San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-02-15

He resoloed to keep a aoatch upon him..
Il think I've broken up this perform
ance in about as clever a manner as any
playwright ever DEVISED" was Eric Gill;
bert's reflection as he lowered his Win
chester and surveyed the result of his
shot.
Worn out by the exertions and hard
ships of the last two days he had slept
far into the morning, and found when
he awakened that the sun was pouring
down into the roohess ruin in hot fury
upon him.
AS he lay there collecting his waking
senses his ears detected low murmur
that rose and fell in musical cadence
below in the canyon. Rising instantly
and gazing over the low wall of rubble
he beheld the procession mounting the
ascent to the temple. He saw the white
faces among the crowd, and his heart
leaped in thankfulness.
Selling his rifle and tenderly raising
the wounded bird he ran quickly down
the slanting path to the next terrace.
Here the descent was more difficult, as
the way had been worn by the fingers of
the wind and rain for ages, and there
was scarcely foothold upon the shaley
rock. But he clambered from terrace to
terrace till he reached the highest of the
little gardens slightly above the temples
golden top. Amazed that he was as yet
unnoticed, he stopped here to survey the
strange spectacle.
Before him the scenes of a prehistoric
age were being enacted in prehistoric
city by people whose dress resembled
the strange figures in the Mexican MAN
uscript Troano."
1t seemed as though the hand of time
had been turned backward to the days
when the triumphant Cortez marched
his handful of men into Montezuma's
capital.
The whole city, with its myriad ladder
poles, was spread beneath him like
vast circus, with its gayly caparisoned
inhabitants performing a sort of melo-
drama upon an elevated stage. The
many figures were confusing; the eye
was lost in the crowds, but his gaze fol-
lowed that of the others, and his eye
caught the flash of the knife in Kulcan's
hand.
In an instant he realized that perhaps
he was mistaken, and it flashed across
his mind that he was in city of some
wild, bloody sect, who sacrificed human
victims in their religious exercises.
He had not the remotest idea of
course that he had discovered people
and a city older than our own civiliZa-
ton in these almost inaccessible wilds.
But while these thoughts darted through
his mind he saw the priest raise his
weapon to strike, and he instantly
aimed his rifle and fired at Kulcan's up
| lifted arm.
The bullet missed its aim and provi-
dentially struck the knife just above
| the priests hand, but its effect was one
entirely unexpected by Gilbert.
Standing ready to fire again, he was
astonished to see the entire multitude
turn and kneel together, extending their
arms toward him with loud and joyful
cries, unintelligible, but joyous, well
coming and fervent.
All was cOnfuSlon; terror blended with
| joy in the many blanched faces. Quetzal,
the long expected; Quetzal, the fair god,
[ had returned! Returned, as the proph-
ecies of ages had fortold, with the white
dove of peace on his arm, as he was pic
tured in the ancient rock carvings and
paintings, and with the thunder and
lightning of heaven in his handl He
came down the cliff side, where the paths
were easy, for his ear had caught the
word Quetzal, and he was aware of its
meaning.
Seeing that he was taken for god of
old Toltec mythology by this strange
people, Gilbert resolved to accept the
somewhat difficult role as his easiest
form of action. Food was now his most
pressing necessity-the calls of scientific
discovery and research could wait. But
the four chiefs, with the litter of gold,
were already half way to meet him
To be Continued.