University of Virginia Library

5. CHAPTER V.

When Don Amador returned to the chamber, he
was rejoiced to find his kinsman asleep, and not offended
that the faithful Marco and Baltasar were
both nodding, as they sat at his side. He threw himself
softly on a cot of mats, covered with robes of
fine cotton, over which was a little canopy,—such
being the beds of the better orders of Mexico. The
crowded state of the palace (for it is recorded, that
the number of Totonac and Tlascalan allies, who remained

in the garrison with Alvarado, now swelled
the army of Cortes to nearly nine thousand men,)
left him no other choice; and he felt, that his presence
was perhaps necessary, in the unhappy condition
of his knight. He was mindful to obey the counsels
of Don Hernan, and lie with his weapons ready
to be grasped at the first alarm; and he remembered
also the hint that had been given him, not to be surprised
at such tumults, when he heard a sound, continued
throughout the greater part of the night, as of
heavy instruments knocking against the court-yard
wall, convincing him as well of the military vigilance
and preparations, as of the fears of his general. In
addition to this disturbance, he was often startled by
moans and wild expressions, coming from the lips of
the sleeping knight, showing him that even slumber
brought no repose to his distempered spirit. But,
above all, (and this made manifest the hold that the
Moorish boy had got upon his affections,) he was
troubled with thoughts of Jacinto; and often, as the
angel of sleep began to flutter over his eyelids, she
was driven away, by some sudden and painfully intense
conception of the great peril which must surround
the friendless lad, now that the events of the
evening proved him to be in the midst, and doubtless
in the power, of an enraged multitude, to whom every
stranger was an enemy. Often, too, as he was sinking
into slumber, the first voice of dreams would cry
to him in the tones of Jacinto, or the silent enchanter
would bring before his eyes the spectacle of the boy,
confined in the cage of victims, or dragged away, by
the hands of ferocious priests, to the place of sacrifice.
These distractions kept him tossing about in
great restlessness, for a long time; and it was not
until the sounds of the workmen in the yard were no
longer heard, and until a deep silence pervaded the
palace, that he was able to drown his torments in
sleep.

He was roused from slumber by a painful dream,
and fancying it must be now approaching the time

of dawn, he stole softly to the bed-side of Calavar,
without disturbing the attendants. A taper of myrtle-wax,
burning on a little pedestal hard by, disclosed to
him the countenance of the knight, contracted with
pain, and flushed as if with fever, but still chained in
repose. He stepped noiselessly away, and gathering
his sword and a few pieces of armour in his hands,
left the apartment.

From the door of the palace, he could see, dimly,
—for it was not yet morning,—that vast numbers of
Tlascalans were lying asleep in the court-yard among
the horses, while many sentinels were stalking about
in silent watchfulness. He was now able, likewise,
to understand the cause of the heavy knocking,
which had annoyed him. The gates were closed;
but in three rude embrasures, which had been broken
in the wall by the workmen, frowned as many pieces
of ordnance, commanding the street by which he had
approached the palace.

Entering this again, and attracted by the distant
murmur of voices, he discovered a staircase at the
end of a passage, ascending which, he immediately
found himself on the terraced roof of the building.
And now he could perceive the exposed condition
of the royal citadel, as well as the preparations made
to sustain it, in the event of a siege.

The palace, itself, extended over a great piece of
ground, in the form of a square, the walled sides of
which were continuous, but the centre divided by
rows of structures that crossed each other, into many
little courts. The buildings were all low, consisting,
indeed, of but one floor, except that, in the centre,
were several chambers on the roofs of others, that
might be called turrets or observatories. The terraces
were so covered with flowers and shrubs, that
they seemed a garden. This mass of houses was surrounded
on all sides by a spacious court, confined by
a wall six or eight feet high, running entirely round
the whole. The palace, with its outer court, did not
yet occupy all of the great square upon which it stood.

It was a short bow-shot from the battlements to the
houses, which lined the four sides of the square. Opposite
to each side or front of the fabric, was a great
street, along which the eye, in full day-light, could
traverse, till arrested by the surrounding lake. Directly
opposite, likewise, to each of these streets, as
Don Amador soon discovered, the careful general
had caused to be broken as many embrasures as he
had seen on the quarter of the principal entrance;
and, now, there were no less than twelve pieces of
artillery (with those who served them sleeping in
cloaks hard by,) looking with formidable preparation
down the yawning and silent approaches.

The neophyte had not yet given a moment to these
observations, when he perceived on the top of one
of the turrets, a group of cavaliers, who, being relieved
against the only streak of dawn that tinged
the eastern skies, were plainly seen, gesticulating with
great earnestness, as if engaged in important debate.
He approached this turret, and mounting the ladder
that ascended it, was assisted to the roof by the hand
of Cortes.

“I give you good cheer, and much praise for your
early rising, Don Amador,” cried the general, with
an easy courtesy and pleasant voice, which did not,
however, conceal from the novice, that he was really
affected by anxiety and even alarm; “for this, besides
convincing me, that no one is more ready than
thyself for a valiant bout with an enemy, will give
thee an opportunity to note in what way these pagan
Mexicans advance to assault; a matter of which I
am myself ignorant, though assured by my friend
Alvarado, that nothing can be more warlike to look
upon.”

“I vow to God, and to Saint Peter, who cut off a
knave's ear,” said Don Pedro, “that there are no
such besotted, mad, dare-devils in all the world beside,
as you shall quickly see; and I swear to you,
in addition, my friends, I did sometimes think, of a
morning, the very devils that dwell in the pit, were

let loose upon me. But fear not: with my poor five-score,
and the seven thousand Indians, who should
not be counted against more than one hundred Christians,
I felt no prick of dismay, except when I thought
of starvation; and with the force that now aids us,
'twill be but a boy's pastime, to kill ten thousand of
the bold lunatics, each day, before breakfast.”

To this valiant speech, which was characteristic
of Alvarado,—as notorious for boasting as for bravery,—Don
Amador replied, complacently,—

“To my mind, nothing could be stronger than this
citadel against such enemies as we may have, especially
since the placing of those cannon opposite to
the great streets,—a precaution which should be
commended. Nevertheless, noble cavaliers, it does
not appear to me, that we are in any immediate peril
of assault: the infidels are not yet arisen.”

“Cast thine eye down yonder street!” said Cortes
with a low voice, “keep it fixed intently, for two or
three moments, on the shadows, and tell me what
thou seest among them. And, while thou art so
doing, do not shame to hold thy buckler a little over
thy face; for, now and then, methinks, I have seen
on yonder house-tops something unlike to rose-buds,
glancing among the bushes.”

“By my faith,” said Don Amador, hastily, “it
does seem to me, that there are men stirring afar in
the street,—nay, a great body of them, and doubtless
clad in white,—ay, I perceive them now! But I
thought 'twas a dim mist, creeping up from the lake.”

“If thou wilt look to the other three streets,” said
Cortes, knitting his brows, and scowling around him,
“thou wilt see other such vapours gathering about
us. Thus do they surround stags, in the sierras of
Salamanca! but, sometimes, the hunters have found
more wolves than deer among their quarry; and, by
my conscience, so will the dogs of Mexico find their
prey, this day, when they come a-hunting against
Castilians!—Hah! did I not warn thee well?” cried
the general, as an arrow, shot from a distant terrace,

and by some unseen hand, struck against the guarding
shield with such violence as to shiver its stone
head into a thousand fragments. “'Ware such Cupids;
for, when they miss the heart, they are content
to rankle among the ribs. What say ye now, my
masters? The knaves are coming nearer! Such big
rain-drops do not long fall one by one, but show how
soon the flood will follow. Cover yourselves! for by
my conscience, that was another, though it fell short.
I see the house it comes from; and I will reward the
messenger shortly with such a cannon-shot as shall
leave him houseless.—How now, mi trompetero! art
thou nodding? Wake me thy bugle, and let the sleepers
look on the white clouds!”

A trumpeter, who stood ready at the base of the
turret, instantly wound a loud blast on his instrument.
It was answered immediately by others from every
part of the court and the building; and, as if by
magic, the dead silence of the palace was straightway
exchanged for the loud din and confusion of
thousands rising and springing to their arms. During
this tumult, Cortes descended from the turret.

Don Amador, fascinated by the spectacle, (for
now, the light of dawn, increasing every moment,
fully convinced the most sceptical, that countless
barbarians were thronging in the streets, and advancing
against the palace,) remained for a time on
the terrace in company with others, surveying their
approach, and kindling into ardour. The four streets
were blocked up with their dusky bodies, for they
seemed nearly naked; and answering the drums and
bugles of the Spaniards with the hollow sound of their
huge tabours, and the roaring yells of great conches,
and adding to these the uproar of their voices, and,
what greatly amazed the neophyte, the shrill and
piercing din of loud whistling, they pressed onwards,
not fast indeed, but fearlessly, until they began to
pour like a flood upon the open square. Nevertheless,
and notwithstanding their very menacing appearance,
not a bow was yet bent, nor a stone or dart

discharged against the Christians; and they were
arraying, or rather grouping themselves, (for they
seemed to preserve no peculiar order,) about the
square, as if rather to support some peaceable demand
with a show of strength, than to make an absolute
attack, when the neophyte beheld Don Hernan,
clad in complete armour, spring upon a cannon, and
thence to the top of the wall, and wave his hand towards
them with an air of imposing dignity. The
vast herds stilled their cries, and immediately Malintzin,
guarded by two soldiers who held shields before
her, was seen to ascend and stand by the side of
her master.

“Ask me these hounds,” cried the general, with a
voice that seemed meant by its loudness to strike the
infidels with awe, “wherefore they leave their beds,
and come, like howling wolves, to disturb me in my
dwelling? What is their desire? and wherefore have
they not come with baskets of corn, rather than with
slings and arrows?”

The clear voice of Doña Marina was instantly
heard addressing the multitude; and was followed by
a shout such as may come from thrice a thousand
score men, wherein, and among other inexplicable
sounds, Don Amador heard the word Tlatoani! Tlatoani!
repeated with accents in which intreaty seemed
mingled with fury. He could not discover the
meaning of these cries from the imperfect Castilian,
and the low voice, with which Malintzin interpreted
them. But he could conjecture their signification, by
the reply of Cortes.

“Tell the traitorous dogs,” he exclaimed, sternly,
“that their princes have avowed themselves the vassals
of my master, the great monarch of Spain; that
their lord and king, Montezuma, is my friend and
contented guest, and will therefore remain in my
dwelling. Tell them also, he charges them to disperse,
throw by their arms, and return laden with
corn and meat. And add, moreover, that, if they
do not immediately obey this command, the thunders

which God has given me to punish them, shall be let
loose upon them, and scatter their corses and their
city into the air. Tell we them this, and plainly;
and, hark'ee, cannoniers! stand fast to your linstocks!”

No sooner was this haughty and threatening answer
made known to the barbarians, than they uttered
a yell so loud and universal that the palace,
and the earth under it, seemed to shake with the din;
and immediately every quarter of the edifice was
covered with arrows, stones, and other missiles, shot
off with extraordinary violence and fury.

Don Amador prepared to descend, but paused an
instant to observe the effect of the artillery, for he
heard the strong tones of the general shouting,
“Now cannoniers! to your duty, and show yourselves
men!”

The very island trembled, when twelve cannon,
discharged nearly at the same moment, opened their
fiery throats, and, aimed full among the multitude,
poured innumerable death into their ranks. The
island trembled, but not so the naked barbarians of
Tenochtitlan. If the screams of a thousand wretches,
mangled by that explosion, rose on the morning air,
they were speedily drowned by the war-cries of survivors;
and before the smoke had cleared away, the
bloody gaps were filled, and the infuriated multitudes
were rushing with savage intrepidity full upon the
mouths of the artillery.

Don Amador hesitated no longer. He ran down
the staircase, paused a moment at the side of Calavar,
whom he found raving in a low delirium, for he
was burned by fever,—paused only long enough to
charge Marco not to leave him, no not even for a
moment,—and snatching up and rapidly donning the
remaining pieces of his armour, immediately found
himself in the court-yard, among the combatants.