The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-07
TO PLEASE THE GODS.
a Young Girl Mutilated TO Make a
Caribbean Holiday.

A Weird Scene in a Deep Cave-A
Vivid Description of the Sacriice-A
Savage Tribe Which Longs for Can
nibalistic Rites and Human Sacrifice.
Copyright. 1s94)
There are people who will tell you Sc
riously that each year child is sacri-
feed to the gods of the Caribs, whose
bones are beneath the palms that wave
over the sunny shores of the caribbean
sea, that Mediterranean of the western
world. Mrs Alice lie Plongeon tells in
graphic words the story of such canni-
balistic sacrifice, seen by her on the wild
shore of Yucatan. Similar tales have
come to me at times, during the years of
my acquaintance with the coasts Of Cen
trail America. But grave old Caribs tell
me that they no longer Kill human beings
for religious feasts; and there was mourn
full sadness in their tones when they
| talked Of rigorous laws, made by the
white usurpers of American rights, to
put an end to the eating of people cap
tured in battle.
was, because of these rumors and
hints, only too glad to accept an invita-
ton that seemed to offer opportunity to
learn for myself just how much truth
might lie behind these tales.
We sailed at dusk from La Caribe,
from the mouth of that river where Co
lumbus made his second landing on the
continent of America, and where the
English planted colonies three different
times and were each time compelled to
| withdraw their garrisons and their cola
nists.
Our ship was hewn from single log of
Spanish cedar. She was simply canoe
about forty feet long and eight feet in
beam.
1t was midnight when our little craft
rounded the end Of the coral reef that
guards the snug harbor of Utilla. She
flew along under the lee of that wall until
the sea breeze was cut off by a wooded
point of land. Soon after, the kedge was
| carefully lowered into the water, and the
rope that was to serve as her riding ca
BILE ran silently out through the chock in
her bow.
Not soul ashore seemed to know of
our coming. Not light glimmered; not
voice was heard We made not noise
enough to awake even a village dog.
Out from the shadows by the shore
came three canoes. AS quietly as ghosts
| they glided toward us over the still
waters. A dozen hands grasped their
wales as they ranged alongside, and kept
them from touching even lightly against
| the schooner. Our passengers passed
| baskets of their belongings into the ca
noes, and followed the baskets. There
was not even whispered word, not an
audible stroke of the paddle / could not
| hear as much as the lap of a ripple against
bow, as we made our way to shore,
| where the canoes slid up on the mud
under the shadows of the mangroves.
BolH and were last to step ashore.
| Not soul was in sight as he led the way
between the houses, then through ba-
mana patch and on into a dense thicket
| which marked the spot where planta-
ton had once been, at the very foot OF a
high hill, and had been abandoned.
My guide crept beneath a leafy, tan
gled vine, and crouched along between
the curtain it made and the rocky face of
the cliff. I followed the faint light re-
Elected FROM his white shirt. A minute
later we trOd-a smooth, hard. path, where
l could see no ray of light. 7#t
We stood in that mysterious cave, of
which every dweller on the island of
Utilla can tell weird tales.
MY guide picked up a few splinters of
pine lit them at the burning torch, then
led the way along a crooked cleft that
had been widened here and there by the
chisel. He was stopped by blanket
which curtained the passage. He touched
bH1S lAkHbly. anu Vic CuE0 VI btl6 CuIIdlu
was drawn aside little by hand from
the farther side. There were a few
whispered words, and after waiting a
moment we passed the curtain.
Duskv forms of Carib men and women
| squatted on their heels in orderly rows
| that reached around the room. At one
side was man who held before him
carimba, a bow some six feet IN length
| that had for its bow-string brass wire,
| which WAC d1.aX in Inward fba how "
| a loop of finer wire that passed around
! both bow-string and bow a third of their
| length from their lower end. This loop
| of fine wire went through the bottom of
a small jicaro, a deep cut that was the
woody shell of calabash, and firmly
| bound it against the back of the bow.
! One end of the carimba rested on big
| calabash bowl, turned open side down on
| the rocky floor to give depth and volume
to the notes of the instrument.
The performer held in one hand a little
wand, made of the dense, hard shell of
the palm royal. He struck the wire with
| this baton, and clear, sharp note rang
out. A bamboo flute joined with dron-
ing wall, and drum, of the skin of
| peccary stretched across the end of sec
tion of hollow log, rolled out volumes of
sound that filed the cave with thunder
ings.
| A strangely carved statue of soft grey
| stone SO uatteQ on table IN the middle OF
the room, it's hands clasped about what
seemed TO be a bowl resting on the knees
of the image. Around its head was
band that formed a curious head-dress.
| On cheeks and brow were marks of red
| and green and black paint-symbolic
colors of the Mayas, who once. filed
Central America with cities, temples and
other monuments of civilization that
the ruthless bigotry of the conqueror de-
stroyed. About the waist of the image
was breech-cloth or palpura adorned by
a great rosette behind. The face was
| craven with an art which gave to it an
| expression of grim humor as if he smiled
at the vanity of man, who has made so
little real progress since the artist who
created that stony countenance crumbled
| to forgotten dust.
A tiny fire burned on the thick edge of
the bowl which the statue held. It's
smoke gave a strange fragrance which
| filed the room most pleasantly.
| Three grizzled, wrinkled old men stood
before the altar. AT each of its ends
stood two women, as old, as gray, as
| puckered as the men were. These seven
| were sukias or witches of the CARDS
| About the neck of each hung
a necklace of the teeth of alligators, lit
tie bones from the feet of animals, claws
/ Of ha Glafh "a nr faa tas,,