g ruler ascended his throne and thus addressed them:--

"While ye have tossed and tumbled in an idle slumber, two things of
grave importance have happened touching you. The Pharaoh, acting upon my
urgent advices, hath appointed this grey-beard from the Blue Star to be
your chief; and now the Blue Star herself hath re-appeared upon the
very face of the Day-Giver, even as these, her people, told us yesterday
that she must do."

Just at this point the belated wise man came straggling in, a slow
surprise growing upon him when he saw that his seat was taken. Zaphnath
then turned, addressing him,--

"Thou hast not heard, O lazy idler in the lap of morning, what I have
just spoken to thy brothers? Then go thou to yonder Larger Eye and speak
truthfully to these grey-beards all that thou seest."

I adjusted the instrument, and placed him in the proper position to see.
He looked long and carefully, then left the instrument and looked with
the unaided eye. Coming back he gazed again, and finally spoke very
slowly, as if resigning his life with the words:--

"I am old, and my sight deceiveth me, O my brothers, for when I gaze
into this mysterious instrument the Day-Giver suddenly groweth very
large, and hath two blots of shadow upon the upper half of his
brightness. But when I look with my proper eyes, he keeps his size, and
there are still spots upon him, but they are upon his lower side."

I explained to Zaphnath that the telescope made things look wrong side
up, just as it made them look larger, and I focussed it upon the Gnomons
to convince the wise man of this. Then the youth spoke to him again:--

"The Pharaoh hath appointed this grey-beard from the Blue Star to be
chief of all the wise men, and as there can be but twelve, thou art no
longer one. Unto thee, however, is given the duty of teaching our
language to the chief. See that thou doest it well, for the lives of all
of you, having now been forfeited by the law, are in his hands. But so
long as his wisdom spares you, ye shall live."

As there was now a lull, I saw an opportunity for my plan which I had
not yet found time to explain to the doctor. I translated to him as I
proceeded, however,--

"Tell me, O Zaphnath, is it the custom here to relate dreams to the wise
men for interpretation? I had last night a most peculiar one, and I will
give this golden coin to whomsoever is able to explain its meaning." All
the great eyes opened wide and round at beholding the e