caravan of the wise men, far or near.

At the edge of the terrace he saw a little cairn of broken bricks, and
under them a piece of parchment. He caught it up and read: "We have
waited past the midnight, and can delay no longer. We go to find the
King. Follow us across the desert."

Artaban sat down upon the ground and covered his head in despair.

"How can I cross the desert," said he, "with no food and with a spent
horse? I must return to Babylon, sell my sapphire, and buy a train of
camels, and provision for the journey. I may never overtake my friends.
Only God the merciful knows whether I shall not lose the sight of the
King because I tarried to show mercy."



FOR THE SAKE OF A LITTLE CHILD


There was a silence in the Hall of Dreams, where I was listening to the
story of the Other Wise Man. And through this silence I saw, but very
dimly, his figure passing over the dreary undulations of the desert,
high upon the back of his camel, rocking steadily onward like a ship
over the waves.

The land of death spread its cruel net around him. The stony wastes
bore no fruit but briers and thorns. The dark ledges of rock thrust
themselves above the surface here and there, like the bones of perished
monsters. Arid and inhospitable mountain ranges rose before him,