In each city through which they passed, and several of these were
of vastly greater size and importance than Tepeaca, Roger was
received with the same welcome and rejoicings that had greeted him
there. The houses were decorated with flowers and garlands, dense
crowds lined the streets, processions came out to meet him;
banquets were given in his honor, and everything seemed gay and
joyous. But Roger was low and depressed. To him the whole thing
appeared a mockery. He seemed to see blood everywhere, and the fact
that, as he learned from the casual remark of one of the envoys,
numbers of victims were offered upon the altars on the evening
before his arrival at each town, in order to please the gods and
bring about favorable omens, added to his depression; and he
thought that he had better, a thousand times, have been drowned
with his father and friends, than be the cause of men being thus
put to death.
It was true that, as he was told, these captives were reserved for
this purpose, and had they not been slain on that night might have
been sacrificed on the next; but this was a small consolation. It
seemed to him that above the joyful cries of greeting he could hear
the screams of agony of the victims, and to such a pitch was he
wrought up that, had he seen any whom he could have recognized as
priests, he would have fallen upon them with his sword.
But the priests held aloof from the gatherings. They knew not, as
yet, how their chiefs would regard this stranger, and it was not
their policy to join in welcoming one who might, afterwards, be
denounced and sacrificed as an enemy of their religion; nor, upon
the other hand, would they commit themselves to hostility to one
who might be held to be a god.
From the summits of the teocallis they looked down upon the great
gatherings; angry that instead of, as usual, figuring in the chief
places in the procession, they were forced to stand aloof. As in
Egypt, the Aztec priests embraced within their order all the
science and learning of the nation. They were skilled in the
sciences of astrology and divination, and were divided into
numerous ranks and classes. Those best instructed in music took the
management of the choirs, others arranged the festivals conformably
to the calendar, some superintended the education of the young of
both sexes, others had charge of the hieroglyphic paintings and
records and of the oral traditions, while the rites of sacrifice
were practiced by the chief dignitaries of the order. They were
each devoted to the service of some particular deity, and had
quarters provided within the spacious precincts of his temple.
Here a certain number were always on duty, and men living there
practiced the stern severity of conventual discipline. Thrice
during the day, and once at night, they were called to prayers.
They mortified the flesh by fasting and cruel penance, drawing
blood from their bodies by flagellation or by piercing themselves
with the thorns of the aloe. When their turn of duty was over, they
resided with their wives and families outside the temples.
The great cities were divided into districts, placed under the
charge of a sort of parochial clergy. These administered the rites
of baptism, confession, and absolution, each of which strongly
resembled that of the Christian religion. In baptism the lips and
bosom of the infant were sprinkled with water, and the Lord was
implored to permit the holy drops to wash away the sin that was
given to it, before the foundation of the world, so that the child
might be born anew. The secrets of confession were held inviolable,
and penances were laid upon the penitents. There was one
peculiarity in the Aztec ceremony of confession--namely, that the
repetition of an offense, once atoned for, was deemed inexpiable--and
confession was therefore made but once in a man's life, and generally
deferred until a late period of it.
One of the most important duties of the priesthood was that of
education, to which certain buildings were appropriated, within the
enclosure of the principal temple of each city. Here the youth of
both sexes, of the middle and higher classes, were placed when very
young; the girls being entrusted to the care of priestesses, for
women exercised all sacerdotal functions except those of sacrifice.
In these institutions the boys were drilled in monastic discipline.
They decorated the shrines of the gods with flowers, fed the sacred
fires, and took part in the religious chants and festivals. Those
in the higher schools were initiated in the traditionary law, the
mysteries of hieroglyphics, the principles of government, and in
astronomical and natural science. The girls were instructed in all
feminine employments, especially in weaving and embroidery. The
discipline, both in male and female schools, was stern and rigid.
The temples were supported by the revenue from lands bestowed upon
them by successive princes. These were managed by the priests, who
were considered as excellent masters, treating their tenants with
liberality and indulgence. Besides this they were entitled to the
first fruits of all produce, and were constantly receiving rich
offerings from the pious. The surplus, beyond what was required for
the support of the priests, was distributed in alms among the poor,
charity being strongly prescribed by the moral code of the nation.
Thus the Aztec religion was a strange mixture of good and evil. The
moral discipline enforced by it was excellent. Many of its precepts
resembled very closely those of Christianity, and yet the whole was
contaminated by the wholesale sacrifices. It is supposed that this
dual religion was the result of the mixture of two peoples, the
mild and gentle tenets of the Toltecs being adopted by the fierce
Aztec invaders, who added to them their own superstitious and
bloody rites.
All this, however, was unknown to Roger at the time. He saw the
dark side of their religion, only, and was ignorant that there
underlay it a system which, in point of morality, love of order and
method, and a broad charity, was in no way inferior to that
practiced among Christian nations.
For some reason, of which Roger was ignorant--but which was,
doubtless, in order to avoid the delays occasioned by stoppages at
large towns, and to push on the faster towards the capital, where
the king and his counselors were impatient to behold the white
stranger--a detour was made. The towns of Puebla and Cholula were
avoided, and the party pushed on rapidly across the plateau land
they were now ascending, where the air was again keen and piercing.
The road passed between two of the highest mountains in the North
American continent--the great volcano Popocatepetl, meaning "the
hill that smokes," and Iztaccihuatl, or "the white woman," so
called from the bright robe of snow which extended far down its
sides. The lower part of these mountains was covered with dense
forests, above which rock, lava, and ashes extended to the summit
of the crater of the volcano.
At night the party sheltered in one of the stone buildings, erected
by government at intervals along the road, for the accommodation of
travelers and couriers. Pushing on the next morning, they came upon
a view which caused an exclamation of surprise, and delight, to
burst from Roger. At their feet lay the valley of Mexico, with its
lakes glistening in the sunshine, its cultivated plains, and
numerous cities and villages. Stretching away, from the point at
which he was standing, were forests of oak, sycamore, and cedar;
beyond, fields of yellow maize and aloe, intermingled with orchards
and bright patches of many colors. These were flowers, which were
grown on a very large scale, as they were used in vast quantities
in the religious festivals, and almost universally worn by the
women.
In the center of the valley lay the great lakes, their borders
thickly studded with towns and hamlets. Rising from an island, in
the center of the largest of these, was the city of Mexico; its
great buildings and lofty teocallis being seen clearly through the
dry atmosphere. The envoys first pointed out the capital to Roger,
and then another great city, some distance to the right, as being
Tezcuco. Beyond the lakes, a barrier of dark hills rose, forming a
suitable background to the lovely prospect.
Upon the road, Roger learned much from the Tezcucan envoys of the
character of the king of their country, and of the Emperor
Montezuma.
The grandfather of the present king had been the greatest and most
powerful of the Tezcucan princes. In his youth he had gone through
a series of strange adventures. Tezcuco had been captured, the
people subjugated by the Tepanecs, and the king killed when the
young prince was but fifteen years old. The boy himself was thrown
into a dungeon, but escaped and fled to Mexico; and on the
intercession of the king of that city was allowed to return, and to
live for eight years, quietly, in a palace belonging to the family.
When the Tepanec usurper died, his son Maxtla, who succeeded him,
determined to kill the rightful heir to the throne; but being
warned in time Nezahualcoyotl escaped, and for a long time wandered
about the country, hotly pursued by his enemies; who were many
times on the edge of capturing him, but he was always sheltered by
the peasantry.
At last the neighboring powers, fearing the aggression of the
Tepanecs, united and routed them. Maxtla was put to death, and the
lawful prince placed upon the throne. He showed great magnanimity,
granting a general amnesty, and then set about to remodel the
government.
Three departments were formed: the Council of War, the Council of
Finance, and the Council of Justice; and in each of these bodies, a
certain number of citizens were allowed to have seats with the
nobles and state officers. The highest body was composed of
fourteen members, all belonging to the highest orders of nobles.
This was called the Council of State, which aided the king in the
dispatch of business, and advised him in all matters of importance.
Its members had seats provided for them at the royal table.
Lastly, there was a tribunal known as the Council of Music. This
was composed of the best instructed persons in the country, without
regard of rank, and was devoted to the encouragement of all
branches of science and art. All works on these subjects had to be
submitted to them, before they could be made public. They had the
supervision of all the productions of art, and the more delicate
fabrics. They decided on the qualifications of the teachers of the
various branches of science, inquired into the proper performance
of their duties, and instituted examinations of the pupils. The
Council gave prizes for historical composition, and poems treating
of moral or traditional topics. It was, in fact, at once a board of
education, and a council of science and art. The kings of the three
allied states had seats upon it, and deliberated with the other
members on the adjudication of the prizes.
Thus Tezcuco became the center of the education, science, and art
of Anahuac, and was at this time the head of the three allied
kingdoms. Nezahualcoyotl greatly encouraged agriculture, as well as
all the productive arts. The royal palace and the edifices of the
nobles were magnificent buildings, and were upon an enormous scale,
the Spaniards acknowledging that they surpassed any buildings in
their own country.
Not satisfied with receiving the reports of his numerous officers,
the monarch went frequently in disguise among his people, listening
to their complaints, and severely punishing wrongdoers. Being
filled with deep religious feeling, he openly confessed his faith
in a God far greater than the idols of wood and stone worshiped by
his subjects, and built a great temple which he dedicated to the
Unknown God.
After fifty years' reign this great monarch died, and was succeeded
by his son Nezahualpilli, who resembled his father in his tastes,
encouraging learning, especially astronomical studies, and building
magnificent public edifices. He was severe in his morals, and stern
in the execution of justice. In his youth he had been devoted to
war, and had extended the dominion of Tezcuco; but he afterwards
became indolent, and spent much of his time in retirement.
His Mexican rival took advantage of this, for as the rule of
Tezcuco became relaxed distant provinces revolted, the discipline
of the army became shaken, and Montezuma, partly by force, partly
by fraud, possessed himself of a considerable portion of its
dominions, and assumed the title, hitherto held by the Tezcucan
princes, of Emperor.
These misfortunes pressed heavily on the spirits of the king, and
their effect was increased by certain gloomy prognostics of a great
calamity, which was shortly to overwhelm the country. His health
rapidly gave way. He had died but two years before, and had been
succeeded by his son Cacama, the present king, a young prince who
was two-and-twenty years old when he ascended the throne, after a
sanguinary war with an ambitious younger brother. In Tezcuco, as in
Mexico, the office of king was elective and not hereditary. It was,
indeed, confined to the royal family; but the elective council,
composed of the nobles and of the kings of the other two great
confederate monarchies, selected the member of that family whom
they considered best qualified to rule.
Roger was greatly impressed with these accounts of the government
of this strange country. It appeared to him that art and learning
were there held of much higher account than they were in England;
and it seemed more strange to him than ever, that a people so
enlightened could be guilty of such wholesale human sacrifices as
those of which he had heard, and had indeed seen proof; still more
that they could absolutely feast upon the flesh of these victims of
their cruel superstitions.
Descending into the valley the party avoided, as before, the
numerous cities in the plain. The Tezcucans told him that they did
so simply because they were anxious to arrive as soon as possible
at the capital; but as Roger learned from them that the sway of
Montezuma was paramount in this part of the valley, he thought it
probable that they feared the Aztecs might take him from their
hands, and send him direct to the emperor.
After a long march across a richly cultivated country, they
approached the town of Tezcuco just as evening was closing in. A
messenger had gone on ahead, to announce the exact hour at which
they would arrive; and a party of soldiers were stationed a short
distance outside the town, to escort them through the city to the
royal palace. They formed up on either side of the party when they
arrived and, without a pause, the caravan kept on its way.
Roger had been astonished at the magnificence of the houses of the
wealthy, scattered for a long distance round the city, and at the
extraordinary beauty of the gardens with their shady groves, their
bright flowers, their fish ponds and fountains; but the splendor of
the buildings of the capital surpassed anything he had before
beheld. Not even in Genoa or Cadiz were there such stately
buildings, while those of London were insignificant in comparison.
The crowd in the streets were quiet and orderly and, although they
looked with curiosity and interest on the white stranger, of whose
coming they had heard, evinced none of the enthusiasm with which he
had been greeted at Tepeaca. This was natural enough. The
inhabitants of a capital, being accustomed to splendid fetes and
festivals, are less easily moved than those of a small provincial
town by any unaccustomed events, and are more restrained in the
expression of their feelings.
The dresses of the people were greatly superior to those he had
seen hitherto. They wore over their shoulders a cloak, made of
cottons of different degrees of fineness, according to the
condition of the wearer. These and the ample sashes worn round the
loins were wrought in rich and elegant figures, and edged with a
deep fringe, or tassels.
The women went about as freely as the men. Instead of the cloaks,
they wore mantles of fur or gorgeous feather work. Beneath these
were several skirts or petticoats of different lengths, with highly
ornamented borders. Sometimes loose flowing robes were worn over
these, reaching to the ankles--those of the upper classes being of
very fine textures, and prettily embroidered. Some of the women
wore veils made of fine thread of the aloe, or that spun from the
hair of rabbits and other animals. Others had their faces entirely
exposed, their dark tresses falling luxuriantly ever their
shoulders. These, Roger learned afterwards, were Aztecs, the rest
of the women of Anahuac mostly wearing the veil; which was,
however, extremely thin, and scarcely concealed the features.
The guards ahead with difficulty cleared the way through the crowd,
until they at last arrived at the king's palace, a building of
extraordinary splendor. A number of nobles, in gorgeous attire,
received the party at the entrance; and passing along a stately
corridor, they entered a vast hall. A cornice of carved stonework
covered with thin plates of gold ran round the walls, and from this
dropped hangings of the most delicately embroidered stuffs. The
roof was of carved cedar, the floor a mosaic of stone of different
colors, so delicately fitted together that they seemed one.
At the farther end of the hall, upon a raised dais, was a throne.
Upon this the young king was sitting, while a number of his
counselors and nobles, together with several princesses and ladies
of the court, were gathered around him.
When Roger approached, he bowed low, saluting in Mexican fashion.
The king rose as he approached, looking with lively curiosity and
interest at the strange visitor, of whom he had already received so
many reports.
Roger, on his part, regarded the king with no less interest. He saw
before him a young man of three or four and twenty, with a bright
intelligent face. His figure showed signs of considerable strength
as well as activity, and there was a certain martial air in his
carriage that spoke of the soldier rather than of the king. The
nobles had endeavored to impress upon Roger the necessity for him
to salute the king, by prostrating himself on the ground as they
themselves did. But Roger had refused to comply with their request.
"King Hal, himself, would not expect me to go before him like a
worm, if he gave me audience," he said to himself; "and I will not
demean myself, as an Englishman, to bow as a slave before any other
monarch. Besides, to do so would be to acknowledge that I was his
humble subject, and would at once show that I have no pretension,
whatever, to be the superior creature they seem to consider me. I
will salute him as his nobles saluted me--paying due deference to
his rank, and no more."
The king himself did not seem displeased at Roger's breach of the
usual etiquette. He looked with admiration at the tall figure of
this strange white man, and at the frank and honest expression of
his pleasant face, his blue eyes, and sunny hair.
"Whoever he may be, he comes not as an enemy," he said in a low
voice to his sister, who was standing next to him. "There is
neither deceit nor treachery in that face."
Then he said aloud to Roger:
"You are welcome, white stranger. We rejoice to see you in our
courts. We have heard wonderful stories concerning you, and about
the people in the distant lands from which you come; and shall
gladly hear them from your lips, for we are told that you speak our
tongue."
"I thank you, King Cacama, and I am glad, indeed, that it is my
good fortune to behold so great and magnificent a king. I have
come, as you have heard, from a far country, towards the rising
sun; so far that it takes many months to traverse the sea which
divides it from you; but had the distance been far greater than it
is, I should have been more than repaid for the journey by the
sight of you, and of this great city over which you rule."
"And is it true that your people move about the sea in floating
castles, and that they fight with weapons that make a noise like
thunder, and can batter down walls at a distance of two miles?"
"They can kill men at more than that distance, Sire, but for
battering down walls they are used at shorter distances. The ships
are, as you say, floating castles, and will carry hundreds of men,
with provisions and stores for many months, besides merchandise and
goods. These castles are armed with weapons such as you speak of,
some of them carrying twenty or more; besides which each man
carries a weapon of the same kind, but small and light in make, so
that it can be carried on the shoulders. These weapons also make a
great noise, though not comparable with that of the large pieces,
which are called cannon."
"And they have animals on which they sit, and which carry them at a
speed far greater than that at which a man can run?"
"That is so, Sire."
"Of what color are they, and of what form?"
"They are all colors: some are black, and some white, others brown,
or gray, or roan, or bay."
This answer seemed to surprise the king more than any other he had
heard. All the beasts and birds with which he was acquainted were
of the particular color which appertained to their species, and
that the animals of any one kind should thus differ in so
extraordinary degree from each other struck him as remarkable,
indeed.
Roger had always been fond of sketching, and had often whiled away
dull hours on board ship with pencil and paintbrush; and his
cousins at home had quite a collection of sketches that he made for
them in, foreign parts. He now said:
"If your Majesty will order that gentleman, who is at present
taking my likeness, to hand me a sheet of paper and his brushes, I
will endeavor to draw for your Majesty an outline of the animal I
speak of, and which we call a horse."
At the king's order the scribe at once handed the necessary
materials to Roger, who in three or four minutes dashed off a
spirited sketch of a horse, with a rider upon his back. The king
was greatly struck with the representation. The Aztecs possessed
the art of copying objects with a fair amount of accuracy, but the
figures were stiff and wooden, without the slightest life or
animation. To the king, then, this little sketch appeared almost
supernatural. Here was before him an animal which looked alive, as
if already in movement. He passed it to those next to him, and
continued the conversation.
"And the men fight on the backs of those animals?"
"The nobles and a certain portion of the troops fight on horseback,
the rest of the army on foot."
"And are not these animals frightened at the terrible noises made
by the weapons you speak of?"
"They speedily become accustomed to them, Your Majesty, just as men
do; and will carry their rider into the midst of the enemy, however
great the noise. Some other time I will draw for your Majesty a
representation of one of our knights, or captains, charging in full
armor; which is, as you have perhaps heard, made of a metal that is
not known here."
"And these weapons that you speak of are made of the same metal?"
"They are mostly made of that metal, Sire, though sometimes they
are made of a metal which we call brass, which is a compound of
copper, and of another metal called tin, which adds greatly to its
strength and hardness."
"But how do they work? What machinery can be used to hurl a missile
at so vast a distance?"
"There is no machinery, Sire. The weapon is a hollow tube of vast
strength, closed at one end, with only a small hole left there by
which fire can be applied. A black powder, composed of various
substances, is placed in the tube and pressed up to the end, a wad
of cotton or other material being forced down upon it. A large ball
made of this metal, which is called iron, and almost the same
diameter as the tube, is pushed down upon the wad; and the weapon
is pointed at the enemy, or at the wall to be knocked down. Then
fire is applied to the small hole, the powder at once explodes with
a noise like thunder, and the ball is sent through the air with so
great a speed that the eye cannot follow its flight, and all that
it strikes goes down before it."
"Even one of these captains on his horse?" the king asked.
"Fifty of them, Sire, were they ranged up in line, one behind the
other."
"Will you be able to teach us to make such weapons?"
"Your Majesty, I have had a share in the using of these weapons,
but not in the making of them; and they require great skill in
their manufacture. I know not whether iron stone exists in this
country, and were it found it would require a long experiment and
great knowledge to manufacture a cannon from it. As to the powder,
it is composed of three ingredients--one is charcoal, which can be
obtained wherever trees grow; another is called by us saltpeter;
and the third, sulphur; but I cannot say whether either is found in
this land. Nor, your Majesty, do I think that such knowledge, could
I impart it, would be a blessing to the land; on the contrary, the
battles would be far more terrible and bloody than they now are.
Vast numbers would be slain, and valor and bravery would avail but
little, against these terrible missiles."
"No," the king said, thoughtfully: "you would take few prisoners,
if you fought with such weapons as these. You take some prisoners,
I suppose?"
"Yes, your Majesty; we always take as prisoners those who ask for
mercy."
"And what do you do with them?"
"We treat them honorably and well, as is befitting men who have
fought bravely. We exchange them for men of our own side who have
been taken prisoners by the enemy, or if they are knights or nobles
they pay a ransom according to their rank to their captor, and so
return home."
"That is good," the young king said, with animation; "though it
differs altogether from our usages; but then, how are their altars
of the gods to be served?"
"I believe," Roger said, "that your Majesty's grandfather erected a
temple here to the Unknown God. It is the Unknown God--unknown to
you, but known to us--that the white peoples across the sea
worship. He is a good and gentle and loving God, and would abhor
sacrifices of blood."
The king did not reply for a minute. The introduction of human
sacrifices was a comparatively recent innovation in Tezcuco, and
although the Aztecs had, lately, almost forced their own hideous
rites upon their neighbors, there were many who were still, at
heart, opposed to them. He turned the subject by saying:
"There will be much for you to tell me, when we have leisure. At
present the banquet waits."
The eighteen months that had elapsed, since the wreck of the Swan,
had prepared Roger for taking part in such scenes as those in which
he was, at present, placed. From living so long among natives, and
in native costume, he had acquired something of their manner;
which, unless under strong excitement, was quiet and dignified. He
had done this the more because, whenever he went out, all eyes had
been upon him, and he had felt that it was necessary, so far as he
could, to support the mysterious reputation he possessed. He had
lost, alike, the sailor walk and carriage, the careless gaiety of a
boy, and the roughness of one brought up to life at sea. He himself
was only half conscious of this transformation, but to one who had
seen him last when he sailed from Plymouth, it would have appeared
absolutely marvelous. Undoubtedly it impressed both the king and
his nobles most favorably; and as the party followed the king and
Roger to the banqueting hall, there was a chorus of approval of the
manners, bearing, and appearance of the white stranger.
The banquet was similar, but on a vastly greater scale, to that of
which Roger had partaken at Tepeaca. Mexico contained, within
comparatively narrow limits, extreme diversities of climate; and by
means of the swift couriers, the kings and nobles could place upon
their tables the tropical fruits and vegetables from the zone of
the sea, the temperate fruits from the lofty plateau land, and the
products of the rich and highly cultivated valley of the capital.
The twenty counselors sat down at table with the king. Other tables
were spread at which the principal nobles feasted, while the king's
wife and sister and other ladies dined in the same hall, but had
tables apart. The king abstained from asking questions of Roger
about his country, during the meal, but conversed with him
concerning his journey, and his impressions of the country; and
inquired particularly whether he was perfectly satisfied with the
treatment he had received from the merchants. Roger assured him
that nobody could have been kinder or more courteous than they had
been, and that he hoped his Majesty would express his satisfaction
at their conduct.
"That has already been done," the king said. "The reports of my
envoys were sufficient for that. They have been raised in rank,
have received permission to carry specially decorated banners, with
other privileges and immunities."
After dinner was over, the king, without waiting as usual for the
smoking and entertainments of musicians, dancers, and acrobats,
rose, saying to Roger:
"I am too anxious to talk with you to take pleasure in these
amusements. Come with me now."
He led the way to the entrance to the private apartments. These
were enclosed by magnificent hangings, which were drawn aside by
two attendants as he approached them. The walls were here entirely
hidden by hangings, and the floor covered with a thick carpeting of
richly-dyed cotton stuff. The air was heavy with odors of perfumes.
The king led the way to an apartment of considerable size, although
small in comparison to the two great halls they had left. Couches
of quilted mats, covered with silken embroidery, extended round the
room; and a general air of comfort, as well as luxury, pervaded it.
From the open windows, a view extended over a lovely garden below,
and then across the lake to the walls and temples of Mexico,
shining in the moonlight and dotted with innumerable spots of fire
on the summits of the teocallis. The room itself was lighted with
open lamps, in which burned cotton wicks embedded in wax.
Cacama clapped his hands, and a young noble in attendance entered.
The king bade him summon six of his counselors, and tell the queen
and the princess that he awaited them.
In a short time these entered. The pomp and ceremony of royalty
were, to a considerable extent, laid aside in Tezcuco in the
interior of the palace--the custom there differing much from that
which prevailed at the court of Montezuma, where the emperor never
relaxed, in the slightest, in exacting the lowliest and most
profound homage from all who approached him.