Chapter 7: A Wonderful Country.
So anxious were the merchants to avoid arriving at any town ofimportance, where there would be an Aztec commander and garrison,until they received an answer from Tezcuco, that they traveled byvery slow stages, camping in small villages where they could obtainwater and supplies. Roger asked many questions of them as to thecountry, and learned that the hot and arid soil they were nowcrossing extended only about one-third of the distance to betraversed. Then that they would pass over a range of loftymountains, offering great difficulties to travel, that the cold wasextreme, and that snow lay almost continuously upon the highestsummits. After crossing this range they would journey across a richcountry, and descend at last into a most lovely and fertile valley,in which lay the lake, upon which the capitals of the two countrieswere situated.
The country they were now traversing varied considerably. In someplaces it consisted of parched and sandy plains, almost free ofvegetation. In others, where the rains were less able to drainquickly away, were districts of extraordinary fertility. Here grewthe cocoa, vanilla, indigo and aromatic shrubs innumerable, formingthick and tangled jungles, impervious to the foot of man. Flowersof gorgeous colors bordered these groves, and lofty trees offoliage, altogether strange to Roger, reared their heads abovethem.
The lad was delighted with the extraordinary richness of color, andthe variety of the foliage, but he would have enjoyed it more hadit not been for the intense heat of the sun, and the closeness ofthe air.
They crossed several large streams. They cut down the great rusheswhich bordered them and, tying these together in bundles, formedrafts, upon which four or five at a time were ferried over. Rogerlearned that the principal road from the coast ran from Cempoalla,a large town near the sea, but that this lay a long distance to thenorth, and that the route they were traveling ran nearly due westto Tepeaca, and thence northwest to Pueblo, after which the townslay thickly, all the way to the lake. As far as Roger could learnthe distance, from the coast which they had lately been followingto Mexico, was by this route about three hundred miles.
On the fifth day after the messenger had been dispatched, a courierran into the camp, just as the caravan was about to start, andhanded to the chief merchant what looked to Roger like a portfolio.This, indeed, was something of its character. It consisted of twothin boards, within which was a sheet of paper. It contained anumber of paintings and signs, of which Roger could make nothing,but the merchants informed him that it expressed the satisfactionof the King of Tezcuco, at the news that had been sent him of thearrival of a strange white personage in the land; that the priestswould consult the auguries, and decide whether it boded well or illfor the country; and in the meantime that they were to journey onto Tepeaca, where they would be met by an envoy, charged to receivethe white stranger and to conduct him to Tezcuco.
The merchants themselves were only able to gather the generalcontents of this picture dispatch, but the slave who had drawn theone sent forward interpreted every sign and color; for Roger foundthat colors, as well as signs, had their meaning. He learned fromthe merchants that this picture writing was a science in itself,and that it needed years of instruction and labor to acquire it. Inevery town and village there were certain persons skilled in theart, so that messages of all kinds could be sent to the capital,and orders and instructions received. The national archives wereentirely written in this manner, and in the temples were immensestores of these documents, affording information of every event ofinterest, however minute, in the history of the people.
The caravan now pushed on rapidly. After traveling, as Rogercalculated, nearly a hundred miles from the sea, the ground beganto rise rapidly, and in a single day the change in temperature wasvery marked. Roger felt the sense of listlessness and oppression,which had weighed upon him while crossing the low country, passaway as if by magic; and it seemed to him that he was againbreathing the air of Devonshire.
The vegetation had greatly changed. The vanilla, cocoa, and indigohad disappeared, and trees totally different from those of theplain met his eye.
Another day's march, and they were four thousand feet above thesea. Here everything was green and bright, showing that rainconstantly fell. Groves of a tree of rich foliage, which was, themerchant told him, the liquid amber tree, grew near the road; whileon both sides lofty mountains rose precipitously to a great height,their summits being clothed in snow. Some of these, he heard, hadin times past burnt with terrible fires, and vast quantities ofmelted rock flowed over the country, carrying destruction in itscourse. In many cases the road was a mere track winding along theside of these mountains, with precipices yawning below.
A day's march through the mountains brought them into a loftyplateau, some seven thousand feet above the sea. Here werewide-spreading forests of trees, which Roger recognized as largeoaks and cypress. Around the villages were clearings, and whereasin the plains below maize was chiefly cultivated, the largestproportion of the fields, here, were devoted to plantations of thealoe or maguey. Here, even at midday, the temperature was not toohot to be pleasant; while at night the cold was great, and Rogerwas glad to pile the thick quilted rugs over him.
After traversing this plateau for some distance, they came uponanother range of hills, far loftier than those they had beforecrossed, and vastly higher than anything Roger had ever beforebeheld in his travels. These mountains were, the merchant told him,the Cordilleras; they extended from unknown regions in the norththrough Anahuac to the south. The snow never melted upon thesummits, and several of the highest of these were terriblevolcanoes, whose eruptions were dreaded by the whole nation.
"Sometimes before these commenced," the merchant said, "the earthtrembled and shook, so that men could scarce stand upon it: Houseswere thrown down, and terrible destruction of life and propertytook place. Fortunately, these are rare occurrences; but several ofthem have taken place since the time when the Aztecs firstestablished themselves here."
The passage through this range was attended with real hardship.Roger, accustomed to our English winter only in the mild climate ofSouth Devonshire, felt the cold to be severe; but the nativessuffered far more, and the merchants continued their march rightthrough one night, for the labor of carrying their burdens kept theblood of the thinly clad slaves in motion; whereas, if they hadhalted, many would have succumbed to the cold. At last the pathbegan to descend, and soon after daybreak, as the road crossed ashoulder of the hill, they saw a plateau similar to that they hadleft, stretching out below them as far as the eye could reach.
Even at the height at which they were standing, Roger could seethat it was densely populated. Villages were scattered thickly, andthe forest was restricted to patches, here and there, the greaterportion of the land being under cultivation.
Directly in front rose the lofty buildings and temples of a town ofconsiderable size. Seen through the clear mountain air it seemedbut three or four miles away, and Roger had difficulty in believingthe merchants, when they assured him that it was fully twenty. Thiswas Tepeaca.
The slaves, wearied as they were, quickened in their pace; and intwo hours they emerged from the mountain gorges onto the temperateplateau. Here they halted for some hours near a post house, acourier being sent on to Tepeaca, to inform the king's envoys thatthey had arrived thus far; and to ask whether they should proceedat noon, when the slaves had rested, or make their entry into thetown in the morning.
In a little over four hours the answer was received. The merchantswere directed to wait where they were until three hours after noon,then to move forward until they arrived within eight miles of thetown, and then to halt for the night, and to start again at sunrisenext morning.
Roger was as glad as were the slaves that he had not anotherfifteen miles' march before him, for the journey had been a mostfatiguing one. He thought that the absolute distance traversed didnot exceed thirty miles, but owing to the difficulties of the road,and the care that had to be taken in traversing it at night, evenwith the assistance of the torc
hes carried by the soldiers of thecaravan, it had taken them twenty hours, including occasionalhalts, to perform the journey. An abundance of food was brought inby the neighboring villagers, and the merchants issued an extrasupply of cocoa to the slaves; and when the march was resumed, latein the afternoon, the latter had completely recovered from theirfatigue.
After a march of little more than two hours' duration, the caravanhalted for the night, and resumed its journey at daybreak. Themerchants had presented Roger with a mantle, more highly decoratedthan that which he had before worn, and with some rich plumes offeathers for his head; and seeing that they wished him to make asbrave a show as possible, he put on some of the gold necklaces andbracelets he had received, at Tabasco.
The caravan was formed up in military order, the standards of thetraders being displayed at the head of the column. The porters wereplaced four abreast, and the soldiers who marched on either sidewere ordered to see that they kept their ranks. The merchants hadput on their handsomest mantles, and everything was done to showoff the procession to the best.
As they approached Tepeaca the road was lined with people, the newsof the approach of the wonderful white man having spread rapidly.As Roger passed they bowed to the ground, with the same respectthat they paid to their own chiefs. He fully came up to theirexpectations, for not only was the whiteness of his skin and thecolor of his hair wonderful to them, but he stood many incheshigher than the merchants who walked by his side; for Roger had nowattained his full height--although but a few months pastseventeen--and stood six feet two in the thin sandals that he wore.He was, as yet, far from the width that he would attain in anotherfive or six years, but looked broad and massive as compared withthe slight frames of the Mexicans.
When within a quarter of a mile of the gates of the town, aprocession was seen approaching from it. At its head were twonobles, whose appearance far exceeded anything Roger had hithertoseen. They wore cuirasses formed of thin plates of gold, and overthese mantles of gorgeous feather work. On the head of one was ahelmet of wood, fashioned to represent the head of the puma, orMexican lion. The other wore a helmet of silver, above which was acluster of variegated feathers, sprinkled with precious stones.They wore heavy collars, bracelets, and earrings of gold andprecious stones. Beside them were borne their banners, richlyembroidered with gold and feather work, while behind them were abody of soldiers, in close vests of quilted cotton, and a train ofslaves.
The merchants bowed low as the nobles approached. The latter pausedfor a moment as they came near to Roger, and then saluted him bytouching the ground with their hands, and then carrying them totheir heads. Roger did the same. In the meantime several attendantsround the nobles were filling the air with incense, from censerswhich they bore.
"The King of Tezcuco has sent us to welcome you," one of the noblessaid. "He longs to see the white stranger who has arrived in ourland."
"I have heard of the greatness of the king," Roger replied, "anddesire to look upon him. I have come from a great distance beyondthe sea, to see for myself the greatness of the Anahuac kingdoms,and am glad to meet two of its great nobles."
The Mexicans were not surprised at Roger understanding theirlanguage and replying in it, for the dispatches had alreadyacquainted the king with the fact that the white stranger couldconverse in their language.
There had been an animated debate, at the royal council at Tezcuco,when the news of his coming had arrived. Some were of opinion thatit was an evil omen, for there was a prophecy existing among themthat white strangers would come from beyond the seas, and overthrowthe Aztec power; but upon the other hand, it was pointed out thatthis could only refer to a large body of men, and that as thisstranger came alone, it was far more probable that he was eitherQuetzalcoatl himself, or one of his descendants, and that he camein a spirit of goodwill. If he were a man, one man could do nothingto shake the Aztec power. If he were a god, he could work evil tothe whole country, whether he remained on the seashore or advancedto the capital; and it was far better to propitiate him with gifts,than to anger him with opposition.
Some slaves next brought forward some delicately wrought mats, andlaid upon them the various articles they had brought. A shield,helmet, and a cuirass, all with embossed plates and ornaments ofgold; a collar and bracelets of the same metal; sandals and fans;crests of variegated feathers, intermingled with gold and silkthread, sprinkled with pearls and precious stones; imitations ofbirds and animals in cast and wrought gold and silver, of exquisiteworkmanship; curtains, coverlets, and robes of cotton as fine assilk, of rich and various colors, interwoven with feather work sofinely wrought that it resembled the delicacy of painting.
Roger was astonished at the richness and variety of these goods,and as he viewed them muttered to himself:
"If I were but back in Plymouth with these, my Cousin Mercy andDorothy and Agnes would open their eyes, indeed. I wish to goodnessI had something to send back to the king. One of the cannon fromthe Swan, with a supply of ammunition and bullets, would haveastonished him. However, as it is, I suppose that I must make thebest of it."
When the goods were all displayed, Roger addressed the ambassadors,saying how great was the pleasure that the gifts afforded him. Not,he said, because he desired gold or jewels or articles of luxury,but because they were proofs of the goodwill of the king, and ofthe mightiness of his power.
"Will you convey my earnest thanks to him for these presents, andsay that I regret deeply that I have come to his country emptyhanded, and have naught to send him in return; but that there arereasons why I could not bring aught with me, from the place faracross the seas from which I came? There are many strange andwonderful things there. People move across the water in floatingcastles as big as your temples. They ride on great animals, whichcarry them with the speed of the wind. When they fight they useweapons which twenty men could not lift, which make a noise likethunder, and destroy their foes at two or three miles' distance.But I was not permitted to bring, at present, any of these wondersfrom the far-distant country. I wanted to come myself, and I havecome; but as I have said, I had to come alone and empty handed. Intime these wonderful things will be brought to your shores, but thetime has not come yet."
The nobles listened with respectful attention. It seemed to themprobable enough that a supernatural personage might convoy himselfvast distances through the air, but that he could not burdenhimself with mortal appliances--if, indeed, such things were thework of merely mortal men.
"I could bring with me," Roger went on, "but one small specimen ofthe metal most used in that distant country."
Then the merchants advanced, and handed to Roger his knife, whichthey had purchased of the cazique of Tabasco in exchange for twoaccomplished slaves, and he presented it to the nobles.
"You see it is a metal of extraordinary hardness. Swords made of itwill cut through a man's head to the chin. No arrows or spears willpenetrate armor made of it. It can be beaten into all shapes, whenhot. The weapons of which I spoke to you are constructed of it, andit is now used in the arts, in manufacture, and for domesticpurposes, as well as for armor and weapons. So common is it that,as you see, the handle is made only of rough horn; which shows youthat it is such a one as is commonly used, and is prized butlittle. It may be that such a metal is found in your country,though as yet you know it not; for in its natural state it is but astone like others, although greater in weight; and if so, I may bepermitted, some day, to instruct you in the methods of working it."
The nobles were greatly impressed with this speech. Quetzalcoatlhad instructed the Mexicans in all the arts that they possessed,and this hint that their visitor might bestow upon them theknowledge of this new, and most valuable metal, seemed a freshproof of his relationship to the White God, whose return had beenso long expected and longed for.
They now begged him to enter the city, and a party of their slavestook up the gifts, and ranged themselves behind him. The Mexicantroops fell in on either side, and prevented the crowd frompressing in upon them; and the
n, accompanied by the two nobles, andfollowed immediately by the merchants, Roger headed the processionas it again set forward.
As he entered the town, Roger saw that it was vastly in advance ofTabasco. The walls were of stone, strong and massive. The streetswere wide and straight, bordered by well-built houses with flatroofs, upon which great numbers of people were assembled. Theseuttered cries of welcome as he came along, and threw down wreathsof flowers.
The Aztec governor, with a strong guard of soldiers, met them in alarge square in the center of the town; and in the name of theEmperor Montezuma welcomed Roger, and presented him with gifts ofeven greater value than those sent by the King of Tezcuco, sayingthat his master hoped that he would pay a visit to his capital, aswell as to that of the neighboring sovereign.
Roger replied suitably, and the procession then took its way to alarge house that had been assigned to the visitor. Here a banquetwas served in grand style, the governor and the two ambassadors,alone, taking their seats with him. The meal was served up ongolden dishes, and pulque was handed round, in goblets of the samemetal, by white-robed slaves.
Strains of music rose in the air, the performers being stationed inan adjoining apartment. The music was unlike anything Roger hadever before heard, and seemed to him to be of a plaintive nature.
With the exception of the fruits, the dishes served were allstrange to him, and he was unable even to guess at their nature.Among them was a large bird, which Roger judged to be either a swanor a peacock; but which he was informed was a turkey, a bird commonin the country, but of which he had never before heard.
There were other sorts of game, and all these were prepared withdelicate sauces and seasonings. There were a large number ofvarious confections and pastry, and a great variety of vegetablesand fruits. Under the dishes of meats, small fires of charcoal wereburning in order to keep them hot. The table was ornamented withvases of silver and gold, of delicate workmanship, and theconfections were eaten with spoons made of gold or silver, or oftortoise shell. Several varieties of pulque, flavored with sweetsand acids, were handed, as also chocolate flavored with vanilla andother spices.
When the viands were removed, slaves brought round, as they haddone before the meal began, basins of water and soft cotton towels;and each of those present washed his hands and face. Then asurprise even greater than those which had preceded it awaitedRoger. Two attendants brought round waiters, upon one of which wasplaced a pile of a substance which looked to Roger as if it werethe leaves of some vegetable, broken into small pieces, and also agold box containing a brown dust. On the other tray were placed avariety of instruments, of whose use Roger was ignorant. They weresmall tubes, inserted into bowls of gold or silver; and in additionto these were some things that looked like yellowish-brown sticks,of two or three inches in length, with tubes into which theyfitted.
These trays were first handed to Roger, who, after examining theircontents, turned to the noble next to him and said:
"I know not what these may be, or how they are used. They are notin use in the country from which I come."
The noble looked surprised.
"It is yetl," he said, "and is good for soothing the nerves andpreparing for the siesta, besides being very pleasant. All theseare made from the same leaf," and he touched the short sticks, theheap of broken leaves, and the powder.
"This powder we apply to the nose," and he and his companions tooka pinch from the box, and thrust it into their nostrils.
Roger followed their example, but a pungent odor brought the tearsinto his eyes, and in another moment he was seized with a violentfit of sneezing, from which he was some time before he recovered.
"You will get over this, in time," the noble said gravely, but witha slight smile. "This effect is only experienced when the herb isfirst used."
Much as Roger had been astonished by the effect of the powder, hewas still more surprised at the use to which the broken leaf andthe little sticks were put. Two of the Mexicans filled the smallbowls with the leaf, while the other took one of the tubes holdinga small stick. An attendant then approached with a small piece ofwood, on fire. This was applied first to the stick, and then to thesmall bowls; and, to Roger's stupefaction, great clouds of smoke atonce issued from the mouths of the three Mexicans. Had it not beenthat, from the tranquil expression of their faces, he saw that thiswas the regular course of events, he would have thought that someaccident had occurred, and that the Mexicans had, in somemysterious way, taken fire in the interior.
He remained silent for a minute or two, and then asked:
"Do you like it? Is it really pleasant to you?"
"It is, indeed," the governor said. "This herb is largely used. Itseffect is to produce a feeling of repose and contentment. You willget to like it, in time."
"Possibly I may," Roger replied; "although at present, that hardlyseems probable."
The music now struck up a more lively air. Presently a number ofyoung men and women, who had been feasting in another apartment,came in and performed several graceful dances, to the accompanimentof the music; singing, as they did so, a sort of chant, whichreminded Roger of those he had so often heard in the churches athome.
When all was over the ambassadors withdrew, saying that, doubtless,their guests would wish to enjoy a siesta during the heat of theday. Some slaves led the way into another apartment, in which was acouch heaped with soft rugs, and here Roger threw himself down.
"Was there ever an English boy in so strange a strait as mine?" hesaid to himself. "What an extraordinary people! Gold seems asplentiful with them as common pottery with us; and as to themagnificence of their dresses, I verily believe that the court ofKing Harry would make but a poor show beside them. If I could landat Plymouth tomorrow, with all the presents I have received today,I should be a rich man. Here they are valueless.
"I received presents at first at Tabasco, and yet, had I remainedthere a month longer, I should have been sacrificed to those cruelgods of theirs. These presents mean really nothing to me. They seemmagnificent, but gold is so common, here, that it is no more thanif, at home, one presented a man with necklaces of glass, and somewoolen cloths. It is a mark of civility, but that is all.
"When I get there, the priest will be inquiring into my religion,and when they see that I pay no honor to their gods, they will besure to raise a cry against me.
"Malinche was telling me that, every year, some special prisoner ischosen for sacrifice, and is treated with great honor, and hasevery luxury until the time comes, and then they put him to death.Brutes! I have no doubt they will consider that, from my veryrarity, I shall make a specially acceptable sacrifice.
"I wish I was back on the Hoe again. Cousin Diggory, and MistressMercy, and the girls little think into what a horrible fix I havefallen--alone among a strange people, who breathe smoke out oftheir mouths, and load me with rich presents one day, and may killme on the next. Well, when the day comes I shall try not todisgrace my country, and religion, and color; but it is very hard,being all alone here. If I had but two or three of my companions ofthe Swan with me, I should feel that I could face whatever came;but it is hard to stand quite alone, and I am only a boy.
"Still, they shall find that I can strike a rough blow or two,before I die. They shall not find that it is a lamb that they aregoing to sacrifice, but a Devonshire lad, with such bone and muscleas one gets from a life on the sea.
"It is strange that these people should be so cruel. They seem somild and so gentle, and yet Malinche says they sacrifice tens ofthousands of captives, every year, to their gods. They never killin battle if they can avoid it, striving only to take their enemiesprisoners, for this horrible service.
"I must try, if I can, to make friends among them. The old caziqueof Tabasco stood by me well, and it may be that here I may findsome like him; but it will need a powerful protector, indeed, tostand against the priests, who, Malinche says, are far morepowerful here than in Tabasco."
Three hours later an attendant came in, and said th
at the governorinvited his guest to walk with him through the town, and survey thetemples and other edifices.
"Now for it," Roger said, clenching his fist. "Now, Roger Hawkshaw,you have got to show yourself a true man, whatever comes of it."
He fastened the sword, which was one of the weapons with which hehad been presented, to his girdle; and then went out into the greathall, from which all the other apartments opened. The governor andthe two nobles from Tezcuco were awaiting him.
Upon sallying out, Roger found that the streets were as crowded aswhen he entered. He was received with a long quavering cry ofwelcome by the women, and by a deeper hum of applause by the men.All bent to the ground before him and his companions, before whom aparty of soldiers moved to clear the way.
"Now, we will go first to the Great Temple," the governor said. "Itis but small in comparison with those of the great cities of thevalley, but it is a very holy shrine; and numbers come, from allthe cities round, to pay their devotion there on the days offestival. There are forty temples in the town, on all of which fireburns night and day; but this is the largest and holiest of them."
After passing through several streets, Roger saw a great hillrising in front of him. Whether it was the work of man, or had anatural hill for its foundation, he knew not. It was four sided andpyramidal in form. There were terraces rising, one above the other,supported by stone walls. Steps at the angles led from one terraceto another, but these were so placed that anyone mounting had topass right along the terrace round the pyramid, before he arrivedat the steps leading to that above. The top of the pyramid seemedto be cut off, leaving an area of, as far as he could judge, somefifty feet square. Smoke ascended from the summit, where, asMalinche had told him, fire always burns before the altar in itscenter.
Just before reaching the foot of the pyramid, the governor pointedto a building of considerable size.
"Here you will see," he said, leading Roger towards a greatgateway, "how well the god has been honored."
As he neared the gateway, Roger saw that the building was well-nighfilled with an immense pile, carefully built up, of what at firstappeared to him cannon balls, only of larger size than any he hadseen piled in the batteries of Plymouth, and of a white color. Thenthe thought struck him they were great turnips, or some such root,which might be held sacred to the god. But as he entered thebuilding the truth flashed across him--the great pile was composedentirely of human skulls.
Roger had made up his mind that, although he would not give way inthe slightest in the matter of his faith, he would yet abstain fromshocking the religious feeling of the natives. After the firstinvoluntary start at the discovery, he silenced his feelings, andasked how many skulls there were in the heap. He could not,however, understand the reply, as he had not yet mastered the Aztecmethod of enumeration, which was a very complicated one.
Roger walked along one side of the pile, counted the number ofskulls in a line, and the number of rows, and then tried to reckonhow many skulls there were. Roger was not quick at figures,although his father had tried hard to teach him to calculaterapidly, as it was necessary for one who traded, and bought andsold goods of all descriptions, to be able to keep his own figures;or he would otherwise be forced always to carry a supercargo, aswas indeed the custom in almost all trading ships, for there werefew masters who could read and write, far less keep accounts.However, as he found there were a hundred skulls in each line, andten rows, and as the heap was nearly square, it was not a difficulttask to arrive at the conclusion that there must be a hundredthousand skulls in the pile.
This seemed to him beyond belief, and yet he could arrive at noother conclusion. If a hundred thousand victims had been offeredup, in one temple of this comparatively small city, what must bethe total of men killed throughout the country? The pile had, nodoubt, been a long time in growing, perhaps a hundred years; buteven then it would give a thousand victims, yearly, in this onetemple.
Although it seemed well-nigh impossible to Roger, it was yet by nomeans excessive, for according to the accounts of all historians,Mexican and Spanish, the number of victims slain, annually, on thealtars of Mexico amounted to from twenty-five to fifty thousand.
"The god has good reason to be pleased?" the Aztec ambassador, whowas watching Roger's face closely, remarked.
"If he is fond of blood and sacrifices, he should indeed bepleased," Roger said quietly; "but all gods do not love slaughter.Quetzalcoatl, your god of the air, he who loved men and taught themwhat they know--such a god would abhor sacrifices of blood.Offerings of fruit and flowers, which he taught men to grow, of thearts in which he instructed them, would be vastly more pleasing tohim than human victims."
Roger spoke in a tone of authority, as if he were sure of what hestated.
"When the white god left your shores, there were no humansacrifices offered to the gods"--this fact Roger had learned fromMalinche, who had told him that the custom had been introduced incomparatively late years. She said ten generations, which hesupposed would mean about two hundred years--"and such a customwould be abhorrent to him."
The Aztec governor looked very grave. It was to the god of war thatthese sacrifices were offered, but the idea that the kindly whitegod, who stood next to him in public estimation, might not onlyobject to be so worshiped himself, but might object altogether tohuman sacrifices being offered, was unpleasant to him; and yet thiswhite stranger clearly spoke as if he were acquainted with the mindof Quetzalcoatl.
The Tezcucan envoys, on the other hand, looked pleased. Tezcuco hadmaintained for a long time a milder form of worship. Her peoplewere more gentle than the Aztecs, and had only reluctantly, and inpart, adopted the terrible rites of their formidable neighbors.
"Will you ascend the temple?" the governor asked.
"No," Roger said firmly. "I say not aught against the god ofbattles. Let those who will make offerings to him. The God of theAir," and Roger raised his hand towards the sky, "loves flowers andfruit and peace and goodwill. When He came down to earth Hepreached peace, and would have had all men as brothers; and I, whofollow Him, will not bow down at altars where human beings havebeen sacrificed."
The Mexican naturally thought that Roger was speaking ofQuetzalcoatl, and this strange knowledge he possessed of the god,and his ways and wishes, struck him with deep awe. Without makingany further attempt to induce him to ascend the teocalli, which wasthe name they gave to their pyramidal temples, the governor led theway back to the palace.
The next morning Roger started with the Tezcucan envoys on hisjourney. They informed him on the way that the Aztec governor had,on the previous evening, dispatched an officer of high rank toMexico, to give the emperor the full details of the conversationand sayings of the strange visitor; for the dispatches wereavailable only for sending news of facts and occurrences, but couldnot be used as mediums for conveying thought.
"Montezuma is mild and gentle in his disposition, and quite unlikehis two predecessors, who were mighty warriors; and doubtless, inhis heart, he will welcome the words you said yesterday concerningQuetzalcoatl. But he is swayed wholly by the priests, and suchsentiments will not be agreeable to them, for sacrifices areforever going on at the teocalli. At the dedication of the greattemple for Huitzilopotchli, just thirty years ago, seventy thousandcaptives were put to death."
"They must have been miserable creatures," Roger said indignantly,"to have submitted tamely to such a fate. They might, at least,have rushed upon their guards, however numerous, and diedfighting."
Roger said little more during that day's journey. The admiration hehad at first felt, for the arts and civilization of these people,had been succeeded by a feeling of abhorrence. He had heard, fromMalinche, that all victims sacrificed to the gods were afterwardscooked and eaten; and although he had scarcely believed the girl,in spite of her solemn assurances, he could now, after seeing thevast pile of human skulls, quite believe that it was true.