?

Such thoughts as these rose in our minds as the endless minutes were
born and died and--nothing happened.

Yes, at last one thing did happen. The light from the sheet of flame
died gradually away as the flame itself sank downwards into the abysses
of the pit. But about this in itself there was nothing wonderful, for
as we had seen with our own eyes from afar this fire varied much, and
indeed it was customary for it to die down at the approach of dawn,
which now drew very near.

Still that onward-creeping darkness added to the terrors of the scene.
By the last rays of the lurid light we saw Ayesha rise and advance some
few paces to that little tongue of rock at the edge of the pit off
which the body of Rassen had been hurled; saw her standing on it, also,
looking like some black, misshapen imp against the smoky glow which
still rose from the depths beneath.

Leo would have gone forward to her, for he believed that she was about
to hurl herself to doom, which indeed I thought was her design. But the
priest Oros, and the priestess Papave, obeying, I suppose, some secret
command that reached them I know not how, sprang to him and seizing his
arms, held him back. Then it became quite dark, and through the darkness
we could hear Ayesha chanting a dirge-like hymn in some secret, holy
tongue which was unknown to us.

A great flake of fire floated through the gloom, rocking to and fro like
some vast bird upon its pinions. We had seen many such that night, torn
by the gale from the crest of the blazing curtain as I have described.
But--but--"Horace," whispered Leo through his chattering teeth, "that
flame is coming up _against the wind!_"

"Perhaps the wind has changed," I answered, though I knew well that it
had not; that it blew stronger than ever from the south.

Nearer and nearer sailed the rocking flame, two enormous wings was the
shape of it, with something dark between them. It reached the little
promontory. The wings appeared to fold themselves about the dwarfed
figure that stood thereon--illuminating it for a moment. Then the light
went out of them and they vanished--everything vanished.

A while passed, it may have been one minute or ten, when suddenly the
priestess Papave, in obedience to some summons which we could not hear,
crept by me. I knew that it was she because her woman's garments touched
me as she went. Another space of silence and of deep darkness, during
which I heard Papave return, breathing in