When the boy returned, bearing a bundle of garments, and two or three
such crests as were worn by the nobler Mexicans, in time of war, the
cavalier had more than half-armed himself. He sighed, as he flung the
habergeon over his shoulders, to find the many rents made among the
Flemish links by the Mexican glass; but he sighed more, when he
discovered how greatly his bodily powers were enfeebled, by feeling,
almost for the first time in his life, the oppressive weight of the
mail. Nevertheless, the cannon still roared at the palace, every moment
was expediting the doom of Abdalla, perhaps, also, that of his friends
and kinsman; and he seized upon cuish and greave, gauntlet and helm,
with activity and eagerness.
"What is that huge mantle thou placest upon the table?" he demanded of
the page, without relaxing in his efforts.
"A _tilmatli_, or Indian cloak, large enough to hide my lord's armour,"
replied Jacinto, hurriedly. "If the Mexicans should see the gleaming of
but a single link, death on the spot, or, still more horrid, on the
pyramid, will be the fate of my lord."
"Now that I know, that such would be the consequence of captivity," said
the cavalier, fiercely, "I swear to God and St. John, I will die
fighting--that is, if it please heaven, that I shall be struck no more
blows that overpower without killing."
"And this great penacho," said the boy, "I will tie to my lord's crest,
so that it shall entirely veil the helmet. I have fastened some of the
red tufts among the feathers, whereby the pagans may think my lord is a
war-chief, and noble, if they should see them."
"Of all boys that I have ever yet seen, thou art by far the shrewdest
and wisest," said Don Amador with complacency, but without ceasing a
moment to do on his armour, "What disguise hast thou provided for
thyself?"
"A garment," said Jacinto, "which, being flung about my body and hooded
over my head, will cause the Mexicans to think me a woman devoted to the
service of one of their gods."
"A most damnable delusion," said the novice, "and I would thou hadst
fallen upon some other device. But, perhaps, thou hadst no choice; and,
now that I think of it, thy small stature, and very smooth and handsome
visage, will, perhaps, suit this disguise better than another. If there
be any sin in assuming it, heaven will allow the necessity, and forgive
the commission. Quick, and don it,--for I would have thee tighten these
greave-straps, before I pull on my boots."
"It will but encumber me: I will fling it over me in the passage," said
Jacinto, kneeling, and endeavouring, with an unsteady hand, to perform
the office required of him.
"Be of good heart, I charge thee, and tremble not. Thou art unused to
this service; but think not, though thou beest the son of a Moorish
Wali, of the noblest blood, that this duty can dishonour thee. I have
performed it myself, times without number, to my good knight, Don
Gabriel. I would thou wert somewhat stronger, though. Fear not to pull
with all thy strength. I have shrunk somewhat with the fever,--greatly
to the disparagement of my leg,--and the strap is of the stiffest."
"It is stiffened with my lord's blood!" said the page, trembling more,
but succeeding, at last, in securing it. Then rising, and knotting a
broad and shadowy plume over his patron's helmet, so as, in a great
measure, to conceal the gleaming iron, he assisted to fasten it. There
remained nothing, then, for the cavalier, but to arrange the tilmatli
about his person; a feat, in which, with the aid of the page, he
succeeded so well, as quite to hide his martial equipments, without yet
depriving him of the power, in case of necessity, of using the sword,
which he held naked in his hand.
"Thy woman's weeds! Why dost thou hesitate, Jacinto?" he cried,
prepared, and now eager to make his departure. "Thou thinkest of thy
lute? By my faith, I shall be loath thou shouldst lose it, for much good
has it done, and yet may do, to Don Gabriel. I will bear it under my
arm."
"Think not of the lute," said Jacinto, sorrowfully. "What need have we
now of music? It will but overburden my lord, whose hands should be
free; and in mine, it would only serve to expose the deception of my
apparel."
"Cast it aside, then; and now, in God's name, let us depart!"
Jacinto stepped, faltering, up to the body of Ayub, lying stiff and
cold, the countenance, illuminated by the slanting torch-light, still
mingling a grin of exultation with the contortion of the death-agony. A
tear dropped upon the swarthy cheek, and a deep sob burst from the bosom
of Jacinto, when he gazed his last upon the dead Morisco.
"Why dost thou tarry to weep?" said Amador, impatiently.--"Ayub was an
infidel."
"My lord does not know how those who have not many friends, can value
the few," said the page. "This man was faithful to my father; and
therefore do I lament him, as one whose loss is a sore misfortune; and,
infidel though he were, yet was he of the faith of my ancestors."
"Remember, however, that, while thou weepest over a dead friend of
Abdalla, thou deprivest him of the services of a living one."
Thus rebuked, Jacinto moved rapidly into the passage, and flinging, as
he went, the garment he held about his person, stepped with the cavalier
into the street.
A thick scud, threatening rain, careered over the heaven, and the smoke
of cannon, mingling with the mists of the lake, covered the city with a
gloom so deep, that Don Amador could not easily distinguish the
peculiar habiliments of his companion. Nevertheless, he could well
believe that his appearance was that of an Indian maiden. He bade
Jacinto to take him by the hand, adding an injunction, under all
circumstances that might arise, to maintain his grasp. To this, Jacinto
answered,--
"Let it not be so,--at least, not until we are so environed, as to be in
danger of separating. My lord must now consent to be guided by me." (He
spoke with singular coolness, as if restored, by the urgency of the
occasion, to all that self-command and discretion, which had so often
excited the wonder of his patron.) "I will walk a little before; and if
the people should approach, let my lord take no notice, but follow
calmly in my steps, as though he were a great noble, disdaining to look
upon his inferiors. Be not amazed at what may happen, and, especially,
do not speak a word until close by the Spaniards."
"Dost thou mean," said the cavalier, suddenly struck with the memory of
the vision, not yet accounted for by the page,--"dost thou mean to
practise any arts of magic? for if so----"
"I beseech my lord not to speak," said the boy, with a hurried voice;
"for, if a word be heard, neither valour nor magic can save us from
destruction. By-and-by, my lord shall see the wisdom of this counsel;
and all that is strange in its consequences, shall be explained to him."
Thus speaking, Jacinto strode forwards, and Don Amador, wondering, yet
yielding to his instructions, followed in silence.
The cannon still roared at the palace, and the shouts of the infuriated
combatants were plainly heard, in the intervals of the discharges; so
that, as the cavalier had hinted, there could be no difficulty in
determining their path. Nevertheless, it appeared to him, that Jacinto
walked forwards with the boldness and certainty of one familiar with the
streets he was treading.
For a time, their course lay through a street entirely deserted; but,
by-and-by, passing into one of greater magnitude, they beheld shadowy
masses, now of single figures, now of groups, darting about, many of
them with lights, as if flying, some from the scene of combat, and
others, like themselves, approaching it. It was apparent that this
street was one of the four great avenues leading to the square of
Axajacatl; for no sooner had the two Christians stepped upon it, than
the sounds of conflict came to them with tenfold loudness; and they
could behold, ever and anon, as the deadly discharges burst from the
artillery, the flames flashing luridly up through the mists, like the
jets of a distant volcano.
With the consciousness that he now trod a principal street, Don Amador
became aware that he was, of a certainty, advancing full upon the mouth
of, at least, one piece of ordnance; and, as Jacinto paused suddenly, as
if dismayed at his peril, (for at that moment a ruddy flame shot out of
the mist, and a falconet bellowed down the street,) he approached the
boy, and said,--
"For thy sake, Jacinto,--(it does not become me to say for my own;
though I confess some repugnance to advance thus on the cannon of my
friends,)--I should wish thou couldst find some other path, not so much
exposed to be raked as this."
"Speak not,--we have no choice," muttered the boy. "But God be thanked!
the bullet that strikes my lord, will first pass through my own body."
This little expression of devotion was pronounced with an earnestness
that touched the heart of the cavalier; and he was about to utter his
satisfaction, when a gesture of Jacinto, who immediately began to resume
his pace, warned him into silence. The usefulness of the caution was
soon made manifest; for two or three Mexicans suddenly brushed by,
though without seeming to notice them. An instant after, there passed
several groups, bearing wounded men in their arms; and, by-and-by, while
every moment seemed to surround them yet more with isolated
individuals, there came a party in some numbers, uttering lamentations,
as if over the body of a great noble. Several of these bore torches in
their hands, wherewith they were enabled to descry the pair; and Don
Amador's heart beat quick, as he saw three or four detach themselves
from the group, and run forwards, as if to make sure of a prey. He
grasped at his weapon, invoked his saint, and moved quickly up to
Jacinto, to give him what protection he could. But, at the very moment
when he feared the worst, he was amazed to behold the barbarians come to
a dead halt, and, at the waving of Jacinto's hand, part from before him
with countenances of reverence and fear. The same remarkable change was
observed in those who composed the party bearing the corse, with the
addition of new marks of homage; for, leaving the body in the hands of a
few, they seemed about to follow the page in a tumultuous procession,
until he turned round, waving his hand again; at which gesture, nearly
all immediately fell on their knees, and so remained until he passed.
All this time, the wondering cavalier was conscious that he was himself
unregarded.
Little by little, while the screams and cannon-shots grew louder at each
step, Don Amador perceived that the groups began to grow into crowds,
and then into dense masses, every moment; while, every moment, also, it
became still more apparent, that his guide exercised some powerful,
though, to him, inscrutable, influence, over the mob; for, no sooner did
their torches reveal his figure, than all were straightway seized with
admiration, falling upon their knees, or returning on their path, and
following him towards the battle.
The gestures of Jacinto served no longer to repel them; and in a few
moments there were hundreds of men, their numbers increasing at each
step, who pressed after him eagerly, though reverentially,--uttering, at
first, low murmurs, and then, at last, shouts of joy and triumph. These
reaching the ears and drawing the attention of others in front, they, in
turn, added their respect to the homage of the rest.
However surprising, and, indeed, confounding, this notice, and these
salutations, to Don Amador, they were far from agreeable; for the train
followed so close upon his heels, that he dreaded, every moment, lest
some derangement of his mantle or plumes might expose to their gaze the
hidden ensigns of a Christian. Greatly was he rejoiced, therefore, when
the steady and persevering advance of the page had carried him so deeply
into the crowd, that it was scarcely practicable for more than one or
two individuals, at a time, to look upon him, and quite impossible that
the noisy train should follow. He ceased, therefore, to lament his
proximity to the cannon-mouths, which still, at intervals, flung death
among the besiegers; for he thought that in that alone there was safety.
His desire, in this particular, was soon gratified; for he was, at last,
wedged, with the page, among a mass of men so dense and so disordered,
that he no longer feared a scrutiny. He was in sight of the palace, his
foot planted upon the square, and but a few paces separated from his
friends and his knight.
In the flash of the arquebuses, but more particularly in the fiendish
glare of the cannon, when disemboguing their contents upon the
barbarians, he beheld the terraces covered with his countrymen,
resisting as they could, and with every shot from the musket, every bolt
from the arbalist, adding a life to the reckoning of their revenge, and
yet fainting with fatigue over a slaughter which had no end. The square
was filled with men, as with a sea, and when the fiery flashes of the
ordnance lit it up as with a momentary conflagration, the commotion
following upon each, made him think of those surges of fire which roll
in the crater of a volcano, and of the billows of blood that dash upon
the shores of hell. A more infernal spectacle could not, indeed, have
been imagined; and when the harsh yells of the pagan myriads were
added, the tophet was complete, and man appeared,--as he yet
appears,--the destroyer and the demoniac.
This spectacle, however horrible it might have been to one accustomed to
look upon man as the image of his maker, and the blow struck at the life
of man, as a stroke aimed at the face of God, had the effect to stir the
blood of Don Amador de Leste to such a degree, that, had he not been
checked by the cold hand and the deadly pale visage of his companion, he
would have followed the impulse of his valour, uncovered his weapon,
and, shouting a war-cry, dashed at once upon the throat of the nearest
infidel. The look of Jacinto recalled him to his senses; he made him a
signal to clutch upon his mantle and follow, and then plunged again into
the gory crowd.
The tempest, both physical and mental, which beset all that rout of
pagans, reduced the intelligence of each to but two objects of
thought,--his enemy and himself. Not one turned to wonder or observe,
when the strong shoulders--strong from excitement--of the cavalier
thrust him aside, or the hard touch of an iron-cased elbow crushed into
his bosom; nor, perhaps, was a look cast upon the effeminate figure,
that seemed a girl, at the back of this impetuous stranger. Thus, then,
unresisted and disregarded, the cavalier made his way, step by step,
taking advantage of every moment when the barbarians gave way before an
explosion of artillery, or a charge of the garrison,--hoping, at each
effort, to issue upon the open space betwixt the besiegers and the
besieged, and, at each, arrested by a denser crowd,--speaking words of
encouragement to the horror-struck page, for well he knew he might speak
without fear in such a din,--and, feeling, at each moment, his strength
melting away, like burning wax, under the prolonged exertion. He toiled
for his life, for the life of the boy, perhaps for the life of Don
Gabriel; but human nature could not sustain the struggle much longer.
Despair came to his heart, for he knew not how far he stood from the
palace wall, and felt that he could labour no more. His eye darkened, as
he looked back to Jacinto,--the boy was swooning where he stood.
"God be merciful to us both! But, at least, thou shalt die in my arms,
poor boy!" he muttered, making one more effort, and raising the page
from the earth. "God be merciful to us,--but especially to this child,
for he is sinless, and, I fear me, fatherless."
At this moment, a dreadful scream burst from the lips of all around the
novice, and immediately he felt himself borne back by the barbarians as
they recoiled, seemingly, from a charge of cavalry. The thought was
hope, and hope again renewed his strength. He planted his feet firmly on
the earth, and with his elbow and shoulder dashed aside the fleeing
pagans, pressed the senseless boy to his heart, raised his voice in a
shout, and the next moment stood free from the herd, ten feet from the
muzzle of a cannon, from which the Mexicans had been recoiling. His eye
travelled along the tube;--the magician Botello stood on the broken wall
at its side, and the linstock he held in his hand was descending to the
vent.
"For the love of God, hold!" shouted the cavalier, "or you will kill
Christian men!"
The match fell to the earth, and the cavalier sprang forward. But if his
voice had reached the ears of friends, it had not escaped the organs of
foes. A dozen savages, forgetful of their fears, sprang instantly
towards him, endeavouring to lay hold upon him. A back-handed blow of
his weapon loosed the grasp of the most daring, and the hands of others
parted along with the flimsy disguise of Jacinto. He left this in their
grasp, tottered forward, and the next moment, as the cannon belched
forth its death upon the pursuing herds, stood in the court-yard of the
palace.