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 daylight, 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 Dona 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.