Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-01

that Decentralization be delivered
up to them. and they were certain to slsy
perhaps impale him, with the creates
oarbarity.
/ With this intelligence to think of on
one hand. he knew, on the other, that IL
q country where every mea's hand was
against him, and where his race, Euro
pean features aud complexion, pro.
claimed him the foe of all, his chances OF
ever being free and in safety again were
inhnitesimslly small.
CHAPTER LII -LoNsDALK's HOPE.
J Aonsdale 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
Geek safety elsewhere ere it would be too
late to attempt anything, when, as kind
OF crisis In his fate, the booming of the
greatoell In the adj scent pagoda announced
that the eyed Poongyee had died, or re.
| turned, as the phrase is in Burmah-where
it is deemed undignihed or impious to
say that priest ever dies-and immedi
| ately preparations began 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 WAS 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 Clery's "Minor Tactics" and
Captain Demapgel's Questions and An
sWers" thereon, but these in his present
peril gave him no more hint of how to
escape it than Chhueer, Burns, and Spen-
ser, over whose absolutisms he had been
compelled to eat his heart.
| Inc RingoOn Rahoan or Poopgyee in
formed him that he was about forty miles
from the eastern bank OF the Irawaddv-
or Alrsvati as he called it-snd that
rather Wild and broken country lay be.
tween 1t and the monastery, full OF for
ests, marsny poddy fields, and deep wster
cuts.
On this ne ascended to the summit of
Inc psgooa-ln which WAS enshrined IN
| gold single hair OF Buddha-a pyramidal
edlhce, some 500 feet In height. Built of
solid brick, it rose from a spacious plat
FORM. ana was surmounted by an UNI
brella spire OF iron tracery, 50 elsborateIy
gilded that it shone like a mass OF fire in
| the sunlight, and at times was the eagerly
greeted object of devout pilgrims from
| Indo-Chine, Siam and Cambodia. in the
far peninsula beyond the Gauges.
From this lofty spire he had an extern
| sive view of the surroundings country, but
| he chiefly bent his gaze in the direction
| where he knew the great river lay.
The country seemed silent and deserted
| as far as he could judge, save for few
| 1imsy huts, the dwellings OF pagoda
slaves, and those who were professional
| beggars, il not worse.
| Then, too, he was aware that IN the
| dense jungle and primeval teak forests
were wild elephants, which found their
way thither from Pegu, the tiger, the
| leopard ard the savage boar, while in the
marshes end deep grass lurked poisonous
snakes. Thus he had no ordinary risks
| to run ere he could reach the river, II
even then ne could get On board any of
| the fotill8 or see a vcstige of it, SIS the
| Expedition must now be far up the Ira
waddy, Bhamo alone being more than 100
miles above Ava.
These thoughts filed him almost with
| despair.
| His mind was q species Of chaos when
he descended from the summit of the great
shrine and returned to the place or room
| set apart for him within corner Of the
great brick walls that suS-
rounded the monastery, in which
arrangements fer the solemn
cremation Of his late friend were in full
progress-prepsrations that occupied
several days, and which, IS he was not
| present, fortunately for himself, bsar no
part in our story, though we may add
that they were quite as repsllaut as those
u2ed by the Egyptians OF old, prior TO the
| interment of their dead.
About this time an slaTm sounded one
night throughout the whole edifce.
| Dscoits in no small force were menac.
| ing the great gate in one quarter, de-
msnding that the European barbarian
| should be delivered up to them, while
numerous band ia another were
discovered to be secretly at work,
digging under the walls, with the
intention OF capturing whatever treasure
| they could lay hands en-, as they knew
well, Of course, that MANY of the offerings
OF rich devotees con sisted of white um-
brelas OF precious stuffs, with ornaments
of gold and silver, slippers and pillows
covered with embroidery and precious
stones, together with vessels Of several
precious metals.
Rumors of the vast wealth of this mon
sstery had spread far and wide, IS many
OF it's caief devotees came from Pegu,
where gold is found in the sands OF the
rivers, SO that it is supposed to be the
Golden Chersonesus OF the Ancients, and
there is q mountain near the stream
named Khyer-TweD, where there are
mines in which gold snd silver, ruhies and
sapphires are ell wrought 1T the same
time.
With his heart beating wildly-au the
more SO that he was Without the smallest
weapon ty which he could sell bis life
dearly, or revenge it's loss by the death
Of another, Montague Lonsdale looked
over the wall near the gate at the furious
assassinS whom he knew we're clsmo1ing
for him and thought that his t.te had
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 being
thus entrapped, surrounded, run to earth
like wild animal, and would inevitably
be done to terrible death without hope
or mercy.
The most active and conspicuous among
them was Burmese Of gigantic stature,
deeply tattooed and wearing white
frock, we'll quilted, as the season was q
cool one.
In the light of q torch, held By one of