A Prince of Anahuac: A Histori-traditional Story Antedating the Aztec Empire
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CHAPTER XXXII.
At the dawn of morning, the day following the one on which the greatbattle was fought, the allied armies, after being addressed by theirrespective caciques, began to advance, with a view to anotherengagement with Maxtla, for the purpose, chiefly, of securing, ifpossible, the liberation of the prisoners in his hands. The chiefs, inaddressing their warriors, dwelt especially on the capture of tzinEuet, the man--as they expressed it--who had done so grand a work forTezcuco and the cause of liberty, who, above all others, they felt,should enjoy the fruits of that work, and whose release it was hopedmight be brought about by the further discomfiture of the enemy.
Flushed with the stimulus of a great victory, and anxious to againmeasure strength with the Tepanec hosts, the warriors of the coalitedarmy marched away from their bivouac with a zeal which augured well forthem and the confusion of their adversaries, should they meet again indeadly conflict.
The camp of the enemy was known to have been pitched on a plainsituated on the further side of a piece of woodland which lay justnorth of the field of the recent battle. Ixtlilchoatl moved his forcescautiously through this piece of woods, expecting to find Maxtlaencamped beyond, in blissful ignorance of their approach. Great was thesurprise, then, of the eager and expectant allies, when they came outonto the plain, to find the enemy gone--the bird had flown, though,evidently, only a short time before. A rapid pursuit was immediatelyordered, and ere long the retreating foe was overtaken and anothergreat battle fought.
The advantages, in point of numbers and excellence of organization,together with the prestige of former successes, which were on the sideof the Tepanec army when it entered the field against the allies, hadbeen swept away by a disastrous defeat, and its warriors, furtherdisheartened and demoralized by a humiliating retreat, which left themwholly unfitted to cope with an equally numerous army, whose memberswere energized by a consciousness of right, the invigoration ofvictory, and a determination to overthrow the power which had long beena menace to tribal independence.
The second battle was fought by the Tepanec leaders more on the lineof self-preservation and the hope of getting off with a whole skinthan with the expectation of doing their opponents material damage.A desperate conflict ensued, however, in which every inch of groundwas stubbornly contested by them, but which, as might have beenexpected, ended in that wicked and tyrannical son of a barbariandespot--Maxtla--being again discomfited and forced to yield to hishated foe. A disastrous retreat followed, and, had not darkness comeon to check the avenging hosts of Tezcucans, who pursued with deadlyhavoc the vanquished horde, the routed army would have beeneffectually disintegrated, if not wholly annihilated.
The prisoners, with whom Euetzin was supposed to be, were not found,and therefore not liberated. Thus was defeated one of the chief motiveswhich had led to the sudden advance of the allies.
Victory was won, and with it a crown, but at what a cost to PrinceHualcoyotl's mind, in the contemplation of the awful fate which he nowfelt awaited his best-beloved friend. Great as was the successachieved, he had no heart, in that supreme hour, for exultation. Hebowed his head in sorrow for his lost friend, and, leaving themanagement of affairs to Ixtlilchoatl and his subordinates, retired toa spot where he could be alone, that he might wrestle with his deepmental distress.
Maxtla, realizing that his army was crushed beyond hope of immediatereconstruction, continued his flight by night, to get as far from thevictorious allies as possible before the light of day should reveal tothe country the crippled and demoralized condition of his army. No stopwas made until he had passed around and beyond the city of Tezcuco intohis own territory, where a bivouac was established, and his warriorsgiven a rest. So far as it could be done, order in his shattered rankswas restored, and the march to his capital resumed and ended.
No acclamations or demonstrations of approval greeted the return of theimperial army to Azcapozalco. With solemn, funereal tread it enteredthe royal city, which soon became filled with a wail of woe ascendingfrom the bereaved and stricken inhabitants, who mourned for the missingand slain. How different was its departure!
Maxtla did not despair under the greatly adverse conditions in which hefound himself after his short and disastrous campaign, but immediatelyset about reorganizing his army, with a view to recovering his imperialstanding. His domain embraced a thickly populated territory, and wasnot lacking in material from which to reconstruct his depleted forces.The outcome of it was that, in a very short time, he was betterprepared for war than when he went forth to meet the allies.
The prisoners taken in the battles by his warriors were brought safelythrough, and, as was the custom, placed in confinement to await theirdoom of sacrifice upon the altars of the Tepanec deities.
Ixtlilchoatl, greatly elated over the successes which had so suddenlybeen achieved by the armies under him, and, having conceived the ideaof giving Hualcoyotl a magnificent reception back to his own, began atonce to get things in shape for a grand entry into Tezcuco. Thenfollowed the memorable march to the city, which, we are told, was onecontinued ovation to the returning prince. "He entered his capital,"says the chronicler, "not like a proscribed outcast, but as therightful heir to a throne, receiving, at the same time, the homage ofhis joyful subjects." His triumph was complete, but, with it all, therewas an aching void in his heart: his enemy had escaped, and carriedwith him, as he supposed, the best of all his friends.
He was back in his palace, surrounded by the men who had stood with himin the fierce and deadly conflicts through which he was compelled topass to reach it. Ix, the warrior hermit, whose intelligence andsagacity had directed the army to victory; Macua and his princelyconsorts; Tezcot, the wise hunter and good friend; Cacami, now awarrior whose undoubted bravery and skill were conspicuously shown inmore than one furious encounter, and which were fully appreciated bythe prince; and Menke, Oza and Kan, and many others who have held noparticular place in our narrative, yet worthy of it when valorous deedsare considered, were there engaged in celebrating, in an enthusiasticmanner, the event of their lives--the victorious close of a remarkableconflict.
Now, indeed, was Tezcuco free from Tepanec enthrallment, her peoplerestored to their ancient privileges, and her prince brought back froman outlawed condition to the enjoyment of his inherited rights.
The power of the military immediately supervened, but its rule was notoppressive, for Ix, the hermit, was not a tyrant.
The greatest activity in all things suddenly became apparent. Theking's palace quickly became a scene of rustling animation. Whileartisans were laboring to restore it to its ancient splendor, theprince and his attendants were busily engaged in bringing order out ofchaos. Ah, how he missed his two best friends, Euetzin and Itzalmo, inthat hour of incipient well-being and future greatness!
The teocallis were receiving needed attention, after years of neglectand waste, in anticipation of the coming rites, which were to becelebrated in honor of the prince's coronation.
The spirit of self-interest and industry, which had lain dormant in thehearts of the enslaved Tezcucans since the subversion of theirgovernment, was revived with their restoration to liberty, and activityprevailed where only a few days before was lethargy and inaction.Wonderful transformation! The people were free!