72 LITERATURE. 



War questioned several of them, and they answered as best they could ; some of them 

 went so far as to say that, fascinated by his glory, they had chosen to follow his course rather 

 than return to Timu, who had now grown very old indeed; that in their hearts they had 

 always paid allegiance to the \'aliant son of Kari, and that what they had done, which seemed 

 not in accordance with this, was done to obey orders which they could not neglect at the risk 

 of their lives. 



War listened to them for several days, not showing any outward sign of approval or con- 

 demnation , and each came and told his tale and showed his case in the most favourable light 

 At last every one having spoken, a dreary silence prevailed, and War was thinking. 

 " It shall be done," he said to himself, and he shouted this order : " Asters of all 

 magnitudes, sent by Timu, range yourselves in battle, form a huge and impenetrable sphere 

 protected by the darts of your light ; and let me meet you in that order when I shall appear 

 at the horizon under the sign of Atah by the river of tears." 



None of the asters could understantl, l)ut all had to obey, and when War returned he 

 found them formed as he had commanded. He approached them and spoke thus : 



" The words I spake to you in the presence of my venerable father Timu have proved 

 but too true. For all of you tlie time of forbearance is at an end, courtly flattery, heinous 

 hvpocrisy, villainous treachery, base treason, are of no avail. Patient Justice has got her 

 hand on ingratitude and felony. It is time for you to obey orders of my old father, God 

 Timu, and to capture his son whom you once called ' War, the rebel.' You forced Timu to 

 expel him. To you he gave the order to capture him. Obey that order of my father." 



But the sphere was motionless, and gave no sign of life. 



" Obey, I tell you ! Move, or I crush you ! " 



But not the slightest oscillation answered to his call. 



"Cowards! Unworthy of the name of beings! Shame and refuse of the universe ! I 

 would that I might destroy you all. I would give my life that I might do it in the presence 

 of my mother Kari, and in the sight of little Atah. Woe and malediction on you all ! " . . 

 and he rushed on to the sphere, penetrating it to the full length of his arm, and on like that 

 he went, dealing blows at it in all directions. He then took a handful of his fiery mane and 

 thrust it into the centre of the sphere, which began to burn and vomit lire and lava from all 

 the holes made l)y his blows. Stung by the violence of the heat, several asters attempted 

 to disintegrate themselves from the mass and flee, but the watchful War was there to throw 

 them back into the whirlpools of the burning craters. The roar and crackling of the fire and 

 thunder of the bursting volcanoes were echoes in all the remotest regions of space. 



" Thou art unjust ! " hissed a crater in which were l)oiling all the curses ever heard. 



" I punish traitors; every one of them shall perish ! " 



" Thou art cruel," shrieked another crater. 



" I cannot inflict on you one-millionth jiart of the torture you have inllicted on my mother, 

 whom your hypocrisy has caused to be turned into a river of tears." 



" Fientl ! " fizzed a third crater. " Curse on thee ! Rebel ! Usurper ! Destroyer! who 

 wast once my brother ! " 



" I did not rebel, but fletl away in obetlience to my father. I ilid not usurp, but took 

 possession of the wilderness of infinitude. 1 do not destroy but transform. I will reduce 

 you in the crucible of justice to the ideal immobility which has been your dream for ages ; 

 you shall not live Init sleep, without sensation, emotion, hope . . love . . . inexactly 

 to which you would have reduced the whole of the universe, which is not, if it be not full 

 of activity, passion, and longings for the yet unknown avenues of futurity." 



And henceforth, deaf to the imprecations and curses vomited in a constant rush from 

 the lips of all the volcanoes, mixed with the lava of white fire which was now spreading over 

 all the surface of the globe. War only stood watching, in order to prevent any aster from 

 escaping, and when the whole was covered with lava, he re-entered his usual course and 

 started rolling and rolling as lu' has done ever since, visiting every day the river of tears and 



