"Деннис Уитли. The Devil Rides Out (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

'You really believe that?' asked Rex seriously.
'I do.' De Richleau's answer held no trace of doubt. 'I give you
my word Rex, that I have talked with men whose sanity you would
never question, an Englishman, an Italian, and a Hindu, all three of
whom have been taken by guides sent to fetch them to the hidden
valley in the uplands of Tibet, where some of the Lamas have reached
such a high degree of enlightenment that they can prolong their
lives at will, and perform today all the miracles which you have
read of in the Bible. It is there that the sacred fire of truth has
been preserved for centuries, safe from the brutal mercenary folly
of our modern world.'
That sounds a pretty tall story to me, but granted there are
mystics who have achieved such amazing powers through their holiness
I still don't see where your Black Magic comes in?'
'Let's not talk of Black Magic, which is associated with the
preposterous in our day, but of the order of the Left Hand Path.
That, too, has its adepts and, just as the Yoga of Tibet are the
preservers of the Way of Light, the Way of Darkness is exemplified
in the horrible Voodoo cult which had its origin in Madagascar and
has held Africa in its grip for centuries, spreading even with the
slave trade to the West Indies and your own country.'
'Yes, I know quite a piece about that, the Negroes monkey with it
still back home in the Southern States, despite their apparent
Christianity. Still I can't think that an educated man like Simon
would take serious notice of that Mumbo Jumbo stuff.'
'Not in its crude form perhaps, but others have cultivated the
power of Evil, and among whites it is generally the wealthy and
intellectual, who are avaricious for greater riches or power, to
whom it appeals. In the Paris of Louis XIV, long after the Middle
Ages were forgotten, it was still particularly rampant. The
poisoner, La Voisin, was proved to have procured over fifteen
hundred children for the infamous Abbe Guibourg to sacrifice at
Black Masses. He used to cut their throats, drain the blood into a
chalice, and then pour it over the naked body of the inquirer who
lay stretched upon the altar. I speak of actual history, Rex, and
you can read the records of the trial that followed in which two
hundred and forty-six men and women were indicted for these hellish
practices.'
'Maybe. It sounds ghastly enough but that's a mighty long time
ago.'
'Then, if you need more modern evidence of its continuance hidden
in our midst there is the well authenticated case of Prince
Borghese. He let his Venetian Palazzo on a long lease, expiring as
late as 1895. The tenants had not realised that the lease had run
out until he notified them of his intention to resume possession.
They protested, but Borghese's agents forced an entry. What do you
think they found?'
'Lord knows.' Rex shook his head.
'That the principal salon had been redecorated at enormous cost
and converted into a Satanic Temple. The walls were hung from