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We were outnumbered, that was obvious, and I could now detect sh they draped their eyes in shadow, revealed their long twisted mouths

"Where is the leader here?" I de my voice above the level of hu but ument must be with me!"

The long string of surrounding black-robed figures caved in to whispering and st themselves at this Those clustered about the band of enchained boys tightened their ranks And as others whom I could scarce see threw reat fire, it seemed the enemy prepared for action

Two couples placed the and crying to realize what this meant

I realized it at once

"No, you ainst those who held hed

Suddenly druain, some one-hundredfold louder than before, as if an entire circle of dru fire

They took up that steady beat of the Dies Irae hyhtened and locked hands They began to sing the words in Latin of the terrible day of woe Each figure began to rock playfully, lifting knees in playful march as a hundred voices spit out the words to the obvious rhythly mockery of the piteous words

The drums were joined by the shrill squeal of pipes, an

d the repeated slam of tambourines, and suddenly the entire wreath of dancers, still hand in hand, wasside to side fro "Dee-eees- - -a- - -ray, dee-ees- -eee- - -raw!" they sang

I panicked But I couldn't shake loose of my captors I screamed

The first pair of robed beings before the boys had broken out the first of theh in the air The second pair of figures caught it, and, with great preternatural thrusts, hurled the helpless child in an arc into the great fire

With piteous shrieks, the boy fell into the flames and vanished, and the other apprentices, now certain of their fate, ith crying and sobbing and screa, but to no avail

One after another, boys were disentangled from the others and hurled into the flames

I thrashed back and forth, kicking at the ground and at my opponents Once I broke one arures with hard pinching fingers I sobbed: