The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1898-04-07

was torn from its bed these sluice gates
were opened, and, the waters rushing
in, sought their natural level, which
| was higher than the housctops Of the
| city, On the summit of the pyramid
| were two priests, who tended the sa-
| cred fire and made ready for tho service
| to be celebrated. Seeing us emerge
| from the watch house, they ran toward
rs. wrinring their hands and asking
| what dreadful thing had come to pass
| | replied that we did not know, but
that, seeing the water gather in our
! prison, we had fed from it. How we
had fled they never stopped to ask, but
| ran down the stairway of the pyramid
only to return again presently, for be-
fore they reached its base their escape
| was cut off.
Meanwhile the terror thiclsened and
| tho doom began. Everywhere the
waters spread and gathered, rcplcn-
ishcd from the ineXhnustible reservoir
of the lake. Whole streets went down
before them to vanish suddenly be-
meath their foaming face, while from
the crowd below rose one continuous
shriclS of agony. Maya heard it, and
casting herself face downward upon
the surface of the pyramid, that she
might not see her handiworl thrust
her fingers into her ears, while the
senior and / watched, fascinated.
Now the flood struck the people,
some thousands of them, who were
gathered on the rising ground at the
gates of the Enclosure of the temple,
and, 10. in an instant they were gone,
borne away as withercd leaves are
borne before gale. Ere man might
count ten the most Of the population
of the City of the Heart had persisted!
For little while some Of the more
massive houses stood, only to vanish
one by one. in silence, us it seemed, for
now the roar of the waters covered all
other sounds. Before the sun was well
up 1t was finished, aud on the ancient
and beautiful city, Heart of the World,
there remained nothing to be seen ex-
ccpt the tops Of the trees and the upper
parts of the pyramids of worship rising
above the level of the lake.
The Golden city was no more
Presently Maya rose to her knees aud
looked out from beneath the hollow OF
her hand, ior the light was dazzling
there upon the white summit of the
pyramid Then she flung her arms
above her head and uttered great ana
bitter cry.
Behold my handiworlS,' she said,
father, that dream which was sent to
haunt my sleep was dreadful, but it did
not touch the truth. O. my father the
people whom you would have saved arc
dead, and lost is the city that you loved,
and it Is l who have DESTROYED them.
0, my father, my father, yoi-f curse
has found me out, indeed, and I am ac-
cursed
SoIae such words as these she spoke.
then began to laugh, and turning to
the senior, said:
Where is the child, husband?"
lie could not answer her, but she
took no note of ii, only she bent her
arms, rocking them and grooming as
though the infant lay upon her breast;
then came first to him and next to me,
saying:
Look, is he not a pretty boy? Am /
not happy to be the mother of such a
boy?"
WEAKNESS, sorrow and shock had
turned her brain, and she was mad
we led her to the watch house, where
there was shelter, and the priests, who
had returned, gave us food as soon as
we could make them understand that
we needed it, for they, too, were almost
mad. Hero her last illness seized her.
1t began witha hardening of the breast
which changed presently to fever.
Two days and nights with breaking
hearts We nurscd her there upon the
pyramid, striving not to listen to her
mad rawlings and piteous talk about the
child, and at dawn upon the third dav
she died. Before she died her senses
rcturued to her, and she spoke to her
husband beautiful and tender words
which seem too holy Co set down.
She turned to the senior, and in q
gasping and broken voice prayed of him
not to forget her or her child. | heard
INN answer that this she need not fear.
as his happiness died with her, and
even rhe should escape he thourht
that they would not be parted for very
long, nor conld any other woman take
her place in his heart.
She blessed him and thanlSedahim.
caressing his face with her dying hands,
and unable to bear more of such sight
left them together. t
An hour later the. senior came from
the watchhousc, and though he did not
speak one glance at his face was enough
to tell me that all was over.
Thus died Maya, Lady OF the Heart.
the last of the ancient royal blood of
the Indian princes, myself alone cx-
ceptcd, very sweet and beautiful
woman, though at times headstronr
and capricious.
Now while Maya lay diving VIC learned
that some Indians still lived on the
mainland, men and women who Ind |
oeen sent there to tend the CROPS. fo,.
we saw a canoe lowering round what |
once had been the Island of the TIonrt
IL was manned by three In.l,ans. and |
was advancing toward us, and we sig- |
nailed to them to paddle round to the |
steps OF the pyramid. They did, and,
taking with us all the food and srcb
few articles of value us were To ba
found in the watch house, the four Of
us embarked, though not without difi-
caity, for the current ran SO strnner
round the crumbling angles of tho n,.r.,e
mid that it was hard to bring the emo,
up to the stairs.
From the Indians we learned that (
tnoSe on shore were so ovcrvhchnoJ
with horror at the catastrooho wb;.i
nad iaiien upon their holy citv that
tney DID not dare TO approach the nl,ne
where II had stood. But when last
night they saw the great flar,c ~
Mayas funeral pyre they lsne,v that
. hcn sun nyed on the pyramid, who, as
io III neip, and ventured out to save them
ney asked us how it came about that
tne waters had overwhelmed the c;tv
ssnlcn nag stood among them safely
rom the beginning of time. We ~.
pneo that we did not know. and the
priests with US. now that shev h,1 &c
eapet wifh thcir lives. scn:arl to-, 49,.