CHAPTER V.
HUETZIN'S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
At this supreme moment in the life of Huetzin, the young Toltec, thescene, of which he formed the central figure, was of such a characteras to inspire a nameless fear in the hearts of all beholders. To thesilent multitude who, with upturned faces, were gathered about thetemple of their most dreaded god, awaiting the wild chant of prieststhat should proclaim the sacrifice accomplished, the summit of thelofty pyramid was lost in the pall-like blackness of the heavens. Onlya fitful gleam of altar-fire formed a point of light on which the eyecould rest. The broad space surmounting the temple was the dramaticfocus of the weird scene. About it moaned the spirits of upper air,as though with the voices of the innumerable dead who had breathedtheir last on that accursed spot. There was an absolute calm, and nobreath of wind disturbed the straight column of altar-flame that cast alurid light across the blood-stained platform. In front of the altar,and clustered in a dark mass about the stone of sacrifice, were thepriests of Huitzil. Their white robes had been thrown aside, and allthe hideous features of their blood-smeared bodies and streaming locksof matted hair were revealed. In their midst, cruelly outstretched onthe mass of polished jasper, lay the naked body of the beautiful youthwhose death was to close the pagan rites with which the great calendarstone was dedicated.
Suddenly the dread silence was broken by a single stroke upon the hugedrum of serpent skins. Out through the blackness rolled its boomingechoes, proclaiming to the utmost limits of the city, and far beyond,that the final act of the drama was about to be consummated. As thesignificant sound smote upon the ears of those gathered at the baseof the teocal, a shuddering cry broke from the vast concourse. It washeard by Topil, the chief priest, who had just sounded the signal,and now strode, knife in hand, toward his waiting victim; but it onlycaused him to smile scornfully. It was but another tribute to hispower, and he exulted in the natural accessories that rendered thisfinal scene so impressive.
As Topil stood beside his victim, Huetzin gave utterance to the prayerrecorded in the preceding chapter. Then the dread knife, that haddrunk the blood of thousands, was uplifted. Ere it could descend therecame, from out the enveloping blackness, a flash of light so vivid,and a crash of thunder so awful, that the very earth trembled with theshock and the mighty pyramid rocked on its foundations. A huge globeof fire, a veritable thunderbolt of the gods launched with unerringaim and irresistible force, had fallen on Huitzil's temple. It burstas it struck the rock-paved summit of the teocal, and for a moment thewhole space was bathed in leaping flames of such dazzling intensitythat no mortal eye might gaze upon them. Many of the stone blocks wereshattered into fragments, the altar on which burned the eternal firewas overthrown and its sacred flame extinguished. The priests, gatheredabout the stone of sacrifice, were flung, stunned and breathless, inevery direction. Some of them, in the madness of their terror, evenleaped from the edge of the trembling platform, and were dashed to thepavement of the courtyard far below.
An instant of darkness followed this first exhibition of the stormgod's power. While it lasted, cries of terror and lamentation arosefrom all parts of the wide-spread city. From every quarter it was seenthat the sacred fire no longer burned, and into every mind flashedthe foreboding of calamity thus portended. Only for a moment was thewrath of the storm god stayed, and then bolt upon bolt crashed abovethe devoted city, their awful din mingled with the wild shriekings ofunfettered winces, and a downpour of rain that seemed like to delugethe world.
With the first outbreak of the tempest, Huetzin, released by theterrified priests who had held him, rolled unconscious to the pavementbeside the stone of sacrifice. When he recovered his senses andstaggered to his feet, a furious storm of wind and rain was buffetinghis naked body, while lightning glared and thunder crashed incessantlyabout him. But he still lived, and of those who so recently condemnedhim to death, not one was to be seen. A sudden hope sprang into hisbreast, and he glanced about for a way of escape. There was none. If hedescended the long flights of steps he would certainly be apprehendedin the walled court below. He might seek a temporary refuge in theshrine at one end of the platform; but at the best, that would onlyprolong his existence for a few wretched hours. Last of all, he mightend his misery at once by a leap from the giddy verge of the platformon which he stood. Yes, that was best. There was no other way. As hewas about to carry out this intention, a human figure rose from beyondthe sacrificial stone, and stepped to where he stood. It was that of apriest, and, as a flash of lightning betrayed his presence, Huetzin'simpulse to seize him and force him also to take the death-leap waschecked by a sight that filled him with amazement.
A second gleam of lightning revealed the startling fact that thispriest of Huitzil was making the sacred symbol of the Toltec faith,the sign made by his own father as his dying act, and which hedeemed unknown to any in all Tenochtitlan save himself. As he stoodmotionless with amazement, the strange priest cried, in a voice to beheard above the tumult of the storm:
"Follow me and I will save you, for I, too, know the holy sign of theFour Winds! I, too, am a Toltec!"
With this he seized the youth's hand, and the latter allowed himself tobe led away. Instead of turning toward the outer stairway, as Huetzinfancied they would, they entered the foul and evil-smelling shrine ofthe Aztec war-god. The monstrous image, with its hideous features, wasdimly revealed by the intermittent flashes of lightning, and Huetzinshuddered as he stood before it. To him it was the embodiment of thatcruel and cowardly religion with which the fair land of his ancestorswas cursed, and could he have destroyed it at the expense of his ownlife, he would gladly have done so.
Passing swiftly to the back of the image, the priest, who had justproclaimed himself to be of the Toltec race, caused a panel of stoneto slide noiselessly back in polished grooves, and disclosed a placeof utter blackness. Entering this he drew Huetzin after him. Then heclosed the opening, and, bidding the other stand motionless, passed hishands carefully over the stone floor at their feet. There was a slightgrating sound, and Huetzin knew, by a sudden upflow of damp air, thatsome concealed passage-way had been opened.
"Now," whispered his guide, "we are about to descend a secret stairwayknown only to the chief priest and myself. Moreover, should he evensuspect that I was possessed of its knowledge, my heart would smoke onHuitzil's altar. For this reason I claim thy oath, by the immortal Godof the Four Winds, never to reveal this secret, so long as Huitzil sitsupon his throne."
"By the sacred name of the Four Winds I swear never to reveal it,"answered the youth.
Then they began to descend, carefully closing the opening above them,and feeling their way with the utmost caution. The air was damp andchill, the narrow stone steps were slippery with moisture. They formeda stairway of zigzags, and to Huetzin it seemed as though they mustpenetrate below the foundations of the temple, so long was it beforethe bottom of the last flight was reached.
At the terminus of the stairway was a closed door, which only thoseinitiated into its secret might open. It admitted them to a long narrowpassage, from which branched other passages, as Huetzin learned bycoming upon them with his groping hands. His guide took careful note ofthe number of these passages, and finally turned into one that led atright angles to that they had been following. After a while it slopedupward, and at its end they found themselves in a small room, which atthe same time seemed large and airy as compared with the suffocatingnarrowness of the various passages they had just traversed.
Bidding Huetzin remain here for a moment, the priest left him standingin darkness and silence that were absolute. So long a time elapsedbefore his companion returned, that the young Toltec wondered if hehad escaped the altar of sacrifice only to be buried alive in thismysterious place. While he dwelt with a sinking heart on the awfulpossibilities thus presented, a door was noiselessly opened, and aflood of light poured into the apartment. The priest, bearing a torchin one hand and a packet in the other, entered. He was followed by aslave, carrying a basket, at sight
of whom Huetzin shrank back in alarm.
"Be not afraid," whispered the priest, noting the movement; "he isblind and knows naught of thy presence."
As the slave set down his burden, he was dismissed and retired, closingthe door behind him. From the packet that he bore the priest produceda robe of the coarse cotton (nequen) worn by the lower classes, withwhich Huetzin gladly covered his naked body, a pair of grass sandals,and a dagger of itztli. The basket yielded materials for a bountifulmeal, to which the young man, who had tasted no food since the nightbefore, sat down with the appetite of one who is famished. Hiscompanion also ate heartily, and as he did so conversed with Huetzin,principally of his own affairs. Of himself he only said:
"My name is Halco, and like thyself I am of the Toltec race. Why I amhere in this accursed guise, and how I came to know the secrets ofTopil, I cannot now explain. Suffice it that I am one of the bitterestenemies of Aztec priesthood and Aztec gods. Until the moment of hisdeath I knew not that thy father, the brave Tlahuicol, was a Toltec, orI might have saved him; when he made the sign it was too late. Now Ican provide thee with means of escape. Make thy way to the camp of thewhite conquerors, of whom thou must have heard, and lead them to thiscity. In them lies our only hope for the overthrow of Huitzil and hisbloody priesthood; when thou comest again thou shalt hear from me."
"But Tiata, my sister! I cannot leave her unprotected," interruptedHuetzin.
"Fear not for her. For the present she is safe, and if she were notthou couldst do nothing to help her. I will keep watch, and if dangersbeset her while thou art with the white conquerors, thou shalt beinformed. Now that thou hast eaten and regained thy strength, thyflight must be continued. Already Topil is aware of thy escape, and hehas sworn by all the gods that thy heart shall yet smoke on Huitzil'saltar."