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

by Robert Montgomery Bird

  CHAPTER XIII.

  It has been already mentioned, that the person of Guatimozin wasfamiliar to few, or none, of the Spaniards. Intensely and consistentlyhostile to the invaders, from the first moment of their appearance inthe Valley, he had ever kept aloof from them, and was one of the fewprinces of Mexico, whom neither force nor stratagem could reduce tothraldom. His youth, indeed,--his want of authority, (for though of theloftiest birth and the highest military fame, he enjoyed, at first, noindependent command or government,) and, hence, his apparentinsignificance,--had made the possession of his person of no greatconsequence; and it was not until he was seen leading the incensedcitizens up against the guns of the garrison, and directing the assaultwhich terminated in the life of Montezuma, that he began to beconsidered an enemy worthy to be feared. Even then, however, he was butone among the warlike followers of Cuitlahuatzin,--the successor ofMontezuma,--and on the famous battle-field of Otumba, he fought only asa second in command. But from that time until the present moment, hisname was constantly before the Spaniards, first as the king ofIztapalapan, then as a leader among those royal warriors, sent forth byCuitlahuatzin, now to annoy the Spaniards, even among their fortresseson the borders of Tlascala, and now to chastise those rebellious tribeswhich were daily acknowledging allegiance to the Spaniard, and preparingto march with him against Tenochtitlan.

  The death of Cuitlahuatzin had suddenly exposed him to view as theprobable successor to the imperial dignity; and the act of the royalelectors, (the kings of Mexico were chosen by the crowned vassals of theempire,) in bestowing the mantle and sceptre, had left nothing to bedone to confirm his authority, save a solemn inauguration on the day ofan august religious and national festival.

  He had thus assumed the attitude which Montezuma had once preserved inthe eyes of the Conquistador; and it was as much the policy of Cortes toattempt the acts of delusion with him, as it had been with hispredecessor. The craftier and haughtier Guatimozin had, however,rejected his overtures with disdain; and, justly appreciating thecharacter and designs of his enemy, he prepared for war as the onlyalternative of slavery. He had already concentrated in his city, and inthe neighbouring towns, the whole martial force of the tribes yetvaliant and faithful; he had laboured, with an address that was notalways ineffectual, to regain the false and rebellious; and, risingabove the weakness of national resentments, he had even striven to unitehis hereditary foes in a league of resistance against the stranger, who,whether frowning or smiling, whether courting with friendship, orsubduing with arms, was yet, and equally, the enemy of all.

  Enough has been said to explain the purpose for which he so rashly threwhimself into the power of the Conqueror. The certain assurance ofdisaffection in the invader's camp, not only among the allies, but amongthe Spaniards themselves, was enough to fire his heart with the desireof employing against Don Hernan a weapon which his foe had used sofatally against him; and, besides, the opportunity of detaching theTlascalans from the Spanish interest, was too captivating to berejected. These were advantages to be investigated and promoted byhimself, rather than by agents; and, confiding in his enemies' ignoranceof his person, in his cunning, and in the interested fidelity oftraitors, who had already grasped at bribes, and were eager to be betteracquainted with his bounty, he did not scruple to direct his midnightskiff among the reeds on the lakeside, and, in the guise of a merenoble, trust himself alone in their power.

  If the reader desire to know what could induce any of the followers ofCortes to treat thus perfidiously with the infidel enemy whose wealthwas promised as the certain guerdon of war, he may be answered almost ina word. The _dangers_ of the war were manifold and obvious to all, andthe horrors of the five days' battles in the streets of Mexico, and morethan all, the calamities of the midnight retreat, had given such aforetaste of what might be expected from a prosecution of the campaign,that full half the army looked forward to it with equal terror andrepugnance. A majority of those who survived the Noche Triste, werefollowers of the unfortunate Narvaez, and some of them yet friendly tothe deceived Velasquez. They remained with Cortes upon compulsion, andthey hated him not only for their inability to return to their peaceablefarms among the islands, for past calamities, and coming misfortunes,but for the superior favours showered so liberally, and indeed sonaturally, upon those who had been his original, and were yet hisfaithful, adherents. In a word, they regarded the reduction of theMexican empire as hopeless, and their own fate, if they remained, asalready written in characters of blood. The bolder scowled andcomplained, the feeble and the crafty dissembled, but evil thoughts andfierce resolutions were common to all. They burned to be released fromwhat was to them intolerable bondage, and the means were not to bequestioned, even though they might involve connivance and collusion withthe foe. But such collusion was by no means known, nor even suspected,by any save the few desperadoes who had risen to the bad eminence ofleaders. Even Villafana was ignorant of the true character of his guest,and esteemed him to be only what he represented himself,--Olin, theyoung noble, an orator, counsellor, and confidential agent ofGuatimozin. It was not possible for the Captain-General to regard him inany other light.

  Whatever may have been the young monarch's thoughts, his secretmisgivings and self-reproaches, as he strode, closely environed bycavaliers, into the great hall, now dimly lighted by tapers of vegetablewax and torches of fragrant wood, they were exposed by no agitation ofcountenance or hesitation of step; and when Cortes ascended the platformto his seat, and turned his penetrating eye upon him, he preserved anair of the most fearless tranquillity. For the space of several moments,the general regarded him in silence; then commanding all to leave theapartment, excepting Sandoval, Alvarado, and another cavalier whoofficiated as interpreter, he said to Alvarado, with a mild voice, verystrangely contrasted with the rudeness of his words,

  "Look into the face of this heathen dog, and tell me if thou knowesthim."

  Alvarado had been, as the historical reader is aware, left in Mexico,the jailer of Montezuma and the warden of the city, during the absenceof Cortes, when he marched against Narvaez. It was supposed, therefore,that Don Pedro was better acquainted with the persons of the principalnobles than any other cavalier. He examined the captive curiously, andat last said, shaking his head,

  "Methinks his visage is not unknown; and yet I wot not to whom itbelongs. The knave is but a boy. If he be a noble, never trust me but heis one of Guatimozin's making, and therefore not yet of consequence."

  At the sound of his own name, the only word distinguishable by theprisoner, Alvarado observed that his brow contracted a little. But thisawoke no suspicion.

  "Demand of him," said Cortes to the interpreter, "his name, and thepurpose of his coming to Tezcuco?"

  When this was explained to the Mexican, his brow contracted stillfurther, but rather with inquisitiveness than embarrassment:

  "I am Olin-pilli," (that is, Olin the Lord, or Lord Olin,) he replied,"the speaker of wise things to the king, and the mouth of nobles."

  He then paused, as if to examine with what degree of belief he waslistened to; and being satisfied, from the countenance of Don Hernan,that he was really unknown, he continued, with a more confident tone,

  "And I come to the Lord of the East, the Son of the God of Air, to hearthe words of his children. Did not the Teuctli send for me?"

  "Not I," replied the Captain-General, sternly. "Speaker of wise things,I look into thy heart, and I see thy falsehood. Thou art a spy,--a_quimichin_,--sent by Guatimozin the king, to speak dark things to themen of Tlascala."

  The captive, though somewhat disconcerted, maintained a fearlesscountenance:

  "The Teuctli is the son of the gods, and knows everything," he answered.

  "And charged also," continued Cortes, "to whisper in the ears of fools,who send good words to the king, that the king may enrich them withgold. Is not this true, Sir Quimichin?"

  "Is not Malintzin the Son of Quetzalcoatl, the White God with a beard,who proclaimed from the Hill of Shouting[
10] and from the SpeakingMountain,[11] the coming of his offspring? and shall Olin know morethings than Malintzin? Guatimozin thinks, that the Spaniard should notslay his people."

  [Footnote 10: _Tzatzitepec_, a mountain near Tula.]

  [Footnote 11: _Catcitepetl_, a volcano.]

  "Wherefore, then, sent he not thee to _me_?" demanded theCaptain-General. "I will listen to his words. It was not wise to sendhis ambassador to the soldier, when the general sat by, in histent.--Hearken to me, friend Olin," he continued, with gravity: "Hadstthou brought his discourse to me, thou hadst then been listened to withhonour, and dismissed in peace. Art thou a soldier?"

  "Olin is a counsellor," replied the Mexican, proudly; "but he has bledin battle."

  "And is not Guatimozin a warrior?"

  "He is the king of the House of Darts, and he has struck his foe."

  "When the lurking Ottomi is found skulking in his camp; when the angryTlascalan creeps up to his fort; what does Guatimozin then with theprisoner? what says he to the Ottomi? what wills he with the Tlascalan?"

  "He binds them to the stone, and they die like the dogs of the altar!"replied the barbarian, with a fierce utterance.

  "Thou hast spoken thine own doom," replied Cortes, sternly; "only that,instead of perishing according to thy damnable customs, a sacrifice tospirits accurst, thou shalt have such death as we give to the dogs ofCastile. Thou hast crept into my camp, like the spying Ottomi; thoucomest with sword and shield, like the bravo of Tlascala; and thou hastaddressed thyself to traitors and conspirators, to make them mineenemies. Why then should I not hang thee upon a tree? or why," hecontinued, with an elevated voice, descending from the platform, and,with a single motion, unsheathing his rapier and aiming it against thecaptive's breast--"why should I not kill thee, thou cur! upon the spot?"

  "I am a Mexican!" replied the young king, rather opposing his body tothe expected thrust than seeking to avoid it; "I look upon my death, andI spit upon thee, Spaniard!"

  "Hah!" cried Cortes, whose desire was to intimidate, not to slay, andwho could not but admire the fearless air of defiance, so boldly assumedby the captive, "thou hast either a true heart, or a penetratingeye.--Fear not; thy life is in my hands, but I design thee no wrong:death were but a just punishment for thy villany, yet I mean not toenforce it. What wilt thou do, if I discharge thee unharmed?"

  "I will know," said the barbarian, with a look of surprise, as soon asthis was interpreted, "that Malintzin is not always hungry for blood; orrather, I will ask of my thoughts, what mischief to Mexico is meditatedin the act of mercy."

  "A shrewd knave, i'faith, a shrewd knave!" cried Cortes, admiringly: "bymy conscience, this fellow hath somewhat the wit of a Christianpolitician.--Infidel," he continued, "hearken to what I say. I desire tospeak the words of peace with my young brother Guatimozin. Whereforewill he not listen to me?"

  "Because his ears are open to the groans of his children," replied theMexican, promptly. "When Malintzin smiles, the brand hisses on the fleshof the prisoner; when he talks of peace, the great warhorse paws thebreast of the dead. Let this thing be not, let his insurgent subjects besent to their villages, and Guatimozin will listen to the Teuctli."

  "He has slain my ambassadors," said Cortes.

  "Shall the slave say to his master, 'I am the bondman of another,' andlaugh in the king's face? Let Malintzin send a Christian to Guatimozin.I will row him in my skiff, and he shall return unharmed."

  "What thinkest thou of _this_? I will send him such an envoy, and thoushalt remain a hostage in his place. What will be said to him by theking of Mexico?"

  "This," replied the captive, without a moment's hesitation: "TheChristian is in Mexico, and Olin-pilli in the prisons of Malintzin: letthe Christian therefore die."

  "Ay, by my conscience, he speaks well," said Cortes. "But werefriendship offered, and twenty thousand hostages left behind, I shouldlike to know what Spaniard of us all would perform the pilgrimage? Thereis but _one_.--But that is naught. By heaven and St. John, we will thinkof other things! we will think of other things!--Is it not death by thedecree?"

  "Senor!" cried Alvarado in surprise. Cortes started.--In the moment ofentranced thought, he had stridden away from the group to some distance,and, he now perceived, they were gazing at him with wonder.

  "We will entrust this thing to him, then, as I said," he cried,hurriedly, "and he shall return with the misbeliever's answer. We haveno other choice. What think ye of it, my masters?"

  "Of _what_?" said Alvarado, bluntly: "You have said nothing. By'r lady,and with reverence to your excellency, you are dreaming!"

  "Pho!" cried the Captain-General, "did I not speak it? Our thoughtssometimes sound in our ears, like words. This is the philosophy of themarvel: Hast thou never, when thine eyes were shut, yet beheld in themthe objects of which thou wert thinking? If thou couldst think music,never believe me but thou wouldst also hear it.--This, then, is thethought which I forgot to utter: I will give this dog his freedom, and,for lack of a better, make him my envoy to Guatimozin. If he return, itwill be well; if not, we are left where we were; and we can hang himhereafter."

  "Let us first know," said Sandoval, coolly, "by what sort of charm heprevailed on this mad young man, Juan Lerma, to peril limb and life forhim, and, what is more, honour too."

  "Ay, by my conscience!" said Cortes, hurriedly; "this thing I hadforgotten.--He shall die the death! Connive with a spy? conceal him fromthe pursuers? draw sword upon a cavalier? strike at an officer's life?Were he mine own brother, he should abide his doom. Who will say I wronghim _now_?--Hah! what says the dog? How came this thing to pass?"

  While Cortes was yet pursuing the subject nearest to his heart, halfsoliloquizing, the question was asked and answered; and the reply, toGuatimozin's great relief, was received with unexpected belief.

  "He was caught by the bloodhound; (An excellent dog, that Befo!)" saidAlvarado; "and making his moan to Lerma, (whom heaven take to its rest!for I know not how he can be so brave, and yet an ass,) the young foolfell to his old tricks. When did an Indian ever ask him for pity invain?--This is his story; it is too natural to be false; yet, Indiansare great liars.--But you said something of making this cur your envoy?"

  "Ay," replied Cortes: "What sayst thou, Olin, speaker of wise things!wilt thou bear my thoughts to thy master Guatimozin?"

  "The lord of Tenochtitlan shall hear them," said Guatimozin, his eyesgleaming with expectation.

  "And thou wilt return to me with his answer? Swear this upon the crossof my sword; ay, and swear it by thy diabolical gods also."

  "Guatimozin shall send back to Malintzin a noble Mexican; or, otherwise,Olin will return. How shall the Mexican noble know that the Teuctli willnot take his life?"

  "Does that deter you?" said Cortes: "I swear by the cross which Iworship, that, come thou or another, or come Guatimozin himself,provided he come to me in peace, and with the king's message, he shalldepart in safety, with good-will and with favours such as this."

  As he spoke, he took from his own neck, and flung round the Mexican's, achain of beads, which were neither of diamond, sapphire, nor ruby, butsufficiently resembling each and all, to gratify the vanity of abarbarian. The young king smiled--but it was at the thought of freedom.

  "Thou shalt have more such, and richer," said Cortes, misconceiving hisjoy. "Why is not Olin the friend of Malintzin?"

  "Malintzin is a great prince," said the prisoner, softly.

  "Is Olin content to be the slave of Guatimozin?" pursued theCaptain-General, insidiously. "Will Olin do Malintzin's bidding, and bethe king of Chalco?"

  "Shall Olin slay Guatimozin?" cried the prisoner, with a gleam of subtleintelligence, and so abruptly, that Cortes was startled.

  "Hah! by my conscience!" he cried, "I understand thee: thou art evenmore knave than I thought thee.--Kill the king indeed? By no means; harmnot a hair of his head: we will have no assassination. It is better thisyoung boy should be king than another.--This is a very proper knave.Gentlemen, by your leave,
I will bid you good-night: I will see the dogto the water-side. Antonio, do thou walk with us, and explain betweenus.--A very excellent shrewd villain."

  So saying, the Captain-General turned to the door by which he had latelyentered, and taking the prisoner's arm, in the most familiar andfriendly manner, he stepped forthwith into the garden. The Mexican'sflesh crept, when it came in contact with that of the Spaniard; butthis, the Spaniard doubted not, was the tribute of awe to his greatness.His voice became yet blander, as, walking onwards towards the lake, hepoured into Guatimozin's ear his wishes and instructions.

  As they passed by the little pool and its dark enclosure ofschinus-trees, the infidel looked towards it anxiously and lingeringly,as if hoping to behold once more the pale and beautiful countenancewhich had shone upon it.--It lay in deep silence and solitude.

  A few moments after, the Mexican had passed through the broken wall, andby the sentries who guarded it, receiving the last instructions of theinvader. The next instant he was alone, stalking towards a little greenpoint, where a fringe of reeds and water-lilies shook in the diminutivesurges. He cast his eye backward to the two cavaliers, and beheld thempass into the garden. Then, taking the chain of beads from his neck, andrending it with foot and hand, he cast the broken jewels into the lake.A moment after, his light skiff shot from its concealment, and the soundof his paddle startled the droning wild-fowl from their slumbers.