The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-05-13
HEART OF THE WORLD.
BY H. RIDER HAooARD.
4 Strange Story, Taken From Manuscript Do.
queathed by m Old Mexican Indian to Lis
Friend and Corrade, an English.
man Named Jones.
cOpyrighted-isO4, by H. Rider Hasgard
CHAPTER XIII L-coNr1NUED

CHAPTER XXIIL-CoNTINUED
"Did she then tell you why we fled?"
asked Maya. "Did she tell you that
she crept to my chamber like a thief in
the night, and there was found in the
act of doing murder on my child?"
'No, lady, she told as 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 fled 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,
Z 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 Hcaven-sent
deliverer, on whom rests the hope OF
our race"
IF we have broken our oaths," said
Maya, 1--WE 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
p murderer was set upon my husband,
End perhaps one stands there, and she
! pointed to Tikal, who could tell us
4 who he was and whence he came. Three
days ago another murderer sought
the life of our child, and that mur-
derer the wife of the Lord Tikal. Is it
then sin that we should take from the
land one whose life is not safe with
Z 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
claimed protection from those who
could give it, and not have betaken
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 II
is to say that after its own fashion Il
was even more wretched than thai
which we had just accomplished. Then
indeed, we were footsore, hungry ant
racked with fears, but at least the
hope of freedom shone before us like
q guiding star, whereas now, although
1--WE Travelled in comfort, it was to fint
shame, exposure and death awaiting III
at last
Maya and the senior had each othe
and their child to console them, but
had nothing except such friendship a
they chose to spare me, the memory o
my many failures, the clinging bitter
ness of conscience, the fear of ven
Ceance to be wreaked, and the hope o
\ peace beyond the end. Therefore
an outworn and disappointed man, wa
prepared to welcome the doom tina
awaited me, but how would it be wit
the others who were still full of lov
and youth?
Late that night we reached the cit
and were led, not to the palace wher
we lived, but toward the inclosure c
the pyramid.
"How is this?" asked Maya of tn
captain of the guard. Our road lie
yonder."
.'No, my lady" he answered; I'm
orders are to take you up the stairwa
of the pyramid"
Now Maya pressed her face agains
the face of her child and sobbed, fc
she knew that once more we must IL
habit the darksome vault where her fl
ther had been taken to die. They lie
MS mn the stair and down the narro
way till we stood in the lamplit ha
and heard our prison gates clash benin
us Then they gave us food and lie
us alone.
AS / mused thus, even through IL
massive walls of the vault heard
woman scream, and, springing fro
nv bed. ran into the central ha
where the lamps burned always. He
Ii met MAYA, clad in her night DIRE
only. and running down the hall, h
eyes filed with terror.
mWhat has happenea?" said, sto
ping her, and as / spoke the senior can
up.
1Oh. | have dreamed" she gaspe
81 have dreamed q fearful dream.
dreamed that my father came to m
and--I cannot tell 1.-THE child-t
child" and she broke down utter
and could say no more.
This place is full Of evil memoirs
and her strength is shattered, said
Benor when we had Gained her SON
what. "Come back, wife, and sleep.
"Sleepl" she answered. II do
think that shall ever sleep again; a
vet, unless sleep / shall go mad. 2
that dreaml Truly the curse OF Mat
has taken hold Of me.
Some few hours later we met aga
IN the great hall, but Maya said moi
ING of ber dream, nor did | ask her
tell It, though could see from her fs
that It was not forgotten. We attn
made pretense to eat, and sat for awh
\. IN silence.