CHAPTER XXXVIII.
An alliance between the Mexican and Tezcucan kings, for the purpose ofengaging in a crusade against the Tepanec monarch, was duly effected,and the usual preliminaries--a declaration of war, etc.--were gonethrough with, preparatory to the opening of hostilities.
Maxtla had reconstructed his imperial army, and his faith in itsability to cope with the combined armies of his adversaries led him tomeet the demands made upon him with reckless defiance. He reckoned onhaving all the advantages of a defensive warfare on his side in whichhis opponents would be compelled to meet him on ground of his ownchoosing--a situation which would put him in a position of vantage notto be contemned.
Hualcoyotl, meanwhile, made many kindly advances with a view toreconciling Itlza to their contemplated union. She received hisattentions with due respect, and at the same time tried to be affable,but there was that in her conduct which was not natural--a lack ofspontaneity of manner, so marked in her former naive, unaffectedbearing. The prince saw that he was not succeeding to any appreciabledegree, and decided to let matters rest as they were, for the present,hoping that time, and a proper consideration of the advantages held outto her in a marriage with him, would work a favorable change in herinexplicable attitude, thus avoiding a resort to compulsory measures.Having decided on this course, he turned his attention wholly to stateaffairs, and the necessary preparations for leading his army to thefield against his old enemy.
Ixtlilchoatl was again placed where he could exercise his wonderfulgenius as a leader of armies, by being put in command of the combinedforces of Mexico and Tezcuco, leaving the kings to lead theirrespective warriors. The great aggregation, with the hermit chief atits head, was soon on the move, and the fight began. The campaign was avigorous one, which, after a series of hard-fought battles, ended inMaxtla being forced back behind the walls of his capital, where he wasencompassed and a close siege of the royal city entered upon.
In his confidence of being able to repel the invaders of his imperialdomain the Tepanec monarch had neglected to provide against such anemergency as a siege, and was, therefore, wholly unprepared for it.Under such conditions it became, in due time, a question of surrender,or marching out and giving the beleaguerants battle. The result was amass sally, and the ensuance of a desperate and bloody struggle, whichterminated in the complete rout and dispersion of the beleaguered army,and Maxtla's undiscovered flight for personal safety.
The proud city of Azcapozalco was totally destroyed, and those of itsinhabitants who were not killed, or did not get away, were doomed to alife of slavery, or death by sacrifice, while the territory of the oncedominant empire was converted into a great slave mart--which, in afteryears, became the central market for that nefarious traffic for thewhole of Anahuac.
Maxtla was hunted down, captured and turned over to the mercies of theAztec king, who condemned him to death at the hands of the priests--avictim of sacrifice to the Mexican gods. Thus perished the most crueland despotic of all the named princes of Anahuac, and was avenged onewho proved himself to be the peer of the noblest.
In the destruction of the Tepanec domination was removed the only causeof apprehension to the new king of Tezcuco. He returned to his capitalin the confidence of a perfect security, and engaged in his kinglyduties with a mind free from the fear of invasion or opposition, andwith the determination to make his reign a successful and brilliantone, which he did, as history records; in fact, it excelled in wisdomand grandeur that of any known prince of Anahuac, not excepting theMontezumas.
The king was again brought into daily intercourse with his household, amember of which Itlza continued to be. She had kept her own counsel, sofar as her affairs with the prince and Cacami were concerned, leavingher family in ignorance of what had transpired. There had come asettled purpose in the expression of her face, which was careworn anddeeply thoughtful.
Feeling secure in his rights as the king of Tezcuco, Hualcoyotl nowfelt that his palace should have a queen, and he resolved to bringmatters between himself and Itlza to a crisis. So the first opportunitywhich should offer itself was to be improved to inform her that themarriage must take place at an early day. He had gone too far to recedefrom his purpose of making her his wife. He was a man of firmness, andwould not be defeated in the accomplishment of designs so closelyaffecting his honor. He was a king, and the wish of a king was law.
It so happened that he met Itlza at the entrance to the conservatory,and, deeming it a favorable opportunity to make known his wishes, herequested her to accompany him within. He conducted her to the samebench on which she was seated at their former meeting.
Itlza divined the object he had in asking her to go with him to thatsadly memorable spot, and her soul was filled with apprehension as towhat would follow. When she was seated, Hualcoyotl, who continued tooccupy a standing posture before her, began by saying:
"Itlza, you no doubt understand why I have brought you here. It is totalk with you about our marriage. You asked me for time. I have grantedit to you to an extent which should satisfy you that I am desirous ofshowing you the greatest consideration. I have chosen to exalt you bymaking you my queen; in doing which I feel that I am conferringhonorable distinction upon a most worthy family, as well as gratifyingthe fondest wish of my heart. I now ask that you will prepare to wed meat an early day. Let us have done with pleadings and expostulations,and look forward to our union with that happy anticipation which shouldmark the period of an approaching coronation of a lovely queen."
"You and yours, O King, have ever been friends of my people. From timeimmemorial my ancestors have served yours, and will doubtless continueto do so, faithfully and loyally. May I not ask, as the child ofEuzelmozin, O Hualcoyotl, and, still, as the sister of your loyalservitor and friend, Euetzin, that you will deal kindly with us--me andmine, in this hour of my distress? I am sorely troubled, yes, even untodeath."
Her pleading look and words were strangely at variance with the subjectof marriage which the king had introduced, and he looked deeplyperplexed--dazed--in consequence.
"Those are strange words, Itlza, very strange, indeed, coming from you,whom it is proposed to raise to the highest place a woman can fill inour country. What is the matter? It can not be that I am so repulsive,so repellant. Speak, Itlza, tell me; is this so?"
"O, no! no! You are the peer of the greatest and best, and worthy towed whom you will; but, Hualcoyotl, I can not be your queen. I throwmyself at your feet, and upon your compassion, imploring that you willsend me away--forget me." She had dropped upon her knees in front ofhim, and was looking beseechingly up into his face. He gazed at her inconfused amazement, and presently said:
"What have I done, O Itlza, to merit this remarkable rejection of myproposal?"
"You have done nothing, O best of friends. It is all my own doing; Ihave put an impassable barrier between us," she answered, dropping herhead as if to hide her face from an expected blow.
"A barrier between us! What do you mean? Speak, I beseech you, and endthis unparalleled and humiliating scene," spoke the patience-triedprince.
With head bowed down, the kneeling maiden answered in a shrinkingvoice:
"I mean, O king, that I am the wife of another."
Now, indeed, was Hualcoyotl dumbfounded. Had the earth opened at hisfeet he could not have been more astounded. He finally said, becomingangry and excited:
"Who has dared to come between the king and his chosen--his intendedqueen?"
Itlza was almost prostrated from the strain upon her feelings; and now,at hearing the prince's angry tones, began to sink, but managed, in ahoarse whisper, to say "Cacami," and then fell to the groundinsensible.
Hualcoyotl was staggered as by a blow when he heard the name of Cacamifall from Itlza's lips. That estimable young warrior, counted among hisclosest friends, had deceived him. He turned away for a moment tostrive with his rising anger and feelings of resentment; then back towhere Itlza was lying. He looked at her in a commiserating manner, andexclaimed in a hard, pai
ned voice:
"Itlza! Itlza! this from you, whom Hualcoyotl would have delighted tohonor, and been so proud!" Her appearance seemed to stir the noblerimpulses within the man, for he knelt down and began trying to bringabout her resuscitation. While thus engaged he was suddenly made awareof the presence of Itzalmo, who, in passing through the conservatory,had discovered him striving with the unconscious maiden, and, becomingalarmed, cried out:
"Father of Light! what is the meaning of this? Is the child dead?"
"She is not dead, but 'twere better if she was," returned the prince,without pausing in his efforts to restore her to consciousness.
"Your words, O King, are very strange. Why do you speak thus?"
"I can not explain to you now, Itzalmo. You will retire, and at theinstance of the king have Cacami arrested immediately. Go at once, andseek not to know more at present," returned he, showing great butrestrained excitement.
Itzalmo left the conservatory in a state of wonderment at what he hadseen and heard, and went immediately to execute the command of theking.
Itlza gradually returned to consciousness, through the endeavors of theprince, and, when sufficiently recovered to walk, was conducted insilence to her mother, who was told that she had fainted.
In a semiconscious condition she was taken charge of by her attendants,while the king passed to his private apartments to compose, ifpossible, his overwrought feelings.
In obedience to the king's fiat, Itzalmo had Cacami arrested and placedin confinement, to await the further action of his royal master.
Cacami was not surprised at his apprehension. He felt quite certainthat a disclosure of his secret marriage would take place, should theking persist in pressing his suit with Itlza, which he did not doubt hewould do, and which would be followed by his arrest and committal. Hehad taken the fatal step, knowing the consequences which would in allprobability ensue, and now met them as became a man of courage, whichhe had on more than one occasion proven himself to be.
The king was distracted to the verge of madness at what he consideredhis humiliation, and in the heat of passion could think of nothing butpunishment for the man who had brought it upon him. He thereforepermitted no delay to occur in entering his charge against Cacami. Inplacing his charge, he put the case beyond his authority, and at theabsolute disposal of a Tezcucan court of justice.
Hualcoyotl, in reestablishing the Tezcucan government, among otherthings, we may presume, adopted the laws and means of enforcing themwhich had prevailed at the close of his esteemed father's reign.
Although the governments of Anahuac were to a certain extent despotic,there was to be found much in them that was commendable; especially wasthis true of Tezcuco.
The enforcement of the laws was vested in a tribunal of justice,composed of judges appointed by the king, an appeal from which might betaken to a supreme magistrate, the highest authority in the government,from whose decision there was no appeal, not even to the king himself,though he had the power to make or unmake the court. We infer that,under certain circumstances, these courts were combined, forming acourt whose findings were final. In the hands of such a tribunal restedthe fate of Cacami and Itlza, the latter depending on the result of theformer's arraignment.
We are told that the court proceedings were conducted with the greatestdecorum. The judges wore a peculiar and appropriate dress, and wereattended by officers whose duty it was to preserve order, while otherssummoned and brought the parties into court.
The court records were portrayed in hieroglyphical paintings, fromwhich the decision of the judges was made. If the sentence proved to becapital, it was indicated by a line traced with an arrow across theportrait of the condemned, which was always a part of the record.
When the lovers determined to stake their lives on their fidelity toeach other, they proceeded to settle the matter, at once and for all,by uniting themselves in marriage, which they did just before thearmies of Mexico and Tezcuco marched against Maxtla, in which campaignCacami bore a brave and honorable part. The ceremony of marriage wasperformed by a priest, in the prescribed form, and no earthly powercould nullify its force, except a due process of law, and then only onjust grounds for divorce, so strict was the law of marriage among thesesemicivilized people.
When Euetzin and his mother learned the true situation of affairs, thelatter was horrified at the terrible dilemma into which her child hadbeen brought, and was entirely overcome and prostrated from the effectsof it. Euetzin was greatly troubled, dividing his sympathy between hisfriends. Having so lately experienced the power of love in his owncase, with Mitla, he was deeply moved with compassion for hismuch-loved sister, and also felt a deep, friendly interest for Cacami.He was more hopeful of a favorable termination of the matter thananyone else, if, as he suspected, there was reason in the mad step theyhad taken. He resolved to enter the case, and, if in his power, clearthe good name of his beloved sister, and that of his friend, from allopprobrium, and restore to them their freedom and their love.
A Prince of Anahuac: A Histori-traditional Story Antedating the Aztec Empire Page 40
