Page:Doughty--Mirrikh or A woman from Mars.djvu/196

 mouth to the tube, and with long, deep inhalations drew in the gas.

Suddenly he straightened up—I wondered how he knew when to do it—and Padma quickly restored the plug.

With that strange sense of quiescence still upon me, I watched the face of the young lama and saw pass over it the  same change of expression which I had noted upon the face  of Mr. Mirrikh and Maurice. Suddenly he reeled, pressed his hand to his heart, staggered back a step or two, and sank  to the floor.

Again Padma spoke.

Instantly two lamas seized Ni-fan-lu and carrying him to the open trap thrust him down, head first, into the shute.

I darted forward and saw the body disappear like a flash. I knew then what my fate was to be, and yet to save me I could not stir up the slightest feeling of fear.

“We will now send down the body of your friend,” said Padma. “By the time it has made the journey Ni-fan-lu will be ready to receive it, for I have instructed him to take  on his material body instantly, and not wander away into  the spirit world.”

I simply bowed assent, for I was fully prepared for this; but Walla, the instant the lamas approached the altar, gave  a fearful shriek and flung herself across poor Maurice.

“Come! Come!” I exclaimed. “We cannot have this. Calm yourself! It must be done.”

But she only screamed the louder, and I was wondering what means could be taken to quiet her, for she struck at  the lamas with her clenched fists, and even tried to bite one  of them, when suddenly Padma, who had slipped around in  front of the altar, began making passes about her head.

Poor Walla!

It was but an instant before she was in the clutches of the hypnotic spell. Her struggles ceased; she straightened up and fixed her eyes on Padma, wholly subject to his will.

“We will send her first,” said the priest. “Since she fancies she loves him let her be there to receive his body.”

He addressed a few hurried words to Walla who immediately bent down over the golden tube.

Padma was already there to attend to her. The plug was removed and the gas inhaled. In this case there was not even a momentary resistance. Walla sank to the floor and was instantly seized. They tied a cord about her skirts to