The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1896-09-17
HEART OF THE WORLD.
BY H. RIDER HAooARD.
4 Strange Story, Taken From . Manuscript De
queathed by an Old Mexican Indian 10 His
Friend and Comrade. an English
man Named Jones.
copyrighted. 1894, by II Rider Baegard
CHAPTER xxIv.-corrrsuEn


copyrighted, 1894, 10y H. Rider Haggard
CHAPTER xXIv --CorrrNuED
Lords of the council, listen to tale.
the strangest that you have heard, and
Judge between me and Tikal, my hus-
band, and Maya, my rival, and her
friends. Natal my father, was known
TO you all, seeing that at the time of
his death, and, indeed, since Tilxal was
appointed cacique, he stood next to him
in place and power among the People
Of the Heart, holding the offices in the
brotherhood which now are filled by
Dimas, and among them that of
keeper of the sanctuary.
"Yet, lords, Natal, my father, was
no true man. Alas! that should have
to say it, seeing that it was more for
my sake that he sinned than for his
own, since he loved me and desired my
welfare above everything on earth. 1t
was this love of his that ruined him.
making him false to his god, to his
oaths, and to his country Thus, in the
beginning, he knew that since was Il
child had set my heart on the Lord
Tikal, who was affianced to the Lady
Maya, and also that l was ambitious
and desired to be great.
Therefore 1t was that he deceived
Tikal, pretending that it had been re-
vealed TO him by Heaven that the Lady
MAYA and her father were dead in the
wilderness. Therefore it was also that
when he had persuaded him that she
was lost to him forever, he pressed ii
upon the Lord Til1al that he should
marry me in place of Maya, his
affianced, who was dead, promising him
in return that he would bring it about
that he should be anointed cacique of
the People of the Heart.
'All these things and others he did.
though at that time knew nothing of
them and thought in my folly that
Tilxal married me because he loved me
and desired me as the companion of his
life and power.
Then Zibalbay returned on the
night of my marriage feast, and with
him came Maya and the strangers, and
from that hour my husband began to
hate me, because j was his wife in
place of MAYA, whom he loved. More,
as have learned since, he went to III
balbay while he lay in prison and of
fered to resign his place as cacique in
his favor for so long as he should live.
and no more to oppose schemes if he
would give him Maya in marriage after
had been put away either by death or
by divorce.
"This Zibalbaywould have done, and
gladly, but, as 1t CHANGED, Maya here
had set her heart upon the white man
during their ipurneyings together
through the wilderness, and refused to
be separated from him that she might
be palmed off in marriage upon Tikal.
Yet he might have won his way, for
their case was desperate, and the alter
native was death, had not Natal, my
father, found a plan whereby they
l. Il Co. Nf
the cacique.
"This was the plan, lords: that a
prophecy should be setin the symbol of
the Heart yonder such as would deceive
the Council of the Heart and bring 1t
about that Maya should be given in
marriage to the white man whom she
loved. Lords, this was done. At the
dead of night they crept to the sanctu-
ary, and opening the Heart, placed with
in it that tablet which you have seen,
the tablet that foreshadowed the birth
of a deliverer. The rest you know"
'It is false" cried many voices.
"Such sacrilege is not possible"
ut is not false" answered Nahua
'and l will prove to you that the sacri.
lege was possible. The Heart was
opened and the false prophecy forged
by my father was placed within It,
where it was found by you on the night
of the festival of the Rising of Waters
this day last year. But when the holy
Heart was opened, behold! it was not
empty, for in itlay another prophecy
true prophecy, which was removed
from it, that the lie which has deceived
you might be set in its place"
Where, then, is that writing?" asked
Dimas.
Here" she answered, drawing the
4ah Iat 1,at. net tef. ~
she read:
''The eye that has slept and is
awakened sees the heart and purpose
of the wicked. j say that in the houi
of the desolation of my city, not all the
waters of the Holy lake shall wasl
away their sin"
Take it, lords, and see for your
selves" she continued, laying the tablet
on the altar. "And now listen agar
and learn how it CHANGED that this relic
came into my keeping. After he haC
wrought this great sin the curse of tn,
nameless god fell upon my father, and
sore disease. Then it came about tha
when he lay dying remorse took him
and he wrote a certain paper which Il,
caused TO be witnessed and given to me
together with this tablet.
''In my hand hold that paper, lords
hear it and Judge for yourselves
whether have spoken truth or false
hood" and she read aloud the confes
sion of Natal that set out every detail
of our plot, and the manner of its ex
ecution.
"Now, lords" She added when tn,
reading was finished and the signature
had been examined, "you will under
stand how it happened that in my rag
nt this tidings | strove to kill yonde
infant, who has been palmed off upoI
you as the seed of the god, and I leav'
1t to you todesl with those who planned
the fraud"
CHAPTER XIV.
FAREWELL.
Nahua ceased and sat down. and 81
great was the astonishment of the coun
ell at the tale that she had told that fol
awhile none of them spoke. AT lengtl
Dimas rose and said:
Maya, Lady of the Heart, and you
strangers, you have heard the awfu
charge that is brought against You
What do you say in answer to it?"
1--WE say it is true, answered Maya
uNVa Uara forced IN choose between on