CHAPTER VIII.
Two or three hours before sunset, the sleepers were roused to renewtheir march. Horses were saddled and armour buckled, and Don Amador deLeste mounted his steed with great satisfaction at the thought of stillfurther diminishing the distance that separated him from his knight. Asthe train began to ford the rivulet, he turned round and beckoned toAbdoul, who, with Jacinto, had taken the station assigned them behindthe musketeers.
"Sidi Abdalla," said he, "I have thought it a great shame that thy wearyboy should trudge over these sands afoot, when such men as myself and mypeople are resting our lazy limbs on horseback. I have therefore givenorder to my soldier, Lazaro, to take the youth behind him; whereby muchdiscomfort and suffering may be avoided."
"My lord will scorn the thanks of the poor Morisco," said Abdoul,humbly. "Sleep, and the food which it pleased my noble lord to give tothe boy, have so refreshed his strength and his spirits, that now, inthe pleasant evening air, he will journey without pain, as he has often,of yore, in the deserts of Barbary. And let not my lord be displeased toknow, that Jacinto will be of better heart at the side of his father,than on the saddle of my lord's servant."
"If it be as thou sayest," said the cavalier, "I am content. Heavenforbid I should take him from thee, but for his good; which, doubtless,thou must know better how to compass than myself. Yet if he should atany time grow weary, make me acquainted with it, and Lazaro shall bestill prepared to give him relief."
The Moor bent his head to the ground, and fell back; while Amador,followed by his attendants and the secretary, rode to the head of thetrain.
No occurrence of moment interrupted the monotony of the journey, until athunderstorm, accompanied by rain, drove them for shelter into aforest, where their march was interrupted for a time. But with acapriciousness equal to the fury with which they had gathered, theclouds parted and vanished in the sunbeams; the earth was gladdened; thetrees shook the liquid treasure from their leaves; a breeze came fromthe distant surges; and, resuming their path, the train and cavalcadewent on their way rejoicing.
As they advanced, and as the day declined, the country assumed a moreagreeable aspect; the woods were thicker and more luxuriant; themountains approached nearer to the sea, and the streams gambolled amongpiles of rocks, instead of creeping sluggishly through the sands; theflowers were more abundant, and the birds, resuming their songs,prepared their vespers for the sinking luminary. At last he set: thecurlew wheeled his last flight; the plover sent his last whistle, fromthe air; and the stars, stealing out from the dusky arch, shed theircelestial lustre over the path of the travellers. With these lamps ofheaven, were also lit the torches of the cucujos,--those phosphorescentbeetles, with which Don Amador had been made acquainted in the islands.But he did not the less admire the splendour of the spectacle, when hesaw these resplendent insects glistening among the trees, or flashing byhim like little meteors. The moon rose from the sea; and as her mellowradiance streamed over the tree tops, or sheeted itself on the sands,and as a thousand delicious scents came to the nostrils of the soldier,he thought he had never before, not even when watching the same planetin the calm bosom of the Levantine sea, looked upon a scene of morebeautiful repose. The commander of the squadron had not, since theaffair of the dinner, thought fit, frequently, to trouble Don Amadorwith his presence; but by the murmurs of satisfaction and curiositywhich were breathed about him, the cavalier knew he was approaching theIndian city Zempoala. The party issued from the wood upon what seemed afair waving plain, dotted, in certain places, with clumps of trees, anddoubtless, in other spots, enriched with plantations of maize andbananas. In the distance, from a dark and shadowy mass, which might havebeen a lofty grove or a low hillock, and whose gloom was alike broken bythe glare of insects and the flash of many flambeaux, arose three loftytowers, square and white, and glittering in the moonbeams as if coveredover with plates of silver.
"Zempoala!" whispered an hundred voices, as these gleaming fabrics camefairly into view. The languid horseman raised himself on his saddle; thefoot-soldier strode onwards with a firmer and quicker step; and at eachmoment, as the three towers reflected the moonbeams with increasingbrilliancy, more torches flickered and more structures were seen shiningamong the trees; and it was evident to Don Amador that he wasapproaching a city or town of no little magnitude.
The secretary had pressed to his side, and overhearing his exclamationsof surprise, took the liberty of addressing him.
"Senor," he cried, "they say this pagan city is bigger and lovelier thanSeville. I have often before heard of the Silver Towers; for truly, whenthe men of Cortes first saw them, they thought they were built of blocksof plate, and rode forward to hack away some samples with their swords;whereupon, to their great shame and disappointment, they discovered thebrilliance to be owing to a certain white and polished plaster, withwhich these barbarians have the art to beautify their temples."
"Are these then the sanctuaries of the fiend?" said the neophyte,raising himself, and surveying the structures with a frown of infinitehostility: "It drives me to little esteem, to know that the senorNarvaez and his companions should rest in sight of these accursedplaces, without hurling them to the dust."
"They are no longer the houses of devils," said Lorenzo: "Cortes, thegreat rebel, tore the idols from their altars, and putting an image ofOur Blessed Lady in their place, consecrated them forthwith to theservice of God."
"I hear nothing of Cortes, that does not convince me he is a truly nobleand faithful cavalier," said Amador, with emphasis.
"There can be no doubt of that," said the secretary; "nevertheless, if Imay presume to advise your favour, I would beseech you not to mentionthe name of Cortes among these men of Narvaez; or at least, not with therespect which you may think his due."
"Dost thou know," said Amador, addressing Fabueno so sternly, as tocause him instantly to repent his presumption: "dost thou know, thatwhat thou art saying is of so base and boorish a spirit, that, if it bethe true prompting of thy heart, thou art utterly unworthy to take uponthee the arms, as thou art wholly incapable of winning the fame, of asoldier? Know thou, for it is good thou shouldst be told, that allhypocrisy is the offspring of cowardice, and is therefore impossible tobe practised by a brave man: know also, that when thou art deceivingman, thou art lying to God, which is an impiety not to be thought of byan honest man: and know, in conclusion, that when thou art called uponfor thy opinion, if thou givest not that which is in thy heart, thou artguilty of that hypocrisy which is cowardice, and that deceit which isperjury."
"I beg your worship's pardon," said Lorenzo, abashed and confounded, andsomewhat bewildered by the chivalrous and fantastic system of honourdisclosed in the reproof of the cavalier. "I meant only to let yourfavour know, that there could be no travelling beyond this Indian city,without the good will of Narvaez and his officers, which might not begained by commending their enemy. And moreover, senor, if you willsuffer me to justify myself,--while I confess it would be both cowardlyand impious, as your worship says, to conceal or alter a sentiment, whenit is called for, yet was I thinking it could be in no wisedishonourable to retain in our own mind opinions _not_ called for,particularly when they might be disagreeable to those upon whom theywere thus, as I may say, forced."
"By my faith, thou art, in a measure, very right," said Amador, "and Ihereby recall any expressions which may have reflected on thy courage orthy religion; for, I perceive, thou wert only touching upon theobligation all men are under not to force their opinions upon others; anobligation of which I am myself so sensible, that, provided I am notcalled upon by the questions of these people, or the enforcements ofmine own honour, I shall surely utter nothing to displease them. Butcanst thou tell me, senor secretario, how far from this town lies thecommander, of whom we were speaking?"
"I have heard, only at the distance of two or three leagues," repliedFabueno; "but I should think, considering the wisdom of Cortes, he wouldbe fain to increase that distance, as soon as he came to know thestrength of
Narvaez. Your favour may see, by the many torches glimmeringthrough the streets, and the many voices that go chanting up and down,that there is a goodly multitude with him."
"I see, by the same tokens," said Amador, "he has a set of riotous,disorderly vagabonds, who seem to think they are keeping carnival inChristendom, rather than defending a camp among infidels: and, by St.John, I know not any very good reason, why the valiant Cortes might not,this instant, with his knot of brave men, steal upon the town, andsnatch it out of the hands of the Biscayan. There is, neither out-postin the field, nor sentinel in the suburbs!"
There seemed some grounds for this notion of the cavalier. As heapproached nearer to Zempoala, there was audible a concert of soundssuch as one would not have looked for in the camp of a good general. Agreat fire had been lit, as it appeared, among the Silver Towers, theruddy reflection of which, mingled with the purer light of the moon,had given them so shining an appearance, even at a distance. In thisneighbourhood, as Amador judged by the direction and variety of cries,was the chief place of the revellers; though in divers quarters of thetown might be heard the voices, and sometimes the musical instruments,of idle soldiers, struggling in rivalry with the ruder songs and harsherinstruments of the natives. Besides the bonfires among the temples,there was another in the quarter of the town which the train was justentering, and apparently upon the very street which they were to pass.The cavalier had, however, underrated the vigilance of the sentinels;for, just as he had concluded his denunciation, the trumpet with whichSalvatierra announced his approach to his companions, was answered by aflourish from the fire; and there was straightway seen a group of armedmen advancing to challenge the party. In fact, an out-post was stationedat the fire; the worthy warriors of which, in the absence of anyimportant duties, had got together the means of amusement in the personsof certain Indian tumblers and merry-andrews, who were diverting themwith feats of agility. Besides these tawny sons of joyance, there wereothers of the same race, whose business it was to add to the pleasuresof the entertainment the din of the musical instruments common tobarbarians; only, as it seemed to Amador, that if there was nothingsuperior in the tone or management of these which he now heard, they hadan advantage, over those of the islanders, in being wrought with greaterskill and ornamented with a more refined taste. Thus, of the littledrums which were suspended to the necks of the musicians, and which wereat least equal in sound to the labours of Europe, some were carved andpainted in a very gay manner; while the flutes of cane, though not lessmonotonous than the pipes of other savages, had about them an air ofelegance, from being furnished with pendants of rich flowers, orbeautiful feathers.
As Amador rode by, his attention was in a measure diverted from thetumblers by the agitation of Fogoso, who regarded neither the great firenor the wild looking artists with friendship; and when, having subduedhis alarm, he turned to gratify his wonder, his eye was caught by theappearance of the Moor, who had stolen to his side, and now stood with acountenance even more disturbed than when shrinking from the blow ofSalvatierra, and with hands upraised and clasped, as if to beseech hisnotice.
"My lord is benevolent to the friendless, and pitiful to the orphan," hecried anxiously, as soon as he perceived that Amador regarded him; "hehas been the champion of the father, and the protector of the son; andwhen the heart's blood of Abdoul can requite his benefactor, Abdoul willnot deny it."
"Good Sidi," said Amador, "that I have protected both yourself and yourson Jacinto, from unjust violence, is more than can be denied; but whyit is needful to thank me so many times for the favour, is more than Ican easily understand. I must therefore command you to find some morenovel subject for conversation."
"My lord is a knight of Rhodes," said Abdalla quickly, "and therefore byvow bound to charity, justice, pity, and all the other good virtuesacknowledged as well by infidels as Christians?"
"I am no knight; a novice of the order I may be called," said Amador,"but no knight; though," he added with a most dolorous sigh, "how soon Imay take the vows after returning from the lands of Mexico, is more thanI can pronounce. I have therefore not bound myself by oath to any ofthose virtues of which you spoke; but had you been born of a noblerblood than I can account that of the lord of Fez, you should have known,that, being a gentleman and a Christian, I cannot release myself fromany of their natural obligations."
"For myself," said Abdalla, "though insult and danger will come to meamong these riotous soldiers, who are the enemies of my race, and thesebarbarians, who are surely the enemies of all, I can submit to mygriefs; but Jacinto needs the arm of power to protect him. If my lordwill take him to be his servant, he will be merciful to misfortune; theprayers of gratitude will ascend to heaven; and the love of a faithfulboy will watch ever at his side like the vigilance of an armedfollower."
"Art thou content the boy should be parted from thee?" demanded Amador."I know not how, among these strange lands and unknown wildernesses, Imay be able to take that care of his tender years which should be theduty of a good master; nor, to tell thee the truth, do I know in whatmanner I can make use of his services----"
"Let not my lord despise his skill," said the Almogavar, "because hisfright and weariness palsied his hand, when he should have played beforehim. He hath good skill with the lute, and he has in his memory athousand redondillas, with which he may divert the leisure of my lord.Besides this skill, he hath a fidelity which nothing can corrupt, and aloving heart which, once gained by kindness, no temptation can lure fromhis master: and in these qualities will I vouch for him with my head. Iknow not in truth," continued Abdalla, faltering, "since he has neverbefore served a master, if he have any other qualifications. But he isquick to acquire, and perhaps--perhaps, he may soon learn to preservethe armour of my lord--yes, he will soon make himself useful to mylord."
"The cleaning of my armour," said Amador, in a very matter-of-factmanner, "is a duty which belongs particularly to Lazaro; whose fidelity,as well as that of Baltasar, is of so unquestionable a character, thatit fully meets all the exigencies of my course of life. I wouldtherefore receive thy son chiefly out of a hope to be comforted, attimes, with his music; and partly out of pity for his forlornness. Hewill doubtless serve me as a page and cup-bearer; in which capacity,promising to give him as much protection and kindness as may be in mypower, I consent to receive him."
"And my lord will permit that I shall often see him?" said Abdoul,eagerly.
"Surely I must desire thou shouldst," said Amador, "if it were possiblethou couldst be in the same army."
Abdalla looked at the cavalier with a bewildered and confusedcountenance, as if not understanding him.
"I must acquaint thee, good Sidi," said Amador, "with one fact, of whichthou seemest ignorant, and which may wholly change thy desires in thismatter. Thy destination is to this town of Zempoala, and mine to thevery far city Tenochtitlan; thy fate is to submit thee into the hands ofthe general Narvaez, as thou hast heard, to serve him as a cannonier,while mine is to betake myself to the general Cortes, his sworn and mostindomitable enemy. Thou mayest therefore inquire of thyself, if thy boygo with me, whether thou wilt ever again look upon him; a question thatI cannot myself answer in a satisfactory manner. Make thy election,therefore, whether thou wilt keep him at thy side, or entrust him to myguardianship; being assured, that if the latter be thy desire, I willbid thee call him, and straightway take him into my keeping."
"It cannot be!" said Abdalla, vehemently;--"I cannot trust him from mysight: it cannot be! God is just; and justice may come with misery!"
Thus lamenting, Abdoul al Sidi retired from the side of the cavalier;and Amador, whose pity was not a little touched, suffered his image tobe crowded from his mind by the new and strange spectacles which werenow opening upon him.
Calavar; or, The Knight of The Conquest, A Romance of Mexico Page 10
