Roger the Bold Part 25

It was almost comical to watch the attendant's expression as the words reached his ear, strange words, too, for who amongst the natives ever heard of such a proposal? Here was a young man, condemned to die at sunrise, and he declined to be rescued unless comrades received help also. It was sheer madness, ingrat.i.tude almost to those who were taking such risks for him, and who well might fall victims themselves. His chin dropped, his eyes opened to the fullest extent of the lids, and he stared at Roger spellbound.

"Fool! The sentry will suspect," said our hero, sharply. "You heard the message and my determination. Then go, and bring me more food later on.

I shall be hungry before the night comes, and a hungry man is weak.

Besides, you may have news."

He shut his eyes as if already asleep, and when the sentry again pa.s.sed the doorway he observed the prisoner lying still in the shade, and the attendant bearing the jar and the remains of the repast away, looking ruefully at his s.h.i.+ns as he came.

"A clumsy fall," remarked the sentry. "In the days of Mexican power a tumble like that in the presence of so great a man might have led to trouble."

"It has done so now, comrade," was the answer. "My lord was asleep, and scolded me. But I am forgiven, though I cannot easily excuse myself.

However, he sleeps again, and will continue to do so. It is a farce setting a watch over him when there are so many of us about and the walls are so high."

The sentry evidently cordially approved of this statement, for he continued his beat, grumbling at the task, at the heat of the sun, and at the fate which had set him there, pacing aimlessly up and down, when he might have been in his own house enjoying the society of his wife and children. As for the attendant, he sauntered along the street, carrying the jar, till he came to the end of the building, where he turned into a low doorway. Within he deposited the jar, and then stole softly to the back of the house. A flight of stone steps led to the roof, where there was a tower, and he proceeded to clamber to the summit of it. Once on the roof, he kept in a crouching position, and gradually raised his head to an aperture in the surrounding wall. There was a tower on another dwelling some yards away, and a man occupied that also, one of his comrades by his dress. But he, too, made every effort to keep away from the observation of those in the street below, and, beyond signalling his presence to his comrade who had just appeared, made no movement. Five minutes later, however, when the street was empty, and no one seemed to be approaching, he put his hands to his mouth, and called softly to his comrade, his voice easily penetrating to the other tower.

"What fortune?" he demanded in Spanish, and in tones which strangely resembled those of Tamba. "Is my lord well and unharmed? Speak, for if he has been hurt I will go at once to do the bidding of Teotlili. I will seek for this Malinche, and will throw myself on him, and slay him with my dagger."

His eyes blazed as he said the words, and he rose till the whole of his head was visible.

"Hus.h.!.+ Be cautious. You will ruin all, and we shall be tortured,"

answered the attendant, fretfully, and with an anxious glance down the street. "Such an attempt would cause us both to be killed. I will not help you, and if you threaten to perform such a reckless act I will have nothing more to do with your party."

"Then you will make friends once more with the Spaniards. You will fawn upon and lick the hands of these wretches who have taken your wife and child. Listen, and I will tell you my tale. I am from Cuba, where these Spaniards came, as they have come to you, with fair promises and with welcoming smiles. We formed an alliance with them at first, till it was too late. Then we became their slaves, while our wives and children were s.n.a.t.c.hed from us. Our miseries were so great that thousands hanged themselves. That is what you will do. Is it better to risk death now, or to wait for slavery and for the misery which is certain to follow? Go to your masters. Tell them that they may have all that you love. We will find others to help us."

Indignation had roused Tamba thoroughly, while his anxiety for his master made him more than bitter. But he was a shrewd native, and long suffering had taught him much. By speaking as he had done he brought before the Tlascalan the full weight of the injury done him, and revived his bitterness and hatred. It was a masterly stroke, and at once converted the half-hearted native to the side of the Mexicans.

"You are right," he said humbly. "I cannot take the hand of these barbarians again. I will help, even if it be in an attack upon Malinche.

But my lord is not hurt. I have spoken to him, and he will be ready to-night; but----"

"But what? Is he ill, or did he suffer a wound in the attack yesterday?"

Again Tamba stretched far out of his hiding-place, till the frantic signal of the native caused him to sink back again.

"He is well--have I not said so?" he called out testily. "But he will not be rescued unless his comrades are taken. His message to Teotlili was strict. If you come to-night, he will go only on condition that the others are taken. Otherwise he will wait and be hanged."

Tamba's dusky face went a pallid hue at the news, and this time he sank back on his knees as if some one had struck him a blow.

"Not escape unless we can take the others!" he gasped. "It is like my master. He thinks always of his comrades."

For a little while he was silent. Then he leaned forward again.

"Go to the prisoner as soon as you can," he said, "and say that we will obey his wishes. An attempt will be made to take all from the prison."

The signal pa.s.sed again between the two, and they crept from their perches, no one in the town of Tlascala having observed them. Some three or four hours later the attendant went again to the prison, and having bandied a few words with the sentry, entered with a dish of food and another jar of wine. He found the prisoner still apparently asleep and disinclined to be disturbed. But Roger was in fact wide awake, and had been looking for the return of the native.

"Have you news?" he demanded. "Will they follow my orders?"

"To-night all will be rescued if that is possible," was the answer, as the man set down the dish and the wine. "I have seen Tamba, my lord's servant, and he has given the promise. To-night all who came to this country in the s.h.i.+p which was recently taken by the Spaniards shall be rescued. Let my lord look to the corner. He will find a cool spot there in which to sleep."

There was a crafty smile on his face as he spoke, and he made the same signal as formerly. Then having asked if Roger required anything more, he bowed to him and withdrew.

"The prisoner will give you no trouble to-night," he said to the sentry, a new one by now, the other having been relieved. "He pa.s.ses his time in sleep and in eating. These white men are strange, for the thought of death at sunrise has few fears for them."

"Not for this tall G.o.d of air," was the answer. "A fine man, and fit to fill an honoured post! 'Tis a pity that he should be slain. But that is not my business. I am thankful that he is peaceful, for were he to walk towards me and attempt to escape, I could not stop him. I could not even cast this javelin at him."

"Have no fear. He is quiet," said the attendant. "You will be undisturbed."

An hour or two later it began to get dark, and Roger, who had meanwhile eaten the food and taken the wine, dragged some native mats, supplied for a bed, into the corner, and there he threw himself down, his position enabling him to keep a watch on the summit of the wall, where it cut clear and dark against the sky.

"If they come I shall see them," he said. "I shall wait till after midnight, and if after that there is no sign of them, I shall try to cut a ladder in the wall."

There was no use in being despondent, and therefore he lay there droning to himself, or thinking of his friends in England. Once he heard a step behind him, a silent stealthy step, and guessing that it was the sentry, spoke to him without turning his head.

"Why do you creep in?" he asked quietly. "You disturb my slumbers.

Retire at once and leave me."

The man was astounded. He thought that he had made no sound, and it was uncanny to be addressed by the prisoner when he had not even turned his head.

He bowed and went away apologizing for his suspicions, leaving Roger to himself.

"Hist! My lord! Tamba is above."

It wanted yet some three hours to midnight when the words came softly to our hero's ears, and looking up he saw a dark outline crouching close to the wall just above his head. Then the tinkle of some metal instrument was heard, and groping in the darkness his hand came in contact with a sword. Thoughtful Tamba! He had taken pains at the very first to see that his master was armed, believing that if the alarm were given he was capable of escaping unaided. But the rope to which the sword was attached was a stout one, made of soft cotton, and Roger guessed its purpose, and grasped it with both hands. The sword he slipped into his belt, while he placed the blade of the dagger between his teeth.

"Ready above?" he demanded softly. "Then hold on, for I am coming."

CHAPTER XV

Back to Mexico

"Hist! Silence!" It was Tamba's voice again which came from the top of the wall, and at the sound Roger halted. Already his hands had grasped the cotton rope which had been thrown to him, and he was in the act of clambering up when he heard the warning.

"Come quickly! I hear men about! Climb for your life!"

This time Tamba leaned over till it seemed that he must lose his balance and topple to the ground. He jerked at the rope, and Roger began to clamber up as rapidly as he could, though he found that a soft cotton affair of this description was not the easiest thing to make one's way up. However, at length he arrived, and the faithful native dragged him on to the top of the wall.

"Lie flat, my lord," he whispered. "I still hear voices and men walking, and I am nervous of interference. There! Listen to that! The Spaniards are about."

Roger did as he was told, and squeezed his huge proportions as close to the top of the wall as he could. And as he lay there and listened, rollicking laughter came to his ear. Men were pa.s.sing down the main street of Tlascala, and they were Spaniards. They were in excellent spirits too, for their laughter filled the air, while one of the band set up some popular refrain, and his comrades joined in whenever he came to the chorus, swelling the sound till the town rang with it.

"Invaders who have been having a merry night," thought Roger. "They have been dining together and drinking success to their coming expedition.

Ah! There are others."

He lifted his head and listened to the hoa.r.s.e voice of some other Spaniard coming from the far end of the street, and soon learned that it was the sentry stationed opposite the quarters of Fernando Cortes.