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diff --git a/42822.txt b/42822.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dca4939..0000000 --- a/42822.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9954 +0,0 @@ - SEMIRAMIS - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: Semiramis - A Tale of Battle and of Love -Author: Edward Peple -Release Date: May 27, 2013 [EBook #42822] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEMIRAMIS *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: She had come into the lion's very lair. (Page 143)] - - - - - SEMIRAMIS - - A Tale of Battle and of Love - - - BY - - *EDWARD PEPLE* - - - - NEW YORK - MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY - 1907 - - - - - Copyright, 1907 - BY MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY - - Published August, 1907 - Reprinted, November, 1907 - - - - - To - "THE LITTLE PADRE" - - - - - CONTENTS - - I. The Raising of the Siege - II. The Building of a City - III. The Governor of Syria - IV. The Fish Goddess - V. A Prayer to Dagon - VI. The Daughter of Derketo - VII. A Master's Kiss - VIII. They that Depart and He that is Left Behind - IX. The Eaglet Nursed by Doves - X. The Lifting of a Tax - XI. The Sandal and the Straws - XII. The Sorrows of a King - XIII. The Skin of a One-Eyed Lion - XIV. The Turn of a Woman's Tongue - XV. An Army on the March - XVI. The Pass of the Wedge - XVII. In the Shadow of Zariaspa - XVIII. The Raisin in a Skin of Vinegar - XIX. The Stratagem - XX. The Flight - XXI. The Riddle of the Secret Way - XXII. Who Ruleth, First Must Rise - XXIII. The Siege - XXIV. The Citadel - XXV. Shifting the Burden - XXVI. The Passing of a Man - XXVII. A Path Which Led to Its Starting Point - XXVIII. The Cry of the Tigress to her Mate - XXIX. When a Woman Ruled the World - XXX. The Desert and the King - XXXI. The Crowning of the Dead - XXXII. A War Queen's Prophecy - - - - - PREFACE. - -The existing history of Assyria's greatest ruler, Semiramis, is so -confounded with the religions and superstitions of the ancients that -little or no authentic fact may be gleaned therefrom. Again, these -legends were handed down from father to son among the Syrians and -imaginative Persians, till finally recorded by the more imaginative -Greeks. These latter gentlemen seemed seldom to allow mere truth to -stand as a stumbling block in their literary paths, but leaped it nimbly -for the entertainment of an admiring world. - -As for poets, they ever sing of Queen Semiramis at a period of her -seasoned age and wickedness, though her "devilish beauty" continued to -abide with her, being wielded as an evil scepter o'er the souls of men; -yet much must be forgiven in a poet, because of that strange inaptitude -of truth for a friendly relationship with meter and with rhyme. - -In every human, however bad, there exists a trace of virtue, even as, on -the other hand, no mortal yet has lived without some blemish of flesh or -mind or heart; thus Nature balances her weird accounts, leaving the -extremes of vice or purity to mythical ideals. - -Given a woman without imagination or originality, and that woman -deserves no credit whatsoever for her righteousness. She exists; she -does not live; for her temptation possesses no attractive lure. Yet -given another woman, of beauty, temper, brains, and for her the battles -of good and evil will be waged till her fires are dead. Her better self -must battle against ambition, passion, the blood of direct inheritance, -the thousand ghostly guides that lead her into perilous ways, while on -the scales of circumstances must hang the issue of her rise or fall. -She must face still other foes, in men who are stronger than -herself--men who seek her charms for weel or woe; for perfect love is a -woman's highest goal, and a man may make or mar it by the mould of his -great or little heart. - -If, therefore, in her later days Semiramis was evil, the fault was not -all her own. She chose her master--not the master of her mind, but the -master of her woman's heart, and to him she gave her all. What wonder, -then, that when her all was filched by lustful treachery, departing -peace awoke a sleeping devil in her blood? - -Great faults had Queen Semiramis, and many, as viewed by enlightened -women from a reach of two thousand years; yet who shall say that evil -would have claimed this splendid savage had fate not raised another -savage to mould her destiny? - -It is not the purpose of this work to present a series of historical -facts, for even the legends of Semiramis are too absurd and fragmentary -to admit of such a hope. Its aim--in emulation of the worthy -Greeks--is, at least, to entertain, albeit a truth or two may now and -again be handled carelessly. It treats of ancient loves and wars, a -tangle of myth and probability--a patch-work, woven into a quilt which, -at worst, may assist the reader in going peacefully to sleep. - -July, 1907. E. P. - - - - - SEMIRAMIS - - - - CHAPTER I - - THE RAISING OF THE SIEGE - - -King Ninus sat his war horse, gazing sadly out across the walls of -Zariaspa. His cheek was bronzed by the brush of many winds, his muscles -hardened by the toil of battle in a hundred lands; the blood of -dauntless youth ran riot in his veins, yet it whispered at his heart -that the King had failed. - -Behind him the mountains of Hindu-Kush towered, dull and purple, in the -morning light, their peaks obscured in coils of snake-like mist. -Southward they ran, a ragged line of hills, till they reached the height -of Hindu-Koh and claimed a brotherhood with the mighty Himalayas. To -right and left the hill-steeps lay, a barren waste of rock and stunted -shrubbery, while at the feet of Assyria's King stretched fertile -valleys, and the plains of Bactria reaching away to the banks of the -River Oxus. - -In the centre of the plain stood Zariaspa, the city which defied -Assyria's might, a fortress whose walls rose thirty cubits above the -earth, grim, battle-scarred, but still unconquered. Within, the -defenders feasted from a never ending store of food which seemed to drop -by magic from the brazen skies, while without, a hungry host of -besieging foes sat, cursing, in the sand. - -So Ninus sat upon his horse in troubled thought, a monarch cheated of -his heart's desire--cheated by craft and prowess more subtle than his -own. To his side rode Menon down a mountain trail, a Prince of the -house of Nairi, now travel-stained from a baffled hunt for the secret of -Zariaspa's store of food. He made report, and Ninus listened, silent, -nodding slowly, frowning at the distant walls. - -In feature and form these two were as oddly matched as the sons of a -kindred race might be. The King was of massive frame and corded thews, -a leader of men who ruled by the right of might, who offered to those he -loved an open hand--to his enemies a hard-clenched fist. Haughty of -mien was he, with the eyes of a restless hawk burning beneath the shadow -of his brow; his strong, square chin lay hidden in his beard, while from -his helm swept a mass of hair, resting in thick, oiled curls upon his -shoulders. - -The Prince beside him was but a boy in years, with a beardless face of -beauty to look upon, a slender, nimble frame, yet hardened in the school -of hunting and of war. Where Fate was pleased to mark his path, there -Menon[#] rode with a loose, free rein, mocking at danger as he played at -love, yet scorning not discretion's padded shield. - -[#] This name is known to modern writers as Onnes or Cannes, but the -historian Diodorus called him Menon and this name has been used by the -author throughout. - -Where Ninus smashed his way through the bristling ranks of opposing -force, Menon skimmed in crafty circles till he found the weakest point, -then cut it cleanly, as the swallow cuts the wind. Where Ninus frowned -and crushed obedience to his will, there Menon bought devotion's -merchandise with the price of a joyous laugh; yet the boy, withal, had -need to lean upon the arm of power, while the King was a king from helm -to heel, a lord to whom his mighty armies gave idolatry and the tribute -of their blood. - -"Menon," spoke the King at length, as he pointed across the plain to -Zariaspa, "I have sworn by Bel and Raman to lay yon city low, to sack it -to the dust of its whitest ash. Thinkest thou we may some day cease to -squat in the manner of toads outside its walls?" - -"Aye, my lord," the Prince returned, with a fleeting smile, "some -day--when the toads have learned to fly." - -King Ninus nodded thoughtfully, and with his fingers combed at his -thick, black beard. - -"True," he answered, "true; and yet we soon will be upon the wing. Look -thou and listen." Again he pointed, not at the city's walls, but to the -monster camp which circled Zariaspa as a girdle rests about a woman's -waist. "See, Menon, thy King hath learned to fly." - -Now even as he spoke, the besieging army woke as from a heavy sleep. On -the gentle wind came a clank and clatter of swiftly gathered arms, the -squeak of wheels and the harsh, shrill cries of captains to their men. -At first the sound was faint and far, a whispered echo through the -morning mists; yet anon it multiplied and swelled into a busy roar, as -the vanguard of Assyria's hosts turned tail upon their enemies and -crawled toward the southern mountain-pass. - -Menon, like the King, gazed out across the plain, but in wonder and -amaze, then raised his eyes to his master's frowning face. Twice he -strove to speak, and twice fell silent, turning again to the marvel of -Assyria's army in retreat. - -"My lord--" he began at last, but Ninus checked him with a lifted hand. - -"Nay, Menon," the master sighed, "thy soul is troubled because of the -strangeness of this thing; yet heed me and know the cause. My heart is -still for battle, yet the heart hath taken council of the mind, and -wisdom soundeth my retreat." - -The King dismounted from his steed, leading the Prince to a seat upon a -stone which overlooked a wider view of the breaking camp. He placed his -arm in fatherly caress on Menon's shoulder, and spoke once more: - -"My warriors have called their chief a god." He paused to smile behind -his beard, and for an instant sat in reverie. "Now godhood hath its -virtues so long as it leadeth unto victory and beds of ease; yet this -have I learned, and to my woe, that a pot of boiling grease poured down -from a city's wall will scald a god as it scaldeth a naked slave. -Defeat is mortal; gods bring victory alone, and my faithful followers -begin to mutter among themselves." - -Again King Ninus paused in reverie, then stretched his knotted arm -toward the stubborn city. - -"Three years have we girded Zariaspa's walls and battered at its -masonry. Three years! and what hath been compassed in these weary days? -We scrape an hundred-weight of scales from off the stones, and sacrifice -a third of an army's strength to the sport of our laughing enemies. Our -shafts are as swarms of harmless gnats, our lances reeds in the hands of -girls; our mightiest engines toys at which the foemen crow and chuckle -in their merriment. From the Oxus to the hills we harry the land in -search of food, while the Bactrians fatten as they loll upon their -battlements. Aye, meat have they, the which they devour in lazy -arrogance, tossing the bones thereof at our hungry men below! Whence -cometh this vast supply? From Bel or Gibil, it matters not; they gorge -themselves, and laugh! Five score spies have I sent by craft into the -city, and five score spies have they hanged upon the walls! By the -breath of Shamashi-Raman, it rouseth me to wrath!" - -The King arose and set to striding in fury to and fro, while Menon -forbore to question him, knowing that if his master willed he would -speak in time. - -"And so," sighed Ninus, pausing at last beside the boy, "and so will we -journey westward for a space, to conquer other and weaker lands, to -fatten my army with the fruits of spoil, to help them forget that a god -hath failed. When this be compassed, then will I rest from war beside -the Tigris where my city shall be builded in the sand--a city, Menon, -the like of which no eye hath yet beheld--a fortress beside whose -strength this little Zariaspa is but a nut to crack beneath thy heel. -And there will I set my court and hold dominion over all the world--hold -it, till men and the children of men shall wear my footstool smooth with -the pressure of their knees!" - -The monarch's bosom heaved in wrapt desire; his dark eyes kindled with a -flame inspired, as he raised them toward the clouds. As a prophet he -saw this pearl of glory rise from out the wilderness. He saw its -monster walls, surmounted by a thousand and a half a thousand soaring -towers. In fancy he fashioned gleaming palaces and sumptuous banquet -halls. He dreamed of gardens drowsing in the cool of spreading palms, -where a king might rest from the toil of his lion-hunt; he heard the -splash of fountains murmuring through the long blue night, till the -torch of morning lit his terraces, and the grapes of Syria ripened to -his hand. He watched in triumph from his palace roof the vast brown -city stretching at his feet, while the echoed roar of its busy din -climbed upward in waves of melody. He heard the clang of its mighty -gates of bronze that opened to the commerce of the earth--that opened -again to the outrush of his war-armed hosts, a thousand nations melted -into one grand hammer-head that rose and fell in obedience to his -lightest nod. - -"And because of this city," King Ninus cried aloud, "the peoples of -every land shall hold my memory till the passing ages rot, for I swear -to mount it on a deathless throne and crown it with the splendour of my -name! Up, Menon, and journey with thy King to NINEVEH!" - -And thus was born that Nineveh which rode astride the world, to fall at -last, as falls the pride of power, and find its grave in the dust from -whence it sprung--to lie forgotten in a mouldy crypt of dreams, till the -peoples who slipped from the womb of another age swarmed forth to dig -again--to spell out a kingdom's vanished glories from the symbols of a -vanished tongue. - -Menon and the King rode down into the valley and across the plain to -where the great war-serpent of Assyria began to uncoil itself and crawl -toward the west. For the space of a moon the joyless work went on. The -camps of horse and foot were struck, the rude utensils and heavier arms -being strapped to the backs of beasts of burden, while an hundred -thousand chariots were hitched and deployed across the plains. -Cumberous engines for the hurling of heavy stones were dragged from -beneath the city walls, to be burned and destroyed, or hauled through -gaps in the distant mountain range by lowing oxen and toiling, sweating -slaves. The warriors set torches to the huts and houses behind their -trenches, and a roar of flames was added to the bustling din of moving -men-at-arms. Great columns of spark-shot smoke arose, to roll above the -city in a suffocating cloud--to choke the defenders who coughed and -crowded along the battlements. As each dense mass of besiegers passed, -the Bactrianas set up shouts and songs of victory, while they hurled -their taunts, together with flights of shafts and stones, at the -growling, cursing enemy below. - -From day to day the scene was one of turbulence and haste, a jumble of -groaning carts and provision trains, of swiftly formed battalions -passing westward on the run, to join the vanguard and be lost in a cloud -of thick, low-hanging dust. And thus an hundred nations trickled into -order through the teeming ruck, each yelling in its native tongue as it -flung defiance back at Zariaspa; while above the rumbling tramp of -myriads of feet rose the blare of countless signal horns. - -When the last day dawned, King Ninus marshalled an array to bid farewell -to his jeering foes. Where he faced the city gates, a thousand chariots -were formed in a curving, triple line, with steeds whose polished -trappings glittered in the sun, their drivers giants picked from the -flower of his force. The wings were shaped by cavalry, dark-visaged -riders from the south, in turbans and flowing robes, while a horde of -footmen were massed behind. Here were seen the harnessed tribes that -bowed to Assyria's rule; Indian bowmen, with weapons fashioned from -bones of saurians; spearsmen from Babylonia, archers from the north; -grim swordsmen from the Upper and Lower Nile, bearing their shields of -painted bronze; wild slingers from the Syrian hills, half clothed in the -skins of beasts; Afghans, sullen Khatti, proud Armenians in solid, -bristling ranks--the warriors of the world who had swept all Asia as -with a flame, yet failed to drag the walls of Zariaspa down. - -In the centre of the curving front King Ninus sat his war horse -silently; on his right rode Menon, while on his left a mounted herald -waited for command. The monarch gave a sign; the stern battalia -advanced, to halt within an arrow-shot of the city gates; then the -herald raised his voice, demanding audience with Oxyartes, King of -Bactria. - -Now the Bactrians on the walls, suspecting some deceitful snare, -answered the summons with hoots and laughter, with the mimic howls of -animals and the mocking crow of cocks. A cloud of arrows fell like -drops of rain, galling the restive chariot steeds, while a captain on -the wall released the beam of a catapult. A monster rock came hurtling -through the air, to strike the earth within a spear's length of the King -and crash through the triple line of chariots; whereat a mighty roar of -rage went up, the clamour growing into fury, till Ninus wheeled his -horse and gave a sharp command. At his word, the centre of the line -began to bend in a deeper curve, divided at last, and two great columns -of horse and foot streamed westward toward the hills, while the rumbling -chariots, twelve abreast, brought up the rear. - -With Menon alone King Ninus sat motionless upon his steed till his -warriors left the space of a thousand paces clear; then he rode to the -gate and struck it sharply with the hilt of his heavy sword. - -"Come forth, King Oxyartes!" he cried aloud. "Come forth!" - -Now the people of Bactria loved a fearless man, be he enemy or friend, -so they cheered him till the city rocked with the thunder of their -shouts, and Oxyartes stood out upon the battlements. - -"What would Ninus of the King of Bactria?" he called; and Ninus -answered, albeit he lifted not his eyes: - -"It is not meet that the lord of Assyria hold speech with fowls who -roost in trees. Come down and parley, King to King." - -A bowman from above took umbrage at the haughty tone, and loosed a shaft -which broke upon the monarch's metal helm, yet because of this deed King -Oxyartes seized the miscreant and flung him from the wall. Then he -called for a rope which, being brought, was looped beneath his arms, and -his warriors lowered him to the earth, for the city gates were sealed. -In his hand he held a naked sword, and Ninus noting this laughed -scornfully, dismounted and cast his weapon on the ground, awaiting his -enemy with folded arms. The Bactrian flushed in shame, flung his own -blade aside, and advanced with outstretched hands. - -"Pardon, my lord," he begged. "With one so strange to fear, I might -have brought my trust as I brought my sword." - -"Nay," smiled Ninus; "where the sword is wisdom, there caution is a -shield." - -Oxyartes was of that mould of warrior which Ninus loved; the straight, -lean form, the kingly head beneath whose brow the eyes looked out with a -level gaze, while the hands he offered were firm in the strength of -youth--a fitting shield for the heart of his sturdy land. - -"And why," he asked, "am I honoured by a parley with Assyria's lord, -when his army marcheth westward in retreat?" - -King Ninus laid his hand upon the Bactrian's shoulder, looked into his -eyes, and spoke: - -"I come to bid farewell to a worthy foe, ere I turn toward the Tigris -where my city shall be builded on its shore. There will I rest and plan -my coming wars. There will I raise another and a mightier force, to -return when three short years have passed and blot thy city from the -plains. Ah, smile if thou wilt, friend Oxyartes, but I come again, and -at my coming, look well to Zariaspa's walls!" - -So Oxyartes ceased to smile, casting his gaze upon the earth, for he -knew his foe spoke truth and would come again. - -"My lord," he asked at length, "wherefore should our races be at war? -In the country round about I may not match thy multitude of men-at-arms; -yet behind my battlements I defy thy proudest strength. Wisdom crieth -out for truce, a compact wherein I weld my force with thine and share -all conquests and a portion of the spoil thereof. Speak, Ninus, for the -compact seemeth just." - -"True," the monarch nodded gravely, "true; and yet I may not do this -thing. When Bactria is conquered and thy citadel laid low, then will I -make a treaty with thy nation's chiefs. They shall join their strength -to mine and share a goodly part of my captives and my spoils." He -paused to smile, and once more laid his hand on the shoulder of -Oxyartes. "Their warrior King will I set among my best beloved, for I -hold him as a brother in the arts of war; yet heed me, friend, I have -sworn by Bel and Raman to rake the ashes of thy Zariaspa into sacks and -with them feed the waters of the sea! And this will I do, or leave my -bones to bleach beneath the brow of Hindu-Kush! Till I come -again--farewell." - -Then Oxyartes embraced the Assyrian king, begging him to tarry for a day -as an honored guest, to feast and receive the richest gifts his kingdom -might afford; but Ninus smiled and shook his head. - -"Nay, suffer me to treasure up the thought," he answered with a laugh, -"yet keep thy gifts till I come to take them for myself." - -"So be it," smiled the Bactrian in return. "Three years of peace thou -givest me, and in them will I dig the grave of Assyria's lord in the -shadow of frowning Kush! Farewell!" - -He stooped and gave the sword of Ninus into the monarch's hand, stroked -the charger's neck till its master mounted, then watched the King and -Menon ride away across the sunlit plains. - -Not once did Ninus give a backward glance, yet Menon wheeled his steed -and kissed his hand to a gathering of maidens watching from the -battlements. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE BUILDING OF A CITY - - -The Assyrian host dragged westward till it wormed its way through -notches in the mountain range, descended the further slopes, then fared -upon its way. It split at last into lesser armies, each beneath the -leadership of a trusted chief, each charged with a separate mission of -its own. One force swung north, to harry the shores of the Black and -Caspian seas and to levy tribute for the building of the city. Another -force went south through the plains and valleys of Armenia, while still -another fared afar to the Sea of the Setting Sun. Here fleets of -Phoenician merchantmen were seized and pressed into the service of the -King, for in the eyes of Ninus a nation's traffic was but a paltry thing -till Nineveh should be. These ships sailed out toward the delta of the -Nile, presently to return with swarms of Egyptian workers, together with -their cutting-tools of bronze, their winches and their levers used in -the wielding of mighty weights. Ten score thousand riders spread forth -through every land and every tribe, summoning workers by pay or -promises; and where a tribe rebelled, Assyria's warriors herded them -like sheep toward one central hub of toil. - -King Ninus himself sat down upon the river bank where the waters of the -Tigris and the Khusur join, and here he wrought his plans. A band of -men went northward to the forest lands, felled trees, and split them -into boards with which they fashioned a fleet of wide flat boats. These -boats, propelled by sweeps and pushing-poles, were manned by Phoenicia's -sons, for Assyria knew no more of ship-craft than hillsmen know the -camel's back; yet Ninus employed the skill of others in his self -appointed task. While the boats were being builded, he marked the line -of his city wall in the form of a mighty egg, full twenty leagues -around; then the King began to dig. - -He caused two trenches to be sunk, the one within the other; the outer -trench being twenty cubits wide and ten in depth, while the inner trench -was shallower, but of greater width. These he flooded by means of the -river Khusur, forming two vast canals, with a ring of earth between -whereon should rest the walls of Nineveh. Then the whole wide world, it -seemed, was set a-making bricks. - -On the Tigris river-flats, above and below the city site, a million -workers toiled by night and day--warrior, captive, slave, King Ninus -cared not, so he moulded bricks. These bricks were fashioned from river -mud brought down by inundation, the mud commingled with straw and the -fiberous parts of reeds to give it strength, and were set to bake in the -heat of the summer sun. - -Later these river flats would be employed for the making of other -bricks--the kiln-baked bricks which were glazed and tinted with every -color known to men, designed for the facing of temples and of palaces; -but now the work went on for the city wall alone. And yet not quite -alone, for in the centre of the city's line, where the Khusur cut the -site in twain, the King erected a monster mound whereon his royal palace -would one day sit; then on the summit of the mound he builded a -watch-tower, and abode therein. Here, beneath a shading canopy, the -master-builder sat from dawn till dark, watching his work, for he had -sworn a sacred oath to indulge in neither hunt nor war till Nineveh was -Nineveh. - -And now he saw the budding of his dream. From the Tigris banks and up -the Khusur came his flatboats, piled high with bricks; they floated on -his two canals, supplying the workers who builded the wall between. In -time this inner canal would disappear, being filled with earth, but the -outer trench would ever remain, to serve as a moat which girt the city -round about. - -Like unto ants the workers swarmed beneath the eye of Ninus on his -tower, yet every little insect moved in lines marked out by patient -thought. The well-nigh countless throng was divided into ordered gangs, -each gang provided with an over-chief who urged his laborers by word of -mouth or the lash of whips. Beneath the tower sat a ring of mounted -men-at-arms who galloped forth with orders of the King, or brought -report from points too distant for his eye to scan; for the builder -willed his work to grow, not with gaps or breaks, but as one splendid -whole, each section of the wall arising in conformity with its brother -parts, until a straight, unvaried line should mount each day toward the -sky. - -From dawn till dark the robe of Ninus fluttered on the tower's crest--a -banner of warning to those who shirked their toil. Where diligence grew -slack from weariness, or the work of a section fell behind, a -man-at-arms spurred out toward the offending gang, to strike off the -head of its over-chief and cast his body into an empty boat. Presently -this boat, on its outward journey for a load of bricks, would drop the -corpse into the Tigris, and another chief was set in the sleeper's -place. - -Beyond the wall the army of Assyria lay encamped, yet active beneath the -rule of Menon and his chiefs. A kingdom in itself it was, whence -recruits were drilled and trained to combat with the veteran warriors; -whence engines of offense were builded against the day when Zariaspa -again would suffer siege; whence foraying bands went forth to gather -grain and fruits, likewise sheep and cattle, wherewith to feed the -multitudes of slaves and soldiery. It was here deserters from the wall -were caught and crucified in sight of those who harboured thoughts -displeasing to the King; for Ninus punished, not in impotent gusts of -rage, but rather with that cold precision of a master-mind. And because -of these things his work went on apace. - -When the wall had risen twenty cubits above its base, the King contrived -from his inner trench a myriad of intersecting channels converging -toward his central mound. Through these he conveyed material for the -laying of his streets, for the erection of houses and the temples unto -Ishtar, the fire-god Gibil, and the temple of his great Lord Asshur upon -the hill. The royal palace would be modeled last of all, for the mind -of Ninus, released from other cares, might give its power to the -grandeur of his halls, to their splendour of adornment wherein the arts -of an hundred nations would be taxed to lend them glory. - -And now the deep-tongued voice of labour swelled in volume, rolling -upward in incessant waves of melody to where the King sat smiling on his -tower. He listened to the roar of sharp command, commingled with the -answering cries of slaves and the groan of laden carts. Far out across -the plain he spied a train of sleds, each drawn by a thousand men, and -creeping inch by inch through tawny sands; from the quarries in the -south they bore huge blocks of basalt wherefrom strange effigies would -be carven in the likeness of gods, of lions and of winged bulls. Beyond -the wall King Ninus heard the humming din of Assyria's hosts encamped, -the clank of arms and the rumbling tread of horse and foot. Within, he -listened to the whine of ropes, to the creak of hoisting-cranes which -lifted a world of brick and swung like living tentacles above the -sweating pigmies down below. He heard the songs of boatmen on his black -canals, a droning air that rose and fell, stilling the harsher cries of -labour's pain, and seeming to chant the kingly builder's praise. - -The heat of the summer sun poured down, a pitiless, parching blaze, -while a horde of delvers bowed beneath their lashes and their loads. -They staggered at their tasks, each praying to his gods for the shades -of night to fall, when he slept like a beaten dog till dawn awoke him to -another hell of toil. - -And thus fair Nineveh grew, as if by magic, from the dust, the while a -master-devil watched it from his tower. And the heart of Ninus swelled -within him and was glad. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - THE GOVERNOR OF SYRIA - - -King Ninus, grandson of the mighty Shalmaneser, mounted his throne in -youth, a throne which ruled a kingdom run to seed through the slothful -reign of Shamashi-Raman; yet as his grandsire's heart had beat for war -alone, so beat the heart of Ninus, resting not till the glory of Assyria -flamed forth again. - -From the city of Kalah, crumbling in decay, he began his little -conquests, conquering his neighbors and joining their strength to his, -making them friends and allies rather than slaves who bowed beneath a -yoke of might. He moulded their uncouth valor into ordered rule, -exchanging their clumsy weapons for his better tools of war, till, -presently, an army raised its head from out the mud of ignorance. A -conquered people, so long as they paid him tribute and kept their -covenants, were left in peace, their gods untroubled, their temples -sacred to their own desires; but should they revolt, then Ninus and his -grim, unpitying host returned, to leave their cities smouldering heaps -upon the plain, the heads of their chiefs set up on poles by way of -warning to all who entertained a similar unrest. - -And thus, like ever widening circles in a pool, the Assyrian Empire grew -apace, until at length its confines stretched away, even to the shores -of the Sea of the Setting Sun. Beneath the rule of Ninus bowed Media -and Armenia, the roving, battle-loving Khatti, Tyre, Sidon, Edom and -Philistia. Proud Babylon was once more wedded to Assyria, albeit she -ever scratched and bit in the manner of fractious and unwilling wives. -Damascus fell, a feat which even Shalmaneser failed to compass, and the -peaceful fields of Syria were overrun, their cattle eaten by the hungry -conquerors. The dwellers on the shores of the Black and Caspian seas -were subject to the sway of Ninus, and Egypt paid him endless tribute in -precious metals and shields and swords of bronze. - -And yet two kingdoms lay as stumbling blocks in the path of Assyria's -power. The one was Bactria, a land whose armies, beaten in the field, -took refuge behind the massive walls of Zariaspa, defying siege for -three long years, their turrets lined with well-fed, jeering -men-at-arms. - -The other unconquered kingdom was Arabia, ruled by a wily Prince, by the -name Boabdul Ben Hutt, who chose a saddle for his throne, his sceptre a -loose-sheathed scimitar. This country abounded in a breed of swiftest -steeds which wrought King Ninus to the verge of mad desire; yet the -prize was beyond his grasp, like the fruit of a palm whose trunk he -could neither fell nor climb. And more; its inner kernel was protected -by a circling rind of desertland, far deadlier than a force of a million -warriors. Moreover this kingdom stood in constant menace to the plans of -Ninus, and so soon as an adjacent country was subdued and the armies -marched to further wars, a cloud of dusky riders would descend in a -swirling rush of sand, to obliterate the tracks of Assyria's patient -toil. - -Report came now to Ninus as he sat upon his tower, and vexed him till he -fain would crucify the messengers of evil tidings. The horsemen of -Boabdul were troubling Syria with the points of spears, devouring the -fattest flocks and bearing off rich spoils which the King desired in the -building of his city. For an hour King Ninus combed his beard in -thought, then sent for Menon and spread before him a feast of fruits and -wine. - -"Menon," spoke the King, when the feast was done, "to-morrow shalt thou -journey down into Arabia and seal a covenant with our worthy foe, Prince -Boabdul Ben Hutt." - -Menon stared and set his goblet on the board. - -"A covenant?" he asked in wonder, for he feared lest he had not heard -aright. - -"Aye, a covenant of peace," King Ninus nodded gravely; "for, heed thee, -fools alone make war upon the birds of flight, while a wise man feedeth -them from his store of grain, in that they fatten against a time of -need." Menon smiled, and the King spoke on: "Go thou, then, unto -Arabia, seek out Boabdul and bear him gifts which I now make ready. -Offer them together with the love and fellowship of Assyria's lord, and -call him brother in my name. Seal, thou, a covenant whose bonds provide -that we trespass not upon one another's lands; that in all new -conquests, wherein he lendeth aid, a half of the spoils thereof shall be -his part. In turn, Arabia may call upon the arm of Ninus for the -smiting of her enemies, and the lands subdued shall be divided in two -equal shares. Accede to such demands of the noble Prince as wisdom and -justice may advocate, yet upon one point hold fast as a buck-hound's -grip, though the treaty come to grief because of it." - -"And that?" asked Menon, still marvelling at the master's tone. - -"Stallions!" cried the King, as he struck the table with his hairy fist. -"These must I have, to add to the glory of my stud, to draw my chariots -and to fill the stalls of my stables here at Nineveh. Look to it, -Menon, three thousand steeds of the noblest stock will Boabdul send each -year; and for the which he may ask his price in maidens or other -merchandise. The steeds, my friend, the godly steeds of Barbary!" - -For a space the King and his faithful general spoke thoughtfully of -matters pertaining to the truce, then Menon rose to take his leave; but -Ninus detained him further. - -"When the covenant shall be sealed," said he, "send messengers with the -terms thereof to my allies in the South; likewise dispatch a trusty -courier to me, then journey into Syria. In Syria thou wilt wait upon -its Governor, one Surbat by name, a drowsy man who ruleth with the -wisdom of a sheep. Send me his head; and when he, thus, shall be -removed from office, rule thou in his stead--yet wisely and with -wakefulness." - -Menon's cheeks grew red with pride at the honours which his master was -about to heap upon him, and he would have fallen to his knees in -gratitude, but the King restrained him. - -"Nay, listen," said he, "the hills of Syria are fat with the fat of -plenty, their vast tribes rich in cattle and in sheep, while Ninus hath -grievous need of food in the building of his city. Pinch them with tax, -my son, till their veins run dry, yet spare their skins that they puff -again for a later need. I, myself, will send a messenger unto Surbat, -advising him of my will in the change of rule, albeit as to the smiting -of his neck, I will leave it till thou comest on him suddenly." - -Once more Menon sought to sink upon his knee, but Ninus took his hands -and raised him, saying, with a smile: - -"Nay, spare thy thanks till the lion's hide is dried; for, remember, I -send thee down to Syria for Surbat's head. Rule boldly, but with craft, -lest perchance I may some day send for still another head. And now, -farewell." - -Menon journeyed down the Tigris in a barge whose sweeps were manned by -swart Phoenicians; and beside the guard accompanying him, there were -certain slaves who bore provisions and the royal gifts for Arabia's -Prince. By day and night they travelled swiftly till they came to the -town of Kutha, where they crossed by land to the Euphrates and embarked -in another boat. Thence they floated for many days on the current of -this muddy stream, and rested at last by Burwar, a league below the site -where Babylon, the Queen of Cities, would some day rise. Here they -dispatched an Arab messenger unto Boabdul Ben Hutt, and sat down to wait -the pleasure of the Prince and an escort through the desertlands. - -At length the escort came, a band of turbaned savages who stole like -ghosts across the sands on the backs of lurching camels; whose weapons -and trappings gave no sound; whose visages were hardened to the breath -of heated winds and the sting of burning dust. Their Sheik bade Menon -welcome in his master's name, and strapped the gifts of Ninus on a -vicious lead-beast's hump. He mounted the leader and seven of his -men-at-arms, but the others, together with the slaves and servants, he -commanded to remain behind. - -There were those of Menon's guard who sat uneasy in their seats, because -of the strangeness in the gait of these awsome beasts; and one, when his -camel floundered from its knees, clutched wildly at nothing and pitched -headlong to the earth, to arise from the dust with curses, amid the -laughter of the Bedouins. - -Now it is not good to mock at a Babylonian in distress, so he, one -Babus, nursed a certain soreness of his pride which was like to bring -the cause of Menon into bitter stress, yet the time was not yet come. - -For the space of eleven days the cavalcade fared westward through the -trackless wastes, the sky a brazen lake of fire, the plains a tawny, -dizzy sea that seemed to heave with endless waves of sand. In the hours -of noon they rested long beneath the shade of canopies, and slept; then -took up their flight again, to shiver through the cool of night when a -huge moon leapt with wondrous suddenness from beneath the world and -raced away along his curving, star-lit path. And thus they journeyed -till the dawn of the twelfth red day, when Menon spied the fringe of a -green oasis as it rose from the desert's rim. Like a cool, sweet -dewdrop it seemed to lie in the core of a yellow leaf, and after a weary -ride at quickened pace the travellers came upon the outposts of -Boabdul's camp. - -Here the Assyrians were conducted into tents of skins, that of Menon -being sumptuous in appointment; it was deep, commodious, and provided -with silent slaves to wait upon the chieftain's needs. One servant bore -a cooling draught of wine, while another prepared a bath--a tub devised -of a camel's hide supported on stakes which were driven in the earth. -The juice of the grape was sweet to Menon's swollen tongue, but the bath -was like unto the spirit of a loved one who took him in her arms and -kissed away his weariness. In the water he lingered listlessly, at -rest, at peace, while his thirsty pores drank in the precious moisture; -then a black attendant clothed him in a filmy robe, and a rich repast -was spread. There were dates and figs, with cakes of pounded grain; -there was wine in jeweled cups, and melons chilled in the depths of -Boabdul's wells. The Assyrian ate and was satisfied, then sank upon a -couch, to slumber dreamlessly throughout the day, throughout the night, -till at dawn the tingling blood ran knocking at his heart with the -message that he lived again. - -When, once more he had eaten and was conducted from his tent, Menon -found the camp astir with the life and bustle of moving warriors, of -shifting sentinels, and horsemen who led their steeds to water and -provided feed. Through groves of palms he could see a vast array of -tents which stretched away to the uttermost edges of the green oasis, -while on the plains beyond white clouds of riders wheeled and darted to -and fro. The great red sun arose, and with its coming Menon and his -men-at-arms were led before Arabia's Prince. - -Boabdul Ben Hutt stood waiting in the opening of his royal tent, a youth -of lordly mien, with a proud, disdainful beauty stamped upon his -beardless face. About his head was wound the folds of a milk-white -turban whose tall aigret was caught in the clasp of a splendid emerald. -His robe was wrought with precious gems and threads of gold, while a -jeweled scimitar swung from his studded belt. - -In Assyria's tongue he greeted Menon and his followers, bidding them -welcome to his couch and board, for the Prince was schooled in the -speech of many lands. He questioned them as to the health of the King, -their master, and sought to know if the messengers had rested from their -tedious march; and then, when the rind of courtesy was pealed away, -Boabdul demanded that the meat of Assyria's quest be laid upon the -palate of his understanding. - -So Menon spoke as Ninus had desired, calmly, craftily, setting forth the -marked advantage of a union with his lord. He touched with truth upon -Assyria's wants, yet pointed out Arabia's crying needs. He laid the -terms of treaty before the Prince till the scales of justice balanced to -a grain of sand; then, he called Boabdul brother in his monarch's name -and asked for stallions from the plains of Barbary. - -The Arab listened in the patience of his race, albeit a frown of anger -now rode upon his brow, while his fingers fluttered about the hilt of -his keen-edged scimitar. When Menon ceased to speak Boabdul spurned the -gifts of Ninus with his foot and loosed the bridle of his fiery tongue. - -"What!" he stormed. "Is Arabia's Prince an owl? Shall he blink at the -glory of Assyria's sun, while foxes pluck out feathers from his tail? -My stallions! No! Go back to thy master who would pillage where he -conquereth not, and lead him a bridled jackal for his stud. Go! Say -that Boabdul knoweth not a brother of his name, and bear him as my gift -thy two palms heaped with dust!" - -A close-packed ring of Bedouins girt the messengers round about, and -those who understood passed whispered words to their fellow warriors, -till soon a threatening murmur rose, and many a scimitar itched to leave -its sheath. - -Now Babus, the Babylonian--he whose pride was sore because of his fall -from the camel's back--spoke out unbidden and flung a taunt in the teeth -of the angry Prince, whereat an Arab impaled the offender on his lance, -so that Babus writhed upon the earth, and died. The Assyrian guard -would have drawn their swords to avenge the stroke, and of a certainty -would have lost their lives and marred their master's truce, but Menon -wheeled upon them with a word of sharp command. - -"Peace!" he cried. "The mouth of a braying ass is closed with the dust -which wise Boabdul sendeth as a gift to Ninus." He paused, to set a -chain of gold about the neck of the Arab who had wrought the deed, then -turned to the Prince with palms held downward. "See, my lord," he -smiled, "my hands are empty now. What, then, shall I bear to Ninus who -waiteth at Nineveh for a seal of truce?" - -"The jackal!" flashed Boabdul. "Bear him that!" - -"Nay," spoke Menon, pointing to the corpse of Babus at his feet, "thy -second gift will I also put to use in devouring the flesh of this fallen -fool, whom my lord will forget, aye, even as a generous Prince forgeteth -wrath." - -The Bedouins nodded among themselves and smiled, for they loved the turn -of a crafty tongue, yet the Prince ceased not to scowl. - -"And why," he asked, "if Ninus would call me brother of his heart, doth -Ninus not come in person to my tents, or seek a council on some middle -ground?" - -"Because," replied the messenger, "he buildeth a city on the Tigus -river-bank; a city so vast that none save he alone may direct the -rearing of its walls and palaces." - -"Oho!" the Arab scoffed. "So the master thatcheth huts, and sendeth a -hired servant where he dare not risk the peril of his neck." - -Menon flushed, but checked a hot retort upon his lips, and held the eyes -of Prince Boabdul in a level gaze. - -"Aye, truly," he answered, with a slow, unangered speech, "I am but an -humble servant of my King; and yet I lead his hosts to battle, even as -thou, my lord, lead those of thine honored father, whom I learn, with -sorrow, is too infirm by reason of his years to bear the stress of war." - -Again the Bedouins murmured among themselves, but now in approval of the -Assyrian's words, yet Boabdul checked them with a frowning glance, and -their tongues were stilled. - -Of a truth the Prince was pleased in secret at the covenant which Ninus -offered, yet would not seem too eager of his own desires. Therefore he -feigned a marked disfavor to the plan, in hope that the treaty might -lean more lightly on the shoulders of Arabia. - -"And this master of thine," he asked, with a dash of scorn, "is he then -so high in power that the world must kneel before his kingly nod? Is he -mightier than I, Boabdul Ben Hutt, who sweepeth the land with sword and -flame? who ruleth from the desert to the lip of the western sea and -balanceth a kingdom on the edge of his whetted scimitar? Speak, servant -of thy King! Would Ninus face me, man to man, and still be conqueror?" - -"As to that," smiled Menon, openly, "I may not say. Long have I known -my master as a father and a friend, yet remember not that he boasted of -his deeds." - -Now the words of Menon were the words of bald untruth, for Ninus was a -very prince of braggarts, causing a record of his feats of arms to be -graven on mighty tablets, the which were designed for the wondering eyes -of men who should follow after him. But Menon was unafraid, and the -sting of his calm reproof was as a spur in the flanks of the Arab's -rage. - -"I would to my gods," he cried, "that this builder of huts were here at -hand, in that I prove a weapon on his teeth!" - -"Alas!" sighed Menon, "he is far away at Nineveh, where he trusteth some -day to receive Boabdul as his honoured guest." - -"And thou," the Arab sneered; while he trembled with fury because of the -other's unruffled mien, "thou who bearest the terms of this foolish -truce and shieldeth thy master's insolence, wilt thou dare face me, -afoot or astride a steed?" - -"Aye," said Menon, as he took Boabdul's measure thoughtfully; "if -thereby our treaty may be sealed--with all my heart." - -"Come!" cried the Arab fiercely. "Come cross thy blade with mine; and -if I fall, the treaty shall be made in accord with the covenants set -forth. If not, a second council shall be held, whereat thy King shall -sue for peace upon his knees." - -Beneath the shade of date-palms a circle of warriors was formed, and in -its centre the two prepared to battle for the terms of truce. Their -robes were laid aside lest the folds become entangled with their legs, -and they stood forth naked except for waist cloths girt about their -loins. The Arab was lean and wiry to the litheness of a cat, with -corded thews that lay in knots upon his dusky skin. The Assyrian's -flesh, though pale with the tint of a northern clime, was firm and hard, -its muscles rippling smoothly with the movement of his limbs. He was -taller and of longer reach, well schooled in the arts of war, and -possessed of a lynx-eyed watchfulness as a match to the speed of his -nimbler foe. - -Boabdul wielded his curving scimitar, which was weighted at its point, -and held a tiny target upon his arm in easy grace, while Menon was armed -with a shield of bronze and a heavy two-edged sword, the gifts of -Memetis, an Egyptian prince held hostage at the court of Ninus. - -For a moment the two stood motionless, each striving to note a weakness -in the other's guard, each ready for thrust or parry should an opening -chance; then the Arab crouched and began to move in circles round and -round. Menon, making a pivot of his heel, turned slowly with his -hawk-like adversary, presenting a steady front to every point of menace -or attack, and daring the Arab with his smiling eyes. Of a sudden -Boabdul feinted with an under-thrust, recovered, and lashed out wickedly -at Menon's head; yet the scimitar only rasped along the edge of a -waiting sword, and the Arab bounded back beyond the danger line. Again -and again he sought an opening, and was met by a steady, cool defense, -while the watching Bedouins and Assyrian men-at-arms cheered lustily for -their champions. - -Stung by repeated failure, Boabdul's blood ran hot within his veins, and -the battle waxed in fierceness and in speed. As the leopard springs, so -the Arab darted in and out, his scimitar a wheel of light, a weapon in -every spoke, that now rang sharply on a shield of bronze or gritted -against a sword; the while Prince Menon fixed his gaze on the Arab's -eyes and waited a whisper from his gods. - -In circles they stamped the earth, amid the din of hoarse, wild cries of -men who lusted for a sight of blood; and then a shout went up, for a -crimson stream ran trickling down the Assyrian's thigh. The crafty -Boabdul, too, had seen, and he bounded to a fresh attack, but Menon -caught the blow on his brazen shield and turned the stroke aside; then -swiftly, and with all his strength he smote the foeman's target with the -flat of his heavy sword. His gods had whispered, for the Arab's arm -hung numbed and useless at his side. - -And now it was Menon's turn to forsake the waiting game and push his -foeman to the wall. The fresher of the two, because of his calm -defense, he pressed upon the Prince without a feather-weight of mercy, -nor gave him pause. In vain Boabdul fought with all his skill to regain -an aggressor's vantage ground, yet could not, for his blade was now his -shield, while Menon warded blows with either arm. Still the battle was -not yet won. The Arab strove by a score of cunning tricks to lure his -enemy into faulty guard or a weakness of attack. He even sought with -taunts and mockery to tilt the even temper of his foe; but Menon pressed -him closer still and laughed--which troubled Boabdul grievously. Once -the wily Arab flung himself upon the earth and slashed at the other's -legs, but Menon leaped and the stroke passed harmlessly beneath, while -the Prince regained his feet and moved backward on the run. - -They closed again for a final test of strength and artifice, twisting, -thrusting, showering blows that were turned aside or evaded by a -shifting foot, each panting in his toil, each weary but undismayed; -then, of a sudden, Menon locked his sword in the curve of the Arab's -scimitar, and, grunting, heaved it from Boabdul's grasp. The Prince, in -an effort to elude the snare, reeled backward, tripped, and rolled upon -the earth. In a flash the Assyrian sprang upon him and pressed his -point beneath the dusky chin. - -With screams of rage the circling Arabs lowered their spears to swoop -upon the victor and save the vanquished if they might, but Menon flung -his shield arm up in warning. - -"Back!" he cried, "or by the crown of Ishtar will I slit his throat!" - -The sons of the desert halted, as a steed is curbed, each poised for a -savage thrust, each waiting in awesome dread for a thread of life to -snap, while Boabdul Ben Hutt gazed upward into Menon's eyes, though the -brand of fear burned not upon his cheek. - -"Strike, dog!" he groaned, in the shame and anguish of defeat; but Menon -tossed his sword away and stretched forth his hands that the fallen one -might rise. - -In silence stared the Bedouins; in silence Boabdul rose and looked in -puzzled wonder on his conqueror. - -"Assyrian," he asked at length, "why now is thy blade unstained, when a -twist of fortune gave me over into thy hand?" - -"My lord," spoke Menon solemnly, and yet with a certain twinkling of the -eye, "I seek to seal a covenant with Arabia's Prince; not with Boabdul -dead." - -The Arabian had looked on death, and knew that the wine of life was -sweet to him; so anger departed utterly, and humor seized him till he -laughed aloud. - -"Now by my father's beard," he cried, as he caught the Assyrian's hands -in his and pressed them against his breast, "if Ninus keepeth faith as -he chooseth messengers, right gladly will I call him Brother of my -Soul!" - -Then a mighty cheer arose, whose echoes rolled far out across the -plains--a cheer for Ninus, lord of all Assyria--and another, louder, -longer still, for the lion-hearted messenger. It had come upon the -Arabs that Menon not once had sought to strike a fatal blow, but had -stood before the desert's fiercest scimitar, undaunted, staking all upon -his strength, and had spared where he might have slain. - -They led him unto Boabdul's tent, where the Prince's aged leech -administered to his wound. They bathed and anointed him lest he suffer -hurt because of his heated blood, and clothed him in raiment from -Boabdul's royal chests. - -The treaty was duly sealed, to stand between two kingdoms through the -march of years; and neither monarch once broke its covenants, albeit the -links thereof were oft' times strained by jealousies and the wild unrest -of evil men. - -When the terms of peace were closed to the smallest point, then Menon -and his followers abode with the Prince for the space of seven days, -wherein the hours of light were passed in hunting and in sports of arms, -while the nights were given o'er to feasts and revelry. The guests were -regaled at a kingly board, where wine cups circled till the thirsts of -men could ask no more, their senses steeped in the charms of music and -of maidens who danced unveiled before their eyes. - -In the hour of parting Boabdul took the Assyrian to his heart and bade -him think on Araby as a tent-flap ever held aside; and more, he made the -gift of a noble steed from the plains of Barbary, a brother stallion to -the one which he himself bestrode. With the steed went an Indian slave -whom the Prince called Huzim, a giant from the Indus, with shoulders of -mighty girth and whose bow no arm save his alone could draw. - -So Menem, in sadness, parted from his host and journeyed into Syria, -where he came upon Surbat, the drowsy Governor thereof. This man he -removed from office and sent the head of him to Nineveh, taking council -with the gods of craft that he save his own. - -Then he rode upon the back of Syria, as a mahout drives a fractious -elephant, goading with a goad of tax, till the hills resounded with its -echoed trumpetings. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE FISH GODDESS - - -Menon, Governor of Syria, was troubled in his soul. Throughout the -night he had courted sleep, yet rest came not to body or to mind, for -the air was close, and vexious thought stood sentinal beside his couch. - -When the cool of dawn came stealing down on Syria, he left his heated -pallet, clothed himself, and wandered along the lake shore where the -freshening breezes blew. He sprawled at ease upon a shelving stone, -cast off his outer robe, and watched for a ruby sun to spring from out -the east. - -Behind him lay the village of Ascalon, where dwelt the herders of sheep, -the tillers of the thirsty soil and the wardens of flocks and herds. -Before him stretched the lake, deep, green and chill, the palm and -pomegranate casting ghostly shadows from its shores. On the further -side, in the gloom of shrubbery and trees, the temple of the fish-god -Dagon seemed but the end of a morning mist that trailed across the -waters. In the shallows beside the rocks swam countless fishes, now -darting to cover beneath the stones, now leaping at some luckless fly -that swung too near the danger line. From end to end the surface broke -with myriads of fins, while ever and again a louder splash proclaimed -some monster's upward rush, the widening ripples cut by minnows in a -scurrying flight. - -They dwelt in peace, these denizens of the deep, for the Syrians eat no -fish, nor may they snare them with hooks or nets lest the wrath of Dagon -utterly destroy such fools, together with their flocks and herds, their -wives and children, their soil and the fruits therein. And thus the -fish lived on and multiplied. - -There were men, as countless as the fish of Ascalon, who envied Menon as -one on whom the gods had smiled; yet now he sat with his chin upon his -palm, with a foot that tapped impatiently on the wave-bathed shore, -while he scowled at the glory of a coming dawn. - -Wherefore should he scowl, this favorite of the gods, Chief Governor of -Syria, a warrior beloved of men, a youth watched covertly from many a -latticed screen till his careless passing caused a yearning sigh? -Wherefore should he mutter curses in his palm and dig his heel into the -sands? Had he not on yestereve received a scroll from the King himself, -wherein that monarch praised him for his services afield, and, more, for -his crafty rule? Had Ninus not made offer of a high reward when Nineveh -should be builded at the end of two short years? Ah, here the sandal -galled! Full many an older man, for very joy, might have danced upon -the lake shore happily, yet Menon muttered curses in his palm and digged -his heel into the sands. - -Ere another moon was dead, the waiting messengers must return to Nineveh -and with them bear an answer to the lord of all the lands. Agreement to -the King's desire meant cruelty more bitter than he dared to dream. -Refusal dragged the keystone from his arch of hope, to crush him beneath -the very walls his youthful strength had raised. To seek delay-- - -Of a sudden Menon started from his revery, as a round white pebble -struck his knee and bounded into the lake. He looked to learn whence -the missile came, but all was still. Behind him in the distance -stretched the rolling hills, with herders following in the wake of -drowsy sheep; to the right, the lake's rim lay in peace, barren save for -a fluttering bird or two, while on the left a fringe of bush ran out on -a point of rocks, too low, it seemed, to screen a human form. Still -wondering, the Assyrian rubbed his knee and gazed reproachfully at the -fishes in the lake, when a flute-like laugh pealed forth--a joyous, -bubbly laugh--that rang along the shores till every rocky ledge took up -its notes and flung a mocking echo across the waves. - -Menon sprang upon a stone, to explore each nook and crevice with a -hunter's circling gaze. With body bent, with every sense alert, he -swept the shores for the jester's hiding place; and at last, when hope -was well-nigh spent, he caught the gleam of a wind-blown lock of hair -from the rocky point close down by the water's edge. Menon smiled, then -seemed to become engrossed in the sight of some floating object far out -upon the lake; yet, the while, from the tail of his crafty eye, he -watched the point whence mischief hid as behind a shield. A silence -fell. No sound was heard save the splash of plunging carp, the yelp of -a shepherd's dog, and the harsh, shrill cry of a crane that passed in -lazy, lumbering flight. - -From the water a form rose noiselessly, while a pair of dancing eyes -looked out through a leafy screen; a rounded arm was raised, and Menon -wheeled and caught the second pebble as it came. For an instant the two -stood motionless; the one surprised at her swift discovery, the other -stricken speechless with amaze at the bold, unearthly beauty, of a water -nymph. - -"A goddess!" he gasped at length, and stared in the wonder of a dreamer -roused from sleep. - -She stood at the water's edge, a girl just budding into womanhood, her -fair skin glistening with the freshness of her bath. A clinging skirt -from hip to knee, revealed her slender symmetry of limb, clean, lithe, -and poised for nimble flight. For the rest she was nude, save for a -tumbling wealth of flame-hued locks, tossed by the rising breeze, half -veiling, half disclosing, a gleaming bust and throat. Above, a witch's -face, Grecian in its lines, yet dashed with the warm voluptuousness of -Semitic blood; a mouth, firm, fearless in its strength, yet tempered by -a reckless merriment--a mouth to harden in a tempest-gust of scorn, to -quiver at the sigh of passion's prayer, or fling its light-lipped -laughter in the teeth of him who prayed. Her eyes--a haunted pool of -light, wherein, a man might drown his soul, and, sinking, bless his -torturer. - -For an instant more stood Menon, gaping at the girl, till humor gripped -him, and he flung back his head and laughed. - -"By Asshur," he cried aloud, "a kiss shall be the price of thy sweet -impertinence!" - -At a bound he cleared the intervening space and stretched his hand for a -wayward coil of hair, yet ere his fingers closed the girl leaped -backward, turned, and plunged into the lake. In a flash she -disappeared, to rise again and strike out swiftly in a line with Dagon's -temple on the further shore. - -"Oho!" laughed Menon, "t'is then a fish's game! So be it, saucy one, for -two shall play it to the end!" - -Not pausing to divest himself of clothing or the leathern sandals -strapped upon his feet, he followed after, sank and shot upward, -snorting as he shook his head to free his ears and eyes. With strong, -free strokes he began the race, smiling happily because of its speedy -end. What chance had she against his splendid strength, he who had -breasted the swollen Euphrates, or stemmed the Tigris when its waters -sang to the plunge of hissing arrow points? The chilling bath lent -vigor to his limbs and sent the young blood bubbling through his veins. -The shoulder muscles writhed beneath his skin, while his heart beat -faster in the fierce exhilaration of pursuit. What joy to run such -quarry down, that gleaming body moving with an easy sweep, the flame-red -hair that barely kept beyond his reach! - -Faster and faster Menon swam, with every grain of power behind his -strokes; yet the maiden kept her lead, now pausing to fling a mocking -glance behind, now darting forward till the ripples danced against her -breast. And so the chase went on, till the lake was well-nigh crossed, -till the temple, which had seemed to twinkle among the trees, now stood -out boldly, and an image of the ugly fish-god Dagon watched the -stragglers in stony silence. - -Then the pace began to tell, even upon the Assyrian's strength. His -muscles ached; his hot breath broke between his lips in labored gasps; -about his breast a band of bronze seemed squeezing out his life, and a -sweat of weakness dripped into his eyes. He was gaining now! He saw -with a hunter's joy that his quarry wearied of her work. Her strokes -grew feeble, while the flaming head sank lower among the waves. - -"By Belit," he wheezed, "the kiss is mine, or I rest my bones at the -bottom of thy lake!" - -The space of a spear's length lay between the two, and inch by inch the -pursuer cut it down, while the nymph had ceased to mock him with her -laughter, and bent her ebbing strength to the effort of escape. For her -the race was run. On came the panting hunter in her wake, remorseless, -eager, a hard hand reaching for her floating locks. She ducked her -head, eluding seizure by a finger-breadth, leaped as the struggling -fishes dart, and regained a tiny lead. Once more vantage slipped away, -and now was hanging on a thread of chance. Again and again the -Assyrian's hand shot out, to clutch the air or a dash of spray in his -empty fist. His failure angered him. He clenched his teeth and worried -on, yet splashing clumsily, for exertion now was fraught with agony. - -"The kiss!" he breathed. "I'll have the kiss, I swear, or--" - -The oath died suddenly upon his lips, for the maiden tossed her arms and -disappeared. With a cry the youth plunged after her, forgetting his -pain in the fullness of a self-reproach. He reached the spot where her -form had sunk, and strove to dive, but weary nature proved a master of -his will. He floated to regain his wind, while scanning the lake for a -rising blotch of red; but only the leaping carp made circles through the -waves, and a ruby sun climbed upward from a bed of mist. The breeze -hummed foolishly among the palms, and a blue crane flung an accusing cry -across the waters. - -Menon's hope ebbed low and lower still, to die, to spring again to life -at a peal of bubbly laughter, sweet unto his ears. Behind him he caught -a flash of flaming hair, the gleam of a throat that shaped the taunt, a -shoulder cutting through the ripples easily--the lake-nymph, fresh, -unweary, an impish victor of the race! - -By a trick she had lured him to expend his strength in the chase of one -who swam as the minnows swim; and to Menon came this knowledge like a -blow between the eyes. He turned him shoreward with a feeble stroke, -striving to keep himself afloat, for his heavy sandals weighed him down, -and languor seized on every fibre of his frame. He was beaten, spent. -A blurred mist rose before his eyes, while the droning call of distant -battle raged within his ears. A thousand flame-hued heads danced -tauntingly beyond his reach, and laughed and laughed. The world went -spinning down into a gulf of gloom, and a clumsy crane reeled after -it--a steel-blue ghost that stabbed him with a beak of fire. He choked; -he fought for life as he lashed out madly, till the foam-churned waters -mounted high and fell to crush him in their roaring might. - -For the space of an indrawn breath a white face rode upon the surface of -the lake, then slowly the Assyrian sank. - -It was easier now! He seemed to slide from the grip of pain to a waving -couch of peace. The world had slipped from out its gulf of gloom at -last, to rock through league on league of emerald cloud, and the crane -was gone. The lake-nymph's laughter, too, had died away. She fled from -him no more, but stretched her arms and held him close, his limp head -pillowed on her breast. She warmed his flesh with the coils of her -fiery hair, and her child-voice rose and fell in a crooning -slumber-song. - -"The kiss!" sighed Menon, and the waters hung above him drowsily. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - A PRAYER TO DAGON - - -As the young Assyrian sank, the maid smiled cunningly and edged away, -fearing to be snared in a trap of her own device; yet when the moments -melted one by one, her merriment gave place to fear. Full well she knew -the space a swimmer might remain beneath the waves, and when at last -four tiny bubbles rose, she took one long, deep breath, and dived. - -Downward her course was laid in a slanting line, down to the very -lake-bed, where the rocks were coated with a slimy muck, and tall grey -weeds swayed gently to and fro. She worked in circles among the -sharp-edged, slippery stones, groping with hands and feet where shadows -closed the mouths of the darker pools; and at last she touched his hand. -She strove to seize it, but her breath was well-nigh spent, and with a -spring she shot toward the air. - -A moment's rest and again she dived, now certain of the spot whereon he -lay. She reached him, paused an instant while her fingers sought a -clutching point and closed upon his belt. She raised his weight, then -bent her knees to lend a springing start, and began a battle for the -stranger's life. - -Slowly, too slowly, was the journey made, for the body in its -water-laden robes was dragging heavily, while the swimmer, with only one -free arm, was hampered in her toil. But still she rose, though her -lungs were like to burst, and the sinews across her chest were taut with -pain. Up, still up, till youth and will could bear the double tax no -more. She had ceased to move. She was sinking now, and of a sudden -loosed her hold and raced for life--alone. High up she shot, till her -slim waist cleared the water line. Another long, glad breath, and she -sank again ere the body might once more settle among the weeds; and now -she was beneath it, swimming cautiously, lest her burden slip. - -How far it seemed to that wavy blur of light above, and how he weighed -her down! How the lagging moments crawled, while each was a hope that -slid away as the waters swept beneath her arms! His trailing hands were -checking speed, and his robe was torn and entangled with her feet; yet -across her shoulder hung his head, his cheek pressed close against her -own. - -By Ishtar, she would save him now, or rest beside him on his couch of -weeds! - -At last! A prayer of thankfulness to Dagon whistled across her lips -with the first sweet rush of imprisoned breath; then, grasping the -Assyrian's locks, she turned upon her back and swam to the temple's -marble steps. - -Once she had seen her foster-father bring back the life of a shepherd -boy whose spark was well-nigh quenched in a swollen mountain stream; and -so she wrought with Menon, first turning him upon his face and by her -weight expelling the water from his lungs; then she chafed his pulses, -beat with her fists upon his body, and moved his arms with a rhythmic -motion to and fro. This she did and more, for, womanlike, when hope had -oozed away, she took him on the cradle of her breast and sought to coax -him back to life by soothing, childish words. - -"Live! Live!" she breathed. "How young thou art to die! And I--a -fool!--a fool!--to cause thee ill! Come back, sweet boy, and I will -give the kiss! Aye, an hundred if thou wilt--but come!" - -She wound her arms about him and looked into his upturned face. How -beautiful he was, but oh, how still! How deep were his eyes which gazed -into her own, but saw not her tears of pity and of pain! Some noble was -he, perchance, in the train of Menon, the mighty Governor, who would -doubtless sell her into slavery because of her wicked deed. But why -should a youth do foolish things? Why had he dared the waters of her -lake where fish alone or the child of fishes swim? Must a life so -young, so precious, pay the price of folly? The folly of a kiss! Ah, -he might have it now, though his lips were cold, unconscious, beneath -the pressure of her own. - -Again and again the blazing head was bowed, while the color raced from -cheek to throat, and the lake-nymph's blood awoke--awoke with a flame -that would one day boil the caldron of Assyria, when the froth was -stirred by a spoon of passionate unrest--a flame that would parch a -thousand lands and drive their hordes to madness in a quenchless lust -for war. - -With the strength of despair the maiden lifted Menon's body, dragged it -up the temple steps and laid it at the foot of Dagon's altar; then on -her knees beside it she raised her arms and prayed, in a woman's -passion-born desire. - -"See, Dagon," she cried aloud, "see what the spirits of thy lake hold -prisoner! See how still he lieth--he who was warm and filled with the -breath of youth! An offering? No, no, sweet god, 'tis not an offering -at thy daughter's hands. The fruits, the garlands, and the grain are -thine; the fattest kids and the first of the springtime ewes, but he is -mine! List thee, mighty one! Why lookest thou across the lake in -silence, unmoved, and heeding not my cry? Do I not bring thee dates and -flowers, the goat's milk and the buds from the tallest palms? No boon -have I asked of thee, yet grant it now! Ah, pity, pity, and give him -back to me!" - -The suppliant bowed her head and waited, but the fish-god gave no sign. -High up he towered, a hideous effigy in rough-hewn stone, with human -face and hands, with the scaly body of a fish, while below his human -feet were seen, distorted, half concealed in heaps of withered blossoms -borne in offering by his shepherd worshippers. Behind him lay a carven -plow, in emblem of the tiller's art, a sickle, a herder's crook, and -vessels of wine from the vineyard's choicest juice. - -Long moments passed. The lake-nymph's eyes were shifted from Dagon's -visage to the stranger at her side. His body lay in an ugly, helpless -sprawl, his arms outstretched, his dark eyes fixed on nothingness, as -vacant as the idol's own. Once more the maiden turned to the god who -seemed to mock her with his icy calm, whose stony ears were closed to -the voice of prayer. She waited, and childish reverence melted as a -mist dissolves, and fury rent her heart. She sprang to her feet and beat -upon the effigy with doubled fists, her eyes ablaze, her loose hair -whipping at her naked breast. - -"Awake! Awake! Art sleeping, Dagon, that thou heedest not? Awake, I -say! 'Tis I who call--_Shammuramat_![#] Am I, too, not a child of -gods, whom the good witch Schelah sayeth will one day rule the world? -Heed, or I tear thy temple down and set a Moloch in thy stead! Awake, -thou fool! Awake!" - - -[#] The name "Shammuramat" has been corrupted by the Greeks into -Semiramis, in which form the great Assyrian Queen is better known. - - -The shrill voice ceased. The pale girl listened with a chill of terror -till the echoes died in the temple's dome. Once more she fell upon her -knees, and though her rage still stormed within her heart she softened -her speech, as in after years she won by flattery where anger failed to -lash obedience to her will. - -"Forgive, dear Dagon," she whispered, as she clasped his feet, "my -tongue is the tongue of Derketo, my mother, whom thou didst curse with a -just unhappiness. Yet listen! In error didst thou cause this youth to -sink in the waters of thy lake, for he, too, loveth thee, with a love as -great as mine. Give me his life, divine one, and in payment will I -steal rich wine from my father's oldest skins--the palm-wine, Dagon, -which is sweet and strong. Also, my goat is thine. I will slay it here -in sacrifice and lay its heart in the hollow of thy hand." - -She paused in thought profound. The bribe was large, yet the scales of -barter needed still another weight; and well she knew the gods demand in -sacrifice the parting with gifts which cause the keenest pangs. Of all -her treasures two were held most dear, her dog and a string of pearls; -and now, as she looked into Menon's sightless eyes, her treasures seemed -to shrink in worth. Yet ere she squandered all upon an altar stone, the -voice of wisdom whispered at her ear and caused her to hide a smile. - -"Hear me, Dagon," she murmured, meekly, "thou knowest my good dog Habal -that on rest-days cometh to thy temple's door? Him, too, might I give -in offering to turn thy heart, yet the deed were folly and to thee -unjust; for doth he not watch my father's flocks, with a faithful eye -upon the lambs which are slain for thee alone? Were Habal dead, who -then might save thy lambs from the beasts of prey? Nay, Habal's teeth -can serve thee unto better ends than Habal's blood." - -She stole a glance at Dagon, and, finding his features placid in -content, became emboldened to seal her bargain with a master-stroke. In -a corner of the temple lay her robe of fine spun wool, discarded for her -morning bath; and now from beneath its folds she brought her necklace, -holding it up for the greedy god to see. - -"Look! Look, sweet god," she cried. "This I offer thee--a treasure -given by a great Armenian prince. Soften thy heart and I cast it into -the deepest waters of thy lake, where none may find it and dispoil thee -of my gift." - -True, Semiramis herself might dive and recover it at will, albeit she -hoped a point so trifling might escape the god. Yet, lest the thought -occur to him, she hastened on: - -"Knowest thou not the value of such pearls? With a single bead thou -couldst buy an hundred Habals for thine altar's needs. Think, then, -what all would mean--they are twice a score--and I give them for the -life of this one poor youth, whom me-thinks is of common blood and lowly -born. Heed, wise one, and hasten, lest wisdom tempt me and I keep my -pearls." - -A shaft of sunlight filtered through the thick leaved palms, wavered, -and crawled across the temple's floor; for an instant it rested on a -tangle of blazing hair, then slowly climbed the fish-god's scaly side. -As the maiden watched, with parted lips, with bosom fluttering to a -quickened pulse, the flame of sunlight flickered and went out. Yet at -her choking cry, it leaped to life again, to splash the face of Dagon -with a leering glow of happiness--and Menon groaned and stirred. - -While one might count a score, the girl leaned, limp and nerveless, on -Dagon's altar stone; then she cast aside the blistered cat's paw of -divine appeal and set in its place a swift, more vigorous god of force. -With a zeal of hope she fell upon the body of her charge in all the -strength her wild, free life had built, till Menon's eyelids fluttered -and a frown of half unconscious protest ridged his brow. In the -twilight of understanding, he fancied himself an ill used prisoner in -the hands of enemies who mauled him from neck to heel; and when with -returning life came an agony of water-laden lungs that labored to be -free, he turned on his side and muttered curses, deep, fervent, touched -by the fires of poesy. - -It was then, then only, that the toil of Semiramis gave place to -indolence. She rested her chin upon her knees and listened to the music -of his oaths--music far sweeter than the liquid notes of shepherd's -flutes, or the echoes of sheep bells tinkling through the dusk. A seed -of love had broken from its strange, unharrowed soil, and the bud had -opened to look upon its god. - -With a sigh of peace she rose and clothed herself in the robe of fine -spun wool, clasped tight her girdle and strapped the sandal thongs about -her feet; then she rested Menon's head upon her lap and forced between -his teeth the rim of a wine cup of which she recklessly deprived great -Dagon's shrine. - -"Dagon and I," she murmured, with an impish smile, "have compassed much; -yet Dagon alone, without the measure of my aid--" - -She paused, for a young cloud slid across the sun, flinging a shadow on -the temple floor, a shadow which crept and crept till the fish-god's -visage darkened with its gloom; then Semiramis remembered, rose, and -cast her pearls far out into the lake. - -Once more she sat beside her charge, chafing his temples with a patient, -lingering caress. Long, long she watched, her fancy looming lace-work -webs of fate, while her heart marked joyfully his battle with reluctant -life; till, presently, his breath flowed gently and the sweat of pain -was dried upon his brow. - -Menon's glance met hers, and a flush of shame grew hot upon his -cheek--the shame of defeat to him, a war-tried soldier, at the hands of -a shepherd girl. Yet in her smile a man might forget defeat--forget and -rejoice--forget all else save the smile and the maid who smiled. - -His color spread, yet the blood-warmed tint now told no more of the -sting of an humbled pride. He strove to raise his arms, but they seemed -as weights too heavy for his strength, and sank beside him weakly. His -thews were slack; he lay as helpless as an unweaned babe, yet the -victor's eyes were laughing down into his own, and were kind. - -"The kiss!" sighed Menon, and the maiden bent and gave her soul into the -keeping of his lips. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - THE DAUGHTER OF DERKETO - - -A coppery sun climbed upward on his hill of cloud; the south-wind -ceased, and the lake drowsed lazily in the morning sun. The Assyrian -still reclined with his head upon the lap of Semiramis, for in the -beginning she would not suffer him to tax his strength with speech. She -urged that he rest, while she told her name and the story of her birth; -and he, content, asked nothing more than to look and listen, while his -heart grew hungry and his pulses sang to a tune of joy. So the maiden -babbled on of gods and men, of the shepherd's home with Simmas, her -foster-father, and of her simple life with sheep that browsed upon the -hills and the fishes swam in the waters of Ascalon. - -Her mother, Derketo, had been a goddess whom the Syrians worshipped in -her temple beside the lake, till she drew the fatal wrath of Dagon down, -because of her beauty and her foolish vanities. She lured the hearts of -mortals from their level paths, consuming them with mad desires which -were barren and unfulfilled; playing with passion, yet drinking not its -flame--a reckless sprite who mocked at hell, while she danced on a -thread that stretched across its throat. - -Then Dagon, troubled at her wickedness, brought forth from some far -eastern land a warrior youth who sighed and sang before Derketo's -shrine. Slender was he and shapely, with deep blue eyes and locks that -shone as a flame of golden red; so the goddess came out to him and was -pleased because of the sweetness of his song. Through the long blue -night he sang and whispered in her ear, till by his arts and a subtle -tongue he wrought her fall, then straightway disappeared. - -A babe was born, and Derketo, in her shame and grief, stole out by night -upon the hills and left her child among the rocks to die; then, weeping, -she crept into her temple, hiding behind its altar's shadow from the -sight of men. By day she slept; by night she crouched beside the -water's edge, to fling shrill curses at Dagon across the lake. - -Then Dagon in wrath waxed terrible, and sent a lightning bolt which -destroyed the goddess and her temple utterly, so that Syria knew her -beauty and her wiles no more. - -Now a farmer who dwelt in Ascalon was sorely vexed because of theft, yet -never could he lay his hands upon the pilferer, albeit he watched -together with his wife and sons. The goats' milk left in crocks outside -his door would disappear in the broad of day, and after a space his -cheeses began to suffer likewise. Marveling, he set himself to watch -again, and at dawn a flock of doves dropped down before his door. They -pecked at his cheeses, or filled their beaks with milk, then winged -their flight to a distant point on the hillside over against the lake. -The farmer and his sons marked out the spot and journeyed thither, to -find a babe that was sheltered among the stones--the same which Derketo -left to perish, and now was nurtured by these sacred birds.[#] - -[#] This is the accepted legend of the origin of Semiramis. - -The farmers bore her tenderly to the house of Simmas, chief warden of -the royal flocks, a kindly man who reared her as his own; and they -called her Shammuramat, which name, in the Syrian tongue, means Dove. - -Thus the offspring of a goddess, and adopted child of doves and mortal -man, grew swiftly to a strength and beauty of the gods themselves. From -early childhood she loved the lake, where she sported among the waves -till none might match her in speed or grace of stroke; yet, truly, born -of Derketo, goddess of the fishes, what marvel, then? Again, as her -mystic father hunted through far off eastern lands, so the girl soon -turned to hunting through the hills of Syria, with a passion which made -her bow and spear a wonder among the simple shepherd folk. - -"And now," said Semiramis, as she toyed with Menon's hand, "and now am I -a woman grown, with lovers who come in droves as the cattle come, yet -daring not to voice the yearnings of their hearts. Great, stupid youths -are they, the sons of farmers and tenders of our herds, who stare at me -in tongue-tied wonderment; aye, like unto the yearling calves whose -thoughts we may not fathom because of their foolishness." - -The Assyrian laughed and drew her down till her lips met his and clung; -and she joined his merriment, in that he seemed so unakin to the -yearlings of which she spoke. Then, presently, she thought to ask his -name. - -"Menon," he answered simply, whereat she started, pushed his head from -out her lap and edged away. - -"Menon--_thou_!" she cried. "Ah, no, my lord! A jest! That man is but -a devil's leech who clingeth to the throat of Syria, taxing, taxing, -till its very blood is sucked in tax! _Thou_--!" She paused to laugh. -"The Governor is ugly, fat--and thou--" - -Again she stopped, with suddenness, and blushed. - -"Nay, harken," said Menon, "of a truth I am the Governor; and it cometh -to me that I would tax thy country further still--tax it till I snatch -from thy foster-father, Simmas, his choicest store of all." - -"Eh--what!" she demanded, angered at his words. "My father--that kind -old man? Shame! Shame, my lord!" - -Menon pursed his lips and ridged his brow with his sternest frown. - -"I fain would rob him as I say; yea, even thy sacred doves and the very -gods themselves, of Syria's Pearl--Shammuramat." - -The girl said naught, but gazed in silence out across the lake, while a -smile played softly at the corners of her mouth. She was not ill -pleased to be called the Pearl of Syria, albeit she herself had long -been conscious of the pretty truth. Moreover, t'was most unseemly in a -maid to gainsay a mighty Governor; and in her heart she could find no -dread of this weighty tax on Syria's birds and gods. Therefore she -waited for his further speech, which came at length with earnestness: - -"Now as to these taxes, concerning which I am called a devil's leech, it -grieveth me sorely to oppress a simple folk, and it causeth my soul's -unrest by night and day." - -Again the maiden laughed. - -"Aye, truly," she answered, spreading out her locks for the sun to dry; -"I well can believe thy words, for never have I looked upon a youth so -melancholy, or one on whom his sorrows ride with a tighter knee. Yet -tell me, O Prince of Woe, what in truth may chance to be thy station and -thy name?" - -Menon spread his hands, though he could not help but smile at the -maiden's doubt of him. - -"Nay, believe me," he urged, "I speak the truth. I swear it on thy -fish-god's altar. I am indeed the Governor, sent hither at the King's -command, to do his bidding, not my will alone. King Ninus buildeth a -city for himself on a far off river bank, a city which is like unto a -huge, devouring monster, swallowing up the stores of men, the fruits of -the earth, and the children of every land. This, then, is why I come to -tax thine honest neighbors of their wealth." - -He told her of the city's walls and of how they rose from out the waste -of sand; of the temples, palaces, the towers and the soaring citadel. -He told of millions toiling through the nights and days, and of an army -which girt the walls around, while Semiramis sat listening, drinking in -his words. - -"Ah!" she breathed. "Ah, now I understand! And what is this city -called?" - -"Nineveh--the Opal of the East." - -Again Semiramis came close to Menon's side, and, at his pleading, once -more took his head into her lap. - -"This monarch of thine," said she, as she nodded thoughtfully, "is -right. He is wise and strong. My people are fools to murmur against the -justice of his tax. For listen! I, too, will some day build a city, -more grand, more vast in its reach and splendour, aye, even than this -Opal of the East. Its walls shall top thine highest towers--its gardens -shall hang between the earth and sky. Ah, laugh if thou wilt, yet -Schelah hath seen it all--as I have seen--as it rises on her kettle's -smoke." - -At Menon's look of wonder, she told him that Schelah was a witch who -dwelt in a cave among the hills, who wrought strange spells, told -fortunes, and healed disease with her arts and herbs. - -"A withered crone is she," the maiden said, "ugly and of crooked limbs, -whose very name the farmers fear; and yet she is not an evil witch, but -kind and gentle to those who understand. Why, I fear her no more -than--than--" - -"Than me?" asked Menon, with a smile. - -"Than thou," she nodded happily, "and I fear _thee_ none at all. Yet -tell me more." - -He told her of the battles he had seen; of the siege of Zariaspa, where -Ninus, baffled of desire, needs turn away till a mightier army could be -raised, and engines devised to batter down the walls. He told her of -other wars, long, fierce, triumphant in the end; and as he spoke -Semiramis saw it all, even as she once had seen a dim and ghostly -Babylon which rose from out old Schelah's kettle-smoke. - -She saw vast, rolling plains, where armies met with a rending crash and -roar; where warriors, locked in a grip of rage, fought desperately and -died; where chariots charged as against a cliff, to totter and overturn, -and the sands ran red with blood. She heard the cries of men and the -clang of blows, exultant shouts of victory and the shrieks of those who -fled--the rumble of wheels and hoofs that shook the earth--the clamour -of ranks that reeled through tossing clouds of dust. Her bosom heaved; -her cheeks, her lips, grew crimson with the rush of blood; her dark eyes -kindled, and she trembled as in a chill. - -"Ishtar!" she cried, as she raised her head and clenched her outflung -hands. "Oh, if I but once might sing a battle-song! To struggle--to -fight--!" - -Menon checked her with a rich, full-throated laugh that echoed to the -temple's dome. - -"Fight?" he asked. "In the name of all the gods, fight whom?" - -She gave no heed to his merry tone, for the spark had caught, the flames -were lit, and the fuel needs must burn. - -"_Poof_! I care not, so it be a foe--a foe who will stand and scorns to -fly!" Again she raised her arms, her rich voice shrill in its pitch of -feverish desire: "To drive a chariot and lash its steeds through hedges -of swords and spears! To drink of the wine of war! To conquer and to -reign--a queen! And see!" she cried, as she caught her flame-hued hair, -"this will I cut away, that none may know me for a maid. Then, then -wilt thou suffer me to follow as a youth who is in thy train. Speak, -lord, I wait." - -Menon smiled and shook his head, for a maiden's path, he told her, was -not amidst the perils of the field; but she took his cheeks in both her -palms and bent till her breath was mingled with his own. - -"Nay, once," she pleaded, in her haunting, liquid tone, "one _little_ -war--no more! Ah, Menon, sweet, thou will let me go?" Lower she bent -and leaned upon his lips, while her strange eyes burned their passion -into his, her fair arms clinging in a love caress. "Menon! Menon!" - -He trembled, for his heart cried out aloud and longed to give this maid -whatever she asked; and she held him closer still, murmuring into his -ear as her mother, Derketo, might have whispered when she lured the -steps of men from their level paths. - -"Heed me," she pleaded low, and brushed his cheek with the velvet of a -softer curve, "didst thou not will to tax my father of the Pearl of -Syria? What then? Wouldst leave me in thy home--alone--to yearn for a -loved one far afield, to weep, to listen for his footstep through the -weary night? Nay, Menon, that were cruelty, and thou art kind." - -A shadow settled on the Governor's brow. He arose and paced the -temple's floor, his hands locked tight behind his back. Grim duty -called his name, and it came to him that the scepter of Assyria was -thrust between his heart and the woman for whom it beat alone. - -"What troubleth thee, my lord?" - -For a space he answered naught, but kept to his thoughtful pacing to and -fro. - -"Maiden," he began at last, "there are matters of state which come to -pass, and a woman may not understand, by reason of their strange -complexities." - -The girl looked up, with a sparkle in her eye which warred with a sense -of vague misgiving in her heart. - -"Perchance, my lord, the tongue of a learned Governor is happily of that -turn which maketh such matters simple, even to a woman's foolish mind. -I pray thee try." - -Menon laughed, then began to tell his trouble as best he might, though -the task now seemed more weighty than the sealing of a truce; and rather -far would he have faced Boabdul's scimitar than the eyes of this -red-haired girl who watched him, hanging on his utterance. - -"King Ninus," said he, "hath sent me messengers who on yesterday were -come. They bear me a scroll wherein my master is pleased to laud my -deeds with flatteries and praise. At his command have I taxed thy -people till the very grass blades wilt, and thereby won the enmity of -all the land; yet the King is glad, for because of me he receiveth vast -stores for the building of his city. In reward"--here Menon faltered, -turned away his eyes and looked upon the floor--"in reward he offereth -me his daughter's hand--Sozana--when the walls and palaces of Nineveh -shall be." - -"Ah!" breathed Semiramis. "Ah! I see!" She crouched upon the temple -steps, one knee clasped tight within her arms, her pink chin resting on -it thoughtfully. "Go on, my lord." - -"This offer," continued Menon, scowling as he spoke, "is a fruit of -bitterness upon my tongue, for the maid is loved by my best of -friends--Memetis--an Egyptian Prince whom Ninus holdeth hostage at his -court lest his nation rise to--" - -He stopped, for Semiramis had checked his speech with a cold command. - -"Nay, let Memetis rest! What manner of maid may this Sozana chance to -be?" - -"She is dark and slight," the Governor answered slowly, "of a trustful -nature, gentle in her ways, and kind." The girl beside him laughed, yet -merriment was not its tone; and Menon blundered on: "As children we -played together, she and I--a saucy little rogue of mirth and song--a -child, for whom I'd cut away my hand rather than bring a pang of -suffering." - -"So," said Semiramis, in a whispered drawl, "so the Princess is fair to -look upon. I did divine as much. Well? Well, my lord?" - -"And now," sighed Menon, "the King would cause this pretty child to -stifle love and wed where she hath no will." - -"Not so," declared Semiramis, with a snap of her firm white teeth. "Be -warranted, my lord, the jade hath put him up to it. What! Hath she not -seen thee? Hast thou not beguiled her with thy, craftful wiles? How -should it, then, be otherwise?" - -Again the lake-nymph laughed, ungently, and with a shrill, derisive -ring. - -"Nay!" said Menon. "Nay! She yearneth not for me, nor do I yearn for -her. In secret is she betrothed unto Memetis whom she loveth utterly; -and should I bow to the King's desire, t'would bring a hurt to her whom -I took to wife, and to him whose happiness I hold more dearly than mine -own." - -Once more the Assyrian paused and gazed in trouble through the temple's -door. In the waters of the lake he seemed to see the faces of his -monarch and his friends, the King, with a smile upon his bearded lips; -Memetis, sad and silent in reproach, and sweet Sozana, wondering at a -grief too deep for tears. - -"Then why," asked Semiramis, quivering as she spoke, "then why, in the -name of Bel and Moloch, wouldst thou do this wicked thing?" - -The Governor stood before her, cast in gloom, and answered sullenly: - -"The offer of the King is the King's command, and once, once only, may a -subject thwart his will." - -"Ah!" breathed Semiramis once again. "Ah, I see! Moreover, I do -perceive that Menon hath a mighty leaning to this maid of Nineveh, who -is dark and slight, of a trustful nature, gentle in her ways, and kind. -Nay, shake not thy head, deceitful one. Shammuramat is not a fool. -What, then, remaineth for my lord to choose?" - -Menon sighed, but answered naught, while she sat and watched him pacing -in his deep unrest. Presently she spoke again, slowly, softly, yet the -tone was cold: - -"I have marked, my lord, that those of smallest mind demand the longest -span of time in making up the same. The wise man acteth! His love and -greed he weigheth not in the selfsame scale. What! Hath the mighty -Governor still to choose?" - -The Assyrian leaned against a pillar of the temple, gazed gloomily -before him, and brooded on the mandate of the King. The warrior within -him whispered at his ear, calling, pleading, as with a trumpet's blast. -Another voice there was, that told of a love of power--of the joy in -ruling over weaker men--and Menon's place was beside the King. They -dragged him, these voices, as with a chain of bronze, yet his heart -cried out Shammuramat! With her he could dwell in peace for all time, -an outcast from his land, a wanderer, in want and poverty--a worshipper -who died content in the glory of her smile. And yet-- - -"Is my lord still praying to his gods of guile, or doth he slumber -because of weariness--and me?" - -The troubled Governor did not note a certain purring in her tone, nor -the gleam of her eye, while she crouched as the leopard crouches, -noiseless, ready for its spring. - -"By the great lord Asshur," Menon muttered between his teeth, "my wits -are tried and grievously." He shook himself and turned with his winning -smile. "Can the friend of the good witch Schelah lend aid to one who is -vexed in spirit and in mind?" - -"Yea!" cried Semiramis, springing to her feet in a gust of fury. "Yea!" -Her eyes flamed hotly, and her fingers clenched till the nails bit deep -into her palms. "_Go_, thief of kisses! Go, when thou hast scorched my -country bare with tax! Go back to thy maid of Nineveh--this whining -jade whose sire is but a savage and a fool! Yet tell her this--thou -hast looked on the Pearl of Syria! _Tell her--and she will -understand!_" - -For an instant stood Semiramis, a queen of consuming rage and scorn; -then she laughed--laughed hoarsely--in the mockery of mirth, sprang down -the temple steps, and was gone. - -Menon followed after, shouting, begging her return, as he sought her -among the trees and tangled undergrowth. - -"Shammuramat! Shammuramat!" he called aloud, and only the echoes of his -yearning voice came back to taunt him. For a weary space he searched, -yet his search was vain; and when hope had departed utterly, he turned -him homeward, skirting the lake shore with a lagging step. - -Then a girl crept out from the shadows among the trees and sat on the -temple steps. She rested her arms upon her knees, her chin upon her -arms, and watched till Menon's drooping figure passed from sight. - -Once more she cast her robe aside, tore off her sandals and flung them -down; and then, in the wondrous beauty of her form unveiled, she stood -in wrath before the fish-god Dagon, her eyes aflame, her red hair -tumbling in disorder on her neck. - -"What!" she stormed. "Did I--Shammuramat--drag out this liar from the -lake, to save him for a minx at Nineveh?" - -She snapped her fingers scornfully and turned upon her heel; then she -dived for her string of pearls. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - A MASTER'S KISS - - -For a year, since his appointment, the Governor of Syria had dwelt at -Azapah, a central point where his army camped, and whence his agents and -his spies went forth to every tribe. Yet Azapah was a home in name -alone, for Menon's eye was ever set on the works of his under-officers. -He would ride from point to point, descending at uncertain times on -those whose duties dozed in lethargy, or on others whose fingers stuck -by chance to certain taxes of the King. And as Ninus made examples on -the walls of Nineveh, so Menon dealt with those who disobeyed his will; -for the body of a wicked, slothful servant was held to be of higher -value when detached from the head which led his steps astray. Thus -Menon won the name of a cruel master, albeit a whisper now and again -went forth of many a poor man's taxes paid in full from the Governor's -own purse. - -He journeyed ever on his noble steed of Barbary, whose name was -Scimitar, in honor of Boabdul's blade, and, likewise, was attended by -the Indian slave who came as the Arab's second gift. In Huzim he found -a jewel and a friend, whose heart he won by a stroke of policy. From -the first the Governor had been kind to him, and when the borders of -Arabia were passed, Huzim was given his freedom, to return if he would -to his home upon the Indus; but the Indian fell upon his knees, to kiss -the master's hand and cover it with tears. His freedom he accepted with -a grateful heart, yet prayed to remain in the service of his lord, to -whom he proved a faithful watch-dog unto the end. His mighty bow and -shafts brought many a dish of flesh to Menon's board, and at night his -body lay athwart the master's door, where none might pass and live to -slink away again. - -Now Menon had tarried beside the lake of Ascalon for a longer space than -was his wont to abide in any place; yet business there was none to stay -his leave, nor taxes in arrears. The voice of duty whispered warnings -in his ear, pointing unto urgent matters far afield; yet duty, he swore, -might sleep with Gibil till Semiramis was seen again. - -For many days he sought her among the hills, from the crack of dawn till -the brazen sun went down, yet found her not; and his heart, because of -its hunger for the maid, grew faint within him and clamored for a food -denied. - -Semiramis, too, was haunted by a certain restlessness of mind and foot, -a goad which ever kept her on the move. Close hidden within some clump -of trees, she would watch the hunter's fruitless search from hour to -hour. Her eyes grew wistful, and a fever burned in her racing blood, -though pride, a demon's pride, forbade that she suffer capture at his -hands. If the seeker came near unto her hiding place, she would -straightway creep away to some other vantage point and watch him with a -scowl. Yet, because of his lack of craft in snaring her, hot anger -mounted to the heights of foolishness, causing her to mutter curses on -him, bitter, deep, and to vent her wrath upon things inanimate. At last -she left the lover to his own device, and with her spear and arrows -hunted far and wide, thus finding relief in a savage joy of killing -beasts--the great, the small--she cared not which, so be it that she -killed. - -Then Menon, in despair, set Huzim on her trail, for in prowess of the -chase, or in coming up with wary things, there were none the like of him -throughout the land. So Huzim circled round about and found what his -master sought. - -At the close of one long red day, when the sun swung low and purple -clouds were banked against the rim of night, the Indian bore word that -Semiramis returned to Ascalon by way of a certain path; so Menon hid -himself and lay in wait. From a leafy screen he watched her coming, -while his breath grew warm and quick, and nearer she came, unconscious -of the snare. Her bow and quiver rattled at her back with each slow -step; she used her spear for a walking staff, and her flame-hued head -was bowed upon her breast. In the dust she dragged the body of a -leopard by its tail, while her sheep-dog Habal trotted at her heels. - -Of a sudden Menon stepped across her path, and, with folded arms, stood -smiling as he blocked her way. With a startled cry Semiramis leaped -backward, while Habal crouched between his mistress and the man, his -thick hair bristling down his spine, an ugly rumble in his hoarse, deep -growl. - -The Governor spoke contritely and in a prayerful tone, yet the maiden -met his pleading with a torrent of abuse. This he bore with fortitude, -and when she paused for breath, he strove to gain his end by reason, -knowing not that an angry woman scorns it as she scorns no other thing -in heaven or hell. Of this he learned unto his woe, but when he would -have overborne her, snatching at her hand, she struck him with the butt -of her hunting spear and set her dog upon him. - -Straight at his throat the black dog leaped, but Menon caught it by the -neck and held its jaws, though its strength was great and it battled -with him mightily. For a space they struggled for a master-grip, yet -Habal's teeth, in the end, were of no avail, for Menon squeezed him till -his bones were like to crack, while he turned once more to Semiramis and -urged his suit. - -Now a lover will find a grievous task in murmuring into a maiden's ear, -and at the same time hold a foaming, furious dog; so the maiden mocked -him because of his sad discomfiture, and stirred his wrath. Peal on -peal of impish laughter rang out in the twilight hush, till Menon -cursed, and, clutching Habal still, turned angrily away. - -Then the maiden's merriment died swiftly on her lips, for she saw that -he stole her dog; and with a cry of fury she set a shaft upon her bow -and drew it to its head. In an instant now the Governor would tax her -land no more, and Habal and her heart might then be free. And yet she -faltered--paused; then dashed her weapon on the earth, to fling herself -beside it, weeping bitterly. - -So Menon bore the struggling Habal in his arms, till he reached his -house, where he tamed the brute and made of him a friend. Long, long he -labored unto this end with morsels of tempting food and many a soft -caress, till at last the captive wagged his tail and licked a master's -hand. - -Menon had conquered, yet he could not soothe a look of sadness deep in -Habal's eyes, nor cause him to desist from snuffling at the outer door -where he scratched with his paws and whined. - -At length, when the third day passed, the lover clasped a collar of gold -on Habal's neck and whispered into his ear; but Habal looked into his -face, bewildered, for he did not understand. - -"_Shammuramat!_" cried Menon, sharply, and the glad beast sprang upon -him, whimpering in his joy. The door was opened. Habal, barking, -bounded through, to burn the earth with the beat of his flying paws. -Yet on the crest of a distant hill he stopped, looked back and barked -again, then disappeared. And the lover, watching, understood--and -smiled. - -So Habal found his mistress, as she drooped in the doorway of her -father's home, and overturned her in the pure delight of coming into his -own. He fawned upon her, yelping out his love aloud; he muzzled her, -caressing with paw and tongue, to prove devotion far deeper in its -purity than aught a mortal holds on the altar of his heart. - -Semiramis, too, was glad at her dog's return, for she took him in her -arms, and, weeping strangely, hid her face on his shaggy breast; but -when she saw the collar Habal wore, her fury boiled afresh. She tore it -from his neck and gave it to a beggar who had wandered into Ascalon. - -The beggar took the trinket gratefully, then hobbled away as fast as his -legs might carry him, though ever and anon he cast a glance behind, in -the manner of one who marvels and may not understand. Now whether this -persistent turning brought good or evil, is a matter hidden in the -beggar's soul alone, for, presently, a horse came tearing down the wind, -while a wild-haired girl leaned low upon its neck, augmenting speed with -frantic voice and heel. She came upon the wanderer suddenly, reining in -her steed till it reared upon its haunches, pawing at the air, its mouth -stretched wide, its nostrils red and quivering. Then the girl -dismounted, demanding back her gift. - -The beggar protested, and, muttering, turned away, but she menaced him -with her hunting spear, and of a certainty would have pinned him to the -earth had he not obeyed. Slowly he produced the golden collar from his -pouch and tossed it at her feet. - -"Hound!" cried Semiramis, "pick it up and give it in my hand!" Again -her spear was poised, so the beggar stooped to do her bidding hastily; -then, while this fiery hawkling rode away, he lingered, gazing after her -in loose-jawed wonderment. - -Semiramis made a wide detour to pass the lake, where she flung poor -Habal's collar far into the deep--repented, and on the morrow dived and -recovered it again. That night she sought her sleep with the bauble -nestling upon her heart; but sleep came not, for her flesh seemed burned -by every golden link. She hurled it from her angrily and was happy for a -space, then stole from her couch and hunted till she found it in the -dark. - -When she had it, she hated it; but when she had it not, she longed for -it with a gnawing, furious desire which ever increased in heat and -magnitude; wherein it may be seen that Semiramis, though a goddess born, -was human--and a woman--after all. - -Meanwhile the Messengers of State were waiting patiently for Menon's -answer to the King at Nineveh; yet the Governor bade them tarry on for -yet a little while, and took to hunting from a vantage point on the back -of his good steed Scimitar. - -One morning Habal's barking caught his ear, so he followed the sound -till he reached the spine of a high, adjacent hill. In the centre of a -plain beyond he spied Semiramis, unarmed, and walking slowly; so his -heart rose up as he patted Scimitar and loosed the rein. In the night -he had vowed no more to plead his cause with a lowly mien, but would -break this witch's spirit though he heat her with his fists. - -Semiramis saw him coming, and her heart stood still. The lake was far -too distant for a haven of retreat, and the plain was bare of bush or -thicket through which she might elude pursuit. Should she stand and -face him? Yea! By Ishtar, _no_! He then might fancy that she waited -him--she--Semiramis! So she turned and fled. - -The maid was fleet of foot, and skimmed the earth with the speed of a -frightened fawn; yet her pace, alas, was a paltry match for the splendid -stride of Scimitar. Behind her she heard the thunder of his hoofs, but -louder still chimed out the notes of Menon's laughter as his joy gave -tongue. He was nearer now! He pressed upon her flank! Then Menon bent -and gathered up the maiden in his arms. She screamed and bit his hand; -she scratched him, raining buffets on his face and breast; but he only; -laughed the more, and kissed her on the mouth and eyes. - -On, on they sped, with mighty leaps and bounds, for Scimitar knew not -what manner of warlocks fought upon his back, so he took the bit between -his teeth and ran as before he had never run, while the toiling Habal -panted far behind. - -Now after a space Semiramis ceased to strive, and lay passive in the -rider's grasp. It pleased her thus to be torn from the roots of her own -hot willfulness. It joyed her to be battered against a victor's heart, -to drink in the pain of a hand wound tight within her locks, and to feel -her strength give way beneath his brutal power. For thus it was written -that Semiramis should love, in stormy passion, where an humble prayer -was trampled under foot in scorn. - -So it came to pass that of a sudden she flung her arms about the -conqueror's neck and sobbed as though her soul were rent in twain, while -he, to soothe the tempest of her tears, bent down and kissed her lips. -Again and yet again he bent, till Semiramis raised her head and stared -upon him in amaze. - -"In the name of the gods!" she cried, "how many wouldst thou take?" - -"Not one," laughed Menon, "which thou givest me unwillingly, for I do -but return thy courtesies upon the temple steps." - -"Eh--what!" she faltered, flushing crimson at his speech. "Nay, truly, -I recall but three--" - -"So be it, then," said Menon, with another laugh and still another kiss. -"T'is in my mind that when my body had been drowned, and lying helpless -in thy power--" - -"Beast!" she stormed, in grievous doubt if she should strain him to her -heart or take his life; yet Menon lived. - -The Governor turned his steed on the backward trail and journeyed till -they came in sight of Ascalon; then he slid from the back of Scimitar -and walked beside, lest idle shepherds marvel at the strangeness of -uncommon things; albeit he still held tight to the maiden's hand. - -Semiramis, from her perch, looked down into her lover's eyes, and her -spirit sang because of its bubbling joy, for now he was -hers--_hers!_--till the very stars should die; yet, suddenly, she -dragged at the bridle rein. - -"Wait! What, then, of this minx, Sozana?" - -Menon frowned, yet looked upon her steadily. - -"Of her," he answered, "thy mind need hold no fear, for I love her not. -To-morrow will I leave the service of my King and fly with thee into -Arabia. With Prince Boabdul will we there abide, for his love will -shield me, even from the wrath of Ninus." - -"Now that," spoke Semiramis, thoughtfully, "were the course of a -fledgling and a fool." A moment more she pondered, looking up at last. -"Tell me, can Ninus conquer Zariaspa, or will he fail again?" - -"Zariaspa?" asked Menon, vacantly, wondering how this matter ran with -his flight into the desert with a wife. "Zariaspa?" - -"Aye, Zariaspa!" she repeated in impatience. "The town--the city! What! -Is my lord a frog? Come, lace thy wits. Will Ninus conquer Zariaspa in -the end?" - -"Nay," said Menon, "for the walls are high and strong, while the food of -the garrison is brought by some mysterious means, the which is a puzzle -unrevealed by thought, or search, or vigilance. Again, and yet again, -will Raman-Nirari fail." - -"Ah!" breathed Semiramis, nodding in the manner of some venerable judge. -"Then write thy King in this wise: I, Menon, Governor of Syria, greet my -lord and master, even as a son might greet his father, in love and -reverence. Because of the honor he hath done me, my heart o'erfloweth -with a joy, and in glad obedience to a monarch's will, I accept his -dau--" - -"Hold!" cried Menon, angrily. "Now by, the beard of--" - -"Nay," laughed Semiramis, "but wait the end." Again she borrowed of an -aged judge's mien. "--I accept thy daughter's hand. And now, O Radiant -One, I crave a boon--not for myself alone, but for my King. When -Zariaspa shall be overthrown, and another gem is set in the war-crown of -my lord, then let these nuptials be proclaimed. Thus, men will marvel, -saying among themselves: Of a verity King Ninus is divine; for who but a -god would share the glory of his name with an humble warrior--one -unworthy of reward so high." Semiramis paused to smile. "In closing -thy letter, praise the King because of the city which he buildeth on the -sand. Contrive thy words with an artful edge of truth, in that you touch -his vanity. A touch--no more. Yet, above all else, be brief, and of a -not too marked humility." - -A light of understanding crept into Menon's eyes, yet a cloud arose to -mar his perfect happiness. - -"But--but," he stammered, "if, peradventure, King Ninus conquereth this -city, after all--then--" - -"Poof!" scoffed Semiramis. "At worst we will have loved for two -untroubled years--and much may chance in that goodly span of time." - -For answer, Menon, caring not a fig if a thousand shepherds saw, laughed -happily, then drew her down to him and kissed her laughing lips. - -Across the hills of Syria the lovers journeyed at a crawling pace, -Semiramis enthroned upon the back of Scimitar, while Menon, with her -hand clasped tight in his, strolled slowly at the bridle-rein. - -They reached the home of Simmas, and a dancing dog ran out, to spring -upon them, barking joyously. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THEY THAT DEPART AND HE THAT IS LEFT BEHIND - - -Simmas, chief warden of the royal flocks and herds, was a venerable man -both wise and strong, yet his heart was as water running before the will -of his foster-child. Unto him the lovers brought the matter of their -vows, concealing naught of the danger to themselves, nor the wrath of -Ninus should he learn how they sought to flatter him and dim his eye. -Gravely had Simmas listened, smiling indulgent smiles, though his heart -was sore afraid for her whom he loved so tenderly; and, at length when -the tale was done, he sighed and shook his wise old head. - -"My son," said he, "there are valiant men who have hied them forth to -capture beasts of prey with arrows and with spears; others, more -reckless still, go armed with ropes and stones, yet never have I known -of one who laboured to that end by tickling a lion's nose with straws." - -"How know we, then," asked Semiramis, "that a lion may not be vastly -pleased thereat?" - -Poor Simmas was forced to laugh, for how could the man do otherwise, -with two round arms clasped tight about his neck, a pink cheek nestled -lovingly against his own? And thus his foster-child met every argument, -twisting his threads of wisdom into ropes of foolishness, until, -reluctantly, he gave them blessing, smiling through his tears. - -"Down, Habal," cried Semiramis, "and lick thy master's hand." And the -dog went down. - -So it came to pass that the messengers went out from Syria and knelt to -Ninus as he sat upon his watch-tower in the heat of a certain day. They -bore him a missive which that Monarch read for the seventh time, then -read again in sore perplexity, his fingers combing at his beard. It -preened his vanity as by a feather-touch of truth, and joyed his -nostrils with the unctuous odour of his own divinity--a point whereon -his pride was prodded grievously of late. - -At his failure in subduing Zariaspa, a whisper leaked abroad that Ninus -was but a mortal, after all; and through his harshness unto those who -toiled on the walls of Nineveh, the whisper swelled in volume and in -frequency, till now it lay upon him in the hours of sleep. The voice of -the people grumbled sullenly, or cried aloud because of the yoke of tax; -yet, far more clamorous still, the whisper troubled at his heart, for a -god once doubted is a god undone. - -Therefore, in Menon's missive, the King found goodly food for thought; -and yet, on the other hand there seemed a haunting something underneath, -a something which caused him to taste with care ere he swallowed whole. - -"Now as I live," mused Ninus to his inward self, "my Menon loveth me -with a love that is rare amongst the sons of men; or else, full cry, he -followeth the trail of a woman other than Sozana. A woman of wit! A -dreadless woman--a guileful and a wise." - -The monarch pondered deeply for a space, while he combed at his beard -and gazed toward the walls of Nineveh; then, suddenly, he frowned and -leaned across the parapet. - -"Zomar!" he called to a mounted man-at-arms below, "ride out to yonder -chief of labourers by the western gate and admonish him to ply his whip -with a higher diligence; for it cometh to me that the villain's head is -balanced over-lightly on his neck." - - * * * * * - -Across the Syrian hills, beneath the splendour of a million stars, rode -Menon and Semiramis, side by side. Their hearts were full with the -fullness of a joy which conquers speech and leaves them to beat with a -voiceless pulse of peace. Their eyes alone told secrets, tender, deep, -for each had hunted through the desert for a grain of sand, and, finding -it, was glad, for they knew that its name was love. - -Before them, silent too, rode Huzim, his head bowed low upon his mighty -chest, for a worm of jealousy had entered him because of this love of a -master for his bride. Was a slave not human? Should his lowly mind be -proof against the poison of forgetfulness? A slave! And yet--the -master's hand had freed him of his chains, while he himself had riveted -them again. What now? Were the cloaks of love not strange and -manifold? So gratitude rose up to choke the jealous worm; then Huzim -raised his head once more and crooned the songs of those who dwell where -the Indus runs and the sun is warm. - -For league on league they journeyed through the night, each heart a -slave, each thought a link in the chain of loving servitude. In the van -rode Huzim, singing softly in his native tongue; behind him came Menon -and Semiramis, hand in hand, while, still again, as a rear-guard of the -march, the wise, untroubled Habal trotted at their heels. - - * * * * * - -On the hills of Syria the shepherds built their fires against the chill -of night; and many a youth looked long amongst the flames for the eyes -of Shammuramat--strange eyes that peered from the embers impishly, half -veiled in coils of smoke. They danced! They mocked! Now laughing when -some green young twig was burned; now falling into darkness with its -blackened ash. How sad they were, these ashes of a dream--as sad as the -bleat of a wandering sheep as the cry came floating down the wind. And -yet--what, then, should a goddess have to do with the herders of -browsing beasts, or they with her? Should an ox lick salt from off the -stars? Nay, not so! - -Thus wisdom came to the watchers of the fires, till peace was brought by -drowsiness, and the shepherds slept. - - * * * * * - -In the home of Simmas an old man paced the silent rooms and found not -peace nor rest. How bare and desolate when a loved one came no more! -How pitiful they were, these homely things that her hand was wont to -touch--a broken spear--a quiver cast aside--a sandal old and worn! - -He fled to the housetop from the ghosts below, but they followed, -clutching at his robe with the hands of memory. He had hunted through -the desert for a grain of sand, and found it not, for, lo! his sand was -dust. Then Simmas fell upon his knees and stretched his withered arms -toward the stars. - -"_Oh, Ishtar, Ishtar,_" he cried aloud, "_fling pity to a weak old -man!_" - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE EAGLET NURSED BY DOVES - - -In troublous times the government of Syria was not a game at which a -child might play; and, albeit Menon dwelt with his wife at Azapah, he -needs must circle round about through many a restless tribe. From -Nineveh came an endless call for grain wherewith to feed the multitudes -of labourers, for oxen, asses, and the water buffalo, whose strength was -now employed in the drawing of heavy loads. Train on train of lowing, -braying beasts were driven from out the land; and so soon as their tails -had ceased to switch in Syria, a cry went up for more. Thus the Syrians -whispered amongst themselves, as others muttered far away at Nineveh; -and soon the whisper swelled, till each man spoke his thoughts aloud, -and thought was bitter against the Governor. - -So Menon journeyed forth and back again, chiding, soothing, punishing. -His hand was heavy when the rod was lifted of necessity; and when it -fell, the back of the smitten wore a mark. Throughout he was honest, -just, and unafraid in all things save one alone--Semiramis. He dare not -suffer her to share the perils of the road, nor did he desire that -tidings should leak abroad concerning his wedded state; for of all swift -messengers, both of earth and air, not one keeps pace with the babble of -an idle tongue--and the ears of the King were sharp. - -True, Menon might have wedded both Sozana and Semiramis, together with a -score of other wives, yet the mate of a daughter of the King must -cherish one wife alone. And still again, that man who would divide his -love betwixt some other and Semiramis had best go down at once amid the -raging fires of Gibil to seek his peace of soul. So Menon, as he rode, -was wont to ponder upon these things, and was troubled because of fear. - -Semiramis fretted in the absence of her lord, till her heart was rife -with a clamorous unrest. She loved him as a tigress loves its mate, and -knew no peace till he came to her side again. - -Huzim, too, was left behind for a watch-dog in the Governor's house, a -servant who vied with Habal as a sentinel against alarm. If the Indian -loved his master, to the mistress he gave idolatry, and naught was there -which he would not do to bring her happiness. In the chase which she -loved he taught her arts of the jungle-hunt, when the tracker's hand is -brother to his eye, and the eye must sweat because of its constant -roving to and fro. He taught her to use her bow, not in the manner of -Syrian archers who sight along the shaft, but to shoot from the hip, -with vision fixed upon the mark alone, thus giving a quickness following -hard upon the heels of thought. Above all other arms he schooled her in -the use of a heavy-headed spear on which to receive the body of a -pouncing beast; and for his patience Huzim found good cause to thank his -gods. - -On a certain morning they trailed across the hills, the Indian and -Semiramis, while Habal snuffled joyously for any breed of mischief that -he chanced to find. Long they hunted, but without a kill, till at -mid-day, of a sudden, the dog set up a furious barking in a deep ravine. -Semiramis, who chanced to be in the valley's neck while Huzim hunted far -above, came first to the point whence the angry uproar told of game. At -first there was naught to see, save Habal dancing in his rage, his lips -rolled back, his thick hair bristling; yet, presently, through a tangled -screen of thorn and vine, she spied a lion crouched upon the body of a -goat, the blood of his victim dripping from his jaws. A mighty beast -was he, ill pleased at being thus disturbed; and now, at the sight of -Semiramis, he roared his wrath and leaped upon his enemies. - -As the lion sprang, the heart of Huzim was like to stop its beat in -fear. With a cry of anguish from above he plunged down the steep -declivity, heedless of stones and thorns that tore his flesh as he -rended a pathway through the interwoven shrubberies. He saw his -mistress crouch, and brace the butt of her hunting spear behind her on -the earth. He saw a tawny body hurtling through the air, to land on the -waiting spear point which, by reason of the brute's own weight, sank -deep into his neck; then the monster shot in a curve above the woman's -head and, snarling, fell among the rocks. With all her strength the -huntress clung to her weapon's haft, striving to hold her prey upon his -back, while the cautious Habal, with that over-plus of noise which -sometimes covers a lack of pluck, snapped viciously at the brush of the -lion's tail. - -Panting, breathless with his toil, the Indian raced toward the spot, -notching an arrow as he came, yet Semiramis would have none of him. - -"Hold, Huzim!" she cried. "On thy life dare loose a shaft! The kill is -mine!" - -So Huzim stayed his hand, though it irked him sore to watch while his -mistress gripped her spear and was tossed like a rag upon the wind; but -at length the lion ceased to struggle, sighing, as he stretched his -splendid limbs in death. - -Then Huzim--that trail-tried hunter, of many a fight more terrible than -this--did a thing which was full of strangeness in a man. Trembling, he -cast himself upon the earth, to clasp the feet of Semiramis, to kiss -them, and to weep as a child might weep; but his mistress laughed, and -patted Huzim's head, even as it was her wont to fondle Habal for a deed -of love. - -Homeward they journeyed across the hills, Semiramis proud of the pelt -which Huzim bore, while Habal pranced before them, with the air of one -who had done this deed alone, and cared not a pinch of wind if the whole -world knew and marveled because of a most uncommon dog. - -So the hunts went on, for Menon now was much abroad in quelling troubles -which arose on every hand; though often in his leisure hours he joined -the sport, and this Semiramis loved best of all. - -Then the Kurds arose in fierce revolt, and the Governor needs leave his -wife for a longer space, though many a bitter tear she shed, in that he -would not suffer her to go. She was mad for a taste of war, mad as when -with kisses she had urged him on the temple steps at Ascalon; yet Menon -closed his ears alike to prayer and subtle argument. And thus it came -to pass that she dried her eyes and watched him depart alone. - -Now the Kurds were a wild and valiant race of hillsmen dwelling among -the rocks, bold men who ceased to long for battle only when vultures -picked their carcasses; so Menon and his army journeyed forth and -laboured unto that end. He tracked them through wastes of sand, through -gorges where torrents rushed, and monster stones came thundering down -the pass; yet after a space he lured them to the centre of a plain and -sought to give them one more taste of Assyria's scourge. He screened a -strong reserve behind a hill, and then, in seeming disarray, marched -down upon the enemy, while the Kurds looked on and were overjoyed -because of the greater number of their warriors. - -The Kurds awaited not the enemy's attack, but, shrieking in their -barbarous tongue, poured down the slope to catch him in a dip between -the hills. - -In sooth the case of Assyria seemed evil, yet at a low command the -disorder vanished utterly. As if by magic warriors sprang into the -close-ranked form of a crescent moon, its curving front a line of -bristling spears, its long horns tipped by horse, while in the rear and -on either flank a cloud of bowmen waited for their prey. - -In the hush before the storm a rider came spurring down the hill, to -fling himself from his winded steed and to fall at Menon's feet. - -"Huzim!" breathed the Governor, in a nameless dread. "What now?" - -"Forgive, my lord," the Indian begged upon his knees, "and slay me if -thou wilt. The lady Shammuramat--hath gone!" - -"_Gone?_" cried Menon, whitening to the lips. "In the name of -Belit--where?" - -"Nay, lord, I know not," Huzim, in his grief, protested wildly. "In the -hours of night she slipped away unseen. At morning, Habal, Scimitar and -she were gone. I tracked them hither, lord, and now--" - -His speech was drowned in a rush of howling Kurds, their first line -breaking as a wave is shattered on a rock, their second crumpled, -bleeding, tossed back in heaps of slain, while the third for an instant -glared across the spears, then died as their brothers died. Yet more -came on, and more again, an endless stream of madmen, delirious in rage, -each caring naught for life so be it that he dragged a foeman down. -They hacked at lance heads with their clumsy swords and wormed their way -through the legs of the heaving front, till the crescent swayed and was -like to burst in rout. And still they came, like waves from out the -sea, to strike and fall, roll backward, rise and strike again. - -The Governor had held the temper of his enemies in contempt too light, -and now repented of his rashness in giving them a vantage ground. He -looked for his horsemen screened behind the hill, but Kedah, their -captain, was not the man to charge without an order from his chief; so -Menon's soul was troubled for his army's fate. - -"The reserve!" he roared into a courier's ear. "Ride on the wings of -hell! Nay, look! By the grace of all the gods, they come!" - -Of a truth it was so. A cloud of horsemen swept along the ridge in the -form of a solid wedge, its sharp point aiming full at the foemen's -flank. To the front, three lengths ahead, a steed of Barbary ran low -against the earth, on its back a wild-eyed imp of war, unhelmeted, her -red hair whipping out behind. In her hand she waved a hunting spear, and -urged her men in a high, shrill scream that rang above the battle's -din--and the men came on as evil spirits drive. Downward they plunged, -to strike the Kurds with the shock of a thunder-bolt, to bore a ragged -pathway through the seething ruck; then turned and bored back again. - -And now the hearts of the Kurds grew faint, and a scrambling rout began; -yet ere they could flee, the horsemen battered through their flank once -more, circled, and took them in their rear. The crescent steadied, -formed its line again, and spread to cut the Kurds' retreat; but Menon, -shouting words that were hoarse and strange, flung wisdom to the seven -winds, and charged. - -Destruction dire might have come upon the enemy, but so long as he saw -that flaming head that rocked on a surf of reeling, blood-mad warriors, -he knew no thought save one--to reach Semiramis and be her shield. With -Huzim close behind he won his way through a tangle of plunging steeds -and men, but paused at last, to battle vainly at a human wall which he -might not pierce. - -As it chanced, the Kurds were caught between two closing jaws which -pinched them as in a vice; yet full a third swarmed out at right and -left, to scurry away among the distant crags where none but snakes might -follow after. - -The battle was done at last. A silence fell where the crash and roar of -carnage had resounded through the hills. The Assyrian footmen were -drawn in triple lines, and Menon recalled his horsemen who galloped far -and wide, impaling stragglers on their points. At last they came, -Semiramis in the lead, while behind her rode a soul-sick horseman, his -chin sunk low upon his breast. Kedah was he called, the captain in -whose command the reserve had been entrusted, and he who had charged -without his chieftain's word. In silence he dismounted; from his saddle -he produced a rope which he looped about his neck, then gave the end -into Menon's hand. - -The Governor frowned darkly and his rage was deep; not that the officer -had charged without command, but because this underling had dared to -bring Semiramis into a raging, blood-bespattered pool of death. - -"Speak, Kedah--the truth! Be brief!" - -"My lord," replied the man, who thought himself about to die, "my lips -speak truth, as Belit watcheth me. I sat behind yon hill and waited for -the word to ride. I heard the tumult when the battle joined, and though -I yearned to come upon the dogs, I held my will in leash." The offender -paused, glanced backward at Semiramis, smiled, and spoke again: "Of a -sudden, my lord, this goddess dropped upon us from the clouds, for I -swear I saw her not till her grip was on mine arm and she cursed me in -mine ear. 'Fool!' she cried, 'why dawdle here when the great lord Menon -sweateth in the toils. At them, ye swine, or by the living gods I -charge alone!'" - -Kedah paused, to shrug and spread his hands, palms upward. - -"My lord, I came. I know not why I came--but came." - -Another silence fell. The angered Governor looked from Kedah to -Semiramis. She sat her steed in the glory of a beauty dear to him; her -cheeks were flushed, her eyes aflame with battle-fires, her red locks -tumbling on a breast revealed, for her robe was rent and torn. Still -Menon's lips moved not; then Kedah raised his head, his fingers toying -nervously at his noose. - -"My lord, I do perceive no tree in sight, yet, haply, further on--" - -He stopped, for Semiramis loosed a ringing laugh and vaulted from the -back of Scimitar, to approach the chief without a sense of fear or -shame. - -"My lord," said she, and pointed with her hunting spear, "if, in truth, -this sturdy warrior must hang, then first shalt thou hang Shammuramat." -She snatched the noose from Kedah's neck and laid it about her own. -"And harken, O Prince of Justice," she cried aloud, "in his throat this -fellow lieth! Aye, even to spare me thy reproof! It was I who -disobeyed, not he, for I told him I came at thine own command." - -Now the lady had spoken no such thing, and, truly, it was as Kedah said; -yet the sweet lie joyed the hearts of the horsemen mightily, and a smile -ran rippling down the line. Presently Semiramis spoke again, humbly, -sadly, with her hands clasped tight, in the manner of a slave condemned -to die: - -"My lord, I do perceive no tree in sight, yet, haply, further on--" - -Then a roar of laughter burst from every rank, and even as it broke, so -yearned these men to break from their ordered lines, to hoist a -war-queen up and bear her on their harnessed backs, to shout her praise -aloud. - -So Menon ceased to frown, for how could he hold his anger at a conqueror -of enemies and friends? Had she not saved his army and his very life -itself? What now! So he took her to his heart, though his heart was -sad. In a little space the tidings would leak abroad concerning this -warrior queen who was his wife, and because of love his soul grew dark -within him and was afraid. - -On the homeward march Semiramis sought by many an art and wile to chase -away his gloom, but ever he would sigh and shake his head. - -"Ah, love," he murmured, "now have we cut a link from out our chain of -happiness, for when my master learneth of this thing--" - -"_Poof!_" she laughed. "'Twas worth a link or two of love; and even -though King Ninus naileth me against his wall, still will I have -thundered down that slope and tasted once of the wine of war. Smile, -Menon mine!" - -And Menon smiled--in that she bade him smile. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE LIFTING OF A TAX - - -The army marched swiftly back to Azapah, for the place was sore in need -of the Governor's fist. In his absence the people, growing bold, had -stoned his agents, slaying many in their hatred toward Assyria's King. -So Menon straightway rode from tribe to tribe, advising patience until -Nineveh was builded, when peace and plenty would once more lay upon the -land. Where wisdom and cunning failed to pacify, there Menon employed a -rod of force, even as Ninus held the growling hordes of Egypt beneath -his thumb. The King had grown vexed at reports from Karnak that the -children of the Nile were chafing beneath their yoke, so he sent swift -messengers, saying that upon the day when Egypt flew to arms, that day -would he crucify their Prince Memetis on the walls of Nineveh. And -Egypt ceased to growl. - -In all his dealings with the tribes of Syria, Menon soon learned that -the wit of Semiramis was sharper than his own. When his strings of -policy grew twisted into knotted snarls, she would lay her fingers on -the hidden ends, pull deftly, and the skein was free again. Thus, more -and more, the Governor leaned upon the shoulder of his wife's advice, -till there came a time when, stricken by a fever, he gave the rule of -Syria into her hands. - -Tenderly Semiramis nursed her lord through the life of a summer moon, -and yet not once did her eyelids close on the troubles beyond her house. -From there she sent her agents forth with oil upon their tongues, or -planned with Kedah, in whose command she placed the Assyrian force of -arms; for Kedah loved her with such a love as Habal gave, albeit he -rarely snapped at the brush of a lion's tail. In her best appointed -room she received the headmen of every tribe, who came with grievances, -or for favours great and small. To each she listened thoughtfully, -while scanning his face for flaws beneath the skin, then she dealt with -the man in accordance with his flaws. With the bold she was bold; with -the timid, gentle in her speech; with the sullen she soothed away the -temper in their hearts and made them whole again. On the vain she -smiled, nor recked the issue to his soul, while she laughed with the -gay, and was sober before the wise. Thus each man came and went, -rejoicing at departure because of his own uplifted understanding, yet -knowing not that the swaying of mortal flesh, to Semiramis, was a -master-art of arts. - -"The juice of flattery," said she, "must needs be mixed with bread--not -honey-cakes--for an over-sweetness cloyeth and is vain." - -Now it chanced, that among the dwellers at Azapah, there were those who -starved, alike on the bread of flattery and the little left them by the -grasp of tax; so they met in a secret place and contrived a plot to -destroy the Governor's house with fire, while those who slept therein -should come not forth alive. With the army close at hand they dare not -move; yet when Kedah led his force away to fall upon a certain band of -malcontents, the plotters over-powered the guards who were left behind, -slew them, then came to make their evil works complete. - -At the hour of midnight Semiramis sat by Menon's couch, albeit the fever -now had passed and his body was on the mend; yet it joyed her thus to -mother him and to watch him while he slept. Habal lay yawning at her -feet, but of a sudden the bristles rose upon his back and a rasping -mutter trembled in his throat. - -"Peace, Habal, peace!" his mistress urged, fearful lest the growls -disturb her lord; yet the dog would not be stilled. Crouched at the -stout-barred door, he growled afresh, and Semiramis knew full well that -Habal snuffed a trouble in the air; so, calling Hazim, she mounted to -the roof. - -To the left she saw the tents of her guard in flames, while through the -night came a close-packed throng, their ugly visages alight in the glare -of many a torch. A hideous crew they were, the scum and evildoers of the -plains, half clothed, and armed with staves and stones. At the sight, -the heart of Semiramis grew cold within her breast--not for her own -alarm, but for him who slept below, and, shrinking with Huzim behind a -parapet, she waited, pondering hard and fast. - -On came the crowd, full twenty score, who, if they would, might override -the Governor's feeble strength in the twinkling of an eye, dash down the -doors and drag the inmates forth to butchery. Yet ere a torch could be -set against the walls, the plotters saw a woman leap upon the parapet -above, to smile upon them and raise her hands in glad surprise, as -though they bore her precious wedding gifts. - -"Greeting!" she cried. "What seek ye of Shammuramat?" - -Now a murderer's liver is a cousin to his slinking mind, and these who -came were murderers. Of a certainty, had they reached the house by -stealth, they would have burned it to the earth, showing no mercy to the -Governor or his wife. Yet when this vision stood upon the housetop, not -as one who pleads for life, but as a master knowing them for the cattle -which they were, then the plotters faltered in their course and paused. -A silence fell, and for a moment no man found his tongue. - -"What seek ye of Shammuramat?" - -"The Governor!" cried a voice amongst the throng. "The Governor! Give -him into our hands!" - -"Ah!" said the lady upon the roof, as she nodded pleasantly. "Ah, I -see! Right gladly would my lord come out to you, but my lord is not -within." She raised her hand to check a murmur of dissent, and smiled. -"If friends would speak with him, I pray them wait for a little space, -for even now he returneth with his men-at-arms. Harken!" She placed a -hand behind her ear and gazed toward the north, whence Kedah and his -force would come at dawn. "Harken to the clatter of his cavalry and the -beat of hoofs upon the plain. Patience, good friends--he cometh!" - -They listened, tricked for an instant by her words, but only the croak -of frogs and the hum of insects sounded on the breeze; then the cowards' -muttering swelled into a roar of rage. A volley of stones was flung -against the house, one missile striking her upon the temple, causing her -to totter on the roof's edge dizzily, while a trickle of blood ran down -her cheek. Huzim had marked the man who hurled this stone, and, cursing, -he set an arrow on his bow; but the mistress stayed his hand. - -"Down, Huzim! I yet may deal with them. Be not a fool!" - -Once more she turned to the scowling men who had stopped their rush when -they saw the wound to one on whom their vengeance lay not so heavily; -yet they hung in the balance now, and the weight of a hair might tip the -beam. - -"Perchance," she called aloud, "ye have a grievance, just, and one which -I might quickly mend. What, then, would ye have of me?--I who have ever -kept my promises, even though it brought me wounds, as I now am wounded -at your hands. Speak! If it lieth within my power to grant--" - -She was checked by a babel of discordant cries from the tongue of each -who sought above the rest to air a separate woe; and Semiramis smiled -within herself, though she frowned upon them with the dark displeasure -of a queen. - -"Be silent, dogs!" she commanded, fiercely. "What! Would ye burst my -ears with the yelpings of your pack? Have done!" - -They stared. She had them marveling now, and would keep them marveling, -lest idle thought breed mischief ere she clipped its wings. - -"Let one step forth!" she called. "Your leader. What! Is there not one -man in all this valiant throng?" She paused to raise her eyes and -hands. "Dear Ishtar, pity them!" - -A mighty murmuring arose, when each man nudged his fellow, urging him to -speak for all, till at last a hairy-chested, black-browed villain pushed -toward the front--the same who had flung the stone, and Huzim's fingers -curled about his bow, and he whimpered in restraint. - -The leader spoke. He made his charge against the Governor who pressed, -he said, upon the people till their children cried aloud for food. He -lied; yet he lied with a certain air of honesty; and as he marked each -point, the rabble applauded him, while their fury was like to bubble up -afresh. He told of his nation staggering beneath the load of an unjust -tax, when Ninus built him palaces wherein to squander wealth in wild -debauchery. His people, he declared, were overjoyed to obey the King -and pay him tribute according to the law; but when he sought to starve -them by the right of might, then Syria bared her teeth. Justice they -asked--no more--and received the lash. - -"Stay!" cried Semiramis, seeing that the crowd was pushed by frenzy to -the danger line. "If your hearts are hot against the King alone, why -then would ye seek to harm my lord who standeth between the wrath of -Ninus and your worthless carcasses?" - -A reckless speech it was, and well she knew that she laid her finger on -an open sore. - -"Why?" the leader thundered. "Why? Because we would strike the master -through the man! A Governor shall be no more in Syria, save a Governor -dead!" Amid hoarse shoutings he lifted up his voice again: "If Menon -would plunder bread from the mouths of women, let Menon come forth -alone, to reckon with their sons--their brothers--and those who love -them as they love their land." - -A tumult now arose. The torch-lights flickered on a sea of upturned -faces, black with wrath, distorted by the passions of ferocious men full -ripe for a deed of blood. They gathered for a rush; great stones were -raised aloft, and flaming brands were whirled in eager fists. - -But Semiramis had one shaft in her quiver still, and, setting it upon -the string of craft, she let it fly. She flung her arms toward the sky, -and laughed--a shrill, derisive peal that echoed far beyond the -outskirts of the band and for an instant checked its charge; then, from -the housetop, she pointed a scornful finger at the black-browed chief. - -"Thou child!" she cried. "Thou suckling babe! Thou fool! to whom the -asses of the wilderness are as oracles! What! Hast thou, then, not -heard?" She paused, to give her listeners the space of an indrawn -breath, then full in their teeth she launched a master-lie. - -"Harken!" she cried, "and bend your knees in gratitude. _King Ninus -hath lifted his tax from Syria--and no man needs must pay!_" - -A hush of wonder fell upon the throng, and in the silence Semiramis -heard a rustling at her side. Turning, she looked into Menon's eyes, -grown large in fear, and seeming larger still against the pallor of his -pain-drawn face. He had heard the tumult and had risen from his couch, -to crawl to the house-top, trembling in the weakness of his state. - -"_Belit!_" he gasped in hoarse dismay. "What madness wouldst thou do?" - -"Nay, wait!" she whispered. "Huzim, hold thy master, that these madmen -see him not." Then she turned to the crew below. "Oho!" she scoffed. -"I see that ye are filled with shame; yet hear the end. At the prayers -of my lord the Governor, King Ninus harkened to your murmurings, and -giveth unto Syria what he giveth no other land. Not only doth he lift -the burden of your tax, but commandeth that no man pay a sum which he -payeth not of his own desire; wherein the King would measure generosity, -not by force, but love. Moreover, he offereth a high reward in the -nature of a prize. To the tribe which may aid his needs by the largest -store, that tribe will Ninus set above all other tribes in riches and in -power, receiving its headmen as his honoured guests at Nineveh." Once -more the speaker paused, till the meaning of her words had sunk into -wondering ears. "What now," she asked, "is the King a tyrant, or your -Governor a beast to slay?" - -For a moment more a silence held the marveling men, then they broke into -a mighty roar, shouting while they stamped upon their torches, weeping, -cheering lustily for Menon and the King. Yet Semiramis was not yet done -with them. She raised her hand for silence, pointed to the smoking -ruins of the camp, and spoke in her sternest tone: - -"For what ye have done this night, my lord forgiveth you because of your -swinish ignorance. Yet have a care, for every evil face amongst your -pack is chiseled on my memory. Once, not twice, the Governor may -forgive, and a rope there is in Syria for each offending neck. Now go! -and thank the gods for the little wisdom ye have learned." - -So the murderers dispersed, and, silent, scattered far and wide to seek -their homes, while a priestess of guile, who lingered on the housetop, -looked after them and laughed. - -"Menon mine," she murmured, filled with glee, as she smoothed the -pillows on his couch, "by Ishtar I swear 'twas keener sport than a dash -against the Kurds!" - - * * * * * - -Menon and Semiramis took thought together, long and earnestly; for now, -when the Syrians learned how they had been deceived, the ashes of murder -would burst again in flames. Menon was for hanging every man who had -sought to burn his house, but Semiramis said nay. - -"By craft have we sown a seed; by craft will we nurture it and eat the -fruit." - -Thus it came to pass that a cunning proclamation was sent throughout the -land, and the simple peoples rejoiced and sang songs of praise because -of the lifting of their tax. Moreover the many tribes began to vie with -one another for the prize which Semiramis had offered in the name of -Ninus, till unto Azapah they brought such stores of metals and of food, -that Menon reaped a harvest far beyond his dreams. Where tribes were -wont to dole their tribute out through doubled fists, they now came -swiftly and unbidden, with treasures on their backs--for men look not -where their footsteps fall when chasing swamp-flies to a goal of greed -and power. - -And now to Nineveh came mighty stores of grain and wine, long lines of -sheep and cattle, asses, goats, and the water buffalo. Metals came -likewise, silver, gold and brass; fruits were there also, and honey in -earthen jars. Whatever dry Syria owned, that Syria sent, till Ninus, -seeing this stream of riches pouring through his gates, sat down upon -his stool both suddenly and hard, in the grip of profound amaze. - -"Now by the great lord Asshur," he muttered in his beard, "these eyes of -mine have never looked upon the like before! In thought have I wronged -my Menon grievously, for in truth he loveth me with a love that is rare -amongst the sons of men." - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - THE SANDAL AND THE STRAWS - - -And now came a day when Nineveh was Nineveh at last, and Ninus stood -upon his palace roof and was glad because of the Opal of the East. At -his feet a vast brown city lay--a city builded by his heart--each brick -a monument to other hearts that broke in rearing temples to Assyria's -gods. In the streets a busy hum of trade arose, where marts and booths -were opened to the sale of a thousand wares; where citizens in gala -dress swarmed in and out of unfamiliar doors; where troops of children -danced in wreaths of flowers, or white-robed priests filed past, -chanting their deep-toned songs and bearing loads in sacrifice to the -temple of Nineb and up its winding ziggurat. - -From the palace steps a broad, smooth road ran down to the western gate -and was lined by effigies of stone, great winged bulls, and lions -crouching as for a spring. Around it all the mighty wall lay coiled, -its top of a width whereon three chariots might be driven abreast, while -above rose a thousand and a half a thousand towers. - -The army still encompassed Nineveh around, yet the King was not for war. -He looked on his work and sighed a sigh of peace, then stretched his -mighty limbs and prepared a lion hunt. For three long years his heart -had yearned for sports afield, with a yearning which hunters alone may -know; yet, because of his vow, the bow and spear were left untouched by -the monarch's hand. - -Consulting his oracles, and likewise the prophet Azet whose arts -foretold great deeds of wonder to his arms, the King appointed another -Governor in Syria and commanded Menon to join him on the banks of the -lower Euphrates. Here game might be found in plenty where Ninus had -known rare pleasures of the chase in former days; so, smiling, he set -him forth. - -When the messengers had come to Azapah, Menon bowed to the master's will -and departed with a heavy heart, first sending Semiramis with Huzim back -to Ascalon, to dwell for a little space till chance might bring him into -Syria again. He reached the banks of the Euphrates and waited the royal -hunter till a moon had waned; but Ninus came not, because of the -slowness of his journey to the place. - -The King, in sitting much upon his tower while Nineveh was being -builded, had laid a deal of fat upon his bones, and tedious travel irked -him; moreover, in the hunt his breath was shorter than of yore and his -thews less strong. Yet the mind may ofttimes entertain a zeal beyond -the body's power, and in this King Ninus brewed a trouble for -himself--but the trouble was yet to come. - - * * * * * - -Semiramis, at parting with her lord, wept bitter tears; yet she, too, -bowed where wisdom left no loophole of escape, and journeyed with Huzim -and Habal back to Ascalon. And here her grief must find another stab, -keener, deeper, more sad than the parting from one who would come again; -for in the house of Simmas an old man lay asleep--a woman's sandal -pressed against his beard. - -They buried Simmas far out upon the hillside, where in years gone by a -babe was mothered by a flock of doves. The babe was a woman now, who -loved her foster-father tenderly and above all others save her lord -alone; so she wept beside the grave for many days. - -"A dove was he," she whispered to her lonely heart, "so fond, so gentle -in his ministries--a dove that winged his flight and left me, only -because of Ishtar's yearning cry." - -In her two long years of absence Semiramis had oft'times dreamed of -Ascalon, longing to roam its hills once more or to swim in its cool, -green lake; yet now it all seemed strangely poor and small. The shores -of the lake had shrunk together in the night; the hills were not so high -as the hills of yore, nor the trees so green; the vault of the very sky -itself seemed pressing down to smother her, and the smell of the very -earth was not the same. Ah, if she were like to Habal who could see no -change in the march of time; yet Habal was but a dog! - -Now, concerning this dog, the mistress erred and grievously. Not only -did he mark the change in Ascalon, but a greater one within himself. He -swaggered through the village with his tail held high, in the manner of -one who had done large deeds abroad, passing old canine friends without -a sniff or wag, yet eying interlopers scornfully. On these he would -fall at the slightest wink of provocation, and leave his memory marked -upon their hides; so his name became a wonder unto other dogs. - -Semiramis was not of Habal's stamp, nor did she boast of her deeds -abroad; yet still their memory beckoned, till her soul was full with a -great unrest. At home she was idle, grieving for the things so changed, -wandering through a house made desolate by the flight of those she -loved. Old friends would come--gaunt shepherds, gazing on her beauty -with the eyes of cattle that rove the hills--to linger, then slink away -to hide the passion in their hearts. - -"Home! Home!" she cried. "No longer is it home, for the dove hath -flown, and my lord is not beside me in the gloom!" - -Through the hush of night there were whispers on the wind--relentless -ghosts that glide from the outer world to mock us with their sighs; to -bring on their garments odours of the days that were, and the hopes of -other days to come; to haunt us, till we harken to their murmurings and -know not peace. - -They called to Semiramis, these whispers, in the name of love, whence -Menon seemed to stretch his arms in loneliness. They called through a -shattered fringe of Kurds who screamed and struggled under hoof and -heel; they called in the tongues of madmen whirling torches round and -round, their evil faces yellow in the flame and smoke. They called her -to deeds of arms--to work--to power. Oh, Ishtar, if she might ride -under whip and spur to Nineveh, and pit her wits against the King! To -play the thirsty game, with life the stake, its hazard on a single cast! -Ah, if she might glide, as these ghosts were gliding through the night, -far out beyond the rim of solitude, to the teeming battle-ground of -hearts and men! - -For days she wandered, silent, yearning to be gone, while the faithful -Huzim dogged her every step. His master had admonished him to watch his -charge with a winkless eye, lest spirit override her reason and tempt -her to a recklessness. It troubled Huzim thus to be a jailer to one he -loved, yet the master's will was law, so the Indian followed ever on her -trail. - -Semiramis knew no peace nor rest, and at last she came to Dagon's temple -down beside the lake, to lay her sorrows on the fish-god's knees and ask -a sign. - -All day, all night, she prayed, yet when the dawn came oozing from out -the east, the face of Dagon was as a face of stone. The suppliant sat -upon the temple steps, weary, warring with despair. With listless eyes -she watched a beetle crawling at her feet, then, of a sudden, hope rose -up and lived. She grasped the bug between her thumb and finger, holding -it above the surface of the lake, while she closed her teeth as a -gambler might at the whirl of his last remaining coin. - -"Now this," she murmured to herself, "shall tell me of Dagon's will. If -the beetle swim, I go! If he sink, I rot in Ascalon!" - -She cast it in, smiling, for she knew right well that the bug must -float, yet turning her back lest Dagon mark her knowledge of such -things. For an instant the victim struggled pleasingly with leg and -wing, while the smile of Semiramis broadened in its reach, to flicker, -to fade, to die. A monster carp came upward with a rush. One snap, and -the tempting morsel disappeared, thus making the fish-god's judgment -clear, beyond the very hem of Redemption's robe. - -Semiramis sat upon the temple's steps, her chin upon her hands, her eyes -on a wheel of ripples that widened away from its hub of swift calamity. -She pondered long, her thoughts like cats in trees, with Habal barking -furiously below. - -"He sank," she sighed. "Of a certainty he sank. I may not make it -otherwise. And yet"--she paused to steal a glance at Dagon's face--"and -yet the fool _did_ swim for a _little_ space. Mayhap--" Again she -paused, then spread her hands and raised her eyes appealingly. "In -truth my beetle proveth naught at all. For a space he swam. For a -space he sank. Dagon, Dagon, what meanest thou in this?" - -No answer came. Once more she pondered, her fair brow puckered with the -lines of deep perplexity; till, presently, the truant colour raced to -her cheek again and her great eyes lit with the flame of understanding. - -"Ah!" she breathed. "Ah, now I see. Thou meanest, O wise and radiant -one, that, _sink or swim_, must I do this thing. What!" she cried, -"hast thou, thyself, not said it? And, lo! I am but a weak and foolish -woman in thy power. Ah, Dagon, Dagon, thou art a crafty god, indeed!" - -In haste Semiramis left the temple door, and, singing loudly, tripped -toward her home. Her god had sent a sign. She was free to journey now -as her heart desired. Free! And yet, a doubt came prowling after -her--a watchful, sleepless doubt that dogged her steps, even as Huzim -slipped upon her trail from his hiding-place behind a stone. On the -hill she paused, to mutter to herself in a soothing tone: - -"The sign is clear. Did I linger on in Ascalon, some evil might befall -me, even as that carp arose to snatch my beetle in his greedy maw. Did -Menon know, he would urge that I fly to him without delay." - -She went her way and took up her song again, but paused to reason with a -small brown toad that hopped across her path. - -"Little beast," said she, "thou comest as a warning of some ugly chance, -the which, I confess, hath filled me with the juice of fear. Therefore -will I hasten out of Syria in time." - -She walked around the toad with care, and, singing, journeyed on till -she reached the house where the old dove Simmas dwelt in days gone by. -At the door she lingered, ere she raised the latch, for one last -argument in the cause of a heart's desire. - -"Now Dagon," she reflected, grieving at the thought, "is in truth a -careless god in the matter of his signs. Had Ishtar cursed me with a -simple mind, I might have misinterpreted, alas!" - -Semiramis then slept, to dream of Menon till the shades of night wore -on, and in her dreams found weightier reasons which she laid on the -fish-god's judgment scale. - -"Huzim," she asked, when the Indian had brought the evening meal, "did I -seek escape from Ascalon, what course would thy duty run?" - -"Mistress," he answered her, "like an arrow in my heart is the thought -of force with one whose happiness is held above my hopes of peace; yet -the master's will is the master's will, and a servant must obey." - -"Ah," she nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, I see! Yet if, by chance, I slipped -away in the gloom of night, as I did at Azapah--what then?" - -The Indian cast a troubled gaze upon the floor, and heaved a sigh. - -"I would follow, mistress, as before I followed, till I fell because of -weariness." - -"Then follow!" said Semiramis, "for I go to join my lord at Nineveh--and -to tickle the lion's nose with straws." - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE SORROWS OF A KING - - -King Ninus, lord of all Assyria, lay cursing in his royal litter, while -slaves and attendants bore him northward on the banks of the Euphrates. -Presently they left their course, struck eastward till they reached the -Tigris and again turned north, whence, with many rests and long, forced -marches in the cool of night, the stricken King at length was placed -upon his couch at Nineveh. - -Full many a grievous matter rode upon the monarch's mind, and the pale -attending leech wrought vainly to quell his patient's fever, one -augmented by a sleepless, boiling rage within. By day the King would -fret; by night he rioted throughout his dreams and found no rest. - -First there was his wound, a ragged, half-healed gash, laid open by a -lion's claw and running from a point beneath his arm-pit to his hip. It -was not the wound itself, nor the pain thereof, which fired the hunter's -wrath, but rather the truth that he, Raman-Nirari--the greatest hunter -since beasts and hunters were--should miss his kill and seek his life in -flight. Of witnesses there were only three: Shidur-Kam, a warrior whom -the King might trust to entrench his tongue behind his teeth, and a -slave who was safer still, for Ninus had cast his body into the -Euphrates; but, then, there was a girl--a red-haired girl--who perched -in the boughs of a citron tree and laughed as the King sped underneath, -a wounded lion leaping at his horse's haunch. - -At another time the monarch might have held this face, and the echo of a -bubbly laugh, in pleasing memory; yet raillery, directed at a royal -personage in the stress of flight, begets a recollection of a different -breed. So the mocking laughter haunted Ninus through all the day and -caused him to wake at night and grind his teeth in fury. - -"Argol," said he, to the faithful leech beside him, "give order that a -thousand horse repair to the region of our lion hunt. Command them to -scour the country round about in a circuit of thirty leagues and bring -me every red-haired wench they may chance to find. By Gibil's flame! I -have a pressing need of them!" - -The leech sighed sadly, tapped upon a gong of bronze, then waited in -silence till an officer strode in, saluted, and sank upon his knees. -The order given and the soldier gone, Argol administered a sleeping -draught and sat once more at his weary post. - -Yet the King slept not, for still another matter lay heavy on his heart. -There was a certain man called Azet, the venerable seer who had -prophesied with lies. Before the hunt he had opened the carcasses of -seven cranes, finding in the entrails of each and all an omen of -success. Full thirty beasts, said Azet, should the King o'ercome, -returning unto Nineveh triumphant and sound of limb. Was not this -prophet, then, to blame for the ills which had come to pass? Wherefore -should he prophesy unto evil ends, or cause witch-women to laugh from -the boughs of citron trees? Could virtue not be found in the vitals of -seven sacred cranes? or was this holy man but a monster and a fool? - -The King's dark brow grew darker still with troublous thought, as he -questioned his leech for the hundredth time in fretful tones: - -"Argol, good Argol, tell me, I pray thee, man, how in the name of Asshur -may I teach this wretch to mend his auguries?" - -"My lord," the leech replied, as he raised his drooping lids and gazed -out dreamily to where the Tigris flowed, "my lord, the breath of man -ariseth from his breast, but in his throat are shaped his evil -prophecies." - -"Eh--what?" the King demanded. "What manner of speech is this, and how -doth it run with Azet and his seven cranes?" - -"Hang him, my lord," said Argol, drowsily, and turned away. - -A slow smile lit the features of the King, while for a space he -pondered, plucking at his coverlet; then, summoning an officer, he gave -an order in a weak but cheerful voice, at the same time causing his -couch to be removed to a shaded spot upon the palace roof. Here, with -his watch-worn leech beside him, he could lie at ease and feast his eyes -on the glory of completed Nineveh. Across his terraced gardens where -fountains sparkled in the sun, he could see the temple of Asshur and of -Ishtar upon their hills; likewise the temple of the fire-god Gibil, -above whose dome a wreath of smoke hung low, belched upward from the -flames beneath. He could see his streets, his marts, his mighty gates -and the tawny plains beyond where the Tigris and the Khusur ran. He -could see his wall--that shield of his heart's desire--which made his -city a fortress against the world; yet the thoughts of Ninus were not -for walls and shields. - -He watched a thousand horsemen pass the western gate and gallop swiftly -down the river bank, then disappear from Nineveh for the space of many -days. The chief was a man of little love beyond his sword and steed, -one, who would give short shift to devils with flame-hued hair, and the -heart of the King was glad. - -Of a sudden a tumult rose from the streets below, while a concourse -gathered, and a sound of weeping ascended to the palace roof. Through -the surging throng a band of soldiers fought their way, leading the -prophet Azet toward the wall and beating back the populace with the -butts of their heavy spears. - -The western gate was spanned by a monster arch, on the shoulder of which -sat the highest tower of all, and thither the soldiers led their victim -by a winding stair. When at last they appeared on the turret's edge, a -wail of anguish rang out afresh, while the multitude gazed upward, -swarming to and fro. - -"Now truly," chuckled Ninus as he watched, "this fellow hath a wondrous -following, who, because of their ignorance, grieve at things they may -not understand." - -From the turret the soldiers thrust a wooden beam; from the end thereof -they hanged the prophet by a noose, and, according to a writing set -above the gate, "The prophecies of Azet ceased to be throughout the -land." - -Argol then bound his master's wound in a healing salve, and the sufferer -straightway slept for many hours; on waking, his fever had departed -utterly, so he mended in body and in mind. He appointed another -prophet, one Nakir-Kish, a wise and observing man whose promises of good -and ill were the like of kites, the strings thereof being held within -his hand till his eye had marked the temper of all heavenly winds. Thus -Nakir-Kish endured. - -King Ninus now sent for Bobardol, a sculptor of high renown, the same -who had carven a famous bull that had, in all, five legs. This extra -limb might at first seem strange and at odds with Nature's own design; -yet, even so, it had its marked advantages. An observer gazing on this -masterpiece--no matter where he stood--might always perceive four legs; -"And that," said Bobardol, "is Art." So Ninus was pleased, and retained -the sculptor in his service. - -The King gave order for a monster _stele_, whereon should be carven a -scene from the lion hunt, the monarch being pictured, not in wild -retreat, but faced about and causing great discomfiture to a mighty foe. -True, the attitudes of the King of Assyria and the king of beasts would -be quite reversed, yet Ninus was a god whose front was more imposing -than his back; moreover it _would_ have been as pictured had Azet not -prophesied with lies. Shall a King be held to blame where foolish -servants err through ignorance? Not so! - -The sculptor Bobardol now set to work, while Ninus commanded a sumptuous -feast to be prepared, whereby he might celebrate his triumphs in the -chase. His soldiers and populace should pass in lines through the palace -hall and gaze in awe upon this unveiled tablet, set up to the glory of -the high lord Asshur--and to the glory of the King. - -While waiting this work of art, and at the same time resting so that his -wound might heal, Ninus was wont to recline within his litter which was -borne along the top of the city wall. Here he could watch at will, or -give directions in the order of another enterprise which dwelt in his -mind and heart. Three years had now passed by since his warriors turned -tail from Zariaspa; and the time approached when Ninus must seal his -promises to rake the ashes of this city into sacks and with them feed -the waters of the sea. - -The army encamped within and without the walls of Nineveh was twice so -great as that which had failed in the former siege, and Ninus gave much -thought to the plans of his second war. On the plain a wall had been -erected, in height and thickness measuring that of Zariaspa, and here -the Assyrians practiced methods of assault. Great carts they had, with -platforms twenty cubits above their wheels, propelled by slaves who were -hidden underneath, while above the platforms ladders rose and slanted -toward the wall. Up these the men-at-arms would clamber rapidly, to -grapple with defenders at the top; and so great was their zeal in this -mimic war that many lives were lost because of it. There were tall -machines which worked on pivots, whose swinging buckets could set a -score of men upon a parapet; there were towers faced by armor-plates of -brass, from the crests of which wide bridges might be flung, while -warriors swarmed across to engage the enemy. Huge catapults were built, -of new design and hurling power, some casting single rocks, and others -to rake a battlement with a volley of smaller stones. Full many a -strange machine of cunning workmanship was thus devised and stored -against departure, when the King would once more lead his armies to the -East. - -In the lowgrounds and on the rolling slopes beyond the river Khusur -which flows between the mounds of Koyunjik and Nebbi Yunas, myriads of -oxen and beasts of burden were set to graze upon the pasture-lands. -These had been employed in the building up of Nineveh, and now were -resting for a further need, for their final strength would be utilized -in hauling the traps of war through desert lands and toilsome ways, on -spongy forest roads to the hills beyond, up heavy mountain slopes to -gorges between the peaks of Hindu-Kush. Thence they would scramble down -into the plains of Bactria, to become at last the food for a hungry -host; and thus the cattle served unto many ends. - -The waiting army was under sole command of Menon, whose heart was now -divided between two loves. To prepare for war would have joyed him -vastly, except for his vow to wed Sozana when Zariaspa fell before the -King; and this he might not do because of Semiramis, of whom he dreamed -as resting peacefully in the valley of Ascalon. Had Ninus spoken aught -to him of the red-haired imp who laughed from the bough of a citron -tree, Menon's heart might then have borne a double weight; but the -happening was not that quality of jest on which a monarch is pleased to -regale his chiefs. - -It chanced on a certain day that Menon was summoned to the palace for a -council with the King, and, striding through the gardens, he came with -suddenness upon Sozana, who sat alone. Fair was she, with the beauty of -a childish maid; yet in her green simar, and the silvery veil which was -wound about her throat, Sozana was a princess, from her raven hair to -the jeweled sandals on her tiny feet. - -Since returning from Syria Menon had found no opportunity for speech -with her, and now he came forward joyously, his hands outstretched. At -the sound of footsteps Sozana had risen from her seat, but, on seeing -him, she gave a little cry of disappointment and of pain, flushed -crimson and turned away without an answer to his greeting; and when he -sought to question her concerning such treatment of an old-time friend, -she sank upon a bench, to weep as though her heart would break. - -For a moment Menon stood irresolute, then, as he began to speak again, a -hand was laid upon his shoulder, and, turning, he looked into the eyes -of Memetis the Egyptian, a youth whom he loved as he might have loved -his mother's son, but who now refused his greeting coldly, spurning the -proffered hand and placing his own behind his back. - -"How now," asked Menon, "is this the manner of Memetis to his friends?" - -"Nay," returned Memetis, frowning as he spoke; "true friends I greet in -love and tenderness; the false may rest with Hathor ere I take their -hands." - -Then it came upon Menon that Memetis and Sozana knew of the mandate of -the King, and were bitter in their thoughts of one who came between them -and their happiness. - -"Memetis," the Assyrian asked, "is it, then, to the walls of Zariaspa -that thine eyes are turned, fearing lest a friend hath juggled with thy -trust as a traitor might?" - -The Egyptian's black eyes glowed in anger which he vainly strove to -check, while his fingers played about the hilt of a dagger at his belt. - -"Aye," he answered bitterly, "to the walls of Zariaspa do I turn mine -eyes, for with their fall falls every hope which Isis dangled before my -foolish heart. And thou!" he cried, "the false! The treacherous! who -would tear Sozana from mine arms, aye, even as the hawk would swoop upon -a nest of doves!" - -Menon strove to speak, but the Egyptian would not harken to his words. -The Assyrian faced Sozana, stretching forth his hand, but Memetis sprang -between them, drawing his dagger, and in a low, fierce whisper spoke his -wrath: - -"Lay but a finger on this maid, or speak her name again, and as Osiris -liveth, will I take thy life!" - -Menon looked into the lover's eyes, and slowly spread his arms. - -"Strike!" he murmured sadly. "Strike, and learn from other lips than -mine that Memetis is a fool." - -He waited, but the Egyptian made no move, because of the sorrow on the -face of one who had been a cherished friend. - -"And dost thou dream," asked Menon, pointing to the girl who wept beside -him, "that I would willingly bring sorrow to this child? Nay, listen, -both, then judge me when ye know the truth." - -The Egyptian's hand sank down beside him, and his blade was tossed upon -the earth. - -"Speak on," he begged, "but, oh, my friend, I pray thee show me no -mirage of hope that melteth when a thirsty traveller would drink." - -So Menon sat between them on the bench and told them of Semiramis. He -told of the artifice by which he sought to gull the King, in a firm -belief that Zariaspa would not fall; and yet, should chance prove -otherwise, he would fly with his wife into Arabia, where Prince Boabdul -offered them a safe retreat. He spoke of his life in Syria, of the -wonder of his love for her whom he left behind; and as the tale went on -Sozana dried her tears and held the teller's hand in both her own, for -she and Memetis knew at last that Menon betrayed no trust in him, and -their hearts were glad because of a hope restored. - -"Forgive," Memetis pleaded as his friend arose; and Menon smiled, bent -down and kissed Sozana as a brother might, then left them with a heavy -heart to seek the King. - -Ninus still reclined upon his couch--for his hurt was yet unhealed--and -rested beneath the shade of a canopy on the palace roof, whiles he -waited in impatience for Menon's coming till the hour was past. Now it -is not good to linger when a wounded monarch waits, so Ninus fretted, -combing at his beard as was his wont when matters troubled him or anger -rose. - -"How now," he asked, when Menon came at length with a hasty step, "am I -the master, or do I sleep, to awaken presently and find myself a -servant--_thou_ the King?" - -"Forgive, my lord," begged Menon, falling on his knee; "King Ninus -sleepeth not. 'Twas the servant who drowsed beside the way. In the -garden below I chanced upon Sozana with whom I have held no speech -since--" - -"Ah!" said the King, his anger fading, while a smile began to play about -his mouth. "So the eagle needs must wait when pigeons peck at love. -Speak on, my son." - -Menon flushed and cast his gaze upon the floor. - -"I--I sat with her, my lord, and spoke of many things, taking no thought -of how the moments flew, till--" - -"Hark!" said Ninus, as he raised his hand. "Can it be that I hear Sozana -singing from the garden there?" Menon listened, nodded, and the King -went on: "Strange!" he mused. "For days she hath tasted lightly of her -food, and sighed and drooped her head; yet now at thy coming she hath -straightway plumed herself, and pipeth a saucy song. Look thou, master -fox, what miracle is this?" - -Menon flushed again and smiled a foolish smile; yet he answered -cunningly, with a lingering grip on the slippery skin of truth: - -"My lord, I--I whispered into the maiden's ear." - -"Oho!" laughed Ninus. "Now by my beard, I'd give a goodly sum to learn -thine art. But come, what chanced to be the burden of this pretty -speech?" - -"As to that," said Menon boldly, in a manner which ever pleased his -lord, "my whisper is a secret in the keeping of discretion's tongue and -the maiden's ear alone." - -"U'u'm!" mused Ninus. "How many men-at-arms are now prepared to take -the field against our good friend Oxyartes?" - -For a space the two discussed their plans for a second war against the -Bactrians, then Menon saluted his master's hand and took his leave. -Alone, the King lay thinking on his war, when of a sudden his thought -was disarranged by the notes of another song, no longer Sozana's voice, -but that of a man, deep, tender, and pleasing to the ear: - - Like Love is the fragile Lotus bud, - When kissed by the gleaming, golden flood - Of light from shining Ra; - It blooms 'neath the warm, caressing beams - On the Nile of Life, and its blossom seems - To shine as a milk-white star. - - But lo! when the fateful season turns, - And the tawny desert glows and burns, - Shimmering, parched, and dry-- - As the vanquished foe to the victor stoops, - All faded and shriveled the Lotus droops-- - And, withered, it falls to die! - - -"Strange!" mused Ninus, combing at his beard. "The Egyptian sitteth with -Sozana in the gardens down below and singeth a song of love; albeit I -mark that his song be sad.... Yet--why should he sing at all, the fool! -Doth he, too, whisper into the maiden's ear, and--" - -The monarch paused abruptly, to call to his faithful leech in a tone of -petulance: - -"Argol! come stroke my side in the region of my wound; for I tell thee, -man, it itcheth damnably." - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE SKIN OF A ONE-EYED LION - - -The throne-hall of the palace was of lofty pitch--and of spacious depth -and width. In its rear, through arches, lay an open portico, while -beyond could be seen the Valley of the Tigris and the reaches of the -river on its journey to the sea. Within were carven pillars of marble -and of stone brought hither by utmost toil from foreign lands; likewise -other pillars of malachite, of silver, and of hammered gold, draped with -hangings of purple and embroidered stuffs from the treasure-stores of -far Phoenicia. There were curious arms, the trophies of chase and war, -rare gifts from conquered princes sent to Nineveh through love or fear, -and the mounted heads and skins of beasts which had fallen before the -King's own spear and shafts. - -The entrance was set with chiselled lions, and winged bulls in miniature -of those which guarded the western gate, while the walls were lined with -_steles_, whereon were pictured the battles of the King, his deeds of -prowess in the hunt, his sacrifices at the altars of his gods. - -On the ceiling stretched a tessellated emblem of all the deities wrought -cunningly with bits of tinted stone and precious gems, a work of art so -fabulous in price that even the spendthrift Ninus drew his breath when -the cost thereof was known to him. In the centre sat the great lord -Asshur in his godly robes, his breast adorned with the winged disk -designed in pearls and sapphires on a base of lapis-lazuli. Before high -Asshur King Ninus knelt, obedient to the heavenly will alone, while -around them were grouped the lesser deities--Raman hurling forth his -lightning forks, Bel in his horned cap, red Gibil peering out through -sacrificial flame and smoke, Belit princess of the dawn, Shala, Nebo, -Nineb, and Nerga of the chase, Shamashi-Raman, father of the King--a -heavenly litter of divinities, each dear to the heart of his special -worshipper. - -On a sumptuous throne sat Ninus, with Sozana at his side, for the queen -had passed away ere Nineveh was complete; so now his daughter held the -highest place in the monarch's heart. The hall was thronged with -chieftains, priests, and the king's good friends. At the feet of Ninus -sat Menon, and at his side the Arabian Prince, Boabdul Ben Hutt, whom -the king had urged to grace his festival. There were kings of Tyre and -Sidon, from beside the Sea of the Setting Sun, whose cities sent their -caravans of tribute and of tax with muttered curses trailing after them; -and likewise came the sons of Canaan, giant Khatti chiefs still restless -beneath their yoke, princes of Babylon, Syrians, lords of the desert and -the sea; grim mountaineers who had fought like rats in the caverns of -their rocky homes; governors, rulers, and a swarm of wives and daughters -of these men, all now unveiled at the mandate of the King. - -From behind a pillar Memetis looked upon Sozana's face, his hope an -oasis whence his soul might drink the waters of his love; yet now must -he sip lest Ninus mark his thirst and be aggrieved thereat. So, with -his eyes, the Egyptian looked out upon the throng, yet with his heart he -saw one maid alone. - -A goodly gathering it was, in rich attire, in armor and robes of state, -the warriors of a hundred wars, the proudest beauty of the court, -assembled now to view the monster tablet carven in honor of the King. It -was newly set within the wall, hidden from sight by crimson draperies, -and on either side stood the sculptor Bobardol and the High Priest -Nakir-Kish, the one to draw the cloth aside, the other to bless the -_stele_ in the name of Asshur. - -A breathless silence fell upon the courtiers; King Ninus gave a sign, -and the sculptor drew the draperies aside. On the _stele_ was pictured -in _bas-relief_ a wondrous exploit of the King, who, mounted on a -rearing charger, battled with a king of beasts. This lion was springing -upon the withers of the steed, seeking to drag the hunter from his seat -with teeth and claws, while Ninus gripped its throat and crushed its -skull with a haft of his broken spear. - -A triumph of art it was, bespeaking valor spirited and rare, rather than -exactness of the facts concerning this glorious happening, and a murmur -of admiration rose to every lip because of the daring monarch and the -skill of Bobardol. - -Below an inscription told the story of the deed, in language employed by -Assyria's Kings, wherein they laid aside the robes of modesty and spake -for the world to hear: - -"I, Raman-Nirari, son of Shamashi-Raman and mightiest of all Assyria's -Kings, by the will of Asshur, lord of earth and sky, fared forth to -conquer lions in this the twentieth year of my resplendent reign. Much -game I slew, my horse bestriding, likewise upon my feet alone with -arrows and with spear. Thus it came to pass that I, Ninus, to whom no -other may compare in skill and lack of dread, joined battle with a -mighty, one-eyed lion in the thickets along the Euphrates. Terrible in -rage was he, this lion, because of the wounds I gave, roaring till my -servants fled in fear away. Yet I, alone, took hold upon his throat and -smote him thrice, in that his roaring ceased and went out of his belly -with the death of a so great beast." - -"To the high lord Asshur praise! To Ninus praises greater still, for -Asshur watched while Ninus wrought the deed!" - -Amid rejoicings the _stele_ was blessed by the High Priest Nakir-Kish, -while the wine cup circled and a chant was heard from a train of hidden -priests--a chant which now was taken up in the temples throughout vast -Nineveh, and the gods smelt sacrifice from a thousand altar stones. A -jingling tinkle then arose, when from right and left two lines of -dancers tripped into the hall, to bow before the King, to rise and glide -in rhythmic steps through the measures of their dance. A score they -were, of beauties picked from many lands and climes, arrayed in gauzy -robes, rich head dress and bangles of bronze and gold. They swayed to a -pace of slow monotony, with the sad, melodious strain of citherns and of -flutes of quaint design; then, suddenly, at a crash of cymbals, the -dancers woke to life, whirling, tossing high their arms, leaping through -a swift, bewildering maze, with gleaming bodies, crimson lips and -pleading eyes. Louder and louder rang the music's call to passion and to -love, while faster and faster the pink feet fell in velvet kisses on the -floor of tinted brick; till, at last, with a scurrying rush, the maidens -left the hall, while a shout of applause and noise of clapping hands -rolled after them down the corridors. - -A silence followed, wherein the courtiers waited eagerly for a signal -that the feast was spread, when an officer stepped toward the throne and -bowed before the King. - -"Thy pardon, lord," he faltered, "but a woman clamoreth at the palace -door. She would enter without delay and will not be denied." - -So strange was the man's demeanor that all who heard him marveled at its -cause, yet Ninus spoke impatiently: - -"Bid her begone, lest my servants scourge her from the city gates!" - -The officer, with downcast eyes, retreated toward the door where every -eye was turned in sharp expectancy of a stranger unbidden to the feast. -From without the audience heard a murmur of protest cut short by a firm, -imperious command; then the officer came slinking back into the hall. - -"Lord," he quaved, trembling before the King, "thy high commands I gave, -bidding the woman depart in peace, yet--yet she will not go." - -"_Will not!_" King Ninus roared. "By Gibil's breath, what manner of -wench is this to defy me in my teeth?" - -"Lord," the soldier stammered in confusion, while his cheeks went white -and red by turns, "lord, no mortal wench is she, but a spirit from the -outer world, so fair to look upon that--" - -A roar of laughter checked him, and even Ninus joined therein, yet -presently the King spoke sternly, striving to hide his smile: - -"Go, ape, and bring her hither! Yet mark you, man; if she be not fairer -than any woman of my land, I swear to hang you from the highest roof in -Nineveh!" - -A titter arose and the blushing officer retired, to presently return -with--not one stranger in his wake--but three. In the lead a woman -strode, yet such a woman as the court of Ninus had never looked upon. -She was clothed in a skirt of lamb's wool whose border touched her knee, -her limbs encased in doe skin lashed with thongs; across her breast was -flung a leopard's silky hide, and head dress had she none save a crown -of flame-hued hair. In her hand she held a hunting spear, and at her -back was slung her bow, together with its quiver and a sheaf of shafts. -Behind her walked an Indian, of lowly mien but of mighty strength, who, -besides his spear and bow, bore a half dried lion's skin, while at his -heels a shepherd's dog came swaggering in as though the palace were some -kennel of a lesser dog--and, strangely, the woman's bearing seemed the -same. - -On the assembled court the effect was varied and most strange. The -women raised their brows in outward scorn of this stranger and her garb, -yet in their secret hearts they knew a rival who outstripped them far; -therefore they hated her and yearned that some swift calamity befall; -but their husbands looked with a kindlier gaze. The warriors, the -statesmen, aye, even the priests themselves, for a moment stood in -silent awe, each face revealing what each soul would hide--wonder, -worship, base desire--for the passions of men are tuned to divers keys -when beauty strikes the chords. - -To Menon the woman came as a fevered dream from which he longed to wake -and know that she was safe in Ascalon; yet the dog was there--and -Huzim--Huzim who looked into his master's eyes and dropped his own. It -was true! She had come into the lion's very lair, and the voice of Fear -cried out aloud that Folly had claimed its own. - -"_Shammuramat!_" breathed Menon, leaning limp and white on the shoulder -of Boabdul. "May the gods lend aid, where I may give her none!" - -"Courage, friend!" the Arab whispered, "for in this, as in all things, -my scimitar is brother to thy sword." - -The King leaned back upon his throne, with folded arms, with eyelids -narrowed into slits beneath his frown, with fingers that combed his -beard, while the heart of him rejoiced. At last it was she! The -red-haired devil who had perched in a citron tree and mocked him as he -fled before a wounded lion. Ah, now should she pay the price of -laughter in the coin of tears! - -A hush had fallen on the company, each waiting with bated breath for the -King to speak; but the King spoke not. At length Semiramis, wearying of -the pause, stepped forward without the royal word of sufferance. - -"My lord," said she, and pointed to her servant and the gift he bore, "I -bring a lion's skin from the thickets of the Euphrates. A mighty -one-eyed lion which--" - -"Hold!" cried Ninus, leaping to his feet, his hard hands clenched, his -neck veins standing out to a wrathful rush of blood. For a moment he -stood, regarding the woman with a dark, malignant frown, then he turned -to a man-at-arms beside his throne: "Go down with this wench to the keep -below and let her taste the lash!" - -To those who heard, this deep injustice came like a thunderbolt, for -naught had the woman done save to bear a present to the King and speak -without his leave. A murmur of protest sounded throughout the -gathering, and Menon half arose with his hand upon his sword; yet the -Arab checked him by a warning word and a grip upon his arm, for the time -was not yet ripe to place a life in jeopardy. - -The man-at-arms, obedient to his master's will, strode forward and laid -his hand upon the prisoner's arm; but at his touch Semiramis took a -backward step, then with her doubled fist she struck him fair upon the -apple of his throat. With a grunt of pain the fellow sprawled full -length, his armor clanging on the floor, while Huzim lowered his spear -point threateningly and Habal crouched beside the prostrate man, his -lips rolled back, his eye upon his mistress, waiting for a sign. - -Again fell silence, to linger till one might count a score, while all -looked on in dumb amaze at this queen who dared the rage of Ninus, -meeting his eye with an eye that knew not fear and his scowl with a -reckless smile. - -"My lord," she began once more, her low voice smooth and even as though -the stretching of a warrior on his back were but a pleasing courtesy, -"my lord, I bring a lion's skin from the thickets of the Euphrates. A -mighty one-eyed lion which leaped upon thy horse's neck and--" - -"Have done!" stormed Ninus. "What witch's foolery is this of lions in -the thickets of the Euphrates?" He paused to laugh derisively. -"Perchance it was even thou who slew the brute--thou with thy puny -might." - -"Puny?" smiled Semiramis, pointing to the fallen man-at arms. "Nay, ask -this grimy dog who dared to pollute me with his touch. And as for the -lion, good my lord, I have his skin. Mayhap I slew him, and again -mayhap he laid aside his coat in the manner of a wrestler, eager for -another bout with Ninus, who, alas, receiveth gifts with but a sorry -grace." She smiled once more and again took up her interrupted speech: -"My lord, I bring a lion's skin--" - -"Peace! Peace!" cried the King, then turned to glare about him -savagely. A laugh had broken from some hidden soldier's throat, and, as -a flame is kindled from a spark, so mirth ran riot up and down the hall. - -The King, whose temper had been weakened by his wound, was placed in a -grievous pass. Should he suffer this witch to tell her damning tale of -disaster in the chase, it would brand the royal hunter as a braggart and -a liar--a case far out of tune with a king's desire to be thought a god. -On the other hand, should he check her speech by force, there were those -who would hold displeasure for a deed they could not understand. -Therefore Ninus swallowed down his spleen and sought to meet guile with -guile. - -"Princess," he laughed, as he once more took his seat, "with anger -assumed did I test the mettle of a huntress at my court, and my heart is -glad because of the spirit she hath shown. Speak then, fearing naught, -and if thy tale prove true and pleasing to our ears, demand what thou -wilt from Ninus in exchange for this one-eyed lion's skin." - -Semiramis bowed low and was about to speak, when the monarch checked her -with a lifted hand. - -"Nay, a moment," he begged. "Now perchance I might tell this tale -myself, and thereby lose no shred of its palatable meat." He smiled to -his court amusedly and once more bent his glance upon Semiramis: "A -lion's skin is borne me from the thickets along the lower Euphrates--a -one-eyed lion, fierce and strong, that leapt upon my charger's neck and -pressed me hurtfully. I, Ninus, in my terror of a beast so strange, -then flung my weapons down, turned tail and fled for safety in my -distant camp, whilst thou--all praise to Asshur for the deed--came after -me and slew my enemy." Again the monarch laughed and stretched his hand -toward the huntress: "Speak, pretty one, is this the tale of Ninus and -the one-eyed lion?" - -The King, in painting with a brush of truth, had spread his colors -artfully, for it came to him that to steal the thunder from an accusing -tongue was better far than a shield of defensive lies. So the courtiers -whispered among themselves and smiled at the pleasing humor of their -Song. This joyed the monarch vastly, for his vanity was large, and now -that his wit had given him a vantage ground, he turned to Semiramis, -ready for attack, but was ill prepared for his subtle enemy. - -On her face came a look of childish wonderment and pain, while her hands -were raised in protest of a thought so wrongful to the King. She stood -with her back toward the _stele_ which pictured the lion hunt, yet, on -entering the hall, her eye had marked it, and memory served her well. - -"Ah, no, my lord," she answered timidly, as she slowly shook her head, -"of a truth thy words are the words of jest, for I saw thy battle from -the bough of a citron tree wherein I had climbed in my wish to gaze upon -the King." - -She paused to drop her eyes, but raised them again at a smile and a word -from Assyria's lord. - -"Speak," said the King, "and fear not, for we fain would hear this tale. - -"O radiant one," returned Semiramis, "small skill have I in the telling -of a deed so great, and yet each day my prayers of praise go up to -Ishtar, in that I saw this glorious battle of a god." - -The King breathed easy and ceased to comb his beard, and Semiramis began -her story, of the hunt. At first her voice was low, melodious and calm, -yet presently it rose to the fevered pitch of an orator whose audience -is but a harp beneath his hand, each string a heart to thrill and quiver -at a master-touch. Her listeners seemed to see the hunter charge the -king of beasts, his stout spear shivering with the impact of the blow. -They heard the lion's roar of fury as he leaped on the shoulder of the -rearing steed, to tear at his enemy, while the two tossed to and fro in -a grip of death. They heard the rip of armored garments at the stroke -of raking claws, while the blood of Ninus dyed his vestments red and his -arm rained blows upon the skull of a maddened beast. They saw its -mighty jaws relax, the tawny body heave in agony, to drop to the earth -at last in death. Then the conqueror strove to staunch his wounds and, -failing, rode for succor to his distant camp. - -Semiramis ceased to speak, and those who had listened drew a long, deep -sigh of wonder at the King's escape and at her who told the tale so -truthfully. King Ninus likewise heaved a sigh, but of peace and sweet -content, for never since his reign began had he looked upon so glorious -a liar. - -"Behold!" cried Nakir-Kish, and pointed to the _stele_. - -Semiramis turned, to stare in seeming wonder at the carven miracle. One -fluttering hand was drawn across her eyes; her lips moved slowly, giving -forth no sound, and all save two who watched her felt that here, indeed, -was truth. King Ninus raised his hand to check a tribute of applause, -and spoke in a voice of gentleness. - -"What more?" he asked. "How came it to pass that a woman beareth the -lion's skin to Nineveh?" - -Semiramis spread her hands in the manner of one who does a deed too -small for the waste of words. - -"O mighty one," she answered simply, "of a truth my tale is told. When -the beast lay dead I descended from out my tree to watch while my -servant removed its skin." She took the lion's hide from Huzim and laid -it at the monarch's feet. "My lord, I bring this simple token of my -love to Nineveh, in trust that the King of all the world will grant my -small desires." - -"Say on," cried Ninus, "and by the sword of Asshur do I swear to make a -just reward. Speak, then, for we harken to thy wish." - -Semiramis spoke not. She raised her eyes to his in the wondering -innocence of a little child and smiled. - -"Nay, lord, why now should I name desires which Ninus in his wisdom -knoweth well?" - -"True," returned the monarch thoughtfully, once more combing at his -beard and wondering if some trap were being laid, "true, and yet 'twere -well to name thy wish aloud, in that these my friends may ever bear a -witness to the promise made. Speak, for Ninus heedeth." - -"Forgiveness!" begged Semiramis, kneeling upon the lion's skin. "This, -O Father of the Land, I ask alone." - -"Granted!" cried the King, "though I swear I know not--um--though thy -sin be great or small." - -Semiramis pressed the fingers of the King against her lips, then, -rising, turned with a joyous cry and flung herself into Menon's arms. - -A gasp of wonder rose from those who saw, while Menon flushed, and his -friend Boabdul smiled. Sozana sought the eyes of Memetis with a furtive -glance, but the King rose up in wrath. - -"What now!" he demanded, in a voice which shook with passion, but -Semiramis checked him with a laugh and stood before him holding Menon's -hand. - -"Three years agone, as thou knowest well, my lord, he wedded me in -Syria." - -"Eh--what!" cried the puzzled King. "In truth he is thy spouse?" - -"Aye," she nodded happily, "in defiance of his master's will; and -thought--the foolish boy--to blind the eyes of the Eagle of Assyria. -Yet as for me, my lord, I laughed, for well I knew that the vanities of -man must come to dust. What! I asked him, is thy master a fool whose -eye can fathom naught beyond his nose? Nay, King Ninus is a god whose -wisdom marketh the works of lesser men, and he smileth because of them. -Therefore, since Ninus knoweth all, he will treasure up this jest till -such a time as Menon cometh unto Nineveh, and will rally him in the -sight of all the court. Speak then, O generous lord, that thy courtiers -may laugh with thee." - -The monarch made no answer. He was like unto a man who stood between -two ditches, each too wide to spring across, yet spring he must. To -admit a knowledge of his governor's disobedience, would mean forgiveness -where the measure of his wrath was fain to fall; and yet denial stamped -him, not as a high, far-seeing god, but a mortal fool whose vision -ceased at the tip of his royal nose. So Ninus pondered thoughtfully. - -"How now, my lord," asked Semiramis with her witch's smile, "in truth -dids't thou not know of this joyous happening from the first?" - -"Aye," growled Ninus, savagely, "I knew it--from the first." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE TURN OF A WOMAN'S TONGUE - - -For many days the mind of the King was troubled by a fractious mood. He -strove to nurse an anger against Semiramis, yet, even as he brooded, his -thought would trail away from the wrong she had put upon him, and linger -on the witchery of the woman's eyes. - -"_Heh!_" he muttered, savagely. "This imp is not an imp to be forgotten -in a day!" - -There were hours wherein he was prone to pass the matter by, to forgive -these lovers who had balked his will by a wit more subtle than his own; -yet moments would come when he longed to strip her shoulders bare and -watch the lash laid on; and in such a mood he caused her to be brought -before him as he lolled in his garden in the noontide heat. - -His couch had been set beside a fountain's edge, beneath a trellaced -arbor whereon a vine of Syria climbed, the great black grapes in -clusters peeping from their leaves and set apart for the lips of the -King alone. At his hand were a jeweled flagon and a dish of fruit on -which he regaled himself from time to time as he waited for Semiramis, -while at his head stood a eunuch who waved a fan of feathered plumes and -watched lest a buzzing insect rest upon his monarch's skin. - -King Ninus, smiling grimly, watched Semiramis coming down a garden-path, -and hardened his heart, for now, alone with her, he would speak his mind -as befit the master of the world, and even learn, perchance, if her -arrogance would break beneath the lash. - -Then presently she stood before him, clothed in a white simar, whose -edges were stitched with pale blue feathers of some tiny bird, crossed -on her breast and caught by a silver girdle at her waist, the soft folds -falling to her sandaled feet. Her hair was drawn from her temples in a -drooping curve, confined with jeweled pins in a knot behind, and was -covered by a gauzy veil, now lifted from her face in deference to the -King. - -In the eyes of Ninus she was fair beyond his fondest dreams of -womankind, yet, withal, she galled him by her calm assurance of the -power to charm. So, for a space he regarded her and spoke no word, till -Semiramis, uninvited, perched herself upon a stool and inquired into the -monarch's health as though she had been his leech in charge. - -"Woman," growled the King, "knowest thou why I bring thee -here--alone--where none may hear my words or thine?" - -She smiled and looked into his eyes, striving to read the mind beneath, -then plucked a bunch of his sacred grapes from the vine about her head -and began to eat them thoughtfully. - -"Mayhap my lord is weary of himself and willeth to be amused." - -The King half raised himself upon his arm in angry astonishment, for the -impudence of both her act and speech was past belief. Serene and -undismayed, she spoke as an equal, to _him_--the lord of all -Assyria--and pecked at his royal fruit with the recklessness of some -wanton bird. His mouth went open, while he vainly sought for words -wherein to shape his wrath; yet, ere he could find them, Semiramis had -poised a luscious grape between her thumb and finger and thrust it -between his lips. - -"Eat, my lord," she murmured, smiling happily, "for never have I tasted -fruit that lay more sweet upon my tongue." - -So the monarch, marveling at a weakness which he could not understand, -devoured the grape and cast its skin into the fountain at his side. - -"The grapes of Syria!" laughed Semiramis. "Ah, good my lord, their -flavor, like unto a memory, leadeth me among my native hills--to the -lake of Ascalon and the vine-clad temple crouching on its shore. If my -lord would hunt, I can lead him where the beasts of prey are fierce and -strong--where--" - -"Nay," said the King who stretched himself at ease upon his couch, "I -would hear the story of Shammuramat." - -She bowed her head in obedience to his will, and, as before she had -spoken to Menon on the steps of Dagon's temple, so now again she told -the tale of a babe that was nursed by doves, the while she fed her royal -listener with grapes, and watched his anger fade. She told him of her -home with Simmas, the father-dove, and of her other home in Azapah, -whence she fled by night to join the battle of the Kurds. - -The eyes of Ninus were sparkling now, his lips had twitched into a -smile; and when he learned how the tax on Syria was raised, he laughed -till the tears ran down and the pain in his wounded side aggrieved him -sorely. - -Was this the woman above whose back he longed to hear the whistle of a -scourge? Nay, strive as he would, he failed to harbor wrath against -Semiramis, yet in his breast there rankled still a wound to pride. -Someone must suffer because of the disobedience; if not the woman, then -justice must fall upon the man. Should Menon be blest above all other -men--to enjoy the love of Ninus and also the love of one who was fit to -mate with kings? Nay! By the necklace of the five great gods, this -thing was not to be! - -So Ninus nursed a grave displeasure against his general, while he lay -with half closed eyes and hung upon the words of his general's wife. He -watched her lips, her eyes, the curve of her rounded breast, and the -tiny veins on her velvet skin where the blood of passion drowsed. In -the soil of his soul a seed was planted deep, and though he knew not its -name, it would grow in might, a sturdy vine that twined its soft, -insidious tendrils round a monarch's heart, till it dragged him to the -earth with the weight of its ripened fruit. - -The palace gardens lazed in a silence of the noon-day's heat that was -broken only by the fountain's gurgling song, the flutter of a bird that -dropped to drink, and the voice of Semiramis, low, melodious, and sweet. -The sounds on the city streets below were hushed in the hour of rest, -and the lisp of the breeze was but a whisper among the palms. Farther -and fainter the Syrian's murmurs trailed away, till they seemed to the -King the nameless voices of the night, when a hunter sprawls beside his -camp-fire, listening, listening, while he slides from weariness to -peace--and Ninus slept. - -In his dreams he sat upon the throne at Nineveh and looked toward the -east. His eye could pierce the snow-capped mountain range, and the -rolling mists beyond which hung above the walls and citadel of Zariaspa. -He saw his armies swarming up the battlements, to be beaten back and -tumble headlong to the earth, while his foemen waved their bloodstained -arms and shouted, though their shouts he could not hear. He strove to -cry commands, but a hot wind blew them back into his throat, and the -Bactrians leaped from their battlements to smite the children of -Assyria. Yet, suddenly, they seemed to pause in fear, retreating to -their walls before the charge of a single chariot which swept across the -plain. It was drawn by three white steeds that fought with hoof and -teeth, the taut reins held in the shield hand of Semiramis. Her locks, -unbound, were streaming in the wind. The sun's rays lit her golden -armor with a flash of fire that burned through the ranks of her fleeing -enemies. Straight at the walls she drove, while the King looked on and -trembled in his dread. A stone from a catapult went hurtling out and -burst upon her shield, but she laughed and urged her steeds. He saw her -splash through a bloody moat, and, shuddering, closed his eyes; yet when -he opened them again, lo! the city walls had crumbled into dust, and the -chariot raced across great mounds of smoking wreck. Westward it came, -through passes and defiles, up, up to the summit of the Hindu-Kush, to -thunder down into the plains beyond, wheel swiftly to the west and speed -for Nineveh! She was coming! Semiramis was coming! Ah, he could see -her clearly now--her great eyes blazing from a splotch of red and -gold--her white throat gleaming through a web of wind-blown hair. She -passed the city gates, which burst before her rush, and drove full swing -between long rows of winged bulls and crouching lions. The King could -now discern the beat of hoofs, the ring of the driver's voice as she -urged her steeds, and the crack of her pitiless lash. He heard the -shock of her chariot wheels when they struck the palace steps, and the -splintering crash of Raman's statue as it overturned; then the massive -doors of the hall fell in, while a queen of battle thundered over them, -to check her panting steeds beside the throne. - -"Bactria is no more!" she cried, and leaped to a seat beside the King. -Then Ninus flung wide his arms, yet ere he felt her weight against his -breast, a black cloud slid between them--and the lord of dreams awoke. - -Semiramis had gone, and in her place stood Menon, waiting till the -slumbers of his master ceased. - -"My lord," spoke Menon humbly, as he bent his knee, "the armies of -Assyria lie beyond the wall, ready to march on Zariaspa at the King's -command." - -For many moments Ninus scowled upon this man who in days of old had been -his friend in joy and grief, in peace, in victory and defeat. - -"Then lead them forth at dawn," he answered, sternly; "and mark thou, -Menon, this for thine ear alone. On Zariaspa's fall will hang the fate -of those who disobey my will." - -Menon looked up swiftly, and the King spoke on: - -"Thy deed in Syria hath grieved me sorely, the more because of a trust -misplaced, and so thy hand shall dip no more in the fleshpots at thy -master's board. Go, then, without the love of Ninus which was like unto -the love of a father for his son, and sue for pardon when our enemies -shall cease to be." - -The monarch waved his hand as a sign that the conference was done, yet -Menon lingered still. - -"And she, my lord?" he asked, striving to quell the tremor in his tone. -"If Bactria falleth, what then of my wife Shammuramat?" - -The King lay still and pondered for a space, till at length his dark -eyes glowed with the fires of craft. A plan was born wherein he might -compass his own desires, and at the self same time hold Menon in the -grip of unceasing diligence. - -"Shammuramat," said Ninus, smiling in his beard, "remaineth a hostage -here at Nineveh till the war be done. My army, once beyond the -Hindu-Kush, shall divide in twain, the one half mine, the other thine, -albeit Ninus is the chief of all. Then will we each lay siege to -Zariaspa, the one upon the east, the other on the west; and as thy men -are spurred to deeds of valor by promises of high reward, so will I urge -mine. And look thou, boy, the walls are strong, their copings manned by -sturdy foes; yet to him who first shall stand a conqueror on the summit -of their citadel, that man shall receive a prize." - -"And the prize, my lord?" asked Menon, shivering at a dread to which he -dared not give a name. - -"_Shammuramat!_" cried Ninus, bringing down his doubled fist, till the -table rocked and the flagon overturned, the dark wine gurgling out upon -the earth like the blood of a stricken warrior. "To the conqueror shall -go this prize--by Asshur I swear it!--though he be her wedded spouse or -the spawn of a Hittite serf. Now go! and set thy hope on the citadel of -Zariaspa." - -For an instant Menon lingered still, his gaze fixed fast upon the eyes -of Ninus, his hot blood surging madly through his veins, his sword hand -playing nervously about his blade; then he laughed and turned upon his -heel without salute, albeit his laughter was like unto the cry of a -strangled wolf. - -"Wait!" called the King, and as Menon paused, he pointed a warning -finger at his under-chief. "No parting word may be spoken with thy -wife, save in my presence and in my audience hall this night. And more; -should thy lips tell aught which Ninus gave in secret to thine ear, then -marvel not if my men-at-arms cast lots amongst them for a concubine!" - -So Menon went out from the gardens of the King, and, with a head that -drooped upon his breast, rode slowly to the camp beyond the city wall. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - AN ARMY ON THE MARCH - - -Sad at heart Semiramis stood on the palace roof at dawn and watched the -army, like a mighty serpent, wriggling away toward the east. - -Her parting with Menon had been strange indeed, for while his lips spoke -bravely of the days to come, in his eyes lurked shadows of a troubled -soul. Some secret preyed upon him which he dare not share with her, and -the eagle glance of Ninus rested on him ceaselessly, even while the -husband's kiss was pressed upon her lips; and Menon stumbled as he left -the hall. What danger to her lord lay hidden behind the master's smile, -and why should he hold her here, a prisoner, at Nineveh? Menon, too, -had bade her stay behind, though since her coming, in the one sweet -night when she rested at his side, he had sworn to part from her no more -till Ishtar snapped the thread. What now? Was his change of heart a -mandate of the King, whereby her lord should suffer in secret for his -disobedience, when open forgiveness was but a close-masked lie? By -Gibil, if he dared--! - -Semiramis leaned across the parapet, shaking her hard-clenched fist -toward the lines of marching men which had swallowed up the purple -litter of the wounded King. Hour by hour she watched the armies move, -like restless waves on the breast of a shoreless sea, the sunlight -flashing on their polished gear. Line on line of footmen swung in -measured stride, archers, slingers, pikemen, and those who fought with -axes and with staves; vast clouds of riders skirting the Khusur river's -edge where the way was cleared for the monster catapults now knocked -apart and bound upon carts with wooden wheels. As far as the eye could -reach great lines of lowing oxen drew these machines of war, their -drivers goading them with whips and the points of swords, while as a -rear-guard came a rumbling host of chariots clanging through the city's -eastern gate. - -A brazen sun climbed upward on its arch, hung like a keystone over -Nineveh, then dipped toward the west; and still Assyria's forces -stretched in sight of the high brown walls, a tangle of an hundred -nations pressing on at the will of a wounded King. A ball of dull red -fire hung low behind the hills; a purple mist came creeping down on -Nineveh, and the tail of an army disappeared beyond the river bend. -Then Semiramis cast herself upon the palace roof and wept, for in the -sob of a rising breeze she seemed to hear the sigh of Dagon and the rush -of a carp that dragged her beetle down. It were better far that she -should rot in Ascalon than dwell a prisoner at Nineveh, watching, -listening, through the dull eternities of night for the footstep of a -loved one who came not back to her. - - * * * * * - -The Assyrian host crawled eastward through the dust and heat, skirting -the mountain spurs, and marching through the plains of Media, where an -infant nation gave but weak resistance to the progress of the King. For -four long moons they journeyed slowly, with many halts, for the -ponderous machines of war retarded speed because of their weight and the -breaking of axles and of wheels. Up mountain sides they were dragged by -ropes attached to cattle and to slaves who held them back from running -down the slopes beyond, though anon some heavier cart would sway, -careen, and tumble with a rending crash among the stones. - -In the van, and guarded by wings of flying horse, went an army of -workmen who smoothed the way, hewing wide roads through forestlands, -bridging the smaller streams, or constructing barges where rivers needs -be crossed. Through desert wastes they laid a track of wood, whereon -the wheels of catapults might roll and sink not deeply into the sands; -and thus Assyria moved, by force of slow, brute strength, till the -slopes of Hindu-Kush were reached and the toil of gods began. - -King Ninus might have fretted at the slowness of his pace, yet his wound -had healed and his strength came back again; so while his engines and -his baggage carts crept slowly along their way, he foraged through the -lands, subduing strangers, adding them to his mighty host, or collecting -tribute and a store of food against the hungry days of siege. Where -peoples were peaceful or stricken with fear before his might, then would -he hunt from dawn till the shades of evening fell, though since the day -of his going out from Nineveh, Menon joined not in his master's sports, -nor dipped his hand in the fleshpots at the royal board; and in the eyes -of men this thing was strange. - -To the warriors in Menon's charge, their chieftain had passed from -boyhood to sterner age, for his laugh no more resounded through the camp -as in days of old, and a frown of gloom sat always upon his brow. Where -the followers of Ninus feasted by night and day, laying great rolls of -fat upon their bones, Menon's men were held to the toil of war, to the -practice of arms and a temperate use of wine and food, till slender and -gaunt they grew, yet clear of sight and as hard as the rocky roads up -which they climbed. - -When half of the mountain's side was scaled and the army rested in the -valley's lap, King Ninus proclaimed a council of his chiefs wherein he -set forth plans to take the enemy unawares. That Oxyartes smelled their -coming, was clear because of his many spies who dodged like mountain -goats among the crags; yet weary days must pass ere the great machines -of war could be dragged into the plains beyond, and this the Bactrians -likewise knew full well. Therefore Ninus planned a sudden dash of -chariots and horse through the highest mountain pass and a swift descent -on Zariaspa, thereby cutting off a mass of Bactrians ere they found a -safe retreat behind their walls. - -This strategy seemed wise, and the chiefs as with one voice agreed -thereto save Menon only, who sat apart and spoke no word. King Ninus, -noting this, grew vexed and gave command that Menon stay behind in -charge of the footmen and the baggage trains, a flout which hurt the -youthful warrior to the marrow of his pride. For a moment he looked -upon his master, then shrugged and left the council tent in silence, -striding down the rocky path to his camp below. He yearned to reach the -walls of Zariaspa, yet he knew full well that Ninus might accomplish -naught without the aid of his ladders and his catapults; and these must -be watched with a sleepless eye, for in them lay the hope of a breach in -the city's walls or a path which led to the summit of the citadel. One -man would stand upon that lofty goal and claim the prize--Semiramis--and -Menon swore by his every god of light and gloom to be that man! - -When the cloak of evening fell King Ninus with his horsemen and his -chariots moved stealthily up the winding trail which led to the -mountain's top, while Menon brooded by his camp fire far into the night. -In the valley about him his soldiers lay asleep, wrapped in their -cloaks, for the mountain air was chill; on the cliffs above his ghostly -sentinels could be seen against the stars, watchful lest marauding bands -swoop down to pillage the baggage trains or scatter the beasts of burden -through intersecting glades. Many and bold were the Bactrian -mountaineers who spared no pains to harass the Assyrians' march, though -far too weak to battle openly; therefore they clung to the army's -flanks, as insects gall a steed; and because of them Assyria itched by -night and day. - -The hours dragged on and on, till Menon with a sigh arose at last and -entered his tent where he flung himself upon his couch of skins for an -hour of sleep; but sleep came not, for his heart was heavy, and his -thoughts trailed ever back to Nineveh and to her who lay in peril of a -fate unknown. Then, presently, his eyelids drooped with a restless -drowsiness wherein came tangled, half wakeful dreams through which he -clambered up the walls of Zariaspa, while Ninus pushed him downward, -laughing to see him fall. In the far, dim distance the voice of a woman -stormed, sobbing because she might not reach his side; then, suddenly, -Menon sat upright, listening, at the call of a sentry outside his tent. -The flap was thrust aside, and Huzim entered, bearing a heavy burden in -his arms. - -When a torch was kindled, its light revealed a Bactrian spy whom Huzim -had captured on the outskirts of the camp and whose limbs were bound -with leathern thongs, for the Indian found less labor in bearing this -spy upon his mighty back than in leading him, struggling, down a tedious -defile. - -The prisoner was questioned concerning his master, Oxyartes, but refused -to speak. They scourged him, yet he bore the lash in silence, scowling -at his enemies, till Huzim procured a torture iron, clamped it on the -Bactrian's bare foot and turned the screws; then the wretch's spirit -broke; he shrieked for mercy, promising to reveal all secrets which the -Assyrians wished to learn. Menon nodded, and by a sign directed Huzim -to keep the iron about the prisoner's foot, then he turned to the -sufferer sternly: - -"Speak," he commanded; "yet remember, fellow, that much is known to us, -and for each false word that slips your tongue, this screw shall sink a -hair's breadth into your ankle bone." - -The threat proved potent; Menon learned, by swift, adroit questionings, -that Oxyartes lay in wait for Ninus at the outlet of a deep defile on -the ridge of the highest mountain pass, where, aided by rising ground -and the towering cliffs on either side, he could crush the Assyrians, -even as this devil's iron bit into a captive's foot. - -Menon pondered thoughtfully, for the case was evil, demanding all his -craft. Mayhap the captive lied, seeking to draw away another force from -the baggage trains, when hidden mountaineers might pour into the valley, -wrecking the machines of war and dealing a fatal blow to the plans of -siege. On the other hand, should Ninus, in his overconfidence of -strength, become entangled in the narrow gorge, then of a certainty -Assyria's fate was sealed. - -Menon faltered. A haunting whisper worried at his ears: - -"Let Ninus die! Wherefore should a mortal shield an enemy who houndeth -him in a cause of cruelty? Leave him to his fate! Race back to Nineveh -and the goal of a heart's desire!" - -'Twas sweet, this haunting whisper, yet another voice within him cried -aloud--cried for the glory of Assyria and the lives of those who rode -into a snare. Should he soil a warrior's after-memory with the murder of -his friends--those who had charged with him in Syria against the Kurds? -By the breath of Ishtar, no! Semiramis would scorn him as the weakness -of a craven merited! - -In a moment Menon's tent was thronged with officers and under-chiefs to -whom he issued swift commands. The camp in the valley woke to sudden -life. Slumbering warriors roused to cast their cloaks aside and form in -silent, eager bands, their heavier armor left behind, their backs -untrammeled by any weight save their arms alone, their pouches for food, -and leathern flasks for water and for wine. - -In the valley, carts and wagons were set in one vast oval barricade, -while oxen and the burden-beasts were roped within. Beneath the wheels -lay a force of men who slept upon their arms, and treble sentries paced -the outposts and lined the cliffs above. The baggage train was a -fortress now which well might hold its own till Menon could reach his -threatened King, strike at the enemy, and hasten back again. - -And now the force was on the move, Menon in the van, while at his side -strode the faithful Kedah, he who had served in Syria, and at his -master's lightest nod would charge across the lip of a precipice. Three -spears' lengths in advance went the Bactrian spy who, choosing between -the torture-iron and a sack of gold, had promised to lead the Assyrians -by a shorter route to where King Oxyartes lay concealed; yet, lest he -betray his trust, a noose was knotted about his neck and Huzim followed -close upon his heels. - -To those who raced with the coming dawn on slippery mountain paths, -circling deep chasms, leaping from stone to stone where torrents cut -their way, the ceaseless trainings of Menon's camp now stood them in -good stead. The chill of the altitude was felt no more, for the -soldiers' blood ran bubbling through their veins as their limbs grew -damp with the sweat of toil. Upward they clambered, swinging westward -in a wide detour, in the hope of taking Oxyartes in his rear, now -running swiftly down some gentle slope, now clinging like flies to the -face of a dizzy cliff, then up again on narrow, tortuous ways. - -They came at last upon the point where Ninus and his force had passed -when they entered the gorge which notched the summit of the mountain -range; and as Menon paused, his ear could faintly catch a distant rumble -of the chariot wheels where the rearguard dragged its way on the stony -trail. - -Well might Menon pause. To dash into that gulf of gloom, meant only to -become a part of Assyria's slaughter when the battle joined; nor might a -single spy press on with warning, for the march of Ninus, beyond a -peradventure, was followed up by a force of Bactrians who would balk -retreat. To advise the King of impending fate was beyond the powers of -Menon's strength or strategy; yet, what if after all his journey bore no -fruit save the knowledge of a fool who was lured by phantoms to forsake -a trust? In fancy he fashioned swarms of hairy mountaineers who tumbled -down the cliff sides to the valley's lap, charging his wagons, stabbing -at his men beneath the wheels. He heard their howls of triumph--smelled -the smoke, as great red flames leaped, roaring, at his priceless -machines of war, while maddened cattle-beasts surged round and round, -trampling his men beneath their frenzied hoofs. - -Well might Menon cast his eyes along the backward trail, for if judgment -served him ill, what hope of her who watched upon the walls of Nineveh, -listening for the footsteps of a loved-one coming in the night? He -faltered, yet, as he stood, irresolute, there came a memory of Semiramis -admonishing a foolish serving-maid in their home at Azapah: - -"Thou child!" she chided. "When once the mind be set upon a thing, go -straightway and do that thing, leaving the broken threads of consequence -to be gathered up in afterdays." - -So Menon wiped the beads of sweat from off his brow and gave the word to -move. He divided his men-at-arms, commanding Kedah to mount the heights -on the gorge's right, while he, with an equal force, would take the -left; thus the two long files diverged from the central point and soon -were hidden among the beetling crags. - -For an hour they stole along uncertain paths, hugging the edge of a -slit-like mountain pass which marked the march of Ninus in the depths -below. They moved with speed, yet cautiously, lest the rattling of a -weapon or a stone displaced give warning to the enemy, while beneath -their very feet could be heard the clattering hoof-falls of three score -thousand war steeds plodding sleepily--and Menon and his men raced on to -reach the van. - -At length the gloom of night began to fade. A smear of grey crept up -from out the east. Then, of a sudden, the hills awoke, resounding with -the crash of arms, the thunder of descending stones, the cries of men, -and the shriek of stricken steeds. - -"Too late!" sighed Menon, gazing down into the shadowy gulf whence the -tongues of tumult roared. "Too late! Yet, perchance, the hand of Ishtar -stayed my speed!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - THE PASS OF THE WEDGE - - -With the army of Ninus the night had passed without alarm, for in the -lead crept a force of spies who watched the way and made report by -signals that the road was clear of enemies. Following the spies came a -mass of mounted spearsmen, armed also with swords and shields, a -vanguard for the King who reposed in his royal litter borne by slaves. -Then came another horde of close-ranked horsemen, nodding on the backs -of their toiling steeds, or cursing at the steeps of their tedious -ascent. Behind rolled a host of heavy chariots, their horses well-nigh -spent by the labor of their climb and the need of water for their -thirsty throats. - -Slowly and more slowly still this mighty monster crawled upward on its -way, through gloom more dense than night because of towering rock-walls -which shut it in, deflecting icy winds that searched the crevices of -armor-plate or the seams of leathern coats. Then the road became more -difficult, for, as dawn approached, the mountain pass grew narrower in -its cleft, till far above the riders' heads the cliffs leaned inward, -leaving but a ribbon's width of star-stabbed sky between. - -And now the gorge came suddenly to an end, as though rent apart by -giants of some forgotten age. The ground still sloped toward the ridge -of Hindu-Kush, but the hillsides sheared away on either hand, their -faces scarred by black ravines, by twisting ridges, tangled root-dried -shrubbery, and wastes of splintered rock. - -This place was known to travellers as the Pass of the Wedge, because of -its strange formation, resembling in shape some splitting instrument -which forced two soaring mountain-backs apart. In its neck, at the -narrowest point, six chariots might drive abreast, yet it broadened till -its widest reach might hold a thousand horsemen standing flank to flank; -and here the Assyrian vanguard spread as spreads a fan, rejoicing to be -free at last from the gloomy gorge which had closed about their heads. - -Here, too, the crafty Oxyartes laid his snare, for as each Assyrian spy -came through the pass, a shadowy form rose up behind him, and in a -moment more a noose would grip his neck, and his shout of warning died -with his strangled breath. Then the Bactrians, themselves, stole -backward down the trail with signals that the road was clear, luring a -drowsy army on to a swift awakening of woe. - -Thus, in the haze of dawn, the foremost Assyrian riders came against a -barrier of high-piled stones whose crevices were filled with a hedge of -planted spears. Too late the horsemen checked their steeds, wheeling to -warn their followers. A torch flared out from the rocks above, and at -the sign the battle broke with a deep, tumultuous roar, wherein the -screams of men were intermingled with a rushing avalanche of stones, the -hiss of shafts and the whine of leaden pellets hurled from slings. -Great boulders, hurtling down the steep declivities, would strike the -bottom, rending bloody lines through the mass of close-packed horsemen, -or, bursting into fragments, hurl a score of riders from their steeds. - -The last of the horses had passed the gorge's neck, and at the signal of -alarm, long files of chariots came streaming out, to meet a heaving, -backward wave of terror-stricken men, each seeking safety from the -missiles of their unseen enemies, and finding death in a rush of wheels. -The chariot horses reared and plunged beneath a galling hail of darts, -fell and became entangled with their harness, while other chariots -crashed into them and piled upon the wreck. - -Another signal torch flared up, and blood-mad Bactria seemed to tear the -very hills apart. A storm of stones was poured into the gorge's neck, -till a mound of splintered chariots and dying warriors arose, choking -egress, cutting off retreat, and locking Ninus with the flower of his -force in a trap of death. - -Beyond, in the centre of the press, the King, aroused from sleep, sprang -from his litter and seized a passing steed; half clad, unarmored and -unhelmed, he rose to Assyria's stress. Here was no weakling, cowering -at a grave mischance of war, but a King who conquered nations, teaching -them, like dogs, to lick his hand; and when they snarled he walked among -them with a whip. What recked it though his foes were hidden among the -heights, his army writhing in a pit of gloom? A King was a King, and -peril ran as mothers-milk on the lips of the lord of men. - -In the half light Ninus towered above his followers, his bare arms -raised aloft, his great voice rolling forth commands, till those who had -lost their wits in the sudden fury of attack, plucked courage from their -master's fearless front. Where tossing, disordered troops ran riot -among themselves, balking defense and fanning the torch of panic into -flame, they now pressed backward from the valley's sides and the zone of -plunging rocks, raising their shields to protect their heads from -showers of arrows and smaller stones. Where horsemen proved a hindrance, -the riders dismounted, and while one force was sent ahead to tear away -the spear-set barrier, still others charged the hillsides, scrambling up -by the aid of projecting roots, in a valiant effort to dislodge their -foes; but the Bactrians beat them back with savage thrusts of javelins -and of spears. So soon as an Assyrian head arose above some ledge, a -wild-haired mountaineer would cleave it with an axe and laugh aloud as -the corpse went tumbling down, itself a missile, thwarting the progress -of its scuffling friends. - -Again and again the assault was checked, till the climbers faltered and -then went reeling down the slope, while the Bactrians shrieked their -triumph from above, and the wrath of Ninus knew no bounds. He raged -about him, striking with his sword at every flying warrior within his -reach, cursing their cowardice and leaping from his steed to lead one -last mad onslaught on his enemies. - -There were those who fain would save their King, so they flung -themselves upon him and clung in the manner of wriggling eels; yet even -as they struggled a louder shouting rose among the rocks, and the -strugglers paused in awe. Commingled with the shouts came cries of -sharp alarm, while the Bactrian shafts were aimed no longer in the -valley's bed, but upward at the crags. King Ninus looked and marveled. -The gloom of dawn was thinning rapidly; great coils of mist, that swam -among the peaks, unwound and disappeared, scattered by shifting winds, -or sucked into thirsty, deep defiles. The red sun shot above a ragged -spur, flinging his torch of hope into the death-strewn pass, for upon -the heights on either hand the warm light lit the arms of Menon and -Kedah as they led their men. - -As Bactria had pressed upon Assyria's force below, so now Prince Menon -galled the Bactrians from his vantage point above, destroying them with -arrows and with slings, with down-flung stones and the trunks of fallen -trees. With Kedah came the Syrian hillsmen, silent, pitiless, while -Menon led the loose-limbed mountaineers from the land of Nairi, to whom -a fray was as a feast of wine. They sang as they swept the cliffs, -jeering, mocking while they slew, seizing their fallen foes where other -missiles failed and flinging their bodies on the heads of those beneath. - -In the gorge the King's men once more scrambled up the slopes, snatching -at the foemen's legs and feet, dragging them from rifts and crevices. -Anon two foes would grapple on some narrow ledge, totter, and plunge, -still fighting with nails and teeth, till the shock of death released -them from the fierce embrace. The Bactrians who sought to fly were -caught below on the points of spears with shouts of vengeful joy, while -those who held their ground in the courage of despair, were slain where -they stood, for mercy they begged not nor received. - -A breach had now been torn through the barrier of stones which stretched -across the gorge, and the King, to relieve the press within, led three -score thousand horsemen out and breasted the gentle slope beyond; yet -scarce had he cleared the opening when Oxyartes, with a cloud of riders, -swept into view and came thundering down the hill. They far outnumbered -the Assyrian horse and held a marked advantage by reason of their -whirlwind rush; yet the heart of the King arose. Here was no unseen -enemy hurling stones from shrouded heights, but a foe to charge on even -ground, sword to sword and shield to shield--a foe to conquer in the -glory of his strength, or to free a royal saddle of its weight. - -"At them!" he cried and loosed his bridle rein, while his followers with -a shout of joy came streaming after him. With a clangorous roar the -riders met, their horses rearing to the shock, battling with hoofs or -toppling backward upon those who pressed behind. For an instant Bactrian -and Assyrian both recoiled, then drew their breath and fell to the work -of war--a struggle, deadly, fraught with fate, for victory gave the -whip-hand unto Ninus or the brave King Oxyartes; and so the leaders vied -in their deeds of arms. They met at last, the sword of Ninus clanging on -the Bactrian's blade; and for a space they glared across their -shield-rims silently, then rose in their saddles for a scepter-stroke -that would mark a kingdom's fall. - -Yet fate had written that this stroke was not to be, for the chiefs were -swept apart by a surging rush of men, and each was forced to steep his -blade in the blood of meaner foes, while the tangled, battling mass was -moving once again, downward, when the weight of Oxyartes's force began -to tell. Slowly, foot by foot, the Assyrians gave ground, in spite of -Ninus and his mighty arm, till the rearward riders backed into the -barrier of stones, or struggled vainly, in its narrow breach. - -Of a certainty the King was in a grievous case, yet now from the -hillsides Menon and Kedah stung the Bactrians' flanks, taking them with -flights of shafts that pierced their armpits, sank into their necks or -unprotected backs, while the Syrian slingers marked their own and -grunted in their toil. A leaden pellet smote King Oxyartes full upon -the helm. He reeled and would have plunged beneath his horse's hoofs, -but a warrior leaped behind him, clutching the drooping form and guiding -the good steed rearward on the run. - -Shorn of their chief, the fury of the Bactrians ceased, and, fearing the -day was lost, they wheeled and sought for safety in retreat. The -mountaineers of Nairi barred their path, but were ridden down as an east -wind sweeps a lake, though many a horse and rider fell before their -spears. Upward the Bactrians toiled, with Ninus and his riders hacking -at their heels, till the mountain top was reached, and a beaten army -fled like foxes to the plains below. Their King had made a valiant cast -for victory, yet Ninus stood, a conqueror, on the spine of Hindu-Kush. - -And now came a swarm of fighting-men from out the bloody pass--exulting -horsemen, shouting charioteers, Menon and his men-at-arms who had run -throughout the night to shield the glory of Assyria and the glory of -Assyria's King. - -The eyes of the monarch fell upon the Prince of Nairi who strode toward -him through the throng, and his heart grew warm with the old, strong -love that slumbered, but had not died. He was fain to forget the -follies of this youth, to take the hands of Menon into his own and lay -them against his breast; yet the smile of a sudden faded from his lips, -his brow grew clouded, and his outstretched arms sank slowly to his -sides. On the tongues of the multitudes a shout arose--a shout that -rolled across the trembling hills till its echoes bounded back from a -thousand crags; and the name it roared was not the name of Assyria's -lord, but Menon! MENON!--and the King grew cold in wrath. A serpent of -jealousy had coiled about his heart, and, striking, stung it to its -core. - -"How now!" he demanded. "What manner of craft be this which bringeth -thee upon my heels? Perchance, when silent in our council tent, thou -knewest of this peril in our path, yet spoke no word, in the hope of -profit to thyself." - -"Nay, lord," answered Menon, humbly, while he looked into his master -eyes; "too late to warn thee I learned from a captured spy of this trap -beyond the pass, so I hastened by a shorter path across the hills, with -as great a force as I dare detach from the army left on guard." - -"A likely tale!" the angry monarch scoffed, though he knew in his heart -that Menon spoke the truth. "Go back to my wagon-trains which are left -as a tempting bait to our watchful foes! And mark thou this," he cried -as he clenched his fist, "bring down my stores and my engines of war -unharmed before the walls of Zariaspa, or account to Ninus for a trust -betrayed!" - -Prince Menon flushed, then paled again as he strove to hold an eager -tongue in bounds. - -"So be it," he answered, haughtily, and turned upon his heel; but Ninus -called him back, for it came to him that his words were hasty and -hurtful to the minds of those who heard. - -"What wilt thou," he asked, "in payment of thy deed? Where Assyria -oweth, there Assyria will pay, nor boggle at the price. What, then, -wilt thou have at the hands of Assyria's King?" - -"Naught," said Menon, looking on his master with a level gaze. "There -are mongers of fish who hawk their wares in the open market-place. A -warrior may buy; but a warrior selleth not--even to Assyria's lord." - -Once more he turned upon his heel, and, commanding Kedah to collect his -men-at-arms, strode down the mountainside on the backward trail, while -the King gazed grimly after him and spoke no word. - -A failure Ninus might forgive, but Menon's triumph galled him, even as -an ill-set bandage chafes a wound. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - IN THE SHADOW OF ZARIASPA - - -From the walls of Zariaspa the Bactrians watched a besieging host -descend into the plains. First came mounted warriors who paused at the -mountain's foot, one half to pitch their camp and guard the road which -swarms of workmen delved to smooth, while the other half made shift to -sweep the country round about, to seize on points of vantage or to beat -back hostile bands of horse and foot that sought to enter the city and -aid its strength. Then followed long lines of chariots, till the eyes -of the Bactrians ached with the glitter of the proud array. This second -army, when it reached the plains, began likewise to divide, stretching -away to east and west in the manner of two huge, creeping arms that girt -the city in a close embrace. Day after day went by, till the war-cars -stood at rest in a circle six hundred cubits distant from the walls; -then came the footmen. - -As a locust pest descends upon a land, so swarmed this horde from out -the hills, till the earth was hidden and the grass blades died beneath -their tread. As the forces of horse and chariots had split, so split -the footmen, swinging to east and west, then sitting down behind the -besieging circle's outer rim. - -The Assyrians offered no assault upon the walls, for their engines of -war must first be guided down the mountainside and their catapults and -towers be set in place; yet the army lay not in idleness. Detachments -were sent to forage through the land, laying up stores among the -foot-hills where the camp of supplies was set. Here the cattle were put -to fatten on fertile slopes where water abounded in the valleys near at -hand. Here grass was plucked and borne away as feed for the chariot -steeds. Here, also, the pack trains were brought to camp under guard of -a strong reserve, for the feeding of the army proved a mighty task. -Below this camp ten thousand slaves toiled ceaselessly among the rocky -wastes, piling huge stones upon wooden sledges, dragging them away and -piling them up again for use of the waiting catapults. Still other -slaves filled water-skins which they strapped on the backs of asses and -drove the braying beasts to distant points where springs and streams -were not; so the labors of men went on. - -On an eminence among the hills, where three long years agone the King -had sat his horse and watched an army break its camp, Ninus now sat -before his tent, commanding the order of his force below. Even as he -builded Nineveh, that splendid city of defense, he now laid out a -thousand cities of assault. Like the tire of a chariot wheel his army -encompassed the hub of Zariaspa, the spokes thereof being long, wide -avenues, converging toward the city walls and affording unhampered -ground for the moving of his men, or for bearing food to his hungry -hosts. Each spoke was a sharp dividing line between the outposts of a -separate camp, each camp in command of a leader accounting to an -over-chief who in turn accounted to the King. - -This plan of war seemed good to Ninus, and in his joy he forgot all else -save the fire of a mighty conqueror; yet when his engines were dragged -into the plains and set at vantage points within his lines, he -remembered Menon, and his heart grew cold again. - -This man had saved Assyria's vanguard from defeat, aye, even the life of -Ninus he had saved, and thereby won the love of a multitude who were -witness to the deed. Justice cried out for the King's forgiveness, yet -it cried in vain, for justice is ever a feather-weight in the scale of -jealousy. - -"Nay," the monarch muttered, sullenly, "him may I not forgive; yet, lest -these foolish chieftains murmur among themselves, I will keep my -covenants." - -Therefore he summoned Menon to his tent, dismissing the guard so that -none might overhear his words, and spoke: - -"In Syria I set thee to a task and bade thee wed Sozana when all things -were accomplished in that land. A servant thou art, and the price of -disobedience is the heaviest debt a servant needs must pay. If, -therefore, thou judgest me because I withhold my love, think then of the -trust I placed in thee and the manner in which my faith hath been -deceived." - -"My lord," replied the Prince, "I pray thee suffer me to speak as in -other days thine ear was turned in patience to my words." Ninus nodded, -and the youth went on: "In all things, save one alone, I have set the -King's desires above the yearnings of my will. In childhood I bore his -wine cup, obedient to his lightest nod. From him I learned the arts of -war, and served him through conquests of four score lands, sparing -neither strength nor blood to bring him victory. When Nineveh was rising -from the earth I journeyed down into Arabia, measured my sword with the -Prince Boabdul, and sealed a treaty which gave Assyria peace along the -border lands. It bringeth thee stallions from the plains of Barbary, -and an army of mounted Bedouins; it bringeth thee peace of heart, for -thine enemies are now thy friends. In Syria I ruled till summer for the -third time came, nor grudged the ceaseless labor of my hands. For my -master's needs at Nineveh I sapped the wealth of every Syrian tribe, -save the Sons of Israel alone, whose grip on treasure no mortal man hath -yet been born to loose with profit unto himself." - -"Ah, good my lord, I have no will to wag a boastful tongue, yet man to -man I give thee simple truth, urging that a life's devotion outcount the -grave displeasure of my King." - -Ninus was moved. In his heart he loved this youth as he loved no other -throughout the kingdom of Assyria, and now he sat in reverie, his chin -upon his hand, with eyes that gazed upon the armies at his feet and saw -them not. Full well he knew the value of a servant's deeds; full well -he knew the power of Menon's sway among the soldiery, who, since the -battle in the mountain pass, had set him upon a perch of fame. In the -siege of the city Menon's sword would rise as a tower of strength, yet -might it not outshine the King's? What profited the fall of Zariaspa if -the name of Menon rolled on the tongue of victory? Could a single -chariot hold two gods of war? Nay, not so; for one must drive while the -other smote the enemy. Who, then, should ply the whip and who the -spear? By Gibil, it were better far that the grapes of triumph hung -unplucked than to watch a rival make merry on their juice! Yet Ninus -was Ninus, and what had he to fear from a beardless under-chief? - -"Harken!" said the King. "Thy prayer is granted, and my anger, together -with thy one misdeed, shall be forgotten, even as we cleanse our blades -with moistened sand. To the glory of Asshur must Zariaspa fall, and -Menon shall follow Ninus through its broken shell." - -In the eyes of the Prince rose tears of gratitude, as he sought to kiss -his master's robe; but the master in haste withdrew it, for a woman -peeped through memory's veil, and her smile was a smile of mockery. - -"Nay, not so fast," King Ninus growled. "The trader's pack is lightened -ere his purse may swallow up the gain. To enjoy the fruits of a -monarch's love, first, then, must the cause of sorrow be dispelled." - -"What meanest thou, my lord?" asked Menon, rising from his knees; and -the King smiled grimly, combing at his beard. - -"Put by Shammuramat--dream of her no more--and take the daughter of -Raman-Nirari to thy bed and board." - -At the words of the King a flame of anger lit the young Assyrian's eyes; -yet he curbed his tongue and stood, in silence, beneath the tyrant's -gaze. Long thus he stood, but made reply at last: - -"My lord, did Shammuramat bid me tear the memory of Ninus from my heart, -I would answer as I answer now--it may not be. Thy servant is one whom -Sozana loveth not, and to me she is naught save a friend and the -daughter of my King. Shammuramat is mine--by the will of Ishtar and the -word of my master given in the halls of Nineveh. With her, her only, -will I share my bed and board, till it pleaseth the gods to rend our -vows apart." - -"So be it," Ninus answered, and pointed across the valleys to the -sun-lit plains beyond. "Mark yon road which runneth from the foot-hills -to the city's southern gate! Beyond it on the east lieth half my army. -Go forth and take command. The west is mine. Since Menon setteth his -will against the King's, so shall he set his strength against my -strength, and in the fall of Zariaspa prove the better man." - -For a space Prince Menon made no answer, but scanned the distant road -which cut the besieging host in twain as a knife divides a loaf. To the -east lay sun-baked plains where water was scarce and stones were few, -while on the west lay fertile valleys where the fattening oxen browsed, -and hillsides abounding in stones wherewith to feed the catapults. -Again, on the west were set the heaviest engines of assault, while to -Menon's lot fell the lighter towers and weaker catapults of clumsy and -old design. - -It was easy to perceive why Ninus chose the west, for every resource lay -ready at his hand. His outposts commanded all mountain roads, and the -camp of supply was set within his lines, whence food and water must be -borne to the eastern army over parching Bands. In event of a -counter-siege, attack must come from the border lands along the river -Oxus, thus causing the east to bear the brunt of each assault--and the -Scythian riders were wont to strike in hours of sleep. - -Menon was quick to mark the wisdom of the monarch's choice, yet he hid -his rage and spoke with a mocking smile: - -"My lord, the master's generosity is here made manifest, for on the -eastern camp the sun is first to rise, thus giving me a longer day -wherein to wrestle with mine enemies. I yield my gratitude, O Lord of -Earth and Heaven, and may Ishtar smile on him who first shall stand upon -the citadel." - -Then Menon made obeisance, mounted his good steed Scimitar and rode -toward the east, while the King gazed after him, combing at his beard. - -When Menon reached his camp, he entered his tent and straightway -summoned Huzim to his side. To the Indian he recounted all which had -come to pass, and laid a trust upon him which to another might not be -given. - -"Huzim," he began, "of all who have served me, there is none the like of -you in faith and love; yet now must I add to my weight of debt in a task -of peril and of toil. Go you in secret unto Nineveh and there gain -speech with my wife Shammuramat. Tell her of all these things which I -breathe into your ear alone, then contrive her escape and together -journey to the land of Prince Boabdul who will give you both retreat. -When this be compassed, send me a trusted messenger, when I, myself, -will follow after you." - -Menon ceased to speak, and for a space the Indian looked thoughtfully -upon the earth. - -"My lord," he answered, "this thing will I do, as in all things else I -serve my master, even with my life; yet would it not be better far that -I lay in wait for Ninus when he hunteth among the hills? An arrow in -his throat--" - -"Nay," smiled Menon; "we may not harbor murder against Assyria's King, -even though we live because of it. Go you to the furthest outposts of -our camp, and when night is fallen creep away among the hills. Cross -them, avoiding all roads and passes held by our men-at-arms, then make -such speed to Nineveh as wisdom and your craft have taught. If it -please the gods that Shammuramat shall reach Arabia, there guard her, -Huzim, till I come to prove my gratitude." - -To the Indian Menon gave a pouch of precious metal for his needs on the -road to Nineveh and for his flight therefrom; then Huzim embraced his -master's knees and disappeared toward the south. - - * * * * * - -In the three long years of peace which had come to Bactria since -Assyria's first attack, the people had not lain down in idleness, but -labored diligently against the second coming of the King. If Ninus -marched against their smaller towns, he found their walls unmanned, -their streets deserted save for forgotten dogs, the houses empty of -inhabitants or stores. Beyond the river Oxus an army of mounted -Bactrians lay encamped, but far too fleet and numerous to be followed -ere their chief of cities be destroyed; so Ninus pursued them not. - -The years of peace had likewise wrought a change in Zariaspa, for its -walls were heightened and capped by jutting battlements, whereon the -besieged could laugh at ladders which their foes set up; and its many -gates were sealed with masonry. Save at a single point on the -north-west side, where the plain sloped downward into a deep and dry -ravine, the Bactrians had digged a mighty ditch about their walls, -though whence came the water which ever filled this trench, was a -mystery as dark as the city's source of food. None might drink this -water, lest they sicken and die, with swollen bodies and discolored -flesh; for in truth the trench was poisoned by reason of offal flung -therein. - -By day the Bactrians thronged their battlements, gibing at their foes, -while at night the walls were lighted by flaring braziers clamped -beneath the jut-stones and fed with pitch through slits which pierced -the masonry. Thus the parapets were shrouded in uncertain gloom, while -beneath, the walls were bathed in light; and woe unto him who sought to -swim the trench and clamber up. - -On every side the Assyrians began to fill this trench, and labored to -that end by hurling stones and the waste of camp materials by means of -their catapults. Likewise, by night, a myriad of slaves took up the -tasks, and of a sudden a horde of naked men would rush from out the -darkness, each bearing on his head a sack of sand, each flinging his -burden into the trench and beating swift retreat; though many were -slain, and weary days went by ere the grievous work was done. - -On the city's western side King Ninus straightway urged a fierce -assault, and from dawn till dusk the battlements resounded with the -crash of mighty stones. Great creaking towers of metal-plated wood were -pushed against the wall, while from their swaying tops the Assyrians -flung out bridges, battling with the Bactrians hand to hand. Anon they -would win a foothold among their enemies who repelled them with swords -and spears, or destroyed their towers by means of engines of strange and -devilish design. These engines, set on wheels and dragged to given -points along the parapet, were fashioned in the form of a mighty bow -whose missiles were trunks of trees with sharpened points. These shafts -were soaked in oil and smeared with pitch or resinous gum, and before -discharge they were set on fire, then crashed into the clumsy towers, to -stick and wrap the whole in flames, while the choked Assyrians leaped -down to death or roasted in the wreck. So, thus, for the space of a -moon King Ninus toiled, compassing naught save the bitterness of defeat, -grave loss of his men-at-arms, and destruction to his engines of -assault. - -On Zariaspa's eastern walls Assyria made no attack. Menon foresaw that -the city must be won by strategy rather than by might; therefore he put -his camps in order, looking to the health and comfort of his men ere he -sacrificed their lives in a fruitless siege. - -To lessen the toil of bearing water from the distant hills, he commanded -that wells be dug in every camp; and having sunk these wells--many to -the depth of thirty cubits--his wisdom was rewarded by the bounty of -Mother Earth. Now toward the north the digging was in vain, while -southward the shallower wells gave forth a cool, sweet flow of water; -and the reason thereof was a sore perplexity, albeit, in after-days the -solving of the riddle was, to Semiramis, a simple task. - -Next, Menon caused his chariots to be set in double lines and tilted -upon their tails. From their upright harness-poles he stretched wide -canopies of cloth and matted grass; thus, in the noon-day heat, which -ever increased in fierceness as the summer grew, his men might rest -beneath a grateful shade. This joyed the Assyrians mightily, and where -chariots there were none, they planted their spears and devised a roof -of vines and the boughs of trees. 'Twas a little thing, this thought -for the common soldiery, yet it bought an army utterly, and the Prince -was looked upon with pride. - -Then to Menon came the thought that if he alone could see beyond the -city walls, a marked advantage might be scored against the King; and for -many days he rolled the problem in his brain, till suddenly he laughed -aloud and summoned a messenger to his side. This messenger, presently, -rode southward, skirting the city wall, till he crossed the dividing -road and came to the western camp, where he found King Ninus in a -fretful mood. - -"O King," spoke the messenger, falling upon his knees, "my master -sendeth greeting to the lord of Earth and Heaven, and speaketh through -the mouth of his humble slave. Because of the height of Zariaspa's -walls, the lord of Assyria knoweth naught of what the Bactrians do -within; therefore my master urgeth that a mighty mound of earth be -raised to the reach of forty cubits above the plains." - -"How now!" cried Ninus, angrily. "Wherefore should I do this foolish -thing?" - -"Nay, lord," the messenger made reply, "I do but recount my master's -words. From the summit of this mound the King might dispose his armies -with a wider view; and, likewise, mark the weakest points within the -foemen's walls. This, my lord, is all, save thy royal answer which my -master chargeth me to bear." - -Now had Ninus himself devised the plan, it might have seemed good to -him; yet, coming from Menon in the form of fatherly advice and spoken in -the presence of a score of chiefs, it roused the monarch's ire. His -brow grew black with rage; he rose and spurned the messenger with his -foot. - -"Go back," he thundered, "and say that Ninus fighteth upon the earth, -and not in the manner of kites above the clouds. Urge, also, that the -meddler hold his tongue, lest Asshur tempt me and I cut it out. Begone!" - -So the messenger returned to Menon, who smiled at the anger of his King -and straightway began to raise a mound upon the east, while Ninus, from -the west, still battered at the walls with ponderous stones. - -For many days and nights the eastern camp was given o'er to sweating -toil, as cubit by cubit rose the monster mound which even unto this day -may be seen on the plains of Bactria. And while this labor grew apace, -another and more irksome task was laid upon the soldiery, for stones -must be gathered from the distant hills wherewith to serve the -catapults, and loud rose the mutterings of those who journeyed back and -forth beneath the sun. - -"My lord," spoke Kedah, one day dismounting at Menon's side, "our chiefs -are murmuring amongst themselves and the men wax petulant." - -"Wherefore?" asked Menon, laying a gentle hand on the shoulder of his -friend. - -"Because," answered Kedah, "they yearn to fly at Zariaspa's throat, yet -weapons rust, and my lord employeth men in the tasks of slaves. It is -not meet that warriors strain their thews in dragging stones across the -sands, nor in digging earth wherewith to build a mountain on a plain." - -"Patience, good Kedah," Menon urged, "for the mountain is well-nigh -done; and as for the gathering of stones, I bethink me of another plan." - -He leaned and whispered into Kedah's ear, and as he spoke the soldier -grinned, then laughed aloud and smote himself upon the thigh. So Kedah, -chuckling, rode away; and, as Menon had whispered into his ear, in turn -he whispered into the ear of the chief of every camp, who grinned and -rubbed his palms. - -That night the Bactrians heard a mighty hammering outside their walls, -and when morning dawned they marvelled at a line of scaffolding of -strange design which had risen in the darkness. On upright spears were -bits of rag, fluttering like banners in the breeze, while at intervals -were set huge effigies of Oxyartes and the chiefs of Zariaspa, in -attitudes which caused a wound to their stately pride. - -The Assyrians came forth with shoutings and mysterious signs. They -danced in circles, while pointing scoffing fingers at their enemies upon -the walls, and bowed in obeisance before their ugly effigies. - -Now the Bactrians knew not what manner of strategy lay concealed behind -this scaffolding, so they set their catapults and battered it down with -a storm of stones; thereat the Assyrians sent up wailings, shrieks of -rage--and the noise of their mouths was great. With bitter curses they -shook their fists, attacking their foes with arrows and with slings: yet -after a space they retreated sullenly beyond the danger line. When night -was come the Bactrians again heard hammerings, and morning found the -scaffolds once more set in place, though a pace or two more distant from -the walls. This time the Zariaspians laughed, and reduced the work to -splinters with stones from their hurling-beams, while Assyria's children -cursed them till the deed was done. - -For seven nights the scaffolds were rebuilt, each night a pace or two -more distant from the catapults, yet the enemy each day would find the -range and fling them to the earth. On the seventh day the effigies of -Oxyartes and his chiefs were hung by their necks with ropes, and were -placed at the furthest scope of the Bactrian machines. On the scaffolds -were crowded a swarm of soldiery who bellowed songs of praise, or flung -vile insults at their foes, goading them to fury by names of a foulness -hitherto unknown. In vain the Bactrians strove to smite their mockers, -striving till the mid-day hour, yet their missiles fell short, and Menon -perched upon the summit of his mound, jeering at Oxyartes. - -Now the spies of Ninus brought him word of the strangeness of Menon's -deeds, and, divining not the reason of these things, the King waxed warm -with curiosity. In his chariot he drove to the eastern camp, a slave -behind him who held a feathered screen above his head, for the heat of -the day was such that many died. - -From afar the monarch spied the mound on which sat Menon, and it came to -Ninus that his general lolled at rest where grateful breezes blew, while -he, the lord of all Assyria, must sweat on a baking plain--and it vexed -him mightily. Likewise he perceived a half a league of scaffolding, -whereon clung a multitude of idle men. Wherefore should Menon waste the -hours of day when Zariaspa lay unconquered before his eyes? Must Ninus -toil to feed this lazy horde who swapped the work of war for childish -sports? By the glory of Asshur, this shameful thing should cease! - -"Come down!" he cried to Menon, as he leaped from his brazen chariot; -and Menon came down and bowed before the King. - -"What foolery is this which has come to pass?" the king demanded, -pointing to the hideous effigies, and he spoke with scorn: "Must Assyria -set up new and hateful gods, to worship them before the eyes of -Bactria?" - -"Nay, lord," answered Menon, humbly, "we worship none save Assyria's -gods and Assyria's King." - -A murmur rose from the circling chiefs, and the wrath of Ninus cooled -beneath the salve of flattery; yet still he scowled, and the tone of his -speech was harsh: - -"If it be not worship, why then should ye toil for seven nights, and -watch each day while yonder Bactrians beat your temples to the ground?" - -"My lord," replied Prince Menon, "our eastern camp is far removed from -the rock-strewn hills; and to lighten the labor of dragging stones -across the sands, we borrow from our good friend Oxyartes." - -"Borrow!" cried the King. "What meanest thou?" - -For answer Menon pointed to the ground outside the walls, now sown with -missiles which the Bactriana had cast from catapults. - -"See, my lord, what the generous foemen give in payment for our gibes. -To gather such a store of stones would fill the space of two weary -moons; yet Oxyartes flingeth them out to me in seven days. Therefore we -hold them as a passing loan, till, presently, we shall hurl them back -again." - -For a moment King Ninus spoke no word, yet his frown departed and his -features lit with a ghostly smile; then he mounted his chariot and drove -toward the west. - -A shout went up from Menon's merry warriors, and when night was come -they gathered great piles of borrowed stones, with the which, in time, -they would storm the walls of Zariaspa. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THE RAISIN IN A SKIN OF VINEGAR - - -Through the hot brown streets of Nineveh a merchant of Phoenicia hawked -his wares. His frame, once huge and splendid in its strength, was bent -with seeming age, and a grey beard fell to the belt of his trailing -robe. Before him, by a leathern strap about his neck, hung a wooden -tray whereon his trinkets were displayed, baubles of polished metal, -beads of coral and of carven wood, rings, amulets, and fragrant scents. -Here, too, were bracelets, chains of many links, scarfs of web-like -fabrics and of gaudy hue, colored with the secret dyes from the Sea of -the Setting Sun. - -From street to street the merchant pushed his way, while ever and anon -he raised his voice in a strange shrill cry which drew attention to -himself and to his wares; and thus he bartered among the foolish wives -of Nineveh. Yet at last he wandered past the market-place to the richer -quarters of the city, and came to the central mound whereon sat the -palace of the King. To the westward terraced slopes ran down to the -level of the streets and to smooth, wide avenues which stretched to the -river gate; yet here, where the merchant walked, the walls of the mound -rose twenty cubits, masking the royal gardens which drowsed in the -noon-day heat. - -Again and yet again from the old man's throat came his strange, harsh -call, resembling the cry of a startled crane in flight; then, presently, -he paused at the joyous barking of a dog and a woman's voice in sharp -admonishment: "Peace, Habal, peace!" - -The merchant hurried onward, yet at the entrance of a narrow lane he -turned, cried out once more and disappeared, while within the gardens -Semiramis hid a smile and sought to soothe the whining of a shepherd's -dog. - -When noontide came again, the merchant once more wandered past the -garden walls, and now a captain of the guard came out to him. - -"Hey, old man!" the soldier called. "Come, follow me, for the Princess -Sozana would look upon your wares." - -"Nay," said the merchant, smiling as he shook his head, "my trinkets -deck the charms of common maidens in the market-place. The daughter of -a king would scorn them, for their price is small." - -So spoke the merchant, and smiled once more as he turned upon his heel, -but the captain caught him roughly by the robe and whispered into his -ear: - -"Fool! The Princess Sozana asks but once to look upon a merchant's -tray. Come quickly, lest I urge your pace by a spear-point in your -hams." - -The old man trembled at the threat, and followed meekly, through a door -of bronze which pierced the wall. At the head of a narrow flight of -steps he reached the gardens which King Ninus made for the pleasure of -his idle hours. There were palms and vines from Syria, flowers from an -hundred lands, trees and shrubs which were strange to the merchant's -eyes, and fragrant thickets interlaced by tiny paths. Here a fountain -bubbled, and there an artificial spring gushed forth as though by nature -moistening the earth, while countless birds of brilliant plumage -fluttered down to drink. - -Of a sudden the merchant and his guide came face to face with those who -had sent the summons. Beneath an arbor on a bench of stone sat the -Princess Sozana in a green simar which was wrought with precious gems -and with threads of gold. At her side lazed Semiramis, robed in white; -yet, unadorned, her beauty far outshone the daughter of the King. At -Sozana's feet lay Prince Memetis, the Egyptian hostage, toying with her -veil which was cast aside, and behind them stood an Afgan mute who waved -a monster fan of plumes. None else was near, save Kishra, chief eunuch -of the palace-guard whom Ninus had left in charge of his household and -his prisoners, and who now in watchful silence sat apart, his sharp eyes -resting on the merchant's face. - -The old man knelt, bent forward till his forehead touched the earth, and -sprinkled dust upon his head; then, kneeling still, he displayed his -wares to the women's listless gaze. One by one he raised them from his -tray, expounding their virtues or the potency of sacred amulets; yet -none were pleasing to Sozana's mind. - -"See," she pouted, plucking at the sleeve of Semiramis, "there is naught -save jingling rubbish such as slaves may wear. Wherefore shouldst thou -bring this merchant from the streets to weary me? Ho, Kishra! Bid the -man begone." - -The eunuch strode forward, but Semiramis stayed him with a lifted hand. - -"Nay," she pleaded, "I did but think to ease the dullness of the hour, -and the baubles please me, for many of the like have I seen in Syria." - -The merchant raised his head, a light of hope within his eyes; then he -fumbled in a hidden corner of his tray, producing a tiny fish which was -carven in malachite and suspended by a leathern stong. - -"Ah!" cried Semiramis, and clapped her hands. "Look, Sozana! 'Tis a -symbol of Dagon which the Syrian shepherds wear about their necks when -they roam the hills by night. Buy it for me, Kishra, for 'twill keep -off evil, bringing peace to me and to those who serve." - -The eunuch scowled, but did her bidding, while Semiramis turned once -more to the trinket tray. - -"Dost know the land of Syria, old man?" - -"Aye, lady," the merchant answered with sparkling eyes, "from the slopes -of Lebanon to the Sea of Death--from Jordan where dwells the Sons of -Israel to Azapah and the valley of Ascalon--" - -"Sweet Ishtar!" cried Semiramis, flinging up her hands. "My home, -Sozana! He hath journeyed even to my home in Ascalon!" She laughed and -turned to the merchant once again, for now in truth she knew that Huzim -hid beneath the Phoenician's robe. "Speak," she commanded, in the -Syrian tongue which was strange to Kishra and her friends, "speak, for -they may not understand. What message from my lord?" - -So Huzim answered her and told of the danger-snares which beset his -master round about. He told of the battle in the pass, of the wrath of -Ninus, and of how the King made proclamation of the prize to him who -should first stand conqueror on the citadel of Zariaspa. He spoke of -all which Menon had commanded him, and though his words were heavy with -the weight of fear, yet Semiramis nodded in seeming happiness and -clapped her hands. - -"What telleth he?" Sozana asked, and Semiramis answered with a joyous -smile: - -"He telleth of my lake which sparkleth like unto a jewel among the -hills; of my fishes that swim therein, and of Dagon's little temple on -the shore. I see the sheep that browse by day, till the sun is low -behind the desert's rim, and one by one the shepherds' fires leap, -twinkling, through the dusk. Ah, Sozana, mine, 'tis like unto the joy -of Prince Memetis when he dreameth by night of his silver Nile and the -mighty pyramids." - -Sozana, turning, cast a look of tenderness on him who smiled into her -eyes, and suffered her hand to linger when the Egyptian raised it to his -lips. - -"Say on," begged Semiramis of the merchant once again, "for I tell you, -friend, when first I heard your hunter's call in the streets below, my -heart was set a-leaping, even as Habal loosed his tongue in honest joy. -Poor Habal! I have shut him in my chamber, lest in his gladness he -spring upon your breast and thereby undeceive this eunuch Kishra, who -even now regardeth you with a doubting eye. Be, therefore, brief. What -more of my troubled lord?" - -"Mistress," replied the faithful Indian, "he urgeth that we steal away -from Nineveh by craft and journey to the land of Prince Boabdul, whither -the master followeth when my messenger shall bear him word that all is -well." - -"So be it," said Semiramis, puckering her brows. "Kishra, bear a draught -of wine to this aged man who is athirst and would now depart." - -The chief of eunuchs departed on her errand, and in his absence -Semiramis spoke quickly, albeit she smiled the while: - -"Go, Huzim, and sell your wares through Nineveh by day, yet wait by -night on the further river-bank where the water lilies grow. If seven -nights pass by and I come not to the place, then walk once more by the -garden wall, and Sozana shall summon you again. Buy baubles of Egypt, -Huzim, for her lover is of that land, and trifles will seem of value in -her sight; yet if Ishtar smileth I will win to the river-bank and -journey to Arabia as my lord hath willed." - -When Kishra returned with a cup of wine, the Princess listened eagerly -to the merchant's tale of a ring he had seen and would seek to find. It -was fashioned, he said, of yellow metal in the form of two serpents -intertwined. It was set with moon-stones, jewels sacred to the goddess -Isis who shed her light on the land of Pharaohs far beyond the sea; and -Sozana laughed in happiness, urging that he buy this ring though it -brought the price of an hundred slaves. The merchant promised as he -drank his wine, then, once more bowing till his forehead touched the -earth, he departed whence he came. In the streets below he smiled as he -hawked his wares, while those in the garden heard his voice uplifted -ever and anon in the cry of a startled crane. - -Three days passed by, and Semiramis whipped her brain for means of -escape from Nineveh; yet all in vain, for liberty seemed as far denied -as though her limbs were weighted down by chains. On the parapets of -the garden wall paced sentinels from dawn till dawn was come again, so -that none might pass unchallenged or unscathed. The palace was but a -prison perched on its lofty mound, and though its halls still swarmed -with servants and with slaves, its portals were sealed while the King -made war on Bactria. By night Semiramis shared the chamber of Sozana, -yet the door she might not pass, for across its threshold the eunuch -Kishra lay, the curtain-rope made fast to a copper bracelet on his -waist. If by chance she could cross the watch-dog's form to the gardens -beyond and clamber down the brick-built mound, she still must face the -barrier of the city wall or the brazen gates closed fast in the hours of -night. True, bribery of the sentinels might buy a path to the -river-bank, whence swimming the Tigris would be as play to the daughter -of Derketo; yet, one false step--one virtuous fool who scorned to barter -honesty for coin--and Huzim might wait among the lily beds in vain. - -Full many a wakeful hour Semiramis stared through the opening in the -roof, with eyes which followed not the shimmering stars, nor the chariot -of Ishtar rolling down the sky. To her troubled brain came a thousand -daring plans, each smiling hope, each ending in a jeer of mockery, till -her head grew hot, and anger rose to devour her in its might. What! Was -she, the child of gods, to be balked at every turn, when love cried out -and Menon battled with his fate alone? Nay, by the breath of Gibil, -this thing was not to be! Gold she had none wherewith to buy release, -nor jewels to tempt a captor's lust for wealth; and yet-- Of a sudden -Semiramis laughed aloud, till the fair Sozana stirred, awaking with a -cry. - -"Nay, child, 'tis naught," the Syrian whispered, as she stroked a -trembling hand. "Hush, sweet; I did but dream, and the spirits of the -night have brought me words of wisdom and of peace." - - * * * * * - -The eunuch Kishra sat beneath a palm, his mind a prey unto vexious -thought. He was hideous to look upon, with a bloated paunch, a -thick-lipped mouth, and crafty eyes which peeped from their pouch-like -rims. Long had he served in the household of the King, and now was -chief of the palace-guard and warden of the chambers where the women -dwelt. When Ninus marched to Bactria, the rearward wing of the palace -had been sealed, and, together with the gardens, was set apart for -Sozana and Semiramis, while Memetis, the Egyptian hostage, was confined -in a distant court, in charge of an under-chief. Now the Princess had -pined for the presence of him she loved, and sought by bribery to have -him brought to her; yet Kishra feared the wrath of Ninus, and naught -would move him. Sozana then contrived, through her tire-maid Nissa, to -bribe the guard who paced before the Egyptian's door, and in secret this -maiden bore many a tender message to and fro, till she came at last to a -grievous end. - -Kishra once marked her stealing from a shadowy passage-way, and on the -morrow he lay in wait, following upon her heels and listening while -Memetis whispered with the maid. In the knowledge of being thus -befooled, so great was his rage that he fell upon Nissa and slew him -with his sword, too late repenting the folly of his deed. With the -Princess he sought to excuse himself, but for once Sozana forgot her -gentle mien and rose in wrath. - -"Dog!" she cried, "your life shall pay for the murder of this child, for -I swear by Asshur to see you crucified upon the garden wall." - -Now the eunuch knew that Ninus loved his daughter utterly, and at her -pleading, would surely nail him to the mortar between the bricks; so he -groveled at her feet with tears and prayers, beseeching that she speak -no word on the King's return; yet the Princess spurned him with her foot -and refused to heed, till Semiramis spoke softly into her ear, then the -maiden's cheeks grew red again with a rosy flush. - -"Kishra," she answered, "I will spare your worthless life, yet exact a -price therefor. Memetis shall come each morning to the garden here, -and, beneath your sight, remain till the evening hour. Do this, and -silence holds my tongue. Refuse, and the god of darkness claims you for -his own." - -Thus it came to pass that the eunuch, in his dread of being crucified, -suffered Sozana to have her will, albeit, at very sight of the Egyptian, -his blood became as water in his veins. If Ninus learned that Memetis -came each day to the women's dwelling-place, short shift would the chief -of guards receive, and Ninus was prone to beset the passing of a man -with pain. Thus Kishra roasted betwixt two fires of woe, and because of -all these things he pondered much upon his lot, and his sleep was -fraught with evil dreams. - -As he now sat pondering beneath the palm, Semiramis and Sozana talked -with Prince Memetis on a distant garden-seat. This oft' occurred, yet -now there was somewhat in their manner which annoyed the eunuch's -thoughts, for they whispered, with their heads held close together, -while ever and anon they glanced to where Kishra sat, and laughed as at -some merry jest. So the eunuch waxed suspicious of their murmurings; -yet, when he came toward them, they straightway ceased to smile and -began to speak of the garden birds, the flowering plants, or the heat of -the mid-day sun. Throughout the day they counseled among themselves in -secret, with fingers upon their lips and many a swift, mysterious sign, -till Kishra sweated because of curiosity. - -All night he cudgeled at his brain for means by which to overhear their -words, and ere the dawn he bethought him of a plan. Behind the -garden-seat, whereon the conspirators were wont to loll, was a muddy -fish pond surrounded by overhanging shrubs; and here the eunuch -submerged himself, with his chin upon the bank, his fat head covered by -a mass of matted vines. In this retreat he waited for a weary space, -yet the plotters came at last, seating themselves a spear's length from -the listener's open ears. - -"Hast found a messenger?" Sozana asked, in a voice subdued. - -"S-h-h-h! Have a care," the Syrian cautioned, with a finger against her -lip; "the fox is listening, perchance. Keep watch, Memetis, lest he -steal upon us suddenly." - -Kishra grinned from his covert in the pond, but gave no sign; then -Semiramis drew from her bosom the little fish of malachite which was -bought from the merchant of Phoenicia. - -"Of a truth," said she, "the messenger hath been found, and under -Kishra's very nose. Two nights he waiteth in the street below, till I -give him warning by a night-bird's cry and cast this trinket from the -garden wall. See! I have marked it with a secret sign, for proof to my -lord in Bactria that the runner speaketh truth." - -"Ah!" sighed Sozana. "And, seeing it, he will come to thee?" - -"Aye," returned Semiramis, with a smile of joy, "as fast as Scimitar can -bear him on his way. Upon his coming, then will I escape from Nineveh, -and with my dear lord cross the Tigris, where we dig our buried treasure -from the earth, and--" - -"Treasure!" cried Memetis. "Nay, of this thou has spoken naught -before." - -"Hush!" begged Semiramis, clutching at his arm. "Methought I marked a -movement in the shrubbery. Go see, Memetis, for Kishra would give an eye -to learn of what I tell." - -The Egyptian rose and beat about the undergrowth, but found no sign of -him who watched, for the eunuch lay as a dead man in the pond, scarce -breathing, though his heart was pounding in his breast. A treasure! -This, then, was why the plotters whispered secretly. Fools! The fox's -teeth, perchance, might sink beneath the feathers when he snapped. - -"'Tis naught," the Egyptian made report, as he came once more to the -garden-seat. "Say on, Shammuramat, for none can overhear." - -"Mayhap," the Syrian laughed, "it were wiser that I held my tongue, yet -ye who love me will ever be discreet. When we journeyed from Azapah to -the court of Ninus, I bore a store of jewels in a leathern sack; and, -knowing not if the King would smile or frown, I buried it on the river's -further bank against a time of need. Ah, Sozana, thou who loveth gems, -shouldst look upon this store! There are pearls from India, rubies from -beyond the Sea of the Setting Sun, blue girasols and the opals of the -Nile, zircons gleaming as the eyes of Belit shine, amethysts, and corals -carven in the forms of birds and beasts. Tyre, Sidon, and the far off -Heliopolis have helped to heap this hoard. With half a kingdom might be -bought, yet now it lyeth hidden in a bed of river mud." - -The Princess sighed, and Semiramis pinched her dusky cheek, promising to -keep the choicest gem of all as a wedding gift for the little daughter -of Assyria. - -"Nay," Sozana smiled, "'tis not for the gems I sigh, but because of a -loved one who would depart from me. Why, sweet, wouldst thou do this -thing?" - -Semiramis looked thoughtfully upon the earth and stirred a lizard with -her sandaled foot. - -"Dost remember the merchant of Phoenicia who was here three days agone? -He told me of my home in Ascalon. Since then I yearn for the smell of -my dew-moist hills, for the reach of the valleys, and my sweet, cool -lake which sparkleth in its bed of rocks. The water, Sozana!--and here I -look upon a tepid spring--a fountain fed by cisterns on the palace roof. -Downward this water floweth, to trickle weakly from the earth, while -eunuchs gather it in skins and bear it back upon the roof again. Dear -Ishtar, what a flout to Nature's pride!" - -For a space the three sat silent, then the Egyptian hostage asked: - -"And if thou wouldst fly with Menon unto Ascalon, what then would chance -to Kishra when the master cometh from his wars?" - -Semiramis laughed softly. - -"Poor Kishra! In truth he sleepeth on the horned cap of Bel. The -master knoweth much concerning his servant's treachery, and hath sworn -to hang him from the highest tower in Nineveh." - -There were ripples in the fish pond, but the plotters gave no heed. - -"It cometh to me," Semiramis laughed again, "that this eunuch will -gather up such treasure-store as may be wrung from those who serve him, -and fly to some distant land ere Ninus nail him to the city gate. A -villain is he, yet none may say that Kishra be a fool." - -For a space they argued strategems of escape from the palace walls, and -of the journey unto Ascalon, then the three arose, and, chattering, -wandered down the garden path. - -From the fish pond Kishra crawled, with an evil grin upon his face, and -made his way by stealth along the wall, a stream of muddy water dripping -from his muddy robe. - -From a vine-clad arbor by the fountain's pool, Semiramis watched him -creeping through the trees, and smiled. - -"Of a truth," she murmured, happily, "the poison in his blood will work; -aye, even as a raisin in a skin of vinegar." - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - THE STRATAGEM - - -With Kishra it came to pass as Semiramis had prophesied, for a poison -worked within his veins till he sickened and knew no peace. Hour by -hour he squatted upon the earth, while the words of the Syrian burned -into his heart: - -"_The master knoweth much concerning his servant's treachery, and hath -sworn to hang him from the highest tower in Nineveh!_" - -In sooth it were wise to hide away in some secret place where the tramp -of Assyria's hosts was but an echo down the wind, and India offered many -a safe retreat. Yet, one grown lazy at a post of power revolts at the -thought of poverty and toil, for the cup and a savory dish were as musk -to the eunuch's nose. If he could but lay his hand on the treasure of -Semiramis! To dwell in plenty and in ease! To swing the lash above the -backs of a hundred slaves! Ah, this were peace! These jewels lay hidden -in a leathern sack--a sack concealed in a bed of river mud. Mayhap, if -craft were exercised--! Mayhap! - -Long Kishra crouched, with burning eyes, with parching lips which he -moistened with a restless tongue, while the raisin worked in a skin of -vinegar. To his brain came many a cunning scheme which faltered not at a -stain of blood, till the sun-lit garden reeled before his sight, and the -pebbles in the path were as a million precious gems which mocked his -greed. Then Kishra slept, to dream of being crucified on the brazen -gates of Nineveh. - -When night was come the eunuch set a guard in the streets below, with -commands to seize on all who loitered in the shadow of the wall; then he -hid himself and lay in wait. - -Through the garden stole Semiramis, clothed in a sombre robe and bearing -the fish of malachite now wrapped in a veil and bound with cords. She -skirted the fountain and bent her steps toward the east, where fewest -sentries paced the parapets, and here she paused. Kishra rejoiced that -Habal followed not at the Syrian's heels, for the eunuch's scent would -speedily have caused a warning growl; yet now the spy had removed his -sandals, and his cat-like tread fell, noiseless, on the trail. - -Close in the shadow of the wall, Semiramis raised her voice in a -night-bird's cry. For a space she listened. An answering cry came -faintly back, then she raised her packet to fling it across the wall; -but behind her Kishra rose, caught the uplifted arm and wrenched the -amulet from her grasp. - -With a smothered cry, Semiramis wheeled upon him, her eyes two pools of -fury, while a storm of passion bubbled to her lips. - -"Hound! give back my own. What! Am I, the spouse of Syria's Governor, -to be tracked like a pilferer through the night? Have done! Give o'er -my packet and begone!" - -So fiery was her mien that Kishra took a backward step, drawing a dagger -from his belt and presenting its point against attack. - -"Not so," he answered, tauntingly. "When captives send forth messengers -to Bactria, a palace warden risketh the hazard of his head." - -The woman started. What if the eunuch had overheard her whisperings and -was advised of all? Yet, how could it chance, when Memetis had watched -on every hand. So Kishra read her thoughts, for anger departed from her -tongue, and in its place came a tone of craft: - -"'Tis naught, good Kishra. 'Tis naught, I swear, save a message to my -lord--a token that all is well at Nineveh--an amulet--the little green -fish which the merchant of Phoenicia sold. See, Kishra. I pray you -break the seal." - -The eunuch laughed. - -"True," he nodded, "'tis but a fish, and being but a fish, can wait for -a moon till the stores of grain be dispatched to the King at Zariaspa. -Thy message shall journey with the guard." - -"Nay," she reasoned, "these wagon-trains are slow, and my haste is -great. To-night must it go, or to-morrow, else my runner will come too -late." - -"Ah!" grinned Kishra. "Then perchance thy lord in Bactria will reward -this runner for his haste." - -"Aye," replied the Syrian, "even as you shall be rewarded if you cross -me not." - -"The price of broken faith is large," said the eunuch, artfully. "How -much?" - -"A purse that is weighted to its very throat." - -He laughed in scorn and turned away, but Semiramis caught his robe with -a swift, detaining hand. - -"Listen," she urged; "if the price be small, then will I add to the -purse another purse and such ornaments as are mine--even to the pearls -that rim my sandals round." - -Kishra still shook his head and withdrew his robe, retreating through -the garden, while the Syrian followed after him. - -"What, then?" she pleaded, and sighed in hope to see him pause. - -For a moment he pondered, then, leaning forward till she felt his breath -upon her cheek, he whispered, hoarsely: - -"_The leathern sack of gems!_" - -Once more she started, yet controlled her voice, answering in a tone of -wonderment: - -"A leathern sack of gems? In truth I know naught of it. As Belit -liveth, your words are the words of foolishness." - -"True," grinned Kishra; "no treasure is hidden on the river bank, nor is -there a garden-seat before our eyes, nor a fish pond near at hand where -a man may hide his body beneath the scum and harken unto whisperings." - -At his taunting speech Semiramis raised her fist as if to dash it in his -evil face, then let it fall beside her, while she sank upon the garden -seat in bitter tears. The eunuch for a space stood silent, for well he -knew the value of a bridled tongue, so he waited for her heart to battle -with her mind and conquer it. - -"Give me this sack," he said at length, "and thy runner shall go -unharmed." - -"Nay," sobbed Semiramis, "a purse--no more." - -"A half," urged Kishra, but she shook her head, again repeating her -offer of the purse. - -"A third. Think, mistress, vast riches will be left to thee, and a -third is little." She made no answer, and a light of cunning crept into -his eyes. "All might I have if I willed to serve thee ill, for I know -the spot on the river bank where--" - -"_Liar!_" - -The Syrian once more faced him, trembling in her wrath. - -"No eye save mine can find the hiding place, though it sought till the -sun is cold. Who, then, shall point the way for thieves?" She laughed -derisively. "Shall I, Shammuramat, go forth--disguised, perchance, as -some kitchen wench--at the heels of a sexless beast? Nay, not till -Nineveh hath rotted from the plain!" Again she laughed and snapped her -scornful fingers in the eunuch's face. "Safe by the river my treasure -lieth--a treasure for which the King might barter half his power--yet -not one gem shall fall into your grasp. Go out and hunt the Tigris, -from the mountains to the sea. Dig! and may Gibil damn you for a fool!" - -She drew her robe aside, as though she passed some thing of pestilence, -and strode away, while Kishra came pattering meekly after her. His -avarice had over-shot the mark, and failure gnawed his bowels with the -teeth of fear. - -They now had reached the fountain's pool where the palace torches -glimmered through the foliage, casting strange shadows upon the earth -till the garden seemed thronged with myriads of dancing ghosts. Here -Kishra put forth his hand and grasped a fold of the Syrian's simar. - -"Heed me," he begged, and as Semiramis swung angrily about, he began -once more to bargain for the gems. "Be patient, mistress, for my needs -are sore, and I, too, would escape from Nineveh, even as thou and thy -lord will fly to Ascalon. Give me but a little part of this treasure -store and I swear to aid thee with an aid none else may give." - -Semiramis pondered thoughtfully. - -"Fling my packet from the wall and I promise you a part." - -But the man was not to be deceived by slippery promises. - -"Nay; when the gems are in my hand, then shall the fish of malachite be -given unto thy messenger." - -Their horns were locked again. Yet, a moment since, when the Syrian had -cursed him in her scorn, her words had left a maggot in his mind. -"What!" she had demanded. "Shall I, Shammuramat, go forth to point the -way for thieves--disguised, perchance, as some kitchen wench?" Ah, if -he could but bend her pride, how simple would be the rest! - -"Listen," he begged, with deep humility. "In the hour of stress we -stoop to many things. What harm if the lady Shammuramat conceal her -beauty beneath an humble cloak and fare with Kishra to the river bank? -By boat we may cross, returning ere the night is old, and none would be -the wiser, for the city gates are free to me." - -"No!" declared Semiramis, with a gesture of disdain. "I trust you not, -nor will I leave the palace mound, though you prayed till dawn." - -Her speech was firm, yet in it the eunuch marked a sign of wavering, so -he urged his case with a beating heart: - -"The gems once buried in the garden here, we wait in peace till Menon -cometh to take thee hence, and for a third of this treasure store a -friend is made, where an enemy might balk thy every move." - -His words were words of wisdom, yet the Syrian frowned in doubt, while -her sandal tapped impatiently on the graveled path. - -"What will it profit," the tempter asked, "if wealth be stored away, -when he whom thou loveth shall die in a distant land?" - -"What mean you?" cried Semiramis, with a gasp of fear, and Kishra drove -the nail: - -"If the fish of malachite, with the message which it beareth, shall go -into Bactria, coming not to Menon, but to the King's own hand, then in -truth thy lord may suffer grievously." - -At his thin-veiled threat the woman quailed, while terror leaped into -her eyes. - -"Nay--nay," she pleaded, clinging to his arm, "'twere cruel to do this -thing. Be merciful, good Kishra, and I give a tenth." - -The battle was won. The eunuch could scarce restrain his joy, for in -his heart an evil plan took root. The treasure once dug from the river -bank, the body of Semiramis should fill the hole; yet, lest suspicion -rise, he wrought by subtlety, grumbling at the smallness of his pay. - -"And my messenger," Semiramis demanded, "what of him? Two days will he -wait--no more. Alas, we will be too late!" - -"Then come with me to-night," breathed Kishra, biting at his nails. - -The Syrian wavered, her will tossed back and forth on the shields of -doubt and love, till Kishra hinted at further ills to Menon; then her -spirit broke. Trembling from head to heel, she agreed to go, but laid an -oath upon him, and sought to bind him with a thong of bribery. - -"Kishra," she faltered, "I have promised you a tenth. Be faithful and I -give a greater part. Dost swear to guard me from every harm and bring -me in safety to the palace once again?" - -In the gloom the man smiled wickedly, yet gave his pledge; then -whispered into her ear: - -"Go to thy chamber, and when the princess sleepeth, creep forth and join -me at the garden-seat. An hour must pass, for I send a messenger to the -river shore to find a boat. A cloak will I have for thee, and pigment -wherewith to stain thy skin, lest the keepers of the gate should marvel -at thy comeliness. Go now, and count on Kishra as a servant faithful to -the end." - -For a moment more she lingered, faltering; then bowed her head and -passed from the garden with a weary tread. - -In the sleeping-chamber, Sozana drew her down beside the couch, asking -in whispered mirth: - -"Didst hear my answer to the night-bird's call? How fareth the jest with -Kishra?" - -"It worketh," breathed Semiramis into a tiny ear, "for the son of fools -will journey to the river bank and dig for dreams. Sleep, dear one, and -to-morrow we may laugh aloud." - -Long lay Semiramis, staring through the opening in the roof, while she -waited for sleep to kiss Sozana's eyes. Her bosom heaved; her breath -came hot, impatient, from her lips. If all went well the city would -soon be left behind, and the gardens of Ninus would be but a haunting -memory. How sweet to snap the bonds of dull captivity and face such -crouching dangers as the darkness veiled! And yet, a sorrow came to -share the treasure of her joy. The Princess and Memetis thought her -plan was but a jest whereby to trouble Kishra's peace of mind; and -to-morrow they must mourn her as one who slips away into the great -unknown and leaves no trace. Again, came a sharper pang for a friend -deserted--one who would grieve as none other save her lord might -grieve--for Habal, too, must be left behind. - -Her hand stole out from the couch's edge and fell upon him in a fond -caress, while Habal licked the hand, and his tail beat happily upon the -tiles. Then Semiramis drew him up to her, and wept, with her face deep -hidden on his shaggy breast. - - * * * * * - -The Princess slept. Semiramis arose and moved in stealth toward the -door; yet she paused on the threshold, for her dog came creeping at her -heels. - -"Down, Habal, down!" she whispered, struggling with her tears, and the -dog obeyed, though he whined because of impending evil--a sense which is -keen in the hearts of beasts, and is passing strange. - -In the garden all was still. Semiramis crept to the appointed place -where the eunuch waited, eager to begone. She smeared her hands and -face with pigment, donned a slave's simar, and hid her flame-hued hair -beneath a ragged hood; yet, when all was ready, she hung back, -trembling, till Kishra's patience broke, and he longed to urge her on by -blows. - -The door of bronze, which pierced the garden wall, was opened by a -sentry who saw but the eunuch and a kitchen wench with a basket upon her -head. Oft had he seen the like before when Kishra went forth in search -of dainties for his pampered appetite; so when the door clanged sharply -at their backs, the sentry once more nodded at his post. - -As the street was reached Semiramis well-nigh swooned for joy, and vowed -a gift to Ishtar should the city gates be passed. In silence they began -to walk, when of a sudden each started at the sound as of a body falling -from the palace mound. They paused, but naught was heard or seen, so -the two set out again. - -Westward their course was laid, past many a booth where women laughed, -and crafty hucksters lured them on to buy; past a teeming market-place, -for Kishra went boldly in accustomed paths, lest marauders spring upon -him from some darkened alley-way. The place was a place of noises, -lights and evil smells, of leering, besotted crowds who knew the eunuch -and gibed him because of the woman at his side. The Syrian's blood -burned hotly in her veins, till she yearned to tear the jesters with her -nails; yet wisdom whispered, so she laughed in the manner of an -easy-virtued kitchen wench, and went her way. - -And now the booths were passed, and they came at length to the city wall -with its mighty gates of brass. Here fortune once more favored them, for -a band of belated horsemen came clattering in, the riders nodding on -their weary steeds; so Kishra whispered with the captain of the gate, -slyly pressing a coin into his palm; then, as the keeper turned his -back, the two slipped by and went unnoticed out of Nineveh. - -In silence the treasure-seekers crossed the plain till they came to the -river bank. Here a boat was found in charge of an under-keeper's boy -who stretched out his hand for pay, then straightway disappeared. Kishra -produced a digging tool from beneath his cloak, laid it beside him on -the beach, and began to unloose the boat; and while he was thus -employed, Semiramis cast a lingering glance at the city wall that loomed -against the sky, so black, so stern, with its monster towers which -seemed to stand on guard like giant wardens of the night. - -As she gazed, her heart grew sad again--sad for the little Princess -dreaming on her couch, and because of Habal, watching for the mistress -who would come not back to him. - -She sighed and turned; yet, turning, felt a cold nose thrust into her -hand; then with a cry of joy Semiramis fell upon her knees, her arms -clasped tight about the neck of the faithful dog. She remembered the -sound of a body falling from the palace mound; 'twas Habal that had -leaped to the street below, where he lay for a space with the breath -dashed out of him, then hobbled along her trail with a broken paw. At -the city gate he had darted between the legs of the horses filing in, -and now crouched, panting, at the Syrian's side, to receive caresses, or -reproof because of his disobedient love. - -Now the coming of Habal proved a check to Kishra's plan of murdering the -woman when her treasure was in his hands; so, cursing, he snatched up -his digging tool wherewith to slay the beast; but Semiramis sprang -between them, furious as a mother who defends her child, while the dog -rose, snarling, eager for Kishra's blood. - -"Lay but a finger tip upon him," the mistress cried, "and you hunt alone -on the further shore! Have done! The dog is wounded, and with us he -shall go!" - -Kishra paused. Full well he knew the risk of trifling with a woman's -whims. It were better to humor her in this little thing than to hazard -all ere the gems were in his clutch; so, grumbling, he cast his digging -tool into the boat and made ready to depart. The craft was small, and -rude of shape, yet would serve to bear them safely to the other side; -and when Semiramis and Habal had settled in the bow, Kishra with his -paddle pushed out into the stream. - -"Whither, mistress?" he asked in a muffled tone, as though he feared -some lurker on the bank might hear. - -"To the lily beds in line with the city gate," the Syrian whispered, -with a hidden smile, while she tore a strip from her nether garment and -bound it on Habal's broken paw. - -For a space they were silent, and, as the boat slipped forward in the -gloom, dim voices of the night came floating to their ears--to the -woman, sweeter than a zittern's softest strain. She listened to the -river's droning hymn as it worshipped on its way to the Sea-god's -shrine, and the deep-toned song of frogs from a reedy marsh. She heard -the lisp of the paddle in the yellow tide, a heron's echoed cry, and the -far, faint call of sentries from the battlements of Nineveh. - -On the heart of Kishra these voices cast a spell of fear, chilling the -fever of his greed which till now had urged him on. Why should the -Syrian be overjoyed to greet her dog if she thought to return ere the -dawn had come? Perchance she laid some snare to trip his feet, and -would fly to Ascalon, cheating him of his wealth so coveted. The -treasure! Mayhap no gems were hidden there at all, and hers was but a -trick to lure him to his death. - -A thousand terrors trickled from out the gloom; they swam through the -waters, climbed into the boat, and lay upon him heavily. Of a sudden -the traitor paused, with his paddle across his knees. - -"Mistress," he asked, "what proof have I that no enemy lurketh beside -the lily beds, to fall upon me when we reach the shore?" - -"None," replied Semiramis. "He who would dig for leathern sacks, must -dare such dangers as the night-gods send. Yet, if yours be a coward's -heart, turn back, for it cometh to me that a tenth is usury." She -smiled again, and bent to her restless dog: "Down, Habal, down! What -troubleth thee?" - -The boat now floated in the middle of the stream, and ere Kishra began -his paddling once again, his fears were confirmed by the actions of the -dog. Habal had risen, sniffing at the air. On the western breeze he -caught a scent, and his bark rang out till the echoes rolled from shore -to shore. A friend was near at hand, and the dog gave joyous tongue. - -For a moment Kishra sat staring at Semiramis, while through his evil -brain shot the knowledge of his own credulity. From the first she had -gulled him, luring him to lie in a muddy fish pond, harkening unto -whisperings. No runner waited for her fish of malachite. Her -tremblings and her tears were but a mask. Even in her well-feigned fury -she had fed him with designs for his own undoing, and he, in his gross -cupidity, had eaten of the fruit of fools. No treasure lay hidden on -the river shore, but enemies who smiled and waited for their own. - -Mad with terror, Kishra spun the boat about, but, in his over-strength -of fear, the paddle snapped, and Semiramis laughed aloud. Helpless he -sat, a victim to this gloating witch who befooled him with her -guile--he--Kishra, warden of the King, who dared not return again to his -post of ease. Then fury took him utterly. He seized on the digging -tool, arose, and swung it high above his head in the thought to brain -her at a blow. - -"Devil," he snarled, "thou hast tricked me with a lie!" - -Down came the implement, but not upon the Syrian, for Habal had leaped -at Kishra's throat, and Semiramis overturned the tossing craft. - -For an instant all was darkness, fraught with fear; then the man rose, -gasping, clutching at the boat. A spear's length away he spied a foaming -swirl, where Semiramis flung high her arms and disappeared. - -Then the river again took up its droning hymn; the sentries called from -the distant battlements; a dog's head rode the waves as it pointed to -the westward shore, and a boat went spinning down the Tigris, while -Kishra clung in terror to its slippery keel. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - THE FLIGHT - - -"Ho, Huzim!" called Semiramis, as she gained a footing on the river mud -and splashed through the shallows where the lilies grew; and Huzim, with -a cry of greeting, stretched forth his hands to draw her up upon the -bank. - -"Art safe?" he asked. "No hurt hath come to thee? Of a truth I -rejoiced at the voice of Habal, yet close upon it came a sound of -tumult, and my strength forsook me utterly. See, mistress, I tremble -still, for the night hath brought a terror to my heart." - -In his joy the faithful servant, who would have dared the anger of the -gods themselves to shield Semiramis, sank down and clasped her knees, to -weep as a child might weep. - -"Nay," laughed the woman, with a gentle hand upon his straight black -locks, "'twas naught indeed save a plunge and a joyous swim, for the -waters thronged about me with the kisses of old, remembered friends. -Up, Huzim! Bear Habal in your arms, for his leg hath received a hurt, -poor beast. And hasten! Yon apish eunuch whirling down the stream may -arise an outcry, bringing a troop of horse upon our trail." - -The Indian arose, and raising Habal as his mistress bade him, strode -forward through the darkness, while she, in the joy of freedom, walked -happily at his side, wringing the water from her wet simar and -whispering of all which had come to pass. For a league they journeyed -westward till they came to a hillock crowned by trees, and here the -Indian bade his mistress wait, while he, himself, went onward to secure -their steeds which waited in a secret place in the wooded lands beyond. - -"Keep watch," he urged, then filled his lungs with a hopeful breath and -vanished in the gloom. - -Alone, the Syrian raised her eyes toward the sky and once more listened -to the voices of the night. The river's hymn was hushed; no sentry's -call rang out from distant Nineveh, and across the plains came only a -foolish wind that murmured among the trees. Yet other voices rose in the -heart of Semiramis, to cry aloud with every quickened beat. Menon! -Menon! they shouted, till the echo mounted to the burning stars, to -catch their flame and tumble back to the heart which sent it forth. -Thus cried Derketo, that mother whose passion stirred in the daughter's -blood, till her eyes grew dim in yearning tenderness. As a song it -sounded in her ears--a song of fire and love; yet with it rose a strain -more harsh, the voice of her unknown sire--perchance a war-god from the -Southern Seas. It rose in a stern command and was taken up on the -tongues of marching multitudes, in the snarl of the battle-horn, and the -rumble of charging chariots. - -To the south lay far Arabia, whence peace might follow in the thread of -love; yet Semiramis stretched her arms toward the east where Zariaspa -sat, unconquered, on the plains. - -From the darkness came Huzim on the back of a goodly steed, leading -another by its bridle rein. To the saddle-skin of each was bound a -food-sack, arms, and a woolen cloak to shield the body from the chill of -night. Likewise, for Semiramis, he had brought a brave attire, for -henceforth she must travel, not as a woman, but as a man; so, from a -screen of the hillock's trees, she discarded her wet simar and soon -stepped forth in the guise of a youthful warrior. From her shoulders -hung a linen tunic, belted and falling to the knee, while her limbs were -encased in heavier cloth, bound round with thongs. Her arms were bare, -and on her head sat a brazen helm, of a pattern worn by fighting chiefs -on the Syrian coast, its stiff rim lined with a veil of many folds. - -With a laugh Semiramis leaped astride her steed, causing her dog to be -set before her on the saddle-skin, for their pace would be swift, and -Habal might not follow with his broken foot. - -"See, mistress," whispered Huzim, coming to her side and stretching -forth his arm toward the south; "there lieth our road which leadeth by -devious ways to the desert home of Prince Boabdul, whence we journey at -my lord's command." - -"Aye," the Syrian nodded, "'twas even so two moons agone, yet now the -world hath somehow gone awry, till Arabia no longer lieth in the south. -Come, hasten! that we catch this wandering land ere it shift again." - -With another laugh she wheeled her steed and raced toward the north, -while for an instant Huzim gazed after her, his jaws agape in -wonderment; then he cursed, and spurred upon her track. For a space she -held the lead, till the Indian cut it down and at last stretched forth -his hand which closed on her bridle-rein. - -"How now," he cried, when the steeds had come to a fretful stand, "what -madness wouldst thou do? Come, turn southward, for to Arabia we journey, -else Huzim must first be slain." - -For the first time since the battle with the Kurds she marked a frown of -anger upon the servant's brow, yet little she reckoned of the wrath of -any man. - -"Huzim," she answered, and her teeth shone white in the light of a -riding moon, "I know not what path is best for fools to take, nor if you -would hide in idleness beneath the desert's sands; but as for me, as -Ishtar hears my oath, I go to Bactria." - -"But why?" he demanded, in a tone of keen despair. "Why tempt the gods -when wisdom pointeth out the way?" - -Once more Semiramis raised her arms toward the stars, and her fists were -clenched. - -"To join my lord and share the perils which are his; to wrest a loved -one from the toils which hedge him round about, or drive my hunting -spear through the body of Assyria's King!" - -In vain the Indian pleaded; in vain he besought her with prayers and -tears to discard a plan so mad, but she paid no heed. - -"What!" she demanded, "am I born of coward's blood? Nay; what man may -do, that also will I, a woman, compass; and, failing, the fault is mine -alone. Think," she argued, "if hiding seemeth good to you, then will we -lie concealed among the crags which overtop the plains of Bactria, -whence you, good Huzim, may creep by night into Menon's camp and guide -him safely to my side. Once joined with him, we journey where he wills, -though it be to Gibil or to Raman's thunder-halls." - -Thus in the end the reluctant Indian gave in, and they rode toward the -north, though for a space he lagged behind in troubled silence, his chin -upon his breast. As he rode it came to him that his mistress had never -held a thought of flying to Arabia, but had curbed her tongue lest -wisdom move him to prevent escape from Nineveh. It was now too late to -husband wine when the skin was rent, so Huzim shook the anger from him, -and, with one last sigh of doubt, came up to the side of Semiramis. - -For a league they held to the river bank, then forded at a shallow point -and travelled eastward swiftly till the night was gone. And thus they -fared for many days, boldly by night, and resting throughout the day in -close retreats, for they knew not if Kishra had perchance survived to -send out hunters on their trail. Poor Habal's paw healed quickly, and -soon he rode no more on the saddle-skin, albeit a moon went by ere he -ran upon four sound legs again; yet, even with a bandaged limb, the dog -served faithfully, and many a lurking danger came to naught by reason of -his warning growls. - -And now they came into Media, and the fear of pursuit was lost; so -onward they pushed, avoiding the open roads. They passed through -trackless forest-lands, through verdant valleys and up again to the -crests of wooded hills, where at their feet the lands of foreign peoples -stretched far and wide, their dwelling places marked by coils of smoke. -Anon they skirted woodland villages, and, peering through a screen of -leaves, saw naked children sporting in the sun, their naked mothers -pounding grain with stones, while uncouth warriors drowsed at ease -beneath the shade. Once, on a hillside, they came full face upon a -hunter, bearing a forest pig upon his back, in his hand a spear. For a -space the man stared stupidly, then dropped his burden, cast his spear -at Huzim, and went shrieking down the slope. From stone to stone he -leaped, as leaps a mountain goat, the while he cried out shrilly to his -friends beneath; yet in his final plunge he bore no message save a shaft -between his shoulder blades. - -"Of a truth," sighed Huzim, "'twas pity to slay the fool, yet wise, -perchance, for his tribesmen know not if we be an army or a single man. -Come, hasten, mistress, lest his friends be cursed with curious minds." - -They hastened on, and for a space no other mischief came to trouble -them, though many evils stalked abroad by night and day; yet these were -passed because of Huzim's cunning woodcraft, and Habal's wit in scenting -peril from afar. Then, when the skin of Semiramis was tanned to a ruddy -brown, and the steeds were lean and weary from their toil, the -travellers neared the foothills of Hindu-Kush, to fall upon a grave -mischance. They had come to a forest's edge, where a sloping plain of a -league in width stretched out before them, ascending to the mountain -steeps beyond; and here the Indian counseled that they lie concealed -till the shades of night should fall, but Semiramis would have none of -it. - -"Nay," she urged; "I burn to reach the mountain top for a peep into the -land of Bactria, and to know, perchance, if my lord still battleth -there. Come, Huzim, lest I leave a faithful friend behind." - -The servant shook his head and galloped after her, yet his hope came -back again when the middle of the plain was reached and naught was seen -save a watchful kite that swung in the blue above. Then Habal wheeled -on the backward trail, and barked. From the forest left behind came a -score of riders who spread to right and left, then lashed their mounts -and advanced in a ragged line. - -"'Tis even as I feared," growled Huzim beneath his breath. "Speed thee, -mistress! We yet may win to the hills in time." - -But ere they had ridden twenty paces he was fain to draw his rein, for -out from a fringe of woods ahead another band appeared, to spread as the -first had spread, with an aim of closing in upon the fugitives. The -Indian unslung his bow, casting about him for a spot wherein to halt and -hold his foes at bay, but Semiramis smiled upon him and took command. - -"Be not a child," she whispered. "Your shafts are useless, for these -our enemies outnumber us, and our steeds are spent. Obey me and speak -no word." - -She drew her bridle, shielded her eyes from the sunlight's glare, then -waved her hand and dashed full speed toward the Bactrian troop. - -"In the name of the gods--!" gasped Huzim, spurring after her; but she -laughed and, once more waved her hand. - -Now the horsemen, marveling at the strangeness of this move, drew rein -upon the slope and waited till their quarry came to them. Outposts they -were whom Oxyartes set beyond the mountains, to watch all roads, to cut -off messengers, and to bring report of armies or of food-trains coming -out from Nineveh. - -"Ho, friends!" laughed Semiramis, pausing in their midst and speaking in -the Bactrian tongue, a deal of which she had learned from Menon while in -Syria. "For the moment I feared ye were a herd of Assyrian swine. Who -leadeth here?" - -A Bactrian youth dismounted and stepped before her, his fellows -gathering in a close-packed ring. - -"How art thou called?" she questioned, looking straight into his eye. - -"Dagas," he answered, with a bow and a smile of merriment. - -The woman was fair to look upon and easy in her speech, yet spies were -ever prone to claim a friendship with their foes in a hope of deceiving -them; so the Bactrian smiled, and was not to be deceived. - -"Ah!" sighed Semiramis, stretching her hand to him. "Then bear me wine, -good Dagas--the best--for to-day I have journeyed far and am athirst. -See, likewise, to our steeds and to my servant here, who--" - -She paused, for now the chieftain laughed aloud because of her -impudence, while those about him joined in a roar of mirth; yet mirth -was turned to wonderment, when a gust of fury lit her eyes, and she -struck at the head of Dagas with a haft of her hunting spear. - -"Fool!" she stormed, "is the sister of Oxyartes to be mocked by a -brainless dog?" - -The shaft went home. The laughter died upon their lips; yet, ere their -startled senses woke again, Semiramis swept on: - -"What! Know ye not that Babylon is in revolt? That Tyre and Sidon fling -aside the yoke? That Syria flies to arms and sends her armies forth to -crush King Ninus as a grain of corn? Does Bactria sleep, as sleeps -Assyria's lord, when Nineveh hath tumbled to the earth--a blotch of mud -upon the plains? Does Dagas know not that the hosts advance, with -horsemen countless as the forest leaves, with slingers, axemen, hordes -of Hittite charioteers, and a swarm of riders from the desert lands?" -She flung back her head and laughed. "O worms of ignorance! O sons of -fishes, knowing naught beyond their slimy pool! Go out and guard each -road--each mountain pass--lest fugitives slip by and cry disaster to the -King!" - -She paused for lack of breath, and a buzz of confusion rose among the -men-at-arms; then, at their chieftain's questioning glance, Semiramis -spoke again: - -"Five days must pass ere the vanguard cometh, yet I and my servant -hasten on to warn the King of Zariaspa; for when our warriors pour down -the mountain sides, then must Oxyartes sally forth and take King Ninus -in his rear." - -Dagas knit his brows in troubled thought, then raised his eyes and -asked: - -"What surety have I that thy words are the words of truth--that thy -tidings be not a trick to befool mine ears?" - -"None," she answered, in majestic pride. "None save my word alone. If -thou doubtest, then hold me prisoner." Again she paused, to look upon -the youth in scorn. "Yet I warn thee, Dagas, that should a mischief -come of it, or I suffer by delay--by every god in heaven, thy flesh -shall puff in one great blister from the lash!" - -Once more the Bactrian pondered, torn 'twixt duty and a fear of some -bold deceit, then he asked, as a final test: - -"And how wilt thou reach the city when Ninus encompasseth it about in a -deep, unbroken ring? How scale the walls and bear thy message in?" - -It was now the Syrian's turn to ponder, for on her wit hung fortune, -good and evil, balanced to a hair. To blunder meant captivity, death -perchance; to answer rightly was beyond her power; yet she faltered not, -and staked her all upon a single cast. She smiled upon Dagas, leaned -down, and whispered into his ear: - -"_Why scale a wall when a message may go to Zariaspa by the secret -way?_" - -The Bactrian started, glanced swiftly toward the north, and back to her -dancing eyes. - -"What meanest thou?" he asked, and hung upon her words as one who waits -on death. - -Once more Semiramis smiled upon him, stooping till her breath played -warm upon his cheek. - -"Thou comely child," she murmured into his blood-flushed ear, "where -stores of food are sent for my brother's needs, there, also, may a -message find its way, though it float or fly." - -This she delivered boldly, on the hazard of a guess, and Dagas fell upon -his knee and made obeisance, begging that she hold no evil memory -against him, in that he had harbored doubt. - -"Nay," she answered him, "of all which hath come to pass I will make -report to Oxyartes;" then, as the Bactrian's cheeks went white, she -added, meaningly: "The King would know when his chiefs mix caution with -their zeal, else how shall he make a just reward?" - -Dagas rose up in a flush of pride, and of vanity which ever follows -certain men of war. - -"Command me," he cried, "and thy lightest wish shall be mine own -desire." - -Semiramis paused, to look upon the earth in thought; then from her -finger she drew a jewel, placing it within his hand. - -"Dagas," she enjoined, "when the conquering host hath come from out the -west, seek thou the King of Tyre, saying that she of the flame-hued -locks hath come in safety unto Hindu-Kush. In proof of thy words, -display this bauble before his eyes--then keep it for thine own." With -a radiant smile she checked his thanks and spoke again: "Ride southward -with all thy men-at-arms to guard the roads, lest Assyrian runners pass. -Nay, I need no guide to the Secret Place, for the way is known to me. -Now set us wine and meat, and then--farewell!" - -The young chief hastened to do her bidding eagerly, in hope of the rich -reward from Oxyartes, though to his racing heart it seemed that in life -he could ask no higher gift than to bask in this woman's smile. So he -set them a feast, which being done, his guests arose. Henceforth they -must go on foot, for the mountain paths were such that horses might not -climb, so the steeds were left with Dagas and his followers. At parting -the Bactrian lingered, gazing with awe into the Syrian's eyes. - -"Princess," he faltered, "in days to come I pray thee to hold my memory, -for the sword of an humble man is thine, be it drawn against enemy or -friend." - -Thus Dagas spoke, yet little did he dream that in after years this love -of his would part a nation and its king. - -Semiramis yearned to question him concerning many things, but her tongue -gave thanks alone, as her hand dropped into his and pressed it. So she -fared to the north, with Huzim and Habal following her lead, while Dagas -stood watching till they passed from sight; then he turned and sighed. - -For a space the travellers journeyed swiftly, the woman smiling to -herself, while Huzim pondered and spoke no word; yet, presently, he laid -his hand upon her arm. - -"Mistress," said he, "our path is upward among the crags, and as we -journey now, we risk the peril of unknown ways and wander from our -course." - -"Nay," Semiramis denied, "our quest is in the north, for there a weighty -secret lieth. Listen; to Zariaspa cometh a strange supply of food, -vexing Ninus, in that he may not cut it off and starve his enemies; -therefore in the north I seek its source, though I hunt the hills for -the space of a double moon." - -The Indian frowned and slowly shook his head. One hour agone she had -burned to reach the mountain top, and now would hunt behind it for the -space of a double moon. Of a surety the ways of women were a trouble -unto Huzim's mind. - -"And how," he asked, "may we know that this secret place be hidden in -the north?" - -Again the Syrian laughed, and the laughter pleased her to the finger -tips. - -"Good Dagas betrayed it by a fleeting glance, and knew not that he gave -his master into my hand. What manner of place it is, or where it lieth, -the spirits of the mountains only know; yet, mayhap, these spirits may -be taught to wag their tongues." - -Once more the patient Huzim shook his head, following on in silent -thought, and for a space they bent their steps on a gently ascending -path, till they came to a rocky spur which overlooked the plains. - -"See!" cried Semiramis, pointing with her spear, while her merriment was -loosed, to echo back from stone to stone. "Yon troop of Bactrians -rideth toward the south, to cry alarm, to guard all roads, and to wait a -phantom host which cometh to Zariaspa's aid." - -Huzim gazed out and saw that her words were true, though he joined not -in her merriment. - -"Nay, mistress," he murmured, "this Dagas is but a fool; yet deeply was -I troubled for thy fate, till streams of sweat poured out upon my skin. -Thou didst say that Syria had risen in revolt--that Hittite chariots -advanced--that Nineveh was but a blotch of mud upon the plain. 'Twas -witful craft, I grant, though hazardous, for truth was twisted inside -out, even as women wring their garments at a washing time." - -"Aye," sighed Semiramis, dreamily, as she rested on her hunting spear -and watched the riders vanish in a cloud of dust, "aye, good Huzim, in -song and legend this truth of which thou speakest is a wondrous thing, -yet oft must the god of wisdom robe himself in the splendor of a lie." - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - THE RIDDLE OF THE SECRET WAY - - -The day waxed old. The sun plunged down into a fiery death, as though a -Moloch swallowed it, to breathe back flames from his brazen throat; then -the crimson glow grew faint and faded from the west; the twilight -deepened, while a purple haze stole up on the mountain slopes, to wrap -the loftiest crags in gloom, till the moon rode forth and set them free. - -Semiramis and Huzim now paused for rest and food, for the way grew more -precipitous, and naught might be accomplished while the darkness held; -so when the Indian had eaten he stretched himself in sleep, but for the -Syrian there was none. She sat with her chin upon her hand, gazing in -thought upon the mountain stream which tumbled noisily beside the -resting place, while through her brain a question rioted and gave no -peace--a question which mocked, yet lured her on through swamps of deep -perplexity. Whence came these stores of food to Zariaspa? and why in the -name of Nebo should the Bactrians set the place on the further side of a -mountain range? To cross the ridge was but to meet with Ninus and his -ring of warriors. How pass them and win to the city walls? - -"Ah, little stream," she murmured, with a heavy sigh, "what secrets of -the hills thy hundred tongues could tell did I but understand thy -strange, wise songs!" - -The stream sang on, a roar of dull monotony that lulled her senses into -drowsiness, and again the Syrian sighed as she stretched her limbs for -sleep; yet slumber hid itself away as hid the answer to her quest, and -suddenly a silence fell--a silence so deep that the wind-gods seemed to -hold their breath as for a coming storm, while through the hush ran a -whispered chant of insects of the night--that murmurous hum from the -tongues of tiny, things. - -The Syrian started, sat upright on the earth, and stared at the stream -in wide-eyed unbelief. Where, before, a torrent rushed along its way, -leaping the stones with a foaming, boisterous swirl, now ran a trickling -rivulet. Its song was stilled; black rocks protruded from its bed, and -a stranded fish flapped clumsily upon the sand. For a moment longer -stared Semiramis, then leaped to her feet and shook the sleeping Indian. - -"Awake!" she cried. "As Ishtar liveth, I have spoken with the -stream--and the stream hath answered me!" - -For a space she whispered eagerly, pointing to the north, till Huzim -rose and brushed the slumber from his eyes. They bound the jaws of -Habal with a leathern thong, lest the dog give tongue and sound alarm; -then they crept in silence up the water-course. Northward it ran, yet -suddenly it sheared away toward the east where the hills bent inward, -forming a mighty pocket in the mountainside, and here the hunters -paused, for faintly down the wind came the calls of men, the bellow of a -burden-beast, and the sound of many hammer-strokes. - -"Ah," breathed Semiramis, "'tis there the riddle hath its root, hanging -like grapes till we come to strip the vine." - -They left the stream and clambered upward, with an aim of spying from -above, the Indian creeping on ahead, while Semiramis came after him, her -dog in leash. The steeps grew difficult, but the seekers spared their -strength, mounting slowly till they came upon a sentry seated in a -narrow pass and singing softly to himself. - -"How white is his throat," smiled Huzim, as he notched a shaft and knelt -among the rocks; but Semiramis laid a restraining hand upon his arm. - -"Nay, spare him; for see, he looketh upon the stars, and, all unknowing, -giveth praise to Ishtar. To slay him were to bring us evil. Come!" - -To the right they crept, in a circuit which brought them far above the -watcher's post, then turned and bent upon their course again; and thus -they journeyed stealthily, as in days of old they had stalked their game -in Syria, coming at last to the lip of a precipice. Prostrate they lay -and peeped below, yet naught could be seen because of gloom, and the -trailing mists which eddied to and fro at the chase of a fickle breeze. -Strange sounds came floating up to them, an oath, a sharp command, the -crack of a lash, and the jumbled echoes of haste and toil; and now the -moon slid out from behind a crag, bathing the slopes in a wave of light, -while the call of sentries echoed far and wide, and the din in the -valley ceased. - -The watchers crept into the shadow of an over-hanging rock, continuing -to peer into the depths beneath; and, as they looked, they caught the -gleam of water, whereon a clumsy barge was pushed by men who waded to -their waists. - -"See!" gasped Huzim, pointing to the loaded barge. "It floateth toward -the cliff! What manner of mystery is this?" - -It was even as he said. Another barge came out, and still another, till -seven in all were counted, each pushed by waders toward the cliff, each -disappearing suddenly as if it sank into some yawning well. On the -water's edge swarmed scores of men, each busied with his appointed task; -then after a space a gang came forth to labor at a wooden gate which -slid between jaws of masonry. By means of a prizing-beam this gate was -raised, when the dammed-up water once more rushed into the bed of the -mountain stream, and the earth was seen where a lake had rested in a -basin among the hills. - -Now all these things were strange to Huzim and as marvels beyond his -grasp, but Semiramis smiled and thus reproached herself: - -"In truth have I been but a suckling babe concerning wit and the wiles -of men; yet beyond the mountains lie twice a million other babes, with -Ninus who croweth mightily and sitteth enthroned--the master-babe of -all!" She turned to the Indian, thoughtfully: "Tell me, didst say that -Menon dug his wells to the east of Zariaspa and found sweet water -there?" - -"Aye," said Huzim; "but what hath this to do with barges on a -mountainside?" - -"Much," the Syrian laughed, "for these boats go down through a cavernous -passage-way, beneath the mountain, beneath the earth where Ninus is -encamped, and beneath the city's walls. There the Bactrians receive -their stores of food and burn these barges which may not travel back -again. The water they gather up in cisterns for the city's needs, or -loose it at will, whence it floweth away, to sink in the thirsty sands -beyond. Thus Menon hath digged his wells, and marveleth at what is -found." - -The Indian listened with an open mouth, grunting his wonder, but -offering no reply, and Semiramis spoke again: - -"By Ishtar, 'tis a cunning wile, yet craft may match it unto Bactria's -woe. Menon is mine at last!" she cried exultantly. "The King is mine! -And Zariaspa lieth in the hollow of my hand! Up, Huzim, for we climb to -the mountain top ere dawn hath come!" - -Once more they journeyed, with care at first because of sentinels who -watched the hillsides as a mother eagle guards her young; but at length -the danger line was passed and they mounted with quickened pace. Up, up -they climbed till the moon went down, and the chill of the lofty -altitude came searching beneath their cloaks; then for an hour they -rested, and the ascent was begun again. By the gleam of the stars alone -they toiled, till a sickly glow came stealing from out the east; and -then, as the sun came up, they stood at last on the mountain's spine, -poor Habal dropping at their feet with heaving flanks and a lolling -tongue. - -Semiramis heaved a sigh. Beneath her lay the land of Bactria, yet -hidden now by a ghostly sea of mist--a mist that writhed and heaved, -revealing giant peaks that seemed to peep out timidly, to turn and flee -as though pursued by spirits of the under-world; then the peaks, -emboldened as the sunrays drank the vapors down, rushed back again, -while scurrying clouds dissolved like rabble before a war-king's -chariot. - -Lower and lower sank the mist, till the battlements of Zariaspa pierced -the veil, and on the walls long lines of white-robed priests came forth -in worship of the sun, while warriors dipped their banners, knelt, and -raised their gleaming arms aloft. - -As Semiramis watched, the scene unrolled as to one who looks into a -witch's caldron when the reek is blown away. She saw the valleyed -foothills, and the tawny plain that stretched beyond till lost in an -ochre haze. She saw the city, grim, defiant in its might, and the vast -brown monster coiled around its outer shell, hungry, baffled, weary of -its fruitless grip. From north to south long ridges seamed the earth -where trenches had been dug to hold the slain and the offal of the -camps, the whole heaped o'er with sand lest pestilence arise, while -scattered far and wide lay blackened skeletons of scaling-towers, -engines of assault, and abandoned catapults, which the enemy had wrecked -or burned with fire. - -And now the army wakened, not as warriors eager for the siege, but as -sluggards who find it easier far to hurl a drowsy curse than to labor -like men in a cause of little hope. - -"See!" cried Semiramis, pointing with a trembling arm, while her great -eyes blazed in scorn. "King Ninus lieth down in sloth, and a million -warriors rot in idleness! By Ishtar, with such a force I'd overthrow -yon town as a woodsman felleth a sapless tree!" She paused to sigh, -then turned to Huzim with a smile: "Among the stars above strange -happenings are ordained, yet perchance unto Ninus I may whisper soon, in -that he rouseth from his lethargy." - -The Indian regarded her both earnestly and long. - -"Mistress," he answered, grimly, in the manner of one who is charged -with truth, "if thou wouldst whisper in the ear of Assyria's King, first -make its opening larger with the barb of thy hunting spear." - -"Nay," laughed Semiramis; "a woman's wit may sink far deeper and will -leave no scar. Now point me out where my good lord Menon hath set his -camp." - -The Indian's finger swept the line of the city's eastern wall, to a -mound beyond, to a dull brown horde of idle warriors--as idle as the -warriors of the King. - -"Ah!" sighed the yearning wife, and walked apart to gaze across the -walls of Zariaspa, in hope that her heart might lead her eyes unto one -she sought among a myriad of midges on the distant field. - -"Menon," she whispered, her arms outstretched, her sensuous soul -outflung, "were Shammuramat in truth a dove, how swiftly would she wing -her way to thee!" - - * * * * * - -As the sun slid down and the shadows of the hills crept out across the -plains, King Ninus sat within his tent, while about him stood a score of -his under-chiefs. Warriors they were of many lands which made Assyria's -kingdom one, stern men of copper hue, half naked in the summer heat, -gaunt of feature, lean and sinewy of limb. On the faces of many was -stamped a look of weariness; on others anger, while the monarch wore his -darkest scowl; for a council was being held, wherein rebellion against -the King had risen to a fever-pitch, and fierce internal strife was like -to rend the army from end to end. - -"Heed me!" cried Asharal, the Babylonian Prince whose hatred of the -conqueror led him ever to dispute. "What need to starve in Bactria when -plenty lieth along the Tigris and the Euphrates? Why break our teeth -against a wall of stone when naught may come of it save a bleeding -mouth? We storm a city, fling away a nation's wealth as though its -coffers served a catapult! Our soldiers sicken at the lack of food and -because of the bitterness of long defeat! If Ninus be in truth a god, -then let him give this city into our hands; if not, he will lead his -wearied servants home!" - -For answer the King rose up and smote Prince Asharal full upon the -mouth, in that he fell upon the earth with twitching limbs and eyes that -rolled in vacancy. - -"So," growled Ninus, nursing the knuckles of his great brown fist, "the -dog, at last, hath a mouth that bleeds." He turned to the Babylonian's -friends and spoke again, calmly, but as a master speaks: "Because he is -born a fool, I spare him--the next of his like shall hang!" - -A silence fell within the council tent, save for the shifting of uneasy -feet, and the creak of harness as the fallen man breathed fast and hard; -then, in the hush, a sentry entered, bowing low before the King. - -"Lord," said he, "a messenger is without, demanding an audience of Ninus -and of his chiefs." - -The lips of the monarch parted for an oath, and yet no sound came forth; -instead his mouth stretched wider still in wonderment, for before him -stepped a woman warrior, the like of whom his eyes had never lit upon. -Her shapely limbs were encased in linen, bound with thongs, as were the -leathern sandals on her feet; she wore her tunic, washed white in a -mountain stream, and across her breast was flung a leopard's skin, -caught with a clasp behind and forming a quiver for her shafts. She -carried a bow and hunting spear, and on her shoulders, brown and bare, -her red locks rippled from a brazen helm. - -The chieftains stared; and yet it was not the splendor of her raiment -which held them in amaze, but her beauty, strange and devilish--her -eyes, deep pools of ever changing light wherein the sons of men grew -foolish and were consumed. - -"Shammuramat!" breathed the King. "Whence comest thou?" - -"Shammuramat no more," the Syrian answered, "but a merchant from the -west with wares for sale." - -"By Belit," grunted Gazil, a hairy chieftain from the uplands of the -river Hit, "did the merchant sell herself, I'd buy, though the bargain -stripped me to the bone." - -"Hush!" a nudging neighbor whispered. "Be sparing of thy tongue, lest -Ninus serve thee as he served yon Babylonian fool." - -So Gazil held his peace, and Ninus looked in silence on Semiramis. In -the mind of the King two spirits warred for mastery; the one in anger at -this prisoner who escaped from Nineveh to defy his will, the other -unwilling admiration of her recklessness. - -"And why," he asked, as he combed his beard, "doth the merchant risk her -head in a journey unto Zariaspa?" - -Semiramis regarded him with a look of childish wonder wherein was -mingled trust untouched by fear. - -"Right well the lord of Assyria knoweth that I come at his own command." - -Now the King bad commanded no such thing, yet, recalling how the -Syrian's wits had befooled him in the halls at Nineveh, he took council -with himself lest it chance again. - -"Speak," he urged, with a cautious mien, "that these my chiefs and -friends may hear." - -Semiramis bowed before him humbly and turned to the listening men. - -"My lords," she began, and looked on each in turn, "far better than I -might Ninus speak, for the glory of this deed is his." She paused an -instant, then spoke once more, her rich tones falling strangely on the -ears of those who heard. "In a vision came the King unto my side--a -spirit in the godly robes of Asshur and the horned cap of Bel. 'Arise, -Shammuramat,' he commanded, in a voice that rolled as from afar; 'arise -and seek through the hills of Hindu-Kush for a wondrous secret hidden -there--a secret through which all Zariaspa feasteth long, while Assyria -must prowl, a hungry wolf outside its walls.'" - -"Ah!" cried Ninus, leaping to his feet, "thou knowest, then, whence -cometh Zariaspa's store of food?" - -"Aye," she answered, "but the spirit of the King said more." The -monarch sank into his seat, and she turned to the gaping chiefs: "'My -spirit,' spoke the spirit of the King, 'is heaven-born, yet my flesh is -mortal as all men know full well; so follow thou where my spirit leadeth -and sell this secret to my mortal flesh for such a price as justice may -demand.'" - -The King looked up, a light of anger in his eyes; but he curbed his -speech, for he knew not what was yet to come, and half a god was better -far than being proven not a god at all. - -"Say on," he muttered, and Semiramis said on. She wove a wondrous tale -of magic and of myth, of how the spirit led her through the gates of -Nineveh unseen; of how a steed awaited beyond the walls to bear her on -her way; of the arms and raiment found upon its back, and its speed in -passing through the lands of enemies. - -Now in these days the sons of Assyria were as children whose minds were -swayed by superstitious fears; in demons they believed who thronged the -earth and air, the waters and the sky; so the words of Semiramis were -the words of truth to all save two, who listened and were not deceived. -The one was the King; the other Nakir-Kish, High Priest of the Magi, a -man of wisdom who stood apart with folded arms, and smiled. The Syrian -marked his look of ill-veiled jealousy, for she trod too close upon his -own dark rites to pass unchallenged; therefore she sought to disarm an -enemy ere the weapon of his speech was raised. - -"My lords," said she to the wondering chiefs, "the tale is done. As the -spirit of Ninus led my steps, so followed I and found; yet if there be -one to doubt my words, then let him ask of Nakir-Kish, by whose high -arts was the spirit of the King unleashed and sent to me at Nineveh." - -All eyes were turned upon Nakir-Kish who flushed as the Syrian's shaft -went home, for of a certainty he stood in a grievous pass. To deny -would strip him of a boasted power and cheat his magic of a splendid -deed; to confirm her words was but to mark him as the ally of a liar; so -the High Priest pondered for a space and held his tongue. Yet the -chieftains waited, so at last he strode to the center of their ring and -raised his arms. - -"'Tis even as she telleth," he cried aloud, and Semiramis smiled, with -the air of one who conquers Kings; then Ninus arose and spoke: - -"Peace, Nakir-Kish! It is not meet that our works be heralded abroad. -Let the woman tell of the Bactrians' store-house hidden from our mortal -eyes." - -The Syrian shook her head. - -"My lord," she made reply, "'tis true the merchant selleth wares, yet -the merchant hath a price." - -"Name it," growled the King. "If thy words be true, I give a chariot's -weight in gold; if false--beware!" - -"Nay, radiant one," she smiled, "is Shammuramat a thief? One chariot I -ask--of wood and brass--with a man to drive me whither and when I will." - -"Granted," agreed the King. "Choose chariot, steeds, and charioteer, -but in the name of Nebo tell us quickly of what we yearn to know." - -"Wait!" said Semiramis. "My bargain must first be sealed. As to -steeds, I care not, so be they sound in wind and limb; yet as to him who -driveth, is of greater moment to my sale." - -She turned to the listening warriors, then paused to laugh again, for -half a score of men stepped forward, eager to drive her, though the road -be laid through Gibil's smoking gates. - -It is ill to tweak a King's impatient mood, yet this the Syrian dared to -do, knowing right well the price Assyria would pay to call proud Bactria -slave; therefore she paid no heed to Ninus, but wrought with his -chieftains, smiling, conscious of her power. - -"Nay, friends, 'tis I whose pride is roused at thought of riding forth -with valiant men of war. Each--all--I love ye, for your strength, your -loyalty to him who leadeth, who by his wisdom conquereth the world; yet -one alone may drive my chariot, and he--" - -"Prince Menon!" cried Nakir-Kish, seeking to win a friend where he dare -not make an enemy, and Semiramis turned and bowed before the King. - -The monarch frowned, and for a space he pondered, weighing the value of -the Syrian's knowledge against the measure of his royal pride; yet it -came to him that her arts had left him but a single path, for in her -secret lay the nation's welfare and the King's. His chieftains plotted -treason, while the army trembled between revolt and loyalty, wavering, -waiting for a leader's cry to plunge them headlong into open war--a war -at which the Bactrians would laugh aloud in very joy. Peace, then, the -Syrian offered--peace and victory--her price the forgiveness of a single -man. Forgiveness! It was galling to the King, yet, where a King drinks -gall, it were well that he drain his goblet with a smile, as though the -draught lay sweet upon his tongue; therefore Ninus smiled, rising to -speak in a voice which all might hear: - -"Listen, my children. Long have I yearned to take Prince Menon to my -heart; yet, because of stubbornness, he sitteth upon his mound, devoured -by spleen. If now he would once more call himself my son, a father will -bid him welcome, even as he welcometh a daughter in Shammuramat." - -At this a mighty shout went up, and the Syrian's great eyes filled with -tears. She fell upon her knees and would have pressed her lips to the -monarch's hand, but Ninus raised her and kissed her upon the mouth. - -Then before them all Semiramis told her tale of the water-way beneath -the hills; of the cleft in the cliffs on the further side where the -Bactrians damned a mountain stream, raising the waters to the height -desired. She told of the outposts guarding this secret round about, -while through the fertile lands an army of hunters combed the forests -and the fields for game; this game to be borne to the hidden cleft and -loaded on barges, whence it floated through the bowels of the earth unto -waiting Zariaspa. - -"And thus," cried Semiramis, "cometh food to our hated enemies--stores -and a flow of sweet, cool water, when Assyria must sit outside the -walls, unconquering, hungered and athirst." - -She ceased, and silence lay within the royal tent, silence save for the -sound of heavy breathing and, anon, a gasp of wonderment; yet, -presently, the High Priest Nakir-Kish strode forth, with the aim of -sharing in the Syrian's fame. He raised his naked arms, a light of -battle in his eyes, his voice a tempest charged with the fires of -prophecy: - -"Glory to Asshur, lord of all the lords! for on the spirit-tongue of -Ninus is chanted Zariaspa's song of death! Harken, ye chiefs of proud -Assyria, and ye who follow at their heels! This day your King will lead -ye o'er the peaks of Hindu-Kush, to crush the foeman's strength, to -destroy his store-house in the mountain side, and fill the tunnel's -mouth with stones! Up, Gazil! Sound thy battle horn! Collect thy -swordsmen from the hills of Nairi and thy slingers from the north! Up, -men of Babylon and Nineveh, to follow where your King may lead, and let -your war-cry be--_Shammuramat_!" - -The Syrian bowed low, yet even as the chieftains rose with her name in -war-cry on their lips, she stayed them with a lifted hand. - -"Nay, lords," she laughed, "your mighty priest hath offered but a jest, -to test the temper of his dogs in leash. Bark not so loud, brave dogs, -for none will climb the mountain side this day." - -At her daring speech, the High Priest Nakir-Kish grew pale in wrath, and -Ninus watched in silence, knowing there was somewhat yet to come, while -the men-at-arms drew closer, in a circle of wonder and of awe. - -"What need to climb," the woman asked, "when the master hath a fairer -plan?" - -"Say on," commanded Ninus, cautiously, and Semiramis turned her back -upon Nakir-Kish. - -"My lord," she spoke, "'tis not in thy mind to cross the mountain range -and tumble stones into the tunnel's throat, for thereby this great -supply of food will cease. Rather would the King go forth and dig till -he find this sunken river-bed; and then, when the laden boats come down, -their stores shall fill the stomach of Assyria, while Zariaspa looketh -on with curses at our feast. This, then, is the thought in the mind of -Ninus, for the mind of the King is wise." - -She ceased, and once more silence fell. The chieftains cast their eyes -upon the earth, nudging one another slyly, while the High Priest -glowered and spoke no word. King Ninus was likewise silent for a space, -yet presently his great beard trembled beneath his fingers, as he gazed -at the woman leaning on her spear; then he burst into a roar of -laughter, taking her hand as he might the hand of a brother and a King. - - * * * * * - -In the valley among the foothills, hidden from the sight of Zariaspa's -walls, an army of slaves began to dig a mighty trench; full twenty -cubits deep it was, running from north to south in a line which must -cross the hidden river-bed. For eleven days they dug, yet all in vain, -till many looked askance upon Semiramis, believing her tale to be the -fancies of some foolish dream; and of those who doubted, the first was -Nakir-Kish, while Ninus followed close upon his heels. - -The King set watch upon Semiramis, commanding that Menon come not into -the western camp till proof of her word was manifest; yet at all these -doubts the Syrian laughed, urging her diggers on with promises of -reward--reward, forsooth, which would come from the coffers of the King. - -She demanded the post of chieftain of these works, and from dawn till -darkness fell she set the pace for labor, even as Ninus himself had -toiled in the building up of Nineveh. At night, when the camp was -stilled in sleep, she would creep through the valley's dip, listening -from time to time with her ear pressed close against the earth, and at -last she reaped reward in the faint far gurgle of waters underneath. - -On the morning of the eleventh day, the diggers ceased their toil, for -their trench had come upon a rocky water-course whose roof was fashioned -of timbers and the trunks of trees, whose height five cubits might -embrace and whose width was of greater span. No water now flowed through -this strange black hole, yet its bottom was wet, and soon a stream came -trickling down, to deepen and grow in magnitude; then, while the diggers -leaned upon their implements, watching open-mouthed, the current turned -upon itself, no longer sweeping toward the city walls, but into the -trench Semiramis had dug--a tiny river, running in a strange new bed. - -And now a marvellous happening came to pass, for, suddenly from out the -earth shot a wooden barge full laden with the carcasses of bear and -mountain-goat, sheep, and the deer which wander through the hills of -Hindu-Kush, much grain and skins of wine. Then, seeing these things, the -diggers dropped their tools and fled from Semiramis as from one -accursed; but the Syrian laughed and leaped upon the barge. - -The King, aroused from sleep by a thunderous roar of many voices, came -out from his tent and stared into a new-made river flowing at his feet. -On its tide sat a rocking barge piled high with food and drink, while on -the very topmost sack of grain a red-haired witch was perched, her eyes -aglow, her hand outflung in impish greeting to the King. - -"Ho, master!" she cried, with a bubble of laughter in her tone, "the -lords of Bactria send tribute to the lord of all the world!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - WHO RULETH, FIRST MUST RISE - - -A sumptuous feast was held, whereat the greater and lesser chiefs of -every camp assembled, each in his appointed place; moreover, throughout -the army of Assyria no soldier went unfed, or thirsted for a gulp of -wine. - -At the head of the royal board sat Ninus, in his robes of state, with -Menon on his left, Semiramis on his right, while below them ran a double -row of grim-faced warriors from many lands, the bearded nobles of -Assyria's court, the swart barbarian clad in skins; yet pieces all in -the bloody game of war. With thumpings of hairy fists they bawled for -wine--red wine from the hills of Syria--and in the riot of a drunken -toast they thundered forth the name--_Shammuramat_! - -King Ninus smiled into Menon's eyes, dropping his hand upon the shoulder -of the youth, while Menon smiled in turn, lifted the monarch's hand and -pressed it to his lips. And thus amid wild music of the sheep-skin drum -and the zither's tinkling whine, beneath the flickering glare of torches -filling the air with resinous reek, a truce was made; a treaty betwixt -Prince Menon and the King, wherein all enmity should cease, and the -youth once more might claim a foster-father's love. In peace might he -dwell with his wife Semiramis, and, fearing naught, lead forth his -men-at-arms to storm the walls of Zariaspa. - -Deep into the night a din of revelry was heard, till the vault of the -skies turned gray and the burning stars winked out, even as the brawlers -one by one dispersed, to rest till a span of sleep brought back their -fires again. Then Menon and Semiramis gave thanks unto the King for his -bounty and his love, made low obeisance, kissed his robe, and hand in -hand went forth into the night. - -Outside the tent, amid a glare of torches, a chariot stood, its steeds -grown restless at the weary wait, and thither Menon led his wife, now -his for all time by the oath of Assyria's King; yet ere they could mount -and loose the reins, a white-clad figure stole from the shadow of a -lesser tent, stood full in the chariot's path and raised his arms. -Menon peered beneath the hood, then bent his knee to the High Priest -Nakir-Kish. - -"What wouldst thou?" he asked, and the High Priest answered, solemnly: - -"Of Menon--naught!" Then he laid a finger upon his lip and beckoned to -Semiramis. - -Marvelling, she followed him to a point beyond the hearing of her lord, -and by the light of a dying moon she marked his features, grim and cold, -his thin lips twitching beneath a manelike beard. A man of commanding -beauty was Nakir-Kish, strong in the vigor of his two score years, and -stronger still in the pride of his mystic power; and now with folded -arms he looked upon Semiramis, keenly, without a show of haste, then, -presently, he spoke: - -"Princess, thy crafts become thee not, nor is it meet that a woman -meddleth in affairs of men. Go, then, to the tent of thy lord whom -Ninus spareth, and rear him children, leaving the arts of magic and of -war to priests and warriors." - -"Wherefore?" she asked, and looked into his eyes. - -"Because," he made reply, "where the fires of heaven fall, the earth is -seared, and the daughters of mortals sleep to wake no more." - -She smiled, then answered, proudly, and as one who knows not fear: - -"My mother was Derketo; my father a warrior-god from the Eastern Seas. -The fires of heaven may warm me, but will never blight." - -Full well she knew the cause of his discontent, for the worm of jealousy -may eat into the hearts of priests, even as it feeds upon the vanity of -lesser men. In bending Ninus to her will, she had filched the boasted -powers of Nakir-Kish, and even though she gave him credit for his magic -arts, still she contrived to stand upon a step above his own. Where an -army of spies had failed to win the secret of Zariaspa's food, where -even the Magi with their spells and slaughtered birds discovered naught, -a woman had sought among the hills and found; thus, coming as the savior -of Assyria's hosts, her, shadow fell athwart the temple's door, and the -pride of the priest was shamed. What if this shadow grew? What if this -woman thirsted for a higher power and yearned to sway a nation, even as -she swayed the minds of a score of fools? Might she not, in the end, -push Ninus from his godly pedestal, and in his fall bring bruises to the -flesh of Nakir-Kish? Born of devils or of men, what the Syrian craved, -that thing must be her own; so the heart of the priest was troubled lest -these happenings come to pass. - -"Think," he whispered; "once, once only, will Assyria's King forgive, -and at a word from me the pardon of thy lord may slip his memory, in -that Menon passeth from our sight to comfort thee no more." - -Now threats against herself Semiramis could bear, and smile at them as -at an idle puff of wind, yet at a hint of evil unto her lord, the -tigress within her woke and showed its claws. - -"Priest," she answered, in that purring tone which in after years her -courtiers learned to dread, "I bethink me of a little fox I reared in -Syria. A weakling he was that grew in strength and appetite because of -my bounty and my care. From my hand he received his food, from my heart -a love which shielded him from every harm; yet when he stole my father's -fowls and hid among the rocky hills, nine days I hunted him with this my -hunting spear, and nailed his skin against the wall." - -Semiramis thrust her weapon upright in the earth and beside it held -forth her hand. - -"Choose, Nakir-Kish--I care not which--but choose!" - -The High Priest pondered, looking into her winkless eyes. Fowls must he -have, and wisdom warred with pride. His pride called out aloud for open -enmity, for the measuring of his power against her wits, yet wisdom -whispered that it were better far to receive his food in peace rather -than buy it with the price of a priestly skin; therefore he loosed her -spear from out the earth, gave back her own, and took the proffered -hand. - -"Thou hast stood my test," he murmured, with a lying smile; and -Semiramis watched him till he disappeared beyond the shadows of his tent -ere she mounted the chariot beside her waiting lord. - -"What seeketh the High Priest?" Menon asked, and the Syrian laughed -softly as she answered him: - -"He fain would be our friend, for the great man, in his wisdom, hath -divined that thou and I may one day rise in power." - -Across the plain they drove, eastward, till they reached a clump of -sheltering trees, and here Prince Menon drew his rein. As to wherefore, -she questioned not, for as the moon slipped out from behind a cloud, the -warrior took her in his arms, the first embrace since Nineveh was left -behind, and her lips met his in a kiss of passion and of tenderness. - -Yet others beside the moon looked on, with frowns as dark as the -gathering clouds; for from the shadows watched Nakir-Kish, sullen in the -helpless fury of defeat, while the lord of Assyria saw, also, and -clenched his mighty fists. - -The moon went down behind the spine of Hindu-Kush, and the High Priest -slept at last; but Ninus sat brooding till the dawn had come, and the -thoughts of the King were evil. - - * * * * * - -And now fresh plans were set afoot for the conquering of Zariaspa; King -Ninus still laid siege to the western wall, while Menon set upon the -east, though between the two no outward enmity was seen. By night they -wrought their stratagems within the royal tent, and by daylight scanned -the city from the crest of Menon's mound, till those who watched them -said within themselves: - -"Now, verily, are they like unto a father and a son, wherefore Assyria -will profit and be glad." - -Then it came to the mind of Nakir-Kish that Semiramis, because of her -splendid deeds, would claim some office of leadership, thereby -fermenting jealousies amongst the warrior chiefs; but in this were his -prophecies confounded. The Syrian asked for naught. So the High Priest -wrought in secret with the King, urging that he set her in command of -the Babylonians, whose chief, Prince Asharal, had been stripped of -office through the wrath of Ninus. By this design a mighty part of -Assyria's host would hate the girl and seek her downfall, even though -her blood was spilled; yet when Ninus offered to set her in the place of -Asharal, she laughed and shook her head. - -"What!" she demanded, "shall I, a woman, wear the sword of so great a -man? Nay, lord, if thou wouldst please me best, forget thy wrath and -restore this fallen idol unto Babylon." - -"Not so," cried Ninus; "in my teeth hath he defied me, and though I -spared his life, no more shall he lead his warriors to war. Of a -verity, the race of Asharal is run." - -"True," spoke Semiramis; "right well doth he merit death, yet what of -the Babylonians who followed in his lead? With another chief they are -but as sullen swine, undiligent, earning not their salt; yet under -command of Asharal, who, in the strangeness of their hearts they love, -no longer are they swine, but fighting men. Justice, therefore, -cheateth Ninus, when craft will give him an hundred thousand allies to -his strength." - -King Ninus, marveling at her wisdom, laughed aloud, and set Prince -Asharal in office once again, though when it was whispered that -Semiramis and not the King had compassed it, Ninus gained little love -from Babylonia, while the Syrian won a kingdom for a friend--a kingdom -which would one day set her up on high, and hail her Queen, from -sun-parched Egypt to the frozen waters of the North. - -Thus Semiramis foiled the high priest Nakir-Kish, refusing all honors, -taking no part in battle save such assistance as might be rendered to -her lord in strategy; yet at length she chose her own reward and was set -in command of the subterranean river-bed, together with all supplies -therefrom, and in this her choice was good. She pitched her tent among -the foot-hills beside the opening of her trench, then summoned the -faithful Syrian Kedah, placing him as chief of a thousand men-at-arms. -With this her body-guard, and Huzim who slept across the opening of her -tent, she could rest in peace, knowing that none would molest her person -or pry into the secrets of her charge. - -Three days went by, and many a laden barge came down to fatten Ninus and -his men, yet on the fourth day a great commotion was observed upon the -city walls; a throng of priests came forth with Oxyartes at their head, -and gazed toward the distant mountain range, then an under-priest made -ready a pyre of wood, drenched it with pitch and applied a torch, so -that soon a column of dense black smoke ascended in the breezeless air. -Then another pyre was lit, likewise a third, though his last was -smothered by a mighty cloth in the hands of many priests. The cloth -they removed anon, then thrust it back again, and lo! the smoke went up, -not in columns the like of the other fires, but in short black puffs -with intervals between. - -To those who watched, these pitch-fires seemed but some religious rite -of their strange, barbaric foes, but one among them was of different -mind. - -"By Belit," cried Semiramis, springing to her feet, "the Bactrians -signal to their friends among the hills! Go, Kedah, take a force of -slingers to gall those busy priests upon the wall. Up, Huzim! Light a -score of fires, in that the signs of Oxyartes may be confounded. Go!" - -She watched, and soon a myriad of fires sprang up, to send a spark-shot -curtain rolling above the battlements; the while a band of Hittites -camped hard by, thinking an attack was planned, ran out and stormed the -walls. A wild, unwonted hubbub rose, whereat the King grew wroth and -sent a force of men with whips to flog the Hittites back into their camp -again. Then the Bactrians, looking down upon these things, were -mystified and whispered among themselves in wondering awe: - -"To the high gods, praise! King Ninus hath lost his reason, for of a -certainty the man is mad!" - -That day the trench which led to the camp of Ninus was closed by a -mighty gate of wood, and the subterranean river flowed once more to -Zariaspa, and the Bactrians ate of the food which travelled underneath -their towering hills. - -"How now!" the King demanded of Semiramis when report was made to him by -Nakir-Kish. "Wherefore should we feed our foes? Lift straightway this -foolish gate and let us feast again." - -"Nay, lord," the Syrian made reply, "this thing I may not do;" and the -King stepped backward, rent by wonder at her words. - -To Ninus, one who disobeyed was as one whose life is forfeited -forthwith, for the pride of the man was great, and commands, once given, -were carried through, even though the cost thereof was greater than the -vantage gained; yet in the calm defiance of this red-haired imp there -lurked a spirit as fearless as his own--a something which bewitched the -soul of him, causing him to swallow down his wrath and ask with a -meekness new to his fiery tongue: - -"Where the King desireth the welfare of Assyria's host, wherefore -wouldst thou thwart so just an aim?" - -Thoughtfully she scraped the earth with one sandaled foot, smiled, and -made reply: - -"Of a surety my lord would be a half-fed serpent rather than an -empty-bellied hawk." - -"What meanest thou?" he asked, and again the Syrian smiled. - -"'Tis better far that the belts of Assyria hang loose for a little space -than to shout to Oxyartes concerning our knowledge of his river bed. -Should he signal again to his friends across the Hindu-Kush, then -straightway will they cease to load their boats, and albeit Zariaspa -thereby starveth, naught is gained, for Ninus suffereth the hunger of a -fool. So, then, to Oxyartes shall go one-half, till he, in wonder at the -small supply, will signal to his friends for more; and thus may we -satisfy the needs of all." - -For a space the monarch made no answer, but looked in thought across the -yellow plain, then at length he spoke, as one who communes with himself -alone: - -"By the splendor of Shamashi-Raman, the time hath come when Ninus must -cease to meddle in affairs of craft." - -He spoke no more, but mounted his chariot and drove to his distant camp, -slowly, with his head bowed low, though ever and anon he laughed, as one -who gloats with pride at his own contrivances. - -When the King was gone, Semiramis sat pondering, with puckered brow, -with eyes which saw not, yet seemed to pierce the city walls; then she -caused the river-gate to be raised once more, and, whispering a command -to Kedah, called Huzim to her side and disappeared with him till the -strength of the sun was spent and night had settled down upon the hills. - -Prince Menon, coming from his eastern camp to seek Semiramis, could find -no trace of her. In vain he sought, but none could give him news, while -even Kedha lied stoutly concerning her affairs, though it pained his -vitals to falsify unto one he loved. In despair the Prince was thinking -of departure, when Semiramis herself appeared with a suddenness which -caused her spouse to stare. From beneath a mat in a corner of her tent -the head of Huzim rose; after it came his body which stooped and raised -Semiramis as from a pit. Wet were her garments, soaked with mud and -slime, till it seems as if she must have wallowed in a mire, while even -her hair hung dank and dripping about her neck. - -"In the name of the gods--!" cried Menon, but she checked him with a -grimy hand thrust swiftly across his mouth. She looked to note that -none were lingering outside her tent, then, laughing softly, whispered -into Menon's ear: - -"Fear not, my lord; no accident hath befallen me; yet the soul of the -King desireth a bird called Zariaspa, and I--in the hope of pleasing -him--have sprinkled a pinch of salt upon its tail." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - THE SIEGE - - -Semiramis in her chariot drove slowly round the wall of Zariaspa, -scanning it from every vantage point; impenetrable, grim, it towered -above her in the dignity of strength--the majesty of strength--which -scorned to even mock the puny power of muscle and of brain. - -"Mistress," asked Huzim who stood beside her in the chariot, "what -booteth it to win this outer wall when the higher walls of the citadel -must needs be scaled?" - -"It booteth much," she answered with a smile, "for this citadel was made -a gift to me two moons agone." - -The Indian drew his reins and stared upon her in deep concern, thinking -the sun, perchance, had touched her brain. - -"What meanest thou?" - -For a moment there came no answer, yet presently she raised her impish -eyes: - -"Huzim, my father Simmas once spake a mighty truth, saying that he whose -tongue betrayed the children of his thought was both a murderer and a -fool." - -The Indian flicked his steeds, and in silence drove along the city's -western side till Semiramis bade him draw his reins again; wherefore he -knew not, for she paused to watch the common sight of a giant catapult -hurling stones against the wall. This engine was fashioned in the form -of a flinging-beam, the beam bent downward by ropes of human hair and -sinews from the necks of bulls, while on its end was set a heavy stone. -The beam, released, sprang upward, propelling its missile in a lumbering -curve, yet wrought no harm, for the heavier stones fell short, while the -lighter ones flew high, to crash into some house beyond the walls. - -"See," said Semiramis, sitting upon the rim of a chariot wheel and -pointing to the fruitless work, "they ever miss their mark because of -these stones of unequal weight and shape. See, Huzim, the Bactrians -hold no fear of missiles which fly so slowly and do but encumber the -earth beneath their walls. If, perchance--" - -She paused of a sudden, one brown hand rubbing idly on the chariot -wheel, her gaze fixed fast on a heap of broken stones; then she laughed -aloud and danced upon the sand in the manner of some joy some child. - -"What aileth thee, my mistress?" asked the Indian, and she laughed again -in answer to his questioning: - -"In truth, good Huzim, once more am I the mother of a thought--a sturdy -brat--and thou shalt help me nurture him, for, lo! these laboring swine -have made to me the gift of Zariaspa's outer walls." - -Menon, Huzim and Semiramis sat far into the night, pondering over plans -and stratagems, and when morning came the Indian and his mistress sought -out a hidden valley among the hills. With them went seven score of -workmen, a full-armed guard, and slaves who bore the beams and bodies of -abandoned catapults; and straightway the voice of labor rose on the -mountain side, while along the valley's lip was set the guard, who with -slings and shafts made answer to wandering curiosity. - -In Menon's camp a labor was likewise set afoot, and engines of siege -were put to rights again, while the army, wondering at things they could -not understand, were set to making sacks. These sacks they contrived of -fibre, of discarded clothes, of the cloth of canopies, or of any fabric -gleaned from far or near sobeit they held two hundred-weight of sand; -and when a warrior made questionings as to the strangeness of this toil, -his chief would bid him hold his tongue, for the reason thereof was -known to Menon and Semiramis alone. - -When tidings of these happenings were brought unto the King, he drove -away the messenger with oaths, for his heart was sick of fruitless -stratagems. Where Ninus failed, there also must Menon fail; so the King -went hunting through the uplands, finding little game, but much to vex -the soul of him because of unhappy ponderings. Glory he desired, and -the mastery of all the world, yet greater than these was his haunting -thirst for the mastery of one woman's love and the glory of her passion -lit for him alone. - -In such a mood King Ninus one day came upon Semiramis returning from the -valley in the hills, and marveled at the score of engines which she -dragged across the sands. So frail they were, so slender as to build -and the fashioning of hurling-beams, that the King desired to know if -these toys were designed to fling the stones of cherries at their -enemies. - -"Aye," said Semiramis, gravely and without a smile, "for the Bactrians -like not cherries, nor the stones thereof. Come, good my lord, -tomorrow, for tomorrow a red juice trickleth from their battlements." - -This answer puzzled Ninus, puzzled him throughout the night and filled -his very dreams with a deep unrest; so on the morrow he drove into -Menon's eastern camp to mark what craft might lie beneath the Syrian's -words. Yet, if craft it was, its meaning was hidden from the monarch's -mind, for Menon was now employed in throwing sacks of sand against the -city wall. No aim had they to harm the besieged upon the battlements, -but smote the masonry with a harmless thud and piled upon the earth. -Full two score engines, set in line and served by eager, sweating men, -were thus engaged in a foolish sport; and as Ninus laughed in scorn, so -laughed the Bactrians, gibing Menon and urging him to a greater -diligence. - -Now, strangely, Menon's warriors made no answer to the enemy's abuse, -but wrought in silence, bearing endless bags of sand upon their backs, -while beyond sat the engines of Semiramis, idle, aiding naught in this -mockery of siege; yet beneath the walls a mound of sand-sacks grew -apace; then, of a sudden, the jeering Bactrians understood. Their -laughter was changed to curses, their merriment to shouts of rage, for -they saw that Menon built a sloping road-way to their battlements and -soon would launch a horde of warriors upon the walls. - -And now a tumult rose--the cries of captains raging at their men, the -shriek of battle-horns and the answering din of Bactrian soldiery -rushing to defense. On the walls were set their heaviest catapults with -the aim of wrecking Menon's lighter engines of assault; but now the -"thought-child" of Semiramis took a part, and even Ninus watched in awe. - -This engine was not the like of other engines, for its hurling-beam bent -backward in half a circle's space, and on the beam was set a chariot -wheel. When loosed, the beam sprang forward with a sidelong sweep and -the missile was launched as a boy might fling a shell. At the first -discharge--aimed high because of a lurking vanity in the Syrian's -soul--the wheel spun out, and, with a strange, melodious sound, went -whining over Zariaspa. The eyes of Assyria's host looked on in wonder -and in pride of her, and the joy of Semiramis was like unto the joy of a -crowing babe. - -Soon other engines were set in place and a score of chariot wheels were -loosed, with a mournful, pleasing hum--pleasing to those who sent it -forth, yet of different tune to the hapless warriors who were dashed -from off their walls. These wheels, by reason of their roundness and -their equal weight, could be flung with a wondrous accuracy, and woe -unto those who sought to serve the Bactrian catapults; while Menon, in -peace, went forward with his toil of piling sacks of sand. - -If the Bactrians raged because of this new-born stratagem, so Ninus also -raged, but in another vein of wrath. None had communed with him -concerning it, and Menon, in secret, sought to snatch a glory from his -King; so Ninus cast about him for a cause of just displeasure at the -man. With the road against the wall he could find no fault, for the -sands of the desert were free to all; yet the casting away of his -chariot wheels was wicked extravagance, a crime, and in no wise to be -borne. - -"How now, Shammuramat!" he cried, striding to her side, and trembling in -his wrath. "Wherefore shouldst thou do this evil thing? and how shall -my hosts ride home to Nineveh when the wheels of my chariots are cast -among our enemies?" - -"Nay, lord," she answered, with her devil's laugh, "to-day, when -Zariaspa shall be thine, then mays't thou gather up these cherry-stones -and call them wheels again." - -So Ninus, cursing, turned upon his heel, mounted his waiting chariot and -drove furiously toward the western camp, in his ears a roar from -Zariaspa's walls and an answering roar from those who toiled beneath; -then Semiramis left her engines, and, with Huzim to drive her steeds, -went clattering along the dust-trail of the King. - -The camp once reached, the King deployed his armies in a swift attack -upon the western wall, in the hope that Bactria's force was bent on the -distant point where Menon struck his blow; so creaking towers and mighty -structures of wood and brass were pushed toward the battlements, and men -swarmed up, to grapple with defending foes, to fall and die. - -Semiramis, following in the wake of Ninus, caused Huzim to draw his -reins at the camp of Asharal, the Babylonian Prince whom the monarch had -deprived of office, yet restored again at the pleadings of the Syrian. -To him she whispered, and at the whisper Prince Asharal smiled happily -and straightway sought the King. The King he found in a fretful mood -because of the slowness of his armies and their failure to win the -walls, and it troubled him the more when Asharal in meekness bent his -knee and spoke: - -"My lord, in what appointed place shall thy servant serve, trusting -thereby to aid my King in this his sore discomfiture?" - -Now this question, to Ninus, was like salt in an open wound, and he fain -would have smitten Asharal upon his humble mouth; yet many watched, and -so the King stretched forth one trembling arm and pointed to the -citadel. - -"There standeth what we seek! Go seek it, fool, and trouble me no more -with idle questionings!" - -The Babylonian bowed his head, half in homage, half in his wish to hide -a joyous smile, and so went out from the presence of the King; yet, -presently, he came upon Semiramis, sprang upon her chariot-tail, and the -steeds were lashed in a race toward the hills. They made no pause till -they reached the gateway of the subterranean river course, where Asharal -made choice of a thousand Babylonian men-at-arms, and, commanding them -to follow, disappeared with Kedha, Huzim and Semiramis into the bowels -of the earth. - -This move was made in secret and with care, yet a rumor thereof was -learned by the prying High Priest Nakir-Kish who forthwith hastened to -the King; yet Ninus was in the stress of an ill-gone battle, frowning -tugging at his beard, so the High Priest held his tongue till a more -propitious moment for his evil news. He waited apart, but Ninus spied -him presently and called him to his side. - -"Priest," said he, "a weighty question haunteth me, without a pause or -peace, and the answer thereto is hidden from my mind; yet, mayhap, some -aid may rise from out thine auguries." - -"Speak on," begged Nakir-Kish, and the troubled monarch spoke: - -"At Nineveh I swore an oath that he who first stood conqueror on the -citadel of Zariaspa might claim a woman as his own, be the man a king or -the spawn of a Hittite serf. In Bactria I gave this woman unto Menon, -swearing again in an oath to part them not." He paused and looked on -Nakir-Kish with narrowed eyes. "May a monarch swear two oaths, the one -against the other, keeping both? Not so. Which, then, shall I keep, -and which may Ninus break without affront to the justice of our gods?" - -The High Priest looked upon his master and read the evil in his heart. -Full well he knew which oath the King would break; full well he knew the -danger in unpleasing auguries; so he closed his eyes, and in a solemn -voice made answer, craftily: - -"To one who is born a god, the gods alone make known their highest will. -Heed, then, O King, thy servant's poor advice. Stand first thyself upon -the citadel, and in thy justice give this woman unto him who best -deserveth such a prize." - -He paused. The moment now was ripe to tell of Semiramis and Asharal, -yet ere he could speak the tide of battle called the King who leaped -into his chariot, leaving Nakir-Kish alone. In the sands of the desert -the High Priest stood, watching his master's receding form till it -passed from sight, then he muttered in his beard: - -"A man may be born a King; a man may be born a fool; yet if I were King -I would stamp this Syrian devil in the dust, lest she ride one day on a -kingdom's back as a beggar may ride an ass." - -So the High Priest Nakir-Kish went out and opened the carcass of a -sacred crane, finding therein no augury of happiness for master or for -man. - - * * * * * - -On the eastern side of the city wall the sand heap grew apace, and now a -band of Hittites rushed furiously up the slope to engage the defenders -of the battlements. No foothold might they gain upon the wall, and were -slain because of their ardor and their foolishness; yet their bodies -added to the growing pile. - -On the walls thronged hordes of reckless Bactrians, stemming the -assault, and among them crashed the spinning chariot wheels, landing -with an upward lurch and causing wide, bloody gaps, to be filled by -other martyrs in a hopeless cause. The Bactrians liked not cherries, -and, even as Semiramis had said, a red juice trickled from their -battlements. Likewise, beneath the walls were many Assyrians slain by -darts and slings, and, when sacks of sand grew scarce, their corpses -were set in the catapults and hurled upon the heap, till the roadway -well-nigh reached the summit of the wall. - -The forces of Menon now gathered for a rush, but the Bactrians checked -them by a brave device. From the wall's lip they emptied great vats of -oil which ran in the crevices between the sacks of sand, and when -torches were flung thereon the roadway became a Gibil's path which -mortals might not climb and live. Huge tongues of yellow flame licked -forth; dense clouds of smoke puffed out and went rolling towards the -sky; yet if this sea of fire held hungering Assyria back, it likewise -drove their foemen from the battlements, and so for a space defense and -assault alike were quelled. - -And now a watcher from the summit of Menon's mound cried out a warning -unto those below. - -"_The King! The King!_" he cried. "Ho, brothers, look ye and beware! -King Ninus hath won to the western wall!" - -It was even as he said, for on the west but a weak defense was given, -and Ninus and his warriors had mounted to the parapets, soon to descend -into the city streets and cleave a pathway to the citadel. The Citadel! -There Menon, too, had sworn to stand the first, for his heart was -troubled by the master's double oath; yet now the road was blocked by -raging flame. - -"Sand! Sand!" he cried, and the sacks were slit and set in the -catapults. On striking they would burst, the loose sand being scattered -far and wide; and thus, through diligence and the urging of his men by -lashes and the promise of rich reward, the flames were in part subdued. - -Then up this smoking pathway rushed the armies of Assyria, lusting for -blood in the thirst of a long year's wait, hungering for the plunder of -this mighty jewel-chest, mad for the women waiting in the grip of fear. -They burned their hands on the blistered masonry, scorched their feet as -they trod the parapets; yet quickly they spread to distant points along -the wall or leaped below on the spear points of the Bactrians. - -The walls once gained, Assyria held the whip-hand, and an endless stream -of fighting men came pouring into the streets. On the western side King -Ninus had torn away the masonry which blocked the gate, and a wedge of -chariots came thundering in, to ride the defenders down. Thus, east and -west, Assyria pressed on Bactria, forcing the foemen inward toward their -citadel, and through every street and alley battle rioted and knew no -pause. For every pace King Oxyartes asked a price of blood which Ninus -paid, and the sons of Zariaspa struggled to the death for their hearths -and homes, while women from the house tops tore away the tiles and flung -them down--flung curses also, and their very beds which they dragged -upon the roofs and tumbled on the conquerors. - -On every hand the awsome din of war arose, the screams of death and -victory, the battle chants of charging men, and the roar of flame which -wrapped the city round about. As clouds of rolling smoke went up, with -the tongue of carnage sounding underneath, the household doves of -Bactria took fright and began to wheel in dizzy circles overhead. A -warrior saw therein an omen, and cried to his fellows that Semiramis was -born of doves; therefore Asshur smiled upon her and on the arms of those -who served. - -Forthwith a mighty roar went up, and as Assyria pushed toward the -citadel her warriors thundered forth the name--SHAMMURAMAT. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - THE CITADEL - - -Along the subterranean river course, cautiously and without a light, -groped Kedha, Semiramis and Asharal, while at their heels walked Huzim -bearing on his shoulder a mighty hammer with a ponderous head of brass; -and following after came a thousand Babylonian warriors picked for their -courage and their skill in deeds of arms. - -One other came also, albeit none had bidden him, and now he came -snuffling to the Syrian's side, knowing full well that the time was past -when his mistress might send him back; so Semiramis cursed Habal softly -and suffered him to go. - -"Asharal," she whispered presently, "in this my enterprise a chance is -given thee to win renown among the peoples of thy land, yet in return -therefor I ask a price." She laid a hand upon his shoulder and spoke -into his ear: "If the halls of the citadel be cleared, no man save Menon -first must stand with me upon the roof, else a woe may come of it. -Pledge me, therefore, in the word of a Prince of Babylon." - -"Princess," he answered, "the kingdom which I serve is thine, even as -its chief is thine, and he who passeth Asharal upon the stair must pass -him dead." - -Now Kedah, who heard, said naught, but his hand sought the hand of -Semiramis whom he loved; he raised it and in the darkness pressed it to -his lips. - -Prince Asharal went backward, whispering to the chieftains of his line -who in turn passed down the purport of command to every follower, then -in silence the march went on. - -They came at last to the mouth of the passage-way which was guarded by a -double gate of brass, and beyond, through its massive bars, could be -discerned a vaulted chamber, where the city cisterns lay, stretching -away in impenetrable gloom. Behind the gates sat a full-armed sentinel -drowsing at his post, yet an arrow in his throat brought deeper slumber -to the man; then Huzim raised his hammer and, grunting, struck the -gates. Thrice fell his mighty blows, with a clanging crash that sent -the echoes rolling down a hundred passage-ways, and from out the murk -came running other sentinels, trumpet-tongued in the flush of dread -alarm. - -"Strike, Huzim!" shrilled Semiramis. "Strike in the name of Belit--and -in mine!" - -So Huzim once more raised the hammer head above his own and, with a -heave which drove the blood from out his nostrils, struck; the brazen -gates fell inward, smitten from their hinges, and Semiramis sprang over -them. Upward her warriors pressed toward halls of Zariaspa's citadel, -and where a doorway barred their path, there Huzim smote it, till wood -and metal gave before his strength; then into the central hall burst a -raging imp of war, with the wolves of Babylonia baying at her heels. - -Within the inner court were gathered many women, the wives of nobles, -the children of King Oxyartes and his spouse, huddled together in the -fear of death, but these Semiramis harmed not. Her work was laid among -the warriors who manned the gates of the outer court, holding them for -the inrush of the Bactrians fighting in the streets, for every man who -might be spared from the citadel's defense was flung against the -invading hordes of Menon and the King. So it chanced that within the -citadel were, in all, three thousand men-at-arms, and these Semiramis -attacked as a hound may leap at a lion's throat; yet ill it might have -gone with her slender force had Menon not sent another thousand warriors -to follow down the hidden river course. They came at the turning point -of fate, the mountaineers from the land of Nairi, wild, hairy men who -sang as they fought, or died with a broken song upon their lips; thus -their strange, barbaric tongues gave heart to Babylon, even as their -swords brought woe amongst the enemy. - -The gates were won; the victors pursued their quarry from hall to hall, -through winding passageways and on stairs that dripped with blood, while -Semiramis, with Kedah and Huzim, worked ever upward toward the highest -battlements. Two stairways led to an opening on the roof, the one upon -the right, the other on the left, and these they mounted, while from -without came the roar of battle raging in the streets. - -When the Bactrians, pressed by Ninus, sought refuge in their citadel -they came upon fast-locked gates, and so a tangled swarm of defeated -warriors were squeezed against the walls, while into them drove Menon -and the King, cleaving a pathway to the goal of their hearts' desire. - -From the press King Ninus looked upward to the summit of the citadel and -marvelled at what he saw, for a shepherd dog--the first to stand a -conqueror thereon--looked down and barked and barked; then Semiramis -sprang beside him, her red locks tossing from beneath her helm. She, -too, looked down, on a caldron of murder seething in the pool of -Zariaspa's walls; then she raised her round young arms, and, even as the -conquering eagle screams, so screamed Semiramis, in a vaunting -battle-cry. - -In the streets below that cry reechoed from the thirst-parched tongues -of a raging multitude that thundered at the fast-locked gates and trod -on a floor of slain; then the bolts were drawn and the halls of the -citadel were gorged with the inrush of a conquering horde. In the van -ran Ninus, and close beside him Menon came, each intent on mounting to -the battlements, each watching covertly lest the other gain some vantage -ground; thus it came about that the two contrived a separate road. The -King advanced to the stairway on the right, and with sword in hand -looked backward, in a grim, unspoken vow to slay the man who followed -him; but a Babylonian whispered in the ear of Menon who was straightway -swallowed up amongst the throng. - -Now the followers of Asharal, according to their pledge, made way for -Menon, opening a path toward the flight of stairs upon the left, while -the right was barred by the fighting-men of Babylon. Here none might -mount and live, yet at the coming of the King--this black-browed -warrior-lord of all the world--the blood of Babylon was cooled; their -sword points fell, and they suffered him to pass--to pass across the -wounded, senseless form of Asharal. - -So, upward ran Prince and King, the one upon the right, the other on the -left, each panting in his toil till their veins were swelled into -throbbing, purple knots; each casting aside all reckoning of life and -death save the one desire to outstrip his fellow animal in the race -toward the roof. The roof!--whereon a woman stood--one mould of mortal -clay, yet mixed with the blood-red wine of passion, whereof men drink, -and in their madness trample on the altars of their gods. - -Upward, still upward, till a single flight remained, and none might say -which held a vantage of the lead; then Menon groaned aloud and sank -exhausted on the stair. Huzim, watching from above, leaped down to -seize his master in his arms and bear him upon the roof; yet, alas! too -late, for the mighty sinews of the King would win to the summit of the -citadel. The race was well-nigh run. Between the lord of all Assyria -and his goal there stood one man alone--Kedha the faithful--he who loved -Semiramis as a dog may love the master of his heart; he who loved in -silence since that bygone day in Syria when a red-locked imp of war had -cursed him in his teeth and with him charged a wall of battling Kurds. -At the coming of the King he crouched upon the stair, not in fear, but -in awe of that crowning flash of Destiny when a man and his spirit reach -the parting of the way. An arm shot out and seized the monarch's thigh; -a shoulder pressed him, and the two plunged downward, rolling to the -bottom of the stair. - -In the fall poor Kedha lay beneath the King--beneath two hairy hands -that in fury gripped his throat. These hands had builded Nineveh; they -had played with nations as a juggler toys with sharpened blades; they -had woven the thongs of servitude--from sun-baked Egypt to the frozen -waters of the North--and now they closed, till the neck of one last -slave was snapped and his body lay in a bleeding, huddled heap. Thus -Kedha passed, in the cause of those he loved, and, in passing, wrought a -nobler deed than the lord of all Assyria could boast, with scepter and -with sword. - -When Ninus at last came out upon the roof, Menon rested from the toil of -battle and the stress of his racing climb, breath-spent, with -fast-closed eyes which noted not the coming of his King. In his heart -of hearts the monarch yearned to raise the victor in his arms and hurl -him from the battlements, but Semiramis leaned upon his hunting spear, -even as Huzim leaned upon his mighty hammer haft; therefore the monarch -smiled. He raised Prince Menon and set him upon the battlements, and -then, in the sight of the watching hosts, proclaimed him conqueror; -whereat a mighty roar went up, till the soul of the King grew faint with -fury, though his hand was steady, and he smiled. - - * * * * * - -When darkness fell, great braziers of oil and fat were lighted in the -hall of the conquered citadel, and there the King made feast in honor of -his victory. Beside him sat Menon and Semiramis, on whom the monarch -looked with a look of love, hiding his flaming jealousy in smiles. -Beyond them sat the brave Prince Asharal, on whom King Ninus also -smiled, with a devil of hatred clawing at his heart. So the feast went -on and on, and joy was rife throughout Assyria and Babylon. - -When the wine was half consumed, and when beasts and captives had been -slain in sacrifice of Asshur, then Ninus arose and spoke concerning the -splendor of all things which had come to pass. To those deserving -praise, he praised without stint of measure, promising such reward as -the treasures of plundered Bactria might yield; yet Menon he set in -honor above the rest. He bade his warriors look upon this man as the -son of Ninus--son of his loins and heart--who would henceforth share in -the stress of war and the rule of the King's dominion over men. - -"For who," he cried, "shall sit upon Assyria's throne if Ninus, -perchance, be gathered to his fate?" - -A silence fell throughout the hall, and each man looked upon his fellow, -wondering. Semiramis, too, sat silent, her eyes fast fixed upon the -master's face, striving to read his hidden heart, even as a seeker after -truth may scan a graven lie upon a monument. - -So the feast, at last, was done, and each man sought his rest, the King -to toss upon his couch and plan a war of craft, while Semiramis, because -of a wounded knee, was borne in the arms of Menon to his tent, and slept -from weariness. - -The feast was done; yet within the stricken city's gates another feast -was made--a feast of horror--for the victors fell to plundering far and -wide, seeking for wine and blood, for hidden gold, for jewels--and for -those who wore the gems. - -As Fate has written, women must ever shed the tears of war; so now they -were hunted from home to home, to fall a prey to the brutish lust of -conquerors. Some shrieked for mercy, and received it not; some slew -themselves and passed to judgment undefiled; while others still would -smile on being comforted. The feast, at least, was done. A red moon -hung above the peaks of Hindu-Kush, and dipped into the gloom. A -stillness fell on stricken Zariaspa, for the gods of mercy sent it -sleep. Anon, the stillness broke to the howling of a dog, or the rustle -of some wounded warrior who crawled from out the shadows in search of a -cooler spot whereon to die. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - SHIFTING THE BURDEN - - -The High Priest Nakir-Kish was summoned to an audience with the King, -and was bade to bear a sacred fowl for the manifestation of an augury; -so he went forthwith and came upon his master, alone and seated on the -throne of Oxyartes, with a naked sword across his knees. The High -Priest marveled at the strangeness of this thing, but held his peace, -bending his knee and asking in what manner he might serve his gracious -lord. - -Ninus for a space sat silent, combing at his beard, his black brows -drawn into a knot above his nose; then, suddenly, he spoke: - -"May a King do homage to a dog?" - -The priest stepped back a pace; he passed a hand across his eyes, in the -fear that, mayhap, he dreamed; but the King spoke on: - -"Shall the lord of Assyria keep covenant with a barking beast, whose -mind is such that an oath is naught to him?" - -Then Nakir-Kish divined. His master would shift the burden of an evil -deed, even though he set it on the shoulders of the gods; therefore the -High Priest answered cunningly: - -"Nay, lord, in matters concerning the King alone, there is one endowed -by birth and mind to best interpret them--thyself." - -"Not so!" cried Ninus, "for the fate of others is woven in the skein. -As my deeds of arms are wrought for the glory of Asshur and the lesser -gods, so, then, must the gods point out my way when their servant -wandereth in the mists of doubt." He paused, then spoke again, as an -humble traveller who had lost his path: "Heed, Nakir-Kish, and lend me -aid. The first to stand a conqueror upon the citadel was Habal--and -Habal is but a dog. Shall Habal take Shammuramat to wife? Not so! One -oath is thus dissolved." - -"Aye," spoke the priest, "but who was next to stand with Habal on the -summit of the citadel?" - -"Menon!" breathed the King, in smothered wrath. "Menon to whom I swore a -second oath and gave him this Syrian for his own." - -The High Priest shook his head. - -"'Twould seem," he ventured, "that one covenant dissolved would bind its -maker's faith to the second covenant, and thereby lift the troublous -mists of doubt." - -"True," the monarch nodded; "true, to the feeble mind of man; yet, -mayhap, in the judgment of the gods, this matter hath a deeper trend. -Shammuramat, not Menon, was the conqueror; and albeit he stood before me -on the citadel, his vantage was won by trickery!--by his servant who -cast me down the stairs, in the cause of his master's evil selfishness!" - -King Ninus paused again, and his fingers, which had squeezed the breath -from Kedha, combed gently at his beard, then dropped to the sword across -his knees. - -"Heed, Nakir-Kish; rive open thy sacred bird, and in its entrails seek -an answer to my questionings." - -So the High Priest wrought his master's will; yet the while he pondered, -seeking some nook of wisdom wherein to hide himself. He slew the sacred -crane and opened it; he plucked three downy feathers and, giving each a -name, dropped them into the carcass, then bound the whole with a silken -cord. Head downward he held the crane, and by its slender legs he swung -it in mystic circles before the King, then laid it at last upon an -altar-stone. When the carcass once more was opened, two feathers lay -curled in a close embrace, while the third was lost to sight, and the -cheek of the High Priest paled. - -"Read!" breathed Ninus; yet Nakir-Kish stood silent, casting a troubled -gaze upon the floor. The King stretched forth a hand and pointed to the -bird; and in that moment the High Priest knew that an augury of truth -was but an augury of death. The master made no threat by word of -tongue, yet slid his fingers down the edge of a naked sword, as he -looked on the warm brown throat of Nakir-Kish--and smiled. - -The trembling priest said naught. His brain swam round and round, and a -mist of fear arose before his eyes, for the feather which bore the name -of Ninus had disappeared in the entrails of the slaughtered crane. - -"Speak!" growled the King, and the pale priest lifted up his voice and -spoke, though he spoke in shame: - -"_Prince Menon shall pass from the sight of those who love him best! -........... The lord of the world will claim his own--and take -Shammuramat--to wife!_" - -He ceased, and the King sat pondering, with fingers that combed his -beard in a feather-touch; then the High Priest gathered up the sacred -crane and went his way. On the burning sands he strode, in the glare of -a molten sun, seeking to free his spirit from the shadow of a lie. - - * * * * * - -The King sat pondering. Unto him came a trusted spy with word that in -the mountains of Hindu-Kush was gathered a mighty force of Bactrians, -those who had escaped from Zariaspa and from the lesser cities round -about. The monarch harkened to these tidings with a bounding heart, for -in his brain an evil plan was born. Desiring to hold the secret of the -Bactrian force, he spoke no word of it to any man, and put the spy to -death; then mounting his chariot, he drove to the tent of Menon and -Semiramis. Here he came upon them, the Syrian resting upon a couch of -skins, by reason of her wounded knee, while Menon sat beside her on the -ground. - -The monarch greeted them, and with them held a secret council, setting -forth the expedients of war. King Oxyartes he would make an ally to -Assyria's might, when the scattered Bactrians had been subdued and the -terms of treaty were thereby cheapened for the conquerors. Concerning -Zariaspa, he would not destroy it, but would set a governor within its -walls and keep it as a stronghold in the East. Therefore he begged that -Semiramis would lead a force of twenty thousand warriors across the -mountains, seizing upon the source of the hidden river-course, lest the -Bactrians choke the cleft with stones and cheat the city of its water -and its food. - -Right gladly would Semiramis have wrought this deed, yet because of her -wound she might not scale the mountains steeps; so, sorrowing at the -idleness of many days to come, she offered her servant Huzim as a guide. -The King demurred. It was not meet, he said, that a slave should win -the glory of so great a thing; yet since Semiramis and the Indian alone -might point the way, he would suffer Huzim to lead the army hence. So -thus it was agreed, and, after discoursing on other weighty matters of -the time, Ninus went forth and once more mounted to his chariot. - -Now it chanced that when the King was gone Semiramis held council with -her lord, and in that council wrought more woe unto herself than in all -her other days since she lay, a deserted babe, among the rocks of -Ascalon. - -"Menon," said she, "'tis well that thou and I bask always in the light -of uncommon things. Mayhap our works may oft' times fret the King to -jealousy; yet, even so, we win the homage of Assyria and Babylon. Go, -therefore, thyself and, leaving Huzim here to guard my tent, point out -the way to the Bactrians' secret place." - -"Nay," sighed Menon, "how, then, shall I mark a trail through the hills -of Hindu-Kush when the way thereof is hidden and unknown to me?" - -Semiramis laughed aloud. Through the open tent she pointed to a cleft -which split two mountain peaks in twain: - -"Climb yonder and pass between, then journey down the further slope till -the second mountain stream is reached; hunt northward toward its source, -and the foam-tongued waters will shout thy way, even as hounds lift up -their song on the quarry's trail." She paused to laugh again: "In -truth, King Ninus is of little wisdom, else to him I might have pointed -out this open path, even as I point it out to thee." - -Prince Menon looked upon his wife and smiled, then dispatched a -messenger to Ninus, begging to lead the army over Hindu-Kush; but the -King refused. Then Menon went himself before the master, beseeching that -this honor might be his, and setting forth such argument that the King -at last was moved, albeit he gave consent reluctantly; so Menon, -rejoicing, went out from the presence of his lord and came again unto -Semiramis. - -Yet when he was gone, the King sat pondering on his throne, combing at -his beard with a feather-touch, rejoicing, even as the younger man -rejoiced. Full well he knew that the fastness of the hills now swarmed -with Bactria's fighting-men. Full well he knew that this horde of -warriors, driven from their cities and their homes, would watch from -commanding heights and fall upon Menon with the fury of a lion brought -to bay. And thus would the master send him forth to die, even as in -after days King David of the Jews sent forth the husband of Bathsheba to -perish on the spear-points of the sons of Ammon. - -And because of these things, the lord of all the world sat pondering on -his throne, combing at his beard with a feather-touch--rejoicing--for -now in truth would he set the burden of his sin on the shoulders of the -gods. - - * * * * * - -When darkness descended Menon lashed his armor on and bade farewell to -his wife Semiramis. He smiled in parting, yet she, because of a -haunting whisper-ghost of fear, clung tightly to her lord with her -round, warm arms and warmer lips, setting about his neck a leathern -thong whereon hung a little fish of malachite--the same which had -befooled the eunuch Kishra and brought her in safety out of Nineveh. - -"See," she whispered, "'tis a charm which we of Syria wear, averting -evil and bringing back a cherished one unto those who love him best. -Wear, then, my charm, as I will ever wear the garment of thy love, for -if thou comest not back to me, ah, Menon mine, the joy of the world is -but as a cup of water spilled." - -So Menon held his woman to his breast and looked into the heart-pools of -her eyes--looked and was gone--on a road of darkness wherein he would -grope for a cherished one in vain, and fling his cries of anguish at a -throne of unlistening gods. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - THE PASSING OF A MAN - - -King Ninus took council within himself, and was afraid. Menon, he knew -full well, was a seasoned warrior, one who even from the ashes of defeat -would oft' times snatch a brand of victory. What if he won to the -Bactrians' secret-place and returned unscathed? He would thereby add -more glory to his name and bring his master's design to naught. Nay, -Menon must pass from the sight of those who loved him best! What -chance, the like of this, might again arise, and when? Mayhap the lord -of the world must wait--alone--for the waning of many moons, while Menon -lay nightly at the side of Semiramis--and the thought was not to be -endured. By the spirit of Shamashi-Raman, the spirit of this man must -pass! - -And yet King Ninus pondered, tossed back and forth by passion and the -haunting whisper-ghost of fear. Then he lifted his head and laughed. -It was not meet that the lord of all Assyria should whine at the altar -stone of circumstance. - -"Therefore," he reasoned within himself, "will I twist the tail of -chance; for when the steed of Doubt be saddled, mount him, lest a rider -be left behind." - -So it came to pass that Menon, ere he led the army forth, was summoned -before the King, and found him seated in the hall of Oxyartes, attended -by Neb and Ura, two tongueless eunuchs of giant frame and knotted thews, -whom Ninus had brought from the land of the Lower Nile. At right and -left of the royal seat they stood, awaiting the master's nod--a nod -which would be obeyed, though it asked the slaying of an enemy or -destruction to themselves; yet Ninus gave no sign to them as Menon bowed -before the throne. It had come to the King, in thought, that by plucking -his rival's wife from out his arms and sending him to death, mayhap the -wrath of the goddess Ishtar might work an evil unto him who wrought the -deed; therefore it were wise that Menon yield to the master's will, -though consent be won by bribery or the torture-chain. So Ninus smiled, -and spoke in a voice of honey mixed with oil: - -"Son of my heart, it hath come to me that our needs demand a King in the -land of Syria; and because of thy deeds will I set thee up, to reign in -plenty, bringing glory to thy house and name." - -Menon looked upon his master, marveling; yet at his heart suspicion came -a-knocking, even as a runner speeds by night to sound alarm from door to -door. He feared, yet knelt before his lord and spoke in gratitude; then, -rising at last, he took the bit of chance between his teeth, and asked: - -"Who, lord, shall follow me to Syria and there remain?" - -And Ninus answered him and said: - -"An army of chosen warriors to hedge thee in safety round about--my -daughter Sozana to sit beside thee on a throne." - -A silence fell. Each looked into the other's eyes, in measure of the -final cast; then Menon spoke a single word in answer: - -"No!" - -Again fell silence, till the monarch's cloak of gentleness was pealed -away, leaving him a brutish ruler over men--a ruler naked in his flame -of power--before whose passion the passions of lesser men must be -consumed and die. - -"Heed well," he cried, and pointed a finger, trembling in spite of will, -"'tis better far to sit a throne in Syria than to rot and be forgotten -in the hills of Hindu-Kush. Choose, then, to live or die! Choose now, -for I tell thee this: though the arch of heavens fall, Shammuramat shall -be thy wife no more--but mine!" - -For answer Menon set one foot upon the dais of the throne, and, curving -his spine, struck fiercely with a doubled fist. It sank into the -monarch's beard, and deeper, to the cruel mouth beneath; whereat King -Ninus reeled, and the great dim hall spun round and round in a misty -smear of light. Then Menon's sword came rasping from its sheath, for -he, too, looked through a blinding mist, though the mist was red; yet -ere he could smite, the eunuchs Neb and Ura fell upon him, dragging him -to the floor where they bound his wrists with thongs. - -The King arose, though leaning dizzily against his throne. He wiped a -blood stain from his wounded lips and spoke, in a voice which was -strangely calm: - -"Bear me this dog to a chamber beneath the citadel and nail him to the -wall!" - -So the eunuch Neb went out and cleared the passage-ways of all who -lolled therein, while Ura covered Menon with a cloak and bore him on his -back to a distant chamber where the city cisterns were. Here they -stripped him of his armor and of all he wore besides, even to the little -fish of malachite; then, deaf to his curses, they pierced his hands and -feet and nailed him against the wall, where he hung in agony. - -When this was accomplished Ninus came to view his handiwork. He looked -and his heart was glad, for now no more would this man rise up to steal -his fruits of passion or of power. - -"Heed," spoke he; "renounce Shammuramat for evermore, and I lift thee -from the nails and heal thy wounds." Menon made no answer, and -presently the master spoke again: "To fling away thy life is but the -deed of a mindless fool, for I swear by the breath of Asshur thine eyes -shall look no more upon Shammuramat!" - -"Liar!" cried Menon, and laughed in scorn--laughed, though a sweat of -anguish dripped down upon his breast; and the laughter enraged the King. - -With his fingers he touched his eyes; touched, too, the dagger in his -girdle and made a sign to the eunuch Neb. Two thrusts, and the brain of -Menon wandered on a darkened road; then Ninus looked up and mocked at -the man impaled upon the wall. - -"Who now," he asked, "will look upon Shammuramat? and who shall say that -the lord of Assyria speaketh falsely, even to a fool?" - -He ceased; then Menon raised his drooping head and cursed his King in -prophecy: - -"Thou spawn of hell! Laugh now in my hour of tears! Rejoice, ere the -hand of reckoning shall draw thy taunting tongue! Thou hast slain my -heart and let my body live! Slay, thou, the body, also, but the spirit -thou cans't not slay! 'Twill come to thee, this spirit, watching at thy -couch and board, watching through thy huntings and thy wars--through -days of waking and the nights of troubled sleep! 'Twill bay thy trail -of blood and lead the hounds of Ishtar to their kill! Laugh, then, O -lord of lies, and wait for Menon! Wait!" - -The shrill voice ceased to ring throughout the chamber, and he who cried -in prophecy hung limp and speechless from the nails. The eunuchs -crouched, trembling, at the master's feet, and the master, also, was -afraid. Nor man nor beast he feared, yet if a spirit rode upon his -soul, full well he knew that the steed would race for Gibil's smoking -stalls; so the King took council within himself whereby to cheat a -ghostly rider of his mount. - -"In truth," he mused, "if Menon liveth, his spirit may not wander from -its outer shell; and if it there remain, how, then, shall it follow me, -with a nose of vengeance snuffling at my trail? Again, should the woman -accuse me of his death, right well may I swear a guiltless oath while -his life be still his own." - -Thus mused Ninus and washed his conscience of a stain, then turned to -his eunuchs in a sharp command: - -"Lift ye this man from the nails upon the wall; restore his breath with -water from the cisterns, and his strength with wine. Bring garments -wherewith to warm his flesh, and a salve to heal his wounds. Guard ever -this doorway, bearing food and drink, for I charge ye that his body must -not die, but live." - -So the King came up from under the under-chambers of the citadel and -caused a thousand torches to be set aflame; yet, even in the glare of -burning pitch, a shadow seemed to haunt him, with a low-hung muzzle -snuffling at his heels. - - * * * * * - -From the city gates went twenty thousand warriors, and in the van a spy -whose name was Akki-Bul, a man who knew the hills of Hindu-Kush and -would lead an army hence. Why, he fathomed not, yet wore the armor of a -chieftain and his sword, a chieftain's nether garments, while about his -neck, from a leathern thong, hung a charm of carven malachite. So, -pondering upon the strangeness of these things, proud Akki-Bul went -forth to spy the way, ten spear lengths in advance of those who followed -after him. - -Through the opening in her tent Semiramis watched an army steal across -the plain and disappear into a valley's dip; then she slept, to dream of -her home in Ascalon, of Dagon's lake, of the creatures that swim -therein, and of Menon--with a little green fish of malachite that -nestled against his heart. - -In a chamber beneath the citadel lay a sorely stricken man. In fever -and pain he lay, and cried aloud to the far, unlistening gods. With -tortured hands he groped on a darkened road and found no staff wherewith -to feel his way. His book of light was closed; the water from his cup -had spilled, and the glory of the world was gray. - - * * * * * - -The morning mists came writhing from their valley-beds, and the -Hindu-Koh loomed red through an opal haze. A drowsing desert shrank -from the heat to come, and the world awoke and yawned. - -Now those who watched from the city wall, looked westward and were -amazed, for down the hill-slopes came a swarm of warriors, fleeing as -from the unclean boggards of an under-world; and after them ran other -men, smiting with sword and shaft, till the shreds of a death-torn army -came streaming across the plain. They poured through the city gate, -choking it with the inrush of a bawling crew, while many fell panting, -in the shadow of the wall; then Ninus, roused by a signal of alarm, -drove, raging, into the press. Half clad, he leaned from his rocking -chariot, lashing at all who came within his reach, cursing the cowardice -of men who brought a shame to Assyria's King. - -Semiramis, too, awoke, and at the clamour of retreating men, her blood -ran chill and she trembled for her lord. In haste she clothed herself, -unmindful of her wounded knee, and limped to the city gates. She -yearned to question each passer-by, and dared not, because of a terror -clawing at her heart; so the daughter of Derketo crouched in a shadow of -the wall, with parching tongue and hunted eyes, waiting, listening for -the tidings which would blight the glory of her world. - -King Ninus marked her coming, yet gave no sign, for now he had a part to -play, wherein he would befool the craftiest of women to whom the gods -had given breath and brain. He called aloud for Menon, but no answer -came, nor were there any knowing aught of him since the rout began; so -Ninus reviled them, swearing vengeance on all who had left their -chieftain to perish among the hills. He gave command that a mighty -force make ready for attack against the Bactrians, a force which he -himself would lead, in search for Menon, held prisoner or dead; then, -wheeling his chariot, drove swiftly to the citadel; and there, as he -lashed his armor on, he chuckled joyously, for a lion had learned the -wisdom of a fox. - -From the shadow of the wall Semiramis groped her way toward her tent, -numb, tearless, and with a sense of wonder at the strangeness of her -grief. She seemed to look in pity, from afar, on this silent thing who -set a helm upon her flaming locks and a breast-plate on a breast which -now was dead. So the one Semiramis watched the other make ready for a -journey into Hindu-Kush; she saw the silent one take up her hunting -spear, mount on her chariot and drive to the city gate, where -she-waited, shivering, in the glory of a summer sun. - -When the King came forth to find her waiting there, his heart misgave -him, for if Semiramis chanced to find the body of Akki-Bul in Menon's -armor, then in truth would the crust of Gibil's pit be lifted from its -fires. Therefore he sought to dissuade her will, saying that he himself -would accomplish all things, while she remained at rest till her wound -was healed; yet to his pleadings she answered naught, for to her his -words were meaningless and like unto the idle whisperings of rain drops -as they fell. She stood upon her chariot, gazing in silence out toward -the prison of the hills which hid her lord, and waited for Assyria to -move. - -Then the King, in secret, gave command to all who followed him that if -any came upon Menon's body or the armor which he wore, no word of it -should reach Semiramis, because of her consuming grief; and those who -loved her, promised, and the army marched across the plains of Bactria. - -To Semiramis came the faithful Huzim with a whispered word of hope. He -seated her on the chariot's floor and took the reins, while after them -trotted Habal, for the dog, perchance, might lead the seekers where the -cunning of man would falter on the trail. When the foot-hills were -reached the chariot was left behind; Semiramis rode an unharnessed steed -which Huzim led, and the toil of ascent began. - -And now the slopes of Hindu-Kush awoke to the din of strife, for the -hill rocks swarmed with Bactria's fighting-men who loosened great stones -upon the climbers, or smote them with down-flung spears and whistling -shafts; and even as the voice of battle woke, so woke Semiramis from the -slumber of her grief. In her veins ran the blood of two great passions -which must ever rule the world--the passions of love and war--begotten -in the lust-lock of Derketo and a battle-god. - -Thus a child of passion went raging through the hills of Hindu-Kush, and -where she might not climb, there Huzim bore her on his mighty back. At -her side fought Asharal and the chiefs of Babylon, while about them was -ever set a ring of the men of Nairi, those hairy mountaineers who sang -as they battled; yet now, because of Menon whom they loved, the -battle-chant was hushed upon their lips. - -Upward they toiled, through valley and defile smiting their Bactrian -enemies on every hand, pursuing them from crag to crag, or cutting off -retreat; and where the foeman hid away in caverns, they were smoked -therefrom and slain. So Assyria came at last to the mountain-top, -surged through the pass and swept the slopes beyond, coming by night to -the source of the hidden river-bed, while the Bactrians fled to the -forest lands beyond, hiding in swampy glades where Ninus might not -follow them. - -When morning was come and a force had been left to guard the mouth of -the river-bed, the Assyrian army once more breasted the mountain slope, -and on the eastern side began a search for Menon, though the task was -great. There were those who thought to find the spot whence the first -assault had come, yet, by reason of the darkness which had made the -marks on the mountain side seem strange, they found it not; nor might -they trace it by the bodies of the slain, for the second battle had -strewn the rocky wastes with dead, even as the field-man scatters grain. - -For seven days the hunters combed the hills, while the sun poured down -in fury, and from the sky great birds of prey descended to their feast; -at approach they would reel away in lazy flight, mocking the seekers -with discordant cries, then settle to some other dread repast. So the -search went on in vain, and day by day the spirits of Ninus rose, for, -if Semiramis came not upon the corpse of Akki-Bul, the monarch's -treachery would lie forever with the lost; then came to pass a happening -which fitted the King's desire, even as a sword may slide into its -sheath. - -The good dog Habal had hunted with his mistress and her slave, yet found -no scent to lead them on their quest; and now as he snuffled along the -edge of a precipice his footing gave beneath him, and, clawing at the -loosened stones, the dog went whirling down into the depth below. As he -fell, Semiramis cried out in pain and grief, for Habal she loved, with a -love which woman only may fathom or understand. Sorrowing, she commanded -Huzim to descend into the rift to learn if a spark of life remained -within her dog; so the Indian went down. - -The way was grievous, and at the bottom he was forced to stone away a -flock of noisome vulture-birds; then he came upon Habal with the breath -of life dashed out of him. The Indian stooped, yet paused in stark -amaze, for the dead dog lay beside the body of a man--a man who wore -Prince Menon's armor and his broken helm; yet, because of heat and the -beaks of birds, none now might see therein a semblance of the hapless -Akki-Bul. Thus it seemed that, even in his death, a faithful beast had -led his loved ones on the trail of the master whom he loved. - -So Huzim climbed up to Semiramis, and, sorrowing, gave into her hand -Prince Menon's sword, together with a little green fish of malachite -suspended on a leathern thong; and, seeing these things, her wails of -anguish echoed throughout the hills, for now she knew in truth that her -lord would come to her no more. - -She would have clambered down to him, but Huzim dissuaded her, saying -that the steeps would cause her wound to open; and again, it were better -that she hold the memory of her lord in life than to look upon this -rotting thing below. So Huzim, with Asharal and the men of Nairi, -descended into the rift and left Semiramis weeping on the lip of the -precipice. - -They dug a grave and laid therein the body of Akki-Bul, dropping their -tears upon it in the name of Menon, Prince of the house of Nairi; and -with him they buried Habal, as every faithful dog would yearn to sleep, -with his paws and muzzle resting on a master's breast. Above, among the -rocks, a thousand warriors watched, grim sons of battle and of blood, -yet children now in the grip of unselfish grief. Semiramis they loved, -because of the glory of the woman's flesh and the glory of her deeds; -her sorrows were even as their sorrows, so their hearts were sad within -them, and they wept. - -Then down the mountain side went the army of Assyria, to the foot-hills -and across the hot brown plains, coming at last to the city of Zariaspa; -and in the lead went Ninus, a chant of mourning on his lips, a song of -passion in his heart. - -Throughout the day Semiramis lay within her tent as one who is stricken -by a sword, and Huzim sat beside her, cooling her brows with water, and -driving the fever from her wound with ointment and pounded herbs. At -evening came the King, with words of gentleness, mourning with her at -the double loss of Menon and her shepherd dog; but she answered him and -said: - -"Nay, lord, mourn not because of Habal, for in his death the gods let -fall a dew of comfort and of peace. In the rimless fields of the -over-world my Menon is not alone, for Habal's spirit hunteth at his -master's side." - -Now if this thought brought peace unto Semiramis, no peace it brought -unto the King, for his cheek went pale beneath his beard. Since Menon -had hung upon the wall and cursed him, swearing to lead the hounds of -Ishtar on his trail, a dog was a dread abomination in his sight--a thing -to bay his memory and patter after him on ghostly feet. - -When night was come he tossed upon his couch in troubled dreams, -watching a ghoulish army trail across the sky. Spirits they were of -those he had sent to perish in the hills of Hindu-Kush; and in their -lead flew Menon's spirit--with the spirit of a dog in leash. And the -King awoke and caused his torches to be lit. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - A PATH WHICH LED TO ITS STARTING POINT - - -King Ninus now rested from his war and disposed of the affairs of state. -He sealed a treaty with Oxyartes whereby all Bactria lay subject to -Assyria's rule, each city paying yearly tribute to the King. King -Oxyartes he took unto himself as a brother-chief, and in Zariaspa set up -as Governor of Tax a man whose name was Tiglath-Shul, a chieftain who -would likewise hold a force of warriors in command of the city wall. - -When this was accomplished, Ninus brought before him the eunuchs Neb and -Ura, and charged them to guard the prison door of Menon, suffering none -to enter or learn the name of him who lay therein. Likewise he whispered -in the ear of Tiglath-Shul, saying that a Bactrian hostage was being -held in the keep below, and the head of a certain Governor would, -mayhap, be forfeit for those who meddled in the King's affairs. -Therefore the Governor took council with himself, refrained from prying, -and set a blight on all who were overcurious. Then Ninus, when other -weighty matters had been put in order, commanded that the armies of -Assyria depart on the homeward way. - -Once more the marching host like a monster serpent crawling through the -dust, crept upward among the hills, through the Pass of the Wedge now -strewn with whitening bones, and down the rugged slopes beyond; through -forest-lands and the countries of those who dwelt among the rocks, -through Media ripening for a conquest by the King; scaling the Zagros -mountains, and coming at last unto Arbela where the army sat down in -weariness. - -Throughout the journey Semiramis lay within her litter, holding speech -with none save Huzim who ever sat on guard, while the King, albeit he -yearned for a sight of her, restrained his ardor till her term of -mourning passed and her grief had spent itself. - -"Because," he mused, "a fruit hath life so long as it hangeth on its -mother-branch. But once may this fruit be plucked--no more; take, -therefore, heed lest in plucking we find it green." - -So the lion persevered in the wisdom of the fox and broke not upon the -seclusion of Semiramis; then, after a rest of twenty days, the army left -Arbela, marched northward across the river Zab and thence to the eastern -gate of Nineveh; and at their coming the people flocked to the city -walls, with songs of rejoicing for the conquerors, with love-lit eyes -for those who returned to waiting homes, with hunted eyes that watched -in vain for others who slept in the vales of Hindu-Kush. Thus it came -to pass that Nineveh was rent with joy and tears; for where the -thousands wept into the ashes of their hearths, the tens of thousands -steeped their hearts in wine, and laughed. Laughter and tears, entwined -in a close embrace, for the joy of a man is ever his neighbor's woe. - -In the palace of the King there was likewise joy, much feasting and the -dance of timbril-girls; then Ninus, in the gardens, came upon Sozana and -Memetis who together had dwelt in happiness since the eunuch Kishra ran -afoul of fate. An infant had been born to them, so Ninus tore his beard -in wrath and gave his daughter in wedlock to the man; albeit he would -have surely slain the Egyptian had Semiramis not pleaded mightily. - -"Heed," said she, "what profit in this deed of blood? What promise in a -babe left fatherless? See what a sturdy little warrior, who, as Asshur -liveth, hath the eye of Ninus and his very nose!" - -Thus the wrath of the King grew less, as the wrath of man must ever grow -beneath the soothing subtleties of a woman's tongue. Then Semiramis -shut herself within her chamber, communing with none save Sozana and the -child; and thus through the life of seven moons she mourned for Menon, -sitting by day in the garden's shade, or at night on the palace roof, -seeking for peace in the rays of Ishtar and her sister stars. - -Now Ninus, who loved her, grew impatient of her grief, and sought by -every art to contrive a wakening therefrom, yet in every pleasure set -for her he failed; then came a time when he must journey in India to -seal a covenant with that country's King. So he summoned Huzim who was -born of that land where the Indus runs, and spoke unto him, saying: - -"Thy mistress pineth, dreaming in regret of things which even the high -god Asshur may not mend. Plead, therefore, with Shammuramat, urging that -she follow with Sozana in my train, and, perchance, the wonders of thy -native land may rouse her from her sorrows and her lethargy." - -The Indian bowed before the King and promised, then sought his mistress -in the gardens on the mound. He found her, seated beside the fountain's -pool, feeding the fishes that swam therein, while in her hand she held -another fish--a little green thing of carven malachite suspended on a -leathern thong. This saddened Huzim, yet he spoke to her concerning -India, of the marvels of its mighty river and the game abounding on its -marshy banks; he told her of other game, strange beasts that made their -lairs within the jungle where hunters followed after them on the backs -of other beasts; and as he spoke, the eyes of Huzim glowed in joy and -his muscles quivered, even as the muscles of a battle-steed, for he -yearned for his native land, and his hope ran high that his mistress -might journey there. - -Semiramis smiled in sadness, for she saw the hope in her servant's -heart, albeit she knew he would here remain at Nineveh through all his -days rather than part from those he served. - -"Ah, Huzim," she sighed, as she laid a hand upon his mighty arm, "'tis -even as my good lord Menon spoke to me on many a day, for in all the -world thou art ever first in faith and love. Go, therefore, unto Ninus, -saying that I, Shammuramat, wilt journey in his train to the land of my -faithful Huzim, where the Indus runs and the sun is warm." - -The servant wept in gladness, and would have kissed her feet, but she -raised him gently and bade him seek the King; so Huzim went out from -Semiramis, rejoicing, with the half forgotten songs of childhood -bubbling beneath his tongue. - -Thus it came to pass that in royal barges, manned by boatmen of -Phoenicia, King Ninus and his train fared down the Tigris, even to the -point of its marriage with the Euphrates, and thence to the gulf beyond; -and throughout the journey Semiramis sat apart with her tiring-maids, -nor did the King pay court to her, but minded his own affairs in the -wisdom of the fox. - -At the gulf's head they left their barges and climbed to the deck of a -mighty ship which rocked upon the waters till the King and all his court -were like to die of a sickness which came upon them; for Assyrians ever -hate the sea, and now their inwards turned in riotous revolt. The King -himself was assailed most grievously, for he groaned aloud in anguish, -beseeching his servants that they slay him and have done with woe; yet -the seizure passed at length, and after many days the great ship came to -rest upon the Indus, while its two score oarsmen dropped among their -chains, and slept. - -At the river's mouth King Khama met his royal visitor, with much -rejoicing and the beating of wooden drums, and, after exchange of gifts -and courtesies, King Ninus and all his train were paddled in bobbing -reed-boats, till they came at last to Surya, the City of the Sun; and -here rare feasts were held and the covenants of peace were duly sealed. - -Then followed more feastings, with toothful dishes, and a native wine -which provokes the heart to mirth, while before them came jugglers -performing deeds of prodigy, and madmen who mocked at death in a -snake-dance with the hooded cobra, till even Semiramis was stirred to -pleasure and amaze. - -To those of Assyria were the sacred rites of India made manifest in the -temples of the fire-god Agni, and of Indra who ruled the open skies, -while priests made offerings of the moon-plant's milk, and melted butter -which they set atrickle on the altar stones. In the fastness of the -hills were viewed the shrines of the devil gods, where the wild-eyed -Khonds made sacrifice to Siva the Destroyer, or to Kali, the goddess of -dread iniquities, whose necklace was a string of human skulls. - -When the guests were weary of sacred things, King Khama took them -hunting, whereat the heart of Ninus rose from out the dust, while -Semiramis smiled as Huzim gave into her hand a spear and an oddly -fashioned bow. Then for many days they trailed through swamp and -forest-land, slaying monsters in the thickets along the river shores, or -hunting tawny jungle-beasts from the backs of elephants. These -elephants, to Semiramis, were ever a wonder and a joy, because of their -strength and the wisdom in their little eyes; yet to Ninus they brought -no joy, for their motion recalled the heavings of a ship and took away -his zest of life and of all things contained therein. Therefore he -bestrode a steed, or met his game on foot and slew it in the glory of -his strength. - -Thus Semiramis awoke from her lethargy of grief, and, albeit, she -sorrowed still, her blood ran quickly through her veins, while laughter -rose upon her lips and was not stayed; whereat the King was glad, and in -his gladness begged that she choose a gift from out the riches of this -marvelous land. She pondered thoughtfully, then voiced a desire so -strange that Ninus stared upon her and combed at his beard in -wonderment: - -"My lord, I thank thee, and of thy bounty will ask a thousand sheaves of -reeds, with two score reeds in every sheaf thereof." - -Now on the river marshes grew these reeds, to a heighth three times the -stature of a man, and were light of weight and strong; also their outer -rind was hard, so that fishermen fashioned boats of them, and the water -came not in. Likewise, so plentiful they were that a beggar might build -him a house of reeds and thatch his roof, or feed them to his fires. - -Thus Semiramis chose a worthless seeming gift, when she might have -picked from the jewels of a wonder-land, yet when Ninus questioned her -concerning the folly of her choice, she laughed and would tell him -nothing of her thoughts; so the thousand sheaves of reeds were -dispatched to Nineveh, though the labor and the cost thereof was great. - -And now came a final feast, with a parting from India's King, and the -train of Ninus faced its homeward way; albeit they journeyed not upon a -heaving ship, for the master swore by the thunder of the gods that -nevermore would he rive his belly on a thrice accursed sea. Therefore -they marched by land along the coast, hunting much game as they fared at -easy pace, till they came again to the Tigris where the boats awaited to -bear them on to Nineveh. - -As they journeyed slowly up this stream, the King paid court unto -Semiramis, but at first she would answer nothing to his prayers. With -the death of Menon her heart had died within her breast, and never again -could she look with love on any man; yet, since the passion of love was -spent, it left in her heart full sweep for that other passion--the -passion of power--to wind the skein of destiny, or snap it as she would. -She yearned to say unto a nation, Go! and to another nation, Come!--to -shape the ends of the peoples of the earth--to cause them to bow into -the dust and worship one who could lift them up again. How better then, -could this passion of desire be wrought than in mating with Assyria's -lord? To barter one human body in exchange for dominion over all the -world! True, Ninus drove the chariot of state, yet she had but to -whisper in the driver's ear to turn the course of its plunging steeds. -If Ninus held the reins, a woman held the lash--and, by the smoke of -Gibil, she would lay it on! - -Thus dreamed Semiramis, while about her the waters of the Tigris crooned -their chant of mystery; above, the great stars hung, and flung their -burning meteors across the sky; the marshes throbbed with the drone of -things invisible and though the gloom rose the vast black walls of -Nineveh. - -Semiramis, weeping, clung still to a thread of memory--a thread which -stretched from a grave in the Hindu-Kush to the steps of Assyria's -throne; yet strand by strand it parted, till at last it snapped, and -into the Tigris her trailing hand let fall a little green fish of carven -malachite. - - * * * * * - -The great brown city woke to the thunder-throated voice of festival; the -princes of the world foregathered there in honor of the King who would -take Semiramis to wife. From every land they came, together with their -followers in arms, and Nineveh resounded with the shoutings of foreign -tongues. In the temples on every hill great fires were lit, and the -nostrils of the gods were filled with the smoke of sacrifice, while -Nakir-Kish and his swarm of under-priests slew flocks of cranes and -found in every one an omen of joy unutterable. Through the streets ran -youths and maidens twined with flowers, exchanging favors freely in this -gladsome hour when none need count the cost. The warriors might quench -their thirst at brimming tubs of wine, with naught to pay save shouts -for Assyria's Queen; so they drank to the verge of madness and fought -fiercely among themselves, for their hearts were glad. - -Likewise, the forests and the fields were swept for meat wherewith to -feed the multitudes, for Ninus dipped into his treasures with a reckless -hand, even as men in the drunkenness of joy will ever squander all their -substance, regretting it sorely in the sober after-days. - -In the palace, the wealth of kingdoms sank from sight through feastings -of costly foolishness, where jewels were baked in the very bread, and -the bidden guests would oft'times break their teeth thereon; albeit they -kept the jewels, smiling at their pain. Then the King, who was mad with -love, went forth and set Semiramis upon a chariot of gold, driving her -slowly through the streets, so that all might behold the glory of her -charms. He bade his people worship her, and as they knelt he scattered -treasures on their heads, till the worshippers vied viciously among -themselves, seeking this wealth in the whirling dust where they battled -with fists and nails. - -At last came the wedding rites, and as Semiramis sat with Ninus on his -throne, the palace rocked with bellowing acclaim; then followed more -feasting, with the din of music, the songs of thickening tongues, and -all Assyria was glad save one alone. Through the reek of flaring -torches and the fumes of wine, a woman fled to the peace of the silent -roof; yet the echoes of joy came climbing after her, hounding her heart -with the memories of other days--the whisper-ghosts that would not die, -though crushed beneath a throne. - -On her knees the woman fell, and flung her arms toward the dim, -unlistening stars. - -"Oh, Menon, Menon," she cried aloud, "how empty is the world without the -solace of thy kisses on my breast!" - - * * * * * - -Thus it came to pass that the nursling of doves made a nest on Assyria's -throne. For a year she dwelt in the master's house, and bore him a son -whose name was Ninyas; albeit Semiramis never loved the child, who was -weak and petulant, of a slothful nature and a selfish heart--a son who -in after days would seek his mother's death, then reign in besotted -idleness and squander the strength of a kingdom built on swords. - -Now Ninus loved his Queen, to the verge of madness, and naught was there -which he would not do to gladden her or indulge her whims; yet Semiramis -loved not the King, for in her heart rose ever the image of one man -alone--Menon the Beautiful--who dwelt with the dead in a valley of -Hindu-Kush. - -Thus, since her passion slumbered with him who would wake no more, -ambition borrowed of love's desire and rode on a chariot of war. War, -red war! till the peace of remotest lands was rent by the screams of -battle-horns. Thus the kingdom of Assyria grew apace. The fathers of -men had fashioned a map of the countries of all the world; yet it fitted -not the fancy of Semiramis, so the War Queen changed it, with a finger -dipped in blood. - -Where the fury of battle knotted its tightest snarl, there she would -drive her chariot, to leap at the throat of danger, breast the surf of -death, ride over it, and leave a crimson trail behind. And the warriors -bowed down and worshipped her, half in unknowing passion, half in awe, -forgetting the glory of the high god Asshur in the glory of a woman-god. -As she rode in her chariot of gold, so she rode in the hearts of men, -driving them on with a feather-lash, yet driving where she willed; and -Ninus became not jealous of her worship or her deeds, for the Queen was -his, and the glory of Shammuramat was, also, his. - -As the years of war went by, she changed not in the beauty of form and -face, for her strange, unearthly charms remained with her, thus causing -all to wonder at her immortality; yet with Ninus it was otherwise. -Grizzled he grew; the furrows of age ran, straggling, across his brow, -and his great beard whitened, even as the coat of a battle-steed is -streaked with foam. There were moments when his wrath would burst all -bounds, without a cause therefor, and he seemed a man who harkened to a -whisper-ghost that hunted him and worried at his ears. Each year a -trusted messenger brought report from Zariaspa that Menon's spirit still -tarried in the body of the man; yet the master knew no peace throughout -his days, and a dog was ever hateful in his sight. By night he would -awaken at the distant baying of a hound, then lie in the sweat of fear, -huddling for comfort at a woman's side. - -The finger of Fate swept slowly round in a circle of a score of years, -and the monarch's path of evil led homeward to its starting point. In -the Zagros mountain lay a mighty gap through which, in after years, -would pour a race of the white-skinned sons of Iran, conquering the -world and holding proud dominion till the end of time; and through this -gap now crept a train of Bactrians, hiding by day and faring forth again -in the hours of night. With them they bore a curtained litter wherein -lay a man whose fingers curved like the claws of birds, whose feet were -shrivelled so that he might not stand thereon, and his weak hands -wandered always, as if groping on a darkened road. - -Nearer, nearer drew this blind, misshapen thing, moaning as his litter -rocked from side to side, helpless, shorn of strength; yet better far -for Ninus had the hounds of Ishtar fallen on his trail. Outside the -walls the Bactrian train lay hidden in the night; then, presently, a -warrior chief came knocking at the gates of Nineveh. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - THE CRY OF THE TIGRESS TO HER MATE - - -Semiramis, Queen of all Assyria, sat in the royal gardens, in the light -of a great round moon which swung above the walls of Nineveh. About her -were grouped her maidens, lolling on the fountain's rim, splashing their -tiny feet in the coolness of the waves, while their laughter vied with -the gurgling music of a water-song. This song burst forth from the -fountain's heart, low, soothing, in the summer night, yet was marred of -a sudden by the shrieks of Ziffa, a timorous maiden from the north on -whose white knee a clammy little frog had sprung. So Ziffa shrieked, -till saved by a laughing warrior, the son of Sozana and Memetis, now -grown into a man; then the maidens crowned him with a wreath of lily -leaves, and their merriment waxed shrill in the gladsome foolishness of -youth. - -In this harmless mirth Semiramis took no part, for to-night her heart -was sad. Her fancy roved through the thickets of a score of years, led -on by a thread of memory, and lingered in the vale of Hindu-Kush. Again -she looked upon the everlasting hills and the plain below, that thirsty -plain on which her cup of water had been spilled, which drank her joy -and made a brother-desert of her soul. - -As she sat apart, her great eyes lifted to the glow of Ishtar's trail, a -man-at-arms came clanking down the garden path, bearing report that a -stranger waited beyond the wall with a message for the Queen alone. His -name was Dagas, a Bactrian warrior, and, as surety of faith and good -intent, he sent a jeweled ring, declaring that Assyria's Queen once wore -it on her hand. - -Semiramis took the jewel, which in truth had been her own, and, -remembering, laughed aloud. This Dagas was the same whom her wits -befooled in the foot-hills of Hindu-Kush, when she claimed a sisterhood -to Oxyartes and sent the Bactrian seeking for an army of phantom -warriors. So, laughing again, she dismissed her maidens and suffered -Dagas to approach alone. - -He knelt before her, pressing her sandal to his lips, then at her -bidding rose, and gave her smile for smile; no longer the beardless -youth, but a grizzled man of war, on whom the heel of years had trod and -set its mark. She looked upon him now, remembering how her charms had -dazzled him in the day of long ago, so she smiled again and spoke in -gentleness: - -"Ah, Dagas, thou has come at last to reproach me for deceiving thee. In -exchange for Zariaspa I gave thee a jewel and a lie. For thee an evil -bartering, my Dagas; yet ask of my bounty, and receive. What wouldst -thou?" - -"Naught," returned the Bactrian, with a sigh, "naught save thy memory of -one who hath loved Shammuramat, and who loveth still." - -To the eyes of the woman leaped the fires of wrath, for how should a -slave presume to babble of his love?--for _her_--the Queen of all -Assyria! She would have clapped her hands in summons of her guard to -slay the dog, yet Dagas restrained her gently, smiling as he shook his -head. - -"Nay, Mistress of the World, I speak not of myself, albeit of myself the -same is true; for while I wore thy ring I took no wife unto my breast, -no hope unto my heart. For another I plead--for one who shall grope in -darkness all his days--yet in his hell of everlasting night, one cry -hath rung through the empty hall of years--one heart-cry beating at the -doors of life--Shammuramat!" - -The Bactrian ceased. The Queen, in wonder, was silent, too, for the -words of the man seemed strange and meaningless. Yet why should the -dead arise to life? Why should the thread of memory become a chain and -drag her back to her lord of other days?--to Menon the Beautiful--he who -had torn the veil of Ishtar, and bade her look on the naked glory of a -heart! - -"Speak," she whispered, watching Dagas, as before she watched in the -shadow of Zariaspa's wall, waiting, listening, for tidings of the lost; -and Dagas spoke. - -He told her of a pestilence which had run through his city's streets, -knocking at the doors of beggar and of prince till those who might took -refuge in the hills, while others remained because of poverty or lack of -fear, and died. Among the stricken were two Egyptian eunuchs, Neb and -Ura, who guarded a certain prisoner by command of Tiglath-Shul; yet when -these eunuchs died, the Governor set Dagas and a brother warrior as -keepers of the man. They had ministered to this prisoner, whose eyes -were blind and whose hands and feet were useless by reason of his being -nailed against the wall. - -"And so," said Dagas, "in sorrow of his state, I sought to hearten him, -and became his friend. To me he told his tale, in the truth whereof I -may not vouch, for it brandeth him as madman, or else the saddest son of -chance since tears were fashioned by the pitying gods." - -Semiramis made no answer, but she raised her trembling hand, so that -Dagas understood and spoke again: - -"By night, by day, he pleaded with me, saying: I am Menon, Prince of the -House of Nairi, whom Ninus hath crucified. Go, thou, unto my wife -Shammuramat and tell her of this thing--tell her I swear it by her -kisses on the temple steps at Ascalon! And if she doubt thee still, say -thou of me, in her parting words, that the garment of her love hath -gone, and the joy of the world is but as a cup of water spilled!" - -The Bactrian ceased. Semiramis sat, silent, on the garden seat; no -longer Queen of proud Assyria--Mistress of the World--but _the woman_, -stripped of royalty and power; _the woman_, crouching in a huddled heap, -whence two great eyes looked out and suffered; eyes which would have -shrieked, had tongues been given them, yet staring now, in the terror of -a stricken beast. - -Through the gardens floated laughter--song--the tinkling mirth of -zitherns softly played. On the night breeze ran the hum of Nineveh, -joyous, flinging care to the seven winds; and a woman's heart was -wondering at the strangeness of it all. Menon lived! Menon the -Beautiful who had died in the glory of his youth! Yet Menon lived! -Who, then, lay down with Habal in the vale of Hindu-Kush? Speak, -Ishtar! Who? - -No answer came, till Dagas, in tones of gentleness, told her how this -man had journeyed out of Bactria and now lay hidden beyond the city -wall; then Semiramis arose and spoke, though her voice was as the voice -of some other woman, broken and unknown to her; - -"Go, thou, with my servant Huzim and bring him in secret unto me." - -She spoke no more, nor did she offer gold or gratitude to him who had -proved devotion rare among the sons of men; yet the Mistress of the -World bent down and pressed her lips to the hand of an humble warrior. - - * * * * * - -Huzim and Dagas came to the hiding-place where Menon lay, and the -servant knew not his master, because of his shrunken form and the hair -which grew upon his cheeks and chin; yet in Huzim's arms the master lay -sobbing out his joy, till the servant knew, rejoicing that the dead had -risen up to live again. - -They cut away his beard, washed him, and clothed his form in a garment -of fine-spun wool; then they bore him in secret to a chamber on the -palace mound. - -And Semiramis came in to him--alone--for on that meeting nor you nor I -may seek to look, when even the goddess Ishtar might have turned away in -pity and in pain. - -Through the long blue night he lay with his head upon her breast, -weeping, babbling of the aching solitude of his prison years, caressing -her hair, her features, with the crooked fingers which were now his -eyes. And Semiramis rocked him in the cradle of her arms, as she might -have rocked a babe, soothing, whispering her love to this poor misshapen -thing, crooning, till he slept at last, to forget the tangle of his joy -and grief. - -Then the Queen of Assyria stole away--away from the horror of -it--seeking the housetop, where none might see, where none might hear, -where none might follow save the ghosts of pain. On the roof she stood -and opened her robe to the cool, sweet breath of the morning stars. She -looked upon Belit riding down the sky; she looked upon sleeping Nineveh -which was builded by the King. The King! who had builded up another -curse and set its walls on a woman's heart--its palace on a woman's -shame! The King! who had wrenched the glory from a woman's soul and -crucified it! - -And now, when her soul could bear no more, she loosed one long-drawn, -quivering scream--the cry of the tigress to her stricken mate. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - WHEN A WOMAN RULED THE WORLD - - -In the palace of the King there was revelry unstinted, for a change had -come upon Semiramis. Through the score of years when she reigned with -Ninus, she had paid the tribute of a wife, in sufferance of love which -she gave not back again, bearing his son, while her heart roved ever -through the hills of Hindu-Kush. She graced his throne and added to his -kingdom's power; she ruled his house and gave obedience to her lord; yet -the King asked more. He asked for all, not tithes, but the utmost -treasure of a woman's heart--her smiles, her yearnings, and the fruits -of love which ripened for her mate alone; and now, when the frost of age -was set as a helm upon his locks, the hope of youth burst forth to -flower again. - -Semiramis smiled upon the King, and there was somewhat in her eyes which -sent the hot blood bounding through his veins, which caused his breath -to flow the faster and his hand to tremble in a lingering caress. Her -beauty was for him--the master of men--the lord of a woman's yielding -soul--the love-mad king who groveled at a shrine of craft. - -So Semiramis suffered the King's caress, smiling her smiles of promise, -while she hushed the curses of her fury-throated hate. She waited now, -even as the tigress stalks her kill, patient, tireless, crouching till a -shifting wind had passed, to rise again and steal toward the -pouncing-point. King Ninus she might have slain by day or night, and -there were moments when her fingers clung to a weapon hungrily; yet the -King was King, and his nation might not be slain. Nay, first must she -strip this man of a nation's love, strip him to the very nakedness of -guilt, then nail him to a wall of suffering, even as Menon hung upon a -wall of stone. So the tigress waited, and her quarry frolicked through -the fields of pleasant ways. - -High revelry resounded on the palace mound, till the echoes thereof were -borne to a distant chamber where Huzim sat on guard, where Semiramis -would steal from the hateful feasts and comfort Menon, till the whisper -of wisdom urged return. And the King was mad with love, haunting her -footsteps, heaping her lap with his splendid gifts; yet his gifts she -would not receive, and retreated from the ardor of his love. She lured -him to a deeper madness still, drawing him on by every artful charm, -repulsing in a gust of petulance; now warm, now cold, till Ninus knew -not if he stood upon his royal head or upon his royal heels. She -withdrew to her chamber, heedless of his knockings and his calls, till -his soul became afraid of losing her again, and he followed her with -pleadings and with prayers. At his prayers she scoffed; at his wrath -she answered with a higher wrath, then, of a sudden, gave freely where -he had not asked. - -Thus Ninus marveled at the strangeness of her mind, and begged that she -ask of him such gifts as would please her best, for he swore by the robe -of Shamashi-Raman that none might fathom aught at all in the wilderness -of a woman's whims. - -At his offer of gifts, the Queen took thought, pondering upon it for the -space of a day and night; then she came unto him, saying: - -"My lord, if thou wouldst please me best, go hunt for lions in the -thickets along the Euphrates." - -"Eh---what?" cried the King, thinking she sought to banish him from his -bed and board; but she laughed and laid her hand upon his arm. - -"Nay, lord, grieve not at parting from my side, for, as Ishtar liveth, -_I swear to follow after thee!_" Again she laughed, to smooth the -hidden meaning of her oath, and smiled upon him as her tongue tripped -on: "Yet in thy absence I would reign as Queen of all Assyria--to rule -alone--for the span of one short moon. Give, thus, the chariot of state -into my hands, and Shammuramat will drive it, to the wonder of her lord -and King." - -Once more the master looked upon the promise in her eyes--strange orbs -that swam in passion's misty light--and though the voice of wisdom cried -aloud against this thing, the voice of love cried, also, till the tongue -of warning ceased to clamor and was still. Thus it came to pass that -Ninus and his hunters rode toward the south, while criers ran through -the streets of Nineveh, proclaiming the Queen as Ruler Absolute, for the -life of a summer moon. - -Now as these criers ran, so ran a host of other messengers, bidding the -warrior chiefs of every land to appear at court, while their followers -might feast within the city walls, nor pay the reckoning thereof. So, -while the master hunted beasts, the mistress hunted men. She brought -them to her board and feasted them, till hunger and thirst could ask no -more. She made such gifts as never a pillaged city yielded to a -conqueror, and even the mouths of beggars she filled with gold. To -those in office she gave a higher office still, with dream-land promises -to all who sought to climb; but to their wives and daughters she offered -naught, nor gave; for her thoughts were now of men--the fighting men -from the face of all the earth, who would rise as one and dash a monarch -from his throne. - -Since that by-gone day when she set Prince Asharal again into his place, -proud Babylon, to a man, was hers; yet now she wanted more than Babylon. -She wanted the warriors of Assyria--the warriors who had worshipped -Ninus as a god. She wanted the blood and bone which had raised him up -on high--and she wanted them to stamp him in the dust from whence he -sprung. - -So, now, through Nineveh rang the voice of joy, the voice of feastings -and the voice of praise; and on these several tongues the name of Ninus -sounded not, but in its place one mad, tumultuous roar--_Shammuramat_! - -Queen of the Moon they called her, and she smiled upon their happiness, -and gave and gave. She sapped the country bare of wine and food. She -flung her gems amongst them as a drunken sower scatters grain. She -spilled the blood of a nation's wealth, till the treasury staggered in -the manner of a wounded ox, and still she smiled; smiled though her -heart was breaking for a man--alight with the flames of Gibil for -another man. - -Thus it came to pass, at the waning of the moon, that one last feast was -held in the hall of the spendthrift Queen, a hall now choked with a -press of warrior chiefs and the princes of the world, grim fighters who -wore their swords and battle-scars. Such men alone were bidden to the -feast--such men who in secret loved the Queen, yet dared not lay a -tongue to the telling of their love. - -Then unto these sons of war came the mistress of Assyria, not in her -gem-sewn robes of state, but in the armor of a battle-queen. On her -breasts were set her nipple-plates of gold; on her flame-hued locks that -helm which had flashed like star-fire through the ruck of war. Across -her shoulders was flung a leopard skin, and her arms were bare, stripped -of all save the bands of bronze which bound the sinews of her wrists. No -longer was she the laughing imp who had charged against the Kurds, but a -woman--a queen--a tempest-hearted battle-hawk. - -At her coming no man spoke, but looked in awe, till presently--they knew -not why--the silence was rent by thunders of acclaim, and the Queen -bowed low before the sons of war. No smile she gave in greeting; no -light-lipped laughter to these men who had followed her through storm -and sun; but on her face rode a look of fierce resolve which caused them -to wait the coming of uncertain things. - -In silence she bade them sit; in silence she sat amongst them, albeit -she caused one seat to be vacant at her side; then in silence the feast -began. It was not the like of her other feasts, for before them was set -the simple fare of warriors afield; and where the wine of Syria was wont -to slake their thirst, each found a cup of water at his hand. The Queen -sought not their drunken passion which would die before the morrow's -sun, for now she would feed their hearts on the flesh of truth and mix -their lasting curses with her own. Thus each man, marveling, ate in -silence and waited for the coming of the storm; and then, when the feast -was done at last, Semiramis arose and spoke: - -"My brothers," she began, "brothers in war, in love, in the days of -idleness and peace, the heart of your Queen is sad. As I share with you -the bounty of my throne, so now I share my sorrows, giving each a part; -yet, ere I bare my grief, I would ask if there be any here to offer me -reproach. If there be one to say that Shammuramat hath sent him into -danger where she herself would fear to lead, speak now, that I brand him -liar! Come forth and say injustice hath been done to any man--that I -looked with lack of pity on a wound, or gave not of my own to all who -hungered and were athirst! Come forth, my brothers, and name the price -of one grievance unavenged, that I, your sister and your Queen, may pay -it ere I bare my heart!" - -None spoke; yet a growling murmur rose, and each man looked upon his -fellow fiercely, daring him to loose a tongue, lest his blood be loosed -to wash away the lie. - -Semiramis had paused, but she lifted up her voice once more. As in days -of old she had played upon the hearts of men, even as a harper sounds -the chords of curses and of tears, so now she played again. She told -them of her home in Ascalon, and how Prince Menon came to wake her soul. -She told them of her wedded years wherein her lord had striven for the -King--had conquered Zariaspa and stood with her upon the fallen citadel. - -"And you," she cried, "who loved him! You who shared his bounty and the -peril of his wars! You who stood with me on a vale's lip in the -Hindu-Kush and saw him buried in the earth! What! Know you not that his -armor alone is buried there? For in his armor lay a rotting lie! A -lie! For Habal--my good dog Habal--sleepeth with his paws and muzzle on -a stranger's breast! A lie, I say! A lie! _For Menon liveth and by -Ninus was crucified!_" - -The shrill voice ceased. It had risen to the scream of a tigress -calling to her mate; but now no answering roar burst forth in echo of -her call. The sons of Assyria sat silent--wondering. All had heard the -tale of Prince Menon's death, and many had seen him laid away to sleep. -On the vale's lip they had wept for a man they loved. They had -seen--had known! How, then, should the dead arise to life again? -Semiramis had branded ears and eyes as the keepers of a lie--a lie which -dragged the gods of honor down and damned them! Aye, a lie; but should -it rise to point its finger at a King, or point it at a Queen? So each -man cast his gaze upon the floor and sat in silence--wondering. - -Semiramis smote her palms together, thrice. At the sign, a door swung -open and Huzim strode in, bearing a burden in his arms, a burden which -he set upon the vacant seat beside the Queen. A man it was, or the -semblance of a man, whose eyes were blind; whose form was shrunken, and -whose hands were curved in the manner of horrid claws. - -"Look!" cried the Mistress of the World. "Look ye upon this torn, -misshapen thing who was once the glory of a woman's heart! Look ye and -learn from him what the King hath wrought--for you who loved him--and -for me! Look! for a lie hath risen from the grave, and liveth to mark -its own!" - -In awe they gathered round him, though they knew him not, by reason of -the horror of his state; but the warriors Prince Menon knew, and voiced -his joy in meeting them again; weeping as he found the features of old -friends with his wandering finger-tips; sobbing as he called them each -by name, or whispered secrets known to him and their hearts alone. Then -Huzim raised him up, and he called aloud on the sons of Nairi, his -children of war, who would harken to a father's battle-cry; and as that -cry rang out, they knew him once again, and knelt before him, weeping -bitterly. - -"And now," called Semiramis to her kneeling warriors, "I ask that you -follow me to pluck a vulture from his roost on Assyria's throne! To -cast him out, as a father might cast a serpent from the bosom of his -babe! The King! who hath shorn me of my joy in life! The King! who -hath stolen away my lord--who caused me to bear him a bastard son--who -hath made a strumpet of your Queen! The King! The King no more! -Naught do I ask but justice! Give me this, or the edge of your pitying -swords!" - -She ceased. She knelt at the side of her stricken mate and held him in -the cradle of her arms, her eyes upturned to those who shared her -suffering. From the throats of these men there came no shout of fury at -the King, no wrathful curse, no sound save the wrench of a stifled sob; -yet on their faces rode a look of death, as each man drew his sword and -laid it at the feet of the undone Mistress of the World. - -As the feast had passed in silence, so now these men departed one by -one, and, treading softly, went out into the night; then each sought out -his home or tent, and slept--to dream and mutter curses in his troubled -sleep. - - * * * * * - -Through the western gate passed a troop of horse, swinging toward the -south and riding as the spirits drive. - -It is written of Ninyas, son of Semiramis and the King, that never one -good deed came out of him; and now he rode with warnings to his father -in the south, who straightway fled into Arabia, seeking a shield in the -desert's sands and a sword in Boabdul's scimitar. - -It was Ninyas who turned against his mother in her hour of stress. It -was Ninyas who, in after years, spread forth report that Semiramis had -lied--that Menon had hanged himself in Bactria--that the Queen had set a -maimed imposter in his place to accomplish her evil ends. - -Yet, as Ninyas reigned in sloth and foul debauchery, so judgment came -upon him at last. As his heart was false, so also, his tongue was -false, for who will credit aught of him who has turned against a mother -in her hour of stress? - - * * * * * - -Through the long blue night Semiramis sat beside her withered lord; and -if she had loved him on the temple steps at Ascalon, when he lay in the -splendid beauty of his youth, so now she loved him a hundred fold when -the wine of his life was spilled for her. What matter though his hands -were curved and his eyes were blind? What matter though his outer shell -was dead? The heart of the man still lived, and it beat for her alone. -Together they had hunted through the desert for a grain of sand, and, -finding it, were glad, for they knew that its name was Love. - - * * * * * - -When morning came stealing down on Nineveh, the city awoke and growled. -A loose-tongued warrior had whispered to his wife; his wife had -whispered to a neighbor's wife,--and the city knew. Through the streets -ran men who were swollen with the bounty of Semiramis, and with them -foregathered other men--lean dogs who licked their chops and gazed on -the glories of more benefits to come. So Nineveh woke to growlings, -which grew into a bark of wrath, till, from end to end, the Opal of the -East gave tongue, frothing, struggling at the leash, and yearning to -leap like the hounds of Ishtar on a master's trail. - -Thus, after a space, the western gate was opened wide, and through it -poured the war-hounds of Assyria. Southward they swung, and in their -lead rode a queenly hunter in her battle-gear--for Semiramis had kept -her oath to Ninus, and would follow after him. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - THE DESERT AND THE KING - - -On the rim of Arabia's desert Semiramis and her army sat down to rest, -for well she knew this pitiless, burning waste would offer a sterner -barrier than the points of a million swords; therefore the Queen took -council with herself and prepared to battle with the scourge of thirst. - -On every chariot was loaded wine-skins, filled with water and covered -o'er with cloths and matted grass to keep them cool. Each rider was -commanded to fare on foot, while across his steed were balanced other -water-skins; then came to light the wisdom of Semiramis in choosing ten -score thousand reeds as a gift from the King in India. - -These reeds were of mighty length, and on their ends were set the heads -of spears; again, they were hollow, and, the pith therein being bored -away, they were filed with water, when their butts were closed with -plugs of wood. Thus it came to pass that each man bore a new and -fearsome weapon in his hands, wherefrom he might drink and ease the -torture of a thirsty tongue. - -Then, presently, the army moved toward Boabdul's stronghold in the -desert's heart. By night they journeyed, when the sun shone not and the -air was chill; by day they slept beneath the shade of canopies which -were stretched on the points of planted spears; yet even their vast -supply of water dwindled into nothingness, and the beasts of burden -suffered and were sad. Men drank of their spears, but the heat had -warmed their drink, and many died of madness and were left behind. - -Yet Semiramis journeyed on. Her pathway led, not straight to the goal -of her hot revenge, but by a devious course which touched the -palm-groves of oases, where springs and wells were found; and where -these wells had dried beneath the fierceness of the sun, there Semiramis -drove her reeds into the earth till oft' a grateful gush of water flowed -therefrom. In these groves her warriors rested, drinking the precious -juice of life and filling again their reed-spears and their water-skins; -then the journey was taken up once more. - - * * * * * - -Now it came about that the scurrying riders of Boabdul brought word that -Assyria marched across the plain; so the Arab prepared to give them -battle on the sands, or to fly if the force proved stronger than his -own. - -King Ninus had befooled the Arabian Prince, persuading him that the -people rose in an unjust cause, till Boabdul harkened and was wroth -because of this shameful thing, swearing to give his blood, if need be, -in behalf of a brother king. - -And now, at the dawn of a certain day, these two looked out on the -desert, and were amazed. Through the mists came the army of Assyria, -not as a strong-armed host to batter down its foes, but as men who were -famished by the desert's breath, whose strength was spent, who reeled -and fell upon the sand, to rise and struggle on again. Their war-wings -stretched in ragged disarray; their chariots came crawling far behind -where they should have held the van, and horsemen limped across the -fiery plains, leading their drooping steeds. - -At the sight, Boabdul looked into the eyes of Ninus, and Ninus looked -into Boabdul's eyes, and laughed. 'Twere pity to fall upon this -heat-picked skeleton of strength and ride it down; yet, since it was -written thus, who, then, should thwart the will of Asshur and his scribe -of fate? So Ninus and Boabdul laughed again, and prepared a slaughter -for the sons of sacrifice. - -Two clouds of wild-eyed riders swept around the grove of palms, their -white robes fluttering their lances flung aloft and caught as they fell -again. They joined in one, a mad-mouthed horde of desert-wolves, who -loosed their reins and raced at the core of Assyria's stricken lines. - -At their coming, Assyria bended as a twig which it trod upon; yet, of a -sudden, the twig would bend no more. Where warriors had seemed to sink -exhausted on the sand, they now stood up in the splendor of their -strength. Where lines seemed torn to wilted shreds, they now closed -tightly, and Arabia came upon a hedge of spears--the reed-spears of -Semiramis. Behind the first line stood another line, their spears -protruding against attack; and behind these two stood other lines, till -he who would reach Assyria must leap a hurdle of seven rows of points. -Thus Arabia hacked vainly at a wall of death, even as in after days the -blood of Sparta spilled itself on the spears of Macedonia. - -And now the war-wings ceased their feeble flutterings, to close upon -Boabdul and his men, to take them in as a mother might take a wanderer -in her arms; though on that mother's breast they found no peace of -heart. The Bedouin horsemen backed upon themselves in a close-packed, -tangled mass, fighting with scimitars against a storm of darts and the -thrusts of spears; then a lane was opened, and into the boiling ruck -drove Semiramis and her wedge of chariots. - -In the car of the Queen stood Huzim, holding the reins and striving to -guard his mistress with a mighty shield of bronze; yet to-day Semiramis -cared naught for shields, nor recked of death, so long as she came upon -the Vulture of Assyria. For him alone she sought--the King!--and never -before had the tigress raged as she raged this day. Where an hundred -scimitars flashed about her head, she rode them down and bored toward -the King--bored till her steeds were slain and her chariot overturned, -then she arose from the earth and bored on foot into the press. - -She cared not for a thousand swords, and yet one scimitar there was -which she might not pass unscathed. High up it swung, in the fist of -Prince Boabdul; but ere it could descend upon her, Huzim leaped and -dragged the Arab from his horse. On the blood-wet sands they battled, -beneath the hoofs of plunging steeds, where dying Bedouins sought with -dagger thrusts to claim still one more death ere they stood before their -gods; and Huzim, who was once the Arab's slave, prevailed against -Boabdul, gripped him tightly, and whispered into his ear: - -"Peace, little master! for it grieveth me to crack thy bones. Peace, -then, for I hold thee fast!" - -Now the Prince whose rage and mirth went ever hand in hand, forbore to -strive with his mighty conqueror, and laughed because of Huzim's words; -yet the Arabs, seeing their chieftain fallen, surged backward and burst -their way through Assyria's wall of men. Beaten, they fled like foxes -from the trap which Semiramis had set for them; and in the van of their -flying pack rode Ninus, on a matchless steed of Barbary. Away they sped -through the desert's shimmering haze, where Assyria might not follow -after them, nor did Semiramis seek to follow, for in her brain was born -a craftier design. - -In the grove of palms she caused Boabdul to be brought before her where -she cut his bonds and offered him her hand. - -"My lord," she spoke, "with thee I have no cause for war, nor did I seek -to bring a harm to these thy followers who are dead or scattered o'er -the plains. My concernment is with the Vulture of Assyria, and him I -will snare though I rake the sand-wastes of Arabia from end to end." - -Then she told Boabdul of all things which had come to pass--how the King -had crucified Prince Menon whom the Arab loved, and had stolen his wife -for the space of a score of years; and so great was Boabdul's wrath that -he rent his robe and swore by his gods of fire to follow after Ninus, to -find him, and to nail him on a wall of woe. - -"Fear not," he cried, "for my desert is but a prison-yard, where the -wardens of heat and thirst will hedge our captive round about and drive -him to the arms of those who seek. Fear not, for soon will we come upon -the King." - -And thus Semiramis had won unto her cause the man who above all other -men could aid her in her quest; the man who balanced a thousand tribes -on the edge of his whetted scimitar; the man who now sent forth his -riders, recalling all who had scattered across the plains. - -Throughout the day Semiramis rested in the shade, and slept; but when -night was come she chose a few from amongst her warrior-chiefs, then -with Boabdul and his brown-skinned Bedouins she slipped across the -sands. On camels they rode, those long-limbed, lurching beasts that -devoured the leagues with a tireless, padding gait--that glided like -ghosts beneath the icy stars--that slid through the wastes of red Arabia -on a trail of death. - -And in the silence of the night Semiramis raised her eyes and arms and -cried unto the stars: - -"Oh, Ishtar, Ishtar, give over this devil to the vengeance of my -heart--keep, thou, my lord till I come again to him at Nineveh!" - - * * * * * - -King Ninus was mounted on a matchless steed of Barbary, and his -eagerness to be gone from out Arabia kept pace with his matchless steed. -Full well he knew that Semiramis would follow after him; full well he -knew that, since Boabdul's arm was lost to him, his hope lay eastward in -the distant country of India's King. Could he win to the Euphrates, -cross over it, and skirt the coast, coming at last to the river Indus, -he there might mock the huntings of all Assyria, and bide his time till -an army could be raised--an army which should give him back his throne, -his power; for these King Ninus craved, and would have them, though his -years were few. - -That Semiramis hunted him, was a thought of bitterness in the monarch's -heart, for he loved her utterly; yet, since Prince Menon had risen from -the dead, a terror, also, rose, which vied with the yearnings of his -love and sent him eastward in a line as straight as an arrow's flight. -His steed outstripped the flying Bedouins who had burst through -Assyria's lines, and soon the King sped on alone--alone on the desert's -fiery breast--and hour on hour he fled from the vengeance of Semiramis. - -At evening the King grew faint from heat and his lips were parched with -thirst, while even his splendid mount was drooping, and faltered in its -stride. The wise steed scented the breath of a cool oasis toward the -north, and would have turned thereto, but Ninus knew naught of the -plainsman's lore and lashed the wise one, racing him eastward in a dead -straight line. - -Thus it came about that when night had fallen the horse grew lame, so -Ninus dismounted and rested upon the sand. Then a cold wind rose, which -sang across the desert, searching his bones till he shivered and cursed -aloud; and the good steed shivered, also, because of his sweating body -and the lack of a master's care. Naught had this stallion of Barbary -known save love and tenderness; and now, with drooping head, he looked -upon the cursing King, and wondered. No covering was there to shield -his flanks against the cold; no water wherewith to bathe his wind-burned -nostrils; no hand to stroke his muzzle in caress; no lips to croon the -love-songs of the land of Araby. The chill of the night had entered -into him, till he whinnied for the shelter of a master's tent, and -coughed in pain; then man and beast lay down together in a hollow in the -sands which Ninus dug with his royal nails. - -When the warmth of morning came again, the two went on their way; yet a -red sun rose to harry them, to pour its light upon them in a wavy glare; -and the stallion of Barbary reeled toward the east. Again came night. -Again came day--the pitiless, parching day, when league on league of -tawny desert wrapped them round in a world of flame; when their tongues -were black and swollen from the pangs of thirst, a thirst which took -them by the throat and shook them, a thirst which reached beyond and -gripped their hearts. - -Then, presently, the faithful steed could bear his weight no more; he -staggered and fell upon the sands to die. King Ninus slew him, and, in -the fury of his thirst, he drank of the horse's blood; but the blood was -warm and brought no ease to him, for rather did it spur his mad desire. -Then the famished man rose up and wandered away on the desert's -breast--alone. - -No more he fled from the anger of Semiramis toward the east, but strayed -in circles, while the heat-waves danced before his eyes, causing a haze -which blinded him, till through it ran the twisted fancies of a dream. -Before him he spied a river gurgling through the sands--a deep, sweet -river, where the cool palms waved upon its shores; so Ninus spread his -arms and rushed toward it eagerly. Yet, at his coming, the waters fled -away and melted as a morning mist dissolves; then the King fell prone -upon his face, to bury his lips in a draught of the flaming sands. To -his knees he rose and lifted his hairy arms aloft, whispering hoarsely -to the gods on high; and unto Ninus came the gods! - -He saw them on the far horizon's line, gaunt spirits sweeping down as -the storm-king rides--red Raman, prince of lightnings and the -thunder-bolt--the lord god Asshur and his underlings of war and death; -and even as Ninus had set a sin on the shoulders of these gods, so now -they bore that sin, and the sin was in the likeness of Prince Menon who -had come at last to reckon with his King. And the lord of the world -would have burrowed in the sands to hide himself, but the spirit of a -blind man pointed out the way, and Ishtar's spirit snapped the leash of -her spirit hounds. - -Straight at their prey they sprang, but the King was a King, and stood -upon his feet to battle with them mightily--to fight as his hands had -fought from childhood to declining years; yet now he was old and the -glory of his strength was spent. He felt the teeth of Ishtar's hounds -upon his throat, and, in his madness, knew not that the deathly grip was -of thirst alone; so Ninus screamed and died--died battling, as the man -had battled all his days, yet Menon's prophecy was a prophecy of truth. - - * * * * * - -When the red sun, weary of his raging, sank behind the desert's rim, -Boabdul and Semiramis came upon the ending of their trail. The King! -On his back he lay, his wide eyes staring at the heavens whence his -judgment came. The body of a King! The shell of a spirit which had -ruled the wills of lesser men, which had conquered all save the spirits -of the gods alone, and, conquering, had used the world as a sandal for -his lordly feet. The body of a King; yet now a King no more, but dust! - -Semiramis looked down upon him, sorrowing--sorrowing because of one who -had cheated her in life, as now he cheated her in death; but the Arab -read another tale in that kingly heap of dust, and spoke to her in -gentleness and in the ripened wisdom of his years: - -"Grieve not, O Queen Shammuramat, because of a vengeance that is lifted -from out thy hands. Grieve not, for of a truth King Ninus hath been -crucified on a wall of the desert's wrath." - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - THE CROWNING OF THE DEAD - - -Prince Ninyas, when he had brought his warnings to the King, fled not -with him into Arabia, for he had no thought to risk his slothful bones -in the peril of a war; therefore he hired a score of boatmen and was -paddled up the Tigris till he came again to Nineveh. - -Now in every land and in every city there are those who suffer with the -worms of a strange unrest, and did their highest god come down to rule -amongst them they would find some cause for disaffection, yearning for a -change in government. - -With men of this breed Prince Ninyas whispered, promising that when the -throne was his a reign of peace should come to Nineveh, wherein the -wormy ones might look for the fruits of their souls' desire; so, when -the Queen returned, and report was spread concerning the death of Ninus, -then a million infant lies were born. They waxed in strength, these -lies, till soon they muttered through the city streets; yet, because of -the whip-hand of Semiramis, they muttered secretly. - -Now secret discontent was ever hateful to the Queen, for she held that a -man should bring his grievance to the stool of a justice, setting forth -his wrongs in the manner of a man, else hold his tongue; therefore she -sought to bring this trouble to a head and set her heel upon it, swiftly -and with weight. - -Through the streets ran scores of criers, with word that on the morrow -would the court be held before the eyes of Nineveh; so when the morrow -came the streets were packed with multitudes that surged toward the -palace mound, waiting for weary hours before the appointed time, in -expectancy of uncommon things. Dread whisperings went round about -concerning the Queen who had slain the King, and who now would tax the -people grievously, demanding their wealth to supply a treasury made -lean; thus growlings arose on every hand, till the waiting crowds -swarmed to and fro and fought amongst themselves. - -To the ears of the High Priest Nakir-Kish came warnings of the Queen's -intent; so he hastened unto her, urging that she rule in wisdom, lest -fierce internal wars ferment throughout Assyria. Semiramis looked upon -him, smiling, and answered in a tone of softness which was like unto the -purring of a cat: - -"For thy wise advice I pay in humble gratitude; yet the tongue of a fool -may oft' undo him by its flutterings. Hold it, O Priest, and follow, -thou, my will this day, lest, one by one, my servants shall draw thy -teeth." She paused and looked upon him keenly through her half closed -lids. "It cometh to me that Nakir-Kish was ever close to Ninus, even in -sins. Take, therefore, a further heed, lest thy bread be eaten with -slowness and in pain." - -Then the priest went out from the presence of Semiramis, took council -with himself and held his tongue; wherein the man was wise, for to wag -it would bring him woe. - -The palace steps ran down from the royal mound to an open square wherein -were set the effigies of lions and winged bulls, and here the sons of -Nineveh foregathered at the mandate of the Queen. At the head of this -stairway, before the palace doors, was set Assyria's double throne, -while about it stood a ring of priests, and the chiefs of war in their -battle-gear. Then, presently, Semiramis came forth, resplendent in her -gem-sewn robes, and, descending the palace steps to a middle distance, -she raised her arms to check the shouts of loud acclaim, then addressed -the multitude: - -"My children," she called, "it hath come to mine ears that ye murmur -amongst yourselves because of foolishness and lies--because I would take -away what my hand hath given, and become a pilferer where ye look to -find a friend. Know, then, that I, Shammuramat--Queen of -Assyria--Mistress of the World--ask naught from _any_ man!" - -At her words a thunderous shouting rose, and men danced madly in their -joy on the open square. One loud-mouthed warrior sprang upon the back -of a winged bull and bawled to his friends below: - -"Long reign the Queen! A curse on Ninyas--son of Ninus--and the Prince -of Liars! A curse upon his evil tongue!" - -The curse was taken up by five score thousand mouths, till the roarings -rocked the palace mound, and the din was great; then Semiramis once more -raised her arms and spoke to the seething multitude: - -"Naught do I ask, my children, in taxes or in gifts; for now would I -make a royal gift to you. The King is dead! He died in a distant land, -where I followed after him because of his evil works. The King is dead; -yet now do I give to you another King!" - -She ceased. No shout arose, for her listeners stood silent, wondering -if she thought to set the liar, Ninyas, on her throne; so they waited, -each man drawing in his breath. - -Through the palace doors strode Huzim, bearing a burden in his mighty -arms--a burden which he set on Assyria's double throne. A man it was, -or the semblance of a man, whose eyes were blind; whose form was -shrunken, and whose hands were curved in the manner of horrid claws. -This, then, was the King whom Semiramis would give! - -In silence the people gazed on Menon while one might count a score, then -from their throats came a quivering wolf-lipped howl. No paean of -rejoicing rode that tempest-gust of sound, but the snarl of men whose -passions were stirred to madness and to deeds of blood. Would Semiramis -dare to crown this hideous thing?--this mockery of man who swayed in -weakness as he sat on high? Nay, better to set a prince of liars on the -throne! Better to crown a graven effigy! So the people howled their -wrath and surged toward the palace steps, seeking to tear the idol from -a woman's shrine and stamp it in the dust. - -About Semiramis were gathered her chiefs of war, Prince Asharal of -Babylon, Boabdul Ben Hutt whose scimitar could match a score of swords, -Huzim the faithful, Dagas who loved and whose shield was hers in any -cause, while many more stout arms were there to work her will; but of -these the Queen thought not as she faced the coming throng. - -"Ye dogs!" she stormed, "am I to be sickened by the yelpings of your -pack? Ye swine of Assyria! who have fattened on the plenty of -Shammuramat! I who have puffed your bellies with the food of gods! Have -done! Go down in peace, nor lay your tongues to idle mutterings! In -peace, I say, lest I cease to love you and destroy you utterly!" She -paused for an instant, then flung her hand toward her stricken mate, -lifting her voice that all might hear and heed: "_On a throne King Menon -sitteth, and shall sit! Down! Down upon your knees and worship him, who -is lord of my heart and lord of all the world!_" - -Now those who would have rushed upon her, paused at the very wonder of -her love, and in that pause Semiramis turned and made a sign to -Nakir-Kish. The High Priest would have set the crown on Menon's head, -but the head drooped forward, sinking upon his breast. His little -strength had ebbed. The tumult of the populace below had seemed like -the roar of battle in his ears, though the meaning thereof was strange -to him, and he knew not that he was King. One thought alone was in his -heart--Semiramis!--and to her he stretched his broken, wandering hands. - -But the Queen would have her will. She snatched the crown from the High -Priest Nakir-Kish and set it on Menon's brow--a brow which now would -never feel its royal weight, for a dead man slid from Assyria's throne -and fell upon his face. - -And the people shouted not, but were very still, for beside the -crownless King a weeping woman knelt--forgetful that the swine of all -Assyria looked upon her grief--knowing only that the Mistress of the -World had _lost_ her world. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - A WAR QUEEN'S PROPHECY - - -Once more the priests and the chiefs of war foregathered at the mandate -of the Queen; and now they waited not on the palace steps, but assembled -in the council hall, that spacious chamber where, in days of old King -Ninus was wont to issue his commands. There, through its open end, could -be seen the Tigris, chanting a wordless song as it ran to a chanting -sea; there hung proud trophies of the battle and the chase; there, on -the walls, were the carven _steles_ of Ninus, each telling a tale of a -monarch's mighty deeds. - -And to those who waited there, Semiramis came at last; no longer clothed -in the splendor of her gem-sewn robes, or the glory of her battle-gear. -She wore a garb of mourning, and on the flame-hued locks was set no -diadem save a crown of withered leaves. In silence she came into the -hall, and in silence took her seat upon the throne. In silence she -looked on the men before her--men who had followed through the desert's -fire and the storm of many a war; then the Queen arose and spoke: - -"My brothers," she began, "brothers in battle and the pleasant ways of -peace, your sister Shammuramat is sad. The King is dead; yet I grieve -not for the King. The king of my heart is dead, and I grieve for him." - -She paused. Her warrior brothers bowed their heads, and each man hid -his eyes in the hollow of his hand; then the Queen spoke on: - -"And now will I reign alone! Alone, till it pleaseth Ishtar to call me -unto one who will wait and listen for my footsteps coming in the night. -And so will I reign alone! Yet harken, ye children of Assyria, and ye -who write on tablets and the graven _stele_! In after-days the sons of -men will say of me that Shammuramat was one of an evil heart!--that her -heart was for war, for blood, for pillage, and the conquering of all the -earth! They will say that she slew the King--slew him in brutish lust -for a lesser man! They will say that she ruled with a rod of might, and -set ambition on a higher altar than the altar of her gods! All this, -and more, will run from the babbling tongues of men--_and Shammuramat -will strive to make it true!_" - -Once more she paused and looked upon her wondering warriors. - -"Heed, then, my brothers who will marvel at my wrathful days to come! -Heed ye and remember one who hath wrought this evil in my soul! The -King! who hath crucified a woman's love! The King! who hath torn a -woman's heart from out her breast and set a raging devil as the master -of her blood! So harken, ye children of Assyria, and ye who write on -tablets and the graven _stele_! Remember! And now make ready for a -war!" - -"A war?" cried Nakir-Kish, who knew that the nations rested on their -arms and were at peace. "What war?" - -Semiramis turned upon him with a cry of consuming rage, and with the -scepter of an hundred lands she smote him across his mouth. The High -Priest Nakir-Kish went down before her throne, and she raised her eyes -on high and called aloud: - -"Dear Ishtar, hear the fool who asketh me what war!" - -She turned to her brother warriors, her children of the sword, grim, -battle-scarred, and faithful unto death; and to them she stretched her -empty arms and opened her empty heart. - -"War! War!" she cried. "I care not where nor how, so be it that we -war! _Rise Babylon--and sink Assyria!_" - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEMIRAMIS *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42822 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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