of either one, would be crushed instantly by a
temporary coalition of the other two. The beginning of this unpleasantly
volcanic condition of affairs dated back six cycles--that is to say, a
little more than three hundred years--and was the direct result of a
violation of the law set forth by the wise King Chaltzantzin when the
colony was founded, by which it was ordained that all among the
Aztlanecas who, on coming to maturity, were weaklings or cripples,
should be put to death.

Being once suggested, the repeal or the modification of this law found
many advocates. Naturally, the change was urged most strongly by all
those whose sons and daughters were sickly or malformed, and so were
doomed to die in the very blossom of their years. It was urged by the
nobles because the more astute among them perceived the possibility of
so manipulating it that it would result in the creation of a
distinctively servile class; and the priests urged it because they also
perceived a way by which it might be made to provide more victims for
sacrifice to the gods. And so it came to pass, through the influence of
these diverse elements operating together towards a common end, that the
law which Chaltzantzin had promulgated was set aside, and a law was made
that embodied the provisions demanded by the nobles and the priests,
whereby should be created a new social class; which class, because of
the infirmities of those composing it, received the name of
Tlahuicos--"men turned towards the earth." Thereafter, the sickly and
the crippled were not slain upon reaching maturity, but then passed out
from the class into which they were born and became servitors. And when
the first cycle was ended after the making of this new law, and
thenceforward every year, one in every ten among the Tlahuicos was taken
by lot to be sacrificed to the gods--for the priests craftily had gained
the barbarous concession that they demanded by placing the first
fulfilment of it at a time so far in the future that all concerned in
the granting of it would be dead in the course of nature before it
became operative. Yet to the end that those of noble birth might be
saved from the ignominy of servitude, it was provided that children
which by reason of natural infirmity were doomed to become slaves, might
be saved from that fate upon coming to maturity by being then
surrendered by their parents to the priests for sacrifice. Other grace
there was none. Excepting between death