Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-10-31

sorted out, 1000 or moro Of them, and at
midnight the gates OF the courtyard were
thrown open, and they left. Oh, it was
dreadful to see tho farewells that took
place In that hour! Hero daughter clung
to the neck of her aged father, hero hus-
bands and wives bade each other last
farewell, here mothers kissed their little
children, and on every side rose up the
sounds of bitter agony, the agony Of those
who parted forever. buried my face in
my hands, wondering, as 7 had often Won
dered before, how God whose name IS
Mercy can bear to look upon sights that
break the hearts Of sinful men to witness.
Presently raised my eyes and spoke to
Otomie, who was at my side, asking her II
she would not send our son away with tho
others, passing him off as the child Of COM
mon people Nay, husband" she an
swered, ''it is better for him to die with us
than to 1.-Two as slave Of the Spaniards.
At length it was over, and the gates had
shut behind tho last Of them. Soon we
heard the distant challenge of the Spanish
sentries as they perceived them, and the
sounds Of some shots, followed by cries.
Doubtless tho Tlasoalans are massa-
cring them," I said.
But it was not so. When few had
been killed, the leaders of the Spaniards
found that they waged war upon an un-
armed mob, made up for the most part OF
aged people, women and children, and
their commander, Bernl Diaz, o merci-
full man if a rough one, ordered that the
onslaught should cease. Indeed he did
= 1a1 ial n
gether with such children as were sutl-
GENTLY strong to bear the fatigues of travel,
had been sorted out to be sold as slaves he
suffered the rest of that melancholy COM
pany to depart whittier they would. And
so they went, thoueh what became OF them
I do not know.
That night we spent in the courtyard OF
the tcocalli, but before it was light l
caused the women and children who re-
mained with US, perhaps some 800 In all,
for very few Of tho former who were un-
married, or, who, being married, were
still young and comely, had chosen to de-
sert our refuge, to ascend the pyramid,
guessing that the Spaniards would attack
us at dawn. I staid, however, With the
800 fighting men that were left to me,
hundred or more having thrown them
selves upon tho mercy Of the Spanlards,
with the refugees, to await the Spanish
onset under shelter of the walls of the
COURTYARD. At dawn it began, and BY mid
day, do what we could to stay it, the wall
was stormed, and leaving nearly hum
dred dead and wounded behind me was
driven to the winding way that led to the
summit of the pyramid. Hero they as
saulted us again, but the road was steep
and narrow, and their numbers gave them
no great advantage on it, so that the end
of it was that we beat them back with loss,
and there was no moro fighting that day.
The night which followed we spent
upon the summit of the pyramid and for
my part I was so weary that after l had
eaten never slept moro soundly. Next
morning the struggle began anew, and
this time with better success to the Span
iards Inch by inch, under cover OF the
heavy fire from their arquebuses and
pieces, they forced US upward and back
ward. All day long the fight continued
upon the narrow road that wound from
stage to stage Of the pyramid. AT length,
as the sun sank, company Of our foes,
their advance guard, with shouts Of VIC
tory, emerged upon the fiat summit and
rushed toward the temple in its center.
All this while the women had been watch
ing, but now one Of them sprang up, cry
ing with q loud voice:
"Seize them. They arc but few"
T: Then, with fearful scream Of rage, the
mob of women cast themselves upon the
weary Spaniards and Tlascalans, bearing
them down by tho weight of their num-
bers. Many Of them were slain indeed,
but in tho end the women conquered, aye,
and made their victims captive, fastening
them with cords to the rings of copper
that were set into the stones Of the pave
ment, to which in former days those
doomed to sacrifice had been secured when
their numbers were 80 great that the
priests feared lest they should escape. l
and the soldiers with me watched this
sight, wondering; then I cried out:
what men Of the Otomie, shall it be
said that our women outdid Us In cour-
age?" and without further ado, followed
by 100 or more Of my companions, rush
ed desperately down the steep and narrow
path.
I At the first corner WI met the main ar
ray Of Spaniards and their allies, coming
up slowly, for now they were sure of VIC
tory, and SO great was the shock Of our en-
counter that many Of them were hurled
over the edge Of the path, to roll down the
steep sides Of the pyramid. Seeing the. tate
of their comrades, those behind them
halted, then began to retreat. Presently
the weight of our rush struck them also,
and they in turn pushed upon those below,
till at length panic seized them, and with
O great crying the long line Of men that
wound round and round the pyramid from
Its base almost to its summit sought their
safety in fight. But some Of them found
none, for tho rush Of those above, pressing
with ever increasing force upon their
friends below, drove many to their death,
since hero ON the pyramid there was moth
ing to cling to, and If once man lost bis
ifoothold on the peth his fall was broken
only when his body reached tho court be-
meath. Thus In 15 short minutes all that
tho SpaniardS had won this day was lost
again, for except the prisoners at its sum
NIT none of them remained alive upon the
teocalli Indeed SO great terror took
them that, bearing with them their dead
and wounded, they retreated under cover
of the night to their camp without the
walls Of the courtyard.
Now,sweary, but triumphant, we wend-
ed our way back toward tho crest Of the
pyramid but as turned the corner OF the
second angle that was perhaps nearly 100
feet above the level of the ground thought
struck me, and I set those with me at
task. Loosening the blocks Of stone that
formed the edge Of the roadway, we rolled
them down tho sides Of the pyramid, and
so labored ON, removing layer upon layer OF
stone and Of the earth beneath till where
the path had been was nothing but O
yswning gap 30 feet or moro in width.
"Now," said, surveying our handi-
work by tho light of the rising moon,
s'that Spaniard who would win our nest
must find wings to fly with
"Aye, Teule," answered one at my side;
."but, say, what wings shall we find'"
1.-THE wings Of death, I said grimly
and went on my upward way.
It was near midnight when I reached
the temple, for the labor Of leveling the
road took many hours, and food had been
sent to US from above AS drew nigh |
was anna zed to hear the sound of solemn
chanting, and still more was 1 amazed
when / saw that the doors Of the temple OF