Chapter XX
The next five days our trail led us through the country that John had traveled. The fifth day brought us to the village where our horses were waiting for us. Here Emil met us and from this time on the traveling was comparatively easy to the village where Emil lived.
As we neared this village we could see that the country was more thickly populated and the roads and trails were far better than any we had traveled. Our way led along the fertile valley and we were following this valley to what happened to be a level plateau. We noticed that the valley was gradually getting narrower as we went on and at last the walls came in so close on each side of the stream that they formed a canyon. About four o’clock of the day we reached the village we came suddenly to a perpendicular bluff over which the stream fell in a drop of about three hundred feet. The road led to a level place at the foot of the cliff, near the falls. We found that there was an opening cut in the sandstone on an angle of forty-five degrees to the plateau above and steps had been hewn in the floor of the upraise so that the ascent was an easy one. Great stone doors had been so arranged that they could be closed into the opening at the foot of the cliff, thus presenting a formidable barrier to an intruding foe. When we reached the plateau above, we found the stairway up the incline was the only means of egress or ingress that the creek afforded. At one time there had been three means of access but the walls that surrounded the village had now been rebuilt in such a way as to bar all possible access.
A great many houses in the village were built so that one wall formed a part of the wall that surrounded the village. We noted that, when the houses formed part of the wall, these houses were usually three stories high and there were no openings for windows in the wall until the third story was reached. At every opening a balcony was built large enough for two or three people to stand upon comfortably. These, we judged, were arranged so that a lookout could be kept at all times. We were told the district was once inhabited by a native tribe that isolated themselves from the others until as a tribe they had disappeared, a few having been assimilated by the other tribes.
This was Emil’s home and the place where we were to meet the members of our party who had divided into small groups in order to cover more territory. Upon inquiry we found we were the first to arrive and that the others would be in the next day. We were assigned to one of the houses built into the wall of the village. The windows of the third story looked out over the rugged mountainous country to the south. We were made comfortable and were told that supper would be served on the first, or ground floor. We went down and found Emil, his sister, her husband, and the son and daughter that we had met at the temple a few days before, seated at the table.
We had no sooner finished supper than we heard a commotion in the little square which the house faced. One of the villagers came in and announced that our Chief and his party had arrived. They were made comfortable; then we all proceeded to the roof.
The sun had gone down but the afterglow still lingered. The view we looked out upon resembled a large basin at the confluence of a number of streams coming down in deep gorges from the higher mountains. These streams all entered the larger stream before it flowed over the steep wall of rocks into the valley below, thus forming the waterfall.
This larger stream emerged from a deep canyon and ran over the level plateau but a few hundred feet before it plunged over the precipice. A number of smaller streams flowed over the perpendicular walls of the canyon cut by the larger stream, forming perpendicular falls and in some cases, roaring torrents. Some fell in sheer drops of one to two hundred feet while others had cut their way into the canyon wall and fell in a succession of cataracts. Far up in the mountains the gulches were filled with glaciers and these glaciers projected like giant fingers from the great snowcap that covered the top of the entire range. The wall to protect the village had been joined to that of the larger gorge where it jutted out upon the level plain, then ran out to the cliff where the water dropped into the valley below. Where this wall joined the wall of the gorge the mountain rose perpendicular for two thousand feet, thus creating a natural barrier as far as the eye could see. We were told that the level plateau extended for sixty miles east and west and in some places was thirty miles north and south; and the only other means of access was at the widest part of the plateau where a trail led over a pass; and this pass was guarded by a wall similar to the one where we were.
While we were talking over the advantages of the location for defense, Emil’s sister and her daughter joined us and a little later Emil, his sister’s husband and son, came up. We noticed an undercurrent of excitement and were soon told by Emil’s sister that they expected a visit from their mother that evening. She said, “We are so happy that we can hardly contain ourselves, for we do love mother so. We love all that have gone on to the higher attainments very dearly, for they are so fine and noble, and helpful, but our own mother is so sweet and adorable, so helpful and loving, we cannot help loving her a thousand times more. Besides, we are of her flesh and blood. We know you will love her as we do.” We asked whether she came often. The reply was, “O yes, she always comes when we need her, but she is so taken up with her work that she comes only twice a year of her own accord and this is one of her semi-annual visits. She is to stay a week this time and we are all so happy we scarcely know what to do.”
Here the talk drifted to experiences of our associates while we were separated and we were deep in this discussion when, suddenly, stillness came over all and almost before we realized it we were sitting perfectly silent, without a suggestion from anyone. The evening shadows had gathered until the far-off mountain’s snowcap looked like a great white monster just ready to loose its icy fingers and reach out over the valley below.
From the stillness came a gentle swish like that of a bird alighting and it seemed as though a slight mist were gathering on the eastern parapet. The mist suddenly took form and there stood a woman, wondrously beautiful in face and form, with an intense radiant light about her that we could scarcely look upon. The family started to their feet and advanced rapidly toward her with outstretched arms, exclaiming “Mother,” almost as one voice. She stepped lightly down from the parapet to the roof and embraced each as any fond mother would, then was introduced to us. She said, “Oh, you are the dear brothers from far-away America that have come to visit us. I certainly am overjoyed to welcome you to our land. Our hearts go out to all and we feel that if they would only let us, we would just put our arms out and embrace all as I have embraced these I call mine, just now. For we are in reality one family, sons of the one Father-Mother God. Why can we not all meet as brothers?”
We had remarked just before that the evenings were growing chilly, but when this lady appeared the warmth emitted from her presence made the evening seem like that of midsummer. The air seemed laden with the perfume of flowers, a light like that of the full moon seemed to pervade everything, and there was a warmth and glow over all that I cannot describe. Yet there was no hint of display; just that deep, simple, kindly, childlike way.
It was suggested that we go below and the mother with the other ladies led the way to the stairs, with our party following and the men of the household bringing up the rear. Then we noticed that, although we seemed to be walking in the usual way, our feet made no sound upon the roof or the stairs. We were not trying to go quietly; in fact, one of our party said he deliberately tried to make a noise and could not. It did not seem as if our feet came in contact with the roof or stairs. We went into a beautifully furnished room.
As soon as we entered and were seated we noticed a warmth and glow and the room was filled with a soft light that none of us could explain.
All maintained a deep silence for a time. The mother asked if we were comfortably located and cared for and if we were enjoying our trip. The talk led to general everyday subjects and she seemed familiar with them all. The talk then led to our home life and the mother gave us the given names of fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers, and we were surprised at the detailed description of each of our lives that she gave without asking us one question. She told us the countries we had visited, the work we had accomplished, and where we had failed. This was not told in a vague way that we would be obliged to piece together but every detail stood out as plainly as if we were living the scenes over again. After our friends bade us goodnight, we could but wonder, when we realized that not one of them was less than one hundred years old and the mother was over seven hundred years and six hundred of that time she had lived on earth with her physical body. Yet all were as buoyant and light-hearted as though they had been twenty, and nothing was assumed. It was as though youthful people were with us. Before they departed that evening we were told there would be quite an assembly in the lodge the next evening and that we were all invited to be present.
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