CHAPTER XVI
THOMAS BECOMES A GOD
Little did I, plain Thomas Wingfield, gentleman, know, when I rose thatmorning, that before sunset I should be a god, and after Montezuma theEmperor, the most honoured man, or rather god, in the city of Mexico.
It came about thus. When I had breakfasted with the household of theprince Guatemoc, I was led to the hall of justice, which was named the'tribunal of god.' Here on a golden throne sat Montezuma, administeringjustice in such pomp as I cannot describe. About him were hiscounsellors and great lords, and before him was placed a human skullcrowned with emeralds so large that a blaze of light went up from them.In his hand also he held an arrow for a sceptre. Certain chiefs orcaciques were on their trial for treason, nor were they left long indoubt as to their fate. For when some evidence had been heard they wereasked what they had to say in their defence. Each of them told his talein few words and short. Then Montezuma, who till now had said and donenothing, took the painted scroll of their indictments and pricked itwith the arrow in his hand where the picture of each prisoner appearedupon the scroll. Then they were led away to death, but how they died Ido not know.
When this trial was finished certain priests entered the hall clothedin sable robes, their matted hair hanging down their backs. They werefierce, wild-eyed men of great dignity, and I shivered when I saw them.I noticed also that they alone made small reverence to the majesty ofMontezuma. The counsellors and nobles having fallen back, these priestsentered into talk with the emperor, and presently two of them cameforward and taking me from the custody of the guards, led me forwardbefore the throne. Then of a sudden I was commanded to strip myself ofmy garments, and this I did with no little shame, till I stood nakedbefore them all. Now the priests came forward and examined every part ofme closely. On my arms were the scars left by de Garcia's sword, and onmy breast the scarcely healed marks of the puma's teeth and claws. Thesewounds they scanned, asking how I had come by them. I told them, andthereupon they carried on a discussion among themselves, and out of myhearing, which grew so warm that at length they appealed to the emperorto decide the point. He thought a while, and I heard him say:
'The blemishes do not come from within the body, nor were they upon itat birth, but have been inflicted by the violence of man and beast.'
Then the priests consulted together again, and presently their leaderspoke some words into the ear of Montezuma. He nodded, and rising fromhis throne, came towards me who stood naked and shivering before him,for the air of Mexico is keen. As he advanced he loosed a chain ofemeralds and gold that hung about his neck, and unclasped the royalcloak from his shoulders. Then with his own hand, he put the chain aboutmy throat, and the cloak upon my shoulders, and having humbly bent theknee before me as though in adoration, he cast his arms about me andembraced me.
'Hail! most blessed,' he said, 'divine son of Quetzal, holder of thespirit of Tezcat, Soul of the World, Creator of the World. What havewe done that you should honour us thus with your presence for a season?What can we do to pay the honour back? You created us and all thiscountry; behold! while you tarry with us, it is yours and we are nothingbut your servants. Order and your commands shall be obeyed, think andyour thought shall be executed before it can pass your lips. O Tezcat,I, Montezuma your servant, offer you my adoration, and through me theadoration of all my people,' and again he bowed the knee.
'We adore you, O Tezcat!' chimed in the priests.
Now I remained silent and bewildered, for of all this foolery I couldunderstand nothing, and while I stood thus Montezuma clapped his handsand women entered bearing beautiful clothing with them, and a wreath offlowers. The clothing they put upon my body and the wreath of flowers onmy head, worshipping me the while and saying, 'Tezcat who died yesterdayis come again. Be joyful, Tezcat has come again in the body of thecaptive Teule.'
Then I understood that I was now a god and the greatest of gods, thoughat that moment within myself I felt more of a fool than I had ever beenbefore.
And now men appeared, grave and reverend in appearance, bearing lutes intheir hands. I was told that these were my tutors, and with them a trainof royal pages who were to be my servants. They led me forth from thehall making music as they went, and before me marched a herald, callingout that this was the god Tezcat, Soul of the World, Creator of theWorld, who had come again to visit his people. They led me through allthe courts and endless chambers of the palace, and wherever I went, manwoman and child bowed themselves to the earth before me, and worshippedme, Thomas Wingfield of Ditchingham, in the county of Norfolk, till Ithought that I must be mad.
Then they placed me in a litter and carried me down the hillChapoltepec, and along causeways and through streets, till we came tothe great square of the temple. Before me went heralds and priests,after me followed pages and nobles, and ever as we passed the multitudesprostrated themselves till I began to understand how wearisome a thingit is to be a god. Next they carried me through the wall of serpents andup the winding paths of the mighty teocalli till we reached the summit,where the temples and idols stood, and here a great drum beat, and thepriests sacrificed victim after victim in my honour and I grew sick withthe sight of wickedness and blood. Presently they invited me to descendfrom the litter, laying rich carpets and flowers for my feet to treadon, and I was much afraid, for I thought that they were about tosacrifice me to myself or some other divinity. But this was not so.They led me to the edge of the pyramid, or as near as I would go, forI shrank back lest they should seize me suddenly and cast me over theedge. And there the high priest called out my dignity to the thousandswho were assembled beneath, and every one of them bent the knee inadoration of me, the priests above and the multitudes below. And so itwent on till I grew dizzy with the worship, and the shouting, and thesounds of music, and the sights of death, and very thankful was I, whenat last they carried me back to Chapoltepec.
Here new honours awaited me, for I was conducted to a splendid range ofapartments, next to those of the emperor himself, and I was told thatall Montezuma's household were at my command and that he who refused todo my bidding should die.
So at last I spoke and said it was my bidding that I should be sufferedto rest a while, till a feast was prepared for me in the apartments ofGuatemoc the prince, for there I hoped to meet Otomie.
My tutors and the nobles who attended me answered that Montezuma myservant had trusted that I would feast with him that night. Still mycommand should be done. Then they left me, saying that they would comeagain in an hour to lead me to the banquet. Now I threw off the emblemsof my godhead and cast myself down on cushions to rest and think, and acertain exultation took possession of me, for was I not a god, and had Inot power almost absolute? Still being of a cautious mind I wondered whyI was a god, and how long my power would last.
Before the hour had gone by, pages and nobles entered, bearing new robeswhich were put upon my body and fresh flowers to crown my head, and Iwas led away to the apartments of Guatemoc, fair women going before mewho played upon instruments of music.
Here Guatemoc the prince waited to receive me, which he did as thoughI, his captive and companion, was the first of kings. And yet I thoughtthat I saw merriment in his eye, mingled with sorrow. Bending forward Ispoke to him in a whisper:
'What does all this mean, prince?' I said. 'Am I befooled, or am Iindeed a god?'
'Hush!' he answered, bowing low and speaking beneath his breath. 'Itmeans both good and ill for you, my friend Teule. Another time I willtell you.' Then he added aloud, 'Does it please you, O Tezcat, god ofgods, that we should sit at meat with you, or will you eat alone?'
'The gods like good company, prince,' I said.
Now during this talk I had discovered that among those gathered in thehall was the princess Otomie. So when we passed to the low table aroundwhich we were to sit on cushions, I hung back watching where she wouldplace herself, and then at once seated myself beside her. This causedsome little confusion among the company, for the place of honour hadbeen prepared fo
r me at the head of the table, the seat of Guatemocbeing to my right and that of his wife, the royal Tecuichpo, to my left.
'Your seat is yonder, O Tezcat,' she said, blushing beneath her oliveskin as she spoke.
'Surely a god may sit where he chooses, royal Otomie,' I answered;'besides,' I added in a low voice, 'what better place can he find thanby the side of the most lovely goddess on the earth.'
Again she blushed and answered, 'Alas! I no goddess, but only a mortalmaid. Listen, if you desire that I should be your companion at ourfeasts, you must issue it as a command; none will dare to disobey you,not even Montezuma my father.'
So I rose and said in very halting Aztec to the nobles who waited onme, 'It is my will that my place shall always be set by the side of theprincess Otomie.'
At these words Otomie blushed even more, and a murmur went round amongthe guests, while Guatemoc first looked angry and then laughed. But thenobles, my attendants, bowed, and their spokesman answered:
'The words of Tezcat shall be obeyed. Let the seat of Otomie, the royalprincess, the favoured of Tezcat, be placed by the side of the god.'
Afterwards this was always done, except when I ate with Montezumahimself. Moreover the princess Otomie became known throughout the cityas 'the blessed princess, the favoured of Tezcat.' For so strong a holdhad custom and superstition upon this people that they thought it thegreatest of honours to her, who was among the first ladies in the land,that he who for a little space was supposed to hold the spirit of thesoul of the world, should deign to desire her companionship when he ate.Now the feast went on, and presently I made shift to ask Otomie what allthis might mean.
'Alas!' she whispered, 'you do not know, nor dare I tell you now. But Iwill say this: though you who are a god may sit where you will to-day,an hour shall come when you must lie where you would not. Listen: whenwe have finished eating, say that it is your wish to walk in the gardensof the palace and that I should accompany you. Then I may find a chanceto speak.'
Accordingly, when the feast was over I said that I desired to walk inthe gardens with the princess Otomie, and we went out and wandered underthe solemn trees, that are draped in a winding-sheet of grey moss which,hanging from every bough as though the forest had been decked with thewhite beards of an army of aged men, waved and rustled sadly in the keennight air. But alas! we might not be alone, for after us at a distanceof twenty paces followed all my crowd of attendant nobles, together withfair dancing girls and minstrels armed with their accursed flutes, onwhich they blew in season and out of it, dancing as they blew. In vaindid I command them to be silent, telling them that it was written of oldthat there is a time to play and dance and a time to cease from dancing,for in this alone they would not obey me. Never could I be at peacebecause of them then or thereafter, and not till now did I learn howgreat a treasure is solitude.
Still we were allowed to walk together under the trees, and though theclamour of music pursued us wherever we went, we were soon deep in talk.Then it was that I learned how dreadful was the fate which overshadowedme.
'Know, O Teule,' said Otomie, for she would call me by the old name whenthere were none to hear; 'this is the custom of our land, that everyyear a young captive should be chosen to be the earthly image of thegod Tezcat, who created the world. Only two things are necessary to thiscaptive, namely, that his blood should be noble, and that his personshould be beautiful and without flaw or blemish. The day that youcame hither, Teule, chanced to be the day of choosing a new captive topersonate the god, and you have been chosen because you are both nobleand more beautiful than any man in Anahuac, and also because beingof the people of the Teules, the children of Quetzal of whom so manyrumours have reached us, and whose coming my father Montezuma dreadsmore than anything in the world, it was thought by the priests that youmay avert their anger from us, and the anger of the gods.'
Now Otomie paused as one who has something to say that she can scarcelyfind words to fit, but I, remembering only what had been said, swelledinwardly with the sense of my own greatness, and because this lovelyprincess had declared that I was the most beautiful man in Anahuac,I who though I was well-looking enough, had never before been called'beautiful' by man, woman, or child. But in this case as in manyanother, pride went before a fall.
'It must be spoken, Teule,' Otomie continued. 'Alas! that it should be Iwho am fated to tell you. For a year you will rule as a god in this cityof Tenoctitlan, and except for certain ceremonies that you must undergo,and certain arts which you must learn, none will trouble you. Yourslightest wish will be a law, and when you smile on any, it shall be anomen of good to them and they will bless you; even my father Montezumawill treat you with reverence as an equal or more. Every delight shallbe yours except that of marriage, and this will be withheld till thetwelfth month of the year. Then the four most beautiful maidens in theland will be given to you as brides.'
'And who will choose them?' I asked.
'Nay, I know not, Teule, who do not meddle in such mysteries,' sheanswered hurriedly. 'Sometimes the god is judge and sometimes thepriests judge for him. It is as it may chance. Listen now to the end ofmy tale and you will surely forget the rest. For one month you will livewith your wives, and this month you will pass in feasting at all thenoblest houses in the city. On the last day of the month, however, youwill be placed in a royal barge and together with your wives, paddledacross the lake to a place that is named "Melting of Metals." Thence youwill be led to the teocalli named "House of Weapons," where your wiveswill bid farewell to you for ever, and there, Teule, alas! that I mustsay it, you are doomed to be offered as a sacrifice to the god whosespirit you hold, the great god Tezcat, for your heart will be torn fromyour body, and your head will be struck from your shoulders and set uponthe stake that is known as "post of heads."'
Now when I heard this dreadful doom I groaned aloud and my kneestrembled so that I almost fell to the ground. Then a great fury seizedme and, forgetting my father's counsel, I blasphemed the gods of thatcountry and the people who worshipped them, first in the Aztec and Mayalanguages, then when my knowledge of these tongues failed me, in Spanishand good English. But Otomie, who heard some of my words and guessedmore, was seized with fear and lifted her hands, saying:
'Curse not the awful gods, I beseech you, lest some terrible thingbefall you at once. If you are overheard it will be thought that youhave an evil spirit and not a good one, and then you must die now and bytorment. At the least the gods, who are everywhere, will hear you.'
'Let them hear,' I answered. 'They are false gods and that countryis accursed which worships them. They are doomed I say, and all theirworshippers are doomed. Nay, I care not if I am heard--as well die nowby torment as live a year in the torment of approaching death. But Ishall not die alone, all the sea of blood that your priests have shedcries out for vengeance to the true God, and He will avenge.'
Thus I raved on, being mad with fear and impotent anger, while theprincess Otomie stood terrified and amazed at my blasphemies, and theflutes piped and the dancers danced behind us. And as I raved I saw thatthe mind of Otomie wandered from my words, for she was staring towardsthe east like one who sees a vision. Then I looked also towards the eastand saw that the sky was alight there. For from the edge of the horizonto the highest parts of heaven spread a fan of pale and fearful lightpowdered over with sparks of fire, the handle of the fan resting on theearth as it were, while its wings covered the eastern sky. Now I ceasedmy cursing and stood transfixed, and as I stood, a cry of terror arosefrom all the precincts of the palace and people poured from every doorto gaze upon the portent that flared and blazed in the east. PresentlyMontezuma himself came out, attended by his great lords, and in thatghastly light I saw that his lips worked and his hands writhed over eachother. Nor was the miracle done with, for anon from the clear sky thathung over the city, descended a ball of fire, which seemed to rest uponthe points of the lofty temple in the great square, lighting up theteocalli as with the glare of day. It vanished, but where it had beenanother l
ight now burned, for the temple of Quetzal was afire.
Now cries of fear and lamentation arose from all who beheld thesewonders on the hill of Chapoltepec and also from the city below. Even Iwas frightened, I do not know why, for it may well be that the blazeof light which we saw on that and after nights was nothing but thebrightness of a comet, and that the fire in the temple was caused bya thunderbolt. But to these people, and more especially to Montezuma,whose mind was filled already with rumours of the coming of a strangewhite race, which, as it was truly prophesied, would bring his empire tonothingness, the omens seemed very evil. Indeed, if they had any doubtas to their meaning, it was soon to be dispelled, in their minds atleast. For as we stood wonder-struck, a messenger, panting and soiledwith travel, arrived among us and prostrating himself before the majestyof the emperor, he drew a painted scroll from his robe and handed it toan attendant noble. So desirous was Montezuma to know its contents,that contrary to all custom he snatched the roll from the hands of thecounsellor, and unrolling it, he began to read the picture writingby the baleful light of the blazing sky and temple. Presently, as wewatched and he read, Montezuma groaned aloud, and casting down thewriting he covered his face with his hands. As it chanced it fell nearto where I stood, and I saw painted over it rude pictures of ships ofthe Spanish rig, and of men in the Spanish armour. Then I understood whyMontezuma groaned. The Spaniards had landed on his shores!
Now some of his counsellors approached him to console him, but he thrustthem aside, saying:
'Let me mourn--the doom that was foretold is fallen upon the childrenof Anahuac. The children of Quetzal muster on our shores and slay mypeople. Let me mourn, I say.'
At that moment another messenger came from the palace, having griefwritten on his face.
'Speak,' said Montezuma.
'O king, forgive the tongue that must tell such tidings. Your royalsister Papantzin was seized with terror at yonder dreadful sight,' andhe pointed to the heavens; 'she lies dying in the palace!'
Now when the emperor heard that his sister whom he loved was dying, hesaid nothing, but covering his face with his royal mantle, he passedslowly back to the palace.
And all the while the crimson light gleamed and sparkled in the eastlike some monstrous and unnatural dawn, while the temple of Quetzalburned fiercely in the city beneath.
Now, I turned to the princess Otomie, who had stood by my sidethroughout, overcome with wonder and trembling.
'Did I not say that this country was accursed, princess of the Otomie?'
'You said it, Teule,' she answered, 'and it is accursed.'
Then we went into the palace, and even in this hour of fear, after mecame the minstrels as before.