The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-15

| In tho bottom and applied match; IL was on
ono OF Bryant & Nays. Tho flame was sloy
| to ca.oh. and tho irroverent sorcerer filled II
| tho timo with tall Of foreign places; OF Lon
| don. and companies" and how much none!
| they had: Of San francisco and the neiariou
! foas "nll the samo smoke which had been 81
nearly the occasion OF his death. Itried vain
| ~ to lead him to the matter In hand. Every
body mako medicine" he said lightly. And
when ask cd him II he were himself a goot
practitioner mo savvy." no replied more
lightly still. At length tho leaves burst in o
flame. which he continued to feed: n thick
light smoke blew In my face. and the flames
streamed against and acorched my clothes
He In the mean while addressed. or affected &c
address. the evil spirit, his lips moving fast
but without sound; ut the same time he waved
in the air and twice struck me on the breast
with his green spray. 80 soon as the leaves
were consumed the ashes were buried. the
green spray was embedded In tho gravel, and
the ceremony was ut IN end.
A reader OF the Arabian Nights" felt quite
at home. Hero was the sufrumigation: here
was tho muttering wizard; here was the desert
place to which Aladdin was Gccoyed by tho
false uncle. But they manage these things
better in fiction. Tho effect was marred by
tho levity OF the magician. entertaining his
and by tho homogeneous presence OF Mr.. As
bourne with q camera As for my cold. 1t was
neither better nor worse.
I was now handed over to Terutak. the lead
ing practitioner or medical haronet Of Ape
mama. His place is on the lagoon side Of the
island. hard by the palace. A rail Of light
wood. some two feet high. encloses an obong
piece Of gravel like the Kings Pray Place: in
the midst is a green tree: below. stone eAhf,s
bears pair OF boxes covered with fine mat,
md in front Of these an offering OF food. CO.
coanut, q piece OF taro. or a fish. Is placed
daily On two sides tho enclosure is
lined with rnoniap's: and Mr.. Strong twho
had boon there to sketch) had remarked
daily concourse Of people and an ex-
traordinary number OF sick children: for this
Is. in fact. the inflrmary Of Apemama. The
doctor and myself entered the sacred place
alone: the boxes and the mat were displaced.
and was enthroned In thor stcad upon the
stone. facing once more to the east For while
the sorcerer remained unseen behind me.
making passes in the air with branch OF palm.
Then hs struck lightly on the brim Of my straw
hat, and this blow ho continued to repeat ut
intervals sometimes brushing instead my arm
and shoulder. have had people try to mes
merize me dozen times. and never with tho
least result. But at the first tap-on y quarter
no moro vital than my hat brim. and from
nothing more virtuous than switch OF palm
welded by man could not even see-sleep
rushed upon mo like On armed man. NY sim
ewsfainted. my eyes closed. my brain hummed.
with drowslness I resisted: at first instinct
lively. then with certain furry OF despair. in
the end successfully: II that were indeed suc-
cess which enabled mo to scramble to my feet,
to stumble home somnambulow. to cast my
self at once upon my bed. and sink at once into
Q dreamless stupor. When I awoke my cold
was gone. So leave matter that do not
understand.
Meanwhile my appetite for curiosities mot
usually very keen) had been strangely whetted
by the sacred boxes They were OF pandauus
wood. oblong in shape. with an effect of pillar
ing along the sides like straw work. lightly
fringed with hair or fibre. and standing on
four legs. The outside was neat as q toy. the
inside q mystery was resolved to penetrate.
But there was lion in the path. might not
approach Terutak. since had promised to
buy nothing in the island: dared not have
recourse to the King for I had already re-
ceived from him more gifts than knew how
to repay. In this dilemma (the schooner being
at last returned) we hit on q device. Capt
Reid came forward in my stead. professed an
unbridled passion for the boxes and asked