The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-10-24

mon the narrow road that wound from
stage to stage of the pyramid. At length,
as the sun sank, o company OF our foes
their advance guard, with shouts Of vic
tory, emerged upon the fat 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 loud voice:
'sSeize them. They are but few"
Then, with fearful scream Of rage, the
mob of women cast themselves upon the
weary Spaniards and T1asca1ans, Bearing
them down by the weight Of their num-
bers Many Of them We're slain indeed,
but in the 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 so great that the
priests feared lest they should escape. l
and the soldiers with me watched this
sight, wondering; then cried out:
.sWhat, men of the Otomie, shall it be
said that our women outdid US in cou1-
ages'' and without further ado, followed
by 100 or more Of my companions, rush
ed desperately down the steep and narrow
path.
At the first corner we met the main ar
raw of Spaniards and their allies, coming
ND 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 fate
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
a 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 the rush Of those above, pressing
with ever increasing force upon their
friends below, drove many to their death,
since Rere on the pyramid there was moth
ing to cling to, and if once q man lost his
foothold on the path his fall was broken
only when his body reached the court be-
meath. Thus in 15 short minutes all that
the 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 niRht to their camp without the
walls Of the courtyard.
Now, weary, but triumphant, we wend-
ed our way back toward the crest OF the
pyramid, but as turned the corner OF the
second angle that was perhaps nearly 100
feet ebove the level Of the ground thought
struck me, and set those with me at
task. Looeening the blocks Of stone that
formed the edge Of the roadway, we rolled
them down the 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
yawning gap 80 feet or.more in width.
Now" I said, surveying our handi-
work by the light Of the rising moon,
that Spaniard who would win our nest
must find wings to fly with. -
''Aye, Teule, !" answered one at my side;
'sbut, say, what wings shall we fnd!'
1.-THE wings of DEATH" I said grimly
and went ON my upward way.
It was near midnight when ! reached
the temple, for the labor Of leveling the
road took many hours, and food had been
seut to us from above. As / drew nigh I
was amazed to hear the sound Of solemn
chanting, and stin more was I amazed
when saw that the doors Of the temple OF
Huitzel were open, and that the sacred fire
which had not shone there for many years
once more f1ared flercely upon his altar. I
stood there listening. Did my ears trick
me, or did I hear the dreadful song OF
sacrifoes Nay, again its wild refrain rang
out upon the silence:
TO Thee we sacrificed