The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-08-15
Copyrighted. 1894. by II Rider Hasgard
CHAPTER xxIV.-CoNrrNuEp.

Il
Lords of the council, listen 10 tale,
the strangest that you have heard and
Judge between me and Tilsal, my hus-
baud, and Maya, my rival, and her
friends. Natal, my father, was known
TO you all, seeing that at the time of
his death, and. indeed, since TilSal was
appointed cacique, he stood next TO him
In place and power among the People
of the Heart, holding the offices in the
brotherhood which now are filed by
Dimas, and among them that OF
keeper of the sanctuary.
yet, lords, Natal my father, was
no true man. Alnsi that / should have
TO say il, seeing that IL was more for
my sake that he sinned than for his
own, since he loved me and desired my
welfare above everything on earth. 1t
was this love of his that ruined him,
making him false TO his god, 10 his
oaths, and TO his country. Thus, in the
beginning, he knew that since | was a
child had set my heart on the Lord
Tikal, who was afiianced to the Lady
Maya, and also that l was ambitious
and desired TO be great.
Therefore IL was that he deceived
Tilxal. pretending that 1t had been re-
vealed to him by Heaven that the Lady
Maya and her father were dead in the
wilderness. Therefore IL was also that
when he had persuaded him that she
was lost TO him forever, he pressed II
upon the Lord TilSal that he should
marry me in place OF Maya, his
afiianced, who was dead, promising him
in return that he would bring il about
that he should be anointed cacique OF
the People OF the Heart.
"All these things and others he did,
though at that time knew nothing OF
them and thought In my folly that
Tilxal married me because he loved me
and desired me as the companion of his
life and power.
'rhen Zibalbay returned on the
night OF my marriage feast, and with
him came Maya and the strangers, and
from that hour my husband began TO
hate me. because | was his wife in
place of Maya, whom he loved. More,
as have learned since, he went TO Iii
balbay while he lay in prison and Of
fered To resign his place rs cacique in
his favor for so long as he should live,
and no more to oppose schemes IL he
would give him Maya in marriage after
i had been put away either by death or
by divorce.
"This Zibalbay would have done, and
gladly, but, "a IL Glanced, Maya here
had set her heart upon the white man
during their journeyings together
through the Wilderness, and refused TO
he separated from him that she might
be palmed off In marriage upon Tikal.
Yet he might have won his way, for
their case was desperate, and the alter
native was death, had not Natal, my
father, found n plan whereby they
could be saved and | remain the wife of
the cacique.
This was the plan, lords: that n
prophecy should be set In the symbol of
the Heart Wonder such as would deceive
the Council OF the Heart and bring II
about that Maya should be given in
marriage 10 the white man whom she
loved Lords, this was done. AT the
dead of night they crept to the sanctu-
ary, and opening the Heart, placed with
in IL that tablet which you have seem
the tablet that foreshadowed the birth
of n deliverer. The rest you know"
ut is false" cried many voices.
''Such sacrilege Is not possible
ut Is not false" answered Nahua,
"and will prove 10 you that the sacri.
lege was possible. The Heart was
opened and the false prophecy forged
by my father was placed within II,
where IL was found by you on the night
OF the festival of the Rising OF Waters,
this day last year. But when the holy
Heart was opened, behold IL was not
empty, for in IL lay another prophecy,
true prophecy. which was removed
from Il, that the lie which has deceived
YOU might be set I'm its place"
where, then, is that writing?' asked
Dimas.
Here" she answered, drawing tho
tablet from her breast. "Listen-'and
she read:
.Thc eye that has slept and Il
awakened sees the heart and purpoS,
of the wicked | say that in the hour
of the dcsolation OF my city, not all the
waters of the Holy lake shall wash
away their sin. !"
Take IL. lords, and see for your
selves" she continued, laying the tablet
ON the altar. And now listen again
and learn how Il CHANGED that this reli,
came into my keeping. After he had
wrought this great sin the curse OF the
namciess god fell upon my father. md
as YOU know. he was smittcn with Q
sore disease. Then IL came about thai
when he lay dying rcmorsc took him
and ne wrote n certain paper which h'
caused TO be witnessed and given 60 me
together with this tablet.
Elm my hand hold that paper, lords
hear ii and judge for yourselves
whether have spoken truth or false
hood and she read aloud the COMES
sion OF Natal that set out every detail
OF our plot. and the manner of its ex
ccution.
Nov. lords she added when th'
reading was finished and the signatures
had been -xnmincd. you viii under
stand how Il happened that In my rage
at this tidings | strove 90 Kill yondc
infant. who has been palmcd OF upoI
YOU a. the seed of the god. and leave
Itto You 10 deal with those who plaunes
the fraud"
crf rrrn XIV
ranu4rYfI