Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-09-19
girdlo Of them was in his hands and Te-

noctitlan alone remained untouched.
By the month of May, strive as we
would-and never was u more gnllan6
fight made-all our allies were crushed or
had deserted us, and the siege of the city
began. 1t began by land and by water,
for with incredible resource Cortes caused
13 brigantines of war to be construct
cd in Tlascala and conveyed in pieces
for 20 leagues across the mountains to his
camp, whence they were foated into the
lake through q canal, which was followed
out by the labor of 10000 Indians, who
worked at 1t without cease for two months.
The bearers Of these brigantines were es-
corted by an army of 10000 Tlascalans,
and if could have had my way that army
should have been attacked in the noun
tain passes So thought Guatelnoc also,
but there were few troops to spare, for
tho most Of our force had been dispatched
to threaten city named Chalco, that,
though it's people were of the Aztec blood,
had not been ashamed to desert the Aztec
cause. Still I offered to lead the 30, 600
Otomies whom commanded against the
Tlascalans convoy, and the matter was de-
bated hotly ut council Of war. But the
ing of an engagement with the Spaniards
and their allies so far from the city, and
thus the opportunity went by to return
no moro. It was an evil fortune like the
rest, for in the end these brigantines
brought about the fall of Tonoctitlan by
cutting off the supply of food, which was
carried in canoes across the lake. Alas,
the bravost can do nothing against the
power of famine! Hunger is very great
man, as tho Indians say.
Now the Aztecs, fighting alone, were
face to face with their foes, and the last
struggle began. First the Spaniards cut
the aqueduct which supplied the city with
water from the springs ut the royal house
of Chapoltepec, whittier was taken on
being brought to Mexico Henceforth till
tho end of tho siege the only water that we
found to drink was the brackish and mud
dy fluid furnished by the lake and wells
sunk in tho soil Although 1t might be
drunk after boiling to free 1t Of the salt, 1t
was unwholesome and filthy to the taste,
breeding various painful sicknesses and
fevers. 1t was on this day of the cutting
of the aqueduct that Otomie bore mo
son. our flrstborn. Already the hardships
of the siege wcrc great and nourishing
food so scarce that, had she been less
strong, or had possessed less skill In
medicine, I think that she would have
died. Still she recovered, to my great
thankfulness and JOY, and though am no
clerk I baptized tho boy into the Christian
church with my own hand, naming him
Thomas, after me.
Now day by day and week by week the
fighting went on with varying success,
sometimes in the suburbs Of the city, some
times on the lake and sometimes in the
very streets Time ON time the Spaniards
were driven back with loss; time on time
they advanced again from their different
camps Once VIC captured 90 OF them and
more than thousand Of their allies. All
these were sacrificed on the altar OF HUT
Zcl and given over to be dcvoured by the
AZtecs according to the beastlike custom
which in Anahuac enjoined the eating OF
the bodies Of those who were offered to
the gods, not because the Indians love such
meat, but for secret religious reason. E.
In vain did pray Guatcmoc to forego
this horror.
SIS this time for gcntlcncss:" he an
swcrcd ferccly. Il cannot save them from
the altar, and would not If could Let
the dogs die according to the custom of the
land, and to you, Tculc, my brother,
say presume not too far. "
Alas, the heart of Guatemcc grew ever
ficrccr rs tho struggle wore on, and indeed
it was little to be wondered at.
This was the dreadful plan of Cortes-
to destroy the city picccmeal as he ad-
vanccd toward its hcart-and it was car
ricd out without mercy. So soon us the
Spaniards got footing in q quarter, thou
sands of the Tlascalans were set to work to
fire the houses and burn all in them alive.
Before the siege was done Tcnoctitlan,
queen of the valley, was but heap of
blackened ruins. Cortes might have cried
over Mexico with Isaiah the prophet:
"Thy pomp is brought down to the grave,
and the noise of thy viols; the worm Is
spread under thee, and the worms cover
thee. How art thou fallen from heaven,
o Lucifer, son of the morning, how art
thou cut down to the ground which didst
weaken the nations!'
In all these fights I took my part,
though it does not become me to boast my
prowess. Still the Spaniards knew mo
we'll, and they had good reason.
How shall paint the horrors that day
by day were hcaped upon the doomed cityf
Soon oil the food was gone, and men-aye,
and worse still, tender women and chill
drcn-must cat such meat as swine would
have turned from, striving to keep life IN
them for little longer. Grass, the bark
of trees, slugs and insects, washed down
with brackish water from the lake, these
were their best food these and the flesh Of
captives offered in sacrifice. Now they be-
gan to die by hundreds and thousands;
they died so fast that they could not bury
them Where they perished, there they
lay till at length their bodies bred
plague black and horrible fever, that
swept off thousands moro, who, In turn,
became the root Of pestilence. For ono
who was killed by the Spaniards and their
allies, two were swept of by hunger and
plague. Think then what was the number
of dead when not less than 10, 900 perished
beneath the sword and by fire alone. In
deed it wos said that 0,000 died in this
manner In single day-the day before the
last of tho siege.
One night came back to the lodging
where Otomie dwelt with her royal sister,
Tecuicho, the wife Of Guatemoc, for now
all the palaces had been burned down.
was starving, for I had scarcely tasted
food for 40 hours hut all that my wife
could set before me were three meal cakes,
or tortillas, mixed with bark. She kissed
me and bade me eat them, but discov.
cred that she herself had touched no food
that day, so would not till she shared
them. Then I noted that she could scarce
" swallow the bitter morsels and also
that she strove to hide tears, which ran
down her face.
what is It, wife'" asked.
Then Otomie broke out into q great and
bitter crying and said:
"This, my beloved For two days the
milk has been dry IN my breast-hungcr
has dried it-and our babe is deadl Look,
he lies dead" and she drew aside cloth
and showed me the tiny body.
Hush" said, "he is spared muchl
Can We then desire that child should
live to sec such days as we have seen, and,