tight to the torn-off
bunch of grass. And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought
she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at
which they reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary
anywhere; the gap would be well taken care of, they knew. And then they
sang a hymn.

Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million
broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great
darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was--the Cry of the Blood.

Then thundered a Voice, the Voice of the Lord: "=And He said, What hast
thou done? The voice of thy brothers' blood crieth unto Me from the
ground.="

. . . . . . .

The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered and
shivered about me; I heard the yells of the devil-dancers and the weird
wild shriek of the devil-possessed just outside the gate.

What does it matter, after all? It has gone on for years; it will go on
for years. Why make such a fuss about it?

God forgive us! God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us
out of our sin!

* * * * *

One afternoon, a few weeks after that night at the precipice edge,
Victory and I were visiting in the Red Lake Village, when we heard the
death-beat of the tom-tom and the shriek of the conch shell, and we knew
that another had gone beyond our reach. One can never get accustomed to
this. We stopped for a moment and listened.

The women we were teaching broke in with eager explanations. "Oh, he was
such a great one! He had received the Initiation. There will be a grand
ceremonial, grander than ever you have!" Then they told us how this
great one had been initiated into the Hindu mysteries by his family
priest, and that the mystical benefits accruing from this initiation
were to be caused to revert to the priest. This Reverting of the
Initiation was to be one of the ceremonies. We watched the procession
pass down the street. They were going for water from a sacred stream
for the bathing of purification. When they return, said the women, the
ceremonies will begin.

A little later we passed the house, and stood looking in through the
doorway. There was the usual large square courtyard, with the verandah
running round three sides. The verandah was full of women. We longed to
go in, but did not think they would let us. The courtyard was rather
confused; men were rushing