The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1901-10-03
IA OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
8 A Royal Lion Hunt. !
= By Mrs. Reginald Dekoven.
VAv yAvAvAveyavSvA !;

Babylon" Republished by permission.l
One Of the successful books OF the year
achieving, is Mrs. Reginald DeKoven's
new novel by the Waters of Babylon"
published by Herbert S. Stone & Co., Chi
cago. TIL time of the story is laid five
centuries before Christ when ArtaSerXes
sat on the throne OF Persia and Babylon
The plot Ji the story has to do with the
struggle between the king and the priests
of Bel for the possession of a beautiful
pure Jewish maid held captive in the cor
rupt Babylonian court, and ends with the
victor 81. trrion, a Jewish cup-bearer to
the King. But 1t is more the wonderful de-
scriptive power of the author than the
plot of her story that makes the book in
terestins. From cover to cover the whole
story T. ablaze with color. and truly Won
derful are the descriptions of the scenes
around and connected with the regal
court Inc opening chapter of the story
is vivid d-1criptio, OF a royal lion hunt
and we give the following extracts from
this as illustrating the general character
of the book:
I was the day of the great kings
hunting in the Towering month
of Nissan and many lions were to be
offered to Nergal and to Bel. Artax-
erXes was proceeding to the chase.
Erect, eXultant, he drove, holding the
reins lightly in his long fingers, while
about him roared the chariot wheels
of his huntsmen and the trampling
feet of many horses The darkened
rims of his large, almond eyes drew
close together as he faced the level
sun-rays. The golden light caught the
jewels in his royal tiara and shone on
the twin lions of his dagger hlt.
Three horses, feet-footed and black
as the night, drew on his chariot. In
gilded harnesses and tassels of gold
and scarlet they swept along the river
road which r,Fersed Babylon from
wall to wall.
The pleasure-loving king was hap
ply, for who in the two kingdoms could
equal him in craftsmanship? His
thoughts leaped high as his eyes
greeted the royal sun and he delighted
in the swift rush of his horses. Foot
to foot with them dashed the white
steeds of Amytis, sister of the king.
The royal beauty held the reins. dis
daining the charioteer who stood idly
by her side. Behind her swaying I'M
comfortably in the swiftly rolling
chariot a long-robed eunuch held
golden umbrella over her head. Her
beautiful arms, yellow and polished
as ripe fruit, emerged from her wide
embroidered tunic, which after the
Babylonian custom was fastened over
one shoulder only, leaving her right
breast and shoulder free. A iewelled
fllet was bound low about her brows.
Her brilliant eyes, mobile, almond
shaped like her brothers, velvet dark
and eXqusitely drawn as if by pen
Gil, were wide open and flashing with
the JOY of the chase. Her beauty
was still in its perfection. but it was
not that of girl. The full curved
lips were powerful as they were petu-
lent. The face blazed with vitality
and insolent pride. She stood far for
ward in her chariot holding the three
horses with a light and practiced
hand. while her scarlet draperies
streamed behind her in the swift wind
of their fight, and her long black
curls whipped about her face.
The king looked down upon Amytis
with bright glance of pleasure. In
all his childish sports she had been his
companion While he was passing be-
fore the eyes of his people he had re-
manned as calm as a sculptured idol,
but now as they emerged into the
open plain, leaving the city with its
shouting crowds behind, the imperial
face changed suddenly into that of a
youth, smiling with JOY at the pros
pect of his favorite sport. This latest
monarch of the Achaemenian line was
famed throughout Asia for his mighty
statue and for his beauty which was
the very perfection of the aristocratic
Persian race. As far as Greece, and
in all the provinces of Italy and Asia
Minor, Artaxerxes Longimanus was
considered the most splendid monarch
of his time. Spending the larger part
of the year at Shushan-the capital
of his hereditary kingdom-he con-
sidered conquered Babylon as win
ter residence, and brought to its
palaces a luxurious Persian retinue,
and with banquets and hunting festi-
walls provided constant and magnifi-
cent spectacle to the pleasure-loying
Babylonans. 1t was his custom to
follow the monthly hunts, but that
which fell in Nissan the month of
flowers was the important one of all
the year. NOW, lllleS ana Tulips, pop
pies and flowers of every hue car
peted the Babylonian plain. The tow
ering palms and tamarisks by the
bank of the Euphrates and the inter
secting canals were freshly green.
The sun was bright, but tolerable.
A few weeks later what was now a
garden of flowers would be a desert,
swept with burning winds and sand
storms. So quickly did the merciless
sun of summer destroy the beauty
of the spring.
"Wilt not be tired?" he asked her
eve hunt tonight in the jungle at
Acadou; tits far and we must reach
| it ere the moon rise"
Tired? /, thy sister? The night
will not be long enough for me-"
GAS thou wilt, but | have command
ed the barges to await us at the bend
ing of the stream. We will return in
them at sunrise"
"Tis well. / care not; the day is