The Red Cloud chief., 1913-09-18

\ was surprised when | answered him In the
! same tongue
1--WE must kill YOU he said, bat there is
no hurry. We shall walt
AS though acting the suggestion. the
thirty black hends squatted in semicircle
about me and fell slowly and deliberately to
sharpening their knives.
"'There is no hurry. the chief said again
We must do before the coming OF day.
that Is ALL
Then In a fash It came back to me that
had beard from men OF our own tribe that the
Aneza worshippers. and that 1t was the
greatest OF all religious crimes among them to
com.lit murder when the sun-their god-was In
the ascendancy Like shot 1t came to me that
II could delay the execution until sunrise my
life would be saved. But how?
"The hope seemed futile. l wondered what
time II was. knew It was after midnight As
l 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 pointing to 2 o'clock. 1t was nearly three
hours to sun.up There was not the ghost OF
chance OF holding them or 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 SGuattng there
with their black legs crossed that grim semi.
circle OF fends began to rock slowly back and
forth from the hips. hummng a strange. un-
canny, minor monotone. Out In front the big
chief led them 1t was the Aneza sacrifice pre-.
lude. so to speak. And was to be the sacrifice.
II tell you, II got into my nerves. don't think
l am a natural coward. but half rythmicaly.
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.
II glanced over my shoulder to the other flap
OF the tent. AS l 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. sQuatting again. went on with the
gruesome ceremonies. There was no chance OF
escape by flight, 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 and grooming and swayng.
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 eaped and something f
ed my throat 1t tho idea had been comb
Ing my brain for and 1t was chance. ever SO
faint, perhaps, but still a chance
Across the tent, not ten feet distant, was my
trunk with my stereoptcon lantern, and my
sldes-slides had made OF New York city. OF
the Metropolitan tower and Broadway, and all
the other sights OF home. Could ! but! l
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, I awaited the answer. There was
silence; then II came. The chief would like to
see, I pointed to the trunk. They brought It to
me- l unpacked the lantern and set 1t up. the
long knives were following me not two inches
away the while. The side OF the tent the
screen. I lighted the lantern and dropped in the
first slide. Across the circle OF light hoated in
color the great Metropolitan tower. AS 1t did SO
the muttering murmur Of the death prelude wav.
cred and died out.
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 its interior, then another and
another, followed with pictures from its top
pictures OF the river. OF broadway below. Of
motor cars tearing along with visible means
OF locomotion, OF the loom OF giant skyscrapers
In the distance, OF huge bridges across the East
river, OF steamboats, and liners running out OF the
harbor, OF Miss Liberty on Bedloe's Island and OF
the marvellous tangle Of Coney Island.
"The death prelude was forgotten. The fear
gave place to an evergrowing wonder The
semi'circle leaned forward. q mass Of peering
crowding black heads and black shoulders;