s terrified, and soared circling high above the
crowd, when lo, the hawk, poising itself one moment on its wings,
swooped with a sudden swoop, and, abandoning its prey, alighted on the
plumed head of Siror.

"Behold," cried Morven in a loud voice, "behold your king!"

"Hail, all hail the king!" shouted the people. "All hail the chosen of
the stars!"

Then Morven lifted his right hand and the hawk left the prince and
alighted on Morven's shoulder. "Bird of the gods!" said he, reverently,
"hast thou not a secret message for my ear?" Then the hawk put its beak
to Morven's ear, and Morven bowed his head submissively; and the hawk
rested with Morven from that moment and would not be scared away. And
Morven said, "The stars have sent me this bird, that in the day-time
when I see them not, we may never be without a councillor in distress."

So Siror was made king and Morven the son of Osslah was constrained by
the king's will to take Orna for his wife; and the people and the chiefs
honoured Morven the prophet above all the elders of the tribe.

One day Morven said unto himself, musing, "Am I not already equal with
the king,--nay, is not the king my servant? Did I not place him over the
heads of his brothers? Am I not, therefore, more fit to reign than he
is; shall I not push him from his seat? It is a troublesome and stormy
office to reign over the wild men of Oestrich, to feast in the crowded
hall, and to lead the warriors to the fray. Surely if I feasted not,
neither went out to war, they might say, 'This is no king, but the
cripple Morven;' and some of the race of Siror might slay me secretly.
But can I not be greater far than kings, and continue to choose and
govern them, living as now at mine own ease? Verily the stars shall give
me a new palace, and many subjects."

Among the wise men was Darvan; and Morven feared him, for his eye often
sought the movements of the son of Osslah.

And Morven said, "It were better to _trust_ this man than to _blind_,
for surely I want a helpmate and a friend." So he said to the wise man
as he sat alone watching the setting sun,--

"It seemeth to me, O Darvan! that we ought to build a great pile in
honour of the stars, and the pile should be more glorious than all the
palaces of the chiefs and the palace of the king; for are not the stars
our masters? And thou and I should be the chief dwellers in this new
palace, and we would serve the gods of night and fatten their altars
with th