The souls in bliss, the pure and faithful servants of the Persian divinity Auramazda, enter with songs of triumph into the flower-decked pleasure-garden, while at their feet the spirits were shown of those who were neither altogether cursed nor altogether blessed, vanishing in humble silence into a dusky grove.
The pure enjoyed the gifts of paradise in peace and contentment .-- All this was explained to me by a priest of the Fire-worshippers.

Here, you see, is a huge bunch of grapes which one of the happy ones is about to pluck; the hand is uninjured--the arm unfortunately is cut through; but here is a splendid fragment of the wreath of fruit and flowers which framed the whole.

That emerald forming a bud--how much do you think it is worth ?" "A magnificent stone!" cried Orion.

"Even Heliodora has nothing to equal it .-- Well, father, what do you say is its value ?" "Great, very great," replied the Mukaukas.

"And yet the whole unmutilated work would be too small an offering for Him to whom I propose to offer it." "To the great general, Amru ?" asked Orion.
"No child," said the governor decidedly.