Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-12-26
HEART OF THE WORLD.
by II. RIDER HAGGARD.
Strange Story Taken From Manuscript Bqueathed r. Old
Mexican Indian to His Friend and Comrade,
Engllshman Named JONES'
Copyrighted. 1894, by II. Rider Haggard

we entered Inns place together,
friend, and we will 60 out together, OF
not at all. You must be fixed by the
rock and not crushed, or you would
not speak of living for hours. Let me
look, and he lay upon his breast and
examined the fallen rock by the light
Of the candle. THANK God! there is
hope" he said at last, 'the bowlder
rests upon the ground and upon the
stone against which | struck my leg,
for only one point Of it is fixed in your
back. Do you think that anything is
broken, lgnatio?'
Il cannot say, senior, my pain isgreat
and am being slowly crushed to death;
but believe tina. as yet my bones are
whole. Fly senior, beg of you"
Il will not" he answered, sullenly.
Il am going to roll this rock off YOU
Then, lifting with all his great
strength, he strove to move the stone,
but without avail, for it was beyond
the power Of mortal man to stir it, and
all the while the black mass trembled
above his head.
Il must go for help he said pres
emily.
"Yes, yes, senor," ! answered; go
for help;' for | knew well that before
he could return with any, more of
the roof would have fallen shutting me
n to perish by inches, or perhaps crush
slg the life out of me in mercy. Then
| remembered, and added:
Stay moment before you go; you
are noble will give you something.
Feel here round my neck, there is a
little chain-now draw it over my
head-so. You sec u token hangs to it.
If ever you are in trouble with the In
dians, take their chief man apart and
show him this, and he will die for you
If need be.
"Englishman, by this gift | have
made you heir to the empire Of the Az
tees in the heart Of every Indian, and
the master Of the great brotherhood Of
Mexico Molas, the messenger, will
tell you all and bring you to those who
can initiate you. Bid him to lead you
whittier he would have led me. Fare
well, and God 90 with you. Tell the
Indians how died, that they may not
think that you have murdered me-
To these words of mine the senior
made no answer. but thrust the token
into his pocket without looking at it,
like one who dreams. Then, taking
the candle with him, he crept forward
down the tunnel and vanished, and my
heart sank as | saw him go leaving mo
to my dreadful fate without word OF
farewell.
Doubtless he Is too frightened to
speak" | thought, 'and it is right that
he should fly as quickly as possible to
save his life"
Now, as | was soon to learn, was
doing the senior bitter wrong in my
mind, seeing that he never dreamed Of
deserving me, but went to find means
of rescue. As he told me afterwards,
when he reached the mouth of the tun-
mel he could think of no way by which
] might be saved, since these noun
tains were uninhabited and it would
take several hours to bring men from
Cumarvo.
Outside the mine he sat himself down
to consider what could be DONE bit no
thought came, for it was impossible to
use the strength Of the horses in that
narrow place Then he sprung up and
looked round him in despair Close to
him was a little ravinc followed by
water, and on its very edge grew a
small mimosa thorn of which the Ing
roots had been washed almost bare by
a flood. He saw 1t and an inspiration
entered into him,
Springing at the little tree that
being SO tough wood was the best
possible for his purpose, he tore it
from such roothod as remained to 1t.
A few strokes with his heavy hunting |
Knife trimmed off the branches and
ibers. and soon he was creeping care
fully up the tunnel, dragging the trunk
after him. When he had gone some
5wenty PAGES he heard another frag |
ncnt of the roof fall, and so he said in |
bis story, was minded to fly.
st is /, Ignatio, and ! have brought
= lever Now when lift, struggle for
ward If You can
Then he placed thetrunk Of the thorn |
tree in what seemed to him the best
position, and put ali his strength upon
II. 1t was in vain; even so he could
not stir the rock.
TRY n little more to the right"
said, fpintlyl there Is q better hold"
He shifted the lever and dragged at
II till his muscles cracked, and felt
the stone tremhle as its bulk began to
rise.
"lf you can help ever so little, it will
comet" he gasped.
Then in my despair, though the an
guish Of IT nearly killed me, ! set my
palms upon the ground, and contract
Ing myself like snake that Is held
with o forkcd stick, thrust upwards
with my back, till the point Of the stone
was raised to the height Of eight or
t~.- H. hoe from tha Grnnnd