THE FIRST DIVERS 39 



the sea, and in the mountains, and in the darkness, I de- 

 sire to know what works of His there are in the sea.' And 

 the angel said unto him, 'That which is in the sea was not 

 given unto thee.' And on the third day the angel cried 

 to another monster in the sea, and said unto him, 'Pass 

 thou quickly in front of the Two-horned, like a flash of 

 lightning.' And the monster rushed forward and passed 

 in front of him at the swiftest speed, but it was not until 

 the end of three days and three nights that the hinder 

 parts and tail of the monster passed in front of the Two- 

 horned. 



"Then the angel said unto the Two-horned, 'How many 

 days is it since thou didst leave thy troops who were with 

 thee in the ship?' And the Two-horned said unto him, 

 'Four days, but one hundred days must be passed (before 

 I need to return) .' And the Two-horned bowed his knees 

 on the ground and worshipped God in the heart of the sea, 

 and (he prayed) that God would lengthen his days until 

 he came to the place where he wished to be. And the 

 angel said unto him, 'Lift up thine head so that thou may- 

 est see a wonderful thing;' and the Two-horned lifted up 

 his head, and behold he was close to the men who were 

 in the ship. And when they saw him they rejoiced with 

 exceedingly great joy. And the Two-horned commanded 

 his comrades to bring the ship to the little sea whereon 

 men sail, and he embarked with his soldiers in peace and 

 safety." 



Sailor's yarn or no, this tale fosters a surprisingly sci- 



