It was now six months since Roger was wrecked on the coast of
Tabasco, he spoke the native language with perfect fluency, and had
learned all that was known as to the nations round Tabasco.
Malinche was his chief source of information. She herself did not
belong to the country, but, as she told Roger, to a tribe that had
been conquered by far mightier people, called Aztecs, who lived
farther to the west.
It was from them, she said, that the people of Tabasco obtained
their gold; which was there very plentiful, and was thought but
little of, as being useful only for ornaments, drinking cups, and
similar purposes. They dwelt in a city named Mexico, standing in
the midst of a lake. There were kindred peoples near them, and the
country generally was called Anahuac. All were subject to the
Aztecs, and their armies had gradually conquered all the
surrounding peoples.
They possessed great temples, compared to which those of Tabasco
were as nothing. Their gods were very powerful, and all prisoners
taken in war were sacrificed to them. They had rich mantles and
clothing, and the Tabascans were but savages, in comparison.
Being asked how it was that she, who was a native of such a nation,
came to be a slave among the Tabascans, she replied with tears that
she had been sold. Her father had been a rich and powerful cazique,
of Painalla, on the southeastern borders of the Mexican kingdom. He
had died when she was very young, and her mother had married again,
and had a son. One night her mother had handed her over to some
traders, by whom she had been carried away. She had learned, from
their conversation, that her mother desired her son to inherit all
her possessions; and that she had, therefore, sold her to these
traders. The daughter of one of her slaves had died that evening,
and she intended to give out that Malinche was dead, and to
celebrate her funeral in the usual way. The traders had brought her
to Tabasco, and sold her to the cazique of that town.
"But this mother of yours must be an infamous woman, Malinche,"
Roger said indignantly, "thus to sell away her own daughter to be a
slave!"
"Girls are not much good," Malinche said, sadly. "They cannot
fight, and they cannot govern a people. It was natural that my
mother should prefer her son to me, and should wish to see him a
cazique, when he grew up."
Roger refused to see the matter in that light, at all, and was
indignant at Malinche for the forbearance that she showed, in
speaking of the author of her misfortunes.
This conversation had taken place at the time when Roger had first
learned to converse in the Tabascan language. The girl's
statements, with regard to the wealth of the country to which she
belonged, had fired his imagination. This was doubtless the country
concerning which rumors were current among the Spanish islands, and
with whom it had been the purpose of his father's expedition to
open trade.
Malinche told him that they spoke a language quite different from
that of the Tabascans. There were many dialects among the various
peoples under the sway of the Aztecs; but all could understand each
other, as they had all come down, from the far north, to settle in
the country.
Thinking the matter over he determined, if possible, that he would
someday make his way over to Malinche's country, which seemed so
far in advance of the Tabascans.
"The Spaniards will go there some day," he said; "and although they
would kill me without hesitation, if they found an Englishman there
before them; I might yet, in some way or other, manage to achieve
my escape."
Accordingly, he asked Malinche to teach him her language; and at
the end of the six months he could converse with her in it, almost
as readily as he could in Tabascan; for in learning it he had none
of the initial difficulties he had at first encountered, in
acquiring Tabascan--the latter language serving as a medium.
The year which had elapsed, since the Swan sailed from Plymouth,
had effected great alteration in Roger's figure. He had grown
several inches, and had widened out greatly; and was fulfilling the
promise of his earlier figure, by growing into an immensely large
and powerful man. He was, even now, half a head taller than the
very tallest of the natives of Tabasco; and in point of strength,
was still more their superior. Thus, although the belief in his
supernatural origin was rapidly dying out, a certain respect for
his size and strength prevented any of his opponents from any open
exhibition of hostility. The fact, too, of his perfect fearlessness
of demeanor added to this effect. Roger carried himself well, and
as, with head erect, he strolled through the streets of Tabasco,
with a step that contrasted strongly with the light and nimble one
of the slenderly built natives, men made way for him; while his
sunny hair, which fell in short waves back from his forehead, his
fearless gray eyes, and the pleasant expression of his mouth,
rendered him a source of admiration to the women; who, with scarce
an exception, still believed firmly that he was no ordinary human
being.
One day, when Roger was dressing in the morning, he heard excited
talking in the street, and the sound of hurrying feet.
"What has happened this morning, Malinche?" he called out.
"The merchants have come," she said. "The merchants from my
country."
As Roger had heard, from her, that a trade was carried on by Mexico
with the surrounding countries, by merchants who traveled in
parties, with strong bodies of armed men, and that they had been at
Tabasco but a few days only before he had first arrived there, and
might be expected again in about a year, he was not surprised at
the news. He had, indeed, been looking forward to this visit; for
he felt that his position was getting more and more unsafe, and
that the cazique would not be able, much longer, to support him
against the hostility of the majority of the men of importance in
the town. What he had heard from Malinche had greatly raised his
curiosity with regard to her country, and his longing to see these
people, whom she described as invincible in war, and so infinitely
superior in civilization to the Tabascans.
He had closely inquired, from Malinche, whether she thought he
would be well received, did he reach her country. Malinche's
opinion was not encouraging.
"I think," she said, "that they would sacrifice you in the temples.
All our gods love sacrifices, and every year countless persons are
offered up to them."
"It is a horrible custom, Malinche."
Malinche did not seem to be impressed, as he expected.
"Why?" she asked. "They would be killed in battle, were they not
kept for sacrifice. The Aztecs never kill if they can help it, but
take prisoners, so that death comes to them in one way instead of
another; and it is better to be killed in the service of the gods,
than to fall uselessly in battle."
"I don't think so at all, Malinche. In battle one's blood's up, and
one scarcely feels pain; and if one is killed one is killed, and
there is an end of it. That is quite different to being put to
death in cold blood. And do they sacrifice women, as well as men?"
"Sometimes, but not so many," she said; "and in dry weather they
offer up children to Talloc, the god of rain."
"But they cannot capture them in war," Roger said, horrified.
"No, they are sold by their parents, who have large families, and
can do without one or two."
To Malinche, brought up in the hideous religion of the Mexicans,
these things appeared as a matter of course; and she could scarcely
understand the horror, and disgust, which her description of the
sacrifices to her gods caused him.
"And you think that they would sacrifice me, Malinche?"
"I cannot say," she replied. "The priests are masters in these
things. If they said sacrifice, they would sacrifice you; but if
they thought you a god, you would be treated with great honor. How
can I tell? I think that they would pay you greater honor than
here, but of course I cannot tell."
"Why should they pay me greater honor, Malinche?"
"Because one of our gods was white. Quetzalcoatl was the kindest of
our gods. He taught us the use of metals, instructed us how to till
the ground, and laid down all the rules for good government. When
he lived in Anahuac everyone was happy. Every head of corn was so
big that a man could scarce carry one. The earth was full of
flowers and fruit. Cotton grew of many colors, so that there was no
need to dye it, and the very birds sang more sweetly than they have
ever sung since. Ah! If Quetzalcoatl had always stopped with us, we
should have been happy, indeed!"
"But why did he not, Malinche?"
Malinche shook her head.
"He was a god, but not one of the greatest, and one of these grew
angry with him--I cannot tell who. Perhaps it was the god of war,
who saw that the Anahuans were so happy that they no longer went
out to conquer other people, and to provide sacrifices for him.
Perhaps they were jealous, because the people worshiped
Quetzalcoatl more than them. Anyhow, they were angry with him, and
he was obliged to leave us.
"He came down to the sea, and took leave of the people, promising
that he or his descendants would some day revisit them. Then he
took his seat in his boat, which was formed of serpent skins, and
sailed away, and has never been seen again. But we all know that
one day, if he does not come himself, white people will come from
the sea to us.
"I think, Roger, that you are one of the descendants of
Quetzalcoatl; and I think my countrymen would think so, too, and
would hold you in great honor, if the priests, who are very
powerful, did not turn them against you."
"What was this god like?" asked Roger.
"He was tall in stature, and he had a white skin; and his hair was
not like yours, for it was long and dark, and flowed over his
shoulders, and he had a great beard. But as you are tall and white,
you are like him; and as he went towards the rising sun, it may be
that, afterwards, his hair changed from black to a color like
yours, which seems to me brown when you are sitting here, but gold
when the sun falls on it."
"So it seems, Malinche, that I may be sacrificed, or I may be taken
for a god! I would much rather that they would be content to treat
me for what I am--a man like themselves, only of a different race
and color."
Roger had many conversations of this kind with Malinche, and as he
felt his position becoming daily more precarious among the
Tabascans, had come to believe that he should have at least as good
a chance, among the Aztecs, as where he was.
In return for all the girl told him about her country, he told her
much about his own. He explained to her that there were many
peoples among the whites, as among the reds; and they fought
against each other in battle, having weapons which made a noise
like thunder, and killed at a great distance. He told her how one
of these peoples, named Spaniards, had conquered many islands not
very far distant from Tabasco; and how assuredly they would come,
in time, and try to conquer this country, too. He explained that,
while the nation to which he belonged was, at present, at peace
with the Spaniards, they were not allowed to come into this part of
the world; and that, had he and those who had sailed with him
fallen into their hands, they would have been all put to death.
The news, then, that the Aztec traders had arrived was a matter of
as much interest, to Roger, as to the people of the town. These
looked forward to purchasing many things which they could not
otherwise obtain; for the gold ornaments, the rich feather mantles,
and most of the other articles of superior manufacture which Roger
had seen, were not the work of the natives of Tabasco, but of their
powerful neighbors.
The traders would stay, Malinche said, for four or five days, at
least; and Roger, therefore, thought it better not to go out to see
them, until he learned what were the cazique's views concerning
him. He therefore remained quietly at home, all day.
Upon the following morning he received a summons from the cazique.
"White man," the chief said, "I have spoken to the Anahuac traders
concerning you, and they have a great desire to see you. Therefore
you will, this morning, accompany us to their camp."
An hour afterwards Roger started with the cazique, and a numerous
body of the latter's counselors and attendants. The encampment of
the Anahuans was a quarter of a mile from the town. In the center
rose a large tent, the abode of the merchants; and around, ranged
in regular order, were the rough huts erected by their escort.
These were assembled in military array. They were, like the
Tabascan soldiers, clad in thick quilted doublets. Their spears
were tipped with copper; or with obsidian, a stone resembling
flint, of great hardness, and capable of taking a very sharp edge.
In front of the tent were several banners, embroidered in different
devices in gold and feather work. Roger afterwards learned that
merchants were held in far higher consideration in Anahuac than in
Europe, that their business was considered as one of great honor,
and that they were permitted to assume what may be called heraldic
devices on their standards, to carry bright-feathered plumes, and
to wear gold ornaments--such decorations being only allowed to
warriors who had, by their deeds in battle, been admitted into an
institution which closely resembled that of knighthood; all others
dressing in plain white cloths, woven from thread obtained from the
aloe. Even members of the royal family were not exempted from this
law.
The whole trade of the country was in the hands of these merchants,
who traded not only to its utmost borders, but with neighboring
people. They were allowed to raise forces sufficient for their
protection; they furnished the government with descriptions of the
people they visited; and often afforded the State a pretext for
wars and annexations, by getting up quarrels with the natives. They
resembled, in fact, the East India Company during the last century,
mingling in their persons the military and mercantile character.
In addition to their soldier escort, they took with them on their
journeys a vast number of slaves. These carried the merchandise,
made up into packets weighing about eighty pounds. Many of these
slaves had been instructed in the arts of the Aztecs, and there
were among them musicians, singers, dancers, and workers in metal
and feather work; and these were sold, at high rates, to the people
with whom they traded.
The merchants, who were attired in rich feather mantles, with
plumes of bright feathers upon their heads, came to the entrance of
their tent when the cazique, with his company, approached. After
some talk between them and the chief, by means of an interpreter,
Roger was brought forward from the rear of the company.
The merchants inspected him with grave curiosity. They turned and
talked among themselves; then they invited the chief to enter their
tent. He remained there for some time, and when he came out again
returned to his companions and, ordering four of his soldiers to
accompany him back to the town, left the rest of his party to
traffic as they chose with the merchants.
He did not address Roger until they reached his house, and then
bade him enter with him.
"White man," he said, "the Anahuan merchants wish to carry you away
with them to their own country; and have offered, in exchange,
sundry slaves and articles of merchandise. I would not have parted
with you; and have told them, indeed, that you were no slave of
mine, to sell as I chose, but a stranger who had come to visit me
from I know not where; and have also told them that, if you go with
them, it must be of your own free choice, for that misfortune might
fall upon my people, did I treat you with aught but honor.
"It is, then, for you to decide. You know that I wish well to you,
and hold you in great esteem, deeming that your visit here will
give prosperity, as well as honor, to Tabasco. But there are those
among my people who are foolish and headstrong, and who view your
coming with suspicion. The priests, too, are unfavorably disposed
towards you, and have long urged that you would make a most
acceptable sacrifice to the gods. So far I have withstood them, but
I am old and cannot look to live long, and after I have gone your
enemies would assuredly have their way. Therefore I think it is for
your good that you should go with these merchants."
The cazique was speaking the truth, but not the whole truth. The
merchants had offered, in slaves and goods, an amount which had
excited his cupidity; and he was, moreover, glad to be rid of the
presence of one who was the cause of constant dispute and trouble
in his councils. At the same time, he still believed in the
supernatural powers of his visitor; and was afraid that, if the
latter went against his will, he might invoke all sorts of ills and
misfortunes upon Tabasco.
He was much relieved then, when Roger replied that he was willing
to go with the merchants.
"I have seen," he said, "that my presence here is unwelcome to
many, and that I was the cause of trouble. I know, too, cazique,
that you have befriended me to the utmost, while many others have
been against me. I am willing, then, to depart."
Great was the grief of Malinche when she learned, from Roger, that
he was to go with the Anahuans.
"Could not my lord take me with him?" she asked presently, as her
sobs lessened in violence.
"I shall be but a slave myself, Malinche."
"If you ask the cazique he will let me go with you. I am but of
little value to him."
Roger did not answer for some minutes. He would have been glad,
indeed, to have had Malinche--who had been his companion and
friend, and whom he regarded almost as a sister--with him, but
there were many things to be considered. He might be well received
in this new country, but he might be sacrificed to these gods of
theirs; and in that case Malinche might share his fate--as she said
that even women were offered up. Even if well received, he might
not be able to have Malinche with him.
Besides, of course he did not want her as an attendant, and in what
other capacity could she go? If he got into trouble, and had to try
to escape from their land, he might not be able to carry her off,
too. If they were separated, what was to become of her? She could
not go to the mother who had sold her as a slave. No; certainly, he
decided, he must go without her.
"Malinche," he said, after a long silence, "it cannot be. There is
no saying what my fate may be, among your people. I may be offered
up to those terrible gods you told me of. I may be treated as a
slave. There is no saying what might happen. At any rate, I shall
be unable to afford you any protection. Were we separated, as it is
almost certain we should be, where could you go, or what would
become of you? Besides, how in any case could we keep together? I
could not have you as a slave, even if I wanted to do so, in your
own country; and how else could you go with me? If you like, I will
ask the cazique for your freedom, so that you might travel back to
your own country with the merchants."
The girl shook her head.
"I have no friends there, now," she said. "Where should I go?"
"That is just what I am saying, Malinche. There is nowhere for you
to go except with me; and I do not see how you could go with me. If
you do not like this, I will promise you that, if things turn out
well with me in your country, I will send by the next merchants who
come here, and buy you from the cazique, and find friends for you
there, and place you with them."
"You would have wives there," the girl said passionately; "and you
would never think any more of me."
Roger burst into a loud laugh.
"Why, Malinche, I am only a boy! I am not yet eighteen; and in my
country we do not think of taking wives, until we are eight or ten
years older than that. It is a serious thing with us, for each man
has only one wife; and it behooves him, therefore, to be very
careful in making his choice. I hope, long before it comes to my
time for thinking of marriage, to be back in my own country and
among my own people. If I were to marry here, how could I ever
think of going away? I could not go and leave a wife behind me. I
could not take her away with me, because she would never be happy
among a strange people, any more than I should be happy if I lived
here.
"No, no, Malinche, there is no fear of my marrying, any more than
there is of my forgetting you. You can trust me. If I live, and do
well in your country, I will send for you; and I will tell your
people that you have been as a sister to me, and will see that this
mother of yours does you justice, and that you shall come to your
own again, and you shall marry some cazique of your own choice. If
you do not hear from me, you will know that things have gone badly
with me, and that either I have been sacrificed to your gods, or
that I am held as a slave and have no power, whatever, to help
you."
Malinche said no more. Her dark eyes were full of tears, but with
the habit of submission natural to Mexican women, she simply took
Roger's hand and placed it against her forehead.
"Malinche will wait," she said, and then hurried from the room.
Before leaving, Roger gave Malinche several of the handsomest of
the bracelets and necklaces that had been bestowed on him, in the
first flush of his popularity at Tabasco; and gave presents also to
the old woman. The two girls wept bitterly when he said goodbye to
them, and Roger, himself, had to fight hard to restrain his tears.
"It is as bad," he said to himself, "as it was saying goodbye to
Dorothy and Agnes. Color does not matter much, after all. Malinche
is just as good and kind as if she were white."
The cazique himself conducted Roger to the Anahuac encampment. He
had, that morning, made him various presents of robes and mantles,
for he was very desirous that his visitor should part in goodwill
from him; and he again impressed upon him the fact that he only
parted with him because he felt that he could not protect him from
the ill will of some of his people.
The merchants made no secret of their satisfaction, as soon as they
had handed to the cazique the goods and slaves they had agreed to
give, in exchange for Roger. They had, like the cazique, pretended
to be indifferent as to the bargain; and had haggled with him over
the terms of the purchase. But both parties were equally desirous
of concluding the agreement and, while the cazique considered that
he was making an excellent bargain for the visitor who had
voluntarily placed himself in his hands, the merchants were still
more delighted.
In the first place, the Mexicans were, as Malinche had told Roger,
looking for the arrival of Quetzalcoatl, or of a white descendant
of his from the sea; and if Roger were to turn out to be the
expected god, the honor which would fall upon them, as his
producer, would be great, indeed. But even should this not prove
so, they would gain great credit, to say nothing of profit, by
bringing home so singular a being, who would either be received in
high honor by the king, or would be one of the most acceptable
sacrifices ever offered to the gods.
As soon, therefore, as the cazique had left, they addressed Roger
in terms of high respect, and presented to him some of their most
handsome feather robes, tiaras with plumes, ornaments, and arms.
To their stupefaction, Roger replied in their own language, and as
they were in ignorance that the cazique possessed a countrywoman of
their own, among his slaves, they regarded this as a miracle of the
most singular kind, and as an indisputable proof of the
supernatural nature of their visitant. It was true that he did not
speak as a native, but Quetzalcoatl, himself, might well have
forgotten somewhat of his own language, in his hundreds of years of
absence from Mexico.
The large tent was at once placed at Roger's disposal, the
merchants contenting themselves with a smaller one, raised beside
it. A number of slaves were told off to attend upon him, and his
meals were served with the greatest ceremony and deference.
That night, as Roger lay upon the soft pile of quilted rugs
prepared for him, his mind was sorely troubled as to his position.
Was he right in allowing them to deceive themselves into a belief
that he was a supernatural being? Ought he not, rather, to tell
them that all these gods they worshiped were false, and that there
was but one true God--He who was worshiped by the White men?
Thinking it over in every way, he concluded at last that there was
no necessity for him, at present, to undeceive the Anahuans. He
would do no good by doing so, and would ensure his own destruction.
He resolved however, that nothing should induce him to pay honor to
their gods, or to take any part in their bloody sacrifices.
"They can kill me if they will," he said; "but I am not going to be
false to my religion. If they should not kill me I may be able, in
time, to persuade them that their gods are false; but for the
present it would be madness to try to do so. From what Malinche
said they are devoted to their religion, and the priests are all
powerful. If I am to do any good, therefore, it must be done
gradually.
"What should we think, at home, if an Indian were to arrive, and to
try and teach us that our God was a false one? Why, he would be
burnt at the stake, in no time. And one cannot expect that these
Indians would be more patient, in such a matter, than we should.
When the Spaniards come, they will doubtless overthrow their gods,
and force them to be Christians, just as they have the peoples in
the islands."
The next morning, early, the tents were pulled down, the slaves
loaded up with what merchandise remained unsold, with the tents and
provisions for the journey, and the caravan started for the west. A
party of the soldiers marched first. Then came the merchants, with
Roger and a small guard of armed men. They were followed by the
slaves, and another body of troops brought up the rear.
For six days they passed through a country more or less cultivated,
with villages scattered about. One of these was always chosen for
their stopping place, and Roger admired the regularity and order
with which the encampment was formed, and the good conduct observed
in the dealings with the people.
Provisions were obtained by barter, and the inhabitants mingled
fearlessly with the trading party. He remarked on this to the
merchants, who replied that it was always their custom to keep on
the most friendly terms with the people.
"Our caravans," they said, "visit all the countries round our own,
and did one of them ill treat the natives, the others would suffer
for it. Therefore, we are always particular to give them no cause
for dissatisfaction. The empire is extensive, and many parts of it
are but newly conquered; therefore we should be gravely blamed,
were we to embroil ourselves with its neighbors, until the king
desired to carry his arms in that direction.
"Sometimes we have trouble. We were with a party who, a few years
back, were attacked of the people of Ayotlan. We saw that trouble
was coming, and fortified our camp; and for four years carried on
war with the town, and in the end captured it. But this was forced
upon us, and we had the approval of the king. All those concerned
in the struggle were permitted to have banners of their own, and
military emblems."
"How did you supply yourselves with provisions all the time?"
"The country people were neutral. That was the advantage we had
from having always treated them well, while the cazique of Ayotlan
had been a tyrant, and had greatly oppressed them. So they brought
in provisions to us for sale, and we had less difficulty, in that
way, than the people of the town."
At last the villages of the Tabascans were left behind. For some
days the caravans traveled through a very sparsely populated
country, and then arrived at a large village, where the Anahuac
language was spoken.
"We are now in the country of the king," the principal merchant
said. "All over it you will find the same language spoken; for
although there are many people who lived under their own chiefs,
and many of whom have been but lately conquered, the language is
similar, though spoken with differences, for all the tribes came
down from the north and settled here."
"And who dwelt here before they came?"
"A people called the Toltecs. They were a great people, well
instructed in agriculture, great workers in metals and builders of
grand cities."
"And what became of them?"
"It is not known, but misfortunes came upon them, famine or
disease, and it is said that they went away to the south. Then came
a people called the Chichemecs, a barbarous people from the north,
whom we found here when we came. Of us, the greatest tribe were the
Aztecs, who settled on one side of the great lake and built a city
there, called Tenochtitlan, or sometimes Mexico, from the great war
god Mexitli.
"Another great tribe were the Tezcucans, to which we belong; and
our capital is Tezcuco, on the eastern side of the same lake.
Mexico and Tezcuco formed an alliance; and with us was Tlacopan, a
smaller kingdom, hard by. It was agreed that in all wars, one-fifth
of the spoil should go to the Tlacopans, and the rest be divided
between the Aztecs and the Tezcucans. This alliance has remained
unbroken, and together we have conquered all the countries round,
and from sea to sea."
"What sea?" Roger interrupted.
"There is, on the west, another great sea like this on the east,
which stretches away no man knows whither; and between these two
seas all the peoples, save one, acknowledge the dominion of
Mexico--for although we are in alliance, the Aztecs have of late
years taken the lead, for they have had very great monarchs, and
are more war loving than we of Tezcuco; and our kings, and those of
Tlacopan, acknowledge the Aztecs to be the leading power, and give
to their king the title of Emperor.
"We maintain our own laws and usages. Our king places the crown
upon the head of each new monarch of Mexico, but we own him to be
the chief of our Confederacy, and the more distant countries, that
have but recently been conquered, have been assigned entirely to
the Aztecs, although we have had our proper share in the slaves and
spoil taken in the war."
"And what is the one state that has not been conquered by your
Confederacy?"
"Tlascala. It lies high up among the mountains and, although but a
small state, has maintained its independence, and has several times
repulsed the attacks of our best soldiers."
Roger thought that Tlascala must be a sort of Mexican Switzerland.
"It is singular that a small state should have resisted so long,"
he said.
"They have not been very often attacked," the merchant replied.
"There is little to be got from them but hard knocks. The country
is not fertile, the cold is too great, and they have only the
necessities of life. Except for slaves, and for sacrifice to the
gods, there is nothing to be gained by their conquest."
"And you all worship the same gods?" Roger asked.
"Assuredly," he said, "although some are thought more highly of in
one kingdom, some in another. Mexitli--or as he is generally
called, Huitzilopotchli--is of course the greatest everywhere; but
he is worshiped most of all by the Aztecs. Quetzalcoatl is also
greatly worshiped."
As he spoke, the merchant glanced furtively up at Roger. The lad
saw that this was a favorable opportunity for creating an
impression. He smiled quietly.
"It is right that he should be," he said, "since he taught you all
the good things you know; and was, like myself, white."
This proof of the great knowledge possessed by the being before him
vastly impressed the Mexican. How could this strange being know the
Mexican tongue, and be acquainted with its gods, unless he were one
of them? It had pleased him to assume ignorance of other matters,
but doubtless he was well aware of everything that had passed in
the country since he left it. Henceforth the respect which he and
his companions paid to Roger was redoubled.
As soon as they had reached the borders of Mexico, a swift runner
had been dispatched to the nearest post with a message, to be sent
forward to the King of Tezcuco, with the tidings of the arrival of
a strange white being in the land; and asking for instructions as
to what was to be done with him. In the meantime, the merchants
told Roger that they wished him to abstain from going out into the
various villages and towns at which they stopped.
"Until we know what are the king's wishes concerning you, it were
better that you were not seen. In the first place, all this country
by the coast is under the Aztec rule, and as soon as you were seen,
messages would be sent forward to Mexico, and the Emperor might
desire that so great a wonder should be sent direct to him;
whereas, if our own King sends first for you, you would be his
property as it were, and even Montezuma would not interfere.
"It will not be long before an answer arrives, for along all the
roads there are post houses, two leagues apart from each other. At
each of these couriers are stationed, men trained to run at great
speed, and these carry the dispatches from post to post, at the
rate of eight or nine miles an hour."
"But the messages must get changed, where they have to be given so
often?"
"Not at all," he said. "The couriers know nothing of the dispatches
they carry."
"Oh, they are written dispatches?" Roger said. "Then you possess
the art of writing?"
"Writing, what is writing?" the merchant asked.
"Letters are inscribed on paper," Roger said, "so that the person
receiving them at a distance understands exactly what the one who
wrote wished to say."
The merchant shook his head.
"I know nothing of what you call letters," he said. "We draw
pictures, on a fabric formed of prepared skins, or of a composition
of silk and gum, but chiefly on a paper prepared from the leaves of
the aloe. Besides the pictures there are marks, which are
understood to represent certain things. These picture dispatches
are made in the form of rolls, or books. I myself have a slave who
is skilled in such work, and who has depicted you, and added all
particulars, and the roll has been forwarded to Tezcuco."