Five Plays Part 6

Come, let us sacrifice.

ILLANAUN

Bring lambs.

AKMOS

Quick! Quick! (_Exeunt some_)

SLAG (_with solemn air_)

This G.o.d is a very divine G.o.d.

THAHN

He is no common G.o.d.

MLAN

Indeed he has made us.

CITIZEN (_to Slag_)

He will not punish us, master? None of the G.o.ds will punish us? We will make a sacrifice, a good sacrifice.

ANOTHER

We will sacrifice a lamb that the priests have blessed.

FIRST CITIZEN

Master, you are not wroth with us?

SLAG

Who may say what cloudy dooms are rolling up in the mind of the eldest of the G.o.ds? He is no common G.o.d like us. Once a shepherd went by him in the mountains and doubted as he went. He sent a doom after that shepherd.

CITIZEN

Master, we have not doubted.

SLAG

And the doom found him on the hills at evening.

SECOND CITIZEN

It shall be a good sacrifice, master.

[_Reenter with a dead lamb and fruits. They offer the lamb on an altar where there is fire, and fruits before the altar._

THAHN (_stretching out a hand to a lamb upon an altar_)

That leg is not being cooked at all.

ILLANAUN

It is strange that G.o.ds should be thus anxious about the cooking of a leg of lamb.

OORANDER

It is strange certainly.

ILLANAUN

Almost I had said that it was a man spoke then.

OORANDER (_stroking his beard and regarding the second beggar_)

Strange. Strange, certainly.

AGMAR

Is it then strange that the G.o.ds love roasted flesh? For this purpose they keep the lightning. When the lightning flickers about the limbs of men there comes to the G.o.ds in Marma a pleasant smell, even a smell of roasting. Sometimes the G.o.ds, being pacific, are pleased to have roasted instead the flesh of lamb. It is all one to the G.o.ds; let the roasting stop.

OORANDER

No, no, G.o.ds of the mountains!

OTHERS

No, no.

OORANDER

Quick, let us offer the flesh to them. If they eat, all is well.

[_They offer it; the beggars eat, all but Agmar, who watches._

ILLANAUN

One who was ignorant, one who did not know, had almost said that they ate like hungry men.

OTHERS

Hus.h.!.+

AKMOS