The Press., 1892-01-14
THE sTRANGLER VINE

THE STRANGLER VINE
 "You want to know how those marks came there, do you2 We'll, you would guess mighty long. time before you would come near it, so I'll spare you the trouble and tell you the story"
 He held up his brown right hand as he spoke. Across the back of it were two ivid lines. One of these lines passed inside his hand and wound around his little finger. This finger was twisted and broken and bent backward. Right up to the finger nail extended the fiery, threadlike line.
 The second line was a deeper red, wider than the other, and from it other filamentlike lines branched, covering tht wrist with network of scarlet tendrilA The main line could be seen to wind once around the wrist and then was lost up the speakers sleeve.
 "Well," he resumed, ''you remember the excitement that followed the discovh cries of silver in Yucatan in 1877. Indians had been bringing down snaN quantities of horn silver for some time and selling it at Merida. Finally, one of the half breed merchants of that town got an Indian drunk and induced him to tell where they obtained the silver. They say it was one of the mines from which the Aztecs, or whatever race it was that built the cities, the ruins of which cover so many miles in that country, used to get the silver for their temples. At all events, the merchant came back with two burros laden with almost pure sill yer. He said that there was silver enough in sight at the mine to load a fleet of steamers. He told in general way where the treasure mountain was, and started out with pack train for more. One of his mules strayed back nearly month later, but that was al that was ever heard of him.
 "I was one of the swarm of prospectors that started out to find the old mine.s It had taken the merchant two weeks to make his first trip, so we could calculate about what distance he had travelled. had for companion 8 Balize Indian hunter, who knew something of the in terior country. We travelled ten days through the widest country that any one ever heard of. Mountains, whose snowy tops were thousands of feet above the clouds, and whose sides were coy- cred with jungles so thick that for days together we simply had to hew our way through it. At last we reached q val ley, the other side of which was bounded by aseparate chain of mountains. These, from where we stood, seemed perfectly unassailable, but my companion said he had been on top of them.
 "'From the summit he said, you gan see the Chihuandassi.
 eI had heard of the Chihuandassi. The name means Table of Dead Men and the Indians say it is covered with plants that have the power of motion l Have you ever been on the CbiHuan- dassig asked. zass saE6 lg Q man has ever - turned to tell it, he answered. "We crossed the valley, passing through the ruins of a great city built of almost transparent quartz, and finally struck the trail he spoke of. and two days later stood on the top. On the other side was narrow gulch, and be- yond it sheer wall many hundreds of feet high. Still the top of this was low or than we were, and we could look down upon the Table of Dead Men. The mesa on the other side of the gnloh seemed perfectly level, and as far al we could judge was surrounded on all aides by just such precipice as we saw. yThe country is all sandstone, and the swift little rivers have nearly all worn deep channels for themselves. In many local ities you can walk hundred miles, be able to throw 8 stone into the river and yet you may die Of thirst. SO high and erect are those fearful walls. The Chi huandassi was covered with soIne low vegetation and there were few trees iu the distance.
 That is the flower that travels, said my companion.
 He noticed my look of amused in- credulity, and resumed rather angfily.
 You don't believe it? I have seen it move. Look therer
 II looked, the table was agitated, and looked like the waves of the sea. The whole green surface seemed to appro,ach the edge nearest us. My hair rose fer sa moment, then burst out laughing, 1t is only the wind tossing the snakewsed. I said.
 But there is no wind here.'
 ''He spoke truly. The air where we stood was perfectly still. Yet, ex- plained, it might be breeze engendered by the nature of the country, that did not extend to our side.
 "'No, mo- he insisted. The Indians who have lived here for years know better. These flowers are devils. No one who goes over comes back freEl there s
 '"Two Indians who loved one woman went mp on the, Chihuandassi to battle, Human eyes never again saw them alive, We are told that they fell victims to the flower that creeps. ' #
 II had 2 first class pair of glasses with ma and I directed them to the plateau. Half covered with the vines and creep. CTS I could see something white. TheEs were two spots that might be skplls, and thought could trace the outlines oj two human forms They might have been rocks, and were doubtless wha, originated the Indian legend.
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