[*] For a long while it puzzled me to know what could have
been done with the enormous quantities of rock that must
have been dug out of these vast caves; but I afterwards
discovered that it was for the most part built into the
walls and palaces of Kôr, and also used to line the
reservoirs and sewers12.—L. H. H.
Leo was of course intensely interested in this stupendous and unequalled sight, which was, indeed, enough to awake all the imagination a man had in him into the most active life. But to poor Job it did not prove attractive. His nerves—already seriously shaken by what he had undergone since we had arrived in this terrible country—were, as may be imagined, still further disturbed by the spectacle of these masses of departed humanity, whereof the forms still remained perfect before his eyes, though their voices were for ever lost in the eternal silence of the tomb. Nor was he comforted when old Billali, by way of soothing13 his evident agitation14, informed him that he should not be frightened of these dead things, as he would soon be like them himself.
“There’s a nice thing to say of a man, sir,” he ejaculated, when I translated this little remark; “but there, what can one expect of an old man-eating savage? Not but what I dare say he’s right,” and Job sighed.
When we had finished inspecting the caves, we returned and had our meal, for it was now past four in the afternoon, and we all—especially Leo—needed some food and rest. At six o’clock we, together with Job, waited on Ayesha, who set to work to terrify our poor servant still further by showing him pictures on the pool of water in the font-like vessel15. She learnt from me that he was one of seventeen children, and then bid him think of all his brothers and sisters, or as many of them as he could, gathered together in his father’s cottage. Then she told him to look in the water, and there, reflected from its stilly surface, was that dead scene of many years gone by, as it was recalled to our retainer’s brain. Some of the faces were clear enough, but some were mere16 blurs17 and splotches, or with one feature grossly exaggerated; the fact being that, in these instances, Job had been unable to recall the exact appearances of the individuals, or remembered them only by a peculiarity18 of his tribe, and the water could only reflect what he saw with his mind’s eye. For it must be remembered that She’s power in this matter was strictly19 limited; she could apparently20, except in very rare instances, only photograph upon the water what was actually in the mind of some one present, and then only by his will. But, if she was personally acquainted with a locality, she could, as in the case of ourselves and the whale-boat, throw its reflection upon the water, and also, it seems, the reflection of anything extraneous21 that was passing there at the time. This power, however, did not extend to the minds of others. For instance, she could show me the interior of my college chapel22, as I remembered it, but not as it was at the moment of reflection; for, where other people were concerned, her art was strictly limited to the facts or memories present to their consciousness at the moment. So much was this so that when we tried, for her amusement, to show her pictures of noted23 buildings, such as St. Paul’s or the Houses of Parliament, the result was most imperfect; for, of course, though we had a good general idea of their appearance, we could not recall all the architectural details, and therefore the minutiæ necessary to a perfect reflection were wanting. But Job could not be got to understand this, and, so far from accepting a natural explanation of the matter, which was after all, though strange enough in all conscience, nothing more than an instance of glorified24 and perfected telepathy, he set the whole thing down as a manifestation25 of the blackest magic. I shall never forget the howl of terror which he uttered when he saw the more or less perfect portraits of his long-scattered brethren staring at him from the quiet water, or the merry peal27 of laughter with which Ayesha greeted his consternation28. As for Leo, he did not altogether like it either, but ran his fingers through his yellow curls, and remarked that it gave him the creeps.
After about an hour of this amusement, in the latter part of which Job did not participate, the mutes by signs indicated that Billali was waiting for an audience. Accordingly he was told to “crawl up,” which he did as awkwardly as usual, and announced that the dance was ready to begin if She and the white strangers would be pleased to attend. Shortly afterwards we all rose, and, Ayesha having thrown a dark cloak (the same, by the way, that she had worn when I saw her cursing by the fire) over her white wrappings, we started. The dance was to be held in the open air, on the smooth rocky plateau in front of the great cave, and thither we made our way. About fifteen paces from the mouth of the cave we found three chairs placed, and here we sat and waited, for as yet no dancers were to be seen. The night was almost, but not quite, dark, the moon not having risen as yet, which made us wonder how we should be able to see the dancing.
“Thou wilt29 presently understand,” said Ayesha, with a little laugh, when Leo asked her; and we certainly did. Scarcely were the words out of her mouth when from every point we saw dark forms rushing up, each bearing with him what we at first took to be an enormous flaming torch. Whatever they were, they were burning furiously, for the flames stood out a yard or more behind each bearer. On they came, fifty or more of them, carrying their flaming burdens and looking like so many devils from hell. Leo was the first to discover what these burdens were.
“Great heaven!” he said, “they are corpses on fire!”
I stared and stared again—he was perfectly30 right—the torches that were to light our entertainment were human mummies from the caves!
On rushed the bearers of the flaming corpses, and, meeting at a spot about twenty paces in front of us, built their ghastly burdens crossways into a huge bonfire. Heavens! how they roared and flared31! No tar26 barrel could have burnt as those mummies did. Nor was this all. Suddenly I saw one great fellow seize a flaming human arm that had fallen from its parent frame, and rush off into the darkness. Presently he stopped, and a tall streak33 of fire shot up into the air, illumining the gloom, and also the lamp from which it sprang. That lamp was the mummy of a woman tied to a stout34 stake let into the rock, and he had fired her hair. On he went a few paces and touched a second, then a third, and a fourth, till at last we were surrounded on all three sides by a great ring of bodies flaring35 furiously, the material with which they were preserved having rendered them so inflammable that the flames would literally36 spout37 out of the ears and mouth in tongues of fire a foot or more in length.
Nero illuminated38 his gardens with live Christians39 soaked in tar, and we were now treated to a similar spectacle, probably for the first time since his day, only happily our lamps were not living ones.
But, although this element of horror was fortunately wanting, to describe the awful and hideous40 grandeur41 of the spectacle thus presented to us is, I feel, so absolutely beyond my poor powers that I scarcely dare attempt it. To begin with, it appealed to the moral as well as the physical susceptibilities. There was something very terrible, and yet very fascinating, about the employment of the remote dead to illumine the orgies of the living; in itself the thing was a satire42, both on the living and the dead. Cæsar’s dust—or is it Alexander’s?—may stop a bunghole, but the functions of these dead Cæsars of the past was to light up a savage fetish dance. To such base uses may we come, of so little account may we be in the minds of the eager multitudes that we shall breed, many of whom, so far from revering43 our memory, will live to curse us for begetting44 them into such a world of woe45.
Then there was the physical side of the spectacle, and a weird46 and splendid one it was. Those old citizens of Kôr burnt as, to judge from their sculptures and inscriptions47, they had lived, very fast, and with the utmost liberality. What is more, there were plenty of them. As soon as ever a mummy had burnt down to the ankles, which it did in about twenty minutes, the feet were kicked away, and another one put in its place. The bonfire was kept going on the same generous scale, and its flames shot up, with a hiss48 and a crackle, twenty or thirty feet into the air, throwing great flashes of light far out into the gloom, through which the dark forms of the Amahagger flitted to and fro like devils replenishing the infernal fires. We all stood and stared aghast—shocked, and yet fascinated at so strange a spectacle, and half expecting to see the spirits those flaming forms had once enclosed come creeping from the shadows to work vengeance49 on their desecrators.
“I promised thee a strange sight, my Holly,” laughed Ayesha, whose nerves alone did not seem to be affected50; “and, behold51, I have not failed thee. Also, it hath its lesson. Trust not to the future, for who knows what the future may bring! Therefore, live for the day, and endeavour not to escape the dust which seems to be man’s end. What thinkest thou those long-forgotten nobles and ladies would have felt had they known that they should one day flare32 to light the dance or boil the pot of savages52? But see, here come the dancers; a merry crew—are they not? The stage is lit—now for the play.”
As she spoke53, we perceived two lines of figures, one male and the other female, to the number of about a hundred, each advancing round the human bonfire, arrayed only in the usual leopard54 and buck55 skins. They formed up, in perfect silence, in two lines, facing each other between us and the fire, and then the dance—a sort of infernal and fiendish cancan—began. To describe it is quite impossible, but, though there was a good deal of tossing of legs and double-shuffling, it seemed to our untutored minds to be more of a play than a dance, and, as usual with this dreadful people, whose minds seem to have taken their colour from the caves in which they live, and whose jokes and amusements are drawn56 from the inexhaustible stores of preserved mortality with which they share their homes, the subject appeared to be a most ghastly one. I know that it represented an attempted murder first of all, and then the burial alive of the victim and his struggling from the grave; each act of the abominable57 drama, which was carried on in perfect silence, being rounded off and finished with a furious and most revolting dance round the supposed victim, who writhed58 upon the ground in the red light of the bonfire.
Presently, however, this pleasing piece was interrupted. Suddenly there was a slight commotion59, and a large powerful woman, whom I had noted as one of the most vigorous of the dancers, came, made mad and drunken with unholy excitement, bounding and staggering towards us, shrieking60 out as she came:—
“I want a Black Goat, I must have a Black Goat, bring me a Black Goat!” and down she fell upon the rocky floor foaming61 and writhing62, and shrieking for a Black Goat, about as hideous a spectacle as can well be conceived.
Instantly most of the dancers came up and got round her, though some still continued their capers63 in the background.
“She has got a Devil,” called out one of them. “Run and get a black goat. There, Devil, keep quiet! keep quiet! You shall have the goat presently. They have gone to fetch it, Devil.”
“I want a Black Goat, I must have a Black Goat!” shrieked64 the foaming rolling creature again.
“All right, Devil, the goat will be here presently; keep quiet, there’s a good Devil!”
And so on till the goat, taken from a neighbouring kraal, did at last arrive, being dragged bleating65 on to the scene by its horns.
“Is it a Black One, is it a Black One?” shrieked the possessed66.
“Yes, yes, Devil, as black as night;” then aside, “keep it behind thee, don’t let the Devil see that it has got a white spot on its rump and another on its belly67. In one minute, Devil. There, cut his throat quick. Where is the saucer?”
“The Goat! the Goat! the Goat! Give me the blood of my black goat! I must have it, don’t you see I must have it? Oh! oh! oh! give me the blood of the goat.”
At this moment a terrified bah! announced that the poor goat had been sacrificed, and the next minute a woman ran up with a saucer full of blood. This the possessed creature, who was then raving68 and foaming her wildest, seized and drank, and was instantly recovered, and without a trace of hysteria, or fits, or being possessed, or whatever dreadful thing it was she was suffering from. She stretched her arms, smiled faintly, and walked quietly back to the dancers, who presently withdrew in a double line as they had come, leaving the space between us and the bonfire deserted69.
I thought that the entertainment was now over, and, feeling rather queer, was about to ask She if we could rise, when suddenly what at first I took to be a baboon70 came hopping71 round the fire, and was instantly met upon the other side by a lion, or rather a human being dressed in a lion’s skin. Then came a goat, then a man wrapped in an ox’s hide, with the horns wobbling about in a ludicrous way. After him followed a blesbok, then an impala, then a koodoo, then more goats, and many other animals, including a girl sewn up in the shining scaly72 hide of a boa-constrictor, several yards of which trailed along the ground behind her. When all the beasts had collected they began to dance about in a lumbering73, unnatural74 fashion, and to imitate the sounds produced by the respective animals they represented, till the whole air was alive with roars and bleating and the hissing75 of snakes. This went on for a long time, till, getting tired of the pantomime, I asked Ayesha if there would be any objection to Leo and myself walking round to inspect the human torches, and, as she had nothing to say against it, we started, striking round to the left. After looking at one or two of the flaming bodies, we were about to return, thoroughly76 disgusted with the grotesque77 weirdness78 of the spectacle, when our attention was attracted by one of the dancers, a particularly active leopard, that had separated itself from its fellow-beasts, and was whisking about in our immediate79 neighbourhood, but gradually drawing into a spot where the shadow was darkest, equidistant between two of the flaming mummies. Drawn by curiosity, we followed it, when suddenly it darted80 past us into the shadows beyond, and as it did so erected81 itself and whispered, “Come,” in a voice that we both recognised as that of Ustane. Without waiting to consult me Leo turned and followed her into the outer darkness, and I, feeling sick enough at heart, went after them. The leopard crawled on for about fifty paces—a sufficient distance to be quite beyond the light of the fire and torches—and then Leo came up with it, or, rather, with Ustane.
“Oh, my lord,” I heard her whisper, “so I have found thee! Listen. I am in peril82 of my life from ‘She-who-must-be-obeyed.’ Surely the Baboon has told thee how she drove me from thee? I love thee, my lord, and thou art mine according to the custom of the country. I saved thy life! My Lion, wilt thou cast me off now?”
“Of course not,” ejaculated Leo; “I have been wondering whither thou hadst gone. Let us go and explain matters to the Queen.”
“Nay83, nay, she would slay84 us. Thou knowest not her power—the Baboon there, he knoweth, for he saw. Nay, there is but one way: if thou wilt cleave85 to me, thou must flee with me across the marshes86 even now, and then perchance we may escape.”
“For Heaven’s sake, Leo,” I began, but she broke in—
“Nay, listen not to him. Swift—be swift—death is in the air we breathe. Even now, mayhap, She heareth us,” and without more ado she proceeded to back her arguments by throwing herself into his arms. As she did so the leopard’s head slipped from her hair, and I saw the three white finger-marks upon it, gleaming faintly in the starlight. Once more realising the desperate nature of the position, I was about to interpose, for I knew that Leo was not too strong-minded where women were concerned, when—oh! horror!—I heard a little silvery laugh behind me. I turned round, and there was She herself, and with her Billali and two male mutes. I gasped87 and nearly sank to the ground, for I knew that such a situation must result in some dreadful tragedy, of which it seemed exceedingly probable to me that I should be the first victim. As for Ustane, she untwined her arms and covered her eyes with her hands, while Leo, not knowing the full terror of the position, merely covered up, and looked as foolish as a man caught in such a trap would naturally do.
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1
desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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2
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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frivolity
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| n.轻松的乐事，兴高采烈；轻浮的举止 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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7
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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10
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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11
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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12
sewers
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| n.阴沟，污水管，下水道( sewer的名词复数 ) | |
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13
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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14
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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15
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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16
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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blurs
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| n.模糊( blur的名词复数 )；模糊之物；（移动的）模糊形状；模糊的记忆v.（使）变模糊( blur的第三人称单数 )；（使）难以区分 | |
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18
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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19
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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20
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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21
extraneous
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| adj.体外的；外来的；外部的 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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27
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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30
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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31
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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39
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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40
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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43
revering
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的现在分词 ) | |
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44
begetting
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| v.为…之生父( beget的现在分词 )；产生，引起 | |
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45
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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46
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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47
inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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48
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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49
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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50
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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51
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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52
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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53
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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54
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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55
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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56
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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57
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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58
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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60
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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61
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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62
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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63
capers
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| n.开玩笑( caper的名词复数 )；刺山柑v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的第三人称单数 ) | |
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64
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
bleating
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| v.（羊，小牛）叫( bleat的现在分词 )；哭诉；发出羊叫似的声音；轻声诉说 | |
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66
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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67
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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68
raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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69
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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70
baboon
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| n.狒狒 | |
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71
hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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72
scaly
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| adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的 | |
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73
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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74
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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75
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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76
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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77
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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weirdness
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| n.古怪，离奇，不可思议 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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80
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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81
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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83
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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84
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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85
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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86
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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87
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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