ew that the Aztecs never spared a captive taken in war,
and that all who fell into their hands were destined for the altars
of their gods. He regretted deeply that he had not fallen in
battle; but determined that, at any rate, he would not die tamely;
and resolved that, rather than be slaughtered in cold blood on the
altar, when the time came, he would offer so desperate a resistance
that they would be forced to kill him.

Passing along several canals, the canoe stopped at some stairs.
Roger was taken out, and led through a shouting crowd to a great
temple, where he was thrust into a prison room, already occupied by
several Spaniards. Their numbers increased, until they amounted to
twenty.

Few words were spoken among the prisoners. Their arms were free,
but their legs firmly secured with ropes; and ten armed Aztecs kept
watch over them, to see that they made no attempt to unfasten their
bonds.

One of the prisoners Roger saw, to his regret, was his friend Juan.
He was severely wounded in several places; as indeed was Roger
himself, although in the excitement of the battle he had scarce
noticed it.

"Well, lad!" the old soldier said. "This is a bad ending of our
gold seeking. Who would have thought that it was to be one's lot,
first to be murdered on the altars of a hideous god, and then to
furnish a meal to a race of savages?"

"The furnishing the meal does not trouble me," Roger replied.
"Whether one is drowned and eaten by fishes, or killed and eaten by
Aztecs, makes, as far as I can see, but little difference to one.
However, I don't quite make up my mind to the worst yet, Juan. They
must have captured a great number of us, for I saw many carried off
who are not here; besides a multitude of Tlascalans and our other
allies. I do not suppose they will sacrifice us all at once, but
are likely to take so many a day. In that case, we may have the
luck to be among the last; and before our turn comes, the Spaniards
may be masters of the town."

Juan shook his head.

"It is just as well to hope, lad; but I think the chances are next
to nothing. Even if Cortez himself gets out safe, and the troops
draw off without much further loss, it will be some days before
they will attack again, after such a maiming as we got, this time.
Even then their chances of success will be no better than they were
today; worse, in fact, for we have lost something like a sixth of
our force, beside what may have fallen in the attack from