matted with it, their hands were red with it, even their
fierce eyes seemed full of it. They advanced up the chamber till they
stood before the dais, then suddenly the head priest lifted up his
hands, crying aloud:

'Adore the immortal god, ye people,' and all those gathered there
prostrated themselves shouting:

'We adore the god.'

Thrice the priest cried aloud, and thrice they answered him thus,
prostrating themselves at every answer. Then they rose again, and the
priest addressed me, saying:

'Forgive us, O Tezcat, that we cannot honour you as it is meet, for our
sovereign should have been here to worship you with us. But you know,
O Tezcat, how sore is the strait of your servants, who must wage war in
their own city against those who blaspheme you and your brother gods.
You know that our beloved emperor lies wounded, a prisoner in their
unholy hands. When we have gratified your longing to pass beyond the
skies, O Tezcat, and when in your earthly person you have taught us the
lesson that human prosperity is but a shadow which flees away; in memory
of our love for you intercede for us, we beseech you, that we may smite
these wicked ones and honour you and them by the rite of their own
sacrifice. O Tezcat, you have dwelt with us but a little while, and now
you will not suffer that we hold you longer from your glory, for your
eyes have longed to see this happy day, and it is come at last. We have
loved you, Tezcat, and ministered to you, grant in return that we may
see you in your splendour, we who are your little children, and till we
come, watch well over our earthly welfare, and that of the people among
whom you have deigned to sojourn.'

Having spoken some such words as these, that at times could scarcely
be heard because of the sobbing of the people, and of my wives who wept
loudly, except Otomie alone, this villainous priest made a sign and once
more the music sounded. Then he and his band placed themselves about me,
my wives the goddesses going before and after, and led me down the hall
and on to the gateways of the palace, which were thrown wide for us to
pass. Looking round me with a stony wonder, for in this my last hour
nothing seemed to escape my notice, I saw that a strange play was being
played about us. Some hundreds of paces away the attack on the palace
of Axa, where the Spaniards were entrenched, raged with fury. Bands of
warriors were attempting to scale the walls and being driven back by the
d