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37 - Montezuma's Daughter by H Rider Haggard · Montezumas Daughter

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Speaker 1: Chapter thirty six, The Surrender. Taking Ottomi in my hands,
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Speaker 1: I bore her to one of the storehouses attached to
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Speaker 1: the temple. Here many children had been placed for safety,
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Speaker 1: and among them my own son. What ails our mother? Father,
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Speaker 1: said the boy. And why did she shut me in
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Speaker 1: here with these children when it seems that there is
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Speaker 1: fighting without Your mother has fainted? I answered, And doubtless
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Speaker 1: she placed you here to keep you safe. Now, do
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Speaker 1: you tender till I return? I will do so, answered
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Speaker 1: the boy. But surely it would be better that I,
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Speaker 1: who am almost a man, should be without fighting the
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Speaker 1: spaniards at your side, rather than within nursing sick women.
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Speaker 1: Do as I bid, son, I said, and I charge
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Speaker 1: you not to leave this place until I come for
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Speaker 1: you again. Now I passed out of the storehouse, shutting
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Speaker 1: the door behind me. A minute later, I wish that
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Speaker 1: had stayed where I was, since on the platform, my
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Speaker 1: eyes were greeted by a sight more dreadful than any
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Speaker 1: that had gone before. For there, advancing towards us were
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Speaker 1: the women divided into four great companies, some of them
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Speaker 1: bearing infants in their arms. They came singing and leaping,
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Speaker 1: many of them naked to the middle. Nor was this all,
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Speaker 1: for in front of them ran the pabas and such
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Speaker 1: of the women themselves, as were persons in authority. These leaders,
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Speaker 1: male and female, ran and leaped and sang, calling upon
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Speaker 1: the names of their demon gods, celebrating the wickedness of
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Speaker 1: their forefathers. While after them pulled the howling troops of
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Speaker 1: women to and fro. They rushed, now making obeisance to
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Speaker 1: the statue of Huetzel, now prostrating themselves before the hideous sister,
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Speaker 1: the Goddess of Death, who sat beside him, adorned with
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Speaker 1: her carven necklace of men's skulls and hands, now bowing
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Speaker 1: around the stone of sacrifice, and now thrusting their bare
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Speaker 1: arms into the flames of the holy fire. For an
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Speaker 1: hour or more they celebrated this ghastly carnival, of which
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Speaker 1: even I versed, as I was in the Indian customs,
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Speaker 1: could not fully understand the meaning. And then, as though
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Speaker 1: some single impulse had possessed them, they withdrew to the
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Speaker 1: center of the open space, and forming themselves into a
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Speaker 1: double circle, within which stood the Pabas. Of a sudden
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Speaker 1: they burst into a chant so wild and shrill that,
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Speaker 1: as I listen my blood curdled in my veins. Even now.
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Speaker 1: The burden of that chant, with the vision of those
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Speaker 1: who sang it, sometimes haunts my sleep at night. But
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Speaker 1: I will not write it here. Let him who reads
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Speaker 1: imagine all that is most cruel in the heart of man,
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Speaker 1: and every terror of the evilest dream, adding to these
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Speaker 1: some horror ridden tale of murder, ghosts, and inhuman vengeance.
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Speaker 1: Then if he can, let him shape the whole in
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Speaker 1: words and as in a glass darkly, perchance he may
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Speaker 1: mirror the spirit of that last ancient song of the
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Speaker 1: women of the otomy, with its sobs and cries of
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Speaker 1: triumph and its death wailings. Even as they sang, step
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Speaker 1: by step, they drew backwards, and with them went the
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Speaker 1: leaders of each company, their eyes fixed upon the statues
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Speaker 1: of their gods. Now they were but a segment of
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Speaker 1: a circle, for they did not advance towards the temple.
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Speaker 1: Backwards and outwards they went with a slow and solemn tramp.
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Speaker 1: There was but one lion of them. Now, for those
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Speaker 1: in the second ring filled the gaps in the first.
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Speaker 1: As it widened, still they drew on till at length
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Speaker 1: they stood on the sheer edge of the platform. Then
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Speaker 1: the priests and the women leaders took their place among them,
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Speaker 1: and for a moment there was silence, until at a signal,
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Speaker 1: one and all they bent them backwards, standing thus their
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Speaker 1: long hair waving in the wind, the lights of burning
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Speaker 1: houses flaring upon their breasts, and in their maddened eyes
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Speaker 1: they burst into the cry of save us sweet, so
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Speaker 1: receive us, Lord God, our home. Thrice they cried it,
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Speaker 1: each time more shrilly than before. Then suddenly they were gone.
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Speaker 1: The women of the Ottomy were no more with their
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Speaker 1: own self slaughter. They had consummated the last celebration of
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Speaker 1: the rites of sacrifice that ever should be held in
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Speaker 1: the city of Pines. The devil gods were dead, and
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Speaker 1: their worshipers with them. A low murmur ran round the
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Speaker 1: lips of the men who watched. Then one cried, and
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Speaker 1: his voice rang strangely in the sudden silence. May the
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Speaker 1: wives the women of the Otomi rest softly in the
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Speaker 1: houses of the sun. For Alpha's surety. They teach us
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Speaker 1: how to die, aye, I answered, but not thus let
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Speaker 1: women do self murder. Our foes have swords for the
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Speaker 1: hearts of men. I turned to go, and before me
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Speaker 1: stood Outomy. What has befallen, she said, where are my sisters? Oh,
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Speaker 1: surely I have dreamed an evil dream. I dreamed that
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Speaker 1: the gods of my forefathers were strong once more, and
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Speaker 1: that once more they drank the blood of men. Your
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Speaker 1: ill dream has a worse awakening utter me, I answered.
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Speaker 1: The gods of Hell are still strong, indeed in this
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Speaker 1: accursed land, and they have taken your sisters into their keepings.
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Speaker 1: Is it so? She whispered softly. Yet in my dream
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Speaker 1: it seemed to me that this was their last strength. Ey,
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Speaker 1: they sink into death unending. Look look yonder, and she
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Speaker 1: pointed towards the snowy crest of the vulcan Jacker. I looked.
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Speaker 1: But whether I saw the sight of which I am
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Speaker 1: about to tell, or whether it was but an imagining
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Speaker 1: born of the horrors of the most hideous night, In truth,
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Speaker 1: I cannot say. At the least I seemed to see this,
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Speaker 1: And afterwards there were some among the Spaniards who swarm
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Speaker 1: that they had witnessed it. Also Aunt Jacker's lofty summit, now,
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Speaker 1: as always stood a pillar of fiery smoke, And while
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Speaker 1: I gazed to my vision, the smoke and the fire
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Speaker 1: separated themselves. Out of the fire was fashioned across a
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Speaker 1: flame that shone light lightning, and stretched from many a
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Speaker 1: rod across the heavens, its base resting upon the mountaintop.
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Speaker 1: At its foot rolled the clouds of smoke. And now
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Speaker 1: these took forms vast and terrifying, such forms indeed as
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Speaker 1: those that sat in stone within the temple behind me,
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Speaker 1: but magnified a hundredfold. See, said Art to me again,
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Speaker 1: the cross of your God shines above the shapes of mine,
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Speaker 1: the lost gods whom to night I worshiped, though not
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Speaker 1: of my own will. Then she turned and went. For
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Speaker 1: some few moments I stood very much afraid, gazing upon
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Speaker 1: the vision of Jacqua's snow. Then suddenly the rays of
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Speaker 1: the rising sun smote it, and it was gone. Now
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Speaker 1: for three days more we held out against the Spaniards,
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Speaker 1: for they could not come at us, and their shots
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Speaker 1: swept over our heads harmlessly. During these days I had
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Speaker 1: no talk with Otomy, for we shrank from one another.
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Speaker 1: Hour by hour. She would sit in the store house
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Speaker 1: of the temple, a very picture of desolation. Twice I
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Speaker 1: tried to speak with her, my heart being moved to
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Speaker 1: pity by the dumb torment in her eyes, but she
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Speaker 1: turned her head from me and made no answer. Soon
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Speaker 1: it came to the knowledge of the Spaniards that we
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Speaker 1: had enough food and water upon the Teocholi to enable
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Speaker 1: us to live there for a month or more, and
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Speaker 1: seeing that there was no hope of capturing the place
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Speaker 1: by force of arms, they called a parley with us.
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Speaker 1: I went down to the breach in the roadway and
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Speaker 1: spoke with her envoy, who stood upon the path below.
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Speaker 1: At first, the terms offered were that we should surrender
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Speaker 1: at discretion. To this, I answered that sooner than do so,
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Speaker 1: we would die where we were. Their reply was, if
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Speaker 1: we would give over all who had taken part in
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Speaker 1: any human sacrifice, the rest of us might go free.
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Speaker 1: To this, I said that the sacrifice had been carried
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Speaker 1: out by women and some few men, and that all
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Speaker 1: of these were dead by their own hands. They asked
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Speaker 1: if Ottomy was also dead. I told them no, but
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Speaker 1: that I would never surrender unless they swore that neither
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Speaker 1: she nor her son should be harmed, but rather that,
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Speaker 1: together with myself, they should be given a safe conduct
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Speaker 1: to go whither we willed. Oh this they refused, but
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Speaker 1: in the end I won the day and a parchment
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Speaker 1: was thrown up to me on the point of a lance.
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Speaker 1: This parchment, which was signed by the Captain Bernard Diaz,
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Speaker 1: set out that in consideration of the part that I
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Speaker 1: and some men of the Ottomy had played in rescuing
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Speaker 1: the Spanish captives from death by sacrifice, a pardon was
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Speaker 1: granted to me, my wife and child, and all upon
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Speaker 1: the Teochley, with liberty to go whithersoever we would unharmed,
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Speaker 1: Our lands and wealth being, however, declared forfeit to the Viceroy. Well,
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Speaker 1: with these terms I was well content. Indeed, I had
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Speaker 1: never hoped to win any that would leave us our
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Speaker 1: lives and liberty. And yet for my part, death had
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Speaker 1: been almost as welcome. For now Ottomy had built a
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Speaker 1: wall between us that I could never climb, and I
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Speaker 1: was bound to her, to a woman who willingly or
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Speaker 1: no had stained her hands with sacrifice. Well, my son
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Speaker 1: was left to me, and with him I must be satisfied.
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Speaker 1: At the least he knew nothing of his mother's shame. Oh,
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Speaker 1: I ought to myself as I climbed the TEOCHYLI oh
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Speaker 1: that I could but escape far from this accursed land
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Speaker 1: and bear him with me to the English shaws Aye
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Speaker 1: and Ottomy also, for there she might forget that once
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Speaker 1: she had been a savage alas it could scarcely be.
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Speaker 1: Coming to the temple, I and those with me told
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Speaker 1: the good tidings to our companions, who received it silently.
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Speaker 1: Men of a white race would have rejoiced us to escape,
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Speaker 1: for when death is near, all loss seems as nothing.
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Speaker 1: But with these Indian people it is not so, since
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Speaker 1: when fortune frowns upon them, they do not cling to life.
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Speaker 1: These men of the Otomi had lost their country, their wives,
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Speaker 1: their wealth, their brethren, and their home wombs. Therefore life
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Speaker 1: with freedom to wander whither they would seem no great
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Speaker 1: thing to them. So they met the boon that I
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Speaker 1: had won from the mercy of our foes, as had
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Speaker 1: matters gone otherwise, they would have met the bane in
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Speaker 1: sullen silence. I came to Otomi, and to her also,
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Speaker 1: I told the news I had hoped to die where
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Speaker 1: I am. She answered, But so be it, death is
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Speaker 1: always to be found. Only my son rejoiced because he
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Speaker 1: knew that God had saved us all from the death
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Speaker 1: by sword or hunger. Father, he said, the Spaniards have
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Speaker 1: given us life, but they take our country and drive
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Speaker 1: us out of it. Well, where then shall we go?
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Speaker 1: Who I do not know, my son, I answered father.
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Speaker 1: The lad said again, let us leave this land of Anahuac,
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Speaker 1: where there is nothing but Spaniards and sorrow. Let us
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Speaker 1: find the ship and sail across the seas to England,
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Speaker 1: our own country. Oh, the boy spoke my very thought,
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Speaker 1: and my heart leapt at the words. Though I had
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Speaker 1: no plan to bring the matter about, I pondered a moment,
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Speaker 1: looking at Otomi. The thought is good to she said,
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Speaker 1: answering my unspoken question. For you and for our son,
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Speaker 1: there is no better but for myself. I will answer
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Speaker 1: in the proverb of my people. The earth that bears
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Speaker 1: us lies lightest on bones. Then she turned, making ready
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Speaker 1: to quit the storehouse of the temple, where we had
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Speaker 1: been lodged during the siege, And no more was said
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Speaker 1: about the matter. Before the sun set, a weary throng
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Speaker 1: of men, with some few women and children, were marching
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Speaker 1: across the courtyard that surrounded the pyramid, for a bridge
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Speaker 1: of timbers taken from the temple had been made over
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Speaker 1: the breach in the roadway that wound about its side.
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Speaker 1: At the gate. The Spaniards were waiting to receive us.
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Speaker 1: Some of them cursed us, some mocked, but those of
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Speaker 1: the nobler sort said nothing, for they pitied our flight
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Speaker 1: and respected us for our courage we had shown in
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Speaker 1: the last struggle. Their Indian allies were there also, and
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Speaker 1: these grinned like unfed pumers, snarling and whimpering for our lives,
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Speaker 1: till their masters kicked them to silence. The last act
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Speaker 1: of the fall of Anoak was as the first had been, dog,
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Speaker 1: still a dog, leaving the goodly spoil to the lion
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Speaker 1: who watched. At the gates. We were sorted out. The
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Speaker 1: men of small condition, together with the children, were taken
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Speaker 1: from the ruined city by an escort and turned loose
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Speaker 1: upon the mountains, while those of note were brought to
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Speaker 1: the Spanish camp to be questioned there before they were
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Speaker 1: set free. I, with my wife and son, was led
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Speaker 1: to the palace, our old home, there to learn the
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Speaker 1: will of Captain Diaz. It is but a little way
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Speaker 1: to go, and yet there was something to be seen
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Speaker 1: in the path. For as we walked, I looked up
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Speaker 1: and before me stop with folded arms, and apart from
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Speaker 1: all men, was de Garcia. I had scarcely thought of
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Speaker 1: him for some days, so full had my mind been
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Speaker 1: of other matters. But at the sight of his evil face,
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Speaker 1: I remembered that while this man lived, sorrow and danger
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Speaker 1: must be my bedfellows. He watched us pass, take a
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Speaker 1: note of all. Then he called to me, who walked last. Farewell,
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Speaker 1: cousin Wingfield. You have lived through this bout also, and
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Speaker 1: one of free pardon you. You're a woman and your
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Speaker 1: brat together. If the old war horse who is set
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Speaker 1: over us as a captain had listened to me, you
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Speaker 1: should have been burned at the stake, every one of you.
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Speaker 1: But so it is. Farewell for a while, friend. I
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Speaker 1: am away to Mexico to report these matters to the Viceroy,
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Speaker 1: who may have a word to say. I made no answer,
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Speaker 1: but asked of our conductor, that same spaniard whom I
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Speaker 1: had saved from the sacrifice. What the senor meant by
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Speaker 1: his words? This you that there has been a quarrel
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Speaker 1: between our comrade Sarkada and our captain. The former would
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Speaker 1: have granted you no terms, or failing this, would have
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Speaker 1: decoyed you from your stronghold with false promises, and then
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Speaker 1: have put you to the sword as infidels, with whom
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Speaker 1: no oath is binding. But the captain would not have
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Speaker 1: it so, for he said that faith must be kept
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Speaker 1: even with the heathen. And we whom you had saved,
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Speaker 1: cried shame on him. And so words ran high, and
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Speaker 1: in the end the senior Sarkada, wh who is a
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Speaker 1: third in command among us, declare that he should have
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Speaker 1: no party to his peacemaking, but would be gone to
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Speaker 1: Mexico with his servants there to report to the viceroy.
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Speaker 1: Then the Captain Diaz bade him be gone to Hell
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Speaker 1: if he wished, and report to the devil, saying that
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Speaker 1: he had always believed that he had escaped dense by mistake.
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Speaker 1: And they parted in wrath, who since the day of Nostrist,
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Speaker 1: never loved each other much. The end of it being
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Speaker 1: that sarcade of rides to Mexico within an hour to
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Speaker 1: make what mischief he can at the Viceroy's court. And
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Speaker 1: I think that you are well rid of him, father,
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Speaker 1: said my son to me. Who is that Spaniard who
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Speaker 1: looks so cruelly upon us? Oh, that is he of
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Speaker 1: whom I have told you, son de Garcia, who has
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Speaker 1: been the curse of our race for two generations, who
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Speaker 1: betrayed your grandfather to the holy office and murdered your grandmother,
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Speaker 1: who put me to torture, and whose ill deeds are
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Speaker 1: not done yet. Beware of him, son, now and ever,
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Speaker 1: I beseech you. Now, we will come to the palace,
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Speaker 1: almost the only house that was left standing in the
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Speaker 1: city of Pines. Here an apartment was made to us
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Speaker 1: at the end of the long building, and presently a
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Speaker 1: command was brought to us that I and my wife
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Speaker 1: should wait upon the Spanish Captain Diaz. So we went,
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Speaker 1: though what we desire, to stay behind, leaving our son
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Speaker 1: alone in the chamber, where food had been brought to him.
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Speaker 1: I remember that I kissed him before I left, though
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Speaker 1: I don't know what moved me to do so, unless
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Speaker 1: it was because I thought that he might be asleep
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Speaker 1: when I returned. The Captain Diaz had his quarters at
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Speaker 1: the other end of the palace, some two hundred paces away.
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Speaker 1: Presently we stood before him. He was rough looking, thick
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Speaker 1: set man, well on in years, with bright eyes and
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Speaker 1: an ugly on his face, like the face of a
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Speaker 1: peasant who has toiled a lifetime in all weathers. Only
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Speaker 1: the fields that Diaz tilled were fields of war, and
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Speaker 1: his harvest had been the lives of men. Just then,
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Speaker 1: he was joking with some common soldiers in the strains,
22:45
Speaker 1: scarcely suited to nice ears. But so soon as he
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Speaker 1: saw us, he ceased and came forward. I saluted him
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Speaker 1: after the Indian fashion, by touching the earth with my hand.
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Speaker 1: For what was I an Indian captive? Your sword, he said, briefly,
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Speaker 1: as he scanned me with his quick eyes. I unbuckled
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Speaker 1: it from my side and handed it to him, saying
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Speaker 1: in Spanish, take it, captain, for you have conquered. Also
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Speaker 1: it does come back to its owner, For this was
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Speaker 1: the same sword that I had captured from one Bernal
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Speaker 1: Diaz in the fray of Nostrist. He looked at it,
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Speaker 1: then swore a great oath and said, I thought it
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Speaker 1: could be no other man. And so we meet again,
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Speaker 1: thus after so many years. Well, you gave me my
23:47
Speaker 1: life once, and I am glad that I have lived
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Speaker 1: to pay the debt. Had I not been sure it
23:56
Speaker 1: was you, you had not won such easy terms. For
24:00
Speaker 1: and how are you named? Nay? I know what the
24:05
Speaker 1: Indians call you. I am named Wingfield, friend Wingfield. Then,
24:13
Speaker 1: for I tell you that I would have set beneath
24:15
Speaker 1: yonder Devil's house, and he nodded towards the Teochley till
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Speaker 1: you starved upon its top. Nay, Friend Wingfield, take back
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Speaker 1: the sword. I suited myself with another many years ago,
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Speaker 1: and you have used this one gallantly. Never have I
24:37
Speaker 1: seen Indians take a better fight. And so that is
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Speaker 1: otomy Montezuma's daughter and your wife still handsome and loyal.
24:49
Speaker 1: I see, Lord Lord, it is many years ago, and
24:55
Speaker 1: yet it seems but yesterday that I saw her father die,
25:00
Speaker 1: a Christian hearted man, though no Christian, and one whom
25:05
Speaker 1: we dealt ill with. May God forgive us all well, Madam,
25:13
Speaker 1: none can say that you have a Christian heart. If
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Speaker 1: a certain tale that I have heard of what passed
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Speaker 1: yonder some three nights since, is true, But we will
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Speaker 1: speak no more of it, for the savage blood will show,
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Speaker 1: and you our pardon for your husband's sake, who saved
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Speaker 1: my comrades from the sacrifice. To all this Artemy listened,
25:40
Speaker 1: standing like a statue, but she never answered a word. Indeed,
25:46
Speaker 1: she had spoken very rarely since that dreadful night of
25:49
Speaker 1: her unspeakable shame. And now Friend Wingfield went on, Captain Diaz,
25:58
Speaker 1: what is your purpose? You are free to go where
26:02
Speaker 1: you will, whither them will you go? I do not know,
26:09
Speaker 1: I answered. Years ago, when the Aztec Emperor gave my
26:15
Speaker 1: life and this princess my wife in marriage, I swore
26:20
Speaker 1: to be faithful to him and his cause, and to
26:24
Speaker 1: fight for them till Papo ceased to vomit smoke, till
26:28
Speaker 1: there was no king in Terenoptiklan and the people of
26:31
Speaker 1: Anawak were no more a people. Then you are quit
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Speaker 1: of your oath, friend, for all these things have come about,
26:42
Speaker 1: and there has been no smoke on Papa for these
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Speaker 1: two years. Now. If you will be advised by me,
26:50
Speaker 1: you will turn Christian again and enter the service of Spain.
26:56
Speaker 1: But come, let us supper. We can talk of these
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Speaker 1: matters afterwards. So we sat down to eat by the
27:05
Speaker 1: light of torches in the banqueting hall with Bernald Diaz
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Speaker 1: and some other of the Spaniards. Otomy would have left us,
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Speaker 1: And though the Captain bade her stay, she ate nothing
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Speaker 1: and presently slipped away from the chamber. End of chapter
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Speaker 1: thirty six. Recording by Patrick seventy nine