CHAPTER IX.
While he still talked with the Morisco, Don Amador was able to cast hiseyes about him, and to perceive on either side a great multitude of lowhouses of wickered cane, which seemed to him more to resemble giganticbaskets than the habitations of men; but which, even in these latterdays, are found sufficient to protect the humble aborigines from thevicissitudes of that benignant clime. Each stood by itself in anenclosure of shrubs and flowers, and where it happened that the inmateswere within, with torches or fires burning, the blaze, streaming throughthe wattled walls, illuminated every thing around, and disclosed thefigures of the habitants moving about like shadows in the flame. Otherbuildings, equally humble in size, were constructed of less remarkablebut not less romantic materials; and where the moonbeams fell over theirearthen walls and palmy roofs, both were often concealed by such adrapery of vines and creeping flowers, perhaps the odoriferous vanillaand the beautiful convolvulus, as might have satisfied the longings of awood-nymph. As he approached nearer to the centre of the town, theselowly and lovely cottages were exchanged for fabrics of stone, many ofthem of considerable size, and several with walls covered with thebright and silvery plaster which ornamented the temples. Each of these,the dwellings of the _Tlatoani_, or, as the Spaniards called them, inthe language of Santo Domingo, the _Caciques_ of the city,--stood alonein its garden of flowers, with vines trailing, and palm-trees bendingover its roof, commonly in darkness, though sometimes the myrtle-taperof a fair Totonac, (for such was the name of this provincial people ofthe coast,) or the oily cresset of a Spanish captain, who had made hisquarters wherever was a house to his fancy, might be seen gleaming frombehind the curtains of cotton stuff, which were hung at the doors andwindows. These sights had been seen by Amador, while yet engaged inconversation with Abdalla; but when the Morisco dropped sorrowfullyaway, he found himself on the great square of the city, immediatelyfronting the sanctuaries, and gazing upon a scene of peculiarly wild andnovel character. The centre of the square was occupied by a broad, andindeed a vast platform of earth, raised to a height of eight or tenfeet, ascended from all sides by half as many steps,--having theappearance of a low truncated pyramid, serving as a base to the threetowers which crowned it. Upon its summit or terrace, immediately inadvance of the towers, was kindled a great fire, the blaze of which,besides illuminating the temple itself and all the buildings whichsurrounded the square, fell upon sundry groups of Indian tumblers,engaged in feats of activity, as well as upon a host of cavaliers whosurveyed them close at hand, and many throngs of common soldiers andnatives who looked on at a distance from the square.
Here the detachment was halted; the burthens of the Tlameme weredeposited on the earth; the horses were freed from their packs; andAmador, at the suggestion of Salvatierra, dismounted, and leaving Fogosoto the care of his attendants, and these again to the disposition of thecaptain, ascended the pyramid, followed by the secretary. He wassomewhat surprised, when this worthy commander, whom he looked for toconduct him to the general, resuming much of the stately dignity he hadfound it inconvenient to support on the march, made him a low bow, andinformed him with much gravity he would find the commander-in-chiefeither on the terrace among his officers, or at his head-quarters in themiddle tower. The feeling of indignation which for a moment beset him,would have been expressed, had not Salvatierra with another bow retired,and had he not perceived, at the same moment, the young Fabueno drawfrom his girdle the letter which was doubtless to secure him thegood-will of Narvaez. Checking therefore his anger, he straightwayascended the platform. Arrived at its summit, he now beheld the scenewhich he had imperfectly witnessed from below. The great fire, cracklingand roaring, added the ruddy glare of a volcano to the pallidillumination of the moon; and in the combined light, the operations ofthe gymnasts and dancers, the athletes and jugglers, were as visible asif performed in the glitter of noon-day. For a moment Amador thought, ashad been thought by all other Spaniards, when looking for the first timeon the sports of these barbarous races, that he had got among a group ofdevils, or at least of devilish magicians; and he crossed himself withan instinctive horror, when he beheld, so to speak, three piles of men,each composed of three individuals, half-naked, standing one upon thehead or shoulders of another, whirling about in a circle, and each, ashe whirled, dancing on the head or shoulders of his supporter, andtossing abroad his _penacho_, or long plume of feathers, as if divertinghimself on the solid earth. This spectacle entirely distracted hisattention from others scarcely less worthy of observation,--as wasindeed that, where two men see-sawed on a pole, in the air, and, asmight be said, without support, except that which was occasionallyrendered by the feet of a sinewy pagan, who lay on his back, and everand anon, as the flying phantoms descended, spurned them again into theair. Such also was that magical dance of the cords, brought from theunknown tribes of the South, wherein a score of men, each holding to arope of some brilliant colour, and each decorated with the feathers ofthe parrot and the flamingo, whirled in fleet gyrations round agarlanded post, till their cords were twisted together in a net ofincomprehensible complexity, but which, before the observer had leisureto digest his amazement, were again unravelled in the rapid andmysterious evolutions of the dance. A thousand other such exhibitions,similar in novelty but different in character, were displayed at thesame moment; but the eyes of the neophyte were lost to all but thatwhich had first astounded him; and it was not till the voice of thesecretary roused him from his bewitchment, that he collected his senses,and observed an officer of the household of the general standing beforehim, and doing him such reverence as was evidently the right of hisdignity. It was then that Don Amador looked from the dancers to thecavaliers whom they were diverting. The fire flashed over the walls ofthe square and lofty towers up to the shelving thatch of palm-leaves,under which they were grouped, making, with the glitter of theirhalf-armed persons, a suitable addition to the romance of the scene. Inthe centre of that group which lounged before the middle and loftiesttower, in a chair, or indeed, as it might be called, a throne, of suchbarbaric beauty as was known only to the magnificos of this singularpeople, sat a cavalier, tall and somewhat majestic of stature, with aruddy beard, and yellow locks falling over an agreeable countenance; inwhom, not so much from the character of his deportment and the qualityof his decorations, as from the evident homage rendered him by theofficers around, Don Amador did not doubt he beheld the Biscayangeneral. At the very moment when his eyes fell upon this smilingdignitary, he was himself perceived by the general; and Narvaez startedup with a sort of confusion, as if ashamed to be discovered in suchtrivial enjoyment by so gallant a cavalier. In fact, the glitteringcasque of steel had supplanted the velvet cap on the head of the novice;and as he approached in full armour, clad also in the dignity with whichhe was wont to approach his fellows in rank, Don Amador presented afigure, to say the least, equally noble with that of thecommander,--and, what was no slight advantage in those days, with theadditional manifestation of high blood, such as was certainly lessquestionable in him than in Narvaez. It seemed for a moment, as if thegeneral would have retreated into the temple, doubtless with the view ofassuming a more stately character for the interview; but perceiving thatDon Amador had already recognised him, and was advancing, he changed hispurpose, and making a step forward to do honour to his visiter, he stoodstill to receive him. The eyes of all those gallant adventurers wereturned from the dancers to the new-comer; but Don Amador, not much movedby such a circumstance, as indifferent to their curiosity as theiradmiration, approached with a stately gravity, and, making a courteousreverence to the general, said,--
"I have no doubt it is my felicity at this present moment to offer mydevoirs to the noble and very respected senor, the general Don Panfilode Narvaez; on the presumption of which, I, Amador de Leste, of Cuenza,a novice of the holy hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, do not hesitateto claim the hospitalities, which, as an hidalgo of Spain, and kinsmanof the noble senor, the admiral Cavallero, your excellency'sconfederate, I hold myself entitl
ed to expect."
"The very noble and valiant senor Don Amador de Leste shall not claimthose hospitalities in vain," said the general, with a voice whosenatural and voluminous harshness did not conceal an attempt at amenity;"and I hope he will not anticipate in them too little of the roughnessof a soldier, by reason that he has seen us unbending a little from thetoils of war to the foolish diversions of these ingenious barbarians."
"I will not take upon me to judge either of the tactics or therecreations of your excellency," said Amador, very coolly. "I will onlydemand of your favour to accept, at this present moment, suchprotestations of respect as become me in my function of suitor; and, inespecial, to accredit my companion, the secretary Fabueno, the messengerof the admiral, who is charged with certain letters to your excellency,of which, I believe, I am myself, in part, the subject."
"I receive them with respect, and I welcome the very distinguished DonAmador with much joy," said Narvaez; "in token of which I must beg himto allow himself to be considered, at least so long as he honours mycommand with his presence, as my own peculiar guest: and that I may thesooner know in what it may be my happiness to do him service, I mustentreat him to enter with me into my poor quarters."
With such superb expressions of etiquette, the common compliments of anover-chivalrous age and people, Don Amador was ushered into the interiorof the temple. A curtain of a certain strong and checkered matting, thatserved the purpose of a door, was pushed aside, and, entering with thegeneral and two or three of his most favoured officers, he found himselfin the heathen sanctuary. A table covered with brilliant drapery ofcotton--a product of the country--and strewed over with pieces ofarmour, as well as with divers vessels wherein glowed some of the richwines ripened by the breath of the Solano, contained also a great silvercresset filled with oil tempered with liquidambar, which, besidespervading the whole atmosphere with a delicious odour, shed abroad sucha light as enabled Don Amador to survey the apartment. It was of goodheight, and spacious: the walls were hung with arras of a sombre-huedcotton, and the floor covered with thick matting. In one corner was aladder, leading to the upper chambers. Two sides of it were occupied bya low platform, on which lay several mattresses stuffed with the down ofthe ceiba; over one of which, on a small altar of wood, illuminated bytapers of the myrtle wax, was a little image of the Virgin. In thischamber, the chief adoratory of the temple, where now flashed theweapons of the iconoclasts, stood once the altar of an idol, whosefiendish lips had been often died with the blood of human sacrifices.There were rude chairs about the table; and Amador, at the invitation ofthe general, did not hesitate to seat himself, and cast an eye ofobservation on his companions, while Narvaez, with the assistance of thesecretary, proceeded to decipher the advices of the admiral.
The individuals with whom Amador found himself in contact, were of agenteel and manly presence: and though evidently burning with desire tomake the acquaintance of the novice of Rhodes, and certainly also withcuriosity to know what strange event had cast him among themselves, hadyet sufficient breeding to conceal their anxieties,--excepting one, who,although of riper years than the rest, and even of more gravity ofdeportment, was nevertheless twice or thrice guilty of a veryinquisitive stare. This Don Amador did himself at last perceive, andfelt greatly moved to discover the cause of so remarkable a scrutiny.Nevertheless, before he had resolved in what manner to commence theinvestigation, and before the general had well looked into the advicesof the admiral, they were both interrupted in their purpose by theabrupt intrusion of an officer, who, approaching Narvaez, said somethingto him in a low voice, of which all that Amador could distinguish werethe words, twice or thrice repeated, of _nigromante_ and _astrologo_.The officer received a direction equally obscure with his information;and Amador observed that as Narvaez gave it, his face flushed over withsome sudden excitement. The speculations of the neophyte were soonterminated. Before the curtain had yet closed upon the retreatingofficer, the cavalier whose curious looks had attracted his ownattention, rose and addressed the general.
"Senor general and governor," he cried, "I doubt whether this knavishimpostor be worthy your attention. He is accounted both a liar andtraitor, and he can tell us nothing that will not be spoken to deceiveus."
"The senor Don Andres de Duero cannot be better persuaded of the man'scharacter than myself," said the general; "and he will not assure methat a good general can refuse to listen to any intelligence of hisenemy, though it be brought by a traitor.--The noble Don Amador de Lestewill pardon me, if I make so free with him, as in his presence tointroduce and examine a prisoner, or deserter, I know not which, onmatters which it concerns me as a commander to know. And moreover,"continued the Biscayan, with a laugh, "I know not what better diversionI can give my guest, than to make him acquainted with a man who pretendsto read the mysteries of the stars by night, and to have a devil whogives him knowledge of men's destinies by daylight."
Before Amador could reply to this appeal, the senor Duero spoke again.
"Surely he can bring us no information of Cortes which we have notreceived at better hands; and as for his magical art, I think yourexcellency holds that in too much doubt and contempt to set much storeby its crazy revelations."
"What may be my doubt, and what my contempt for his art," said thegeneral, "is more than I have yet resolved: only there is one thing ofwhich I am quite certain, and that is, that, with the blessing of OurHoly and Immaculate Lady, I defy the devil and all his imps, whetherthey come at the bidding of a heathenish magician or a Christianenchanter; and, moreover, that if there be any knowledge to be gained ofthe devil, without jeopardy of soul, one is a fool not to receive it.Senor," continued Narvaez, addressing himself again to Amador, "I may aswell tell you, that the magician Botello, whom you will presentlybehold, is a favourite soldier and chief enchanter to that infidelrebel, Cortes, (whom God confound, with all his mutinous friends andupholders, high and low, strong and feeble, Amen!)--I say, senor, hischief magician," continued the general, speaking so rapidly andimpetuously, as utterly to prevent Don Amador from making the amendmenthe meditated to the curse, and insisting that Narvaez should revoke it,as far at least as it concerned his kinsman, the knight,--"his chiefmagician, by whose aid, it is supposed, the runagate desperado has beenenabled to imprison the Indian emperor. And, knave or not Don Amador, itcannot be denied, that when struck down, after surrendering himself,this morning, by the currish soldier, Caboban, he cursed the smiter with'a short life and a long death;' which curse was fulfilled upon him onthe instant; for striking Botello with his spear again, his horseplunged, threw him violently, and, falling, he was instantly spitted onthe spear of a footman. He has been dying ever since; and sometime,doubtless, his agony will be over; but he is as good as a dead man now."
"I am by no means certain," said Don Amador, "that there was anyconnexion between the curse of the magician and the calamity of thesoldier; though, as it appears to me, heaven could not visit withjudgment any one more righteously than the dastard who strikes an enemyafter he has rendered himself a captive. Nevertheless, and though I amsomewhat impatient your excellency should determine upon my own affairs,I have such respect for the superior claims of your duties, that I willwillingly defer my anxiety until your excellency has examined theprisoner."
There were several very meaning glances exchanged among the cavaliers atthis speech, which seemed to imply a feeling of neglect and resentmenton the part of the speaker; but Narvaez did not notice it, or if he did,the impression was immediately driven from his mind by the entrance ofthe enchanter, conducted by several soldiers and officers, among whomwas the captain Salvatierra.