The National tribune., 1899-06-22

larces dancing up and down like the loaded
bulrlsheS of children,-armour of eScaupil,
garments, and bodies of dying and dead,
we're floating together in such horrible
confusion, that the water seemed to heave
and bubble as with living corruption. 4iy
The sight of the ditch and thebeam clear
of enemies, fired the cannoniers with new
hopes; and in the frenzy of their Joy, they
would instantly have dropped their fuses
and handspikes, and taken 10 flight. had it
not been that Don Amador flung himself
upon the beam, and striking the first man
dead, commanded them still to stand to
their pieces.
Base Caitiffs are We ALL" he cried, "who,
thus having the victory and the lives of
half the army in your hands, should SO de-
sert your posts, in the midst of triumph!
Wheel round half your pieces, and sweep
the ca1sey sides Eehind;-for ] hear the
coming of friends. Would We give up your
pieces TO infidels? They are your safefvr'
The reproof of the cavalier, the sight of
their dead comrade, and the sword which
had punished him, still commanding the
narrow pathway, the voices of Christians
behind, but, more than all, the manifest
truth of the declaration, that their safety
depended on their remaining by the artil-
iery, turned the gunners at once from their
purpose; and their resolution received new
confirmation, when Christian voice was
heard shouting in the front, as if of some
cavalier, heading band of returning
friends, and when, the next moment, a
Spanish soldier was seen to run towards
them, leap on the beam, and then spring
from it to the causeway.
Santiago, and shoot oni' cried the over
joyed gunners; ''for Coiiez is coming,T;.,, .
What, no. knave LaZaroi" cried the
aS a M .barf Gtnr
him in the new conner, the countenance OF
his henchman. where goest thou? Where
fore hast thou left the horses? And where
is Don Hernandez
4Masteri dear master, is it thou?' cried
Lazaro, with such shout of JOY as drown
ed even the yells of death about him.
Quick, for the love of God! over the beam,
with all these varlets,-for life, for life. for
Don fernando is fled, and all the cavaliersI'
Peace thou vilain,-Heed not this
trembling fool" exclaimed Amador, quick
". "You hear!-the last ditch is bridged
and free, and ye can, at any moment, reach
the firm land, as the cavaliers have done,-
Give me another volley or two, for God, for
the honor of Spain, and for your friends,
together with the whole rear, TO ensure
safety. Quick!-See ye not how yonder
fiendS are rushing into your nIZZleS:
Viva! A bold shot for ST. James, and our
peOplel" s'~ ... -
The cavalier turned OF Lazaro: he was
bleeding and he cast look of despair on
his master.
s.Why art thou idle? thou vert bred to
the linstock, sirrah. Show thyself Chris
tian man and true.-Harkl nearest thou
not? IT is the shout of De Leon! Bravely,
bold hearts! the rear-guard is nigh.-Hah!
halon, haIon! Don Pedro!'
IT'S the voice of the secretary cried
Lazaro; "and God help me, but he cries for
succorp' .-s..., .,-
"Ho, senor! aenor Don Amadorl for the
love of Christ!'-the wild shout of Fabueno,
for the neophyte could no longer doubt it
was he, was suddenly interrupted: the
shrill Shrek of woman succeeded; and
then, everything was lost in hurricane of
wells, so intermingled that no one could say
whether they came from Christians or pa
gans.
"Stay-drop thy match,-hold me this
boy, as thou holdest thy life, and suffer
none to pass the beam"
"For the sake of the cross thou adorest
the maiden thou lovest" cried the terrified
boy, clinging to the cavalier, leave me not
oh. leave me not, in this horror, to die alonel
The Mexicans will kill me, for | have now
| no gown of a prieSteSS to protect me"
Notwithstanding the boiling excitement
of the novice, these last words filled his
| brain with strange thoughts, but still so con
| fused that they were more like the momen
| tary phantasms of delirium, than the prop
| er suggestions of reason. But whatever
they were, they were instantly driven out O
| his mind, by another cry from Fabueno
seemingly hard by, but so feeble and wall
| ing, that a less acute ear might have SUP
posed it came from a considerable distance.
| He shook the boy off, flung him into TIN,
arms of LaZaro, crying, answer his safe
ty with thy life!-with thy lifel and i'm
mediately darted through the cannoniers
and retraced his steps on the causeway.
BY this time the fire on the pyramid hat
attained its greatest brilliancy, and the win,
having died entirely away, it projected it.
| lofty spire to heaven, and burned with ;
tranquility which seemed to leave it mo
| tionleSs: while its reflection on that part q
the lake which shared not in the agitation,
of the conflict, produced a spectacle of peac,
in singular contrast with the horrible seen,
of carnage that moment represented on tt,
causeway. The light it shed, though i
made objects visible even as far as the sec
ond ditch, did not illuminate. the furthe
part of the dixie; and there, whatever dee,
OF death might be presented, was hidder
from the eyes of all but the actors them
selves.
Raising his voice aloud, and running to
wards the nearest group, Don Amado
sought out the secretary. But this groun
before he had yet reached it, started ava,
and fled, with loud cries, towards the city
or TO where the tumult was greatest; an,
he knew by their shouts of 'Tlatelolco, ho
Tlatelolco" that they We're Mexicans. On
the spot they had thus deserted, the noyic
stumbled over the body of a man. his throa
cut from ear to ear, his cotton armor torn /,
pieces; and from the shreds, as the carcass
rolled under his foot, there fell out, rattlin.
and lingling on the stones, divers vessels
OF gold and jewels, such as had been grasp
ed in the treasury.
Without pausing to survey this victim
OF covetousness. the cavalier ran on; and