Page:Ossendowski - The Shadow of the Gloomy East.djvu/154

138 entirely covered with wheals, till blood gushed out and poured down his back in red streaks. At this sight the whole crowd, including my host, snatched the rods from the heap. A mass beating began. The sharp whizzing of the tough and pliant rod mingled with the heavy pantings and groans of the crowd, who began to tear off their clothes in order to reach the height of torture.

The "priest," lashing himself unceasingly, began to turn round on one leg. Others at once started to imitate him, and in a few moments the whole crowd was whirling round, hitting one another, stuttering and shouting with groans that had a weird and yearning sound.

After a short time some sank down exhausted, and at last the "priest" himself fell to the ground, but others leaped and leaped and turned round, trampling upon the bodies scattered on the floor.

The air was thick with vapour, the exhalations of perspiring bodies tired to death, the smell of boots and dirty clothing. Someone blew out the candles, leaving only the one burning on the altar-table. I could barely; see the half-naked male and female bodies in a heap, exhausted, imbrued with blood, almost dead.

Such was the "radenye."

I do not know on which texts of the Scriptures a sect of such unwholesome mind and morals could build its tenets. I think its origins could be traced to the Apocryphal books, which for a long time were accumu-