Show f 18 THE WONDROUS TALE This this indeed length I am a man is life Let me live slaying !” “ Wo ! wo ! our house is fallen ! The wildness of his gestures frightens me David David 1 pray thee cease Ho hears mo not my voice perchance is thin I’ni very faint Maidens kneel to your prince and soothe the madness of his passion” “ Sweet is the voice of a sister in tho season of sorrow and wise is the counsel of those who love us” “ Why this is my Goliali ! a pebble or r stick it is the siftne The Lord of Hosts is for us Rightly am I called Rfc ' David” “Deliver us from our enemies 0 Lord ‘from those who rise up against us and those who lie in wait for us” “Were but this blow multiplied were but the servants of my uncle’s house to do the same why we should see again the days of Elali! The' "Philistine the foul lascivious damnable Philistine and be must touch my sister Othat all his tribe were here all all! Pd tie such firebrands to their foxes’ tails the blaze should light to freedom !”’ While he spoke a maiden who had not rejoined the company came running towards them very swiftly with ail agitated countenance “Fly Fly” she exclaimed “they come they come” Miriam was reclining in an attendant’s arms feeble and faint but the moment her rpiick ear caught those words she sprang up and seized her brother’s arm “ Alroy ! David David brother brother sweet brother I beseech thee listen — I am thy sister' thy Miriam thy fond beloved Miriam — they come they come the d wicked men they come they come to kill perhaps to torture thee my tAder brother House thyself David rouse thyself from this wild fierce dream : save tlivself— fh” “ Ah ! is it thou Miriam ? Be easy love thou pcest lie sloepeili soundly T will collect my senses I was dreaming of noblo purposes aiut ' mighty hopes t’Tis over now I am myself again What wouldst thou my sweet treasure?” ' They come the fierce retainers of this fallen man: tkeycomo to seize thee Fly David” “And leave thee ?” “I and my maidens we have yet time to escape by the private way we entered our uncle’s garden When in his house we are for a moment safe— as safe as our poor race can ever be Bostcnay is so neb so wise so prudent so learned in man’s ways and knows so well the character and spirit of these men all will go right: I fear nothing nothing nothing But thou if thou art bore or to be found thy blood alone will satiate them If they be persuaded that thou hast escaped as I yet pray thou mayest their late master here whom they could scarcely love why — give me thy arm an iustant sweet Boru-n- a I am rather faint So that’s well I was saying IF well bribed and they may have all my jewels why very soon he will be as little iri their memories as ho is now in life “ I can scarcely speak —I feel my words wander or seem to wander I could swoon hut will nob-n- ay! do not fear ray love! will reach home These maidens are my charge ’Tis in these cries we should show the worth of royal blood I'll see them safe die with them” —or : “ 0 my sister methinks I never knew J was n brother until this hour My pre- vengc or even fame and freedom with- out thee ? I’ll stay” “ Sweet is the voice of a sister in the season of sorrow and wise is tho counsel of those who love Us” “Flv “Flv Tire David what is life ? what is re- - flv” whither and how?” neigh of the horse sounded from the thicket “Ah! they come they come!” exclaimed the destraeied Miriam “All this has come upon us 0 Lord yet have we not foigotlon thee neither have we dealt falsely in thy ' covenant” “Hark ! again it neighs! It is a horse that cullcth to its rider I see it I seo it Courage Miriam! it is no enemy but a very present friend in time of trouble it is Alschiroch’s courser He passed me on it by the tomb ere sunset I marked it well — a very princely steed” “ Behold behold"! rain is caught in the thicket by his horns” “Our God hath not forgotten us ! Quick maidens bring forth the goodly AVliat do you tremble ? steed I’ll be his groom” “Nujrl Miriam It' beware beware is an untamed beast wild as tho whirlwind Let me deal with him” He ran after her kissed her-alie passed dashed into the thicket and brought forth the horse Short time I ween that stately steed had’ parted from his desert home his haughty crest his eye of fire the glory of his snorting nostril betokened well his coueious pride and pure nobility of race His color was like the sable night shining with a thousand stars aiul he pawed the ground with his delicate hoof like an eagle flapping its wing Alroy vaulted on iris back and reined him with a master’s baud “Hall !” he exclaimed “ I feel more like a hero than a fugitive Farewell my sister farewell ye gentle maidens fare yowell and cherish my precious Miriam One kiss sweet sister” and he bent down and whispered “ Toll the good Bostenay not to sparo hits gold love for I have a deep persiiasion that ere a year shall roll its heavy course I shall return and make our masters here pay for this hurried ride and bitter trting Now fori’tho desert!” 7 cious Miriam OF ALROY PART II ' j Speed fleetly speed thou courser bold and track the desert’s trackless way Beneath thee is the boundless earth above thee is the boundless heaven an iron soil and brazen sky Speed swiftly speed thou courser bold and track the deserts trackless way! Ah! dost thou deem these salty plains lead to tby Yemen’s happy groves and dost thou scent on the hot breeze the spicy breath of Araby ? A sweet delusion noble steed for this briny wilderness leads not to the happy groves of Yemen and the breath that thou scentest on the coming breeze is not tho spicy breath of Araby The day has died the stars have risen W’ith all the splendor of a desert sky and now’ tlie night descending brings solace on her dewy wings to the' fainting form and pallid cheek of the youthful Hebrew" prince Still the courser onward rushes still his mighty heart supports him Season and space the glowing soil" the burning ray yield to the tempest of his frame tho thunder of his nerves and lightning of his veins Food or water they have none Ko genial fount no grateful tree rise with their pleasant company Never a beast f or a bird is there in that hoary desert bare Nothing breaks the almighty still-ne- ss Even the jackal’s felon cry might A gray wild eeem a soothing melody rat with snowy whiskers out of a withered bramble stealing with a -- youthful snake in its ivory teeth in the moonlight grins with glee This is their sole society Morn comes tho fresh and fragrant morn for which even - the guilty sigh Morn comes and all is visible And light falls like a signet on the earth and its face is turned like wax with a seal Before them and also on their right was’ the sandy desert but in the night they had approached much nearer to themoun Taueous chain which bounded the desert on the left and whither Alroy had at first guided the steed v The mountains were a chain of tho and the as rose sun Elburz mighty from behind a lofty peak the horse suddenly stopped and neighed as if asking for water But Alroy himself exhausted could only soothe him with caresses And tho horse full of courage understood liis master aud neighed again - more cheerfully For an hour or two the princo and his "faithful companion proceeded slowly but as the day grew on the heat became so oppressive and the desire to drink so overwhelming that Alroy again urged on the steed toward the mountains where he The knew that he should find a well courser dashed willingly forward and seemed to share his master’s desire to ' quit the arid and exhausting wilderness" More than once the unhappy fugitive debated whether he should not allow himself to drop from his seat and die no torture that awaited him at Hamadan that did not seem preferable to tho prolonged and inexpressible anguish that As ho rushed along he now endured leaning on his bearer’s neck he perceived a patch of desert that seemed' of darker colour thairthe surrounding sand Here he believed might perhaps bO found water He tried to check the steed but with difficultv he succeeded and with still greater difficulty dismounted He knelt down and freely raked up the sand with Iris hands It was very moist’ He nearly fainted over his fruitless labour At length when he had dug about a foot deep there bubbled up some water He dashed in his hand but it was salt as the ocean When the horse saw the water his ehrs rose but when ho‘ smelt it he turned jtway his head and neighed most piteously! “ Alas poor beast !” exclaimed Alroy “I am the occasion of thy sufferings who would be a kind master to thee if tho world would let me 0 that we wero once more by my own fair fountain! The thought is madness And Miriam too ! I fear I am sadly tender hearted” He leaned against his horse’s back with and burst a feeling of utter exhaustion ' into historic sobs 7 and And the steed softly moaned turned its head and gently rubbed its to solace him his arm as if face against And strange but Alroy in his suffering relieved was by having given way to his emotion ami charmed with the fondness horse ho leaned down of the faithful ' and took watei1 and threw 'it over his feet to cool them and wiped the foam from his face and washed it arid tho horse again neighed And now Alroy tried to remount" but Iris strength failed him and the horso knelt down and received immediately And the moment that the prince him was in his seat the horse rose and Renin di- proceeded at a rapid pace' in the old |