The Fair God; or, The Last of the 'Tzins: A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico

by Lew Wallace

  CHAPTER I.

  WHO ARE THE STRANGERS?

  March passed, and April came, and still the strangers, in their greatcanoes, lingered on the coast. Montezuma observed them with becomingprudence; through his lookouts, he was informed of their progress fromthe time they left the Rio de Tabasco.

  The constant anxiety to which he was subjected affected his temper; and,though roused from the torpor into which he had been plunged by thevisit to the golden chamber, and the subsequent prophecy of Mualox, hismelancholy was a thing of common observation. He renounced his ordinaryamusements, even _totoloque_, and went no more to the hunting-grounds onthe shore of the lake; in preference, he took long walks in the gardens,and reclined in the audience-chamber of his palace; yet more remarkable,conversation with his councillors and nobles delighted him more than thedances of his women or the songs of his minstrels. In truth, the monarchwas himself a victim of the delusions he had perfected for his people.Polytheism had come to him with the Empire; but he had enlarged upon it,and covered it with dogmas; and so earnestly, through a long andglorious reign, had he preached them, that, at last, he had become hisown most zealous convert. In all his dominions, there was not one whomfaith more inclined to absolute fear of Quetzal' than himself.

  One evening he passed from his bath to the dining-hall for the last mealof the day. Invigorated, and, as was his custom, attired for the fourthtime since morning in fresh garments, he walked briskly, and even droneda song.

  No monarch in Europe fared more sumptuously than Montezuma. The roomdevoted to the purpose was spacious, and, on this occasion, brilliantlylighted. The floor was spread with figured matting, and the walls hungwith beautiful tapestry; and in the centre of the apartment a luxuriouscouch had been rolled for him, it being his habit to eat reclining;while, to hide him from the curious, a screen had been contrived, andset up between the couch and principal door. The viands set down by hissteward as the substantials of the first course were arranged upon thefloor before the couch, and kept warm and smoking by chafing-dishes. Thetable, if such it may be called, was supplied by contributions from theprovinces, and furnished, in fact, no contemptible proof of hisauthority, and the perfection with which it was exercised. The ware wasof the finest Cholulan manufacture, and, like his clothes, never used byhim but the once, a royal custom requiring him to present it to hisfriends.[28]

  When he entered the room, the evening I have mentioned, there werepresent only his steward, four or five aged councillors, whom he wasaccustomed to address as "uncles," and a couple of women, who occupiedthemselves in preparing certain wafers and confections which heparticularly affected. He stretched himself comfortably upon the couch,much, I presume, after the style of the Romans, and at once began themeal. The ancients moved back several steps, and a score of boys, noble,yet clad in the inevitable _nequen_, responding to a bell, came in andposted themselves to answer his requests.

  Sometimes, by invitation, the councillors were permitted to share thefeast; oftener, however, the only object of their presence was to affordhim the gratification of remark. The conversation was usually irregular,and hushed and renewed as he prompted, and not unfrequently extended tothe gravest political and religious subjects. On the evening in questionhe spoke to them kindly.

  "I feel better this evening, uncles. My good star is rising above themists that have clouded it. We ought not to complain of what we cannothelp; still, I have thought that when the gods retained the power toafflict us with sorrows, they should have given us some power to correctthem."

  One of the old men answered reverentially, "A king should be too greatfor sorrows; he should wear his crown against them as we wear ourmantles against the cold winds."

  "A good idea," said the monarch, smiling; "but you forget that thecrown, instead of protecting, is itself the trouble. Come nearer,uncles; there is a matter more serious about which I would hear yourminds."

  They obeyed him, and he went on.

  "The last courier brought me word that the strangers were yet on thecoast, hovering about the islands. Tell me, who say you they are, andwhence do they come?"

  "How may we know more than our wise master?" said one of them.

  "And our thoughts,--do we not borrow them from you, O king?" addedanother.

  "What! Call you those answers? Nay, uncles, my fools can better serveme; if they cannot instruct, they can at least amuse."

  The king spoke bitterly, and looking at one, probably the oldest of themall, said,--

  "Uncle, you are the poorest courtier, but you are discreet and honest. Iwant opinions that have in them more wisdom than flattery. Speak to metruly: who are these strangers?"

  "For your sake, O my good king, I wish I were wise; for the trouble theyhave given my poor understanding is indeed very great. I believe them tobe gods, landed from the Sun." And the old man went on to fortify hisbelief with arguments. In the excited state of his fancy, it was easyfor him to convert the cannon of the Spaniards into engines of thunderand lightning, and transform their horses into creatures of Mictlanmightier than men. Right summarily he also concluded, that none but godscould traverse the dominions of Haloc,[29] subjecting the variant windsto their will. Finally, to prove the strangers irresistible, he referredto the battle of Tabasco, then lately fought between Cortes and theIndians.

  Montezuma heard him in silence, and replied, "Not badly given, uncle;your friends may profit by your example; but you have not talked as awarrior. You have forgotten that we, too, have beaten the lazyTabascans. That reference proves as much for my caciques as for yourgods."

  He waved his hand, and the first course was removed. The secondconsisted for the most part of delicacies in the preparation of whichhis _artistes_ delighted; at this time appeared the _choclatl_, a rich,frothy beverage served in _xicaras_, or small golden goblets. Girls,selected for their rank and beauty, succeeded the boys. Flocking aroundhim with light and echoless feet, very graceful, very happy, theirs wasindeed the service that awaits the faithful in Mahomet's Paradise. Toeach of his ancients he passed a goblet of _choclatl_, then continuedhis eating and talking.

  "Yes. Be they gods or men, I would give a province to know theirintention; that, uncles, would enable me to determine mypolicy,--whether to give them war or peace. As yet, they have askednothing but the privilege of trading with us; and, judging them by ournations, I want not better warrant of friendship. As you know, strangershave twice before been upon our coast in such canoes, and with sucharms;[30] and in both instances they sought gold, and getting it theydeparted. Will these go like them?"

  "Has my master forgotten the words of Mualox?"

  "To Mictlan with the paba!" said the king, violently. "He has filled mycities and people with trouble."

  "Yet he is a prophet," retorted the old councillor, boldly. "How knew heof the coming of the strangers before it was known in the palace?"

  The flush of the king's face faded.

  "It is a mystery, uncle,--a mystery too deep for me. All the day andnight before he was in his Cu; he went not into the city even."

  "If the wise master will listen to the words of his slave, he will notagain curse the paba, but make him a friend."

  The monarch's lip curled derisively.

  "My palace is now a house of prayer and sober life; he would turn itinto a place of revelry."

  All the ancients but the one laughed at the irony; that one repeated hiswords.

  "A friend; but how?" asked Montezuma.

  "Call him from the Cu to the palace; let him stand here with us; in thecouncils give him a voice. He can read the future; make of him anoracle. O king, who like him can stand between you and Quetzal'?"

  For a while Montezuma toyed idly with the _xicara_. He also believed inthe prophetic gifts of Mualox, and it was not the first time he hadpondered the question of how the holy man had learned the coming of thestrangers; to satisfy himself as to his means of information, he hadeven instituted inquiries outside the palace. And
yet it was but one ofseveral mysteries; behind it, if not superior, were the golden chamber,its wealth, and the writing on the walls. They were not to be attributedto the paba: works so wondrous could not have been done in one lifetime.They were the handiwork of a god, who had chosen Mualox for his servantand prophet; such was the judgment of the king.

  Nor was that all. The monarch had come to believe that the strangers onthe coast were Quetzal' and his followers, whom it were vain to resist,if their object was vengeance. But the human heart is seldom without itssuggestion of hope; and he thought, though resistance was impossible,might he not propitiate? This policy had occupied his thoughts, and mostlikely without result, for the words of the councillor seemed welcome.Indeed, he could scarcely fail to recognize the bold idea theyconveyed,--nothing less, in fact, than meeting the god with his ownprophet.

  "Very well," he said, in his heart. "I will use the paba. He shall comeand stand between me and the woe."

  Then he arose, took a string of pearls from his neck, and with his ownhand placed it around that of the ancient.

  "Your place is with me, uncle. I will have a chamber fitted for you herein the palace. Go no more away. Ho, steward! The supper is done; let thepipes be brought, and give me music and dance. Bid the minstrels come. Asong of the olden time may make me strong again."

  FOOTNOTES:

  [28] Prescott, Conq. of Mexico.

  [29] God of the sea.

  [30] The allusion was doubtless to the expeditions of Hernandez de Cordova, in 1517, and Juan de Grijalva, in 1518.