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

by Lew Wallace

  CHAPTER IV.

  THE TRIAL

  Hualpa's adventure in the garden made a great stir in the palace and thecity. Profound was the astonishment, therefore, when it became knownthat the savior of the king and the murderer of the Tezcucan were oneand the same person, and that, in the latter character, he was to betaken into court and tried for his life, Montezuma himself acting asaccuser. Though universally discredited, the story had the effect ofdrawing an immense attendance at the trial.

  "Ho, Chalcan! Fly not your friends in that way!"

  So the broker was saluted by some men nobly dressed, whom he was aboutpassing on the great street. He stopped, and bowed very low.

  "A pleasant day, my lords! Your invitation honors me; the will of hispatrons should always be law to the poor keeper of a portico. I amhurrying to the trial."

  "Then stay with us. We also have a curiosity to see the assassin."

  "My good lord speaks harshly. The boy, whom I love as a son, cannot bewhat you call him."

  The noble laughed. "Take it not ill, Chalcan. So much do I honor thehand that slew the base Tezcucan that I care not whether it was in fairfight or by vantage taken. But what do you know about the king beingaccuser to-day?"

  "So he told the boy."

  "Incredible!"

  "I will not quarrel with my lord on that account," rejoined the broker."A more generous master than Montezuma never lived. Are not the peoplealways complaining of his liberality? At the last banquet, for inventinga simple drink, did he not give me, his humblest slave, a goblet fit foranother king?"

  "And what is your drink, though ever so excellent, to the saving hislife? Is not that your argument, Chalcan?"

  "Yes, my lord, and at such peril! Ah, you should have seen the ocelotwhen taken from the tank! The keepers told me it was the largest andfiercest in the museum."

  Then Xoli proceeded to edify his noble audience with all the gossippertaining to the adventure; and as his object was to take into courtsome friends for the luckless hunter more influential than himself, hesucceeded admirably. Every few steps there were such expressions as, "Itwould be pitiful if so brave a fellow should die!" "If I were king, bythe Sun, I would enrich him from the possessions of the Tezcucan!" Andas they showed no disposition to interrupt him, his pleading lasted tothe house of justice, where the company arrived not any too soon toprocure comfortable seats.

  The court-house stood at the left of the street, a little retired fromthe regular line of buildings. The visitors had first to pass through aspacious hall, which brought them to a court-yard cemented under foot,and on all sides bounded with beautiful houses. Then, on the right, theysaw the entrance to the chamber of justice, grotesquely called theTribunal of God,[37] in which, for ages, had been administered a code,vindictive, but not without equity. The great door was richly carved;the windows high and broad, and lined with fluted marble; while aprojecting cornice, tastefully finished, gave airiness and beauty to thevenerable structure.

  The party entered the room with profoundest reverence. On a dais sat thejudge; in front of him was the stool bearing the skull with the emeraldcrown and gay plumes. Turning from the plain tapestry along the walls,the spectators failed not to admire the jewels that blazed with almoststarry splendor from the centre of the canopy above him.

  The broker, not being of the class of privileged nobles, found a seatwith difficulty. To his comfort, however, he was placed by the side ofan acquaintance.

  "You should have come earlier, Chalcan; the judge has twice used thearrow this morning."

  "Indeed!"

  "Once against a boy too much given to _pulque_,--a drunkard. With theother doubtless you were acquainted."

  "Was he noble?"

  "He had good blood, at least, being the son of a Tetzmellocan, who diedimmensely rich. The witnesses said the fellow squandered his father'sestate almost as soon as it came to him."

  "Better had he been born a thief,"[38] said Xoli, coolly.

  Suddenly, four heralds, with silver maces, entered the court-room,announcing the monarch. The people fell upon their knees, and soremained until he was seated before the dais. Then they arose, and, withstaring eyes, devoured the beauty of his costume, and the mysterioussanction of manner, office, power, and custom, which the lovers ofroyalty throughout the world have delighted to sum up in the oneword,--majesty. The hum of voices filled the chamber. Then, by anotherdoor, in charge of officers, Hualpa appeared, and was led to the daisopposite the king. Before an Aztecan court there was no ceremony. Thehighest and the lowliest stood upon a level: such, at least, was thebeautiful theory.

  So intense was the curiosity to see the prisoner that the spectatorspressed upon each other, for the moment mindless of the monarch'spresence.

  "A handsome fellow!" said an old cacique, approvingly.

  "Only a boy, my lord!" suggested the critic.

  "And not fierce-looking, either."

  "Yes--"

  "No--"

  "He might kill, but in fair fight: so I judge him."

  And that became the opinion amongst the nobles.

  "Your friend seems confident, Xoli. I like him," remarked the Chalcan'sacquaintance.

  "Hush! The king accuses."

  "The king, said you!" And the good man, representing the commonalty, wasfrozen into silence.

  In another quarter, one asked, "Does he not wear the 'tzin's livery?"

  The person interrogated covered his mouth with both hands, then drew tothe other's ear, and whispered,--

  "Yes, he's a 'tzin's man, and that, they say, is his crime."

  The sharp voice of the executive officer of the court rang out, andthere was stillness almost breathless. Up rose the clerk, a learned man,keeper of the records, and read the indictment; that done, he laid theportrait of the accused on the table before the judge; then the trialbegan.

  The judge, playing carelessly with the fatal arrow, said,--"Hualpa, sonof Tepaja, the Tihuancan, stand up, and answer."

  And the prisoner arose, and saluted court and king, and answered, "Itis true, that on the night of the banquet, I fought the Tezcucan; byfavor of the gods, I defeated, without slaying him. He is here in personto acquit me."

  "Bring the witness," said the judge.

  Some of the officers retired; during their absence a solemn hushprevailed; directly they returned, carrying a palanquin. Right beforethe dais they set it down, and drew aside the curtains. Then slowly theTezcucan came forth,--weak, but unconquered. At the judge he looked, andat the king, and all the fire of his haughty soul burned in the glance.Borrowing strength from his pride, he raised his head high, and said,scornfully,--

  "The power of my father's friend is exceeding great; he speaks, and allthings obey him. I am sick and suffering; but he bade me come, and I amhere. What new shame awaits me?"

  Montezuma answered, never more a king than then: "'Hualpill was wise;his son is foolish; for the memory of the one I spare the other. Thekeeper of this sacred place will answer why you are brought here. Lookthat he pardons you lightly as I have."

  Then the judge said, "Prince of Tezcuco, you are here by my order. Therestands one charged with your murder. Would you have had him suffer thepenalty? You have dared be insolent. See, O prince, that beforeto-morrow you pay the treasurer ten thousand quills of gold. See to it."And, returning the portrait to the clerk, he added, "Let the accused goacquit."

  "Ah! said I not so, said I not so?" muttered the Chalcan, rubbing hishands joyfully, and disturbing the attentive people about him.

  "Hist, hist!" they said, impatiently. "What more? hearken!"

  Hualpa was kneeling before the monarch.

  "Most mighty king," he said, "if what I have done be worthy reward,grant me the discharge of this fine."

  "How!" said Montezuma, amazed. "The Tezcucan is your enemy!"

  "Yet he fought me fairly, and is a warrior."

  The eyes of the king sought those of Iztlil'.

  "What say
s the son of 'Hualpilli?"

  The latter raised his head with a flash of the old pride. "He is a slaveof Guatamozin's: I scorn the intercession. I am yet a prince ofTezcuco."

  Then the monarch went forward, and sat by the judge. Not a sound washeard, till he spoke.

  "Arise, and come near," he said to Hualpa. "I will do what becomes me."

  His voice was low and tremulous with feeling, and over his face came thepeculiar suffusion of sadness afterwards its habitual expression. Thehunter kissed the floor at his feet, and remained kneeling. Then hecontinued,--

  "Son of the Tihuancan, I acknowledge I owe my life to you, and I callall to hear the acknowledgment. If the people have thought thisprosecution part of my gratitude,--if they have marvelled at myappearing as your accuser, much have they wronged me. I thought ofreward higher than they could have asked for you; but I also thought totry you. A slave is not fit to be a chief, nor is every chief fit to bea king. I thought to try you: I am satisfied. When your fame goesabroad, as it will; when the minstrels sing your valor; whenTenochtitlan talks of the merchant's son, who, in the garden, slew thetiger, and saved the life of Montezuma,--let them also tell howMontezuma rewarded him; let them say I made him noble."

  Thereupon he arose, and transferred the _panache_ from his head toHualpa's. Those close by looked at the gift, and saw, for the firsttime, that it was not the crown, but the crest of a chief or cacique.Then they knew that the trial was merely to make more public the honorsdesigned.

  "Let them say further," he continued, "that with my own hand I made hima warrior of the highest grade." And, bending over the adventurer, heclasped around his neck the collar of the supreme military order of therealm.[39] "Nor is that all. Rank, without competence, is a vexation andshame. At the foot of Chapultepec, on the shore of the lake, lie anestate and a palace of which I have been proud. Let it be said, finally,that I gave them to enrich him and his forever." He paused, and turnedcoldly to the Tezcucan. "But as to the son of 'Hualpilli, his fine muststand; such pride must be punished. He shall pay the gold, or forfeithis province." Then, outstretching toward the audience both his arms, hesaid, so as to be heard throughout the chamber, "Now, O my children,justice has been done!"

  The words were simple; but the manner, royal as a king's and patriarchalas a pontiff's, brought every listener to his knees.

  "Stand up, my lord Hualpa! Take your place in my train. I will return tothe palace."

  With that he passed out.

  And soon there was but one person remaining,--Iztlil', the Tezcucan.Brought from Tlacopan by officers of the court, too weak to walk,without slaves to help him, at sight of the deserted hall hiscountenance became haggard, the light in his hollow eyes came and went,and his broad breast heaved passionately; in that long, slow look hemeasured the depth of his fall.

  "O Tezcuco, Tezcuco, city of my fathers!" he cried aloud. "This is thelast wrong to the last of thy race of kings."

  A little after he was upon a bench exhausted, his head covered by hismantle. Then a hand was laid upon his shoulder; he looked up and sawHualpa.

  "How now! Has the base-born come to enjoy his triumph? I cannot strike.Laugh and revile me; but remember, mine is the blood of kings. The godsloved my father, and will not abandon his son. In their names I curseyou!"

  "Tezcucan, you are proud to foolishness," said the hunter, calmly. "Icame to serve you. Within an hour I have become master of slaves--"

  "And were yourself a slave!"

  "Well, I won my freedom; I slew a beast and conquered a--But, prince, myslaves are at the door. Command them to Tlacopan."

  "Play courtier to those who have influence; lean your ambition upon onewho can advance it. I am undone."

  "I am not a courtier. The service I offer you springs from a warrior'smotive. I propose it, not to a man of power, but to a prince whosecourage is superior to his fortune."

  For a moment the Tezcucan studied the glowing face; then his browsrelaxed, and, sighing like a woman, and like a woman overcome by theunexpected gentleness, he bowed his head, and covered his face with hishands, that he might not be accused of tears.

  "Let me call the slaves, O prince," said Hualpa.

  Thrice he clapped his hands, whereat four tattooed tamanes stalked intothe chamber with a palanquin. Iztlil' took seat in the carriage, and wasbeing borne away, when he called the hunter.

  "A word," he said, in a voice from which all passion was gone. "Thoughmy enemy, you have been generous, and remembered my misfortunes when allothers forsook me. Take with you this mark. I do not ask you to wear it,for the time is nearly come when the son of 'Hualpilli will beproscribed throughout the valley; but keep it in witness that I, the sonof a king, acknowledged your right and fitness to be a noble. Farewell."

  Hualpa could not refuse a present so delicately given; extending hishand, he received a bracelet of gold, set with an Aztec diamond ofimmense value. He clasped it upon his arm, and followed the carriageinto the street.

  FOOTNOTES:

  [37] Prescott, Conq. of Mexico, Vol. I. p. 33.

  [38] A thief might be punished with slavery: death was the penalty for prodigalism and drunkenness.

  [39] The authorities touching the military orders of the Aztecs are full and complete. Prescott, Conq. of Mexico, Vol. I. p. 45; Acosta, Book VI. ch. 26; Mendoza's Collec. Antiq. of Mexico, Vol. I, p. 65.

  BOOK FOUR.