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with broad, fiat stone. No impedment
occurred over its surface exec pit the huge
saeflllclal block, and the temples of stone
winch rose 10 the height of forty feet, at
the farther extremity Of the arena. One
oil these had been conseeraled to the cross
the other was still occupied by the Mexican
war.god. The Christian aud the Aztec
eonlended for their religions under the very
shadow of their respective shrines, whilst
the Indian priests, running to and fro, with
their hair widely streaming over their sable
manllcs, seemed lowering in mid air. like
50 many demons OF darkness urging on
the work Of slaughter.


Tho parties closed with the desperate
fury olmrn who had M hope but in victory.
Quarter was neither asked nor given; and
10 Il was impossible. The edge of the
AREA was unprotected by parapet or battle.
ment. Tue least slip would be fatal; aud
the combalanls as they struggled In mortal
agony were some times seen to roll over
tue sides OF the precipice together. Cortes
himself is SAID 10 have made yer, narrow
escape from this dreadful fate. Two war.
flafs, ul strong muscular frames, seized on
hun. aud were dragging him violently TO.
wafds the brink OF the pyramid. Aware Of
theif Intention, he struggled with all his
infee' and heiore they could accomplish
thaif purpose; succeeded in tearing himself
nun their gasp. aud hurting one of them
over The walls with bis own arm. The
sioff IS mol improbable in itself for CoFlrs
US man Of uacomn II agility aud
strength. II has been nlien repeated. but
nol by contemporary history.


The battle lasted viii unremllit,r fury
itf three hours. The number Of the enc.
my was double that OF tue Christians; and
II seemed as il il were a contest which
mus be determined by numbers anl by
hHiie force nlher than by superior science.
Bul II was uol SO. Tie inyalneab.c
afmaf Of the spaniard, hIs sword oi match.
les temper, and bis shiI IN The use Of il.
gave hIm advantages which lar outwrighed
The odds Of physical strength anl numbers.
After doing aIl that the courage Of despair
eaa.l eHcalle men 10 do, resistance grew
laInler aud ainier on The side ii the Afecs.
uae alter another they had fallen. Two
of lhfec priests only survived 10 be led
away IN Triumph by the yclors Every
other combsianl was stretched a corpse On
the buody aTena, or had been hurled from
the gildy heights. lellhe loss OF the Span
ialds was mol inconsidefablr; It amounted
Ia - ol their best men, and nearly all the
remainder were more or less injured in the
desperate conflict.


"l'he victorious cavaliers now rushed
Toward The sanctuarios. The lower story
vas Of stone, the two upper were Of wood.
Penetrating into their fccesscs, they had
the modification 10 find the Image Of the
Nifgm and Cross removed. But in the
other cdiiicc they still behcld the grim tig.
urt Of the llunzilOpolcbi, with his crnser
Of smoking hearts and tho walls Of this
uralory wreaking with gorc--noi improba.
h.y 81 Ihe.f own eounivmen. With shouts
ol triumph the Christians tore the uncouih
monster from his niche, and lumblcJ him,
IN the presence o the horror struck Aziecs,
down the steps ol the ieocaLi. They then
sci lire 10 the aeeursod building. The
flame speedily rAn up the slender towers,
sending ior,h an ominous ligh, over city,
lake and valley, to the remolest hut among
the mountains. Il was the funeral pyre
ofpaglnism, and proclaimed the tall Of that
'anguinary religion which had so long hung
like dark cloud over the fair regions OF
AnahuUc.