The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-04
CHAPTER NXIII.
NATAL PRopHEsrEs EVIL.

~ uO.
CHAPTER NXI1.
NATAL P~RoPHEstEs EVIL.
At Tikal's words the company murmuret
in establishment, and Natal, lending forward
began to whisper In his car. Tikal listened fol
n moment. thIu turned upon him tiercely ant
SAL" "i S tell yo 80 Ma M"t a '1 that f ! Wil pl be no party t,
this %iniIuity. Has such a thing been heard Of
before that the Lady q the Heart, the highest
a stranger, who. like some lost dog, has wandered
to our gateTN
The prophecy! putno faith in prophecies
Why should ] obey 9 prophecy written now
was my atfanccd bride, and now I am asked &c
unite ,n heT to 2 nnmel less, man. LILY Wno Is not even o'
surely. lord. you blaspheme, answered Mat.
tai, growing wrath, seeing that IL is not for the
Gds Gr1is s. tie S, 'p eSasd aS Si'S m sns oracle S Of ta;
can 1t be to you who are not ten days wed to the
lady at your side, that she TO whom once you
husband -
,".Whnt is 1t to mcf" asked Tikal furiously.
everything. How did | come to break my troth
and 10 take your daughter as u wifer Through
prophet. Did You not swear TO me that Maya
wac dead yonder in the wildcrnessI And lid
You not to satisfy your own ambition force me
this marriage between the Lady OF the Heart
and the White man u plot, Of yours, devised for
the furtherIng OF your ends ~
Now, while all stood astonished, Of q sudden
Nahua, who hitherto had listened in stony
My lord Tikal forgets that common courtesy
should protect even al, unwelcome wife from
hall 10y the door which was behind her.
Now a murmur of pity for the lady and indig-
nation agHdns, = TIE iied man ran nv through q the com
"Eyi! will come of this nights work, and In it
! VII haye no hand; DO what you viii md
answer he also had left the hall followed by his
guards.
To talk cunfusedly, and some of the members Of
the brotherhood Of the Heart, rising from their
they rescated themselves. and. holding up his
hand 70 secure quiet. Natal spoke thus;
Forgive me-" he said. addressing the au-
1t is hard for me to be calm in face Of the open
instl. which has been put upon, my daughter
a ans wyS fhe " shSrct s"T thai att the "i lord h' T iinks@pip hs 10
brought against me In his rage. Surely, some
evil power must nave afflicted him with nnd-
ness, thai, forgetting his honor as Il man and his
duty as n priuce and priest, he should dare to
utter such, calumnies against the god we wor-
be Il husband 10 the Lady Maya, and myself, the
keeper Of the sanctuary, There were many
among YOU who held me foolish when, after much
prayer and thought. 10 further what ! believed
TO br the rue interests Of the whole people, |
to NIL The place and honor of caciquc in room OF
our late prince, Xibalbav, whom we thought
dead with his daughter in the wilderness, To-
night ] see that they were right, aud that | was
foolish indeed.
hut enough of regrets and bitter talk that
make i'll music. at a marriage feast. Tikal, the
priests are left, nor is his will the will o. the
Council or Of the People OF the Heart, for whom
the Council speaks. Their win IL is that this
marriage should 20 forward, and niinas, my
brother. as the oldest among us, | call upon you
Now the company shouted in applause. for
they were set upon this strange union of u white
new thing and touched their imagination, and
even those Of then who were Of his party were
new-Innde wife.
priest, Dimas, rose, and taking the hands OF
Maya and the senior, he joined them and said a
blessing them and entreatfng the spirit, Heart
OF Heaven, and other gods 10 give them Increase
and a 70 MAKE Ike l 9aSm q N \ SE Iis si ii s2' aIS 9!Ehe w5i IoE9 had
been prepared upon their heads as they knelt
before him: and. loo.ing the emerald girdle
hand and placed IL upon the arm OF the senior,
then he bound the girdle round wrist and arm,
buckled IL, and IN a few solemn words declared
these twain To be man and wife in the face Of
heaven and earth Till death undid them.
Now the cloth was lifted and the girdle lOosed,
and standing upon their feet the new wed pair
kissed each other before the people. a shout of
pressed forward To wish joy to the bride and
bridegroom, most Of them bringing some costly
RIi beautiful gift, which they gave into the
charge OF the waiting ladies, Last % all came
the old priest Dimas and said;
FNN' ~ NAfs nv kAlN Allal ! iiA ny /
the Council tn make to you, though Of little value
IN itself. Is yet one Of the most precious 70 he
nothing less than the holy - mbul ~ the all See
ing Eye at the Heart of Heaven, MhiCh through /
you men behold to-day Tor the first time for
Fl" Wear il always, lady, and remember that,
though this jewel has no sight, vet that Eye of
which II Is a token from hour to hour reads
YOUR most secret soul and purpose. Make your
thoughts, then, as fair AS Your body, and let
your breast harbOr neither guile nor evil, for of
al these things In a day 10 come you must surely
As he spoke he drew from the case that hid II
less than that awful eye which We had
seen within the hollow Of the heart when with
unhallowed hands we robbed it, substituting
OF gold and hung To- a golden chain which
he placed about her neck, 80 that the red and
breast. Maya bowed and muttered some words
thanks, but | saw that her spirit failed her at
faint and would have fallen lad not her husband
her by the arm.
While the senior and his wife were receiving
gifts and listening To pretty speeches, a number
n attendants bad brought tables laden with
every sort of food from behind the pillars, where
hey Lad been prepared, aud at a signal the
least began. IL was long and Joyous, though
10y seemed TO have faded from the face OF Maya,
who Sat at the head OF II, neither eating nor
thinking, but from time 10 time lifting the red
from her breast, as Il it scorched her,
husband. walked bowling down the hall 10 the
,ourtyard, where bearers waited for them with
and a procession having ,GSeR formed.
'cry long and splendid, though I will not
tay to describe 1t. We started 10 march
ound the great square 10 tho sound OF
music and singing, our path being liz
~ the light Of the moon and hundreds of
Orchcs. Here ia this square were gathered all
population OF the city, men. women, and
to greet the bride, each OF them lear
NC flowers and a flaming torch. and never have
seen any sight more beautiful than this ~ their
Welcome Tbs circuit OF the square being ac-
the procession halted az the palace
and many hands were stretched out 10 help
he bride and bridegroom from their Filters.
II was at this moment that l. who was stand
ng near, felt a man Who Was wrapped In \ large
Gather CLOAK pual past me, aud saw that be