Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-12-24
HEART OF The WORLD.
aY II. RIDER HAGGARD.
Strange Story Manuscript Bequeathd by an Old
% and omrade, an
Eneishman
Copyrighted. 1894. ), a Rider H.ggsra

"That is wcll,n answered, "but for
my part do fear him.. think that his
| plans are ready, and that before this
| day is done there will be trouble In
deed, shall be thankful if we live to
see to-morrcw's light"
By this time we had reached the
others.
Are you weary of waiting" she said
as she spoke. aWell III should smido h hooe
been happier here than was wonder.
Give me your hand and lead me down
the stairs, for am tired. All. friend, did
you but know it, have just dared
more for your sake than / should have
dared for my own"
What have you dared?" he asked.
"That you will learn in due time, If
we live long enough, FRIEND" she an
swered; but, OIL would that we had
never set foot within this city,"
Two hours had passed, and following
In the train OF Zibalbay and Maya, who
walked beside him, once more we found
ourselves upon the summit of the pyra-
mid. Now, however, it was no longer
empty, for on it were collected men to
the number of some thousands, indeed,
all the adult male population
OF the city. On one side of
the altar were seated Tikal
and his bride, Nahua ;awho was the only
woman there, and some hundreds Of
mobiles, all of whom noted were armed
and guarded by a body Of soldiers that
stood behind them
On the other side were many vacant
| places, and as Zibalbay and Maya, with
the great company of followers that he
had gathered, advanced to take them,
Ttkal and every man present on the
pyramid uncovered their heads and
bowed in greeting to him
Then Zibalbay rose to address the
multitude, and l noted that his fierce
4 face was pale and anxious, and that his
hand shook, although his eyes flashed
angrily:
Heart, he began, ION this day year
ago left this city on certain mission.
This was my mission: to find the sew
cred portion of the sacred symbol that
is In the sanctuary OF the temple, the
| portion that is called Day, which has
been lost for many IN age.
you know that our race has fallen
upon evil times, and that year by year
our numbers dwindle till at length the
end for the people is in sight, seeing
that within some few generations they
must die out and be forgotten. You
know also the ancient prophecy, that
when once more The two halves Of the
Symbol of the Heart, Day and Night,
are laid side by side in their place upon
the altar in the sanctuary, then from
that hour this people shall grow great
again; and you know how voice spoke
to me in answer to my prayers, bidding
me, Zibal5ay, to wander forth from the
country of the Heart, following the
4 road to the sea, for there should find
that which was lost
i "Thither, then, having won the per-
mission OF my council, the Brotherhood
OF the Heart, have wandered alone
with my daughter, the Lady Maya, suf-
fering much hardship and danger in my
wanderings. and 10! / have found that
4 which was lost, and brought it back to
you, for here it hangs upon the neck of
this ignatio, who has accompanied me
from the lands beyond the desert"
4 Now murmur of establishment went
up from the multitude, and Zibalbay
paused awhile.
"Of this matter of finding the SYM
Dol, he continued, "I will speak more
fully at the proper time.
But first in this hour will deal with
other questions. 1t is known to you
that when | went upon my mission
left my nephew Tikal to sit in my place,
1t being agreed between us and the
council that if should return no more
within two years he should become ca
clqne of the people. have returned
within the year, and l find this: That
already he has allowed himself to be
anointed cacique, and more, that he,
who was affianced to my daughter, has
taken another woman to be his wife.
4 Last night, with my own ears,
heard him proclaim his treachery in the
tHo1l f<,$ 4 y
out the bitterness that was in my heart,
i I, your lord, was metwith threats and
told that Tikal having been anointed
could not now be deposed. use the
word against him. Mobiles, have not
i been anointed, and ruled over you and
the people for many years? And can /
then be dePosed; Iwho am not traitor
to my master, nor forswearer of my
oaths, as is my nephew yonder.''
Again ne paused, and some Of the
audience with those who had accom-
panied Zibalbay shouted .No!' but the
most OF them looked toward Tikal and
were silent. Now Natal rose from his
place behind Tikal and spoke, saying:
AS one who had to do with the
amounting of Tikal to be cacique when
we believed you and the Lady MAYA to
be dead, / would ask you, Zibalbay, to
tell us openly what is the meaning of
this Journey that you have undertaken,
and Tor what purpose you have brought
these two strangers, who are named Ig-
natto and the Son of the Sea, with you
q in defiane of the ancient law, which say
that he who bringsa stranger across the
mountains into the land Of the City OF
the Heart shall die, together with the
stranger"
ut becomes you i'll, Natal" replied
! Zibalbay, 'to question me. Yet will
answer you, and scorning subterfuge OF
falsehood, set out the whole matter il
the hearing of the people, that they may
judge between me, your party, an6
your master.
First, will say that had forgotten
the law of which you speak, whereof
have broken the letter, or if at any timt
remembered it my necessities caused
me to disregard it. Learn, then, thai
the stranger Ignatio is of royal IndiaI
blood, and the holder of that symbo
! which went forth to seek, and thai
the white man whom you call Sol
of the Sea is as brother to him, anG
that both of them are Of the fellowship
of the Heart, the lord Ignatio being nj
less man t han the master of the ordel
in yondcr lands as am here.
This lord Ignatio ! summoned to mt
and he came. He came, and with hi
companion, Son of the Sea, saved m,
and my daughter from shame ant
death. Then when we had escaped WI
tried each other and laid the symbols
side by side, and lol Day and Nigh
came together, and they were one
'sThen also told him how it hap
pened that was wandering far from
) my own place, and he,told me what wa
| his nurnoSe and the desire of his life