The farmer and mechanic., 1911-01-10
1037~1696

/
| turn Of the road and now. hundred
feet away, the galloping riders could
| be seen distinctly as they approacn-
ed nearer and nearer. me "hoie
procession seemed to consist or gay
| crowd of horses, men. purple. gold.
silver and Jewels More than tw"
| two hundred riders, all on snow-whlte
steeds whose brides and caparison7
glittered with gold bells and buckles
feathered tassels and embroidery. were
| followed by a man who, OFTEN car
ried away by the powerful coal-black
horse which he rode, yet managed
to show the foamng steed that he was
strong enough to tame it's wiloness.
The rider, whose knees pressed the
horse SO that it trembled and painted.
wore a garment with a scarlet and
white pattern on which were en-
hroidered silver eagles and falcons
His trousers were Of purple, his boots
were Of yellow leather. He wore
a golden belt around his waist IN
which was stuck a golden sheathed
dagger incrusted with gems. His
tiara was wound with the blue and
white fillet worn by the Achaemenidae.
the royal cult Of Persia. Thick jet
black hair streamed from 1t. tn1cK
beard Of black covered the whole lower
part of his pale, rigid face His eyes
were black and glttered with a fire
that burned instead Of warming. On
his face was red scar caused by
the sword Of a Massagentian warrior
one Of those people in battle with
whom his father had fallen. The
lofty brow, the aquiline nose. the thin
lips OF the man bore the stamp Or
great power and immoderate pride.
This man was Cam bySeS, master OF
more than half the known world, son
Of the great Cyrus and the destined
husband Of Nitetis.
! Nitetis looked upon the King ana
thought she had never seen SO mucn
! of manliness and royalty. The King
Hooked upon Nitetis and saw in her
a consort worthy to be the mother
Of a race of kings The proud mon
arch and the proud Princess were Well
met, and before, together. they enter
ed the gates of the great city their
Iadmiration for each other had turned
into the passionate love Of two strong
natures.
Ntetis treated the King as an equal
in rank and asked Of him that she
be not obliged to live with his other
wives, but have a separate establish
1nent This the King readily granted
and assigned to her palace in the
famous hanging gardens Of Babylon.
! where she had her own attendants
and where she was to live until, suf-
ficient length Of time having elapsed
; and she having been instructed in the
, religion Of the Persians, she should
be legally married to Cambyses. Espe-
cially did Nitetis ask that she be not
! obliged to obey the chief eunuch, 4
most important functionary at the Per
sian court, and one whose word was
law to the wives and concubines OF
the King. Even this was granted her
Cambyses was 50 madly in love with
: the stately Egyptian that he declared
; Ithat he would cut short the usual
time required before foreign Prin-
cess could be wed to a Persian King
three months. he declared. was long
enough for him to wait for the hand
of his bride
: The Kings mother. Cassandane. and
his sister. the willful and froIicsome
Atossa. were delighted with the
Egyptian and every day Nitetis went
: in her litter surrounded by her
.. guards, to visit the two royal ladies.
1t did not take Nitetis long to dis
cover that Atossa was in love with
her cousin, Darius, and that Darius
returned her love. Now the King
looked. upon both Darius and Bartja
!; with distrust. Prince Bartja was
immensely popular with the people
and everything he did seemed 70
9 awaken in the subjects Of Cambyses
{ a greater admiration for the prince
I than was awakened for the King.
D though the King might perform preaf,
er feats Of war and chase
Cambyses was jealous of Bartia and
the dark prophecies which the Mad
had read to him we'll as his own
dreams which they had interpreted
to i'm. warned him that one day the
throne Of Persia was to be occupied,
not by son Of Cambyses, but by
Darius So far no son had been born
to the King, but he looked forward
to his union with Nitetis with double
y pleasure, as he hoped 1t would make
him the father OF an heir to his throne
I as we'll as give to him the woman
e he most loved on earth
q But dark days were impending for
Q the King and for the Egyptian Priu-
e tered into a conspiracy with Phaedime.
q one OF the legal wives Of Cambyses
! Continued on Page F'ifteen)