Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-04-16
HEART OF THE WORLD.
Ely II. RIDER HAGGARD.
Strange Story Taken From Manuscript Bequeatneo Dy - VIC
Mexican Indian to His Friend and comrade, a.
Englshman Named Jones'
Copyrighted. 1904, by H. Rider Hssssrd

the shelter of some dwarf water palms
three furlongs or more below the viii
lage, and, having hidden her as well as
we were able, set out ut once toward
the mountains.
At length the evening fell. and we
camped for the night, # camping it can
be called to sleep beneath the shadow
Of cedar tree without fire and with
little, food having no covering except
our serapes.
| Toward morning the air grew cold,
for already we were at some height
above the lake. and the tender infant
began to wall piteously, wall that
wrung our hearts. Still we rose with
the sun and went on our way, for it
seemed that there was nothing else to
do. Throughout that day, with ever
wearying footsteps, we journeyed, till
at sunset we reached the snow line,
and saw before us that hunters rest
house where we had slept when first
we entered the Country Of the Heart.
LET us 60 in" said Maya, land find
food and shelter for the night"
! Now. our plan had been to avoid this
house and gain the pass, where we pro-
posed to stay till daybreak and then
travel down the mountain slopes into
the wilderness.
If we enter there, Maya, we shall be
trapped" said the senior Our only
safety lies in travelling through the
pass before we are overtaken, for it is
against the law that any Of your people
should follow us into the wilderness"
IF we do not enter my child will die
in the cold" she answered.
"You were too tender to secure our
safety by putting that would-be muir
derers to DEATH Have you, then. the
heart, husband, to kill your own child?'
Now, at these words, saw the Sc
nor's eyes fill with tears, but he said
only:
"Be it as you will"
BY now, indeed, we understood, all
three of us, that if we would save our
selves we must suffer the child to die,
and, however great our necessity, this
we could not do. So we went up to the
house and entered. and there by the
fire sat the same man and his wife
whom we had found in this room
year ago.
"Who arc you?' he cried, springing
up. Pardon, lady, but in that garb l
did not know you
III is best that you should not know
us" said Maya. "We are wanderers
who have lost our way out hunting:
Give us food. as you are bound to do"
Then the man and his wife, who were
kindly people, made obeisance to us,
and set off the best they had before US.
We ate, and after eating slept, for we
were very weary, bidding the man
watch and tell us II saw any stranger
approaching the house. Before dawn
he woke US and we rose. A few min
utcs later he came into my room and
told me that large body Of men were
in sight of the house. Then knew
that 1t was finished and called the
others.
"Now, there are three things that we
can d." ! said. Fly toward the pass,
defend this house, or surrender our
se Ives. l., -, .,,,. j. a., ,..,....a
the senior, therefore it Is my counsel
that we fight"
This is folly" broke in Maya.
"There is but one thing to do; yield
ourselves and trust to fortune, If, in
deed, fortune has any good in store for
us. Only l wish that we had done it
before we undertook this weary jour.
ney."
Now, as she spoke by the light of the
rising sun we saw great number Of
men forming circle round the house.
With them were several captains and
lords, and among these | recognized
Dimas and Tikal.
"Let us put bold face on it" said
Maya. So we opened the door, walked
out, and came into the presence of
Tikal, Dimas and the other lords.
"Whom do you seek that you come
with an armed force?' asked Maya.
Whom should | seek but your fair
self, cousin?' answered Tikal. and |
saw that his eye was wild, as though |
with drink
"Tell us of what we are charged
that you follow us as though we were
evildoers."
Lady the old priest answered,
gravely, lit would seem that you have
earned this nnme, you and your com
panions together Listen. two days |
since You were missing. and the lady |
Nahua was also missing. Search was |
made, and at last your private apart
ments were broken open, and there she
was discovered bound and gagged.
From her we learned the secret of your
flight and followed after you"
"Did she then tell you why we hed?"
asked Maya. "Did she tell you that
she crept to my chamber like thief in
the night. and there was found in the
act of doing murder on my child?"
mo, 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 II you had fled we
should do well to let you 90 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