wo by the Apaches, but all
the rest by their own flocks. Of these, one was poisoned; the others
died bloody and awful deaths. Even in the last century several
missionaries were killed by secret poison,--an evil art in which the
Indians were and are remarkably adept; and when the missionary had been
killed, the Indians burned the church.

One very important feature must not be lost sight of. Not only did these
Spanish teachers achieve a missionary work unparalleled elsewhere by
others, but they made a wonderful mark on the world's knowledge. Among
them were some of the most important historians America has had; and
they were among the foremost scholars in every intellectual line,
particularly in the study of languages. They were not merely
chroniclers, but students of native antiquities, arts, and
customs,--such historians, in fact, as are paralleled only by those
great classic writers, Herodotus and Strabo. In the long and eminent
list of Spanish missionary authors were such men as Torquemada,
Sahagun, Motolinia, Mendieta, and many others; and their huge volumes
are among the greatest and most indispensable helps we have to a study
of the real history of America.

FOOTNOTES:

[16] Pronounced Tah-_hee_-ky.

VIII.

ALVARADO'S LEAP.

If the reader should ever go to the City of Mexico,--as I hope he may,
for that ancient town, which was old and populous when Columbus was
born, is alive with romantic interest,--he will have pointed out to him,
on the Rivera de San Cosme, the historic spot still known as El Salto de
Alvarado. It is now a broad, civilized street, with horse-cars running,
with handsome buildings, with quaint, contented folk sauntering to and
fro, and with little outwardly to recall the terrors of that cruellest
night in the history of America,--the _Noche Triste_.

The leap of Alvarado is among the famous deeds in history, and the
leaper was a striking figure in the pioneering of the New World. In the
first great conquest he bore himself gallantly, and the story of his
exploits then and thereafter would make a fascinating romance. A tall,
handsome man, with yellow locks and ruddy face, young, impulsive, and
generous, a brilliant soldier and charming comrade, he was a general
favorite with Spaniard and Indian alike. Though for some reason not
fully liked by Cortez, he was the conqueror's right-hand man, and
throughout the conquest of Mexico had generally the post of greatest
danger. He was a co