San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-02-02

Can we try the cuevaP" faltered
Maya
1T is impossible" answered her
father. eve should all be killed"
Eyes, yes" repeated the senior, at Is
impossible. Better that one should die
than all four"
"Fear not" ] said to the senior, ''it is
the poison that has dried you up, but
thirst will not kill you so soon, and
presently you will feel it less. Oh!
that we had medicine here to make you
sleepr'
He lay silent for awhile, making no
answer, but from the workings of his
| hands and face we could see that he
suffered much.
Maya" he said at length, "can you
! find me a cool stone to put in my
mouth?"
She searched and found a pebble,
which he sucked, but after time 1t fell
from his lips, and we saw that it was as
J dry as when it entered them. Then his
brain gave way, and he began to rave
huslIily in many languages.
Are you devil?" he asked, that you
suffer me to die in torment for the want
of drink of water? Why do you stand
! there and mock me? Oh, have pity and
! give me water"
| For awhile we bore it, though per-
haps our agonies were greater than his
! own-then Maya rose and looked at his
! face. 1t was sunlIeu as though with q
| heavy illness, thick black rings had ap-
peared beneath his blue eyes, and his
lips were flecked with blood.
II can endure this no MORE" she said
in a dry voice. Watch your friend,
Don Ignatio."
you are right" l answered; "this is
no place for a woman. Go and sleep
yonder, so that 1 can wake you if there
is need"
She looked at me reproachfully, but
went without answering and sat down
behind bush about thirty yards away.
Here, it seems-for all this story she
told me afterward, and for the most
part do but repeat her words-she be-
gan to think.
Only one thing could save him
water. In the depths of yonder hill,
within few PAGES of her, doubtless 1t
lay in plenty, but who would dare to
seek it there? And yet the descent of
the cueva must be possible, since the
ancients used it daily, and why could
she not do what they had done? Yes,
she would try It'll When once she had
made up her mind, Maya set about the
task swiftly.
She provided herself with flint, steel,
timber, a rope, and small water-skin
of untanned hide, which she strapped
upon her shoulder. In another minute
she was running across the desert like
q deer. At the entrance to the cueva
she paused to gather up the aloe torches
which had been thrown down there,
and also to look for one moment at the
familiar face of night-the night that
she might never see again. Then she
Ut torch and crept through the narrow
opening.
The place had been awful IN the
evening when she visited 1t In the COM
papy Of the rest of rs. Now, alone
and at night, 1t appalled, her
She halted on the brink to strip her
self so that there might be as little as
possible to Impede her movements In
climbings the stair, and twisted her
hair into knot. Next she tied the
cord about her middle and the water,
skin, to which she fastened the flint
and steel, upon her shoulders. Light;
ing two of the largest torches she fixed
rock, so that their flames 'shone ovef
the mouth of the shaft, down which she
threw, first bundle of unlit torches,
and lastly one, on fire. This torch did
not go out, as she had expected that 1t
would, for presently looking down the
pit she saw spark of light shining
one hundred and fifty feet or more be-
meath her.
Now all her preparations were COM
plete, and nothing remained to be done
except to descend and search for the
water.
By the time that she was third of
the way down the shaft her courage re-
turned to her, and the only fear she
felt was lest some of the inches should
be broken. Fortunately this was not
the case, although one of them was so
much worn that her toes slipped out of
| it, and for a second or two she hung by
her hands. Recovering herself, she
went on from step to step till at length
she stood at the bottom of the shaft.
After few minutes pause to get her
! breath, Maya found one of the dry aloe
stems and lit 1t at the embers of the
torch, which she had thrown down the
pit. Then she looked round her to find
herself in large, natural cavern of no
great height, which sloped gently
downward furthe: than she could see.
| turning ner eyes 10 Jne 1OOr Sne
searched for and found the path that
had been followed out by the feet of
the ancients, but now was half hidden
in sand and dust.
1t ran straight down the cave and she
followed it for fifty PAGES or more,
holding the light in one hand and
some spare torches under her arm.
Suddenly the passage took a turn,
and there in the center of wonderful
place, such as she had never seen be-
fore, CLEANED the water which she had
risked her life to reach.
This water, though clear as crystal,
was not still, for once in every twosec-
onds great bubble rose In the center of
the pool to burst on its surface and send
a ring of ripples to the rocky sides. So
beautiful was this bubble, and so regu-
lar it's appearance, that for some min
utes Maya watched it, then, remember
ing that she had no time to spare, set
herself to get to the water, only to find
that she was confronted by new diff
Guilty, and one that but for her fore
sight might have proved insuperable.
The rock bank Of the pool was SO smooth
and sloped so steeply to the water that
It was quite impossible for anyone to
keep footing on it.