Part 23 (2/2)
This town resees on which my eyes had ever looked I saide open space, a blackened stake set in the etation, and tra this plaza upon two sides, were several rows of houses, all facing the same direction It reminded reat Bible, only the houses were built of sun-dried clay, such as peons use in the far Southwest on the Brazos, square in shape, of but a single story, having dome-shaped roofs, heavily thatched with cane They less, with one narrow opening for a door, protected by a heavy rass Behind these, perhaps a hundred yards orthe upper extremity of the valley, there arose from the surface of the plain two immense rounded mounds of earth, each fully a hundred paces wide at its base, sloping sharply upward Considerable vacant space lay between the thile on the apex of each stood buildings of sun-baked clay, reseer, and, because of their elevation, appearing spacious and iures bearing a slight reseht The other was surure, blackened as by fire, with distorted face daubed a glaring yellow, and long hair glittering frorass curtain had been drawn aside, while before the entrance, their faces striped with disfiguring black lines, their dull vestaudily tris, their coarse hair so trained as to stand alesticulations, and sole sun, the last beah a rift in the western wall
Directly past these priests ere driven like cattle, finding ourselves plunged into a vast square gloo an earthen floor, but utterly devoid of either furnishi+ngs or orna at the farther side, and in the centre a huge log s upon what bore the appearance of a rudely chipped altar of rock About this were ranged nurotesque and hideous, while a third figure, attired as were the aged priests without, lay prone upon the earththickly with undressed skins of wild anihtly upraised platfor toward the second curtained door It was in the midst of this we halted, still under strict surveillance of our brutal guards These, however, permitted us to sink down exhausted on the hard floor
CHAPTER XXII
PRISONERS IN THE TEMPLE
A fear of i to prevent yielding to the deue I realized the desperation of our position, feeling no doubt regarding our ultis, as well as within those vengeful, scowling faces, yet so dulled was every physical sense froh much already described like a ht, broken by nervous, superstitious terrors, the anxious effort to escape from the haunted canyon, the hurried labor on our rude defences, the two fierce coerous yet weakeningand the difficult climb up the cliff, combined to exhaust my vitality so completely that, the moment we halted within the sacred precincts of this teth upon the floor I rehts I retain so softly onme, yet if I made response, it must have been in the unconsciousness of sleep, as these faint re how long I lay thus, close against the north wall of the building in that very posture in which I had first fallen
It must have been after hours of unconsciousness I was at last partially aroused by the reviving touch of cool water hichbathed As I slowly unclosedin the centre of the roo weird, dancing shadows along the black walls, its red radiance falling upon the face bending aboveme to look into the dark, troubled eyes of Eloise de Noyan
”There is no necessity forof moes brought us food”
”Have you been watching over me all this time without rest?”
”Nay; at least no more over you than the others,” she answered with a sreatest stress The others have been some time awake and have partaken of food while you remained in stupor Do not look at me like that! I am not tired; I was borne all the way upon a litter, never once placing foot upon the ground”
”Have you knowledge as to the hour?”
”Only that it ht”
I liftedlanced curiously around our prison-house
In the centre was the blazing log, the sole bit of colorupon either side were the ures of four priests, robed fro flame Their lips muttered in monotonous chant a weird incantation which sent to h above the altar, blackened by the constantly ascending cloud of se of wood, hideous in disfigure to float upon outspread wings, and gloating down upon us through eyes glittering ominously in the fire sheen At either extremity of the apartment, where I supposed were the entrance and exit previously noted, stood those savages releahtest h they longed for soe, cruel, devilish, exhibiting within its gloomy outlines s heavily against a s head upon one hand as he peered at me from beneath thatched brows
”You have a white face, Master Benteen,” he ventured, wondrously soft spoken for hi and at peace with God, the body will mend itself”
”The heart has never yet failedthat he would like to hear hearty English words again ”I alad to behold you safely recovered, friend; that was a hard crack they landed on your skull”
”'T is not the will of the Alnominiously perish at the hands of the heathen,” he responded in his old manner, and as his voice roared out, not unlike a clap of thunder in that silence, I observed how the savages about us started ”Again, and yet again hath He miraculously delivered his servant from the mouth of the lion Surely He must yet have labor forunto these children of A unto them?”
”Ay, why not? Inspired thereunto by the Spirit, I have already sought serious converse with yonder priest of Baal, kneeling at this side of that accursed shrine of idolatry Yet so wedded is he to idols of wood and stone, he ible speech, and when I laid hand upon hirievously thrust me with a spear But I retain faith that the Lord, in His own time, will open up a way unto their rebellious and sinful hearts”
”Such way es will only take unkindly your efforts aton of such work”
”I should be overjoyed to e of a steel blade,” interposed De Noyan decidedly, and I noticed hi beyond his wife ”What do you expect, Master Benteen, these villains will do to us?”
”I read no sign of mercy in any face yet seen,” I answered cautiously
”It would be against all savage nature to forgive the loss of those warriors sent home this day”
”You look for death?”
”I expect nothing less, and by torture; still they h I know not the war customs of the tribe”