United States or Andorra ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The bearers of the bier passed into the house, where Maclutha awaited it. Roger, unwilling to intrude upon the grief of the unhappy queen, remained without, talking to Bathalda; the natives viewing him with hostility and wonder, being unable to understand how it was that their lord had brought one of the white men to his house.
Bathalda had told them that Roger had found a former acquaintance in Malinche, who was all powerful with the white leaders; and Amenche asked many questions concerning her how Roger had known her before, and for how long; what she was like, and why he applied to her, instead of going straight to the white general.
The others were, as he had expected, Cuitcatl and Bathalda. The former saluted him warmly. "Thank the gods you are free, Roger," he said. "I have a canoe close at hand for you. Bathalda will accompany you and the princess. I cannot leave. I am an Aztec, and shall fight until the last, with our brave young emperor."
We sleep no longer now, but make nightly attacks on the Spaniards; and at any moment bodies of troops may come along." The little party moved forward, and in a minute descended the steps. Bathalda took his place in a small canoe lying there.
He had already had proof of the vigilance of the Aztec scouts, and doubtless that vigilance would now be redoubled. "No, Bathalda," he replied at last; "I should be content to remain in hiding for a time, and to risk the departure of the white men." "Then, my lord, my advice is, that we retrace our steps across to the other side of the mountains.
"Never did I see such strength and skill. It was like a mountain tiger attacked by jackals." "You did your share, too, Bathalda. Your spear rid me of several of them." "I did what I could, my lord; but that was little enough. A few men like you would defeat an army." "Well, Bathalda, now we will be moving on again.
"They pay tribute to Mexico, but are a wild race; and as there is nothing to be obtained from them but hard knocks, they are but little interfered with." Getting deeper among the hills, Bathalda, just as morning was breaking, led the way up a ravine down which a little stream trickled, and found a resting place among a number of great rocks that had fallen from above.
He and Bathalda then ascended to the top of the wall, where they were likely to be undisturbed, and waited there for an hour. They then went back to the palace.
Before leaving, Bathalda handed to Roger a small bag. "This," he said, "Maclutha gave to me, for you. It was for that purpose she drew me aside, before you started. She bade me not deliver it to you, unless I was compelled to part from you. It contains some of the principal jewels taken from the treasure house; and she said they might make you and the princess rich, when you reach home.
That night they walked, as far as Roger could guess, fifty miles, and again entered a very hilly country. In the morning they left the road and encamped in a wood, far up the hillside. During the day they saw several parties of troops following the road; and many couriers passed along, at a swift run. "The whole country is up," Bathalda said. "We shall have to be very careful, in future."
Word Of The Day