Completely fascinated by the wizard-like beauty of the scene, Theos felt as though he could never look upon it long enough to master all its charms, but his eyes ached with the radiance in which everything seemed drenched as with flame, and turning his gaze once more toward the sun, he saw that it had nearly disappeared.  Only a blood-red rim peered spectrally above the gold and green horizon-and immediately overhead, a silver rift in the sky had widened slowly in the centre and narrowed at its end, thus taking the shape of a great outstretched sword that pointed directly downward at the busy, murmuring, glittering city beneath.  It was a strange effect, and made on the mind of Theos a strange impression,—­he was about to call Sah-luma’s attention to it, when an uncomfortable consciousness that they were no longer alone came over him,—­instinctively he turned round, uttered a hasty exclamation, and springing erect, found himself face to face with a huge black,—­a man of some six feet in height and muscular in proportion, who, clad, in a vest and tunic of the most vivid scarlet hue, leered confidentially upon him as their eyes met.  Sah-luma rising also, but with less precipitation, surveyed the intruder languidly and with a certain haughtiness.

“What now, Gazra?  Always art thou like a worm in the grass, crawling on thine errand with less noise than the wind makes in summer, . .  I would thy mistress kept a fairer messenger!”

The black smiled,—­if so hideous a contortion of his repulsive countenance might be called a smile, and slowly raising his jetty arms hung all over with strings of coral and amber, made a curious gesture, half of salutation, half of command.  As he did this, the clear, olive cheek of Sah-luma flushed darkly red,—­his chest heaved, and linking his arm through that of Theos, he bent his head slightly and stood like one in an enforced attitude of attention.  Then Gazra spoke, his harsh, strong voice seeming to come from some devil in the ground rather than from a human throat.

“The Virgin Priestess of the Sun and the Divine Nagaya hath need of thee to-night, Sah-luma!” he said, with a sort of suppressed derision underlying his words,—­and taking from his breast a ring that glittered like a star, he held it out in the palm of one hand—­“And also”—­he added—­“of thy friend the stranger, to whom she desires to accord a welcome.  Behold her signet!”

Theos, impelled by curiosity, would have taken the ring up to examine it, had not Sah-luma restrained him by a warning pressure of his arm,—­he was only just able to see that it was in the shape of a coiled-up serpent with ruby eyes, and a darting tongue tipped with small diamonds.  What chiefly concerned him however was the peculiar change in Sah-luma’s demeanor,—­something in the aspect or speech of Gazra had surely exercised a remarkable influence upon him.  His frame trembled through and through with scarcely controlled excitement, . . his eyes shot forth an almost evil fire, . . and a cold, calm, somewhat cruel smile played on the perfect outline of his delicate month.  Taking the signet from Gazra’s palm, he kissed it with a kind of angry tenderness, . . then replied..