Her eyes travelled ever the place
quickly. Apparently, there was no means of exit that was not
guarded. Long Sin saw her look, and smiled quietly.
They had carried her up to the dais, and now Long Sin faced her
and sternly ordered her to kowtow to the gruesome metallic figure.
She refused, but instantly the Chinamen seized her arm and twisted
it, until they had compelled her to fall to her knees.
Having forced her to kowtow, Long Sin turned to the assembled
devil dancers.
"With magic and rare drugs," he chanted, "she shall be made to
pass beyond and her body encased in precious gold shall be the
consort of Ksing Chau--forever and ever."
He made another sign and several pots and braziers were brought
out and placed on the dais beside Elaine. She was, by this time,
completely overcome by the horror of the situation. There was
apparently no escape.
With callous deviltry, the oriental satanists had made every
arrangement for embalming and preserving the body of Elaine. Pots
filled with sticky black material were slowly heated, amid weird
incantations, while other Chinamen laid out innumerable sheets of
gold leaf.
At last all seemed to be in readiness to proceed.
"Hold her," ordered Long Sin in guttural Chinese to the two
attendants, as he approached her.
Long Sin held in his hand a small, profusely decorated pot from
which smoke was escaping.
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