Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-03-09

fresh in his mind, and he felt tnat the
nour had come for the manifestation or
Intervention which he expected. The
head of the procession had already nearly
reached the temple summit. he heard
the measured tread of feet as they
mounted the graded causeway, and knew
that in another moment Kulcan with
his charge would stand beside him. i
Had Iklapels vision been what it was
Of old, and had his eyes been directed
upward toward the frowning cliffs, ne
would have been startled to see face
peering down upon the wondrous scene
Ia face in which astonishment and
qualification were mingled, for the own
er of it saw.white faces in the multitude
below hin. and felt himself safe. He
would have seen body belonging to
the face emerge and descend the crum-
bling, ladderlike pathway, rifle and bird
| In hand, in eager anticipation of well
come which meant food and drink to q
hungry and thirsty naan. But Iklapel
saw nothing, nor did one eye turn in all
that host of gazing faces upward toward
the real sun-to the golden emblem OF
which they sacrificed
Each face was turned toward the tenn
pie in n fixed expectancy, eager to catch
every action of the priests and the VIC
tim. Many were there who had seen
but one such sight, when children; chill
dren were there to see it for the first
time-were to be held up 80 that they
might see and hold it in their minds;
aged and middle aged, Elo had seen it
before, some of them nay times-all
waited the last dread act in the tragedy.
The litter containing Aimee was, at
last placed before the, altar, and to the
surprise of all the girl stepped from it
calmly and with frmness: Her face
| bore no trace Of the Intoxicating aitsi,
its effects having passed away in the
trying hours Of the morning. Borne up,
even until the last terrible moment, by
a firm conviction that Kulcan, her
avowed lover. would devise some means
to save her; she faced the four dread fig
ures of the death priests and suffered
them to bind her shapely arms behind
her without movement or 8 shudder.
But when Iklapel stepped forward as
the weird chant Of the Kabilo began and
handed Kulcan the sacrifcial knife she
started, and her eyes were filed with e.
fearless appeal. Even yet her a, 'th in
his wisdom and his love did No deseri
her, but when she saw that.he trelnbleu
and averted his eyes chill swept liei
frame and the awful truth burst upol:
her in a moment. Casting her eyes up
ward in wild, terrified gaze, she saw
what Gained her in an instant, and slic
faced her lover with 3 confident, tender
smile upon, n,her face.
Kulcan had taken the knife, an ancient
blade of white quartz-a material which
suppliedso many beautifulstone weapons
| to the prehistoric races-and he stood
before Aimee with "a pa1lid face, the cold
perspiration upon his brow glistening il
the sunlight, in an attitude of prayer.
Hehad come to the supreme test of his
priesthood and his love, and the priest
had conquered the lover, but he wanted
the courage 70 strike the blow; the mo-
ment was one of the deepest torture to
him and to most of the spectators, who,
spellbound with emotion, stood in deep:
est silence. unbroken by even breath.
Chalpa, the second priest, standing
close to- Iklapel, his dark face, drawn
lips and set teeth making him living
resemblance of the god of evil himself.
cursed under his breath at the delay. !
"The coward dare not strike, he NUT
tered. "Ah, would that he dared re-
fuse! Then I should hold his place this
day, for the people would tear him to
pieces for spelling this goodly sport.
Let ME but grasp the knife and they,
would be rarely served. Ahal the dog
will do it after aili" for Kulcan had
raised his head, and with one long de-
spairing look deep into the girls smiling
eyes placed the blade against her bare
throat with a hand whose -trembling
made heweapon fash in.the ightlike p,
row of diamonds. AS he drew in his;
breath with a shuddering effort the
multitude gave an audible, gasping res
piration; then, with one quick movement,
he raised the knife aloft, his eyes fixed
on the spot upon her throat where the
blow must fall.
But while it trembled against the
shadow of the cliff, darting back in
slender shafts the rays of that sun in
whose dread service it had drank the
blood of his victims for; unknown ages,
there came sharp, ringing report that
echoed and rolled like thunder along the
canyon walls, and the knife was shat
tered in thousand fragments, which,
falling, dashed the sacred embers from
the altar and e1tfnguished the fire in
stantly forever. At the same moment
there rang out shril voice, the voice
|Tof the child Eliza, crying gleefully as
she smote her little hands together:
"Quetzall Quetzal! BE has come and
saved our Aineel''
+:
CHAPTER ".