find out her plans and use them for
another purpose; but then that other purpose was Almah, and to me at
that time every device which was for her safety seemed fair and
honorable.

"Here," said Layelah--"here, Atam-or, you see the way of escape. The
athaleb can carry us both far away to a land where you need never fear
that they will put you to death--a land where the people love light
and life. Whenever you are ready to go, tell me; if you are ready to
go now, say so, and at once I will open the door, and we shall soon be
far away."

She laid her hand on mine and looked at me earnestly; but I was not to
be beguiled into any hasty committal of myself, and so I turned her
proposal away with a question:

"How far is it," I asked, "to that land?"

"It is too far for one flight," said Layelah. "We go first over the
sea till we come to a great island, which is called Magones, where
there are mountains of fire; there we must rest, and feed the athaleb
on fish, which are to be found on the shore. The athaleb knows his way
there well, for he goes there once every season for a certain sacred
ceremony. He has done this for fifty or sixty seasons, and knows his
way there and back perfectly well. The difficulty will be, when we
leave Magones, in reaching the land of the Orin."

"The Orin?" I repeated. "Who are they?"

"They are a people among the Gojin who love life and light. It is
their land that I wish to reach, if possible."

"Where is it?" I asked, eagerly.

"I cannot explain," said Layelah. "I can only trust to my own skill,
and hope to find the place. We may have to pass over different lands
of the Gojin, and if so we may be in danger."

"What is the reason why the athaleb goes to Magones every season?"
I asked.

"To take there the chief pauper of the season, who has won the prize
of death by starvation. It is one of the greatest honors among the
Kosekin."

"Is Magones barren?"

"It is an island of fire, without anything on it but craggy mountains
and wild rocks and flowing rivers of fire. It stands almost in the
middle of the sea."

"How can we get away from here?" I asked, after some silence.

"From here?--why, I open the gates, and the athaleb flies away; that
is all."

"But shall we not be prevented?"

"Oh no. No one here ever prevents anyone from doing anything. Everyone
is eager to help his neighbor."

"But if they saw me deliberately mounting the athaleb and preparing
for flight, would they n