The Irish standard., 1896-02-01
CHAPTER XIV, =

the fraud" ....-...... 49, = a.S .
CHAPTER XIV
FAREWELL. =, r.a. f..
Nahua ceased and sat down, andAso
| great was the establishment Of the coup1-
Gil at the tale that she had told that for
awhile none of them spoke. At length
Dimas rose and said: S.. .-.-...
MAYA. Lady Of the Heart, and YOU,
strangers you have heard the awful
| charge that is brought against Wol.
What do you say in answer to it
1--WE say it is true, answered Maya.
"We were forced to choose between{our
lives and the doing of this deed ,sand
we chose to live. 1t was MattaiEvyho
Matched the plot and executed I the
forgery, and now it seems that we Ian1st
suffer for his sin as well as for our'1svn.
One word more Ignatio here did not
forced into it by my husband andt my
self, and chiefly by myself"
Di1nas made no answer. but at al sign
the two priests who guarded the faltar
with drawn swords came forward and
drove US into the passage that lcat from
the sanctuary to the Hall of the Dead,
where they shut us in between the
double doors, leaving us in DARKNESS.
Here. as all was finished, | !kne1t
down to offer my last prayers to
| Heaven, while Maya wept in hery hus-
Of her child. ..,........ ..,. 80
"Truly,'' he said, ''you were. wise,
wife, when you urged us not to enter
this Country of the Heart. Still. what
is done cannot be undone, and ,allaving
been happy together for a littles space.
let us die together as bravelyi as we
may, hoping that still together we may
awake presently il some new world OF
peace.
While he spoke the door wastopened
and the priests, with drawn swords,
led us back into the sanctuary: As.
Maya crossed the threshold frsA iof the
three of lis, she was met by Tilz.l. who,
| with a, sudden movement, but without
roughness, took the child from her
arms. - f.'t y
Now we saw what was prepared for
us, for the stone in front of the altar
had been lifted, and at our feet the
black shaft yawned, from which ascend
ed sound of waters. They placed us
with our. backs resting against the
altar, but 'Tilzal stood in 'front.'. and, be-
tween him and us lay the mouth ofrthe
pit. ... Il, i
maya, daughter of Zibalbay, white
man, Son of the Sea, Ignatio dtse Wan
derer, and Natal the Priest whom,
being dead in the body, we SUI nmon in
the spirit" began Dinas, in a cold and
terrible voice, you, by your own con-
fession, are proved guilty of the great
est crimes that can be dreamed of in
the wicked brain Of man, and iexecuted
by his i1npious hands.
s'This is the sentence of the Council
of the Heart: That your nalraes Natal,
be erased from the list of the.officers of
| r. 4, e4
claimed accursed; that your dwelling
place be burned with fire, andSthe site OF
it strewn with sralt: that your corpse .
be torn from its grave aud laial.npon the
summit of the pyramid till the birds Of
the air devour it, and that your soul be
handed over to the tornlentolEs Of the
lower world to deal with according to
| their pleasure forever and for1aye.
''This is the sentence OF THE Council
of the Heart upon you, A1aya.t daughter
! of Zibalbay, white man, Son$T the Sea,
names be erased from the roll of the
Brethren of the Heart, and Proclaimed
accursed in the streets Of thes city; that .
You be gagged, bound hand and foot, T
and chained. livipg1to the wallis of the
sanctuary, and there be left before the
altar of the god which you have
violated, till death from thirst and
hunger shall overtake, yous that your
corpses be laid upon the pyramid as a
prey to the birds of the air, and that
your souls be handed over ITO the tor
! mentors of the under world to deal
with according to their pleasure forever
and for aye.
cit is spoken. Let the sentence of
the council be done. But, first, since
this bastard babe is too young to sin
and suffer punishment, let him be
handed into the keeping Of the god,
that the god may deal with!him accord
! ing to his pleasure.
As the words passed his lips, and be-
fore we fully understood them, dazed
as we were with the terror of our aw-
full doom; Tilsal stepped forward, and
even now shudder, when. write of it
Holding the poor infant, which at
this instant began to vail as though
with pain or fear, over the mouth of
| the pitt, suddenly let it. fall into the
depths beneath.
| The shrek of the agenized mother
ran round the walls of the holy place.
and before it had died away the senior
had leaped forward. leaped like puma !.
by the throat and walsh. He gripped
him, and, rage giving him strength, he
! lifted him. high above his head and
/ hurled him down the dreadful place,
where the child had gone before.
| With hoarse screamfTikal vanished,
and for moment there was silence. 1t
was broken by the voice of Maya crying .
aloud in accents of madness and de-
spair: ).
Not all the waters OF. the Holy Lake
shall wash away our sin, yet may they /:
serve to avenge us upon you, O., you
| murderers of q helpless; child!!' -
| AS she spoke. followed by the senior
and myself, who think alone of all the
company guessed her, mad purpose.
Maya ran round the altar and with
both her hands graspei1 the symbol of
| the Heart which lay upon it.
':Forbear!'' cried the voice Of Dimas,
but she did not heed him, and before
he or any of us could reach ner, drag
ging at it with desperate strengthsshe
had torn the ancient symbol from its =
bed, and, with loud and mockng
laugh, cast it down upon the marble
floor, where it shattered into frag-
ments.
From the altar there came a sound as
of harp strings breaking, that was fol-
- 4