Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-09-28
SH E..
A History Of Adventure.
by II. RIDER HAGGARD. !
(Xv coNTINUED)

such night as / had; and what is more,
they had the weight of truth Taking one
thing with another, it appeared to me to
be an utter impossibility that we should
escape from the place where we were.
Surprising that Leo recovered, and suppos-
ing that She would let us 90. which was
exceedingly doubtful, and that she did not
"blast" us in some moment of veXatlon,
and that we were not hot-potted by the
Amahagger. il would be quite impossible
for us to find our way across the network
Of marshes, which, stretching for scores
and scores of miles, formed a stronger and
more impossible fertilization round the
various Amahagger households than any
that could be built or designed by man
No, there was but one thing to do-face it
out and, speaking for my own part, was
so intensely interested in the whole weird
story that, so far as | was concerned, not
withstanding the shattered state of my
nerves, asked nothing better, even if my
life paid forfeit to my curiosity
After had dressed myself lspassed into
the eating or rather embalming, chamber,
and had some food. which was, as before,
brought to me by the girl mutes. When
! had finished went and saw poor Leo,
who was quite off his head, Hand did not
even know me. | asked Ustane how she
thought he was; but she only shook her
head and began to cry a little. Evidently
her hopes were small land then and there
made up my mind that, if il were in any
way possible, would get She to come and
see him. Surely she would cure him If
she chose: at any rate she said she could.
While l was in the room, Billali entered,
and also shook his head
He will die tonight" he said.
God forbid my father ! answered,
and turned away with heavy heart
"She who-must. be-obeyed commands
thy presence, my Balloon" said the old
man as soon as we got to the curtain; but,
oh, my dear son, bemore careful lester'
day | made sure in my heart that She
would blast thee when thou didst rot
crawl upon thy stomach before her. She
is sitting in,the great hall to do justice up
on those who would have smitten thee
and Lion Come on, my son; come swift
ly"
| turned, and followed him down the
passage and when we reached the great
central cave saw that many Amahagger,
some robed, and some merely clad in the
sweet simplicity of a leopard skin, were
hurrying up it. We mingled with the
throng, and walked up the enormous, and
indeed almost interminable, cave, All the
way up it the walls were deliberately sculp-
tured, and every twenty PAGES or so pass
ages opened out of ii at right angles, lead
ing. Billal told me, TO tombs followed in
the rock by 1.-THE people who were before. "
Nobody visited those tombs now, he said,
and | must say that my heart rejolced
when thought of the opportunities OF an
tiquarian research that opened out before
me.
At last we came to the head Of the cave,
where there was a rock dais almost exact
ly similar to the one on which we had been
so furiousy attacked, fact that proved
to me the celebration of religious ceremo-
mics, and more especially Of rites connect
ed with the interment of the dead On
either side of this dias dias were pas
sages leading, Billali informed me, to other
caves full of dead bodies. "Indeed,' he
added, "the whole mountain is full of dead
and nearly all of them are perfect
In front Of the dias were gathered great
number of people of both seX,s, who stood
staring about in their peculiar gloomy
fashion, which would have reduced Mark
Tapley himselJ to. misery in about five
minutes On the dias was a rude chair of
black wood inlaid with ivory, with a seat
made of grass fiber, and footstool form
ed of a wooden slab attached to the chair.
Suddenly there was cry of "Hiya.
Hiya" (''She. SheH) and the eutre
crowd instantly precipitated itself upon
the ground, and lay there as though it
were individually and collectively stricken
solitary survivor of massacre As they
did so long string of guards began to de
file from passage to the left, and ranged
themselves on either side of the dias.
Then followed about a score Of male mutes
then as many.women mutes bearing lamps,
and then tall white figure, swathed from
head to foot in whom | recognized She
herself She mounted the dlas and sat
down upon the chair, and spoke to me in
Creek suppose because she did not wish
those present to understand what she said
Come hither Holly" she said, land
sit at my feet. and see me do Justice on
those who would haye slain thee For
give me if my Greek doth halt like lame
man it is so long since | have heard the
sound of it that my tongue is stiff, and will
not bend 10 the words.
l bowed, and mounting the dias, sat
down at her feet.
How didst thou sleep, my Holly"
she asked.