He kneeled before him
with a lighted torch of bear's fat and the tendons of the deer, and
waving it gently to and fro, sang the ancient rune, until the eye of the
Idiot, following the torch at a tangent as it waved, suddenly became
fixed upon the flame, when it ceased to move. And the words of the chant
ran through Grah's ears, and pierced to the remote parts of his being;
and a sickening trouble came upon his face, and the lips ceased to drip,
and were caught up in twinges of pain. . . . The chant rolled on:
"Go forth, go forth upon them, thou, the Scarlet Hunter! Drive them
forth into the wilds, drive them crying forth! Enter in, O enter in, and
lie upon the couch of peace, the couch of peace within my wigwam, thou
the wise one! Behold, I call to thee!"
And Pierre, looking upon the Idiot, saw his face glow, and his eye stream
steadily to the light, and he said, "What is it that you see, Grah?--
speak!"
All pitifulness and struggle had gone from the Idiot's face, and a strong
calm fell upon it, and the voice of a man that God had created spoke
slowly: "There is an end of blood.
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