The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08

'tzin and even seeking to deceive the
 gods.
 All who have read the splendid Con
 quest of Mexico" know of that fierce
 fight at Choula in which the Spaniards
 were, with the help of their Tlascalan
 allies, finally successful. As soon as the
 result of the conflict was known to the
 king he dispatched ambassadors to Cor
 tez disavowing the attack, sending him
 rich presents and urging his speedy visit
 to the capital Cortez replied haughtily
 that he would come to the capital at
 once and would there have some explan-
 ations to ask concerning certain things
 which had happened to him and his while
 he had been in the country.
 Came the eighth day of November in the year 151s, day when all was accom-
 plished of splendor of pomp and of dar-
 ing than had ever been imagined by poet
 or romanticist. That day was the entry of Cortez and his fellow adventurers into
 the City of Mexico and the beginning
 of the end of the downfall of that won
 derful civilization, that savage religion and that royal race which had for so long made the valley of Anahuac rep resent all that there was of power and grandeur known to the surrounding tribes and nations.
 The morning had dawned over the vat lev as 1t sometimes dawn over the Bay of Naples, bringing with it haze of soft purple tints-the whole world seemed adoat in languorous vapors. The Smok- ing Mountain and the White Lady, rear lz f,ar f,n NQ l. ley, shone dazzling white above the pur-
 ple mists below, and the Sierras, whose
 ramparts guarded the plain, took on new
 and changing colors of pink and gold
 which shot through the mist of purple
 The imperial city was thronged not only
 with it's own citizens, but with visitors
 from the surrounding towns and planta-
 tions, drawn by curiosity to see the
 strangers of whom so much had been said Along the streets and the cause
 ways moved nobles whose cloaks of finest featherwork sparked with gems of in estimable price and over whose brows hoated lofty plumes supported by coro- nets of gold thickly studded with pre- cious stones Here and there were sol- diers and officers in full armor wear ing helmets of shining silver and carry ing spears, javelins, daggers of obsidian and that peculiar battleax of the Mexi- cans called the "maquahuitl"
 All the great nobles and some of the higher military officers were attended by companies of slaves. Here and there in the press might be seen moving, decorated with gorgeous plumage and splendid cur 1op in oar ad and sturdy slaves. Some great lady ] was moving to a place where she might get fair view of the strangers as they entered the city. Over some of these pal anplins fioated great tufts of green feath- CTS, the royal ''panache" or crest, which showed that within was one of the prince | ly house of Montezuma. The housetops, the portcoes, the towering masses of the temples from which the smoke of the sac rfices rolled over the city, were all crowded with spectators. Montezuma 1 went to meet his guests in state borne l in litter whose framework of gold and | silver was fairly crusted with flashing gems ane whose richly dyed curtains were | fringed with heavy bullion, while their surface glowed with great emeralds, dia- l rnonds-in fact with all the precious stones | known to the empire of the great King. | He had arrayed himself in all the spen- dor of powerful monarch, and with great ] pomp spreading out now and then his | hands in blessing on his people, the last | of the Montezumas made his last trium- | phal progress through his imperial city. | The look of the monarch was high but | benign. On his brow was crown not unlike in shape a mitre and above it | hoated his panache, the royal plume of | green. His mantle of the green breasts | of humming birds was caught at the