Istar of Babylon: A Phantasy

  IV

  ASHTORETH

  Not until an hour after sunset did Charmides at last set foot on shoreand stand, in the dim evening crimson, on the western strand of theisland city. His bundle of clothing and money was on his back. His lyrehung from his waist by a thong; and on his head, over its usual fillet,he wore a peaked cap of crimson cloth, cut after the Tyrian fashion. Hewas waiting for Kabir, who lingered to indulge in a round of chaff withhalf a dozen loquacious fellows on a small barge that was just about toput off for the galley. Kabir had, in the friendliest way, invited theshepherd to share his own lodging at the house of his brother in thecity; but, notwithstanding this, the rhapsode felt forlorn enough as hestood looking out across the darkening waters in the direction of hishome. It was a sudden and most untoward emotion that made the Greekblind to his appearance when Kabir finally came to his side. For nottill the Phoenician's hand fell upon his shoulder, and the rather raucousvoice sounded close in his ear, did Charmides turn, with a start, tofollow his guide out into the streets of Tyre.

  They were narrow, these streets, and twisting, and very dirty. Moreover,though the business of the day was finished, the thoroughfares werestill a wriggling mass of litters, chariots, camels, asses, dogs, andmen. Charmides slipped through patches of filth, and stumbled overanimals that lay in his path, while he looked about him in dulldispleasure at the buildings of stone and clay-brick and dried mud,sumptuous or wretched beyond belief, that lined these lanes. On allsides rose the clamor of rude, Phoenician voices and the mouthing ofungraceful words. Here and there a fire of sticks, burning in somecourt-yard and visible through an open door-way, cast an uncertain lightacross their path. Kabir walked rapidly, and in silence. His momentaryfeeling of excitement at being again in his native city had passed, andhe had regained his usual placid indifference--the indifference thatCharmides before now had found unexpectedly sympathetic.

  After nearly half an hour's walk the Phoenician halted before a veryfair-sized wooden house, and, knocking ponderously upon the closed,brass-bound door, turned to Charmides with a slight smile, saying:

  "It is the house of my brother, where I, also, make my home when I amhere. You will be welcome in my family."

  Charmides had no time to make a fitting reply, for the door was quicklyopened by some one who, after peering for a moment or two into thedarkness at the waiting figures, gave a sudden, loud shout of delightand seized Kabir by the girdle. For the next ten minutes the young Greekstood in the background, watching the general melee that ensued upon theshout. Four children, besides the half-grown boy who had openedthe door, made a speedy appearance; and they were followed by aquiet-looking woman who manifested extreme pleasure at sight of Kabir.Finally, out of the gloom of the interior, drawn by the hubbub ofexcitement at the door, appeared a dignified and well-dressed man, who,on perceiving Kabir, gave a quick exclamation, and, brushing away theclinging children, embraced his brother with every sign of delightedaffection.

  Half an hour later the whole party were seated in a well-furnished room,Charmides and Kabir partaking of supper, while the Phoenicians sat closeabout them, listening eagerly to the story of the long voyage, thedisaster on the rocks of Selinous, and the account of Charmides and hisfamily.

  "So you fare on to Babylon, stranger?" observed Abdosir, Kabir'sbrother. "It is well that you reached Tyre no later. The last caravan ofthe summer leaves for the East in three days, under charge"--he turnedto his brother--"under charge of Hodo, whom you, Kabir, will surelyremember. A month ago he came up from the great city, has now finishedhis business, and returns homeward by way of Damascus. The Greek will dowell in his care."

  "Yes, that is excellent.--Hodo! One could have asked no better master ofthe caravan." Kabir turned to Charmides with a smile; but the youth satsilent, his eyes still fixed on the face of Abdosir, his expressioncontaining little enough of joy.

  "You have heard what my brother says," continued Kabir, in Greek. "ThisHodo is a Babylonian, and well known to us. He is a shrewd merchant andan excellent comrade. We will recommend you to him to-morrow. If yourcaravan starts in three days' time you will reach the city of Istareasily enough in another month."

  Charmides tried hard to answer this speech in a proper spirit, but hefound it an effort to speak at all. At the present moment the only wishof his heart was that any communication with distant Babylon might befound impossible, and that he himself might be at liberty to turn hisface once more to the west. Perhaps this mood was partly induced byweariness. If so, Kabir knew his companion better than the Greek knewhimself; for, after finishing their meat and wine, and talking for a fewminutes with his nephews and nieces, Kabir quietly suggested to hissister-in-law that the Greek be shown a sleeping-apartment to which hemight retire when he would, which proved to be immediately.

  The room in which Charmides finally fell asleep was one that boasted ofgreater luxury than he had ever known before. Walled with painted tiles,hung with embroideries, carpeted with rugs from far Eastern looms, andlighted by a hanging-lamp of wrought bronze, it presented to the Greekan appearance of comfort that drew from him a long sigh of content; andhe sank to sleep on the soft couch with the name of Zeus on his lips andthe image of his mother in his heart.

  He awoke alone. Kabir's bed, across the room, had been slept on, but wasempty now. The daylight about him was dim enough, but the half-lightgave no hint of the hour; for the single window in the room was scarcelyso large as a man's hand. Sounds of life were to be heard in the cityoutside, and from the house around him. Once really awake, then, andconscious of his whereabouts, Charmides rose in haste, dressed, smoothedhis hair, looked for water but found none, and proceeded with somehesitation into the living-room. This he found to be occupied only byone of the children, a little girl, who greeted him shyly, and bade himeat of the food that had been left for him upon the table. Charmides, astimid as the child, forbore to ask for the water without which he feltit impious to begin the day, and sat down, as he was bid, to a repast ofmillet bread, buffalo milk, and lentils. These things he finished, tothe satisfaction of the little Phoenician, and then looked about himwondering what to do. It was evidently late. By a question or two helearned that Kabir and Abdosir had been gone from the house for an houror more, that Zarada was out on a visit, and that, in all probability,it would be noon before any one returned to the house. With thisknowledge Charmides sought his mantle and cap, and went forth into thecity to learn something of Tyre for himself.

  Tyre by daylight was no less unlovely but rather more interesting thanTyre at night. Charmides, accustomed to the well-ordered dignity of lifein his distant Doric city, was amazed and bewildered here, in the midstof this labyrinth of narrow streets choked with men and animals. Havingsome idea of direction, he felt no dread of losing his way, but wanderedon at will, hurried and pushed from one side of a street to the other,always too diverted by what he saw to resent the interferences. Hechanced presently on a broader thoroughfare, one fairly well kept,stretching in a straight line from north to south. This, as he guessed,was the principal street of the city, terminating, as he could not know,on the north, in the great agenorium, or open mart, east of the Sidonianharbor, and, on the south, in the grove and temple of Melkart. Charmidesmoved along up this street, admiring the solid stone buildings thatlined it on either side; watching the graceful chariots drawn by richlycaparisoned horses, and driven by men who, from their dress, wereevidently rulers in the oligarchy; and constantly annoyed by theimportunities of beggars or venders of cheap wares that were to be foundeverywhere through the city, but most of all on this street. He hadwalked farther than he knew, for at length he came in sight of the seathat stretched out before him from the other side of a great, opensquare running down to the water's edge.

  Open square it had been, no doubt, at the time of its planning; but, inall probability, since the day of completion, no one had ever seen itempty. Just now, certainly, there was not a spare foot of pavement inits entire area, and Charmides looked about him with the wonderment andpleasu
re of a child. Directly before him were the shoe and sandalvenders, who occupied about a quarter of an acre of space. Shoes were anarticle that Charmides had never seen worn. Their purpose was easy todivine, however, and he fell to admiring the cleverness of theirinvention and the beauty of their ornamentation. Beyond this interestingspot came the silk and cloth merchants, then the leather venders, brassand metal workers, and dealers in Egyptian and Sidonian jewelry. To theleft of these was the market, where grain, fish, fruits, meat, and wineswere to be had; while down the whole eastern edge of the space lay a rowof dirty, supercilious-looking camels, half of them for sale, half ofthem owned by sellers in the mart.

  Charmides had not yet begun to thread a path through the tangle of menand merchandise when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to findKabir at his side.

  "So you are here, my Charmides! Have you come to seek us out? Whodirected you hither?"

  "I came by chance to this place, not knowing you were here. It iswonderful! I have not seen anything like it before."

  "No. Selinous certainly has no such place. Here, indeed, we are wellmet. Desert needs of yours may be supplied before we leave the market.Now, Charmides, you must be made known to him who will lead you fartherinto the East. Hodo the Babylonian is with me. Hodo! Here!"

  Kabir looked round and beckoned to a little fellow who had left him toexamine the goods of a cloth merchant near by. At Kabir's call, however,he turned, and, seeing Charmides, came over to his friend's side.Charmides beheld a small man, hardly five feet high, swathed from headto heels in white garments of rich texture. Well as they were worn,however, they could not conceal the semi-deformity of the little fellow.He was altogether crooked: crooked in his legs, in his back, in hisnose, in his expression--an ugly little man with an ugly little facethat had in it a singularly infectious gleam of humor.

  Hodo looked at Charmides, and his ugliness gathered and broke into adelighted smile that transformed every feature of his face. Charmideslooked at Hodo and could not refrain from answering the smile with a gaylaugh. Thenceforward Hodo felt that he had Charmides for a friend.

  "Now, Theronides, Hodo will go with us into the mart here and will tellus what you need for the desert journey, that we may buy."

  "But what things should I need? I have all necessary garments, as manyas I can carry with me, now."

  "What to wear on the head for dust?" demanded Hodo, speaking Phoenicianin a deep and rather rich voice.

  "This cap--and my fillet. In the heat I shall not need even those."

  "Hump!" Hodo grinned, crookedly. "I have crossed the desert nineteentimes, young Greek, and I will tell you what you must wear. See--you area yellow man, and your skin is as thin as a Phrygian's, while mine islike leather. Your hair is too fine to shield you at all from the fiercerays of Shamash. There must be a square of silk to wind about your head,and two thicknesses of muslin to protect your neck in the back. Then, ifyou think me versed in desert knowledge, you will leave off that shorttunic and get a single linen garment that will cover you down to yourheels. You will want a light cloak, perhaps, for night, for comfort; butyou will not often wear it. The rains are over. Summer is upon us. Nonewill suffer from cold upon the desert."

  Charmides listened closely to this speech, yet was not able tounderstand all that the Babylonian said, for he spoke Phoenician asthickly as a Phoenician spoke Greek. The rhapsode, therefore, turnedappealingly to Kabir, who explained the words at length; and then,Charmides having very sensibly put himself into Hodo's hands, the threeproceeded to make the necessary purchases, for which Kabir paid, whileCharmides repaid him from his bag at Kabir's abode. On their return walkCharmides questioned Hodo as to when and whence their caravan was tostart, and he found that it would be but two days before men and camelsassembled on the mainland, in a little square opposite the Egyptianharbor.

  "And we do not go straight to Babylon?"

  "As straight as will be well in this season. Damascus first, then outand over the desert. It is the easiest route--twenty days' ride from thegate of Six Thieves."

  "And you come now from Babylon?"

  "Two months ago I was there, Greek. Kabir knoweth it."

  Charmides nodded apologetically and said no more. Kabir watched for thelight to come into his eyes, and waited for a certain question. But theyouth kept silent, and, after a pause, the Babylonian took the words outof Kabir's mouth and rushed in upon the young man's thoughts.

  "It is said, Greek, that you take this long journey for the sake of ourgoddess, the lady Istar, queen of the gods of Babylon."

  Kabir kept his eyes fixed on those of Charmides, but failed to see anyinterest come into the youth's expression. Instead, a frown spreaditself over the fair forehead, and the young mouth straightenedominously.

  "The object of my journey matters little," was his low-voiced reply.

  Hodo's eyes stretched open. He sent a grimace of astonishment to Kabir,and silence followed Charmides' last words. The three walked onuncomfortably, till there came sounds of a surprising chuckle from theBabylonian, who, as both his companions turned towards him, exclaimed,irrepressibly:

  "The thought of Ishtar brings me to another. Kabir--to-morrow, Iremember, is the day of the semi-yearly rites of Ashtoreth--at hersanctuary on the mainland."

  For a second or two Kabir did not reply. He was musing--on a subjectrelative to Charmides' girlish purity. Finally he said: "Yes. The yearlyfestival of Tammuz took place a month ago. To-morrow is the festival ofthe virgin rites. We will go--all three. You, Charmides, shall see theceremonies of our Aphrodite, Astarte of the Mazzarines. She is ourTyrian Istar."

  Charmides looked at him with new animation. "Do they offer sacrifice?"

  "Yes--in the grove--doves and lambs, and one young bullock. But the realceremony takes place within the temple. Knowing but little of ourEastern customs, you will do well to see that."

  Charmides nodded acquiescence, and Hodo chuckled to himself again. Butthe silence that followed lasted till they had once more reached thehouse of Abdosir.

  During the remainder of that day Charmides made no remark on the subjectof the amusement promised for the morrow. Kabir tried to draw him to itby talking of the great temples of Melkart, Baal, and the Olympian Zeusthat were on the island. But Charmides seemed to be developing asurprising and unnecessary taciturnity, for which the Phoenician,regarding him as extraordinarily young, would hardly have given himcredit; and, before the evening was over, Kabir was moved to consider, alittle more closely, how much depth of character really lay behind thatopen and ingenuous personality.

  As a matter of fact, Charmides' silence was the result of a chanceremembrance of his last talk with his mother, mingled with a propheticintuition of what the morrow would bring forth. When the morrow arrived,however, and Hodo, gay in red embroideries, came with it, Charmidesappeared in his holiday garments, and seemed as ready as his companionsto set forth to the holy place.

  The grove and temple of Ashtoreth, or Astarte, of Tyre, were outside thecity proper, and lay on the mainland, south of the Egyptian harbor. Fromthe spot where ferry-boats left one after the passage of the narrowchannel, there was a walk of nearly a mile southward to the entrance ofthe grove. This was marked by open gates and two ill-carved stonestatues, the subjects of which Charmides regarded with haughtydispleasure. His first impression, however, was ameliorated by the greatbeauty of the wood, where cedar and cypress trees grew at will, whilethe shaded ground was kept clear of leaves and brush, and was coveredwith a rare velvet turf. The coolness and shade to be found beneath thegreat branches, after the pitiless sunshine through which they had beenwalking, was delicious; and the Greek would willingly have given theafternoon to wandering here, watching the golden shadows and exploringthe sinuous paths that wound everywhere before him. He did not, however,venture to suggest this course. There was now a stream of men passingand following them to the temple. Hodo was half running in hiseagerness, and Kabir himself had perceptibly quickened his pace. Neitherof them spoke, and the Greek was free
to watch the people around him, tomarvel at the richness of their garments, the profusion of theirjewelry, and the extreme animation of their faces. He caught glimpses,also, of three stone altars, carved in indistinguishable bas-relief,covered with offerings, and attended by yellow-robed priestesses, withwhom, indeed, the way to the temple was thronged. It was ten minutes'walk from the entrance of the grove before the temple itself wasreached.

  A broad, low, badly proportioned building of stone, colonnaded withpillars of Assyrian design and startlingly disagreeable to the Greekeye, frieze and pediment carved with gross caricatures of the Phoenicianpantheon, and a sloping, square door-way of Egyptian style, was thesight that met Charmides' eyes--the far-famed sanctuary of Ashtoreth ofTyre. The crowd of men assembling at this door-way from every part ofthe grove made it necessary to wait one's turn before entering. Hodo,Kabir, and Charmides had difficulty in keeping together in the crush,but finally found themselves inside.

  Here was darkness, odorous with stale incense, dotted with glimmeringlights, moving with men. Once within, Kabir and Hodo performed someprostrations and muttered a prayer or two, to the words of whichCharmides listened rather blankly. Then the three of them passed fromthe entrance hall into the great room of the temple. This was lightedfrom the roof by hundreds of swinging lamps; and, Charmides' eyes havingbecome accustomed to the softened light, he was able to see everythingdistinctly.

  The entire company of spectators halted at the upper end of the room.Opposite them, in the farther wall, was the shrine of the goddess, inwhich her statue stood. About this shrine hung bronze lamps of beautifulworkmanship, in which burned perfumed oil and frankincense. In front ofthe shrine, which was paved with African marble, was a slab of smoothgranite, eight feet long, six broad, and about four in height. Aroundthis knelt a company of priestesses, all but one of whom were robed inyellow. The one, whose bowed head could hardly be seen, was clad in asingle garment of white veiling; and her hair, unbound, fell in a browncurtain to the floor on either side of her. Charmides, taking his eyesfrom the group of worshippers, looked again around the room. About it,built into the walls behind the pillars, were half a hundred dim niches,shadowy, unlighted, of indeterminable depth, the purpose of which hefailed to divine. Except for these, the pillars, the shrine, and thealtar, there was nothing to look at in the room, for the walls were bareof inscriptions, and there were no other statues than the one ofAshtoreth in her sanctum.

  This survey finished, Charmides turned all his attentions to the groupof priestesses at the end of the room. They were now chanting aloud;and, from the restlessness among the company of men, Charmides decidedthat the ceremony was approaching a point of interest. Presently Kabirseized his hand and the two of them followed in the wake of Hodo, whowas eagerly forcing a passage into the front rank.

  All those in the first row were, whether by chance or design Charmidescould not know, young, more or less comely, and dressed with extremeelegance. As the rhapsode gained his new position he felt upon him theeyes of half the company; and not a few whispers relative to his fairskin and his fine physique reached his ears. His speculation as to thereason for this was presently forgotten, however, for the women down theroom had formed into a semicircular phalanx, in the very centre of whichstood the white-robed, unveiled girl. Then, to the sound of aprocessional chant, all of them began a slow advance up the hall towardsthe orderly ranks of men. The Greek caught a new order of whispers, now,that rose about him on all sides. Of these he understood here and therea phrase: "Beautiful this time!" "Her hair is her veil!" "Ashtoreth willthat she choose me!" "Baal did well to let her come!" And then, as thechant ended and the women halted ten feet from the front row of men,every sound ceased. After a short pause the priestesses separated intotwo groups, and from their midst the white virgin came slowly forth. Ather appearance every man dropped upon one knee, Kabir pulling thewide-eyed Greek down beside him. Again there was a pause, during whichCharmides felt his heart beating uncomfortably. The maiden was regardingthe ranks of men before her. Slowly, fearfully, her eyes moved alongfrom face to face, their passage marked here and there by a sharplydrawn breath from some one before her. Charmides, entirely ignorant ofthe meaning of this rite, watched her with tentative interest. She wasyoung, her face as white as her robe, her big, half-terrified eyes of adove-gray color. Pretty--very pretty--she was, as pretty as Doris--butnot beautiful. Charmides had, of late, been picturing too divine abeauty to feel any tremor of eagerness before this gentle priestess ofAshtoreth.

  All at once her eyes flashed to his. He drew back, earnestly hoping thatshe would pass him by. But this was not to be. The gray orbs halted atthe blue ones, moved languidly over his perfect face, descended to hisshoulders--arms--body--and at last a faint tinge of red crept into herdeathly cheeks. She nodded once to him, murmuring half a dozenindistinguishable words. Instantly Charmides felt two violent shoves,the one from Kabir on the right, the other from Hodo on the left.

  "Rise! Rise to your feet!" Kabir whispered, peremptorily.

  Charmides obeyed.

  "Go forward to her. The hierodules will take you."

  Charmides went towards the girl. Before he had reached her two of theother women advanced to his side and took him by the hands, at the sametime recommencing their chant. Thereupon the whole company, women andmen, began a slow march back towards the shrine. Charmides was still inthe maze of his first surprise. He walked mechanically between hisconductresses, his eyes fixed on the back of the sacrificial maiden whomoved in front of him. At twenty paces from the altar the generalcompany stopped. Only Charmides, the girl, and two priestesses advancedtill they stood directly in front of the shrine with the altar behindthem. Then a hush fell upon the multitude, and Charmides experienced asudden tremor--a dread of what was to happen next. He had no ideawhatever for what purpose he had been chosen, whether it threatened hislife, endangered his freedom, or gave promise of honor. Kabir had beeneager for him to go, however; and it was evident that many had desiredhis place. At any rate, the blood in his veins was Greek--and DoricGreek. This thought brought tranquillity, and he stood with renewedindifference till a move was made that struck him like a blow. At acertain phrase in the chant the two women stepped to either side of thewhite virgin, unclasped the two wrought pins that held her robe upon theshoulders, and, with a quick twist, let the garment fall to the floor.

  There was an impulsive quickening in the song. Slowly the girl facedCharmides, her head drooping, her hands clasped before her, her brownhair falling about her shoulders. Supported on either side, she movedtowards him till her knee touched his tunic. Charmides took a hasty stepbackwards, not hearing the faint sigh that escaped her lips. Then one ofthe priestesses frowned.

  "Take her up to Ashtoreth!" she said, pointing from the girl to thestone altar.

  Now at last Charmides understood, and he turned white with wrath. For aninstant he let his eyes rest in utter scorn, utter disgust, upon thethree women in front of him. Then he hurled at them a Greek phrase,fortunately incomprehensible to the multitude. Lastly, unheeding thelook of abject terror that was overspreading the face of the girl, heturned upon his heel and began to walk rapidly down the long hall to thedoor.

  By this time the chant had given place to a rising chorus ofastonishment and wrath on the part of the men, and of woe on the side ofthe women. Still the Greek, absorbed in his own displeasure, kept on hisway, and would presently have been outside the building, when Kabir,darting from the throng, seized him roughly by the shoulders.

  "Charmides! Thou fool! What do you?"

  The rhapsode, frowning angrily, tried to shake off his companion, butKabir's hands were strong.

  "Know you, I say, what you do?"

  Charmides turned upon him. "I will not dishonor her, neither myself!" hesaid, in a voice husky with repression.

  "Dishonor--in the rites of Ashtoreth! Nay, you would kill her, rather,then?"

  Charmides shrugged.

  "You have refused her after the presentation. That is a sign that she is
displeasing to the goddess. She will now be offered up upon the altar ofdeath. Her blood must wash away the shame you put on her. Her heart willbe cut out and thrown to the dogs to eat."

  The young Greek shivered and stood passive. His eyes wandered aimlesslyover the scene before him. Kabir dropped his hold, but Charmides made nomove to go on. He seemed to be considering. The company was eying him inan anxious silence that had something of respect in it. But the eyes ofthe doomed girl burned upon his back in mute, despairing entreaty. Everymurmur had died away, and a deadly hush settled over the great hall. Thelights burned calmly from above, and the odor of fresh incense becameoverpowering. Still the shepherd did not move. One instant more andAris, the high-priestess, would send the order for the sacrificialknife. The Greek's thoughts wavered vaguely between his mother and hisown natural instincts of purity on the one hand; and, on the other, theexigencies of the Phoenician religion. The struggle was fierce. Heraia'smemory was infinitely dear, and the Greek idea of manhood strong withinhim. Still, death--death was terrible to his mind; and the death of thisyoung girl--

  His meditations were interrupted here. Something had suddenly claspedhis feet, something lay twisted on the floor before him. A white body,half covered with the long locks of dishevelled hair that flowed from alowered head, lay there on the stones. Two strained arms caught at hisknees. A faint voice, choked with the tears of despair, was beggingincoherently for the life that he could give. All of a sudden he melted.He bent his head, drawing a long breath of resignation. Then he stooped,lifted the girl in his arms, and carried her rapidly over to the altarof Ashtoreth. And the great bacchanal that followed upon his act theyouth neither saw nor heard.

  * * * * *

  Kabir and Hodo were both of them abjectly respectful to Charmides nextday. For all his defeat, the youth had been left their master, and heknew it. The name of Ashtoreth was not spoken before him in Abdosir'shouse; no mention ever after did either Phoenician or Babylonian make ofthe affair of yesterday; and in one day more Charmides had looked hislast upon the city of the sea.

  It was in a state of mental chaos that Charmides began his journey toBabylon. In the glare of midday the long row of well-watered camels,heavy laden with riches of the West, swayed to their feet, on themainland of Tyre, and turned their heads in the direction of Damascus.Charmides had said good-bye to Kabir an hour before, and now sat hisanimal with an eager light in his eyes and a clutch of regret in hisheart--desire for the new, love for the old. He tried hard that day tofix his mind on the great object of his journey, the goddess of Babylon,whom he was so soon to see. But all things around him were new, allthings fair, and soon he gave up the attempt at abstraction to watchwhat went on around him. Far ahead, upon the foremost camel, was Hodo,the leader of the caravan, who, with his desert costume, had also donnedan undeniable dignity of demeanor. Before and behind Charmides, in thevery centre of the line, sat solemn Orientals whose nationality he didnot know. Far to the right stretched flat, fertile fields of grain. Tothe left, at no great distance, the river Leontes flashed a tumultuous,sunlit course down to the sea. Eastward, in front, rose an uneven lineof jutting hills, bathed in the luminous, tranquil light of intenselypure air. The day was hot, the motion of the camel so far rathersoothing. Charmides' turbaned head drooped. His eyelids closed. Thoughtsof Istar were mingled with memories of the white virgin. Presently,then, he fell asleep.