The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-05-06
CHAPTER XIII
OUR FLIGHT AND HOW 1T ENDED.

what does she seek?" the senor asked.
81 do not know how she came"
gasped his wife. II had begun to pre-
pare myself for sleep when, looking
into yonder mirror, / saw her behind
me having in her hand a naked knife
and searching the room with her eyes.
Presently they fell upon the cradle,
and, lifting the knife, she took a step |
toward it. Then turned and gripped |
her, holding her as well as l was able,
but She was too strong for me and |
dragged me forward, so that had it not
been for Ignatio here by now she
would have made an end of our child"
as this true?" said the senior to
Nahua.
ut is true, white man, she answered.
"Why do you desire to kill one so in
nocent?" he asked again.
''Is it not natural that should wish
to destroy the child who is to supplant
my child, and to break the heart of the
woman who has broken my hearth"
Nahua answered sullenly. among
many other things l have learned,
white man, of that ceremony which Is
to take place tomorrow, whereat my
husband is to be deposed and my child
dishonored, that they may make room
for you and your child, you, the white
wanderer, and your son, the heaven
born, the foreordained.
"What have we to do with these
things, o woman with the heart of a,
puma?" he asked "If Tikal is to be.
driven from his place, it is because of,
his crimes"
"And if you and yours are to be set,
in it, white man. without doubt it is
because of your virtues; and yet, black
hearted knave that you are, l tell you:
that 1 know all the truth. 1 know
how you forged the prophecy setting.
the false for the true within the holy
symbol Of the heart know also that
my father helped you to the deed, for,
although he is dead, he wrote down
that tale before he died and gave it to-
me, together with the true prophecy
that you dared to steal from the holy
sanctuary.
"Yes, l have the proofs, and when
needful l will show them. did not
come here to do murder, at least upon
the infant, but the sight of it sleeping,
in it's cradle overcamc me, and of a
sudden l determined to Wreak my ven
geance upon it and upon its mother.
In this have failed, but when de-.
nounce you to the council, then shall.
not fail; then you will be known for
what you are, and die the death that
you deserve"
1T comes into my mind husband" I"
said Maya, coldly, that if we would
save our own lives we must rob this
woman of hers. Such doom she has
. richly earned, nor will any blame us
, when they learn what was her errand
here"
. "It seems that it is So" l answered,
I sadly, land yet the thing is awful"
l at is awful, but it must be done, "
t said the senior, land it falls on me to do
3 it for the sake of my wife and child"
: Now he stepped to where Nahua lay
9 and knelt beside her, and we two drew
aside, sick at heart, and hid our faces
/ in our hands. Presently he was with
us again.
;, rs it done?" asked Maya, hoarsely.
4 mo, nor will it be by me-" he an.
S swered, in fierce voice; "sooner would
choke the breath out of my own body
0 than strangle this defenseless woman,
cruel-hearted murderess though she is.
;, If she is to be killed, some other man
l must do the deed"
y Then it will remain undone," said
Maya. "And now, since we have thus
i determined, let us think of fight, for
" the night draws on, and in fight is oui
. only hope"
e What, then, is to be done with this
@ woman?" | asked. 1--WE cannot take
r her with us"
n mo, but we can leave her here
gagged and bound, till thay chance tC
g find her." answered the senior
a | kkII N,l~. ~
t to do it go forth to our own deaths
May your fierce heart learn lesson o
n mercy from the deed. Farewell"
n Two hours had gone by and three fig
e ures wrapped in rough serapes, sucf
as the common people wore, one o
g whom, woman, carried an infant il
her arms, might have been seen eau
l. tiously descending the city wall b,
y means of q wooden ladder that ran from
, it's summit to the jetty built upon pier
II at the foot of it, which was used as
mooring place for boats during th
d months of inundation.
is As was common at this season of tn
20 year, the lake was already rising, ant
le floating in the shallow water at til
4 end of the jetty lay q pleasure skit
which the senior and were accustome,
e to use for the purpose of fishing when
ID ever we could escape for few hour
st from our wearisome life in the city
IL Into this slliff we entered, and, havin
IL hoisted the sail, set our course by tn
t, stars, steering for that village whenc
rs year before we had embarked for tn
Id City of the Heart
is The wind being favorable to us on
progress was rapid, and by the frs
Il forht
the village not mile away. Here
d. however, we did not dare to land, fo
le we should be seen and recognized
at therefore we beached our boat benin
I'd the shelter of some dwarf water palm
ar three furlongs or more below the vi
IS, lage, and, having hidden her as well 9
le we were able, set out att once towar
Tx the mountains.
~ At length the evening fell, and W
le camped for the night if camping it ca
be called to sleep beneath the shade
lg of cedar tree without fire and wit
to little, food having no covering exceI
p our serapeS.
an Toward morning the air grew coll
or for already we were at some heigl
1t. above the lake. and the tender infal
hit began to wall piteously wall thi
ed wrung our hearts. Still we rose wit
RS the sun and went on our way, for
he seemed that there was nothing else
or do. Throughout that day, with eve
en- wearying footsteps, we journeyed, II
to- at sunset we reached the snow lin
1 and saw before us that hunters re
ID house where we had slept when fir
ny we entered the Country of the Heal
a "Let us go in" said Maya, 'and fiji
ar food and shelter for the night"
Sc, Now, our plan had been to avoid I'll
of house and gain the pass, where we pr