by V. V. Vide
CHAPTER VI.
MUNIFICENCE OF MONTEZUMA--THE ROYAL BANQUET--THE REQUITAL--THE EMPEROR A PRISONER IN HIS OWN PALACE.
~"Was that thunder?"~
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~Those splendid halls resound with revelry, And song, and dance lead on the tardy dawn.~
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~From the hall of his fathers in anguish he fled, Nor again will its marble re-echo his tread.~
Montezuma was always and every where munificent. When he had, thoughreluctantly, admitted the strangers into his capital, he prepared togive them a royally hospitable entertainment. Partly by way of triumphin the success of their movements hitherto, and partly by way ofamusing, and at the same time overawing their entertainers, theSpaniards, the day after their arrival in the city, made a grandmilitary display in their quarters, and in the neighboring streets. Theyexercised their prancing steeds in all the feats of horsemanship,racing, leaping, and careering, in all the wild majesty of the trainedcharger, under the three fold discipline of bit and spur, and cheeringshout. They rushed upon each other in the mock warfare of thetournament, with clashing sword and glancing spear, and then,discharging their carbines in the air, separated amid clouds of dust andsmoke, as if driven asunder by the bolts of heaven in their own hands.The astonished natives, accustomed only to the simple weapons ofprimitive warfare, looked on with undisguised admiration, not unmixedwith fear. The strange beings before them, wielding such unwontedpowers, seemed indeed to have descended upon earth from some highersphere, and to partake of that mysterious and fearful character, whichthey had been wont to ascribe to inhabitants of the spiritual world. Butwhen, in closing off the day's entertainment, they brought out theloud-mouthed artillery, and shook the very foundations of the city withtheir oft-repeated thunders, the spirit of the Aztec sunk within him,and he felt, as he retired to his dwelling, that it was for no good end,that men of such power, having such fearful engines at their command,had been permitted to fix their quarters in one of the fortresses ofTenochtitlan.
"Alas!" said an ancient Cacique from the northern frontier, "we arefallen upon evil times. Our enemies are even now in the citadel--enemieswhom we know not, whose mode of warfare we do not understand, whoseweapons defy alike our powers of imitation and resistance. Let usabandon the field, and retire to the far north, whence our fathers came,and rear a new empire amid the impregnable fastnesses of the mountains."
"Who talks of abandoning the field to the enemy?" interruptedGuatimozin,--"Let no Aztec harbor so base a thought. Rather let usstand by our altars and die, if die we must."
"Right," cried the youthful prince Axayatl, from the southern slope ofthe Sierra, "why should the all-conquering Aztec tremble at this displayof the mysterious strangers? Are not the millions of Anahuac a match fora few hundred of their enemies, in whatever form they come? Be theygods, or be they demons, they belong not to this soil, nor this soil tothem, and, by all our altars and all our gods, they must retire orperish, though we, and our wives, and our children perish with them."
"Give us your hand, brave Axayatl," exclaimed Cuitlahua and Guatimozin,at the same instant, "be that our vow in life and in death, and wo tothe base Aztec, that abandons the standard of Montezuma, or whispers ofsubmission to the haughty stranger."
Thus were the councils of the people divided between a timidsuperstition, and a bold uncompromising patriotism. There wanted not thematerial, if well directed, to annihilate, at a blow, the hopes of thedaring invaders. The arm of the nation was strong and sinewy, but "thehead was sick, and the heart faint." The Emperor, the hitherto proud andself-sufficient Montezuma,--
Like a struck eagle fainting in his nest,
had cowered to a phantom of his own diseased imagination, and weaklyconsented to regard _them_ as gods, whose passions, appetites and vicesproved them to be men, and whose diminished numbers, after every battlethey had fought, showed they were of mortal mould.
On the following day, a magnificent banquet was prepared for Cortez, andhis officers, in the imperial palace. It was graced by the presence ofall the nobility of Azteca, with all the pride and beauty of theirhousehold divinities--for, among this refined people, the wife and thedaughter held her appropriate rank, and woman exercised all theinfluence, which, among (so called) civilized nations, Christianityalone has assigned her. Every apartment of that spacious and magnificentpile blazed with the light of odoriferous torches, which sent up theirclouds of incense from hundreds of gold and silver stands, elaboratelycarved and embossed in every form that fancy could suggest, or ingenuityinvent. Flowers of every hue and name were profusely distributed throughthe rooms, clustered in beautiful vases, or hung in gorgeous festoonsand luxurious chaplets from the walls. The costume of the monarch andhis court was as rich and gorgeous, as the rare and variegated_plumage_, with a lavish use of gold and gems, could make it. The womenwere as splendidly apparelled as the men. Many of them were extremelybeautiful. Some were distinguished for their easy refinement of manners,which charmed, no less than it astonished, the Castilian knights, whohad been accustomed to suppose that nothing so beautiful, or refined,could be found without the borders of Spain.
By special command of the Emperor, all his nobles were present at thisfestival, so that Guatimozin, contrary to his own will and purpose, wasbrought into contact with Cortez, and his steel-clad cavaliers.Tecuichpo also was there, in all her maiden loveliness, outshining allthe stars of that splendid galaxy. And yet she was as a star ineclipse, for her soul was oppressed with those mysterious shadows thathung over her destiny and that of her father, as connected with thecoming of these white men. Karee was there in attendance upon hermistress, as she still delighted to call her; but her attention was moreabsorbed by the strangers than by Tecuichpo. She watched every movement,and scanned every countenance with a scrutiny that did not escape theirobservation, in order to read, as well as she could, the character ofeach. Her scrutiny satisfied herself, and she whispered in the ear ofthe Princess, that "if these were gods, they came from the dark, and notfrom the sunny side of heaven."
It was a rare spectacle, which this royal banquet presented. Thecontrast between the steel-clad cavaliers of Castile, whose burnishedarmor blazed and glittered in the brilliant torch-light, and rung undertheir heavy martial tramp upon the marble floor, and the comparativelyfairy figures of the gaudily apparelled Aztecs, was as strong as couldpossibly be presented in a scene like this. The costumes and customs ofeach were matter of wonder and admiration to the other. The Aztectrembled at the mysterious power, the incomprehensible weapons, of thewhite man. The Castilian, if he did not tremble, fully appreciated thedanger of a little band, separated and scattered among a festive throngof warlike men, amid the interminable labyrinths of the imperial palace,and under the eye of a monarch whose word was absolute law to all themyriads of his people.
But, whatever was passing in the inner man, the Aztec and the Castilian,alike, appeared perfectly at ease, each abandoning himself to thefestivities of the occasion, as if each, unannoyed by the presence of astranger, were revelling in the security of his own castle, andcelebrating some time-honored festival of his own people.
With a benign dignity and grace, the Queen, and her suite of high-bornladies, received the homage of the cavaliers, after they had beenpresented to the Emperor. She was struck with admiration at the gracefuland dignified bearing of the Castilian, which, while it showed all thedeference and respect due to her sex and her rank, had nothing in it, ofthat abject servility, which placed an impassable barrier between theAztec noble and his monarch, and made them appear to belong to distinctraces of being. To the chivalrous, impassioned Castilian, accustomed toworship woman, and pay an almost divine homage to beauty, in the courtlyhalls and sunny bowers of Spain, the scene presented a perfectconstellation of grace and loveliness. The flashing eye of the Aztecmaiden, as lustrous and eloquent as any in the gardens of Hesperides;the jetty tresses, glittering with gems
and pearls, or chastelydecorated with natural flowers; the easy grace of the loose flowingrobe, revealing the full rich bust and the rounded limb, in its fairestproportions, won the instant admiration of every mailed knight, andbrought again to his lips his oft-repeated vows of love and devotion.
But of little avail were honied lips and eloquent tongues to the gallantcavaliers at that magic fete. They formed no medium of communion withthe bright spirits, and gay hearts around them. The doom of Babel was onthem all, and there was no interpreter. Nothing daunted by obstaclesseemingly insurmountable, the gay Spaniards resolved, that, where brighteyes were to be gazed on, and sweet smiles won from the ranks of youthand beauty, they would make a way for themselves. The first ceremoniesof presentation over, each knight addressed himself to some chosen fairone, and by sign and gesture, and speaking look, and smile of eloquentflattery, commenced a spirited pantomimic attack, to the infiniteamusement of all the gay throng around. It was met with wonderfulspirit, and ready ingenuity, by the Aztec maidens, to whom the dialectof signs, and the language of hieroglyphics was perfectly familiar; thatbeing the only written language of all the nations of Anahuac.
The spirit and interest of the scene that followed surpasses all attemptat description. Abandoned to the gaiety of the hour, the Spaniardsforgot alike their schemes of ambition and aggrandisement, and thepeculiar perils which surrounded them; while the Aztec revellersdismissed, for the moment, both their superstitious dread of the whiteman, and their patriotic disgust at his daring pretensions to universaldominion.
The noble Sandoval, attracted by the mild beaming eye, and sweet smileof the Princess Tecuichpo, with a profound obeisance, laid his plumedhelmet at her feet, and choosing, from a vase at her side, a half blownrose, which he gracefully twined with a sprig of amaranth, he firstpressed it to his own heart and lips, and then placed it among theglittering gems upon her bosom. With queenly courtesy and grace, thefair princess received this gallant token, and instantly responded toit, by stooping down, and weaving among the plumes, so courteously laidat her feet, another, of such rare beauty and brilliancy of hue, that itquite eclipsed the gayest feather in the hall.
Cortez and Alvarado were, each in his turn, struck with the deep, dark,piercing eye of Karee, and each put forth his best endeavor to win fromher a smile. But it was so coldly given, and accompanied with a look sodeep and searching, that the general quailed before it, as he had neverdone before to mortal eye.
Instantly recovering himself, he put on such a smile of blended graceand dignity, as melted at once the icy reserve of the maiden, and openedthe way for a long and animated parley. It was full of sparkles andpower, but could not be translated into any living tongue, withoutlosing all its force and brilliancy.
Meanwhile, an animated discussion had arisen between Guatimozin and thePrince of Tezcuco, touching the propriety of receiving gifts from thestrangers, or, in any way, acknowledging their claims as friends. Theshowy trinket, which Cacama had received from Cortez at Ajotzinco, andwhich he displayed on his person at this festival, gave rise to thedispute.
"It is wrong," urged Guatimozin, "wrong to our country and wrong toourselves. Let them gain what they can from the exuberant munificence ofthe Emperor, and let them stay in peace, while he permits and requiresit,--but let us not weaken our hands, by touching their gifts, oraccepting their tokens. When they depart, let them not boast that theyhave left any remembrancer behind them, or laid claims upon our hands,by their gifts, which we have freely accepted."
"Surely, my dear cousin," said the Princess, "you make too much of sosmall a matter. They are but common courtesies, and too trifling forsuch grave consideration and argument."
"Not so, believe me, my fair cousin. They take us on the weak side ofthe heart--they blind our eyes to our true relations, unnerve our arms,and blunt our weapons of defence."
"What then would you do," asked Cacama, as if more than half persuadedthat Guatimozin was right in his views of duty.
"Do," replied the Prince, with startling energy of tone and manner, "Iwould fling it at his feet, or trample it under my own, before his eyes,and show him that I scorn him and his gifts alike."
Tecuichpo turned suddenly round at this remark, as if fearing thestranger would understand it, and in her agitation, dropped amagnificent jewel from her dress, and with it the rose so gallantlypresented by Sandoval. A dozen princes and cavaliers sprang, at the sameinstant, to replace the precious toy. Pedro Orteguilla, the beautifulyoung page of Cortez, was so fortunate as to recover it. Doffing hiscap, and kneeling gracefully at her feet, he presented it to thePrincess with an air of admiring deference, and, by signs, solicited thehonor of replacing it upon her arm.
This little incident put an end to the discussion, which was growing toowarm for the occasion, and the festivities went on as gaily as before.
A group of sprightly, mischief loving girls, who had clustered round thecool basin of a sparkling _jet d' eau_, and were amusing themselves byfree and fearless comments upon the appearance and manners of thestrangers, arrested the eye of the impulsive, humor loving Alvarado, anddrew him to solicit a share in their sport; for, in beating a retreatfrom the eagle glance of Karee, he had strolled into an illuminatedarbor, in one of the open courts of the palace. With hand, and eye, andlip, now appealing in emphatic gesture to the stars above, and now, withready tact and admirable sagacity distributing the flowers among the gaynaiads of the fountain, he soon ingratiated himself into their favor,and engaged them in a brilliant and animated pantomime, which, if itwanted the eloquence of words, found ample compensation for that defect,in the merry shout and ringing laugh, that accompanied each laboredattempt to utter, or interpret, a sentiment. The gallant cavalier soonfound himself loaded with a profusion of floral favors. For every flowerhe bestowed upon the fair nymphs, he received an appropriate return,till his hands were full, and he found it necessary to arrange them uponhis person.
Instantly the whole group, as by one impulse of artistic taste, seizedthe idea, and resolved to array him as a flower-god. The magnificentcactus flashed among the plumes of his helmet--a pair of splendidmagnolias, tastefully adjusted on either shoulder, supplied the place ofthe silver epaulette--a rich cluster of unfading _forget-me-not_,covered and eclipsed the gilded star upon his breastplate; while everyjoint in his armor, and every loop and button of his doublet, was setwith its appropriate garden gem. Long wreaths of a blossoming vine weredexterously intertwined with flowers of every brilliant hue, and hunglike a gorgeous sash over his right shoulder, its gay streamers wavingin the gentle breeze, or winding themselves about the scabbard of hissword. His hands were gloved with a moss of the most delicate greenvelvet, dotted with golden stars, and his boots transformed into buskinsof the most approved classic pattern, by alternate bands of jessamineand scarlet lobelia, crossed and plaided with strings of anemone andhyacinth.
Thus arrayed, his face skilfully masked with the flowering wax-plantdespoiled of its leaves, he was conducted into the presence of theQueen, under a continually increasing escort of bright girls and fairdames, where, with due reverence to her majesty, and with the gallantrybecoming a true knight, he begged, by significant looks and signs, to bepermitted to lay all his bright honors at the feet of the lovelyTecuichpo.
The signal being given at this moment, he offered his arm to thePrincess, and led the way into the banqueting hall, where the luxuriesof all the climes of earth seemed to be spread out in endless profusion,and where, the native song of the Aztec alternating with the martialstrains of the Castilian band, the night wore away with feasting andrevelry.
The day had almost dawned, when the strangers, laden with presents ofinestimable value, returned to their quarters, burdened with the weightof their treasures, and deeply impressed with the more than regalmunificence of their host, and the unimagined loveliness and grace ofthe fair beings, who gave life and beauty to his magnificent court.
"If these white gods can be bought, dear father," the Princess naivelyremarked, as they took their leave,
"you have surely paid a price worthyof the ransom of the proudest monarch on earth."
"The more you bribe them," interrupted Guatimozin, "the less you bindthem. They have not the soul of an Aztec, who scorns to receive a favorthat does not pledge his heart in return. The Spaniard's heart hasnothing to do with his hand. He takes your gift, only to be the betterable to plot and compass your ruin."
The Emperor sighed, as he listened to a remark, to which he could makeno reply. It brought again before his agitated mind, the only course hecould safely adopt in the present crisis of his affairs. In vain did hispaternal heart second the suggestion, and his kingly pride urge itsimmediate adoption. He had not the moral courage to execute his ownresolve. Superstition had wholly unmanned him.
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The victorious Spaniard had now reached the goal he had so long aimedat. But his position was far from agreeable, or promising. With a smallforce, he was completely shut up in the heart of an immense and powerfulempire, teeming with millions of warriors, who were deemed terrible andinvincible by those whom he had found so formidable, and who might, at aword or a look from their sovereign, either rush in and overwhelm him atonce, or withhold all supplies, and leave them to perish of famine intheir quarters.
Cortez realized the critical position into which he was drawn, andresolved immediately on one of his bold measures, to turn it to his ownadvantage. Soliciting an interview with Montezuma, in which he wasaccompanied by some of his bravest cavaliers, he informed the monarch,that it was not an idle curiosity that had drawn him to encounter theperils, and undergo the toils, of the adventure that had brought him tothe capital. He came, as the accredited ambassador of the mighty monarchof Castile, to whom many kings and many broad lands were tributary, andwho was the rightful lord of all the territories on which his armies hadset their foot. And the object of the present interview was, to demandof the king an acknowledgment of his allegiance to his royal master, andhis consent to pay an annual tribute for his crown.
The mind of the superstitious Montezuma had long been preparing for thisacknowledgment. With little apparent constraint, therefore, he respondedto this haughty demand--that the oracles of his religion had long agoinstructed him, that the territories over which he reigned belonged to arace of white men, who had removed to other lands beyond the rising sun,but would return, in process of time, invested with more than mortalpower, to claim their original inheritance. For his part, he was fullyconvinced that that time had now arrived--that the Spaniards were themen of destiny foretold by a long line of presages and traditions, andthat he was fully prepared to acknowledge the king of Castile as hislord, and pay allegiance to him as such.
"And recognize me," interposed the wily Castilian, "as his accreditedambassador, and representative?"
The monarch assented.
The Aztec nobles, who surrounded the throne, were thunderstruck at thehumble tone, and humiliating attitude assumed by their once proud andimperious lord. But they were accustomed to unqualified andunquestioning submission to the word of the king. They accordingly, athis command, gave a full assent to all that he had said, and agreed torecognize Cortez as the representative of their new sovereign.Guatimozin left the hall in disgust, and hastened to Iztapalapan, toreport the progress of their humiliation to Cuitlahua.
Even with this arrangement, which had been accomplished so much moreeasily than he had expected, Cortez was by no means satisfied. He wasstill in the power of the Mexican, and could never feel safe in theposition he held, without some substantial pledge, that the peace of thecity would be preserved, and the ground he had already secured be leftto him in undisturbed possession. To secure this, he conceived andexecuted a bolder and more audacious measure than that which we havejust related. Soliciting another and a private interview with theEmperor, and directing his best and bravest cavaliers, with some oftheir chosen men, to keep near and about the palace, and be in readinessto sustain and defend him, if any resistance or outbreak should followhis daring attempt, he entered the royal presence. As the Spaniardsalways carried their arms, it excited no suspicion, to see them on thisoccasion fully equipped.
This disposition of his men and officers being effected, the boldcavalier addressed himself, in a stern voice, to the Emperor, charginghim with secretly designing the destruction of his guests, and alleging,in support of the charge, some of the incidents already related, andothers of more recent occurrence, in which some of the vassals ofMontezuma had surprised and slain a party of Spaniards, who relied upontheir hospitality. These were artfully woven into a tale of imaginarywrongs, for which he boldly pretended to claim instant redress, orrather security against their repetition.
The monarch was thunderstruck at the charge, while he, as well as thefew attendants that remained near his person, with difficulty restrainedthe expression of their indignation at the disrespectful tone of theaddress, so unlike that to which the royal ears were accustomed. Heperemptorily denied the charge. But Cortez was not to be foiled thus. Heknew that he had now gone too far to retract, and that the change offeeling now produced would ensure his speedy destruction, if he failedof securing the object of the present interview. He, therefore, repeatedthe charge, assuring the monarch that such was the belief of all hismen, and that nothing would convince them of his innocence, or make themwilling to rest quietly in the capital, but the consent of the king totransfer his residence, for a time, to their quarters. And this heboldly demanded of him, in the name of their common sovereign, the greatking of Castile, and he could not refuse obedience, without breakingallegiance with him.
"When was it ever known," exclaimed the astonished and offended king,"that the monarch of a great people voluntarily left his own palace, tobecome a prisoner in the camp of a foreign nation. If I should consentto such indignity, my own subjects would every where cry out against it,and a storm would be raised, which could only be hushed when the lastSpaniard was sacrificed to the outraged honor of their king, and thewrath of their offended gods."
"No, my imperial lord," replied the politic and smooth tongued knight,"your majesty entirely misapprehends my meaning, and the position inwhich I would place you. I only propose a temporary removal from one ofyour royal palaces to another, a thing of frequent occurrence, andtherefore not likely to excite remark among your people. You can bringall your household and your court with you, and have the same royalattendance, as you now do. This show of confidence and regard, on yourpart, will inspire my men with new confidence in your kind intentions,and give stability in the eyes of your own people, to the friendlyrelations existing between us."
Montezuma still protested that it was unworthy the dignity and majestyof the sovereign lord of Anahuac, thus to submit his motions to thedirection of strangers, as it was a daring presumption and impiety, ontheir part, to suggest it. He therefore, peremptorily declined theproposal, and requested the general to say no more about it, if he wouldretain the position he now held in his regard, and that of his people.
Upon this, the iron-souled Castilian assumed a loftier aspect, and abolder tone, and abruptly assured the monarch that it was a point he wasnot at liberty to dispense with. If he would not remove peaceably andquietly to the Spanish quarters, he must be carried there forcibly,though it should involve a struggle that should drench the palace inblood, and sacrifice the life of every man in his army.
Suddenly, the spirit of the monarch was gone. His old dread of thewhite man revived in all its power. He felt himself compelled by hisdestiny, to do as he was required. Signifying his assent to the haughtydemand of the stranger, he ordered his nobles to make ready hispalanquin, that he might go in royal state, and not appear in the eyesof his subjects, as he passed along, as a prisoner in his own capital.
With looks of astonishment, not unmingled with indignation, the proudchiefs obeyed, marching under their royal burden, with solemn pace anddowncast looks, in utter silence, but nursing in their hearts animplacable hatred against the insulting Castilians, and a burning rage,w
hich was yet to burst upon their devoted heads in an overwhelming stormof wrath. As they passed the threshold of the imperial palace, whichtheir once proud but now humbled lord was never to recross, they heaveda deep sigh, as if the dark shadows of the future already hungfrowningly over their heads. It was responded to by a deep, mysterious,sepulchral groan, which seemed to issue from the very heart of theearth, while, at the same instant, a royal eagle, sailing proudly overthe capital, struck by an invisible leaden messenger from one of thesure-sighted marksmen in the Castilian camp, fluttered in his loftyflight, drooped his strong wing, and, with a terrible death shriek, theblood streaming freely from his wound, fell into the court, at the veryfeet of the royal procession.
The fate of Montezuma, and of his empire, was now sealed. He had, withhis own hand, taken the crown from his head, and laid it at the feet ofthe Spaniard. And, more than all, he had humbled himself in the eyes ofhis own subjects, and diminished, though few were hardy enough to avowit, the profound respect and reverence with which they were accustomedto regard him. To his own immediate household, he had represented thisremoval as a voluntary act of courtesy, on his part, designed tocompliment the strangers, by becoming, for a time, their guest, and toinspire them, by his personal presence among them, with confidence inhis professions of regard, as well as to show his own people how strongthe bond of amity was between them. At the same time, however, that heassured them of his personal safety and his confidence that all wouldend well, he recommended his wives and children to leave him, for thepresent, and take up their abode in his rural mountain palace atChapoltepec.
The timid and sensitive Tecuichpo was thrown into the deepest distressby this suggestion. She could not doubt the repeated assurances of herroyal father, and yet she could not divest herself of the sad impressionthat his liberty, and perhaps his life, was in danger, in thusseparating himself from the strong arms and devoted hearts of his ownpeople, his natural protectors, and throwing himself, unarmed, into thegarrison of the fearful strangers. What security could she have that hewould ever return, or that violence would not be offered to his sacredperson by those who looked upon him only as the vassal of their ownsovereign, to be used for his purposes and theirs, as their ownselfishness and rapacity might dictate.
"Leave us not, my dear father," she exclaimed, "or at least compel notus to leave _you_. Rather in darkness and in trouble than at any othertime, would we stand at your side, to administer, as far as we may, toyour comfort, and to share, and perhaps lighten, your sorrows."
"Nay, my beloved child," the grateful monarch calmly replied, "I have noneed, at this time, of your solace, or your counsel. I go among friends,who respect my person and my authority, and who well know that their ownsafety in Tenochtitlan, depends entirely upon retaining my friendship,which alone can shield them from being overwhelmed, and swept away likechaff, before the countless hosts of my warrior bands. Why then should Ifear for myself. But for you, and your mother, and your sisters, thecamp of the strangers is not a fitting place for you. They have customsof their own, and are slow to recognize the propriety of ours, deemingus, as they do, an inferior race of beings. They are bold and free intheir manners, quite too much so for the refined delicacy of an Aztecmaiden, or an Aztec matron, as you yourself both saw and felt, at thefestival of their reception. How shall I expose you to the rude gaze ofthese foreign cavaliers, and perhaps to the rude speeches of theirsoldiers. No, my beloved, go to your retirement at Chapoltepec, andtrain the flowers there for my coming, which will be at the approachingfestival of the new moon."
"But will you certainly come to us then, my dear father? Karee says"----
"Trouble me not with the dreams of Karee, my sweet child. They are notalways as loyal as they should be. I believe I am right in what I am nowdoing, and I cannot be diverted from it by the mystic night visions ofyour favorite. Go, and the gods be with you."
So saying, he tore himself from her embrace, and returned to his ownapartments to attire himself for the removal.
The fiery, high spirited Guatimozin was so disgusted with this act ofsuicidal cowardice, on the part of his royal master, that he withdrew atonce from the city, taking with him his servants and retainers, as wellas his immense private treasures, and took up his abode at his countrypalace or castle, where he lived in all the pseudo-regal state andmagnificence of a feudal baron, or a petty sovereign. Here he opened acorrespondence with a large number of the principal nobles of the realm,who, like him, felt that the time had come to prepare for a terriblecrisis. They concerted no measures, for they dared not move openlywithout the command or assent of their master; but they exchangedsentiments, and encouraged each other in their patriotic purpose, todefend their country from subjugation to a foreign foe, and their altarsfrom desecration.
Passing Chapoltepec on his way, the noble Prince sought an interviewwith his lovely mistress, to inform her that, while the pledge he hadgiven, in accepting the proffered rose, over the sparkling fountain ofTenochtitlan, should be sacredly regarded, he must be allowed to seewith his own eyes, when danger was near, and to raise his arm in herdefence, and in that of his country, from whatever quarter thethreatened danger might come. He found her, bathed in tears, wanderingwildly up and down, amid the shade of the tall cypresses that overhangand almost bury that mountain retreat. Her raven hair had escaped fromits pearl-studded band, and was flying loosely in the breeze; the wontedbloom was gone from her cheek, and the brilliant lustre of her darkflashing eye had given way to a sad and subdued expression, which wasmore in keeping with the uniform mildness and gentleness of her spirit.Separated from her adored parent, and banished from the city of her loveand her pride, she began to feel more deeply than she had ever done, theterror of those dark omens which had clouded her destiny, and marked herout as the doomed Princess of Anahuac. While she could cling to herfather, and feel that she was to share all that might befal him, andperhaps, by sharing it, extract some portion of the bitterness from thecup which he was compelled to drink, she was calm and hopeful. But now,the sheet-anchor of her soul was gone, and she was drifting, at themercy of the waves, she knew not whither.
"My sweet cousin," said Guatimozin gently, as he arrested her flyingstep, "why this sudden abandonment to grief and despair. Dark as theclouds may be over our heads, all is not lost. Know you not, my love,that ten thousand times ten thousand brave hearts and strong arms arepledged, by every bond of loyalty and love, to rush to the rescue, themoment that any violence is offered to the sacred person of our lord. Beassured not a hair of his head shall be touched."
"Ah! my brave Guatimozin! I know full well your courage and your zeal.But of what avail to us will be the direst vengeance your arms can wreakon the strangers, after the violence is done, and the honored head ofmy father--oh! that I should live to speak it!--laid low at their feet!"
"Fear not, my beloved, they dare not, with all their boasted power, theydare not lay a rude hand upon that sacred person. They know, they feel,that they are treading on a mighty volcano, that may burst out at anymoment, and overwhelm them in hopeless destruction. It is this sense ofimpending danger only that has induced them to invite the Emperor totheir quarters, and so to urge their suit, that he could not, as theirprofessed friend, deny it. While he is there, they will feel safe, forhis hand alone can stay the pent up fires, that they break not forth atonce. Fear not. I go to-night to Iztapalapan, to confer with your royaluncle, the intrepid Cuitlahua. The noble Cacama joins us there,convinced already that his was a mistaken policy, when he counselledyour father to receive the strangers courteously, and treat them asfriends."
"And what can Cacama do?"
"That is yet to be seen. He is convinced of his error, and is ready toatone for it with his life. With Cacama, with Cuitlahua, with a thousandmore like them--chiefs who never feared danger, and never knewdefeat--why should we despair, or even doubt?"
"But how know you, Guatimozin, that these Castilian strangers regardtheir own safety as any way involved in that of Montezuma?"
"I gathered it from the oracle, my love, and from omens which neverdeceive."
"What oracle? What omens? I pray you explain?"
"The omens were their own troubled looks and clouded brows, while thisstrange negotiation was pending, and the guarded watchfulness, withwhich they now protect their guest, and prevent the intrusion upon hisprivacy of any considerable number of his friends, at the same time."
"Prince Guatimozin, do I understand the import of those terrible words?Is my father already a prisoner in his own palace?"
"What else, my sweet cousin, seeing he cannot come forth, if he would,and we can only approach him by permission?"
"O ye gods! has it come to this? Fly, Guatimozin. Fly to Iztapalapan. Irelease you from your pledge. Sound the alarm throughout the realm. And,if need be, _I_ will arm, and with you to the rescue."
"Not so fast, brave princess; it is just this rashness that may endangerthe precious head we would rescue. His life is safe at present; let usnot put it to hazard, by moving too soon, or striking a useless blow."
"But I see not yet, my dear cousin, how it is ascertained that my fatheris secure from further outrage. May it not be their policy to take awaythe head, hoping thus to dishearten and distract our people, and makethem an easy prey to their victorious arms."
"If so, they know not the spirit of the Aztec. To a man, throughoutthese broad realms, they would shed their last drop, to avenge the foulsacrilege, nor rest in their work of vengeance, till every altar in theland was drenched in the blood of the captive foe. But you forget that Ihave oracle as well as omen to sustain my faith."
"What oracle has condescended, at last, to give us light? I thoughtthey had all been silent, not deigning, since the advent of thesemysterious strangers, any response to our prayers."
"Karee is never deaf, or silent, where the welfare of Tecuichpo isconcerned."
"Karee?"
"Yes, love, Karee! I want no better or more trusty oracle. She has, youknow, a sort of ubiquity. Nothing escapes her keen observation. Fewmysteries are too deep for her sagacity to unravel. In her briefoccasional encounters with the strangers, she has gathered the meaningof not a few of the words of their strange tongue. What she has onceheard she never forgets. Presuming that no one could understand them,they have talked freely and boldly in her presence. And it is from herthat I learn, that the Castilian general said to one of his officers, ashe crossed the court yard, this morning--'While we have the Emperor withus, we are safe. We must see to it, he does not escape.'"
"Escape?" shrieked the agitated Princess; "then he is indeed a prisoner.But these white men are gods, are the gods treacherous?"
"The gods of the deep are all treachery, but not those of the bluefields and bright stars above us. But, be they gods from below, or godsfrom above, they are not the gods of Anahuac, nor shall they claim afoot of its soil, till it is drenched with the blood of the Aztec.Farewell. Fear not. I will yet see you return in triumph to the imperialhalls of Tenochtitlan."