fire which has the power to consume."

"Fire itself can be quenched by water," replied Abraham.

"Then worship water," returned Nimrod.

"But water is absorbed by the clouds," said the boy.

"And clouds are blown by the wind," said Nimrod.

"Man can withstand the force of the wind," said Abraham.

"So he will talk all day long, this child of the stars," exclaimed
Haran.

"Child of the stars!" said the chief magician. "Now I understand. O
king, this must be no other than the child of Terah against whom, at
his birth, we warned your majesty. The message of the stars has come
true. He has dared to destroy our gods. Soon he will destroy us."

"Is this, in truth, the child of the stars?" asked Nimrod, of Terah,
but the latter did not answer.

"It is in truth, your majesty," said Haran. "I have long suspected
it."

"Then why didst thou not inform me?" exclaimed the king in a rage. "I
will test this star-child with the power of my god, fire. And thou,
Haran, for thy neglect, must also suffer. Guards, let them be bound
and cast into the furnace to which I pray daily. Terah, thou art their
father. I can forgive thee; thou wilt suffer sufficiently in losing
both thy sons to my god."

The fire was made so hot that the men who endeavored to cast Abraham
and Haran into the flames were caught and burned to death. Twelve men
in all perished before Terah's sons were thrown into the furnace.
Haran was burned to ashes at once, but to the surprise of the vast
crowd that stood at a safe distance, Abraham walked unharmed in the
flames, the fetters which bound him having been consumed.

When King Nimrod saw this, he trembled.

"Come forth, boy," he cried to Abraham, "and I will pardon thee."

"Bid your men take me out," he answered.

All who approached the terrific fire, however, were burned to death,
and at last when Nimrod said he would bow down before Abraham's God
the boy came forth unharmed.

All the people bowed down before the boy who told them to rise,
saying, "Worship not me, but the true God who dwells in Heaven beyond
the sun and the stars and whose glory is everywhere."

King Nimrod loaded the boy with presents and bade him return home in
peace.

Abi Fressah's Feast

There was not in the whole city of Bagdad a greedier man than Abi
Fressah, and you may be sure he was not popular. It was not that he
was rich and refused to give heed to the needs of the poor. He was, in
truth, a merchant in moderat