Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 189, No. 4 — page 98: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

568 Tench or Xtla, as they all knew and called him. Practically every male of mature age and of good health was a Priest of Za. Each wore round his throat a leather thong con- taining a single jewel. After a walk of about three miles they came to a hole in the side of a mountain. It was about twelve feet square and shored with the trunks of small trees, evidently the entrance to the mine, but concealed from the casual passer-by by the branches of a huge oak tree which hung down over it like a screen. At the distance of only a few feet the aperture could not be detected. When they reached the mine it was broad daylight. The members of the council went to a near-by mound of earth and rummaged among some fallen dried oak leaves. They disclosed a pile of sharpened oak staves, the ends charred and toughened by fire. These they passed around among the Priests of Za, one to each. By this time the sun was up, and the light excellent. At a signal from the chief of the council all bowed their heads. Za raised her hands and uttered a prayer, and then the Priests passed through the entrance to the mine, and disappeared inside. Tench was in their midst and as he passed out of the daylight he felt a familiar figure pressing along at his side. He turned and confronted the cool, dark glances of Huasco. “The fleet one prospers,’’ muttered Hu- asco, with a sneer. Tench ignored the inflection in the otlter’s voice, and replied good-naturedly: “I am well thank you, Huasco, and you?” For answer Huasco impudently flipped his thumb under the jewel in the leather thong about Tench’s neck. “I am not yet a Priest of Za.”” He touched a leather thong around his own neck. It bore no jewel, indicating that he was a Neophyte, a candidate for the priesthood, but not yet ac- cepted. “It is a bad day for good Mayans when a heathen stranger can be given a Sun-window in preference to our own people.” “Tam sorry you feel that way,” Tench replied, striving to ignore the insolence in the other’s manner. ‘“ I would prefer to be friendly with you, Huasco, if you will make it possible.” ‘withdrew to his work. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. The dark face came menacingly near to his. “A Mayan cannot be friendly with one who wanders through the night with the Priestess, Za.” Tench flushed with the inference in the tone, rather than with the words. ‘ Wh- what d-do you m-mean?” he stammered. Huasco chuckled malevolently. “ You were seen that night,” he went on in a low whisper, his mouth close to Tench’s ear. “It is known that you have not for the Priestess the true worship. Beware! One more false step from you and the council will be notified of your unorthodox ideas about the High Priestess Za.” Tench partially recovered himself. He believed that Huasco was bluffing, but if so, the Aztec had an uncanny intuition of Tench’s feelings, and was taking advantage of them. Tench did not believe that he had revealed his own trepidation in the darkness of the mine. He responded firmly: “I will look after myself, Huasco. You look after yourself. Let us both be good Mayans—and friends.” He held up his hand in the fashion he had observed in the tribe as indicating friendliness. Instead of responding by rais- ing his hand, Huasco spat upon the ground. It was a mark of personal defiance, a dead- ly insult, although Tench did not thorough- ly comprehend it. : Za, who had been standing near the mouth of the mine, had been observing the tenseness between the two. She was per- turbed. She stepped forward and addressed them. “Huasco! Xlta! You should be at work. The day is advancing. The hours of labor are short.” Tench turned upon her, his face beaming with friendliness. She answered smile with smile. But when Huasco looked toward her, she faced him down stonily until his glance fell. He seized his sharp stick, and In a moment Tench followed him. The mine channel went back several hun- dred feet into a hill. The Mayans worked there with their sticks and their hands. The ground was a combination of soft stone and earth. The stone crumbled under the least blow, and even between the fingers. The Gomichbooks GON