The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-15

salt. He stood at one end of the fire he'd
and poised the wooden tray over his head.
| then sprinkled a handful of ii on the ground
| same time another priest who stood by him
| chanted a weird recitative of invocation and
struck sparks from flint and steel which he
| held in his hands.
| This same process was repeated by both
| the priests at the other end, at the two
sides and at the corners.
Ten minutes. more or less. were spent in
various movements and lamentations about
| the bed of Goals. At the end of that time
two small pieces of wet mating were
brought out and placed at either end and a
| quantity of the white mixture was placed
! upon them
, At signal from the head priest. who
| acted as master of ceremonies during the
| curious succeeding function. the ascetics
| who were to perform the first exhibitions
| OF fre-waiking gathered a one end of the
| bed of Goals. which by this time was a
fierce and glowing furnace.
| Having raised his hands and Frustrated
himself two or three times TO render thanks
| to the god who had taken out the soul Of
the flre. the priest about TO undergo the or
| deal stood upon the wet mating. wiped his
| feet lightly in the white mixture. and while
We held our breaths and our eyes almost
leaped from their sockets in awe-struck
establishment he walked over the glowing
mass as unconcernedly as If treadng "A car
pet In drawing-room, his feet coming in
contact with the white-hot Goals at every
step.
He did not hurry to take long steps. but
sauntered along with almost incredible
, sang froid, and before he reached the OPP
posite side he turned around and sauntered
as careiessly back to the mat from which
he had started. Not even the smell of
| burning reached our nostrils, though his
fmsy kimona reached to his ankles and
or utI I@A,,, 1T.
the force OF the heat waves enveloping him.
On regainng the side from which he had
started he rubbed his feet again in the DOW
der before renewing the performance, cross
Ing the fire in this manner several times
Even If, as advanced by one increduleus
and searching spectator. the salt prepare
ton prevented the feet from being burned
1t is impossible to explain why the upper
part of the body. which was not thu. pro-
tected, was not burned. or his fimsy gar
ments ignfted, for, as / have said, the in
tense heat, even at our distance several
yards away. was almost unbearable.
After the first priest had walked over two
or three times the chief priest took his turn.
His movements were slower and even more
delicate. He took short steps, his hands
were clasped in front, and he seemed lost in
contemplation, as he might on an ordinary
garden walk. During the numerous times
that he traversed the bed from one end to
tne other ne acted with the same delibera-
tion and dignity
He. in turn, was followed by young
priest, who. carried away by the religious
frenzy of the moment, was theatrical I'm the
extreme. He swung his hands, in one of
which he held fan back and forth and
he lifted each foot high at every step and
stamped violently on the glowing Goals, yet
he remained as unscathed as the others by
the fiery ordeal. For Ave or ten minutes
the nriaSts naSSpd ha
SO engaged keeping up monotonous in
vocative chant In the most dolorous strains
But the most remarkable and unexplaina-
BILE part of the ceremony was yet to come.
The glow of the fire had now somewhat
died down. so the coolies again came for
ward to replenish it, until once more 1t
burned SO fiercely that its intense heat was
plainly felt in all parts of the temple court
yard. Some of the minor priests at this
point passed through the little group Of for
eign spectators selling tickets for three sen
"a cent and halD, which would permit the