than those of joy and exultation--here among the dead and
in the dark."

I said nothing, but followed and watched her, carrying the wreaths and
supplying her. She went to each niche in succession, and after taking
the wreath off each corpse she placed a fresh one on, saying a brief
formula at each act. By keeping her supplied with wreaths I was able
to lighten her task, so much so that, whereas it usually occupied her
more than two hours, on the present occasion it was finished in less
than half an hour. She informed me that those which she crowned were
the corpses of men who had been sacrificed during the present
season--by season meaning the six months of light; and that though
many more were here, yet they wore crowns of gold. At the end of ten
years they were removed to public sepulchres. The number of those
which had to be crowned by her was about a hundred. Her work was only
to crown them, the labor of collecting the flowers and weaving the
wreaths and attending to the lamps being performed by others.

I left this place with Almah, sad and depressed. She had not told me
why these victims had been sacrificed, nor did I feel inclined to
ask. A dark suspicion had come to me that these people, underneath
all their amiable ways, concealed thoughts, habits, and motives of
a frightful kind; and that beyond all my present brightness and
happiness there might be a fate awaiting me too horrible for thought.
Yet I did not wish to borrow trouble. What I had seen and heard was
quite enough for one occasion. I was anxious, rather, to forget it
all. Nor did Almah's words or manner in any way reassure me. She was
silent and sad and preoccupied. It was as though she knew the worst,
and knowing it, dared not speak; as though there was something more
horrible which she dared not reveal. For my part, I feared it so that
I dared not ask. It was enough for me just then to know that my mild
and self-denying and generous entertainers were addicted to the
abhorrent custom of human sacrifices.

CHAPTER X

THE SACRED HUNT

On that very jom the Kohen informed me that they were about
to set forth on the "sacred hunt," an event which always occurred
toward the end of the season, and he kindly invited me to go. I,
eager to find any relief from the horrible thoughts that had taken
possession of me, and full of longing for active exertion, at once
accepted the invitation. I was delighted to hear Almah say that she
too was going; and