The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-03-18

| 49, NHsAJ SAeye swung eutlrely Tree
leaving the entrance clear, and he was
drawing free breath when the moor
glare showed him the swords returned
to position with the speed Of light
He Jumped for his life and escaped
being slashed to pieces by the barest
inch. They swung to behind him
and again the drum roared, while afal
there arose a furious. eldritch waiting
OF conches. Overhead the opening
disappeared and the light was shut
out. In darkness az Of the Hall Of
Eblis the conches were stilled and
the echoes ebbed into a silence that
held sway for many minutes ere again
the bell spoke.
Stretch forth thy hand.'
Somewhat shaken. Amber held out
an open palm before him. Then out
OF nothingness something plopped into
Ambers hand and his fingers closed
convulsively about it. 1T was a hand,
very small, small as a childFs, gnarled
and hard az steel and cold as Ice.
Without any forewarning two heavy
hands gripped him. one on either
shoulder, and he was forced to his
knees. At the same instant, with a
swapping crackle squirt Of blue flame
snot down from the zenith. and where
It fell with thunderclap a dazzling
glare OF emerald light shot up breast
high.
To his half-blinded eyes it seemed
Tor time, to dance suspended in the
air before him. A vapor swirled up
from 1t, thin cloud, luminous. BY
degrees he made out it's source, a
small, brazen bowl on a tripod.
In front of him he could see moth
ing beyond the noiselessly wavering
flame. But presently hand appeared,
as If by magic, above the bowl-a
hand. bony, brown and long Of finger,
that seemed attached to nothing
cast something like a powder into the
fire. There followed fizz and puff of
vapor, and strong and heavy gust of
incense was waited into Amber's face.
Again and again the hand appeared,
sprinkling powder in the brazier, un-
til the smoke clouded the atmosphere
with its fluent, eddying coils.
The gooseflesh that had pricked out
on Amber's skin subsidized, and his
qualms went with it. Greek fire burn
ing in the bowl" he explained the phe-
nomenon; land native with his arm
wrapped to the wrist in black is feed
ing it. Not bad effect, though"
1t was, perhaps, as we'll that he had
not been deceived, for there was q
horror to come that required all his
strength to face. He became con-
scious that something was moving be-
tween him and the brazier-something
which he had incuriously assumed to
be piece Of dirty cloth left there
carelessly. But now he saw it stir,
squirm. and upend. unfolding itself
and lifting its head to the leaping
fame; an immense cobra, sleek and
white as ivory. its swelling hood as
large as mans two hands, with a
binocular mark on it as yellow as topaz
and with vicious eyes glowing like
twin rubies in its vile little head.
Amber's breath clicked in his throat
and he shrank back, rising; but this
instructive move had been provided
against and before his knees were
fairly of the rocky floor he was forced
down again by the hands on his shout
ders. He was unable to take his eyes
from the monster. and though terror
such as man is heir to lay cold upon
his heart, he did not again attempt to
stir.
There was no sound. Alone and un-
disturbed the bleached viper warmed
to its dance with the pulsing fame.
turning and twisting, weaving and
writhing in its Internal glare. :.
Hear We. 0 my peoples!''
Amber jumped. The voice had
seemed to ring out from a point di.
rectly overhead.
He looked up and discovered above
him, vague in the obscurity, the out
lines of gigantic bell, hanging mo-
tionless. The green glare, shining on
its rim and partly Illuminating its
empty hollow Che saw no clapper) re-
vealed the sheen of bronze of which
it was fashioned.
Out of it's immense bowl, the voice
rolled like thunder:
Hear We. o my peoples!"
A responsive murmur assembled from
the company round the wallis
I'VE hear! We hear, o Medhyama!"
Mark we'll this man, o children Of
my Gateway. Mark we'll! Out of ye
all have chosen him to lead thee in
the work Of healing; for thy mother,
l Medhyama. Bharuta, l the body
from which We are sprung, call me by
whatever name We know mel am laid
low with a great sickness.
Yea. l am stricken and laid low with
a sickness"
In the brazier the flame leaped high
and subsidized, and with it the cobra
leaped and sank low upon its coils.
Il, thine old mother, have called Va
together to help in my healing From
my feet to my head am eaten with
pestilence; yea. l am devoured and
possessed by the evil Even OF old
was it thus with thy mother: long
since she complained of the Plague