The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-06-22

;,n.IsIsug. mining. milling anu e'ii aa'~
ts,.. ..xv i'll II n generally healthy I'opa-
lac.. a.
+ He ware the ATTAIN costume Tor us
own clio, D. had loslg sgo become Fsss'
and he felt himself ~ ihoruugh an a,@-
Ian "a any man in the city. aud shea ne
saw The autumn come again anu arg
harvest feasts were held he ftit All 'i'e
joy Of a native. The people were ih"'e
lively: they s,eid games and weird dances
every dav. which Interested him intense
~ In their seso.eric significance. and the
prospect WIS very satisfactory 10 HIN
and t. Leila and Iklapel. That BIS COM
ing had been of imIuense beneaat 10 the
people he could see, ami ~ feit a"eii-
ing of pride, at the fact winch was only
EuueIlea NV the thought of what he could
have, accomplished with better faciiitles.
lie felt no desire IN return 10 ciFiiize'.
life; he was willing 10 devote several
! Gears To tie work of converting THIS city
of the stone age into "A modern borough
with all its improvements. with iron
as his servant everything was possible,
and in few days iron would be forth
coming. Then for machinery. steam.
electricity.
Meanwhile he had accomplished won
ders. Hundreds of labor saving devices
benefited the city: candles, soap, glazed
pottery, spinning wheels, improved
| looms. beer. yeast. pulley hoists and
many other valuable fruits of civilization
| had been introduced. While he was fin-
ishing his furnace he had made molds
! fo. casting plowshares, harrows, anvlls.
CRATES. axes. hammers and other imple-
ments of cast steel, and he viewed the
outlook with supreme satisfaction. His
| iron works were some distance from the
city-down in the canyon-where he had
discovered the remains of ancient smelt-
ing furnaces forgotten long ages since
and almost buried in the debris of the
shady cliffs. Remains like these have
since been discovered in other parts of
the region and show the facilities which
| the prehistoric races possessed for smelt-
ing and casting ores. The AtZlans had
traditions only of the times when their
| forefathers mined and worked their ores.
He had built as nearly perfect a Besse-
mer furnace as he could with his mate
rails, and it promised great results.
He had erected a stone dwelling for
himself outside the city walls in wood
ed spot facing the river. On the APP
proach of autumn he moved into it with
all his belongings. 1t had three rooms,
with modern fireplaces, and windows
with glass of a poor quality, but home
product The walls were hung with the
great, gorgeously colored Atzlan blan-
kets, and furs covered the antique pave
ment of the fioor-a treasure rided from
an old portion of the city.
| Iklapel had long before assigned to
him a body servant named Jan-ila, a
dark, active lad of twenty, Ainees only
brother, who cared for his wants with
pious zeal. Jan-ila-or Johnnie" as
Eric was fond of calling him-slept in
one of the smaller rooms, his master in
another, while the larger apartment
served as a general Office, dining aud
council room. Jan was so apt pupil that
he outstripped both Kulcan and Rlapel
in his knowledge of mechanics, arts and
language under Eric's tuition, and of
modern ideas he was a most eager i'm
biber.
All of Gilbert's reforms and improve
ments had been accomplished without
in any manner usurping the functions
which Iklapel exercised pending the
election of a new governor. He had al
most entirely left his priestly duties to
Kulcan, who performed them with a
laxity born of increasing distrust of the
efficacy of the religion of his fathers.
| This the crafty Chalpa had observed, and
he used 1t as a pretext for fomenting the
fears of the priests. He painted in
strong. fervid colors. and with potent
logic, the decay of their ancient faith,
the downfall of priestcraft and the loss
4 of their fat livings. He So wrought upon
their fears at every opportunity by
these forceful pleas that he had already
formed fairly strong following.
Familiarity with Eric had lessened
their awe while it had increased their
admiration of him. They were already
willing to abandon their belief in his
divinity, and were beginning to realize
that instead of a being from another
world he was a man like themselves.
The events which now occurred aided
Chalpas plans and strengthened his po-
sltlon as candidate for the governor
ship. Both Iklapel and Kulcan Were
aware of growing feeling among the
priests in favor of Chalpa's candidacy.
but they did not believe that he could
gain adherents enough to affect the re-
suit or the election, which was to occur
In the early spring, week before the
feast of the Katun. Eric and Iklapel had
determined to divest this feast of its
horrible, sacrifcial, murderous char.
acter, and the old priests powers were
all bent in this direction while he left
the electioneering to Kulcan.
All of the younger priests could be
counted upon to favor his advanced
views. but only few of the elder could
be expected to depart from a time hon
ored and powerfully potent religious
custom. While only few of them had
witnessed the last Katun feast, fifty-two
years before, yet the barbaric rite had
many hriu adherents. The subject had
oeen approached at great tribal .etinps
IN the circular estufas, but it had been
handled SO carefully that even Iklapel
could form no opinion of the strength of
the new movement
Inc blast furnaces had proved sue
cessIul; men were even now grinding
the new axes to an edge with Intense
eagerness and satisfaction, and every
one OF Eric's castings had turned out
perfect much to his delight. 1t was
Hhdwinter before they were finished.
ana his assistants had worked indoors
ana converted one part of the great tene-
hent INTO huge factory, where the
CRASH OF hammers upon anvils filled the
ar witn cheerful din, and the great
a,in room, with its cobwebbed rafters
piack with the smoke of ages. was neo-
peg with grllny figures hurrying here
ana there In the glare of the FORCES. In
qulsltive, curious Atzlans crowded about
the doors, wrapped in their blankets and
iurs, and cheered their fellow c;t;za,,.