rink!" Then he
took it and drank, passing it to a companion in misfortune, who in turn
drank also and gave it to the third priest, he who would have snatched
the mask had not the Asika lifted it out of his reach.

This man drained it to the dregs, and with an exclamation of rage dashed
the empty vessel into the face of the chosen priest with such fury that
the man rolled upon the ground and for a while lay there stunned. Now
he who had drunk first began to spring about in a ludicrous fashion, and
presently was joined in his dance by the other two. So absurd were their
motions and tumblings and clownlike grimaces, for they had dragged off
their masks, that roars of brutal laughter rose from the audience, in
which the Asika joined.

At first Alan thought that the thing was a joke, and that the men had
merely been made mad drunk, till catching sight of their eyes in
the moonlight, he perceived that they were in great pain and turned
indignantly to remonstrate with the Asika.

"Be silent, Vernoon," she said savagely, "blood is your _orunda_ and
I respect it. Therefore by decree of the god these die of poison," and
again she fell to laughing at the contortions of the victims.

Alan shut his eyes, and when at length, drawn by some fearful
fascination, he opened them once more, it was to see that the three poor
creatures had thrown themselves into the water, where they rolled over
and over like wounded porpoises, till presently they sank and vanished
there.

This farce, for so they considered it, being ended and the stage, so to
speak, cleared, the audience having laughed itself hoarse, set itself to
watch the proceedings of the newly chosen high-priest of Little Bonsa,
who by now had recovered from the blow dealt to him by one of the
murdered men. With the help of some other priests he was engaged in
binding the fetish on to a little raft of reeds. This done he laid
himself flat upon a broad plank which had been made ready for him at
the edge of the water, placing the mask in front of him and with a
few strokes of his feet that hung over the sides of the plank, paddled
himself out to the centre of the canal where the god called Big Bonsa
floated, or was anchored. Having reached it he pushed the little raft
off the plank into the water, and in some way that Alan could not see,
made it fast to Big Bonsa, so that now the two of them floated one
behind the other. Then while the people cheered, shouting out that
husband and