CHAPTER XXXI. DEFENDING THE SUN CHILDREN.
Louder than ever rose the voice of Lord Hua, after witnessing the fallof his ally, the high priest. In spite of the great odds against thebody-guards, he began to fear lest his intended prey should even yetslip through his evil clutches.
Fiercer than ever rang forth his curses and imprecations upon the headof the Aztec who thus dared the vengeance of all the gods by liftinghand in arms against the anointed.
And then, his own nerve strung by those very efforts to inspire others,Lord Hua forged nearer the front, eager to behold all his hated enemiescrushed to earth as by a single stroke. And then--
With vicious force he hurled his javelin straight for the white throatof the Sun Child who had scorned his fawning advances, and only the everready eye, the true hand, the strong arm of Aztotl again warded off grimdeath from the Fair God's Child.
Caught upon that trusty shield one instant, the next turned towardsits original owner, to quiver for the barest fraction of time in thatvengeful grip, then, gloriously true to the hero's will and intent, spedthat javelin home.
Home to the false heart of false prince; grinding through skin and fleshand bones, cleaving that hot organ with broad blade of tempered copper,forcing one vicious screech from those tortured lungs, then causing thatbulk to measure its length upon the blood-sprinkled sands.
Once again the heathen involuntarily recoiled, as death claimed a highvictim. Once more the band of true-hearts slightly quickened their pacetowards the temple, now nigh at hand. Yet those lessened numbers neveronce betrayed fear, or doubt, or faltering. Grimly true to their trust,they fell back in the best of order, fighting as they moved, beatingback the heathen hosts, as though each man was a god, and their strongarms a wall of steel.
Here and there a true-heart sank to earth with the hand of death veilinghis eyes, but he died in silence; no cry of fear, no moan of pain, nopitiful appeal for mercy at the hands of his maddened people. They knewtheir sworn duty, and like true hearts they trod that narrow path untothe very end.
Although with gradually lessening numbers, the body-guard remainedpractically the same. Still in a hollow square, with the Children of theSun God in the centre, they slowly, doggedly fell back, ever facing theravening foe, ever moving shoulder to shoulder as a single man.
Then, just as Bruno Gillespie was refilling his emptied revolver, thebase of the tall pyramidal temple was won, and still protecting theirfair-haired charge, the body-guard ascended to the second terrace,beating back such of the wild rabble as pressed them too closely.
Again that wonderful barking-death came into play, and Bruno felta strangely savage joy gnawing at his heart as he saw more than onestalwart warrior reel dizzily back from his hot hail.
"For Ixtli, you curs! That for Ixtli! Down,--and eat dirt, dogs!"
Scarcely could his own ears catch those sounds, although he shouted withthe full power of his strong young lungs, so indescribably horrid wasthe din and tumult.
Up another flight of steps, then yet another, although the crazedrabble was not pressing them so very hard, just now. Still, theirnumber forbade a fourfold division as yet, and Aztotl feared lest theblood-ravening mob attempt to head off their flight by taking possessionof the other stairs, thus being first to occupy yonder flat arena highabove the earth, whereupon he hoped to still protect the Sun Children,even though he must lay down his life to maintain their lease.
Lacking an acknowledged leader, the furious mass thought only ofcrushing the faithful band by mere weight of numbers, taking no thoughtin advance, else the end might well have been precipitated.
Arrows, spears, javelins, stones from slings, poured upon the body-guardin almost countless numbers, now and then claiming a true-heart asvictim, whereupon the rabble howled afresh in drunken triumph; but wherea single man died in the performance of his oath-bound duty, half ascore heathen bit the dust and grovelled out his remnant of life yonderwhere most viciously trampled the feet of his fellow brutes.
Pausing barely long enough to beat back the crazed rush which cameso close upon their retreat, the band of brothers would then slowly,doggedly fall back another of those mighty steps, with bared teeth andblazing eyes, longing to end all by one joyous plunge into the thick oftheir assailants, dying with their chosen dead!
Five separate times that upward flight, and five times the grim pauseto give death another portion of his red feast. Five times theblood-lapping mob dashed against the band of brothers. Five times theywere hurled back, leaving more dead and dying there to mark the savagestruggle.
And then, sadly decimated at each halt, less in numbers as they passedfarther from earth to climb nearer the blue sky, the survivors wonthe crest of the teocalli, still fighting, still beating back such asfollowed their steps more closely.
Ere that brilliant retreat began, 'twould have taken close ranks for thebody-guard to find standing-room upon the temple-top; but now--Aztotlcalled for a division of his force, since there were four separateavenues of approach, of which the enemy was prompt to avail itself.
"For the Sun Children, my brothers!" he cried, his voice rising evenabove that awful tumult and turmoil. "Guard them with your lives!"
Little need to waste breath in so adjuring. Of all thus enlisted, notone of the true-hearts but proved worthy the trust.
Not one brave who took care for his own life. Not one but was ready todie in order to save; and thus far not a single wound had won so far aseither Child of the Fair God.
Even now while the heathen were raging more viciously than ever,crowding each terrace and jamming each flight of steps to the verge ofsuffocation, strong arms were shielding them, true hearts were thinkinghow best they might be served.
Time and again Aztotl warded away winged death as it sought to claimVicto for its prey. And Bruno Gillespie, no whit less brave if somewhatlacking in warlike experience, made Gladys his especial care, sendingshot or dealing knife-thrust in her defence, barely giving thought tohis own safety as a side issue.
Those broad terraces bore ugly pools and irregular patches of red blood.The various flights of stone steps grew slippery and uncertain as theylikewise began to steam. Yet forward and upward pressed the howling mob,and desperately fought the doomed body-guard above.
Faster fly the deadly missiles, too many by far for even the keenest eyeto guard against them all. One and another of those gallant defendersdrop away; only because death had claimed them, not because of fear orof bodily anguish.
Aztotl staggers,--an arrow is quivering in his broad bosom,--butstill he fights on, dealing death with each blow of his blood-drippinghand-wood. A stone lays open his brow,--but heavier and faster plays histerrible weapon. A javelin flashes briefly, then the red copper vanishesfrom sight, while the ashen shaft slowly dyes crimson, as the hotlife-blood issues.
A last, dying stroke, and the Red Heron sinks at the feet of hisadoration, faithful unto the last, his brave soul going forth to joinwith that of Ixtli; the last of a gallant family.
Victo gives a wild cry of vengeance, then snatches up bow and quiverwhere let fall by a death-smitten warrior, and wings swift death to theslayer of her captain of the guard.
An awful melee, where the odds were momentarily increasing; where oneman was forced to do the work of a score; where death inevitable awaitedall, unless a miracle should intervene. And that miracle--
Shrilly rang forth the voice of Victoria Edgecombe as, amidst the furyof battle, she caught sight of the air-ship swiftly darting that waythrough the clear atmosphere, bent on saving, if saving might be.
The peculiar sound which attended the exploding of a dynamite cartridgeheralded the death of more than one Aztec, and, as the swift rattle ofrevolvers added to the uproar, there was an involuntary recoiling, aterrified shrinking, which was employed to the best advantage by theair-voyagers.
The aerostat barely landed upon the top of the temple, before CooperEdgecombe, with a wild scream of ecstatic joy, caught his wife in hisarms and hurried her into the
car, while Waldo and uncle Phaeton aidedBruno.
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