The Iola register., 1896-01-31

She listened, and turning toward him,
said: You hear. What say you,
white man?" And it seemed to me
that she awaited his answer anxiously.
"Yes, lady, 1 hear" he replied, with
laugh, "and doubtless it is all true
enough, and l shall leave my bones
yonder among your countrymen. Well,
so be it; l have determined to go, and
go will, since l am too idle to change
my mind. Also, it seems to me that
after this days business there is more
danger in staying here than in pushing
forward"
81 am glad that you are going, since
you go of your own free will" she said,
smiling. MAY our fears be confounded
and your journey and ours prove pros
porous. And now let us rest, for you
must be very weary, as / am, and we
should be stirring before the dawn"
Next morning at the first break of
light we started on our journey, riding
on three of the mules that
we had captured, and leading
the fourth laden with our goods
and water skins. Very glad were
all of us to see the last of that ruined
temple, and yet it was sad TO me to
leave it, for there, hidden beneath some
of the masses of the fallen masonry, lay
all that was left of my friend and fos-
ter brother, Molas, he whose bravery
and wit had saved our lives at the cost
of his own.
Our plan was to avoid villages where
we might be seen by men, and keep our
selves hidden in the forest, for we
feared lest we should be followed and
brought to account because of the
- n, Dol ~ -
and this we were able to do, since hav-
ing guns and ammunition in plenty we
shot birds and deer for our daily food.
Travelling thus on mule back soon
our strength returned to us, even to the
old man Zilbalbay. who had suffered
the most from fatigue and from ILL
treatment at the hands of the white
men. In something less than week
we had passed through the inhabited
districts of Yucatan and far out of the
reach of the white man, and now were
journeying through the forest toward
the great sierra that lies beyond.
The senior was never weary of ques-
tioning the silent Zilbalbay as to the
history or rather the legend of the land
through which we journeyed, or of lis
tening to the lady Maya's description of
the City of the Heart, till even she
grew tired and begged him to speak in
stead of the country across the water
where he was born. of the ceaseless
busy life, and the wonders of civiliza-
ton.
Strange as it may seem, l,who watched
them both from day to day, know it to
be true that she was in mind the more
modern of the two, so much so indeed
that in listening to their talk l might
have fancied that she was the child of
the new world, filed with the spirit of
to-day, aud he the heir Of a proud and
secret race dying beneath its weight of
years.
81 cannot understand you" )" she would
say to him. "Why do you so love his
tories and ruins and stories of people
that have long been dead? hate them.
Once they lived, and doubtless were
well enough in their place and time,
but now they are past and done with,
and it is we who live, live, live" and
she stretched out her arms as though
she would clasp the sunshine to her
breast.
81 tell you," she went on, ''that this
home of mine of which you are so fond
of talking is nothing but great bury
ing place, and those who dwell in it are
ike RnOSJS WHO Wduuer 10 anu IrO
thinking of the things that they did, or
did not do, thousand years before.
Ibid my father but know it, he wastes
time and trouble in making plans for
the redemption of the People of the
Heart, who think him mad for his
pains. They cannot be redeemed. If
l could have my will while l am still
young, would turn my back upon this
cityswhich you so desired TO see, taking
with me the wealth that is useless there,
but which it seems would bring me
many good things in other lands, and
live out my time among people who
have present and a future as we'll as
a past"
Then the senior would laugh, and
argue that the past is more than the
present, and that it is better to be dead
than alive, and many other such follies;
and l would grow angry and reprove
her for her words which shocked me,
whereat she would yawn and talk of
something else, for and my discourses
wearied her. Only Zibalbay took no
heed, for his mind was set upon other
things, even if he heard us, which l
doubt
REED AS SPEAKER.