shing
to the foot of the first stairway to give the white men battle there.
Five minutes passed and the fight grew fierce. Again and again, covered
by the fire of the arquebusiers, the Spaniards charged the Aztecs, but
their horses slipping upon the stone pavement, at length they dismounted
and continued the fray on foot. Slowly and with great slaughter the
Indians were pushed back and the Spaniards gained a footing on the first
stairway. But hundreds of warriors still crowded the lofty winding road,
and hundreds more held the top, and it was plain that if the Spaniards
won through at all, the task would be a hard one. Still a fierce hope
smote me like a blow when I saw what was toward. If the Spaniards took
the temple there would be no sacrifice. No sacrifice could be offered
till midday, so Otomie had told me, and that was not for hard upon two
hours. It came to this then, if the Spaniards were victorious within two
hours, there was a chance of life for me, if not I must die.

Now when I was led out of the sanctuary of Tezcat, I wondered because
the princess Otomie, or rather the goddess Atla as she was then called,
was standing among the chief priests and disputing with them, for I had
seen her bow her head at the door of the holy place, and thought that it
was in token of farewell, seeing that she was the last of the four women
to leave me. Of what she disputed I could not hear because of the din of
battle, but the argument was keen and it seemed to me that the priests
were somewhat dismayed at her words, and yet had a fierce joy in them.
It appeared also that she won her cause, for presently they bowed
in obeisance to her, and turning slowly she swept to my side with a
peculiar majesty of gait that even then I noted. Glancing up at her face
also, I saw that it was alight as though with a great and holy purpose,
and moreover that she looked like some happy bride passing to her
husband's arms.

'Why are you not gone, Otomie?' I said. 'Now it is too late. The
Spaniards surround the teocalli and you will be killed or taken
prisoner.'

'I await the end whatever it may be,' she answered briefly, and we spoke
no more for a while, but watched the progress of the fray, which was
fierce indeed. Grimly the Aztec warriors fought before the symbols of
their gods, and in the sight of the vast concourse of the people who
crowded the square beneath and stared at the struggle in silence. They
hurled themselves upon the Spanish s