Page:Here and there in Yucatan - miscellanies (IA herethereinyucat00lepl 0).djvu/141

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MAYA ROMANCE.
129

The women flee to inner chambers, wailing "Lilá! Lilá!" The men fight desperately; Chanbel is insane with rage. He slays man after man, for his promised bride has been carried away in the arms of their leader. The hall decked with flowers becomes a scene of carnage; the floor is stained with wine and blood.

Away! away! go Canek and Lilá; not daring to stop till far beyond the domains of the powerful empire from which they are fleeing; only resting beneath the trees when night overtakes them; subsisting on the fruits of the forest. After many days they reach a beautiful lake where boats await the dauntless Canek and his stolen bride. Then they set sail, and soon arrive at the other side of the lake Peten Itza, where they make their home, calling the place Tinibacan, which means "Where we spread our sails to dry."