THE CAÑON ROAD.
This is a tropical forest,
Where myriad leaves forming a roof overhead, keep out the
effulgence of sunlight,
So that beneath is the region of shadows and dimness;
Yet in this spectral twilight rise cities, magnificent,
lonely;
Built in the far-distant days of giants--great architects
they!
Sky-piercing pyramids, plinth, and column, and capital.
Line upon line of pillars, that loom in the darkness eternal,
Staircases huge, vast halls, and temples majestical;
Now no longer receiving the throngs of worshippers holy,
Only the bat flits through the ruins; ravenous beasts now
wander
Through street, and square, and palaces gorgeous.
Who built all these splendours? We know not who built them.
Yet do they loom in the twilight region of shadows,
Encircled by tropical forests.
As a rule, Dr. Grench was an early riser, and denied himself the
luxurious idleness of morning slumbers, but on this special occasion he
did not wake at his usual hour. The dancing of the previous night had
proved too much for the virtuous Peter, who always went to bed early,
consequently he was very tired, and by no means pleased at being
awakened unexpectedly by Jack. Peter was in the middle of a delightful
dream, in which he was hunting unusually large beetles. After a time,
however, the beetles began to hunt Peter, and one, having caught him,
was shaking him severely. The shaking woke him up, and the beetle
changed to Jack, who was trying to pull Peter out of bed.
"What's matter?" grumbled Peter vaguely, struggling into a sitting
position. "I don't want to get up."
"You must," said Jack, serenely, "or we shall start without you."
"Start? what? where? when? Beetle-hunting?"
"Peter, you are not awake! What do you mean by such delirious talk? Put
on your clothes, and come down to breakfast. We're all waiting."
Jack vanished, and Peter, wondering what was the matter, got out of bed
with manifest reluctance. A cold bath drove the fumes of sleep from his
head, and dressing rapidly, he repaired to the dining-room, where he
found his friends and Rafael making a hasty meal. Peter stared, and
began to ask questions.
"Now what is----?"
"Oh, here's Peter," said Philip, looking up with a smile. "Come on,
sluggard, and have something to eat. We are going to Cuavaca by train."
"Train!" repeated the doctor, taking his seat. "What train?"
"Jack's train, you idiot," said Tim, giving Peter a dig in the ribs.
"Your wits are wandering!"
"I think yours must be," retorted Peter, addressing the company
collectively. "What is the meaning of this early rising?"
"We are going to Cuavaca."
"Never heard of it."
"Then you hear of it now," said Jack, crossly; "how stupid you are,
Peter. I will explain: we saw Pepe, the zambo, last night, and on
condition that his life is spared, he has promised to guide us to the
city of Totatzine by this second secret way."
"Oh! and Cuavaca?"
"Cuavaca is a town thirty miles inland. The railway line is laid down
to that place, and twenty miles beyond. We are taking a thousand troops
to Cuavaca, and intend to leave them there, while Pepe shows us the
cañon road. Then we will lead them by that way to Totatzine, save
Cocom, take Xuarez prisoner, and secure the opal."
"But," said Peter, argumentatively, "is the end of your railway near
this hidden city? or does a trackless forest lie between the terminus
and the cañon road?"
Jack made a diagram on the tablecloth with knives and plates.
"Look, Peter! This is Tlatonac. This Cuavaca. We go to the latter place
by rail. From Cuavaca the railway is constructed another twenty miles,
and stops in the middle of a vast forest. Here, according to Pepe, is
Totatzine, sunken out of sight in its hollow valley. Between the end of
the railway and Totatzine is a distance of twenty miles, more or
less----"
"Of tangled forest and brushwood!"
"Nothing of the sort. Don't I tell you Pepe has promised to show us the
secret way--the other secret way? The entrance is from a ruined city,
about a mile to the right of the railway works. We find out that city,
take our men from Cuavaca to it, and thence march up the cañon road to
Totatzine."
"Dios! Don Juan!" exclaimed Rafael, who had been looking at Jack's
table-map. "It seems to me that if the railway goes on it will pass by
and reveal this hidden city."
"Not it. Had there been a chance of its doing so, we would have had
trouble with the Indians pulling up the rails. No, mi amigo. The line
is surveyed a long distance further on. If it turned to the right, it
might certainly hit Totatzine; but, as you see, it trends to the left,
and if used for a century could never reveal the existence of the
sacred city. Ixtlilxochitli saw that, and did not mind the railway
passing, so to speak, by his door. The city is too well hidden by its
encircling mountains and by the windings of the cañon to be discovered
without special exploration."
"But it seems to me awfully stupid that the priests should take so much
trouble over the one secret way and never bother about the other."
This observation of Philip's seemed to strike Jack, and he reflected a
few moments before he replied.
"What you say is very true, Philip," he replied slowly; "the secret way
leading to the sea is very complicated, and even then the priests
always blindfold pilgrims on the platform. This other road, leading
from the ruined city, must be blocked up by rubbish, and what not.
There is a wall across the entrance to the cañon, but it is pierced by
a gate always open. No one comes by the narrow track, so I expect the
entrance to that road has been choked up, and the way fallen into
disuse."
"Then how did Pepe find it out?"
"Lord knows! But the secret must be his alone else the priests would
have destroyed the cañon path leading to the pierced wall, and so cut
off communication entirely from that side of the town."
"I hope Pepe is not leading us into an ambush," said Peter, anxiously,
as they arose to go.
"If he does, it will cost him his life," replied Philip, grimly. "Pepe,
my dear doctor, marches before us with a pistol at his head. The first
signs of treachery, and he falls dead. I don't think he'll risk that
catastrophe."
By this time Peter had concluded his breakfast, and they all set out to
the Puerta de la Culebra, near which, beyond the walls, was the railway
station. On the previous night Pepe, under promise of his life being
spared, had admitted that Don Hypolito had fled northward overland to
Totatzine, gaining the city by the inland secret way. This road Pepe
promised to reveal on condition that the President spared his life.
Next morning, Rafael told his father of the offer, and, as Don Miguel
was anxious to capture Xuarez, he readily assented to the proposition
of the zambo.
Of course the six thousand Indians, who had been disbanded by the
influence of the opal, were not in the sacred city. Their villages were
far to the north, near Acauhtzin, and as they only came south to the
festivals of the opal, by the secret way of the sea, it was unlikely
that the troops led by Rafael and Jack would encounter any resistance.
The forests where the railway ended, and where, according to Pepe, the
cañon road began, were singularly devoid of population. This might have
been caused by the jealousy of the priests, lest some wandering Indians
should find the entrance to the cañon road from the ruined city. If so,
this jealous suspicion caused their ruin; for, had the district been
infested with Indians, they, seeing an unusual concourse of soldiers at
Cuavaca, would at once have warned the priests of the intended invasion
of Totatzine. Then the cañon road could have been easily defended
against the troops from Tlatonac by a small body of defenders, and the
disaster averted. As it was, however, the inhabitants of the sacred
city were entirely ignorant of their danger until the foe was under
their walls.
The railway line was completed as far as Cuavaca, a little inland
village which promised to shortly develop into a city, owing to its
being the future starting place, whence lines were to run north and
south throughout the whole length of Cholacaca. From the capital to
this terminus extended a vast plain for over thirty miles, so that
there was no difficulty in laying the line, and it had been speedily
completed under the vigorous superintendence of Jack. There were no
engineering difficulties to be overcome, and the railway ran easily in
a straight line over the plains to the foot of the volcano Xicotencatl,
where Cuavaca was situated. From this point began a rugged and
mountainous country, which extended northward as far as Acauhtzin.
Twenty miles of railway had been constructed with great difficulty, as,
owing to the configuration of the country, the line was singularly
curving and irregular. Bridges had to be built across cañons, tunnels
had to be pierced through solid rock, and embankments, faced with stone
walls, constructed where the ground fell away rapidly to moderately
sized plains. The district was situated in the tierra templada, about
ten thousand feet above sea level; but, the grade constantly ascending
as the iron road went northward, it was calculated by Jack that the
last portion of the way would run some short distance below the snow
line of the tierra friá.
This expedition to capture Totatzine was not without its dangers. It
was the season of festival and the sacred city would doubtless be
filled with fanatical worshippers, who would fiercely resist the
attempted seizure of their shrines. A thousand well-armed infantry were
sent to Cuavaca by Don Miguel, and, leaving these quartered in the
village, Jack, with his three friends and Rafael, guided by Pepe, went
forward to search for the secret entrance. When this was found, they
intended to return and take the troops by railway twenty miles, and
thence lead them by the secret entrance up the cañon road. When this
was done, a reinforcement of another thousand soldiers was to arrive at
Cuavaca, and await instructions there, lest the first should fail to
capture the city. The engines running on the line from Cuavaca were
singularly powerful machines, strongly built, so as to ascend the
gradient to the northward, and there were plenty of trucks in which
troops could be taken to the end of the railway. Jack also had a few
carriages shifted from the Cuavaca line to that running northward, so
that the whole body of soldiers now stationed at the little town could
be conveyed to the hoped-for entrance of the cañon road in a remarkably
short space of time.
By noon all the troops were quartered at Cuavaca, and then Jack started
by the northern line for the cañon road. He only took an engine with
one carriage, so as to travel as rapidly as possible. At first he
wanted to go forward himself with Pepe, but Philip would in no way
consent to his doing this.
"You can't trust that zambo, Jack," he said, decisively; "he might take
advantage of your being alone, and knock you on the head."
"Scarcely, when I am armed and he is not. If only we two go, we can
travel on the engine. If you all come, I must fix on a carriage."
"Well, that won't make much difference," retorted Philip, quickly. "We
are all keen on the business, and want to see how matters turn out.
Tim, Peter, Rafael, and myself are all coming with you, Jack; so hitch
on a carriage to your engine right away."
This was accordingly done without further objection on the part of
Duval, and they left Cuavaca about one o'clock, travelling rapidly so
as to reach the terminus with as little delay as possible. According to
Pepe, it would take some hours for them to discover the ruined city,
and they did not expect to return before six o'clock. Then it would
have to be decided whether they would take the troops on to the ruined
city at once, or wait till the next day.
Cuavaca was situate at the base of the great volcano Xicotencatl, which
reared its white peak high above the surrounding mountains. North and
south stretched ranges from the central point with summits more or less
covered with snow, and from Cuavaca began dense forests which clothed
the slopes of these mighty hills. Leaving the village by the side
towards the north, the engine with its solitary carriage ran through a
moderately long tunnel piercing a high range of hills, which shot
outward at right angles from the principal mountains. From thence it
emerged on to a deep valley, and skirted the side of the hills in a
winding track cut out of the solid rock. Jack was on board the engine
with the driver, personally superintending the journey, and his three
friends with Rafael were admiring the view from the windows of the
carriage. Pepe, guarded by two soldiers, was seated at the end of the
carriage, and looked anything but cheerful under such surveillance.
The scenery was truly wonderful. Sliding along the side of the
mountains, those in the carriage looking out, saw not the line on which
they were running, but looked down eight or nine hundred feet into the
depths below. Sometimes the line was built of solid masonry clamped
with iron, and it was anything but pleasant to think how the train was
clinging like a fly to the perpendicular sides of the giant hills.
Below swirled rapid torrents raging over black rocks, or flowing in
broad streams between flat mud-banks. The engine would proceed along a
level for some distance, then pant slowly up an ascending gradient;
suddenly turning a sharp curve, she would shoot breathlessly down a
decline on to a long narrow bridge thrown across a wide expanse of
river bed intersected by thin streams, which at time of rain joined
their forces into one vast flood. Owing to the infinite windings of the
line, it was built on the narrow gauge system, so as to permit the
quick turning of curves, and when the engine, leaning to one side, shot
round these turnings, the sensation was anything but pleasant.
"It's a most wonderful line, so far as engineering goes," said Philip,
drawing back from the window with a sudden qualm, as the carriage
rocked dangerously; "but it is devilishly unpleasant. If we went over!"
"There wouldn't be much of us left," said Tim grimly. "Begad, Philip,
I've been in a mighty lot of railway trains, but this line of Jack's
beats Banagher, and Banagher beats the devil."
"Santissima!" said Rafael, uneasily, "I trust, Señores this devil of an
engine will not fall over the cliff."
"I'd never travel on this line for pleasure," cried Peter, who was
seated on the opposite side to the precipice for safety; "nor do I
think it will be much patronised by people when opened."
"The sea for me," remarked Philip, thankfully; "anything but being
boxed up in this place, with a chance of falling five or six thousand
feet without hope of getting out of the carriage."
In truth the journey was singularly unpleasant in many places. Jack had
constructed his line thoroughly well; but there was no denying that the
sudden turns, the unexpected descents, the narrow bridges, and the
frequent tunnels, were enough to shake the nerves of the strongest man.
On all sides arose the snow-clad peaks, far below ran rivers, spread
forests, gaped cañons and between heaven and earth crawled the train,
holding on to the sides of mountains. The colours and lights sweeping
over the scenery were exquisite, the landscape below, above, was grand
and impressive, but the four men in the carriage felt somewhat nervous
at this tremendous journey. In ordinary cases, they were brave enough,
and prepared for any emergency; but boxed up in this carriage they felt
helpless should an accident occur. As to Jack, he was used to such
travelling, and looked at his work with great pride.
At length the engine shot from a deep and narrow cutting into the
depths of a broad-spreading forest, clothing a deep valley. Through its
centre ran a torrent, and the line skirted this to the left, through
dense woodland, towards the high peaks of a mountain in the far
distance. Midway in this valley the engine slowed down, and ultimately
stopped. Philip, looking out of the window, saw a wide clearing, with
upturned soil, fallen trees, and here and there huts erected. It was
the terminus of the railway; and, thankful to have arrived in safety,
they all jumped out on to the sward with alacrity.
Beyond this clearing appeared a track cut through the forest, trending
in the direction of the distant peaks, but the line stopped at the
beginning of this avenue. Scattered rails, piles of sleepers, the
abrupt termination of the line, showed that it went no further. Between
this point and the unknown city of Totatzine intervened a distance of
twenty miles. The little party, with their guns and revolvers all in
order, stood looking around them at the unfinished line. Pepe, guarded
by the two soldiers, was sullen and watchful.
"And where is Totatzine?" said Rafael, staring round this wilderness of
trees.
Pepe pointed to the north-east, beyond the peaks.
"It is there, Señor. In the hollow of the hills."
"And the buried city?"
"Bueno! I will show it to you, Señores."
"One moment, Pepe," said Jack, staying the zambo, as he turned off to
the left, "how can you tell the way to this city from here?"
"Dios! Señor Americano, I escaped from Totatzine to this place four
months ago. I was sent by Don Hypolito before the war to the priest
Ixtlilxochitli, and he detained me in the city. I could not find the
secret way to the sea, and one night went out through the wall on to
the cañon road. It led me many miles along the side of the cliffs, then
down a staircase into a forest; at length, Señores, it took me through
a tunnel. I had to climb over some rubbish of stones and earth up
another staircase, and found myself in a large city of ruins. Leaving
that, I pushed through the forest to the left, and came upon this
clearing, where I found the men of the Señor Americano at work. They
took me to Tlatonac, and there I remained till I went to Acauhtzin with
Marina, as the Señor knows."
"Did you tell my men of your discovery of this way?" asked Jack,
abruptly.
"No, Señor Americano. I feared the vengeance of the priests."
"Was the railway at this point four months ago, Jack?" asked Philip,
looking round at the clearing.
"Yes. There was a possibility of war, and I was just going to England
to get you to come here. The works were left in the condition you now
see them. If this zambo escaped, as he says, he could easily have
reached Tlatonac from this point."
"Bueno!" said Rafael, in a satisfied tone, "thus far his story is true.
Let us go forward, amigos."
Jack made a sign to Pepe, who at once proceeded to walk towards the
woods on the left, guarded by the two soldiers. His escort was well
armed, so the zambo did not try to escape, knowing that before he could
run a few yards he would have a bullet in his skull. The rest of the
party followed, keeping their revolvers handy, in case of a possible
surprise from Indians. They saw none, however, as the forest was
completely deserted by all humanity. Pepe pushed forward through the
brushwood, and they followed. In case they should lose their way, they
blazed the trees with the hatchets with which they had taken care to
provide themselves. Jack was resolved not to trust the zambo too far.
For about a mile they proceeded through a comparatively well-defined
track in a north-western direction, then suddenly turned so as to face
the distant peaks some fifteen miles away. This new path gradually
broadened out into a wide avenue, and at the end of three miles,
buildings, and ruins of walls began to make their appearance in a
scattered fashion. At length, at the conclusion of another mile, they
entered a paved road, adorned on either side by statues of Aztec
deities, similar to those on the platform facing the sea.
"I cannot believe that this city is unknown," said Jack to Philip, as
they marched on abreast behind Pepe and his guards.
"Why not? No one would suspect its existence from the railway
clearing."
"No, that is true! But occasionally there must be some tribes of
Indians about here, and they would be sure to hit upon it. Between the
clearing and the beginning of this broad road it is but four miles, and
the tracks seemed pretty well defined--clear enough at all events, to
guide anyone hither. Once in this avenue, and it is easy to strike the
city--as now."
They had emerged suddenly into a vast space, built over with mansions,
palaces, temples, and mighty walls. A pyramid of earth, surmounted by a
ruined teocalli, was placed in the centre of the city and the wide
streets shot off from this omphalos in a similar way to those of
Totatzine. In fact, on exploring the city thoroughly, Jack came to the
conclusion that those who had built Totatzine had also constructed this
place. The plan was precisely the same, and, judging from the massive
buildings, the carven façades of the walls, the broad terraces, and the
enormous flights of steps, it must have been a populous place of some
importance.
"Judging from what we see, I think it must be a royal city," said
Philip, looking awestruck at these colossal works of the dead. "Here,
perchance, the king had his seat, and the secret way was constructed
from this place to the sacred city of Totatzine, where the god
Huitzilopochtli had his shrine."
"At all events, I have no doubt that this city is well known to the
Indians of the present day," replied Jack, decisively; "though
doubtless the entrance to the cañon road, choked up by rubbish, has
escaped their notice. Did they know of its existence, Ixtlilxochitli
would have closed up the narrow track leading round the precipice into
the interior wall."
It was now between four and five o'clock, so they had not much time to
lose if they desired to find the entrance before sunset. The engine, in
charge of the driver, had been left in the clearing, Jack judging it
would be quite safe there, as no Indians seemed to be in the vicinity.
They had brought provisions with them, and if it was necessary, could
camp out in the clearing till dawn, when they could go back to Cuavaca
to bring the troops.
Pepe marched forward into the central square, and then led them towards
the extreme end of the city. Here a surprise awaited them, for they
found that the town was built against a vast cliff, some eighty or
ninety feet in height. A lengthy temple, reached by a flight of steps,
was cut out of the solid rock, with ranges of pillars massive in the
design and architecture.
"Wonderful!" cried Philip, in amazement, as he surveyed the Cyclopean
ruins; "these temples are like those of Petra. What great men must they
have been who built such shrines! A great civilisation once flourished
here, Jack."
"Without doubt," said Tim, who was much impressed by these grand
remains; "these Toltecs, or whatever you call them, were greater than
the Aztecs. Cortes, to my mind, found a vastly inferior civilisation
than had been when these cities were built."
"Carajo, Señor Correspoñsal!" cried Rafael, overhearing his remarks;
"we have nothing like this in Tlatonac."
"Nor are likely to have," said Peter, dryly; "the Toltecs were greater
builders than the Spaniards."
Guided by Pepe, they entered into this rock-hewn temple, and found
themselves in a vast hall. At the back of the shrine, now unoccupied by
any idol, appeared a ruined archway choked up with rubbish. The
explorers had taken the precaution of bringing torches with them,
knowing there was a tunnel to be gone through. From this entrance, as
Pepe informed them, it was fifteen miles to the hidden city of
Totatzine. Lighting the torches, they climbed over the rubbish and
fallen stones heaped in front of the archway, and began to ascend an
immense staircase. Jack and Philip went first of all, followed by Pepe
and his guards, after whom came the three remaining members of the
party.
Up this staircase they ascended, and, at length emerging into the light
of day, found themselves on a vast plateau, thickly covered with
forests. A well-paved road, still gently ascending, stretched through
these woods into the infinite distance. It was overgrown with brushwood
and giant trees; still they found no difficulty in getting along, owing
to the admirable way in which the stone blocks had been laid. This road
ran for five miles, and then suddenly disappeared down a shallow flight
of steps, under a low archway. Here Pepe stopped, and pointed downward.
"These steps, Señor Americano," he said, addressing Jack, "lead down
for a quarter of a mile, then along a tunnel for three-quarters of a
mile. It brings you out on to the bed of the torrent flowing through
the cañon. The narrow path leads from its mouth for nine miles to the
pierced wall. When there, you are just below the walls of Totatzine."
Jack and his friends held a consultation as to the wisdom of proceeding
further that night. The darkness was coming on, and it would be as well
to get back to the clearing before the night. There they could camp
out, and return to Cuavaca for the troops at dawn.
"For my part," said Philip, quietly, "I do not think we need explore
further on our own account. Pepe has spoken truly up to the present,
and without doubt this tunnel leads to the torrent of the cañon and the
narrow path, as he describes. Let us return to the clearing, go back to
Cuavaca, and bring on the troops. They can camp in the ruined city
to-morrow night, and next morning can march to Totatzine."
The rest of the party agreed to this plan, and, leaving the shallow
tunnel at the foot of the protecting range of the Totatzine mountains,
they returned to the camp. Now that he had shown them the way, Pepe
wanted to be set free; but this the whole party unanimously refused to
do.
"No, no, my friend," said Rafael, making himself the mouthpiece of the
others, "you may warn the Indians we are coming. Till Totatzine be
taken by our troops, you are a prisoner."
Pepe was forced to abide by this decision, and composed himself to
sleep in the clearing, watched vigilantly by his guards, who, knowing
that his escape might bring the savages on them, kept a keen eye on his
slumbers.
"To-morrow," said Jack, as they turned in, "we will return to Cuavaca
for the troops, and before nightfall they shall camp in the ruined
city."