were circulated among all the singers of the city, so that
everyone knew he sheltered the Child of the God, Mazda, in his home.

The songs of Chojon came at last to the King's ears, and as one of the
songs proclaimed Zarathustra as stronger in one finger than all the
power of So-qi, he let out a great oath and set his soldiers to find
Too-che and the babe. But Chojon heard of the search. He took Too-che
and her babe out of the gates in the night and went off into the forest
and joined a band of Listians, who are raisers of goats, and a fine,
strong people.

Now when the search failed to find the babe, So-qi proclaimed that every
male child of the City Oas would be slain if the child was not found.
And within a week So-qi was sorry, because his own wife gave birth to a
little son whose life was already forfeited by royal decree unless
Too-che and her child were found. And they were not to be found in all
Par'si'ya.

Asha, the old philosopher, who had been in hiding all this time, now
came out of his hole and went to the King to give him counsel.

As Asha progressed through the city, mothers with male children in their
arms on all sides were making their way through the streets to the gates
to flee the city. For no decree of a King of Oas may be repealed, but is
law forevermore.

The King sat upon his throne of skulls, gnawing his nails off his
fingers, for he had either to slay his own son or say that a law once
made by a king could be un-made.

If he allowed the law to be thus abused even by himself, such was the
nature of his people they would have no respect for him, and might even
kill him for a fool who could not enforce his own decrees when they hurt
him a little.

So it was that when Asha presented himself before the King, So-qi asked:

"What shall I do, O Asha? My son has smiled in my face!"

Asha was prepared for this, and answered:

"Thou shalt send me and thy son and thy daughter's son and every male
infant to the slaughter pens, and have us all beheaded and cast into
the fire! Otherwise it will come true as the infant Zarathustra
prophesied: his hand will smite Oas city, and it will fall as a heap of
straw."

So the king appointed a day for the slaughter, and ninety thousand male
infants were adjudged to death.

Chojon, from the safety of the forest, made a scornful song about the
tyrant of Oas who went to war against babes, and it was sung everywhere
in the city, and the king could do nothing