The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-30
THE LADY OF
 THE HEAVENS
Copyright, 1908, by H. Rider Haggard


 first days of Rachel's sojourh among them. the accused was put upon his trial before the chief of the mutes, evil dence for and against him being given by signs which they all understood. Then if a case were established against him. he was forced to drink a bowl of medicine. If he did this with 4m- pun1ty he was acquitted, but if it dis i agreed with him his guilt was he'd to l be established. Now came the strange part of the matter. All his life the 1 evil-doer had been accustomed to go | within the Fence about his business and take no harm, but after such con- demnation he was conducted there | with the usual ceremonies and very shortly Derished like any other unin- | ltiated person. Whether this issue was | due to magic or to mental collapse, or to the previous administration of pois- on. no one seemed to know, not even | Nya herself. So, at least, she declared | to Rachel.
 | At each new moon these mutes cele- brated what Rachel was informed they l looked upon as festival. That is, | they climbed the Tree of the Tribe and scattered themselves among its enor- nous branches, where for several hours they mumbled and gibbered in the | dark like troop of baboons. Then | they came down and mounting the | huge, surrounding wall, crept around | it's circumference. Occasionally this | journey resulted in an accident, as one | of them would fall from the wall and ! OS uctSIteu lO pleCGS. dllIlOuSh IL "dS l noticed that the unfortunate was gen orally a person who, although guilty of | no actual crime, chanced to be out of favour with the other priests and priestesses. After the circuit of the wall had been accomplished. with or without accidents. the dwarfs feasted round fire. drinking some spirit that threw them into sleep in which won derful visions appeared to them. Such was their only entertainment, if so it could be called. since doubtless the ceremony was of a religious character. For the rest they seldom if ever left the holy place, which was known as Within the Wall,' most of them nev- CT doing so in the course of a long life.
 Beyond the burial of the dead they did not work, as their food was brought to them daily by outside people, who were called -'the slaves of the Wall" Their only method of conversation was by signs. and they seemed to desire no other. Indeed, if. as occasionally hap pened, a child was born to any of them who could hear or speak like other human beings, 1t was either given over to the other dwarfs, or if the discov- cry was not made until 1t was old enough to observe it, it was sacrificed by being bound to the trunk of the tribal tree Hest it should tell the sec ret of the Tree.''
 Such were the weird, half-human folk among whom Rachel was destined to dwell. The ZuluS had been bad and bloodthirsty, but compared to these little wizards they seemed to her as angels. The Zulus at any rate had left her thoughts, but these Stunted wretch es, she was sure. pried into them and read them with the help of their bowls. for often she caught sight of them signing to each other about her as she passed, and pointing with grins to pie lures which they saw in the water.
 It was night again, still. silent night made odorous with the heavy cedar scents of the huge tree upon the
 
 Nya in the cave beneath the burning lamp about which fluttered the big winged. gilded moths.
 Thou ddst not find him wonder among the Shades said Nya sudden ly, as though she were continuing a conversation. Say now, Maiden, art thou satisfied. or wouldst thou seek for him again?"
 T would seek him through all taA heavens and all the earths. Mother, my soul burns for a sight of him, and if I cannot find him. then I must die, and go perchance where he is not.
 Good" ;" said Nya, ''the effort wearies me. for I grow weak, yet for thy sake I will try to help thee, who saved me from the Red Death
 Then the dwarf-women came in and beat upon their drums, and, as before,J the old Mother of the Trees began to sing, but Noie.- sat aside. for in this nights play she would take no part. gain Rachel sank into sleep, and again it seemed to her that she was swept from the earth into the region of the stars and there searched world after world.
 She saw many strange and marvel lous things; things so wonderful that her memory was buried beneath the mass of them. so that when she woke again she could not recall their de- tails Only of Richard she saw noth- ing. Yet as her life returned to her It seemed to Rachel that for one brief moment she was near to Richard She could not see him, and she could not hear him, yet certainly he was near her. Then her eyes opened. and Nya ceasing from her song. asked:
 .'What tidings, Wanderer?"
 'Little." she answered feebly, for she was very tired. and in a faint voice she told her all.
 Good" said Nya. nodding her grey head. "This time he was not so far away. Tomorrow I will make thy spirit strong, and then perhaps he will come to thee. Now rest.
 So next night Nya laid her charm upon Rachel as before, and again her spirit sought for Richard. This time it seemed to her that she did not leave the earth, but with infinite pain, with terrible struggling. wandered to and fro about it, bewildered by a multitude of faces, led astray by myriads of foot steps Yet in the end she found him. She heard him not. she saw him not, i she knew not where he was, put un- doubtedly for while she was with him. and woke again, exhausted, but l very happy.
 Nya heard her story. weighing every word of it bat saying nothing. Then | she signed to the dwarfs to bring her | a bowl of dew, and stared iU it for l long while. The dwarf-women also stared into their bowls, and afterwards l came to her. talking to her on their ! fingers after which all three of them upset the dew upon rock, breaking 1 the pictures
 Hast thou seen aught?" asked Ra- chel eagerly.
 .sYes Maiden" answered the Moth | CT. 1T and these wise women have seen something. the same thing, and therefore a true thing. But ask not what it was. for we may not tell thee, | nor would 1t help thee if we did. Only | be of a good courage. for this l say, | there is hope for thee-
 So Rachel went to sleep, ponder1ng l on these words, of which neither she | nor Noie could guess the meaning. |