Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-07-30
CHAPTER XIII.

swered. 'Sleep now. if you can"
CHAPTER XIII
IGNATIo's OATH
At sunrise on the following day LIT
fire by which to prepare soup for the
senior; VINO still slept, and as I was en-
gagged thus saw the lady MAYA walk
ing toward me and noticed that her
hands and feet were swollen.
Sonora" said. bowling before her.
/ II humbly congratulate you upon YOUR
courage and your escape from great
dangers. Last night / said words to
you in my grief that should not have
been spoken, for it is my fault that
am apt to be unjust to women. Now
crave your pardon, and will add that
II In atonement for my past Injustice
can serve you in any way now and
afterward L pray you to command me"
She listened, and answered:
Il thank you for your kind words,
Don Ignatio. If you wish to show your
self my friend it is in your power to do
so. You have guessed my secret, there
fore L am not ashamed to repeat that
the senior yonder has become every
thing TO me, though as yet 1 may be
little to him. l ask you then to swear
upon the Heart that you will do moth
ing to separate US, that whatever may
be our need you will help us by all
means in your reach"
You ask me to swear a large oath,
sonora, and one that deals with the fu-
ture, of which we have no knowledge"
L answered, hesitating.
Il do, senior; but remember, were it
not for me at this moment your friend
who sleeps yonder like a child would
be stiff in death. Remember, also, that
you have ends to gain in the City of
the Heart, where it will be well for you
to have me as a friend should we ever
live to reach it,
There is no need to threaten me,
sonora" answered, Il promise that
| will not stand between you and the
Genor. But see, he awalxes, and his
soup is ready"
She took the pot off the fire, SKINNED
1t, and poured the contents into a gourd.
Then she walked to the hammock and
said: ''Senor, here is your soup"
He was but newly awakened, and
looked at her vacantIv.
Tell me, Maya" he said, what has
hapPened?"
ing a flower for me you were bitten by
I a snake and very nearly died"
Il know" he answered. Go on"
"After the danger of the poison was
past you became thirsty, so thirsty that
you were dying of it, and there was no
water to give you"
eyes, yes" he said; 1T was agony. 1
pray that l may never suffer so again.
Bnt l drank water and lived. Who
brought it to me?"
ut came from the cueva, that place
which we examined before you were
bitten"
"Who went down the cueva to get it2
The place is unclimbable."
81 went down"
"You!" he said, in amazement. "You!
It is not possible. Do not jest. Tell
me the truth. Quick; am tired"
II am not testing. Listen, senior.
You were dying for want of water. 1
could not bear it. and knew that my
father would not be back in time; so I
took the water skin and some torches
and went, without saying anything to
Ignatio. The place was hard to climb
and the adventure strange; but l came
through it safely"
The senior heard, but made no answer.
He only stretched out his arms toward
her, and there in the wilderness did
they plight their troth.
Remember, am but an Indian girl, "
she rnurmured presently, land you are
one of the white lords of the earth Is
it well that you should love me?"
1T is well" he answered; ''for you
arc the noblest woman that 1 have
known. and you have saved my life"
Zibalbay did not return until past
midday, when he appeared with the
"Does he still Hve2" he asked of
Maya.
YES, father"
"He must be strong, then" he an
syyered. II thought that the want of
water would have killed him ere now"
HE has had water, father. / de-
scended the cueva and fetched it" she
added after a moments pause.
The old man looked at her, amazed.
How came it that you found cour-
age to go down that place, daughter?"
he asked at length.
THE desire to save friend gave me
courage" she answered, letting her eyes
fall beneath his gaze. II knew that you
could not be back in time, so l went"
Zibalbay pondered awhile, then said:
Il think that you would have done
| better to let him die, daughter, for /
| trouble upon us. 1t has pleased the
| gods to preserve you alive. Remember
/ that your life belongs to them and that
| YOU must follow the path that they
have chosen. Remember, also, that one
waits you in the city yonder who may
have word to say as to your friend
ship with this wanderer."
| = hoS CNClIIS IOlu IuC
OF her fathers words and said:
| 81 think that before all is done /
shall need the help that you have
sworn to give me, senior, for / can see
well that my father will be against me
unless my wish runs with his purpose"
For two more days we rested there
by the cueva till the senior was fit to
travel, then we started on again. For
ten days we journeyed across the
wilderness. On the eleventh day we
began to ascend the slope of n lofty
range of mountains, and on the twelfth
we reached the snow line, where we
were obliged to abandon the three
mules that remained to US.
That night we slept with little to cat
in hole dug in the snow, wrapped in
our serapes-
How far must we travel up this
snow?" l asked of Zibalbay as we
stood shivering in the ashy light of the
dawning.
Look yonder," he answered. point
ing to where the FIRST ray of the sun
shone upon surface of black rock far
above us; there is the highest point
and we should reach it before night
fall"
Thus encouraged, we pushed for
ward for hour after hour. Fortunately
the climbing was not difficult, so that
by four in the afternoon we found our
! selves b2neath the shadow of the wall
of black rock.
Must we climb that precipice?" 1
| asl-aI of Ziba1bav