Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-29
CHAPTER Nv.
DIAN THE BEAUTIFUL

DIAN THE BEAUTIFUL.
ITO THIS time the excitement had kept
i us both up; but now the tiresome mo.
notony of this long march across the
sun.baked plain brought on all the agonies
consequent to long.denied sleep.
On and on we stumbled beneath that
hateful MONDAY sun. If we fell, we were
prodded with sharp spear.point.
Our companions in chains did not stun.
BILE. They strode along proudly erect.
Occasionally they would exchange words
with one another in a monosyllabic Ian
guage. They were a noble-appearing
race, with well-formed head and perfect
physiques.
The men were heavily bearded. tall and
muscular. The women smaller and more
gracefully nodded. with great masses of
raven hair caught into loose knots upon
their heads. The features of both sexes
were well proportloned; there was not a
face among them that would have been
called even plain If judged by earthly
standards.
They wore no ornaments, but this
later learned was due to the fact that
their captors had stripped them of every
thing of value
AS garmenture the women possessed a
single robe of some light-colored, spotted
hide, rather similar In appearance to a
leopard's skin. This they wore either
supported entirely about the waist by
leathern thong, so that it hung partially
below the knee on one side, or possibly
looped gracefully across one shoulder
Their feet were shod with skin sandals
The men wore loin.cloths of the hide
of some shaggy beast, long ends of which
depended before and behind nearly to the
ground In some Instances these ends
were finished with the strong talons of
the beast from which the hide had been
taken.
Our guards, whom have already de-
scribed as gorillalike men, were rather
lighter in build than a gorilla, but even
so, they were indeed mighty creatures
Their arms and legs were proportioned
more in conformity with human stand.
ards, but their entire bodies were covered
with shaggy, brown hair, and their faces
were quite as brutal as those of the few
stuffed specimens of the gorilla which
had seen in the museums at home.
Their only redeeming feature lay In the
development of the head above and back
of the ears In this respect they were not
one whit less human than we.
They were clothed In a sort of tunlc of
light cloth, which reached to the knees
Beneath this they wore only a loin cloth
OF the same material, while their feet
were shod with rather heavy sandals ap-
parently made OF the thick hide of some
mammoth creature of this inner world.
Their arms and necks were encIrcled
by many ornaments of metal-silver pre-
dominating-and on their tunics were
sewn the heads OF tiny reptiles in odd
and rather artistic designs.
They talked among themselves as they
marched along on either side of us, but
In language which I perceived diff
fered from that employed by our fellow
prisoners. When they addressed the lat
ter they used what appeared to be third
language. and which later learned is a
mongrel tongue rather analogous to the
'pidgin' English.
How far we marched I have no con-
ception, nor had Perry. Both of us were
asleep much of the time for hours before
a halt was called-then we dropped in our
tracks. / say for hours" but how may
one measure time where time does not
exlstl
When our march commenced the sun
stood at zenith; when we halted our
shadows still pointed toward nadir.
Whether an instant or an eternity OF
earthly time elapsed who may say? That
march may have occupied years and II
months OF the 10 years that l spent in the
inner world. or 1t may have been accom-
plished in fraction OF second. can
not tell.
But this do know. that since you have
told me that 10 years have elapsed since
departed from this earth have lost all
respect for time. l am commencing to
doubt that such thing exists other than
in the weak and finite mind OF man.
When our guards reused us from our
sleep we were much refreshed. They
gave us food. Strips of dried meat II
was. but 1t put new life and strength into
us, so that now we, too, marched with
high-held heads. and took noble strides
At least 1 did for l was young and
prouC; but poor Perry hated walking.
on earth had often seen him call cab
to travel square; he was paying for it
now, and his old legs wabbled so that
put my arm about him and half carried |