pressing a shining dagger to the initiate 's bare chest ... threatening impalement should the initiate `` inappropriately reveal the mysteries of masonry '' ... describing the black-and-white floor as representing `` the living and the dead '' ... outlining punishments that included `` having one 's throat cut across , one 's tongue torn out by its roots , and one 's body buried in the rough sands of the sea ... '' langdon stared .