Page:Doughty--Mirrikh or A woman from Mars.djvu/227

 “And this is the way the phenomena we have witnessed was accomplished?”

“It is.”

“But those hideous creatures, whence came they? By whose will were they sent here?”

“That is different. They were not sent here, they were here already, as I have told you; have been here for thousands of years, perhaps. Possibly they were able to draw strength from the dry bones which lay scattered all about  us. It may be so.”

“But their hideous faces? Were there ever men such as they?”

“Very possibly those were not their true faces, but such as correspond to their present state.”

“Correspond to their state? I do not understand you.”

“Yet it is simple. In the realm of spirit a man appears to others as he really is, spiritually. Thus a vile man would appear hideous to your eyes, while to himself he seems just the reverse.”

“Do our fears create forms?” asked the Doctor breaking in suddenly.

“They do,” replied Padma;” or rather they draw about us spirits of corresponding natures; but I must talk no more. There are yet other spirits who would appear, and—ha! We have talked too long already! Those fiends have gained control of the forces again!”

A wild, unearthly cry, sounding as at a distance in the depths of the cave, suddenly rang out. Instantly came an answering cry—then another and another until similar cries were coming from all directions. Now they seemed close to us; again, they would retreat and die away in the distance. Some were like the human voice, others like the cries of animals; one in particular, which kept coming and going, was startlingly like the whining of a dog in distress. Padma meanwhile had resumed his prayer wheel and was grinding vigorously, having enjoined upon us on no account to speak if we valued our lives and reason. As for Walla, she was evidently either asleep or entranced, for through it all she never moved. For perhaps ten minutes these strange sounds continued. Padma seemed to be making but little progress in laying the spirits which were supposed to haunt the cave.

Suddenly I felt the Doctor's trembling hand lightly touch my arm. He was pointing toward the fire, out of which I