Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-09-10
yourself over with your accomplices to
the most Infamous of Deaths

yourself over with your accomplices to
the most Infamous of Deaths"
yet it is the most strange and I'M
natural, Tikal, that wife should be
asked to part thus from her husband.
But stay; it is for him to speak, not me.
for he may be glad to buy safety at
this cost. First, what do you say, Ig
natio? Tell me, though / fear your an
swer, for it is easy to guess, seeing that
Tikal offers all that you can desire.
freedom and treasure, to enable you to
execute your plans"
1T is true, lady" I replied, that he
offers me these things, though whether
or not he is able to give them I cannot
say, and it is true, also, that l have no
wife here whom / must leave. and no
prospect save that of traitors death.
Still, lady. remember a certain promise
that / made to you yonder in the wilder
ness when by your courage you saved
your husbands life, and / remember,
also, that it was through me that he,
my friend. came to visit this accursed
city. Therefore I say let our fate be
one fate
she said, 'ssuch as could have come only
from your noble heart. Now. husband,
do you speak"
Il have nothing to say, Maya" re-
piled the senior, with a little laugh,
Except that wonder why you waste
time which we might spend happily to-
gether III listening to this fellows in
suits. If you bid me go to save you, per-
haps might think about it, but GER
tainly l will not stir one pace from your
side to save myself from any death"
st seems that have got my answer"
said Tikal. May none of you regret it
tonight when you come to look down
presses, and I have much to do before
we meet again." and he turned to
leave us.
1t might be thought that after Til1al
was gone we should have spoken to-
gether of what had passed. and of the
dangers that lay before us. But this
was not so; think we felt, all of US,
that there was nothing more to be said.
It is useless to fight against Fate, and
it is still more useless to be afraid of
him, seeing that whatever we do or
leave undone, he has his will of us at
last.
So we sat and chatted of Indifferent
things, our life.at the mine at Cumarvo,
that night which we spent in the
hacienda of Santa Cruz, the death of
our brave companion, Molas, and /
know not what besides. Presently the
child awoke, and its parents occupied
themselves with it, finding resem-
blances to each other in it's tiny fea-
lures, while I walked up and down the
hall. counting the lamps, smoking and
wondering where l should be by this
time on the morrow.
AT length the gates opened. for now
it was almost the middle of the night,
and there came through them Dimas
and a guard of priests. The old man
bowed before us and said that the time
had come to lead us before the council
in the sanctuary, but that we were to
have no fear, seeing that from all that
he had been able to learn our offenSe
would be leniently dealt with.
Maya asked what was to become of
the infant, which could not be left
alone, and he replied that she must
bring it with her, whereon she began
to wrap it in Serape.
your care is needless" said Dimas.
''There is a secret way to the sanctu-
airy from this place, by which l pro-
pose to lead you in order that the child,
our lord, shall not be exposed to the
raw cold of the night"
Then he took bunch of keys from
his girdle, and, handing them to one
who accompanied him, a fellow priest
and a member of the council, he COM
manded him to go forward with several
of the escort to open the doors and
light lamps in the passage that lay be-
tween us and the sanctuary. The
priest went. and, having waited awhile,
we followed him, to find him standing
ny tuO uidI O1S wall WHICH,
the passages from the sanctuary.
On seeing us approaching he gave the
signs, which were answered from with
in; next he opened the false door with
a silver key, leaving the key and the
bunch to which it was attached fixed in
the lock, for Dimas to take as he passed.
This, however, the old priest did not
do, for he thought that we should all
return by the passage. and as we
stepped into the sanctuary he con-
tented himself with closing the door
without locking it.
We took seats that had been prepared
for us in the open space before the altar,
Maya being placed in the center and
the senior and myself on either side of
her. Next the priest of the Records
rose and announced that the business
before the council was the trial of
three of its members, Maya, Lady OF
the Heart, the white man, Son of the
sea, and Ignatio, the Wanderer, Lord
of the Heart from beyond the mountains,
upon the charge of having broken their
oaths, which they took as members Of
| the council. Having read this formal
| accusation the priest set out the case
against us, clearly but briefly:
ION this very night of the festival of
the Rising Waters a year ago." he
| began, you strangers, among other
things, swore upon the altar, setting
| in pledge your souls and bodies for the
| fuIfllment of the oath, that without
| the consent of this high brotherhood
you would not attempt to leave the