At midnight, the Mexican spy, looking over the broken wall, beheld in
the court-yard which it environed, a scene of singular devotion;--or
rather he caught with his ears--for the grave was not blacker than that
midnight--the smothered accents of supplication. The Christians were
upon their knees, listening, with a silence broken only by the fretful
champing of steeds, and the suppressed moans of wounded men, to a
prayer, pronounced in a whispering voice, wherein the father Olmedo
implored of Heaven to regard them in pity, to stupify the senses of
their enemies, and surround his servants with the shields of mercy, so
that, this night, they might walk out of the city which was their
prison-house, and from the island which had been their charnel,
oppressed no more by the weight of His anger.
The prostrate soldiers, to that moment, full of confident hope, and not
anticipating the danger of any opposition, hearkened with solicitude to
the humble and earnest supplication; and when the padre besought the
deity to endow their arms with strength, and their hearts with courage,
to sustain the toils, and perhaps the perils, of retreat, they were
struck with a vague but racking fear. The petition which was meant to
embolden, deprived them of hope; and they rose from their vain
devotions, in unexpected horror.
The gloom that invested the ruinous palace, prevailed equally over the
pagan city. No torch shone from the casements or house-tops, no taper
flickered in the streets; and the urns of fire on the neighbouring
pyramid, the only light visible,--save, now and then, a ghastly gleam of
lightning bursting up from the south,--burned with a dull and sickened
glare, as if neglected by their watchers. A silence, in character with
the obscurity, reigned over the slumbering city; and when, at last, the
steps of those who bore the ponderous bridge, and the creaking of
artillery wheels, were-heard ringing and rolling over the square, the
sounds smote on the hearts of all like the tolling of distant funeral
bells.
The plan of retreat, determined after anxious deliberation, and
carefully made known to all, was adopted with readiness, as these
footsteps and this rolling sound of wheels,--the only signals
made,--were heard; each man knew his place, and, without delay, assumed
it. In little more than half an hour, the whole train of invaders,
Christian principals and Tlascalan abettors, was in motion, creeping,
with the slow and stealthy pace of malefactors, over the street that led
to the dike of Tacuba. Few glances were sent back to the palace, as
those dim sheets of lightning, flashing up over the path they were
pursuing, revealed obscurely, ever and anon, its broken and deserted
turrets. Its gloomy pile associated nothing but the memory of disaster
and grief. Fearful looks, however were cast upon the dusky fabrics on
either side of the street, as if the fugitives apprehended that each
creak of a wheel, each clattering of horses' hoofs, or the rattling of
armour, might draw the infidel from his slumbers; and many an ear was
directed anxiously towards the van, in fear lest the trumpet should, at
last, be sounded, with the signal of enemies already drawn up, a
thousand deep, on the path they were treading. But no sounds were heard,
save those which denoted the continued progress of their own bands; no
wakeful barbarian was seen lurking in the streets; and hope again slowly
returned to the bosoms of the tremblers.
Before they had yet reached the borders of the island, the night became
still more dark than at their outset; for the lightning grew fainter at
each flash, and finally sank beneath the horizon, to continue its lurid
gambols among the depths of the South Sea. This was witnessed with
secret satisfaction; for, with these treacherous scintillations,
departed the dread that many felt, lest they should betray the march of
the army.
It has been mentioned, that the people of Tenochtitlan had not only
covered the surface of the island with their dwellings, but had extended
them, on foundations of piles, into the lake, wherever the shallowness
of the water permitted. This was especially the case in the
neighbourhood of the great dikes; in which places, not only single
houses, but entire blocks, deserving the name of suburbs, were
constructed. Such a suburb jutted out, for some distance, along the
causeway of Tacuba.
The van of the army had already passed beyond the furthest of these
black and silent structures, and yet no just cause existed to suppose
the retreat had been discovered; though many men of sharper ears or
fainter hearts than their fellows, had averred that they could, at
times, distinguish, on the rear, a dull sound, as of men moving behind
them in heavy masses. The wiser, however, were satisfied, that no such
sounds could prevail even over the subdued noise of their own
footsteps; but some of these bent their ears anxiously towards the
front, as if afraid of danger in that quarter. The reason of this was
not concealed. All day, sounds of lamentation had been heard coming from
the dike, upon which they were now marching, or from its neighbourhood.
It was rumoured, that the cemetery of the Mexican kings lay on the hill
of Chapoltepec, under the huge and melancholy cypresses, which
overshadow that green promontory; and that there, this day, Montezuma
had been laid among his ancestors. A whole people had gone forth to
lament him; and how many of the mourners might be now returning by the
causeway, was a question which disturbed the reflections of all.
But this apprehension was dispelled, when the front of the army had
reached the first of the three ditches which intersected the dike of
Tacuba. Its bridge was removed and gone, and the deep water lay
tranquilly in the chasm. The foe, relying on this simple precaution, had
left the dike to its solitude; and the expedient for continuing the
imprisonment of the Spaniards, was the warrant of their security.
A little breeze, dashing occasionally drops of rain, began to puff along
the lake, as the bridge-bearers deposited their burden over the abyss.
This was not the labour of a moment; the heavy artillery, which still
preceded the train of discomfited slayers, like a troop of jackals in
the path of other destroyers, required that the ponderous frame should
be adjusted with the greatest care. While the carriers, assisted by a
body of Tlascalans, who slipped into the ditch and swam to the opposite
side, were busy with their work, the long train of fugitives behind,
halted, and remained silent with expectation. The rumbling of the wood
over the flags of the causeway, the suppressed murmurs of the labourers,
and, now and then, the dropping of some stone loosened by their feet,
into the ditch,--added to the sighs of the breeze, whispering faintly
over casque and spear,--were the only sounds that broke the dismal quiet
of the scene; and there was something in these, as well as in the
occurrence itself, which caused many to think of the characteristics of
a funeral;--the mute and solemn expectation of the lookers-on,--the
smothered expressions of the few,--and the occasional rattle of clods,
dropping, by accident, upon the coffin.
The bridge was, at last, fixed, and the loud clang of hoofs was heard,
as Cortes, himself, made trial of its strength. The breath of those
behind, came more freely, when these sounds reached their ears; and they
waited impatiently till the advance of those who preceded them, should
give motion to their own ranks.
The post of Don Amador de Leste had been assigned, at his own demand, in
the vanguard,--which was a force consisting of twenty horsemen, two
hundred foot, and ten times that number of Tlascalan warriors, commanded
by Sandoval, the valiant; and, up to this moment, he had ridden at that
leader's side, without much thought of unhealed wounds and feebleness,
willing, and fully prepared, to divide the danger and the honour of any
difficulty, which might be presented. But being now convinced, by the
sign we have mentioned,--that is to say, the removal of the original
bridge,--that no enemies lay in wait on the causeway, he descended from
the back of Fogoso, giving the rein to Lazaro, and commanding him to
proceed onward with the party. In this, he was, perhaps, not so much
governed by a desire to escape the tedium of riding in company with the
ever taciturn Sandoval, as to be nearer to the forlorn boy, Jacinto, who
had, until this moment, trudged along at his side. Some little curiosity
to witness the passage of the rout of fugitives, had also its influence;
for, taking the page by the hand, he led him to the edge of the bridge,
where he could observe every thing without inconvenience, and without
obstructing the course of others.
The dike of Tacuba was, like that of Iztapalapan, of stone, and so
broad, that ten horsemen could easily ride on it abreast. Its base was
broad, shelving, and rugged, and the summit was, perhaps, six feet above
the surface of the water.
The thunder of the twenty horsemen, as they rode over the bridge,
interrupted the consolation which the neophyte was about to give to
Jacinto; who, hanging closely to his patron's arm, yet looked back
towards the city, with many sobs for his exiled father. In the gloomy
obscurity of the hour, the cavaliers of the van, as they passed, seemed
rather like spectres than men;--in an instant of time, they were hidden
from sight among the thick shadows in front. Not less phantom-like
appeared the two hundred foot, stealing over the chasm, and vanishing
like those who had preceded them. Then came the two thousand Tlascalans,
their broken and drooping plumes rustling over their dusky backs, as
they strode onwards, with steps quickened, but almost noiseless.
After these, came the cannon,--eighteen pieces of different sizes,
dragged by rows of pagans, commanded by the gunners. The bridge groaned
under their weight; and a murmur of joy crept over the compacted
multitude behind, when they had counted them, one by one, rumbling over
the sonorous wood, and knew that the last had crossed in safety.
Much time was necessarily occupied in the passage of these cumbrous
instruments; and an interval of several minutes was allowed to intervene
betwixt the passage of each, while the cannoniers were looking to the
condition of the bridge and the ropes.
It was on these occasions, that the greatest quiet prevailed; for, then,
even breath was hushed in suspense; and it was on these occasions also,
that the ears of the neophyte were struck by a sound, which had not,
perhaps, at that time, attracted the attention of any other person. The
breeze, which occasionally whispered on his cheek, was so light, as
scarcely to disturb the serenity of the lake; and yet, it appeared to
him, notwithstanding all this, that, in these moments of calm, he could
plainly distinguish, upon either hand, and at a little distance, the
rippling of water, as if agitated by a moderate wind. He strained his
eyes, endeavouring to pierce the gloom, and unravel the cause of this
singular commotion,--but wholly in vain. The circle of vision was
circumscribed into the narrowest bounds; and wo betide the infidel, who,
fishing in the lake, that night, should fall from his canoe in slumber,
and be parted from it but twenty feet, in his confusion.--The cavalier
looked up to the heavens; but the few drops discharged from their stony
vault, pattered with a sound almost inaudible upon the water. While he
was yet wondering, he heard the voice of one passing him, say to a
comrade,--
"Art thou not wroth, Iago, man, to give up yonder rich town to the
kites, and this fair water to the ducks of Mexico?"
This trivial question gave, at once, a new colour to his thoughts, for
he remembered what millions of wild fowl brooded every night on the
lakes; and, almost ashamed that he should have yielded a moment to the
suggestions of fear, he turned, once more, to watch the progress of the
army.
The centre division consisted of but an hundred Christian footmen, and
half a score cavaliers; but two thousand Tlascalans were added to it,
and it was commanded by Cortes in person; who, having ridden across the
bridge, as has been said, to prove its strength, now waited for the
coming of his party, beyond the breach. Along with this division, were
conducted the prisoners, and the king's spoil,--the latter being carried
on the backs of wounded steeds, unfit for other service, as well as on
the shoulders of Tlameme. The prisoners, comprising all the family of
Montezuma, whom evil fortune had thrown into the hands of Don Hernan,
were environed by the hereditary foes of their race, but protected from
any secret stroke of malice, by three or four cavaliers who rode with
them.
Among these few horsemen, the neophyte perceived one, across whose
saddle-bow there sat what seemed a female, enveloped in thick mantles.
In this cavalier, he thought, by the murmur of the voice with which he
addressed his muffled companion, that he detected his friend, the senor
De Morla.
"Is it thou, Francisco, my brother?" he whispered, inclining towards the
cavalier; "and hast thou Benita thus under thy protection?"
"I thank heaven, yes!" replied De Morla. "But what doest thou on foot,
and so far removed from the van? Has Fogoso cast thee again? I prythee,
walk thou by me a little.--Dost thou remember thy promise?"
"Surely, I do: but speak not of it now; for, this moment, my heart is
very heavy, and I cannot think with pleasure of a contest with Christian
man. I will presently follow thee."
"Speak me not what I have told thee to mortal man, for the sake of her
whom I hold in my arms, and who already owes thee a life. To-morrow," he
continued, exultingly, as he passed,--"to-morrow we shall tread upon the
lake side; and, then, God be with him who strikes for the honour and
innocence of woman!"
"Art _thou_ there too, Lorenzo?" said the novice, perceiving the
secretary riding at the heels of the young cavalier of Cuenza, and
burthened in like manner with the freight of affection. "Guard thy
princess well, and have great care of the bridge, and the rough edge of
the dike; for thy horsemanship is not yet so perfect as De Morla's, nor
can thy charger at all compare with the chestnut gelding. Ride on with
care, and God be thy speed!"
The centre of the army was, at last, over the bridge. The neophyte cast
his eye to the black mass of the rear-guard, which contained the greater
part of the troops, both Christian and allied, commanded by Velasquez de
Leon and the Tonatiuh; the latter of whom, to show his affection for the
island of which he had been, as he said, a king, and to prove his
contempt for his late subjects, chose to ride the very last man in the
army; while De Leon conducted the front of the division. The latter,
stern, decided, and self-willed in all cases, deferred, for a moment, to
give the signal to march, in order that the centre might be well cleared
of the bridge; but more, perhaps, from a natural love of tyranny, to
torture with delay the spirits of his impatient followers.
In this moment of quiet, the sounds, which Don Amador had forgotten,
were repeated with more distinctness than at first; but still they were
of so vague a character, that he could not be certain they were produced
by any cause more important than the diving and flapping of water-fowl.
Nevertheless, feeling a little uneasiness, he clasped the hand of
Jacinto tighter in his own, and strode with him over the bridge. He
paused again, when he had crossed, and was about to give his whole
attention to the mysterious sounds; when, suddenly, he was amazed and
startled by the spectre of a man, rising up as from the lake, and
springing on the causeway close by his side.
He drew his sword, demanding quickly, but with perturbation,--
"Who and what art thou, that comest thus from the depths of the waters?"
"Tetragrammaton! peace!--Dost thou not hear?"
"Hear what, sir conjurer? Hast thou been listening likewise to the wild
fowl. By my troth, I thought thou wert a spirit!"
"Wild fowl!" muttered Botello, with a horse-laugh. "Such wild fowl as
eat carrion, and flap the water like crocodiles.--Hah! dost thou not
hear? Lay thine ear upon the causeway at the water's edge--But thou hast
not time. Get thee to thy horse, and delay not; and if thou seest
Cortes, or any other discreet cavalier, bid him draw and be ready. I
said, that some should escape, but not _all_!--God be with thee! follow
quickly, and sheath not thy sword."
"Surely, this time, thou art mad, Botello! Here are no foes."
But the remonstrance of the cavalier was cut short by the instant flight
of the magician; and ere the words were out of his mouth, a horseman,
crossing the bridge, and riding up to him, said sternly,--
"Who art thou, Sir Knave and Sir Witless! that babblest thus aloud, in
time of peril, contrary to----"
"I am thy very good friend, senor De Leon," said the novice, abruptly;
"and, waiving any difficulty which might spring from the heat of thy
words, if duly considered, I think fit to assure thee, that I have but
just parted from the necromancer, Botello; by whom I am advised to bid
thee, as well as all other discreet officers whom I may see, to draw
sword, and remain in readiness for a foe; there being certain sounds on
the water, which, in his opinion, are ominous of evil. For myself, I bid
God guard thee, meaning, in person, to join the van, as soon as
possible."
The cavaliers parted,--De Leon riding back to his party, without
uttering a word; and Don Amador, with the page, stepping forwards so
fleetly, as soon to find himself among the Tlascalans of the centre.
Through these he made his way, ever and anon casting his eye to the
lake, and looking for the tokens of a foe, but without perceiving
anything at all unusual. He gained the midst of this band of allies,
reached the side of his friend, and laid his hand on De Morla's arm. A
low wailing voice came from the folds of the garments, which veiled the
countenance of Minnapotzin; and some strong agitation shook the frame of
his friend.
"Think not of love _now_, my brother!" cried the neophyte, hurriedly;
"but be warned that thou art in danger, and Minnapotzin with thee. It is
thought, that enemies are at hand."
Having thus spoken, and without waiting for an answer, Don Amador, still
urging Jacinto along, endeavoured to make his way through the dense
bodies of Tlascalans, which separated him from Don Hernan. He reached
their front, he stepped upon the little space left between them and the
general, and placed his eyes upon Cortes. But before he had yet spoken,
it seemed as if the whole moving mass of the army had been converted
into marble, on the causeway; for instantly, as if with one consent, the
train came to a dead halt, and a cry, low, but breathed from the hearts
of men struck with mortal dread, rose from the van to the rear, in one
universal groan.
The cavalier turned where all eyes were turned, and beheld a sudden
pyramid of fire, like one of the many gushes of flame he had already
seen in this volcanic land, save that the blaze was steadier, shoot up,
from a vast height in the air, over the distant city, and plunge its
sanguine point against the heavens; while, at the same moment, its lurid
mass, reflected and reversed on the lake, darted over the water to his
feet, in a path of blood,--as if Mexitli, the Terrible God, had, at
last, roused from slumber, and couched his gigantic spear against the
slayers of his children. The blaze illumined the lake far round, and,
shining on the casques of cavaliers and the plumes of Tlascalans,
disclosed the whole line of the army, stretched along the calzada. In an
instant more, the neophyte, petrified with awe, perceived that this
mighty bale-fire was kindled on the top of the great temple; and, in the
strong and glaring line, which it struck out upon the water, there was
revealed a mass of living objects, floating, like birds, upon the
element, yet speckled with the human colours of Mexico. At the same
moment, and while his eye yet wavered between the flaming pillar and the
moving objects on the water, there came from the pyramid a sound, heard
once before, and never more to be forgotten. The horn of the gods was
winded;--the doleful and dismal note came booming with hideous uproar
over the waters; and before the hills had caught up its echoes, the
whole lake, right and left, in front and on the rear, rang, roared, and
trembled, under the yells of an hundred thousand infidels.