Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-09-18

= was surprised when answered him in the
: same tongue,
49, We must kill you he said, but there Is
hurry. Ne shall wait
AS though acting the suggestion. the
thirty black fiends sqnatted in a semi-cifcIe
about 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 lash it came back to me that l
had heard from men OF our own tribe that the
Aneza worshippers, and that 1t was the
greatest OF all religious crimes among them to
commit murder when the sun-their god-was in
the ascendancy Like a 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 it was after midnight As
/ lay on my blankets. watching those hideOus
black faces that were douby black and GrotesQue
in the weird flame of the torches. began to work
my hand slowly toward my pocket where I kept
my watch. | got it out and dropped my eyes to
the face. In the gloom I could make out the
hands pointing to o'clock. 1t nearly three
hours to sun-up. There not the ghost OF
chance OF holding them of until then.
But. just the same. ! kept trying to figure it
out in my minG--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 fends began TO rock slowly back and
forth from the hips. humming a strange
canny, minor monotone. Out in front the big
chief led them 1t the Aneza sacrifice pre-
Jude, TO speak, And l to be the sacrifice
1 tell YOU it got into my nerves. don't think
I Il natural coward, but half rythmcally
keeping time, as it we're. to the beating chant CT
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 a couple of feet
closer and, squatting again, went on With the
gruesome ceremonies. There 10 chance Of
escape by flight. that certain.
But never for moment did | stop thinking:
struggling to drag idea out Of the con rusion in
my brain. And all the time the Aneza went
whettfng the knives and grooming and swayiug.
'Half an hour, then hour went by. count
ed the minutes for l knew they measured the
time left me yet to live And then. suddenly,
turned cold My heart leaped and some hing fill
ed my throat. 1t the idea had been comb
ing my brain for, and it chance
faint, perhaps but still chance.
Across the tent. not ten feet distant was my
trunk with my stereopticon lantern. and my
slides-sdes / had made of New York city, OF
the Metropolitan tower and Broadway. and all
the other sights OF home. Could ! but.
must, Speaking in Arab. l addressed he chief,
Before the time came TO make the sacrifice l had
something to show them-something the like Of
which they had never seen. Would they like to
see it,
'Breathless, | 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 If up. the
long knives following not 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 hoated in
color the great Metropolitan tower. As ii did so
the muttering murnlur OF the death prelude way
cred and died
There was silence then sharp words OF
mystery, or wonder. of-fear. Work." Q swiftly
| killed the exterior OF the tower ana shot into
Its place view Of its interior. then other and
another / followed with pictures fron its top
pictures Of the river OF Broadway below. of
motor ears tearing along with vi ble means
OF locomotion. OF the loom of giant a:iyscrapers
III the distance, of huge bridges aero 5 the East
river OF steamboats, and liners running out OF the
harbor of Miss Liberty on Bedoe's Island and Of
the marvellous tangle of Coney Island
The death prelude was forgotten The fear
gave place to an eyergrowing wCrder. The
semicircie leaned forward. mass If peering
crowding black heads and black shoulders.