The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-02-28

n one
Mendoza saw, with dismay, that
q had committed terrible blunder.
This simple and innocent people
ascribed to their deity only benefcent
attributes and worshiped in him the
giver of life and all good things.
Other deities they knew of to whose
baleiul influence they attributed death
and all sorts of lesser calamities, but
those gods were hated and reviled;
and, while they were to be propitiated
by gifts and occasionally by cruel
sacrifices, they were never worshiped.
Fear lent him both wit and elo-
uuence. He flung himself at the feet
of Anacaona, and, forgetting all claim
20 celestial powers, he wooed her as
man, with all the ardor Of passion,
with all the skill of one we'll versed IN
mortal love-making, and with oil the
earnestness of criminal pleading for
life. What she failed to comprehend
of his speech Anacaona readily under
stood by his gestures and the burning
pressure of his lips upon her hands.
Tears flowed from her eyes, and her
breast heaved with sobs. Seeing this,
Pedro changed from entreaty to COM
mand. He forbade her to Judge him
as she would Judge lesser beings. He
justified himself by calling her atten-
ton to the fact that he had struck In
self-defense-in defense of the deity
from whom he came. The dead man
had been guilty of sacrilege, and even
the giver of life must withdraw the
gift when it was used against himself.
ssThe Golden Flower listened and
was convinced-more through her
eyes than by her understanding; for
never had the Spaniard appeared to
her so wonderful, SO irresistible; and
if on element of fear was now mingled
with her alteration, that only served
to strengthen it. She was but poor
untutored savage, after oil, and fear
makes more slaves than love. She
had found her master, and it was
with the unreasoning tenacity of an
animal that she loved him, while the
new passion of fear served but to
rivet her chains.
"She turned from the dead man,
and, with dropping head, gave her
hand to his murderer. Pedro clasped
it closely, triumphantly, and they re-
turned to the city.
''Ornofay was neither 30 shocked
nor so terrified as his daughter. He
had observed his jealous kinsman and
had heard his threats, and he accept
ed Pedro's justification as matter of
course. Gods, even such as they wor-
SHIPPED, were terrible in their anger;
therefore they must not be angered.
"The marriage of Anacaona and
Mendoza took place on the following
day, with such pomp and rejoicings as
had never till that hour been known
on the island. Pedro was amazed at
the graceful dancing of the Indians.
Later, he understood that these
dances were often OF serious and
mystic character, though more fire.
quently joyous; but now he was con-
tent to admire them simply for their
grace and charm. As they danced,
the Indians chanted, with wonderful
harmony of voice and movement,
many songs of love; and in this, as in
all accomplishments, the Golden
Flower excelled, for she had the
poets gift, and while she danced she
improvised a steady stream of song,
which they called areytos. Of these
ballads Pedro could understand moth
ing, except that he was the hero of
them and her passion for him the un-
ceasing theme. The chief instrument
of their music was called maguey, a
rude timbrel made of seashells and
the bones of fishes; and Mendoza now
understood their frantic delight over
the hawks bells he had bestowed on
them. These they called turey, and
believed to contain angel voices. AS
many as possessed the bells had
strung them, with beautiful shells,
about their wrists, and as they now
danced in wild and beautiful grace,
the Spaniard found himself reminded
of the castanets and dark-eyed maid
ems of his native land. Feasting sue
ceeded the music and dancing, and
then the welded couple received gifts
-lost of all-oh, Joy for Mendoza!-a
calabash filled with glittering dust OF
gold!
"Pedro's first year on the island
passed happily enough, for every
day was full of interest. His wife
fulfilled her promise to set her people
to gather gold for him, and although
it was not found in such quanti-
ties as he had been led to expect,
there was, by the end of the year, q
heap of it that would have made him
rs rich as grandee of Spain.
''With this thought came longing
to get back to his native land, where
he hoped to purchase power and rec.
ognition almost as great as he now
enjoyed. This intention to return to
Spain, when he had garnered wealth
enough to satisfy him, had been in
the mind of Mendoza from the first;
and now that custom was destroying
the awe and reverence of his Indian
subjects, he felt how great risk it
must ever be for Jupiter to descend
from Olympus.
His love for the precious yellow
stuff continued unabated, and there
was no Joy he could think of to equal
the Joy he felt in bathing his hands in
the glittering dust, or holding be-
tween his palms the shining nuggets,
which he could now count by the
hundred. It sent thrill of delight
quivering along every nerve, and, for
q time, he included Anacaona in this
JOY as being it's chief source; and she