the MagicMountainthat verysoonhewentouthuntingon its slopes.And he wasneverseenagain.

The next brother becameKing; but the samefatebefellhim,and soon until theseventhsonsucceededtothe throne.

Very soon he decidedto go huntingon the MagicMountain;and althoughthe prayersof his peoplekepthim fromdoingso for severalyears,at last thelongingbecameso strongthathesetoutearlyonemorningwitha smallbandof friends andattendants.

Theywereridingthrougha rocky valley nearthe baseof the Magic Mountain, when a deer sprangup sud-denly and dashedawayinto the forestwith all of themafter it.

All day they followed it, and early in theeveningitvanished among the trees,leaving them far behind.The King wasaheadof his compantons,and for sometimehecontinuedto wanderin the forestbeforereturn-ing to seekthem.

Whenhe did so,he discovereda gladewhereseveraltents werepitched,and in them all his followers lytngdead—obviouslypoisonedby the food and winewhichwassetoutbeforethem.

‘Alas, mypoorfricnds!’ criedthe King. ‘I am toolateto saveyou,butnot toolateto avengeyou!’

So hehidhis horsein theforest,and thenreturnedto

the tents,wherehe climbeda bigwalnut treenearbyandlay hidall night.

In the moming there camea young warrior on ashininghome,with many followers, who stripped thebodiesand flung themintoa ravinecloseby. Thentheyre-setthe tables,pouredout more poisonedwine, andloadedtheir spoil on the capturedhorsesto drive away.

At ‘: ,~

C)7D

c9IoQfllU (LII9IIS31UfII

T HERE was once a King who, as he lay dying,calledto himhis sevensonsandsaid:

‘My children, when I am gone, the eldest shall beKing; and ifanythingbefallshim,the second,and soonto the youngest.

‘But all will bewell if you do asI adviseyou: nevergo hunting on the Magic Mountain—for many havegonethere,butnonehaseverreturned.’

Then he died,and the eldestsonbecameKing. Butthe eldestsonwasso anxious to discoverthe secretof

it

A’

I.——-

Meanwhile the warrior on the shininghorse rodeamong the trees, and came suddenly on the King’ssteed.

‘Strange,’ murmuredthe warrior, ‘there wasa horsefor earh deadman,so whoseis this?’

‘Mine!’ criedthe King, steppingout into a hranrhofthewalnut tree. ‘But who areyou thatluremen to theirdeath?You shall triumph no longerlReturn to yourcastle,for I shall follow you thereto seekrevenge!’

For a momentthe warrior seemedspeechlesswithfury, then cried: ‘I acceptyour challenge;hut follow ifyoudare,for I amZoulvisial’

Thenthe King wasstrickenwith amazement,foe hesaw that the warrior was a beautiful girl, whosehairshoneltke liquid gold asit fell all abouther. But beforehe could answer,she clappedspursto herhorseandwent gallopingawaylike a beamof light.

Soonthe King wasfollowing onhis own horse,thoughZoulvisiawaslongnut ofsight;andhe rodeuntil hewasso weary and so hungrythat hewasreadyto fall to theground.

At last he cameto threeroundFairy Houseswherelived threeold Fairies,eachwith threesons,and theywelcomedhimkindly. Whenhe had drunk somemilkand resteda little, hewasabletoreply to theirquestions.

‘I am seekingfor Zoulvisia,’ he said. ‘Zoulvisia, whohas causedthe deathof my brothersand manyof myfriends.’

‘Alas,’ said the Fairies, ‘Zoulvisia has passedthisway twice sincesunrise;maybewe could have stoppedher. But sheis very dangerous.Thereforewe beg youto give up yourquestandstay herewith us.’

‘Stay here with us,’ echoedthe nine Fairy youths,

Ii

‘and be our big brother, and let us be your littlebrothers.’

‘Not so,’ answeredthe King. ‘I mustseek Zoulvisia.But takethesethreetokens; my scissors,my razor andmy mirror. If blood should appearon either of theformer,orthe mirror grow dim, youwill know thatmylife is in danger.Thencome to myaid.’

‘We will come,’ answeredthe Fairy boys.‘Dependuponit, bigbrother,we will come.’

Then the King rode on, and cameby the light ofthe mooneo a splendidpalacewith a watch-towerofcrystal---bueno entranceanywherethat he could find.

Presentlyashe searchedhe hearda loudsnoring,andfound an old man lying at the bottom of a deep pit.Climbingdown,he shookhim until he woke:

‘What’s this?’ gruntedthe old man.‘Only birds andsnakescome down here!’

r•~‘••

.4

‘I’m just a mortal man,’ answeredthe King, ‘andI’m looking for Zoulvisia.’

‘Zoulvisia, the curseof the world!’ criedthe old man.‘Out of thethousandswhosedeathshehascaused,I amthe only onewhom shehasspared:but I do not knowwhy she keeps me alive down here where I cannotescape.’

‘Help me, I beg of you,’ said the King, and he toldhis story.

‘Listen carefully then,’ answeredthe old man. ‘Eachdayat sunrise,Zoulvisia standsupon hercrystalwatch-towerclad all in pearls. From thereshecanseeall overher lands andbeholdwhetherman or demonenters.Ifsheseesevena singleonesheuttersa cry so terrible thatany who hear it die of fright. But go you to the littlecave beneaththe Tower, lie in it, and hold a forkedstick in front of you. Whenshehas criedthree times,

~1

go forth boldly and look up towardsher, for you willhave broken the spell.’

TheKing didasthe old manhadtold him; andwhenthecry came,it did him no harm.After the third cry hesteppedout of the cave and looked boldly up towardsthe beautifulmaidenon the crystaltower.

‘You have conquered,and I am yours,’ said Zoul-visia, ‘for you arethe first man who hasheardmy voiceand not fallendeadat the sound. Comeup here to me.You shall be my husband,and ruler of all my lands.’

Thenshe let downhergloriousgolden hair anddrewthe King up to the top of the crystal rowerasif it hadbeena rope.

‘Ask of me what you will, and I will grant it,’ saidZoulvisia, when the weddingwasaccomplished.

‘Set free the old man in the pit, and sendhim backin safetyto his own country,’ answeredthe King.

‘I havefinishedwith hunting,asI have with guardingmy lands,’said Zoulvisia, the day after the wedding.‘Nowall is yours.’Thenshe ledhimto herHorseof Fireandsaid to it: ‘0 mysteedofflame,this isyourlord asheis mine. Servehim asyou haveservedme.’ Then shekissedthe horsebetweenthe eyesand placedits bridlein the King’s hand.

After this the King rodeoften throughthe forest,butalwaysheworea little casemadeof pearls,in which wasoneof Zoulvisia’s hairs,pressedagainsthis heart.

But one day the stagwhich he was chasingspranginto a broadriver, and thoughhe killed it with a shotfrom his crossbow, the King was forced to swim hishorsethroughthe river. In doingso the pearlcasefellout and tumbledinto the waterwithout him noticing.I

- ,

~

I,4;’ F

I. %~

Thestreamwas swift, and the case floated far downuntil a water-carrierdrewit outin a distantcountryandcarriedit to the King of that land.

‘Tell me whosebeautifulhair this is,’ saidthe Kingto his chamberlain,‘or diewithin threedays.’

Thechamberlainsought the help of a Witch, whosaid: ‘It is the hairof Zoulvisia.’

‘Bring Zoulvisiato meto bemybride,’ saidthe wickedKing when be heardthis, ‘and you shall have enoughgold to standup in.’

So the Witch went backto her hut in the forest,andwhistledsoftly. Thenfromunderthe deadleaves,snakescamerustling. TheWitchfedthemandcoaxedthem,andpresentlyshe seeoutwith manyofthem ashercompan-ions: sometwined aboutherunderherclothes,otherswoven togetherinto the raft on which she sailed upthe river, and onegrownstiff aswoodfor a staff in herhands.

In time she cameto land in Zoulvisia’s garden,andtherethe King foundherashe rodehomefrom huntingon his Horseof Fire. And shetoldhim sosadatalethathis kind heartwasstirred, and he welcomedher intothepalace.He wouldhave takenherup behindhimonhis horse,but eachrime shetried to mount,the horseswervedawayfrom so much evil: but the King failedto nnderstandeven ibis warning.

‘Feedher,andsendheraway,’ advisedZoulvisia. Butnextmorning,when her ladies in waiting told herwhatwonderfultalestheold womancould tell, Zoulvisiasentfor her. And in a little while the Witch had caughtherin herspell,so that to Zoulvisia theold womanseemedthe mostwonderfuloffriends—onefrom whomnothingcould be hidden.

As soon asshefelt that Zoulvisia wascompletelyinherpower, the Witch setabouther task.

‘How clever it wasof the King to guessyour secretandso win yourheart,’ shesaid. ‘Of coursehe told youhis secretin return?’

‘Indeed, no,’ answeredZoulvisia. ‘For he has nosecret.’

‘No secret?’cried the Witch. ‘Alas, poor lady, howyou have beendeceived! Without his secretpowerhewouldnotbehere at yoursideat all. Certainly hehas asecret,and if he loves you truly he would have iold itto you.But if he hasnot toldit, that meansthat hedoesnotreally love you at all.’

This troubled Zoulvisia greatly, and she was sobemusedby the evil spellsoftheWitch thatshebelievedit, and neverresteduntil shehad won his secretfromthe King.

r

‘It is this magic swordwhich givesme my strength,’said the King, when at lengthshehad persuadedhimto tell herall. ‘It never leaves me day or night. Nowswearby this ring that youwill tell nobody.’

Zoulvisia swore. But she could not keep the secretfrom theWitch, anddid noteventhink of trying.

Four nights later,theWitch stolethe swordandflungit intothe river.And in the morningthe King lay dying,too weakto move.

Then therewasa screamingand a trying throughoutthe palace,and Zoulvisia and her maidensdid all intheirpowerto helpthe King,butin vain.

Suddenlytheir tries becameshrieksof terror astheWitch strode into the room, the snakestwisting andhissingroundherneck and armsand waist. At a signfromherthey attackedthemaidenswith their poisonedfangs,until soon all lay dead.Then she led Zoulvisia

\-

away,guardedby the snakes,seesail with heron theserpentraft, and sold herto the evil King of the nextcountryfor a sackof gold.

But that very day, as they looked upon the threetokenswhich the King had left them,the sons of theThreeFairiessawbloodupon thescissorsandthe razor,andthatthe mirror had suddenlygrowndim.

‘Some terrible dangerbesetsour little brother!’ theytried. ‘Let usgo to his aid directly!’

Then theyputon their Shoesof Swifmess,and wereat the palacein a few moments.But theycouldnot findthe Magic Sword.

Night tame, and with it hunger,for the King hadnot gonebunting,and therewasno food in thepalace.

‘Ah, how foolishwe are!’ triedthe sonsof the Fairies.‘Thereis a river,and in it are fish!’

Sothey taughtfish andcookedthem,andthehungerpassed.But the biggestfish they could not catch;yetto their surprise it seemedto be hooked already, andnot only bookedbut gaffed also. For it splashedaboutin the water,badly wounded,andsomethingflashedinits side.

‘The Magic Sword!’ theycried. And it wasnot longbeforethey had freed the greatfish from it and platedthe shiningbladebesidethe King.

‘Where is Zoulvisia?’he asked,sittingup slowly, allweaknessgone.

‘That we do not know,’ they answeredsadly, ‘for theWitch hastakenher and saileddown the river on herraft of serpents.’

‘Bring me my Horseof Fire!’ criedthe King, and afew minuteslaterhe rodeawayin a longstreakof light.

He tamein time to a hut outsidea tity on theriver’s

rV

1~

I

bank,and therean old woman gave him freshmilk ina bowl andall the localnews:

‘Ab, you’ve tome to the tiry at a happytimel’ shetbuckled. ‘Our King is to bemarriedin five daysfromnow, andtherewill bea banquetfor all who come.Yetthe bride isstrangelyunwilling, and it is saidshekeepsa cup of poisonby her,choosingdeathratherthan ourhandsomeyoungking. Yet she’s lucky to havehim atall, beingmerelya slavegirl who wassold to him by anoldWitch—’

‘Zoulvisia!’ criedthe King.‘Yes,yes, that’s hername,’ extlaimedthe oldwoman

testily, annoyedat being interrupted. ‘Tomorrow I’mgoing to seeher, for eachof her future subjectsmusebring hera gift.’

‘If you will take my gift, and bring batk whatevermessageshemay send, I will give you a bag of gold,’

saidthe King.‘Why indeed, I’d do more than that for gold!’

chuckledtheold woman,taking thering which the Kingheldout to her

Zoulvisia was preparedto die, and took no interestin the gifts whith werebroughtto herday by day.Suddenlyanold womanheld out aring to her:

‘Where is the ownerof this ring?’sheaskedeagerly,asshe reachedout for it.

‘In my cottage,waiting for a messagefros~iyou,’answeredthe old woman.

‘Tell him,’ said Zoulvisia,‘that on myweddingmorn-ing I shall walk in the royalgardenby the river. Therest I leaveto him.’

Fromthat momentZoulvisiaseemedto forgetabout

r

the cup of poison, and was so bappy and gentle andtoneeneedthat theKing teasedto guardhersocarefully,thinking thatshehad tometo hersensesandwaswillingto be his bride.

Sothe weddingdaytame,and heseeout with a richprocessionto fetchher.Whenthey cameto thegardenthey saw bee,in her dress of golden gauze, walkingamongthe flowers.

Suddenlytherewasa flash oflight asif a thunderbolthad fallen, andthey all toweredaway.It wastheHorseof Fire!

And when theyopenedtheir dazzledeyes it was toseethe Horsespeedingawayin a goldenswirl oflight,with two elderson its back.

So Zoulvisiaand herKing won back theirhappiness.And this rime they were carefulnot to lee it slip fromthem again.

-4

The Sun yip0NG~long ago, ae theother aideof theworld,jse~‘ofingblackwanmorsrananddancedin thessi~Tlfe

—hneljr it grew,the more they liked it, and 4c.,mpiethey.nin and the higher they jumpedasthey dinced.-

They had see out bunting to bring food for theirpeoplewbo lived in little cavesand tunnelshollowedourof thehillside. As they ranand dancedtheythrewtheirspearsto seewho could casefarthest;they flung theirboomerangsto showtheirskill in catchingthesestrangecurved weapons which would always return to theband of a clever thrower.

They cameto the pools in the mud flat beyondthedesertof stones.Therethey cut buirusbesand wove abasketto carry away the roots: theseroots seemedtothemas tastyasonions.

‘We are wasting our time,’ said the chief youngwarrior suddenly. ‘Send the women to dig the roots.That iswork for women.That iswork for children.Leethem getroots for themselves.Let us fish for eels.Letus fish foewhat-so-everis in thesepools.’

Thepartydancedwith delightat this. Theyuncoiledtheft lines of mianosabark. Theyhuntedfor bait. Mostof ebemdugwormsourof themud to put ontheir hooks.But the Chief’ssontook a piece of raw meatoutof hispouch.He hadbroughtit for his dinner,butnow beputit on bis hook. No onesawwhathe wasdoing.

No flab caaneto their books. Thesuntlimbed downtheskyand grewred. It seemedasif they mustgo home

withoutfood. They wishedthey bad filled the basketswith roots.

Suddenlythe Chief’s son saw his line sink in thewater.He couldnot bold it.

‘Help me!’ be tried. ‘I have taughta very big fishl’They all pulled hard. At last they landedhis catcb.

It waslike a calf. It waslike a seal.It had a long,broadtail. Theylooked with horror at eachother. Theyknewwhat it was. Nor one of them had seenit before, buttheir fathers and grandmothersbad told them of it.

‘It isa Bunyipl’ theycried. ‘It is alittle Bunyip! It isthe cub of the Great Bunyip! Fling it back quickly!’

But theChief’s sonwouldnor fling it back.There wasa terrible wailing from beyondthe pool.

Out of her den tame the mother of the lietie Bunyip.She tame towards them in rage. Her terrible yelloweyes were flashing.

‘Let it go! Let it go!’ gaspedthewarriors.‘I will not lee it go!’ cried the Chief’s son.‘I have

caughtit and I will keepit. I promisedthe maidenwhomI love that I would bring food foe threedays. It is forall herhousehold.Theycannoteatthe Bunyip,perhaps,but it will bea plaything for herbrothersand sisters.ThenmaybeI shall win her.’

He flung his spearat the GreatMother Bunyip. Hethrew the little Bunyip over his shoulder.He ran forhis home,never heedingherdistressat the lossof herchild.

Now sunsetwasnear.Theplain wasin shadow,butthe hills still shonewith the daylight.They ranand ranacrosstheplain, notin fearevenof the terribleBunyip:they had left fear behind.

Thentheyheardanoise.It wasa newnoise:a strangerushingsound behind them. They looked back: the

waterwasrisingin thepool: the platewhere the littleBunyip wascaughtbad quite disappeared.

‘What is it?’ theyaskedeachother.‘There isno eloud.No rain has fallen. But the waterishigh. It grows higherthanever before.’

Thewater rose quickly. They stood in terror. Tbentheyranagain: theChief’ssonranthefastestevenwiththelittle Bunyip on his shoulders.

Soon they reachedthe hillside and scrambledup it.Theystoppedto rest.

‘We aresafe here,’they said to eathother. ‘We haveescapedfromthewaterin theGreatBunyip’s pool.’

But they looked behindthemand sawthat theywerenot safe. All theplain was coveredwith water. Soonitreachedthe tree-tops.Soon therewereno trees.Soonthe watercreptup thehillside after them.

On and on they ran.They cameto thevillage wherethe older men satby their cave-homesin the eveninglight, while thechildrenplayedand thewomengossiped.

They fell into theft midst, and when the peopleofthe village sawthelittle Bunyipeventhe childrenknewthat someterriblething wouldhappen.

‘The water! The water!’ cried the youngwarriors.It wasclimbing thebill behindthem.All ranto the topof the ridge. Therewaswaterall round them. Soonitcameto the verytop.

‘I will saveyou!’ criedthe Chief’sson, tatchingholdof the girl whom he loved: the girl for whom be hadcaughtthe Bunyip. ‘I will saveyou!’ he cried. ‘I willcarryyouto thetopofthat tree: thewatercannotreachashighasthat.’

He tried to climb, but a coldnessheld his feet. Helookedat his feet,andhetriedout.Theywerenolongerfeet: theywerethecold clawsofa greatbird.

He looked at the girl in his arms. He was no longerholding a girl: h was a greatblack bird. He looked athis friends: they werebirds flapping awkwardly in thewater.He put up his hands to hide his fate,but theywerenothands:they werethe wings of a bird. He triedto speak,but a new noisetamefrom his throat, whichwasnow longandslender.

Already the water had risento his waist. Suddenlyheand thegirl wereswimmingsideby side in thewater.He lookedat his reflection:hesawwhathewas.He wasa BlackSwan,one of a wholetribeof Blatk Swans.

Thatwasthe beginningof BlackSwans.Never againdid theseswans becomemen, but still

they cryto eachotherin a strangetongue.It is nor thelanguageof men,butit isnotthesongof abird.

The little Bunyip was carriedsafely homeby theMother Bunyip. Tbewater went back with bee to itsown place.Neveragainhastherebeenso biga flood.

But the blackpeoplein thatland at theotherside ofthe world do nor go near the pool where the Bunyipsdwell. They sayit is safernor to go there.They do notknow when the Bunyip will putout herheadand dragone of them downintothe waterwith herterrible jaws.

They sayshebaabeautifulthingsin herhouseunderthe water.But no one baaever beenthere to see.Per-hapsthe Black Swansknow aboutit. Perhapsthey toldthe story.But no one knows what tbeBlack Swansaresayingas they fly overheadin the night-time callingsadlyto one another.

35

TheNYAMATSAN ES

FAR and farawayin a hot landwhere thereisverylittle waterthereoncedwelta greatwarriorwith his

wife and children.Theywerevery happytogether,untilone daythewomansaid:

‘I musehavetheliver ofa Nyamatsanefoemydinner.If youlove me youwill geemeone.Ifyouareindeedthegreatestwarriorin our tribeyouwill getme one.If youdo not, I shall knowthat you do nor love me and thatyou areno warrior.’

‘Wife, wife,’ he answered,‘evil will tome of this.’ Butshewenton pesteringhimuntil at lastbesaid:

‘Bake bread,fill a bagwith the crusts,and tomorrowI will go and huntfor a Nyamarsane.’

Next daybe tookhis assegaiandthe bag offood andsetout. But the Nyamatsanewasnor easyto find. Forseveraldays the warrior searched,and be had eaten

severaltrusts outof his bagby thetimehecameto theplacewhere the Nyamatsanesllved. They were all ourhunting, but they had left behind their grandmotherwho wastoo feeble to go with them.

This pleasedthe warrior very muth, and he madehasteto kill her,skinher, takeher liver and bury whatwas left. He had scarcelytime to dresshimself in herskin when he beardall the Nyamatsaneacoming backfromhunting. And the first thing theydid wasto tomeand seetheir grandmother,for they were very fond ofher.

‘We smell human flesh!’ they cried. ‘Some man ishere!’ And they beganhuntinghither and thither.

Thenthe warrior,pretendingto bethe grandmother,said in a tremblingvoite:

‘No, mychildren,thereis no man.Why shouldtherebea man here?’

But still they hunted everywhere,opening all thecupboardsand boxes,trying: ‘A man is here! A man ishere!’

They found no man,however,and very sooncurledup on thefloor andwentto sleep.

Nextmorningtheywerereadyfor anotherexpedition.But beforethey seeout theysaid:

‘Grandmother,tomeout andhavebreakfastwith us.’So they led her our,and all of them beganhungrily

earing pebbles,as Nyamatsanesdo. Thewarrior pre-tendedto eat themalso, huebekeptslipping theminto

,,#l?:~..

‘L~~ZL44-hS5~

s *

his bag.Whenthey had eaten,the Nyamatsanesset nut on

anotherhunt, leavingthefalse grandmotherin the hut.Directly they were our of sight, the warrior threw

off theskin andsetoutfor home.But first heemptiedallthepebblesoutofhis bagexcepta little bright diamondwhith was amongstthem: this he put back in thebagwith the liver.

Towardseveningthe Nyamarsanestamehome.Whentheyfound theskin theyknewhow theyhadbeentrickedandtried: ‘So it washumanfleshwe smelt!’

Then they see our on the warrior’s track,and verysooncaughesightof him,for they could runvery muchfasterthan he.But when it seemedhe was asgood aseaten,he suddenlytook the diamondpebbleout of hisbag and flung it on the groundbetweenhis feet. Themomentit touched the earthit grewinto a huge rock,with himon top of it.

In vain the Nyamarsanestried to climb up to him:the rockwasassmoothasglass.Ar last,quiteworn out,they sankto the groundand fell asleep.

As soonasthey weresnoring,the warrior slid downoff the rockand setour for home,which hereachedjustbefore the Nyamaesanescaughtup with him again.There he was safe, becausetheir worse enemies,thedogs,swarmedover all the roads and kept them wellaway.

So the warrior reachedhome safely and sank ex-haustedin his hue.

‘I havebroughtwhatyouwanted,’ hegasped,handingthe liver en his wife. ‘Now you know that I love youtruly and amindeeda warrior.’

After hehadeatenanddrunk,his wife said:‘Now rake thechildrenandleaveme alonein thehut.’‘Be surethatyoueareverystrapoftheNyamatsane’s

liver,’ he said. ‘Do not leavea morsel that anyoneelsecanfind. ForI fearthat evil will tomeofit.’

‘Be sureI shall earit all,’ sheanswered.And whenshewasalone shecooked the liver and are every last bitof it.

Directly she had finished the lastmouthful suchathirst seizedherthat she snatchedup a huge pot ofwaterandemptiedit at a draught.

‘Neighbour, give me a drink!’ shecried,rushing into

the nexthue.And so shedrankjar afterjar ofwateruntilnonewasleft in thevillage.

Then sherushedout to the nearby river which waswhereall the water for thevillage tame from. Desper-ately shestoopeddownover this and drank and drankand drank unni the river was dry. And still she wasso thirsty that sherushedawayinto the desertseekingin vain for water.

In the evening the animalstame out of the nearbyjungle for their daily drink. And when they found thattherewasnor a drop left in the river their rage wassogreat that they rushedinto the village and devouredeveryman,womanand child.

And that is what tomesof meddlingwith a Nysmar-sane.

!tpn

The Story of

I N the hot, tropical junglethroughwhich flows theGreatRiver—theland wherethesunshinessohotly

thateveryonesleepsduringthe day,and eventheforestsaresilentexceptearlyin themorningandlatein theeve-ning therelived a youthand a maiden.

Thecity by the river waswhereJulia had lived sinceshe could eemember,but Alonzo tame from anothercountryand didnor knowthe dangersof that hauntedjungle.

He first saw her at a greatfestival to which peoplecamefrom manymiles around.He stoodwatchingthegracefuldancesofthe girls in their pretty dressesofredor blue, with the white roses in their dark hair. Sud-

denly he saw one girl who seemedto outshineall therest.Shewasdressedin white,with starlet pomegran-ates in her hair,and to Alonzo she seemedto outshinethem so much that despitethe crowds ofvisitors hecouldseeonly her.

Whenthe feastwasover, he seemedstill to seeher;and hecould not sleepat nightsbut wouldgo to bathein a deeppooi in the jungle. Whateverhe was doing,Julia’sfacekept risingbeforehis mind’s eye,so that hewould stopto dreamof her.

So one eveninghesetour to find her;and hehad thegoodfortune,when hetameto herhouse,to rescueherfrom a savagedog which wasattackingher.

After this, he wasa welcomeguestat herhome;andvery soonthey wereengagedto be married.

Every day,when his work was done,Alonzo wouldwalk through the edge of the jungle where the gailycolouredparrots shriekedamongthe trailing creepers,until he tameto Julia’s house.Then the two of themwouldwalk togetherfor anhourunderthebigsouthernstarsin the black velvety night; and their happinesswas very great.

But one eveningAlonzo seemedtroubled,and Juliaaskedhim:

“My love, what did you do last night afteryou wenthome?’

‘Just asI do always,’ he answered.‘As it wastoo hotto sleep, I walked into the jungle until I tame to thedark pooi where I have bathedon many nights sinceI tame to this hot land by the River. But last night

38

a strangething happened:as I tameout of the waterI seemedto hear a voicesingingmore sweetlythan anynightingale;but I couldnorhearthewords.WhenI wasdressedI searchedeverywhere,butI could find no onethere.’

When Julia heardthis, she beganto shiver,and sheturnedas paleasdeath.For she,who had lived all herlife in the hot jungleby the GreatRiver had heardtellof the terriblebeingswho lived hiddenunderthe bank,ordeepin thejungle’sheart. Shehad heardtell ofYaratheterrible,of Yara who soughtyoungmen on theeveof their marriageto be herprey.

‘Alonzo!’ shegasped.‘Promiseme something!’‘Whateveryou will,’ heansweredgaily.‘Something that will make our future happiness

certain.’‘Why, then it is a seriouswish,and I will promise

seriously.’‘Promise never again to bathe in the dark pooi by

the GreatRiver,’ beggedJulia.‘But, flower of my heart,’ answeredAlonzo, ‘I have

been theremany times and no harm hasso far comeof it.’

‘Not yet,’ cried Julia, ‘but soon it may! Promise,I begyou!’

‘What troubles you?’ askedAlonzo, ‘you look palewith fear.’

‘You heardthe song?’‘IndeedI heard it; but a meresong can surely do

no harm.’‘But,’ sobbedJulia,‘after thesongtomestheSinger—

and shebrings death!’‘Oueenofmy soul,areyougoingmad?’askedAlonzo,

in alarm.‘Oh, no,no!’ whisperedJulia,clingingto him. ‘I speak

the truth. Thevoice you heardis none other than thevoice of Yara.

‘Yara!’ Alonzocried,andthen he burstinto laughter.But the laughterrang suddenly harshand hysterical.

‘Oh, you haveseenYara!’ gaspedJulia. ‘Only thosewho haveseenYara laugh like that!’ And so saying,shefell to the ground in a faint.

Whensherecovered,Alonzo wasreadyto swearanyoath sheliked,eventhoughhe wasstil! doubtful aboutYara.

‘My heart grows lighter,’ she said, when he hadpromisednot to go near the pooi until after they weremarried.‘But the powerof Yara is very great,and themagicofhersongcanlure menawayso thattheyforgeteverythingelse in the world. It has happenedbeforenow, and therearemany maidenswho have lost theirlovesandlive alonebroken-hearted.Soif everherpowermanagesto drawyou back to the pooi,promiseme thatyou will takethis with you.’

a

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39

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Julia took a curioustoloured sea-shellof largesizeour of her jewel box and softly sang a melodioussong into it.

‘There,’ she said. ‘Carry this with you, and themomentyou hearTars’svoiceholdthis to your earandyou will hear my songinstead.But whether my voicewill triumph over Tara’ssong,I cannottell.’

WhenAlonzogot homelatethat night, the moonwasshiningon the GreatRiver,and thejungleseemedcooland inviting: it seemedto betailinghim to bathein hisusualpooi.

But he did nor go, and Julia’s happinesswas hisreward.

On the third night, however,the strangesinginginthe jungle drewhimso stronglythat heforgot evenhispromiseto Julia,andsetoutthroughthebushestowardsthe pool.

Whenhecameto it helookedabouthim carefully,fortherewasa feeling of strangeness,and herememberedJulia’s waming,evenif he did not in his heartbelievein Tars. -

Soonhewasreadyto bathe;and hewasjust steppingdown into the pooi, when somethingmadehim turnround. Ar the sameinstant a shaft of moonlight fellthroughthe treesand creepers,lighting up the form ofa beautifulgirl, half hiddenby the fernsand floweringgrasses.

Alonzowasseizedwith panic.He wrappedhis clothesroundhimand fledback to his houseasfast ashecouldrun.

But next morninghewentback to thepooi,andfoundnothingstrangethere.

‘I mustbemad,’ he told himself.‘I’ve beenlisteningto Julia’s stories till anything frightens me!’

But all that day he felt feverish and ill at ease,andwork was difficult. He went to visit Julia that evening,but wouldtell her nothingabout his adventureof thepreviousnight.

‘Tomorrow,heartof myheart,youshallknowall,’ hepromised.Thenhetooka hurriedfarewelland hastenedhome.

Therehetook downsdouble-barrelledpistol,loadedit, thrust it into his belt besidethe pouch which heldJulia’s shell, and hastenedto the pool. All was silent,except for the cries of the night birds and the distant

yowl of a huntingjaguar.He satby a treenearthe pooi,and presentlya strange

dreamyfeeling cameover him, and heheardthe Songagain,whispering,calling, luring him.

‘Who is that?’hegasped,rising to his feet.He sawno one,buthis eyesseemeddrawnto thedark

waters of the pooi, and he could look at absolutelynothing else.

Then he sawwhat seemedthe reflectionof a single

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star,or one spark of light, far down in the dark pooi.Nearer and bigger it grew: a terrible fear swept overAlonzo,butthemagicheldhimfast so thathrcouldnorstir.

Thenthe black waters partedand up throughthemintothe moonlightcamethe lovely girl fromwhom he

had fled the night before.He tried to run; he tried tohidehis eyes,buthecould do neither.Againsthis willhe steppedforward.

Oh, shewasso lovely assheheld out herwhitearmstowardshim,herlips parted,hereyesshining. . . ThenJulia cameinto his mind: he seemedto catch Juliawith his thoughtsand cling to her.

Foea momentthe magic seemedbroken. He knewhis danger,andwith a wild cry hepulled out his pistol,aimed it at Tars, and fired. Thereportwoke the wildechoesin the jungleand fadedaway.Again heaimed atthe lovely figure, and fired. But still she advancedtowardshim, smiling sweetly,and with arms held outto clasp him.

In despair he turned the pistol, graspedit by thebarrel, and steppedforward to use it as a club. ThenTarsseemedafraid, for shemoved backwardsfrom hisraisedarm. It wasonly whenhefelt his feetin the waterof thepooi’sedgethat A.lunzorealisedthatshewasbutdrawing him into her power. Desperatelyhe tried toresistherwill.

But herpowerwasalreadyupon him, and thepistolfell from his hand asTars leantback upon the waterbeneathhim,swayingin themoon-silveredripples,withherarmsheld up to him.

Then shebeganto sing, and the magic of hersongseemedto thrill throughhis being, and he felt that enstrugglewasuseless. . . wasfoolish. . . wasnorwhathewished.

His arms fell to his side, and his right handstruckagainstthe pouch at his belt. Suddenly something

seemed

to makehis handslip intothe pouchand drawout the shell.As he raisedit to his earthe songof Tarsbecamesweeter,more render,more wonderfulstill.

But Alonzoheldtheshellto his ear,andat onceJulia’svoicetameto him,gentleandloving—tellingof the truehappinessthat wasto be theirs,of the sweetthings ofhome,of all the wonderfulpromisesthatwerebetween\ them.

As helistened,the songof Tarsfadedaway;hedrewhimselfup strongand well. Thenhelooked abouthim:hueTarswasgone.Nothingwasto beseenbutthestill

a~. poni, thestarsin thevelvety night, the distantshimmer

S. ‘ of the GreatRiver. Therewasno soundbutthe gentlesongof the night birds.

Alonzo turned and strode away into the golden

moming whereJulia waitedto behis bride.