Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-01-25
HEART OF THE WORLD.
BY II. RIDER HAGGARD.
Strange Story
Mexican Indian His Friend and Comrade,
Englishman Named
1894. By H Rider Hageara
CHAPTER XIV.
EAREMEII


Nahua ceased and sat down, and so
greatwas the establishment of the coun-
Gil at the tale that she had told that for
awhile none of them spoke. AT length
Dimas rose and said:
maya, Lady of the Heart. and you,
strangers, you have heard the awful
charge that is brought against you.
What do you say in answer to it?"
''We say it is true" answered Maya.
eve were forced to choose between our
lives and the doing of this deed, and
we chose to live. 1t was Natal who
Matched the plot and executed the
forgery, and now it seems that we must
suffer for his sin as well as for our own.
One word more. Ignatio here did not
enter into this plot willingly, but was
forced into it by my husband and my
self. and chiefly by myself"
Dimas made no answer, but at sign
the two priests who guarded the altar
with drawn swords came forward and
drove us into the passage that led from
the sanctuary to the Hall of the Dead,
where they shut us in between the
double doors, leaving us in darkness.
Here. as all was finished, l knelt
down to offer my last prayers to
Heaven, while Maya wept in her hus-
bands arms, taking farewell of him and
of her child.
Truly" he said, ssyou were wise,
wife, when you urged us not to enter
this Country of the Heart. Still, what
is done cannot be undone, and, having
been happy together for a little space,
let us die together as bravely as we
may, hoping that still together we may
awake presently in some new world Of
peace"
While he spoke the door was opened
and the priests, with drawn swords,
led us back into the sanctuary. AS
Maya crossed the threshold first of the
three Of us, she was met by Tikal. who,
with sudden movement, but without
| roughness, took the child from her
arms.
Now we saw what was prepared for
us, for the stone in front of the altar
had been lifted, and at our feet the
| black shaft yawned, from which ascend
ed a sound of waters. They placed us
with our backs resting against the
altar, but Tilsal stood in front, aud be-
| tween him and us lay the mouth of the
| pit.
Maya, daughter of Zibalbay. white
man, Son of the Sea, Ignatio the Wan
dercr, and Natal the Priest, whom,
| being dead in the body, we summon in
| the spirit" began Dimas, in cold and
| terrible voice, you, by your own con-
fession, are proved guilty of the great
| est crimes that can be dreamed of in
the wicked brain of man, and executed
| by his impious hands.
| This is the sentence of the Council
of the Heart: That your name. Natal,
be erased from the list of the officers of
the Heart; that your memory be pro-
lclaimed accursed; that your dwelling
place be burned with fire, and the site of
it strewn with salt; that your corpse
be torn from its grave and laid upon the
summit of the pyramid till the birds of
the air devour it, and that your soul be
handed over to the tormentors of the
lower world to deal with according to
their pleasure forever and for aye.
This is the sentence of the Council
OF the Heart upon you. Maya, daughter
of Zibalbay, white man, Son of the Sea,
and Ignatio, the Wanderer: That your
names be erased from the roll of the
Brethren of the Heart, and proclaimed
accused in the streets of the city; that
you be gagged, bound hand and foot,
and chained living to the walls of the
sanctuary, and there be left before the
| altar of the god which you have
violated, till death from thirst and
hunger shall overtake you; that your
! corpses be laid upon the pyramid as a
| prey to the birds of the air, and that
your souls be handed over to the tor
mentors of the under world to deal
with according to their pleasure forever
and for aye.
sit is spoken. Let the sentence of
the council be done. But first, since
this bastard babe is too young to sin
and suffer punishment, let him be
handed into the keeping of the god,
I that the god may deal with him accord
ing to his pleasure"
As the words passed his lips, and be-
fore we fully understood them, dazed
as we We're with the terror of our aw-
full doom, Tilkal stepped forward, and
even now / shudder when l write of it
holding the poor infant, which at
this instant began to wall as though
with pain or fear, over the mouth of
the pit, suddenly let it fall into the
depths beneath.
The Shrek of the agonized mother
ran round the walls of the holy place,
and before it had died away the senior
had leaped forward, leaped like puma
across the open well, and gripped Tikal
by the throat and waist He gripped
him, and, rage giving him strength, he
lifted him high above his head and
hurled him down the dreadful place,
where the child had gone before
| With hoarse scream Tikal vanished,
and for moment there was silence. 1t
was broken by the voice of Maya crying
aloud in accents of madness and de.
spair:
Not all the waters of the Holy Lake
shall wash away our sin, yet may they
| serve to avenge us upon you, o, you
| murderers of helpless child!"
AS she spoke, followed by the senior
and myself, who think alone of all the
company guessed her mad purpose,
Maya ran round the altar, and with
both her hands grasped the symbol OF
the Heart which lay upon it.
"Forbear" cried the voice of Dimas,
but she did not heed him, and before
he or any Of us could reach her, drag
ging at it with desperate strength, she
had torn the ancient symbol from its
bed, and, with a loud and mocking
laugh, cast it down upon the marble
| floor, where it shattered into frag-
ments.
From the altar there came sound as
Of harp strings breaking, that was fol-
lowed by another and more awful
sound, the sound of the roar Of many
waters.
oFlyl hy!" cried voice. 1.-The floods
are loosed and destruction is upon us
and upon the People of the Hearth
| Now the Council rushed one and all
toward the door Of the sanctuary, but
I, Ignatio, by the grace OF Heaven, re-
membered the other door, the secret
door through which we had entered,
that the priest had left ajar.
This ways" cried in Spanish to the