The Infidel; or, the Fall of Mexico. Vol. II.Bird, Robert Montgomery
History
The Infidel; or, the Fall of Mexico. Vol. II.
Bird, Robert Montgomery
Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540 -- Fiction
"Farewell, Juan, farewell; farewell, my brother--we will never see each
other more!"
"What meanest thou, my sister? Hold me by the arm--Tarry not, or we
shall perish."
"I cannot go, Juan--I will remain, Juan--I must die, Juan, I must die.
Weep for me, pray for me, remember me--Now go, now go! Go, Juan, go!"
It is impossible to express the mingled tenderness and vehemence with
which she uttered these words. Poignant grief darkened in her eyes, in
which glimmered the light of the most passionate love; and all the while
she shed floods of tears. Unable to comprehend an agitation so
extraordinary, and valedictions which he thought little short of
insanity, he grasped her by the hand, and endeavoured to draw her after
him. She resisted even with screams, until, utterly confounded, and
somewhat incensed by opposition so unreasonable and inopportune, he
turned again to remonstrate, and perhaps rebuke. But the reproach was
banished from his lips, before they had given it utterance. She again
flung her arms around his neck, and muttered with tones that went to his
heart,
"I cannot go with you, Juan--Oh my brother! pardon me, my brother, and
do not curse me. Bid me farewell, Juan, bid me farewell for ever--I love
you Juan, I love you too much!--Now I can live no more, Juan, I can live
no more--Farewell! farewell! farewell!" And flinging from his arms, as
if from a serpent that had suddenly stung her to the heart, she uttered
another shriek, and fled through the burning door by which she had
entered.
Juan remained fixed to the spot, as if struck by a thunderbolt; and
before he could banish the words of the thrice-unhappy victim of passion
from his ears, there rushed into the chamber, with furious shouts, a
rabble of Spanish soldiers, blood-stained, and begrimed with smoke and
cinders, the leader of whom struck the Ottomi dead with a single thrust
of his spear, while the others rushed upon Juan, some crying out to
kill, and others to spare him.
"Hands off!" cried Najara, throwing himself betwixt them and Juan.
"Remember orders,--the general's orders!--The king, senor Juan? Where is
the king?"
"Unhand me, villains!" cried Juan, endeavouring to shake off the
soldiers who held him fast, while Befo attempted vainly to give him
assistance:--"Kill me, if you will, but save my sister, my poor
sister--Quick! for the love of heaven, quick!" he cried, observing some
dart towards the door through which she had vanished: "Cortes will
reward you--save her! save her!"
"Follow them, Bernal, man," cried Najara to the historian, who had just
plucked his spear from the body of Techeechee--"What dost thou with
slaying gray-headed Indians? Follow La Monjonaza,--five-hundred
crowns,--ay, by my troth, and call them five thousand--to him that
recovers her alive! Ah, senor Juan! your dog has more brains than
yourself. But for his howling, you must e'en have roasted, man. Come
along, come along--Be of good heart; there is no fear now of either axe
or rope."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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