ngdoms of the world. Jaffeth (China), Shem (Africa) and
Arabin'ya. Any one of them could crush them, did they get themselves
organized for it. And So-qi preyed upon them all ruthlessly, knowing
they could never stop warring interiorly long enough to attack him.

Old Asha thought of the future, which his star studies were supposed to
give him power to foretell, and of the great flood that was to come and
wipe out all the old boundaries and nations. He thought of the peculiar
grey-blue sky, which the Wise men had taught him bore up within its
whirling self vast oceans of water, waiting for the time to drop the
whirling water-shell upon them all. He thought of Uropa, the great land
in the west, and all her peoples. He thought of Heleste, that mighty and
gracious land in the North, and all her beautiful and strong and
courageous people. And he thought of the two great lands of the far
west, called North and South Guatama. And he was sad, for they were all
to die in the great deluge to come! But the time was not yet come.

Sadly he pushed among the stalwart copper-colored men of Oas, gazing a
little wistfully at the women's proud breasts and the strong young thews
of their lovers beside them. If only he were young again.... Asha
sighed, and knocked upon the low, rude door of the house of Too-che.

* * * * *

The smile of the beautiful Too-che made him welcome, very proud to have
the wise man from the court inquire after her child.

"He worries me, wise Asha," said Too-che, moving slim and supple as a
panther to sit protectively beside the little cradle of bent ash bows
lashed together with strips of hide. "He talks like a man grown, and him
not yet weaned!"

"Hmmm." Old Asha looked down upon the over-large infant solemnly looking
back at him. He nearly fainted when the tiny red lips opened, and a
strange, small voice, cultured and adult, said:

"I am not the child you see, but your God, Mazda, speaking through the
child's lips!"

Asha pondered for only a moment, then turned in anger upon the woman,
Too-che.

"I pitied you, harlot, because the King has ordered your death if you
did not produce a miracle. But I did not think you would hide a man
behind the child's cradle to befool me, old Asha! What do you take me
for?"

Too-che broke into tears, bending her graceful neck and sobbing to hear
that the king had decreed death for her. But the peculiar voice came
again from the child's mo