Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-12-17
HEART Of THE WORLD.
RY II. RIDER HAGGARD.
Strange q
Mexican Indian His Comrade
Englshman
Copyrighted, 1904, By a. Rider Hareara

and, like Zibalbay and Mayo, very fair
for Indians, but the look upon their
faces was different from any that
have seen among my people. 1t was
not stupid or brutal, or even empty,
rather did 1t suggest great WEAKNESS.
| WEAKNESS was the master not of their
bodies, but of their minds, and looking
at them l could understand what Zibal-
bay meant when he said that his race
was outworn.
Summoning the captain of the bear
ers Zibalbay talked to him while his
companions ate food that they had
brought with.them, and noted that
what he heard seemed to give him little
pleasure. Next he ordered us to enter
| the filters.
We started forward down the noun
tain, and in an hour we had left the re-
| gion of snow behind and entered the
cedar forests.
| At length, as the evening began to
fall, we entered the village Of corn
growers, a half7ruined place, of which
the houses were for the most part built
of adobe or mud bricks and rooted
with concrete of white lime.
When Zibalbay descended from his
litter all those present Frustrated them
selves and remained thus, till, followed
by some Of the head men, he had passed
into house, which was made ready for
his use, leaving us without.
Presently messengq ne from IL
balbay to summon us ,,.a he house,
pared, co consisting CT chiefly the ilfi from Pom
the lake, baked wild many
sIsi cd t eating ngd the citns f the
chocolate that was serylMust rs in cups
Of Hammered silver, theisoN &lad fallen
completely. l asked Day if we
should sleep there; to vt LII he replied
shortly that we were about to start for
the city.
Accordingly we set out by the light
of the moon, and We're guided to little
harbor in the shore of the lake, where
large canoe, fitted with a mast and
sail and manned by ten Indians, was
waiting for us. We embarked, and the
breeze being off land, hoisted the sail
and started toward the Island of the
Heart, which stood a distance of about
fifteen miles from the mainland.
The breeze was light; but after the
cold of the mountains, the air was so soft
and balmy and the scene SO new and
strange, that for one did not regret
our slow progress. Nobody spoke In
the boat, for all OF us were lost in our
own reflections, and the Indians were
awed to silence by the presence of their
lord, who alone seemed impatient, since
from time to time he pulled his beard
and muttered to himself.
Before us lay the tabled golden town
we had SO longed to see. Soon our feet
would pass its white walls and our eyes
| behold its ancient civilization.
what waits us there?" whispered.
the senior, and he looked at Maya.
She heard his words and shook her
head sadly. There was no hope In her
| eyes, which were dimmed with tears.
| Then he turned to me as though for
comfort, and the easy fires of enthusi-
asm burnt up within mc and I answered:
"Fear not, the goal is won and we shall
overcome all difficulty and danger. The
useless wealth of yonder golden city
shall be ours; and by it's help l shall
upon the oppressors of my race and
build up a great Indian dominion
stretching from sea to sea, whereof this
city shall be the hearth He heard and
smiled, answering:
''It may be SO, for your sake I trust
that it will be SO, but we seek different
ends, Ignatio," and he looked again at
the lady Maya.
On we glided through the moonlight
and the silence, for from the town came
no sound save the cry of the watchmen
cd1l1uS Ulc HOURS us UIlcy hepG GllclC
guard along the ancient walls, till at
length we entered the. shadow of the
holy city, lying dark upon the waters,
and the Indians getting out their pad
dies, for the wind no longer served US,
rowed the canoe up stone-embanked
canal that led to water gate.
Now we halted in front of the gate,
where there was no man to be seen. In
an impatient voice zibalbay babe the
captain of the boat hail the guardian Of
the gate, and presently man came
down the steps yawning, and inquired
who was there.
IT, the cacique," said Zibalbay.
"Open."
"Indeed That is strange" answered
the man, ''seeing that this night the
cacique holds his marriage feast at the
palace yonder, and there is but one
cacique of the people of the Heart.
"Get back to the mainland, wan
derers, and return in the daytime when
the gates stand, wide"
Now when Zibalbay heard these
words he cursed aloud in his anger, and
Maya started as though with JOY.
come home again, your lord and no
other" he cried, land you will be wise
to do my bidding"
The man stared and hesitated till the
captain of the boat spoke to him, say
SFool, would you become food for the
fishes? This is the lord Zibalbay re-
turned from the dead"
Then he FASTENED to open the gate as
fast as his fear would let him.
pardon, father, pardon" he cried,
prostrating himself, "but the lord
Tikal, who rules in your place, has
given it out that you were dead in the
wilderness, and commanded that your
name should be spoken no more in the
city"
+ zibalbay swept by him without
word. When he had passed up the
pierced in the thickness of the frown-
ing walls he halted, and addressing
| the captain of the boatmen, said:
| "Let this man be Scourged to-mor-
row at noon in the market place, that
henceforth he may learn not to sleep
at his post"
On the further side Of tho wall ran
wide street, bordered by splendid houses
built of white stone, which led to the
central square of the city, a mile or
more away. Up this street we walked
swiftly in silence, and as we went /
noticed that much of it was grass
l grown, and that many of the great
houses seemed to be deserted: indeed,
though light came from some of the
latticed window places, could see no
sign of any human being.
"Here is the city," whispered the
senior to me, "but where the people?"
4 Doubtless they celebrate the we'd
ding feast in the great square," I
answered. "Hark, hear them"
Ae,T I'D Tea. = IL