Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-05-24
BY GRaNT.AL1EN9

OF the sign OF the cross In Catholic
countries.
So On they wended their way in
silence through the deep tropical jun
gle, along pathway just wide enough
for three to walk abreast, till they
emerged suddenly upon large cleared
space, in whose midst grew a great
and rooted themselves like buttresses
in the soil beneath. Under the ban
yan-tree raised platform stood upon
posts of bamboo. The platform was
i covered with fine network in yellow
and red, and two little stools occupied
the middle, as if placed there on pur-
pose and waiting for their occupants.
The man who had headed the first
canoe turned round to Felix and
motioned him forward. "This is
Heaven he said glibly, in his own
tongue. "Spirits ascend it''
Felix, much wondering what the
ceremony could mean, mounted the
| platform without a word, in obedience
to the chiefs command, closely fol-
lowed by Muriel, who dared not leave
him for second.
"Bring water" the chief said,
shortly, in voice of authority to one
of his followers.
The man handed up calabash with
little water in it. The chief took
the rude vessel from his hands in
reverential manner, and poured a few
! drops of the contents on Felix's head;
the water trickled down over his hair
and forehead lnvoluntarily, Felix
shook his head little at the unex-
| pected wetting, and scattered the drops
| right and left on his neck and shout
| IL ,1,i ne +,.h> l
| Torrance attentively with profound
satisfaction. Then he turned to his
! attendants.
"The spirit shakes his head" he
said, with deeply convinced air. Cali
| is we'll. Heaven has chosen him.
Korong! Korong. He is accepted for
his purpose. 1t is we'll. 1t is well!
Let us try the other one"
He raised the calabash once more,
and poured a few drops in like manner
on Muriel's dark hair. The poor girl,
trembling in every limb, shook her
head also in the same unintentional
| fashion. The chief regarded her with
, still more complacent eyes.
ut is WE'LL" he observed once more
| to his companions, smiling. She too.
gives the sign of acceptance. Korong!
| Korong! Heaven is well pleased with
| both. See how her body tremblesW
At that moment Il girl came forward
with a little basket of fruits. The chief
/ chose q banana with care from the
basket, peeled it, with his dusky
hands, broke it slowly in two, and
handed one-half very solemnly to
Felix
Eat, King of the RAIN" he said, as
he presented it. 1.-THE Offering of
Heaven"
Felix ate it at once, thinking it best
under the circumstances not to demur
at all TO anything his strange hosts
might choose to impose upon him.
The chief handed the other half just
as solemnly to Muriel. ''Eat, Queen
of the Clouds" he said, as he placed it
in her fingers. "The Offering of
Heaven
Muriel hesitated She didn't know
what his words meant, and it seemed
to her rather the Offering OF q very
dirty and unwashed savage. The
chief eyed her hard. ''For God S sake
eat it, my child: he tells you TO eat it
lifted it to her lips and swallowed it
down with difficulty. The mans, dusky
hands didn't inspire confidence.
he had seen her swallow it. Cali is
we'll done,' he said, turning again to
his followers. 1--WE have obeyed the
words OF Tu-kila-klla. and his orders
that he gave us. We have offered the
strangers, the spirits from the sum- as
q free gift to Heaven. and Heaven has
accepted them. We have given them
fruits, the fruits of the earth, and they
have duly eaten them. Korong Ko-
rong! The King OF the Rain and the
Queen of the Clouds have indeed come
among us. They are truly gods. We
will take them now, as he bids us, to
Tu-Kila-Kila.
''What have they done to us?'
Muriel asked aside, in d terrified under
tone to Felix.
81 can't quite make out. Felix ant
swered in the self-same voice. They
call US the King of the Rain and the,
Queen of the Clouds, in their own Ian
guage. I think thew imagine we've
come from the sun and that we're a
sort OF Spirits"
At the sound of these words the girl
who held the basket of fruits gave q
sudden start. It almost seemed to Mu-
riel as if she understood them. But
when Muriel looked again she gave no,
peace, and tried to appear wholly unr
disconnected.
The chief beckoneFl them down from
the platform with a wave of his hand.
They rose and followed him. AS they
rose the people around them bowed
low to the ground Felix could sec
they were bowling to Muriel and HIM
sell, not merely to the chief. A doubt
fitted strangely across his mind for a
moment. What could it all mean?
| Did they take the two strangers, then,
for supernatural beings? Had they
enrolled them as gods? If so, it might
serve as some little protection for
! them.
The procession formed again. three
and three. three and three, in solemn
silence. Then the chief walked in
| front of them with measured steps. and