The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-10-10
New Series-VOl. XIV. No. II.

among the Otomie, who, above an, had Ia
vored an alliance with the Spaniards and
opposed the sending of an army to AID
Guatemoc in the defense of Tenoctltlan.
Nor did he come alone, for with him were
four chiefs, whom by their dress I knew to
be Tlascalans and ENJOYS from Cortes.
Then my heart sank, for it was not dill
cult to guess the object of their coming.
''Speak on, Maxtla," said Otomic, fer
we must hear what there is for us to al
swer, and you, people of the Otomie,
pray you keep silence, that you may Judge
between us when there is an end OF talk
ing"
Now great silence fell upon the multi
tude, who pressed together like sheep in
pen and strained their ears to catch the
words of Maxtla
"My speech with you, princess, and the
Teule, your outlawed husband, shall be
short and sharp" he began roughly. "A
while hence you came hither to seek an
army to aid Cuitlahua, emperor of the AZ
tees, in his struggle with the Teules, the
sons of Quetzal. That army was given
you against the wishes of many of us, for
you won over the council by the honey OF
your words, and we who urged caution OF
even an alliance with the white men, the
children Of God, were overruled. You went
hence, and 90, 600 men, the flower Of our
people, followed you to Tenoctitlan. Where
are they now? I will tell you. Some
200 of them have crept back home, the rest
f1y to and fro through the air in the giz-
yards Of the zaphilotes or crouch on the
earth in the bellies Of jackals. Death has
them all, and you led them to their deaths.
Is it. then, much that we should seek the
lives of you two in payment for those co.
600 Of our sons, our husbands and QUIZ IA
thers9 But we do even ask this. Here be-
side me stand ambassadors from Mallnche,
the captain Of the Teules, who reached our
city but an hour ago. This is the demand
that they bring from Malinche, and in his
own words:
.' Deliver back to me Otomie, the
daughter of Montezuma. and the renegade
Of her paramour, who is known as Teule,
and who has fled from the justice due to
his crimes, and it shall be well with you,
people of the Otomie. Hide them or refuse
to deliver them, and the fate of the City OF
Pines shall be as the fate of Tenoctitlan,
queen of the valley. Choose, then, between
my love and my wrath, people Of the Oto-
mie. Hyou obey, the past shall be forgiven,
and my yoke will be light upon you. IF
you refuse, your city shall be stamped Fat
and your very name wiped oul # the rec
ords of the world.
'tSay, messengers of the Malinche, are
not these the words of Malinche?"
'.They are his very words, Maxtla, F" said
the spokesman of the embassy.
Now again there was tumult among
the people, and voices cried, "Give them
no: give them to Malinche as peace offer
ing.' Otomie stood forward to speak, and
it died away, for all desired to hear her
words, Then she spoke:
'.It seems, people Of the Otomie, that
am on trial before my own vassals, and
nv husband with me- Well, will plead
our cause as well as woman may, and
having the power you shall judge between
us and Maxtla and his allies, Malinche and
the Tlascalans What is our ofense? 1t
is that we came hither by the command OF
Cuitlahua to seek your aid in his war with
the Teules What did tell you then? 1
told you that if the people OF Anahuac
would not stand together against the White
men they must be broken one by one, like
the sticks of an unbound fagot, and cast
into the flames. Did speak iess Nay,
spoke the truth, for through the treason
of her tribes, and chiefly through the trea-
son of the Tlascalans, Anahuac is fallen
! and Tenoctitlan isa ruin sown with dead
like field with corn
lit is true, !" cried a voice.
'.Yes, people of the Otouie, it is true,
but say that had all the warriors Of the
nations of Anahuac played the part that
your sons played the tale had run other
wise. They are dead, and because OF their
death you would deliver us to our foes and
YOURS, but I, for one, do not mourn them,
though among their number are many OF
nv Kin. Nay, be not wroth, but listen.
It is better that they should lie dead in
honor, having earned for themselves
wreath of fame and an immortal dwelling
in the houses of the sun, than that they
should live to be slaves, which, it seems
is your desire, people Of the Otomle. There
is no false word in what said to you
! Now the sticks that Malinche has used to
beat out the brains of Guatemoc shall be
broken and burned to cook the pot OF the
Teules. Already these false children are
his slaves. Have you not heard his con-
mand, that the tribes, his allies, shall La
Dor in the quarries and the streets till the
glorious city he has burned rises afresh
upon the face of the waters? Will you not
hasten to take your share in the work, peo-
ple of the Otomie, the work that knows no
rest and no reward except the lash OF the
oyerseer and the curse of the Teulc? Sure
" you will hasten. people OF the noun
tains! Your hands are shaped to the spade
and the trowel, not to the bow and the
spear, and it will be swcctcr to toll to 90
the will and swell the wealth OF Malinche
in the sun of the valley or the shadow OF
the mine than to bide here free upon your
hills, where as yet no foe has set his foot!.
Again she paused, and lnurmur OF
doubt and unrest went through the thou
sands who listened Maxtla stepped for
ward and would have spoken, but the peo-
ple shouted him down, crying: "Otomie
Otornie! Let US hear the words OF Oto-
mie.'
II thank you, my people, she saie,
'.for have still much to tell you. Our
crime is, then, that we drew All army after
nc +o fobt acainst fhe TeulcS And how