Persian dawns, Egyptian nights

104
PERSIAN DAWNS
hearts, Eidon. Pride and Fear and Hopelessness
are the devils that cry in the night. All else are
phantasies.’
‘ From antiquity our Church has believed in the
existence of demons.’
c From antiquity our Church has suffered from
the existence of fools. Heed to the men, Eidon.
I would be alone.’
It was dreadful in those night hours. What from
cold and fear the shivering Nestorian search-party
slept but fitfully about its camp-fire. Nerses him¬
self sat unsleeping, head in hands, listening to that
far, attenuated twitter and rustle in the darkness-
shrouded mazes of the mountains. One of Amima’s
hounds crept up to him and thrust a cold nose
against his cheek, and sat with him listening. A
pony stamped and whinnied, smelling the prowlings
of some great cat. The stars came out and glittered
and wheeled down into the west. And at last the
Bishop saw the fires dying, and that it was dawn.
Blue-tinted and cold, sharp-edged, the near
peaks stood out as the details of a slip-painting
against the copper bowl of the dawn. Remote on
the tundra-fringe the jackals were baying. But, as
the little expedition from Alarlu rose and shook
itself and mounted, one of the great Balkh hunting
hounds broke loose from its lead. It capered for
a moment, stood hesitant, then, nose to the
ground, headed up the nearest passage into the
mountains.
Nerses stared after it, glanced at the ground near