Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-05-21
American Legends.
THE pRlEsrEss OF THE sArcHEz.

The long summer day was wearing to its
close. Among the Natchez it had been one of
unusual and Intense interest, and now the de-
cending sun seemed to rest moment ON tile
distant hill as if taking long parting from
earth. The great annual sacrifice and peace
offering of the nation had been celebrated /;
many doomed one had danced i'll front of
the altar and met their death around tile
great shrine i'll the temple lay scattered the
blood and bones of five score human souls !;
some the hardy, vigorous plants of the tribe,
others but the waving grass, the genter maid
ems. Among them, treading with their naked
feet upon the smouldering embers and SIND
king relics OF humanity, walked the one. hun
bred priests of the temple, chanting in wierd
incarnation style their national song. No
sound of mourning came up on the hushing
twilight, though households had been and
were wrecked a father was gone, son there
missed, mother in the filth around the altar,
a sister trampled upon, yet il was blessed
boon, and long sought one to die thus, and
Ear, far in advance many craved the high honor.
Splendidly the angel of light linned on the
western canvas OF clouds a fair picture, as il
in contrast with the reeking orgies of the
temple the barbarous people gazed on the
beautiful imagery, and for moment forgot
their national rites; and even the priests
walking to and fro and burning incense before
the hideous figure OF a snake, fain would leave
the sickening scene, and, too, seek for onn-
nous lights and shadows in the sky.
An aged warrior, one who had served his
master long and well, and been the hero Of
many battle, lay on his robe OF skins, and
gazed with dim, though fixed eye steadily on
the heavens. The western glory gently died
away, and two dark clouds from either pole
commenced slowly climbing tile sky. The
setting sun, glazing up from behind the hills,
glided their crests with lurid light, and the
darkness without gradually gaining over the
land, gave nature a more than seeming plu
tonian tinge.
Finally the day faded away altogether the
upcoming clouds met in the zenith, and al
traces OF light were gone. darkness ever
more horrible than that which brooded ovei
chaos sin the beginning enshrouded them
and lurked in all the secret places of earth.
strange horror covered the entire tribe
fires We're lit again on the sacred altar, yet til,
light was dull dead and indistinct; it foatet
by the detached masses, as clouds sail in
summer day over the sky; no shining OF |
t could be found, no steadiness, no CLEAN ligh
was stranded on the shores of time, and tn
broken pieces of the wreck drifted hither an,
, thither on the sea of darkness, like burne,
! out, lost aud wandering stars.
0 Never p said the aged warrior, On hi
n bONNh " ohihH ditu Spoht WIN q pro
D phetic eye. Never will this pass away il
I the day of the Natchez---a black robe hangs il
the heavens; who but madden
r cloud OF chaotic light sailed by at thi
: moment, and he died with the unfnishe
) words on his lips.
| No moon arose, no star glmmered, no mol
/ ming came. All was deep darkness like til
: poets dream, they lived only by watch fires
Z no seasons were marked, no dates were know
i. old men died, children were born nature still
I moved on in her vegetable life, though blu
: slowly, and finally she too died. The youn
r children died, the stout warrior died. DARK
, ness was slowly, silently doing its awful work
D and the star Of the hatcher seemed wanin
: forever. Worship WAS done away human Q
: brute sacrifices were OF no avail before a
) angry God the fire died away on the altar
} the priest forsook the crumbling shrine, an
, drear DISSOLUTION reigned.
II OF the royal household none but Atalits
a the fairest princes of all, remained. Grit
I and loneliness had worn away, in part, all bu
. her exceeding beauty, and that seemed NOR
D than earthly. 1t was revealed to her in Wis
ion that she alone could save her nation an
/ dissipate the darkness. She ordered an alta
builded in the open air, and again the fires