and lashed his tail uneasily, half madly, darting as do captured beasts
from the fetters that constrain them. Then went there from thy star--for
I know now 'twas thine--a momentary flash across the head of the tadpole,
and again another and another, rapidly, pertinaciously. And from thy
star there passed repeated flashes across the head of the tadpole, till
his brilliance was as 'twere severed from him, and he, like drossy
silver, a dead shape in the conspicuous heavens. And he became yellow as
the rolling eyes of sick wretches in pain, and shrank in his place like
pale parchment at the touch of flame; dull was he as an animal fascinated
by fear, and deprived of all power to make head against the foe,
darkness, that now beset him, and usurped part of his yet lively tail,
and settled on his head, and coated part of his body. So when this
tadpole, that was once terrible to me, became turbaned, shoed, and
shawled with darkness, and there was little of him remaining visible, lo!
a concluding flash shot from thy star, and he fell heavily down the sky
and below the hills, into the sea, that is the Enchanted Sea, whose Queen
is Rabesqurat, Mistress of Illusions. Now when my soul recovered from
amazement at the marvels seen, I arose and went from the starry roofs to
consult my books of magic, and 'twas revealed to me that one was
wandering to a junction with my destiny, and that by his means the great
aim would of a surety be accomplished--Shagpat Shaved! So my purpose was
to discover him; and I made calculations, and summoned them that serve me
to search for such a youth as thou art; fairly, O my betrothed, did I
preconceive thee. And so it was that I traced a magic line from the
sand-hills to the city, and from the outer hills to the sand-hills; and
whoso approached by that line I knew was he marked out as my champion, my
betrothed,--a youth destined for great things. Was I right? The egg
hatcheth. Thou art already proved by thwackings, seasoned to the
undertaking, and I doubt not thou art he that will finish with that
tadpole Shagpat, and sit in the high seat, thy name an odour in distant