The Boy Fortune Hunters in Yucatan by L. Frank Baum

After three hours Ama came to us. She had exchanged her regal robes for a simple white toga, in which she appeared very charming in spite of her reddened eyelids and trembling lips. She was a brave girl, I willingly confess, and bore the terrible blow as well as any woman could have done.

Perhaps the bitterness of her disappointment and chagrin was lessened by the thought that her friendship for Paul had brought it upon her. Girls like to make sacrifices for the man they love, I'm told. Repudiated and scorned by the people she had so faithfully served, Ama naturally turned to those who had stood by her in her trouble, and she must have known that every one of us was a faithful friend and devoted to her cause.

Chaka's conduct filled me with admiration. With all his heart and soul he loved this beautiful girl; yet when he saw that "his brother Paul" loved her, too, and that Ama turned more readily to Allerton than she did to him, he had never faltered in his steadfast affection for them both. The girl's admission in the theatre that she would accept Paul as her husband settled Chaka's chances for good and all, and he never whispered or wavered an eyelash. He was a savage, this handsome, dignified young fellow, born in savagery and even yet only half civilized. I wish there were more civilized whites as noble as he.

Ama was able to discuss the day's events with a fair amount of composure.

"My heart is aching and my head whirls," she said pitifully; "but one cannot die because an ungrateful people has bitterly wronged her."

"We may all die soon," remarked Archie, gruffly.

"Not all," said Ama, with a wan smile. "When you, my friends, have made your escape from this valley, I will go out and deliver myself up to the cruel vengeance of the Tcha."

"How can we escape? " asked Allerton.

"Can you not fly away, as you came? " she returned, as if surprised.

"Not without our flying clothes," he said. "They were taken from us when first we arrived."

"But they are here," she exclaimed. "I had them brought to me so I might examine them, and discover the secret of their use. But it was too puzzling; I was stupid and did not understand."

We listened to her with hearts beating high with hope for the first time.

"What do you mean by ‘here'? Where are these flying-clothes, Ama? " inquired Paul in a voice that trembled in spite of his effort to control it.

She reflected a moment.

"They were put in my wardrobe room. Come; I will show you."

We all followed her through the gorgeous suite, extensive and magnificent enough for any queen, and at the end of a passage came to the room she had described. The gas-jackets were piled neatly upon a shelf, and with them were the cases containing the themlyne crystals.

I'm almost sure that was the happiest moment of my life. I felt like kissing everybody all around-even including Ama and her maidens. But none of us did anything so foolish and we accepted our good fortune like philosophers.

When we had carried the treasure back into the big reception room I noticed that Paul sat in a corner with Ama and held a lengthy conversation with her. He also held her hand, even though she needed no support at that time. Chaka gazed silently from the window, and thinking that perhaps the interview was of a personal nature we none of us interrupted the conversation, although after an hour or so the wait began to be tedious.

They finally came to us, however, hand in hand, and both their faces were radiant with bliss.

"Ama is coming with us," announced Paul; "for whether Katalat's story is true or not the Tcha believe him and this is no place for Ama hereafter. She will wear the extra gas-jacket and I'll take care of her myself."