A GLASS OF AGUARDIENTE.
"Liquors calledmescalandtequilaare distilled from pulque, and contain a larger percentage of alcohol. Then there is a stronger liquor, calledaguardiente(burning water), which is literally described by its name. Some gentlemen who have tasted it say that it is like swallowing a torch-like procession or a whole collection of Fourth-of-July fireworks."
"NOT CAUGHT YET."
From pulquerias to police-courts is a very natural step, and one which is taken by a good many natives of Mexico. Frank and Fred took it, though not after the Mexican fashion, as their movement was voluntary, while that of the native is performed by invitation, or demand, of the police. The better classes of the population know next to nothing about the police-courts or where they are held, and it was only after a great deal of inquiry that the youths learned where and when to go. The guide who had shown them the sights of the city claimed to be unable to tell them, and when they ascertained for themselves, he was somewhat unwilling to accompany them. It is barely possible that he had been there on his own account altogether too often to make a voluntary visit agreeable.
They found the court in the municipal palace, at one side of the Plaza Mayor. Ascending a staircase, they were shown into a waiting-room, and beyond it there were several smaller rooms. Two or three gentlemen were seated at a table in each of the rooms, and seemed to be busily engaged in discussing something. Frank asked the guide what they were doing.
A MAGISTRATE.
"One of them is a magistrate," was the reply; "and the others are the lawyers, who are laying a case before him. One is the prosecutor, and the other is for the defence."
"But where are the accused and the policemen?"
"They're down-stairs, or perhaps they haven't got to the palace yet. They don't come into these rooms at all. The magistrate hears the casethrough the lawyers, and doesn't have the prisoner brought before him, as you do in your country." On further inquiry the youths learned that the magistrates hear the cases in this way, and decide whether the complaint shall be dismissed, the prisoner let off with a fine, or sent to the Belem prison, at the edge of the city.
Some of the prisoners were, as the guide said, "down-stairs;" but the greater number were in a building separate from the palace, and situated on a narrow street close by. There is a court in the prison building, in which the magistrates hear cases in the same way as at the municipal palace, without seeing the prisoner; they hear the testimony for and against him, and decide accordingly.
At the Belem prison they found another court, where cases were more carefully considered; but they learned from a gentleman, with whom they afterwards talked on the subject, that the Mexican courts are overcrowdedwith work, and prisoners often have to wait weeks or months, and even years, before their cases can be heard. A prisoner against whom a serious accusation has been made can never learn when it will be called to trial; his friends are not informed; and the only thing they can do is to watch and wait day after day, or possibly pay heavily to somebody for his influence with the authorities. Matters are better now than previous to the Laws of the Reform, but they are still far from what they should be.
"We judged," said Fred, "that the Belem prison was greatly overcrowded, as the court-yard was full of people, and so were the corridors that overlooked the yard. The prisoners sleep on mats on the floor of the dormitories, which are about 170 feet long. One hundred men lie in a row on the mats along the floor of the dormitory, so that there must be very little room to walk around. The fare of the prisoners consists of twelve ounces of bread daily, one pound of meat, and a bowl of soup. Three times a week they have stewed beans in addition to the other food.
AN OLD OFFENDER.
"A prisoner whose sentence exceeds one month is compelled to work, but he is paid for his labor; one-half his wages go to his family if he has any, and the rest is saved up by the prison authorities until the man is discharged, when the money is given to him. This seems to me an excellent system, and it should be adopted in our own country. In that case an ex-convict would have something tolive upon for a while, instead of being, as is too often the case, driven into crime to save himself from starvation.
"To show the character of Mexican offences, I will quote from the records of the prison for one month. The whole number of prisoners was 1278, and they were charged with crimes as follows:
"Thefts, 198; fighting, 109; stabbing, serious, 518; stabbing, slight, 313; wounding with sticks or clubs, 140.
"Observe that two-thirds of the number were in prison for the use of the knife, and you get an idea of the propensities of the lower classes of the population.
"We have already mentioned the adroitness of Mexican thieves, and we heard several stories while visiting the prison that confirm what we have heard. There's a saying here that if you drop a coin it will be caught before it reaches the ground. They told us a story about the Chief Magistrate of Mexico City which we were assured was entirely true; it sounds like a 'chestnut,' but is good enough to be repeated. Here it is:
"The magistrate was one day on the street when he remarked to a friend that he had left his watch hanging over the head of his bed at home. In less than an hour a thief was at the door with a fat turkey; he said that it was sent by the magistrate, who wished his wife to send him his watch, which he had left at the head of his bed.
"She sent the watch, and when his Honor came home that night he learned of the trick that had been played. He consoled himself with the reflection that he had a fat turkey for the next Sunday's dinner, and would not be obliged to buy anything for that important meal.
"But the next day an accomplice of the watch-stealer called and said the magistrate had sent him to get the turkey, which they desired to produce in court. The man who stole the watch had just been arrested, and the turkey was needed to secure his conviction, as it was one of the 'properties' in the case. Of course it was promptly sent.
"So the good man lost both his watch and his turkey, and never heard of either of them again."
There is a short road to justice calledley de fuga, which is sometimes travelled in Mexico; it may be translated into "running the gantlet." By Mexican law an officer has the right to shoot a prisoner trying to escape. Sometimes, when bandits or murderers are captured, they are allowed to try to escape, and in their effort to secure their freedom they take the chances of being killed. Recently this disposition was made of seven bandits who murdered a German named Müller in the State of Durango, and then robbed his house, compelling Mrs. Müller to show where the valuableswere kept. They were captured while seated at table in Müller's house after completing the robbery, a party of soldiers happening to arrive there most opportunely. As their conviction and execution were certain, they accepted the offer of the officers to permit them to try theley de fuga, but not one of them succeeded in escaping.
SCENE OF THE CAPTURE.
A CORNER OF CHAPULTEPEC.
One of the most attractive drives in the neighborhood of Mexico is along the Paseo de la Reforma, the avenue leading to Chapultepec. In point of fact, it is generally the first drive taken by a visitor, and heis pretty certain to be favorably impressed with it. Chapultepec was a royal residence before the Conquest; during the Spanish rule it was the home of the viceroys, and since that time the President of the republic has generally lived there when he could live at all in the city or its vicinity. Maximilian selected it for the location of the Imperial Palace, and enlarged the then existing buildings; the avenue leading to it owes its origin to his ambition, and is a monument of his taste for the beautiful.
MONTEZUMA'S TREE.
Whether the ride to Chapultepec is taken by the tram-way or in a carriage, the stranger will find it full of interest, and he would do well to try both means of making the visit. If he is an equestrian he will hire a saddle-horse, and make the excursion on horseback between seven and nine o'clock in the morning, when it is the fashion to appear thus on the Paseo. Doctor Bronson and his young friends followed the prevailing custom, and through the aid of the manager of the hotel were satisfactorily provided with steeds. But they were very modestly mounted in comparison with some of the Mexican equestrians, whose saddles and saddle-cloths were elaborately ornamented and said to have cost all the way from one to twothousand dollars each. Some of the horsemen were armed with sabres and revolvers—a souvenir of a custom which is no longer necessary, but was emphatically so not many years ago. The road to Chapultepec, and indeed the roads anywhere in the suburbs, were infested with brigands, who used to rise up from unexpected spots as though at the hand of a magician, and perform their work in a very expeditious manner.
The enterprising brigands were not content with robbing people on horseback or in carriages, but occasionally devoted their energies to kidnapping residents and holding them for ransom. As an illustration of their performances Frank made note of the following story:
"One evening while a gentleman was at dinner with his family, in the suburb of Tacuba, a party of brigands appeared and commanded silence on the part of all under pain of death. They harmed no one, and did not rob the house, but they hurried the gentleman into a carriage, and drove away with him. It was naturally supposed that he had been taken to a place of concealment among the foot-hills of the mountains that encircle the valley; but it turned out that his captors drove directly to the city and secretedtheir victim in the cellar of a house. There he was kept for several days, until the police were so closely on the track of the kidnappers that they fled and left him to make his escape. Subsequently they were captured and executed; but the circumstance was not at all a pleasant one for suburban residents to contemplate."
Fred observed that the Paseo de la Reforma begins at the equestrian statue of Charles IV., very nearly a mile from the Plaza Mayor. It may also be said to begin at the Alameda, a beautiful garden of poplar and other trees, and occupying a historic site. The Alameda includes the ancient Indian market-place and the Plaza del Quemadero, where the victims of the Inquisition were burned to death on a stone platform which was long since removed. Successive viceroys improved it, and within the last few decades it has been planted with flowers and otherwise beautified, so that it is now a very attractive spot.
The statue of Charles IV. is a fine work of art, and notable as the first bronze casting of any magnitude on this side of the Atlantic; Humboldt pronounced it second only to the statue of Marcus Aurelius, and it has received the unstinted praise of many critics who have seen it. It was cast in 1802, and placed upon its pedestal in the following year. During the War for Independence it was, in 1822, covered with a large globe of boards painted blue, and in this condition it remained for two years, when it was taken down and placed in the court-yard of the University. In 1852, when the hostility to the Spaniards had somewhat abated, the statue was restored to its pedestal, and has peacefully rested there ever since. The casting is in a single piece, and weighs thirty tons, and the height of horse and rider is only a few inches less than sixteen feet.
STATUE OF COLUMBUS ON THE PASEO DE LA REFORMA.
From the foot of the statue to the base of Chapultepec is a distance of 3750 yards; the Paseo de la Reforma runs straight as a sunbeam along this measured length, and it has a width, including the sidewalks, of fifty-six yards. At regular distances there areglorietas, circular spaces like theRond-Pointof the Champs-Elysées, in Paris, which are intended for statues of men eminent in the history of Mexico; one of them is already occupied with a statue of Columbus, who is represented drawing away the veil that hides the New World. At the corners of the pedestal are four life-size figures in bronze, and Frank and Fred were pleased to observe that one of them represented the good missionary Las Casas, who labored earnestly for the protection of the Indians. A statue of Guatemozin, the last of the Aztec kings, is destined for the next space, but had not been erected at the time of the visit of our friends; the third space was intended for a statue of Cortez, and the fourth for one of Juarez. The occupantsof the other glorietas had not been named, but they will be men famous in the history of Mexico. From present indications Maximilian is not likely to be chosen as one of the heroes to be preserved in bronze. The glorietas are 400 feet in diameter, and surrounded with stone benches for the accommodation of pedestrian visitors.
The Paseo is lined with shade-trees, so that it affords pleasant walks; the centre of the road-way is reserved for people on horseback, while the carriages move along the sides. On pleasant afternoons the vehicles are so numerous that the police have sufficient occupation to keep them in proper line, and the turnout is a fine one in every way. Frank and Fred compared the display one afternoon with that of London, Paris, and New York, under similar circumstances, and after careful consideration they agreed that the Mexican pageant was more attractive than any one of the rest.
"The ground is level, the road finely macadamized, and the way perfectly straight; the horses and carriages are the best that can be procured; the equestrians are splendidly mounted, and their apparel and equipments are picturesque; the ladies are handsomely attired, and many of them have pretty faces; the panorama of hills and mountains loses none of its grandeur, and altogether we are in love with the Paseo de la Reforma."
So wrote Frank, and his cousin gave his hearty indorsement of the opinion thus presented.
SAN COSME AQUEDUCT.
"Don't forget," said Fred, "to make mention of the aqueducts that supply the city with water, as they are in sight from this drive. One comes from back among the hills near the old convent of El Desierto, and the other leads from a great spring at the foot of Chapultepec. The latter aqueduct gave shelter to our soldiers during their attack on the gates of the city after the storming of the castle; from one pillar to another of the aqueduct they dodged the fire of the Mexican artillery and infantry, and so gained the front of the gate-way."
MONTEZUMA'S BATH.
"I'll not forget that," replied Frank, "nor the old cypresses under which Montezuma is said to have sat and walked; but before we get to them we'll mention that an American company proposes to make an extension of the city of Mexico by building a suburb on the level tract of land through which the Paseo runs. This was one of the dreams of Maximilian, but he had no time or opportunity to put it into practical shape. His idea has been taken up by the peaceful invaders from the North, andif it is carried out as they propose, it will not be many years before the land is materially transformed. Artesian wells have been sunk in this level space and have found an abundance of water, and the projectors of the suburb say they will have their own supply without depending upon either of the aqueducts."
CHAPULTEPEC AND ITS GARDENS.
"Chapultepec is a delightful spot," wrote Fred, "whether considered as a public resort, a royal or Presidential residence, or for the panoramic view presented to the visitor as he looks from its top. It is an isolated rock, or hill, rising about 200 feet, and with a length of 1000 or 1200 feet, and the top is crowned with the buildings, which have seen many changes among their occupants as well as in themselves. The sides are steep in some places, but gradual in others, the steep parts predominating. All around the base are cypress-trees, whose age is unknown; but they are certainly very old; and their venerable appearance is increased by the moss that depends from their limbs.
"The tree of the greatest interest to us was that which bears the name of Montezuma. If tradition is correct, the Emperor sat beneath its shade; and it was possibly while resting here that he received the news of theapproach of those strange white men who had landed upon the coast, and rode upon animals the like of which were never before known in America. It is a wonderful tree 170 feet high, and forty-six in circumference. Like the other great trees of Chapultepec, it is a cypress; and like the others, too, it is heavily draped with moss, as though in mourning for the aboriginal ruler, whose kingdom was torn away by the invader.
EL SALTO DEL AQUA.
"From the tree of Montezuma we went to his bath, which is not far away, and is the famous spring that fills the aqueduct already mentioned. The water is cool and clear, and supplied the ancient Tenochtitlan, just as in later days it was made to supply the Spanish city which rose on the site of the Aztec one. The aqueduct through which the water flows is exactly on the line of that of the Aztecs. The Spanish aqueduct was begun in 1677, and has 904 arches from its starting-point at Chapultepec to its terminus in the Salto del Agua, or Water-fall, in the city. The water of Chapultepec is calledagua delgada, or thin water; while that supplied by the San Cosme aqueduct isagua gorda, or thick water. From time immemorial the spring has been flowing, and it is supposed to be fed by underground channels from the mountains.
"After the tree and the baths we visited the palace, or such part of itas was open to the public. There is not much worth seeing inside the building, the most interesting feature about it being the view from the roof. All the Valley of Mexico, with its girdle of mountains, was before us; it was like the view from the cathedral tower, with the difference that the city formed a part of the horizontal view in one direction, while from the tower it lay beneath and around our feet; and the same view that included the city embraced also the snowy peaks of Popocatepetl and the 'White Woman,' which lay a little to the right of the cluster of domes and roofs standing between us and the silvery sheet of Tezcoco. In the opposite direction was Tacuba, the spot where Cortez thought of rebuilding the city which was to rise in place of the Tenochtitlan he had destroyed. It is to be regretted that he did not do so, as the site is better adapted to a city; it admits of good drainage, which the present one does not, and would undoubtedly be healthier.
AN AZTEC RELIC.
"The present palace stands on the site of the one occupied by Montezuma. Chapultepec was called the 'Hill of the Grasshopper' by the Aztecs, and in their maps of the valley the hill is represented with a grasshopper as large as itself perched on the top. We are wondering whether they really had grasshoppers of that size. What a famine they would create if they were as numerous as they are to-day in some parts of the West!
"What a magnificent place this must have been in the time of Montezuma, according to the description in Prescott's History! Here was an aviary that alone required 300 attendants, and there was a menagerie of corresponding extent. Then the King had granaries of immense extent, to guard against suffering in case of famine; and there were armories with weapons sufficient for a military force of thousands. The halls of the palace were spacious, and the royal dining-table was supplied with delicacies of all kinds from every part of the dominions. Fresh fish were provided dailyby a line of couriers in the same way that they were supplied to the Khan of Tartary in the days of Marco Polo, and also to the royal table of Japan. According to the accounts, the runners made the journey from the coast to the city in very nearly the same time that it is now made by the railway.
"We were shown through the palace, which has large halls and galleries, and is surrounded by terraces paved with marble and affording fine views of the valley and mountains. Some of the halls and galleries are elaborately ornamented, while others are quite plain; a portion of the decorations ordered by Maximilian still remain, and others have been covered or partly obliterated. The most interesting hall was the grand saloon, where banquets are occasionally given. It is memorable for having been the scene of Maximilian's 'Feast of Belshazzar,' as the Mexicans call it—his grand banquet on his return from Orizaba, just before he started for Queretaro, for capture, and for execution. Many of the porcelain dishes marked with the imperial cipher were broken at this banquet, and are kept as souvenirs by those who secured them. A friend of ours in New York has one of them; it is part of a saucer, and was given to him by a gentleman who was in Mexico shortly after the fall of the Empire.
"The national military college is at Chapultepec, and adjoins the palace building. We were told that it is conducted on a plan similar to that of our military academy at West Point, and contained between three and four hundred students. There was a military school here at the time of our war with Mexico. The cadets enlisted for the defence of Chapultepec, fought splendidly, and many of them were killed in the battle. A few years ago a monument commemorating their gallantry was erected in the garden on the side of the hill, and it should be visited in honor of the brave youths who fell here.
"And this brings us to the incidents of the capture of Chapultepec.
"'Do you see that large building back of the grove?' said our guide, pointing his finger in an easterly direction.
"We followed the direction with our eyes, and indicated that we saw it.
THE VALLEY OF MEXICO, FROM THE AMERICAN OFFICIAL MAP.
"'Well,' said he, 'that is Molino del Rey, the King's Mill, and there's where some of the hard fighting took place. Just beyond it is the Casa Mata, and over there, and there, are the fields of Contreras and Churubusco. From this point you can take in the whole range of General Scott's battles in the valley that resulted in the fall of the city of Mexico.'
"We studied the situations, and since then we've read up the history of the battles, and will try to tell you something of them."
Frank and Fred kept their promise, and wrote an account which we are permitted to give in their words:
VIEW OF THE FORT OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA FROM VERA CRUZ.
"It will be remembered that before the battle of Buena Vista a part of General Taylor's army was sent to join General Scott in his advance upon the capital of the republic. General Scott proceeded to besiege Vera Cruz and the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa, which protects it. The fortress is a strong one, and the Mexicans were so confident of the abilities of Vera Cruz to hold out against any force the Americans could send against it that they left a garrison of only 5000 men, did not provision the city against a siege, and neglected to send away the women and children. The Americans besieged the city on the land side, the whole army landing without accident or opposition. The siege began on the 9th of March, 1847, and on the 26th of the same month the city and castle surrendered.
BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO.
"Then began the march towards the capital as soon as the provision trains could be made ready. The Mexicans made no opposition until the Americans reached the foot of the mountains, where the battle of CerroGordo was fought on the 18th of April, the Mexicans being commanded by General Santa Anna, and the Americans by General Twiggs. The Mexicans were defeated with a loss of 1000 killed and wounded and 3000 prisoners, including five generals and many other officers. General Santa Anna fled from the battle-field on a baggage mule, and the Mexicans were very much demoralized.
GENERAL SANTA ANNA.
"Perote and Puebla were occupied soon after the victory of CerroGordo, and then the army halted in its advance to wait for reinforcements which were on their way from the United States. It was not until the beginning of August that General Scott was ready to move towards the capital, and when he gave the order it was with only 10,738 men to follow him. Colonel Childs, with 1400 men, was left at Puebla, which was a very important point on the road by which supplies were to be forwarded.
"Three days the army struggled up the eastern slope of the mountains that surround the valley. When they looked down on the beautiful valley, with its lakes glistening in the sun, the towers of the city rising in the centre of the level expanse, the black fields of lava, the hills rising here and there, the green expanse of cultivated land, and the causeways covered with people, the soldiers gave a loud cheer, and in spite of the fatigue of the ascent were ready to dash forward to battle.
"To oppose them General Santa Anna had assembled an army of three times their number, and erected forts to guard every approach to the city. After carefully surveying the ground, General Scott decided to advance to the south of the lakes. If he had continued on by the National Road, which leads from Mexico to Vera Cruz, he would have encountered the fortress of El Peñon, on which fifty-one guns had been mounted. Theengineers said he would lose one-third his army in capturing the fort, and hence his decision to go to the south of the lakes.
"General Worth's division advanced to San Augustin, nine miles from the city, where there is a large field of lava known as the Pedregal, which artillery or cavalry could not cross. The Mexicans had intrenched camps at Contreras and also at San Antonio, and General Scott decided to attackboth these points at once. Generals Twiggs and Pillow were to advance upon Contreras while General Worth moved towards San Antonio.
"During the night of the 19th of August it rained, and the men camped without fires. Early in the morning of the 20th the order to march was given. The Mexicans were taken a good deal by surprise. Contreras was won by a sharp fight that did not last long, and the invaders pushed on to San Angel, which was evacuated as they approached. Someof the cannon taken by the Americans were those which were lost at Buena Vista, and the men who lost them were the very ones who had the good-fortune to make the capture.
BATTLE OF CHURUBUSCO.—CHARGE OF "THE PALMETTOS."
"San Antonio was abandoned before the Americans reached it, but a stand was made at Churubusco, farther on; this was attacked in front and rear at the same time. Santa Anna considered it the key of the Mexican position, and the place was defended by 30,000 men. They made a good defence, and at one time it looked as though the assailants would be repulsed. Some of the most gallant fighting of the day was performed by a South Carolina regiment ('The Palmettos') in a charge upon a Mexican force largely their superior in numbers and backed by a battery of artillery.
"Churubusco and Contreras had fallen, and it would have been easy for the Americans to advance and take possession of the city before the Mexicans had recovered from their panic. Under injudicious advice, General Scott offered an armistice, to enable negotiations for peace to be made; it was promptly accepted and lasted a fortnight, but resulted in nothing. When Santa Anna felt that he had repaired his damages, he sent an insulting message to General Scott, and hostilities were resumed.
STORMING OF MOLINO DEL REY.
"Very early on the morning of September 8th the advance began, the troops moving in the direction of the Casa Mata and the Molino del Rey. The Molino was attacked by the artillery and afterwards by the infantry. At one time the Americans recoiled under the shower of bullets and their heavy loss in men and officers, but it was only for a moment. The Molino was carried, the Mexican cavalry behind it was put to flight, and the road was clear to Chapultepec, the home of the Montezumas and the viceroys. For four days the army rested, and on the 12th the order to advance was given.
GENERAL SCOTT'S ENTRANCE INTO MEXICO.
"The cannonade against Chapultepec began at daybreak on the morning of the 13th, and at eight o'clock General Quitman advanced along the Tacuba road, and General Pillow from the Molino del Rey. The Mexicans fought stubbornly, but the Americans pressed on, and while the garrison was occupied in one direction an attack was made in another, and the position was taken. When the Mexicans fell back to the city, General Scott ordered the pursuit to be continued on both the roads leading from Chapultepec to the city gates of Belem and San Cosme. Away went the pursuers; and here, as stated elsewhere, they found great advantagefrom the aqueducts. Springing from one archway to another, they managed to dodge the Mexican bullets and get close to the gates. There they adopted the plan of boring through the houses, as they had done at Monterey, and in this manner by sunset they were practically, though not literally, in possession.
CAPTURED AT CHAPULTEPEC.
"This was the end of the fighting. At midnight a party of Mexican officers came out with a flag of truce and proposed the surrender of the city, and at the same time the remnant of the Mexican army marched out of the northern gate and fled to Guadalupe Hidalgo. On the morning of September 14th General Scott entered the city, and, surrounded by his staff and principal officers, rode in triumph to the Grand Plaza through the crowd of men that thronged the streets and scowled as they clutched their knives and muttered threats against 'Los Yanqueis!' He was followed by six thousand men of his army; their uniforms were ragged and soiled with mud, but their weapons were in ready condition for service, which happily was no longer needed.
"Negotiations for peace were begun immediately, and on February 2, 1848, the treaty was signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo. It was ratified in the following May, and as soon as it could be done conveniently, Mexico was evacuated by the American troops, and the two nations became friends again. And we shall all hope that the friendship will never be broken.
"Commenting on the war with Mexico, General Grant said: 'For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure [the annexation of Texas], and to this day regard the war which resulted as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger upon a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.'"
A SCENE OF PEACE.
THE NOCHE TRISTE TREE.
The tree of Montezuma and the traditions connected with it called the attention of the youths to another famous tree of Mexico. It was theArbol de la Noche Triste, or tree of the mournful night.
When it was mentioned to Doctor Bronson the latter said:
"Before we go there I wish you to inform yourselves about the tree, so that we can talk intelligently concerning its historical associations."
Frank and Fred promised to comply with his request; and in their case a promise was equivalent to its performance.
A day was set for the excursion to Popotlan, where the tree stands. On the morning of that day Frank said they were ready with their story; it was presented to the Doctor at the breakfast-table, and pronounced satisfactory. Here it is as it was read by Fred:
DEPARTURE OF CORTEZ FROM CUBA.
"Those who have studied history carefully know that Cortez sailed from Cuba to make the conquest of Mexico. He had a fleet of eleven vessels; the largest of them was of one hundred tons, three were of seventy tons each, and the rest were open barks. His whole force consisted of one hundred and ten seamen, five hundred and fifty-three soldiers, two hundred Indians, and a few Indian women for servants. His regular soldiers consisted of sixteen horsemen, thirty musketeers, and thirty-two cross-bowmen; all the rest of the soldiers were armed with swords and spears. In addition to these he had fourteen pieces of artillery, with an abundance of ammunition; and he had sixteen horses, which were the first ever seen in America. This was the force with which hestarted for the conquest of a people numbering millions, and ruled by a king, with a large army equipped with spears and bows and arrows, and protected by coats of mail of thick wadding.
THE FIRST MASS IN THE TEMPLES OF YUCATAN.
"He landed first on Cozumel Island, near the coast of Yucatan, where he proceeded to convert the natives to Christianity. He did it in a very summary way: by calling on the natives to destroy their idols and embrace the new religion. When they declined to do so, he set his soldiers to breaking and overturning the idols and throwing them out of the temples. Then he erected an altar, reared a cross and an image of the Virgin, and ordered one of the priests who accompanied him to celebrate mass, which was done in the presence of his kneeling followers.
BATTLE WITH THE INDIANS.
"From Yucatan he sailed for the coast of Mexico, which he reached at the mouth of the Tabasco River. Here he landed, and after a fight with the Indians, which was won chiefly by the terror inspired by his horses and the sound of the guns, which the natives took for thunder, he occupied Tabasco. Shortly afterwards he had another battle with a force which his historians estimated at 40,000. This army he defeated, and he celebrated mass on the battle-field in thanks for his triumph over the heathen.
"'Then,' writes Diaz, 'after dressing our wounds with the fat of theIndians whom we found dead, and having placed good guards round our post, we ate our supper and went to our repose.'
"Peace was arranged with the Indians on condition that they should submit to the authority of Cortez, and accept the religion he brought them. They had no alternative, and immediately became Christians. When this was accomplished he continued along the coast of Mexico, and laid the foundations of Vera Cruz. There he first heard of the Emperor Montezuma, and the story of his great wealth determined Cortez to make the conquest of Mexico."
"That was where he burned his ships," remarked Frank, as Fred paused for a moment.
"Yes," answered Fred, "he burned his ships partly in order to make retreat impossible, and partly that he might increase his force with the 110 seamen. He left a small garrison at Vera Cruz, and then advanced towards the city. Taking part with the tribes who had been annoyed by the tax-collectors of Montezuma, he secured their friendship. He conquered the Tlascalans in four severe battles, and then induced them to join him in a march upon Montezuma's capital, as they were not on good terms with the Aztecs; but he could not prevail upon them to renounce their religion and adopt Christianity.
FIRST VIEW OF THE MEXICAN CAPITAL.
"He reached Tenochtitlan, Montezuma's capital, in November, 1518, with 6000 Indian allies, in addition to his force of Spaniards. Ambassadors from Montezuma met him on the road, and he was welcomed with great courtesy and ceremony. A palace was assigned to him, and he immediately fortified it. While he was laying his plans for taking possession of the country and its immense store of gold, he learned that his garrison at Vera Cruz had been attacked and one of his soldiers killed; and not only was the soldier killed, but his head was sent to Montezuma.
"The death of one soldier may not be thought a very serious matter," Fred remarked, by way of explanation, "but it was so for Cortez. Down to that time the Mexicans supposed the Spaniards were supernatural beings; they were the children of the sun, and therefore immortal, but the receipt of the head of the slain soldier undeceived them.
THE MEETING OF CORTEZ AND MONTEZUMA.
"He at once took Montezuma prisoner, and having captured the men who attacked Vera Cruz, he burned them alive in the public square in front of the palace. Montezuma took the oath of allegiance to the King of Spain, and was set at liberty after paying an enormous amount of gold and precious stones by way of ransom.
"Just as Cortez thought everything was quiet he learned that the Governor of Cuba had sent an army under Narvaez to deprive him ofthe command of the country. As the army was much larger than his own, the situation was desperate; but Cortez was equal to it.
"He left 200 men in the city under charge of one of his officers, and then hastened to the coast, where he defeated and killed Narvaez, and added his men to his own forces. Thus the army of 900 men, with eighty horses and twelve pieces of artillery, that had been sent to conquer Cortez became really his reinforcement. He returned with them to Mexico, where, meantime, the people had risen against the Spaniards, killed Montezuma, and under their new emperor, Cuitlahua, driven the invaders out of the city. If you want a brilliant account of the evacuation of the city, you will find it in Prescott's History; it is too long to be given here.
"There is a reminiscence of the terrible retreat," continued Fred, "which is shown to every visitor to the city. It is the Salto de Alvarado, or Alvarado's Leap, in the street which bears the name of that warrior. They tell us that where the line of house-fronts is broken, and shut off by an iron railing, was formerly a canal in the ancient city of Tenochtitlan. This is said to be the exact spot where Alvarado leaped across the canal, and saved himself from the death which overtook so many of his comrades. He commanded the rear-guard, and was one of the few who escaped. Bernal Diaz says the opening was so wide, and the sides so high,that no man in the world could have jumped across, no matter how strong might be his limbs."
"Now we are coming to the Noche Triste tree," remarked Frank.
"Yes," answered Fred. "Cortez is said to have sat all night under this tree at the time of the evacuation, lamenting over his misfortunes and laying plans for the future.
"Do you think it is really so?" Fred asked, turning to Doctor Bronson.
"The legend is a romantic one," the Doctor replied, "and I would not care to disturb it; but if I read the character of Cortez correctly, he was not the man to sit down and mourn under any circumstances. Quite likely he stopped under the tree on that eventful night of July 1, 1520; but it is more probable that he was planning what to do next instead of wasting his time in vain lamentations. It is time to go now," said he, glancing at his watch, "and we'll have the rest of the story at the foot of the famous tree."
Fred folded his manuscript and consigned it to his pocket, and then the trio, accompanied by their guide, proceeded to Popotla by the railway. Taking a car at the west side of the Plaza Mayor, they reached Popotla in little more than half an hour from the time of their departure. They passed through Tacuba, which was anciently an important town, but is now a suburb of the great city, with a population of between two and three thousand.
The tree is a species of cedar, calledAhuehueteby the Indians, andSabinoby the Spaniards. Down to a few years ago it was in fine condition, but one night a fire was kindled against it and seriously injured its trunk. Several of its limbs have since died and been removed; and to prevent its utter destruction by relic-hunters, the tree has been surrounded by an iron railing, and is carefully watched by a policeman. Visitors may pick up any twigs lying outside the railing, but they are forbidden to tear anything from the tree, however insignificant.
After inspecting the tree, and commenting upon the fact that it was certainly old enough for Cortez to have sat a whole night beneath it and indulged in any amount of lamentation, our friends resumed the story of the Conquest.
"During the retreat," continued Fred, "the rear-guard of the Spaniards was destroyed; the retreat lasted for six days, and then a battle was fought, on the 7th of July, 1520, on the plains of Otumba. Here Cortez was victorious, but he was not strong enough to attempt to retake the city.
"He went to Tlascala, where he assembled a large force of natives, andagain marched upon the capital. Meantime the Mexicans prepared for defence, and the Emperor having died of small-pox, which the Spaniards introduced, the throne was taken by Guatemozin, the son-in-law of Montezuma. Guatemozin assembled a large army and fortified the causeways, so that he believed the place impregnable; but he was not equal to the warlike skill of the Spanish commander.