in the three years that were passed in the inaccessible island, nothing that is worth my telling happened, o king. but at the end of the three years my master said to me, “we will leave the inaccessible island, for i have a mighty business before me.” and when i asked, “where do we[pg 32] go, o master?” he answered, “we go to babylon.”
and then, when it was the first day after the new moon, we descended the black stairway that led into the cave where the waters came. there we found a boat of brass that was like the boat that came to the western island on the day when my father and i were fishing in the pools of the sea. we went into that boat of brass, and it took us through the water, steering itself. we rested on lonely islands, and at last we came to a mainland, and there the enchanter left the boat to sink beneath the water. as travelers then we went on. we came to a town, and there my master bought for himself and me the dresses of merchants. then we came to the river that flows toward babylon. men go down the river in round boats that are made of rods woven together. in every boat a live ass is carried, and when the cargo is landed the boats are broken up, for they cannot go back against the current of the river. and the cargo is loaded on the ass and brought into the market in babylon. and whatsoever the merchants buy in babylon is loaded[pg 33] on the ass, and the ass is driven back over the mountains into the country that they came from, these men.
and in such boats we went down the river and came into babylon. no city in the world is as mighty or as wonderful as babylon. it has three hundred and sixty-five streets, and in every street there are three hundred and sixty-five palaces, and to every palace there are three hundred and sixty-five steps leading up to its door of gold and ebony. the streets when we came into them were thronged with mighty, black-bearded men. i was much in dread when i stood in those great streets, and looked on the mighty men who went through them.
in the center of the city were the palace and the wide-spreading gardens of the king. in those gardens, as my master told me, were one or two of all the beautiful or terrible animals of the world. those gardens i will speak of again, o king, for it was within them that i came upon the danger that was greater than the danger that i am now in.
[pg 34]
but first the enchanter showed me that great wonder that was near the gardens—the tower of babylon. it was a red tower mounting very high into the air. outside of it there were steps that went round it and to the very top of it—a thousand steps. and on the top of the tower, resting against the spear of nimrod, was the magic mirror of babylon. zabulun the enchanter made me look to the top, and i was made fearful by looking so high.
oh, that i might tell you, king manus, of the wonders of the tower of babylon! in the shadow of it there slept two mighty ones—the two genii who guarded babylon, harut and marut they were named. giant beings they were. as they slept there the beard of each was spread across his mighty chest, and it was a beard so broad that no horse of the mighty horses that the king owned could leap across it. very great but very old were harut and marut, the genii who guarded babylon.
i was made fearful by looking to the top of the tower. and then i was made still more fearful[pg 35] by the words that zabulun said to me. “we have come here,” he said, “to steal the magic mirror of the babylonians.
“it is there on the top of the tower,” said the enchanter, “resting against the spear of nimrod. one looking into that mirror sees all the kings of the world. the one who threatens babylon is shown with a spear raised in his hand. and if a king should bring an army against babylon, the number of its men and the ways by which it comes would be shown in the mirror. the babylonians, by means of this magic mirror of theirs, are always ready for their enemies, and because of this no king in all the world will venture to make war on babylon.
“but we shall steal the mirror and make the tower of babylon fall. know that i, zabulun, was once a prince of babylon. they dishonored me, the men of babylon, and drove me out of their city. and for that i shall make an end of their pride and an end of their security.
“fear not. it will not be hard to steal the mirror and throw down the tower. know that the[pg 36] king of the city is a foolish king, and that he cares only for his gardens and for the beautiful and terrible beasts that he can bring into them. and as for the genii who guard babylon—behold them! they are mighty beings, truly, harut and marut! immeasurably old are they, and they pass their days in sleep beside the tower that they guard. i say to you that it will not be hard to overthrow the tower, and take away from the babylonians the magic mirror that is their security.”
as zabulun spoke the terrible beasts in the king’s gardens roared mightily, and harut and marut, the mighty beings who slept in the shadow of the tower of babylon, turned in their sleeping. the flocks of birds that had built nests in their beards (the oldest owl and the littlest humming bird were amongst them) flew up and rested on the steps of the tower.
the black-bearded men of babylon passed in their throngs, while he who was once a prince in their city, and who was now zabulun the enchanter, stood there with his staff in his hands and smiling to himself. and i, eean, the boy ap[pg 37]prenticed to the enchanter, felt as if i were falling, falling down from the top of the tower.
