somehow, by the time the people had emptied out of the seats and the plaza that day, they had all learned that the contest had involved more than the two Revered Speakers—that it had been a trial of strength between their respective seers and sayers. All realized that Nezahualpili's victory lent credence to his doomful prophecies, and knew what those prophecies were. Probably one of Nezahualpili's courtiers made those things known, while trying to quell the rumors that his lord had won the games by sorcery. All I know for certain, though, is that the truth got out, and it was not my doing.
'If it was not your doing,' said the icily irate Motecuzoma, 'if you have done nothing to deserve punishment, then clearly I am not punishing you.'
Nezahualpili had just left Tenochtitlan, and two palace guards had almost forcibly brought me before the throne, and the Revered Speaker had just told me what was in store for me.
'But my lord commands me to lead a military expedition,' I protested, flouting all the established throne-room protocol. 'If that is not punishment, it is banishment, and I have done nothing—'
He interrupted, 'The command I give you, Eagle Knight Mixtli, is in the nature of an experiment. All the omens indicate that any invading hordes, if they come at all, will come from the south. It behooves us to strengthen our southern defenses. If your expedition is a success, I will send other knights leading other emigrant trains into those areas.'
'But, my lord,' I persisted, 'I know nothing at all about founding and fortifying a colony.'
He said, 'Neither did I, until I was bidden to do exactly that, in the Xoconochco, many years ago.' I could not gainsay it; I had been somewhat responsible for it. He went on, 'You will take some forty families, approximately two hundred men, women, and children. They are farm people for whom there is simply no available land to farm here in the middle of The One World. You will establish your emigrants on new land to the south, and see that they build a decent village, and arrange its defenses. Here is the place I have chosen.'
The map he showed me was one I had drawn for him myself, but the area to which he pointed was empty of detail, for I had never yet visited there.
I said, 'My Lord Speaker, that spot is within the lands of the Teohuacana people. They also may resent being invaded by a horde of foreigners.'
With a humorless smile he said, 'Your old friend Nezahualpili advised us to make friends of all our neighbors, did he not? One of your jobs will be to convince the Teohuacana that you come as a good friend and staunch defender of their country as well as ours.'
'Yes, my lord,' I said unhappily.
'The Revered Speaker Chimalpopoca of Tlecopan is kindly providing your military escort. You will command a detachment of forty of his Tecpaneca soldiers.'
'Not even Mexica?' I blurted in dismay. 'My Lord Motecuzoma, a troop of Tecpaneca are sure to be unruly under the command of one Mexicatl knight!'
He knew it as well as I; it was part of his malice, part of my punishment for having been a friend of Nezahualpili. Blandly, he went on:
'The warriors will provide protection on the journey into Teohuacan, and will stay to man the stronghold you are to build there. You will also stay, Knight Mixtli, until all the families are well settled and self-supporting. That settlement you will name simply Yanquitlan, The New Place.'
I ventured to ask, 'May I at least recruit a few good Mexica veterans, my lord, to be my under-officers?' He would probably have said an immediate no, but I added, 'Some old men I know, who were long ago discharged as over-age.'
He sniffed contemptuously and said, 'If it will make you feel safer to recruit additional warriors, you will pay them yourself.'
'Agreed, my lord,' I said quickly. Eager to get away before he could change his mind, I dropped to kiss the earth, murmuring as I did so, 'Has the Lord Speaker anything else to command?'
'That you depart immediately and make all haste southward. The Tecpaneca warriors and the families of your train are being mustered now at Ixtapalapan. I want them in your new community of Yanquitlan in time to get their spring seeding in the ground. Be it done.'
'I go at once,' I said, and shuffled on bare feet backward to the door.
* * *
Even though it was pure vindictiveness that made Motecuzoma fix on me as his pioneer colonizer, I could not complain overmuch, since it was I who had first urged the idea of such colonization—to Ahuitzotl, those many years earlier. Besides, to be honest, I had lately become rather bored with being the idle rich man; I had been haunting The House of Pochtea, hoping to hear of some rare trading opportunity that would take me abroad. So I would have welcomed my assignment to lead the emigrant train, except that Motecuzoma insisted I stay with the new settlement until it was firmly rooted. As well as I could estimate, I would be immured in Yanquitlan for a full year, if not for two or more. When I was younger, when my roads and my days seemed limitless and countless, I would not have missed that much time subtracted from my life. But I was forty and two, and I begrudged the spending of even one of my remaining years tied to a dull job in a dull farm village, while perhaps brighter horizons beckoned all about.
Nevertheless, I prepared for the expedition with all possible enthusiasm and organization. First I called together the women and servants of my household, and told them of the mission.
'I am selfish enough not to want to be without my family during that year or more, and also I think the time can be used to advantage. Nochipa my daughter, you have never traveled farther from Tenochtitlan than the mainland beyond the causeways, and then only seldom. This journey may be rigorous but, if you would care to accompany me, I believe you would benefit by seeing and knowing more of these lands.'
'And you think I must be asked?' she exclaimed with delight, and clapped her hands. Then she sobered to say, 'But what of my schooling, Father, at The House of Learning Manners?'
'Simply tell your Mistress Teachers that you are going abroad. That your father guarantees you will learn more on the open road than inside any four walls.' I turned to Beu Ribe. 'I should like you to come too, Waiting Moon, if you would.'
'Yes,' she said at once, her eyes bright. 'I am glad, Zaa, that you no longer wish to walk alone. If I can be —'
'You can. A maiden of Nochipa's age should not go unattended by an older woman.'
'Oh,' she said, the brightness leaving her eyes.
'A company of soldiers and lower-class farm folk may be rude company. I should like you to stay always at Nochipa's side, and share her pallet every night.'
'Her pallet,' Beu repeated.
I said to the servants, 'That will leave you, Turquoise and Star Singer, to occupy and care for the house and safeguard our belongings.' They said they could and would, and promised that we would find everything in perfect order when we came back, however long we might be gone. I said I had no doubt of it. 'And right now I have one errand for you, Star Singer.'
I sent him to summon the seven old warriors who had been my own small army on other expeditions. I was saddened but not much surprised when he returned to report that three of them had died since last I had required their services.
The surviving four who did come had been fairly along in years when I first knew them as friends of Blood Glutton; they had not grown younger, but they came without hesitation. They came into my presence bravely, forcing themselves to walk with upright posture and sturdy tread, to divert my attention from their ropy musculature and knobby joints. They came booming with loud voices and laughs of anticipation, so the wrinkles and folds of their faces might have been taken to be only the lines of good humor. I did not insult them by remarking on their pretense at youth and vigor; their having come so gladly was proof enough to me that they were still capable men; I would have enlisted them even if they had arrived limping on sticks. I explained the mission to them all, then spoke directly to the oldest, Qualanqui, whose name meant Angry at Everybody:
'Our Tecpaneca soldiers and the two hundred civilians are waiting at Ixtapalapan. Go there, friend Angry, and make sure they will be ready to march when we are. I suspect you will find them unprepared in many respects; they are not seasoned travelers. The rest of you men, go and purchase all the equipment and provisions we will need— the four of you, myself, my daughter, and my lady sister.'
I was more concerned with my emigrants' completing the long march than with any unfriendly reception we
