The Red Cloud chief., 1901-06-07
THE ISLAND
OF SARDINIA
"A Pardise for Sportsmen and
Anglers-Curious Monuments
That Are Believed to Antedate
the Pyramids.

things. they have passed almost unno.
ticed this easily accessible island with
It's prehistoric monuments and "tomhs nt
the giants. and scattered all over Snr-
una are thousands of nuraghi. or ali.
original sepulch 'rs. which nrc uuuurs.
tonably among the oldest structures I'm
the world-the work Of races which van.
ished from the earth SO long ago that
even their names are forgotten.
That this insignificant island I'm tho
Mediterranean should possess "A class of
monuments peculiar to itself Is an Illus
tration of the fragmcntary nature of So
ciety In the ancient world The talyots
= or the nearby BaIar,c islands the abo.
riginal monuments Of nearer Malta. Sic
lily. Italy, the Celtic remains .t stone
henge and Aveburg, and other relics of
early European races-all differing from
each other, but bearing some points of
resemblance-are none of them in the
least like the nuraghi Of Sardinia. They
crown the SUBMITS OF natural hills and
artificial mounds. hundreds and hundreds
or them: and to describe one is To de-
scribe all of them. as. except In size. they
vary In no single particular.
A nurag is always round tower. I'm
truncated conc, with sides slcping at an
angle OF 10 degrees TO the horizon Its
dimensions vary from 90 to 100 feet I'm
height' with precisely the same measure
ment In diameter II is composed of
rough masses of the large stones peculiar
to the locality, placed In regular horizon
tai layers, the largest bouldcrs at the
bottom, and gradually diminishing in size
as they mount upward The stones bear
no marks of the Chisel but they appear
10 have been rudely wrought by some
heavy blunt instrum nnt (pcrhaps another
stone). which served the ancicnts for "A
hammer The inside Is always occupied
by circular chambers. one above another,
according to the number of stories. con-
structed of projecting stones. forming a
done. with the section OF an arch. The
chambers occupy only onc-third of the In
Herior space, the rest being taken up
with double walls between which a ramp
staircase ascends to the top of the tower
Each nur1g was originally surrounded
by high wall. OF which now only frag-
ments remain. Generally II stands alone,
but occasionally they are found in groups.
to which access is gained by doorway
In the central tower. They are absolute
iy without any architectural ornament or
image, sculpture. inscription. to indicate
their origin and purpose.
Unlike the pyramids, whose mysteries |
are partially unveiled the nuraghi fur
nish not single hint by which their age
or history may be discovered II Is GER
tain, however. that they are of great an
Uauity. because in several places the
piers of Roman aqueduCts and bridges
themselves now in ruins. rest upon the
stumps Of desecrated nuraghi. and the
earliest classical writer's allude to them
as unguessable mysteries even in their
day. Some of the stones in the lower
courses weigh many tons each. yet are
arranged with perfect accuracy Sar-
dinians believe them to have been the
Work of Giants
VINO are said to have once inhabited the
island; but more probably the monuments
are the results of unpaid labor. exacted
by despotic chiefs or nstigated by re-
ligious devotion. Al any rate. their rude
but massive cones have survived those
shocks of time and vicssitudes of empire
Which destroyed the magnificent edillces
OF Babylon and Nineveh, Tyre and
There are a good many of these nur-
aghi In the neighborhood Of Sassari. and
we prolonged our visit another day In
order to explore the most perfect speci-
men, which stands a mute and solitary
sentinel. on its mound about four miles
from the city. The method of transit was
4 Sandman carriage-a ponderous sort
Df Black Maria. drawn by three mules
narnessed abreast and wonderfully bediz-
'ned with gaudy tasses and jinging |
bells. The well-kept road winds between
olive groves and the best cultivated fields
,f the island.
VSowhere in Sardinia are the native cos
umes seen in all their original pictur-
as In the suburbs Of Sassari.
The corsets of the women are bright with
'ainbow cOlors, gold embroidery and sill
'er buttons; and the men wear black
ackct over a long waistcoat reaching to
he knees, white trousers, black CATERS
md long hanging cap like an exaggerated
'hrygian bonnet
We found the tomb rising out of
ense thicket of shrubs, with tufts OF
'rass growing I'm the chinks and crannies
II its old, old walls It's entrance is 80 ,
ow that one Is obliged to almost crawl
n on hands and knees. the Intel being
ingle stone. Weighing at least two tons, ,
Imported by protruding jambs. This 9
Arag is of only one story twenty-five
eet high. tapering upward till its apex ,
formed by a single stone, The interior ,
IN perpetual shadow, no light being .
Omitted except through the low passage =
1 the double walls, Around the sides of .
he chamber four recesses are worHed In )
he solid masonry. each about five feet ,
Ugh, three feet deep and three feet wide, :
lot vestige Of bone or dust remains TO
how that the dead slept In those gloomy
ellis before the dawn of history. How 1
TRANCE II is that the work Of man en- #
ures ages after the hands that wrought /
re turned To dust-after even their dust \
as disappeared! l.
~ no small risw we scrambled between v
IL crumbllng walls. up heaps OF stones 4
lat once were stairs, to the top OF the b
epucher- -maryaling by what means Il
lat ponderous slab was raised which [
ips the cone. The view is fine from [
he summt--of the green Sassari plain q
,e gray battlemented walls of the an c
ent city; its towers and domes and tall 4