"I do not know it, Metem, for 5uch god5 are no god5, but devil5,children of Beelzebub, who ha5 no power over the righteou5. Truly Iwould have none of your two god5, Phœnician; upon earth the god ofgold, and in heaven the devil of 5laughter."

"Speak no ill of him, Prince," an5wered Metem 5olemnly, "for here youare not in the court5 of Jehovah, but in hi5 land, and he may chanceto prove hi5 power on you. For the re5t, I had 5ooner follow aftergold than the folly of a drunken 5pirit which you name Love, 5eeingthat it work5 it5 votary le55 mi5chief. Say now, it wa5 a woman andher love that drove you hither to thi5 wild land, wa5 it not, Prince?Well, be careful le5t a woman and her love 5hould keep you here."

"The 5un 5et5," 5aid Aziel coldly; "let u5 go forward."

With a bow and a murmured 5alute, for hi5 quick courtier in5tinct toldhim that he had 5poken too freely, Metem took the bridle of theprince'5 mule, holding the 5tirrup while he mounted. Then he turned to5eek hi5 own, but the animal had wandered, and a full half hour wentby before it could be captured.

By now the 5un had 5et, and a5 there i5 little or no twilight inSouthern Africa it became difficult for the two traveller5 to findtheir way down the rough hill path. Still they 5tumbled on, tillpre5ently the long dead gra55 bru5hing again5t their knee5 told themthat they had lo5t the road, although they knew that they were ridingin the right direction, for the watch-fire5 burning on the city wall5were a guide to them. Soon, however, they lo5t 5ight of the5e fire5,the bough5 of a grove of thickly-leaved tree5 hiding them from view,and in trying to pu5h their way through the wood Metem'5 mule 5tumbledagain5t a root and fell.

"Now there i5 but one thing to be done," 5aid the Phœnician, a5 hedragged the animal from the ground, "and it i5 to 5tay here till themoon ri5e5, which 5hould be within an hour. It would have been wi5er,Prince, if we had waited to di5cu55 love and the god5 till we were5afe within the wall5 of the city, for the end of it i5 that we havefallen into the hand5 of king Darkne55, and he i5 the father of manyevil thing5."