“It will not be safe to take them back to the pavilion. An elephant never forgets an injury, and they would probably demolish the whole place if they saw it again. Thou art sufficiently punished by being obliged to remain here on guard, while the feasting, music and dancing goes on, to-night. I shall send thee covering and food,” he promised, as he swung into the saddle and started back.
The massive feet of the mammoths threw up clouds of dusty sand, thickening the air like fog, while the floor of the amphitheater looked as if it had been newly plowed.
With their exodus the still terrified people rushed out of the enclosure pell-mell. They pushed and crowded through the gateways as if danger assailed them from behind.
Those in the lead made great haste after they had passed out, dragging their children by the hands, while the little ones looked back over their shoulders and cried as they ran along.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE FEASTING—THE DANCING AND THE BETROTHAL CUP
The sun was inclining well toward the west, and there was a savory smell of roasted meats, steaming vegetables and ripe fruits assailing the olfactory nerves, and appealing strongly to the inner man—the unchained tiger of the stomach.
The children set up an impatient clamor for something to eat, as they caught sight of the long, low tables spread under the trees; but, there was a decorum to be observed, which the elders rigidly enforced.
Whole animals had been roasting through the previous night in trenches twelve feet long, two feet wide, and two feet deep. Fires were built in them, and when thoroughly dried out, great spits were put in half-way to the top, and over a bed of red-hot charcoal the meat was cooked. During this process it was moistened frequently with spiced vinegar, and a sauce piquante of chili, with which salt had been freely mixed.
Beef, venison and bear-meat were prepared in this way, while rabbits, wild turkeys, geese, ducks, quail and small birds were roasted and stewed by separate methods. Near the trenches, pots of curry, rice and mutton were simmering over slow fires. Deep brass cylinders, with glowing charcoal in the bottom, kept steaming tamales ready for instant service.
There were great ash-heaps filled with sweet potatoes roasted to a turn. Huge chafing-dishes contained beans, tomatoes, stuffed cucumbers and stews of all kinds, while lettuce, cresses, red peppers, radishes, leeks and onions were heaped upon the tables in profusion.