The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-03-26
THE CRATER CITY.


in this world" said my friend Andrew
Johns, las he removed his cigar and looked
meditatively into space.
And you look as though you were
seeing some of Them | answered. smil-
ing at his abstraction.
$50 | amin my mind. | see sand
crater facing river in India. Inside of
this dismal hole is a miserable village,
peopled by miserable inhabitants" he
went on sOberlv. There is no escape,
no hope for them-they are dead. But
wait; you shall hear the story. have a
notion for telling it tonight"
He threw away his Cigarand was silent
for some moments, while his wife, a
slight, dark woman, moved to seat by
his side and laid one hand Caressingly
on his.
Andrew had married her abroad and
had never revealed her nationality.
81 will tell you of strange adventure
which befell IA friend of mine-Ilal
Andrews. 1t happened while he was
stopping at Benares, the sacred city of
the HindoOs and the stronghold of idol
airy and superstition, when making
tour through Asia.
"Benares had peculiar fascination
for him, as the oldest known habitatiOn
of man on the globe, and the Ganges
the sacred river, was especially attrac-
tive.
more than once he watched the burn
ing of bodies upon the funeral pyrcs
along the river. These pyres are of log
the bottom ones five feet long, with
shorter ones across until they reach the
height of three feet, then the naked body
is placed thereon, more logs are added,
and all is set on fire When burned the
ashes are carefully collected and thrown
into the Ganges.
widows were formerly burned alive
with their dead husbands, but it is now
matter of choice, and-strange as it
may seem-many choose that horrible
Death to that of being without caste or
friends, as a widow must.
Zone morning as he was watching
funeral preparations, the corpse sudden
ly showed signs of life. Instantly there
was startled cOmmotiOn among the
bowling relatives.
mud was hastily thrust into nose and
mouth but still the ungrateful maiden
would not, die.
'At last she sat upright, and the rela-
tives fled, the spectators shrugged their
shoulders and turned away. and four
native police advanced and bound the |
maiden in spite of her cries and en-
treaties.
"Wil they kill her?" Hal asked, indig-
nantly, of bystander.
"'Oh, no." was the indifferent answer. |
She is already dead, and must go to the
Crater City
SIS there, then a city of the dead |
where unfortunately who escapes the |
pyre are kept until death really claims
them?' asked Hal again.
"'TheTe is
"'Where is it?'
"'No one can tell
The answer was given reluctantly.
"'YOu mean no one will tell me; but | |
will find out cried Hal, hotly. 1T is a
shame-an outrage
Every likely
'And with another shrug of the should
ers the man turned away after giving
Hal few last words of advice:
Don't say much about it while you
stay in India.
"'But the scene haunted Hal The
maiden was young and beautiful. for
HindoO women are among the most
beautiful on earth.
"'What horrible death in life he
unused, as he mounted his horse and
rode out into the surrounding country.
followed closely by Bahia, his native
servant girl boy who was devotedly at
tached to him.
''He followed along the course of the
Gauges, and his thoughts were with the
lovely maiden, who had recovered from
the semblance of death to meet a worse
fate than the funeral pyre.
suddenly his horse SHE'D and dashed
madly ahead, regardless of all efforts
which Hal made to control him.
Ius.1.. 81
dashiDg along as fastas possible tried TO
keep him in sight.
ION rushed the frightened horse,
while Hal tried in vain 10 check him--up
a sloping, sandy ridge, then along the
rise, until-Hal gave a low cry of incred-
ulOus surprise-the horse snorted. and
turned to flee, the sand gave way under
his feet, and Hal knew no more after the
fall.
"When he recovered consciousness
enough TO feel an interest in his sur
TOundings, he saw q wretched village
surrounded by natural barrier of sand
on three sides, and by the river in front
"a lumber of half-naked people crowd
ed curiOusly around him, and among
them was the maiden OF the funeral pyre.
lie was in the city of the deadl
The day passed slowly enough, and
night came.
''As Hal was me1itating upon the
chances of escape, a soft voice near him
said, in broken English and HindOO. Of
which he knew enough TO understand
the meaning:
''Do you wish TO escape? It's useless.
This is the city from which none ever
return
"'There is-there must be some way
Of escaped" cried Hal, impatienty.
''The sand barrier prevents an efca G