Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-10-17
CHAPTER Xxx.

ISABELLA DE SIGUENZA IS AVENGED.
For many years after the death Of Qua
temoc lived with Otomie ut peace in the
City of Pines. Our country was poor and
rugged, and, though we def1ed the Span
iards and paid them no tribute, now that
Cortes had gone back to Spain they had no
heart to attempt our conquest. Save some
few tribes that lived in difficult places Hko
ourselves, all Anahuac was in their power,
and there was little to gain except hard
blows In the bringing Of remnant Of tho
people Of tho Otomie beneath thoir yoke,
80 they let US be till more convenient
season. say Of o remnant Of the Otomie,
for as timo went on many clans submitted
to tho Spaniards till at length we ruled
over tho City of Pines alone and some
leagues of territory about 1t. Indeed 1t
was only love for Otonie and respect for
tho shadow of her ancient race and name,
together with some reverence for me as one
of tho unconquerablo white men and for
my skill as o general, that kept our fol-
lowing together.
And so tho years rolled on, bringing lit
tie change with them, till I grew sure .aas
hero in this far place should live and DE.
But that was not to be my fate.
If any should road this, the story Of my
early life, no will remember that the tale
of the death Of certain Isabella de Sig
uenza is pieced into Its motley. He will
remember how this Isabella, In the Inst
moments Of her life, called down curse
upon that holy father who added outrage
and insult to her torment, praying that he
might also die by the hands Of fanatics
and in worse fashion. After the con.
quest Of Anahuac by Cortes, among others
this same fory priest came from Spain to
turn the Indians to the love OF God by tor
ment and by sword. Indeed OF all OF those
who entered on this mission Of peace he
was the most jealous. The Indian pnbas
wrought cruelties enough when, tearing
out the victims heart, they offered It like
incense to Huitzel or to Quetzal, but they
at least dismissed his soul to the mansions
Of the sun. With the Christian priests the
thumbscrew and the stake took tho place
Of the stone Of sacrifice, but the soul which
they delivered from It's earthly bondage
they consigned to the house Of hell.
OF these priests certain Father Pedro
was the boldest and the most cruel. TO
and fro he passed, marking his path with
tho corpses Of idolaters, until he earned
the name of the christian devil" At
length he ventured too far In his holy fer
yor and was seized by O clan Of the Otomie
that had broken from our rule upon this
very question Of human sacrifice, but
which was not yet subjugated By the Span.
iards. One day-it was when we had
ruled for some IA years in the City Of Pines
it came to my knowledge that the pabas
Of this clan had captured Christian priest
and designed to offer him to the god Tes-
cat
Attended by small guard only, passed
rapidly across the mountains, purposing
to visit the caziquo of this clan, with
whom, although ho had cast off his allie
gianco to US, I still kept up show Of
friendship, and, If I could, to persuade
him to release the priest But swiftly as I
travelled the vengeance Of tho pabas had
been moro swift, and I arrived Mt the vii
lage only to find the Christian devil" in
the act Of being led to sacrifice before the
image of q hideous idol that was set upon
a stake and surrounded with piles of
skulls. Naked to the waist, his hands
bound behind him, his grizzled locks hang
ing about his breast, his keen eyes fixed
upon tho faces of his heathcn foes in men
acc rather than in supplicntion, his thin
lips muttoring prayers, Father Pedro
passed on tc the place Of his doom, now