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itti? ana TBS SUMTER " Kst?bttsbed April, 1850. "Be Just and Fear not-Let all the Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's .and Truth's." THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Jane. 1366 Consolidated Aug. 2,1881. SUMTER, S. C., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1894. New Series-Yoi. XIV. No. 4. Published Every Wednesday, IV. <3k- Osteen, S?MTfiB-, 8:-; c. TERMS : Two Dollars per annum-io advance. ADVERTISEMENT: One Square first insertion....-.$1 00 Every subsequent iosertion. 50 Contracts for three months, or longer will be made at reduced rates. AU communications which subserve private interests will be charged foras advertisements. Orj&uar5ee-a?d iributea of respect will be charged far~ * ? - ' ?wwiwaw^awi^i?i^? COm*I?MT, Wiaai BYTNI AUTHOR. R , _ ; CB&PTEB xm. ^ ? THOMIS BECOMES A GOD. * Little did I, plain Thomas Wingfield, gentleman, know when I rose that morn? ing that before sunset I should be a god, 'and, after Montezuma, the emperor, the most honored man, or rather god, in the Caty of Mexico. It came about thus: When I had break? fasted with the household of thc Prince Guatemoc, I was led to thc hall of justice, which was named the "tribunal of God.'* Hero on a golden throne sat Montezuma, administering justice in such pomp as I 'cannot describe. About him were his counselors and great lords, and before him was placed ahornan skull crowned with emeralds so large that ablaze of light went up from them. In his hand also he held an arrow for a scepter. Certain chiefs or ca ziques were on their trial for treason, nor were they left long in doubt as to their fate, for when some evidence had been heard they wej&askedgwhat they had to say in their ?efense. inch of t hem told id shotts ;f8te?f liad said and^ J took ti?? pBintedrscroll of their indictnjfap andjjjjgjpked it with the arrow in his hand where the picture of each prisoner appeared upon the scroll Thenjfchey were led away to death, but how they died I do not know. When this trial was finished, certain priests entered the hall . clothed in sable robes, their matted hair hanging down their hacks. They were, fierce, wild eyed men of great dignity, and I shivered when I saw them. I noticed also that they alone made small reverence to the majesty of Montezuma. The counselors and no? bles having fallen back, these priests en? tered into talk with the emperor, and presently two of them carne forward, and taking me from the custody of the guards led me forward before the throne. Then of a sudden I was commanded to strip my? self of my garments, and this I did, with no little shame, till I stood naked before them all. Now the priests came forward and examined every part of me closely. On my arms were the scars left by De Gar? cia's sword, and on my breast the scarcely healed marks of the puma's teeth and claws. These wounds they scanned, ask? ing how I had come by thom. I told them, and thereupon they carried on a discussion among themselves and out of my hearing, which grew so warm that at length they appealed to the emperor to decide the point. HQ thought awhile, and. I heard him say: "The blemishes do not come from with? in the body, nor were they upon it at birth, but have been inflicted by the violence of man and beast." Then the priests consulted together again, and presently their leader spoke some words into the ear of Montezuma. He nodded, and rising from his throne came toward me, who stood naked and shivering before bim, for the air of Mexi? co is keen. As. he advanced he loosed a chain of emeralds and gold that hung about his neck and unclasped the royal cloak from his shoulders. Then with his own hand he put the chain about my throat and the cloak upon my shoulders, and having humbly bent the knee before me, as though in adoration, he cast his arms about me and embraced me. i4Hail, most blessed, ' ' he said, "divine son of Quetzal holder of the spirit of Tez? cat, soul of the world, creator of the world What have we done that you should honor us thus with your presence for a season ^ What can we do to pay the honor back? You created us and all this country; behold, while you tarry with us, it is yours, and we are nothing but your servants! Order and your commands shall be obeyed; think and your thought shall be executed before it can pass your lips O Tezcat, I, Montezuma, your servant, of? fer you my adoration and through me the adoration of all my people, and again he bowed the knee. "We adore yon, O Tazcati" chimed in the priests. Now I remained silent and bewildered, for of all this foolery I could understand nothing, and while I stood thus Montezu? ma clapped his hands and women entered, bearing beautiful clothing with them and a wreath of flowers. The clothing they put upon my body and the wreath of flow? ers on my head, worshiping me thc while and saying: "Tezcat, who died yesterday, is come again. Be joyful; Tezcat has come again in the body of the captive Teule." Then I understood that I was now a god and the greatest of gods, though at that moment within myself I felt more of a fool than I had ever been before. And now men appeared, grave ?nd rev? erend in appearance, bearing lutes in their hands. I was told that these were my tutors, and with them a train of royal pages, who were to bo my servants. They led me forth from the hall, making music as they went, and before mc marched a herald, calling out that this was the god Tezcat, soul of the world, creator of tho world, who had come again to visit his people They led mo through all the courts and endless chambers of thc palace, and wherever I went man, woman and child bowed themselves to the earth before mo and worshiped me, Thomas Wingfield of Ditchingham, in thc county of Norfolk, till I thought that I must be mad. Then they placed me in a litter and car? ried me down the hill Chapoltepec and along causeways and through streets till we came to the great square of the temple. Before me went heralds and priests, af me followed pages and nobles, and ever we passed the multitudes prostrated the. selves till I bogan to understand h< wearisome a thing it is to be a god- Ne they carried me through the wall of ? pents and up the winding paths of t mighty teocalli till we reached the su: mit, where the temples and idols stoc and here a great drum beat, and thc pries j sacrificed victim after victim in myhon< ! and I grew sick with the sight of wickc f ness and blood. Presently they invited i to descend fran the litter, laving rich cs I pets and flowers for my feet' to tread o and I was much afraid, for I thought th they were about to sacrifice mc to mysc or some other divinity. But this was n so. They led me to the edge of the pyr mid, or as near as I would go, for I shrai back lest they should seize me sudden and cast me over the edge. And there ti , high priest called out my dignity to ti thousands who were assembled beneat' and every, one of them bent the. knee i adoration' of me; the priests above and tl multitudes below. And so it went on ti I grew dizzy with the worship, and tl shouting, and the music, and the sights < death, and very thankful was I when i last they carried me back to Chapoltepec Here new honors awaited me, for I wi conducted to a splendid range of apar men ts next to those of the emperor hin self, and I was told that all Montezuma household were at my command and thi he who refused to do my bidding shoul die. So at last I spoke and said it was m bidding that I should be suffered to ret awhile till a feast was prepared for me i Hie apartments of Guatemoc the prino for there I hoped to meet Otomie. My tutors and the nobles who attende me answered that Montezuma, my servan 1 had trusted that I would feast with hil that night. Still my command should t done. Then they left me, saying that the would come again in an hour to lead m to the banquet. Now I threw off the en blems of my godhead and cast myself dow on cushions to rest and think, and a cei tain exultation took possession of me, fe was I not a god, and had I not power a) most absolute? Still, being of a caution mind, X wondered why I was a god an how long my power would last. Before the hour had gone by, pages an? nobles entered, bearing new robes, whic! were put upon my body, and .fresh flower 4p crown my head, and EWafli led away t 4he apartments of Guatenioc, :air wane: .going'oefore mo who played upon irtstru men ts of'music. ' j" ^ Here Guatemoc the prince waited to re ceive me, which he did as though I, hi captive and companion, was the first o kings.; And yet I thought that I saw mer riment in his eye, mingled with sorrow . Bending forward, I spoke to him in i whisper: "What does all this mean, prince?" '. said. ''Am' I befooled, or am I indeed i god?" "Hush!" ho answered, booing low ant speaking beneath his breath, r" It mean; both good and ill for you, my friend Teule Another time I will tell you." Then h< added aloud: "Does it please you, O Tez cat, god of gods, that we should sit ai meat with you, or will you eat alone?" ''The gods like good company, prince,' I said. Now, during this talk I had discoverec that among those gathered in the hall wai the Princess Otomie. So when we passet to the low table around which we were tx sit on cushions I hung back, watching where she would place herself, and ther at once seated myself beside her. This caused-some little confusion among the company, for the place of I mor had been prepared for me at the head of the table the seat of Guatemoc being to my righi and that ofhis wife, the royal Tecuichpo, to my left. "Your seat is yonder, O Tezcat, " she said, blushing beneath her olive skin as she spoke. "Surely a god may sit where he chooses, royal Otomie," I answered. "Besides," 1 added in a low voice, ''what better place can he find than by thc side of the most lovely goddess on the earth?" Again she blushed and answered; "Alas, I am no goddess, but only a mortal maid! listen. ?f you desire that I should be your companion at our feasts, you must issue it as a command. None will dare to diso? bey you, not even Montezuma, my father. " So I rose and said in very halting Aztec to the nobles who waited on me, "It is my will that my place shall always be set by the side of thc Princess Otomie." At these words Otomie blushed even more, and a murmur went round among the guests, while Guatemoc first looked angry and then laughed. But the nobles, my attendants, bowed, and their spokes? man answered: "The words of Tezcat shall be obeyed. Let the seat of Otomie, the royal princess, the favored of Tezcat, be placed by the side of the god." Afterward this was always done, except when I ate with Montezuma himself. Moreover, the Princess Otomie became known throughout the city as "the blessed princess, thc favored of Tezcat," for so strong a hold had custom and superstition upon this people that they thought it the greatest of honors to her, who was among the first ladies in the land, that he who for a little space was supposed to hold thc spirit of tho soul of the world should deign to desire her companionship when he ate. Now the feast went on, and presently I made shift to ask Otomie what all this might mean. "Alas!" she whispered, "you do not know, nor dare I tell you now. But I will say this, though you who are a god may sit where you will today an hour shall come when you must lie where you would not. Listen. When we have finished eat 1 ing, say that it is your wish to walk in the ' gardens of the palace, and that I should accompany you. Then I may find a chance to speak." Accordingly, when the feast was over, I I said that I desired to walk in the gardens with the Princess Otomie, and we went out and wandered under the solemn trees that are draped in a winding sheet of gray moss, which, hanging from every bough as though the forest had been decked with the white beards of an army of aged men, waved and rustled sadly in the keen night air. But, alas! we might not bc alone, for after us at a distance of 2$ paces followed all my crowd of attendant nobles, together with fair dancing girls and minstrels, arm? ed with their accursed flutes, on which they blew in season and out of it, dancing as they blew. In vain did I command them to bc silent, telling them that it was writ? ten of old that there is a time to play and dance and a time to cease from dancing, for in this alone they would not obey me. Never could I bc at peace because of thc then or thereafter, and not till now did learn how great a treasure is solitude Still we were allowed to walk togethi under the trees, and though the clamor < music pursued us wherever wo went, vi were soon deep in talk. Then it was thi I learned how dreadful was the fate whic overshadowed me. "Know, O Teule," said Otomie, for si would call me by the old name when thei was none to hear, "this is the custom < our land-thafrevery year a young captn should be.chosen to be the earthly imag of the god Tezcat, who created the worlc Only tw?^hings ar? necessary to this cai tive-namely, that his blood should be n< ble and that his person should be beaut ful and without flaw or blemish. The da ' that you came hither, Teule, chanced t be the day of choosing a new captive t personate the god, and you have bee: chosen because you are both noble an more beautiful than any man in Anahuac and also because, being of the people of th Teules, the children of Quetzal, of whor so many rumors have reached us, am whose coming my father, -Montezuma dreads more than anything in the world it was thought by the priests that you ma, avert their anger from us and the anger c the gods." Now Otomie paused as one who ha something to say that she can scarcely fini words' to fit, but,' I remembering only wha had been said, swelled inwardly with th sense of my own greatness and becaus this lovely princess had declared that was the most beautiful man in Anahuac I, who, though I was well looking enough had never before been called "beautiful' by man, woman or child But in thi case, as in many another, pride went be fore a fall "It must be spoken, Teule," Otomi continued "Alas, that it should be who am fated to tell you. Fora yea you will rule as god in this city of Te noct itlan, and except for certain c?r?monie that you must undergo and certain art which you must learn.none will troubl you. Your slightest wish will be a law and when you smile on any it shall be ai om -1 of good to them, and they will bles ? you. Even my father, Montezuma, wil treat you with reverence as an equal o: more. Every delight shall be yours excep that of marriage, and this will be with held t?l the twelfth month of thie year Then tifi? four most beaut?ful maidens ii the land: willie given* to you as brides." "And who will choose them?" I asked "Nay, I know not, Teule, who do noi meddle in such mysteries," she answerec hurriedly. "Sometimes tile god is judge and sometimes the priests judge for him. It is as it may chance. Listen now to th< end of my tale, and you will surely f orgei the rest. For one month you will liv? with your wives, and this month you wil] pass in feasting at all the noblest houses in the city. On the last day of the month, however, yon will be placed in a royal barge, and, together with your wives, pad? dled across the lake to a place that is named Melting of Metals. Thence yon will be led to tho teocalli, named House o? Weapons, where your wives will bid fare? well to you forever, and there, Teule-alas, that I must say it!-you are doomed to be offered as a sacrifice to the god whose spir? it you hold, thc great god Tezcat, for your heart will be torn from your body, and your head will be struck from your shoul? ders and set upon the stake that is known as 'post of heads. ' " Now, when I heard this dreadful doom, I groaned aloud, and my knees trembled so that I almost fell to thc ground Then a great fury seized me, and forgetting my father's counsel I blasphemed thc gods of that country and the people who worship ; ed them, first in thc Aztec and Maya lan? guages, then, when my knowledge of these tongues failed me, in Spanish and good English. But Otomie, who heard some of ? my words and guessed more, was seized ? with fear and lifted her hands, saying "Curse not thc awful gods, I beseech you, lest some terrible thing befall you at once. If you are overheard, it will be thought that you have an evil spirit and not a good one, and then you must die now and by torment. At the least the gods, who are everywhere, will hear you." "Let them hear," I answered "They are false gods, and that country is accursed which worships them. They are doomed, I say, and all their worshipers are doomed Nay, I care not if I am heard-as well die now by torment as live a year in the tor? ment ot approaching death. But I shall not die alone, All the sea of blood that your priests have shed cries-out for venge? ance to the true God, and he will avenge. " Thus I raved on, being mad with fear and impotent anger, while the Princess Otomie stood terrified and amazed at my blasphemies, and the flutes piped and the dancers danced behind us. And as I raved I saw that the mind of Otomie wandered from my words, for she was staring to? ward thc cast like one who sees a vision Then I looked also toward the east and saw the sky was alight there, for from thc edge of the horizon to the highest parts of heaven spread a fan of pale and fearful light powdered over with sparks of fire, the handle of the fan resting on the earth, as it were, while its wings covered the eastern sky. Now I ceased my cursing and stood transfixed, and as I stood a cry of terror arose from all the precincts of the palace, and people poured from every door to gaze upon the portent that flared and blazed in thc east. Presently Montezuma himself came out, attended by his great lords, and in that ghastly light I saw that his lips worked and his hands writhed over each other. Nor was tho miracle done with, for anon from the clear sky that hung over thc city descended a ball of fire, which seemed to rest upon the points of the lofty temple in the great square, light? ing up the teocalli as with tho glare of day. It vanished, but where it had been another light now burned, for the temple of Quetzal was afire. Now cries of fear and lamentation arose from all who beheld these wonders on the hill of Chapoltepcc and also from the city below. Even I was frightened, I do not know why, for it may well be that the blaze of light which we saw on that and after nights was nothing but the bright? ness of a comet, and that thc fire in the temple was caused by a thunderbolt. But to these people, and more especially to Montezuma, whose mind was filled already with rumors of thc coming of a strange white race, whic h, as it was truly prophe? sied, would bring his empire to nothing ness, tho omen seemed very evil. Indeed, If they had any doubt as to their meaning, it was soon to be dispelled, in their mind at least, for as we stood, wonder struck, a messenger, panting and soiled with trav? el, arrived among us, and prostrating him A messenger, panting and soiled with travel, arrived. self before the majesty of the emperor he drew a painted scroll from his robe and handed it to an attendant noble. So de? sirons was Montezuma to know its con? tents that, contrary to all custom, he snatched the roll from the hands of the counselor, and unrolling it he began tc read the picture writing by the baleful light of the blazing sky and temple. Pres? ently, as he watched and he read, Monte? zuma groaned aloud, and casting down the writing he covered his face with his hands. As it chanced, it fell near to where I stood, and I saw painted over it rude pictures of ships of the Spanish rig and of men in the Spanish armor. Then I un? derstood why Montezuma groaned Thc Spaniards had landed on his shores! Now some of his counselors approached him to console him, but he thrust them aside, saying: "Let me mourn-the doom that was foretold has fallen upon the children of Anahuac The children of Quetzal muster on our shores and slay my people. Let me mourn, I say." At that moment another messenger came from the palace, having grief written on his face. "Speak," said Montezuma. "O king, forgive the tongue that must tell such tidings. Your royal sister Pa pan tzin was seized with terror at yonder dreadful sight," and he pointed to the heavens. "She lies dying in the palace!" Now, when the emperor heard that his sister, whom he loved, was dying, he said nothing, but covering his face with his royal mantle he passed slowly back to the palace. And all the while the crimson light gleamed and sparkled in the east like some monstrous and unnatural dawn, while the temple of Quetzal burned fiercely in the city beneath. Now I turned- to the Princess Otomie, who had stood by my side throughout, overcome with wonder and trembling. "Did I not say that this company was accursed, princess of th? Otomie?" "You said it, Teule," she answered, "and it is accursed." Then we went into the palace, and even in this hour of fear after me came the minstrels, as before. CHAPTER XIV. THE ARISING OF PAPANTZIN. On the morrow Papantzin died and was buried with great pomp that same evening in the burial ground at Chapoltepec, by the side of the emperor's royal ancestors. But, as will be seen, sho was not content with their company. On that day also I learned that to be a god is not all pleasure, since it was expected of me that I must master various arts, and chiefly the horrid art of music, to which I never had any de? sire. Still my own wishes were not allow? ed to weigh in the matter, for there came to me tutors, aged men who might have found better employment, to instruct me in the uso of the lute, and on this instru? ment I must learn to strum. Others there were also who taught me letters, poetry and art, as they were understood among the Aztecs, and all this knowledge I was glad ol As to this matter of my sacrifice I was at first desperate. But reflection told me that I had already passed many dangers and come out unscathed, and therefore it was possible that I might escape this one also. At least death was still a long way off, and for the present I was a god. So I determined that, whether I died or lived, while I lived I would live like a god and take such pleasures as came to my hand, and I acted on this resolve. During the days that followed the death j of Papantzin the palace and the city also were plunged in ferment. The minds of men were shaken strangely because of the rumors that filled the air. Every night the fiery portent blazed in the east, every day a new wonder or omen was reported, and with it some wild tale of the doings of the Spaniards, who by most were held to be white gods, thc children of Quetzal, come back to take the land which their forefathers ruled But of all that were troubled none were in such bad case as the emperor himself, who during these weeks scarcely ate, drank or slept, so heavy were his fears upon him. In this trait he sent messengers to his an? cient rival, that wise and severe man, Xe za, the king of thc allied state of Tezcuco, begging that ho would visit him. This king came, an old man with a fierce and gleaming eye, and I was witness to the in terview that followed, for in my quality of god I had full liberty of the palace and even to be present at the councils of the emperor and his nobles. When the two monarchs had feasted together, Montezu- , ma spoke to Neza of thc 'matter of the omens and of tho coming of the Teules, asking him to lighten thc darkness by his wisdom. Then Neza pulled his long gray beard and answered that heavy as the heart of Montezuma might be it must grow still heavier lx;fore the end "See, lord,"ho said, ,4I am so sure that the days of our empire aro numbered that I will play you at dice for my kingdoms which you and your forefathers have ever desired to win." "Por what wager?" asked Montezuma. "I will play you thus," answered Neza. "You shall stake three fighting cocks of which, should I win, I ask thc spurs only. I set them against all tho wide empire of Tezcuco." "A small stake," said Montezuma "Cocks arc many, and kingdoms are few. " "Still it shall serve our turn," answer? ed the aged king, "for know that we play against fate. As the game goes, so shall the issue De. If you win my kingdoms, all is well; if I win thc cocks, then goodby to the glory of Anahuac, for its people will cease to Ix; a people, and strangers shall possess the land." ' 'Let us play and see, ' ' said Montezuma. And they went down to the place that is called tlachco, where the games are set. Here they began the match with dice, and at first all went well for Montzenma, so that he called aloud that already he was lord of Tezcuco. "May it be so, " answered the aged Neza, and from that moment the chance changed, for, strive as he would, Montezuma could not win another point, and presently the set was finished, and Neza had won the cocks. Now the music played, and court? iers came forward to give the king hom age on his success. But he rose, sighing, and said: "I would far sooner lose my kingdoms than have won these fowls, for if I had lost my kingdoms they would still have passed into thc hands of one of my own race. Now, alas! my possessions and his must come under the hand of strangers, who shall cast down our gods and bring our names to nothing. " And having spoken thus, he rose, and taking farewell of the emperor he departed for his own land, where, as it chanced, he died very shortly without living to see the fulfillment of his fears. On the morrow of his departure came further accounts of the doings of the Spaniards that plnnged Montezuma into still greater alarm. In his terror he sent for an astronomer noted throughout the land for the truth of his divinations. Thc astronomer came and was received by the emperor privately. What he told him I do not know, but at least it was nothing pleasant, for that very night men were commanded to pulldown the house of this sage, who was buried in its ruins. Two days after the death of the astron? omer Montezuma bethought him that, as he believed, I also was a Teule and could give him information. So at the hour of sunset he sent for me. bidding me walk with him in thc gardens. I went thither, followed by my musicians and attendants, who would never leave me in peace, but he commanded that all should stand aside, as he wished to speak with me alona Then he began to walk beneath the mighty cedar trees, and I with him, but keeping one pace behind. "Teule," he said at length, "tell me of your countrymen and why they have come to these shores. See that you speak truth." "They are no countrymen of mine, O Montezuma," I answered, "though my mother was one of them." "Bid I not bid you speak the truth, Teule? If your mother was one of them, must you not also be of them, for are you not of your mother's bone and blood?" "As the king pleases," I answered, bow? ing. Then I began and told him of the Spaniards-of their . country, their great? ness, their cruelty and ti cir greed of gold, and ho listened eagerly, though I think that he believed little of what I said, for his fear had made him very suspicious. When I had done, he spoke and said: "Why do they come here to Anahuac?" "I fear, O king, that they come to take the land, or at the least to rob it of all its treasure and to destroy its faiths." "What, then, is your counsel, Teule? How can I defend myself against these mighty men, who are clothed in metal and ride upon fierce wild beasts, who have instruments and make a noise like thun? der, at the sound of which their adversa? ries fall dead by hundreds, and who bear weapons of shining silver in their hands? Alas, there is no defense possible, for they are the children of Quetzal come back to take the land ! From my childhood I have known that this evil overshadowed me, and now it is at my door. " "If I, who am only a god, may venture to speak to the lord of the earth," I an? swered, "I say that the reply is easy. Meet force by force. The Teules arc few, and you can muster 1,000 soldiers for every one of theirs. Fall on them at once; do not hesitate till their prowess finds them friends, but crush them. " "Such is the counsel of one whose moth? er was a Teule," the emperor answered, with sarcasm and bitter meaning. "Tell me now, counselor, how am I to know that in fighting against them I shall not j be fighting against the gods; how even am j I to learn the true wishes and purposes of I men or gods who cannot speak my tongue and whose tongue I cannot speak?" "It is easy, O Montezuma, " I answered. ! "I can speak their tongue. Send me to discover for you. " Now, as I spoke thus, my heart bounded with hope, for if once I could come among the Spaniards perhaps I might escape the altar of sacrifice; also they seemed a link between me and home. They had sailed hither in ships, and ships can retrace their path, for though at present my lot was j not all sorrow it will be guessed that 1 ? should have been glad indeed to find my? self once more among Christian men. Montezuma looked at me awhile and answered: "You must think me very foolish, Teule. What, shall I send you to tell my fears and weakness to your countrymen I and to show them tho joints in my har- | They began the match with dice. ness? Do you then suppose that I do not j know you for a spy sent to this land by j these same Teules to gather knowledge of j tho land? Fool, I knew it from the first. Highest of all in Leavening Pow and, by Huitze?, were you not voVr??. to Tezcat your heart should smoke tomorrow on the altar of Hujtzel. Be warned and; give me no more false counsels, lest your end prove swifter than you think. Learn that I have asked these questions of you to a purpose, and by the command of the gods, as it was written on the hearts of those sacrificed this day. This was the purpose and this was the command that I might discover your secret mind, and that I should shun whatever advice you chanced to give. Y'i counsel me to fight the Teules; therefore I will not fight them, but meet them with gifts and -fair words, for I know well that you would have me to do that which would bring me to my doom." Thus he spoke very fiercely and in a low voice,- his head held low and his arms crossed upon his breast, and I saw that he shook with passion. Even then, though I was very much afraid, for god as I was a nod from this mighty king would have sent me to death by torment, I wondered at the folly of one who in everything else . was so wise. Why should he doubt me thus and allow superstition to drag him down to ruin? Today I see the answer. Montezuma did not these things himself, j but because the hand of destiny worked with his hand and the voice of destiny spoke in his voice. The gods of the Aztecs were false gods indeed, but I for one be? lieve that they had life and intelligence, for those hideous shapes of, stone were the habitations of devils, and the priests spoke truth when they said that the sacrifice of men was pleasing to their gods. To these devils the king went for coun? sel through thc priests, and now this doom was on them, that they must give false counsel to their own destruction, and to' the destruction of those who worshiped' them, as was decreed by one more power? ful than they. Kow, while we were talking the sun had sunk swiftly, so that all the world was dark. But the light!; still lingered on the snowy crests of the volcanoes Popo and Ixtac, staining them an awful red. Never before to my sight had the shape of the; dead woman whoso everlasting bier is,' Ixtac* s bulk seamed so clear and wonder? ful as on th At night, for either it was so. or my fancy gave it the very shape and color of a woman's corse steeped in blood; and laid out for burial Nor was it my phantasy alone, for when Montezuma had' finished upbraiding me he chanced to look up, and his eyes falling on the mountain' remained fixed there. "Look now, Teule!" he said presently, with a solemn laugh; "yonder lies the corse of the nations of Anahuac washed in a water of blood and made ready for burial. Is she not terrible in death?" As he spoke the words and turned to go, a sound of doleful wailing came from the direction of the mountain, a very wild and unearthly sound that caused the blood1 in my veins to stand still. Now Monte-: zuma caught my arm in his fear, and we gazed together on Ixtac, and it seemed to us that this wonder happened, for in that red and fearful light the red figure of: the sleeping woman arose, or appeared to. rise, from its bier of stone. It arose slow-' ly, like one who awakes from sleep, and presently it stood upright upon the moun? tain's brow, towering high in the air. There it stood, a giant and awakened corpse, its white trappings stained with blood, and we trembled to sec it. For awhile the wraith remained thus gazing toward the city of Tenoctitlan; then suddenly it threw its vast arms upward as though in grief, and at that moment tho. night rushed in upon it and covered it, ' while the sound of wailing died slowly away. ''Say, Teule," gasped thc emperor, "do I not well to be afraid when such portents as these meet my eyes day by day? Heark? en to the lamentations in the city; we have not seen this sight alone. Listen how the people cry aloud with fear and the. priests beat their drums toavertthecmen.i Weep on, ye people, and ye priests pray! and do sacrifice! It is very fitting, for the day of your doom is upon you. O Tenoc? titlan, queen of cities, I sec you ruined and desolate, your palaces blackened with; fire, your temples desecrated, your pleas? ant gardens a wilderness. I see your high born women the wantons of stranger lords and youi* princes their servants; the canals - run red with the blood of your children: your gateways are blocked with their bones.. Death is about you everywhere; dishonor is your daily bread; desolation is your por? tion. Farewell to you, queen of the cities, cradle of my forefathers in which. I <vas nursed!" When Montezuma had made an end of crying his prophecies, I asked him hum? bly if I should summon to him the lords who were in attendance upon him, but who stood at some distance. "Nay," he answered, "I would not have them see me thus with grief and terror upon my face. Whoever fears, at least I must seem brava Walk with me awhile, Teule, and if it is in your mind to murder me I shall not grieve." I made no answer, but followed him as he led the way down the darkest of the winding paths that run between the ce? dar trees, where it would have been easy for me to kill him if I wished, but I could not see how I should ?>e advantaged by the deed; also, though I knew that Mon? tezuma was my enemy, my heart shrank from the thought of murder. For awhile or more he walked on without speaking, now beneath the shadow of tho trees, and now through open spaces of garden plant? ed with lovely flowers, till at last wc came 'to the gates of the place where the royal dead are said to rest. Now, in front of these gates was an open space of turf on which tho moonlight shone brightly, and in the center of this space lay something white, shaped like a woman. Here Monte? zuma halted and looked at the gates, then said: "These gates opened four days since for Papantzin, my sister. How long, I won? der, w?l pass before they open for me?" As he spoke the white shape upon the grass, which I had seen and he had not seen, stirred like an awaking sleeper. As the snow shape upon tho mountain had stirred, so this shape stirred; as it had er.-Latest U. S. Gov't Report Baking Powder ELY PURE