The murmur of voices persisted. For some time Delabar listened. Then he pointed out a man in beggar's dress kneeling beside the mandarin's chair. "It is some kind of trial," he said doubtfully. "The priest by Wu Fang Chien is an ascetic--what they call a _fakir_ in India. But he is not the criminal." They moved nearer the opening, being secure from observation from below. Gray wrinkled his nose at the mingled scent of incense and Mongolian sweat that floated up through the opening. "Wu Fang Chien is saying that he has come to Liangchowfu to sit in judgment on the evildoers who are enemies of the god," interpreted Delabar. "He has called the priests to witness the proceedings." Gray looked at Delabar curiously. He had caught a word or two of the talk. "Does he name the offenders?" he asked. "No. He says the priesthood has been informed that two men plan to desecrate a holy place. He has come to catch them red-handed." Wu Fang Chien, Gray reflected, could not know they were in the gallery of the temple, by the seat reserved for a distinguished student, or the emperor. The mandarin must have discovered their mission, as Delabar feared. He peered over the rail. Directly underneath three priests were stripped to the waist. They held a bronze bowl of considerable size. As Gray watched, a silence fell on the room below. "They are going to try divination," whispered Delabar, and Gray saw that his face was strained. "The divination of the ivory sticks and the bowl. That is a custom of the sorcerers of the interior. The priests believe in it implicitly. I have seen some wonderful things----" He broke off as the ascetic prostrated himself before Wu Fang Chien, holding out a sandalwood box. Gray saw the mandarin lean forward and draw what looked like a short white stick from the box. "That is to determine the distance the criminals are from the temple," explained Delabar. "It is a very short stick--representing perhaps a _li_ or one-third of a mile." "That would include the inn," was Gray's comment. "Hello, the bowl boys are coming into action." The three priests were turning slowly on their feet, supporting the bronze bowl above their heads. They moved in a kind of dance, and as they revolved, came nearer to the shrine--then retreated. Delabar watched intently. "They will keep up the dance for twenty-four hours," he said, "without stopping. Meanwhile the other priests will watch, without taking food or drink. It induces a kind of hypnotism. They believe that at the end of the twenty-four hours, the god will enter the bowl." Gray nodded. Wu Fang Chien had sat back and was eyeing the dance complacently. "When this happens," Delabar went on, "the priests will leave the temple, holding the bowl in front of them. They will be followed by the townspeople who do not doubt that the god will conduct them to the criminals." "I guess we're nominated for the guilty parties."