agle I held up to
view. So large a piece of gold must have been uncommon. The youth
replied,--

"It is, in truth, an obsolete formality to submit dreams to the wise
men, for they have interpreted none since I came into Kem. But let us
hear it; if they cannot make it known, mayhap I can do so."

"I dreamed that I stood by the great river which runneth just without
thy city walls, and I saw coming up out of the water, as if they had
been fishes, seven familiar beasts, such as I have not seen since I came
to Kem. Knowest thou here such large, useful animals, each having a long
tail and four legs, and whose peaceful habit is to eat the grass of the
fields, which, having digested, the female yieldeth back in a white
fluid very fit to drink?"

"It is kine thou meanest," answered Zaphnath. "In truth there are but
few within the city, but they are well known, for in the land of my
father my people do naught but to breed and raise them and send them
hither for ploughing in the fields. At the season of planting thou shalt
see many of them."

"I saw seven kine, most sleek and plump of flesh, feeding in a green
meadow by the river; but suddenly there came up out of the water in the
same manner two lean and shrunken kine, whose withered bones rattled
against their dry skins, they were so poor and hungry. And they stayed
not to eat the grass of the meadow, but fell upon and devoured their
fatter sisters----"

"Saidst thou two?" interrupted Zaphnath.

"Two of the lean and shrunken, but they ate the fat-fleshed, which were
seven," I answered, watching Zaphnath and the wise men closely, for he
was translating to them phrase by phrase as I spoke. He faltered when I
described the eating up of the fat cattle; there were wondering and
inquiring looks among the wise men and a constant chattering in Kemish.
I waited patiently for some time, then waving my coin I demanded,--

"Can none of the grey-beards declare the meaning to me?"

There were more consultations among themselves and with Zaphnath, and
presently he said,--

"Before the wise men can declare thy dream, they demand to know whether
the lean kine only slaughtered the sleek ones, or if they ate them
wholly up? And were they filled and satisfied when they had eaten their
fatter sisters?"

"In truth, I forgot to say that they devoured the fat kine wholly and
completely, yet it could not be known that they had eaten anything, they
were still so lean and ill-favoured."

Th