A House of Pomegranates | Page 4

huge galley that was
being rowed by a hundred slaves. On a carpet by his side the master of
the galley was seated. He was black as ebony, and his turban was of
crimson silk. Great earrings of silver dragged down the thick lobes of
his ears, and in his hands he had a pair of ivory scales.
The slaves were naked, but for a ragged loin-cloth, and each man was
chained to his neighbour. The hot sun beat brightly upon them, and the
negroes ran up and down the gangway and lashed them with whips of
hide. They stretched out their lean arms and pulled the heavy oars
through the water. The salt spray flew from the blades.
At last they reached a little bay, and began to take soundings. A light
wind blew from the shore, and covered the deck and the great lateen
sail with a fine red dust. Three Arabs mounted on wild asses rode out
and threw spears at them. The master of the galley took a painted bow
in his hand and shot one of them in the throat. He fell heavily into the
surf, and his companions galloped away. A woman wrapped in a
yellow veil followed slowly on a camel, looking back now and then at
the dead body.
As soon as they had cast anchor and hauled down the sail, the negroes
went into the hold and brought up a long rope-ladder, heavily weighted
with lead. The master of the galley threw it over the side, making the
ends fast to two iron stanchions. Then the negroes seized the youngest
of the slaves and knocked his gyves off, and filled his nostrils and his
ears with wax, and tied a big stone round his waist. He crept wearily
down the ladder, and disappeared into the sea. A few bubbles rose
where he sank. Some of the other slaves peered curiously over the side.

At the prow of the galley sat a shark-charmer, beating monotonously
upon a drum.
After some time the diver rose up out of the water, and clung panting to
the ladder with a pearl in his right hand. The negroes seized it from him,
and thrust him back. The slaves fell asleep over their oars.
Again and again he came up, and each time that he did so he brought
with him a beautiful pearl. The master of the galley weighed them, and
put them into a little bag of green leather.
The young King tried to speak, but his tongue seemed to cleave to the
roof of his mouth, and his lips refused to move. The negroes chattered
to each other, and began to quarrel over a string of bright beads. Two
cranes flew round and round the vessel.
Then the diver came up for the last time, and the pearl that he brought
with him was fairer than all the pearls of Ormuz, for it was shaped like
the full moon, and whiter than the morning star. But his face was
strangely pale, and as he fell upon the deck the blood gushed from his
ears and nostrils. He quivered for a little, and then he was still. The
negroes shrugged their shoulders, and threw the body overboard.
And the master of the galley laughed, and, reaching out, he took the
pearl, and when he saw it he pressed it to his forehead and bowed. 'It
shall be,' he said, 'for the sceptre of the young King,' and he made a
sign to the negroes to draw up the anchor.
And when the young King heard this he gave a great cry, and woke,
and through the window he saw the long grey fingers of the dawn
clutching at the fading stars.
And he fell asleep again, and dreamed, and this was his dream.
He thought that he was wandering through a dim wood, hung with
strange fruits and with beautiful poisonous flowers. The adders hissed
at him as he went by, and the bright parrots flew screaming from
branch to branch. Huge tortoises lay asleep upon the hot mud. The trees
were full of apes and peacocks.
On and on he went, till he reached the outskirts of the wood, and there
he saw an immense multitude of men toiling in the bed of a dried-up
river. They swarmed up the crag like ants. They dug deep pits in the
ground and went down into them. Some of them cleft the rocks with
great axes; others grabbled in the sand.
They tore up the cactus by its roots, and trampled on the scarlet

blossoms. They hurried about, calling to each other, and no man was
idle.
From the darkness of a cavern Death and Avarice watched them, and
Death said, 'I am weary; give me a third