Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-09-03

| fallen In confused heap. lac difficulty
of climbing over the blocks was added to
by the vegetation, and wherever the sun
| beat down on stone we were sure to
find a serpent summing himself. We
we're heading for the walls of the temple,
but after an hours work we had not ad g.
vanced over half mile. Mr.. Grant
called halt, and we were sitting on the
huge blocks of stone in a glade about
fifty feet across when something very
queer happened The foliage was dense
enough to throw the glade into a
shadow approaching twilight. Our ears
were suddenly saluted with groans and
means, as of some person in deep dis
tress, and while we were looking about
and at each other figure came out of
the thicket on the south side and slowly
tloated across the glade. 1t looked like
human figure, though draped and NUT
fed, and though it passed over the
ground at about an ordinary height, the
motion was that of floating along in
stead of walking. 1t wasn't over twenty
feet from us, aud when it disappeared
into the thicket on the other side the
air was heavy with strange perfume.
"It's nothing but trick to scare us
off," whispered Grant, after the figure
had disappeared. ''If it comes again,
everybody open fire on It.
We waited in nervous silence for five
or six minutes, when the apparition APP
peared again, preceded by the same dis
tressing noises. 1t was scarcely clear of
the bushes when we opened fire, each
one of Us with revolver. 1t fioated
along as before and at the sane pace,
and we got in three shots apiece before
the smoke obscured 1t.
"We've riddled one of them, any
howl chuckled Grant, as we waited for
the smoke to clear but minute later,
when it had fOated away, the figure was
not to be seen. We had fired point
blank at distance of eighteen or twenty
feet, and 1t was absurd to suppose that
all fifteen bullets had missed.
"And how do you account for that2"
| asked, as felt my hair trying to climb
up.
"It's one of their conjurIng tricks, ;"
answered the engineer, ''aad was pretty
well worked. I've seen stranger things
than that We had best get out of this
at oncel'
We we're hardly off the blocks before
a rock weighing at least twenty pounds
crashed down through the tree tops aud
fell where We had been sitting. Ten
seconds earlier would have resulted in
one death at least. As we made our way
along | asked the engineer how such a
rock could have been heayed into the air
to fall with such exactness, but he could
not explain. Instead of pushing to the
temple we now made our way to the
right to get out of the ruins, aud soon
were on the open plain.
"The temple is our objective point,
explained Mr.. Grant, land it's no use
pushing through these ruins to get there.
Wen 90 down opposite and then strike
in. Now look at that, will your"
About 100 feet away from us and
right in our course was a bushy-topped
tree about thirty feet high. There was
only light air stirring, and yet the top
of the tree was waving to and fro as if
in heavy gale. We slowly advanced
until we stood at the foot of the tree.
had expected to see native up there,
but nothing was in sight. While we
stood there the tree continued its antics,
and none of us were sharp enough to
solve the mystery.
"It's just a trick to scare US off," said
Mr. Grant, ''and we'll see more of them
before we're through. How they do
these things l cant pretend to say, but
they are done for effect and would
brighten native out of his senses. We
must push along and not mind them"
Opposite the ruins of the temple we
entered the thicket again, Mr.. Grant
leading, and the rest following in Indian
file. We had not advanced hundred
feet when we heard sobs and means from
both sides of lis, aud one would have
sworn that dozen women were wan
dering about in distress. The sounds
appeared quite close to us, but yet we
could not detect the presence of a human
being. All of sudden, as we contin-
ued to push ahead, the thicket echoed
such screams sud shrieks that my knees
gave out and l had to clutch limb to
support me. expected to be ridicued
for my exhibit, but the others came to
halt with serious faces, and the engineer
said:
''Tm blessed if the sounds don't give
me chill, though l know it's all a
blooming trick of the gang to keep us
out. There must be lot of the fellows
in there"
"And I'm thinking it would be wise
thing to send down for more help" ad-
ded Mr. Grant. "Good Lord! but see
thatl"
A block of stone which seemed to be
four feet long, foot thick and three
feet wide was lying in the grass within
four feet of usas we stood in a group.
This block suddenly stood on end, rose
into the air fully SIX feet, and then fell
to the Garth with jar which made
things tremb,e. tell you simply what
five of us saw or thought we saw. What
sort Of jugglery it was don't pretend to
say, but 1t was jugglery of some sort, of
course. Directly after the stone fell four
OF five large pieces of rock came crash.
ing about our ears, and no one hesitated
to beat a speedy retreat.
"I'm not running from their tricks, "
said Grant as we headed for camp, "but
I'm satisfied they are a large party and
desperate fellows. They are probably
strong enough to wipe US out, and I'll
have up a company of soldiers to beat
the cover
A messenger was at once despatched
TO Bheeta, which is a military post, but
it was three days before the soldiers came
up. There were ninety of them, and
though We had heard nothing further
from the treasure hunters while waiting
we felt sure they were still among the
ruins. The troops entered from three
different directions, having orders to
shoot down anything they sighted, but
the whole place was beaten up aud only
one native found. He was lying among
the ruins of the temple with broken