Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-09-28
THE TONES DE KOR.

Ayesa waived her hand and the spectators
turned round and began to crawl off. down
the cave Ikea scattered flock of sheep.
When they got fair distance from the
dias, however, they rose and walked away,
leaving the queen and myself alone, with
the exception of the mutes and few
guards, most of the latter having departed
with the doomed men, Thinking this
good opportunity, | asked She to tcome
and see Leo, telling her of his serious con-
dition; but she would not, saying that he
certainly would not die before the night,
as people never died of that sort Of fever
except at nightfall or dawn, Also she said
that il would be better TO let the fever
spend its course as much as possible before
she cured it. Accordingly | was rising to
leave, ,"hen she babe me follow her, as she
would talk with me, and show meIthe
wonders of the caves
was too much involved in the web of
her fatal destinations to say her no, even if
had wished to, which | did not. She
rose from her chair, and making some
signs to the mutes, descended from the
dias Thereon four of the girls took lamps,
and ranged themselves two in front, and
two behind US, but the others went away.
Now she said, "wouldst thou see
some of the wonders of this place, oh,
Holly? Look upon the great cave. Saw
we ever the like? Yet was it and many
more like it, followed by the hands of the
dead race that once lived here in the city
on the plain. A great and wonderful peo-
pie must they have been. these men Of
kor; but, like the Egyptians, they thought
more of the dead than the living How
many men, think we, working for how
many years, did 1t require to hollow out
this cave and all the galleries thereof
Tens of thousands, answered.
80, oh, Holly. This people was an.old
people before the Egyptians were. A lit
tie can read of their inscriptions, having
found the key thereto-and, see here, this
was one of the last of the caves that they
dug and, turning to the rock behind her.
she motioned the mutes to hold up the
lamps Carven over the dias was the fig
ure of an old man seated in chair, with
an ivory rod in his hand 1t struck me
that his features were exceedingly like
those Of the man who was represented as
being embaimed in the chamber where we
oh F,,r h., l,as.
which. by the way, was exactly. like the
one in which Ayesha had sat 10 give iudg.
ment-was a short inscription in the eX-
traordinary characters of which have al
ready spoken, but which | do not remem
Der sufficient fIto illustrate :It,looked more
like Chinese writing than any other that
am acquainted with. This inscription
Ayesha proceeded, with some difficulty
and hesitation, to read aloud and translate
1t ran as follows:
I'm the year four thousand two hun
dred and fifty.nine from the founding of
the City of Imperial Kor was this cave
Tor burial place completed by Tisno, King
of Kor. the people thereof and their slaves
having labored thereat for three genera.
tons to be tomb for their citizens of rank
who shall come after. May the blessing
of the Heaven above the Heaven rest ubon
their work, and make the sleep Of Tisno.
the mighty monarch, the likeness Of whose
features is craven above, a sound and hap.
py sleep till the day of awakening, and
also the sleep of his servants, and of those
Of his race who, rising up after him, shall
yet lay their heads as low!'
Chou seest, oh. Holly" she said, "this
people founded the city, of which the ruins
yet cumber the plain yonder, four thous-
and years before this cave was finished
Yet when first | saw il, two thousand
years ago was it ever as il is now. Judge.
therefore, how old must the place have
BEEN And now follow thou me. and
will show thee after what fashion this
great city fell when the time was come for
il to fall = and she led the way down to
the center Of the cave, and stopped at a
spot where round rock had been let into
sort of large man hole in the flooring,
! accurately filling IL just as the iron plates
ill the spaces in the London pavements
down which the Goals are thrown. "Thou
seest," she said. Tell me, what is it?"
(CONTINIJFDA