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

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  Speaker 1: To thirty two, the end of guatemaluc Now, for a
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  Speaker 1: while we dwelt in quiet at the city of Pines,
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  Speaker 1: and by slow degrees and with much suffering, I recovered
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  Speaker 1: from the wounds that the cruel hand of de Gaza
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  Speaker 1: had inflicted upon me. But we knew that this peace
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  Speaker 1: could not last, and the people of the Ottomy knew
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  Speaker 1: it also, for had they not scowled the envoys of
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  Speaker 1: manage out of the gates of their city. Many of
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  Speaker 1: them were now sorry that this had been done. But
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  Speaker 1: it was done, and they must reap as they had sown.
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  Speaker 1: So they made ready for war. An Ottomy was the
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  Speaker 1: president of their councils, in which I shared at length.
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  Speaker 1: Came news of a force of fifty Spaniards with five
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  Speaker 1: thousand Alaskan allies were advancing on the city to destroy us.
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  Speaker 1: Then I took the command of the tribesmen of the Ottomy.
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  Speaker 1: There were ten thousand more of them, all well armed
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  Speaker 1: after their own fashion, and advanced out of the city
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  Speaker 1: till I was two thirds of the way down the
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  Speaker 1: gorge which leads to it. But I did not bring
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  Speaker 1: all my army down this gorge, since there was no
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  Speaker 1: room for them. To fight there, and I had another plan.
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  Speaker 1: I sent some seven thousand men round the mountains, of
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  Speaker 1: which the secret paths were well known to them, bidding
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  Speaker 1: them climb to the crest of the precipices that bordered
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  Speaker 1: either side of the gorge, and there at certain places
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  Speaker 1: where the cliff is sheer and more than a thousand
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  Speaker 1: feet in height, to make a great provision of stones.
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  Speaker 1: The rest of my army, excepting five hundred, whom I
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  Speaker 1: kept with me, I armed with bows and throwing spears,
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  Speaker 1: and stationed them in ambush in convenient places where the
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  Speaker 1: sides of the cliff were broken, and in such a
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  Speaker 1: fashion that rocks from above could not be rolled on them.
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  Speaker 1: Then I sent trusty men as spies to warm me
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  Speaker 1: of the approach of Spaniards and others, whose mission it
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  Speaker 1: was to offer themselves to them as guides. Now I
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  Speaker 1: thought my plan good, and everything looked well. And yet
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  Speaker 1: it missed failure, but by very little. For Maschler, our
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  Speaker 1: enemy and the friends of the Spaniards, was in my camp. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: I had bought him with me that I might watch him,
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  Speaker 1: and he had not been idle, For when the Spaniards
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  Speaker 1: were half a day's march from the mouth of the defile.
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  Speaker 1: One of those men whom I had told off to
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  Speaker 1: watch their advance came to me and made it known
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  Speaker 1: that Matchler had bribed him to go to the leader
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  Speaker 1: of the Spaniards and disclosed to him the plan of
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  Speaker 1: the ambuscade. This man had taken the bribe and started
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  Speaker 1: on his errand of treachery, but his heart failed him,
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  Speaker 1: and returning he told me all then I caused Maschla
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  Speaker 1: to be seized, and before nightfall he had paid the
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  Speaker 1: price of his wickedness. On the morning after his death,
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  Speaker 1: the Spanish array entered the pass. Half way down. I
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  Speaker 1: met them with my five hundred men and engaged them,
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  Speaker 1: but suffered them to drive us back with some loss.
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  Speaker 1: As they followed, they grew bolder, and we fled faster,
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  Speaker 1: till at length we flew down the defile, followed by
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  Speaker 1: the Spanish horse. Now some three furlongs from its mouth
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  Speaker 1: that leads to the city of Pines. This pass turns
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  Speaker 1: and narrows, and here the cliffs are so sheer and
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  Speaker 1: high that a twilight rains at the foot of them.
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  Speaker 1: Down the narrow way we ran in seeming route, and
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  Speaker 1: after us came the Spaniards, shouting of their saints, and
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  Speaker 1: flushed with victory. But scarcely had we turned the corner
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  Speaker 1: when they sang another song for those who were watching
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  Speaker 1: a thousand feet above us gave the signal, and down
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  Speaker 1: from on high came a rain of stones and boulders
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  Speaker 1: that darkened the air and crushed them, crushing many of
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  Speaker 1: them on They struggled, seeing a wide a way in
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  Speaker 1: front where the cliffs sloped, and perhaps half of them
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  Speaker 1: won through. But here the arches were waiting, and now
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  Speaker 1: in the place of stones, arrows were hailed upon them,
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  Speaker 1: till at length, utterly bewildered and unable to strike a
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  Speaker 1: blow in their own defence, they turned to fly towards
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  Speaker 1: the open open country. This finished the fight, for now
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  Speaker 1: we assailed their flank, and once more the rocks thundered
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  Speaker 1: on them from above. And the end of it was
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  Speaker 1: that those who remained of the Spaniards and their Indian
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  Speaker 1: allies were driven in utter route back to the plain
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  Speaker 1: beyond the pass of pines. After this battle, the Spaniards
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  Speaker 1: troubled us no more for many years, except by threats,
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  Speaker 1: and my name grew great among the people of the Ottomy.
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  Speaker 1: One Spaniard I rescued from death, and afterwards I gave
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  Speaker 1: him his liberty. From him, I inquired of the doings
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  Speaker 1: of de Gatire or Sarcada, and learned that he was
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  Speaker 1: still in the service of Cortes, but that Marina had
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  Speaker 1: been true to her word and had brought disgrace upon
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  Speaker 1: him because he had threatened to put Ottomi to the torture. Moreover,
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  Speaker 1: court As was angry with him because of our escape,
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  Speaker 1: the burden of which Marina had laid upon his shoulders,
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  Speaker 1: hinting that he had taken a bribe to suffer us
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  Speaker 1: to pass the gate of the fourteen years of my
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  Speaker 1: life which followed the defeat of the Spaniards, I can
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  Speaker 1: speak briefly, for compared to the time that had gone before,
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  Speaker 1: they were years of quiet in them. Children were born
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  Speaker 1: to me anotomy, three sons, and these children were a
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  Speaker 1: great joy, for I loved them dearly, and they love
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  Speaker 1: me indeed, except for the strain of their mother's blood,
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  Speaker 1: they were English boys and not Indian, for I christened
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  Speaker 1: them all and taught them our English tongue and faith,
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  Speaker 1: and their mane and their eyes were more English than Indian,
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  Speaker 1: though their skins were dark. But I had no luck
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  Speaker 1: with these dear tes children of mine, any more than
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  Speaker 1: I have had with that which Lilly bore me. Two
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  Speaker 1: of them died, one from a fever that all my
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  Speaker 1: skill would not veil to cure, and another by a
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  Speaker 1: fall from a lofty cedar tree which he climbed searching
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  Speaker 1: for a coute's nest. Thus, of the three of them,
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  Speaker 1: since I do not speak now of that infant, my firstborn,
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  Speaker 1: who perished in the siege, there remained to me only
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  Speaker 1: the eldest I am best beloved, of whom I must
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  Speaker 1: tell hereafter for the rest. Jointly with otomy, I was
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  Speaker 1: named Cakik of the city of Pines at a great
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  Speaker 1: council that was held after I had destroyed the Spaniards
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  Speaker 1: and their allies, and as such we had wide, though
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  Speaker 1: not absolute power. By the exercise of this power, in
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  Speaker 1: the end I succeeded in abolishing the horrible rights of
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  Speaker 1: human sacrifice, though because of this a large number of
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  Speaker 1: the outlying tribes fell away from our rule, and the
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  Speaker 1: enmity of the priests was excited against me. The last
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  Speaker 1: sacrifice except one, only the most terrible of them, all
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  Speaker 1: of which I will tell afterwards that was ever celebrated
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  Speaker 1: on the Tiochli in front of the palace. Took place
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  Speaker 1: after the defeat of the Spaniards in the pass, when
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  Speaker 1: I had dwelt three years in the city of Pines
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  Speaker 1: and two sons had been born to me. Secret messengers
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  Speaker 1: arrived that were sent by the friends of guatemaluc who
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  Speaker 1: had survived the torture and was still a prisoner in
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  Speaker 1: the hands of Cortes. From these messengers we learned that
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  Speaker 1: Cortes was about to start upon an expedition to the
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  Speaker 1: Gulf of Honduras across the country that is now known
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  Speaker 1: as Yucatan, taking Guatamac and other Aztec nobles with them,
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  Speaker 1: for he feared to leave them behind. He heard also
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  Speaker 1: that there was much murmuring among the conquered tribes of
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  Speaker 1: Annawak because of the cruelties and extortions of the Spaniards,
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  Speaker 1: and many thought that the hour had come when a
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  Speaker 1: rising against them might be carried to a successful issue.
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  Speaker 1: This was the prayer of those who sent the envoys,
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  Speaker 1: that I should raise a force of Otomies and travel
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  Speaker 1: with it across the country to Yucatan, and there with
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  Speaker 1: others who would be gathered wait a favorable opportunity to
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  Speaker 1: throw myself upon the Spaniards when they were entangled in
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  Speaker 1: the forest and swamps, put in them to the sword,
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  Speaker 1: and releasing Guatamauc. Such was the first purpose of the plot,
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  Speaker 1: though it had many others, of which it is useless
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  Speaker 1: to speak, Seeing that they came to nothing. When the
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  Speaker 1: message had been delivered, I shook my head sadly, for
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  Speaker 1: I could see no hope in such a scheme. But
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  Speaker 1: the chief of the messengers rose and led me aside,
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  Speaker 1: saying that he had a word from my ear. What
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  Speaker 1: a mark sends these words? He said, I hear that you,
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  Speaker 1: my brother, are free and safe with my cousin Ottomy,
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  Speaker 1: in the mountains of the Ottomy. I alas linger in
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  Speaker 1: the prisons of the jewels, like a crippled eagle in
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  Speaker 1: a cage. My brother, if it is in your power
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  Speaker 1: to help me do so, I conjure you by the
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  Speaker 1: memory of our ancient friendship and of all that we
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  Speaker 1: have suffered together. Then the time may come when I
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  Speaker 1: shall rule again in Anahoac, and you shall sit by
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  Speaker 1: my side. I heard, and my heart was stirred, for then,
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  Speaker 1: as to this hour, I love Guatemac as a brother,
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  Speaker 1: go back, I said, and find me. So tell Guatamauc
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  Speaker 1: that if I can save him, I will, Though I
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  Speaker 1: have small hopes that way, still let him look for
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  Speaker 1: me in the forests of Yucatan. Now, when Ottomi heard
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  Speaker 1: of this promise of mine, she was vexed, for she
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  Speaker 1: said that it was foolish and would only end in
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  Speaker 1: my losing my life. Still, having given it, she held
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  Speaker 1: with me that it must be carried out. And the
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  Speaker 1: end of it was that I raised five hundred men,
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  Speaker 1: and with them set out upon my long and toilsome march,
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  Speaker 1: which I time so as to meet courts in the
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  Speaker 1: passes of Yucatan. At the last moment, Ottomi wished to
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  Speaker 1: accompany me, but I forbade it, pointing at that she
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  Speaker 1: could leave neither her children nor her pe people. And
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  Speaker 1: we parted with bitter grief for the first time of
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  Speaker 1: all the hardships that I underwent, I will not write.
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  Speaker 1: For two and a half months we struggled on across
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  Speaker 1: mountains and rivers, and through swamps and forests, till at
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  Speaker 1: last we reached a mighty deserted city that is called
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  Speaker 1: Palanqueis by the Indians of those parts which has been
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  Speaker 1: uninhabited for many generations. This city is the most marvelous
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  Speaker 1: place that I have seen in all my travels, though
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  Speaker 1: much of it is hidden in bush. For wherever the
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  Speaker 1: traveler wanders there he finds vast palaces of marble carven
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  Speaker 1: within and without, and sculptured teochles, and the huge images
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  Speaker 1: of grinning gods. Often have I wondered what nation was
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  Speaker 1: strong enough to build such a capital, and who were
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  Speaker 1: the kings that dwelt in it? But these are secrets
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  Speaker 1: belonging to the past, and they cannot be answered till
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  Speaker 1: some learned manners found the key to the stone symbols
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  Speaker 1: and writings which the walls of their buildings are covered over.
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  Speaker 1: Now in this city I hid my men, though it
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  Speaker 1: was no easy task to persuade them to take up
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  Speaker 1: their habitation among so many ghosts of the departed, not
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  Speaker 1: to speak of the noisome fevers and the wild beasts
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  Speaker 1: and snakes that haunted it. For I had information that
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  Speaker 1: the Spaniards would pass through the swamps that lies between
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  Speaker 1: the ruins and the river, and there I hoped to
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  Speaker 1: ambush them. But on the eighth day of my hiding,
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  Speaker 1: I learned from spies that corters had crossed the great
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  Speaker 1: river higher up and was cutting its way through the forest.
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  Speaker 1: For of swamps, he had passed more than enough. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: I hurried also to the river, intending to cross it.
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  Speaker 1: But all that day and all that night it rained
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  Speaker 1: as it can rain nowhere else in the world that
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  Speaker 1: I have seen. Till at last we waded on our
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  Speaker 1: road knee deep in water. And when we came to
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  Speaker 1: the ford of the river, it was to find a wide,
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  Speaker 1: roaring flood that no man could pass in anything less
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  Speaker 1: than a yarmouth herring boat. So there on the bank
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  Speaker 1: we must stay in misery, suffering many ills from fever,
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  Speaker 1: lack of food, and plenitude of water, till at length
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  Speaker 1: the stream ran down. Three days and nights we waited there,
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  Speaker 1: and on the fourth morning I made shift to cross,
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  Speaker 1: losing four men by drowning in the passage. Once over,
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  Speaker 1: I hid my force in the bush and reeds, and
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  Speaker 1: crept forward with six men, only to see if I
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  Speaker 1: could discover anything of the whereabouts of the Spaniards. Within
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  Speaker 1: an hour I struck the trail that had been cut
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  Speaker 1: through the forest and followed it cautiously. Presently we came
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  Speaker 1: to a spot where the forest was thin, and here
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  Speaker 1: Cortez was camped, for there was heat left in the
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  Speaker 1: ashes of these fires, and among them lay the body
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  Speaker 1: of an Indian who had died from sickness. Not fifty
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  Speaker 1: yards from this camp stood a huge Seba tree, a
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  Speaker 1: tree that has a habit of growth not unlike that
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  Speaker 1: of our English oak, though it is soft wooded and
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  Speaker 1: white barked, and will increase more in bulk in twenty
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  Speaker 1: years than any oak main an hundred. Indeed, I never
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  Speaker 1: yet saw an oak tree so large as this Siba,
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  Speaker 1: of which I ride, either in girth or on its
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  Speaker 1: spread off top, unless it be the kurbyoak, or the
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  Speaker 1: tree that is called the King of Scotto, which grows
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  Speaker 1: at Broom, that is the next parish to this, of
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  Speaker 1: Ditchingham in Norfolk. On the Sieba tree, many zephylites or
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  Speaker 1: vultures were perched, and as we crept towards it, I
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  Speaker 1: saw what it was that they came to seek. For
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  Speaker 1: From the lowest branches of the siber three corpses hung
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  Speaker 1: in the breeze. Here are the Spaniard's footprints, I said,
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  Speaker 1: let us look at them, and we pass beneath the
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  Speaker 1: shadow of the tree. As I came, as Zaphilot alighted
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  Speaker 1: on the head of the body that hung nearest to me,
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  Speaker 1: and its weight or the wafting of the fowl's wings
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  Speaker 1: caused the dead man to turn round, so that he
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  Speaker 1: came face to face with me. I looked and started back,
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  Speaker 1: then looked again and sank to the earth, groaning. For
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  Speaker 1: was he whom I had come to seek and save,
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  Speaker 1: my friend, my brother Guasamac, the last emperor of Anuak.
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  Speaker 1: Here he hung in the dim and desolate forest, dead
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  Speaker 1: by the death of a fief, while the vulture shrieked
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  Speaker 1: upon his head. I sat bewildered and horror stricken. And
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  Speaker 1: as I sat, I remembered the proud sign of Aztec loyalty,
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  Speaker 1: a bird of prey clasping an adder in its claw.
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  Speaker 1: There before me was the last of the stalk. And behold,
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  Speaker 1: a bird of prey gripped his hair in its talons,
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  Speaker 1: her fitting emblem. Indeed of the fall of Anuwak and
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  Speaker 1: the kings of Anuak. I sprang to my feet with
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  Speaker 1: an oath, and lifting the bow I held, I sent
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  Speaker 1: an arrow through the vulture, and it fell to the earth,
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  Speaker 1: fluttering and screaming. Then I bade those with me to
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  Speaker 1: cut down the corpses of Guatemac and the Prince of Tacuba,
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  Speaker 1: and another noble who hung with him, and hollow a
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  Speaker 1: deep grave beneath the tree. There I laid them, and
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  Speaker 1: there I left them to sleep forever in its melancholy shadow.
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  Speaker 1: And thus for the last time I saw Guatemac, my brother,
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  Speaker 1: whom I came so far to save, and found made
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  Speaker 1: already for burial by the Spaniard. Then I turned my
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  Speaker 1: face homeward, for now Anaak had no king to rescue.
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  Speaker 1: But it chanced that before I went, I caught a
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  Speaker 1: Tlascan who could speak Spanish, and who had deserted from
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  Speaker 1: the army of Quarters because of the hardships that he
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  Speaker 1: had suffered in their toilsome march. This man was present
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  Speaker 1: at the murder of Guatamac and his companions and heard
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  Speaker 1: the emperor's last words. It seems that some knave had
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  Speaker 1: betrayed to Courtez that an attempt will be made to
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  Speaker 1: rescue the prince, and that thereon courts commanded that he
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  Speaker 1: should be hung. It seems also that Guatamac met his
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  Speaker 1: death as he had met the misfortunes of his life.
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  Speaker 1: Proudly and without fear. These were his last words. I
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  Speaker 1: did ill marlenge. When I held my hand from taking
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  Speaker 1: my own life, before I surrendered myself to you. Then
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  Speaker 1: my heart told me that all your promises were false,
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  Speaker 1: and it does not lie to me. I welcome my death,
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  Speaker 1: for I have lived to no shame and defeat and torture,
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  Speaker 1: and to see my people the slaves of the duel.
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  Speaker 1: But still I say that God will reward you for
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  Speaker 1: this deed. Then they murdered him in the midst of
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  Speaker 1: a great silence, and so farewell to guatemalc the most brave,
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  Speaker 1: the best, and the noblest Indian that ever breathed, and
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  Speaker 1: made the shadow of his tormenting and shameful end lie
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  Speaker 1: deep upon the fame of Quartz for so long as
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  Speaker 1: the names of both of them are remembered among men.
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  Speaker 1: For two more months I journeyed homeward, and at length
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  Speaker 1: I reached the city of Pines, well, though wearied and
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  Speaker 1: having lost only forty men by various misadventures of travel,
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  Speaker 1: to find Ottomi in good health and overjoyed to know me,
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  Speaker 1: whom she thought never to see again. But when I
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  Speaker 1: told her what was the end of her cousin Guatemac.
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  Speaker 1: She grieved bitterly, both for his sake and because the
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  Speaker 1: last hope of the Aztec was gone, and she would
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  Speaker 1: not be comforted for many days. End of Chapter thirty two.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Patrick seventy nine.