Part 6 (1/2)
”Oh! I see,” she answered, ”that is really very nice of you But, of course, you would think like that; it is your nature”
”Yes,” I replied ”Nature, not merit”
She went to a cupboard which forany museum cases, and extracted from it first of all a bowl of ancient appearanceknobs for handles that were carved with the heads of wos; and next a low tripod of ebony or sonized them They had stood in front of the sanctuary in the temple in Kendah Land, and over theht, bend her head in the ic s of the Kendah God
”So you brought these away too,” I said
”Yes,” she replied with soleht be ready at the appointed hour e needed them”
Then she spoke no more for a while, but busied herself with certain rather eerie preparations First she set the tripod and its bowl in an open space which I was glad to note was at some distance from the fire, since if either of us fell into that ould there be to take us off before cremation ensued? Then she drew up a curved settee with a back and ar a seat that sloped backwards like those in clubs, and motioned to me to sit down This I did withone's place upon an operation-table
Next she brought that accursed _Taduki_ box, I mean the inner silver one, the contents of which I heartily wished I had thrown upon the fire, and set it down, open, near the tripod Lastly she lifted sos, and dropped them into the stone bowl
”I think that's all Now for the great adventure,” she said in a voice that was at once rapt and dreamy
”What am I to do?” I asked feebly
”That is quite simple,” she replied, as she sat herself down besidebetween us with its tripod stand pressed against the edge of the couch, and in its curve, so that ere really upon each side of it ”When the sins to rise thickly you have only to bend your head a little forward, with your shoulders still resting against the settee, and inhale until you find your senses leaving you, though I don't know that this is necessary for the stuff is subtle Then throw your head back, go to sleep and dream”
”What am I to dream about?” I inquired in a vacuous way, forme already
”You will dream, I think, of past events in which both of us played a part, at least I hope so I dreamt of them before in Kendah Land, but then I was not otten
Moreover, I learned that we can only see theether
Now speak no more”
This command, by the way, at once produced in ed conversation It was not to be gratified, however, for at that an to sing in a rich and thrilling voice What she sang I do not know for I could not understand the language, but I presume it was some ancient chant that she learned in Kendah Land At any rate, there she stood, a lovely and inspired priestess clad in her sacerdotal robes, and sang, waving her ar her eyes upon mine Presently she bent down, took a little of the _Taduki_ weed and ords of incantation, dropped it upon the embers in the boice she did this, then sat herself upon the couch and waited
A clear fla up and burned for thirty seconds or so, I suppose while it consumed the volatile oils in the weed Then it died down and san to come, white, rich and billoith a very pleasant odour rese that of hot-house flowers It spread out between us like a fan, and though its veil I heard her say,
”The gates are wide Enter!”
I knehat she ht of cheating, there is no other word for it, knew also that she had detected the thought and was scorning me in her mind At any rate I felt that I reen haainstme to choke or my eyes to smart I drew it down my throat with a deep inhalation--once, twice, thrice, then as an to swim, threw myself back as I had been instructed to do A deep and happy drowsiness stole overthe clock strike the first two strokes of the hour of ten The third stroke I heard also, but it sounded like to that of the richest-throated bell that ever boo aware that it was the signal for the rolling up of soe that was the world--nothing less
What did I see? What did I see? Letchaotic Great rushes of vapour driven by reat seas, for thefire Then tropic scenes of infinite luxuriance Terrific reptiles feeding on the brinks ofbetween palh huts and about the crowd of creatures that were only half huht and sometimes ran on their hands and feet
Also they were almost covered with hair which was all they had in the way of clothes, and at the htened by the appearance of a huge ht nalade and looked at us At any rate it was a beast of the elephant tribe which I judged to be nearly twenty feet high, with enor tusks
The point of the vision was that I recognizedoutward and visible, but by soed by a female of the race, I can scarcely call her a wo the ive her up to so forith a weapon, I think it was a sharp stone tied to a stick, though how I could expect to hurt a beast twenty feet high with such a thing is more than I can understand, unless perhaps the stone was poisoned
At any rate the end was sudden I threw the stone, whereat a great trunk shot out frohtas I did so, for I suppose at the time my normal consciousness had not quite left me, that this was my first encounter with the elephant Jana, also that it was very foolish to try to oblige a feardless of personal risk