(unlabelled)
the little company seemed well pleased with the explanation of the jewelled beach, but as soon as the messenger ceased, they asked for the explanation of the trackless sands.
“that is a longer story; shall i tell it now?” was the reply.
“o yes, do,” said the princess ethelda. “we are not a bit tired, and it is so pleasant to look down on the very spot while you tell us.”
thus encouraged, the guide messenger began:—
113
“ages ago, when the world was young, three great kings ruled in the universe, the sun king, the ocean king, and the earth king. the earth king owned all the land of the world, and often travelled over it, watching it and caring for it. he was frequently accompanied by his favorite daughter, the beautiful princess selene. she was a graceful maiden of about eighteen. her lovely brown eyes and long, wavy, golden-brown hair, and her white skin and pink cheeks, made her a very charming picture indeed. being a fun-loving, merry little maiden, her cheerful disposition made her a delightful companion, so her father was always pleased to have her travel with him.
“on one of these journeys the young princess seemed more serious than usual, and one morning she came to her father with a request which greatly surprised him. however, when he found her heart quite set upon it, he made up his mind to grant it. she said she had long contemplated doing her share of work in the world, and that she did not think she wished always to remain just a fun-loving and pleasure-seeking young woman. she asked her father to give her a portion of his vast kingdom to cultivate as a garden, declaring she would make it the most beautiful garden in the world, a sort of earthly paradise.
114
“as soon as her father consented to her wish, she chose a charming spot. it was on the borders of a great sea, and back of it were magnificent mountains. a large gulf, too, stood near, whose waters flowed into a shimmering sea beyond. here princess selene, having chosen hundreds of companions, took up her abode. she planted trees for shade and sowed grass for a quiet, restful color, and then she laid out her garden according to a well-thought-out plan.
“i could never begin to tell you in a short story how wonderfully beautiful she made it. fruit trees of all descriptions grew there; lemons and oranges, citrons and bananas, peaches and apricots, flourished—everything nice you can think of. she did not forget the flowers, either. magnolias and acacias, poinsettias and jasmines, and every southern flower you could name, bloomed beautifully. lovely birds flocked there, and rested in the cool trees, singing to the flowers and filling the garden with delicious music. the princess and her companions worked hard and faithfully, and the garden became the most charming spot imaginable. all the world talked about it and came to visit it.
115
“the country about was very attractive. great snow-capped mountains rose abruptly from the sea, and white clouds, nestling down to touch them, hovered like angels’ wings above the rich valleys as though in protection. the clouds were seldom dark, for it rarely rained there, and the sunny blue skies seemed to smile perpetually.
“now, the powerful sun king had many sons, but one of them was especially handsome, and, better than that, he was the soul of honor and truth. he was called prince corus. he often came to earth to visit the ocean king’s family, for one of the sons was his favorite companion. the two young men were inseparable; they were devoted to each other, and fond of the same sports.
116
“when the ocean king’s son, prince fronto, grew to manhood, his father gave him control of a smaller kingdom, a beautiful sea that washed the shores of princess selene’s famous gardens. this sea was reached by sailing through the blue waters of the gulf; shining and beautiful, it stretched for miles and miles through a magnificent country. it was on the shores of this sea that the two princes spent most of their time, and it was here one day that they came across the lovely selene and her maidens. both the young men felt at once that they had never before seen anything so perfectly charming as the princess, and they lost no time in learning to know her.
“she treated them with the greatest courtesy; and in a little while the three had become firm friends, and spent many happy hours together. the young men did not attempt to disguise from themselves the fact that they both loved this royal maiden; but the sun prince, in a spirit of nobleness, offered to leave his friend fronto alone to win her hand, though in losing her he would become the most miserable man in the world. up to this point, however, fronto apparently showed a similar generosity of spirit, and putting his arm about his friend, urged him to remain, saying: ‘we will abide by the decision of the princess. let her choose between us, and whoever wins her love shall marry her, letting the other suitor swear friendship to them both.’
117
“‘so be it,’ replied the generous prince corus, for it seemed a fair proposition. ‘much as i care for her, i will promise to give her to you gladly if she loves you; for, after her, i love you best in the world.’
“they clasped hands, and swore a solemn oath to abide by this agreement.
“selene was in no hurry to choose, and seemed equally fond of them both. never by word or sign did she show which she preferred. always together, the three wandered through her gardens, plucking the fruit or listening to the songs of the birds. the two young men came every day to see her, and strove to invent plans for her amusement. corus brought his father’s golden chariot, and often the three took a mad race across the sky. but the maiden was never afraid. she loved the spirited, prancing steeds, and their flashing golden harness; and the wild ride brought a glorious color to her cheeks. she thrilled with pleasure when the rushing wind blew back her flowing hair, and her eyes caught a deeper blue from the heavens, and sparkled and danced with delight, so that corus and fronto thought her more bewitching than ever.
118
“again, fronto would invite them to see his father’s famous sea-gardens, and they would ride across the sapphire-blue waves until they reached a rocky island. here they would rest, to watch the seals climbing over the rocks. they amused themselves long, laughing at the awkward antics of the fat baby seals, who would tumble with loud splashes into the water, and then frolic about noisily. the princess loved these famous sea-gardens; they were very different from her own, but wonderfully interesting, nevertheless. every sea-plant grew there. huge trees of seaweed were plainly seen, and curious water-flowers in abundance. magnificent shells bordered the walks, shells dyed with the mystic colors of the sea,—blue and green and opalescent,—others pink-lined, like the sky at sunset, or brilliant red, like the coral reef. charming gold-fishes swam about these water-gardens, and their scales, glowing like fire, sent out great sparks of light. mermaids floated through, with long golden hair and starry blue eyes, singing low to the music of their lutes. thus many days and weeks were passed, and each hour the young princes grew more madly in love with the charming princess selene.
119
“at last a day came when they could no longer resist asking her to choose between them. but when they stood before her, and waited for her answer in silence, the fun-loving little princess suddenly became grave, and said most seriously: ‘why make me choose at all? your friendship may be broken if i do, and i could not bear that.’
“‘you need not fear for us, sweet princess,’ said fronto, ‘for we have sworn an oath, and will not break it.’
“selene gazed earnestly at them, not understanding this reply. then corus, pale as death, nodded assent, saying: ‘it is even true, fair selene; as you cannot choose but one, we both have promised allegiance to the one you favor. we love you too sincerely to do otherwise.’
“a brilliant color dyed selene’s cheek as she heard these words, and turning to prince fronto she began softly: ‘so be it. we have passed many happy hours together, and in my heart, prince fronto, i have a deep affection for you.’
120
“hearing her speak thus, prince corus grew very white, and turned away to hide his pain, whispering to himself: ‘they shall not see how i suffer. i have sworn an oath, and i will keep it.’
“but whatever the princess continued to say to the ocean prince, it seemed not to please him. finally she said to him, while she turned and beckoned to his friend: ‘therefore, kind brother of the shimmering sea, you must forgive me; for, though i love you as a friend, my heart belongs to corus, and him i choose to be my husband.’
“the sun prince could hardly believe he heard aright; but as the beautiful girl turned shyly toward him, he caught her hand, and kneeling, kissed it, thanking her for his great happiness.
“the ocean prince showed great surprise at selene’s words, because he had always thought she preferred him to corus; indeed, it was because of this he had made the compact so readily. swiftly now his thoughts grew black with anger, but the two lovers were talking together and did not notice it. soon he grew calmer; outwardly he seemed to be peaceful, and stooping, he too kissed selene’s hand, and swore friendship to the two.
121
“preparations began for the wedding, and each day, as the ceremony drew nearer, fronto seemed happier. he really acted as though he had forgotten his wish to marry selene. this, of course, made corus and his bride more contented; they could not bear to be merry, and feel that fronto was suffering. but the ocean prince was only pretending. instantly, on leaving the lovers on the day of their betrothal, he had gathered together all the little demons and wicked imps he knew, and employed them to build big mountains on the shores of his sea. soon precipitous mountains gathered in clusters about the water’s edge. they seemed only barren rock, as they loomed up from the flat sand, like watch-towers guarding a prison. selene and corus teased the ocean prince for building such ugly peaks, but he did not mind their jests. finally he had his dominions hedged in with a dark-hued rocky range.
122
“then, one day when the sun prince was absent, he deliberately carried out the plan he had so carefully concealed: he stole the princess and hid her in the caverns of his great mountains. when corus returned, broken-hearted and distressed over the loss of his bride and the treachery of his friend, and demanded her release, the sea prince absolutely refused to give her up—laughing to scorn his friend’s demand.
“war, of course, immediately followed. the sun prince was no slight enemy, for all his father’s powerful forces were at his command. the heavy bowlders piled up by the wretched little fiends the ocean prince had employed were not easily surmounted, however, for they were splendidly built. it would take years to pull them down. so corus determined he would not even try. he would rescue his beloved bride in a simpler but more powerful manner, and in less time.
“a great river ran through the country, from the inland sea down to the blue waters of the ocean. now, the sun prince closed up that river, shutting off all communication between the ocean and the inland sea. the sea prince laughed at first when he saw this. he had so much water in his own sea he never dreamed it could be exhausted.
123
“but now the sun prince tried new measures. as the tides could not bring the water to the foot of the big mountains to replenish them, he sent down burning rays upon the sea to dry it up. evaporation began. day by day the water decreased, and shrunk away slowly from the white face of the sand and the red sides of the mountains.
“a hundred feet of the water fell quickly, and then fronto saw that the sun prince, in drying up the water, could doom him and his followers to death. panic-stricken, he restored the princess, and begged for mercy.
“corus, though happy to have his beloved bride again, felt that the awful crime fronto had committed should not be treated lightly. his punishment must serve as a warning to the world. still, at the request of his gentle-hearted bride, he forgave his false friend, and sent him back safe with his companions to the ocean king. however, he forced fronto to remain in his father’s dominions for ever, saying that he had proven, by his treachery, he was unfit to govern a kingdom of his own. moreover, that kingdom should exist no longer. he would dry it up and make it a huge desert, to mark the spot of a false friend’s perfidy.
124
“so the sun never relaxed his fierce gaze, nor the wind its hot breath. together they scorched the seabed until the water disappeared, and the bottom looked like a huge white bowl. then slowly the desert formed. the fierce heat became so intense that even the rains refused to fall there, and the earth was too salty to allow anything to grow. every living creature shunned it. neither bird nor beast would visit it, and thus it remained for thousands of years.
“when you are in the bottom of this bowl, you are nearly three hundred feet below the ocean. upon all sides are great mountains, some over ten thousand feet high; and this spot is the hottest place in the world. the desert looks like a great plain leading out to the horizon. the soil is almost as fine as white flour.
“but, silent and deserted as it is, the sun prince declared that, because his beloved bride had been kept there, it should still be sacred in his eyes—still retain a certain fascination. so, in all its desolation, it does possess a weird beauty of its own. the sand dunes reflect the light of the sky. they are sometimes deep blue, sometimes topaz yellow, and again, at sunset, a brilliant rose.
125
“the quiet of the desert is profound, save when some whirling sand-storm blows. then all living creatures caught there are lost unless they lie flat and cover heads and mouths. except for this, the air is always magnificent. at times, it is all covered with a pink mist; at other times, it is a pure golden haze. the mountains, too, are in changing shades of purple and lilac and blue, with golden and blood-red colors mingled.
“all these years the place has remained a desert,—a monument to the treachery of prince fronto. yet the bitterness of the sun prince seems to be lessening. perhaps the sweet pleading of the beautiful selene has won forgiveness, for of late that awful waste shows signs of life. true, its great mesas, in gray and gold, bordering its lonely hundreds of miles, are rocky and barren still; but now and then a green bush of elder arises on the sands, and the cacti and greasewood are beginning to flourish well. this is the first sign of life, but it means surely that prince corus has relented, and will remove the curse that ‘nothing shall ever live there.’
126
“occasionally, too, an animal has been seen running across the dry, parched sands, and birds that once flew hundreds of miles to avoid the hot plains now skim lightly across them. then, at times, trees and green grass and cool fresh lakes of water are visible. these last disappear quickly when one approaches and tries to drink from their curling waves. wise people call these sights mirages, but perhaps, after all, they are real, and foreshadow what the desert will become.
“the sun prince is wise and merciful, and though justice must be done, when justice is appeased he can restore the cooling streams and vegetation to the parched sands. some day, perhaps, the magic spell will be withdrawn from the mysterious desert, and its shining seas again smile beneath sunny skies. even now, prince corus occasionally sends a great cloudburst to drench the scorching plains. at first, we know, he did not love the barren waste. it brought back too keenly the sorrow of his stolen bride; but time has softened that feeling, and with his beloved princess by his side, he looks down and smiles upon its glare and glitter. he shows this in the wonderful sky effects above it. they are things of beauty. if clouds gather, he tips them with rainbow colors,—brilliant reds and oranges, purples and greens, melting into delicious pinks, soft lilacs, and grays. the sunset there is a glorious sight never to be forgotten.
127
“its mountains, too, are beautiful. often the ridges are clear-cut and sharp. again, when the sun pours his heat upon them, they seem as flat as the palm of your hand. they change color frequently, for at times startling reds and yellows and pinks are painted in stripes all over them. later the canyons are flashing in brilliant needle-like points of superb color, but again they are a dull blue or gray, and lose their splendor.
“but most sublime of all the sights is still the mirage. trembling and glowing in the sea, lie trees and mountain peaks, reflected clear and beautiful. maybe it is only the reflection of the golden haze that lies in the canyons at sunset; but whatever it is, it is one of the desert’s splendors. and though the lilac mist and the purple shadows that creep between the valleys and climb the mountains seem more natural to its desolation and its silence, yet the glory of that mirage—glittering with its dazzling hue, and flashing its strange lights like the rays from a fire-opal—will cling the longest in one’s memory.”
