Montezuma's DaughterHaggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
History
Montezuma's Daughter
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540 -- Fiction
“I am too weary to fly anywhere,” I answered, “even if I could.
Moreover, I forget. My enemy is among the Spaniards, he whom I have
sworn to kill, therefore his friends are my foes and his foes my
friends. I will not fly, Otomie.”
“There you are wise,” she said, “for if you come among the Teules that
man will murder you; by fair means or foul he will murder you within a
day, I saw it in his eyes. Now rest while I seek your safety, if there
is any safety in this blood-stained land.”
CHAPTER XXIII
THOMAS IS MARRIED
Otomie turned and went. I watched the golden curtains close behind her;
then I sank back upon the couch and instantly was lost in sleep, for I
was faint and weak, and so dazed with weariness, that at the time I
scarcely knew what had happened, or the purpose of our talk.
Afterwards, however, it came back to me. I must have slept for many
hours, for when I awoke it was far on into the night. It was night but
not dark, for through the barred window places came the sound of tumult
and fighting, and red rays of light cast by the flames of burning
houses. One of these windows was above my couch, and standing on the
bed I seized the sill with my hands. With much pain, because of the
flesh wound in my side, I drew myself up till I could look through the
bars. Then I saw that the Spaniards, not content with the capture of
the _teocalli_, had made a night attack and set fire to hundreds of
houses in the city. The glare of the flames was that of a lurid day,
and by it I could see the white men retreating to their quarters,
pursued by thousands of Aztecs, who hung upon their flanks, shooting at
them with stones and arrows.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account