The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-05-04
CHAPTER III.
THE FESTIVAL AND THE SACRIFICE

- I y
She facet her lOrcr NTH confident, ten
der smile upon her face.
The smoke was rising and blowing
away in the fresh morning wind from
hundreds of round apertures III the roofs
as the people of Atzlan prepared their
morning meal hurriedly, for they were
anxious to be out and preparing for the
greatest of their religious festivals. One
by one the" emerged and clambered
quickly dor.l the tall ladders until hun
dreds of thea were gathered about in
groups Or buslly arranging for the cere-
monies of the day, gathering fruits and
flowers, maize cakes and pinon nuts for
the minor sacrifices, and decorating the
interior and front of the court and tenn
Pile To each of the four great phratries
or divisions of the inhabitants, according
to kinship, was assigned particular du-
ties connected with the festival.
While some We're engaged in building
and decorating bowers others prepared
food in great quantities, while others ar
ranged for the games and dances which
followed the sacrifices. Others were
driving the animals devoted to sacrifice
into an inclosed field.
Gathered in front of the temple stood
number Of priests waiting to form in
the sacred procession and chatting mer-
rily, with frequent jests, among them
selves. Their white dresses formed a
contrast with the brilliant coloring of
the costumes of the people, and the red
suns embroidered upon their breasts,
the emblem Of their holy calling, showed
forth the more conspicuOusly.
Multitudes Of little, stunted, wolfish
dogs ran in and out between the peoples
legs, attesting by frequent bowls a
plentitude of well aimed kicks. The
houses emptied forth into the square
every inmate, for every living soul in
the city who was able to move or to be
moved was obliged to be present at the
sac1ifce-and few were loath to witness
the spectacle. Its bloody delights were
eagerly awaited and long remembered
Children were there to be held up to see
the rare sight and to have it impressed
upon their memories by many re-
minder III future years, and old women,
wa@ging their heads, told of many a
past scene Of splendid slaughter, when
We're killed not one but dozen beauti-
FIJI virgins to appease Kinchahan's
wrath in times of famine
kulcan stood upon the temple roof
gazing down upon the scene. The aged
l<lapel, weary with his vigil, was slum-
bering in the warm sunlight, his withered
hand resting Oh the edge of the altar,
whose fire seemed dying slowly out. The
young priest was not clad in his sacred
robes, but wore long yellow tunic, en-
clrcled at the waist by belt made of
turquoise squares set in gold and fas-
tened by looped serpent. On his head
he wore feather cap, surmounted by
an eagles plume-the totem of his fam
lily His legs We're naked, revealing a
sLape1y, muscs lar development, and his
feet We're clad in leather shoes or bus
kins, with heavy meats leather soles.
They were fastened with gold loops over
buttons Of the same metal. Around his
left wrist was coiled a heavy bracelet,
modelled like serpent with raised head
the rattlesnake of the plains and can
yons-a sacred, mysterious emblem of
their religion.
He was tall and well built, and his
face was Drowned by exposure to the
burning suns of twenty-six summers.
But the narrow opening in his tunic
showed skin beneath as white as ivory.
With eyes of deep blue and hair of
tawny yellow he resembled as he stood
there, his lip curled into contemptuous
sheer, gazing fxedly at the group of
priests below, viking chieftain, man
OF the land Of cold and snow instead of
the hot arid desert. But his mouth and
chin showed elements of weakness and
vacillation, and the blue eyes held an
INDIGESTION and wavering in their depths
that betrayed his character.
He had already acquiesced in the old
priests decision and realized the use-
lessness of opposition In him there was
none Of the stuff of the hero who would
die defending the woman he loved. nor
dared he kill himself with the knife that
Stew her. No, he would wait-perhans
some miracle might occur What if TX
lapel were wrong after all, and Ouetzal-
coat should appear? And, too. it was n
question not only of self preservation
but of his religion, OF his priestly order
and their fat livings and cherished privi-
leges. Though he loved Aimee with all
his heart, yet he questioned, What was
one mans love to be set against the in
terests of whole priesthood desnisa
them though he did one and all from the
bottom of heart?
Then his thoughts turned in hitter
hatred against them, and he felt that he
could do no better than to shatter the
Whole system of lying and deceit. nre-
tense ana Juggiery. But he was not
sure, even were he to die, that such
would be the result. In the turmoil of
bus thoughts. for he was used to little
thinking, having heretofore allowed H.
lapel to perform that duty for him he
finally resolved to let affairs take tbe;r
course, weakly hoping against hone that
something would intervene. Skent;ca1 |
though ne was as to his religion. he had
still strong faint of Atzlan sunarsti-
ton inrooted In him, part of his verr
nature, and the prodigy of the night -
lRiapel related it, certainly signiied |
something at least unusual about to oc- |
cur
de made his decision, or allowed it
rather to be made for him by the force |
OF circumstances as well as habit ara
awakening the high priest they descend |
ed the trapdoor behind the altar to
gefher and attired themselves in their
sacred robes.
Unlike the continuous encirclinp
building, the temple was not withonf |
doors or windows on the ground floor