Leo would have gone forward to her, for he believed that she was about
to hurl herself to doom, which indeed I thought was her design. But the
priest Oros, and the priestess Papave, obeying, I suppose, some secret
command that reached them I know not how, sprang to him and seizing his
arms, held him back. Then it became quite dark, and through the darkness
we could hear Ayesha chanting a dirge-like hymn in some secret, holy
tongue which was unknown to us.
A great flake of fire floated through the gloom, rocking to and fro like
some vast bird upon its pinions. We had seen many such that night, torn
by the gale from the crest of the blazing curtain as I have described.
But--but--"Horace," whispered Leo through his chattering teeth, "that
flame is coming up _against the wind!_"
"Perhaps the wind has changed," I answered, though I knew well that it
had not; that it blew stronger than ever from the south.
Nearer and nearer sailed the rocking flame, two enormous wings was the
shape of it, with something dark between them. It reached the little
promontory. The wings appeared to fold themselves about the dwarfed
figure that stood thereon--illuminating it for a moment. Then the light
went out of them and they vanished--everything vanished.
A while passed, it may have been one minute or ten, when suddenly the
priestess Papave, in obedience to some summons which we could not hear,
crept by me.
Pages:
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301