guidance of a skilled Oriental occultist."

He then took a sword, and with it making the sign of a triangle in the
air, afterwards scratched a triangle on the floor, over which, in red
chalk, he superscribed a tree, an eye, and a hand. Then he heated the
mixture in the iron vessel over an oil stove. As soon as fumes arose
from it, he placed it on the tripod, crying, "Great Spirits of the
mountains, rivers and bowels of the earth, invest me with the heavy
seal, in order that I may conduct these three seekers after knowledge
to the realms of thy eternal phantoms."

Immediately after this oration Karaver, dipping a twig of hazel in the
fumigation, waved it north, south, east and west crying "Give me
authority! Give me Ka-ta-la-derany;" and then kneeling down in front
of the brazier, in a droning voice repeated these words:

"Green phantom figures of the air,
A ready welcome see that you prepare.
Black phantom figures from the earth,
Of friendly salutations see there is no dearth.
Red phantom figures of the furious fire,
For kindly greeting change your usual ire.
Grey, grizzly googies from the woods and dells,
To gentle whisperings change your harrowing yells.
Flagae, Devas, Mara Rupas,[19] hie to the Plane, the Astral Plane,
And to these three poor fools, explain, explain
The secrets that they wish to learn, to learn!"

The mixture in the iron vessel was now giving off such dense fumes that
Hamar, Curtis and Kelson felt their senses slowly ebbing away. The
dark, lithe form of Karaver, his swarthy face and gleaming teeth
receded farther and farther into the background, whilst his voice
appeared to grow fainter and fainter. They were dimly conscious that
he sprayed them all over with some sweet-smelling scent,[20] and that
he whispered (in reality he spoke in his normal tones) these words:
"Darkona--droomer--doober--parlar--poohmer--perler. A--ta-rama--
skatarinek--ook--drooksi--noomig--viartikorsa."[21] Then there came a
temporary blank, which was broken by a sudden burst of light. The
light, at first, was so blinding that they involuntarily closed their
eyes. It was quite different to any light they had been accustomed
to--it was far more vivid, and was in a perpetual state of vibration.
When they had got sufficiently used to this dazzling effect to keep
their eyes open, they became aware that they were standing, apparently
on nothing, that the atmosphere was not composed o