She picked up a sharp - edged slate, and with it removed the scales and entrails. During this operation, her hands and garment became stained with the light scarlet blood.
"Find the drude, Maskull," she said, with a lazy smile. "You had it last night."He searched for it. It was hard to locate, for its rays had grown dull and feeble in the sunlight, but at last he found it. Oceaxe placed it in the interior of the monster, and left the body lying on the ground.
"While it's cooking, I'll wash some of this blood away, which frightens you so much. Have you never seen blood before?"Maskull gazed at her in perplexity. The old paradox came back - the contrasting sexual characteristics in her person. Her bold, masterful, masculine egotism of manner seemed quite incongruous with the fascinating and disturbing femininity of her voice. A startling idea flashed into his mind.
"In your country I'm told there is an act of will called 'absorbing.'
What is that?"
She held her red, dripping hands away from her draperies, and uttered a delicious, clashing laugh. "You think I am half a man?""Answer my question."
"I'm a woman through and through, Maskull - to the marrowbone. But that's not to say I have never absorbed males.""And that means ..
"New strings for my harp, Maskull. A wider range of passions, a stormier heart ...""For you, yes - But for them ... ?"
"I don't know. The victims don't describe their experiences.
Probably unhappiness of some sort - if they still know anything.""This is a fearful business!" he exclaimed, regarding her gloomily.
"One would think Ifdawn a land of devils."Oceaxe gave a beautiful sneer. as she took a step toward the river.
"Better men than you - better in every sense of the word - are walking about with foreign wills inside them. You may be as moral as you like, Maskull, but the fact remains, animals were made to be eaten, and simple natures were made to be absorbed.""And human rights count for nothing!"