CHAPTER VII.
THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS.
"Let the _azoteas_ be cleared of all but my family. You, my brother, willremain."
So saying, the king arose, and began walking again. As he did so, thecross slipped from his fingers, and fell, ringing sharply upon the roof.Nenetzin sprang forward and picked the symbol up.
"Now, call the messengers."
When the chief was gone, the monarch stepped to Cuitlahua, and, laying ahand upon his arm, said, "At last, O brother, at last! The time so longprayed for is come. The enemy is in the snare, and he is mine. So thegod of our fathers has promised. The messengers bring me his permissionto make war."
"At last! Praised be Huitzil'!" exclaimed Cuitlahua, with upraised handsand eyes.
"Praised be Huitzil'!" cried Tula, with equal fervor.
"Malinche began his march to Tenochtitlan against my order, which, for apurpose, I afterwards changed to invitation. Since that, my people, myarmy, the lords, the pabas, the Empire, have upbraided me for weakness.I only bided my time, and the assent of Huitzil'. And the result? Thepalace of Axaya' shall be the tomb of the insolent strangers."
As he spoke, the monarch's bosom swelled with the old warrior spirit.
"You would have had me go meet Malinche, and in the open field array mypeople to be trodden down by his beasts of war. Now, ours is theadvantage. We will shut him in with walls of men as well as of houses.Over them he may ride, but the first bridge will be the end of hisjourney; it will be raised. Mictlan take our legions, if they cannotconquer him at last!"
He laughed scornfully.
"In the temples are seventy thousand fighting men, gathered unknown toall but Tlalac. They are tired of their prison, and cry for freedom andbattle. Two other measures taken, and the war begins,--only two.Malinche has no stores; he is dependent upon me for to-morrow's bread.What if I say, not a grain of corn, not a mouthful of meat shall passhis palace gate? As to the other step,--what if I bid you raise thebridges? What then? His beasts must starve; so must his people, unlessthey can fly. Let him use his engines of fire; the material he servesthem with cannot last always, so that want will silence them also. Themeasures depend on my word, which, by the blessing of Huitzil', I willspeak, and"--
"When?" asked Cuitlahua, earnestly.
"To-morrow--"
"The day,--O my kingly brother!--the day will be memorable in Anahuacforever!"
The monarch's eyes flashed with evil fire. "It shall be so. Part of theinvaders will not content me; none shall escape,--not one! In the worldshall not one be left!"
All present listened eagerly. Nenetzin alone gave no sign of feeling,though she heard every word.
The couriers now appeared. Over their uniforms was the inevitable_nequen_. Instead of helms, they wore broad bands, ornamented withplumes and brilliants. At their backs hung their shields. The prince,proud and happy, kissed his mother's hand, and nodded to the sisters.Hualpa went to the king, and knelt in salute.
"I have been waiting since noon," said Montezuma, coldly.
"We pray your pardon, O king, good master. The fault was not ours. Sinceyesterday at noon we have not ate or drank or slept; neither have webeen out of the great temple, except to embark and come here, which waswith all possible speed."
"It is well. Arise! What says the god?"
Every ear was strained to hear.
"We followed your orders in all things, O king. In the temple we foundthe _teotuctli_, and the pabas of the city, with many from Tezcuco andCholula."
"Saw you Mualox, of the old Cu of Quetzal'?"
"Mualox was not there."
The king waved his hand.
"We presented ourselves to the _teotuctli_, and gave him your message;in proof of our authority, we showed him the signet, which we nowreturn."
The seal was taken in silence.
"In presence, then, of all the pabas, the sacrifices were begun. Icounted the victims,--nine hundred in all. The afternoon and night, andto-day, to the time of our departure, the service lasted. The sound ofprayer from the holy men was unintermitted and loud. I looked once tothe palace of Axaya', and saw the _azoteas_ crowded with the strangersand their Tlascalans."
The king and the lord Cuitlahua exchanged glances of satisfaction.
"At last the labors of the _teotuctli_ were rewarded. I saw him tear aheart from a victim's breast, and study the signs; then, with a loudcry, he ran and flung the heart into the fire before the altar ofHuitzil'; and all there joined in the cry, which was of rejoicing, andwashed their hands in the blood. The holy man then came to me, and said,'Say to Montezuma, the wise king, that Huitzil', the Supreme God, hasanswered, and bids him begin the war. Say to him, also, to be of cheer;for the land shall be delivered from the strangers, and the strangersshall be delivered to him, in trust for the god.' Then he stood in thedoor of the sanctuary, and made proclamation of the divine will. Andthat was all, O king."
"To Huitzil' be the praise!" exclaimed the king, piously.
"And to Montezuma the glory!" said Cuitlahua.
And the queens and Tula kissed the monarch's hand, and at his feet Io'knelt, and laid his shield, saying,--
"A favor, O king, a favor!"
"Well."
"Let not my years be counted, but give me a warrior's part in the sacredwar."
And Cuitlahua went to the suppliant, and laid a hand upon his head, andsaid, his massive features glowing with honest pride, "It was wellspoken, O my brother, well spoken. The blood and spirit of our race willsurvive us. I, the oldest, rejoice, and, with the youngest, pray; giveus each to do a warrior's part."
Brighter grew the monarch's eyes.
"Your will be done," he said to Io'. "Arise!" Then looking toward thesun, he added, with majestic fervor, "The inspiration is from you, Oholy gods! strengthen it, I pray, and help him in the way he would go."A moment after, he turned to Cuitlahua, "My brother, have your wishalso. I give you the command. You have my signet already. To-morrow thedrum of Huitzil' will be beaten. At the sound, let the bridges next thepalace of Axaya' on all the causeways be taken up. Close the marketto-night. Supplies for one day more Malinche may have, and that is all.Around the _teocallis_, in hearing of a shell, are ten thousandwarriors; take them, and, after the beating of the drum, see that thestrangers come not out of the palace, and that nothing goes through itsgates for them. But until the signal, let there be friendship andperfect peace. And"--he looked around slowly and solemnly--"what I havehere spoken is between ourselves and the gods."
And Cuitlahua knelt and kissed his hand, in token of loyalty.
While the scene was passing, as the only one present not of the royalfamily, Hualpa stood by, with downcast eyes; and as he listened to thebrave words of the king, involving so much of weal or woe to the realm,he wondered at the fortune which had brought him such rich confidence,not as the slow result of years of service, but, as it were, in a day.Suddenly, the monarch turned to him.
"Thanks are not enough, lord Hualpa, for the report you bring. As amessenger between me and the mighty Huitzil', you shall have reason torejoice with us. Lands and rank you have, and a palace; now,"--a smilebroke through his seriousness,--"now I will give you a wife. Here sheis." And to the amazement of all, he pointed to Nenetzin. "A wild bird,by the Sun! What say you, lord Hualpa? Is she not beautiful? Yet," hebecame grave in an instant, "I warn you that she is self-willed, andspoiled, and now suffers from a distemper which she fancies to be love.I warn you, lest one of the enemy, of whom we were but now talking, lureher from you, as he seems to have lured her from us and our gods. Tosave her, and place her in good keeping, as well as to bestow a properreward, I will give her to you for wife."
Tecalco looked at Acatlan, who governed her feelings well; possibly shewas satisfied, for the waywardness of the girl had, of late, caused heranxiety, while, if not a prince, like Cacama, Hualpa was young, brave,handsome, ennobled, and, as the proposal itself proved, on the high roadto princely ho
nors. Tula openly rejoiced; so did Io'. The lord Cuitlahuawas indifferent; his new command, and the prospects of the morrow, soabsorbed him that a betrothal or a wedding was a trifle. As for Hualpa,it was as if the flowery land of the Aztec heaven had opened around him.He was speechless; but in the step half taken, his flushed face, hisquick breathing, Nenetzin read all he could have said, and more; and sohe waited a sign from her,--a sign, though but a glance or a motion ofthe lip or hand. And she gave him a smile,--not like that the boldSpaniard received on the temple, nor warm, as if prompted by the lovingsoul,--a smile, witnessed by all present, and by all accepted as herexpression of assent.
"I will give her to you for wife," the monarch repeated, slowly anddistinctly. "This is the betrothal; the wedding shall be when the war isover, when not a white-faced stranger is left in all my domain."
While yet he spoke, Nenetzin ran to her mother, and hid her face in herbosom.
"Listen further, lord Hualpa," said the king. "In the great business ofto-morrow I give you a part. At daylight return to the temple, andremain there in the turret where hangs the drum of Huitzil'. Io' willcome to you about noon, with my command; then, if such be its effect,with your own hand give the signal for which the lord Cuitlahua will bewaiting. Strike so as to be heard by the city, and by the cities on theshores of the lake. Afterwards, with Io', go to the lord Cuitlahua. Hereis the signet again. The _teotuctli_ may want proof of your authority."
Hualpa, kneeling to receive the seal, kissed the monarch's hand.
"And now," the latter said, addressing himself to Cuitlahua, "theinterview is ended. You have much to do. Go. The gods keep you."
Hualpa, at last released, went and paid homage to his betrothed, and wasmade still more happy by her words, and the congratulations of thequeens.
Tula alone lingered at the king's side, her large eyes fixed appealinglyon his face.
"What now, Tula?" he asked, tenderly.
And she answered, "You have need, O king and good father, of faithful,loving warriors. I know of one. He should be here, but is not. Ofto-morrow, its braveries and sacrifices, the minstrels will sing forages to come; and the burden of their songs will be how nobly the peoplefought, and died, and conquered for you. Shall the opportunity be forall but him? Do not so wrong yourself, be not so cruel to--to me," shesaid, clasping her hands.
His look of tenderness vanished, and he walked away, and from theparapet of the _azoteas_ gazed long and fixedly, apparently observingthe day dying in the west, or the royal gardens that stretched out ofsight from the base of the castled hill.
She waited expectantly, but no answer came,--none ever came.
And when, directly, she joined the group about Nenetzin and Hualpa, andleaned confidingly upon Io', she little thought that his was the shadowdarkening her love; that the dreamy monarch, looking forward to thesuccession, saw, in the far future, a struggle for the crown between theprince and the 'tzin; that for the former hope there was not, except inwhat might now be done; and that yet there was not hope, if theopportunities of war were as open to the one as to the other. So theexile continued.