The New York herald., 1921-12-25

the city of stone walls and
smoking lantern. Each site had been
numbered, corresponding to a list of
names in native dialect down the side,
like a city visitors guide. showing the
theaters. railroad stations and leading
hotel.
"Those are our names for the city,"
he said.
There were thirty-three which Kubary
had Identified and nearly as many more
about each one of which this man told
some story. One was the kings castle,
others were the princes castle, temples,
fcrts.' sepulchers and holy places which
common people must not enter.
Nanmatal means "in many openings"
and the other native names were trans
lated on the map into such crude descrip-
tions as great CASTLE" ION the corner"
''in the largest breakers" "cocoanut cas-
tle." Shadow of a tree" under the
chasm," Gin the sepulcher," and so on
for half a hundred buildings.
MY grandfather was an American.
but it is hard to translate the names, "
he said. my father was a native, but
/ have an American name. l want to
go to America some time"
He pointed out the burial temple,
where Gov. Berg did his last excavat-
ing the broad inclosed stretch of water,
now filled with sard, which had been
the inner harbor. and the wide entrance
used for an anchorage when storms did
not lash the sea wall. His spirit seemed
to go back to the past glories of that
distant age.
Here's where the canoe stopped" he
mused, putting a finger on an unmarked
spot on the south side Of the ancient
city.
What canoe?" ! asked.
That's only story" he said. Were
Christians now and don't believe those
stories any more. It's only what the
old natives tell"
Legend OF the Mysterious City.
However. from his refusal to accom-
pany me to the ruins and the reluctance
of any natives to visit them, their super
stitious belief In the dangers Of the pres
ent world seem to outweigh their conf
dence In the safety Of the future He
told the story, and 1t is probably as good
version of the rise and fall Of the mys-
terious city as any which the scientists
have concocted.
"Once two brothers, Oleosiba and
Oleosoba, came to Ponape. They became
chiefs and Joined all the tribes in Ponape
into one tribe. They wanted a great
city and just asked for it, such was their
power, and 1t came down from the sky
just where it Is at Nanmatal to-day.
The other city. at Ronkiti, was built in
the same way, and one brother lived in
each city, ruling over the island. After
them for hundreds of years there was
only one king Of Ponape. Soutolour
was the last.
when he was king Ijokelekel, a war;
rior from Yusaie Island. which we call
Kodou. came to attack the city. He had
only one canoe and 1t carried 333 men,
They reached Ponape in the night, and
when day broke they saw the thousands
OF palms on the mountains and thought
they were warriors and were afraid to
attack and went back to Kusaie.
Ponnpe Betrayed by n Woman.
"Ijokelekel came again In his canoe
with 333 men and circled the island.
Each day from a distance they saw the
palms and were afraid to come closer,
and went home second time. When he
came a third time he went only half
way around the island and put the canoe
into the harbor at Ronkiti. He sent
some of his men ashore. Their instruc-
tions were:
If you see any people ashore and
there is an old woman among them run
back to the canoe, for ! will so ashore
and stay with her tonight
Soon the men came running back,
saying they had seen an old woman.
I1okelekel went ashore and found her.
That night, as they talked. he said:
There are many warriors in Ponape.'
'The old woman replied that there
were few men, but many women on the
islands, and that the. warriors from Ku-
saic should stay and make their homes
there
"'But 1 have seen your warriors
standing by the thousands on the noun
tain tops said Tjokelekel.
Then the old woman, proud to show
her knowledge. as all women are,
laughed at him and answered:
"'They are only palms, and what you
think are the waving spears of the war
dance are only their branches blowing
In the breeze
"Ijokelekel had learned what he
wanted He ran back to the canoe and
they padded around to Nanmatal. At
daylight they attacked the city. Here
Is where they left the canoe.
"Jauteleur. a great warrior, led the
men of Ponape. They fought for two
days. and each night the warriors from
Kusaie were beaten back to their canoe.
"On the third day Jauteleur was again
pushing back the strangers when one
of the warriors from Kusaie drove a
spear through his own foot, fastening
IL TO the ground. The other warriors,
who were running away, saw that their
comrade stayed to fight and came back
to help him. They captured the city"
NnnparataIs, the Ponnpc Archflles.
My host stopped. lost in reverie.
dreaming the romance of those stirring
days. Civilization with its laws and
conventionalities OF distant lands, has
substituted work and worry for that
carefree life. This man, a native lead
err. was interpreter for the Japanese
chief OF police. He might have been an
Ijokelekel or "A Jauteleur In another aga.
"T have forgotten the name of the
soldier who won the fight" he said.
lapsing again into silence.
The name wouldn't come. He called
in the rough Ponape dialect The light
step OF bare feet came along the narrow
porch. Leaning over the low wall was n
woman. bare from the waist up. straight
featured. with threads OF gray In her
smooth black hair. sharp eyed and
strong muscled. as IL bronze Venus Of
tabled Nanmatal had been conjured into
the dim light of the fiickering lantern.
without raising his head the man spoke
ir their N pattye 1apvtYape