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The Lost Continent-Part19_C.J.Cutcliffe Hyne(1865-1944)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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the Sun was a God no longer if He had not power or thought to guard

His own sacrifice; and some cried that there was no God remaining



now, and others would have it that there was a new God come to

weigh on the country, which had chosen to take the form of a common



man-eating bird. But a few began to shout that Phorenice stood for

all the Gods now in Atlantis, and that cry was taken up till the



stones of the great circle rang with it. Some may have made

proclamations because they were convinced; many because the cry was



new, and pleased them; but I am sure there were not a few who

joined in because it was dangerous to leave such an outburst



unwelcomed. The Empress can be hard enough to those who neglect to

give her adulation."



"The Empress is Empress," I said formally, "and her name

carries respect. It is not for us to question her doings."



"I am a priest," said Ro, "and I speak as I have been taught,

and defend the Faith as I have been commanded. Whether there is a



Faith any longer, I am beginning to doubt. But, anyway, it yields

a poor enough livelihood nowadays. There have been no offerings at



this temple this five months past, and if I had not a few jars of

corn put by, I might have starved for anything the pious of this



city cared. And I do not think that the affair of that sacrifice

is likely to put new enthusiasm into our cold votaries."



"When did it happen?"

"Twenty hours ago. To-day Phorenice conducts the sacrifice



herself. That has caused the stir you spoke about. The city is in

the throes of getting ready one of her pageants."



"Then I must ask you to open the temple doors and give me

passage. I must go and see this thing for myself."



"It is not for me to offer advice to one of the Seven," said

Ro doubtfully.



"It is not."

"But they say that the Empress is not overpleased at your



absence," he mumbled. "I should not like harm to come in your way,

Deucalion," he said aloud.



"The future is in the hands of the most High Gods, Ro, and I

at least believe that They will deal out our fates to each of us as



They in Their infinitewisdom see best, though you seem to have

lost your faith. And now I must be your debtor for a passage out



through the doors. Plagues! man, it is no use your holding out

your hand to me. I do not own a coin in all the world."



He mumbled something about "force of habit" as he led the way

down towards the door, and I responded tartly enough about the



unpleasantness of his begging customs. "If it were not for your

sort and your customs, the Priests' Clan would not be facing this



crisis to-day."

"One must live," he grumbled, as he pressed his levers, and



the massive stone in the doorway swung ajar.

"If you had been a more capable man, I might have seen the



necessity," said I, and passed into the open and left him. I could

never bring myself to like Ro.



A motley crowd filled the street which ran past the front of

this obscure temple, and all were hurrying one way. With what I



had been told, it did not take much art to guess that the great

stone circle of our Lord the Sun was their mark, and it grieved me



to think of how many venerable centuries that great fane had

upreared before the weather and the earth tremors, without such



profanation as it would witness to-day. And also the thought

occurred to me, "Was our Great Lord above drawing this woman on to



her destruction? Would He take some vast and final act of

vengeance when she consummated her final sacrilege?"



But the crowd pressed on, thrilled and excited, and thinking

little (as is a crowd's wont) on the deeper matters which lay



beneath the bare spectacle. From one quarter of the city walls the

din of an attack from the besiegers made itself clearly heard from



over the house, and the temples and the palaces intervening, but no

one heeded it. They had grown callous, these townsfolk, to the



battering of rams, and the flight of fire-darts, and the other

emotions of a bombardment. Their nerves, their hunger, their



desperation, were strung to such a pitch that little short of an

actual storm could stir them into new excitement over the siege.



All were weaponed. The naked carried arms in the hopes of

meeting some one whom they could overcome and rob; those that had



a possession walked ready to do a battle for its ownership. There

was no security, no trust; the lesson of civilisation had dropped



away from these common people as mud is washed from the feet by

rain, and in their new habits and their thoughts they had gone back






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