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

path.
At the first corner we met the main ar
ray of Spaniards and their allies, coming
UP slowly, for now they were sure Of vic
tory, and so great was the shock OF our en-
counter that many of them were hurled
over the edge of the path to roll down the
steep sides of the pyramid. Seeing the fate
Of their comrades those behind them
halted, then began to retreat. Presently
the weight of our rush struck them also,
and they in turn pushed upon those below,
till at length panic seized them, and with
great crying the long line Of men that
wound round and round the pyramid from
It's base almost to it's summit sought their
safety in flight. But some Of them found
none for the rush of those above, pressing
with ever increasing force upon their
friends below, drove many to their death,
since here on the pyramid there was moth
ing to cling to, and if once man lost his
foothold on the path his fall was broken
Dnly when his body reached the court be-
Meath Thus in Is short minutes all that
the Spaniards had won this day was lost
again, for except the prisoners at its sum-
NIT none of them remained alive upon the
teocalli Indeed so great a terror took
them that, bearing with them their dead
and wounded, they reiterated under cover
Of the night to their camp without the
walls Of the courtyard.
Now, weary, but triumphant, we wenG
ed our way back toward the crest of the
pyramid, but as turned the corner Of the
second angle that was perhaps nearly 100
feet above the level of the ground thought
struck me, and I set those with me at IL
task. Loosening the blocks of stone that
formed the edge of the roadway we rolled
them down the sides of the pyramid, and
50 labored on, removing layer upon layer of
stone and of the earth beneath till where
the path had been was nothing but
yawning gap 30 feet or more in width
Now" said, surveying our handi-
work by the light of the rising moon,
THAT Spaniard who would win our nest
must find wings to fly with"
AYE, Teule," answered one at my side
"but, say, what wings shall we find?"
1.-THE wings Of death,' said grimly
and went on my upward way.
1t was near midnight when I reached
the temple, for the labor of leveling the
road took many hours, and food had been
sent to us from above. AS drew nigh |
was amazed to hear the sound of solemn
chanting and still more was l amazed
when l saw that the doors of the temple of
HuitZel were open, and that the sacred fire
which had not shone there for many years
once more fared fiercely upon his altar. 1
stood there listening. Did my ears trick
me, OR did I hear the dreadful song of
sacrifice? Nay, again it's wild refrain rang
out upon the silence:
To Thee we sacrifice!
Save us, o Huitzel,
HuitZel, lord god!
I rushed forward and turning the angle
Of the temple / found myself face to face
with the past, for there as in bygone years.
were the pabas clad in their black robes
their long hair hanging about their shout
ders, the dreadful knife of glass fixed in
their girdles. There to the right Of the
stone Of sacrifice were those destined to the
god, and there being led toward it was the
first victim, a Tlascalan prisoner, his
limbs held by men clad in the dress of
priests Near him, arrayed in the scarlet
robe of sacrifice, stood one Of my own cap
tains, who remembered had once served
as a priest of Tezcat before idolatry was
forbidden in the City of Pines, and around
were wide circle of women that watched
and from whose lips swelled the awful
chant.
Now I understood it ALL In their last
despair, maddened by the loss of fathers,
husbands and children, by their d4ucl fate,
and standing face to face with certain
death, the fire of the old faith had burned
up in their savage hearts. There was the
temple, there were the stone and nipple
montS of sacrifice and there to their hands