The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-23

fore the people on the cliff steal from
their fastness, One unwary victim lies
slain in the canon; in these troublous
times, they bury the dead with speed.
low wall comes from the women;
they mourn one of their number gone
to Shipapu, the black lake of years, at
rest with "those above" The dead
mans arms are folded on his breast;
his knees drawn up, and he is wrapped
in the fine feather cloth; over this is
wrapper Of rush mating, In his mouth,
in accordance with a custom handed
down from the cave jewellers, they put
two or three shells; these are a medium
of exchange, ana ii is possible that the
mouners place their money in the
mouth of the dead, as the Greeks insert
ed coins in the corpse's mouth to pay
his way to another world, In the hol-
low back of the cave, behind the cliff
house, they bury the dead. Such is
their custom in time of siege, or when
the ground is frozen. Burial vases are
set about him, When the grave is filed
in the men repair to the Estufa. This
is the scene of the ceremonial observ-
ances of the tribe, and here the young
men of the clans sleep.
(The existence-nay, even the circular
form of the Estufa-was of paramount
Importance. However mysteriously
harassed, and even denied foothold
on earth till they perched in the eagle
eyries, the cliff builders religion de-
manded that the Estufa should be built
with undiminished proportions, and
/ Ix,Na thau
| must also rear temple) On its walls
are representations of the sun, father,
and moon, mother and red hands point
here and there. Similar red hands
| found in Central American temples are
said to be Sublevadoes, the I'M
| conquered native race, to mark buried
treasure and also to mean death to the
man of the white race who looks upon
| them. Stripes, one red, one white, one
blue are traced upon the Estufa walls.
From it's sides jut out six altar-like
projections: on one of them sacred fire
burns in a bird shaped earthen lamp.
| A tanned snake coils in dark corner
The old religious chief utters a prayer
magic wand in hand-and the council,
| filling their small ceremonial pipes be-
gin to draw auguries from the holy
smoke The women creep about the
rooms engaged in HOUSEHOLD tasks; they
kindle fires, using a fire drill and finder
of cedar bark or carry any bit of burn
ing sulphur, and lights glimmer here
and there about the great communal
building When all is hushed listener
on the scarped cliff might have heard the
of Tho
red maurauders-ancient Utes or Apach-
es-are returning. They have surprised
| and slain the guards who descended
from their towers to give others the
night watch, and by these narrow, tor
| tuous paths (where single strong man
might hold thousand foes at bay),
the enemy has gained the stronghold.
AS they leap on the ledge the loosened
pebbles fall sharply on the rocks below,
and the savage war cry reverberates in
the overhanging cliff. All is confused
tumult, friends and foes graphing in
the dark, in the terrible tussle of a
hand to hand conflict; physical prowess
pitted against physical strength-these
enemies know no quarter; children S
brains are dashed out before their agon-
lied mothers eyes. Delicate women are
cast from the cliff; the councillors fall
by the fire where their bones are found
centuries afterwards, and of all the
living, breathing, busy tenants of that
ancient pile, only moaning heaps
of dying and the slain are
left. The last man crawls into one of
the stone-built ovens to secrete him
self. 1t seems as if he at least, would
escape to tell the tale Of that Their
mopylae, but sharp eyes have pene-
trated his hiding place, lean dusky
hands drag his shrinking form through
the aperture, and as his head energies
crash falls the heavy stone axe on his
skull. There are no survivors.
But you will say to me; this is an
imaginary picture you have drawn. BY
no means, Every bit Of my mosaic is
a fact, found in searching the ruins
and relics which the lost people left
behind them. The tokens of daily life
in Pompeii were not more suddenly ar.
: rested by q cataclysm, to be preserved
: in dust and ashes for the research OF
unborn generations. The great com
munal buildings of Bancos Canon were
surprised, sacked, pillaged, sometimes
! burned, one by one. Their tenants Were
massacred, exterminated. In Utah, yor
l will find deserted cliff dwellings; which
because of famine, disease or savage
! foes, the inhabitants have abandoned
taking their belongings with them
! But the people of Mancos persisted il
their homes. Here are the very san
: dals used so long ago; the very toy
| the baby held in it's chubby hand; thu
/ very axe which crushed the skull o
> the man who hid in the oven, was founC
7 by the side Of it's victim, and was still
f: stained with that victims blood. Ye
' since these things happened seed ha'
S had time to fall upon the crumblinE
f; walls, to terminate, and grow into ;
. tree-centuries old-which l could no
/ encircle with my arms"
: Mrs McClurg held the wrapt atten
/ | ton and Illustrated portions of the tall
? by showing pottery of various sort
r and other relics of the ancient peopl
r about whom she lectured. She alst
: | showed blankets woven by the Pueblo
| ~ IT