Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-09-17

we needed It. for they. too, were almost
mad. Here her last Illness seized her.
1t began with q hardening of the breast
which changed presently to fever.
Two days and nights with breaking
hearts we nursed her there upon the
pyramid, striving not to listen to her
mad rawlings and piteous talk about the
child, and at dawn upon the third day
she died. Before she died her senses
returned to her. and she spoke to her
husband beautiful and tender words
which seem too holy Co set down. !:
She turned to the senior. and in a
gaspiDg and broken voice prayed of him
not to forget her or her child. / heard
as his happiness died with her. and
even if he should escape he thought
that they would not be parted for very
long, nor could any other woman take
her place in his heart.
She blessed him and thanked him,
caressing his face with her dying hands,
and unable to bear more of such sight
left them together.
An hour later the senior came from
the watchhouse, and though he did net
speak one glance at his face was enough
to 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 eX-
cepted, a very sweet and beautiful
woman, though at times keadstrOng
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 canoe lowering round what
once had been the Island of the Heart.
1t was manned by three Indians, and
was advancing toward US, and we sig
nailed to them to paddle round to the
steps Of the pyramid. They did, and,
A,1- -, Il - E
few articles of value as were to be
found in the watch house, the four of
US embarked, though not without diff
Guilty, Tor the current ran SO strong
| round the crunabling angles of the pyra-
mid that 1t was hard TO bring the canoe
up to the stairs.
From the Indians we learned that
those on shore were so overwhelmed
with horror at the catastrophe which
had fallen upon their holy city that
they did not dare TO approach the place
where it had stood But when last
night they saw the great fame of
Maya's funeral pyre they knew that
men still lived on the pyramid, who. as
they thought, were signaling to them
for help, and ventured out to save them.
They asked us how it came about that
the waters had overwhelmed the city
which had stood among them safely
from the beginning of time. We re-
D1lC>l OIoG VIC OtSi LOU hi1OW. anu lIIS
priests with US, now that they had es-
capped with their lives, seemed too pros
trated to tell our delivererS that we
had been imprisoned in the hollow of
the pyramid, even if they knew that
this was so.
On reaching the shore we found lit
tie gathering of awe-striclzen Indians,
perhaps there may have been one hun
dred and fifty of them, the sole sur
vivors of the People of the Heart.
Open-u1outhed and almost without
comment, they listened to the terrible
tale of the sudden and utter destruc-
ton Of the city.
Then we turned our faces to the
mountains, and on the second day
crossed them safely, for Maya had told
us the secret of the passage which we
had passed blindfolded. Thus atlength,
having looked our last upon the blue
waters of the Holy lake, sparkling in
the sunshine above the palaces Of the
city and the bones of its inha bitantS,
did we leave that accursed Country Of
the Heart, where so much evil had be-
fallen US.
1t was a terrible journey, and once
we both of US fell i'll with fever, from
which / thought that we should not re-
cover, but recover we did by the help OF
some wandering Indians who nursed
us, ard at length reached this place,
from which we had fed for our lives
nearly two years before.
Then the hacienda was deserted, for
it had the reputation of being haunted
though some of the Indian dependents
or rather slaves, of that great villain,
Don Pedro Moreno, still worked patches
Of the land.
Well, the senior took fancy to stay
in the place, for it was here that he
had first seen his wife; aud so we sold
that girdle OF emera1ds which Maya
took from the chest OF ornaments and
gave to me when we were imprisoned
in the hall of the pyramid (by the way
do not lose the clasp. for it is the only
remaining relic of the People of the
Heart), and with the proceeds bought
at a cheap rate from the government OF
the day, who had entered into posses
sion of them, this house and the wide
lands around it, that l have cultivated
ever since.
For now my ambitions were finished.
I had played ny first card and it had
failed me, and. albeit with a sorrowful
mind, abandoned nv hope for the re-
generation of the Indians, which had
no longer the means or the vigor to at
tempt. Also l was no longer lord OF
the Heart, for it was lost yonder be-
meath the waters of the holy lake and
with it went much of my power.
For five years the senior and l lived
here together, but think that during
all this time he was dying. He. who
i l.. l.