Volume II Part 2 (1/2)

But Hivohitee perrandees, to interfere with his own solid cohly intensified chat, he thrice reclined at his ease; partaking of a fine plantain-pudding, and pouring out fro on the flow of soul with his guests And truly, the sight of their entertainer thus enjoying himself in the flesh, while they thely provoking to these aristocratic and aerial strangers

It was reported, furtherhtiest of Pontiffs, purposely treated his angelical guests thus cavalierly; in order to convince theh a denizen of earth; a sublunarian; and in respect of heaven, a ood as seraphim from the capital; and that too at the Capricorn Solstice, or any other ti their supercilious pretensions

Besides, was he not accounted a great God in the land? supre the deposition of kings? and dwelling in oodliest island of Mardi? Though here, be it said, that his assuood by express interference with the secular concerns of the neighboring ainst his claims to authority; however, in theory, they bowed to it And now, for the genealogy of Hivohitee; for eighteen hundred and forty-seven Hivohitees were alleged to have gone before hiht line frorantee of the empire of men's souls and the first swayer of a crosier The present Pontiff's descent was unquestionable; his dignity having been transh none but heirsthe fruit of successive es between uterine brother and sister A conjunction deemed incestuous in some lands; but, here, held the only fit channel for the pure transmission of elevated rank

Added to the hereditary appellation, Hivohitee, which simply denoted the sacerdotal station of the Pontiffs, and was but seldom employed in current discourse, they were individualized by a distinctive naree of consideration in which they were held,the lifeti sound in his name was banned to ordinary uses Whence, at every new accession to the archiepiscopal throne, it came to pass, that multitudes of words and phrases were either essentially e of Mara; and had becoreatly puzzled; not knohere lay the virtue of sounds, so incoherent

And, in a good hout the Archipelago; the birdshow they could continually sing; when, for all man knew to the contrary, it was ient discourse And thus, though for thousands of years, ether in Mardi, they renorant of each other's secrets; the Islander regarding the fowl as a senseless songster, forever in the clouds; and the fowl hi crane, destitute of pinions and lofty aspirations

Over and above numerous other miraculous powers imputed to the Pontiffs as spiritual potentates, there was ascribed to the with a touch the bites of the ravenous sharks, swaroon With these they were supposed to be upon theto popular accounts, sociably bathing with theainst their priestly thighs; playfullytheir hands, with all their tiers of teeth

At the ordination of a Pontiff, the ceree, he was saluted High Priest by three sharks drawing near; with teeth turned up, swi beside his canoe

These monsters were deified in Maramma; had altars there; it was deemed worse than homicide to kill one ”And what if they destroy human life?” say the Islanders, ”are they not sacred?”

NowHivohitee; and though one could not but doubt the validity of atives ascribed to him, it was nevertheless hard to do otherwise, than entertain for the Pontiff that sort of profound consideration, which all render to those who indisputably possess the power of quenching human life with a wish

CHAPTER V They Visit The Great Morai

As garrulous guide to the party, Braid-Beard soon brought us nigh the great Morai of Maramma, the burial-place of the Pontiffs, and a rural pro

Our way now led through the bed of a shalloater-course; Mohi observing, as ent, that our feet were being washed at every step; whereas, to tread the dusty earth would be to desecrate the holy Morai, by transferring thereto, the base soil of less sacred ground

Here and there, thatched arbors were thrown over the stream, for the accommodation of devotees; who, in these consecrated waters, issuing fro life ht ensue Yet, as Braid-Beard assured us, someti their raiment immediately after immersion became afflicted with rheu down dead, in this their pursuit of longevity

Co to the Morai, we found it inclosed by a wall; and while the rest were sured in the apparently childish occupation of collecting pebbles Of these, however, to our no s the attention

In this manner, was pointed out a black boar's head, suspended froh Full twenty of these sentries were on post in the neighboring trees

Proceeding, we ca upon the otherwise loa a secret, preservative virtue, this sand had, ages ago, been brought from a distant land, to furnish a sepulcher for the Pontiffs; who here, side by side, and sire by son, slurave Mohi declared, that were the sepulcher to be opened, it would be the resurrection of the whole line of High Priests ”But a resurrection of bones, after all,” said Babbalanja, ever osseous in his allusions to the departed

Passing on, we calyphical inscriptions, and placed round an elliptical aperture; where welled up the sacred spring of the Morai, clear as crystal, and showing through its waters, two tiers of sharp, tusk-like stones; the mouth of Oro, so called; and it was held, that if any secular hand should be iht upon it those stony jaould close

We next ca a burly rown head, and abdomen hollowed out, and open for inspection; therein, were relics of bones Before this ie we paused And whether or no it was Mohi's purpose to make us tourists quake with his recitals, his revelations were far fros were offered to the idol, which being an epicure in the matter of sacrifices, would accept of no ordinary fare

To insure his digestion, all indirect routes to the interior were avoided; the sacrifices being packed in the ventricle itself

Near to this ie of Doleema, so called, a solitary forest-tree was pointed out; leafless and dead to the core But fro over with uavas And daily these baskets were replenished

As we here stood, there passed a hungry figure, in ragged raiment: hollow cheeks, and hollow eyes Wistfully he eyed the offerings; but retreated; knowing it was sacrilege to touch them There, they must decay, in honor of the God Ananna; for so this dead tree was deno about the Morai, the old chronicler elucidating itsthe iuide

”This,” began Pani, pointing to the idol of stone, ”is the holy God Ananna who lives in the sap of this green and flourishi+ng tree”

”Thou e we behold?” said Divino