Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-10-26
'N1BLDNAN Of SPAIN.
Rv ALFRED BALOH

PV AltE hDO OAhOLs
-,,iaoe or town they had taken
inc oollection of huts made of upright
F as matched with paja. In the cen
pDro ,,s fine plaza of the temple, and in
IN II food the temple itself, large
@ one story high, built like the
nua'' The open front showed the shape
}, pu of wood which had been wor-
= q ;sad 0 as god, already thrown down,
sup III before it lay the bodies Of three or
b vriests slain in their attempt to de-
tba altar. Some blood red flowers,
N a;ns of the morning Offering, were
. catered about, and the Goals OF the sa-
al fire vet showed spots of red. At one
esa vas the heap of gold ornaments torn
s.m tbe altar and the god carelessly ly-
there. waiting until the rest of the
NV should be collected. Down the
yreet in which the battle had ragged
snoniards were examining the bodies of
r. dead and stripping off the gold.
Az the Young soldier sat there a group
. cantives guarded by five or six sol.
nors attracted his attention. There were
many women and children, some old
ION who mourned over the fate of their
neonle. and some in the prime of life.
Tanv gaping wound showed itself on
.ha bodies of these warriors, and their
snI,on looks were evidence enough of the
feelings which ragged within their
breasts. But it was not on these that
nm Francesco's thoughts dwelt. Near
~ him and seated on the ground, her
white cotton robe half torn from her
/ shoulders, was an Indian girl of about
/ fifteen. This was Nechtla, the sister OF
Roeho-Ammo, war chief of the Guaje.
ros.
The relacion of the Frey Juan Con.
zales, in which l found this story, de.
/ scribes the girl as looking like one from
4 the old Gothic families of Spain, and the
n old Franciscan adds, quantity enough.
IA "She was beautiful enough, without the
4 aid of the devil she served, to do all that
came" Ifancy, then, that Nechtla must
have been pure brunette, with large
and soft black eyes, perfect figure, ex.
4 ouistely beautiful hands and feet and
y long black hair. Probably she possess.
ed that appealing expression which may
4 even now be seen in half breed Indian
girls, an expression which cannot be de.
scrbed, but which is ineXpressibly touch
ing.
Whatever she looked like, she was
such one as Don francesca Medina had
never seen before. He had influence
enough with Colonel Honradez to cause
her to be carried on litter during the
i lCng and toilsome march back, and it Is
certain that he talked to her a great deal.
Colonel Honradez did not care; it was a
pugh age, and if Don Francesca Medina.
the son of the captain general, chose tC
take fancy to an Indian captive, what
did it matter She was of no use as
slave; in fact, the stern old Spanish
soldier would not have burdened himself
on the march with her so long as the
thrust of knife would have been less
trouble.
That the young man should prefer
having her to receiving the share of gold
he had offered to give up in return
amused Colonel Honradez not little,
but for all that the colonel resolved
good naturally Francesca should not
suffer when the yellow metal in those
bundles, bound in raw hide and carried
by the men who were guarded so care
fully, came to be weighed and divided.
In due time the party reached Cartha-
gena; there were fresh slaves to take
their places on the walls, and the cap
tain general was delighted when he heard
the story of his sons behavior in his first
fight from the lips of Colonel Honradez,
The two men laughed together as the
colonel described the Indian girl and the
reason why she had been brought to the
coast, but the captain general cared as
little about his sons act as did that son's
commander.