CHAPTER XIII.
THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL'.
By and by he returned, and standing by the couch, passed his handseveral times above her face. Silent as the movements were, she awoke,and threw her arms around his neck.
"You have been gone a long while," she said, in a childish voice. "Iwaited for you; but the lamps burned down low, and the shadows, fromtheir hiding among the bushes, came creeping in upon the fountain, and Islept."
"I saw you," he answered, playing with her hair. "I saw you; I alwayssee you."
"I tried to paint the fountain," she went on; "but when I watched thewater to catch its colors, I thought its singing changed to voices, and,listening to them, they stole my thoughts away. Then I tried to blend myvoice with them, and sing as they sung; but whenever mine sank lowenough, it seemed sad, while they went on gayer and more ringing thanever. I can paint the flowers, but not the water; I can sing with thebirds, but not with the fountain. But you promised to call me,--that youwould always call me."
"I knew you were asleep."
"But you had only to think to waken me."
He smiled at this acknowledgment of the power of his will. Just then abell sounded faintly through the chamber; hastening away, he shortlyreturned with breakfast on a great shell waiter; there were maize breadand honey, quails and chocolate, figs and oranges. Placing them on atable, he rolled up an ottoman for the girl; and, though she talked muchand lightly, the meal was soon over. Then he composed himself upon thecouch, and in the quiet, unbroken save by Tecetl, forgot the night andits incidents.
His rest was calm; when he awoke, she was sitting by the basin of thefountain talking to her birds gleefully as a child. She had given themnames, words more of sound pleasant to the ear than of signification; soshe understood the birds, whose varied cries were to her a language. Andthey were fearless and tame, perching on her hand, and courting hercaresses; while she was as artless, with a knowledge as innocent, and anature as happy. If Quetzal' was the paba's idol in religion, she washis idol in affection.
He watched her awhile, then suddenly sat up; though he said not a word,she flung her birds off, and came to him smiling.
"You called me, father."
He laid his hand upon her shoulder, all overflowed with the dark hair,and said in a low voice, "The time approaches when Quetzal' is to comefrom the home of the gods; it may be he is near. I will send you overthe sea and the land to find him; you shall have wings to carry you intothe air; and you shall fly swifter than the birds you have been talkingto."
Her smile deepened.
"Have you not told me that Quetzal' is good, and that his voice is likethe fountain's, and that when he speaks it is like singing? I am ready."
He kissed her, and nearer the basin rolled the couch, upon which shesat reclined against a heap of cushions, her hands clasped over herbreast.
"Do not let me be long gone!" she said. "The lamps will burn low again,and I do not like to have the shadows come and fold up my flowers."
The paba took a pearl from the folds of his gown, and laid it beforeher; then he sat down, and fixed his eyes upon her face; she looked atthe jewel, and composed herself as for sleep. Her hands settled upon herbosom, her features grew impassive, the lips slowly parted; graduallyher eyelids drooped, and the life running in the veins of her cheeks andforehead went back into her heart. Out of the pearl seemed to issue aspell that stole upon her spirits gently as an atomy settles through thestill air. Finally, there was a sigh, a sob, and over the soul of themaiden the will of Mualox became absolute. He took her hand in his.
"Wings swifter than the winds are yours, Tecetl. Go," he said, "searchfor the god; search the land."
She moved not, and scarcely breathed.
"Speak," he continued; "let me know that I am obeyed."
The will was absolute; she spoke, and though at first the words cameslowly, yet he listened like a prophet waiting for revelation. She spokeof the land, of its rivers, forests, and mountains; she spoke of thecities, of their streets and buildings, and of their people, for whomshe knew no name. She spoke of events transpiring in distant provinces,as well as in Tenochtitlan. She went into the temples, markets, andpalaces. Wherever men travelled, thither her spirit flew. When theflight was done, and her broken description ceased, the holy man sighed.
"Not yet, Tecetl; he is not found. The god is not on the land. Searchthe air."
And still the will was absolute, though the theme of the seer changed;it was not of the land now, but of the higher realm; she spoke of thesunshine and the cloud, of the wind rushing and chill, of the earth fardown, and grown so small that the mountains levelled with the plains.
"Not yet, not yet," he cried; "the god is not in the air. Go search thesea!"
In the hollow of his hand he lifted water, and sprinkled her face; andwhen he resumed his seat she spoke, not slowly as before, but fast andfree.
"The land is passed; behind me are the cities and lakes, and the greathouses and blue waters, such as I have seen in my pictures. I amhovering now, father, where there is nothing before me but waves anddistance. White birds go skimming about careless of the foam; the windspour upon me steadily; and in my ear is a sound as of a great voice. Ilisten, and it is the sea; or, father, it may be the voice of the godwhom you seek."
She was silent, as if waiting for an answer.
"The water, is it? Well, well,--whither shall I go now?"
"Follow the shore; it may lead where only gods have been."
"Still the waves and the distance, and the land, where it goes down intothe sea sprinkled with shells. Still the deep voice in my ear, and thewind about me. I hurry on, but it is all alike,--all water and sound.No! Out of the waves rises a new land, the sea, a girdle of billows,encircling it everywhere; yet there are blue clouds ascending from thefields, and I see palm-trees and temples. May not thy god dwell here?"
"No. You see but an island. On!"
"Well, well. Behind me fades the island; before me is nothing but sheenand waves and distance again; far around runs the line separating thesea and sky. Waste, all waste; the sea all green, the sky all blue; nolife; no god. But stay!"
"Something moves on the waste: speak, child!"
But for a time she was still.
"Speak!" he said, earnestly. "Speak, Tecetl!"
"They are far off,--far off," she replied, slowly and in a doubting way."They move and live, but I cannot tell whether they come or go, or whatthey are. Their course is unsteady, and, like the flight of birds, nowupon the sea, then in air, a moment seeming of the waves, then of thesky. They look like white clouds."
"You are fleeter than birds or clouds,--nearer!" he said, sternly, thefire in his eyes all alight.
"I go,--I approach them,--I now see them coming. O father, father! Iknow not what your god is like, nor what shape he takes, nor in whatmanner he travels; but surely these are his! There are many of them, andas they sweep along they are a sight to be looked at with trembling."
"What are they, Tecetl?"
"How can I answer? They are not of the things I have seen in mypictures, nor heard in my songs. The face of the sea is whitened bythem; the largest leads the way, looking like a shell,--of them I haveheard you speak as coming from the sea,--a great shell streaked withlight and shade, and hollow, so that the sides rise above the reach ofthe waves,--wings--."
"Nay, what would a god of the air with wings to journey upon the sea!"
"Above it are clouds,--clouds white as the foam, and such as a god mightchoose to waft him on his way. I can see them sway and toss, but as theshell rushes into the hollow places, they lift it up, and drive it on."
A brighter light flashed from his eyes. "It is the canoe, the canoe!" heexclaimed. "The canoe from Tlapallan!"
"The canoe, father! The waves rush joyously around it; they liftthemselves in its path, and roll on to meet it; then, as if they knewit to be a god's, in peace make way for its coming. Upon the temples inmy
pictures I have seen signs floating in the air--"
"You mean banners,--banners, child," he said, tremulously.
"I remember now. Above the foremost canoe, above its clouds, there is abanner, and it is black--"
"'Tis Quetzal's! 'Tis Quetzal's!" he muttered.
"It is black, with golden embroidery, and something picture-written onit, but what I cannot tell."
"Look in the canoe."
"I see--O, I know not what to call them."
"Of what shape are they, child?"
"Yours, father."
"Go on: they are gods!" he said, and still the naming of men was unheardin the great chamber.
"There are many of them," she continued; "their garments flash andgleam; around one like themselves they are met; to me he seems thesuperior god; he is speaking, they are listening. He is taller than you,father, and has a fair face, and hair and beard like the hue of hisbanner. His garments are the brightest of all."
"You have described a god; it is Quetzal', the holy, beautifulQuetzal'!" he said, with rising voice. "Look if his course be toward theland."
"Every canoe moves toward the shore."
"Enough!" he cried. "The writing on the wall is the god's!" And, rising,he awoke the girl.
As Tecetl awake had no recollection of her journey, or of what she hadseen in its course, she wondered at his trouble and excitement, andspoke to him, without answer.
"Father, what has Tecetl done that you should be so troubled?"
He put aside her arms, and in silence turned slowly from the pleasantplace, and retraced his steps back through the halls of the Cu to thecourt-yard and _azoteas_.
The weight of the secret did not oppress him; it rested upon him lightlyas the surplice upon his shoulders; for the humble servant of his godwas lifted above his poverty and trembling, and, vivified by theconsciousness of inspiration, felt more than a warrior's strength. Butwhat should he do? Where proclaim the revelation? Upon the temple?
"The streets are deserted; the people are in the theatre; the king isthere with all Anahuac," he muttered. "The coming of Quetzal' concernsthe Empire, and it shall hear the announcement: so not on the temple,but to the _tianguez_. The god speaks to me! To the _tianguez_!"
In the chapel he exchanged his white surplice for the regalia ofsacrifice. Never before, to his fancy, wore the idol such seeming oflife. Satisfaction played grimly about its mouth; upon its brow, like acoronet, sat the infinite Will. From the chapel he descended to thestreet that led to the great square. Insensibly, as he hurried on, hissteps quickened; and bareheaded and unsandalled, his white beard andhair loose and flowing, and his face beaming with excitement, he lookedthe very embodiment of direful prophecy. On the streets he met onlyslaves. At the theatre the entrance was blocked by people; soldieryguarded the arena: but guard and people shrunk at his approach; andthus, without word or cry, he rushed within the wall of shields, wherewere none but the combatants, living and dead.
Midway the arena he halted, his face to the king. Around ran hiswondrous glance, and, regardless of the royalty present, the peopleshouted, "The paba, the paba!" and their many voices shook the theatre.Flinging the white locks back on his shoulders, he tossed his armsaloft; and the tumult rose into the welkin, and a calm settled over themultitude. Montezuma, with the malediction warm on his lips, bent fromhis couch to hear his words.
"Woe is Tenochtitlan, the beautiful!" he cried, in the unmeasuredaccents of grief. "Woe to homes, and people, and armies, and king! Whythis gathering of dwellers on the hills and in the valleys! Why thecombat of warriors? Quetzal' is at hand. He comes for vengeance. Woe isTenochtitlan, the beautiful! * * * * This, O king, is the day of thefulfilment of prophecy. From out the sea, wafted by clouds, even now thecanoes of the god are coming. His power whitens the waves, and thegarments of his warriors gleam with the light of the sky. Woe isTenochtitlan! This day is the last of her perfect glory; to-morrowQuetzal' will glisten on the sea-shore, and her Empire vanish forever.* * * * People, say farewell to peace! Keepers of the temples, holy men,go feed the fires, and say the prayer, and sacrifice the victim! Andthou, O king! summon thy strong men, leaders in battle, and be thybanners counted, and thy nations marshalled. In vain! Woe isTenochtitlan! Sitting in the lake, she shines lustrously as a star; andthough in a valley of gardens, she is like a great tree shadowing in adesert. But the ravager comes, and the tree shall be felled, and thestar go out darkling forever. The fires shall fade, the bones of thedead kings be scattered, altars and gods overthrown, and every templelevelled with the streets. Woe is Tenochtitlan! Ended,--ended forever isthe march of Azatlan, the mighty!"
His arms fell down, and, without further word, his head bowed upon hisbreast, the prophet departed. The spell he left behind him remainedunbroken. As they recovered from the effects of his bodement, the peopleleft the theatre, their minds full of indefinite dread. If perchancethey spoke of the scene as they went, it was in whispers, and rather tosound the depths of each other's alarm. And for the rest of the day theyremained in their houses, brooding alone, or collected in groups,talking in low voices, wondering about the prescience of the paba, andlooking each moment for the development of something more terrible.
The king watched the holy man until he disappeared in the crowdedpassage; then a deadly paleness overspread his face, and he sunk almostto the platform. The nobles rushed around, and bore him to hispalanquin, their brave souls astonished that the warrior and priest andmighty monarch could be so overcome. They carried him to his palace, andleft him to a solitude full of unkingly superstitions.
Guatamozin, serene amid the confusion, called the _tamanes_, and orderedthe old Othmi and the dead removed. The Tezcucan still breathed.
"The reviler of the gods shall be cared for," he said to himself. "If helives, their justice will convict him."
Before the setting of the sun, the structure in the _tianguez_ was takendown and restored to the temples, never again to be used. Yet themarket-place remained deserted and vacant; the whole city seemedplague-smitten.
And the common terror was not without cause, any more than Mualox waswithout inspiration. That night the ships of Cortes, eleven in number,and freighted with the materials of conquest, from the east of Yucatan,came sweeping down the bay of Campeachy. Next morning they sailed up theRio de Tabasco, beautiful with its pure water and its banks fringed withmangroves. Tecetl had described the fleet, the sails of which from afarlooked like clouds, while they did, indeed, whiten the sea.
Next evening a courier sped hotly over the causeway and up the street,stopping at the gate of the royal palace. He was taken before the king;and, shortly after, it went flying over the city how Quetzal' hadarrived, in canoes larger than temples, wafted by clouds, and full ofthunder and lightning. Then sank the monarch's heart; and, though theSpaniard knew it not, his marvellous conquest was half completed beforehis iron shoe smote the shore at San Juan de Ulloa.[27]
FOOTNOTES:
[27] Cortes' squadron reached the mouth of the river Tabasco on the 12th of March, 1519.
BOOK TWO.