By Right of Conquest; Or, With Cortez in Mexico

by G. A. Henty

  Chapter 14: In Mexico.

  The terrible vengeance taken by the Spaniards at Cholula struckterror into the minds of the Mexicans. The white men had shown, intheir conflict with the Tlascalans, how terrible they were inbattle, and it now seemed that treachery was of no avail againstthem. The cities in the neighborhood of Cholula hastened to sendmessages expressive of submission to the terrible white warriors,accompanied by presents of all kinds. Montezuma saw, with awe andaffright, that even the oracles of the gods could not be dependedupon against these strangers; and that bribes, force, and treacheryhad alike failed to arrest their march towards his capital. Vastnumbers of victims were again offered up on the altars, but nofavorable responses were returned--for the priests, seeing howcomplete had been the failure of their predictions as to events atCholula, were unwilling again to commit themselves. The emperorconsequently sent fresh ambassadors laden with presents to Cortez,with assurances that he was in no way responsible for the attackupon them, and that he considered they had done well in punishingits authors.

  Cortez endeavored to induce the inhabitants of the city to embraceChristianity; and would have resorted to force here, as atCempoalla, but he was dissuaded by Father Olmedo; who, as on formeroccasions, urged that conversions effected by force were of littleuse, and that the cause would be injured, rather than benefited bysuch measures. Christianity would, as a matter of course, resultfrom the success of the Spaniards; and that success would beimperiled, by exciting the animosity of the whole people byviolence to their gods. As the great teocalli had been captured infair fight, and a large portion of its buildings burnt, Cortezconverted a massive stone edifice that had escaped the flames intoa church, and erected a gigantic crucifix on the summit of theteocalli, visible from all points of the city.

  A fortnight after his entrance to Cholula, Cortez again began tomove forward. His Cempoallan allies, who had fought with greatbravery against the Tlascalans, and had rendered him immenseassistance upon the march, now asked to be allowed to return home;for much as they believed in the prowess of the whites, the dreadof Montezuma's name was too great for them to dare trust themselvesin his capital. Cortez dismissed them with many presents and, withhis Tlascalan army, set forward towards the capital.

  As they proceeded on their way, parties came in from various townson the plateau with friendly messages. The enormous taxation,imposed to keep up the luxurious court of the emperor, pressedheavily upon the land; and the greater portion of the inhabitantshailed, with real satisfaction, the coming of a power that appearedlikely to overthrow the Aztec tyranny. Had it not been for thiswidespread disaffection, the little army of Cortez would, in spiteof its bravery and superior weapons, have been powerless againstthe vast hosts which could have been hurled against it. But thepeople of the empire, in general, regarded Mexico as its oppressorand tyrant, and hailed the opportunity of freeing themselves fromits dominations. Cortez, except when the question of religion wasconcerned, was politic in the highest degree; and inspired all thenatives who came to him with the full belief that, in him, theywould have a kind and generous protector against Montezuma.

  Warm as were the assurances of friendship sent by that monarch, theSpaniards were well aware that no confidence could be placed inthem. Their new friends, indeed, informed them that he was alreadypreparing for an attack upon the Spaniards; and that the straightand level road had been blocked up, in order that they might beforced to take their passage through the mountains, where theycould be attacked and overwhelmed at points at which their cavalryand artillery would be unable to act.

  On arriving, therefore, at the place where the roads had beenblocked, Cortez caused the piled-up obstacles to be removed; andthe army proceeded by the level road, where they felt confident intheir power to defend themselves, if attacked.

  Upon the march Roger sometimes kept with Juan and Pedro, at othertimes walked beside Malinche, who, although wholly devoted toCortez, had yet a warm and kindly feeling for her former friend.Cortez himself often consulted Roger as to the roads and placesahead, for he always received the native descriptions with somedoubt, as he could not be sure whether they were honestly given.

  After passing across the plateau, the little army ascended thesteep range of hills separating it from the table land of Mexico.The cold was sufficient to affect them seriously, after the heat ofthe plains; and the difficulties of taking up the guns and theirammunition were great. This work was principally performed by thenative allies, the Spaniards holding themselves in readiness torepel any attack that might be made upon them, in the forest-cladhills or in the deep defiles; but no foes showed themselves, andthey at last gained the western slopes, whence the plains of Mexicoburst into sight.

  The Spaniards stood astonished--as Roger had done, on his firstjourney--at the beauty of the prospect; but the sight of thenumerous cities, telling of an immense population, filled them withuneasiness; and a clamor presently arose, that to march onwardagainst such overwhelming odds was nothing short of madness; andthat, having accomplished such vast things, they had donesufficient for honor, and should now return with the spoils theyhad captured to the coast.

  But, as before, the enthusiasm and influence of Cortez soonreanimated their courage. He and the other leaders went among them,and by argument and entreaty persuaded them again to form theirranks and press forward; and in a short time the army wound downfrom the heights into the valley.

  Happily for them, the ruler of Mexico was altogether dominated bysuperstitious fears. Against native enemies he had shown himself aresolute and valiant leader, had carried on numerous successfulwars, and had by force of arms greatly extended his dominions; butagainst these strange white enemies, his faculties seemedaltogether to fail him. He had, for years, given himself up to thepriesthood; and in this crisis, instead of consulting with histrusted generals, he was swayed wholly by the advice of thepriests; and sought protection, not from the armies at his command,but from the gods, whom he strove to influence in his favor byhecatombs of human victims, sacrificed upon their altars.

  In the month that had elapsed since he joined Cortez at Tlascala,Roger had made considerable progress in Spanish; and althoughincapable of supporting a long conversation with his comrades,could make himself understood in simple matters. His behavior atthe fight in Cholula had gained him the respect of the old soldier;who, however, was not wholly satisfied with him.

  "The young fellow is no coward," he said to Pedro. "When theMexicans were pressing us sorely, he fought as stoutly and well asany in our ranks. He is well skilled in the use of the sword, whichis wonderful, seeing that the Mexicans among whom he has beenbrought up are but poor hands with that weapon; and both withthrust and point he showed himself perfectly at home with the heavyblade the general gave him. I saw him pressed at one time by fourMexicans together, and was making to his assistance. But there wasno need for it. He ran one through the body, and with heavydownright blows, well-nigh cleft the heads of two others; and thefourth, with a cry of astonishment and fear, sprang back into thecrowd.

  "But though he fought so stoutly when attacked, he showed lessardor in the assault, and lagged behind when we were pursuing theenemy."

  "I like him none the worse for that, Juan," Pedro said. "He haslived among these people, and though I hear that, when they heardof our landing, they would have sacrificed him, and he had to flyfor his life and fight hard to make his escape, he must in otherrespects look upon them without animosity; and doubtless he feltsome pity for the poor wretches."

  "I felt some pity myself," Juan said; "but as they had intended sotreacherously towards us, and proposed to put us all to a crueldeath, I did not let my pity interfere with my sword arm."

  "Ah, but you have been accustomed to battles and bloodshed all yourlife, Juan. One does not take to the trade of killing all at once,and I like him none the worse that he was disinclined for theslaughter of the people among whom he had been brought up."

  "Well, we shall see," the old soldier grumbled. "It seems to methat when two
or three hundred men are fighting against a wholenation, and that nation proposes to cut all their throats on thealtars of their gods, it is not a time for scruples. I approve ofthe orders the general gave, that no one was to injure women andchildren, and I heartily wish that such were always the orders; butwhen it comes to men who have set their minds upon killing me, Idon't draw nice distinctions, and I just smite where I see achance."

  The news that the Spaniards had crossed the mountains, and hadentered the valley, completed the dejection and despair ofMontezuma; and after shutting himself up in his palace, andrefusing food, he at last turned from the gods, from whom he couldobtain no assistance, and summoned a meeting of his counselors.

  These were divided in opinion. Cacama was at the head of the peaceparty. He pointed out that, had they intended to oppose the advanceof the white men by force of arms, the whole strength of the empireshould have been dispatched to dispute the passage of themountains. As that had not been done, they should now be receivedin friendly fashion, as the ambassadors of the great king whomCortez claimed to represent. Some of the other counselors, led byCuitlahua, Montezuma's brother, were in favor of turning out allthe forces and repelling the invasion; but Cacama's counselprevailed, and an embassy was dispatched, under his leadership, togreet the Spaniards and conduct them to the capital.

  The Spanish army advanced slowly. They halted for two days atAmaquemecan, where they were well received and hospitablyentertained, and presented with a considerable sum in gold. Theythen marched forward to Ajotzinco, a town standing at the southernextremity of Lake Chalco, and partly erected on piles rising fromthe lake itself. Here, as at Venice, canals took the place ofroads, and all traffic was carried on in boats.

  Upon the following morning, a messenger arrived with the news thatthe King of Tezcuco was approaching, as an ambassador from theemperor, and in a short time the royal procession approached thecity. Cacama was borne in a magnificent litter, shaded by agorgeous canopy, and was attended by a number of nobles andofficials. As the palanquin neared the spot where Cortez wasstanding, Cacama left his litter and advanced towards him; salutingby touching the ground with his hand, and raising it in the air.Cortez also advanced and embraced the young prince, who told himthat he came as the ambassador of the emperor, to welcome him tohis capital. An exchange of presents took place, and Cortez assuredthe prince of the friendliness of his intentions, and of therespect he entertained for the emperor. Cacama then withdrew, andreturned at once to Mexico, while the army resumed its march.

  Roger did not make any attempt to approach the prince, after hisinterview with Cortez. He knew that he would have received, fromCuitcatl, the news that he had surmounted the dangers of hisjourney and joined the Spaniards at Tlascala, and thought that itwould be better to defer presenting himself to the prince until hecould do so more privately at Tezcuco. He considered it possiblethat Montezuma might have blamed Cacama for his escape; and that,if he were to greet him, it would be reported to the emperor, whomight regard it as a proof that there had been a secretunderstanding between them, and that Cacama had aided his flight.

  Crossing the causeway that divided the Lake of Chalco from that ofXochical, the army marched to Iztapalapan, a large town with aroyal residence, governed by the emperor's brother Cuitlahua. Theprince had assembled a number of the great nobles, and Cortez wasreceived with great state and ceremony; and after the usualpresentation of gifts, a banquet was served to the Spaniards in oneof the great halls of the palace.

  After this Cortez was conducted over the gardens, which were thefinest in Mexico. They contained all the vegetable productions ofthe empire, with magnificent aviaries, and a fish pond built ofstone, nearly a mile in circumference.

  At daybreak next morning, that of November 8th, 1519, the Spaniardswere mustered and again set forward. The four hundred white troopsled the way. They were followed by the baggage, after which camewhat was numerically the main portion of the army, six thousandfive hundred Tlascalan soldiers. Keeping on by the shore of thelake, and crossing the narrow strip of land dividing the Lake ofXochical from that of Tezcuco, they arrived at the head of thegreat causeway running across the lake to the island on which thecapital was built. The causeway was a massive construction, builtof large stones laid in cement, and was wide enough to permit often horsemen riding abreast.

  The shores of the lake on either side were closely dotted withtowns and villages, and the lake itself was well-nigh covered withthe canoes and rafts of the natives. The Spaniards saw, too, withsurprise and admiration, floating gardens--some of them ofconsiderable extent--on the surface of the lake, covered withflowers and shrubs. The scene was the most beautiful that had evermet their eyes, and they were filled with delight and admiration.

  Halfway across the causeway they came upon the fort of Xoloc. Herea massive stone wall, twelve feet high, crossed the dike, andstretched out on to the lake on either side. Towers were erected atits angles and, properly defended, it could have resisted theattack of an army.

  An archway gave passage through the wall. Here a great number ofnobles were assembled, who welcomed the Spaniards with formalceremony; and the army then marched forward along the dike, till itreached a wooden drawbridge near the gate of the city.

  As they crossed this a splendid procession was seen approaching. Itwas preceded by three great officers of state, bearing goldenwands; behind them the emperor himself lay in his palanquin, borneon the shoulders of nobles, with a canopy of rich feather worksparkling with jewels above his head. Montezuma alighted whenwithin a short distance, and with the canopy still carried over hishead, and leaning upon his brother and nephew, he advanced towardsCortez.

  The general, dismounting, went forward with a few of his principalofficers to meet him. The emperor received his guest with courtesy,and expressed his pleasure at seeing him in his capital; whileCortez replied with expressions of profound respect, accompanied bythanks for the superb presents that Montezuma had sent him. Theemperor re-entered his litter, and the Spaniards followed, withmusic playing and colors flying.

  Although already familiar with Mexican architecture, they wereastonished by the magnificence of the buildings that bordered thegreat streets along which they marched. Here were the mansions ofthe nobles, built of a red porous stone and covering a large spaceof ground. The flat roofs were protected by stone parapets, andmany of them were laid out as gardens. Between these mansions werebroad terraces, which presented a mass of flowers. Here and therewere great marketplaces, surrounded by porticoes of stone; andabove all the temples, with their towering pyramids, rose high inthe air.

  Along the whole line, crowds of people watched the procession ofthe troops; gazing with surprise and admiration at the cavaliers onhorseback, and at the flashing armor and arms of the Spaniards; andwith wrath and indignation at the Tlascalan army, which followed intheir rear.

  The street was in many places intersected by canals. Passing overthese on light bridges, they at last reached a great square nearthe center of the city, on one side of which rose the huge templeof the war god of the Aztecs. Facing this was a palace ofMontezuma's father, which had been appropriated, by the emperor, asquarters for the Spaniards. The emperor himself received them inthe courtyard, presented Cortez with a magnificent necklace, andthen, saying he would visit them later on, withdrew.

  The palace was large enough to afford accommodation for the wholearmy; and as it was surrounded by a massive stone wall, flankedwith towers, Cortez saw, with satisfaction, that it could withoutdifficulty resist any sudden attack. He placed sentries on thewalls, and planted his cannon to command the approaches; and inorder to prevent any chance of a quarrel arising, he forbade anysoldiers to leave the palace, without orders. A large number ofMexican slaves had been appointed to attend upon the strangers, anda meal was speedily served by them to the troops, who were thenpermitted to take a sleep, for some hours, during the heat of theday.

  The emperor paid another visit in the evening, and had a longconversation with Cortez, distributing a
large number of richpresents among the Spaniards before leaving. After he had left theycelebrated their arrival in the city by a salute with their cannon,whose thunder added to the impression produced upon the natives bythe tales they had heard of the prowess of their visitors, andheightened their belief in the supernatural powers of theSpaniards.

  The next day Cortez returned the emperor's visit. He wasaccompanied by a few of his principal officers, and five or sixsoldiers. The palace was of immense size, built, like the rest ofthe houses, of red stone, and ornamented with marble. Fountainssparkled in the courts through which the Spaniards passed, andcrowds of Aztec nobles thronged the squares and great halls. Thewalls of these apartments were hung with richly dyed cotton, orwith draperies of gorgeous feather work, while the fumes of incenserose up in clouds from censors.

  Montezuma, surrounded by a few of his nobles, received them; andCortez at once opened to him what he considered to be the chiefobject of his enterprise, and through the medium of Marinaexpounded the doctrines of Christianity, and besought the emperorto turn from his false gods. As Montezuma had himself been apriest, and was an ardent devotee of his religion, it was scarcelyto be expected that he would favorably entertain the proposal tochange his religion. He answered courteously that, no doubt, thegod of Cortez was good to the Spaniards, just as his own gods weregood to him. What his visitors said of the creation of the worldwas similar to what he himself believed. His people had occupiedthe land but for a few years, having been led there by a greatbeing who, after giving them laws, had withdrawn to the regions ofthe east. When he left he had promised that he or his descendantswould again visit them, and resume his empire. The wonderful deedsof the Spaniards, their complexion, the fact that they came fromthe east--all showed that they were the descendants of this god.

  "Your sovereign beyond the waters is, I know, the rightful lord ofall. I rule in his name. You, Malinzin, are his ambassador, and youand your brethren shall share what I have."

  He then dismissed his visitors with fresh presents.

  Malinzin was the name by which Cortez was universally known by thenatives. Malinche was ever with him, and they connected him withher, and called him by the masculine form of her name.

  But gratified as the Spaniards were at the kindness of theirreception, and within the munificent gifts showered upon them, theycould not but feel that their position was a precarious one. Theywere in the center of a great city, with a warlike population. Itwas broken up, by its canals with their movable bridges, into aseries of fortresses; and it would be well-nigh hopeless toendeavor, by force, to make their way out of it. At present allseemed fair, but they were well aware that Montezuma had endeavoredin every way, save by open war, to prevent their coming; and that,influenced as he was by the oracles of the gods, he might at anymoment exchange his apparent friendship for open enmity.

  Two days after arriving at the capital, Roger asked Malinche if shecould obtain permission from the general for him to cross the laketo Tezcuco, in order that he might pay his friends there a visit.Presently she returned, saying that the general himself would speakto him.

  Roger had been named Sancho by the Spaniards, as he had notventured to give his own name; and it was supposed that he hadforgotten that which he had borne as a child.

  "Sancho," the general said; "I know, from what Marina says, thatyou have great intelligence, though you have so long been cut offfrom your own people. You see that our position here is a strangeone. We are guests and yet, to some extent, we are prisoners. TheTlascalans with us are hated by the Mexicans, and either betweenthem and the natives, or maybe between some of my own soldiers andthe citizens, a brawl might arise which would be used as a pretextfor an attack upon us.

  "As I feel that I can rely upon your discretion, I will tell you ofsome news that I received at Cholula, but which I have kept tomyself. The natives on the coast have shown themselves hostile tothe garrison of a hundred and fifty men, whom I left there underJuan de Escalante. A chief near there sent in to tender hisallegiance, and asked that four white men should be sent to escorthim to the town. As soon as they got to him two of them weremurdered, but the other two managed to escape and made their wayback. Don Juan marched, with fifty of his men and several thousandIndian allies, to attack the treacherous chief. There was adesperate battle, our allies fled, but the soldiers stood theirground and--thanks to the aid of the Blessed Virgin--resisted allthe attacks made upon them. But eight of the men were slain, andJuan himself was mortally wounded. The Indian prisoners taken saidthat the attack, like that at Cholula, had been made by the ordersof Montezuma.

  "You may do us good service by finding out what are the intentionsof the Mexicans. Therefore, by all means, carry out your intentionof going across to Tezcuco. The young king is a nephew of theemperor, but he has suffered much at Montezuma's hands, and hasbeen stripped of the greater part of his father's dominions. Hecan, therefore, hardly be friendly to him at heart. At any rate youmay be able to learn, in conversation with him, what are hissentiments towards us. Tezcuco was long the rival of Mexico, and asthe alliance of the Tlascalans has proved of the greatest advantageto us, still more should we benefit if the Tezcucans were ourfriends. If we have to retire from Mexico, we might take refugethere.

  "At any rate, if nothing else comes of it, you might learn from theking whether he is aware of any treachery meditated against us. Hesaved you, Malinche says, from Montezuma and the priests, once; andwould be likely, therefore, to warn you, did he know that dangerwas impending."

  When Marina had translated this, Roger at once agreed to do hisbest to discover if any treachery were meant.

  "You had best go in disguise," Cortez said. "Donna Marina will makearrangements for a canoe to be here, after nightfall; and bystaining your face, and putting on the attire of an Aztecnoble--for which we have ample materials at hand--would not benoticed as you pass through the throng of yon boats on the lake. Itwould be best that you did not go as a Spanish soldier. You mightbe arrested on the road, and perhaps carried away and sacrificed atone of the altars. Once at Tezcuco you must, of course, act in thematter as you think best."

  Marina--who was not, like the Spaniards, confined to thepalace--had no difficulty in arranging for a canoe; and as soon asit became dark, Roger, dressed as an Aztec cazique, and with hisface slightly stained, took his place in it. The lake was throngedwith canoes, but the craft in which he was seated passed withoutnotice through them, and after two hours' paddling reached Tezcuco.

  Telling the natives that they were to wait for his return, howeverlong that might be, Roger proceeded to the palace. Avoiding theprincipal streets and squares, where his unusual height wouldattract attention, he passed unquestioned into the palace amid thethrong of chiefs and nobles who were entering or leaving it, andmade his way to the apartment of Cuitcatl. It was empty but,clapping his hand, the attendant who had before waited upon himentered. As Roger's attire was similar to the one he had worn whileat Tezcuco, the man recognized him at once.

  Roger bade him go in search of Cuitcatl, and tell him privatelythat he was there, and beg him to come. In a few minutes Cuitcatlentered the room, and greeted Roger most heartily.

  "I am glad, indeed, to see you, my friend; and Cacama and the queenand the princess will rejoice, also. There was great anxiety foryou after your first escape, for the emperor was furious when heheard that you had slipped off. The priests had assured him thatthe sacrifice of a white man, to the god of war, would ensure hisaid and protection against the white invaders. Runners weredispatched in scores to every town and village, and although I knewthat Bathalda was familiar with every foot of the country, andwould give his life for you if needs be, it seemed impossible thatyou should be able to make your way through.

  "Then came the news of your fight in the hills; how you had a bowthat carried arrows to an unheard-of distance; and how, in ahand-to-hand fight, you had prevailed against a score of oursoldiers. After that, you seemed lost. The officers commanding thetroops were convinced that you had not de
scended the eastern slopesof the mountains; and the spies, which were watching every movementof the white men on the coast, reported that no white man hadjoined them. Therefore, it was supposed that you must have returnedwest of the range of hills, and every town and village wassearched, and every grove and plantation examined.

  "We were all very anxious for you, and it was not until a weekafter we had the news of the wonderful defeat of the Tlascalans, bythe white men, that Bathalda returned with the message you sent us,and the news that you had joined the white men there.

  "Since then we have, of course, heard nothing of you. Cacama saidthat he did not see you when he met Malinzin; but of course he didnot examine the faces of the white soldiers, being occupied solelywith their chief and the officers round him. But we all feltassured that we should hear from you, shortly.

  "So, you have resumed your Aztec dress?"

  "I thought it better to do so, for the purpose of coming here,"Roger replied; "for if the priests want a victim so sorely, itseemed to me that, if I ventured to leave the palace dressed in mySpanish garb, I might be seized and carried off."

  "You are quite right," Cuitcatl agreed. "The priests are furiousagainst you all, and I cannot altogether blame them. Your generalmay, as he says, come as an ambassador from his king to Montezuma;and if he had orders to come to his court, at all costs, he was notto blame if he fought his way whenever he was opposed; but thisdoes not justify him in insulting our religion, and even assaultingand hurling down our gods, at every opportunity. He even tried topersuade the emperor that our gods were false; and spoke insolentlyof them, yesterday, when Montezuma conducted him, at his request,into the holy shrines. Cacama was one of the strongest advisorsthat a peaceful reception should be accorded to the white visitors,but even he is being greatly turned against them, by their conducttowards our gods.

  "Come, I will take you to the royal apartments, and leave you in aroom where no one will enter, until I inform Cacama that you arehere."

  A few minutes later the young king entered the apartment whereCuitcatl had placed Roger, and embraced him with real affection.

  "Truly, I am glad to see you again, Roger Hawkshaw. I am glad tosee you for yourself, and I hail you as a counselor, in the strangepass to which we have come. Here are Maclutha, and my sister,Amenche."

  The queen and the princess entered as he spoke, and each gave Rogertheir hand; which, bowing deeply, he raised to his lips, havingbefore told them that this was the salutation, among his ownpeople, to ladies of high rank.

  "We did not think, Roger Hawkshaw, when we last parted, that weshould meet again so soon. Who could have believed then that thelittle band of white men, of whose arrival upon the coast we hadheard, would have made their way on to the capital, when theemperor was bent upon preventing their coming? We have trembled foryou, and have prayed the gods to protect you; and greatly did werejoice when we heard, from Cuitcatl's follower, that you hadsurmounted all your dangers safely, and joined the whites.

  "It has been a strange time here, since you left. I have been, forthe most part, at the capital. The news that came, from day to day,of the progress of the whites filled everyone with surprise, andconsternation.

  "We of the council met daily, but Montezuma passed his time at theshrines and among the priests. He was a brave warrior and a greatgeneral, once, but he is no longer himself. My father's prophecyseems to have unmanned him, and he has given himself up wholly tosuperstition. I believe in our gods, and pay them due honor; but Ido not hold that a man should not think for himself, or that heshould trust wholly in the priests, who are but men like ourselves;and who are, methinks, but poor judges of worldly affairs, thoughwise and learned in matters concerning religion. Montezuma thinksotherwise, and the result is that no orders have been issued, nodetermination arrived at, and we have the disgrace of seeing ahandful of strangers installed in the capital.

  "Mind, my counsels have always been that they should be conductedhonorably from the coast, and treated as ambassadors; but we havedone neither one thing nor the other. They have been loaded withgifts, but forbidden to come here. Yet since they came, in spite oforders, we have seemed as if we feared to meet them; and I blush atthe thought of the treacherous plan to destroy them, at Cholula.

  "The gods had prophesied that they would find their grave there.But the gods were wrong; and it may be that the God of the whitesis more powerful than ours. If not, how is it that they did notavenge the indignities offered to them by the whites, at Cempoalla,where their images were hurled down from their altars? And atCholula, where the most sacred of all the temples was attacked andcaptured, and the emblem of the White God set up on its summit?

  "You yourself, Roger Hawkshaw, warned us against these Spaniards.You said that they were cruel masters to the people they hadconquered, and above all things cruel in the matter of religion,forcing all who came under their sway to accept their God, underpain of death; and that they would slay even you, a white man likethemselves, did they know that you did not belong to their people.Tell us what is to be done. Why are these men in our capital? Whatare their objects? Brave and strong as they are, they cannot hopeto overcome a nation, or to force all Anahuac to forsake their owngods and to accept the God of the whites."

  "I know not what are the designs of Cortez, the leader whom youcall Malinzin. I should say the Spaniards are here with severalmotives. In the first place, there is the desire for wealth andspoil; in the second, religious ardor--the desire to bring allwithin the pale of their Church; in the third place, the love ofadventure; and, lastly, the honor they will receive, at the handsof their sovereign, for opening so rich an empire to his arms."

  "You do not think, then, they intend to conquer us?"

  "Cortez cannot think of doing so, with the means at his disposal,Cacama; but doubtless he has sent home reports of the richness ofthe country, and forces many times more numerous than those underhis command may be sent out to his assistance."

  "Does he know that you have come hither?" Cacama asked suddenly.

  "He does," Roger replied. "I could not leave the palace withoutpermission, and Malinche told him of the kindness I had experiencedat your hands. He himself is uneasy at the position in which hefinds himself, uncertain of Montezuma's intentions, and fearful ofan assault; and he bade me try to find out, as far as might be,what was the general opinion respecting the Spaniards."

  "The opinion of the ignorant," Cacama said, with a contemptuouswave of the hand, "is worth nothing. They go where they are led.They believe what they are last told. They shout when they are toldto shout. They have no opinion of their own, upon aught but whatrelates to themselves.

  "Among the nobles, the priests, and the learned there is muchdivision of opinion. At present we wait; but frankly, at any momenta storm may follow the calm. The priests, who of course arebitterly hostile to the strangers, are without doubt working, andthey have great power with all. But I should say that, on thewhole, you are safer here with me than you would be across thewater there. I do not mean that there is any immediate danger, butyou must remember that Montezuma has been insulted and humiliated,and made to appear small in the sight of the people. He is one ofthe proudest of men, and although at present he feigns friendshipwith the Spaniards, a moment will come when he will revolt againstbeing thus bearded in his capital; and he has but to wave his handfor these invaders to be wiped out.

  "However, let us talk of other matters, at present. Of course, youare not thinking of returning tonight?"

  "I intended to do so, and the canoe in which I came is waiting forme."

  "We cannot think of letting you go," Cacama said, decidedly. "Iwill send an official back, with a message from you saying that youthink you can do more, here, than by returning; and that you craveleave to stay for the present, but that you will come over, in themorning, and report to him all that you have learned here. You canleave here soon after daybreak, see your general, and be back againbefore the full heat of the day."

  As Roger was in no hurry to retur
n, Cuitcatl went out to dispatchan official with the message to Cortez; or rather to Malinche, asthe message would then be delivered privately to him; whereas ifCortez were asked for, the man might be brought into his presencewhen engaged with some of his officers. Roger did not know whetherthe fact of his being away from the palace had been made public,for Cortez might consider it would cause discontent among some ofhis followers, were it known that their last-joined recruit waspermitted to leave the town, whereas no one else was allowed tostir beyond the limits of their quarters.