Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-07-06
DRY BONES VALLEYS
PLACES WHERE DEAD BODIES ARE
PRESERVED BY THE CLIMATE.
In Chile, For Instance, the Air Ia So
Dry That 1t Is Almost Impossible
For an Unburied Body to Decom-
pose In the Ordinary Manner.

Dry That. 1t Is Almost Impossible
For an Unburied Body to Decom-
pose In the Ordinary Manner.
Among the most curious things In
this queer old world perhaps the weird
est is the valley Of dry bones" which
continually crops up in various parts
of both hemispheres.
In Chile, for instance, the air is SO
dry that it is almost impossible for a
body to decompose in the ordinary
way. Here and there in the mountains
or OH the plains one may discover a
body that has been clay for several
years, but has no more returned to
dust than to life.
There is literally a "valley of dry
bones" not far from Valparaiso where
a battle was fought during the Balma-
ceda troubles. Here may be seen today
bodies of men and horses scattered
among the rocks that are like nothing
so much as Egyptian mummies, shriv-
eled by the fierce sun and embalmed
by the natural dry atmosphere.
This is not, strictly speaking, "a val
ley of dry bones," but that there Is a
real one in Ceylon no one who has Wis
tied that island can doubt for mo-
ment. 1t Is peculiar fact and one
which Is borne out by the testimony of
the English planters in Ceylon that
when an elephant feels its last hour
approaching it will If permitted to do
so escape into the jungle to die. Once
the sick elephant gets away 1t Is never
seen again. Where they go to is the
problem.
1t is absolutely certain that they
must go somewhere, and therefore as
they vanish so mysteriously In the
hour of death one cannot but give
crcdence to the tale which is often
brought down from the hills by the
Tamis and Cingalese.
According TO these people, there Is a
"valley of dry bones" near Talawakele,
which is about twenty-five miles south
of Handy, the old capital OF the Is
land. This valley, to be correct, Is
said TO be n vast underground tunnel,
with numerous but difficult to find en-
frances and exits. Such places are
common in Ceylon, but the particular
cave where the elephants go to die has
never been discovered, though numer-
Gus expeditions have sought for 1t.
In view of the fact that the ele-
plants do disappear when they are
about to die ii seems probable that
some such place does exist on the Is
land, for it is certain that the great
unwieldy beasts do not swim across
the gulf of Manaar. The person who
finds this elephant sepulcher VIII PROB
ably reap fortune In ivory
Another strange place exists as
real "valey OF dry bones IN the Is
land of Jamaica, West Indies. Of
course there is u legend attached to 1t,
but here are the hard facts and an
actual description Of the valley itself.
1t Is situated near the Cunacuna gap.
in the Maroon country, at the eastern
extremity of the island This region is
clothed in primeval forest, and the fact
that rain falls OH an average twelve
hours a day all the year round gives
the Jungle luxuriant green vegeta-
ton not 10 be found elsewhere. But
this valley, though situated right in
the heart of the wet country Is bare
Of leaf and life.
The limestone rock Is white and hot.
Giant trees that seem TO have been
blighted suddenly stand up all gaunt,
white and dead. The valley Is sheltered
from the wind and the first force OF the
transforms. AS consequence this
strange ravne is silent, unmolested
and quite dry.
The weird feature Is that. although
vegetation seems to have been dense
here in former years. nothing VIII
grow now Nature has come to com
plctc standstili, During the hot season
the temperature Of the valley Is almost
unbearable and it is visited by seismic
disturbances that cause the dead trees
and dry hot stones 10 rattle ike dry
bones: hence the name the valley has
acquired
The legend of this valley of dry
bones" can hardly be taken without a
pinch Of salt, but let us be nothing If
not complete. Many years ago, says
the negro story teller, Il woman lived
on plantation in Cuba. She was no
torious for her cruelty to her slaves.
She used to throw cayenne pepper in
their eyes and afterward stick cactus
needles into their bodies just for sport
One night the slaves revolted ana
burned the plantation house to the
ground The woman managed to es-
cape in an open boat to Jamaica.
where she sought refuge from her enc
mics in the heart of the jungle.
Here she developed mania for col
lecting all sorts and conditions of eats.
When she had procured multitude OF
the feline tribe she amused herself by
torturing them The legend has ii that
every night the demOniacal shriekS OF
the woman and the cries OF the eats
were to be heard even in the Maroon
villages. But one night Il severe earth
quake came and swallowed up the
cats, their tormcntor and her home.
New York Herald.
Forbidden Fruit.