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- ' I ^ . I lewis >i. grist, proprietor, j An J independent (dfhniilj! <$) endpaper: (j[or the promotion of thct jpotitiqal, ^oqiat, Agricultural and (^omincr^ial Jnteresta of the ^outh. j terms---$2.oo a year in advance. VOL. 41. f YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JA.ISTTJARY 23, 1895. ISTO. 4. - v. BY RIDER Author of "King Solomon's! "Allen Quan opyrlght, 1893, by the Author. CHAPTER XXIX. THE END OF GUATEMOC. Now for awhile we dwelt in quiet at the City of 'Pines, and by slow degrees and with much suffering I recovered from the wounds that the cruel hand of Do Garcia had inflicted upon me. But wo knew that this peace could not last, and the people of the Otomic knew it also, for had they not scourged the envoys of Molincheoutof tho gates of their city? Many of them were now sorry that this had been done, but it was done, and they must reap as they had finwn So they made ready for war, and Otomlo was tho president of their councils, in which I shared. At length came nows that a forco 'of 50 Spaniards, with 5,000 Tlascaian allies, wero advancing on tho* city to destroy us. Then I took command of the tribesmen of tho Otomic?there wero 10,000 or more of them, all well armed after their own fashion?and advanced out of tho city till I was two-thirds of the way down tho gorge which leads to it. But I did not bring nil my array down this gorge, since there was no room for them to fight there, and I had another plan. I sent somo 7,000 men round tho mountains, of which the secret paths were well known to them, bidding them climb to the crest of tho precipices that bordered cither sido of tho gorge, and there, at certain places where tho cliff is sheer and more than 1,000 feet in height, to make a great provision of stones. Tho rest of my army, exoepting 500* whom I kept with mo, I armed with bowl and throwing spears and stationed them in ambush in convenient places where tho sides of tho cliff were broken and in suoh fashion that rocks from above could not bo rolled on them. Then I sent trusty men as spies to warn mo of the approach of the Spaniards and others wh?>so mission it was to offer tnemseives to tnem as guraw. ; Now, I thought my plan good, and every- j thing looked well, and yet it missed fciluro but by a very little, for Maxtla, .our enemy and tho friend of tho Spaniards, was in my camp?indeed I had brought him with mo that I might watch bfaa? ; and ho had not been idle. For when tho Spaniards were Vdf n day's march from the mouth of thGdefllo . ono of thoso men whom I had told.off to ! watch their advance camo to 1110 undmodo it known that Maxtlu had bribed Mm to : go to tho leader of tho Spaniards and disclose to him tho plan of tho ambuscade. This man had tuken tho bribo andstarted on his errand of treachery, butMs heart foiled him, and returning ho told mo all. Then I caused Maxtlu to be seized, and bo- I for? nightfall he had paid th<?priooof his wickedness. j On the morning after his death the Spanish array entered the past Half way down it I met them with my 100 men and engaged them, but suffered tfem to drive t us bock with some loss. As fiicy followed 1 they grew bolder, and wo flodfaster till at | length weflow down thedeflb, followed by tho Spanish horse. Now, some three furlongs from its mouth that loads to the City ! of Pines this pjiss turns and narrows, and hero the cliffs are so sheer and high that a twilight reigns ut tho foot of them. Down tho narrow way wo ran in seem- j ing rout, and after us camo the Spaniards shouting 011 their saint* and Hushed with victory. But scarcely had wo turned tho t corner when thoy saqgapnotlicr song,/for 1 thoso who wore watching 1,000 feet above us gave the signal, and down from on high came a rain of 6tonee and bowlders that darkened tho ulr nnd crashed among them, I crushing many of them. _ I On they struggled, seeing a wider way I in front where tho cliffs sloped, and perhaps half of them won through. But hero i tho archers were waiting, and now, in tho ' place of stones, arrows were hailed upon 1 them till at length, utterly bewildered and unablo to strike a blow in their own defense, they turned to fly toward the open country. This flolshod the light, for now we assailed their flank, mul once more the , rocks thundered on them from above, and , tho end of it was that those who remained of the Spaniards and their Indian allies wcro driven in utter rout back to the plain beyond the pass of Pines. After this battle the Spaniards troubled us no more for many years except by , throats, and my name grew great among tho peoplo of the Otomie. One Spaniard I rescued from death, and afterward I gave him his liberty. From him I Inquired of the doings of I)c Garcia or Sarccda and learned that he was still in the service of Cortes, but that Marina had bt-cn true to her word and had brought dis- ; grace upon him because he had threatened to put Otomie to the torture. Moreover, j Cortes was angry with him because of our escape, tho burden of which Marina had laid upon h!i shoulders, hinting that he had taken a bribe to suffer us to pass tho gate. -\ . Of tho 14years of my life which followed tho defeat of the Spaniards I can speak briefly, for, compared to the time that had gone beforo, they were years of quiet. In them children were lx>rn to me and Otomie?throe sons?and these children were J my great Joy, for I loved them dearly, and j they loved mo. Indeed, except for the j strain of their mother's blood, they were j English and not Indian, for I christened them all and taught them our English tonguoand faith, and their mien and eyes j were more English than Indian, though their skins were dark. But I hail no luck with these dear children of mine any more thun I have had with that which j Lily bore inc. Two of them died?ono from a fever that all my skill would I not avail to cure, and another by a fall from a lofty cedar tr^p, which he climbed Riwwkino fi\t> u unst,. Thus of tho three of them?since I do not speak now j of tfet infant, my firstborn, who perished t in tie siege?there remained to mr, only tw eldest and best beloved, of whom I , must tell hereafter. J*or the rest, jointly with Otomie I was named caziquo of the City of Pines at a 1 freat council tl^vt was held after I had de- 1 ^^Jtrused the Spaniards and their allies, and Ifcwe had wide though not absolute powert-tiy the exe'reiso of typ'^WeFCTT the entx I succeeded in abolishing the hor- ! rible rites of human sacrifice., nhough, because of this, a large number oi tin- outlying tribes fell away from our rule, and the enmity of the priests was excited against me. The last sucrlflce, except one only, tho j most terrible of them all, of which I will \ / tell.afterward, that was ever celebrated on the tcocalli in front of tho palace took place after the defeat of tho Spaniards in | tho pass. When I had dwelt three years in tho / City of Pines and two sons had been born ' to me then.-, secret messengers arrived that were to be sent by the friends of Guutcmoe, who had survived the torture and was still a prisoner in the hands of Cortes. ; From these messengers we learned that I Cortes was about to start upon an expedition to the gulf of Honduras, across tho country that is now known as Yucatan, taking Guatemoc and other Aztec nobles with him, for ho feared to leave them be- ! hind. We heard also that there was much murmuring among tho conquered tribes of Anahuac because of the crucifies and exI tortious of the Spaniards, and many thought that the hour had come when a rising against them might be carried to a - successful issue. This was the prayer of those who sent the envoys?that I should raise a force of Otomies and travel with it across the country to Yucatun, and therewith others who would be gathered wait a favorable opportunity to throw myself upon the Spaniards when they were entangled in the forests and swamps, putting them to the crenrd and releasing Guatemoc. Such was IB ^ that K When the message had been delivered I M shook my head sudly, for I could s^e J B hope In such a scheme, but the chief of t messengers rose and led mo nsia,. * ? ' that ho had a word for my ?oT ' yi"g S "Guatemoc sends these words 1 ]?. ?nM V " 'I hear that you, my brother, arc freS safe with my cousin Otomio in the nioun K tains of the Otomie. I, alas, linger In f>?. S prisons of the Tcules life.? a crippled cade I In a cage. My brother, if Jt Ys in ^ jfe.; power to help me, do so, I conjure you by the memory of our ancient friendship knd Bp \' of all that wo have suffered together Hg|R Then a time may still come when I shali rule again in Anahuac, and you shall sit at my side.' " , 1 ^AaaARD, Mines," "She," "He," "Jess,* termain," etc. I heard, and my heart was stirred, for then, M to this liour, I loved Guatcmoc as a brother. "Goback," I said, 1 and find means to i tell Guatcmoc that if I can save him I will, though I have small hopes that way. Still I let him look for me in the forests of Yuen- I tan." Now, when Otomio heard of this promise of mine she was vexed, for she said that It was foolish and would only end in my losing my life. Still, having given it, shekeld with mo that it must be carried 1 nut and the end of it was that I raised 500 man, and with them set out upon my long unl toilsome march, which I timed so us to meet Cortes in the passes of Yucatan. Afctho last moment Otomic wished to nc- j company me, but I forbade it, pointing oat that she could leave neither of her chil- , dwn, and wo parted with bitter grief for j the first time. "Of all tho hardships that I underwent I i Will not write. For 2)4 months wo strug- j gled on across mountains and rivers and j through swamps and forests till at last | tre reached a mighty deserted city that is called Palenquc by tho Indians of those j parts, which has been uninhabited for many generations. This city is tho most marvelous place that I have seen in all my travels, though much of it is hidden in I bush, for wherever tho traveler wanders 1 there ho finds vast palaces of marble, car yen within and without, nnd sculptured I teocallis and the huge images of grinning ! gods. Often have I wondered what na- ! tion was strong enough to build such a capital, and who were the kings that dwelt j in it. But these arc secrets belonging to j the past, and they cannot bo answered till 1 some learned man has found tho key to the stono symbols and writings with which the walls of the buildings arc cov- i cred over. In tills city I hid with my men, though j it was no easy task to persuade them to ; take up their habitation among so many ghosts of tho departed, not to speak of the noisomo fevers and tho wild beasts and snakes that haunted it, for 1 had information that tho Spaniards would puss through tho swamp that lies between the ruins and tho river, and there I hoped to ambush them. But on tho eighth day of my hiding I learned from spies that Cortes had crossed the great river higher up and was cutting liis way through the forest, for of swamps he had passed more than enough. So I hurried ulso to the river, intending to i cross it. But all that day and all that j night it rained as it can rain nowhere else j flwt thnf; T lmvn cAon Mil fit. limt ' wo waded on our road knee deep in water, [ and when wo coino to the ford of the river I it was to find a wide, roaring flood that j no man could pass in anything less frail j than a Yarmouth herring boat. So there | on the bank wo must stay in misery, suf- ; fcring many ills from fever, lack of food and plcntitude of water, till at length the j stream ran down. Three days and nights we waited there, j and on the fourth morning I made shift | to cross, losing four men by drowning in i tho passage. Once over, I hid my force in tho bush and reeds and crept forward with six men only to see if I could discover | anything of tho whereabouts of tho Span- j iards. Within an hour I struck tho trail that they had cut through tho forest and : followed it cautiously. Presently wo came j to a spot where the forest wus thin, and j here Cortes had camped, for there was heat left in the ashes of ins fires, and among them lay the body of an Indian who had j died from sickness. Not 50 yards from ! this camp stood a huge cciba, a tree that I has u liubit of growth not unlike that of j our English oak, though it is soft wooded and white barked and will increase moro ; in bulk in 20 years than any oak m-iy in i 100. Indeed I never yet saw an oak tree so ! large as this ceiba of which I write, either j in girth or in its spread of top, unless it be j tho Kirby oak or the tree that is called the , King of Scoto, whicli grows at Broome, that is the next parish to this of Ditching- ! ham, in Norfolk. On this ceiba trco many j zaphilotes or vultures were perched, and as j wo crept toward it I saw what it was they I came to seek, for from the lowest branches j of the ceiba three corpses swung in tho ; breeze. "Here arc tho Spaniards' foot- j prints," I said. "Let us look at them," and we passed beneath the shadow of the : tree. As I came, a zaphilotc .alighted on the j head of the body thut hung nearest to me, and its weight or the wafting of the j fowl's wing caused the dead man to turn round so that he came face to face with me. I looked, started buck, then locked again und sank to the curth groaning, for here was he whom I had come to seek and save, my brother, Guatemoc, the last emperor of Anahuac. Hero ho hung in the dim and desolate forest, dead by the death of a thief, while the vulture shrieked upon his head. I sat bewildered and horror stricken, and as I sat I remembered the proud sign of Aztec royalty, a bird of prey clasping an udder in its claw. There before me was the last of the stock, and, behold, a bird of prey gripped his hair in its talons, a fitting emblem indeed of the fall of Anahuac and the kings of Anahuac! I sprang to my feet, with an oath, und lifting the bow I held I sent an arrow i through the vulture, and it fell to the earth fluttering and screaming. Then I bade thoso with 1110 to cut down the corpses of Guatemoc and of the prince of Tacuba and another noble who hung with him ana I hollow a deep grave beneath the tree, j There I laid them, and there I left them J to sleep forever in its melancholy shadow, and thus for tho last timo I saw Guutcmoc, my brother, whom I came far to savo and found ready for burial by tho Spaniard. Then 1 turned my face homeward, for now Anahuac had no king to rescue, but it chanced that licforo I went I caught a Tlascalan who could speak Spanish, and who had deserted from the army of Cortes becauso of the hardships that lie suffered in their toilsome march. This man was present at the murder of Guatemoc and j his companions and heard the emperor's | last words. It seems that some knave j had betrayed to Cortes that an attempt wuuld bumude to rescuo tjfte prince, and that tfiereon Cortes comniAndod that lie should be hung. It scoins/niso that Guatemoc mot his death as he Had mot tho misfortunes of his life?proudly and wnhout fear. These were Ids l;?st words: '1 did ill, Malinche, when I held my hand from taking my own life before 1 surrendered mvsolf to you. Then my lioart told mo that all your promises were false, and it [ has not lied to mc. I welcome my death, i for I havo lived to know shame and defeat 1 and torture and to sec my people the slaves | of the Tculo, but still I say that God will reward you for this deed." Then they murdered him in the mldstof a great silence. And so farewell to Guatemoc, the most brave, the l>est and the noblest Indian that , ever breathed, and may the shadow of his tonncntings and shameful end lie deep upon the fntno of Cortes for so long as the j names of both of them are remembered among men! For two more months I journeyed home- i ward, and at length I reached the City of Pines well, though wearied, ami having 1 lost only 4b men by various misadventures, to find Otomie in good health and overjoyed to know me safe whom she thought never to see again. Hut when I told her what was the end of her cousin Guatemoc she grieved bitterly, both for his sake and ; because the last hope of the Aztecs was gone, and sho would not lie comforted for J many days. C1IAPTKR XXX. ISABELLA I)K SKM'KXZA IS AVKN(iEI). For many years after the death of Guatemoc I lived with Otomie at peace in the City of Pines. Our country was poor and | rugged, and, though we defied the Spanlards and paid them no tribute, now that j Cortes had gone back to Spain tlicy had no heart to attempt our conquest. Save some few tribes that lived in difficult places like ourselves, all Analmaewas in their power, and there was little to gain except hard blows in the bringing of a remnant of the people of tho Otomie beneath their yoke, bo they let us be till a more convenient scuson. I say of a remnant of tho Otomie, j for as time went on many clans submitted , to tho Spaniards till at length we ruled over tho City of Pines alono and sonic j leagues of territory about it. Indeed it was only love for Otomie and respect for i the shadow of her ancient race and name, : together with some reverence fur me as one ' [ of the unconquerable white men anil for my skill as a general, that kept our fol! lowing together. And so tho years rolled on, bringing litj tie cliango with them, till I grew sure that i hero in this far place I should live and die. But that was not to bo my fate. If nny should read this, tho story of my early life, ho will remember that tho talc of tho death of a certain Isabella do Sig' uenza is pieced into its motley. Ho will remember how-this Isabella, in tho last moments of her life, called down a curse upon that holy father who ndded outrage and insult to her torment, praying that ho might also dio by the hands of fanatics I and in a worso fashion. After the conquest of Anahuac by Cortes, among others j this samo llcry priest camo from Spain to turn the Indians to tho love of God by torment and by sword. Indeed of all of thoso who entered on this mission of peaco ho was tho most zealous. The Indian pabas wrought cruelties enough when, tearing out tho victim's heart, they offered it liko incense to Huitzcl or to Quetzal, but they at least dismissed his soul to the mansions of tho sun. With the Christian priests tho thumbscrew and tho stake took the place of tho stono of sacrifice, but the soul which they delivered from its earthly bondage they consigned to tho house of hell. Of theso priests a certain Father Pedro was tho boldest and tho most cruel. To and fro ho passed, marking his path with tho corpses of idolaters, until he earned tho namo of tho "Christian devil." At length ho venturcu too rar 111 ma noiy icrvor and was seized by a clan of tho Otomlo that had broken from our rulo upon this very question of human sacrifice, but which was not yet subjugated by the Spaniards. One day?it was when wo had ruled for some 14 years in tho City of Pines ?it came to my knowlcdgo that the pabas of this clan had captured a Christian priest and designed to offer him to the god Tczcut. Attended by a small guard only, I passed rapidly across the mountains, purposing to visit tho caziquc of this clan, with whom, although he had cast off his allegianco to us, I still kept up a show of friendship, and, if I could, to persuado him to release the priest. But swiftly as I traveled the vengeance of the pabas had been moro swift, and I arrived at the village only to find tho ''Christian devil" in tho act of being led to sacrifice before the image of a hideous idol that was set upon a 6tako and surrounded with piles of 6kulls. Naked to the waist, his hands bound behind him, his grizzled locks hanging about his breast, his keen eyes fixed upon tho faces of his heathen foes in menace rather than in supplication, his thin lips muttering prayers, Father Pedro passed on to the place of his doom, now and again shaking his head fiercely to free himself from tho torment of the insects which buzzed about it. I looked upon him and wondored. I looked again and knew. Suddenly there roso before my mind a vision of thnt gloomy vault in Seville of a woman, young and lovely, draped in cerements, and of a thin faced, black rolled friar who smote her upon tho lips with his ivory crucifix and cursed licr for a blaspheming heretic. Thcro before mo wus tho man. Isabella do Siguenzn had prayed that a fate liko to her own should liefall him, and it was upon him now. Nor indeed, remembering all that had liecn, was I minded to avert it, even if it had been in my power to do so. I stood by and let the victim pass, but as ho passed I spoke to him in Spanish, saying: "Remember that which it may well bo you havo forgotten, holy father. Remember now the dying prayer of Isabella do Slguenza, whom many years ago you did to death in Seville." Tho man heard me. Ho turned livid be n?ith ills tironzeu stun ana staggercu until I thought that ho would have fallen. Ho stared upon mc with terror in his eye to see, as bo believed, a common sight enough, that of an Indian chief rejoicing at the death of ono of his oppressors. "What devil arc you," ho said hoarsely, "sent from hell to torment mo at tho 1081!"" "Remember tho dying prayer of Isabella do Siguoiiza, whom you sthitfc n'nd cursed," I answered, mocking. "Seek not to know whence I am, but remember this only, now and forever." For a moment ho stood still, heedless of the^rgingsof his tormentors. Then his coui go came to him again, and ho cried with a great voice: "Get thee behind me, satan. What have I to fear from thee? I remember that dead sinner well?may licr soul liavo peace?and her curse has fallen upon mc. I rejoice that it should bo so, for on tho farther side of yonder stone the gates of heaven open to my sight. Get thee behind me, satan. What have I to fear from thee?" * Crying thus, ho staggered forward, saying: "O God, into thy hand I commend my spirit!" May his soul have peace also, for if ho was cruel at least ho was bravo and did not shrink beneath those torments which he had iuilicted on many others. Now this was a little matter, but its results were large. Had I saved Father Pedro from the hunds of the pabas of tho Otomie it is likely enough that I should not today bo writing this history hero in tho valley of tho Waveney. I do not know if T r>rml<l Vinvn cnml Mm I nnlv know that I did not try, and that because of his death great sorrows came upon inc. Whether I was right or wrong, who can say? Those who judge my story may think that in this as in other matters I was wrong. Had they seen Isabella do Siguenzu dio within her living tomb certainly they would hold that I was right. But for good or ill, matters came about as I have written. And it conic about also that the new viceroy sent from Spain was stirred to anger at the murder of the friar by the rebellious and heathen people of the Otomle and set himself to take vengeance on the tribe that wrought the deed. Soon tidings reached mo that a great forco of Tlascalan and other Indians were being collected to put an end to us root and branch, and that with them marched more than a hundred Spaniards, the expedition being under the command of none other than the Captain Bcrnal Diaz, that Siune soldier whom I had spared in the slaughter of the nochc trlste, and whoso sword to this day hung at my side. Now we must needs prepare our defense, for our only hope lay in boldness. Once before the Spaniards had attacked us with thousands of their allies, and of their number but few had lived to look again on the camp of Cortes. What had been done could be done for a second time?so said Otomio in tho pride of her unconquerable heart. But, alas, in 11 years things had changed much with us. Fourteen years ago we held sway over a great district of mountains, whose crude clans would send up their warriors in hundreds at our call. Now these clans had broken from our yoke, which was acknowledged by the people of tho City of Pines alone and thosp of 6omo adjacent villages. When tho Spaniards came down on me the first timev^l was able to muster an army of lo.ouo -.nldicrs to oppose them; now, with much toil, i could collect no more than Itetween 2,000 ami d.noo men, and of these some slipped away as the hour of danger drew nigh. Still I must put a bold face on my necessities and make what play I might with such forces as lay tit my command, although in my heart 1 feared much for the issue. But of my fears I said nothing to Otomio, and if she felt any she, on her part, buried them in her breast. In truth, I do believe her faith in me was so groat that site thought my single wit enough to overmatch all the armies of the Spaniards. a>OW ill' ll'Il^Ul iixu riuiii,t viiv ?> u\ai, and I set my battle as I had done I t years iK'fore, advancing down the pass by which alone they could approach us with a small portion of my force and stationing the remainder in two equal companies upon either brow of the beetling cliffs that overhung the road, having command to overwhelm the Spaniards with rocks, hurled upon them from above, so soon as I should give the signal by Hying ln-fore them down tin- pass Other measures I took also, for seeing that, do what I would, it. might happen that we should he driven back upon the city, I caused its walls and gates to be set in order and garrisoned them. .As a hist resource, too, I stored the lofty summit of the teoealli, which, now that sacrifices were no longer offered there, was used us un arsenal for the material of war, with water and provisions and fortified its sides by walls studded with volcanic glass and by other devices till it seemed well nigh impossible that any should be able to force them while a score of men still lived to offer a defense. It was on one night in the early summer, having bid farewell to Otomie and taking my son with me, for he was now of on age when, according to the Indian customs, lads are brought face to face with the* dangers of battle, that I dispatched the appointed companies to their stations on the brow of the precipice and sallied into the darksome mouth of the pass with the few hundred men who were left to me. I knew by my spies that the Spaniards who were encamped on the farther side would attempt its passage an hour before the daylight, trusting to finding me asleep. I And, sure enough, on the following morn 1 ing, so early that the first rays of tne sun hud not yet stained the lofty snows of the | volcnn Xucu that towered behind us, a j distant niurmuring which echoed through j the silcnco of the night told ine that the enemy had lx-gun his inarch. I moved ! down the pass to meet him easily enough, j There was 110 stone in it that was not known to me and my men. But with the Spaniards it was otherwise, for many of them were mounted, and, moreover, they ! dragged with them two carronades. Time i upon time these heavy guns remained fast in the bowlder strewn roadway, for in tho j darkness the slaves who drew them could 1 find no places for the wheels to run on, j till in tho end the captains of the army, j unwilling to risk a fight at 60 great a dLs! advantage, ordered them to halt until the I day broke. At length the dawn cumc, and the light , fell dimly down tho depths of the vast ' gulf, revealing the long ranks of tho Span | iards clad In their bright armor ana tno | yet more brilliant thousands of their nativo allies, gorgeous in their painted helms , and their glittering coats of feathers. They saw us nlso, and mocking nt our poor array their column twisted forward t like some huge snako in the crack of ft rock till they came to within a hundred paces of us. Then tho Spaniards raised | their Iwttlcery of St. Peter, nnd lanco at ; rest they charged us with their horse. We ! met them with a rain of arrows that j ! checked them a little, but not for long. \ ' Soon they were among us, driving us | j back at the point of their lances and slay- j j ing many, for our Indian weapons could 1 ! work little harm to men and horses clad j in armor. Therefore we must fly, and in! deed flight was my plan, for by it I hoped j to lead the foe to that part of tho defllo 1 I where tho road was narrow nnd tho cliffs 1 ' sheer, and they might l>c crushed by tho j } stones which should hail on them from I above. All went well. We fled. The Span- I j lards followed, flushed with victory, till [ j they were fairly in the trap. Now a singlo j i bowlder camo rushing from on high, and I falling on a horso killed him, then, rebounding, carried dismay and wounds to ; those behind. Another followed, and yet j I another, nnd I grew glad at licart, for it ! j seemed to me that tho danger was over, | and that for the second timo my strategy j had succeeded But suddenly from above there camo a ; i sound other than that of tho rushing rocks, | , tho sound of men joining in battle, that , grew till tho air was full of its tumult; ! : then something whirled down from on i high. I looked. It was no stone, but a j j man, ono of my own men. Indeed he ! was but as tho first raindrop of a shower. Alas, I saw tho truth! I had been out, wittcd. The Spaniards, old in war, could not bo caught twice by such a trick. They advanced down tho pass with the carron| odes indeed, because they must, but first : they sent great bodies of men to climb tho i mountain under shelter of the night by soI crct paths which had been discovered to them, and there on its summit to deal j with those who would stay their passage j j by hurling rocks upon them. And in truth they dealt with them hut j I too well, for my men of the Otoinie, lying ; j on tho verge of tho cliff among tho scrub j of aloes and other prickly plants that grew I ; there, watching tho advance of the foe be- | ncntli anil never lor one moment iireain- j ing that foes might he upon their flank, were utterly surprised. Scarcely had they j timo to seize their weapons, which were j laid atvthcir sides that they might have the greater freedom in the rolling of heavy 1 masses of rock, when the enemy, who out- > | numbered them by far, were upon them I | with a yell. Then came a fight, short, but : ! decisive. Too late I saw it all anil cursed the j | folly that had not provided against such I chances, for indeed I never thought it pes- ! j Bible that the forces of the Spaniards could j j find the secret trails upon the farther side | of the mountain, forgetting that treason j makes most tilings possible. CHAPTER XXXI. THE SIEGE OF THE CITY OF PINES. The battle was already lost. From a thousand feet above us swelled the shouts j | of victory. The battle was lost, and yet I j must light on. As swiftly as I could I i withdrew those who were left to me to a i certain angle in the path, where a score of ' desperate men might forawhile hold back ; the advance of an army. Here I called for j some to stand at my side, and many an! swered to my call. Out of them I chose i 50 men or more, bidding the rest run hard : for the City of Pines, there to warn those ! who were left in garrison that the hour of i | danger was upon them, and, should I fall, j : to conjure Otomie, my wife, to make the I j best resistance in her power till, if it were j ; possible, she could wring from the Span- J ' lards a promise of safety for herself, her j : child and her people. Meanwhile I could j : hold the pass so that time might be given i to shut the gates and man the walls. With ; ! the main body of those who were left to ' i me I sent back my son, though ho prayed ! ! hard to Ik; allowed to stay with me. But, | j seeing nothing before mo except death, I j J refused him. Presently all were gone, anil fearing a | I snare the Spaniards came slowly and eau- I tiously round the angle of the rock, and 1 seeing so few men mustered to meet them, 1 halted, for now. they were certain that wo ' I had set a trap for them, since they did not j I flilnt- If, unusable flint such a little hand ! would venture to oppose their array. Hero I tlio ground lay so that only it few of them could come against us at one time, nor could they bring their heavy pieces to bear } [ upon us, and even their arquebuses helped i I them but little; also the roughness of the i road forced them to dismount from their ! ! horses, so that if they would attack at all j it must be on foot. This in tho end they l chose to do. Many fell upon either side, | though I myself received no wound, but in i the end they drove us back; inch by inch j they drove us back, or rather those who ! were left of us, at the points of their long lances, till at length they forced us Into the mouth of tho pass that is sonio five furlongs distant from what was once tho | wall of the City of Pines. To fight further was of no avail. Ilerc wo must choose between death and (light, | and, as may bo guessed, for wives' anil children's sake, if not for our own, we chose to fly. Across the plain we fled like j deer, and after us came the Spaniards and their allies like hounds. Happily the | ground was rough with stones, so that their I horses could not gallop freely, and thus it I happened that some of us, perhaps Sit), { gained tho gates in safety. Of my army j not more than 500 in all lived to enter I them again, and perchance there were as i j many left within the city. 1 The heavy gates swung to,( and scarcely i 1 wero they barred with tho massive beams | ; of oak when the foremost of the Spaniards : j rode up to them. My bow was still in my i ! hand, and there was one arrow left in my 1 j quiver. I set it on the string, and draw- , lng tho bow with my full strength I loosed I tho shaft through tho bars of tho gato at a ; young upd gallant looking cavalier who I rode the first, of all. It struck him truly between the joint of his helm and neckpiece, and stretching his ! arms out wide he fell over the crupper of his horse to move no more. Then they j ! withdrew, but presently one of their minil ber came forward bearing a flag of truce, j He was a knightly looking man, clad in , rich armor, ami watching him it seemed i ! to me that there was something in his | bearing and in the can-less grace with ' j which he sat his horse that was familiar to ' | me. Reining up in front of tho gates, he ; ] raiscu 111s visor aim organ ro speux. I knew li.'ni at once. Hefore ine was De I i Garcia, my enemy, of whom I hml neither i seen nor lieard anything for liard xipon 12 years. Time had touched him indeed, which was scarcely to lie wondered at, for now he was a man of 00 or more. His 1 peaked chestnut colored heard was streaked with gray, his checks were hollow, and at that distance his lips seemed like two thin red lines, but the eyes were as they had always been, bright and piercing, and the same cold smile played about his mouth. Without a doubt it was De Garcia, who now, as at every crisis of my life, appeared to shape my fortunes to some evil end, and ; I felt us 1 looked upon him that the last and greatest struggle between us was at hand, and that before runny days wens sped the ancient and accumulated hate of , ono or both of us would be buried forever 1 In the silence of death. How ill had fate ! dealt with mo now, as always! Hut a few i minutes before, when I set that arrow oil ! the string, I had wavered for a moment, j doubting whether to loose it at the young I cavalier who lay dead oral the knight who 1 rode next to him, and see, 1 had slain one I with whom I had no quarrel and left my j enemy unharmed! "Ho, there!" cried I)eGarcia in Spanish. I "I desire to speak with the leader of the I rebel Otomie on behalf of the Captain Her- j | nal Diaz, who commands this army." Now I mounted on the wall by means i i of a ladder which was at hand and an- j | swered, "Speak on; I am the man you ; j seek." 'You know Spanish well, friend," said j De Garcia, starting and looking at mo j keenly beneath his bent brows. "Say now, where did you learn it? And what is I your name and lineage?" " I learned Tt, Juan ilo Garcia, from a certain Donna Lulsa, whom you knew In your days of youth. And my name Is Thomas VVingfield." Now Dc Garcia reeled in his saddle and swore a great oath. 'Motherof God!" he said. "Years ago I was told that you had taken up your ahodo among some snvage tribe, but since then I have been far, to Spain and back indeed, and I deemed that vou were dead, Thomas Wingfleld. My luck Is good, in truth, for it has been one of the great sorrows of my life that you have so often escaped mo, renegade. Be sure that this time there shall be no escape." "I know well that there will bo no escapo for one or other of us, Juan do Garcia," I answered. "Now we play the last round of the game, but do not boast, for God alone knows to whom the victory shall lie given. You have prospered long, but a day may bo at hand when your prosperity shall cease with your breath. To your errand, Juan do Garcia." For a moment ho sat silent, pulling at his pointed beard, and watching him I thought that I could see the shadow of a half forgotten fear creep into his eyes. If so, it was soon gone, for lifting his head he 6poko boldly and clearly. "This ia my incssugo to you, Thomas Wingflcld, ami to such of thoOtomio dogs with whom you herd as wo have left allvo today. ThoHaptajn Bcjjyd Diaz offers you tonus on bchhlf of his excellency the viceroy." "What nro his terms?" I nsked. "Merciful enough to such pestilent rebels and heathens," ho answered, sneering. "Surrender your city without condition, and tho viceroy, in his clemency, will ac ccpt the surrender. Nevertheless, lest you should say afterward thnt faith has been broken with you, bo it known to you that you shall not go unpunished for your many crimes. This is the punishment that shall be inflicted on you. All tlioso who had part or parcel in the devilish murder of that holy saint, Father Pedro, shall bo burned at tho stake, and tho eyes of all who beheld it shall bo put out. Such of tho leaders of tho Otomio ns the judges may select shall be hanged publicly, among them yourself, Cousin Wingflcld, and more particularly tho woman Otomic, daughter of Montezuma, the late king. For tho rest, tho dwellers in tho City of Pines must surrender their wealth into tho treasury of tho \ icoroy, and they themselves, men, women and children, shall bo led from the city and be distributed, according to tho viceroy's pleasure, upon tho estates of such of tho Spanish settlers ns ho may 6clect, there to learn tho useful arts of husbandry and mining. Theso arc tho conditions of surrender, and I am commanded to Bay that.... hour is given you in which to decide whether to accept or reject them.'' "And if wo reject them?" "Then tho Captain Bornal Diaz has orders to sack and destroy this city, and having given it over 12 hours to tho mercy of the Tlascalans and other faithful Indian allies to collect those who may bo left living within it and bring them to the City of Mexico, there to bo sold as slaves " "Good," I said. "You shall have your answer in an hour." Now, leaving tho gate guarded, I hurried to the palace, scalding messengers as I went to summon such of the council of tho city as remained alive. At tho door of tho imlnoo T met Qtnmie. who erected me fond ly, for uftcr hearing of our disaster she hnd hardly looked to sco me again. "Come with mo to tho hall of assembly," I said; ''there I will speak to you." We went to tho hall, where tho members of the council were already gathorcd. So soon as tho most of them were assembled? there were but eight in all?I repeated to them the words of Do Garcia without comment. Then Otomie spoke, as, being tho first in rank, sho had a right to do. Twice before I hnd heard her address tho people of the Otomie upon these questions of defense against the Spaniards. Tho first time, it may bo remembered, was when wo came ns envoys from Cuitlnhua, Montezuma's (her father's) successor, to pray tho aid of tho children of the mountain against Cortes and tho Teules. Tho second timo was when, somq 14 years ago, wo hod returned to tho City of Pines as fugitives uftcr tho fall of Tcnoctitlan, and the populace, moved to fury by the destruction of nearly 20,000 of their soldiers, would liavo delivered us ns a peace offering into tho hands of the Spaniards. On each of these occasions Otomie had triumphed by her eloquence, by the greatness of her name and the mnjesty of her presence. Now things were far otherwise, and even had sho not scorned to use them such arts would havo availed us nothing in their extremity. Now her great namo was but a shadow, one of many waning shadows cast by an empire whoso glory had gone forever. Now she used no passionate appeal to tho pride and traditions of a doomed race, now sho was no longer young, and tho first splendor of her womanhood hadi departed from her. And yet, as with her son and mlno by her 6ide, she roso to address thoso seven councilors, who, haggard with fear and hopeless in tho grasp of fate, crouched in silence before her, their faces buried in their hands, I thought that Otomio had never 6eemcd moro beautiful, and that her words, slmt*1,? tl,nv m-iiivi li'wl m?vnr luwn liinro rln V..XJ ...... qucnt. ''Friends," shosnid, "you know the disaster that has overtaken us. My husband has given you tlio nicssago of the Tcules. Our cuso is desperate. We liavo but 1,000 men at most to defend this city, the homo of our forefathers, and we alono of all tho peoplo of Analumc daro to stand in arms against tho white men. Years ago I said to you, Chooso between death with honor and life with shame! Today again I say to you, Choose! For mo and mino there is no choico left, sinco whatcvor you dccldo death must 1ms our portion. But with you it is otherwise. Will you die lighting, or will you and your children servo your remaining years as slaves!"' For awhile tho seven consulted together; then their spokesman answered. "Otoinle, and you, Tculc, wo hnvo followed your counsels for many years, and they have brought us but little luck. Wo do notblamo you, for tho gods of Anahuac have deserted us as we havo deserted them, and tho gods alono stand between men and their evil destiny. Whatever misfortunes we may havo borne, you have shared in them, and so it is now at tho end. Nor will wo go back upon our words in this tho last hour of tho people of tho Otomic. We have chosen; we havo lived free with you, and ktill "free wo will die with you, for, like you, we hold that It is better for us and ours to perish as freemen than to drag out our days beneath tho yoke of the Teule." "It is well," said Otomie. "Now nothing remains for 1110 except to seek death so glorious that it shall bo sung of in after days. Husband, you have heard the answer of the council,- Let tho Spaniards hear it also." jt. I So I wont frCMto wall, a white flag in my hand.^WlF presently an envoy advanced from the Spanish camp to speak to me?not l)e (iarftia, but another. I told him in few words that those who remained alive of tho people of the Otomie would die beneath the ruins of their city like the children of Tenoetitlan before them, but that while they had a spear to throw and tm arm to throw it they would never yield to the tender mercies of the Spaniard. The envoy returned to the camp, and within an hour the attack began. Bringing up their pieces of ordnance, the Span ianls set thcni within little more than n hundred paces of the gates and began to batter us with iron shot at their leisure, for our spears and arrows could scarcely harm them at such a distance. Still we were not idle, for seeing that the wooden gates must soon be down we demolished houses on either side of them and lilled up the roadway with stones and rubbish. At the roar of tlie heap thus formed I caused a grout trench to bo dug, which could not be passed by horseman and ordnance till it was filled in again. All along the main street leading to the great square of the teocalli I threw up other barricades, protected in the front and rear by dikes cut through the roadway, and in case the Spaniards should try to turn our flank and force a passage through the narrow and tortuous lanes to the right and left I also barricaded the four entrances to the great square or market place. Till nightfall the Spaniards lioinhnrdcd the shattered remains of the gate and the earthworks behind them, doing 110 great damage lieyoud the killing of about a score of people by cannon shot and arquebus balls. Hut they attempted 110assault that day. At length the darkness fell, and the fire ceased, but not so our labors. Most of the men must guard the gates and tho weak spots in the walls, and therefore the building of the barricades was left chiefly to the women working under my commands and that of my captains. Otomic herself took a share in the toil, an example that was followed by every lady and indeed every woman in the city, and there were many of them, for the women outnumbered the men among the Otomie, and, moreover, not a few of them had been made widows on that sumo day. Itwasa strange sight to see them in tho irlare of hundreds of torches split from the I rosin plno tlmt gavu Its name" to tho city, I ns nil night long they niovwl to niul fro in lines, ench of them staggering beneath tho ! weight of a basket of earth or a heavy I stone, or dug with wooden spades at tho j hard soil, or labored at the pulling down of houses. They never complained, but 1 worked on sullenly and despairingly. No i groan or tenr broko from them?no, not ' even from those whoso husbands and sons j had been hurled that morning from tho I precipices of tho pass. They knew that rc1 sistanco would bo useless and that their j : doom was at hand, but no cry arose among I them of surrender to tho Spaniards. Thoso j of them who spoko of tho matter at all I said, with Otomic, that it was better to dio | I free than to livo as slaves, but tho most . j did not speak. Tho old and tho young, mother, wife, widow and maid, they labored in silence, and tho children labored at their sides. Looking at them, it came into my mind j that these silent, patient women wcro inspired by somo common and desperate pur- j poso that all knew of, but which nono of them choso to tell. "Will you work so nuru lor your musj tors, the Tculcs?" cried a man in bitter j mocker}' as a tile of them toiled past bcI ncath their loads of stone. "Fool!" answered their lender, a young I and lovely lady of rank, "do the dead lnj bor?" "Nay," said this ill jester, "but such as j J you arc too fair for the Tcules to kill, and i j your years of slavery will bo many. Say, ; I how shall you escape them?" "Fool!" answered the lady again, "docs 1 flro dlo from look of fuel only, and must every man live till nge takes him? Wo shall escape them thus, "and casting down the torch she carried she trod it into the earth with her sandal and went on with her load. Then I was sure that they lind somo purpose, though I did not guess how desperate it was, nnd Otomio would tell mo nothing of this woman's secret. | "Otomic," I said to her that night when I | we met by chance, "I have ill news for ' j you." "It must bo bad Indeed, husband, to bo named In such an hour," she unswered. "Do Garcia is among our foes." "I knew it, husband." "How did you know it?" "By tho hate written in your eyes, sho answered. "It seems that his hour of triumph is at hand,1' I said. "Nay, beloved, not his, but yours. You shall triumph over Do Gnrcia, but victory \ will cost you deur. 1 know it in my heart. Ask me not. how or why. See, tho queen puts on her crown," and sho pointed to tho volcan Xaca, whoso snows grew rosy with tho dawn, "and you must go to tho j gate, for tho Spaniards will soon be stirring." As Otomio spoke I heard a trumpet, j blare without tho walls. Hurrying to tho j gates by tho first light of day, I could see that tho Spaniards wero mustering theli forces for attack. They did not como at once, howover, but delayed till tho sun was well up. Then they began to pour a furious flro upon our defenses that reduced tho shattered beams of the gates to pow-' i der and cvon shook down the crest of tho earthwork beyond tlioni. Suddenly tho firing ceased, and again a trumpet called. ! Now they charged us in column, a thou! sand or more Tlascaluns leading tho van, I followed by tho Spanish force. In two ! minutes I, who waited them beyond it, together with somo 300 wnrriors of tho Otomie, saw their heads appear over the crest of tho earthwork, and the fight be- ! gan. Thrico wo drove them back with our ' 6pcars and our nrrows, but at tho fourth < charge the wave of men swept over our dc- [ fenso and poured into the dry ditch beyond.. j Now wo were forced to fly to tho next ! earthwork, for we could not hope to fight ! so many in t]xo open street, whither, so soon as a passage had been made for their j horses anil ordnance, tho enemy followed I us. Hero tho fight was renewed, and this | barricade being very strong we held it for hard upon two hours, with much loss to ourselves anil to tho Spanish force. Again wo retreated, anil again we were assailed, and so tho strugglo went on throughout the livelong day. Every hour our numbers grow fewer anil fewer and our arms fainter, but still wo fought on desperately. At tho last two barricades hundreds of the j women of tho Otomlo fought by the sides j of their husbands anil their brothers. The last earthwork was captured by the i Spaniards just as tho sun sank, and under ! tho shadow of approaching ilurkness those of us that remained alive lleil to the refuge which we had prepared under the toocalli, nor was there nny further fighting during that nlcht. TO IIK l.'ONTINUKD SKXT WKKK. CATS' BEDS. Cats are the most obstinately capri! cious, in their fancies about their beds, j j of any domestic creature. They will j follow a particular rug or shawl from j room to room, if it be removed, in or- i ! der to sleep on it, or insist on the use ! j of one chair, until they get their way, | and then for some reason take a fancy 1 to another. The cleanliest of all ani- ; mals, anything newly washed or very j fresh and bright, strikes them as just j the thing for a bed. A nicely aired 1 newspaper, or linen fresh from the j wash is almost irresistable. Outdoor i cats seek a warm as well as a tidy bed. The writer was once much surprised, when passing through a large ship building yard, to see a cat fast asleep, lying, it seemed on a muddy path. ; ! hut the spot which the cat had select- ! i cd for its couch was one at which ' a hot steam pipe passed under the I road, and the mud was there baked in- i j to a warm, dry cake, which made not j I only a clean, but an artificially heated sleeping-place. But the oddest taste in beds develop- i I ed by a cat, was that entertained by a I iiAnif Kii.Mii l.t*rwt nrni" A Hirni'ii u'lllph I '"J b'".' was justly petted and admired by the family in which it lived. For some months it would only sleep in or upon a hat, if such could be found, ladies' I hats being preferred. If it could discover one with the inside uppermost, it would lie inside of it. If not, such was its love for this form of couch, it would curl itself around the brim, and with its long, furry tail and pliant j ! body made a line winter trimming to i a summer hat. By some accident, a | drawer in which all the "summer" hats had been disposed of for the winter was left open for some days, after which it was discovered that all the hats had been tried in turn, the cat having final 1 Iy selected one adorned with white laburnum (lowers, which | i never recovered from the "ironing" to which it had been subjected. | ClIAKACTKIt Tol.I) IN WUINKI.KS.? j i An Italian scientist, M. Montegazzo, I has written an essay upon the science ; ' of wrinkles. He believes one's history j can be largely told by the lines upon the face. Entering into a description of the different varieties and their meanings, he says: "Horizontal lines across the forehead are found even in children who are rickets or idiots, and | that being out in the sun with the eyes i i unshaded will produce them prema- j ' turely ; but they are natural at -It) or j earlier. Vertical lines between the 1 eyes denote thought and study, since j deep concentration contracts the eye- , brows; grief and worry produce the : i same effect, and frequently repeated, ; ' either leaves a permanent, fold in the 1 i skin. Arched wrinkles just above the j i nose indicate extreme suffering, either j mental or physical. The earliest I wrinkles of all and the most unavoidable are those which ran liom either side of the nostril down to the month, . and these are produced by smiling, and even the motion of the jaws | in masticating?a warning to gumchcwers !" B 0 9 A 1 lo'i'Kl, Sri'KKSTiTioN'.?"There j is a prevailing superstition among hoI tel men," said one of them, "that to I elose the register brings had lack to j the house. Von will lind it so in every ! hotel in the country. And every | clerk feels like jumping over the desk i and thumping the man who carelessly closes the hook. We never close a hook until it is filled to the last page. I always place my hand on the book j until the man who registers has left the j desk. Whenever a man closes the | book we have bad luck somewhere in j the house."?Syracuse l'ost. 1 ptettltattcous ^catling. THE AMERICAN COTTON GROWERS, j TUfHe are the Laws Under Which They j Have Begun to Organize. Tiie Enquirer is in receipt of a | pamphlet copy of the by-laws which are to govern the Cotton Growers' Protective association, recently organized 1 at Jackson, Miss. This information will no doubt prove interesting to the cotton growers of this county. It is as follows: Article 1. The object and purposes of this organization are to combine the American cotton growers for their mutuul benefit and protection, to gather and disscmiuate statistics and information useful to ittf mnml\Ul-a ?*??? vent over-production and the conse- ! quent destruction of the value of cot- j ton. ^ j Art. 2. No one shall be a member of this association unless he is an actual grower of cotton. Art. 3. This association is formed j for one (1) year, and every member thereof, his heirs, executors and administrators, -is bound by the terms thereof until January 1, 1896. Art. 4. This agreement is not to he i binding upon the signers thereof until it is signed by at least three-fourths of j the cotton acreage in 95 per cent, of j the counties in each of the cotton j growing States, which fact is to be de- j termined by the national committee, j herein provided for. Art. 5. Each member hereof binds himself to subscribe, and to pay the same in cash to his county committee, when this agreement is declared opera- ; tive, two cents for every acre of laud | cultivated by him in cotton during the year 1894. One-half of the fund pro- j duced by these subscriptions shall be ' retained by each county committee for ; local purposes, and the other half shall | be transmitted to the uational commit- 1 tee for general purposes. Art. 6. Every member of this organi- j zation solemnly contracts and binds j himself to plant and cultivate in 1S95 ! only two-thirds of the number of acres ! of cotton that he planted and cultivated j during the year 1894, and hereby an- | tliAuS'ioo nnrl nmnAtvaro nAiinlv /?nm. I mittoe of his county and their author- ! izcd agents, to enter upon his premises ! and destroy, at his expense, all cotton | planted in violation, pf this agreement. ; Art. 7. Every member hereof binds and obligates himself to deliver to his ( county committee, between the 15th | and 25th day of June, in the year 1895, | a sworn statement of the number of acres of cotton then under cultivation and the condition thereof. Art. 8. All communications between the various committees and the members of this organization are to be con- j sidercd strictly confidential, and are i not to be disclosed to any person not a member hereof. Art. 9. The signers of this agreement , in each county shall "meet at the county seat on the first Monday in March, 1895, and elect a county committee of seven (7) cotton planters to serve one year. The signers shall also at the same time and place elect the county delegates to the State convention, to he held on the third Monday in March, 1895, for the purpose of electing the Stale delegates to the national committee. Each county shall have power to make rules and regulations for its government, conforming to this instrument or Jo the^^Mi^^iBM^ihe national committee. None of its members shall receive any compensation except traveling expenses, and it shall pay the traveling expenses of the delegates to the State convention. They shall be authorized to employ a secretary and fix his salary. Every county j committee is absolutely prohibited to 1 contract any debt in excess of its cash on hand, or to execute any note, bond j or other promise to pay money. Art. 10. Each county shall have in i the State convention one delegate for j every 10,000 bales of cotton and frac- j tion thereof produced therein during the census year 1890. The representation to be based on the best attainable statistics of the crop of that year. Art. 11. The national committee shall be composed of members elected oy encn ^tate convention, neiu in | the capital of each State on the third j Monday in March, 181)5. Each cotton growing State shall be entitled to one member of the national committee for every 200,000 bales of cotton and fraction thereof produced in it during the year 1890, us show by the figures of the United States census report, and to avoid controversy the representation of the cotton growing States in said convention is hereby fixed as follows: States. Delegates. Virginia, North Carolina, ? South Carolina, ? I (leorgin, ? Florida, ? ! Alabama, ? i Mississippi, ? i Tennessee, ? j Arkansas, ? Louisiana, ? Texas, ? ! Indian Territory, :. ? Art. 12. The national committee j shall meet in the city of New Orleans, or such other city as may be selected, on the first Monday in April, 1895, and shall immediately proceed to examine and inquire whether this agreement is signed by such a proportion of the American cotton growers as to make it binding as provided in Article 4. It shall make proclamation of its conclusion, and its decision on this question shall be final and conclusive. Art. 13. The national committee shall have power and authority, by a | vote of two-thirds of its members, to . make by-laws, rules and regulations [ for its own government, and for the i goverment "Tu^Limalft'r'pr ganization, anuTv/Whe coudt^BS^H business; to anil fix their compensations ; permanent location for the establish?! ment of its office; to j>ny a salary .{J j its president and secretary, and to fix | the amount thereof and pay the travel- i in# expenses of its members. Art. 14. No members of the nation- j al committee, except its president and j secretary, shall receive any compensa- I tion except traveling expenses. Said : committee shall have no power to i create any debts in excess of the cash i actually in the treasury at the time the i debt is created, and shall be absolutely ' prohibited from issuing any note, bond j or other promise to pay. Art. 15. The national committee shall have power during the month of December, 1895, to set on foot some plan for continuing this organization ! for another year, and to take the sense , of its members as to whether the or- : ganization shall he continued for an- j other year. How to Makk (1 rxi'owiiKit.?All Lomnowder is made of niter, charcoal and sulphur, and in all nations by almost tin* same formula, that is by j using " "> pounds of niter (saltpeter), 15 j pounds of charcoal, and 10 pounds of : sulphur for 100 pounds of gunpowder. 1 The materials are first made as pure ! as possible, the niter being soaked in i spring water, then boiled and cooled, I then filtered through canvass bags and ! allowed to harden again. This is ! done until the substance becomes perfectly while. The sulphur is purified j by being kept melted for several hours in gun-metal pots. The charcoal is i made from special wood burned in j close vessels, and must be thoroughly charred and soft. The three sub- j stances arc lirst ground separately to a line powder, and then ground together with a little water until they arc thor- 1 oughly mixed. The mixture is then { by a hydrostatic press made into thin, I smooth cakes that are afterward broken up between toothed rollers and rubbed through sieves until the grains are the right size. These arc then put into a revolving cylinder, and by rubbing against each other arc worn round and smooth. This is called glazing, and is an important process, because glazed powder keeps dry and bears slinking much better than unglazed powder. The powder is then thoroughly dried in rooms heated by steam pipes, and then stored in barrels or other receptacles.?Chicago InterOcean. McLAURIX TO THE PEOPLE. A Patriotic Letter from South Carolina's Ablest Congressman. Washington, D. C., Jan., 13,1895. rn_ it. ? nJri -r rni.? Ti _ . t\ io uierAiiior ui iuc xvtrgisier : j/cui Sir: As there seems to be a lull in State politics, and without a positive knowledge of what is doing or going to he done, I submit herewith my own peculiar opinions of the situation. The time for action, il seems to me, has arrived, and thus believing, I shall not longer stifie my convictions, but shall speak frankly and unreservedly as I think the necessities of the situation require, and abide the consequences, whatever they may be : The general poverty and depression in the country at large is intensified by local conditions. No one expected the "movement" of 1890 to divide our people into two absolutely hostile camps. And the whole thiug can be largely traced to the abandonment of the primary election principle last summer to promote the interest of certain individuals. The constitutional convention is upon us, and, with it and our internecine strife, the "nigger in the wood pile" is reviving. "Not dead, but sleepeth" is written over the attenuated corpse of the Democratic paity north of Mason and Dixon's line, and even in our own section and among our own people, signs of decay arc visible. Our old allies will not help us and can no longer be relied upon. Let us help ourselves. The interests of 99 out of every 100 of our citizens are identical. A convention of a faction, no matter how able its membership or good its works, will be disastrous and drive us further apart. Everyone admits that, tint nnfnrtnmitclv we have become such astute politicians that each of us is afraid to move for fear of injuring his chances of securing some office, from that of county coroner to president of the United States. We are breeding tyrants and political cowards in South Carolina. Too much policy and not enough of patriotism. Why, my dear sir, I came within an ace of ruining my flattering political prospects last summer by a few innocent and kind observations made to "My Dear Appelt." But whatever the result, I have the satisfactian of knowing that I coined at least one or two apt words and phrases, which, if they did not enrich the English language, will live for some time descriptio personae. Ever since I wrote that letter (in which, God knows, I was honest), I have been maligned, misrepresented and misquoted. Every time 1 opened my mouth I was charged with being in league with "Butler" but that can be dune no longer as General Butler is out of politics and will soon be a private citizen. Whil: we on some things politically, lie will carry with him my undying friendship and respect. Had it not been for the misconstruction which true frieuds, whose opibion I value, would have placed upon my conduct, I would have died a 1,000 political deaths before submitting to what I did. The people have honored me, I love them, and have studied hard and tried to give them value received. I have come to the conclusion that I do not care whether I ever hold another office or not, if it involves the least sacrifice of dignity, honor or principle, and I do not propose to occupy any equivocal or uncertain position. I am now in favor of harmonizing the factions, if such a thing be possible ; but in order to do that we must destroy a "King" more desperate, more autocratic, more tyranieal, more unscrupulous than ever dominated the State or controlled the destines of a free people. I defy them ! Let them take the office I hold if they can. Tliev cannot muzzle mv toneue nor stifle my manhood or independence. They are now making preparation to control the constitutional convention and thereby perpetuate themselves in power, and if necessary to accomplish this, white meu, us well as the Negro, will bo ruthlessly disfranchised. The "Antis," one part are cowed and whipped, the other part too mad to have any sense, and while a part of the "Reformers" who want fair play have been silent, an arrogant minority, held together by the conhesive power of spoils, runs rough shod over all. Offices are multiplied by the thousand and to prevent "kicking" while the hands of the executive are strengthened by unlimited patronage and -the towns intimidated by the threat of depriving them of the precious heritage ofloeal self-government. The Alliance has been destroyed or simply converted into an adjunct of the political machiue by methods that would make the Tammany tiger pale with envy. 'Men are afraid to speak, or speak with bated breath. Pretended salary reductions, on the principle of cutting everybody else's salary except their own. While the patient, toiling masses arc in debt and straining every nerve to keep the "wolf from the their attention is led away and HKered upon personal and local that no matter which way they [HHecided will benefit no oue except fficw individuals. What in the name of heaven can tli^ people expect from such purblind statesmanship ? Where do they come in ? Every man, woman and child in South Carolina knows that I am telling the truth, and manygood Reformers see in the ugly picture the finale to the beautiful dream of 1890. Our only hope is to get together in this convention, and if possible, prevent the "Ring" from controlling it, and frame a constitution which will command the respect and confidence of the whole people, thereby uniting and placing us in a position in 1890 where we can avail ourselves of the most favorable opportunity that national politics may then oiler. It is useless to temporize; if we be men let us act, and, at least purchase an honorable defeat. For what I have already said and done along this line I have been the subject of vituperation, slander and abuse, and I shrink (no one knows how much) from ollering myself as a further target to the foul pen of hire lings and slaves. If doing my duty manfully and conseieneioitsly relegates me to private life, I welcome it. Let the phalanx put all of its spears into my body, it thereby the cause of liberty is eonserved. It was the expressed hope of many that the "Forty," ere, this would have taken such action as would have made their influence felt 011 the line indicated by them, which met with such general approval throughout the State. I hope and believe the matter will soon consummate in definite action, and thereby unite all those who sincerely want "peace and unity." Men who possess the courage of their convictions must confer in the near future and adopt such a line of 1 action as will subserve the best interests of the State. It is a light against "bossism and ring rule," which seeks to prostitute every principle of popular j rights to selfish purposes, j Let those who believe peace can be , obtained without an effort, deceive | themselves no longer. Peace has nev; er been purchased without a stern ! battle to secure its blessings. Yours respectfully, JNO. L. MCLAUIMX. WHO WAS HK? Touching Kcmlnlsccnco of tlu; ItiiUlc of fiainen'M Mill, i For the YorkvlUc Knquirer. In looking over some war reminiscences nml gleanings from an army notebook, I find the following, which may, even at this late day, be some comfort to some reader of The Enquirkr, and I reproduce it. "Next morning after the battle of , Gaines's Mill, as I was looking for implements with which to bury the dead of my company, I came upon a j quiet spot where the ambulance corps had brought together a number of our j poor fellows, too desperately wounded to be carried to the field hospital in the rear. Here they could be conveniently furnished with water and the other comforts which their condition allowed during their remaining hours. ! My attention was particularly attracted to one whose stalwart form and manly ; features made liiin a marked object, even among the heroes who lay around liini. It was evident that his end was j nigh, though his face was calm and his i eyes still bright. "Going to him, I inquired if he was much hurt. He replied, 'Yes, I must soon die,' and showed me his wound, i A grape shot had shattered his shoulder | and penetrated deeply into his vitals. He said the shot still remained in his j body. Struck with the resigned exi pression of his countenance, I asked iiim of his preparation to meet death. ; He told me that before he left home, ' he had been a careless sinner ; but since entering the army, lie had been j reading his Bible, and this had led him to serious reflection, and now that lie was soon to die, he felt that though a great sinner, he could trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. He had but one regret, and that was the thought of ! how much pain his death would give his sisters and his glad father, whose i only son he was. Tears trickled down his cheek as he spoke of the grief these loved ones at home would suffer. Still his language was that of perfect resignation to the will of God. "My duties allowed me but a few moments to stay with liitn,and with a tew words appropriate to the situation, I pressed his hand and hade him goodbye, commending him to the blessings of God. i My regiment was soon forward in pursuit of the enemy, and I never saw the young man any more ; hut I have often thought of him, and it has frequently occured to me that it might he a consolation to his friends at home to know the happy and peaceful frame of mind in .which he met his death, and which, perhaps, lie may never have : made known to any one hut myself, a j perfect stranger. "I would have written privately to | his friends; hut I knew not how to ; direct my letter, I only remember that he was an only son, that he hud sisi ters and a father at home, and that | his name was Nesbitt, of York district, | South Carolina." Sigma. - Etta Jane, S. C. FACTS ABOUT A WATCH. The watch carried by the average | man is composed of 9S pieces, and its manufacture embraces more than 2.000 distinct and separate operations. Some of the smaller screws are so minute that the unaided eye cannot distinguish them from steel filings or specks of i dirt. Under a magnifying glass a per1 feet screw is revealed. The slit in the head is two-one-thousandths of an inch wide. It takes 008,000 of these screws ! to weigh a pound, and a pound is ' worth $1,585. The hair-spring is a ' * n.% o * _t 4 1 ; strip 01 tno uuosi sicei, uuuui nine uim i one-half inches long, one one-hun- ~^| 1 dredth inch wide and 27 ten-thou- V 1 sandlhs inch thick. It is coiled up in ^ a spiral form and finely tempered. The process of tempering these springs : was long kept a secret by the few fortunate ones possessing it, and even ! now it is not generally known. Their i manufacture requires great skill and : care. The strip is gauged to 20 onethousandths of an inch; but no measI uring instrument has yet been de| vised capable of fine enough gauging , to determine beforehand by the size of the strip what the strength of the fin, ished spring will be. A 20 one-thoui sandth part of an inch difference in the I spring, makes a difference in the ! ruuning of a watch about six minutes an hour. The value of these springs when fin! ished and placed in watches, is enor! mous in proportion to the material I from which they are made. A com; parison will give a good idea. A ton 1 of steel made up into hairsprings when ' in watches is worth more than 121 times the value of the same weight in pure gold. Hairspring wire weighs one-twentieth of a grain to an inch. One mile of wire weighs less than half a pound. The balance gives five vibrations every second, 300 every minute, 18,000 every hour, 432,000 every day ! and 157.fiS0.000 every year. At each vibration it rotates about 1} times, 1 which makes 197,100,000 revolutions j every year. In order that we may ; better understand the stupendous j amount of labor performed by these ' tiny works, let us make a pertinent comparison. Take, for instance, a lo- ?? ! coinotive with six-foot driving wheels.^^^^Km | Let its wheels bo run given the same number of revomuon^^^^^^^^^ I that a watch does in one year, and they will have covered a distance I equal to 28 complete circuits of the j earth. All this a watch does without i other attention than winding once ! every 24 hours. ?New York Advertiser. 15k Contented.?Bulwer says that 1 poverty is only an idea in nine cases I out often. Some men with $10,000 a j year suffer more for want of means ! than others with $oO(). The reason is, i the richer man has his artificial j wants. His income is $10,000 a year, and be sutlers enough by being dunned i for un pai d debts to kill a sensitive man. A man who earns $1 a day and j does not go in debt is the happier of j the two. Very few who have never ! been rich will believe this, but it is true. There are thousands and thou! sands with princely incomes who never know a minute's peace, because 1 they live beyond their means. There is really more happiness among the workingmen in the world than among I those who are rich. ? ? One would hardly think that a j cow was influenced by music, but it i seems she is. In Switzerland that fact 1 is so well understood that a milkmaid or man gets better wages if gifted with a good voice. Experiments have been j made, and it has been found that a ; cow gives one-fifth more milk if soothed during milking by a pleasing melo| dy. You have been told, too, in this I column about the gentle way tine | horses are cared for at the famous stables in California, never hearing a I cross word, nor are the stable boys or fc. grooms permitted to swear while work| ing about their charges. It will be a new idea to many children, however, i that cows and horses thus appreciate i gentleness and harmony. (UZ. A