CHAPTER VII. B. XV. Ch. 7. LAS CASAS SUCCEEDS IN CONVERTING BY PEACEABLE BEHIND all ostensible efforts of much novelty and magnitude what silent longings and unutterable expectations lie unnoticed or concealed! In the crowded theatre, or the cold, impatient senate, the voice that is raised for the first time-perhaps for ever afterwards to command an absolute attention,-trembles with all the sensibility of genius, while great thoughts and vast aspirations, hurrying together in the agitated mind, obstruct and confuse the utterance. We pity, with an intense sympathy, the struggles of one who is about to be famous. Meanwhile, perhaps, in some dark corner or obscure passage, is the agonized and heart-sick mother, who can hardly think, or hope, or pray,convinced, as far as she is conscious of anything, that her child ought to succeed, and must succeed, but suffering all the timid anxiety that mature years will ever bring, and with the keenest appreciation of every difficulty and drawback that can prevent success. It is a bold figure to illustrate the feelings of a monk by those of a mother; but it may be Reception of the Merchants. 345 anxieties of brethren. doubted whether many mothers have suffered a B. XV. keener agony of apprehensive expectation than Las Ch. 7. Casas and his brethren endured at this and other The similar points of their career. They had the fullest Las Casas faith in God and the utmost reliance upon Him; and his but they knew that He acts through secondary means, and how easily, they doubtless thought, might some failure in their own preparationsome unworthiness in themselves-some unfortunate conjunction of political affairs in the Indiessome dreadful wile of the Evil One-frustrate all their long enduring hopes. In an age when private and individual success is made too much of, and success for others too little, it may be difficult for many persons to imagine the intense interest with which these childless men looked forward to the realization of their great religious enterprize the bringing of the Indians by peaceful means into the fold of Christ. Reception chants in The merchants were received, as was the custom in a country without inns, into the of the merpalace of the Cacique, where they met with a Tuzulutlan. better reception than usual, being enabled to make him presents of these new things from Castille. They then set up their tent, and began to sell their goods as they were wont to do, their customers thronging about them to see the Spanish novelties. When the sale was over for that day, the chief men amongst the Indians remained with the Cacique, to do him honour. In the evening, the merchants asked for a "teplanastle," an instrument of music which we may suppose to Ch. 7. 346 They commence their Chant. B. XV. have been the same as the Mexican teponaztli,* or drum. They then produced some timbrels and bells, which they had brought with them, and began to sing the verses which they had their chant. learned by heart, accompanying themselves on the musical instruments. The effect produced The merchants commence was very great. The sudden change of charac- The The Cacique, with the caution of a man in large as to be upwards of five feet long. The sound which they yield is melancholy, and that of the largest so loud, that it may be heard at the distance of two or three miles. To the accompaniment of these instruments . . . . the Mexicans sung their hymns and sacred music. Their singing was harsh and offensive to European ears; but they took so much pleasure in it themselves, that on festivals they continued singing the whole day. This was unquestionably the art in which the Mexicans were least *"The teponaztli, which is used to this day among the Indians, is cylindrical and hollow, but all of wood, having no skin about it, nor any opening but two slits lengthways in the middle, parallel to, and at a little distance from each other. It is sounded by beating the space between those two slits with two little sticks, similar to those which are made use of for modern drums, only that their points are covered with ule or elastic gum, to soften the sound. The size of this instrument is various: some are so small as to successful."-CLAVIGERO, Hist. be hung about the neck; some of a middling size; and others so of Mexico, vol. 1, pp. 398-9. English translation. The Cacique sends for the Padres. 347 Ch. 7. of the authority, suspended his judgment until he had B. XV. heard more of the matter. The next day, and for seven succeeding days, this sermon in song was repeated. In public and in private, the person who insisted most on this repetition was Curiosity the Cacique; and he expressed a wish to fathom Cacique. the matter, and to know the origin and meaning of these things. The prudent merchants replied, that they only sang what they had heard; that it was not their business to explain these verses, for that office belonged to certain padres, who instructed the people. "And who are padres ?" asked the Chief. In answer to this question, the merchants painted pictures of the ExplanaDominican monks, in their robes of black and tion given by the white, and with their tonsured heads. The mer- merchants. chants then described the lives of these padres: how they did not eat meat, and how they did not desire gold, or feathers, or cocoa; that they were not married, and had no communication with women; that night and day they sang the praises of God; and that they knelt before very beautiful images. Such were the persons, the merchants said, who could and would explain these couplets: they were such good people, and so ready to teach, that if the Cacique were to send for them, they would most willingly come. The Indian Chief resolved to see and hear these marvellous men in black and white, with their hair in the form of a garland, who were so different from other men; and for this purpose, when the merchants returned, he sent in company with them a brother of his, a young man 348 Father Luis Cancer chosen for the Mission. B. XV. twenty-two years of age, who was to invite the Ch. 7. Dominicans to visit his brother's country, and The Cacique brother back with the merchants. to carry them presents. The cautious Cacique sends his instructed his brother to look well to the ways of these padres, to observe whether they had gold and silver like the other Christians, and whether there were women in their houses. These instructions having been given, and his brother having taken his departure, the Cacique made large offerings of incense and great sacrifices to his idols for the success of the embassage. On the arrival of this company at Santiago, Las Casas and the Dominican monks received the young Indian Chief with every demonstration of welcome and it need hardly be said with what joy they heard from the merchants who accompanied him of the success of their mission. While the Indian Prince was occupied in visiting the town of Santiago, the monks debated amongst themselves what course they should pursue in reference to the invitation which they had received from the Cacique. Guided throughout by great prudence, they resolved not to risk the safety of the whole of their body, but to send only one monk at first as an ambassador and chosen explorer. Their choice fell upon Father Luis Cancér, who probably was the most skilled of all Tuzulutlan. the four in the language that was likely to be Father Luis Cancér for the mission to best understood in Tuzulutlan. Meanwhile the Cacique's brother and his attendants made their observations on the mode of life of the monks, who gratified him and them by little presents. It was time now to return; and the whole party, |