CHAPTER LI.
"Yesterday, when thou wert sleeping," said the Zegri, "or lay as onethat slept----"
"That day, then," muttered Amador, "is a blank in my existence! andvery grievous it is, to think that so great a space of so short aperiod as life, should be lost in a stony lethargy.--It seems to me,that that blow thou gavest me, was somewhat rounder than wasneedful.--Nevertheless, I am not angry, but grateful."
"Yesterday was a day of comparative peace," continued the Zegri. "TheSpaniards shut themselves in their citadel, preparing for the greaterexploit of to-day. It was evident to the dullest of the nobles, that DonHernan had cast an evil eye on the temple."
"Did he so?" cried the cavalier. "It was the thought of a goodChristian: and, methinks, my countrymen had not been judged with so manyof these present torments, if they had sooner torn down that strong-holdof the devil, which is detestable in the eye of heaven."
"To-day, they marched against it," said Abdalla, "with all their force,both of Spaniards and Tlascalans; and, I will say for them, that theymarched well, fought boldly, and revenged their own heavy losses, in theblood of many barbarians, as well on the pyramid as in the temple-yardand the streets. They came against us, with four such turrets, moving onwheels----"
"Is it possible," cried Amador, "that the general was not sufficientlywarned of the inefficacy of those engines, by the doleful fate of themanta, that day, when it was my mishap to be vanquished?--I shallremember the death of the ship-master, Gomez, to the end of mylife.--Twice or thrice, did I long to be with him among thefire-worshippers, who must be a very strange people. But the Mexicansare very valiant."
"Of a truth, they are," said the Zegri. "I will not detain my lord withthe account of the battle in the streets, wherein the mantas were again,in great part, destroyed; nor will I relate, with what suffering theCastilians won their way to the Wall of Serpents, and the temple-yard.It was here, that I beheld my lord's kinsman, the knight of Calavar,unhorsed, and in the hands of the infidel----"
"Accursed assassin!" cried the neophyte, springing to his feet, "andhast thou kept me in bonds, that my knight should perish thus, withoutsuccour?"
"The foe of Granada did not perish, and he was not without succour,"said the Zegri, loftily. "When his steed, slipping on the polishedstones, with which that yard is paved, fell to the earth, and manysavage hands were fastened on his body, there was a friend hard by, whoraised both the knight and charger, and preserved them fromdestruction."
"Give me the name of that most noble friend," cried Don Amador,ardently,--"for, I swear, I will reckon this act to him, in mygratitude, as the salvation of my own life. Tell me, what true Christianwas he?"
"One," said Abdalla, calmly, "who hated him as the slayer of his people,but remembered that he repented his evil acts with misery anddistraction,--one, who abhorred him for these deeds of sin, and yetloved him, because he was, like his kinsman, the protector of childhoodand feebleness."
"I doubt not, that _thou_ wert the man," said the cavalier, faltering,"and, therefore, I return thee my thanks. But I would have thee know,that, whatever blood was improperly shed by my kinsman, was shed byaccident and not design; for, no man is more incapable of cruelty thanthe noble knight, Don Gabriel. But, this shows me, that thou art reallyof lofty blood; for none but a magnanimous soul can render justice to ahated enemy."
"Why should I dwell upon the conflict in the yard?" continued the Moor,hastily. "Through the flames of the many chapels, that filled it,--withshouts and the roar of muskets,--the Christians, ever victorious, andyet ever conquered even by victory, rushed against the steps of thepyramid, disregarding the stones tumbled on them from the terraces, thedarts flung down from the little barbicans or niches in the wall, andthe flaming logs shot down, endwise, from the steps. Terrace afterterrace, stair after stair, were won; and the Christians stood, at last,on the summit, fighting hand to hand with the four thousand nobles whodefended it. My lord cannot think, that even these numbers of naked mencould long withstand a thousand Christians, robed in iron, andinfuriated by desperation. Score after score were slain, and tumbledfrom the top; the flames burst from the altar of Mexitli,--the priestdied in the sanctuary, the Tlatoani at the downfallen urns; and, in anhour's time, the Spaniards were masters of the pyramid."
"Thanks be to heaven, which fought with them!" cried Amador, devoutly."And thus may the infidel fall!"
"Does not my lord pity the wretches, who die for their country?" saidthe Zegri, reproachfully. "This is not a war of heaven against hell, butof tyranny against freedom.--I did see some sights, this day, upon thepyramid, which caused me to remember those noble Roman generals, who, inancient times, were wont to devote themselves to death, for the good ofthe state. At the very moment when the condition of the Mexicans wasmost dreadful, when, despairing of the usefulness of longer resistance,they rushed frantically upon the Spanish spears, transfixing themselvesby their own act, or flung themselves from the pyramid, to be dashed topieces below,--at this moment, I beheld, with mine own eyes, two veryyoung and noble Tlatoani, to whom I had myself just shown a means ofescape, rush upon Don Hernan, who fought very valiantly throughout theday. They cast away their arms, flung themselves at his feet, as if tosupplicate for mercy; and having thus thrown the general off his guard,they seized him, on a sudden, in their arms, and hurried him to the edgeof the terrace. From that dizzy brink they strove to drag him, willing,themselves, to die dreadfully, so that the great enemy of Tenochtitlanshould fall with them. But the strength of boys yielded to the irongrasp of the Christian; and, flinging them from him like drops of water,or gouts of blood from his wounded hand, he beheld them fall miserablyto the earth,--dead, but not yet avenged."
"Thanks be to God again!" cried the cavalier, warming with excitement;"for, though these youths met their death very bravely, they were guiltyof a most vile treachery; for which, death was but a just punishment.And so, my true and excellent friends did win this battle? By heaven! itgalls me to the marrow, to think that I lie here idle, while such thingsare doing around me!"
"They won the temple top," said Abdalla, with a laugh of scorn, "thatthey might look down from that height, and behold themselves surroundedby an hundred thousand men, who were busy slaying their Tlascalanslaves, and waiting for the masters. Very plainly did I hear their criesof despair at that sight; and these were goodly music. For myself, Iescaped, as did some few others, by dropping from terrace to terrace,upon the dead bodies, which, being tumbled, in great numbers, from thetop, lay, in some places, in such heaps along the galleries, as greatlyto lessen the dangers of a fall. Well were the Mexicans revenged forthis slaughter," continued the Moor, his eyes glittering with ferocioustransport, "when the Spaniards descended, to cut their way to thequarters, encumbered with captive priests, and such provisions as theyhad gathered in the chapels. How many fell in the squares and streets,how many were suffocated in the canals,--how few were able to piercethrough the myriads that invested the palace, (for, all this time, hadthere been thousands assailing the weak garrison, and tearing down thecourt-yard wall)--why should I speak of these? It is enough, that thegain of the pyramid,--lost as soon as gained,--cost them irreparable wo;and that the wounded fugitives (for the Mexican glass drank of the bloodof all,) now lie in their desolate house, their court-walls prostrate,the buttresses of their palace cracked by fire, their steeds unfed andstarving, their ammunition expended--hopeless and helpless, calling tothe leaders who cannot relieve, the saints who will not hear, andwaiting only for death. Death then! for it cometh; death! for it isinevitable; death! for it is just; and death! for it repays the wrongsof Granada!"
As the triumphing Moor concluded his fiery oration, the cavalier, whoseexcitement was raised to the last pitch, and whose indignation andremorse were alike kindled by a full knowledge of the condition of hiscountrymen, cried aloud,--
"Hark thee, sir Moor! with these friends, thus reduced to extremity anddespairing, it is needful I should straightway join myself, to endurewhat they endure, to suffer
as they suffer, to die as they die. I refuseto save my life, when the forfeit of it to an honourable purpose, mayrelieve them of their distresses. I repent me of the gage which I gavethee, I revoke my promise of captivity, and am, therefore, free to makemy escape; which I hereby attempt,--peacefully if I can,--but warningthee, if thou oppose, it shall be at the peril of thy life!"
So saying, the cavalier snatched up the sword from the table, and sprangtowards the door. So quickly, indeed, did he act, and so much did hetake his jailer by surprise, that he had nearly arrived at the curtain,before Abdalla had time to intercept him. His brain was in a ferment ofpassion, and the various excitements of the evening had inflamed himagain into fever; so, that, in the fury of the moment, when the Zegrileaped before him, endeavouring to catch him in his arms, he forgotevery thing but his purpose, and the necessity of escaping. He caughtthe Moor by the throat, and struggling violently, raised the crimsonsteel to strike. The life of Abdalla seemed not to have a moment'spurchase,--the weapon was already descending on his naked head,when,--at that very instant,--the curtain was drawn from the door, anddimly, but yet beyond all shadow of doubt, in the light of the torch,the cavalier beheld the pale visage of the maid of Almeria, shining overthe shoulders of the Moor.
The sword fell from his hand, and his whole frame shook, as, with wildeyes, he returned the gaze of the vision. The Zegri, amazed, yet notdoubting that this sudden change was the mere revolution of delirium,took instant advantage of it, snatched the leathern strap from the luteof Jacinto; and when the curtain, falling again, had concealed thespectral countenance, the arms of the cavalier were bound tightly behindhim. This was a superfluous caution. His strength had been supplied byfury, and the instant that this had subsided, the exhaustion of twodays' illness returned; and had not his spirits been otherwise unmanned,he would now have been as a boy in the hands of Abdalla.
The Moor conducted him to the couch, on which he suffered himself to beplaced without opposition, and without speaking a word. His wholefaculties seemed lost in a sudden and profound stupor; and Abdalla beganto fear that, in his prisoner, he had found, in more respects than one,a true representative of his kinsman, Don Gabriel.