The Infidel; or, the Fall of Mexico. Vol. I.

by Robert Montgomery Bird

  CHAPTER VI.

  The apartment into which Juan now found himself introduced, was veryspacious; and, indeed, had the height of the ceiling corresponded inproportion with the length and breadth, would have been esteemed vast.Without being so low as to be decidedly mean, it was yet depressedenough to show how little the principles of taste had extended among thenatives, to the art of architecture; or, what is equally probable, howwisely provision was made against the earthquakes and other convulsions,so naturally to be expected in a land of volcanoes.

  The huge rafters of cedar, carved into strange and emblematicarabesques, were supported, at intervals, by a double row of pillars ofthe most grotesque shapes. On the walls were hung arras, on which werepainted rude scenes of battle and of sacrifice, with hieroglyphicrecords of history, as well as choice maxims of virtue and policy,selected from the compositions of that king, who had finished, and givenname to the habitation, long since founded by his ancestors. It waslighted in a manner equally rare and magnificent. A considerable spacein the further or western wall, from which the tapestry was drawn aside,was occupied by stone mullions of strange forms, between which werefixed large translucent blocks of alabaster, such as we now behold inthe church windows of Puebla de los Angelos. Upon these were paintedmany incomprehensible figures, which would have deformed the beauty ofthe stone, but for the brilliancy and delicacy of their hues. As it was,the strong glare of the evening sun, falling upon this transparent wall,came through it, with the mellow lustre and harmonious tints of aharvest-moon, shedding a soft but sufficient light over the wholeapartment, making what was harsh tender, and what was lovely almostdivine.[7]

  [Footnote 7: Windows of this rich material were discovered in a Romanvilla at Pompeii. The effect of a lamp in an alabaster vase will befamiliar to the reader.]

  On the left hand, were several narrow doors, opening upon a garden,which was seen, sometimes, when the breeze stirred aside the curtainsthat defended them; on the right, were others leading to certainchambers, and carefully protected by a similar drapery.

  The floor of this hall of audience was covered with mats stained withvarious colours.

  At the farther extremity of the apartment stood a group of Spanishcavaliers, surrounding a platform of slight elevation, on which,sumptuously dressed, and leaning upon a _camoncillo_, or chair of state,stood Hernan Cortes. At his right hand, sitting and supported by twogallant cavaliers, was his royal god-son, Ixtlilxochitl, now Don HernanCortes, the king of Tezcuco;--a young man of mild aspect; at whose feetsat his younger and more manly brother, Suchel, from whom was afterwardsderived one of the noble families of New Spain. On the left of thegeneral, were two Indians of a far nobler presence, and known by thesingular loftiness of their plumes, if not by the commanding sternnessof their visages, to be Tlascalans of high degree. They were, in fact,the military chieftains Xicotencatl and Chichimecatl, men of renown notonly among their tribes, but the Spaniards. Behind each stood his page,or esquire, bearing the great shield of ceremony, whereon wereemblazoned, in native heraldic devices, the various exploits of hismaster.

  Besides these distinguished barbarians, there were others of note amongthe cavaliers, at the side of the platform.

  All these several details of a spectacle both romantic and imposing,were seen by Juan at a single glance; for, almost at the moment of hisentrance, a movement was made among those who stood on the left of theplatform, in the direction of the great Conquistador, as if they desiredto catch something that instant falling from his lips. As they left theview thus open, Juan saw that Cortes, instead of speaking, was bendinghis head and listening with eager interest to the senor Guzman, who hadascended the platform, and was now whispering in his ear. At the samemoment, a prodigiously large dog, with shaggy coat, hanging lips, andferocious eyes, roused by the motion of the general, at whose feet hehad been sleeping, raised his head, and stared with the majestic gravityof a lion, upon the speaker and his master.

  There was something in the interested and agitated eagerness with whichthe Captain-General drank in the words of Guzman, that went to the heartof Lerma. He doubted not, that Don Francisco was, at that moment,speaking of _him_,--of _his_ return to the society of Christians, and tothe arms of his benefactor,--for such had Cortes once been to him; andhe read in the varying play of Don Hernan's features, nothing butrefutation of the malign charges of Villafana, and full proof that thegeneral was not indifferent to the friend of former years.

  As these thoughts entered his mind, he rushed forward, under theirimpulse, with clasped hands, and with an exclamation that brought thelooks of all instantly upon him. The huge dog raised himself half upfrom the platform, and uttered a savage growl. He advanced yet anotherstep, and the ferocious beast, with a roar that filled the wholechamber, dashed furiously from the platform, as against an enemy not tobe doubted. The young man paused, but not at the opposition of theanimal: he had, that moment, caught the eye of Don Hernan, and his heartfailed as he beheld the frown of rage, and, as it seemed to him, hate,with which he was regarded.

  "Down, Befo!" cried Cortes, with a voice of thunder.

  But Befo, who had leaped forward with such ferocious determination, had,that instant, stopped before Juan, whom he now eyed with a look ofwonder and recognition. Then, suddenly fetching such a yelp of joy aswould have better become the playmate-cur of a child, than the grimbloodhound of a soldier, he raised up his vast body, flung his paws uponJuan's breast, and strove, evidently, to throw them round his body, inthe mode of human embrace, whining all the time with the most expressivedelight.

  "Down, Befo! Thick-lips! thou cub of a false wolf!" repeated thegeneral, irefully, yet with an expression that would have suited better,had he been commanding him to tear the youth to pieces; "Down, fool,down! I will stick thee with my rapier."

  As he spoke, he half drew his sword from the scabbard.

  "Harm him not,--call him not away," cried Juan, with a thick voice; "forby heaven and St. Mary, he is all, of a troop of Christian men, once myfriends, who have any joy to see an old companion return from bonds andthe grave!"

  As the young man spoke, he flung his arms round the neck of the faithfulbeast, and bending his head upon Befo's face, gave way to a passion oftears.

  "The shame of foul knaves and false companions be on you all!" cried theflaming Gaspar, without a whit regarding the presence in which he spake.His wrath was cut short, before it had been noticed by any but theOttomi, who stood gaping, at a distance, with looks of visible alarm,first excited by the appearance of the dog.

  Among most of the cavaliers now present, Juan had been once well known;and however their affections might be chilled and their respectdestroyed, by untoward circumstances, there was something so painfullyreproachful in the spectacle of his tears, that a strong impression wasimmediately produced among them. All seemed, at once, to remember, thathe had been once esteemed, notwithstanding his youth, of a bold heartand manly bearing; and all seemed to remember also, that fourteenmonths' suffering among unknown pagans, was worthy of some littlecommiseration.

  But there was one present of more fiery feelings and determination morehasty than any of the Christians. The elder and taller of the Tlascalanchiefs, distinguished as much by a haughty and darkly frowning visage asby an Herculean frame, stepped down from the platform, and laid his handupon Juan's shoulder; in which position he stood, without speaking aword, but expressing in his countenance the spirit of one who avowedhimself a patron and champion. The tall plume rustled like a wavingpalm, as he raised up his head, and the look that he cast upon Cortes,seemed to mingle defiance with disdain. But this hostile expression wasperhaps concealed by the approach of a cavalier of gallant appearance,who stepped suddenly from the throng, and snatching up Juan's left handfrom the dog's neck, cried with hasty good-will,

  "Santiago! (and the devil take all of us that have no better hearts thana cur or a wild Indian!) I know no reason, certainly, why thou shouldstbe treated like a dog. God be with thee, Juan Lerma! I am glad thou artalive; God
bless thee: and so hold up thy head. If thou hast no betterraiment, I will give thee my fustian breeches and liver-coloured mantle,as well as a good sword of iron, which I have to spare."

  This quick-spoken and benevolent cavalier was no less a man than thegallant Don Pedro de Alvarado, at this time called, almost universally,in memory of his famous leap over the ditch of Tacuba, in the Night ofSorrow, the _Capitan del Salto_. He gave place to another of stillgreater renown, who would have been perhaps the first to extend hishand, had he been as hasty of resolution as his more mercurial comrade.This was the good cavalier Don Gonzalo de Sandoval, better esteemed forhis skill in arms than any peculiar elegance of conversation.

  "Juan Lerma," said he, "I am not sorry thou art alive and well; and ifthou wilt make any use of the same, to put thee into more Christianbravery, I will pray thee to take my gold chain, as well as six goodcotton shirts, which an Indian woman made me."

  To these friendly salutations and bountiful offers, as well as theadvances of other cavaliers who now bustled around him, Juan repliedwith a manner more expressive of indignation than gratitude. He wasashamed of having exposed his weakness, and sensible that it was thisalone which had obtained him a charitable notice. He raised his headproudly, as one who would not accept such compelled kindness, pushedBefo to the floor, though still keeping a hand upon his neck,acknowledged the presence of Xicotencal with a word, and turned towardsCortes a countenance now quite composed, though not without a touch ofsorrowful resentment.

  The emotion which had produced such an impression among the cavaliers,was not without its effect even upon the Captain-General. His featuresrelaxed their angry severity, he stepped forwards; and when Juan liftedup his eyes, he beheld a hand extended towards him, and heard the voiceof Cortes say, in tones of concession, though of embarrassment,

  "God be with you--you do us wrong in this matter: as a Christian manescaped from bondage, we are not unrejoiced to see you: as a soldierreturning from a delayed duty, we will declare our thoughts of youanon."

  There was nothing very gracious either in the words or tones of thespeaker; but they were unexpected. They swept away the proud and angryresolutions of Juan, and restored to him the warm feelings of affectionand gratitude, with which he had ever been accustomed to regard thegeneral. He seized the proffered hand, pressed it to his lips, andseemed about to throw himself at Don Hernan's feet, when suddenly anoise was heard at a curtained door hard by, accompanied by what seemedthe smothered shriek of a woman. At this sound the young man started up,with a look of fear, and yielded up the hand which was abruptly snatchedfrom his own. He gazed round him and plainly beheld the thick clothbefore the nearest passage, shaking, as if disturbed by the recentpassage of some one,--but nothing else. He perceived no new countenanceadded to those of the many in audience, which were directed upon hisown, with an universal stare of wonder. His attention was recalled bythe voice of Cortes. He turned; the general was seated; a stern and irongravity had taken the place of relenting feeling on his visage; and itwas evident to the unfortunate Juan, that the hour of reconciliation hadpassed away, and for ever. The cavaliers retreated,--the Tlascalan andthe dog were all that remained by his side; and, as if to make hisdisgrace both undeniable and intolerable, the senor Guzman maintained,throughout the whole scene, his post at the general's side, confrontedface to face with his fallen rival.

  "We are ready to hear thee, Juan Lerma," said the Captain-General, witha voice at once cold and commanding: "you went hence, to explore thelands of the west, and the sea that rolls among them. We argue muchsuccess, and great discoveries, from the time devoted to these purposes,and from the discretion you evinced in pursuing them for a whole yearand more, rather than by returning with your forces, to share in thedangerous fights of Mexico. What have you to say? You had some goodfollowers, both Christian and unconverted.--Stand thou aloof, GasparOlea! I will presently speak with thee.--Hast thou brought none backwith thee but the Barba-Roxa,--Gaspar of the Red Beard?"

  There was not a word in this address which did not sting the young manto the heart; and the insulting insinuation which a portion of itconveyed, was uttered in a tone of the most cutting sarcasm. Hetrembled, reddened, clenched his hand in the shaggy coat of Befo,--whostill, though beckoned by Cortes, refused to leave the exile,--until theanimal whined with pain. Then, smothering his emotions, like one whoperceives that he is wronged, and, knowing that complaint will beunavailing, is resolute to suffer with fortitude, he elevated his loftyfigure with tranquil dignity, looked upon Cortes with an aspect nolonger reproachful, and replied,

  "Besides Gaspar, who is worthy of your excellency's confidence andthanks, no one returns with me save the Ottomi, Ocelotzin,--the Tiger; aman to whom should be accorded the praise of having saved the life ofGaspar, which is valuable to your excellency, and my own,--which isworthless."

  As he spoke, he pointed to the ancient barbarian, who stepped forwardwith the same affectionate smiles and grimaces which he had bestowedupon the party at the cypress-tree, and with many uncouth gestures ofreverence, saying, in imperfect Castilian, after he had touched thefloor with his hand, and then kissed it,

  "Ottomi I,--good friend, good rascal; but Ocelotzin no more.I am Techeechee,[8] the Silent Dog,--the little dog withoutvoice,--Techeechee!"

  [Footnote 8: _Techichi_--a native animal of the dog kind, which does notbark. It was domesticated.]

  As he spoke, he cast his eyes, with less of love than admiring fear,upon the gigantic beast, whose voice was to him, as well as to hiscountrymen, more terrible than the yell of the mountain tiger.

  "I remember thee, good fellow," said the Captain-General.

  Then, without bestowing any further present notice on him, he turnedagain to Juan, speaking with the same cold and magisterial tones:

  "And where, then, are the two Christians of La Mancha, and the seventywarriors of Matlatzinco, who composed your party? the arms you carried?and the four good horses entrusted to your charge?"

  "Your excellency shall hear," said Juan, calmly: "The two Manchegos wereill inclined to the expedition; and therein were my followers butunfortunately selected."

  "They were mutineers!" cried Gaspar, whose anger was not mollified bybeing made a witness to the ill fate of his young captain: "they weremutineers; and so the devil has them."

  "Hah!" exclaimed Cortes, starting up, with what seemed angry joy: "didstthou dare arrogate the privileges of a judge, and condemn a Christianman to death?"

  "I am guiltless of such presumption," said Juan. "To theirdissatisfaction, to their disobedience,--nay, to their frequent threats,and open disregard of the commands your excellency had yourself imposedupon us, not to provoke the Indians among whom we might bejourneying,--I adjudged no punishment but the assurance that yourexcellency should certainly be made acquainted with their acts. Withmuch persuasion, I prevailed upon them to follow me, until we hadreached the sea, which it was your excellency's command I should firstexamine."

  "Ay!" said Cortes, again starting up, but with an air of exultation;"thou hast found it then? and a port that may give shelter to ships ofburthen?"

  "Not one port only, but many," said Juan, with a faltering voice,mistaking the satisfaction of the leader for approbation. "In a space ofseventy leagues, (for so much of the coast was I able to survey,) thereare many harbours, exceedingly spacious, deep and secure; and some ofsuch excellence, that I question whether the world contains any othersto equal them. Near to some, there is much good ship timber, as well aslands amazingly fertile and beautiful."

  "This is well," said the Captain-General, coldly. "Thou hast welldevoted a year of time to the examination of seventy leagues of coast."

  "Had that been the only subject of your excellency's orders," saidLerma, "you should have had no cause for dissatisfaction. Thisaccomplished, it became me, as your excellency had commanded, to explorethose gold lands to the northwest, and discover that kingdom ofHuitzitzila, as it was erroneously called by Montezuma, which borderedupon his dominions, and had ever m
aintained its independence by force ofarms."

  At these words, many of the cavaliers looked surprised, as if madeacquainted with this article of Juan's instructions for the first time,and some exchanged meaning glances, which were not lost on Cortes. Hefrowned, and hastily exclaimed,

  "You are wrong; I _commanded_ you not. That kingdom being at enmity withMexico, it was not fit your lives should be endangered, by rashlyadventuring within its confines. You were advised, if you should find wehad been deceived in the character of those infidels of Huitzitzila, tomake yourself acquainted with them and their country: but this was leftto your discretion."

  "It is true," said Juan mildly, "your excellency did so advise me; andthe fault which I committed was in thinking that I should best pleaseyou, by penetrating to that land, without much thought of difficulty ordanger. In this, as in other things, as Gaspar will be my witness, I wasopposed by those unhappy Manchegos; who deserted from me in the night,carrying with them, (to replace a horse which they had lost in a river,)the charger which your excellency had given to me for my own riding,--aswell as their arquebuses,--which was still more unfortunate; forGaspar's piece had been broken by a fall, and we were thus left withoutfirearms, with but one horse, and no better weapon to procure us food,than mine own crossbow, and the arrows of the Matlatzincos."

  "Now, by my conscience," said Cortes, "I know not which the more toadmire,--the good vigilance that allowed these knaves to escape, or therash-brained folly which led you to continue the expedition withoutthem!"

  The sarcasm produced no change in Juan's visage. He seemed to have madeup his mind not only to endure injustice, but to expect it.

  "Their desertion was neither unforeseen nor unopposed," he answered. "Itis my grief to say, that they forgot the obligations both of disciplineand Christianity, and desperately fired upon Gaspar and myself; wherebythey killed our remaining horse, and wounded myself in the side."

  "And where then were thy knavish Indians, that thou didst not slay thefalse traitors on the spot?" cried Cortes, with an indignation, which,this time, had the right direction.

  The answer to this added but another item of mischance to the youngman's story. The arts of the Manchegos had spread disaffection among hisIndian followers, many of whom had deserted with them. Following afterthe mutineers, he was, shortly after, abandoned by the rest; and thenhis little party, consisting only of Gaspar and the Ottomi, wasattacked, by hostile tribes, driven back upon the path, and finallyforced to take refuge in the dominions of that native monarch, whosereputed grandeur and wealth had so long since excited the curiosity ofDon Hernan.

  The relation of Lerma, though of such thrilling interest that itabsorbed the attention of all present, and even so wrought upon the mindof Cortes, that he gradually discharged the severity of his countenance,and even at last ceased altogether to interrupt it with sarcasm orcommentary of any kind, has too little, or at least too indirect aconnexion with the present history, to require it to be given in theexile's words, or at any length. With the main facts,--his longcaptivity and final escape,--the reader is already acquainted; and it isnot perhaps necessary to add more than that the kingdom of which so muchhas been said, was that of Mechoacan, and that its capital Tzintzontzan,(the Place of Hummingbirds,) corrupted by the Mexicans into Huitzitzila,lies yet, though dwindled into the meanest of villages, upon thebeautiful lake Pascuaro. Juan knew nothing of the fate of the Manchegos.By a comparison of dates, it was discovered that the sudden outbreakingof hostilities, which had driven him into this remote land, had followedalmost immediately upon the tumults In Mexico, which had resulted in thedeath of Montezuma and the expulsion of the Spaniards; and it was notdoubted, that the mutineers had met a miserable and speedy death. Withthe account of lands of unexampled beauty and fertility, of rivers ofgold and hills of silver, we have nothing to do, except to remark thatit determined the fate of Mechoacan as certainly as if the order hadbeen uttered for its immediate subjugation. The whole account might havebeen omitted, except that it was necessary, as the means of explainingsome of the feelings with which the young Lerma was regarded by thegeneral and his chief followers.

  There is no eloquence so persuasive as that of distress, uttered withoutcomplaint; and no story of hardship and peril fails of excitingsympathy, when recounted with truth and modesty. Accordingly, thenarrative of the exile produced among the cavaliers a powerfulimpression in his favour, which was heightened into admiration by theconsciousness that nothing but the greatest constancy of purpose, andmental resources beyond those of ordinary men, could have conducted himthrough his long and perilous enterprise. Many of those, who seemed toremember with most interest the breach between the general and one whohad been formerly considered almost his adopted son, kept their eyescuriously bent on Cortes; and they did not doubt, from the changes ofhis countenance, that his better feelings were deeply engaged, and wouldperhaps restore the young man to the confidence and affection which allknew he had lost. This belief became universal, when, at the close ofthe story, the Captain-General arose, and addressing the throng, said,

  "Cavaliers and friends, we will free all present from the tedium of thisaudience, saving only the gentlemen of the Secret Counsel, and these ourreturned friends.--Nay, by my faith, Gaspar of the Red Beard, thou maystdepart likewise, to speak thy adventures to thine old friends, whichthou art doubtless itching to do; or, if thou likest that better, getthee to Antonio de Quinones, our Master of the Armory, and choosethyself a good sword, buckler and breastplate. Thou art a true soldier,and, by and by, I have somewhat to say to thee.--The knave has the gaitof an infidel!"

  At this signal for breaking up the audience, which was pronounced withthe grave and easy authoritativeness of one long accustomed to command,the individuals present, Christian and heathen, princes, chieftains, andcavaliers, took their departure, leaving behind them Sandoval, Alvarado,and a few other officers of high standing.

  As Juan stood, embarrassed between hope and doubt, the senor Guzmandescended from the platform, and, passing him, said with a low voice anda derisive smile,

  "You mount, senor, and Bobadil neighs for you! It is better--the war isequal."

  So saying, he passed on.