by Lew Wallace
CHAPTER XVII.
THE PURSUIT BEGINS.
In the afternoon the king Cuitlahua, whose sickness had greatlyincreased, caused himself to be taken to Chapultepec, where he judged hewould be safer from the enemy and better situated for treatment by hisdoctors and nurses. Before leaving, however, he appointed a deputationof ancients, and sent them, with his signet and a message, toGuatamozin.
The 'tzin, about the same time, changed his quarters from the_teocallis_, now but a bare pavement high in air, to the old Cu ofQuetzal'. That the strangers must shortly attempt to leave the city heknew; so giving up the assault on the palace, he took measures todestroy them, if possible, while in retreat. The road they would move bywas the only point in the connection about which he was undecided.Anyhow, they must seek the land by one of the causeways. Those byTlacopan and Tepejaca were the shortest; therefore, he believed one orthe other of them would be selected. Upon that theory, he accommodatedall his preparations to an attack from the lake, while the foe wereoutstretched on the narrow dike. As sufficient obstructions in theirfront, he relied upon the bridgeless canals; their rear he would himselfassail with a force chosen from the matchless children of the capital,whose native valor was terribly inflamed by the ruin and suffering theyhad seen and endured. The old Cu was well located for his part of theoperation; and there, in the sanctuary, surrounded by a throng of armedcaciques and lords, the deputies of the king Cuitlahua found him.
If the shade of Mualox lingered about the altar of the peaceful god, nodoubt it thrilled to see the profanation of the holy place; if it soughtrefuge in the cells below, alas! they were filled by an army inconcealment; and if it went further, down to what the paba, in hispoetic madness, had lovingly called his World, alas again! the birdswere dead, the shrubs withered, the angel gone; only the fountain lived,of Darkness a sweet voice singing in the ear of Silence.
So the 'tzin being found, this was the message delivered to him from theking Cuitlahua:--
"May the gods love you as I do! I am sick with the sickness of thestrangers. Come not near me, lest you be taken also. I go to Chapultepecto get ready for death. If I die, the empire is yours. Meantime, I giveyou all power."
Guatamozin took the signet, and was once more master, if not king, inthe city of his fathers. The deputies kissed his hand; the chiefssaluted him; and when the tidings reached the companies below, the cellsrang as never before, not even with the hymns of their first tenants.
While yet the incense of the ovation sweetened the air about him, helooked up at the image of the god,--web of spider on its golden sceptre,dust on its painted shield, dust bending its plumes of fire; he lookedup into the face, yet fair and benignant, and back to him rushed thespeech of Mualox, clear as if freshly spoken,--"Anahuac, thebeautiful,--her existence, and the glory and power that make it a thingof worth, are linked to your action. O 'tzin, your fate and hers, andthat of the many nations, is one and the same!" and the beating of hispulse quickened thrice; for now he could see that the words wereprophetic of his country saved by him.
Then up the broad steps of the Cu, into the sanctuary, and through thecrowd, rushed Hualpa; the rain streamed from his quilted armor; and uponthe floor in front of the 'tzin, with a noise like the fall of a heavyhammer, he dropped the butt of a lance to which was affixed a Christiansword-blade.
"At last, at last, O 'tzin!" he said, "the strangers are in the street,marching toward Tlacopan."
The company hushed their very breathing.
"All of them?" asked the 'tzin.
"All but the dead."
Then on the 'tzin's lip a smile, in his eyes a flash as of flame.
"Hear you, friends?" he said. "The time of vengeance has come. You knowyour places and duty. Go, each one. May the gods go with you!"
In a moment he and Hualpa were alone. The latter bent his head, andcrossing his hands upon his breast said,--
"When the burthen of my griefs has been greatest, and I cried outcontinually, O 'tzin, you have held me back, promising that my timewould come. I doubt not your better judgment, but--but I have no morepatience. My enemy is abroad, and she, whom I cannot forget, goes withhim. Is not the time come?"
Guatamozin laid his hand on Hualpa's:--
"Be glad, O comrade! The time has come; and as you have prepared for itlike a warrior, go now, and get the revenge so long delayed. I give youmore than permission,--I give you my prayers. Where are the people whoare to go with you?"
"In the canoes, waiting."
They were silent awhile. Then the 'tzin took the lance, and looked atthe long, straight blade admiringly; under its blue gleam lay the secretof its composition, by which the few were able to mock the many, andravage the capital and country.
"Dread nothing; it will conquer," he said, handing the weapon back.
Hualpa kissed his hand, and replied, "I thought to make return for yourpreferments, O 'tzin, by serving you well when you were king; but theservice need not be put off so long. I thank the gods for this night'sopportunity. If I come not with the rising of the sun to-morrow,Nenetzin can tell you my story. Farewell!"
With his face to his benefactor, he moved away.
"Have a care for yourself!" said the 'tzin, regarding him earnestly;"and remember there must be no sign of attack until the strangers haveadvanced to the first causeway. I will look for you to-morrow.Farewell!"
While yet the 'tzin's thoughts went out compassionately after hisunhappy friend, up from their irksome hiding in the cells came thecompanies he was to lead,--a long array in white tunics of quiltedcotton. At their head, the uniform covering a Christian cuirass, andwith Christian helm and battle-axe, he marched; and so, through thedarkness and the storm, the pursuit began.
FOOTNOTES:
[52] A reputed soothsayer.