The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-04-29
CHAPTER XXIL
NATAL PRoPHESIES EVIL.

At Tikal's words the company muir
INJURED in astonishment, and Natal, |
bending forward, began to whisper in
his ear. Tilsal listened for a moment,
then turned upon him fiercely and then
said aloud SO all could hear HIM:
II tell you, Natal, that l 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 a
stranger, who, like some lost dog, has
wandered to our gate?"
''The prophecy" began Natal.
''The prophecy! l put no faith in
prophecies. Why should | obey proph-
ecv written now, when or by whom
do not know? This lady was my
affianccd bride, and now am asked to
unite her to q nameless man, who is
not even of our blood or faith Well,
l will not"
"Surely, lord, you blaspheme," an
swered Natal, growing wroth, ''see-
ing that it is not for the highest priest
to speak against the oracle of the god.
| Also" he added, with meaning, what
| can it bo to you who are not ten days
wed TO the lady at your side, that she to
|
choose another as her husband?"
what is it to me?" asked EilSal furi-
ously. ''If you desire to know will
tell you. It's everything. How did l
come to break my troth and to take
your daughter as q wife? Through
you, Natal, through you, the liar and
false prophet. Did you not swear to
mo that Maya was dead yonder in the
wilderness? And did You not, to-
satisfy your own ambitions, force me,
on to 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 unTel-
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 it died
away Tikal said:
EVIL will como 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 ant
rough, but it is hard for me to be calm
.. in the face Of the open insult which hai
been put upon my daughter and mysel
| before YOU all. will not stoop to an
/, swer the charges that the lord Tika
has brought against me in his rage
Surely, some evil power must have al
fiicted him with madness, that, forget
ting his honor as man and his duty a
! prince and priest, he should dare +
! utter such calumnies against the go
we worship, the white man whom tn
god has chosen to be a husband to tn
Lady Maya, and myself, tho keeper c
. the sanctuary. There were man
among YOU who held me foolish wher
!, aftex much prayer and thought, to ful
Q ther what l believed to be the true il
:, terests of the whole people, gave m
. voice in favor of the lifting up of Tiki
: to fill the place and honor Of caciqu
y in room of our late prince, Zibalba,
:, whom we thought dead with his daugl
ter in the wilderness. Tonight | sc
a that they were right, and that | ws
= foolish indeed.
o "But enough Of regrets and bitt'
y talk that make i'll music at marrial