CHAPTER III.
THE PUBLIC OPINION MAKES WAY.
In the _tianguez_, one market-day, there was an immense crowd, yet tradewas dull; indeed, comparatively nothing in that way was being done,although the display of commodities was rich and tempting.
"Holy gods, what is to become of us?" cried a Cholulan merchant.
"You! You are rich. Dulness of the market cannot hurt you. But I,--I amgoing to ruin."
The second speaker was a slave-dealer. Only the day before, he had, atgreat cost, driven into the city a large train of his "stock" from thewilderness beyond the Great River.
"Tell me, my friend," said a third party, addressing the slave-dealer,though in hearing of the whole company, "heard you ever of a slaveowning a slave?"
"Not I."
"Heard you ever of a man going into the market to buy a slave, when hewas looking to become one himself?"
"Never."
"You have it then,--the reason nobody has been to your exhibition."
The bystanders appeared to assent to the proposition, which allunderstood but the dealer in men, who begged an explanation.
"Yes, yes. You have just come home. I had forgotten. A bad time to beabroad. But listen, friend." The speaker quietly took his pipe from hismouth, and knocked the ashes out of the bowl. "We belong to Malinche;you know who he is."
"I am not so certain," the dealer replied, gravely. "The most I can sayis, I have heard of him."
"O, he is a god--"
"With all a man's wants and appetites," interposed one.
"Yes, I was about to say that. For instance, day before yesterday hesent down the king's order for three thousand _escaupiles_. What need--"
"They were for his Tlascalans."
"O, possibly. For whom were the cargoes of cotton cloth deliveredyesterday?"
"His women," answered the other, quickly.
"And the two thousand sandals?"
"For his soldiers?"
"And the gold of which the market was cleaned last week? And the goldnow being hunted in Tustepec and Chinantla? And the tribute being leviedso harshly in all the provinces,--for whom are they?"
"For Malinche himself."
LOOKED GLOOMILY INTO THE WATER]
"Yes, the god Malinche. Slave of a slave! My friend," said the chiefspeaker to the slave-dealer, "there is no such relation known to thelaw, and for that reason we cannot buy of you. Better go back withall you have, and let the wilderness have its own again."
"But the goods of which you spoke; certainly they were paid for," saidthe dealer, turning pale.
"No. There is nothing left of the royal revenue. Even the treasure whichthe last king amassed, and walled up in the old palace, has been givento Malinche. The empire is like a man in one respect, at least,--whenbeggared, it cannot pay."
"And the king?"
"He is Malinche's, too."
"Yes," added the bystander; "for nowadays we never see his signet,except in the hands of one of the strangers."
The dealer in men drew a long breath, something as near a sigh as couldcome from one of his habits, and said, "I remember Mualox and hisprophecy; and, hearing these things, I know not what to think."
"We have yet one hope," said the chief spokesman, as if desirous ofconcluding the conversation.
"And that?"
"Is the 'tzin Guatamo."
* * * * *
"What luck, Pepite?"
"Bad, very bad."
The questioner was the wife of the man questioned, who had just returnedfrom the market. Throwing aside his empty baskets, he sat down in theshade of a bridge spanning one of the canals, and, locking his handsacross his bare knees, looked gloomily in the water. His canoe, withothers, was close at hand.
The wife, without seeming to notice his dejection, busied herselfsetting out their dinner, which was humble as themselves, being ofboiled maize, tuna figs, and _tecuitlatl_, or cheese of the lake. Whenthe man began to eat, he began to talk,--a peculiarity in which he wasnot altogether singular.
"Bad luck, very bad," he repeated. "I took my baskets to the old stand.The flowers were fresh and sweet, gathered, you know, only last night.The market was full of people, many of whom I knew to be rich enough tobuy at two prices; they came, and looked, and said, 'They are very nice,Pepite, very nice,' but did not offer to buy. By and by the sun went up,and stood overhead, and still no purchaser, not even an offer. It wasvery discouraging, I tell you; and it would have been much more so, if Ihad not pretty soon noticed that the market-people around me, fruiterersand florists, were doing no better than I. Then I walked about to see myfriends; and in the porticos and booths as elsewhere in the square,--notrade; plenty of people, but no trade. The jewellers had covered theirfronts with flowers,--I never saw richer,--you should have beenthere!--and crowds stood about breathing the sweet perfume; but as topurchasing, they did nothing of the sort. In fact, may the _mitlou_[46]of our little house fly away to-night, if, in the whole day, I saw aninstance of trade, or so much as a cocoa-bean pass from one hand toanother!"
"It has been so many days now, only not quite so bad, Pepite," the wifesaid, struggling to talk cheerfully. "What did they say was the cause?Did any one speak of that?"
"O yes, everybody. Nothing else was talked. 'What is the use of working?Why buy or sell? We have no longer a king or country. We are all slavesnow. We belong to Malinche. Afterwhile, because we are poor, he willtake us off to some of his farms, like that one he has down in Oajaca,and set us to working, and keep the fruits, while he gives us the pains.No, we do not want anything; the less we have, the lighter will be ourgoing down.' That is the way the talk went all day."
For the first time the woman threw off her pretence of cheerfulness, andwas still, absorbed in listening and thinking.
"Belong to Malinche! We? And our little ones at home? Not while the godslive!" she said, confidently.
"Why not? You forget. Malinche is himself a god."
A doubt shook the strong faith of the wife; and soon, gloomy andhopeless as Pepite, she sat down by him, and partook of the humble fare.
* * * * *
"The nation is dying. Let us elect another king," said an old cacique toa crowd of nobles, of whom he was the centre, in the _pulque_ chamber ofthe Chalcan. Bold words, which, half a year before, would have beenpunished on the spot; now, they were heard in silence, if not withapprobation. "A king has no right to survive his glory," the veterancontinued; "and how may one describe his shame and guilt, when, fromfear of death, he suffers an enemy to use him, and turn his poweragainst his people!"
He stopped, and for a time the hush was threatening; then there wasclapping of hands, and voices cried out,--"Good, good!"
"May the gods forgive me, and witness that the speech was from love ofcountry, not hatred of Montezuma," said the cacique, deferentially.
"Whom would you have in his place? Name him," shouted an auditor.
"Montezuma,--if he will come back to us."
"He will not; he has already refused. Another,--give us another!"
"Be it so!" said the veteran, with decision. "My life is forfeit forwhat I have said. The cell that holds the king Cacama and the good lordCuitlahua yawns for me also. I will speak." Quaffing a bowl of _pulque_,he added, "Of all Anahuac, O my brothers, who, with the fewest years, iswisest of head and bravest of heart, and therefore fittest to be king intime like this?"
The question was of the kind that addresses itself peculiarly toindividual preferences,--the kind which has afflicted the world with itssaddest and greatest wars; yet, strange to say, the company, as with onevoice, and instantly, answered,--
"The 'tzin, the 'tzin. Guatamo, the 'tzin!"
* * * * *
In the evening time three pabas clomb the stairs by which the top of theturret of Huitzil' on the _teocallis_ was reached from the _azoteas_.Arrived at the top, they found there
the night-watcher, who recognizedthe _teotuctli_, and knelt to him.
"Arise, and get you down now," the arch-priest said; "we would be aloneawhile."
On a pedestal of stone, or rather of many stones, rested the brazier, orurn, that held the sacred fire. In it crackled the consuming fagots,while over it, with unsteady brilliancy, leaped the flames which, for somany leagues away, were as a beacon in the valley. The three stopped inthe shadow of the urn, and might have studied the city, or thosesubjects greater and more fascinating,--mysteries now, to-night,forever,--Space, and its children, the Stars; but it was not to indulgea common passion or uncertain speculations that Tlalac had brought fromtheir temples and altars his companions, the high-priests of Cholula andTezcuco. And there for a long time they remained, the grave and holyservants of the gods of the New World, talking earnestly, on whatsubject and with what conclusion we may gather.
"He is of us no longer," said Tlalac, impressively. "He has abandonedhis people; to a stranger he has surrendered himself, his throne andpower; he spends his days learning, from a new priesthood, a new creed,and the things that pertain to a god of whom everything is unknown tous, except that he is the enemy of our gods. I bore his desertionpatiently, as we always bear with those we love. By permission, as youheard, he came one day to worship Huitzil'; the permission was oncondition that there should be no sacrifices. Worship without sacrifice,my brethren! Can such thing be? When he came, he was offered rescue; thepreparations were detailed to him; he knew they could not fail; thenobles begged him to accept the offer; I warned him against refusal;yet, of choice, he went back to Malinche. Then patience almost forsookme. Next, as you also know, came the unpardonable sin. In the chamberbelow--the chamber sanctified by the presence of the mighty Huitzil'--Iwill give you to see, if you wish, a profanation the like of which camenever to the most wicked dream of the most wicked Aztec,--an altar tothe new and unknown God. And to-morrow, if you have the curiosity, Iwill give you to see the further sight,--a service, mixed of singing andprayer, by priests of the strange God, at the same time, and side byside with the worship of our gods,--all with the assent--nay, byorder--of Montezuma. Witness these crimes once, and your patience willgo quickly, whereas mine went slowly; but it is gone, and in its steadlives only the purpose to do what the gods command."
"Let us obey the gods!" said the reverend high-priest of Cholula.
"Let us obey the gods!" echoed his holy brother of Tezcuco.
"Hear me, then," said Tlalac, with increased fervor. "I will give theircommand. 'Raise up a new king, and save yourselves, by saving ourworship in the land!' so the gods say. And I am ready."
"But the law," said the Tezcucan.
"By the law," answered Tlalac, "there can be kings only in the order ofelection."
"And so?"
"Montezuma--_must_--DIE!"
Tlalac said these terrible words slowly, but firmly.
"And who will be the instrument?" they asked.
"Let us trust the gods," he answered. "For love of them men go down todeath every day; and of the many lovers, doubt not some one will befound to do their bidding."
And so it was agreed.
* * * * *
And so, slowly but surely, the Public Opinion made its way, permeatingall classes,--laborers, merchants, warriors, and priests.
FOOTNOTES:
[46] Household god of the lowest grade.