CHAPTER XV
Back to Mexico
"Hist! Silence!" It was Tamba's voice again which came from the top ofthe wall, and at the sound Roger halted. Already his hands had graspedthe cotton rope which had been thrown to him, and he was in the act ofclambering up when he heard the warning.
"Come quickly! I hear men about! Climb for your life!"
This time Tamba leaned over till it seemed that he must lose his balanceand topple to the ground. He jerked at the rope, and Roger began toclamber up as rapidly as he could, though he found that a soft cottonaffair of this description was not the easiest thing to make one's wayup. However, at length he arrived, and the faithful native dragged himon to the top of the wall.
"Lie flat, my lord," he whispered. "I still hear voices and men walking,and I am nervous of interference. There! Listen to that! The Spaniardsare about."
Roger did as he was told, and squeezed his huge proportions as close tothe top of the wall as he could. And as he lay there and listened,rollicking laughter came to his ear. Men were passing down the mainstreet of Tlascala, and they were Spaniards. They were in excellentspirits too, for their laughter filled the air, while one of the bandset up some popular refrain, and his comrades joined in whenever he cameto the chorus, swelling the sound till the town rang with it.
"Invaders who have been having a merry night," thought Roger. "They havebeen dining together and drinking success to their coming expedition.Ah! There are others."
He lifted his head and listened to the hoarse voice of some otherSpaniard coming from the far end of the street, and soon learned that itwas the sentry stationed opposite the quarters of Fernando Cortes.
"To bed!" the man called out. "Stop your noise and get to your quarters,or there will be trouble. The general has retired this three hours andmore, and he will not thank you for awaking him when he has to be out soearly. Get home and be silent."
The crash of his clumsy arquebus could be heard as he brought the stockto the ground, while Roger noted that the merrymakers still went on withtheir song, though their voices were now less noisy than before. Theypassed the sentry, chaffing him as they went, and then, when they hadincreased their distance from the headquarters, shouted at the top oftheir voices. But soon the noise died down, and not a sound broke thesilence. It was time to move again. Roger turned to Tamba.
"The others?" he asked. "Where is Teotlili, and what preparations has hemade?"
"He is outside, my lord," was the answer. "He is waiting till you havecome to him, when he will attempt the other rescue. We have a dozenropes with us, and those will be sufficient to pass all the prisonersout. There are thirty-four in all, so that they should be able to climbwithin a few minutes. If there is an alarm, my lord will be safeoutside, and can escape. That is Teotlili's arrangement."
"But it will not suit me," whispered Roger. "Have my comrades beenwarned? For if not, they will be too surprised to take advantage of theopportunity. Or they may think that it is a ruse on the part of theSpaniards. Who knows? They will certainly feel suspicious. I will godown to them, and then send them up. But one moment. How many men arethere outside?"
Tamba waited a few seconds, calculating the number before he answered.
"Three hundred, perhaps," he said. "They came to our help eagerly, andthey hung on the tracks of the men who made you a captive. They havesworn to rescue you. For your friends they do not care so much, thoughTeotlili will be glad to have them also. You are the main reason for ourbeing here--the only reason, in fact."
"What preparations have been made for flight?" demanded Roger, in lowtones. "Quick, Tamba, for we must not delay."
"None," was the quick reply. "None that I am aware of. We were to effecta rescue, and then cut across to Mexico direct. We should be there soonafter dawn on the morrow."
"Not if we do not take precautions to hoodwink these people," thoughtour hero. "If there is no alarm, all the better for us, and we shallreach Mexico safely. But supposing there is some noise, and this attemptis discovered, we shall be pursued and shall be taken. There arethousands of natives in this town."
"And a hundred thousand outside," whispered Tamba. "The country swarmswith them."
For a minute or more there was silence. Then Roger again addressedTamba.
"Drop the ropes into the compound where the prisoners are," he said withdecision. "Then go to Teotlili. Give him this message. He is to send ahundred of his natives to the far end of the town at once--I mean to theend opposite to that from which we shall escape. If they hear an alarmthey are to shout and rush at any of the native allies of the Spanishthat they may see. They are to attract attention to themselves, and thenare to disappear in the darkness. The remainder will divide themselvesup into four bodies, and each one will take an equal number of mycomrades. They will march away at once, and make for Mexico. They willendeavour to keep together, but if there is an alarm they are toseparate, and each body is to make the best of its way to safety. Do youunderstand? Then go at once. I will give you a few minutes to give themessage, and Teotlili sufficient time to make the arrangements. Then Ishall go to my friends, and commence to send them up to you."
Tamba would have remonstrated, and attempted to dissuade his master, butRoger cut him short.
"You heard?" he demanded peremptorily. "Then go at once. We must notdelay."
They crept along the top of the wall till they had passed the spotwhere the dividing wall of the prisons was met. There Roger found thatthe ropes had been made fast from the outside, where he fancied he couldsee a number of dark figures, while a couple of other ropes wereattached to wooden pegs silently driven into the top of the walls, andgiving sufficient hold to bear the weight of a man descending by therope. In fact, all was in readiness for the attempt, and if no alarmwere raised all would be well. If the sentry discovered the attemptedescape the town would be alive within a short while, and Roger guessedthat many of his countrymen would be taken. Then death would followswiftly.
"Teotlili should have made his preparations now," he said to himself,when some three minutes had passed, noticing that many dark figures wereflitting to and fro at the base of the wall. "And here comes Tamba. Itis time that I was moving. But I will wait for Tamba to tell me wherethe prisoners are sleeping."
A minute later the native was beside him, breathing heavily after hisrapid climb.
"The hundred have gone to their hiding-place," he said. "They have aleader, and he has the orders. The remainder are now divided and ready.These people are wonderful at obeying directions, and the darkness doesnot confuse them. Now, master, I will tell you where these otherprisoners are. They sleep round the walls on mats, just as you werepretending to do, and some will be directly below. We hear that theyhave already made an attempt at escape, and that they were nearlysuccessful. But the Spaniards raised an alarm, and they were all taken.Would it not be as well for me to descend?"
He asked the question simply, and waited eagerly for Roger's answer, forhe had clambered back to his side with express orders from Teotlili.
"Send my lord down to me if possible," the latter had said; "then, ifthere is an alarm, I can hurry him away to safety. Do not let him riskhis life for these other men."
"You will wait here," answered our hero, shortly. "If you went down theywould take you for a Tlascalan, and there would be an outcry, perhaps.They will know me. I speak English, you see. Besides, there is Philip,and Sir Thomas knows my voice. Now let me get to the rope. In a minute Iwill send the first man up."
He grasped the rope firmly, and tried its strength. Then he swunghimself over the edge of the wall and slid to the ground below. Arrivedin the prison, he stood still for some seconds, for the darkness wasvery dense. Then gradually he was able to make out the outlines of theplace, and saw a number of dark figures lying round the walls. One waswithin a couple of yards of him, and he crept towards the man. Then hekneeled beside him, and touched his arm, while he placed his hand overhis mouth. The man sat up with a start, and made frantic efforts to geth
is mouth free. He kicked desperately, and would have shouted out in histerror had not Roger suddenly whispered in his ear--
"Beware that you do not make a sound or give the alarm," he saidswiftly. "I am Roger de Luce, and I have friends outside. Silence, man,or I will stun you!"
His voice assumed a sterner tone, and he clung to the figure, his handtightly clasped about the mouth. And it was as well that he had takenthat precaution, for this happened to be Peter Tamworth, the littlesailor with the enormous nose, who had obtained possession of the disc,and his nerves were none of the best. Capture by the Spaniards and fearof execution or of torture had unhinged his courage, for the littlesailor had been a dashing fighter. However, this sudden awakening wasalmost too much for him, and had it not been for our hero's precautionhe would have destroyed every chance of escape.
"Silence!" repeated Roger. "Now, sit up, and lead me to Sir Thomas, andafterwards to Philip. Come, man, do not act as if you were dazed. I amalive, and not a ghost; and I have friends here who are come to help usall. Sit up! Now lead the way."
Time was of the utmost importance, and so earnest was Roger that thisdelay fretted him. Peter still peered at him through the gloom, andshook like a leaf. He made no effort to rise, but sat there on his mat,gaping and shivering. Roger took him promptly by the shoulders, and witha heave raised him to his knees.
"Crawl to Sir Thomas," he whispered hoarsely, "and stop shaking. You arenot hurt, man, and I am no spirit. Come, do as I bid."
The stern tones and Roger's well-known voice brought Peter Tamworth tohis senses at length, and he went along beside the wall on hands andknees till he arrived at a figure some yards away.
"This is he," he said in a whisper. "Better that I should wake him. Hethinks that you are dead."
Bending over the leader of the expedition which had proved sodisastrous, Peter shook him gently and spoke in his ear, with the resultthat within a few seconds the commander of the brigantine was kneelingbeside Roger, gripping his hand till the bones almost cracked.
"Something told me that you would come to our help, and that you stilllived," he said hoarsely. "What is your news? Are we to go now?"
"At once," was the answer. "Peter can wake the men while you climb. Goat once, please, and then there will be no waiting for the others."
He led the commander to the dangling rope, and called softly to Tambaabove. Then he hoisted Sir Thomas on his shoulders, and gave him such astart that he was easily able to reach the top of the wall. By that timePeter had roused some of the men, and they came along, singly and incouples, all on tiptoe, and all eager to get away from the Spaniards.
"'Twas nigh a hanging matter when we made the attempt some few daysago," said Philip, as he came to Roger's side and spoke to him intremulous tones which told of his joy at their meeting. "If we are takennow it will be our end."
"Then you will not be taken," answered Roger, curtly. "I was ordered tobe hanged at dawn to-morrow. I will fight till I am killed rather thansubmit to these Spaniards. But silence! You will ruin everything. Come,do not delay."
It was wonderful to see the meek manner in which all, from Sir Thomasdownward, obeyed their young comrade. They clambered up the rope insilence, and dropped to the other side, wondering what was to happennext. And there they waited for the young giant who had so suddenly andunexpectedly come to their aid.
"What next?" demanded Sir Thomas, when at length all had left theprison, and he had counted their numbers to make sure that none remainedbehind. "Now, Sir Giant, you are our commander, and we look to you fororders. What are they?"
"Divide into four parties at once," said Roger, peremptorily. "Let Peterand Philip take one group each, while you take a third, Sir Thomas. Iwill lead the other. Now, you will be joined by natives, and they willlead you. If there is trouble, you are each to go with your own lot ofnatives, for we could never pass across the country together. Now,hurry, please, and silence!"
There was need for his warning, for the men had commenced to chattertogether, some wishing to go with particular friends. However, atRoger's voice they separated, and silently grouped themselves. ThenTeotlili gave vent to a curious hissing sound between his tongue and histeeth, and natives filed about the groups.
"We will lead, my lord," he said, coming to Roger's side. "The otherswill go to either side once we are out of the town. Now, let us bemoving."
"Hark! I heard something!" whispered Roger, suddenly. "Listen now! Menare moving, and that was a weapon being loaded!"
The metallic ring of a ramrod crushing a charge into a barrel came totheir ears, but exactly from what quarter was not certain. It wasfollowed by a similar sound, and was repeated on several occasions.
"Let the men move. Tell them to separate, and run as soon as possible,"whispered Roger. "The Spaniards must have got news of the attempt. Ah!there goes their signal!"
Suddenly the silence of the night was broken by the roar of an arquebus,while from some point high up amongst the houses came the flash of theponderous weapon, lighting up the walls of Tlascala and the natives andEnglishmen grouped at their base. The next instant all was pitch darkagain, but there was no longer silence. A roar of angry voices filledthe air, and a loud command was given in Spanish. It was followed by asharp fusillade, which caused Roger and his friends to scatter, andstruck some of them to the ground. A moment later a shout at the far endof the town told that the hundred men sent there were obeyinginstructions.
"Time to go," said Roger to Teotlili. "Separate, and do as I have said,"he shouted out at the top of his voice. "Whatever you do, separate."
Some one took him by the arm, and he hurried off into the darkness. Buthe was by no means alone, for Teotlili was on one side and Tamba closeon the other, while a strong body of men followed closely.
"Trust yourself to us," said Teotlili. "We know the ground well, and areaccustomed to moving in the dark. Now, let us run, my lord, for in alittle while the enemy will discover the ruse, and will come after us."
They set off at a run, but had gone only a little way before shouts infront told that the enemy were there also.
"This way, my lord," whispered Teotlili. "Now, come at your swiftestpace. Ah, our friends are doing their work well, and will give us alittle time, perhaps. We must make the most of their help."
By now the town of Tlascala and its surroundings was in an uproar, thefirst shot from the arquebus having been followed by a fusillade, andafterwards by dropping shots which were aimed haphazard into the crowd.Then shouts resounded from every side, Spanish and English and the Aztectongues being mixed. Indeed, the combatants were all close together,hardly knowing where were friends or foes. But thanks to the care whichTeotlili and his men had taken to get their bearings, the parties wereable to make off in the darkness, and with the exception of a fewmeetings with the enemy, who were easily brushed aside, contrived to getaway from the town.
"The horse!" said Teotlili, when he and Roger, with Tamba close behind,and their escort of natives had gone some little way; "I heard theirtrumpet-call, and there is the neigh of the animals. If they follow weshall be overtaken, for these strange animals travel quickly."
"On smooth ground," gasped Roger. "But we will lead on to rough groundif they come in our direction. Is there not a wood somewhere near?"
"There is a big one a mile from this," was the answer. "We shall bethere in a little while."
"Then let us go at our fastest pace," cried Roger. "Once within the woodwe can defy them."
After that there was silence, the men running as swiftly as possible.Indeed, they could have gone even faster had it not been for the whitefriend whom they escorted. For though Roger's recent experiences hadsharpened his powers of perception, he was no match for these Aztecs,who seemed to be able to find their way about as well by night as duringthe day. They avoided obstacles over which our hero would have stumbled,and many a time did Teotlili and Tamba, with a word or a touch on thearm, draw him to one side in time to escape a fall.
"My lord is differ
ent," whispered Tamba, as if to excuse hisinterference. "We, who are forest bred, or used to travel at night, seewhere he cannot see. Press on, and we will look to your safety. I hearthe horsemen."
There was no doubt that the Spanish horsemen had saddled and gallopedafter the group which included their last prisoner, he who was to behanged on the following morning, and probably their allies had been ableto put them on that track. They came at a quick trot now, and Rogercould distinctly hear the jingle of their accoutrements, and thestamping of the horses' feet, for the cavalry wisely kept to the road.Soon, however, they were forced to move from it, for the line of flighttaken by Teotlili and his men led across country. A little later heturned to Roger with a cry of relief.
"The wood," he said. "It extends for some miles, and then opens into abare country. Shall we make through it in the direction of Mexico?"
"And be caught at the other end," answered Roger, gasping for breathafter the long run. "Let us reach its shelter first, and then we candecide."
A few minutes later the trees shadowed them, and they crept amongst thetrunks, the noble leading the way till the whole band had disappearedinto the forest. Then he halted, the same curious sound came from hislips, and the party came to a stop, all throwing themselves on theground.
"We are safe for a time," he said, coming to Roger's side, where thelatter had thrown himself on the grass. "This wood extends some miles inthe direction of Mexico, as I have already said, and if we push on weshall reach the farthest fringe before the dawn comes. Shall we do that,or have you better counsel to give?"
Roger thought for a little while before he ventured to answer.
"The wood extends some miles," he said at length. "Then the horsemencould not surround the whole?"
"But the footmen could. They have allies sufficient to cover every footof the ground, my lord."
"At Tlascala they have," answered Roger, coolly, while he still gaspedfor breath. "They have the allies there in abundance, we all know. Butthe horsemen will arrive alone, and it will be long before the footmenfollow. Will they not rather chase the other parties, leaving us to theSpanish horse?"
The question was an important one, and Teotlili was quick to decide it.
"I cannot say for certain," he said; "but it is more than likely thatthe horsemen alone are in chase. Give me a little while, and I can speakwith full knowledge."
He rose to his feet and strode across to the men, all of whom wereseated listening, and none showing much sign of distress, for theseAztecs were always in wonderful condition. Then he gave an order, and adozen of the natives rose and disappeared from view.
"They will be back before long," said Teotlili, "and they will be ableto say for certain if the horsemen are alone. If they are, what do youpropose?"
That too was a difficult question to answer, and for a little longerRoger lay on the grass, his head buried in his hands. Suddenly he turnedto Teotlili.
"Have the men the courage to attack the horsemen?" he asked. "You aresure of that?" he went on, as Teotlili gave him an emphatic reply. "ThenI have a little plan. These horsemen will be here within a little while,and much will depend on their captain's discretion. But if he hears usin the wood it is likely that he will dismount his men and send them in,leaving a small escort to guard the horses. Then this is the way inwhich we will act. When we hear the horses we will creep towards them,and then will induce the men to enter by breaking branches, and makingso much noise as to lead them to think that we are forcing our waythrough the forest. If we hear the order given to dismount, we willcreep to the very edge of the wood, while a dozen of our men will go onas before, luring the Spaniards in. Once they have gone some hundredpaces we will attack the escort, kill them and scatter the horses. Then,don't you see, these horsemen will be no better than ourselves."
"They will be dismounted, and they will be in the forest, where we couldkill every man easily," said Teotlili, with an exclamation of delight."But we have no time for that. We must lure them in, and then escape. Iwill give the necessary instructions, and we will be ready to make forthe edge of the wood as soon as we hear the enemy."
A little later the dull tramp of horses was heard, and one of the scoutscame back with the information that the cavalry were close at hand,picking their way carefully over the rough ground. A few seconds lateranother came to Teotlili with the report that the horsemen were entirelyalone, and that none of the native allies could be seen or heard.
"Then we can move," said the noble. "The horsemen are coming towards usfrom this side, and if we creep to the edge of the wood we shall be nearenough to make an attack. Come, my lord, I will lead you as before."
"And I will give the signal for the attack and will head the men,"whispered Roger. "Let them shout at my signal and rush out. There mustbe no delay. Warn them not to be frightened of the horses; they arenervous beasts which can be easily managed."
All was now silence in the forest, and as they crept to the edge, theedge by which they had come, voices in the distance could be heard, andof a sudden there was a loud command.
"These Mexicans seem to have sunk out of sight, doubtless in the forest.Halt! Now listen!"
"Stop!" called out Roger, softly, and at his voice all came to a halt."Now, if only our men will begin to make as much commotion aspossible, our plan may act."
"They will begin within a minute," whispered Teotlili. "I will send aman back to them."
It was wonderful the manner in which these Aztecs obeyed his orders.All, in fact, seemed to possess unusual intelligence, and it wanted onlya few words of explanation to send them on some special mission. And soTeotlili had hardly spoken before a man was running swiftly back to thetwelve comrades who had been left farther in. Then came the crash ofbreaking branches, and the noise which would be made by a band of menescaping blindly through a wood at night, escaping at such a pace, andso fearfully, that they did not look where they went, and took noprecaution to avoid noise.
"Ha! the dogs make sounds which are as easy to follow as a bell!"exclaimed the same Spanish voice. "We will after them. Dismount. Now,let a dozen mount guard over the horses. The remainder follow me intothe forest."
Again there was the jingle of spur and lance, the clatter of men's bootson rocky ground. Horses neighed, and many kicked, so that other soundswere almost drowned. Not those, however, from the depths of the forest.The crash of branches could still be heard, though dying away gradually.
"They are increasing their distance. Will you men take hours todismount? Come, hasten, and let us get after them," shouted the eagercommander of the Spaniards. "Now, all follow me, and we will take thisEnglishman, and kill those who have helped in his escape."
There was a babel of shouts. Men bellowed at one another as they swungthemselves from their saddles. Then, showing considerable confusion inthe darkness, the Spaniards managed to select a guard for their horses,while the greater number followed their commander towards the forest.When they had arrived at the edge, they halted to let stragglers come upwith them, and then dived into the dense shadow of the trees, passingwithin a few feet of the spot where Roger and his friends lay. But theSpaniards never suspected their presence there. Their attention waswholly occupied by the shouts ahead, and by the noise of men forcing away through the underwood. They plunged on recklessly, and soon becameseparated, shouting loudly to one another so as to keep in touch. Themoment had come for action. The Aztecs, who were helpless againsthorsemen in the open, and, indeed, feared even a handful, could easilyoutstrip any Spaniard if he were dismounted, and they now prepared tocarry out the bold attempt planned by Roger. They crept from the shadowstill the stamping of the horses told that they were near at hand. ThenRoger rose to his full height, and drew his sword from his belt.
"Charge!" he shouted. "Cut them down, and then collect again. Followme!"
He ran forward towards the spot where the horses were stationed, andthrew himself upon the Spaniards, a dozen of whom were gathered there.An arquebus flashed in his face, and the contents
roared past his ear,but he never paused till he had come to close quarters.
"Throw down your arms and surrender!" he shouted. Then, seeing that theSpaniards meant to fight, he parried a blow aimed at him, and, raisinghis sword, struck the Spaniard over the head with such force that theman fell to the ground like a log. Then he engaged another, and wasgradually driving him backward, when a dark figure leapt on the man frombehind and dragged him to the earth. A moment later Tamba rose to hisfeet, dagger in hand, while the scuffling which had been going on allround suddenly ceased.
"That is the last, master," he said. "Listen to the men in the forest."
"Time to be moving away," said Roger, calmly. "Collect the men. Where isTeotlili?"
"Here," came the answer from close at hand. "I had to fight fiercely. Ithought the man was dead, but he struggled for long, and held me. He issilent now. What are my lord's orders?"
"Listen to the Spaniards," said Roger. "They have heard the sound of theconflict, and are returning. We must be going. Collect here, and thencut the reins of the horses. Better still, give me a dagger, Tamba, andI will perform the task, for I am used to the animals. I will return ina few moments."
He went off to the horses, and passing fearlessly amongst them, had sooncut through the bridles of every one. In addition, he slit the leatherof the stirrups, letting the irons drop to the ground.
"That is done," he said, when he had returned. "Now, let all shout andwave their arms."
At once a chorus of screams and shrill whistles sounded, while the menran forward to the horses, waving their weapons over their heads. Rogertook up a few stones and hurled them at the animals, and these, withthe strange sounds, and the numbers of figures moving in the darkness,so startled the Spaniards' horses that they commenced to move. One, themount which had been ridden by the commander, reared up into the air,and gave vent to a loud squeal of terror. Then he lashed out his heelsand bolted. The remainder were quickly in full flight, followed by theshouts of the Mexicans and by a shower of stones.
"THE REMAINDER WERE QUICKLY IN FULL FLIGHT"]
"Now we will go," said Roger, in tones of satisfaction, "and I placemyself in your hands again, Teotlili. You know the way; lead me toMexico."
"One moment, my lord," was the answer; "I will call the other men."
The Mexican lord put his fingers to his lips and sent a shrill whistleacross the forest trees. It was answered from the far distance almost atonce.
"They have done well," he said. "I gave them orders to lead on into theforest till the Spaniards were after them. Then they were to cut to theright, to get close to the edge of the trees. They were then to await mywhistle, and after that to cut out to us. We can go now, my lord, and Ithink that we should meet with little more trouble."
He made his signal again, and at once the whole party set off at a quickrun--a pace which any one of the Mexicans could keep up for hourstogether. For they were trained to this exercise, and made exceedinglymobile foot soldiers. As the party left the neighbourhood of the forest,they were followed by the angry shouts and by the fire of the Spaniards.But they took no notice of either, and after a little while left thembehind.
"We can go at an easier pace now," said Teotlili. "My lord is not usedto running far, and the exercise exhausts him. I will give the order."
Early on the following morning, as the light became sufficiently strongfor them to see, they caught sight of Mexico in the distance, and atonce relaxed their pace. They had been running and walking fastalternately for a long while, and Roger was completely done up. Thewound which Alvarez had given him made running difficult, and he wasglad therefore when the time came when they could take matters easily.
"We are safe now," said Teotlili. "We will obtain a palanquin at thefirst village, and have you carried in."
Roger accepted the proposal with alacrity, and a palanquin beingforthcoming, he was borne into the city of Mexico in state. Rumours ofhis capture and of his escape had preceded him, and the populace turnedout in force to welcome their god of air.
"We greet you with joy," said the king, shaking his hand eagerly as heemerged from the palanquin. "It was a sad day when we heard that youwere taken, particularly as we hear that the enemy march for Mexicowithin a few hours. Rest now, and later we will parade all the crossbowmen and the men with lances, for there will be much to do to prepare forthe attack."
Two days later the outlying pickets of the Mexicans came into contactwith the Spaniards and their allies, and the first skirmish tookplace--a skirmish which was merely the prelude to a long course ofbitter fighting in and around the city of Mexico.