And then we see some strange clay altars containin' cremated human
bein's.

Here Josiah hunched me agin--

"You feel dretful cut up if you hear any one speak aginst these old
creeters, but what do you think of that?" sez he, a-pintin' to the burnt
bodies. Sez he, "Most likely them bodies wuz victims that wuz killed on
their dum altars--dum 'em!"

"Yes," sez I, "but we of the nineteenth century slay two hundred
thousand victims every year on the altar of Mammon, and Intemperance."

"Keep it up, will you--keep a preachin'!" sez he, and his tone wuz
bitter and voyalent in the extreme.

And here he turned his back on me and went to examine some of the
various games of all countries, such as cards, dice, dominoes, checkers,
etc., etc.

[Illustration: Josiah turned his back on me.]

Which shows that in that savage age, as well as in our too civilized
one, amusements wuz a part of their daily life.

Wall, it wuz all dretful interestin' to me, though Skairfulness wuz
present with us, and goose pimples wuz abroad.

And out-doors the exhibit wuz jest as fascinatin'.