248 
GUATEMALA. 
selves up to music and dancing and ball-playing; it 
seemed as if life had no other end. But a terrible solem¬ 
nity was to come. Even among the dancers I saw men 
clothed in a peculiar but rich garb, — generally of an¬ 
other people, but not always foreign ; and I knew that 
these men had for days before the festival gone freely 
through the town, entered any house, even the royal 
palace, where the food they sought was freely given 
them, and they were treated with marked respect. Out¬ 
side the city-walls were some of them, with collars about 
their necks, attended by four officers of the king’s guard. 
Food, drink, and even the women were free to these 
honored men • but they were captives taken in war, or 
perhaps men who were obnoxious to the king, and were 
to be sacrificed to Tohil. A terrible death awaited them; 
but they regarded their fate as a matter they could not 
help, and with Indian stolidity enjoyed the frolics of the 
people and smiled at care. It was strange to see how 
little any one seemed to be affected by the certainly ap¬ 
proaching death of their fellows. Every one knew what 
was coming; but no dread anticipation marred the festive 
scene. 
The music ceased in the Plaza, the chief idol was 
placed on the altar-top, and the priests and nobles 
seized the victims by the hair and passed them, strug¬ 
gling, one by one up the steep steps of the altar to the 
chief priest, who stood high on the sacrificatorio in the 
sight of all the people. There was no murmur, not even 
a shudder, among the multitude, only the involuntary 
shrieks of the sacrifice as the priest cut into his breast 
with the stone knife and tore out his quivering heart. 
Holding this in the golden spoon of the temple, he 
