captives who accompanied me, and it was made clear to me by signs
that I must fight with them, it being their part to leap upon the stone
and mine to defend it. Now I thought that if I could kill these two poor
creatures, perhaps I myself should be allowed to go free, and so to save
my life I prepared to take theirs if I could. Presently the head priest
gave a signal commanding the two men to attack me, but they were so lost
in fear that they did not even stir. Then the priests began to flog them
with leather girdles till at length crying out with pain, they ran at
me. One reached the stone and leapt upon it a little before the other,
and I struck the spear through his arm. Instantly he dropped his weapon
and fled, and the other man fled also, for there was no fight in them,
nor would any flogging bring them to face me again.

Seeing that they could not make them brave, the priests determined to
have done with them. Amidst a great noise of music and chanting, he whom
I had smitten was seized and dragged to the hog-backed block of marble,
which in truth was a stone of sacrifice. On this he was cast down,
breast upwards, and held so by five priests, two gripping his hands,
two his legs, and one his head. Then, having donned a scarlet cloak,
the head priest, that same who had felt my heart, uttered some kind of
prayer, and, raising a curved knife of the flint-like glass or itztli,
struck open the poor wretch's breast at a single blow, and made the
ancient offering to the sun.

As he did this all the multitude in the place below, in full view of
whom this bloody game was played, prostrated themselves, remaining on
their knees till the offering had been thrown into the golden censer
before the statue of the god Huitzel. Thereon the horrible priests,
casting themselves on the body, carried it with shouts to the edge of
the pyramid or teocalli, and rolled it down the steep sides. At the
foot of the slope it was lifted and borne away by certain men who were
waiting, for what purpose I did not know at that time.

Scarcely was the first victim dead when the second was seized and
treated in a like fashion, the multitude prostrating themselves as
before. And then last of all came my turn. I felt myself seized and my
senses swam, nor did I recover them till I found myself lying on the
accursed stone, the priests dragging at my limbs and head, my breast
strained upwards till the skin was stretched tight as that of a drum,
while ove