Page:The Annals of the Cakchiquels.djvu/89

Rh war is certain, we must enter upon it, we must test our bows, our shields. It makes little difference which way we go; choose ye the road," said we to them. "It is not for us to choose the road," said they. "Choose thou the road, thou our younger brother, thou our teacher," said they to us. Then we chose the road, and we told it to them. All of us then gathered together, and soon we met face to face a party of warriors, called those of Nonovalcat and those of Xulpit. They were on the border of the ocean; they were there in their boats.

20. Truly it was fearful, the arrow-shooting and the fighting; but soon they were routed by us, and half the fighting was in the boats. When those of Nonovalcat and Xulpit had been routed, all the warriors spoke: "How shall we cross over the sea, our younger brother?" they asked. And we said to them: "We shall cross in the boats, while our battle is not yet known." Then we entered into the boats of those of Nonovalcat; when we came from the east then we entered them. Truly, it was fearful in the town and houses of those of Zuyva, there in the east; for when we entered at the furthest house, they could not understand how we had entered. Truly, it was fearful there among the houses; truly, the noise was great, the dust was oppressive; fighting was going on in the houses, fighting with the dogs, the wasps, fighting with all. One attack, two attacks we made, and we ourselves were routed, as truly they were in the air, they were in the earth, they ascended and they descended, everywhere against us, and thus they showed their magic and their sorcery. All the warriors, each one by himself, returned to the place, Tapcu Oloman; we gathered together in sadness, there where we had put on our feathers, where we had adorned ourselves, oh you our children, as was related by Gagavitz and Zactecauh. When we asked each other where our salvation was, it was said to us by the Quiche men: "As it thundered and resounded in the sky, truly in the sky must our salvation be;" so they said, and therefore the name Tohohil was given to them. The Zotzil nation said that really