The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-28

ily use the power which l have placed in he,
hands? Oh, Leila! Leila! all the hope of the
chosen peorle rests on thee! Mithra. thy
hand has been heavy upon me; l leave no
son behind me to repair the fault | have
committed through nv desire to find thy
sanctuary. Goucha-Nichin, the glory of
thy name is tarnished! Die. then! Thou
hast allowed a stranger to enter into the
sanotuarv!'
He seated himself once moro upon the
ground, covering his head with the folds of
his white robe. The old mans heartbroken
despair touched Maurice with pity. He ap-
preached him and endeavored to raise him
from the ground.
Listen" he said, in a quiet, soothing
voice. II sympathize with you in your grief,
Goucha-Nichin, and, believe me, / can fully
understand your iemorse at having betrayed
the traditions of -FOUR ancestors. But, after
all, you reproach yourself too heavily. 1t
was against your will that [ entered here.'
What matters it?' cried ths old man.
pnshing him away: you have polluted the
holy place! You must die!'
where are We them" asked Maurice.
I'VE are in the wonderful labyrinth, the
c!ew to which has never been known to any
save the grand mobed. No profane eye. or
handel foot has ever penetrated here. Built
from plans drawn by my ancestors, the
workmen put to death as soon as their Ia
bors were accom-, lished lest they should re-
veal the secret, this labyrinth has been con
structcd at the cost of thousands of lives.
Judge, then, whether ! shall scruple to sac
rluce yours. 1t leads to this holy of holies.
10 the heart Of the temple, to the eye Of
wisdom, sanotitied by the presence Of NTH
IA, where mono save the high priest has ever
entered, and he upon his knees with his
face covered by a veil"
But what do purpose doing now?" said
Maurice. who could detect madness Turk
ing in the old mans eyes. 40 die here in
fh1G Cpnt in uCIyr ~, - 1.,.l A. g.
worshipper, and 80 e1piate my crime. All!
have taken all the precautions, for from
the very first l was suspicious. have left
with my granddaughter, Leila. nv tesla
ment, sealed with a mystic seal. She will
open 1t when the time that ! have marked
shall come. Then she will choose, in ODE
dience to my orders, n husband from the
sacerdotal ranks, and when, in their turn,
they penetrate into this crypt, if Mithra SO
permits, they will find our bones bleaching
in this SCI ulcher. Mine they will take and
burn with snored fire, beseeohing in sack
Nobed's ~oflense: yours they will scatter to
the winds, and 80 no trace shall be left of
tue intrusion of impure strangers into tho
holy of holies.'
II thank you. Mobed!'' cried Maurice
fairly aroused.'' You have certainly mapped
out Il nice programme for us! Do you sup.
pose ! Shall acquiesce?"
whether you do or not matters little"
said the gueber disdainfuiiy. "Your DAYS
nre numbered. You will die in this place.
1t is impossible, mark me. impossible for
any one unacquainted with the secret 10
find the exit from this labyrinth. You NAV
seek for a score of years, seek until your
hair is'as gray as mine and your shoulders
are bent with age, and still you will not
discover it. 1t is impossible, and you |
know it,"
Explain to me, then" said Maurice.
why you persuaded he to descend Goul-
HEX, if it is such a sa~crilege."
THAT | will do" answered the gueber, |
"as we have now virtually left the world. |
Know. then, that the we'll OF Goul-Hek and
the passage leading TO the rotundx are not
III themselves sacred. 10 find the entrance
! knew that 1t WAS necessary to dig toward
the north. But how, in tho bowels of the
earth, deprived of the blessed sta light. to
lind the north? You possessed what was to
me a magical instrument, and by its aid
you led me to tho rotnnda. MY intention
had been that az soon as we arrived there
l would tell you that | had been deceived
rs to the existence Of q suhte,rsueau
that the galleries only led
TO tho first and smallest sanctuary,
The clumsiness of this nisera-
BILE man (rointing to poor Gsrgarid)
to you the entrance to the
tenn lie by the turning stone, n secret never
yet dtvulced to the p~rofane. You persisted
III advancing. spite of my efforts to hold
you back. Later on, Drawing my wrath and
warning, you entered the saet ed labyginth
Itself. With your own hand you signed
death sentence and sealed the stone of
your sepulcher. Enough! What / have
said Ii irrovocable. Neither you nor / my