Atlantis, at any rate there seemed little danger of its being

further contracted.
Another of the wise precautions of the men of old stood us in

good stead then. In the ancient times, when grain first was grown
as food, it came to be looked upon as the acme of wealth. Tribute

was always paid from the people to their Priests, and presently, so
the old histories say, it was appointed that this should take the

form of grain, as this was a medium both dignified and fitting.
And those of the people who had it not, were forced to barter their

other produce for grain before they could pay this tribute.
On the Sacred Mountain itself vast storehouses were dug in the

rock, and here the grain was teemed in great yellow heaps, and each
generation of those that were set over it, took a pride in adding

to the accumulation.
In more modern days it had been a custom amongst the younger

and more forward of the Priests to scoff at this ancient provision,
and to hold that a treasure of gold, or weapons, or jewels would

have more value and no less of dignity; and more than once it has
been a close thing lest these innovators should not be out-voted.

But as it was, the old constitution had happily been preserved, and
now in these years of trial the Clan reaped the benefit. And so

with these granaries, and a series of great tanks and cisterns
which held the rainfall, there was no chance of Phorenice reducing

our stronghold by mere close investment, even though she sat down
stubbornly before it for a score of years.

But it was the paucity of men for the defence which oppressed
me most. As I took my way about the head of the Mountain,

inspecting all points, the emptiness of the place smote me like a
succession of blows. The groves, once so trim, were now shaggy and

unpruned. Wind had whirled the leaves in upon the temple floors,
and they lay there unswept. The college of youths held no more now

than a musty smell to bear witness that men had once been grown
there. The homely palaces of the higher Priests, at one time so

ardently sought after, lay many of them empty, because not even one
candidate came forward now to canvass for election.

Evil thoughts surged up within me as I saw these things, that
were direct promptings from the nether Gods. "There must be

something wanting," these tempters whispered, "in a religion from
which so many of its Priests fled at the first pinch of

persecution."
I did what I could to thrust these waverings resolutely behind

me; but they refused to be altogether ousted from my brain; and so
I made a compromise with myself: First, I would with the help that

might be given me, destroy this wanton Phorenice, and regain the
kingdom which had been given me to my own proper rule; and

afterwards I would call a council of the Seven and council of the
Three, and consider without prejudice if there was any matter in

which our ancient ritual could be amended to suit the more modern
requirements. But this should not be done till Phorenice was dead

and I was firmly planted in her room. I would not be a party, even
to myself, to any plan which smacked at all of surrender.

And there as I walked through the desolate groves and beside
the cold altars, the High Gods were pleased to show their approval

of my scheme, and to give me opportunity to bind myself to it with
a solemn oath and vow. At that moment from His distant

resting-place in the East, our Lord the Sun leaped up to begin
another day. For long enough from where I stood below the crest of

the Mountain, He Himself would be invisible. But the great light
of His glory spread far into the sky, and against it the Ark of the

Mysteries loomed in black outline from the highest crag where it
rested, lonely and terrible.

For anyone unauthorised to go nearer than a thousand paces to
this storehouse of the Highest Mysteries meant instant death. On

that day when I was initiated as one of the Seven, I had been
permitted to go near and once press my lips against its ample

curves; and the rank of my degree gave me the privilege to repeat
that salute again once on each day when a new year was born. But

what lay inside its great interior, and how it was entered, that
was hidden from the Seven, even as it was from the other Priests

and the common people in the city below. Only those who had been
raised to the sublimeelevation of the Three had a knowledge of

the dreadful powers which were stored within it.
I went down on my knees where I was, and Zaemon knelt beside

me, and together we recited the prayers which had been said by the
Priests from the beginning of time, giving thanks to our great Lord

that He has come to brighten another day. And then, with my eyes
fixed on the black outline of the Ark of Mysteries I vowed that,

come what might, I at least would be true servant of the High Gods
to my life's end, and that my whole strength should be spent in

restoring Their worship and glory.
17. NAIS THE REGAINED

Now, from where we stood together just below the crest of the
Sacred Mountain, we could see down into the city, which lay spread

out below us like a map. The harbour and the great estuary gleamed
at its farther side; and the fringe of hills beyond smoked and

fumed in their accustomed fashion; the great stone circle of our
Lord the Sun stood up grim and bare in the middle of the city; and

nearer in reared up the great mass of the royal pyramid, the gold
on its sides catching new gold from the Sun. There, too, in the

square before the pyramid stood the throne of granite, dwarfed by
the distance to the size of a mole's hill, in which these nine

years my love had lain sleeping.
Old Zaemon followed my gaze. "Ay," he said with a sigh, "I

know where your chief interest is. Deucalion when he landed here
new from Yucatan was a strong man. The King whom we have

chosen--and who is the best we have to choose--has his weakness."
"It can be turned into additional strength. Give me Nais

here, living and warm to fight for, and I am a stronger man by far
than the cold viceroy and soldier that you speak about."

"I have passed my word to that already, and you shall have
her, but at the cost of damaging somewhat this new kingdom of

yours. Maybe too at the same time we may rid you of this Phorenice
and her brood. But I do not think it likely. She is too wily, and

once we begin our play, she is likely to guess whence it comes, and
how it will end, and so will make an escape before harm can reach

her. The High Gods, who have sent all these trials for our
refinement, have seen fit to give her some knowledge of how these

earth tremors may be set a-moving."
"I have seen her juggle with them. But may I hear your

scheme?"
"It will be shown you in good time enough. But for the

present I would bid you sleep. It will be your part to go into the
city to-night, and take your woman (that is my daughter) when she

is set free, and bring her here as best you can. And for that you
will need all a strong man's strength."--He stepped back, and

looked me up and down.--"There are not many folk that would take
you for the tidy clean-chinned Deucalion now, my brother. Your

appearance will be a fine armour for you down yonder in the city
to-night when we wake it with our earth-shaking and terror. As you

stand now, you are hairy enough, and shaggy enough, and naked
enough, and dirty enough for some wild savage new landed out of

Europe. Have a care that no fine citizen down yonder takes a fancy
to your thews, and seizes upon you as his servant."

"I somewhat pity him in his household if he does."
Old Zaemon laughed. "Why, come to think of it, so do I."

But quickly he got grave again. Laughter and Zaemon were very
rare playmates. "Well, get you to bed, my King, and leave me to go

into the Ark of Mysteries and prepare there with another of the
Three the things that must be done. It is no light business to