Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-09-12
There the body lay stu and dreadful
among the gems and gold.

There the body lay stu and dreadful
among the gems and gold.
panions took seeds from bag and scat
tered them on the naked earth; also be set
two young trees that he had brought with
him in the soil Of the shaft, though why
be did this I do not know unless 1t was
to mark the spot. All being done, we gath
cred up the ropes and tools, and embark
Ing in tho canoes came back to Mexico In
the morning, leaving the canoes at land.
ing. place outside the city and finding
our way to our homes by ones and twos,
as we thought, unnoticed Of any.
Thus it was that 1 helped In the bury
Ing Of Montezuma's treasure for the sakl
Of which was destined to suffer torturp
In days to come. Whether any will help
to unbury 1t do not know, but till left
the land Of Anahuac the secret had beei.
kept, and I think that then, except my
self, all those were decd who labored with
me at this tnsk. It chaneed that passed.
the spot as came down to Mexico for the
last time and kncwit again by tho two
trees that wero growing tall and stronS
and as I went by with Spanhrds at my
side swore in my heart that they should
never finger tho gold by my help. 1t Is
for this reason that even now l do lot
write of the exact bearings Of the place
where 1t lies buried with tho bones Of th,'
traitor, though know them we'll enough
seeing that in days to come what sot dosn
here might fall into the hands of ont vi
their nation.
And now, before 60 on to speak Of the
siege Of Mexico, must tell Of one mere
matter-namoly, Of how I and Otomie, lIy
wife, went up among the people Of the C;o.
mie and won a great number Of them b. tx
to their allegiance to the Aztec crown.
1t must be known If my tale has not made
this clear already, that the Aztec power
was not of one people, but built up of s:y-
eral, and that surrounding 1t were Many
other tribes, some Of whom were in alIi-
ance with it or subject to it, and soml Of
them were Its deadly enemies. Such: !or
instance, were the Tlascalans, q small tut
warlike people living between Mexico and
tho coast, by whose help Cortes overca IL
Montczuma and Guntelnoc. Beyond he
Tlescalans and to the west the great U.o-
mie race lived or lives among its NOUN
>tains. They are bravor nation than The
Aztccs, speaking another language, o.
different blood and made up Of many clans.
Sometimes they were subject to the great
Aztec empire, sometimes in alliance rNd
sometimes at open wDr with it and In &C 30
friendship with the TlascalanR 1t w-s to
draw the tie closer between the Az,&s
and the Otomies, who were to tho inh abit
ants Of Anahuao much what the Scottish
clans are to the p3oplo Of England, INT
Montezuma took to wife tho daughter rnd
sole legitimate issue Of their great .-niot
or king. This lady died in childbirth, ,.nd
her child was 0tomie my wife, herLitA
ry princess Of the Otomie. But thnIgh
her rank was so great among her mothers
people, rs yet Otomie had visited them
but twice, and then as child. Still she
was well skilled in their language and Gus.
toms, having been brought up by nr:scs
and tutors of the tribes, from whic!. she
drew great revenue every year ami over
whom she exercised many rights Of r.yal-
ty that were rendered to her far more iee
ly than they had been to Montezuma. her
father.
Now, as has been said, some Of these
Otomie clans had Joined the Tlascal ns,
and as their allies had taken part IN the
war on the side Of the Spaniards; t..cro
fore 1t was decided at solemn council
that .Otomie and I, her husband, s!.Juld
20 on an embassy 10 the chief town VI the
nation, that was known as tho Git: of
Pines, and strive to win it back to the
Aztec standard
Accordingly, heralds having beei ',nt
~ foI
not knowing how we should be received
at the end Of 1t. For eight days We : nv.
eled in great pomp and with OH over IN.
creasing escort for when the tribes Of the
Otomie learned that their princess was
como to visit them In person, brin, ing
with her her husband, a man OF the u lules
who had espoused the Aztec cause, licy
focked in vast numbers to swell her rot
inue, 30 that 1t came to pass that hcf,ro
we reached tho City Of Pines We wcro ac-
oompanied by an army OF at least IL, 900
mounta.neers, great men and willy, Who
made c. savage music as we marched. Jut
With them and with their chiefs as yos we
held no converse, except by way Of torsal
greeting. though every morning When we
started on our Journey, Otomie In 'tor
and on horse that had been CAPTURED
from tho Spaniards, they set up shouts OF
salutation and made the mountain. .ng.
Ever as we went the land like Its l'ecple,
grow wilder and moro beautiful, for Low
we were passing through forests olad with
oak and pine and with many lovely
plant and fern. Sometimes We cru' sell
great and sparkling rivers, and somrI .ncs
VIC wendod through gorges and PASSES of
tho mountains, but every hour we luo' Mt
cd higher till at length the cli,na be-
came like that Of England, only far more
bright At last, on tho eighth Cay, we
passed through gorge rivcn In IL. red
rock, which was so narrow in places thut
three horscmcn could scarcely have ridden
thcrc abreast. This gorge, that Is five miles
long, is the high road to the City OF p cS,
to which there was no other access r:.ccpt
by secret paths across the mountains, and
on either side of it arc sheer and towering
cliffs that rise to heights Of between |. 100
and 1000 feet.
Hero is place whcre hundred Elcn
might hold an army at bay" said I" Ot'
omic, little knowing that 1t would IA I.ly
task to do so in day TO como
Presently tho gorgo took turn, ~ /
reined up amazed, for before ME w.. th
City of Pines in all its beauty. The y
ley in a wheel shaped plain that M.
measure 12 miles across, and all around
this plain are mountains clad to their 81
mits with forests Of oak and cedar /; Is.
At the back of tho city and In the ttn,cr
of the ring Of mountains Is one howev"",
that Is not green with foliage, but bl TX
with lava, and above the lava white with
snow, over which again hangs pillar
smoke by day und pillar of fire byni =.
This was the volcano Xaca, or tho Q .se.
and though it Is not SO lofty as its sist. !,
Orizaba, Popo and 1xtac, to my mi,...
Is the lovelicst OF them all, both be.a,
Of Its perfect shape and OF the colors-. II
plo and bluc-of the fires that 1t cn
forth ut night or when It's heart Is t:...
blcd. Tho Otomlcs worshiped this noun
tain as god. Offering human sacrifice
1t, which was not wonderful, for oncI .le
lava pouring from Its bowels cut pnth
through the City Of Pines also they thi!..;
1t holy and haunted, so that none dslc at
foot upon Its loftier SHOWS. Nevertheless