Roger the Bold: A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico

"Let us now discuss the question from the very commencement," he said eagerly. "I will begin by telling our friend that we have made efforts to gather allies, and that many are now on their way to join us. Our embassies also left this very morning for distant parts, to visit the cities which are wavering, and they take news of the coming of the white man. Those are our preparations for reinforcements, while in this city itself we are storing food and grain, and laying by fresh water in huge tanks which were constructed long ago. Our causeways are under repair, and arrangements have been made so that the bridges which divide them can be altogether removed. Now let the white man speak of arms, for ours are useless."

Teotlili interpreted the words, while Roger thought for a few minutes.

"You require lances," he said at length, "and these can be easily made. But tell me, when these Spaniards fell during their flight did they not leave many arms behind?"

"Not a great number," was the answer; "for, of those who fell, quite half sank beneath the water of the lake, where they lie now."

"Then you must send men with poles and hooks at the end, and must recover the arms," said Roger, with emphasis. "Then portions of the armour must be used to manufacture lance heads, while men must be practised in the use of the sword. Others must be trained to use the crossbow, which can easily be constructed here. I will give the plans, and I advise that the work be carried out at once."

"There will be no delay," answered the noble. "Tell our men how to proceed, and a hundred weapons will be ready in two days' time. And now for other matters. The king has already spoken of stores and of the causeways."

"You must decide to meet them outside the city," said Roger, thoughtfully. "You must fall on them at night, cut off their baggage, and endeavour to capture their guns and ammunition. Then I should build forts where the causeways and the aqueducts commence, for the latter in particular must be defended to the very last. Finally, I advise that we go to the top of the tower again, where we can see the whole city, and from which point we can pick out the spots which most require defending."

There was a murmur of approval, and several of the nobles leapt to their feet and began to discuss the matter eagerly. Guatemozin nodded his approval, and came to Roger's side.

"These crossbows could be handed to our best bowmen," he said, "and then you might train them for us. How many do you advise us to have."

"As many as you can construct," answered Roger, promptly. "Your own bows are useless against the Spanish armour, but a shaft from a crossbow will often penetrate, particularly if aimed at a vulnerable spot, or at the face. Then the men with the lances should be trained together, and put under a leader. It will be their task to charge down upon the Spaniards when they are gathering strongly, and particularly to meet the rush of the horsemen. Let them be armed with short swords or knives, and then, if the horsemen beat down the lances, the men should throw themselves on to the ground, and as the Spaniards pass, leap on their backs or drag them from the saddle."

"The advice is good," said Guatemozin, thoughtfully. "The lances will hold the enemy back, while the crossbows will bring death to their ranks. But we must have some suggestion for the causeways. They will fight their way among those, and these brigantines will lie on one side and take us in the flank."

This, in fact, was the very reason for their construction, for the wily Cortes had long ago seen that a powerful enemy could hold his men in check on the narrow causeway. If, however, he could keep their boats from the water, and could advance there himself, he would, with the help of his guns, be able to drive the enemy back, and so gain the causeway without much loss.

"You cannot stop the brigantines if the water is deep," said Roger, after a while. "If shallow, you might drive in numbers of piles."

"Then I fear that we must suffer, for the lake is very deep on either side of the causeway," answered the king.

"And there is no time in which to make a big boat for ourselves, and we have no guns, and ammunition is not to be found. Then we must think of another plan, and decide when we see the actual spots. But I think that our best way will be to break down the causeway in numerous places, leaving wide chasms over which a plank or two can be placed till the Spaniards come. Then it ought to be made still wider. Let men be stationed all the way along in their canoes, and arm each boat with a couple of poles with hooks at the end. Then the canoes can dash in as the fighting is in full swing, and the men can drag the enemy into the water."

For long they discussed their plans for the future, Roger's advice being received with the utmost respect. For it must be remembered that these natives had, for a couple of generations, been fighting with the same kind of arms as they now used, and against the same class of enemy. Their tactics, therefore, had required no alteration, and the coming of a new race with more effective arms and different methods had entirely nonplussed the Mexicans. There were few amongst them who had any new ideas, and by now they had proved the old ones to be useless. No wonder, therefore, that they received these new notions with every sign of approval, and begged Roger to put them into practice.

"But we will eat first, and afterwards go to the tower," said the king, as he took his guest by the arm.

It was a magnificent meal, and Roger, who had seen something of court life in England, for he was often stationed about the palace, knew that this banquet would compare most favourably with anything which King Harry could show. The meats and the dishes were all beautifully prepared, while there was abundant variety. But he had other things in his mind, and was glad when they rose from their couches and went to the tower. From the lofty elevation he was able to see all the outskirts of the city, and when at length he descended it was with the knowledge that orders had already been given for the work of construction to be carried out.

"And now for the crossbows and the lances," said Teotlili. "I have already sent orders for the recovery of the Spanish armour and arms, and grieve that we did not trouble about it before. But we never thought of the necessity. Our divers brought up the gold which Malinché attempted to carry off, and after that we did not trouble. Now we will go to the artisans' quarters."

They tramped through the city, followed by a crowd of eager natives, while everywhere Roger was treated with the utmost respect. Then they reached the part where the carpenters plied their trade, and here the wood for the crossbows was selected, and one of special toughness, and of somewhat greater length than the steel bow on Roger's weapon, chosen for that portion.

"A steel bow would have been better," said our hero, "but as we have none of the metal, wood must do. It will throw a shaft farther than the bows now in use, and a tip of iron to the former will do the rest."

Roger's coming was in fact the signal for unusually hard work in and about the city of Mexico, and when three weeks had passed he had the satisfaction of knowing that great strides had been made. Huge chasms now gaped in the causeways, while the edges of these were left steeply sloping, so that an enemy could not easily climb up them. Then archways were left for the secretion of a few canoes, whose crew could dart out at the proper moment and fall on the flank of the enemy. The opening of the aqueduct was also strongly fortified, though it seemed certain that the position could not be held for long.

"We will keep the water running till the last moment," said Roger. "Then we must fall back on our store. I should advise that as many as possible of the women and children should be sent out of the city, for then our stores will last longer."

However, his advice on this matter was not followed, for the Mexicans were a home-loving race, and could not easily reconcile themselves to parting with their families, a fact which afterwards had a fatal influence on their hopes of success. Unable to persuade them in this, Roger caused them to arrange for the constant supply of fresh provisions, to be brought at night by way of the water, and set guards on the enormous tanks which held the city's supply of fluid. That done, he turned to the training of his two special bands, the one wielding long lances, tipped with sharp spikes made from the Spanish armour and arms, while the crossbow men carried a weapon which, if not as good as the one which he and Tamba used, was almost so, and could be relied on to do much execution.

"We will divide the lances up into three lots," he said to Teotlili, as that noble was one day inspecting the band, "for I think that the Spaniards may attack in three columns along the three viaducts. We will appoint their officers and give them a little practice, for one band can be pitted against the other."

At his direction the men reversed their arms, and lashed a piece of cotton to the butt end of the stout poles which held the lance head, padding the cotton with some loose material. Then one band was set to enter the city, while another opposed them. Roger taught them how to stand steady, to await attack, and how to make the most of their numbers, the front rank kneeling, while the rear rank, standing only a pace behind, stood upright, their lances protecting their comrades who knelt. At a shout the whole party would dart forward and take up a new position, or would retire slowly, facing the supposed enemy. But there was more to be seen, and Teotlili and the king, who was more than energetic in these days of preparation, and who had come to see how the bands were faring, were delighted at the next movement.

"We have no horses, but we can imagine them," said Roger, with a smile. "The enemy will rush forward without arms, and my men will send a force forward to break up the supposed horsemen."

He whistled to the men who had been sent along the causeway, while a shout set those with the lances in motion. They ran forward to meet the supposed horsemen, and took up a position as formerly. Then some forty who stood behind them leaped over the shoulders of those who were kneeling and dashed to the front. Arrived within a few feet of the supposed horsemen, they shouted, waved their arms, and flung themselves on the ground.

"That is as far as we can train them without horses," said Roger; "but they know what is required. I have given them instructions to wave and shout, for horses are easily frightened. Then they will escape the lances by flinging themselves on the ground, while they need not fear the horses stamping on them. It remains to be seen how they will manage to deal with the enemy."

As for the men with the crossbows, they had rapidly acquired the use of their new weapons, and being skilled with the ordinary bow, soon were able to do almost as well with the others. Roger had set up a figure dressed in armour taken from the body of one of the officers who had fallen in the retreat of the Spaniards. The crossbow men spent hours firing at it, their instructions being to aim for the joints beneath the arms, and for the face.

So much progress had been made at the end of three weeks, that Roger felt that he could now turn his attention to other matters, more particularly as news came that the English ship had again been seen off the coast.

"Then I will see what I can do to reach them," said our hero, when Teotlili told him the news, "and I should be pleased if you could come with me. Then there will be no difficulties with your allies. I shall take Tamba and half a dozen of the crossbow men."

"I will come," was the answer. "Our allies will be glad to see you, for the report of your coming has already been sent to them. We have yet a month before the brigantines will be ready, and before Malinché can come. In that time we may reach your comrades."

"And also capture the golden disc," said Roger, with a meaning smile. "Our journey to the coast will take us to the neighbourhood of the Spaniards, and we will do what we can to hear of this Alvarez. When can we set out?"

Two days later the three, with six crossbow men following, left Mexico, each of the soldiers carrying a bundle of food in a bag suspended from his shoulders. They took the track which led across the plain to the city of some allies who lived on the mountain side, their journey being accomplished at night.

"Were we to start during the day, all the Spaniards' friends would know," said Teotlili, "for their spies are everywhere. Besides, we might be attacked and made prisoners."

"In which case I should have little to look forward to," answered Roger, with a grim smile. "They would have little mercy on a white man."

"They have placed a price on your head," said the noble, solemnly. "The news of your arrival has come to their ears through spies, and they have sent to all the cities offering a reward to any who may take or kill you. No doubt they would treat your comrades in a similar manner. However, we have escaped their notice so far, and will hear what our allies have to say."

Roger was silent for some little while, for, in spite of the dangers through which he had already passed, it was a new and a terrifying experience to have a price set upon his head, to know that many thousands would be on the look out for him, eager to win the reward offered by the Spaniards. And their chances of success would be great, he reflected, for he was the only Englishman, the only one with a white skin, to be found in Mexico, and for that reason he would be particularly prominent, if his height did not make him that already. He began to wonder whether it would be possible to reach the brigantine, and return to the safety of his friends, where he would occupy a safer and a humbler position.

"No," he said to himself, after a little while. "I am a coward to be so easily frightened. Even if I come across my comrades, it is my duty to ask them to accompany me to Mexico, and, if they will not come, I will return alone, for I have given a solemn promise. Besides, there are the riches, the treasure to be won, which we owe to those who paid the expenses of our expedition. As for the reward for my life, pooh!"

He tugged at his sword till it was free, and drew it. Then he carefully inspected the edge, as if that were sufficient answer.

"He who captures me will have to beat this down first," he said, "and afterwards he will have to look out for my fists. I am beginning to think that nature's weapons are not to be scoffed at. Now let us listen to these people."

By now they were in the palace of the allies, where Roger was greeted with the usual signs of rejoicing and respect. The cacique, or chief, having placed a meal before them, began to speak of the Spanish movements.

"They are massing close to the town where the ships are being manufactured," he said, "and I have news that there is to be a big review within a few days. Doubtless, after that is done with, the armies will march for Mexico. Meanwhile, the country swarms with enemies, and my people are frequently in conflict with them."

"And what of the English ship?" demanded Teotlili. "She has men aboard who will prove valuable allies."

"I cannot say," was the answer. "My spies report that she was within sight of the coast to the north a week ago. And now comes the rumour of noises at sea, such as the Spaniards make. At night bright flashes were to be seen accompanying the explosions. When dawn came none were in sight, though it is rumoured that a strange ship was brought into the harbour with these enemies."

"Captured! My comrades beaten! Sir Thomas would never surrender!" exclaimed Roger, aghast at the rumour; for if it were true, then he might bid adieu to all hope of return to England, save perhaps as a prisoner, and even then, Spain would be his destination, and not his native land. He sat dumfounded for a little while, Teotlili and the cacique watching him curiously. At length he spoke quietly.

"The rumour bodes little good to us," he said. "If my comrades are taken they must be helped. I sacrifice all thought of Mexico and of its defence, and I give up all hope of the treasure, till I have made sure of their fate, and, if the opportunity can be made, have contrived to speak with them and rescue them. That is without doubt my first duty. I owe it to the King of England, and I owe it to a leader who was always kind, and to comrades who treated me well."

"And we honour you for the decision," said Teotlili. "Though it falls in but sadly with our own desires, we recognise that man's first duty is loyalty to his comrades and to his friends. Fidelity to the hand which feeds him and gives him favours. These friends of my lord's must be his first thought, and afterwards he can turn his mind to Mexico and her people. We will rest now, and to-morrow, before the dawn breaks, we will push on for the coast."

A little after midnight the party set out again, Roger feeling feverish with anxiety. Their faces were turned to the sea, and they aimed for the coast at a point a little north of Vera Cruz, where they hoped to gain definite tidings of the Englishmen. Soon they were clambering up the steep pass which led over the mountains, while the atmosphere gradually became brisker and colder. Clouds enveloped them, and as the dawn broke they marched in a thick, wet mist.