Nearer and nearer it came, ... brighter and brighter glowed the
vivid scarlet of its sails, ... a solemn sound of stringed music
rippled enchantingly over the glassy river, mingling itself with
the wild shouting of the populace,--shouting that seemed to rend
the hollow vault of heaven! ... Nearer ... nearer ... and now the
vessel slid round and curtsied forward, ... its propelling fins
moved more rapidly ... another graceful sweep,--and lo! it fronted
the surging throng like a glittering, fantastic Apparition drawn
out of dreamland! ...

Theos stared at it, dazzled and stricken with a half-blind
breathless wonder,--was ever a ship like this he thought?--a ship
that sparkled all over as though it were carven out of one great
burning jewel? ... Golden hangings, falling in rich, loose folds,
draped it gorgeously from stem to stern,--gold cordage looped the
sails,--on the deck a band of young gals clad in white, and
crowned with flowers, knelt, playing softly on quaintly shaped
instruments,--and a cluster of tiny, semi-nude boys, fair as young
cupids, were grouped in pretty reposeful attitudes along the edge
of the gilded prow holding garlands of red and yellow blossoms
which trailed down to the surface of the water beneath.

As a half-slumbering man may note a sudden brilliant glare of
sunshine flashing on the wall of his sleeping-chamber, so Theos at
first viewed this floating pageant in confused, uncomprehending
bewilderment, ... when all at once his stupefied senses were
roused to hot life and pulsing action,--with a smothered cry of
ecstasy he fixed his straining, eager gaze on one supreme, fair
Figure,--the central Glory of the marvellous picture! ...