A DREAM OF A BEAR GARDEN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 201, 31 July 1906, Page 1

A DREAM OF A BEAR GARDEN.

DEDICATED' TO THE NOD TOWN CITY OQIJtfCIL. I Bat under the sha&e' ot my fig-tree, in the vicinity of the Bear Garden, sheltered from the noontide sun, and h '. T dreamed a dream. In my dream 1 heard an uproar that seemed to fill the heavens with discordant sounds. I turned my steps towards the noise, and lo and behold I saw a great .multitude asleep upon the sward, and in front of them I beheld a man sitting upon a exceedingly great iron bos. He was clothed in "purple and fine linen, and had a gold chain around his neck and upon his breast a scroll, on which- was written "The man whom the city hath chosen as "civic guardian." He held a key in one hand against his breast,. and. in the other a wand studded with "points." And 10, in fropt of tWs man was a circle of numerous dogs, .who howled and gnashed their teeth against the man, with an exceedingly great and- terrible noise. And when I ioked in wonder I . beheld an interpreter, and I asked him what this might mean. He answered "and said, the man upon the box is called Bul-at-agate, and the wand in his hand is called Points or.-orda.-And as he spoke I saw a great dog all torn and bleeding, as if from a recent fray, spring fiercely at the man, and strive to tear him from his seat, but the man seized his wand and struck him so sorely on the nose that ho turned and (led, and the interpreter told me the name of the dog was Yap^yap. And as I looked I saw another man whose face was like the sun in a sandstorm on the desert, come from behind some juniper bushes. where he lay hidden so that none of the multitude might wake up and see him, and I saw the man bind up the wounds of the dogs and praise them, and whisper in their ears, and give them wherewithal to eat. And behold he made noises with his lips, and called upon his gods with the word "Sool-im," and the dogs flew at the "uardian Bul-at-agatc end tore his purDle robes and beset him sorely. But the 'guardian defended himself with the •.vand and cried valiantly : "I am here to protect the iron chest." But the dogs drowned his voice. Then the interpreter showed me a keep axe called "Tackt" beside the man wherewith he might have killed or maimed the dogs; but in his fury Bul-at-agate could not see it, and struck wildly with his wand. And I heard the man amongst thejun!per bushes laugh and cry : "Oh, foolish Bul-at-agate ! , Throw away the key and let there be peace between us." But he guardian bellowed with pain, for the dogs beset him sorely, yet he cried : "Oh, ' Oil-ee-tung, I am here in charge !" „An,d the dogs again drowned his voice. And I saw a long-limbed ciog ccme to the man amongst the juniper bushes to get patted and praised, and then rush back and tear at the robes of Bul-at-agate, and the interpreter told me that the tail of this dog was where his head should be, and that the dog was "Nevertuchit." And I saw that the opening in the kennels of the dogs was turned towards the juniper bushes, and I asked the interpreter the meaning of this, and he answered and said : "The dogs were placed there to lelp Bul-at-agate lo protect the sleepy multitude from all who came up against them from out of the juniper bushes, but Oil-ee-tung whispered in their ears while all men slept, and now they belong to him. And behold as I wondered at the multitude sleeping through the uproar, I saw from time to time one arise and gird his mantle abound his lpins and throw a handful of coins in a, slit behind where Bul-at-agate sat, and. as he did so I heard him cry aloud to his gods : "Odarntherates," and then he returned to his place and slept. And then I saw some who raised themselves on their elbows and tore their hair, and cried aloud : "Alas, this uproar will disgrace this our city of Nodown and all the land. Oh, why did we put the purple robes on' Bul-at-agate! .-. hy did we not keep Cutta-woode, or Kilf-the-cow, or get Charliarlino !" Oil-ee-tung heard this. His eyelid fluttered with exceeding swiftness, and he put his finger to his nose, and callei again upon the god "Soolim," and the noise and uproar increased exceedingly, and I saw Bul-at-agato jump to his feet, and a little dog seized a piece of his prized robe in his mouth and climbed upon his seat, till Bul-at-agate drove him away with his foot, and the interpreter told me the name of this dog was "Kuddent-getthar. " And as I looked a great voice rent the air, and the dogs fled, and Cil-ee-tung ■ took refuge in a ship, and I saw it was full of treasures, and many dogsmaifced "E-kest-ras" were of exceeding gr^at 1 value. And I saw in my dream Oil-ee-tung talking with the elders in' the' gates of other cities, and showing them the spoils of Nod^town, and telling of the exceeding drowsiness of its multitude, and the users laughed with exceeding great laughter. And behold I awoke, and the time .had passed, and the great -cry was nofhing but the boy at the gate crying aloud the evening paper.