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the procession, deity, priests, censerbearers, and musicians, with loud screams vanished under the portals; and the infidels, starting up in a rage that could be suppressed no longer, rushed upon the novice, to avenge, in his blood, the insult he had offered to their deity.

"Quick, a-God's name! and rescue!' cried Cortes, for the young man is mad!'

"There seemed grounds for this imputation; for, besides the inexplicable folly of his first act, Don Amador appeared now, for a moment, to be lost in such a maze, that blows of the heavy maquahuitl were rained upon his stout armour, and several furious hands had clutched not only upon his spear, but upon himself, to drag him from the saddle, before he bethought him to draw his sword and defend his life. But his sword was at last drawn, his fit dispelled, and before his countrymen had yet reached him, he was dealing such blows around him, and so urging his courageous steed upon the assailants, as quickly to put himself out of the danger of immediate death.

"The passions of the multitude, restrained for a moment, by the superstition of their rulers, were now fully and unappeasably roused; and with yells, that came at once from the pyramid, from the temple-yard, from the great square, and the neighbouring streets, they rushed upon the Christians, surrounding them, and displaying such ferocious determination as left them but small hopes of escape.

"God and Spain ! honour and fame!' cried Alvarado, spearing a barbarian at each word, what do you think of my Mexicans now, true friends?'

"His cheer was lost in the roar of screams; and nothing but the voice of Don Hernan, well known to be as clear and powerful in battle as the trumpet which he invoked, was heard pealing above the din.

"Now shew yourselves Spaniards and soldiers, and strike for the blood of Christ! Ho. trumpeter! thy flourish! and find me where lags my lazy Gonzalo !'

"As he spoke, he fought; for so violent had been the attack of the infidels, that they were mingled among, and fighting hand to hand with the Christians -a confused and sanguinary chaos. Scarcely, indeed, had the trumpeter time to wind his instrument, before it was struck out of his hand by a brawny savage; and the same blow which robbed him of it, left the arm that held it a shattered and useless member. The blast, however,

had sounded; and, almost instantaneously, it was answered by a bugle; afar, indeed, and blown hurriedly, as if the musician were in as much jeopardy as his fellow, but still full of joy and good cheer to the Christian combatants.

"Close and turn! Footmen, to your square!' cried Cortes; and valiant cavaliers, charge me now as though you fought against devils, with angels for your lookers-on!'

"To the temple! to the temple!' cried Amador, with a voice rivalling the general's in loudness, and turning in a frenzy toward the pyramid, down whose sides the infidels were seen rushing with frantic speed.

"But the head of Fogoso was seized by two friendly followers; and while Don Amador glared fiercely at the pale but not affrighted secretary, he heard, on the other side, the tranquil voice of Lazaro :

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Master,' said the faithful servant, if we separate from our friends, we are dead men ; and Don Gabriel is left without a kinsman in this land of demoniacs.'

"Close, and turn, I bid ye!' cried Cortes, furiously, 'heed not the wolves that are fast to your sides. Charge on the herds! charge on the herds! and overthrow with the weight of your hoofs! Charge, I bid ye; and care not though ye should find your lances striking against the breast of Sandoval. Charge on the herds! charge on the herds!'

"So saying, Don Hernan set an example, followed by the cavaliers; and as the fifty horsemen spurred violently upon the mob, shouting and cheering, the naked multitudes quailed from before them, though only to gather again on their flanks with renewed desperation.

"Will ye desert us that are afoot?' cried voices from behind, with dolorous cries.

"Ho, Sandoval! art thou sleeping?' "Santiago! and God be thanked!'tis the voice of the general!' cried Sandoval, in the distance. His voice came from the surge of battle, like the cheer of a sailor who recks not for the tempest. It filled the cavaliers with joy.

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own sheep! Be firm; wall yourselves with spears; and presently ye shall be lookers-on. Sweep the square again, brave cavaliers ! Goad flanks! couch spears! and, this time, let me see the red face of my lieutenant!'

"Turning, and shouting with a louder cheer (for the experience of the two first charges had warned the Mexicans of their destructive efficacy, and they now recoiled with a more visible alarm), the cavaliers again rushed through their foes like a whirlwind; and brushing them aside, as the meteor brushes the fogs of evening, they dashed onward, until their shouts were loudly re-echoed, and they found themselves confronted with Don Gonzalo and his party.

"The greetings of the friends were brief and few, for the same myriads, attacking with the same frenzied desperation, invested them with a danger that did not seem to diminish.

"Bring thy foot in front,' cried Cortes, and, while they follow me, charge thou behind them. Be quick, and be brave. March fast, ye idle spearmen and stare not, for these are not devils, but men!-God and Spain!Santiago, and at them again, peerless cavaliers! We fight for Christ and immortal honour !'

"The valiant band of cavaliers again turned at the voice of their leader, and again they swept the corse-encumbered square, rushing to the relief of their own infantry. Following the counsel he had given to Sandoval, the wary general passed by his foot-soldiers, and bidding them march boldly forward, and join themselves with the infantry of Don Gonzalo, he charged the infidels from their rear with a fury they could not resist; and then rushing backward with equal resolution, discovered the footsoldiers in the position in which it had been his aim to place them. The united infantry, full seven hundred men in number, were now protected, both in front and rear, by a band of cavalry; their flanks looking, on one side, to the temple, and, on the other, to a great street that opened opposite. Arranging them, at a word, in two lines, standing back to back, and seconding himself the manœuvre which he dictated to Sandoval, the general swept instantly to that flank which bordered on the Wall of Serpents, while Gonzalo rode to the other. Thus arranged, the little army presented the figure of a hollow square, or rather, of a narrow parallelogram, the chief sides of which were made by double rows of spear men, and the smaller by bands of horsemen.

Thus arranged, too, the Christians fought with greater resolution and success; for, parting at once from a common centre, the infantry drove the assailants from before them on two sides, while the cavalry carried death and horror to the others; until, at a given signal, all again fell back to their position, and presented a wall altogether inexpugnable to the weak though untiring savages.

"It was the persuasion of Don Hernan, that, in this advantageous position, he could, in a short time, so punish his enemies, as to teach them the folly of contending with Christian men, and perhaps end the war in a day. But, for a full hour, he repeated his charges, now pinning his foes against the wall, or the steps of the House of Skulls, now falling back to breathe; and, at each charge, adding to the number of the dead, until their corses literally obstructed his path, and left it nearly impassable. At every charge, too, his cavaliers waxed more weary, and struck more faintly, while the horses obeyed the spur and voice with diminishing vigour; and it seemed that they must soon be left unable, from sheer fatigue, to continue the work of slaughter. The pagans perished in crowds at each charge, and at each volley of bow-shots; but neither their spirit nor their numbers, seemed to decrease. Their yells were as loud, their countenances as bold, their assaults as violent as at first; and the Spaniards beheld the sun rising high in the heavens, without any termination to their labours, or their sufferings. Twenty Christians already lay dead on the square, or had been dragged, perhaps, while yet breathing, to be sacrificed on the pyramid. This was a suspicion that shocked the souls of many; for, twice or thrice, they heard, among the crowds, who still stood on the lofty terrace, shooting arrows down on the square, such shouts of triumphant delight as, they thought, could be caused by nothing but the immolation of a victim.

"Grief and rage lay heavily on the heart of Cortes; but though the apprehension, that if much longer over-worn by combat, his followers might be left unable even to fly, added its sting to the others, shame deterred him, for a time, from giving the mortifying order. Harassed, and even wounded (for a defective link in his mail had yielded to an arrowhead, and the stone was buried in his shoulder), he nevertheless preserved a good countenance; cheered his people with the assurance of victory; fought on, exposing himself like the meanest of his soldiers; and several times, at the im

minent risk of his life, rescued certain foot-soldiers from the consequences of their foolhardiness.

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"There was, among the infantry, man of great courage and strength, by the name of Lezcano, whose only weapon was a huge two-handed sword, the valiant use of which had gained him, among his companions, the title of Dos Manos, or Two-hands. No spearman of his company advanced to the charge with more readiness than did this fellow with his gigantic weapon, and none retreated with more constant reluctance. Indeed, he commonly fell back so leisurely as to draw three or four foes upon him at once; and it seemed to be his pleasure to meet these in such a way, as should call for the praises of his companions. His daring, that day, would have left him with the additional name of the bravest of the brave, had it been tempered with a little discretion. But inflamed by the encomiums of his comrades, and not less by the complimentary rebukes of his captain, his rashness knew no bounds; and twice or thrice he thrust himself into situations of peril, from which he was rescued with great difficulty. He had been saved once by Don Hernan. It was his fate, a second time, to draw the notice of the general; who, falling back on the infantry, beheld him beset by a dozen foes, surrounded, and using his great scimitar furiously, yet, as it seemed in vain; for he was unhelmed.

"What ho, Don Amador!" cried Cortes to the cavalier, who was at his side, let us rescue Dos Manos, the mad!"

"In an instant of time, the two hidalgos had reached the group, and raised their voices in encouragement, while each struck down a savage. At that moment, and while Lezcano elevated his scimitar to ward off the blow of a maquahuitl, the massive blade, shivered as if by a thunderbolt, fell to the earth; but, before it reached it, the sharp glass of the Indian sword had entered his brain. The cavaliers struck fast and hard on either hand; the barbarians fled; but Lezcano, the Two-handed, lay rolling his eyes to heaven, his head cloven to the mouth."

"If we slay a thousand foes for every christian man that dies, yet shall we be vanquished!" said Cortes, turning an eye of despair on his companion, and speaking the feelings he had concealed from all others. Indeed, he seemed to rejoice that destiny had given him one follower,

to whom he might unbosom himself without the apprehension of creating alarm-he hesitated not to relieve himself of his grief to Don Amador; for he knew him to be inaccessible to fear. "Be of good heart, my friend. I have drawn thee into a den of devils. We must retreat, or die."

"I will advance or retreat, as thou wilt," said Amador, with a visage, in which Don Hernan now, for the first time, beheld an expression so wild and ghastly, that he was reminded of Calavar. "It matters nothing-here or at the palace! But it is my duty to assure thee of mine own persuasion : retreat may bring us relief—there is no victory for us to-day."

"God help thee! art thou wounded?" cried Cortes.

"A little hurt by the skill-less hand of Fabueno," said the novice tranquilly, "who not yet being perfected in the use of the spear, thrust his weapon into my back, while aiming at the throat of a cacique. But that is not it. I have this day seen a sight, which convinces me we are among magicians and devils; and persuades me, along with certain other recent occurrences, that the time of some of us is reckoned. Therefore I say to thee, I will advance with thee or retreat, as thou thinkest best. To me it matters not. counsel, is to fly. We may save others." "It is needful," replied Don Hernan mournfully. He gave his orders to certain officers; and the retreat was commenced in the order in which they had fought,-that is to say, the infantry, drawing their lines closer together, and facing to the flank, began to march down the street, preceded by Sandoval, charging the opponents from the front, while Cortes and his band, at intervals rushing upon the pursuers, kept the triumphant barbarians from the rear."

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HABITS OF THE TURTLE.

THE following curious incidental account of the habits of the turtle (not turtle Dove), is taken from Audubon's new volume, entitled "Ornithological Biography;" a work not less interesting to the general reader than delightful to the naturalist.

"On first nearing the shores, and mostly on fine calm moonlight nights, the turtle raises her head above the water, being still distant thirty or forty yards from the beach, looks around her, and attentively examines the objects on the

shore. Should she observe nothing likely to disturb her intended operations, she emits a loud hissing sound, by which such of her many enemies as are unaccustomed to it, are startled, and so are apt to remove to another place, although unseen by her. Should she hear any noise, or perceive indications of danger, she instantly sinks and goes off to a considerable distance; but should every thing be quiet, she advances slowly towards the beach, crawls over it, her head raised to the full stretch of her neck, and when she has reached a place fitted for her purpose, she gazes all round in silence. Finding 'all well,' she proceeds to form a hole in the sand, which she effects by removing it from under her body with her hind flappers, scooping it out with so much dexterity that the sides seldom if ever fall in. The sand is raised alternately with each flapper, as with a large ladle, until it has accumulated behind her, when supporting herself with her head and fore part on the ground fronting her body, she with a spring from each flapper, sends the sand around her, scattering it to the distance of several feet. In this manner the hole is dug to the depth of eighteen inches, or sometimes more than two feet. This labour I have seen performed in the short period of nine minutes. The eggs are then dropped one by one, and disposed in regular layers, to the number of a hundred and fifty, or sometimes nearly two hundred. The whole time spent in this part of the operation may be about twenty minutes. scrapes the loose sand back over the eggs, and so levels and smooths the surface, that few persons on seeing the spot could imagine anything had been done to it. This accomplished to her mind, she retreats to the water with all possible dispatch, leaving the hatching of the eggs to the heat of the sand. When a turtle, a loggerhead for example, is in the act of dropping her eggs, she will not move although one should go up to her, or even seat himself on her back, for it seems that at this moment she finds it necessary to proceed at all events, and is unable to intermit her labour. The moment it is finished, however, off she starts; nor would it then be possible for one, unless he were as strong as a Hercules, to turn her over and secure her.

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"To upset a turtle on the shore, one is obliged to fall on his knees, and placing his shoulder behind her forearm, gradually raise her up by pushing with great force, and then with a jerk throw her over. Sometimes it requires the united strength of several men to accomplish

this; and, if the turtle should be of very great size, as often happens on that coast, even handspikes are employed. Some turtlers are so daring as to swim up to them while lying asleep on the surface of the water, and turn them over in their own element, when, however, a boat must be at hand to enable them to secure their prize. Few turtles can bite beyond the reach of their fore legs, and few, when once turned over, can, without assistance, regain their natural position; but, notwithstanding this, their flappers are generally secured by ropes, so as to render their escape impossible.

"Persons who search for turtles' eggs are provided with a light stiff cane or a gun-rod, with which they go along the shores, probing the sand near the tracks of the animals, which, however, cannot always be seen, on account of the winds and heavy rains, that often obliterate them. The nests are discovered not only by men, but also by beasts of prey, and the eggs are collected, or destroyed on the spot in great numbers, as on certain parts of the shore hundreds of turtles are known to deposit their eggs within the space of a mile. They form a new hole each time they lay, and the second is generally dug near the first, as if the animal were quite unconscious of what had befallen it. It will readily be understood that the numerous eggs seen in a turtle on cutting it up could not be all laid the same season. The whole number deposited by an individual in one summer may amount to four hundred, whereas if the animal is caught on or near her nest, as I have witnessed, the remaining eggs, all small, without shells, and as it were threaded like so many large beads, exceed three thousand. In an instance where I found that number, the turtle weighed nearly four hundred pounds. The young, soon after being hatched, and when yet scarcely larger than a dollar, scratch their way through their sandy covering, and immediately betake themselves to the water."

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THE PARTERRE

OF FICTION, POETRY, HISTORY, AND GENERAL LITERATURE.

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THE PIEDMONTESE COURIER. A TRAVELLING ADVENTURE.

(For the Parterre.)

In the summer of 182- I took my place by the Courier from Turin to Nice, and a fine clear evening found me seated side by side with my mercury of the postoffice, and listening with great satisfaction to the "en route " which started us on our journey. The courier was a man whose "portly paunch" bespoke one on good terms both with himself and the world; one who told his tale right merrily, and had a kind word and ready smile for the many who crowded round to learn the news, on his changing horses or delivering his letter bags at the different towns and villages. If ever a man were truly happy, or there was one who seemed to set at nought the cares and ills of this world, I think it was my friend the courier. Nothing seemed to discompose him; though I much question, had he but been aware what would have been the result of the present journey, the smile would for once have forsaken his.

cheek. The Piedmontese couriers are on a plan very different to all other foreign couriers; they have their own carriages, and travel in general to the very confines of the Piedmontese territories, one for instance from Turin to Geneva, another to Florence, and a third to Nice, and so on. These journeys they perform alternately, so that it is known along the road at what period each courier will pass. On one of the journeys of my fellow-traveller to Nice, he had been stopped and robbed of some money he was conveying, and as the money belonged to the government, a great stir was made about it, and the provincial authorities deemed it incumbent upon them to take up somebody. Two men were accordingly taken up and accused, and as the courier swore positively to them, they were in a short time afterwards executed. From some inquiries I afterwards made, I found great doubts were entertained as to their being really the men, and many indeed said the courier would have been too frightened to have known a man from a woman;

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