The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-10-20
THE GEM OF THE MINE


From all the Year Round.
The claimant 10 peculiar respects ON the
score OF sanctity Of life varies i'm various
hands,, or, for that matter, i'm any habitat.
He may he u hytocrite. or u fanatic, de-
ceiver ar dupe-a man of genuine worth
though, perhaps, for reasons he would
scout-or u loafer winning. ON acquaint-
ance, deserved contempt. 1 shall put my
old friend, MounR ko, without a second's
hesitation i'm an upper grade of "holy
men,"
He walked consciously Ola high levels of
his profession. Not n p~hoonghlc i'm all
Burmah was better versed i'm the lore, not
merely Of the pageda, but of nature and
OF life. His fame for charity was just and
I mt least have never been able, since the
occurrcncc Of the events ! propose to re-
late, To hold that the Wild hill men of An
apoora were wholly mistaken i'm calling
Moung Ko IL seer Az well as n priest. I
shall have to show that me, too, had failed
where verify polss have failed. And il
may bc that the weird gift never n joy to
its possessor-w linked i'm hidden depths
with the romance, of u strange career, and
the pain of u long light for repentance.
To be coherent. and even to compass
concisencss, il il generally well To begin
AT the beginning. Moreover, my first
meeting with MotnR no il AN integral
part of my tale. A hint was offered even
then which I was slow to seize, hut which
later was batlrcti in revealing light. The
existence Of the cyphes must b. OWNED
before am Interpretation can he supplied.
had penetrated u new district and EN-
countersd mn accident. A lucklcss slip
on the shelving ledge of u remote gorge
had nearly sent me to my doom. / es-
capssi through the circumstance that the
thick scrub of the wilderness struggled
a layer at earth To snprort vcretation.
lodged. with "a sprained ankle. among
above me, fr4wning rock; be-
black. II ! stirred the odds were that /
should ga over the brink and be dashed
To pieces; IL ] stssid where I was ! m,st
starve. Again and I had plenty of space
To think the thing through-if l shouted
myself hossrsc nohody was likely to come:
and IL the improbable bs came IA fact, and
there WAS ~ response, I had no assurance
that aid and not n cruel thrust would the
the result. II was all uncertain whether
honL.
In the retrospect IL seems tn me that my
energies suddenly Tagged. and that I
there WAS excuse. But as the weary lays
rolled Oh my faculties r.gainsd their edge.
I determined % have n east for dear life.
With much at the gamblers rtcklessucss
and fever ] cried aloud at intervals "a full
score of times. The silence remained un-
broken. but a queer portcnt pcrplcxed
opposite bend of the valley WAS distinctly
in view. and twice along the line Of vision
fitted "A grotcsQue, understood figure i'm "A
certainly not known To me as fa-
vorcd by amy urman Shan or Karen,
male or female. The drapcrics were flow
ing and dark. scarcely MISUNDERSTANDING
involuntarily: Did the creature belong to
ther realm of honest, practical existence?
Or was I delirious? ! pinched myself, as
those do who can not be sure II they are
awake or dreaming. The dwarfish mp
partition did not vanish. II went on to
the head of the dehle. and was finally
lost i'm the shadows Of the teak trees. An
the idea. h~ciongiGx, 10 q state of weak.
] must expect the worst
SOFTLY, friend; have courage. Move
Swsseter words 1 never heard spoken in
any v~ernacular than those I thus translate.
] knew their meaning. for I had picked up
not q little OF the pative tongue. They
were whispertd literally into my ear. The
newcomer had approached 80 silently that
there WAS danger even i'm his announce
ment OF kindly purpose.
tried % look the speaker i'm the face, and,
I'm the effort, swayed toward the precipice.
A :warthy, :inewy hand Rripped me- and
sDid I not say ..oftiy,' friend ?" expos.
tulated the strAngcr, with gentle reproach
I'm his accents.
.Thsnks,"I answered; .bus my ankle
Houne Ko was NOT q man OF unne.cc..
aary Words. For reply he drew aside. with
his arm, . bush Immediately 20 my right
A natural recess was disclosed. and, "a
there was light beyond. I surrnised the ex.
istence OF q tunnel or passage. II was
doubtless In this why that he had reached
my ledge. And now he proved the won
the Burman frame. Stretching himself
ON the uneven ground, he graspcd with
one arm n buttress OF rock, and with tin
other he lent me . support which WIS en-
pain Of The injured limb made me wines