The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1898-01-20
HEART OF THE WORLD.
ny II. RIDER HAGGARD.
Strange Story, Manuscript Bequeathed by
Mexican His Friend and Comrade
EngIshman Named
Copyrighted. 1894. by IL Rider Haqsurd

his daughter the story of my life, and
of nv rrat scheme to build up again
that empire which fell in the day of
Montezuma.
Now You speak words that are after
my own Leart.' said the oil man; "but
tell lac, ow is it TO be donc?r
by your help" I answered. "Men
are here in plenty but to use them l
must have gold, whereas yonder. it
seems. you Rave gold and no rlcn.
Therefore ask of You some portion of
your useless wealth, that by its help
may lift up your people and my own"
Follow me to tic city, and if | can
bring it about you shall have all that
You dcsire.' he answered. Now,
daughter, lead me to my rest, for | am
overwhelmed. not with toll and suffer
ing. but with too much JOY"
When he had gone the senior spoke to
me. This is very we'll, Ignatio," he
sal |, land most interesting, but just
now, us ! may remind you, there are
things more pressing than the rcgencr-
alton of the Indian race; for instance,
our own safety. Tomorrow. at the lat
est, men will come to seek those villains
WI o lie yon or, an if we are found
here il seems likely that we shall be
shot dowi as inurdercrs Say, then,
what do You propose to do?"
Il propose, senior, that at the first
lig 1t of dawn we should take the mules
and ride away. The forest is densc and
it will be difficult to find us in it; more
over. two days journey will take us
beyond the reach of white men. Tell
me, lady," | added to Maya, who had
returae | from the chamber, ''do YOU
know the road?"
Il know the road" she answered.
but, sirs, before you take it, it is right
that should tell yon something.
lyon iavc hear my fathers words
an they arc true. every enc of them.
ou' they are not all TIC tru il. He rrles
,''nt civ Of which he hassp)lleu 20 you,
IN. ;hc npbles there are weary OF his
rulr. that a times is somewhat harsh.
ilso they diem him ma !. II was for
ll,is reason that they suffered him to
wander forth, seeking the fulf!lmant
Of prophecy in which none of them
have faith, fer they were certain that
he wonl perish in the wilderness and
return no more to trouble them"
"ibcD why did they allow YOU, who
are his heir, to accompany him, lady?"
because | would have it so. | love
my father and if he was doomed to die
because Of his folly, it was my wish to
die w;th him. Moreover, if you would
lsno;T the truth, hate that city where
! WIS born and the man in it to whom |
am destined 10 be married, and desired
to escape from it if only for awhile"
And does that man hate YOU, lady?"
NO" she answered, turning her
head aside; but if he loves me, | be-
licve that he loves power more. Had |
stayed. my father would have abpoint-
cd me to rule in his place, and Tillal.
my cousin, would have been next to the
throne, not ON it; therefore it was that
he consented to my going, or at least
| think so.
"Sirs. learn now that you are to ac-
company us to the City of the Heart,
should we live to reach it.
Come if you will, but be warned, my
people are jealous people, and the
name OF stranger is hateful to them.
Few such have ever reached the City of
the Heart for many generations, and of
these, save one or two, none have es-
capped from it alive. They do not de-
sire new things, they have little knowl-
edge of the world beyond their walls,
and seek for none.
Now, sirs, choose whether you will
accompany us in our march toward the
CITY OF Waters, or whether you will set
your face to the sea again and forget
that you CHANGED to hear n certain story
from wandering doctor, whose mis-
fortunes had made him mad. and an In
dian girl who tended him.
Now | listened to these words which
the lady Maya polSe very earnestly and
with power, and understood that thty
meant rluch; they meant that in going
to the City of the Heart we were, as she
believed. going to our doom.
LAZY" said, ''it may well chance
that death waits me yonder, but
tbither | shall go if my strength does
not fail me and death will suffer it.
For the senior here it is different. He
has heard your words, and if he will
harSen to them and to mine, he will
BID us farewell tomorrow and go his
We. leaving us to go ours"
She listened. and turning toward him.
said: You hear. What saw Won.
white man"' And it seemed to me
that she awaited his answer anxiouslv.
Ncs, lady, hear" he replied, with
a laugh, 'and doubtless it is all t,.ue
enough and | shall leave my bones
yondcr among your couutrymen. Well.
so be it; | have determined to 90. and
go ! will, since l am too idle to chance
my mind. Also, it seems to me that
after this days business there is more
danger in staying here than in pushing
forward"
Il am glad that you are going, since
you go of your own free will" she said
smiling. May our fears be confoun1ct'
and your journey and ours prove pros
porous. And now let us rest. for vo,
must be very weary, as | am, and we
should be stirring before the dawn"
Next morning at the first break of
light we started on our journey, riding
on three of the mules that
we had captured. and leading
the fourth laden with our good
and water skins. Very glad were
all OF us to see the last of that ruined
temple, ard yet it was sad to me to
leave IT, for there hidden beneath some
OF the masses of the fallen masonry. Law
oil That was left of my friend and fos-
ter brother, Molas, he whose bravery
and wit had saved our lives at the cost
of his own.
Our plan was to avoid villages whore
we might be seen by men. and l,eer, orr
selves hidden in the forest. foI. we
feared lest we should be followed and
brought to account because of tlo |
death of Don Pedro and his conpanions. |
and this we We're able to do. since hav- |
ing guns and ammunition in plenty we |
shot birds and deer for our daily food |
travelling thus on mule back soon |
our strength returned tous. even to the |
Ola man Lllbalbay. who had suffered |
the most from fatigue and from i'll |
treatment at the hands of the whit |
men. In something less than wee. |
we had passed through the inhabited |
of Nucatan and far out of the |
reach of the white man. and now werc |
lourneying through the forest toward |