Part 36 (1/2)
”You made that remark before, Juanna; but for ht of her amiable parent has developed her hidden virtues, that is all”
CHAPTER XXV
THE SACRIFICE AFTER THE NEW ORDER
The third day ca particular had happened in the interval: Leonard and Francisco took souarded by Peter and the Settlement men; that was all
They did not see much there, except the exteriors of the houses built of stone and roofed with turves, and the cold stare of curiosity hich they were followed by hundreds of eyes gave them a sense of unrest that effectually checked their efforts at closer examination Once indeed they halted in the ed; whereon all business ceased, and seller, buyer, herds at them, half in fear and half in curiosity, for they had never seen white men before This they could not bear, so they returned to the palace
Of course Otter and Juanna, being divine, were not allowed to indulge in such recreations They were Gods and must live up to their reputation
For one day Otter endured it; on the second, in spite of Leonard's warnings, he sought refuge in the society of the bridge Saga This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his _valet de cha in the eyes of a curious woman Here, as in other matters, faers and spoke seriously to the dwarf on the subject Still he could not conceal fro aside the question of his _ennui_, which e, Otter's position was a difficult one So Leonard shrugged his shoulders and consoled himself as best he could with the reflection that, at least, his ould teach the dwarf soe, which, by the way, he hi assiduously under the tuition of Juanna and Soa
At noon the party adjourned to the temple, escorted by a bevy of priests and soldiers, for in obedience to Juanna's commands the feast was to be celebrated in the daytiht As before, the vast as, but there was a difference in the arrangements
Juanna and Otter had declined to occupy their lofty thrones, and sat in chairs at the feet of the huge and hideous stone idol, al before theed themselves on either side The day was cold and e flakes from an ashen sky
Presently Nam addressed the athered here to celebrate the feast of Jal, according to ancient custom, but the Gods have come back to you, as ye know, and the Gods in their wisdoed the custo they rose rejoicing, dee that they were destined to the Snake, but now their joy is turned to sorrow, since the Gods will not accept the for theht forward”
At his word lads appeared fro two lean bulls, and with then, they drove them so unskilfully that the animals blundered hither and thither over the rocky platform till they were finally despatched with blows fro its pursuers, rushed down the a the audience, uttering a succession of terrified ”baa's” Indeed the scene was so coh, accustomed as they were on these occasions to the hideous and iht sacrifice of so s
The ancient feast was a fiasco; this was a fact which could not be concealed
”Begone, ye People of the Mist,” said Na to the dead animals ”The sacrifice is sacrificed, the festival of Jal is done May the Mother plead with the Snake that the sun may shi+ne and fruitfulness bless the land!”
Now scarcely tenof the cereh the greater part of the night, for it was the custoly and with appropriate solemnities A murmur of disapprobation arose froradually to a roar The people had been thankful to accept Juanna's e of peace, but, brutalised as they were by the continual sight of bloodshed, they were not willing to dispense with their carnivals of huladiatorial show, to find theht, could scarcely have shownout the women! Let the victims be offered up to Jal as of old,”
the e, and ten minutes or more elapsed before they could be quieted
Then Naly
”People of the Mist,” he said, ”the Gods have given us a ne, a law of the sacrifice of oxen and goats in the place of men and er shall the blood of victims flow to Jal beneath the white rays of the oes up to heaven Nay, henceforth this holy place must be a shae I hear the Gods speaking in an altered voice and I obey the to me who am about to die, yet I tell you that rather would I myself be stretched upon the ancient stone than see the worshi+p of our forefathers thus turned into a mockery The sacrifice is sacrificed: now may the Maid intercede with the Snake that plenty may bless the land” And he smiled satirically and turned away
Those of the audience ere near enough to hear his words cried them out to the ranks behind them, and when all understood there followed a scene of ive us blood!” roared the populace, their fierce faces alight with rage ”Shall we be oats? Offer up the servants of the false Gods Give us blood! Lead forth the victims!”
In the midst of this uproar Juanna, clad in her white robes and with the red stone bound upon her brow, rose from her seat to speak
”Silence!” cried Na died away, and she spoke
”Do ye dare thus to offer outrages to the Gods?” she cried ”Be warned lest we bring death and famine upon you all Men shall be offered up to us no more I have spoken”