The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-18

thing hadcome TO pass. 1 replied that we diu
our prison, we had ied from Il, How we bad
Ned they never stopped 70 ask, but ran down the
presently, for before they reached its base their
Msaspwhiie the terror thickened and the doom
began. Everywhere the waters spread and
gathered. replepished from the inexhsustl6le
before them TO vanish uddenly beneath their
foaming face, while from the crowd below rose
one continuous shrek Of agony; Maya heard u,
her bsndiwork, thrust her fingers into her ears,
while the senior and ! watched. fascinated.
sands OF them, who were gathered on the rising
feer% 1%nS and an d'RI ol fn's an II they We're !" gone,
borne away as withered leaves before. a gale.
ppo5ppuIstion Of Ihs City OF the Heart had perishedi
| For n little. while some of the more massive
houses stood, only to vanish one by one IN IN
waters covered all other sounds, Before the sun
was well up II was finished. and Of the ancient
and beautiful city. Heart OF the World, there re-.
the trees and the upper parts Of The pyramids of
The Golden City was no more. 1t was gone,
and with II all Its boarded treasures, its learning,
generations had been held to be a myth had
now become a myth indeed. One short hour
had suiileed to sweep out Of existence me RIPE
dwindling remnant Of the last pure race OF In.
dians who followed the customs and creeds OF
above us had decreed their fall, still SO vast and
sTsS to fh T%in upon MSi " IM3ihnS "Ti %op q SSn0 Would ID
the founders OF this great city, and the fashion;
ers OF its solemn sanctuary have thought and
felt could they have ~forcseen the manner Of its
end Would they then have set the holy SYM
s Dol So c ~ q ePSdp woman ioT s1'f By tearing tnS{ en L
away could forever bury altar. temple, town,
and nil that lived therein forever beneath the
This they did to protect their homes and sane.
tuaries against the. foe, so that T. need were
they did not foresee, indeed they never dreamed
that this foe, might be of their own race, and
bring disaster. utter and irrcdeemable, upon the
proud hend Of their holy stronghold, the city,
Now The waters found their level. filling up
the cup in, which, the town had stood, and the
bright sunlight shons upon Their PLACID ,Sn sprinG r
and over the fiat roofs of the submerged houses;
Here and there foated a mass of wreckage,, and
here and there n human corpse, over which
already the water eagles began to gather, and
that was all.
out from beneath the hollow Of her hand, for
the light WINS dazzling, there upon the white
summit of the pyramid. Then she nunR her
arms above her head and uttered a great and
bitter cry; at, sian, ,ho
harvest OF my sin! o. my father, that dream
which you sent to haunt my sleep was dreadful,
but il did not touch the truth. q. my father. tho
people whom you would have saved are dead,
and lost Is the city that you loved. and it is 1
who have destroyed them. o, my father. my
father, your curse has found me out indeed ana
Some such words as these she spoke, then be-
gan to laugh. and. turning to the senior said:
Where is the child, husband p"
He could not answer, but she took no note OF 1t,
only she bent her arms. rocking and grooming ss
came first TO him and next to me, saying:
Imadc pretence to look, but the sight OF her
pitiful face and OF the empty arms rs she swaycd
- a. lao. f.l shat \ xraG fnRnat IN tIrY
away to hide my tears. Now | saw the truth.
WEAKNESS. sorrow. and shock had turned her
We led her to the watch house. where there
was shelter. and the priests. who had returned.
gn nSr us ,Io shs as we soon %, cd is " IL fop thcV' too. wert
almost mad. Here her last illness seized her. II
began with n hardening OF the breast which
changed presently to fever.
Two days and nights with breaking hearts we
nurs,d her there upon the pyramid, striving not
about the child, and at dawn upon the third day
she died. Before she died her senses returned
and tender words almost too holy to set down.
"Alas!" she ended. las my heart foretold me,
! I'M na ,i@s sTSS S, esS yeq FOR rG ms % 90 but AWAY syil ir ama s now
Ignatio was right. and we were wrong. or rather
wa, wrong; We should Ossd, nj have .od disd i ,S.n ssm.
init the sin we worked In the, sanctuary, for
then at least our hands would have been clean,
nor would tho blood OF the people have rested
Yet believe me, husband. that when did tho
child murdered before my eyes. and heard a
voice within me bidding me to be. avenged;
perhaps shall suffer more. yet / think that / was
but the hand or the instrument Of fate predes-
tined to bring destruction upon a race already
doomed, and a faith outworn
THAT faith / no longer believe in. for you
have taught me another worship. and therefore
/ do not fear the vengeance OF the god OF my
people. May my other sins find forgiveness. II
they are sins. for it was my love OF yon that
may escape from this ill.omened place. and
live on for many wears In happiness but most
re reach at last You may find us waiting for you.
the child and together.
"Esreweli to YOU. This i a sad parting and
glad to have lived it since il brought me to your
arms, and however little l may, nave, deserved
ms memory even when l am dead.
"To you, also. Ignatio. farewell; You have
no good luck. and at times was jealous of YOU.
Think kindly OF me, II you can, though had II
snds-and as in the old days before we met COM
fort my husband with your friendship"
q gasping and broken, voice prayed Of him not
TO forget her or her child. Iheard him answer
that this she need not fear. as his happiness died
thought that they would not be parted, for very
long, nor could any other woman take her place
She blessed him and thanked him. caressinG
his face with her dying hands, and unable to
An hour later the senior came frem the watch
house. and though he did not speak one glance
at him was enough 10 tell me that all was over.
Thus died Maya, Lady OF the Heart, the last Of
the ancient royal blood of the Indian princes,
myself alone excepted, u very sweet and beauti-
full woman. though at times headstrong and
capricious.
Now while Maya lay dying We learned that
some Indians still lived on the mainland, men
and women who had been sent there TO tend the
crops, for we saw a canoe lowering round what
once had been the Island OF the Heart. The
two priests. who were with us on the pyramid,
tried TO signal TO II TO come to our rescue, but
either those in the boat did not see us OF, they
were terror stricken and feared To approach the
pyramid. still We kept the body all that day,
hoping thpt help might reach us, SO that we
could take II ashore for burial.
Toward night, however, when none came, we
made another plan. On the roof Of the watch
house the sacred fire still burned. for the two
priests had tended IL, more from custom, |
think, than for any other reason. Hitler we
brought some Of the gilded stools that were
used by the mobiles OF the Heart on days of festi-
val, and all the fuel that had been stored Ia re-
plenish the fire. building the whole into a fu-
neral pyre around and above the brazier. Then
as IL caught, we carried out the body of Maya
wrapped in her white robes and laid IL upon the
Eur. and Iafg -