Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-10

4
temple of the serpent god until ddybreal
and then make our way back to Pich as
best we could. We started for the ravine
going to the Paloma first and securing
our arms. Although the moon gave i
faint gllmmer in the rest of the forest, il
was pitch dark under the trees shading
the raVine in which the temple stood
We crept into the temple, ami felt oul
way around the wall to the right
side of the altar, where vas the
closet which l have mentioned before
| ana sat down to await the coming oil
daylight. We did not think that the
sublevados would track US to the temple
Us we believed that they were ignorant
| of its existence. For several hours we
sat there In the closet, and then Bar
nard declared that he was tired of the
cramped position, and proposed that We
set out for Pich Immediately. After
some discussion, We concluded that
1t would be better to start at once in
stead of waiting for morning, and so
started for the door. Hardly had we
taken ten steps across the floor when We
heard voices without. ''Ths subleva-
dos, whispered Barnard. eff they
discover us we will make the best of il
and fight as well Us we can We hur-
RED back to the closet, and flatted our
selves against the wall. The voices now
entered the temple, and We heard
bundles of something deposited on the
floor. There was crack OF flint aud
steel, and flames from q heap of touch
wood (the bundles we had heard
deposited), lighted the room now
brightly, and now dimly, but the closet
was so dark that we were not seen.
There were twenty sublevados IN the
temple, fine-looking men with nodding
feather plumes and quilted armor such
as the Aztecs wore. They spoke IN the
Maya tongue, the tongue of the ancient
ana modern Inhabitants of Southern
Mexico. The language was perfectly
familiar to US; for, as the Southern
Mexicans use it almost entirely in
stead of Spanish, we had learned it
by daily intercourse with the
people. The Indians ranged them
selves about the end of the altar in a
half circle and the tallest aud most mag
nifcently dressed of them stepped before
the rest, and raising his hands toward
the serpent image began to address it.
'Father ItzlcoatI, it Is q year since the
blood of human sacrifice has flowed upon
your altar, and Tonight we stand before
you empty handed. Children OF the &C.
cursed white race are about this sacred
city. Two days have we watched them,
but Tonight we slackened our vigilance
and they have escaped. Empty handed
are we, but in a little while we shall !
dispense in the forest to hunt for |
these whites, and if they be not |
found we will away TO the outskirts of |
some village and make captive the first |
we come upon, for our duty TO you must |
be fulfilled and human blood auoiut
your altar once year. The Indian |
reased and then knelt prone before the
altar, all the Others doing likewise save
two. who stood guarding the door. Silent
as death were the Indians, aud the
of the fire alone disturbed
he quiet. Five minutes passed,
md in a sudden flaring up of the
lanes one of the guards saw
,ur forms dimly outlined against the
darkness of the closet. He whispered to
he other guard, and they peered ear
lestlY in our direction. The fire had died
Town again. and they could see nothing.
However, their suspicions had been
and they started across the
Dom to Investigate. Slowly they came,
'ausing at every step, silent, probably
BECAUSE they did not wish 20 disturb the
yorshipers by a false alarm. We thought
hat our time had come, and
vas bout to shout to my COM
unions to make a dash for the door
Vhen the advancing Indians stopped and
Jared at the altar with every sign of
ear. Crawling along the altar from the
leak hole in the wall was an immense
oa- conetrictor. The kueeling Indians,
unconscious of the danger, had COM
lenced low, grooming chant, while the
yards stood staring in fascinated terror.
he serpent reached the end of the altar
nd dropped upon the chief and enci cled
I'm with his crushing coils. The chief
nd the guards screamed with
ear, and the crowd of worshipers
capped to their feet in confusion.
= Flee! feel" cried the dying chief,
flee from the wrath OF Itzicoatl in
hose power 1 am. The god is angry
we brought no sacrifice and l
aye become the sacrifice. - The In-
ians rushed from the temple, scattering
leir fire in their mad haste, leaving us
lone in the dark with the terrible snake
nd his victim. We dreaded the sub
vados in the wood, but the means
the dying man the sickening sound
: the crushing bones was more
ian we could stand and We fled from
lie temple of the serpent god. eau
ouslv we walked through the forests
nd reconnoitered the ruins. No Indians
ere in sight. We proceeded TO the
alomal, mounted our mules and set out
II Pich. AS turn of the path hiu the
st white building OF the dead city,
rain in the forrest we heard the bell of
e campanero, cit was not for US that
10 blessed San Antonio rang his bell -
i'd Jose, cit was for the caoique of the
blevados.
1t was q lucky thing for us that a wan
ring boa happened TO choose for his
ir the spot where his ancestors had been
orshipped.