With lightning speed the news of Istar's death spread from mouth to
mouth throughout Ea, and all opposition to our occupation quickly
ceased. Priests, eunuchs, populace and soldiery regarded our entry, and
the death of their goddess-queen, as the fulfilment of the dreaded curse
of Anu, and openly declared that to fight against the decree of the
great Destroyer, supreme on earth, was utterly futile. Hence the Moslem
hosts, acknowledging me as leader, poured into every part of the
once-impregnable city, and proceeded to seek suitable quarters in the
best residences and in the House of the Raising of the Head, the wonders
of which held them entranced.
During the first few hours the soldiers of the Sultan, with that inborn
love of loot which has characterised every Arab man-at-arms since the
days of the Prophet, sacked the houses of the wealthy, and would have
wrecked the palace of Istar had I not taken precautions, threatening
that any discovered pilfering would be cast into the lion-pit without
ado. By dint of most strenuous exertion I thus managed to preserve the
palace intact, but our negro allies, on entering the city, intoxicated
by success, had at once become entirely beyond control, and I fear that
many citizens and their property fared badly at their pagan hands.
As soon as I had arranged for an efficient guard in every hall
throughout the great palace, and had taken precautions to confine the
soldiers of Ea in one quarter of the city, lest they should return to
resume the defensive, I ascended to the Temple of Love, and there, in
presence of three of my chief officers, extinguished that great light
called the Eye of Istar, as sign of my complete conquest of Queen and
people.
The seething populace of Ea, when they saw that the light which had
burned uninterruptedly for ages no longer shone, regarded its failure as
sign that Shamas and Merodach had for ever forsaken them, and that city
and people had, by Istar's death, been given over to the designs of Anu,
the dreaded, and his evil hosts. They remained inert, cowed, trembling.
The luxurious Temple of Love, with its worn statue of the goddess,
presented the same appearance as it had done on that memorable night
after the Feast of Tammuz, when the Queen slept while I had watched in
silence. Her couch, with its purple cushions, was tumbled, as if she
had recently lain there, and the fresh offerings of food and wine at the
foot of the statue showed that votaries had recently ascended to
prostrate themselves in conformity with the rigid law of Semiramis.
Leaning over the balustrade, I stood gazing down in wonder at the
magnificence of the city I had conquered, and watching the breaking of
the dawn. Paper being brought at my command, I sat down and wrote a
report to the Sultan, urging him to come and witness his mysterious,
newly-acquired possession, and at the same time claiming Azala's hand.
To my well-beloved also I wrote a message of affection, and these I
dispatched in charge of six trusty messengers, who had acted as scouts,
with orders to speed on the wings of haste back to Kano.
As I again looked down upon the terraces and courts an imam from the
Fada at Kano came forward, and placing himself at my side, raised his
arms and uttered, in a firm, loud voice, our call to prayer.
Thus, for the first time in the history of Ea, was the Temple of the
Seven Lights used as mosque, and the name of Allah uttered from its high
minaret. Thrice he shouted, with all his might, those well-known words
which cause the Faithful to bend the knee towards the Holy City wherever
they may be, and the soldiers lounging about the courts below, hearing
it, prostrated themselves and recited their thanks to the One Merciful
with heartfelt fervency. Verily Allah is endued with indulgence towards
mankind; but the greater part of them are not thankful.
At first, as representative of the Sultan, there was much to occupy me;
but the people, finding our rule unoppressive, quickly became
well-disposed towards us, and soon, the defenders being disarmed, my
task was rendered easy. Then day followed day--bright, sunny, indolent,
never-to-be-forgotten days of waiting in patience for the coming of the
Sultan.
The high-priests of the Temple of the Seven Lights undertook the
obsequies of their dead Queen, which they carried out with great pomp
and ceremony, the body being carried by twelve vestal virgins to the
summit of the tower and there cremated, the ashes being afterwards cast
to the winds amid the singing of hymns to the Moon-god and much weeping
and wailing. Still, the fact that upon my breast was a mark exactly
identical with the one she had borne puzzled me, and during the long
period of waiting for the arrival of the Sultan 'Othman I used every
endeavour to discover some elucidation of the mystery. Soon I grew
impatient, and ofttimes wandered alone through the magnificent courts,
plunged deep in oppressive thoughts. The non-arrival of the Sultan
caused me serious apprehension that, during our absence, the Khalifa had
attacked Kano. If so, I feared for the safety of Azala. To distract my
attention from the one subject which occupied me both by night and by
day I applied myself diligently to the study of the gigantic
wall-sculptures and inscriptions, and succeeded in deciphering some
exceedingly interesting records of the luxury in which lived Semiramis
and her successors.
The treasures we discovered within the palace were enormous. Jewels of
great price, which had belonged to the founder of Babylon herself,
golden ornaments of every kind, many of that antique design shown in the
wall-pictures, dishes and drinking-vessels of gold, golden armour,
bejewelled breastplates, and swords with hilts set with magnificent gems
were stored in great profusion in the spacious vaults below the palace,
while the ornaments worn by priests, priestesses and high functionaries
in the daily exercise of their religious duties, were all of amazing
worth. Besides these treasures of gems and gold, we discovered a vault
filled to overflowing with the records of the dead monarchs of Ea,
cylinders and square cakes of sun-dried clay, with cuneiform
inscriptions impressed upon them by the hands of scribes who had lived
three thousand years ago. In later centuries it appeared that a kind of
papyrus had been used by the inhabitants of this world-forgotten
kingdom, nevertheless, all the earlier records had been impressed upon
clay or chipped on stones in like manner to those discovered beneath the
mounds where once stood the giant cities of Nineveh and Babylon.
Through many weeks I occupied myself with them, the result of my
investigations having been recently given to the world in the form of
two substantial volumes published in Paris.
One day, while engaged in translating a record of the historic victory
of Semiramis over the Ethiopians, neatly impressed upon a hollow
cylinder of white clay, the commander of the guard entered hastily with
the glad tidings that the cavalcade of the Sultan was actually within
sight, and half-an-hour later I received the great 'Othman and his
daughter in the glittering throne-room where first I had encountered the
Queen whose beauty had been amazing.
The Sultan's reception was wildly enthusiastic. War-drums rolled, the
conquering green banners of Al-Islam waved in the brilliant sunshine,
and the soldiers of Sokoto, who had fought so valiantly, were cheered
again and again by the great escort of their autocratic ruler. Even the
vanquished citizens of Ea lost their sullenness, and having found our
rule beneficent and devoid of the harsh oppression they had anticipated,
united in applauding the conqueror.
Amid ringing cheers he entered the magnificent hall wherein the
luxurious Istar had held sway, and, greeting him at the steps of the
throne, I motioned to him to ascend to the royal seat of prismatic
crystal. This he did, and in obedience to his desire, Azala and myself
followed, standing by him at either hand.
Then, when quiet had, with difficulty, been restored, he addressed those
present in congratulatory terms, thanking Allah for the success of our
arms, and turning to myself, publicly declared me worthy the hand of his
daughter Azala.
This announcement was followed by thunders of applause. Outside,
firearms were discharged, cannons roared, and news of our betrothal
spread away into every corner of the city.
When again the Sultan could obtain a hearing, he added that, having
discovered this mysterious kingdom hitherto unknown, it was but just
that its rule should be given into my hands. Henceforward, he said, I
was Governor of Ea, and as soon as arrangements could be made for
fitting marriage festivity I should be wedded to Azala. Advancing to
the woman I loved, we clasped hands joyously, and her eyes met mine with
an expression full of tender passion. Then, turning to the Sultan, I
acknowledged his gracious bounty, and declared that now I had Azala at
my side I would spend the remainder of my life in his service as
Governor of this new, far-removed portion of his Empire.
Azala, too, in musical voice, trembling slightly with emotion, declared
that I had successfully fought a fight that few would have attempted,
and others united to heap praise upon me of so laudatory a character
that I confess to entertaining a desire for its cessation.
After a protracted audience, the Sultan made sign that he wished to be
alone, and when all had withdrawn, except my betrothed and myself, he
turned to me, saying--
"Of a verity, Zafar, thou hast fought a valiant fight. Strange it is
that thou returnest to that which is thine own."
"How?" I inquired, puzzled at his words.
"Thou bearest the Mark of the Asps," he answered.
"The same symbol was borne by Istar," I said. "I discovered it while
she slept."
"Upon my breast also is the mark," Azala observed.
"The mysterious emblem hath, of course, puzzled thee," the Sultan said,
smiling as he addressed me. "Azala hath ofttimes asked its meaning, but
I have rendered no explanation until now. Because thou art betrothed
unto my daughter, it is but fitting that I should make explanation.
Thou hast witnessed the symbol upon the foundation-stone of Semiramis,
and I have to-day learned that Istar, as represented in image at the
summit of the Seven Lights, beareth in her hand the asps entwined. The
Mark of the Asps is the Babylonian sign of royal sonship, the symbol
with which the first-born of every ruler since Semiramis hath been
branded."
"But how came I to bear the mark?" I inquired, eagerly.
"Thou hast heard the oft-repeated story of the man who, long ages ago,
before the great earthquake, succeeded in eluding the vigilance of the
guards at the Rock of the Great Sin, and escaped into our world."
"Yea. I have often pondered deeply over that legendary tale," I
replied.
"It was no legend," he asserted. "One man did actually escape from Ea.
He was son of the reigning queen, and bore upon his breast a mark
identical with thine. Far and wide he travelled over the Great Desert,
and obeying the injunction of his ancestor, seared with a white-hot iron
the mystic symbol upon his eldest son. Thus through many generations
was the Mark of the Asps placed upon the breast of the eldest child of
either sex, until a legend became rife that ill would befall the family
if that mark were not impressed. For ages the practice, descended from
father to child, until it came to thy father, who branded thee."
"My father!" I cried. "Surely he was not a lineal descendant of the
Queens of Ea!"
"He was. Thy father and myself were brothers, but early in life we
parted in Constantine, I to the south, where I met with many adventures,
becoming commander-in-chief of the army of Sokoto, and subsequently
being placed upon the royal divan as Sultan. Some years after parting
with thy father I heard that he was dead, and, unaware that he had a
son, I, desiring to perpetuate the family legend, impressed upon the
breast of Azala the mark that thou hast witnessed."
"Then it is now easy to account for thine amazement at finding the mark
upon the breast of myself, thy captive in Kano," I observed, smiling.
"I had never dreamed of thine existence, and as it was alleged that evil
would accrue if the mark of royalty were placed on any but the person
entitled to it, I banished thee, in fear, from my kingdom," he replied.
"After I had sent thee out of Sokoto I became seized with regret, and
used every endeavour to rediscover thee, but without avail. Meanwhile,
it seemeth that thou wert beloved of thy cousin Azala, and wert striving
to elucidate the mystery. Thine efforts have at last been crowned by
success, and assuredly the expressions of good-will I have uttered
towards thee are genuine."
"I accept them," I answered, amazed at this unexpected revelation.
"Thou art brother of my father, and I thy nephew."
"It is but just that thou shouldst rule over Ea," Azala said, laughing
joyously, after she had explained that the marvels she had revealed in
Kano in order to impress me were produced, as I had suspected, by
mechanical means. "The mark was branded upon me under the
misapprehension that thou didst not exist. But in thee, the Unknown, I
have found a husband; and Ea, thine estate by right, a conqueror and
ruler."
"Hast thou still an amulet thy father gavest unto thee before his
death?" the Sultan asked, presently.
"I have," I answered, placing my hand beneath my silken robe, and
drawing therefrom the small bag of soft kid-skin I had worn for years
suspended, with other talismans, about my neck.
"Open it, and let us gaze upon it."
I obeyed, and drew from the well-worn charm-case a small, cylindrical
seal of chalcedony. It was of ancient design, like those discovered by
Layard, the Englishman, in the mounds at Nimroud, about the length of
the little finger, semi-transparent and blue almost as the morning sky,
drilled from end to end with a hole, to allow its suspension from the
neck.
"Yea," said the Sultan, taking it from my hand, and examining it with
greatest care. "Thou hast truly preserved intact the relic which hath
been in our family through countless generations. Now will I reveal
unto thee its strange secret."
"What secret doth it contain?" I asked, glancing at it eagerly.
"Upon it are words," he answered, "but so minute is the inscription that
only by placing it in the sun's rays, and watching the shadows, can the
inequalities of its surface be detected. Come hither."
He rose, and we followed him across the great, empty hall to where the
sunlight streamed full through an aperture in the high, gilded roof.
Then, placing the cylinder upon a small, golden stool, inlaid with
amethysts, that Istar had used as a table, he told me to examine it and
say what words were thereon inscribed. At first I could detect nothing,
but presently, by placing it at a certain angle, I could detect that its
surface was entirely covered by an inscription in cuneiform character,
so minute that none would dream of its existence. Only by allowing the
sun's rays to fall at a certain angle across the blue stone could the
tiny rows of arrowheads be deciphered, but after a long examination,
with the Sultan and Azala eagerly gazing over my shoulder, I was at
length enabled to gain the knowledge it imparted.
The first portion of the ancient inscription was a brief supplication,
in the picturesque language of Assyria, to Istar, Goddess of Love,
followed by a statement that the stone itself was the talisman of
Semiramis, founder of Babylon, who had decreed that her son should bear
the royal mark upon his breast in such a form as should be indelible,
and that the firstborn of the royal line should be branded in the same
manner by an iron heated until it glowed white. There was a tiny sketch
of the symbol, together with full directions as to the manner in which
the flesh must be seared, and the whole concluded with an exhortation to
Merodach to preserve the bearer of the talisman, and a fervent prayer to
Baal, head-father and creator of the universe. At the end was the
signature of some scribe, and appended the seal of Semiramis herself.
This strange historic talisman had, I recollected, been carried by my
father in all his travels, and on his deathbed he had bequeathed it to
me, with strict injunctions never to part with it, as it secured its
wearer immunity from disease or violent death. Around my neck I had
carried it through all the fights against the English in the Soudan, and
during all the long and toilsome journeys which I have related. Now it
had explained to me a secret so strange that, without its unimpeachable
evidence, I could never have credited the truth.
Again and again I re-read the curious inscription, graven by a hand that
must have crumbled into dust more than four thousand years ago; then,
witnessing Azala's great interest in it, I tenderly placed my hand
around her jewel-begirt waist and kissed her.
The Sultan smiled benignly, and telling me to mount the steps, and seat
myself upon the crystal throne that was my birthright, he gave orders
for the curtains to be drawn aside so that those assembled might witness
the high position to which I had been exalted.
The Sultan, again mounting the steps of polished silver, addressed the
brilliantly attired crowd, explaining briefly that I was the direct
descendant of the founder of that kingdom; that upon my breast I bore
the mystic Mark of the Asps; and that, in my hand, I held the long-lost
talisman of Semiramis, which ages ago had been carried away to the outer
world by the adventurous son of Istar who made his escape and never
returned. It was, he declared, but meet that I should occupy the
crystal throne whereon had lounged the languid, luxurious queens through
so many centuries, a statement which won the loud and long-continued
plaudits of the multitude.