Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-08-31

was still attached al the base. These
tables were slightly followed out or curv'
cd inward. To give room for the knees OF
any one setting on the stone edge that had
{ been cut for bench along the side OF the
cave at a distance OF about two feet from
them. Each OF them was so arranded
( that il ended right under a shaft pierced
in the rock for the admission Of light and
air. on examining them carefully, how
ever, saw that there was difference
between them that had at first escaped my
attention. viz, that one of the tables
that to the left As we entered the cave
had evidently been used, not to eat on, but
for the purpose of embalming bodies
That this was beyound all question the
case was clear from five shallow depres-
sions IN the stone of the table, all shaped
like human form, with a seperate place
for the head to lie in, and Il little bridge
TO support the neck. each depression being
of different size SO as to fl bodies vary
inc in stature from "A full-grown mans TO
small child's, and with little holes bored
AT intervals to carry of huid And IN
deed If any further confirmation was re
uuired. one had but TO look at the wall of
/ the cave above to find it. For there,
sculpturcd all round the apartment, and
/ looking nearly As fresh as the day II was
done, was the pictorial representation OF
! the death, embalmng, and burial OF an
/ old man with IA long beard, probably an
/ ancient king or grandee of this country
/ The first picture represented his death
/ lie was lying upon couch which had
/ four short curved posts at the' corners,
coming to a knob at the end, in appear
ance something like written note of
music. and was evidently in the very act
of expiring Gathered round the couch
were women and children weeping, the
/ former with their hair hanging down their
back. The next scene represented the
embalming of the body, which lay nude
upon a table with depressions in it similar
to the one before us probably, indeed, it
was "a picture of the same table. Three
men were employed at the work-one
uperintending, one holding a funnel
shaped exactly like a port wine strainer, Of
which the narrow end was fixed in an in
/ cision in the breast, no doubt IN the great
pectoral artery, while the third who was
represented as standing straddle-legged
over the corpse, held kind of large jug
high in his hand and poured from it some
steaming fluid, which fell accurately into
the funnel
The third sculpture represented the
bnrial of the deceased There he was,
stiff and cold, clothed in linen robe, and
laid out on stone slab such as had slept
upon at our first soiourueying place At
his head and feet burned lamp, and by
his side were placed several of the beauti.
full painted vases that | have described,
which were probably supposed to be full
of provisions. The little chamber was
crowded with mourners, and with music
lars playing on sort of lyre, while near
the foot Of the corpse stood "A man with a
sheet, with which he was preparing 10
cover it from view.
These sculptures, looked at merely as
works Of art, were so remarkable that |
make no apology for describing them rath-
er fully. They struck me also as being
of surprising interest as representing, pro-
baby with studious accuracy, the last
rites of the dead as practced among an
utterly lost people; and even then thought
how envious some antiquarian friends of
got an opportunity of describing these
wonderful remains To them, Probably
they would say that | was eXaggerating,
Notwithstanding that every page Of this
history must bear so much internal evi
dence of its truth that it would obviously
have been quite impossible for me to have
invented it.
70 return As soon as | had hastily
examined these sculptures, which think
! omitted to mention were executed in re
lief, we set down TO a very excellent meal
Of boiled goats flesh fresh milk, and
cakes made of meal the whole being
served upon clean wooden platters.
When we had eaten we returned to see
how poor Leo was getting on, Billali say
ing that we must now wait upon She and
her commands On reaching Leo's room
we found the poor boy in a very bad way
lie had woke up from his torpor, and was
altogether off his head, babblng about
some goat race on the Cam, aud was in.
clined to be violent. Indeed, when We
entered the room, Ustane was holding him
down. ! spoke to him, and my voice
seemed to soothe him; at any rate he grew
much quieter and was persuaded to swal
low a dose of quinine.
had been sitting with him for an hour
perhaps at any rate | know that it was
getting so dark that / could only JUS
make out his head lying like CLEAN OF