But while ALMEIDA and HAMET were thus congratulating each other upon the
evils which they had escaped, they were threatened by others, which,
however obvious, they had overlooked.
ALMORAN, who was now exulting in the prospect of success that had
exceeded his hopes, and who supposed the possession of ALMEIDA before
the end of the next hour, was as certain as that the next hour would
arrive, suddenly entered the apartment; but upon discovering HAMET, he
started back astonished and disappointed. HAMET stood unmoved; and
regarded him with a fixed and steady look, that at once reproached and
confounded him. 'What treachery,' said ALMORAN, 'has been practised
against me? What has brought thee to this place; and how hast thou
gained admittance?' 'Against thy peace,' said HAMET, 'no treachery has
been practised, but by thyself. By those arts in which thy vices have
employed the powers of darkness, I have been brought hither; and by
those arts I have gained admittance: thy form which they have imposed
upon me, was my passport; and by the restoration of my own, I have
detected and disappointed the fraud, which the double change was
produced to execute. ALMEIDA, whom, as HAMET, thou couldst teach to
hate thee, it is now impossible that, as ALMORAN, thou shouldst teach to
love.'
ALMEIDA, who perceived the storm to be gathering which the next moment
would burst upon the head of HAMET, interposed between them, and
addressed each of them by turns; urging HAMET to be silent, and
conjuring ALMORAN to be merciful. ALMORAN, however, without regarding
ALMEIDA, or making any reply to HAMET, struck the ground with his foot,
and the messengers of death, to whom the signal was familiar, appeared
at the door. ALMORAN then commanded them to seize his brother, with a
countenance pale and livid, and a voice that was broken by rage. HAMET
was still unmoved; but ALMEIDA threw herself at the feet of ALMORAN, and
embracing his knees was about to speak, but he broke from her with
sudden fury: 'If the world should sue,' said he, 'I would spurn it off.
There is no pang that cunning can invent, which he shall not suffer: and
when death at length shall disappoint my vengeance, his mangled limbs
shall be cast out unburied, to feed the beasts of the desert and the
fowls of heaven.' During this menace, ALMEIDA sunk down without signs of
life; and HAMET struggling in vain for liberty to raise her from the
ground, she was carried off by some women who were called to her
assistance.
In this awful crisis, HAMET, who felt his own fortitude give way, looked
up, and though he conceived no words, a prayer ascended from his heart
to heaven, and was accepted by Him, to whom our thoughts are known while
they are yet afar off. For HAMET, the fountain of strength was opened
from above; his eye sparkled with confidence, and his breast was dilated
by hope. He commanded the guard that were leading him away to stop, and
they implicitly obeyed; he then stretched out his hand towards ALMORAN,
whose spirit was rebuked before him: 'Hear me,' said he, 'thou tyrant!
for it is thy genius that speaks by my voice. What has been the fruit of
all thy guilt, but accumulated misery? What joy hast thou derived from
undivided empire? what joy from the prohibition of my marriage with
ALMEIDA? what good from that power, which some evil daemon has added to
thy own? what, at this moment, is thy portion, but rage and anguish,
disappointment, and despair? Even I, whom thou seest the captive of thy
power, whom thou hast wronged of empire, and yet more of love; even I am
happy, in comparison of thee. I know that my sufferings, however
multiplied, are short, for they shall end with life, and no life is
long: then shall the everlasting ages commence; and through everlasting
ages thy sufferings shall increase. The moment is now near, when thou
shalt tread that line which alone is the path to heaven, the narrow
path that is stretched over the pit, which smokes for ever, and for
ever! When thine aking eye shall look forward to the end that is far
distant, and when behind thou shalt find no retreat; when thy steps
shall faulter, and thou shalt tremble at the depth beneath, which
thought itself is not able to fathom; then shall the angel of
distribution lift his inexorable hand against thee: from the irremeable
way shall thy feet be smitten; thou shalt plunge in the burning flood;
and though thou shalt live for ever, thou shalt rise no more.'
As the words of HAMET struck ALMORAN with terror, and over-awed him by
an influence which he could not surmount; HAMET was forced from his
presence, before any other orders had been given about him, than were
implied in the menace that was addressed to ALMEIDA: no violence,
therefore, was yet offered him; but he was secured, till the king's
pleasure should be known, in a dungeon not far from the palace, to which
he was conducted by a subterraneous passage; and the door being closed
upon him, he was left in silence, darkness, and solitude, such as may be
imagined before the voice of the Almighty produced light and life.
When ALMORAN was sufficiently recollected to consider his situation, he
despaired of prevailing upon ALMEIDA to gratify his wishes, till her
attachment to HAMET was irreparably broken; and he, therefore, resolved
to put him to death. With this view, he repeated the signal, which
convened the ministers of death to his presence; but the sound was lost
in a peal of thunder that instantly followed it, and the Genius, from
whom he received the talisman, again stood before him.
'ALMORAN,' said the Genius, 'I am now compelled into thy presence by the
command of a superior power; whom, if I should dare to disobey, the
energy of his will might drive me, in a moment, beyond the limits of
nature and the reach of thought, to spend eternity alone, without
comfort, and without hope.' 'And what,' said ALMORAN, 'is the will of
this mighty and tremendous being?' 'His will,' said the Genius, 'I will
reveal to thee. Hitherto, thou hast been enabled to lift the rod of
adversity against thy brother, by powers which nature has not entrusted
to man: as these powers, and these only, have put him into thy hand,
thou art forbidden to lift it against his life; if thou hadst prevailed
against him by thy own power, thy own power would not have been
restrained: to afflict him thou art still free; but thou art not
permitted to destroy. At the moment, in which thou shalt conceive a
thought to cut him off by violence, the punishment of thy disobedience
shall commence, and the pangs of death shall be upon thee.' 'If then,'
said ALMORAN, 'this awful power is the friend of HAMET; what yet
remains, in the stores of thy wisdom, for me? 'Till he dies, I am at
once precluded from peace, and safety, and enjoyment.' 'Look up,' said
the Genius, 'for the iron hand of despair is not yet upon thee. Thou
canst be happy, only by his death; and his life thou art forbidden to
take away: yet mayst thou still arm him against himself; and if he dies
by his own hand, thy wishes will be full.' 'O name,' said ALMORAN, 'but
the means, and it shall this moment be accomplished!' 'Select,' said the
Genius, 'some friend--'
At the name of friend, ALMORAN started and looked round in despair. He
recollected the perfidy of Osmyn; and he suspected that, from the same
cause, all were perfidious: 'While HAMET has yet life,' said he, 'I
fear the face of man, as of a savage that is prowling for his prey.'
'Relinquish not yet thy hopes,' said the Genius; 'for one, in whom thou
wilt joyfully confide, may be found. Let him secretly obtain admittance
to HAMET, as if by stealth; let him profess an abhorrence of thy reign,
and compassion for his misfortunes; let him pretend that the rack is
even now preparing for him; that death is inevitable, but that torment
may be avoided: let him then give him a poignard, as the instrument of
deliverance; and, perhaps, his own hand may strike the blow, that shall
give thee peace.' 'But who,' said ALMORAN, shall go upon this important
errand?' 'Who,' replied the Genius, but thyself? Hast thou not the
power to assume the form of whomsoever thou wouldst have sent?' 'I would
have sent Osmyn,' said ALMORAN, 'but that I know him to be a traitor.'
'Let the form of Osmyn then,' said the Genius, 'be thine. The shadows of
the evening have now stretched themselves upon the earth: command Osmyn
to attend thee alone in the grove, where Solyman, thy father, was used
to meditate by night; and when thy form shall be impressed upon him, I
will there seal his eyes in sleep, till the charm shall be broken; so
shall no evil be attempted against thee, and the transformation shall be
known only to thyself.'
ALMORAN, whose breast was again illuminated by hope, was about to
express his gratitude and joy; but the Genius suddenly disappeared. He
began, therefore, immediately to follow the instructions that he had
received: he commanded Osmyn to attend him in the grove, and forbad
every other to approach; by the power of the talisman he assumed his
appearance, and saw him sink down in the supernatural slumber before
him: he then quitted the place, and prepared to visit HAMET in the
prison.