THE LOST OCEAN
[Illustration: (unlabelled)]
The little company seemed well pleased with the explanation of the
jewelled beach, but as soon as the messenger ceased, they asked for the
explanation of the trackless sands.
“That is a longer story; shall I tell it now?” was the reply.
“O yes, do,” said the Princess Ethelda. “We are not a bit tired, and it
is so pleasant to look down on the very spot while you tell us.”
Thus encouraged, the guide messenger began:—
“Ages ago, when the world was young, three great Kings ruled in the
universe, the Sun King, the Ocean King, and the Earth King. The Earth
King owned all the land of the world, and often travelled over it,
watching it and caring for it. He was frequently accompanied by his
favorite daughter, the beautiful Princess Selene. She was a graceful
maiden of about eighteen. Her lovely brown eyes and long, wavy,
golden-brown hair, and her white skin and pink cheeks, made her a very
charming picture indeed. Being a fun-loving, merry little maiden, her
cheerful disposition made her a delightful companion, so her father was
always pleased to have her travel with him.
“On one of these journeys the young Princess seemed more serious than
usual, and one morning she came to her father with a request which
greatly surprised him. However, when he found her heart quite set upon
it, he made up his mind to grant it. She said she had long contemplated
doing her share of work in the world, and that she did not think she
wished always to remain just a fun-loving and pleasure-seeking young
woman. She asked her father to give her a portion of his vast kingdom to
cultivate as a garden, declaring she would make it the most beautiful
garden in the world, a sort of earthly paradise.
“As soon as her father consented to her wish, she chose a charming spot.
It was on the borders of a great sea, and back of it were magnificent
mountains. A large gulf, too, stood near, whose waters flowed into a
shimmering sea beyond. Here Princess Selene, having chosen hundreds of
companions, took up her abode. She planted trees for shade and sowed
grass for a quiet, restful color, and then she laid out her garden
according to a well-thought-out plan.
“I could never begin to tell you in a short story how wonderfully
beautiful she made it. Fruit trees of all descriptions grew there;
lemons and oranges, citrons and bananas, peaches and apricots,
flourished—everything nice you can think of. She did not forget the
flowers, either. Magnolias and acacias, poinsettias and jasmines, and
every Southern flower you could name, bloomed beautifully. Lovely birds
flocked there, and rested in the cool trees, singing to the flowers and
filling the garden with delicious music. The Princess and her companions
worked hard and faithfully, and the garden became the most charming spot
imaginable. All the world talked about it and came to visit it.
“The country about was very attractive. Great snow-capped mountains rose
abruptly from the sea, and white clouds, nestling down to touch them,
hovered like angels’ wings above the rich valleys as though in
protection. The clouds were seldom dark, for it rarely rained there, and
the sunny blue skies seemed to smile perpetually.
“Now, the powerful Sun King had many sons, but one of them was
especially handsome, and, better than that, he was the soul of honor and
truth. He was called Prince Corus. He often came to Earth to visit the
Ocean King’s family, for one of the sons was his favorite companion. The
two young men were inseparable; they were devoted to each other, and
fond of the same sports.
“When the Ocean King’s son, Prince Fronto, grew to manhood, his father
gave him control of a smaller kingdom, a beautiful sea that washed the
shores of Princess Selene’s famous gardens. This sea was reached by
sailing through the blue waters of the gulf; shining and beautiful, it
stretched for miles and miles through a magnificent country. It was on
the shores of this sea that the two Princes spent most of their time,
and it was here one day that they came across the lovely Selene and her
maidens. Both the young men felt at once that they had never before seen
anything so perfectly charming as the Princess, and they lost no time in
learning to know her.
“She treated them with the greatest courtesy; and in a little while the
three had become firm friends, and spent many happy hours together. The
young men did not attempt to disguise from themselves the fact that they
both loved this royal maiden; but the Sun Prince, in a spirit of
nobleness, offered to leave his friend Fronto alone to win her hand,
though in losing her he would become the most miserable man in the
world. Up to this point, however, Fronto apparently showed a similar
generosity of spirit, and putting his arm about his friend, urged him to
remain, saying: ‘We will abide by the decision of the Princess. Let her
choose between us, and whoever wins her love shall marry her, letting
the other suitor swear friendship to them both.’
“‘So be it,’ replied the generous Prince Corus, for it seemed a fair
proposition. ‘Much as I care for her, I will promise to give her to you
gladly if she loves you; for, after her, I love you best in the world.’
“They clasped hands, and swore a solemn oath to abide by this agreement.
“Selene was in no hurry to choose, and seemed equally fond of them both.
Never by word or sign did she show which she preferred. Always together,
the three wandered through her gardens, plucking the fruit or listening
to the songs of the birds. The two young men came every day to see her,
and strove to invent plans for her amusement. Corus brought his father’s
golden chariot, and often the three took a mad race across the sky. But
the maiden was never afraid. She loved the spirited, prancing steeds,
and their flashing golden harness; and the wild ride brought a glorious
color to her cheeks. She thrilled with pleasure when the rushing wind
blew back her flowing hair, and her eyes caught a deeper blue from the
heavens, and sparkled and danced with delight, so that Corus and Fronto
thought her more bewitching than ever.
“Again, Fronto would invite them to see his father’s famous sea-gardens,
and they would ride across the sapphire-blue waves until they reached a
rocky island. Here they would rest, to watch the seals climbing over the
rocks. They amused themselves long, laughing at the awkward antics of
the fat baby seals, who would tumble with loud splashes into the water,
and then frolic about noisily. The Princess loved these famous
sea-gardens; they were very different from her own, but wonderfully
interesting, nevertheless. Every sea-plant grew there. Huge trees of
seaweed were plainly seen, and curious water-flowers in abundance.
Magnificent shells bordered the walks, shells dyed with the mystic
colors of the sea,—blue and green and opalescent,—others pink-lined,
like the sky at sunset, or brilliant red, like the coral reef. Charming
gold-fishes swam about these water-gardens, and their scales, glowing
like fire, sent out great sparks of light. Mermaids floated through,
with long golden hair and starry blue eyes, singing low to the music of
their lutes. Thus many days and weeks were passed, and each hour the
young Princes grew more madly in love with the charming Princess Selene.
“At last a day came when they could no longer resist asking her to
choose between them. But when they stood before her, and waited for her
answer in silence, the fun-loving little Princess suddenly became grave,
and said most seriously: ‘Why make me choose at all? Your friendship may
be broken if I do, and I could not bear that.’
“‘You need not fear for us, sweet Princess,’ said Fronto, ‘for we have
sworn an oath, and will not break it.’
“Selene gazed earnestly at them, not understanding this reply. Then
Corus, pale as death, nodded assent, saying: ‘It is even true, fair
Selene; as you cannot choose but one, we both have promised allegiance
to the one you favor. We love you too sincerely to do otherwise.’
“A brilliant color dyed Selene’s cheek as she heard these words, and
turning to Prince Fronto she began softly: ‘So be it. We have passed
many happy hours together, and in my heart, Prince Fronto, I have a deep
affection for you.’
“Hearing her speak thus, Prince Corus grew very white, and turned away
to hide his pain, whispering to himself: ‘They shall not see how I
suffer. I have sworn an oath, and I will keep it.’
“But whatever the Princess continued to say to the Ocean Prince, it
seemed not to please him. Finally she said to him, while she turned and
beckoned to his friend: ‘Therefore, kind brother of the shimmering sea,
you must forgive me; for, though I love you as a friend, my heart
belongs to Corus, and him I choose to be my husband.’
“The Sun Prince could hardly believe he heard aright; but as the
beautiful girl turned shyly toward him, he caught her hand, and
kneeling, kissed it, thanking her for his great happiness.
“The Ocean Prince showed great surprise at Selene’s words, because he
had always thought she preferred him to Corus; indeed, it was because of
this he had made the compact so readily. Swiftly now his thoughts grew
black with anger, but the two lovers were talking together and did not
notice it. Soon he grew calmer; outwardly he seemed to be peaceful, and
stooping, he too kissed Selene’s hand, and swore friendship to the two.
“Preparations began for the wedding, and each day, as the ceremony drew
nearer, Fronto seemed happier. He really acted as though he had
forgotten his wish to marry Selene. This, of course, made Corus and his
bride more contented; they could not bear to be merry, and feel that
Fronto was suffering. But the Ocean Prince was only pretending.
Instantly, on leaving the lovers on the day of their betrothal, he had
gathered together all the little demons and wicked imps he knew, and
employed them to build big mountains on the shores of his sea. Soon
precipitous mountains gathered in clusters about the water’s edge. They
seemed only barren rock, as they loomed up from the flat sand, like
watch-towers guarding a prison. Selene and Corus teased the Ocean Prince
for building such ugly peaks, but he did not mind their jests. Finally
he had his dominions hedged in with a dark-hued rocky range.
“Then, one day when the Sun Prince was absent, he deliberately carried
out the plan he had so carefully concealed: he stole the Princess and
hid her in the caverns of his great mountains. When Corus returned,
broken-hearted and distressed over the loss of his bride and the
treachery of his friend, and demanded her release, the Sea Prince
absolutely refused to give her up—laughing to scorn his friend’s demand.
“War, of course, immediately followed. The Sun Prince was no slight
enemy, for all his father’s powerful forces were at his command. The
heavy bowlders piled up by the wretched little fiends the Ocean Prince
had employed were not easily surmounted, however, for they were
splendidly built. It would take years to pull them down. So Corus
determined he would not even try. He would rescue his beloved bride in a
simpler but more powerful manner, and in less time.
“A great river ran through the country, from the inland sea down to the
blue waters of the ocean. Now, the Sun Prince closed up that river,
shutting off all communication between the ocean and the inland sea. The
Sea Prince laughed at first when he saw this. He had so much water in
his own sea he never dreamed it could be exhausted.
“But now the Sun Prince tried new measures. As the tides could not bring
the water to the foot of the big mountains to replenish them, he sent
down burning rays upon the sea to dry it up. Evaporation began. Day by
day the water decreased, and shrunk away slowly from the white face of
the sand and the red sides of the mountains.
“A hundred feet of the water fell quickly, and then Fronto saw that the
Sun Prince, in drying up the water, could doom him and his followers to
death. Panic-stricken, he restored the Princess, and begged for mercy.
“Corus, though happy to have his beloved bride again, felt that the
awful crime Fronto had committed should not be treated lightly. His
punishment must serve as a warning to the world. Still, at the request
of his gentle-hearted bride, he forgave his false friend, and sent him
back safe with his companions to the Ocean King. However, he forced
Fronto to remain in his father’s dominions for ever, saying that he had
proven, by his treachery, he was unfit to govern a kingdom of his own.
Moreover, that kingdom should exist no longer. He would dry it up and
make it a huge desert, to mark the spot of a false friend’s perfidy.
“So the Sun never relaxed his fierce gaze, nor the wind its hot breath.
Together they scorched the seabed until the water disappeared, and the
bottom looked like a huge white bowl. Then slowly the desert formed. The
fierce heat became so intense that even the rains refused to fall there,
and the earth was too salty to allow anything to grow. Every living
creature shunned it. Neither bird nor beast would visit it, and thus it
remained for thousands of years.
“When you are in the bottom of this bowl, you are nearly three hundred
feet below the ocean. Upon all sides are great mountains, some over ten
thousand feet high; and this spot is the hottest place in the world. The
desert looks like a great plain leading out to the horizon. The soil is
almost as fine as white flour.
“But, silent and deserted as it is, the Sun Prince declared that,
because his beloved bride had been kept there, it should still be sacred
in his eyes—still retain a certain fascination. So, in all its
desolation, it does possess a weird beauty of its own. The sand dunes
reflect the light of the sky. They are sometimes deep blue, sometimes
topaz yellow, and again, at sunset, a brilliant rose.
“The quiet of the desert is profound, save when some whirling sand-storm
blows. Then all living creatures caught there are lost unless they lie
flat and cover heads and mouths. Except for this, the air is always
magnificent. At times, it is all covered with a pink mist; at other
times, it is a pure golden haze. The mountains, too, are in changing
shades of purple and lilac and blue, with golden and blood-red colors
mingled.
“All these years the place has remained a desert,—a monument to the
treachery of Prince Fronto. Yet the bitterness of the Sun Prince seems
to be lessening. Perhaps the sweet pleading of the beautiful Selene has
won forgiveness, for of late that awful waste shows signs of life. True,
its great mesas, in gray and gold, bordering its lonely hundreds of
miles, are rocky and barren still; but now and then a green bush of
elder arises on the sands, and the cacti and greasewood are beginning to
flourish well. This is the first sign of life, but it means surely that
Prince Corus has relented, and will remove the curse that ‘nothing shall
ever live there.’
“Occasionally, too, an animal has been seen running across the dry,
parched sands, and birds that once flew hundreds of miles to avoid the
hot plains now skim lightly across them. Then, at times, trees and green
grass and cool fresh lakes of water are visible. These last disappear
quickly when one approaches and tries to drink from their curling waves.
Wise people call these sights mirages, but perhaps, after all, they are
real, and foreshadow what the desert will become.
“The Sun Prince is wise and merciful, and though justice must be done,
when justice is appeased he can restore the cooling streams and
vegetation to the parched sands. Some day, perhaps, the magic spell will
be withdrawn from the mysterious desert, and its shining seas again
smile beneath sunny skies. Even now, Prince Corus occasionally sends a
great cloudburst to drench the scorching plains. At first, we know, he
did not love the barren waste. It brought back too keenly the sorrow of
his stolen bride; but time has softened that feeling, and with his
beloved Princess by his side, he looks down and smiles upon its glare
and glitter. He shows this in the wonderful sky effects above it. They
are things of beauty. If clouds gather, he tips them with rainbow
colors,—brilliant reds and oranges, purples and greens, melting into
delicious pinks, soft lilacs, and grays. The sunset there is a glorious
sight never to be forgotten.
“Its mountains, too, are beautiful. Often the ridges are clear-cut and
sharp. Again, when the Sun pours his heat upon them, they seem as flat
as the palm of your hand. They change color frequently, for at times
startling reds and yellows and pinks are painted in stripes all over
them. Later the canyons are flashing in brilliant needle-like points of
superb color, but again they are a dull blue or gray, and lose their
splendor.
“But most sublime of all the sights is still the mirage. Trembling and
glowing in the sea, lie trees and mountain peaks, reflected clear and
beautiful. Maybe it is only the reflection of the golden haze that lies
in the canyons at sunset; but whatever it is, it is one of the desert’s
splendors. And though the lilac mist and the purple shadows that creep
between the valleys and climb the mountains seem more natural to its
desolation and its silence, yet the glory of that mirage—glittering with
its dazzling hue, and flashing its strange lights like the rays from a
fire-opal—will cling the longest in one’s memory.”