for a few minutes, the thunder roared louder and deeper, until it
drowned the thunderous roar of the wind. Peal followed peal with
hideous, horrible swiftness. The lightning was a succession of fierce,
white ribbons of blood-red flaming fire.

For ten minutes this extraordinary storm raged. There was not one drop
of rain. Then, with a suddenness only equalled by that of the starting
of the storm, it ceased. The blackness of the heavens rolled away like
mist before the rising sun, and while all the western horizon suddenly
glowed with the fierce red glow of a furnace blaze, the sun appeared
once more over-head shining as though nought had happened.

The procession now re-formed, in the order in which it had arrived, and
to the lilt of the gay music of the powerful band, the volatile spirits
of the multitude revived, and the loud "huzzahs" rent the air as
Apleon--the Anti-christ--passed through the waiting masses of the
people.

George Bullen contrived to keep Apleon full in view. In a general way
no item of the procession of the ceremony at the Temple, or of aught
else had escaped him--but it was _in_, and _on_ Apleon that his special
attention had been concentrated.

He watched the procession sweep through the great gate-way of the
Emperor's Palace. Then, when the last of the guests had passed in, the
huge folding gates closed, and the multitudes began to disperse.

The vast bulk of the people were lodged _out_side the city, and now
poured out through the gates--for, with the practical re-building of
the city, the exits had been made very numerous.

Bullen was lodging with a Christian Syrian about half-a-mile outside
the city. He moved on in a line with one of the exodus streams.

As he cleared the city, he became conscious that just ahead of him
there was a great and ever increasing gathering of people--a mighty
throng, in fact. Arriving at the fringe of the crowd which grew closer
and closer, as well as greater, every moment, he was amazed to see two
very striking looking Easterns, clothed in sackcloth, and standing high
upon a mound of stone. The appearance of the two men was
extraordinary. The face of the elder of the two was cast in a
wonderful mould.

George Bullen was fairly well versed in the facial characteristics of
all the known races--_past_ as well as present. But this man's face
bore no relation to any type he had ever seen depicted. Eastern, it
was, it is true, but unlike, and more b