CHAPTER IX
Led to the Sacrifice
Terrible indeed was the position in which Roger and Tamba foundthemselves, and there is little wonder that the former was goaded todesperation by the thought of the fate awaiting him. His figure wasdrawn to its fullest height and his muscles stood out tensely. There wasa moisture on his forehead, while his hands were clammy with fear. In adream he saw the scarlet-cloaked high priest, and marked his tatteredand filthy locks, and the marks on his head and neck of self-inflictedpenance. He saw the black-robed helpers at his elbow, the serpent formof the god of war, and the fire which burned before the idol and wasnever allowed to die out. Then his eye roamed to the others congregatedon the summit of the tower, to the silent and expectant crowds in thestreets below, on every housetop, and on the hundred and more towerswhich rose from the enormous enclosure in the heart of the city given upto the priesthood. He even noted the smoke of the sacrificial firesthere, and wondered vaguely who lit them, and who replenished the fuel.Then the curving obsidian knife of the high priest caught his attention,while the touch of that individual's hand sent a thrill through him.
"The altar awaits you," said the priest, softly, as if he bore theutmost friendship for Roger. "We will not keep the god of war waiting."
His words and the touch of his hand awakened Roger thoroughly. A secondor so before he had seemed dazed; but now he was in possession of hisfull vigour, both of mind and body. He stirred, beat the priest's handaway, and looked at Tamba.
"The time has come. Seize a weapon and follow me," he said.
At that instant the remaining priests closed round him, for it was theircustom for four or five to lift the victim to the altar and hold himthere while their chief performed the murderous act. Roger saw theirmeaning, and swung round suddenly; then he charged them, and with a blowto right and left scattered them on either side. A stately and gorgeousMexican chief, one of the few who had come near to the cage thatafternoon, stood near at hand, and in an instant Roger had him in hisarms.
"To the chapel!" he shouted, "and prepare to bar the door if there isone. If not, look for something with which we can fill it, and keepthese others out. Quick! The priests will be after us."
Bearing his captive on one arm, as if he were a child, he rushed acrossthe summit of the tower, a hoarse roar of amazement and fury swellingthe air as he did so. The entrance to a small chapel lay before him, andhe followed Tamba through it, the latter having snatched a native swordas he ran.
"There is no door, master!" he called out in dismay. "There is only acurtain of feather work with bells at the bottom."
This, in fact, was the case, and it was the general arrangementthroughout the temples and private houses of the Mexicans. They had nodoors, and merely hung a curtain across the entrance, the curtain beingvery often of the most beautiful workmanship, and having attached at thebottom a number of bells made of tiny shells or of silver, which gavetimely notice of the approach of a stranger.
Within the chamber all was gloomy at first after the brilliant sunshineoutside. But in the space of a second or two Roger's eyes becameaccustomed to the half light, and he gave vent to a shout as hediscovered an object.
"Here is a carving of some sort," he called out, "and made of stone,too. We must get it to the door. One moment, though."
In a twinkling he wrenched the arms from the hand and belt of hiscaptive and flung him into a corner. Then he seized the object--one ofthe Mexican deities--while Tamba came eagerly to his help. They puttheir whole strength into the task, causing the idol to totter on itspedestal. It moved a few inches across the paved floor, and encouragedby this, Roger bent to the work with all his might.
"Now, together!" he shouted. "Shove with all your might. It moves! It issliding along the floor. Again, and we have it in position."
At any other time it would have taken them at least a quarter of an hourto have moved this mass of stone, but fear and desperation had giventhem power which they could not have summoned on another occasion. AsRoger's grasp riveted itself about the thigh and neck of the inanimatefigure the whole idol swayed, and when Tamba pushed with his shoulderit glided with a grating sound across the tiles. Once they had got it tomove they never rested till it was in the doorway, where it struck witha thud, presenting an almost impenetrable barrier to the enemy, and aface which was even more hideous than that of the god of war, to whichthe Mexicans had given such an unpronounceable name. However, though themass of stone effectively checked a rush, it was still possible to reachthe inmates of the chapel over the head and shoulders of the idol; andvery soon those without showed that that was their intention. A headdarkened the bright patch close to the top of the door, and a secondfollowed. They were priests, and Roger determined to read them a lesson.
"Stand back, and watch this prisoner of mine," he said to Tamba. "Nowsee me deal with these butchers."
The sight of the priests seemed to madden him and stir his desperation,and as Tamba hastened to obey him, Roger stepped coolly across thetiles, and, with a quick movement, snatched at one of the priests. Hewas a tall, thin man, and our hero's grasp closed on his neck. With awrench he drew him through the entrance, and with his other handarrested the blow which the Mexican aimed at him. Then he caught him up,and, stepping closer, threw him with all his force at the head of hiscomrade. There was a thud. The body of the priest struck half againstthe one who was staring into the chapel, and half against the head andneck of the idol. But Roger had used all his force, and followed it upby a push which completed the task. A second later there was a dullthud, as the man he had just dealt with crashed through the narrowspace and fell on the flags outside. Then, indeed, did Roger know of thepresence of the crowd, for, from every quarter of the lake city, fromthe courtyards below, from the scented gardens on the roofs, and fromthe summit of a hundred towers, a hoarse roar of indignation and of ragecame to his ears. It swelled into a fanatical shriek, which silenced thecries of those on the summit of the tower on which the war god stood,and it filled the tiny chapel in which the two fugitives had taken uptheir quarters. Even their prisoner heard it, though he was half dazedby the suddenness of the action which had snatched him from the middleof his friends. He heard, and lifted a face which showed the utmostconsternation.
"The gods are indeed furious, and must be appeased," he said. "Why didyou do such a thing? Surely you and your comrades have already causedsufficient suffering to us!"
He spoke in Spanish--in poor Spanish, it is true; but Roger couldunderstand him, and at the sound of his voice turned with a flush on hischeek.
"Then you can speak the language?" he said angrily. "Why did you notoffer to interpret when we were in the cage? I asked for some one tomake us known to your friends, and to explain that we were not Spanish,but no one came forward. You were there. Why did you not proffer yourservices?"
It looked for a moment as if he would have done some injury to thenoble, for that this Mexican undoubtedly was. But whatever hisintention, it was frustrated within a second, for there was a shoutoutside, a mass of men threw themselves against the idol, and, usingall their force, hurled it into the chapel. It fell backward on to thetiled floor with a crash, which split fragments from it. Then it rolledsideways and lay across the entrance, leaving a wide chasm above,through which a couple of men, or even three, could enter abreast; andon the far side it exposed a crowd of jewelled Mexicans and five furiouspriests, whose faces showed their animosity. At their feet, feeblyendeavouring to rise to his knees, was the one whom Roger had treated soroughly.
For a few seconds there was a pause, while the opponents faced oneanother across the fallen image. Then there was a shout from thescarlet-robed priest. He and his helpers stood aside, while a number offighting men filled their places, and these flung themselves at Roger,grabbing fiercely at him with their bare hands, as if they desired totake him alive and without the use of a weapon. In fact, this was theirintention, following their usual custom in warfare, where they strove tocapture prisoners for the sacrif
ice rather than to kill their enemies.
"Be ready to meet any who get past me!" shouted Roger, glancing over hisshoulder towards Tamba, "and try to keep an eye on our prisoner. I willkeep these fellows back with this club."
He had taken the Mexican's sword from him on entering the chapel, andhad carried it since secured to his arm by a leathern thong attached tothe handle for that purpose. With a swing he brought it into his hand,and as the enemy crushed into the opening and endeavoured to grapplewith him, he struck fiercely at them. And he was only just in time, forone of the enemy leapt with reckless courage over the idol, and flunghis arms round Roger's legs, while a second closed with him so swiftlythat before very long he would have been helpless. But the native swordcame to his aid. He lifted it well above his head, and brought it downon the shoulder of the last assailant with a crash which shook thebreath from his body, and left him senseless on the tiles. For the firsthe found a summary means of ridding himself of his embrace; for with asudden movement he loosened the man's grip, and then, before he couldclose round his legs again, he brought his knee up with a jerk whichcaused it to strike the Mexican full in the face. It was a terribleblow, and the man fell as if he had been felled with an axe. But therewere others at hand, and, undeterred by the unfortunate ending of theircomrades, they came on furiously, whistling and crying in shrill tones.
"Stand back!" shouted Roger, standing just within the doorway with thenative sword, now little better than a club, over his shoulder, andlooking like a lion at bay. "Stand back, or I will kill every soul whoventures to attack me!"
"He has insulted our gods! Bring him out and sacrifice him!" shriekedthose outside. "Let us see this foreigner slain on the altar! Bring himout without delay!"
"Then I swear that many of you shall die before I am killed by yourbutchers!" shouted Roger, seeing that they were about to attack. "Up tothis I have played with you; now I shall strike to kill!"
He was as good as his word, too, and for many minutes the scene at thenarrow doorway was appalling and magnificent. There was no need as yetfor Tamba to help his master, for Roger de Luce had already shown hisprowess, and had fought with men who were fully armed and protected. Nowhe was contesting the path with natives who bore only the lightestarmour, and who, moreover, sought to take him alive. But their numbersmade the danger, and our hero realized that once he permitted more thanthree or four to enter alive he and Tamba would be dragged to the floor.It was therefore with the utmost fury that he set upon the attackers.Thanks to the fact that the entrance to the chapel was narrow, not morethan three could come at him at one time, and these he cut down withterrific blows from his club. They staggered and fell, tumbling upon theidol, while a few rolled over it into the chapel. But still they came,till one blow, a little stronger than its predecessors, caused the clubto break into fragments. Even then Roger would not give way, and,dropping the club, he flung himself upon the Mexicans after their ownfashion, only, instead of attempting to grasp them, he struck right andleft with his clenched fists till the entrance was cleared and the enemyretreated in consternation.
"We will rush them!" shouted Roger, seeing the effect which his fightinghad made. "Leave the prisoner, Tamba, and follow! Close your fists andstrike in every direction! Now, quickly, before those priests can rallythem!"
There was just a bare chance of success, and they snatched at iteagerly. With a bound and a shout which helped to startle the natives,Roger cleared the entrance, his faithful companion close at his heel.Then he rushed at a group of the enemy who stood about the priestsdiscussing the situation with them. There was a shriek of dismay. A fewof the Mexicans faced their white prisoner, and endeavoured to check hisadvance, but the old methods succeeded. Roger's fist broughtconsternation to their minds, and hardly had the first opponent measuredhis full length on the ground than the others took to their heels andraced for the stairway which led to the courts below; nor did they halttill they were safely amongst the crowd.
"A hot fight," said Roger, breathlessly, and with a reckless laugh."Never before have I used my fists to such purpose. Look at theknuckles. Even in England I never fought so much, nor struck so manyblows. And they are really gone, Tamba?"
"All save the men who have fallen to your blows, my lord, and the noblewhom you captured," answered the native, eyeing his master withamazement. "Truly it was a brave fight, and I have never seen men struckto the ground in such a way. Show me how it was done."
Roger doubled his fist, and displayed a row of knuckles from which theskin had been torn.
"Their teeth are sharp," he said, again with a reckless laugh, "and theyfight with their mouths open. That is the way, Tamba; close the hand,and put the thumb so. Then hit out from the shoulder, and aim for theface. A good blow will fell an enemy. But what about these men who arelying about us? None are killed, except, perhaps, one or two whom Istruck with the club. We must get rid of them; and, above all, we musttake pains to keep our prisoner. Go to him now, and tell him that hewill be killed if he attempts to escape. I will look at our enemies,and will place them on the flight of steps. Collect a few of the arms asyou go, for we shall need them. And, Tamba----"
"What next, my lord?"
"Have a look into their pouches. Some may contain food, and we shallwant it perhaps. I mean to remain here till I am exhausted or untilthese fellows admit their friendship for us. Those priests will be ourworst foes. They will never forgive the rough treatment I have giventhem. There, off you go, and let me know what success you have."
MAP SHOWING MEXICO CITY AND SURROUNDINGS.]
For a little while Roger sat down upon a seat which faced the hideousimage of the war god, glancing listlessly at the huge green slab ofstone, with its convex upper surface, upon which he was to have beenplaced, and on which he might yet lose his life. Then his eye wanderedfrom the figures of the fallen Mexicans to the towers within thecourtyard of the temple, and to the houses about.
"Just like the drawing on the disc," he reflected. "There was a hugesquare in the very centre of the buildings, and a tower in it. And closebeside was the part marked with beasts and birds. There they are, too,as I live! It must be a cage in which they tame the animals."
From his elevated position he could see over the whole city of Mexico,and distinctly observed the aviaries and menageries kept by the king andby his priests. Also as his eye roamed farther afield he saw numerouscanoes moving across the water, and in one quarter of the city anotherenormous square, which acted as a public market. But he had little timefor such details. The situation demanded his whole attention, and nowthat he had recovered his breath he turned to face the difficultieswhich confronted him. Taking up a fallen sword, he strolled from one toanother of the Mexicans, and turned them upon their backs. Some werestill unconscious, while a few suffered from broken limbs, and wereotherwise unhurt. In these cases Roger tenderly straightened the leg,and placed it in such a position that the man was comfortable. Then hewent to another, till he had been the round of all who had beeninjured.
"Fourteen," he said, with a smile of satisfaction, "and a few must havegot away. That thin priest still lies here groaning, and indeed I gavehim good cause. I wonder whether he would make a valuable hostage? Iwill keep him, and get rid of these other fellows. Come, Tamba," heshouted, seeing the native emerge from the chapel, "lend me a hand, andwe will drag these men to the stairs. I shall keep the priest with ourother prisoner, for they may be useful. We might even arrange a kind ofexchange, they to have their liberty while we have a guarantee ofsafety. But what did the prisoner say?"
"That he would swear to remain and leave us unhampered. He speaks of youas if he thought you as fine as one of his own gods. He says also thatthere is a mistake, and that the people will find it out."
"I hope so," was Roger's answer, "and in a little while when we havemade ourselves secure we will talk to him. But let us see to thismatter, and keep a careful eye on the stairs below. I have beenwatching, and so far I have seen no one venture to ascend."
Some
minutes later, when the two had contrived to drag all theirunconscious enemies to the top of the stairway and had carried them downa few paces, they returned to the chapel, taking the priest with them.They found the noble seated in one corner, thoroughly resigned, andeager to talk to his captors. As Roger entered he rose to his feet, andbowed with every sign of humility.
"I did not hear your words down in the court below," he said, by way ofexcuse. "I was one of the few who came to take part in the procession,but I stood some way outside the cage. It is only now that I havelearned from your servant that you are no Spaniard. Till you brought mehere I thought that you were one of our hated enemies, those who havebrought such misery to us, and have killed our king. Remember, when youspoke to the priest you used the tongue of these ruthless invaders, sothat it was natural that I should take you for one of them."
"And now you know that I am of a different nation. I came to these partswith comrades, and met the Spaniards in battle. I am ready to fight themagain, and will aid your friends if they will allow me. But they mustnever attempt to attack me again, or to drag me to this temple."
"I will explain all to them, and shall hope to convince them," was theanswer. "But they are angry. Listen to their shouts. Our gods have beeninsulted, and they call for some atonement. A sacrifice is needed toappease our deities. Now tell me from what country you come, and whathas brought you here."
"Gladly," said Roger. "But first I will see that we are not caughtnapping. Tamba, take post at the top of the stairway and keep watch. Letme know if you observe any movement."
He sat down on the fallen idol while the native went to carry out hisorders. Then he told the Mexican how he had sailed from England, and howhe and his comrades came, hoping to obtain gold and silver and jewels.
"They are prized in our country," he said, "and we were ready to barterfairly for them. Our hold was filled with useful articles, which wewere prepared to exchange."
"And these comrades. Where are they now?" demanded the Mexican.
Roger shrugged his shoulders. "The Spaniards kept them from returning tothis coast to pick me up," he said. "They may be anywhere. I have had nonews of them."
"Then I can speak of their whereabouts," said the Mexican, suddenly."Our spies tell us of much that is happening, and our couriers havebrought news of another ship seen off the coast. It was chased by theSpaniards, and guns were fired. Then it appeared to the north, and alanding was made. Your friends are now trading along the coast, andthere you will find them."
The news came as a huge relief to Roger, and he could almost haveshouted with joy. Then he suddenly remembered his position, and gavevent to a groan of disappointment.
"Find them!" he said disdainfully. "Find them, when some thousands ofyour countrymen are endeavouring to see me sacrificed! How am I to getto this coast, when this tower is surrounded by men who are eager tohave me killed?"
How indeed! Even the noble with whom he conversed could not explainthat, while the hoarse murmurs from below, the blowing of horns in thetemple courtyard, and the obvious anger of the priests and of the crowd,made it more than probable that escape would be next to impossible, andthat nothing but the death of the tall stranger would atone for what hadhappened. But Roger was a youth who had been born with a stubbornnature, and now that he had crossed swords with these superstitiousnatives he began to have less fear of them. He had gained the upper handin a miraculous manner, and had now captured the summit of the tower,and also two important hostages. He had only to hold out a little whileand something might happen to bring relief. The thought led him toremember that food and drink would be necessary, and at once he went toTamba, to find the native seated on the edge of the tower, carefullywatching the flights of steps below.
"There is much excitement," he answered, in reply to Roger's question asto what was passing; "and once I saw a procession of priests andfighting men coming towards the tower. But they went on and disappeared.But the crowds still line the towers over yonder, and the house-tops."
"Which makes it appear as if they had not given up thought of thesacrifice. Well, we must disappoint them. Tell me, did you find food inthe bags of any of those who fell?"
"None," was the answer; "but there are other buildings here, and perhapsa search will produce something."
Roger went off at once, and entered every one of the smaller buildingswhich were on the top of the tower. There were, in fact, four smallertowers rising from the corners of this big erection, on which stood thestatue of the war god, and in each were several apartments, the fittingsof which showed that a priest or priests were accustomed to live there.
"Probably the fellow who keeps the fire going," thought Roger. "TheMexican tells me that it is never allowed to die down save once in aboutfifty years. Then there is some ceremony, and a fire is kindledsomewhere on the mountains outside the city. There is one of thesehorrible sacrifices too, and then the fire is sent in portions by meansof flaming brands to every city under the Mexican sway. Then, if afellow lives here there will be food and water, and perhaps a bed."
It was not long, indeed, before he came upon the latter, and presentlydiscovered in an adjoining room a bin with bananas and the remains of abird, which was probably a turkey. There was also an enormous jarcontaining water, and near at hand another with some liquid, which heafterwards learned was a native wine called pulque, used to this daythroughout the country.
"Then we shall not starve," he said, with a feeling of satisfaction andwith rising spirits. "I fancy we have little to grumble at, for this topof the temple is an excellent place to defend. We can see everythingthat is happening below, and stand high up, so that we can beat back theattackers. And we could drop things on them."
That set him thinking, and he went off at a run to join Tamba.
"Anything happening?" he asked brusquely.
The native shook his head.
"Then call me if there is. I am going to make arrangements for defence."
He ran to the chapel, where he found the priest sitting up, lookingfeeble, and talking in low tones to the captive noble. The latter roseat once, and bowed with the same signs of humility as before, while theother greeted Roger with a look which spoke of animosity and hatred.
"Give him the warning," said our hero, glancing at the priest. "Tell himthat I will fling him to the ground below if he makes any attempt atescape. Then come with me. I have need of your service."
He stood at the door watching the priest, and noted his pallor as thenews was given him. His looks of hostility were less marked, and for amoment it appeared as if he would ask for clemency from his captor. ButRoger would not wait, and, beckoning to the noble, led the way across tothe part where he had discovered food and drink. There were some heavybenches in one of the rooms, and an assortment of articles kept for thecomfort of the priests, while outside stood three enormous stone bowls,filled with earth and scented blossoms, for the Mexicans were very fondof flowers.
"Lend a hand," said Roger, curtly. "Now push, and we will get thisacross to the stairs. After that we will barricade the entrance to thislittle place with the benches."
An hour later all was in readiness. The bowls, which were massiveaffairs, blocked the summit of the last flight of stairs, while theirnew quarters were more effectually guarded than had been the case whenthe idol stood in the way. The priest also had been removed to his newquarters, and so well had Roger's threats acted, as well as theremembrance of his strength and rough handling, that there seemed littledoubt that the man would prove faithful and give no trouble. Roger andTamba stood on the edge of the tower, looking down at the streets below,where there was less movement now. At their feet, and piled at intervalsround the tower, were heaps of stones, or bricks, which they hadwrenched from the sides of the smaller towers, for all were constructedof clay and earth, to which a facing of bricks had been added.
"They are fairly small, and one can throw them easily," explained Roger."We will use them in case of attack, and I rather think that that willbe as s
oon as darkness falls. If they win their way up the stairs wewill stand behind the flower jars and strike at them with our swords.Fortunately we are now well supplied with arms."
"And there is food and drink too, as you tell me, master. We arefortunate. I begin to think that these Mexicans will do as their noblehas done. They will change their minds, and will see in us valuablefriends who can help them."
"Not till they have attacked again," said Roger, with assurance.
Nor did he prove to be mistaken, for as the dusk came, and it was nolonger possible to see the lowest of the flights of steps, a movementwas heard below.
"Men at the foot of the stairs," said Tamba, who had wonderful hearing."They are coming."
Roger listened intently. Then he took an armful of bricks, and holdingthem against his chest with his left arm, began to hurl them down theside of the tower. He had carefully marked the spot to drop them fromduring the daylight, and now he had the satisfaction of hearing morethan one clatter on the stairway. There was a sudden shriek and ascampering of many feet. After that, silence surrounded the tower, andthough Tamba crept to the bottom, no one was to be seen. Then silencesettled down upon the city, and the darkness became extreme. Nothing, infact, could be seen save the flare of a number of sacrificial fires,which blazed upon the altars perched upon the summit of every tower. Thescene was weird, for occasionally a gust of wind would stir theseflames, and they burned up brightly, allowing Roger and Tamba to obtaina glimpse of the streets and the courtyards below, and of the waterwhich surrounded the city. Then all was blackness again, save for thefires and for the occasional figure of an attendant who replenishedthem.
"A good thought," said Roger. "Ours shall blaze too, and will perhapshelp us to ward off danger. Throw some of the fuel on."
There was a pile of pine chippings close to the altar, and the nativesoon had the fire burning merrily. Then he rejoined Roger, bringing foodand wine. They supped together contentedly, and having taken care tokeep a careful eye on their prisoners till they were sure that they wereto be trusted, they posted themselves on the summit of the stairs.Nothing happened for many hours, till Roger became drowsy. But Tamba'shand suddenly touched him, and he was alert at once.
"H-h-h-ush, master! They are coming!" he said. "I heard some one stumbleand his arms clatter on the steps!"
The faithful fellow had made no mistake, for presently the soft murmurof many ascending feet came to the ear, and told the two that they wereface to face with a second attack.