Page:The further side of silence (IA furthersideofsil00clifiala).pdf/317

 <quivering with its vibrations. The moon, which is beloved by all dwellers in the tropics, and is especially dear to Oriental lovers, was suddenly seen to be in dire peril, for before the eyes of all men the jaws of hat infamous monster, the Gerhana, could be seen to have fastened themselves upon her, and were swallowing her inch by inch. Even the Chinese, who are astronomers and had learned how to foretell eclipses while our forebears were still very rudimen- tary folk, firmly believe in this legendary causation of the phenomenon, and all men are enjoined to aid the moon on such occasions by raising a tumult that will frighten her assailant away. So now all the people shouted, while the gongs clanged and the drums were beaten, until the terrified dragon withdrew, and the moon was seen sailing unharmed across the sky, looking down in love and gratitude upon her children, to whose aid she owed her deliverance.

But during the period that her fate had hung in the balance Sělěma had been thrust into the empty fire- place and had sat there, under the shadow of the ray-like shelf depending from the low rafters, trent- bling with fear of the unknown. The little basket work stand, upon which the hot rice pot is wont to rest, was put on her head as a cap, and in her girdle the long wooden rice spoon was stuck daggerwise. Thus equipped she remained motionless and silent during the whole period of the eclipse. Neither she or mat had a notion why it was necessary to do these things, but they never dreamed of questioning the custom that prescribed them. The men of