The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1896-08-27
CHAPTER XXI
NATAL pRopHEsIEs Evil

INJURED in astonishment, and Natal,
bending forward, began to whisper in
his ear. TilSal listened for n moment,
then turned upon him fiercely and then
said aloud so all could hear him.
~ tell you, Natal, that | will be no
party TO this iniquity Has such thing
been heard of before that the Lady of
the Heart, the highest lady in the land.
should be given in marriage to
stranger, who, like some lost dog, has
wandered to our gate?'
"The prophecy" began Natal
"The prophecy / put no faith in
prophecies. Why should obey proph-
ecy written now, when or by whom
| do not know? This lady was my
affianccd bride, and now am asked to
unite her to n nameleSs man, who is
not even of our blood or faith. Well,
/ will not"
surely, lord, you blaspheme," an
swcred Natal, growing wroth, "see-
ing that IL is not for the highest priest
80 speak against the oracle of the god.
Also" he added, with meaning, what
can it be to you who are not ten days
wed to the lady at your side, that she TO
whom once you were affianced should
choose another as her husband"
What is it to me?" asked Tilxal furi-.
ously. "If you desire to know | will
tell you. 1t is everything. How did |
come to break my troth and to take
your daughter as a wife? Through
you, Natal, through you, the liar and
false prophet. Did you not swear to
me that Maya was dead yonder in the
wilderness? And did you not, to
satisfy your own ambitions, force me
on 10 take your daughter to wife, ay,
and is not this marriage between the
Lady of the Heart and the white man a
plot of yours. devised for the further.
ing of your ends?"
Now, while all stood astonished, of a
| sudden Nahua, who hitherto had lis
tened in stony silence, rose and said:
MY lord TilSal forgets that common
courtesy should protect even an unwel-
come wife from public insult" Then
she turned and left the hall by the door
which was behind her.
Now murmur of pity for the lady
and indignation against the man ran
through the company, and as 1t died
away Tilal said;
Evil will come of this nights work
and in it / will have no hand. Do what
you will and abide the issue" and be-
fore any could speak in answer he also
had left the hall followed by his guards
For awhile there was silence, then
folk began to talk confusedly, and
some of the members Of the Brother
hood of the Heart, rising from their
chairs, took hurried counsel together.
! At length they reseated themselves,
and holding up his hand TO secure
| quiet, Natal spoke thus:
Forgive me" he said, addressing the
audience, ''if my words seem few and
rough, but it is hard for me to be calm
in the face of the open insult which has
al
before you all. / will not stoop to an
swcr the charges that the lord Tilsal
mas brought against me in his rage.
| Surely, some evil power must have af-
flicted him with madness, that, forget
ting his honor as a man and his duty as
prince and priest, he should dare to
utter such calumnies against the god
we worship, the white man whom the
god has chosen to be husband to the
Lady Maya, and myself, the keeper OF
the sanctuary. There were many
among you who held me foolish when,
after much prayer and thought, ~ fur.
ther what believed to be the true in
terests of the whole people, gave my
voice in favor of the lifting up of Tikal
to fill the place and honor of cacique
in room of our late prince, Zibalbay
whom we thought dead with his daugh
ter in the wilderness. Tonight l see
that they were right, and that was
foolish. indeed
But enough CT regrets and bitter
talk that make i'll music at a marriag,
feast. Tilxal. the head of our hierarchy
has gone, but other priests are left, mol
is his will the will of the Council or o.
the People of the Heart, for whom tn,
Council tspeaks. Their will it is thai
this marriage should go forward, ant
Dimas, my brother, as the oldest
among us, / call upon you to celebrate
it,"
Now the company shouted in ap
plause, for they were set upon thi,
strange union of a white man with theil
lady, if only because it was a new thing
and touched their imagination, auC
even those of them who were of his party
were wroth with TilSal on account o
his i'll behavior and the cruel affront tina
he had offered to his newmade wife.
So soon as the tumult had died away
the old priest, Dimas, rose, and taking
the hands of Maya and the scnor, h
joined them and said very touching
and beautiful prayer over them, bless
ing them and entreating the spirit
Heart of Heaven, and other gods to Civ,
them increase and to make them happ,
in each others love.
which he'd been prepared upon thei
, heads as they lSnelt before him, and
loosing the emerald girdle about tn,
| waist of the bride, took her right hant
and placed it upon the arm of tn,
senior, then he bound the girdle roun,
, wrist and arm. buclSled it, and in a few
, solemn words declared these twain u
be man and wife in the face of Heavei
and earth till death undid them.
Now the cloth was lifted and the cir
die loosed, and standing upon their fee
the new wed pair kissed each other be
fore the people. A shout of JOY wen
, up that shook the paneled roof. an,
, one by one, in order of their rank, th
guests pressed forward to wish joy {,
the bride and bridegroom, most of then
I bringing some costly and beautiful
gift, which they gave into the charge O
the waiting ladies. Last of all cam
the old priest, Dimas, and said
Sweet bride, the gift that am com
manded by the council TO make TO you
though of little value in itself, is We
one of the most precious TO be foun,
within the walls of this ancient city
, being nothing less than the holy sym
Dol of the all-seeing Eye of the Hear
of Heaven, which through you men be
, hold to-day for the first time for man,
generations.
Wear it always, lady. and remembe
that. though this jewel has no sight
yet that eye of which it is token from
hour to hour reads your most secre
soul and purpose. Make your thoughts
then. as fair as your body, and let you
! / a - =