'Go back, white man,' she answered; 'it is not lawful for strangers to
mingle in our rites.'
I stood bewildered, not knowing what to do, while the flame burned and
the chant went up before the effigy of Huitzel, of the demon Huitzel
awakened after many years of sleep.
Again and yet again the solemn chant arose, Otomie beating time with her
little rod of ebony, and again and yet again the cry of triumph rose to
the silent stars.
Now I awoke from my dream, for as an evil dream it seemed to me, and
drawing my sword I rushed towards the priest at the altar to cut him
down. But though the men stood still the women were too quick for me.
Before I could lift the sword, before I could even speak a word, they
had sprung upon me like the jaguars of their own forests, and like
jaguars they hissed and growled into my ear:
'Get you gone, Teule,' they said, 'lest we stretch you on the stone with
your brethren.' And still hissing they pushed me thence.
I drew back and thought for a while in the shadow of the temple. My eye
fell upon the long line of victims awaiting their turn of sacrifice.
There were thirty and one of them still alive, and of these five were
Spaniards. I noted that the Spaniards were chained the last of all the
line. It seemed that the murderers would keep them till the end of the
feast, indeed I discovered that they were to be offered up at the rising
of the sun.
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