Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-03-13
THE MAHATMAS.

- Il Il Ia II = II IL L.
The storm showed no signs Of abate-
ment. The snow, driven by the wind,
had found its way here and there
through the "chinking" of the cabin
and lay in miniature drifts upon tho
floor, the fine, dry crystals sparkling in
the freight We were fairly warm and
comfortable where we sat on our rolls
of blankets, placed upon the rudely
laid rough hearthstones. but ten feet
back from the fire the air was bitterly
raw and cold.
Tired though we all were from the
day rough journey. there was but lit
tie temptation to leave the comparative
comfort of the fireside for the hard.
drafty hunks which awaited us, and
Calkins and still sat drowsily listen
ing to the theosophist as he discoursed
monotonously of reincarnation, Karma-
Loca, and kindred topics.
He was a fidgety, clean shaven little
man, with weak eyes, long iron gray
hair and a pasty complexion. Hespoke
in confidential half whisper, lest he
should awaken his unsympathetio
friend, the professor, rolled in his blan-
kets near by, and provoke controversy.
"a mahatma, y he said hesitatingly,
in answer to my inquiry, ''is being
difficult of exact or satisfactory defni-
tion to mind unfamiliar with at least
the elements of esoteric philosophy and
unattuned to the harmonies of oriental
thought. He has been tersely but made
quately described as 'one who by in
tense self absorption has attained super
natural powers and faculties. He is of
the illuminate Of the Brothers,, an
Adept, in the occult sense. Developed
and perfected by a spiritual asceticisrn,
he finds himself able to read natures
occult laws, to pass unhindered from
one distant place to another in the
twinkling of an eye, to melt from view
and reappear at pleasure, to surround
himself with phantasms'-
s'What do you call EN- what does all
this?" queried Calkins, with awakening
interest.
''Mahatmas, - rather snappishly re-
piled the theosophist, not relishing the
interruption.
81 run against pair of 'em once
way out on the desert east Of old
Woman's Springs, and / recollect well
how they done me. That's why l
asked" explained CallSins.
ga pair of mahatmas Done you!
Impossiblep exclaimed the theoso-
phist.
''Well, if you say it's impossible, l
reckon that settles it, said Calkins,
and he spat aggressively into the white
ashes in the fireplace
"But, my dear sir, +" demonstrated the
theosophist in a conciliatory tone, II
did not, of course, intend to suggest any
doubt of the perfect sincerity Of your
assertion. But the idea of your having
met two of these phenomenally gifted
beings and of their having, as you say,
done you struck me for the moment,
you know-merely for the moment-as
-well-as certainly most remarkable. -
'Well, it was just that, said Cal
kins, softened. "It was, as you say, the
remarkablest racket, considered all
round, ever was in. and III allow I've
seen more astonishin things in my time
than most men.
"Would you mind giving us the par
ticulars Of your experience, Mr.. Cal
kins?" urged the theosophist, with gen.
uine interest
WELL" said Calkins after mo-
ment's pause and with the tone and air
of overcoming reluctance to speak
further on the subject. with man
who didn't know me''-he had met the
theosophist that evening for the first
time-"and hadn't the learnin and un-
derstandin to tackle such matters I'm
free to allow I'd hesitate to give 'em
this account. But with you it seems
different somehow. You'll see the bear
in's of it as p'r'aps some wouldn't
'I had a claim about 40 miles south
east of Old Woman's springs, and there
was rock tank within mile where
could get water for camp use. I'd rig
ged up an arastra near the tank, and
had been paokin ore down from the
claim with the one mule I had, and
then turned him into harness to run the
arastra, but it made the work hard and
slow both for me and him.
$50 after I'd made one pretty good
run out of about ton and quarter
I got three balls of amalgam, which,
when I'd roasted and hammered 'em,
weighed risin ten ounces-I started to
go in from the desert, cash my bullion
and buy some burro to pack with.
1t was well into November when I'd
finished my run and started to come
in, and the nights was gettin too sharp
for sleepin out with any comfort L
planned to make Higgins Wells first
night out, for there was an old stone
cabin there, half built into the side hill,
without much roof, to be sure, but fur
nishin some cover and givin a shelter
from the wind.
well. cached my tsols and powder
and Strengthened things ont at camp be,
fore leavin, and SO eidh'5 aef ssarted
until well on toward noon. II took abort
eight hours steady hnstiin to gt TO tho
Wells, but knew | had a moon to
travel with when the sun went down.
so didn't feel hurried, though the day
was gettin short.
about sundown it grew raw right
away, and then the mountains to the
east and evsry little knob and butte
stood out sharp with a chilly dead light
on 'em, like they was gestil purple with
the cold. There wasn't a cloud nowhere
to be seen, nor breath of wind stirrin,
and / knew it was goin to be still,
pinchin, frosty night, and ! buttoned
my coat up tight, and for the first time
on the trip begun to hurry up my mule.
"Just after sundown on clear, sharp
nights the lonesomest time to be trav-
elm on the desert when you're by your
self. With the dusk comm on and the
red fadin out in the sky you feel some
how like everythin in the world but
Just you and your mule had feen stone
dead for hundred years, and feelin that
way your animal gets to be great COM
panv. When the moon come up. It was