Transcriber’s Notes Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations in hyphenation and accents remain. Italics are represented thus _italic_. THE FLAME-GATHERERS [Illustration: Publisher’s Monogram] THE FLAME-GATHERERS BY MARGARET HORTON POTTER New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1904 _All rights reserved_ COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published May, 1904. Reprinted September, 1904. Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.—Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. TO Gerhardt Hauptmann WITH THE PROFOUND ADMIRATION OF THE AUTHOR PRELUDE “UP FROM EARTH’S CENTRE THROUGH THE SEVENTH GATE I ROSE, AND ON THE THRONE OF SATURN SATE; AND MANY A KNOT UNRAVELLED BY THE ROAD, BUT NOT THE MASTER KNOT OF HUMAN FATE.”[1] GREAT OMAR, THIS VAGUE TALE RETOLD CONTAINS PART ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE. ALLAH DEIGNS A LITTLE WISDOM THROUGH THE MOST UNWISE: THE SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE IN CHAINS. BEHOLD IT, WRITTEN FOR THE OCCIDENT. AH! WILL THEY SEE, ALTHOUGH THE VEIL IS RENT? OR WILL NOT ONE BELIEVER PAUSE BEFORE THE TATTERED GLORIES OF THE ORIENT? M. H. P. [1] “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,” Ed. Fitzgerald, trans. CONTENTS BOOK I FLESH-FIRE CHAPTER PAGE I. THE CONQUEROR 3 II. THE INCEPTION OF A FLAME 22 III. AHALYA 39 IV. THE ASRA RUBY 58 V. POPPIES 74 VI. CHURI 88 VII. THE POWER OF THE FLAME 109 VIII. THE CURSE 134 IX. ASRA FIGHTS AGAIN 150 X. THE SONG OF NARMÁDA 163 BOOK II SOUL-FIRE I. THE SON OF GOKAMA 175 II. OMAN THE CHILD 185 III. HIS SOLITUDE 196 IV. HUSHKA IN THE MARKET-PLACE 206