IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
259 
no importance in itself, turned the mob against the 
Cakchiquels, and they loudly called upon Quicab to 
surrender the Cakchiquel kings to their fury. The 
wise old king warned these of their danger, and ad¬ 
vised them to retire to Iximche, or Tecpan Quauhte- 
malan. They did so, and this city became their capital. 
Now the fortunes of the Cakchiquels wax, while those 
of the Quiches wane. The new capital is fortified, 
and its inhabitants prepare for the strife evidently 
impending. 
The first attack is made by the Quiches, who are 
beaten, and for a few years remain quiet. Their king 
Quicab dies, and Tepepul II., the ninth king, reigns with 
Iztayul III. The kings of the Cakchiquels were now 
Oxlahuhtzi and Cablahu-Tihax, under whose reign a fam¬ 
ine, caused by unusual cold, troubles the capital. The 
Quiches saw a chance again to subdue their rebellious 
vassals, and an army was gathered, which with great 
pomp set out from Utatlan, carrying the god Tohil 
with it. A deserter from the Quiche army warned the 
kings of Iximche of their peril, and they bravely pre¬ 
pared for the contest. In the Cakchiquel Chronicle 
we have this description of the battle : — 
“ As soon as the dawn began to brighten the mountain- 
tops the war-cries were heard, standards were unfurled, 
drums and conchs resounded, and in the midst of this 
clamor the rapidly moving files of the Quiches were seen 
descending the mountains in every direction. 
“ Arrived at the banks of the stream that runs by the 
suburbs of the city, they occupied some houses and formed 
in battle under the command of the kings Tepepul and 
Iztayul. 
