The Aztec Treasure-House

by Thomas A. Janvier

  XXVII.

  AN OFFER OF TERMS.

  During the time that our various preparations thus went forward we hadno direct news from the stronghold of the enemy; yet many vague rumorsreached us of the army that was being set in order there to take thefield against us. On the other hand, the constant departure from amongus of those who were loyal to the ancient government kept the PriestCaptain well informed of all that was in progress in our camp. No effortwas made by the Council to prevent these departures, for all of ourplans were working so well, and our forces were increasing soprodigiously, that it was to our advantage that the enemy should havenews of our rapidly augmenting strength; and especially was it hopedthat the news thus carried to the city might incline many there whowavered in their allegiance to take open part with us--or, at the least,to refuse to take part against us--and that in this way there might bestirred up a very dangerous spirit of mutiny within the enemy's lines.

  The plan of campaign that the Council had adopted struck me as being anexceedingly prudent one. This was that we should not attempt an attackupon the city--for, indeed, to assail such fortifications withoutartillery would have been utterly hopeless--but should wait until theenemy came out to assail us, and then meet him on our own chosen ground.In every way this plan was in our favor. It most obviously was to ouradvantage to delay as long as possible the battle that was inevitable,and that, when it did come, must decide the fate of the rebellionfinally. Every day that this was deferred was a substantial gain to us,in that the organization of our army was thereby rendered the morecomplete, and also in that the effective hold of the new government uponthe people throughout the valley was thereby strengthened. On the sideof the enemy, delay would produce no corresponding gain, rather would ittend to weaken the hold of the Priest Captain upon those who remainedfaithful to him; and, being shut up with his whole army and a multitudeof non-combatants within those great stone walls, a very terrible foe,against which stone walls are no defence, presently would attack him inthe shape of hunger. Therefore we had only to wait--maintaining thewhile a vigilant patrol of guard-boats on the lake, so that no freshsupplies might reach the garrison in the city--in the sure convictionthat our foe would of his own accord come forth to give us battle, andthat we then would have the advantage of standing wholly on thedefensive until some happy turn of chance should so favor us that wewould risk nothing in making an assault.

  It was a very fortunate thing for us that matters stood in this way; forwellnigh the whole of the trained army of the Aztlanecas was with thePriest Captain, and against this well-disciplined body of men our ownhastily assembled and imperfectly organized army would have made but apoor showing had we met on equal terms. Even under the existingcircumstances, so favorable in many ways to our success, Tizoc and theother military officers who were with us did not at all disguise theiranxiety as to what might be the outcome of the battle so soon to befought; and especially did they dread some well-planned stealthymovement of the enemy, by which our camp might be suddenly set upon andfairly carried before our own untrained forces could be rallied from thebewilderment and confusion into which they would be thrown by the shockof such surprise.

  Rayburn, who had seen a good deal of Indian fighting in his time, fullyshared in this feeling of anxiety. "Indian fights, you see," he said,"are not like any other kind of fights. The side that wins has got to doit with a whoop and a hurrah. Indians haven't got any staying power inthem. They can't hold out against anybody who stands up against themsquarely, and won't be scared by a howling rush into running away.That's the reason why our little bit of an army at home is strong enoughto police our whole Indian frontier. A single troop of our boys--if thefighting's square, and they haven't been corralled in an ambush--canstand off a whole tribe; and they can do it because they just get theirbacks together and won't give in. What bothers me about the fight thatwe're going to have is that the regulars are on the other side. Ofcourse, being Indians too, regulars like these don't amount to much; butthey are bound to be a long chalk better than this rowdy crowd of ours.We've got a pretty fair chance to win, because we're in a strongposition, and because our people mean to wait until the other fellowscome at 'em; but I tell you what it is, if ever they manage to getinside here, or if ever we go outside after them--that is, while they'refresh and full of fight--it's bound to be all day with us. These miners,and the rest of this Tlahuico outfit, will fight like wild-cats as longas they're on top, but every bit of fight will go right out of them theminute they find that they're beginning to get underneath. That's theIndian way. I'm trying hard to believe that our crowd will whip theother crowd; but I must say, Professor, that I'm not betting on it."

  "Well, I'm bettin' on it, and bettin' on it high," said Young. "I don'tpretend t' know as much about this sort o' thing as Rayburn does; but Ido think I know a live devil when I see one--an' these miners are aboutas lively an' about as devilly as anything that ever broke loose fromhell. They're just as full o' th' wickedest sort o' fight as they canstick in their ugly skins, an' they're just sick for a chance t' let itget out of 'em. All we've got t' do is t' worry th' other crowd for awhile by lettin' 'em monkey around tryin' t' bag us; an' then, whenthey've been pretty well shot off, an' are gettin' tired, just make arush for 'em an' scoop 'em in. Regulars or no regulars, these miners 'llgo through 'em like a limited express; an' the' first thing th' PriestCaptain knows we'll have walloped him right smack out o' th' baggythings he wears on his feet an' thinks are boots. That's th' size of it,Rayburn. That's what's goin' t' happen right here--an' don't you forgetit! An' then, if there's any way out o' this d--n valley, we'll load upwith dollars an' pull out for home."

  For my own part, I was not disposed to be either so doubtful as Rayburnor so sanguine as Young. In what each of them said there was much truth,and my inference from such of the facts in the case as were within myknowledge and my comprehension was that the chances for and against oursuccess were very evenly divided. Had I listened only to the promptingsof my hopes, I should have entertained no doubt whatever touching thecertainty of our victory; for I was at that time so elated by theknowledge that I had acquired, and that each day was increased by theacquisition of new and most precious facts, whereby a flood of light waslet in upon what hitherto had been hopelessly dark places in Aztecarchaeology, that I was disposed to believe as firmly as ever did thefirst Napoleon in the assured ascendency of my lucky star. However, Idid not wholly permit my wits to be run away with by the joy begotten ofmy truly wonderful discoveries; and I strove even to contemplate calmlythe possibility that I might myself be slain in the battle that was soclose upon us; and that thus the exceedingly valuable information whichI had acquired would be lost to the world, and to myself would be lostthe honorable fame due me for having gathered it. Yet I regret tostate--for until that time I had entertained unreservedly the beliefthat I truly was a philosopher--my attempt at calm contemplation of thisdismal and far from improbable combination of evil circumstances had noother effect upon me than to throw me into a most violent rage. Itseemed to me so stupidly unreasonable that some mere common brute of anIndian, by the crude process of splitting my skull open, might depriveme, and through me the scientific world, of the priceless knowledge thatwith much effort I had stored within my brain.

  But all thought of my own fortunes, and of this possible sudden cuttingof my life-strings, presently was thrust aside by the inroad of anothermatter that was of far more serious moment to me, inasmuch as there wasinvolved in it a menace against the life of one of my companions; and,indeed, this matter was one which startled our whole camp, for it wasnothing less than a formal offer on the part of the Priest Captain tocondone the rebellion, and to compromise with the rebels, on certain farfrom exacting terms.

  The envoy sent to treat with us came in a manner befitting his dignityand the importance of his mission, having a considerable retinue withhim in his barge, and being himself a grave and dignified man welladvanced in years. Two of our guard-boats accompanied his barge acrossthe lake, and
he alone was permitted to land in Huitzilan. Being ledbefore the Council, he delivered himself briefly of his message, andadded to it neither argument nor comment of his own. The Priest Captain,he said, desiring to avoid the shedding of blood among brethren, waswilling to forgive the wrong already committed, and was willing even toconcede in part the demands made by the rebels, in consideration of theacceptance by those now in arms against him of certain very easy terms.For his part, he would yield in so far as to restore the custom ofpermitting parents to buy back their own children, and so to save themfrom being sacrificed or from becoming slaves; and he would withdrawalso his claim to the exercise of certain rights (which need not here bespecified) in civil matters, to which a counter-claim was set up by theCouncil. In return for these concessions, he demanded that the armyraised by the rebels should be immediately disbanded; that order shouldbe restored in Huitzilan by returning the miners to their work, and theTlahuicos generally to their masters throughout the valley; and that thearms which had been manufactured should be turned over to the keeper ofthe arsenal in Culhuacan. The final demand made by the Priest Captainrelated to ourselves; and the Council was given to understand that uponits punctual and exact fulfilment the whole of the negotiation mustdepend. Young and Rayburn and I, the envoy said, must be thrust outthrough the Barred Pass, whence we came, and there left to shift forourselves; Fray Antonio must be without delay surrendered--that thedreadful sin that he had committed by preaching vile doctrines,subversive of the true faith, might be punished in so signal a mannerthat the gods whom he had outraged would be appeased.

  Both Fray Antonio and I were present in the Council chamber when theenvoy delivered his message; and when this final demand wasmade--hearing which made me grow sick and faint, so keen was the pang ofsorrow that it caused me--I turned towards him quickly, expecting thathe also would feel the hurt of the blow which through him, because of mygreat love for him, had stricken me so grievously. But so far from beingat all cast down by the knowledge thus rudely conveyed that a very crueldeath menaced him, there was upon his face a look of such joyfulelation, of such rejoicing triumph, that it seemed as though the verygreatest happiness that life could hold for him had been thrust suddenlywithin his grasp.

  Within the Council, and outside of it also, when the terms which theenvoy offered were spread abroad, there was at once aroused a very hotantagonism between contending factions in regard to the wisdom ofplacing trust in the Priest Captain's promises, and to the justice ofyielding to his demands. So far as the Council was concerned, itsmembers having no especial regard for our welfare now that we had servedtheir purpose, the slaying of Fray Antonio, and the expulsion from thevalley of the rest of us, were trifling matters which well enough mightbe conceded if thereby peace might be secured. The matter of importancethat this body had to consider was how far the Priest Captain could betrusted to fulfil promises made to rebels in arms, when these samerebels voluntarily had submitted to disarmament and were at his mercy;and on this essential point the whole debate that followed turned. Thefaction that favored disarmament insisted that such yielding was notsurrender, inasmuch as the Priest Captain had conceded all that therebels had asked; while those of the faction that favored war restedtheir case on the ground that the promises of concession were made onlyto be broken, and that this sudden willingness on the part of the PriestCaptain to grant what he had heretofore so persistently refused wasproof that he recognized the hopelessness of his position, and so wasseeking to retain by craft the power that he no longer could hold byforce. These latter, therefore, urged that his false promises should notbe heeded; and that the matter at issue should be settled surely andfinally by carrying to a triumphant conclusion the war, for the wagingof which all needful preparations had been made.

  The debate upon this matter continued throughout the whole day withoutany conclusion being arrived at, and we listened to it--Fray Antonio andI translating to the others--with a very earnest interest, inasmuch asthe outcome of it all might be the instant slaying of one of us, and forthe rest of us an imprisonment in wild fastnesses among bleak mountainsfor what was like to be the whole remainder of our lives. When nightcame, and the Council, being still unresolved, broke off its sessionuntil the day following, we came back to our quarters and there talkedover the situation, and not cheerfully, among ourselves.

  "Even if these fellows understood algebra," said Rayburn, "I don't seehow they could get an answer to the problem that they're trying to work.All the _x_'s that ever were made are not enough to represent an unknownquantity like the Priest Captain; and it simply is not in the conditionsof the case that they possibly can know what allowance to make for thefactor of error. For the last three hours, as far as I can make out,they've just been talking in a circle, and going over and over the sameground. The size of the business is that half of them believe the PriestCaptain is telling the truth, and the other half believe that he islying. This is a matter of conviction; it is not a thing that they canargue about. As far as I can see, there is nothing to prevent them fromkeeping on talking without getting anywhere for the next twenty years."

  "Well, all I can say," said Young, "is that if they'll put me in th'cab, an' let me run their train for 'em, I'll get it up this grade in notime; an' what's more, I'll just take it down th' other side o' th'divide a-kitin'! What's th' matter with th' Priest Captain, an' onlyhalf of 'em have th' sense t' see 't, is that he's just solidly lyin'.He's been lyin' to 'em from away back, I reckon; an' he's lyin' to 'emnow; an' he'll keep on lyin' to 'em right smack along till he gets t'th' end of his run. If they're fools enough t' believe him they're boundt' get left th' worst kind. They've got him in a hole now, an' he knowsit--an' that's more'n they do, t' judge from th' way they're goin' on.I did have some respect for that Council. So far, they've managed thingsfirst-rate. They've run in advance o' their schedule right along, an'they've kep' up a rattlin' head o' steam with mighty d----n bad coal.But if they really mean t' draw their fires, just when they ought t' puton th' forced draught an' let her go for all she's worth, I must say Ihaven't any more use for 'em. Seein' 'em shilly-shallyin' around likethey're doin' now, when they ought t' be takin' their coats off an'sailin' in, just makes me sick!"

  Fray Antonio--whose habit of quiet was such that he rarely sought totake part in the talks that we had in English among ourselves--somewhatsurprised me by asking me to translate to him what Young and Rayburn hadbeen saying; and when he had heard it all he was silent for a while, andevidently was engaged in earnest thought. At last, speaking verygravely, he asked us if we greatly feared being thrust out from thevalley in case the Council decided to accept the Priest Captain's terms;and without giving us a chance to answer, he bade us remember that wehad not at all explored the last valley that we had passed throughbefore we entered the canon that ended at the Barred Pass, and that fromit there well might be some outlet through which we could return to thecivilized world; and even were we forced to end our days in it, hecontinued, speaking quickly and urgently, a much worse fate might cometo us; for the valley was a bright and beautiful one, as we had seen,and had in it an abundant supply of food. Would living there, he asked,be any worse for us than living where we then were--where we wereequally shut in? And even supposing that the war ended in victory forus, and that our allies gave us entire freedom of action, what morecould we do than end our days in the Valley of Aztlan, or else go backto that other valley and search for an outlet thence whereby we couldget into an open way among the mountains, and so once more to our homes?And then, still denying us opportunity to answer, he went on to speak ofthe pain and misery and despairing sorrow that the threatened war wouldbring; and then, more gently, of the duty that pressed upon us ofaverting this calamity, that was also a crime, even though to do so wemust sacrifice hopes and wishes very dear to our hearts.

  "What th' dickens is th' Padre drivin' at, anyway?" Young exclaimed; "Idon't ketch on at all."

  "No more do I," said Rayburn. "It's a first-rate sermon that he's givingus, but I don't see where he
means the moral of it to fetch up."

  For myself, so closely were Fray Antonio and I bound together by bondsof sympathy, I saw but too plainly what he meant should be the outcomeof his discourse; and I was not surprised, therefore--though hearingthus plainly expressed in words what I had been dreading, sent a dull,cold pain into the very depths of my heart--when he unfolded to us thewhole of the plan that he had been forming within his mind. What he saidwas said very simply, and with a loving sorrow for the pain that mightcome to us through shaping our actions in accordance with his strongdesire; and this desire was: that, of our own free-will, we shouldretire from the valley by the way that we came thither, and so leave theCouncil free to accept unhesitatingly the Priest Captain's terms.

  "And what of yourself?" I asked; for I felt within me a strongconviction that for himself he had in view a very different fate.

  He hesitated for a moment before answering me, and his color changed alittle; and then an unwonted ruddiness gave animation to his face, and alight of glad and strong resolve shone in his eyes as he replied, in avoice that was very low, and at the same time very clear and firm: "Ishall go to the Priest Captain, in Culhuacan!"

  "And so go to your death," I said, speaking brokenly, for the pain thathis words caused me went through me like a knife-thrust.

  "Say, rather," Fray Antonio answered, "that I go to win the life,glorious and eternal, into which neither death nor sin nor sorrowevermore can come!"