CHAPTER III.
Two hours later Bartja and his friends were standing before the king.The gigantic man was seated on his golden throne; he was pale and hiseyes looked sunken; two physicians stood waiting behind him with allkinds of instruments and vessels in their hands. Cambyses had, only afew minutes before, recovered consciousness, after lying for more thanan hour in one of those awful fits, so destructive both to mind andbody, which we call epileptic.
[The dangerous disease to which Herodotus says Cambyses had been subject from his birth, and which was called "sacred" by some, can scarcely be other than epilepsy. See Herod, III. 33.]
Since Nitetis' arrival he had been free from this illness; but it hadseized him to-day with fearful violence, owing to the overpoweringmental excitement he had gone through.
If he had met Bartja a few hours before, he would have killed him withhis own hand; but though the epileptic fit had not subdued his anger ithad at least so far quieted it, that he was in a condition to hear whatwas to be said on both sides.
At the right hand of the throne stood Hystaspes, Darius's grey-hairedfather, Gobryas, his future father-in-law, the aged Intaphernes, thegrandfather of that Phaedime whose place in the king's favor had beengiven to Nitetis, Oropastes the high-priest, Croesus, and behind themBoges, the chief of the eunuchs. At its left Bartja, whose hands wereheavily fettered, Araspes, Darius, Zopyrus and Gyges. In the backgroundstood some hundred officials and grandees.
After a long silence Cambyses raised his eyes, fixed a withering lookon his fettered brother, and said in a dull hollow voice: "High-priest,tell us what awaits the man who deceives his brother, dishonors andoffends his king, and darkens his own heart by black lies."
Oropastes came forward and answered: "As soon as such a one is provedguilty, a death full of torment awaits him in this world, and an awfulsentence on the bridge Chinvat; for he has transgressed the highestcommands, and, by committing three crimes, has forfeited the mercy ofour law, which commands that his life shall be granted to the man whohas sinned but once, even though he be only a slave."
[On the third day after death, at the rising of the bright sun, the souls are conducted by the Divs to the bridge Chinvat, where they are questioned as to their past lives and conduct. Vendid. Fargard. XIX. 93. On that spot the two supernatural powers fight for the soul.]
"Then Bartja has deserved death. Lead him away, guards, and stranglehim! Take him away! Be silent, wretch! never will I listen to thatsmooth, hypocritical tongue again, or look at those treacherous eyes.They come from the Divs and delude every one with their wanton glances.Off with him, guards!"
Bischen, the captain, came up to obey the order, but in the same momentCroesus threw himself at the king's feet, touched the floor with hisforehead, raised his hands and cried: "May thy days and years bringnought but happiness and prosperity; may Auramazda pour down allthe blessings of this life upon thee, and the Amescha cpenta be theguardians of thy throne!
[The Amescha cpenta, "holy immortal ones," maybe compared to the archangels of the Hebrews. They surround the throne of Auramazda and symbolize the highest virtues. Later we find their number fixed at six.]
Do not close thine ear to the words of the aged, but remember that thyfather Cyrus appointed me to be thy counsellor. Thou art about toslay thy brother; but I say unto thee, do not indulge anger; strive tocontrol it. It is the duty of kings and of the wise, not to act withoutdue enquiry. Beware of shedding a brother's blood; the smoke thereofwill rise to heaven and become a cloud that must darken the days of themurderer, and at last cast down the lightnings of vengeance on his head.But I know that thou desirest justice, not murder. Act then as those whohave to pronounce a sentence, and hear both sides before deciding. Whenthis has been done, if the criminal is proved guilty and confesses hiscrime, the smoke of his blood will rise to heaven as a friendly shadow,instead of a darkening cloud, and thou wilt have earned the fame of ajust judge instead of deserving the divine judgments."
Cambyses listened in silence, made a sign to Bischen to retire, andcommanded Boges to repeat his accusation.
The eunuch made an obeisance, and began: "I was ill and obliged toleave the Egyptian and the Hanging-gardens in the care of my colleagueKandaules, who has paid for his negligence with his life. Finding myselfbetter towards evening, I went up to the hanging-gardens to see ifeverything was in order there, and also to look at the rare flower whichwas to blossom in the night. The king, (Auramazda grant him victory!)had commanded that the Egyptian should be more strictly watched thanusual, because she had dared to send the noble Bartja..."
"Be silent," interrupted the king, "and keep to the matter in hand."
"Just as the Tistar-star was rising, I came into the garden, and staidsome time there with these noble Achaemenidae, the high-priest andthe king Croesus, looking at the blue lily, which was marvellouslybeautiful. I then called my colleague Kandaules and asked him, inthe presence of these noble witnesses, if everything was in order. Heaffirmed that this was the case and added, that he had just come fromNitetis, that she had wept the whole day, and neither tasted food nordrink. Feeling anxious lest my noble mistress should become worse, Icommissioned Kandaules to fetch a physician, and was just on the pointof leaving the noble Achaemenidae, in order in person to ascertain mymistress's state of health, when I saw in the moon-light the figure ofa man. I was so ill and weak, that I could hardly stand and had no onenear to help me, except the gardener.
"My men were on guard at the different entrances, some distance from us.
"I clapped my hands to call some of them, but, as they did not come,I went nearer to the house myself, under the protection of thesenoblemen.--The man was standing by the window of the Egyptian Princess'sapartment, and uttered a low whistle when he heard us coming up.Another figure appeared directly--clearly recognizable in the brightmoonlight--sprang out of the sleeping-room window and came towards uswith her companion.
"I could hardly believe my eyes on discovering that the intruder was noother than the noble Bartja. A fig-tree concealed us from the fugitives,but we could distinctly see them, as they passed us at a distance of notmore than four steps. While I was thinking whether I should be justifiedin arresting a son of Cyrus, Croesus called to Bartja, and the twofigures suddenly disappeared behind a cypress. No one but your brotherhimself can possibly explain the strange way in which he disappeared.I went at once to search the house, and found the Egyptian lyingunconscious on the couch in her sleeping-room."
Every one listened to this story in the greatest suspense. Cambysesground his teeth and asked in a voice of great emotion: "Can you testifyto the words of the eunuch, Hystaspes?"
"Yes."
"Why did you not lay hands on the offender?"
"We are soldiers, not policemen."
"Or rather you care for every knave more than for your king."
"We honor our king, and abhor the criminal just as we formerly loved theinnocent son of Cyrus."
"Did you recognize Bartja distinctly?"
"Yes."
"And you, Croesus, can you too give no other answer?"
"No! I fancied I saw your brother in the moonlight then, as clearly as Isee him now; but I believe we must have been deceived by some remarkablelikeness." Boges grew pale at these words; Cambyses, however, shook hishead as if the idea did not please him, and said: "Whom am I to believethen, if the eyes of my best warriors fail them? and who would wish tobe a judge, if testimony such as yours is not to be considered valid?"
"Evidence quite as weighty as ours, will prove that we must have been inerror."
"Will any one dare to give evidence in favor of such an outrageouscriminal?" asked Cambyses, springing up and stamping his foot.
"We will," "I," "we," shouted Araspes, Darius, Gyges and Zopyrus withone voice.
"Traitors, knaves!" cried the king. But as he caught sight of Croesus'warning eye fixed upon him, he lowered his voice, and said: "What haveyou to bring forward in favor of this fellow? Take c
are what you say,and consider well what punishment awaits perjurers."
"We know that well enough," said Araspes, "and yet we are ready to swearby Mithras, that we have not left Bartja or his garden one moment sincewe came back from hunting."
"As for me," said Darius, "I, the son of Hystaspes, have especiallyconvincing evidence to give in favor of your brother's innocence; Iwatched the rising of the Tistar-star with him; and this, according toBoges, was the very star that shone on his flight."
Hystaspes gazed on his son in astonishment and doubt at hearing thesewords, and Cambyses turned a scrutinizing eye first on the one and thenon the other party of these strange witnesses, who wished so much, andyet found it so impossible, to believe one another, himself unable tocome to a decision.
Bartja, who till now had remained perfectly silent, looking down sadlyat his chained hands, took advantage of the silence to say, making atthe same time a deep obeisance: "May I be allowed to speak a few words,my King?"
"Speak!"
"From our father we learnt to strive after that which was pure and goodonly; so up to this time my life has been unstained. If you have everknown me take part in an evil deed, you have a right not to believe me,but if you find no fault in me then trust to what I say, and rememberthat a son of Cyrus would rather die than tell a lie. I confess thatno judge was ever placed in such a perplexing position. The best men inyour kingdom testify against one another, friend against friend, fatheragainst son. But I tell you that were the entire Persian nation to riseup against you, and swear that Cambyses had committed this or that evildeed, and you were to say, 'I did not commit it,' I, Bartja, would giveall Persia the lie and exclaim, 'Ye are all false witnesses; soonercould the sea cast up fire than a son of Cyrus allow his mouth to dealin lies.' No, Cambyses, you and I are so high-born that no one butyourself can bear evidence against me; and you can only be judged out ofyour own mouth."
Cambyses' looks grew a little milder on hearing these words, and hisbrother went on: "So I swear to you by Mithras, and by all pure spirits,that I am innocent. May my life become extinct and my race perish fromoff the earth, if I tell you a lie, when I say that I have not once setfoot in the hanging-gardens since my return!"
Bartja's voice was so firm and his tone so full of assurance, as heuttered this oath that Cambyses ordered his chains to be loosened, and,after a few moments' thought, said: "I should like to believe you, forI cannot bear to imagine you the worst and most abandoned of men.To-morrow we will summon the astrologers, soothsayers and priests.Perhaps they may be able to discover the truth. Can you see any light inthis darkness, Oropastes?"
"Thy servant supposes, that a Div has taken upon him the form of Bartja,in order to ruin the king's brother and stain thine own royal soul withthe blood of thy father's son."
Cambyses and every one present nodded their assent to this proposition,and the king was just going to offer his hand to Bartja, when astaff-bearer came in and gave the king a dagger. A eunuch had found itunder the windows of Nitetis' sleeping-apartment.
Cambyses examined the weapon carefully. Its costly hilt was thickly setwith rubies and turquoises. As he looked he turned pale, and dashed thedagger on the ground before Bartja with such violence, that the stonesfell out of their setting.
"This is your dagger, you wretch!" he shrieked, seized by the sameviolent passion as before. "This very morning you used it to give thelast thrust to the wild boar, that I had mortally wounded. Croesus, youought to know it too, for my father brought it from your treasure-houseat Sardis. At last you are really convicted, you liar!--you impostor!The Divs require no weapons, and such a dagger as this is not to bepicked up everywhere. Ah, ha! you are feeling in your girdle! You maywell turn pale; your dagger is gone!"
"Yes, it is gone. I must have lost it, and some enemy..."
"Seize him, Bischen, put on his fetters! Take him to prison--thetraitor, the perjurer! He shall be strangled to-morrow. Death is thepenalty of perjury. Your heads for theirs, you guards, if they escape.Not one word more will I hear; away with you, you perjured villains!Boges, go at once to the hanging-gardens and bring the Egyptian to me.Yet no, I won't see that serpent again. It is very near dawn now, and atnoon she shall be flogged through the streets. Then I'll..."
But here he was stopped by another fit of epilepsy, and sank down on tothe marble floor in convulsions. At this fearful moment Kassandane wasled into the hall by the old general Megabyzus. The news of whathad happened had found its way to her solitary apartments, and,notwithstanding the hour, she had risen in order to try and discoverthe truth and warn her son against pronouncing a too hasty decision. Shebelieved firmly that Bartja and Nitetis were innocent, though she couldnot explain to herself what had happened. Several times she had triedto put herself in communication with Nitetis, but without avail. At lastshe had been herself to the hanging-gardens, but the guards had actuallyhad the hardihood to refuse her admission.
Croesus went at once to meet her, told her what had happened,suppressing as many painful details as possible, confirmed her in herbelief of the innocence of the accused, and then took her to the bedsideof the king.
The convulsions had not lasted long this time. He lay on his golden bedunder purple silk coverlets, pale and exhausted. His blind mother seatedherself at his side, Croesus and Oropastes took their station at thefoot of the bell, and in another part of the room, four physiciansdiscussed the patient's condition in low whispers.
[It was natural, that medicine should be carefully studied among a people who set such a high value upon life as did the Persians. Pliny indeed, (XXX. I.) maintains, that the whole of Zoroaster's religion was founded on the science of medicine, and it is true that there are a great many medical directions to be found in the Avesta. In the Vendidad, Farg. VII. there is a detailed list of medical fees. "The physician shall treat a priest for a pious blessing or spell, the master of a house for a small draught animal, etc., the lord of a district for a team of four oxen. If the physician cures the mistress of the house, a female ass shall be his fee, etc., etc." We read in the same Fargard, that the physician had to pass a kind of examination. If he had operated thrice successfully on bad men, on whose bodies he had been permitted to try his skill, he was pronounced "capable for ever." If, on the other hand, three evil Daevayacna (worshippers of the Divs) died under his hands, he was pronounced "incapable of healing for evermore."]
Kassandane was very gentle with her son; she begged him not to yield topassionate anger, and to remember what a sad effect every such outbursthad on his health.
"Yes, mother, you are right," answered the king, smiling bitterly; "Isee that I must get rid of everything that rouses my anger. The Egyptianmust die, and my perfidious brother shall follow his mistress."
Kassandane used all her eloquence to convince him of the innocence ofthe accused, and to pacify his anger, but neither prayers, tears, norher motherly exhortations, could in the least alter his resolution torid himself of these murderers of his happiness and peace.
At last he interrupted her lamentations by saying: "I feel fearfullyexhausted; I cannot bear these sobs and lamentations any longer. Nitetishas been proved guilty. A man was seen to leave her sleeping-apartmentin the night, and that man was not a thief, but the handsomest manin Persia, and one to whom she had dared to send a letter yesterdayevening."
"Do you know the contents of that letter?" asked Croesus, coming up tothe bed.
"No; it was written in Greek. The faithless creature made use ofcharacters, which no one at this court can read."
"Will you permit me to translate the letter?" Cambyses pointed to asmall ivory box in which the ominous piece of writing lay, saying:"There it is; read it; but do not hide or alter a single word, forto-morrow I shall have it read over again by one of the merchants fromSinope."
Croesus' hopes revived; he seemed to breathe again as he took thepaper. But when he had read it over, his eyes filled with tears and hemurmured: "The fable of Pandora is only too true; I dar
e not be angryany longer with those poets who have written severely against women.Alas, they are all false and faithless! O Kassandane, how the Godsdeceive us! they grant us the gift of old age, only to strip us barelike trees in winter, and show us that all our fancied gold was drossand all our pleasant and refreshing drinks poison!"
Kassandane wept aloud and tore her costly robes; but Cambyses clenchedhis fist while Croesus was reading the following words:
"Nitetis, daughter of Amasis of Egypt, to Bartja, son of the greatCyrus:
"I have something important to tell you; I can tell it to no one butyourself. To-morrow I hope I shall meet you in your mother's apartments.It lies in your power to comfort a sad and loving heart, and to give itone happy moment before death. I have a great deal to tell you, and somevery sad news; I repeat that I must see you soon."
The desperate laughter, which burst from her son cut his mother to theheart. She stooped down and was going to kiss him, but Cambyses resistedher caresses, saying: "It is rather a doubtful honor, mother, to beone of your favorites. Bartja did not wait to be sent for twice by thattreacherous woman, and has disgraced himself by swearing falsely. Hisfriends, the flower of our young men, have covered themselves withindelible infamy for his sake; and through him, your best beloveddaughter... but no! Bartja had no share in the corruption of that fiendin Peri's form. Her life was made up of hypocrisy and deceit, and herdeath shall prove that I know how to punish. Now leave me, for I must bealone."
They had scarcely left the room, when he sprang up and paced backwardsand forwards like a madman, till the first crow of the sacred birdParodar. When the sun had risen, he threw himself on his bed again, andfell into a sleep that was like a swoon.
Meanwhile Bartja had written Sappho a farewell letter, and was sittingover the wine with his fellow-prisoners and their elder friend Araspes."Let us be merry," said Zopyrus, "for I believe it will soon be up withall our merriment. I would lay my life, that we are all of us dead byto-morrow. Pity that men haven't got more than one neck; if we'd two,I would not mind wagering a gold piece or two on the chance of ourremaining alive."
"Zopyrus is quite right," said Araspes; "we will make merry and keep oureyes open; who knows how soon they may be closed for ever?"
"No one need be sad who goes to his death as innocently as we do," saidGyges. "Here, cup-bearer, fill my goblet!"
"Ah! Bartja and Darius!" cried Zopyrus, seeing the two speaking in alow voice together, "there you are at your secrets again. Come to us andpass the wine-cup. By Mithras, I can truly say I never wished for death,but now I quite look forward to the black Azis, because he is going totake us all together. Zopyrus would rather die with his friends, thanlive without them."
"But the great point is to try and explain what has really happened,"said Darius.
"It's all the same to me," said Zopyrus, "whether I die with or withoutan explanation, so long as I know I am innocent and have not deservedthe punishment of perjury. Try and get us some golden goblets, Bischen;the wine has no flavor out of these miserable brass mugs. Cambysessurely would not wish us to suffer from poverty in our last hours,though he does forbid our fathers and friends to visit us."
"It's not the metal that the cup is made of," said Bartja, "but thewormwood of death, that gives the wine its bitter taste."
"No, really, you're quite out there," exclaimed Zopyrus. "Why I hadnearly forgotten that strangling generally causes death." As he saidthis, he touched Gyges and whispered: "Be as cheerful as you can! don'tyou see that it's very hard for Bartja to take leave of this world? Whatwere you saying, Darius?"
"That I thought Oropastes' idea the only admissible one, that a Div hadtaken the likeness of Bartja and visited the Egyptian in order to ruinus."
"Folly! I don't believe in such things."
"But don't you remember the legend of the Div, who took the beautifulform of a minstrel and appeared before king Kawus?"
"Of course," cried Araspes. "Cyrus had this legend so often recited atthe banquets, that I know it by heart.
"Kai Kawus hearkened to the words of the disguised Div and went toMasenderan, and was beaten there by the Divs and deprived of hiseyesight."
"But," broke in Darius, "Rustem, the great hero, came and conqueredErscheng and the other bad spirits, freed the captives and restoredsight to the blind, by dropping the blood of the slaughtered Divs intotheir eyes. And so it will be with us, my friends! We shall be set free,and the eyes of Cambyses and of our blind and infatuated fathers willbe opened to see our innocence. Listen, Bischen; if we really should beexecuted, go to the Magi, the Chaldwans, and Nebenchari the Egyptian,and tell them they had better not study the stars any longer, for thatthose very stars had proved themselves liars and deceivers to Darius."
"Yes," interrupted Araspes, "I always said that dreams were the onlyreal prophecies. Before Abradatas fell in the battle of Sardis, thepeerless Panthea dreamt that she saw him pierced by a Lydian arrow."
"You cruel fellow!" exclaimed Zopyrus. "Why do you remind us, that it ismuch more glorious to die in battle than to have our necks wrung off?"
"Quite right," answered the elder man; "I confess that I have seen manya death, which I should prefer to our own,--indeed to life itself. Ah,boys, there was a time when things went better than they do now."
"Tell us something about those times."
"And tell us why you never married. It won't matter to you in the nextworld, if we do let out your secret."
"There's no secret; any of your own fathers could tell you what you wantto hear from me. Listen then. When I was young, I used to amuse myselfwith women, but I laughed at the idea of love. It occurred, however,that Panthea, the most beautiful of all women, fell into our hands,and Cyrus gave her into my charge, because I had always boasted that myheart was invulnerable. I saw her everyday, and learnt, my friends, thatlove is stronger than a man's will. However, she refused all my offers,induced Cyrus to remove me from my office near her, and to accept herhusband Abradatas as an ally. When her handsome husband went out to thewar, this high-minded, faithful woman decked him out with all her ownjewels and told him that the noble conduct of Cyrus, in treating herlike a sister, when she was his captive, could only be repaid by themost devoted friendship and heroic courage. Abradatas agreed with her,fought for Cyrus like a lion, and fell. Panthea killed herself by hisdead body. Her servants, on hearing of this, put an end to their ownlives too at the grave of this best of mistresses. Cyrus shed tears overthis noble pair, and had a stone set up to their memory, which you cansee near Sardis. On it are the simple words: 'To Panthea, Abradatas, andthe most faithful of servants.' You see, children, the man who had lovedsuch a woman could never care for another."
The young men listened in silence, and remained some time after Araspeshad finished, without uttering a word. At last Bartja raised his handsto heaven and cried: "O thou great Auramazda! why dost thou not grantus a glorious end like Abradatas? Why must we die a shameful death likemurderers?"
As he said this Croesus came in, fettered and led by whip-bearers. Thefriends rushed to him with a storm of questions, and Bartja too went upto embrace the man who had been so long his tutor and guide. But the oldman's cheerful face was severe and serious, and his eyes, generally somild, had a gloomy, almost threatening, expression. He waved the princecoldly back, saying, in a voice which trembled with pain and reproach:"Let my hand go, you infatuated boy! you are not worth all the love Ihave hitherto felt for you. You have deceived your brother in a fourfoldmanner, duped your friends, betrayed that poor child who is waiting foryou in Naukratis, and poisoned the heart of Amasis' unhappy daughter."
Bartja listened calmly till he heard the word "deceived"; then hishand clenched, and stamping his foot, he cried: "But for your age andinfirmities, and the gratitude I owe you, old man, these slanderouswords would be your last."
Croesus beard this outbreak of just indignation unmoved, and answered:"This foolish rage proves that you and Cambyses have the same blood inyour veins. It would become you much be
tter to repent of your crimes,and beg your old friend's forgiveness, instead of adding ingratitude tothe unheard-of baseness of your other deeds."
At these words Bartja's anger gave way. His clenched hands sank downpowerless at his side, and his cheeks became pale as death.
These signs of sorrow softened the old man's indignation. His love wasstrong enough to embrace the guilty as well as the innocent Bartja, andtaking the young man's right hand in both his own, he looked at him asa father would who finds his son, wounded on the battle-field, and said:"Tell me, my poor, infatuated boy, how was it that your pure heart fellaway so quickly to the evil powers?"
Bartja shuddered. The blood came back to his face, but these wordscut him to the heart. For the first time in his life his belief in thejustice of the gods forsook him.
He called himself the victim of a cruel, inexorable fate, and feltlike a bunted animal driven to its last gasp and hearing the dogs andsportsmen fast coming nearer. He had a sensitive, childlike nature,which did not yet know how to meet the hard strokes of fate. His bodyand his physical courage had been hardened against bodily and physicalenemies; but his teachers had never told him how to meet a hard lot inlife; for Cambyses and Bartja seemed destined only to drink out of thecup of happiness and joy.
Zopyrus could not bear to see his friend in tears. He reproached theold man angrily with being unjust and severe. Gyges' looks were fullof entreaty, and Araspes stationed himself between the old man and theyouth, as if to ward off the blame of the elder from cutting deeper intothe sad and grieved heart of the younger man. Darius, however, afterhaving watched them for some time, came up with quiet deliberation toCroesus, and said: "You continue to distress and offend one another, andyet the accused does not seem to know with what offence he is charged,nor will the accuser hearken to his defence. Tell us, Croesus, by thefriendship which has subsisted between us up to this clay, what hasinduced you to judge Bartja so harshly, when only a short time ago youbelieved in his innocence?"
The old man told at once what Darius desired to know--that he had seena letter, written in Nitetis' own hand, in which she made a directconfession of her love to Bartja and asked him to meet her alone. Thetestimony of his own eyes and of the first men in the realm, nay, eventhe dagger found under Nitetis' windows, had not been able to convincehim that his favorite was guilty; but this letter had gone like aburning flash into his heart and destroyed the last remnant of hisbelief in the virtue and purity of woman.
"I left the king," he concluded, "perfectly convinced that a sinfulintimacy must subsist between your friend and the Egyptian Princess,whose heart I had believed to be a mirror for goodness and beauty alone.Can you find fault with me for blaming him who so shamefully stainedthis clear mirror, and with it his own not less spotless soul?"
"But how can I prove my innocence?" cried Bartja, wringing his hands."If you loved me you would believe me; if you really cared for me.... "
"My boy! in trying to save your life only a few minutes ago, I forfeitedmy own. When I heard that Cambyses had really resolved on your death, Ihastened to him with a storm of entreaties; but these were of no avail,and then I was presumptuous enough to reproach him bitterly in hisirritated state of mind. The weak thread of his patience broke, and ina fearful passion he commanded the guards to behead me at once. I wasseized directly by Giv, one of the whip-bearers; but as the man isunder obligations to me, he granted me my life until this morning, andpromised to conceal the postponement of the execution. I am glad, mysons, that I shall not outlive you, and shall die an innocent man by theside of the guilty."
These last words roused another storm of contradiction.
Again Darius remained calm and quiet in the midst of the tumult. Herepeated once more the story of the whole evening exactly, to provethat it was impossible Bartja could have committed the crime laid to hischarge. He then called on the accused himself to answer the charge ofdisloyalty and perfidy. Bartja rejected the idea of an understandingwith Nitetis in such short, decided, and convincing words, and confirmedhis assertion with such a fearful oath, that Croesus' persuasion of hisguilt first wavered, then vanished, and when Bartja had ended, he drewa deep breath, like a man delivered from a heavy burden, and clasped himin his arms.
But with all their efforts they could come to no explanation of whathad really happened. In one thing, however, they were all agreed: thatNitetis loved Bartja and had written the letter with a wrong intention.
"No one who saw her," cried Darius, "when Cambyses announced that Bartjahad chosen a wife, could doubt for a moment that she was in love withhim. When she let the goblet fall, I heard Phaedime's father say thatthe Egyptian women seemed to take a great interest in the affairs oftheir brothers-in-law."
While they were talking, the sun rose and shone pleasantly into theprisoners' room.
"Bartja," murmured Mithras, "means to make our parting difficult."
"No," answered Croesus, "he only means to light us kindly on our wayinto eternity."