The San Francisco call., 1904-04-10

SCANNED our sober efforts at the men
tion of the battle of Pingyang
"The city of Pingyang. Robert Is
said to be situated in boat, and no IN
habitant dares TO dig well WITHIN tne
citv wall for fear of scuttltng the
boat"
we looked to Dejneff. who said
thoughtfully, Ard they bring water
half a mile, do think.
"Cursing the boat all the way no
doubt l commented
You believe the legend, of course
Captain Dejneff?" The square should
ers came up, and the growl was deeper
in meaning, even, than in tone:
It's not the only vile city on a ooat
named Cholera and they are scuttieo
by the thousands who do not drink wa
ter brought from without"
And was this reckless philosophy? In
civilized communities are we not COM
ing to know that our great cities are
on boats, and are not millions lost each
twelvemonth who do not drink water
brought from afar?
But it was at the house OF the IT,
ger woman that Dulcine lost all nope or
shaking old Dejneff's sober conceptions
of these foolish myths. This was once
a little hut beside the worn path TO
Keinning, now it is only great heap OF
stones.
1t is a Quelpartien belief that II an
animal drinks water which has stood
for twenty years in human skull IL
will change into a human being. Tne
story goes that youth once loved a
maid whose parents dwelt in this
buried hut But while betrothed to her.
which means more in some countries
than in others. he became enamored or
another maiden in Keinning and wed
ding with her was set. With brazen
face the youth came one day to give
Erlane a last traitors kiss. Her pa
rents were overjoyed at the return OF
the forgetful lover, but the girl sat
trembling on her mat-for crane by
the river had told her all. When the
lad took Erlane in his arms, her hands
held him tight and still more tightly
her sweet form changed contour be-
meath his caresses, her clothing fell
from her, while to cover her bushes,
tawny, mottled fur closed over her face
and a tigress sucked the faithless
lovers life blood and left him dead
We went on in silence (after each OF
the coolies had cast his stone upon the
growing mOnument), the shock or su-
perstition heavy on us all. The coolies
had uttered fierce words as they hurled
their stones, and this brought out Dull
cine's next question, though she was si-
lent for a long space and Knocked old
Dejneff no longer;
What do the coolies cry when they
throw their stones, captain?'
When the women throw they cry,
"A tiger for each traitor; the men, "A
tiger for each broken VOW Does that
superstition work good or i'll, think
you?"
Nearer and nearer drew the ragged
peaks of the mountains which lie about
Keinning. Our day bade fair to end a
little soberIy, and 1 wondered if it was
not all stern lesson Dejneff had been
sent to teach me early-a lesson he
seemed to have learned well in all these
years My thoughts ran on to the game
that was playing between those noun
tain crests. Was the King Of Quel-
parte being shaved easily? Or was his
beard of tougher fiber than had been
anticipated? Whatever the beard, I
knew the razor" was keen.
Yet old Dejneff took occasion to
strengthen his gloomy triumph over our
incredulity. A great hillside on the
outskirts of the city was covered with
little mounds Of earth. The sentinels
stationed there were paid by the rela-
tives of the dead; for, Dejnen told me,
it was a myth of Quelparte that II a
grave was harmed all relatives Of the
desecrated corpse became insane.
"Rifing graves becomes a new way to
pay off old Scores" he said at the close,
suggestively.
but does the legend come true?"
asked.
often" he answered quickly.
when the sacrilege becomes known
they think they are going crazy, so
they go; and it's all the same to me
what makes them, think"
1 know of no city, which the average
globe-trotter visits, more alive with the
tales Of dead centuries than this gray
old Keinning, which most ignore. As
we went swaying through the great
gate of the wall the grinning clay mon
keys on the roof, placed there to keep
the devils out. made no cry.
Dejneff's chair was near mine as We
went through.
"Deineff," asked quietly, that Dull
cine might not hear. do you who live
here really believe the old legends OF
this land?"
The low, weird monotone he was
humming ceased and he turned stolidly
upon me:
mo, Martyr, we don't; but you fol-
low our line and you won't get on far;
we act as though we did"
lssd -
CHAPTER w.
THE SECRET OF LYNX ISLAND
The first impression Of the capital OF