As Guatimozin had confessed to Juan Lerma, the three suburbs of the
causeways were already demolished, and their ruined walls, battered by
cannon and blackened by smoke, peered over the lake, along the
causeways, in melancholy ruins. The hand of desolation had extended
still further; at least, in the quarter that was pierced by the dike of
Iztapalapan. Here Cortes commanding in person, and fighting every day at
the head of his army, he had infected the whole division with a share of
his own energy. While Alvarado and Sandoval were contending for a
foothold on the very borders of the city, he had already penetrated it
to the distance of half a mile, destroying many houses, though without
being able to effect a secure and permanent lodgment upon any portion of
the island.
It must not be supposed, that, having reached the island, the Spaniards
could exchange the narrow and ditched causeways for firm and spacious
streets. On the contrary, the causeways, so to speak, were continued up
to within half a mile of the principal square which was in the very
centre of the city, and contained the great pyramid, as well as the
chief temples of Mexico. On either side was a canal both broad and deep,
dividing the road from the houses; and others, running from intersecting
streets, perforated the causeways with chasms, the number of which the
Mexicans had long since greatly increased. The island, which was
circular, did not exceed three miles in diameter, of which the central
third only was dry and solid. Hence the advanced posts of the three
divisions were at no considerable distance from each other; and if the
call of Cortes in the morning was not absolutely heard and answered by
his two lieutenants, the bugles of each could be easily distinguished,
cheering one another as they advanced to the daily assault.
The labour of Cortes in destroying the suburb in his quarter, was less
than that of the others; for here, the lake being deeper, the houses
extended but a short distance from the island. His advanced post was
almost within the limits of the suburb, and separated from the island by
only one ditch, which he had twice or thrice taken and filled up, but
was as often obliged to yield again to the foe, subduing his impatience,
until his lieutenants had advanced equally far in their quarters.
The outposts were always guarded with the most jealous vigilance,
particularly in the later hours of the night, after the rains, which, in
this climate, commonly prevail with the greatest violence between the
hours of noon and midnight. A guard of forty men, with two pieces of
artillery, kept watch until midnight; when, yielding their places to
forty more, but not retiring, they threw themselves to sleep upon the
damp stones and clay. Two hours before dawn, the post was strengthened
by another company of forty, who watched until morning, the others
flinging themselves in their cloaks among the first watchmen. Thus,
there were ready, before day, one hundred and twenty men, the strongest
and boldest of their divisions, who, in case of sudden attack, could
preserve the station, until reinforced by the whole strength of the
division, from the towers of the gates, which were still the
head-quarters of the several divisions. The causeway between the gates
and the pickets, was occupied by patrols of horsemen, who watched lest
the enemy, coming in canoes, should make a descent behind the advanced
post, and thus cut it off.
Two hours after midnight, upon the night in which Juan revealed his
purpose of escaping, the second guard on the causeway of Iztapalapan was
relieved from watch by the coming of the third; and the soldiers flung
themselves, as usual, upon the earth, to prepare for a morning, which,
it was known to all, was to witness a general assault, made
simultaneously by all the divisions, from their three several quarters.
The watchfires were replenished, and two subalterns, the leaders of the
party, advanced a little beyond them, to reconnoitre the condition of
the enemy. Three hundred paces in front, the causeway was intersected by
the ditch, held by the Mexicans; and beyond it, on a strong rampart,
blazed a great fire, in the light of which the pagan sentinels could be
seen, squatting upon the mound, or stalking idly about. The gap was
bridgeless, as was well-known; but this the Spaniards could not observe
with their own eyes, not thinking it prudent to advance within the range
of a Mexican arrow.
As they returned, they conversed together in low voices; and it was
worthy of remark, as indicating how little their spirits were occupied
by the dangers around them, that they bestowed more words upon the
ordinary scandal of the camp than upon the horrible conflicts through
which they had passed, or in which they were yet to mingle.
"They lay this thing of Camarga entirely to the door of Guzman," said
one; "and, in my mind, the imputation were reasonable, could we discover
any cause for enmity between them. They say, that Guzman smothered him
with pillows of cottontree-down. Wherefore--"
"Pho, Najara," said the other, bluffly; "blame not a man upon these vain
fancies; for Camarga was killed by a hard weapon, and by no pillows of
cotton-down or feathers. I found him myself."
"Ay," said Najara, for it was the hunchback, whose companion was no
other than the worthy historian, Bernal Diaz del Castillo,--"Ay, senor
amigo, but he was not dead; and we are speaking of two very different
events: to make which palpable to thy historical wits, we must e'en go
back to the starting point. It is with a man of ill mind as with a
cannonier; who, if he look for the mark of his ball in a forest, must go
back to the place whence he shot it, and take the range over again."
"I do not understand thy trope," said Bernal, "nor what thou meanest by
an 'ill mind,' not having one myself, but one that harbours animosities
against none but Indians. As for Camarga, I found him myself. It was
when we marched out of Tezcuco, by the northern road; for I was then
with Alvarado, going to Tacuba. I say it, and it is to my honour, not
shame, that Cortes, when he left the brigantines, demanded me of
Alvarado; 'for,' said he, 'Bernal Diaz is one of my best friends, and a
soldier second to none:' which is true, though I say it myself. De Olid
was with us, with his men. The story is this: When we passed by the
cypress-tree on the hill, I bethought me of a chapter of my book, which
I had lost, I knew not where nor when. 'Now,' said I, 'perhaps I left it
under this tree;' for what with the sudden coming of Juan Lerma, poor
fellow, and the quarrel I had with Gaspar on his account, I departed
from that place, without much thought of what might be left behind me.
But pondering on this, as we passed, I dropped from the ranks, and
hunting about, I saw Camarga lying mangled at the bottom of the hill;
and when we came to examine him, it was plain he had been struggling
there for many hours,--perhaps, all night. We thought he was dead; but
Juan Catalan, the cannonier, who is so good at a fresh wound, said, his
heart was yet beating, and he might live. So we sent him back to
Tezcuco, then in charge of Guzman, that the Indian doctors might see
what could be done for him. And there he died."
"Ay, if we can believe Guzman," said Najara; "and no doubt, he did: but
_how_? Know now, Bernal, for thou art too innocent to look further than
thy nose, that this man's death has made a great noise at head-quarters;
for, somehow, they have come to associate it with the marvellous
disappearance of La Monjonaza; for which there are but two ways of
accounting."
"As how?" said Bernal, gravely. "Gil Ortaga told me, he saw her ghost,
six nights after, in Iztapalapan, dragging the spirit of Villafana by
the hair; which frightened him very much."
"The first thought," said Najara, "is, that she drowned herself for the
love of Juan Lerma, of which--that is, of her love, at least--there is
some proof that might be mentioned, were there any wisdom in speaking
it; and the second, that Guzman hid her in some den about Tezcuco,
trusting to the departure of Cortes on the morrow. It is well known that
Guzman will play rival with the devil himself, if he have taken a fancy
to a woman."
"Fu," said Bernal, "that is a foolish thought."
"Dost thou not know," demanded the hunchback, "that he is in disgrace,
for acts still darker than these? He abused the Indians in the palace,
robbing them of their gold and women, at his will, and greatly incensed
the young king Ixtlilxochitl, who complained to Cortes. Cortes sailed to
Tezcuco in person, and removed him from his government; and now he is in
such disgrace, that were it not for some old friendship between him and
the Captain-General, it is thought, Cortes would utterly renounce him.
The Indians say, that he murdered Camarga, when the poor man was
recovering. But this is improbable. Camarga was a stranger, and without
foes. Yet his fate has greatly troubled the general. As for the lady
Infeliz, Don Francisco persists in averring that he knows nothing about
her. He brought a Tlascalan, who swore he saw both her and Camarga walk
out from the northern gate together, during the review; whereby he would
have us believe they fell into the hands of the Mexicans; but Indians
will swear anything, if you tell them how. It is said, that Guzman has
got permission to serve in the fleet with Garci Holguin, his old friend.
They are two dare-devils together, and neither in very good odour; so
they will doubtless do some desperate act to regain favour.--Hark,
Bernal! dost thou hear nothing?"
"Nothing but the whistling of the Indians at the fire;--for that is the
way they make their signals. We shall have hot work to-morrow,
Najara."--
"Hark!--Ah, 'tis the sound of oars! One of the night-ships is
approaching the dike. What's in the wind now?--Hah, sirrah! what brings
thee out of limits?"
These words were directed to a tall man, cloaked to the eyes, whom they
had not before noticed, who stood hard by, peering into the lake, as if
he sought to discover the approaching vessel. Najara hobbled up to him,
in no little dudgeon, and repeated the question, before the stranger
deigned to answer him. He then turned, and replied, with great coolness,
"Curiosity, crookback, curiosity,--some little itching to know how thou
and thy brother ass, Bernal Diaz, discourse of thy betters. Well,
rogues, have you done? have you despatched mine honour twice over again?
I am not in good odour, hah? I have murdered Camarga, and suborned
Indians to invent fables of La Monjonaza? Out upon ye, fools! I thought
thou wert not so sodden-brained, Najara!"
As if his voice were not enough to make him known, the cavalier removed
the cloak from his visage, and exhibited the iron features of Don
Francisco de Guzman, illuminated by the watchfire hard by. There was
something about his countenance unusually dark and fierce; yet he did
not speak angrily, although Najara perceived he must have overheard some
of his concluding expressions. But Najara was not a man to be daunted
even by a stronger arm and a sterner eye. He replied therefore, with
composure,
"What we have said, senor Don Francisco, we have said, and may take the
same liberty again. But under your favour, senor, I am, just now, the
captain of the guard; and as I cannot number you among my company, I
must e'en make bold to ask your will, as well as your business, here, in
advance of the post?"
"Thou shalt ask, and be answered," said Guzman, clapping his fingers to
his lips, and whistling with a strength that might have done honour to
the neighbouring infidels, though in a manner differing entirely from
any of their signals. "One, two,--three,--and _too-whit! too-whit!_ like
a hungry kite in the morning! Dost thou understand _that_, mi Corcobado?
If thou dost not, then _poco a poco, y paciencia_, as we say after
dinner; for presently thou shalt be made wiser. After which, get thee to
thy dogs there, in the mud, and snore with them.--Ah, _amigo y hermano_!
Garci, _mi corazoncito_! I will know thy pipe among a thousand, for it
whistles out of the nose, like the hiss of a serpent!--Fare ye well,
patches; and heaven send ye a rough rouse in the morning."
While the cavalier was yet speaking, a little boat from the brigantine,
the heavy oars of which they had long since heard, though they could
scarce trace it in the gloom, shot against the causeway; and an officer
of a powerful frame and forbidding aspect, just rendered visible by the
fire, rising up, extended his hand to Guzman, who immediately jumped
aboard, and took a seat at his side. It was then pushed off, and soon
vanished on the lake.
"There they go," said Najara, not without admiration, "two imps after
the devil's own liking, strong-handed, tough-headed, hard-hearted! Wo
betide ye, brown lambkins of Mexico! for these wolves have scented a
hole in your pinfold. I tell thee, Bernal, man, we shall have rare work
to-morrow, and these men will make it rarer. When the gall comes from
Guzman's lips, the devil is waked up in his liver. 'A rough rouse in the
morning!' For thy good wish, mayst thou have as rugged a couch in the
evening--Amen! for I love thee not."