The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1895-01-23

own people"
II will try" he answered, shruggino
MS shoulders, mot from any tenderness
toward the accursed Teules, whom could
well bear to see stretched upon the stone,
but because it Is your wish, and for the
sake of the friendship between u.s."
Then he went, and presently saw sew
eral men place themselves, as though by
chance, between the spot where the last of
the line of Indian prisoners and the first
OF the Spaniards were made fast, in such
fashion as to hide them from the sight of
the maddened women engrossed as they
were in their orgies
Now crept up to the Spaniards They
were squatted upon the ground, bound by
their hands and feet to the copper rings in
the pavement. There they sat silently
awaiting the dreadful doom, their faces
gray with terror, and their eyes starting
from their sockets.
"Hist!' whispered in Spanish into the
ear Of the first, an old man whom knew
as one who had taken part in the war of
Cortes. "Would you be saved2"
He looked up quickly and said in a
hoarse voice:
"Who are you that talks of saving us?
Who can save us from these she devils?'
II am Teule, man Of white blood
and a Christian, and, alas that 1 must say
It'll the captain Of this savage people. With
the aid of some few men who arc faithful
to me, 1 purpose to cut your bonds and
afterWard you shall see. Know, Spaniard
that do this at great risk for if we are
caught it is a chance but that myself
shall have to suffer those things from
which 1 hope to rescue you"
''Be assured, Teule,'' answered the
Spaniard, THAT if we should get safe away
we shall not forget this service. Save our
lives now, and the time may come when
we shall pay you back with yours. But
even if we are loosed, how can we cross the
open space in this moonlight and escape
the eyes Of those furies9''
You must trust to chance for that
answered, and as I spoke fortune helped
us strangely, for by now the Spaniards in
their camp below had perceived what was
going forward on the crest Of the teocalli.
ml KS'' at and Is J GE4fe from them and in
stantly they opened fire upon us with their
pieces and arquebuses, though, because
of the shape of the pyramid and of their
position beneath it, the storm Of shot swept
over us, doing little or no hurt; also
great company of them poured across the
courtyard, hoping to storm the temple, for
they did not know that the road had been
broken away.
Now, though the rites of sacrifice never
ceased, what with the roar of cannon, the
shouts of rage and terror from the Span
iards, the hiss of musket balls and the
cracking Of flames from houses which
they had fired to give them more light,
and the sound of chanting, the turmoil
and confusion grew so great as to render
the carrying out Of my purpose easier than
had hoped. By this time my friend, the
captain of the Otomie, was at my side,
and with him several men whom he could
trust. STOPPING down, with few swift
blows of a knife l cut the ropes which
bound the Spaniards. Then we gathered
ourselves into knot, 10 of us Or more
and in the center of the knot we set the
five Spaniards. This done, l drew my
sword and cried:
1.-The Teules storm the templeP' which
was true, for already their long line was
rushing up the winding path. 1.-The
Teules storm the templel I go to stop
them," and ,traightway we sped across
the open space
None saw us, or, if they saw us, none
hindered u.s. for all the company were in
tent upon the contamination of fresh
sacrifice. Moreover, the tumult was such,
as 1 afterward discovered, that we were
scarcely noticed Two minutes passed,
and our feet were set upon the winding
way, and now l breathcd again, for we
were beyond the sight of the women On
we rushed swiftly as the cramped limbs OF
the Standards would carry them till pres