CHAPTER XV.
THE DEATH OF MONTEZUMA.
Again Martin Lopez had long conference with Cortes; after which, withhis assistant carpenters, he went to work, and, until evening time, theechoes of the court-yard danced to the sounds of saw and hammer.
And while they worked, to Cortes came Avila and Mexia.
"What thou didst intrust to us, Senor, we have done. Here is a fullaccount of all the treasure, our royal master's included."
Cortes read the statement, then called his chamberlain, Christobal deGuzman.
"Go thou, Don Christobal, and bring what is here reported into onechamber, where it may be seen of all. And send hither the royalsecretaries, and Pedro Hernandez, my own clerk."
The secretaries came.
"Now, Senores Avila and Mexia, follow my chamberlain, and in hispresence and that of these gentlemen, take from the treasure the portionbelonging to his Majesty, the emperor. Of our wounded horses, thenchoose ye eight, and of the Tlascalans, eighty, and load them with theroyal dividend, and what more they can carry; and have them always readyto go. And as leaving anything of value where the infidels may beprofited is sinful, I direct,--and of this let all bear witness,Hernandez for me, and the secretaries for his Majesty,--I direct, I say,that ye set the remainder apart accessible to the soldiers, with leaveto each one of them to take therefrom as much as he may wish. Make note,further, that what is possible to save all this treasure hath beendone. Write it, good gentlemen, write it; for if any one thinkethdifferently, let him say what more I can do. I am waiting to hear.Speak!"
No one spoke.
And while the division of the large plunder went on, and afterwards themen scrambled for the remainder, Montezuma was dying.
In the night a messenger sought Cortes.
"Senor," he said, "the king hath something to ask of you. He will notdie comforted without seeing you."
"Die, say'st thou?" and Cortes arose hastily. "I had word that his hurtswere not deadly."
"If he die, Senor, it will be by his own hand. The stones wrought himbut bruises; and if he would let the bandages alone the arrow-cut wouldshortly stop bleeding."
"Yes, yes," said Cortes. "Thou wouldst tell me that this barbarian,merely from being long a king, hath a spirit of such exceeding finenessthat, though the arrow had not cut him deeper than thy dull rowelmarketh thy horse's flank, yet would he die. Where is he now?"
"In the audience chamber."
"_Bastante!_ I will see him. Tell him so."
Cortes stood fast, thinking.
"This man hath been useful to me; may not some profit be eked out of himdead? So many saw him get his wounds, and so many will see him die ofthem, that the manner of his taking off may not be denied. What if Isend his body out and indict his murderers? If I could take from themthe popular faith even, then--By my conscience, I will try the trick!"
And taking his sword and plumed hat and tossing a cloak over hisshoulder he sought the audience chamber.
There was no guard at the door. The little bells, as he threw aside thecurtains, greeted him accusingly. Within, all was shadow, except wherea flickering lamplight played over and around the dais; nevertheless, hesaw the floor covered with people, some prostrate, others on their kneesor crouching face down; and the grim speculator thought, as he passedslowly on, Verily, this king must also have been a good man and agenerous.
The couch of the dying monarch was on the dais in the accustomed placeof the throne. At one side stood the ancients; at the other his queensknelt, weeping. Nenetzin hid her face in his hand, and sobbed as if herheart were breaking; she had been forgiven. Now and then Maxtla bentover him to cleanse his face of the flowing blood. A group of cavalierswere off a little way, silent witnesses; and as Cortes drew near,Olmedo, who had been in prayer, extended toward the sufferer the ivorycross worn usually at his girdle.
"O king," said the good man imploringly, "thou hast yet a moment oflife, which, I pray thee, waste not. Take this holy symbol upon thybreast, cross thy hands upon it, and say after me: I believe in One God,the Father Almighty, in our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son ofGod, and in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life. Then pray thou:O God the Father of Heaven, O God the Son, Redeemer of the World, O Godthe Holy Ghost, O Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy upon my soul! Dothese things, say these words, O king, and thou shalt live after thybones have gone to dust. Thou shalt live forever, eternally happy."
Courtiers and cavaliers, the queens, Nenetzin, even Cortes, watched themonarch's waning face; never yet were people indifferent to theissue--the old, old issue--of true god against false. Marina finishedthe interpretation; then he raised his hand tremulously, and put theholy sign away, saying,--
"I have but a moment to live, and will not desert the faith of myfathers now."
A great sigh of relief broke from the infidels; the Christiansshuddered, and crossed themselves; then Cortes stepped to Olmedo's side.
"I received your message, and am here," said he, sternly. He had seenthe cross rejected.
The king turned his pale face, and fixed his glazing eyes upon theconqueror; and such power was there in the look that the latter added,with softening manner, "What I can do for thee I will do. I have alwaysbeen thy true friend."
"O Malinche, I hear you, and your words make dying easy," answeredMontezuma, smiling faintly.
With an effort he sought Cortes' hand, and looking at Acatlan andTecalco, continued,--
"Let me intrust these women and their children to you and your lord. Ofall that which was mine but now is yours,--lands, people,empire,--enough to save them from want and shame were small indeed.Promise me; in the hearing of all these, promise, Malinche."
Taint of anger was there no longer on the soul of the great Spaniard.
"Rest thee, good king!" he said, with feeling. "Thy queens and theirchildren shall be my wards. In the hearing of all these, I so swear."
The listener smiled again; his eyes closed, his hand fell down; and sostill was he that they began to think him dead. Suddenly he stirred, andsaid faintly, but distinctly,--
"Nearer, uncles, nearer."
The old men bent over him, listening.
"A message to Guatamozin,--to whom I give my last thought as king. Sayto him, that this lingering in death is no fault of his; the aim wastrue, but the arrow splintered upon leaving the bow. And lest the worldhold him to account for my blood, hear me say, all of you, that I badehim do what he did. And in sign that I love him, take my sceptre, andgive it to him--"
The voice fell away, yet the lips moved; lower the ancients stooped,--
"Tula and the empire go with the sceptre," he murmured, and they werehis last words,--his will.
A wail from the women proclaimed him dead.
The unassoilzied great may not see heaven; they pass from life intohistory, where, as in a silent sky, they shine for ever and ever. So thelight of the Indian King comes to us, a glow rather than a brilliance;for, of all fates, his was the saddest. Better not to be than to becomethe ornament of another's triumph. Alas for him whose death is animmortal sorrow!
Out of the palace-gate in the early morning passed the lords of thecourt in procession, carrying the remains of the monarch. The bier washeavy with royal insignia; nothing of funeral circumstance was omitted;honor to the dead was policy. At the same time the body was delivered,Cortes indicted the murderers; the ancients through whom he spoke werealso the bearers of the dead king's last will; back to the boldSpaniard, therefore, came the reply,--
"Cowards, who at the last moment beg for peace! you are not two sunsaway from your own graves! Think only of them!"
And while Cortes was listening to the answer, the streets about thepalace filled with companies, and crumbling parapet and solid wall shookunder the shock of a new assault.
Then Cortes' spirit arose.
"Mount, gentlemen!" he cried. "The hounds come scrambling for thescourge; shame on us, if we do not meet them. And he
arken! The prisonersreport a plague in the city, of which the new king is dying, andhundreds are sick. It is the small-pox."
"_Viva la viruela!_" shouted Alvarado.
The shout spread through the palace.
"Where God's curse is," continued Cortes, "Christians need not stay.To-night we will go. To clear the way and make this day memorable let usride. Are ye ready?"
They answered joyously.
Again the gates were opened, and with a goodly following of infantry,into the street they rode. Nothing withstood them; they passed thecanals by repairing the bridges or filling up the chasms; they rode thewhole length of the street until the causeway clear to Tlacopan wasvisible. St. James fought at their head; even the Holy Mother stoopedfrom her high place, and threw handfuls of dust in the enemy's eyes.
In the heat of the struggle suddenly the companies fell back, and madeopen space around the Christians; then came word that commissioners fromking Cuitlahua waited in the palace to treat of peace.
"The heathen is an animal!" said Cortes, unable to repress hisexultation. "To cure him of temper and win his love, there is nothinglike the scourge. Let us ride back, gentlemen."
In the court-yard stood four caciques, stately men in peaceful garb.They touched the pavement with their palms.
"We are come to say, O Malinche, that the lord Cuitlahua, our king,yields to your demand for peace. He prays you to give your terms to thepabas whom you captured on the temple, that they may bring them to himforthwith."
The holy men were brought from their cells, one leaning upon the other.The instructions were given; then the two, with the statelycommissioners, were set without the gate, and Cortes and his army wentto rest, never so contented.
They waited and waited; but the envoys came not. When the sun went down,they knew themselves deceived; and then there were sworn many full,round, Christian oaths, none so full, so round, and so Christian asCortes'.
A canoe, meantime, bore Io' to Tula. In the quiet and perfumed shade ofthe _chinampa_ he rested, and soothed the fever of his wound.
Meanwhile, also, a courier from the _teotuctli_ passed from temple totemple; short the message, but portentous,--
"Blessed be Huitzil', and all the gods of our fathers! And, as he atlast saved his people, blessed be the memory of Montezuma! Purify thealtars, and make ready for the sacrifice, for to-morrow there will bevictims!"
FOOTNOTES:
[50] Bernal Diaz, Hist. de la Conq.
[51] The crown.