Page:Romance of History, Mexico.djvu/88

 "Why do you not go into a neighbouring forest?" inquired the king.

Sullenly the boy replied, "It is the king's wood, and death is the punishment for trespass."

"What kind of man is your king?" asked Nezahualcoyotl curiously.

"A very hard man," grumbled the boy, "who denies his people what God has given them."

What was the dismay of the boy when he was summoned next day to the palace and confronted with his monarch in whom he at once recognised the curious stranger! He soon found he had no cause to fear. Rewarding him for his honesty, the king declared that he intended henceforth to alter the severity of his forest laws.

Many such stories are told by the Tezcucan historian, who declares that in seasons of scarcity the great king was "particularly bountiful, remitting the taxes of his vassals, and supplying their wants from the royal granaries." Taxes were paid in the produce and manufactures of the country, and the share which each district must contribute was explicitly laid down. On certain days there would flock to the capital tamanes, or carriers, bearing chests of maize, chian, beans, ground chocolate, loaves of white salt, reams of paper, pieces of armour, bags of gold dust, tiles of gold, loads of mantles, bundles of cotton, handfuls of feathers, copper axes, precious stones, and many other rich and rare commodities. Adjoining the royal palace were vast warehouses and granaries where the tribute was stored, and the king's receiver-general kept an exact account of every contribution. 66