WE WIN AND LOSE
Passing the City of Itza, Chaka announced his determination to rejoin
his people and rule over them as their lawful atkayma. Now that Uncle
Datchapa was dead he would meet with no opposition, especially if his
white brothers continued their trip through the air and did not alight
in the city.
Paul protested loudly at first, but a whisper from Ama, whose womanly
intuition led her to understand the situation, induced him to let Chaka
act as he desired. Their parting, as they embraced in the air, was as
affecting as it was novel, and Ama graciously allowed Chaka to kiss her
hand by way of farewell. The atkayma handed his electrite to Pedro and
divided his rubies among us all, saying he would have no use for them.
“Do not grieve for me, Brother Paul,” said the Maya, pleadingly. “I am
sure to be happier in my own country, ruling my people, than in your
stiff and luxurious civilization. It’s the call of the wild, I suppose,
and I am wise to heed it. Think of me kindly sometimes, you and Ama; but
think of me as free and contented, leading the chase and the wars
against the Mopanes. And now, farewell!”
He unfastened the rope from his belt, released a portion of the gas from
his jacket, and slowly descended into the city. We waited long enough to
see him surrounded by the natives, who prostrated themselves humbly
before him, and then resumed our journey.
* * * * * * * *
It was a tedious yet arduous trip, that flight over Eastern Yucatan, for
the wind was contrary and we had hard work to make satisfactory
progress. There was no safety in alighting, so we kept on as best we
could.
The night was brilliantly lighted by the stars and moon, and we were too
excited to feel fatigue. It was a marvelous experience for Ama, yet the
girl was not a bit afraid and endured the strain as well as the stoutest
of us.
By daylight we came to the seacoast, and proceeding north, with a slight
breeze in our favor now, we presently sighted by the aid of Paul’s field
glasses our handsome ship the _Seagull_. She was standing in toward the
shore from the open sea, a proceeding followed daily by my father ever
since we had left him, so that he might be on hand to assist us if we
suddenly appeared along the shore.
They were all considerably astonished when they discovered us coming by
“air route,” and it was amusing to us from our elevated position to
observe them craning their necks to watch us. Archie, when we were just
over the deck—father had stopped the engines by that time—mischievously
dropped a ruby that struck Uncle Naboth plump on his bald head and made
him whoop like an Indian.
We landed safely on the dock, and oh, how glad we were to feel the
planks under our feet again and be relieved from all anxiety.
Ama received a cordial greeting from both father and Uncle Naboth, and
was given the state cabin. It was wonderful how quickly she adapted
herself to our ways, and pleasant to see her happiness in her new
experiences, which she enjoyed by the side of Lieutenant Paul Allerton.
When we arrived in Havana, where we came to safe harbor, Paul and Ama
were quietly married. We gave her a ruby necklace, hastily put together
by a clever Cuban goldsmith, as her wedding gift. The bride and groom
started at once for a trip to the New Hampshire homestead, where, after
paying off the mortgages, Paul intended to visit his family until
obliged to rejoin his ship at San Diego.
FOOTNOTES
[1](Since this text was written the following item from a London
newspaper has been brought to our attention:
“A new war weapon, it is said, has recently been invented by an
Englishman, which, through separating an electric current by a
mechanical device, has the power of paralyzing whatever life comes
within its focus. In one experiment it is claimed the ray was focused
from a distance of four miles upon a horse, and resulted in its
staggering as though stunned by some mighty blow, and falling dead.
It is further alleged that an identical effect would have resulted
had the distance between machine and animal been infinitely
increased. The invention is now receiving careful consideration at
the London War Office.”
Mr. Akers disclaims any prior knowledge of this remarkable invention
and regards the matter as a mere coincidence.—_The Publishers._)
[2]“Atkayma” literally interpreted means, “The Father of the People.”
The word “Kaym” is used as “Our Father.”
[3]Curiously enough, the Maya year, established before the whites
discovered Yucatan, was the same as our own—three hundred and
sixty-five days.
The Boy Fortune Hunters Series
By FLOYD AKERS
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Panama
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Egypt
The Boy Fortune Hunters in China
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Yucatan
Mr. Akers, in these new books, has at a single bound taken front rank as
a writer for boys. The stories are full of adventure, yet clean, bright
and up-to-date. The first volume tells of the exciting scenes in the
early days of the Alaskan gold fields. The next book takes “The Boy
Fortune Hunters” to the “Canal Zone,” and the third story is filled with
stirring incidents in a trip through Egypt. The fourth book relates
thrilling adventures in the flowery Kingdom, while the last story
carries the youthful heroes through further exciting times in Yucatan.
_Illustrated 12mos. Uniform cloth binding,
stamped in three colors._
Price 60 cents each
The Aeroplane Boys Series
By ASHTON LAMAR
I. IN THE CLOUDS FOR UNCLE SAM
Or, Morey Marshall of the Signal Corps
II. THE STOLEN AEROPLANE
Or, How Bud Wilson Made Good
III. THE AEROPLANE EXPRESS
Or, The Boy Aeronaut’s Grit
IV. THE BOY AERONAUTS’ CLUB
Or, Flying For Fun
OTHER TITLES TO FOLLOW
These stories are the newest and most up-to-date. All aeroplane details
are correct. Fully illustrated. Colored frontispiece.
Cloth, 12mos. Price, 60c each
The Airship Boys Series
By H. L. SAYLER
I. THE AIRSHIP BOYS
Or, The Quest of the Aztec Treasure
II. THE AIRSHIP BOYS ADRIFT
Or, Saved by an Aeroplane
III. THE AIRSHIP BOYS DUE NORTH
Or, By Balloon to the Pole
IV. THE AIRSHIP BOYS IN THE BARREN LANDS
Or, The Secret of the White Eskimos
These thrilling stories deal with the wonderful new science of aerial
navigation. Every boy will be interested and instructed by reading them.
Illustrated. Cloth binding. Price, $1.00 each.
The above books are sold everywhere or will be sent postpaid on receipt
of price.
Transcriber’s Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public
domain in the country of publication.
--In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the
HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
dialect unchanged.