Gradually the spirit which had comforted Kathlyn withdrew, and at
length Kathlyn became keenly alive. It entered her mind clearly that
these poor foolish people really believed her a celestial being, and so
long as they laid no hand upon her she was not alarmed. She had
recently passed through too many terrors to be disturbed by a bit of
kindness, even if stirred into being by a religious fanaticism.
Kathlyn ate.
By pairs the villagers departed, and soon none remained save her
self-appointed guardians, the two holy men. Kathlyn felt a desire to
explore this wonderful temple. She discovered what must have been the
inner shrine. The chamber was filled with idols; here and there a bit
of gold leaf, centuries old, glistened upon the bronze, the clay, the
wood. The caste mark on the largest idol's head was a polished ruby,
overlooked doubtless during the loot. She swept the dust from the
jewel with the tip of her finger, and the dull fire sent a shiver of
delight over her. She was still a woman.
As she wandered farther in her foot touched something and she looked
down. It was a bone; in fact, the floor was strewn with bones. She
quickly discerned, much to her relief, that none of these bones was
human. This was, or had been, the den of the lion. There was an acrid
unpleasant odor, so she hurried back to the brazier. Vaguely she
comprehended that she must keep the fire replenished from time to time
in order to pacify the two holy men. At night it would fend off any
approach of the lion.
Where was Bruce? Would he ever find her? That philosophy which she
had inherited from her father, that quiet acceptance of the inevitable,
was the one thing which carried her through her trials sanely. An
ordinary woman would have died from mere exhaustion.
Bruce, indeed! At that very moment he was rushing out of the Kumor's
presence, wild to be off toward the road to Allaha, since Kathlyn had
not been seen upon it. He found where Rajah had veered off into the
jungle again, and followed the trail tirelessly. But it was to be his
misfortune always to arrive too late.
To Kathlyn the day passed with nothing more than the curiosity of the
natives to disturb her. They brought her cotton blankets which she
arranged in the sarcophagus. There were worse beds in the world than
this; at least it shielded her from the bitter night wind.
She ate again at sundown and builded high the sacred fire and tried to
plan some manner of escape; for she did not propose to be a
demi-goddess any longer than was necessary. From Pundita she had
learned many words and a few phrases in Hindustani, and she ventured to
speak them to the holy men, who seemed quite delighted. They could
understand her, but she on her part could make little or nothing of
their jabbering. Nevertheless, she pretended.