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[Jbwis m. GRisT,Jli^? ietor. J - '_^L- W jjiifippniilmt ^aniilu ffipirapiipfr: ..for tin; promotion of tha political, Social, ^rniicultural and (jLontmmial interests of % Jlouth. _ {TERMS?:$2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. VdL 4l7" I m ~~W^ YOBKYILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1895. J^O. 8. RIDER 1 Author of "King Solomon's! "Allen Qupf Copyright, 1883, by the Author. CHAPTER XXII?Continued.! 1 Thus it was that I helped in the Maying of Montezuma's treasure, for tho fckt of which I was destined to suffer to*uiq in days to come. Whether any willfcel to unbury it I do not know, but till f lei the land of Anahuac tho secret hatred i kept, and I think that then, exec self, all those were dead who labored will : me at this task. It chanced that I passed > .96 spot as 1 camo down to Mexico for the last time and knew it again by the fcwp trees that wero giswing tall and etrovi, and as I went by with Spaniard* at n? aWtabl sworo in my heart that theyshopid u'drcr finger "thcTgohi by my he!fr wis \ for this 'reason that even now t do obt write or the exact bearings or ue pise whore it lies buried with the bonflB of the traitor, though I know them welfecou|h, seeing that in days to come what Iset dofrn hero might fall into the hands of onrof their nation. And now, before I go on to speak of the siege of Mexico, I must tell of: one fliore matter?namely, of how I and Ofcomietfmy wife, went up among the people of thefctomie and won a great number of them iack to their allegiance to the Aztec crtfwn. It must be known, if my talo has not jja^e ; this clear already, that the Aztec power was not of one people, but built up of sev- : eral, and that surrounding it were many other tribes, some of whom wcr* Jb alliance with it or subjoct to it, and itmo of them were its deadly enemies. Sdbh, for instance, were the Tlascalans, a small but warlike peoplo living between Mexico and the coast, by whoso help Cortes ofcrcame Montezuma and Guatcmoc. Bcwnd the Tltfacalans and to tlic west the gwat Ofcomio race lived or lives among m mountains. They aro a braver nation/than tho Aztecs, speaking another luhgwgc, of a different blood and mado up of nrfny clans. Sometimes they were subject uftho great Axtoc empire, sometimes in alliance and sometimes at open war with it ttd in close friendship with the Tlnscalansf It was to draw tho tio closer between ?q Aztecs and tho Otomies, who were tolbe Inhabitants of Anahuae much whatraf Scottish : clans aro to the people of 1? gland,'that J Montezuma took to wifo the dsughter and 1 solo legitimate issuo of thepr great chief or king. This lady died in cfudbirth, and j her child was Otomio, my fife, hcroditnry princess of tho Otoiqio./ But though | her rank was so great among her mother's . people, as yet Otomio hacfvisited them but twice, and then as a Aild. Still she was well skilled In their Iaiguage and customs, having been brou$t up by nurses and tutors of tho tribesJErom which she drew a great reyenuo cvwy year and over whom sho exercised man| rights of royal- i ty that were rendered to Jer far more freoly than they had'been to^Monteiuma, her father. Now, as has 1 -"it sari, some of theso Otomio clans Ik joined tho Tlascalans, i and as their allies had/taken port in the war on tho sido of tholSpaniards; therefore it was decided atta solemn council fkaf nnrl T 5 hdi hlKluinH. fihonlfl go on an embassy to thje^ief town of the ' nation, that was kno^c as tho City of Pines, and strivo to fin it back to tho Aztec standard. J Accordingly, heral# having been sent before us, wo start? upon our journey, , not knowing how ?e should be received 1 at tho end of it. Hp eight days we traveled in great poms and with on ever in- j * creasing escort, fcfirh#n the tribes of tho f Otomio learned t|at their prinoess was come to visit th<p in person, bringing with her her husifmd, a man of tho Teules who hud cspousa the Aztec cause, they flocked in va6t lumbers to swell her retinue, so that itcoinoto puss that before wo reached the ?ty of Pines wo wero accompanied by m army of at least 10,000 mountaineers, peat men and wily, who j mado a savage?asic as wo marched But | with them aixfcvith their chiefs as yet wo I held no conveae, except by way of formal greeting, thoih every morning when wo started on oufjourney, Otomic in a litter and I on a Mrso that had been captured from tho Spfjlards, they set up shouts of salutation afd made the mountains ring. ; Ever as wo pent tho land, like its people, grew wilder and more beautiful, for now wo wero prising through forests clad with oak and tine and with many u lovely plant ancLfeni.. Sometimes we crossed great and?>arfcllDg rivers, and sometimes wo wcnd|T through gorges and passes of tho mouflpains, but every hour we mounted higirr till at length the climate became Iflrthat of England, only far more bright, fAt last, on tho eighth day, wo i passed through a gorge riven in tho red rock, vetich was so narrow in places that threo ijrsemcn could scarcely have ridden thero ojreast. This gorge, that is Ave miles long, f tho high road to the City of Pines, to whfh thero was no other access except by sodfet paths across the mountains, and on ciferr tjfio of it uro sheer and towering cliff<dhnt >/;se to heights of between 1,000 and /OOO foot. " ire is a place where a hundred men mlgft hold an army at bay," I said to Otomi? little knowing thut it would be my uisho uo bo in (i uuy iu vuuiu Bjcscntly tho gorge took a turn, and I reiad up ainuzcd, for Ixiforo uie was the Ci?of Pines in all its beauty. Tho city la/ in a wheel shaped plain tlint may ^B ' TvhsuTQ 12 miles across, end all around tm plain are mountains clad to their sumK8 nits with forests of oak and ccdur trees. 91 M the back of the city and in the center j ?the ring cf mountains is one, however, j mat is not green with foliage, hut black H^^^B$ith lava, and above tho lava white with 9H9|Bdbiow, over which again hangs a pillar of H^^^^Kmoko by day and a pillar of Arc by night HrTlrteVvas tho Volcano Xnca, or tho Queen, ^^H|^^Band though it is not so lofty as its sisters, j B Orizaba, Popo and Ixtac, to my mind it is the loveliest of them all, both because of it9 perfect shape and of the colors?purplo and bluo?of tho fifes that it 6ends 9 9 forth nt night or when its heart is trou- ! 9|^9 bled. Tho 0tomies worshiped this moun- : 9 tAln as a god, offering human sacrifice to / ^B^K^^^vhich was not wonderful, for onco tyt ! 9 nHfrfng from its bowels cut ai pr.ch B^^^^EP^PPfttheCityof Pines; also thfl^hlnk 1 set 9|^^9^b?^9^^^HpP^P-^!!ieless ]ms dosthauXjfljljl^to i"1 a m *pi? mr of R j MM* i ^ncd with tern pics 1kut were mtSr < ropes of skulls, whlSuiyo'*1^-^ I ' f/Sd facing ltwas H I (* Mimic's fofljfathers, a long, HBl 9n w^fW, ss'lihS'! \ t.itn -tone that ^ono liae ^,, and contrasW strangely jjm^T houses Hatwcro bull. HHH *va. \ { lli the mo\%i of the gor? MH ^^J'SnomllMwosstbopW wo ?t wl'tch was ultisatcd wi I^HHH 1 every ?*_ aloe and <?her crops, t one of .bo !? gates off c?n' ?rlm: it, we fouirtthc flat- ro ** *do of the wide %et crowc ' an' cltlu'r,? and children, who thJ BBM| ' Kth wonvw ^ we passed and ori BBjHft fLsvers ?n ^ncess! Welcor^ Oton BcclcoinC' V, otomle!" Art when Hpccss oI Jked the great Bqu%e it so Kgth vrc 'T 4the men In An^uac v ?HB| thong they, too, UP Kie'." J"\^h5 APd' vi <r the*arth *1th their i HH iv? V thenVldlBg the hanta HHi &?? ?nJu I ?h* that the horse! V of thent^t nerver r*j& a ??Xed on it asVonster wad nra| p^Utonthro^theehoutins ttine8," "Jess,'' iermaiWe^K followed and preceded by thousands ot warriors, many of them decked in glitter-. lng feathor mall and bearing broidcrcd banners, till wo had possed-thepyraBtjd, where 16aw the priests at their cruel work abovo us, and were como to tho palace gates. And here, in a strango chamber sculptured with grinning demons, we found rest for awhile. On the morrow in tho great lioll of tho palace was held a council of tho chiefs and headman of tho Otomio clans to tho number of 100 or more. When all were ( -.thered, dressed as an Aztec noblo of tho 1 /*?f Hfrvniln WKA UTbb rou&, jl uuiiu wuu uivu vwuiiw, ??mw woro royal robes and looked most beautiful in them, and the council ruso to greet us. Otomio bade them be seated and addressed them thus: "Hear me, you chiefs and captains of my mother's race, who am your princess by right of blood, tho lost of your ancient rulere, and who am, moreover, the daughter of Montezuma, emperor of Anuhuac, now dead to us, but living evermore in tho mansions of the sun. First, I present to you this, my husband, tho Lord Teule, to whom I was given in marriage when ho held tho spirit of tho god Tezcut, and whom, when ho had passed tho altar of the god, being chosen by heaven to aid us in our war, I wedded anew after tho fashion of tho earth and by tho will of ray royal brethren. Know, chiefs and captains, that this lord, my husband, is not of our Indian blood, nor is ho altogether of tho blood of tho Teules, with whom we are at war, but rather of that of tho true children of Quetzal, tho dwellers in a far off northern sea, who arc foes to the Teules. And as they are foes, so this, my lord, is their foe, and, as doubtless you have hoard, of all tho deeds of arms that woro wrought upon tho night of tho slaying of tho Teules none wero greater than his, and it was he who first discovered their retreat. "Chiefs and cuptains of tho great and ancient people of tho Otomie, I, your princess, havo been sent to you by Cuitlahua, my king and yours, together with my lord, to plead with you on a certain matter. Our king has hcurd, and I ulso havo hoard with shame, that many of the warriors of our blood havo joined tho Tlascalons, who wero ever foes to tho Aztecs, in their unholy alliance with the Teules. Now for awhile tho whit? men arc beaten back, but they havo touchod tho gold they covet, and they will return again like bees to a half drained flower. They will return, yet of themselves they .can do nothing against tho glory of Tenoctitlan. But how snail in go u winn luuiu uumu buuuaouuo and tens of thousands of tho Indian peoples? I know well that now in this time of trouble, when kingdoms crumble, when tho air is full of portents and tho very . gods seem impotent, there are many who would seizo tho moment and turn it to their profit. Thero aro many men and tribes who remember ancient wars and wrongs, and who cry: 'Now is tho hour of % engcancc. Now wo will think on tho widows that tho Aztec spears have made, on tho tribute which they have wrung from our poverty to swell their wealth and on tho captives who have docked the altars of their sacrifice!' * "Is it not so? Aye, it is so, and I cancot wonder at it Yet I ask you to rcmcintor this?that tho yoke you would help to set upon tho neck of the queen of cities vrill fit your neck also. Oh, foolish men,, do you think that you shall bo spared when by your aid Tenoctitlan isa ruin and tho Aztecs aro no more a people? I say to you, never! The sticks that tho Toulesuse to beat shall bo broken ono by one and cast into tho flro to burn. If tho Aztecs fall, then, early or late, every tribo within this wide land shall fall. They shall bo slain, their cities shall be stamped fiat, their wealth shall bo wrung from them,and their children shall cat tho bread of slavery and drink tho water of affliction. Choose, ye people of tho Otomic. Will you stand by the men of your own customs and country, though they have been your foes at times, or will you throw in your lot with the stranger? Choose, yo people of the Otomie, and know this?that on your cholco and that of tho other men of Anahuac de pends the fate of Anahuac. I am your prindess, and you should obey me, but today I issue no command. I say chooso botween tho alliance of tho Aztec and the yoko of tho Tculc, and may the God above tho gous, the Almighty, the lnvisiblo God, direct your choice." Otomio ceased, and a murmur of applause went round tho hall. Alas, I can do no justice to tho fire of her words any more than I can describo tho dignity and loveliness of her person ns it seemed in that hour. But they went to tho hearts of tho rude chieftains who listened. Many of them despised the Aztecs as a womanish pcoploof the plains and tho lakes, a people of commerce. Many of them had blood feuds against them dating back for generations. But still they knew that their princess spoke truth, and that the triumph of tho Tculo in Tenoctitlan would mean his triumph over every city throughout the land. So then and there they chose, though in after days in the stress of defeat aDd trouble many went back upon their choice, as is tho fashion of men. "Otoinic," cried tho spokesman after they had taken counsel together, "wo havo chosen. Princess, your words have conquered us. Wo throw in our lot with tho Aztecs and will fight to the last for freedom from tho Teulc." "Now I see that you arc indeed my people, and I am indeed your ruler," answered Otomle. "So the great lords who aro gone, my forefathers, your chieftains, would havo spoken in a like case. May you never regret this choice, my brethren, men qMho Otoinic." ^\.nd so it came to pass that when wo left tho City of Pines we took from it to Cuitlahfut, tho einperor, a promise of an armvof 20,000 men vowed to servo him to tho/flcath in his war against tho Spaniard. / CHAPTER XXIII. THE CROWNING OF GUATEMOC. Our business with tho peoplo of tho Oto-. mlo being ended for awhile, we returned to the city of Tenoctitlan, which we reach?1 1 nV>rnnf n Tr>r?nfK nnrl CU biUCIj, hilling ih-vj, ?u.-. ul. ? a day. It was but a little time, aiid yet long enough for fresh sorrows to have falltn on that most unhappy town, for now tho Almighty had added to the burdens -WHO* vrrrn laid upon her. She had tasted of death by the sword of the wiui*, ........ now death wus with her in another shape, for the Spaniard had brought tho foul sickness of Europe with him, and smallpox | raged throughout the land. Day by day thousands perished of it, for these ignorant hpcoplo treated the plague by pouring cold xhtuter upon the bodies of those smitten, ^ ring tho fever inward to the vital6, 60 i *?5^vithin two days the most of them Jr^^iThis treatment is followed among I rr? ^Jlws of Mexico to this day, but if 1 'x'?'cve what he heard in | cured patk>nt is fmiuontly 3 see them maddened , ' T^^w^v^they wandered to and j t fro about the 1^L.? ... ,. .. t 1 temper far and ^ L^rt'whn? ,the df , j the houses; they laS?^? woro n w ' , ^HL.1 >y companies in x tho market places av. ?aEk . . . , ., y sickness took its tolHSit1? ' h very priests were sniittoiiflB^","l *' .* 1- ] as tlicy sacrificed childronlsM , a anger of the gods. But thol&iaM'' "Pj in to tell. Cnltlahun, tliew?poroi\?j? . th down by the illness, and when , of the city lie lay dying. Still he dtfB^ sec us and sent commands that we je, be brought to his bedside. In vain dn n, ' pray Otomie not to obey. She, who \\ th without fear, laughed at me, sayii iill ''What, my husband, shall 1 shrink fr jio that which you must face? Come, let ofs wnd make report of our mission. If led sickness takes me and I die. it. will bo cause my hour hies come." _d; i So we went and were ushered int iq I chamber where Cuitlahua lay covornl I at sheet us though he were already dead with incense burning round liim in go! e " censors. When we entered, he was ! the1 Stupor, hut presently he awoke, an v ytas announced to him that we waited ~j?' oWelcome, niece," he said, spea ' thiougU the sheet and in a thick v SS?T ! ll?ou ui?l mo in an evil ease, for my ! .jTQ numbered; the pestilence of the T< bove, Hl_vg those whom their swords sp .rode another monarch must take ^for throne, a81 took your father's, and 3P8?! ' Steether grieve, for on him wil *?[ ! ! the gloHAi^ the burden of the last 1 | | of the Aztecs. Your report, niece, let 1110 1 hear it swiftly. What say the clans of the ! Otomie, your vassals?" "My lord," Otomie answered, speaking humbly and with bowed head, "may this, distemper leave you, and may you live to 1 reign over us for many years. My lofd, my husband Tcule and I have won back I tho most part of the people of the Otomie . to our cause and standard. An army of 1 20,000 mountain men waits upon your j word, and when those arc spent there aro i j more to follow." | .."Well-done, daughter of Montezuma, .! and you, white man," gasped the dying jvklng. '.'The gods wero wise when they : refused you-both upon the stono of sacri- j flee, and I wajs foolish when I would havo slain you, Tcule. To you and all I say bo \ of a. steadfast heart, and if you must dlo i' flfceiTdKrwith honor. Tho fray draws on, j" but I shftll not share it, and who knows ' Its end?" Now he lay silent for awhile; then of a sudden, as though an inspiration had seized hlni, he cast the sheet from his face and I sat up upon his couch, no pleasant sight to : see, for the pestilence had done its worst i with him. "Alas," ho wailed, "and alas! 1 sco the j streets of Tcnoctitlan red with blood and j . lire. I see her dead piled up In heaps, and tho horses of the Tcules tramplo them. I | seo tho spirit of my people, and her voice j is sighing, and her -nock is hoavy with ' chains. The children are visited Locauso : of tho evil of the fathers. To are doomed, ! ; people of Anahuac, whom I would hnvo ' i nurtured as an eagle nurtures her young. ] Hell yawns for you, and earth refuses you because of your sins, and the remnant that | remains shall bo slaves from generation to j j generation till tho vengeance is accomplished." Having cried thus with a great voice, j j Cuitlahua fell back upon the cushions, and Cuitlahua fell hack upon the i-ushions. i before the frightened leech who tendod him i could lift his head ho had passed beyond ' I the troubles of this earth. But tho words : j which ho hail spoken remained fixed in tho ; hearts of those who heard them, though : they wero told to none except to Guatcmoc. Thus, then, in my presence nnd in that of Otomic died Cuitlahua, emperor of the 1 ; Aztecs, when ho had reigned but 15 weeks. ! ; Onco more tho nation mourned its king, ! ! the chief of many a thousand of its chil- | dren whom tho pestilence swept with him ! : to the "mansions of the sun" or pcrchanco j to tho "darkness behind the stars." But tho mourning was not for long, for j ! in the urgency of tho times it was neces- | ( sary that a new emperor should be crowned to take command of the armies and ! rulo the nation. Therefore on the morrow j of tho burial of Cuitlahua the council of ; ; tho four electors was convened aijd with i ! them lesser nobles and princes to tho num- j j ber of 300, nnd I among them in tho right j of my rank as general and as husband of the Princess Otomic. There was no great 1 need of deliberation indeed, for though tho ' I names of several were mentioned tho ! princes knew there was but ono man who i by birth, by courage and nobility of mind j was fitted to cope with the troubles of tlio I nation. That man wns Guatemoc, my i friend and blood brother, the nephew of < i the two last emperors and the husband of ' my wifo's sister, Montezuma's daughter, I | Tccuichpo. All knew it, I say, except, j | strangely enough, Guatemoc himself, for | j as we passed into the council lie named two 1 ( other princes, saying that without dojibt j the clioico l*iy between them. It wns a splendid and solemn sight, that gathering of the four great lords, the elect- j ! ors, dressed in their magnificent robes, i ! and of the lesser council of confirmation of I ! 300 lords and princes, who sat without the ' circle, but in hearing of all that passed. 1 j Very solemn also was the prayer of the high priest, who, clad in his robes of sable, i I 6eemcd like a blot of ink dropped on a glit- j ; ter of gold. When tho high priest had made an end ; ; of his prayer, the first of the four great ! I- electors rose, saying: j "Guatemoc, in the name of God and with i I the voice of tho people of Anahuac, wo I | summon you to the throne of Anahuac. . . Long may you live, and justly may you rule, and may the glory be yours of beatj ing back into the sea those foes who would destroy us. Hail to you, Guatemoc, emperor of the Aztecs and of their vassal tribes." And all tho 300 of the council of I confirmation repcutcd in a voice of thun| der, "Hail to you, Guatemoc, cnyjcror!" Now the prince himself stood forward j ! and spoke: "You lords of election and you, princes, j generals, nobles and captains of the coun- j cil of confirmation, hear mo. None can say what tho gods have in store for us. It may bo victor)', or it may be destruction, : but be it triumph or death, let us swear a great oath together, my people and my I brethren. Let us swear to fight the Tcules and tho traitors who abet them, for our | cities, our hearths and our altars, till tho { cities are a smoking ruin, till the hearths are cumbered with their dead and the al- j tars run red with tho blood of their worI shlpers. So, if we are destined to conquer, I our triumph shall be made sure, and if wo are doomed to fail, at least there will be a j story to be told of us. Do you swear, my ! I people and my brethren!'" "Wo swear," they answered, with a ; shout. j "It is well," said Guatemoc. "And i | now may everlasting shame overtake him j 1 who breaks this oath!" Thus, then, was Guatemoc, the last and j greatest of the Aztec emperors, elected to tho throne of his forefathers. When all was done, I hurried to the pal- t ace to toll Otomio what had come to pass ! i and found her in our sleeping chamber ly ing on her bed. "wnat uus you, utomier- i asKou. , 'Alus, my husband," she answered,"the ! pestilence has stricken me! Come not near | me, I pray you; come not near. Let me Ixj ; j nursed by the women. You shall not risk j your life for me, beloved." 'Pence," I said and came to her. It was too true. I, who am a physician, | : knew the symptoms well. Indeed had it j J not for my skill Otomic would have ! died. For three long weeks I fought with 1 ! death ut her bedside, and in the end I eon- ! qucred. The fever left her, and, thanks i j to my treatment, there was no single sour j upon her lovely face. During eight days I her mind wandered without ceasing, and ! J feet'wiishner '^'P <mdW"^ while she did nothing but rave of mo, TOe 1 secret terror of her heart was disclosed? | that I should cease to care for her; that her , beauty and love might pall upon me so that I should leave liar, that't lie (lower I maid," for so she named Lily, who dwelt across the sea should draw me hack to her by magic?this was the burden of her madness. At length her senses returned, and j sho spoke, saying: ''How long have 1 lain ill, husband?" I told her, and she said, "And have you nursed mo all this while and through so foul a sickness?" "Yes, Otoinie, I have tended you." "What have I done that you should Ik; so good to me?" six* murmured. '1 lien some dreadful thought seemed to strike her, for she moaned as though ill pain and said: "A mirror! Swift, bring me a mir ror!" I gave her one, and rising on her arm ! eagerly she scanned her faee in the dim light of the shadowed room, then let the ^ plate of burnished gold fall and sank hack with a faint and happy cry: ^ ' I feared," she said, "I feared that 1 liecotue hideous, as those are whom pestilence has smitten, and that you cease to love me, than which it hud 0,11 ^Bfebetter to die." US shame," I said. "Do you, then, t'M3 love can be frightened away by 0 a j lovo answvrt'd; "that is, the ,y a husband/W^~llot such love as mine, ami to think of^y*-,('" thus?all, I shuddei [dun have hated jW^hi'i a year you wouh in a K" w'th anoth^Ptfhaps it had not lteei d it but liieyou evoul^ij^r maid of far away i. If. though I kno\^^^'(t- ^ay, I knov king not have lived to l'evSfcfc?that I shouh oiee. thankful, thnnkfuli'^W^e- Oh, I an days So Otomic recovered rules ncss? ???l shortly arterwaSBsjjFC'at sick ami. passed away from TenoctituBfctlh-iic Iny I had many other things tu (Will'" 1 do - the choosing of Uuatemoc, my^&??) 1 rest j hhnxl brother, us emperor meant mBl# light vaneement to me, who was made 1 oral of tlic highest class and a principal { adviser in his councils. Nor did I sparo ! myself in his serivce, but labored by day j and night in the work of preparing the j city for siege, and in the marshaling of the troops, and moro especially of that army of Otomies, who came, as they had j promised, to tiie number of 20,000. The j work was hard indeed, for these Indian tribes lacked discipline and powers of j unity, without which their thousands wero of little avail in a war with white men; ! also there wero great jealousies between j their leaders which must be overcome, and \ I was myself an object of jealousy. More- j over, many tribes took this occasion of the 1 trouble of the Aztecs to throw off their allegiance or vassalage, and, even if they did j j not join the Spaniards, to remain neutral, ] watching for the event of tho war. Still wo labored on, dividing tho armies into 1 regiments after the fashion of Europe, and ! stationing each in its own quarter, drill- j ing them to tho better use of arms, provi- | sioning tho city for a siege and weeding 1 out as many useless mouths as we might, j and there was but one man in Tenoctitlan i who toiled at theso tasks moro heavily j than I, and that was Guatemoc, the cm- 1 1 -.1? .11.1 ?.of ,ln>. T l pt'IUi'j >V11U U1U HViU XVOV H?J Vi lii^n w? * I tried even to mako powder with sulphur I which was brought from tho throat of tho I volcan Popo, but having no knowledge of j that art I failed. Indeed it would havo | availed us lktlc had I succeeded, for haV- J ing neither arquebuses nor cannon and i no skill to cast them wo could only havo J used it in mining roads and gateways, and i perhaps in grenades to be thrown with the j hand. And so tho months went on till at ; length spies caino in with the tidings that : the Spaniards were advancing in numbers, and with them countless hosts of allies. Now I would havo sent Otomio to seek safety among her own people, but sho I laughed mo to scorn and said: "Where you are there I will be, hus- I band. What! Shall it be suffered that you j fcico death, perhaps to find him, when I i am not at your side to die with you? If j that is the fashion of white women, I lcavo I it to them, beloved, and here, with you, I j stay." CHAPTER XXIV. THE FALL OF TENOCTITLAK. Now, shortly after Christmas, having marched from the coast with a great array of Spaniards, for many had joined his banner from over sea and tens of thousands of nativo allies, Cortes took up his head- I quarters at Tczcuco, in the valley of Mexi- j co. This town is situated near tho borders of the lake, at a distance of several leagues from Tcnoctitlan, and being on tho edgo of tho territory of the Tlascalans, his allies, it was most 6uitablo to Cortes as a base of action. And then began one of j the most tcrriblo wars that tho world has ! seen. For eight months it raged, and when ! It ceased at length Tcnoctitlan, and with ' it many other beautiful and populous j towns, were blackened ruins, tho most of 1 the Aztecs were dead by sword and fam- | inc, and their nation was crushed forever. Of all the details of this war I do not pur- ' pose to write, for were I to do so thcro I would be no end to this book, and I havo my own talo to tell. These, therefore, I leave to tho maker of histories. Let it bo enough to say that the plan of Cortes was j to destroy all her vassal and allied cities j and people before he grappled with Mexi- j co, queen of the valley, and thlg ho set j himself to do with a skill, a valor and a j straightness of purpose such as have scarce- I ly been shown by a general since tho days of Caesar. Iztapalapan was tho first to fall, and here 10,000 men, women and children were put to the sword or burned alive. Then came the turn of the others. On#, by one Cortes reduced the cities till the whole i girdlo of them was in his hands and Te j nocuuau uiuuu rcuiiwui-ii 4 By the month of May, strive as wo would?and never was a more gallant light mode?all our allies were crushed or had deserted us, and the siege of the city began. It began by land and by water, for with incredible resource Cortes caused 18 brigantines of war to bo constructed In Tlascnla and conveyed -in pieces for 20 leagues across the mountains to his camp, whence they were floated into the j lake through a canal, which was hollowed j out by the labor of 10,000 Indians, who i worked at it without cease for two months. The bearers of these brigantines were es- j corted by an army of 20,000 Tlascalans, j and if I could have had my way that army should have been attacked in the mountain passes. So thought Guatcmoc also, but there wero few troops to spare, for j the most of our force had been dispatched ; to threaten a city named Chaleo, that, | though its people were of the Aztec blood, had not been ashamed to desert the Aztec | cause. Still I offered to lead the 20,000 I, Otomies whom I commanded against the | Tlascalans convoy, and the matter was do- 1 bated hotly at a council of war. But the most of the council were against the risking of an engagement with the Spaniards and their allies so far from the city, and thus the opportunity went by to return no more. It was an evil fortune like the rest, for in tho end these brigantines brought about the fall of Tenoctitlan by j cutting off the supply of food, which was J carried in canoes across the lake. Alas, the bravest can do nothing against tho power of famine! Hunger is a very great ! man, as tho Indians say. Now the Aztecs, fighting alone, were faco to face with their foes, and the last struggle began. First the Spaniards cut the aqueduct which supplied the city with water from the springs at tho royal house of Chapoltcpoc, whither I was taken on i being brought to Mexico. Henceforth till j the end of tho siege the only water that wo j found to drink was the brackish and mud- j dy fluid furnished by the lake and wells j sunk in the soil. Although it might be j drunk after boiling to free it of the salt, it i was unwholesome and filthy to tho taste, | breeding various painful sicknesses and 1 fevers. It was on this day of the cutting I of the aqueduct that Otomio bore me a . 6on, our firstborn. Already the hardships j of the siege were so great and nourishing ! food so scarco that, had she been less J strong, or had I possessed less skill in medicine, I think that she would have j died. Still she recovered, to my great ! thankfulness and joy, and though I am no j clerk I baptized the boy into the Christian I church with my own hand, naming him ! Thomas, after me. Now day by day and week by week tho fighting went on with varying success, sometimes in the suburbs of tho city, sometimes on the lake and sometimes in tho very streets. Time on time the Spaniards were driven back with loss; time on timo they advanced again from their different j camps. Once we captured (iO of them and j more than a thousand of their allies. All , these were sacrificed on the altar of Huitzel and given over to be devoured by tho ' Aztecs according to the beast like custom ! which in Anahuac enjoined the eating of ! tho bodies of those who were offered to j the gods, not becauso the Indians lovo such j "Hit i lifiit fnr ii iTfTfi-*" -7 this horror. 'Is this a timo for gentleness?" lie answered fiercely. "I cannot save them fiom j the altar, and I would not if I could. Let i im die aeeordiiur to tin; custom of tho land, and to you, Teule, my brother, I say presume not too far." Alas, the heart of Uuutcmoc grew ever fiercer as the struggle wore on, and indeed J . it was little to Ix; wondered at. This was the dreadful plan of Cortes? to destroy the city piecemeal as ho advanced toward its heart?and it was carried out without mercy. So soon as the Spaniards got footing in a quarter, thousands of the Tlascalans were set to work to fire the houses and burn all in them alive. Before the siege was done Tenoctitlan, queen of the valley, was but a heap of blackened ruins. Cortes might have cried over Mexico witii Isaiah the prophet: 'Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, uml the noise of thy viols; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. IIow art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, how art thou cut down to tho ground which didst weaken the nations!" In all theso fights I took my part, though it docs not become me to boast my j prowess. Still the Spaniards knew mo well, and they had good reason. IIow shall I paint the horrors that day by day were heaped upon the doomed city? Soon all tho food was gone, and men?aye, and worse still, tender women and children?must eat such meat as swine would have turned from, striving to keep life in I them for a little longer. Grass, the bark j of trees, slugs and insects, washed down , with brackish water from tho lake, these were their best food, these and tho ilesh ol I captives offered in sacrifice. Now they be i gun to die by hundreds and thousands they died so fast that they could not bun ;- them. Where they perished, there the: e lay till at length their bodies bred i v plague, a black and horrible fever, tha ir swept off thousands more, who, in turn d i became the root of pestilence. For on |y who was killed by the Spaniards and tliei ^^ullies, two were swept off by hunger am plague. Think then what was the number of dead when not less than 70,000 perished beneath the sword and by lire alone. Indeed it was said that 40,000 died in this manner in a single day?the day before the last of the siege. One night I camo back to the lodging where Otomio dwelt with her royal sister, Tecuicho, the wife of Guatomoc, for now all the palaces had been burned down. I was starving, for I hnd scarcely tasted food for 40 hours, but all that my wifo could set before mo were three meal cakes, or tortillas, mixed with bark. She kissed me and bade mo cat them, but I discovered that she herself had touched no food that day, so I would not till she 6hared them. Then I noted that slio could scarcely 6wallow the bitter morsels, and also that she Btrovo to hide tears, which ran down her face. "What is it, wife?" I asked. Then Otoniie broke out into a great and bitter cryiqg and suid: "This, my beloved. For two days the milk has boon dry in my breast?hunger i as dried it?and our babe is dead! Look, he lies dead!" and she drew aside a cloth and showed me the tiny body. "Hush." I said, "ho is soared much! Can wo then desire that a child should live to sec such days as we have seen, and, after all, to die at last?" "He was our son?our firstborn," she 'cried? agita. tt'OkiswAr^nBtiBt we suffer thus?" T "Wo must suffor, Otomie, because we aro born to it. Just so much happiness is given to us as shall savo us from madness and no more. Ask mo not why, for I cannot answer you. Thero is no answer in my faith or in any other." And then, looking on that dead babo, I wept also. Every hour in those terrible months it was my lot to sec a thousand 6ights more awful, and yet this sight of a dead infant moved mo tho most of all of them. Tho child was mine, my firstborn; its mother wept besldo mo, and its stiff and tiny fingers seemed to drag at my heartstrings. Seek not tho cause, for tho Almighty, who gave tho heart its infinite power of pain, alone can answer, and to our cars ho is dumb. Then I took a mattock and dug a holo outside tho houso till I came to water, which, in Tcnoctitlan, is found at a depth of two feet or so, and, having muttered a prayer over him, thero in tho water I laid tho body of our child, burying it out of sight. At the least lie was not left for tho zapilotos, as tho Aztecs call the vultures, like tho rest of them. After that wo wept ourselves to sleep in each other's arms, Otomie murmuring "Look, he Ilea dead!" from time to time, "Oh, my husband, I would thut wo were usleep and forgotten, we and tho balx) together." "Rest now," I nnswercd, "for death is very near to lis." Tho morrow came, and with it a deadlier fray than any tlint had gone before, and after it mora morrows and moro deaths, but still we lived on, for Guatcmoc gavo us of his food. Then Cortes sent his heralds demanding our surrender, and now three-fourths of tho city was a ruin, and three-fourths of its defenders were dead. The dead were heaped in tho houses like bees stifled in a hive, and in the streets they lay so thick that wo walked upon them. The council was summoned, florco men, haggard'with?'h a4d with war, and they considered tho offer of Cortes. "What is your word, Guatcmoc?" said their spokesman at last. "Am I Montezuma, that you ask me? I swore to defend this city to tho last," lie answered hoarsely, "and, for my pnrt, I will defend it. Better thut wo should all die than that we should fall living into tho hands of tho Tcules." "So say we," they replied. And tho war went on. At length there camo a day when tho Spaniards made a new attack and gained another portion of tho city. There tho people were huddled together like sheep in a pen. We strovo to defend them, but our arms were weak with famine. They fired into us with their pieces, mowing us down' like corn before sickle. Then tho Tloscalans were loosed upon us, like fierce hounds upon a defenseless buck, and on this day it is said that there died 40,000 people, for nono was spared. On tho morrow?it was the last day of the siege?came a fresh embassy from Cortes, asking that Guatcmoc should meet him. Tho answer was the same, for nothing could conquer that noble spirit. "Tell him," said Guatemoc, "that I will die where I am, but that I will hold no parley with him. Wo are helpless; let Cortes work his pleasure on us." By pow all the city was destroyed, and wo who rcmnincd alive within its bounds were gathered on tho causeways and bohind the ruins of walls, men, women and children together. Here they attacked us again. The great drum on thctcocolli beat for the lust time, and for the lost timo the wild scream of the Aztec warriors went up to heaven. Wo fought our best. I killed four men that day with my arrows, which Otomie, who was at my 6ide, handed mo as I shot. But the most of us had not the strength of a child, and what could wo do? They camo among us liko seamen among a flock of seals and slaughtered us by hundreds. They drove us into the canals and trod us to death there till bridges were mado of our iKKlies. IIow wo oscapcd I do not know. At length a party of us, among whom was Guatemoc, with his wife, Tccuichpo, were driven to the shores of the lake, where lay canoes, and Into theso we entered, scarcely knowing what we did, but thinking that wo might escape, for now all the city was taken. The brlgantincs saw us and sailed after us with a favoring wind? the wind always favored tho foe In that war?and, row as we would, one of them came up with us and began toflro into us. Then Guatemoc stood up and spoke, saying: ''I am Guntcmoc. Bring me to Malinchc. But spare those of my people who remain alive." "Nowy" I- uaid -te- Q'ltmdo at my side, "my hour has coine,Jor tho Spaniards will surely hang me, and it is in my mind, wtfe, that I should do well to kill myself, 'as I said in bygone days, while you live there is hope, but tho dead come back no more. Fortune may favor us yet; still, if you think otherwise, I am ready to die." "That I will not suffer, Otomie." "Then you imst hold your hand husband, for now, as Uways, where you go I follow." "Listen," I whispered. "Do not let it bo known that yoi are my wife. Pass yourself as one of Vc ladies of Tccuichpo, ' till) (|UCril, )"UUi f'Wi. At <uu w."j;{unied, and if by any banco I escape, I will i try to make my wy to the City of Pines. There, among yur own people, we may find refuge." "So be it, bclov.l," she answered, smiling sadly. "But do not know how tho Otoinle will recele me, who have led 20,000 of their bniest men to a dreadful death." I Now we were t the deck of the brlgantine and must sp talking, and thence, after the Span Ian had quarreled over us for awhile, wo wo taken ashore and led j to tho top of a lose which still stood, where Cortes had Mo ready hurriedly to receive his royal pijncr. Surrounded by his escort, tho Spaxh general stood, cap ! in hand, and by h sido wqs Marina, grown more lovelorn before, whom I now met for the 11; time since we had parted in Tabasco. Our eyes met, an^ho started, thereby ! showing that sho k,v mo again, though it must have been Iq for Marina to recognize her friend -ulo'ln the blood stained, starving Mattered wretch who i i could scarcely llnd ?ngth to climb tho > azotea. But at tliatlU. no words passed f between us, for all wcro bent on tho ' meeting between C?s and Guatemoc, ! between tho conqxxcrind the conquered. ' Still proud and flant, though ho f Beemed but a livintcleton, Guatemoc 1 i walked straight to ore the Spaniard ! stood and spoke, Mia translating his > words: 0 I "I am Guatemoc, emperor, Molinr j che,"hosaid. "'Wh man might do to defend his people I s done. Look on the fruits of my labor," nnil he pointed to the blackened ruins of Tcnoctitlan that stretched on every side as fur us the eye could reach. "Now I have come to this pnss, for the gods themselves have been against inc. Deal with me as you will, but It will be best that you kill mo now," and ho touched the dagger of Cortes with his hand, "and thus rid me swiftly of the misery of life." "Fear not, Guutemoc," answered Cori tea. "You hnvc fought like a brave man, and such I honor. With 1110 you aro safe, for we Spaniards lovo a gullant foe. See, here is food," and he pointed to a table ( spread with such viands ns wo had not I seen for many a week. "Eat, you and your companions together, for you must | need it. Afterward we will talk." So wo ate, and heartily, I, for my part, thinking it would bo well to die upon a full stomach, having faced death so long upon an empty one, and while wo devoured the meat the Spaniards stood on 0110 side scanning us, not without pity. Presently Tcculchpo was brought before f!nrtj?s. iintl ivif-.h her f>trim in and six Other j ladies. Ho greeted her gruciously, and I they were given to cat. Now one of tho ! Spaniards who had been watching mo whispered something into tho ear of Cortes, and I saw his face darken. "Say," ho said to mo in Cnstilian, "are you that renegade, that traitor who has aided thefo. Aztecs against utd"1 4 no renegade and no traitor, genera*" I answered boldly, for tho food and I wino hod put new life into me. "I am nn j Englishman, and I have fought with tho ! Aztecs because I have good cause to hato ! you Spaniards." "You shay soon hnvo better, traitor!" I ho said furiously. "Here, lead this man ! away and hang him on tho most of yonder ; ship." Now 1 saw that it was finished and l mode ready to go to my death, when Ma] rina spoko into the ear of Cortes. All she j said I could not catch, but I heard tho words "hidden gold." Ho listened, then hesitated and spoke aloud: "Do not hang this man today. Let him bo safely guard: ed. Tomorrow I will inquire into his | case." CHAPTER XXY. TIlOMAS IS DOOMED. At the words of Cortes two Spaniards { camo forward, and seizing mo one by j either arm they led me across tho roof of I tho houso toward the stairway. Otomio ; had heard also, and though sho did not understand the words she read the face of Cortes and knew well that I was being taken to imprisonment or death. As I ; passed her she started forward, a terror ! shining in her eyes. Fearing that she was j about to throw herself upon my breast, and thus reveal herself as my wife and I. bring my fate upon her, I glanced at her | warningly, then made pretense to stumble, and as though with fear and cxhnustion j I fell at her feet. Tho soldiers who led mo. laughed brutally, and one of them kicked ; me with his heavy boot. But Otomio j stooped down and held her hand to me to help me rise, and as I did so we spoke low i and swiftly. "Farewell, wife," I said. "Whatever happens, keep silent." "Farewell," she nnswercd. "If you must die, await me in tho gates of death, for I will join you there." "Nay, llvoon. Time shall bring comfort." "You aro my life, beloved. With you j timo ends for me." Now I wa3 on my feet again, and I think i that nono noted our whispered words, for | all were listening to Cortes, who rated tho 1 man tiiat had kicked me. "I bade you guard this traitor?not to kick him," ho said angrily in Castilian. "Will you put us to open shame licforo theso savages? Do so once more, and you shnll pay for it smartly. Learn a lesson in gentleness from that woman. Sho is starving, yet she leaves her food to help your prisoner to his feet. Now take liim away to camp and see that he comes to no harm, for he can tell me much." mi l.i!.. 1 i ?. | JL IlL'Il II1U SU1U1LTB IUU iHU UUUJ, bling as they went, unci the last thing I ^ saw was tho despairing face of Otomie, "*] my wife, as she gazc'cl aft6r ine, fuint with tho 6ecrct ngony of our parting. But when I came to the head of the stairway Guutcmoc, who stood near, took my hand and shook it. "Farewell, my brother," he said, with a heavy smile. "The game we played toj gcthcr is finished, and now it is time for j us to rest. I thank you for your valor and : your aid." "Farewell, Guatemoc," I answered. "You are fallen, but let this comfort you? in your fall you have found immortal fame." "On, on!" growled tho soldiers, and 1 I went, little thinking how Guatemoc and I | should meet again. I They took me to a canoe, and wo wcro I paddled across the lake by Tlascalans till I at length wo came to the Spanish camp. The room of tho stone house where they j prisoned mo had a window secured by i bars of wood, and through these bars I | could sec and hear tho revcllngs of tho solI dicrs during tho time of my confinement. I All day long, when they were not on duty, I and most of the night also, they gambled i and drank, staking tens of pesos on a sinj glo throw, which the loser must pay out | of his share of the countless treasures of tho Aztecs. Little did they care if they won or lost, they were so suro of plunder, I but played on till drink overpowered them i and they rolled senseless beneath the ta! bles, or till they sprang up and danced j wildly to and fro, catching at the sunbeams I and screaming, "Gold, gold, gold!" ! Listening at this window also I gath; ered some of tho tidings of the camp. I 1 learned that Cortes had como back, bring1 ing Guatemoc and several of tho princes j with him, together with many of tho noblo | Aztec ladles. Indeed I saw and heard tho ! onl/Hnwj era Tnl-il trier frit* fVlocn wnmoil whAtl VIUA^AO gUillUlttlg AV/A V4IVUV H V?MVU , , ..<w_ they were weary of their play, for money, a description of each of them being written on a piece of paper. One of these ladies answered well to Otoinie, my wife, and she was put up to auction by tho bruto who won her in tho gamblo and sold to a common soldier for a hundred pesos, for theso men never doubted but that tho women and the gold would Ix; handed over to thorn. Thus things went for several days, during which I sat and slept in my prison untroubled by any, except tho native woman who waited on me and brought me food in plenty. During those days I uto as I havo ncvor eaten beforo or since, and I Blept much, for my sorrows could not rid my body of its appetites and commanding need for food and rest. Indeed I verily i bclievo that at tho end of a week I had in-' : creased in weight by a full hiilf. Also my j weariness was conquered at length, and I | was strong again. But when I was neither sleeping nor : eating I watched at my window, hoping, : though in vain, to catch soino sight of ! Otomic or Guatcmoc. If I might not seo ! my friends, however, at least I saw my fn, >n,nn.?-r0i1r pG.^y.e.n^ flickered oil ills fare as III- went a way like j a wolf mudo mo shiver with a presage of j woes to coino. For 10 minutes or more ho ! stood gazing at my window hungrily, as ! a cat gazes at a eagitl bird, ami 1 felt that i he was waiting for the door to lie opened 1 and knew that it would soon be opened. This happened on the eve of the day i upon which I was put to torture. Meanwhile, us time went on, I noticed , that a change came over the temper of the | camp. The soldiers ceased to gamble for untold wealth; they even ceased drinking | to excess and from their riotous joy, but | took to hanging together in knots, discuss: ing fiercely I could not learn of what. On : the day when lie Garcia came to look at } my prison there was a great gathering in i the square opposite my prison, to which I i Kfiw Orirtes ride nnon a white horse and I richly dressed. The meeting was too far I away for 1110 to overhear what ]>a.ssed, but j I noticed that several officers addressed [ Cortes angrily, and that their speeches ] were loudly cheered by the soldiers. At i lust the great captain answered them at i some length, and they broke up in silence. Next morning, after I had breakfasted, four soldiers came into my prison and ordered mo to accompany them, j ''Whither?" I asked. I "To the captain, traitor," their leader j answered. "It lias eoine at last," I thought to niy} self, but I said only: "It is well. Any change from this hole | is 0110 for the lietter." "Certainly," lie replied, "and this is your last shift." Then I knew that the man believed that I was going to my death. In live minutes I was standing before Cortes in his private house. At his side was Marina, and around him were several of his companions In arms. The great man looked at me for awhile, then spoke: "Your name is Wingiield. You are of mixed blood?half English and half Spanish. You were east away in the Tabasco river and taken to Tenoctitlan. There you were doomed to personate the Aztec god | Tezcat and were ^ whcn W(j captured towull Sui^iuently At his side was Marina. ! you joined the Aztecs and todkpart In the i attack and slaughter of ^ic noche tristc. | You wero afterward tho-friend and coun- j selor of Guatemoc and assisted In his doj fenso of Tcnoctitlan. Is this true, pris- 1 onor?" " It is all true, general,' ' I answered. ! "Good. You aro noqMUJfjgjangc,jnd had you a thousand lives younnve loiffeftcdT i thom all because of your treachery to your \ raco and blood. Into the circumstances j that led you to commit this horrible trca- : son I cannot enter. The^fact remains ! you have slain many of the Spaniards and their allies?that is, being in a state of treason, you have murdered them. WingHeld, your llfo is forfeit, and I condemn you to dio by hanging as a traitor and an apostate." 2 '' Then thero is nothing more to be said,'' I answered quietly, though a cold fear froze my blood. I "There is something," answered Cortes. "Though your crimes have been many, I am ready to givo you your llfo and freedom upon a condition. I am ready to do more?to find you a passage to Europe on j tho first occasion, where you may per] chance escape the echoes of your Infamy if j God is good to you. Tho condition is this: j Wo havo reason to believe that you are acI quainted with the hiding place of the gold ! of Montezuma, which was unlawfully j stolen from us on the night of the noche tristc?nay, wo know that this is so, for you wero seen to go with tho canoes that ! were laden with it. Choose now, apostate, between a shameful death and the revealing to us of the secret of this treasure." For a moment I wavered. On the ono hnnd was tho loss of honor, with life and liberty and tho hope of home; on the other a dreadful end. Then I remembered my oath and Otomie, and what she would think of me', living or dead, if I did this thing, and I wnvcred no more. I ( oral," I answcredcc^y^^^Knnoti^ff^P* death." "You mean that you will say nothing of : it, traitor. Think again. If you have 1 sworn any oaths, they o<ro broken by God. Tho empire of tho Aztecs is at an end; ] their king is my prisoner, their great city is a ruin. Tho true God Juta-trlumphed over theso devils by mv hand. Their wealth is my lawful sp<j>il, and I must i havo it to pay my gallanf comrades, who 1 cannot grow rich on desolation. Think l again." ; i "I know nothing of this treasure, gen eral." "Yet memory sometimes wakens, traitor. I havo said that you shall dio if yours should fail you, and so you shall, to be sure. But death is not alwoys swift There arc means. Doubtless you who have lived in Spuin have heard of them," and ho arched his brows and glared at me , meaningly, "by which a man may dio and ! yet live for many weeks. Now, loath as j I am to do it, it seems to mo that, if your ! memory still sleeps, I must find some ! such means to rouse it?before you die." ! ' I am in "your power, general," Ian1 swcrcd. "You call ino traitor again and i t. upland?not\>f the kt.bg of | Spain". I camo hither, following a villain j who lias wrought mo and rnino bitter I wrong?one of your company named De j Garcia or Sarccdu. To find him and for ! other reasons I joined the Aztecs. They j arc conquered, and I am your prisoner.' j At the least, deal with mo as a brave man | deals with a fallen enemy. I know nothj ing of tho treasure. Kill mo and make on end." I "As a man 1 might wish to do this. : Wingfleld, but I am moro than a man. I am tho hand of tho church here in Annhuac. You have purtaken with the,worshlpers of idols; you have seen your fellow Christians sacrificed and devoured by your brute comrades. For this alone you I <Jcsei ve to 1)0 tortured eternally, and doubtless that will be so after wo have done with you. As for tho hidalgo. Don Sarceda, I know him only as a bravo companion in arms, and certainly I shall not listen to tales told against him by a wander- | ing apostate. It is, however, unlucky for you," and hero a gleam of light shot across tho faco of Cortes, "that there 6hould be ony old feud between you, seeing that it is to his chargo that I am about to confldo you. Now, for tho last time, I say choose. Will you reveal the hiding place of tho treasure and go free, .or will you be hnnded over to the care of Don Sarccda till such time as ho shall find means to mako you speak?" Now a great faintness seized me, for I knew that I' was condemned to bo tortured, and that Do Garcia was to bo tho torturer. What mercy had I to expect from this cruel heart when I, his deadliest foe, lay in his power to wreak his vengeance on ? But still my will and my honor prevailed against my terrors, and I answered: "I have told you, general, that I know nothing of this treasure. Do your worst, and may God forgivo you for your cruelty." "Daro not speak that holy name, apostato and worshiper of idols, eater of human flesh. Let Sarceda bo summoned." A messenger went out, and for awhilo there was silence. I caught Marina's glanco and saw pity in her gentle eyes. | But she could not help mo here, for Cortes was mad because 110 gold had been found, and the clamor of the soldiers for reward had worn him out and brought him to this shameful remedy, he who was not cruel by nature. Still she strove to plead for mo with him, whispering earnestly in his car. For awhilo Cortes listened; then ho pushed her from him roughly. ''Peace, Marina," ho said. "What! Shall I sparo this English dog some pangs j when my command nnd pcrchanco my j very lifo hangs upon the finding of the I gold? Nay, ho knows well whero it lies j hid. You said it yourself when I would j have hung him for a trnl^g, and certainly ? { he was one of thusI out with it upon the lakc.^^^^H9Nj^| with them also, but he I Doubtless tlicy murderfl^^HI^Hl^HM I 1.inn unwi uj troubled enough to hisfa^^H^^HHMHj^B in thought. for me sadly and sighed rus have done my l>c*trl-:<??nd iMhankeoxl^W with my eyes. ~ j Presently there was ufcolind of footsteps, j . and I looked up to seoiXi Garcia standing I before me. Time and hardship had touched | I him lightly, nnd the lines of silver in his j curling hair and peaked beurtl did but add j dignity to?his noble presence. Indeed, | when I looked at him in his dark Spanish j | bcuuty, his rich garments docked with | chains of gold, as lie bowed before Cortes, j ; hat in hand, I was fain to confess that I i had never seen a moro gallant cavalier, or j I one whose aspect gave the lie so wholly to : uie uiock nearr wuiun. Jiut Knowing nun i I for what lie was my very blood quivered ! : with hate at, tins sight of him, and when I j thought of my own impotence and of the j errand on which he had come I ground i my teeth and cursed tho day that I was j born. As for I)e Garcio, he greeted mo ! with a little cruel smile, then 6poko to Cortes. j 1 "Your pleasure, general?" j "Greeting to you, comrade," answered j . j Cortes. ' You know this renegade?" J f "But too well, general. Three times ho j ( | has striven to murder me." I "Well, you have escaped, and It is your 1 j hour now, Sarcctla. He says that ho has a ! I quarrel with you. What is it?" i ' Do Garcia hesitated, stroking his peaked ; j bcaril, then answered: 4,I am loath to tell 1 , It because it Is a talo of error for which I j liavo often sorrowed and dono penance, j Yet I will speak for fear you should think worse of 1110 than i deserve. This man has some cause to misliko me since, to be frank, when I was younger than I am today and < given to tho follies of youlMHB*l*ed J tiiat in ^"r'tiufl T Iiirl * fii'mntlii i a beau- ! tiful SpanisMiiuly who by ill fortuno was j f wedded to -an Knglishmnn, this man's father clown of clowns, who maltreat- , cd h'^ml will ho short. Tho lady learned to lo mK, and I worsted her husband in a j ( duel f nee this traitor's bate of mc." ' I heard and thought tliat iny lieart must ! )urst with fury. To all his wickedness i ind offenses against 1110 Do Garcia now tad added slander of my dead mother's tonor. "You lie, you murderer!" I gasped tearng at tho ropes that bound me. "I must ask you to protect mo from j luch insult, general, "Do Garcia answered soldly. "Were tho prisoner worthy of my iword I would ask further that his bonds ihould bo loosed for a little space, but my ' tonor would bo tarnished forever were I *> fight with such as lie." 1 "Daro to speak thus once more to a gen- 1 Jcman of Spain," said Cortes coldly, 'and, you heathen dog, your tongue shall >0 dragged from you with rcdhot pinchers. For you, Sarceda, I thank you for your j ?nfldcncc. If you have no worse crimo | ;hnn a love affair upon your soul, I think ;hat our good chaplain, Olmedo, will 'rank you through tho purgatorial fires. But we waste words and time. This man j ias tho secret of tho treasure of Guatemoo 1 _* Hr j. Tt n i. via < ?UU UJL 1U.UI1L''?UIIIU. XX UUUlClliVA/ uuu HiO lobles will not tell it, bo at least may bo { forced to speak, for tho torments that an } [ndian can enduro without a groan will ' won bring truth bubbling from tho lips of i ;ho white heathen. Tako him, Sarceda, i } md, hearken, lot him be your especial care, j ^ First let him suffer with tho others, and . ifterward, should ho prove obdurate, alone. The method I_|ajYcr to you. Should ho i confess, summon mo." j i "Pardon mo, general, but this is no task for a hidalgo of Spain. I havo been moro ] wont to pierce my enemies with tho sword ( than to tear them with pinchers," said Do i j Sarcia, but as ho spoko I saw a gleam of j < triumph shino in his black eyes and heard tho ring of triumph through tho mock anger of his voice. ] "I know it, comrado. But this must bo lone. Though I hate it, it must be_donc. < There is no other way. Tho gold is neces- < Jary to mo?by tho Mother of God, tho ( iLnaves say that I havo stolen it!?and I t doubt these stubborn Indian dogs will never speak, however great their agony. ' This man knows, and I givo him over to ( pou because you are acquainted with his ! 1 wickedness, and that knowledge will steel , I pour heart against all pity. Sparo not, j ; comrado. Remember that ho must bo . forced to speak." "It is your command, Cortes, and I will obey it, though I love tho task littlo. With ' one proviso, however?that you give mo pour warrant in writing." "It shall bo mado out at once," an- 1 Bwered tho general. "And now away with him." "Where tof" "To tho prison that he has left. All is ready, and thcro ho will And his comrades." 1 Then a guard was summoned, and I was ] dragged back to my own place, Dc Garcia saying as I went that he would bo with j i me presently. i TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK. ijllwltattfouji grading. VIOLENT EXERTION. It Is Dangerous und Should Always l>e Avoided. Written for the Yorkville Knqulrer. Few persons know that there is any danger from 15 minutes violent exertion. They feel that it occasions extreme tightness in the chest, accompanied with pain in the region of the heart, ; and giddiness of head. This is thought to be in all cases temporary, and when they get relief it is over. In the majority of cases this is true. Unfortunately, however, in a certain few, the 15 minutes work entails years of suffering and premature death. The difficulty in breathing is not due to any weakness in the lungs ; but is produced by undue work being thrown on the heart so that the lungs become engorged with blood, consequently air cannot freely enter them. the body, in the ! same way become distended by the j heart pumping blood into them faster" * than it can pass out into the veins. Now we have the arteries full. The violent exertion keeps up, thus lashing | the heart ou in its effort to force more j blood into the over-filled blood vessels, the flow meeting with so much resistance in that direction, some- j time takes a contrary course, passing backward through a valve of the i heart, thus forcing the valve past its ; true point, so that it is damaged to ; such an extent that it is never repair- I ed, and ever after remains insufficient. In case the valve does not give way, i the heart muscles may experience a violent strain and be thus permanently weakened. After resting a while, the circulation is re-adjusted and we feel us if all j is well ; but possibly not so. The damage done may be lasting, and after a while the heart weakens and the attendant symptoms of heart disease make their appearance. I don't mean to be understood that injury is always cnotainpfl hv violent exertion. On the | contrary, I say that only a small per j cent, of persons are so injured; but since it is a source of danger, one should at least be careful, for he may be one of the victims. When the heart is strong, it. is able to stand this excessive tax. On the other hand, where it is weak, the danger is great- , ly increased. Therefore, let me warn especially all persons leading a sedentary life to be careful, when they feel their breath getting short?stop. George Walker, M. D. OUGHT TO HE THANKFUL. A Confederate Officer's Retort to General Sherman. Even a good story is improved by being well told, and General Heth, of i Confederate fame, not only possesses a fund of interesting incidents, says the N. Y. Tribune, but can relate them be- i tween cigarette puffs in a way that makes him the most' entertaining of companions. He represents the United States government on the Antietam board, and when the commissioners from any State are ready to go to the battlefield to locate the position of the regimeuts | from their State, it is his duty to go with _ over the H^HI^H^^Pvlittle at West I was the our buttles over iiTtoiin hut. nt.'nne nnint. some- ! 7 ? J *"t X 7 thing I said made him break out with, 'But you damned rebels did so and so.' 'Damned rebels,'said I. 'If there are any two persons on God's earth who ought to get down on their knees three times every day and thank the Lord that there were any 'damned rebels,' you and Grant are the ones! If it hadn't been for us 'damned labels' you would still be teaching school, and Grant would be tanning leather.' " "And what did, Sherman say to that?" was asked. "He slapped ine on the back, and said, with a hearty laugh, 'That is so.' " The general lighted a fresh cigarette, and continued : "I met Grant a few days after that, [ and, in the course of our talking, he j < said to me, *l)o you remember the , time, years ago, when I came very ' : near breaking your neck ?' "I replied, 'I suppose you refer to i j the lime when you took me out riding, in '52, to show me your fast horse, aid an accident threw us both out, ' ind you fell on your head and shoul- 1 lers ?' " 'That was the time,' said Grant, i " 'Do you know what I have thought 1 >f it since?' I asked him. i " 'No.' I " 'Well, I have wished a 100 times, j since, that you had brokeffyour neck.' " ! < "That accident," added General I Ifeth, "illustrated General Grant's < diameter. He was considerably hurt, | < nit he insisted on completing the trip, 1 : ind we went out a few miles and visitid two or three classmates we had cno\vn at West Point. In referring to his in 18G8, Grant added, 'Do you emember when we got out there, hose fellows didn't otl'er us anything o drink ?'" The conversation finally drifted on o the subject of Gettysburg. "I suppose," said General Heth, 'that I was responsible for that battle icing fought at that point. I was at Sasltown with my division, when I ' learned that were a lot of shoes at Jettysburg. I directed one of my . olouels to take his regiment and go here and get them. He went part of he way, and then came back and rejorted that he had heard drums beatng near the village, and wassurethat some of the Yankees were there. My Jivision'needed the shoes, so I took my mmmand and started over there to ?et them, but met your cavalry on the ,vay, and our fighting led to reiuforeenents being brought up on both sides, ind, finally, of the battle being fought here, where it hud not been auticipa;ed." "Lee, then, was not ready or anxious for the fight?" "Lee never needed urging or asking. He was always more ready than his ifficcrs, even Jackson. If he thought here was half a chance, lie did not iiave to be urged to have us go in." Although General Hetli was not present at the time of the battle of (Vntietam, he has been a close student _>f that engagement, and has become very familiar with every portion of die field by repeated visits. He is Marking three positions for each brigade, the one occupied on the morning of September 17, 18G2; the point of furthest advance during the day, and the bivouac on the night of the 17th. He estimates that the fifteen hundred icres which the government will have to acquire will cost about one hunJred thousand dollars, and he expects to ask the next congress for fifty thousand dollars with which to begin the permanent work. Economy not Stinginess.?"He was a very close mau ; many called him stingy." This remark was made concerning an old farmer who recently closed his labors on earth. But we knew the mau better. He was not stingy. He was industrious, provident and frugal. He wasted nothing that he could save. He had been a hard-working man all his life. He began with no capital but his strong arms and a determination to make a good, honest living and lay up enough for the coming "rainy day." He began in the woods. He cleared up his own farm. During alj those early years of struggle and privation he was environed by conditions that absolute-!y compelled the habits of the strictest economy, and these habits naturally clung to him through life. But he was not stingy. Thrifty, provident people are often termed so by their improvident and less successful neighbors?and less successful because improvident. We know that there are many -1: ?rnw?f nfton f lin Sllllg^ |iCU|!IC ? UUi/ > vI J Vibvu vuv term is a libel upon commendable frugality, as it was in the case above referred to. This man was always a liberal provider for his family. He was a regular contributor to charitable, benevolent objects. His wife and children always were decently and comfortably clad. His home was supplied with books and periodicals. His children were fairly educated. His farm was a model of thrift and careful attention. He was religious, and his character was above reproach. He was strictly honest. His word was as good as his note, and his note was as good as gold wherever he was known. If we had a nation of such men there would be no assignments, no broken banks, no sheriff's sales, no business failures. They may be sneered at and called miserly, but it is such men that maintain the credit and business of the country. The Oldest Bell in America.? The most unique oddity in the bell line now owned within the limits of the United States is the bell belonging to the African Methodist church at Haleyville, N. J. Those who have taken the pains to trace its history say that it was the first bell ever brought to the Western Hemisphere, and, moreover, it was once the property of Christopher Columbus. The bell was purchased by Captain Elias Newall on one of the Bahama Islands, and was by him presented to its present owners. According to a well-authenticated document iu the hands of the trustees of the Haley ville church, it is one of the bells which Ferdinand and Isabella ordered for the Alhambra in the very year that Columbus set sail on his voyage of discovery. Prior to leaving Spain on his fourth and last voyage to the New World, Columbus told the queen that the church devotees were buildiug a chapel at Carthagena, and that he had promised to procure a hell. She forthwith had one of the Alhambra's bells presented to the Admiral. It was duly christened and placed in the belfry of the Carthagena chapel where it done service until 1697, when the city was besieged and looted. The bell was a part of the booty which fell to the French ship La Rochclle ; but the relic was destined to never leave the Western continent. Two or three days later a terrible hurricane swept the tropical sea and the ltochelle went ashore on the island of St. Andreas. The bell and a few of the crew were saved, and it was from the descendants of the survivors that Captain Newall learned the wonderful history of the relic. The captain, being a resident of Halevville. nurchased the hell and uregpntru il ?u me .inman num .. u, rlwi ? nq1'is above related. Jo?" A physicianhas~WTitten an article to show that dyspepsia is due to a disorder of the ht^ad, and not to the stomach. He says; "The yjynber of so-called dyspeptics that :ue cureu *.9.. ? t lie disappearance of business, domestic or social annoyance, are nearly unlimited. An overdue note in possession of a beetle-nose or beetle eyed creditor, is more productive of dyspepsia than a meal of second-hand carpet tacks. In fact, it may bo the safest thing to assume that iu the dyspepsia we had better look in the garret, closet or cellar of the dyspeptic's uuuae, ui aiuun^ iiis or suciui relations, rather than to his stomach, for the difficulty. AST" A Crawfordsville (Ind.) man has advertised his house for sale, us follows: "In order to raise sufficient funds to supply iny 15-year-old daughter with all the tomfoolery required by the high school faculty us a starter for an education (?) in our boasted fine educational institution I find that, my salary being insufficient, I am competed to sell my home. At the-rate the school faculty is going they won't turn out a scholar with enough common sense left to set a dinner table." 8?T Mullet fishing by night in the Chesapeake is excitingsport. A small boat is used, and a light is placed in the stern. When a school of the fish is sighted near shore the boat is rapidly rowed toward them until they are driven ashore. Once they feel the land beneath them they begin to leap toward the light. Then the boat is dressed on the shoreward side, so as to bring the other side high above the water. The consequence is that many jf the fish leap directly into the hoat, ind are thus taken.