"He says he does not believe you," said the guard, "and that you must suffer the fate of the spy. But, first, the old monkey tells me that you shall witness a sacrifice which will only postpone your own for a little. You can be preparing, he says."
"I told you we'd be a short time living," whispered the Skipper mournfully in my ear. "What a pity you insisted on our hoarding up that rum so! I wish I had a little of it now."
This monotonous remark of the Skipper's set my nerves on edge. I had been conscious during this conversation and before it of a vicious hissing sound, and, though I had gazed earnestly about me whenever I heard it, there was no solution of its mysterious recurrence. I was now to know the cause.
The priest arose and waved us aside, as if too much time had been given to our affairs. The only reason that I could imagine why he allowed us to remain as witnesses to his dreadful rites was that we should never go forth to tell the tale. This was not encouraging. He raised his hand and thundered forth to the waiting multitude the order:
"Release the god!"
Two men from the back of the hall now came forward and stopped at the foot of the throne. They opened the lid of a box that stood beneath it and made part of the lower step. For a moment the watching crowd saw no sign. And then as we looked there came slowly forth a green flat head, protruding eyes, and a darting tongue, which played back and forth in desperate wildness.
The serpent crawled languidly from the box up the robe of the Mamanloi. He left a slimy trail behind, which shone in the flare of the torches. The dreadful creature was about four feet in length and very large in circumference. It seemed lazy and sluggish, and, after climbing up to the Mamanloi's neck, it wreathed itself round and hung there in flabby folds, occasionally laying its flat head against her cheek and letting its red tongue dart against her face, as if in affection. The sight made my flesh to creep.
Then the Papaloi, still standing, raised himself to his extreme height and harangued the multitude. He told them that the serpent worship was the only true worship, and condemned all those who did not believe in its holy teachings to be stung by the fangs of the poisonous python. He raved and screamed for the space of a quarter hour. Occasionally he shouted, "Will you obey?"
"As the Papaloi has said! As the holy Papaloi has said!" shouted the crowd in answer, bowing to the ground.
Then he began to intone the same weird chant that I had heard in the forest, the people joining in. And then began the dance.