The Fair God (Illustrated)

THE FAIR GOD OR, THE LAST OF THE ’TZINS
A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico

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.

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
BOOK SEVEN.
I. The Heart can be wiser than the Head 438
II. The Conqueror on the Causeway again 449
III. La Viruela 454

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The Fair God (Illustrated)