LESSON XLII. ADVENTURES OF AN INDIAN PRINCE. PART FIRST. Těz eu'co, the chief city of the | Căp'i tal, the chief city or town Tezcucons. of a country. Sub'se quent, following after An çes'tral, pertaining to or descending from ancestors. In hos'pi ta ble, not favorable to strangers or guests. in point of time. Ro măntie, like romance fiction. or Loy'al ty, fidelity to a superior, or to duty, love, etc. In ́ter çès'sion, prayer or solic itation to one party in favor of Cens ́er, a vase or pan in which incense is burned. In'çense, the odor of spices and gums burned in religious rites. Seour, to hunt over thoroughly, HE Acolhuans came into the valley of Mexico THE Tabout the close of the twelfth century, and built their capital of Tezcuco on the eastern borders of the lake, opposite to Mexico. From this point they gradually spread themselves to the northern portion of the country, when their career was checked by an invasion of a kindred race, the Tepanecs, who, after a desperate struggle, succeeded in taking their city, slaying their monarch, and subjugating their kingdom. 2. The young Tezcucan prince, the heir to the crown, saw his father butchered before his eyes, while he himself lay concealed among the friendly branches of a tree which overshadowed the spot. His subsequent history is full of romantic daring and perilous escapes. Not long after his flight from the field of his father's blood, he fell into the hands of his enemy, and was borne off in triumph to the city of the Tepanecs, and thrown into prison. 3. He effected his escape, however, through the connivance of the governor of the fortress, an old servant of the family, who took the place of the royal fugitive and paid for his loyalty with his life. He was at length permitted, through the intercession of the reigning family in Mexico, which was allied to him, to retire to their capital, and subsequently to his own, where he found a shelter in his ancestral palace. 4. There he remained unmolested for eight years, pursuing his studies under an old preceptor, who had the care of his early youth, and who instructed him in the various duties befitting his princely station. At this period the Tepanec usurper died, bequeathing his empire to his son, Maxtla, a man of fierce and suspicious temper. To him, on his accession to the throne, the Tezcucan prince hastened to pay his obeisance. 5. But the tyrant refused to receive the little present of flowers which he laid at his feet, and turned his back upon him in the presence of his chieftains. One of his attendants, friendly to the young prince, admonished him to provide for his own safety by withdrawing, as speedily as possible, from the palace, where his life was in danger. He lost no time, consequently, in retreating from the inhospitable court, and returned to Tezcuco. 6. Maxtla, however, was bent on his destruction. He saw with jealous eye the opening talents and popular manners of his rival, and the favor he was daily winning from his ancient subjects. He accordingly laid a plan for making away with him at an evening entertainment, which was only defeated by the vigilance of the prince's tutor, who contrived to mislead the assassins, and to substitute another victim in the place of his pupil. 7. The baffled tyrant now threw off all disguise and sent a strong party of soldiers to Tezcuco, with orders to enter the palace, seize the person of the prince, and slay him on the spot. The prince, who became acquainted with the plot through the watchfulness of his preceptor, instead of flying, as he was counseled, resolved to await his enemy. 8. They found him playing at ball, when they arrived, in the court of his palace. He received them courteously, and invited them in to take some refreshments after their journey. While they were occupied in this way he passed into an adjoining saloon, which excited no suspicion, as he was still visible through the open doors by which the apartments communicated with each other. 9. A burning censer stood in the passage, and, as it was fed by the attendants, threw up such clouds of incense as obscured his movements from the soldiers. Under this friendly veil he succeeded in making his escape by a secret passage, which communicated with a large earthen pipe formerly used to bring water to the palace. 10. The Tepanec monarch, enraged at this repeated disappointment, ordered instant pursuit. A price was set on the head of the royal fugitive. Whoever should take him, dead or alive, was promised, however humble his degree, the hand of a noble lady, and an ample domain along with it. Troops of armed men were ordered to scour the country in every direction. 11. In the course of the search, the cottage in which the prince had taken refuge was entered. But he fortunately escaped detection by being hid under a heap of maguey fibres, used in making cloth. As this was no longer a proper place of concealment, he sought a retreat in the mountainous region lying on the borders of his estate. LESSON XLIII. ADVENTURES OF AN INDIAN PRINCE. PART SECOND. In elem ́en çy, roughness; | U şûrp'er, one who seizes power storminess. In eûrred', ran into; became Treach ́er Ad he'şion, adherence; union. IN or property which does not belong to him. Co'a li'tion, a union of persons, Єon çert ́ed, devised ; planned. erence. Är'bi tra ry,despotic; tyrannic. N the mountains, the young prince led a wandering, wretched life, exposed to all the inclemencies of the weather, hiding himself in deep thickets and caverns, and stealing out at night to satisfy the cravings of appetite. At the same time he was kept in constant alarm by the activity of his pursuers, always hovering on his track. 2. On one occasion he sought refuge from them among a small party of soldiers, who proved friendly to him, and concealed him in a large drum around which they were dancing. At another time, he was just able to turn the crest of a hill as his enemies were climbing it on the other side, when he fell in with a girl who was reaping a certain Mexican plant, the seed of which was much used in the drinks of the country. 3. He persuaded her to cover him up with the stalks she had been cutting. When his pursuers came up and inquired if she had seen the fugitive, the girl coolly answered that she had, and pointed out a path as the one he had taken. Notwithstanding the high rewards offered, the prince seems to have incurred no danger from treachery, such was the general attachment to himself and his house. 4. "Would you not deliver up the prince if he came in your way?" he inquired of a young peasant who was not acquainted with his person. "Not I," replied the other. 5. "What, not for a fair lady's hand, and a rich dowry beside?" At which the other only shook his head and laughed. Indeed, on more than one occasion his faithful people submitted to torture, and even to the loss of their lives, rather than disclose the place of his retreat. 6. However gratifying such proofs of loyalty might be to his feelings, the situation of the prince in these mountain solitudes became every day more distressing. It gave a still keener edge to his own sufferings to witness those of his faithful followers who chose to accompany him in his wanderings. 7. "Leave me," he would say to them, "to my fate! Why should you throw away your own lives for one whom fortune is never weary of persecuting?" Most of the great Tezcucan chiefs had consulted their interests by a timely adhesion to the usurper. But some still clung to their prince, preferring proscription, and death itself, rather than to desert him in his extremity. 8. In the meantime, the oppressions of Maxtla, and his growing empire, had caused general alarm in the surrounding states, whose people recalled the mild rule of the Tezcucan princes. A coalition was formed, a plan of operations concerted, and, on the day appointed for a general rising, the prince found himself at the head of a force sufficiently strong to face his enemies. |