Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-05-27
EARr OF THE WORLD.
BY II. RIDER HAooARD.
'etraa re st1ry, Taken From . Manuscript -
Suealaed BY an Old Mexican Indian 20 His
Fris, 4 and Comrade. an English
nan Named Jones.
1925. BY II Rider Hasrara
CHAPTER xxIv-cosrrSrEn

"A CHAPTER xXIv.-CoSrrNuEn
Lords of the council. listen to- n tale
the strangest that you have heard, and
Judge between me and Tikal, my hus-
band, and Maya, my rival, and her
friends Natal, my father, was known
to you all, seeing that ut the time of
his death, and. indeed. since Tilxal was
appointed cacique, he stood next TO him
In place and power among the People
of the Heart, holding the offices in the
brotherhood which now are filed by
Dimas, and among them that of
keeper of the sanctuary.
''Tet, lords, Natal, my father, was
no true man. Alas! that / should have
to say it, seeing that il was more for
my sake that he sinned than for his
own, since he loved me and desired my
welfare above everything on earth. 1t
was this love of his that ruined h;,,
making him false to his god, 20 ris
oaths, and to his country. Thus. IN tae
beginning. he knew that since / was a
child 1 had set my heart on the Lord
Tikal, who was afiianced to the Lady
Maya, and also that / was ambitious
and desired to be great.
Therefore il was that he deceived
Tikal. pretending that IL had been re-
vealed to him by Heaven that the Lady
Maya and her father were dead in the
wilderness. Therefore il was also that
when he had persuaded him that she
was lost to him forever, he pressed il
upon the Lord TilSal that he should
marry me in place of Maya, his
affianced, who was dead, promising him
in return that he would bring il about
that he should be anointed cacique of
the People OF the Heart
"All these things and others he did.
though at that time knew nothing of
them and thought in my folly that
Tikal married me because he loved me
and desired me as the companion of his
life and power.
Then Zibalbay returned on the
night of my marriage feast, and with
him came Maya and the strangers, and
from that hour my husband began to
hate me, because l was his wife in
place OF Maya, whom he loved. More,
as | have learned since, he went to III
balbay while he lay in prison and Of
fered 10 resign his place as cacique in
his favor for so long as he should live,
and no more TO oppose schemes II he
would give him Maya in marriage after
had been put away either by death or
by divorce.
This Zibalbay would have done. and
gladly, but, as IL CHANGED. Maya here
had set her heart upon the white man
during their journeyings together
through the wilderness, and refused to
be separated from him that she might
Il
Yet he might have won his way, for
their case was desperate. and the alter
native was death, had not Natal. nv
father, found plan whereby they
could be saved and | remain the wife OF
the cacique.
This was the plan, lords: that n
prophecy should be set in the symbol of
the Heart yonder such as would deceive
the Council of the Heart and bring il
about that Maya should be given in
marriage to the white man whom she
loved. Lords, this was done. At the
dead of night they crcpt to the sanctu-
airy, and opening the Heart, placed with
in 1t that tablet which you have seen.
the tablet that foreshadowed the birth
of a delivercr. The rest you know"
1T is false" cried many voices.
such sacrilege is not possible"
1T Is not false" answered Nahus,
and viii prove to you that the sacri-
lege was possible. The Heart was
opened and the false prophecy forged
by my. father was placed within it.
where it was found by you on the night
of the festival of the Rising of Waters.
this day last year. But when the holy
Heart was opened, behold it vyaE not
empty, for in it lay another prophecy.
true prophecy, which was removed
from it, that the lie which has deceived
you might be set in its place.
Where, then. is that writing?' asked
Dimas.
Here" she answered, drawing the
tablet from her breast. "Listen-"and
she read:
The eye that has slept and is
awakened 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 sin"
Take it, lords, and see for your
selves" she Continued, laying the tablet
on the altar. And now listen again
and learn how il CHANGED that this relic
came into my keeping. After he had
wrought this great sin the curse of the
nameless god fell upon my father, and.
as you know, he was smitten with a
sore disease. Then it came about that
when he lay dying remorse took him.
and he wrote n certain paper which he
caused to be Witnessed and given 20 me.
together with this tablet.
I'm my hand hold that paper. lords:
hear it and Judge for yourselves
whether / have spoken truth or false
hood" and she read aloud the COMES
sion of Natal that set out every detail
of our plot, and the manner of its ex-
ecution.
MOVE lords she added when the
reading was finished and the signatures
had been examined, you will under
stand how it happened that in my rage
at this tidings / strove to kill youGsr
infant, who has been palmed off upon
you as the seed Of the god, and 1 leave
1t TO you 20 deal with those who planned
the fraud"
CHATTER XIV.