Roger the Bold: A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico

by F. S. Brereton

  CHAPTER XVI

  The First Encounter

  Roger was back in Mexico--the city upon the water where he had once beentaken as a captive, and where he was now received with the welcome ofits many thousands, and with the grateful friendship of its nobles andking; and with him now he had his own countrymen, for of the thirty-fourwho had been rescued from the prison at Tlascala, twenty-six hadsurvived, Sir Thomas being amongst the unfortunate ones who had beenkilled by the fire of the Spaniards.

  "We owe our lives to you, undoubtedly," said Philip, a couple of dayslater, when the two stood on one of the tall towers looking down on thecity; "for had you not decided to stay in your prison unless we alsowere rescued, these Mexicans would never have made the attempt. That wehave learned already, for Tamba speaks a few words of English, and I canmanage to understand a little of the Aztec language. We have beentalking matters over--I and Peter Tamworth and the others. All ourleaders are gone, and the few gentlemen adventurers left do not care tolead, nor would we have them if they did. We wish you to take thecommand of our party, and to make the best arrangements to get us backto England. For the present we are pledged to carry out your wishes."

  "And I am pledged to defend this city," said Roger, with emphasis, whilehe flushed with pride at the honour which his old comrades were doinghim.

  "I will take this post which you offer--for the present, at any rate;for, you see, here in Mexico----"

  "They speak of you as the god of air, we hear," smiled Philip. "I am notsurprised, for you are so tall and so big, and then you can fight. Ihave also learned of the ruse played on the Spanish horsemen. It wascleverly thought of. I do not wonder that you are the Mexicans' leader,and it would be impossible for any of our party to oust you. TheMexicans would kill them promptly. Tell me how you gained their liking."

  "Gladly," answered Roger. "And do you let me know how the brigantine wascaptured, and how she fared after I was left. And that brings me to thetale of the disc. That Spaniard, Alvarez, turned out a rogue. He nearlykilled me, and he has the golden treasure now, I believe. I looked forhim in Tlascala, but did not see him."

  "And I caught sight of him once only," answered Philip. "He kept awayfrom us, and I am told went off to some other city on the commandant'sservice."

  "We shall meet him again, never fear," said Roger, after a little while."But listen to my tale, Philip, and you will see that our expedition isnot yet hopelessly ruined. If we can defend Mexico successfully, and cancapture this Alvarez and the disc, we shall return to England withriches sufficient to gratify every one."

  They sat down on the edge of the tower and discussed the matter for along while, our hero telling of the promise made by the Mexicans that heshould be rewarded for his services, and should carry away as much as hedesired. Then he listened while Philip told of the adventures of the menwho remained aboard the brigantine, and of how they were captured.

  "And now we come to the time when you are our leader, and we are to facethese Spaniards again," said Philip. "Tell us what we are to do, for youhave twenty-six men, all of whom can act as officers."

  "Then let us seek out Peter Tamworth, and ask his advice," answeredRoger, thoughtfully. "He is a mariner of long experience, and he will beable to tell us how to meet these brigantines, or perhaps even how tomake one for service on the lake."

  They descended from the tower, and in due course came upon Peter,looking wonderfully grand in his feathered cloak and native dress, forall had been reclothed, their own dress being torn to ribbons.

  "'Tis out of the question, this thought of building a brigantine for useon the lake," he answered promptly. "You say that there is news thatCortes is now on his way here, and that fighting has commenced. Abrigantine would take months to build, while something smaller wouldtake almost as long. But we could contrive something with rafts of lightmaterial. Or better, my commandant, make stout boats by lashing somefour or five of these canoes together. They do not use sails, but thereis enough cotton here to make them; and a boat such as I describeshould cut fast through the water, and stand a chance if it came towarfare. But the brigantines would knock her to pieces if she got intheir way. That is where their advantage will be felt. None of thesecanoes will be able to stand against them."

  "Then we will do what we can, and you shall take command on the water,"said Roger. "We will go to Teotlili and the king and make ourarrangements. Then I will appoint one each of our men to the bands ofcrossbow and lance-bearing soldiers, and let them carry on the training.There will be ample weapons, for all the artificers in the city havebeen at work."

  By dint of strenuous labour Roger and his friends, with the able andcordial assistance of the king and Teotlili, managed to get togetherquite a respectable number of the Mexicans, and during the two dayswhich they had free to themselves, and the few which followed duringwhich Cortes and his allies marched down to the lake and visitedTezcuco, were able to appoint each one of the English men-at-arms oradventurers to the band. Then those who had already been trained in theuse of the new weapons were divided up, and set to work to instructtheir comrades. Meanwhile, Peter Tamworth had taken the matter of theboats in hand, and ere a day had passed had constructed some twentybroad canoes, lashing four of the native vessels side by side. Sailswere a matter of greater difficulty, and it took time to teach theMexicans to use them, for hitherto they had used the paddle alone.However, at the end of a week they were fairly proficient, and when atlength the enemy did come in touch, had some confidence in themselves.It was an eventful day when Cortes marched down to Mexico, and took uphis position, and a still more exciting moment when his men advanced toattack the forts which had been erected at the opening of the aqueducts.

  "Let the men lie down behind the walls," said Roger, who was in command."They are to take no notice of the cannon, and are to stay quiet till Igive the order to rise. Even then those with the lance will remain wherethey are, for it is my object to lure these Spaniards on till they areat close quarters."

  He took up a commanding post in the centre of one of the long wallswhich had been constructed, and watched the enemy closely. There weresome three hundred Spaniards, and many thousands of their allies, andthey advanced across the open directly against the wall, dragging theirguns with them. Arriving within two hundred yards they halted, and aftera little while the guns opened fire, the shot screeching over the wall,and falling into the lake behind. At the sound several Mexicans rose,and would have retired.

  "Tell them that they will be instantly executed if they show fear,"called out Roger to Teotlili, who was a few paces away. "How can cannonballs hurt when we have a thick wall to defend us? Bid them carry out myorder."

  The Mexican noble turned and repeated the words in stern tones.

  "We will set an example to any who may show fear," he said. "Considerthat you are fighting for home and children. Let no one say that wewere afraid of a noise."

  The words seemed to hearten the men, and though the guns continuedfiring for some little while, no one moved, no one was hit, and only afew bricks were dashed from the wall. It was plain that there wasnothing to be done in this manner, and the Spanish commander gave anorder.

  "We will advance against them," he said, in scornful tones. "They willrun when they see our swords. Let the men with sword and buckler marchon the right, and those with lances on the left. The men with thecrossbows can be on either flank."

  They formed at once, and came forward at a smart pace, looking sonumerous, with thousands of the native allies swarming about them, thatthe Mexicans again showed signs of losing heart. But Roger soonreassured them. He leaped on to the wall, where all could see him, andcalled to Teotlili--

  "Let the crossbow-men prepare their weapons and creep up to the back ofthe wall," he said; "and shout to those stationed in the canoes to comeclose to the shore. When I call out, they are to fire into the enemy.The men with the lances are to form up at either end of the wall, andare to be ready to rush out on the Spaniards and their allies. Let allfollow my sho
ut with another."

  The order was promptly repeated, and Roger, looking down from his highperch, saw that all was in readiness. The faces of the Mexicans nowshowed eagerness and determination; for the sight of their leaderstanding there with the Spanish shafts flying past him, gave themcourage. A little while ago they had found it hard to stand up to theSpaniards, but now they had learned something. They had seen this youthdefy them and hoodwink their horsemen, and they argued that if he coulddo that, then they also might hope for success. Therefore the mensilently crept to the back of the wall, while the lancers, each with oneof the English to command them, stole softly to either end, and waitedthe moment for battle. It came sooner than they expected.

  "Take them with a rush!" shouted the Spanish leader. "Now, charge downon them!"

  He and his men gave vent to a chorus of shouts, which was followed bythose of the natives, and by their curious shrill whistles. Then thewhole mass dashed forward impetuously, aiming for the wall which hadbeen erected across the approach to the aqueduct.

  "Ready!" shouted Roger, and at the signal, some thousand voices took upthe shout, while the top of the wall was lined with the heads andshoulders of the crossbow-men. Then numbers of canoes dashed from underthe aqueduct, and ferrying in close to the shore, came to a stop. Atonce a cloud of shafts sang in the direction of the enemy, and somescore of their numbers fell to the ground. But it did not even cause theSpaniards to hesitate, though many of the allies came to a sudden halt.They repeated their shout, and dashed forward at an even greater pace,their swords above their heads, and their bucklers ready before them tokeep off the shafts. The lancemen on the left, however, had littleprotection, and a nod from Roger caused Teotlili to direct the aim ofthe majority against them.

  "Get the men with the lance ready," called out Roger, "and bid them dashagainst the Spaniards with the same weapon while they are confused withthe loss caused by the crossbow-men. And, Philip!"

  The young fellow who had been such a friend of his aboard the brigantineran up to his side, his sword, one taken from the enemy, over hisshoulder.

  "I am here," he said, a glint in his eye showing that he also was readyfor the attack.

  "You will take your own band of lancemen, and will wait till I raise myhand, for the noise is too great for a shout to be heard at a distance.When I signal, throw yourself on the flanks of the swordsmen. I shallmake a frontal attack at the same time. Now go."

  Roger might have led an army before by the manner in which he spoke, andby the sharpness with which he gave his orders. And those under hiscommand seemed to appreciate the fact that he was their leader and wellable to direct them, for they sprang to obey. Philip lifted his sword,swung round, and ran off to his men. Meanwhile the babel of shouts hadincreased, the men on the canoes screaming as if they wished to drownthe shouts and the whistles of the natives ashore. And no doubt thesesame battle-cries helped to keep up their courage. They poured shaftsfrom their new weapons into the Spanish lance-bearers, and those behindthe wall coming to their aid, the enemy in this part of the fieldsuddenly halted, while men dropped from the ranks. Then they turned andran for their lives, a sight which roused the Mexicans to the highestpitch of excitement. But still the Spaniards who were on the right, andwho bore sword and buckler, pressed on, though not at such a swift pace;their ardour was already damped by the unexpected opposition met with.

  Roger motioned to Teotlili. "Order all with the bow to pour their fireinto the swordsmen!" he shouted. Then he turned to where Philip waitedin expectation, and saw that he was ready.

  "In a little while," he said to himself, though it was as much as hecould do to hold his hand. "The time for launching the flank attack hasnot yet come. Ah, now the bolts begin to tell, for they are within fiftyyards! I will make the signal."

  He stood to his full height, and lifted his arm. Then he leaped from thewall, and ran to where another body of lancemen stood waiting furtherorders, the same who had been instructed to throw themselves on to theleft flank of the enemy.

  "Follow me!" he shouted, drawing his sword. "Lances up! Form into line!Now forward!"

  It was a formidable array which he led, and the natives who followed didso with the utmost determination. They ran in a close body from behindthe wall, wheeled steadily, and then, with a great shout, threwthemselves against the flank of the swordsmen. At the same moment Philipbrought his command against the opposite side. Then indeed was the airfilled with shouts and shrieks. The Spaniards fought fiercely, cuttingat the heads of the lances. But there were more behind, and they wereforced to give way; but they could not turn, for to do so would be tobe run through instantly.

  "Charge!" bellowed Roger, at the top of his voice. "Do not give themtime to rally, but press them."

  Not one of the Aztecs understood his words, but all heard his shout; andwhen they saw their young leader throw himself impetuously on theSpaniards with his sword, they gathered together and rushed forward withtheir lances. At the same time those who had been trained to follow inrear of the men who held the lances dashed through the gaps in theirranks, and fell upon the enemy furiously; indeed, never before had theSpaniards met with such fierce opposition or such strenuous attack. Onformer occasions their numerous allies had been able to help them, forthey had an unbounded faith in their masters, just as the Mexicans hadin Roger. But these new methods of warfare astounded and disheartenedthem, and the shafts from the crossbows did the rest. They retreatedearly in the encounter, leaving the Spaniards to themselves. Then thelance-bearers amongst Cortes' men gave way, leaving only the swordsmen.It was an opportunity, and Roger and his men took it.

  "Coming!" shouted Philip, as he saw his friend dash out against the headof the enemy. "Now, into their very centre!"

  He flung his men on the flank of the swordsmen, and combining withRoger's part, caused the Spaniards to stagger. A number fell, pierced bythe lances; then the remainder turned and attempted to flee. But theactive natives were on them promptly, and of the number who hadadvanced at a run to the attack, only a few returned to their friends;the rest were slain, and lay where they fell.

  "Let the men retire!" said Roger to Teotlili, as his lancemen began togather together again, looking as if they would like to push on to thecamp of the enemy. "Tell them to get behind the wall again, and wait fororders. These trained bands are too valuable to have their lives thrownaway."

  Accordingly the Mexican noble whistled shrilly, and very soon all wereback behind the wall. But their feelings now were very different. Theyhad, for the very first time since they had met with the Spaniards,defeated them in the open, and their jubilation was great.

  "Truly the manoeuvre was well planned and most effective," saidTeotlili, as he came to Roger's side. "The king was looking at us as wefought, and his messenger has just come with his thanks."

  "Then tell him that we must fail next time," answered Roger, calmly."The enemy will bring up all their strength, and we shall be forced togive way. But we can renew the conflict elsewhere. Let him keep that inmind, and not show displeasure or disappointment if we are beaten. And,Teotlili----"

  "What next, my lord?"

  "Make complete arrangements for the retirement of the men. Some musttake to the boats, while others can run by means of the aqueduct. Allthe crossbow-men are to retire last, and are to harass the enemy as theygo. They can lie off in the canoes and fire from the water."

  The Mexicans made the most of the lull in the fighting, and whilst theSpaniards gathered in their camp, discussing the unexpected turn ofevents, Roger and his friends perfected their arrangements forretirement, for it was clear to all that prolonged resistance could notbe offered. And, indeed, they soon had cause to congratulate themselveson their caution; for Cortes was roused by the failure of his attack,and within an hour he sent his complete force against the wall, someseven hundred Spaniards attacking with unparalleled fury. Roger and hiscommand resisted with determination, and held the wall till it wasobvious that further delay would be disastrous. Then Teotlili put his
fingers to his lips and sounded a shrill whistle.

  "That is the signal," he said, "and the men with the lances are even nowretiring by the aqueduct. We will give them a little while, and then theothers can go."

  "But we must beat the enemy back before they move!" exclaimed Roger."For otherwise they would be in our ranks before we were clear. Let themcollect here, and we will dash out at them with a hundred lances."

  Again the prudence of their young English leader helped the Mexicans,and when the call came for a hundred of the lancemen to stay, a thousandeagerly offered their services. However, Teotlili soon picked out achosen band, while the others retired swiftly, and without being seen.Then the crossbow-men were ordered to increase their fire, till theattackers were confused.

  "Now we will charge," said Roger, placing himself at the head of themen. "Once we have met them, let every one turn and run as you give thesignal."

  Half an hour later the whole command was back in Mexico, very few menhaving been lost, while the Spaniards had had numbers killed or wounded,and their native allies had suffered heavily. Then for an hour thecrossbow-men kept up a stinging fire, while the enemy destroyed thelandward end of the aqueduct.

  "It is a misfortune which cannot be helped," said Teotlili, as hewatched the process of destruction, "and it would have been better forus had the people taken your advice, and sent all the women and childrenaway to the hills. But the times are strange ones. We of Mexico havemany enemies, and it is likely that our womenkind might fall amongstthose who are unfriendly. Still, their presence here adds to the mouthsto be filled, and to the numbers requiring water. For that we must relyupon the large storage tanks which we have constructed. And now, mylord, what arrangements shall be made with regard to the brigantines?"

  They went in search of Peter Tamworth, while their look-outs posted onthe summit of every temple sent them word of the movements of the enemy.And very soon they learned that the brigantines were afloat in the lake,and were to be expected very soon.

  "Then, we will send out a fleet to meet them," said Roger, withdecision. "I grant that our chances are not very great, but it happensthat there is very little wind, and in a light breeze our small canoescan paddle faster than one of these Spanish vessels, while our new craftcan sail with them, at least, if they cannot outstrip them. We will trywhat huge numbers and a fierce attack will do."

  "And meanwhile I will communicate the news which has just reached me,"said Teotlili. "Our scouts and spies have obtained full information ofthe movements of the enemy, and of their method of attack. He is acrafty man, this Malinche, and he is closing a huge net about us.Already he has marched his men completely round the lake, and now he hasdivided them into three divisions."

  "An arrangement which we have foreseen," Roger reminded him. "We areprepared for combined attack from three or more quarters, and for onefrom the lake side itself."

  "Then these are the commanders and their positions, the informationbeing reliable. Pedro de Alvarado will go to Tlacuba, which lies closeto the post which we have just defended, and is at the end of theshorter causeway. He commands thirty horsemen, some twenty with crossbowor musket, and twenty thousand native allies. In addition, he will haveone hundred and fifty soldiers armed with sword and buckler.

  "Cristoval de Olid has a force of like proportions, except that he willcommand more of the allies, and he will take post at Cuyoacan, a town atthe entrance of a second short causeway, and one which runs to the maincauseway outside the city.

  "Gonzalo de Sandoval will take charge of the third force, and will haveas many as thirty thousand allies, and Spaniards equal in numbers to theother commanders, only fifty of his swordsmen will be picked soldiers,who are to act as a bodyguard to Malinche when he joins the troops. Butwe shall see, my lord. It may be that a bodyguard even will be unable toprotect them. This third force will go to Iztapalapa, and march on tothe main causeway, where they will fight their way, with the object ofcoming to the junction of the smaller causeway and there meeting theirfriends under De Olid. They will be supported by the brigantines, whichwill have all the sailors aboard, as well as fighting men, and will becommanded by Malinche himself."

  "Then we must make a special effort against them," said Roger. "As tothe junction being formed, that is a matter which we must put a stop to.We must do all that we can to delay the advance, and, if possible, wemust lure the attacking divisions on singly, so as to destroy them oneby one."

  The plans of the Spaniards needed a large amount of consideration on thepart of the Mexicans, and Roger and the king, with Teotlili and othernobles, spent many hours in discussing the means of defence. That Corteshad made clever arrangements for the siege and taking of the city couldnot be denied, and his first action had shown his astuteness; for he hadcut off the water supply, well knowing that the resistance of theMexicans depended largely on this. Then, too, his decision to assail thecity from three separate points at one and the same time was a wise one,for thereby he engaged every one of the defenders, and none could rest.This in itself was a serious matter, for though the Mexican numbers werehuge, their whole force would be compelled to remain alert, if notactually engaged, ready to reinforce any part specially threatened. Thetroops under Cortes, on the other hand, were even more numerous, andsome could rest while their comrades were fighting; for the causewaysgave limited space, and it was impossible for all to come to closequarters with the enemy.

  As to the points from which his attacks were to be launched, they wereundoubtedly the best under the circumstances, though, had he wished, hecould have selected a fourth, thereby launching his men along each endof the main causeway, and by each one of the branches which led into it.But he was too astute to block up the path of retreat. He recognisedthat even with all his allies he had an enormous host to contend with,and that all were filled with desperation and determination. His spieshad told him that, and also that amongst the allies who had come intothe city there were some who, like those outside, might in time waver.It would be wise policy to give them a free outlet to escape, andthereby reduce the numbers of the defenders. And to further thissolution he took care to send messages to these friends of the Mexicans,offering every inducement to cause them to waver in their allegiance.

  His arrangements made, as Teotlili had correctly reported, Cortes nosooner saw the aqueduct destroyed, than he sent his divisions to theirposts, and caused the brigantines to be floated. A glance at the plan ofMexico will show the camps of the Spaniards, and the reader will be ableto see the construction of the causeways. One running directly fromshore to shore, through the heart of the city, while a second--that bywhich Pedro de Alvarado was to force an entrance--cut out from theshore to what might be described as the back of Mexico. For this finecity was situated at one end of the lake, within easy distance of theshore to which the causeways connected it, while its face might be saidto look out to the vast expanse of salt lake on which the brigantineshad just been floated. And these latter could attack this side alone andthe long causeway running through the heart of the city, for the latterpresented a barrier through which only canoes could pass. There werethree other causeways or viaducts, one of which De Olid was to march by,while the other two were small and insignificant, and ran from thenorth-western shore.

  A few words will describe the preparations of the defenders, manycarried out at the suggestion of Roger. Numerous breaches had beenconstructed along the causeways, planks being left for the use of theMexicans. Then barricades had been built of sun-dried bricks at the backof these breaches, and crossbow shafts piled there, with an ample supplyof lances and other weapons. Canoes lay on either side, ready to hamperthe attackers in every possible manner, while all carried long poleswith hooks at the end.

  It must not be imagined that the Mexicans allowed each party to fightindependent of the others, for to have done so would have led to earlydisaster; but, as Cortes had anticipated, they held a huge force inreserve, and their operations were directed from the central and tallesttower of all from the sum
mit of which all the causeways, the lake, and,in fact, the whole fighting arena, could be seen. Thus prepared, with astore of water and of food, and with arrangements made whereby freshprovisions were brought in from the northern shore by canoe or by theopen causeway every day, the Mexicans, with their gallant young king andRoger at their head, looked for the coming of the enemy, andparticularly for the sailing of the fleet of brigantines. Nor had theylong to wait, for by now the canal which Cortes had caused to be dug atTezcuco was completed and joined to the lake, and very soon thebrigantines were floating on the surface of the vast basin, at the farcorner of which was situated the city of Mexico. Then the report camethat their masts were erected, and soon they were steering down thelake, propelled by a light breeze.

  "There is a stir in the camps of the enemy also," said Teotlili,receiving a message from one of the look-outs. "Our men are prepared onthe causeways, and we are expecting attack."

  "Then we will set out in the canoes as soon as the brigantines arewithin a few leagues," answered Roger. "I will go now to the port andprepare to sail."

  An hour later he, with Philip to keep him company, set foot on one ofthe bulky craft constructed of several canoes, and put off from Mexico.They were followed by Peter and a host of the Mexicans, some in thelarger craft which were propelled by sails, and more in the singlecanoes urged by means of paddles. The whole fleet steered from the citytowards the enemy, and met them some three leagues away, where they lay,the brigantines swaying to and fro, their canvas flapping idly, forthere was now no wind at all.

  "Nothing could be more favourable," exclaimed Roger. "We will attack atonce, and before they get a breeze to help them."

  The cotton sheets which were hoisted aboard the larger craft werelowered, and paddles seized. Then the fleet of canoes dashed forward,forty or more making for each brigantine.