Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-09-24

| In this / have failed, but when de-
nounce you to the council, then shall
not fail; then you viii be known for
what you are, and die the death that
| you deserve"
1t comes into nv mind. husband. .
said Maya, coldly, i.that if we would
save our own lives we must ROB this
woman OF hers. Such Z doom she has
richly earned, nor win any blame US
when they learn what was her erraEd
| here
st seems that it is So" I answered,
sadly, land yet the thing is awful
'1t is awful, but it must be done"
said the senior, land it falls on me to do
| it for the sake of my wife and child"
Now he stepped to where Nahua lay
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, hoarse1y
E'No, nor will it be by me-" he an
swered in fierce voice; ''sooner would
| I choke the breath ont of nv own body
| than strangle this defenseless woman,
cruel-hearted murderess though she is.
| If she is to be killed, so1ne other man
| must do the deed"
Then it will remain undone," said
| MAYA. And now, since we have thus
| determined, let US think of fight, for
| the night draws on, and in fight is our
only hope"
What, then, is to be done with this
| vToman?" I asked. 1--WE cannot take
| her with u.s."
No. but we can leave her here,
| gagged and bound, till they chance tc
find her." answered the senior.
| ''Hearken, Nahua, we spare you, and
| to do it go forth to our own deaths.
May your fierce heart learn lesson OF
| mercy from the deed. Farewell"
Two hours had gone by and three fig
urcs wrapped in rough serapes, such
| as the common people wore, one OF
| whom, a woman, carried an infant in
her arms, might have been seen eau
| tiouslY descending the city wall by
| means of a wooden ladder that ran from
| its summit to the jetty built upon piers
| at the foot of it, which was used as a
mooring place for boats during the
months of inundation.
AS was common at this season Of the
year, the lake was already rising, and
floating in the shallow water at the
end of the jetty lay a pleasure skim
which the senior and | were accustomed
to use for the purpose of fishing when
ever we could escape for few hours
from our wearisomc life in the city.
Into this skiff we entered, and, having
hoisted the sail, set our course by the
stars, steering for that village whence
| year before we had embarked for the
City of the Heart.
The wind being favorable to US our
progress was rapid, and by the first
gray light of dawn we caught sight OF
the village not mile away. Here,
however. we did not dare to land. for
we should be seen and recognized;
therefore we beachcd our boat behind
the shelter of some dwarf water palms
/ III
lagc, and, having hidden her as well as
we were able, set out at once toward
the mountains.
At length the evening fell, and we
camped for the night, if camping it can
be called to sleep beneath the shadow
of cedar tree without fire and with
little, food having no covering except
our serapes.
Toward morning the air grew cold,
for already we were at some height
above the lake. and the tender infant
began to wall pitcously, wall that
wrung our hearts. Still we rose with
the sun and went on our way, for it
seemed that there was nothing else to
do. Throughout that day, with ever
wearying footsteps, we journeyed, till
at sunset we reached the snow line,
and saw before us that hunters rest
house where we had slept when first
"Let us go in" said Maya, land find
food and shelter for the night
Now, our plan had been to avoid this
house and gain the pass, where we pro-
posed TO stay till daybreak and then
travel down the mountain slopes into
the wilderness.
'If we enter there, Maya, we shall be
trapped" said the senior. 'Our only
safety lies in travelling through the
a for III ia
against the law that any of your people
should follow US into the wilderness"
eff we do not enter my child will die
in the cold" she answered.
''You were too tender to secure our
safety by putting that would-be MUIR
>derers to death. Have you, then, the
heart, husband, to kill your own child?7
nor's eyes fill with tears, but he said
only:
''Be it as you will"
By now, indeed, we understood, ala
three of us, that if we would save our
selves we must suffer the child to die,
and, however great our necessity, this
we could not do. So we went up to the
house and entered, and there by the
fire sat the same man and his wife
whom we had found in this room a
year ago.
Who are you?" he cried, springing
up Pardon, lady, but in that garb /
did not know you"
1T is best that you should not know
US" said Maya. 1--WE are wanderers
who have lost our way out hunting:
Give us food, as you are bound to do"
Then the man and his wife, who were
kindly people, made obeisance to us,
and set off the best they had before us.
We ate. and after eating slept, for we
Were very weary, bidding the man
watch and tell us If saw any stranger
approaching the house. Before dawn
he woke us and we rose. A few min
utes later he came into my room and
told me that large body of men were
in sight of the house. Then / knew
that it was finished and called the
Others.
''NoT, there are three things that we
can do said. Fly toward the pass,
defend this house, or surrender our
selves"
There is no time to fly" answered |
the senior, THERETO it is my counsel |
that we fight"
This is folly, broke in Maya. |
There is but one thing to DO; yield |
ourselves and trust to fortune, if, in |
deed, fortune has any good in store for |
us Only | wish that we had done it he |
fore we undertook this weary journey"
Now, as she spoke by the light of the |
rising sun we saw great number OF |
men forming circle round the house. |
With them were several captains and |
lords, and among these recognized /