dings; his spirit was immeasurably
removed from his material body. Suddenly he spoke.

"Take heed, my son, for everywhere, even unto the ends of the earth I
can see bloodshed and suffering, and an agony of evil such as the world
has never seen. I can see nations rising against nations, and the
blood of kindred spilt by each other's swords, for they know not God."

Michael, not without a feeling of mental irritation, listened to the
African's foretelling. It seemed to him the imaginings of a zealot's
weakening brain. This war which he foretold was to Michael an
impossible thing amongst civilized nations, but he listened patiently
to all that he had to say. Blood which was to pour like a river over
the Western world, was to be spilt for the cause of Truth; it was to be
the punishment and final agony of the unbelievers; war was to spread
over the world like a deadly plague. God in His wisdom had willed it,
for it was to be a proof that the infidels, who had flourished like the
green bay-tree, were at last to suffer the vengeance of God. This war,
which he saw as clearly as astrologers see the stars and the moon in
the heavens through their scientific instruments, was ordained by
Allah, it was the work of His hand, it was His terrible revelation to
mankind of the falseness of the doctrines preached by those who called
themselves the followers of Christ. For nearly two thousand years they
had fed the nations on lies and set up images which were abhorrent to
the one and only God. They had, to suit their own doctrines and
dogmas, perverted the meaning of the words of Jesus; they had made the
name of Christ a byword to all true believers. The sin of hate and the
lust for blood, which was to fill the hearts of all Christian
countries, was to be a token to all true believers that the teachings
of Christians had been vain and fruitless. They had lived without God
in their hearts; now even the example of the Prophet Jesus they laughed
to scorn.

"God is alone in His personal attributes, He has no partner, He is
neither a Son nor a Father, for there is none of His kind."

Knowing the religious fervour of devout Moslems, Michael listened to
his warning, but without the interest which he would have felt if he
had had the slightest inkling of the agony which was so soon to
convulse Europe. He thought that as the African's end was not far off,
he was becoming more troubled and desirous for the conversion of the
world to