The Plague, Pestilence & Apocalypse MEGAPACK™

by Robert Reed

  at first sight the influence of a mighty will.

  Daphne was in most respects in striking contrast to the Egyptian

  leader .

  She was more than his equal in the exquisite proportions of her

  limbs, and she was in the very spring-time of youthful beauty . But

  her forehead, though broad, was low, and showed no trace of the

  oppression of thought . Her eyes were like those of the goddesses in

  Homer, whom, confident in the truth of nature, he boldly praised as

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 590

  being ox-eyed . They seemed as if formed for the display of all the

  tenderness and longing of the highest human love, but sensuous and

  passionate they were not, and everything in Daphne’s appearance

  betokened a well-balanced and restful mind .

  Woman she was in perfection, of the purest Greek race, with

  the soft outlines of a beauty moulded by feeling, with lips ready

  to respond to affection or to reject scorn with passionate impulse,

  with a hand soft for caresses, or when knit with anger, strong as the

  Amazon’s in battle . Power her face showed in abundance, but it was

  the power of the varying instinct that has reason for its instrument,

  and utterly unlike that of the Egyptian, in which a glance seemed

  to show that every passion was under the control of an iron will,

  and guided by reason only . The woman moved with easy grace, as

  if every gesture was a pleasure, whilst every movement of the man

  betokened restless, untiring energy .

  When the Egyptian leader saw Daphne with the maidens who had

  already agreed to make the venture, he first of all seemed astonished

  at her radiant beauty and her composure of manner, and then said:—

  “We had completed the number of those whom we would take, but

  come thou too if thou wilt, for thou art a goddess-queen amongst the

  others .”

  But she answered—“It seems as if ye wished to take advantage

  of our terror and steal us away for slaves, for your tale is difficult to

  believe . Ye boast yourselves to be Greeks, but many tribes of Gre-

  cians have I seen, and none with features and hair like yours; and

  ye speak not Greek to one another, and the language thou thyself

  speakest seems learned from the books of old poets, and not thy

  mother’s tongue .”

  Then the leader replied—“These men are my servants, and through

  dwelling long among strangers our appearance has changed .”

  And Daphne had from the first been constrained to admit that

  his countenance seemed much more noble and kingly than the rest;

  but she said, “Give me some sign that these are thy servants . Why

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 591

  does that man,” pointing to one of them, “sneer at me and laugh so

  immoderately?”

  Then the leader said, “Here is a sign for thee .”

  And going up to the man, he struck him full in the face, and the

  blood started from his lips, and the man fell as one dead, yet none of

  his companions said a word .

  Then Daphne believed in his authority, but she was alarmed by

  his violence and turned to go . But he said to her—

  “Wilt thou indeed go back to a loathsome death when life and

  honour and riches are open to thee? Wouldst thou through silly fear

  become like him?” and he pointed to a man at a little distance writh-

  ing in the agony of the plague . “I can save thee if thou wilt . See, the

  plague has no terror for me .”

  Then he went up to the sick man and took him by the hand, and

  looked steadfastly in his face and said, “Thou art fortunate—thou

  wilt not die of this disease .”

  And another plague-stricken wretch near him begged with

  parched lips for water, but he said, “Too late!” and turned to Daphne .

  “Take care it is not too late for thee! We have already more than

  enough who are willing to go . Still it vexes me to leave the loveliest

  to black death, and to save others . What more dost thou desire to

  know or to make me promise?” and he seemed to speak and look in

  a more kindly manner than before . And suddenly through Daphne’s

  mind there flashed the words of the poet, “Rather would I live on

  earth as the hireling of another with a landless man who had no great

  livelihood, than bear sway among all the dead that be departed .”

  Then she said, “Promise me one thing . Swear to me by thy strongest

  oath, and I will go . Swear to me if, when I reach thy country, I like

  it not, thou wilt send me back unharmed either to Athens or to some

  Greek city which has escaped the pestilence .”

  And he said, “By the respect I owe to my fathers, who are not

  dead but sleep, awaiting the day of triumph, I swear to thee . It is an

  oath that cannot be broken.” And his dark eyes flashed, and no sign

  of deceit appeared in his face; and Daphne said, “I trust thee . I will

  go .”

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 592

  And the other maidens gained confidence by what they had seen

  and heard, and, according to the word of the Egyptian leader, went

  by different ways and as secretly as possible to a place appointed for

  meeting, and they said nothing to any they met .

  CHAPTER III

  NEPENTHE

  Before they separated, the Egyptian leader gave to Daphne,

  whom he looked on as having authority over the rest, a powdered

  substance in a small linen bag .

  “This,” said he, “is that Nepenthe of which your poet singfs, the

  most soothing of all medicines, and known to the Egyptians from

  very ancient times . When ye come to our trysting-place on the coast,

  and the other maidens begin to be again afraid, mix this drug with

  sweet wine and they will forget their sorrow . Say to them that it

  is a remedy against the plague . As soon as ye have taken of it, we

  will appear and take you to our ship. And in the ship ye shall find

  the female slaves we have brought, and good store of garments and

  precious things . So care for nothing but to escape as speedily as pos-

  sible, for if the reason of your flight were known, all the Athenians

  would come, and in the crowd all must perish . Farewell!”

  The place of meeting was a little sandy bay set in the midst of steep,

  rough rocks, and about two hours from the city . Encouraged by the

  spirit and example of Daphne on the one hand, and on the other

  driven by the fear of the plague, the maidens, a little before sunset,

  reached the appointed spot . At some distance they saw a dark vessel

  unlike any they had ever seen, for there seemed to be place neither

  for oars nor sails . It looked rather like the hull of a wrecked ship than

  a vessel prepared for a long journey .

  The maidens in their trepidation were ready to start with alarm

  at any strange sight, and the black vessel, on which not a man was

  visible, seemed to them as dismal as the boat with which Charon

  ferries the souls of the dead over the Styx . They looked back already

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 593

  with longing to the city, and with fear they saw the long shadows

  cast by the declining s
un .

  But Daphne was determined to complete the venture, and she

  prepared to give them the drug .

  “This,” said she, “is a charm against the plague .”

  “Perchance,” whispered one of the maidens, “it is poisonous .”

  But Daphne replied, “Nay, that thought of thine is altogether

  foolish . Why should the men entice us away from the city simply to

  put us to death? Fear not,—I will begin .”

  She mixed the nepenthe with the sweet wine, and drank of it

  herself, and gave to the others, and they all drank .

  And then, indeed, as the leader of the band of merchants had said,

  so it happened .

  Slowly and dreamily the distant city began to blend with the

  clouds . The waves of the sea fell upon the shore with the rhythm

  of sweet music . The air became heavy with the odours of drowsy

  flowers and mystic perfumes. The sand formed a softer couch than

  the most exquisite cushions of the East . The maidens looked on one

  another with calm content . Fearless and careless, they gave them-

  selves up to the misty shapes of languid pleasures .

  All memory of the past vanished, and vanished also all thought

  of the future . From the black vessel they saw a boat put off, and they

  watched its approach as listlessly as if it were but the shadow of a

  cloud on the water . The sound of the oars was like the measured far-

  off beat of the wings of a flying swan. The men landed and seemed

  to murmur to one another in the ancient language of the happy gods;

  they lifted up the maidens, and their touch was gentle as the caress

  of a child . Then the day melted into the dark of evening, and one and

  all the maidens sank into quiet, dreamless slumber .

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 594

  CHAPTER IV

  THE MIGHT OF SKILL

  When Daphne awoke she found herself lying on a luxurious

  couch, in a low apartment lighted with hanging lamps . From the

  movement, she judged they were on the sea . Her companions were

  still sleeping, but the women slaves were awake, and moved about

  easily .

  Daphne arose and tried to walk, but her feet were unsteady with

  the movement . She called a slave-girl, and with her help reached the

  door . She found, from the slave’s report, they had slept a very long

  time—how long she knew not .

  Outside the door was a kind of ladder . She climbed up into the

  fresh air, and found herself on the deck of a large ship . A vessel of

  some kind it certainly was, for no land was in sight—nothing but the

  waves dancing in the sunlight . But the craft was altogether different

  from anything she had heard of or imagined .

  No sail was set, nor did there appear to be any masts . There were

  no oars, and no places where oars might be used. The floor on which

  she stood was a smooth unbroken surface, except for the entrance

  by which she had ascended, and two of a similar kind in different

  places, of which the doors were closed . No man was visible, and

  there was no sound except the lapping of the waves .

  At first she thought some dreadful storm must have carried away

  the upper part of the vessel, and left only the lower portion; but on

  looking, she found no signs of breakage or wreck, and discovered, to

  her amazement, that the sides of the bulwarks round the deck were

  of iron, or some metal, perfectly finished.

  The wind seemed very strong, but the waves hardly moved . She

  saw some birds in the water, which were, she thought, swimming at

  a great pace without any effort; then some beams passed with the

  same speed; then, as she looked more carefully, the waves of the

  sea seemed rushing past and breaking on the bows of the vessel . At

  last she found that it was the ship which, without sail or oar, or any

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 595

  visible power, was dashing through the water . She was awe-struck!

  Alone in the midst of the sea, with no sign of human power, the

  vessel was rushing through the water like some huge sea-monster!

  She made her way to the side, almost expecting to see great fins

  ploughing the water, or a myriad arms clutching it in swimming .

  But she could see nothing, and hear nothing . Silently, without a jar

  or shock of any kind, the vessel sped on its way through a deso-

  late waste of waters. The silence and solitude terrified her, and she

  turned to call her companions . She wished to know if she were still

  in a land of dreams, and under the power of the drug .

  But the sun shone with burning heat, the spray of the water was

  cold, the air was fresh, and everything she touched and saw seemed

  real and true . No phantom sea or ocean, she thought, could look so

  strong and glaring .

  Suddenly the Egyptian leader stood by her side, and as she shrank

  from him, he said, “Fear not! I have sworn an oath that cannot be

  broken .”

  And when she looked in his eyes, her courage was restored, and

  she said, “Tell me whither we are going, and how it is that the vessel

  moves without sail or oars . To me it seems like wicked magic .”

  “We are going,” he replied, “to a country in which, if thou wilt,

  thou shalt be a great queen; and there is no magic, but simply human

  skill which moves the ship, though it would be tedious to explain the

  matter more fully .”

  Then Daphne mused for a time on the strangeness of her situ-

  ation, and at length, after gazing fixedly at the Egyptian, she said,

  “Grant me one more promise .” And he said, “If it is possible, I will

  grant it”

  “Already when we were still at Athens,” she said, “I noticed thou

  toldest the other maidens things that thou knewest to be false, tak-

  ing advantage of their ignorance . Now I am altogether in thy power

  and at thy mercy, and I am prepared for my fate, having escaped a

  horrible death through thy aid . But my request is this: whatever thou

  sayest to me, let it be truth—do not play with me at least, with idle

  tales .”

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 596

  The Egyptian seemed to reflect for a long time, and his look be-

  came gloomy .

  Then he said: “Already I have promised thee more than I intend-

  ed, and the truth is too hard for thee to hear, or even to understand,

  for the present .”

  For a moment Daphne shuddered, but by an effort she recovered

  her composure, and said: “To avoid death by the pestilence, will-

  ingly, with my eyes open, I surrendered myself to thee, although

  I did not know even thy name . I look on myself as already in the

  under-world . Nothing now will terrify me, for thy vaunted oath I

  believe no longer .”

  The Egyptian replied, “The oath cannot be broken, and whatever

  I say to thee shall be free from deceit . But there are many things that

  I cannot tell thee: whatever I say shall be true, but neither can I tell

  thee everything, nor could thy mind at present bear it, any more than

  thy eyes could look straight at the sun . My country is in many ways

  different from Athens . My name is Thoth .”

&n
bsp; At first Daphne was displeased to be treated like a child, but her

  curiosity was excited, and she began to ask questions . The answers,

  however, seemed for the most part to cause still greater mystery .

  Suddenly she heard a cry of alarm from some of her compan-

  ions . They too had awaked, and had come to join Daphne . Just as

  they came near, at the other end of the vessel two of the merchants

  appeared, and began to eye the maidens with the look of curious

  contempt which at first had alarmed Daphne. She turned to Thoth

  and said, “Why are these men so hateful in appearance? They fill me

  with dread, and terrify my companions .”

  A look of displeasure crossed the face of the leader, and he said

  sternly, “This shall not be . I will compel them to honour whom I

  choose, and in a short time I will give thee an undoubted sign .”

  THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 597

  CHAPTER V

  THE MIGHT OF CHANCE

  Thoth disappeared, and on his return said to Daphne, “It is nec-

  essary to encourage thy companions, and to show them that they

  have nothing to fear . They seem to dread my people, but I will make

  every man give them an undoubted sign of respect .”

  Daphne informed her companions, and according to the request

  of Thoth, they stood in a line leaning on the side of the vessel . He

  then summoned his men, and they awaited his orders in an attitude

  of the most obsequious deference . Then Thoth advanced to Daphne,

  and taking her hand, said—

  “Permit me to show thee honour .”

  He bowed and lightly kissed her fingers. Then he turned to his

  companions, and choosing out the man whom he had struck in Ath-

  ens, he said—

  “Kneel down and kiss the foot of this maiden .”

  The man’s face showed a strange conflict of emotions. Amaze-

  ment struggled with obedience, and the strongest efforts at compo-

  sure failed to suppress his loathing at the indignity put upon him .

  At length, however, he advanced and knelt down, and did as he was

  commanded . He rose immediately, with his face pale with displea-

  sure .

  Then Thoth turned to another, and pointing to one of the maid-

  ens, said, “Ask thou permission to kiss her hand .”

  Next to Daphne, she was the most beautiful of all the maidens,

  and the most courageous and to kiss her hand was an honour worthy