Then he took the lad inside the house, with the great wooden pillars and
the high gates, and the dark windows all barred up and down with iron,
and he led him to a court-yard where was a pool of clear water. He made
him bathe in it, and dark-skinned natives brought him bread dipped in
wine, and when he had eaten they laid him on skins and rubbed him dry,
and rolled him in soft linen, and he drank the coffee they gave him, and
they sat by and fanned him until he fell asleep.

.......................

The red birds on the window-sill sang through his sleep into his dreams.
In his dreams he thought he was in the Dakoon's Palace at Mandakan with a
thousand men before him, and three men came forward and gave him a sword.
And a bird came flying through the great chambers and hung over him,
singing in a voice that he understood, and he spoke to the three and to
the thousand, in the words of the bird, and said:

"It is fighting, and fighting for honour and glory and houses and kine,
but naught for love, and naught that there may be peace."

And the men said in reply: "It is all for love and it is all for peace,"
and they still held out the sword to him. So he took it and buckled it
to his side, and the bird, flying away out of the great window of the
chamber, sang: "Peace! Peace! Peace!" And Pango Dooni's Son standing
by, with a shining face, said, "Peace! Peace!" and the great Cumner
said, "Peace!" and a woman's voice, not louder than a bee's, but clear
above all others, said, "Peace!"

......................