The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-10-05

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- a man sat upon q broidered cushion d
hating the fumes of the tobacco.
ed till the emperor made sign with tn
gilded bowl of his pipe, when they rose t
l.. their feet again and stood with folde
. hands and eyes fixed abjectly upon tn
( floor. Presently Montezuma made anotl
0 er signal, and three aged men, whom
3 understood to be ambassadors, advance
q and asked some prayer Of him. He an
/. swered them with nod of the head, an
they retreated from his presence, making
obeisance and stepping backward till the
mingled with the crowd. Then the emper
or spoke word to one of the counselors
who bowed and came slowly down tn
hall, looking to the right and to the left
Presently his eye fell upon Guatemoc, ant
) indeed he was easy to see, for he stood
head taller than any there.
Hail, prince he said. 1.-THE roya
Montezuma desires to speak with you, ant
with the Teule, your companion"
"Do as I do, Teule," said Guatemoc
and led the way up the chamber till W.
reached the place where the wooden screer
had been, which, as we passed it, was
drawn behind us, shutting us off from
the hail.
Here we stood awhile with folded hands
and downcast eyes, till a signal was made
to us to advance.
Your report, nephew" said Montezu-
ma in a low voice of command.
II went to the city of Tabasco, o glo-
rious Montezuma. found the Teule and
brought him thither; also 1 caused the
high priest to be sacrificed according to the
royal command, and now hand back the
imperial signet," and he gave the ring to
a counselor.
why did you delay so long upon the
road, nephewS'
Because of the chances Of the journey.
While saving my life, royal Montezuma,
the Teule, my prisoner, was bitten by a
puma. Its skin is brought to you as an
Offering"
Now MOntezuma looked at me for the
first time, then opened q picture scroll
that one of the counselors handed to him
and read in it, glancing at me from time
to time.
1.-The description is good, he said at
length, "in all save one thing-it does not
say that this prisoner is the handsomest
man in Anahuac. Say, Teule, why have
your countrymen landed ON my dominions
ana siam my peOple!
II know nothing of it, o king" I an
swered as we'll as I might, with the help
OF Guatemoc, land they are not my coun-
trymen.''
1.-THE report says that you confess to hay
ing the blood of these Teules in your veins,
and that you came to these shores, or near
Them in one of their great canoes"
THAT is so o king, yet am not of their
OpOD1a and camn fo tho ShOra doatipu On
a barrel"
II hold that you lie, answered Monte
yuma, frowning, for the sharks and croc-
odiles would devour one who swan thus"
Then he added anxiously, Say, are you
of the descendants of Quetzal9''
II do not know, o king. am of a
white race, and our forefather was named
Adam"
"Perchance that is another name for
Quetzal," he said 1T has long been
prophesied that his children would return,
and now it seems that the hour of their
coming is at hand" And he sighed heav-
lily, then added: $50 now. Tomorrow you
shall tell me of these Teules, and the ooun-
Gil of the priests shall decide your fate
Now, when l heard the names Of the
priests, trembled in all my bones and
cried, clasping my hands in supplication:
'Slay me if you will, o king, but be-
seech you deliver me not again into the
hands of the priests"
I'VE are all in the hands of the priests
who are the mouth Of God" he answered !
roldly. besides hold that you have lied
10 me-"
Then went, foreboding evil, and Qua
temoc also looked downcast. Bitterly did
curse the hour when 1 had said that
was of the Spanish blood and yet no Span
ard. Had l known even what 1 knew
hat day, torture would not have wrung
hose words from me. But now it was
90 late
Now Guatemoc led me to certain apart
nents of this palace of Chapoltepec, where
lis wife, the royal Princess Tecuichpo,
vas awaiting him, a very lovely lady, and
With her other ladies, among them the
Princess Otomie, Montezuma's daughter,
md some mobiles. Here a rich repast was
erved to us, and l was seated next to the
Princess OtOmie, who spoke to me most
,raciously, asking me many things con-
erning my land and the people of the
reules. 1t was from her that I learned
lrst that the emperor was much disturbed
t heart because of these Teules, or Span
ards, for he was superstitious and held
hem to be the children of the god Quet-
al, who, according to ancient prophecy,
would come to take the land. Indeed 50
racious was she, and SO royalty lovely, ,
hat for the first time felt my heart stir
ed by any other woman than my betroth-
d whom had left far away in England,
nd whom, as I thought, should never ,
ee again. And, as / learned In after days,
nine was not the only heart that Was STIR Z
ed that night.
Near to us sat another royal lady, Pa Z
antzin, the sister of Montezuma, but she 1
Tas neither young nor lovely, and yet q
lost sweet faced and sad, as though with a
he presage of death. Indeed she died not '
lany weeks after but could not rest quiet a
4 her grave, as shall be told. !
When the feast was done and we had
runk of the cocoa or chocolate and smok- 4
tobacco in pipes, a strange but most b
'othing custom that 1 learned In Tabasco. n
nd Of which 1 have never been able to
reak myself, though the weed Is still a
ard to come by here in England, / was s
d TO my sleeping place, a small chamber, Z
aneled with cedar boards. For awhile q
'uld not sleep, for was overcome by the I
emory Of all the strange sights that O
I'd seen In this wonderful new land, q