Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1895-01-01

and kill us"
mo- no." said Francisco ''the sonora
was right Let us trust in Providence and
keep ourselves clean from such iniquity."
As he spoke the roars of wrath in the
distance changed to a shout of triumph,
followed by silence.
''What is thats'' cried Juanna family.
At that moment Olfan pushed the cur
tains aside and entered, and his face was
heavy.
Speak, Olfan," she said.
''The people sacrifice as of old, queen"
he answered. IAN of us did not pass the
gate. Two of your black servants were
mixed up with the crowd and left, and
now they offer them-them and Others"
Leonard ran to tho yard and counted
the settlement men, who were huddled to-
gether in their fear and staring toward the
temple through the bars of the gate. Two
were missing.
AS he returned be met Olfan coming
out.
Where is he goingg'' he asked of Juan
ma
ITO guard the gates. He says he can
not be sure of the soldiers. Is it true
about the settlement men?"
ALAS, yes! Two are gone"
She hid her face in her hands and shud-
dered.
Poor creatures" she said presently in
q hoarse voice. "Why did we ever bring
them here? Oh, Leonard, is there no es-
cape from this land of devils?''
II hope SO" he answered. then added:
Come, Juanna, do not give way. Things
look so bad that they are sure to mend"
There is need of it, she answered.
All that evening and night they
watched, hourly expecting to be attacked
and dragged forth to sacrifice, but no at
tack was made. Indeed on the morrow
they learned from Olfan that the people
had dispersed after sacrificing about a
score of human beings, and that quiet
reigned in the city.
And now began the most dreadful of
their trials, and the longest, for it endured
five whole weeks. As has been said, the
climate of the vast upland plains, backed
by snow clad mountains that are the
dwelling place of the People of the Mist, is
cold during the winter months to the
verge of severity. But at a certain period
of the year, almost invariably within n day
or two of the celebration of the feast of
.Jal, the mist and frost vanish, and warm
weather sets in with bright sunshine.
Now, this is the season of the sowing of
crops, and upon the climatic conditions Of
the few following weeks depends the yield
of the harvest. Should the spring be de-
Eayed even a week or two, short crop
would certainly result, but if its arrival is
postponed for a month it means something
like famine during the following winter,
for, although this people dwell on high
lands they cultivate the same sorts Of
grain which are common in these ATTITUDES
namely, maize and sundry varieties Of
Ka1f1r corn, having no knowledge Of wheat
and other hardy cereals. Therefore it is all
important to them that the corn should
have fair start, for if the autumn frostS
catch it before it is fit to harvest the great
proportion of the crop turns black and is
rendered useless.
Now, these agricultural details had no
small bearing upon the fate of our adven-
turers. The feast of Jal was celebrated in
order to secure a good seed bed and spring.
I ing time for the grain. Juanna and Otter
| had abolished the hideous ceremonies of
| that feast, and the People of the Mist
| watched for the results with gloomy and
| supcrstitious eye. If the season proved
moro than ordinarily good, all might go
| we'll, but If it CHANGED to be bad!
And, was to be expected, seeing how
| much depended upon it, it turned out the
| very worst that any living man could re-
member in that country. Day after day
the face of the sun was hidden with mists
which only yielded TO the bitter winds
that blew from the mountains at night, so
| that when the spring should have been a
| month old the temperature was still that
of midwinter and tho corn would not start
at ell. Leonard and Juanna soon discov-
cred what this meant for them, and never
was the aspect of weather more anxiously
4 scanned than by these two from day to
| day. In vain. Every morning the blanket
of cold mist fell like cloud, blotting out
| the back ground of the mountains, and ev-
| cry night the biting wind swept down
| upon them from the fields of snow, chill
ing them to the marrow.
And so they lived side by side, lovers at
| heart, and talked and acted as a brother
| and sister might, and through it all were
happy in way because they were to-
gether.
| But Soa was not happy. She felt that
her mistress no longer trusted her and was
at no loss to guess the cause. Day by day
she sat behind them like mummy at a
feast and watched Leonard with ever
growing jealousy and hate.
Francisco for his part did not attempt to
| conceal his fears like the others. He was
| certain that they were about to perish and
sought consolation in religion, which was
edifying, but scarcely improved him as a
companion. As for Otter, he also believed
that the hour of death was nigh, but being
/ a ldIdllsl IDlS ulu nOG JTOuDlc MIN lnuCD.
On the contrary, in spite of Leonard's re-
monstrances he began to live hard, betak-
ing himself freely to the beer pot When
| Leonard grew angry with him. he turned
somewhat Sulky.
| To-day am god, baas, - he answered;
tomorrow l may be carrion. While am
n god let me drink and be merry. All my
days also women have cursed me because
am ugly, but now my wife holds me
great and beautiful. What is the good OF
thinking and looking sad? The end will
come soon enough. Already Nam sharp
ems the knife for our hearts. Come and be
merry with me, baas, IL the ShepherJiess
will let you
DO you take me for a pig like your
self" said Leonard angrily We'll, &C
your own way, fool that you are, but DO
ware of the beer and the spirits. Now you
are beginning to know this language, and
when You are drunk you talk, and do you
think that there are no spies heret Thai
girl Saga is greatniece to Nam, and you
are besotted with her Beware lest you
bring us all to death"
"Thither We shall come anyway, so lei
us laugh before we cry, baas, Otter re
piled sullenly. Must I then sit here and
do nothing till die!"
Leonard shrugged his shoulders and
went. He could not blame the dwarf
who, after all, was a savage and looked nj
things as n savage would. he sometimes
wished, so deep was his depression, that
he also was savage and could do like
| wise.
But the worst of their trials Is still t
be told. For tho first week the settlement
men staid in the palace, their fears ant
the rumors that had reached them of the
terrible fate of their two lost companion!
keeping them quiet. BY degrees, however
their dread wore off, and ono afternoon
wearied with the sameness Of their life
they yielded to the solicitations of some
men who spoke to them through the bar
n the great gate and went out in body
| without Ohtainin0 IaonardBs rarD,IeStoD