Almah pointed in silence to one of these which was nearest, and I went up close so as to see it.
The first glance that I took made me recoil with horror.

It was no statue that I saw in that niche, but a shrivelled human form--a hideous sight.

It was dark and dried; it was fixed in a sitting posture, with its hands resting on its knees, and its hollow eyes looking forward.

On its head was the mockery of a wreath of flowers, while from its heart there projected the handle and half of the blade of a knife which had been thrust there.

What was the meaning of this knife?
It seemed to tell of a violent death.