The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-10-17
Fau,er Pedro passed on to the place Ct hts
doom

Father Pedr0 passed on 10 tne pt0ce q hsS
doom.
and again shaking his head fercely to free
himself from the torment Of the insects
which buzzed about It
I looked upon him and wondered. l
looked again and knew. Suddenly there
rose before my mind vision Of that
gloomy vault In Seville Of woman, young
and lovely, draped in cerements, and OF a
thin faced, black robed friar Who smote
her upon the lips with his ivory crucihx
and cursed her for a blaspheming hereto.
There before me was the man. Isabella de
Siguenza had prayed that fate like to
her own should befall him, and it was
upon him now. Nor indeed, remember
ing all that had been, was I minded to
avert it, even If it had been in my power
to do SO. I stood by and let the victim
pass, but as he passed I spoke to him in
Spanish, saying:
Remember that which It may well be
you have forgotten, holy father. Renem-
Der now the dying prayer of Isabella de
Siguenza, whom many years ago you did
to death in Seville
The man heard me. He turned livid be-
meath his bronzed skin and staggered until
thought that he would have fallen. he
stared upon me with terror in his eye to
see, as he believed, acommon sight enough,
that of an Indian chief rejoicing at the
death Of one OF his cppressors-
''What devil are you, he said hoarsely,
''sent from hell to torment me at the lastE
e'Remember the dying prayer Of Isabella
de Siguenza, whom you struck and
cursed, - answered, mocking. "Seek not
to know whence am, but remember this
only, now and forever. !"
For moment he stood still, needless OF
the urgings Of his tormentors. Then bis
courage came to him again, and he cried
with great voice: ''Get thee behind me,
satan. What have I to fear from thee!
remember that dead sinner well-may he1
soul have peace her curse has fallen
upon r.e. rejoice that it should be SO,
for on the farther side of yonder stone the
gates Of heaven open to my sight. Get thee
behind me, satan What have to fesa1
from thee?'
Crying thus, he staggered forward, say.
ing: 80 God, into thy hand commend
my spirit!' May his soul have peace also,
for if he was cruel at least he was brave
and did not shrink beneath those torments
which he had inflicted on many others.
Now this was little matter, but its re-
suits were large. Had saved Father Pedro
from the hands of the pabas Of the Oto-
mie it is likely enough that should not
today be writing this history here In the
valley Of the Waveney. do not know il
I could have saved him. I only know that
did not try, and that because of his death
great sorrows came upon me. Whether
was right or wrong, who can say? Those
who Judge my story may think that in this
as in other matters was wrong. Had
they seen Isabella de Siguenza die within
her living tomb certainly they would hold
that I was right. But for good or i'll,
matters came about as have written.
And it came about also that the new
yfceroy sent from Spain was stirred to an
ger at the murder of the friar by the rebel
iious and heathen people Of the Otomie
and set himself to take vengeance on the
tribe that wrought the deed
Soon tidings reached me that great
force of Tlascalan and other Indians were
being collected to put an end to US root
and branch, and that with them marched
more than O hundred Spaniards, the expo
dition being under the command Of none
other than the Captain Bernal Diaz, that
same soldier whom I had spared in the
slaughter Of the noche triste, and whose
sword to this day hung at my side.
Now we must needs prepare our defense,
for our only hope lay in boldness. Once
before the Spaniards had attacked US with
thousands Of their allies, and Of their NUM-
! Der but few had lived to look again on the
camp of Cortes What had been done
could be done for a second time-so said
Otomie in the pride of her unconquerable
heart. But, alas, in IA years things had
changed much with rs. Fourteen years