Roger the Bold: A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico

The Mexican lord put his fingers to his lips and sent a shrill whistle across the forest trees. It was answered from the far distance almost at once.

"They have done well," he said. "I gave them orders to lead on into the forest till the Spaniards were after them. Then they were to cut to the right, to get close to the edge of the trees. They were then to await my whistle, and after that to cut out to us. We can go now, my lord, and I think that we should meet with little more trouble."

He made his signal again, and at once the whole party set off at a quick run – a pace which any one of the Mexicans could keep up for hours together. For they were trained to this exercise, and made exceedingly mobile foot soldiers. As the party left the neighbourhood of the forest, they were followed by the angry shouts and by the fire of the Spaniards. But they took no notice of either, and after a little while left them behind.

"We can go at an easier pace now," said Teotlili. "My lord is not used to running far, and the exercise exhausts him. I will give the order."

Early on the following morning, as the light became sufficiently strong for them to see, they caught sight of Mexico in the distance, and at once relaxed their pace. They had been running and walking fast alternately for a long while, and Roger was completely done up. The wound which Alvarez had given him made running difficult, and he was glad therefore when the time came when they could take matters easily.

"We are safe now," said Teotlili. "We will obtain a palanquin at the first village, and have you carried in."

Roger accepted the proposal with alacrity, and a palanquin being forthcoming, he was borne into the city of Mexico in state. Rumours of his capture and of his escape had preceded him, and the populace turned out in force to welcome their god of air.

"We greet you with joy," said the king, shaking his hand eagerly as he emerged from the palanquin. "It was a sad day when we heard that you were taken, particularly as we hear that the enemy march for Mexico within a few hours. Rest now, and later we will parade all the crossbow men and the men with lances, for there will be much to do to prepare for the attack."

Two days later the outlying pickets of the Mexicans came into contact with the Spaniards and their allies, and the first skirmish took place – a skirmish which was merely the prelude to a long course of bitter fighting in and around the city of Mexico.

CHAPTER XVI

The First Encounter

Roger was back in Mexico – the city upon the water where he had once been taken as a captive, and where he was now received with the welcome of its many thousands, and with the grateful friendship of its nobles and king; and with him now he had his own countrymen, for of the thirty-four who had been rescued from the prison at Tlascala, twenty-six had survived, Sir Thomas being amongst the unfortunate ones who had been killed by the fire of the Spaniards.

"We owe our lives to you, undoubtedly," said Philip, a couple of days later, when the two stood on one of the tall towers looking down on the city; "for had you not decided to stay in your prison unless we also were rescued, these Mexicans would never have made the attempt. That we have learned already, for Tamba speaks a few words of English, and I can manage to understand a little of the Aztec language. We have been talking matters over – I and Peter Tamworth and the others. All our leaders are gone, and the few gentlemen adventurers left do not care to lead, nor would we have them if they did. We wish you to take the command of our party, and to make the best arrangements to get us back to England. For the present we are pledged to carry out your wishes."

"And I am pledged to defend this city," said Roger, with emphasis, while he flushed with pride at the honour which his old comrades were doing him.

"I will take this post which you offer – for the present, at any rate; for, you see, here in Mexico – "

"They speak of you as the god of air, we hear," smiled Philip. "I am not surprised, for you are so tall and so big, and then you can fight. I have also learned of the ruse played on the Spanish horsemen. It was cleverly thought of. I do not wonder that you are the Mexicans' leader, and it would be impossible for any of our party to oust you. The Mexicans would kill them promptly. Tell me how you gained their liking."

"Gladly," answered Roger. "And do you let me know how the brigantine was captured, and how she fared after I was left. And that brings me to the tale of the disc. That Spaniard, Alvarez, turned out a rogue. He nearly killed me, and he has the golden treasure now, I believe. I looked for him in Tlascala, but did not see him."

"And I caught sight of him once only," answered Philip. "He kept away from us, and I am told went off to some other city on the commandant's service."

"We shall meet him again, never fear," said Roger, after a little while. "But listen to my tale, Philip, and you will see that our expedition is not yet hopelessly ruined. If we can defend Mexico successfully, and can capture this Alvarez and the disc, we shall return to England with riches sufficient to gratify every one."

They sat down on the edge of the tower and discussed the matter for a long while, our hero telling of the promise made by the Mexicans that he should be rewarded for his services, and should carry away as much as he desired. Then he listened while Philip told of the adventures of the men who remained aboard the brigantine, and of how they were captured.

"And now we come to the time when you are our leader, and we are to face these Spaniards again," said Philip. "Tell us what we are to do, for you have twenty-six men, all of whom can act as officers."

"Then let us seek out Peter Tamworth, and ask his advice," answered Roger, thoughtfully. "He is a mariner of long experience, and he will be able to tell us how to meet these brigantines, or perhaps even how to make one for service on the lake."

They descended from the tower, and in due course came upon Peter, looking wonderfully grand in his feathered cloak and native dress, for all had been reclothed, their own dress being torn to ribbons.

"'Tis out of the question, this thought of building a brigantine for use on the lake," he answered promptly. "You say that there is news that Cortes is now on his way here, and that fighting has commenced. A brigantine would take months to build, while something smaller would take almost as long. But we could contrive something with rafts of light material. Or better, my commandant, make stout boats by lashing some four or five of these canoes together. They do not use sails, but there is enough cotton here to make them; and a boat such as I describe should cut fast through the water, and stand a chance if it came to warfare. But the brigantines would knock her to pieces if she got in their way. That is where their advantage will be felt. None of these canoes will be able to stand against them."

"Then we will do what we can, and you shall take command on the water," said Roger. "We will go to Teotlili and the king and make our arrangements. Then I will appoint one each of our men to the bands of crossbow and lance-bearing soldiers, and let them carry on the training. There will be ample weapons, for all the artificers in the city have been at work."

By dint of strenuous labour Roger and his friends, with the able and cordial assistance of the king and Teotlili, managed to get together quite a respectable number of the Mexicans, and during the two days which they had free to themselves, and the few which followed during which Cortes and his allies marched down to the lake and visited Tezcuco, were able to appoint each one of the English men-at-arms or adventurers to the band. Then those who had already been trained in the use of the new weapons were divided up, and set to work to instruct their comrades. Meanwhile, Peter Tamworth had taken the matter of the boats in hand, and ere a day had passed had constructed some twenty broad canoes, lashing four of the native vessels side by side. Sails were a matter of greater difficulty, and it took time to teach the Mexicans to use them, for hitherto they had used the paddle alone. However, at the end of a week they were fairly proficient, and when at length the enemy did come in touch, had some confidence in themselves. It was an eventful day when Cortes marched down to Mexico, and took up his position, and a still more exciting moment when his men advanced to attack the forts which had been erected at the opening of the aqueducts.

"Let the men lie down behind the walls," said Roger, who was in command. "They are to take no notice of the cannon, and are to stay quiet till I give the order to rise. Even then those with the lance will remain where they are, for it is my object to lure these Spaniards on till they are at close quarters."

He took up a commanding post in the centre of one of the long walls which had been constructed, and watched the enemy closely. There were some three hundred Spaniards, and many thousands of their allies, and they advanced across the open directly against the wall, dragging their guns with them. Arriving within two hundred yards they halted, and after a little while the guns opened fire, the shot screeching over the wall, and falling into the lake behind. At the sound several Mexicans rose, and would have retired.

"Tell them that they will be instantly executed if they show fear," called out Roger to Teotlili, who was a few paces away. "How can cannon balls hurt when we have a thick wall to defend us? Bid them carry out my order."

The Mexican noble turned and repeated the words in stern tones.

"We will set an example to any who may show fear," he said. "Consider that you are fighting for home and children. Let no one say that we were afraid of a noise."

The words seemed to hearten the men, and though the guns continued firing for some little while, no one moved, no one was hit, and only a few bricks were dashed from the wall. It was plain that there was nothing to be done in this manner, and the Spanish commander gave an order.

"We will advance against them," he said, in scornful tones. "They will run when they see our swords. Let the men with sword and buckler march on the right, and those with lances on the left. The men with the crossbows can be on either flank."

They formed at once, and came forward at a smart pace, looking so numerous, with thousands of the native allies swarming about them, that the Mexicans again showed signs of losing heart. But Roger soon reassured them. He leaped on to the wall, where all could see him, and called to Teotlili —

"Let the crossbow-men prepare their weapons and creep up to the back of the wall," he said; "and shout to those stationed in the canoes to come close to the shore. When I call out, they are to fire into the enemy. The men with the lances are to form up at either end of the wall, and are to be ready to rush out on the Spaniards and their allies. Let all follow my shout with another."

The order was promptly repeated, and Roger, looking down from his high perch, saw that all was in readiness. The faces of the Mexicans now showed eagerness and determination; for the sight of their leader standing there with the Spanish shafts flying past him, gave them courage. A little while ago they had found it hard to stand up to the Spaniards, but now they had learned something. They had seen this youth defy them and hoodwink their horsemen, and they argued that if he could do that, then they also might hope for success. Therefore the men silently crept to the back of the wall, while the lancers, each with one of the English to command them, stole softly to either end, and waited the moment for battle. It came sooner than they expected.

"Take them with a rush!" shouted the Spanish leader. "Now, charge down on them!"

He and his men gave vent to a chorus of shouts, which was followed by those of the natives, and by their curious shrill whistles. Then the whole mass dashed forward impetuously, aiming for the wall which had been erected across the approach to the aqueduct.

"Ready!" shouted Roger, and at the signal, some thousand voices took up the shout, while the top of the wall was lined with the heads and shoulders of the crossbow-men. Then numbers of canoes dashed from under the aqueduct, and ferrying in close to the shore, came to a stop. At once a cloud of shafts sang in the direction of the enemy, and some score of their numbers fell to the ground. But it did not even cause the Spaniards to hesitate, though many of the allies came to a sudden halt. They repeated their shout, and dashed forward at an even greater pace, their swords above their heads, and their bucklers ready before them to keep off the shafts. The lancemen on the left, however, had little protection, and a nod from Roger caused Teotlili to direct the aim of the majority against them.

"Get the men with the lance ready," called out Roger, "and bid them dash against the Spaniards with the same weapon while they are confused with the loss caused by the crossbow-men. And, Philip!"

The young fellow who had been such a friend of his aboard the brigantine ran up to his side, his sword, one taken from the enemy, over his shoulder.

"I am here," he said, a glint in his eye showing that he also was ready for the attack.

"You will take your own band of lancemen, and will wait till I raise my hand, for the noise is too great for a shout to be heard at a distance. When I signal, throw yourself on the flanks of the swordsmen. I shall make a frontal attack at the same time. Now go."

Roger might have led an army before by the manner in which he spoke, and by the sharpness with which he gave his orders. And those under his command seemed to appreciate the fact that he was their leader and well able to direct them, for they sprang to obey. Philip lifted his sword, swung round, and ran off to his men. Meanwhile the babel of shouts had increased, the men on the canoes screaming as if they wished to drown the shouts and the whistles of the natives ashore. And no doubt these same battle-cries helped to keep up their courage. They poured shafts from their new weapons into the Spanish lance-bearers, and those behind the wall coming to their aid, the enemy in this part of the field suddenly halted, while men dropped from the ranks. Then they turned and ran for their lives, a sight which roused the Mexicans to the highest pitch of excitement. But still the Spaniards who were on the right, and who bore sword and buckler, pressed on, though not at such a swift pace; their ardour was already damped by the unexpected opposition met with.

Roger motioned to Teotlili. "Order all with the bow to pour their fire into the swordsmen!" he shouted. Then he turned to where Philip waited in expectation, and saw that he was ready.

"In a little while," he said to himself, though it was as much as he could do to hold his hand. "The time for launching the flank attack has not yet come. Ah, now the bolts begin to tell, for they are within fifty yards! I will make the signal."

He stood to his full height, and lifted his arm. Then he leaped from the wall, and ran to where another body of lancemen stood waiting further orders, the same who had been instructed to throw themselves on to the left flank of the enemy.

"Follow me!" he shouted, drawing his sword. "Lances up! Form into line! Now forward!"

It was a formidable array which he led, and the natives who followed did so with the utmost determination. They ran in a close body from behind the wall, wheeled steadily, and then, with a great shout, threw themselves against the flank of the swordsmen. At the same moment Philip brought his command against the opposite side. Then indeed was the air filled with shouts and shrieks. The Spaniards fought fiercely, cutting at the heads of the lances. But there were more behind, and they were forced to give way; but they could not turn, for to do so would be to be run through instantly.

"Charge!" bellowed Roger, at the top of his voice. "Do not give them time to rally, but press them."