The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-06-01
In .he evening I strolled down the


~Ristspore road. II was against the
for the jungle ran right
mp TO the road and at night there was
a certain amount Of danger TO be feared
from the wild beasts that occasionally
explored the road, almost up to the
ca ca.tonment. But in my brief expert
ence l had seen the spirit, il not the
letter of one or two of the regulations,
ignored and wanted to be alone, to
think out the meaning of Henderson's
strange words and manner.
II was almost the last of the few
brief moments cf twilight, when. being
still some couple Of miles from home, /
quickened my pace. The night was
falling as only those can understand
who have witnessed nightfall on the
edge of the jungle. No need to tell
them how the darkness drops like
heavy blanket nor OF the startling
transformation of the tangled under
wood and the gigantic grasses, which
Suddenly become strange monsters en-
dowed with life, moving to and fro,
now smoothly, now jerkily, pointing
with strange fingers; now uttering
husky cries of hate, now jibbering
idiot-like. And the wild animals in
the thickness of the interior, how they
howl and shrek and cry and moan
roars Of defiance, screams Of pain,
trumpetings of victory! All made
more intense by being subdued, "a il
the vegetation were unwilling to let the
outside world know of the scenes en-
acted in that feGrsome place.
| confess | started to run, holding
my revolver Mt the full cock. But my
steps we're suddenly arrested by the
magical appearance, directly in my
path, of several lights. pulled up
sharply, and stood stocl still. The
lights advanced, keeping time with the
humping of my heart. At last could
dimly descry body of twenty or thir-
| ty natives. several of whom carried
torches, which they must have just
| lighted awaited their coming not
without trcpidation, for | could not
/ imagine what they were about. Just
| before reaching me, however, they
turned quickly into the jungle. They
were not five PAGES distant from me
when they left the road, and felt
some surprise ut their not having seen
me BY sudden overpowering i'm
pulse of curiosity ] started to follow
them, in order to learn the meaning of
their strange journey. With as little
noise as possible / swung round, step
/ ping almost in their footsteps. / had
little difficulty in doing so, for they
! III g. Ia, e.,
track. For some hundreds of yards
the strange procession went slowly on.
Suddenly | heard n strange noise that
thrilled me through and through.
There was something about ii, too,
that seemed familiar; but my brain
was excited and refused to recall the
sound. II was kind of moan, half
human, half animal. As the natives
and | drew nearer il took the character
of chant and then it flashed on me
that had heard the sound before; il
was the leper's voicel The poor
wretch was cEgoSpning dismal hvmn or
Invocation, "GsSee . as he had done wner
soliciting hia,n slatives to do what i was
to my great sa;asfaction, about to find
ont. His low, weak voice rang ont
stanGely clear.
"Ohei, Ohei. Mother, my mother.
Thou only art merciful. Thou only.
Ohei, Ohei, Brethren, my brethren,
lead me to my mother; she only will
welcome, she only will give peace.
Ohei, Ohe:.
The voice died away in n moan that
III 4 g., -,
in the soft whistling of the long
grasses, as they quiyered with tn,
breath of the wind that presaged the
coming rains. ! shivcred.
The party having now arrived Mt &
space which had been cleared of tn,
tangle-wood and grass, abruptly stopped
and formed into ring. pressed for
ward as near rs ] dared. Then ] saw,
in the centre of the ring, large cav
ity, perhaps four feet deep, with tn,
earth banked mp on either side. Tn,
torch-bearers ranged themselves at tn,
head and foot of the hole, which, nov
that it was in the light, l saw TO be o
oblong shape, shelving somewhat "A
the end nearer to me. The other ma
I llNth slOOu hl lllc slltS' lOHI WIN iOHl
toms and two with little pots of burn
ing incense, The the leper limped out
from the jungle seemingly, and crouchet
at the shelving end of the hole. L haC
expected him To appear on the scene
yet when he did SO, could not hell
giving bit of start. Not one of tn,
natives looked Mt the leper, nor did b,
seem to see them. As soon, however
as he approached, the whole of the ma
tives set up n cry-subdued and disma
beyond description. The burden of i
was something like this ITO Thee whC
art all knowledge, all power, all love
all hate. 70 Thee, known only Of Thy
self. To Thee who art Life and Death
To Thee We bring our brother. HI
seeks Thee where Thou art. He come
, to Thee. He comes to Thee" Thei
ynicaa md tho noiae nf tho tom tom