The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1896-08-13

fftTc Snc Stoou lof nlomCnNs lncn
whispered in faint voice.
Terror has taken hold OF me, and
fear TO do this thing"
"Yet, il must be done, and not by
me-" said Natal, cor we shell have
come on FOOLS er1and, and go back,
some of us, to "A FOOLS death, and he
looked toward me.
81 will not do it, l said, answering
his look, mot because fear your gods,
but my own conscience | do fear"
Then / will, /" said the senior, boldly.
"for l fear neither. Give me that
trinliet, Maya"
She obeycd, and he had let the two
halves of the talisman fall into their
place in the symbol.
For some seconds, we stood still,
watching the altar with eager eyes.
but the symbol never stirred. Then
said:
at seems. Natal, that you must
hide your lying writing elsewhere.
since yonder heart will not open; or IL
it will, we have not found the key"
"Wait little" broke in the senior.
perhaps the springs are rusted." And
he placed his thumb upon the halves OF
the emerald and pressed so hard that
the symbol trembled on its marble
bed.
"Bewarel" cried Natal. and before
the echoes of his voice had died away
all of us started in astonishment for
lol the heart was opening like flower
Slowly it opened, till the severed
talisman fell from 1t as its two halves
lay back on the marble of the altar,
revealing something hidden in its
center that shone like an ember in the
lamplight.
Ia, la h,N1l - ,.4 10,
a square plate of gold, which was COW
cred with writing, glared a red jewel
shaped like human eve, that seemed
to answer stare with stare.
IF we stand like this we shall grow
frightened" said the senior, roughly,
glancing round him as he spoke; there
is nothing to fear IN red stone cut
like an eye"
"If you think so. white man." an
swered Natal, in a voice that shook a
little. strive as he would to command
it; lift up the holy thing and give me
the writing that is beneath 1t. Stay,
first take this, and set 1t in the symbol,
replacing the eye upon it." and he
handed him the forged tablet.
The senor obeyed. nor did anything
happen when he lifted that dreadful
looking jewel and changed the true for
the false.
Read it," said Maya. as the tablet
was passed to Natal; ''you have
knowledge of the ancient writings"
Perhaps it were best left unread" :"
he said, doubtfully.
Nay" she answered; 'let us know
the worst. Read it,
Then he read these strange words in
a slow and solemn voice:
THE eye that has slept and is awak-
ened sees the heart and purpose of the
wicked. / say that in the hour of the
desolation of my city not all the waters
of the Holy Lake shall wash away their
sim"
Now the faces of us who heard turned
gray in the lamplight, for. though the
gods of this people were false, we felt
that the voice of n true prophet spoke
to us from that accusing tablet and
that we had called down upon our
heads a vengeance which we could not
measure.
"Did | not tell you that it were wiser
to leave the writing unread" gasped
Natal, letting the tablet fall from his
hand as though it were a snake.
The clatter of it as it struck the mar.
BILE floor seemed to wake us from our
evil dream, for the senor turned on him
and said. fiercely:
What does it matter what the thing
says, rogue, seeing that you forged il
as you forged the other"
"Ahl would that / had answered
Natal; but when doom overtalSes yor
and all of us, then shall you learr
whether or not l forged this writ
ing" And he lifted it from the floor
| and hiding it in the folds of his robe
added: CLOSE the heart. white man
| 1No IL has t,
who wear it."
The senor did so. replacing the silker
cloth over the symbol so that the altai
seemed to be as it had been.
Nov let us be going" said Natal
"and rejoice that if yonder eye has seer
our wic5edness, it is hidden from tn,
sight of men. Doubtless the vengeanc,
Of the gods is sure, but that of men il
swift"
As he spoke we turned to leave th,
sanctuary. and of sudden May;
screamed, and would have fallen ha,
not the senor caught her. Well nigh
she scream, for there in the marrow
niche of the door by which he had en-
tered, stood white figure that at frs
l took to be that of some avenginl
ghost.
Another instant and / saw that in
bay, or rather his body come back from
the boundaries of death to spy upoi
our sacrilege before it crossed then
forever.
While he had seemed to be senselcs
upon the bed in the chamber, his sense
were awake, and oh. what must he hav
suffered when he heard us plan on
fraud upon his sanctuary, Then whei
we had left him his fury and despai
unfettered the limbs that had beel
bound so fast and gave him strength I,
follow. though they could not unlocl
his frozen tongue.
Oh, never shall / forget the rage O
his quivering face, or the agony AM
horror of his tormented eyes as the,
met ours.
He saw our fear, and with last cffor
staggered forward toward his daughter
his clenched hands held above his head
Then foam, mingled with blood, burs
from his lips, and he sank down at he
feet dead.
Somehow we calmed and silence
Maya; somehow we escaped from tina
hateful sanctuary, and by slow degree
brought her and the dead body of he
father up the narrow stairs and pas
sages to the hall above, where we lai
the latter ON it's bed. Then Natal lef
us, and 1 remember no more till tn
next morning, when the mobiles an
leeches came to watch by the body @
the cacique and embalm it in readines
for the tomb.
The next two days went heavily 70
the three of us, oppressed as we wer
by the silent gloom of our prison an
I -