,
and----'

'Nay, nay; tell me all, I command you.'

'His fate stands thus. He is destined to marry the Maiden of the Dawn,
and, in quest of her, he will fly westward in his fifteenth year,
unless----'

'Yes, unless what, man?'

'Unless you yourself, sire, keep watch and ward and so prevent him.'

The King stared at the seer. How could he believe this thing?

'It seems that you have come to disturb my peace,' he said angrily.
'What proof have I that you speak truly? If your wisdom has brought me
this warning, then your wisdom can avert the evil fate. You will remain
in this palace until the die is cast. That is my command.'

[Illustration: THE FIRE BIRD

There he found the Princess asleep and saw that her face was the face he
had seen in the portrait.

_See page 165_]

'Sire,' replied Ferdasan humbly, 'my work is done, and I must return to
my cave in the mountains.'

'What!' cried the King in a rage, 'you defy me? I will compel you.'

'You cannot,' replied Ferdasan. 'Seers stand before kings--and that is
true in two ways.

'We shall see.' The King clapped his hands fiercely. Then, as two guards
came running in answer to the summons, he cried, 'Take that man and
place him in a dungeon!'

The guards turned upon Ferdasan, who stood calm and unmoved, looking at
the King. Then, as they were about to seize him, a strange thing
happened. They clutched at the empty air and staggered against one
another, amazed. For a moment the Throne-room seemed to echo a sweet
music from far away; for a moment it was filled with the faint fragrance
of mountain lilies; then the King saw a thin grey mist slowly issuing
through one of the windows, to dissolve in the sunlight.

And then he knew.

From that time forward, the King regarded the seer's prediction with
great anxiety. He watched the young Prince continually in his first
years, and, when, as was often the case, he saw him gazing wistfully
towards the west when the sun had set, he felt sure that the coming
event had cast its shadow before.

Accordingly, as soon as the young Prince entered his fifteenth year, the
King had him imprisoned in a lofty tower situated in the palace gardens,
and placed a guard about it, for he was determined to take no risk
whatever.

But, while he kept the Prince a close prisoner, he surrounded him with
every luxury, for he loved him dearly. He even promised him that, on his
fifteenth birthday, a great festival would be held in his hono