“And how long will he remain there?”
“Until he dies.”
“May he never come out again into the daylight before his death?”
“No; he has taken the strictest of all oaths, namely, the sacred vow only to leave the cell as a corpse.”
“How old is he?”
“We do not know his age, but he looked about forty.”
“But what happens if he is ill? Cannot he get help?”
“No; he may never speak to another human being. If he falls ill he must wait patiently till he is better again or dies.”
“You never know, then, how he is?”
“Not before his death. A bowl of tsamba is pushed every day into the opening, and a piece of tea and a piece of butter every sixth day; this he takes at night, and puts back the empty bowl to be filled for the next meal. When we find the bowl untouched in the opening we know that the immured man is unwell. If he has not touched the tsamba the next day our fears increase; and if six days pass and the food is not taken, we conclude he is dead and break open the entrance.”