Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-06

that -Lonsdsle-should be delivered
up to them, and they were certain to Stay
perhaps impale him, with the greatest
barb.rity.
With this intelligence to think of on
one hand. he knew, on the other, that In
a country where every mans hand was
against him, and where his race, Euro
pean features snd complexion, pro.
claimed him the foe Of all, his chances OF
ever being free aud in safety again were
inhnitesimally email.
CHAPTER LII -LONSDALE'S HOPE
Lonsdale had barely time given him to
consider the alarming nature OF the in
telligence he received and to think over
what he should do, whether to trust to
the course OF events where he was, or
seek safety elsewhere ere it would be too
late to attempt anything, when, as kind
of crisis in his fate, the booming of the
grestbellint the i'd AGENT pagoda announced
that the eged POopgyee mad died, or re-
turned, as the phrase is in Burmah-where
it is deemed undignifed or impious to
say that priest ever dies-And immedi
'ately preparations begsn for the disposal
OF his remains, according to the rites OF
Buddha.
Every moment was Of value now.
His chief protector in the monastery
was gone, and little doubt WIS enter,
tanned OF its only gate being closely
watched, lest he should attempt to escape
thereby.
Lonsdale thought of the days when for
examining and high pressure eXamina-
tons he had, till his head ached, studied
Colonel Cery's "Minor Tectics,n snd
Captain Demlngel's Questions and An
swers" thereon, but these in his present
peril gave him no more hint Of how to
| escape it than Chaucer, Burns, and Spen-
ser, over whose absolu,isms he had been
| compelled TO est his heart.
The R.ngoon Rshoan or POOngyee in
formed him that he was shout forty miles
, from the eastern bank Of the Irawaddv-
| or Airavati as he called it-and that g
rather wild and broken country lay be.
| tween it and the monastery, full Of for
ests, marshy poddy fields, andgdeep wa Ell
cuts.
On this ne ascended to the summit OF
| the psgoda-in which was enshrined IL
| gold single hair Of Buddha-a pyramids
edifce, some 800 feet in height. Built 81
| solid brick, it rose from a spacious plat
| form, and was surmounted by an UNI
brella spire Of iron trscery, 50 elsborstely
gilded that it shone like mass OF fire in
the sunlight, and at times was the eagerly
greeted object Of devout pilgrims from
Indc-China, Siam and Cambodia, in the
far peninsula beyond the Gauges.
From this lofty spire he had an exten-
sive view of the surrounding country, bu
he chiefly bent his gaze in the direction
where ne knew the great river lay.
The country seemed silent and deserted
ss far as he could judge, save for fen
fiimsy huts, the dwellings OF pagod'
slaves, and those who were professional
beggars, il not worse.
Then, too, he WIGS aware that in the
dense jungle and primeval teak forests
were wild elephants, which found thei
way thither from Pegu, the tiger, th,
leopard and the savage boar, while in tht
marshes and deep grass lurked poisonou
snakes. Thus he had no ordinary risk
to run ere he could reach the river,
even then he could get On board any G
the hotilla or see Vestige OF it, IS TIT
| Expedition must now be far up the Ira
wsddy, Bhamo alone being more than l6t
miles above Ava.
These thoughts filed him almost witt
despair.
His mind was species of chaos NheI
he descended from the summit OF the grea
shrine and returned to the place or room
set apart for him within corner OF tn
great brick wslls that sur
rounded the monastery, in which
arrangements for the soleml
crema ion of his late friend were in full
progress-preparatio that occupied
several days, and which, as be was no
present, fortunately for himself, bsar NJ
part in our story, though we may adj
that they were quite as repellaut as those
used by the Egyptians OF old, prior to tn
fnterment of their dead.
About this time an alarm sounded on
night throughout the whole edifce.
Dscoits ia no small force were menGc
ing the great gate in one quarter, de
msnding that the European bsrbarial
should be delivered up to them, while t
numerous band in another Were
discovered to be secretly at work
digging under the walls, with TIT
intention OF capturing whatever treasure
they could lay hands en-, as they knew
veil, Of course, that many CT the Offering
of rich devotees consisted Of white um
brellas of precious SUITS, with ornament
of gold and silver, slippers and pillow
covered with embroidery and preciou
stones, together with vessels Of severa
precious metals.
Rumors OF the vast wealth of this mon
astery had spread far and wide, as man.
of its chief devotees came from Pegu
where gold is found in the sands of tn
rivers, so that it is supposed to be tn
Golden Chersonesus Of the Ancients, an
there is mountain near the stream
named Khyer-Twen, where there ar
mines in which gold and silver, rubies en-
sapphires are all wrought at the sam
| time.
With his heart beating wildly-all tn
more so that he was without the smalles
weipon by which he could sell his lif
dearly, or revenge its loss by the deaf
of another, Montague Lonsdale looke'
over the wall near the gate at the furiou
asssssins whom he knew were cIamoTin,
for HIM and thought that his fate ha'
come at last.
1t was an awful and bitter conviction
for brave young fellow. full Of spirits
life and energy, to feel that he was beiDl
thus entrapped, surrounded, run to cart
like wild animal, and would inevitably
be done to terrible death without hop
or mercy.
The most active and conspicuous anon,