Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-05-28

be their natural impulse to pour out
a final vengeance upon any of these
same priests they could come across
before it was too late.
1t began to come to my mind that
if the ceremony did not very short
ly terminate, the further part of the
plan would stand very small chance
of completion, and I should come by
my death after all by fighting to a
finish, as I had pictured to myself be-
fore. My Pickering attention saw
the soldiers coming always nearer in
their frantic wanderings, and saw
also the sea below rolling deeper and
deeper in upon the land.
The fires, too, which ringed in half
the. mountain, spurted up to double
their old height. and burned with an
unceasing roar. But for all distrac-
ton these things gave to the two old
priests who were raising me, we
might have been in the quietness of
some ancient temple, with not so
much as a fly to buzz an interruption.
| But at last an end came to the
ceremony. ''Kneel,'' cried Zaemon,
"and make obeisance to your mother
the earth, and swear by the high
gods that you will never make i'm
proper use of the powers over her
which this day you have been
granted"
| When / had done that, he babe me
rise as a fully installed and duly
initiated member of the three. you
will have no opportunity to practice
the workings of this degree with
either of us, my brother" said he,
''for presently our other brother and
I go to stand before the gods to de-
liver to them an account of our
trust, and of how we have carried it
out. But what items you remember
here and there may turn of use to
you hereafter. And now we two give
you our farewells, and promise to
commend you highly to the gods
when soon we meet them in their
place behind the stars. Climb now
into the ark, and be ready to shut
the door which guards it, if there is
any attempt by these raging people
to invade that also Remember, my
brother, it is the gods direct will
that you and the woman Nais go
from this place living and sound, ard
you are expressly forbidden to ac-
cept challenge or provocation to fight
on any preteXt whatever. But as
long as may be done in safety, you
may look out upon Atlantis in her
death-throes. 1t is very fitting that
one of the only two who are sent
hence alive should carry the full tale
of what has befallen.''
[ went to the top of the Ark OF
Mysteries then, climbing there by
the battens which are fastened to
the sides, and then descended by the
stair which is inside and found Nais
in a little chamber waiting for me.
81 was hidden stay here by
Zaemon," she said, "who forced me
to this place by threats and also by
promises that my lord would follow.
He is very ungentle, that father of
mine, but I think he has a kindness
for US both, and anyway he is my IA
; Their and 1 cannot help loving him.
Is there no chance to save him from
what is going to happen?"
''He will not come into this ark,
FOR I asked him. It has been or
dained from the ancient time When
first the ark was built that when the
day for it's purpose came, one wom-
an and one man should be its only
tenants, and they are here already
Zaemon's will in the matter is not
to be twisted by you or by me. He
has a message to be delivered to the
gods, and Cf I know him at alp he
grudges every minute that is lost in
| If them -
left her then, and went out again up
the stair, and stood once more on the
roof of the ark. On the mountain TOP
men still ran about distracted, but
gradually they were coming to where
the ark rested on the highest point
For the moment, however, 1 passed
P them lightly. The drowning of the
= great continent that had been spread
out below filled the eye. Oceanroareo
in upon it with still more furiou:
/ waves. The plains and the level land:
{ were foaming lakes. The great city
e of Atlantis had vanished eternally
Ii The mountains alone kept their heads
L above the flood, and spewed out rock:
y and steam and boiling stone, or burs
/ when the waters reached them, anC
q created great whirlpools of .surgine
sea and twisted trees and bubbline
d mud.