The Irish standard., 1896-02-01
4 HEART OF T'fl=IE WORLD y I !. )
ny Fl. RIDER E1AGGARD.
straase Story, Manuscript Old
Aexcan and comrade
Englishfnaa Named Jones'. ( !
Copyrighted. 1894. by Il RiasrH .99ard

Il gether of what had passed. and of the
dangers that lay before us. But this
swas not so; l think we felt, all of us,
that there was nothing more to be said:
1t is useless to fight against Fate, and
ait Is still more useless to be AFRAID OF
him, seeing that whatever we do or
leave undone, he has his will Of us at
last.
SO we sat and chatted of Indifferent
: things. our life at the mine at Cumarvo,
that night which we spent in the
hacienda of Santa Cruz, the death OF
our, brave companion, Molas, and L
know not what besides. Presently the
child awolse, and its parents occupied
themselves with it, finding resen-
dances to each other in it's tiny :tea-
tnres, while l walked up and down the
hall, counting the lamps, smoking and
wondering where l should be by this
dine on the morrow.
8E Atlength the gates opened. for now
4 Il was almost the middle of the night,
Il and there came through them Dimas
u $nd. d guard of priests. The old man
bowed before us and said that the time
had come to lead us before the council
in the sanctuary, but that we were to
have no fear, seeing that from all that
/ he had been able to learn our oHense
Maya asked what was to become of
the infant, which could not be left
alone3 sand he replied that she must
biingsit with her. Whereon she began
to. wrapit in a serape.
Y'Ydur care is needless, said Dirnas.
'Therd is a secret way to the sanctu-
:: airy from this place, by which l pro-
pose to lead you in order that the child,
our lord, shall not be exposed to the
raw cold Of the night =.
: Then he"tooz q bunch of keys from
his girdIe, ard, handing them to one
who accompanied him, fellow priest
and member of the council, he com
mande9 hi1n to go forward with several
of the escort to open the doors and
light la1npstin the passage that lay be-
tween as and tn sanctuary. The
priest went. and having waited awhile,
we followed him. to find him standing
by the marble wall which separated
the passages from the sanctuary.
ON seeing us approaching he gave the
Signs, which were answered from with
in; next. he opened the false door with
a silver key, leaving the key and the
: bunch TO which it was attached fixed in
the lock, for Dilnas to take as he passed.
g This. however, the old priest did not
do, for he thought that we should all
return by the passage, and as we
- stepped into the sanctuary he con-
tented himself with closing the door
without locking it.
-, We, took seats. that had been prepared
for IT'S in the open space before the altar,
Maya being placed in the center and
:, the senior and myself on either side of
:, her. Next the priest of the Records
rose and announced that the business
: before the council was the trial OF
three Of it's members, Maya, Lady of
the Heart, the white man, Son of the
sea. and Ignatio, the Wanderer, Lord
Of the Heart from beyond the mountains,
upon the charge Of having broken their
oaths, which they took as members OF
the council. Having read this formal
accusation, the priest set out the case
against U.S., Clearly but briefly:
.s..'On thisFvery night Of the festival OF
stfe Rising Waters 81 year ago" he
began, you strangers, among other
things. .swore upon the altar, setting
in pledge your souls and bodies for the
fulfllment of the oath, that without
the consent Of this high brotherhood
/ Nvou would not attempt to leave the
gates OF the City of the Heart. Yet but
the other day you were overtaken and
Z seized in the act of flying across the
mountains to the wilderness beyond.
:, Norris this all OF your crime, for with
you was that infant born of the white
slleaven-sent = child of prophecy. of
whom you wickedly sought to rob us
and the people. Say now, how do you
plead to these charges?'
I'VE plead guilty" answered Maya,
''but we ask to be- heard in our own de-
fenses !Listen, lOrts: since that night
when we were married by your com
mand my husband and myself have
been logged by murder, and vonder,
as High Priest Of the Heart and presi-
dent of your councils, he sits vino
would have murdered us.
Il see among you this night some of
those who waited on me upon the day
81 our escape, having the Lord Din1as
tell me? That plot had been discoy-
!. pereet. made. by this Tikal, to murder
my husband, my child and my friend,
Ignatio, the Wanderer. They told me
also that Tikal would be deposcd be-
sfcause Of this and his other crimes, and
that the infant in my arms would this
very night be anointed cacique Of the
;. People of the Heart. Is it not SO,
:, SDi1nas?"
] ;.'.It>is SO. lady, he answered, 'tand
:. learn, that you are not the only ones
who are on trial this night. Though
your case is taken first that of Tikal,
the high priest and others will follow;
but till then, in virtue of his rank and Of
fee, lie sits as president of our council"
: Now Tikal sprang from his seat, but
>.Di1aass turned upon him and said,
: sTer.nly: -. ...
keep Silent, lord. or speak only to
fulfill the duties of your place. Your
trial shall be just, but know that there
!. is no hope of escape for You till it is
; done, seeing that your guards are dis
armed and all the paths are watched"
-, l1Tl5al seated himself again and Maya
went on: N.'s
son that very night of the coming of
Lord Dimas, when l was alone in ny
ichamber, Lady Nahua, the wife of
4Til1al, :crept upon me and strove to
murder this my child and she set out
the story telling how the senior and l.
bearing her cries for help. had entered
the chamber and seized and bound
Nahua.
~ .sThen it was, brethren, that terror
took u.s. and we fed, seeking to escape
{, a land where we could not live in safety
from one hour to another. This is our
sin,s and we leave our punishment in
;. xpur hands,. Surely-it was better that
we should strive to save the child SO
that he might live tosplay his part,
syv11ateFer that may be, than that he
should be kept here to be butchered by
Stliose whom you have raised up to rule
axou. Il
j When Maya had finished her speech
= the senior and addressed the council
IN t,1,n confirminrr all that she had