Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-30

VI II, III Su'H Il manner InHL tneN
must irrctrieyably smash TO pulp
any man advancing against it from
below. And in caves dug out from
the rock on either hand was n great
hoard of these stones. so that no en-
envy through sheer expenditure of
troops could hope TO storm - gate by
exhausting its ammunition.
But though there were eight OF
these granite gates in the series. we
had the whole number to depend on
no longer. The lowest gate was held
By garrison of Phorcnice's troops.
who had built wall above them to
protect their occupation. The gate
had been gained by no brilliant feat
of arms--it had been won by threats,
bribery and promises; or, in other
words, it had been given up by the
blacklist treachery.
And here lay the keynote of the
weakness in our defense. The most
perfect rampant that brains can in
vent are useless without men to line
them. and il was men we lacked. OF
students entering into the colleges
of the Sacred Mountain there had
been none now for many year. The
younger generation thought little of
The older gods. OF the men that had
grown up among the sacred groves,
and filled offices there, many had be-
come lukewarm in their faith and re-
NAMED on only through habit, and
because an easy living stayed near
them there; and these, when the
siege began, quickly made their way
over TO he other side.
Phorenice was no fool 10 fight
against unnecessary strength. Her
leralGs made proclamation that
peace and good subsistence would
he given to those who chose to come
ont to her willingly; and as an alter
native She would kill by torture and
mu;ilation those she caught in tho
place when she took it 10y storm. as
she most assuredly would do be fore
she had finished with it. And so great
was the prestige of her name that
quite one-half of those that remained
on the mountain took themselves
away from the defense.
There was no attempt to hold back
these sorry priests, nor was there
any Furnishing them as they went.
Xaemon, indeed, was minded $50 he
told me with grim meaning himself
70 give them some memento of their
apostaSv to carry away which would
not wear out, but the others Of the
high council made him stay his
vcnge full hand. And so, when ! came
to the place, the garrison numbered
no more than 50. counting even feeble
old dotards who could barely walk
and Of men not past their prime l
could barely command a score.
Still. seeing the narrowncss of the
passages which led to each Of the
gates, up which in no place could
more than two men advance togeth-
cr. we were by no means ia dies perate
straits for the defense as vet, and
even il my new-givcn kingdom was 50
far small consisting as it did of he
Sacred Mountain, and no other part
Of Atlantis, at any rate there
seemed little danger of its being fur
ther contracted
Another Of the wise precautions Of
the men of old stood in good stead
.r - "a. 49,
go I.I.I
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and here +bo GRAIN v.,e ,,o,,od :,
oreat ve1loX he,n. ,,,t ooot ,.o.,o,..,
/ tion Of those tbn, ,vera .ot o,or -
/ took q nridc IN oddino IN tbo ,,,,,.....
( lation.
In modern dave = bod 1,oor, tt,, nae
tom among the voupucr and ,o,.o
forward Of tho nr;cs+. ,o ,.,g =. .i.:..
ancient nro,isior and 10 hoI1 49,.
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Jewels yyould bova n,oro ,.,I,,o a,,,,
less of digritv. and mora ,ba, .
il had been g close ,biro ,os, .l,.,.,
innovators should NOT ne outvotod
! I{ut as if was tho old oo,s.;.,,t;..