The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1911-07-28
The Fires Of Montezuma
Legends of the Aztecs.

JAMES JOHNSTON DEAvENPoRT.

from whose storehouse the rich
material of our story have been
gathered, all fiction? Mere fig
ments of the imagination? crea-
tions Of inventive minds? but sha
dows, eonjured up, baseless and
eyanescent as the mists which |
float I'M evanishing from over the
mountain tops.
Every thing connected with
these mountains, that can essay,
reply, whether by facts or by
inference. answer aloud: They |
are not and cannot be-"
The village OF Zuni, when first !
discovered by adventures or con
duerors from the old world, were
where is now stands, near the
head waters Of the Rio ella, and
the fires Of MOntezuma were still
found burning in IFS Estuffa, and
also I'm that of every other village
of the red man. throughout the
Montezllma dominions. Every
where Monfezuma was reversed
almost a god, and the Great |
Spirit worshipped. The remains |
of decayed temple near Zuni,
the ruins OF the old church of Pc
cos. and the foundations Of an
eient Cibolita, are veslties which
require no Confederation from
traditional or legenderary source.
There they stand historic mOnu-
mnets pointing back to periods OF
those who reared them, must hav
enjoyed a higher civilization OF
those whom the spanish conquer
ors found dispersed over this re-
c.on of mountains The ascend
ing smoke from the fires of Mon
tezuna, and the ruins scattered
here and there with traditions
and legends connected therwith,
are the only yet discovered YES
tiges that remain to east light ON
relies of that far-off age be res.
cued from Oblivion, who knows
the MonteZuma era Could all the
that the past history of this new
world would not equal, perhaps,
slrpass, that Of the old.
The old world had its dark age
of a Thousand years, and the tap
er OF learning was well nigh ex-
ting,lisled. Had 1T entirely gone
out. where would have been its
boosted superiority The mind
trembles at the narrow escape OF
civilization, literature, SCIENCE
and religion, during that dark
millennium. The sublime epics of
the blind Maeonides and the ex-
quisite Marc, the dulcet ordes of
Anacreon, so redolent of wine,
and love, the rapturous lyrics,
of Horace. and those sacred EN-
anations from the inspired pens
Of psalmists, historians and pro-
phets. all. all would have been
lost; and as little of the old
world would be known as is now
known of the new
But truce of DEPRESSION and
speculation
Montezuma buried the age and
venerable governor of PecoS, be-
meath the pine tree under whose
branches Iutha had made her IA
vorite resort, and ON whose top
most twigs the knocking bird had
sang, and poured forth its vari-
ed songs. Having performed the
last sad obsequies over the re-
mains of his lamented friend, he
returned to the mountain from
which Iutha had fallen, to dis
Suade Olatha from his fruitless
search for her body As he APP
preached he beheld his son. pale
and detected, sitting on a rock.
During the whole might, Olatha
had PERSISTED LIN climbing preci-
pieces, entering gorges, and pene-
trating thickeSt brakes, in the
hope of discovering some of the
remains of poor Iutha. Wearied
and disheartened, Olatha, sur
rendering all hopes, was now
sitting in the motionless frozen
attitude of utter desolateness and
despair.
20 my SOM" commenced Mon
tezma, why PERSISTED thou In
the frnitless search for the body
OF Intha9 1t has pleased the just
Great Spirit to take her to him
self in the bright palaces of the
glowing sun. Painful as the I'M
resentable stroke may be, @ my
Son, it behooves us to submit
with becoming resignation. We
should forget to murmur at the
lost of one maiden, peerless she,
confessesly, was, when . whole
-