The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-01-17

| eucm HiurucTcu ny StTduko mSu WIZ
came up out of the water, blew fire with
their breath and carried thunder and
lightning in their hands. They prayed
to Rushika, their God, for deliverance,
when great niknE (earthquake) fol-
lowed and this stone was heaved from
the stars, and falling upon and rolling
amid them destroyed the strange men.
From this circumstance it was called
silna scalpa, or stone from the stars, and
had been kept in the possession of the
tribe ever since and guarded jealousy
by every generation.
This tradition undoubtedly points to
the early Spaniards, as they were the
men ''who came up out of the water. |"
and their murderous firearms, unknown
at the time to the Indians, led them to
think that the strange men blew fire
with their breath and carried lightning
in their hands. And in this country of
frequent earthquakes it is quite likely
that the day the Spaniards had died or
were destroyed a niknk should occur
and the finding of the inscribed stone
near the same place was interpreted by
deliverance, hurled from the stars upon
their enemies. Else the party had died
of starvation about the stone, where
they had left this record of their fate
and there they were found simultaneous
with the appearance of an earthquake.
In fact, it is known that throughout the
tropical world many earthquakes Oc-
hn IL WI OF thn 81
teenth century. So that the tradition is
founded upcu fact, with a strange ad-
mixture of superstition.
While at this village we encountered
in one Of the huts beausifully-chased
antique bowl, and upt n inquiry found
that it was obtained at an old ruin
about one league distant. We inme-
diately prepared ourselves. and under
the direction of the native were con-
Quoted to the point indicated, in a broad
valley covered with profuse growth
of trees and vegetation. The ancient
city was surely there. All about US
were unmistakable evidences of what
might once have been the stat of a
grand and populous empire. Here
of ruined chambers, and anon
ruined bath or aqueduct-an COW
cred with vast forests of huge trses.
All was a mysterious assemblage Of
past magnifcence yet tenantless,
silent and solitary. To obtain better
view of the expanse of the valley and
possibly ascertain the extent of the
ruins we concluded to climb the side Of
one of the mountains bordering the
valley. This we found an arduous and
trying task, as the rank underground.
sewed together by endless tangled
vines, seemed almost impenetrable at
every point. We finally entered a small
ravine which terminated in rocky
gorge with stone-terraced sides, ur
which we clambered and then followed
a sort of gulley half way to the summit
Before we had reached convenient
point of observation, by reason of the
tiresome journey, twilight had overtaken
US, but the view was not obscured and
we were we'll repaid for our trouble. In
the midst of the verdant valley we be-
held innumerable crumbling evidences
of the ancient city. Broken colonades
and pillars, piles of moldering stone,
obelisks and walls arose at intervals
amid the underbrush and forests. What
we had observed in the valley was but a
prelude to a once powerful city, which
stretched away for some unknown dis
lance over the valley. AS We stood
above the place contemplating its
former magniicence and as the shades
of twilight grew deeper over its somber
a powerful empire could have flourished
and gone to decay without any knowl-
edge of the outside world.
We returned to the village after dark,
determined to delay another day and
visit the ruins for closer inspection. But
the following morning was ushered in by
severe rain-storms, which continued
throughout the day. Despite this fact,
we returned IN the afternoon, and
though working under great difficult
ties, succeeded in securing several mag
nificent archaeological specimens of
vases, idols and other minor pieces. One
of these was an idol about two feet
high, representing woman in sitting
posture, with the head turned aside and
a hideous forked tongue protruding from
the mouth, with great elongated ears and
an ugly visage, which gave it the ap-
pearance of a demon. The arms were
held akimbo, originally holding some
thing in the hands, which had been
broken away. A peculiarly designed
necklace was carved about the neck and
the body was made nude to the waist,
where some sort of drapery was con-
structed. 1t was very quaint specimen
the duplication of which / have never
seen in any collection in the States, and
it will no doubt prove an interesting
study for modern antiquarians. Among
other specimens obtained at these ruins
are a number of ancient designs or
molds, corrugated with figures of frogs,
snakes, turtles and animals, as we'll as
queer-looking hieroglyphs. Some of
the articles are made of stone and others
of clay, hardened by fire. The appear
ance of the ruins, the pillars and
broken colonades are carved after the
style of the Aztec ruins of Yucatan and
Guatemala, and can no doubt be traced
to some branch of that migratory nation.
A. j. MILLER.