Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-10-20
DRY BONES VALLEYS
PLACES WHERE DEAD BODIES ARE
PRESERVED BY The CLIMATE.
In Chile. Eos Instance, the AIR IL 50
Dry That II Il Almost imposstbie
For an unburtcd Body "a Decom-
pose In the Ordinary Manner.


pose In the Ordinary Msnner
Among the most curious things II
this queer old world perhaps the weird
est is the valley Of dry bones whicl
continually crops up IN various part
0fboth h%emispheres.
Ia Chile. for instance. the air Ia 8,
dry that II Is almost impossible for
body to decompose In the ordinary
way. Here and there Ia the mountains
or on the plains may discover 1
body that has been clay for severa
years. but has no more returned Il
dust than to life.
There Is literally a valley Of dry
bones" not far from Valparaiso where
a battle was fought during the Baima.
ceda troubles. Here may be seen today
bodies OF men aud horses scattered
among the rocks that are like nothing
10 much as Egyptian mummies. shriv.
eled by the fierce sun and embalmed
by the natural dry atmosphere.
This is not, strictly speaking. "a val
Icy OF dry bones" but that there Is a
real one In Ccylon no one who has Wis.
tied that island can doubt for n mo-
mcnt. II is a peculiar fact and one
which Is borne out by the testimony Of
the English planters in Ccyion that
when an elephant feels It's last hour
approaching IL will II permitted TO do
40 escape into the jungle TO die, Once
the sick elephant gets away II Is never
seen again, Where they 90 TO is The
problem.
1t Is absolutely certain that they
must 20 somewhere, and therefore as
they sanish so mysterionsly In the
hour OF death one cannot but give
credenca to the tale which IL often
brought down from the hills by the
Tamiis and Cingaiese.
According 10 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 he correct. IL
said 70 be a vast underground tunnel.
With numerous but difficult 10 dnd en-.
frances and exits. Such places arc
common In Ceylon, but the particular
cave where tho elephants 20 TO die has
been discovered. though IN
GUS expeditions have sought for It.
In view OF the fact that the ele-
plants do disappear when they are
about TO die 1t seems probable that
soune such place does exist on the Is
land. for II Is certain that the great
nnwieldy beasts do not swim across
the gulf OF Manaar. The person who
nnds this elephant sepnlcher will prob.
ably reap a fortune In ivory.
Another strange place exists as q
real valley OF dry bones In the H.
land OF Jamaica. West Indies, or
course there II a legend attached to II.
but here are the hard facts aud an
actual description Of the valley itself.
II Ii situated near the Cunacuna gap.
In tue Maroon country. 1t the eastern
extremity OF the island. This region Ia
clothed In primevai forest. and the fact
that rain falls on nm average twelve
hours q day all the year round gives
the jungle q luxuriant green vegeta-
ton not TO be found elsewhere. Rut
this valley. though situated right In
the heart OF the wet country" IL bare
OF leaf and life.
The Limestone rock Il white and hot.
Giant trees that seem 10 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 a consequence this |
strange ravine In silent. unmolested
and quite dry.
The weird feature is that, although
vegetation seems 10 have been dense !
here In former years. nothing will
grow now. Nature has come to a com
plete standstill. During the hot season |
the temperature Of the valley Is almost
~unbearable, and 1t Is visited by seismic |
disturbances that u the dead trees !
aud dry hot stones to 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 II |
not complete. Many years ago, says
the negro story teller. a woman lived |
on n plantation In Cuba. She was no. |
torious for her cruelty to her slaves. |
She used 10 throw cayenne pepper in
their eyes and afterward stick cactus
needles into their bodies just for sport. |
One night the slaves revolted and
burned the plantation house to the
ground The woman managed 10 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 a mania for col.
Iecting all sorts ana conditions OF cats
when she had procured n multitude of
the feline tribe she amused herself by
torfuring them. The legend has 1t that
every night the demoniacal shrleks OF
the woman and the cries of the cat,
We're TO be heard even in the Maroon
villages. But one night a severe earth.
quake came and swallowed I'm the
cats. their tormentor and her home
New York Herald.
Forbidden Fruit.
1