old Cu, then flashed to where, in prouder state, your pyramidsrise. You never thought the gray pile you smiled at was the humblest ofall Quetzal's works. Can a man, though a king, outdo a god?"
"I never thought so, I never thought so!"
But the mystic did not notice the deprecation.
"See," he said, speaking louder, "the pride of man says, I will buildupward that the sun may show my power; but the gods are too great forpride; so the sun shines not on their especial glories, which asfrequently lie in the earth and sea as in the air and heavens. O mightyking! You crush the worm under your sandal, never thinking that itshumble life is more wonderful than all your temples and state. It wasthe same folly that laughed at the simple tower of Quetzal', which hasmysteries--"
"Mysteries!" said the king.
"I will show you wealth enough to restock the mines and visited valleyswith all their plundered gold and jewels."
"You are dreaming, paba."
"Come, then; let us see!"
They moved past some columns, and came before a great, arched doorway,through which streamed a brilliance like day.
"Now, let your souls be strong!"
They entered the door, and for a while were blinded by the glare, andcould see only the floor covered with grains of gold large as wheat.Moving on, they came to a great stone table, and stopped.
"You wonder; and so did I, until I was reminded that a god had beenhere. Look up, O king! look up, and see the handiwork of Quetzal'!"
The chamber was broad and square. The obstruction of many pillars,forming the stay of the roof, was compensated by their lightness andwonderful carving. Lamps, lit by Mualox in anticipation of the royalcoming, blazed in all quarters. The ceiling was covered withlattice-work of shining white and yellow metals, the preciousness ofwhich was palpable to eyes accustomed like the monarch's. Where the barscrossed each other, there were fanciful representations of flowers,wrought in gold, some of them large as shields, and garnished withjewels that burned with star-like fires. Between the columns, up anddown ran rows of brazen tables, bearing urns and vases of the royalmetals, higher than tall men, and carved all over with gods in_bas-relief_, not as hideous caricatures, but beautiful as love andGrecian skill could make them. Between the vases and urns there wereheaps of rubies and pearls and brilliants, amongst which looked outsoftly the familiar, pale-green lustre of the _chalchuites_, orpriceless Aztecan diamond.[20] And here and there, like guardians of theburied beauty and treasure, statues looked down from tall pedestals,crowned and armed, as became the kings and demi-gods of a great andmartial people. The monarch was speechless. Again and again he surveyedthe golden chamber. As if seeking an explanation, but too overwhelmedfor words, he turned to Mualox.
"And now does Montezuma believe his servant dreaming?" said the paba."Quetzal' directed the discovery of the chamber. I knew of it, O king,before you were born. And here is the wealth of which I spoke. If it soconfounds you, how much more will the other mystery! I have dug up aprophecy; from darkness plucked a treasure richer than all these. Oking, I will give you to read a message from the gods!"
The monarch's face became bloodless, and it had now not a trace ofscepticism.
"I will show you from Quetzal' himself that the end of your Empire is athand, and that every wind of the earth is full sown with woe to you andyours. The writing is on the walls. Come!"
And he led the king, followed by Guatamozin, to the northern corner ofthe eastern wall, on which, in square marble panels, _bas-relief_ style,were hierograms and sculptured pictures of men, executed apparently bythe same hand that chiselled the statues in the room. The ground of thecarvings was coated with coarse gray coral, which had the effect tobring out the white figures with marvellous perfection.
"This, O king, is the writing," said Mualox, "which begins here, andcontinues around the walls. I will read, if you please to hear."
Montezuma waved his hand, and the paba proceeded.
"This figure is that of the first king of Tenochtitlan; the others arehis followers. The letters record the time of the march from the north.Observe that the first of the writing--its commencement--is here in thenorth."
After a little while, they moved on to the second panel.
"Here," said Mualox, "is represented the march of the king. It wasaccompanied with battles. See, he stands with lifted javelin, his footon the breast of a prostrate foe. His followers dance and sound shells;the priests sacrifice a victim. The king has won a great victory."
They stopped before the third panel.
"And here the monarch is still on the march. He is in the midst of hiswarriors; no doubt the crown he is receiving is that of the ruler of aconquered city."
This cartoon Montezuma examined closely. The chief, or king, wasdistinguished by a crown in all respects like that then in the palace;the priests, by their long gowns; and the warriors, by their arms,which, as they were counterparts of those still in use, sufficientlyidentified the wanderers. Greatly was the royal inspector troubled. Andas the paba slowly conducted him from panel to panel, he forgot thetreasure with which the chamber was stored. What he read was the storyof his race, the record of their glory. The whole eastern wall, hefound, when he had passed before it, given to illustrations of thecrusade from Azatlan, the fatherland, northward so far that corn wasgathered in the snow, and flowers were the wonder of the six weeks'summer.
In front of the first panel on the southern wall Mualox said,--
"All we have passed is the first era in the history; this is thebeginning of the second; and the first writing on the western wall willcommence a third. Here the king stands on a rock; a priest points him toan eagle on a ca
ctus, holding a serpent. At last they have reached theplace where Tenochtitlan is to be founded."
The paba passed on.
"Here," he said, "are temples and palaces. The king reclines on a couch;the city has been founded."
And before another panel,--"Look well to this, O king. A new characteris introduced; here it is before an altar, offering a sacrifice offruits and flowers. It is Quetzal'! In his worship, you recollect, thereis no slaughter of victims. My hands are pure of blood."
The Quetzal', with its pleasant face, flowing curls, and simple costume,seemed to have a charm for Montezuma, for he mused over it a long time.Some distance on, the figure again appeared, stepping into a canoe,while the people, temples, and palaces of the city were behind it.Mualox explained, "See, O king! The fair god is departing fromTenochtitlan; he has been banished. Saddest of all the days was that!"
And so, the holy man interpreting, they moved along the southern wall.Not a scene but was illustrative of some incident memorable in theAztecan history. And the reviewers were struck with the faithfulness ofthe record not less than with the beauty of the work.
On the western wall, the first cartoon represented a young man sweepingthe steps of a temple. Montezuma paused before it amazed, and Guatamozinfor the first time cried out, "It is the king! It is the king!" Thelikeness was perfect.
After that came a coronation scene. The _teotuctli_ was placing a_panache_[21] on Montezuma's head. In the third cartoon, he was with thearmy, going to battle. In the fourth, he was seated, while a man cladin _nequen_,[22] but crowned, stood before him.
"You have grown familiar with triumphs, and it is many summers since, Oking," said Mualox; "but you have not yet forgotten the gladness of yourfirst conquest. Here is its record. As we go on, recall the kings whowere thus made to stand before you."
And counting as they proceeded, Montezuma found that in every cartoonthere was an additional figure crowned and in _nequen_. When they cameto the one next the last on the western wall, he said,--
"Show me the meaning of all this: here are thirty kings."
"Will the king tell his slave the number of cities he has conquered?"
He thought awhile, and replied, "Thirty."
"Then the record is faithful. It started with the first king ofTenochtitlan; it came down to your coronation; now, it has numbered yourconquests. See you not, O king? Behind us, all the writing is of thepast; this is Montezuma and Tenochtitlan as they are: the present isbefore us! Could the hand that set this chamber and carved these wallshave been a man's? Who but a god six cycles ago could have foreseen thata son of the son of Axaya' would carry the rulers of thirty conqueredcities in his train?"
The royal visitor listened breathlessly. He began to comprehend thewriting, and thrill with fast-coming presentiments. Yet he struggledwith his fears.
"Prophecy has to do with the future," he said; "and you have shown menothing that the sculptors and jewellers in my palace cannot do. Wouldyou have me believe all this from Quetzal', show me something that is tocome."
Mualox led him to the next scene which represented the king sitting instate; above him a canopy; his nobles and the women of his householdaround him; at his feet the people; and all were looking at a combatgoing on between warriors.
"You have asked for prophecy,--behold!" said Mualox.
"I see nothing," replied the king.
"Nothing! Is not this the celebration to-morrow? Since it was ordered,could your sculptors have executed what you see?"
Back to the monarch's face stole the pallor.
"Look again, O king! You only saw yourself, your people and warriors.But what is this?"
Walking up, he laid his finger on the representation of a man landingfrom a canoe.
"The last we beheld of Quetzal'," he continued, "was on the southernwall; his back was to Tenochtitlan, which he was leaving with a curse.All you have heard about his promise to return is true. He himself haswritten the very day, and here it is. Look! While the king, his warriorsand people, are gathered to the combat, Quetzal' steps from the canoe tothe sea-shore."
The figure in the carving was scarcely two hands high, but exquisitelywrought. With terror poorly concealed, Montezuma recognized it.
"And now my promise is redeemed. I said I would give you to read amessage from the sun."
"Read, Mualox: I cannot."
The holy man turned to the writing, and said, with a swelling voice,"Thus writes Quetzal' to Montezuma, the king! In the last day he willseek to stay my vengeance; he will call together his people; there willbe combat in Tenochtitlan; but in the midst of the rejoicing I will landon the sea-shore, and end the days of Azatlan forever."
"Forever!" said the unhappy monarch. "No, no! Read the next writing."
"There is no other; this is the last."
The eastern, southern, and western walls had been successively passed,and interpreted. Now the king turned to the northern wall: _it wasblank!_ His eyes flashed, and he almost shouted,--
"Liar! Quetzal' may come to-morrow, but it will be as friend. There isno curse!"
The paba humbled himself before the speaker, and said, slowly andtearfully, "The wise king is blinded by his hope. When Quetzal' finishedthis chapter, his task was done; he had recorded the last day of perfectglory, and ceased to write because, Azatlan being now to perish, therewas nothing more to record. O unhappy king! that is the curse, and itneeded no writing!"
Montezuma shook with passion.
"Lead me hence, lead me hence!" he cried. "I will watch; and if Quetzal'comes not on the morrow,--comes not during the celebration,--I swear tolevel this temple, and let the lake into its chambers! And you, pabathough you be, I will drown you like a slave! Lead on!"
Mualox obeyed without a word. Lamp in hand, he led his visitors from thesplendid chamber up to the _azoteas_ of the ancient house. As theydescended the eastern steps, he knelt, and kissed the pavement.
FOOTNOTES:
[20] A kind of emerald, used altogether by the nobility. Sahagun, Hist. de Nueva Esp.
[21] Or _capilli_,--the king's crown. A _panache_ was the head-dress of a warrior.
[22] A garment of coarse white material, made from the fibre of the aloe, and by court etiquette required to be worn by courtiers and suitors in the king's presence. The rule appears to have been of universal application.