Human sacrifice

Sosegado ya este llanto, yo pregunté á los cristianos, y dije que, si á ellos parescia, rogaría á aquellos indios que nos llevasen á sus casas; y algunos de ellos que habían estado en la Nueva-España respondieron que no se debía hablar en ello, porque si á sus casas nos llevaban, nos sacrificarian á sus ídolos; mas, visto que otro remedio no había, y que por cualquier otro camino estaba mas cerca y mas cierta la muerte, no curé de lo que decían, antes rogué á los indios que nos llevasen á sus casas, y ellos mostraron que habían gran placer de ello, y que esperásemos un poco, que ellos harían lo que queríamos;

When the weeping had died down, I asked the Christians whether they agreed that I should ask these Indians to take us to their houses. Some of them had been in New Spain. They answered that we should not even speak of it, because if the Indians took us to their houses, they would sacrifice us to their idols. But since there was no other way out, and any other path led to a nearer and surer death, I paid no attention to what they said. Instead I asked the Indians to take us to their houses. They showed that they were very glad to do it, and told us to wait a little, and they would do what we wished.

y desde á un hora que habíamos llegado, comenzaron á bailar y hacer grande fiesta (que duró toda la noche), aunque para nosotros no habia placer, fiesta ni sueño, esperando cuando nos habían de sacrificar; y la mañana nos tornaron á dar pescado y raíces, y hacer tan buen tratamiento, que nos aseguramos algo, y perdimos algo el miedo del sacrificio.

About an hour after we arrived, they began to dance and hold a great celebration, which lasted all night. For us, though, there was no pleasure, no celebration, and no sleep, as we waited for the moment they would sacrifice us. In the morning they gave us fish and roots again and treated us so well that we felt a little safer and lost some of our fear of being sacrificed.

Mon ami se leva assez précipitamment & paroissoit avoir quelque chagrin ; je l'arrêtai pour lui en demander la raison : il me répondit avec un air triste que le Serpent Piqué étoit très-mal ; & que si ce Soleil venoit à mourir, toute la Nation, ou peu s'en faudroit, mourroit aussi ; parce que le Grand Soleil frere du Malade se donneroit la mort, que s'aimant beaucoup, ils s'étoient promis de ne point se survivre.

My friend got up rather suddenly and seemed troubled. I stopped him to ask why. He answered sadly that the Tattooed Serpent was very ill. If this Sun died, he said, the whole Nation, or very nearly, would die too. For the Great Sun, the sick man's brother, would kill himself. They loved each other dearly and had promised each other not to outlive one another.