Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-06-07
CHAPTER NT.-Gontinued.


CHAPTER NT.-Continued.
But nothing that Muriel could say
would induce the girl further to explain
her meaning. She shook her head and
looked y cry wise. when a god come
into some BODY" she said, nodding to-
ward Muriel IN mysterious way, then
him god himself: him Korong. When
the cod 90 away from him, horong no
longer: somebody else Korong.
Queenie korono now: so people wor-
ship him. While him time last, peo'
pie plenty kind to him"
The dav passed away, and night
came on. AS it approached, heavy
clouds drifted UP from eastward. Mali
busted herself with laying out rough
bed in the hut for Muriel, and making
her pillow of soft moss and the Curl
Gus ichen-lize material that hangs par
asitIc from the trees, and is commonly
known as the ''old mans beard" AS
both Mali and Felix assured her conf
IDENTIFY no harm would come to her
within so strict TABOO, Muriel. worn
out with fatigue and terror, lay down
at last and slept sOundy on this native
substitute for bedStead. She slept
without dreaming while Mali lay at her
feet. ready at moments call. 1t was
so strange: and vet she was TOO utterly
wearied to do otherwise than sleep, IN
spite of her strange and terrible sur
roundings.
Felix. too, slept for some hours, but
woke with a start in the night. 1t
was raining heavily. He could hear
the loud patter Of a fierce tropical
shower on the roof of his hut His
Shadow, at his feet, slept still UNI
moved: but when Felix rose on his ell
bow, the Shadow rose On a sudden, too,
and confronted him curiously. The
young man heard the rain: then he
bowed down his face with an awed
air, not visible, but audible, in the
still darkness. 1T has come" he said,
with superStitiOus terror. 1T has
come at last, my lord has brought itn'
After that, Felix lay awake for some
hours. hearing the rain on the roof,
and puzzled in his own head by a half
uncertain memory What was 1t in
his school reading that that ceremony
with the water indefinitely reminded
him Of Wasn't there some Greek or
Roman superstition about shaking
your head when water was poured
uDon it: What could that superstition
be, and what light might it east on
that mysterious ceremony? He wished
he could remember: but it was SO long
since he'd read it, and he never cared
much at school for Greek or Roman
antiquities.
Suddenly, in lull Of the rain, the
whole context at once came back with
u rush to him. He remembered now
he had read It, some time or other, IN
some classical dictionary. 1t was a
custom connected with Greek sacri-
fees. The officiating priest poured
water or wine on the head Of the sheep,
bullock, or other victim. If the victim
shook its head and knocked off the
drops, that was q sign that it was fit for
the sacaifce, and that the god ac-
cepted it. If the victim trembled visi-
bly,, that was a most favorable omen.
II it stood quite still and didn't move
It's neck. then the god rejected it as
unfit for his purpose. Couldn't that be
the meaning of the ceremony per-
formed on Muriel and himself in
Heaven" that morning? Were they
merely intended as human sacrifices
Were they to be kept meanwhile and,
as it were, fed up for the slaughter?
1t was too horrible to believe; yet it
almost looked like it.
Ne wished he knew the meaning of
that strange word, ''korong.' Clearly.
it contained the true key to the mys
terry;
ANY how, he had always his trusty
knife. II the worst came to the worst
the wretches should never harm his
spotess Muriel.
For he loved her tonight; he would
watch over and protect her. He would
save her at least from the deadliest of
insults