The Vizier of the Two-Horned Alexander

days out, our vessel collided with a derelict--a great, heavy, helpless mass, as dull and colorless as the darkness in which she was enveloped. We struck her almost h

gers who crowded the upper deck were soon informed by the officers that it would

not understand him when he spoke in English, and as the Americans did not readily comprehend what he said in French, his exhortations were of little avail. With such of their possessions as they could carry, the people crowded into the boats as soon a

oat when there were women and children behind me who had not yet been provided with places. There were men who did this, and several times I felt inclined to knock one o

w, when I was touched on the shoulder, and turning, I saw a gentleman whose acquaintance I had made soon after the steamer had left Havre. His name was Crowder. He was a mi

t boat. It is horribly crowded, and the captain

yself ahead of women and children, but I've just as much right to be saved as the ca

e just as safe where you are as you could possibly be in one of those boats. If they are not picked up soon,--and they may float ab

t stop here to talk about that. The

under him while he is doing it. I'm not going in that boat; I haven't the least idea of such a thing. It will be odiously

as if we were standing on a sidewalk, and he endeavoring to dissuade me from b

e ran into. The steam is nearly out of her boilers by this time, and nothing is likely to happen to her. I wish you would stay with me. Here we will be safe, with plenty of room, and plenty to eat and drink. When it is daylight we will hoist a flag of distress, which will be much more likely to be seen than

very often happens that a wreck floats for a long time, and the boat from which the m

ason as any man can assure any other man of anything in this world,

and I saw the captain and hi

them see us. They may drag us on board that confounded boat. Keep qui

tood in the shadow of the great funn

n French and in English. "Is every one in

rush toward him, but Cro

est possible desire to save you. Stay where you are, and you will

med suddenly to rise up and ask me why I should leave th

ullenly waiting to see us die of the wound. We hoisted a flag, union down, and then we went below to get some breakfast. Mr. Crowder knew all about the ship, and where to find everything. He told me he had made so many voyages that he felt almost as much at home on sea as on land. We ma

ked up two of them in a sorry condition, the occupants having suffered many hardships and privations.

my life, and he had done it without any act of heroism or daring, but simply by impressing me with the fact that his judgment was better than mine. I am apt to object to people of superior judgment, but Mr. Crowder was an exception to the ordinary superior person. From the way he talked it wa

but he had a fresh and florid complexion. He was tall and well made, fashionably dressed, and had an erect and somewhat m

, and I never had had a friend whose company

nce she seemed to be the opposite of her husband in every way. She had suffered a week of anxiety, and was so rejoiced at having her husband again that when I met her, some hours after Crowder had reached the house, her g

nd although they were so happy to see each other, they made it very plain that they

study. He had been speaking of people and things that he had seen in various parts of the wo

but I was considering something important--very important. Ever since you have been here, --almost ever since I have k

wder, but the confidences of friends are often very embarrassing. At

only want to say that Mrs. Norris and two other ladies have just called, and I am going down to see them. They are a committee, and will not care for the society of gentlemen. I am sorry

"She thinks of everybody's happiness, and even wishes us to feel free to take a

here really could be no objection to my list

I feel that I am so drawn to you. The reason for this, in some degree at least, is because you believe in me. You are not weak, and it is my opinion that on important occasions you are very apt to judge for yourself, and not to care very much for the opinion

bestow too many compliments upo

I tell you my story. I must first assure you, however, that I do not wish to place any embarrassing responsibility upon you by taki

s cigar. "I will begin," he said, "by stating th

than my companion, and

r own sense, and hear what I have to say. Then you can take the whole matter into consideration, and draw your own conclusions." He now leaned back in his chair, and went on with his story: "It would be m

ly from my surprise to ass

e of Abraham. He was a man of considerable culture, even of travel, and of an adventurous disposition. I entered into the ser

"Time of Abraham!" I exc

"I beg you will sit down and listen to me. What I have to say to yo

ender spot, for I am an electricia

gave two horns to Moses; but he misunderstood the tradition he had heard, and furnished the prophet with real horns. Alexander wore his hair arranged over his forehead in the shape of two protruding horns. Th

d confer immortality upon any descendant of Shem who should drink of them, and he started out to find this spring. I traveled with him for more than a year

head, I saw, to my amazement, that there was not a drop of water left in the spring. Now it so happened that when Alexander came to this spot, he stopped, and having regarded the little hollow under the rock, together with its surroundings, he dismounted and stood by it. He called me, and said: 'According to a

f course I was certain of nothing, but I bowed before Alexander, and told him that I had found an insignificant little puddle at the place, that I had tasted it and found it was nothing but common water, and in quantity so small that it scarcely

was accustomed to rule all men, even himself, and he forbade himself to think that I had interfered with the great object of his search. But he sent me home to his capital city,

untain of immortality which thou didst discover, and of which thou didst drink every drop. I have searched over the whole habitable world, and there is no other. Thou, too, art an aristocrat; thou, too, art of the family of Shem. It was for this reason that I placed thee near me, tha

o older. But still I hoped that this was merely the result of my general good health, and that when Alexander came back he would inform me that he had discovered the veritable spring of immortality; so I retained my high office, and w

in order that I might be found. But at last Alexander died, and his son died, and the sons of his son died, and the whole story was for

n them. You can see for yourself that that would be impossible. One might as well attempt to read a his

o older, they thought I was a wizard, and I was obliged to seek a new habitation. Ever since, my fate has been the necessity of moving from place to place. I would go somewhere as a man beginning to show signs of age, and I would remain as long as a man cou

the truth of what he said that I had been on the point of asking him if Abraham had really had anything to do with the building of the Islam temple, but had been checked by the thought of the utter absurdity of supposing that this man sitting in front of me could possibly know anything about it.

ght, on the extreme edge of

angry. I can't help it. It isn't your fault, but that remark always enra

told your story

of these have believed it, some have not; but, believers or disbelievers, all have died and disa

here, but he did not give me a

a I have never told my story to any one who did not, in some way or other, make an absurd or irritating reference to the Wandering Jew. I have often thought, and I have no doubt I am right, that the ancient story of my adventures as Kroudhr, the Vizier of the Two-horned Alexander, combined with what I have related, in one century or another, of my subsequent experiences, has given rise to the tradition of that very unpleasant Jew of whom Eugène Sue and many others have made good use. It is very natural that there should

o grow, so that people really thought I was getting older and older; at last I acquired the reputation of a prophet, and was held in veneration by a great many religious people. Of course I could not prophesy, but as I ha

ons which embarrassed me very much; but I do not know that he suspected I had lived beyond the ordinary span of life. There are a good many traditions about this visit of Moses, some of which are extant

generations arose who did not honor or even respect me, and by some I was looked upon as a fraudulent su

tion was increasing, and I felt that I must not doubt nor d

u with horror to think that y

osition, a man of my overpowering love of knowledge, love of discovery, love of improvement, love of progress of all kinds, would love to live. In fact, if I were now to be told that at the end of five thousand years I must expire and cease, it would f

nderstand the state of his mind, no matter how

my life is always safe, no matter in what peril I may be, does not relieve me from anxiety and apprehension of evil. It would be a curse to live if I were not in sound physical condition; it would be a curse to live as

ower and dominion for a few generations. Then he would have been thrown down, cast out, and even if he had escaped miseries which I cannot bear

the time has come to do so. I have been almost everything; I have even been a soldier. But I have never taken up arms except when obliged to do so, and I have known as little of war as possible. No weapon or missile could kill me, but I have a great regard for my arms and l

o the 'London Magazine.' I had read some of them, and was interested in the man. I met him several times in the corridors or on the stairways, and one day I was going up-stairs, carrying a hod of coals, as he was coming down. Looking up at him, I made a misstep, and came near dropping a portion of my burd

u did not tell h

I had told him everything. He would not really have known my age, for he would not have believed me. I might hav