1521
THUS passed away the eight days prescribed by the oracle3; and the sun which rose upon the ninth beheld4 the fair city still beset5 on every side by the inexorable foe6. It was a great mistake of the Aztec priests—one not uncommon7 with false prophets, anxious to produce a startling impression on their followers—to assign so short a term for the fulfilment of their prediction.[65]
The Tezcucan and Tlascalan chiefs now sent to acquaint their troops with the failure of the prophecy, and to recall them to the Christian8 camp. The Tlascalans, who had halted on the way, returned, ashamed of their credulity, and with ancient feelings of animosity heightened by the artifice9 of which they had been the dupes. Their example was followed by many of the other con{61}federates, with the levity10 natural to a people whose convictions are the result not of reason, but of superstition11. In a short time the Spanish general found himself at the head of an auxiliary12 force which, if not so numerous as before, was more than adequate to all his purposes. He received them with politic13 benignity14; and, while he reminded them that they had been guilty of a great crime in thus abandoning their commander, he was willing to overlook it in consideration of their past services. They must be aware that these services were not necessary to the Spaniards, who had carried on the siege with the same vigor15 during their absence as when they were present. But he was unwilling16 that those who had shared the dangers of the war with him should not also partake its triumphs, and be present at the fall of their enemy, which he promised, with a confidence better founded than that of the priests in their prediction, should not be long delayed.
Yet the menaces and machinations of Guatemozin were still not without effect in the distant provinces. Before the full return of the confederates, Cortés received an embassy from Cuernavaca, ten or twelve leagues distant, and another from some friendly towns of the Otomies, still farther off, imploring17 his protection against their formidable neighbors, who menaced them with hostilities18 as allies of the Spaniards. As the latter were then situated19, they were in a condition to receive succor20 much more than to give it.[66] Most of the officers{62} were, accordingly, opposed to granting a request compliance21 with which must still further impair22 their diminished strength. But Cortés knew the importance, above all, of not betraying his own inability to grant it. “The greater our weakness,” he said, “the greater need have we to cover it under a show of strength.”[67]
He immediately detached Tápia with a body of about a hundred men in one direction, and Sandoval with a somewhat larger force in the other, with orders that their absence should not in any event be prolonged beyond ten days.[68] The two captains executed their commissions promptly24 and effectually. They each met and defeated his adversary25 in a pitched battle, laid waste the hostile territories, and returned within the time prescribed. They were soon followed by ambassadors from the conquered places, soliciting26 the alliance of the Spaniards; and the affair terminated by an accession of new confederates, and, what was more important, a conviction in the old that the Spaniards were both willing and competent to protect them.
Fortune, who seldom dispenses27 her frowns or her favors single-handed, further showed her good will to the Spaniards, at this time, by sending a vessel28 into Vera Cruz laden29 with ammunition30 and military stores. It was part of the fleet destined31 for{63} the Florida coast by the romantic old knight32, Ponce de Leon. The cargo33 was immediately taken by the authorities of the port, and forwarded, without delay, to the camp, where it arrived most seasonably, as the want of powder, in particular, had begun to be seriously felt.[69] With strength thus renovated35, Cortés determined36 to resume active operations, but on a plan widely differing from that pursued before.
In the former deliberations on the subject, two courses, as we have seen, presented themselves to the general. One was to intrench himself in the heart of the capital and from this point carry on hostilities; the other was the mode of proceeding37 hitherto followed. Both were open to serious objections, which he hoped would be obviated38 by the one now adopted. This was to advance no step without securing the entire safety of the army, not only on its immediate23 retreat, but in its future inroads. Every breach39 in the causeway, every canal in the streets, was to be filled up in so solid a manner that the work should not be again disturbed. The materials for this were to be furnished by the buildings, every one of which, as the army advanced, whether public or private, hut, temple, or palace, was to be demolished41! Not a building in their path was to be spared. They were all indis{64}criminately to be levelled, until, in the Conqueror42’s own language, “the water should be converted into dry land,” and a smooth and open ground be afforded for the man?uvres of the cavalry43 and artillery44![70]
Cortés came to this terrible determination with great difficulty. He sincerely desired to spare the city, “the most beautiful thing in the world,”[71] as he enthusiastically styles it, and which would have formed the most glorious trophy45 of his conquest. But in a place where every house was a fortress46 and every street was cut up by canals so embarrassing to his movements, experience proved it was vain to think of doing so and becoming master of it. There was as little hope of a peaceful accommodation with the Aztecs, who, so far from being broken by all they had hitherto endured, and the long perspective of future woes48, showed a spirit as haughty49 and implacable as ever.[72]
The general’s intentions were learned by the Indian allies with unbounded satisfaction; and they answered his call for aid by thousands of pioneers, armed with their coas, or hoes of the country, all testifying the greatest alacrity50 in helping51 on the{65} work of destruction.[73] In a short time the breaches52 in the great causeways were filled up so effectually that they were never again molested53. Cortés himself set the example by carrying stones and timber with his own hands.[74] The buildings in the suburbs were then thoroughly54 levelled, the canals were filled up with the rubbish, and a wide space around the city was thrown open to the man?uvres of the cavalry, who swept over it free and unresisted. The Mexicans did not look with indifference55 on these preparations to lay waste their town and leave them bare and unprotected against the enemy. They made incessant56 efforts to impede57 the labors58 of the besiegers; but the latter, under cover of their guns, which kept up an unintermitting fire, still advanced in the work of desolation.[75]
The gleam of fortune which had so lately broken out on the Mexicans again disappeared; and the dark mist, after having been raised for a moment, settled on the doomed60 capital more heavily than{66} before. Famine, with all her hideous61 train of woes, was making rapid strides among its accumulated population. The stores provided for the siege were exhausted62. The casual supply of human victims, or that obtained by some straggling pirogue from the neighboring shores, was too inconsiderable to be widely felt.[76] Some forced a scanty63 sustenance64 from a mucilaginous substance gathered in small quantities on the surface of the lake and canals.[77] Others appeased65 the cravings of appetite by devouring67 rats, lizards68, and the like loathsome69 reptiles70, which had not yet deserted71 the starving city. Its days seemed to be already numbered. But the page of history has many an example to show that there are no limits to the endurance of which humanity is capable, when animated72 by hatred73 and despair.
With the sword thus suspended over it, the Spanish commander, desirous to make one more effort to save the capital, persuaded three Aztec nobles, taken in one of the late actions, to bear a message from him to Guatemozin; though they undertook it with reluctance74, for fear of the consequences to themselves. Cortés told the emperor that all had now been done that brave men could{67} do in defence of their country. There remained no hope, no chance of escape, for the Mexicans. Their provisions were exhausted; their communications were cut off; their vassals75 had deserted them; even their gods had betrayed them. They stood alone, with the nations of Anahuac banded against them. There was no hope but in immediate surrender. He besought76 the young monarch77 to take compassion78 on his brave subjects, who were daily perishing before his eyes; and on the fair city, whose stately buildings were fast crumbling79 into ruins. “Return to the allegiance,” he concludes, “which you once proffered80 to the sovereign of Castile. The past shall be forgotten. The persons and property, in short, all the rights, of the Aztecs shall be respected. You shall be confirmed in your authority, and Spain will once more take your city under her protection.”[78]
The eye of the young monarch kindled81, and his dark cheek flushed with sudden anger, as he listened to proposals so humiliating. But, though his bosom82 glowed with the fiery83 temper of the Indian, he had the qualities of a “gentle cavalier,” says one of his enemies, who knew him well.[79] He did no harm to the envoys84; but, after the heat of the moment had passed off, he gave the matter a calm consideration, and called a council of his wise men and warriors85 to deliberate upon it. Some were for accepting the proposals, as offering the only chance of preservation86. But the priests took a different{68} view of the matter. They knew that the ruin of their own order must follow the triumph of Christianity. “Peace was good,” they said, “but not with the white men.” They reminded Guatemozin of the fate of his uncle Montezuma, and the requital87 he had met with for all his hospitality; of the seizure88 and imprisonment89 of Cacama, the cacique of Tezcuco; of the massacre90 of the nobles by Alvarado; of the insatiable avarice91 of the invaders92, which had stripped the country of its treasures; of their profanation93 of the temples; of the injuries and insults which they had heaped without measure on the people and their religion. “Better,” they said, “to trust in the promises of their own gods, who had so long watched over the nation. Better, if need be, give up our lives at once for our country, than drag them out in slavery and suffering among the false strangers.”[80]
The eloquence94 of the priests, artfully touching95 the various wrongs of his people, roused the hot blood of Guatemozin. “Since it is so,” he abruptly96 exclaimed, “let us think only of supplying the wants of the people. Let no man, henceforth, who values his life, talk of surrender. We can at least die like warriors.”[81]{69}
The Spaniards waited two days for the answer to their embassy. At length it came, in a general sortie of the Mexicans, who, pouring through every gate of the capital, like a river that has burst its banks, swept on, wave upon wave, to the very intrenchments of the besiegers, threatening to overwhelm them by their numbers. Fortunately, the position of the latter on the dikes secured their flanks, and the narrowness of the defile98 gave their small battery of guns all the advantages of a larger one. The fire of artillery and musketry blazed without intermission along the several causeways, belching99 forth97 volumes of sulphurous smoke, that, rolling heavily over the water, settled dark around the Indian city and hid it from the surrounding country. The brigantines thundered, at the same time, on the flanks of the columns, which, after some ineffectual efforts to maintain themselves, rolled back in wild confusion, till their impotent fury died away in sullen100 murmurs101 within the capital.
Cortés now steadily102 pursued the plan he had laid down for the devastation103 of the city. Day after day the several armies entered by their respective quarters, Sandoval probably directing his operations against the northeastern district. The buildings, made of the porous104 tetzontli, though generally low, were so massy and extensive, and the canals were so numerous, that their progress was necessarily slow. They, however, gathered fresh accessions of strength every day from the numbers who flocked to the camp from the surrounding country, and who joined in the work of destruction{70} with a hearty105 good will which showed their eagerness to break the detested106 yoke107 of the Aztecs. The latter raged with impotent anger as they beheld their lordly edifices108, their temples, all they had been accustomed to venerate109, thus ruthlessly swept away; their canals, constructed with so much labor59 and what to them seemed science, filled up with rubbish; their flourishing city, in short, turned into a desert, over which the insulting foe now rode triumphant110. They heaped many a taunt111 on the Indian allies. “Go on,” they said, bitterly: “the more you destroy, the more you will have to build up again hereafter. If we conquer, you shall build for us; and if your white friends conquer, they will make you do as much for them.”[82] The event justified112 the prediction.
In their rage they rushed blindly on the corps113 which covered the Indian pioneers. But they were as often driven back by the impetuous charge of the cavalry, or received on the long pikes of Chinantla, which did good service to the besiegers in their operations. At the close of day, however, when the Spaniards drew off their forces, taking care to send the multitudinous host of confederates first from the ground, the Mexicans usually rallied for a more formidable attack. Then they poured out from every lane and by-way, like so many mountain streams, sweeping114 over the broad level{71} cleared by the enemy, and falling impetuously on their flanks and rear. At such times they inflicted115 considerable loss in their turn, till an ambush116, which Cortés laid for them among the buildings adjoining the great temple, did them so much mischief117 that they were compelled to act with more reserve.
At times the war displayed something of a chivalrous118 character, in the personal rencontres of the combatants. Challenges passed between them, and especially between the native warriors. These combats were usually conducted on the azoteas, whose broad and level surface afforded a good field of fight. On one occasion, a Mexican of powerful frame, brandishing119 a sword and buckler which he had won from the Christians120, defied his enemies to meet him in single fight. A young page of Cortés’, named Nu?ez, obtained his master’s permission to accept the vaunting challenge of the Aztec, and, springing on the azotea, succeeded, after a hard struggle, in discomfiting121 his antagonist122, who fought at a disadvantage with weapons in which he was unpractised, and, running him through the body, brought off his spoils in triumph and laid them at the general’s feet.[83]
The division of Cortés had now worked its way as far north as the great street of Tacuba, which opened a communication with Alvarado’s camp, and near which stood the palace of Guatemozin. It was a spacious123 stone pile, that might well be{72} called a fortress. Though deserted by its royal master, it was held by a strong body of Aztecs, who made a temporary defence, but of little avail against the battering enginery of the besiegers. It was soon set on fire, and its crumbling walls were levelled in the dust, like those other stately edifices of the capital, the boast and admiration124 of the Aztecs, and some of the fairest fruits of their civilization. “It was a sad thing to witness their destruction,” exclaims Cortés; “but it was part of our plan of operations, and we had no alternative.”[84]
These operations had consumed several weeks, so that it was now drawing towards the latter part of July. During this time the blockade had been maintained with the utmost rigor125, and the wretched inhabitants were suffering all the extremities126 of famine. Some few stragglers were taken, from time to time, in the neighborhood of the Christian camp, whither they had wandered in search of food. They were kindly127 treated, by command of Cortés, who was in hopes to induce others to follow their example, and thus to afford a means of conciliating the inhabitants, which might open the way to their submission128. But few were found willing to leave the shelter of the capital, and they preferred to take their chance with their suffering countrymen rather than trust themselves to the mercies of the besiegers.
From these few stragglers, however, the Span{73}iards heard a dismal129 tale of woe47 respecting the crowded population in the interior of the city. All the ordinary means of sustenance had long since failed, and they now supported life as they could, by means of such roots as they could dig from the earth, by gnawing130 the bark of trees, by feeding on the grass,—on anything, in short, however loathsome, that could allay131 the craving66 of appetite. Their only drink was the brackish132 water of the soil saturated133 with the salt lake.[85] Under this unwholesome diet, and the diseases engendered134 by it, the population was gradually wasting away. Men sickened and died every day, in all the excruciating torments135 produced by hunger, and the wan34 and emaciated136 survivors137 seemed only to be waiting for their time.
The Spaniards had visible confirmation138 of all this as they penetrated139 deeper into the city and approached the district of Tlatelolco, now occupied by the besieged140. They found the ground turned up in quest of roots and weeds, the trees stripped of their green stems, their foliage141, and their bark. Troops of famished142 Indians flitted in the distance, gliding143 like ghosts among the scenes of their former residence. Dead bodies lay unburied in the streets and court-yards, or filled up the canals. It was a sure sign of the extremity144 of the Aztecs; for they held the burial of the dead as a solemn and{74} imperative145 duty. In the early part of the siege they had religiously attended to it. In its later stages they were still careful to withdraw the dead from the public eye, by bringing their remains146 within the houses. But the number of these, and their own sufferings, had now so fearfully increased that they had grown indifferent to this, and they suffered their friends and their kinsmen147 to lie and moulder148 on the spot where they drew their last breath![86]
As the invaders entered the dwellings149, a more appalling150 spectacle presented itself;—the floors covered with the prostrate151 forms of the miserable152 inmates153, some in the agonies of death, others festering in their corruption154; men, women, and children inhaling155 the poisonous atmosphere, and mingled156 promiscuously157 together; mothers with their infants in their arms perishing of hunger before their eyes, while they were unable to afford them the nourishment158 of nature; men crippled by their wounds, with their bodies frightfully mangled159, vainly attempting to crawl away, as the enemy entered. Yet even in this state they scorned to ask for mercy, and glared on the invaders with the sullen ferocity of the wounded tiger that the {75}huntsmen have tracked to his forest cave. The Spanish commander issued strict orders that mercy should be shown to these poor and disabled victims. But the Indian allies made no distinction. An Aztec, under whatever circumstances, was an enemy; and, with hideous shouts of triumph, they pulled down the burning buildings on their heads, consuming the living and the dead in one common funeral pile!
Yet the sufferings of the Aztecs, terrible as they were, did not incline them to submission. There were many, indeed, who, from greater strength of constitution, or from the more favorable circumstances in which they were placed, still showed all their wonted energy of body and mind, and maintained the same undaunted and resolute160 demeanor161 as before. They fiercely rejected all the overtures162 of Cortés, declaring they would rather die than surrender, and adding, with a bitter tone of exultation163, that the invaders would be at least disappointed in their expectations of treasure, for it was buried where they could never find it![87]
The women, it is said, shared in this desperate—it should rather be called heroic—spirit. They were indefatigable164 in nursing the sick and dressing165 their wounds; they aided the warriors in battle, by supplying them with the Indian ammunition of stones and arrows, prepared their slings166, strung their bows, and displayed, in short, all the constancy and courage shown by the noble maidens167 of{76} Saragossa in our day, and by those of Carthage in the days of antiquity168.[88]
Cortés had now entered one of the great avenues leading to the market-place of Tlatelolco, the quarter towards which the movements of Alvarado were also directed. A single canal only lay in his way; but this was of great width and stoutly169 defended by the Mexican archery. At this crisis, the army one evening, while in their intrenchments on the causeway, were surprised by an uncommon light that arose from the huge teocalli in that part of the city which, being at the north, was the most distant from their own position. This temple, dedicated170 to the dread171 war-god, was inferior only to the pyramid in the great square; and on it the Spaniards had more than once seen their unhappy countrymen led to slaughter172. They now supposed that the enemy were employed in some of their diabolical173 ceremonies,—when the flame, mounting higher and higher, showed that the sanctuaries174 themselves were on fire. A shout of exultation at the sight broke forth from the assembled soldiers, as they assured one another that their countrymen under Alvarado had got possession of the building.
It was indeed true. That gallant175 officer, whose position on the western causeway placed him near the district of Tlatelolco, had obeyed his commander’s
[Image unavailable.]
VIEW OF THE GREAT SQUARE IN MEXICO
Goupil & Co., Paris
{77}
instructions to the letter, razing176 every building to the ground in his progress, and filling up the ditches with their ruins. He at length found himself before the great teocalli in the neighborhood of the market. He ordered a company, under a cavalier named Gutierre de Badajoz, to storm the place, which was defended by a body of warriors, mingled with priests, still more wild and ferocious177 than the soldiery. The garrison178, rushing down the winding179 terraces, fell on the assailants with such fury as compelled them to retreat in confusion and with some loss. Alvarado ordered another detachment to their support. This last was engaged, at the moment, with a body of Aztecs, who hung on its rear as it wound up the galleries of the teocalli. Thus hemmed180 in between two enemies, above and below, the position of the Spaniards was critical. With sword and buckler, they plunged181 desperately182 on the ascending183 Mexicans, and drove them into the courtyard below, where Alvarado plied184 them with such lively volleys of musketry as soon threw them into disorder185 and compelled them to abandon the ground. Being thus rid of annoyance186 in the rear, the Spaniards returned to the charge. They drove the enemy up the heights of the pyramid, and, reaching the broad summit, a fierce encounter followed in mid-air,—such an encounter as takes place where death is the certain consequence of defeat. It ended, as usual, in the discomfiture187 of the Aztecs, who were either slaughtered188 on the spot still wet with the blood of their own victims, or pitched headlong down the sides of the pyramid.{78}
The area was covered with the various symbols of the barbarous worship of the country, and with two lofty sanctuaries, before whose grinning idols189 were displayed the heads of several Christian captives who had been immolated190 on their altars. Although overgrown by their long, matted hair and bushy beards, the Spaniards could recognize, in the livid countenances191, their comrades who had fallen into the hands of the enemy. Tears fell from their eyes as they gazed on the melancholy192 spectacle and thought of the hideous death which their countrymen had suffered. They removed the sad relics194 with decent care, and after the Conquest deposited them in consecrated195 ground, on a spot since covered by the Church of the Martyrs196.[89]
They completed their work by firing the sanctuaries, that the place might be no more polluted by these abominable197 rites198. The flame crept slowly up the lofty pinnacles199, in which stone was mingled with wood, till at length, bursting into one bright blaze, it shot up its spiral volume to such a height that it was seen from the most distant quarters of the Valley. It was this which had been hailed by the soldiery of Cortés, and it served as the beacon-light to both friend and foe, intimating the progress of the Christian arms.
The commander-in-chief and his division, animated by the spectacle, made, in their entrance on the following day, more determined efforts to place themselves alongside of their companions{79} under Alvarado. The broad canal, above noticed as the only impediment now lying in his way, was to be traversed; and on the farther side the emaciated figures of the Aztec warriors were gathered in numbers to dispute the passage, like the gloomy shades that wander—as ancient poets tell us—on the banks of the infernal river. They poured down, however, a storm of missiles, which were no shades, on the heads of the Indian laborers201 while occupied with filling up the wide gap with the ruins of the surrounding buildings. Still they toiled202 on in defiance203 of the arrowy shower, fresh numbers taking the place of those who fell. And when at length the work was completed, the cavalry rode over the rough plain at full charge against the enemy, followed by the deep array of spearmen, who bore down all opposition204 with their invincible205 phalanx.
The Spaniards now found themselves on the same ground with Alvarado’s division. Soon afterwards, that chief, attended by several of his staff, rode into their lines, and cordially embraced his countrymen and companions in arms, for the first time since the beginning of the siege. They were now in the neighborhood of the market. Cortés, taking with him a few of his cavaliers, galloped206 into it. It was a vast enclosure, as the reader has already seen, covering many an acre.[90] Its dimen{80}sions were suited to the immense multitudes who gathered there from all parts of the Valley in the flourishing days of the Aztec monarchy207. It was surrounded by porticoes208 and pavilions for the accommodation of the artisans and traders who there displayed their various fabrics209 and articles of merchandise. The flat roofs of the piazzas210 were now covered with crowds of men and women, who gazed in silent dismay on the steel-clad horsemen, that profaned211 these precincts with their presence for the first time since their expulsion from the capital. The multitude, composed for the most part, probably, of unarmed citizens, seemed taken by surprise; at least, they made no show of resistance; and the general, after leisurely212 viewing the ground, was permitted to ride back unmolested to the army.
On arriving there, he ascended213 the teocalli, from which the standard of Castile, supplanting214 the memorials of Aztec superstition, was now triumphantly215 floating. The Conqueror, as he strode among the smoking embers on the summit, calmly surveyed the scene of desolation below. The palaces, the temples, the busy marts of industry and trade, the glittering canals, covered with their rich freights from the surrounding country, the royal pomp of groves216 and gardens, all the splendors217 of the imperial city, the capital of the Western World, forever gone,—and in their place a barren wilderness218! How different the spectacle which{81} the year before had met his eye, as it wandered over the same scenes from the heights of the neighboring teocalli, with Montezuma at his side! Seven-eighths of the city were laid in ruins, with the occasional exception, perhaps, of some colossal219 temple which it would have required too much time to demolish40.[91] The remaining eighth, comprehending the district of Tlatelolco, was all that now remained to the Aztecs, whose population—still large after all its losses—was crowded into a compass that would hardly have afforded accommodations for a third of their numbers. It was the quarter lying between the great northern and western causeways, and is recognized in the modern capital as the Barrio de San Jago and its vicinity. It was the favorite residence of the Indians after the Conquest,[92] though at the present day thinly covered with humble220 dwellings, forming the straggling suburbs, as it were, of the metropolis221. Yet it still affords some faint vestiges222 of what it was in its prouder days; and the curious antiquary, and occasionally the laborer200, as he turns up the soil, encounters a glittering fragment of obsidian223, or the mouldering224 head of a lance or arrow, or some other warlike relic193, attesting225 that on this spot the retreating Aztecs made their last stand for the independence of their country.[93]{82}
On the day following, Cortés, at the head of his battalions226, made a second entry into the great tianguez. But this time the Mexicans were better prepared for his coming. They were assembled in considerable force in the spacious square. A sharp encounter followed; but it was short. Their strength was not equal to their spirit, and they melted away before the rolling fire of musketry, and left the Spaniards masters of the enclosure.
The first act was to set fire to some temples, of no great size, within the market-place, or more probably on its borders. As the flames ascended, the Aztecs, horror-struck, broke forth into piteous lamentations at the destruction of the deities227 on whom they relied for protection.[94]
The general’s next step was at the suggestion of a soldier named Sotelo, a man who had served under the Great Captain in the Italian wars, where he professed228 to have gathered knowledge of the science of engineering, as it was then practised. He offered his services to construct a sort of catapult, a machine for discharging stones of great size, which might take the place of the regular battering-ram in demolishing229 the buildings. As the ammunition, notwithstanding the liberal supplies{83} which from time to time had found their way into the camp, now began to fail, Cortés eagerly acceded230 to a proposal so well suited to his exigences. Timber and stone were furnished, and a number of hands were employed, under the direction of the self-styled engineer, in constructing the ponderous231 apparatus232, which was erected233 on a solid platform of masonry234, thirty paces square and seven or eight feet high, that covered the centre of the market-place. This was a work of the Aztec princes, and was used as a scaffolding on which mountebanks and jugglers might exhibit their marvellous feats235 for the amusement of the populace, who took great delight in these performances.[95]
The erection of the machine consumed several days, during which hostilities were suspended, while the artisans were protected from interruption by a strong corps of infantry236. At length the work was completed; and the besieged, who with silent awe237 had beheld from the neighboring azoteas the progress of the mysterious engine which was to lay the remainder of their capital in ruins, now looked with terror for its operation. A stone of huge size was deposited on the timber. The machinery238 was set in motion; and the rocky fragment was discharged with a tremendous force from the catapult. But, instead of taking the direction of the Aztec buildings, it rose high and perpendicularly239 into the air, and, descending240 whence it{84} sprung, broke the ill-omened machine into splinters! It was a total failure.
The Aztecs were released from their apprehensions241, and the soldiery made many a merry jest on the catastrophe242, somewhat at the expense of their commander, who testified no little vexation at the disappointment, and still more at his own credulity.
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razed
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| v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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battering
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| n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 ) | |
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oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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foe
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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artifice
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levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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auxiliary
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| adj.辅助的，备用的 | |
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politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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14
benignity
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| n.仁慈 | |
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15
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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16
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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17
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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18
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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19
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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20
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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21
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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22
impair
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| v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少 | |
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23
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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24
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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25
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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26
soliciting
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| v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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27
dispenses
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| v.分配，分与；分配( dispense的第三人称单数 )；施与；配（药） | |
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28
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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29
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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30
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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31
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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32
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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33
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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34
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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35
renovated
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| 翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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37
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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38
obviated
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| v.避免，消除（贫困、不方便等）( obviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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40
demolish
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| v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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41
demolished
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|
| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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42
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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43
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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44
artillery
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|
| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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45
trophy
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| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
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46
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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47
woe
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|
| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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48
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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49
haughty
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|
| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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50
alacrity
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|
| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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51
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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52
breaches
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| 破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背 | |
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53
molested
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|
| v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵 | |
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54
thoroughly
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|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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55
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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56
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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57
impede
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止 | |
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58
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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59
labor
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|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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60
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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61
hideous
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|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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62
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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63
scanty
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|
| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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64
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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65
appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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66
craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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67
devouring
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|
| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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68
lizards
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|
| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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69
loathsome
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|
| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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70
reptiles
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|
| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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71
deserted
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|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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72
animated
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|
| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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73
hatred
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|
| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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74
reluctance
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|
| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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75
vassals
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|
| n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属 | |
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76
besought
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|
| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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77
monarch
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|
| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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78
compassion
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|
| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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79
crumbling
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|
| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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80
proffered
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|
| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
kindled
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|
| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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82
bosom
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|
| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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83
fiery
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|
| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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84
envoys
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|
| 使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份 | |
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85
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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86
preservation
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|
| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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87
requital
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| n.酬劳；报复 | |
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88
seizure
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|
| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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89
imprisonment
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|
| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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90
massacre
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|
| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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91
avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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92
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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93
profanation
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|
| n.亵渎 | |
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94
eloquence
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|
| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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95
touching
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|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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96
abruptly
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|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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97
forth
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|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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98
defile
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|
| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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99
belching
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| n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式 | |
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100
sullen
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|
| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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101
murmurs
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|
| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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102
steadily
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|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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103
devastation
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|
| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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104
porous
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| adj.可渗透的，多孔的 | |
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105
hearty
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|
| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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106
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
yoke
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|
| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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108
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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109
venerate
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| v.尊敬，崇敬，崇拜 | |
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110
triumphant
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|
| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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111
taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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112
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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113
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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114
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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115
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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117
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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118
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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119
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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120
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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121
discomfiting
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| v.使为难( discomfit的现在分词 )；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败 | |
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122
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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123
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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124
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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125
rigor
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| n.严酷，严格，严厉 | |
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126
extremities
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|
| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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127
kindly
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|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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128
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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129
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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130
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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131
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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132
brackish
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| adj.混有盐的；咸的 | |
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133
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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134
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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135
torments
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| （肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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136
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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137
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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138
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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139
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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140
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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141
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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142
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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143
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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144
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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145
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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146
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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147
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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148
moulder
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| v.腐朽，崩碎 | |
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149
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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150
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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151
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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152
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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153
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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154
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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155
inhaling
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| v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 ) | |
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156
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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157
promiscuously
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| adv.杂乱地，混杂地 | |
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158
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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159
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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160
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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161
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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162
overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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163
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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164
indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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165
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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166
slings
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| 抛( sling的第三人称单数 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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167
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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168
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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169
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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170
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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171
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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172
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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173
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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174
sanctuaries
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| n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所 | |
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175
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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176
razing
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| v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的现在分词 ) | |
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177
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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178
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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179
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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180
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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181
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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182
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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183
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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184
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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185
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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186
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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187
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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188
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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189
idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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190
immolated
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| v.宰杀…作祭品( immolate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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191
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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192
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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193
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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194
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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195
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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196
martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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197
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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198
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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199
pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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200
laborer
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| n.劳动者，劳工 | |
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201
laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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202
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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203
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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204
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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205
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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206
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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207
monarchy
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| n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国 | |
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208
porticoes
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| n.柱廊，（有圆柱的）门廊( portico的名词复数 ) | |
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209
fabrics
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| 织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地 | |
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210
piazzas
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| n.广场，市场( piazza的名词复数 ) | |
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211
profaned
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| v.不敬( profane的过去式和过去分词 )；亵渎，玷污 | |
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212
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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213
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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214
supplanting
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| 把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的现在分词 ) | |
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215
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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216
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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217
splendors
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| n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫 | |
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218
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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219
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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220
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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221
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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222
vestiges
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| 残余部分( vestige的名词复数 )； 遗迹； 痕迹； 毫不 | |
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223
obsidian
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| n.黑曜石 | |
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224
mouldering
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| v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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225
attesting
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| v.证明( attest的现在分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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226
battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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227
deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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228
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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229
demolishing
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| v.摧毁( demolish的现在分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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230
acceded
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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231
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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232
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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233
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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234
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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235
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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236
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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237
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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238
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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239
perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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240
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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241
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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242
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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