Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 26: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JASON, SON Naia and Croft came first, Nala in white from the tips of her slender sandals to the feathers that nodded from a fillet of shim- a diamondlike jewels in the masses of er golden hair. Croft led her downward by the fingers of her bared left arm. He was in all his formal harness, golden cui- rass, on the breast of which glowed the cros$ ansata and the wings of Azil in azure stones—golden graeves and sandals gem- incrusted, golden helmet supporting azure plumes. And after heen came Maia, the blue girl of Mazzer, bearing on a purple cushion, the child. Lakkon followed, walking side by side with a man, stalwart, grizzled, strong-faced, clad in a cuirass of silver, rarest of all Tamarizian metals, wearing the circle and cross of Zitra, the capital city of the nation, done in more of the diamondlike stones upon ‘his armor.. Jadgor, I thought; Jadgor. president of the Tamarizian republic, recognizing him from Croft’s former descriptions and the quality of his dress. Behind them, azure-clad—the cross an- sata, on his breast, a flame of vivid scarlet gems—stalked a man, white-haired and most benign of appearance, in company with a second, more stalwart, also in azure robes. They carried staves tipped with the looped cross and were followed by a boy support- ing a tray of silver, on which were two silver flasks and a tiny, blazing lamp. A man with a cuirass, on which showed a rayed sun, and wearing plumes of scarlet, and a woman, scarlet-robed, with the same ruddy feathers above her soft brown hair, brought ‘up the rear. Zud and Magur, and a temple boy, Ro- bur and Gaya, his wife—high priest of Zitra and his deputy of Himyra, governor of Aphur and his consort, I named them to myself. While the company kept silent and the harps filled all the air with a sort of tri- umphant pzan, the little procession ad- vanced. It reached the foot of the stairs and crossed to the dais, mounted its steps. It formed itself in a shimmering semicircle, Croft and Naia—and Maia kneeling before them in the center—the others on either 2A OF JASON. 17 side, and before them the boy of the tem- ple and the two priests. Him I named Zud, because of his bearing - and his mane of snowy hair, raised his stave. The music died. Silence came down _ for a moment, and then the voice of Magur rose: : ‘“ Hail Zitu, giver of life, and Ga, through whom life is given, and Azil, bringer of life, we are met together that a name may be given unto this new soul, thou hast seen fit to assign to the flesh. “ Greetings to you, Naia, daughter of Ga, and to you, Jason, Hupor, named Mouthpiece of Zitu among men through whose union Zitu and Ga.have expressed their will that life shall remain eternal, renewing its fire from generation unto gen- eration, in the name of love. Js it your will that a name be given this, thy child?” ‘‘ Aye, priest of Zitu.” - inclined their heads. “And how call you it between your- selves?” — ‘Jason, son of fason,” came Croft’s voice. ‘* Then present him unto Zud, high priest of Zitu, that he may receive Zitu’s blessing at his hands, ”” Magur said. The blue girl of Mazzer raised the cush- ionin her arms with the child upon it. The temple boy advanced his silver tray, and knelt. Zud uncorked the silver flasks. ‘ Jason, son of Jason, in the name of Zitu, the father, and Ga, the mother, and Azil, the son, I baptize thee with wine and with water and light,” he began. Moisten- ‘ing his fingers from one of the two flasks, he went on. ‘‘ With wine I baptize thee, which, like the blood, invigorates the body, and strengthens the heart and makes. quick the brain.” Bending, he touched the child on the forehead, poured water from the: other flask into his palm and continued, ‘| baptise you with water which nourisheth all life, purifies all with which it comes in contact, makes all things clean.” He paused and sprinkled the glowing little body before him, took up the light and a tiny bit of silver I had not noted before and threw into the little face a golden re- flected beam. ‘ With light I baptize thee Jason, Son of Jason, since by the will of CoOmiGcdoo S Naia and Jason (C@