Mercedes of Castile Part 44

Thus saying, she sunk into a seat and dissolved in tears. Ferdinand uttered a slight e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n at the words of his royal consort; and then he gently took the letter from her unresisting hand, and read it with great deliberation and care. It was not often that the wary King of Aragon was as much affected, in appearance at least, as on this occasion. The expression of his face, at first, was that of wonder; eagerness, not to say avidity, followed; and when he had finished reading, his grave countenance was unequivocally illuminated by exultation and joy.

"Good Luis de St. Angel!" he cried, "and thou, honest Alonzo de Quintanilla, these must be grateful tidings to you both. Even thou, holy prelate, wilt rejoice that the church is like to have acquisitions so glorious--albeit no favorer of the Genoese of old. Far more than all our expectations are realized, for Colon hath truly discovered the Indies; increasing our dominions, and otherwise advancing our authority in a most unheard-of manner."

It was unusual to see Don Ferdinand so excited, and he seemed conscious himself that he was making an extraordinary exhibition, for he immediately advanced to the queen, and, taking her hand, he led her toward his own cabinet. In pa.s.sing out of the saloon, he indicated to the three n.o.bles that they might follow to the council. The king made this sudden movement more from habitual wariness than any settled object, his mind being disturbed in a way to which he was unaccustomed, while caution formed a part of his religion, as well as of his policy.

It is not surprising, therefore, that when he and the party he invited to follow him had left the room, there remained only the princesses, the Marchioness of Moya, and Mercedes. No sooner had the king and queen disappeared, than the royal children retired to their own apartments, leaving our heroine, her guardian, and Sancho, the sole occupants of the saloon. The latter still remained on his knees, scarce heeding what had pa.s.sed, so intently was he occupied with his own situation, and his own particular sources of satisfaction.

"Thou canst rise, friend," observed Dona Beatriz; "their Highnesses are no longer present."

At this intelligence, Sancho quitted his humble posture, brushed his knees with some care, and looked about him with the composure that he was wont to exhibit in studying the heavens at sea.

"Thou wert of Colon's company, friend, by the manner in which thou hast spoken, and the circ.u.mstance that the admiral hath employed thee as his courier?"

"You may well believe that, Senora, your Excellency, for most of my time was pa.s.sed at the helm, which was within three fathoms of the very spot that Don Christopher and the Senor de Munos loved so well that they never quitted it, except to sleep, and not always then."

"Hadst thou a Senor de Munos of thy party?" resumed the Marchioness, making a sign to her ward to control her feelings.

"That had we, Senora, and a Senor Gutierrez, and a certain Don Somebody Else, and they all three did not occupy more room than one common man.

Prithee, honorable and agreeable Senora, is there one Dona Beatriz de Cabrera, the Marchioness of Moya, a lady of the ill.u.s.trious house of Bobadilla, anywhere about the court of our gracious queen?"

"I am she, and thou hast a message for me, from this very Senor de Munos, of whom thou hast spoken."

"I no longer wonder that there are great lords with their beautiful ladies, and poor sailors with wives that no one envies! Scarce can I open my mouth, but it is known what I wish to say, which is knowledge to make one party great and the other party little! Ma.s.s!--Don Christopher, himself, will need all his wit, if he journeyeth as far as Barcelona!"

"Tell us of this Pedro de Munos; for thy message is to me."

"Then, Senora, I will tell you of your own brave nephew, the Conde de Llera, who goeth by two other names in the caravel, one of which is supposed to be a sham, while the other is still the greatest deception of the two."

"Is it, then, known who my nephew really is? Are many persons acquainted with his secret?"

"Certainly, Senora; it is known, firstly, to himself; secondly, to Don Christopher; thirdly, to me; fourthly, to Master Alonzo Pinzon, if he be still in the flesh, as most probably he is not. Then it is known to your ladys.h.i.+p; and this beautiful Senorita must have some suspicions of the matter."

"Enough--I see the secret is not public; though, how one of thy cla.s.s came to be of it, I cannot explain. Tell me of my nephew:--did he, too, write? if so, let me, at once, peruse his letter."

"Senora, my departure took Don Luis by surprise, and he had no time to write. The admiral had given the princes and princesses, that we brought from Espanola, in charge to the Conde, and he had too much to do to be scribbling letters, else would he have written sheets to an aunt as respectable as yourself."

"Princes and princesses!--What mean you, friend, by such high-sounding terms?"

"Only that we have brought several of these great personages to Spain, to pay their respects to their Highnesses. We deal with none of the common fry, Senora, but with the loftiest princes, and the most beautiful princesses of the east."

"And dost thou really mean that persons of this high rank have returned with the admiral?"

"Out of all question, lady, and one of a beauty so rare, that the fairest dames of Castile need look to it, if they wish not to be outdone. She, in particular, is Don Luis' friend and favorite."

"Of whom speakest thou?" demanded Dona Beatriz, in the lofty manner in which she was wont to insist on being answered directly. "What is the name of this princess, and whence doth she come?"

"Her name, your Excellency, is Dona Ozema de Hayti, of a part of which country her brother, Don Mattinao, is cacique or king, Senora Ozema being the heiress, or next of kin. Don Luis and your humble servant paid that court a visit"--

"Thy tale is most improbable, fellow--art thou one whom Don Luis would be likely to select as a companion on such an occasion?"

"Look at it as you will, Senora, it is as true as that this is the court of Don Ferdinand and Dona Isabella. You must know, ill.u.s.trious Marchioness, that the young count is a little given to roving about among us sailors, and on one occasion, a certain Sancho Mundo, of Moguer, happened to be of the same voyage; and thus we became known to each other. I kept the n.o.ble's secret, and he got to be Sancho's friend.

When Don Luis went to pay a visit to Don Mattinao, the cacique, which word meaneth 'your Highness,' in the eastern tongue, Sancho must go with him, and Sancho went. When King Caonabo came down from the mountains to carry off the Princess Dona Ozema for a wife, and the princess was unwilling to go, why there remained nothing to be done, but for the Conde de Llera and his friend Sancho of the s.h.i.+p-yard-gate, to fight the whole army in her defence, which we did, gaining as great a victory as Don Fernando, our sovereign master, ever gained over the Moors."

"Carrying off the princess yourselves, as would seem! Friend Sancho, of the s.h.i.+p-yard-gate, if that be thy appellation, this tale of thine is ingenious, but it lacketh probability. Were I to deal justly by thee, honest Sancho, it would be to order thee the stripes thou merietst so well, as a reward for this trifling."

"The man speaketh as he hath been taught," observed Mercedes, in a low, unsteady voice; "I fear, Senora, there is too much truth in his tale!"

"You need fear nothing, beautiful Senorita," put in Sancho, altogether unmoved at the menace implied by the words of the Marchioness, "since the battle hath been fought, the victory hath been gained, and both the heroes escaped uninjured. This ill.u.s.trious Senora, to whom I can forgive any thing, as the aunt of the best friend I have on earth--any thing _spoken_, I mean--will remember that the Haytians know nothing of arquebuses, by means of which we defeated Caonabo, and also, that many is the column of Moors that Don Luis hath broken singly, and by means of his own good lance."

"Ay, fellow," answered Dona Beatriz, "but that hath been in the saddle, behind plaits of steel, and with a weapon that hath overturned even Alonzo de Ojeda!"

"Hast thou truly brought away with thee the princess thou hast named?"

asked Mercedes, earnestly.

"I swear to it, Senora and Senorita, ill.u.s.trious ladies both, by the holy ma.s.s, and all the saints in the calendar! A princess, moreover, surpa.s.sing in beauty the daughters of our own blessed queen, if the fair ladies who pa.s.sed out of this room, even now, are they, as I suspect."

"Out upon thee, knave!" cried the indignant Beatriz--"I will no more of this, and marvel that my nephew should have employed one of so loose a tongue, on any of his errands. Go to, and learn discretion ere the morning, or the favor of even thy admiral will not save thy bones.

Mercedes, we will seek our rest--the hour is late."

Sancho was immediately left alone, and in a minute a page appeared to show him to the place where he was to pa.s.s the night. The old mariner had grumbled a little to himself, concerning the spirit of Don Luis'

aunt, counted anew his gold, and was about to take possession of his pallet, when the same page reappeared to summon him to another interview. Sancho, who knew little distinction between night and day, made no objections, especially when he was told that his presence was required by the lovely Senorita, whose gentle, tremulous voice had so much interested him, in the late interview. Mercedes received her rude guest in a small saloon of her own, after having parted from her guardian for the night. As he entered, her face was flushed, her eye bright, and her whole demeanor, to one more expert in detecting female emotions, would have betrayed intense anxiety.

"Thou hast had a long and weary journey, Sancho," said our heroine, when alone with the seaman, "and, I pray thee, accept this gold, as a small proof of the interest with which I have heard the great tidings of which thou hast been the bearer."

"Senorita!" exclaimed Sancho, affecting indifference to the doblas that fell into his hand--"I hope you do not think me mercenary! the honor of being the messenger, and of being admitted to converse with such ill.u.s.trious ladies, more than pays me for any thing I could do."

"Still, thou may'st need money for thy wants, and wilt not refuse that which a lady offereth."

"On that ground, I would accept it, Dona Senorita, even were it twice as much."

So saying, Sancho placed the money, with a suitable resignation, by the side of that which he had previously received by order of the queen.

Mercedes now found herself in the situation that they who task their powers too much, are often fated to endure; in other words, now she had at command the means of satisfying her own doubts, she hesitated about using them.

"Sancho," Mercedes at length commenced, "thou hast been with the Senor Colon, throughout this great and extraordinary voyage, and must know much that it will be curious for us, who have lived quietly in Spain, to hear. Is all thou hast said about the princes and princesses true?"

"As true, Senorita, as such things need be for a history. Ma.s.s!--Any one who hath been in a battle, or seen any other great adventure, and then cometh to hear it read of, afterward, will soon learn to understand the difference between the thing itself, and the history that may be given of it. Now, I was"--

"Never mind thy other adventures, good Sancho; tell me only of this. Are there really a Prince Mattinao, and a Princess Ozema his sister, and have both accompanied the admiral to Spain?"

"I said not that, beautiful Senorita, for Don Mattinao remained behind to rule his people. It is only his handsome sister, who hath followed Don Christopher and Don Luis to Palos."

"Followed!--Do the admiral and the Conde de Llera possess such influence over royal ladies, as to induce them to abandon their native country and to _follow_ them to a foreign land?"

"Ay, Senorita, that might seem out of rule in Castile, or Portugal, or even in France. But Hayti is not yet a Christian country, and a princess there may not be more than a n.o.ble lady in Castile, and, in the way of wardrobe, perhaps, not even as much. Still, a princess is a princess, and a handsome princess is a handsome princess. Dona Ozema, here, is a wonderful creature, and beginneth already to prattle your pure Castilian, and she had been brought up at Toledo, or Burgos. But Don Luis is a most encouraging master, and no doubt made great head-way, during the time he was living in her palace, as it might be alone with her, before that incarnate devil Don Caonabo came down with his followers to seize the lady."

"Is this lady a Christian princess, Sancho?"

"Heaven bless your own pure soul, Dona Senorita, she can boast of but little in that way; still, she hath made something of a beginning, as I see she now weareth a cross--one small in size, it is true, but precious in material, as, indeed it ought to be, seeing that it is a present from one as n.o.ble and rich as the Count of Llera."