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

perors of Anahuac, but which had been abandoned when Monteznma built the more luxurious structure in which he now held his state. As the strangers rode along Alvarado noticed litter surmount- ed by green plumes and attended by slaves Alvarado thought he discovered the shapely hand of woman holding back the curtains. and. spurring to the side of the carriage, he looked down and in His eyes met those of the Princess Nenetzin The man of her dreams looked her full in the face, then drew back with a low bow and rode on. But the work had been done, the destiny of one of the daughters of Montezuma accomplished. The unfortunate Hualpa's doom was sealed.
 There were now two powers In Mexico, that of Cortez and that of Montezuma. For the king had seen in Cortez when they met a god, and Cortez had seen in Montezuma only rich monarch. History tells of that long residence of the stran- gers in the Tenochtitlan. Alvarado sought every means of communicating with or seeing the Princess Nenetzin. Cortez, re- turning to the coast on an expedition to overthrow O leader who had come with soldiers from Cuba to deprive him of his command, left the city in charge of AL varado, who, by his rashness, provoked rising among the people which even the authority of Montezuma scarcely could put down. Then one night Nenet- gin left the house of her father and fled to the old palace-to the arms of AL varado.
 Cortez returned to find affairs in a most perilous position. Guatamozin had been to the city and had been stirring up the people. The priest of the Fair God had died alone in his temple. Vast armies were gathering from the sur rounding country with hostile intent toward the strangers. The markets, it was rumored, were to be closed. Itzlil, the Tezcucan, after playing fast and loose with both parties, had finally taken refuge in the old palace with the Spaniards. and Guatamozin was the accepted lover of Tula. Now came stormy scenes and stormy days. Cortez had returned with endorsements, but they were insufficient to cope with the hordes which were assembled against him-the gathered strength of the em- pire. He sent a guard. and. partly by | threats and partly by persuasion. forced | Montezuma to come to the old palace | and live as his guest. The king knew 1 that he went prisoner, but he knew that his life was at the mercy of those stern men who brought him the request of Cortez. For so skillfully had the affair been arranged that the | monarch, before he scarcely compre- | hended 1t, was Kidnapped in the midst Of his capital.
 Then the Aztecs arose, and fight aft CT fight took place in the streets of the capital, assault after assault upon the | walls of the old palace. The kings
 brother was called emperor by the peo-
 pie and the charge of the military was
 intrusted to Guatamozin. Skill, daring, 1 firearms, horses and bravery of the
 most heroic sort saved the Spaniards
 for while. But things became desper- ate. Cortez demanded that Montezuma 1 should go on the walls and command | the people to cease their assaults upon
 the palace. But first Tula came to see
 her father, and in that last interview l he sent message to the 'tzin. As she
 came out of the palace she waved her
 scarf to the 'tzin, who was standing
 upon teocalis near by. It was sig
 nal agreed upon. It meant that Monte- | zuma had complied with the command of Cortez but that he asked Guata-
 mozin to shoot him. his king, dead at
 the moment of his shame. So, when
 Montezuma appeared upon the wall and
 spoke to the people as Cortez had com
 
 head and sent 1t into the kings body A few days later Montezuma died. Then
 was resolved upon that escape from the
 city which has been recorded in the page
 of history. Beset by myriads the Span
 iards hewed their way across the cause
 ways and fled back to Tlascala. Where
 the fight was thickest in the escape there
 went a litter. In 1t was Nenetzin, and | by Its side rode Alvarado. The horse or
 the knight, pierced by the javelin of an
 Aztec warrior, reared and fell back upon
 the litter. The warrior was Hualpa.
 When rescuing party opened the cur
 tains of the palanquin they saw the prin- cess lying dead one hand upon the head
 of the dead warrior and in the other
 hand a cross. The steed of Alvarado had In his death extinguished the lives of | Nenetzln and Hualpa.
 | Now while the Spaniards were recruit ing their strength receiving fresh levIes ! from Cuba and preparing again to march l to the city, the 'tzin Guatamozin was made king and marrying Tula, the two l reigned for brief space over Anahuac. But | the Spanards came back, Mexico fell and l Guatamozin ended his life prisoner. As l for Tula she married again-married a noble Spaniard, and from her are de- scended some of the proudest families of Spain.
 1 On the site of the great teocalis of the war god of the Aztecs Is now great l cathedral, where. indeed, there Is wor- | shiped a Fair God, whose altars demand
 not human victims, but the offerings of /, love and peace.
 
 l Next weel,s Ona-PaEa Classic will be