The neophyte had been informed by his friend De Morla, as a proof of the
degree of civilization reached by the Mexicans, that their armies were
formed with method, and as regularly divided and commanded as those of
Christendom,--each tribe displaying under a peculiar banner,
representing the arms, or, as we should say of our Northern bands, the
_totem_, of the race, and each tribe separated into squadrons and
companies, led by subalterns of precisely ascertained rank and power. He
perceived none of these marks of discipline among the assailants; and,
while properly appreciating their devoted courage, was obliged to
consider them no better than a furious and confused mob. He was right:
the _warriors_ of Mexico had not yet appeared, and these wild creatures,
who came ungeneralled and unadvised to the attack, were no more than the
common citizens, fired by the distresses of their king, and rushing to
his aid, without any bond of connexion or government, save the unanimity
of their fury. The violence with which they leaped to the attack,
carried them to the gates of the court, and to the mouths of the
artillery, where they fell under the spears of the Spaniards, or were
scattered like chaff at each murderous discharge of the cannon. Added to
this, the Tlascalans, animated by their ancient hatred, and the presence
of him whom they esteemed almost a god, clambered upon the wall, and
with their clubs and lances did bloody execution on the multitudes
below. The Tlascalans were, indeed, almost the only persons of the
garrison who suffered much loss; for the Spaniards, cased in iron and
escaupil, and fenced behind the wall, or the battlements of the terrace,
discharged their cross-bows and muskets, and handled their long spears,
in comparative safety.
The din of yells and screams, mingled with the crash of arquebuses and
the sharp clang of steel cross-bows, was, in itself, infernal; while the
peals of artillery, served with such skill and constancy, that, every
half-minute, there was one or other discharged from some quarter of the
palace, leaving, at each discharge, a long avenue of death among the
crowds, converted what might have seemed a scene of elysium into a
spectacle of hell. No man could reckon, no man could imagine, the
slaughter made by the besieged army, among their foes, in the short
space of half an hour. But the sun rose, and still found the infatuated
barbarians rushing,--now with shouts of defiance, and now with mournful
cries, as if calling upon their imprisoned king,--to add yet another and
another layer to the bloody ridges growing in the paths of the
cannon-shot.
All this time, the captive monarch, unseen by his people, though quickly
detected by the sharp eye of Cortes, sat in one of the turrets,
witnessing the devoted love of his people, and feeling, with sharp
pangs, that he had not deserved it. And now too (for the suddenness of
the punishment had convinced him of the impolicy of the fault,) did Don
Hernan himself feel a touch of compunction for the wanton injury he had
done his prisoner; and, fearing lest the work of this day should be but
the prelude of a storm it might not be in his power to allay, he sent to
him De Morla, a cavalier whom more than others he seemed to favour, to
persuade him, if indeed he might be persuaded, to exercise his
authority, and by commanding his people to disperse, preserve them from
that destruction, which, the general avowed, he was loath to bring upon
them.
No smile lit the countenance of Montezuma, at the appearance of his
favourite; and to the demand of Don Hernan, he replied, with dignity,
yet with a bitter sorrow,--
"The _Teuctli_," (so they called Don Hernan, not because they esteemed
him a divinity, but a great prince, this being the title of one of the
classes of nobility,) "has made me a slave: my subjects are his. Let
the king govern his people."
So saying, and immediately descending from the roof, he shut himself in
his apartments, and resolutely refused to admit another messenger to his
presence.
"And the dog denies me, then!" cried Cortes, when this answer was
repeated to him. "He says the truth: he _is_ my slave; his people are
mine; and I will straightway convince them of their subjection. To
horse, to horse, brave cavaliers!" he shouted aloud. "Let it not be
said, we wasted powder on miserable naked Indians, when we have swords
to strike them on the neck, and horses' hoofs to tread them to the
earth!"
No one was more ready to obey this call, than Don Amador de Leste. He
had stood upon the wall, occasionally striking down some furious
assailant with his spear, but oftener cheering others with his voice,
and yet remaining more as a spectator than a combatant, disdaining to
strike, except when personally attacked, until his blood was heated by
the spectacle.
"Mount, now, my knave Lazaro! and perhaps we shall find my poor Jacinto,
among these outrageous infidels. Get thee to horse, Fabueno; for to-day
thou shalt see what it is to be a soldier!"
Fogoso stood, in his mail, like the steed of a true knight, champing the
bit and whinnying, for he longed to be in the midst of the combat; and
loud was the sound of his neighing, when he felt the weight of his
master, and turned his fierce eyes towards the gate.
Before the cavaliers, forming three abreast, (as many as could at once
pass through the gates,) loosing their sabres in the scabbards, and
couching their spears, had yet received the signal to dash upon the
opposing herds, there came from the great pyramid, which was seen
rearing its mountainous mass above the houses of the square, the sound
as of a horn, sad and solemn, but of so mighty a tone, that it swelled
distinctly over all the din of the battle, and sent a boding fear to the
heart of the Christians. They knew, or they thought it the sacred bugle
of Mexitli, sounded only during the festivals of that ferocious deity,
or on the occasion of a great battle, when, it was supposed, that
Mexitli himself spoke to his children, and bade them die bravely. There
was not a Spaniard present, who had not heard that the effect of this
consecrated trumpet, so sparingly used, was to nerve even the vanquished
with new spirit, and those fighting with additional rage; and that the
meanest Mexican, however overpowered, thought not of retreat, when thus
cheered by his god. The surprise of all was therefore great, when, at
the first blast, the Mexicans ceased their cries, and stood as if turned
into statues; and they were still more amazed, when, as the brazen
instrument again poured its lugubrious roar over the city, the
barbarians, responding with a mournful shriek, turned their backs upon
the besieged, and instantly began to fly. A third blast was sounded, and
nothing was seen upon the great square, or the four streets, save heaps
of carcasses, and piles of human beings, writhing in the death-agony.
"Here is diabolical magic!" cried Cortes, joyfully. "There are more
signals made by that accursed horn than we have heard of; and it seems
to me, Huitzilopochtli may be sometimes a coward! Nevertheless, we will
look a little into the mystery; for I perceive shining cloaks, as well
as priestly gowns, on the temple, which we will make claim to; for
doubtless the traitor Cuitlahuatzin is under one of them.--Take thou thy
party, Sandoval, and scour me the streets that lie eastward. We meet at
the temple!--For ourselves, my masters! we are fifty horse, and three
hundred foot, all good Christian men; for in this work we shall need no
Tlascalans. Let us go, in the name of God, and God will be with
us.--Only, 'tis my counsel and command, that we keep together, with our
eyes wide open, lest we should have company not so much to our liking."
The cavaliers cheered, as they rode from the gates,--and, with a savage
delight, urged their horses over the piles of dead, or smote some dying
struggler with the spear,--an amusement in which they were occasionally
imitated by the foot-soldiers, who followed at their heels.