Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-16

the lake, wondering what had happened to
the world outside. Once detachment of
soldiers who had gone to serve their Eirg
years before returned. They put up their
muskets, saying that there was no longer
king, and they told strange tales. Time
went on and the people talked of the good
old days when there was a king and SOL
diers and big round dollars to pay them.
Discovered by Accident.
Many years afterward-so many that the
children who had greeted the returning
soldiers were now grown men, a govern
ment clerk in Guatemala found among the
archives the records of a city on an island
in the midst of the forests far to the north
ward; city that had once paid taxes and
supported a garrison, and had military
governor Of its own before it had been
forgotten; a city that without doubt now
belonged to Guatemala, if Guatemala
chose to go and take it. And Guatemala
went, cutting way through the tangled
forest growth, which had long since blot
ted out the trail The little invading army
was Hospitality received, and the procla-
nation announcing Guatemala's reassump-
ton of government was applauded, though
nobody understood it.
The people had now come to call their
city Peten, but the Guatemalan govern
ment decided upon la Ciudad de Flores,
from the wealth of bloom that character
lied the island. The Guatemalans were
amazed at the beauty of the city, it's an
Gent temples ana 1ne spanish churcn edl-
fees. They left a governor, and since then
Peten has been again part of the world,
though little known and never visited, ex-
cept officially 1t has also been a part of
Guatemala save for one brief interregnum,
when an American citizen ruled it with a
strong hand-in self-defense, he says.
Arrival of the American.
Thomas r. Dawley, a traveller and writer,
is the man who for a few weeks tried his
hand at governing the city. While wan
dering about the cordilleras of Guatemala,
with gun and a camera, he heard of
mysterious island city in the direction of
Yucatan, and decided In spite of the dis
suasions of the guides, who expatiated
upon the dangers of the dark and painless
forest, infested with wild beasts and
snakes, to visit the place After fourteen
days of marching and cutting their way
through the thick woods the expedition
emerged upon the shores of the lake, and
crossed over to the city in rough canoes.
There was a great celebration in honor
of the white visitor, concluding with
torchlight procession and music and a
feast The next day there was review of
the little army by officers in gold lace and
trailing swords, and saluteS were fired
from the old brass cannon which had been
there for countless years. The celebration
came very near winding up in an insur
rection owing to the governor and the al
calde getting drunken than anybody else
and quarreling over it, Just as the SOL
ulefS began preparing tnelr muSRetS ana
the visitor thought there was going to he
real battle the chiefs threw themselves into
each others arms and declared the whole
thing off.
Mr.. Dawley rented house with yard
full of poultry. He didn't need the poul-
try. but as he couldn't get the house with
out the poultry he took both. Then the
people began coming to get their pictures
taken. To them this putting their likeness
on bit of a paper was most wonderful
achievement and they brought the photoS-
rapher the great round dollars which had
been In their possession since the days of
the king, and handfuls of them which had
been cut in pieces to make change.
How the Trouble Began.
There were two political factions in the
town, one headed by the governor while
the other had no head. The governor, when
not amusing himself by getting drunk or
getting some one else drunk, spent most Of
his time prosecuting or prosecuting those
belonging to the opposite party. He forct-