Ote ^t v^cf ica^ rs CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM E.L.i^ichols ye. //-it'. 7 Cornell University Library PS 2409.M2L3 3 1924 022 148 880 11 M Cornell University y S Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022148880 KHAN-LI. Lfrom the mural painting in the gallery of national heroes at yezd. I THE LAST AMERICAN A FRAGMENT From the Journal of KHAN-LI PRINCE OF DIMPH-YOO-CHUR AND ADMIRAL IN THE PERSIAN NAyy Edited by J. A':' MITCHELL NEW YORK FREDERICK A, STOKES & BROTHER MDCCCLXXXIX A^p^llli COPYRIGHT, 1889, BY FREDERICK A. STOKES & BROTHER '9 '-V gjetliratiotx. TO THE AMERICAN WHO IS MORE THAN SATISFIED WITH HIMSELF AND HIS COUNTRY THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. A FEW WORDS HEDFUL, SURNAMED " THE AXIS OF WISDOM," Curator of the Imperial Museum at Shiraz. Author of ^^ The Celestial Conquest of JCaly-phorn-ya,^' and of " Northern Mehrika under the Hy-Bernyan Rulers'' The astounding discoveries of Khan-li of Dimph-yoo-chur have thrown floods of light upon the domestic life of the Mehrikan people. He little realized when he landed upon that sleeping continent what a service he was about to render history, or what enthusiasm his dis- coveries would arouse among Persian archae- ologists. Every student of antiquity is familiar with their history. 8 THE LAST AMERICAN. But for the benefit of those who have yet to acquire a knowledge of this extraordinary people, I advise, first, a visit to the Museum at Teheran in order to excite their interest in the Subject, and second, the reading of such books as Nofuhl's "What we Found in the West," and Noz-yt-ahl's " History of the Mehrikans." The last-named is a complete and reliable his- tory of these people from the birth of the Re- public under George-wash-yn-tun to the year 1990, when they ceased to exist as a nation. I must say, however, that Noz-yt-ahl leaves the reader much confused concerning the period between the massacre of the Protestants in 1907, and the overthrow of the Murfey dynasty in 1930. He holds the opinion with many other his- torians that the Mehrikans were a mongrel race, with little or no patriotism, and were purely imitative ; simply an enlarged copy of other nationalities extant at the time. He pronounces them a shallow, nervous, extrava- gant people, and accords them but few redeem- ing virtues. This, of coufse, is just ; but nevertheless they will always be an interesting study by reason of their rapid growth, their vast numbers, their marvellous mechanical in- genuity and their sudden and almost unac- countable disappearance. THE LAST AMERICAN. 9 The wealth, luxury and gradual decline of the native population ; the frightful climatic changes which swept the country like a mow- er's scythe ; the rapid conversion of a vast con- tinent, alive with millions of pleasure-loving people, into a silent wilderness, where the sun and moon look down in turn upon hundreds of weed-grown cities, — all this is told by Noz- yt-ahl with force and accuracy. "Here's Truth. ' T is a bitter Pill hut good Physic." ABOARD THE ZLOTUHB IN THE YEAR 295^- loth May. There is land ahead ! Grip-til-lah was first to see it, and when he shouted the tidings my heart beat fast with joy. The famished crew have forgotten their disconsolate stomachs and are dancing about the deck. 'Tis not I, forsooth, who shall re- strain them ! A month of emptiness upon a heavy sea is preparation for any folly. Nofuhl alone is without enthusiasm. The old man's heart seems dead. We can see the land plainly, a dim strip along the western horizon. A fair wind blows from the northeast, but we get on with cruel 14 THE LAST AMERICAN. hindrance for the Zlotuhb is a heavy ship, her bluff bow and voluminous bottom ill fitting her for speed. The land, as we near it, seems covered with trees, and the white breakers along the yellow beach are a welcome sight. \lth May. Sighted a fine harbor this afternoon, and are now at anchor in it. Grip-til-lah thinks we have reached one of the western islands mentioned by Ben-a-Bout. Nofuhl, however, is sure we are further North. I'ith May. What a change has come over Nofuhl ! He is the youngest man aboard. We all share his delight, as our discoveries are truly marvellous. This morning while I was yet in my bunk he ran into the cabin and, forgetting our differ- ence in rank, seized me by the arm and tried to drag me out. His excitement so had the better of him that I captured little meaning THE LAST AMERICAN. 15 from his words. Hastening after Iiim, how- ever, I was amazed to see such ancient limbs transport a man so rapidly. He skipped up the narrow stairs like a heifer and, young though I am, it was faster than I could fol- low. But what a sight when I reached the deck ! We saw nothing of it yesterday, for the dusk of evening was already closing about us when we anchored. Right ahead, in the middle of the bay, towered a gigantic statue, many times higher than the masts of our ship. Beyond, from be- hind this statue, came the broad river upon whose waters we were floating, its surface all a-glitter with the rising sun. To the East, where Nofuhl was pointing, his fingers trem- bling with excitement, lay the ruins of an end- less city. It stretched far away into the land beyond, further even than our eyes could see. And in the smaller river on the right stood two colossal structures, rising high in the air, and standing like twin brothers, as if to guard the deserted streets beneath. Not a sound reached us — not a floating thing disturbed the surface of the water. Verily, it seemed the sleep of Death. I was lost in wonder. As we looked a strange bird, like a heron, l6 THE LAST AMERICAN. arose with a hoarse cry from the foot of the great image and flew toward the city. "What does it all mean ?" I cried. "Where are we ? " " Where indeed ! " said Nofuhl. " If I knew but that, O Prince, I could tell the rest ! No traveller has mentioned these ruins. Persian history contains no record of such a people. Allah has decreed that we discover a forgotten world." Within an hour we landed, and found our- selves in an ancient street, the pavements cov- ered with weeds, grass and flowers, all crowd- ing together in wild neglect. Huge trees of great antiquity thrust their limbs through windows and roofs and produced a mournful effect. They gave a welcome shade, however, as we find the heat ashore of a roasting qual- ity most hard to bear. The curious buildings on either side are wonderfully preserved, even sheets of glass still standing in many of the iron window-frames. We wandered along through the thick grass, Nofuhl and I, much excited over our discover- ies and delighted with the strange scene. The sunshine is of dazzling brightness, birds are singing everywhere, and the ruins are gay with THE LAST AMERICAN. '7 gorgeous wild flowers. We soon found our- selves in what was once a public square, now for the most part a shady grove.* THE CITY OF RUINS. As we sat on a fallen cornice and gazed on the lofty buildings about us I asked Nofuhl * Afterward ascertained to be the square of the City Hall. 1 8 THE LAST AMERICAN. if he was still in ignorance as to where we were, and he said : "As yet I know not. The architecture is much like that of ancient Europe, but it tells us nothing." Then I said to him in jest, " Let this teach us, O N5fuhl ! the folly of excessive wisdom. Who among thy pupils of the Imperial College at Ispahan would believe their venerable in- structor in history and languages could visit the largest city in the world and know so little about it ! " "Thy words are wise, my Prince," he an- swered : " few babes could know less." As we were leaving this grove- my eyes fell upon an upturned slab that seemed to have a meaning. It was lying at our feet, partly hid- den by the tall grass, having fallen from the columns that supported it. Upon its surface were strange characters in bold relief, as sharp and clear as when chiselled ten centuries ago. I pointed it out to Nofuhl, and we bent over it with eager eyes. It was this : ASTOE HOUSE THE LAST AMERICAN. 19 " The inscription is Old English," he said. " ' House ' signified a dwelling, but the word ' Astor ' I know not. It was probably the name of a deity, and here was his temple." This was encouraging, and we looked about eagerly for other signs. Our steps soon brought us into another street, and as we walked , I expressed my sur- prise at the wonderful preservation of the stone work, which looked as though cut but yester- day. " In such an atmosphere decay is slow," said Nofuhl. "A thousand years at least have passed since these houses were occupied. Take yon- der oak, for instance ; the tree itself has been growing for at least a hundred years, and we know from the fallen mass beneath it that cen- turies had gone by before its birth was pos- sible." He stopped speaking, his eyes fixed upon an inscription over a doorway, partly hidden by one of the branches of the oak. Turning suddenly upon me with a look of triumph, he exclaimed : " It is ours ! " " What is ours ? " I asked. 2p THE LAST AMERICAN. "The knowledge we sought"; and he point- ed to the inscription, NEW YOKK _STOCK EXC .... He was tremulous with joy. " Thou hast heard of Nhu - Yok, O my Prince ? " I answered that I had read of it at school. "Thou art in it now!" he said. "We are standing on the Western Continent. Little wonder we thought our voyage long ! " "And what was Nhu- Yok ? " I asked. "I read of it at college, but remember little. Was it not the capital of the ancient Mehrikans ? " "Not the capital," he answered, "but their largest city. Its population was four mill- ions." " Four millions ! " I exclaimed. "Verily, O Fountain of Wisdom, that is many for one city ! " " Such is history, my Prince ! Moreover, as thou knowest, it would take us many days to walk this town." " True, it is endless." He continued thus : " Strange that a single word can tell so much ! Those iron structures, the huge statue THE LAST AMERICAN. 2 1 in the harbor, the temples with pointed towers, all are as writ in history." Whereupon I repeated that I knew little of the Mehrikans save what I had learned at col- lege, a perfunctory and fleeting knowledge, as they were a people who interested me but little. " Let us seat ourselves in the shade," said Nofuhl, "and I will tell thee of them." We sat. " For eleven centuries the cities ot this sleeping hemisphere have decayed in solitude. Their very existence has been forgotten. The people who built them have long since passed away, and their civilization is but a shadowy tradition. Historians are astounded that a nation of more than seventy millions should vanish from the earth like a mist, and leave so little behind. But to those familiar with their lives and character surprise is impossible. There w^as nothing to leave. The Mehrikans possessed neither literature, art, or music of their own. Everything was borrowed. The very clothes they wore were copied with ludi- crous precision from the models of other na- tions. They were a sharp, restless, quick- witted, greedy race, given body and soul to the gathering of riches. Their chiefest passion was to buy and sell. Even women, both of high and low degree, spent much of their time 22 THE LAST AMERICAN. IN A STREET OF THE FORGOTTEN CITY. at bargains, crowding and jostling each other in vast marts of trade, for their attire was com- plicated, and demanded most of their time." " How degrading ! " I exclaimed, "So it must have been," said Nofuhl ; "but THE LAST AMERICAN. 23 they were not without virtues. Their domestic life was happy. A man had but one wife, and treated her as his equal." " That is curious ! But as I remember, they were a people of elastic honor." " They were so considered," said Nofuhl ; " their commercial honor was a jest. They were sharper than the Turks. Prosperity was their god, with cunning and invention for his prophets. Their restless activity no Persian can comprehend. This vast country was alive with noisy industries, the nervous Mehrikans darting with inconceivable rapidity from one city to another by a system of locomotion we can only guess at. There existed roads with iron rods upon them, over which small houses on wheels were drawn with such velocity that a long day's journey was accomplished in an hour. Enormous ships without sails, driven by a mysterious force, bore hundreds of people at a time to the furthermost points of the earth." " And are these things lost ? " I asked. " We know many of the forces," said Nofuhl, " but the knowledge of applying them is gone. The very elements seem to have been their slaves. Cities were illuminated at night by artificial moons, whose radiance eclipsed the moon above. Strange devices were in use by which they conversed together when separated 22]. THE LAST AMERICAN. by a journey of many days. Some of these ap- pliances exist to-day in Persian museums. The superstitions of our ancestors allowed their secrets to be lost during those dark centuries from which at last we are waking." At this point we heard the voice of Bhoz-ja- khaz in the distance ; they had found a spring and he was calling to us. Such heat we had never felt, and it grew hotter each hour. Near the river where we ate it was more comfortable, but even there the perspiration stood upon us in great drops. Our faces shone like fishes. It was our wish to explore further, but the streets were like ovens, and we returned to the Zlotuhb. As I sat upon the deck this afternoon record- ing the events of the morning in this journal Bhoz-ja-khaz and Ad-el-pate approached, ask- ing permission to take the small boat and visit the great statue. Thereupon Nofuhl informed us that this statue in ancient times held aloft a torch illuminating the whole harbor, and he THE LAST AMERICAN. 25 requested Ad-el-pate to try and discover how the light was accomplished. They returned toward evening with this in- formation : that the statue is not of solid bronze, but hollow ; that they ascended by means of an iron stairway into the head of the image, and looked down upon us through its eyes ; that Ad-el-pate, in the dark, sat to rest himself upon a nest of yellow flies with black stripes ; that these flies inserted stings into Ad-el-pate's person, causing him to exclaim loudly and descend the stairs with unexpected agility ; that Bhoz-ja-khaz and the others pushed on through the upraised arm, and stood at last upon the bronze torch itself ; that the city lay beneath them like a map, covering the country for miles away on both sides of ihe river. As for illuminating the harbor, Bhoz-ja- khaz says Nofuhl is mistaken ; there are no vestiges of anything that could give a light — no vessel for oil or traces of fire. Nofuhl says Ja-khaz is an idiot ; that he shall go himself. 26 THE LAST AMERICAN: iTyth May. A startling discovery this morning. By landing higher up the river we explored a part of the city where the buildings are of a different character from those we saw yester- day. Nofuhl considers them the dwellings of the rich. In shape they are like bricks set on end, all very similar, uninteresting and monoto- nous. We noticed one where the doors and shut- ters were still in place, but rotting from the fantastic hinges that supported them. A few hard blows brought down the outer doors in a dusty heap, and as we stepped upon the mai-ble floor within our eyes met an unexpected sight. Furniture, statues, dingy pictures in crumbling frames, images in bronze and silver, mirrors, curtains, all were there, but in every condition of decay. We knocked open the iron shutters and let the light into rooms sealed up for cen- turies. In the first one lay a rug from Persia ! THE LAST AMERICAN. 27 Faded, moth-eaten, gone in places, it seemed to ask us with dying eyes to be taken hence. My heart grew soft over the ancient rug, and I caught a foolish look in Lev-el-Hedyd's e)'e. As we climbed the mouldering stair to the floor above I expressed surprise that cloth and woodwork should hold together for so many centuries, also saying : " These Mehrikans were not so unworthy as we think them.'' " That may be," said Lev-el-Hedyd, " but the Persian rug is far the freshest object we have seen, and that perchance was ancient when they bought it." On this floor we entered a dim chamber spacious and once richly furnished. When Lev-el-Hedyd pushed open the shutters and drew aside the ragged curtains we started at the sight before us. Upon a wide bed in the centre of the room lay a human form, the long yellow hair still clinging to the head. It was more a mummy than a skeleton. Around, upon the bed, lay mouldering fragments of the once white sheets that covered it. On the fin- gers of the left hand glistened two rings which drew our attention. One held a diamond of great price, the other was composed of sap- phires and diamonds most curiously arranged. 28 THE LAST AMERICAN. We Stood a moment in silence, gazing sadly upon the figure. " Poor woman," I said, " left thus to die alone." "It is more probable," said Nofuhl, "she was already dead, and her friends, departing perhaps in haste, were unable to burn the body." " Did they burn their dead ? " I asked. " In my history 'twas writ they buried them in the earth like potatoes, and left them to rot." And Nofuhl answered : " At one time it was so, but later on, as they became more civilized, the custom was abandoned." "Is it possible," I asked, "that this woman has been lying here almost a thousand years and yet so well preserved ? " " I, also, am surprised," said Nofuhl. " I can only account for it by the extreme dryness of the air in absorbing the juites of the body and retarding decay." Then lifting tenderly in his hand some of the yellow hair, he said : " She was probably very young, scarce twen- ty." " Were their women fair ? " I asked. " They were beautiful," he answered ; " with graceful forms and lovely faces ; a pleasure to the eye ; also were they gay and sprightly with much animation." IN THE MOULDERIIJG CHAMBER. THE LAST AMERICAN. 31 Thereupon cried Lev-el-Hedyd : " Here are the first words thou hast uttered, O Nofuhl, that cause me to regret the extinc- tion of this people! There is ever a place in my heart for a blushing maiden ! " "Then let thy grief be of short life," re- sponded Nofuhl, " for Mehrikan damsels were not of that description. Blushing was an art they practiced little. The shyness thou so lovest in a Persian maiden was to them an un- known thing. Our shrinking daughters bear no resemblance to these Western products. They strode the public streets with roving eyes and unblushing faces, holding free converse with men as with women, bold of speech and free of manner, going and coming as it pleased them best. They knew much of the world, managed their own affairs, and devised their own marriages, often changing their minds and marrying another than the betrothed." " Bismillah ! And men could love these things ? " exclaimed Lev-el-Hedyd with much feeling. " So it appears." " But I should say the Mehrikan bride had much the freshness of a dried fig." " So she had," said Nofuhl, " but those who know only the dried fig have no regret for the fresh fruit. But the fault was not with 32 THE LAST AMERICAN. the maidens. Brought up like boys, with the same studies and mental development, the womanly part of their nature gradually van- ished as their minds expanded. Vigor of in- tellect was the object of a woman's education." Then Lev-el-Hedyd exclaimed with great disgust : " Praises be to Allah for his aid in extermi- nating such a people ! " and he walked away from the bed, and began looking about the chamber. In a moment he hastened back to us, saying : " Here are more jewels ! also money! " Nofuhl eagerly took the pieces. "Money!" he cried. "Money will tell us more than pages of history ! " There were silver coins of different sizes and two small pieces of copper. Nofuhl studied them closely. " The latest date is 1937," he said ; " a little THE FACE AND BACK OF ONE OB THE SILVER COINS. THE LAST AMERICAN. 33 more than a thousand years ago ; but the piece may have been in circulation some years be- fore this woman died ; also it may have been coined the very year of her death. It bears the head of Dennis, the last of the Hy-Burnyan dictators. The race is supposed to have be- come extinct before 1990 of their era." I then said : " Thou hast never told us, O Nofuhl ! the cause of their disappearance." " There were many causes," he answered. " The Mehrikans themselves were of English origin, but people from all parts of Europe came here in vast numbers. Although the original comers were vigorous and hardy the effect of climate upon succeeding generations was fatal. They became flat-chested and thin, with scanty hair, fragile teeth, and weak digestions. Nervous diseases unknown to us wrought deadly havoc. Children were reared with difficulty. Between 1925 and 1940, the last census of which any record remains, the popula- tion decreased from ninety millions to less than twelve millions. Climatic changes, the like of which no other land ever experienced, began at that period, and finished in less than ten years a work made easy by nervous tem- peraments and rapid lives. The temperature would skip in a single day from burning heat 34 THE LAST AMERICAN. to winter's cold. No constitution could with- stand it, and this vast continent became once more an empty wilderness." Much more of the same nature he told us, but I am too sleepy to write longer. We ex- plored the rest of the mansion, finding many things of interest. I caused several objects to be carried aboard the Zlotuhb* l^th May. Hotter than yesterday. In the afternoon we were rowed up the river and landed for a short walk. It is unsafe to brave the sun. The more I learn of these Mehrikans the less interesting they become. Nofuhl is of much the same mind, judging from our conversation to-day, as we walked along together. It was in this wise : Khan-li. How alike the houses ! How monotonous ! * These objects are now in the museum of the Imperial College, at Teheran. THE LAST AMERICAN. 35 Nofiihl. So, also, were the occupants. They thought alike, worked alike, ate, dressed and conversed alike. They read the same books ; they fash- ioned their garments' as directed, with no re- gard for the size or figure of the individual, and copied to a stitch the fashions of Euro- peans. Khan-li. But the close-fitting apparel of the Euro- pean must have been sadly uncomfortable in the heat of a Mehrikan summer. Nofuhl. So probably it was. Stiff boxes of varying patterns, adorned the heads of men. Curious jackets with tight sleeves encased the body. The feet throbbed and burned in close-fitting casings of unyielding leather and linen made stiff by artificial means was drawn tightly about the neck. Khan-li. Allah ! What idiots ! Nofuhl. Even so are they considered. 36 THE LAST AMERICAN. Khan-li. To what quality of their minds do you at- tribute such love of needless suffering ? Nofuhl. It was their desire to be like others. A natural feeling in a vulgar people. \lth May. A fair wind from the West to-day. We weighed anchor and sailed up the Eastern side of the city. I did this as Nofuhl finds the up- per portion of the town much richer in relics than the lower, which seems to have been given up to commercial purposes. We sailed close under one of the great monuments in the river, and are at a loss to divine its meaning. Many iron rods still dangle from the tops of each of the structures. As they are in a line, one with the other, we thought at first they might have been once connected and served as a bridge, but we soon saw they were t(X) far apart. Came to anchor about three milea from the old mooring. Up the river and down, North, THE TWO MONUMENTS IN THE RIVER. THE LAST AMERICAN. 39 South, East and West, the ruins stretch away indefinitely, seemingly without end. Am anxious about Lev-el-Hedyd. He went ashore and has not returned. It is now after midnight. \()th May. Praise Allah ! my dear comrade is alive ! This morning we landed early and began our search for him. As we passed before the brick building which bears the inscription DELMONICO high up upon its front, we heard his voice from within in answer to our calls. We entered, and after climbing the ruined stairway found him seated upon the floor above. He had a swollen leg from an ugly sprain, and various bruises were also his. While the others were constructing a litter on which to bear him hence we conversed together. The walls about us bore traces of having once enclosed a hall of some beauty. In idling about I pulled open the decaying door of an old closet and saw upon the rotting shelves many pieces of glass and earthenware of fine workmanship. Taking 40 THE LAST AMERICAN. one in my hand, a small wine-cup of glass, I approached my comrade calling his attention to its slender stem and curious form. As his eyes fell upon it they opened wide in amaze- ment. I also observed a trembling of his hand as he reached forth to touch it. He then recounted to me his marvellous adventure of the night before, but saying before he began : " Thou knowest, O Prince, I am no believer in visions, and I should never tell the tale but for thy discovery of this cup. I drank from such an one last night, proffered by a ghostly hand." I would have smiled, but he was much in earnest. As I made a movement to sit beside him, he said : " Taste first, O my master, of the grapes hanging from yonder wall." I did so, and to my great surprise found them THE LAST AMERICAN. 41 of an exquisite flavor, finer even than the cul- tivated fruit of Persia, sweeter and more del- icate, of a different nature from the wild grapes we have been eating. My astonishment ap- peared to delight him, and he said with a laugh : "The grapes are impossible, but they exist ; even more absurd is my story ! " and he then narrated his adventure. It was this : WHAT LEV-EL-HEDYD SAW. Yesterday, after nightfall, as he was hasten- ing toward the Zlotuhb he fell violently upon some blocks of stone, wrenching his ankle and much bruising himself. Unable to walk upon his foot he limped into this building to await our coming in the morning. The howling of wolves and other wild beasts as they prowled about the city drove him, for safety, to crawl up the ruins of the stairway to the floor above. As he settled himself in a corner of this hall his nostrils were greeted with the delicious odor from the grapes above his head. He found them surprisingly good, and ate heartily. He soon after fell into a sleep which lasted some hours, for when he awoke the moon was higher in the heavens, the voices of the wolves were hushed and the city was silent. 42 THE LAST AMERICAN. As he lay in a revery, much absorbed in his own thoughts, he gradually became aware of mysterious changes taking place, as if by stealth, about him. A decorated ceiling appeared to be closing over the hall. Mirrors and tinted walls slowly crept in place of ivy and crum- bling bricks. A faint glow grew stronger and more intense until it filled the great room with a dazzling light. Then came softly into view a table of curi- ous form, set out with flowers and innumer- able dishes of glass and porcelain, as for a feast. Standing about the room he saw solemn men with beardless faces, all in black attire, whose garments bore triangular openings upon the chest to show the shirt beneath. These personages he soon discovered were servants. As he gazed in bewilderment, there entered other figures, two by two, who took their seats about the table. These later comers, sixty or more, were men and women walk- ing arm in arm, the women in rich attire of unfamiliar fashion and sparkling with precious stones. The men were clad like the servants. They ate and drank and laughed, and form- ed a brilliant scene. Lev-el-Hedyd rose to his feet, and moved by a curiosity he made THE LAST AMERICAN. 43 no effort to resist, — for he is a reckless fellow and knows no fear — ^he hobbled out into the room. They looked upon him in surprise, and seemed much amused at his presence. One of the guests, a tall youth with yellow mustaches, approached him, offering a delicate crystal vessel filled with a sparkling fluid. Lev-el-Hedyd took it. The youth raised another from the table, and with a slight gesture as if in salutation, he said in words which my comrade under- stood, though he swears it was a language unknown to him, " We may meet again the fourth of next month." He then drank the wine, and so did Lev-el- Hedyd. Hereupon the others smiled as if at their comrade's wit, all save the women, whose tender faces spoke more of pity than of mirth. The wine flew to his brain as he drank it, and things about him seemed to reel and spin. Strains of fantastic music burst upon his ears, then, all in rhythm, the women joined their partners and whirled about him with a light- some step. And, moving with it, his throb- bing brain seemed dancing from his head. The room itself, all swaying and quivering 44 THE LAST AMERICAN. with the melody, grew dim and stole from view. The music softly died away. Again was silence, the moon above looking calmly down upon the ivied walls. He fell like a drunken man upon the floor, and did not wake till our voices called him. Such his tale. He has a clear head and is no liar, but so many grapes upon an empty stomach with the fever from his swollen limb might well explain it. Bear's meat for dinner. This morning toward noon Kuzundam, the second officer, wandered on ahead of us, and entered a large building in pursuit of a rabbit. He was about descending to the basement be- low, when he saw, close before him, a bear leisurely mounting the marble stairs. Kuzun- dam is no coward, but he turned and ran as he never ran before. The bear, who seemed of a sportive nature, also ran, and in close pursuit of our friend. Luckily for my friend we happened THE LAST AMERICAN. 47 to be near, otherwise instead of our eating bear's meat, the bear might have lunched quietly off Kuzundam in the shady corridors of the "FiFTHAVENUEHOTEL." \^th May. To-day a scorching heat that burns the lungs. We started in the morning prepared to spend the night ashore, and explore the north- ern end of the city. It was a pleasant walk through the soft grass of the shady streets, but in those places unsheltered from the sun we were as fish upon a frying-pan. Other dwell- ings we saw, even larger and more imposing than the one we entered yesterday. We were tempted to explore them, but Lev-el-Hedyd wisely dissuaded us, saying the day was wax- ing hotter each hour and it could be done on our return. In the northern part of the town are many religious temples, with their tall towers like slender pyramids, tapering to a point. They 48 THE LAST AMERICAN. are curious things, and surprisingly well pre- served. The interiors of these temples are uninteresting. Nofiihl says the religious rites of the Mehrikans were devoid of character. There were many religious beliefs, all compli- cated and insignificant variations one from another, each sect having its own temples and refusing to believe as the others. This is amusing to a Persian, but mayhap was a seri- ous matter with them. One day in each week they assembled, the priests reading long moral lectures written by themselves, with music by hired singers. They then separated, taking no thought of temple or priest for another seven days. Nofuhl says they were not a religious people. That the temples were filled mostly with women. In the afternoon we found it necessary to traverse a vast pleasure-ground, now a wild forest, but with traces still visible of broad promenades and winding driveways.* There remains an avenue of bronze statues, most of them yet upright and in good condition, but very comic. Lev-el-Hedyd and I still think * Olbaldeh thinks this must be the Centralpahk some- times alluded to in Mehrikan literature. IN ONE OF THE TEMPLES, THE LAST AMERICAN. 51 them caricatures, but Nofuhl is positive they were serious efforts, and says the Mehrikans were easily pleased in matters of art. We lost our way in this park, having nothing to guide us as in the streets of the city. This was most happy, as otherwise we should have missed a surprising discovery. It occurred in this wise. Being somewhat overcome by the heat we halted upon a little hill to rest ourselves. While reclining beneath the trees I noticed un- usual carvings upon a huge block against which Lev-el-Hedyd was supporting his back. They were unlike anj^ we had seen, and yet they were not unfamiliar. As I lay there gaz- ing idly at them it flashed upon me they were Egyptian. We at once fell to examining the block, and found to our amazement an obelisk of Egyptian granite, covered with Egyptian hieroglyphics of an antiquity exceeding by thousands of years the most ancient monu- ments of the country ! Verily, we were puzzled ! " When did the Egyptians invade Mehrika ? " quoth Bhoz-ja-khaz, with a solemn look, as if trying to recall a date. " No Egyptian ever heard of Mehrika," said Nofuhl. "This obelisk was finished twenty centuries before the first Mehrikan was weaned. 52 THE LAST AMERICAN. In all probability it was brought here as a curiosity, just as we take to Persia the bronze head of George-wash-yn-tun." We spent much time over the monument, and I think Nofuhl was disappointed that he could not bring it away with him. Also while in this park we came to a high tower, standing by itself, and climbed to the top, where we enjoyed a wide-spreading view. The extent of the city is astounding. Miles away in the river lay the Zlotuhb, a white speck on the water. All about us in every direction as far as sight can reach were ruins, and ruins, and ruins. Never was a more melancholy sight. The blue sky, the bright sunshine, the sweet-scented air with the gay flowers and singing birds' only made it sadder. They seemed a mockery. THE LAST AMERICAN. 53 We have encamped for the night, and I can write no more. Countless flying insects gather about us with a hateful buzz, and bite us be- yond endurance. They are a pest thrice ac- cursed. I tell Nofuhl his fine theory concerning the extinction of the Yahnkis is a good tale for those who have never been here. No man without a leather skin could survive a second night. \Wi May. Poor Ja-khaz is worse than sick. He had an encounter last night with a strange animal, and his defeat was ignoble. The ani- mal, a pretty thing, much like a kitten, was hovering near when Ja-khaz, with rare courage and agility, threw himself upon it. And then what happened none of us can state with precision. We know we held our 54 THE LAST AMERICAN. noses and fled. And Ja-khaz ! No words can fit him. He carries with him an odor to devas- tate a province. We had to leave him ashore and send him fresh raiment. This is, verily, a land of surprises. Our hands and faces still smart from the biting insects, and the perfume of the odorous kitten promises to be ever with us. Nofuhl is happy. We have discovered hun- dreds of metal blocks, the poorest of which he asserts would be the gem of a museum. They were found by Fattan-laiz-eh in the basement of a high building, all laid carefully away upon iron shelves. The flood of light they throw upon the manners and customs of this ludicrous people renders them of priceless value to historians. I harbor a suspicion that it causes Nofuh) some pleasure to sit upon the cool deck of the Zldtuhh and watch Bhoz-ja-khaz walking to and fro upon the ruins of a distant wharf. THE LAST AMERICAN. 55 \<)th May. The air is cooler. Grip-til-lah thinks a storm is brewing. Even Nofuhl is puzzled over the wooden image we brought aboard yesterday. It is well preserved, with the barbaric coloring still THE WOODEN GOD. fresh upon it. They found it standing upright in a little shop. How these idols were worshipped, and why they are found in little shops and never in the 56 THE LAST AMERICAN. great temples is a mystery. It has a diadem of feathers on the head, and as we sat smoking upon the deck this evening I remarked to Nofuhl that it might be the portrait of some Mehrikan noble. Whereupon he said they had no nobles. " But the Mehrikans of gentle blood," I asked, "had they no titles ?" " Neither titles nor gentle blood," he an- swered. "And as they were all of much the same origin, and came to this country simply to thrive more fatly than at home, there was nothing except difference in wealth on which to establish a superior order. Being deep re- specters of money this was a satisfying dis- tinction. It soon resulted that those families who possessed riches for a generation or two became the substitute for an aristocracy. This upper class was given to sports and pastimes, spending their wealth freely, being prodigious- ly fond of display. Their intellectual develop- ment was feeble, and they wielded but little influence save in social matters. They fol- lowed closely the fashions of foreign aristoc- racies. Great attentions were paid to wander- ing nobles from other lands. Even distant relatives of titled people were greeted with the warmest enthusiasm. -BC>:r.uric»a££^'Gl!bi:r>I f X / y / f- / y.