Out of the Triangle: A Story of the Far East

e was on the roof of the house in Alexandria. Through an open space b

ed a roll of papyrus. He glanced stealthily around, and, kneeling still, unrolled the writing, and read in eager haste, one hand on the brick, ready at the sound of any coming foo

t he hideth it there?" th

rus as one that he had seen before. The sight of any papyrus, however, had been distasteful to him since the night of his adventure on the roof, but he thought the papyri of that escapade safely burned long ago. He knew that Herak

!" wished Athribis vainly. "What mean

emed to the slave like the Egyptian "tau" or sign of life; used afterwards, curiously enough, by the Christians of Europe as a prefix to ins

o harm in the writing," thought Athri

rolled in sight again, as H

the thief, supposed to have been on the roof, might have dropped the roll. During the three months that had elapsed since Heraklas found the papyrus hanging from the palm, h

second month, Heraklas read with even more eagerness than at first. Here was something that even the maxims of Ptah-hotep had not attained. Never had Heraklas seen such a book as this Gospel of

hese craggy places that, men said, a century and a half ago, Mark, the first Christian apostle to Alexandria, had been dragged by cords, at the time

reater than Serapis, th

the papyrus of John's Gospel. And now Athribis

rom his reading, and glanced upward. Athribis had not time to start aside. The eyes of the two met in

eraklas, snatching the papyrus, wound it

ick. No safe place for the papyr

las felt his heart beat more quickly against the hid

bis!"

bent befor

ere I saw thee?"

. Thou knowest they are drying on th

e excuse. There were quail drying, a

n his face, as he looked down

as though expressed, there existed in Hera

tated to by a servant. That was the ostensible reason he gave himself for not immediately burning the roll. In reality, he knew that th

at home. He sought places, to read it abroad. Hidden among the crags beside the sea, or in the vine

great sea. His eyes were bent upon his roll. He had been reading John's

m, Dost thou believ

ed, answered and said, "Who is he,

elieve on th

question. With awe-struck lips, Heraklas whispered, out of a heart t

e answer of the Lord was there.

here, pouring out his soul in prayer-but not to Egypt's gods. And that which is written of the

n his mother would burn myrrh to the sun. But no prayer to Re or hymn to Horus escaped Herakla

the hopeless burden which had not ceased to cause Heraklas misery even when he made off

away the sins of the wearer, Heraklas leaned forward, and flung the rosy ornament far into the white foam o

carnelian buckle within the waves, "I care not for th

, he concealed his papy

ue of the god Chonsu, the moon. Heraklas went by quickly, making no

urn his head toward the idol. He noted, in the stalls and in the shops, the altars and little idols. When he

bless thee!" wish

ed of the Lord, seem to accept the blessing of idols? But the

the linen robes of the Egyptian high priest who was coming. Twelve or sixteen inferior priests walked beside the superior one. The h

cred beetle of the sun," suspect

opening that presented itself. The pa

aklas, "than that I should hav

aughter Potamiaena, passing on their way to martyrdom. How awful a form of martyrdom was it that Alexandria visited upon that beautiful

ound him at the pr

he whispered, "in thee is fo

remembered that it was through Potamiaena's martyrdom that the soldier, Basilides, was led

trembling. His short journey had