Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber's Note

This original of this text contained numerous punctuation errors and several other obvious printer's errors. It also suffered from the age of the volume, particularly near the margins, both left and right. Wherever the correct characters could be reliably confirmed, they have been corrected or restored.

Please consult the detailed notes at the end of the text for an list of those issues, and their resolution, as well as any other issues that arose during the preparation of this text.

The current format could not reproduce italics characters, which were used to emphasize non-English words. Italics will be denoted here with the underscore character as _italics_. The use of "small capitals" was also not possible, and have all been simply shifted up to all capital letters.

The 53 footnotes have been gathered at the end of each chapter. The symbols used in the text (e.g., "*") have replaced with sequential numbers.

THE FAIR GOD

OR, THE LAST OF THE 'TZINS

A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico

BY

LEW WALLACE

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
ERIC PAPE

From Mexico ... a civilization that might have instructed Europe was
crushed out.... It has been her [Spain's] evil destiny to ruin two
civilizations, Oriental and Occidental, and to be ruined thereby
herself.... In America she destroyed races more civilized than
herself.--DRAPER, _Intellectual Development of Europe_.

NEW YORK

GROSSET & DUNLAP

PUBLISHERS

COPYRIGHT 1873 BY JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO.

COPYRIGHT 1898 BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN & CO.

COPYRIGHT 1901 BY LEW WALLACE

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

NOTE BY THE AUTHOR.

A personal experience, though ever so plainly told, is, generally speaking, more attractive to listeners and readers than fiction. A circumstance from the tongue or pen of one to whom it actually happened, or who was its hero or victim, or even its spectator, is always more interesting than if given second-hand. If the makers of history, contradistinguished from its writers, could teach it to us directly, one telling would suffice to secure our lasting remembrance. The reason is, that the narrative so proceeding derives a personality and reality not otherwise attainable, which assist in making way to our imagination and the sources of our sympathy.

With this theory or bit of philosophy in mind, when the annexed book was resolved upon, I judged best to assume the character of a translator, which would enable me to write in the style and spirit of one who not merely lived at the time of the occurrences woven in the text, but was acquainted with many of the historical personages who figure therein, and was a native of the beautiful valley in which the story is located. Thinking to make the descriptions yet more real, and therefore more impressive, I took the liberty of attributing the composition to a literator who, whatever may be thought of his works, was not himself a fiction. Without meaning to insinuate that THE FAIR GOD would have been the worse for creation by Don Fernando de Alva, the Tezcucan, I wish merely to say that it is not a translation. Having been so written, however, now that publication is at hand, change is impossible; hence, nothing is omitted,--title-page, introductory, and conclusion are given to the reader exactly as they were brought to the publisher by the author.

L.W.
Boston Mass. August 8, 1873.

CONTENTS.

BOOK ONE.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. OUR MOTHER HAS A FORTUNE WAITING US YONDER 1

II. QUETZAL', THE FAIR GOD 7

III. A CHALLENGE 13

IV. TENOCHTITLAN AT NIGHT 16

V. THE CHILD OF THE TEMPLE 20

VI. THE CÛ OF QUETZAL', AND MUALOX, THE PABA 25

VII. THE PROPHECY ON THE WALL 30

VIII. A BUSINESS MAN IN TENOCHTITLAN 39

IX. THE QUESTIONER OF THE MORNING 46

X. GOING TO THE COMBAT 50

XI. THE COMBAT 59

XII. MUALOX, AND HIS WORLD 68

XIII. THE SEARCH FOR QUETZAL' 74

BOOK TWO.

I. WHO ARE THE STRANGERS? 83

II. A TEZCUCAN LOVER 89

III. THE BANISHMENT OF GUATAMOZIN 95

IV. GUATAMOZIN AT HOME 103

V. NIGHT AT THE CHALCAN'S 112

VI. THE CHINAMPA 120

VII. COURT GOSSIP 126

VIII. GUATAMOZIN AND MUALOX 130

IX. A KING'S BANQUET 135

X. THE 'TZIN'S LOVE 141

XI. THE CHANT 150

BOOK THREE.

I. THE FIRST COMBAT 162

II. THE SECOND COMBAT 169

III. THE PORTRAIT 180

IV. THE TRIAL 183

BOOK FOUR.

I. THE KING GIVES A TRUST TO HUALPA 192

II. THE KING AND THE 'TZIN 198

III. LOVE ON THE LAKE 207

IV. THE KING DEMANDS A SIGN OF MUALOX 214

V. THE MASSACRE IN CHOLULA 220

VI. THE CONQUEROR WILL COME 230

VII. MONTEZUMA GOES TO MEET CORTEZ 239

VIII. THE ENTRY 246

BOOK FIVE.

I. PUBLIC OPINION 257

II. A MESSAGE FROM THE GODS 261

III. HOW ILLS OF STATE BECOME ILLS OF SOCIETY 267

IV. ENNUYÉ IN THE OLD PALACE 275

V. ALVARADO FINDS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD 282

VI. THE IRON CROSS 291

VII. THE CHRISTIANS IN THE TOILS 299

VIII. THE IRON CROSS COMES BACK TO ITS GIVER 306

IX. TRULY WONDERFUL--A FORTUNATE MAN HATH A MEMORY 315

X. HOW THE IRON CROSS CAME BACK 317

XI. THE CHRISTIAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN 325

BOOK SIX.

I. THE LORD HUALPA FLEES HIS FORTUNE 339

II. WHOM THE GODS DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD 347

III. THE PUBLIC OPINION MAKES WAY 357

IV. THE 'TZIN'S FAREWELL TO QUETZAL' 364

V. THE CELLS OF QUETZAL' AGAIN 374

VI. LOST IN THE OLD CÛ 379

VII. HOW THE HOLY MOTHER HELPS HER CHILDREN 385

VIII. THE PABA'S ANGEL 392

IX. LIFE IN THE PABA'S WORLD 404

X. THE ANGEL BECOMES A BEADSWOMAN 410

XI. THE PUBLIC OPINION PROCLAIMS ITSELF--BATTLE 427