Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-08-29

T asked him if he intended to take part
in the feast, as the splendor Of his apparel
brought mo to believe.
ayes" =" he answered, "but why do you
ask?"
because, were you, Guatcmoc,
would not go. Say now, will the dancers
be armed?"
''No, it is not usual"
"They will be unarmed, Guatemoc, and
they arc the flower of the land Unarmed
they will dance in yonder inclosed space,
and tho Teulcs will watch them armed
Now, how would it be if these CHANGED to
pick n quarrel with the nobles?"
II do not know why you should speak
thus, Teulc, for surely these white men
arc not cowarlly murdCrcrs. Still take
your words as an omen, and though the
feast must bc held, for Sec already the
mobiles gather, will not share in it. y
You arc wise, Guatemoc 1 said II
am sure that you are wise"
Afterward Otonic, GuGtcmoc and l
went into the garden of the palace and sat
upon the crest of small pyramid, teo-
CALI in miniature that Montezuma had
built for q place of outlook on the market
anu yuc COURTS VI l1lC 2S-4@ SAAA@
spot VIC saw the dancing OF the Aztec no
bles and heard the song of tho musicians.
1t was q gay sight, for in the bright sun
light their feather dresses flashed like coats
of gems, and none would have guessed
how it was to end Mingling with the
dancers were groups of Spaniards clad IN
mail and armed with swords and match
locks. but I noted that as the time went
on these men separated from the Indians
and began to cluster like bees about the
gates and at various points under th3 shad-
ow of the wall of serpcnts.
NOW, what may this mean" said to
Guatemoc, and as I spoke I saw Span
lard wavc white cloth in the air. Then
in an instant, before the cloth had ceased
to fiutter, smoke arose from every side,
and with it came the sound of the firing
of matchlocks. Everywhere among the
dancers men fell dead or wounded, but the
mass of them, unharmed as yet huddled
themselves together like frightened sheep
and stood silent and terror stricken Then
the Spanards, shouting the namc Of their
patron saint, as it is their custom to do
when they have some such wickcdness In
hand, drew their swords, and rushing on
the unarmcd Aztec mobiles began to Kill
them. Now some shricked and fed, and
some stood still till they were cut down;
but whether they staid or ran, the end
was the same. for the gates were guarded,
and the walls were too high to climb.
There they were slaughtered, every man
of them, and may God, who sees it ali,
reward their murdcrcrs. IL was soon over.
Within 10 minutes of the waving OF the
cloth those 600 men were stretched upon
the pavement dead or dying, and with
shouts OF victory the Spaniards were de-
spoiling their corpses of the rich orna-
mcnts they had worn.
Then I turned to Guatcmoc and said,
"It seems that you did we'll not to join in
yondcr revcl."
But Guatcmoc made no answer. He
stared at the dead and those who had MUIR
dcrcd them and said nothing. Only Oto-
mic spoke. You Christians arc q gentle
people," she said, with bitter laugh. 1t
is thus that you repay our hospitality
Now, trust that Montezuma, my father,
Is pleased with his guests. All, were he
every man Of them should lie on the stone
Of sacrificed If our gods arc devils, as you
say, what arc those who worship yoursr
Then at length Guatemoc said: "Only
ono thing remains to US, and that is venge-
ance. NIontezuma has become wom-
On, and heed him no more. Nay, If 1t
were needful, would kill him with my
own hand. But two men are still left in
tho land-Cuitlahua my uncle, and my
self Now go to summon our armies.
And he went.
All that night the city murmured like
swarm of wasps, and next day at dawn,
so far as the eye could reach, the streets
and market place were filed with tens OF
thousands of armed warriors. They threw
themselves like wave upon the walls OF
the palace of AKA, and like q wave from
q rock they were driven back again by the
fire OF the guns. Thrice they attacked, and
thrice they wcro rcpulsed. Then Monte
yuma, the woman king, appeared upon
the walls, praying them to desist, because,
forsooth, did they succeed, he himself
might perish. Even then they obeyed him,
so great was their reverence for his sacred
royalty, and for awhile attacked the Span
iartis no more. But further than this they
would not GO If Montezuma forbade them
to kill the Spaniards, at least they deter
mined to starvc them out and from that
hour strait blockade was kept up against
the palace. Hundreds Of the Aztec soldiers
had been slain already, but the loss was
not all upon their side, for some of the
Spaniards and many Of tho Tlascalans had
fallen into their hands AS for these un-
lucky prisoners, their end was swift, for
they were taken at once to the temples OF
tho great teocalli and sacrificed there to
the gods In the sight Of their comrades.
Now it was that Cortes returned with
many moro men, for ho had; conquered
Narvaez, whose followers had joined the
standard Of Cortes and with them others,
one Of whom had good reason to know.
Cortes was suffered to rejoin his comrades
in the palace Of AKA without attack, and
on the following day Cuitlahua, Montezu-
mas brother, king of Palapan, was releas-
ed by him that he might soothc the people.
But Cuitlahua was no coward. Once safe
outside his prison walls no called the coun-
ell together, CT whom the chief was Qua
temoc.
There they resolved on war to the end,
giving it out that Montczuma had forfeit
ed his kingdom by his cowardicc, and on
that resolve they acted. Had it been taken
but two short months before, by this date
no Spaniard would have been left alive in
Tcnoctitlan, for after Marina, the love
of Cortes, whose subtle wit brought about
his triumph, it was Montczuma who was
the chief cause of his own fall and OF that
Of the kingdom of Anahuac
CHAPTER XVII.
oTOMuE'S COUNSEL.
On tho day after the return of Cortcs to
Mexico, before the hour of dawn, was
awakened from my uneasy slumbers by