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The People of the Mist by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard
page 267 of 519 (51%)
people. 'Now that I am about to die at the hands of him I bore, for so
it is fated,' she said. 'But not for ever do I leave you, and not for
ever shall the Snake be punished by putting off the flesh of men. Many
generations shall go by and we will return again and rule over you, and
the veil of mist shall be lifted from your land, and ye shall be great
in the earth. Till then, choose you kings and let them govern you;
moreover, forget not my worship, and see to it that throughout the ages
the altar of the Snake is wet with blood, and that he lacks not the food
he loves. And I will give you a sign by which we shall be known when at
length the fate is accomplished, and the hour of forgiveness is at hand.

"'As a fair maid will I come again, a maid lovely and white, but because
of his sin the Snake shall appear in the shape of that which sits within
your temple, and his hue shall be black and his face hideous. Out of the
earth will we arise, and we will call to you and ye shall know us, and
we will tell you our holy names that shall not be spoken aloud from
this hour to that hour of our coming. But beware lest ye be deceived
and false gods set themselves up among you, for then shall the last evil
fall upon you and the sun shall hide his face.'

"Thus, Children of the Mist, did the Mother speak to him who was her
chief priest in the long ago, and he graved her words with iron on the
stone of that whereon I stand, but none can read that writing, for its
secret is lost to us, although the prophecy remains. And now the time is
full, and it has been given to me, his successor, in my old age, to see
the fulfilment of the saying.

"The time is full, and this night the promise of the past is
accomplished, for, People of the Mist, the immortal gods, whose names
are holy, have appeared to rule their children. Yesterday they came,
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