The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-03-04
AMONG THE TEMPLES.
NUMBER THREE.

h@s1iNNJ iAOthinS w ''SHS - '-N
top ofsthe highest mountain on the is
land. A few clouds were floating
around when we started, but no
one anticipated rain. There were
chairs for the ladies, hut as was the
only one who dared spoil the romance
of such an excursion by stupidity rid
ing, soon grew ashamed and resolv-
ed to walk too, if it took me all day.
The coolies, seeing how painfully |
travelled. kindly walked so that /
might have the support of chair poles.
We first stopped at 8 little temple,
near spring. from which bamboo
tubes conduct the water 10 the tenn
Piles, hundreds of feet below. These
natural water pipes make their turns
in elbows of solid stone. The temple
was filled with ugly idols and the wall
covered with curious charts. A Gu.
rious looking old priest met us at the
door with his 'sacerdotal robes in his
hand, which he unconcernedly put on
while talking to US. A little farther
ON we met a priestly hermit with dark
curling hair. His face looked prem
aturely old, and he begged us for med
icine, saying he was panied to death.
Unfortunately, the doctor was not with
US, and we could only tell him where
he could End the "heallEg man"
Looking up from this quaint table
land, we saw, to our our dismay, that
a rain cloud had settled around the
mountain top. Nevertheless, We NOV
ed on, but soon found our umbrellas
useless, as the wind turned them in
side out-a process entirely new to
me. We hung our hats under the
bamboo chairs, divided the extra
wraps, and walked into the clou |. /
did not find climbing slippery steps
through such binding mist particularly
pleasant, and at the first practicable
point beat retreat to my chair. Most
of the party followed this heroic ex-
ample, and the coolies carried US to
the immense temple built OH the high
est available site. A dozen dogs met
US iu the outer court, barking furious
ly. Here we waited for the rain to
cease, and found the priests numerous
and bospitable to fault. In the
temple proper, We counted 6fty-three
immense idols, some having twenty
heads and as many hands. The great
laughing Buddha that stood at the en-
trance must have measured fifteen feet
across. There were only four goddess
es, but the floor was covered with sup
plants stools; aud almost every mo.
ment some worsbipper knelt before
those veiled diviuities. The misty va
por fingered long after we had 6nish>
ed our explorations, and we persuaded
coolies to carry us up to the summit,
where tiny light house stood. To
our inexpressible delight, we soon
fund ourselves in the clear sunlight
above the clouds and rain. The
storm had thrown down the stone
steps, SO we had 20 scramble up on our
hands and knees. To me the air was
rarer than ON Sherman, and | soon
found a sheltered nook to avoid the
strong landward breeze. A heavy
mist still hung over the sea and how
cred around the mountain base, but
the skies were bright above us. iffin
was next in order, but no one had
thought to spoil the the highly roman
tic by bringing even drinking cup.
Someone produced bottle of water
and tiu of crackers, sandwiches, etc.
A long fat stone served as a table.
our clean handkerrhiefs did duty as
napkins and table cloth. We emptied
the tin and used it for drinking cup.
After tiffin some one proposed that we
play authorslwhile waiting the muoh
desired view. Our lively Englishman
commenced the game by saying:
"Once upon time their lived an old
Baron;" his right hand neighbor con-
tinued, "who had q beautiful daught.
err" the next one said, "whom he
kept in strict seclusion." Another
added, "In an adjoining castle lived 8
bachelor Baron who gave large par
| ty." Our story, so;nicely begun, end
ed in a laugh, as the next party af'
| 6rmed, ''it was in funeral times, anj
he was an American At length the
clouds we're lifted, revealing a picture
too fair for my feeble descriptive pow
ers. The open sea lay shimmering il
the distance; around US clustered
scorces of sister isles, while at oul
| feet lay the smiling valleys and tenn