Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-13
Adventure on One of the Solomon
Islands That Reads Like a
Chapter of Haggard's She.
The POWERS OF A SORCERESS.
Her Wierd Stronghold Lighted ss if BY
Colored Electric Lights and
Filled With Perfume.
SHIPS CANDLES WOULD NOT BURN.
The Illusion Of Ghost and Midnight Struggle
With an Unseen Foe
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.l
no Won believe in witchcraft?"

WRITTEN FOR THE DlSPATCH.l
"Do you believe in witchcraft?"
"Not bit. Why do you ask?"
Because we are coming to place where
everybody does; and according to the old
saving, what everybody believes must be
true. There are more things in heaven and
earth than are dIeamt of in your philoso-
ply"
We lay under the awning on the deck Of
ore of Her Maiesty's cruisers, in full view
of lovely, Palm covered island, almost on
the equator, toward which we were running
before gentle breeze. My friend was an
officer in the navy, who had spent years
among the islands of the Pacific and knew
almost all that could be known
about them and their inhabitants
Toward evening we came to anchor in a
beautiful bay, entirely sheltered by coral
reef, and landed upon silvery beach close
to a village of huts nesting among feathery
cocoanut palms and tropical growth or bril-
liant coIoring. The place was a paradise of
beauty, and We had nothing to complain of
in the people. Thev were almost entirely
naked and very graceful in figure, while
among the younger ones were many comely
faces. They welcomed us with quiet cordi-
slity.
To Find a Famous Witch.
After supper of fish and fruits sug-
rested to my friend, who spoke the language
fairly well, that he should inquire whether
there we're auy witches in the neighbor-
hood. The first word he spoke on the SUBJ
ject had an extraordinary effect on the
natives Instantly they showed deep in
te-est in rs, but at the same time could
see that they themselves were becoming
strangely excited. They told US that there
dwelt upon their island the most powerful
of all witches, one who practiced magic OF
every kind, and who could inflict death by
her mere will and also bring back the dead
to life.
When proposed that we should then
and there pay a visit to this terrible
sorceress and see for ourselves what she
could really do in the way of witchcraft
such horror fell upon them that I was sorry
/ had not been more cautious. Most of
them left the hut trembling and groaning
nnd fed into the woods. AT length, after
much persuasion, accompanied by various
presents. thew consented to guide us to the
witch's abode, though it was expressly stip-
ulated that not one of them should be re-
ouired TO approach it. The party consisted,
besides tie natives. of my friend the Lieu
tenant, the boatswain's mate accounted the
strongest and sturdiest man in the ship, and
myself I also had with me nv dog Tim, q
faithful but exceedingly fierce and wiry ball
terrier, which had never shrunk from NOR
tai Zoe
At the Temple of fhe Sorceress.
MI. Lok ND 4h>
scent of the spice trees and tropical flowers
was overwhelming 1t was a relief when
we arrived in an open space, where the for
est had been cleared and where the sea
breeze was able to penetrate. AT the fur
ther end of this space, partially hidden in
creepers ard palms. stood a large building,
with a conicaI roof not unlike gigantic
beehive. Our guides hastily told us that
that was the temple, the witch's haunt, and
before we could make any further inquiries
they had vanished. Without further ado
we crossed the open space and knocked
loudly at the entrance of the temple, which
I now saw was built of the largest sized
bamboos and thatched with palm leaves.
All had been in darkness before. but the
moment our sticks ratified on the bamboos
the whole building seemed to burst into
liCht-not the ruddy glow of fire or pine
torch, such as is commonly seen in native
huts, but a cold white light, with peculiar
quivering appearance, as if it were radlat-
ing from the earth. At the same time we
hear a strange sound from the interior OF
the temple, like chorus of voices, singing
several words in low key, followed by
prolonged cadence or strain of music. The
Lieutenant evidently was very uneasy, and
was alarmed to see how pallid and anxious
he looked in the lurid light.
The Light Suddenly Vanished.
7 laughed at his fears and again knocked
with loud rat-tat-tat with the knob of nv
walking stick Again there was swelling
chorus of song, as il 90 powerful voices were
singing in unison; what the words were I
could form no idea, but they gave some
thing of the sound OF Latin chant in some
great church, while the strain of music that
followed was like a dozen harps being played
together
The white light changed at the same time
to q faint blue, and l suddenly became
aware Of a perfume, e1quisitely delicious at
first, but soon becoming SO concentrated that
It lnsde me reel as II half drunk, with a most
painful feeling of sickness or faintness Re-
covering myself with great effort, pushed
aside the heavy mat that hung over the en-
trance and walked into the building, fol-
lowed BY my companions
/ could hardly believe nv senses when
found we were in total darkness The light
which had shone so brightly outside of the
building gave not the slightest glimmer in
side. Neither was their any of that per-
fume there which had been almost insup-
portable in the open air. I had brought
with ne two large ships candles and box
of wsX matches and / was about to strike q
light when l became aware of weird kind
of luminous glow on the ground, as it
seemed, at some distance in advance of
xrh C40 + r-p ard +
saw that it was rapidly increasing. / can
compare it to nothing better than luminous
vspor, rising from the earth in spiral
columns, which formed a semicircle st the
extreme end OF the building.
Being Like Rider Haggards She.
! now saw we were in vast structure of
bamboo, the walls covered with plated
leares and the cavity of the roof forming
lofty dome. At the first glance the place
appeared to be absolutely empty, not
single object o. any kind appearing on the
whole eKpanEe of earthen floor, which ex-
tended tor aJ least 100 feet each way.
Walking toward the light, however,
sew in the middle of the semiclrcle formed
bv the spiral columns of vapor or luminous
smoke a figure which filed me with the
strangest sensation L had ever known. 1t
was that OF woman with all the
roundness of youth and with singularly
regular and well shaped features.
The bust and limbs were as
finely formed as those of Greek statue
But she was Of gigantic stature, and of
duskv brown color, and was crouched upon
the floor with her legs crossed and her arms
folded in particularly ungraceful attitude
She wore not particle Of clothing of any
kind, except necklace of glass or crystal
balls as large as oranges, and wreath or
diadem Of the same n lieu of the simple