Lives of Alcyone

The long dreaded Toltec invasion, of which they had been
hearing for years as harrying distant valleys, finally descended upon
them in the year 9586. Old as he was, Alcyone gathered his people,
and rode at their head to meet the enemy. Owing to the superiority
of their position, the mountaineers were able to hold back the
Toltecs for two days, and to slaughter many of them; but
reinforcements from the plains arrived, and Alcyone and his faithful
followers were overwhelmed by numbers. He himself was killed, as
were all the men and elder women of his tribe, while the younger
women were carried into captivity down in the plains. Sirius, at that
time thirty-two years of age, was one of the latter.
She was assigned to the harem of a rich Toltec, and plunged
into a life of servitude of a most intolerable character. She suffered
much, but tried to bear it philosophically, hoping always for some
amelioration of her condition. About a month later, Orion, who had
lived in an adjoining valley, was captured in the same way and was
bought by the same man, and so she and Sirius met for the first time
in that life. Orion was less philosophical; she was filled with
indignation, and was all the while in a condition of passionate protest
against all the outrages offered to her. By the end of a week she
was half insane with the horror of it all, and in fact had already made
two attempts at suicide. Sirius was filled with pity for her, and
contrived to some extent to protect her and to make her lot more
bearable. Naturally, all their hopes were centred upon escape,
though it seemed entirely hopeless. Sirius at last conceived a plan
which, though desperate enough, seemed not quite absolutely
impossible. To get out of the house at all was their first great
difficulty, but even if that were achieved their white skins would at
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