Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-07-09
HEART OF THE WORLD.
BY H. RIDER HAGGARD.
4 Strange Story, Taken From Manuscript Be-
queathed by an Old Mexican Indian to Ills
Friend and Comrade. an English.
man Named Jones.
Copyrighted. 1894 by H Rider Haggard.
CHAPTER XIL-CoNr1NUED.

Maya halted on the brink to strip her
self so that there might be as little as
possible to impede her movements in
climbing the. stair, and twisted her
hair into knot. Next she tied the
cord about her middle and the water
skin, to which she fastened the flint
and steel, upon her shoulders. Light
ing two of the largest torches she fixed
them slantingwise in crevices of the
rock, so that their flames .shone over
the mouth of the shaft, down which she
threw, first bundle of unlit torches,
and lastly one on fire. This torch did
not go out, as she had expected that it
would, for presently looking down the
pit she saw a spark of light shining
one hundred and fifty feet or more be-
meath her.
Now all her preparations were COM
plete, and nothing remained to be done
except to descend and search for the
water
BY the time that she was third of
the way down the shaft her courage re-
turned to her, and the only fear she
felt was lest some of the inches should
be broken. Fortunately this was not
the case, although one of them was so
much worn that her toes slipped out of
it, and for a second or two she hung by
her hands. Recovering herself, she
went on from step to step till at length
she stood at the bottom of the shaft.
After few minutes pause to get her
breath, Maya found one of the dry aloe
stems and lit it at the emberS of the
torch, which she had thrown down the
pit. Then she looked round her to find
herself in a large. natural cavern of no
great height, which sloped gently
downward furthe: than she could see
Turning her eyes to the floor she
searched for and found the patti that
lad been followed out by the feet of
t,n. re hut IL - i
in sand and dust.
1t ran straight down the cave and she
followed it for fifty PAGES or more
holding the light in one hand and
some spare torches under her arm.
Suddenly the passage took turn.
and there in the center of a wonderful
place, such as she had never seen be-
fore, CLEANED the water which she had
rislxed her life to reach.
This water, though clear as CRYSTAL
was not still, for once in every twosec-
OndS a great bubble rose in the center of
the pool to burst on its surface and send
a ring of ripples to the rocky sides. So
lar its appearance, that for some min
utes Maya watched it, then, remember
ing that she had no time to spare, set
herself to get to the water, only to find
that she was confronted by new diff
Guilty, and one that but for her fore
SISho nave pTONOO
The rock bank of the pool was so smooth
and sloped SO steeply to the water that
1t was quite impossible for anyone to
keep footing on it.
The ancient had overcome the
trouble by means of a wooden stair
case, as was evident from the places
followed in the rock to receive the up-
rights, but this structure had long since
rotted away. At the head of where
this staircase had stood a hole was
bored in the rock, doubtless to receive
a rope by which the water bearers sup
ported themselves while they filed
their jars, and the sight of this hole
gave Maya an idea.
Untying the cord which she had
brought with her, she made it fast
through the hole, and having fixed the
torch into one of the spaces followed to
hold the timbers of the stairway. She
slid down the bank till she stood breast
high in the water. For a minute or
more she remained thus drinking her
fill and enjoying the GOODNESS of her
bath, then. first having taken care to
remove the finder that was tied to it,
she slipped the water skin from her