The Irish standard., 1896-01-18

Nav. YOU need not fear to leave him,
for if his life still burns Within him it is
asleep But stay. where is the tails
man? That viii be necessary to us"
81 have onea1alf," answered, 1.-The
other is about Zibal lbay's neck"
Find 1t, he said sternly to the Lady
Maya. May, you must
CHAPTER X'x
THE sAcRILEGE
Maya bent oyer the form of her father
and took the talisnan from his neck.
Il feel like one who robs the dead,
she said
Remember that it is to save the
living. and be conafortcd.'' answered
Natal as we left the chamber.
Take $ a lamp, each Of you" he said
when we had reached the further end
of the great hall, where he unlocked
the copper gates with key from the
bunch that hung at his girdle. We
passed through. and turning he almost
closed the gate, but not quite.
.1Why do you leave the gates ajar?"
+ asked
Because there are none to follow
u.s.: he answered. .:and who knows
what may happen? Should we be
forced to fly the sanctuary open doors
are easier to pass than shut ones.''
"What could force us to fly the sane
tuary?" I asked.
Natal shrugged his shoulders and
went on. We passed down many stairs,
along passages, and through secret
doors, each of which Natal left open
behind us, till at length we came to the
sanctuary Of the nameless god and stood
on the further side of the wall huddled
together and clasping each others
hands, for the place was awesome, and
it's utter silence and solemnity filed us
with fear.
The roof of the sanctuary, which
was Of no great size, was vault-shaped,
in imitation Of the archjng sky and in
it appeared golden sun, a silver cres-
cent moon, and the stars of heaven. Its
walls were lined throughout with pol
isbed blocks of the beautiful stone
known as Mexican onyx. fretted over
to the height Of q man with border of
hieroglyphics and efigics of the lesser
gods in attitudes of alteration, cast in
gold and set flush with the face of the
wall.
The furniture was very simple, con-
sisting only of stools cut from rich
woods, heavily gilded in quaint designs,
and small table, whereon lay sheets
of paper made Of bark, together with
brushes of reed fiber and pots of pig
writing Of this people. At that end by
which we had entered the chamber was
an altar of black marble, written round
with letters shaped in gold, and upon
this altar lay something covered with
sillxen cloth.
For minute Or more we stood silent,
contemplating these wonders, then with
Il gesture of impatience Mattal spoke in
whisper, saying:
''Iet that be done which we have
come to do, for now the sacrilege is
tate
Speaking thus, he stepped to the
altar and lifted the silken cloth that lay
over the object which was upon it, re-
vealing the image OF human heart,
fashioned in bloodstone, with veins OF
gold. In the center Of this heart ap-
peared small and shallow hole that
had been followed in it's substance.
This is the tradition said Natal,
still speaking in whisper, ''that when
the two halves of certain talisman are
placed in this hollow, the symbol will
open and reveal that which has been
set within it since it was fashioned
thousands of years ago, and there is
this in favor of the truth Of this tale,
that golden hinges appear upon the
sides of the symbol.
''In this matter, however, there is
something more to fear than the VEN
geance Of the gods, for, an ancient ira
dition tells us that if the symbol be
stirred from the place where it has lain
for SO many years, the hoodgate will
roll back and the waters of the lake
will pour in upon the city, destroying
it and its inhabitants. -
s'Yet the .hoodgate cannot roll back
IL, fha
flow in during the dry season when
thew are not on level with the walls"
answered Maya.
''They cannot, lady; and yet other
things may happen. And now to our
task Stranger, give to the Lady Maya
your half of the ancient talisman, that
She may set it together with the half
she bears in the place prepared in the
symbol.
Now, with sigh seeing that it was
too late to draw back undid the emer-
aid from my neck and gave it to Maya,
who laid it side by side with its count.
erpart, upon the palm of her trembling
hand, and. stepped with it to the altar.
Here she stood for a moment, then
whispered in a faint voice:
ssTerror has taken hold of me, and I
fear to do this thing
.Yet, it must be done, and not by
me-" said Natal, ''or we shall have
come on FOOLS errand, and go back,
some Of us, to fools DEATH and he
looked toward me.
II will not do it," said, answering
his look, mot because fear your gods,
but my own conscience do fear"
':Then I WILL, said the senor, boldly;
.'for l fear neither. Give me that
trinket, Maya"
She obeyed, and he had let the two
halves of the talisman fall into their
place in the symbol.
For some seconds, we stood still,
watching the altar with eager eyes,
but the symbol never stirred. Then
said:
st seems, Natal, that you must
hide your lying writing elsewhere.
since yonder heart will not open: or Il
St will, we have not found the key
''Wait little broke in the senor.
..Perhaps the springs are rusted." And
he placed his thumb upon the halves OF
the emerald and pressed so hard that
the symbol trembled on it's marble
bed.
..Beware!" cried Natal. and before
the echoes of his voice had died away
all of us started in astonishment, for
10! the heart was opening like a flower.
Slowly it opened, till the severed
talisrnan fell from it as its two halves
+ 1n.~ 1>oo ~, ~, thG marble of the altar