The Washington times., 1905-12-10

offered il TO her. hoping that she would
unveil her face and drink Then for the
first time she showed some sign of be-
ing human. or so l thought. for il
seemed to me that she bowed ever so
little i'm acknowledgment of the courte-
sy If so-and / may have been mis-
takcn-this was all. for the next instant
she turned her back on me to show that
il was declined. So she would not. or
for aught L knew. could not drink
Neither would she eat. for when Leo
tried her afterward with food. she re-
fused it in like fashion.
Meanwhile he had taken the pot off
the FIRE. and as soon as it's contents grew
cool enough we fell on them eagerly. for
we were starving. After we had eaten
and drunk. Leo re-dressed my arm as
best he could and we rested a while.
Indeed. / think that. being very tired.
we began to doze. for ! was awakened
by shadow falling on us. and looked up
TO see our corpse-like guide standing
close by and pointing first to the sun.
then at the horse. as though to show us
that we had far TO travel. So we sad
died up and went on again somewhat re-
freshed. for at least we were no longer
ravenous.
All the rest of that day we journeyed
, on I'D the grassy slopes. seeing no man.
although occasionally we heard the wild
whistle which told us that we were be-
ing watched by the mountain savages.
BY sundown the character of the coun-
try had changed. for the grass was re-
placed with rocks. among which grew
stunted frs. We had left the lower
slopes and were beginning to climb the
mountain itself.
The sun sank and we went on through
the twilight The twilight died and we
went on through the dark. our path lit
only by the stars and the faint radiance
OF the glowing pillar OF smoke above the
peak. which was reflected onto us from
the mighty mantle Of its SHOWS For
ward we toilcd. while few PAGES ahead
OF US walked our unwearying guide II
she had seemed weird and inhuman be-
fore. now she appeared very ghost. as,
clad in her graveyard white upon which
the faint light shimmcred. never speak
ing. never looking back she glided on
noiselessly between the black rocks and
the twisted dark green frs and jumpers
Soon we lost all count of the road
We turned this way and turned that
way, We passed an open patch and
through the shadows of grove. till at
length. as the moon rose we entered q
ravine. and following a path that ran
down #. came to place which is best
described as a large amphithcater cut
by the hand Of nature out of the rock of
tho mountain. Evidently IL was chosen
as a place Of defense for its entrance
was narrow and tortuous, built up at the
end also. 50 that only one person could
pass it's gateway at a time. Within an
open space and at it's further side stood
low. stone houses built against the rock
In front of these houses. the moonlight
shining full upon them. were gathered
several hundred men and women ar
ranged in a semIcircIe and in alternate
companies who appeared to be engaged
n the celebration of some rite.
il was wild enough. In front Of them,
and in the exact center Of the semicircle,
stood a gigantic. red-bearded man, who
was naked except for "A skin girdle about
his loins- He was swinging himself
backward and forward. his hands rest
ing upon his hips. and as he swung,
shouting something like -HO. haha. ho,'
When he bent toward the audience II
bent toward him. and every time he
Strengthened himself it echoed his final
shout Of Hot i'm volume of sound
that made the precipices ring. Nor was
this all. for perched upon his hairy head,
with aIched back and waving tail, stood
"a great white cat
Anything stranger, and indeed more
fantastic. than the general effect Of this
scene, lit by the bright moonlight and
set I'm that wild arena. il was never my
lot 10 witness. The red-haired half
naked men. and women, the gigantic
priest. the mystical white cat. that.
gripping his scalp with its claws. waved
its tail and seemed to take part in the
performance: the unhOly chant and its
volcyng chorus, all helped to make il
| extraordinarily impressive This struck
us the more. perhaps, because at the
time We could not in the least guess;
| it's significance. though we ina gined tina {
it must be preliminary to some sacrifice
or Offering IL was like the fragment
of nightmare preserved by the awak-
cued senses in all It's mad, meaningless
reality.
Now round the open space. where
these savages were celebrating their
worship. or whatever II might be, ran
rough stone wan about six feet in
height, i'm which wall was a gateway
Toward this we advanced quite unseen.
for upon our side OF the wall grew
many stuntcd pines. Through these
pines our guide led us. till I'm the thick
est OF them, some few yards from the