Presently the herbs began to smoulder, and the smoke of them rose up in
a thin, straight stream, that, striking upon the face of the Bee, clung
about her head enveloping it as though with a strange blue veil. Then of
a sudden she stretched out her hands, and let fall the two locks of
hair upon the burning herbs, where they writhed themselves to ashes like
things alive. Next she opened her mouth, and began to draw the fumes
of the hair and herbs into her lungs in great gulps; while the snake,
feeling the influence of the medicine, hissed and, uncoiling itself
from about her neck, crept upwards and took refuge among the black
_saccaboola_ feathers of her head-dress.
Soon the vapours began to do their work; she swayed to and fro
muttering, then sank back against the hut, upon the straw of which her
head rested. Now the Bee's face was turned upwards towards the light,
and it was ghastly to behold, for it had become blue in colour, and
the open eyes were sunken like the eyes of one dead, whilst above her
forehead the red snake wavered and hissed, reminding Hadden of the
Uraeus crest on the brow of statues of Egyptian kings.
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