Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/382

 348 THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA, IV

as if he were going to wipe it out. The same did Zarathustra. And when both of them had in silence recovered and reassured themselves, they shook hands to show that they wished to recognise each other.

"Welcome unto me," said Zarathustra, " thou prophet of the great weariness ! Not in vain shalt thou have once been the friend of my table and house. Eat and drink in the same way this day with me and forgive a happy old man for sitting down to dinner with thee ! " "A happy old man ? " answered the fortune-teller, shaking his head. "Whatever thou art or desirest to be, O Zarathustra, that thou hast been up here the largest part of thy sojourn. Thy boat shall in a little while sit no longer on dry ground ! " " Do I sit on the dry ground ? " asked Zarathustra laughing. " The waves round thy hill," answered the fortune-teller, " rise and rise, the waves of great need and affliction. They will soon raise thy boat like others and carry thee off." After that Zarathustra was silent and wondered. "Dost thou not hear anything yet ? " the fortune-teller continued. " Is there not a rustling and roaring up from the depth ? " Zarathustra was silent again and hearkened. Then he heard a long, long cry, which the abysses threw and passed on from the one unto the other. For none had any desire to keep it ; so horrid it sounded.

"Thou evil announcer," at last Zarathustra said,

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