Angels and Women (1924)

36 ANGELS AND WOMEN
some thought that oppressed him when a
sudden flash and illumination which dazzled
us and took our breath, checked his reply.
Glancing upward, we beheld directly overhead,
in an opening between the cypresstops,
some object passing swiftly, and heard
a peculiar sound of exultation ring out above
the forest. I looked at my father in amazed
inquiry. His face was ashy pale; he
trembled, and fixed an earnest gaze upon the
canopy above. Breathless, he cried, "The
Devas!" and then, with terror depicted in
every lineament, drew us within his arms and
hurried toward our home, round which interwoven
boughs of gigantic trees and vines
had formed a perfect screen. To the innermost
chamber of this secluded dwelling we
retreated, and making secure every avenue
of approach, my father went out to confer
with Cheros. After many hours he returned,
looking pale and fatigued, but spoke with
composure:
"From the earliest generation it has been