"the wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. he suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

" 'meanwhile, i want to ask you to do something,' said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. 'as you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.'

"the boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. after two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

" 'well,' asked the wise man, 'did you see the persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?'

"the boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. his only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

" 'then go back and observe the marvels of my world,' said the wise man. 'you cannot trust a man if you don't know his house.'

"relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. he saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

" 'but where are the drops of oil i entrusted to you?' asked the wise man.

"looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

" 'well, there is only one piece of advice i can give you,' said the wisest of wise men. 'the secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.' "

the shepherd said nothing. he had understood the story the old king had told him. a shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget about his sheep.

the old man looked at the boy and, with his hands held together, made several strange gestures over the boy's head. then, taking his sheep, he walked away.

at the highest point in tarifa there is an old fort, built by the moors. from atop its walls, one can catch a glimpse of africa. melchizedek, the king of salem, sat on the wall of the fort that afternoon, and felt the levanter blowing in his face. the sheep fidgeted nearby, uneasy with their new owner and excited by so much change. all they wanted was food and water.

melchizedek watched a small ship that was plowing its way out of the port. he would never again see the boy, just as he had never seen abraham again after having charged him his one-tenth fee. that was his work.

the gods should not have desires, because they don't have destinies. but the king of salem hoped desperately that the boy would be successful.

it's too bad that he's quickly going to forget my name, he thought. i should have repeated it for him. then when he spoke about me he would say that i am melchizedek, the king of salem.

he looked to the skies, feeling a bit abashed, and said, "i know it's the vanity of vanities, as you said, my lord. but an old king sometimes has to take some pride in himself."

how strange africa is, thought the boy.

he was sitting in a bar very much like the other bars he had seen along the narrow streets of tangier. some men were smoking from a gigantic pipe that they passed from one to the other. in just a few hours he had seen men walking hand in hand, women with their faces covered, and priests that climbed to the tops of towers and chanted—as everyone about him went to their knees and placed their foreheads on the ground.

"a practice of infidels," he said to himself. as a child in church, he had always looked at the image of saint santiago matamoros on his white horse, his sword unsheathed, and figures such as these kneeling at his feet. the boy felt ill and terribly alone. the infidels had an evil look about them.

besides this, in the rush of his travels he had forgotten a detail, just one detail, which could keep him from his treasure for a long time: only arabic was spoken in this country.

the owner of the bar approached him, and the boy pointed to a drink that had been served at the next table. it turned out to be a bitter tea. the boy preferred wine.

but he didn't need to worry about that right now. what he had to be concerned about was his treasure, and how he was going to go about getting it. the sale of his sheep had left him with enough money in his pouch, and the boy knew that in money there was magic; whoever has money is never really alone. before long, maybe in just a few days, he would be at the pyramids. an old man, with a breastplate of gold, wouldn't have lied just to acquire six sheep.

the old man had spoken about signs and omens, and, as the boy was crossing the strait, he had thought about omens. yes, the old man had known what he was talking about: during the time the boy had spent in the fields of andalusia, he had become used to learning which path he should take by observing the ground and the sky. he had discovered that the presence of a certain bird meant that a snake was nearby, and that a certain shrub was a sign that there was water in the area. the sheep had taught him that.

if god leads the sheep so well, he will also lead a man, he thought, and that made him feel better. the tea seemed less bitter.

"who are you?" he heard a voice ask him in spanish.

the boy was relieved. he was thinking about omens, and someone had appeared.

"how come you speak spanish?" he asked. the new arrival was a young man in western dress, but the color of his skin suggested he was from this city. he was about the same age and height as the boy.

"almost everyone here speaks spanish. we're only two hours from spain."

"sit down, and let me treat you to something," said the boy. "and ask for a glass of wine for me. i hate this tea."

"there is no wine in this country," the young man said. "the religion here forbids it."

the boy told him then that he needed to get to the pyramids. he almost began to tell about his treasure, but decided not to do so. if he did, it was possible that the arab would want a part of it as payment for taking him there. he remembered what the old man had said about offering something you didn't even have yet.