om thousands of
excited throats. The song was Hell-born, and hellishly sung.

When, a moment later the whole mob had trampled upon the slain
believers--wantonly, heedlessly trod upon them,--in their passage
towards the city, the swarthy Jew who had incited the crowd to their
deed of blood, lit a cigarette, and crossed to where his aerial-chair
waited him. He stepped into the upholstered seat, and turned his head
to watch the mob, then with that evil laugh of his, he muttered: "Men
are but sheep after all, and will follow any bell-wether!"

To his waiting driver, he said: "Esdraelon." The next moment the chair
rose in the air, and like some wondrous bird soared away, northwards.

The swarthy Jew was Apleon's Chaplain, the false prophet.

Jerusalem was enormously crowded. Thousands upon thousands of people
had come up from Babylon, as well as from every part of the world. The
news had been flashed all over the earth, that some world-important
event in connection with the Emperor-Dictator, would take place during
this last week of the first three-and-a-half years of the "Great
Covenant."

At the time of the offering of the Morning Lamb, just as the course of
officiating priests were preparing for the slaughter of the lamb,
Apleon's resident viceroy, entered the Temple enclosure, followed by a
military detachment, and, accompanied by Apleon's chaplain, he whom God
the Holy Ghost has called the false Prophet. The latter ordered the
priest in charge of the "Course," to cease the offering, and to the
amazed protest of the priest, he laughed scornfully, vouchsafing no
other explanation than that it was his and the Emperor's command, that
_all_ Jewish worship-ritual should cease.

The priests could do no other than obey the command, enforced, as it
was, by the presence of the Viceroy, _and the military force_.

The High-Priest lived a mile away from the Temple. One of the minor
officials went off to apprise him of this strange new order.

As the man made his way down the marble road to the city level, he met
a ponderous motor-driven trolley of great length--the thing was
evidently bound for the Temple. Two hundred workmen followed behind
the trolley, and the Temple-messenger noticed that on the trolley,
lying beside the huge coffin-like packing-case that formed its chief
burden, were a number of hoisting and hauling tackles, with a pile of
handspikes, jacks, etc.

It was an hour before the messenger returned, t