The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1898-03-10

f9Ol-tlOW we ctlncu ana Slicncc'
Maya; somehow we escaped from tha
atcful sanctuary, and by low decree
roughl her and the dead bOdy Of he
librr up ihs narrow stairs Gnd paa
ages to he hall above, where we lai,
he latter on It's bed. Then hiatt;i lcf
IS, and remember no more till tn
next morning, when the nollcs an,
lcechcs came TO watch by the body o
fhc eacique and embalm it in readiness
| for the tomb
The next two days went heavily 70
the Gree of rs. oppressed as we wer
by the silent gloom of our prison ant
the memories of that dreadful night.
At length they carried away tn,
corpse Of /ibalbay 10 be wrapped in IL
winding sheet ,of gold and set with /.
forcfathers in the hall Of the dead. an,
though Maya wept. |, for my part, wa
glad TO see the last Of him, and so
thinl: was the senior, whose spirit ha,
begun to fail him in the presence Of 81
much rcmorse and grief
That day-it was the day previous t
the night of the rising of the waters OF
which we were to appear before the
Council of the Heart, in the sanctuary
TilSal came to visit MS. To Maya h,
bowed low, but on the senior and my
self he looked with an angry eve, Will
the eye, indeed, of one who would have
silled us if he dared.
First. he offered her his sympathy
upon the death of her father. For this
Inc returned her thanks, quoting. how.
ever. with flash of her old spirit, a
certain proverb of her own people, OF
which the meaning is that the death OF
one man is the breath of another.
tsAItr fafI,o,. Il.
added, and now that he is gone you
will be able to sleep and reign in peace. .
Not altogether so, lady," he an
'wcred, ''secing that he had left behind
him n more dangerous rival to my
power, namely, yourself. | will no;
hide from you, Maya, what you soon
must learn, that Il large portion of the
people, and with them many Of the no
0lcs accusing me of your fathers muir
der, clalnor that | should be dcposcd
and that you should be set up in ny
place as cacique of the City of the Heart
Some few days ago | might have
stillcd their cutlery by commanding you
to he put to death, but now it Is too
late, for since that time has fought for
you, and your death would doubtless
be followed by my own. When last we
met ! asked you certain question, to
which you promised me an answer
when your father was dead or re-
covered, and to-day have come to hear
that answer.
while Iibalbay lived had much to
offer him and you in exchange for your
hand. | offered it freely. So high Il
value did | place upon it, now that it
seemed lost to me, that | was prepared
to lay down my power, TO suffer your
father to violate the laws and to incur
the internal hate and active enmity of
Natal, his daughter and his party.
Now | must make you lower bid. that
of equal power for yourself and for your
friends here, whatever they may desire
SHOULD you refuse me, this is the al
tentative: Civil war in the city till one
of us is destroyed, and instant death as
the portion of your friends.
But, Maya, pray you not to refuse
me, for have something more to offer
you, and it is my undying love. From
a child have always loved you, MAYA,
although you have treated me coldly
enough, and now day by day | love you
more. Indeed, l believed that you aud
your father were dead yonder in the will
derness, for then had faith in Natal,
whom now | know to be a rogue, aud
Natal swore that it was written in the
stars. Even SO would not have married
another woman, for my heart bled at
the loss of you, had not Natal made
marriage the price of his support, with
out which l could not hope to be
anointed cacique, seeing that | had
many jealous enemies"
You have spoken, cousin" she an
swered, land your words have been
gentle, and yet if l understand you
right, some days since you were in two
minds as to whether it would not be
better to murder me here in this dark
some hole where you placed us.
II policy put any such thought into
my mind, Maya, love drove it out again, -
he answered with confusion,
so You admit that this was So she
said. "Wcll, n day might come when
policy might breed the thought and
love, grown weary, prove not warm
enough TO wither it. Also it seems
that even now, you threaten these, my
companions, with death, should refuse
you your desire"
IF You should refuse me my desire,
Maya, perhaps it will be for a secret
reason of your own" and he scowled at
the senior aaGrily, "A reason that the
death of these men, or one of them, will
remove
BE sure of thing. TilSal, she broke
in sharply. "that such wicked dccd
would PET an end forever to your hopes
OF making me your wife. Now listen;
have heard your words and they have
touched me somewhat, for | think that
although YOU have broken vour oath 30
my father, and your troth with ne, 1T
heart you are honest in your love. Still
can give you no answer now, and for
this reason, that the answer does not
lie with me, but rather with the gods.
Tomorrow night VIC appear before
the High Court of the Council of the
Heart. and you yourself shall set The
several portions of the talisman in the
symbol that is on the altar in the sane
tuary, when the god shall declare his
purpose. BY that will and not by my
own | must be guided in this and in all
other thingsm Tikal thought awhile
and answered:
And If nothing follows this cere-
mony and The orcles of the gods are
silont, what then?"
Then, TilSal." she answered, softly,
"you may ask me again il | will be-
come your wife, aud perhaps If the
council suffers It | shall not say YOU
nay. And now farewell. for grief still
shadows me, and | can talk no more
CHAPTER NX
TIE COUNCIL Of THE HEART
On the following day the attendants
who set our meals brought with them
clean robes for each of us. scented and