CHAPTER III.
When Juan recovered his senses, he found himself lying in the bottom ofa little canoe, urged by a single boatman, and already far from theconflict. The blow, inflicted by some blunt weapon, perhaps a club orpaddle, had stunned him, yet had not wounded; and he became soon awarethat he was not seriously injured. As he raised himself a little on hisarm, his companion, pausing an instant from his toil, exclaimed, in thewell remembered tones of the Ottomi,
"Izquauhtzin knows his friend: there are none to do him harm."
"Techeechee!" cried the youth: "What is this? where are we going? Havethey killed Guatimozin, the king? If thou art the friend thou hast sooften proved, row me to the shore. Methinks we are in the middle of thelake!"
"Guatimozin is the Great Eagle's friend," said Techeechee, again plyinghis paddle; "he says the Great Eagle is his brother; and because of hisfear of the armed people, he says, 'Let the Great Eagle sail alone withTecheechee, the old man, who has no weapons, and loves the Great Eaglevery much.'"
"I am then again a prisoner?" said Juan, sadly. "Perhaps it isbetter,--certainly I cannot control my destiny, and very surely Iperceive that Guatimozin is friendly to me. But how is this, Techeechee?I sprang from the prince's boat,--I was knocked on the head--How comesit that I am in this canoe?"
"The king picked his brother from the water," replied the Indian;"saying, 'Why should my brother drown, when he has escaped Malintzin,him who eats blood?' 'Therefore,' said the king, 'take him to my house,for did he not carry me to his? Put upon him the robe of a king's son,with the red crown of a Teuctli, as one who is great among the noblesand fighting men; and the people shall call him the king's brother.'"
To this revealment of a fortune so magnificent, Juan answered only by adeep sigh, muttering within the recesses of his breast, 'The noble'sgown or the victim's shirt,--but I will live and die both a Christianand Spaniard.'
Then, contenting himself with this resolve, for he no longer perceivedany hope of escape, unless by killing the old man, and perhaps began tobe aware how useless would be freedom, he cast his eyes about him, andendeavoured to learn his situation. The sounds of battle came butfaintly to his ears, and the burning ships, which were still visible,seemed to be left far behind. Yet in the estimate he was thus enabled tomake of his distance from the fleet, there was no little deception; forthe flames were expiring, and the wind, blowing from the west, conspiredwith the plashing of the water to deaden the sounds of combat. In everyother quarter, all was silence and gloom. An impenetrable darkness layupon the lake. The sky was concealed by a dense canopy of clouds, and hebegan to wonder at the precision and understanding with which Techeecheeimpelled the canoe towards a point indicated by no beacon on earth or inheaven, until he perceived, immediately over the prow, what seemed alittle star, as red as blood, glimmering on the very edge of thehorizon. But this, he became soon convinced, was no heavenly luminary.Faint as it was, it shone steadily, and, once seen, there was nodifficulty in preserving it always in the eye. He even began to besensible, after a little time, that it increased in magnitude as heapproached it; and, by and by, he was at no loss to believe it was abeacon-light, kindled upon some eminence in the pagan city, to guide thefleet of canoes on its return from the battle.
While he was arriving at this just conclusion, the sounds of contentiondying further away in the background, he was struck by a wailing notebehind, like the cry of some animal, swimming in the lake. He listened,distinguished it a second time, and commanded the Ottomi to ceasepaddling.
"If I know the voice of a friend, that is the whine of Befo!" heexclaimed, looking eagerly, but vainly back. "I remember me now, that Iheard him bark on board the ship. Put back, Techeechee, put back! Thedog is following me, and to his destruction, if we take him not up. Putback, put back!"
"'Tis the big tiger," said the Indian, very seriously. "We found himeating you in the water--he had you by the head; and now he isfollowing, like a wolf, who never leaves the deer, after having oncetasted of his blood."
"Good heavens, eating me!" said Juan. "It was he, then, that held me up,when I was strangling? I remember to have felt some one pull me by thehair, before I was utterly senseless. Faithful Befo! faithful Befo!there is no friend like him! And I leave him drowning, who saved me fromthe same death, and now follows me with affection? Put back, putback!--Nay, thou art sluggish,--old and sluggish:--I will paddle myself.What, Befo! Befo!"
Thus exclaiming, and using the paddle, which he had snatched fromTecheechee, with no little skill, it was soon clear that he was drawingnigh to the animal, which, hearing his voice, replied with loudwhinings, that were both piteous and joyful.
"Alas, poor dog, thou art weary enough. Hast thou not another paddle,Techeechee? the dog is drowning."
"Techeechee fears not the ocelotl," replied the savage, with a voicesomewhat quavering; "he killed one with his spear, and the great kingMontezuma said, 'The Ottomi is brave: he is Ocelotzin.' The Spanishtiger eats poor Ottomies. Techeechee has only his arrows and a macana."
"Use them not, and fear not," said Juan, already catching a sight of thestruggling beast. "What, Befo! Befo! true Befo! courage, Befo!"
The dog was evidently wholly exhausted; yet at the cheery cry of theyouth, and especially at the sight of him, he yelped loudly, and raisedhimself half out of the water, while Juan, making one more sweep of thepaddle to his side, caught him by the leathern collar, and strove todrag him into the boat. But Befo's great weight and his own feeblenessrendered that impossible; and it was some time before he could prevailupon Techeechee to give him assistance, and actually lay his hand on thedreaded monster.
"Dost thou not see that he loves me?" cried Juan by way of argument; "Heloves me because I have done him good deeds, and treated him kindly. Heis like a man, not a tiger: he remembers a benefit as long as an injury.Give him this help, and he will love thee also."
Thus persuaded, the Ottomi timorously extended his hand, and greatlyemboldened to find it was not immediately snapped off, plied hisstrength, which, notwithstanding his age, was yet considerable, untilBefo was safely lodged in the boat. The poor dog had scarce strengthleft to raise his head to his master's knee, but devoured his hand withcaresses, while he sank trembling, panting, and powerless, into thebottom of the skiff.
"Thus it is with the dog, whom you call a tiger," said Juan, in amoralizing mood, as he surveyed his faithful friend: "Black or white,red or olive-hued, whom he once loves, he loves well. Happy or wretched,proud or lowly, it is all one: he asks not if his master be a villain. Atiger in courage, in strength, and vindictiveness, he is yet alamb,--the fawn of a doe,--in the hands of his master. Feed him, heloves you--starve him, he loves you--beat him, still does he love you.Once gain his affection, and you cannot cast it off: the rich man cannotbribe his love with gold, and bread will not seduce him away;--nay, hewill sometimes pine away on your grave. His name has been made a by-wordfor all that is base and villanous--I know not why, unless it isbecause, being the fondest and most confiding of living creatures, he istherefore the worst used: but the word is a satire upon our owninjustice. Look at him, Techeechee, and at me: I have been ever poor andwell nigh friendless--I gave him to one who is as a prince among men:yet when he--his then master,--struck at me with his sword, this dogseized the weapon with his teeth; he came to me when I lay in prison, hesprang to me when I was dying in the lake, and he perilled his life, asthou hast seen, that he might have the poor privilege to follow me. I ama beggar and an outcast, a man degraded and, it may be, soonoutlawed:--yet does this poor creature love me none the less. Ay, Befo!it is all one to thee, what I am, and whither I go!"
To this eulogium, which the desolate youth pronounced with much feeling,Techeechee answered not a word; for though the expressions were Mexican,their purport was beyond his comprehension.
He merely stared with much admiration upon the good understanding whichseemed to exist between his companion and a creature that was in hiseyes so terrific. But the endearments mutually shared by two c
reaturesof a race so different, and yet in heart so much alike, had the goodeffect to deprive him of many of his fears, so that he plied his paddlewith good-will, and, the wind abating, rapidly shortened the distancethat still divided them from the island city.
He had already put a wide sheet of water between him and the battle, andwhen the Indian fleet, beaten off, or satisfied with the mischief done,began to retreat, followed by such of the brigantines as were in plightto pursue, it was easy to preserve so much of the distance gained as tobe beyond the reach of danger. The flash of a falconet occasionallyburst dimly behind, its heavy roar startling back the breeze; andsometimes a cannon ball came skipping over the surges close by. But, thewind being against the Spaniards, it was soon seen that there were leftno Indians upon whom to exercise their arms, unless such as had, intheir consternation, lost sight of the dim beacon, and remained paddlingabout the lake at random.