Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-08-13

| Natal bowed as he answered:
Your will is mine, but / know not
| how my plan will please the Lady
| Maya yonder, and therefore, before L
| unfold it, [ would make it clear that
| there is but one alternative-the death
| of all of you by to-morrowes1 light Your
| lives lie in nv hands: if / must do SO to
save my daughter and myself. shall
not hesitate to take them"
| ANY more than l shall hesitate to
| take yours, old man." said the senior
| grimly, s'for remember always that If
You do not make your plan such as we
can accept you will leave this chamber
| feet first, with a broken neck"
Again Natal bowed and continued:
Sin one way only has TilSal been able
to pacify the people, by declaring that
the Lady Maya shall be produced be-
fore the Council of the Heart, IN the
sanctuary upon the night of the rising
of waters, and afterward at dawn in the
eyes of the whole city.
1.-The words of Zibalbay have taken a
strange hold of the people, and they
desire to know what will happen when
once more the severed halves OF the
symbol of the heart are laid side by
side in their place upon the altar.
Zibalbay told them that he believed
the god would reveal his purpose and
show what part each of you should play
in the fate that is to be, and therefore
the people look to see some sign or
wonder when Day and Night are come
together"
Now Natal thought for awhile, and
Lady, am old, and for many years
[ have followed the worship of the
gods. and vet never have l known the
gods to make answer to their votaries,
or heard the voices of the immOrtalS
speaking into human ears. 1 cannot
T - T
strait as you find yourselves tonight, L
should not hesitate to give voice to
these dumb gods"
''What is your meaning?" asked Maya.
19When the severed halves of the
heart are set in their place upon the al
tar, if there should be any gods they
should give sign. The ancient sym
boil on the altar is hollow, and IT 1T
were to open it might be that writing
would be found within it, an ancient
writing of the gods prepared against
the present time that shall be to us as
a lantern to one wandering in the dark,
or it might be that nothing would be
found.
Now, as it happens, in searching
through the earliest records OF the tenn
pie, l have discovered certain writing,
and it seems to me that your fortune
would be great if that writing should
lie within the symbol on the night of
the Rising Waters. Here it is
And suddenly he produced a small
plate of dull gold covered over with
symbols.
''Read it, said Maya.
Then Natal read:
''To thee it speaks, unborn daughter
of a chief to be, whose name is the name
of a nation. When my people have
grown old and their numbers have less
ened and their heart is faint, then,
lady. take to myself as a husband a
man of the race of the white god, son
of the sea foam, whom thou shalt lead
hither across the desert, for so my peo-
pie shall once more prosper and grow
strong, and the land shall be to thy
child and the child of the god, east and
west and north and south, further than
my eagles wing between sunrise and
set
He finished reading, and there was
amazed at the boldness and the cum
ming of this old priest and plotter. 1t
was Maya who spoke first.
you have forged this writing, Mat
tai" she said. land now you desire that
/ should set it in the symbol, for you
written in the ritual. In short, if you
do not fear the vengeance of the god,
you fear the vengeance of the order.''
TO speak the truth, lady, / fear
both. Still, you must make your choice,
and swiftly
Now she turned to US, saying:
advise me, friends, for 1 know not
what to answer. In the faith of my
people l have lost faith, and it is to
yours that look for comfort, and yet
the deed seems awful. for if we are not
wOrshipers of the nameless god, still we
are all of us brethren of the ancient
mysteries of the Heart, and to do this
thing would be to break our solemn
oaths Come, let us put it to vote, and
do you, who are the oldest and the
wisest among US, vote first, Ignatio."
80 be it, 1 answered. For my
part 1 give my voice against the trick.
OF the gods of your people know moth
ing and think less, but am the master
OF our order in my own land. and 1 will
not offend against it. Still, in this
matter your lives are at stake as well
as mine: therefore, if of the three of
us two are in favor of the act will be
bound by their decision"
Good, let it be so,'' said Maya. 'And
now, beloved. speak and tell us whether
you choose death and a clean con-
science. or life and nv love to gladden.
1T, and she looked into his face with
her beautiful eyes, and half stretched
out her arms as though she would clasp
him to her breast.
Il have no choice he said. 81 do
not fear to die, if need be; but should
be no man were I to choose death while
4 L