Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-06

MY NO Thofil4Nb ~ w ~.
the gate with some rough soldiers
words Of cheer, and Withdrew again
up the narrow stair Of the pass.
This one approach to the Sacred
Mountain was, as | have said before,
vastly more difficult and dangerous
in the olden days when it stood as
mere bare cleft as the high gods
made it. But a chasm had been
bridged here. and shelf cut through
the solid rock there, and in many
places tho roadway was built up on
piers from distant crags below so as
to make all uniform and easy. 1t
came to my mind now that il | could
destroy this path, we might gain a
breathing space for further effort.
The idea seemed good, or at least
no other occurred to me which would
in any way relieve our desperate sit
uation, and I looked around me for
means to put it into execution. Up
and down from the mountain to the
plains below, | had traversed that
narrow stair of a pass some thou
sands OF times, and so in manner
of speaking knew every stone and
every turn and every cut of il by
heart. But I had never looked upon
il with an eye to shaving off all road
way to the Sacred Mountain. and so
now. even in this moment of dread
full stress, | had to traverse it no less
than three times afresh before
could decide upon the best site for
demolition.
But once the point was fixed. there
was little delay in getting the scheme
in movement. Already | had sent
men to the storehouSes among he
priests dwellings TO fetch me rams
and crows and acids and hammers.
and such other material as was need
ed, and these stood handy behind one
of the upper gates. | put on every
pair Of hands that could be spared 70
The work. no matter what was their
age and fecbleness: yes. if Nais could
have walked so far | would have
pressed her for the labor; and pres
emily carved balustrade and wayside
statue. together with the lettered
wall stones and the foot-worn cob
bles roared down into the gulf below.
and added their din 10 the shriels
and yclls and crashes of the fighting
Gods but it was a hateful task,
smashing down that splendid handi-
work of the men of the past but il
was better that it should crash down
to ruin in the abyss below than that
Phorcnice should profane it with her
impious sandals.
At first | had feared that it would
be needfu TO sacrifice the knot of
brave men who were so valiantly de-
Tending the gate then being attacked.
II is disgusting to he forced into a
measure of this kind, but in hard
warfare it is often ncedful TO the car
rying out OF his schemes for a gen
eral TO leave a part Of his troops TO
fight TO a finish. and without hope OF
rescuc. as valiantly as they may: and
all he can do for their reward is to
commend them earnestly TO the care
destroying the pathway was nearly
completed, | saw chance of retriev-
ing them.
So | gave the word for one more
rrr;o,s a,ol,,',l,a - uooI. g. ~, ,,a,,,a
down. and while The few living were
or,u1iro am, t,.r, ,ho.. ,.;Ila3 -,
li,,h,r. and ,,Ia .1
90 ,oonforoo,,,a,, .aa,,,r;,,.
nm o,,.r ,ho h,Iio, ,,t,,.,,
nairing mon .,,v a. nm nm ,ho
.toan s,oir..,, .A ,,.l, I .ha.
ro,lo,red ,,o,,, ,,r-olt La., .t,a
ro,.s in tu,.r ,ra ,,.od ,..i,.
fbar after ms and hrool,inr ,ho har.
=, l
moved and NOT til wa ,,oro +bro,1,h
the 1o,, Ala tbo ra,r 81 'ho,,. snna'
hollow tru tbat tbn h..io,,o,. l.,d
found tho nato tbo,. hi, ,ooi,,s, ,,.a.
loscrtcd
o,o h., oro ira h.la....1 -
,,.s a.. ,.,.,,'.,.. 1',5. "'
left where The path mad been de.
htroyed, and one poor priest that car
ried a wound grew giddy and lost his
balance here, and topped down to his
death in the abyss below before a
hand could ne stretched ont to steady
nm. And then, when we were all
over. heat was put 10 the rams. and
they expanded with their resistlcSs
force. and tore the remaining lodges
from their hold in the rock. think
pang went through us all then when
we saw for ourselves the last connect