CHAPTER XXIX
THE CEREMONY OF SEPARATION
Separated from Almah, surrounded by foul fiends, in darkness and theshadow of death, with the baleful prospect of the Mista Kosek, itwas mine to endure the bitterest anguish and despair; and in me thesefeelings were all the worse from the thought that Almah was in asimilar state, and was enduring equal woes. All that I suffered in mypresent condition she too was suffering--and from this there was nopossibility of escape. Perhaps her surroundings were even worse, andher sufferings keener; for who could tell what these people mightinflict in their strange and perverted impulses?
Many joms passed, and there was only one thing that sustainedme--the hope of seeing Almah yet again, though it were but for amoment. That hope, however, was but faint. There was no escape. Thegate was barred without and within. I was surrounded by miscreants,who formed the chief class in the state and the ruling order. TheChief Pauper was the highest magistrate in the land, from whoseopinion there was no appeal, and the other paupers here formed theKosekin senate. Here, in imprisonment and darkness, they formed asecret tribunal and controlled everything. They were objects of envyto all. All looked forward to this position as the highest object ofhuman ambition, and the friends and relatives of those here rejoicedin their honor. Their powers were not executive, but deliberative. Tothe Meleks and Athons was left the exercise of authority, but theiracts were always in subordination to the will of the paupers.
"I have everything that heart can wish," said the Chief Pauper tome once. "Look at me, Atam-or, and see me as I stand here: I havepoverty, squalor, cold, perpetual darkness, the privilege of killingothers, the near prospect of death, and the certainty of the MistaKosek--all these I have, and yet, Atam-or, after all, I am not happy."
To this strange speech I had nothing to say.
"Yes," continued the Chief Pauper, in a pensive tone, "for twentyseasons I have reigned as chief of the Kosekin in this place. Mycavern is the coldest, squalidest, and darkest in the land. My raimentis the coarsest rags. I have separated from all my friends. I have hadmuch sickness. I have the closest captivity. Death, darkness, poverty,want, all that men most live and long for, are mine to satiety; andyet, as I look back and count the joms of my life to see in how manyI have known happiness, I find that in all they amount to just seven!Oh, Atam-or, what a comment is this on the vanity of human life!"
To this I had no answer ready; but by way of saying something, Ioffered to kill him on the spot.
"Nay, nay, Atam-or," said he, with a melancholy smile, "do not temptme. Leave me to struggle with temptations by myself, and do notseek to make me falter in my duty. Yes, Atam-or, you behold in me amelancholy example of the folly of ambition; for I often think, asI look down from my lofty eminence, that after all it is as well toremain content in the humble sphere in which we are placed at birth;for perhaps, if the truth were known, there is quite as much realhappiness among the rich and splendid--among the Athons and Meleks."
On this occasion I took advantage of the Chief Pauper's softer moodto pour forth an earnest entreaty for him to save Almah's life, or atleast to mitigate her miseries. Alas! he was inexorable. It was likean appeal of some mad prisoner to some gentle-hearted governor inChristendom, entreating him to put some fellow-prisoner to death, orat least to make his confinement more severe.
The Chief Pauper stared at me in horror.
"You are a strange being, Atam-or," said he, gently. "Sometimes Ithink you mad. I can only say that such a request is horrible to mebeyond all words. Such degradation and cruelty to the gentle andvirtuous Almah is outrageous and forever impossible; no, we will notdeprive her of a single one of those blessings which she now enjoys."
I turned away in despair.
At length one jom the Chief Pauper came to me with a smile and said,
"Atam-or, let me congratulate you on this joyous occasion."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You are to have your ceremony of separation."
"Separation!" I repeated.
"Yes," said he. "Almah has given notice to us. She has announced herintention of giving you up, and separating from you. With us thewoman always gives the announcement in such cases. We have fixed theceremony for the third jom from this, and I hope you will not thinkit too soon."
This strange intelligence moved me greatly. I did not like the idea ofa ceremony of separation; but behind this there rose the prospect ofseeing Almah, and I felt convinced that she had devised this as a modeof holding communication with me, or at least of seeing me again.The thought of Layelah was the only thing that interfered with thisbelief, for it might be her doings after all; yet the fact remainedthat I was to see Almah, and in this I rejoiced with exceeding greatjoy.
The appointed jom came. A procession was formed of the paupers. Thechief did not go, as he never left the cavern except on the greatsacrifices and Mista Koseks. The door was opened, and I accompaniedthe procession. On our way all was dark, and after traversing manypassages we came at length to the door of a cavern as gloomy as theone I had left. On entering this I found all dark and drear; and alittle distance before me there was a light burning, around which wasgathered a group of hags hideous beyond all expression. But these Iscarcely noticed; for there amid them, all pale and wan, with her facenow lighted up with joyous and eager expectation, I saw my darling--myAlmah! I caught her in my arms, and for a few moments neither of usspoke a word. She sobbed upon my breast, but I knew that the tearswhich she shed were tears of joy. Nor was our joy checked by thethought that it was to be so short-lived. It was enough at that momentthat we saw one another--enough that we were in one another's arms;and so we mingled our tears, and shared one common rapture. And sweetit was--sweet beyond all expression--the sweetest moment in all mylife; for it had come in the midst of the drear desolation of my heartand the black despair. It was like a flash of lightning in the intensedarkness, short and sudden indeed, yet still intense while it lasted,and in an instant filling all with its glow.
"I did this," murmured Almah, "to see you and to save you."
"Save me!" I repeated.
"Yes," said she. "I have seen Layelah. She told me that there is thischance and this one only to save you. I determined to try it. I cannotbear to think of you at the sacrifice--and for love of me meeting yourdeath--for I would die to save you, Atam-or."
I pressed her closer in my arms.
"Oh, Almah," said I, "I would die to save you! and if this ceremonywill save you I will go through with it, and accept my fate whateverit may be."
We were now interrupted.
The women--the hags of horror--the shriek-like ones, as I may callthem, or the fiend-like, the female fiends, the foul ones--they wereall around us; and one there was who looked so exactly like thenightmare hag of the outer sea that I felt sure she must be the same,who by some strange chance had come here. Such, indeed, is quitelikely, for there may have been a pass over the mountains to the landof the Kosekin; and those savage cannibals may all have been honoredKosekin exiles, dwelling in poverty, want, woe, and darkness, all ofwhich may have been allotted to them as a reward for eminent virtues.And so here she was, the nightmare hag, and I saw that she recognizedme.
A circle was now formed around us, and the light stood in the middle.The nightmare hag also stood within the circle on the other side ofthe light opposite us. The beams of the lamp flickered through thedarkness, faintly illuminating the faces of the horrible creaturesaround, who, foul and repulsive as harpies, seemed like uncleanbeasts, ready to make us their prey. Their glances seemed to menacedeath; their blear eyes rested upon us with a horrid eager hunger. Myworst fears at that moment seemed realized; for I saw that Almah'sassociates were worse than mine, and her fate had been more bitter.And I wondered how it had been possible for her to live among suchassociates; or, even though she had lived thus far, whether it wouldbe possible for her to endure it longer.
And now there arose a melancholy chant from the old hags around--adreadful strain, that sounded li
ke a funeral dirge, sung in shrill,discordant voices, led by the nightmare hag, who as she sang wavedin her hand a kind of club. All the time I held Almah in my arms,regardless of those around us, thinking only of her from whom I mustsoon again be separated, and whom I must leave in this drear abode tomeet her fearful fate alone. The chant continued for some time, and aslong as it continued it was sweet to me; for it prolonged the meetingwith Almah, and postponed by so much our separation.
At length the chant ceased. The nightmare hag looked fixedly at us,and spoke these words:
"You have embraced for the last time. Henceforth there is no moresorrow in your love. You may be happy now in being forever disunited,and in knowing the bliss of eternal separation. As darkness is betterthan light, as death is better than life, so may you find separationbetter than union."
She now gave a blow with her club at the lamp, which broke it to atomsand extinguished the flame. She continued:
"As the baleful light is succeeded by the blessed darkness, so mayyou find the light of union followed by the blessed darkness ofseparation."
And now in the deep darkness we stood clasped in one another's arms;while around us, from the horrible circle of hags, there aroseanother chant as harsh and discordant as the previous one, but which,nevertheless, like that, served at least to keep us together a littlelonger. For this reason it sounded sweeter than the sweetest music;and therefore, when at last the hideous noise ended, I felt a pang ofgrief, for I knew that I must now give up Almah forever.
I was right. The ceremony was over. We had to part, and we parted withtears of despair. I was led away, and as I went I heard Almah's sobs.I broke away, and tried to return for one more embrace; but in thedarkness I could not find her, and could only hear her sobs at agreater distance, which showed that she too was being led away. Icalled after her,
"Farewell, Almah!"
Her reply came back broken with sobs.
"Farewell forever, Atam-or!"
I was once more led away, and again traversed the dark passages, andagain came back to my den, which now seemed dark with the blacknessof despair.
On my return I was formally and solemnly congratulated by all thepaupers. I should not have received their congratulations had I notexpected that there would be something more. I expected that somethingwould be said about the result of this act of separation; for Almahhad believed that it would be the means of saving my life, and Ibelieved that it would be the means of saving her life, and for thisreason each of us had performed our part; although, of course, the joyof meeting with one another would of itself have been sufficient, andmore than sufficient, to make that ceremony an object of desire. Ithought, therefore, that some statement might now be made to theeffect that by means of this ceremony my status among the Kosekinwould be changed, and that both I and Almah, being no longerlovers, would be no longer fit for the sacrifice. To my intensedisappointment, however, nothing whatever was said that had theremotest reference to this.
On the following jom I determined to ask the Chief Pauper himselfdirectly; and accordingly, after a brief preamble, I put the questionpoint-blank:
"Will our ceremony of separation make any difference as to oursacrifice?"
"What?" he asked, with a puzzled expression.
I repeated the question.
"I don't understand," said he, still looking puzzled.
Upon this I once more repeated it.
"How can that be?" said he at length; "how can the ceremony ofseparation have any effect upon your sacrifice? The ceremony ofseparation stands by itself as the sign and symbol of an additionalblessing. This new happiness of separation is a great favor, and willmake you the object of new envy and admiration; for few have been sofortunate as you in all the history of the Kosekin. But you are thefavorite of the Kosekin now, and there is nothing that they will notdo for you."
"But we were separate before," said I, indignantly.
"That is true," said he, "in point of fact; but this ceremony makesyour separation a legal thing, and gives it the solemn sanction oflaw and of religion. Among the Kosekin one cannot be considered asa separate man until the ceremony of separation has been publiclyperformed."
"I understood," said I, "that we were chosen to suffer the sacrificetogether because we were lovers, and now since you do not any longerregard us as lovers, why do you sacrifice us?"
At this question the Chief Pauper looked at me with one of thosehungry glances of his, which showed how he thirsted for my blood, andhe smiled the smile of an evil fiend.
"Why do we sacrifice you, Atam-or?" he replied. "Why, because we honoryou both, and love you both so dearly that we are eager to give youthe greatest of all blessings, and to deny you nothing that is in ourpower to bestow."
"Do you mean to sacrifice both of us?" I gasped.
"Of course."
"What! Almah too?"
"Certainly. Why should we be so cruel to the dear child as to depriveher of so great a boon?"
At this I groaned aloud and turned away in despair.
Many joms now passed away. I grew more and more melancholy anddesperate. I thought sometimes of fighting my way out. My fire-armswere now my chief consolation; for I had fully made up my mind not todie quietly like a slaughtered calf, but to strike a blow for life,and meet my death amid slain enemies. In this prospect I found somesatisfaction, and death was robbed of some of its terrors.