Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-10-01
copyrighted. 1894. BY H. Rider Hasgara
CHAPTER xxIu-CoET1xUED.

Copyrighted. 1894. by H. Rider Haggard
CHAPTER xXIl-CoNTINUED
did she Then tell you why we fied?"
asked Maya. "Did she tell you that
she crcpt to my chamber like thief in
dhe night, and there was found in the
act of doing murder on my child?"
No, lady, she told us nothing of all
this Indeed, her manner was strange,
for so soon as she was recovered some
what she took back her words, and
said that she knew nothing of you or
your plans, and that if You had fed we
should do well to let You go before
worse things happened. But knowing
that for all this she had reasons easy to
be guessed, we followed you and found
YOU, and now we arrest you, to answer
before the council for your great sins,
in that you have broken your solemn
oaths by attempting to leave the land
without the consent of the council, and
have added to your crimes by taking
with you this child, the Heaven-sent
-delivcrer, on whom rests the hope of
our race"
If we have broken our oaths," said
Maya, I've broke them to save our
lives. We're we then to stop in the city
till the knife of the assassin found us
out? On the very night of my marriage
a murderer was set upon my husband,
and perhaps one stands there" ard she
pointed to Til1al, who could tell us
who he was and whence ne came. Three
days ago another murderer sought
the life of our child, and that muir
dcrcr the wife of the Lord TilSal. Is it
then n sin that we should take from the
land one whose life is not safe with
in it?'
''All these matters you can lay be-
fore the council, lady" answered
Dimas. 'and if Nahua is what you say,
without doubt she must suffer for her
crime. Yet her evildoing cannot pay
for yours, for when you found your
selves in danger you should have
could give it, and not have betalzen
yourself to fight. like thieves in terror
of the watch. Come, enter the litter
that is prepared for you, and let us be
going"
Then we started. OF our journey
back there is nothing to tell, unless 1T
is to say that after its own fashion it
was even more wretched than that
which we had just accomplished. Then,
indeed, we were footsore, hungry and
raclIed with fears. but at least the
hope of freedom shone before us like
guiding star, whereas now. although
we travelled in comfort, it was to find
shame, exposure and death awaiting us
at last.
and their child to console them, but l
had nothing except such friendship as
they chose to spare me, the memory OF
nv many failures, the clinging bitter
ness of conscience, the fear of ven
geance to be wrealzed, and the hope of
peace beyond the end. Therefore L,
an outworn and disappointed man, was
prepared to welcome the doom that
awaited me, but how would it be with
the others who were still full of love
and youth?
Late that night we reached the city
aud were led, not to the palace where
we lived, but toward the inclosure OF
the pyramid.
s.IIow is this?" asked Maya of the
captain of the guard. "Our road lies
yonder."
mo. my lady," he answered; ''my
orders are to take you up the stairway
of the pyramid"
Now MAYA pressed her face against
the face of her child and sobbed, for
she knew that once more we must in
habit the darlxsome vault where her IA
ther had been taken to die. They led
us up the stair and down the narrow
way till we stood in the lamplit hall
and heard our prison gates clash behind
US. Then they gave us food and left
us alone.
AS unused thus. even through the
massive walls of the vault heard a
woman scream, and springing from
my bed, ran into the central hall
where the lamps burned always. Here
met Maya, clad in her night dress
only, and running down the hall, heI
eyes filed with terror.
"What has happened?" I said, stop
ping her, and rs l spoke the senior came
up.
"Oh, 1 have dreamed" she gasped
"I have dreamed fearful dream.
dreamed that my father came to me
add cannot tell 1.-THE child-the
child" and she broke down utterly
and could say no more.
This place is full of evil memories
and her strength is shattered" said the
senior when we had claimed her some
what. Come back, wife, and sleep"
''Sleep!'' she answered. II do no.
think that 1 shall ever sleep again; and
vet, unless I sleep 1 shall go mad. Oh
that dreami Truly the curse of Malta
has taken hold of me-"
Some few hours later we met agar
in the great hall, but Maya said moth
ing of her dream, nor did ask her t.
tell it. though l could see from her fact
that it was not forgotten. We ate, Oh
made pretense to eat, and sat for awhile
N silence.