CHAPTER XXIII
THOMAS IS MARRIED
Otomie turned and went. I watched the golden curtains close behind her;then I sank back upon the couch and instantly was lost in sleep, forI was faint and weak, and so dazed with weariness, that at the time Iscarcely knew what had happened, or the purpose of our talk. Afterwards,however, it came back to me. I must have slept for many hours, for whenI awoke it was far on into the night. It was night but not dark, forthrough the barred window places came the sound of tumult and fighting,and red rays of light cast by the flames of burning houses. One of thesewindows was above my couch, and standing on the bed I seized the sillwith my hands. With much pain, because of the flesh wound in my side, Idrew myself up till I could look through the bars. Then I saw that theSpaniards, not content with the capture of the teocalli, had made anight attack and set fire to hundreds of houses in the city. The glareof the flames was that of a lurid day, and by it I could see the whitemen retreating to their quarters, pursued by thousands of Aztecs, whohung upon their flanks, shooting at them with stones and arrows.
Now I dropped down from the window place and began to think as to whatI should do, for again my mind was wavering. Should I desert Otomie andescape to the Spaniards if that were possible, taking my chance of deathat the hands of de Garcia? Or should I stay among the Aztecs if theywould give me shelter, and wed Otomie? There was a third choice, indeed,to stay with them and leave Otomie alone, though it would be difficultto do this and keep my honour. One thing I understood, if I marriedOtomie it must be at her own price, for then I must become an Indian andgive over all hope of returning to England and to my betrothed. Of this,indeed, there was little chance, still, while my life remained to me,it might come about if I was free. But once my hands were tied by thismarriage it could never be during Otomie's lifetime, and so far as LilyBozard was concerned I should be dead. How could I be thus faithless toher memory and my troth, and on the other hand, how could I discard thewoman who had risked all for me, and who, to speak truth, had grown sodear to me, though there was one yet dearer? A hero or an angel mightfind a path out of this tangle, but alas! I was neither the one nor theother, only a man afflicted as other men are with human weakness, andOtomie was at hand, and very sweet and fair. Still, almost I determinedthat I would avail myself of her nobleness, that I would go back uponmy words, and beg her to despise me and see me no more, in order thatI might not be forced to break the troth that I had pledged beneaththe beech at Ditchingham. For I greatly dreaded this oath of life-longfidelity which I should be forced to swear if I chose any other path.
Thus I thought on in pitiable confusion of mind, not knowing that allthese matters were beyond my ordering, since a path was already madeready to my feet, which I must follow or die. And let this be a proofof the honesty of my words, since, had I been desirous of glozing thetruth, I need have written nothing of these struggles of conscience, andof my own weakness. For soon it was to come to this, though not by herwill, that I must either wed Otomie or die at once, and few would blameme for doing the first and not the last. Indeed, though I did wed her, Imight still have declared myself to my affianced and to all the world asa slave of events from which there was no escape. But it is not all thetruth, since my mind was divided, and had it not been settled for me, Icannot say how the struggle would have ended.
Now, looking back on the distant past, and weighing my actions andcharacter as a judge might do, I can see, however, that had I found timeto consider, there was another matter which would surely have turnedthe scale in favour of Otomie. De Garcia was among the Spaniards, andmy hatred of de Garcia was the ruling passion of my life, a strongerpassion even than my love for the two dear women who have been its joy.Indeed, though he is dead these many years I still hate him, and evilthough the desire be, even in my age I long that my vengeance was stillto wreak. While I remained among the Aztecs de Garcia would be theirenemy and mine, and I might meet him in war and kill him there. But if Isucceeded in reaching the Spanish camp, then it was almost sure that hewould bring about my instant death. Doubtless he had told such a tale ofme already, that within an hour I should be hung as a spy, or otherwisemade away with.
But I will cease from these unprofitable wonderings which have but onevalue, that of setting out my strange necessity of choice between anabsent and a present love, and go on with the story of an event in whichthere was no room to balance scruples.
While I sat musing on the couch the curtain was drawn, and a man enteredbearing a torch. It was Guatemoc as he had come from the fray, which,except for its harvest of burning houses, was finished for that night.The plumes were shorn from his head, his golden armour was hacked by theSpanish swords, and he bled from a shot wound in the neck.
'Greeting, Teule,' he said. 'Certainly I never thought to see you aliveto-night, or myself either for that matter. But it is a strange world,and now, if never before in Tenoctitlan, those things happen for whichwe look the least. But I have no time for words. I came to summon youbefore the council.'
'What is to be my fate?' I asked. 'To be dragged back to the stone ofsacrifice?'
'Nay, have no fear of that. But for the rest I cannot say. In an houryou may be dead or great among us, if any of us can be called great inthese days of shame. Otomie has worked well for you among the princesand the counsellors, so she says, and if you have a heart, you should begrateful to her, for it seems to me that few women have loved a man somuch. As for me, I have been employed elsewhere,' and he glanced at hisrent armour, 'but I will lift up my voice for you. Now come, friend, forthe torch burns low. By this time you must be well seasoned in dangers;one more or less will matter as little to you as to me.'
Then I rose and followed him into the great cedar-panelled hall, wherethat very morning I had received adoration as a god. Now I was a god nolonger, but a prisoner on trial for his life. Upon the dais where I hadstood in the hour of my godhead were gathered those of the princes andcounsellors who were left alive. Some of them, like Guatemoc, were cladin rent and bloody mail, others in their customary dress, and one ina priest's robe. They had only two things in common among them, thesternness of their faces and the greatness of their rank, and they satthere this night not to decide my fate, which was but a little thing,but to take counsel as to how they might expel the Spaniards before thecity was destroyed.
When I entered, a man in mail, who sat in the centre of the half circle,and in whom I knew Cuitlahua, who would be emperor should Montezuma die,looked up quickly and said:
'Who is this, Guatemoc, that you bring with you? Ah! I remember; theTeule that was the god Tezcat, and who escaped the sacrifice to-day.Listen, nobles. What is to be done with this man? Say, is it lawful thathe be led back to sacrifice?'
Then the priest answered: 'I grieve to say that it is not lawful mostnoble prince. This man has lain on the altar of the god, he has evenbeen wounded by the holy knife. But the god rejected him in a fatefulhour, and he must lie there no more. Slay him if you will, but not uponthe stone of sacrifice.'
'What then shall be done with him?' said the prince again.
'He is of the blood of the Teules, and therefore an enemy. One thing iscertain; he must not be suffered to join the white devils and givethem tidings of our distresses. Is it not best that he be put awayforthwith?'
Now several of the council nodded their heads, but others sat silent,making no sign.
'Come,' said Cuitlahua, 'we have no time to waste over this man when thelives of thousands are hourly at stake. The question is, Shall the Teulebe slain?'
Then Guatemoc rose and spoke, saying: 'Your pardon, noble kinsman, butI hold that we may put this prisoner to better use than to kill him. Iknow him well; he is brave and loyal, as I have proved, moreover, he isnot all a Teule, but half of another race that hates them as he hatesthem. Also he has knowledge of their customs and mode of warfare, whichwe lack, and I think that he may be able to give us good counsel in ourstrait.'
'The counsel of the wolf to the deer perhaps,' said Cuitlahua
, coldly;'counsel that shall lead us to the fangs of the Teules. Who shall answerfor this foreign devil, that he will not betray us if we trust him?'
'I will answer with my life,' answered Guatemoc.
'Your life is of too great worth to be set on such a stake, nephew. Menof this white breed are liars, and his own word is of no value even ifhe gives it. I think that it will be best to kill him and have done withdoubts.'
'This man is wed to Otomie, princess of the Otomie, Montezuma'sdaughter, your niece,' said Guatemoc again, 'and she loves him so wellthat she offered herself upon the stone of sacrifice with him. Unless Imistake she will answer for him also. Shall she be summoned before you?'
'If you wish, nephew; but a woman in love is a blind woman, anddoubtless he has deceived her also. Moreover, she was his wife accordingto the rule of religion only. Is it your desire that the princess shouldbe summoned before you, comrades?'
Now some said nay, but the most, those whose interest Otomie had gained,said yea, and the end of it was that one of their number was sent tosummon her.
Presently she came, looking very weary, but proud in mien and royallyattired, and bowed before the council.
'This is the question, princess,' said Cuitlahua. 'Whether this Teuleshall be slain forthwith, or whether he shall be sworn as one of us,should he be willing to take the oath? The prince Guatemoc here vouchesfor him, and he says, moreover, that you will vouch for him also. Awoman can do this in one way only, by taking him she vouches as herhusband. You are already wed to this foreigner by the rule of religion.Are you willing to marry him according to the custom of our land, and toanswer for his faith with your own life?'
'I am willing,' Otomie answered quietly, 'if he is willing.'
'In truth it is a great honour that you would do this white dog,' saidCuitlahua. 'Bethink you, you are princess of the Otomie and one of ourmaster's daughters, it is to you that we look to bring back the mountainclans of the Otomie, of whom you are chieftainess, from their unholyalliance with the accursed Tlascalans, the slaves of the Teules. Is notyour life too precious to be set on such a stake as this foreigner'sfaith? for learn, Otomie, if he proves false your rank shall not helpyou.'
'I know it all,' she replied quietly. 'Foreigner or not, I love thisman and I will answer for him with my blood. Moreover, I look to him toassist me to win back the people of the Otomie to their allegiance. Butlet him speak for himself, my lord. It may happen that he has no desireto take me in marriage.'
Cuitlahua smiled grimly and said, 'When the choice lies between thebreast of death and those fair arms of yours, niece, it is easy to guesshis answer. Still, speak, Teule, and swiftly.'
'I have little to say, lord. If the princess Otomie is willing to wedme, I am willing to wed her,' I answered, and thus in the moment of mydanger all my doubts and scruples vanished. As Cuitlahua had said, itwas easy to guess the choice of one set between death and Otomie.
She heard and looked at me warningly, saying in a low voice: 'Rememberour words, Teule. In such a marriage you renounce your past and give meyour future.'
'I remember,' I answered, and while I spoke, there came before my eyes avision of Lily's face as it had been when I bade her farewell. This thenwas the end of the vows that I had sworn. Cuitlahua looked at me with aglance which seemed to search my heart and said:
'I hear your words, Teule. You, a white wanderer, are graciously willingto take this princess to wife, and by her to be lifted high among thegreat lords of this land. But say, how can we trust you? If you fail usyour wife dies indeed, but that may be naught to you.'
'I am ready to swear allegiance,' I answered. 'I hate the Spaniards,and among them is my bitterest enemy whom I followed across the sea tokill--the man who strove to murder me this very day. I can say no more,if you doubt my words it were best to make an end of me. Already I havesuffered much at the hands of your people; it matters little if I die orlive.'
'Boldly spoken, Teule. Now, lords, I ask your judgment. Shall this manbe given to Otomie as husband and be sworn as one of us, or shall he bekilled instantly? You know the matter. If he can be trusted, as Guatemocand Otomie believe, he will be worth an army to us, for he is acquaintedwith the language, the customs, the weapons, and the modes of warfare ofthese white devils whom the gods have let loose upon us. If on the otherhand he is not to be trusted, and it is hard for us to put faith in oneof his blood, he may do us much injury, for in the end he will escape tothe Teules, and betray our counsels and our strength, or the lack of it.It is for you to judge, lords.'
Now the councillors consulted together, and some said one thing andsome another, for they were not by any means of a mind in the matter.At length growing weary, Cuitlahua called on them to put the question tothe vote, and this they did by a lifting of hands. First those who werein favour of my death held up their hands, then those who thought thatit would be wise to spare me. There were twenty-six councillors present,not counting Cuitlahua, and of these thirteen voted for my execution andthirteen were for saving me alive.
'Now it seems that I must give a casting vote,' said Cuitlahua when thetale had been rendered, and my blood turned cold at his words, for I hadseen that his mind was set against me. Then it was that Otomie broke in,saying:
'Your pardon, my uncle, but before you speak I have a word to say.You need my services, do you not? for if the people of the Otomie willlisten to any and suffer themselves to be led from their evil path, itis to me. My mother was by birth their chieftainess, the last of a longline, and I am her only child, moreover my father is their emperor.Therefore my life is of no small worth now in this time of trouble, forthough I am nothing in myself, yet it may chance that I can bring thirtythousand warriors to your standard. The priests knew this on yonderpyramid, and when I claimed my right to lie at the side of the Teule,they gainsayed me, nor would they suffer it, though they hungered forthe royal blood, till I called down the vengeance of the gods upon them.Now my uncle, and you, lords, I tell you this: Slay yonder man if youwill, but know that then you must find another than me to lure theOtomie from their rebellion, for then I complete what I began to-day,and follow him to the grave.'
She ceased and a murmur of amazement went round the chamber, for nonehad looked to find such love and courage in this lady's heart. OnlyCuitlahua grew angry.
'Disloyal girl,' he said; 'do you dare to set your lover before yourcountry? Shame upon you, shameless daughter of our king. Why, it isin the blood--as the father is so is the daughter. Did not Montezumaforsake his people and choose to lie among these Teules, the falsechildren of Quetzal? And now this Otomie follows in his path. Tellus how is it, woman, that you and your lover alone escaped from theteocalli yonder when all the rest were killed. Are you then in leaguewith these Teules? I say to you, niece, that if things were otherwiseand I had my way, you should win your desire indeed, for you should beslain at this man's side and within the hour.' And he ceased for lack ofbreath, and looked upon her fiercely.
But Otomie never quailed; she stood before him pale and quiet, withfolded hands and downcast eyes, and answered:
'Forbear to reproach me because my love is strong, or reproach me if youwill, I have spoken my last word. Condemn this man to die and Princeyou must seek some other envoy to win back the Otomie to the cause ofAnahuac.'
Now Cuitlahua pondered, staring into the gloom above him and pulling athis beard, and the silence was great, for none knew what his judgmentwould be. At last he spoke:
'So be it. We have need of Otomie, my niece, and it is of no avail tofight against a woman's love. Teule, we give you life, and with thelife honour and wealth, and the greatest of our women in marriage, and aplace in our councils. Take these gifts and her, but I say to you both,beware how you use them. If you betray us, nay, if you do but thinkon treachery, I swear to you that you shall die a death so slow andhorrible that the very name of it would turn your heart to water; youand your wife, your children and your servants. Come, let him be sworn!'
I heard and my head swam, and a mist
gathered before my eyes. Once againI was saved from instant death.
Presently it cleared, and looking up my eyes met those of the woman whohad saved me, Otomie my wife, who smiled upon me somewhat sadly. Thenthe priest came forward bearing a wooden bowl, carved about with strangesigns, and a flint knife, and bade me bare my arm. He cut my flesh withthe knife, so that blood ran from it into the bowl. Some drops of thisblood he emptied on to the ground, muttering invocations the while. Thenhe turned and looked at Cuitlahua as though in question, and Cuitlahuaanswered with a bitter laugh:
'Let him be baptized with the blood of the princess Otomie my niece, forshe is bail for him.'
'Nay, lord,' said Guatemoc, 'these two have mingled bloods alreadyupon the stone of sacrifice, and they are man and wife. But I also havevouched for him, and I offer mine in earnest of my faith.'
'This Teule has good friends,' said Cuitlahua; 'you honour him overmuch.But so be it.'
Then Guatemoc came forward, and when the priest would have cut him withthe knife, he laughed and said, pointing to the bullet wound upon hisneck:
'No need for that, priest. Blood runs here that was shed by the Teules.None can be fitter for this purpose.'
So the priest drew away the bandage and suffered the blood of Guatemocto drop into a second smaller bowl. Then he came to me and dipping hisfinger into the blood, he drew the sign of a cross upon my forehead as aChristian priest draws it upon the forehead of an infant, and said:
'In the presence and the name of god our lord, who is everywhere andsees all things, I sign you with this blood and make you of this blood.In the presence and the name of god our lord, who is everywhere and seesall things, I pour forth your blood upon the earth!' (here he pouredas he spoke). 'As this blood of yours sinks into the earth, so may thememory of your past life sink and be forgotten, for you are born againof the people of Anahuac. In the presence and the name of god our lord,who is everywhere and sees all things, I mingle these bloods' (herehe poured from one bowl into the other), 'and with them I touch yourtongue' (here dipping his finger into the bowl he touched the tip of mytongue with it) 'and bid you swear thus:
'"May every evil to which the flesh of man is subject enter into myflesh, may I live in misery and die in torment by the dreadful death,may my soul be rejected from the Houses of the Sun, may it wanderhomeless for ever in the darkness that is behind the Stars, if I departfrom this my oath. I, Teule, swear to be faithful to the people ofAnahuac and to their lawful governors. I swear to wage war upon theirfoes and to compass their destruction, and more especially upon theTeules till they are driven into the sea. I swear to offer no affront tothe gods of Anahuac. I swear myself in marriage to Otomie, princess ofthe Otomie, the daughter of Montezuma my lord, for so long as her lifeshall endure. I swear to attempt no escape from these shores. I swear torenounce my father and my mother, and the land where I was born, and tocling to this land of my new birth; and this my oath shall endure tillthe volcan Popo ceases to vomit smoke and fire, till there is no kingin Tenoctitlan, till no priest serves the altars of the gods, and thepeople of Anahuac are no more a people."
'Do you swear these things, one and all?'
'One and all I swear them,' I answered because I must, though there wasmuch in the oath that I liked little enough. And yet mark how strangelythings came to pass. Within fifteen years from that night the volcanPopo had ceased to vomit smoke and fire, the kings had ceased to reignin Tenoctitlan, the priests had ceased to serve the altars of the gods,the people of Anahuac were no more a people, and my vow was nulland void. Yet the priests who framed this form chose these things asexamples of what was immortal!
When I had sworn Guatemoc came forward and embraced me, saying:'Welcome, Teule, my brother in blood and heart. Now you are one of us,and we look to you for help and counsel. Come, be seated by me.'
I looked towards Cuitlahua doubtfully, but he smiled graciously, andsaid: 'Teule, your trial is over. We have accepted you, and you havesworn the solemn oath of brotherhood, to break which is to die horriblyin this world, and to be tortured through eternity by demons in thenext. Forget all that may have been said in the hour of your weighing,for the balance is in your favour, and be sure that if you give us nocause to doubt you, you shall find none to doubt us. Now as the husbandof Otomie, you are a lord among the lords, having honour and greatpossessions, and as such be seated by your brother Guatemoc, and joinour council.'
I did as he bade me, and Otomie withdrew from our presence. ThenCuitlahua spoke again, no longer of me and my matters, but of the urgentaffairs of state. He spoke in slow words and weighty, and more than oncehis voice broke in his sorrow. He told of the grievous misfortunesthat had overcome the country, of the death of hundreds of its bravestwarriors, of the slaughter of the priests and soldiers that day on theteocalli, and the desecration of his nation's gods. What was to be donein this extremity? he asked. Montezuma lay dying, a prisoner in the campof the Teules, and the fire that he had nursed with his breath devouredthe land. No efforts of theirs could break the iron strength of thesewhite devils, armed as they were with strange and terrible weapons. Dayby day disaster overtook the arms of the Aztecs. What wisdom had theynow that the protecting gods were shattered in their very shrines, whenthe altars ran red with the blood of their ministering priests, when theoracles were dumb or answered only in the accents of despair?
Then one by one princes and generals arose and gave counsel accordingto their lights. At length all had spoken, and Cuitlahua said, lookingtowards me:
'We have a new counsellor among us, who is skilled in the warfare andcustoms of the white men, who till an hour ago was himself a white man.Has he no word of comfort for us?'
'Speak, my brother?' said Guatemoc.
Then I spoke. 'Most noble Cuitlahua, and you lords and princes. Youhonour me by asking my counsel, and it is this in few words and brief.You waste your strength by hurling your armies continually against stonewalls and the weapons of the Teules. So you shall not prevail againstthem. Your devices must be changed if you would win victory. TheSpaniards are like other men; they are no gods as the ignorant imagine,and the creatures on which they ride are not demons but beasts ofburden, such as are used for many purposes in the land where I was born.The Spaniards are men I say, and do not men hunger and thirst? Cannotmen be worn out by want of sleep, and be killed in many ways? Are notthese Teules already weary to the death? This then is my word of comfortto you. Cease to attack the Spaniards and invest their camp so closelythat no food can reach them and their allies the Tlascalans. If this isdone, within ten days from now, either they will surrender or they willstrive to break their way back to the coast. But to do this, first theymust win out of the city, and if dykes are cut through the causeways,that will be no easy matter. Then when they strive to escape cumberedwith the gold they covet and came here to seek, then I say will be thehour to attack them and to destroy them utterly.'
I ceased, and a murmur of applause went round the council.
'It seems that we came to a wise judgment when we determined to sparethis man's life,' said Cuitlahua, 'for all that he tells us is true, andI would that we had followed this policy from the first. Now, lords, Igive my voice for acting as our brother points the way. What say you?'
'We say with you that our brother's words are good,' answered Guatemocpresently, 'and now let us follow them to the end.'
Then, after some further talk, the council broke up and I sought mychamber well nigh blind with weariness and crushed by the weight of allthat I had suffered on that eventful day. The dawn was flaring inthe eastern sky, and by its glimmer I found my path down the emptycorridors, till at length I came to the curtains of my sleeping place.I drew them and passed through. There, far up the room, the faint lightgleaming on her snowy dress, her raven hair and ornaments of gold, stoodOtomie my bride.
I went towards her, and as I came she glided to meet me withoutstretched arms. Presently they were about my neck and her kiss was onmy brow.
'Now all is done, my love and
lord,' she whispered, 'and come good orill, or both, we are one till death, for such vows as ours cannot bebroken.'
'All is done indeed, Otomie, and our oaths are lifelong, though otheroaths have been broken that they might be sworn,' I answered.
Thus then I, Thomas Wingfield, was wed to Otomie, princess of theOtomie, Montezuma's daughter.