Roger the Bold: A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico Page 8

  CHAPTER VIII

  A City by the Water

  For many weeks Roger de Luce had longed to see the city of Mexico,though it was a much shorter time since he had learned that that was thename of the place depicted upon the golden disc which had come intoPeter Tamworth's hands. He had looked forward to beholding this quaintplace, erected in the middle of a lake, surrounded, in fact, by water,and approached by one or more causeways. He had never dreamed that hisambition would so soon be gratified, nor was he so vastly pleased nowthat he had come to this spot, reputed to hold a store of treasure.Indeed, there are few who could look upon the prospects which now facedhim with a cheerful face, for it was not long before he learned that thesolid wooden bars of his cage were wont to hold captives--captives keptfor the day of sacrifice. The thought was horrible, but the fact wastrue, for daily men were extracted from the other cage, and taken to thesummit of the temple.

  Let us leave our friend Roger in this predicament for a little while,discussing the position with his faithful Tamba, while we ascertain themovements of that gallant and astute leader known as Fernando Cortes,and the reasons and objects which had brought him to this Terra Firma.

  The reader will recollect that mention has been made of the voyages ofdiscovery made by the Portuguese, mostly to Africa, voyages which taughtthe Regent of the country that there were islands such as Madeira andthe Canaries, and which, if they did nothing else, brought a few slavesback to the shores of Portugal. Indeed, the first success of theseexpeditions led to a ghastly human traffic which accounted in lateryears for an importation of some thousand slaves per annum. But thePortuguese were not the first to display some curiosity in outsideconditions, to investigate other parts, for the voyages accomplished bythem, and those of Columbus, were merely links in a long chain ofadventurous enterprises by sea which commenced centuries before, andhave not ceased even at this date. Indeed, the East, the Far East, hadbeen known of for very many years, while the Phoenicians, the Greeks,and the Carthaginians had sent their vessels out till the coasts ofSouthern Europe and Asia were known, as well as the northern coast ofAfrica. After these heroes came the Roman Empire, and we have little, ifany, more information of discoveries till the beginning of the twelfthcentury, when there was renewed activity amongst the maritime peoples.In fact, the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuriesconstitute what is known as the "age of discovery," and of these thefifteenth century, with the earlier portion of the following one, wascertainly the most productive of discoveries. And it is a curiouscoincidence that while men's minds were turned to foreign parts, to theeffort to obtain knowledge of foreign peoples and affairs, there shouldhave been a revival in other matters. The arts and sciences made headwayduring these centuries, while religious feeling revived, and enormousexertions were made to Christianize the heathen. In fact, Christianitywas widely spread by the end of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries,while a bitter war was being waged against the Saracens, who dominatedAfrica and the Mediterranean, keeping Genoa and Venice in check, whiletheir armies conquered Spain, and even invaded France. But the energiesof these intrepid warriors were not confined to war alone, for theysought for commerce, and there is little doubt but that they wereacquainted with the Red Sea, with the east coast of Africa as far asMadagascar, and with much of the west coast of the same continent. Buttheir knowledge was obtained for the most part not by voyages, but byoverland routes, so that the interior, perhaps, rather than thecoast-line was known.

  In course of time these Saracens were beaten back by the tide ofChristian chivalry, and then we find the Genoese prospecting voyages, inwhich they explored the Atlantic border of Africa, and wondered whethera passage existed to the due west by means of which they could reachIndia, the Far East.

  And now we come to that period, extending over some sixty years, duringwhich the Portuguese sent expeditions south along the west coast ofAfrica. These voyages, at first productive of only a few slaves, andlater of a huge traffic in these unhappy victims of their raids, finallyended in the wonderful achievement of Bartolomeo Diaz, who rounded theCape of Good Hope in 1485. Ten years later the intrepid Vasco de Gamadoubled this cape, and sailed along the eastern coast of Africa toDurban, and from there to India itself, thus proving the existence ofthe huge continent of Africa, and the possibility of a passage to theFar East by way of the Cape of Good Hope.

  However, this was not that due westerly route which philosophers andwise men spoke of, which tradition almost laid down as a fact, and theadventurous nations still pondered, still wondered whether it existed.Even in England the subject was as much in the minds of our sailors asin those of Portugal and Spain, and many a ship put out from Bristolintent on its discovery. But the attempt always ended in failure, for,after steering to the west for two weeks, perhaps, the mariners wouldfancy that they were on the wrong track, and would make some othercourse, finally returning disappointed to Bristol.

  But the Spaniards succeeded in discovering land to the west, if noneothers had done so, for in 1494 Vicente Pinzon, with Americo Vespucci,put out for the west, and came upon Brazil, the River Amazon, and thecoast of South America. It was thought that the East Indies had beenfound, that the western passage had been hit upon, for no one dreamedthat the huge continent of America intervened. And it was not tilllater, till after Columbus's later voyages, and the discovery of thePacific Ocean, and the rounding of Cape Horn by Magalhaes, that the fullsignificance of the new land was understood. Then, owing to an error, bywhich Americo Vespucci was thought to be the commander of theexpedition which fell in with Brazil, the whole continent was given thetitle which it now bears.

  The description of these voyages brings us at length to that first oneof Columbus, a doughty sailor who had often taken part in the Portuguesetrips along the west coast of Africa. He was, in fact, in the service ofPortugal, and this theory of a western passage must often have beenpondered on during the voyages he made in that service. At length itgrew into a firm belief, and he went to Henry of Portugal with thedesire that he might be offered the command of an expedition. But thiswas not the wish of the Portuguese, for were they to discover thiswestern passage they could not keep it to themselves, while the coast ofAfrica, which they had found, and had commenced to colonize, was theirsby right, and could not so easily be usurped. Columbus thereforereceived no encouragement, and in despair sent his appeal to the courtof Spain, and to Henry the Seventh of England. Accident alone placed himin the service of Spain, for when at length the message reached him fromEngland, ordering him to attend the court, an arrangement had been cometo with Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Thereafter preparations weremade for the voyage, and on August 3, 1492, he set sail. It is needlessto tell of his progress, to relate how, after sailing for some threeweeks, he still saw nothing but sea about him, and how his men desiredhim to return, believing that were they to sail over the horizon therewould be no escape, and no power of getting back to their native land.Then they found themselves surrounded by a mass of seaweed, extendingas far as the eye could reach, and through which they slowly cleavedtheir way. At length, after a voyage of thirty-six days, land wassighted, and after three months the bold mariners returned with theinformation that they had discovered an island, and a continent near athand. This island, now known as Hayti, or San Domingo, was calledHispaniola, while the adjacent country, thought by Columbus, to the dayof his death, to be part of a continent, proved to be an island, and wascalled Cuba.

  Thereafter this fine sailor made three voyages, discovering the northerncoast of South America in the neighbourhood of Trinidad. He had come tothe Indies, he thought--to Earthly Paradise, as he called theland--never suspecting that this was a new and undiscovered world, andthat Vicente Pinzon's voyage, together with that of Magalhaes's roundingof the southern cape, would prove it to be part of a mighty continent,then peopled by a dusky race, but hereafter to form a home for newnations of white and coloured men.

  The reader can imagine how the tale of this discovery fired the peopleof Spain, and
engrafted in the minds of all, in that of old and youngalike, a longing for new fields, for adventure in these foreign parts.For Columbus told of a friendly people, of gorgeous scenery and herbage,and of pearls in abundance. What wonder if thousands clamoured tofollow! Spain was at peace, and there was no other outlet for the spiritof chivalry with which her young men were filled. So an expedition wasarranged, and Ojeda commanded it. But he fell out with the natives andfought with them, so that when other voyagers came they met too oftenwith the reverse of a welcome.

  It would be tedious to detail the names of all the adventurous dons whofollowed, to tell how Cristobal Guerra and Alonso Nino came directly onOjeda's heels, and how, with more discretion and perception, they tookpains to do as Columbus had done, making friends with the natives. Fromthe latter they obtained for paltry wares an abundance of pearls, all ofwhich had come from the pearl fisheries close at hand, these lying at anisland which was so sterile that the natives did not inhabit it. By nameCabagua, it, of course, formed a great attraction to the Spaniards, andwhen the tale of their success came with them to Spain, and theseadventurers carried their stores of pearls ashore, as if they were somany pebbles, the fame of their undertaking went through the breadth ofthe land. Thousands clamoured to follow, so that ere very long thisisland was colonized, a town being built there, and named "New Cadiz."Thus we find Spaniards on the mainland, or within a very little distanceof it. Nor was it long before La Casas and others followed, all with theone thought of making a fortune.

  Some were content to accomplish this purpose by hard work at thefisheries, but others soon took to another trade, and commenced to huntfor slaves. It cannot be a matter of wonder to the reader to hear thatthese fiends in the end provoked a peaceful group of natives, for alongthe thousands of leagues of the pearl coast there were numerous racesand tribes, many of them of sufficient numbers to be designated nations.They turned and many a Spanish soldier and monk paid the penalty.

  MAP OF PART OF MEXICO.]

  But this portion of the northern coast of South America hardly concernsus, though its discovery directly led up to farther wanderings, to morevoyages of discovery, and to the finding of Yucatan, of the Isthmus ofPanama, and finally to the discovery by the intrepid Vasco Nunez deBilbao of the Southern Sea, the wide Pacific; for this man actuallyaccomplished the journey across the Isthmus of Panama, and reached thefarther coast, where he learned vaguely of the wonders of Peru, of acountry where natives lived in stone houses, and in cities; where therewas a well-ordered government with a king, and where, as was afterwardsdiscovered during the conquest of these Peruvians, a system of roadsexisted than which there has never been anything finer. Indeed, aninspection of what remains of these coast roads to-day shows that theywere excellently engineered, that they were composed of tough concretewhich still holds together, while bridges connected the road across therivers. More than that, by a system of couriers, stationed at closeintervals of some forty yards, it was possible to send a verbal messageover the road at a swift rate, the couriers running their forty yardsand handing on the message. And that same message could thus betransmitted for a distance of a thousand miles.

  However, Peru even does not concern us, for it is to Mexico that weturn, to the northern portion of the long isthmus which connects Northto South America, and is spoken of in these days as Central America.

  The great Fernando Cortes set sail from Santiago, in Cuba, on November18, 1518, his banner bearing a coloured cross on a black background,with flames showing here and there, and an inscription in Latin beneath,which read, "Let us follow the Cross, and in that sign we shallconquer."

  He sailed with an armament of five hundred and fifty Spaniards, two orthree hundred Indians, a few negroes, twelve or fifteen horses, tenbrass guns, and some falconets. Touching at Trinidad, he then went tothe island of Cosumel, near the north-eastern point of Yucatan, where hewas so fortunate to come upon the survivor of a crew of Spaniards whohad been wrecked, and who, having lived with the natives for very long,spoke their language fluently. In this manner an excellent interpreterwas obtained.

  Fernando then set his prow for the west, and came to Tabasco, where helanded, and encountering resistance from the natives, fought a greatbattle, defeating his enemy. But Tabasco was not the country for whichhe aimed, and it was the ambition of this leader to go farther north, todiscover new lands, and to find wealth. Nor was he destined to bedisappointed, for the Tabascans could tell tales of other countries,tales which had come to their ears, and there was one amongst them whohad lived in the provinces of a country which paid tribute to Mexico.This person was a female slave, by name Marina, and she was given,together with others, to the Spaniards after their victory. Thus Cortes,almost at the very commencement of his voyage, found himself inpossession of a Spaniard able to converse with the Mexicans, and of awoman slave of rare intelligence, and, as was to be afterwards proved,of the utmost loyalty to her new masters, who could make up for anydeficiencies of the Spaniard.

  With this success to encourage him, Cortes embarked again, and set sailfor the north, arriving at a portion of the coast opposite to Mexico,which lay some little distance inland, hidden by its encirclingmountains, and to which he gave the name of St. Juan de Ulua. Here hemet with a friendly reception from the natives, and very shortlyreceived in audience two gorgeous officers who had been sent by thegreat king Montezuma, the lord of Mexico.

  To all the expressed wishes of the Spaniards for a permit to go to thecity of Mexico this Montezuma returned evasive replies, and finallyforbade them to come. And on every occasion on which he sent his envoysthey came to Cortes laden with gold and jewels, and with featheredcloaks, all gifts to the Spaniards, a mark of the king's high favour.Had he sent anything else, or words alone, he would have done muchbetter, and perhaps the history of Mexico would be vastly differentto-day; for Cortes and his company had a quicker eye and a readier earfor riches and tales of riches, of gold and jewels, than they had forlands, for peoples as yet undiscovered. They were tempted, and thisrefusal to allow them to proceed acted rather as a spur than as adeterrent. Cortes was not the man to be baulked by any one, andcertainly not by a native, even if he were a king. He was ambitious, ashas been said, decisive and bold, and, in addition, was of a doggeddisposition. He had come to discover, to gain new lands for the king,his master, and he would not be deterred by a native. Had he known thewarlike disposition of the Mexicans, and the armies which they and theirallies were able to put into the field, it is possible that he wouldhave hastily embarked again, and sailed for Hispaniola or Cuba, with aview to gathering fresh forces. But there was more than doggedness andsheer contrariness as a cause for his determination to go to the city ofMexico; for it happened that Cortes had many enemies--so many, in fact,that though the command had been given to him, Velazques would havetaken it from him within a day or two, and, indeed, sent a messengerwith instructions that Cortes was to be recalled. However, this was notwhat this gallant leader wanted, and he evaded the summons and proceededto the coast of New Spain. To return now unsuccessful would mean notalone the loss of command, but much more. Indeed, Cortes had disobeyedthe orders of those in authority, so that to gain his own pardon it wasnecessary for him to make some conquest, and to establish his right tolead. Therefore, in spite of the numbers opposed to him, numbers whichhe learned were big, but the proportions of which he never even guessedat, he decided to push on for Mexico, and conquer the country if thatwere possible. We shall see how he fared in this adventure, and how thevery fact of his being a white man aided him; also how circumstancesplayed into his hands, so as to render him the utmost help. But Roger deLuce is still in his cage, and we will return to him.

  "I have been speaking with one of the prisoners," said Tamba, somelittle while after Roger had awakened, and had looked about him withcurious eyes. "Our tongue is somewhat like his, but he also speaksSpanish. He is one of the allies of these men who came to Cuba, and hewas captured in a battle which took place a little while ago."

  "Then the Sp
anish under Fernando Cortes are here!" exclaimed Roger, insome astonishment, for this was the first intimation he had had of thatfact. "Did you ask how long they had been in Mexico, and what successthey had had?"

  "They were here some months, and have been gone a little while, mylord," was the answer. "The Mexicans rose, and drove them out. Now theyare awaiting their return."

  "And will they submit?" demanded Roger, anxiously. "For then we shallbecome captives of the Spaniards, and that would be worse even thanthis."

  There was a doubting look in Tamba's eyes, and for a little while hehesitated whether to tell his young master of the critical position inwhich they were. At length he summoned courage, and spoke.

  "To be a Spanish captive again could hardly be worse than our fate now,"he said softly. "My lord is now a prisoner in the hands of the Mexicans,and he knows nothing of these people, save that they live in the centreof a lake. He does not know of their cruelty, and of their wickedpractices."

  Roger was entirely ignorant, to speak the truth, and, more than that,was amazed at the size of Mexico, and the huge numbers of people he sawabout when he looked down from the pass, and the fine houses in whichthey lived. Till then he had hardly expected the natives in this newpart to be much different from those to be seen in Cuba. But he was tolearn much in the next few hours, and before he departed from Mexico wasto know that these Aztecs were in many ways highly civilized, practisingmany of the higher arts and crafts, learned in picture writing, and ableengineers. Alongside these attainments, Roger learned that they hadcertain practices which were strangely incongruous in a people soadvanced in civilization, and that the nation, from the highestdownwards, was swayed by the cruellest superstitions and religiousrites. He was now to hear of one of the latter.

  "Their wicked practices!" he gasped. "What do you mean? They lookedpeaceful enough, and rather melancholy, I thought. What are thesepractices?"

  "The sacrifice, master," said Tamba, mournfully. "These Mexicans havemany gods to whom they look, and whom they seek to appease, some withgifts of meat and cereals, others with the sacrifice of animals, whilethere is one in particular, the mighty war god, named Huitzilopochtli,to whom they offer men."

  "Men! They sacrifice human beings!" exclaimed Roger, in disgust anddismay. "Then we----"

  "Are reserved for that fate; and all these others, master. They willkill us so that we may bring fortune to them in their wars, and aid themagainst the Spaniards."

  "Then they take us for enemies instead of friends," said Roger, quickly."They think, perhaps, that we are Spaniards in Cortes's band, andtherefore will be more than ever inclined to kill us."

  "They say that we are a portion of these invaders, and that we must die.The man with whom I spoke told me that. He says that we may be summonedat any time, and that they will drag us to this war god. It is ahorrible thought!"

  Roger looked about him as if in a dream. He was stupefied and stunned bythe awful news which Tamba had given him; for though he had by now metdanger boldly and without flinching, and had risked his life in theencounters with the Spaniards, yet this cruel fate undermined hiscourage. He was ready to die when the time came, but to be held down,perhaps, and then slaughtered like a sheep, was too horrible. Thethought unmanned him, and for a little while he sank on his knees, hisface buried in his hands. Then he gradually recovered his composure andlooked about him, his eye turning to the prisoners in the second cage.There were at least two hundred of them, and he was astounded to findthat they were chatting contentedly together, some even laughing andjoking. Was the same fate reserved for them? He turned and asked Tambathe question.

  "The same, my lord," was the calm answer. "But these men look upon it ina different way. Thousands die here every year for the sake of the gods,and death in that manner is an honour. I have asked this man, and hesaid that their religion teaches them that to be sacrificed givesinstant admission to the region of the sun, where they live happilyafterwards. As to the death, it is swift and sure, and the deed is soondone. Fear not, master, for it may not come to that. Perhaps they willbelieve that you are no Spaniard."

  It was poor consolation, but Roger had to make the most of it. He satfor a long while thinking the matter over, and when a few hours hadgone, was himself again, prepared to face the executioners, should itcome to that. But the native prisoners amazed him. True, all theseAztecs had a melancholy cast of countenance, but a glance at their facesshowed that the doom awaiting them made little impression, and did notweigh on their minds. They were resigned and happy. Later on he learnedthat throughout the land of Mexico these sacrifices were carried on, andthat at the lowest computation twenty thousand men died on thesacrificial altars during the year. The people were held fast in thechains of a cruel religious despotism, and bowed themselves in abjectresignation. They saw their finest children, their sons and theirfirstborn torn from them, and acquiesced because their superstitionsbade them do so. It was a horrible condition of affairs, and cruelthough the Spaniards were, their coming was a boon to the country,though it broke up the Aztec races. However, we are anticipating, andwill return to Roger.

  Late in the afternoon there was a stir in the huge quadrangle in whichthe cages were built, and attendants came with food for the captives.Then a mass of people began to filter into the square, and amongst themsome who were dressed in black robes, and wore their hair in longtangled wreaths about their necks and faces. They were ugly-lookingfellows, and Roger shuddered as he looked at them.

  "The priests," whispered Tamba, "and that"--pointing to one clad inscarlet--"is the head of all, the one who performs the sacrifice. Theyare coming towards us."

  "Then we will fight till we are killed! Sooner that than be butchered.Let us look for a weapon, Tamba, and then we will set these fellows atdefiance."

  He sprang to his feet and searched the cage, but there was nothing tohelp him. He and Tamba had long since been deprived of their weapons,while the floor of the cage was bare, and it would have required an axeto sever one of the stout bars. Opposition was out of the question, andRoger promptly realized it. He faced round and watched the priests asthey advanced, looking them unflinchingly in the face. Then his eyeturned to some half-dozen other men who walked behind the men in blackand scarlet, gorgeously dressed in feathered cloaks and light goldenarmour, while their heads were covered, some with carved wooden helmets,made to represent the heads of birds, while others had plumes in theirhair. But all displayed many golden bangles and neck-chains, and theirhead-dress and many parts of their armour and their weapons wereencrusted with jewels. Then the tale was true. Mexico was filled withriches! But Roger had no time to give a thought to that now, for theprocession had reached the cage. It halted outside, and two of thepriests entered and said something in soft tones.

  "We don't understand," said Roger, in English. "We are not Spaniards,and we want to know why you have placed us in this cage. We are not wildbeasts, and are ready to be friendly."

  It was hopeless. The priest merely shook his head and beckoned to them.

  "Try him with your tongue, Tamba," said Roger, in desperation. "Ah, Iremember that you said you could not make them understand. I will trySpanish."

  "We have nothing to do with your enemies," he said sternly, standing tohis full height. "We wish you no harm. Let us have an interpreter, andwe will explain."

  Again he met with failure, while the priest still beckoned politely, andanswered in soft tones. Roger looked about him desperately, and noticedthat the other priests had now entered the cage, and had taken up theirplaces near at hand. He measured them with his eye, and wondered whetherhe could kill them all if he fell upon them. Then he recollected thecrowd outside, and pondered.

  "Shall we go or stay?" he demanded of Tamba. "We could clear thesefellows out of this and bar the door. Then they would be unable to getat us. Anything rather than be sacrificed."

  "Perhaps that is not their wish, master," answered Tamba. "They speaksoftly to us, and there is no harshness. Supposing we went, deciding toresi
st only when they attempt to lay hands on us or to lash us. For todrive them from the cage and hold it would merely mean that they wouldshoot clouds of arrows at us. You can see their bows."

  Roger looked, and saw that every man in the assembled throng carried asmall bow and a quiver of arrows, while many also had a long club-shapedweapon thrust into belts about their waists. This was their sword,called the "maquahuitl," and consisted of a stick some three and a halffeet long, about four inches thick at the biggest end, and was armed oneither side with small blades of obsidian, a stone of extreme hardness,and capable of taking a razor edge. Indeed, these weapons could give aterrible wound, though the first stroke, if it met Spanish armour, wasapt to break the stone, when the weapon became an ordinary club. Inaddition, others of the crowd carried lances, and a few slings, with abag of stones about their shoulders. All were dressed in linen garments,which were clean and well made. It was obvious that resistance at thispoint was out of the question, and therefore Roger decided to put thebest face on the matter.

  "We will go with them," he said at length; "and do you keep a sharp eyeon me, Tamba. I don't mean to be slaughtered without a struggle, and ifI see that it is coming to that, I will make a rush at the nearest manwith arms and seize them. One of those swords of theirs would suit me,though I would rather it were heavier and bigger. Now then; we willmove. We are ready," he said, turning to the priests. "Keep close,Tamba. I don't like the look of these fellows."

  With a bow he intimated that they would follow, and a minute later foundthem outside the cage. Then the procession reformed. The priests linedup on either side of their prisoners, the one in scarlet taking hisplace in front. A horn was blown, and they set off for the far side ofthe square, the warriors in their gorgeous trappings falling in behind,while the crowd followed in any order, their eyes fixed on the tallfigure of the white man. Presently the procession passed out of thesquare, and Roger noted with a qualm that their steps were trendingtowards a gigantic tower which stood some little way in front. Was itthe sacrificial tower, where men were slain to appease the god ofwar--the Mexican Mars? Roger looked askance at Tamba, and noted that hetoo was ill at ease. Then he turned his attention to his surroundings,marvelling at the beauty of the scene and at the thousands ofwell-dressed and prosperous people who surrounded them. Indeed, Mexicowas _en fete_. The surroundings of the square were thronged with thepeople, and all had their eyes fixed upon the white prisoner. Theygreeted his coming with shouts of joy and admiration, while mothers heldtheir children up above their heads that they might see. On every sidethe flat roofs bore their human load, while numerous adjacent towerswere black along that side which faced the larger one, the nodding ofplumes and the gay colour of the clothing showing that people were alsocrowded there.

  "We cause some attention to be shown," said Roger, beneath his breath."It would seem as though these Mexicans wish to do honour to us, forwatch how some throw themselves on their knees as we pass, while otherswave their hands to us. Perhaps, after all, our fears are groundless."

  Tamba shook his head disconsolately, for his conversation with the Azteccaptive had told him another tale. However, he would not cause hismaster unnecessary alarm, and refrained, therefore, from answering.

  "He will find out in good time," he murmured to himself. "Happier forhim if I keep silent. For me, this death is nothing. A few weeks ago Iwould have welcomed any fate which took me from the Spaniards, and nowall that I live for is this white man, my master. If he dies, then sowill I also."

  By now the procession had passed across a wide courtyard sprinkledthickly with scented blossoms, and was at the foot of the tower. Thelatter measured at least a hundred feet on each face, and rose for manyyards till the first terrace was reached. There were three or four moreabove that, so that the summit overtopped the city. Leading the way toone corner, the priest in scarlet began to ascend by way of a flight ofsteps which passed round the sides of the tower, reaching the firstterrace after encircling it once. There another flight commenced, and soon till the summit was reached. Not till then did Roger realize thesignificance of all this display, of the assembled crowds, and of theirshouts of joy. Arrived on the summit, his eye lit upon a huge figure inthe shape of a serpent, coloured and jewelled with numerous stones.Directly in front of this, and occupying such a position that all in thestreets of Mexico could observe it, was an enormous green stone, withsmoothed faces, and with convex top. But worse than all was the presenceof blood on this stone, and upon the hideous image of the war god. Rogerthen knew that he had been brought to the sacrifice, and in an instanthis resolve was taken.

  "They shall cut me to pieces first before I submit," he said to Tamba."Watch me now, and prepare to act. If one of those hideous priestsapproaches me, I will break away from the crowd and seize one of thosecorners. Look, Tamba there is a chapel or room of some sort over there.We will make it a fort."

  There was no time for more. The black-robed priests advanced to thegreen stone altar and politely beckoned to Roger, while the crowds belowbecame strangely silent, their eagerness stilling their tongues.

  "Come," said the priest in the scarlet cloak, beckoning again, "we willnot delay, or keep the war god waiting. Let the white stranger advancefirst and lie upon the altar."

  The time had come. A priest closed in on either side of Roger, whileothers fell in behind. He was surrounded, and the moment for action hadarrived.