Istar of Babylon: A Phantasy

by Margaret Horton Potter

  XVIII

  THE FEAST OF TAMMUZ

  The midsummer month, Abu, dedicated to the "Queen of the Bow," wasushered in with heat intense, suffocating, and unendurable. The secondday of the month was the sixteenth of the siege--so-called. The camp ofthe Elamite remained perfectly passive. No preparations for fighting hadbeen made, neither battering-ram nor catapult constructed, not an arrowlet fly from the bow, not a pebble from the sling. The great body ofstout warriors from the vigorous north remained in demoralizingidleness, broiling in their tents, sleeping by day, living and sufferingat night, while the city they coveted lay quiet, half lifeless, on theplain before them.

  The time had come for the great religious festival celebrated each yearin the Babylonian temples by priest, king, and people, in honor ofIstar's murdered spouse, Tammuz, the young god of spring, slain by thefierce bolts of high-riding Shamash. This feast was of three days'duration, and began at the hour of the first sacrifice on the morning ofthe second of the month. It was the most important festival in thecalendar, and never yet in the history of the city had its celebration,for any reason whatsoever, been neglected. And this year the royaldecree concerning it was issued as usual.

  In the week that preceded the prospective holiday, however, the lord ofBabylon was subject to some unaccountable forebodings with regard tothis feast. Outwardly, as any one could see, the city was quiet enough.Inwardly it seethed. This, of course, Belshazzar knew. But of the extentor the trend of the plot, neither he nor any of his partisans was aware.His ears could not hear what was talked of at noon in the houses ofZicaru. His eyes could not see the well-hidden rooms in which priestsand people met to talk over wrongs that the citizens had never thoughtof before, but which their indefatigable preceptors skilfully pointedout to them. Nor did Belshazzar much heed the harangues that dailyfollowed morning sacrifice in every temple. He hardly noticed howimmense were the crowds in attendance at sacrifice now; and those of thelords and the soldiers that did notice, refused to think lucidly, butput it all down to anxiety over the siege and a wish to propitiate thegods. Still, blind, deaf, utterly insensible as were the king and allhis councillors to the only open evidences of treachery in the city,there was no one of them that did not, however vaguely, feel treacheryin the air, and dread accordingly.

  In the days between the fall of Sippar and the feast, Nabonidus had notonce, so far as his son knew, been inquired for by man, woman, or priestin the Great City. If anything were said in the palace it was inwhispers too careful to reach the royal ears. Belitsum, still overcomeby the prophet's dream, had gone into an uncertain retirement; but theremainder of the harem went thoughtlessly and light-heartedly abouttheir occupations, adding to their usual aimless lives the pleasure ofpreparing for the great holiday, now so near at hand.

  The demi-god Tammuz, beloved of the love-goddess (as Spring and Lovehave been forever wedded in myth and song) had no proper place ofworship in Babylon. His romantic death, however, was celebrated in everytemple of the city and the suburbs on the same days. From timeimmemorial it had been the custom for the royal household--men, women,children, slaves, officers, and servants--to remove into the great hallof the temple of Bel-Marduk, where the high-priest was accustomed toofficiate.[12] Here for three days they remained, engaged in mingledprayer and revelry, the one forbidden refreshment being that only onewhich could betoken forgetfulness of the gods and the purposes of thefeast--sleep.

  In consequence of this, for a week after the festival of the death ofSpring, the Great City was wont to wear the aspect of a city of thedead; for every one in it moved out from the temple in which he hadcelebrated the great event, straight to his bed, and there remained tillhis vitality was restored to him.

  According to custom, then, on the night of the first of July Babylon wasin a ferment of activity. Houses were preparing for temporary desertion,stripped of costly hangings and furniture, which were stowed where theymight be out of reach of sacrilegious marauders, while holiday garmentsand ornaments, the costliest that each household could afford, weremaking ready for wear on the morrow. In every garden garlands werewoven. In the temples, priests and eunuchs were at work setting uptables and divans, hanging flower-ropes and wreaths over the images ofTammuz that were placed in each house of worship. All night chariotsrattled through the streets, and men shouted to each other from house tohouse. Great droves of bullocks and goats, and immense numbers of fowlsand doves, were conveyed to the temporary sheds erected on eachtemple-platform, in anticipation of the needs of the sacrifices. To thecasual observer everything might have appeared exactly as usual. Therewas none to know how many secret weapons were slipped into the broadgirdles of the citizens' holiday dresses. There was none to wonder why,at some time between midnight and dawn, a Zicari, or some member of thepriesthood, stopped at almost every house in the common quarters towhisper certain final instructions in the ear of the householder. Andfrom the great height of Nimitti-Bel, the members of the city guardfailed, in the darkness, to perceive that the black camp of the invaderwas not at rest.

  There were two men in Babylon aware of all these things, and these twosat together, like spiders in the great web of their spinning, watchingthroughout that fervid night. They were in the house of the high-priestof Bel, on the east side of the A-Ibur-Sabu; and one of them wasAmraphel, the master of the house, while the other was Beltishazzar theJew. They did not talk, for there was little to speak of. Their plan hadbeen long in the making and was perfect at last. Every detail was at thefinger-tips of both of them. And it had been only a consciousness of thegigantic consequence of their plan, and the probable monstrous resultsof it, that made its originators instinctively draw together on the eveof its fulfilment. Neither of them was nervous in the presence of theother, for one of these men perfectly complemented his companion. Thegreat intellect and the talent for broad strokes of policy that had madeAmraphel's position what it was, was completed by the abnormalcharacteristics of craft and foresight possessed by the Jew. Amraphel'scourage was the outcome of his great pride. Daniel's bravery was that ofthe enthusiast, the fanatic, the leader of men--tempered always with aspecies of cowardice, the cowardice that was to give Babylon over toother hands than his for government.

  Thus here, in the silent interior of Amraphel's vast palace, sat the twotraitors, inwardly communing, outwardly silent, throughout the longnight of the first of July, while Babylon raged within, and Belshazzardreamed feverishly in the house of his dead father.

  Morning--the morning of the second of Ab--dawned over the city. On thelips of every man was the name of Tammuz. In the heart of every man werethe mingled emotions of excitement, of dread, of vague desire. Thepalace of the king was, early in the day, the scene of confusedpreparation. Only one person in it experienced no sensation ofpleasurable excitement at the prospect of the coming feast; Istar, stillmourning her unspeakable loss, had spent the night in accustomed grief,to which this time something was added--a vague sense of dread, ofundefined foreboding. At early dawn, before the palace was awake,Belshazzar came in to her, and his eyes were dark with trouble. Istarlooked searchingly into his face before she spoke.

  "What is the woe of my lord? Thou hast not slept, Belshazzar?"

  "Yea, beloved, I have slept--and dreamed: dreamed till my head is onfire. Let thy hands cool the burning of mine eyes. Let thy words stillthe fears that are rising in my heart. Istar, I have spoken this nightwith the spirit of my father, who bade me welcome--home."

  Istar gave a sharp cry, and the color fled from her face.

  "It was a vision, a wandering dream; and yet it has brought forebodingin its train. Bring me comfort, Istar, my beloved."

  "Comfort, lord of my heart! Comfort! Ah! I have none of it. Since mybaby is taken from me, my heart weeps. O Belshazzar, thou king, let usnot ask for comfort. Let us rather mingle our tears before the seat ofGod; and from our grief shall spring the blessing of the divine comfort.My heart weeps. Why, then, should my lips smile? Thou, dear lord,remainest to me. If thou wert gone I should not weep, f
or with thee mylife, too, would go. My lord--my lord--I love thee so!"

  Quickly Belshazzar caught her in his arms, crushing her to him in anembrace wherein all their earthly and spiritual love mingled together inone supreme moment of ecstasy. When his arms unclosed, both were faint.Istar lay back upon her couch, her eyes shut, her breath coming withdifficulty; while Belshazzar stood over her, looking down at her beautywith a sudden feeling of sweet, ineffable peace.

  Now the day had fully broken, and the whole palace was alive. Belshazzartook tender leave of his wife, for the two of them were to go differentways to the temple: Istar in her litter with the members of the harem,Belshazzar in his golden chariot, by the side of the high-priest.

  "My lord shall see me clothed all in black and silver; nor, through thethree days, will I uncover my face before the eyes of those assembled,"whispered Istar, as he knelt for the last instant beside her.

  "On the evening of the third day, beloved, thou must unveil. Tammuz,like our child, is dead; yet in their grief the women disclose theirfeatures. So also shalt thou. Now, fare thee well--till once again weare alone together here."

  Istar started nervously, and then rose to her feet with a suddenimpulse. "Belshazzar, wilt thou guard thyself in the temple? Wilt thounot have thy men of Gutium at thy side?"

  "How had you known that, Istar? Such a thought never came to me before;yet now--this year--I have commanded that my whole regiment, with theirarms, be gathered together in the temple with my regular household. WhyI have done this thing I myself know not. And yet--and yet--"

  Istar put her arms about his neck. "Let the great God be thanked!" shewhispered, earnestly. "And I also--I also will be with thee. If harmcomes, we shall be together to the end."

  Finally Belshazzar left her and went to his own rooms to see that allpreparations for the great feast were made. Istar, in the mean time,covered herself with the long, black, silver-shot veil that she had wornin the days of her loneliness; and, robed only in this and her whitetunic, without jewel or ornament of any kind, she sat alone in her roomtill it came to be the time of setting forth. A eunuch announced thather litter waited; and, attended by two slaves with fans, she walked outto the great court-yard of the palace.

  Here, indeed, was a scene of the liveliest confusion. Men, women,children, and eunuchs of every type, all in holiday dress, all noisilytalking and laughing, moved about among groups of chariots, litters,richly caparisoned donkeys, and two or three camels; for, on the way toand from the feast, the meanest slave was never asked to walk. Istar wasthe first of the royal party to appear in the court-yard, and hermourning costume created much comment of a disappointed character. Herveiled face and melancholy gait cast a shadow over the general merrimentof the lower class, among whom, indeed, Istar was not popular. Herlitter, however, was quickly brought to her, and just as she lay down init, happy to be out of sight, Belitsum, the dowager, appeared. Her moodwas quite different from that of her quasi daughter-in-law. She had castaside her widow's weeds, as was her privilege, for the three feast-days;and her stout person was gorgeously arrayed. A band of flashing jewelsheld her head-cloth in place above her eyebrows, and she waddled alongto a jingling accompaniment of bells that were fastened on her anklesand strings of dangling beads that hung from her waist. Her laughtersounded high and shrill as she tossed some light-hearted jest to theline of attendants that followed her; and the whole court-yard respondedto her wit with mighty roars of laughter. Now, indeed, Belitsum was inher element. It took her full fifteen minutes to settle herself in herlitter, and she was only then finally fixed because the appearance ofBelshazzar put an end to any further by-play for the benefit of theon-lookers.

  Belshazzar hastily mounted his chariot, and, the signal for the startbeing immediately given, there was a mad scramble for vehicles, donkeys,and camels, and the royal procession passed through the gate of thepalace.

  The temple of Marduk, in which the king kept the feast of Tammuz, wasthe largest temple in Babylon, and the only important one on the eastbank of the Euphrates. At the other end of the great bridge, Amraphel,clad in the fullest insignia of his office, joined the king at the headof the line of the royal household. Their way led along the Mutaqutu,the smaller of Nebuchadrezzar's two boulevards; and it was lined withpeople that risked the possibility of being late at the openingsacrifice in their temples in order to see this imposing spectacle. Forthe first time in a year Belshazzar was cheered along his way. And therewas something in the voices of the people that went home to the heart ofthe uncrowned king; so that, for the first time in his life, his eyeswere wet with the tears of love that royalty should feel for itschildren.

  One incident only disturbed the dignity of the march. Belitsum, theirrepressible, had barely managed to contain herself in solitude whenthe curtain of her litter finally shut her away from the eyes of theadmiring throng. But now she was consoled by the fact that, though shewas herself unseen, she could comfortably watch the crowd that lined thestreets through which she passed. The procession was more than half-wayto the temple when her sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of a man thatstood watching the procession from the left side of the street. Meanlydressed and dull-eyed as he was, she nevertheless recognized in him hernew prophet, the man of dreams.

  Quickly thrusting her head from her slow-moving equipage, she cried toone of her bearers, pointing at the same time to the object of hercuriosity:

  "Shusu-Sin! Shusu-Sin! Who is that man there--he of the brown tunic andthe rose-topped cane? Speak!"

  The bearer glanced round in an embarrassed fashion as the crowd cranedforward to look at the queen. He had no difficulty in recognizing theman she designated. Then, leaning backward, towards the waiting ear ofthe dowager, he whispered, discreetly:

  "He on whom the eyes of the queen have deigned to rest is Beltishazzarthe Jew, called of his people Daniel."

  "A Jew!" cried Belitsum, in amazement. Then, catching the innumerableeyes fixed upon her in wonder or in amusement, she dove hastily backinto her litter, carrying with her the long-desired knowledge.

  Meantime, at the head of the procession drove Belshazzar and Amraphel,side by side, in their golden chariots. Beyond the requisite firstsalutation, neither of them had spoken on the whole way, till, at aquarter of an hour before the time set for the first sacrifice, theroyal vehicles halted in the great square of Marduk. Here was somethingat sight of which Amraphel started anxiously. In that square, south ofthe main entrance of the temple, drawn rank on rank in matchless array,spear, helmet, and sword flashing in the sun, was Belshazzar's guard,the famous regiment of Gutium. They had been waiting here all themorning, under command of their lieutenant, at the orders of theircommander. And now, as the king drew near, they made the royal salute,and quietly closed ranks in preparation for marching. Belshazzar, givingthem a long, sweeping salute, suddenly halted his chariot. Thehigh-priest, in extreme anxiety, did the same. Then the king shoutedthree orders, all of them barely comprehensible to a civilian. ButAmraphel's ears were sharp; his wits sharper. At the last command hisface grew crimson with anger.

  "What means this?" he asked, hoarsely, turning on the king. "Think youthese dogs shall be admitted to the holy temple?"

  Belshazzar barely turned his head towards the speaker. "What sayestthou?" he asked, coolly.

  "It is against the laws of the gods that armed men should enter intotheir places of worship."

  "I had not heard it," returned the king. "And it is my will that this,my regiment, follow me into the temple. How"--suddenly he turned full onthe priest--"how wilt thou gainsay me?"

  Amraphel drew back into himself. What had Belshazzar heard? How much didhe know? Could he indeed, with this handful of soldiers, hold thattemple of Marduk against the army of Cyrus and the Babylonish mob? Itwas a question that was not easy to answer. Do what he would, Amraphelwas for the moment sorely nonplussed. He could see nothing for it but tosubmit. It was thorough defeat; for, fifteen minutes later, fiftymembers of the priesthood, the whole of the royal household, and theregi
ment of Gutium, five hundred strong, had entered the temple ofBel-Marduk.

  Almost incredibly vast was the great hall of this, the greatest templeof the first of Babylon's twelve great gods. In it the seven hundredpeople that entered found plenty of room--more than enough room tospread themselves about at will. The vast walls, which towered up to atremendous height, were richly adorned in the lower half withbas-reliefs illustrating various religious myths: the council of thegods; Bel-Marduk's combat with Tiamat the dragon; and Oannes thefish-god, giver of wisdom, expounding religion to the throngs of peoplethat came down to hear him on the shores of the gulf of the setting sun.Above these sculptures ran bands of history, in the immaculatecuneiform, giving the story of Babylon from the time of her foundingdown to to-day. Still over this, on the enamelled tiles that carried thewalls on up to the dim and shadowy roof, were the decorations for thefeast. Great cloths of silk and muslin, elaborately and beautifullyembroidered, fell, softly luminous, in the glowing light. Ropes offlowers were everywhere festooned; and their fragrance alone would haverendered the air rich. Their breath, however, vied with streams ofincense, with showered perfumes, with fragrance of the sweet myrrh andIndian spices that burned along the walls in braziers of beaten brass.Finally, the light from the scene itself furnished sweetness to theroom; for, from a thousand well-wrought hanging-lamps came flickering,golden flames, fed with the rarest perfumed oil.

  The preparations for the feast and for the innumerable sacrifices, withwhich the feasting was to be varied, had been carefully made. The backrooms of the temple had been converted indiscriminately into kitchens,larders, and stables for the animals to be used for the sacrifice. Herean army of slaves was already at work, and there were half a hundredtemple eunuchs, clad in spotless white, with collars of gold and caps ofTyrian purple, to minister to the wants of the feasters.

  The great hall had been prepared with infinite care for the reception ofthe worshippers. In the back of the room, facing the entrance, andraised ten feet above the floor, was the platform on which stood theshrine of Tammuz. On the broad space before the holy of holies, carpetedwith rugs, lighted by jewel-crusted lamps, were the divan and table ofthe king, who was to keep this place during the three days of the feast.At the foot of the steps leading up into this high place was thesacrificial altar, on which a fire was kept burning continuously; and tothe right and to the left of this stood other images of Tammuz. Here,for six hours by day and six by night, was the place of the high-priest.During the rest of the time he lay above, on a couch beside that of theking, or, if he chose, moved from place to place at the long tables thatlined the walls and filled the central spaces of the hall. At thesetables rank was not observed, and the lord of the treasury and themeanest slave of the harem might be found side by side. These matters,however, adjusted themselves. Men sat with their chosen friends, ormoved about from hour to hour as they wished, while the women generallyremained in groups at the upper end of the hall.

  To-day Ribata, in company with the lords of the palace, took his placeimmediately below Belshazzar's platform, while his slaves were justbeyond them, to the right. The soldiers of Gutium were in a body at theend of the hall, lying awkwardly enough on their silken couches, anddreaming grimly of nights in the watch-towers on the walls when theyfeasted according to their taste. On the right hand of the great hall,quite alone, at a solitary table under the figure of Bel on the wall,sat the one being to whom this festival was not a thing of joy. Istar,veiled from head to foot, uncrowned, unadorned, unattended, sat alone onher couch, gazing straight before her, wrapped in grief and foreboding,hearing nothing of what went on about her. Belshazzar from his place,and Baba from where she mingled with the slaves, watched her when theycould; and for many hours that day it seemed to them that she did notmove; and their bodies grew weary with the thought of how she stayedthere, rigid and untiring.

  As soon as the great company was assembled and each had found a place,the first sacrifice of the day was made. Two under-priests led in asnow-white bullock with gilded horns, his body twined with lotus flowersand his feet bound with golden chains.

  This animal was led once round the room, while every one rose,prostrated himself before it, and remained standing through the wholesacrificial ceremony. Amraphel performed the slaughter in the name ofTammuz. Then a short incantation was made. The blood of the deadcreature was poured out upon the altar, and the carcass was then carriedaway to be flayed, dressed, and cooked. This ceremony formally openedthe festival, and it was followed by a loud chant led by the priests, inwhich the praises of Tammuz and Istar were set forth. In the midst ofthis singing the first wine was brought. Flagon after flagon of thepurple juice of Helbon, of Lebanon, of Izalla, of Tuhimme, of Zimini,and of Opis in Armenia was emptied down the eager throats of both menand women. Very shortly the scene took on a different aspect. Laughtercame freely. Voices rose clearer and higher, and snatches of song echoedunder the high roof. The music of the lutes and cymbals caused more thanone woman to rise and fall into that slow, sinuous, dreamy posturing,called, in the East, dancing. Many sacrifices followed. Goats and lambswere slaughtered by tens and twenties. Doves, fastened neck to neck withfine, silver chains, were killed off by the hundreds: timid, flutteringthings, reared for this sacred end in the temple towers, but unable, intheir folly, to realize the worthiness of their holy martyrdom. Amrapheland his under-priests admirably performed their tasks. Indeed, Amraphelseemed doubly impressive to-day. His men were exalted with their wine,and everything but the affairs of the hour had slipped from theirthoughts.

  Only Istar, of them all, looked on unmoved and sad. To-day she saw herlord as never before, crowning the feast in all the splendor of hisroyalty. Never had the faultless beauty of his physique impressed herso. He stood at the top of the ten steps, directly in front of thearched door-way of the shrine, three golden-robed slaves crouching oneither side of him, lifting in his hands a yellow cup of wine that hedrank to the men of his guard, to the regiment of Guti. His purplecloak, wrought with long scrolls of burning gold, flowed back from hisshoulders. His superb head, its black locks bound about with a twistedfillet in which flashed fifty purple amethysts, was held like that of aconqueror on the day of his greatest victory. Istar caught the flashingof the storm-eyes, saw the lips curve with his deep laughter, watchedthe gleaming of the jewels on his breast, and then, as he raised the cupto his mouth, she sank back in her place, dizzy and sick at heart. Hehad forgotten as she could not forget. He thought no more of the littlecreature he had watched with her, that had lain in his arms so manytimes warm and breathing with life, and that had been so lately takenfrom him in death. And at that thought of death a terrible shudderpassed over her, and she became still and cold, and intensely weary ofthe scene of revelry. Slowly she sank back into a reclining position onher couch. She had refused every proffered dish of food, every kind ofwine. Her eyelids closed and there came over her a kind of stupor, inwhich she lay for many hours. It was not sleep, for through it she couldhear the sounds in the room, could distinguish Belshazzar's voicewhenever he spoke, and always answered the slaves that came reverentlyto waken her, telling them that she knew all that passed as well as theythemselves. And yet Istar was not actually in that room. Nay, she couldfeel herself alone, at an infinite distance. When, after a long periodshe opened her eyes again, she saw the scene more than ever full oflife. The lamps glowed brighter than before, but through the opening farin the roof no daylight came. The day was over. Night had come. Istarwas faint for food, yet she rebelled at the idea of the heavy,half-cooked flesh served in this room; and she thought that possibly, inthe rear of the temple, there might be some quiet place where she couldbreak bread and taste of fruit and wine alone and undisturbed. With thisthought she rose quietly and moved across to the foot of the shrine, onthe platform of which Amraphel and Belshazzar now sat side by side.Here, moved by an irresistible impulse, Istar of Babylon turned to lookback on the scene she was leaving. But her eyes, first raised, did notreturn to the floor. Instead, she stood transfix
ed, the heart in herwildly throbbing, her head swimming with the overpowering wonder of thesight that met her eyes. Unconscious of what she did, her two hands drewthe enshrouding veil from her face, and then there rushed upon hervision such a sight as she had never thought to see again.

  In the air, above the vast, closed doors, hung Allaraine, in a dazzlingcloud of glory, his form all but indistinguishable in the palpitatingrays of his aureole. He was without his lyre. In his right hand he helda wand of molten gold, with which he wrote upon the broad space over thedoors. He, and that that he wrote, were clearly intelligible to Istar,who gazed on him unnoticed in her place. For Allaraine had come for her,and for her alone was writing his message there upon the wall. This sheknew from the first.

  But how was it with those others that thronged the hall? Before theirblinded spiritual eyes all that was distinguishable were three fingersof the archetype's hand, and the unreadable words of fire that he wrote.Yet these were enough: infinitely more than enough. Amraphel andBelshazzar together, from the high place, first saw the miracle; andfrom the lips of the king broke forth a cry, a cry that stilled everyvoice in the temple. All eyes were turned to the shrine, and beheld thedread staring of Amraphel, whose gaze was fixed in dumb terror on theopposite wall. With universal accord every glance followed his, andevery eye beheld the gradual fading of the hand and the blazingbrilliance of the writing that was left upon the wall. There was no cryfrom the assemblage. A silence, infinitely more impressive than anysound, fell upon them. For five long minutes none moved or spoke. Istarremained unperceived in her place. Trembling and dazed, her lips movednoiselessly, repeating over and over the words that were written beforeher:

  "Hast thou found man's relation to God? The silver sky waits for thysoul."

  Again and yet again she repeated those two phrases to herself, till, outof the depths of the long-past, their meaning came home to her. Then afaint sigh broke from her lips, a sigh of ineffable weariness, ofineffable relief. She replaced the veil over her face, and, glidingnoiselessly back to her couch, lay down upon it with her new knowledge,giving little heed to all that followed.

  The voice of Belshazzar broke the spell hanging over the room. His tonesstartled the company like the clarion blast of a trumpet, as he cried:"Alchia! Balatu! Ubar! Umaria! Ye prophets of the great gods, arise andcome before me!"

  From out of the throng of feasters rose four white-robed men,bare-headed and bare-footed, prophets of Nabonidus' household.Mechanically obeying the words of their lord, they came forth and stoodin a row before the steps of the high place.

  "Ye that are professed to know the wishes of the gods, interpret now tous that which is written upon the wall."

  One by one the four men turned and scanned the wall with its flamingtext. And one by one each turned back to the king again, saying,helplessly: "O prince, live forever! I cannot read it!"

  Then Belshazzar's pale face became tinged with red and his eyes blazedwith anger. "Look ye again! I say that honor and riches and great powershall be his that interprets these words upon the wall. Look ye again!"

  And again they looked. But had the reward for the reading been thekingdom of Babylonia, not one of the four possessed the wit or thecourage to interpret to the master that which was unreadable to mortaleyes.

  When it was seen in the room how the prophets had failed in their task,the murmurs of many tongues began to be heard against them. The wholethrong was tremulous with awe and with fear. Amraphel himself felt it.He gazed helplessly at Belshazzar, never realizing this tremendousopportunity, never perceiving that no situation could possibly have beenmore desirable than this. It was from a wholly unexpected source thathelp came to his cause. In the midst of the dread silence that hadgradually overpowered the people, Belitsum sprang from her place, and,hurrying as well as she could to the foot of the steps leading up to theshrine, cried out to Belshazzar:

  "O king, live forever! Let not thy thoughts trouble thee nor thycountenance be changed. There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is thespirit of the great gods; in whom was found light and understanding andwisdom in the days of thy father's father. What hath he not shown theeand me in the miracle of his dream? Forasmuch as great knowledge andunderstanding, interpreting of dreams and showing of hard sentences anddissolving of doubts, were found in Daniel, called Beltishazzar, letthen that Daniel be called, and he will show the interpreting of theletters of the fiery hand."

  Belshazzar heard his step-mother with no little amazement, for he hadhardly credited her with either sense or knowledge. But her wordsrecalled to him something that Nabonidus had once said to him regardingthis same man, and he made a sudden determination to try him with thisdifficult feat.

  "Ina-shu-sin!" he shouted to the officer of his house that stood onguard at the door. "Let the door of the temple be opened. Go thou forthinto the city and find him that is called Beltishazzar the Jew, bringinghim back to the temple. Haste thee!"

  The man had not time to acknowledge the command when Amraphel turnedquickly to Belshazzar: "Lord prince," said he, softly, "the man Danielbeing well known to the priesthood, send thou rather a temple steward tofind him. He will appear before thee very shortly."

  Belshazzar looked searchingly into the face of the high-priest, but hefailed to find there more than a warrantable anxiety. Therefore hereplied: "As thou wilt, Amraphel. Ina-shu-Ibni, let rather Baza of thetemple go to search for the prophet; and watch thou for them from thedoor, that Daniel, coming, may quickly enter."

  The priest Baza, of the third house of Zicaru, put away the cups that hebore, and, catching Amraphel's sign, made his obeisance to the king andhurried from the temple. Just before his disappearance Istar, who hadwatched the whole scene in silence, half rose from the couch to whichshe had returned, as if she would have prevented the man's departure.For a second she stood quite still in her upright position, glancingfrom the letters on the wall to Belshazzar's face. Then she sank back onher couch again without speaking; and as her head once more touched thecushions, Baza disappeared into the night, and Ina-shu-Ibni shut, butdid not fasten after him, the great temple door.

  Fifteen minutes passed, and still the dazed throng neither spoke normoved. They waited for him who could make plain to them the mystery orthe miracle that had come upon the feast. At the end of this time thetemple door once again softly opened, and a man, dark-robed,bare-footed, gaunt, and sharp-eyed, walked into the room, and straightto the foot of the steps of the shrine. Seeing Belshazzar and Amrapheltogether above him, he made obeisance to each, and Belshazzar, rising,came to the top of the first step, asking:

  "Art thou that Daniel which art of the captivity of Judah, whom thegreat king my father's father brought out of Jewry?"

  Daniel bent his head.

  "It is said of thee that the spirit of the gods, light, wisdom, andunderstanding, are to be found in thee. Look then, thou leader of Jews,at the wall yonder. Behold what is written on it in letters of fire. Ifthou canst interpret those strange words, honor and great riches shallbe to thee. Look thou, and read."

  Obediently, while the gaze of every eye in the room of the feast wasfixed upon him, Daniel turned and looked over the door, that had beenleft ajar, and saw the signs that glowed more faintly now upon thebricks above. For many seconds he stood passive, his black brows knitunder the stress of thought. Amraphel grew cold with nervousness. Hislips twitched to give the signal that should drown this incident in theflood of something infinitely greater; and he was on the very verge ofcrying out when the prophet turned and faced the king, a fire of emotionburning in his eyes and in his cheeks. When he opened his lips the roomgrew breathless, and Istar, shivering in irrepressible fear, hung uponhis words:

  "O king, the most high God gave Nebuchadrezzar thy forefather a kingdom,and majesty and glory and honor. And for the majesty that he gave himall people, nations, languages, trembled and feared before him. Whom hewould he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he setup; and whom he would he put down. But when his mind was lift up and h
isheart was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne andthey took his glory from him. And he was driven forth from the sons ofmen. His heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was made withwild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet withthe dew of heaven, till he knew that the most high God ruled in thekingdom of men, and that He appointeth over it whomsoever He will.

  "And thou his descendant, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart,though thou knewest all this. Thou hast lifted thyself up against theLord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house beforethee, thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk winein them. Thou hast worshipped the gods of silver and of gold, and ofbrass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear nor know. And theGod in whose hands thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thounot glorified. Then was the part of the hand sent from Him, and thiswriting was given.

  "This is the writing that was written: 'Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.'

  "This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene: God hath numbered thykingdom and finished it. Tekel: thou art weighed in the balances andfound wanting. Peres: Thy kingdom is divided--_and given to the Medesand Persians_!"

  The last words were spoken not to Belshazzar nor to any one in thetemple. They rose to a shout that was heard outside the half-open templedoor. In the moments that followed, Istar, her eyes blazing with wrathand scorn, sprang to her feet and came forth to confront the man oflies. But her lips never showed him false. Even as she lifted up hervoice there came from without the sound of a mighty roar of fury. Thetwo doors of the temple were burst apart, and those within foundthemselves face to face with the army of Cyrus and a vast Babylonishmob.