st or bird is there, in that
hoary desert bare. Nothing breaks the almighty stillness. Even the
jackal's felon cry might seem a soothing melody. A grey wild rat, with
snowy whiskers, out of a withered bramble stealing, with a youthful
snake in its ivory teeth, in the moonlight grins with glee. This is
their sole society.

Morn comes, the fresh and fragrant morn, for which even the guilty sigh.
Morn comes, and all is visible. And light falls like a signet on the
earth, and its face is turned like wax beneath a seal. Before them and
also on their right was the sandy desert; but in the night they had
approached much nearer to the mountainous chain, which bounded the
desert on the left, and whither Alroy had at first guided the steed.

The mountains were a chain of the mighty Elburz; and, as the sun rose
from behind a lofty peak, the horse suddenly stopped and neighed, as if
asking for water. But Alroy, himself exhausted, could only soothe him
with caresses. And the horse, full of courage, understood his master,
and neighed again more cheerfully.

For an hour or two the Prince and his faithful companion proceeded
slowly, but, as the day advanced, the heat became so oppressive, and
the desire to drink so overwhelming, that Alroy again urged on the steed
towards the mountains, where he knew that he should find a well. The
courser dashed willingly forward, and seemed to share his master's
desire to quit the arid and exhausting wilderness.

More than once the unhappy fugitive debated whether he should not allow
himself to drop from his seat and die; no torture that could await him
at Hamadan but seemed preferable to the prolonged and inexpressible
anguish which he now endured. As he rushed along, leaning on his
bearer's neck, he perceived a patch of the desert that seemed of a
darker colour than the surrounding sand. Here, he believed, might
perhaps be found water. He tried to check the steed, but with difficulty
he succeeded, and with still greater difficulty dismounted. He knelt
down, and feebly raked up the sand with his hands. It was moist. He
nearly fainted over his fruitless labour. At length, when he had dug
about a foot deep, there bubbled up some water. He dashed in his hand,
but it was salt as the ocean. When the horse saw the water his ears
rose, but, when he smelt it, he turned away his head, and neighed most
piteously.

'Alas, poor beast!' exclaimed Alroy, 'I am the occasion of thy
suffering, I, who would be