Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-07-13

there were many miles OF marsh 10 cross
before he came TO where She was. He
then said that every arrangement would
be made for our comfort during his alb
sence, and that, as he personally had taken
fancy to us, he sincerely trusted that the
answer he should bring from She would
be one favorable to the continuation of
our existance. but AT the same time he
did not wish TO conceal from us that he
thought this doubtful, as every stranger
who had ever come into the country dur.
Ing his grandmolher's life, his mother S
life, aud his own life had been put to death
without mercy. and in a way tht he
would not harrow their feeling by DIES
crbing; and tins had been done by the
order Of She herself at least he supposed
it was by her order. AT any rate, she
never interfered TO save them,
why said, but how can that be?
You are an old man, and the time you
talk Of must reach back three mems lives.
How, therefore, could She have ordered
death of anybody at the beginning Of the
life Of your grandmother, seeing that she
herself would not have been born?'
Again he smiled-that same faint, pc
culiar smle-and with deep bow de-
parted, without making any answer nor
did we see him again for five days.
When he had gone we discussed the
situation, which filled me with alarm. |
did not at all like the accounts Of that
mysterious queen "She-w ho.must-be-
obeyed," or, more shortly, She, who APP
parently ordered the execution of any
unfortunate stranger in a fashion so un.
merciful. Leo too was depressed about
it, but proceeded to console himself by
triumphantly pointing out that this She
was undoubtedly the person referred TO
fathers letter, IN proof of which he adj
vanced Billali allusion TO her age and
power. | was by this time so overwhelm-
ed with the whole course Of events that l
had not even got the heart left to dispute
a proposition so absured: so | proposed
that we should try and go out and get a
bath, of which we stood sadly in need.
Accordingly. having indicated our
wish to niddle-aged individual of an
unusually saturine cast of countenance,
even among the saturnine, people who APP
peared to be deputed to look after us,
now that the father of the hamlet had de-
parted, we started in Il body-having
first lighted our pipes. Outside the cave
we found quite croud of people, evident
ly watching for our appearance; butiwhen
they saw us come out smoking they van-
ished this way and that, calling out that
we were great magicians. Indeed, nothing
about us created so great sensation .as
our tobacco smoke-not even .our fire
arms. After this we succeeded. in reach
ing a stream and taking our bath in peace,
though some of the women, not excepting
Ustane, showed decided inclination to
follow us even there.
BY the time we had finished this most
refreshing bath the sun was setting; in
deed, when we got back to the big cave,
it had already set. The cave itself was
full of people geathered arouLi fires -
for several more had now been lighted
and eating their evening meal by the lurid
light, and by that of various lamps which
were set about or hung up on the walls.
These lamps were of a rude manufacture
of baked earthen.ware, and:of all shapes,
some of them graceful enough. The
larger ones were formed of big red earth
en-ware pots, filled with clarified melted
fat, and having reed wick stuck through
a wooden disk which filled the top of the
pot, and this sort of a lamp required the
most constant attention to prevent its go
ing out whenever the wick burned down,
as there were no means of turning it. up.
The smaller hand-lamps. however, which
were also made of baked clay had wick
manufactured from the pitch of palm.
tree, or sometimes from the stem Of a very
handsome variety of fern. This wick
came up through round hole at the end
of the lamp, to which a sharp piece of
hard wood was attached to pieces and
draw it up with whenever it showed signs
of burning low.
For awhile we sat down and watched
this grim people eating their evening meal
in silence as grim as themselves, till at
length, tired of contemplating them and
the huge moving shadows on the rocky
walls, suggested to our new keeper that
we should kike to go TO bed.
Without word he rose, and taking me
politely by the hand, advanced with
lamp to one of the small passages that
had noticed opening out of the central
cave. This we followed for about five
PAGES, when it suddenly widened out into
a small chamber, about eight feet square,
and hewn out of the living rock On one
side Of this chamber was a stone slab.
about three feet from the ground, run
ming its entire length, like bunk in
cabin, and o. this he indicated | was to
sleep. There was no window or air hole