The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1896-08-06
CHAPTER XVIII

CHAPTER XVIII
THE PLOT.
Spriuging forward, but too late TO
save him, the senior and lifted Zibal-
bay from the ground and laid him on n
couch. Peeping over our shoulders
Maya caught sight of his ghastly face
and the foam upon his lips.
80. he is deadi' she moaned; 'my
father is dead, and he died cursing
me-"
NO" said the senior, che is not dead,
for his heart stirs. Bring water,
Maya"
She obeyed, and for hard upon two
hours we struggled to restore his sense,
but in vain; life fingered, indeed, but
we could not stir him from his stupor.
At length, as we were resting, wearied
with our fruitless labor, the gates
opened and TilSal came again.
"What now?" he asked, seeing the
form of zibalbay stretched upon the
couch. Does the old man sleep?'
Yes, he sleeps" answered the senior,
"and / think that he will wake no
more. The words he spoke to you to-
day are coming true, and that which
you took from him by force will soon
be yours by right"
No" answered TilSal, "by right, it
will be the Lady Maya's yonder, though
by force it may remain mine, unless, in
deed, she gives it me of her own free
will. But, say, how did this come
about?"
Now broke in hastily fearing lest
the senior should say too much. and
thus bring some swift and awful fate
upon himself.
''He was worn out with the fatigue of
our journey and the excitements OF
yesterday. After you had left he be-
gan to talk of your proposals. and sud
denly was taken with this fit. These
matters are not for me to speak of, who
AM but a prisoner in strange land,
STILL lord, It will not look well if he
who once was cacique of this city dies
here and unattended. for then people
may say that you have murdered him.
Have you no doctors who can be sum
moned to attend him, for without drugs,
or even a bleeding knife, we have done
all that we can do?"
Murdered him! That they will say
in any case. Yes, there are doctors
here. and the best of them is Natal,
my father-in-law l will send him.
But, Maya. before l go, have you no
word for me?"
Maya. who was seated by the table,
her face buried in her hands, looked up
and said:
us your heart stone that you can
trouble me in such an horr? When my
father is recovered, or dead, 1 will an
swer you, and not before"
$50 be it, lady" he said. Till then
/ will wait And now, must get
hence, for there may be trouble in the
city when this news reaches it."
Awhile passed ard Natal appeared
laf fol I, tx,hs ia1
his scales and medicines. Without
speaking he came to where Zibalbay
lay and examined him by the light of a
lamp. Then he poured medicines down
his throat and waited as though he
expected to see him rise, but he neither
rose nor stirred.
"a bad case" he said, AZ fear that
he will awake no more How came he
thus?"
do you wish to lSnow?7 asked
Maya, speaking for the first time
Then bid your attendant stand back
and l win tell you My father yonder
was smitten down while he cursed me
in his rage"
''And why did he curse you, lady?-
''For this reason. TilSal came to my
| father, and, in the presence of us all,
offered to set him in his lawful place
again and to suffer him to carry out
his schemes, whatever they might be,
if l would consent to become his wife"
ITO become his wife!- said Natal in
amazement- "How could you become
his wife when he is married? Can there
be two lGdies Of the Hearth
No" answered Maya quietly, "but
the proposal of Tikal, my cousin, is that
he should either put away or kill your
daughter, in order that he may set me
| in her place"
When Natal heard this his eyes
flashed and his very beard seemed to
bristle with rage.
He proposed that He dared to pro
pose that!" he gasped. 40, let him
have a care / set him up, and perchance
| can pull him down again Continue,
lady"
''He proposed it, and my father
agreed to the offer. But If my father
accepted refused, seeing that it is not
my wish to have more to do with Ii
llal. Then my father cursed me, and
while he cursed was stricken down"
"You say it is not your wish to marry
Tikal,' lady. Is it then yonr wish &c
marry any other man?"
Yes" she answered, letting her eyes
fall. II love this white lord here.
whom you name Son of the Sea. and
would become h is wife But, Natal,
| TilSal is very strong, and it may be. un'
less l can find help elsewhere, that in
order to save the life of the man l love,
of his friend and mine. ignatio and my
own. shall be forced into the arms OF
! TilSal.
But now Tilxal has asked me for
my answer. and l have told him that
/ will give it when my father is recov.
cred or dead. Perhaps it will be for
! you to say what that answer shall be,
for alone and in prison | am not strong
| enough to stand against TilSal. Say,
now, do the people love me well enough
to depose Tilsal, and set me in my
fathers place, should he die?"
II cannot say, lady" he answered
shortly, 'but at the least you will
scarcely ask me thus to bring about my
own and my daughters ruin. l win
be open with you. l gained over the
! Council of the Heart to Til1als cause,
and my price was that he should marry
my daughter, thereby satisfying her
love and my ambition. Yes, l have
plotted to set Nahua on high, both for
her sake and for my own, seeing that
after the cacique / would be the chief
man in the city.
''Can / then turn round and depose
him, and my daughter and myself with
him? And If did, what would be my
fate at your hands in the days to comet
No, L would be revenged on TilSal in
deed, who has offered so deadly ar
atfront to me and mine, but it must be
in some other way than this. Tell me