The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-08-15


N?~~=waA~
Struck open the poor qoretc1t's breast and
made the ancient Offering to the SUM-
At the foot Of the slope it was lifted and
borne away by certain men who were wait
ING. for what purpose did not know at
that time.
Scarcely was che first victim dead when
the second was seized and treated in like
fashion, the multitude prostrating them
selves as before. And then last OF all
came my turn. felt myself seized and
my senses swan, nor did I recover them
till found myself lying on the accursed
stone, the priests dragging at my limbs
and head, my breast strained upward till
the skin was stretched as tight as that OF
drum, while over me stood the human
devil in his red mantle, the glass knife in
his hand. Never shall forget his wicked
face, maddened with the lust for blood, or
the glare in his eyes as he tossed back his
matted locks. But he did not strike at
once; he gloated over me, pricking me with
the point Of his knife. 1t seemed to me
that I lay there for years while the paba
aimed and pointed with the knife, but at
last, through mist that gathered before
my eyes, I saw it flash upward Then,
when I thought that my hour had come,
a hand caught his arm in midair and held
it, and heard voice whispering
What was said did not please the priest,
for suddenly he howled aloud and made
dash toward me to kill me, but again his
arm was caught before the knife fell. Then
he withdrew into the temple Of the god
Quetzal, and for long while I lay upon
the stone, suffering the agonies of hum
dred deaths, for believed that it was de-
termined to torture me before died, and
that my slaughter had been staid for this
purpose.
At length heard footsteps and shut my
eyes, for could bear the sight of that
dreadful knife no longer. But, behold! no
knife fell Suddenly my hands were
loosed, and I was lifted to my feet, on
which never hoped to stand again. Then
was borne to the edge of the teocalli, for
I could not walk, and there my would be
murderer, tho priest, having first shouted
! some words to the spectators below that
caused them to murmur like forest when
the wind stirs it, clasped me in his blood
head. Now it was for the first time that
noticed my captor, the caziquc, standing
at my side, grave, courteous and smiling
As he had smiled when he handed me to
| the pabas, so he smiled when he took me
| back from them. Then, having been
cleansed and clothed. I was led to the
sanctuary of the got. Quetzal and stood
face to face with the nideous image there,
staring at the golden censer that was to
have received my heart while the priests
uttered prayers. Thence I was supported
down the winding road of the pyramid
| till I came to its foot, where my captor,
the cazique, took me by the hand and led
me through the people who, it seemed,
now regarded me with some strange ven
| GRAFTON. The first person that saw when
we reached the house was Marina, who
| looked at me and murmured some soft
words that could not understand Then
I was suffered to go to my chamber, and
there passed the rest of the day Frustrated
by all that had undergone. Truly Ihad
come to land Of devils!
And now T will tell how it was that
came to be saved from the knife. Marina,
having taken some liking to me, pitied my
sad fate, and being very Quick witted she
found a way to rescue me, for when /
had been led off to sacrifice she spoke to
the cazique, her lord bringing it to his
| mind that by common report Montezuma,
| the emperor of Anahuac was disturbed as
to the Teules, or Spaniards, and desired
much to see one. Now, she said, I was
evidently Teule and Montezuma would
be angered indeed if were sacrificed in a
faroff town instead of being sent to him
to sacrifice if he saw fit To this the ca
zique answered that the words were wise,
but that she should have spoken them be-
fore, for now the priests had got hold of
me- and it was hopeless to save me from
their grip.
'sNay,'' answered Marina, "there is this
to be said Quetzal, the god to whom
this Teule is to be offered, was white
man. [Quetzal, or more properly Quetcal-
coatl, was the divinity who is tabled to
have taught the natives of Anahuac all
the useful arts, including those of govern
ment and policy. He was white skinned
and dark haired. Finally he sailed from
the shores of Anahuac for the fabulous
country Of Tlapallan in bark of serpents'
|
that he would return again with numer-
Gus progeny. This promise was remem-
bered by the Aztecs, and it was large
| " on account of it that the Spaniards
were enabled to conquer the country, for
they were supposed to be his descendants.
Perhaps Quetzalcoatl was Norseman!
Vide sagas of Eric the Red and Of Thor
finn Karlsefne. And it may well hap
pen that this man is one of his children
! Will it please the god that his child should
be offered to him? At the least, if the
god is not angered, Montezuma will Ger
tainly be wroth and wreak a vengeance on
you and the priests. -
Now, when the cazique heard this he
saw that Marina spoke truth, and hurry
ing up the teocalli he caught the knife as
it was in the act of falling upon me. AT
first the head priest was angered and call
ed out that this was sacrilegc and when
the cazique had told him his mind he un
derstood that he would do wisely not to
run a risk OF the wrath of Montezuma.
So was loosed and led into the sanctua-
~, and when came out the paba an
nounced to the people that the god had de-
clared me to be one Of his children, and it
was for this reason that then. and there