The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-08-29
CHAPTER XIV.
so.r.,esn ms. NJ +ss AUTHOR

TIE NAMING OF THE BRIDES.
Now, some mouths passed between the
date Of my naming as the god Tezcat and
the entry Of the Spaniards into Mexico,
aud during all this space the city was In
ferment. Again and again Montezu1na
sent embassies to Cortes, bearing with
them vast treasures of gold and gems as
presents and at the same time praying
him to withdraw, for this foolish prince
did not understand that by displaying so
much wealth he few lure which must
surely bring the falcon on himself To
these ambassadors Cortes returned courte-
ous answers, together with presents OF
small value, and that was all
Then the advance began, and the en-
peror learned with dismay Of the conquest
Of the wa1like tribe Of the eTlascslans, who,
though they were Montezuma's bitter and
hereditary foes, yet made a stand against
the white man. Next came the tidings
that from enemies the conquered Tlasca-
lans had becomatl allies and servants of
the Spandrd, and HAT fhousands s. their
flercest warriors were advancing with him
upon the sacred city Of Cholula. Awhile
passed, and i was ,knownethat Cholula
also had bean givenste massscpeS and that
the holy, or rather the unholy, gods had
been torn from their shrines Marvellous
tales werc told Of the Spaniards, Of then
courage and their might, Of the armor
that they wore, the thunder that their
weapons made In battle, and the fierce
beasts which they bestrode. Once two
heads Of white men taken in skirmish
were sent to Montezumsrferce looking
heads, great and hairy, and with them the
head Of q horse. When Montezunaa saw
these ghastly relics, he almost tainted with
tear. Still he caused them to be set UP on
pinnacles Of the great temple and proc
lamation to be made that this fate await
bd every invader of the land
1cies. Day by day councils were held OF
the mobiles, of high priests and OF neigh
boring and friendly kings. Some advised
one thing, some another, and the end of it
was hesitation and folly. TAh, had Monte
yuma listened to the voice Of that great
man Guatemoc, Anahuac would not have
been Spanish fief today! For Gustemoc
prayed him again and yet again to put
away his fears and declare open war upon
the Tenles before it was too late-to cease
from making gifts and sending embassies,
to gather his countless armies and slnite the
foe IN the mountain passes. But Mantezu-
ma would answer: sTo what end, nepheWs
How can struggle against these men
when the gods themselves have declared
for them? Surely the gods can take their
own parts If they wish it, and, if they will
not, for myself and my own fate I do not
care, but alas for my people, alas for the
women. and the children, the aged and the
weakp'
Then he would cover his face and moan
and weep like child, and Guatemoc
would pass from his presence dumb with
fury at the folly Of so great king, but
helpless to remedy it, for, like myself,
Gautemoc believed that Montezuma had
been smfttea with madness sent from
heaven to bring the land to ruin.
The people were distraught with fear Of
the future, but not the less on that ac-
count, or perhaps because Of It, they
plunged with ferym into pleasures, alter
Mating them with religious ceremonies.
In those days no feast was neglected, and
no altar lacked It's victim. Like river
that. quickens It's Cow as it draws near the
precipice over which it must fall, so the
people Of Mexico, foreseeing ruin, awoke,
as 1t were, andiiVed as they had never lived
before. All day long the cries of victims
came from ahundred temple tops, and all
night the sounds Of revelry were heard
among he streets. ssLet us eat and
drink, they said, s.for the godssef the sea
are upon US, and tomorrow we die" Now
women who had been held virtuous proved
themselves wantons, and men whose
names were honest showed themselves
knaves, and none cried fie upon them. Aye,
even children were seen drunken in the
streets, which is an abomination among
the Aztecs-
The emperor had moved his household
from Chapoltepec to the palace in the
greaJ squire facing the temple, and this
palace was town In itself, for every night
more thans1 eco human beings slept be-
meath fts root, not to speak Of the dwarfs
and monsters and the hundreds Of wild
birds and beasts in cages Here every day
I feasted;with whom would, and when I
was weary Of feasting it was my custom to
sally out into the streets playing on the
lutte, for by now had In some degree mas
tered that. hateful instrument, dressed in
shining apparel and attended by a crowd
of.ncbles and royal pages Then the mobiles
would rush from the houses shouting and
doing me reverence, the children pelted me
with flowers, and the maideCs danced before
me, kissing my hands anu feet, till at
length I was attended by mob 1000
strong. And also danced and shouted
like any village fool, for I think that
kind Of mad humor, or perhaps it was the
drunkenness of worship, entered into me
in those days; also I sought to forget my
griefs; 1desired to forget that was doomed
to the sacrifice, and that every day brought
me nearer to the red knife Of the priest.
In those days, had it not been for the
tender kindness of Otomie, think that
my heart would have broken or should
have slain myself. But this greet: "'''