The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-22
Won Halbeck's Adventure.
"a Tale of the Guiana Hinteriand.
From the Evening Post. In Seven Parts.J
PART Ill

"a Tale of the Guiana Hinteriano
From the Evening Post. In Seven Parts.)
PART III.
At nighttime a lighted torch was
brought into my house and young girl
fetched me food and water. This girl was
called Bian, and during the whole OF my
captivity she waited on me, always at
hand. now silent, now full OF interesting
talk about her people. She was not an
Unlocking maid, and as her hgure was
more pleasing than her face she lost moth
ing by being dressed in the garment OF her
tribe-a narrow girdIe of plated grass
with a small apron before and behind l
slept well, and in the morning sent Ban
for the chief or headman Of the village.
Presently Bian returned, and following in
her steps came the muscular man VINO
had led me the previous day. We had
a long talk together, and found out ex-
actIy how / was situated. The people
among whom I had fallen were called
Barawois, and were the remnant of once
powerful tribe Many years before the
tribe, which at that time lived about
a hundred miles southeast Of its present
station, had been set upon by strange IN
dams, and with the exception or about
forty persons, entirely destroyed. Thls
remnant. after many hardships, had at
length
its home, and had continued to live there
entirely cut off from the world. As far as
was known / was the only man who had
ever been to the place since the Barawois
had occupied it. The most extraordinary
circumstance in connection with the Bar
awois was that they worshipped a craven
image, and offered up human sacrifices TO
it. But of this. more hereafter.
Questioning the chief, Petarie by name,
as to my future / was at once placed in
a very distressing position.
"Kaboot," he said (this word signifying
a white NAM, mo harm shall befaH you.
But we may not let you depart again
Our hiding-place would become known,
and evil would surely follow. 1t was told
us by our fathers, and they told that
which their fathers had related to them
that thy countrymen are cruel and liars,
that they broke their word with our IA
theirs, and seized their wives and
their ornaments of gold, killing many
brave men,
My command of the language was too
slight to allow me to explain that all
white men are not alike, and that L was
no Spaniard to betray those who had
saved me from a horrible death.
Therefore Kaboot' he continued, you
must remain with US and become OF US,
taking d wife of our people"
"Petarie," 1 answered, can the trapped
bird make conditions with it's captor? l
must then remain with you. But should
the day come when the way lies open, l
shall surely take it.
THAT you need not look for. The ways
hence are guarded, and it will be foolish
to weary yourself with vain hoping.
And so l was forced to be contented-
4hn MA WI
was TO be my home, for all L knew, for
the rest of my days. The houses were
all of one type, excepting that set apart
for the sacriicial victims, which was
more strongly built, and was surrounded
by a palisade of stakes-comfortable and
roomy, the sides and roof being matched
with the leaves of a certain palm, well
suited to the purpose. The thick forest
grew right up to the back of the houses
save in one direction, where broad path
way led to the stream which flowed past
the village. This stream had its origin
in a large lake about eight miles distant,
and which must have been fed from sub
terranean sources. The village stood
about a quarter of mile inland, on the
top of an enormous plateau, with precip-
itous and almost inaccessible sides, which
formed, as l found later the strongest of
projections
! teau measured twelve miles in breadth
| at the widest part.
But the most interesting thing about
| the place was the riverAt the point where
i passed the villige it was Good fygty
PAGES across but this breadth gradually
| lessened going down stream till about a
! hundred yards down 1t narrowed to ff-
| teen PAGES. Just beyond this point a
most extraordinary sight presented itself.
In the middle of the stream was large
! figure of a man. l do not wish TO con-
vey the impression that the statue was
a work of art; it was indeed very rough.
! but none the less plainly the figure of a
| man, facing down stream. One arm was
raised above its head, the other was close
| to the body as far down as the elbow,
! the forearm being stretched out, with the
| hand curved upwards, as though beckon-
ing. About six PAGES in front of the fig
ure the stream suddenly leaped over a
! precipice into a sort of canon, laundering
! down a clear drop Of two hundred feet
| and losing itself in the columns of spray
which filed the lower part of the chasm
| In the center of the stream, on the ex-
| IRENE edge of the fall, was a small slab
| of rock dividing the water into two nearly
| equal portions, and a narrow ledge OF
! rock ran back to the base of the statue
| broadening out slightly as it Joined the
! larger mass.
The face of the statue was carved with
more art than the rest of the figure, and
bore an expression of great calm and dig
| nifty The nose was large, the forehead
! high, and the mouth large aud finely
moulded. The figure was so cut as to give
! the impression that it was standing VI
! to its waist in the stream. On the slab OF
rock Immediately under the beckoning
| hand I noticed traces of fire; and 1 found
| out later that each night small fire was
! lighted here, and an animal or fish offer
! ed UP as a burnt sacrifice. But in addi
| ton to this. once a year, living human
victim was sacrificed in a manner truly
| awful 10 contemplate. l may as well de
scribe the manner of this sacrifice at thi.
! stage of my narrative. although il wa!
not until months after my arrival among
the Barawois that 1 fully understood thc
| details.
Two of CarroII's Poems.
| Following are two poems by the late
| Lewis Carroll: