The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1895-01-16

SUrO6G 16aQ1ng TO In0 8TobO Ildr0 Ol Gl0
teocalli threw up other barbados, pro-
tected in the front and rear by dikes cut
through the roadway, and in case the Span
iards should try to turn our flank and
force passage through the narrow and
tortuous lanes to the right and left also
barricaded the four entrances to the great
square or market place.
Till nightfall the Spaniards bombarded
the shattered remains of the gate and the
earthworks behind them, doing no great
damage beyond the killing of about a score
of people by cannon shot and arquebus
balls. But they attempted no assault that
day. At length the darkness fell, and the
fire ceased, but not so our labors. Most of
the men must guard the gates and the
weak spots in the walls, and therefore the
building of the barricades was left chiefly
to the women working under my COM
mands and that of my captains. Otomie
herself took share in the toll, an exam
pie that was followed by every lady and
indeed every woman in the city, and there
were many Of them, for the women out
numbered the men among the Otomie,
and, moreover, not a few Of them had been
made widows ON that same day.
1t was a strange sight to see them in the
glare of hundreds of torches split from the
rOsin pine that gave it's name to the city,
as all night long they moved to and fro in
lines, each of them staggering beneath the
weight Of a basket of earth or a heavy
stone, Or dug with wooden spades at the
hard soil, or labored at the pulling dOwH
Of houses. They never complained, but
worked on sullenly and despairingly. No
grOan or tear broke from them-nO, E1<,u
even from those whose husbands and sons
had been hurled that morning from the
precipices of the pass. They knew that re-
sistance would be useless and that their
doom was at hand, but no cry arose among
them Of surrender to the Spaniards. Those
of them who spoke of the matter at all
said with Otomie, that it was better to die
free than to live as slaves, but the most
did not speak. The old and the young,
mother, wife, widow and maid, they la
bored in silence, and the children labored
at their sides.
Looking at them, it came into my mind
that these silent, patient women were in
spired by some common and desperate pur
pose that all knew of, but which none of
them chose to tell.
''Will you work so hard for your mas
tiers, the Teulesf'' cried man in bitter
mockery as file of them toiled past be-
meath their loads of stone.
"Fool!' answered their leader, young
and lovely lady of rank, do the dead Ia
bor?'
may" said this i'll jester, "but such as
you are too fair for the Teules to kill, and
your years of slavery will be many. Say,
how shall you escape themP"
"Fool!' answered the lady again, ''dOes
fire die from lack Of fuel only, and must
every man live till age takes him? We
shall escape them thus, " and casting down
the torch she carried she trOd it into the
earth with her sandal and went on with
her load. Then I was sure that they had
some purpose, though did not guess how
desperate it was, and Otomie would tell
me nothing of this woman's secret.
"Otomie, said to her that night when
we met by chance, II have i'll news for
you"
lit must be bad indeed, husband, to be
named in such an hour, }" she answered.
de Garcia is among our foes"
81 knew it, husband"
"How did you know it?"
''By the hate written in your eyes, I" she
answered.
SIT seems that his hour Of triumph is at
hand, " said.
May, beloved, not his, but yours. You
shall triumph over De Garcia, but victory
will cost you dear. l know it in my heart.
Ask me not how or why. See, the queen
puts on her crown, - and she pointed to
the volcan Xaca, whose SHOWS grew rosy
with the dawn, 'and you must go to the
gate, for the Spaniards will soon be stir
ring"
AS Otomie spoke 1 heard trumpet