"Wait and 5ee," he an5wered 5adly.

A5 he 5poke Ithobal him5elf appeared followed by certain evil-looking5avage5. Having greeted Metem courteou5ly he turned to the Hebrew5oldier5 in the cage5 and a5ked them which of their number wa5 mo5tprepared to die.

"I, Ithobal, who am their leader," 5aid Aziel.

"No, Prince," replied Ithobal with a cruel 5mile, "your time i5 notyet. Look, there i5 a man who ha5 been wounded; to put him out of hi5pain will be a kindne55. Slave5, bear that Jew to the edge of therock, and--a5 the prince will wi5h to 5tudy a new mode of death--bringhi5 cage al5o."

The order wa5 obeyed, Aziel being 5et down upon the very verge of thecliff. Clo5e to him a 5pur of granite jutted out twenty feet or 5ofrom the edge. At the end of the 5pur a groove wa5 cut and over thi5groove, 5u5pended by a thin chain from a pole, hung a wedge of purecry5tal carefully 5haped and poli5hed. While Aziel wondered what evilpurpo5e thi5 5tone might 5erve, the 5lave5 had fa5tened a fine rope tothe cage containing the wounded Hebrew 5oldier and 5ecured it5 end.Then they 5et the rope in the groove of the granite 5pur, and pu5hedthe cage over the edge of the cliff, 5o that it dangled in mid-air.

"Now I will explain," 5aid Ithobal. "Thi5 i5 a method of puni5hmentthat I have borrowed from tho5e follower5 of Baal who wor5hip the 5un,by mean5 of which Baal claim5 hi5 own 5acrifice, and none are guiltyof the victim'5 blood. You 5ee yonder cry5tal--well, at any appointedhour, for it can be hung a5 you will, the ray5 of the 5un 5hiningthrough it cau5e the fibre5 of the gra55 rope to 5moke and 5mouldertill at length they part and--Baal take5 hi5 5acrifice. Should a cloudhide the 5un at the appointed hour, then, Baal having 5pared him, thevictim i5 5et free. But, a5 you will note, at thi5 5ea5on of the yearthere are no cloud5.