Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-08-13

| Inc vote Is taken,' L said. "What
next, Mattai?'
will show you a secret path from this
chamber to the sanctuary beneath
| Nay, you need not fear to leave him.
for If his life still burns within him If is
asleep. But stay, where is the tails
man? That will be necessary to u.s.
81 have one-half,' answered, 1.-The
other is about Zibalbays neck"
Find it. he said sternly to the Lady
Maya Nay, you must"
CHAPTER XIX
THE sACRILEGE
Maya bent over the form of her father
and took the talisman from his neck.
81 feel like one who robs the Dead
she said.
Remember that it is to save the
| living, and be comforted,'' answered
| Natal as we left the chamber.
''Take a lamp, each of you," he said
when we had reached the further end
of the great hall, where he unlocked
the copper gates with a key from the
bunch that hung at his girdle. We
passed through, and turning he almost
| closed the gate, but not quite.
why do you leave the gates ajar?"
I asked.
Because there are none to follow
| u.s." he answered, land who knows
| what may happen? Should we be
forced to fly the sanctuary open doors
are easier to pass than shut ones"
''What could force us to fly the sane
tuary?" asked.
Natal shrugged his shoulders and
went on. We passed down many stairs.
| along passages, and through secret
doors, each of which Natal left open
behind us, till at length we came to the
| sanctuary of the nameleSS god and stood
on the further side of the wall huddled
together and clasping each others
hands, for the place was awesome, and
its utter silence and so1emnity filed us
with fear.
The roof of the sanctuary, which
was of no great size, was vault-shaped,
in imitation of the arching sky, and in
it appeared a golden sun, silver cres-
cent moon, and the stars of heaven. Its
walls were lined throughout with pol
ished blocks of the beautiful stone
known as Mexican onyx, fretted over
to the height of man with a border of
hieroglyphics and efigies of the lesser
gods in attitudes of alteration, cast in
gold and set flush with the face of the
wall.
The furniture was very simple, con-
sisting only of stools cut from rich
woods, heavily gilded in quaint designs,
and a small table, whereon lay sheets
of paper made of bark, together with
brushes of reed fiber and pots of pig
ment, such as were used in the picture
writing of this people. At that end by
which we had entered the chamber was
an altar of black marble, written round
with letters shaped in gold, and upon
this altar lay something covered with
Sillxen cloth.
For a minute or more we stood silent,
contemplating these wonders, then with
a gesture of impotence MattaI spoke in
a whisper, saying:
Let that be done which we have
come to do, for now the sacrilege is
committed, and it is too late to hest
tate
Speaking thus, he stepped to the
altar and lifted the silken cloth that Law
over the object which was upon it, re-
vealing the image of human heart.
fashioned in bloodstone. with veins of
gold. In the center of this heart ap-
peared small and shallow hole that
had been followed in its substance.
This is the tradition" said Natal,
still speaking in a whisper, that when
the two halves of a certain talisman are
placed in this hollow, the symbol will
open and reveal that which has been
set within it since it was fashioned
thousands of years ago, and there is
this in favor of the truth of this tale,
that golden hinges appear upon the
sides of the symbol.
I'm this matter, however, there is
something more to fear than the VEN
dition tells us that if the symbol be
stirred from the place where it has lain
for SO many years, the foodgate will
roll back and the waters of the lake
will pour in upon the city, destroying
it and its inhabitants
''Yet the f1oodgate cannot roll back
when it is not shut, nor can the waters
flow in during the dry season when
they are not on a level with the walls
answered Maya.
''They cannot, lady; and yet other
things may happen. And now to our
task. Stranger, give to the Lady Maya
your half of the ancient talisman, that
she may set it together with the half
she bears in the place prepared in the
symbol
Now, with sigh seeing that it was
too late to draw back undid the emer- |
aid from my neck and gave it to Maya. |
who laid it side by side with its count |
erpart, upon the palm of her trembling |
hand, and stepped with it to the altar. |
Here she stood for moment, then |
whispered in a faint voice:
Terror has taken hold of me. and l |
fear to do this thing"
Yet, it must be done, and not by |
me-" said Natal, cor we shall have |
come on fools errand. and go back, |
some of us, to a FOOLS DEATH" and he |
looked toward me.
ST will not do it," I said, answering |
b;S Iooly ssnof fe.ar uor1r GODS |