The Ambassador's Pigeons
Haziddin, the ambassador, stood at the door of his tent and gazed downupon the famous city of Baalbek, seeing it now for the first time. Thenight before, he had encamped on the heights to the south of Baalbek,and had sent forward to that city, messengers to the Prince, carryinggreetings and acquainting him with the fact that an embassy from theGovernor of Damascus awaited permission to enter the gates. The sun hadnot yet risen, but the splendour in the East, lighting the sky withwondrous colourings of gold and crimson and green, announced the speedycoming of that god which many of the inhabitants of Baalbek stillworshipped. The temples and palaces of the city took their tints fromthe flaming sky, and Haziddin, the ambassador, thought he had neverseen anything so beautiful, notwithstanding the eulogy Mahomet himselfhad pronounced upon his own metropolis of Damascus.The great city lay in silence, but the moment the rim of the sunappeared above the horizon the silence was broken by a faint sound ofchanting from that ornate temple, seemingly of carven ivory, which hadbestowed upon the city its Greek name of Heliopolis. The Temple of theSun towered overall other buildings in the place, and, as if the day-god claimed his own, the rising sun shot his first rays upon thisedifice, striking from it instantly all colour, leaving its rows ofpillars a dazzling white as if they were fashioned from the pure snowsof distant Lebanon. The sun seemed a mainspring of activity, as well asan object of adoration, for before it had been many minutes above thehorizon the ambassador saw emerging from the newly opened gate themounted convoy that was to act as his escort into the city; so,turning, he gave a quick command which speedily levelled the tents, andbrought his retinue; into line to receive their hosts.The officer, sent by the Prince of Baalbek to welcome the ambassadorand conduct him into the city, greeted the visitor with thatdeferential ceremony so beloved of the Eastern people, and togetherthey journeyed down the hill to the gates, the followers of the onemingling fraternally with the followers of the other. As if the deitiesof the wonderful temples they were approaching wished to show thefutility of man's foresight, a thoughtless remark made by one of theleast in the ambassador's retinue to one of the least who followed theBaalbek general, wrought ruin to one empire, and saved another fromdisaster.A mule-driver from Baalbek said to one of his lowly a profession fromDamascus that the animals of the northern city seemed of superior breedto those of the southern. Then the Damascus man, his civic pridedisturbed by the slighting remark, replied haughtily that if the mulesof Baalbek had endured such hardships as those of Damascus, journeyingfor a month without rest through a rugged mountain country, they wouldperhaps look in no better condition than those the speaker then drove."Our mules were as sleek as yours a month ago, when we left Damascus."As Baalbek is but thirty-one miles north of Damascus, the muleteer ofthe former place marvelled that so long a time had been spent on thejourney, and he asked his fellow why they had wandered among themountains. The other could but answer that so it was, and he knew noreason for it, and with this the man of Baalbek had to content himself.And so the tale went from mouth to ear of the Baalbek men until itreached the general himself. He thought little of it for the moment,but, turning to the ambassador, said, having nothing else to say:"How long has it taken you from Damascus to Baalbek?"Then the ambassador answered:"We have done the journey in three days; it might have taken us buttwo, or perhaps it could have been accomplished in one, but there beingno necessity for speed we travelled leisurely."Then the general, remaining silent, said to himself:"Which has lied, rumour or the ambassador?"He cast his eyes over the animals the ambassador had brought with him,and saw that they indeed showed signs of fatigue, and perhaps ofirregular and improper food.Prince Ismael himself received Haziddin, ambassador of Omar, Governorof Damascus, at the gates of Baalbek, and the pomp and splendour ofthat reception was worthy of him who gave it, but the general foundopportunity to whisper in the ear of the Prince:"The ambassador says he was but three days coming, while a follower ofhis told a follower of mine that they have been a month on the road,wandering among the mountains."Suspicion is ever latent in the Eastern mind, and the Prince was quickto see a possible meaning for this sojourn among the mountains. Itmight well be that the party were seeking a route at once easy andunknown by which warriors from Damascus might fall upon Baalbek; yet,if this were the case, why did not the explorers return directly toDamascus rather than venture within the walls of Baalbek? It seemed toPrince Ismael that this would have been the more crafty method topursue, for, as it was, unless messengers had returned to Damascus toreport the result of their mountain excursion, he had the whole partypractically prisoners within the walls of his city, and he could easilywaylay any envoy sent by the ambassador to his chief in Damascus. ThePrince, however, showed nothing in his manner of what was passingthrough his mind, but at the last moment he changed the programme hehad laid out for the reception of the ambassador. Preparation had beenmade for a great public breakfast, for Haziddin was famed throughoutthe East, not only as a diplomatist, but also as physician and a man ofscience. The Prince now gave orders that his officers were to entertainthe retinue of the ambassador at the public breakfast, while hebestowed upon the ambassador the exceptional honour of asking him tohis private table, thus giving Haziddin of Damascus no opportunity toconfer with his followers after they had entered the gates of Baalbek.It was impossible for Haziddin to demur, so he could but bow low andaccept the hospitality which might at that moment be most unwelcome, asindeed it was. The Prince's manner was so genial and friendly that, thephysician, Haziddin, soon saw he had an easy man to deal with, and hesuspected no sinister motive beneath the cordiality of the Prince.The red wine of Lebanon is strong, and his Highness, Ismael, pressed itupon his guest, urging that his three days' journey had been fatiguing.The ambassador had asked that his own servant might wait upon him, butthe Prince would not hear of it, and said that none should serve himwho were not themselves among the first nobles in Baalbek."You represent Omar, Governor of Damascus, son of King Ayoub, and assuch I receive you on terms of equality with myself."The ambassador, at first nonplussed with a lavishness that was mostunusual, gradually overcame his diffidence, became warm with the wine,and so failed to notice that the Prince himself remained cool, anddrank sparingly. At last the head of Haziddin sank on his breast, andhe reclined at full length on the couch he occupied, falling into adrunken stupor, for indeed he was deeply fatigued, and had spent thenight before sleepless. As his cloak fell away from him it left exposeda small wicker cage attached to his girdle containing four pigeonsclosely huddled, for the cage was barely large enough to hold them, andhere the Prince saw the ambassador's swift messengers to Damascus. Letloose from the walls of Baalbek, and flying direct, the tidings would,in a few hours, be in the hands of the Governor of Damascus. Haziddinthen was spy as well as ambassador. The Prince also possessed carrierpigeons, and used them as a means of communication between his armiesat Tripoli and at Antioch, so he was not ignorant of their consequence.The fact that the ambassador himself carried this small cage under hiscloak attached to his girdle showed the great importance that wasattached to these winged messengers, otherwise Haziddin would haveentrusted them to one of his subordinates."Bring me," whispered the Prince to his general, "four of my ownpigeons. Do not disturb the thongs attached to the girdle when you openthe cage, but take the ambassador's pigeons out and substitute four ofmy own. Keep these pigeons of Damascus separate from ours; we may yethave use for them in communicating with the Governor."The general, quick to see the scheme which was in the Prince's mind,brought four Baalbek pigeons, identical with the others in size andcolour. He brought with him also a cage into which the Damascus pigeonswere put, and thus the transfer was made without the knowledge of theslumbering ambassador. His cloak was arranged about him so that itconcealed the cage attached to the girdle, then the ambassador's ownservants were sent for, and he was confided to their care.When Haziddin awoke he found himself in a sumptuous room of the palace.He had but a hazy remembrance of the latter part of the meal with thePrince, and his first thought went with a thrill of fear towards thecage under his cloak; finding, however, that this was intact, he wasmuch relieved in his mind, and could but hope that in his cups he hadnot babbled anything of his mission which might arouse suspicion in themind of the Prince. His first meeting with the ruler of Baalbek afterthe breakfast they had had together, set all doubts finally at rest,because the Prince received him with a friendship which wasunmistakable. The physician apologised for being overcome by thepotency of the wine, and pleaded that he had hitherto been unused toliquor of such strength. The Prince waved away all reference to thesubject, saying that he himself had succumbed on the same occasion, andhad but slight recollection of what had passed between them.Ismael assigned to the ambassador one of the palaces near the Pantheon,and Haziddin found himself free to come and go as he pleased withoutespionage or restriction. He speedily learned that one of the armies ofBaalbek was at the north, near Antioch, the other to the west atTripoli, leaving the great city practically unprotected, and thisunprecedented state of affairs jumped so coincident with the designs ofhis master, that he hastened to communicate the intelligence. He wrote:"If Baalbek is immediately attacked, it cannot be protected. Half ofthe army is on the shore of the Mediterranean, near Tripoli, the otherhalf is north, at Antioch. The Prince has no suspicion. If you concealthe main body of your army behind the hills to the south of Baalbek,and come on yourself with a small: retinue, sending notice to thePrince of your arrival, he will likely himself come out to the gates tomeet you, and having secured his person, while I, with my followers,hold the open gates, you can march into Baalbek unmolested. Once with aforce inside the walls of Baalbek, the city is as nearly as possibleimpregnable, and holding the Prince prisoner, you may make with himyour own terms. The city is indescribably rich, and probably neverbefore in the history of the world has there been opportunity ofaccumulating so much treasure with so little risk."This writing Haziddin attached to the leg of a pigeon, and throwing thebird aloft from the walls, it promptly disappeared over the housetops,and a few moments later was in the hands of its master, the Prince ofBaalbek, who read the treacherous message with amazement. Then,imitating the ambassador's writing, he penned a note, saying that thiswas not the time to invade Baalbek, but as there were rumours that thearmies were about to leave the city, one going to the north and theother to the west, the ambassador would send by another pigeon news ofthe proper moment to strike.This communication the Prince attached to the leg of one of theDamascus pigeons, and throwing it into the air, saw with satisfactionthat the bird flew straight across the hills towards the south.Ismael that night sent messengers mounted on swift Arabian horses toTripoli and to Antioch recalling his armies, directing his generals toavoid Baalbek and to join forces in the mountains to the south of thatcity and out of sight of it. This done, the Prince attended in state abanquet tendered to him by the ambassador from Damascus, where hecharmed all present by his genial urbanity, speaking touchingly on theblessings of peace, and drinking to a thorough understanding betweenthe two great cities of the East, Damascus and Baalbek, sentimentswhich, were cordially reciprocated by the ambassador.Next morning the second pigeon came to the palace of the Prince."Ismael is still unsuspicious," the document ran. "He will fall an easyprey if action be prompt. In case of a failure to surprise, it would bewell to impress upon your generals the necessity of surrounding thecity instantly so that messengers cannot be sent to the two armies. Itwill then be advisable to cut off the water-supply by diverting thecourse of the small river which flows into Baalbek. The walls of thecity are incredibly strong, and a few men can defend them successfullyagainst a host, once the gates are shut. Thirst, however, will sooncompel them, to surrender. Strike quickly, and Baalbek is yours."The Prince sent a note of another tenor to Damascus, and the calm dayspassed serenely on, the ambassador watching anxiously from his house-top, his eyes turned to the south, while the Prince watched asanxiously from the roof of his palace, his gaze turning now westwardnow northward.The third night after the second message had been sent, the ambassadorpaced the long level promenade of his roof, ever questioning the south.A full moon shone down on the silent city, and in that clear air theplain outside the walls and the nearer hills were as distinctly visibleas if it were daylight. There was no sign of an approaching army.Baalbek lay like a city of the dead, the splendid architecture of itscountless temples gleaming ghostlike, cold, white and unreal in thepure refulgence of the moon. Occasionally the ambassador paused in hiswalk and leaned on the parapet. He had become vaguely uneasy, wonderingwhy Damascus delayed, and there crept over him that sensation of dumbfear which comes to a man in the middle of the night and leaves himwith the breaking of day. He realised keenly the extreme peril of hisown position--imprisoned and at the mercy of his enemy should histreachery be discovered. And now as he leaned over the parapet in thebreathless stillness, his alert ear missed an accustomed murmur of thenight. Baalbek was lulled to sleep by the ever-present tinkle ofrunning water, the most delicious sound that can soothe an Eastern ear,accustomed as it is to the echoless silence of the arid rainlessdesert.The little river which entered Baalbek first flowed past the palace ofthe Prince, then to the homes of the nobles and the priests, meanderingthrough every street and lane until it came to the baths left by theRomans, whence it flowed through the poorer quarters, and at lastdisappeared under the outer wall. It might be termed a liquid guide toBaalbek, for the stranger, leaving the palace and following itscurrent, would be led past every temple and residence in the city. Itwas the limpid thread of life running through the veins of the town,and without it Baalbek could not have existed. As the ambassador leanedover the parapet wondering whether it was his imagination which madethis night seem more still than all that had gone before since he cameto the city, he suddenly became aware that what he missed was thepurling trickle of the water. Peering over the wall of his house, andgazing downward on the moonlit street, he saw no reflecting glitter ofthe current, and realised, with a leap of the heart, that the streamhad run dry.The ambassador was quick to understand the meaning of this suddendrying of the stream. Notwithstanding his vigilance, the soldiers ofDamascus had stolen upon the city unperceived by him, and had alreadydiverted the water-course. Instantly his thoughts turned toward his ownescape. In the morning the fact of the invasion would be revealed, andhis life would lie at the mercy of an exasperated ruler. To flee fromBaalbek in the night he knew to be no easy task; all the gates wereclosed, and not one of them would be opened before daybreak, exceptthrough the intervention of the Prince himself. To spring from even thelowest part of the wall would mean instant death. In this extremity thenatural ingenuity of the man came to his rescue. That which gave himwarning would also provide an avenue of safety.The stream, conveyed to the city by a lofty aqueduct, penetrated thethick walls through a tunnel cut in the solid stone, just large enoughto receive its volume. The tunnel being thus left dry, a man couldcrawl on his hands and knees through it, and once outside, walk uprighton the top of the viaduct, along the empty bed of the river, until hereached the spot where the water had been diverted, and there find hiscomrades. Wasting not a thought on the jeopardy in which he left hisown followers, thus helplessly imprisoned in Baalbek, but bent only onhis own safety, he left his house silently, and hurried, deep in theshadow, along the obscure side of the street. He knew he must avoid theguards of the palace, and that done, his path to the invading army wasclear. But before he reached the palace of the Prince there remainedfor him another stupefying surprise.Coming to a broad thoroughfare leading to the square in which stood theTemple of Life, he was amazed to see at his feet, flowing rapidly, thefull tide of the stream, shattering into dancing discs of light thereflection of the full moon on its surface, gurgling swiftly towardsthe square. The fugitive stood motionless and panic-stricken at themargin of this transparent flood. He knew that his retreat had been cutoff. What had happened? Perhaps the strong current had swept away theimpediment placed against it by the invaders, and thus had resumed itscourse into the city. Perhaps--but there was little use in surmising,and the ambassador, recovering in a measure his self-possession,resolved to see whether or not it would lead him to his own palace.Crossing the wide thoroughfare into the shadow beyond, he followed ittowards the square, keeping his eye on the stream that rippled in themoonlight. The rivulet flowed directly across the square to the Templeof Life; there, sweeping a semicircle half round the huge building, itresumed its straight course. The ambassador hesitated before crossingthe moonlit square, but a moment's reflection showed him that nosuspicion could possibly attach to his movements in this direction, forthe Temple of Life was the only sacred edifice in the city for everopen.The Temple of Life consisted of a huge dome, which was supported by adouble circle of pillars, and beneath this dome had been erected agigantic marble statue, representing the God of Life, who stoodmotionless with outstretched arms, as if invoking a blessing upon thecity. A circular opening at the top of the dome allowed the rays of themoon to penetrate and illuminate the head of the statue. Against thewhite polished surface of the broad marble slab, which lay at the footof the statue, the ambassador saw the dark forms of several prostratefigures, and knew that each was there to beg of the sightless statue,life for some friend, lying at that moment somewhere on a bed ofillness. For this reason the Temple of Life was always open, andsupplicants prostrated themselves within it at any hour of the night orday. Remembering this, and knowing that it was the resort of high andlow alike, for Death respects not rank, Haziddin, with gatheringconfidence, entered the moonlit square. At the edge of the greatcircular temple he paused, meeting there his third surprise. He sawthat the stream was not deflected round the lower rim of the edifice,but that a stone had been swung at right angles with the lower step,cutting off the flow of the stream to the left, and allowing its watersto pour underneath the temple. Listening, the ambassador heard the lowmuffled roar of pouring water, and instantly his quick mind jumped atan accurate conclusion. Underneath the Temple was a gigantic tank forthe storage of water, and it was being filled during the night. Did theauthorities of Baalbek expect a siege, and were they thus preparing forit? Or was the filling of the tank an ordinary function performedperiodically to keep the water sweet? The ambassador would have givenmuch for an accurate answer to these questions, but he knew not whom toask.Entering the Temple he prostrated himself on the marble slab, andremained there for a few moments, hoping that, if his presence had beenobserved, this action would provide excuse for his nocturnalwanderings. Rising, he crossed again the broad square, and hurried upthe street by which he had entered it. This street led to the northerngate, whose dark arch he saw at the end of it, and just as he was aboutto turn down a lane which led to his palace, he found himselfconfronted with a fourth problem. One leaf of the ponderous gate swunginward, and through the opening he caught a glimpse of the moonlitcountry beyond. Knowing that the gates were never opened at night,except through the direct order of the Prince, he paused for a moment,and then saw a man on horseback enter, fling himself hurriedly from hissteed, leaving it in care of those in charge of the gates, anddisappear down the street that led directly to the Prince's palace. Ina most perturbed state of mind the ambassador sought his own house, andthere wrote his final despatch to Damascus. He told of his discovery ofthe water-tank, and said that his former advice regarding the divertingof the stream was no longer of practical value. He said he wouldinvestigate further the reservoir under the Temple of Life, anddiscover, if possible, how the water was discharged. If he succeeded inhis quest he would endeavour, in case of a long siege, to set freeBaalbek's store of water; but he reiterated his belief that it wasbetter to attempt the capture of the city by surprise and fierceassault. The message that actually went to Damascus, carried by thethird pigeon, was again different in tenor."Come at once," it said. "Baalbek is unprotected, and the Prince hasgone on a hunting expedition. March through the Pass of El-Zaid, whichis unprotected, because it is the longer route. The armies of Baalbekare at Tripoli and at Antioch, and the city is without even a garrison.The southern gate will be open awaiting your coming."Days passed, and the ambassador paced the roof of his house, looking invain towards the south. The streamed flowed as usual through the city.Anxiety at the lack of all tidings from Damascus began to ploughfurrows in his brow. He looked careworn and haggard. To the kindlyinquiries of the Prince regarding his health, he replied that there wasnothing amiss.One evening, an urgent message came from the palace requesting hisattendance there. The Prince met him with concern on his brow."Have you had word from your master, Omar, Governor of Damascus, sinceyou parted with him?" asked Ismael."I have had no tidings," replied the ambassador."A messenger has just come in from Damascus, who says that Omar is indeadly peril. I thought you should know this speedily, and so I sentfor you.""Of what nature is this peril?" asked the ambassador, turning pale."The messenger said something of his falling a prisoner, sorelywounded, in the hands of his enemies.""Of his enemies," echoed the ambassador. "He has many. Which one hasbeen victorious?""I have had no particulars and perhaps the news may not be true,"answered the Prince, soothingly."May I question your messenger?""Assuredly. He has gone to the Temple of Life, to pray for some of hisown kin, who are in danger. Let us go there together and find him."But the messenger had already left the Temple before the arrival of hismaster, and the two found the great place entirely empty. Standing nearthe edge of the slab before the mammoth statue, the Prince said:"Stand upon that slab facing the statue, and it will tell you morefaithfully than any messenger whether your master shall live or die,and when.""I am a Moslem," answered Haziddin, "and pray to none but Allah.""In Baalbek," said the Prince, carelessly, "all religions aretolerated. Here we have temples for the worship of the Roman and theGreek gods and mosques for the Moslems. Here Christian, or Jew, Sun-worshipper or Pagan implore their several gods unmolested, and thus isBaalbek prosperous. I confess a liking for this Temple of Life, andcome here often. I should, however, warn you that it is the generalbelief of those who frequent this place that he who steps upon themarble slab facing the god courts disaster, unless his heart is asfree, from treachery and guile as this stone beneath him is free fromflaw. Perhaps you have heard the rumour, and therefore hesitate.""I have not heard it heretofore, but having heard it, do not hesitate."Saying which, the ambassador stepped upon the stone. Instantly, themarble turned under him, and falling, he clutched its polished surfacein vain, dropping helplessly into the reservoir beneath. The air underhis cloak bore him up and kept him from sinking. The reservoir intowhich he had fallen proved to be as large as the Temple itself,circular in form, as was the edifice above it. Steps rose from thewater in unbroken rings around it, but even if he could have reachedthe edge of the huge tank in which he found himself, ascent by thesteps was impossible, for upon the first three burned vigorously somechemical substance, which luridly illuminated the surface of thissubterranean lake. He was surrounded immediately by water, and beyondthat by rising rings of flame, and he rightly surmised that thissubstance was Greek fire, for where it dripped into the water it stillburned, floating on the surface. A moment later the Prince appeared onthe upper steps, outside the flaming circumference."Ambassador," he cried, "I told you that if you stepped on the marbleslab, you would be informed truly of the fate of your master. I nowannounce to you that he dies to-night, being a prisoner in my hands.His army was annihilated in the Pass of El-Zaid, while he was on hisway to capture this city through your treachery. In your lastcommunication to him you said that you would investigate our waterstorage, and learn how it was discharged. This secret I shall proceedto put you in possession of, but before doing so, I beg to tell youthat Damascus has fallen and is in my possession. The reservoir, youwill observe, is emptied by pulling this lever, which releases a trap-door at the centre of the bottom of the tank."The Prince, with both hands on the lever, exerted his strength anddepressed it. Instantly the ambassador felt the result. First, a smallwhirlpool became indented in the placid surface of the water, exactlyin the centre of the disc: enlarging its influence, it grew and grewuntil it reached the outer edges of the reservoir, bringing lines offire round with it. The ambassador found himself floating withincreased rapidity, dizzily round and round. He cried out in a voicethat rang against the stone ceiling:"An ambassador's life is sacred, Prince of Baalbek. It is contrary tothe law of nations to do me injury, much less to encompass my death.""An ambassador is sacred," replied the Prince, "but not a spy. Asidefrom that, it is the duty of an ambassador to precede his master, andthat you are about to do. Tell him, when you meet him, the secret ofthe reservoir of Baalbek."This reservoir, now a whirling maelstrom, hurled its shrieking victiminto its vortex, and then drowned shriek and man together.
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