e banished into the swamps, to live and die as it might chance; but I
saw it written on his face that he had but little hope of mercy.

Then came a pause, and the most intense silence reigned over the whole
scene, which, illuminated as it was by the flicker of the lamps striking
out broad patterns of light and shadow upon the rocky walls, was as
strange as any I ever saw, even in that unholy land. Upon the ground
before the dais were stretched scores of the corpselike forms of the
spectators, till at last the long lines of them were lost in the
gloomy background. Before this outstretched audience were the knots
of evil-doers, trying to cover up their natural terrors with a brave
appearance of unconcern. On the right and left stood the silent guards,
robed in white and armed with great spears and daggers, and men and
women mutes watching with hard curious eyes. Then, seated in her
barbaric chair above them all, with myself at her feet, was the veiled
white woman, whose loveliness and awesome power seemed to visibly shine
about her like a halo, or rather like the glow from some unseen light.
Never have I seen her veiled shape look more terrible than it did in
that space, while she gathered herself up for vengeance.

At last it came.

"Dogs and serpents," _She_ began in a low voice that gradually gathered
power as she went on, till the place rang with it. "Eaters of human
flesh, two things have ye done. First, ye have attacked these strangers,
being white men, and would have slain their servant, and for that alone
death is your reward. But that is not all. Ye have dared to disobey me.
Did I not send my word unto you by Billali, my servant, and the father
of your household? Did I not bid you to hospitably entertain these
strangers, whom now ye have striven to slay, and whom, had not they
been brave and strong beyond the strength of men, ye would cruelly have
murdered? Hath it not been taught to you from childhood that the law of
_She_ is an ever fixed law, and that he who breaketh it by so much as
one jot or tittle shall perish? And is not my lightest word a law?
Have not your fathers taught you this, I say, whilst as yet ye were but
children? Do ye not know that as well might ye bid these great caves to
fall upon you, or the sun to cease its journeying, as to hope to turn
me from my courses, or make my word light or heavy, according to your
minds? Well do ye know it, ye Wicked Ones. But ye are all evil--evil
to the core-