Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-07-02

but they are not all the truth. He rules
that city of which he has spoken to you,
but the mobiles there are weary of his
rule. that at times is somewhat harsh,
also thew deem him mad. 1t was for
this reason that they suffered him to
wander forth, seeking the fultillment
of a prophecy in which none OF them
have faith, for they were certain that
he would perish in the wilderness and
return no more to trouble them"
'sThen why did they allow you, who
are his heir, to accompany him, 1ady?''
Because / would have it so. love
my father, and if he was doomed to die
because of his folly, it was my wish to
die with him. Moreover, if you would
know the truth, 1 hate that city where
1 was born and the man in it to whom
am destined to be married, and desired
to escape from it if only for awhile"
''And does that man hate YOU 1ady?'
s'No," she answered, turning her
head aside; ''but if he loves me, be-
1ieve that he loves power more. Had L
stayed, my father would have appoint
ed me to rule in his place. and Tikal.
my cousin. would have been next to the
throne, not on it: therefore it was that
he consented to my going, or at least
I think so.
''Sirs, learn now that you are to ac-
company us to the City of the Heart,
should we live to reach it.
Come if you will, but be warned, my
people are a jealous people, and the
name of a stranger is hateful to them.
Few such have ever reached the City Of
the Heart for many generations, and of
these, save one or two, none have eS-
capped from it alive. They do not de-
sire new things, they have little knowl-
edge of the world beyond their walls,
and seek for none.
''Now, sirs, choose whether you will
accompany us in our march toward the
City of Waters, or whether you will set
your face to the sea again and forget
that you CHANGED to hear certain story
from a wandering doctor, whose mis-
fortunes had made him mad, and an In
dian girl who tended him."
Now I listened to these words which
the lady Maya spoke very earnestly and
with power, and understood that the Y
meant much; they meant that in going
to the City of the Heart we were, as she
believed, going to our doom.
Lady" said, sit may well chance
that death waits me yonder, but
thither shall go if my strength does
not fail me and death will suffer it.
For the senior here it is different. He
has heard your words, and if he will
harken to them and to mine, he will
bid us farewell tomorrow and go his
ways, leaving US to go ours"
She listened. and turning toward him,
said: ''You hear. What say you,
white man?" And it seemed to me
that she awaited his answer anxiously.
Yes, lady, hear" he replied, with
a laugh, and doubtless it is all true
enough, and / shall leave my bones
yonder among your countrymen. Well,
SO be it; have determined to go, and
go will, since / am too idle to change
my mind. Also, it seems to me that
after this days business there is more
danger in staying here than in pushing
forward"
81 am glad that you are going, since
you go of your own free will she said,
smiling. May our fears be COMPOUNDED
and your journey and ours prove pros
porous. And now let us rest, for you
must be very weary, as l am, and we
should be stirring before the dawn"
Next morning at the first break of
light we started on our journey, riding
on three of the mules that
we had captured, and leading
the fourth laden with our goods
and water skins. Very glad were
all of us to see the last of that ruined
temple, and yet it was sad to me to
leave it, for there, hidden beneath some
Of the masses of the fallen masonry, lay
all that was left of my friend and fos-
ter brother, Molas, he: whose bravery
and wit had saved our lives at the cost
of his own.
Our plan was to avoid villages where
we might be seen by men, and keep our
selves hidden in the forest, for we
feared lest we should be followed and
brought to account because of the
death of Don Pedro and his companions:
and this we were able to do, since hav
ing guns and ammunition in plenty we
shot birds and deer for our daily food.
Travelling thus on mule back soon
our strength returned to us, even to the
old man Zilbalbay, who had suffered
the most from fatigue and from i'll
treatment at the hands of the white
men. In something less than a week
we had passed through the inhabited
districts of Yucatan and far out of the
reach of the white man, and now were
journeying through the forest toward
the great sierra that lies beyond.
The senior was never weary of queS-
tioning the silent Zi1ba1bay as to the
history or rather the legend of the land
through which we jOurneyed, or of lis
tening to the lady Maya's description of
the City of the Heart, till even she
grew tired and begged him to speak in
stead of the country across the water
where he was born of the ceaseless busy
life, and the wonders of civilization.
Strange as it may seem, 1,who watched
them both from day to day, know it to
be true that she was in mind the more
modern of the two. so much so indeed
that in listening to their talk / might
have fancied that she was the child of
the new world, filed with the spirit of