Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-07-23
HEART OF THE WORLD.
BY H. RIDER HAooARD.
4 Strange StorY, Taken From Manuscript Be.
queathed By an Old Mexican Indian to His
Friend and COmrade, an English.
Ea1 Named Jones.
Copyrighted. 1891. by H Rider Haggard
CHAPTER XL-CoSTIsUED.

! CHAPTER XL-CoyTISUED
''There were none left upon the main
| land to rcplenish the race, and this is
| our law, a law that cannot be broken
under pain of death, that no man or
4 woman may leave our territories to seek
I q husband or wife of different blood.
"Thus, then, it has come about that
the people have grown fewer and fewer,
wasting away like snow upon a noun
tain top in summer, till at length they
are dwindled to a few thousands, who
in bygone days could count their num-
Der by tens and twenties of thousands.
But an ancient prophecy has come
! down to US from our forefathers, and it
| is that, when once more the two halves
| of the symbol of the Heart are laid side
| by side in their place upon the altar in
| the sanctuary of the holy city, then
from that hour she shall grow great
again. Over this saying I brOoded long,
| and often did pray to that God whom
| worship that ] might find that which
was lost, and save the people from
perishing.
"At length voice spoke to me in a
| dream answering my prayer, bidding
me to wander forth from the country of
the heart and follow the ancient road
toward the sea, for there. near to the
eastern shore, should find that which
| was lost.
"Then 1 summoned the Council of the
Heart and told them of my dream and
that purposed to obey it. But they
made a mock of me and said that l
might go If wished, but that no man
| of the people should accompany me
| across the mountains, for that was
| against the ancient law.
! ITO be short" continued Zibalbay,
''since my heart was set upon this mis-
sion and my daughter yonder, who is
willful, would not be gainsaid of her de-
sire to accompany me, Tikal, my
! nephew, was placed over the city to
rule as cacique in my stead, until
| should return again.
| ''Alone we crossed the Mountains,
| and alone, following the traces of the
| ancient road, we travelled through the
! desert and the forest that lies beyond
it, till at last we reached this secret
| place.
''There is noneed to teu the rest of the
talo, for it is known to you. Now, if it
| pleases you, let us hear yours, and
learn what purpose led you and your
companion here in time TO save US from
| the grip of that white devil who lies
| dead upon the stairway"
| Then spoke, telling to Zibalbay and
! his daughter the story of my life, and
| Of my great scheme to build up again
/ that empire which fell in the day of
Montezuma.
Now you speak words that are after
my own heart said the old man; but
tell me, how is it to be done?"
by your help" 1 answered. Men
are here in plenty, but to use them l
| must have gold, whereas yonder, it
seems, you have gold and no men.
| Therefore I ask of you some portion of
! your useless wealth, that by its help l
| may lift up your people and my own"
Follow me to the city, and if l can
bring it about you shall have all that
| yoI DESIRE" he answered. Now,
| daughter, lead me to my rest, for l am
! overwhelmed, not with toll and suffer
| ing, but with too much joy"
/ When he had gone the senior spoke to
! me. This is very well, Ignatio," he
! said, land most interesting, but just
| now, as l may remind you, there are
| things more pressing than the regener-
/ alton of the Indian race; for instance,
| our own safety. Tomorrow, at the lat
! est, men will come to seek those villains
who lie yonder, and if we are found
here it seems likely that we shall be
shot down as murderers. Say, then,
what do you propose to do?'
81 propose, senior, that at the first
light of dawn we should take the mules
and ride away. The forest is dense and
it will he difficult to find us in it; more
IhO VIII ldhS 10
beyond the reach of white men. Tell
me, lady" l added to Maya, who had
returned from the chamber, ''do yon
know the road?'
Il know the road" she answered,
but, sirs, before you take it, it is right
that should tell you something.
You have heard my fathers words
and they are true, every one of them,
but they are not all the truth. He rules
that city of which he has spoken to you,
but the mobiles there are weary of his
rule, that ut times is somewhat harsh,
also they deem him mad. 1t was for
this reason that they suffered him to
wander forth, seeking the fulfllment
of q prophecy in which none of them
have faith, for they were certain that
he would perish in the wilderness and
return no more to trouble them"
Then why did they allow you, who
are his heir, to accompany him, lady?''
because l would have it so. l love
my father, and if he was doomed to die
because of his folly, it was my wish to
die with him. Moreover, if you would
know the truth, hate that city where
] ! was born and the man in it to whom
am destined to be married, and desired
to escape from it if only for awhile"
And does that man hate you, lady?"
No" she answered, turning her
head aside; but if he loves me. be-
/ lleYc that he loves power more. Had /
stayed, my father would have appoint
ed me to rule in his place, and Tilzal,
my cousin, would have been next to the
throne, not on it; therefore it was that
he consented to my going, or at least
think so.
''Sirs, learn now that you are to &C.
company us to the City of the Heart,
should we live to reach it.
Come If you will, but be warned, nv
people are a jealoTs people, and the
name of stranger is hateful to them.
Few such have ever reached the City of
the Heart for many generations, and of
| these, save one or two, none have eS-
capped from it alive. They do not de-
sire new things, they have little knowl-
edge of the world beyond their walls,
and seek for none.
| Now, sirs, choose whether You will
accompany US in our march toward the
City of Waters, or whether You will set
your face to the sea again and forget
from a wandering doctor, whose mis-
fortunes had made him mad, and an In
dian girl who tended him"
Now listened to these words which
the lady Maya spoke very earnestly and
with power, and understood that the V
meant much; they meant that in going
to the City of the Heart we were, as she
believed, going to our doom.
Lady" said, lit may well chance
that death waits me ycnder, but
thither shall go IL my strength does
- fa;i ma apd daath will S1,ifer II