University of Virginia Library

9. CHAPTER IX.

While he still talked with the Morisco, Don Amador
was able to cast his eyes about him, and to perceive
on either side a great multitude of low houses
of wickered cane, which seemed to him more to resemble
gigantic baskets than the habitations of men;
but which, even in these latter days, are found sufficient
to protect the humble aborigines from the vicissitudes
of that benignant clime. Each stood by itself
in an enclosure of shrubs and flowers, and where
it happened that the inmates were within, with torches
or fires burning, the blaze, streaming through the
wattled walls, illuminated every thing around, and
disclosed the figures of the habitants moving about
like shadows in the flame. Other buildings, equally
humble in size, were constructed of less remarkable
but not less romantic materials; and where the moonbeams
fell over their earthen walls and palmy roofs,
both were often concealed by such a drapery of
vines and creeping flowers, perhaps the odoriferous
vanilla and the beautiful convolvulus, as might have
satisfied the longings of a wood-nymph. As the approached
nearer to the centre of the town, these
lowly and lovely cottages were exchanged for fabrics
of stone, many of them of considerable size, and
several with walls covered with the bright and silvery
plaster which ornamented the temples. Each
of these, the dwellings of the Tlatoani, or, as the
Spaniards called them, in the language of Santo Domingo,
the Caciques of the city,—stood alone in its
garden of flowers, with vines trailing, and palm-trees
bending over its roof, commonly in darkness, though
sometimes the myrtle-taper of a fair Totonac, (for
such was the name of this provincial people of the
coast,) or the oily cresset of a Spanish captain, who
had made his quarters wherever was a house to his
fancy, might be seen gleaming from behind the curtains

of cotton stuff, which were hung at the doors
and windows. These sights had been seen by Amador,
while yet engaged in conversation with Abdalla;
but when the Morisco dropped sorrowfully away, he
found himself on the great square of the city, immediately
fronting the sanctuaries, and gazing upon a
scene of peculiarly wild and novel character. The
centre of the square was occupied by a broad, and
indeed a vast platform of earth, raised to a height of
eight or ten feet, ascended from all sides by half
as many steps,—having the appearance of a low
truncated pyramid, serving as a base to the three
towers which crowned it. Upon its summit or terrace,
immediately in advance of the towers, was
kindled a great fire, the blaze of which, besides illuminating
the temple itself and all the buildings which
surrounded the square, fell upon sundry groups of
Indian tumblers, engaged in feats of activity, as well
as upon a host of cavaliers who surveyed them close
at hand, and many throngs of common soldiers and
natives who looked on at a distance from the square.

Here the detachment was halted; the burthens of
the Tlamémé were deposited on the earth; the horses
were freed from their packs; and Amador, at the
suggestion of Salvatierra, dismounted, and leaving
Fogoso to the care of his attendants, and these again
to the disposition of the captain, ascended the pyramid,
followed by the secretary. He was somewhat
surprised, when this worthy commander, whom he
looked for to conduct him to the general, resuming
much of the stately dignity he had found it inconvenient
to support on the march, made him a low bow,
and informed him with much gravity he would find
the commander-in-chief either on the terrace among
his officers, or at his head-quarters in the middle
tower. The feeling of indignation which for a moment
beset him, would have been expressed, had not
Salvatierra with another bow retired, and had he
not perceived, at the same moment, the young Fabueno
draw from his girdle the letter which was

doubtless to secure him the good-will of Narvaez.
Checking therefore his anger, he straightway ascended
the platform. Arrived at its summit, he now
beheld the scene which he had imperfectly witnessed
from below. The great fire, crackling and roaring,
added the ruddy glare of a volcano to the pallid illumination
of the moon; and in the combined light, the
operations of the gymnasts and dancers, the athletes
and jugglers, were as visible as if performed in the
glitter of noon-day. For a moment Amador thought,
as had been thought by all other Spaniards, when
looking for the first time on the sports of these barbarous
races, that he had got among a group of devils,
or at least of devilish magicians; and he crossed
himself with an instinctive horror, when he beheld,
so to speak, three piles of men, each composed of
three individuals, half-naked, standing one upon the
head or shoulders of another, whirling about in a
circle, and each, as he whirled, dancing on the head
or shoulders of his supporter and tossing abroad his
penacho, or long plume of feathers, as if diverting
himself on the solid earth. This spectacle entirely
distracted his attention from others scarcely less
worthy of observation,—as was indeed that, where
two men see-sawed on a pole, in the air, and, as
might be said, without support, except that which
was occasionally rendered by the feet of a sinewy
pagan, who lay on his back, and ever and anon, as
the flying phantoms descended, spurned them again
into the air. Such also was that magical dance of
the cords, brought from the unknown tribes of the
South, wherein a score of men, each holding to a
rope of some brilliant colour, and each decorated
with the feathers of the parrot and the flamingo,
whirled in fleet gyrations round a garlanded post,
till their cords were twisted together in a net of incomprehensible
complexity, but which, before the
observer had leisure to digest his amazement, were
again unravelled in the rapid and mysterious evolutions
of the dance. A thousand other such exhibitions,
similar in novelty but different in character,
were displayed at the same moment; but the eyes
of the neophyte were lost to all but that which had
first astounded him; and it was not till the voice of
the secretary roused him from his bewitchment, that
he collected his senses, and observed an officer of
the household of the general standing before him,
and doing him such reverence as was evidently the
right of his dignity. It was then that Don Amador
looked from the dancers to the cavaliers whom they
were diverting. The fire flashed over the walls of
the square and lofty towers up to the shelving thatch
of palm-leaves, under which they were grouped,
making, with the glitter of their half-armed persons,
a suitable addition to the romance of the scene. In
the centre of that group which lounged before the
middle and loftiest tower, in a chair, or indeed, as it
might be called, a throne, of such barbaric beauty
as was known only to the magnificos of this singular
people, sat a cavalier, tall and somewhat majestic
of stature, with a ruddy beard, and yellow locks
falling over an agreeable countenance; in whom, not
so much from the character of his deportment and
the quality of his decorations, as from the evident
homage rendered him by the officers around, Don
Amador did not doubt he beheld the Biscayan general.
At the very moment when his eyes fell upon
this smiling dignitary, he was himself perceived by
the general; and Narvaez started up with a sort of
confusion, as if ashamed to be discovered in such
trivial enjoyment by so gallant a cavalier. In fact,
the glittering casque of steel had supplanted the velvet
cap on the head of the novice; and as he approached
in full armour, clad also in the dignity with
which he was wont to approach his fellows in rank,
Don Amador presented a figure, to say the least,
equally noble with that of the commander,—and,
what was no slight advantage in those days, with the
additional manifestation of high blood, such as was
certainly less questionable in him than in Narvaez.
It seemed for a moment, as if the general would have
retreated into the temple, doubtless with the view of
assuming a more stately character for the interview;
but perceiving that Don Amador had already recognised
him, and was advancing, he changed his purpose,
and making a step forward to do honour to his
visiter, he stood still to receive him. The eyes of
all those gallant adventurers were turned from the
dancers to the new-comer; but Don Amador, not
much moved by such a circumstance, as indifferent
to their curiosity as their admiration, approached
with a stately gravity, and, making a courteous reverence
to the general, said,—

“I have no doubt it is my felicity at this present
moment to offer my devoirs to the noble and very
respected señor, the general Don Panfilo de Narvaez;
on the presumption of which, I, Amador de Leste, of
Cuenza, a novice of the holy hospital of St. John of
Jerusalem, do not hesitate to claim the hospitalities,
which, as an hidalgo of Spain, and kinsman of the
noble señor, the admiral Cavallero, your excellency's
confederate, I hold myself entitled to expect.”

“The very noble and valiant señor Don Amador
de Leste shall not claim those hospitalities in vain,”
said the general, with a voice whose natural and voluminous
harshness did not conceal an attempt at
amenity; “and I hope he will not anticipate in them
too little of the roughness of a soldier, by reason that
he has seen us unbending a little from the toils of
war to the foolish diversions of these ingenious
barbarians.”

“I will not take upon me to judge either of the
tactics or the recreations of your excellency,” said
Amador, very coolly. “I will only demand of your
favour to accept, at this present moment, such protestations
of respect as become me in my function of
suitor; and, in especial, to accredit my companion, the
secretary Fabueno, the messenger of the admiral, who
is charged with certain letters to your excellency, of
which, I believe, I am myself, in part, the subject.”

“I receive them with respect, and I welcome the
very distinguished Don Amador with much joy,” said
Narvaez; “in token of which I must beg him to allow
himself to be considered, at least so long as he honours
my command with his presence, as my own peculiar
guest: and that I may the sooner know in what it
may be my happiness to do him service, I must entreat
him to enter with me into my poor quarters.”

With such superb expressions of etiquette, the
common compliments of an over-chivalrous age and
people, Don Amador was ushered into the interior
of the temple. A curtain of a certain strong and
checkered matting, that served the purpose of a door,
was pushed aside, and, entering with the general and
two or three of his most favoured officers, he found
himself in the heathen sanctuary. A table covered
with brilliant drapery of cotton—a product of the
country—and strewed over with pieces of armour,
as well as with divers vessels wherein glowed some
of the rich wines ripened by the breath of the Solano,
contained also a great silver cresset filled with oil
tempered with liquidambar, which, besides pervading
the whole atmosphere with a delicious odour,
shed abroad such a light as enabled Don Amador to
survey the apartment. It was of good height, and
spacious: the walls were hung with arras of a sombre-hued
cotton, and the floor covered with thick
matting. In one corner was a ladder, leading to the
upper chambers. Two sides of it were occupied by
a low platform, on which lay several mattresses
stuffed with the down of the ceiba; over one of which,
on a small altar of wood, illuminated by tapers of the
myrtle wax, was a little image of the Virgin. In this
chamber, the chief adoratory of the temple, where
now flashed the weapons of the iconoclasts, stood
once the altar of an idol, whose fiendish lips had been
often died with the blood of human sacrifices. There
were rude chairs about the table; and Amador, at
the invitation of the general, did not hesitate to seat
himself, and cast an eye of observation on his companions,

while Narvaez, with the assistance of the
secretary, proceeded to decipher the advices of the
admiral.

The individuals with whom Amador found himself
in contact, were of a genteel and manly presence:
and though evidently burning with desire to make
the acquaintance of the novice of Rhodes, and certainly
also with curiosity to know what strange event
had cast him among themselves, had yet sufficient
breeding to conceal their anxieties,—excepting one,
who, although of riper years than the rest, and even
of more gravity of deportment, was nevertheless
twice or thrice guilty of a very inquisitive stare.
This Don Amador did himself at last perceive, and
felt greatly moved to discover the cause of so remarkable
a scrutiny. Nevertheless, before he had resolved
in what manner to commence the investigation, and
before the general had well looked into the advices
of the admiral, they were both interrupted in their
purpose by the abrupt intrusion of an officer, who,
approaching Narvaez, said something to him in a low
voice, of which all that Amador could distinguish
were the words, twice or thrice repeated, of nigromante
and astrologo. The officer received a direction
equally obscure with his information; and Amador
observed that as Narvaez gave it, his face flushed
over with some sudden excitement. The speculations
of the neophyte were soon terminated. Before the
curtain had yet closed upon the retreating officer,
the cavalier whose curious looks had attracted his
own attention, rose and addressed the general.

“Señor general and governor,” he cried, “I doubt
whether this knavish impostor be worthy your attention.
He is accounted both a liar and traitor, and
he can tell us nothing that will not be spoken to deceive
us.”

“The señor Don Andres de Duero cannot be better
persuaded of the man's character than myself,” said
the general; “and he will not assure me that a good
general can refuse to listen to any intelligence of his

enemy, though it be brought by a traitor.—The noble
Don Amador de Leste will pardon me, if I make so
free with him, as in his presence to introduce and
examine a prisoner, or deserter, I know not which,
on matters which it concerns me as a commander to
know. And moreover,” continued the Biscayan, with
a laugh, “I know not what better diversion I can
give my guest, than to make him acquainted with a
man who pretends to read the mysteries of the stars
by night, and to have a devil who gives him knowledge
of men's destinies by daylight.”

Before Amador could reply to this appeal, the se
ñor Duero spoke again.

“Surely he can bring us no information of Cortes
which we have not received at better hands; and as
for his magical art, I think your excellency holds that
in too much doubt and contempt to set much store by
its crazy revelations.”

“What may be my doubt, and what my contempt
for his art,” said the general, “is more than I have
yet resolved: only there is one thing of which I am
quite certain, and that is, that, with the blessing of
Our Holy and Immaculate Lady, I defy the devil and
all his imps, whether they come at the bidding of a
heathenish magician or a Christian enchanter; and,
moreover, that if there be any knowledge to be gained
of the devil, without jeopardy of soul, one is a
fool not to receive it. Señor,” continued Narvaez, addressing
himself again to Amador, “I may as well
tell you, that the magician Botello, whom you will
presently behold, is a favourite soldier and chief enchanter
to that infidel rebel, Cortes, (whom God confound,
with all his mutinous friends and upholders,
high and low, strong and feeble, Amen!)—I say, señor,
his chief magician,” continued the general, speaking
so rapidly and impetuously, as utterly to prevent Don
Amador from making the amendment he meditated
to the curse, and insisting that Narvaez should revoke
it, as far at least as it concerned his kinsman,
the knight,—“his chief magician, by whose aid, it is

supposed, the runagate desperado has been enabled
to imprison the Indian emperor. And, knave or not,
Don Amador, it cannot be denied, that when struck
down, after surrendering himself, this morning, by
the currish soldier, Caboban, he cursed the smiter
with `a short life and a long death;' which curse was
fulfilled upon him on the instant; for striking Botello
with his spear again, his horse plunged, threw him
violently, and, falling, he was instantly spitted on the
spear of a footman. He has been dying ever since;
and sometime, doubtless, his agony will be over; but
he is as good as a dead man now.”

“I am by no means certain,” said Don Amador,
“that there was any connexion between the curse of
the magician and the calamity of the soldier; though,
as it appears to me, heaven could not visit with judgment
any one more righteously than the dastard who
strikes an enemy after he has rendered himself a captive.
Nevertheless, and though I am somewhat impatient
your excellency should determine upon my
own affairs, I have such respect for the superior
claims of your duties, that I will willingly defer my
anxiety until your excellency has examined the prisoner.”

There were several very meaning glances exchanged
among the cavaliers at this speech, which
seemed to imply a feeling of neglect and resentment
on the part of the speaker; but Narvaez did not notice
it, or if he did, the impression was immediately
driven from his mind by the entrance of the enchanter,
conducted by several soldiers and officers, among
whom was the captain Salvatierra.