his world, having made, as I said, a brief sojourn in its civilised
parts. I leave it now where I wrote it, and I hope to write other
books in other worlds. Now understand, Allah keep and guide thee, I do
not leave it here merely as a certificate of birth or death. I do not
raise it up as an epitaph, a trade-sign, or any other emblem of
vainglory or lucre; but truly as a propylon through which my race and
those above and below my race, are invited to pass to that higher
Temple of mind and spirit. For we are all tourists, in a certain
sense, and this world is the most ancient of monuments. We go through
life as those pugreed-solar-hatted-Europeans go through Egypt. We are
pestered and plagued with guides and dragomans of every rank and
shade;--social and political guides, moral and religious dragomans: a
Tolstoy here, an Ibsen there, a Spencer above, a Nietzche below. And
there thou art left in perpetual confusion and despair. Where wilt
thou go? Whom wilt thou follow?

"Or wilt thou tarry to see the work of redemption accomplished? For
Society must be redeemed, and many are the redeemers. The Cross,
however, is out of fashion, and so is the Dona Dulcinea motive.
Howbeit, what an array of Masters and Knights have we, and what a
variety! The work can be done, and speedily, if we could but choose.
Wagner can do it with music; Bakunin, with dynamite; Karl Marx, with
the levelling rod; Haeckel, with an injection of protoplasmic logic;
the Pope, with a pinch of salt and chrism; and the Packer-Kings of
America, with pork and beef. What wilt thou have? Whom wilt thou
employ? Many are the applicants, many are the guides. But if they are
all going the way of Juhannam, the Beef-packer I would choose. For
verily, a gobbet of beef on the way were better than canned
protoplasmic logic or bottled salt and chrism....

"No; travel not on a Cook's ticket; avoid the guides. Take up thy
staff and foot it slowly and leisurely; tarry wherever thy heart
would tarry. There is no need of hurrying, O my Brother, whether
eternal Juhannam or eternal Jannat await us yonder. Come; if thou
hast not a staff, I have two. And what I have in my Scrip I will
share with thee. But turn thy back to the guides; for verily we see
more of them than of the ruins and monuments. Verily, we get more
of the Dragomans than of the Show. Why then continue to move and
remove at their command?--Take thy guidebook in hand and I will
tell thee what is in it.

"No; the