On this special night, the twentieth of March, Rex
and Zendah had talked
about the stars for a long time before going to sleep, so
Zendah was not
very surprised when she woke with a start to find a
shining yellow figure
standing beside her bed.
"Rex," she cried, "wake up, Hermes, the Messenger of
the gods, is in the
room! Do wake up before he goes away!"
Both children sat up in bed and gazed at the figure
of the messenger.
They noticed the wings on his feet and his staff with the
two twisting
serpents that father had told them about.
He smiled at them and said "Do you really want to
know all about the
Zodiac? Father Time says you may come with me and travel
to the lands of the
Zodiac tonight, if you wish."
"But won't it take ever so long?" asked Zendah, "and
what would mother
say if she found us gone?"
"Those who pass through the golden entrance gates of
the twelve signs
just a second before midnight, are able to have all their
adventures before
the clock strikes twelve — everyone knows at that moment
there is no time at
all."
"Oh, what fun!" cried both the children, jumping out
of bed and dancing
wildly around, "do let us start at once."
"Stop a minute," said Hermes with a smile, "you must
use your 'star
bodies' — those you have now are too heavy — you cannot go
to the stars like
this."
Then he took them to the window and told them to gaze
on the bright Dog
Star, Sirius, and to wish with all their might to visit
him.
As they did this, they felt a curious sensation of
sinking and sinking,
and getting smaller and smaller, and tighter and tighter,
'til suddenly —
snap — and there seemed to be two Rexes and two Zendahs,
one asleep on the
bed and the other very much awake indeed, with a shiny
body and a curious
cloud of many colors all around it.
"Now you are using your star bodies," said Hermes,
"and you will be able
to fly with me to the golden gates."
Off they went, flying through space — passing on the
way the Moon and
many strange things — until they came to the entrance of
the lands of the
Zodiac. The gates lie just between the Fishes and the Ram.
What wonderful gates they were! White, and yet
shining with many
colors! Sometimes they seemed to be made of golden fire,
sometimes of
silver fire; yet when you looked again they appeared
quite different.
Something of their
colour you will see on a cold night when there is a wood
fire burning;
sometimes you will catch a glimpse of their glitter when
the Sun is just
sinking to his rest at night.
At a word from Hermes, the gates rolled open and the
wondering children
entered.
Thousands of beautiful forms surged to meet them.
"The Angels!" whispered Zendah.
Hermes led them toward a white marble temple, which
had seven massive
steps leading up to the entrance porch. Inside they found
a great circular
hall with twelve alcoves, in each of which was an angel.
The angels were
dressed in beautiful robes of different colours and with
a shining star
on their foreheads.
They could not see very much of their surroundings
for the light was too
strong; it seemed to change and flash, first one color
and then another.
Suddenly it became more dazzling and pure white, and at
that moment a voice
was heard saying: "What want these mortal children?"
"Oh, Great One, permit us to visit the lands of the
twelve signs," cried
Hermes, "that these children may return to Earth and tell
others of the work
of the Zodiac, as did the Wise Men of old."
"That is well chosen," said the voice. "Go, children,
and lose not the
magic talismans that the Guardians of each sign will give
you."
Keeping their faces ever toward the light until they
reached the
entrance of the hall, Hermes led them out of the temple
and brought them to
the first gate.
As they went toward this gate, they noticed doors at
intervals in the
cloudy walls surrounding the entire country; it was
toward one of these
doors on the left-hand that Hermes took them.
"Behold the entrance to the Sign of the Fishes," he
said.
"But why," asked Rex and Zendah, "do we not start at
the Sign of the
Ram, for we were taught that the Ram came first on the
list?"
"Because in Starland everything is reversed.
"If you want to see a beautiful view of the distant
country on Earth,
you must start at the bottom of a mountain and climb to
the top, and, having
seen everything, you go down again into the valley and
tell your friends all
about
your journey. Your Earth is like a mirror — and in it is
reflected the
picture of all that happens in the stars, and you know in
a mirror
everything is reversed. When you return home and wish to
use the talismans
given you by the
guardians of the Signs, you will begin with the sign of
the Ram. Take this
scroll and do not lose it, for on it are written the
passwords for all the
signs; the Keeper of each gate will demand them of you
before you can obtain
admittance."
Hermes bade them farewell and left them to continue
their journey, but
told them with his merry laugh that they would see him
when they least
expected him.
Before they knocked at the Gate of the Fishes they
stood for a few
minutes looking at it — for it was so difficult to see
where to knock. The
sides of the gate were like two great waves and between
them appeared lines
of shifting water, never still for one moment, and
shining with all the
colors you see in a deep sea shell. Circling round and
round, in the center
of the gate, were two fishes following each other, one
copper colored and
one looking like zinc. In the middle of this beautiful
gate was a priceless
pearl, wonderful in shape and color, which reflected as
in a mirror, a
face — changing continuously. At one moment this face was
so hideous, while
at the next so dazzlingly beautiful, that one could
hardly bear to look at it.
Zendah noticed a sea-shell trumpet lying at the foot
of the gate.
"Blow it," said Rex, "they always sound a trumpet at
the entrance of a
giant's castle in the fairy tales we have read." Zendah
blew the shell
trumpet. A soft note sounded, and all the movement
ceased; the fishes
stopped swimming round and formed themselves on either
side of the pearl,
just like this:
"Who demands entrance?" cried a voice. "Let him give
the password."
"Rex and Zendah from Earth," they said, "and the
Password is love."
"Then by virtue of love, enter Rex and Zendah,"
echoed many voices, and
the gates swung slowly open.
As the gates rolled back, Zendah looked at Rex with
astonishment and
exclaimed, "Look Rex, look, it is nearly all sea!" They
found themselves
standing on the silvery sand of a seashore, and as far as
they could see
there were miles and miles of rippling waves, dotted
about with many small
islands. Far out at sea on the largest island stood a
castle constructed of
mother-of-pearl.
A beautiful little boat soon drew up at their feet
with two children on
board, one a boy who had hair of a flaxen color and the
other a girl, so
fair that her hair shone like silver.
The boat was in the shape of a flying fish and they
learned that it
could rise out of the water and fly in the air at the
wish of the steersman.
"Oh, do let us see it fly," cried Rex as they took
their seats at one
end. The boat slowly rose into the air, then dipped into
the waves, and then
rose again, for it did not seem able to climb to any
great height above the
water. The children were shown that it was driven by
electricity. In the
bottom of the boat were copper-plates just under the seat
of the girl who
steered. She wore curious sandals; the left foot had a
copper sole and the
right sole was made of zinc, and when she wanted the boat
to rise she
pressed with both feet, but only with the right foot if
she wanted to sink
onto the
waves again, while pressure on the copper sole brought
the boat to a
standstill. They heard curious music as they glided
along, and not seeing
any birds, they asked where it came from.
"It is the fishes," they were told. "They are quite
tame and they sing
to us, for we have no birds in the Land of the Fishes."
Passing numbers of small boats like the one they were
in, they soon
arrived at the Pearly Castle, and embarking on a small
quay, walked up a
path made of different kinds of shells between rows of
girls clad in cloaks
of pale mauve. Their shoes were most beautiful, and
nearly all the jewels
they wore were on their feet.
There were no bright colours anywhere in the castle.
The walls were of
white marble and pearl-shell; the pillars appeared to be
moonstones. It
reminded them of the mist they had once seen on an early
morning at the
seaside, with the Sun shining through. All the walls and
pillars gave out a
musical note when they were touched, and everyone they
met in the passages
had a musical instrument.
After passing through many halls and twisting
stairways, they at last
stood in the throne room and saw King Neptune. His throne
was made of a
massive sea shell, with cushions of violet silk. In his
hand he held a long
wand of some white, shining metal, at the top of which
were three branches,
each tipped with a pearl.
"Neptune's trident," they whispered to each other.
He bade them welcome and turned to a beautiful lady
who stood at his
side, and asked her to show the children the wonders of
this country.
"Queen Venus spends many hours in this land helping
me," he said, "and
she understands children much better than I do."
They were taken from room to room in the castle; in
one they found an
orchestra of many children, each child playing a
different instrument, yet
the music was the most beautiful they had ever heard. One
or two sat quietly
in a corner, seemingly doing nothing.
"Why are they not playing with the others, have they
been naughty?"
asked Rex. "Hush," said Venus, "they are listening to the
angels' music, and
presently they will write it down for the others to play."
In another room they found everyone busy writing, and
every now and then
as a child would stop and appear to be thinking hard a
little cloud with
hundreds of tiny pictures in it would gather over its
head.
"They are writing stories and poetry," said Venus,
answering the
children's unspoken question. "All those little pictures
are the ideas that
come to them."
Leaving these rooms and passing down the castle
steps, they came into a
courtyard where there were all sorts of animals, some
lame, some with bad
ears, birds with broken legs or wings, and many others
with different
complaints. Children of all ages were trying to mend
their broken limbs or
heal their wounds. Rex and Zendah looked up at their
guide with questioning
eyes.
"When any animals get hurt on Earth, they come here
to be cured," said
Venus, looking rather stern. "Children, too, must come
here to learn to be
kind and loving to all animals, for here are found the
hospitals where both
men and animals may be cured.
"But before you go, I will show you something very
precious," said
Venus. Stepping into another flying fish boat like the
first, they were
taken to an island near the Pearly Castle.
It was quite small and almost entirely covered by a
circular glass
temple, guarded by two knights in shining armour, with
shields bearing the
emblem of a silver cup on a blue background. They, too,
demanded the
password, and being given it, allowed the children to
pass.
There was nothing inside, except an altar at one end
and a large mirror.
On the altar shone a brilliant light like the full Moon;
within this they
could faintly see a crystal cup which sparkled as a
diamond, or perhaps it
was more like the Sun shining through a dewdrop.
"Children," said Venus, "when King Arthur came to
live among the stars,
he brought with him the Magic Cup, which has the power of
giving everyone
what he most wishes for. But you must be certain that you
really know what
you want. It must be something you can share with those
you love. It will
never go back to Earth again until people stop quarreling
with each other."
Pointing to the mirror, she said, "In this, if your eyes
are strong enough,
you can see everything that has ever happened or will
happen. I will give
you a small magic mirror like this one, Zendah, and if
you use it well, when
you are in difficulties, you will be able to see exactly
what to do.
"Rex, wear this pearl, and when you do, remember the
password of this
land and so help to bring the Holy Cup back to Earth once
more."
Very quietly, they almost tiptoed back to the temple
porch, carrying
their gifts with them, and re-entered the flying boat,
leaving Queen Venus,
with a smile on her face, standing on the steps. Soon
they were back on the
seashore by the gate of the Land of the Fishes, and once
outside, they
turned to look for the Land of the Water Carrier,
sometimes known as "the
Man with the Pitcher."
This was quite different from the first; it seemed to
be made of
quickly-moving clouds, but above them could be seen a
great green globe with
a star in the middle.
Rex found a rod that seemed all alive, lying by the
gate, and the
instructions in the scroll told him to use it to gain
admittance.
"I can't see anywhere to knock," he said to Zendah,
but as he raised it
in his hand, a flash like lightning flew from the top of
the rod toward the
green globe above the gate. Suddenly the shifting clouds
cleared away and
they saw that the globe rested on a tall green pillar.
Across the middle of
the gate were two snakes, a silver one at the top and
another of bronze
underneath — like this:
Carved above the snakes was the symbol of two hands
clasped together.
"Who comes to challenge the Keeper of the Long
Distances?" cried a voice.
"Rex and Zendah from the Earth," they answered.
"Give the Password."
"Brotherhood," replied Rex.
"Advance, Rex and Zendah, through the Spirit of
Brotherhood, into the
Land of the Water Carrier."
Back clanged the gates.
The two children found themselves at the beginning of
a wide road, which
stretched as far as the eyes could see straight in front
of them. On either
side were five other roads, dividing the country into
eleven sections, on
each of which stood beautiful buildings.
Soon they saw coming in the distance, a man dressed
in a close-fitting
garment of some material that they had never seen before.
It looked like
chain armor, and though it was not metal, yet it shone
like purple, green,
and orange scales of a snake. Over this he wore a cloak
that was made of
many-colored squares. Round his ankles he had jeweled
bands that shone as
the rod at the gate. He welcomed the children to his
country and invited
them to go with him to see the King.
He clapped his hands above his head, and instantly a
silvery flying
machine glided down, and they all stepped in. Off they
flew, high above the
great central road, arriving at the castle with a speed
almost as quick as
thought itself. Tall men, dressed like their guide, stood
at each side of the
long flight of steps, and each one clasped his hands
together in salutation
as they passed.
The castle was filled with beautiful statues and
ornaments of all kinds,
so many that there was not time to notice their variety.
"Rex," whispered Zendah, "it is like the British
Museum only much nicer."
On they went into the largest hall and at last they
stood before the
throne, which was formed of many strange metals. The
carpet on which it
stood, and the curtains behind it, were made of alternate
squares of green
and orange. An old man with a serious face and a long
white beard, was
seated on the throne. He wore a dark green robe, along
the edge of which
were chrysolites, and sprays of holly with many red
berries, while under
this was a fine white linen vest. He held an hourglass in
his hand, and at
his side stood a dark, handsome man with piercing eyes,
and a crown that
seemed to flash with brilliant rays of fire. His robe,
too, seemed to change
colour every time one looked at it.
"Welcome, children," said the old King. "You know me
by name, for I am
Father Time, sometimes called Saturn. Here in the Land of
the Water Carrier
I leave much of my work to be done by King Uranus, who is
older than I
though he looks younger! He will show you the wonders of
this land."
"Let us go to the mines first," said Uranus, coming
down from his place
near the throne. Leaving the palace they again entered a
flying machine, and
skimming across-country to some mountains, they alighted
in a very short time.
He took them inside a mountain where there were some
very deep caves in
which men were working with curious machinery, unlike any
they had ever seen.
"These are radium mines," he said. "See!" and he
touched a knob on a
machine near one of the walls of the cave. At once a
sword-like arm came
down and cut an opening in the rock. Out rushed a stream
of sparkling metal
that shone as the Sun. It seemed all alive and the
children could not look
at it for more than a moment.
"Do we have any of that metal on Earth?" asked Rex.
"Yes, but not very much. We put an abundance into
your Earth when it was
very young, but now nearly all the sparkle has come back
here, and there is
only a dull heavy metal left that you call lead, but that
really belongs to
another land."
"What a pity, I like this better," said Zendah.
"Some day men will find out how to turn lead back
again into radium; but
it will not be just yet," said Uranus smiling.
Leaving the caves they climbed to the top of the
mountain where stood a
glass-domed building, the entrance door of which was
reached by hundreds of
steps. There they saw all sorts of flying machines being
made.
In one corner, they noticed a number of people
standing on high pillars,
stretching out their arms, jumping off, and floating to
the ground, just as
if they had wings.
"What are they doing?" asked Zendah.
"They are practicing flying without machines;
everyone could fly even
now if he would learn to use his star body properly, but
without that it is
not easy."
Outside once more, in a beautiful valley, they found
marble quarries,
with men and women carving statues; some were only just
begun, others were
nearly finished.
Zendah wished so much to be able to do this herself,
that Uranus gave
her a tiny tool and told her when she got home to try,
but to practice with
clay first.
"I would much rather send messages across the air,"
asserted Rex.
The children were taken into yet another building,
where there were
numerous wires running from wall to wall. Here Rex
noticed a large plate of
ebony, with silver knobs all round the edge and was told
to press one and
wish hard. "Think of the message you wish to send and it
will reach the
other end," said Uranus.
"Only think?" asked Rex. "Is that all?"
"Yes, that is all, but you must think hard and at the
same time look
into this mirror at the side."
Rex thought of his mother and wished her to know what
a glorious time
they were having.
He saw his mother sitting by the fire at home, and
then he saw a little
ball of light, filled with pictures of their adventures,
fly like lightning
until it came close to her, when it seemed to burst and
disappear.
She smiled and said to herself, "What a good dream
the children are having."
"Some day," said Uranus, "people will not need wires
to send messages to
each other, but will just sit down, think hard and the
messages will arrive
at the other end. Children will be able to send them much
better than
grown-up people."
"Are there any other interesting things that the
people of this land can
do?" asked Zendah.
"Yes, those people over there are designing wonderful
cathedrals and
other beautiful buildings, and there," pointing to
another hall, "they are
learning to chain the lightning and make it work machines
instead of using
coal or gas."
Great flames were flying from place to place,
sometimes the whole
building shook — it was often like a great firework
display! They saw the
sparks flash as thousands of shining balls went from one
place to another.
These balls appeared in different colours varying in
accordance with the
height from which they were seen. Those on the bottom
were red and yellow
changing to green, while those at the top were blue and
purple. A man stood
on one side of the hall and stretched out his hand toward
some machine on
the opposite side. As he did this a stream of colored
fire seemed to jump
from his fingers, and then the machine started without
any other help.
It was very wonderful, but Uranus only shook his head
when Rex asked him
how it was done.
"You will find out some day, my child," he said, "if
you think hard
enough." Then taking them to the entrance gate he gave
Rex a tiny magic
bridge which, he said, would enable him to send his
thoughts like lightning
wherever he wished, if he but held it and used the
password. To Zendah, he
gave a pendant made of two snakes, like those on the
gate, each holding a
sapphire in its mouth.
They never knew how they got outside that land.
Suddenly they saw a
flash of light, the ground shook, and — they were in front
of the next gate,
that of the Sea-Goat.
The next gate was very still — not a movement of any
kind. It looked
heavy and solid, and its central ornament was a mountain
with a tiny
building at the highest point. The pillars were carved
with goats' heads and
at their bases a border of fishes' tails.
Rex was uncertain as to how to gain admittance, as he
could not see a
knocker nor a bell, nor even a rod with which to strike
the gate.
Zendah suddenly said, "There is a very, very tiny
keyhold, quite high up
in the gate, Rex, but I don't think we can reach it, and
then even if we
could, we have no key. However, you might climb on to my
shoulder and see if
you can reach the keyhole."
Rex did so, but still it was out of reach. He jumped
down again and the
children stood looking at each other in dismay.
"This is tiresome," said Rex, glancing up at the
gate. "Look at those
letters, Zendah, I did not see them at first."
They were surprised to see right across the gate the
words, "If at first
you don't succeed, try, try again."
Suddenly Zendah noticed a huge stone close by the
gate. There was a
streak of light coming from under it, so she said, "Let's
try and move this
stone and then perhaps we shall find the way in." They
pushed together at it
for some minutes and when it moved they found beneath it
a white stone box.
Inside was a tiny key made of a dull, heavy-looking
metal, and it really
was heavy, for together they could hardly lift it. After
tugging for some
minutes they dropped it to get their breath. Then Zendah
took hold of the
key with both hands and as she did so Rex cried out,
"Zendah, Zendah, you
are growing taller and taller!" He watched her shoot up
like a bean stalk
and put the key in the lock. As she did this she suddenly
found herself to
be her natural size. Then they heard a voice.
"Who has found the secret of the entrance into the
Land of the Sea-Goat?"
They replied, "Rex and Zendah."
"The Password?"
"Perseverance," they answered.
"Enter Rex and Zendah by perseverance."
Very, very slowly this gate rolled back, and a cold
wind made them
shiver as they stood on the threshold.
What a sight met their eyes! Range after range of
mountains, some
snow-clad, and some all gray rocks. The Sun was just
rising and as they
looked the mountains changed from gray to beautiful
shades of blue and
purple, and as he rose higher in the heavens they
gradually became pink and
orange, just as their own hill did in winter.
"I think it is rather cold here," said Zendah,
stamping her feet, "but I
do like climbing mountains."
They turned round as they heard footsteps, and found
that an elderly
woman with gray hair had come to meet them.
She carried a staff in her hand and wore a short
mountaineering dress of
greenish material, belted with a dark brown, leather belt.
"You will not find this land easy," she said, bowing
gravely to the
children, "but I will give you the goat's feet power and
you will be able to
climb." So saying, she touched their feet with her staff,
and much to their
surprise, they found that this made some difference for
afterwards they
could climb the mountain sides quite easily.
"What would have happened if you had not touched our
feet with your
staff?" asked Zendah.
"You would have found your knees bending, and you
would always have been
falling down, and so might never have reached the top of
the mountain," she
said.
Up and up they climbed, passing on their way huge
beech trees; here and
there were men cutting down some of them, ready to be
taken to workshops
lower down on the mountain.
Near the top they entered a beautiful garden set out
with ordered rows
of poplar and yew trees that Rex thought were just like a
lot of soldiers
drilling. In the center was a black palace that shone
like polished marble,
but they were told that it was made of jet.
In the Jet Palace they found King Saturn, who smiled
as they entered his
great hall, and who told them that this was his house
where he was most
often to be found.
"I am afraid you will not find the Sea-Goat's Land so
interesting until
you are grown up," he said, and turning to a young man
who was sitting at
his side, and whose hair was like that of Rex, he added,
"You will have all our
wonders explained to you by my son Mars, who is young and
will be glad of an
excuse to be doing something instead of sitting still
beside me all day!"
Mars jumped up with a smile, and off they went,
peeping as they passed
into several rooms of the palace where they saw men and
women talking, and
talking, and talking, until you would have thought they
must be tired of so
much chattering.
In another room they saw people surrounded by books
and rolls of papers
with hundreds of red and green seals hanging to them;
there were books on
the shelves, books on the tables, books on the floors in
heaps; you could hardly
see the people themselves for books!
"Some of these people are learning all about laws so
that they may be
able to show their kings how to rule their countries,"
explained Mars, "and
the others are writing them down, to be stored for many
people to read, if
ever they want to, in museums and libraries." The
children thought this
seemed a little dull so Mars took them outside the palace
where they saw
hundreds of goats, big goats and little goats, gray
goats, white goats, and
piebald goats, running up and down the mountain and never
slipping nor
falling as they jumped from crag to crag.
"Are there no other animals here?" asked Zendah.
Mars showed them some deep pools near the foot of one
of the mountains;
and there they saw hundreds of crocodiles.
"I don't like those at all, nor their smell," cried
Zendah. Mars
laughed. "Shut your eyes," he commanded, and he spoke
some magic word. "Now
open them." When she did so all the crocodiles had turned
to goats and were
scrambling out of the pool as fast as they could.
Further on they came to a crack in the mountain, and
creeping inside
they stepped on to a kind of lift — anyway it seemed like
a lift for it was a
little room with seats on one side. And after they sat
down the whole place
went suddenly dark and — swish — bump — their breath was
nearby taken away, and
then they saw a faint light.
"Be very, very quiet, if you wish to see the gnomes
at work," Mars
whispered, as they stepped out of the lift and crept
along a narrow passage.
Soon they were standing on a ledge of rock looking down
on a cave below.
There were hundreds of little brown men running
about, some looking
after great fires, over which were boiling cauldrons of
metal. Others were
wheeling tanks about, out of which they poured the hot
metal into cracks in
the rocks.
"What are they doing?" whispered Rex.
"They are pouring lead into the veins of the rocks,
so that it will run
down to Earth, and men will be able to find lead mines if
they dig deep
enough. The metals in any land have first to be put there
by the gnomes
before you can find them. Now come and see what we do
with the trees you saw
being cut down on the mountain slopes."
They passed into a large building in which were great
circular saws
cutting tree trunks into smooth slabs. Some were being
polished until they
were like mirrors and the children could see their faces
in them. Everywhere
all kinds of things were being made of wood — tables and
toys, boats and
boxes. In one corner a man was fitting minute,
many-colored squares and
triangles to form a pattern that looked like a carpet.
"What a time it takes him," sighed Zendah, thinking
how she disliked
sitting still for very long in the house.
"He has been making that for eighty-four years,"
replied Mars. "You see
one who needs much patience to do it, and that is one of
the things people
come here to learn."
The children were beginning to feel tired with their
climbing, for the
power of the magic staff was commencing to wear off, so
Mars carried them up
a very steep mountain whose top seemed to reach right up
above the clouds.
At last they stood at the door of a crystal building with
five sides like a
star. Over the door were the words,
"Silence Is Golden"
In the entrance hall sat an old man near a window that
stretched from the
floor right up to the ceiling. The window was open at the
top, and a large
telescope pointed to the starry heavens. He was
surrounded by tables
littered with books and papers inscribed with circles and
queer figures. As
Mars took the children to him, he looked up from the
calculations he was making.
"Birthdays please," was all he said.
"March 27th, November 26th," replied Rex and Zendah
together. He
laughed. "One at a time please." He then entered their
names in a big book
at his side. Wondering why he wanted their birthdays,
they stood watching
him, but he went back to his writing and they saw Mars
waiting at the door
for them.
Leaving this ante-chamber, they arrived at the
entrance of the main
hall, and were told to follow him slowly and quietly. In
the centre hung a
lamp, suspended from the roof by a gold chain that shone
as it swung
slightly to and fro in the breeze from the door.
Underneath it stood a
table, on the legs of which were carved snakes, and upon
it, lying on a
purple cushion, was a large book bound with white velvet.
There were several
locks and chains attached and on its cover were the words
in letters of gold:
"Knowledge Is Power"
A green angel knelt at each corner while another stood
behind the lamp,
watching to see that it never went out.
"This is the book in which all the knowledge of the
world is written in
every language," said Mars. "It is locked with seven
locks, and the little
key you found at the gate unlocks one of them, but until
you have visited
all the lands of the Zodiac, you will not be able to read
any of its pages."
"The lamp is like Aladdin's, and is able to give you
all you wish for;
before you leave, Father Time will give you a little copy
of it, and tell
you how to use it."
Mars carried them back down the mountain side, to the
Jet Palace, and
Father Time smiled when he saw them. Reading their
thoughts, he said, "So
you want to be able to read the Book of Wisdom, children?
So you shall, some
day.
Now I give to you, Zendah, a copy of the lamp; you must
find out where to
rub it, and how many times, and then you must both use
it, together with the
password. You, Rex, may wear this five-pointed star made
of jade, to remind
you of this land."
Mars took them to the palace gates and they waved
their hands to him,
and ran together down the mountain side, arriving at the
entrance much more
quickly than they expected. But then it is easier to run
down a mountain than
up!
They were not certain what they really thought of the
Land of the
Sea-Goat, for as Zendah said, things were so puzzling
there, and also, it
was rather cold.
The children were very glad when they stood before
the next gate, for
even outside it looked warm and welcoming.
It reminded them of mother's fire when she had a
great wood log burning
in the winter, for first blue and then green flames
seemed to dart across it.
There were moving figures on this gate as there were
on the first, but
they could not see them well, because of the flickering
lights that flitted
across its surface.
The only thing they could see clearly, was a scroll
with some silvery
letters near the top of the gate. Looking at this
carefully, after, a time
they saw these to be: Aim at the Star and hit the Moon.
"What do you think that means?" asked Rex.
"It has something to do with shooting," replied
Zendah, "and we must
find something to shoot with." so they looked round and
soon found a very,
very small bow hanging on one side of the gate, and a
small quiver of arrows
on the other.
"We cannot both use it at once," explained Rex. "I
think I am the better
shot." so he took the bow and aimed with an arrow at the
gate. But it missed
and hit the left pillar. Aiming again he hit the
right-hand one.
"I thought you were the better shot," laughed Zendah.
"Try aiming higher."
So Rex aimed at a place over the top of the gate, and
found he hit a
small shield just below the scroll which he had not
noticed. Immediately the
whole gate lighted up, and in the centre could be seen a
great fiery arrow.
On each side was a figure, half man and half horse;
the one dressed in
beautiful armor, and the other in rough skins, like a
savage.
A voice demanded the Password, and they replied.
"Freedom."
"Enter freely, Rex and Zendah, into the Land of the
Archer," rang the
answer. As in the other lands the gates opened
immediately. A young man
dressed in a short blue tunic, with bare legs and
sandals, like the ancient
Greeks, ran up to them. He held with a leash, two elegant
greyhounds.
Raising his right hand in salute, he welcomed them, and
bade them follow him.
It was a beautiful country with rolling plains of
grass surrounded with
little ranges of hills. Here and there were graceful
temples with gleaming
pillars of different colored stone, like those that are
still to be seen in
Greece and Rome.
Putting a silver whistle to his lips, their guide
blew a clear note and
immediately up rushed four beautiful horses.
"Can you ride?" he asked.
"Oh yes," cried the children, for they had often
ridden bareback round
the fields at home.
Rex mounted on a black horse, while Zendah had a
white one and their
guide stood upright, with one foot on a brown horse and
one on a gray, the
reins in his hands guiding all four horses. Off they
went, with a merry
shout, and the horses flew as the wind along the roads
and over the downs.
There were no saddles and they clung to the horses'
manes, for they went
so quickly it took all their attention to save themselves
from falling.
Everywhere they saw crowds of horses, of all colors
and sizes, chasing
and racing over the downs, some with riders, some with
men's heads and
bodies down to their waists. There were many dogs also
enjoying the fun.
They drew up suddenly in front of a courtyard paved
with squares of
black and white stone.
Dismounting, the young man tied the reins of the
horses to a ring on one
of the gate posts. They followed him up the center of the
courtyard to a
curious building made of a shining white metal, with nine
sides, and nine
windows in each of the sides. There did not seem to be a
way in, unless
one could fly through a window!
Around each window was a stone border carved with
queer leaves and
signs, and on the top of each, something that looked like
a bird rising out
of flames.
Their guide made a curious low sound, and suddenly
the whole front
opened, and they found themselves looking into a stable
made entirely of a
purple stone, polished like glass.
"Look, Rex, look!" cried Zendah, "it is Pegasus, the
flying horse!"
Indeed it was, for coming toward them was the most
beautiful white horse
they had ever seen. His coat shone like silk and just
behind his shoulders
were two great silvery wings, which he kept folded along
his back, except
when he was flying. Zendah reached up and gently stroked
his nose.
"Can he take us for a ride?" she asked.
"I do not believe you could manage him yet," said
their guide, shaking
his head, "and if you could not, as he can fly
everywhere, even to all the
other stars that you can hardly see, he might take you to
some star from
which you would find it very difficult to get back.
"When you have learned all the passwords, then
perhaps you will be able
to call him and ride along the Milky Way. You will be
given a tin whistle by
our King; you will not find it easy to blow the right
note to call Pegasus,
but when you can, he will come and you will be able to
have your ride."
After leaving the stable, they went down to a plain
of most beautiful
short grass and moss, a real velvet lawn. All around were
raised banks
covered with turf, standing one above the other, like
steps.
Children, men and women were sitting on these slopes,
watching others in
the central space, taking part in all sorts of races and
games.
"How jolly and good-tempered they all seem," said Rex
after they had
watched one of the races, "they don't seem to mind a bit
if they win or lose."
Just then they caught sight of two boys who did seem
to mind! They had
just run a race and had come to the winning post about
the same time and
they were standing disputing as to which of them had won
the wreath of fig
leaves that was the prize.
The young man came up to them and said, "If you
cannot agree about it,
we will go to the King." Calling for two more horses for
these boys, they
all mounted and off they went again over the green
plains, until they came
to a castle which had nine towers with curious sharp
pointed spires. Men
with long robes and white wigs met them and went before
them, from the
entrance to the main hall.
Here they saw, sitting on his throne, the jolliest
king they had ever
met, with a rosy face and twinkling blue eyes.
"He surely must be some relation to Old King Cole,"
thought the
children, for he looked as if he were always just on the
point of laughing,
even when he was serious!
It was impossible to feel sad when you looked at him;
you had to feel happy.
The pages in attendance showed Rex and Zendah to some
cushions on the
steps near the throne, and after bowing to the king, who
gave them one of
his jolly smiles, they sat down.
Two more pages brought forward the disputing boys,
and King Jupiter, for
that was his name, looked serious for a few minutes while
he listened to
their story.
"How foolish you are," he said. "It does not matter
in the least who
arrived at the winning post first, so long as you both
ran your best. You
know the motto over the entrance to this land: 'Everyone
can aim at the
Star, but not until you have had much practice can you
expect to hit it.'"
So he divided the wreath between me two and they were
quite satisfied.
King Jupiter rose from his throne and clapped his hands.
"Bring in the banquet, and let my merry musicians
play their best music,
so that we may show Rex and Zendah how the subjects of
King Jupiter can be
merry and happy."
In a few minutes tables appeared, and great dishes of
fruit and cakes
and sweets were set before them. There was an abundance
of everything;
everyone tried to make the children feel at home and
showered them with
presents of
figs and apricots to take away with them. They did not
know which to do
first — thank everyone, eat their fruit, or listen to me
music, which was
very beautiful. Just then an old man, who was sitting at
one end of me
table, rose and held up his hand. Everyone stood up, and
he said, "Let us
sing our usual song of thanks to the angels, for helping
us to grow all
these beautiful fruits." A glorious hymn of praise was
sung by all, after
which the children were taken back before the throne of
King Jupiter.
There Zendah received the promised whistle, and Rex
received a
nine-pointed star made of a carbuncle, and, much to their
disappointment,
they were told it was time for them to go.
Never before had they been anywhere where everyone
was so generous, nor
any place they were so sorry to leave.
At last their guide brought their horses to the
palace door, and they
mounted. This time he let them guide their own horses
back to the gate.
Hundreds of the people rode with them to see them off. As
they stood outside
and the gates gradually closed, they heard voices crying,
"Goodbye, goodbye,
come again soon, we shall be so glad to see you."
"I do love this Land of the Archer," said Zendah.
"Of course you do," retorted Rex. "It's your own
sign!"
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