PADRE IGNATIUS.
With cross in hand, the pious father goes
From camp to camp on Heaven's errand bent;
Soothing the wretched, overborne with woes,
And to the weary bringing sweet content.
Oh, gentle soul, too kind for this rude earth,
What virtues doth thy being comprehend;
Thou shouldst have lived in times of peaceful mirth,
When war was not, and man ne'er lacked a friend.
Of what avail those peaceful words of thine,
When for the battle armies are arrayed;
What use thy mission of good will divine,
When to the foe war's standard is displayed.
The drums are beaten, trumpets shrill resound,
Two gifts alone thou canst bestow on all;
Salute with smiles all those with honour crowned,
And for the dead a single tear let fall.
Tim was ubiquitous. He seemed neither to eat nor sleep, but, note-book
in hand, followed the President about everywhere, with the idea of
gathering material for his letters to _The Morning Planet_. From the
Plaza de San Jago he had gone down to the sea gate of Tlatonac, where
the meeting with Padre Ignatius took place, and from thence returned to
the Palacio Nacional, at the heels of Gomez. In view of the message
from Xuarez, the Junta had been hastily convened, and now the great
hall of the palace was crowded with deputies waiting to hear the words
of the Padre.
Owing to the influence of Don Miguel, which was supreme in Tlatonac,
Jack and Philip were admitted to the meeting, and they, in company with
Tim, who was present by virtue of his office, watched the scene with
great interest. It is not every day that one has the chance of seeing
the naked machinery of the Government. In this vast chamber was the
motive force which kept the machine going. Now, the Governmental
machine was out of order, and Padre Ignatius, as a moral engineer, was
trying to put it right again. He advocated delicate handling of the
suasive kind. Gomez, rough work, in the manner of blows, and brute
strength. As to Xuarez--well, he was the wheel which had put the engine
out of gear; and, until that wheel was forced back into its proper
position, or taken out of the Cholacacan machine altogether, there was
but little chance of the reversion to the old smooth running. This is a
parable to illustrate the importance of that hastily convened meeting.
Tim was the only one of the four friends who understood the matter
thoroughly.
Don Francisco Gomez took his place in the Presidential chair, which
stood beneath a gorgeous yellow satin canopy of anything but Republican
simplicity. The opal arms of Cholacaca were above this drapery, the
seat of power below; and therein sat President Gomez, with a fierce
light in his eyes, and an ominous tightening of his lips. He was in a
critical position, and he knew it. The ship of the Republic was among
the breakers, and he, as helmsman, had to steer her into open sea
again. With a disorderly crew, this was no easy task.
The members of the Junta took their seats in silence. They were like a
class of schoolboys before their master, and, as Gomez cast his eyes
over their ranks, he could pick out here and there the men whom he knew
would be troublesome. To understand his difficulty, it is necessary to
explain the exact position of politics in Cholacaca. Tim was doing this
in a low, rapid voice to Philip, pending the appearance of Padre
Ignatius. Jack listened to the explanation with interest, and every now
and then threw in a word of enlightenment.
"As in England," said Tim, speaking in Philip's ear, "there are two
political parties, broadly speaking. The Liberals and Conservatives.
These, again, are sub-divided into smaller parties. On the Conservative
side, there is the party now in power, the aristocratic party, who
believe in electing one of their own order as President, and think the
common people should have nothing to do with politics."
"That is the party of Don Miguel and the President?"
"Yes; their political programme is to govern on oligarchical
principles. Cholacaca and its loaves and fishes, for the aristocrats
only. That is one party. The other is the clericales, who would govern
through the Church, and place the supreme power of the Republic in the
hands of priests. Since the expulsion of the Jesuits, however, this
party is defunct, and a good thing, too. I'm a true son of the Church,"
added Tim, relapsing into his brogue; "but I don't believe in the
priests meddling with politics."
"Then there is a third party," said, Jack, taking up the explanation;
"what we may term the Liberal-Conservative party, if such a thing be
possible. They believe in aristocratic government, with the consent of
the people. That is, the people can elect as President one of the
aristocrats, but not one of themselves."
"And what about the Liberals?" asked Philip, deeply interested.
"Oh, one party of the Liberals want democracy--pure unadulterated
Republicanism. A second party desire military rule, which would be
nothing more or less than despotism, supported by a standing army under
the thumbs of a few martinets in power. Then there is a Free Lance
party, where each individual desires the loaves and fishes for
himself."
"Then the party of Don Xuarez?"
"Is not here," said Tim, waving his hand towards some empty seats;
"they have all gone to Acauhtzin, and are now regarded as rebels by the
Government. They desire a kind of civil despotism as opposed to the
military party--a dictator with supreme power, who can act as he damn
well please."
"Seven political parties!" observed Cassim, derisively. "If too many
cooks spoil the broth, too many political parties will certainly spoil
Cholacaca. But they all seem to be afraid of one another. Don Xuarez
has at least the courage of his opinions."
"That is because his party is now strong enough to show fight. The
others are all split up into small bodies, who quarrel among themselves
and disagree with the President."
"I presume they will all oppose Don Hypolito."
"Naturally. They are dogs in the manger; they can't get the supreme
power of Cholacaca themselves, and won't let Xuarez have it. I wonder
what proposition the Padre brings from Acauhtzin."
"Hush! here he is."
Padre Ignatius, in his rusty black cassock, advanced, holding his
shovel-hat clasped to his breast. Pausing in front of the President,
where he could command the attention of all, he cast up his eyes to
heaven, as if seeking for strength to sustain him in his difficult task
of reconciling the factions which threatened to involve Cholacaca in
civil war. With his pale, refined face, his silver locks, and tall,
slender figure, he looked a remarkably striking personage, and put
Philip in mind of a picture he had once seen of Las Casas, the great
Indian missionary.
When he paused and thus sought inspiration in silent prayer, Gomez
struck a silver bell on the desk before him. Instantly there was a dead
silence, the murmur of voices was stilled, and every eye was turned
towards the gentle priest.
"My children," said Padre Ignatius, in a weak voice, which gathered
strength as he proceeded, "some weeks ago I went to Acauhtzin on the
business of our Holy Church. There I found Don Hypolito Xuarez, who was
not then in arms against the Junta. I knew, however, that he was a
restless spirit, and, observing signs of dissatisfaction in the town,
dreaded lest he should fan these embers of discontent into the flame of
civil war. To Don Hypolito did I speak, but he disclaimed any intention
of doing aught to break the peace of the Republic. In this, my
children, he spoke falsely."
A sullen murmur ran through the chamber.
"Noting these signs of discontent, I did not return to Tlatonac, but
waited to see if aught should occur. Nothing took place till the
arrival of the fleet to arrest Xuarez. Ah, my children, that was a
fatal mistake. It roused him from discontented quietness into a state
of open rebellion. He convened a meeting in the market-place of
Acauhtzin, he told the populace he was to be arrested as a traitor, and
called on them to stand by him in his peril. What promises he made use
of I can hardly tell you, they were many and false; but those of the
town believed him, and swore to assist his cause. The officers and
crews of the fleet had already been tampered with by Xuarez before he
left Tlatonac, and to a man they all went over on his side on hearing
that Acauhtzin had done so."
"Not all! Not all, my father," cried Don Rafael, springing up from
where he sat by Maraquando; "there are many who still remain faithful
to the Junta--I among the number. We were cast into prison, and, by a
miracle, I escaped, to bring the news to Tlatonac. I am free; but my
friends--my faithful friends--are in the prison of Acauhtzin."
Padre Ignatius looked sadly at the young man.
"They were faithful when you escaped," he said, gently. "They were in
prison my son; but now they are free, and have joined the rebels!"
"Carrajo!" swore Don Rafael, stamping with rage. "The traitors! the
dogs! Canalla! I spit on them."
"I call the Señor to order!" cried Gomez, for the sake of formality,
though his sympathies were with those of the young man.
"I ask the pardon of His Excellency, and that of this Honourable
Assembly," replied Rafael, sitting down; "but my friends to be
traitors! Por Dios! if I meet with them, I will show no mercy."
"Reverend Father," said the President, when the young man had resumed
his seat, "all that you have said is the way in which Xuarez has
revolted. Tell us of his message!"
"I went to Don Hypolito, when I heard these things," said the Padre,
slowly. "I went to him, Señores, and prayed him not to plunge the
country into civil war. At first he refused to listen to me, saying he
was strong enough to crush the Republic to the dust!"
"Carambo! Carrajo! Canalla!" cried a hundred voices, and many of the
members sprang to their feet to speak. A Babel of voices ensued; but at
length, by repeated ringing of his bell, the President secured silence
for a few minutes, and Padre Ignatius went on with his speech.
"Don Hypolito said he had the aid of Acauhtzin; of the Regimiento de
Huitzilopochtli, of the fleet, and, if needs be, could secure the help
of the forest Indians!"
"The opal! The Chalchuih Tlatonac!"
"Yes!" cried the priest, emphatically; "by making use of that unholy
stone! Xuarez is no true son of the Church, my children. He is a
heretic, an idolater! He told me plainly that he worshipped and
believed in the opal of Huitzilopochtli, and would make use of the
superstition it engendered among the Indians, to further his own ends."
Another roar of wrath arose from the assemblage which the President was
quite unable to quiet. Padre Ignatius lifted his thin hand in token of
entreaty, and the tumult ceased.
"I need not say what he said to me, what I said to him; but I forced
him to make an offer to the Junta, which, if accepted, will suspend all
hostility. I implore you, Señores, to accept this offer, and avert this
fratricidal war!"
"The offer! the message!"
"As you know, Señores, the Presidency is held for four years, and that
he who has been our ruler cannot be re-elected! His Excellency, Don
Francisco Gomez, has now held this honourable office for three years
and a half. In six months it becomes vacant, and Don Hypolito Xuarez
offers, if you make him President of Cholacaca, to return to his
allegiance."
"Never!" cried Maraquando, springing to his feet, amid a deafening
cheering. "What! elect Xuarez for our President--place the supreme
power in his hands? Give to ourselves a Dictator who will rob us of our
liberties! Never! Never! Never!"
"No, Francia! No Iturbide! No, Santa Anna!" yelled the excited members.
Gomez called the assemblage to order.
"Are these the only terms on which Xuarez will return to his
allegiance?" he asked the priest.
"The only terms. If they are accepted, fire one gun, and _The Pizarro_
will steam to Acauhtzin to tell Xuarez that the war will not take
place. Two guns, and then, oh, my children, the vessel will go
northward to bring desolation upon us. There will be war--red war;
brother will be arrayed against brother; our towns will be laid in
ashes; our peaceful community will struggle in deadly strife. I urge
you, implore you, to accept this offer and avert disaster!"
"There will be war!" sang out some man in the crowd. "The opal is red!"
"The opal is red! the opal is red!"
"Are you Catholics?" cried Padre Ignatius, his voice ringing forth like
a trumpet. "Are you sons of the Church or children of the devil? That
stone is the work of Satan! Obey it, and you will bring ruin on
yourselves, on your families, on your country. In the name of this
sacred symbol," he thundered, holding up the cross, "I command you to
put this evil from your hearts. The devil stone speaks war the holy
cross commands peace. Obey it at the peril of your souls--of your
salvation. I say Peace! Peace! Peace! In the name of the Church--Peace!
At your peril--War!"
The whole man was transfigured as he stood intrepidly facing the
furious assemblage with the uplifted cross. There was no fear in his
eyes, there was no trembling of the hand which upheld the symbol of
Christianity. He was no longer Padre Ignatius, the gentle priest whom
they knew. It was a priest, the representative of the awful power of
Rome, with the thunders of the Vatican at his back, with salvation in
this world, and in the next at his will, holding their souls in the
hollow of his hand.
"Richelieu," murmured Philip, softly.
For a moment the assemblage was awed. Many were atheists who believed
in nothing; some idolaters, who trusted in the devil stone, all were
superstitious, and they quailed before that frail old man who faced
them so dauntlessly. Suddenly, as it were, the influence passed away,
the devil-stone conquered the cross.
"War! War!" yelled the deputies, springing to their feet. "No priests!
no Jesuits! To the vote! to the vote!"
Gomez arose to his feet.
"Señores," he cried, loudly, "I respect the Padre for his effort to
avert the war. His mission is to bring peace, and he has striven to do
so. But it cannot be. The Cholacacan Republic cannot yield to the
insolent demands of Xuarez. We choose our rulers freely, without
coercion. In six months I surrender my office and will you permit Don
Hypolito Xuarez, traitor and scoundrel, to profane this chair? No,
Señores; a thousand times no! We know the nature of this man who
aspires to play the part of a tyrant. Place him in this seat of power,
and he will break every law of our glorious constitution. Will that
liberty which was won by the blood of our fathers, by the heroism of
Zuloaga, be trodden under foot at the bidding of this man? He comes,
not to implore you to elect him supreme magistrate of the Republic. He
comes with an army at his back, and commands you--I say commands
you--to make him Dictator!"
"War! War! Down with Xuarez!"
"Who is this traitor, to dare our power? He has the fleet, it is
true--traitors that they are!--but we have the army. We have money. We
can buy a new fleet. Our soldiers shall break up his power. Let us hurl
back in his face this insolent defiance, and sweep away Xuarez and his
partisans in torrents of blood!"
"War! War! The opal burns red."
"Yes, the opal burns red. And our hearts burn with indignation at the
insolence of this man. I swear," cried the President, drawing his
sword. "I swear, by my sword, by the Chalchuih Tlatonac, that I shall
not sheath this weapon till it has exterminated these traitors, and
purified the Republic. Hear me, God!"
"Hear us, God!" And a myriad swords flashed in the air.
"Will I put the offer of the traitor Xuarez to the vote?"
"No, no! War! war!"
Ignatius tried to speak, but he saw that the Junta was unanimous in
proclaiming war. His cross fell from his nerveless hands; his head sunk
on his breast.
"Holy Mary, have mercy on these misguided men."
He passed out of the hall in dejected silence, and after him swept a
whirlwind of men, headed by the President. Outside the Palacio
Nacional, a crowd of people were waiting to hear the decision of the
Junta. Standing on the marble steps of the palace, Don Francisco caused
the standard of the Republic to be unfurled, and waved his bare sword
in the air.
"In the name of the Junta! In the name of the free people of the great
Republic of Cholacaca, I proclaim war against the traitor Xuarez!"
"War! war! war!" yelled the mob, frantically. "The opal burns red! War!
war!"
Then, with one accord, the rabble dashed down to the sea-gate of the
city.
"What are they going there for, Tim?" asked Philip, as they were borne
along by the living torrent.
"To hear the cannon answer Xuarez, if I mistake not. Holy Virgin! what
devils these are when their blood is up!"
From the Plaza de los Hombres Ilustres the crowd rolled down the steep
of the Calle Otumba, passed into the Calle Mayor, and in a few minutes
the city was vomiting hundreds of infuriated men out of her gates on to
the beach and wharf.
Far away on the azure sea lay the vast bulk of _The Pizarro_, with
the flag of the Republic floating at her main-mast, in conjunction with
the white pennant of peace. The crowd held their breath, and throughout
the vast assemblage there was not a sound. The waves lapping on the
beach could alone be heard, and each man in that mighty congregation
held his breath.
"One gun for 'yes!' Two guns for 'no!'" muttered Jack, in Tim's ear.
At that instant a puff of smoke broke from an embrasure of the rear
fort, and a gun thundered out its defiance to Xuarez. In another
minute, before the echo of the first died away, a second gun from the
other fort roared out in the still air, and there was an answering roar
from the crowd below.
The flag of peace! the flag of the opal were suddenly lowered from the
mast of _The Pizarro_, and up went a fierce red banner, foretelling war
and disaster. The mob yelled with rage, the guns of _The Pizarro_ sent
forth an insolent defiance, and in a few minutes, with the smoke
pouring black and thick from her funnels, the great vessel stood out to
sea.
The War of Cholacaca had commenced.