A King of Tyre

ay. The king entered the palanqu

ho, the

on had royalty cast its aristocratic lustre among the shadows of the common artisan's life. But Hiram was well known in these places. As a l

the midst of this, like the statue of some god in a halo of incense, stood a man,

st the low lintel in resuming the perpendicular. Without losing any of his c

uz, killed by the wild boar, but comin

d Trypho, "for the red wil

ter, "for I swear by Astarte that the dye on your arms is the

," replied Trypho, making another salam, that en

e cloth?" asked

to an inner room. "Come in, and judge for yourself. I need n

gh the intermediate shades, to a bright purple. At a bench near by a workman crushed with a wooden hammer the smaller shell of the insect since called buccinum, which, together with the body of the animal, was thrown into a vat, mixed w

s to produce the rare tint for which your cloths are so famous. Have

ecret would be gone. So I never told myself how I do it. I think of a tint, and pour the dyes together, and they always come out the tint I t

nd, seeing that he had the

god Melkarth came when his dog ate off the head of a shell-fish, and colored his jaws with such beautiful tints that the nymph Tyrus refused to marry the god until he gave her a gown of the same color. It was my ancestor, the first Trypho, who helped the great Melkarth get his bride; and to no one else than

fore a window, by manipulating the screens of which the artis

f his own work. "For see, I must use the beams of Baal, the sun-god, t

he king. "Then you must be the god, and Baal your serva

b by the blasphemy he had heard. His look of

you can transform into beauty, than the brass image of Moloch is when dyed with children's blood. No beautiful

his senses, he pointed to a hanging of finest texture, whose exquisite tint brought an exclamation of delight from his visi

pho, bowing low, in as much obeisance to his own prid

the marriage feast," said the king, grasping the h

of the bronze-workers. The open space was covered with scraps of metal, heaps of charred wood, broken moulding-boxes, piles of clay and sand. Leaving the palanquin at the entrance to the court, Hiram wa

yes that Tyre is keeping her ancient renown. See this bronze dish! But first listen to its musical ring," striking it with his centre finger. "It sounds longer than a diver can hold his breath. The gods have tau

ll they all be done in time? It wants but three

score of silver, a half-score of vases in bronze, a

ess, and shall reward them," said the king, presenting hi

epressed border, or bevel, which clearly marked the size of the blocks, making the whole more impressive to the eye, and at the same time revealing the antiquity of its construction. The edifice was windowless on the exterior. The only entrance was guarded by an enormous gate of oaken planks, which were banded together with thick and broad bars of burnished bronze. P

en used since the days of the Great Hiram, our king would or

sts stick in the old ways they have worn for themselves, which, Baal save me! are not the ways the gods made wh

priest watching this gate of late. Who knows but the

ave you read the proclamation, Goliab? I thank Astarte f

ch as we to talk ab

y n

here's a priest outside this moment. I can see

ecorated the borders of its marble basin. He lingered a moment under an orange tree, whose silver blossoms and golden fruit, in simultaneous fulness, made him think of a proverb that was common everywhere in those la

dows set near the ceiling, covered with curiously shaped bits of glass, which flung variegated colors, as in a floral shower, upon the white walls and floors. Servants loosed his sandals, washed his feet, b

e lines of writing changed into thick webs which, it seemed to him, gigantic spiders had spun about the room. He looked closely at one of these monsters. Its head was surely that of Egbalus. There was a smaller spider with the leering look of Rubaal. Ahimelek, too, with sleek, smooth face of hypocritical amiability, and a score of legs with anchors on them for sandals, was timidly crawling out of a corner. Then Hanno appeared, and walked straight