A Captain of Men
 
 A CAPTAIN OF MEN 
 
 UNIT. OF CALIF. LIBRARY. LOS ANGFLF*
 
 NARMED and alone, he placed 
 himself in their very midst" 
 
 (See page 266)
 
 A Captain 
 of 
 
 BOSTON * * * * & 
 L. C. PAGE (SL COMPANY 
 jk j * * * MDCCCCV 
 
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 Copyright, 1905 
 BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY 
 
 (INCORPORATED) 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Published March, 1905 
 
 COLONIAL PRESS 
 
 EUcirotyptd and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Cf. 
 Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
 
 TO 
 
 '21.11490
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. MIRIAM AND THE CAPTAIN OF THE ASSYRIAN 
 
 HORSE i 
 
 II. THE HAND OF NEBO 18 
 
 III. IN THE HUT OF HADAD AND CHNA . . 31 
 
 IV. DAVID, THE SON OF JESSE .... 42 
 V. THE ASSYRIAN BESIEGES THE HOUSE OF 
 
 ESMUN 54 
 
 VI. THE STORY OF MIRIAM .... 69 
 
 VII. A VISIT FROM " MY LADY TANITH" . . 85 
 
 VIII. THE DISOBEDIENT PANTHER . . . 105 
 
 IX. IN THE STUDIO OF HIRAM ABIF . . .125 
 
 X. " I WISH THAT THOU WERT ONLY THE 
 
 GARDENER" 144 
 
 XI. THE PARABLE WHICH CHNA HEARD . .158 
 
 XII. PREPARATIONS . . . . . .170 
 
 XIII. THE FEAST OF BRANDS .... 187 
 
 XIV. THE MEETING AMONG THE PALMS . . 206 
 XV. THE REWARD OF HECTOR .... 224 
 
 XVI. HADAD DRINKS TO TANITH'S HEALTH . 243 
 
 XVII. IN THE UNKNOWN SEA .... 261 
 
 XVIII. THE GOLDEN DISK 280 
 
 XIX. THE EYE OF ASHTORETH ... 302 
 
 XX. TANITH'S CHOICE 324 
 
 XXI. CONCLUSION . , , 344
 
 A CAPTAIN OF MEN 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MIRIAM AND THE CAPTAIN OF THE ASSYRIAN HORSE 
 
 IT was near the end of the spring of the year 
 1058, before our Christian era, when the army of 
 Assyria left its winter quarters in Damascus and 
 became the uninvited guest of Hiram, King of Tyre. 
 In the hope of rivalling the conquests of the great 
 King Tiglath-Pileser, Asshur-ab-aram, the usurper, 
 had marched from his royal city of Asshur and 
 made an unsuccessful campaign against the moun- 
 tain tribes in the north. But now that he had 
 rested his army at Damascus, he expected to retrieve 
 his fortunes by overwhelming the Hittites. 
 
 More than seventy years before, Tiglath-Pileser 
 had placed among the royal archives the records 
 of his visit to Arvad, by the " Sea of the Rising 
 Sun." Asshur-ab-aram had read how his prede-
 
 A Captain of Men 
 
 cessor had exacted tribute of Phoenicia, of the great 
 fish he had caught " on an iron hook," and of the 
 ships and wealth of that seafaring people. He, too, 
 could add a page to history; he decided to fish in 
 the waters of Tyre, and to see with his own eyes 
 the splendour of the Island City. 
 
 This unexpected irruption of the conquering sol- 
 diers of the world was not at all to Hiram's liking. 
 But it had ever been the policy of mercantile Phoe- 
 nicia to avoid a conflict of force and arms. There 
 was nothing so destructive to trade as war, and 
 Hiram, the king, was the prince of merchants. So 
 he made the best of an exceedingly bad matter; 
 he disguised his loathing of the boorish and boast- 
 ful Assyrian. He was lavish in hospitality, and 
 he prayed earnestly to his gods for deliverance from 
 the constantly repeated tales of Tiglath-Pileser and 
 his marvellous fish. 
 
 On the night of the last of Hiram's banquets to 
 Asshur-ab-aram, Merodach, " the Babylonian," was 
 what we now call " officer of the day." His royal 
 chief was over on the island eating and drinking, 
 listening to music, and watching jugglers, mounte- 
 banks, and dancing girls. But the army was en- 
 camped just outside the Walls of the city on the 
 mainland, revelling in such plenty of food and drink 
 as to make their stay in Tyre a scene of licensed
 
 Miriam and the Captain 
 
 debauchery. It can truly be said that no army had 
 ever been so well treated before, and the soldierly 
 heart of Merodach, chief of horse, was bitter be- 
 cause of the drunkenness and laxity of the camp. 
 Of discipline there was none; save only among 
 his favourite arm, the cavalry, about which he 
 dreamed, and for whose advancement in efficiency 
 he never tired of working. A proud smile passed 
 over his lips as he saw a group become silent when 
 he was seen by the light of the camp-fire. They 
 were his very own, and they alone of all the army 
 were trained to drink their wine, and yet acknowl- 
 edge fittingly an officer's presence. It pleased him 
 greatly to see them rise and keep silence until he 
 returned their salute. 
 
 " Your health, my lord," spoke one, soberly, and 
 the others bared their heads while their captain 
 tasted the wine. 
 
 " I am pleased with you, my children," he re- 
 sponded, smiling with a full heart at their martial 
 appearance. " I drink to our next battle ; may 
 Asshur make it a victory." But Merodach smiled 
 no more during his " rounds " that night. 
 
 Many of the officers were carousing with their 
 king, and those that were kept with their commands 
 were trying to recompense themselves by worse 
 debauchery in the camp. With the officers absent,
 
 A Captain of Men 
 
 or in such condition, what could be expected of 
 the common soldiers but indescribable confusion? 
 Everywhere could be heard the curses and obscen- 
 ity of the men, the shrill, hateful laughter of even 
 drunker women. Now his foot would trip over 
 the prostrate form of one stupefied by drink, and 
 now his ears would be assailed by ribald laughter 
 and invitations to join the carouse. Skins of wine, 
 jars of wine, flagons, rivers of wine were there; 
 wine of Cyprus, of Tyre, of Damascus, of Askalon, 
 flooded the camp. Here he came upon a merry 
 group, dancing and singing about the drooping 
 figure of an impaled prisoner. There beyond them 
 were others trying to join their female visitors in 
 a chant to Ashtoreth. Guards were generally miss- 
 ing from their posts, or, when present, totally ob- 
 livious of their duties. Those about the royal tents 
 huddled together in tipsy consternation when they 
 heard the stern voice of the best soldier in the 
 army. 
 
 From these new tents of royal purple, the gift of 
 Hiram, and the tents where the scribes slept, for- 
 getful of the count they must prepare before day- 
 break, and the tents of the king's harem, Merodach 
 went to where were parked the chariots, the pride 
 and strength of the armjy. Here his patience alto- 
 gether failed him, and he cursed the one guard he
 
 Miriam and the Captain 
 
 found in drunken sleep so bitterly as almost to make 
 him sober. 
 
 Now, as luck would have it, Nebo, captain of 
 the auxiliary archers, was lying near by, snuggled 
 close to a grunting camel for warmth. The sound 
 of voices disturbed him, and he staggered to his 
 feet, and stood swaying before them in drunken 
 solemnity. He was not too far gone to be unable to 
 recognize an officer by his dress and appearance. 
 He had a vague consciousness of wrong-doing and 
 shame; he as an officer should, at least, enjoy the 
 pleasures of intoxication among his equals. It was 
 quite beneath his dignity to be discovered sleeping 
 by the side of a camel. And he also knew that his 
 place was not there among the chariots; his king 
 had impaled men for much more trivial offences. 
 Nebo knew that he was quite guilty, but he was apt 
 to be ugly in his cups, and he cursed Merodach for 
 a prying meddler. 
 
 " You are a hog, Nebo ; an officer should set an 
 example of decency to his men. Faugh ! you stink 
 of stale wine and camel's dung. You, an officer, 
 and asleep here ! " 
 
 Nebo glared savagely about him. He wished to 
 make an insulting retort, but Merodach was gone. 
 Kicking viciously at the drowsy camel, he drank 
 again, then staggered toward his own quarters,
 
 A Captain of Men 
 
 breathing vengeance against " the Babylonian dog." 
 His foot struck a sleeping soldier and he fell. There 
 he lay, snoring, not far from the tent he had sought. 
 There was something of the artist in Merodach, 
 the dashing soldier. Although' he had never been 
 trained to use an artist's tools, his love of beauty 
 in form and colour was shown by the changes he 
 had made in the furniture of his horses, the accou- 
 trements of his men. He had given personal care 
 to the design and finish of the bosses on their har- 
 ness and cross-belts. The beauty of the bronze tips 
 to their scabbards was owing to him. And he had 
 seen that beauty, as well as utility, should be con- 
 sidered in the ducks' heads on the ends of their 
 bows. To him, more than to any other in the em- 
 pire, belonged the credit of the improvement in 
 appearance and efficiency of the Assyrian cavalry. 
 He began a system which was to culminate under 
 Sargon and Sennacherib, and go down with Asshur- 
 banipal, the Sardanapalus of the Grecian writers. 
 Indeed it was this genius in the affairs connected 
 with his favourite branch of the army which had 
 more than once saved Merodach from the wrath 
 and unconcealed jealousy of his king. For, al- 
 though he manifested the coarseness of his origin, 
 Asshur-ab-aram was loath to lose the aid of such 
 a good soldier. Neither could he make himself
 
 Miriam and the Captain 
 
 forget that his chief of horse had saved him and 
 his army from annihilation under the crags of the 
 northern mountains. 
 
 It was this instinctive love for the beautiful, this 
 natural quickness to note lines and tints and shades, 
 which stopped him so often during his course 
 through the quieter portions of the camp. From 
 where he stood he could see the braziers flaming 
 along the causeway that Hiram was completing to 
 connect his newer Tyre on the islands with the older 
 part on the coast. The work was not allowed to 
 pause day or night, and the burning pitch from 
 Gadir ran in streams of fire into the steaming sea. 
 And the shouts of labourers and the harsh cries of 
 their overseers were far enough away to blend 
 pleasantly with the more unintelligible sounds of 
 a great city awake in the night. South of the 
 double island were other lights marking the site of 
 the new " Egyptian harbour." To the north rose 
 the new temple, now almost built, and farther still 
 blazed the fires which served as beacon-lights to 
 the mariners seeking port. Between these extrem- 
 ities were shadows pierced by points of light ; in 
 the daytime these would be palaces and arsenals 
 in this commercial centre of the world. Also above 
 the city hung tremulously a glow caught from the 
 countless lights beneath; the Shekinah of congre-
 
 8 A Captain of Men 
 
 gated humanity. He had seen the temple in the 
 morning and had marvelled at the splendour of 
 its asherim, one of shining gold, the other of emer- 
 ald green. His eyes had lingered lovingly over 
 decorations of checker-work and pomegranate, 
 carved by the hand of the great artist, Hiram Abif. 
 But now that night hid these glories from his eyes, 
 his inner vision increased the charms of Tyre be- 
 yond computation. 
 
 So Merodach stood before the wealth and glory 
 of the world, and dreamed of conquest and of 
 pow)er. Some day all this should be his, and As- 
 syria and he would hold in iron clasp the wealth and 
 power of Tyre and of the Sidonians to the very 
 ends of the sleeping sea. 
 
 The sound of voices shattered the spell of reverie, 
 and he awoke and shook himself as if from sleep. 
 The speakers were too distant for him to distinguish 
 what they said, but it seemed to him that he could 
 detect discord, that he heard two women, one com- 
 manding, the other entreating. 
 
 Not far from where he stood was one of the 
 finest houses which adorned the slopes of the hills 
 of the older city. Its well-kept grounds, cool ar- 
 bours, and delightful fish-ponds had often attracted 
 his admiration ; and it was there he heard the voices. 
 
 Yet, although he could not understand one word
 
 Miriam and the Captain 
 
 they said, the tones of the speakers moved him curi- 
 ously. There was no approach to harshness in the 
 voice that reached him the more clearly; it was, 
 if possible, the sweeter of the two; yet it roused 
 an unaccountable repugnance in his heart toward 
 its owner. Its effect upon him was even stronger, 
 and it could almost be said that it filled him with 
 sudden loathing. For some inexplicable reason he 
 seemed to resent the fact that one of these unknown 
 women should have the power to make the other 
 suffer, insomuch that he was tempted to show her 
 of the softer voice his sympathy and his pity. Af- 
 terward this was all very strange and unaccountable 
 to the Assyrian captain. 
 
 Soon all was again quiet, and he returned through 
 the camp to his tent for a brief sleep before dawn. 
 Later he was to know that he had listened to the 
 siren voice of " my lady Tanith " of Tyre, as she 
 commanded the attendance of Miriam, her Hebrew 
 slave, upon the soldiers with wine and supplies at 
 sunrise. For it should be known that Tanith had 
 been quite ill all day. Consequently she had been 
 compelled to lose her anticipated pleasures at the 
 king's banquet. Now she was indemnifying herself 
 by punishing her maid for some fancied omission 
 of duty. The discipline of my lady Tanith was 
 never lacking in shrewdness, and she had com-
 
 A Captain of Men 
 
 rrtanded Miriam to go into the camp without the 
 protection of her veil. 
 
 So passed the night till morning came to reveal 
 more clearly the squalid features of a military de- 
 bauch. The heavy-lidded scribes, now) mindful of 
 slighted duty, were beginning to prepare their rec- 
 ords ere their king's return. The guards were 
 lagging wearily, yet with an appearance of decorum, 
 before the royal tents and harem. A few seasoned 
 veterans had driven the intruding camel from his 
 resting-place, and were making a pretence of clear- 
 ing away the litter about the five-spoked chariot- 
 wheels. A half-hearted examination was being 
 made of the impaled captives to see if they should 
 be taken down. Here two befuddled bowmen were 
 struggling to string a bow, their brains clouded by 
 the impression that they must forage for their 
 breakfast. And all over the camp were rueful 
 groups, grumbling because they had exhausted their 
 supplies especially of liquids. Happier were 
 they still asleep, in ignorance of their lack. But 
 notwithstanding this general tone of weariness, 
 there was one place, and that not far from the tent 
 of Merodach, where laughter and jollity held full 
 sway. It appeared that some rude wag had dis- 
 covered Nebo, captain of the archers, asleep, stained
 
 Miriam and the Captain 1 1 
 
 from head to foot with wine, and still embracing 
 the skin which had held the entrancing liquor. 
 
 First the joker had shaken Nebo gently, then 
 roughly, without waking him. Convinced of the 
 safety of his prankishness, he had crowned the sod- 
 den drunkard with straw. Raising him to a sitting 
 posture against a boulder, he placed a stick in 
 Nebo's nerveless hand, as a sceptre, and called 
 his comrades to salute " Nebo the divine, clad in 
 his royal purple." 
 
 The jest was a sorry one, but, like heedless chil- 
 dren, the soldiers fell in with its humour, and made 
 obeisance as to a king. Not content with this, they 
 caught the passers-by and compelled them to join 
 in the sport. 
 
 Merodach heard the uproar and looked from his 
 tent to learn its cause. It may be that his careless 
 complacency was because it was Nebo who was be- 
 ing mocked, as he had no patience with the archer's 
 coarseness. At all events he went back to his couch, 
 saying nothing. 
 
 By this time slaves from the richer merchants 
 began to appear in that portion of the camp nearest 
 the city, bearing supplies, or driving beasts of bur- 
 den heavily laden for the soldiers' use. Unfortu- 
 nately the cavalry were on the outskirts, and the 
 jokers discovered that they were likely to see others
 
 12 A Captain of Men 
 
 eating and drinking while they went hungry. Con- 
 voy after convoy was intercepted and unloaded be- 
 fore getting half-way to them. Their joy was 
 correspondingly enhanced by the sudden appear- 
 ance of ten asses, bearing wine and food, driven by 
 two men under the charge of a maiden. 
 
 The beasts were quickly unloaded, and the riot- 
 ous soldiers led the shrinking girl to receive the 
 thanks of their " king." Too much interested in 
 their play to notice that the captain was half-awake, 
 they placed her before him, and bade her do hom- 
 age or suffer the direful consequences of her rebel- 
 lion. 
 
 Startled and bewildered by this unexpected return 
 for her courtesy, Miriam strove vainly to escape 
 from her boisterous captors. 
 
 " Hail him king ! " cried one. 
 
 " Impale her ! " shouted another. " Bow, you 
 stubborn one, or die ! " 
 
 Then all fell silent and began to shuffle backward 
 from her, for Nebo was on his feet, staring sullenly 
 at them. They were caught red-handed, and they 
 feared his rage. 
 
 But Nebo's little wine-inflamed eyes saw nothing 
 but the beauty of the unveiled face before him. 
 " Come," he said, and, grasping her hands, he 
 roughly pulled her toward the nearest tent.
 
 Miriam and the Captain 13 
 
 " I am here as your friend ; we have brought 
 food for your men," replied the maiden, bravely. 
 " Surely you will not harm a friend." 
 
 " You are mine, come ! " growled Nebo, and 
 his prisoner knew that he had no thought of mercy. 
 
 " Will no one help me ? " she cried, looking from 
 one to another about her, while struggling to es- 
 cape. But they only averted their eyes, or gazed 
 covetously at her beauty. Then she tried to snatch 
 a weapon from one of them, but Nebo foiled her, 
 and bruised her with the tightness of his clasp. 
 For an instant she lost herself, panting and crying 
 piteously. But quickly she regained her self-con- 
 trol and said, proudly: 
 
 " If you will not let me go, my God will avenge 
 me." 
 
 Her obstinate courage increased Nebo's rage, 
 so that he shook her in drunken ferocify. Fairly 
 dragging her to the tent, he threw open its flap 
 and found himself face to face with Merodach, the 
 Babylonian. 
 
 "Greetings, Nebo; but why are you so early at 
 my tent? and why have you brought this maiden 
 with you ? " asked Merodach, so softly and with 
 so pleasant a smile that those knowing him drew 
 nearer, like vultures scenting blood. 
 
 The archer cursed savagely and attempted to
 
 14 A Captain of Men 
 
 thrust Merodach to one side in order to pass into 
 the tent. But, receiving a buffet which sent him 
 reeling backward, he drew his sword and rushed 
 blindly forward, still dragging his captive. There 
 was a flash of steel, a groan, and Nebo fell fainting 
 to the earth, his severed hand still clutching its 
 sword. 
 
 " Take him to yonder forge and stop the blood 
 by fire," commanded Merodach to the now sobered 
 and obedient soldiers. 
 
 " Our men are rude and boisterous," he apolo- 
 gized to the grateful girl. " They did not wish 
 really to harm you. We thank you for your gifts." 
 Then very gently : " Should you come here again, 
 it were well to remember that a maiden should not 
 visit an army without wearing her veil." 
 
 Unnerved by her startling experience, as well 
 as confused by his advice, she could only thank him 
 in broken phrases for his kindness. She could not 
 tell him why she was without her veil, she could 
 only stammer; what she hardly knew. Her beasts 
 were already unloaded and she wished to go away, 
 but she felt that she was miserably failing to ex- 
 press her gratitude. 
 
 There was also an unaccountable tumult in the 
 mind of the Assyrian captain. Merodach had passed 
 most of his life among men, but he was not alto-
 
 Miriam and the Captain 15 
 
 gether without knowledge of women. His duties 
 in the army had included a winter in the city of 
 Asshur as captain of the king's guard, and his manly 
 beauty had not lacked appreciation. But the bold 
 admiration of court beauties had seemed quite dif- 
 ferent from the shy gratitude of this stranger. He 
 felt annoyed at his difficulty to do more than direct 
 his men to aid her servants. Truly she must think 
 him boorish in his awkward silence. So, as neither 
 could help the other in words, they walked silently 
 together toward the end of the camp. 
 
 At last they paused before parting, and, as is so 
 often true, the girl was first able to speak. 
 
 " I would not have you think unkindly of me," 
 she said, softly. " You have saved me from a great 
 danger, and I thank you from the bottom of my 
 heart. I did not wish to come, but may the God 
 of my fathers watch over you and keep you. And 
 and it would be kind of you to tell me the name 
 of my preserver. You were the only one willing 
 to save me." 
 
 " I am called Merodach, the Babylonian. Will 
 you also tell me your name? " 
 
 " Thy servant is no more than Miriam, the He- 
 brew slave of Esmun of Tyre, and of Tanith, his 
 daughter. Kindness is sweet in the heart of a 
 slave."
 
 1 6 A Captain of Men 
 
 Again silence held them, though they were both 
 wishful to say more, until Miriam signalled to her 
 men to continue the march homeward. Then, bow- 
 ing low before the Assyrian, she left him. 
 
 Yet it was not long before she was impelled to 
 turn and take one last look at Merodach. He was 
 standing motionless, his head bowed as if in medi- 
 tation, and she was glad to be able to gaze at him 
 unobserved. 
 
 He was tall, a hand's-breadth taller than the 
 average man. Yet the perfection of his form re- 
 lieved his height and graced it with martial state- 
 liness. Her woman's eye dwelt lovingly upon the 
 richness of his garb and armour. The light from 
 his silver helmet dazzled her, and the silver scales 
 on his arms and breast seemed to sparkle like rip- 
 pling water. His cross-belts were of immaculate 
 neatness, and the metal on his scabbard appeared 
 molten gold. Before this she had noticed the al- 
 most foppish nicety of his curled and scented beard, 
 and the fineness of his linen; yet she had not till 
 now fully appreciated the splendour of his appear- 
 ance. It was marvellous to know that he had helped 
 her. It might be that he had mocked her, that 
 he was even the king himself. 
 
 Then she forgot his external adornment in the 
 sudden warmth that thrilled her when she discov-
 
 Miriam and the Captain 17 
 
 ered that he was returning her gaze. She was 
 startled to be caught watching him, yet she would 
 not have lost this proof of his interest in her. Nor 
 did Merodach ever forget the long gaze which held 
 them both in troubled bewilderment.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE HAND OF NEBO 
 
 As in every other army, since men began first to 
 organize for war and battles, there were certain 
 veterans in the Assyrian Horse who resented im- 
 provement or innovations in drill. They had ridden 
 to battle all their lives with their knees high up on 
 their horses' withers. They had also been accus- 
 tomed to use their bows as their chief weapons. Yet 
 was this young lord upsetting all precedents with 
 his commands that they should lower their knees, 
 and learn to strike and thrust with the sword. To 
 these useless ends they were being unmercifully 
 drilled, in season and out. And especially that 
 matter of drill was a most unbearable grievance; 
 even while they were wiping their beards and lips, 
 and while the wines of Phoenicia were still tickling 
 their palates, my lord Merodach had called them 
 to drill. So, like reluctant dogs from a toothsome 
 bone, they went snarling to their duties. 
 
 18
 
 The Hand of Nebo 19 
 
 Some two hours later, Merodach was still busy 
 exercising his squadrons in battle formations. 
 
 " Carry your knees lower! " he sternly cautioned 
 some of the most rebellious. " Still lower ! You 
 cannot strike hard while your knees hug your 
 horses' withers. Close up! Close up! Give your 
 charge weight by massing together," and he sent 
 them rushing down the firm sands over and over 
 again. " That is better, much better," he cried, 
 heartily. " What if your legs do grind together ! 
 keep them low. Nothing can stop you when you 
 are welded into one." Twice more he urged them 
 to the charge, then bidding them rest, he discovered 
 a messenger from, the king, demanding his atten- 
 tion. Dismissing his command, he made obeisance 
 before the royal seal. 
 
 " To Merodach, chief of horse, from my lord 
 the king; the word of his mouth," droned the mes- 
 senger. A scribe was quickly found, the formalities 
 of delivering and receiving the earthen tablet were 
 observed, and the message was read aloud as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 " From Asshur-ab-aram, king by the grace of the 
 great gods Asshur, Bel, Nebo, Tashnit, Ishtar of 
 Nineveh, and Ishtar of Arbela, protectors of roy- 
 alty; 
 
 " To Merodach, my chief of horse, greeting.
 
 2O A Captain of Men 
 
 May an hundred years of life be granted to Mero- 
 dach, my servant, before my face. 
 
 " For be it known that on this 24th day of the 
 month Air in the fifth year of my reign, I have ap- 
 pointed Merodach, called the Babylonian, to be 
 Turtan of the Left, and to be governor of the Khatti 
 (Hittites). Also be it known that I have herein 
 commanded my servant Merodach to place Nebo, 
 the archer, in charge of my camp; and that Mero- 
 dach, the Turtan, shall hasten to enter my presence 
 here on board the ship of Hiram, my friend, king 
 of the Sidonians." 
 
 A strange smile passed over the newly promoted 
 officer's face while he listened to this evidence of 
 royal favour. Only one man, the Turtan of the 
 Right, now stood between him and the king in com- 
 mand of the army. Conscious as he was of the 
 new humility in the scribe (who cast himself on 
 the ground, beseeching his favour), Merodach was 
 nevertheless tempted to flout his unexpected good 
 fortune. But, upon second thought, he made rich 
 presents to both scribe and messenger, and dismissed 
 them. The scribe departed to prepare the tablet, by 
 baking, for the archives, and the messenger to his 
 post by the king. Merodach himself went in search 
 of Nebo to notify him of his charge. 
 
 News of his advancement had already reached
 
 The Hand of Nebo 21 
 
 his men, who crowded around him with shouts of 
 joy. The genuineness of their pleasure won his 
 face to softness as he thanked them for their loy- 
 alty. Bidding them be worthy of his training, to 
 make their past as nothing beside their future, he 
 passed between their now silent ranks to Nebo's 
 tent 
 
 He found the latter sullenly nursing his wrist, 
 now seared and bandaged in soothing oils. His 
 countenance was downcast, and his muttered accept- 
 ance of his new duties wias in the manner of one 
 wishing but not daring 1 to be insolent. 
 
 Not long, and Merodach had ridden through the 
 streets of the ancient city to the wharves whdch lined 
 the narrow arm of the sea separating it from its 
 island part. There he saw the royal barge and its 
 famous rowers from Arvad, the home of oarsmen. 
 He gave his horse, Nergal, in charge of a soldier 
 who had accompanied him for that purpose, and 
 stepped on board. The barge sped to the wharf 
 before the arsenal, at the northern end of the island, 
 and he landed just in time to join the two sover- 
 eigns in their procession over the purple-carpeted 
 gangway to Hiram's ship of state. 
 
 Asshur-ab-aram, tired and worn by his dissipa- 
 tion of the night before, smiled heavily upon him. 
 He took his new place in rear of the Turtan of the
 
 22 A Captain of Men 
 
 Right, who was ranged by the side of the chief 
 eunuch and behind the eunuch who bore the para- 
 sol. 
 
 Crowds of shouting sailors thronged the maze 
 of vessels in the harbour. Big-bellied merchantmen 
 of Utica and Tarshish, keen-snouted biremes, pleas- 
 ure barges, and even the humble boats of the water- 
 men were decked with sails and streamers of purple 
 and violet and amethystine hues. Behind them rose 
 the palaces, tier on tier of massive stone and fra- 
 grant cedar, their roofs crowded with people. By 
 the lofty portico of the new temple stood marshalled 
 ranks of white-robed priests, priests of Baal Mel- 
 karth, priests of Ashtoreth, and the high priest 
 himself. The smoke of the altars rose straight up- 
 ward from the temple court, and the swinging cen- 
 sers filled the sluggish air with the fumes of frank- 
 incense and myrrh. But like a foul undercurrent 
 flowed the odour from the heaps of rotting shells of 
 the purple murex-fish. 
 
 Hiram led his guests over his exquisite ship. 
 Sheathings of gold and of shining bronze covered 
 its planks from Lebanon. Its rowers were picked 
 men from Arvad; their benches were of boxwood 
 inlaid with ivory. Its sails and awnings were of 
 finest, heaviest linen of that peculiar purple which 
 glows crimson in the sunlight. Ebony pins held 

 
 The Hand of Nebo 23 
 
 the oars; the step of the mast was of pure gold and 
 the anchors of silver. There, also, stood a band 
 of the king's body-guard, full-bodied, stately men 
 of Gebal, resplendent in golden helmets and armour, 
 and purple linen cloaks. The skin of a great black 
 bear, slain in Tarshish, was under the throne of the 
 Assyrian king, and the yellow fur of a Libyan lion 
 was spread for Hiram's feet. 
 
 Merodach was dazzled by the glow of colour on 
 sea and land, and by the lavish display of precious 
 metals. The shouts of the multitude thrilled him, 
 and he was surprised and awed by the youth and 
 regal bearing of the Sidonian king. Yet, despite 
 his emotion, so keen were his glances and quick 
 to comprehend, and so gallant was his appearance, 
 that Hiram singled him out and showed him marked 
 attention. He called his notice to the hold, and the 
 compactness of its lading; he explained the use of 
 the mallet which timed the rowers, and of the table 
 upon which it was struck. 
 
 When the wharves and the city were far behind 
 them, Hiram placed the Assyrian king before the 
 table, and Asshur-ab-aram beat time loudly, and 
 imagined himself king of seamen, monarch of the 
 Sea of the Rising Sun. 
 
 The fresh air of the sea blew saltily in their nos- 
 trils, and drummed on the purple sail bellying above
 
 24 A Captain of Men 
 
 them, and droned musically through the purple rig- 
 ging. Schools of porpoises tumbled and played 
 about the vessel, and the notes of trumpets pealed 
 joyfully over the sunny water. 
 
 One of the crew hooked a shark, about noon, and 
 the Assyrian king rivalled his mighty predecessor, 
 Tiglath-Pileser, by pulling lustily on the line which 
 drew it aboard. Eight feet long was the fish, and 
 furious to escape. Asshur-ab-aram forgot his dig- 
 nity and shouted his approval when Merodach killed 
 it with a spear. 
 
 Perchance there may have been a touch of resent- 
 ment on Hiram's part in what followed, for he must 
 have been able to forecast the result. At all events, 
 after a sumptuous luncheon, which might better 
 be termed a dinner, he caused the ship to cruise 
 quietly along the coast, and then bore fairly out 
 to sea. The shores and headlands melted to a violet 
 haze, the wind and waves rose higher, and his lands- 
 men-guests grewi very quiet. The chief eunuch 
 clutched dismally at his monarch's throne and turned 
 a sickly green. The Turtan of the Right lay heav- 
 ily against Merodach, Turtan of the Left, and their 
 king did not think to call them to an account; for 
 Asshur-ab-aram had begun to loathe the sea. In- 
 deed, the demons of seasickness overcame the As- 
 syrians and created such inward commotion as to
 
 The Hand of Nebo 25 
 
 make them hang limply against the bulwarks, cry- 
 ing when they could : " Hilkah ! Hilkah ! Besha ! 
 Besha!" (Go away! Go away! Evil one! Evil 
 one!) Broad grins covered the faces of the sailors 
 and the rowers, who had long grown tired of the 
 airs of the foolish landsmen. Hiram himself rel- 
 ished the scene, but he hid his enjoyment, and turned 
 to Merodach, who was still fresh-looking and cheer- 
 ful. 
 
 " Surely you have before this sailed on ships," 
 he said, with an admiring glance. 
 
 " But little, my lord the king, and that only in 
 my youth." 
 
 " Then this is not the first time you have been on 
 this sea? " 
 
 " It is truly my first visit here. When a boy I 
 was for a brief time a sailor on one of the vessels 
 which sailed from Ur of the Chaldees." 
 
 Something in the Assyrian's manner caused the 
 king to change the subject, and, after a few more 
 words, go to condole with his brother monarch. 
 
 But, unfortunately, this immunity from seasick- 
 ness bid fair to work Merodach very much ill. 
 Asshur-ab-aram saw how this one of his subjects 
 escaped the nausea which he, the king, had suffered, 
 and, forthwith, he began to remember that he had 
 never liked this Commander of the Left. Nor did
 
 26 A Captain of Men 
 
 he have to send for his chief scribe to remind him 
 of an incident which, on the contrary, still rankled 
 in his memory. Indeed, he had not considered it 
 wise to have that adventure recorded at all. He 
 had been hunting among the reeds of a marshy 
 river, and was returning to his camp. Some little 
 thing had happened to separate him from his hunts- 
 men and beaters, and he was waiting alone in his 
 chariot when a wounded lion attacked him. And 
 then Merodach had saved his life. 
 
 Assyrian law made it death for a subject to place 
 himself between the king and his quarry. But 
 Merodach had slain the lion with his sword, and 
 Asshur-ab-aram had been well content to accept 
 the merit of the deed. Yet he never forgot the 
 sneer which had curled his captain's lips when he 
 had not corrected the report of his own bravery. 
 The very silence of Merodach was a bitter reproach 
 to him, and the king hated him ever afterward. 
 Now, as an evil fate would have it, Merodach was 
 again victor when he was the vanquished, and his 
 hatred became still deeper. 
 
 But a kindlier fortune was even then preparing 
 a vent for this gathering bitterness. They- were 
 boarded by a messenger from the camp just before 
 they reached the wharf. Asshur-ab-aram sat on 
 his throne, leaning toward the eunuch who fanned
 
 The Hand of Nebo 27 
 
 him. The chief eunuch received the earthen tab- 
 let, spoke to the king, then gave it to the chief 
 scribe, commanding him to read it aloud. 
 
 " Salutation to the king, my lord," it ran. " May 
 Asshur, Nergal, Bel, Zarpanit, Nebo, Tashnit, Ish- 
 tar of Arbela, the great gods, protectors of royalty, 
 give countless years to the king, my lord, and slaves 
 and wives in great number to the king, my lord. 
 
 " I, Nebo the archer, have received of Mero- 
 dach the Babylonian, now Turtan of the Left, my 
 fellow servant of the king, my lord, a most grievous 
 hurt. My right hand has been severed from its 
 wrist, and I am therefore now unable to serve the 
 king, my lord. I am become an useless thing be- 
 cause of the inexcusable violence of Merodach, the 
 Babylonian. Most humbly do I now cast myself 
 before the king, my lord, and beg of him justice 
 and a hearing." 
 
 Nothing could have given the king more pleas- 
 ure than this unhoped-for opportunity. He rejoiced 
 that Merodach had placed himself in the wrong, 
 yet he was also furious when he thought of Nebo's 
 loss. 
 
 " Stand forth, Merodach, thou Babylonian dog," 
 he savagely commanded. " Is it true that thou hast 
 maimed the best archer in all mine army ? " 
 
 " It is true, my lord."
 
 28 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Write it down even as he said it," exclaimed the 
 king to his scribe. Then more fiercely : " And who 
 art thou thus willing to dare my vengeance? Did 
 I not lift thee from the ranks and show thee favour? 
 Thy bearing is insolent. It may be that I have not 
 known thee. Tell me who thou art, that thy name 
 may be written properly with thine offence, before 
 I bid them seize thee by thy girdle." 
 
 " Write my answer fully as I give it," said Mero- 
 dach, proudly. " Write that I, Merodach, called the 
 Babylonian, am Merodach-Pileser, the son of Sham- 
 mus Vul, once King of Assyria, where now sits 
 Asshur-ab-aram, the usurper. Write that my father 
 was brother of Asshur-bil-Kala ; that they two were 
 the sons of Tiglath-Pileser, the son of Asshur-ris- 
 elim, whose father was Mutaggil Nebo, the son of 
 Asshur-dayan, whose father was Nin-pala-zara, the 
 great founder of our line. Now! tell me: Whose 
 son art thou, Asshur-ab-aram ? " 
 
 At first it seemed as if the Assyrian king could 
 not reply. Face to face with the grandson of Tig- 
 lath-Pileser, he was almost ready to see his subjects 
 pluck him from the throne. But they were all his 
 creatures; his good fortune was theirs, so he 
 shrieked out his fear and rage. 
 
 " You lie ! You lie ! you whelp of Babylon ! "
 
 The Hand of Nebo 29 
 
 Then turning to the affrighted scribe, he snarled : 
 " What hast thou written ? " 
 
 Slowly and haltingly his dazed servant read the 
 long list of names. 
 
 "Cast it into the sea!" howled the king. The 
 order was obeyed. A bitter smile made the king's 
 face more terrible than had his rage. " Tell me," 
 he asked, "is it not thy duty to preserve thy rec- 
 ords?" 
 
 " It is, my lord the king." 
 
 " Yet thou art here, and thy records are there. 
 Surely thou must save them and see that they reach 
 my royal city in safety. To thy duty, O scribe ! " 
 
 The chief scribe gazed imploringly at the king, 
 who only smiled, and looked toward the sea. Al- 
 most crawling from his seat, he prostrated himself 
 in homage, and leaped clumsily over the bulwarks. 
 
 Asshur-ab-aram lazily left his throne, and stood 
 watching until the arms and head of the drowning 
 man came in sight. There were a few wild strug- 
 gles, a choking cry, and all was over. Then the 
 king glanced at Merodach and appeared surprised 
 at seeing him in the ship. 
 
 " Is it possible that thou art still there, thou son 
 of kings? Behold, the records of thy greatness are 
 still unsaved. Save them, and I will forgive thee, 
 Merodach."
 
 30 A Captain of Men 
 
 There was no chance to mistake the meaning 
 of the king. Merodach knew that he must die in 
 the ship, or leap into the water after the scribe. 
 
 Glancing quickly about him, at the dark face of 
 the now triumphant king, the quiet figure of Hiram, 
 and the great city in the distance, he sprang on top 
 of the narrow bulwark and dove straight into the 
 sea. 
 
 Once more Asshur-ab-aram rose to view the 
 sight of a drowning subject. But the ripples wid- 
 ened, the water became again smooth, and he never 
 more beheld the face of Merodach.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 IN THE HUT OF HADAD AND CHNA 
 
 Now while all the Assyrians on board the ship 
 were satisfied that Merodach was drowned, Hiram 
 and all his men were sure of the very reverse. The 
 Phoenician sailors and their sailor king were cer- 
 tain that one who had cleft the water as skilfully 
 as any diver would pass under the ship, and try 
 to escape by swimming to the shore. 
 
 So while Asshur-ab-aram and his following gazed 
 carefully to see Merodach struggle and drown, as 
 had the scribe, Hiram and the sailors kept silence 
 and watched toward the other side, in the expecta- 
 tion of witnessing a cunning escape. Nor were 
 these last disappointed ; for their keen eyes discov- 
 ered Merodach the instant he rose for breath. They 
 saw him dive and rise again and again, until the 
 distance finally hid him. And they mocked inwardly 
 at their land-bred guests, and held their peace. 
 
 Nevertheless it was a long, wearisome swim, and 
 3'
 
 32 A Captain of Men 
 
 Merodach well-nigh perished of exhaustion before 
 he was rescued by two men in a rowboat. In fact, 
 he was peacefully allowing himself to sink, while 
 the two watermen disputed concerning the wisdom 
 of giving him succour. The green, rumbling veil 
 of water had fallen upon him: He knew no more 
 till he was returned to consciousness in the poor 
 hut of his rude preservers. Moreover, he was sol- 
 dier and philosopher enough to be able to appreciate 
 the justice of their logic, that an Assyrian was for- 
 tunate in escaping naked from the sea. So Mero- 
 dach stayed awiake long enough to satisfy himself 
 that he was alive, to discover the two watermen 
 wrangling and cursing over the distribution of his 
 entire belongings, and to enjoy the pleasure of 
 drifting off into sleep. 
 
 The owners of the hut were away, and the sun 
 was well up in the sky when he awoke and lay for 
 some minutes on his couch of mangy skins, recall- 
 ing the incidents which had made him an outcast 
 in a strange land. In many ways this was the most 
 complete demolishment of the structure of his de- 
 sires that had hitherto hindered his purposeful yet 
 checkered career. Disappointments and obstacles 
 had been plentiful in his past, but had never daunted 
 him. So even now, when all was seemingly lost, 
 he thanked his gods for saving him naked from his
 
 In the Hut of Hadad and Chna 33 
 
 peril. Soon hunger took the place of meditation. 
 He bound one of the skins about his waist, and 
 searched the hut till he found some cakes of millet 
 and a skin of wine. 
 
 Later the watermen returned for their noontime 
 luncheon. They owned a boat, and carried water 
 from the mainland to the islands. Chna, the elder 
 of the two, was a grizzled veteran of unknown age 
 and countless experiences. The storms and sun 
 of every sea then known had changed his skin to- 
 wrinkled parchment. His hair and beard were 
 tossed and tangled and coarsened by salty spray 
 and wintry blasts. Lean, active, seasoned, gray, 
 he seemed old as time ; an immortal of the deep. 
 
 As is so often the case, his companion Hadad 
 was his opposite. Many counted the young water- 
 man the strongest and handsomest man in Tyre 
 if not in Sidonia. A few declared that Zagros, the 
 Nubian slave of T'anith, the daughter of Prince 
 Esmun, was stronger than he, but they were in the 
 minority. Still more asserted that the beauty of 
 Hector, the Greek, was more subtle and finished 
 than Hadad's massive form or boyish, dissipated 
 face could ever hope to be. But all united in the 
 verdict that Hadad had been most lavishly gifted 
 with both strength and comeliness. There was also 
 a certain mystery attached to this younger of the
 
 34 A Captain of Men 
 
 Assyrian's preservers. It was known that Hadad 
 had come there from Damascus. Rumour said 
 that he was of good family. There wiere moments 
 when his manner and conversation gave hint of 
 education and a past above his present condition. 
 Yet, whatever his past had been, he was Chna's 
 partner now, and he had well earned his reputation 
 for reckless debauchery. 
 
 Hadad accepted the Assyrian's thanks with care- 
 less laughter, while Chna grumbled and cursed at 
 the shiftlessness of a man so lacking in the swim- 
 mer's art. He growled all during the meal; he 
 was cross-grained and crabbed beyond description, 
 but, before he left, he tossed a shirt at the Assyr- 
 ian's feet, and cursed him for his nakedness. Some- 
 how Merodach had a sensation of friendship for 
 the surly veteran, and he determined to win his 
 favour. 
 
 Alone and among strangers, his indomitable brain 
 was already beginning to outline plans that would 
 make his new surroundings factors in his ultimate 
 success. He had before this met and won men of 
 the most opposite characteristics, and that night he 
 dug his first trenches in his siege of Chna's heart. 
 This hut of the water-carriers was the only refuge 
 he could keep; he would prevent its owners from 
 the wish to be rid of his presence.
 
 In the Hut of Hadad and Chna 35 
 
 Chna was old and garrulous. The wily Assyrian 
 ignored his grumblings, endured his cursings, tried 
 him here, and tempted him there, and in the end 
 got the veteran launched on the limitless ocean of 
 reminiscences. 
 
 Old! If one-half of what Chna told as having 
 happened to himself were true, he must have been 
 old indeed. Before the Greeks had commenced 
 to struggle for the wealth of the northern coasts, 
 Chna had sailed as merchant, discoverer, or pirate, 
 as the opportunity might appear. He had been to 
 Cholchis, where the miners caught the golden sands 
 of the rivers on sheep-skins; like Jason, he had 
 stolen the Golden Fleece. Once he had spent weeks 
 among the Chalybes, and seen the red light of their 
 forges on their naked breasts, while they beat out 
 sword and dagger of steel, chanting incantations 
 while they worked. He knew the secret of how they 
 tempered their blades, burying them in the earth 
 till they were fit to cut through metal helm 
 and shield of bronze. The old man's deep-set 
 eyes glittered as he narrated incidents of voyages 
 among the Grecian isles. He told how his com- 
 rades would place their merchandise on the beach, 
 and then return to the vessels and wait while 
 the timid natives selected what took their fancy. 
 They, in their turn, would withdraw, and the Phoe-
 
 36 A Captain of Men 
 
 nicians, gathering together the articles unsold, and 
 the gold left for the things taken, would repeat 
 their landings until they were ready for the home- 
 ward voyage. But such scenes were tame compared 
 with the excitement of decoying youths and maidens 
 into the ship, to be kept and sold as slaves. Prince 
 Esmun had in such manner obtained Hector, but 
 had since freed him and made him his secretary. 
 
 Merodach also heard of Stromboli, and of its 
 warning smoke. Chna said that a storm was sure 
 to come when the smoke drooped low toward the 
 sea. The great Cabirim the mariners' gods 
 used it to warn the sailors to take in sail and seek 
 a harbour. But of all his tales, Chna told none 
 so interesting, Merodach thought, as that of his last 
 voyage for tin. They had beat their course to 
 Utica, from thence to the mouth of the river (now 
 called the Rhone), and had from there gone inland 
 nearly to its source. They had climbed the moun- 
 tains to the temple of Melkarth, their regular rest- 
 ing-place. Caravans of the precious metal, from 
 some unknown land in the distant west, came up 
 a river (the Seine) and met the Phoenicians at the 
 temple. But the natives had begun to prevent the 
 passage of the metal through their country, and 
 Chna and his party had been compelled to fight their
 
 In the Hut of Hadad and Chna 37 
 
 way back, every step. Yet they had saved the tin, 
 as had not always happened since. 
 
 Now Hadad was never easy when others did the 
 talking; he, too, had stories to tell, of the sirens 
 and their songs. He was not quite sure that he had 
 seen them, but he had heard them sing, and he had 
 longed to go to them. It was true that they brought 
 sure destruction on those who went to them. No, 
 he had not seen the sirens, but he had seen the 
 maidens of Gebal loosen their hair, and beat their 
 breasts, and lament over the death of Adonis. Each 
 year, when the summer was hot, they bewailed his 
 death by the river of his name, and each year the 
 river had been reddened with his blood. Hadad had 
 seen the water turn to blood with his own eyes; 
 and truly the women of Gebal were surpassingly 
 beautiful while they mourned. 
 
 Chna admitted that there was something impres- 
 sive in the ceremony, but still it was nothing beside 
 the interest of a genuine Feast of Expiation. Times 
 were not as they once were, he complained; men 
 were becoming too rich and selfish. When he was 
 young, it was a common thing for the highest in 
 the land to offer their first-born to Baal-Moloch in 
 times of trouble. Then men were men indeed, and 
 it was beautiful to see the women deck themselves 
 and dance while the gods scorched up their chil-
 
 38 A Captain of Men 
 
 dren. Now the rich offered their slaves, or bought 
 the children of the poor and mocked the gods with 
 their sacrifice. Yet the time must come when the 
 people would compel the rich to give of their own. 
 Everything had of late years gone well with Tyre; 
 let Baal-Hamon burn up the land and cause a fam- 
 ine, then surely the change would come. Chna 
 then spoke of the dryness of that very spring; it 
 might be that the famine was quite near at hand. 
 
 Both Hadad and Chna told of the pillars of Mel- 
 karth near the end of the world. Not far beyond 
 them, to the west, was the sea of eternal night. 
 Terrible spirits were there, guarding the place where 
 the waters of the earth plunged hissing and head- 
 long into space. 
 
 The glamour of their tales wove a spell about 
 the Assyrian's heart. Merodach listened, and 
 dreamed of the end of the world, of the sirens, and 
 of the land of tin. The restless sea sang its song 
 upon the beach, and its mystery grew into his heart, 
 until he forgot home and people; forgot all save 
 " the unharvested sea " stretching limitless before 
 him. 
 
 Twice, during the two weeks of his stay with the 
 water-carriers, he went into the streets of the island 
 city and learned of the whereabouts of Esmun, the 
 princely merchant. Once, while there, he heard
 
 In the Hut of Hadad and Chna 39 
 
 the tramp of soldiers. Hiding himself in a shel- 
 tered nook, he watched rank after rank of curled 
 Assyrians pass so close that he might have touched 
 the nearest. He craved to be with them, to speak to 
 them, to return with them to the camp. In spite 
 of their feastings and revellings, they were still 
 altogether different from the fat, lazy guard of 
 Hiram's court. With a leader like himself, they 
 could conquer the world. It came to him like a 
 certainty, that he had but to reappear among them 
 and proclaim himself the grandson of Tiglath- 
 Pileser, they would rally to him to a man. More 
 than that, it was as if sudden knowledge came to 
 him of himself. The experiences of his life, the 
 full meaning of their discipline and training, was 
 clear to him, so that he became able to weigh cor- 
 rectly his own powers and strength and failings. 
 The genius of command was his, the ability to mould 
 and use an army, a nation, and he knew it. And 
 it seemed to him that he was placed face to face with 
 one of the decisive moments of his life. He had 
 learned that in every hard-fought battle there comes 
 a pause, a moment, a crisis : that then is the time to 
 strike the decisive blow. It was now that he must 
 snatch the flying moment which held Assyria's 
 crown. 
 
 He even sprang from his hiding-place to rally
 
 40 A Captain of Men 
 
 these men to his standard; but he did not speak, 
 he kept silence, and walked slowly, and as one who 
 dreams, back to the hut of Hadad and Chna. 
 
 A few! days later, he stood high up on one of 
 the slopes of Lebanon to watch the army wind 
 reluctantly on its homeward march. He was bid- 
 ding good-bye to all that had been dearest in his 
 past. There marched the skirmishers, the light- 
 armed bowmen he had so often seen flitting here 
 and there in the front of battle. There marched 
 the archers of the line, accompanied each by his 
 comrade, bearing the great wicker shield. Behind 
 them rolled the war-chariots, seemingly innumer- 
 able. Then the royal standard, emblazoned with 
 Asshur bending his bow; and the king himself, in 
 tiara and fringed chasuble, shaded by his crimson 
 parasol. Again innumerable chariots, would 
 they never end! The miserable ranks of captives 
 followed, lagging through the dust raised by wheels 
 and prancing horses. A horseman came into sight. 
 Merodach leaned eagerly, breathlessly, forward, 
 quivering like a dog in leash with the stag in view; 
 before him were the standard and the horsemen of 
 the Assyrian cavalry. They were his very own; 
 there was nothing equal to this body of his own 
 creation. How well they rode! They were cured
 
 In the Hut of Hadad and Chna 41 
 
 of clasping their knees high before them ; they were 
 centaurs, man and horse were one. 
 
 Tears filled his eyes and a great sob choked his 
 breath; for they still needed him; they were as 
 nothing without his guiding voice, and he was 
 leaving them. Never till now had Merodach, the 
 Assyrian, known such grief. 
 
 But notwithstanding his grief, and despite the 
 inner voice which prophesied that he was losing 
 all in losing them, and in face of the promise that 
 it was not yet too late, his stubborn will refused 
 to yield. 
 
 He had determined to see Miriam again; he 
 had vowed to see for himself the wonders of the 
 deep, to sail the great sea. In one year, or it might 
 be in two, he would return to the City of Asshur 
 with Miriam. But, by Asshur, by Shammus, and 
 Ishtar of Nineveh! he would not go back till this 
 were done.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DAVID, THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 EARLY in the morning of the following day, 
 Merodach started for the newer city. His course 
 took him over the causeway, now almost completed. 
 The aqueduct, which was to carry water from 
 the fountain near the beach to the islands, was also 
 nearly ready for use. Chna and Hadad, and the 
 others of their vocation, would of necessity be com- 
 pelled to seek other means of obtaining a liveli- 
 hood. The Assyrian pitied the veteran, but could 
 not but admire the solidity and massive perfection 
 of Hiram's workmanship. 
 
 Hadad had told him that Prince Esmun was 
 likely to be found in the neighbourhood of the 
 " Egyptian Harbour," on the southern extremity 
 of the island. The merchant was expecting grain 
 from Egypt, and would probably be where he could 
 see it arrive. But Esmun had already left, and 
 Merodach was told that he was even then on his 
 
 42
 
 David, the Son of Jesse 43 
 
 way to his warehouses and wharves near the arsenal, 
 clear across to the north. He had a fleet, sent out 
 for tin, now some days overdue, and he was be- 
 coming anxious for its appearance. 
 
 A great mole, or breakwater, was under construc- 
 tion to complete this southern harbour. Merodach 
 saw some huge rafts, from the quarries at Gebal, 
 being unloaded, and he concluded to spend a little 
 time watching the work. So he passed along under 
 the shadow of the city's wall, through swarms of 
 workmen and porters, and reached the unfinished 
 part of the mole. 
 
 Hiram himself was there, superintending and 
 marshalling his army of labourers. Nothing es- 
 caped his eye; none dared to loiter while the king 
 was near. He seemed omnipresent, untiring, the 
 embodiment of forceful genius. Furthermore, he 
 had the kingly accomplishment of remembering 
 names and faces, for he spoke to the Assyrian, half- 
 smiling, and said : 
 
 " So you have not been drowned in our Tyrian 
 sea, Merodach-Pileser, son of Assyrian kings. 
 Your life among the Chaldeans was not altogether 
 lost; for it enabled you to learn to dive and swim 
 like any sailor in my fleets." 
 
 " I crave your pardon, my lord the king. Thy 
 servant is as one dead; he is now no more than
 
 44 A Captain of Men 
 
 Merodach, the friend of Hadad and Chna, the 
 water-carriers." 
 
 The subtle simplicity of the speaker's words and 
 expression tickled the king's fancy. He laughed, 
 and retorted: 
 
 " And ' my lord the king ' is at present no more 
 than Hiram, the builder of causeways and har- 
 bours." Then sternly, yet with lowered voice, he 
 asked : " Are you indeed no more than what you 
 seem, a loyal man and true ? " 
 
 " I am, my lord, if it be loyal and true to give 
 faithful service in return for simple trust." 
 
 The king gazed long and earnestly at the As- 
 syrian. " You speak well," he said, quietly : " you 
 speak as you fight, for your words are a shield to 
 guard your thoughts. I will consider their mean- 
 ing." Saying which, Hiram abruptly left him. 
 
 No sooner was Merodach alone than a stranger 
 touched him on the arm. " Is that Hiram, the 
 king? " he asked in a voice that moved his hearer 
 as will half-remembered music. The Assyrian 
 quickly turned, and could have cried out in his 
 surprise. Before him was a young man of about 
 his own age, say of twenty-seven or twenty- 
 eight, a man sunburned, and with a silken, ruddy 
 beard; truly a man, and seemingly accustomed to 
 command; possibly, nay surely, one such as he,
 
 David, the Son of Jesse 45 
 
 a soldier. Yet the stranger's voice was curi- 
 ously like Miriam's; and he was as like Miriam 
 as man could be to gentle maid. 
 
 " That is Hiram, the king," courteously ; then 
 hurriedly, "But who art thou?" 
 
 The stranger's ruddy face turned a deeper hue. 
 His blue eyes flashed, and their pupils expanded as 
 does a lion's when about to spring. 
 
 " Say, rather, who art thou ? " he proudly re- 
 plied, then sprang with Merodach, but before him, 
 and threw himself fiercely against the Sidonian king. 
 A huge rock had slipped and would have crushed 
 the latter as it crushed two of his labourers 
 had not the stranger's quickness hurled him to 
 safety. 
 
 Together the stranger and Merodach raised 
 Hiram, and explained their action by pointing to 
 where he had been standing. 
 
 " I am for ever in your debt," he gravely said. 
 " Thee I already know," to the Assyrian. " But 
 who art thou?" to the stranger. "I would know 
 thy name ; for surely I have not seen thee before." 
 
 " I am David, the son of Jesse ; an Hebrew. As 
 a fugitive among the Philistines I heard of Hiram 
 of Tyre, and I am come to speak with the king." 
 
 " I have heard some of my people speak of one 
 called David, a man of valour, who defeated the
 
 46 A Captain of Men 
 
 Philistines grievously; but surely thou art not 
 he." 
 
 David glanced warily at the Assyrian, and hesi- 
 tated a moment. 
 
 " Speak freely," said the king. " Both you and 
 Merodach of Assyria are become my guests." 
 
 " I am that David. For two years, and more, 
 I have been a fugitive in the land of Achish. I 
 heard of thee, and one night I saw a vessel of Tyre 
 driven on the coast below Joppa. When it de- 
 parted, I came in it to have speech with thee. For 
 art thou not Hiram of the Sidonians? And are 
 the Sidonians yet forgetful of the wrong done them 
 by the Philistines? Yet, now that I am here, and 
 see the wealth and greatness of thy people, 
 behold, I am no more than an intruder; a youth 
 before a mighty king." 
 
 " Nay, you are my friend. It is true that I am 
 now engaged by work I may not neglect. Come 
 to me at my palace, toward evening, and we shall 
 eat together. Here is my ring; take it there when 
 you will. You are my guest, and it will place my 
 household at your disposal during my absence. I 
 will listen to you as friend listens to friend." 
 
 " Not so, my lord. It is true that I have been 
 granted the privilege of doing thee a service. Yet 
 I am still a stranger. It is better that I prove my-
 
 David, the Son of Jesse 47 
 
 self in some other and more satisfactory way before 
 I accept thy ring. Yet I will not refuse the honour 
 of meeting thee at supper." 
 
 " Then at supper I will prove that my friend- 
 ship is something more than pleasant words." The 
 king then turned to Merodach and said : 
 
 " If it is your purpose to remain here, in Tyre, 
 tell me plainly, and I will not fail to discover some- 
 thing worthy of the acceptance of the best soldier 
 of Assyria." 
 
 " It were surely an honour to serve Hiram of 
 Tyre in any capacity; but it may be that I shall 
 learn of some place more needful of a soldier's skill. 
 Yet I thank thee, and I will not fail to remember 
 thy words." 
 
 Whereupon Merodach saluted the king and made 
 his departure. 
 
 David was still waiting, and he and the Assyrian 
 went together toward the north. Their recent ad- 
 venture had served to remove all sense of strange- 
 ness from between them, and the latter was espe- 
 cially desirous of a better acquaintance. 
 
 Practically the city was new to them both. They 
 strolled along the canal to the Great Square. They 
 admired together the grandeur of the palaces, the 
 bustle of the streets, and the energy of the people. 
 By and by Merodach was led to describe the meth-
 
 48 A Captain of Men 
 
 ods of Assyrian warfare, and David reciprocated 
 by relating a thrilling experience on the hills of 
 Judea. Becoming oblivious of their surroundings 
 in a topic close to the hearts of both, they fell to 
 discussing the best way to handle an army in battle. 
 
 " I have heard of the Assyrian chariots and their 
 bowmen," said David. " And you say that you 
 begin the battle with your light archers. Yet it 
 seems to me that a line of slingers scattered here 
 and there would most annoy the enemy, as well 
 as serve to discover the point most open to my 
 attack." 
 
 " I will look into the matter of slingers," said 
 Merodach. " But after the battle is set, what can 
 be better than a body of trained horsemen ? Throw 
 out your archers, or, as you suggest, your slingers ; 
 let them harass the foe into impatience and over- 
 anxiety to strike. Then ply them with your arch- 
 ers of the line; charge them with your chariots, 
 and annihilate them with your horse. Or, if the 
 ground is favourable, strike them with your cav- 
 alry, supported by an advance of the whole line. 
 It is worse than folly for a general to waste his 
 strength in unsupported charges." 
 
 " I wish that you were with me to fight the Philis- 
 tines. We have neither horsemen nor chariots; 
 but there will be plenty of good, hard blows. But
 
 David, the Son of Jesse 49 
 
 have you noticed howi the sun shines on the water? 
 And see how sea and sky join one into the other. 
 Surely that ship is like a great bird; and the fra- 
 grance of the hills is passing sweet." 
 
 " Wait a moment, and you will smell the stink 
 of rotting shells and of the dye-vats. But what 
 think you of the temple? These Sidonians claim 
 that there is none like it in all the world." 
 
 David let nothing of the temple's beauty escape 
 his regard. His eyes kindled, he seemed to change, 
 to be lifted up by the thoughts it gave him. 
 
 " The heavens declare the glory of God, and 
 the firmament showeth his handiwork," he said, 
 half to himself. " Is it true, Merodach, that all this 
 beauty of workmanship is but to hold the stone 
 these people worship?" 
 
 " I have heard," replied the other, " that they 
 have their god in a holy place, hidden by that pur- 
 ple veil. They say it is in the likeness of a great 
 emerald which fell to them from heaven." 
 
 " And this stone is housed in a temple of gold 
 and cedar, is set as a jewel in a king's ring; but 
 the god of my fathers is without a temple in all 
 His earth. Have ye gods in Assyria, Merodach?" 
 
 " We have them as the sea has grains of sand. 
 Our gods are innumerable; yet they are all as 
 nothing to Asshur."
 
 50 A Captain of Men 
 
 " And do you, too, honour them, and build them 
 temples ? " 
 
 " We have no temple like this of Melkarth. Only 
 the heavens can contain Asshur and our greatest 
 gods," said Merodach, proudly. 
 
 " ' Only the heavens can contain,' that is a 
 great thought." 
 
 David bowed his head and stood awhile in si- 
 lence. He had a vision of a great nation, a nation 
 of Israelites, gathering year after year to worship 
 God in a temple built by a king, none other than 
 himself. He could almost hear the singing of the 
 people, the clangour of the trumpets. He could 
 almost see the thousands of white-robed priests, 
 the smoke of the altars, the glory of the building. 
 If God would let him free Israel from the Philis- 
 tines, some day he would build a temple that should 
 be the heart of the nation, the dwelling-place of 
 the only living and true God. 
 
 Now all this time Merodach had been studying 
 the personality of his new acquaintance. To say 
 the least, he found the study a puzzling one. He 
 could not decide whether David was more boy than 
 man, or mpre man than boy. Now the frank im- 
 pulsiveness of youth moved the Hebrew to uncon- 
 sidered speech; but just as Merodach had begun 
 to feel much older and wiser than his companion,
 
 David, the Son of Jesse 51 
 
 he was surprised by the conviction that he was with 
 a man of great and powerful nature. It was as if 
 he caught from time to time glimpses of hidden, 
 passionate strength. 
 
 This uncertainty of analysis had so far prevented 
 him from asking of David a certain question. The 
 Assyrian could hide the workings of a scheming 
 brain behind a mask of frankness. He felt that 
 his companion might resent being questioned; and 
 he was convinced that it would be a great mistake 
 to be detected in anything of a crafty nature. Yet, 
 after all, the question was unworthy of this inward 
 discussion; there was no reason for delay in ask- 
 ing it. So he spoke with perfect openness. 
 
 " Do you know Miriam, one of your people, but 
 now a slave in Tyre ? " 
 
 " I am not aware that I know any in Tyre, save 
 you and the king." replied David, waking from a 
 dream of what should be. " Why do you ask ? " 
 
 " Because you startled me by your resemblance 
 to Miriam. You speak and look so like her as to 
 fill me with amazement. She has hair like yours, 
 like bronze in sunlight, the same eyes and 
 ruddy skin, except the sunburn. And her voice 
 sounds in my ears when you speak softly." 
 
 " No, Merodach, I have no knowledge of your
 
 52 A Captain of Men 
 
 Miriam. Yet I must see her. Where may I find 
 her?" 
 
 "She is the slave of Esmun, who is counted the 
 richest prince in Tyre, and of his daughter Tanith, 
 who is said to be the most beautiful woman in the 
 world. But that is sailors' talk. She is as dark 
 as I." 
 
 " And Miriam is fair," said David, slyly. " Now 
 tell me of yourself, Merodach. I have thought that 
 you spoke more freely of everything else than of 
 yourself. Miriam, you say, is of my people. You 
 are desirous of learning of her, should I know her. 
 Therefore it is only right that I should know more 
 of you." 
 
 " I am Merodach-Pileser of Assyria. A few days 
 ago I offended my king. Now) I am a fugitive in 
 a strange country." 
 
 " Come with me and I will make you a com- 
 mander of men. You shall be second only to my- 
 self." The fire left David's eyes; he paused an 
 instant, then continued : " I, too, am a fugitive. 
 Saul, king of the Hebrews, seeks my life. But I 
 expect soon to help him drive the Philistines from 
 our borders. Come with me. You are freed of 
 service with your king. There is need of trained 
 soldiers in Judea." 
 
 " I do not think that I shall accept your offer,
 
 David, the Son of Jesse 53 
 
 but I thank you for it. Will your way be mine, 
 down to yonder wharves ? " 
 
 " Not now, for I wish to speak to the dwarf over 
 by the golden column. I will not keep you from 
 doing what is in your mind. If I learn anything of 
 Miriam worth your hearing, I will see you before 
 I leave this place. May my God bless you in all 
 you do." 
 
 " May Asshur keep you," responded Merodach ; 
 and they kissed each other and parted.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE ASSYRIAN BESIEGES THE HOUSE OF ESMUN 
 
 IT was a new experience for Merodach to find 
 in his heart the conviction that, in some ways, an- 
 other was greater than he. Yet somehow such was 
 the truth, and, stranger still, the proud, self-suffi- 
 cient chieftain did not resent the conviction. He 
 even hesitated and thought of turning back to ac- 
 cept the offer just made him. But Miriam was not 
 to be won in Palestine; and history was saved the 
 necessity of recording Merodach instead of Joab 
 as commander under David. 
 
 So, passing from the more quiet precincts near 
 the temple, he reached the busier vicinity of the 
 canal, where he stopped a few minutes to watch the 
 work on a new building. There was no chiselling 
 to be heard, no litter of broken stones to be seen. 
 Each stone had been hewn to its proper dimensions 
 before it was taken from the quarry. The edifice 
 was being erected, as years later the men of Phoe- 
 
 54
 
 Besieges the House of Esmun 55 
 
 nicia built Solomon's temple, without sound of 
 hammer or of axe. 
 
 All about him was the rush and clamour of busi- 
 ness. Streams of merchandise flowed along- the 
 street toward the warehouses. Here swayed a line 
 of camels, just arrived from the Arabian desert, 
 loaded with incense and laudanum, onyx and agate. 
 There followed a caravan, from the port of Aden, 
 with jewels, spices, ivory, and scented woods of 
 India. Side by side, mixed among the camels, and 
 the cause of endless profanity, staggered a throng 
 of slaves, bearing bales of transparent muslin from 
 Egypt, recently unloaded at the southern harbour. 
 After them came more camels, carrying the corded 
 cedar boxes of blue cloth from Assyria. Arabs 
 from Kedar, Idumaeans of Arabia Petrsea, sailors, 
 men of Damascus, Tarshish, Egypt, the whole 
 world seemed there, and its wealth and glory. 
 
 " By all the gods of Asshur ! " muttered the As- 
 syrian, too much impressed to appeal to individual 
 divinities. " If Esmun is the richest merchant in 
 Tyre, who can estimate his wealth?" 
 
 Just then he saw a beautiful face in the endless 
 procession. And, possibly, because its owner was 
 fair, and in command of a body of porters, he asked 
 him if the street led to Esmun's warehouses. 
 
 " All streets lead to the warehouses of my lord,"
 
 56 A Captain of Men 
 
 replied the Greek, for such he was. " If you wish 
 to see my lord, and will come with me, you will 
 presently be before him." 
 
 Merodach took him at his word, and forgot his 
 personal interests for a time in his admiration 
 of the form and features of Hector, the Greek. 
 This captain of Assyrian fighters was no mean critic, 
 and he swore to himself that he had never seen a 
 more proper man than the one now before him. 
 But Hector's connection with Esmun was more 
 impressive than his personal attractions, and Mero- 
 dach felt that it might do him no harm to win a 
 friend employed by that merchant. So, plying here 
 a question, and there a bit of subtle flattery, he 
 soon had him convinced that there was no pleas- 
 anter man in Tyre than this Merodach of Assyria. 
 
 Thus engaged they passed through the crowded 
 thoroughfare, and entered a spacious building 
 packed full of merchandise. There Merodach was 
 introduced to its princely proprietor. 
 
 At this place it should be understood that Mero- 
 dach had negotiated a loan from his sailor friends, 
 so inspiring was the atmosphere of mercantile 
 Tyre, and he was consequently clad in what had 
 been once his own raiment, now borrowed for this 
 day only. He therefore presented an appearance 
 befitting to one in " easy circumstances." Where-
 
 Besieges the House of Esmun 57 
 
 fore the merchant was extremely gracious as he 
 ushered him into a private room, making inquiry 
 as to how he might serve his distinguished guest. 
 First, would he take a taste of wine; Helbon's 
 choicest vintage? And had he news from the east 
 or south ? The merchant had been specially for- 
 tunate in his recent purchases; no one in Sidonia 
 had so fine an assortment of weapons, and his stock 
 of helmets and armour was simply unequalled. 
 (Esmun had instantly settled that his visitor was 
 an officer.) Nothing could give him more pleas- 
 ure than to show him some swords, the best ever 
 forged by the Chalybes ; or would he prefer to step 
 aboard the barge now ready at the wharf ? It would 
 take them but a moment to see a lot of horses just 
 in from the desert. Two of them were worthy of 
 .royal owners ; or 
 
 " I am a stranger in your city, and I desire some 
 office in your service," interrupted Merodach, with 
 winning assurance and ease. 
 
 A cold mask of reserve seemed to cover the mer- 
 chant's smiles. His suave, enticing voice became 
 brusque and indifferent. 
 
 " We are accustomed to select men for our serv- 
 ice out of the families of our friends. You are 
 evidently a stranger to business, or you would know 
 that we select boys and train them into efficiency."
 
 58 A Captain of Men 
 
 " The custom is truly a wise one," agreed Mero- 
 dach, with hearty admiration. " Yet I have set 
 my mind on devoting my time and energies to the 
 service of you alone." 
 
 " But I have no use for soldiers. We merchants 
 are a peaceful folk, and, if I am not mistaken, you 
 are one accustomed to command, to the use of 
 sword and spear." 
 
 " I have indeed been a soldier ; but man could 
 not do better than to work for my lord Esmun of 
 Tyre." 
 
 " Possibly not," assented the merchant, still more 
 coldly. "It is not to my advantage to discuss the 
 matter. Not only is it true that I have no place 
 for soldiers, but for any one else as well." 
 
 " Far be it from me to attempt to argue on a 
 matter which is altogether your own. There is, 
 then, no place for me to-day. But to-morrow is 
 soon here. Sudden emergencies spring up from 
 day to day. To-morrow you might need me. Is 
 it not the part of wisdom to make it so that I shall 
 be with you to-morrow ? " 
 
 Esmun frowned, but his face soon regained its 
 expression of trained reserve, and he said : 
 
 " Will you be pleased to follow me ? " 
 
 Whereupon Merodach was led through orderly 
 passages, between piles of merchandise from every
 
 Besieges the House of Esmun 59 
 
 part of the known world. His opinion was asked 
 of this commodity and of that, till he wearied of 
 trade exceedingly. Yet he always smiled, and re- 
 plied : " Indeed, I know nothing of this." And 
 each time the merchant showed great surprise, and 
 said : " But you surely know of this ? " till Mero- 
 dach longed to destroy the words before they were 
 uttered. 
 
 Through one room and another they went, till 
 they reached what might be called the office or 
 counting-room. Here he was shown papyrus rolls, 
 inventories, bills of sale, invoices, orders. He was 
 examined concerning his knowledge of picture- 
 writing. He displayed his ignorance of the Phoe- 
 nician alphabet, of its improvement over Egyptian, 
 Assyrian, and every other system of writing. Es- 
 mun then began a lecture on the moneys of the 
 world, showing how coin had come to take the 
 place of broken bits of pottery, until now there 
 was the one standard for business men, silver 
 of the standard of Carchemish. And Merodach 
 continued to assert his ignorance until his throat 
 was dry with thirst, and his brain was dizzy with 
 repetition. 
 
 " Suppose we end this inquisition into my capa- 
 bilities, my lord. You have learned only the one 
 thing, that I know nothing, absolutely nothing of
 
 60 A Captain of Men 
 
 business and trade; but I am altogether at your 
 service." 
 
 " I cannot and will not have you in my employ. 
 Let us end this profitless discussion with another 
 taste of wine." 
 
 " I will not drink of your wine till I have been 
 enrolled in your service," objected Merodach, 
 sweetly. 
 
 " May your gods preserve you till then," ex- 
 claimed Esmun, piously. 
 
 " May Asshur keep you till I see you to-mor- 
 row ; " and Merodach found himself out in the 
 street, a defeated man for that once. The look 
 of smiling complacency left his face so soon as the 
 merchant disappeared into his warehouse. " My 
 skirmishers have been routed," he muttered. " But 
 there are still my chariots and my horsemen to be 
 put to flight. And if he shall take refuge in his 
 citadel, I will advance my corps of sappers and 
 miners." 
 
 Nor was his determined spirit weakened by the 
 sight he gave himself of the vessels at the wharf. 
 Some, travel-stained and weather-beaten, were un- 
 loading or being refitted for another voyage. Oth- 
 ers were taking in cargoes, or were waiting while 
 the dens of the city were being searched for their 
 drunken crews. The scene was full of interest,
 
 Besieges the House of Esmun 6 1 
 
 and Merodach spent the best part of the day watch- 
 ing it. 
 
 When it became time for the merchants to have 
 thought of something besides business, he quitted 
 his post and presented himself, the picture of cheer- 
 ful readiness, before Esmun, who was just starting 
 to keep an appointment with the king. 
 
 " Doubtless my lord Esmun has forgotten the 
 stranger that visited him in the morning hours. 
 And as it is possible that my lord has forgotten 
 the reason of my appearance before him then, I 
 have returned to assure my lord of my willingness 
 to enter his service." 
 
 " 'Tis again that smiling Assyrian," said the 
 merchant to Hector, but loud enough for Merodach 
 to hear. " Tell him that I have no need of him, 
 that it is folly for him thus to weary me with his 
 importunity." 
 
 But when the Greek approached to repeat his 
 instructions, Merodach prevented him by saying, in 
 a voice loud enough to reach Esmun, though with 
 a most engaging smile for Hector: 
 
 " You will pardon my seeming rudeness, I trust ; 
 but you must know that I recognize no intermedi- 
 ary between your lord, the prince, and myself." 
 Then speaking directly to the merchant, he con- 
 tinued : " I pray that my lord Esmun may not
 
 62 A Captain of Men 
 
 consider me as lacking in diligence because of my 
 present retirement; for certainly I will be here in 
 the morning early to see him. May Asshur pre- 
 serve my lord till then." 
 
 Whereat the Assyrian saluted and walked quickly 
 away; nor did he pause until he reached the hut 
 across the causeway. Hadad was absent, but Chna 
 was cursing over a smoking fire, as he prepared 
 the evening meal. The veteran did not so much 
 as lift his head to return his greeting; he merely 
 changed the object of his objurgations. 
 
 " Has the east wind entered your bowels, my 
 father ? " Merodach tenderly inquired. 
 
 " Baal-Zebub have thee, and fatten on thy car- 
 cass ! Thy honied voice wearies me." 
 
 " Why are you so soon back ? I have never 
 known you to be home so early," said Merodach, 
 beginning to take off his borrowed clothing. 
 " Here are your garments, unless you will let 
 me have them again in the morning?" This last 
 rather anxiously. 
 
 " And in the morning you'll curl your beard and 
 perfume your locks till you're as sweet-smelling 
 and as devilish as my lady Tanith herself," growled 
 the seaman, as he took the tunic and threw it upon 
 a dust-heap in the corner. 
 
 " It must be the east wind," said the other, sooth-
 
 Besieges the House of Esmun 63 
 
 ingly. "Hilkah! Hilkah! Besha! Besha! and 
 trouble no more my father," dusting the garment 
 carefully and laying it on a cleaner place. 
 
 " The waterway is finished. The water is run- 
 ning to the city from the fountain. Our employ- 
 ment is gone Stop that infernal smile, or by 
 by by I'll stop it for you ! " stuttered Chna, 
 too angry to find a fitting oath. " It's all the work 
 of our gracious king, may an evil one prey on 
 his vitals! I, Chna, I, the seaman who was cradled 
 in a storm and was suckled at the breasts of the 
 billows, I would not lift a finger to drive away 
 the buzzards from picking his eyes. May the flies 
 crawl over and devour him ! I have lived for ages. 
 I am an old worn-out dog, with broken teeth and 
 bones to gnaw, and the king removes my bones. 
 And the rich, the merchants and the captains, lift 
 their hands and shout, ' Oh, the wonderful king ! ' 
 And the women turn up their eyes under their 
 painted lids, and lisp, 'Oh, the wonderful king!' 
 Oh, the dear king! the sweet king! the progress- 
 ive king! I'm sick of the brat, and his prog- 
 ress!" 
 
 " But the king might " 
 
 " By the clubs of the Eight Cabirim ! you are 
 still talking! When you're not smiling, you're 
 talking. The gods gave you words in place of
 
 64 A Captain of Men 
 
 wisdom, yes ; wear the tunic, you naked As- 
 syrian, you " 
 
 " Peace, Chna," commanded Merodach, but lay- 
 ing a caressing hand on the veteran's shoulder. 
 
 " But what shall we do ? " groaned he, becoming 
 suddenly submissive. " How shall we now get us 
 food, my son? We have made you welcome; we 
 have not begrudged you food and shelter. How 
 can we point to the door and say, Depart, we are 
 become beggars, we cannot have you with us?" 
 
 " Think not of me, old friend," cried Merodach, 
 moved by the look in the old man's face. " The 
 sun rises out of the blackest night." 
 
 " So do the storm-clouds," retorted Chna, but 
 soothed in spite of himself. 
 
 At this moment Hadad entered the hut like a 
 whirlwind. 
 
 " Turn your barley broth out into the fire ! " he 
 gaily cried. " I'm yet two parts sober, but, by the 
 silver horns of Ashtoreth! 'twill not be for long. 
 Rinse out the cups, old man; here's a full skin of 
 wine. And here's to Hiram, our gracious king ! " 
 
 " You are late, Hadad," laughed Merodach. 
 " Your tempestuous partner has but this instant 
 finished cursing the king. But I am peaceful and 
 curious. Why shall we honour the king ? " 
 
 " Tell that old grumbler Chna that the water
 
 Besieges the House of Esmun 65 
 
 now runs through the aqueduct, and that our occu- 
 pation is gone." 
 
 Chna cursed the aqueduct for carrying the water, 
 and Hadad for carrying the news. 
 
 " Tell him that the new temple is now almost 
 completed." 
 
 Chna cursed the new temple, the king who or- 
 dered its construction, the architect who planned 
 it, and the builders who erected it. For more than 
 a thousand years the old temple had served to 
 please the god of Tyre. What need had they of 
 a new one? 
 
 "Tell the pitiful old wretch that Hiram, the 
 dwarf, will soon have finished the most wonderful 
 image of Baal-Moloch the world has ever seen. 
 I've been to see the wenches " 
 
 " You're drunk, Hadad," interrupted Chna, but 
 drawing nearer while he spoke. 
 
 " Only two-thirds drunk ; I've saved the other 
 third to finish with you to-night. The wenches 
 declare that the king is only waiting the completion 
 of the image to give us the grandest festival man 
 has ever seen. He has invented one entirely new 
 to celebrate the glory of his improvements. Al- 
 ready he has promises of enough children to keep 
 Baal-Moloch scorching hot all night long."
 
 66 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Children of slaves ! Children of the poor ! " 
 cried Chna, scornfully. 
 
 " Yes, mostly," assented Hadad, in a regretful 
 voice. " Mostly slaves ; yet they claim that we'll 
 have a few citizens who will offer their very own." 
 
 "Poor citizens!" sniffed Chna; "always the 
 poor. But the day will come when Baal-Moloch 
 will tire of such offerings. May I be spared to 
 see it come," he ended, piously. 
 
 " And they say the priestesses are promising 
 great things, new tents, new booths, oceans of 
 wine. The wenches say that Ashtoreth herself will 
 be compelled to come to us that night. And there 
 will be crowds from all up and down the coast; 
 Sidonia's best and fairest." 
 
 " But you must have more to tell us of the king. 
 Why should we drink to him ? " asked Merodach. 
 
 "May Ashtoreth take him with her!" growled 
 Chna. 
 
 " And doubtless she will," assented Hadad. 
 " Now listen to the marrow of my story : I met the 
 king to-day, and he said, ' Thou art Hadad, the 
 water-carrier ' 
 
 " Lies! Hadad, naught but lies! " 
 
 " I said, ' Yea, my lord the king ' " 
 
 "Lies! By the flies of Baal-Zebub! the truth 
 is not in you."
 
 Besieges the House of Esmun 67 
 
 " ' And doth thy partner, Chna, that best of 
 seamen, yet live?' inquired the king." 
 
 " Sit down, Hadad ; tell me that again, for my 
 ears are getting old and slow of hearing. I may 
 be mistaken. Did the king remember so well? 
 Surely I was mistaken. Do you remember how 
 I said, just a day or two ago, that there was the 
 making of a good sailor in the young king? " 
 
 " Lies ! naught but lies, Chna." 
 
 " I tell you I did, Hadad. You sat there where 
 the Assyrian now sits. You were belittling the 
 king, and I rebuked you. It is true that he is quite 
 young; but I said then, as I say now, that a few 
 more years and a few more voyages will make our 
 king the equal of any sailor on the coast." 
 
 " Hear the gray-headed old reprobate lie ! Now 
 listen, you hypocritical old grumbler. I spoke to 
 the king, or better, the king spoke to me, and prom- 
 ised this very day that every water-carrier shall 
 be paid, by him, the value of his interests in busi- 
 ness five times over." 
 
 " I always declared there was none like our 
 king," exclaimed Chna, kicking over the broth, and 
 seizing the wine-skin. 
 
 " And that is not all. The king declared, also, 
 that water-carriers past the age of sixty shall from 
 to-day receive a life-pension equal to the income
 
 68 A Captain of Men 
 
 that carrier had till now received each year from 
 his business." 
 
 " By the Seven Cabirim ! who ever heard of such 
 a king!" shouted Chna. "By the gold of Tar- 
 shish! my fortune is made. I will lie all day 
 in the sun; I will buy a slave to do nothing but 
 fan me of flies; I will eat four meals a day and 
 grow fat with contentment. Oh, the most worthy 
 young king! the generous king! Why are you 
 still standing, Hadad? The time has come to be 
 merry." 
 
 " Where now are all thy curses ? " 
 
 " Curses ? Not a curse has left my lips to-day. 
 You were with me before he came; tell me, Mero- 
 dach, my son, did I curse since you were here ? " 
 
 " They had the sound of curses," said Merodach, 
 softly. " But the day is hot, and it may be that 
 I grew drowsy and dreamed you cursed." 
 
 " You were surely dreaming, my son. Behold, 
 it is as I said. That tunic and those garments 
 of thine are useless to me. Keep them all, my 
 son."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE STORY OF MIRIAM 
 
 TIGLATH - PILESER, like Nimrod, " the mighty 
 hunter before the Lord," was a man of gigantic 
 stature. Merodach remembered his grandfather 
 well, and he often recalled the time when the old, 
 old warrior had drawn him between his knees, and 
 said : 
 
 " Son of my son, thou art now a heedless, for- 
 getful child, but thou art from the loins of kings. 
 And I, thy father's father, am very old. Yet be- 
 cause I am old, I have learned many things. I 
 have learned that intemperance is not for kings 
 who would conquer and rule. Conquer and rule 
 thyself as thou wouldst an adjoining kingdom. 
 The temperate king is as a god among the drunken ; 
 their secrets are his; their power is his. Even 
 Asshur cannot prevent foolish words from a drunk- 
 ard's lips, or foolish deeds in a drunkard's life. 
 
 " There are two leaks which let out greatness : 
 69
 
 70 A Captain of Men 
 
 the love of strong wine, and the love of a woman 
 who knows that she is beautiful. 
 
 " Son of my son, canst thou remember this wis- 
 dom which has been taught me by Asshur, and a 
 life of many days and many triumphs?" 
 
 Then the old lion had dismissed him to the 
 women, and was soon passed away. But his words 
 had sunk deep into the heart of his grandson, and 
 were never forgotten. 
 
 Thus it was that Merodach awoke clear-eyed 
 and refreshed that following morning, while Hadad 
 and Chna snored in sodden sleep after their rev- 
 elry. As Chna had prophesied, he curled his beard, 
 cleansed and perfumed himself, and went out again 
 on his campaign against the house of Esmun. 
 
 As may be remembered, the merchant had not 
 been charmed by the expectation of seeing him 
 again. He was annoyed by the persistency Mero- 
 dach had shown, and he commanded Hector not 
 to admit him, but to say that his employer would 
 be absent from the warehouse all that day. This 
 would be quite untrue, as Esmun was too much 
 worried by the non-appearance of his cargp of tin 
 to be kept from watching for it daily. 
 
 Hector was sorry to be so commanded, having 
 fallen an easy victim to the Assyrian's tongue. Yet 
 no one could have doubted his sincerity when he
 
 The Story of Miriam 71 
 
 protested that Esmun would not be at the ware- 
 house. 
 
 " Then I will place myself at your disposal, so 
 that I may learn something of value to my lord 
 Esmun, when he shall accept of my services," re- 
 plied the calm Assyrian. 
 
 For at least once in his life, the Greek found 
 himself lacking 1 in invention. Nor was his anxi- 
 ety lessened by the sight of Merodach eating his 
 barley cake at the noon hour, when Esmun had 
 promised to return. All through the morning 
 Hector had been amazed by the adaptability and 
 the iron persistency of his self-constituted pupil 
 and tormentor. And he was doubly surprised by 
 his calmness when they found themselves under 
 the angry eyes of the prince. 
 
 " Did I not straitly forbid you to receive this 
 man, under any circumstances ? " 
 
 " Your command has been obeyed to the extent 
 of falsehood," replied Merodach before Hector 
 could frame an excuse. " Three times beyond a 
 score Hector has assured me that you had no wish 
 to see me; and three times beyond a score I have 
 assured Hector of my purpose to remain here until 
 your return. And he has always most stubbornly 
 asserted that you would not be here to-day. There-
 
 72 A Captain of Men 
 
 fore I am doubly glad to give you my greeting; 
 for truly you are here." 
 
 " By Melkarth ! I am surely here. Throw this 
 Assyrian fool into the street ! " 
 
 Several stout slaves were standing near the door 
 of the office. Hector dropped his half-eaten lunch- 
 eon to the floor, and would have summoned them, 
 but Merodach stopped him with a look. 
 
 " There is no keener knife in all Tyre than this 
 weapon in my girdle," said the latter, lowering his 
 voice to prevent scandal. " I am, in a measure, 
 alone and in your power. It is true that I may, 
 in the end, be thrown into the street; but first I 
 will slay my lord Esmun, and then so many of 
 his slaves as Asshur may permit me." 
 
 " Leave me alone with this man, Hector." Then, 
 after his command had been obeyed, the merchant 
 continued : " My death would not further your 
 desires. Why are you resolved to pester me be- 
 yond my patience ? " 
 
 " I have no wish to suffer indignity at the hands 
 of your slaves, nor to thwart my desire by means 
 of your death. But the latter is preferable. I am 
 one that could well serve a master of my own 
 choosing, or fight relentlessly one that had caused 
 me injury. I am a stranger in a strange land. I 
 would connect myself with none but its greatest."
 
 The Story of Miriam 73 
 
 " There is then Hiram, the king." 
 
 " I count even the king beneath Esmun, the 
 merchant." 
 
 " But what can you do for me? If it is true 
 that I am the greatest in Tyre, I have right to 
 none but the best of service." 
 
 " Whatever my lord may set me to do. The 
 body requires food and raiment; provide it them, 
 and I shall be satisfied with the wisdom which will 
 direct its service. A great man cannot fail to select 
 wisely; a successful commander never fails of us- 
 ing well a competent lieutenant." 
 
 " I have need of one to tend my fish-ponds, to 
 clean my grounds, to do the work of a slave about 
 one of my houses. There is never lack of food 
 or raiment in my household; but the work is, as 
 I said, the work of a slave." 
 
 " Whenever my lord Esmun says the word, I am 
 ready to take up my new duties." 
 
 " But this is the purest folly. You are a man 
 of authority; you were the best officer in the As- 
 syrian host, for I know you, Merodach. It may 
 even be possible that your quarrel with your king 
 was acted for a part; that you were left here as 
 a spy. It were then a crime for me to hire you 
 in any capacity." 
 
 " There is truly nothing but enmity between me
 
 74 A Captain of Men 
 
 and Asshur-ab-aram. I will pay you loyal service 
 so long as I eat at your table and am clothed by 
 your bounty." 
 
 " I may regret having ever met you, but I will 
 try you for a season, Merodach. Hector, the Greek, 
 will give you a writing of instructions for Miriam, 
 my -daughter's slave, and the head of my house 
 where you shall be. Whatever Miriam tells you 
 shall be as from me, or from my daughter, the lady 
 Tanith. You are now become one of my household. 
 If your obedience is as your persistence, there may 
 be promotion even for one doing the work of a 
 slave. Of a truth, your perseverance has been as 
 commendable as your methods have been unu- 
 sual." 
 
 " It may not be amiss for my lord Esmun to 
 make inquiries of the king concerning my loyalty 
 and truth. If the king has not forgotten his words 
 of yesterday, he will speak well of me." 
 
 " Of Hiram ? Why have you till now kept silent 
 about your friendship with the king?" 
 
 " Because I had no wish to be accepted only for 
 the sake of the king. A beautiful cup is no proof 
 of the excellence of the wine." 
 
 The merchant fell into a reverie and was silent 
 for many minutes. Finally he summoned his sec- 
 retary, and had him prepare a roll of papyrus for
 
 The Story of Miriam 75 
 
 Miriam, and Merodach was sent to work under 
 the authority of the woman he had saved from 
 violence. 
 
 " Surely the gods of Assyria are greater than the 
 gods of Sidonia," he said joyfully to himself, as 
 he walked along the causeway to the mainland. 
 " For the battle with the house of Esmun is already 
 becoming a victory." 
 
 He found Chna sunning himself behind his hut. 
 Thanking him for his kindness, he bade him and, 
 through him, Hadad, farewell for a season. After- 
 ward it was not long ere he was standing before 
 Miriam. 
 
 " I have greeting for you, Miriam, and here is 
 the writing which was given me for you by my 
 lord Esmun." 
 
 " The lord Esmun is but a merchant of Tyre. 
 What right has he to send you, the commander .of 
 Assyrian warriors, on his errands? Who is there 
 but the King of Assyria worthy to command Mero- 
 dach?" 
 
 "Nay, Miriam; I am now the lowliest servant 
 in your employ. Read quickly the message I 
 brought you or send for a scribe that you may 
 understand your master's will, and that I may begin 
 my work." 
 
 Miriam hastily unrolled the scroll, read it, and
 
 76 A Captain of Men 
 
 stood gazing in inexpressible bewilderment at the 
 grave face before her. Once more she read the 
 scroll, utterly unable to comprehend that it could 
 apply to the man who had brought it. 
 
 " It is undoubtedly the writing of Hector, Lord 
 Esmun's secretary; and I am instructed by it to 
 direct thy work. But O my lord Merodach! art 
 thou not in a plot to make sport of me? " 
 
 " By Shammus and by Ishtar ! no," exclaimed 
 he, full of earnestness. " I have angered my king ; 
 I am a fugitive from his wrath. I have obtained 
 service of your lord, and I am here to serve you 
 faithfully, for it is truly you only that I serve." 
 
 " But why are you here to serve me ? You are 
 one born to command; you are fitted to lead men. 
 I am only a woman; how am I to tell you what 
 to do?" 
 
 " What are the instructions of my lord ? " 
 
 " That you are to attend to the fish-ponds, to care 
 for the grounds." 
 
 " Under whose instructions ? I have indeed 
 commanded men, and I have always been careful 
 to see that they obeyed the slightest command. 
 Under whose instructions am I placed ? " 
 
 " Under mine, but " 
 
 " Then you must quickly direct me. There is
 
 The Story of Miriam 77 
 
 much to be done. Is not yonder a hoe, and near 
 it a spade ? " 
 
 "Yes, but " 
 
 Merodach left her, picked up the hoe, and began 
 to trim the overgrown edges of the path. " Doubt- 
 less my lord will inquire of you to-night how much 
 the new gardener has done. I would not have you 
 blush for the sloth of your servant." 
 
 Miriam blushed deeply at the look he gave her. 
 She was troubled by his presence as a servant, but 
 she was fascinated by the power of his great arms, 
 the ease of his movements. 
 
 " You are very strong, Merodach, you are a 
 lion in your strength," she said below her breath; 
 then left him for fear of herself. 
 
 His fellow servants stared curiously at him when 
 he joined them in the noontime meal. The re- 
 straint and daintiness of his eating annoyed them. 
 But he controlled and curbed his pride, and made 
 them feel that he was only their comrade in labour, 
 until they lost their distrust and forgot thftr sus- 
 picions. 
 
 Often, during the morning, Miriam had peeped 
 at him through the lattices, always to find him 
 working as though his life depended on her ap- 
 proval. Thoughts of what might be fluttered her 
 heart, and the blood was very warm in her veins.
 
 78 A Captain of Men 
 
 Yet when she gave him directions for the after- 
 noon, she could not meet his eye. Yet she rejoiced 
 in her timidity, for she was glad to feel that he 
 was still her lord. 
 
 About an hour later, Merodach heard voices, 
 and saw David, the Hebrew, walking with Miriam 
 toward him. They passed him, talking earnestly, 
 while he bowed his head to escape recognition. He 
 heard David say, " Hiram of the Sidonians gave 
 me a writing to Esmun, and I have been given 
 permission to come to you. I have been told that 
 you are one of my people." They passed on and 
 entered the summer-house near by, and their words 
 failed longer to reach him. 
 
 Miriam was glad to hear the accents of her child- 
 hood's tongue. They filled her with sweet and 
 bitter memories. 
 
 " My mother was captured by the Phoenicians," 
 she said, when they were seated in the pleasant 
 shade. " She was taken with me, for they killed 
 my father. I was very young then ; there was only 
 a year between me and my sister Ruth, and she 
 was just turned six." 
 
 " And where is your sister Ruth ? " asked David, 
 gazing curiously at this feminine counterpart of 
 himself. " Merodach was surely right when he 
 said that she was like me," he said to himself.
 
 The Story of Miriam 79 
 
 His question brought a look of anguish to Miri- 
 am's face. " Ruth was six and I was seven when 
 we were playing by our house. We were some 
 distance from the seashore; but a party of sailors 
 had landed to find children, and they stole us. 
 They brought us here and sold us to my lord Es- 
 mun. There was a famine in the land, and the 
 rich were eagerly buying young children." 
 
 " That seems strange. Why should they en- 
 cumber themselves with slaves as young as you? ' 
 
 " Ah, my lord, you are truly a stranger in this 
 fearful land. They offer their children in sacri- 
 fice to their god Moloch, when the sun has parched 
 their fields. A great sacrifice had been declared, 
 and some of the highest in Tyre had been called 
 upon to propitiate Baal-Moloch by offering their 
 first-born. None might escape the call when chosen 
 by lot. But the rich bought, or secured, children to 
 give instead of their own. My lord was so chosen. 
 Ruth was dark of hair just the size of his daugh- 
 ter Tanith and Ruth my little Ruth was 
 burned to save the life of Tanith, my mistress. 
 She was so gladsome a child, so lovable, and 
 I saw her in the monster's arms. O Ruth! my 
 sister Ruth ! " 
 
 Tears fell from David's eyes and ran down his 
 cheeks for mingled wrath and pity. First he tried
 
 8o A Captain of Men 
 
 to comfort Miriam; but his rage increased till he 
 could not speak. Miriam caught his spirit, and 
 their faces grew more strangely alike as fire an- 
 swering flame. 
 
 " May our God confound them and destroy them, 
 root and branch. I will see the king. I will de- 
 mand vengeance. God do so to me, and more, if 
 there be one of the house of Esmun left to see 
 to-morrow's sun," cried David, sternly. " I will 
 demand of Hiram your freedom. This night I 
 will take you with me to your own kindred, 
 after I have brought vengeance on Esmun and 
 Tanith." 
 
 That moment Miriam raised her eyes and saw 
 Merodach still at work with his hoe. If she went 
 with David, there would be an end of seeing him. 
 The thought startled her; love drove out anger, 
 and she said, timidly: 
 
 " My lord Esmun has been kind to me since then. 
 He has seemed eager to make me forget the past; 
 and I have learned to think kindly of him." 
 
 " But you would not stay here a slave ? " 
 
 " Just for a little while," said Miriam, looking 
 wistfully at Merodach. " A little later I may wish 
 to accept your offer, but there are some things 
 which which make it seem better for me to re- 
 main a little longer in Tyre."
 
 The Story of Miriam 8 1 
 
 Also David on his part had begun to think. He 
 was wrong to forget the affairs of his people in 
 the sorrows of one. The time had not yet come 
 for him to champion the afflicted, and he was re- 
 lieved when Miriam refused his help. By and by 
 he remembered what Merodach had said about his 
 resemblance to Miriam. 
 
 " You alone have the right to decide whether 
 to go or stay," he said, wondering at her choice. 
 " But after I am gone, should the time come when 
 you need my help, let me know, and I will give 
 you instant assistance. Now tell me of your kin- 
 dred, so that I may make inquiries about them on 
 my return." 
 
 " I am of the tribe of Judah." 
 
 " I, also, am of the tribe of Judah ; and thy kin- 
 dred?" 
 
 " My mother was Ruth, I did not tell you that 
 mother died of sorrow for our little Ruth. My 
 mother was Ruth, the descendant of Boaz and of 
 Ruth, the Moabitess." 
 
 " As God liveth, thy mother was Ruth, the sister 
 of Jesse; and Jesse is my father, and thou art my 
 cousin, Miriam." 
 
 " And can it be possible that you are that David, 
 the son of Jesse, who slew the thousand the tens 
 of thousands of Philistines? Even here in Tyre
 
 82 A Captain of Men 
 
 they sang of your mighty deeds ; and when I heard 
 them I rejoiced in my kinship with you. But I 
 have always pictured you to myself as being great 
 in stature, terrible to look upon. Yet you are slight 
 and comely, and how young you are ! " 
 
 " Yet young as I am, I am older than Hiram, 
 your great king." 
 
 " And to think that you are my cousin," cried 
 Miriam, happily, yet with tear-dimmed eyes. At 
 which David kissed her, and vowed again to re- 
 move her from that den of wickedness. And 
 Miriam found it very difficult now to move him 
 from his purpose, but she finally prevailed upon 
 him. 
 
 " It would be no little matter for me to find for 
 you a peaceful spot in all Palestine," he admitted 
 in the end. " And I am now a wanderer, for Saul, 
 the king, is continually seeking my life." 
 
 He told Miriam how Samuel had come to him in 
 his youth, and had anointed him with the holy 
 oil. He spoke of his battles, of the king's dark 
 moods, and of his days and nights in the hills, a 
 fugitive from Saul's wrath. When she asked him 
 why he did not kill the king, he told her of the 
 night in the cave, of his purpose to leave the out- 
 come in the hands of God. 
 
 This strange meeting with an unknown relative
 
 The Story of Miriam 83 
 
 had unlocked the inner chambers of David's heart, 
 and her quick sympathy impelled him to speak 
 of his dreams and aspirations. He did not know 
 how it was to come, but some day he was to be 
 King of Israel. Some day he should drive the 
 Philistines from his land, and there should be peace. 
 
 From this their communion glided into remi- 
 niscences, and he recalled his boyhood days, when 
 he had kept his father's sheep. That was when the 
 lion and the bear had taught him that God was with 
 him. He also described the nights when he sat 
 before the camp-fire, and dreamed beneath the stars. 
 God had seemed nearer to him then than during 
 these latter years of trial and disappointment. 
 But God must be always the same, " and He will 
 keep me," he said, " even as I tended the sheep. 
 The Lord, He is my Shepherd." 
 
 Even as he spoke, the mystery of inspiration filled 
 his heart. He forgot Miriam, his surroundings, 
 everything but the thoughts which changed and 
 beautified themselves till they became the soul of 
 living words. Miriam never forgot the comfort 
 and peace that seemed to rest within her as he said : 
 
 " The Lord is my shepherd, 
 I shall not want," 
 
 and all her fears left her as he declared:
 
 84 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
 shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art 
 with me." 
 
 " Your words are as the shouts of victory after 
 a terrible battle," she said, a long time after David 
 had finished. " Is God indeed so mindful of us ? 
 The gods of Sidonia are fearful and very cruel. 
 Can a god be tender, as you were with your sheep ? 
 The heavens have seemed far off till now. You 
 have given me strength to remain here alone; for 
 it may be that the God of our fathers will keep 
 me. You will surely come again to me before you 
 leave. And perhaps you will even play to me on 
 the harp, as you did before Saul, and drive away 
 the evil spirit that is sometimes strong within me? " 
 
 " I will come again, and I will play to you on 
 the harp. It has been pleasant to meet you, my 
 cousin. May the God of Abraham protect thee 
 until I may shield thee from harm."
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A VISIT FROM " MY LADY TANITH " 
 
 HECTOR, the Greek, ever affirmed that there was 
 more work done at the warehouse when Tanith 
 was there than at any other time. She was keener 
 to detect carelessness than Esmun himself. He 
 declared that she knew where everything 1 was 
 stored, that she could give an inventory of mer- 
 chandise in the warehouses and on the way, and 
 that she had the gift of selection. In fact he was 
 accustomed to assert to Hiram, the dwarf, at least 
 once in every week, that Tanith was the best mer- 
 chant in Tyre, therefore in the world. She had 
 travelled with caravans over both the northern and 
 the southern routes. Once she had been to Tar- 
 shish, twice to Egypt. Every one knew that the 
 lord Esmun made it a practice to consult with her, 
 that he confided in her, and considered his daugh- 
 ter as being second only to himself in business 
 ability. 
 
 85
 
 86 A Captain of Men 
 
 And once in every week Hiram, the dwarf, as- 
 sented to these assertions, and took occasion to 
 suggest, as commentary, that more men hated or 
 loved Tanith than was true of any other woman 
 in the world. He therefore deemed it an admirable 
 thing for a thinking man to know such a woman. 
 He was also given to the statement which Hec- 
 tor always stoutly denied that Tanith loved more 
 men than did any other woman in the world; an- 
 other most admirable thing for a thinking man to 
 observe. 
 
 However, passing from the discussions of these 
 two friends to their subject, it should be narrated 
 that Esmun spoke to his daughter of Merodach 
 and his irresistible persistency. He had even been 
 frank to admit that he had entertained fears of 
 sudden death until he had recollected that Miriam 
 wanted a slave to take care of the grounds. 
 
 " But was not his acceptance of such labour in 
 itself a suspicious thing?" asked Tanith, as they 
 talked together in their island palace. 
 
 " That is the very question I asked myself, and 
 hinted to him," responded her father, watching her 
 inscrutable face. 
 
 " Did he protest overmuch ? or was his answer 
 simple and straightforward ? " 
 
 " So very straightforward as to make me believe
 
 A Visit from " My Lady Tanith " 87 
 
 that there was something beneath his desire to 
 work for me." 
 
 " The Assyrians are given to lying and treach- 
 ery ; ' treacherous as an Assyrian ' is a common 
 saying, and a true one. There must have been some 
 reason besides fear which led you to employ such 
 a man. I have never known you to do a careless 
 act." 
 
 " Nor did I in this. He was ready to put his 
 dagger at my throat, and I did not wish for death. 
 Yet that was not my chief reason for hiring him. 
 It seemed to me that I might profit by the services 
 of one so set on obtaining his end. Should he 
 prove obedient to my commands, his stubbornness 
 will make him a valuable servant. Also, after he 
 had attained his desire, he avouched acquaintance- 
 ship with the king." 
 
 " And what said the king? " 
 
 " That he knew that Merodach had been one of 
 the highest officers in the Assyrian army, that he 
 had offended his king, and that he would appoint 
 the Assyrian to an office in his royal household 
 if I refused him aid. The king also said that Mero- 
 dach had reason to believe in his willingness to help 
 him before he applied to me. Then he laughed, 
 and added, * He is surely Merodach, the Assyrian.' ' 
 
 " Possibly it might be the part of wisdom for
 
 A Captain of Men 
 
 you to promote this Merodach to an office in one 
 of our ships," said Tanith, broodingly. " We have 
 lost many such in storms. A touch of a finger 
 in a storm is a little thing. Yet he did not 
 threaten you until you commanded your slaves to 
 throw him out." 
 
 " I have thought of such a promotion, should 
 he prove intractable. But first I desire to learn 
 his reason for coming to me. It has been some 
 time since you were last away from here. I have 
 thought that Miriam might have need of you, 
 it may be to-morrow? " 
 
 " I had intended to see her the day after to- 
 morrow," said Tanith, rising. 
 
 Her father smiled significantly, and they parted 
 for the night. 
 
 In accordance with her father's wish, Tanith 
 went to her house on the mainland at the time 
 named, and began to catechize Miriam as to her 
 doings since last they were together. As was her 
 custom, she went all over the premises, changing 
 and criticising till she inventoried and mastered 
 the minutest details of the work begun and accom- 
 plished during her absence. In the shortest time 
 possible she had impressed every servant and slave 
 there with a sense of impending judgment. It is
 
 A Visit from " My Lady Tanith " 89 
 
 needless to say that she immediately discerned the 
 figure of the new gardener. 
 
 " It is hot, Miriam, and I have forgotten the 
 cause of our last quarrel. You may sit here and 
 fan me," she said, languidly. " Where got we 
 this new gardener ? " 
 
 The suddenness of the question, and the nature 
 of her thoughts of Merodach, were enough to cause 
 Miriam much inward emotion. But her hatred of 
 Tanith was of so fine a quality as to enable her 
 to answer: 
 
 " If my lady Tanith means Merodach, the As- 
 syrian, he was sent here by my lord Esmun 
 some two or three days ago." 
 
 Tanith had not watched Miriam's face, but she 
 was certain that her fan had neither faltered nor 
 fluttered in its gentle play. For at least once in 
 her life she had been completely deceived. 
 
 " Have you noticed aught between this Mero- 
 dach and any of the maidens of the house? " 
 
 " He has seemingly thought only of his work, 
 and of how it will be viewed by my lord Esmun, 
 in the event of my lord's presence here." 
 
 " He must be a paragon of servants," said Ta- 
 nith, scornfully. " I would see this model of excel- 
 lence. Have him brought to me here." 
 
 At which Miriam's heart sank, for she was sure
 
 90 A Captain of Men 
 
 that she now understood the reason of this unex- 
 pected visit. Until now she had been wondering 
 why her mistress had put on her most beautiful 
 garments. Fortunately she had been preserved 
 from showing agitation when questioned about 
 Merodach, and she prayed to the God of David 
 to save him from Tanith's allurements; but her 
 faith was not strong. Yet it was a goodly sight to 
 see him towering above the fat eunuch who had 
 brought him. And Miriam was proud of his grace 
 and calmness. 
 
 " You are the Assyrian, Merodach, sent here by 
 my father," began Tanith, examining him beneath 
 drooping lids, as one might a horse or a piece of 
 sculpture. 
 
 " I am Merodach of Assyria." 
 
 " I have been told that you were an officer in 
 the Assyrian army." 
 
 " I was an officer in that army." 
 
 " What was your command ? " 
 
 " First I was chief of horse ; my last office was 
 third only to that of the king." 
 
 " But now you are only concerned with feeding 
 fishes and trimming walks " 
 
 " And the right to the clothes I wear and the 
 food I eat," interrupted Merodach, with quiet 
 temerity.
 
 A Visit from "My Lady Tanith " 91 
 
 Miriam could have fallen at his feet for love 
 of his daring; and Tanith began to feel a languid 
 interest in the personality of Merodach. 
 
 " Yet even now you have a friend in Hiram, 
 the king. The friends of our king are clad in 
 princely raiment and may fare sumptuously at his 
 table." 
 
 " The king is pleased to consider himself in my 
 debt because I was present when another saved 
 his life. Better the humble generosity of the water- 
 carriers who kept me till now; better the labour of 
 a gardener here than the unearned favour of a 
 king." 
 
 " Are you as true as you are proud, Merodach 
 of Assyria? " 
 
 " Nay, my lady Tanith ; I am ever proud, but 
 there are times when I am not true." 
 
 " You are tall and strong of arm," said Tanith, 
 letting her eyes pass over his figure with such a 
 critical yet impersonal glance, as to make him feel 
 himself an object for barter or sale. So while he 
 restrained all outward sign of his irritation, it well- 
 nigh brought death to the fat eunuch. Very likely 
 the heat of the day, the closeness of the room, and 
 the scent of Tanith's perfume of lilies were too 
 much for the latter's power of endurance. The 
 poor wretch had been standing without moving
 
 92 A Captain of Men 
 
 hand or foot while they talked. Perhaps he had 
 been deprived of his usual siesta, for he became 
 fearfully drowsy, and Tanith caught him gaping. 
 
 " Smite him, Merodach ; he wearies me with 
 his sleepy yawnings," she said. And Merodach 
 was glad to obey. 
 
 " Melkarth himself could not do better," she softly 
 exclaimed, as in response to Miriam's gesture two 
 slaves entered and bore out the senseless offender. 
 " But can you leap from yonder window as readily, 
 Merodach of Assyria?" 
 
 Merodach went to the window, carefully parted 
 its amethystine drapery, and leaped without a 
 word. 
 
 " Is the fellow killed? " asked Tanith of Miriam. 
 
 The latter went to the window, beheld Merodach 
 lying at the foot of the hill down which he had 
 rolled, and returned, saying, carelessly : 
 
 " He is killed, or stunned. It were better, per- 
 haps, that he were killed." 
 
 " You speak in riddles ; why better? " 
 
 " Because he has stood before you and failed to 
 notice the surpassing beauty of your face, and the 
 splendour of your raiment." 
 
 " I will give you this dress and will overlook your 
 impertinence, if you will discover for me whether 
 he is a true man, or the most perfect of liars."
 
 A Visit from "My Lady Tanith " 93 
 
 "But if he be dead?" 
 
 " The lord Esmun will send you another in his 
 place; one short and fat and free of guile." A 
 curious opacity clouded Tanith's eyes. Miriam said 
 nothing, for words ever failed her when she beheld 
 her mistress enfolded in her impenetrable mantle of 
 sombre brooding. 
 
 In a measure it was the salvation of the Jewess 
 that she had from childhood been fascinated, while 
 terrified, by the study of Tanith, her moods and her 
 subtleties. So now she was most fortunate in hav- 
 ing perception and quickness to thwart the purpose 
 of the beguiling frankness of one never more dan- 
 gerous than when she had won her hearer's con- 
 fidence. 
 
 " I have misjudged you, Miriam. My slaves told 
 me of your treatment at the hands of the Assyrian 
 soldiery. I knew that one of their officers had res- 
 cued you from insult and violence. My father in- 
 formed me that this Merodach had neglected the 
 certainty of high office under the king, that he might 
 secure the place of servant here. My suspicions 
 were aroused. I said to myself, It is only one 
 woman who can explain this mystery; and I came 
 directly to you." 
 
 " Had you spoken plainly of this in the begin- 
 ning, I should have told you that it was as you sus-
 
 94 A Captain of Men 
 
 pected. I have no reason to deny that Merodach 
 of Assyria saved my honour and my life." 
 
 " Truly, I have sorely misjudged you, Miriam. 
 I am sorry that I did not speak frankly to you. 
 And this Merodach did really save your life and 
 your honour? How, then, can you see him in the 
 plight he is now in, and not move so much as a 
 finger to aid him ? " 
 
 " May my God save you from such fear as I 
 am now in ! " cried Miriam, falling before her mis- 
 tress, the picture of distress and consternation. 
 " O my lady ! I am afraid ! afraid ! I seem not 
 to know what to do. My lord, your father, 
 sent this man here to me, and he is Merodach, 
 my saviour. And now he is sorely wounded, it 
 may be dead, and I dare not go to him. You 
 commanded him to leap ; you sent him to his death ; 
 and because I fear your wrath, because I know 
 your wrath, my gratitude is destroyed by coward- 
 ice." 
 
 "Is my anger so terrible, Miriam?" 
 
 " It is as the burning of Baal-Hamon. I cannot 
 endure it." 
 
 " Yet until now your self-control has been most 
 admirable." 
 
 " I hoped to preserve it until you were gone.
 
 A Visit from "My Lady Tanith " 95 
 
 But my fear is too great. I am a weak fool," said 
 Miriam, hopelessly. 
 
 " And is it really true that your fear of my wrath 
 is greater than your gratitude for the one who 
 saved you? " 
 
 " The Assyrian shall die, if it be your will," cried 
 Miriam, sullen and full of despair. 
 
 Again that sombre cloud darkened Tanith's eyes. 
 She sat a long time, silent and absolutely motionless. 
 Miriam knew that nothing could save her, should 
 her mistress suspect that she cared for Merodach. 
 She was certain that Tanith had come expressly to 
 learn why he was there. He was in danger; they 
 doubted his truth ; he had done something to rouse 
 their suspicions, and, for some reason, both he and 
 herself would be lost if Tanith believed that they 
 were lovers. She was sure that his only safety 
 must lie in the possibility of Tanith's believing her 
 selfish and cowardly enough to neglect him in his 
 extremity. The stress of the moment had taught 
 Miriam that she loved Merodach better than she 
 loved herself. To save him she would lie or suffer 
 death, if need be. She felt that she had shot her 
 last bolt, that she must abide the result, and 
 who could penetrate the full purpose of that im- 
 passive face before her? 
 
 At last Tanith slowly rose to leave the room.
 
 96 A Captain of Men 
 
 When she reached the doorway, she paused and 
 laughed heartily, but as if to herself. 
 
 " If your cowardice will serve to keep you obe- 
 dient and faithful, Miriam, you shall win more of 
 me than the bravest warrior ever won from king 
 with sword and spear. The dress is already yours, 
 you little fool; but it were as well that you hasten 
 and discover if the Assyrian is yet in the reach of 
 help." Tanith laughed again, saying to herself: 
 " Verily, I did not think he would dare to leap. 
 He is tall and stately as the cedars of Lebanon ; his 
 limbs are straight as Melkarth's." Then aloud: 
 "It is my wish that he should live. Later you may 
 tell me of his condition." 
 
 " May the God of my cousin David be with him 
 and me," cried Miriam, divided by love and per- 
 plexity, so soon as she was alone. " May the God 
 who forgave David, when he played the madman 
 before Achish of Gath, forgive me for playing the 
 coward with Tanith. My mistress has seen his 
 beauty; she laughed because he pleased her. It is 
 death to him and to me if it is true that he came here 
 because of me and she learn it. I have made 
 myself vile to her, for one I hardly know. Yet he 
 saved me from the brutal soldier. And Tanith 
 knew all about it, and I was almost undone, until 
 I learned of her knowledge. It may be that God has
 
 A Visit from "My Lady Tanith " 97 
 
 already helped me, surely He hath, if Merodach 
 still lives." 
 
 Her life among the Phoenicians had almost oblit- 
 erated the teachings of her childhood. Yet the in- 
 stinct of race had made her respond, vaguely and 
 ignorantly, it is true, to the touch of David's faith 
 and spirituality. So, alternately praying to an 
 almost unknown God, and communing with her 
 hopes and fears, she left the house and went to 
 where Merodach was lying, still quiet at the foot 
 of the hill. 
 
 He had slipped, on alighting, and had rolled and 
 struck his face against a stone. Part of the time 
 he had been unconscious. When he came to life he 
 was dizzy and light-headed from the blow. The 
 impressions which had been made during his recent 
 interview had taken, as it were, bodily forms in his 
 bewildered mind. There was, also, the conviction 
 that he must not move from where he lay, without 
 permission from Tanith. He was under orders, he 
 was a soldier; he must, if need be, die at his post. 
 
 Suddenly it was as if he were divided in two. 
 He knew that he was still lying on the ground; 
 yet he saw himself sailing over a troubled sea. 
 Fierce winds were howling overhead, yet through 
 their clamour he heard the* song of the sirens, sound- 
 ing ever nearer ; they were drawing him to destruc-
 
 98 A Captain of Men 
 
 tion. " Chna was right," he drowsily murmured; 
 " it is Tanith ; she is the siren. And Hadad was 
 right, for none may escape the witchery of her 
 singing." 
 
 The fragrance of Tanith's lily-scented hair was in 
 his nostrils, and the sense of power, of attraction, of 
 subtle influence, moved him as it had when he was 
 with her. Her inscrutable gaze still held him as 
 she sang. She did not move so much as an eyelid, 
 she was absolutely still all but her lips. She was 
 the most beautiful woman in the world, and the 
 most terrible. She drew him as the magnet draws 
 the steel; she was a siren, and he was lost. 
 
 Then he was a boy again, listening to his grand- 
 father speak of the love of the woman who knew 
 that she was beautiful. The old monarch lifted his 
 great hand and pointed; and he beheld Tanith sit- 
 ting on a rock, singing. He felt that he loathed her 
 exceedingly; but she drew him nearer, always 
 nearer. 
 
 " She sent for me to trap me," he muttered, when 
 his brain was somewhat clearer. " She knew from 
 her father that I had slighted her king's friendship 
 for the place of a menial here. She was cunning 
 to snare me in my own words. She was like a 
 tigress, lurking among the reeds for the approach of 
 the unwary traveller. But Miriam was there."
 
 A Visit from " My Lady Tanith " 99 
 
 Then his visions left him, and he was fully himself. 
 He knew where he was, and that there was a sharp 
 pain just behind his eyes, that his head ached ex- 
 cruciatingly. And then a strange thing happened: 
 he suddenly recalled the voices he had heard in the 
 night, and immediately recognized the voice of 
 Tanith as having been the one which had moved 
 him to anger. Still stranger was it, he thought, 
 that he should find himself still smelling the fra- 
 grance of lilies. Even now, when his mind was 
 clear, he smelled the perfume of Tanith's hair. 
 
 But by this time he had also come to realize that 
 he was not compelled to pass his life upon the 
 ground. He was thirsty and shaken; he would 
 make his way to his quarters, and go to bed. But 
 the sound of footsteps caused him to delay a mo- 
 ment. Then he heard a voice, saying: 
 
 " It is I, Miriam. Do not move, but tell me, art 
 thou badly hurt?" 
 
 " My temples throb and pain a little, but I am 
 quite well," he answered, gazing at her till she 
 longed to hide her face. 
 
 " My lady Tanith sent me to you. I have brought 
 slaves with me to carry you to the house. No, no! 
 you must not try to walk. Oh, I knew you should 
 not ! " she cried, for Merodach had risen to his feet 
 only to topple over in a swoon. When he regained
 
 IOO A Captain of Men 
 
 consciousness he found himself in a bed, his head 
 covered by cooling bandages. 
 
 For two days he was quite feverish, and subject 
 to darting pains. When the fever left him, Tanith 
 had returned to the island, and he was alone with 
 Miriam. 
 
 " I have been causing you a great deal of trouble," 
 he said to her. " Why did you not let me make my 
 own way to the house? It has seemed to me that 
 Tanith might resent your caring for me. It was 
 so long before you came, that I have been fearing 
 that she tried to prevent you. You must not bring 
 injury to yourself on my account." 
 
 Ashamed, and unable to let him think her better 
 than she was, Miriam made broken confession of her 
 duplicity. " I saw you lying at the foot of the hill 
 and I restrained myself from coming to you. 
 You had saved me from worse than death. I did 
 not forget it; but Tanith doubted us, and I de- 
 ceived her. I told her I feared her I would have 
 sooner died to help you to prove my gratitude. 
 I lied only that you might live." 
 
 " I have never doubted you, Miriam ; I could not 
 doubt you." 
 
 His voice was so sincere and gentle that it lifted 
 a load from her heart. She appeared to grow 
 younger, and her usually grave manner was bright-
 
 A Visit from "My Lady Tanith " 101 
 
 ened by tender playfulness. She asked him riddles 
 and chid him for being unable to answer them. Yet 
 there was no hint of trifling or of unmaidenly levity 
 in anything she said or did. Merodach thought her 
 altogether charming, and he decided that he would 
 not delay speaking of something more than friend- 
 ship. 
 
 The decision brought a change that she was quick 
 to detect. A pleasant confusion took the place of 
 her playfulness. She was like a bird fluttering about 
 a light in the darkness. She was frightened by the 
 power which charmed her. 
 
 " Tanith asked me why you were here," she said, 
 hovering close to the alluring danger. " But truly 
 I did not know." The light was too bright; she 
 had to singe her wings, " Tell me ; why are you 
 here?" 
 
 " Because of you, Miriam. I have remembered 
 your face since the day I first met you." 
 
 Miriam instantly became grave and straightfor- 
 ward. " Then you must not stay here, Merodach. 
 Tanith will discover your reason, and then she will 
 surely kill you. But is there not another and a 
 stronger reason for your accepting such employment 
 from Esmun? I have heard that you almost com- 
 pelled him to employ you."
 
 IO2 A Captain of Men 
 
 " What reason could be stronger than the one I 
 have given?" replied he, evasively. 
 
 " I will tell you nothing but the truth. I cannot 
 tell why it is, but I have felt that there should be 
 only perfect truth between you and me, Merodach." 
 
 " Perfect truth does not always mean perfect 
 frankness, Miriam." 
 
 " Then there is another reason ; will you be frank 
 with me? " 
 
 " I have a reason for thinking it better for me to 
 be with Esmun than wj|h any other in Tyre," said 
 Merodach, slowly. " And I tell you frankly that my 
 life is devoted to a certain purpose; that, in a meas- 
 ure, I expect to further that purpose through Esmun 
 the merchant. Some day I may tell you more than 
 this. Indeed, it all lies with you how much I shall 
 tell." 
 
 " Now you are speaking in riddles," said she, 
 blushing. " How can you say it lies with me, when 
 I have just asked you to be frank with me? " 
 
 " Because there are some things so precious that 
 we cannot lightly entrust them to others. If you had 
 a secret dearer than life itself, to whom would you 
 tell it, Miriam ? " 
 
 " If I had a secret so dear as that, I would keep 
 it locked closely in my heart unless I told it to 
 you," said she, compelled to reply. Rising, she said,
 
 A Visit from "My Lady Tanith " 103 
 
 hurriedly : " You are still weak ; you are talking 
 more than is good for you." 
 
 " If you will stay with me a little longer, I will 
 be very quiet. Talk to me, Miriam; your voice is 
 soft and pleasant." 
 
 " Will it really help you if I stay? " 
 
 " Truly it will. The pain in my temples does not 
 seem so great while you are speaking." 
 
 " Would it please you if I were to tell you a tale 
 I heard from my cousin David? Then I will stay 
 a little longer." So she began : 
 
 " ' Behold, there was a famine in the land,' " and 
 she told him the story of Ruth and Naomi. 
 
 " That is very beautiful," said Merodach, when 
 she had ended. " ' And thy God shall be my God, 
 and thy people shall be my people,' which of us 
 two shall say that? Would you say that for me, 
 Miriam? " 
 
 "Surely you should sleep!" said Miriam, wish- 
 ing to go, but more desirous to stay. 
 
 " I will not leave Tyre unless you go with me. 
 Do you not love me, Miriam ? " 
 
 She sat silent a moment; then, taking a chain 
 from her neck, she gave him a disk of gold on which 
 was engraved a serpent, and the words, " Jehovah- 
 jireh." " It was given to me by David, when he 
 left me. We are the descendants of Nashom, of
 
 IO4 A Captain of Men 
 
 the serpent clan. The name is the name of our God. 
 It is the most precious thing I own ; it may protect 
 thee from danger. Wear it, Merodach, for I cannot 
 but love thee."
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE DISOBEDIENT PANTHER 
 
 TANITH passed a full week with her father, shar- 
 ing his anxiety concerning the fate of their fleet, 
 which should have returned with tin from the south 
 of what is now France. The Phoenicians had for 
 many years a monopoly of the trade in that precious 
 metal. At this time it was brought from England 
 to the Seine; up that river, thence overland; then 
 down the Saone and the Rhone, to the ships waiting 
 for it at the latter's mouth. 
 
 As Chna had told Merodach, the natives along 
 this route had begun to waylay and rob these cara- 
 vans. Esmun had suffered once at their hands, and 
 was now fearing a similar loss. His supply of tin 
 was running short. He had large contracts to fill 
 in Assyria and Egypt, and the delay was worrying 
 him exceedingly. 
 
 On the twelfth of the month he received news of 
 the complete failure of the expedition, and he went 
 
 105
 
 IO6 A Captain of Men 
 
 directly to Hiram, who was interested with him in 
 the venture. The king was, 'in fact, a full partner 
 in the merchant's business. 
 
 The king listened earnestly to his story, and sat 
 a long time after it, quiet in thought. Finally he 
 asked : 
 
 " Is the Assyrian, Merodach, still in your serv- 
 ice?" 
 
 " He is, my lord." 
 
 " And when does our next venture for tin de- 
 part?" 
 
 " Quite soon; the ships are even now being vict- 
 ualled and prepared for the voyage." 
 
 " This is the second time we have been despoiled. 
 It is almost it is quite necessary that we should 
 protect ourselves. Merodach was the best soldier 
 in Assyria; could we not send him there with a 
 company of brave men ? I believe that he could put 
 a stop to these robberies." 
 
 " Such was the very thought which came to me 
 when I hired him. I came here to-day to speak 
 of him. But you are ever beyond the need of sug- 
 gestion." 
 
 " Then, as we are agreed, we must not delay. 
 The time is short; send the Assyrian immediately 
 to me, and I will give him authority to command, 
 in your interests, and we shall, also, be rid of a
 
 The Disobedient Panther 107 
 
 genius great enough to cause us trouble, if used 
 against us." 
 
 " It is now late," suggested the merchant. " To- 
 morrow is the day before the Sabbath. On the fif- 
 teenth Merodach shall see you, and afterward I will 
 see that he has men who would follow their leader 
 into the presence of Muth himself." 
 
 From the king's palace Esmun passed to the canal, 
 which ran through the island, joining the north- 
 ern and southern harbours, and which was now open 
 for use, and was conveyed in his own barge to 
 the Great Square. There he landed and went east- 
 ward to his massive, four-storied residence, to in- 
 form Tanith of the result of his conference with the 
 king. 
 
 " I will write and have him sent to us here to- 
 morrow," she said ; " for I have something for him 
 to do before he shall have risen above my service." 
 
 " If that is the case, after you have finished with 
 him, you may send him to the king. I shall have 
 work to do, and will leave the matter entirely with 
 you and the king." 
 
 Tanith was more than pleased to have matters 
 thus arranged, as she had been thinking continually 
 of Merodach since she had met him. As Miriam had 
 declared, she had been angered by his seeming lack 
 of appreciation. She had used every means for her
 
 io8 A Captain of Men 
 
 adornment, and he had not noticed her beauty. 
 Neither had he used to her the words of flattery, 
 which were so readily given her by other men. 
 Nevertheless his manner had pleased her; she was 
 tired of sweets, and it was tiresome to be compelled 
 to select truth from the silken rags of flattery. 
 Hiram Abif, the dwarf, was, until the coming of 
 this stranger, the only man strong enough to refuse 
 her absolute submission. But he was too apt to 
 have bitterness on his tongue, and she often had a 
 feeling that he wished to humble her pride. More 
 than that, he was a dwarf; the gods had cursed him 
 with an ugly face and a misshapen form. But Mero- 
 dach was beautiful as Melkarth; not beautiful like 
 the Greek, but strong and stately and compelling, 
 like a god. He was braver than most men, too ; he 
 had not hesitated an instant from that fearful leap. 
 He had obeyed her command; he had faced death 
 simply and quietly, as one sits down to eat a meal. 
 There was no flattery that could equal such obe- 
 dience. 
 
 Consequently that night she dreamed of Mero- 
 dach, and he was still more as a god, compelling 
 her love. In her dream she fought against him, she 
 struggled with all her might to withstand his power ; 
 he must conquer her to win her. She rejoiced in 
 the bitterness of the conflict, but still more in the
 
 The Disobedient Panther 109 
 
 completeness of her defeat. His mighty arms 
 crushed her in a clasp that was as death, but which 
 filled her with bliss. 
 
 Therefore when morning was come, she lay quiet 
 many minutes while the memory of her dream, and 
 the expectation of seeing him, held her in languorous 
 joy. And when she quitted her couch, she had her 
 tirewomen bathe and robe and perfect the loveliness 
 which was her bodily portion. It was only after 
 they had exhausted all their arts that she gazed first 
 in her little convex hand-mirror of glass, then long 
 and broodingly at the more complete reflex in the 
 larger plate of flawless silver. This time he must 
 learn how utterly she surpassed all other women. 
 Then, after her maidens had left her, she settled 
 herself back on her couch of furs and dreamed 
 again; but this time wakingly, until she heard the 
 tinkle of a silver chain and the whine of Melkarth, 
 coaxing her for his customary release. 
 
 Melkarth was a panther from the far East, black, 
 glossy, and young. He had been given her when a 
 kitten; and she had reared him and conquered his 
 wild spirit, till he heeded her slightest word. Now 
 he was full grown, and she loved and petted him. 
 
 Hiram, the dwarf, had once told her that she 
 should always have the panther near her, for she 
 was even more beautiful with it by her side. And
 
 HO A Captain of Men 
 
 because she knew the dwarf to have great knowledge 
 of art and all that pertained to the beautiful, she had 
 treasured his counsel. 
 
 To her only was Melkarth subject. She had him 
 chained in her room, she alone fed him, and daily, 
 some two hours before the midday heat, she gave 
 him liberty to leap and play about the room. There- 
 fore she did not now ignore his plea, but, rising, she 
 loosed the chain from his silver collar, and then re- 
 turned to her couch to be amused by his gambols. 
 
 Now he would crouch and creep stealthily, inch 
 by inch, toward her, his eyes like beryls, his sinuous 
 tail lashing from side to side. She spoke, and he 
 would fawn upon her, or rub himself, purring 
 against her hand. Once she had him rear himself 
 to her embrace, so that she could hold her bare arms 
 about him, and feel the soft warmth of his fur. At 
 times she teased and worried him into fury; then 
 she would smile into his flaming eyes, and, by a 
 word, restore him to friendship. Her father had 
 often warned her against her pet, but it was on 
 account of the danger that she enjoyed the sport. 
 
 It was while she was thus engaged that Merodach 
 sought admission at her door. Miriam had received 
 a message to send him to the island, and he was 
 come to learn why he was sent. He found one of 
 Tanith's maids standing under the wide portico,
 
 The Disobedient Panther 1 1 1 
 
 coquetting with one of the king's guards. Such an 
 occupation was not lightly to be left, or it may be 
 that she had been prepared by her mistress for his 
 appearance ; for she smiled saucily in the Assyrian's 
 face, and nodded to the open door. At first he 
 thought he would beat a summons on the bronze 
 shield, which was hung by the door for that purpose ; 
 but the house appeared deserted, so he turned to ask 
 the maid if the lord Esmun were in. The girl was 
 not too much engrossed to lose his glance. Smiling, 
 she nodded her head again, and gave pantomime in- 
 structions for him to present himself in the next 
 story above. 
 
 This he did without further hesitation. He passed 
 up a solid stairway, and paused curiously before a 
 heavily curtained door. There was opening enough 
 for him to see into the room, and he was confounded 
 by the sight of Tanith on her couch, while Melkarth 
 stole toward her, his belly touching the floor, his 
 ears flat against his head. 
 
 Instinctively Merodach reached for his sword; 
 but it was not by his side ; his arms now were only 
 a hoe and a spade. He would have sprung bare- 
 handed into the room and flung himself against the 
 furious beast; but Tanith's attitude restrained him. 
 He perceived her careless smile, and knew that she 
 needed no help. The expression of her face fas-
 
 112 A Captain of Men 
 
 cinated him. She was as he remembered her, still 
 calm and motionless; but the corners of her lips 
 curved slightly upward, and her skin was glowing, 
 seemingly transparent. It was as if he beheld an 
 inward fire veiled by thinnest ivory. 
 
 Suddenly the panther spit and gathered himself 
 to spring. Tanith spoke quietly, bidding him quit 
 his folly; but Melkarth refused to obey, spitting 
 more fiercely, and lashing himself more furiously 
 with his tail. Quickly, as though a rift had cleft 
 that ivory covering, light seemed to flash from 
 Tanith's face. Yet it was but the flare of her eyes ; 
 she raised herself upon her elbow, and scourged 
 Melkarth with her gaze, till the brute whined and 
 slunk submissive to her knee. She patted his head, 
 and he purred, rubbing against her knee. She spoke 
 caressingly; the panther's muzzle was close to her 
 cheek, her arms were about his neck. Then, while 
 Merodach stood breathless, watching them, he saw 
 her right hand slip, with little pats and loving 
 scratches, down Melkarth's side to her bosom. From 
 there it slipped upward, caressingly as before, but 
 grasping a dagger of finest steel. A sweet murmur 
 of song came from her lips, while her hand smoothed 
 along the panther's fur till it felt his throbbing 
 heart; then the knife went swiftly and surely to its
 
 The Disobedient Panther 113 
 
 hilt, and Merodach rushed into the room and 
 snatched the dying beast from her arms. 
 
 Even in that moment of strong excitement, he 
 was almost unconscious of what he held; for she 
 looked full at him, and her sombre eyes seemed to 
 veil a smouldering flame. An instant later he 
 dropped Melkarth to the floor already dead 
 and asked: 
 
 " Has it harmed you ? " 
 
 She pointed to her shoulder, where a trickle of 
 blood began to redden her dress. 
 
 " 'Tis only a scratch," she carelessly protested, but 
 Merodach bound it up. 
 
 " I expected to see the prince, your father," he ex- 
 plained, when that was done. " But perhaps I was 
 sent to you." 
 
 " Has the fever left you? Has Miriam, my slave, 
 cared for you as I commanded? " 
 
 " The evil spirit has left me, the heat is gone. 
 Miriam was not forgetful of your command." 
 
 " You may sit down, Merodach, here ; I wish to 
 speak to you." 
 
 " Were it not better for me first to have this dead 
 beast removed? Yet why did you kill him? He 
 had yielded, he showed repentance, and a desire for 
 forgiveness."
 
 114 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Yes, he repented ; but he had disobeyed," she 
 carelessly answered. 
 
 " And is disobedience to your will always to be 
 punished with death ? Was he not dear to you ? " 
 
 " Melkarth was very beautiful and affectionate. I 
 loved to have him near me, to feel his soft fur, to 
 watch him leap and play about my room," she said, 
 dreamily. " He was never more pleasing than to- 
 day; but he rebelled, and he is dead. How is it 
 that you still live, after your leap, Merodach ? " 
 
 Merodach, still standing, gazed down at her, till 
 she wished to strike him as she had struck the 
 panther. 
 
 " Life appears to be quite a little thing in the 
 service of my lady Tanith," he said, at last. " You 
 commanded me to leap, and I obeyed. Death should 
 have been my portion. You commanded, and Mel- 
 karth disobeyed; and death is his portion. Truly, 
 my lady is as the gods who eat and drink, careless 
 of the death of their servants." 
 
 " Are you finding fault with your mistress ? are 
 you displeased with me, Merodach ? " 
 
 " It may be that I am," replied Merodach, with 
 provoking coolness. " When I bought a horse, I 
 began at once to study his temper, in order to learn 
 how best to train him to my needs. Now that I 
 have gotten me a mistress, I find myself desirous to
 
 The Disobedient Panther 115 
 
 learn the subtleties of her temper and disposition. 
 Therefore I may be finding fault, or I may be merely 
 seeking for knowledge." 
 
 " I thought you a soldier, and, lo, I find you a 
 philosopher. You make me curious to know what 
 you now think of your mistress. Knowledge is 
 more precious than gold, sweeter than spices from 
 Arabia; I wish to learn of myself. But first I ask 
 you to sit here, for I have always discovered that it 
 takes much time to gather knowledge." 
 
 " I have many things to do before I shall be will- 
 ing to quit this earth, my lady. The knowledge that 
 you ask of me may, possibly, have taught me that 
 it is better to stand than to sit here. I was a 
 witness to your method of punishing Melkarth. 
 When I saw your hand soothing him to compla- 
 cency, I said to myself, How well she loves her pet. 
 And when I saw how admirably you lulled him into 
 a fancied security, till you accomplished his death, 
 I said to myself, How sweet is my lady before she 
 strikes. Now it may be that I shall say what you 
 do not like, and the knife which slew the panther 
 might be defiled with Assyrian blood." 
 
 " When you tell falsehoods, Merodach, you should 
 never underestimate the ability of your listener. 
 You should have known that I could not believe
 
 Ii6 A Captain of Men 
 
 you ; the fear of death is beneath our consideration. 
 Why will you refuse to sit and talk with me ? " 
 
 " Because I would sit even closer here," re- 
 plied Merodach, pointing to the dead panther by her 
 couch. 
 
 Once more he noted that quick flash, as of light- 
 ning, from her eyes. " Sit even there, Merodach," 
 she whispered. 
 
 Lifting the panther, he carried it to the doorway 
 and placed it out of sight; he flung a bearskin over 
 the blood on the floor, and sat on it so that he half- 
 rested against her knee. 
 
 " Like Melkarth, I rebelled, and repented," he 
 softly said. " Strike, my lady Tanith." 
 
 As he spoke he pressed harder against her knee, 
 his eyes gazing mockingly upward into her face. 
 She bent a little toward him, and rested her hand 
 upon his shoulder, touching his cheek. 
 
 "Do you love me?" she whispered, bowing her 
 head until her lily-scented hair touched his face. 
 
 " Nay, Tanith," he answered ; " not as I have 
 before loved women." 
 
 " Tell me of her," sighed Tanith, her hand slip- 
 ping gently for her bosom. 
 
 " It was up among the peaks of the Northern 
 mountains that I met her. We had harried a village, 
 our soldiers were drunk with victory and slaughter.
 
 The Disobedient Panther 117 
 
 They were lions, sparing none, men, women, nor 
 children. A young girl ran to me and threw her- 
 self at my feet. I cannot tell how it was, but her 
 touch thrilled me; and when she looked up, and 
 I saw the tears and horror in her eyes, I lifted her 
 to her feet and comforted her. She dwelt in my 
 tent two months. She was always cheerful and 
 loving. When I was separated from her, I thought 
 of her even in battle I remembered her face. 
 And when I returned, her cry of welcome, her yearn- 
 ing arms outstretched to greet me, the music of her 
 voice, made each time sweeter than before. Was 
 that what you meant by love? " 
 
 " It may have been love," she whispered, her 
 dagger-hand stealing toward his rounded throat, her 
 eyes smiling into his. " It was surely the love of a 
 boy for a girl. Did your love grow weary? Where 
 is she now ? " 
 
 " One day the battle went against us. She ran 
 to me, but was struck down by an arrow." 
 
 " But how do you love me, Merodach ? " 
 
 " As a tiger loves its mate," he laughed, grasp- 
 ing her hand just as it was raised to strike. " As 
 you love me, Tanith. Years have changed me since 
 then. The blood runs fiercer in my veins as it 
 does in yours. There is fire in your love ; you are 
 not like her. By the belt of Ishtar! I could crush
 
 Il8 A Captain of Men 
 
 you to death as I now hold you here against my 
 breast. I could leap from yonder window, holding 
 you, dying with you. Your glance turns my blood 
 to fire. Nay; it is not love; 'tis sweetest hate." 
 
 " If this be hate, Merodach, let it consume me 
 here in your arms. But have you no love for 
 Miriam, my slave ? " 
 
 Merodach loosed his embrace, and rose to his 
 feet. " You have sent for me," he said. " Is this 
 why I am here ? " 
 
 Tanith leaped from her couch and gazed fiercely, 
 saying nothing. Slowly, against her will, her hand, 
 still grasping the dagger, sunk to her side. For the 
 moment he dominated her, and she replied : 
 
 " I told my father of your obedience. He has 
 suffered loss because of pirates and robbers, and he 
 and I offer you command of soldiers. We believe 
 that you will save us from such losses, if you care 
 thus to serve us. Will you accept such a command, 
 and will you serve us faithfully? " 
 
 " I will accept your offer, Lady Tanith." 
 
 " And leave Miriam ? " 
 
 " And leave Miriam." 
 
 " To-morrow is the Sabbath, and I have a mes- 
 sage for Hiram Abif, the artist. Will you, the 
 captain, carry it to him, to-morrow, for me ? " 
 
 " Yes, my lady Tanith."
 
 The Disobedient Panther 119 
 
 She gave him a roll of papyrus, and directed him 
 to the house of the dwarf. 
 
 " After to-morrow, you will go to the palace and 
 inform the king of your acceptance. He will in- 
 vest you with the requisite authority, and you will 
 be no longer subject to work beneath you. Our 
 vessels will not start until after the approaching fes- 
 tival. I shall therefore see you again." 
 
 Tanith hoped that he would say something to dis- 
 pel the curious constraint he had placed her in. But 
 he bowed low and departed, saying nothing. 
 
 After he had reached the Great Square, he re- 
 membered that he had not seen Chna and Hadad 
 for some time. The day was still young, he was 
 freed of his work on the main land, and he con- 
 cluded to pay them a visit. 
 
 As he walked through the busy streets, he fell to 
 thinking. He was, as it were, a traveller pursuing 
 a path beset with pitfalls, and through a country 
 where all he met might be foes. It were therefore 
 the part of wisdom for him to preserve the good- 
 will of the friends he had already acquired. The 
 death of the panther was too fresh in his mind, and 
 his own narrow escape from a similar fate too re- 
 cent, for him to ignore the fact that Tanith might 
 use his promotion as she had used her caresses for 
 Melkarth before she plunged her knife into his
 
 I2O A Captain of Men 
 
 heart. Brave, loyal friends, however humble, were 
 not to be slighted. 
 
 Naturally, then, by the time he was near the hut 
 of the waterman, he was deep in the memory of their 
 last meeting-. Of course the king had fulfilled his 
 promises, and Chna was in his first enjoyment of a 
 pension large enough to make him comfortable for 
 life. Merodach recalled how the smiles had seemed 
 to expand the wrinkles of the old man's face, how 
 engrossed he had been in contriving for the fullest 
 use of his income; he would spend the remainder 
 of his days in the selection of luxuries which should 
 compensate him for the privations of his youth. 
 Chief of the blessings which should crown his old 
 age was the glory and comfort of owning a slave. 
 The Assyrian could almost see the veteran sunning 
 himself in voluptuous idleness, while his slave fanned 
 him free of the flies that were such a torment to the 
 poor. 
 
 But Chna was alone, grumbling and cursing, 
 clothed in rags and discontent. The sun was too 
 hot, the shade was too cool; life was full of shams 
 and disappointments; poverty was the portion of 
 the aged, ingratitude the vice of the young; and 
 the flies were continually about him, hungry for his 
 death. 
 
 " You cannot mean that the king has forgotten
 
 The Disobedient Panther 1 21 
 
 you," exclaimed Merodach, amazed and grieved by 
 the old man's woe. 
 
 No, the king had done everything as he had 
 promised; but he was, after all, but a youth, and 
 the young were very forgetful. Suppose the king 
 should forget : Chna was old, exceedingly old ; the 
 aqueduct had ruined his chance for obtaining a live- 
 lihood what could he do when the king forgot ? 
 
 " But even the forgetfulness of the king cannot 
 harm you. He has provided against his own for- 
 getfulness, against his own death. He had these 
 pensions made a law of the land ; he has made your 
 income absolutely sure," argued Merodach. " Cheer 
 up, old friend! You are righting imaginary foes, 
 you are in no danger of want. But where have you 
 sent your slave ? and why are you alone in rags ? " 
 
 " My slave? " growled Chna. " I have no slave. 
 I am poor, frightfully poor ; and Hadad is wasting 
 his substance in drunkenness. Hadad buying 
 purple and jewels for his women. Hadad is rich. 
 Hadad is a power in the city. Hadad is hand in 
 hand with Esmun, the prince. In one year, in two 
 years, Hadad will say : ' Chna, my money is gone. 
 My father, shall I starve on your threshold ? ' What 
 should such as I do with a slave! You mock me, 
 you hypocritical Assyrian. May fleas devour you ! " 
 
 Thus, bit by bit, the veteran opened his heart, till
 
 122 A Captain of Men 
 
 Merodach knew all its miserly fears and bitterness. 
 Toward night Hadad appeared, glowing with health, 
 flushed with wine, bejewelled, scented, radiant, in- 
 solent. He was infinitely above the Assyrian gar- 
 dener. He had heard that Merodach had had the 
 good fortune to obtain work, tending Esmun's 
 grounds and fish-ponds. His dear friend Hector 
 had told him of it. He was now quite rich, he had 
 made good investments, and he was not one to for- 
 get old times and needy friends. The Assyrian had 
 but to say the word, and he would prove his friend- 
 ship. 
 
 Merodach was absolutely silent under this torrent 
 of boastful conceit, and his quiet disconcerted 
 Hadad, who began to stutter and turn a deeper red. 
 Something in the cold regard of Merodach awed 
 him, so that he began to feel young and insignifi- 
 cant. But soon he grew angry; why should this 
 common Assyrian gardener refuse to speak ? Where- 
 upon he charged Merodach with ingratitude: had 
 they not picked him out of the sea? Had they not 
 fed him and clothed him ? " Speak, Merodach, or, 
 by Ashtoreth! I'll show you the door." 
 
 " You are drunk, Hadad ; your good fortune has 
 turned your head. If I did not remember your 
 kindness, I should not be here." 
 
 Hadad was indeed drunk, and his usual good
 
 The Disobedient Panther 123 
 
 humour was warped, for he saw insult and an in- 
 tention to offend in everything Merodach said and 
 did. And the latter was quite patient, until Hadad 
 had worked himself into a fury, and gone so far as 
 to seize him by the shoulder and threaten to put 
 him out of the hut. 
 
 In an instant the two were locked and wrestling 
 for the mastery. The thrill of human contact roused 
 the worst in Hadad. He was a giant in strength, 
 and he purposed to throw the Assyrian and grind 
 his life out on the floor. But, instead, he found him- 
 self in a terrible embrace; darkness fell upon him, 
 he felt himself crushed beneath his opponent's knee; 
 he was upon his back, and above him was a face 
 which made him close his eyes and wish for sudden 
 death. 
 
 " Slay me," he groaned ; " I am not worthy of 
 mercy." 
 
 "By Asshur!" laughed Merodach; "you have 
 a hug like that of a bear. But you are soft and out 
 of condition. Some day, after you have worked 
 off your surplus flesh, we'll try another bout." 
 
 They were both standing now. Hadad had been 
 sobered by his fall. He looked at Merodach, and 
 felt that the Assyrian had changed into one full of 
 power and greatness. He was abashed by the grave
 
 124 A Captain of Men 
 
 kindliness of his regard; he tried to make apol- 
 ogies, but the other stopped him, saying : 
 
 " The sound of the sea is still in my ears; only 
 death can end my friendship for you and Chna." 
 
 Afterward neither Hadad nor Chna could tell 
 how it happened that they should be standing hand 
 in hand with Merodach. Then they only knew that 
 he was different; their eyes were opened, and they 
 felt that they would follow this man, this com- 
 mander, this king, wherever he might lead. He had 
 told them of his promotion, and they were glad to 
 promise to go with him, to the end of the world. 
 
 Later, when they were asleep on their couches 
 of skins, Merodach went out and sat by the lapping 
 sea. 
 
 " Hadad is mine and Chna is mine," he said to 
 himself. " Tanith is mine and Miriam is mine," 
 and then he paused, for he perceived that he was 
 standing at the parting of two roads. With Tanith 
 he might rule both land and sea. With Miriam 
 what?
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 IN THE STUDIO OF HIRAM ABIF 
 
 IT was " the day of rest for the heart," the Phoeni- 
 cian Sabbath, and Hiram Abif was alone in his 
 house on the Great Square. Evidences of his handi- 
 craft were all about him: finished and unfinished 
 pieces of needlework, engraved jewels, statuettes in 
 bronze, silver, and gold, drawings, plans for temples 
 and palaces, beaten work and castings, grotesque 
 idols in baked clay, mechanical inventions, and every 
 conceivable product of artistic imaginings, crowded 
 the studio of this most versatile genius, whose later 
 years were to be crowned by the glory of Solomon's 
 temple. 
 
 Of mixed parentage, a Phoenician father and 
 Jewish mother; a devout lover of the beautiful; 
 gifted with a subtle intellect, and cursed with He- 
 brew spirituality joined to the Phoenician heritage 
 of commercialism and grossness, Hiram was, at 
 once, the most envied and the saddest man of his 
 
 135
 
 126 A Captain of Men 
 
 time. Very strikingly was this cruel blending of 
 antagonistic elements displayed in the pathetic wist- 
 fulness of incomparable eyes in a face of unequalled 
 ugliness. Hands and feet fit for a sculptor's model 
 were united to long, ungainly arms and misshapen, 
 bony legs. A brow of exceptional depth surmounted 
 protrusive shoulders and a humped back. And the 
 curse of incongruity could also be seen in his work : 
 in the grotesque ifols he designed for trade with 
 ignorant tribes; and in the grandeur of design and 
 delicate loveliness of Solomon's temple. 
 
 All tastes could be appreciated and catered to by 
 Hiram, the cunning dwarf. The superstitions of 
 the most degraded savage, or the aspirations of 
 David of Israel, were alike familiar to this double- 
 natured artist. He could dicker and lie, could plan 
 and sell with any merchant in Tyre. He could be 
 also the philosopher; could perceive his lower self 
 and mock at it, separate the false from the true, 
 discern the values of opposing interests, and view 
 impersonally the justice of things he hated. Also 
 there were periods when he craved the best; times 
 when the excellence of personal holiness gave him 
 conception of a holy God; times when purity, hon- 
 esty, and integrity were chiefest and most to be 
 desired. 
 
 Hiram Abif, first of artists, combined the sym-
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 127 
 
 bolic ideality of Egyptian art with the realism of 
 Assyria. He was the forerunner of Phidias and 
 Praxiteles; of the art which made Greece preemi- 
 nent in sculpture. Finally, he had the quality of 
 analysis, the ability to penetrate the secrets of the 
 human heart. He, only, could fathom some of the 
 darker depths of Tanith's nature. He loved her, 
 passionately, hopelessly, cynically, loathingly. And 
 yet he only had discovered the spiritual loveliness 
 which underlaid the character of Miriam; and he 
 adored her, he worshipped her inherent purity, 
 dreaming of her as of an unapproachable, uncon- 
 taminated divinity. 
 
 But, after all, the depths of the shallowest nature 
 are unsoundable, and we are constantly amazed by 
 what we must ignorantly term the inconsistencies 
 of humanity. The veil of the holy of holies is, in- 
 deed, often rent and torn, but there are ever hidden 
 corners behind its tattered rags. 
 
 Let us, therefore, return to the fact that it was 
 the Sabbath, and that the artist was alone with his 
 creations and himself. A cleared space had been 
 made in the middle of the room; the successes and 
 failures of a master hand and brain had been care- 
 lessly thrust aside, and Hiram was sitting in reverie 
 before his two most recent creations. Side by side 
 they stood, his two statuettes in bronze.
 
 128 A Captain of Men 
 
 One was meant to represent Esmun, the eighth 
 and most powerful of the gods called by the Phoeni- 
 cians the Cabirim, the dwarfs who guide, protect, 
 and control the sailors on the seas. Two of the 
 seven visible gods (the Pleiades) point to the polar 
 star, but Esmun, the eighth, cannot be seen by mor- 
 tal eye, and it is he who blows the deadly mistral 
 or gentle zephyrs, as he wills. 
 
 Hiram had modelled the god with Assyrian at- 
 tention to detail and truthfulness to life. Veins, 
 muscles, and joints were perfectly shown, and the 
 texture of the skin was wonderful. The face of 
 the god was full of power, whether for good or ill. 
 
 The other figure, which represented Ashtoreth of 
 the silver crescent, the goddess of love, was 
 fashioned more along the lines of the best Egyptian 
 art. At least this was true of her lower limbs and 
 feet, which were seemingly unfinished ; but from the 
 waist upward the workmanship was of exquisite 
 finish. Mystery brooded in the long, half-shut eyes. 
 Her lips were full and, at first view, stern; but 
 about their corners hovered a suggestion of ineffable 
 voluptuousness. The nose was perfectly feminine, 
 but inclined to massiveness, and the brow was broad 
 and smooth. Add to this an indescribable charm, 
 a tantalizing subtlety of expression, and we have,
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 129 
 
 after all, only the barest outline of Hiram's master- 
 piece. 
 
 The artist was so engrossed in viewing his finished 
 work that Merodach had to knock repeatedly before 
 he could make himself heard. Yet finally Hiram 
 became conscious of the brazen clamour, and the 
 Assyrian was invited to enter. The message was 
 delivered and read, and the dwarf walked restlessly 
 about the room, disturbed by its contents. 
 
 For in it Tanith reminded him of the nearness of 
 the festival, of the feast the king was to give, and 
 she besought him to design for her a garment of 
 exceptional beauty. On it she wished a needlework 
 presentment of the god Melkarth. " And it will 
 please me," ran the note, " to have the god bear 
 likeness to him who will deliver this, my entreaty. 
 For surely, O Hiram, there is not in all Sidonia one 
 better fitted for such honour than this Merodach 
 of Assyria. It is my earnest desire to show forth 
 the excellence of thy handiwork, the perfection of 
 thy skill. May the gods favour thee as thou favour- 
 est me." 
 
 A sneering smile distorted Hiram's face. " The 
 gods have blessed you with twofold richness, Mero- 
 dach of Assyria," he said, careless of the effect of 
 his insolence. " First, you have obtained favour 
 with the lady Tanith; and, second, you have rea-
 
 130 A Captain of Men 
 
 sonable hope of becoming immortal through the 
 cunning of Hiram the artist." 
 
 " As I am ignorant of the words of the message 
 I brought, it is impossible for me to understand 
 all your meaning. It is only plain to me that my 
 double blessing will not compare with the one you 
 have already received." 
 
 " You speak in riddles," sneered Hiram. " Will 
 you not enlighten my ignorance by informing me 
 of the nature of my good fortune ? " 
 
 " You live after an inexcusable insolence. Does 
 this message require an answer? I would leave 
 you before I forget that we are strangers." 
 
 " By Melkarth ! " laughed the dwarf, " you have 
 struck me fairly. Skin for skin, yea, all that he 
 hath will a man give for his life; and because I 
 am still young in years and have much left to ac- 
 complish, I am grateful for your forbearance and 
 self-control. Now tell me, Merodach, what will 
 you do to one who acknowledges his fault, and 
 asks you for forgiveness ? " 
 
 " If he ask in earnestness and from an honest 
 heart, I will meet him half-way; if he ask only 
 for the sake of talking, I will treat him as it may 
 please me." 
 
 Hiram was silent a moment, then he became quite
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 131 
 
 grave. " I was no better than a spoiled child ; I 
 honestly desire your forgiveness." 
 
 " I was sure that I had not underestimated the 
 maker of these," replied Merodach, pointing to the 
 two figures. " I should consider myself honoured 
 by the friendship of the greatest artist in the 
 world." 
 
 " Friendship is a plant of very slow growth ; but 
 your forbearance has planted the seed. Are you, 
 too, an artist ? " 
 
 " I have seen and watched the best artists of 
 Assyria and Babylon at work. I have envied them 
 their cunning and skill, but my life has been that 
 of a soldier, my tools a sword and spear." 
 
 " Yet you have the artist's eye, and you cared 
 to watch them at work. Step a little backward 
 here and look carefully at them. Then ex- 
 amine them from a shorter distance, and tell me 
 the thoughts these figures give you. Speak plainly 
 and frankly, as you already have, and count me 
 worthy of honest correction." 
 
 " This is certainly you," said Merodach at last 
 of the male figure. " It is wonderfully done ; the 
 eyes of a god, the lips of a demon. It is surely 
 you; but the longer I look at it the more it seems 
 other than you. And it has the appearance of life, 
 overflowing life and power. The best of Assyria 

 
 132 A Captain of Men 
 
 and Babylon are as children compared to the maker 
 of this." 
 
 A proud smile lit Hiram's face, but there was 
 genuine humility in his reply. " It seemed to me 
 that there was improvement in my work; but I 
 cannot make this bronze present the figures of my 
 dreams. It is, after all, hardly more than a man; 
 the god I wished to make has eluded my grasp." 
 Then, turning to the other figure, he softly said: 
 "And this one; is it of equal merit?" 
 
 " Ever since I came into the room I have been 
 seeing her. And her eyes have seemed to follow me 
 wherever I went. It is my lady Tanith, the daugh- 
 ter of Esmun." 
 
 " You say that her eyes have followed you ; is 
 that all? Have you heard nothing from her 
 lips?" 
 
 " She speaks in whispers heard only by the heart. 
 Her voice is like that which moves one at night, 
 when the crescent of Ishtar hangs over the hills, 
 and the air is sweet with the scent of flowers, 
 and when you are thinking of an absent loved one. 
 I have tried to consider why you have left her 
 lower part unfinished, but I can see nothing save 
 her eyes and her lips; they hold me, and I find 
 myself listening to hear her speak. The other has 
 life and power; but she has the mystery of death.
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 133 
 
 She says that death with her is sweeter than life, 
 that the choicest flower blooms amidst decay." 
 
 The smile deepened in Hiram's eyes. " Can you 
 think of anything lacking?" he almost whispered. 
 " She has appeared to me here - even as she has 
 to you. But there is still more; what have you 
 seen of Tanith ? " 
 
 " I have seen what is not here; flame leap from 
 her glance, then deeper gloom," replied Merodach, 
 still under the spell that had impelled him to un- 
 wonted speech. 
 
 " And when you saw the flame, you saw death 
 close by her side. Who caused that glance? Even 
 I have seen it only once. Whom did it strike?" 
 
 " There were only we three : my lady Tanith, 
 Melkarth the panther, and myself. Melkarth de- 
 layed obedience. Her hand glided softly and ca- 
 ressingly along his side to her bosom, and came 
 back snake-wise along his fur until she reached his 
 heart with her dagger." 
 
 " Tanith permitted you to see that ! Did she 
 know that you witnessed all she did ? " 
 
 For some reason Merodach was loosed of the 
 spell. The sudden realization of how he had talked 
 was as wormwood and gall to one of his nature. 
 Was he a silly, garrulous boy, to be showing so 
 much to a stranger? He could not comprehend
 
 134 A Captain of Men 
 
 why he had acted so utterly at variance with in- 
 stinct, training, and habit. 
 
 " I have forgotten my duty in my interest in 
 your work. Does my message require an answer ? " 
 " I cannot tell ; I have not decided. But I wish 
 you to stay a little longer. I am, as you see, alto- 
 gether an artist, and it is only as an artist that I 
 may say that I have never till now seen such a form 
 as yours. Hadad the sailor and Hector the Greek 
 are both unusual in their way, but you are perfect." 
 " In such a manner one examines a horse or a 
 slave before buying," returned the Assyrian. " I 
 comprehend that you mean no insult; but it dis- 
 pleases me. I will bid you farewell : May Asshur 
 grant you long life and an abundance of prosper- 
 ity." 
 
 " Have I really displeased you ? " asked Hiram, 
 quite sadly. 
 
 " Only for an instant ; not beyond forgiveness." 
 "Then why will you insist on leaving me?" 
 " Because it seems wiser for me to go." 
 " You have changed so suddenly that I am anx- 
 ious to learn the reason. Just a little while ago 
 you asked for my friendship. You spoke frankly 
 to me then; then your voice and manner became 
 cold. For some reason you regret your frankness. 
 Have I lessened in your esteem so quickly ? "
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 135 
 
 Merodach replied with unusual directness and 
 sincerity. " When I was a young boy, I spoke 
 just as I thought, without reservation or conceal- 
 ment. I was truthful and frank because I was 
 young and among those who loved me. Years 
 have passed since then, and I have learned that 
 men must keep their thoughts as in a walled city. 
 I have learned that sorrow and loss are joined to 
 open lips and a nimble tongue. This knowledge 
 and habit of life have been mine for several years. 
 Yet, to-day, I have met you for the first time, and 
 I have found myself talking entirely too much. 
 This is quite beyond my comprehension. Now, 
 because I have felt a strong desire for your friend- 
 ship, I have explained why I have returned to my 
 usual self. I must not let myself continue in such 
 looseness of speech." 
 
 " I have wondered why it was so, but truth and 
 frankness are always given me. Tanith is the 
 daughter of lies; but even she opens her heart to 
 the ugly dwarf. The words of Hiram the king 
 are as the waves which sparkle upon the surface 
 of the sea to hide the depths ; but he is truthful and 
 strangely frank with me. It is true that I have 
 known none in all the world that can use bronze, and 
 wood, and jewels, and fine linen, and stone, and turn 
 them into things of beauty as I can ; but still I am
 
 136 A Captain of Men 
 
 only ' Hiram the dwarf.' Were I like you, Mero- 
 dach. it might be different, I cannot know, but 
 so it seems to me. I am the dwarf, and man and 
 woman have considered me as a thing to be used: 
 a receptacle for burdening secrets, a plaything, a 
 tool. There is only Miriam, Tanith's slave, who 
 has a belief that there is a heart in the crooked 
 dwarf; she, only, comes to me as a friend. Now, 
 because I have discovered no trace of scorn or of 
 pity in you, and because you have been willing to 
 tell me your reasons for leaving me, I am speaking 
 to you as directly and as simply as though I were 
 a child. 
 
 " You are Merodach, the grandson of Tiglath- 
 Pileser, by right a king, for so Hiram told me. 
 I am Hiram the artist. If you will agree to give me 
 true friendship, I will hold you as a brother. I 
 know not why it is, but I am drawn to you. Some- 
 times evil spirits possess me and drive me into 
 actions that I loathe; and there are times when 
 there is no good thing in me. But you are able 
 to steer the ship of your purpose through storm and 
 passion; it may be that that is why it is now my 
 turn to ask for friendship." 
 
 " Once I had a true friend," responded Merodach. 
 " We slept side by side ; we ate out of the same 
 dish; we were wounded for each other in battle.
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 137 
 
 I had also a woman whom I loved; but my friend 
 was dearer to me than my mistress. Will you be 
 such a friend as that ? " 
 
 " So far as in me lies." 
 
 " Then I swear to you truth and loyalty and 
 brotherly kindness." 
 
 " Then sit down, you snared lion," laughed 
 Hiram, " and let me entertain you. First, we will 
 pour out a libation to our friendship in this wine 
 of Cyprus. It has been mellowing a full hundred 
 years for our use. Fie on you, Merodach! you 
 drink as if you feared it. 
 
 " And now I will test the keenness of your wis- 
 dom; for I desire to know my friend as you know 
 the temper of your sword. Can you solve me this 
 riddle? 
 
 " ' A wooden well, 
 
 An iron pitcher, 
 
 Stone draws, 
 
 Water falls ; 
 What is it, friendly teacher ? ' ' 
 
 " Indeed, I cannot explain what it is. I have 
 never been quick at reading riddles." 
 
 " Yet yesterday when I asked Tanith she told 
 me so soon as the words passed my lips. But she 
 is a woman, and had every reason to know that 
 it is the wooden bottle in which she and her sisters
 
 I3& A Captain of Men 
 
 keep their pills for colouring their eyelids. The 
 iron pitcher is the iron pipe which draws out the 
 liquid from the pills. Because you are a man, I 
 will excuse your ignorance, and give you another 
 test. But now listen : 
 
 " Over its head the storm sails with delight ; 
 For birds it prepares dishes, 
 Brings joy to rich and dead ; 
 To poor it causes fright, 
 And grief it brings to fishes,' * 
 
 What is it?" 
 
 " Neither can I explain this riddle ; yet it keeps 
 teasing me and telling me I am a fool for not 
 understanding what it is." 
 
 " How often have you seen the fields of flax 
 bending and swaying beneath the storm? The rich 
 make money selling it; birds feed on its stalk; 
 shrouds are made from it for the dead; the poor 
 make of it clothes, and the fishes are caught in nets 
 of flaxen fibre. Truly I am almost disappointed 
 in the understanding of my friend. Yet, now that 
 I think of it, these riddles are peculiar to us here. 
 So I will give you one more trial, and this time 
 I shall ask of something quite familiar to you. 
 
 1 The riddles propounded by Hiram Abif to Merodach are taken 
 from Prof. Naphtali Herz Imber's " Treasures of Ancient Jerusa- 
 lem." Legend says that they were given for solution to King 
 Solomon by the Queen of Sheba.
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 139 
 
 " Why is it that Assyrian artists use colour on 
 their statuary? Can you tell me that? " 
 
 " I have often noticed that our artists use red 
 and blue and black. They put blue on helmets, 
 on trappings of horses, on flowers and sandals, 
 trees and branches, birds' claws, bows, spears, and 
 arrows. They use red on the king's apparel, his 
 parasol and his mitre, and sometimes they use red 
 on birds and on arms. I have seen black on hair 
 and beard, and in the eyes of man and beast; and 
 quite seldom they paint white in the corners of the 
 eye. I have seen all these colours on our statu- 
 ary." 
 
 " Your eyesight is very good, Merodach ; but 
 why is it that they use colours at all ? " 
 
 " You are an artist, tell me the reason." 
 
 " You may not be an answerer of riddles, but 
 you are wise to handle men," chuckled the artist. 
 " So I will explain my meaning. Your artists in 
 Assyria use their figures to lend beauty to the 
 rooms. In these rooms are coloured tiles for the 
 same purpose, to beautify and to adorn. There- 
 fore they use colour on their statuary to make it 
 harmonize with the tiles. For true beauty cannot 
 exist without harmony; and harmony is sometimes 
 gained through additions that, in other surround- 
 ings, would cause deformity."
 
 140 A Captain of Men 
 
 " You must speak still clearer, for I am in no 
 respect an artist." 
 
 " Suppose, then, that I should paint the eyes and 
 hair of these two figures of Esmun and Ashtoreth; 
 would it make them more beautiful?" 
 
 " I think it would spoil a perfect work." 
 
 " That is well said. These figures are made to 
 be complete in themselves. But were I to aim to 
 add colour and brightness to a room by means of 
 figures and coloured tiles, I must make them har- 
 monize. Therefore I will explain my riddle by 
 saying that the surroundings of a thing or of a 
 person often change the requirements of per- 
 fection. For example: Merodach seated on the 
 throne of Tiglath-Pileser in the city of Asshur 
 would be like my two statues, complete in himself. 
 But Merodach alone in Tyre, surrounded by stran- 
 gers and possible foes, is not complete. Therefore, 
 that he may harmonize with his new surroundings, 
 it is almost necessary that we should add the friend- 
 ship of Hiram the dwarf. For you have already 
 seen and met my lady Tanith." 
 
 " And that he may learn more of his new sur- 
 roundings, Merodach will now take his leave," and 
 Hiram Abif was left alone. 
 
 Again the artist lost himself in reverie before 
 his creations. Hiram, the king, knocked in vain for
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 141 
 
 admission ; for he was accustomed to join with the 
 artist and a few others in a Sabbath gathering. 
 But to-day the door was not opened, and the king 
 gave over his effort for admission, thinking his 
 friend was under one of his evil spells. A little 
 later, came Hector; he, too, failed of admission, 
 and went away regretting his lack of success. Some 
 have believed that these weekly meetings and talks 
 with the great artist were the beginning of the 
 society of Free Masons. 
 
 By and by the artist took a sheet of papyrus 
 and a reed and began to draw. And here, also, 
 he displayed the master's hand. In strong, simple 
 outline he depicted himself bearing Tanith in his 
 arms. In the distance was a group in which the 
 king, the Greek, and other well-known citizens of 
 Tyre were easily recognizable. Stopping as ar- 
 tists must to examine his drawing, something 
 in the expression of Tanith's face and figure start- 
 led him. " Muth spare her ! " he muttered. " In- 
 stead of Tanith, I have drawn her corpse ! " Ha- 
 stily dipping his reed in the pigment, he started to 
 correct his drawing; but he paused again, gave 
 a shrinking glance over his shoulder, as if expect- 
 ing to see a spirit, and whispered : " Let be ! let 
 be! it may be a warning from the gods." Then 
 boldly, and devoid of the yet unknown principles
 
 142 A Captain of Men 
 
 of perspective, he inserted a marvellous likeness of 
 Merodach reaching to deprive him of his heavy 
 burden. Adding a few more deft strokes, he pro- 
 vided the new figure with the insignia of the god 
 Melkarth. 
 
 " Is it in this fashion you would have him, O 
 Tanith ? " he cried, in impish glee. " Does your 
 insatiable spirit yearn for gods as well as for men? 
 But you ' would like to display the utmost excel- 
 lence' of my art! You could not lie to me so glibly 
 were we face to face, Tanith Tanith." 
 
 These last words, the repetition of her name, 
 were uttered with indescribable tenderness. Slowly, 
 as if against his will, he went to the embodiment 
 of his dreams. His hand reached out to touch her 
 cheek, his eyes shone mistily and yearningly. " Of 
 a truth, it is you, Tanith, as I have made you. 
 There is none who knows you as I do; and I, only, 
 know you and love you as you are. I formed those 
 lips, but they spoke to Merodach. He heard 
 words you have never had for me. I gave the curve 
 to those eyes, but they drew him. Can any other 
 know you and form you with my cunning? Yet I 
 dare not touch even the bronze which shapes your 
 form. . . . Dare not ? " 
 
 A wild, savage expression distorted his face. 
 He ran to a corner, tore up a mass of draperies as
 
 In the Studio of Hiram Abif 143 
 
 a dog paws the ground, and returned with a huge 
 hammer. In the twinkling of an eye, he had bat- 
 tered into shapeless bits the best work his hands 
 were ever to fashion. Then, when all was done, he 
 gazed through dull and heavy eyes at the destruc- 
 tion that he had wrought. 
 
 " Behold, Tanith, I am a god ; I can create, 
 and I can destroy. Yet you love Merodach as you 
 will never love again."
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " I WISH THAT THOU WERT ONLY THE GARDENER ! " 
 
 FROM Hiram's house Merodach returned to the 
 hut of his friends. After arranging with Hadad 
 to carry a request to Miriam for a meeting on the 
 following afternoon, he borrowed their boat and 
 spent the remainder of the day on the water, alone. 
 
 Early the next morning he borrowed some shek- 
 els of Hadad, and, wearing once more his beloved 
 sword and cross-belts, he chaffered among the shops 
 on the square until he had purchased clothing to 
 correspond with his new rank in Tyrian society. 
 
 By ten o'clock, according to modern time, he had 
 changed his apparel, and was seated in the ante- 
 chamber of the king's palace, awaiting his turn 
 amongst a miscellaneous gathering of rich and poor, 
 high and lowly. 
 
 From the beginning of his reign, the king had 
 reserved the two hours just before noon for the 
 hearing of complaints, the settlement of disputes, 
 
 144
 
 "I Wish Thou Wert the Gardener" 145 
 
 the righting of wrongs, and all the usual and un- 
 usual matters which required personal contact with 
 his subjects. 
 
 In Assyria the king was unapproachable. Pe- 
 titioners were compelled to seek the ear of the 
 grand vizier, or prime minister, who alone was 
 permitted free access to the royal presence. But 
 among a mercantile people, where time was, as we 
 have it, money, the ceremonies were shorn and 
 neglected. Caste was unknown in Phoenicia, 
 again for business reasons, as the richest and noblest 
 did not care to miss a chance of profit by reason 
 of unbusinesslike pride. 
 
 Merodach was interested by the peculiarities of 
 this democratic palace. Instead, for instance, of 
 meeting one wearing the tasselled apron and 
 fringed band depending from the fillet, and the long 
 scarf ending in double streamers which fastened 
 the belt (distinctive marks of the Assyrian prime 
 minister), he and the lowliest Phoenician subject 
 dealt with the king himself. Moreover, there was 
 here an absolute lack of favouritism. He looked 
 in vain to discover even one fat-nosed, double- 
 chinned eunuch eager to barter for the privilege 
 of instant admission into the inner chamber. On 
 the contrary, he was placed in strictest accordance 
 with his time of appearance, directly following one
 
 146 A Captain of Men 
 
 apparently fresh from the shambles in the market. 
 As may be believed, this was not altogether agree- 
 able to the lordly Assyrian. He could descend 
 of his own will, but he had no sympathy for de- 
 mocracy. 
 
 Thus full forty minutes passed ere a page ushered 
 him through the gold-plated doorway into the 
 " Chamber of Justice." And there he met not so 
 much the king as a keen, busy man of affairs, a 
 king of merchants, who spoke in simple directness. 
 
 " I have been requested by Esmun to give you 
 a commission which will authorize your command 
 of soldiers, wherever the interests of his business 
 may require it. In addition to this commission, 
 I have for my own pleasure and profit made certain 
 provisions. With the exception of the captains in 
 the cities of Sidonia proper, and of the two colonies 
 of Utica and Gadir, you are to be second to none. 
 Already proclamation has been sent to all our other 
 colonies that obedience shall be rendered you when- 
 ever and wherever it may be necessary to further 
 our interests by the use of bow and spear. In a 
 word, Merodach, I appoint you commander of all 
 my soldiers, with the exceptions already named, 
 with instruction to report to Esmun as my repre- 
 sentative. 
 
 " Further, you have with this appointment a
 
 "I Wish Thou Wert the Gardener" 147 
 
 rank which will make you second only to the four 
 hundred princes and senators of our realm, and 
 to the governors of cities and colonies. Proclama- 
 tion to this effect shall also be made to-day in the 
 Great Square. Our treasurer shall be directed to 
 pay you a salary which will enable you to live in 
 a manner fitting to your rank and office. Your 
 commission is dated from the day when you and 
 David of Israel showed willingness to risk your 
 lives for Sidonia's king. Present this order to the 
 treasurer, and he will redeem it in gold and silver 
 of the standard of Carchemish; it is for an amount 
 equal to one-fourth of your yearly stipend. This 
 income will be yours so long as you retain your 
 present command. Have you aught of objection 
 to offer, Merodach, captain of my forces ? " 
 
 " None, my lord the king; unless it is that you 
 have too well remembered what was not worthy 
 of reward." 
 
 " Were you any other man, I had settled my debt 
 with gold alone. It is not my custom to be careless 
 with men of value. The grandson of Tiglath- 
 Pileser, the former commander of the Assyrian 
 horse, the saviour of the Assyrian army in the 
 battle in the mountains, one of the best soldiers of 
 his day, is worth more than gold. It is my purpose 
 to surround my throne with officers best fitted to
 
 148 A Captain of Men 
 
 advance the welfare of my kingdom. Again I ask 
 you, are you indeed loyal, Merodach-Pileser, right- 
 ful heir to the Assyrian throne?" 
 
 " So long as I use the authority you have given 
 me will I be faithful to my trust. By Asshur, Vul, 
 and Ishtar of Arbela, I swear to serve you truly 
 and well. But when I return you this my fealty, 
 I will be subject to none." 
 
 " It is enough," returned the king. " Serve me 
 faithfully now, and while you will, and the gods 
 will give me wisdom to deal rightly with you when 
 you are once more the Assyrian and come to meet 
 me, either in peace or in war. 
 
 " And now that we have spoken frankly, as king 
 to prince, and inasmuch as, for the time, you are 
 become my subject, I will show you this map. It 
 will acquaint you with the westernmost portion of 
 our domains, the place of your first service. Here 
 are the Pillars of Melkarth ; beyond them here 
 is Gadir, near the end of the world. Just at 
 this point to the eastward is where our ves- 
 sels must land for tin. 
 
 "Of late there have been failures in our ven- 
 tures; pirates have waylaid our ships, and inland 
 tribes have plundered our caravans. Only a few 
 days ago Esmun received news of a great loss, and 
 he then determined to meet force with force, to
 
 "I Wish Thou Wert the Gardener" 149 
 
 place you in command of fighting men, and so 
 prevent a repetition of such damage." 
 
 " Would it not be well that I begin immediately 
 to secure and train my men? Give me a few that 
 will know my voice, that will act together at my 
 command, and they shall be fitted to cope with a 
 multitude untrained. Place also at my use one of 
 your galleys, that I may accustom myself and them 
 to fighting on its deck; and grant me power to 
 select my officers as you have selected me." 
 
 A quick smile of approval brightened Hiram's 
 usually grave face. " I would that you were not 
 the grandson of Tiglath-Pileser ; I would that you 
 were entirely mine. I have men enough, and to 
 spare; but true soldiers are few, and we have need 
 of leaders like you, able to train and command." 
 
 " You have pointed out this spot as being the 
 place where your ships land for tin. I have been 
 told by an old sailor that the metal is delivered to 
 your caravans at a place far inland. Have you on 
 this map the country in which it is mined ? " 
 
 " We do not know with certainty where that 
 country lies; but I have marked it as being here. 
 We once had a savage brought to Tyre, who told 
 me that the tin was brought to his people across 
 a narrow stretch of water. He said they conveyed 
 it up a great river, and over the mountains to our
 
 150 A Captain of Men 
 
 storehouses. But let us return to your request for 
 the use of a galley. Hitherto we have had little 
 trouble in repelling the attacks of pirates with our 
 usual force. There was a time when our fleets 
 covered the Great Sea from north to south and 
 from east to west. But since the Greeks began to 
 dispute with us, we have, for the sake of peace, 
 limited the path of our voyages to the southern 
 route. By following the coast-line to Utica we 
 escape interference; struggle and battle should be 
 avoided by a mercantile people. But at all haz- 
 ards, we must get tin; it is the true basis of our 
 wealth. The mines of Tarshish are practically 
 exhausted, and we are compelled to make this land- 
 ing on the northern coast." 
 
 Merodach slowly traced his finger along the 
 map, through the narrow strait between the Pillars 
 of Melkarth, beyond Gadir, and into the part 
 marked " End of the World." Ever since he had 
 heard Chna relate his adventures while guarding 
 the caravan of tin, he had looked forward to the 
 day when he might ask the question now trembling 
 on his lips. For this reason he had stayed in Tyre. 
 For the accomplishment of this purpose he had 
 accepted any service which would connect him with 
 the richest merchant in Tyre. Esmun was but a 
 stepping-stone to something which he was deter-
 
 "I Wish Thou Wert the Gardener" 151 
 
 mined to do. He had counted on months of patient 
 waiting, on months of menial toil; and he had not 
 begrudged the price. He loved Miriam, but there 
 was something higher than love. Now, in a mo- 
 ment, his chance had come. So, with his eyes fixed 
 upon the map, he quietly asked : 
 
 " Is it not possible for your ships to sail to Gadir 
 (Cadiz), and to bear from thence northward and 
 westward till they reach the land of tin itself? 
 By so doing you will gain the absolute monopoly 
 of the world's supply." 
 
 " By the Eight Cabirim ! that is a daring con- 
 ception," exclaimed the king, " but impossible of 
 execution. The waters beyond the Pillars of Mel- 
 karth become a mighty current, rushing westward 
 to plunge headlong over the end of the earth. 
 There are terrible spirits in that region, and the 
 vapours rise up from the cataract and hide the sun 
 and stars in blackest night. The bravest sailors 
 would refuse to attempt such a voyage. Yet the 
 conception is a grand one." 
 
 " Have any of your voyagers made such an at- 
 tempt, and failed ? " 
 
 " Never ; there is no reward too great for him 
 who wiould dare those perils. There have been 
 times when I have questioned where all that mighty 
 mass of water went; I have even dreamed of at-
 
 152 A Captain of Men 
 
 tempting the impossible. Speak all your mind, 
 Merodach, for there is iron in your blood, and your 
 will is like tempered steel." 
 
 " I have listened night after night to tales from 
 an ancient sailor till perils and adventures on land 
 seemed tame, unworthy the thought of a warrior. 
 He told me of the dangers he had met and over- 
 come in his youth; he mourned because there was 
 nothing in these later days to stir the blood of a 
 brave man. Yet, even while he sorrowed for the 
 past, he spoke of the terrors of that unknown sea, 
 and my spirit burned within me. For I, too, de- 
 sire to do what man has never done. Asshur has 
 given me power to mould men to my will. Let me 
 have them long enough, and they become as pup- 
 pets in my hands; my will becomes their will, my 
 spirit their spirit. The time has come for me to 
 show you my dearest wish. Give me, before I leave, 
 a commission that will empower me to command 
 the sailing-masters of what ships I may choose ; and 
 I will sail northward and westward to the land of 
 tin, or till I am swept over the end of the earth. 
 Give me such a commission, and I will find men 
 willing to go with me." 
 
 " And what shall be your reward ? " asked the 
 king, gazing with hungry eyes at the map. 
 
 " The reward shall be of your own selection.
 
 "I Wish Thou Wert the Gardener" 153 
 
 Yet, while I am gone, you must promise that no 
 evil, which you may prevent, shall come to Miriam, 
 the Hebrew slave of my lady Tanith." 
 
 " I will make that promise now ; I pledge you 
 my kingly word that I will guard Miriam till your 
 return or death. Now tell me, Assyrian as you 
 are, who taught you so well to speak our tongue? " 
 
 " There is little difference between the speech 
 of Assyrian, Phoenician, or Hebrew." And Hiram 
 knew from the other's manner that there was an 
 end to that subject. 
 
 " I would that I were Hiram, the dwarf, that I 
 might win a more perfect entrance into your heart," 
 he exclaimed, moved out of himself. Then, seating 
 himself at a table, he wrote slowly and with fre- 
 quent pauses. After which he ended the interview 
 by saying: 
 
 " Here is the commission for which you ask ; 
 and may your gods and my gods watch between us 
 both, and prevent us from disagreement. For you 
 are the only man I ever met save David of Israel 
 who seemed to me a king." 
 
 " But you have not yet answered me concerning 
 the galley in which I may train my men," said the 
 Assyrian, still waiting. 
 
 " Tell Esmun it is my will that you be furnished 
 with all you may require. You never forget nor
 
 154 A Captain of Men 
 
 loose your hold. Now may Melkarth watch over 
 you, Merodach, for there is an impatient crowd in 
 the other room. I shall see you often before you 
 leave; and you will eat with me and the prince 
 Esmun here to-night." 
 
 In this manner Merodach gained his wish of the 
 king. But Hiram pondered deeply the mystery 
 which seemed to veil the purposes of one whom he 
 well-nigh feared. " Let him discover a sea-path 
 to the land of tin, and I will risk what may there- 
 after occur." 
 
 It was full three hours past noon when Merodach 
 hastened to the spot he had selected for his meeting 
 with Miriam. Hadad had been successful in his 
 embassy, and Miriam had promised to be there 
 at the appointed time; and, half-hidden by the 
 foliage, the Assyrian discovered her, sitting by the 
 frothing waters of the stream from the snows of 
 Lebanon. It was indeed Miriam, blushing and 
 happy, waiting to return to him the golden disk 
 that he had entrusted to Hadad as his credentials. 
 
 " Truly the days have grown longer in your ab- 
 sence," she said when they were seated together 
 on the grassy bank. " And you are much changed, 
 Merodach. Does my lord Esmun pay you enough 
 to provide you with such splendid clothing? And
 
 "I Wish Thou Wert the Gardener" 155 
 
 do gardeners wear swords? Fie on you! This 
 beauty is not for me, the slave of my lady Tanith." 
 
 Her words were seemingly merry, but sudden 
 fear had come into her heart; she perceived in him 
 again the air of command, the lordly bearing of 
 the chieftain. She felt that he was not so near to 
 her as when he had been Prince Esmun's gardener. 
 She feared that he had tired of masquerading, that 
 he was ready to return to his own country. 
 
 " The king has made me his soldier, and I am 
 freed of service to your mistress. There has been 
 much to keep me from you, and truly I have missed 
 you, Miriam. Yet you appear lovelier than when 
 we parted, two days ago. You are so white, like an 
 almond-blossom; and your hair is as shining 
 bronze. I can hardly believe that the blush on your 
 cheek and the light in your eyes are all for me, 
 and because of my coming. Only yesterday I felt 
 myself alone, a stranger in an enemy's land." 
 
 " So I have lost my faithful gardener," smiled 
 Miriam ; " and I am once more alone and helpless 
 before the Assyrian soldier; but my lady Tanith 
 has not now deprived me of my veil." 
 
 She made a pretence of covering her face, but 
 he prevented her, and they fell to talking as lovers 
 will, making the veriest trifles vehicles of their 
 affection. And because they were lovers, they spoke
 
 156 A Captain of Men 
 
 to each other of their childhood's joys and sorrows. 
 Miriam told of her sister, and he endeared himself 
 still more by his sympathy and manly tenderness. 
 While he, on his part, hardly conscious of the ful- 
 ness of his revelations, told her of his boyhood, 
 of his becoming a soldier under his father. To 
 her, only, he felt willing to speak of the counsels 
 of his grandfather, of his training and ambitions. 
 
 " He used to take me from the women and tell 
 me of the marvels he had seen in this western land ; 
 of the sea, its ships, and of the great fish he had 
 caught. He wished to make the sons of Asshur 
 the rulers of the world; and he always regretted 
 that it was impossible for him to make these Si- 
 donians his subjects, that he was too old to attempt 
 their complete conquest. He comprehended the 
 vastness of wealth such a sovereignty must bring, 
 and it was his dearest purpose that I should be 
 trained and fitted for a kingdom embracing land 
 and sea. 
 
 " He even secured a woman of Phoenicia to teach 
 me its language and writing. He even succeeded 
 in overcoming the heedlessness of a child; for I 
 grew to long to walk in the path of his ambitions. 
 So I learned many things. When I went with my 
 father against Babylon, I was wounded and taken 
 prisoner by the foe he defeated. But I counted my
 
 "I Wish Thou Wert the Gardener" 157 
 
 misfortune a blessing, for I learned of my captors. 
 Later I succeeded in escaping to Ur of the Chal- 
 dees; and I became a sailor in their puny ships, 
 and learned something of their limited sea. 
 
 " When a man, full grown, I returned to the city 
 of Asshur and learned of my father's death, and 
 that Asshur-ab-aram had usurped my rightful heri- 
 tage; and I bided my time. First I felt that I 
 must fit myself in the armies I meant to command. 
 So I passed the years till I met you, Miriam. It 
 is true that I am now as you see me ; but some day 
 I will call upon my people, and I will set myself 
 face to face with Hiram of Phoenicia for the sover- 
 eignty of the world. 
 
 " Why do you appear so sad, Miriam ? Is not 
 the certainty of such a kingdom large enough to 
 bring you happiness? But it is getting late, and I 
 must go back to the city. I have shown you the 
 secret places of my heart. I will be king, and you 
 shall be my queen, and, together, we will rule the 
 world." 
 
 " O Merodach ! " exclaimed Miriam, rising, " I 
 wish that thou wert only the gardener ! "
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE PARABLE WHICH CHNA HEARD 
 
 FEW quiet-minded citizens of Tyre cared to be 
 caught after dark in " The Street of Taverns," a 
 narrow, unsavoury street which climbed the hill 
 amongst the shadows of the northern wall. It 
 began just between the substructure of the temple 
 court and the wharves belonging to the arsenal. 
 The king intended to have it wiped out of existence, 
 so soon as he had completed the more necessary 
 improvements already begun. 
 
 Just at the foot of the hill, and almost a part of 
 the wall itself, stood the " Tavern of the Jolly 
 Dwarfs," a long, narrow two-storied building of 
 massive construction. Over its principal entrance 
 was a piece of bronze work, let into the stone, from 
 the hand of Hiram Abif. It portrayed a vessel, of 
 the sort used in voyages to Gadir, manned by the 
 Seven Cabirim in the last stages of intoxication. 
 Of all the taverns in Tyre there were few so dis- 
 
 158
 
 The Parable Which Chna Heard 159 
 
 reputable as this of the Jolly Dwarfs. Yet it was 
 there that Merodach had agreed to meet Hector. 
 After the Assyrian had reported to Esmun for in- 
 structions, Hector had been called to join them, and 
 had instantly recommended the tavern for their 
 recruiting-ground. The merchant had seemed in- 
 clined to object to his choice, but a significant glance 
 from his secretary decided him to endorse his pro- 
 posal. . 
 
 The supper at the palace used so much time that 
 it was approaching midnight when Merodach 
 stopped under the light of the dripping brazier 
 before the tavern. Twice, on his way there, he had 
 been compelled to resent the attentions of night- 
 prowlers, and he had a suspicion that the worst was 
 yet to come. He was well satisfied in being able to 
 enter the low room without attracting attention. 
 Seating himself on a rude bench in an obscure cor- 
 ner, he began to examine the inmates of his queer 
 place of meeting. 
 
 First of all he beheld Hector, the drunkest man 
 in the room. He was leaning against the shrine, 
 before which the sailors offered strange vows pre- 
 paratory to dangerous voyages. Before him sat 
 two men on something like a throne, evidently the 
 principals of a gambling match. One of these two 
 was a stranger to Merodach, but the other was un-
 
 160 A Captain of Men 
 
 mistakably old Chna ; the Greek was filling the hon- 
 ourable position of umpire. 
 
 These contests were of nightly occurrence in the 
 tavern, and were conducted under specific rules, 
 which were as follows : 
 
 The two entering such a match must select an 
 umpire. 
 
 The principals must place everything they had 
 of value with them in the hands of the umpire; 
 and the match must be continued until one or the 
 other was completely despoiled. If one night should 
 prove insufficient to produce this result, they must 
 continue their game night after night until the re- 
 quired end was accomplished. These rules were 
 absolutely fixed. 
 
 The two contestants were required to sit with 
 their backs to the umpire, and in full view of their 
 audience, each holding his left hand behind his back, 
 his right hand before him. In regular turn each 
 would then make a guess as to the number of fingers 
 the other had open behind his back. The bets were 
 invariably one-twentieth of the deposit each had 
 in the umpire's keeping. 
 
 The judgment of the umpire was final. 
 
 It was also customary for the spectators to bet 
 among themselves upon the success or failure of 
 the principals to guess correctly. But to-night there
 
 The Parable Which Chna Heard 161 
 
 were no outside wagers; the spectators were ob- 
 taining all their enjoyment through watching. 
 
 It seems that in the beginning of this particular 
 match, Chna had steadily lost. But quite recently 
 the veteran had noticed the befuddled condition of 
 the umpire; Hector was finding it difficult to count 
 the nimble fingers as they opened and closed for his 
 decisions. From that moment the wily old repro- 
 bate had begun to cheat with most successful calm- 
 ness. When he won, he held his peace; but when 
 Hector thought he lost, he coolly claimed the de- 
 cision, and bullied the umpire most effectively. 
 
 Seated as he was, in full view of the audience, 
 Chna's course was quite patent to all save his vic- 
 tim. The audacity of the cheat tickled the observ- 
 ers, and their shouts of laughter were at last be- 
 ginning to make the loser suspicious. Merodach 
 waited, curious to witness the ending of the farce, 
 or, what was beginning to appear more probable, 
 the closing act of a tragedy. 
 
 Indeed, he was almost tempted to warn Chna 
 of his danger, but that might spoil an interesting 
 episode, and he settled himself more comfortably 
 in his corner, just as Hadad put in an appearance 
 with several women. This boisterous arrival dis- 
 tracted his attention for hardly a moment, yet, 
 when he looked again toward the gamblers, Chna's
 
 1 62 A Captain of Men 
 
 opponent had drawn his knife, and was swearing 
 that he was being robbed. In the twinkling of an 
 eye, the two were struggling together on the floor 
 at the foot of the gambling-throne. 
 
 Quite before any one could interfere, Chna had 
 his antagonist disarmed and beneath his knee. At 
 the same time Hector discovered Merodach, and 
 was sorely divided by his combined attempts to ap- 
 pear sober and to stop the fight. But Chna attended 
 strictly to his purpose of proving his innocence and 
 integrity. So when his assailant begged for mercy, 
 the old man let him go minus an ear. Then, 
 vowing half of his ill-gotten winnings to Melkarth, 
 after his safe return from his next voyage, 
 he put his knife in its sheath, the severed member 
 in his pouch, and watched with pious calm the 
 retreat of the defeated one through the ribald crowd. 
 
 Soon he, too, saw Merodach. Seizing an empty 
 earthen jar, he seconded the Greek's efforts to se- 
 cure a hearing, and brought momentary silence 
 and attention by crashing it to bits on the vacant 
 throne. " Hector will pay for the jar," he sweetly 
 promised the enraged innkeeper. 
 
 Hector thereupon took advantage of the silence 
 to introduce " his noble friend, my lord the cap- 
 tain Merodach." He also reminded his audience 
 of the proclamation they had all doubtless heard
 
 The Parable Which Chna Heard 163 
 
 that day in the Great Square, and requested them 
 to listen " while my lord the captain spoke." 
 
 Merodach had long since concluded that he had 
 been brought to meet the most perfect ruffians the 
 city could afford. Yet, in accordance with the de- 
 sires of his employer's representative, he made a 
 brief statement of his needs, and ended by inviting 
 all good men and true to enlist. 
 
 Hardly had he finished speaking, when a man 
 stepped into the cleared space before him, and 
 asked : 
 
 " How big is the pay offered by the noble cap- 
 tain?" 
 
 " Half as much again as that now given to reg- 
 ular seamen," replied the Assyrian, with inward 
 loathing, but outward calm. For on the man's 
 neck and arms were the dead-white blotches of the 
 leper. His scanty hair was of a whitish-yellow 
 colour, and the end joints on two fingers of his 
 left hand had been eaten off by the disease. Be- 
 sides this, the fellow's gaze was insolent, and his 
 loathsome body was decked with tawdry finery. 
 
 Every one present appeared to know " Nathan 
 the leper," and well they might, for he was without 
 doubt the best sailor and the biggest scoundrel in 
 Phoenicia.
 
 164 A Captain of Men 
 
 " And how many men will you need ? " he asked, 
 showing satisfaction at the largeness of the pay. 
 
 " Two score and ten at the first." 
 
 " I will guarantee the entire number wanted. 
 Set the time and place of our appearance, and they 
 shall all be there, two score and ten of the best and 
 bravest that ever sailed the Great Sea." 
 
 " You cannot do better," whispered Hector, well- 
 nigh sober through eagerness. 
 
 A peculiar smile passed over the Assyrian's face. 
 " Surely I will kill this Nathan," he said to him- 
 self ; then aloud: " I am certainly fortunate in the 
 time of my coming. You may bring the men to- 
 morrow morning, at the third hour, to the ware- 
 house of Prince Esmun, near the arsenal. To-night 
 you will all drink as you will, at my expense. But 
 when you appear before me, you must swear per- 
 fect obedience. For while I can reward the deserv- 
 ing, I have nothing but punishment for the diso- 
 bedient." 
 
 Tossing a heavy purse to the obsequious inn- 
 keeper, he bade Hector farewell, and left the room. 
 From there he went directly to his friends' hut, 
 and waited outside till Chna appeared. But the 
 latter passed him by without a word, went inside 
 and lighted a lamp, and sat down on his couch.
 
 The Parable Which Chna Heard 165 
 
 And there the ancient sat, most aggressively still, 
 until Merodach asked : 
 
 " Are you to be expected among the volunteers 
 in the morning? Are you of the party of Nathan 
 the leper?" 
 
 " I am neither of the party of Nathan the leper, 
 nor of any other belonging to my noble lord the 
 captain," was the surly response. " Yesterday 
 even to-day I was fool enough to believe that 
 there was none to compare with my lord, the cap- 
 tain. But now I know that this man I worshipped 
 is no better than a child in the hands of a drunken 
 Greek and a scabby villain. I am an old man; 
 I have money enough; I care not to win ill-luck 
 with one who places his head in a trap. I am 
 going to bed, my lord, the captain." 
 
 " You have said too much, or too little, Chna. 
 Yet it may be that you are only drunk." 
 
 Whereupon Chna began to blaspheme with much 
 fluency, while he tried to evade the gaze which 
 seemed to mock him. 
 
 " Because I promised before I had come to know 
 you, and because I was fool enough to believe in 
 you, I will speak more freely. Before you entered 
 the tavern, Hector and Nathan tried to get Hadad 
 and me drunk. You saw the tipsy Greek; you 
 saw me on the throne, and you know that they
 
 1 66 A Captain of Men 
 
 failed, that I am, and have been, sober. I tell you 
 plainly that they two had a reason for wishing to 
 get us drunk. I know that Hector had arranged 
 with the leper before you came; that Nathan vol- 
 unteered for a purpose. Pah ! it sickened me to see 
 you walk into the pit they had dug. I will have 
 nothing to do with you, Merodach." 
 
 " Listen, Chna, and I will tell you a story. There 
 was once a certain man travelling in a strange coun- 
 try. In the very beginning of his journey, he had 
 a suspicion that some of its inhabitants had pur- 
 posed his death. But the faces of all he met were 
 pleasant, their words were friendly, but he found 
 that pitfalls were dug along his path. 
 
 " Now it befell that one day, toward evening, he 
 met a stranger coming toward him. 
 
 "'Whither are you going?' inquired the 
 stranger. 
 
 " ' To such a place,' replied the traveller. 
 
 " ' Then this is the road you seek,' returned the 
 stranger, pointing to a narrow path which led 
 among the trees. It was, by this time, quite dark, 
 but the traveller was certain that he could perceive 
 the newly turned earth of a pitfall in the way he 
 was directed. Nevertheless he thanked the stranger, 
 and turned aside into the path of his choosing."
 
 The Parable Which Chna Heard 167 
 
 " And the vultures and flies devoured the fool," 
 chuckled Chna. 
 
 " You are in error, Chna. The traveller hid 
 himself in the pit itself. There he waited until the 
 stranger returned softly with his master, the trav- 
 eller's secret foe. Then the traveller's bow twanged 
 twice, and they two fell dead beside the pit they 
 both had digged." 
 
 Merodach ended his parable and bade Chna fare- 
 well; but the old sailor would not let him go. 
 
 " It may be that you will see your enemies dead 
 beside their own pit; or it may be that you will 
 shoot your arrows against them in vain, the end 
 is in the hands of the gods. But whichever hap- 
 pens, you have shown me that you are even more 
 than I thought you yesterday. I will go, or stay, 
 as you command me. I will never doubt you 
 again." 
 
 Assuring the veteran of his desire to have him 
 in his company, the Assyrian spent the night on 
 his old couch in the hut. But while he slept he 
 dreamed. He dreamed that he was hidden in the 
 pit of his story. He beheld the moonlight sifting 
 through the trees; he saw the freshly turned earth 
 of the pit. And by and by he heard stealthy foot- 
 steps; his enemies were coming to gloat over his 
 death. At last he would settle his suspicions.
 
 1 68 A Captain of Men 
 
 Carefully fitting his arrow on the string, he waited 
 till he saw them step into the moonlight. His ar- 
 rows went as he directed them; his enemies fell, 
 shot by his hand, and he joyfully left his hiding- 
 place to learn who they were. 
 
 He beheld the yellow hair of Hector low in the 
 dust, and he smiled at the fulfilment of his suspi- 
 cions. But when he turned to the other, the moon- 
 beams fell upon the dead face of the lady Tanith. 
 She was dead beyond the slightest doubt. Her 
 sightless eyes stared upward, and the rich colour 
 of her lips and cheeks was turning gray. There 
 was no sign of life in her face, yet it filled him 
 with dread. He gazed and gazed in expectation of 
 seeing the dead eyes fill with their former mystery 
 of thought, the ashen lips take on the lines and 
 subtle curves which even Hiram had found beyond 
 his skill of limning. 
 
 Horror grew into his dream and increased till 
 he groaned aloud and awoke. Rising, he went out- 
 side; day was still lagging behind the eastern hills, 
 but he could not sleep. 
 
 He was also troubled by the memory of his part- 
 ing with Miriam. He had tried to console the grief 
 his revelations had caused her. Her meeting with 
 David had given her hope that, some day, she might 
 return to Palestine with Merodach. There her
 
 The Parable Which Chna Heard 169 
 
 cousin would make it possible for her to forget the 
 past. Peace and love would surround their home 
 among the southern hills. She and her lover would 
 learn of David's God, would be free of the horror 
 that clutched the land of Sidonia. 
 
 Such had been her dream before she knew that 
 the Assyrian intended to rule the world. She never 
 doubted that he would attain to his ambition. 
 And he desired her to sit with him on the throne 
 he purposed to win through wars and slaughter. 
 Her dream was quite destroyed, and they had sep- 
 arated, each feeling the restlessness that is so often 
 the prelude of sorrow. So he kept his vigil on the 
 seashore till the coming of day; and Miriam slept 
 not the long night through.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PREPARATIONS 
 
 NEWS of the coming festival had been scattered 
 far and wide. Occasions of such nature were al- 
 ways used for money-making, and the Great Square 
 was being filled with booths. Already the streets 
 were crowded with strangers, and every vessel 
 along the coast, from Egypt, from Greece, from 
 Africa, came packed with visitors. Even the gov- 
 ernor of Gadir with many of his subjects was 
 on the way. Caravans were arriving from the 
 interior, and it was truly said that Tyre was, for 
 the time at least, the centre of the world. 
 
 Meanwhile the citizens of Tyre were using every 
 means possible to assure themselves of the major 
 portion of the catch of this mercantile net. The 
 best time of the year for dyeing just before the 
 fishes spawned was past ; yet the vats bubbled 
 unceasingly, and naked, empurpled slaves toiled at 
 them night and day, while the piles of murex-shells 
 
 170
 
 Preparations 1 7 1 
 
 grew constantly bigger. The merchants were sort- 
 ing over their stocks with a keen eye for getting 
 rid of goods hitherto unsalable, and the idlers were 
 being dragged into the ranks of the salesmen. 
 
 Thus a strong current of excitement swept 
 through every rank. Hadad worried his feminine 
 friends by reminding them that thousands of the 
 most charming women from all over the world were 
 to be there. " And they will be freed of the silver 
 chains which are wont to hamper their dainty 
 steps," he jeered, " and your occupation will be 
 gone. They will walk the streets at noonday with 
 uncovered faces; not a veil will be seen, and the 
 priestesses of Ashtoreth will smile on high and low 
 alike." 
 
 Perhaps the house of Hiram, the artist, attracted 
 the attention of the most people. Everybody de- 
 sired to catch a glimpse of the new statue of Baal- 
 Moloch. Rumour said that it was to be the strik- 
 ing feature of the feast; nothing like it had ever 
 been seen. Some declared that they had seen parts 
 of it in his room, and the street before his door 
 was always crowded. 
 
 The maidens of Tyre were tending flowers, and 
 designing and making dresses. Experimental 
 knowledge was being gained in face-washes, in 
 methods of tiring the hair, in powders and paints;
 
 172 A Captain of Men 
 
 all were anxious to outshine both friend and foe 
 by the beauty they hoped to achieve. 
 
 Also there were present, and coming, jugglers 
 and doctors and soothsayers and heaven knows 
 what of every school and description. 
 
 It therefore happened that Merodach had diffi- 
 culty in threading his way to the warehouses of 
 Esmun, prince, senator, and merchant. 
 
 First he stopped to behold a white-bearded doc- 
 tor exorcise an evil spirit from an afflicted patient. 
 His height enabled him to watch the performance 
 over the heads of the spectators. The wise phy- 
 sician was prepared to satisfy the most doubting 
 of his wonderful powers. A basin, full of water, 
 was placed some distance from his patient. When 
 the doctor applied his magic ring to the nose of 
 the tormented one, the spirit would manifest his 
 flight by overturning the basin. The proof would 
 be not only complete, but within the comprehension 
 of the weakest mind. The ring was applied, the 
 basin did upset with a mighty splash, the sick or 
 possessed one ceased to rave and to froth; and the 
 Assyrian continued his course much edified by the 
 advancement of the science of healing. 
 
 In a few more steps, he became one of a group 
 surrounding a party of Arabian jugglers and acro- 
 bats. Another stop was made to watch a snake-
 
 Preparations 1 73 
 
 charmer from the far East. The dancing-girls from 
 Egypt detained him, and won from him a liberal 
 gift. Beyond them was a booth devoted to articles 
 manufactured by strange peoples, to what now 
 would be termed " curios." Here were also maps 
 of distant countries, some drawn by Hiram Abif, 
 and charts of every sea. The Assyrian paused 
 longest here, examining the pictures of monsters 
 and spirits, of " fishes an hundred miles long, ex- 
 ceeding fierce," of " horned giants many cubits 
 high, which do devour men," and of the " end of 
 the earth, where the tempestuous waters plunge 
 resistlessly downward, and where malignant and 
 most fearsome demons are hidden in perpetual 
 darkness to seize and to destroy the unwary mari- 
 ner." 
 
 In these later and more skeptical days, there are 
 some who think that the cunning Phoenicians made 
 it their business to exaggerate the perils which be- 
 set a seafaring life, in order to dissuade and pre- 
 vent competition. But even if that be true, there 
 is no doubt that to them the enchantments of the 
 sea beyond the straits of Gibraltar, and especially 
 the belief in the end of the earth, were real and 
 terrible. 
 
 Be that as it may, Merodach, at least, was willing 
 to pay an exorbitant price for the biggest and best
 
 174 A Captain of Men 
 
 of these charts. But an end came, even to the 
 allurements of the Great Square, and he eventually 
 arrived at his destination a full hour late. 
 
 Nathan the leper was awaiting him there with 
 his promised quota of men, among whom were 
 Chna and Hadad. There, too, was Hector, heavy- 
 eyed and the owner of a racking headache, from the 
 dissipation of the preceding night. Moreover, Es- 
 mun was there; Esmun, the man of inexorable 
 promptness, the business martinet, was " kicking 
 his heels " for the appearance of one sixty, or, it 
 might be, sixty-three minutes late; and even worse 
 than that was the fact that the lady Tanith was 
 waiting inside. Business was at a standstill, and 
 time was unusually precious during these short days 
 of preparation. 
 
 Yet notwithstanding all this, the merchant was 
 complacent and gracious to a degree, to the cause 
 of this delay, when he finally did appear. Nor 
 had Tanith's face, painted though it was, ever 
 seemed more alluring than when she received the 
 salutation of the Assyrian. Whereat a great and 
 wonderful envy filled Hector's heart; never before 
 had the principals of the house of Esmun over- 
 looked the infringement of their law of punctual- 
 ity. He would have given much for the privilege 
 of being late, very late, that morning.
 
 Preparations 1 75 
 
 " It is quite easy to see that you are not a man 
 of business affairs, my lord Merodach," purred the 
 merchant, with an indulgent smile. 
 
 " And is it thus that thou wilt win for us thy 
 victories ? " lisped Tanith, in the frivolous affecta- 
 tion of fashionable circles. For not the slightest 
 detail of his garb and bearing had escaped her ad- 
 miring notice. She was charmed by this new as- 
 pect of the curled and perfumed warrior. His 
 dainty foppishness in some way served to deepen 
 her belief in his unequalled daring and relentless 
 will. It was as if she yearned for touch of the 
 velvet glove that she might feel again the iron hand. 
 
 " It is true that I have overpassed the hour of 
 our appointment," he carelessly replied. " The 
 streets were full of interest, and I had much to 
 think of while I came." 
 
 " But now that you are arrived, we will assemble 
 your company before the shrine of the Cabirim, 
 and have them make the vow of fealty and service," 
 suggested Esmun, indicating to the Greek that the 
 men be assembled. 
 
 " First let me request of the lord Esmun that he 
 show me the weapons for my men. Afterward I 
 should like to have him and my lady Tanith alone 
 with me in the private room." 
 
 Without a word, the merchant led him to a room
 
 176 A Captain of Men 
 
 in which were piled bronze swords, spears, buck- 
 lers, helmets, and armoured shirts in abundance. 
 
 " These are all good, of their kind," said Mero- 
 dach, examining them carefully. " The weight and 
 temper of these swords could not be bettered; but 
 they are of bronze. It is often possible for one 
 to lose much by a too careful consideration of the 
 cost of things. These bucklers and shirts of mail 
 are exactly what we need ; but I would suggest that 
 you provide us with steel swords, and that we have 
 longer spears. Some of the wood in these spears 
 is cross-grained and brittle; let the new ones be 
 selected and tested one by one, that they may not 
 fail us in our hour of need." 
 
 Esmun was quick to perceive the force of the 
 soldier's criticism, and he promised to follow his 
 instructions to the letter. He was too thorough a 
 master in his own affairs not to be impressed by 
 proficiency and knowledge in other lines. 
 
 A little later they were alone with the Assyrian 
 in the private room, and both father and daughter 
 were curious to learn the reason of their being 
 there. 
 
 " Last night, as you doubtless know, I met your 
 representative, Hector, at the ' Tavern of the Jolly 
 Dwarfs.' In response to my call for volunteers, 
 a certain Nathan, called * the leper,' assured me of
 
 Preparations 177 
 
 two score and ten good men. Your Hector im- 
 mediately informed me that I could not do better 
 than to close with the offer. The time for prepara- 
 tion is short; I am a stranger in Tyre, so I made 
 agreement to meet them here, as you have seen." 
 
 " You have acted promptly and well. This Na- 
 than has a large following; by means of him you 
 have saved yourself, and us, the delay of testing 
 and selecting unknown applicants." 
 
 " I am pleased to have you satisfied, my lord ; 
 but now that I have seen our volunteers by the light 
 of day, I am certain that there are some among them 
 not suited to our needs. There are always some, in 
 such a number, who are proven worthless after it 
 is too late to be rid of them. For this reason I 
 would request that we delay having them take the 
 final oath until just before our departure. We 
 shall, by so doing, leave an opening for new and 
 better men." 
 
 " Yet even then may not the lord our captain dis- 
 cover that the new men are not better than the old ? " 
 inquired Tanith. " I have heard that the time of 
 action often presents many surprises and disap- 
 pointments." 
 
 " That is undoubtedly true ; but some chances 
 must always be taken. I have considered the sub- 
 ject from every side. It is my purpose to add many
 
 178 A Captain of Men 
 
 more to the number now selected. The news of 
 our desire for men will quickly spread, and soon 
 we shall have offers of more than we can use. Many 
 changes can be made, even in the short time at our 
 disposal." 
 
 " Surely no fault can be found with so wise a 
 plan," assented Tanith, without a moment's hesi- 
 tation, and Esmun said : " We must prosper under 
 such careful guidance. Is there anything more to 
 be said, my lord Merodach ? " 
 
 " Nothing, unless it be that the king assured me 
 of your readiness to provide anything that I might 
 need to increase the efficiency of my command. 
 If you have no objection, I will take these men a 
 few miles to sea on the third vessel on our right 
 from the wharf before the warehouse. Have it 
 manned with rowers, if you will, and instruct the 
 sailing-master to obey my orders." 
 
 Steps were instantly taken in accordance with 
 his request, and it was not long before Merodach 
 and his fifty recruits were well out at sea. 
 
 Perchance some would be interested in follow- 
 ing each movement, and in hearing each word of 
 this master of discipline; but many would be 
 wearied by such description. It will, therefore, 
 suffice to record that Nathan the leper and all his 
 motley crew soon learned that they were under
 
 Preparations 1 79 
 
 an eye that detected the slightest error, that over- 
 looked nothing, no matter how trivial. Soon, also, 
 they marvelled at his unfailing patience, the simple 
 directness of his explanations, the minutiae of his 
 knowledge. 
 
 Sailors as they were, they were quick to acquire 
 the quality of place, the ability to attend each to 
 his own particular work. Yet while some were 
 inspired to greater proficiency by commendations 
 won by alert diligence, there were many irritated 
 by what to them was the petty severity of the mar- 
 tinet. To men of this class, great patience appeared 
 no more than as a cloak for timidity. One, in 
 particular, grew tired of obedience ; Hanno deemed 
 it a small thing to show his disgust at the methods 
 of his new commander. 
 
 This disgust culminated in open rebellion late 
 in the afternoon. A short rest had been granted 
 the men, and they were sitting and lounging in their 
 several places, some thinking of nothing, others 
 conscious only of their wish for a longer rest. The 
 sharp call " to quarters " rang through the ship, 
 and they sprang like one man to their feet, all but 
 one; Hanno lounged motionless in sullen anger. 
 
 Merodach had not failed to comprehend the in- 
 cipient stages of Hanno's disgust. On the contrary, 
 he had marked the man as a fit subject for discipline.
 
 180 A Captain of Men 
 
 But as if he had no expectation of being disobeyed, 
 he quietly admonished the laggard to rise. 
 
 " It pleases me to sit," responded the fellow, with 
 an insolent laugh. 
 
 " Throw him into the sea," commanded Mero- 
 dach of Nathan, softly, but so distinctly as to reach 
 every man in the ship. 
 
 Nathan hung an instant irresolute, for the cap- 
 tain had carelessly gone to another part of the ves- 
 sel. But finally the leper touched Hanno on the 
 shoulder, and made a half-hearted effort to move 
 him. At which the venom in the rebel vented it- 
 self in curses and a more flagrant insubordination. 
 He even went so far as to throw Nathan to one 
 side, and, placing himself before his chief, he began 
 to curse him to his face. The ruffian was of excep- 
 tional strength and weight, but Merodach caught 
 him by the waist and tossed him over the bulwarks. 
 Then, turning to his startled company, he pro- 
 ceeded with the drill, quite regardless of the wretch 
 swimming heavily in the wake of the ship. Daunted 
 by this new feature in their captain's methods, the 
 most daring and restless became convinced that 
 wisdom did not lie in mutiny. 
 
 Immediately after they reached the wharf, the 
 men were dismissed for the night, as their com- 
 mander did not wish to draw the lines of discipline
 
 Preparations 1 8 1 
 
 too tight in the beginning. He also knew that such 
 a course would permit them to talk with others of 
 the enterprise, and thus bring him more volunteers. 
 Nor was he disappointed in this, as the very next 
 morning gave him the pick of at least forty appli- 
 cants, all young and adventurous. Consequently, 
 it was not long before Merodach, as he had prom- 
 ised, had requests for enrolment from many more 
 than he could use. In three days he increased his 
 force to quite six score men, thirty of whom were 
 skilled in the use of the bow ; and this in spite of the 
 loss caused by desertions, dismissals, and resigna- 
 tions. Of this number, and with what new ones 
 he might select, he intended to provide himself with 
 a final complement of one hundred swords, abso- 
 lutely of his own choosing. 
 
 Among these losses was not that of Nathan, the 
 leper; he did not resign, nor was he dismissed. 
 Yet it may be noted that no sooner had he liberty, 
 on that first evening of his employment, than he 
 hunted up Hanno, who was still wet and furious 
 from his recent bath. Although there are no rec- 
 ords of the argument Nathan used, it is known 
 that Hanno saw Merodach early on the following 
 day and begged for reinstalment in the corps. But 
 the captain flatly refused, stating publicly that there 
 was no forgiveness for open rebellion. " You vol-
 
 1 82 A Captain of Men 
 
 unteered of your own will," he said ; " you joined, 
 knowing that obedience is the basis of service and 
 of success. You deliberately refused to obey. Hec- 
 tor, the secretary, will pay you for one day of ser- 
 vice. If you value your own comfort, you will 
 keep yourself out of my sight. You are worthless 
 as a soldier." 
 
 No one, not even Nathan, was willing to speak 
 in Hanno's defence, and the man slunk away, fol- 
 lowed by the jeers of the entire company. The 
 effect of his warning was so marked that Merodach 
 mourned inwardly over the excellence afterward 
 displayed by the leper. He could not find a single 
 fault in Nathan to criticize, so he was compelled to 
 bide his time, for there was no doubt that Nathan 
 must die before they sailed for the distant west. 
 
 As might be expected, Chna and Hadad were no- 
 ticeable for their zeal and loyalty. Of course the 
 veteran grumbled and blasphemed when he got back 
 to his hut from that first drill, and called all his 
 gods to witness that he loathed a martinet. But 
 no one reported for duty before Chna on the next 
 morning. Day by day he learned the value of 
 prompt, combined action; he beheld the company 
 develop toward the fighting machine it finally be- 
 came, and he swore to himself that the Assyrian 
 was the king of chieftains. Both he and Hadad
 
 Preparations 183 
 
 surmised that their leader was one likely to do more 
 than was dreamed of by his employer, and they 
 often discussed in secret their conviction that 
 strange adventures would befall them before they 
 had finished their voyage. 
 
 Determined as he was to lose no chance that 
 might help him to accomplish his purpose, Mero- 
 dach used every moment of daylight in training 
 his men; but his nights were his own. Since the 
 day of his introduction to Hiram Abif, he had 
 grown into the habit of spending his evenings with 
 him. Often the artist would be working over some 
 new design, or perfecting the details of some ar- 
 tistic invention. At such periods the Assyrian 
 would settle himself where he could utilize the one 
 place where he was permitted the opportunity for 
 undisturbed thought. To make this more possible, 
 the artist had cleared an inner room, where his 
 friend might retire in the event of other visitors 
 to the master of the house. This was so great a 
 boon to Merodach that it ended in his accepting 
 Hiram's generous and hearty invitation to make the 
 room his home. 
 
 Frequently there were hours when the artist 
 denied himself to all, periods of gloom and depres- 
 sion when he appeared to loathe his kind, days 
 when his temper was of such nature as to make
 
 184 A Captain of Men 
 
 himself and others believe that he was possessed of 
 an evil spirit. On one of these days Merodach had 
 tried to serve his friend by means of companion- 
 ship; but he had been so tempted to exorcise the 
 evil one by strangling the altogether impish dwarf, 
 as to cure him of any wish to repeat the experiment. 
 
 Fortunately, these spells were not frequent in 
 the intercourse which daily strengthened the cords 
 of their mutual esteem and friendship. Each had 
 genius after his kind, and each was attracted by 
 qualities in the other in which he felt himself lack- 
 ing; and this fellowship was especially grateful 
 to the sensitive dwarf. The respect of one blessed 
 with physical perfection, unmarred by any appear- 
 ance of pity, was as balm to his tortured spirit. 
 
 Late one afternoon it happened that Tanith had 
 need of some bit of decoration that she had ordered 
 of the artist. Miriam was with her, and, as she did 
 not wish to trust the gem to careless hands, and had 
 no suspicion of whom she would meet, she unwit- 
 tingly sent Miriam to wait with Merodach while the 
 artist was away from home. The way of a maid 
 with a man was a mystery then as now. Miriam 
 was provided with a method of meeting her lover, 
 and, somehow, she contrived to have her mistress 
 send her to Hiram's studio three times that week. 
 It was most wonderful how she divined when the
 
 Preparations 1 85 
 
 artist was not at home, and how she managed to 
 be sent at just such times. 
 
 Merodach was thus enabled to learn, by here 
 a word and there a suggestion, the spirit of her 
 hopes and fears. Often he mused upon the differ- 
 ence he perceived in her, as he compared her with 
 the women that he had hitherto known. For he had 
 even meditated over the policy of having Miriam 
 for his concubine, only to learn of the folly possible 
 to the most calculating of men. Fortunately, he 
 discovered his mistake, and was glad that he had 
 not let her suspect the nature of his project. 
 
 Thus his cool, scheming mind was brought to a 
 careful measurement of his love for her, as it should 
 affect his ambition. The problem was much harder 
 to solve than he imagined, for this was the first 
 seed of true love that had ever found lodgment in 
 his heart. He had yet to learn that such plants 
 take strong hold downward before they begin to 
 bloom, that knowledge of genuine love comes to 
 most men only after it has become rooted very 
 deeply. So while this love for Miriam was quietly 
 growing into the fibre of his soul, he deemed it 
 so feeble as to justify him in considering whether 
 his wiser course would not be to ignore it; for 
 Tanith was surely his if he wished to have her. 
 
 And thus we are brought to the manner in which
 
 1 86 A Captain of Men 
 
 he dealt with Tanith herself. It should be known 
 that she was his hostess on each Sabbath night be- 
 fore the festival. There is also no reason to doubt 
 that my lady saw to it that nothing should prevent 
 these Sabbath meetings; for when man is willing, 
 and woman is determined, there is seldom uncer- 
 tainty in the result.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE FEAST OF BRANDS 
 
 IN future the king intended to have the Feast 
 of Brands or of Torches occur earlier in the 
 spring. But this year he had delayed it, as has 
 been said, until certain improvements had been 
 completed. 
 
 Now when all was ready for the festivities, the 
 " city of palaces " was literally packed full of peo- 
 ple, and the sound of flutes, of cymbals, and of 
 all kinds of musical instruments had become con- 
 tinuous. Bullocks and sheep were being sacrificed 
 in countless numbers. Trained choirs from Gebal 
 passed through the streets, chanting the sacred 
 hymns appropriate to the occasion, indeed, it 
 is said that these priests of Gebal have the honour 
 of first using hymns in religious ceremonies. Pro- 
 cessions of all kinds filled the streets and added to 
 the tumult; while above everything else rose the 
 
 insistent clamour of vendors and salesmen. 
 
 187
 
 1 88 A Captain of Men 
 
 There were offerings innumerable and of untold 
 value; gold, silver, precious stones, and frankin- 
 cense were lavished upon the gods. The temple was 
 crowded by the faithful ; there were tame lions and 
 leopards in its court; and its fish-ponds were full 
 of sacred fishes. Great trees had been brought down 
 from the mountains and placed in the court to hold 
 a certain kind of offerings. These gifts, for sins 
 of the past and sins to be committed, were hung on 
 the branches of the trees. Piles of scented chips, 
 covered with pitch, were heaped about their trunks, 
 and gifts and sins and trees would be consumed in 
 sacred fire. 
 
 Merodach had the secret of knowing when to 
 relax the bonds of discipline. His men were now 
 practically unfit for duty, so eager were they to 
 plunge into the whirlpool of excitement. There- 
 fore he gave them liberty for three days, with 
 stringent instructions to report for duty on the 
 next succeeding morning. 
 
 The happenings and diversions of the festival 
 were so varied as to exceed description ; but, as 
 night fell, everybody made final arrangements for 
 the ceremony of the brands. Hiram Abif led Mero- 
 dach to the roof of his house, provided him with 
 a brand covered with pitch, and left him there to 
 watch the beginning of the feast.
 
 The Feast of Brands 189 
 
 The night was warm and beautiful. Overhead 
 were the stars of Syria and the new moon in a 
 perfect sky. Below him were the crowded streets, 
 absolutely void of light and sound. Even the lights 
 of the ships were out, and the huge braziers, which 
 served as a lighthouse on the island's northern point, 
 were deprived of their fire. The shadows of the 
 great buildings were almost impenetrable, and the 
 people were hushed in breathless suspense. Only 
 the eternal fire on the altar of Baal-Melkarth was 
 permitted to burn, and about it were thick veils 
 and ranks of silent priests; all was darkness and 
 waiting. 
 
 Finally the voice of the high priest broke the 
 awesome stillness, droningly; the priests chanted 
 response. A flash of light showed that a torch 
 had been lit at the altar, and instantly flame leaped 
 from torch to torch, the court of the temple ap- 
 peared billowing fire, and a great volume of song 
 rose upward. 
 
 Again the high priest droned, the priests chanted 
 response, and a line of tossing torches passed before 
 the lofty portico, and through a lane between the 
 multitude to the Great Square, where the procession 
 halted. There followed a blast of trumpets, a crash 
 of flutes and cymbals, of sackbut and psaltery, 
 and suddenly naked runners sped down the streets,
 
 190* A Captain of Men 
 
 bearing the sacred fire. From all that waiting peo- 
 ple leaped a thrilling shout; every torch was soon 
 blazing, and the smoke and heat ascended as from 
 a vast furnace. 
 
 No sooner were the torches lit than the artist 
 appeared to take Merodach to the temple. They 
 were granted an easy passage through the crowds, 
 as all made way for the designer of the new Moloch. 
 Quickly they became, as it were, the crest of the 
 wave of humanity which was sweeping as if to 
 overwhelm the very temple itself. The Assyrian 
 wondered if they would be able to find room in 
 which to stand, so dense was the throng; but Hiram 
 conducted him into the portico, and they were com- 
 fortably stationed at ai window overlooking the 
 temple court. 
 
 " You will miss here a full view of the ' sacri- 
 fice of the calves,' " said he, carelessly. " But that 
 will not matter, as they are really but children of 
 slaves. In all other respects you will find this an 
 admirable view-point." 
 
 Then he began to point out the various arrange- 
 ments which had been made to accommodate their 
 guests. To the right of the court were the senators, 
 colonial governors, and officials; to the left were 
 the leading merchants of Sidonia, grouped in ac- 
 cordance with their respective lines of trade. Be-
 
 The Feast of Brands 191 
 
 hind them were sailing-masters of ships, and still 
 farther back were skilled artificers, workers in metal, 
 glass-blowers, potters, moulders, stone-cutters, etc. 
 Beside the priests, and, in a sense, a part of them, 
 was the choir from the sacred college. There, also, 
 were the white-robed ranks of flute-players, the play- 
 ers upon cymbals and stringed instruments. Be- 
 yond these, as far as the eye could reach, in the 
 streets and on the buildings were people, struggling, 
 pushing, fighting for places. 
 
 The heat of burning torches, the smoke and bitu- 
 minous smell, were almost stifling. The chanting 
 of priests and the incessant rhythm of shrill music 
 struck responsive chords in the hearts of the listen- 
 ers, and roused them gradually to peculiar excite- 
 ment. The religious side of this strange people 
 became uppermost. They forgot their greed, their 
 inordinate desire of gain; for the horror always 
 brooding in the heart of each was loosed and domi- 
 nant. They were engulfed in the orgies of super- 
 stition. 
 
 The trees which bore their offerings were lighted 
 and blazed up in leaping flames. Streams of blood 
 ran from the altars ; the sound of singing and music 
 rose higher and shriller. Signs of frenzy appeared 
 among the priests and people ; a vast surging move- 
 ment seized their swaying bodies, and many uttered
 
 192 A Captain of Men 
 
 fierce, inarticulate cries. The heat of closely packed 
 bodies ascended to their brains. Some began to 
 leap and dance around the two Asherim, the 
 sacred trees, and the circle grew and extended 
 till one could see everywhere tossing arms and 
 torches, and wild eyes below flower-decked brows 
 and streaming hair. The music swelled to well- 
 nigh unbearable volume; then sudden silence fell, 
 and the multitude stood motionless, gazing upward 
 at the roof of the portico. 
 
 Immediately the high priest chanted: 
 
 " O Baal Melkarth of Tyre, 
 O Baal Melkarth of the two Sidons, 
 O Baal Ashtoreth of the two Sidons, 
 Hear!" 
 
 And the hosts of priests responded: 
 
 " For thy mercy is great, 
 For thy mercy is great, 
 For thy mercy is great, 
 O Baal Melkarth ! O Baal Ashtoreth ! 
 Hear! Oh, hear! Oh, hear!" 
 
 Again the voice of the high priest, chanting: 
 
 11 The blood of bullocks, 
 The blood of goats, 
 Also our gifts in the flames of the blazing trees ;
 
 The Feast of Brands 193 
 
 Also sweet savour of incense, 
 Frankincense and myrrh 
 We offer, O Baal of Tyre, 
 Baal Melkarth and Baal Ashtoreth 1 " 
 
 And the priests returned: 
 
 " For thy mercy is great, 
 For thy mercy is great, 
 For thy mercy is great, 
 O Baal Melkarth ! O Baal Ashtoreth ! 
 Hear! Oh, hear! Oh, hear!" 
 
 And during the silence which followed this chant 
 of the priests the entire people seemed turned to 
 stone, so still were they. Above the court, sixty 
 cubits high, stood the high priest on the roof of 
 the portico; and every face was rigid, upturned 
 to see him. So terrible was this silence that a great 
 sigh burst from the watchers' breasts, when he 
 shrilly wailed: 
 
 " Dost thou not hear, O Baal of Tyre ? 
 Dost thou not hear, O Baal of the two Sidons ? 
 Art thou asleep, O Baal of Tyre? 
 Art thou asleep, O Baal of the two Sidons ? 
 Then bring we calves, O Baal of Tyre ; 
 Young calves, O Baal of the two Sidons ; 
 Firstlings, unblemished, fat young calves, 
 O Baal Melkarth ! O Baal Ashtoreth !
 
 194 A Captain of Men 
 
 Whereupon the priests chanted the cry: 
 
 ' For thy mercy is great, 
 For thy mercy is great, 
 For thy mercy is great, 
 O Baal Melkarth ! O Baal Ashtoreth ! 
 Hear ! Oh, hear ! Oh, hear ! " 
 
 Instantly a tempest of music, a fury of rhythm, 
 burst over the mighty concourse. Tossing torches 
 lit faces convulsed and yearning; and once more 
 that writhing, swaying, pulsing movement swept 
 through that vast assemblage, faster and faster, 
 while cries of passion sounded shriller and higher. 
 A woman leapt, dancing and singing, into an open 
 space; her flower-decked hair streamed like writh- 
 ing snakes; her eyes were unseeing and turned 
 upward, and there was foam at the corners of her 
 writhing lips. 
 
 " Behold thy cow, O lord of Tyre ! 
 Behold the calf I give thee, O lord of Tyre ! 
 My first born, my only born, my well-beloved, 
 Tis thine ! 'tis thine ! 'tis thine ! " 
 
 she sang, and threw her arms aloft. She laughed 
 and leapt; the priests chanted, the music shrilled; 
 and the high priest, on the roof, displayed in one 
 hand her child, in the other a bag of skin. Plac- 
 ing the child in the bag, he cast it down on the
 
 The Feast of Brands 195 
 
 court at the mother's feet, and the people went 
 mad. Another woman sang her offering, another 
 and another, while the " calves " fell fast from the 
 high priest's hands. 
 
 A flute-player tore off his linen robe, sprang 
 naked among the singing mothers, and began to 
 cut himself with pointed, jagged shards, strewn 
 there for the purpose. Streams of blood ran down 
 his breast and arms to the pavement. Others joined 
 him, and the place seemed full of bleeding, howl- 
 ing, leaping, naked, frenzied figures. The pave- 
 ment became slippery with blood, and many fell; 
 many were burned by torches, many lay senseless 
 beneath the feet of the delirious dancers. The 
 tumult caused by the singing, the shouting, and the 
 musical instruments was overwhelming. Naked 
 men, covered with wounds and blood, ran from 
 the court into the streets, and women and girls rent 
 their garments and clothed them in female rai- 
 ment; for when a woman helped to clothe these 
 men, she was assured of the blessing of love and 
 barrenness. 
 
 Fascinated, full of a strange excitement, yet hor- 
 rified and loathing the sight, Merodach beheld it 
 all. He had witnessed the " Babylonian Rites," 
 he had seen the virgins painted and decked with 
 flowers, sitting ready for the first stranger willing
 
 196 A Captain of Men 
 
 to enjoy them. He had perceived the sorrow, the 
 wistfulness, the shame of those not chosen after 
 they had waited one, two, three years for the de- 
 grading choice; and he had had no sense of horror 
 in the sight. But the voluntary destruction of their 
 offspring, the laceration of their bodies, the bes- 
 tiality of the Phoenicians, thrilled him with disgust. 
 He turned to Hiram, the man of commanding in- 
 tellect, the excelling artist, and the eyes of the dwarf 
 were fierce and shining, like those of a hungry 
 beast. He beheld the face of the king as he sat 
 on his throne in the court, and it was new to him 
 in its ferocity. He hated the sight, yet the smell 
 of blood, the fumes of bodily heat, the fury of the 
 writhing, whirling people, dizzied his brain; it was 
 all he could do to restrain his impulse to leap from 
 the window, to cut himself, to cry out, to be as 
 they were. 
 
 " Asshur is greater and wiser than thy gods, O 
 Hiram; as the children of Asshur are mightier 
 than the children of Sidonia," he sternly muttered. 
 " We rend not the bodies of the children of Asshur 
 in his worship. We destroy the enemies of our 
 gods, not their worshippers. We will yet conquer 
 and rule the world, because we preserve ourselves in 
 his service." 
 
 " These are but the children of slaves," snarled
 
 The Feast of Brands 197 
 
 the dwarf. " Yet when calamity hangs over our 
 land, when the gods are angry, we will give freely 
 of our best. We are ready to die for our land 
 if need be, O selfish Assyrian." 
 
 " Ye shall die for us," retorted Merodach, grimly. 
 But the artist did not hear him. 
 
 " Stay here," he wildly cried ; " for I must attend 
 to the god Baal-Moloch." 
 
 So Merodach remained there alone, and watched 
 until he saw the purple curtains, which had veiled 
 part of the court, fall to the pavement, and heard 
 the acclamations that greeted the new image of the 
 fiery god. 
 
 Red-hot it stood, an image of bronze ; a gigantic 
 man with the head of an enormous bull. Behind 
 the head were golden rays, as of the sun, the scorch- 
 ing sun of drought and famine. Seven times heated 
 was the hollow image, and its eyes blazed balefully 
 because of the flames within. 
 
 u O Baal Moloch of the scorching breath, 
 O Baal Moloch of the fiery heat, 
 O Baal Moloch great and terrible, 
 Hear! Oh, hear! Oh, hear!" 
 
 sang the priests, as the fiery blast rushed over the 
 court. 
 
 Groups of women circled round the horrid god,
 
 198 A Captain of Men 
 
 each bearing in her arms a child, each singing and 
 dancing in hideous abandon. Suddenly a priest 
 darted to one, caught from her her child, and placed 
 it in the monster's arms; the clank of machinery 
 was heard, the arms were slowly raised, a great 
 hole opened in Moloch's breast, and the child rolled 
 down into the image and was consumed. The cere- 
 mony was repeated again and again; the smell of 
 burning flesh grew stronger, the machinery clanged 
 louder and faster. 
 
 This was something new in Tyre, for hitherto 
 the arms of the god had been motionless, and the 
 victims had rolled from them downward into an 
 open fire at its feet. Consequently this new in- 
 vention of Hiram Abif roused the spectators to the 
 extreme of admiration and excitement. And it 
 was at this moment that the rabble evinced signs 
 of disorder, and began to cry out against the rich. 
 
 " These are but slaves the children of slaves ! " 
 they hoarsely shouted. " The great god is mocked ; 
 the children of the poor, of slaves, are not enough ! 
 Give us children of the rich, free-will offerings! 
 Where are the rich ? Where are the rich ? " howled 
 the mob. 
 
 The king's countenance became dark and stern. 
 He spoke, and the peals of horns drowned the re- 
 bellious cries ; but the fierce demand swelled louder
 
 The Feast of Brands 199 
 
 and dominated the music. Chna was there, incit- 
 ing to anger; the women of the street ran about, 
 increasing the tumult. The faces of the rich and 
 the well-to-do grew apprehensive. A movement 
 began toward them. The king rose from his throne 
 and beckoned for silence, but the clamour deepened. 
 " The rich ! the rich ! " shrieked the rioters. " The 
 children of slaves are a mockery ! Give us children 
 of the rich ! " 
 
 " The rich buy offerings of the poorl " roared 
 Chna. Acts of violence were beginning, and a seri- 
 ous riot was imminent. Again the king made in- 
 effectual efforts to attract their attention, but there 
 was, instead, a rush toward the favoured ones in 
 the court; several of these were thrown down and 
 trampled into insensibility. Then Hiram aban- 
 doned persuasion, and shouted to his captain of 
 the guard; and the soldiers fell upon the rioters, 
 striking with spear and sword. 
 
 A sneer curled the Assyrian's lips, as he noted 
 the lack of generalship shown by the officer in com- 
 mand. " He is no better than a child in a thunder- 
 storm," he said to himself. " And his soldiers are 
 no better than a mob. They will stop the riot, 
 because it has no leader, but so feebly as to leave 
 a consciousness of power in the rabble. They will 
 learn their strength to-night, and the next time they
 
 2OO A Captain of Men 
 
 rise, they will sweep the soldiers as leaves are swept 
 by a wintry gale. Even now it lacks only a leader 
 to fill the city with bloodshed and rapine." 
 
 This prediction was amply verified; for while 
 the sluggish, inefficient guard reduced the half- 
 hearted mob to a semblance of order, there were 
 still signs which showed that the trouble had not 
 been fully quelled. There were many threats of a 
 future day of reckoning, when the rich should 
 give not money, but their own offspring. There 
 were promises of an uprising that should cleanse 
 the city of selfishness. " Wait till the gods are 
 angry; we will see then that they are satisfied," 
 yelled the rebels. 
 
 But now that peace was in a measure restored, 
 the cowering priests became more assured, and re- 
 commenced their chanting. A cart drawn by milk- 
 white cows, covered with flowers, appeared in the 
 temple court. In the cart was the holy stone, fallen 
 from Ashtoreth, buried in flowers. The musicians 
 ranged themselves in line ; the calm-eyed kine gazed 
 pensively about them; the music took a softer key; 
 the drivers prodded the cows with beribboned 
 goads, and the cart creaked slowly through the 
 court, its wheels crushing fragrance from its flower- 
 strewn path. 
 
 Priestesses of Ashtoreth swept behind it, dancing
 
 The Feast of Brands 2OI 
 
 and casting alluring glances to right and left, sing- 
 ing of the sweetness of love, of soft surrender, of 
 man and maid and brooding night. Throngs of 
 virgins broke the silver chains which fettered their 
 ankles, unbound their hair, and joined the proces- 
 sion, leaping and shaking their flower-crowned 
 heads. Young men sprang among them, and those 
 in female garb passed along the line, singing of 
 Ashtoreth and the joy she gave. 
 
 The procession passed below the window where 
 stood Merodach, and he looked down and beheld 
 Tanith among the priestesses; and she, looking 
 upward, beheld him. In an instant the quiet of 
 her face was broken by passion, her eyes were full 
 of longing. She beckoned to him; she was as a 
 magnet and he as the steel, and he went down to 
 become one of those who danced through the 
 streets and over the causeway, toward the tents 
 which dotted the low hills beyond the older city. 
 
 To him Tanith was altogether changed; it was 
 passing sweet to know that for him alone she glowed 
 in tender, smiling request. He was in a mist of 
 passion. He knew that they stopped on the cause- 
 way, that the high priest joined salt water to fresh, 
 proclaiming the marriage of land to sea; but he 
 knew it as one who dreams. He saw the flaming 
 torches, the flutter of dancing-girls, but he saw as
 
 2O2 A Captain of Men 
 
 in a dream; and as in a dream the face of Tanith 
 drew him onward. Dreaming, he heard the song 
 of love, and the dream of bliss held him as in a 
 spell. Whether he leaped or danced or sang, he 
 could not tell ; he only knew that Tanith was there, 
 that with her he was approaching the purple tents. 
 
 She spoke to him languidly, and languidly he 
 replied. She was his, and there was in all the world 
 only her face, and love. Her hair was fragrant, 
 her eyes were stars, shining softly through a ten- 
 der haze, and the night was soft and warm. She 
 had torn her dress to clothe the flute-players, but 
 on her breast was yet the embroidery showing the 
 god Melkarth, and Merodach recognized in the face 
 of Melkarth his own likeness. 
 
 The scenes of horror were forgotten, his loathing 
 was of the past, nothing was left but the present; 
 just before them were the shrine of Ashtoreth be- 
 neath the trees, the asherim near the shrine, the 
 tents of Ashtoreth, and the night was still young. 
 Their hands were now together, warm and throb- 
 bing; she gazed upward at him and smiled, and he 
 bent to kiss her. His arm was around her waist, 
 but, clear as a picture on canvas, he seemed to see 
 her hand slipping down the panther's side, and pas- 
 sion left him. 
 
 Tanith shivered voluptuously in his embrace, but
 
 The Feast of Brands 203 
 
 he drew backward, his arm quitted her waist; and 
 they both beheld Miriam, gazing at them with shame 
 and horror in her eyes. 
 
 At first a gust of rage went through Merodach; 
 it angered him to have her there. She was a slave, 
 yet she had dared to spy on him, to come between 
 him and Tanith ; and there was scorn in the steady 
 gaze she gave them. But there was even more of 
 grief than of scorn, and her sorrow destroyed his 
 rage. Sudden appreciation of her purity sprang 
 to life in his heart, and he turned to Tanith, 
 her face seemed to have grown coarse and vulgar, 
 her beauty reptilian. He looked again at Miriam, 
 and she was like a flower among foul weeds. He 
 seemed to hear the counsels of his grandfather 
 sounding in his ears, and he despised himself for 
 his forgetfulness. How could he have thought to 
 place such as Tanith beside him to rule the world; 
 Tanith who could not rule herself? 
 
 " Come," she whispered ; " we shall spend the 
 night with Ashtoreth. You are tall and strong, 
 my love, like the cedars of Lebanon. I am sick 
 of love for thee, O Merodach! The night is soft 
 and spicy; behold the tent I had prepared for thee 
 and me." 
 
 " Nay, my lady Tanith," he steadily replied ; " it 
 is very late, and I have work to do; and here, too,
 
 204 A Captain of Men 
 
 is Hector waiting for you. May Asshur keep you, 
 my lady, for I am hardly more than a stranger in 
 Tyre; its customs bewilder me." 
 
 It was as if the eyes of a tigress blazed upon him, 
 for Tanith was given over to rage; she was like a 
 furious, deadly beast. A fierce cry burst from her 
 lips. " You cast me from you like a discarded 
 toy." Then she laughed, and called to Hector. 
 " See this Assyrian dog," she said, smiling yet clasp- 
 ing her hands fiercely together. " He has become 
 a cur ; the sight of my Hebrew slave has unmanned 
 him; he is a woman in man's clothing. Come 
 with me, Hector, there is love in thine eyes; come, 
 and thou shalt learn what this fool hath lost." 
 
 Saying which, she left Merodach with Miriam, 
 outside the purple tent. 
 
 There is no need to dwell on the fury of Tanith, 
 nor to describe how she wrought with Hector, play- 
 ing with his heart and passion, till he vowed to 
 achieve her love by compassing the death of Mero- 
 dach. For only death could repay the slight she 
 had received. Yet, after she had brought him to 
 her will, she mocked the Greek. 
 
 " Your words are ever bigger than your deeds. 
 You are as beautiful as a god, Hector, but at the 
 bottom you are a craven. No, no; you shall not 
 have my love until you prove your manhood. Bring
 
 The Feast of Brands 205 
 
 me the head of that Assyrian dog, and there is noth- 
 ing I shall deny you." 
 
 So Hector swore with many an oath that her 
 desire should be gratified.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE MEETING AMONG THE PALMS 
 
 HECTOR went to see his friend, the artist, on the 
 morning after the feast. For reasons not hard to 
 understand, Tanith had granted him a furlough 
 from work at the warehouses. Hector was too 
 wise to tell any one of his promise concerning Mero- 
 dach; but the magnitude of his undertaking had 
 given him heroic proportions, as he viewed himself, 
 and he was absolutely compelled to relieve the 
 inward tension by talking. So, as was his custom, 
 he used Hiram Abif as a safety-valve. 
 
 The artist preserved a sardonic silence during his 
 friend's recital; he loved Hector for the glimpses 
 he gave him of foolish humanity. He could listen 
 to the Greek for hours at a time without the slight- 
 est touch of weariness; and to-day he perceived 
 that something of unusual importance was in the 
 air, for Hector was mysterious and fateful. Hec- 
 tor spoke of deeds of heroism as common folk talk 
 
 206
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 207 
 
 of the trivial affairs of every-day life, but with an 
 artistic simplicity which lifted him above the or- 
 dinary boaster, while Hiram sat hugging his knees, 
 full of admiring complacency. 
 
 " I have often marvelled at the beauty of Hope," 
 said he, after the Greek had exhausted himself of 
 an expansive eulogy of bravery. " Hope is a god 
 dwelling in the bosom of a few favoured mortals. 
 Hope is the most beautiful of all divinities ; his 
 or her, because I deem her feminine, her loveli- 
 ness is absolutely indestructible. The waters of 
 failure cannot drown Hope; she floats above the 
 sea of calamity like a bubble on the waves. Hope 
 cannot be bound and imprisoned by the limitations 
 of natural cowardice or of incapacity; she soars, 
 radiant, unshrinking, above scenes of carnage and 
 of blood. Happy must be the man in whom she 
 selects to abide, for she never leaves him so long 
 as his life will last. I have known a few in whom 
 she dwelt. They are moved, let me say, by hero- 
 ism ; in fancy they conceive themselves the bravest 
 of the brave. They dream of great, sounding deeds ; 
 the moment of test comes, they fail, miserably, 
 completely. But Hope touches the dreamer's eyes, 
 and he sleeps again to dream new dreams of god- 
 like action. They live in cowardice, they die in 
 failure; and their last living belief was that, some
 
 2C>8 A Captain of Men 
 
 day, they would dazzle the world by their bravery. 
 Indeed, Hector, I would that Hope were not fem- 
 inine; for then Hope might overlook the ugliness 
 of my body, and leave thee for me." 
 
 Possibly it was not always a pleasure to commune 
 with Hiram Abif. Hector had for years had mo- 
 ments in which this thought worried him, /and 
 to-day was one of those disagreeable occasions 
 when the dwarf distilled venom. Well, it would 
 not be long before this gibing-tongued dwarf should 
 sing his praises. He was resolved to slay the As- 
 syrian with his own hand, to prove to Hiram that 
 he was no coward, to Tanith that he was worthy 
 of her love. Time and again he beheld himself 
 presenting to her the grim trophy of his prowess, 
 as, in anticipation, he tasted the sweets of his re- 
 ward. 
 
 He was resolved not to see her again until he 
 had done the deed. Therefore he left the unap- 
 preciative artist, and sought out Merodach. He 
 became, as it were, the Assyrian's shadow, so that 
 the latter tired of seeing him, of meeting him so 
 often and unexpectedly. From which it followed 
 that, on the evening of the second day of this un- 
 loved companionship, Merodach gently suggested 
 to Hector that the prince Esmun had more need 
 of a secretary than had he, the captain of soldiers.
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 209 
 
 An overwhelming fear fell upon the Greek on 
 account of the glance accompanying this hint of 
 intrusion. His knees became tremulous, his breath- 
 ing difficult, and he was tortured by the oft re- 
 peated consciousness of bodily cowardice. Then 
 the memory of Hadad, the fearless brawler, of 
 Chna, lean and subtle, and of Nathan the leper, 
 the unmitigated scoundrel, came to him as if it were 
 an inspiration of the gods. 
 
 He sadly admitted to himself that the time had 
 not yet arrived for him to display the true quality 
 of his own bravery. Truly it sickened him each 
 time he recalled the Assyrian's glance; and hero- 
 ism was not wont to exist with nausea and a sweat- 
 ing back. It would be the better part of wisdom 
 for him to part with many shekels of silver of 
 mercantile standard. Furthermore, he reminded 
 his quaking heart that, hitherto, there had been 
 nothing but friendship between him and Merodach ; 
 it would be unseemly for the hand of a friend to 
 strike down the unsuspecting stranger. Wherefore 
 Hector arranged for a meeting with Chna, Hadad, 
 and Nathan that very night in the tavern of the 
 Jolly Dwarfs; and when they were all met, he 
 bargained shrewdly with them over the amount of 
 blood-money. 
 
 Chna was still surly on account of the failure of
 
 2IO A Captain of Men 
 
 the riot he had started; Hadad was two-thirds 
 drunk, and the other third reckless; and Nathan 
 rolled as a sweet morsel beneath his tongue the 
 thought of earning good pay by killing the man 
 he had come to hate. Yet the instinct of barter 
 was so strong in each, they were all such good men 
 of business, that it was not till Hector had paid 
 down in advance a heavy sum, and the night was 
 far spent, that the bargain was finally made. 
 
 Afterward, when the Greek was gone, there was 
 a long and heated dispute between the three as to 
 which should be granted the privilege of striking 
 the first blow. Unable to agree, they at last drew 
 lots, and Nathan praised his gods for his wonder- 
 ful luck. His cruel eyes shot fire beneath his whit- 
 ish-yellow brows, and the smile on his leprous face 
 was diabolical while he promised his companions 
 that his blow should prevent the need of another. 
 Meanwhile the day for the departure of the ex- 
 pedition was at hand. Two long, narrow-decked 
 biremes had been manned with rowers and pro- 
 visioned for the voyage. Final selection of the 
 men for the company had been made, and they 
 were under orders not to leave the ships without 
 special permission. 
 
 Since the night of the festival Merodach had felt 
 no desire to meet the lady T'anith. The memory
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 211 
 
 of the overthrow of his misconceived plans rankled 
 in his mind, and his self-respect had received a 
 severe shock by the sudden knowledge of his own 
 possibilities for folly. On the other hand, his 
 admiration for Miriam's higher qualities was 
 strengthened; he was beginning to have a truer 
 appreciation of her character. There was much 
 to be said to her, and he grew impatient to be alone 
 with her before he sailed; also he was curious to 
 learn how she had been affected by seeing him with 
 her mistress. Therefore he had used Hadad again 
 as his messenger, and had arranged for another 
 meeting by the river. 
 
 This time he was the first to arrive at the tryst- 
 ing-place. Seating himself in the shade, for the 
 days were now quite dry and hot, he began to 
 wonder at the cause of Miriam's delay. She was 
 quite late, and when she did appear, walking among 
 the stately palms, it seemed to him that she came 
 with reluctance. The impression roused him to 
 anger; doubtless she was recalling and resenting 
 his actions with Tanith. 
 
 But the truth was that Miriam lagged only be- 
 cause she believed that he was still absent; the 
 thick shrubbery hid him from her view, and she 
 walked slowly, thinking of the news she had just 
 heard of her cousin David. The latter had sent
 
 212 A Captain of Men 
 
 word to her by means of Abiram who had stud- 
 ied in the school of prophets originated by Samuel 
 of the slaughter at Gilboa, and of the death of 
 Saul and his son Jonathan. After Samuel's death, 
 Abiram, during his wanderings about Palestine, 
 had fallen into the hands of the Philistines and been 
 taken to Gath. There he had met David, and was 
 with David when he heard of the battle. The de- 
 feat of the Israelites had been so complete and ter- 
 rible as practically to free them both from sur- 
 veillance; the Philistines became very careless of 
 their movements. David immediately took advan- 
 tage of the opportunity by sending Abiram to Tyre, 
 with a promise that it would not be long before 
 he would have Miriam released from slavery. Abi- 
 ram was still her guest. They had talked often to- 
 gether, and she had asked him to teach her the 
 religion of her people. David's words and faith 
 had stirred the memories of her childhood, and 
 Abiram's teaching had awakened her inherent spir- 
 ituality to growth. She had also been thrilled by 
 what he could remember of David's lament for the 
 dead king, for Jonathan, his brother-in-arms, and 
 by the prophet's conviction that already the hearts 
 of his countrymen were turning toward David; 
 Abiram was certain that David would be chosen 
 king in Saul's place.
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 213 
 
 All this, and more, was in her mind to perplex 
 her as she walked to meet her lover. What should 
 she do? What should she say to him when she 
 met him? 
 
 But when she did see Merodach waiting for her, 
 her face shone and her hands were outstretched, 
 impatient to feel the touch of love. But he was in 
 a mood to believe that her welcome was forced, 
 that her joy was assumed. 
 
 " I was telling myself that you were slow to 
 come," she said, happily ; " and all the time you 
 were here, waiting for me. Now I am quite 
 ashamed of myself." 
 
 " And I have been thinking that your walk was 
 not hastened by your desire to be with me," replied 
 Merodach, impelled by her loveliness to take her 
 hand and draw her to a seat by his side. But she 
 seemed to prefer to remain standing, so he too 
 stood, holding both her hands in silence, she 
 satisfied in his mere presence, he wondering if she 
 would speak of the festival, and Tanith. 
 
 Perhaps that subtile influence which sometimes 
 exists between lovers moved her to speak as she 
 did; for she had no real conception of the nature 
 of her question, and she asked it with no intention 
 of calling him to an accounting.
 
 214 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Tell me," she said, " why did you leave my 
 lady Tanith?" 
 
 Hardly were the words beyond her lips when 
 she regretted them. They surprised her; she was 
 startled by their import, and would have given 
 anything not to have spoken at all. Of course 
 Merodach misjudged her confusion, and his reply 
 was very cold. 
 
 " I cannot say just why I left her; I was angry 
 when I first discovered you watching us. But 
 when I looked from her to you, she was as a toad 
 beside a flower; it wearied me to see her." 
 
 " But you meant to stay, you wished to stay 
 with her till you saw me. And you were quite 
 angry at me." 
 
 The air seemed dead to Miriam ; she drew a long 
 breath, and continued : " She has been pleased to 
 remind me of how you are with her each Sabbath 
 evening. How much do you love me, Merodach? " 
 
 " I cannot tell. I have often considered the wis- 
 dom of making Tanith my wife. I feel the day 
 will come when I shall conquer the world, and I 
 ask myself, What could be better than to select 
 my queen from the women of Tyre? There is 
 the sea to be won as well as the land; Tanith is 
 the daughter of the man owning the largest fleets,
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 215 
 
 so I went often to see her and to learn more of 
 her nature." 
 
 " You do not fail of frankness," exclaimed 
 Miriam, and he was perversely glad to see the effect 
 of his cruelty. " Would it please my lord, the cap- 
 tain, to speak also his views concerning the humble 
 slave?" 
 
 " I have even considered that it was possible to 
 have Tanith for my queen, and Miriam for my 
 concubine." 
 
 This bitter and unexpected blow stunned Miriam. 
 But wrath quickly took the place of weakness, and 
 she was superb when she turned from him without 
 a word ; she was sublime in mingled scorn and out- 
 raged purity. Merodach could have bitten out his 
 tongue for the wrong he had done, for he was 
 nearer then to perfect love for her than ever be- 
 fore. For an instant he feared that he had lost 
 her for ever, but she soon returned and fiercely 
 whispered : 
 
 " Are there no weapons in Tyre, that I should 
 see her in your arms ? " 
 
 At which Merodach laughed aloud and caught 
 her in his arms. 
 
 "Is it not enough that I did leave her? Is it 
 not enough that you had power to destroy the might 
 of her charms? No, no, Miriam, I have you fast.
 
 216 A Captain of Men 
 
 How foolish it is for you to struggle; it is not 
 my arms that hold you, but my love. Now I have 
 loosed you altogether, and now you have re- 
 turned to the prison that you pretended to wish to 
 leave, to the jailer you pretended to hate. Am I 
 quite beyond your forgiveness?" 
 
 " It was like death to see you then. Your face 
 was toward her; her eyes were drinking your 
 beauty. I could not move ; I could not speak. But 
 your concubine ! my love has made me forgetful, 
 better death ! Your arms are not worthy to keep 
 me. I pray you to free me of your embrace." 
 
 " By Ishtar ! I will not free you. You were 
 speechless, but you were fairer than Ishtar when I 
 saw you, and Tanith became loathsome as some 
 crawling thing. My folly fell from me, and I be- 
 held clearly. So I have come here to meet you. 
 I will not let you go until you tell me why you came 
 so slowly. I saw you under the palms, and you 
 were not as one going to meet a lover. Yet you 
 cannot help loving me." 
 
 " Sometimes I try not to love you, but I can- 
 not help it, it is stronger than I ! " cried Miriam, 
 kissing him and clinging passionately to him. 
 " Your gods are not mine, and I am such a little 
 portion of your life; even now you are preparing 
 to leave me, and your mind is full of great desires.
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 217 
 
 You wish to conquer the world, but I crave only 
 your heart. I am frightened when I think of what 
 you wish me to be; and my cousin has sent me 
 word that I am not forgotten. Soon he will be able 
 to free me and protect me. Saul and Jonathan are 
 both dead; David will be king. He is my cousin 
 and your friend; he wishes to have me give you 
 his remembrance. Put away your thoughts of con- 
 quest; there is nothing like love and peace. Take 
 me to the land of Israel, and I will make you con- 
 tented in the home we will build together. This 
 is why I loitered on the way, I know of nothing 
 that will compare with our love for each other. 
 Make me your kingdom, Merodach ! " 
 
 " To be born, to live, to love, and to die," said 
 he, with something of scorn in his voice. " To leave 
 nothing behind one save children is to be as the 
 beasts. I have heard that the kings of Egypt build 
 great tombs like mountains that their chil- 
 dren's children, to a thousand generations, may not 
 forget them. And the deeds of my father's father, 
 of Tiglath-Pileser, the great king, the mighty war- 
 rior, are they not recorded on tablets of brick? 
 His name will be a power in the land of Asshur 
 after his bones have long been dust. Such men are 
 never forgotten. And I, too, will build for myself 
 a monument of glorious deeds. It is good to be
 
 21 8 A Captain of Men 
 
 remembered. Love is sweet ; the favour of woman 
 beautifies the life of a hero, but women and love and 
 life pass away and are soon gone. It is only great- 
 ness that is eternal. I have thought of a love that 
 would make a wife satisfied only through seeing the 
 success of the loved one's efforts. Such love in 
 a woman is more precious than wealth of silver or 
 gold or precious stones. I love you, Miriam, I 
 desire your love; yet when it is used to draw me 
 to lower things, when it places common happiness 
 and peace above achievement, when it hangs as a 
 heavy burden about the neck of him struggling to 
 climb ever higher and higher, it is but the love 
 of a concubine. From my boyhood I have thought 
 continually upon the things which make and which 
 mar the men who have in them the seeds of great- 
 ness. It has seemed to me that there are three 
 errors which destroy most men : babbling lips, the 
 love of wine, and commerce with a frivolous 
 woman. 
 
 " I have spoken frankly with you, Miriam, be- 
 cause I have hoped to find such an helpmeet in you. 
 You have called me unworthy because I consid- 
 ered the plan of making you my concubine. I ask 
 your forgiveness for the thought. I offer you the 
 best I can give you; will you be my wife? Tell
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 219 
 
 me, Miriam, will you give me the love I desire of 
 you?" 
 
 The last particle of anger had left Miriam's heart. 
 He had, it is true, spoken slightingly of the life 
 she had pictured to him; but his earnestness had 
 destroyed the sting of refusal. All that was strong- 
 est in her nature responded to the strength of his. 
 It was as if she beheld him far above all other men, 
 as if he were reaching from inaccessible heights 
 to lift her to his side. She was dazzled by the glory 
 which seemed to shine about him; she was amazed 
 when she thought of his wishing to share it with 
 her. Somehow he had made it all appear new to 
 her, or she had come to a fuller appreciation of 
 what it might be. 
 
 " I cannot tell why it is," she said ; " but, oh, 
 I would not have you lesser or weaker. You have 
 honoured me above my deserts; I seem to have 
 a new conception of love, but I am still perplexed, 
 still afraid, still divided by love for you and doubt 
 of myself. I can see now that it will be best for 
 us to be parted for a season. I cannot think calmly 
 while you are near. If you think me worthy of 
 such a position, it is right that I should consider 
 the matter with all the wisdom I may possess. I 
 will meditate day and night during your absence; 
 when you return my word shall be yea or nay. The
 
 22O A Captain of Men 
 
 sweetness and bitterness of your proffer are beyond 
 my comprehension, as is also my love for you, 
 
 Merodach ! " 
 
 " Now I know that you will be my queen," said 
 he, rising and looking proudly down upon her up- 
 turned face. " You have promised to think of my 
 wish. I will keep that promise with me, and, when 
 
 1 return, I am sure that you will not say me nay." 
 
 Here, to make clear what follows, it should be 
 known that Hector had not been able to resist the 
 impulse to tell Tanith that he would claim his re- 
 ward that very night. Already he had assumed 
 to himself the credit and glory of accomplishing 
 the death of Merodach. " It is impossible for me 
 to fail," he had exultingly declared. " I will prove 
 my love to-night, Tanith. This very night I will 
 bring you the head of the man you hate." 
 
 So proud was his bearing, so assured his words, 
 that Tanith began to believe him. She became con- 
 vinced that, in some way, he would succeed, and 
 a great longing impelled her to secure a last look 
 at Merodach before he was " lost in nothingness." 
 So she called her maidens to put on her most beau- 
 tiful robe, to paint her face, to perfume her hair 
 and cord it in massive braids above her forehead.
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 221 
 
 She would prove to him, once and for all, that there 
 was none like her he had scorned. 
 
 And after she had been arrayed and prepared to 
 her own satisfaction, it seemed as if her gods were 
 determined to aid her; for she discovered Hadad 
 on the street before her house, making love to one 
 of her slaves. Hadad had spent freely of his recent 
 earnings, and the result was very apparent; he 
 was loquaciously drunk. Tanith heard him speak 
 of the Assyrian, just a word, but it set her to ques- 
 tioning and bribing until she learned where he was. 
 
 From this it followed that when Merodach and 
 Miriam started for the city, they came face to face 
 with the lady Tanith, and she knew that they were 
 together as lovers. 
 
 Hadad had not told her of Miriam, and her un- 
 expected appearance with him filled Tanith with 
 jealousy, rage, and a sense of defeat. She could 
 neither move nor speak; she stood, silent and ex- 
 pressionless, in the glaring light of the glade; but 
 her very lack of apparent emotion was terrible to 
 those who knew her. 
 
 Slowly and quietly, and with no sign of reluc- 
 tance, the two came out of the shade to meet her. 
 As if met for mortal combat, desired by each, they 
 three accepted the moment as inevitable, as a fore- 
 cast of final victory or defeat. Their crossing re-
 
 222 A Captain of Men 
 
 gards neither wavered nor flamed, they were as 
 swords in the hands of cool, relentless duellists in 
 the beginning of the combat. But, as all uncov- 
 ered they stood beneath the sun, sharp pain darted 
 behind the Assyrian's eyes, and suddenly the black- 
 ness of night hid Tanith's face. 
 
 His legs wavered, he was afraid that he should 
 fall, and his hand sought Miriam's shoulder and 
 rested there for support. So strange, so incom- 
 prehensible was this loss of vision that, for an in- 
 stant, it unnerved him and made him solicitous for 
 help. Yet his sightless eyes remained full on Ta- 
 nith, and she detected no evidence of his internal 
 anguish and weakness. Instead, she was daunted 
 by the new expression of his gaze, by its awesome 
 appearance. She saw his hand reach to Miriam's 
 shoulder, and felt the action to be a defiance, an 
 indication of his will to protect her slave from harm 
 or wrong 1 . To Miriam that touch of her lover's 
 hand was inexpressibly reassuring. 
 
 Then, even as it came, the darkness left him, 
 suddenly, completely. Tanith's face and figure were 
 once more distinct against their background of 
 shade, and the blessing of sight was surpassingly 
 sweet. Brightness also dispelled the mystery from 
 his aspect, and Tanith lost her feeling of defeat in 
 her consciousness of nearness to the one she loved.
 
 The Meeting among the Palms 223 
 
 He was dearer than ever before. She had doomed 
 him to death, she should not see him again, and 
 she was resolved to snatch a fleeting happiness 
 before it was too late. Like a sleek, deadly, purr- 
 ing tiger-cat, she would enjoy her prey, now that 
 it could not escape her claws. 
 
 Her sensuous nature gloated over the perfections 
 of her victim; the poise of his neck and head de- 
 lighted her, his strength and grace surprised her 
 as being new and unrivalled. She spoke trifles, she 
 was cunning to display her own attractiveness and 
 excelling beauty, until they were amazed and trou- 
 bled by her graciousness. The threatened combat 
 was changed to friendliness; but Miriam and Mero- 
 dach felt that her complacency was as thin ice 
 beneath their feet, that it covered unfathomable 
 depths. 
 
 " Even when you are dead, you will be more 
 beautiful than Melkarth," she said regretfully to 
 herself when she left him. " But my vengeance 
 shall scorch Miriam till her loveliness shall become 
 a loathsome thing." Yet honey never dripped 
 sweeter from the comb than fell the words of Ta- 
 nith's parting.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE REWARD OF HECTOR 
 
 As has been said, Hiram the king and Esmun 
 the prince were business partners. They had cov- 
 enanted honesty and fair dealing, one with the 
 other, and an equitable division of the firm's profits. 
 Yet the king had been sorely tempted to hide from 
 Esmun the real project of the new undertaking. 
 
 But unfortunately for his peace of mind, the 
 king had a business conscience, as was true of 
 most of the great merchants of Tyre. He was 
 bound to his partner by bonds of fairness ; he would 
 be lacking in business honour, should he attempt 
 to secure to himself the entire profits which must 
 result from the discovery of a water route to the 
 country of tin. He had been inspired with a belief 
 in the star of Merodach; he was certain that the 
 Assyrian would dare the perils and terrors of the 
 unknown sea and attain his purpose. 
 
 The temptation to reap all the benefits of that 
 224
 
 The Reward of Hector 225 
 
 success was almost irresistible. Yet the king did 
 finally overcome his weakness, and he enjoyed to 
 the full the surprise and admiration displayed by 
 his partner over the audacity of the plan. They 
 two never tired of discussing the probabilities and 
 the possibilities of success. They would pore over 
 their private maps, tracing carefully the course they 
 thought their vessels should take; they inventoried 
 again and again the qualities of their captain ; they 
 were well-nigh suffocated by the certainty of the 
 enormous wealth that success must bring them. 
 
 For the first time in years the merchant was keep- 
 ing a secret from his daughter. His reason for 
 so doing was purely a business one; he would not 
 permit the inconceivable folly of her female heart 
 to endanger a venture which might make him and 
 his royal partner the richest men in the world. 
 
 There was a time when he had feared Merodach, 
 when he had even gone so far as to second her plot 
 of having Nathan one of his company; nor had 
 he shrunk from the idea of the Assyrian's death. 
 But now matters were vastly different, and Mero- 
 dach was as the apple of his eye. Therefore when 
 Tanith gave him an inkling of her deadly purpose, 
 he was furious at what he now considered to be 
 the rankest perversity. Under these circumstances 
 he felt that it would be worse than folly to inform
 
 226 A Captain of Men 
 
 her of the water route, for she was immovable when 
 she had set her resolve. His one chance would 
 be to deceive her, to disguise his true desires, and 
 to get the Assyrian and the expedition away before 
 she could act. 
 
 Already he had cunningly managed to have the 
 men of the company sworn to faithfulness before 
 the altar of the Cabirim without her knowledge; 
 and he was fortunate enough to have all the offer- 
 ings, customary before long and dangerous voy- 
 ages, made without arousing her suspicions. In- 
 deed both he and his daughter were anxious to use 
 the same means for entirely different ends; for she 
 approved of this unusual haste, thinking it would 
 lull Merodach into a sense of security. 
 
 Everything was therefore arranged to enable 
 Esmun to do the very last thing in his power for 
 the success of the wonderful expedition ; he waited 
 at the warehouse till the arrival of his captain, 
 who came there direct from his meeting with 
 Miriam and Tanith, and instructed him to sail 
 that very night. 
 
 The command was in perfect accord with the 
 other's wishes, and the two passed the time, till 
 it became dark, in a final review of the details of 
 the project. This done, they bade each other good- 
 speed, and Merodach went aboard the ship; but
 
 The Reward of Hector 227 
 
 the merchant still waited alone in his office, deter- 
 mined to see the execution of his instructions. 
 
 But at this last moment, when everything was 
 seemingly going well, the star of Tanith rose in the 
 ascendant; for no sooner was the Assyrian aboard 
 than he learned that three of his men were absent 
 without permission. Nathan and Chna and Hadad 
 were the guilty ones; the scheme of the subtle 
 Greek was beginning to work. 
 
 The absence of Chna was a serious one, as he 
 intended to make the veteran his lieutenant; more- 
 over, he had a high opinion of Hadad when 
 he should be removed from the seductions of the 
 city. But the disobedience of Nathan gave the 
 Assyrian nothing but the keenest satisfaction. He 
 would go himself and find the leprous truant, and 
 there should be one scoundrel less in the land 
 of the living. 
 
 Wherefore, bidding the sailing-master to have 
 their vessels in readiness to start the instant he re- 
 turned, he set out for the " Tavern of the Jolly 
 Dwarfs," sure of finding his quarry. As luck would 
 have it, Esmun did not see him leave the ship. 
 Something caused the merchant to quit his post 
 of observation for a few minutes, and Merodach 
 was lost in the darkness when he got back, igno- 
 rant of what was happening.
 
 228 A Captain of Men 
 
 Merodach quitted the tavern, disappointed by the 
 emptiness it had for him. He stood awhile at its 
 door full of perplexity, then went slowly up the 
 street toward a den of, if possible, lower character. 
 He had heard Hadad speak of the place; perhaps 
 they were there. But the truants were much 
 closer; Nathan, Chna, and Hadad had seen him 
 enter the tavern. Chna had predicted the course 
 of events to that point, and they had hidden them- 
 selves near the door. Now they came out and fol- 
 lowed him like three shadows. 
 
 Suddenly a dog rose from his bed in the filthy 
 street, stretched himself, and went off at a slouch- 
 ing trot. The light of a brazier fell on the animal's 
 gaunt body, revealing its colour to the Assyrian; 
 the cur was amazingly yellow. " ' A yellow dog 
 walks side by side with sure misfortune,' " he mut- 
 tered, recalling an old Babylonian proverb, and 
 pausing to watch the beast. " The gods of Babylon 
 are not so mighty as the gods of Assyria, but it 
 may be that they have sent me warning. I was cer- 
 tain that I should find them in the ' Jolly Dwarfs,' 
 and it may be that I got there too soon ; it may be 
 that they are now there. By the horns of Nebo! 
 it must be so, for even now the yellow brute is 
 whining before the door of the house I meant to
 
 The Reward of Hector 229 
 
 enter; failure and disappointment are surely there, 
 I will go back to the ' Jolly Dwarfs.' ' 
 
 Whereupon he began so suddenly to retrace his 
 steps, as to convince the three dogging him that 
 they had been discovered. Concealment was there- 
 fore useless, they thought, and Nathan, reckless and 
 savage, placed himself bodily in his commander's 
 path. 
 
 " I have come to seek thee," said Merodach. 
 " Look thy fill as thy time is short. Thou hast 
 disobeyed me, and thou must die. There is no 
 pity in my heart, for I have never loved thee." 
 
 The light of the not far distant brazier fell on 
 the leper's distorted face and snarling lips, as he 
 leaped and struck fiercely at his captain's throat. 
 But the latter evaded the onset, caught his wrist, 
 and wrenched it so that the sword dropped from 
 Nathan's hand to the street. 
 
 " I will not defile my sword with thy blood, but 
 slay thee with thine own weapon," said the As- 
 syrian, choking him and bending him downward 
 till he lay prostrate and powerless on his back. 
 " Thou hast always meant me harm ; from the 
 beginning I knew thee as mine enemy. Listen, 
 Nathan ; my hand is at your throat ; you shall die 
 like a choked dog unless you tell me the cause of 
 your enmity. A brave man has no fear of a sol-
 
 230 A Captain of Men 
 
 dier's death; tell me the truth and I will remove 
 my hand from your throat and let out your life 
 with your own good steel." 
 
 Nathan wished to die in silence, but he could 
 not endure the torture of suffocation. He signalled 
 his willingness to speak, and the other loosened his 
 grasp. 
 
 " 'Twas because of Hector the Greek," he said, 
 thickly. " The drunken fool babbled of the reward 
 thy death should bring us from Tanith, the princess. 
 Strike quick, if thou wilt." 
 
 And Merodach struck quickly and surely. 
 
 The night was some two hours older when Chna 
 and Hadad, the former carrying a wine-skin, 
 knocked at the door of a modest house on a side 
 street leading into the Great Square. 
 
 Hector opened the door almost before their sum- 
 mons had sounded. The curiously wrought lamp 
 trembled in his hand, and his voice was thin and 
 strained, as he asked: 
 
 " Have you got it ? Is it indeed you, Chna ? 
 Have you but where is Nathan ? Come in ; don't 
 stand in the street, we might be heard." 
 
 Hadad laughed noisily; he had been drinking all 
 day, and he swayed from side to side, leering tip- 
 sily at the wine-skin. Hector caught his arm, drew
 
 The Reward of Hector 231 
 
 him into the room and shut the door. Chna cursed 
 Hadad for a fool descended from a line of fools 
 for generations innumerable. The veteran was 
 even surlier than usual, and Hector noticed that 
 his left arm was bandaged and bloody. Chna un- 
 did the bandages, grumbling and paying no atten- 
 tion to the Greek's questions and exclamations, 
 until he had uncovered an ugly-looking wound. 
 
 " That's what it cost," he growled. " We claim 
 Nathan's share." 
 
 " But where is Nathan ? " asked Hector, glanc- 
 ing furtively and shrinkingly at the wine-skin. 
 
 " Dead," replied Chna. 
 
 " Gone on a visit to Muth in the Land of Noth- 
 ingness," laughed Hadad. 
 
 "And is it there?" inquired Hector, pointing 
 to the skin at Chna's feet. 
 
 " It's there," said Chna. " We perfumed it and 
 wrapped it in the cloth you gave us. But we claim 
 Nathan's share." 
 
 A deep sigh of relief escaped the Greek, an ex- 
 ultant light shone in his eyes. 
 
 " Tell me how you did it ? Surely 'twas like 
 meeting a lion in the desert." 
 
 " Nathan did the hunting. The lot fell to Nathan 
 for the first blow, and the fool met the Assyrian
 
 232 A Captain of Men 
 
 face to face, and was like a child in his grasp. 
 Nathan is dead." 
 
 "And you and Hadad? " 
 
 " I leaped on him from behind and held his arms. 
 Hadad struck him where the head joins the neck, 
 but not quick enough to save me from this. It is 
 late; we claim Nathan's share." 
 
 "Did he cry out?" 
 
 " Not a word. It is getting late." 
 
 Hector sighed again for happiness, and gave him 
 the money. Chna counted it, assisted by Hadad, 
 piece by piece; saw that they had the full amount, 
 laid the skin at Hector's feet, and went out, say- 
 ing nothing. Hadad followed, with the hope that 
 Hector would not drink too deeply of the wine 
 he had bought. 
 
 The Greek stared for several minutes as if fas- 
 cinated by the bundle they had left him. After 
 awhile he lifted it, as if to test its weight. His 
 form dilated, a proud smile lit his face, and, blow- 
 ing out the light, he went with his bundle to see 
 Tanith. 
 
 Not long, and he had tapped lightly on the bronze 
 shield beside her door. The door swung softly 
 open, and he saw a white figure outlined in the 
 darkness.
 
 The Reward of Hector 233 
 
 " Who is there ? " asked a low voice, the voice 
 of Tanith. 
 
 " I, Hector." 
 
 Tanith beckoned to him, and he followed her to 
 her room in the story above. Closing the door 
 behind them, she drew close the heavy curtains, and 
 sat down on her couch, watching him while he 
 opened the wine-skin and took from it a bundle 
 wrapped in finest linen. She shivered ever so 
 slightly and pointed to a stand. Hector carefully 
 placed the bundle on it, and waited for her to speak. 
 
 There was but one lamp burning in the room; 
 the place appeared gloomy, even weird to Hector, 
 and Tanith was very quiet. She appeared to have 
 forgotten his presence; she looked continually at 
 the bundle upon the stand; she was absolutely 
 motionless, she would not speak. It seemed ages 
 before she motioned him to a stool at her feet. 
 
 " Sit here," she said, caressingly. " I doubted 
 you, my friend. I almost thought that he was in- 
 vincible." Her hands passed gently through Hec- 
 tor's shining hair. " Tell me how you did it," she 
 whispered. 
 
 " He had commanded that none should leave the 
 ships without permission. I got old Chna to dis- 
 obey, for I was sure that Merodach would come 
 after him himself. I was also certain that he
 
 234 A Captain of Men 
 
 would seek him at the ' Tavern of the Jolly 
 Dwarfs.' So I waited for him near the tavern." 
 
 Tanith's hand slipped very softly down his cheek 
 till it touched his neck and clung to it, and drew 
 his head to rest against her knee. 
 
 " It was certain that he would go ; you are very 
 wise to plan," she murmured, and her voice stirred 
 Hector's blood as will soft, strong wine. He was 
 beginning to see himself waiting for Merodach, 
 his lie was becoming truth to him. His words came 
 faster, easier; he was exhilarated by the interest 
 of his story; he was intoxicated by her nearness; 
 the touch of her hands thrilled him. 
 
 He related how, at last, he saw the Assyrian 
 coming toward the tavern. He confessed that he 
 had been tempted to strike him from behind; but 
 she had doubted his courage, and he determined 
 to show her how greatly she had wronged him. 
 He was there to please her, to win her, that was 
 enough to make a coward brave. Therefore he 
 met Merodach face to face, as became a man. He 
 described the fury of the other's assault. It was 
 marvellous to see his modesty when he admitted 
 that things looked dark for him before the As- 
 syrian slipped. It was the fortune of war, the 
 gods had fought on his side, Merodach was dead.
 
 The Reward of Hector 235 
 
 Hector pointed expressively toward the stand, and 
 held his peace. 
 
 All during his story he had felt her hand through 
 his hair, and down his cheek to his neck. 
 
 " And you wish me to believe that you did it 
 for love of me ? " said Tanith, her hand like velvet 
 on his neck. 
 
 " I would die for you, Tanith for love of 
 you," he exclaimed, passionately. 
 
 " Nay, nay, Hector ; your words are surely ex- 
 travagant boasting. Men often speak so to me; 
 but, when the test comes, they gladly live without 
 my love." 
 
 " But I have proved my truth. A lion were easier 
 to meet than Merodach. Words could not describe 
 the fearful rush, you would not forget your 
 promise? I have done all that you wished." 
 
 " You have done all I wished," she dreamily 
 repeated. " You have dared the lion's leap, and 
 still you live. You have slain him for me, who 
 could believe that such a cowardly, crawling thing 
 could slay him! Oh, you liar! you foul, sneaking 
 liar! You cannot move, you cannot stir for fear 
 of me, you say you met him face to face. Oh, 
 you killed him, but you lay coiled as a snake, you 
 stabbed him in the back in the dark without 
 one word of warning. Even now there is death
 
 236 A Captain o Men 
 
 in your heart, and you say you fought him. 
 You lie! you lie! And you hoped to possess me! 
 I loved him, fool! I love him now. He had to 
 die because of my love, so I sent you to do my will. 
 When you promised to slay him, I swore to myself 
 that you should join him, that you should die should 
 you succeed. If you had a thousand lives, I would 
 take them all slowly slowly." 
 
 An icy shiver passed through the Greek. He 
 strove to lift her hand from resting on his throat, 
 but he could not move a ringer. He was frozen 
 with fear, he stared upward at her face, motionless, 
 utterly speechless. She beheld his terror and smiled 
 down at him, mocking his voiceless prayer. Then 
 he wished to close his eyes, to escape her gaze, 
 but his muscles were fixed beyond his power to 
 will. And she dallied with the sweetness of his 
 death; she laid the cool edge of her knife against 
 his cheek, she kissed his staring eyes. 
 
 But suddenly they heard a gentle clangour from 
 the shield below, some one was seeking admis- 
 sion. The sound loosened the spell binding the 
 Greek ; a shrill cry broke from his lips, he attempted 
 to rise, but the uplifted hand fell and Tanith rose 
 to her feet, leaving her dagger imbedded in his 
 throat. 
 
 She smiled as she stood, watching him die. Then
 
 The Reward of Hector 237 
 
 she ran to the stand and fondled the bundle against 
 her breast, as a mother her child. Once more she 
 heard the brazen summons. 
 
 Hastily removing Hector's body to her bedroom, 
 she went down and opened the door to her visitor, 
 and saw the figure of Merodach. 
 
 First her hands were stretched toward him, but 
 shrinkingly, then to the wall to save her from fall- 
 ing. She could not distinguish his face, but his eyes 
 seemed to scorch her through the darkness. It was 
 impossible to mistake his form, it was indeed Mero- 
 dach come back to haunt her. A flood of tender- 
 ness overwhelmed her sense of guilt, and she tried 
 to speak to him; but her words died in her throat. 
 Then horror leaped to life, and she fled, breathless 
 and voiceless, back to her room, and there she saw 
 again as something new the bundle on the 
 stand. He was here, and he was there, she thought, 
 and, fleeing into her bedroom, she almost fell over 
 Hector's body. Spurning it with her foot, she cried 
 out in sudden anger. But she instantly forgot him 
 and returned to the stand. 
 
 Tears ran down her cheeks. Kissing the bundle, 
 she slowly undid its linen wrappings, then shrieked, 
 as the loathsome head of Nathan the leper fell from 
 her hands to the floor. For a moment she was 
 altogether beside herself, she knew not what to
 
 238 A Captain of Men 
 
 think. But into her bewilderment came the con- 
 sciousness of a bodily presence, and she looked 
 about her and beheld the Assyrian, standing as he 
 had stood when she had slain the panther. Run- 
 ning to him, she fell, sobbing, against his breast. 
 
 Disconcerted and amazed by her unlooked-for 
 action, Merodach held her in close embrace, and 
 pondered the reason for it. He was positive that 
 Nathan had not lied to him, that Tanith had in- 
 spired the attempt so recently foiled. Chna and 
 Hadad had informed him of the bargain for his 
 head, and of the wily veteran's scheme for fooling 
 the Greek. He had seen them decapitate the dead 
 leper, and had just witnessed Tanith's horror over 
 the opened bundle. This was all quite plain and 
 easy to comprehend, and he had deliberately de- 
 layed his visit to her that she might have time to 
 receive Nathan's head. 
 
 In the outset he had resolved to take complete 
 vengeance; she deserved no mercy, and he would 
 reproach her and kill her, and for ever free himself 
 of her devilries. But later he had remembered 
 Miriam, and, fearful of her safety during his long 
 absence, he had finally concluded to frighten Ta- 
 nith into harmlessness. 
 
 Thus, soldier as he was, he had carefully per- 
 fected his plan of campaign before entering the
 
 The Reward of Hector 239 
 
 field of operation. Yet here, in the very beginning 
 of battle, he found his plans awry; his enemy was 
 weeping in his arms. And he knew that her tears 
 were genuine, nor could he doubt the adoration of 
 her eyes. 
 
 He felt her hand upon his cheek, he was moved 
 by the abandon of her love; Tanith had never been 
 powerless to tempt him. Yet until now he had 
 mistrusted her, until this unmistakable sincerity 
 of her passion led him into error, and he considered 
 himself her conqueror; he would impose terms 
 upon his captive. 
 
 Consequently he began to be stern with her. He 
 had good reason, he said, to suspect her, and he 
 was there to warn her of his growing impatience. 
 He went even further, he told her that he had medi- 
 tated her death; and so great was his earnestness, 
 his blindness, that he failed to notice that her hand 
 had left his face. Contrition and shame blended 
 with the love in her gaze. She tremulously sighed, 
 she was charming in unusual womanliness. 
 
 " You are very stern, my lord," she timidly com- 
 plained. " Yet you cannot destroy my love," and, 
 drawing a little from him, loosening his em- 
 brace, she snatched the dagger from his belt, 
 and smote him hard and fair upon the breast. 
 
 So shrewd was the blow that Merodach must
 
 240 A Captain of Men 
 
 have joined Hector and Nathan, were it not for 
 the golden disk that Miriam had given him. As 
 it was, the dagger glanced across the disk, severed 
 its golden chain, and slashed his chest. 
 
 Instantly appreciating the folly of his imagin- 
 ings, yet filled with admiration of her reckless cour- 
 age, he enfolded her in an embrace that crushed 
 her into helplessness. Tighter and tighter became 
 his clasp, till she gasped for breath. Yet, cool as 
 he was to calculate and quick to note the effect 
 of what he did, nevertheless he trembled because 
 it was she he held, and his voice was husky with 
 passion. 
 
 "By the girdle of Ishtar! By Ashtoreth! I 
 should kill you now, but I cannot. Tis but a 
 little tightening of my arms, and you die here, 
 against the breast you have smitten. There was 
 deadly anger in my heart; I meant not to spare 
 you. Even now your soft throat tempts me, my 
 fingers long to clutch it. By Asshur! I meant to 
 kill you but your beauty has overcome me. My 
 hatred is turned to love, you have won me 
 against my will. Behold you are free, Tanith. 
 Here is the knife ; strike, Tanith, my heart is 
 uncovered for your blow." 
 
 Tanith took the knife and held it for an instant,
 
 The Reward of Hector 241 
 
 then returned it to his belt, a strange change com- 
 ing over her face. 
 
 " The gods have saved you from my wrath. I 
 promised love to the cowardly Greek in return for 
 your head. Hector is dead, and I have only the 
 head of Nathan the leper. Never before has my 
 hand failed of performing my will; but to-night 
 I struck, and you are still alive. I felt your arms 
 about me, I beheld the promise of death in your 
 gaze, and it was as if Melkarth himself were come 
 to rule me. Now you bid me strike, and I find 
 that I have become the slave of my lord." 
 
 " Do you truly love me, Tanith ? " 
 
 " As I have never loved before. There is noth- 
 ing I am not willing to do to prove my truth." 
 
 " Will you wait for my return ? To-night I 
 shall sail for the waters of the Unknown Sea. 
 Asshur has sent me to do a mighty deed. Will 
 you faithfully await my return?" 
 
 " I will wait, my lord, until either you or your 
 dead body is here to release me. You will not fail 
 in your undertaking. I cannot know now why I 
 am not as I have been ; I only know that I am for 
 ever yours, Merodach." 
 
 Here she was silent a long time, thinking deeply. 
 At last she put her hands upon his shoulders and 
 kissed his cheeks and lips.
 
 242 A Captain of Men 
 
 " It may be that this new love will keep me from 
 the evil spirits which have so long possessed me. 
 I shall watch for you day by day, but O Mero- 
 dach ! should you be false should you be false ! " 
 
 And thus they parted before the long voyage. 
 He felt that he had won the fight, that Miriam was 
 safe. But, as he paused and looked back at Tanith, 
 standing in the doorway, he was tempted to tell 
 her the truth. Would it not be better to relinquish 
 the expedition? Would it not be wiser to go with 
 Miriam to Palestine and be happy in her love? 
 
 But the temptation passed, and he went on his 
 way to the end.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HADAD DRINKS TO TANITH^S HEALTH 
 
 ABOUT two hours later there was a small party 
 gathered on the wharf to watch the departure of 
 the expedition. 
 
 Esmun had been surprised by the appearance of 
 Merodach accompanied by the king. A little later 
 still, his surprise was changed to consternation by 
 the coming of his daughter with Hiram Abif. But 
 he soon learned that she was not there to prevent 
 the sailing of the ships, and he came from his place 
 of concealment and joined them on the wharf. 
 
 Merodach had gone from Tanith to remind the 
 king of his promise to befriend Miriam, to watch 
 over her during the coming months. He also 
 hinted to the king that he distrusted Tanith. 
 
 The little group waited until the vessels had 
 cleared the islands and were well out to sea. They 
 shouted their last farewells, and then took the usual 
 subject of the chance of success or failure. All 
 
 243
 
 244 A Captain of Men 
 
 had been impressed by their last view of the As- 
 syrian as he stood, eager and quite forgetful of 
 their presence, in the bow of his ship. The mys- 
 tery of the unknown sea, the expectancy of marvel- 
 lous adventures were urging him westward. Love 
 was sweet in times of idleness, but the opportunity 
 to do and dare was infinitely higher. There were 
 malignant spirits, demons of the deep, to be over- 
 come, new lands to be discovered; he could think 
 of nothing save the future. Miriam and Tanith, 
 the hopes and ambitions of Esmun and the king, 
 the art and philosophy of the great and wayward 
 artist, had ceased to be; and the watchers felt that 
 they had no place in this hour of his triumph. 
 
 So plain was this to be seen that the king began 
 speaking of it to Tanith. They were a little apart 
 from the others, and he also deemed it a favourable 
 time to inform her of his purpose to protect Miriam. 
 By well-directed, yet imperceptible effort, he con- 
 trolled the conversation and led it until they spoke 
 naturally of the Jewess. As if he felt assured of 
 her knowledge of the fact, he enlightened Tanith of 
 her father's promise of freeing Miriam at the proper 
 time. He alluded, moreover, to Miriam's kinship 
 to David, as it provided him a fortunate opportunity 
 for showing his good-will to one likely to be king 
 of a neighbouring state. He had no doubt that
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 245 
 
 David would eventually conquer the Philistines-; 
 and it would be a fine stroke of policy to secure 
 friends willing to supply Sidonia with grain and 
 other provisions. Indeed he had had a long inter- 
 view with Abiram that very day concerning these 
 matters, and the Israelites and Phoenicians would 
 surely be friends. 
 
 So unusually confidential was the king as rather 
 to overshoot his mark. He was, in fact, still young 
 enough to become enamoured of his own dexterity, 
 and Tanith became very curious to learn what this 
 wonderful frankness might mean. She was, there- 
 fore, prepared for the summing up of the matter, 
 and preserved a fine carelessness during its presenta- 
 tion. 
 
 Not only would it be wise on David's account, 
 said the king, for him to cultivate Miriam, but it 
 would be even better by such means to draw the 
 fangs of that daring adventurer, Merodach. Let 
 him marry the Hebrew maiden, let her cousin David 
 become all-powerful in southern Syria, and it would 
 naturally follow that the Phoenicians would be left 
 masters of the sea, and of its commerce. 
 
 Taking everything into consideration, the king 
 was quite successful in destroying the structure 
 Merodach had laboured so hard to rear, and this
 
 246 A Captain of Men 
 
 with the most friendly intentions toward the 
 builder. 
 
 " Have you certain knowledge that he will marry 
 Miriam ? " asked Tanith, as one speaks to fill an 
 idle moment. 
 
 " I cannot doubt it. He did not tell me so 
 directly, but his language to me to-night was simple 
 to comprehend. He will surely wed her on his 
 return." 
 
 " At what hour did he tell you ? " inquired 
 Tanith, still hoping that the answer might prove 
 her fears to be groundless. 
 
 " He asked me to he talked with me of her 
 while we were walking together on our way here." 
 
 " And that was after he left me," said she to 
 herself. Then aloud, " It is growing late, and the 
 breeze from the water is chilly. I will return to 
 my home, if the king will permit." 
 
 Her heart was in a tumult; she longed to hide 
 herself where she could give full sway to the rage 
 and self-scorn almost strangling her. He had 
 played with her to the last, and she had been glad 
 to believe him. 
 
 Hastening to her room, she crossed its thresh- 
 old and saw the golden disk lying among some 
 furs. Miriam had worn it before her, had told 
 how she got it. She discovered the mark on it
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 247 
 
 made by the knife; the gift of Miriam had saved 
 Merodach's life. It was true that he was gone, but 
 Miriam was in her power, and she would strike 
 him through Miriam. 
 
 It would not be far from the truth to say that this 
 night marked a distinct change in the character of 
 Tanith. Until then, her actions for good or evil 
 outside of mercantile matters had been largely 
 impulsive. For while it had been her custom to 
 attain her desires in spite of intervening obstacles, 
 whether material or moral, it was also true that, 
 hitherto, circumstances had not roused her to the 
 full use of her evil qualities. For the first time, she 
 found herself opposed by a will at least equal to her 
 own, in conjunction with equal subtlety and a like 
 use of questionable methods. 
 
 Success in accomplishing her impulses in the 
 past gave her memories which were as fuel to the 
 inward fire now consuming her. Truly, it may be 
 said that, for a time, her passions were molten, in 
 seething ferment; and that when they cooled and 
 hardened, it was in the mould of undying enmity 
 and crudest purpose toward Miriam. Nor was it 
 necessary that the punishment of her slave should 
 be immediate. On the contrary, the thought of 
 delay pleased Tanith; she could thereby nurse 
 her hatred and enjoy it till she might use it most
 
 248 A Captain of Men 
 
 effectively. It was her dearest luxury to have 
 Miriam near her, to shower benefits upon her 
 slave, to display toward her the perfection of 
 graciousness. 
 
 In one year or more Merodach would re- 
 turn, completely successful. Tanith had easily 
 informed herself of the real nature of his undertak- 
 ing. He had inspired her with absolute confidence 
 in his ability to control the most adverse happenings. 
 He must succeed, and she had no doubt that, after 
 she had disposed of Miriam, he must finally turn 
 to her. Yet he had made her suffer, and he must 
 first receive his punishment. 
 
 This outline of Tanith's inner life, during the 
 first months of the Assyrian's absence, will serve 
 to explain what was to her slave an engrossing 
 problem. In the beginning, Miriam distrusted the 
 favour of her mistress, but as time passed, and she 
 saw no change, she became much bewildered. She 
 began to question the justness of her suspicions; 
 there were even periods when she had a curious 
 affection for her mistress, and even Hiram, the 
 dwarf, began to wonder at the inexplicable sweet- 
 ness of the woman he loved. 
 
 Yet the artist was not altogether deceived. He 
 believed in her ability to pursue consistently to the 
 end. She had manifested such capacity in business
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 249 
 
 transactions, and he often mused in secret over the 
 probability of her present conduct being a carefully 
 conceived plan outside of business. 
 
 Therefore, he bided his time in a curious mix- 
 ture of suspicious foreboding and a keen enjoyment 
 of her unwonted complacency. If her new and 
 persistent kindness should be a cunningly devised 
 veil to mask the workings of a sinister scheme, he 
 was artist enough to appreciate the skill of its 
 workmanship. 
 
 This was Hiram the artist. But Hiram the lover 
 often tried to prove to the artist that Tanith was 
 beginning to overlook his deformity, that it was 
 barely possible that she might grow to love him. 
 How else could he interpret the increasing prefer- 
 ence she had begun to show for his society? She 
 was constantly with him. It was strange that, keen 
 as he was, he never realized how often their con- 
 versation was about their mutual friend, Merodach. 
 
 Leaving now this well-nigh inextricable tangle 
 of human vanity, deceit, and passion, let us dwell 
 briefly on the beginning of the great famine. 
 That year the land showed signs of drought. Baal- 
 Hamon, the burning sun, dried up the moisture 
 of air and ground, and the crops of barley and millet 
 seed fell much below the average. The Prince 
 Esmun held many conferences with his daughter
 
 250 A Captain of Men 
 
 over the prospective value of cereals, so that even 
 tin and the purple murex-fish became subjects of 
 momentary significance, as they watched the rise 
 of the price of grain. They scanned both earth 
 and sky, they kept a business hand continually on 
 the pulse of trade. The stores of grain were grow- 
 ing low, the air seemed parched and lifeless, and the 
 reports from Egypt were disquieting. 
 
 Sometimes Miriam was present during these con- 
 ferences, for Tanith could not be happy without 
 her favourite slave, and one day they discussed the 
 wisdom of buying up the entire market of cereals. 
 Miriam heard them, and that evening she told her 
 mistress of Joseph, and of his management during 
 the years of Egyptian plenty and famine. The 
 story appealed strongly to Tanith. She repeated it 
 to her father, and the house of Esmun began those 
 far-reaching operations which ended in its gaining 
 control of the supply of grain. They filled their 
 granaries, and built new ones; they bought largely, 
 and sold sparingly, and so early were they in their 
 action that their fellow merchants laughed at them 
 in secret, and sold them what they had. 
 
 But as days went by and the rains failed, and, 
 still later, when the watchers in the north saw the 
 trickling waters of the river Adonis in place of the
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 251 
 
 blood-red torrent of flood-time, many began to 
 grumble because Esmun owned all the grain. 
 
 Discontent showed a haggard face amongst the 
 poor, and the king began to be tormented by peti- 
 tions for a general sacrifice to Baal-Moloch. 
 Trouble was fomenting deep down among the dregs, 
 and the king feared the rising of the passions of 
 the lower people. He recalled the half-hearted 
 riot of the Feast of Brands; what might not hap- 
 pen during the excitement of general propitiation? 
 Many of the rich would undoubtedly seek to escape, 
 as they had in the past, by buying children of the 
 poor. Worst of all r the king was himself a father, 
 and he shuddered to think that even he might be 
 called upon to furnish the offering. 
 
 Naturally, he sought to put off the evil day. He 
 increased his guard of mercenaries, and he bitterly 
 regretted the absence of Merodach. By this time 
 more than a year had elapsed since he had watched 
 the Assyrian from the wharf, and it was possible 
 for them to have news of him any day. And once 
 more Prince Esmun commenced to haunt his island 
 warehouse for a sight of a returning fleet. 
 
 Finally, he had his reward, and even the famine, 
 now become a certainty, was forgotten in the 
 excitement of the arrival of the fleet laden with tin. 
 There were also rumours of fierce battles in the
 
 252 A Captain of Men 
 
 mountains, of the unequalled daring of Merodach 
 and his company. It was reported that a vessel, 
 a bireme from Gadir, had landed several days ago 
 at Arvad. It was said to have passed the slower- 
 sailing freighters, carrying the tin, and news had 
 come from Arvad. This was, indeed, the truth, 
 and Esmun and Tanith, with thousands of others, 
 impatiently waited to see their ships. 
 
 Best of all, that night Hiram the king, Esmun 
 the prince, and the lady Tanith, sat late listening to 
 Hadad, the messenger of Merodach. Worn, and 
 suffering, as he was, from a terrible wound, it was 
 a pleasing sight to see Hadad expand and grow 
 radiant under the spell of unlimited wine and 
 eager listeners. 
 
 And this is the tale he told: 
 
 " Next to the honour of speaking for the pleas- 
 ure of my lord the king, and for the ears of Esmun 
 the prince, and to my lady Tanith, is my glory in 
 having served under that greatest of captains, 
 Merodach," he began, for it should be known that 
 Hadad prided himself upon his ability to suit his 
 conversation to the requirements of his varied 
 audiences. 
 
 " For no one can deny that only a great com- 
 mander could have controlled five score of the 
 bravest and most lawless men in all Sidonia. But
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 253 
 
 I will now begin with the first incident of our 
 voyage. On the seventh day out the god Esmun 
 blew fiercely against us, and the waves bid fair to 
 overwhelm us in the very start. Three strong men 
 were swept overboard and drowned, and we began 
 to vow offerings to the gods, and to long for the 
 shelter and the flagons of the ' Jolly Dwarfs.' I 
 speak the truth, my lord the king, and am not 
 ashamed to own my fear, nor to testify that our 
 commander was the only one who kept an even 
 voice and a pleasant face during the storm. Even 
 Chna, the best sailor on the sea, forgot to curse, 
 and growled a prayer. 
 
 " The tempest was at its height when our cap- 
 tain sent the word that there was something wrong 
 in our ship. He declared that the storm was to 
 warn us of a traitor, that the gods were angry, 
 and that, unless we discovered the identity of the 
 one secretly plotting against him, all would be lost 
 save only himself. Whereupon, Chna, the next 
 in command, and I, the officer next to Chna, began 
 to cast lots upon the crew ; but no man was taken." 
 
 " How can that be true ? " exclaimed the king. 
 " Were not the lots all marked with the names of 
 the men aboard? " 
 
 " All were marked ; I myself saw Chna mark 
 them. But the lot drawn was blank, and we sat
 
 254 A Captain of Men 
 
 foolish in the storm, listening to Chna blaspheme. 
 Finally, Chna informed our captain of the mystery, 
 and Merodach was silent for a time. But at last he 
 said : ' It must be that a traitor is hidden amongst 
 us; search the ship.' This we did, and one I 
 cannot remember who discovered Hanno, the 
 friend of Nathan the leper, hiding among the 
 stores." 
 
 " And where was Nathan ? " suddenly asked the 
 merchant. " Before our ships left the wharf I saw 
 Chna and Nathan and you go ashore; but now it 
 conies to me that only you and Chna returned. 
 Where was Nathan? And tell me of Hector. My 
 daughter told me how, at the last moment, he had 
 decided to join the expedition. I would not inter- 
 rupt the narrative, but I have always been curious 
 to know how Hector fared, for every one knew his 
 hatred of the sea. Has the Greek done worthily ? " 
 
 It was as though the merchant had pricked the 
 bubble of Hadad's swelling pride, leaving him flat 
 and empty. Only too well did he remember why 
 Nathan did not accompany the expedition. But 
 what was this fable of Hector? Hector had not 
 sailed with them; what did Esmun mean? A cold 
 sweat broke out from every pore, and Hadad 
 glanced stealthily at Tanith, but her impassive face 
 was beyond his reading. Only she and Zagros, her
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 255 
 
 Nubian slave, knew Hector's resting-place. Lies 
 and deceit and deadly peril were thick about him, 
 he could only move blindly onward as Fate should 
 direct him. 
 
 " Tis true, Nathan returned not with us," 
 agreed Hadad, sick with terror. " We met the lord 
 Merodach, and he he ordered us to return, but 
 Nathan refused. As for the Greek, there is little to 
 say. He kept the company's stores, he was our 
 captain's clerk; he was killed by the barbarians 
 in our first battle. Hector was quite useless on the 
 sea, but he surprised us all by his bravery on 
 land." 
 
 " And what said your lord Merodach when 
 Nathan refused to obey ? " asked Tanith, pleasantly. 
 
 A crushing weight was lifted from Hadad's 
 heart. He drew a long breath, and laughed, 
 boisterously. " He let his sword speak for him, 
 and Chna and I dropped Nathan's what once 
 was Nathan, into the harbour." 
 
 Then, continuing his narrative, he said : " Hanno 
 was there for mischief, so we cast him overboard 
 as an offering to the gods. It was as if the last 
 breath of the storm bore from us his drowning cry, 
 for the offering was accepted, and we were sent a 
 calm. It was wonderful to see, yet Chna chuckled, 
 and swore that my lord Merodach had known of
 
 256 A Captain of Men 
 
 Hanno's presence in the ship three days before the 
 storm." 
 
 Hadad paused, and drank deeply. 
 
 " You said it was Chna who marked the lots," 
 observed Tanith, rising and filling her cup. 
 
 " Yes, my lady Tanith, he let no other hand but 
 his own touch them." 
 
 " Of course the men were all satisfied to know 
 of Chna's carefulness ? " she suggested. 
 
 A queer look passed over Hadad's face. He re- 
 called how often his ancient partner had cheated 
 him while gambling; he remembered the night in 
 the tavern, when he and Nathan and Chna had 
 cast lots to determine which of them should strike 
 the Assyrian first. And he had a very vivid recol- 
 lection of the sly glances the old scoundrel gave 
 him when Nathan was selected. Chna had even 
 chuckled then, and whispered : " The gods never 
 desert us when I cast the lots." But that would 
 keep till he saw Chna again, so he went on with his 
 story. 
 
 " From that night, till we landed at the mouth of 
 the great river (the Rhone), there is nothing to 
 relate save this, each day our company was com- 
 pelled by our commander to spend at least an hour 
 in the places of the rowers. Later I came to under- 
 stand why he forced us to such hardship, and why
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 257 
 
 he so often relieved the sailing-master from sailing 
 the ship. At that time I knew nothing of what was 
 to come." 
 
 The three listeners exchanged glances, and bent 
 nearer to Hadad. 
 
 " There is also little worth telling of our journey 
 overland to meet the caravan. But from the day 
 we left the temple of Melkarth, amid the snow on 
 the mountain, till the day we had the first sight 
 of your ships by the shore, we fought our way 
 and marked it by our dead. We were always out- 
 numbered; the barbarians were as the sands, and 
 fierce as wolves. They assailed us when we ate our 
 meals, upon the march, and while we slept. We 
 learned then to know the full greatness of our 
 leader; he never despaired; he was always cheer- 
 ful with us and terrible to them; we were his 
 children, and he gave us food, starving that he 
 might give it. And in our last battle, when we were 
 reduced to a scant three score of hungry, yet un- 
 conquerable fighters against a countless horde, we 
 won the victory. And, during that fight, when I 
 was wounded almost to death, and was a prisoner, 
 my lord fought his way alone to save me. He 
 saved me, and I love him better than my life, but he 
 made me leave him when he needed me the most; 
 for my own sake he did it.
 
 258 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Now, my lord the king, and Prince Esmun, 
 and my lady Tanith, I am sent to tell you this: 
 after we had loaded the tin that we had saved for 
 you, our commander took us his own men 
 alone into a place beneath the trees. He spoke to 
 us of the battles we had fought with him, of the 
 bleaching bones of our dead comrades. Yea, he 
 spoke till we were as wax, as melted wax in his 
 hands. He had trained us, we were his handiwork ; 
 he knew us and we knew him, and he had but to 
 say the word, and we would follow him any- 
 where. He told us that it was in our power to 
 make our names immortal. Wounded as I was, 
 I lay there and heard him, and wept because I 
 could not crawl to him and touch him. ' Who of 
 you will go with me beyond the Pillars of Mel- 
 karth and find the land of tin ? ' he asked. Chna 
 spoke first, then all the rest, swearing to go over the 
 end of the earth if he bade them. By Esmun ! and 
 by Ashtoreth ! you should have seen his face ! 
 
 " Then he came to me where I lay, and talked 
 to me like a brother. He said that I must come 
 back to you, that he would leave me in Gadir, and 
 that after I became well I must bring you this 
 word. It was really because of my wound that 
 he sent me; he knew that I should be happier dying
 
 Hadad Drinks to Tanith's Health 259 
 
 with him, but he told me that obedience was 
 greater than service." 
 
 Tanith gazed curiously at the tear-stained face 
 of this man, once the most reckless and lawless 
 of vagabonds. She knew that he was above his 
 associates intellectually, and she had despised him 
 for the wreck he had made of his life. It was past 
 her power of comprehension to understand how 
 Merodach had been able to change him; he was 
 become dangerous in his awakened manhood. 
 
 " After that we went to Gadir," he said, hastily. 
 " There our commander secured a fast-sailing 
 bireme, manned it altogether with our company, 
 and I I saw them sail away. It was a long time 
 before I was able to come back. And now, my lord 
 the king, I am instructed to deliver the king this 
 message: He told me to assure the lord our king 
 that he would come back with success, or die 
 failing." 
 
 " You have done well," exclaimed the king. 
 " You have been brave and loyal. I will not fail to 
 reward you as you deserve." The merchant like- 
 wise praised him ; and Tanith held to him her own 
 cup, speaking so sweetly that he knew not what he 
 drank. 
 
 But after he had left them, and was walking in the 
 Great Square, his feet became heavy as lead. He
 
 260 A Captain of Men 
 
 could not feel them touch the ground; they were 
 icy cold, and the chill crept slowly upward. With 
 much difficulty he dragged himself step by step 
 toward the " Jolly Dwarfs ; " he would rest there 
 for the night. But at last he understood that the 
 numbness of death was reaching his heart, and he 
 sat down on a door-step and died, remembering how 
 Tanith had smiled as she gave him the cup.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 IN THE UNKNOWN SEA 
 
 Now passing from the story of Hadad to Mero- 
 dach himself, it may be better for us to know more 
 of the thoughts of his scheming brain. It was a 
 fact that distance and absence had power to weaken 
 the influence which Tanith had over him when they 
 were together; for there was more in his conduct 
 with her than mere dissimulation. But what in- 
 fluence she did have had its strength chiefly through 
 his bodily senses. 
 
 With Miriam and his love for her, the truth was 
 quite different. She drew his spirit, and, as the 
 first glow of triumph gave place to the routine and 
 cares belonging to the voyage, he began to think 
 of her. He felt that she was near him, and often, 
 when he was alone in the night, he could see her 
 face and form. Sometimes he tried to bring to 
 his mental vision the features of Tanith, but the 
 picture was always blurred and exceedingly vague. 
 And this seemed strange to him and unaccountable, 
 
 261
 
 262 A Captain of Men 
 
 because he had been with Tanith oftener than with 
 Miriam. 
 
 In the commencement of what might be termed 
 this spiritual companionship, his memory presented 
 no more than Miriam's physical perfections. But 
 one night, as he lay wrapped in his cloak in the 
 snow, she seemed to speak to him, and from then 
 onward he found his mind stored with her words. 
 Then he stopped trying to think of Tanith, and his 
 love for Miriam opened from bud to blossom and 
 bloom, and deep pleasure and keen longing entered 
 his heart. This vividness of his memories was 
 very precious, but he yearned to be with her, and at 
 last he fully appreciated her desire to be alone with 
 him, to spend their lives together among her native 
 hills. This he deemed a weakness, yet it moved him 
 mightily. 
 
 Besides this there was another disturbing ele- 
 ment in these reveries. There were times when she 
 seemed to commune with him, as she had when they 
 were alone together in the artist's house, and tell 
 him of her wish to be truer and better. Such 
 thoughts were not pleasing company, to say the 
 least, and he strove to dispel them with ambitious 
 plans and pleas of expediency. Yet the leaven was 
 hid in the measure of meal, and Merodach would 
 never again be just as he was before he met her.
 
 In the Unknown Sea 263 
 
 Thus, with Hadad's narrative of the captain, and 
 this presentment of the man, we have, in a measure, 
 knowledge of Merodach when he called for volun- 
 teers for the search for the land of tin. 
 
 Several weeks had elapsed since their vessel 
 sailed from Gadir, and the daring adventurers were 
 in the last stages of exhaustion, on account of the 
 storms which had driven them far to the west from 
 the Bay of Biscay. So far they had suffered noth- 
 ing beyond the privations and dangers peculiar 
 to a seafaring life. There had been contrary winds 
 and fierce storms in plenty, but they were familiar 
 with the tempestuous mistrals of the Mediterranean, 
 and many had been shipwrecked on the rocky head- 
 lands of Greece. But they had not seen the malig- 
 nant spirits which were believed to haunt these un- 
 harvested waters, nor had they been swept over 
 the end of the earth. 
 
 Yet this past week had destroyed the careless 
 cheerfulness arising from dangers past. For six 
 days and six nights they had fled before the storm ; 
 their mast and sails were gone, oars had been 
 broken by buffeting waves, and they were lost on a 
 shoreless sea. Many had come to fear that the gods 
 were against them, that at last they were in the 
 grip of a merciless fate; and Chna had warned his
 
 264 A Captain of Men 
 
 chief of the probability of a mutiny. Worse still, 
 Chna himself, while true to Merodach, had begun 
 to take dark views of the outcome of the expedi- 
 tion. Their supply of fresh water and provisions 
 was running low, they were already on half-allow- 
 ance, and starvation must inevitably bring trouble. 
 
 This was not news to Merodach, for he had con- 
 sidered the problem that very morning; and he had 
 calculated that, even with the most favouring winds 
 and seas, they would be entirely out of food and 
 drink before they could retrace their course to 
 land. 
 
 He listened patiently to his lieutenant's report, 
 made while they two stood clinging to the bulwark 
 in the stern. " You have spoken nothing but the 
 truth," he quietly admitted. " We must fight hun- 
 ger and thirst as well as storm. But is it really true, 
 old friend, that the time has come for us to fight 
 among ourselves ? " 
 
 " The men have discovered that the food cannot 
 last, that it will all be gone in three days; they are 
 beginning to curse you. Twice this morning they 
 have thrown down their oars and sworn that it 
 is better to die comfortably than to starve slowly. 
 First they wish to kill you; then fill themselves 
 with the wine now left, and scuttle the ship and 
 all drown together."
 
 In the Unknown Sea 265 
 
 The quiet of Chna's manner, and the total absence 
 of his usual profanity, told more than his words. It 
 appeared that he, too, felt the uselessness of further 
 labour, that he considered their plight hopeless. 
 
 " Hunger and thirst are terrible foes," said the 
 captain. " Our army was met by both on its march 
 across the desert to Damascus. The bones of many 
 are now bleaching where the vultures left them. 
 Many gave up, like cowards; they emptied the 
 wine-skins, and died like drunken fools. But we 
 who endured, lived to enjoy the hospitality of your 
 king. If all the rest fail us, if they try to kill me, 
 what will you do, Chna? " 
 
 " I'll slay the first that come, and die fighting 
 for my captain," said the veteran, doggedly. " The 
 waves are going down, the wind is changing, but 
 it is even as I feared : the cowards have thrown 
 down their oars ; they will attack you here. After- 
 ward they will eat and die with full bellies. Yet 
 before I am sent to Muth, I would ask if I have in 
 any way come short of my duty, for I have 
 loved thee from the day I first saw thee naked and 
 smiling from the sea." 
 
 " You have not, old friend, nor will you now. 
 They are more than a score to one, but we shall 
 win; if they listen, we must win. You know the 
 course of our journey from the sea to the temple
 
 266 A Captain of Men 
 
 of Melkarth on the mountain. You heard the 
 natives say that the tin was brought across a nar- 
 row channel to them. We have sailed northward 
 from Gadir till now; it must be that there is a 
 
 4 
 
 route by water to that land, and you and I will find 
 the way if need be, alone." 
 
 Then further speech between them was prevented 
 by the presence of the mutineers. They had for- 
 saken their benches at the oars, and were gathered 
 with drawn knives to end the voyage, and, as Chna 
 had said, to die comfortably. 
 
 Merodach unclasped his belt, and laid it with his 
 sword upon the deck. Then, unarmed and alone, 
 he placed himself in their very midst. But Chna 
 fitted an arrow to a bow, braced himself against 
 the bulwarks, and besought the gods to help him 
 to shoot true when the time came. 
 
 " Why have you quitted your oars ? " asked their 
 captain. " And why have you drawn your knives ? " 
 
 " It is useless to row," replied one. " It is true 
 that our course has been changed, that we are re- 
 turning toward the east; but before we can get to 
 land we must starve. We all know that you will 
 never agree to our desires; we know that you 
 never give up your purpose. Therefore, we must 
 kill you ; then we will eat our fill, and die before we 
 starve and suffer the pangs of thirst."
 
 In the Unknown Sea 267 
 
 " You speak truly ; I will not cease trying until 
 we reach the land of tin, or till death prevent me. 
 Nor will I lift my hand against you who have been 
 my true and faithful comrades. If you bind me, 
 I shall in some way loose my bonds and bring you 
 back to my project. Only my death can prevent 
 the accomplishment of my purpose. Therefore, 
 you must kill me now, my friend. I am unarmed, 
 and in your power. Put up your bow, Chna; I 
 command you not to shoot." 
 
 " The first one that touches so much as your 
 garment dies in his tracks," declared Chna, rais- 
 ing his bow. 
 
 " Break your bow across your knee," commanded 
 Merodach. But the veteran swore with many 
 oaths that he would not. " Am I to be disobeyed 
 by you, Chna? " was the quiet response. 
 
 " Just this one arrow, O master ! Let me shoot 
 but once, and they may cut my flesh in pieces," wept 
 Chna. " 'Tis but one little arrow ; let me bury 
 it in one of the cowards before Muth calls me ? Oh, 
 that Hadad were here! We three could conquer 
 them all." 
 
 " No, Chna ; you must break your bow." 
 
 Weeping bitterly, Chna did as he was bade, then 
 tried to throw himself against the foremost, but 
 his captain prevented him by saying:
 
 268 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Not so, Chna ; it is fitting that they kill me 
 first." 
 
 " We love thee, my lord," said the spokesman of 
 the mutineers. " We have not forgotten that thou 
 hast been a father to us. We do not desert thee; 
 we will all die with thee. And it is only because 
 thy death is necessary to prevent suffering to thee 
 and us; because we love thee, thou must lead us 
 to Muth." 
 
 "Then we are wasting time; there is no need 
 for further words. It is childish for us to talk." 
 
 Twice the sailor raised his knife to strike, and 
 twice he lowered it, unstained by his commander's 
 blood. 
 
 " By all the gods ! I cannot strike ! " he cried, 
 throwing his knife into the sea. " You saved my 
 life twice in the mountains. I will starve my 
 lips may crack of thirst before I harm you ! " 
 
 " Then place yourself there, by the side of Chna," 
 said his captain. " After I am dead, you may die 
 with him, my friend." 
 
 The repentant sailor threw himself at the As- 
 syrian's feet, and a great shout rose from every 
 throat. " O my lord ! " they cried as one, " we 
 are all thine ! We will never forsake thee ; we will 
 follow thee to the end." 
 
 At which Chna lost himself, and danced about
 
 In the Unknown Sea 269 
 
 the heaving deck like a madman. Slapping this 
 one on the back, embracing that one, laughing, 
 weeping, and laughing again, he acted as he had 
 never done before. But Merodach was exceedingly 
 quiet, and his face was like a benediction. 
 
 " I knew that you were my children," he finally 
 said, raising the prostrate one, and kissing him 
 on either cheek. " Nothing can stop us now. 
 Back to your oars. The storm is spent. The sun 
 breaks through the clouds. Pull for your lives. It 
 is our turn, Chna, to row ; I will take this oar, and 
 you shall take that." 
 
 " O my lord my lord ! our hearts are thy 
 playthings," cried Chna. " But by Melkarth ! 
 thou shalt not touch an oar. Back, men ! we'll show 
 our captain that men of Arvad are as bunglers 
 beside us." 
 
 Cheerfulness succeeded despair; all was bustle 
 and laughter on board the ship. Merodach took 
 the oar at the stern, and directed their course to the 
 north and east, while the vessel leaped under the 
 throbbing oars. 
 
 Ten days later the last ounce of energy remaining 
 to that lean and famished crew was exhausted in 
 driving their ship prow-first upon the sands of 
 one of the Scilly isles. They felt the shock of 
 their keel against the land, and their oars dropped
 
 270 A Captain of Men 
 
 from their nerveless hands as their captain leapt 
 ashore. The long, long voyage was practically 
 ended; they were to be done with suffering, but at 
 that moment they were as dead men from ex- 
 haustion and hunger and thirst. 
 
 Yet when they saw Merodach slip and fall, strik- 
 ing his face against a stone, when they beheld 
 their commander motionless on the beach, they 
 forgot themselves, and were soon grouped about 
 Chna where he sat, holding his captain's head 
 against his breast. 
 
 There was a stream near by; some one ran and 
 got water, and Chna bathed the Assyrian's tem- 
 ples, and the bruise just above his eyes. Another 
 brought wine from the ship the last that was 
 left and mixed it with water, and dripped it into 
 his mouth. The cooling liquid refreshed the 
 parched flesh, and Merodach showed signs of re- 
 turning life. One of the men had run farther inland 
 and found some huts and people. He had also 
 succeeded in getting a little bread, and brought it 
 untasted to Chna, to be soaked in wine and fed 
 to their captain. The ringleader of the mutiny had 
 done nothing but chafe his commander's limbs. 
 Not a word had passed his lips, but the repentant 
 tears had not ceased to wet his weather-beaten 
 cheeks.
 
 In the Unknown Sea 271 
 
 On a sudden the Assyrian spoke. " I have eaten 
 and I have drunk ; it is time to seek our rest. Night 
 has come. Have all the men had drink and food, 
 Chna? You will find a wine-skin fairly full in the 
 stores. I saved it for them. Get it, and give them 
 what is left. I never saw a darker night ; have some 
 one build a fire." 
 
 Chna was sorely perplexed. He gazed upward 
 at the noonday sky. " My lord the captain," he 
 said; "the day is only half gone; the men have 
 neither eaten nor had anything to drink since you 
 were hurt. But there are people here, and I will 
 command them to get food and bring water." 
 
 This he immediately did, sending all the men 
 away till he and Merodach were left alone. " Tell 
 me, O my lord ! " he then hoarsely whispered ; 
 " can you understand what I say ? " 
 
 " I can hear quite well," replied his captain, 
 breathing heavily. 
 
 " Look up, my lord, for it is now the hour of 
 noon. The sun is overhead, but clouded. Look 
 up, and tell me that you see the day ? " 
 
 A great shudder passed through the dauntless 
 chief. " It is true, Chna ; the sun still shines over- 
 head." Raising himself slowly to his feet, he stood 
 erect, his face toward the sky. " Surely it is day
 
 272 A Captain of Men 
 
 up there," he continued; "but it is altogether 
 night, for me." 
 
 " Nay, my lord, not so ! " cried Chna, trying to 
 control his grief. " Surely you are mistaken. See, 
 now ; I am just before you, you cannot fail to see 
 your slave your dog! Your eyes are now full 
 upon me, you smile ! By Esmun ! you see 
 you see ! " His captain's eyes were wide open, his 
 fears were only a dream. 
 
 Merodach swept his hand across his eyes two or 
 three times, but everything was darkness. He 
 remembered how his sight had failed him once 
 before, when he had met Tanith among the Tyrian 
 palms. Perchance now it would be as then, and his 
 sight would return suddenly, as it failed. But the 
 blow on his face had added to the fault of his 
 optical nerves; the darkness did not pass away, 
 and he began to believe that he had indeed gone 
 blind. 
 
 It was long before he spoke. His eyes had not 
 left Chna's face, and the old man had not moved 
 from where he stood. If his captain could not see 
 him now, then the worst must be true. 
 
 " I can tell by your voice that you are quite near 
 me, Chna; but I cannot see you. Yet you must 
 not weep and mourn. If it is true it is true. Yet
 
 In the Unknown Sea 273 
 
 I would that the gods had waited till I had seen 
 the end of our quest." 
 
 " Look yet once again, my lord. See ! I am here, 
 my face is scarcely a hand's breadth from your own. 
 By the seven gods ! you must you do see ! " 
 
 It were pitiful to witness the old man's yearn- 
 ing, to hear the pathos of his voice. But his cap- 
 tain shook his head. " I can see nothing. Take my 
 hand and lead me to one of the huts; it is not 
 likely that we shall be denied shelter. I feel mois- 
 ture on my face, it is like to rain." 
 
 Chna's grief was too great for cursing, for 
 speech. He led Merodach carefully up the gentle 
 rise, from the sands to the grassy sward, and 
 into a hut. An old woman rose from a stool, startled 
 by their sudden entrance. She could not understand 
 his words, but Chna somehow contrived to make 
 her comprehend that they needed shelter, that his 
 companion was blind. A torrent of exclamations 
 poured from her lips. A man, wearing a long, 
 black cloak, and carrying a staff, entered the hut, 
 and stared sullenly and curiously at the intruders. 
 The woman began to talk to him; Chna felt that 
 there was pity in her face. The man nodded his 
 head, and gazed again at the strangers, but with 
 a softer expression. 
 
 He went to a corner of the room, gathered a few
 
 274 A Captain of Men 
 
 skins into a pile, and, pointing to them, he made it 
 very plain that they might be used. Chna led Mero- 
 dach to the couch, took the food they then gave 
 him, and gave some of it to his captain, 
 
 " Eat, Chna," said the latter, and they both 
 made a hearty meal. Soon they heard angry shouts. 
 It was raining hard, the men had been driven to 
 the refuge of the ship, and had discovered their 
 absence. They immediately suspected treachery, 
 but Chna appeared at the door, and called to them. 
 The entire company came from the beach, eating as 
 they ran. They had been quite successful in their 
 search for food, so, when they were assured of their 
 captain's safety, they took Chna's advice and ob- 
 tained shelter under a grove of trees, in sight of the 
 hut. When the veteran turned back from the door, 
 he found Merodach sound asleep on the skins. 
 
 Three days went by, providing rest and refresh- 
 ment for the storm-worn sailors. The natives 
 proved to be a gentle, hospitable folk, and they and 
 the Phoenicians derived much entertainment in the 
 attempt to make each other understood. Mero- 
 dach had kept himself all this time absolutely alone 
 in the hut. Chna had offered its owners gold, and 
 they had gladly vacated it for that of a relative; 
 since then the old man had waited upon his captain 
 at meal-times, and had slept outside before the
 
 In the Unknown Sea 275 
 
 door in his cloak like a lean and faithful old 
 mastiff. Too loyal to resent his commander's 
 silence, he had mourned in secret the lack of his 
 confidence. But Merodach preserved complete 
 silence. 
 
 Therefore it would be impossible to describe the 
 old man's emotions when, on the morning of the 
 fourth day, his captain groped his way to meet him 
 at the door. 
 
 " Are you still there, Chna ? I have been lacking 
 in courtesy to a true friend," he gently said. " I 
 crave your pardon." 
 
 Chna choked, and answered nothing. He could 
 not have spoken for all the world. 
 
 " Are you offended, Chna ? " 
 
 "O Merodach O Merodach! O my lord!" 
 sobbed Chna. " I am thy dog to slay, or do thy 
 bidding. Is it still night with thee ? " 
 
 " It is still night. Now tell me, are the men well 
 cared for? I have been forgetful, quite negligent. 
 Call them to me so that I may speak to them." 
 
 Chna sent a loud shout down to the sea, and the 
 company hastily assembled before the hut, and 
 stood with bared heads in breathless silence; for 
 all knew of their captain's affliction. 
 
 The Assyrian turned his sightless eyes as if to 
 view them, one by one.
 
 276 A Captain of Men 
 
 " Asshur has brought blindness to me, and I 
 cannot see. I will call you by name, man by man, 
 and you will answer me as I call. It will be as 
 though I saw you, for as you reply your faces will 
 be plain in my memory. I have not forgotten the 
 appearance of one of you who have fought and 
 sailed and starved by my side. Thus I shall begin 
 by calling, Chna." 
 
 " Here, my lord the captain." 
 
 So Merodach called the roll; and those great, 
 pagan heroes answered one by one, and wept softly, 
 that they might not grieve him with their sor- 
 row. 
 
 " Not one missing. To quarters ! " 
 
 The men sprang like one, as if they were on board 
 the ship. They were drilled as if they were on 
 the ship, and they were manoeuvred as soldiers on 
 land; they repelled the attack, they assaulted in 
 turn; they were thrown out as skirmishers or 
 closed in mass, darting and wheeling, advancing and 
 retreating. The natives were astonished and 
 terrified by the celerity of their movements, the 
 fierceness of their aspect; they were the most per- 
 fect fighting machine in the whole world. 
 
 And their commander's face was as the sun for 
 brightness. In fancy he could see the advance and 
 rally, the recoil and spring. " You have given me
 
 In the Unknown Sea 277 
 
 sight," he cried. " Clean your arms, and see to 
 the ship. We will soon take up the voyage." 
 
 Dismissing them, he reentered the hut, sat down 
 on the bed of skins, and began idly to finger a 
 stone or was it a piece of metal ? he had found 
 on the floor. No, surely it was not a stone. He 
 put it in his mouth and bit it. Then he tried to 
 break it with his fingers. He heard a peculiar 
 creaking sound, and, calling to Chna, he bade him 
 take the thing and bend it. 
 
 " It has the * cry of tin,' " exclaimed the veteran. 
 " It is tin, my lord. Where did you get it ? It is 
 surely tin." 
 
 Merodach leaped to his feet. " I found it there," 
 pointing to the floor. " Take it quickly to the 
 owner of the hut. Ask him where it came from; 
 ask him everything. Hasten, Chna ! " 
 
 Chna hurried outside, then, catching sight of the 
 man he sought, he strolled carelessly to him and be- 
 gan to make signs about the coming of rain. But 
 after what seemed an eternity to the impatient cap- 
 tain, he returned, full of excitement. 
 
 " It is tin," he began, trying to speak calmly. 
 " From what I could learn from that ignorant 
 barbarian, there is a little of it here in these islands. 
 But he gave me to understand that there is plenty 
 to be had not many miles east of here. May flies
 
 278 A Captain of Men 
 
 consume Baal-Zebub! May Ashtoreth die of un- 
 requited love! May the fire on Melkarth's altar 
 die for want of fuel ! Curse the gods ! Oh, that you 
 were not blind ! O my lord ! " 
 
 " Is the vessel seaworthy, Chna ? Are the men 
 fully rested ? " 
 
 " We have cleaned the ship. It is staunch and 
 tight. The men are as flame on dry wood." 
 
 " Then gather together all the gold and silver 
 that we have. Do not be niggardly in rewarding 
 the people for their hospitality. Also buy what pro- 
 visions you can, and make ready to sail, for the 
 gods are with us." 
 
 Chna lost no time in getting to work. But no 
 sooner was Merodach alone than he bowed his 
 head to the wall, and gave vent to his restrained 
 emotion. Tears gushed from his eyes; he wept 
 as he had not since he was a boy. In spite of his 
 blindness, there was yet a chance of success. He 
 should not see the land of tin, but he would 
 win it. 
 
 In just three days more they had quitted the 
 friendly island, and were threading their way to 
 Cornwall, the goal of their quest. 
 
 Thus, in the end, Merodach reached the land he 
 sought, and for many years Tyre was given com- 
 plete monopoly of the world's supply of tin. It
 
 In the Unknown Sea 279 
 
 may be that the tears helped to clear his sight, that 
 they soothed his eyes and hastened the cure. Be 
 that as it may, it is true that he was able to see 
 dimly the land of his desire; and it was not many 
 more days before he was ready to believe that those 
 hours of darkness were but a fearful dream. 
 
 For the purposes of this narrative there is little 
 to record concerning the busy period which fol- 
 lowed their landing. Merodach entered into cove- 
 nant with the black-cloaked natives. He made 
 them his friends. He built warehouses and wharves, 
 and enlarged the production of the precious metal. 
 Eight men, gifted to acquire strange languages, 
 were selected to remain after the ship left on its 
 homeward voyage. Every arrangement was made 
 to complete the success so well begun, and then, 
 full of impatience and longing, the Assyrian sailed 
 back to Miriam. 
 
 Those three days that he had spent alone in the 
 island hut, while he was blind, had taught him some 
 things that he could never forget. He had at last 
 learned that his life would be a little thing without 
 companionship with the woman whom he had so 
 easily left. He had now full knowledge of his love 
 for the Hebrew slave.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE GOLDEN DISK 
 
 REFERENCE has already been made to Hiram's 
 efforts to prevent his subjects from compelling him 
 to proclaim The Great Feast of Expiation. To this 
 end he used the yearly offerings from his cities and 
 colonies, terming them special sacrifices to the 
 burning god. By so doing, he hoped to overwhelm 
 the demand for voluntary offerings. He also 
 incited the rich to more lavish donations of their 
 slaves; but the people saw through the plan, and 
 became each day more insistent. 
 
 It was during this period that Tanith announced 
 her willingness to add her best-loved slave to the 
 yearly tribute. But the king kept his promise to 
 Merodach by warning her that he considered him- 
 self personally responsible for Miriam's welfare. 
 He assured her that he would risk sacrilege by tear- 
 ing Miriam from the altar itself, should she attempt 
 to make the " special vow " of that particular slave ; 
 
 280
 
 The Golden Disk 281 
 
 Miriam must be unharmed till the return of Mero- 
 dach. 
 
 Tanith felt, rather than thought, that she detected 
 the faintest accent on the word " till." A mocking 
 smile was all the reply that she then made, but just 
 before leaving, she said : 
 
 " How long after the return of the Assyrian will 
 my lord the king continue his tender care of my 
 choicest slave ? " 
 
 " I promised until his return ; I will keep my 
 promise to the letter." 
 
 "To the very letter?" mocked Tanith. 
 
 " To the very letter," responded the king. 
 
 The result of this was that Tanith detailed the 
 fastest bireme then afloat to scout continually for 
 news of the expedition to the tin country. She 
 made it her first duty to secure the earliest informa- 
 tion of the man she still loved. 
 
 Up to the last minute the king pursued his plan 
 of obstruction, but the pressure became too great, 
 and he made general proclamation for the Great 
 Sacrifice, in what is now termed the month of 
 July. The lamentations usually observed in that 
 month in the north, by the banks of the river 
 Adonis, were ordered to be transferred to Tyre, 
 to be incorporated with the sacrifice to Baal-Moloch. 
 All loyal citizens of the realm were called upon to
 
 282 A Captain of Men 
 
 seek favour of the angry god by free-will offerings 
 of their children. 
 
 Immediately following this proclamation came 
 an organized demand that no slaves, nor children 
 of slaves, should be permitted in the sacrifice. 
 Delegations of stone-cutters met representatives 
 of the dyers. A petition was drafted and presented 
 to the king, calling his attention to the universal 
 suffering. It was useless, it said, for them to hope 
 for rain, so long as the gods were deprived of their 
 just dues. The demand was emphasized by the 
 dregs and offscourings of the city, and there were 
 unmistakable signs of coming trouble. 
 
 One morning placards were seen on the front 
 doors of many dwellings of the principal merchants. 
 And Esmun was shocked by one which reminded 
 him that some still remembered what he had done 
 years ago. It stated in so many words that his 
 daughter Tanith was alive through fraud, and ended 
 by warning him that the people would require 
 him to appease the gods by righting the wrong. 
 Tanith belonged to Baal-Moloch ; the gift had been 
 delayed, but only delayed. 
 
 The lady Tanith had herself taken down the 
 placard, and she gave it to him as a spice for his 
 morning meal. She also took this occasion to tell 
 him that she had been threatened with violence
 
 The Golden Disk 283 
 
 more than once of late. It was well known that they 
 owned all the grain, and she was daily expecting 
 a bread riot. 
 
 Her father gave earnest thought to the subject. 
 They were rich enough to afford the loss of all their 
 grain, and it might be the wisest course to donate 
 it to the people. " It is better to have them die of 
 overeating, than that we die of them and lose 
 our wealth as well," he suggested. He had no 
 doubt that Merodach would return, crowned with 
 success. It would be a trifling loss, after all, and 
 such a gift would place them in the light of public 
 benefactors. 
 
 " It is too late for us to go backward," com- 
 mented T'anith, with quiet scorn. " There are 
 many who have vowed to slay us. It is time to 
 eat and drink, for at the feast we die." 
 
 At this place their conversation was interrupted 
 by the entrance of Miriam. Tanith gazed lovingly 
 at her. " Tell my lord the prince what you heard," 
 she said, as if she referred to the merest trifle. 
 
 " Many of the people have sworn to have my 
 lady offered in the approaching sacrifice." 
 
 " When did you hear this? " asked the merchant, 
 much disturbed. 
 
 " Your slave Elissa told me. She has a lover
 
 284 A Captain of Men 
 
 among the dyers. They have mixed their blood, 
 and sworn an oath before the altar." 
 
 Esmun hastily left them, and went to see the 
 king. Tanith kissed Miriam, and said : " I did not 
 think that you would be willing to warn me. But 
 it is too late now, for the oath cannot be broken. I 
 must surely die. Now, Miriam, what shall I leave 
 you as a token of my love? " 
 
 Miriam had been trying to make herself believe 
 that she had lost the bitterness that she once felt 
 toward her mistress. She told herself repeatedly 
 that Tanith had changed and become her friend. 
 Yet now that she was so clearly reminded of her 
 sister's death, her old enmity received new and 
 stronger life. This unwonted graciousness of her 
 mistress was a lying mask. Tanith was as she had 
 ever been, and there could never be true friendship 
 between them. She felt a sudden necessity to speak 
 out boldly; she was ashamed of her former deceit 
 and cowardice. Courage and truth were required 
 of her; in no other way could she prove herself 
 worthy of the love of Merodach. 
 
 Wherefore she met Tanith's cloying regard with 
 clear-eyed scorn, and replied : 
 
 " I do not feel the need of a remembrance of any 
 kind, my lady Tanith. Nor is it fitting that a slave
 
 The Golden Disk 285 
 
 should wear the cast-off finery of an unloved mis- 
 tress." 
 
 " These are brave words from you to me, Miriam. 
 None of my slaves has received so much kindness 
 from me as you have. I have shown you nothing 
 but kindness, but I do not care to force my gifts 
 upon you. It may be that you are making a serious 
 mistake. You have certainly said enough at 
 present. So you may go; I wish to be alone." 
 
 Miriam departed in silence, and Tanith sat brood- 
 ing over the probabilities of the near future. The 
 time set for the sacrifice was near at hand : it was 
 certain that one of two things must happen; if 
 Meredach should return before that event, he could 
 quell the worst rioting, and she would have a 
 chance of life ; if he did not get back in time, noth- 
 ing could save her from a horrible death. Her 
 strong spirit did not seek to evade the thought of 
 danger; she weighed her chances in the balance, 
 and she was convinced that her only escape lay 
 through him. Having fully settled upon this con- 
 viction, she began to consider what should be done 
 to Miriam. Two full years had passed since she 
 had determined to compensate her own sufferings 
 by the enjoyment of Miriam's agony. In fancy she 
 had watched her die every conceivable death ; Mir- 
 iam was a continual sacrifice on the altar of her
 
 286 A Captain of Men 
 
 hatred. But if it were true that she herself must 
 soon be removed from the land of the living, it 
 were high time for her to secure the accomplishment 
 of her imaginings. She must see her slave drink the 
 cup of anguish to the very dregs. There must be 
 no more delay, and, most important of all, she 
 must devise some method which should not arouse 
 the suspicions of the king. 
 
 Hardly had she selected her plan before she was 
 given an exceptional opportunity to use it. As the 
 gods should have it, one morning Miriam was 
 assaulted by a band of rioters, because she belonged 
 to the hated house of Esmun. One of them struck 
 her a heavy blow on the head; she fell, and was 
 bruised about the face and neck by the feet of the 
 mob. At this juncture she was rescued by Zagros, 
 the giant Nubian, and carried to the house. To all 
 appearances Miriam was dead when Tanith first 
 saw her. 
 
 Tanith's rage and disappointment well-nigh! 
 overcame her power of dissimulation, for she be- 
 lieved that she had been deprived of her dearest 
 privilege. After all her waiting, she had missed 
 her prey, and Miriam had been granted the boon 
 of ordinary death. But afterward, when she de- 
 tected signs of life in her slave, she began to appre- 
 ciate the perfection of her opportunity of vengeance.
 
 The Golden Disk 287 
 
 Everybody knew that this was her best-loved 
 slave ; that she and Miriam had grown up together. 
 Now Miriam had been injured in her service, be- 
 cause of her, and it was her duty to soothe the last 
 hours of one she had loved so well. 
 
 The whole city was moved by Tanith's conde- 
 scension ; such patience, such tenderness for a slave 
 had never been seen. Tanith tended her continu- 
 ally; Tanith was never absent from her room; 
 Tanith prepared with her own hands tempting 
 luxuries for the invalid, and the most noted 
 physician of Egypt fortunately then in the city 
 was called to assist- the recovery. Yet the 
 Hebrew maiden drooped, seemingly unable to 
 rally from the shock of her injuries. On the fourth 
 day they composed her limbs for burial, and on 
 the day following Miriam was placed, with fitting 
 rites, in the private tomb already built for the 
 Esmun family. 
 
 The prince was pleased, as well as surprised, by 
 Tanith's grief. He hoped that her sorrow might 
 appease the gods; yet he did not neglect to pray 
 for the Assyrian's speedy return, for he, too, felt 
 that their sure salvation was in the hands of Mero- 
 dach. He attempted to inform his daughter of the 
 comfort she had given him, but Tanith was enfolded 
 by one of her sombre spells, and he left her to sit
 
 288 A Captain of Men 
 
 motionless and brooding while he paid his regular 
 visit to the king. 
 
 Not long after her father had gone Tanith came 
 out of her reverie, and sent for Zagros. Zagros 
 was hers, body and soul; he would pluck out his 
 eyes at her bidding, he would die for her pleasure. 
 
 The result of this interview was that they two 
 rifled the family sepulchre toward midnight, and 
 Miriam awoke from her deathlike stupor, alone, 
 and in absolute darkness. 
 
 For a good many minutes she lay quiet, feeling 
 vaguely that it was night, and that she was in her 
 bed. The effect of the opiate still clung to her, yet 
 it gradually seemed that she smelt a strange damp- 
 ness in the air. Her bed was also hard, and she 
 wondered why it should seem so different. There 
 were, besides, weird rustlings about her the room 
 was filled with disturbing sounds. Neither could 
 she understand why it should be so very dark; 
 hitherto a lamp had always been burning in her 
 room. Still, that did not matter, for she need to 
 stir ever so slightly to bring her mistress to her side 
 with cooling drink. 
 
 It was quite beyond her power of comprehension 
 why Tanith should be so kind to her, after 
 what? She could not recall why Tanith should be 
 unkind, but she was sure that something unpleasant
 
 The Golden Disk 289 
 
 had happened between them. Yet whatever it was, 
 she had only to make the slightest noise and Tanith 
 would come; but she would not move. She hated 
 Tanith; she did not wish to see her; the tender- 
 ness of her mistress was unbearable. But that 
 constant rustling and hidden movement was exceed- 
 ingly distressing. There was something quite near 
 her face, she heard it, she smelt it. A fetid 
 breath fanned her cheek; she felt something chill 
 and slimy trail against her flesh. A cry escaped 
 her lips, and she sat upright, and the noise of scut- 
 tling feet filled her with dread. 
 
 Then she discovered that she was swathed in linen 
 wrappings, that her hands and arms alone were free 
 to move. Her mind had commenced to clear, and 
 she loosed her feet, and felt from side to side. Her 
 bed was gone; she could feel nothing but damp 
 sand and a slimy wall. Horrified by the strange- 
 ness of her plight, she yet had strength to rise to 
 her feet, to walk shrinkingly about the place she was 
 in. Damp, slimy walls met her touch on every 
 side ; she was confined in an underground cell, or 
 was she really dead in the Land of Nothingness ? 
 
 She must have fainted at the thought, for once 
 she felt something crawling, and she found herself 
 prone upon the floor. A time of madness followed. 
 Again her mind cleared, and she had confused
 
 290 A Captain of Men 
 
 memories of wild gropings, of frantic rushes, of 
 falls, of shrieks. She was much bruised, her fin- 
 gers were torn and bleeding. She must have beat 
 them against the walls as she had dreamed. 
 Dreamed? no, she had not dreamed, neither was 
 she dead. But what was this which had befallen 
 her? Where was she? was there no chance of 
 escape ? She thought of Merodach ; she must com- 
 pose herself; for his sake she must be strong. 
 And then she remembered T'anith. 
 
 Instantly her faculties returned to her. She 
 recalled her defiance of her mistress, the riot, her 
 confinement to her bed. Tanith had been wonder- 
 fully kind to her, had cared for her. Then a sud- 
 den flash of light illumined the mystery. She had 
 no idea where she was, nor how she had been placed 
 there, but she knew that Tanith had worked her 
 evil. It was even possible that Tanith was where 
 she could listen to her cries, that she was gloating 
 over her terror. 
 
 If that were true, then she was altogether lost, 
 for Tanith never relented. The courage of despair, 
 joined with deepest hate, had nerved her to sit 
 motionless, till the darkness was succeeded by a 
 sickly twilight. 
 
 Day had come, and some scattered shreds of light 
 helped her to increased strength. Those horrid.
 
 The Golden Disk 291 
 
 crawling, rustling things were gone. She was in a 
 cavern, that was plain enough. There was no sign 
 of an opening; she could not even discover where 
 the little light came in. She could only wait for 
 the next development of the mystery. 
 
 Truly, that was the longest day in her life. Time 
 seemed to stand still, and the terrors of night were 
 increased by a craving for change of any sort. 
 She tired of the little light she had, and the pangs of 
 hunger and thirst enhanced her misery. Doubt- 
 less she was doomed to die of starvation. She 
 shuddered at the prospect, until she remembered 
 that Tanith was wont to derive pleasure from the 
 suffering of her victims. If Tanith had brought her 
 there, she would not fail to give herself the pleas- 
 ure of witnessing the effects of her cruelty. There 
 was not the slightest doubt that she would see her 
 mistress before she died. Therefore, it was neces- 
 sary for her to cultivate strength for the approach- 
 ing ordeal. If she must die, she should do all in 
 her power to lessen her rival's triumph. 
 
 Like a resistless undercurrent to all her thoughts 
 was her memory of Merodach. At times she dwelt 
 upon the grief he would feel when he learnt of her 
 disappearance. But oftener she mourned, feeling 
 that he was above the loss of anything save the 
 attainment of power. She was hardly an incident
 
 292 A Captain of Men 
 
 in his ambitious career; he might mourn for her, 
 but in the end would he not marry T'anith, and, with 
 her, rule the world? Starvation and thirst were 
 trifles compared with such a thought. 
 
 Then darkness fell again, and the rustling of 
 loathsome life surprised her. Each change seemed 
 to add to the keenness of her suffering. Sometimes 
 she thought she heard the sound of running water, 
 and she longed to cool her tongue against the damp, 
 foul-smelling walls. She* was sorry that her body 
 was so strong, for it would be a long time before 
 she might escape this fierce craving, and find a meas- 
 ure of relief in stupor. 
 
 Yet some sleep must have come to her during the 
 night, for there were blanks in her memory, and 
 twice she had raised herself from the floor; and if 
 she had not slept, how else could she have missed 
 the entrance of a visitor ? Some one had been near 
 her that night, for she saw a little food and a small 
 jar of water when it was day. She had almost 
 emptied the vessel before she told herself that it 
 might be all that she could hope for until another 
 day. There was so small an allowance of both fpod 
 and water, that she sat for many minutes, con- 
 sidering the wisdom of restraining her impulse to 
 consume it at once. There was only enough to
 
 The Golden Disk 293 
 
 prolong her misery; there was torture, not kind- 
 ness, in the gift. 
 
 Perhaps the worst feature of this second day 
 was the restraint which Miriam laid upon herself; 
 the food and water were constantly tempting her, 
 yet she withheld herself till it was again night. 
 Then she took all there was, but quietly, and with 
 an appearance of decorum. Afterward she felt 
 stronger, and she began to hope that it was possible 
 to delay her death till her lover's return. For if 
 Merodach did get back in time, and cared enough 
 for her to undertake her release, he would surely 
 save her. 
 
 Such a possibility was infinitely comforting; she 
 fell sound asleep, and was refreshed by unconscious- 
 ness. When she awoke she thought that she was 
 dreaming, that her cavern was softly lighted and 
 smelt sweetly of the perfume of lilies. So she 
 drowsily closed her eyes, thinking that she might 
 in that way prolong her enjoyment. By and by 
 she opened her eyes just a little ; the light was really 
 there. Shutting them, she tried to deceive herself 
 with the fancy that she was once more in her own 
 room, but she felt the sand of her bed, and, turn- 
 ing, she beheld that which made her further sleep 
 impossible. The light and fragrance were much
 
 294 A Captain of Men 
 
 too real, for there sat Tanith, motionless and 
 sombre, almost within the reach of her arm. 
 
 Miriam's first impulse was to upbraid her mistress 
 for her cruelty. But Tanith would enjoy her pas- 
 sion, and she held herself quiet until she attained 
 perfect self-control; and no sooner had she accom- 
 plished this mastery, than she found, for the mo- 
 ment, release from fear. Her lips were no longer 
 sealed by the consciousness of servitude. Here, in 
 the presence of death, she was beyond the barriers 
 of common life, and it was her privilege to speak 
 as to an equal. The flower of liberty blossomed in 
 her mind, and its fragrance was very sweet. Con- 
 sequently, Tanith was astonished by the voice and 
 manner of this one doomed to know in a peculiar 
 degree the bitterness of her revenge. 
 
 " I am surprised that you should so carefully ar- 
 ray your beauty to visit one who was your slave," 
 began Miriam. " Yet that is not so strange as is 
 the presence of my lady Tanith in this place of foul 
 odours and fouler reptiles." 
 
 " You have not been slow to discover the nature 
 of your surroundings. Yet you should not complain 
 at my kindness in saving you from the worms of 
 the grave." 
 
 " If I have any reason to thank you, I wish to
 
 The Golden Disk 295 
 
 know it. It has not been easy for me to think of 
 your kindness of late, my lady." 
 
 " Yet, many have admired my ' solicitude ' for 
 my favourite slave. All Tyre is speaking of my 
 exceptional kindness while you were dying. Then 
 all declare that they never before heard of a common 
 slave being buried as you were buried, Miriam. But 
 I loved you even better dead than I loved you 
 living." 
 
 " Then it is really true that I am dead. When 
 I unwrapped the linen bands, and found myself 
 alone in this cavern, I told myself that I was cer- 
 tainly dead. But after I had eaten of your bounty, 
 I changed my mind. I was not to know the mercy 
 of death easy death in your dealings with 
 me. I had no doubt that you had caused me to be 
 here, but I am ignorant of how it was done. Will 
 it not add to my punishment when you make every- 
 thing plain to me? Tell me of my death." 
 
 " You died, and you were buried," exclaimed 
 Tanith, utterly dumbfounded by Miriam's calm- 
 ness. She had dressed herself in her richest gar- 
 ments; she was there to feast herself with the 
 misery of a broken, despairing victim. Instead of 
 this, she was met by quiet scorn and galling self- 
 possession. The desired end was still to be won. 
 She must strike at once, and with all her power.
 
 296 A Captain of Men 
 
 Placing her hand to her throat, Tanith lifted the 
 golden disk by its chain, and settled it carelessly 
 upon her breast but so that it must be seen. 
 
 Miriam did not at first understand what was being 
 done. Tanith was alone with her, and a quick 
 spring might give her a chance for freedom. Tanith 
 was, indeed, heavier and stronger than she, but a 
 surprise might give her the advantage. At the 
 worst, her plan would contain but the exchange 
 of torture for immediate death. Carefully and 
 stealthily Miriam gathered herself to make the 
 attempt. Tanith did not suspect, was not looking 
 at her. The water-jar was small, but quite large 
 enough for her purpose. Miriam had only to snatch 
 it up as she leapt, and one blow with it would pro- 
 vide her an easy victory. It was her one sure 
 opportunity of escape, but she lost it, for, just as 
 she was ready to spring, Tanith turned full toward 
 her, and she saw the disk, her present to Mero- 
 dach, the pledge of her love. 
 
 He must have given it to her rival, and doubt- 
 less they had laughed together over it at her 
 infatuation. He was false, he had betrayed her, 
 and her last chance had gone for escape, as Tanith, 
 during the pause, had taken a knife from her bosom 
 and laid it in her lap. Miriam was stunned, and for 
 the time powerless. She was only fortunate in
 
 The Golden Disk 297 
 
 having Tanith view her lethargy as being- the es- 
 sence of self-restraint. For not a word, not a 
 movement, rewarded this display, and Tanith was 
 compelled to speak. 
 
 " It was all exceedingly simple and beautiful. 
 You appeared to die, and you were buried in our 
 family vault, and I and Zagros took pity on you and 
 ravished the grave. My faithful Zagros has died 
 since then, and I am the only living soul that knows 
 that you are here. To the rest of the world you are 
 dead, quite dead, Miriam." 
 
 The utter hopelessness of her condition left 
 Miriam the one thought of thwarting Tanith to the 
 end. She scourged her mind to work, she forced 
 her tongue to words. " Yet you must be careful 
 in making your visits here. There are prying peo- 
 ple in Tyre; there is always the danger of being 
 followed. It would require a very little spark to 
 light the hatred already against you to a consum- 
 ing flame." 
 
 Foiled at every point, Tanith could only promise 
 that she would heed the warning. She would also 
 see Miriam often in her loneliness, and none should 
 have the faintest knowledge of it. 
 
 ' You spoke truly," she continued, rising, and 
 pouring a powdery dust in the flame of her lamp; 
 " the odours of this place are foul and sickening.
 
 A Captain of Men 
 
 I will, at least, relieve you of them." At the same 
 time she held a cloth, saturated with some pungent 
 liquid, to her own nostrils. It saved her from 
 being overcome by the stupefying vapour which 
 spread through the cavern. In a little while Miriam 
 was quite unconscious, and Tanith, staggering from 
 the effects of the drug, hastened through the secret 
 entrance, and obtained relief in the fresh air outside. 
 
 After she had recovered from her stupor, Mir- 
 iam drank and ate a little of the water and food 
 which Tanith had brought her. Then, exhausted 
 by her recent ordeal, she fell into natural sleep, and 
 dreamed. 
 
 It seemed that she was before the God of her 
 cousin David. She was being doomed to unheard 
 of agony because she had slighted the religion of 
 her kindred for the love of Merodach. It was also 
 as if Jehovah gibed at her love, and reminded her 
 that the Assyrian had scorned it. Suddenly her 
 dream changed: she beheld Tanith sitting on the 
 throne of the world by the side of Merodach, and 
 the golden disk flashed on her breast, brighter than 
 the noonday sun. She had lost both her lover and 
 her God, and she awoke, screaming. 
 
 Miriam compelled herself to sleep during part of 
 the following day, in the hope of being thus enabled 
 to keep awake in the night. If she could see Tan-
 
 The Golden Disk 299 
 
 ith enter the cavern, she might, she thought, learn 
 the secret of escape. But Tanith did not come 
 that night at all, and the torture of wakefulness 
 was past description. It must have been that Tan- 
 ith had some way of seeing her prisoner, that she 
 could time her appearance, for sometime during 
 the succeeding day Miriam awoke, and once more 
 beheld her mistress, watching by the side of her 
 lamp. 
 
 " Eat and drink, Miriam, for I have wonderful 
 news to tell you. Merodach has at last returned. 
 He is the greatest hero in Sidonia. He has dis- 
 covered the land of tin. He has sailed to the edge 
 of the world; he only was brave enough to dare 
 its perils, and he has come back ! he has come 
 back! 
 
 " Eat, Miriam, eat and drink your fill. Here 
 are the choicest dainties from my own table; here 
 is the rarest wine from Cyprus. See! I have 
 brought it that you might join me in a thank- 
 offering to the gods. For my love has at last re- 
 turned, crowned with glory. More than that: for 
 several days there has been an embassy with our 
 king, from Assyria. Asshur-ab-aram has been 
 slain, the army has revolted, and Merodach has 
 been proclaimed King of Assyria. Oh, you must 
 eat, Miriam, you cannot help rejoicing with me.
 
 300 A Captain of Men 
 
 You are the only one, not directly interested, who 
 shall so soon know what has been done. For the 
 sake of the past, I will tell you that Hiram the 
 king, and the prince my father, have offered an 
 alliance with the new king, and I am to be Queen 
 of Assyria. I could not restrain myself from ha- 
 stening to inform you, Miriam, to have you share 
 my happiness." 
 
 Miriam made no reply, for the blessing of un- 
 consciousness had granted her a few moments of 
 peace; and when she returned to life T'anith was 
 gone, and she was alone with her misery. 
 
 The worst had come, and she thought that she 
 was ready to die. But after awhile the blood of 
 her fathers ran swiftly through her veins. She had 
 been deceived, cajoled, betrayed. She paced her 
 narrow room like a restless animal; she longed to 
 be free. If she only might see him long enough 
 to reproach him for his hypocrisy. It was true that 
 she had never felt sure of his love, but this indecent, 
 heartless haste was more than she could bear. She 
 was in torment of anger, jealousy, and despair. 
 There was no possible escape from her prison. Only 
 Tanith knew of her being there, and Tanith would 
 never tell. 
 
 On a sudden she remembered her dream; God 
 had spoken to her while she slept. Man could not
 
 The Golden Disk 301 
 
 save her, but the power of Jehovah was infinite. 
 He had saved her people, he had brought them out 
 of the house of bondage. If God would open the 
 door of her prison, if he would grant her the privi- 
 lege of seeing Merodach, she would vow herself 
 to his service. 
 
 " Give me this, O God of my cousin David ! 
 give me liberty, save me from the cruel hands of 
 them that have scorned me and persecuted me; 
 give me vengeance on my oppressors, and I will 
 return to thy people. Thou shalt be my God, and I 
 will serve thee all the days of my life." 
 
 The calmness of exhaustion followed this brief 
 exaltation, and she began to recall the comfort she 
 had known while David was with her. She found 
 herself repeating, " Yea, though I walk through 
 the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no 
 evil, for thou art with me." And the terrible God 
 of her dream seemed to have changed to the loving 
 shepherd, and the terrors of her prison were 
 lightened.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE EYE OF ASHTORETH 
 
 TANITH spoke the truth when she told Miriam 
 that Merodach was back, and that there was an 
 embassy in Tyre to see him. It was true that 
 Asshur-ab-aram had been slain, and Hiram the king 
 and her father were quite willing to form an alli- 
 ance through her marriage with the new king. But 
 they had not yet approached him on the subject; 
 Tanith had lied when she made Miriam believe 
 that everything was arranged. 
 
 Therefore, it will be necessary for us to go back- 
 ward in time, so as to meet Merodach as he landed 
 from his wonderful voyage. A vast crowd had 
 gathered near the wharf. The king and Tanith 
 were impatiently waiting in Esmun's private office; 
 but the merchant himself had gone out in his barge 
 to meet the ship, and relieve his suspense. 
 
 Now he was seen, exultant 'and smiling, with 
 the great captain, coming from the vessel; and 
 
 302
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 303 
 
 now they have passed through the shouting multi- 
 tude, and the four were soon together in privacy. 
 
 The merchant's hand trembled so that he spilled 
 the wine he was pouring. He choked and stut- 
 tered when he invited the others to drink an 
 offering to the gods, and to the commander of the 
 expedition; for Esmun knew that the venture had 
 not proved a failure. They poured out a libation, 
 and drank in silence. After which the king took 
 the chain from his own neck and gave it to Mero- 
 dach. 
 
 " Hiram Abif wrought it; it is priceless, even as 
 thou art, Merodach. Wear it till I may more fit- 
 tingly show my admiration. I know that thou hast 
 not failed, but art thou fully satisfied with thy 
 discovery? " 
 
 " Fully, my lord the king. The ships of Tar- 
 shish will have no difficulty in making regular 
 voyages to that country. I left eight men behind 
 me to gather the metal, and to make complete prep- 
 arations for the colony you will establish. The 
 long and perilous journey over land is no longer 
 necessary; you own a path for your ships on the 
 sea. Here is a map I have drawn for you. Here 
 is the harbour; your warehouses should be built 
 here, and you will be the king of merchants as 
 you are of men. Wherefore, I am now no longer
 
 304 A Captain of Men 
 
 the servant of the king; I will henceforth serve 
 only myself." 
 
 "We will talk of this later," said the king, 
 smiling significantly at the other two. " But to-day 
 it is my privilege to serve you. For three days I 
 have enjoyed the society of five of your countrymen. 
 They are here to confer with you on matters of great 
 importance. They have also brought your own 
 favourite charger with them, your battle-horse, 
 Nergal. See, he is even now before the door, wait- 
 ing for his rider. Mount him, Merodach, and ride 
 straightway to your friends at my palace. I will 
 remain here with the prince and my lady Tanith. 
 My palace and its servants are at your pleasure, 
 until I shall use it as your host to-night at supper." 
 
 Merodach looked out and saw Nergal held by two 
 or three slaves, one of them his own. He whistled 
 softly; Nergal started, and began to strike rest- 
 lessly with his fore feet. The Assyrian made the 
 faintest chirrup through his teeth; the horse 
 reared, shook himself free of the slaves, and came 
 to his master in the warehouse. It was a beautiful 
 sight to see the two together; the horse softly 
 whinnying, his nose against his master's breast. 
 Merodach threw his arm across his neck and spoke 
 carelessly, as to a child. When he turned to thank 
 the king, his eyes were moist, his voice tremulous.
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 305 
 
 " It is two years since we parted," he said, softly. 
 " To-night I shall be able to thank you, O Hiram, 
 Nergal is my dearest friend. But now I will take 
 advantage of your kindness; I will see my country- 
 men." 
 
 Saying which Merodach went instantly outside, 
 followed by Nergal, and was soon speeding toward 
 the palace. 
 
 There he learned of the army's disastrous 
 battle with the Hittites. It had reached Assyria 
 badly demoralized. Asshur-ab-aram had gone 
 from bad to worse; he had striven to cover his 
 defeat by harshness to his subjects. Some one spoke 
 of Merodach-Pileser, the grandson of Tiglath- 
 Pileser, for a caravan from Tyre had brought news 
 that he was alive, was in Tyre. The army had 
 risen, Asshur-ab-aram was slain, and five of As- 
 syria's highest nobles were come to offer the throne 
 to Merodach. 
 
 Such, in brief, was the message to which he 
 listened. He had only to say the word, and he 
 could sit on the throne of his fathers. Yet he was 
 of too deep a nature to manifest undue surprise 
 or readiness to accept. 
 
 " I am not unmindful of the greatness of this 
 honour which you have shown me," he replied. 
 ;< Yet, while you were speaking, I was wondering
 
 306 A Captain of Men 
 
 how it came that two should be here who have 
 ever been truest friends to Asshur-ab-aram. Ye 
 know that I am a man of direct speech. I am not 
 versed in the ways of courts. I have been a soldier 
 from my youth till now. Therefore, I ask you 
 plainly to state if there are conditions attached 
 to my acceptance of this offer. It is always better 
 to have a clear understanding before a decision is 
 made." 
 
 " Far be it from us to limit our lord," exclaimed 
 the oldest of the nobles, once prime minister to the 
 usurper. " Thou art the rightful heir to the throne, 
 and we are the most insignificant of thy servants. 
 Yet there are some who have remembered the 
 daughter of Asshur-ab-aram. She is young and 
 comely. It has been said that it would be part of 
 the wisdom of our lord Merodach to unite the 
 kingdom, and to destroy the possibility of dissen- 
 sion, by making her his queen. But surely my lord 
 has no need to learn of the babbling of the foolish." 
 
 No sooner had he heard this veiled demand 
 for such it truly was than Merodach was filled 
 with impatience to see Miriam. The presence of the 
 embassy, and the unexpected offer of the kingdom, 
 had, for the moment, caused him to forget her. But 
 this project of marrying him to one whom he had 
 never seen made him doubly impatient to be with her.
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 307 
 
 " I am just returned from a long and perilous 
 voyage," he said, curbing himself. " The King of 
 Sidonia has shown you kindness for my sake. I 
 will consider your words, and will not delay my 
 answer. There are a few things which command 
 my attention. I am, as it were, compelled to ask you 
 to remain here till I tell you yea or nay, at the 
 noon hour to-morrow." 
 
 " It shall be as our lord desires," responded the 
 old noble. " May my lord live for ever." 
 
 Thereupon Merodach ended the interview, and 
 went to Hiram Abif to learn whether Miriam was 
 with her mistress, in the island residence, or in her 
 house on the mainland. 
 
 The artist was in his working garment, in his 
 studio. He greeted his friend with curious diffi- 
 dence, answering principally in monosyllables. 
 The Assyrian noted his manner, and accepted it as 
 proof that the dwarf was possessed of his evil 
 spirits. So, after a few words of greeting, he in- 
 quired directly as to where Miriam was. 
 
 " I cannot tell," replied the artist. " I have asked 
 myself the same question many times. There is the 
 litter of the lady Tanith, coming down the street; 
 ask her, Merodach. Yet I doubt if even she can tell 
 you." 
 
 " Has Miriam left the city? You act and speak
 
 308 A Captain of Men 
 
 strangely, Hiram Abif. Has anything happened 
 to lessen our friendship ? " 
 
 The dwarf placed his hands on the other's shoul- 
 ders and gazed sadly in his face. " I have missed 
 you, my friend. I have been alone and lonesome 
 while you were away. Yet I am sorry to see 
 you here." 
 
 "Sorry?" 
 
 " Yes, quite sorry. My friendship is stronger 
 now than when you left, but I am exceedingly 
 sorrowful. See; the lady Tanith has left the 
 square go to her. Ask her of Miriam, and then 
 return to me. I will wait here till you come 
 back." 
 
 Something must be wrong, and Merodach did not 
 pause until he was with Tanith in her room. She 
 looked earnestly at him, then ran to meet him with 
 outstretched arms. 
 
 " I knew that you would come here," she cried. 
 " All the way back from the wharf I watched to 
 see you. Surely it is he, I said, over and over again. 
 But there was none like you there. Now you are 
 truly come ! " 
 
 She was softened, transfigured by love. Her lips 
 smiled tremulously, moisture suffused her eyes; 
 never had she seemed so womanly. She had
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 309 
 
 never ceased longing for his return; he was her 
 god, and she craved his touch. 
 
 But he did not respond to her tenderness. Un- 
 clasping her hands from about his neck, he held her 
 wrists, and asked, " Where is Miriam ? " 
 
 "She is dead." 
 
 "How did she die?" 
 
 An icy chill froze Tanith's blood, yet she met his 
 gaze unflinchingly. " The city has been troubled," 
 she replied. " There have been mobs crying for 
 bread. We own most of the grain; we are hated, 
 and because Miriam was my servant, the rioters 
 mistreated her, and caused her death." 
 
 " And you, what did you do? " 
 
 " I tended her, and had her under the care of the 
 most cunning physicians; but it was useless, and 
 we buried her in our own tomb." 
 
 " How long ago ? " 
 
 " Some three or four days, my lord Merodach." 
 
 " It is long too long ; but to-night we will 
 take her from the tomb." 
 
 " It shall be as my lord commands ; my slaves 
 are at his disposal. At what hour shall it be done ? " 
 
 Nothing could have been simpler or more 
 straightforward than Tanith's acceptance of what 
 was to her worse than death. He was indeed re- 
 turned, but he was completely changed, his only
 
 3IO A Captain of Men 
 
 thought was of Miriam ; her dead slave was dearer 
 to him than her living self. There was but one 
 thing left for her to do; she must visit Miriam for 
 the last time. Afterward she must be with him 
 at the empty tomb, and abide by the consequences. 
 
 " Hear me, Merodach. I hated my slave even 
 before I knew that you loved her. She told me all 
 while you were gone. She babbled of her good 
 fortune and I discovered that you had played 
 with my love. When I knew all the truth, I vowed 
 that nothing should prevent my repayment of your 
 deceit. But the gods have taken her from you 
 she is dead and there is no one now between us. 
 Look at me! am I hard of feature, unpleasant to 
 see? I am young; my brain is not weak; I am 
 rich, and everything I have is yours, my lord 
 my love ! Since the day I first called you before me, 
 I have thought only of your beauty, your strong 
 will, your surpassing manliness. You are not as 
 other men ; I have seen below the surface. Wealth 
 is not everything that you wish, you would hold 
 the world in your grasp. With my wealth and 
 my cunning united to your power and skill and 
 perseverance, it will be yours to take. Look at me, 
 my lord ; am I not fit to be your mate ? " 
 
 " Would you indeed strengthen my hands, 
 Tanith ? Should I bring the armies of Assyria here,
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 311 
 
 would you forget your kindred? Would your only 
 thought be to increase the power of Merodach, 
 King of Assyria? " 
 
 " I swear to you that your love is worth more to 
 me than anything else. Make me your queen, and 
 I will place you and your interests first; your will 
 shall be my law. Even the gods shall not come 
 between us, my love, you shall be my king my 
 only god." 
 
 Merodach led her to the couch, and said: 
 
 " You were reclining here when first I saw this 
 room. Here was where you slew Melkarth, your 
 panther. I saw your hand caress him, and I saw you 
 slay him. And here is where I sat against your 
 knee, and beheld your knife above my throat. I 
 have lied to you, Tanith, I have deceived you, but 
 now I am speaking the absolute truth. I have 
 learned that you are never so deadly as when you 
 appear the sweetest. I cannot trust you. It may 
 be that the mob caused Miriam's death, it may be 
 so; yet, again I ask, how did Miriam die? " 
 
 " Of the mob. To-morrow will be the Great 
 Sacrifice, and they are crying for my blood. They 
 killed her, and they will kill me. For months I 
 have known that you only could save me from the 
 fires of Moloch. I prayed for your return. Now 
 you are here, but you doubt me. It may be true that
 
 312 A Captain of Men 
 
 I am as you say; yes, I did intend to kill you. 
 But many months have passed since then, and you 
 are now very dear to me. Hiram the king is your 
 friend; ask him how Miriam died. Ask Hiram 
 Abif ; you will believe him. Now leave me, Mero- 
 dach; I am unworthy so long as you doubt me. 
 Yet, to-night we will take Miriam from the tomb, 
 if it will please you to name the hour." 
 
 " The night after to-morrow night will serve 
 as well. I cannot yet say what I will do with you, 
 Tanith. But if the mob can be quelled to-morrow, 
 I will quell it. And if the mob did harm Miriam, 
 it shall repent to-morrow. Now I must see 
 Hiram Abif. Whatever may come, I promise that 
 you shall be saved to see me again. If there is 
 anything to be settled between us two, it shall be 
 settled by us two." 
 
 So soon as he was gone, Tanith started to put 
 Miriam for ever out of her path. But she changed 
 her mind before reaching the cabin. Sudden death 
 was too sweet a blessing for one she so hated. 
 Merodach might indeed open the tomb and find it 
 empty; but who could inform him of the cavern? 
 The secret was altogether her own, and, at the 
 worst, she could make this last visit, then leave 
 Miriam to starve slowly to death. So, as has been
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 313 
 
 described, she told Miriam of the Assyrian's re- 
 turn, and left her still alive. 
 
 It was rather strange, but Hiram Abif did not 
 himself fully understand why he had sent his friend 
 to Tanith. He had had an overpowering impulse 
 to have him meet her before he knew the truth, and 
 the dwarf waited in a strange mixture of anxiety 
 and dread to hear what had been said and done. 
 Yet he was conscious of something which was not 
 surprise, when Merodach returned and abruptly! 
 declared that he had no faith in Tanith's innocence. 
 Also he found that he was very angry with Mero- 
 dach. 
 
 " Tell me all that happened," he requested. " I 
 have known her since we were children together. 
 It may be that I can then tell you if she spoke truth 
 or falsehood." 
 
 " She said that Miriam is dead." 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 " She said that a mob had injured her." 
 
 " That is truth, absolute truth. Is that all ? " 
 
 " She claimed to have once hated Miriam, but 
 that she tended her during her sickness. Is it 
 true that they buried her in Esmun's tomb? " 
 
 " Yes, it is true, Merodach ; and she did show 
 wonderful solicitude for her slave. It is also true
 
 314 A Captain of Men 
 
 that Tanith has changed during the last two years. 
 She has grown daily more soft and womanly." 
 
 " Yet to-day she told me that she had hated 
 Miriam until the day she was injured," returned 
 Merodach, darkly. " How did she treat Miriam 
 during these last two years ? " 
 
 " She must have said more than that to you. You 
 have been a long time with her. If you would 
 have me help you, tell me everything she said." 
 
 " She said she loved me. She reminded me of her 
 youth, of her great wealth. She is a strange 
 woman, Hiram Abif, for she has discovered the 
 secret of my heart, and she used her knowledge 
 mightily." 
 
 The dwarf laughed long and impishly. His 
 strange merriment brought tears to his eyes, and 
 he ran about the room, still laughing. He jeered at 
 Merodach, declaring that T'anith had loved every 
 man in Tyre. 
 
 " She has even made love to me to me ! Mero- 
 dach. Behold us both in this mirror; you are of 
 surpassing comeliness, and I am in every respect 
 your opposite. Yet she smiled and smiled and 
 smiled on me while you were away. For my lady 
 Tanith is the embodiment of femininity, and, 
 despite my malformation, I am still a man. Has 
 she looked upward at you with moist, alluring eyes ?
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 315 
 
 Have you seen the flutter of her hands toward 
 you? Or have you gazed upward at her and been 
 melted by the languor of her downward glance? 
 By Baal-Phegor and Ashtoreth! the scent of her 
 unguent of lilies still perfumes this very room. She 
 has well-nigh lived here since you left. And I, 
 the dwarf, have discarded my working dress for 
 purple and fine linen. I have pomaded my hair and 
 painted my eyes. I have dyed my nails with henna. 
 I have learned to keep my back turned from her 
 to hide its hump. Thee, I am cultivating a deli- 
 cate lithp to tickle her earth, for she loves me, 
 Merodach. Oh! Oh! Oh!" 
 
 His laugh was like the grating of a file, exasper- 
 ating beyond the other's endurance. " Peace ! " he 
 sternly commanded. The dwarf ceased his jeering 
 and impish laughter, and his eyes became tender and 
 grave. 
 
 " Surely it is not I, but an evil spirit speaking 
 through my lips. You have known sorrow, my 
 friend, your face is marked with suffering, and I 
 have been mocking you. The instant I saw you, 
 I knew that you had met sorrow as well as success 
 while you were away. What has happened to 
 you, Merodach?" 
 
 " I cannot tell you. But I have known grief." 
 
 " I have not acted the part of a friend, out-
 
 316 A Captain of Men 
 
 wardly. I crave your forgiveness. Now tell me, 
 what will you give me if I see Tanith and wring 
 from her all the truth ? I am again sinning against 
 friendship, for true friendship neither barters nor 
 sells. But what will you pay me for the truth, 
 Merodach?" 
 
 " You may make your own terms. I will pay 
 your price to the last mina." 
 
 " Swear that you will pay me my price, that you 
 will give me whatever I may demand." 
 
 " I swear by Asshur, Shammus, and Vul, that I 
 will not refuse you anything that you may ask, if 
 you will make Tanith reveal the truth, and then tell 
 it to me.'* 
 
 " Then the sooner you leave me the better. I 
 have a feeling that she will come here sometime 
 to-day, and I must not lose the chance of meeting 
 her. There are times when she is wearied by the 
 burden of her lies, and she is wont to come here 
 and relieve herself of it. Leave me quickly, my 
 friend, for the demon of laughter is almost stran- 
 gling me. Yet tell me this : did she make you 
 promise to protect her from to-morrow's mob ? " 
 
 " She spoke of it, and I promised." 
 
 " Go, go quickly, Merodach, I shall choke 
 of laughter. Oh ! Oh ! Oh ! must it be long before 
 I see you, Tanith ! Surely the gods love your
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 317 
 
 naughtiness. Oh ! Oh ! Oh ! he promised and 
 she really does love him. He is beautiful, he is 
 straight and comely, but had I his legs and 
 back, there would be no need of our bargain." 
 
 The dark spell was certainly on the great artist, 
 for more than an hour after he was alone 
 was passed in alternating fury and laughter. He 
 laughed and wept; he sought out and destroyed 
 drawings and gems and needlework, beautified by 
 her face. He cursed his friend, he raved at his 
 own deformity, and he shrieked with laughter at 
 Tanith's duplicity. Then he recalled the picture 
 of Miriam, dead, and covered with flowers. She 
 had been lovelier then than during her life, and he 
 wept soft tears because she was gone. He had 
 loved Miriam, but her purity had awed his love. 
 She was far above Tanith, but he craved the latter. 
 Yet he was wishful to preserve the memory of 
 Miriam for his better moments, and he felt a mourn- 
 ful pleasure in recalling her pure loveliness, as she 
 had lain prepared for her burial. She had appeared 
 to be asleep. It was so soon after her death, that 
 there was still a flush upon her cheeks. He had 
 never seen death so beautiful. Yes, it was better for 
 her in the Land of Nothingness, for it was true that 
 Tanith hated her. 
 
 Then, suddenly, a strange suspicion darted into
 
 31 8 A Captain of Men 
 
 the artist's subtle brain, and he became exceedingly 
 impatient to see Tanith. He began to think ear- 
 nestly, to question if he could obtain the whole 
 truth from her; and by and by he began to make 
 certain preparations for the meeting, for he was 
 sure that she would come. Nor was he disap- 
 pointed, for when it was dusk she rapped at his 
 door, and he led her to a seat. 
 
 " The city is full of unrest," she said, languidly 
 fanning herself. " People are arriving from all 
 over the world. The lower streets are crowded 
 and turbulent. To-morrow will be a terrible day in 
 Tyre. I would that I were the king; I would 
 teach them a lesson they would never forget." 
 
 " People seldom forget your teachings nor 
 you. And that is a great pity, for you have taught 
 me to love you, and I know you too well to hope 
 for mercy." 
 
 "Do you, indeed, love me, Hiram Abif? And 
 how should your knowledge of me destroy the 
 possibility of hope? Read me your riddle, for the 
 heat has made me dull." 
 
 " Yes, Tanith ; I love you. I have loved you 
 since we played as children together. Will you be 
 the wife of Hiram, the dwarf ? " 
 
 " Most women would consider themselves for- 
 tunate as the wife of Hiram, the wonderful artist."
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 319 
 
 " That may be truth. Would you so deem your- 
 self, as the wife of the dwarf? " 
 
 " I am still waiting for you to explain the mean- 
 ing of your riddle." 
 
 " Suppose then that I was gifted with the per- 
 fection of beauty ; suppose that I was straight, 
 say like Merodach, would you be my wife, 
 Tanith?" 
 
 " It is hard for me to imagine the subtlety of 
 Hiram Abif combined with the physical beauty of 
 Merodach. You are speaking now of one of the 
 gods, of Melkarth himself. It would be better to 
 ask me, would such an one think of loving me ? " 
 
 " I will think about your question. As it now 
 stands, I, an ugly dwarf, love one who is without 
 doubt the most beautiful woman in the world. Now 
 may it not be so that, if I were gifted with bodily 
 graces, I might love a woman entirely different 
 from you? That is the true meaning of the riddle, 
 and surely it is a deep one; for the girdle of Ash- 
 toreth seldom binds like with like." 
 
 The artist kept silence for some minutes, as if 
 pondering the problem. 
 
 " Love is truly a great mystery," he said at last. 
 *' I can think of you loving none but a man of ex- 
 ceptional beauty, one of unyielding will ; I can 
 imagine you sitting by the side of a conqueror, a
 
 320 A Captain of Men 
 
 king. But I cannot imagine you as the wife of a 
 dwarf, even of Hiram, the great artist. This is 
 the meaning of my riddle. Is it not the truth ? " 
 
 " Then if that be true, you have left me never 
 to wed. Where is it possible to find such a man 
 among the merchants of Tyre? There are here 
 men enough; but they would all sell themselves 
 for the silver of Carchemish. Merchandise and 
 barter are poor gardens in which to grow real men. 
 There are times when I sicken of money and the 
 search for wealth." 
 
 " But there are men besides these of Tyre. All 
 men are not merchants ; there are others, sol- 
 diers, for instance, like Merodach." 
 
 " It may be so," was the careless reply. " But 
 even Merodach has been to the end of the earth 
 in search of wealth. He has dared the Unknown 
 Sea to find the land of tin. There are few in the 
 world like you, Hiram Abif. Wealth is nothing 
 to you when you desire to excel what you have 
 already done." 
 
 Tanith became silent, and the dwarf walked rest- 
 lessly about the room, mocking at the folly which 
 had made him eager to catch at straws. She would 
 not be frank with him, she evaded him at every 
 point, and he was determined on having nothing 
 less than the absolute truth.
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 321 
 
 During his years of study and experiment, he 
 had made some strange discoveries. Once the king 
 had jested with him, declaring that up to that mo- 
 ment he had told nothing but what was true. " But 
 to-day I have a secret, and I challenge you to wring 
 it from me," he had laughingly said. The artist 
 had accepted the challenge, and later the king had 
 left him, completely convinced that no secret was 
 beyond the reach of Hiram Abif. 
 
 Perhaps the modern reader will understand the 
 artist's cunning when he is told that Tanith saw a 
 globe of light slowly descend from the ceiling until 
 it hung motionless before and above her face. 
 Quite naturally she bent her neck and gazed at the 
 strange appearance; she could not help bending 
 backward and watching it. The artist had disap- 
 peared, the room was hot and very still, and she 
 began to feel drowsy. From somewhere behind her 
 she heard a soothing yet commanding voice. " It 
 is the Eye of Ashtoreth," it said. " It is gazing into 
 the secret places of thine heart. There is nothing 
 that can be hidden from its gaze." 
 
 " It is time for me to leave you," said Tanith, 
 drowsily; but she could not rise; she could see 
 nothing but the radiant globe. Then consciousness 
 left her, and she was sound asleep. 
 
 The dwarf came out from his place of conceal-
 
 322 A Captain of Men 
 
 ment. " Your body is in the Land of Nothingness," 
 he whispered. " But your spirit is now mine, Tan- 
 ith. Will you now speak the truth to me?" 
 
 " I will speak nothing but the truth." 
 
 "You swear it?" 
 
 " I swear to speak the truth." 
 
 " Did you cause Miriam's death ? Did you in- 
 cite the mob to stone her? " 
 
 " Your question is a strange one, for Miriam is 
 not dead." 
 
 " But I saw her placed in the tomb; how can she 
 be living? " 
 
 " She was still alive, she had not died. I gave 
 her a sleeping potion. Zagros helped me to take 
 her from the tomb." 
 
 " Where, then, is your slave ? Where did you 
 put her?" 
 
 " We bore her to the cavern behind my house, 
 on the mainland." 
 
 "And Miriam is still alive?" 
 
 " Miriam is alive in the cave." 
 
 " How can I find the cave ? " 
 
 " It is at the roots of the third tree from the 
 house eastward. There is a secret doorway; it 
 was contrived by you five years ago. You will 
 remember it." 
 
 " Why did you do this to Miriam ? "
 
 The Eye of Ashtoreth 323 
 
 " Because Merodach loved her." 
 
 "What will you do with her?" 
 
 " She shall starve to death ; I shall see her die by 
 slow degrees." 
 
 " And do you love him ? " 
 
 " Better than my own life." 
 
 " But you told me that you loved me," said the 
 dwarf, huskily. 
 
 " Can an ugly dwarf hope for love beside Mero- 
 dach? I have never loved any save Merodach." 
 
 " It is time for you to awake, Tanith. I com- 
 mand you to come back to life," said the artist, 
 wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. 
 
 Tanith sighed and looked to see the shining globe, 
 but there was only a lamp burning to give the room 
 light. 
 
 "Where is the globe, Hiram Abif?" 
 
 " The heat has made you drowsy, and you have 
 slept and dreamed. But Tanith, could you love the 
 dwarf enough to be his wife?" 
 
 Tanith answered, mockingly : " I am still dull 
 with sleep. Ask me again to-morrow, and I will 
 tell you frankly." 
 
 Then she left him, altogether ignorant of what 
 she had said in her sleep. And Hiram Abif cursed 
 himself for having wrung from her the torture of 
 truth.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 TANITH'S CHOICE 
 
 THE morning of the Day of Expiation had 
 hardly dawned before the priests of Baal-Moloch 
 began their bloody work. The mournful wail of 
 Phoenician pipes, the sound of tabrets, and the 
 steadily increasing volume of noise from the vicin- 
 ity of the temple were sure indications that Baal- 
 Moloch would not lack offerings that day. 
 
 Tanith arose from her uneasy slumbers and went 
 to the window. Opening its lattice, she leaned out 
 and listened to the music and the cries of the multi- 
 tude. Until yesterday her life had been subject to 
 the caprice of those who hated her. But now Mero- 
 dach had come, and everything was changed. She 
 had been with him at supper at the palace. She 
 knew that the king had spoken to him of the As- 
 syrian embassy, and of his wish to form a friendly 
 alliance. Her father had assured her that Merodach 
 had manifested no repugnance at the suggestion of 
 
 3 2 4
 
 Tanith's Choice 325 
 
 marriage with her. On the contrary, he had prom- 
 ised to give the matter the most careful considera- 
 tion. That he loved Miriam had been only too 
 evident; but he believed that she was dead; he 
 would feel the necessity of choosing his queen, and 
 Tanith drank deeply of the cup of anticipation. 
 To-day there would be trouble, serious trouble, 
 but that did not disturb her in the least. She was 
 eager to see it come, for she knew that he had gath- 
 ered his band of terrible fighters, and that they 
 were ready for whatever might occur; and she 
 would see to it that she did not miss the sight of 
 her hero in battle. 
 
 From this her mind drifted back to memory of 
 what had passed between her and Hiram Abif. 
 She laughed softly when she recalled the fact that 
 he had actually tried to win her. It was no slight 
 thing to have lured him so far from his beloved art. 
 For the first time she had seen him openly in ear- 
 nest. Even Hiram Abif was not superior to all 
 the weaknesses of man. But, after all, he was a 
 dwarf, an ugly, subtle, amusing toy to be picked 
 up in idle moments, to be cast carelessly aside at 
 her will. 
 
 But just at this moment a curious phrase came to 
 her mind, " The Eye of Ashtoreth." There was 
 something haunting, fascinating in the words, and
 
 326 A Captain of Men 
 
 she repeated them over and over, now to herself, 
 now aloud. The strange power of association made 
 her see in startling clearness a globe of light hang- 
 ing just above her. Ah, it was her dream, she had 
 seen it in her dream, she had dreamed of those 
 words in the artist's studio. " The Eye of Ash- 
 toreth . . . there is nothing that can be hidden 
 from its gaze," were those last words also of her 
 dream ? Tanith shuddered and quitted the window. 
 Hiram Abif had fearful, unknown powers; she 
 did not enjoy the memory of having slept and 
 dreamed in his room. The gods often spoke to 
 people in dreams, what if one had spoken to her 
 then? Hiram Abif may have heard of secrets she 
 had deemed beyond the reach of human mind. 
 
 Such a possibility disturbed her so that she sought 
 refuge in a minute analysis of Miriam's condition. 
 Another night of suffering had passed, and Tanith 
 tried to imagine the horrors of such an experience. 
 Here was a morsel to tickle her palate. As were 
 the tunny fish and salted eels of Tarshish in a ban- 
 quet, was this delicacy for her mental feast. She 
 could not sate her appetite for vengeance. Yet it 
 would be infinitely better to behold Miriam with 
 her bodily eyes. 
 
 The pleasure was too tempting to be resisted. 
 She called her tirewomen, and reclined luxuriously
 
 Tanith's Choice 327 
 
 upon her couch, while they trimmed and polished 
 her finger-nails and dyed them yellow with henna. 
 They scented her hair with her rare perfume of 
 lilies, and piled it in glossy braids above her fore- 
 head. The lids of her eyes were darkened. Her 
 finest robe of Egyptian linen, with its broad em- 
 broidered band, designed by Hiram Abif, was 
 fastened about her waist with a belt encrusted with 
 sparkling gems. Her feet were scented and pol- 
 ished, and shod with sandals of exquisite workman- 
 ship. On her brow were placed her choicest ban- 
 gles. She was made dazzling, bewitching, by the 
 deft handling of her maidens. 
 
 One of them, Onca, held a mirror that she might 
 criticize the result of their labours. Tanith was 
 enchanted by her own loveliness; she was without 
 flaw or blemish, and she dismissed them with lav- 
 ish reward. She told them that she was going to 
 her home in Old Tyre, for she had heard that the 
 water was running low, and the fishes were dying 
 in their ponds. Onca was instructed to have her 
 chariot brought to the door, but she besought her 
 mistress not to go. The streets beyond the cause- 
 way were likely to be dangerous, what were a 
 few dying fishes to weigh against the life of her 
 mistress ? 
 
 Tanith chid her for her cowardice, rewarded her
 
 328 A Captain of Men 
 
 for her loyalty, and was soon holding the reins 
 of her milk-white horses from the desert. Beside 
 her stood a strong Egyptian slave, and behind her 
 was an eunuch, shading her from the sun with a 
 parasol, the parting gift of Asshur-ab-aram. The 
 rough Assyrian had been smitten by her charms, 
 and had declared that she only in all Tyre was 
 worthy to be sheltered by the parasol of Assyrian 
 royalty. 
 
 Tanith always drove her chariot, and to-day her 
 impatience -grew as she drove. Urging her horses 
 to their utmost limit, she was whirled like the wind 
 over the causeway and into the streets of the older 
 city. There the crowds were so great that she was 
 compelled to moderate her speed. Some cursed her 
 as she passed, others begged her for food, but she 
 laughed at them all. They were all cravens. A 
 blow from her whip would drive the boldest of 
 them howling away. Let them starve if they must; 
 the Land of Nothingness had room for them, and 
 they were overcrowding Tyre. 
 
 Beyond this there was nothing worthy of men- 
 tion in her passage through the streets. She safely 
 reached her home, and gave reason for her presence 
 by examining into the ravages of the drought. 
 But now that it was possible for her to see her 
 victim at any moment, she dallied with her impa-
 
 Tanith's Choice 329 
 
 tience, and delayed her visit to the cavern. After 
 eating her noon meal, she spent two full hours in 
 drowsy content before she slipped unnoticed from 
 the house and reached the cave. 
 
 Slowly and noiselessly she set in motion the 
 mechanism of the secret entrance. A great rock slid 
 easily to one side, disclosing a narrow opening, and 
 she passed downward into a dark passageway. The 
 stone swung back to its resting-place; she touched 
 what appeared to be solid rock, the wall opened, 
 and she was in the cavern itself. First she closed 
 the second door, then lighting her lamp, she sat 
 quietly down beside it. 
 
 Everything was still; Miriam undoubtedly slept, 
 so she waited till her eyes became able to see 
 through the gloom which darkened the cave in spite 
 of her lamp. For her there was no enjoyment so 
 keen as these few minutes when she was waiting 
 to catch her first glimpse of her imprisoned slave. 
 
 But as her eyes became accustomed to the gloom, 
 she realized that Miriam was gone! No hint of 
 the happenings of the night before was to prepare 
 her for Miriam's absence, and she was dumfounded 
 when she missed her. She searched the very crev- 
 ices in the walls before she would believe that the 
 place was empty, and, when the truth had forced 
 a lodgment in her brain, her fury was of frightful
 
 336 A Captain of Men 
 
 intensity. She shrieked and rushed from side to 
 side, she was not human, she was devilish in her 
 rage and disappointment. Rushing finally from the 
 cavern, she sped to the house, and was soon driving 
 recklessly back to the island. 
 
 Since morning the temper of the people had 
 grown more savage, and they greeted her with 
 fierce denunciation. But their curses pleased her 
 mood. Flogging her already maddened horses, she 
 drove faster through the thronged streets, regard- 
 less of the mischief she wrought. Many tried to 
 stop her, but she struck them aside with her heavy 
 whip. Others were unable to escape her terrible 
 rush, and she passed over them remorselessly. The 
 causeway was so packed with people on their way 
 to the temple that it was impossible for them to 
 open her a passage. But she flogged her horses 
 still fiercer, and plunged into the mass, driving her 
 chariot as to a charge. A panic ensued; some 
 leaped, screaming, into the sea, but others of a 
 braver sort flung themselves upon the plunging 
 horses and threw them down. Tanith plied her 
 whip like a flail, beating the angry faces on every 
 side. A score of hands tore her from her chariot, 
 and she was tossed like a cork upon a tempestuous 
 sea. She had unloosed the whirlwind, and a raging
 
 Tanith's Choice 331 
 
 mob bore her toward the heart of the storm, the 
 scorching breath of Baal-Moloch. 
 
 " She escaped the sacrifice when a child," howled 
 one. The cry was taken up, and the mob went mad. 
 
 " She owns all the corn in Tyre ! " shrilled a hag, 
 and tumult became pandemonium. 
 
 Yet during it all not an instant of unconscious- 
 ness had spared Tanith from a full appreciation of 
 her peril. Her fury was changed to scorn and an 
 alert readiness to catch the first glimpse of Mero- 
 dach hastening to her rescue. She was sure that 
 he would come. She longed to see him slay without 
 mercy, to see him grind the mob to powder. 
 
 Now let us return to the early morning hours, to 
 the meeting between Merodach and Hiram Abif. 
 
 The latter appeared to be quite weary and gloomy. 
 He also seemed possessed of a spirit of captious- 
 ness, and the Assyrian had no doubt of his having 
 failed with Tanith. The artist sullenly admitted 
 that she had been with him the evening before, but 
 he was so like an ugly child that his friend was 
 sorely tempted to take him by the shoulders and 
 shake him into a better humour. Yet there were 
 other moments when the dwarf's expression filled 
 him with tenderest compassion, for he was cer- 
 tainly in great misery.
 
 332 A Captain of Men 
 
 Esmun and the king called together to see Mero- 
 dach, who readily promised to use his company in 
 the event of a riot. And truly he would have been 
 loath to miss a chance of repaying in terrible fashion 
 the harm done Miriam. So he kept his men con- 
 stantly on the alert for news of the temper of the 
 people. 
 
 Promptly at noon he met the Assyrian embassy, 
 and accepted the offer of the throne, but upon one 
 condition. While he admitted that their policy 
 of wedding him to the daughter of the late king 
 was a wise one, he nevertheless declared finally 
 and absolutely that he would suit himself in the 
 matter. He would choose his wife in accordance 
 with his own will and pleasure. 
 
 Whereat the spokesman of the party made pro- 
 found obeisance, and cried : " O king, live for 
 ever!" 
 
 From noon till the ninth hour Merodach waited 
 in the house of Hiram Abif. It was so convenient 
 to the Great Square as to make it the best place 
 in the city for his headquarters. His men were 
 assembled in the studio, ready for whatever might 
 arise. Chna improved this period of monotony 
 by winning the combined wealth of the command. 
 
 At the ninth hour a scout reported from beyond 
 the causeway that turbulent groups were forming
 
 Tanith's Choice 333 
 
 in the lower streets. A little later another came in, 
 confirming the report. It was also quite evident, 
 the latter said, that there was some sort of an or- 
 ganization at the bottom of the unrest. He had 
 seen several distributing arms, and there was quiet 
 talk of a raid on the granaries. Chna heard the 
 news, and smiled for the first time that day. One 
 of the band discovered the unusual radiance. 
 " Buckle on your swords," he chuckled ; " the old 
 vulture scents blood." And another exclaimed: 
 " By the club of Melkarth ! you speak truth. It 
 was but now our captain spoke softly to us, calling 
 us his children. Battle is never far off when our 
 lord is caressing." 
 
 Hardly had they ceased speaking before Chna 
 commanded them to see that their swords and 
 bucklers were ready to hand, and the company was 
 prepared for an orderly dash through the doorway. 
 
 It was at this time that Hiram Abif asked Mero- 
 dach to come to him on the floor above. Grasping 
 his friend's arm, and speaking in a curious manner, 
 he said: 
 
 " I heard Chna calling to your men ; has the 
 trouble really begun ? " 
 
 ;< Two of my scouts have reported something 
 that leads us to expect it." 
 
 " And it may begin at any time," exclaimed the
 
 334 A Captain of Men 
 
 artist. " I should have told you sooner sooner. 
 I learnt strange news last night marvellous news. 
 Miriam is not dead. Speak, Merodach, did you 
 not hear me? Miriam is not dead, she lives, she 
 was buried while still alive. Tanith went afterward 
 and removed her from the tomb. She has been 
 weak from the shock, but that will soon pass." 
 
 "Leave me," whispered the other; "I would 
 be alone." 
 
 Awed by the effect of his words on one he had 
 deemed superior to emotion, the artist left the room 
 and paced restlessly about the corridor outside. By 
 and by Merodach came to him and spoke with his 
 customary calmness. 
 
 " You have more to tell me ; speak quickly, I 
 pray you." 
 
 For answer, the artist opened a door, pushed his 
 friend very gently into a room, and closed the door 
 behind him. Miriam half-rose from a low couch 
 and uttered a choking cry. Merodach kneeled be- 
 side her, and drew her to his breast, saying noth- 
 ing. Soon he held her a little from him. 
 
 " You have been with me ever since we parted," 
 he whispered. " You have twined about the secret 
 places of my heart, nay, you have been a ray 
 of pure light overcoming its darkness. You have 
 almost made me say that I cannot live without you,
 
 Tanith's Choice 335 
 
 for you are the best of my life. I cannot under- 
 stand how you have become so dear to me. Your 
 hands are pleasant against my cheek. They make 
 me think of when I was a child, when my mother 
 used to stroke them. It is sweeter still to see your 
 face, but I long to hear your voice; speak to me, 
 Miriam." 
 
 " Oh, I cannot speak ! You have been away, 
 you are with me again." 
 
 She did not remember her wish to reproach him, 
 but, hiding her face in his breast, she wept out the 
 horror which had grown into her heart. Time 
 slipped by unnoticed; such silence was better than 
 words. 
 
 " One night you came to me and besought me 
 to hasten," he began, after a long pause. " Your 
 face was wan and stained with tears, your hands 
 were outstretched to draw me. I had seen you often 
 in my dreams, but never like that. I promised the 
 rowers great reward, but they said they would 
 hasten for love of me. They made their oars bend 
 like twigs; they would neither rest nor sleep till 
 we saw the towers on the north, and when I met 
 Tanith, she told me that you were dead. It was 
 strange, but I felt that I had known of it before she 
 told me." 
 
 "She? Did Tanith say that I was dead?"
 
 336 A Captain of Men 
 
 " She told me that, and Hiram Abif also told me 
 that she had tended you, that she took you from the 
 tomb, and " 
 
 A terrible look came into the Assyrian's face, 
 and he cried : " Where have you been since she 
 took you from the tomb? Only yesterday she de- 
 clared that you were dead, I must see Tanith 
 again." 
 
 The expression of his face and the pitiless tone 
 of his voice gave new strength and life to Miriam. 
 Tanith had lied; he was true, he had thought only 
 of her. 
 
 " She removed me from the tomb, but she has 
 kept me among crawling, slimy things in a cave. 
 She has sat and watched me there, gloating over 
 my misery. Oh, see her and kill her. Do you 
 indeed love me, Merodach? Then show it show 
 it. Crush her foul beauty! Slay her as you would 
 a poisonous snake ! " 
 
 Until then Miriam had felt that his love lacked 
 depth. Now all was changed; one glance at his 
 face was enough to assure her that his heart was 
 wholly her own. At last they were in perfect ac- 
 cord, they were one in love, one in their hatred 
 of Tanith, and one in their purpose of a final reck- 
 oning. 
 
 So they sat together a long time silent, till they
 
 Tanith's Choice 337 
 
 heard the fury of the human tempest burst over the 
 street below them. Merodach sprang to the win- 
 dow, flung open the lattice, and beheld the rioters 
 sweeping like a torrent beneath him. Nothing 
 seemed able to stop its seething, whirling rush, as 
 from the narrow street it roared into the Great 
 Square like an overwhelming tide. An instant be- 
 fore the king's guard had stood there, a wall of 
 threatening steel. Now they were as rubbish before 
 a spring freshet, and the filth of the great city was 
 the crest of the horrible flood. 
 
 The constantly increasing uproar drew Miriam 
 to lean over her lover's shoulder and gaze, fas- 
 cinated by the fearful spectacle. They saw Esmun, 
 the princely merchant, caught in the street, and 
 heard his screams. He was gone, swept out of 
 existence. On a sudden, Miriam leaned far out the 
 window. 
 
 " God of Abraham God of David 'tis she ! " 
 she cried, in fiercest joy. " 'Tis Tanith ! Oh, there 
 is a God of the Hebrews, he has given me the 
 will of my heart. The proud is brought low, the 
 cruel one eats the dust. See her! see her! buf- 
 feted and torn. O God of David! I will keep 
 my vow ! " 
 
 Swiftly and now almost silently the rushing mob 
 swept Tanith toward the clanging arms of Baal-
 
 338 A Captain of Men 
 
 Moloch. She had once escaped the sacrifice through 
 fraud; now her captors were inexorable to right 
 the wrong. Yet she neither struggled nor appeared 
 afraid, nor did she try to lag; her feet kept step 
 with the multitude. Her face was calm and inscru- 
 table in the midst of the tempest. 
 
 But just as she reached the point below them, 
 she raised her eyes, thinking that Hiram Abif might 
 be there, might see her pass, and it was even pos- 
 sible that Merodach himself was there, waiting to 
 release her. She beheld not the artist, but the 
 Assyrian, and closely against him leaned Miriam, 
 fiercely triumphant. Yet even now, when she saw 
 the ruin of all her plans, and when she apprehended 
 the greatness of her loss, her spirit rose above the 
 weakness of woman. Indomitable in the face of 
 defeat, she gazed scornfully, and cried above the 
 tumult : 
 
 " An Assyrian coward and a Hebrew slave ! a 
 goodly pair ! " 
 
 Instantly an answering cry shrilled from behind 
 him, and Merodach turned and saw Hiram Abif 
 inarticulate with despair and longing. By his side 
 was the king, waiting to give the word. 
 
 " The time has come," he sternly commanded. 
 " Give that mob a lesson it will never forget." 
 
 Merodach saluted, and joined his company. Chna
 
 Tanith's Choice 339 
 
 shouted for joy, flung the door wide open to the 
 street, and followed his captain into the fiercest 
 battle of his life. 
 
 Like one man armed with two score blades of 
 steel, the company swung into battle-line and began 
 to slay. Shoulder to shoulder, buckler lapping buck- 
 ler, they pierced straight onward, their swords dart- 
 ing death at every thrust. Never was machine more 
 perfect, never the power of discipline and training 
 more apparent. As man after man of that little 
 body dropped from his place, the lines closed up, 
 the band passed on, irresistible and unsparing. 
 Chna received his death-wound as they swept into 
 the court of the temple. Quietly and grimly he 
 watched his companions leave him. They were 
 swallowed up for a moment; the mob broke, flying 
 in every direction; they reappeared, still compact, 
 always victorious, pitiless. 
 
 " I never saw a better fight," he muttered, 
 " nor such a captain." Then he closed his eyes and 
 entered eternity with a smile. 
 
 Meanwhile hope was quite gone from Tanith. 
 Merodach was with Miriam, he knew everything, 
 her slave had won, and the noise of singing women 
 and mournful pipes was beginning to drown the 
 cries of the rioters. Very soon she must feel the
 
 34-O A Captain of Men 
 
 awful embrace of Baal-Moloch, and life and beauty 
 would shrivel away and disappear for ever. 
 
 Nevertheless, she was still watchful to seize a 
 reasonable opportunity of escape. Her knife was 
 still hidden in her bosom, but she had restrained 
 herself from using it prematurely. Until now she 
 had waited for the chance of a rescue. But there 
 was none willing to help, and she preferred rather 
 to die fighting than to be offered to the burning 
 god. She had no knowledge of the proximity of 
 Merodach, being sure that he had remained with 
 Miriam. Yet she took advantage of the confusion 
 caused by his approach. Stabbing the one who 
 had held her, she sprang on the altar before the 
 golden asherah. The priests who had been sacri- 
 ficing there had fled upon the first indication of 
 violence, the fire of the altar was scattered, and, 
 for the moment, she was free. 
 
 Casting a hasty glance over the court, she was 
 thrilled by the sight of Merodach at the head of 
 his command. His men were formed in wedge 
 shape now, their leader at its point, and the end 
 of the riot was near at hand. She heard a quick 
 command, the flying wings of the wedge swung 
 into battle front, and the line of blood-drenched 
 swordsmen thrust quicker and struck harder. She 
 could not understand why he should be there; it
 
 Tanith's Choice 341 
 
 was marvellous, incomprehensible, yet he had kept 
 his promise, he would not let her perish. 
 
 T'anith was intoxicated with joy at his coming, 
 transported by his terrible grandeur. He was the 
 god of battles, his sword was a flame, he was irre- 
 sistible, omnipotent, implacable. 
 
 " Oh, well struck, Merodach ! " she cried. " Slay ! 
 kill! kill! and spare not! They melt before him, 
 they dare not meet him ! Oh, the beauty of it ! 
 Again and again and again, each stroke a life ! 
 They break they fly, kill them all ! Oh, I have 
 never lived till now." 
 
 Then her tongue clung to the roof of her mouth, 
 and her joy died to ashes, for he was before her, 
 and his face was as flint. The violence of the mob 
 had destroyed her raiment, yet she was more glori- 
 ous in her scanty rags than when fresh from the 
 tirewomen. Merodach gazed full at her as she 
 stood, radiant, incomparable, yet his voice had no 
 touch of pity or of love when he said: 
 
 " I have kept my promise ; you are saved from 
 the mob. Now you must answer to me and to 
 Miriam. Your case is hopeless, Tanith." 
 
 " I knew that when I saw you with her at the 
 window, yet you have saved me from the only 
 death I ever feared. I have ever loved you; I 
 spared nothing to win you. But I have failed.
 
 342 A Captain of Men 
 
 After you have finished with me, ask Miriam if 
 my death will recompense her for her agony in 
 the cave." 
 
 But when Merodach would have ended for ever 
 her power for mischief, Hiram Abif sprang quickly 
 between them. He had been with the company 
 from the start. Covered with blood, utterly beside 
 himself, he flung himself against his friend, and 
 saved Tanith from his sword. 
 
 " You swore to give me what I asked," he cried. 
 " Give me Tanith, I claim her, Merodach." 
 
 The Assyrian caught the dwarf and hurled him 
 to the ground. He raised his sword to strike, but 
 sheathed it, saying: 
 
 " I cannot break my oath." 
 
 The dwarf staggered to his feet and ran to Tan- 
 ith. 
 
 " You are saved ! " he joyfully cried. " You are 
 mine, Tanith ! mine ! only mine ! " 
 
 " Truly I thank thee, Hiram Abif : 
 to the Assyrian; myself to the dwarf, 
 become a gift to be tossed from hand to hand, 
 regardless of my will. Nay, not so; I will myself 
 choose my lord." 
 
 And, without pause or sign of reluctance, Tanith 
 went swiftly to the yet moving arms of the Moloch 
 the artist had built. There she turned, and said:
 
 Tanith's Choice 343 
 
 "Greeting's to you, Merodach and Hiram Abif; 
 and greetings to my lord Baal-Moloch, whom I have 
 chosen." 
 
 After which she threw herself upon the monster's 
 arms, and was lifted slowly upward to its yawning 
 mouth. Then, when she had disappeared, as if 
 its appetite was at last appeased, the empty arms of 
 Baal-Moloch stopped, and the great day of sac- 
 rifice was at an end.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 MANY thoughts had come to Miriam while she 
 was alone in the cavern. Vague aspirations had 
 been floating through her mind ever since her meet- 
 ing with David. Heredity, the instinct of race, 
 and her admiration for her cousin had combined to 
 torment her with unformed yearnings. Her spirit 
 was stirred by impelling, quickening light ; it began 
 to suffer the pangs of growth. Also her brief ac- 
 quaintance with Abiram had tended to lift her 
 aspirations out of the mire of superstition, and the 
 discipline of solitude had strengthened, not broken, 
 her moral fibre. Yet, at its best, her religious na- 
 ture was still dwarfed and immature. 
 
 And this should be remembered, and her actions 
 should be judged by the standard of her ignorance, 
 of her time, and her surroundings. The God of 
 her fathers was to her hardly more than a fetich, 
 and her highest conception of worship was to sac- 
 
 344
 
 Conclusion 345 
 
 rifice her love for Merodach, and so placate the 
 wrath of a god of more than human jealousy. As 
 Jacob had vowed at Bethel to serve God for a def- 
 inite recompense, this for that, bargain for bar- 
 gain, - - so Miriam had vowed to yield up her love 
 if the God of David would help her against Tanith. 
 
 Now although she had been delivered from her 
 prison, she had thought only of the sweetness of 
 her meeting with Merodach; and now Tanith was 
 dead; and now the king had freed her from servi- 
 tude, and she was no longer a slave. Yet how hard 
 it was for her to fulfil her vow. 
 
 It was the evening of the day after the riot ; she 
 was alone, the guest of the king; she was waiting 
 to meet Merodach, and she would rather die than 
 say him nay. 
 
 He came to her radiant with success and the hope 
 of future greatness. He had just parted with the 
 embassy which had shown him royal honours. He 
 had discovered the water route to the land of tin, 
 he had enriched the kingdom he meant to rule. Also 
 the death of Tanith had relieved him of a heavy 
 burden. She was no longer an element of uncer- 
 tainty, a danger to be overcome. 
 
 Life and love, love and power and youth were 
 his; and Miriam was to share them with him. 
 There was not a shadow of a doubt in his mind;
 
 
 346 A Captain of Men 
 
 she would surely be his queen. Therefore it was 
 a glorified, transfigured lover that appeared to tempt 
 her when her own heart was seemingly most weak 
 and traitorous. 
 
 " Hiram told me that you were free. I am called 
 to the throne of my fathers. Soon, very soon, I 
 will turn my back on this land of barter and sale. 
 I will try to reign royally and justly. Miriam, will 
 you go with me to the City of Asshur? Will you 
 sit with me on my throne ? " 
 
 " Are you going so soon ? " she asked, wishing 
 to bask a little longer in the sunshine of his un- 
 wonted joyousness. 
 
 " I am only delaying till I have finished with 
 the king, and till Hiram Abif has become freed of 
 his evil spirits." 
 
 " I have heard that he cries continually, ' Tanith ! 
 Tanith ! ' that he wished to cut off the hand that 
 designed the image of Baal-Moloch. Is it true 
 that he considers himself guilty of her death ? " 
 
 " He curses the day he made the god. He be- 
 lieves that if he had not made it she would still 
 be alive. He speaks of having been warned of 
 what was to come two years ago. He seems to be 
 able to think of nothing else." 
 
 " And you yourself? " said Miriam, giving utter- 
 ance to the question which troubled her more than
 
 Conclusion 347 
 
 she knew. " Are you glad that he reminded you of 
 your promise ? " 
 
 " I cannot tell. Sometimes I am not sorry to 
 have been prevented. But that is because I deem 
 a sword-thrust more honourable than the arms of 
 Baal-Moloch. She was braver than the bravest 
 warrior, but I cannot forget the evil she has 
 done." 
 
 " She wore the golden disk I gave you, Mero- 
 dach. When I was at her mercy in the cave, she 
 cruelly increased my misery by displaying it upon 
 her breast." 
 
 " It was then as I suspected," replied her lover, 
 disconcerted by this sudden attack. " I went to 
 see her the night I left. She had plotted my death, 
 and it was my purpose to inform her of my knowl- 
 edge, to call her to an accounting. Before we 
 parted, she struck so fiercely at me that her dagger 
 glanced from where it fell against the disk 
 and severed the chain which held it. The disk must 
 have fallen on the floor of her room. I did not 
 discover my loss until we were miles at sea." 
 
 " When I beheld you enter the room where I 
 lay, I knew only joy because of your return. And 
 while I listened to you as you spoke of your love, 
 I grew faint with happiness. But since then I have 
 remembered that your heart has long been divided
 
 348 A Captain of Men 
 
 between her and me. You have yourself admitted 
 that you desired us both. The time has come when 
 we must speak frankly; why did you spare Tanith 
 when she tried to kill you ? " 
 
 " I cannot altogether understand my own heart, 
 Miriam. I will not deny that I hesitated between 
 you two, that I desired you both. More than that, 
 I will confess that she showed me her love that 
 night, and that she had power then to move me in 
 no slight degree. But even then I was concerned 
 for your safety during my absence; I hoped to 
 guard you by making her believe that I truly loved 
 her. Now, despite the fact that perfect frankness 
 is seldom wise, I am hiding nothing from you. 
 Therefore you must believe me when I declare that 
 so soon as I came back and met her again, I learned 
 that her power to move me was quite gone. My 
 love, the past is past. I am come to you with no 
 divided love." His eyes became exceedingly ten- 
 der and grave, but there was a happy, buoyant note 
 in his voice, as he continued : 
 
 " You have thrown out your skirmishers to cover 
 your attack, you have overwhelmed with your 
 chariots, and your horsemen have ridden me down. 
 Behold I yield myself your captive; for when I 
 would flee to my stronghold for refuge, I find a 
 traitor within its gates. I am defenceless before
 
 Conclusion 349 
 
 you. Would you take my heart from my breast, 
 it is already in your keeping. Would you des- 
 troy my sight, I am blinded for ever by your 
 beauty. Yet I am ready always to accept whatever 
 punishment you may inflict. See, Miriam, I am 
 utterly at your mercy, for I am here to hold you 
 to your promise ; can you say me nay ? " 
 
 His arms were about her, he kissed her cheeks 
 and her lips, calling her the tender names his 
 mother had used to him; he was at last the lover 
 of her dreams, and she could not doubt him. 
 Neither could she deny herself a taste of perfect 
 joy. For just this once, she told herself, to-mor- 
 row would be soon there, to-morrow she would 
 compel herself to do the right. 
 
 But after he was gone, her conscience regained 
 supremacy, and she discovered that the suffering 
 imposed by exterior agencies is nothing compared 
 with that from within, that her past agony was 
 now not worthy of remembrance. It was impossible 
 for her to endure long the stress of the inner con- 
 flict, she had reached the crisis, she must decide 
 at once. Never before, in her relations with Mero- 
 dach, had she been able to appreciate the value of 
 certainty. For heretofore she was always the slave, 
 Tanith the mistress; and she had been accustomed 
 to see Tanith attain her ends. Merodach might,
 
 350 A Captain of Men 
 
 for a season, vibrate from this one to the other, 
 but in the end Tanith must win. Consequently, 
 Miriam had found renunciation easier then than 
 now, for now she must lose her very self in losing 
 him. Tossed and divided by mental storm, con- 
 flicting claims, and consuming passion, it was long 
 before she could either rest or sleep. But just at 
 dawn the subtle opiate of self-sacrifice soothed her 
 troubled spirit and she fell asleep, thinking that 
 she had attained to permanent peace. 
 
 So the grist of the eternal, inexorable mills be- 
 came for Merodach the flour of retribution; for 
 now that he fully appreciated Miriam's love, he 
 was compelled to fight against the odds of religious 
 yearning joined to the feminine instinct of self- 
 immolation. 
 
 At first he was dumfounded by the discovery that 
 he must fight at all, neither could he comprehend 
 the subtleties of the opposing foe. But he battled 
 with all the force and resourceful stubbornness of 
 his nature till, hopeless and utterly baffled, he was 
 compelled to cry : " I cannot hope to win against 
 the gods ! " 
 
 No sooner had he arrived at this conclusion than, 
 manlike, he wished to flee from the scene of his 
 defeat. Bidding farewell to Hiram Abif, he closed 
 his affairs with the king, and then informed Miriam
 
 Conclusion 35 I 
 
 of his purpose to start early in the morning for 
 the City of Asshur by the Damascus road. 
 
 He had accepted her decision as final. It was 
 folly to prolong his suffering by remaining with her. 
 But, on the other hand, Miriam treasured each 
 moment of his presence as a miser counts his gold. 
 She could also take the Damascus road, and join 
 in that city some caravan for Palestine. So she 
 prevailed upon him to accompany her thus far, and 
 together they quitted Phoenicia for ever. 
 
 Yet, while he had acceded to her request, and 
 had procured for her an easy-footed camel, he urged 
 his horse to such a pace that they reached their 
 common destination that night before the doors 
 of its principal inn were closed. 
 
 Miriam had indulged herself the bitter pleasure 
 of being with him to the last moment. She had 
 impressed upon her memory each detail of her lov- 
 er's appearance as he rode silent and stern by her 
 side. During their noontime rest she made timid 
 approaches, trying to lure him to believe in the 
 wisdom of her course; she wished to see his face 
 lose its haggard sternness before she left him. She 
 was grieved by the memory of his haste in the 
 morning. It was true that he had been full of 
 consideration for her comfort, and his manner to 
 her had been always gentle, but he seemed very
 
 352 A Captain of Men 
 
 eager to have her safely upon her way away 
 from him. 
 
 Surely she would never have left him could she 
 have seen into the most secret chamber of the heart 
 of this masterful but defeated man. His head had 
 pained him much upon the way. The sun had been 
 blazing hot, and sharp pains had darted from eye 
 to eye. Often his vision had been blurred, lacking 
 accuracy and clearness, and a great fear had been 
 growing in his heart. That first attack of blindness 
 had been hardly worth remembering; but now he 
 recalled it in connection with his affliction while on 
 the island. It was true that he had recovered each 
 time. He could not explain to himself why it was, 
 yet a conviction had formed in his mind that he 
 was soon to be blind for ever. And he was sure 
 that such a fate would be the closing of his life. 
 Miriam was lost, and he could not hope to claim 
 the Assyrian throne when blind. Until now he 
 had faced and overcome the opposition of man, he 
 had surmounted or removed every obstacle in the 
 path he had marked out to tread. But now, at the 
 pinnacle of success, he found himself confronted 
 by a wall as high as heaven; before him was a 
 barrier he could not cross, there was no power 
 in mere man to overcome the fate of total blindness. 
 
 No better proof of the genuineness of his love
 
 Conclusion 353 
 
 for Miriam could be given than this: he accepted 
 the certainty of loss of sight, and he vowed to spare 
 her the grief of sharing his knowledge. He would 
 send her from him, he would see her safely started 
 with some caravan, in ignorance of what was to 
 befall him. Afterward it should be himself alone 
 with Fate. 
 
 Then they parted, and then utter darkness veiled 
 him from the world of light and beauty. He was 
 blind, and his horse, Nergal, was the only living 
 thing he might call his own. 
 
 He hired a boy to lead him to a shady spot by 
 the cool waters of clear Abana, where he patiently 
 waited while Nergal drank his fill. After bathing 
 his aching temples, he was led to a seat beneath a 
 tree, and, dismissing the lad, he let memory unroll 
 the pages of his life. Nergal tired of freedom and 
 came to poke his cool, velvety muzzle against his 
 master's cheek. Merodach caressed his nostrils and 
 placed his head against his breast. The horse's 
 loving whinnies awoke him from his reverie. They 
 had been as one on many a hard-fought field ; they 
 had plunged into the dust and tumult of battle, 
 rejoicing in their power to fight and slay. He had 
 slept among the dripping reeds, and Nergal had 
 kept watch and warned him of lurking foe or prowl- 
 ing beast. They had been comrades in success and
 
 354 A Captain of Men 
 
 defeat, but they must part. He would never again 
 mount his faithful steed; he was blind, impotent, 
 cast out of the action of the stirring world, and the 
 thought of any other hand save his guiding and 
 controlling this friend of the past could not be en- 
 dured. Crawling down to the river's brink, he 
 called Nergal to his side. He breathed heavily 
 while he worked his horse sidewise to the stream; 
 it was like murder to strike, but that, too, was done. 
 He heard the splash of the horse in the river; he 
 had stabbed him to the brain, and now, absolutely 
 alone, he sought to retrace his course back to the 
 tree and finish what he had begun. He would end 
 his life beneath the tree where he had rested. 
 
 Somehow he felt it necessary to reach that one 
 particular spot, but he became confused, turned 
 about, he could not distinguish one tree from an- 
 other, and he bruised himself in his vain attempt 
 to return. Indeed he was quite lost when suddenly 
 a trembling hand slipped into his own, he was 
 guided to a pleasant place, and he heard Miriam's 
 voice, broken, ashamed, and full of pleading. 
 
 " I could not endure the pain of my heart," she 
 exclaimed. " After we had passed from your sight, 
 I slipped away. I cannot live away from you. . . . 
 I have been here watching you. I saw you kill 
 your horse, oh, my love! what is this mystery?
 
 Conclusion 355 
 
 You fell against the tree, you act so strangely. 
 Oh, I cannot understand what I saw ! " 
 
 " I am blind, Miriam," was all he could say. 
 Overwhelmed by her unexpected presence, by this 
 unhoped-for proof of her love, he could only hold 
 her in his arms and sate himself with happiness. 
 He had baffled Fate, he had won in spite of the 
 gods, he had won in the very instant of defeat. 
 
 His words were like a thunderbolt to Miriam; 
 they were incomprehensible, horrible. Then that 
 wonderful strength of woman, that adorable quality 
 of self-forgetfulness in the presence of suffering, 
 sprang instantly to life. She took up at once, and 
 with infinite content, her loving task of being eyes 
 and sight for her lover, her lord. The inherent 
 strength and beauty of her character blossomed to 
 give fragrance to his life, and Miriam became more 
 to him than throne of Assyria or sight of his eyes. 
 
 Years afterward, near their vine-clad home 
 among the hills of Palestine, she stood beside the 
 blind chieftain. She had set his face toward the 
 land he had resolved to rule, and her heart swelled 
 almost to bursting while he seemed to gaze at what 
 might have been. Was he really content to live in 
 quiet and with only her? she wondered wistfully. 
 
 The panorama of earthly power and glory passed
 
 356 A Captain of Men 
 
 slowly, bit by bit, before his inner vision. He was 
 long silent, but his voice was altogether cheerful 
 and void of what she had feared when he turned to 
 her, and said : 
 
 " Behold, thou art become my queen and my 
 kingdom of delight, Miriam." 
 
 THE END.
 
 L. C. page and Company's 
 Hnnounccmcnt List 
 of )^cw fiction 
 
 The Flight of Georgiana 
 
 A ROMANCE OF THE DAYS OF THE YOUNG PRETENDER. By 
 ROBERT NEILSON STEPHENS, author of " The Bright Face of 
 Danger," " An Enemy to the King," " The Mystery of 
 Murray Davenport," etc. 
 
 Library i2mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . . $1.50 
 Mr. Stephens's novels all bear the hall-mark of success, 
 for his men are always live, his women are always worthy of 
 their cavaliers, and his adventures are of the sort to stir the 
 most sluggish blood without overstepping the bounds of good 
 taste. 
 
 The theme of the new novel is one which will give Mr. 
 Stephens splendid scope for all the powers at his command. 
 The career of " Bonnie Prince Charlie " was full of romance, 
 intrigue, and adventure; his life was a series of episodes to 
 delight the soul of a reader of fiction, and Mr. Stephens is 
 to be congratulated for his selection of such a promising 
 subject. 
 
 Mrs. Jim and Mrs. Jimmie 
 
 By STEPHEN CONRAD, author of " The Second Mrs. Jim." 
 Library I2mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . . $1.50 
 This new book is in a sense a sequel to " The Second Mrs. 
 Jim," since it gives further glimpses of that delightful step- 
 mother and her philosophy. This time, however, she divides 
 the field with " Mrs. Jimmie," who is quite as attractive in 
 her different way. The book has more plot than the former 
 volume, a little less philosophy perhaps, but just as much 
 wholesome fun. In many ways it is a stronger book, and 
 will therefore take an even firmer hold on the public. 
 
 i
 
 1. C. PAGE AND COMPANY'S 
 
 The Story of Red Fox 
 
 Told by CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS, author of " The Watchers 
 of the Trails," "The Kindred of the Wild," "Barbara 
 Ladd," etc. 
 
 Library I2mo, cloth decorative, with fifty illustrations and 
 cover design by Charles Livingston Bull . . . $2.00 
 
 Mr. Roberts's reputation as a scientifically accurate writer, 
 whose literary skill transforms his animal stories into mas- 
 terpieces, stands unrivalled in his particular field. 
 
 This is his first long animal story, and his romance of Red 
 Fox, from babyhood to patriarchal old age, makes reading 
 more fascinating than any work of fiction. In his hands Red 
 Fox becomes a personality so strong that one entirely forgets 
 he is an animal, and his haps and mishaps grip you as do 
 those of a person. 
 
 Mr. Bull, as usual, fits his pictures to the text as hand to 
 glove, and the ensemble becomes a book as near perfection 
 as it is possible to attain. 
 
 Return 
 
 A STORY OF THE SEA ISLANDS IN 1739. By ALICE MAC- 
 GOWAN and GRACE MACGOWAN COOKE, authors of " The 
 Last Word," etc. With six illustrations by C. D. Williams. 
 Library i2mo, cloth $1-5 
 
 A new romance, undoubtedly the best work yet done by 
 Miss MacGowan and Mrs. Cooke. The heroine of " Return," 
 Diana Chaters, is the belle of the Colonial city of Charles 
 Town, S. C., in the early eighteenth century, and the hero 
 is a young Virginian of the historical family of Marshall. 
 The youth, beauty, and wealth of the fashionable world, which 
 first form the environment of the romance, are pictured in 
 sharp contrast to the rude and exciting life of the frontier 
 settlements in the Georgia Colony, and the authors have 
 missed no opportunities for telling characterizations. But 
 " Return " is, above all, a love-story. 
 
 We quote the opinion of Prof. Charles G. D. Roberts, who 
 has read the advance sheets : " It seems to me a story of 
 quite unusual strength and interest, full of vitality and 
 crowded with telling characters. I greatly like the authors' 
 firm, bold handling of their subject."
 
 Lady Penelope 
 
 By MORLEY ROBERTS, author of " Rachel Marr," " The Pro- 
 motion of the Admiral," etc. With nine illustrations by 
 Arthur W. Brown. 
 
 Library I2mo, cloth $1-5 
 
 Mr. Roberts certainly has versatility, since this book has 
 not a single point of similarity with either " Rachel Marr " 
 or his well-known sea stories. Its setting is the English so- 
 called " upper crust " of the present day. Lady Penelope is 
 quite the most up-to-date young lady imaginable and equally 
 charming. As might be expected from such a heroine, her 
 automobiling plays an important part in the development 
 of the plot. Lady Penelope has a large number of suitors, 
 and her method of choosing her husband is original and pro- 
 vocative of delightful situations and mirthful incidents. 
 
 The Winged Helmet 
 
 By HAROLD STEELE MACKAYE, author of "The Panchron- 
 icon," etc. With six illustrations by H. C. Edwards. 
 
 Library I2mo, cloth $1-5 
 
 When an author has an original theme on which to build 
 his story, ability in construction of unusual situations, skill 
 in novel characterization, and a good literary style, there can 
 be no doubt but that his work is worth reading. " The 
 Winged Helmet " is of this description. 
 
 The author gives in this novel a convincing picture of life 
 in the early sixteenth century, and the reader will be de- 
 lighted with its originality of treatment, freshness of plot, 
 and unexpected climaxes. 
 
 A Captain of Men 
 
 By E. ANSON MORE. 
 
 Library I2mo, cloth, illustrated $1.50 
 
 A tale of Tyre and those merchant princes whose discovery 
 of the value of tin brought untold riches into the country 
 and afforded adventures without number to those daring 
 seekers for the mines. Merodach, the Assyrian, Tanith, the 
 daughter of the richest merchant of Tyre, Miriam, her He- 
 brew slave, and the dwarf Hiram, who was the greatest artist 
 of his day, are a quartette of characters hard to surpass in 
 individuality. It has been said that the powerful order of 
 Free Masons first had its origin in the meetings which were 
 held at Hiram's studio in Tyre, where gathered together the 
 greatest spirits of that age and place.
 
 L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY'S 
 
 The Paradise of the Wild Apple 
 
 By RICHARD LEGALLIENNE, author of "Old Love Stories 
 Retold," " The Quest of the Golden Girl," etc. 
 
 Library i2mo, cloth decorative $1.50 
 
 The theme of Mr. LeGallienne's new romance deals with 
 the instinct of wildness in human nature, the wander spirit 
 and impatience of tame domesticity, the preference for wild 
 flowers and fruits, and the glee in summer storms and ele- 
 mental frolics. A wild apple-tree, high up in a rocky meadow, 
 is symbolic of all this, and Mr. LeGallienne works out in 
 a fashion at once imaginative and serious the romance of a 
 young man well placed from the view of worldly goods and 
 estate, who suddenly hungers for the " wild apples " of his 
 youth. The theme has limitless possibilities, and Mr. Le- 
 Gallienne is artist enough to make adequate use of them. 
 
 The Grapple 
 
 Library I2mo, cloth decorative $1.50 
 
 This story of a strike in the coal mines of Pennsylvania 
 gives both sides of the question, the Union and its methods, 
 and the non-Union workers and their loyal adherents, with 
 a final typical clash at the end. The question is an absorbing 
 one, and it is handled fearlessly. 
 
 For the present at least " The Grapple " will be issued 
 anonymously. 
 
 Brothers of Peril 
 
 By THEODORE ROBERTS, author of " Hemming the Adven- 
 turer." 
 
 Library I2tno, cloth decorative, illustrated . . . $1.50 
 "Brothers of Peril" has an unusual plot, dealing with a 
 now extinct race, the Beothic Indians of the sixteenth cen- 
 tury, who were the original inhabitants of Newfoundland 
 when that island was merely a fishing-station for the cod- 
 seeking fleets of the old world. 
 
 The story tells of the adventures of a young English cav- 
 alier, who, left behind by the fleet, finds another English- 
 man, with his daughter and servants, who is hiding from 
 the law. A French adventurer and pirate, who is an unwel- 
 come suitor for the daughter, plays an important part. En- 
 counters between the Indians and the small colony of white 
 men on shore, and perilous adventures at sea with a shipload 
 of pirates led by the French buccaneer, make a story of 
 breathless interest.
 
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