Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1913-09-19

\ was surprised when | answered him IN the
| 4 same tongue
- eve must kill you, he said, but there Is
"A no hurry. We shall wait
CAS- though acting on the suggestion, the
thirty black iends squatted in semtcircle
about me and fell slowly and deliberately to
sharpening their knives.
"'There is no hurry, the chief said again
We must do SO before the coming Of day,
that is ALL
''Then in flash 1t came back to me that /
had heard from men of our own tribe that the
Aneza were sun worshippers and that it was the
greatest Of all religious crimes among them to
commit murder when the sun-their god-was In
the ascendancy. Like shot it came to me that
If | could delay the execution until sunrise my
life would be saved But how?
"The hope seemed futile / wondered what
time it was. / knew 1t was after midnight. AS
/ lay on my blankets, watching those hideous
black faces that were doubly black and grotesque
in the weird flame of the torches began to work
my hand slowly toward my pocket where kept
my watch. got 1t out and dropped my eyes to
the face. In the gloom could make out the
hands pointingto o'clock. 1t was nearly three
hours to sun,db There was not the ghost of
chance of holding them off until then
But, just the same, | kept trying to figure 1t
out in my mind-to devise some plan to that end.
And meanwhile began to witness the services
that were to precede my death Squatting there
with their black legs crossed that grim semi
circle Of fiends began to rock slowly back and
forth from the hips, humming a strange, I'M
canny minor monotone, Out In front the big
chief led them. It was the Aneza sacrifice pre-.
lude, so to speak. And was to be the sacrifice
Il tell you, it got into my nerves don't think
am natural coward but half rythmically,
keeping time as it were to the beating chant Of
those voices and the sway and swing Of the black
bodies heard my teeth begin to click.
Il glanced over my shoulder to the other flap
Of the tent AS did so the Arab chief seemed to
divine my thought, for at motion of his hand,
the semi-circle moved forward couple of feet
closer and, squattng again, went on with the
gruesome ceremonies There was no chance Of
escape by fight, that was certain.
But never for a moment did stop thinking;
struggling to drag an idea out OF the confusion in
my brain, And all the time the Aneza went on
whetting the knives ana grooming and swaying.
Half an hour, then an hour went by. ! count
ed the minutes, for knew they measured the
time left me yet to live. And then, suddenly,
turned cold. My heart leaped and something fill
ed my throat 1t was the idea had been comb
ing my brain for, and it was chance, ever so
faint, perhaps, but still chance.
Across the tent, not ten feet distant, was my
trunk with my stereopticon lantern, and my
slides-slides | had made Of New York city, Of
the Metropolitan tower and Broadway, and all
the other sights of home. Could l but! |
must! Speaking in Arab addressed the chief.
Before the time came to make the sacrifice had
something to show them-something the like Of
which they had never seen. Would they like to
see it?
"Breathless, l awaited the answer. There was
silence; then it came The chief would like to
see. pointed to the trunk. They brought it to
me unpacked the lantern and set 1t up, the
long knives were following me not two inches
away the while The side of the tent was the
screen. ! lighted the lantern and dropped in the
first slide Across the circle Of light foated in
color the great Metropolitan tower AS 1t did SO
the muttering murmur of the death prelude wav
cred and died OFT.
There was silence; then sharp words Of
mystery, or wonder, of-fear Working swiftly
killed the exterior Of the tower and shot into
its place view of it's interior, then another and
another. ! followed with pictures from its top
pictures OF the river, OF Broadway below, Of
motor cars tearing along with no visible means
Of ocomotion, of the loom Of giant skyscrapers
Il the distance. of huge bridges across the East
river Of steamboats, and liners running out Of the
harbor, Of Miss Liberty on Bedloes Island and Of
the marvellous tangle Of Coney Island
THE death prelude was forgotten. The fear
gave place to an ever-growing wonder. The
semicircle leaned forwe@5 % rass Of peering,
crowdng bh aaedk 'sa -.