A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder James De Mille

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gallant souls, who had exhibited such matchless valor; these men who
thought nothing of life, but flung it away at the command of their
chief without dreaming of flight or of hesitation. Thus I stood
looking on in an expectant attitude, when there came a moment in
which I was simply petrified with horror; for the Kohen drew his
knife, stooped over the wounded man nearest him, and then stabbed him
to the heart with a mortal wound. The others all proceeded to do the
same, and they did it in the coolest and most business-like manner,
without any passion, without any feeling of any kind, and, indeed,
with a certain air of gratification, as though they were performing
some peculiarly high and sacred duty. The mildness and benevolence of
their faces seemed actually heightened, and the perpetration of this
unutterable atrocity seemed to affect these people in the same way in
which the performance of acts of humanity might affect us.
For my own part, I stood for a few moments actually motionless from
perplexity and horror; then, with a shriek, I rushed forward as if
to prevent it; but I was too late. The unutterable deed was done,
and the unfortunate wounded, without an exception, lay dead beside
their slain companions. As for myself, I was only regarded with fresh
wonder, and they all stood blinking at me with their half-closed
eyes. Suddenly the Kohen fell prostrate on his knees before me, and
bowing his head handed me his bloody knife.
"Atam-or," said he, "give me also the blessing of darkness and death!"
At these strange words, following such actions, I could say nothing.
I was more bewildered than ever, and horror and bewilderment made me
dumb. I turned away and went aft to Almah, who had seen it all. She
looked at me with an anxious gaze, as if to learn what the effect of
all this had been on me. I could not speak a word, but with a vague
sense of the necessity of self-preservation, I loaded my rifle, and
tried in vain to make out what might be the meaning of this union of
gentleness and kindness with atrocious cruelty. Meanwhile, the men
all went to work upon various tasks. Some secured lines about the
monster so as to tow it astern; others busied themselves with the
corpses, collecting them and arranging them in rows. At length we
returned, towing the monster astern.
I could not speak until I was back again in the lighted rooms and
alone with Almah; then I told her, as well as I could, the horror