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Page 106
"Her dignities remained, however, and no one had aspired to
dethrone her as high priestess of the temple. She evidently knew
all the secrets of the organization, and I gathered that she was
indispensable to the group who controlled it.
"Respecting Fire-Tongue himself, his origin, his appearance, she
was resolutely silent, a second Acte, faithful to the last. That
the ends of this cult were not only religious but political, she
did not deny, but upon this point she was very reticent. An
elaborate system of espionage was established throughout the
East, Near and Far, and death was the penalty of any breach of
fidelity.
"Respecting the tests to which candidates were put, she spoke
with more freedom. Those who, having reached the second grade,
aspired to the first, were submitted to three very severe ones,
to make trial of their courage, purity, and humility. Failure in
any of these trials resulted in instant death, and the final
test, the trial by fire, which took place in a subterranean
chamber of the great temple, resulted in a candidate whose
courage failed him being precipitated into that lake of flame
which I have already described--a dreadful form of death, which
by accident I had witnessed.
"Gentlemen, realizing what the existence of such an organization
meant, what a menace to the peace of the world must lie here,
what dreadful things were almost hourly happening about me at
behest of this invisible monster known as Fire-Tongue, I yet
confess--for I am here to speak the truth--that, although I had
now fully recovered my strength, I lingered on in a delicious
idleness, which you who hear me must find it hard to understand.
"I have the reputation of being a cold, hard man. So had Antony
before he met Cleopatra. But seven years ago, under the Indian
moon, I learned tolerance for the human weakness which forgets
the world for the smiles of a woman.
"It had to end. Sooner or later, discovery was inevitable. One
night I told Naida that I must go. Over the scene that followed I
will pass in silence. It needed all the strength of a fairly
straight, hard life to help me keep to my decision.
"She understood at last, and consented to release me. But there
were obstacles--big ones. The snow on the lower mountain slopes
had begun to melt, and the water-gate in the valley by which I
had entered was now impassable. As a result, I must use another
gate, which opened into a mountain path, but which was always
guarded. At first, on hearing this, I gave myself up for lost,
but Naida had a plan.
"Removing a bangle which she always wore, she showed me the
secret mark of Fire-Tongue branded upon the creamy skin.
"'I will put this mark upon your arm,' she said. 'In no other way
can you escape. I will teach you some of the passwords by which
the brethren know one another, and if you are ever questioned you
will say that you were admitted to the order by the Master of the
Bombay Lodge, news of whose death has just reached us.'
"'But,' said I, 'how can I hope to pass for an Oriental?'
"'It does not matter,' Naida replied. 'There are some who are not
Orientals among us!'
"Gentlemen, those words staggered me, opening up a possibility
which had seemed only shadowy before. But Naida, who had
tremendous strength of character, definitely refused to discuss
this aspect of the matter, merely assuring me that it was so.
"'Those who have successfully passed the ordeal of fire,' she
said, 'are put under a vow of silence for one month, and from
moon to moon must speak to no living creature. Therefore, once
you bear the mark of the Fiery Tongue, you may safely pass the
gate, except that there are certain signs which it is necessary
you should know. Afterward, if you should ever be in danger of
discovery anywhere in the East, you will remember the passwords,
which I shall teach you.'
"So I was branded with the mark of Fire-Tongue, and I spent my
last night with Naida learning from her lips the words by which
members of this order were enabled to recognize one another. In
vain I entreated Naida to accompany me. She would allow herself
to love and be loved; but the vows of this singular priesthood
were to her inviolable.
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