The cavalier was roused from his slumbers by a cause at first
incomprehensible. The moonlight had vanished from the prison, and deep
obscurity had succeeded; but in the little light remaining, he saw, as
he started up, the figures of several men, one of whom had been tugging
at his shoulder, and now whispered to him, as he instinctively grasped
at his dagger,
"Peace, cavalier! I am a friend, and I give you liberty."
"I will thank thee for the gift, when I am sure I enjoy it," said the
neophyte, already on his feet; "I remember thy voice--thou art one of
the followers of the knave Narvaez?"
"I am one who laments, without extenuating, the folly of the general,"
said the voice of Duero. "But tarry not to question. Hasten,--thy horse
is ready."
"Where is the youth Fabueno? It is not in my power to desert the
secretary."
"Here, senor!" whispered Lorenzo. "I am ready."
"Ah, friend Fabueno! I am glad to hear thee speak so cheerily;--it
assures me thy wound does not afflict thee.--And my varlets, senor?"
"They wait for thee, Don Amador. Delay not: the door is open. The
magician will guide thee to thy kinsman.--Commend me to Cortes; and if
thou art at any time found fighting on the pyramid of Zempoala,
remember that Duero is not thine enemy."
"By heaven, I should think I dream!" said Amador. "Stay, senor! I would
thank thee for thy honourable and most noble benevolence; and, in
addition, would tax thy charity in favour of a certain Moor----"
"_Tetragrammaton!_ thou pratest as if thou wert among thy friends in
Christendom! and of infidels too, as if there were no Christians to be
thought of!" said a voice, in which Amador instantly recognised the
tones of the enchanter. "I said, the captive should be freed; but never
a jot that he should not be reduced to bonds again by his own folly!--Be
silent, and follow me."
The neophyte had collected his scattered senses, and instantly assuming
the prudence, which, he now understood, was necessary to his safety, he
issued from the prison. The moon was sinking behind the vast and
majestic peaks of the interior. A deep shadow lay over the great square,
on one side of which stood the dungeon; and only on the top of the
principal tower trembled a lingering ray. A silence still deeper than
the darkness, invested the Indian city; and Amador could distinctly hear
the foot-fall of a sentinel as he strode to and fro over the terrace of
the pyramid. He looked to that quarter, whence, as he judged, had come
the shafts which had so nearly robbed him of his fellow-prisoner. The
crossbowmen slept on their post, in the mild and quiet air, at the base
of the temple.
"Give me thy hand, Fabueno," said Amador, drawing his poniard again from
the sheath. "I will shield thee from the dogs this time. And now that I
snuff the breath of freedom! I think it will need a craftier knave's
trick than that of Salvatierra, to deprive me of it a second time."
Following the magician, as he stole cautiously along, the brothers in
misfortune crept on with a stealthy pace, under the shadows of buildings
and trees; till, exchanging the more exposed openness of the square for
the safer gloom of a street, they advanced with greater assurance and
rapidity. The stone dwellings of the Tlatoani gave place to the earthen
and wicker cabins of the suburbs.--The gray glimpses of morning had not
yet visited the east, when they reached the extreme edge of the town,
and betook themselves to the covert of a clump of trees, under which, in
the figures that were there visible, Don Amador recognised with joy his
war-horse and his followers.
"Rejoice in silence," said Botello, interrupting his raptures; "for
there is an ear at no great distance very ready to hear thee. Mount and
be ready.--Senor secretary, thy sorrel is tied to the mimosa.--You can
look to your equipments a little, while I see if heaven will not confirm
the fate of visions; for I dreamed I should ride back to Cortes on a
good roan charger to-day."
The magician disappeared, and Amador, scarcely suppressing his ardour,
when he found that not only his attendants and horses, but even the
well-fleshed sword wrested from him in the evening, was in readiness to
be restored to him, grasped it with exultation, and sprang into the
saddle. Then passing towards Fabueno, and finding that his arm caused
him much pain in the act of mounting, he assisted him to ascend with his
own hand; a condescension that went to the heart of the secretary. From
Fabueno also he learned, in a few words, somewhat of the secret of their
liberation. Less than an hour after Amador had fallen asleep, and while
Lorenzo was still kept awake by the pain of his wound, the door of the
prison was opened, and Botello thrust in; who comforted the secretary
with a mystic, but still an unequivocal assurance of freedom before
sunrise; and commanded him not to wake the novice, but to follow his
example--he would need invigoration from slumber to support the toils of
the coming day. What previous understanding might have existed between
the enchanter and the senor Duero, he knew not; but, certain he was,
Botello had predicted a speedy deliverance for all; and all were now
delivered.
"I have often considered," said the novice, thoughtfully, "that the
existence of magical powers, either for the purposes of prediction or
enchantment, was incompatible with the known goodness and wisdom of God;
for surely if the power to foresee would have added any thing to the
happiness of man, God would not have denied it to men generally. And as
for the powers of enchantment, as they can only be used for good or bad
purposes, it seems to me that to employ them for the first, would be to
accuse the Divinity of an insufficient benevolence; while to exercise
them for the last, would imply a supposition that heaven had not all men
equally under its protection. This, therefore, is my opinion; though I
must confess that, sometimes, when governed more by passion or
imagination than by reason, I have had my misgivings on the subject.
Nevertheless, good Fabueno, in this particular case of Botello, I must
advise thee not too much to abuse thy credulity; for, I think, all
circumstances go to show, he grounded his prophecy of our deliverance
more on a knowledge of the resolutions of the good senor Duero than on
the revelations of stars or spirits. Yet must I confess," continued
Amador, "that this very goodness of Duero, implying, as it truly does, a
state of opposition and rebellion to the will of the uncivil Narvaez,
his general, is so very miraculous, as almost itself to look like
magic."
Before the secretary could reply, the sound of hoofs was heard
approaching; and Botello, as they discovered by his voice, rode up to
the trees.
"The dream was true, the imp that speaks to slumber was not a liar!" he
cried, exultingly. "We leave the jailor afoot; and Kalidon-Sadabath
shall swing on a galloping horse. God is over all, by night and by
day, afoot and on horse, in battle and in flight, Amen!--Now ride,
and Santiago for Spain!"--He shouted this sudden cry with a voice
that amazed Amador, after his often-repeated injunctions for
silence,--"Santiago for Spain! San Pedro for the Invaders! and San Pablo
for flying prisoners! Whip and spur, guide and cheer! and rocks and
thorns spread over the path of pursuers!"
As Don Amador anticipated, the shout of the lunatic, for such he began
to esteem Botello, was carried even to the head-quarters of the
Biscayan. An arquebuse was discharged from the pyramid, and, as the
fugitives began their flight, the flourish of a trumpet in one quarter
of the town, and the roll of a drum in another, convinced them that the
alarm had been given, and was spreading from post to post in a manner
that might prove exceedingly inconvenient. The cavalier pressed to the
side of Botello,--an achievement of some little difficulty, for he
perceived his guide was well mounted.
"Senor Magico," he cried, as he galloped in company with him, "dost thou
know thou couldst not have fallen upon a better plan to oppose our
flight, and perhaps reduce us again to bonds, than by the indulgence of
this same untimely and obstreperous shouting?"
"Trust in God, and fear not," replied the magician. "This day shalt thou
look upon the face of Cortes; and though the enemy follow us, yet shall
his pursuit be vain and unlucky."
"I will allow that such may be the termination," said Amador; "yet,
notwithstanding, can I perceive no advantage in being pursued; but much
that is to be deprecated, inasmuch as we shall exhaust that strength of
our horses in our hurry, which might have been reserved for a more
honourable contingency."
"Your valour will by-and-by perceive there is more wisdom than looks to
the moment," said Botello, coolly, without slacking his pace: "and,
provided you can keep your followers from swerving from the path, and
that inexperienced youth from falling out of his saddle, I will, with
my head, answer for your safety."
Amador dropped behind a little: Lazaro and Baltasar required no
instructions to keep them in the neighbourhood of their master; and the
secretary, though complaining that he rode in pain, professed himself
able to keep up with the party. From his henchmen, as he rode, Don
Amador obtained but little to unravel the mystery of his escape. The two
attendants had been quartered alone in a deserted building, in the
garden of which they were instructed to provide for their steeds. They
had been roused by a cavalier, who commanded them to follow him to their
master, in token of whose authority he showed them the well-known blade
of the novice. He had conducted them to the grove, and left them, with
charges to remain, as they had done, in tranquillity, until the
appearance of Don Amador.
At the dawn of day, the neophyte became convinced he had ridden more
than the distance which, he supposed, separated the camps of the rival
generals; and wondering at the absence of all signs of life in the
forest through which he was passing, he again betook himself to Botello.
The magician had halted on the brow of an eminence, where, though the
dense wood, as well as the obscurity of the hour, greatly contracted the
sphere of vision, he looked back as if striving to detect the figures of
pursuers among the thick shadows. The shouts of men were heard far
behind; but this circumstance, instead of filling the mind of Botello
with alarm, gave, on the contrary, to his countenance an expression of
great satisfaction.
"We are pursued, enchanter; and yet, I perceive neither tent nor
out-post of thy friends, to give us refuge from our enemies," said Don
Amador.
"Let them come," cried Botello, tranquilly: "It is worse for the stag,
when the pack is scattered; but better for the kite, when the pheasants
have broke the covey."
"There may be much wisdom in thy tropes, as well as in thine actions,"
said the novice; "yet am I slow to discover it in either. Whether we are
to be considered the stag or the hounds, the hawk or the pheasants,
entirely passes my comprehension; but sure am I that, in either case,
our safety may be considered quite as metaphorical as thy speech. I
understood from thee, last night, and I remember it very well, because
it was that communication which exasperated me into a quarrel with the
governor,--that the river whereon Cortes was encamped, was but a league
from Zempoala; yet am I persuaded we have galloped twice that distance."
"He travels no straight road who creeps through the country of a
foeman," said Botello, resuming his journey, though at a more moderate
gait than before; "and Don Amador should be content, if he can avoid the
many scouts and vedettes that infest the path, by riding thrice the two
leagues he has compassed already."
"Fogoso is strong, and, it seems to me, his spirit revives at every new
step he takes through these fresh forests," said the cavalier; "yet even
for his sake, were there no other reason, would I be fain to pick the
shortest road that leads to the camp of Cortes. I am greatly concerned
about my young friend, the secretary, who, as thou hast doubtless
learned, was last night shot through the arm with an arrow, by those
knaves who kept watch at the window of the prison; and therefore, for
his sake, am I desirous to find a resting place as soon as possible. If
I should give thee my counsel, (a thing I am loath to do, as thou
seemest experienced in all the intricacies of this woody wilderness, in
which I am a stranger,) it would be, to forsake all these crooked and
endless by-ways without delay, and strike upon the shortest path,
without consideration of any small party of scouts we might meet. For,
even excluding the wounded Fabueno, we are here together four strong
men, armed, and well mounted, who, fighting our way to freedom, would
doubtless be an over-match for twice the number of enemies."
"The youth must learn the science of a soldier," said Botello, "and
suffering is the first letter of its alphabet. Happy will he be if, in
the life he covets, he encounter no more agony than he shall endure
to-day. When we have time to rest, I will anoint his arm with a salve
more powerful than the unguents of a physician.--What I do, senor, and
whither I guide, are best; as you will acknowledge, when the journey is
over. Why should your honour desire to exchange blows with poor scouts?
I shall win better thanks of the knight Calavar, when I conduct you to
him unharmed.--Faster, senor--the pursuers are gaining on us."
The neophyte gave the rein to Fogoso, and greatly inflamed by the
mention of his kinsman's name, rode by the side of Botello, to demand of
him such intelligence of the knight as it might be in his power to
impart. Little more, however, had the astrologer to communicate than
Amador had already acquired. The knight Calavar was in the camp of
Cortes, among the most honoured of his followers, if such he could be
called, who divided the perils, without claiming to share the profits of
the campaign, and fought less when he was commanded or entreated than
when moved by his own wayward impulses. That he was in good bodily
health, was also another point on which Botello was able to satisfy
curiosity; and as he made no mention of another subject, on which Don
Amador scrupled to speak, he was glad to believe the distractions of the
new world had given some relief to the mental maladies of his kinsman.
A very little circumstance served, however, almost at the same moment to
reveal one of his own infirmities. As the morning dawned, and objects
were seen more distinctly, he began to bend an eye of observation on the
horse which Botello rode,--a spirited beast, as he had already
determined, by many evidences of fleetness and mettle. When he came to
regard it more closely, he perceived, by signs not to be mistaken, that
it was no other than the animal which had, the day before, caracoled
under the weight of Salvatierra. Botello grinned, when an exclamation
made him acquainted with the thoughts of the cavalier. To the demand
where and how he had obtained possession of the charger, the answer was
brief and significant. The captain Salvatierra, like many other officers
of Narvaez, preferred rather to waste the moonlight nights with the
olive-cheeked Dalilahs of the suburbs, than with enemies and prisoners,
even though they might be men of such merit and distinction as Don
Amador. This was a peculiarity with which (he did not say whether by the
instrumentality of his art, or the intervention of human agents,)
Botello had contrived to become acquainted; and being also apprised of
Salvatierra's favourite retreat, which was at no great distance from the
grove wherein Don Amador had found his followers, he did not hesitate to
deprive him of so superfluous an appendage as his charger.
"By St. John!" cried the neophyte, in a heat, "I would have bestowed
upon thee more cruzadoes than thou canst gain by a month's exercise of
thine art, hadst thou but made me acquainted with his hiding-place. I
now know, the man who could strike a boy, and attack one he hated from
behind, is a most execrable caitiff, more worthy of misprision than
revenge; but despite all this, I should have begun this day's labours
with more tranquillity and self-approval, had I but enjoyed two moments
of conference with him previously."
"Your worship may have a day for acquitting scores with him more
conveniently than you could have done this morning," said Botello.
"Hark'ee, Botello," cried Amador, eagerly--"It is thy absolute opinion
we are at this moment pursued,--is it not?"
"I do not doubt it--I hear shouts behind, ever and anon."
"I will tell thee what I will do," continued the neophyte: "I will tarry
here with Lazaro and Baltasar: thou, if thou thinkest fit, canst advance
with the secretary--I should be loath to bring him into combat before
his wound is healed, and before Lazaro has given him some instructions
in the management of his arms----"
"All this thou wilt do then," said Botello, interrupting him, "on the
presumption that Salvatierra is among the pursuers? Your worship may
satisfy yourself, the vigilant cavalier is, at this moment, either
abiding the reproof of Narvaez for his negligence, or biting his thumbs
with disgust, as, among mounted captains, he walks through the streets
of Zempoala. Horses are not in this land so plentiful as rabbits; and I
thank the blessed influences, which have given to me so good a friend
this day," he went on, patting the neck of the steed,--"so very good,
that, until there comes a new fleet from Cuba, the captain Salvatierra
will be scarce able to follow after his charger. This may satisfy your
honour on one point. As to another, I beg to assure you, Don Amador,
that I am no lying juggler, selling my revelations for money. I tell
what is told me, when I am moved by the spirit that is given to dwell
within me; and neither real of silver nor doubloon of gold can otherwise
buy me to open my lips!"