St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-03-21
THE TOOTH OF sIVA.
BY GEORGE @. FARoUHAR.

Il reckon this trip is downright
failure" exclaimed Louis Henley, il
ritably, as he sat with his friend. D
Aorrall, in their tent one night, afte
ten hours stalk in the desolate re
gion at the foot of the Himalayas, g
vote we give it up as a. bad lob an
make tracks homeward."
We've been unlucky, that's ALL" re
turned DR.. Worran .There are yak
about, for we came across their .spoo1
Today up the lake. Halloo, Louis
what's that thing?'
/ Louis had pulled out his chronone
ter as he was speaking, and the doc
tors eye CHANGED to catch the gewgav
taat dangled from the chain.
This 2'' replied Louis, nonchaIantlv
'Oh, it's a little present / had from
Pollard before he ftCalcutta. Neither
valuable nor very ornamental. but
keep it in memory of him.
The object which DIR. Worrall now
scFutinized with some degree of curl
| oslty was conieaf-shaped piece OF
green jade, about an inch in length /;
from the base os@st projected short
strip of furnished metal, and through
this metal hole had been bored. DR..
Worrall looked long and carefully at
the article.
Where did Pollard get it?" he asked,
a grave look on his face.
well, he came across it in this very
neighborhood, believe. Perhaps, l
ought to say-putting the fact into
plain English-he stole it,"
How did he become possessed of
tip"
oh, by some means or other he Sc
eretiy obtained access to a Brahmin
temple, in which an elaborately lew
eled image of silva was enshrined. The
jade teeth of the idol were fixed into
their sockets with golden screws, and
Pollard, desirous of having memento
OF his hazardous enterprise, broke one
of the teeth off, and carried it away
with him. 1t was the act of an icono-
clast, a. yandal, but
You don't mean to tell me-" cried
DIR. Worrall, excitedly, "that this is the
notorious Bharatra tooth?"
Now you mentioR 1t, 1 recollect
hat was the name of the temple-the
Sharatra temple. But why notori-
,us?"
1t appears that the Bhootaneese
laye a special regard for these teeth,
ertaln scores or inscriptions upon |
hem being attributed to Brahma's |
'wn hand. It was the double triangle
ut into the face of this piece of Jade
hat caused me to question you respect
ng it. A description of the missing I
Doth was circulated throughout the
district, the rajah Of Waysnu offering
substantial reward for it's recovery.
Z you value your comfort and safety.
'o;1is, L would advise you to get rid of
ne stone at the earliest opportunity.
iany a fanatic would not count the
ost If he could only obtain possession
I the tooth, and many who are not
1natles would have little scruple
bout killing you for the sake of the
eward'' f.
Il had no idea was carrying such
dangerous article about with me, IRE
'ined Louis, with laugh. s'Here it
oes back into my pocket"
"Hark!' interposed the doctor, sud
enly sitting up stifiy. "What was
lat?"
de rose to his feet, strode past the
mt. pole, and lifted the flap of the
Mt. For a minute he looked keen,y | ,
1t into the night, listening. :
Il must have been mistaken, ,'he said. i
turning. Il thought heard stealthy .
otsteps in the grass. But there's no.
,dy about" !
The wind among the leaves, that
as all,' opined Louis, with a yawn. q
say, Worrall, I think I'll turn in. 4
n dead beat" :.
The doctor followed his companion's g
ample, and within half an hour tAa I
ain were deep in slumber. How long u
uis had slept he knew not before "
awoke with a shiyer, the cold night II
beating full upon his face. And
Wohder--for there, not yard from, !,
! head, the tent cloth was dangling l.
'se. While he was dreamily debat- II
! the means by which the canvas g
Id be refastened with the least :,
ount of exertion to himself, he saw i;
land thrust into the opening Louis a
sed fxedly. The cloth was cautious. b
raised. and now the moons rays y,
stened upon a forearm which. pro- i,
ded into the tent, swept gently =
III side to side, in an ever widening m
ai-circle.
1ouis rolled over noiselessly and =
tched the CROPPING limb with both
hands. The tug of war was violent, hi
brief, for Louis fingers slipped in
vn his adyersary's arm as if it were sli
body of an eel. The vigor he had 40
d. thus unexpectedly released, shot or
j backward upon DR.. Worrall, who, wi
rmed at his friends halloos, had sn
n into sitting posture. Before
Y could sort themselves OUT the ca
lld-be pilferer-for there could be "a,
doubt the intruder was upon plum he
bent-had utterly vanished into do
,e. Nor, although they at once I;
sed the inmates of the camp-their rel
doc bearers, porters and attend en-
the slightest trace of the
auder be discovered. Dr
ext morning, while the hunters fa,
> imbibing their early breakfast, spl
r guide, Bhootanese shikari, ba.
ia Sen, came running breathlesslv boz
camp. He had already been to lac
top of an adjoining hill, from IS