Presently, with a slow, solemn smile on her haughtily curved lips, she extended one hand and arm, snow-white and glittering with jewels, and made an imperious gesture to command silence. Instantly a profound hush ensued. Lifting a long, slender, white wand, at the end of which could be plainly seen the gleaming silver head of a Serpent, she described three circles in the air with a perfectly even, majestic motion, and as she did this, her marvellous eyes turned toward Theos, and dwelt steadily upon him. He met her gaze fully, absorbing into his inmost soul the mesmeric spell of her matchless loveliness,--he saw, without actually realizing the circumstance, that the whole vast multitude around him had fallen prostrate in an attitude of worship,--and still he stood erect, drinking in the warmth of those dark, witching, sleepy orbs that flashed at him half-resentfully, half-mockingly, . . and then, . . the beauty-burdened ship began to sway gently, and move onwards,--she, that wondrous Siren-Queen was vanishing,--vanishing!--she and her kneeling maidens, and music, and flowers,--vanishing ... Where? With a start he sprang from his post of observation,--he felt he must go after her at all risks,--he must find out her place of abode,--her rank,--her title,--her name! ... All at once he was roughly seized by a dozen or more of hands,--loud, angry voices shouted on all sides.. "A traitor! ... a traitor!" ... "An infidel!" "A spy!" "A malcontent!" "Into the river with him!" "He refuses worship!" "He denies the gods!" "Bear him to the Tribunal!".. And in a trice of time, he was completely surrounded and hemmed in by an exasperated, gesticulating crowd, whose ominous looks and indignant mutterings were plainly significant of prompt hostility. With a few agile movements he succeeded in wrenching himself free from the grasp of his assailants, and standing among them like a stag at bay he cried: "What have I done? How have I offended? Speak! Or is it the fashion of Al-Kyris to condemn a man unheard?"