Alroy: The Prince of the Captivity

  CHAPTER IX.

  _The Death of Jabaster_

  'TWAS midnight, and the storm still raged; 'mid the roar of the thunderand the shrieks of the wind, the floods of forky lightning each instantrevealed the broad and billowy breast of the troubled Tigris. Jabasterstood gazing upon the wild scene from the gallery of his palace. Hiscountenance was solemn, but disquieted.

  'I would that he were here!' exclaimed the high priest. 'Yet why shouldI desire his presence, who heralds only gloom? Yet in his absence am Igay? I am nothing. This Bagdad weighs upon me like a cloak of lead: myspirit is dull and broken.'

  'They say Alroy gives a grand banquet in the serail to-night, and toastshis harlot 'mid the thunderbolts. Is there no hand to write upon thewall? He is found wanting, he is weighed, and is indeed found wanting.The parting of his kingdom soon will come, and then, I could weep, oh!I could weep, and down these stern and seldom yielding cheeks pour thewild anguish of my desperate woe. So young, so great, so favoured! Butone more step a God, and now a foul Belshazzar!

  'Was it for this his gentle youth was passed in musing solitude andmystic studies? Was it for this the holy messenger summoned his mostreligious spirit? Was it for this he crossed the fiery desert, andcommuned with his fathers in their tombs? Is this the end of all hisvictories and all his vast achievements? To banquet with a wanton!

  'A year ago, this very night, it was the eve of battle, I stood withinhis tent to wait his final word. He mused awhile, and then he said,"Good night, Jabaster!" I believed myself the nearest to his heart, ashe has ever been nearest to mine, but that's all over. He never says,"Good night, Jabaster," now. Why, what's all this? Methinks I am achild.

  'The Lord's anointed is a prisoner now in the light grating of a brightkiosk, and never gazes on the world he conquered. Egypt and Syria, evenfarthest Ind, send forth their messengers to greet Alroy, the great, theproud, the invincible. And where is he? In a soft Paradise of girls andeunuchs, crowned with flowers, listening to melting lays, and the wildtrilling of the amorous lute. He spares no hours to council; all is leftto his prime favourites, of whom the leader is that juggling fiend Isometime called my brother.

  'Why rest I here? Whither should I fly? Methinks my presence is still alink to decency. Should I tear off the ephod, I scarcely fancy 'twouldblaze upon another's breast. He goes not to the sacrifice; they say hekeeps no fast, observes no ritual, and that their festive fantasies willnot be balked, even by the Sabbath. I have not seen him thrice sincethe marriage. Honain has told her I did oppose it, and she bears to mea hatred that only women feel. Our strong passions break into a thousandpurposes: women have one. Their love is dangerous, but their hate isfatal.

  'See! a boat bounding on the waters. On such a night, but one would dareto venture.'

  Now visible, now in darkness, a single lantern at the prow, Jabasterwatched with some anxiety the slight bark buffeting the waves. A flashof lightning illumined the whole river, and tipped with a spectral lighteven the distant piles of building. The boat and the toiling figureof the single rower were distinctly perceptible. Now all again wasdarkness; the wind suddenly subsided; in a few minutes the plash of theoars was audible, and the boat apparently stopped beneath the palace.

  There was a knocking at the private portal.

  'Who knocks?' enquired Jabaster.

  'A friend to Israel.'

  'Abidan, by his voice. Art thou alone?'

  'The prophetess is with me; only she.'

  'A moment. I'll open the gate. Draw the boat within the arch.'

  Jabaster descended from the gallery, and in a few moments returned withtwo visitors: the youthful prophetess Esther, and her companion, aman short in stature, but with a powerful and well-knit frame. Hiscountenance was melancholy, and, with harshness in the lower part, notwithout a degree of pensive beauty in the broad clear brow and sunkeneyes, unusual in Oriental visages.

  'A rough night,' said Jabaster.

  'To those who fear it,' replied Abidan. 'The sun has brought so littlejoy to me, I care not for the storm.'

  'What news?'

  'Woe! woe! woe!'

  'Thy usual note, my sister. Will the day never come when we may changeit?'

  'Woe! woe! woe! unutterable woe!'

  'Abidan, how fares it?'

  'Very well.'

  'Indeed!'

  'As it may turn out.'

  'You are brief.'

  'Bitter.'

  'Have you been to court, that you have learnt to be so wary in yourwords, my friend?'

  'I know not what may happen. In time we may all become courtiers, thoughI fear, Jabaster, we have done too much to be rewarded. I gave him myblood, and you something more, and now we are at Bagdad. 'Tis afine city. I wish to Heaven the shower of Sodom would rain upon itsterraces.'

  'I know thou hast something terrible to tell. I know it by that gloomybrow of thine, that lowers like the tempest. Speak out, man, I can bearthe worst, for which I am prepared.'

  'Take it, then. Alroy has proclaimed himself Caliph. Abner is madeSultan of Persia; Asriel, Ithamar, Medad, and the chief captains,Vizirs, Honain their chief. Four Moslem nobles are sworn into thecouncil. The Princess goes to mosque in state next Friday; 'tis said thypupil doth accompany her.'

  'I'll not believe it! By the God of Sinai, I'll not believe it! Weremy own eye the accursed witness of the deed, I'd not believe it. Go tomosque! They play with thee, my good Abidan, they play with thee.'

  'As it may be. Tis a rumour, but rumours herald deeds. The rest of myintelligence is true. I had it from my kinsman, stout Zalmunna. He leftthe banquet.'

  'Shall I go to him? Methinks one single word, To mosque! only a rumourand a false one. I'll never believe it; no, no, no, never, never! Is henot the Lord's anointed? The ineffable curse upon this daughter ot theMoabite! No marvel that it thunders! By heavens, I'll go and beard himin his orgies!'

  'You know your power better than Abidan. You bearded him before hismarriage, yet----'

  'He married. Tis true. Honain, their chief. And I kept his ring! Honainis my brother. Have I ne'er a dagger to cut the bond of brotherhood?'

  'We have all daggers, Jabaster, if we knew but how to use them.'

  ''Tis strange, we met after twenty years of severance. You were notin the chamber, Abidan. 'Twas at council. We met after twenty years ofseverance. He is my brother. 'Tis strange, I say: I felt that man shrinkfrom my embrace.'

  'Honain is a philosopher, and believes in sympathy. 'Twould appear therewas none between you. His system, then, absolves you from all ties.'

  'You are sure the rest of the intelligence is true? I'll not believe themosque, the rest is bad enough.'

  'Zalmunna left the banquet. Hassan Subah's brother sat above him.'

  'Subah's brother! 'Tis all over, then. Is he of the council?'

  'Ay, and others.'

  'Where now is Israel?'

  'She should be in her tents.'

  'Woe! woe! unutterable woe!' exclaimed the prophetess, who, standingmotionless at the back of the chamber, seemed inattentive to theirconversation.

  Jabaster paced the gallery with agitated steps. Suddenly he stopped,and, walking up to Abidan, seized his arm, and looked him sternly inthe face. 'I know thy thoughts, Abidan,' exclaimed the priest; 'but itcannot be. I have dismissed, henceforth and for ever I have dismissedall feeling from my mind; now I have no brother, no friend, no pupil,and, I fear, no Saviour. Israel is all in all to me. I have no otherlife. 'Tis not compunction, then, that stays my arm. My heart's as hardas thine.'

  'Why stays it then?'

  'Because with him we fall. He is the last of all his sacred line. Thereis no other hand to grasp our sceptre.'

  '_Our_ sceptre! what sceptre?'

  'The sceptre of our kings.'

  'Kings!'

  'Ay, why dost thou look so dark?'

  'How looked the prophet when the stiff-necked populace forsooth musthave a king! Did he smile? Did he shout, and clap his hands, and cry,God save his Majesty! O, Jabaster!
honoured, rare Jabaster! thou secondSamuel of our lightheaded people! there was a time when Israel had noking except their God. Were we viler then? Did kings conquer Canaan? Whowas Moses, who was Aaron, who was mighty Joshua? Was the sword of Gideona kingly sword? Did the locks of Samson shade royal temples? Would aking have kept his awful covenant like solemn Jephtha? Royal wordsare light as air, when, to maintain them, you injure any other than asubject.

  'Kings! why, what's a king? Why should one man break the equal sanctityof our chosen race? Is their blood purer than our own? We are all theseed of Abraham. Who was Saul, and who was David? I never heard thatthey were a different breed from our fathers. Grant them devout, whichthey were not; and brave and wise, which other men were; have theirposterity a patent for all virtues? No, Jabaster! thou ne'er didst err,but when thou placedst a crown upon this haughty stripling. What he did,a thousand might have done. 'Twas thy mind inspired the deed. And now heis a king; and now Jabaster, the very soul of Israel, who should be ourJudge and leader, Jabaster trembles in disgrace, while our unhallowedSanhedrim is filled with Ammonites!'

  'Abidan, thou hast touched me to the quick; thou hast stirred upthoughts that ever and anon, like strong and fatal vapours, have risenfrom the dark abyss of thought, and I have quelled them.'

  'Let them rise, I say; let them drown the beams of that all-scorchingsun we suffer under, that drinks all vegetation up, and makes uslanguish with a dull exhaustion!'

  'Joy! joy! unutterable joy!'

  'Hark! the prophetess has changed her note; and yet she hears us not.The spirit of the Lord is truly with her. Come, Jabaster, I see thyheart is opening to thy people's sufferings; thy people, my Jabaster,for art not thou our Judge? At least, thou shalt be.'

  'Can we call back the Theocracy? Is't possible?'

  'But say the word, and it is done, Jabaster. Nay, stare not. Dost thouthink there are no true hearts in Israel? Dost thou suppose thy childrenhave beheld, without a thought, the foul insults poured on thee; thee,their priest, their adored high priest, one who recalls the best daysof the past, the days of their great Judges? But one word, one singlemovement of that mitred head, and---- But I speak unto a mind that feelsmore than I can express. Be silent, tongue, thou art a babblingcounsellor. Jabaster's patriot soul needs not the idle schooling of achild. If he be silent, 'tis that his wisdom deems that the hour is notripe, but when her leader speaks, Israel will not be slack.'

  'The Moslemin in council! We know what must come next. Our nationalexistence is in its last agony. Methinks the time is very ripe, Abidan.'

  'Why, so we think, great sir; and say the word, and twenty thousandspears will guard the Ark. I'll answer for my men. Stout Scherirah looksgrimly on the Moabites. A word from thee, and the whole Syrian army willjoin our banner, the Lion of Judah, that shall be our flag. The tyrantand his satraps, let them die, and then the rest must join us. We'llproclaim the covenant, and, leaving Babylon to a bloody fate, march onto Zion!'

  'Zion, his youthful dream, Zion!'

  'You muse!'

  'King or no king, he is the Lord's anointed. Shall this hand, thatpoured the oil on his hallowed head, wash out the balmy signet with hisblood? Must I slay him? Shall this kid be seethed even in its mother'smilk?'

  'His voice is low, and yet his face is troubled. How now, sir?'

  'What art thou? Ah! Abidan, trusty, stanch Abidan! You see, Abidan, Iwas thinking, my good Abidan, all this may be the frenzy of a revel.Tomorrow's dawn may summon cooler counsels. The tattle of the table, itis sacred. Let us forget it; let us pass it over. The Lord may turn hisheart. Who knows, who knows, Abidan!'

  'Noble sir, a moment since your mind was like your faith, firm andresolved, and now----'

  'School me not, school me not, good Abidan. There is that within my mindyou cannot fathom; some secret sorrows which are all my own. Leaveme, good friend, leave me awhile. When Israel calls me I shall not bewanting. Be sure of that, Abidan, be sure of that. Nay, do not go; thenight is very rough, and the fair prophetess should not again stem theswelling river. I'll to my closet, and will soon return.'

  Jabaster quitted the gallery, and entered a small apartment. Severallarge volumes, unclasped and open, were lying on various parts of thedivan. Before them stood his brazen cabalistic table. He closedthe chamber with a cautious air. He advanced into the centre of theapartment. He lifted up his hands to heaven, and clasped them with anexpression almost of agony.

  'Is it come to this?' he muttered in a tone of deep oppression. 'Is itcome to this? What is't I have heard? what done? Down, tempting devil,down! O life! O glory! O my country, my chosen people, and my sacredcreed! why do we live, why act? Why have we feeling for aught that'sfamous, or for aught that's holy? Let me die! let, let me die! Thetorture of existence is too great.'

  He flung himself upon the couch; he buried his awful countenance in hisrobes. His mighty heart was convulsed with passion. There did he lie,that great and solemn man, prostrate and woe-begone.

  'The noisy banquet lingers in my ear; I love to be alone.'

  'With me?'

  'Thou art myself; I have no other life.'

  'Sweet bird! It is now a caliph.'

  'I am what thou wiliest, soul of my sweet existence! Pomp and dominion,fame and victory, seem now but flawed and dimly-shaded gems comparedwith thy bright smile!'

  'My plaintive nightingale, shall we hunt to-day?'

  'Alas! my rose, I would rather lie upon this lazy couch, and gaze uponthy beauty!'

  'Or sail upon the cool and azure lake, in some bright barque, like to asea-nymph's shell, and followed by the swans?'

  'There is no lake so blue as thy deep eye; there is no swan so white asthy round arm!'

  'Or shall we launch our falcons in the air, and bring the goldenpheasant to our feet?'

  'I am the golden pheasant at thy feet; why wouldst thou richer prey?'

  'Rememberest thou thy earliest visit to this dear kiosk, my gentle mute?There thou stoodst with folded arms and looks demure as day, and everand anon with those dark eyes stealing a glance which made my cheekquite pale. Methinks I see thee even yet, shy bird. Dost know, I was sofoolish when it quitted me, dost know I cried?'

  'Ah, no! thou didst not cry?'

  'Indeed, I think I did.'

  'Tell me again, my own Schirene, indeed didst cry?'

  'Indeed I did, my soul!'

  'I would those tears were in some crystal vase, I'd give a province forthe costly urn.'

  She threw her arms around his neck and covered his face with kisses.

  Sunset sounded from the minarets. They arose and wandered together inthe surrounding paradise. The sky was tinted with a pale violet flush,a single star floating by the side of the white moon, that beamed with adim lustre, soft and shapely as a pearl.

  'Beautiful!' exclaimed the pensive Schirene, as she gazed upon the star.'O, my Alroy, why cannot we ever live alone, and ever in a paradise?'

  'I am wearied of empire,' replied Alroy with a smile, 'let us fly!'

  'Is there no island, with all that can make life charming, and yetimpervious to man? How little do we require! Ah! if these gardens,instead of being surrounded by hateful Bagdad, were only encompassed bysome beautiful ocean!'

  'My heart, we live in a paradise, and are seldom disturbed, thanks toHonain!'

  'But the very consciousness that there are any other persons existingbesides ourselves is to me painful. Every one who even thinks of youseems to rob me of a part of your being. Besides, I am weary of pomp andpalaces. I should like to live in a sparry grot, and sleep upon a couchof sweet leaves!'

  This interesting discussion was disturbed by a dwarf, who, in additionto being very small and very ugly, was dumb. He bowed before thePrincess; and then had recourse to a great deal of pantomimic action, bywhich she discovered that it was dinnertime. No other person couldhave ventured to disturb the royal pair, but this little being was aprivileged favourite.

  So Alroy and Schirene entered the serail. An immense cresset-lamp, fedwith perfum
ed oil, threw a soft light round the sumptuous chamber. Atthe end stood a row of eunuchs in scarlet dresses, and each holding atall silver staff. The Caliph and the Sultana threw themselves upona couch covered with a hundred cushions; on one side stood a groupconsisting of the captain of the guard and other officers of thehousehold, on the other, of beautiful female slaves magnificentlyattired.

  The line of domestics at the end of the apartment opened, and a body ofslaves advanced, carrying trays of ivory and gold, and ebony and silver,covered with the choicest dainties, curiously prepared. These werein turn offered to the Caliph and the Sultana by their surroundingattendants. The Princess accepted a spoon made of a single pearl,the long, thin golden handle of which was studded with rubies, andcondescended to partake of some saffron soup, of which she was fond.Afterwards she regaled herself with the breast of a cygnet, stuffedwith almonds, and stewed with violets and cream. Having now a littlesatisfied her appetite, and wishing to show a mark of her favour to aparticular individual, she ordered the captain of the guard instantlyto send him the whole of the next course[74] with her compliments. Herattention was then engaged with a dish of those delicate ortolans thatfeed upon the vine-leaves of Schiraz, and with which the Governor ofNishapur took especial care that she should be well provided. Tearingthe delicate birds to pieces with her still more delicate fingers, sheinsisted upon feeding Alroy, who of course yielded to her solicitations.In the meantime, they refreshed themselves with their favourite sherbetof pomegranates, and the golden wine of Mount Lebanon.[76] The Caliph,who could eat no more ortolans, although fed by such delicate fingers,was at length obliged to call for 'rice,' which was synonymous tocommanding the banquet to disappear. The attendants now brought to eachbasins of gold, and ewers of rock crystal filled with rose water, withtowels of that rare Egyptian linen which can be made only of the cottonthat grows upon the banks of the Nile. While they amused themselves witheating sugar-plums, and drinking coffee flavoured with cinnamon, thefemale slaves danced before them in the most graceful attitudes to themelody of invisible musicians.

  'My enchanting Schirene,' said the Caliph, 'I have dined, thanks to yourattention, very well. These slaves of yours dance admirably, and areexceedingly beautiful. Your music, too, is beyond all praise; but, formy own part, I would rather be quite alone, and listening to one of yoursongs.'

  'I have written a new one to-day. You shall hear it.' So saying, sheclapped her little white hands, and all the attendants immediatelywithdrew.

  'The stars are stealing forth, and so will I. Sorry sight! to viewJabaster, with a stealthy step, skulk like a thing dishonoured! Oh! maythe purpose consecrate the deed! the die is cast.'

  So saying, the High Priest, muffled up in his robe, emerged from hispalace into the busy streets. It is at night that the vitality ofOriental life is most impressive. The narrow winding streets, crowdedwith a population breathing the now sufferable air, the illuminatedcoffee-houses, the groups of gay yet sober revellers, the music, and thedancing, and the animated recitals of the poet and the story-teller, allcombine to invest the starry hours with a beguiling and even fascinatingcharacter of enjoyment and adventure.

  It was the night after the visit of Abidan and the prophetess. Jabasterhad agreed to meet Abidan in the square of the great mosque two hoursafter sunset, and thither he now repaired.

  'I am somewhat before my time,' he said, as he entered the great square,over which the rising moon threw a full flood of light. A few darkshadows of human beings alone moved in the distance. The world was inthe streets and coffee-houses. 'I am somewhat before my time,' saidJabaster. 'Conspirators are watchful. I am anxious for the meeting, andyet I dread it. Since he broke this business, I have never slept. Mymind is a chaos. I will not think. If 'tis to be done, let it be done atonce. I am more tempted to sheathe this dagger in Jabaster's breast thanin Alroy's. If life or empire were the paltry stake, I would end a lifethat now can bring no joy, and yield authority that hath no charm; butIsrael, Israel, thou for whom I have endured so much, let me forgetJabaster had a mother!

  'But for this thought that links me with my God, and leads my temper toa higher state, how vain and sad, how wearisome and void, were this saidworld they think of! But for this thought, I could sit down and die.Yea! my great heart could crack, worn out, worn out; my mighty passions,with their fierce but flickering flame, sink down and die; and thestrong brain that ever hath urged my course, and pricked me onward withperpetual thought, desert the rudder it so long hath held, like somebaffled pilot in blank discomfiture, in the far centre of an unknownsea.

  'Study and toil, anxiety and sorrow, mighty action, perchance Time, anddisappointment, which is worse than all, have done their work, and notin vain. I am no longer the same Jabaster that gazed upon the stars ofCaucasus. Methinks even they look dimmer than of yore. The glory of mylife is fading. My leaves are sear, tinged, but not tainted. I am stillthe same in one respect; I have not left my God, in deed or thought. Ah!who art thou?'

  'A friend to Israel.'

  'I am glad that Israel hath a friend. Noble Abi-dan, I have wellconsidered all that hath passed between us. Sooth to say, you touchedupon a string I've played before, but kept it for my loneliness; ajarring tune, indeed a jarring tune, but so it is, and being so, let meat once unto your friends, Abi-dan.'

  'Noble Jabaster, thou art what I deemed thee.'

  'Abidan, they say the consciousness of doing justly is the best basis ofa happy mind.'

  'Even so.'

  'And thou believest it?'

  'Without doubt.'

  'We are doing very justly?'

  ''Tis a weak word for such a holy purpose.'

  'I am most wretched!'

  The High Priest and his companion entered the house of Abidan. Jabasteraddressed the already assembled guests.

  'Brave Scherirah, it joys me to find thee here. In Israel's cause whenwas Scherirah wanting? Stout Zalmunna, we have not seen enough of eachother: the blame is mine. Gentle prophetess, thy blessing!

  'Good friends, why we meet here is known to all. Little did we dream ofsuch a meeting when we crossed the Tigris. But that is nothing. We cometo act, and not to argue. Our great minds, they are resolved: our solemnpurpose requires no demonstration. If there be one among us who wouldhave Israel a slave to Ishmael, who would lose all we have prayedfor, all we have fought for, all we have won, and all for which weare prepared to die, if there be one among us who would have the Arkpolluted, and Jehovah's altar stained with a Gentile sacrifice, if therebe one among us who does not sigh for Zion, who would not yield hisbreath to build the Temple and gain the heritage his fathers lost,why, let him go! There is none such among us: then stay, and free yourcountry!'

  'We are prepared, great Jabaster; we are prepared, all, all!'

  'I know it; you are like myself. Necessity hath taught decision. Now forour plans. Speak, Zalmunna.'

  'Noble Jabaster, I see much difficulty. Alroy no longer quits hispalace. Our entrance unwatched is, you well know, impossible. What sayyou, Scherirah?'

  'I doubt not of my men, but war against Alroy is, to say nought ofdanger, of doubtful issue.'

  'I am prepared to die, but not to fail,' said Abidan. 'We must becertain. Open war I fear. The mass of the army will side with theirleaders, and they are with the tyrant. Let us do the deed, and they mustjoin us.'

  'Is it impossible to gain his presence to some sacrifice in honour ofsome by-gone victory; what think ye?'

  'I doubt much, Jabaster. At this moment he little wishes to sanction ournational ceremonies with his royal person. The woman assuredly willstay him. And, even if he come, success is difficult, and thereforedoubtful.'

  'Noble warriors, list to a woman's voice,' exclaimed the prophetess,coming forward. ''Tis weak, but with such instruments, even theaspirations of a child, the Lord will commune with his chosen people.There is a secret way by which I can gain the gardens of the palace.To-morrow night, just as the moon is in her midnight bower, behold theaccursed pile shall blaze. Let Abidan's troops be
all prepared, and atthe moment when the flames first ascend, march to the Seraglio gate asif with aid. The affrighted guard will offer no opposition. Whilethe troops secure the portals, you yourselves, Zalmunna, Abidan, andJabaster, rush to the royal chamber and do the deed. In the meantime,let brave Scherirah, with his whole division, surround the palace, as ifunconscious of the mighty work. Then come you forward, show, if it need,with tears, the fated body to the soldiery, and announce the Theocracy.'

  'It is the Lord who speaks,' said Abidan, who was doubtless prepared forthe proposition. 'He has delivered them into our hands.'

  'A bold plan,' said Jabaster, musing, 'and yet I like it. 'Tis quick,and that is something. I think 'tis sure.'

  'It cannot fail,' exclaimed Zalmunna, 'for if the flame ascend not,still we are but where we were.'

  'I am for it,' said Scherirah.

  'Well, then,' said Jabaster, 'so let it be. Tomorrow's eve will see ushere again prepared. Good night.'

  'Good night, holy Priest. How seem the stars, Jabaster?'

  'Very troubled; so have they been some days. What they portend I knownot.'

  'Health to Israel.'

  'Let us hope so. Good night, sweet friends.'

  'Good night, holy Jabaster. Thou art our cornerstone.'

  'Israel hath no other hope but in Jabaster.'

  'My Lord,' said Abidan, 'remain, I pray, one moment.'

  'What is't? I fain would go.'

  'Alroy must die, my Lord, but dost thou think a single death will sealthe covenant?'

  'The woman?'

  'Ay! the woman! I was not thinking of the woman. Asriel, Ithamar,Medad?'

  'Valiant soldiers! doubt not we shall find them useful instruments. Ido not fear such loose companions. They follow their leaders, like otherthings born to obey. Having no head themselves, they must follow us whohave.'

  'I think so too. There is no other man who might be dangerous?'

  Zalmunna and Scherirah cast their eyes upon the ground. There was a deadsilence, broken by the prophetess.

  'A judgment hath gone forth against Honain!' 'Nay! he is Lord Jabaster'sbrother,' said Abidan.

  'It is enough to save a more inveterate foe to Israel, if such therebe.'

  'I have no brother, Sir. The man you speak of I will not slay, sincethere are others who may do that deed. And so again, good night.'

  It was the dead of night, a single lamp burned in the chamber, whichopened into an arched gallery that descended by a flight of steps intothe gardens of the Serail.

  A female figure ascended the flight with slow and cautious steps. Shepaused on the gallery, she looked around, one foot was in the chamber.

  She entered. She entered a chamber of small dimensions, but richlyadorned. In the farthest corner was a couch of ivory, hung with a gauzycurtain of silver tissue, which, without impeding respiration, protectedthe slumberer from the fell insects of an Oriental night. Leaningagainst an ottoman was a large brazen shield of ancient fashion, andnear it some helmets and curious weapons.

  'An irresistible impulse hath carried me into this chamber!' exclaimedthe prophetess. 'The light haunted me like a spectre; and wheresoever Imoved, it seemed to summon me.

  'A couch and a slumberer!'

  She approached the object, she softly withdrew the curtain. Pale andpanting, she rushed back, yet with a light step. She beheld Alroy!

  For a moment she leant against the wall, overpowered by her emotions.Again she advanced, and gazed on her unconscious victim.

  'Can the guilty sleep like the innocent? Who would deem this gentleslumberer had betrayed the highest trust that ever Heaven vouchsafed tofavoured man? He looks not like a tyrant and a traitor: calm his brow,and mild his placid breath! His long dark hair, dark as the raven'swing, hath broken from its fillet, and courses, like a wild and stormynight, over his pale and moon-lit brow. His cheek is delicate, and yetrepose hath brought a flush; and on his lip there seems some word oflove, that will not quit it. It is the same Alroy that blessed ourvision when, like the fresh and glittering star of morn, he rose up inthe desert, and bringing joy to others, brought to me only----

  'Oh! hush my heart, and let thy secret lie hid in the charnel-house ofcrushed affections. Hard is the lot of woman: to love and to conceal isour sharp doom! O bitter life! O most unnatural lot! Man made society,and made us slaves. And so we droop and die, or else take refuge in idlefantasies, to which we bring the fervour that is meant for nobler ends.

  'Beauteous hero! whether I bear thee most hatred or most love I cannottell. Die thou must; yet I feel I should die with thee. Oh! thatto-night could lead at the same time unto our marriage bed and funeralpyre. Must that white bosom bleed? and must those delicate limbs behacked and handled by these bloody butchers? Is that justice? They lie,the traitors, when they call thee false to our God. Thou art thyself agod, and I could worship thee! See those beauteous lips; they move. Harkto the music!'

  'Schirene, Schirene!'

  'There wanted but that word to summon back my senses. Fool! whither isthy fancy wandering? I will not wait for tardy justice. I will do thedeed myself. Shall I not kill my Sisera?' She seized a dagger from theottoman, a rare and highly-tempered blade. Up she raised it in the air,and dashed it to his heart with superhuman force. It struck against thetalisman which Jabaster had given to Alroy, and which, from a lingeringsuperstition, he still wore; it struck, and shivered into a thousandpieces. The Caliph sprang from his couch; his eyes met the prophetess,standing over him in black despair, with the hilt of the dagger in herhand.

  'What is all this? Schirene! Who art thou? Esther!' He jumped fromthe couch, called to Pharez, and seized her by both hands. 'Speak!' hecontinued. 'Art thou Esther? What dost thou here?'

  She broke into a wild laugh; she wrestled with his grasp, and pulled himtowards the gallery. He beheld the chief tower of the Serail in flames.Joining her hands together, grasping them both in one of his, anddragging her towards the ottoman, he seized a helmet and flung it uponthe mighty shield. It sounded like a gong. Pharez started from hisslumbers, and rushed into the chamber.

  'Pharez! Treason! treason! Send instant orders that the palace gates beopened on no pretence whatever. Go, fly! See the captain himself. Summonthe household. Order all to arms. Speed, for our lives!'

  The whole palace was now roused. Alroy delivered Esther, exhausted,and apparently senseless, to a guard of eunuchs. Slaves and attendantspoured in from all directions. Soon arrived Schirene, with dishevelledhair and hurried robes, attended by a hundred maidens, each bearing atorch.

  'My soul, what ails thee?'

  'Nothing, sweetest; all will soon be well,' replied Alroy, picking up,and examining the fragments of the shivered dagger, which he had justdiscovered.

  'My life has been attempted; the palace is in flames; I suspect the cityis in insurrection. Look to your mistress, maidens!' Schirene fell intotheir arms. 'I will soon be back.' So saying, he hurried to the grandcourt.

  Several thousand persons, for the population of the Serail and itsliberties was very considerable, were assembled in the grand court;eunuchs, women, pages, slaves, and servants, and a few soldiers; allin confusion and alarm, fire raging within, and mysterious and terribleoutcries without. A cry of 'The Caliph! the Caliph!' announced thearrival of Alroy, and produced a degree of comparative silence.

  'Where is the captain of the guard?' he exclaimed. 'That's well. Openthe gates to none. Who will leap the wall and bear a message to Asriel?You? That's well too. To-morrow you shall yourself command. Where'sMesrour? Take the eunuch guard and the company of gardeners,76 andsuppress the flames at all cost. Pull down the intervening buildings.Abidan's troop arrived with succour, eh! I doubt it not. I expectedthem. Open to none. They force an entrance, eh! I thought so. So thatjavelin has killed a traitor. Feed me with arms. I'll keep the gate.Send again to Asriel. Where's Pharez?'

  'By your side, my lord.'

  'Run to the Queen, my faithful Pharez, and tell her that all's well. Iwish it were! Didst ever hear a din so a
wful? Methinks all the tamboursand cymbals of the city are in full chorus. Foul play, I guess. Oh! forAsriel! Has Pharez returned?'

  'I am by your side, my lord.'

  'How's the Queen?'

  'She would gladly join your side.'

  'No, no! Keep the gates there. Who says they are making fires beforethem? Tis true. We must sally, if the worst come to the worst, and dieat least like soldiers. O Asriel! Asriel!'

  'May it please your Highness, the troops are pouring in from allquarters.'

  ''Tis Asriel.'

  'No, your Highness, 'tis not the guard. Methinks they are Scherirah'smen.'

  'Hum! What it all is, I know not; but very foul play I do not doubt.Where's Honain?'

  'With the Queen, Sire.'

  ''Tis well. What's that shout?'

  'Here's the messenger from Asriel. Make way! way!'

  'Well! how is't, Sir?'

  'Please your Highness, I could not reach the guard.'

  'Could not reach the guard! God of my fathers! who should let thee?'

  'Sire, I was taken prisoner.'

  'Prisoner! By the thunder of Sinai, are we at war? Who made theeprisoner?'

  'Sire, they have proclaimed thy death.'

  'Who?'

  'The council of the Elders. So I heard. Abidan, Zalmunna----'

  'Rebels and dogs! Who else?'

  'The High Priest.'

  'Hah! Is it there? Pharez, fetch me some drink. Is it true Scherirah hasjoined them?'

  'His force surrounds the Serail. No aid can reach us without cuttingthrough his ranks.'

  'Oh! that I were there with my good guard! Are we to die here like rats,fairly murdered? Cowardly knaves! Hold out, hold out, my men! 'Tis sharpwork, but some of us will smile at this hereafter. Who stands by Alroyto-night bravely and truly, shall have his heart's content to-morrow.Fear not: I was not born to die in a civic broil. I bear a charmed life.So to it.'

  'Go to the Caliph, good Honain, I pray thee, go. I can support myself,he needs thy counsel. Bid him not expose his precious life. The wickedmen! Asriel must soon be here. What sayest thou?'

  'There is no fear. Their plans are ill-devised. I have long expectedthis stormy night, and feel even now more anxious than alarmed.'

  ''Tis at me they aim; it is I whom they hate. The High Priest, too! Ay,ay! Thy proud brother, good Honain, I have ever felt he would not restuntil he drove me from this throne, my right; or washed my hated namefrom out our annals in my life's blood. Wicked, wicked Jabaster! Hefrowned upon me from the first, Honain. Is he indeed thy brother?'

  'I care not to remember. He aims at something further than thy life; butTime will teach us more than all our thoughts.'

  The fortifications of the Serail resisted all the efforts of the rebels.Scherirah remained in his quarters, with his troops under arms, andrecalled the small force that he had originally sent out as much towatch the course of events as to assist Abidan. Asriel and Ithamarpoured down their columns in the rear of that chieftain, and by dawn adivision of the guard had crossed the river, the care of which had beenentrusted to Scherirah, and had thrown themselves into the palace. Alroysallied forth at the head of these fresh troops. His presence decided aresult which was perhaps never doubtful. The division of Abidan foughtwith the desperation that became their fortunes. The carnage wasdreadful, but their discomfiture complete. They no longer actedin masses, or with any general system. They thought only ofself-preservation, or of selling their lives at the dearest cost. Somedispersed, some escaped. Others entrenched themselves in houses, othersfortified the bazaar. All the horrors of war in the streets were nowexperienced. The houses were in flames, the thoroughfares flowed withblood.

  At the head of a band of faithful followers, Abidan proved himself, byhis courage and resources, worthy of success. At length, he was alone,or surrounded only by his enemies. With his back against a building in anarrow street, where the number of his opponents only embarrassed them,the three foremost of his foes fell before his irresistible scimitar.The barricaded door yielded to the pressure of the multitude. Abidanrushed up the narrow stairs, and, gaining a landing-place, turnedsuddenly round, and cleaved the skull of his nearest pursuer. He hurledthe mighty body at his followers, and, retarding their advance, himselfdashed onward, and gained the terrace of the mansion. Three soldiers ofthe guard followed him as he bounded from terrace to terrace. One, armedwith a javelin, hurled it at the chieftain. The weapon slightly woundedAbidan, who, drawing it from his arm, sent it back to the heart of itsowner. The two other soldiers, armed only with swords, gained upon him.He arrived at the last terrace in the cluster of buildings. He stoodat bay on the brink of the precipice. He regained his breath. Theyapproached him. He dodged them in their course. Suddenly, with admirableskill, he flung his scimitar edgewise at the legs of his farthestfoe, who stopped short, roaring with pain. The chieftain sprang at theforemost, and hurled him down into the street below, where he was dashedto atoms. A trap-door offered itself to the despairing eye of therebel. He descended and found himself in a room filled with women. Theyscreamed, he rushed through them, and descending a Staircase, entered achamber tenanted by a bed-ridden old man. The ancient invalid enquiredthe cause of the uproar, and died of fright before he could receivean answer, at the sight of the awful being before him, covered withstreaming blood. Abidan secured the door, washed his blood-stained face,and disguising himself in the dusty robes of the deceased Armenian,sallied forth to watch the fray. The obscure street was silent. Thechieftain proceeded unmolested. At the corner he found a soldier holdinga charger for his captain. Abidan, unarmed, seized a poniard from thesoldier's belt, stabbed him to the heart, and vaulting on the steed,galloped towards the river. No boat was to be found; he breasted thestream upon the stout courser. He reached the opposite bank. A companyof camels were reposing by the side of a fountain. Alarm had dispersedtheir drivers. He mounted the fleetest in appearance; he dashed to thenearest gate of the city. The guard at the gate refused him a passage.He concealed his agitation. A marriage procession, returning from thecountry, arrived. He rushed into the centre of it, and overset the bridein her gilded wagon. In the midst of the confusion, the shrieks, theoaths, and the scuffle, he forced his way through the gate, scoured overthe country, and never stopped until he had gained the desert.

  The uproar died away. The shouts of warriors, the shrieks of women, thewild clang of warfare, all were silent. The flames were extinguished,the carnage ceased. The insurrection was suppressed, and order restored.The city, all the houses of which were closed, was patrolled by theconquering troops, and by sunset the conqueror himself, in his hall ofstate, received the reports and the congratulations of his chieftains.The escape of Abidan seemed counterbalanced by the capture of Jabaster.After performing prodigies of valour, the High Priest had beenoverpowered, and was now a prisoner in the Serail. The conduct ofScherirah was not too curiously criticised; a commission was appointedto enquire into the mysterious affair; and Alroy retired to the bath[77]to refresh himself after the fatigues of the victory which he could notconsider a triumph.

  As he reposed upon his couch, melancholy and exhausted, Schirene wasannounced. The Princess threw herself upon his neck and covered him withembraces. His heart yielded to her fondness, his spirit became lighter,his depression melted away.

  'My ruby!' said Schirene, and she spoke in a low smothered voice, herface hidden and nestled in his breast. 'My ruby! dost thou love me?'

  He smiled in fondness as he pressed her to his heart.

  'My ruby, thy pearl is so frightened, it dare not look upon thee. Wickedmen! 'tis I whom they hate, 'tis I whom they would destroy.'

  'There is no danger, sweet. 'Tis over now. Speak not, nay, do not thinkof it.'

  'Ah! wicked men! There is no joy on earth while such things live.Slay Alroy, their mighty master, who, from vile slaves, hath made themprinces! Ungrateful churls! I am so alarmed, I ne'er shall sleep again.What! slay my innocent bird, my pretty bird, my very heart! I'll notbelieve it. It is I whom they ha
te. I am sure they will kill me. Youshall never leave me, no, no, no, no! You shall not leave me, love,never, never! Didst hear a noise? Methinks they are even here, ready toplunge their daggers in our hearts, our soft, soft hearts! I think youlove me, child; indeed, I think you do!'

  'Take courage, heart! There is no fear, my soul; I cannot love theemore, or else I would.'

  'All joy is gone! I ne'er shall sleep again. O my soul! art thouindeed alive? Do I indeed embrace my own Alroy, or is it all a wild andtroubled dream, and are my arms clasped round a shadowy ghost, myself aspectre in a sepulchre? Wicked, wicked men! Can it indeed be true? What,slay Alroy! my joy, my only life! Ah! woe is me; our bright felicityhath fled for ever!'

  'Not so, sweet child; we are but as we were. A few quick hours, and allwill be as bright as if no storm had crossed our sunny days.'

  'Hast seen Asriel? He says such fearful things!'

  'How now?'

  'Ah me! I am desolate. I have no friend.'

  'Schirene!'

  'They will have my blood. I know they will have my blood.'

  'Indeed, an idle fancy.'

  'Idle! Ask Asriel, question Ithamar. Idle! 'tis written in theirtablets, their bloody scroll of rapine and of murder. Thy death led onlyto mine, and, had they hoped my bird would but have yielded his gentlemate, they would have spared him. Ay! ay! 'tis I whom they hate, 'tis Iwhom they would destroy. This form, I fear it has lost its lustre, butstill 'tis thine, and once thou saidst thou lovedst it; this form was tohave been hacked and mangled; this ivory bosom was to have been rippedup and tortured, and this warm blood, that flows alone for thee,that fell Jabaster was to pour its tide upon the altar of his ancientvengeance. He ever hated me!'

  'Jabaster! Schirene! Where are we, and what are we? Life, life, theylie, that call thee Nature! Nature never sent these gusts of agony. Oh!my heart will break. I drove him from my thought, and now she calls himup, and now must I remember he is my-prisoner! God of heaven, God of myfathers, is it come to this? Why did he not escape? Why must Abidan, acommon cut-throat, save his graceless life, and this great soul, thisstern and mighty being---- Ah me! I have lived long enough. Would theyhad not failed, would----'

  'Stop, stop, Alroy! I pray thee, love, be calm. I came to soothe thee,not to raise thy passions. I did not say Jabaster willed thy death,though Asriel says so; 'tis me he wars against; and if indeed Jabasterbe a man so near thy heart, if he indeed be one so necessary to thyprosperity, and cannot live in decent order with thy slave that's here,I know my duty, Sir. I would not have thy fortunes farred to save mysingle heart, although I think 'twill break. I will go, I will die,and deem the hardest accident of life but sheer prosperity if it profitthee.'

  'O Schirene! what wouldst thou? This, this is torture.'

  'To see thee safe and happy; nothing more.'

  'I am both, if thou art.'

  'Care not for me, I am nothing.'

  'Thou art all to me.'

  'Calm thyself, my soul. It grieves me much that when I came to soothe Ihave only galled thee. All's well, all's well. Say that Jabaster lives.What then? He lives, and may he prove more duteous than before; that'sall.'

  'He lives, he is my prisoner, he awaits his doom. It must be given.'

  'Yes, yes!'

  'Shall we pardon?'

  'My lord will do that which it pleases him.'

  'Nay, nay, Schirene, I pray thee be more kind. I am most wretched.Speak, what wouldst thou?'

  'If I must speak, I say at once, his life.'

  'Ah me!'

  'If our past loves have any charm, if the hope ot future joy, not lesssupreme, be that which binds thee to this shadowy world, as it does me,and does alone, I say his life, his very carnal life. He stands betweenus and our loves, Alroy, and ever has done. There is no happiness ifJabaster breathe; nor can I be the same Schirene to thee as I have been,if this proud rebel live to spy my conduct.'

  'Banish him, banish him!'

  'To herd with rebels. Is this thy policy?'

  'O Schirene! I love not this man, although me-thinks I should: yet didstthou know but all!'

  'I know too much, Alroy. From the first he has been to me a hatefulthought. Come, come, sweet bird, a boon, a boon unto thy own Schirene,who was so frightened by these wicked men! I fear it has done moremischief than thou deemest. Ay! robbed us of our hopes. It may be so. Aboon, a boon! It is not much I ask: a traitor's head. Come, give me thysignet ring. It will not; nay, then, I'll take it. What, resist! I knowthou oft hast told me a kiss could vanquish all denial. There it is.Is't sweet? Shalt have another, and another too. I've got the ring!Farewell, my lovely bird, I'll soon return to pillow in thy nest.'

  'She has got the ring! What's this? what's this? Schirene! art gone?Nay, surely not. She jests. Jabaster! A traitor's head! What ho! there.Pharez, Pharez!'

  'My lord.'

  'Passed the Queen that way?'

  'She did, my lord.'

  'In tears?'

  'Nay! very joyful!'

  'Call Honain, quick as my thought. Honain! Honain! He waits without. Ihave seen the best of life, that's very sure. My heart is cracking. Shesurely jests! Hah! Honain. Pardon these distracted looks. Fly to theArmoury! fly, fly!'

  'For what, my lord?'

  'Ay! for what, for what! My brain it wanders. Thy brother, thy greatbrother, the Queen, the Queen has stolen my signet ring, that is, I gaveit her. Fly, fly! or in a word, Jabaster is no more. He is gone. Pharez!your arm; I swoon!'

  'His Highness is sorely indisposed to-day.'

  'They say he swooned this morn.'

  'Ay, in the bath.'

  'No, not in the bath. 'Twas when he heard of Jabaster's death.'

  'How died he, Sir?'

  'Self-strangled. His mighty heart could not endure disgrace, and thus heended all his glorious deeds.'

  'A great man!'

  'We shall not soon see his match. The Queen had gained his pardon, andherself flew to the Armoury to bear the news; alas! too late.'

  'These are strange times. Jabaster dead!'

  'A very great event.'

  'Who will be High Priest?'

  'I doubt if the appointment will be filled up.'

  'Sup you with the Lord Ithamar to-night?'

  'I do.'

  'I also. We'll go together. The Queen had gained his pardon. Hum! 'tisstrange.'

  'Passing so. They say Abidan has escaped?'

  'I hear it. Shall we meet Medad to-night?'

  ''Tis likely.'