The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-08-09

! the flesh behind. Then yelled with
pain, and lifting the Watcher endways,
drove it down with so great a stroke
that the skull of the wolf was shattered
and he fell dead, dragging me down
with him. Presently sat up, and fore
ing the Watcher between his jaws lev
cred them open, freeing my flesh from
the grip of his teeth. Presently
glanced up and saw that the she wolf
had found her feet again, and stood as
though unhurt; yet she did not look at
me or on her dead mate, but at him only
who sat above. crept softly behind her;
then. lifting my Watcher, l dashed him
down with all my strength. The blow
broke her neck, SO that she rolled over
dead.
Now / rested awhile, then went 10
the mouth of the cave and looked out.
The sun was sinking; the depth of forest
was black, but the light still shone on
the face Of the stone woman on the
mountain. Here, then. l must bide this
night, for dared not wend toward the
plains alone with the wolves and the
ghosts And if l dared not go alone,
how much less should dare to go bear
ing with me him who sat in the cleft of
the rock! Nay. here l must abide. and
feeling that must do something lest l
should go mad, drew to me the car
cass of the great dog wolf which had
killed, and taking my knife of iron l
began to skin it by the light Of the
moon. For an hour or more skinned,
singing TO myself as l worked, and
striving to forget him who sat in the
cleft above and the hOwlinys which ran
about the mountains.
Now the skin was off. l cast it be
hind me, and seizing the carcass dragged
it to the edge of the rock and left it.
Presently the howlings drew near again;
again saw the gray shapes creep up
one by one.
Did 1 sleep or did wake? Nay,
do not know. But | know this, that of
a sudden seemed to look up and see.
| saw a hght-perchance, it was the
light of the moon shining upon him
that sat aloft at the end of the cave.
l looked. or seemed to look, and then l
thought that the hanging jaw moved,
and from is came a voice that was harsh
| and hollow.
Hail. Galazi. child Of Siguyanar
said the voice. 'Galazi the Wolf! Say.
what dost thou here in the Ghost noun
tain, where the Stone Witch sitsY
Then answered, or seemed to an
swer:
Hail, Dead One, who sittest like
vulture on a rock! l do this on the
Ghost mountain-I come to seek thy
bones and bear them to thy mother for
burial
MANY and many year have sat
aloft, Galazi,' answered the voice,
watching the ghost wolves leap and
leap to drag me down, till the rock grew
smooth beneath the wearing of their
feet. So sat seven days and nights,
/ being yet alive, the hungry wolves be
| low and hunger gnawing at my heart
! 50 have sat many and many year,
being dead in the heart of the Old Stone
Witch Yet my mother was young and
fair when trod the haunted forest and
climbed the knees Of stone. How seems
she now, -GaIszig
"'She is white and aged and very
wrinkled,' answered. They call her
mad, yet at her bidding ! came 20 seek
thee, Dead One, bearing the Watcher
that was thy fathers and shall he mine
! cit shall be thine GalaZi,' said THE
| voice. for thou alone has dared the
| ghosts to give me sleep and burial
| Hearken. thine also shall be the wisdom
| of the old witch who sits aloft-thine
and one others. These are not wolves
that thou hast seen; they are ghosts of
men who lived in ages gone and who
must now li7e till they be slain OF men.
And knowest thou how they lived. GA
lazi, and what was the food they ate?
/ -, fraIgyI
climb to the breasts of the Stone Witch
and look in the cleft which Is between
her breasts. There shalt thou see how
| these men lived. And now this doom Is
on them: They mast wander, gaunt and
/ hungry. in the shape Of wolves haunting
that Ghost mountain where once thev
fed till they are led forth TO die at the
! hands of men. Because of their devuur-
ing hunger have they leaped from year
to year striving to reach my bones. and
! he whom thou hast slain was the king OF
| them, and she at his side was the queen.
Now. Galazi the Wolf, tins Il the
wisdom that l give thee. Thou shalt be
| king Of the ghost wolves, thOu and an
other whom hon shall bring thee.
! Grid the black skin upon thy shoulders
| and the wolves shall follow thee-ail
! the three hundred and sixty and three
| of them thai are left, and let him who
shall be brought to thee grid on the skin
of gray. Where ye twain lead them
| there shall they raven, bringing you
victory till ell age slain. But know this,
that there only may they raven where
| in life they ravened, seeking for their
! food. Yet that was an Ill gift thou
! tOokest from my motheF-the gift Of the
! Watcher-for though without the
Watcher thou hadst never slain the
king of the ghost wolves, yet bearing
! the Watcher thOu shalt myself be slain.
! Now on the morrow carry me back to
nv mother so that | may sleep where
the ghost wolves heap no more. have
| spoken. GalaZi-
| Now the Dead Ones voice seemed to
| grow ever fainter and more hollow as
! 10 s-,clya +i1I ut tho last I cDnld scarcely