CHAPTER XI.
What Juan had said in relation to the cause of his confinement, wastrue, although he was not aware of the whole extent of the truth. Inreleasing him from impending death at Tezcuco, the young infidel did notdoubt, in the simplicity of his heart, that he was adding a powerfulengine of defence to his preparations, as well as requiting theobligation, which, he believed, had been the principal cause of Juan'sdownfall. He reckoned confidently upon Juan's desire for vengeance, theabsence of which feeling, after wrongs so stirring and manifold, hisnature did not allow him to anticipate; and he dwelt also, with thesecurity of pride, upon the incentive offered in the love of thedaughter of Montezuma. In this spirit of confidence, without muchregarding Juan's previous averments, he introduced him to his assembledforces, upon the day of coronation, that all might know him, and respecthim thenceforth as one honoured with the highest of titles--the king'sbrother. So far, all was well: the name of the Young Eagle was notwholly unknown to the Mexican warriors; and the sight of his manlyfigure, arrayed in a native cloak, his head crowned with a loftypenacho, put on by the king's hand, and the glittering axe of obsidianreceived from the same quarter, and grasped a moment with a militaryair, made an impression in his favour, that could only be obliterated byhis own act of rejection. The spectacle was hailed with acclamations,and
Far and wide, the thundering shout, Rolling among reduplicating rocks, Peal'd o'er the hills and up the mountain vales.[14]
[Footnote 14: Southey's Roderic.]
Unfortunately, Juan, unwilling that any act should be interpreted asexpressing his assent to take arms against his countrymen, immediatelythrew down the macana, and would even have taken the plumes from hishead, had he not been arrested by Techeechee, and made sensible thatsuch a proceeding would be followed by the most fatal consequences. Themovement, however, had been observed by many of the nobles; and fromthat moment, Juan saw that he was watched by jealous and hostile eyes.His explicit and absolute refusal to take part in the conflicts, hadconvinced the young king of his error; yet, though greatly exasperated,he took such measures, from motives of honour or humanity, as protectedthe obdurate Christian from the daily increasing anger of his people. Heconfined him in the palace, and forbade even the ardent Zelahualla to gonear him. In this he was actuated by suspicions, constantly inflamed bythe Lord of Death, and not unnatural in themselves, that the young manhad abused his credulity in the case of Magdalena. The love of theIndian maid, however, penetrated through guards and prison-doors; andJuan, almost as impatient of confinement and suspense as Magdalenaherself, resolved to effect his escape, and by throwing himself upon themercy of the Captain-General, make one effort to liberate his unhappysister. The attempt was discovered and thwarted; and from that momenthis confinement had been very rigid.
Still, however, the young infidel was wont frequently to visit him,after the combat of the day, in the hope of overcoming his scruples, orof gathering from his accidental expressions some hints that might beturned to advantage against the besiegers. On all such occasions, herefused to satisfy the prisoner's questions concerning his sister andthe princess; giving him plainly to understand that nothing but theassumption of the pagan battle-axe, or positive counsels in his straits,which he did not attempt to conceal, could purchase a sight of either.In all these things, if the infidel acted with more crafty selfishnessthan generosity, he only proved that he belonged to his race. The wholeconduct of Juan was, according to _his_ scale of morals and honour, bothunfriendly and unaccountable. He designed, this very night, to visit theprisoner, of which intention Juan was apprized; and hence his eagernessto dismiss the maidens from the chamber, before the conclusion of theattack upon the neighbouring dike, with the nature and objects of whichhe was well acquainted.
Before the maidens had departed, it was evident that the firing andother noises on the causeway were subsiding. Before they had been gonethe full space of an hour, a heavy step rang in the passage, and thenext moment the Indian monarch stood before the captive. He wassingularly and sumptuously armed. From head to foot, his body wascovered with a garment, perhaps of escaupil, fitting so tightly as todisplay his limbs to advantage; and over all was a coat of mail,consisting of copper spangles or scales, richly gilded, and stitchedupon a shirt of dressed leather. His head was defended by a morion ofthe same metal, shaped not unlike to those of the Spaniards, and equallystrong; and its ability to resist a violent blow was increased by thefolds of a stout serpent, painted green, wreathing over its wholesurface. A shield of tapir-skin, studded with copper nails, hung fromhis neck; and he bore a macana, which was stained with blood. He worenone of the emblems of royalty, and his appearance was only that of somehighly distinguished noble. His eye was bright and fiery, his step firmand proud, but his aspect was thin and haggard.
"Has my brother heard the shouts of men near him, and does he yet say,'Let me sleep?'" were the words with which he saluted the captive.
"Prince," said Juan, eyeing him anxiously and interrogatively, thoughspeaking with positive emphasis, "as I told you before, so has ithappened. The cannon were ready on the dike, the falconets were chargedin the ships, and the men of Sandoval slept with swords and matches intheir hands, and with their eyes open. Guatimozin does not come back avictor!"
"He comes back with a prisoner," said the prince, proudly; "and,to-morrow, the lord with red hair (Sandoval) will count the dead andweep, and Malintzin shall see the flames of sacrifice rising from thepyramid."
"Alas!" exclaimed Juan, "in condemning captives to this horrible death,against your will, for I know your heart is not cruel, you harden thesoul of Cortes against you; and he will remember each sacrifice, whenthe day of surrender comes at last."
"Let it be harder than it is, what cares the Mexican who dies?" repliedthe king. "Does my brother think that I am weary, or that Malintzin canfight longer than I?"
"Think not to deceive me, prince--I know that already your altars andpalaces are within reach of the cannon-shot--nay, of themusket-bullet--You are hemmed in, like a wild-cat on a tree--Yourenemies are all round you, and they look into your eyes. Are not thewater-suburbs already taken?"
"Why should I lie?" replied Guatimozin. "If you go to Tacuba, you willsee the banks of the island--the city of the water is not there. If youlook from Iztapalapan, the surges go rushing up towards the greattemple--the houses are under the lake--If you look from the door of mydwelling, you will see the quarter of Tepejacac falling also into thelake. When Malintzin calls aloud in the morning, the lord of the redhair answers him, and Malintzin hears. Thus it is with Mexico; yet mybrother sleeps, while I die, saying to his soul, 'It is all very just,for I sleep and see not.'"
"If I see not and help not, yet is my heart torn by your distresses,"replied Juan, earnestly. "But why should I help? It would be a great sinupon my soul, and could do you no good. Listen to my counsel,Guatimozin: It is not yet too late. Cease to protract an unavailingresistance; send to Cortes with offers of submission, and be assured ofreigning still, a king, though a vassal."
"Does Guatimozin fight to be a king?" said the infidel, with dignity."He struck the Spaniard before he thought of a crown. He thinks not ofpalaces and fine garments, but says, 'Why should the people of Mexico bemade slaves?' The king fights for Mexico."
"He will fight best for Mexico with peace. The kings of Tezcuco andIztapalapan pay tribute to Mexico--are their people slaves? Thus shallit be with Mexico: the king shall give gold, as the tributary of Spain,and Mexicans shall remain in freedom."
"Will my brother prattle like Malintzin?" demanded the monarch, sternly."Where is the freedom of Zempoala, of Tlascala, of Cholula? The peopletalk of it, while a Spaniard strikes them with a lash. Where is thefreedom of Tezcuco? The young king, who is a boy, sits on the throne;but the Spaniard, whom my brother struck in the face with a sword, whenhe chased Olin-pilli, is there with him, and he robs and abuses thepeople, so that they have sent their tears to Malintzin. What was thefate of Montezuma? He sat in the Spaniards' house in
chains, and thesoldiers murdered his nobles, who danced in peace in the courtyard. Whatwas the fate of Montezuma? The Spaniard, who is lord of the king ofTezcuco, would have done violence to the captive maiden--Does my brotherremember?"
"Ay!" replied Juan, with the gleam of passion that visited his eyes,only when he spoke of Guzman: "I remember, and I hope yet toavenge--Sinner that I am, I cannot think it a crime, to covet the bloodof this man!--But, prince, let me know--My captivity is very hard--Whyshould I not be allowed to speak with the princess? Why should my sisterbe hidden from me?"
The countenance of Guatimozin darkened.
"When my brother will fight for them, he shall be at liberty. My brotherthinks again of the canoe at the bottom of the garden?"
Juan coloured, and said,
"You keep me a prisoner--I strove to escape. The king mocks me, to callme his brother."
"The warriors are very angry, yet the Great Eagle is alive. He cannot goamong them in safety, unless as their friend."
"And who," said Juan, "shall warrant me of safety, if I go even as afriend?"
He deemed it now the period to commence acting upon his scheme ofescape, yet hesitated, stung with shame at the thought of the duplicityto which he was descending.--"It is better to die on the dikes than topine in the dungeon."
Guatimozin's eye gleamed with a sudden fire:
"Does my brother jest with me?" he said. "If my brother think it wrongto strike a Spaniard, he shall not be called upon to fight. He can teachme the things it is needful to know; and be in no fear."
"When did Guatimozin see me afraid?" cried Juan, stifling as well as hecould the sense of humiliation and disgust, with which he began theoffice of a deceiver. "To give you counsel how to resist or attack, willmake me as much a renegade as to draw sword at once. If I do becomeapostate, it shall be boldly, and with the sword. Prince, I have thoughtover this thing: my heart is grieved with your distress; and for mysister, and for Zelahualla, I will do what my conscience condemns. Doesthe king know what shall be my fate, if I am found fighting by theSpaniards?"
"Twenty chosen warriors shall circle my brother round about, and heshall keep aloof from the van of battle."
"If I fight, it shall be in the van," said Juan, his self-condemnationgiving a character of sullenness to his tones. "But what, if Ifall,--what shall become of my sister?"
"She shall be the sister of Guatimozin and of Zelahualla," saidGuatimozin, with energy, yet with doubt; for he could hardly believethat Juan was speaking seriously.
"Let the king say _this_, and I will go out with him to battle:--If Idie, he will cause my sister and the princess to be delivered into thehands of Cortes."
"The Spanish lady shall be sent to Malintzin; but the Centzontli shallremain with her brother the king. It is better she should die with himthan dwell with the Spaniards. Why shouldst thou think it? Are there notmore Guzmans than one?"
Juan muttered painfully to himself,
"Perhaps it _is_ better. Heaven will protect her, for she hasacknowledged her Redeemer.--Will the king swear, then, if his brotherfalls, that Magdalena shall be sent to the Spaniards?"
"He will swear," said Guatimozin, ardently. "It is better for theSpanish lady; for she knows not our speech, and she pines away withgrief. And if the king prevails over his enemies, the king will rememberwhat Juan says of her."
"Now, then, let the king tell me the truth, and mislead me not. How muchlonger can he maintain the city?"
"Till he is dead!--But he may soon die," he added, confidingly, for nowhe doubted no longer that he had gained his purpose. "My brother shallfirst teach me how to get food. The ships move about at night, and nocanoe can reach the shore. The king sits down to eat with the warriors,and he eats no more--but the warriors cry all night for food."
"Good heaven!" said Juan, surveying the wasted cheeks of the monarch;"are you already so straitened? your garners already exhausted?"
"Who can reckon for so many mouths?" cried Guatimozin.
"I dreamed not of this--Sure, _I_ have never been denied abundance!"
"My brother is a prisoner; and the women and children are feeble. Whyshould _they_ want, when the warriors can endure hunger better?"
The communication of this painful intelligence nerved Juan more stronglyin his purpose. He perceived the necessity of acting without delay, ifhe wished to protect the young infidel from the consequence of his owndespairing fury, and the maiden of his love, and his sister, from a fatetoo dreadful to be imagined. His eagerness the more fully deluded theyoung monarch, not prone to suspicion where he loved, and he was soonmade acquainted with the whole condition of the beleaguered city, andthe situation of the Spaniards. He was also instructed in theparticulars of a design of Guatimozin, to be practised upon the ensuingday, the boldness of which, as well as its strong probabilities ofsuccess, both astonished and dismayed him. He perceived that perhaps thefate of the entire Spanish army depended upon the course he mightpursue, and his honour and feelings seemed all to call upon him for someexertion to arrest the impending destruction.
When he had been made acquainted with all that Guatimozin thought fit todivulge, and had again and again repeated his resolution to take armsand accompany the Mexicans against his countrymen, the king embraced himwith great warmth, promising to provide him with a good Spanish swordand helmet from among the spoils; but recommending that, in all otherrespects, he should assume the guise of a Mexican.
When these arrangements were completed, he turned to depart, and yetseemed loath to go. Finally, he took Juan by the arm, and said,
"To-night the king will sleep by the side of his brother: we will wakein the morning and go out together."
"Why will not the king speak kind things to the queen? It will rejoiceher to look upon the king."
"Has she not a little sick babe by her side? and are they not verywretched?" said Guatimozin, exposing, without reserve, the miseriespreying upon his own bosom, and abandoning himself to a grief thatseemed to mock the greatness of his station. "When I look upon them," hesaid, "I am no longer the king who thinks of Mexico and the people, buta man with a base heart, who cries, 'Why am not I a prisoner and aslave, that my little child may be saved, and his mother protected fromthe famine that is coming?' The king should not think these things,--heshould not look upon his household, but his country."
"Go, notwithstanding," said Juan, touched still further by thedistresses of the infidel. "Comfort them with your presence, and lettheir sufferings admonish you of the only way to end them. It is not toolate to submit."
"Is this the way my brother begins the duties of a Mexican?" saidGuatimozin. "The gods tell me to die, not yield. I fight forMexico,--not for the wife and child of Guatimozin."
With these words, and having banished all traces of weakness andrepining, he left Juan to slumber, or to weigh, in painful anticipation,the risks and uncertainties of his projected enterprise.