CHAPTER LIV.
When the boy returned, bearing a bundle of garments, and two or threesuch crests as were worn by the nobler Mexicans, in time of war, thecavalier had more than half-armed himself. He sighed, as he flung thehabergeon over his shoulders, to find the many rents made among theFlemish links by the Mexican glass; but he sighed more, when hediscovered how greatly his bodily powers were enfeebled, by feeling,almost for the first time in his life, the oppressive weight of themail. Nevertheless, the cannon still roared at the palace, every momentwas expediting the doom of Abdalla, perhaps, also, that of his friendsand kinsman; and he seized upon cuish and greave, gauntlet and helm,with activity and eagerness.
"What is that huge mantle thou placest upon the table?" he demanded ofthe page, without relaxing in his efforts.
"A _tilmatli_, or Indian cloak, large enough to hide my lord's armour,"replied Jacinto, hurriedly. "If the Mexicans should see the gleaming ofbut a single link, death on the spot, or, still more horrid, on thepyramid, will be the fate of my lord."
"Now that I know, that such would be the consequence of captivity," saidthe cavalier, fiercely, "I swear to God and St. John, I will diefighting--that is, if it please heaven, that I shall be struck no moreblows that overpower without killing."
"And this great penacho," said the boy, "I will tie to my lord's crest,so that it shall entirely veil the helmet. I have fastened some of thered tufts among the feathers, whereby the pagans may think my lord is awar-chief, and noble, if they should see them."
"Of all boys that I have ever yet seen, thou art by far the shrewdestand wisest," said Don Amador with complacency, but without ceasing amoment to do on his armour, "What disguise hast thou provided forthyself?"
"A garment," said Jacinto, "which, being flung about my body and hoodedover my head, will cause the Mexicans to think me a woman devoted to theservice of one of their gods."
"A most damnable delusion," said the novice, "and I would thou hadstfallen upon some other device. But, perhaps, thou hadst no choice; and,now that I think of it, thy small stature, and very smooth and handsomevisage, will, perhaps, suit this disguise better than another. If therebe any sin in assuming it, heaven will allow the necessity, and forgivethe commission. Quick, and don it,--for I would have thee tighten thesegreave-straps, before I pull on my boots."
"It will but encumber me: I will fling it over me in the passage," saidJacinto, kneeling, and endeavouring, with an unsteady hand, to performthe office required of him.
"Be of good heart, I charge thee, and tremble not. Thou art unused tothis service; but think not, though thou beest the son of a MoorishWali, of the noblest blood, that this duty can dishonour thee. I haveperformed it myself, times without number, to my good knight, DonGabriel. I would thou wert somewhat stronger, though. Fear not to pullwith all thy strength. I have shrunk somewhat with the fever,--greatlyto the disparagement of my leg,--and the strap is of the stiffest."
"It is stiffened with my lord's blood!" said the page, trembling more,but succeeding, at last, in securing it. Then rising, and knotting abroad and shadowy plume over his patron's helmet, so as, in a greatmeasure, to conceal the gleaming iron, he assisted to fasten it. Thereremained nothing, then, for the cavalier, but to arrange the tilmatliabout his person; a feat, in which, with the aid of the page, hesucceeded so well, as quite to hide his martial equipments, without yetdepriving him of the power, in case of necessity, of using the sword,which he held naked in his hand.
"Thy woman's weeds! Why dost thou hesitate, Jacinto?" he cried,prepared, and now eager to make his departure. "Thou thinkest of thylute? By my faith, I shall be loath thou shouldst lose it, for much goodhas it done, and yet may do, to Don Gabriel. I will bear it under myarm."
"Think not of the lute," said Jacinto, sorrowfully. "What need have wenow of music? It will but overburden my lord, whose hands should befree; and in mine, it would only serve to expose the deception of myapparel."
"Cast it aside, then; and now, in God's name, let us depart!"
Jacinto stepped, faltering, up to the body of Ayub, lying stiff andcold, the countenance, illuminated by the slanting torch-light, stillmingling a grin of exultation with the contortion of the death-agony. Atear dropped upon the swarthy cheek, and a deep sob burst from the bosomof Jacinto, when he gazed his last upon the dead Morisco.
"Why dost thou tarry to weep?" said Amador, impatiently.--"Ayub was aninfidel."
"My lord does not know how those who have not many friends, can valuethe few," said the page. "This man was faithful to my father; andtherefore do I lament him, as one whose loss is a sore misfortune; and,infidel though he were, yet was he of the faith of my ancestors."
"Remember, however, that, while thou weepest over a dead friend ofAbdalla, thou deprivest him of the services of a living one."
Thus rebuked, Jacinto moved rapidly into the passage, and flinging, ashe went, the garment he held about his person, stepped with the cavalierinto the street.
A thick scud, threatening rain, careered over the heaven, and the smokeof cannon, mingling with the mists of the lake, covered the city with agloom so deep, that Don Amador could not easily distinguish thepeculiar habiliments of his companion. Nevertheless, he could wellbelieve that his appearance was that of an Indian maiden. He badeJacinto to take him by the hand, adding an injunction, under allcircumstances that might arise, to maintain his grasp. To this, Jacintoanswered,--
"Let it not be so,--at least, not until we are so environed, as to be indanger of separating. My lord must now consent to be guided by me." (Hespoke with singular coolness, as if restored, by the urgency of theoccasion, to all that self-command and discretion, which had so oftenexcited the wonder of his patron.) "I will walk a little before; and ifthe people should approach, let my lord take no notice, but followcalmly in my steps, as though he were a great noble, disdaining to lookupon his inferiors. Be not amazed at what may happen, and, especially,do not speak a word until close by the Spaniards."
"Dost thou mean," said the cavalier, suddenly struck with the memory ofthe vision, not yet accounted for by the page,--"dost thou mean topractise any arts of magic? for if so----"
"I beseech my lord not to speak," said the boy, with a hurried voice;"for, if a word be heard, neither valour nor magic can save us fromdestruction. By-and-by, my lord shall see the wisdom of this counsel;and all that is strange in its consequences, shall be explained to him."
Thus speaking, Jacinto strode forwards, and Don Amador, wondering, yetyielding to his instructions, followed in silence.
The cannon still roared at the palace, and the shouts of the infuriatedcombatants were plainly heard, in the intervals of the discharges; sothat, as the cavalier had hinted, there could be no difficulty indetermining their path. Nevertheless, it appeared to him, that Jacintowalked forwards with the boldness and certainty of one familiar with thestreets he was treading.
For a time, their course lay through a street entirely deserted; but,by-and-by, passing into one of greater magnitude, they beheld shadowymasses, now of single figures, now of groups, darting about, many ofthem with lights, as if flying, some from the scene of combat, andothers, like themselves, approaching it. It was apparent that thisstreet was one of the four great avenues leading to the square ofAxajacatl; for no sooner had the two Christians stepped upon it, thanthe sounds of conflict came to them with tenfold loudness; and theycould behold, ever and anon, as the deadly discharges burst from theartillery, the flames flashing luridly up through the mists, like thejets of a distant volcano.
With the consciousness that he now trod a principal street, Don Amadorbecame aware that he was, of a certainty, advancing full upon the mouthof, at least, one piece of ordnance; and, as Jacinto paused suddenly, asif dismayed at his peril, (for at that moment a ruddy flame shot out ofthe mist, and a falconet bellowed down the street,) he approached theboy, and said,--
"For thy sake, Jacinto,--(it does not become me to say for my own;though I confess some repugnance to advance thus on the cannon of myfr
iends,)--I should wish thou couldst find some other path, not so muchexposed to be raked as this."
"Speak not,--we have no choice," muttered the boy. "But God be thanked!the bullet that strikes my lord, will first pass through my own body."
This little expression of devotion was pronounced with an earnestnessthat touched the heart of the cavalier; and he was about to utter hissatisfaction, when a gesture of Jacinto, who immediately began to resumehis pace, warned him into silence. The usefulness of the caution wassoon made manifest; for two or three Mexicans suddenly brushed by,though without seeming to notice them. An instant after, there passedseveral groups, bearing wounded men in their arms; and, by-and-by, whileevery moment seemed to surround them yet more with isolatedindividuals, there came a party in some numbers, uttering lamentations,as if over the body of a great noble. Several of these bore torches intheir hands, wherewith they were enabled to descry the pair; and DonAmador's heart beat quick, as he saw three or four detach themselvesfrom the group, and run forwards, as if to make sure of a prey. Hegrasped at his weapon, invoked his saint, and moved quickly up toJacinto, to give him what protection he could. But, at the very momentwhen he feared the worst, he was amazed to behold the barbarians come toa dead halt, and, at the waving of Jacinto's hand, part from before himwith countenances of reverence and fear. The same remarkable change wasobserved in those who composed the party bearing the corse, with theaddition of new marks of homage; for, leaving the body in the hands of afew, they seemed about to follow the page in a tumultuous procession,until he turned round, waving his hand again; at which gesture, nearlyall immediately fell on their knees, and so remained until he passed.All this time, the wondering cavalier was conscious that he was himselfunregarded.
Little by little, while the screams and cannon-shots grew louder at eachstep, Don Amador perceived that the groups began to grow into crowds,and then into dense masses, every moment; while, every moment, also, itbecame still more apparent, that his guide exercised some powerful,though, to him, inscrutable, influence, over the mob; for, no sooner didtheir torches reveal his figure, than all were straightway seized withadmiration, falling upon their knees, or returning on their path, andfollowing him towards the battle.
The gestures of Jacinto served no longer to repel them; and in a fewmoments there were hundreds of men, their numbers increasing at eachstep, who pressed after him eagerly, though reverentially,--uttering, atfirst, low murmurs, and then, at last, shouts of joy and triumph. Thesereaching the ears and drawing the attention of others in front, they, inturn, added their respect to the homage of the rest.
However surprising, and, indeed, confounding, this notice, and thesesalutations, to Don Amador, they were far from agreeable; for the trainfollowed so close upon his heels, that he dreaded, every moment, lestsome derangement of his mantle or plumes might expose to their gaze thehidden ensigns of a Christian. Greatly was he rejoiced, therefore, whenthe steady and persevering advance of the page had carried him so deeplyinto the crowd, that it was scarcely practicable for more than one ortwo individuals, at a time, to look upon him, and quite impossible thatthe noisy train should follow. He ceased, therefore, to lament hisproximity to the cannon-mouths, which still, at intervals, flung deathamong the besiegers; for he thought that in that alone there was safety.His desire, in this particular, was soon gratified; for he was, at last,wedged, with the page, among a mass of men so dense and so disordered,that he no longer feared a scrutiny. He was in sight of the palace, hisfoot planted upon the square, and but a few paces separated from hisfriends and his knight.
In the flash of the arquebuses, but more particularly in the fiendishglare of the cannon, when disemboguing their contents upon thebarbarians, he beheld the terraces covered with his countrymen,resisting as they could, and with every shot from the musket, every boltfrom the arbalist, adding a life to the reckoning of their revenge, andyet fainting with fatigue over a slaughter which had no end. The squarewas filled with men, as with a sea, and when the fiery flashes of theordnance lit it up as with a momentary conflagration, the commotionfollowing upon each, made him think of those surges of fire which rollin the crater of a volcano, and of the billows of blood that dash uponthe shores of hell. A more infernal spectacle could not, indeed, havebeen imagined; and when the harsh yells of the pagan myriads wereadded, the tophet was complete, and man appeared,--as he yetappears,--the destroyer and the demoniac.
This spectacle, however horrible it might have been to one accustomed tolook upon man as the image of his maker, and the blow struck at the lifeof man, as a stroke aimed at the face of God, had the effect to stir theblood of Don Amador de Leste to such a degree, that, had he not beenchecked by the cold hand and the deadly pale visage of his companion, hewould have followed the impulse of his valour, uncovered his weapon,and, shouting a war-cry, dashed at once upon the throat of the nearestinfidel. The look of Jacinto recalled him to his senses; he made him asignal to clutch upon his mantle and follow, and then plunged again intothe gory crowd.
The tempest, both physical and mental, which beset all that rout ofpagans, reduced the intelligence of each to but two objects ofthought,--his enemy and himself. Not one turned to wonder or observe,when the strong shoulders--strong from excitement--of the cavalierthrust him aside, or the hard touch of an iron-cased elbow crushed intohis bosom; nor, perhaps, was a look cast upon the effeminate figure,that seemed a girl, at the back of this impetuous stranger. Thus, then,unresisted and disregarded, the cavalier made his way, step by step,taking advantage of every moment when the barbarians gave way before anexplosion of artillery, or a charge of the garrison,--hoping, at eacheffort, to issue upon the open space betwixt the besiegers and thebesieged, and, at each, arrested by a denser crowd,--speaking words ofencouragement to the horror-struck page, for well he knew he might speakwithout fear in such a din,--and, feeling, at each moment, his strengthmelting away, like burning wax, under the prolonged exertion. He toiledfor his life, for the life of the boy, perhaps for the life of DonGabriel; but human nature could not sustain the struggle much longer.Despair came to his heart, for he knew not how far he stood from thepalace wall, and felt that he could labour no more. His eye darkened, ashe looked back to Jacinto,--the boy was swooning where he stood.
"God be merciful to us both! But, at least, thou shalt die in my arms,poor boy!" he muttered, making one more effort, and raising the pagefrom the earth. "God be merciful to us,--but especially to this child,for he is sinless, and, I fear me, fatherless."
At this moment, a dreadful scream burst from the lips of all around thenovice, and immediately he felt himself borne back by the barbarians asthey recoiled, seemingly, from a charge of cavalry. The thought washope, and hope again renewed his strength. He planted his feet firmly onthe earth, and with his elbow and shoulder dashed aside the fleeingpagans, pressed the senseless boy to his heart, raised his voice in ashout, and the next moment stood free from the herd, ten feet from themuzzle of a cannon, from which the Mexicans had been recoiling. His eyetravelled along the tube;--the magician Botello stood on the broken wallat its side, and the linstock he held in his hand was descending to thevent.
"For the love of God, hold!" shouted the cavalier, "or you will killChristian men!"
The match fell to the earth, and the cavalier sprang forward. But if hisvoice had reached the ears of friends, it had not escaped the organs offoes. A dozen savages, forgetful of their fears, sprang instantlytowards him, endeavouring to lay hold upon him. A back-handed blow ofhis weapon loosed the grasp of the most daring, and the hands of othersparted along with the flimsy disguise of Jacinto. He left this in theirgrasp, tottered forward, and the next moment, as the cannon belchedforth its death upon the pursuing herds, stood in the court-yard of thepalace.