We came to where the great Sphinx stretches herself out in the sand, and by the light of a great moon we saw her lion’s paws and her woman’s face. We heard the purring sound that comes through the lips of the Sphinx, and we halted between her paws. “What is Man?” said the Sphinx, asking her riddle. The paws that stretched alongside of us were quiet, and the voice of the Sphinx was very quiet. We saw her face far above us, and it was calm, though there was much scorn and fierceness in it. “What is Man?” said the Sphinx. Then I replied as Hermes Trismegistus had taught me to reply, “Man is he whose Mother is the Earth and whose Father is the Stars.” “Go,” said the Sphinx. Then we clambered across the great paws of the Sphinx, and we went on our way. Along the border of the desert we went, and when the great moon had changed herself to a little moon that was hardly to be seen in the sky we came amongst the Atlantes, the people who eat no living thing and who never have dreams. The ring showed us that Zabulun, the wrong-doing Enchanter, had not drawn near us for many days. We were far away from him when we came amongst the Atlantes. But soon he came near us again. By that time I had found him who was wisest amongst this people, and I asked him to tell me of Merlin, and of how I might come to him. “Not often does the island on which Merlin dwells show itself,” said he who was wisest amongst the Atlantes. “On the mid day of summer it is to be seen. Then it draws near to the Western Island, and if you will cast upon the water nine cocks’ combs and four peacocks’ feathers, Merlin will let you come upon his island.” Thereupon he who was wisest amongst them gave us the cocks’ combs and four peacocks’ feathers. They reverenced Hermes of Egypt, the people that are called the Atlantes, and because we had spoken with Hermes and had been in his cell, they brought us on board a ship that had great leathern sails, and in that ship they carried us to your island, O King. IX. HOW EEAN AND BIRD-OF-GOLD CAME TO KING MANUS’S STABLES We came to your island, O King (said Bird-of-Gold, continuing her story), but no sooner did we step from the ship to the landing stones than we suffered a loss. The ring that was around my wrist broke and fell into the sea, and thereafter we had no sign that would show how close Zabulun was in pursuit of us. We set off for that part of the land that Merlin’s island comes near to. One day our way was through a dark valley and we lay down there to sleep. I awakened after some hours of slumber, and I looked toward Eean, and I saw that he was still sleeping. I left him to his sleep, but when hours passed I went over to awaken him. But I could not awaken him from that slumber, do what I would. For three days and three nights he slept in that valley while I watched beside him.