initial commit of ebook 25499HEAD main

author: Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> 2025-10-15 02:17:31 -0700
committer: Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> 2025-10-15 02:17:31 -0700
commit: 4ef7caf81ff31ce263b700e3e920c8f318617a89 (patch)
tree: 4fcdbdcc322b22a66e3406bb7a91eebbb86221b0 /25499-h
320 files changed, 12596 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/25499-h/25499-h.htm b/25499-h/25499-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee83440
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/25499-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,12596 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Great White Queen, by William Le Queux.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
+<!--
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em;
+         }
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+         clear: both;
+         }
+
+    hr                   {text-align: center; width: 50%;}
+    html>body hr         {margin-right: 25%; margin-left: 25%; width: 50%;}
+    hr.full              {width: 100%;}
+    html>body hr.full    {margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 0%; width: 100%;}
+    hr.short             {text-align: center; width: 20%;}
+    html>body hr.short   {margin-right: 40%; margin-left: 40%; width: 20%;}
+    table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
+
+    body{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
+	 }
+
+   /* kludge to get around brain dead IE not understanding CSS */
+    div.centered {text-align: center;}
+    div.centered table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;}
+    img {border: none;}
+    .ctr {text-align: center;}
+    .linenum  {position: absolute; top: auto; left: 4%;} /* poetry number */
+    .blockquot{margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+              } /* page numbers */
+    .sidenote {width: 20%; padding-bottom: .5em; padding-top: .5em;
+               padding-left: .5em; padding-right: .5em; margin-left: 1em;
+               float: right; clear: right; margin-top: 1em;
+               font-size: smaller; background: #eeeeee; border: dashed 1px;}
+
+    .bb       {border-bottom: solid 2px;}
+    .bl       {border-left: solid 2px;}
+    .bt       {border-top: solid 2px;}
+    .br       {border-right: solid 2px;}
+    .bbox     {border: solid 2px;}
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+    .caption  {font-weight: bold;}
+
+    .figcenter   {margin: auto; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figleft     {float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top:
+                 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+    .figright    {float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;
+                 margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;}
+
+    .footnotes        {border: dashed 1px;}
+    .footnote         {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;}
+    .footnote .label  {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;}
+    .fnanchor         {vertical-align: super; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;}
+
+    .poem             {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem span        {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.ihalf     {display: block; margin-left: .5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i2     {display: block; margin-left: 2em;}
+    .poem span.i2half  {display: block; margin-left: 2.5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i4     {display: block; margin-left: 4em;}
+    ins.grk {border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: thin; text-decoration: none;}
+    ins.err {border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: thin; text-decoration: none;}
+    .tnote      {border: dashed 1px; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;padding-bottom: .5em; padding-top: .5em;
+                  padding-left: .5em; padding-right: .5em;}
+    // -->
+    /* XML end  ]]>*/
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Great White Queen, by William Le Queux
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Great White Queen
+       A Tale of Treasure and Treason
+
+Author: William Le Queux
+
+Release Date: May 17, 2008 [EBook #25499]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Lybarger and the booksmiths at
+http://www.eBookForge.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii"></a>[<a href="./images/ii.png">ii</a>]</span></p>
+<h1>THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN</h1>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="figcenter"><a href="./images/illus-01.jpg"><img src="./images/illus-01_th.jpg" alt="Hurled headlong into the flaming mouth." title="Hurled headlong into the flaming mouth." /></a></p>
+<p class="figcenter">"Hurled headlong into the flaming mouth."&mdash;<i>Page <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</i></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii"></a>[<a href="./images/iii.png">iii</a>]</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h2>THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN</h2>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h4>A TALE OF . .<br />
+TREASURE AND<br />
+TREASON . . .</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>BY</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h2>WILLIAM LE QUEUX</h2>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h4>AUTHOR OF "ZORAIDA" "THE GREAT<br />
+WAR IN ENGLAND IN 1897" "A SECRET<br />
+SERVICE" ETC. . .</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h5>John F. Shaw &amp; Co., Ltd.,<br />
+<i>Publishers</i>,<br />
+3, Pilgrim Street, London, E.C.</h5>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv"></a>[<a href="./images/iv.png">iv</a>]</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v"></a>[<a href="./images/v.png">v</a>]</span></p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+
+<div class='centered'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of Contents">
+<tr><th align='right'><span class="smcap">chap.</span></th><th align='right'>&nbsp;</th><th align='right'><span class="smcap">page</span></th></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_I">I.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">A Romance</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_II">II.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Omar's Slave</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_8">8</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_III">III.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Outward Bound</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_18">18</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">A Strange Promise</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_V">V.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Giant's Finger</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VI.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Royal Jujus</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_37">37</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">VII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Samory's Stronghold</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">VIII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Secret of the Queen</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">IX.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Condemned to the Torture</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_X">X.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Zomara</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">XI.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Human Sacrifice</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">XII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">In the Sacred Grove</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">XIII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Way of the Thousand Steps</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">XIV.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Foes</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_96">96</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">XV.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">A Natural Grave</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">XVI.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Words of Fire</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">XVII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">A Salute of Bullets</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Mysterious Realm</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">XIX.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The City in the Clouds</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_138">138</a><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi"></a>[<a href="./images/vi.png">vi</a>]</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">XX.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Great White Queen</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_143">143</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">XXI.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">A Figure in the Shadow</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_154">154</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">XXII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">To the Unknown</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_162">162</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">XXIII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Under the Vampire's Wing</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">XXIV.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Flaming Mouth</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">XXV.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Liola</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">XXVI.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The First Blow</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_201">201</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">XXVII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">By the Naya's Orders</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_208">208</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">XXVIII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Fight for the Emerald Throne</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">XXIX.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">A Mystery</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_229">229</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">XXX.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Treasure and Treason</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_242">242</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXI">XXXI.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">A Spy's Startling Story</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_255">255</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXII">XXXII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">War</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIII">XXXIII.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Harem Slave</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_271">271</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIV">XXXIV.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Liola's Discovery</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_287">287</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXV">XXXV.</a></td><td align='left'>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Into the Mist</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='right'>&nbsp;</td><td align='left'><a href="#CONCLUSION"><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></a></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_308">308</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1"></a>[<a href="./images/1.png">1</a>]</span></p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2>THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN.</h2>
+
+<hr />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+
+<h3>A ROMANCE!</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is a curious story, full of exciting adventures, extraordinary
+discoveries, and mysteries amazing.</p>
+
+<p>Strange, too, that I, Richard Scarsmere, who, when
+at school hated geography as bitterly as I did algebraic
+problems, should even now, while just out of my teens,
+be thus enabled to write down this record of a perilous
+journey through a land known only by name to geographers,
+a vast region wherein no stranger had ever before
+set foot.</p>
+
+<p>The face of the earth is well explored now-a-days, yet
+it has remained for me to discover and traverse one of
+the very few unknown countries, and to give the bald-headed
+old fogies of the Royal Geographical Society a
+lesson in the science that I once abominated.</p>
+
+<p>I have witnessed with my own eyes the mysteries of
+Mo. I have seen the Great White Queen!</p>
+
+<p>Three years ago I had as little expectation of emulating
+the intrepidity of Stanley as I had of usurping the
+throne of England. An orphan, both of whose parents
+had been drowned in a yachting accident in the Solent
+and whose elder brother succeeded to the estate, I was
+left in the care of a maternal uncle, a regular martinet,
+who sent me for several long and dreary years to Dr.
+Tregear's well-known Grammar-school at Eastbourne,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2"></a>[<a href="./images/2.png">2</a>]</span>
+and had given me to understand that I should
+eventually enter his office in London. Briefly, I was,
+when old enough, to follow the prosaic and ill-paid
+avocation of clerk. But for a combination of circumstances,
+I should have, by this time, budded into
+one of those silk-hatted, patent-booted, milk-and-bun
+lunchers who sit on their high perches and drive a pen
+from ten till four at a salary of sixteen shillings weekly.
+Such was the calling my relative thought good enough
+for me, although his own sons were being trained for
+professional careers. In his own estimation all his ideas
+were noble and his generosity unbounded; but not in
+mine.</p>
+
+<p>But this is not a school story, although its preparatory
+scenes take place at school. Some preparatory scenes
+must take place at school; but the drama generally
+terminates on the broader stage of the world. Who
+cares for a rehearsal, save those who have taken part in
+it? I vow, if I had never been at Tregear's I would
+skip the very mention of his name. As it is, however,
+I often sigh to see the shadow of the elms clustering
+around the playground, to watch the moonbeans illumine
+the ivied wall opposite the dormitory window. I often
+dream that I am back again, a C&aelig;sar-hating pupil.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Tregear, commonly called "Old Trigger," lived
+at Upperton, a suburb of Eastbourne, and had accommodation
+for seventy boys, but during the whole time
+I remained there we never had more than fifty. His
+advertisements in local and London papers offering
+"Commercial training for thirty guineas including
+laundress and books. Bracing air, gravel soil, diet
+best and unlimited. Reduction for brothers," were
+glowing enough, but they never whipped up business<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3"></a>[<a href="./images/3.png">3</a>]</span>
+sufficiently to attract the required number of boarders.
+Nevertheless, I must admit that old Trigger, with all
+his faults and severity, was really good-hearted. He
+was a little sniffing, rasping man, with small, spare,
+feeble, bent figure; mean irregular features badly
+arranged round a formidable bent, broken red nose;
+thin straggling grey hair and long grey mutton-chop
+whiskers; constantly blinking little eyes and very
+assertive, energetic manners. He had a constant air
+of objecting to everything and everybody on principle.
+Knowing that I was an orphan he sometimes took me
+aside and gave me sound fatherly advice which I have
+since remembered, and am now beginning to appreciate.
+His wife, too, was a kindly motherly woman who,
+because being practically homeless I was often compelled
+to spend my holidays at school, seemed better disposed
+towards me than to the majority of the other fellows.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, I got on famously at Trigger's. Known by the
+abbreviated appellation of "Scars," I enjoyed a popularity
+that was gratifying, and, bar one or two sneaks,
+there was not one who would not do me a good turn
+when I wanted it. The sneaks were outsiders, and
+although we did not reckon them when we spoke of
+"the school," it must not be imagined that we forgot
+to bring them into our calculations in each conspiracy
+of devilment, nor to fasten upon them the consequences
+of our practical jokes.</p>
+
+<p>My best friend was a mystery. His name was Omar
+Sanom, a thin spare chap with black piercing eyes set
+rather closely together, short crisp hair and a complexion
+of a slightly yellowish hue. I had been at
+Trigger's about twelve months and was thirteen when
+he arrived. I well remember that day. Accompanied<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4"></a>[<a href="./images/4.png">4</a>]</span>
+by a tall, dark-faced man of decided negroid type who
+appeared to be ill at ease in European clothes, he was
+shown into the Doctor's study, where a long consultation
+took place. Meanwhile among the fellows much
+speculation was rife as to who the stranger was, the
+popular opinion being that Trigger should not open
+his place to "savages," and that if he came we would
+at once conspire to make his life unbearable and send
+him to Coventry.</p>
+
+<p>An hour passed and listeners at the keyhole of the
+Doctor's door could only hear mumbling, as if the
+negotiations were being carried on in the strictest
+secrecy. Presently, however, the black man wished
+Trigger good-day, and much to everyone's disgust and
+annoyance the yellow-faced stranger was brought in and
+introduced to us as Omar Sanom, the new boy.</p>
+
+<p>The mystery surrounding him was inscrutable. About
+my own age, he spoke very little English and would,
+in conversation, often drop unconsciously into his own
+language, a strange one which none of the masters
+understood or even knew its name. It seemed to me
+composed mainly of p's and l's. To all our inquiries as
+to the place of his birth or nationality he remained
+dumb. Whence he had come we knew not; we were
+only anxious to get rid of him.</p>
+
+<p>I do not think Trigger knew very much about him.
+That he paid very handsomely for his education I
+do not doubt, for he was allowed privileges accorded
+to no one else, one of which was that on Sundays when
+we were marched to church he was allowed to go for a
+walk instead, and during prayers he always stood aside
+and looked on with superior air, as if pitying our
+simplicity. His religion was not ours.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5"></a>[<a href="./images/5.png">5</a>]</span>
+For quite a month it was a subject of much discussion
+as to which of the five continents Omar came from,
+until one day, while giving a geography lesson the
+master, who had taken the West Coast of Africa as his
+subject, asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Where does the Volta River empty itself?"</p>
+
+<p>There was a dead silence that confessed ignorance.
+We had heard of the Russian Volga, but never of the
+Volta. Suddenly Omar, who stood next me, exclaimed
+in his broken English:</p>
+
+<p>"The Volta empties itself into the Gulf of Guinea.
+I've been there."</p>
+
+<p>"Quite correct," nodded the master approvingly,
+while Baynes, the fellow on my left, whispered:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Yellow-Face has been there! He's a Guinea Pig&mdash;see?"</p>
+
+<p>I laughed and was punished in consequence, but the
+suggestion of the witty Baynes being whispered round
+the school was effective. From that moment the yellow-faced
+mysterious foreigner was commonly known as "the
+Guinea Pig."</p>
+
+<p>We did our best to pump him and ascertain whether
+he had been born in Guinea, but he carefully avoided
+the subject. The information that he came from the
+West Coast of Africa had evidently been given us quite
+involuntarily. He had been asked a question about a
+spot he knew intimately, and the temptation to exhibit
+his superiority over us had proved too great.</p>
+
+<p>Not only was his nationality a secret, but many of his
+actions puzzled us considerably. As an instance, whenever
+he drank anything, water, tea, or coffee, he never
+lifted his cup to his lips before spilling a small quantity
+upon the floor. If we had done this punishment would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6"></a>[<a href="./images/6.png">6</a>]</span>
+promptly have descended upon us, but the masters looked
+on at his curious antics in silence.</p>
+
+<p>Around his neck beneath his clothes he wore a sort of
+necklet composed of a string of tiny bags of leather, in
+which were sewn certain hard substances that could be
+felt inside. Even in the dormitory he never removed
+this, although plenty of chaff was directed towards him
+in consequence of this extraordinary ornament. It was
+popularly supposed that he came from some savage land,
+and that when at home this string of leather bags was
+about the only article of dress he wore.</p>
+
+<p>If rather dull at school, he very soon picked up our
+language with all its slang, and quickly came to the fore
+in athletics. In running, swimming and rowing no one
+could keep pace with him. On foot he was fleet as a
+deer, and in the water could swim like a fish, while at
+archery he was a dead shot. Within three months he
+had lived down all the prejudices that had been engendered
+by reason of his colour, and I confess that I
+myself, who had at first regarded him with gravest suspicion,
+now began to feel a friendliness towards him.
+Once or twice, at considerable inconvenience to himself
+he rendered me valuable services, and on one occasion
+got me out of a serious scrape by taking the blame himself,
+therefore within six months of his arrival we became
+the firmest of chums. At work, as at play, we were
+always together, and notwithstanding the popular feeling
+being antagonistic to my close acquaintance with the
+"Guinea Pig," I nevertheless knew from my own careful
+observations that although a foreigner, half-savage he
+might be, he was certainly true and loyal to his friends.</p>
+
+<p>Once he fought. It was soon after we became
+chums that he had a quarrel with the bully Baynes over<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7"></a>[<a href="./images/7.png">7</a>]</span>
+the ownership of a catapult. Baynes, who was three
+years older, heavier built and much taller, threatened to
+thrash him. This threat was sufficient. Omar at once
+challenged him, and the fight took place down in the
+paddock behind a hedge, secure from Trigger's argus
+eye. As the pair took off their coats one of the fellows
+jokingly said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The Guinea Pig's a cannibal. He'll eat you, Baynes."</p>
+
+<p>Everybody laughed, but to their astonishment within
+five minutes our champion pugilist lay on the ground
+with swollen eye and sanguinary nose, imploring for
+mercy. That he could fight Omar quickly showed us,
+and as he released the bully after giving him a sound
+dressing as a cat would shake a rat, he turned to us and
+with a laugh observed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"My people are neither cowards nor cannibals. We
+never fight unless threatened, but we never decline to
+meet our enemies."</p>
+
+<p>No one spoke. I helped him on with his coat, and
+together we left the ground, while the partisans of Baynes
+picked up their fallen champion and proceeded to make
+him presentable.</p>
+
+<p>Like myself, Omar seemed friendless, for when the
+summer holidays came round both of us remained with
+the Doctor and his wife, while the more fortunate ones
+always went away to their homes. At first he seemed
+downcast, but we spent all our time together, and Mrs.
+Tregear, it must be admitted, did her best to make us
+comfortable, allowing us to ramble where we felt inclined,
+even surreptitiously supplying us with pocket-money.</p>
+
+<p>It was strange, however, that I never could get Omar
+to talk of himself. Confidential friends that we were,
+in possession of each other's secrets, he spoke freely of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8"></a>[<a href="./images/8.png">8</a>]</span>
+everything except his past. That some remarkable
+romance enveloped him I felt certain, yet by no endeavour
+could I fathom the mystery.</p>
+
+<p>Twice or thrice each year the elderly negro who had
+first brought him to the school visited him, and they
+were usually closeted a long time together. Perhaps
+his sable-faced guardian on those occasions told him
+news of his relatives; perhaps he gave him good advice.
+Which, I know not. The man, known as Mr.
+Makhana, was always very pleasant towards me, but
+never communicative. Yet he made up for that defect
+by once or twice leaving half-a-sovereign within my
+ready palm. He appeared suddenly without warning,
+and left again, even Omar himself being unaware
+where he dwelt.</p>
+
+<p>Truly my friend was a mystery. Who he was, or
+whence he had come, was a secret.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+
+<h3>OMAR'S SLAVE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Omar</span> had been at Trigger's a little over two years when
+a strange incident occurred. We were then both aged
+about sixteen, he a few months older than myself. The
+summer holidays had come round again. I had a month
+ago visited my uncle in London, and he had given me
+to understand that after next term I should leave
+school and commence life in the City. He took me to
+his warehouse in Thames Street and showed me the gas-lit
+cellar wherein his clerks were busy entering goods and
+calling out long columns of amounts. The prospect was
+certainly not inviting, for I was never good at arithmetic,
+and to spend one's days in a place wherein never a ray<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9"></a>[<a href="./images/9.png">9</a>]</span>
+of sunshine entered was to my mind the worst existence
+to which one could be condemned.</p>
+
+<p>When I returned I confessed my misgivings to Omar,
+who sympathised with me, and we had many long chats
+upon the situation as during the six weeks we wandered
+daily by the sea. We cared little for the Grand Parade,
+with its line of garish hotels, tawdry boarding-houses and
+stucco-fronted villas, and the crowd of promenaders did
+not interest us. Seldom even we went on the pier,
+except to swim. Our favourite walks were away in the
+country through Willingdon to Polegate, over Beachy
+Head, returning through East Dean to Litlington and
+its famed tea-garden, or across Pevensey Levels to
+Wartling, for we always preferred the more unfrequented
+ways. One day, when I was more than usually gloomy
+over the prospect of drudgery under my close-fisted
+relative, my friend said to me cheerfully:</p>
+
+<p>"Come, Scars, don't make yourself miserable about it.
+My people have a saying that a smile is the only weapon
+one can use to combat misfortune, and I think it's true.
+We have yet a few months more together before you
+leave. In life our ways will lie a long way apart. You
+will become a trader in your great city, while I shall
+leave soon, I expect, to&mdash;&mdash;" and he paused.</p>
+
+<p>"To do what?" I inquired.</p>
+
+<p>"To go back to my own people, perhaps," he answered
+mechanically. "Perhaps I shall remain here and wait, I
+know not."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait for what?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wait until I receive orders to return," he answered.
+"Ah, you don't know what a strange life mine has been,
+Scars," he added a moment later in a confidential tone.
+"I have never told you of myself for the simple reason<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10"></a>[<a href="./images/10.png">10</a>]</span>
+that silence is best. We are friends; I hope we shall be
+friends always, even though my enemies seek to despise
+me because I am not quite white like them. But loyalty
+is one of the cherished traditions of my people, and now
+that during two years our friendship has been firmly
+established I trust nothing will ever occur to interrupt it."</p>
+
+<p>"I take no heed of your enemies, Omar," I said.
+"You have proved yourself genuine, and the question of
+colour, race, or creed has nothing to do with it."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps creed has," he exclaimed rather sadly. "But
+I make no pretence of being what I am not. Your
+religion interests me, although, as you know, I have
+never been taught the belief you have. My gods are in
+the air, in the trees, in the sky. I believe what I have
+been taught; I pray in silence and the great god Zomara
+hears me even though I am separated from my race by
+yonder great ocean. Yet I sometimes think I cannot
+act as you white people do, that, after all, what my
+enemies say is true. I am still what you term a savage,
+although wearing the clothes of your civilization."</p>
+
+<p>"Though a man be a pagan he may still be a friend,"
+I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I am at least your friend," he said. "My only
+regret is that your uncle will part us in a few months.
+Still, in years to come we shall remember each other,
+and you will at least have a passing thought for Omar,
+the Guinea Pig," he added, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>I smiled too, but I noticed that although he endeavoured
+to appear gay, his happiness was feigned, and
+there was in his dark eyes a look of unutterable sadness.
+Our conversation drifted to a local cricket match that
+was to be played on the morrow, and soon the gloomy
+thoughts that seemed to possess him were dispelled.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11"></a>[<a href="./images/11.png">11</a>]</span>
+It was on the same sunny afternoon, however, that a
+curious incident occurred which was responsible for
+altering the steady prosaic course of our lives. The
+most trifling incidents change the current of a life, and
+the smallest events are sufficient to alter history altogether.
+Through the blazing August afternoon we had
+walked beyond Meads, mounted Beachy Head, passed
+the lighthouse at Belle Tout and descended to the beach
+at a point known as the Seven Sisters. The sky was
+cloudless, the sea like glass, and during that long walk
+without shelter from the sun's rays I had been compelled
+to halt once or twice and mop my face with my handkerchief.
+Yet without fatigue, without the slightest
+apparent effort, and still feeling cool, Omar walked on,
+smiling at the manner in which the unusual heat affected
+me, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! It is not hot here. You might grumble at the
+heat if the sun were as powerful as it is in my country."</p>
+
+<p>When we descended to the beach and threw ourselves
+down under the shadow of the high white cliffs to rest, I
+saw there was no one about and suggested a swim. It
+was against old Trigger's orders, nevertheless the calm,
+cool water as it lazily lapped the sand proved too tempting,
+and very shortly we had plunged in and were enjoying
+ourselves. Omar left the water first, and presently
+I saw while he was dressing the figure of a tallish,
+muscular man attired in black and wearing a silk hat
+approaching him. As I watched, wondering what
+business the stranger could have with my companion, I
+saw that when they met Omar greeted him in native
+fashion by snapping fingers, as he had often done playfully
+to me. Whoever he might be, the stranger was
+unexpected, and judging from the manner in which he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></a>[<a href="./images/12.png">12</a>]</span>
+had been received, a welcome visitor. I was not near
+enough to distinguish the features of the newcomer, but
+remembering that I had been in the water long enough,
+I struck out for the shore, and presently walked up the
+beach towards them.</p>
+
+<p>Omar had dressed, and was in earnest conversation
+with a gigantic negro of even darker complexion than
+Mr. Makhana. Unconscious of my approach, for my
+feet fell noiselessly upon the sand, he was speaking
+rapidly in his own language, while the man who had
+approached him stood listening in meek, submissive
+attitude. Then, for the first time, I noticed that my
+friend held in his hand a grotesquely carved stick that
+had apparently been presented by the new-comer as his
+credential, together with a scrap of parchment whereon
+some curious signs, something like Arabic, were written.
+While Omar addressed him he bowed low from time to
+time, murmuring some strange words that I could not
+catch, but which were evidently intended to assure my
+friend that he was his humble servant.</p>
+
+<p>In spare moments Omar had taught me a good deal
+of his language. Indeed, such a ready pupil had I been
+that frequently when we did not desire the other
+fellows to understand our conversation we spoke in his
+tongue. But of what he was saying to this stranger, I
+could only understand one or two words and they conveyed
+to me no meaning. The negro was a veritable
+giant in stature, showily dressed, with one of those
+gaudily-coloured neckties that delight the heart of
+Africans, while on his fat brown hand was a large ring
+of very light-coloured metal that looked suspiciously
+like brass. His boots were new, and of enormous size,
+but as he stood he shifted uneasily from one foot to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13"></a>[<a href="./images/13.png">13</a>]</span>
+other, showing that he was far from comfortable in his
+civilized habiliments.</p>
+
+<p>Without approaching closer I picked up my things
+and dressed rapidly, then walked forward to join my
+companion.</p>
+
+<p>"Scars!" he cried, as soon as I stood before him.
+"I had quite forgotten you. This is my mother's confidential
+adviser, Kouaga."</p>
+
+<p>Then, turning to the grinning ebon-faced giant he
+uttered some rapid words in his own language and told
+him my name, whereupon he snapped fingers in true
+native fashion, the negro showing an even set of white
+teeth as an expression of pleasure passed over his
+countenance.</p>
+
+<p>"We little thought that we were being watched this
+afternoon," Omar said to me, smiling and throwing himself
+down upon the sand, an example followed by the
+negro and myself. "It seems that Kouaga arrived in
+Eastbourne this morning, but there are strong reasons
+why none should know that he has seen me. Therefore
+he followed me here to hold palaver at a spot where we
+should not be observed."</p>
+
+<p>"You have a letter, I see."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said slowly, re-reading the strange lines of
+hieroglyphics. "The news it contains necessitates me
+leaving for Africa immediately."</p>
+
+<p>"For Africa!" I cried dismayed. "Are you going?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I must. It is imperative."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I shall lose you earlier than I anticipated," I
+observed with heart-felt sorrow at the prospect of parting
+with my only chum. "It is true, as you predicted,
+our lives lie very far apart."</p>
+
+<p>The negro lifted his hat from his brow as if its weight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></a>[<a href="./images/14.png">14</a>]</span>
+oppressed him, then turning to me, said slowly and with
+distinctness in his own tongue:</p>
+
+<p>"I bring the words of the mighty Naya unto her son.
+None dare disobey her commands on pain of death.
+She is a ruler above all rulers; before her armed
+men monarchs bow the knee, at her frown nations
+tremble. In order to bring the palaver she would make
+with her son I have journeyed for three moons by land
+and sea to reach him and deliver the royal staff in
+secret. I have done my duty. It is for Omar to
+obey. Kouaga has spoken."</p>
+
+<p>"Let me briefly explain, Scarsmere," my friend interrupted.
+"Until the present I have been compelled to
+keep my identity a secret, for truth to tell, there is a plot
+against our dynasty, and I fear assassination."</p>
+
+<p>"Your dynasty!" I cried amazed. "Are your people
+kings and queens?"</p>
+
+<p>"They are," he answered. "I am the last descendant
+of the great Sanoms of Mo, the powerful rulers who for
+a thousand years have held our country against all its
+enemies, Mahommedan, Pagan or Christian. I am the
+Prince of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>"But where is Mo?" I asked. "I have never heard
+of it."</p>
+
+<p>"I am not surprised," he said. "No stranger has
+entered it, or ever will, for it is unapproachable and well-guarded.
+One intrepid white man ventured a year ago
+to ascend to the grass plateau that forms its southern
+boundary, but he was expelled immediately on pain of
+death. My country, known to the neighbouring tribes
+as the Land Beyond the Clouds, lies many weeks' journey
+from the sea in the vast region within the bend of the
+great Niger river, north of Upper Guinea, and is coter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15"></a>[<a href="./images/15.png">15</a>]</span>minous
+with the states of Gurunsi and Kipirsi on the
+west, with Yatenga on the north-west, with Jilgodi,
+Aribinda, and Libtako on the north, with Gurma on the
+east, and with the Nampursi district of Gurunsi on the
+south."</p>
+
+<p>"The names have no meaning for me," I said. "But
+the fact that you are an actual Prince is astounding."</p>
+
+<p>With his hands clasped behind his head, he flung
+himself back upon the sand, laughing heartily.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," he said, "I didn't want to parade my royal
+ancestry, neither do I want to now. I only tell you in
+confidence, and in order that you shall understand why
+I am compelled to return. During the past ten years
+there have been many dissensions among the people,
+fostered by the enemies of our country, with a view to
+depose the reigning dynasty. Three years ago a dastardly
+plot was discovered to murder my mother and
+myself, seize the palace, and massacre its inmates.
+Fortunately it was frustrated, but my mother deemed it
+best to send me secretly out of the country, for I am sole
+heir to the throne, and if the conspirators killed me,
+our dynasty must end. Therefore Makhana, my mother's
+secret agent, who purchases our arms and ammunition in
+England and conducts all trade we have with civilized
+countries, brought me hither, and I have since been in
+hiding."</p>
+
+<p>"But Makhana has been bribed by our enemies,"
+exclaimed the big negro, who had been eagerly listening
+to our conversation, but understanding no word of it
+save the mention of Makhana's name. Turning to
+Omar he added: "Makhana will, if he obtains a chance,
+kill you. Be warned in time against him. It has been
+ascertained that he supplied the men of Moloto with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16"></a>[<a href="./images/16.png">16</a>]</span>
+forty cases of rifles, and that he has given his pledge
+that you shall never return to Africa. Therefore obey
+the injunction of my royal mistress, the great Naya, and
+leave with me secretly."</p>
+
+<p>"Without seeing Makhana?" asked Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," the black-faced man replied. "He must not
+know, or the plans of the Naya may be thwarted. Our
+enemies have arranged to strike their blow three moons
+from now, but ere that we shall be back in Mo, and they
+will find that they go only to their graves. Kouaga has
+made fetish for the son of his royal mistress, and has
+come to him bearing the stick."</p>
+
+<p>"What does the letter say?" I asked Omar, noticing
+him reading it again.</p>
+
+<p>"It is brief enough, and reads as follows," he said:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"'<i>Know, O my son Omar, that I send my stick unto
+thee by our trusty Kouaga. Return unto Mo on the
+wings of haste, for our throne is threatened and thy
+presence can avert our overthrow. Tarry not in the
+country of the white men, but let thy face illuminate the
+darkness of my life ere I go to the tomb of my ancestors.</i></p>
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Naya.</span><ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing quotation marks">'"</ins></p></div>
+
+<p>I glanced at the scrap of parchment, and saw appended
+a truly regal seal.</p>
+
+<p>"And shall you go?" I asked with sorrow.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes&mdash;if you will accompany me."</p>
+
+<p>"Accompany you!" I cried. "How can I? I have
+no money to go to Africa, besides&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Besides what?" he answered smiling. "Kouaga
+has money sufficient to pay both our passages. Remember,
+I am Prince of Mo, and this man is my slave.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17"></a>[<a href="./images/17.png">17</a>]</span>
+If I command him to take you with me he will obey.
+Will you go?"</p>
+
+<p>The prospect of adventure in an unknown land was
+indeed enticing. In a few brief words he recalled my
+dismal forebodings of the life in an underground office
+in London, and contrasted it with a free existence in a
+fertile and abundant land, where I should be the guest
+and perhaps an official of its ruler. He urged me most
+strongly to go as his companion, and in conclusion said:</p>
+
+<p>"Your presence in Mo will be unique, for you will
+be the first stranger who has ever set foot within its
+capital."</p>
+
+<p>"But your mother may object to me, as she did to the
+entrance of the white man of whom you just now spoke."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! he came to make trade palaver. You are my
+friend and confidant," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you suggest that we should both leave Eastbourne
+at once, travel with Kouaga to Liverpool and
+embark for Africa without returning to Trigger's, or
+saying a word to anyone?"</p>
+
+<p>"We must. If we announce our intention of going we
+are certain to be delayed, and as the steamers leave only
+once a month, delay may be fatal to my mother's plans."</p>
+
+<p>As he briefly explained to Kouaga that he had invited
+me to accompany him I saw that companion to an
+African prince would be a much more genial occupation
+than calculating sums in a gas-lit cellar; therefore, fired
+by the pleasant picture he placed before me, I resolved
+to accept his invitation.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, Omar," I said, trying to suppress the
+excitement that rose within me. "We are friends, and
+where you go I will go also."</p>
+
+<p>Delighted at my decision my friend sprang to his feet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18"></a>[<a href="./images/18.png">18</a>]</span>
+with a cry of joy, and we all three snapped fingers, after
+which we each took a handful of dry sand and by
+Omar's instructions placed it in one heap upon a rock.
+Then, having first mumbled something over his amulets,
+he quickly stirred the heap of sand with his finger, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"As these grains of sand cannot be divided, so cannot
+the bonds of friendship uniting Omar, Prince of Mo,
+with Scarsmere and Kouaga, be rent asunder. Omar
+has spoken."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+
+<h3>OUTWARD BOUND.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">How</span>, trembling lest we should be discovered, we left
+Eastbourne by train two hours later&mdash;Kouaga joining
+the train at Polegate so as to avoid notice&mdash;how the
+Grand Vizier of Mo purchased our travelling necessities
+in London; how we travelled to Liverpool by the night
+mail, and how we embarked upon the steamer <i>Gambia</i>,
+it is unnecessary to relate in detail. Suffice it to say
+that within twenty-four hours of meeting the big negro
+we were safely on board the splendid mail-steamer where
+everything was spick and span. Kouaga had engaged
+a cabin for our exclusive use, and the captain himself
+had evidently ascertained that Omar was a person of
+importance, for in passing us on deck he paused to chat
+affably, and express a hope that we should find the
+voyage a pleasant one.</p>
+
+<p>"Your coloured servant has told me your destination,"
+he said, addressing Omar. "We can't land you there
+on account of the surf, but I understand a boat from
+shore will be on the look-out. If it isn't, well, you'll
+have to go on to Cape Coast Castle."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19"></a>[<a href="./images/19.png">19</a>]</span>
+"The boat will be in readiness," Omar said smiling.
+"If it isn't, those in charge will pay dearly for it. You
+know what I mean."</p>
+
+<p>The Captain laughed, drew his finger across his
+throat, and nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said. "I've heard that in your country
+life is held cheap. I fancy I'd rather be on my bridge
+than a resident in the Naya's capital. But I see I'm
+wanted. Good-bye," and he hurried away to shout some
+order to the men who were busy stowing the last portion
+of the cargo.</p>
+
+<p>As we leaned over the rail watching the bustle on
+board the steam tender that lay bobbing up and down
+at our side, we contemplated the consternation of old
+Trigger when he found us missing. No doubt a hue
+and cry would be at once raised, but as several persons
+we knew had seen us walking towards the Belle Tout,
+it would, without a doubt, be surmised that we had been
+drowned while bathing. The only thing we regretted
+was that we had not left some portion of our clothing on
+the beach to give verisimilitude to the suggestion. However,
+we troubled ourselves not one whit about the past.
+I was glad to escape from the doom of the gas-lit cellar,
+and was looking forward with keen anticipation to a new
+life in that mystic country, Africa.</p>
+
+<p>At last there was shouting from the bridge, the
+tender cast off, the bell in the engine-room gave four
+strokes, the signal for full-speed ahead, and ere long we
+were steaming past that clanging beacon the Bell Buoy,
+and heading for the open sea. The breeze began to
+whistle around us, the keen-eyed old pilot tightened his
+scarf around his throat, and carefully we sped along past
+the Skerries until we slowed off Holyhead, where he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></a>[<a href="./images/20.png">20</a>]</span>
+shook hands with the captain, and with a hearty "good-bye"
+swung himself over the bulwarks into the heavy
+old boat that had come alongside. Thus was severed
+the last link that bound us to England.</p>
+
+<p>Standing up in his boat he waved us a farewell, while
+our captain, his hands behind him, took charge of the
+ship and shouted an order.</p>
+
+<p>Ting-ting-ting-ting sounded the bell below, and a
+moment later we were moving away into the fast falling
+night. For a long time we remained on deck with
+Kouaga, watching the distant shore of Wales fade into
+the banks of mist, while now and then a brilliant light
+would flash its warning to us and then die out again as
+suddenly as it had appeared. We had plenty of passengers
+on board, mostly merchants and their families
+going out to the "Coast," one or two Government officials,
+engineers and prospectors, and during the first
+night all seemed bustle and confusion. Stewards were
+ordered here and there, loud complaints were heard on
+every side, threats were made to report trivialities to the
+captain, and altogether there was plenty to amuse us.</p>
+
+<p>Next day, however, when we began to bow gracefully
+to the heavy swell of the Atlantic the majority of the
+grumblers were glad enough to seek the comfort and
+privacy of their berths and to remain there, for during
+the two days that followed the waves ran mountains high,
+the wind howled, the bulkheads creaked and the vessel
+made plunges so unexpectedly that to stand was
+almost impossible. The great waves seemed to rush
+upon us as we ploughed our way through them, sometimes
+burying our bows in foam and at others
+striking us and lifting us high up, the shock almost
+causing us to stop. The roar of the tempest seemed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21"></a>[<a href="./images/21.png">21</a>]</span>
+deafening, the ship's bell tolled with regularity, but no
+one appeared in the saloon, and it seemed as if the cook
+in his galley had little, if anything, to do.</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind," I heard one officer say to another,
+as they lounged outside their cabins off duty. "It'll
+give 'em their sea legs, and the weather will be all right
+the other side of the Bay."</p>
+
+<p>Both laughed. Sailors seem to enjoy the discomforts
+of passengers.</p>
+
+<p>During those two days I think we were the only
+passengers who spent the whole day on deck. Kouaga
+was a poor sailor and was in his bunk horribly bad.
+When we visited him the whites of his eyes seemed perfectly
+green.</p>
+
+<p>This was my first taste of a storm, and I must confess
+that I did not enjoy it. I was not ill, but experienced
+a feeling the reverse of comfortable. Through all,
+however, I congratulated myself that I had actually
+left England, and was about to commence life in a new
+land. The officer whose words I had overheard proved a
+prophet, for after three days of bad weather we ran into
+blue water, calm as a mill-pond, the sun shone out warm
+and bright, as quickly as the spirits of the passengers had
+fallen they rose again, and a round of gaiety commenced
+that continued unbroken until we left the vessel.</p>
+
+<p>We touched at Funchal, a pretty town of white villas
+half hidden by the surrounding greenery, and with others
+went ashore, but we were not there more than a couple
+of hours, for soon the Blue-Peter was run to our masthead
+as signal that the ship was about to sail, and we
+were compelled to re-embark. Then a gun was fired on
+board, the crowd of small craft around us that had put
+out for the purpose of selling the passengers bananas,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22"></a>[<a href="./images/22.png">22</a>]</span>
+live birds, etc., sheered off, and very soon we had restarted
+on our southward voyage.</p>
+
+<p>Ere long, having passed the snow-capped peak of
+Teneriffe of which we had heard so much at Trigger's,
+we entered the region of the trade-winds, and the steamer,
+aided by its sails that were now spread, held rapidly on
+its course rounding Cape Verd. For a day we
+anchored off Bathurst, then steamed away past the many
+rocky islands off the coast of Guinea until we touched
+Free Town, the capital of that unhealthy British colony
+Sierra Leone. Anchoring there, we discharged some
+cargo, resuming our voyage in a calm sea and perfect
+weather, and carefully avoiding the dangerous shoals of
+St. Ann, we passed within sight of Sherboro Island, a
+British possession, and also sighted Cape Mount, which
+Omar told me was in the independent republic of
+Liberia. For several days after this we remained out of
+sight of land until one afternoon, just about tea-time,
+the captain came up to us, saying&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"We shall make the mouth of the Lahou River in
+about two hours, so you'd better be prepared to leave.
+I'll keep a good look-out for your boat. Have you
+had a pleasant voyage?"</p>
+
+<p>"Very," we both replied in one voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Glad of that," he said, and turning to Omar added,
+"you'll look after me if ever I get up country as far as
+Mo, won't you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," my friend answered laughing. "If you
+come you shall have a right royal welcome. Come at
+any time. You'll have nothing to fear when once inside
+the borders of my mother's country."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, well. Perhaps I'll come some day, when I retire
+on my pension and set up as an African chief&mdash;eh?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23"></a>[<a href="./images/23.png">23</a>]</span>
+We all laughed, and he ascended the steps again to
+the bridge.</p>
+
+<p>Kouaga, in the meantime, was busy collecting our
+things, giving gratuities to the stewards, and otherwise
+making preparations to leave. For over two hours we
+eagerly watched in the direction of the shore, being
+assisted by a crowd of passengers who had by this time
+learnt that we were to be taken off.</p>
+
+<p>The shore which slowly came into view as our eager
+eyes scanned the horizon was the Ivory Coast, but the
+sun sank in a glorious blaze of crimson, and dusk crept
+on, yet the captain, whose glasses continually swept the
+sea, could distinguish no boat approaching us.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid," he shouted to us from the bridge, "their
+look-out is not well kept. We'll have to take you along
+to Cape Coast, after all."</p>
+
+<p>"Why not fire a gun, Captain?" suggested Kouaga,
+his words being interpreted by Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," he answered, and turning to the officer,
+he gave orders that the signal gun should be fired three
+times at intervals.</p>
+
+<p>Presently there was a puff of white smoke and the
+first loud report rang out, making the vessel quiver beneath
+us. We waited, listening, but there was no
+response. The light quickly faded, night cast her veil of
+darkness over the sea, but we still stood in for the coast.</p>
+
+<p>Again, about half-past nine, the gun belched forth a
+tongue of flame, and the report sounded far over the
+silent waters. All was excitement on deck, for it was a
+matter of speculation whether an answering shout or
+gunshot could be heard above the roar and throbbing of
+the engines. Ten, eleven o'clock passed, and presently
+the third gun was exploded so suddenly that the ladies<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24"></a>[<a href="./images/24.png">24</a>]</span>
+were startled. Again we listened, but could hear
+nothing. Kouaga fumed and cursed the evil-spirit for
+our misfortune, while Omar, finding that we were to be
+taken to Cape Coast Castle, imparted to me his fear that
+the fortnight's delay it must necessarily entail, would be
+fatal to his mother's plans.</p>
+
+<p>We were hanging over the taffrail together gazing
+moodily into the darkness, having given up all hope of
+getting ashore at the Lahou River, when suddenly about
+half a mile from us we saw a flash, and the report of a rifle
+reached us quite distinctly, followed by distant shouting.</p>
+
+<p>"There they are!" cried Omar excitedly. "They've
+hailed us at last!"</p>
+
+<p>But ere the words had fallen from his lips we heard
+the bell in the engine-room ringing, and next second the
+steam was shut off and we gradually hove to.</p>
+
+<p>Kouaga was at our side almost immediately, and we
+found ourselves surrounded by passengers taking leave
+of us. Our boxes were brought up by a couple of sailors,
+and after about a quarter of an hour's wait, during
+which time the vessel rose and fell with the swell, the
+craft that had hailed us loomed up slowly in the darkness,
+amid the excited jabber of her demoniac-looking crew.</p>
+
+<p>She was a large native vessel, brig-rigged, and as
+dirty and forbidding-looking a craft as you could well see
+anywhere. Kouaga hailed one of the black, half-clad
+men on board, receiving a cheery answer, and presently,
+having taken leave of the captain and those around us,
+we climbed over the bulwarks and sprang upon the
+deck of the mysterious ship.</p>
+
+<p>As Omar alighted the whole crew made obeisance to
+him, afterwards crowding around me, examining me by
+the lurid light of the torches they had ignited.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25"></a>[<a href="./images/25.png">25</a>]</span>
+Very quickly, however, several boxes belonging to
+Kouaga were lowered, the moorings were cast off, and
+slowly the great mail steamer with its long line of
+brilliantly-lit ports looking picturesque in the night,
+moved onward.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye," shouted a voice from the steamer.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye," I responded, and as the steamer's bell
+again rang out, "full speed ahead," I knew that the last
+tie that bound us to European civilization was severed.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+
+<h3>A STRANGE PROMISE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">By</span> the light of the flambeaux the sleek, black, oily-looking
+natives managed their clumsy craft, which,
+dipping suddenly now and then, shipped great seas,
+compelling us to hang on for life. The sails creaked
+and groaned as they bent to the wind, speeding on
+in the darkness towards the mainland of Africa. To be
+transferred to such a ship, which I more than suspected
+was a slaver, was a complete change after the clean,
+well-ordered Liverpool liner, and I must confess that,
+had we not been in charge of Kouaga, I should have
+feared to trust myself among that shouting cut-throat
+crew of grinning blacks. Clinging to a rope I stood
+watching the strange scene, rendered more weird by the
+flickering uncertain light of the torches falling upon the
+swarm of natives who manned the craft.</p>
+
+<p>"Are these your mother's people?" I inquired of Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"Some are. I recognize several as our slaves, the remainder
+are Sanwi, or natives of the coast. Our slaves,
+I suppose, have been sent down to be our carriers."</p>
+
+<p>"Judging from the manner in which they crawl about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26"></a>[<a href="./images/26.png">26</a>]</span>
+this is, I should think, their first experience of the sea,"
+I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No doubt. Over a thousand English miles of
+desert and almost impenetrable bush separates the sea
+from our kingdom, therefore few, very few of our people
+have seen it."</p>
+
+<p>"They'll go back with some wonderful tales, I suppose."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. They will, on their return, be considered heroes
+of travel, and their friends will hold feasts in their
+honour."</p>
+
+<p>As he finished speaking, however, our cumbrous craft
+seemed suddenly to be lifted high out of the water, and
+amid the unearthly yells of the whole crew we were
+swept through a belt of foaming surf, until in a few
+moments our keel slid upon the sand.</p>
+
+<p>I prepared to leap down upon the beach, but in a
+second half-a-dozen willing pairs of arms were ready to
+assist me, and I alighted in the midst of a swarm of
+half-clad, jabbering natives.</p>
+
+<p>One of them, elbowing his way towards me, asked in
+broken English:</p>
+
+<p>"Massa have good voyage&mdash;eh?" whereupon the
+others laughed heartily at hearing one of their number
+speak the language of the white men. But Kouaga approached
+uttering angry words, and from that moment
+the same respect was paid to me as to Omar.</p>
+
+<p>We found there was a small village where we landed,
+otherwise the coast was wild and desolate. In an uncleanly
+little hut to which we were taken when our
+boxes were landed and the excitement had subsided, we
+were regaled with various African delicacies, which at
+first I did not find palatable, but which Omar devoured
+with a relish, declaring that he had not enjoyed a meal so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27"></a>[<a href="./images/27.png">27</a>]</span>
+much since he had left "the Coast" for England. But
+I did not care for yams, and the stewed monkey looked
+suspiciously like a cooked human specimen. My geographical
+knowledge was not so extensive as it might
+have been, and I was not certain whether these natives
+were not cannibals. Therefore I only made a pretence
+of eating, and sat silently contemplating the strange
+scene as we all sat upon the floor and took up our food
+with our fingers. When we had concluded the feast a
+native woman served Omar with some palm wine, which,
+however, he did not drink, but poured it upon the ground
+as an offering to the fetish for his safe return, and then
+we threw ourselves upon the skins stretched out for us
+and slept till dawn.</p>
+
+<p>At sunrise I got up and went out. The place was, I
+discovered, even more desolate than I had imagined.
+Nothing met the eye in every direction but vast plains
+of interminable sand, with hillocks here and there, also
+of sand; no trees were to be seen, not even a shrub;
+all was arid, dry and parched up with heat. The
+village was merely an assemblage of a dozen miserable
+mud huts, and so great was the monotony of the scene,
+that the eye rested with positive pleasure on the dirty,
+yellow-coloured craft in which we had landed during the
+night. It had apparently once been whitewashed, but
+had gradually assumed that tawny hue that always
+characterises the African wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>Again Omar and I were surrounded by the crowd of
+fierce-looking barbarians, but the twenty stalwart carriers
+sent down from Mo, apparently considering themselves
+a superior race to these coast-dwellers, ordered them
+away from our vicinity, at the same time preparing to
+start for the interior. Under the direction of Kouaga,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></a>[<a href="./images/28.png">28</a>]</span>
+who had already abandoned his European attire and now
+wore an Arab haick and white burnouse, the gang of
+chattering men soon got their loads of food and merchandise
+together&mdash;for the Grand Vizier had apparently
+been purchasing a quantity of guns and ammunition in
+England&mdash;hammocks were provided for all three of us
+if we required them, and after a good meal we at length
+set out, turning our backs upon the sea.</p>
+
+<p>After descending the crest of a sand-hill we found
+ourselves fairly in the desert. As far as we could see
+away to the limitless horizon was sand&mdash;arid, parched
+red-brown sand without a vestige of herbage. The wind
+that was blowing carried grains of it, which filled one's
+mouth and tasted hot and gritty; again, impalpable
+atoms of sand were blown into the corners of one's eyes,
+and, besides, this injury inflicted on the organ of vision
+was calculated by no means to improve one's temper.
+However, Omar told me that a beautiful and fruitful
+land lay beyond, therefore we made light of these discomforts,
+and, after a march of three days, during which
+time we were baked by day by the merciless sun and
+chilled at night by the heavy dews, we at last came
+to the edge of the waterless wilderness, and remained
+for some hours to rest.</p>
+
+<p>My first glimpse of the "Dark Continent" was not
+a rosy one. As a well-known writer has already pointed
+out, life with a band of native carriers might for a few
+days be a diverting experience if the climate were good
+and if there was no immediate necessity for hurry. But
+as things were it proved a powerful exercise, especially
+when we commenced to traverse the almost impenetrable
+bush by the native path, so narrow that two men could
+not walk abreast.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29"></a>[<a href="./images/29.png">29</a>]</span>
+Across a great dismal swamp where high trees and
+rank vegetation grew in wondrous profusion we wended
+our way, day by day, amid the thick white mist that
+seemed to continually envelop us. But it required a
+little more than persuasion to make our carriers travel as
+quickly as Kouaga liked. At early dawn while the hush
+of night yet hung above the forest, our guide would rise,
+stretch his giant limbs and kick up a sleeping trumpeter.
+Then the tall, dark forest would echo with the boom of
+an elephant-tusk horn, whose sound was all the more
+weird since it came from between human jaws with which
+the instrument was decorated. The crowd of blacks
+got up readily enough, but it was merely in order to
+light their fires and to settle down to eat plantains. At
+length the horn would sound again, but produce no
+result. The whole company still squatted, eating and
+jabbering away, indifferent to every other sound. The
+head man would be called for by Kouaga. "Why are
+your men not ready? Know you not that the son of
+the great Naya is with us?" With a deprecatory smile
+the head-man would make some excuse. He had hurt
+his foot, or had rheumatism, and therefore he, and consequently
+his men, would be compelled to rest that
+day. He would then be warned that if not ready to
+march in five minutes, he would be carried captive into
+Mo for the Great White Queen herself to deal with.
+In five minutes he would return to Kouaga, saying that
+if the Grand Vizier would only give the men a little
+more salt with their "chop" (food) that evening, they
+would march.</p>
+
+<p>Kouaga would then become furious, soundly rating
+everybody, and declare that the Naya herself should deal
+with the whole lot as mutineers; whereupon, seeing all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30"></a>[<a href="./images/30.png">30</a>]</span>
+excuses for further halt unavailing, loads would be taken
+up, and within a few moments the whole string of half-clad
+natives would go laughing and singing on the forward
+path.</p>
+
+<p>The first belt of forest passed we entered a vast level
+land covered with scrub, which Omar informed me was
+the border of the Debendu territory. Proceeding
+down a wide valley we came at length to the first inhabited
+region. Every three or four miles we passed
+through a native village&mdash;usually a single street of thirty
+or forty houses. Each house consisted, as a rule, of
+three or four small sheds, facing inwards, and forming a
+tiny courtyard. The huts were on built-up platforms,
+with hard walls of mud, and roofs thatched with palm-leaves,
+while the front steps were faced with a kind of
+red cement. In the middle of each centre of habitation
+we found a tree with seats around it formed of untrimmed
+logs, on which the elders and head-men of the village
+would sit, smoke, and gravely discuss events. As we
+left each village to plunge boldly onward through the
+bush we would pass the village fetish ground, well defined
+by the decaying bodies of lizards and birds, a grinning
+human skull or two, broken pots and pieces of rag fluttering
+in the wind, all offered as propitiation to the presiding
+demon of the place, while away in the bush, behind
+the houses, we saw the giant leaves of the plantain groves
+that yielded the staple food of this primitive people.</p>
+
+<p>Deeper and deeper we proceeded until we came into
+regular forest scenery, where day after day we pushed our
+way through solemn shady aisles of forest giants, whose
+upper parts gleamed far above the dense undergrowth
+in white pillars against the grey-blue sky. Sometimes
+we strode down a picturesque sunny glade, and at others<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31"></a>[<a href="./images/31.png">31</a>]</span>
+struggled through deep dark crypts of massive bamboo
+clumps. Here the noisome smell of decaying vegetation
+nauseated us, for the air in those forest depths is
+deadly. Beautiful scarlet wax-flowers would gleam high
+among the dark-green foliage of the giant cotton-tree,
+whose stem would be covered with orchids and ferns and
+dense wreaths of creeper, while many other beautiful
+blossoms flourished and faded unseen. In that dark
+dismal place there was an absence of animal life. Sometimes,
+however, by day we would hear the tuneful wail
+of the finger-glass bird or an occasional robin would
+chirrup, while at night great frogs croaked gloomily and
+the sloth would shriek at our approach.</p>
+
+<p>It was truly a toilsome, dispiriting march, as in single file
+we pushed our way forward into the interior, and I confess
+I soon began to tire of the monotony of the terrible
+gloom. But to all my questions Omar would reply:</p>
+
+<p>"Patience. In Africa we have violent contrasts
+always. To-day we are toiling onward through a region of
+eternal night, but when we have traversed the barrier that
+shuts out our country from the influence of yours&mdash;then
+you shall see. What you shall witness will amaze you."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE GIANT'S FINGER.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For</span> quite three weeks we pushed forward through the
+interminable forest until one day we came to a small
+village beyond which lay a great broad river glistening in
+the noon-day sun. It was the mighty Comoe. We had
+entered the kingdom of Anno. In the village I saw
+traces of human sacrifices, and Omar, in reply to a
+question, told me that although these happy-looking<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32"></a>[<a href="./images/32.png">32</a>]</span>
+natives were very skilful weavers and dyers who did a
+brisk trade in <i>fu</i>, a bark cloth of excellent quality&mdash;which
+I found afterwards they manufactured from the
+bark of a tree apparently of the same species as the
+much-talked-of <i>rokko</i> of Uganda&mdash;they nevertheless at
+the death of a chief sacrificed some of his slaves to
+"water the grave," while the memory of the departed was
+also honoured with gross orgies which lasted till everything
+eatable or drinkable in the village was consumed.</p>
+
+<p>We only remained there a few hours, then embarked
+in three large canoes that were moored to the bank
+awaiting us. The chief of the village came to pay his
+respects to Omar, as the son of a ruling monarch, and
+presented us with food according to the usual custom.</p>
+
+<p>Soon, amid the shouts of the excited villagers who
+had all come down to see us start, our canoes were
+pushed off, and the carriers, glad to be relieved of their
+packs, took the paddles, and away we went gaily up the
+centre of the winding river. Emerging as suddenly as
+we had from the gloomy forest depths where no warmth
+penetrated, into the blazing tropical sun was a sudden
+change that almost overcame me, for as we rowed along
+without shelter the rays beat down upon us mercilessly.</p>
+
+<p>The banks were for the most part low, although it was
+impossible to say what height they were because of the
+lofty hedges of creeping plants which covered every inch
+of ground from the water's edge to as high as fifty feet
+above in some places, while behind them towered the
+black-green forest with here and there bunches of brilliant
+flowers or glimpses of countless grey trunks. Sometimes
+these trees, pressing right up to the edge of the warm
+sluggish water, grew horizontally to the length of fifty feet
+over the river. Creepers, vines, whip-like calamus, twisting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33"></a>[<a href="./images/33.png">33</a>]</span>
+lianes and great serpent-like convolvuli grew in profusion
+over everything, while the eye caught glimpses everywhere
+of gorgeous clouds of insects, gaily-plumaged birds,
+paraquets, and monkeys swinging in their shaded bowers.</p>
+
+<p>Basking on the banks were crocodiles and hippopotami,
+while the river itself swarmed with fish and water-snakes.
+And over all rose the mist caused by heat and moisture,
+the death-dealing miasma of that tropic world.</p>
+
+<p>But all were in good spirits, for rowing was more
+pleasurable than tramping in that dismal monotonous
+primeval forest that rose on either side, therefore against
+the broad, slowly-flowing waters our carriers bent to their
+paddles, grinning and joking the while.</p>
+
+<p>Throughout that day Kouaga sat near us, smoking and
+thinking. Perhaps the responsibilities of State weighed
+heavily upon him; perhaps he was contemplating with
+trepidation the passage that would be necessary through
+a country held by the enemies of Mo; at all events he
+was morose and taciturn, his dark face bearing a strange,
+stern look such as I had never before noticed.</p>
+
+<p>During the weeks I had been travelling up country I
+had embraced every opportunity of improving my knowledge
+of the curious language spoken by Omar and his
+mother's subjects, until I found I could understand a
+large portion of a conversation and could even give
+directions to our carriers in their own tongue.</p>
+
+<p>Omar was in high spirits, eager, it seemed, to return
+to his own people. He took a gun and some ammunition
+from one of the cases that Kouaga had conveyed
+from England and gave us an exhibition of his skill with
+the rifle. He was a dead shot. I had no idea he could
+aim so true. As we sped past in our canoe he would raise
+his weapon from time to time and pick off a bird upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34"></a>[<a href="./images/34.png">34</a>]</span>
+the wing, or fire directly into the eye of some basking
+animal, causing it to utter a roar, lash its tail and disappear
+to die. He seldom missed, and the accuracy of his aim
+elicited from the sable rowers low grunts of admiration.</p>
+
+<p>A lazy and enjoyable week we thus spent in the ascent
+of the Comoe, mostly through forest scenery or undulating
+grass-lands. By day our rowers bent with rhythmic
+music to their paddles, and at evening we would disembark,
+cook our food, and afterwards with Kouaga and
+my friend I would sleep in our canoe upon the heap of
+leopard skins that formed our couches. Here we were
+free from the pest of the myriad insects we had encountered
+in the forest; and at night, under the brilliant
+moon, the noble river and giant trees presented a fine
+picture of solitary grandeur. Onward we pressed through
+the flourishing country of the Jimini, where we saw many
+prosperous villages of large roomy houses of rectangular
+form and reed thatched, wide tracts under cultivation
+with well-kept crops of cotton and rice. Everywhere we
+passed, without opposition, and with expressions of good-will
+from the natives.</p>
+
+<p>One evening when the blood-red sun had sunk low in
+the water behind us, we suddenly rounded a sharp bend of
+the river and there burst upon us, rising on our right high
+into the clouds, the great snow-capped crest of Mount
+Komono. Near its base it was hidden by a bank of cloud,
+but above all was clear and bright, so that the summit
+had the appearance of being suspended in mid-air.</p>
+
+<p>"The Giant's Finger at last!" cried Omar, jumping up
+excitedly and pointing at the mountain. "We leave the
+river a little higher up, and push again across the bush a
+twelve days' journey until we come to the Volta, which
+will take us forward to the boundary of Mo."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35"></a>[<a href="./images/35.png">35</a>]</span>
+"The Volta!" I cried, remembering the incident at
+school when he had answered correctly the master's
+question as to the estuary of that river, and had been
+dubbed "the Guinea Pig." "Why could we not have
+ascended it from the sea?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because we should, by so doing, pass nearly the
+whole distance through the country of Prempeh, of
+Ashanti, one of our bitter foes. The Adoo, the Anno,
+and the Jimini kings have long ago made blood-brotherhood
+with our chiefs, therefore we are enabled to pass in
+peace by this route alone."</p>
+
+<p>Before darkness fell we disembarked at a small village
+on the left bank, the name of which I learnt was
+Tomboura, and after our evening meal were given a hut
+in which to spend the night. Soon after dawn, however,
+we heard Kouaga astir, giving rapid orders to the
+carriers, and when we went out to go down to the
+canoes they were nowhere to be seen. We noticed,
+however, that the carriers were preparing their loads
+which they had no doubt landed during the night, and
+Omar, advancing towards the Grand Vizier, asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Why do we not ascend the river further? We must
+cross to the other side if we would join the Great Salt
+Road."</p>
+
+<p>"Dangers lurk there, O my Master," the negro answered,
+hitching his burnouse about his shoulders.
+"We must travel by a circuitous route."</p>
+
+<p>"Did not my mother command me to speed unto
+her?" Omar asked, puzzled. "Is it not necessary that
+we should travel by the shortest path?"</p>
+
+<p>"The safest is the shortest," Kouaga answered with a
+frown.</p>
+
+<p>"But by following this bank we are turning our backs<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36"></a>[<a href="./images/36.png">36</a>]</span>
+upon Mo. See!" and he produced from his pocket an
+instrument which I did not know he possessed, a cheap
+mariner's compass.</p>
+
+<p>"Bah!" cried Kouaga in anger, after he had looked
+at it a long time. "That clock of the white men has an
+evil spirit within. See! its trembling finger points always
+in the direction of the Great Evil. It is bewitched. Cast
+it away. Kouaga has already made fetish for this journey."</p>
+
+<p>"But why should we travel in an entirely opposite
+direction to Mo?" I argued, seeing that a crowd of
+grinning impish-looking carriers had gathered around us,
+enjoying our controversy.</p>
+
+<p>"For three-score years Kouaga has lived in the forest
+and on the plains," he answered, turning to me. "He
+knows the direction of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, let him have his own way," Omar cried at last,
+finding persuasion of no avail. Then turning to the
+Grand Vizier he said in a firm tone: "Listen, Kouaga.
+If by your obstinacy we are delayed one single day, I shall
+inform my mother of that fact, and you will assuredly lose
+your office and most likely your head also. Therefore act
+as you think fit. Omar, Prince of Mo, has spoken."</p>
+
+<p>"Kouaga bore the staff of the Great White Queen
+unto thee. He is the trusted of the Naya, if not of her
+son," the negro answered, turning away. But in that
+brief instant I noticed an expression on his face of
+relentless cruelty. An expression such as one might
+expect to see upon the face of a murderer.</p>
+
+<p>Truth to tell, I had never liked Kouaga; now I instinctively
+hated him. But ere he had strode a dozen
+paces he turned back smiling, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"I mean no defiance to the Son of my Queen. He
+is in my charge, and I will take him safely back unto Mo,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37"></a>[<a href="./images/37.png">37</a>]</span>
+the city with walls unbreakable, the capital of the kingdom
+unconquerable."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall act as I have decided," Omar answered with
+true princely hauteur. "The rulers of Mo never depart
+from their word."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," the other answered laughing, at the same
+time lighting his pipe with cool indifference. Then,
+glancing round to see that all was ready, he shouted an
+order to the head-man and the string of carriers moved
+away, jabbering and shouting, down the path into the dark
+gloomy forest depths.</p>
+
+<p>In ill-humour we followed. I must confess that towards
+Kouaga I entertained an ill-defined feeling of distrust.
+Once or twice during that day's march in the dull dispiriting
+gloom, almost every ray of daylight being shut
+out by the thick canopy of creepers spreading from tree
+to tree, I had caught Omar surreptitiously consulting his
+pocket compass, and saw upon his face a look of anxiety.
+Yet, on the other hand, Kouaga had become particularly
+jocular, and the carriers were now singing snatches of
+songs, joking, and laughing good-humouredly at each
+other's misfortunes, whereas on our journey from the coast
+to the river they had generally preserved a sullen silence.</p>
+
+<p>No. Try how I would I could not rid myself of the
+thought that there was something very mysterious in
+Kouaga's actions.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE ROYAL JUJUS.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">On</span> the fifth day after we had left our canoes the Grand
+Vizier of Mo had gone far forward along the line of
+carriers to speak with the head-man, and Omar was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38"></a>[<a href="./images/38.png">38</a>]</span>
+walking immediately before me at the rear of the procession.</p>
+
+<p>As I pulled him by the sleeve he halted, and when the
+last carrier had got out of hearing I confided to my
+friend my misgivings.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you not noticed of late a change in Kouaga's
+manner towards us?" I asked him. "At first he was
+deferential and submissive to your every wish, but it
+occurs to me that of late his manner is overbearing, and
+he watches us closely, as if fearing we might escape."</p>
+
+<p>"Curiously enough," my friend replied, "I have for
+some days past had similar thoughts. If he's playing
+any double game his life won't be worth a moment's purchase
+when once we enter our own land."</p>
+
+<p>"But you had perfect confidence in him," I observed.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. If my mother trusts him as her chief
+adviser I have no right to entertain any suspicion of his
+fidelity," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"True, but, after all, you are the Prince and heir.
+Surely he ought to have followed your desire as to the
+route we should take."</p>
+
+<p>"The route!" he cried. "Since we left the river we
+have travelled in these cross-paths in such an amazing
+manner that at present I have no idea where we are."</p>
+
+<p>"The carriers have, or they would not be in such high
+spirits," I observed.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but the strangest part of the affair is that every
+man among them fears to tell us anything. I have
+secretly questioned most of them as to Kouaga's motive,
+and all I can glean is that the fetish-man at Tomboura
+gathered them together and, after performing some of
+the usual rites and sacrificing to our Crocodile-god
+Zomara, told them if a word were spoken to us regarding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39"></a>[<a href="./images/39.png">39</a>]</span>
+our route or destination the dread god will meet us in the
+forest path and devour all of us. Not one shall survive."</p>
+
+<p>"And you believe this pagan humbug?" I exclaimed,
+in disgust<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins></p>
+
+<p>He opened his dark eyes wide, regarding me in
+astonishment. I had never before ridiculed his religion.</p>
+
+<p>"The jujus around my neck preserve me from every evil,
+except those worked by Zomara. He is the great god
+whose power only the fetish-man can withstand. Slaves,
+princes, kings, all sacrifice to him. If we offend him
+death or torture is inevitably our punishment."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think you've offended him?" I inquired.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not," he sighed with a serious look. "If I
+have, then nothing can save me; the fetish-man of
+Tomboura has worked evil against me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," I said, "this is my first experience of Africa,
+but it strikes me very forcibly that these fetish-men of
+yours will do anything they are paid to do. What
+was there to prevent Kouaga paying that hideous old
+demon at Tomboura to utter his horrible incantations
+and so frighten our carriers into silence?"</p>
+
+<p>"Zomara is a terrible god. None dare tamper with
+him, or utter his name in vain threats," Omar answered.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, whoever he is I still stick to my opinion," I
+said. "Depend upon it Kouaga is at the bottom of this
+conspiracy of silence."</p>
+
+<p>Just at that moment the black face of that worthy,
+rendered darker by the snow-white haick that surrounded
+it, appeared among the tangled bamboos. He
+had missed us, and had come back to search. Yes, my surmise
+seemed correct. He was watching us closely and
+trying to understand our conversation.</p>
+
+<p>That evening when we halted and the natives went<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40"></a>[<a href="./images/40.png">40</a>]</span>
+into the bush to collect fuel for the fire, I managed to
+take one or two of them aside and secretly inquire our
+destination. But I got the same answer always.</p>
+
+<p>"Zomara has tied our tongues. He commands us to
+be mute, or we shall be destroyed to the last one."</p>
+
+<p>To endeavour to learn anything from these simple-minded
+blacks seemed useless. They would speak freely
+on every subject, indeed they seemed fond of talking with
+one whose face was white, yet regarding our journey they
+obeyed the command of the fetish-man to the very letter.
+It is the same everywhere in West and Central Africa; the
+fetish-man rules. What he says is more law than the
+word of kings. If he declares a man or woman bewitched
+that person will assuredly be murdered before the sun
+sets; if he orders the people of the village to perform a
+certain action they will do it, even if death stares them
+in the face. They blindly believe that the fetish is all-powerful,
+and that the half naked dancing savages who
+administer it are endowed with supernatural powers.</p>
+
+<p>That night, feeling tired out I threw myself down early
+near the camp fire and slept soundly for several hours.
+But at length some unusual sound awoke me, and when
+I opened my eyes I saw that the fire had died down to
+one single flickering ember, which still blazing cast a fitful
+light upon the boles of the forest giants around.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had I opened my eyes when I became
+conscious of low whispering in my vicinity. This
+thoroughly aroused me, and without stirring my body I
+slowly turned my head, when to my astonishment I
+beheld Kouaga, standing erect with arms folded beneath
+his white burnouse, talking in an undertone to a dark-bearded
+stranger who also wore flowing Arab garments
+and bore in his hand a long-barrelled flint-lock gun with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41"></a>[<a href="./images/41.png">41</a>]</span>
+quaintly-inlaid stock. The man seemed older than the
+Grand Vizier of Mo, for his beard was tinged with grey,
+and the brown hand that held the gun was lean and bony.</p>
+
+<p>I strained my ears to catch the drift of their earnest
+conversation, but could not. It was tantalizing that
+they spoke in so low a tone, for the stranger seemed to
+mumble into his beard, while Kouaga whispered with
+his mouth turned from me. The presence of a stranger
+in our camp was, to say the least, strange, for through
+those gloomy forest glades no single traveller could
+journey. Omar had told me that for a person to attempt
+to traverse that region alone would be merely suicide.
+My friend was sleeping soundly at some distance from
+me, therefore I could not awaken him without attracting
+attention. If only he would open his eyes, I thought, he
+might recognize the new comer, either as friend or foe.</p>
+
+<p>But no, he slept on as peacefully as if he were still in
+the cosy dormitory at old Trigger's, with its blue and
+white counterpanes and windows commanding a wide
+sweep of distant sea.</p>
+
+<p>While I lay gazing upon my friend and hoping that he
+might open his eyes, I suddenly heard the stranger raise
+his voice louder than before. It was only for an instant,
+but in that moment upon my ear there fell three words
+the English equivalents of which I understood.</p>
+
+<p>They were "Seek the treasure!"</p>
+
+<p>But I could distinguish nothing more, and in a few
+moments the two men hurriedly snapped fingers, and
+the mysterious stranger disappeared noiselessly into the
+dark silent bush.</p>
+
+<p>When the loud blasts from the ivory-horn, with its
+hideous ornamentation of human teeth, proclaimed the
+advent of another day I took Omar aside and told him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42"></a>[<a href="./images/42.png">42</a>]</span>
+of what I had witnessed and overheard. After I had
+described the stranger he said:</p>
+
+<p>"I know not who he may be. It is evident, however,
+we are travelling in the opposite direction to Mo, therefore
+we will go no further. I will command Kouaga to
+return to Tomboura, cross the river, and press forward
+over the hills of Dabagakha to the Black Volta."</p>
+
+<p>"And if he refuses?"</p>
+
+<p>"Then we will go alone."</p>
+
+<p>An hour later, when we had eaten our plantains and
+the usual babel was proceeding which was always
+precursory of a start being made, my companion strode
+up to Kouaga with a look of fierce determination upon
+his face, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Give ear to my words. I am Omar, son of the Naya,
+the Great White Queen, before whose wrath all nations
+tremble."</p>
+
+<p>"Speak. I listen," answered the giant negro, with a
+look of surprise upon his ugly countenance.</p>
+
+<p>"I will go no further along this path. You, the head-man
+and the carriers shall return with me to the bank of
+the Comoe, otherwise my mother shall punish you for
+disobeying my orders. All who dare go forward from
+this moment shall be sacrificed at the yam feast and the
+dogs shall eat their entrails. These are my words."</p>
+
+<p>"Then whither would you go from Tomboura?"
+asked Kouaga, apparently astonished at Omar's sudden
+decision.</p>
+
+<p>"I will only approach Mo by the Great Salt Road."</p>
+
+<p>"It is impossible. There is fighting in the hills, for
+the Karaboro and the Dagari are at war."</p>
+
+<p>"And what matters, pray, since they are both our
+allies?" Omar asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43"></a>[<a href="./images/43.png">43</a>]</span>
+For a moment the negro was nonplussed, but with a
+broad grin showing his even row of teeth, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"The bird goes not into the serpent's lair, neither
+does the son of the Queen enter the country of her
+enemies."</p>
+
+<p>"I have already given tongue to my decision," my
+friend replied. "Advance, and each of your heads
+shall fall beneath the keen <i>doka</i> of Gankoma, the
+executioner."</p>
+
+<p>Kouaga, hearing these words, set his teeth fiercely,
+and glancing at us with his fiery eyes, the whites of
+which were bloodshot, retorted:</p>
+
+<p>"Recede, and we will carry you forward, bound as a
+slave."</p>
+
+<p>"This is a threat!" cried Omar, drawing himself up
+to his full height and stretching forth his arm. "You,
+whom my mother raised from a palace-slave, thus
+threaten me! Let it be thus, but I warn you that if
+you ever set foot across the borders of Mo, your head
+shall be set upon the palace wall as a warning to disobedient
+slaves." Then, turning to me, and waving
+back the crowd of carriers who had collected and stood
+open-mouthed around us, he said, "Come, Scars, we
+will return. I have thrice traversed the path from
+Tomboura to the Great Salt Road, and can follow it
+without a guide."</p>
+
+<p>Then, calling down the curse of Zomara, the dreaded,
+upon them all, he turned on his heel and walked down
+the narrow path we had traversed on the previous night,
+while, with a final glance of triumph at the irate negro,
+I followed.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had we gone fifty yards, however, before a
+dozen carriers, acting upon orders from Kouaga, had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44"></a>[<a href="./images/44.png">44</a>]</span>
+rushed after us, seized us, and dragged us back to him
+despite our desperate struggles.</p>
+
+<p>"So you defy me!" the negro cried in a paroxysm
+of rage, as Omar was brought up. "This is because
+I was fool enough to allow your white-faced friend to
+accompany you. Our country is no place for whites,
+but he will make a good sacrifice to Zomara when our
+journey is ended. You have both refused to accompany
+us, therefore we must use force." Then, turning to the
+half-naked savages who held us, he said: "Bind them,
+and tie them in their hammocks. Let not their bonds
+be loosened until our march be ended, for both are my
+prisoners." And he laughed triumphantly at our
+discomfiture.</p>
+
+<p>"You shall pay for this insult with your life," Omar
+cried angrily.</p>
+
+<p>"Take off his European clothes, and let his string of
+royal jujus be burned. Henceforth he is a slave, as also
+is his white companion."</p>
+
+<p>Next moment twenty ready hands tore from Omar
+most of his well-worn clothes, and although he fought
+with all the strength of which he was capable, his necklet
+of jujus, the magical charms that protected the Queen's
+son from every evil, was ruthlessly spat upon and destroyed
+by the excited natives, together with his clothes.</p>
+
+<p>Then, after each of us had been tied in a hammock
+with our hands behind our backs, we were lifted by four
+stalwart bearers and carried forward at a brisk pace
+towards an unknown bourne.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident that we were not going to Mo, and it
+was equally evident too, that Kouaga, whom we had
+trusted implicitly, was our bitter enemy.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45"></a>[<a href="./images/45.png">45</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+
+<h3>SAMORY'S STRONGHOLD.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Through</span> dense dark forests and over great open grass-lands,
+passing several villages, we were carried forward
+many days, still bound and never allowed to have our
+hands free except during our meals.</p>
+
+<p>The face of Kouaga grew more brutal and fierce as
+we proceeded, and he urged on the carriers until we
+found ourselves travelling at a pace that for African
+natives was amazing.</p>
+
+<p>Omar spoke little. He was always pre-occupied and
+thoughtful. He had told me that he now regretted
+having brought me with him from England, but I
+assured him that our misfortunes were not of our own
+seeking, and urged him to be of good cheer.</p>
+
+<p>Truth to tell, my heart was full of dark forebodings. I
+saw in the ugly countenance of Kouaga expressions of
+deadly hatred, and I knew that they were of ill-portent.
+Yet to escape in that deadly bush, extending for
+hundreds and hundreds of miles, dark, monotonous and
+impenetrable, meant certain death even if we eluded the
+watchful vigilance of this muscular negro.</p>
+
+<p>One day, when passing through a forest village, a half-naked
+savage rushed towards us brandishing his spear
+and uttering a loud yell, but whether expressive of
+hatred or joy I knew not. Suddenly, as he approached
+the hammock in which Omar was lying, my friend addressed
+him in some tongue that was strange to me, but
+to which the native answered readily.</p>
+
+<p>"As I thought, Scars!" Omar shouted to me in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46"></a>[<a href="./images/46.png">46</a>]</span>
+English a moment later. "We have travelled away from
+Mo, crossed Tieba's territory, and have now entered the
+country of the great Mohammedan chief Samory, my
+nation's bitterest enemy. It was he who seized my
+father by a ruse and sent his head back to my mother as
+a hideous souvenir."</p>
+
+<p>"But what object has Kouaga in bringing us here?"
+I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot imagine," he answered. "Unless he
+travelled to England, for the sole purpose of delivering
+me into the hands of our enemies. Three times within
+the last five years has Samory attempted to invade our
+country, but each time has been repulsed with a loss that
+has partially paralysed his power. All along the right
+bank of the Upper Niger his bands of hirelings and
+mercenaries, whom we call Sofas, are constantly raiding
+for slaves. Indeed Samory's troops are the fiercest
+and most merciless in this country. They are the riff-raff
+of the West Soudan and are a terror to friend and
+foe, a bar to the peaceful settlement of all lands within
+the range of their devastating expeditions."</p>
+
+<p>"Do they make raids towards your country?" I
+inquired, for I had heard long ago of this notorious
+slave-dealing chief.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, constantly. They are pitiless marauders who
+lay waste whole kingdoms and transform populous
+districts into gloomy solitudes. While on my way from
+Mo to England we passed through Sati, a large market
+town at the convergence of several caravan routes, which
+was only three months before a prosperous and wealthy
+place situated fifty miles south of our border. We found
+everything had been raided by the Sofas, who had sacked,
+burned or destroyed what they were unable to take<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47"></a>[<a href="./images/47.png">47</a>]</span>
+away. Heaps of cinders marked the sites of former
+homesteads, the ground was strewn with potsherds, rice
+and other grain trodden under foot, while our horses
+moved forward knee deep in ashes. The whole land,
+lately very rich, prosperous and thickly peopled, was a
+melancholy picture of utter desolation."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think we have actually fallen into Samory's
+hands?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I fear so."</p>
+
+<p>"But is not Kouaga Grand Vizier of Mo? Surely he
+would not dare to take us through the enemy's land," I
+said.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you not remember that when he met us at Eastbourne
+he forbade us to inform Makhana of our intended
+departure?" he answered. "He had some object in
+securing our silence and getting us away from England
+secretly. It now appears more than probable that my
+mother has dismissed and banished him, and he has gone
+over to our enemy, Samory, who desires to seize our
+country."</p>
+
+<p>"In that case our position is indeed serious," I
+observed. "We must do something to escape."</p>
+
+<p>"No," he said. "We cannot escape. Let's put on a
+bold front, and if we find ourselves prisoners of the
+slave-raiding chief, I, at least, will show him that I am
+heir to the Emerald Throne of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>As each day dawned we still held upon our way, until
+at length, under a broiling noon-day sun, we crossed a wide
+stretch of fertile grass-land where cattle were grazing,
+and there rose high before us the white fortified walls of a
+large town of flat-roofed Moorish-looking houses. It was,
+we afterwards learnt, called Koussan, one of Samory's
+principal strongholds.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48"></a>[<a href="./images/48.png">48</a>]</span>
+As we approached the open gate, flanked on either
+side by watch-towers and guarded by soldiers wearing
+Arab fezes and loose white garments, a great rabble
+came forth to meet us. We heard the din of tom-toms
+beaten within the city, joyous shouts, and loud ear-piercing
+blasts upon those great horns formed out of
+elephant tusks.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, in triumph, amid the howls and execrations of
+the mob, Omar, son of Sanom, and myself, were marched
+onward through the gate and up a steep narrow winding
+street, where the solidly-built houses were set close
+together to obtain the shade, to the market-place. Here,
+amid the promiscuous firing of long flint-lock guns and
+quaint ancient pistols, such as one sees in curiosity shops
+at home, a further demonstration was held, our carriers
+themselves infected by the popular enthusiasm, seeming
+also to lose their senses. They heaped upon Omar
+every indignity, scoffed and spat at him, while my own
+pale face arousing the ire of the fanatical Mohammedan
+populace, they denounced me as an infidel accursed of
+Allah, and urged my captors to kill me and give my flesh
+to the dogs.</p>
+
+<p>Truly we were in pitiable plight.</p>
+
+<p>I looked at Omar, but heedless of all their threats
+and jeers, he walked with princely gait. His hands
+were tied behind his back, his head erect, and his eyes
+flashed with scorn upon those who sought his death.
+Presently, turning sharply to the left, we found ourselves
+in another square which we crossed, entering a great
+gateway guarded by soldiers, and as soon as we were
+inside the heavy iron-studded doors closed with an
+ominous clang. I glanced round at the thick impregnable
+walls and knew that we were in the Kasbah, or citadel.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49"></a>[<a href="./images/49.png">49</a>]</span>
+Gaily-dressed soldiers were leaning or squatting everywhere
+as we crossed the several court-yards, one after
+the other, until, by the direction of one of the officials
+who had joined us on entering, we were led through a
+low arched door, and thence a dozen soldiers who had
+come forward hurried us down a flight of dark damp
+steps into a foul noisome chamber below.</p>
+
+<p>Struggles and protestations were useless. We were
+pushed forward into a deep narrow cell lit only by a tiny
+crack in the paving of the court above and the door
+quickly bolted upon us.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, this is certainly a dire misfortune," I said,
+when we had both walked round inspecting the black
+dank walls of our prison. "I wonder what fate is in
+store for us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Though they destroyed my jujus, they cannot invoke
+the curses of Zomara upon me," he said. "The Crocodile-god
+will not hear any enemies of the Naya."</p>
+
+<p>"But have you no idea whatever of the motive
+Kouaga has had in bringing you hither?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Not the slightest," he answered, seating himself at
+last on the stone bench to rest. "It is evident, however,
+that he is a traitor in the pay of Samory. On each
+occasion when the Moslem chief endeavoured to conquer
+our country, it was Kouaga who assumed the generalship
+of our troops; it was Kouaga who fought valiantly
+for his queen with his own keen sword; it was Kouaga
+who drove back the enemy and urged our hosts to
+slaughter them without mercy; and it was Kouaga who,
+with fiendish hatred, put the prisoners to the torture.
+In him my mother had a most trusted servant."</p>
+
+<p>"He doesn't seem very trustworthy now," I observed.
+"It seems to me we are caught like rats in a trap."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50"></a>[<a href="./images/50.png">50</a>]</span>
+"True," he said. "We are beset by dangers, but may
+the blessings of their Allah turn to curses upon their
+heads. It may be that our ignominious situation will
+not satisfy the malice that Samory has conceived against
+me, but if a single hair of the head of either of us is
+injured, Zomara, the Crocodile-god, will punish those
+who seek our discomfiture."</p>
+
+<p>It occurred to me that it was all very well to speak in
+this strain, but as no man is a prince except in his own
+country, it seemed idle to expect mercy or pity. Omar
+was in prison for some unknown offence, and I was held
+captive with a well-remembered threat from Kouaga that
+my life should be sacrificed.</p>
+
+<p>For six hours we remained without food, but when
+the light above had quite faded, three soldiers with
+clanging swords unbarred the door and pushed through
+some water in an earthen vessel and some <i>fufu</i>, a kind
+of dumpling made of mashed African potato. During
+the night, disturbed by vermin of all sorts, including
+some horrible little snakes, we slept little, and at dawn
+we were again visited by our captors. The next day
+and the next passed uneventfully. For exercise we
+paced our cell times without number, and when tired
+would seat ourselves on the rough stone bench and
+calmly discuss the situation.</p>
+
+<p>The Naya, the mysterious Great White Queen, had
+ordered Omar to return with all haste, yet already two
+moons had run their course since we had landed in
+Africa. This troubled my companion even more than
+the fact of being betrayed into the hands of his enemies.</p>
+
+<p>The tiny streak of light that showed high above our
+heads grew brighter towards noon, then began slowly
+to decline. Before the shadows had lengthened in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51"></a>[<a href="./images/51.png">51</a>]</span>
+court above, however, the sound of our door being
+unbarred aroused us from our lethargy, and a moment
+later, three soldiers entered and told us to prepare to go
+before the great ruler Samory. Omar, attired only in a
+small garment of bark-cloth, took no heed of his toilet,
+therefore we at once announced our readiness to leave
+the loathsome place with its myriad creeping things,
+and it was with a feeling of intense relief that a few
+minutes later we ascended to the blessed light of day.</p>
+
+<p>Marched between a small posse of soldiers, we crossed
+the court to a larger and more handsome square,
+decorated in Arab style with horseshoe arches and wide
+colonnades, until at the further end a great curtain of
+crimson velvet was drawn aside and we found ourselves
+in a spacious hall, wherein many gorgeously attired
+persons had assembled and in the centre of which was
+erected a great canopy of amaranth-coloured silk supported
+by pillars of gold surmounted by the crescent.
+Beneath, reclining on a divan, slowly fanned by a dozen
+gaudily-attired negroes, was a dark-faced, full-bearded
+man of middle age, whose black eyes regarded us
+keenly as we entered. He was dressed in a robe of
+bright yellow silk, and in his turban there glittered a
+single diamond that sparkled and gleamed with a
+thousand iridescent rays. His fat brown hand was
+loaded with rings, and jewels glittered everywhere
+upon his belt, his sword, and his slippers of bright green.</p>
+
+<p>It was the notorious and dreaded chieftain, Samory.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52"></a>[<a href="./images/52.png">52</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SECRET OF THE QUEEN.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">As</span> we were led forward to the space in front of the
+divan all eyes were directed towards us. The glitter and
+pomp of the merciless slave-raider's court was dazzling.
+Before their ruler all men salaamed. His officers surrounding
+him, watched every movement of his face, and
+the four-score slaves behind him stood mute and motionless,
+ready to do his bidding at any instant.</p>
+
+<p>When our feet touched the great carpet spread before
+him, and we halted, he raised himself to a sitting posture,
+fixing his dark, gleaming eyes upon us. At sight of
+Omar a sudden frown of displeasure crossed his features,
+but an instant later a grim smile of triumph lit his
+sinister face.</p>
+
+<p>Apparently he was waiting for us to bow before him,
+but Omar had forbidden me to do so.</p>
+
+<p>"And who, pray, art thou, that thou deignest not
+to bend the knee before me?" he cried, in anger
+that his people should witness a slur thus cast upon his
+power.</p>
+
+<p>"I am Omar, son of the Naya of Mo," my companion
+answered, folding his arms resolutely, and regarding
+the potentate with supreme disdain. "Princes
+do not make obeisance to any but their equals."</p>
+
+<p>"Am I not thine equal, then, thou son of offal?"
+cried Samory.</p>
+
+<p>"In strength thou art, possibly, but not by birth. In
+order to protect thy country against the white men thou<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53"></a>[<a href="./images/53.png">53</a>]</span>
+hast sought to make palaver with Prempeh of Ashanti,
+but I would remind thee that the rulers of Mo have
+never besought any aid of their neighbours."</p>
+
+<p>"Thou speakest well, lad," he said thoughtfully.
+"Thine is a mighty kingdom, but by peace or war I
+will rule over it."</p>
+
+<p>"Never, while I live," answered Omar with pride.</p>
+
+<p>"But thou art the last of thy race. If thou diest&mdash;what
+then?"</p>
+
+<p>"If I die, then every man in Mo will seek blood
+revenge upon thee, and Zomara will guide them into
+this, thy land, and arm them with spears of fire."</p>
+
+<p>"I care nought for thy Naya nor thy pagan Crocodile-god,"
+exclaimed the Mohammedan chief impatiently.
+"Bow unto my divan, or of a verity my slaves shall
+compel thee."</p>
+
+<p>"I refuse."</p>
+
+<p>"May thine entrails be burned," cried Samory in
+anger, and raising his hand he ordered the guards of the
+divan to cast us both to earth before him.</p>
+
+<p>They threw us down, and their ruler, rising, placed
+his foot firmly on the neck of the heir to the throne of
+Mo, saying in a loud voice:</p>
+
+<p>"As I hold thee thus within my power, so also will I,
+ere many moons have run, hold thy country. Cursed
+by the Prophet may be thy detested race. There is
+neither peace nor friendship, there is neither gratitude
+nor love in the people of Samory, and they shall be the
+first to curse thee. When I enter Mo every day shall
+the knife of the executioner be fed with blood; thy
+cities shall mourn the loss of their sages, husbands their
+wives, wives their children, and children their fathers.
+The country shall be devastated to its most northerly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54"></a>[<a href="./images/54.png">54</a>]</span>
+limits and it shall be rendered a wilderness of silence
+and sorrow."</p>
+
+<p>Then withdrawing his foot, amid the plaudits of his
+crowd of fierce-looking courtiers, Omar sprang to his
+feet in rage, and facing him, cried:</p>
+
+<p>"The men of Mo are forewarned already against thy
+designs, notwithstanding that our ex-Grand Vizier
+Kouaga, the son of a dungheap who betrayed us hither,
+hath joined thine accursed ranks. The soldiers of the
+Naya are still anxious for the fourth time to try conclusions
+with thy white-cloaked rabble. Come, march
+forward into Mo&mdash;thou wilt never return."</p>
+
+<p>"Thou defiest me, even as thy mother hath done," he
+roared, his hand upon the bejewelled hilt of his curved
+blade. "Were it not for one fact I would smite thee
+dead."</p>
+
+<p>"I fear thee not," Omar answered with a calmness
+that astounded me. "Sooner or later thou wilt, I suppose,
+order my death, therefore the sooner the better."</p>
+
+<p>"Why insultest thou our race by bringing hither with
+thee this dog of a Christian?" the chief enquired, looking
+at me with a terrible expression of hatred.</p>
+
+<p>"He cometh as my companion," replied Omar briefly<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins></p>
+
+<p>"As thy companion he shall accompany thee to the
+grave," Samory cried fiercely, his eyes swimming in
+malice.</p>
+
+<p>"So be it," answered Omar, with a smile of contempt.
+"May Zomara curse thy work."</p>
+
+<p>"Speak, infidel!" Samory said, fixing his fiery glance
+upon me. "Whence comest thou?"</p>
+
+<p>"From England," I answered briefly, in fear.</p>
+
+<p>"From that country where dwell the accursed of
+Allah," he said, as if to himself. "They are pig-eaters<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55"></a>[<a href="./images/55.png">55</a>]</span>
+who despise the Book of Everlasting Will and declare
+our great Prophet&mdash;on whom may be everlasting peace&mdash;to
+be a false one. Accursed be thy country, infidel!
+May thy people suffer every torment of Al-H&acirc;wiyat;
+may their food be offal, and may they slake their thirst
+with boiling pitch. The white men have sent their
+messengers to me time after time to urge me to ally myself
+with them, but it shall never be recorded that Samory
+besought the assistance of infidels to extend his
+kingdom. We fight beneath the green banner of Al-Isl&acirc;m,
+and will continue to do so until we die. Ere
+long, the day of the Jehad will dawn; then the forces
+of Al-Isl&acirc;m will unite to sweep from the face of the
+earth those white parasites who seek the overthrow of
+the Faithful. Allah is merciful, and his servant is
+patient," added the old scoundrel piously.</p>
+
+<p>There arose, as if with one voice from those assembled,
+the words: "Samory hath spoken! Allah
+send him blessings abundant!" and as they did so each
+fingered his amulets, little scraps of parchment whereon
+verses from the Kor&acirc;n were written in sprawly Arabic.
+At that moment, too, I noticed, for the first time, that
+right opposite us was the grinning, evil face of the black
+giant, Kouaga, the man who had so foully betrayed us.</p>
+
+<p>We exchanged glances, and he laughed at us in
+triumph.</p>
+
+<p>"Dost thou intend to keep me as hostage?" Omar
+asked his mother's enemy boldly.</p>
+
+<p>"Until thou hast performed the service for which I
+caused thee to journey hither with our good Kouaga."</p>
+
+<p>"The traitor's head shall fall," Omar blurted out with
+pardonable passion. Then he asked, "Thou desirest a
+service of me. Well, what is it?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56"></a>[<a href="./images/56.png">56</a>]</span>
+There was a silence so deep that a feather if dropped
+upon the cool floor of polished marble would have made
+audible sound, and Samory slowly seated himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Give ear unto my words," he said a few moments later,
+in a clear voice, as he stroked his beard with his fat hand.
+"I know that within thine impenetrable kingdom many
+undreamed-of mysteries and wealth untold lie concealed.
+This is common report. Thine ancestors in
+their treasure-house, the whereabouts of which is known
+only to the Naya and to thyself, have deposited heaps of
+jewels and great quantities of gold, the spoils of war
+through many generations. I desire to ascertain, and I
+will ascertain from thine own lips, the exact spot where
+we may seek that treasure."</p>
+
+<p>A look of abject bewilderment crossed Omar's features,
+and he turned to me, saying in English:</p>
+
+<p>"All is now plain, Scars. Because only the Naya herself
+is aware of the spot where the treasure of the
+Sanoms is deposited, my mother, on the eve of my
+departure for England, divulged to me the secret, fearing
+lest she should die before my return. Kouaga was
+the only person who knew that my mother had thus
+spoken to me, and he has informed Samory and joined
+him for the purpose of obtaining the treasure."</p>
+
+<p>"Is not Kouaga aware of the spot where the treasure
+is hidden?" I asked hurriedly.</p>
+
+<p>"No. He came to England at Samory's suggestion
+to convey me hither so that they could get the secret
+from me. On gaining the information it is apparently
+their intention to make a raid, with Kouaga leading, in
+order to secure our wealth."</p>
+
+<p>But Samory himself interrupted our consultation.</p>
+
+<p>"Speak not with thine infidel companion," he roared<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57"></a>[<a href="./images/57.png">57</a>]</span>
+"Answer me. Tell me where this treasure of the
+Sanoms lieth."</p>
+
+<p>"The son of the Naya is no traitor," he answered with
+hauteur.</p>
+
+<p>"If thou speakest thou shalt have thy liberty.
+Indeed, if thou deemest fit thou shalt join the expedition
+into Mo, and share with us the loot," the chief
+urged.</p>
+
+<p>"Thy words insult me," cried Omar, full of wrath.
+"I will never share with thee, who murdered my father,
+that which is my birthright."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," answered Samory indifferently. "Thou
+needest not. We will take it, kill thy mother and annex
+thy country. Already the whole kingdom is ripe for
+revolt, and we shall quickly accomplish the rest. I had
+thee brought hither because thou alone holdest a secret
+I desire to know&mdash;the secret of the royal Treasure-house,
+and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"And I refuse to disclose it," my companion said, interrupting
+the gaudily-attired potentate.</p>
+
+<p>"If thou wilt not speak willingly, then my executioners
+shall force thee to loosen thine obstinate tongue's strings,"
+Samory cried, frowning, while the hideous face of the
+black traitor grinned horribly.</p>
+
+<p>"The secret of the queen is inviolable. My lips are
+sealed," answered Omar with resolution.</p>
+
+<p>"Then my executioners shall unseal them."</p>
+
+<p>"If I cannot save my country from desolation at the
+hands of thy lawless bands," exclaimed my friend, "I
+can at least preserve from thee the treasure accumulated
+by my ancestors to be used only for the emancipation of
+our country should evil befall it. Until the present, Mo
+hath been held against all invaders by the hosts ready at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58"></a>[<a href="./images/58.png">58</a>]</span>
+the hands of my mother and her predecessors, and even
+now if thou marchest over my dead body thy path will
+not be clear of those who will oppose thee. Remember,"
+he added, "the army of the Naya possesses many pom-poms<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a>
+of the English, each of which is equal in power
+to the fire of one of thy battalions. With them our
+people will sweep away thine hosts like grains of sand
+before the sirocco."</p>
+
+<p>"Darest thou oppose my will?" cried Samory, rising
+in a sudden ebullition of wrath.</p>
+
+<p>"Thy will ruleth me not," Omar answered, his face
+pale and calm. "A Sanom never betrayed his trust,
+even though he suffered death."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, offspring of sebel," he hissed between his
+white teeth. "We will test thy resolution, and cause
+thee to eat thy brave words. Thy body shall be racked
+by the torture, and thy flesh given unto the ants to
+eat." Then, turning to the executioner, a big negro with
+face hideously scarred by many cuts, who stood at his
+side leaning upon his razor-edged <i>doka</i>, he added:</p>
+
+<p>"You know my will. Loosen the lad's tongue. Let
+it be done here, so that we may watch the effect of thy
+persuasion."</p>
+
+<p>And all laughed loudly at their ruler's grim humour,
+while twenty slaves of the executioner rushed away in
+obedience to their master's command to bring in the instruments
+of torture.</p>
+
+<p>I turned to Omar. He still stood erect, with arms
+folded. But his face was pale as death.</p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> Maxim guns. They are called "pom-poms" by the African natives
+on account of the noise they cause when fired<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins></p></div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59"></a>[<a href="./images/59.png">59</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+
+<h3>CONDEMNED TO THE TORTURE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Eager</span> to witness the agony of the son of the powerful
+Naya of Mo, the crowd of evil-faced men in silken robes
+who surrounded their brutal chief watched with lively
+anticipation the preparations that were in a few moments
+in active progress. The black slaves of the weirdly-dressed
+executioner first carried in a large blazing brazier,
+and rolling away the thick crimson carpet placed it upon
+the floor of polished marble in front of Samory's divan.</p>
+
+<p>A slave boy had, in response to a sign from the great
+chief, lit his long pipe with its bejewelled mouthpiece,
+and as he half reclined on the couch he smoked on
+calmly, regarding the execution of his orders with undisguised
+satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>The slaves, each wearing black loin-cloths with
+bunches of sable ostrich feathers on their heads that
+waved like funeral-plumes as they walked, brought in
+grim-looking instruments of iron like blacksmiths' tools,
+strange spiked chains, fetters with sharp spikes on the
+inside, and many curiously-contrived irons, each devised
+to cause some horrible torture, each red with rust, the
+rust of blood.</p>
+
+<p>As my eyes fell upon them I involuntarily shuddered.
+Omar, my loyal friend, was about to be murdered
+by these inhuman brutes, and I knew that I was
+powerless to defend him from their fiendish wrath.
+Already he was standing in the grip of two black-plumed
+slaves, while no attempt had been made to secure me.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60"></a>[<a href="./images/60.png">60</a>]</span>
+I stood near him, breathlessly anxious, wondering what
+the end would be.</p>
+
+<p>Presently, when all was ready, a silence fell. Then, the
+deep voice of Samory was heard, asking the final question:</p>
+
+<p>"Speak, son of a dog," he cried, addressing my
+unhappy friend. "Wilt thou tell us where the secret
+Treasure-house of the Sanoms is situated?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," Omar answered, flashing at his enemy a look
+of defiance. "I will not betray my mother's secret to
+my father's murderer."</p>
+
+<p>"Then use thy powers of persuasion," he said, lifting
+his hand towards the executioner. "Unseal his lips,
+and that quickly."</p>
+
+<p>"Chief of our race, whose praises rise earliest and most
+frequent in the presence of Allah, I am ready to obey
+thee," answered the hideous functionary. So saying, he
+took up a long iron instrument, fashioned like a pair
+of pincers and thrust it into the burning coals.</p>
+
+<p>"Vain, O persecutor," cried Omar in a loud voice.
+"Vain are thy tortures against the will power of the son
+of the Great White Queen, whose veins are filled with
+royal blood. Tremble at thy doom, a myriad of my
+race are determined against thee, and thy throne
+noddeth over thine head. The fiend of darkness is let
+loose, and the powers of evil shall prevail."</p>
+
+<p>"Hold thy peace," shouted the Moslem chieftain,
+enraged. "Thine own blood shall make satisfaction for
+those of my race slain by thy warriors when last we
+marched upon thy kingdom."</p>
+
+<p>"The curses of Takhar, of Tuirakh, and of Zomara,
+dreaded by all men, be upon thee," my companion cried,
+lifting his voice until it sounded loud and clear through
+the vaulted hall, and pointing to the slave-raiding king<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61"></a>[<a href="./images/61.png">61</a>]</span>
+whose power no European influence could break. "May
+the vengeance of my injured blood fasten upon thy life."</p>
+
+<p>Those around Samory looked aghast as Omar uttered
+these ominous predictions in the spirit of prophecy, for
+they perceived he spoke as he was moved, and the whole
+council seemed dismayed. Silence and amazement for
+a few moments prevailed. Omar alone appeared unconcerned
+at his fate.</p>
+
+<p>Quickly, however, the executioner bent over his fire,
+and as the wretched victim of the potentate's hatred
+was dragged to a kind of square iron frame that lay
+upon the floor, thrown down, and fastened thereto by
+his wrists and ankles, the fiendish-looking hireling took
+the long pincers, now red hot, and tore from Omar's
+shoulder a great piece of flesh.</p>
+
+<p>A piercing scream of agony rent the air, mingled with
+the triumphant jeers of the excited councillors, but my
+friend's teeth were tightly clenched and his face
+blanched to the lips. Again and again cries of agony
+escaped him as the red-hot iron touched him, although
+he exerted every nerve to maintain a dogged silence.
+From his back, shoulders, and chest the brutal negro
+ruthlessly tore pieces, holding them up to the assembled
+court in triumph, while the air was filled with the
+nauseating odour of burning flesh.</p>
+
+<p>The sight was so sickening that I turned faint, and
+with difficulty prevented myself from falling.</p>
+
+<p>"Wilt thou now impart to us the knowledge that we
+seek?" asked Samory in ringing tones that sounded
+above the whispered exultations of his courtiers.</p>
+
+<p>"Never," gasped Omar in a weak voice, his eyes
+starting from his head. "Life cannot be unchequered
+by the frowns of fate, but death must bring dumbness<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62"></a>[<a href="./images/62.png">62</a>]</span>
+to my lips. Caution, when besmeared in blood, is no
+longer virtue, or wisdom, but wretched and degenerate
+cowardice; no, never let him that was born to execute
+judgment secure his honours by cruelty and oppression.
+Hath not thy Kor&acirc;n told thee that fear and submission is
+a subject's tribute, yet mercy is the attribute of Allah, and
+the most pleasing endowment of the vicegerents of earth."</p>
+
+<p>"From the lips of a fool there sometimes falleth
+wisdom," Samory said impatiently. "Thou hast deemed
+it wise to thwart the will of one whose wish is law, therefore
+ere the bud of thy youth unfolds in the fulness of
+manhood, thou shalt be cut off as the husbandman
+destroyeth the deadly serpent in the field."</p>
+
+<p>"Is there no way to build up the seat of justice and
+mercy but in murder?" cried Omar. At a signal from
+the slave-raider, however, the scarred-face brute again
+withdrew the pincers from the fiery brazier, and applied
+them once more to the wretched prince's back.</p>
+
+<p>He winced and turned with such strength that his
+limbs, fettered as they were in bonds of blood-smeared
+iron, cracked, while the muscles and veins stood out
+knotted like cords. The spotless marble of the floor
+was stained by a dark red pool, becoming larger every
+moment as the life-blood dripped slowly from beneath.</p>
+
+<p>The scene was revolting. I placed my hands over my
+eyes to shut out from my gaze the horrible contortions
+of the victim's face.</p>
+
+<p>Yet those assembled were gleeful and excited. Omar
+was the son of their unconquerable enemy, and they
+delighted in witnessing his humiliation and agony.
+Times without number the negro with the strangely-marked
+visage seared the flesh of my helpless companion;
+then in response to his orders his black-plumed slaves<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63"></a>[<a href="./images/63.png">63</a>]</span>
+drew tighter the bonds that confined his ankles and
+wrists until the sound of the crushing of bones and
+sinews reached our ears.</p>
+
+<p>Again a loud shriek echoed along the high-roofed hall.
+Omar was no longer able to bear the excruciating pain
+in silence.</p>
+
+<p>"Courage," I cried in English, heedless of the consequences.
+"Courage. Let this fiend see that he
+cannot rule us as he does his cringing slaves."</p>
+
+<p>"Think! think of yourself, Scars!" he gasped with
+extreme difficulty. "If they kill me, forgive me for
+bringing you from England. I&mdash;I did not know that
+this trap had been prepared for me."</p>
+
+<p>"I forgive you everything," I answered, glancing for a
+moment at his white, blood-smeared countenance.
+"Bear up. You must&mdash;you shall not die."</p>
+
+<p>But even as I spoke, the executioner, who had been
+bending over the fire, withdrew with his tongs a band of
+iron with long sharp spikes on the inside now red with
+heat, and as the slaves released the pressure upon his
+wrists and ankles the sinister-faced negro placed the
+terrible band around the victim's waist and by means of
+a screw quickly drew it so tight that the red-hot spikes
+ran into the flesh, causing it to smoke and emit a hissing
+noise that was horrible.</p>
+
+<p>Again poor Omar squirmed in pain and gave vent to
+a shrill, agonised cry. But it was not repeated.</p>
+
+<p>Everyone stood eager and open-mouthed, and even
+the villainous Samory rose from his divan to more closely
+watch the effect of the fearful torture now being applied.</p>
+
+<p>The victim's upturned face was white as the marble
+pavement. From the corners of the mouth a thin red
+stream oozed, and the closed eyes and imperceptible<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></a>[<a href="./images/64.png">64</a>]</span>
+breathing showed plainly that no torture, however inhuman,
+could cause him further agony. He had lapsed
+into unconsciousness.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold!" cried Samory at last, seeing the executioner
+about to prepare yet another torture. "Take the pagan
+author of malice from my sight, let his wounds be dressed,
+and apply thy persuasion unto him again to-morrow at
+sundown. He shall speak, I vow before the great Allah
+and Mahomet, the Prophet of the Just. He shall tell us
+where the treasure lieth hidden."</p>
+
+<p>"O, light of the earth," cried one of the councillors, a
+white-bearded sage who wore a robe of crimson silk
+beautifully embroidered. "Though the hand of time
+hath not yet spread the fruits of manhood upon this
+youth's cheeks, yet neither the splendour of thy court nor
+the words from thy lips could steal from the young
+prince the knowledge of himself. He hath cursed thee
+with the three curses of the pagans Takhar, Tuirakh, and
+Zomara, the Crocodile-god, held in awe by all."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, thinkest thou that I fear the empty threats of
+a youth whose hostility towards me arises from the fact
+that I captured his father on the Great Salt Road, and
+smiting off his head, sent it as a present to the Naya?"
+asked Samory in indignation.</p>
+
+<p>But as the black-plumed slaves removed the inanimate
+form of Omar, the aged councillor stepped forward
+boldly, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"I perceive, O source of light, that the dark clouds
+of evil are gathering to disturb the hours of futurity;
+the spirits of the wicked are preparing the storm and
+the tempest against thee; but&mdash;the volumes of Fate are
+torn from my sight, and the end of thy troubles is unknown."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65"></a>[<a href="./images/65.png">65</a>]</span>
+The councillors exchanged glances and stood aghast,
+but Samory, livid with rage, sprang from his divan and
+commenced to upbraid the aged seer for his words of
+warning. I was not, however, allowed to listen to the
+further discussion of the old man's prophecy, being
+hurried by two of the torturer's slaves back to my underground
+cell, where I remained alone for many hours
+awaiting Omar, who, I presumed, was being brought
+back to consciousness in another part of the great impregnable
+fortress, the mazes of which were bewildering.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+
+<h3>ZOMARA.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">In</span> darkness and anxiety I remained alone for many days
+in the foul subterranean prison. Had the fiendish
+tortures been repeated upon my hapless friend, I
+wondered; or had he succumbed to the injuries already
+inflicted? Hour by hour I waited, listening to the
+shuffling footsteps of my gaolers, but only once a day
+there came a black slave to hand me my meagre ration
+of food and depart without deigning to give answer to
+any of my questions.</p>
+
+<p>I became sick with anxiety, and at last felt that I must
+abandon all hope of again seeing him. I was alone in
+the midst of the fiercest and most fanatical people of the
+whole of Africa, a people whose supreme delight it was
+to torture the whites that fell into their hands as vengeance
+for the many expeditions sent against them.
+Through those dismal days when silence and the want
+of air oppressed me, I remembered the old adage that
+when Hope goes out Death smiles and stalks in, but
+fortunately, although wearied and dejected, I did not quite<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></a>[<a href="./images/66.png">66</a>]</span>
+abandon all thought of ever again meeting my companion.
+The hope of seeing him, of being able to escape and get
+into the land of Mo, was now the sole anchor of my life, yet
+as the monotonous hours passed, the light in the chink
+above grew brighter and time after time gradually faded
+into pitch darkness, I felt compelled to admit that my
+anticipations were without foundation, and that Omar,
+the courageous descendant of a truly kingly race, was dead.</p>
+
+<p>In the dull dispiriting gloom I sat hour after hour on
+the stone bench encrusted with the dirt of years, calmly
+reflecting upon the bright, happy life I had been, alas!
+too eager to renounce, and told myself with sorrow that,
+after all, old Trigger's school, or even the existence of
+a London clerk, was preferable to imprisonment in
+Samory's stronghold. Many were the means by which
+I sought to make time pass more rapidly, but the
+hours had leaden feet, and while the tiny ray struggled
+through above, my mind was constantly racked by bitter
+thoughts of the past, and a despairing dread of the
+hopeless future.</p>
+
+<p>One morning, however, when I had lost all count of
+the days of my solitary confinement, my heart was
+suddenly caused to leap by hearing the unusual sound of
+footsteps, and a few moments later my door was thrown
+open and I was ordered by my captors to come forth.</p>
+
+<p>I rose, and following them unwillingly, wondering what
+fate had been decided for me, ascended the steep
+flight of steps to the courtyard above, wherein I found a
+crowd of Arab nomads in their white haicks and
+burnouses. Samory was also there, and before him, still
+defiant and apparently almost recovered from his wounds,
+stood my friend Omar<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins></p>
+
+<p>I sprang towards him with a loud cry of joy, and our<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></a>[<a href="./images/67.png">67</a>]</span>
+recognition was mutually enthusiastic, as neither of us
+had known what fate had overtaken the other; but ere
+he could relate how he had fared, the Mohammedan chief
+lifted his hand, and a dead silence fell on those assembled.</p>
+
+<p>"Omar, son of the accursed Naya whom may Eblis
+smite with the fiery sword, give ear unto my words," he
+said, in a loud, harsh voice. "Thou hast defied me,
+and will not impart to me the secret of the Treasure-house,
+even though I offer thee thy freedom. I have
+spared thee the second torture in order that a fate more
+degrading and more terrible shall be thine. Hearken!
+Thou and thy friend are sold to these Arab slavers for
+this single copper coin."</p>
+
+<p>For an instant he showed us the coin in the palm of
+his brown hand, then tossed it far away from him with a
+gesture of disgust.</p>
+
+<p>"Ye are both sold," he continued, "sold for the
+smallest coin, to be taken to Kumassi as slaves for their
+pagan sacrifice."</p>
+
+<p>At his words we both started. It was indeed a terrible
+doom to which this villainous brute had consigned us.
+We were to be butchered with awful rites for the
+edification of Prempeh and his wild hordes of fanatics!</p>
+
+<p>"Rather kill us outright," Omar said boldly, his
+hands trembling nevertheless.</p>
+
+<p>"Death will seize thee quite soon enough," laughed
+the chief derisively. "Mine ally Prempeh will have
+the satisfaction of offering a queen's son to the fetish."</p>
+
+<p>"Rest assured that the god Zomara will reward thee
+for this day's evil work," Omar cried, with a fierce look
+in his eyes. "Thou hast spent fiercest hatred upon me,
+but even if I die, word will sooner or later be carried into
+Mo that thou wert the cause of the death of the last of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></a>[<a href="./images/68.png">68</a>]</span>
+my race. Then every man capable of bearing arms
+will rise against thee. Standing here, I make prophecy
+that this thy kingdom shall be uprooted as a weed in
+the garden of peace, and that thine own blood shall
+make satisfaction for thy cruelty."</p>
+
+<p>"Begone!" cried Samory, in a tumult of wrath.
+And turning to the Arabs he cried in a commanding
+tone: "Take the dog to the slaughterers. Let me never
+look again upon his face."</p>
+
+<p>But ere they could seize him, he had lifted his hand,
+invoking the curse of Zomara, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Omar, Prince of Mo, has spoken. This kingdom
+of Samory shall, ere many moons, be shaken to its
+foundations."</p>
+
+<p>But the fierce Arabs quickly dragged us forth, bound
+us when out of sight of the great chief, and led us
+beyond the gates of the Kasbah to where we found a
+great slave caravan assembled in readiness to depart.
+Fully one hundred black slaves, each fastened in a long
+chain, were lying huddled up in the shadow, seeking a
+brief rest after a long and tedious march. Most of
+them were terrible objects, mere skin and bone, and all
+showed signs of brutal ill-treatment, their backs bearing
+great festering sores caused by the lashes of their pitiless
+captors. The majority of them had, I ascertained, been
+captured in the forest wilds beyond the Niger, and all
+preserved a stolid indifference, for they knew their
+terrible doom. They were being hurried on to Kumassi
+to be sold to King Prempeh for sacrificial purposes.</p>
+
+<p>To this wretched perspiring crowd of hopeless
+humanity we were bound, and amid the jeers of a
+number of Samory's officials who had crowded to the
+gate to see us depart, we moved onward, our steps<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></a>[<a href="./images/69.png">69</a>]</span>
+hastened by the heavy whips of our masters who,
+mounted on wiry little ponies and heavily armed, galloped
+up and down the line administering blows to the laggards
+or the sick.</p>
+
+<p>From the city away across the open grass-lands we
+wended our way, a dismal, sorrowful procession, but
+Omar, now beside me again, briefly related how, after
+being removed from the torture-frame, his wounds had
+been dressed and he had been tenderly nursed by an old
+female slave who had taken compassion upon him. A
+dozen times messengers from Samory had come to offer
+him his liberty in exchange for the secret of the
+Treasure-house, but he had steadfastly refused. Twice
+the scoundrel Kouaga had visited him and made merry
+over his discomfiture.</p>
+
+<p>"But," said my friend, "the boastings of the traitor
+are empty words. When we laugh it shall be at his vain
+implorings for a speedy death."</p>
+
+<p>"To him we owe all these misfortunes," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, everything. But if only we get into Mo he
+shall render an account of his misdeeds to my mother.
+No mercy will be shown him, for before the Naya's
+wrath the nation trembles."</p>
+
+<p>"But our position at the present moment is one of
+extreme gravity," I observed. "We are actually on our
+way to another of your mother's enemies, whose relentless
+cruelty is common talk throughout the world."</p>
+
+<p>"True," he answered. "If we find the slightest loop-hole
+for escape we must embrace it. But if not&mdash;&mdash;"
+and he paused. "If not, then we must meet our deaths
+with the calm indifference alike traditional of the Sanoms
+and of Englishmen."</p>
+
+<p>Whenever misfortune seemed to threaten he appeared<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70"></a>[<a href="./images/70.png">70</a>]</span>
+only the more composed. Each day showed me that,
+even though an African and a semi-savage, yet his bearing
+in moments when others would have been melancholy,
+was dignified and truly regal. Even though his
+only covering was a loin-cloth and a piece of a white cotton
+garment wrapped about his shoulders, Omar Sanom was
+every inch a prince.</p>
+
+<p>"If we made a dash for liberty we should, I fear, be
+shot down like dogs," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he answered. "The country we shall now
+traverse will not facilitate our flight, but the reverse.
+From the edge of the Great Forest to Buna, beyond the
+Kong mountains, it is mostly marshy hollows and pestilential
+swamps, while the lands beyond Buna away to
+Koranza, in Ashanti, are flat and open like your English
+pastures. We will, if opportunity offers, endeavour to
+escape, but even if we succeeded in eluding their
+vigilance death lurks everywhere in a hundred different
+forms."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, at present we are slaves hounded on towards
+the dreaded Golgotha of the Ashantis," I said. "We
+have escaped one fate only to be threatened by one more
+terrible."</p>
+
+<p>"True," he answered. "But down on the Coast they
+have an old proverb in the Negro-English jargon which
+says, 'Softly, softly catchee monkey.' Let us proceed
+cautiously, bear our trials with patience, seek not to
+incense these brutal Arabs against us, and we may yet
+tread the path that leads into my mother's kingdom.
+Then, within a week, the war-drums will sound and we
+will accompany our hosts against Samory and his hordes."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall act as you direct," I replied. "If you
+think that by patience all may come right no complaint<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71"></a>[<a href="./images/71.png">71</a>]</span>
+shall pass my lips. We are companions in misfortune,
+therefore let us arm ourselves against despair."</p>
+
+<p>The compact thus made, we endured the toil and
+hardships of travel without murmur. At first our
+bearded masters heaped upon the queen's son every indignity
+they could devise, but finding they could not
+incense him, nor cause him to utter complaint, ceased
+their taunts and cuts from their loaded whips, and soon
+began to treat us with less severity.</p>
+
+<p>Yet the fatigues of that march were terrible. The
+suffering I witnessed in that slave gang is still as vivid
+in my memory as if it were only yesterday. Ere we had
+passed through the great forest and gained the Kong
+mountains, a dozen of our unfortunate companions who
+had fallen sick had been left in the narrow path to be
+eaten alive by the driver-ants and other insects in which
+the gloomy depths abound, while during the twenty days
+which the march to the Ashanti border occupied many
+others succumbed to fever. Over all the marshes there
+hung a thick white mist deadly to all, but the more so
+to the starving wretches who came from the high lands
+far north beyond the Niger. Scarcely a day broke
+without one or more of the lean, weak negroes being
+attacked, and as a sick slave is only an incumbrance,
+they were left to die while we were marched onward.
+Whose turn it might next be to be left behind to be
+devoured alive none knew, and in this agony of fear and
+suspense we pushed forward from day to day until we at
+last reached the undulating grass-land that Omar told
+me was within a few days' march of Kumassi.</p>
+
+<p>Here, even if the sun blazed down upon us like a
+ball of fire, it was far healthier than in the misty regions
+of King Fever, and at the summit of a low grass-covered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72"></a>[<a href="./images/72.png">72</a>]</span>
+hill our captors halted for two days to allow us to recuperate,
+fearing, we supposed, that our starved and weak
+condition might be made an excuse for low prices.</p>
+
+<p>Soon, however, we were goaded forward again, and ere
+long, having traversed Mampon's country, entered the
+capital of King Prempeh, slaves to be sacrificed at the
+great annual custom.</p>
+
+<p>No chance of escape had been afforded us. We were
+driven forward to the doom to which the inhuman enemy
+of the Naya of Mo had so ruthlessly consigned us.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE HUMAN SACRIFICE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Kumassi</span>, the capital of the Ashanti kingdom, was, we
+found, full of curious contrasts. We approached it
+through dense high elephant grass, along a little beaten
+foot-path strewn with fetish dolls. It was evening when
+we entered it, and drums could be heard rumbling and
+booming far and near. Presently we passed a cluster
+of the usual mud huts, then another; several other
+clusters were in sight with patches of high jungle grass
+between. Then in a bare open space some two hundred
+yards across, were huts, and more thatched roofs in the
+hollow beyond. This was Kumassi.</p>
+
+<p>During that day three of our fellow-sufferers, knowing
+the horrible fate in store for them, managed to snatch
+knives from the belts of our captors and commit suicide
+before our eyes, preferring death by their own hands
+to decapitation by the executioners of Prempeh, that
+bloodthirsty monarch who has now happily been
+deposed by the British Government, but who at that
+time was sacrificing thousands of human lives annually,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73"></a>[<a href="./images/73.png">73</a>]</span>
+defiant and heedless of the remonstrances of civilized
+nations.</p>
+
+<p>In size Kumassi came up to the standard I had formed
+of it. The streets were numerous, some half-dozen were
+broad and uniform, the main avenue being some seventy
+yards wide, and here and there along its length a great
+patriarchal tree spread its branches. The houses were
+wattled structures with alcoves and stuccoed fa&ccedil;ades,
+embellished with Moorish designs and coloured with red
+ochre. Red seemed the prevailing colour. Indeed it
+is stated on good authority that on one occasion Prempeh
+desired to stain the walls of his palace a darker red, and
+used the blood of a thousand victims for that purpose.
+Behind each of the pretentious buildings which fronted
+the streets were grouped the huts of the domestics, inclosing
+small courtyards.</p>
+
+<p>Passing down this main avenue, where many people
+watched our dismal procession, we came to the grove
+whence issued the terrible smell which caused travellers
+to describe Kumassi as a vast charnel-house; we, however,
+did not halt there, but passed onward to the palace of
+Prempeh, situated about three hundred yards away and
+occupying a level area in the valley dividing the two
+eminences on which the town is situated. The first view
+of what was designated as the palace was a number of
+houses with steep thatched roofs clustered together and
+fenced around with split bamboo stakes, while at one
+corner rose a square two-storeyed stone building. The
+lower part of the lofty walls of stucco was stained deep
+red, probably by blood, and the upper part whitewashed.</p>
+
+<p>Presumably our captors had received a commission
+from Prempeh to supply him with slaves for the sacrifice,
+for we were marched into a small courtyard of the palace<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74"></a>[<a href="./images/74.png">74</a>]</span>
+itself and there allowed to rest until next day, being
+given a plentiful supply of well-cooked <i>cankie</i>, or maize
+pudding wrapped in plantain leaves. Our position was,
+we knew, extremely critical. Attired in the merest
+remnant of a waist cloth, with a thick noose of grass-rope
+securely knotted around our necks, we lay in the
+open court with the stars shining brilliantly above us,
+unable to sleep from the intensity of our feelings. In
+the next court there were more than a hundred unfortunates
+like ourselves huddled together, ready to be
+sacrificed on the morrow.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after sunrise, while moodily awaiting our fate,
+we were made to stand up for inspection by one of the
+King's Ocras. These men were of three classes; the
+first being relatives of the King and entrusted with
+State secrets, were never sacrificed, the second were
+certain soldiers appointed by the king, and the third
+slaves. All, on account of their distinguished services,
+were exempt from taxes, palavers and military services,
+and were kept in splendid style by the Royal exchequer,
+those of the inferior classes being expected to sacrifice
+themselves upon the tomb of the king when he died.</p>
+
+<p>The tall, rather handsome, man who inspected us was
+an Ocra of the first class, for he wore a massive gold
+circle like a quoit suspended around his neck by golden
+chains, and, walking beneath an enormous, gaudily-coloured
+silken umbrella bearing the crude device of a
+crouching leopard, was attended by a numerous retinue,
+who paid him the greatest respect.</p>
+
+<p>The Arabs who had brought us there made him profound
+obeisance, while some members of the retinue
+snapped fingers with several of the Arabs, and the usual
+teetotal ceremony of drinking water to "cool the heads"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75"></a>[<a href="./images/75.png">75</a>]</span>
+was gone through. The inspection was a keen one,
+each of us being passed in review before the Ocra, who
+made brief comments to the Arabs at his side. As
+Omar passed the dark-faced official scrutinised him
+carefully and seemed interested to learn what the leader
+of the slave caravan told him in a tongue unknown to
+me regarding us both, for his gaze wandered from my
+companion to myself, and I was at once called out to
+pass before his keen glance. We were both kept there
+several minutes while the Arab presumably explained
+how we had been entrapped at the court of Samory.
+At last, however, we were allowed to retire, and very
+soon afterwards the great Ocra moved forward into the
+next court, followed by a couple of youths bearing long
+knives and a thin, lean-looking wretch with a stool
+curiously carved from a solid block of cotton wood,
+richly embellished with gold ornaments.</p>
+
+<p>When he had gone I cast myself upon the ground in
+the shadow beside Omar, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"After all, it would have been better if we had died
+in the woods than to endure this torture of waiting for
+execution."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he answered, gloomily. "That Ocra who has
+just inspected us was Betea, a bitter enemy of my
+mother. He is certain to revenge himself upon us."</p>
+
+<p>But even as he spoke we heard the adulatory shouts
+of the royal crier somewhere in our vicinity. They
+were more than sufficient to transform any man, white or
+black, into a vain despot, and as translated by Omar
+were in the strain of:</p>
+
+<p>"O, King, thou art the king above all kings! Thou
+art great! Thou art mighty! Thou art strong! Thou
+hast done enough! The princes of the earth bow down<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76"></a>[<a href="./images/76.png">76</a>]</span>
+to thee, and humble themselves in the dust before
+thy stool. Who is like unto the King of all the
+Ashantis?"</p>
+
+<p>It was the preliminary of the great sacrifice!</p>
+
+<p>King Prempeh, though arrogant, vain and cruel beyond
+measure, had, we afterwards saw, the eye of a king,
+which means that it was the eye of one possessing
+unlimited power over life and death. It was the custom
+for the king to be placed on the stool by the united
+voice of the chiefs; but immediately he was seated in
+him became vested the supreme power.</p>
+
+<p>Soon the firing of guns and the loud beating of the
+great <i>kinkassis</i>, or drums ornamented with human
+skulls, sounded outside the walls wherein we were confined,
+while the air was rent by the wild yells of the
+excited populace. For nearly an hour this continued,
+and we thus remained in terrible suspense until at last
+the gate opened, and with the grass ropes still around
+our neck we were marched out of the palace under an
+escort of the king's slaves.</p>
+
+<p>Turning to the left along the broad avenue we saw
+upon a long pole a human head grinning at us, two
+vultures perched upon it eagerly stripping it. It was,
+Omar told me, the head of a thief. The street was
+crowded with people, who shouted to their gods as we
+passed in procession, and presently we came to a great
+fetish-gallows, from the cross beams of which hung the
+decomposing body of a ram. Some of the men forming
+our escort were a strangely-dressed set, their uniform
+consisting of striped tunics reaching to the knee, confined
+round the waist by belts profusely decorated with
+strips of leopard skin and tiny brass bells which tinkled
+musically as they moved. In their belts they carried<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77"></a>[<a href="./images/77.png">77</a>]</span>
+several knives, while the musket and the little round
+cap of pangolin skin completed their equipment.</p>
+
+<p>At last we reached the grove at Bantama on the out-skirts
+of the town, one of the three execution places.
+Several thousand people had assembled around a great
+tree where a number of gorgeous umbrellas of every
+hue and material had been erected. Many were ornamented
+with curious devices, and the tops of some bore
+little images of men and animals in gold and silver.
+Under the centre umbrella, upon a brass-nailed chair
+close to the tree, sat King Prempeh in regal splendour,
+surrounded by a crowd of chiefs, whose golden
+accoutrements glittered in the sun. Three scarlet-clad
+dwarfs were dancing before him amid the dense crowd
+of sword-bearers, fly-whiskers, court criers and minor
+officials. As he sat there, his thin flabby yellow face
+glistening with oil, he looked a truly regal figure, wearing
+upon his head a high black and gold crown, and on his
+neck and arms great golden beads and nuggets. His
+habit was to suck a large nut that looked like a big
+cigar, and as he sat there with it in his mouth it gave
+his face a strangely idiotic expression.</p>
+
+<p>The whole Ashanti court had assembled at the theatre
+of human sacrifice.</p>
+
+<p>As we approached the drumming grew louder, the
+roar of voices filled the air, and the great coloured
+umbrellas were seen whirling and bobbing above the
+heads of the surging crowd of natives. The great
+barrel-like drums, with their grim ornamentations,
+boomed forth, and bands of elephant-tusk horns added
+to the deafening din.</p>
+
+<p>In the distance could be seen the great fetish-house,
+with its enormous high thatched roof wherein was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78"></a>[<a href="./images/78.png">78</a>]</span>
+supposed to be hidden Prempeh's great treasures of
+gold-dust and jewels. The ground whereon the glittering
+court had assembled was covered with the skulls
+and bones of thousands of former victims, and as we
+advanced slowly through the turbulent crowd we saw a
+sight that froze our blood. At the foot of the fetish
+tree was placed a great brass execution-bowl, about five
+feet in diameter. It was ornamented with four small
+lions and a number of knobs all around its rim, except at
+one part where there was a space for the victim's neck to
+rest upon the edge. The blood of those sacrificed to the
+gods was allowed to putrefy in this great bowl&mdash;which
+has recently passed into the hands of the English, and
+is now in London&mdash;and leaves of certain herbs being
+added it was considered valuable as a fetish medicine.</p>
+
+<p>As we entered the cleared space between the chiefs
+and caboocers surrounding the King and the thousands
+of warriors and spectators, salvo after salvo of musketry
+was fired, until the smoke obscured all objects in our
+immediate vicinity. Around the sacrificial bowl were
+grouped a dozen or more royal executioners with their
+faces whitewashed and hideously decorated. Some
+upon their heads wore caps of monkey skin with the
+face in front, while others had high head-dresses of
+eagles' feathers, their tunics of long grasses being
+covered with magical charms tied in little bunches. All
+were copiously smeared with blood, while each wore a
+necklace of human teeth, and carried a heavy broad-bladed
+sword rusted by the blood of former victims.
+Behind them were twenty or thirty Ashantis, each with
+a knife stuck through both cheeks, to prevent the
+unhappy victims from asking the King to spare their
+lives, which, according to national law, must be granted,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79"></a>[<a href="./images/79.png">79</a>]</span>
+while a broad-bladed dagger was in many cases run
+under the shoulder-blades. They were prisoners who
+had tried to stir revolt, and were, we understood, to be
+sacrificed first. Our turn would come later.</p>
+
+<p>The scene was horrible; we were appalled. At a
+signal from the King the first unfortunate wretch was
+instantly seized by two executioners and held over the
+bowl, while a third lifted his keen sword, and with a
+dull, sickening thud brought it down upon the poor
+fellow's neck, hacking into his spine until the head was
+severed. Then there arose a loud shout of triumph.
+The offering to the fetish was the signal for the most
+enthusiastic rejoicing, and the shouts of adulation were
+deafening. The people, ground down by a crafty priesthood,
+and steeped in the most degrading superstitions,
+looked upon the wholesale butchery that followed without
+a shudder. King, courtiers and slaves seemed
+seized with an insatiable desire for blood, and as one
+head fell after another, the cries of the victims drowned
+by the vociferous shouts of the onlookers, Omar and I
+stood shackled and trembling.</p>
+
+<p>One after another the victims were thrown across the
+bowl and their life-blood gushed into it as the cruel
+swords descended, while the King gloated over the
+sight with an expression of pleasure upon his oily sinister
+face, until the heap of headless trunks grew large, and
+the number sacrificed must have been over a hundred.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the chief executioner took one of his knives
+which had a human skull upon the hilt, and holding it
+up, commanded silence.</p>
+
+<p>Then spoke the Ocra Betea, who, rising from his
+stool, waved his hand across the veritable Golgotha,
+crying:</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80"></a>[<a href="./images/80.png">80</a>]</span>
+"Behold! Tremble! The King makes the great yam
+custom. The death-drum beats, and to the fetish we
+offer sacrifice. Who is so great as the King of all the
+Ashantis, and who is so powerful as the fetish? Yonder
+are the graves of the great kings, and the marks on
+yonder walls show the number of men who were sacrificed
+when their graves were watered. Listen! The
+mighty King Prempeh is about to sacrifice. To-day he
+sends five hundred men to the dark world as a thank
+offering for the harvest, and as an offering to the fetish to
+enable us to eat up our enemies, the whites. When our
+mighty King says war, we will arm against them, and
+their heads shall fill many baskets. Of a truth our lord
+Prempeh is the greatest monarch who has ever sat upon
+the stool. The earth quakes when he speaks, and his
+enemies are paralysed by fear. Betea has spoken."</p>
+
+<p>Then the crowd set up a series of wild shrieks and
+yells, they gesticulated, fired guns indiscriminately, and
+danced wildly, while some of the enthusiasts pressing
+forward, dipped their hands into the blood already
+in the bowl, and besmeared themselves with it; and
+others, turning upon myself and my companion as we
+stood silent and trembling, heaped every insult upon us.</p>
+
+<p>In a few moments, however, the crowd was driven
+back, and at a signal from the King the executions
+recommenced, until the smell of blood grew sickening,
+and the awful scene caused me to shake like an aspen.</p>
+
+<p>I knew that nothing could save me from the hands
+of these demoniacal whitewashed executioners, and in
+a few moments I, a slave purchased like an ox for the
+slaughter, would be borne down over the bowl and
+decapitated.</p>
+
+<p>I looked at Omar. His face was pale, but his lips<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81"></a>[<a href="./images/81.png">81</a>]</span>
+were tightly set, although there was an expression of
+utter hopelessness upon his countenance.</p>
+
+<p>The horror of that moment held me breathless.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+
+<h3>IN THE SACRED GROVE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">One</span> by one the slaves of the gang in which we had
+travelled were dragged forward, held over the execution
+bowl and sent as messengers to spirit-land, until it came
+to Omar's turn. In a second two white-faced demons
+with keen swords seized him, and despite the cry for
+mercy that escaped his lips, he was rushed forward, the
+frenzied executioners flinging him down unceremoniously,
+and bending his head over the warm blood with which
+the basin was now filled to overflowing.</p>
+
+<p>At that instant, as the chief executioner strode forward
+and held his dripping blade uplifted, ready to strike,
+the King raised his hand to command silence, and the
+hideously-dressed official paused in wonder, his sword
+poised in air.</p>
+
+<p>Betea, the Ocra, bending low, was whispering to the
+King, when the latter suddenly took the nut from his
+mouth and said:</p>
+
+<p>"So it is upon Omar, son of my enemy the Naya of
+Mo, that my eyes rest! Let him stand forth with his
+white companion."</p>
+
+<p>Obedient to the command of the King, the executioners
+allowed Omar to rise, and in a few moments we
+both stood before the royal stool.</p>
+
+<p>"How came you here?" asked Prempeh, scowling.</p>
+
+<p>"I was captured and sold as slave to the Arab<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82"></a>[<a href="./images/82.png">82</a>]</span>
+dealers," he answered, drawing himself up with that
+princely air he always assumed in moments of danger.</p>
+
+<p>"And your white companion? How is it he is in our
+capital?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have been to the land of the white men across the
+sea, and he returned as my friend," Omar replied.
+"We were travelling homeward to Mo when by treachery
+I was entrapped."</p>
+
+<p>"By whom?"</p>
+
+<p>"By Samory."</p>
+
+<p>Across Prempeh's evil face there spread a sickly
+smile. He was an ally of the great Mohammedan chief,
+and saw at once that Samory had sold the son of their
+mutual enemy into slavery.</p>
+
+<p>"Your queen-mother," he said, "has times without
+number sent her armed hordes over the border to raid
+our villages, and it is the fetish that has delivered you,
+her son, into our hands. The fetish has not sent you
+hither as a sacrifice, but as a hostage. Therefore your
+life shall be spared together with that of your white
+friend, but you shall both be given as slaves to our
+trusted Ocra Betea. Let the sacrifice proceed.
+Prempeh, King of all the Ashantis, has spoken."</p>
+
+<p>Next second a poor black wretch was dragged along
+in Omar's place and the sword fell heavily upon him,
+while we were both hurried away in charge of a caboocer
+to the residence of the man who was, according to
+Omar, one of his mother's bitterest foes. Glad were we
+to escape with our lives from that awful scene of inhuman
+butchery, but it seemed that as slaves of this
+court favourite to whom we had been given, there would
+be but little brightness in our lives.</p>
+
+<p>As day succeeded day our gloomy forebodings were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83"></a>[<a href="./images/83.png">83</a>]</span>
+only too truly realized. Betea, the most powerful of
+the King's Ocras, seemed to delight in making our lives
+a burden to us, for amid luxurious surroundings we were
+beaten, starved, and ill-treated, until even death under
+the executioner's knife seemed a preferable fate.</p>
+
+<p>Six months passed; six weary months of slavery and
+wretchedness. Our position seemed absolutely hopeless,
+and I began to fear that we should never escape from
+the City of Blood. The scenes we witnessed there were
+so revolting, that I cannot now reflect upon them without
+a shudder. The ghastly "customs," the absence of
+all protection for life and property, the grinding
+oppression, the nameless horrors of all kinds, were
+terrible. Blood was continually flowing, for every anniversary
+demanded fresh holocausts, and the "Golgotha"
+presented a sight of indescribable horror. The unwritten
+code of laws were of such a sanguinary nature,
+that the public executioners formed a numerous section
+of the community and were constantly employed collecting
+their victims, leading them for exhibition through
+the capital and then hacking them to pieces in presence
+of the king. Soldiers, slaves, retainers of the nobles and
+conquered tribes possessed no defined rights, and their
+lives and property were practically in the hands of the
+royal and governing classes.</p>
+
+<p>Close to the house of our inhuman master was the
+fetish grove, a horrible place, surrounded by rank grass,
+dirt, and reeking with odours pestilential. Once or
+twice I wandered in that grove, treading upon human
+bones at every step&mdash;the heaped-up remains of thousands
+of miserable creatures slaughtered to please the
+Ashanti ruler's lust for blood. Poor crumbling bones,
+mouldy and sodden as the rotten wood of older trees,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84"></a>[<a href="./images/84.png">84</a>]</span>
+yet once clothed with form and vigour, lay everywhere,
+while under the cotton wood trees skulls were heaped
+and vultures hovered about in hundreds.</p>
+
+<p>One evening we attended our master on one of his
+official visits to Bantama, the fetish priest's village where
+we so narrowly escaped execution, and were able to
+thoroughly inspect the gruesome place. The most horrible
+blood-orgies known to superstition and fetish-worship
+were almost daily practised there, and in nearly every
+abode there were stools and chairs smeared with human
+blood, drinking bowls were stained with it, and some
+vessels were half-filled with black clotted blood. In the
+priests' inner chambers, dark dens filled with foul odours,
+to which we entered with Betea, we found not only the
+whole apartment smeared with blood, but bones and
+portions of human remains lying about openly, or wrapped
+in rags to serve as charms. One building, probably the
+residence of one of the chief priests, was embellished
+with mud-moulded panels and scroll work, and the
+columns facing the principal quadrangle were fluted.
+The colours were the prevailing white clay, and red
+ochre plastered upon the wattle and mud pillars.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, as in the dusk we left this house, a loud
+horrible shriek sounded. At first we thought some poor
+wretch was being sacrificed, but again and again it
+sounded, and all turned pale, even the royal Ocra himself.</p>
+
+<p>"What's that, I wonder?" I asked Omar, who,
+bearing our master's sword, was walking at my side.</p>
+
+<p>"The gree-gree!" he gasped, looking round in fear,
+while at that moment there sounded two ear-piercing
+blasts upon a horn.</p>
+
+<p>"Hark!" cried Betea himself, trembling. "The
+gree-gree is out to-night!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85"></a>[<a href="./images/85.png">85</a>]</span>
+I remembered that I had been told by one of our
+fellow-slaves that the gree-gree was a great fetish who
+appeared horned like a demon, and killed all persons he
+came across. None dare lock their doors when the
+gree-gree walked, and only the King himself was
+invulnerable. This no doubt was another trick of the
+priests to frighten the superstitious natives, and at the
+same time wreak vengeance upon those who had offended
+them. Once again the notes of the horn rose weird and
+shrill, and died away. Then Betea, himself affrighted,
+turned to us saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Fly! fly for your lives. If the gree-gree catches
+you you will be struck upon the brow. His arm deals
+death everywhere."</p>
+
+<p>In a moment all took to their heels, including the royal
+Ocra, but Omar, grasping my arm, whispered excitedly:</p>
+
+<p>"Stay. We may now escape."</p>
+
+<p>As the words left his lips we caught sight of a weird
+black figure dressed in long coarse grass, with rams'
+horns upon his head, his face whitened and a second
+pair of eyes painted over his own. In his hand gleamed
+a long bright knife, while at his side was suspended a
+freshly-severed human arm and hand. Yelling and
+leaping like a veritable demon, he suddenly noticed the
+flying figures of our fellow-slaves, and halting a moment,
+dashed after them, leaving us alone.</p>
+
+<p>"He will return here, so we must hide," Omar said
+quickly, and glancing round, we both saw at the end of
+the dark ghostly avenue of fetish-trees an oblong windowless
+mud building with a high-pitched triple grass
+thatched roof. Running towards it we managed to
+wrench off the padlock from the door and enter. It
+was, we discovered, the reputed sepulchre of the Ashanti<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86"></a>[<a href="./images/86.png">86</a>]</span>
+kings. Without, it was guarded by all sorts of fetish-charms,
+extraordinary odds and ends, animals' claws,
+broken pottery, scraps of tin, bits of wood, stones and
+human bones. Within, by the aid of a lamp we found
+burning were revealed several great coffers clamped with
+copper and iron, each resting upon two big stools of
+carved cotton-wood. Jars and vases filled with water
+and wine, braziers full of sweet-smelling leaves, and
+plates of food were placed beside each, offerings for the
+use of the dead.</p>
+
+<p>Omar told me that when an Ashanti king died, he was
+buried in an ordinary coffin for a time, but afterwards
+the body was invariably disinterred, and the joints of the
+skeleton articulated with gold bands and wire. It was
+then placed, doubled up, in one of these spacious coffers&mdash;fully
+four feet long by two feet wide and deep&mdash;and the
+other skeletons were attendants, slaughtered and sent to
+the land of Shades to wait on the monarch's ghost.</p>
+
+<p>"Possibly," I said, "much of the ghostly grimness
+and worked-up horrors about this place are cunningly
+devised, not only to protect the Royal tombs from being
+plundered by the superstitious natives, but to help to
+safeguard the State treasures concealed in yonder
+coffins."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said. "In this priest-ridden country all
+the superstition is heaped up for their benefit and profit.
+But we must get out of here before dawn, run past the
+gree-gree if he is about, and make a dash for the open
+forest. It is our only chance of escape, for at dawn the
+priests will come again to watch beside the tombs, and
+if discovered we are certain to be skewered through the
+mouth, dragged before Prempeh and hacked to pieces
+by the criminal executioner."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87"></a>[<a href="./images/87.png">87</a>]</span>
+"Well, any fate is better than that," I observed. "Let
+us wait an hour or so, and then make a rush for it."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," he answered, and together we resumed
+the work of exploring the strange place.</p>
+
+<p>Soon, however, our lamp burned dim, flickered, and
+went out; then, after waiting in silence for half an hour
+in the pitch darkness, we softly opened the door, and,
+holding our breaths, crept out. With noiseless tread
+we stole along the sacred grove and were nearly at the
+end when, without warning, the hideous gree-gree, with
+a fiendish yell of triumph, sprang out of some bushes
+upon us.</p>
+
+<p>Involuntarily, I put up my fist to ward off attack, and
+in doing so gave him a well-directed blow full in the face,
+sending him down flat on his back.</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah!" cried Omar in delight. "Floored him!
+Let's run for our lives."</p>
+
+<p>Ere the midnight murderer could spring to his feet,
+we had dashed away as fast as our legs could carry us,
+running along the fetish-grove, past the cluster of executioners'
+houses, across the open space where in the
+centre stood the great tree under which Prempeh had
+sat to witness the wholesale sacrifice, and continuing
+until we came to a path through the high elephant-grass,
+we soon left the city far behind us, and plunged into
+the dark, dismal forest by the narrow winding way that
+led to the unexplored regions of the north.</p>
+
+<p>When at length we paused to take breath Omar, panting,
+said:</p>
+
+<p>"At last we are free again. Betea will not seek us,
+for he naturally believes we were killed by the gree-gree.
+If Zomara favours us we shall yet live to enter Mo and
+lead our hosts into the country of Samory."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88"></a>[<a href="./images/88.png">88</a>]</span>
+Then, taking from his neck a little bag of some
+strange powder, he took therefrom a pinch, and with
+fervent words scattered it to the four quarters of the
+wind, thus making a thank-offering to the Crocodile-god.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER <ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'III'">XIII</ins> .</h2>
+
+<h3>THE WAY OF THE THOUSAND STEPS.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">To</span> describe in detail our long toilsome journey and
+the terrible hardships we suffered during the next two
+months is unnecessary. Suffice it to say that without
+means of barter, unarmed, and living upon fruit and
+roots, we tramped along that narrow path through the
+pestilential marshes and the great forests where no light
+penetrated through the thick foliage of the giant trees
+for several weeks, always due north and passing villages
+sometimes, until we crossed the Sene river, ascended the
+mountains beyond, and found ourselves upon a great
+level grass-covered plateau, which occupied us several
+days in traversing. At last we came to the border of
+Prempeh's kingdom, crossed the Volta river that wound
+in the brilliant sunlight for many miles like a golden
+thread among the trees, and soon entered the fertile
+country of the Dagombas, a wild-looking tribe who were
+allies of the great Naya. At Yendi, seven days' march
+through the bush from the Volta, we interviewed the
+Dagomba king and received a most enthusiastic welcome.
+Presents of food and slaves were given us, as well as a
+musket each, with some curious ivory-hilted knives, and
+we were treated as honoured guests of his sable majesty,
+who, Omar informed me, was indebted to the Naya for
+his royal position.</p>
+
+<p>This welcome was therefore only what we expected,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89"></a>[<a href="./images/89.png">89</a>]</span>
+nevertheless, our life during the few days at Yendi was
+of a very different character to the miserable existence
+we had experienced during our long march to the confines
+of Ashanti. But Omar was impatient to fulfil the
+commands of his mother, and we did not remain longer
+than was absolutely necessary, in order not to give
+offence to the king; however, one morning we snapped
+fingers with him and, with two hundred decidedly savage-looking
+men as escort, we moved away still due north on
+our journey to the mysterious land of the Great White
+Queen.</p>
+
+<p>The King of Dagomba had told me, in answer to my
+enquiries, that neither himself nor any of his men had
+ever entered Mo. The inhabitants were a very powerful
+and fearless people, he knew, and their soldiers were
+as numerous as an army of locusts. The men of Mo
+were an admirable race, he added, and although no
+stranger had ever been admitted to the mysterious realm,
+yet its power was feared by every West African ruler
+without exception.</p>
+
+<p>It gratified me to think that I should be the first to
+set foot within a land forbidden to any who had not been
+born there, and I grew extremely impatient to set eyes
+upon the country to the throne of which my light-hearted
+friend Omar was heir. Travelling quickly, with
+but few delays, we crossed the Busanga country, mainly
+covered by dense, dark forest and unhealthy marshes,
+where the odour of decayed vegetable matter was
+sickening, until we came to a great mountain rearing
+its snowy crest into the clouds, which Omar told me
+was called the Nauri. Hence, when we had rested
+two days to recruit in the sunlight after the dispiriting
+gloom of the primeval forest, we held on our way,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90"></a>[<a href="./images/90.png">90</a>]</span>
+passing many native villages, the inhabitants of each
+showing marked friendliness towards our Dagombas.</p>
+
+<p>Kona, our headman, was a tall, pleasant-faced negro,
+raw-boned and awkward, with huge hands and splay feet,
+but his muscles were hard as iron and his strength astounding.
+He treated Omar as a prince, always deferential to
+his wishes, and regarded me as an honoured visitor to
+the unknown but powerful protector of his sovereign.
+Though fraught with many dangers on account of the
+wild beasts lurking in the forests and the snakes on the
+plains, our journey nevertheless proved extremely pleasant,
+for in Kona we found a true and sympathetic friend.</p>
+
+<p>Once he spoke to me of Queen Victoria, and his
+words amused me. He said with impressive earnestness:</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! The Queen of the English is, next to the
+Great White Queen, the mightiest and cleverest woman
+in the world. She sees the treasures in the interior of
+the earth, and has them lifted. She spans the world
+with iron threads, and when she touches them they
+carry her words into the world. She has steamers
+running on dry land. If a mountain is in her way she
+has a hole made through it. If a river interferes, she
+builds a road across in the air. And the Queen of the
+English and the Great White Queen of Mo are richer
+than all other women together. They are the most
+beautiful women in the world, and their husbands paid
+nothing for them."</p>
+
+<p>When at night around our camp fire we would relate
+to him the treachery of Kouaga, and our adventures in
+the hands of Samory and Prempeh, he would stir the
+embers viciously and call down the curse of Zomara
+upon them all.</p>
+
+<p>"When the son of the great Naya of Mo punishes his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91"></a>[<a href="./images/91.png">91</a>]</span>
+enemies, Kona will go and assist in their destruction," he
+said one night. "Kona's knife shall seek their hearts."</p>
+
+<p>"So it shall," Omar had replied, assured of the loyalty
+of this negro ally. "You are our guide and friend; rest
+assured that when we enter Mo you shall not be forgotten."</p>
+
+<p>And we went forward next day all in excellent spirits,
+all eager to enter the unknown land.</p>
+
+<p>A few days' march from the mystic mountain of Nauri
+we approached a little town called Imigu, but found it
+had been sacked and burned, evidently by Arab slave-raiders,
+who, Omar said, were constantly descending
+upon the towns and villages on the border of his land.
+At evening we went over the ruins of what not long ago
+must have been a populous trading town, saw how wanton
+had been the destruction, and judged from the heaps of
+bleaching bones how terrible had been the butchery of
+its inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>At dawn, however, we moved forward again, but at
+noon, while we were descending a beautiful fertile valley
+Kona stopped suddenly, gazed around wonderingly, and
+then halting his men addressed them, telling them that
+they were about to enter a country wherein no stranger
+had ever before set foot, and urging them to patiently
+face any difficulty they found in their path, and to offer
+sacrifices of food to the fetish to give them strength to
+surmount all obstacles.</p>
+
+<p>Omar, with folded arms, stood by and listened. When
+Kona had finished he raised his hand, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Men of the Dagomba. You have guided us to the
+furthermost limit of the earth as known to you; in fact
+to the point where your knowledge of this land ends and
+mine commences. For this service you deserve reward,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></a>[<a href="./images/92.png">92</a>]</span>
+and I, Omar, Prince of Mo, promise that none who
+have accompanied me hither shall leave the palace of the
+Great White Queen without his just reward."</p>
+
+<p>Two hundred black faces thereupon glistened with
+delight. All were eager to see the wonders of this
+much-talked-of country, but the promise of a reward at
+the hands of the great queen was a pleasant surprise
+that evoked the wildest enthusiasm. They yelled with
+pleasure, bestowed upon us all the terms of adulation
+until they exhausted their vocabulary, and blew their
+elephants' tusks until I confess I was compelled to stuff
+my fingers into my ears, fearing deafness.</p>
+
+<p>"Lead us on, O our lord the prince!" they cried.
+"Let us go forward. We will follow thee if thou wilt
+point out the right path leading unto Mo, and appease
+thy land's jealous guardians who smite back all would-be
+intruders with swords of fire."</p>
+
+<p>This latter was a tradition. I had heard it many
+times during my journey with Omar. The natives of
+Ashanti, of Kong, of Gurunsi, and of Dagomba, had all
+told me that the country of Mo, wherever it might be
+situated, was surrounded by a great cordon of guards&mdash;demons
+they believed them to be&mdash;who had never
+allowed a stranger to enter, for they simply lifted their
+deadly swords that blazed like fire-brands, and slew the
+offending wanderer.</p>
+
+<p>"The guardians of Mo shall be appeased," Omar
+assured them. "Not a hair on the head of any of our
+party shall be injured, although the way is still long and
+full of terrors and pitfalls. But I will lead, and those
+who obey will enter Mo. Those who depart from my
+words will assuredly perish. Omar, Prince of Mo, has
+spoken."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93"></a>[<a href="./images/93.png">93</a>]</span>
+"May the fetish be good," they all cried aloud. "We
+will follow and attend to each word that falleth from
+thy lips."</p>
+
+<p>Then in a few minutes we moved on again down the
+long beautiful valley through which a clear river wound
+among green swards and clumps of trees, forming a park-like
+scene such as might have been witnessed in England.
+Presently, however, the character of the country
+suddenly changed, and we were passing through a rocky
+defile, arid and waterless, while at the end could be seen
+a wide open country without rock or tree stretching away
+as far as the eye could reach to the misty horizon.</p>
+
+<p>It appeared like a great limitless wilderness, and those
+in front quickened their pace in order to fully view the
+character of the land we were approaching.</p>
+
+<p>For their haste, however, they received an unpleasant
+reward.</p>
+
+<p>When those who ran forward emerged into the open
+plain, they suddenly found the soft earth give way
+beneath their feet without warning, and ere they realized
+their danger a dozen of them were struggling up to their
+arm-pits in the sea of fine ever-shifting sand that seemed
+kept in constant motion by some unknown natural
+cause. With each movement they sank deeper, until,
+fearing that the sandy quagmire would envelop and
+suffocate them, they cried aloud for assistance. Help
+was ready at hand, for the remainder of our followers
+ran forward, and stretching forth ropes of monkey-creeper
+were enabled to drag out their intrepid companions,
+much to Omar's amusement.</p>
+
+<p>"Those who deviate from the course that I myself take
+will assuredly perish," he exclaimed a moment later.
+Then, turning to me, he added: "This desert you see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></a>[<a href="./images/94.png">94</a>]</span>
+before you is one of the barriers dividing my land from
+those of our enemies. To those who know not the
+secret it is impassable."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I answered, surprised at the strange treacherous
+character of the sand. "Those who ventured upon it
+had narrow escapes."</p>
+
+<p>"Exactly. Any weight upon its surface will sink to
+the depth of many feet, sucked down as swiftly and
+surely as a piece of wood is drawn down by a whirlpool.
+In an attempt to cross this unsafe region many men have
+lost their lives, for once upon its surface escape is impossible.
+See!" And he cast his staff away upon the
+sand. In an instant it had sunk out of sight.</p>
+
+<p>"Then how shall we gain the land beyond?" I
+asked in fear at the soft nature of the earth's surface.</p>
+
+<p>"There is but one way. It is known only to the
+Naya and to myself, and is called the Way of the
+Thousand Steps. Its existence is preserved as a royal
+secret in case my family are compelled at any time to fly
+from our country, in which case they could escape safely,
+while all their pursuers would assuredly be overwhelmed
+and perish. For that reason the knowledge has been for
+centuries solely in the keeping of the reigning Naya or
+Naba. It was by this secret path that I left Mo and
+came to you in England; by the same path I return."</p>
+
+<p>"Lead the way. We will follow," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, men," he exclaimed, lifting his hand as he
+addressed them. "Fear not, but follow so closely in
+my footprints that your feet obliterate them, and I will
+bridge the great gulf that lieth between Mo and the outer
+world."</p>
+
+<p>The mishap to the advance guard had evoked the
+wildest speculations among the natives, and all were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95"></a>[<a href="./images/95.png">95</a>]</span>
+eagerly pressing forward, when, in a few moments, Omar
+took up his position before them, and urging the utmost
+caution held up the staff he took from my hand, taking
+what appeared to be the bearings between his own eye
+and the summit of a low mound far away on the horizon.
+The preparations did not take long, and very soon, with
+his staff held in the same position before him, he began
+to venture forward upon the unsafe sand.</p>
+
+<p>Carefully he trod the great treeless plain, being
+followed by all in single file. With such caution did we
+tread, and so excited were we all, that at first scarcely
+was a word spoken. Very soon, however, with confidence
+in Omar's leadership the natives grew hilarious
+again, and keeping straight behind the young prince they
+found the way, about a foot in width, hard, although dry,
+and extremely unpleasant to tread. Nevertheless we all
+were ready to encounter and overcome every obstacle
+providing that we could enter the forbidden land, and
+thus we went forward. Now and then one of the natives,
+in speaking to the man next behind him, would turn and
+thus deviate from the path over which Omar had passed,
+and he would quickly pay for this carelessness, suddenly
+finding himself floundering helplessly up to the ears in
+the deadly quicksands. Then the whole of our party
+would halt and, amid broad laughter and much ridicule,
+the unfortunate one would be dragged forth from a
+certain and terrible doom.</p>
+
+<p>But the path was not straight. Heedless of the chatter
+and excitement behind him Omar walked on before, his
+staff raised on a level with his eye, counting aloud each
+step he took, measuring the distance, until when he had
+taken a thousand paces he suddenly stopped, examined the
+ground well, and then turning at exact right angles, took<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96"></a>[<a href="./images/96.png">96</a>]</span>
+bearings by another mound that I had noticed far in the
+distant haze.</p>
+
+<p>Again and again we faced always at exact angles after
+pacing a thousand steps, so that our path became a zig-zag
+one, long and toilsome, with many halts, yet without
+rest and without seeing anything beyond the wondrous
+expanse of burning sky and the loose sand that swallowed
+all things dead or living.</p>
+
+<p>Everything thrown upon it sank and disappeared
+almost as quickly as iron cast into water.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
+
+<h3>FOES.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">When</span> we had been several hours upon our hot, tedious
+journey there arose a quarrel out of a practical joke
+played by one native upon the man walking before him.
+Quick, hasty words led to blows being exchanged.</p>
+
+<p>Both men were walking immediately in front of me,
+and I did my best to quell the disturbance, but either
+they did not understand me or affected ignorance of
+my words, for suddenly one of them raising his spear leapt
+forward upon the other. The man attacked sprang
+aside and in so doing left the narrow path, at that spot
+not more than twelve inches in width, followed by the
+would-be assassin.</p>
+
+<p>Next second they sank into the sand, and although
+loud cries of horror escaped them, both disappeared into
+the terrible gulf ere a hand could be outstretched to save
+them. Hearing their cries I leant forward, but before I
+could grasp either of them the fine sand had closed over
+their heads like the waters of the sea, leaving a deep<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97"></a>[<a href="./images/97.png">97</a>]</span>
+round depression in the surface. They had disappeared
+for ever.</p>
+
+<p>The instant death of the two combatants before my
+gaze caused me to shudder, and I confess that from that
+moment I kept my eyes rivetted upon the strange
+narrow path by which we were crossing the impassable
+barrier.</p>
+
+<p>Through three whole days we continued along the
+Way of the Thousand Steps, resting at night and
+journeying while the light lasted. To halt was even
+more perilous than to progress, for when we encamped
+we simply sat down upon the spot where our footsteps
+had been arrested, and food was passed from hand to
+hand along the line. This latter was somewhat unsatisfactory,
+at least as far as I was concerned, for the
+eatables that reached me were not improved by passing
+through the hands of thirty or forty malodorous negroes.
+But the fatality that had at first appalled us had now
+been forgotten, and everyone kept a good heart. Led
+by Omar we were approaching a land hitherto unknown;
+a country reputed to be full of hidden wonders and
+strange marvels, and all were, hour by hour, eagerly
+scanning the mysterious horizon.</p>
+
+<p>Across the level sand, swept by winds that parched
+the lips and filled the eyes with fine dust, causing us
+infinite misery, our gaze was ever turned northward
+where Omar told us lay our land of promise. The very
+last hesitations on the part of our followers had long been
+overcome. The African savage is not given to roaming
+far from his own tract, fearing capture or assassination at
+the hands of neighbouring tribes, but such confidence had
+the men of Dagomba that if Omar had plunged into the
+quicksands they would have followed without comment.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98"></a>[<a href="./images/98.png">98</a>]</span>
+When at Trigger's I had often read stories of African
+adventure. I used to fancy myself buried in forest
+wilds, or eating luncheon upon the grass, on the edge of
+a tumbling brook in the shadow of great outlandish
+trees; I could feel the juice of luscious fruits&mdash;mangroves
+and bananas&mdash;trickle between my teeth. I had
+once read in one of the boys' papers about the daughter
+of an African colonist abducted by the son of a West
+African king who had fallen in love with her; and the
+ups and downs and ins and outs of this love drama had
+opened a boundless vista to my imagination. But life
+in Africa contained far more excitement than I had ever
+imagined. Death threatened everywhere, and I received
+constant warnings from Omar, who gave me good advice
+how to avoid sunstroke or ward off the effects of the chill
+wind that blew nightly across this wonderful limitless plain.</p>
+
+<p>One evening, when the horizon northward looked grey
+and mysterious, and to our left the fiery sun's last dying
+ray still lingered in the sky, there was a sudden halt,
+the cause of which was I afterwards found due to
+the sudden stoppage of our leader, Omar. All were
+eager to know the cause, until in a few moments
+an amazing announcement spread from mouth to mouth
+along the line.</p>
+
+<p>There were strangers on ahead of us! They were
+actually traversing the Way of the Thousand Steps!</p>
+
+<p>Shading my eyes with my hands I eagerly scanned
+the horizon in the direction indicated, and there, to my
+astonishment, saw a long thin black line. At first I
+could not distinguish whether it was a file of men or
+some inanimate object, but the keen eyes of the
+savages before and behind me soon detected its
+presence, and dozens of voices were in accord that it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99"></a>[<a href="./images/99.png">99</a>]</span>
+was a line of armed men, and that they were moving in
+our direction.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly it flashed across my mind that whoever they
+were, friends or foes, there was not sufficient room for
+them to pass us upon that narrow path, and knowing
+the determination of our followers I wondered what
+the result would be when we met. Unable to approach
+Omar sufficiently near to converse with him, I watched
+his face. By the heavy look upon his brow I knew
+that trouble was brewing. It was the same look his
+face wore when we had been held captive at Kumassi,
+an expression of resolution and fierce combativeness.</p>
+
+<p>Soon, however, we moved along again, eager to
+ascertain who were the strangers who knew the secret
+supposed to have been jealously guarded by the great
+Naya and her son, and for over an hour pressed forward
+at a quicker pace than usual. Fortunately for us the
+sunset lingered long away to our left, for by its light
+we were enabled to see the men approaching, and before
+it died out to distinguish, to our amazement, that they
+all wore white Arab burnouses and were armed to
+the teeth. In point of numbers they were quite double
+the strength of our little force, but we knew not whether
+they were friendly or antagonistic.</p>
+
+<p>This point, however, was at last cleared up by Omar
+himself, who, just as it was growing dusk halted, and,
+turning towards me, shouted in English:</p>
+
+<p>"Scars, are you there?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I answered. "What's up?"</p>
+
+<p>"Those devils in front! Can't you see their banner?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," I answered. Then remembering that he
+had always possessed a keen vision, I added: "Who
+are they?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100"></a>[<a href="./images/100.png">100</a>]</span>
+"Some of Samory's men, evidently in flight," he
+answered. "On seeing us they raised their banner,
+and are, it seems, determined to cut their way past us."</p>
+
+<p>"But where have they been that they should know the
+secret of the Thousand Steps?" I inquired astounded.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm quite at a loss to understand," he replied
+puzzled. "The only solution of the mystery seems to
+be that Kouaga has, by some means, obtained knowledge
+of the secret way, and has directed a marauding force
+thither. Evidently they have been defeated by the
+guardians of Mo, and the remnant of the force&mdash;a
+strong one, too&mdash;are retreating, flying for their lives."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know there has been fighting?" I
+enquired.</p>
+
+<p>"Because I can just detect near the banner two
+wounded men are being carried."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we must fight and wipe them out," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Easier said than done," he answered. "But it
+means life or death to us."</p>
+
+<p>On they came in single file, nearer every moment,
+and soon I also could see the dreaded banner of the
+Mohammedan sheikh Samory. Near the flag-bearer were
+several wounded men being carried in litters, while
+the white-robed soldiers carried long rifles and in their
+sashes were pistols, and those keen carved knives called
+<i>jambiyahs</i>. At first our natives, believing that they
+were friendlies, went forward enthusiastically, determined
+to drive them back with banter, there not
+being room to pass, but very soon Omar ordered
+another halt, and turning towards us, cried in a loud
+voice in his native tongue:</p>
+
+<p>"Behold, O men of the Dagomba! Yonder are the
+fighting men of Samory, who times without number<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101"></a>[<a href="./images/101.png">101</a>]</span>
+have raided your country, killed your fathers and sons,
+and sold your wives and sisters into slavery in Ashanti.
+They have endeavoured to enter Mo by the Way of the
+Thousand Steps, but being defeated by the guardians of
+our border are flying towards their own land. We too
+must fight them, or we must perish."</p>
+
+<p>The air was immediately filled with fierce howls and
+yells. The announcement that these men were the
+hated slave-raiders of Samory caused an instant rush to
+arms. Loud cries of revenge sounded on every side,
+spears were flourished, knives gripped in fierce determination,
+and those who had muskets made certain
+that their weapons were loaded. The air was rent by
+shrill war shouts, and the great drum with its hideous
+decorations was thumped loudly by two perspiring
+negroes who grinned hideously as they watched the
+steadily marching force approaching.</p>
+
+<p>"Courage, men of the Dagomba," sounded Kona's
+voice above the din. "Sweep these vermin from our
+path. Let not a single man escape; but let them all be
+swallowed by the Sand-God."</p>
+
+<p>"We will eat them up," cried half-a-dozen voices in
+response. "Our spears shall seek their vitals."</p>
+
+<p>"Guard against their onward rush," cried Omar.
+"They will seek to throw us off the path by a dash
+forward. Thwart them, and victory is ours."</p>
+
+<p>Ere these words had left our leader's lips, the air was
+again filled by the wild clamours of my dark companions,
+and as we had halted just at a point where we
+would be compelled to turn at right angles, we remained
+there in order to attack the Arabs as they advanced.</p>
+
+<p>The sun's glow had faded, dark clouds had come up
+on the mystic line where sand and sky united, and dusk<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102"></a>[<a href="./images/102.png">102</a>]</span>
+was creeping on apace when the enemy, sweeping forward,
+shouting and gesticulating, came within gunshot<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins>
+From their van a single flash showed for an instant,
+followed by the sharp crack of a musket, and a bullet
+whizzed past Omar, striking one of the natives a few
+yards away, passing through his brain and killing him
+instantly.</p>
+
+<p>A silence, deep and complete, fell for an instant upon
+us. In that exciting moment we knew that the fight
+must be fiercely contested, and that, unable to move
+scarcely an inch from the spot where we were standing,
+the struggle must be long and sanguinary.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.</h2>
+
+<h3>A NATURAL GRAVE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> single shot from our opponents was quickly replied
+to by myself and my companions, and we had the
+satisfaction of seeing half-a-dozen Arabs fall backward
+from the path and disappear in the soft sand. Instantly
+the rattle of musketry was deafening, and over my head
+bullets whistled unpleasantly close. The weapon with
+which I was armed was old-fashioned, and as I fired it
+time after time it grew hot, and the smoke became so
+thick that everything was obscured.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile fierce hand-to-hand fighting was taking
+place between the vanguard of the Arabs and a dozen
+of our men led by Omar. Fiendish yells and shouts
+sounded on every side as they hacked at each other with
+their long curved knives, each fearing to step aside lest he
+should be swallowed by the sand. Once or twice, as
+the chill night wind parted the smoke, I saw Omar and
+our Dagombas struggling bravely against fearful odds.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103"></a>[<a href="./images/103.png">103</a>]</span>
+Omar had cast aside his gun and, armed with a keen
+<i>jambiyah</i>, had engaged two tall, muscular Arabs, both
+of whom he succeeded in hurling from the path, gashed
+and bleeding, to instant death.</p>
+
+<p>Those behind him, armed with long spears with flat
+double-edged points similar to the assegais of the Zulus,
+were enabled to reach and dispatch several of the Arabs
+who had lost their guns or discarded their pistols for
+their knives. Situated as we were on the angle of the
+secret path the enemy were to our right. Their fire
+upon us was very hot and effective. Their aim was so
+true and their bullets so deadly, that very soon fully a
+dozen of our brave escort had sunk wounded, disappearing
+in the terrible sea of sand.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly a noise sounded about me like the swish of
+the sea, startling me for a second, but instantly I saw
+what had caused it. The Dagombas had let loose a
+flight of poisoned arrows upon our opponents.</p>
+
+<p>From that moment their fire became weaker, and
+time after time my companions, kneeling upon the
+ground, drew their bows and released those terrible
+darts, the slightest scratch from which produced tetanus
+and almost instant death. Each arrow was smeared
+with a dark red substance, and their deadly effect was
+sufficiently proved by the manner in which the ranks of
+Samory's men were soon decimated. Dozens of Arabs,
+touched by the poisonous darts, staggered unevenly, and
+falling to earth sank into the unstable sand, while the
+red flash of their line of muskets visibly decreased.</p>
+
+<p>Around Omar our men pressed valiantly, and several
+with bows discharged their missiles with fatal effect,
+sweeping away the Arabs one by one and apparently
+striking terror into the hearts of the others. Arabs are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104"></a>[<a href="./images/104.png">104</a>]</span>
+not so vulnerable by arrows as other people on account
+of their voluminous robes, which savage weapons seldom
+penetrate, it being only head, legs and hands that
+arrows can reach. Nevertheless so full were the quivers
+of our sable escort, that the flights were of sufficient
+magnitude to reach the unprotected parts of the Arabs
+and lay dozens of them low.</p>
+
+<p>One native next me, whose bow had constantly been
+bent, suddenly received a bullet full in the breast and
+was knocked backward off his feet by the concussion.
+So swiftly was he swallowed by the shifting sand,
+that ere I could glance behind he had already been
+buried. Of all who fell, not a single body remained, for
+if they dropped dead upon the path they were pushed
+aside in the <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i> and instantly disappeared. Again and
+again our companions sent up their shrill yells and the
+war-drum was thumped with ear-piercing effect, while
+opposition shouts rose from our Arab enemies. Still the
+fight continued as stubborn as it had begun. Omar,
+with loud shouts of encouragement, fought on with unerring
+hand, cutting, thrusting and hacking at his
+opponents until they stumbled to their doom, while
+across our line of vision where the fire of Arab musketry
+blazed in the choking smoke, the thin deadly arrows
+sped, striking our enemies and sweeping them into a
+natural grave.</p>
+
+<p>Fearing to tread lest I should fall into the terrible
+quicksand, I knelt and kept up a continuous fire with
+my musket, shooting into the dense smoke whenever I
+saw the flash of an Arab gun. It was exciting work, not
+knowing from one second to another whether the ping of
+a bullet would bring death. Still I knew that to save
+our own lives we must sweep away the host of invaders,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105"></a>[<a href="./images/105.png">105</a>]</span>
+and, reassured by the knowledge that Omar had met
+with no mishap, I kept on, heedless of all dangers,
+thinking only of the ultimate rout of our enemy.</p>
+
+<p>How long the terrible fight lasted I know not. We
+stood our ground, the majority of us kneeling, engaging
+the Arabs in mortal combat for, I believe, considerably
+over an hour. Several times the firing seemed so strong
+that I feared we should be vanquished, nevertheless the
+Dagombas proved themselves a valiant, stubborn race,
+well versed in savage warfare, for the manner in which
+they shot their arrows was admirable, and even at the
+decisive moment when all seemed against us they never
+wavered, but kept on, fierce and revengeful as in the
+first moments of the fight.</p>
+
+<p>Gradually, when Omar's voice had been heard a dozen
+times urging us on to sweep every invader from our path
+and not to let a single man escape, we found our enemy's
+fire slackening. The smoke, moved by the sand-laden
+wind that swept across the plain each night after sundown,
+became less dense, and at last we realized that the
+tide of battle had turned in our favour, and that we
+were conquerors.</p>
+
+<p>Then, loud fierce yells rose from the Dagombas and
+with one accord we struggled to our feet. Each with
+his hand upon the shoulder of his companion in front
+we moved cautiously forward, shooting now and then
+as we went. But the reply to our fire was now spasmodic,
+and we were convinced that only a few of the
+Arabs survived.</p>
+
+<p>For some minutes we ceased the struggle and moved
+forward, but suddenly, to our amazement, a long line of
+muskets again blazed forth upon us, committing serious
+havoc in our ranks. We were victims of a ruse!</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106"></a>[<a href="./images/106.png">106</a>]</span>
+This aroused the anger of the Dagombas, who recommenced
+the fight with almost demoniacal fierceness, and
+as the van of both forces struggled hand-to-hand, we
+found ourselves slowly but surely gaining ground until
+half an hour later we were standing upon the path where
+our enemies had stood when they had attacked us, and
+of that long line of Samory's picked fighting-men not a
+single survivor remained.</p>
+
+<p>We had given no quarter. All had been swallowed in
+that awful gulf of ever-shifting sand. When we had
+thoroughly convinced ourselves of this we threw ourselves
+down upon the narrow pathway, and slept heavily till dawn.</p>
+
+<p>When I awoke and gazed eagerly around, I saw that
+although a number of our men were wounded, their limbs
+being hastily bandaged, yet few were missing. Of our
+enemies, however, all had either fallen wounded, or
+had been hurled from the secret path and overwhelmed
+by the sand.</p>
+
+<p>A high wind constantly blew, and I noticed that this
+kept the grains of sand always in motion, thus preventing
+the surface from solidifying. Waves appeared every
+moment, ever changing and disappearing in a manner
+amazing. At one moment a high ridge would be seen
+before us, appearing as a formidable obstacle to our
+progress, yet a moment later it would be swept away by
+an invisible force.</p>
+
+<p>The rosy flush of dawn had been superseded by the
+saffron tints that are precursory of the sun's appearance
+when we moved forward again on our cautious march.
+Our companions, though far from fresh and many of
+them seriously wounded, were all in highest spirits
+and full of their brilliant victory. It had indeed
+been a gratifying achievement, and now, feeling that at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107"></a>[<a href="./images/107.png">107</a>]</span>
+least their gods were favourable to their journey, they
+pushed forward with eyes scanning the far-off horizon
+where lay the mysterious realm.</p>
+
+<p>During our march that day, Kona, the headman of the
+Dagombas, on account of three men behind me having
+fallen in the fight, occupied a place immediately at my rear,
+and thus I was enabled to hold conversation with him.</p>
+
+<p>"It was a near thing, that fight last night," he exclaimed
+in the language that Omar had taught me. "But
+our arrows wrought surer execution than the Arab bullets.
+The desert-dwellers are no match for the forest-people."</p>
+
+<p>"No," I answered. "Your men are indeed brave
+fellows, and are entitled to substantial reward."</p>
+
+<p>"I have no fear of that," he said. "The great Naya
+is always just. She stretches forth her powerful hand to
+protect the weaker tribes, and smites the raiders with
+sword and pestilence. What her son promises is her
+promise. Her word is never broken."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you ever seen her?" I inquired.</p>
+
+<p>"Never. Our king once saw one of her messengers
+who brought the royal staff and made palaver. To us,
+as to all other men outside her country, she is known
+as the Great White Queen."</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me what more you know of her?" I urged.</p>
+
+<p>"Very little," he answered. "In every part of the
+land, from the great black waters to the Niger and far
+beyond, even to the sun-scorched country of the Maghrib,
+her fame is known to all men. She is rich, mighty and
+mysterious. Her power is dreaded throughout the
+forests and the grass-plains, and it is said that in her
+wrath her voice is so terrible that even the mountains
+quake with fear."</p>
+
+<p>"By what means do her fighting-men come forth from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108"></a>[<a href="./images/108.png">108</a>]</span>
+her unapproachable land?" I inquired, remembering
+that we were travelling by the secret way known only to
+herself and Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not," he replied. "The manner in which the
+hosts of Mo appear and disappear have, from time
+immemorial, formed a subject of speculation among our
+people. That they have appeared on the Ashanti border
+and sacked and burned many towns in retaliation for
+some outrages committed by the Ashantis upon our
+people is well-known, but by what route they came or
+returned is a mystery. Some say they came like flocks
+of birds through the air; others declare that they
+can transfer themselves from one place to another and
+become invisible at will. Neither of these theories I
+myself believe, for I am convinced that between the land
+of Mo and the Great Salt Road there exists a secret
+means of communication, so that the armies of the Naya
+can appear so suddenly and unexpectedly as to escape
+the vigilance of their enemy's scouts. Many are the
+battles they have fought and great the slaughter. In the
+slave-land of Samory they engaged twelve moons ago the
+pick of the Arab army, and defeated them with appalling
+loss. It is said, too, that they carry some of the strange
+guns made by your people, the white men."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean Maxims," I said<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins></p>
+
+<p>"I know not their name, nor have I ever seen one," he
+answered. "I have heard, however, from a Sofa who
+fought against the English in the last war, that the
+weapons are so light that a man can easily carry one, and
+that when fired they shed streams of bullets like water
+from a spout. A single gun is equal to the fire of two hundred
+men. Truly you white men possess many marvels."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I said, smiling at his unbounded admiration<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109"></a>[<a href="./images/109.png">109</a>]</span>
+for the weapon. "But is it not strange that the Naya
+should also possess similar marvels?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. Everything is strange in the land of the Great
+White Queen. It is said to be a country full of amazing
+mysteries. Many are the extraordinary stories related by
+my people of the wonders of Mo; wonders that we shall
+ere long witness with our own eyes."</p>
+
+<p>"What are the stories?" I asked, keenly interested<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins>
+"Tell me one."</p>
+
+<p>"There are so many," he answered, "I do not know
+which one to tell. One, however, will illustrate the awe
+with which the Naya is regarded, even by the powerful
+Prempeh, King of Ashanti. A story is current that one
+day, many moons ago, the King had ordered a great
+'custom' to take place in Kumassi. War had been
+declared against the Queen of the English, and in order
+to obtain the good graces of the fetish a thousand slaves
+were ordered to be sacrificed. All was ready and the
+king sat upon his stool awaiting the decapitation of the
+first victim, when suddenly there swept down from above
+a large white dove, which, after circling for a moment
+above the monarch's umbrella, perched upon the edge of
+the execution bowl. The executioner swept it aside with
+his ready sword, but in an instant, by some invisible
+power, the broad-bladed weapon fused and melted as if
+in a furnace, while the executioner himself, struck down
+as if by lightning, fell upon his face stone dead. Still
+the dove remained where it had perched with its head
+turned towards the ruler of the Ashantis. A second
+executioner, ere it was discovered that the first was dead,
+struck at the bird with his hand, and he too, as well as a
+third and fourth, were similarly smitten with death. 'It
+is an evil omen!' the people cried, and Prempeh, his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110"></a>[<a href="./images/110.png">110</a>]</span>
+eyes rivetted upon the white, innocent-looking bird,
+trembled. Suddenly, one of the sages at the king's right
+hand cried: 'See, O Master! It is the Great White
+Queen, the ruler of Mo! She taketh the form of a dove
+when she seeketh the destruction of her enemies!' Then
+spake the dove, saying: 'Yea, O hated king who sheddeth
+the blood of the innocent and exalteth the guilty<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins>
+The sacrifice of victims to the fetish shall not avail thee,
+for I, Naya of Mo, tell thee that thy downfall is at hand,
+and thine enemies the English will press their way from
+the great sea, bridge the Prah, and cut a road across the
+great forest to this thy capital, where thou shalt make
+abject submission to their head-man and shall be carried
+into degrading captivity by them. Thy treasures shall
+be seized, the tombs of thy fathers shall be opened and
+desecrated, thy fetish-trees shall be cut down and thy
+slaves shall revel in thy palace. And it is I, in my present
+form, who shall guide the white men unto their victory.'
+The king, dumbfounded at these ominous words proceeding
+from the beak of a bird, rose to retort, but ere a
+word left his mouth the dove spread its wings and flew
+away northward in the direction of the land we are now
+approaching."</p>
+
+<p>"That's merely a tale," I observed, laughing at this
+latest illustration of the African's belief in the impossible<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins></p>
+
+<p>"Of course. You asked me for one of the stories told
+by our people," Kona said. "I have told you one."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you believe that this Great White Queen is invested
+with such extraordinary power that she can cause
+herself to be invisible, and while bringing destruction to
+her enemies, assist her friends?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not what to believe," he replied in honest
+bewilderment. "So many are the tales I have heard<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111"></a>[<a href="./images/111.png">111</a>]</span>
+that I find it impossible to believe all, and have ended
+by disbelieving most. Many of the men with us firmly
+believe at this moment that the Naya, invisible, is at our
+head guiding her son across the Way of the Thousand
+Steps, and that to her our victory last night was due.
+Our fate lies in her hands."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," I answered, amused, "it matters not who
+leads us so long as we enter the promised land. At
+any rate we could have no better nor more trustworthy
+guide than he who is at our head."</p>
+
+<p>Next second, a loud cry from Omar attracted our
+attention.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.</h2>
+
+<h3>WORDS OF FIRE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Raising</span> our eyes from the straight narrow path whereon
+we set our feet in the footprints of those before us, we
+halted and looked eagerly ahead.</p>
+
+<p>We had come to the edge of what seemed a shallow
+depression, and already Omar had disappeared from
+view, followed cautiously by those immediately behind
+him. Owing to the cries of warning and astonishment
+from each man who reached the edge, I advanced,
+carefully following my black companion in front until
+I at length gained the spot where the path ended.</p>
+
+<p>Involuntarily a cry of amazement escaped me. I
+looked over into a fearful abyss. Below was a fertile
+valley, but so deep was it that the river looked only like
+a silver thread, and the trees but an inch in height. I
+was standing on the edge of a huge granite cliff that went
+down sheer into the valley, its face almost as flat as the
+side of a house.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112"></a>[<a href="./images/112.png">112</a>]</span>
+The descent appeared terrible. I shuddered as I
+looked over, and Kona, who came behind me, also
+peeped down and cried:</p>
+
+<p>"See! It is the Great Gulf about which we have
+heard. Into this the Naya hurls her enemies."</p>
+
+<p>On the opposite side, about a quarter of a mile distant,
+gigantic overhanging crags rose from the valley to a height
+greater than the rock whereon we were kneeling. At a
+glance we could both see that to scale the wall of rock
+opposite would be impossible owing to its overhanging
+nature, therefore, we concluded that our way lay along
+the fertile valley where the cool welcome green refreshed
+our eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Already Omar and a couple of dozen of our black
+followers were carefully swarming down the face of the
+rock. Now and then warning shouts arose from them,
+and ever and anon Omar's voice could be heard giving
+directions, or urging caution. The latter was certainly
+necessary, for a single false step would mean a terrible
+death.</p>
+
+<p>As I gazed down into the deep abyss I felt my head
+reeling. There is a fascination in great heights that
+impels one to thoughts of self-destruction. A sudden
+dizziness seized me as I placed my foot over the edge
+of the fearful precipice, and were it not for Kona, who,
+noticing my condition, gripped me by the arm, I should
+have certainly missed my footing and been dashed to
+pieces on the needle-like crags at the base.</p>
+
+<p>The sudden knowledge that I had been within an ace
+of death caused me to hold my breath; then I crept
+cautiously over the edge. For a moment, with my
+hands clutching frantically upon a jutting piece of rock,
+my legs swung in mid air, failing to find a foothold, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113"></a>[<a href="./images/113.png">113</a>]</span>
+I cried out, fearing lest I should again fall. But at last
+my feet struck against a projection, and upon it I carefully
+lowered myself, while Kona also swung himself
+over, taking the perilous position I had a moment before
+occupied. Again and again I lowered myself, gripping
+on to the successive projections, and lowering myself
+until my feet touched the one below, thus descending as
+Omar had done.</p>
+
+<p>"Be careful, Scars," he presently cried from far below.
+"Drop straight, and look to your footing."</p>
+
+<p>His words caused me to reflect upon the strange fact
+that each of these projections, almost like natural steps,
+were placed immediately below one another. Whether
+they were actually natural formations, or whether they
+were the work of man I could not determine. Yet they
+seemed interminable, and sometimes so far apart that I
+remained stationary, fearing to let myself go until, urged
+downward by Kona, I held my breath, and, steadying
+myself, dropped upon the narrow ledge below. Dreading
+a recurrence of giddiness I dared not to look down
+at my companions. My bare feet and hands were
+blistered and cut by the sharp edges of the rocks, and
+my movements were seriously hampered by the musket
+slung at my back.</p>
+
+<p>The descent was terribly fatiguing. The way across
+the quicksands had been so level that we had walked,
+counting our paces mechanically, but now in every
+movement there was danger, and terror gripped my
+heart with a gauntlet of steel. From every pore there
+broke from me a cold perspiration, as from each tiny
+projection I lowered myself, not knowing whether my
+feet would find another resting-place. For my black
+companions, who were taller and more muscular, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114"></a>[<a href="./images/114.png">114</a>]</span>
+way was not nearly so difficult, and Kona, aware of this,
+assisted me whenever possible.</p>
+
+<p>Once, when I found myself progressing well, and
+apparently having successfully negotiated the more dangerous
+of these natural steps, I paused for a few moments
+to breathe, and, summoning courage, looked down
+to where the others were scrambling below. I was then
+amazed to discover that, notwithstanding all the fatigue,
+the distance I had covered was scarcely perceptible. I
+still seemed almost as far from the base of the rock as I
+was when first I had peered over into the abyss. Suddenly,
+without warning, I felt the rock give way beneath
+my feet, and the next instant the whole projection,
+loosened by the weight of Omar and his followers who
+had preceded me, fell away beneath me, and crashed
+straight down into the valley.</p>
+
+<p>My presence of mind caused me just at that instant
+to grip the ledge above, otherwise I, too, must have gone
+with my unstable resting-place. It was indeed a narrow
+escape, and as clinging on with my hands, my legs again
+swinging in mid air, I heard the heavy rock, weighing
+perhaps a ton, strike a projection under me and then
+crash down, carrying all before it.</p>
+
+<p>There was an appalling shriek from below, and I
+dreaded to turn my gaze downward, fearing that my
+companions had been swept away by the great mass of
+stone. At last, however, I looked in trepidation and
+was gratified to notice that the projection struck by the
+rock had been left by the man preceding me, and that
+the course of the descending stone had been altered so
+that all had escaped.</p>
+
+<p>"Careful up there!" shouted Omar angrily. "Don't
+spring upon the steps, or they will become loosened like<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115"></a>[<a href="./images/115.png">115</a>]</span>
+that one. It might have swept the whole lot of us into
+the valley if its course had not been turned. Lower
+yourselves slowly&mdash;very slowly&mdash;take plenty of time."</p>
+
+<p>"I did it, Omar," I cried breathlessly. "It was an
+accident. I could not avoid it, and nearly fell, too."</p>
+
+<p>But it was apparent that my voice did not reach him,
+for he slowly lowered himself over the next projection,
+and continued giving directions to the men who followed,
+while I, with the next ledge fallen away, was compelled
+to let myself drop a distance of about nine feet on to
+one that seemed far below.</p>
+
+<p>From that point the descent became much easier,
+although during the two hours it occupied I stumbled
+and nearly lost my foothold many times. My feet and
+hands were covered with blood, my elbows were severely
+grazed, and from my knees the skin was torn by the
+constant scrambling over the edges of the ledges.</p>
+
+<p>Truly the approach to the Land of the Great White
+Queen was fraught with a myriad dangers.</p>
+
+<p>When about half-way down the steep rock another
+piercing shriek broke forth immediately below me, and
+glancing down I saw one of our black companions who
+had dropped from one ledge to the next lose his footing,
+stumble, and fall headlong into the great chasm. Cries of
+horror escaped us as we saw him strike a rugged ledge
+of rock far below, rebound, and then fall head foremost
+to the rock's base, his skull already battered to a pulp.</p>
+
+<p>This terrible lesson was heeded by everyone, and for
+fully half an hour the silence was almost complete, save
+for the gasps and hard breathing of our followers as they
+toiled onward down the steep face of the gigantic rock.</p>
+
+<p>Someone cried out that here, as across the quicksands,
+there were a thousand steps. If this were true, as I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116"></a>[<a href="./images/116.png">116</a>]</span>
+believe it was, then the average distance between the
+ledges being about five feet, the height of the rock was
+somewhere about five thousand feet. When progress
+at last became easier, I tried to attract Omar's attention,
+and inquire whether we should have to scale the rock
+opposite, but I could not project my voice far enough
+below to reach him. When he shouted I could hear,
+as his voice ascended, but he apparently could not distinguish
+what I said in reply.</p>
+
+<p>Kona, his bow and empty quiver slung behind him,
+scrambled down after me ever nimble as a cat. His
+black skin shone like ebony, but here and there were
+cuts from which blood freely flowed, showing that
+he too, although inured to a savage life, had not
+altogether escaped in this struggle to enter the land
+unknown.</p>
+
+<p>As we approached the base the ledges became more
+frequent, and hastening in my downward climb I at last
+experienced gratification at finding the peril past, and
+myself standing at the foot of the great precipice.</p>
+
+<p>"Well?" asked Omar, approaching me quickly.
+"How did you fare?"</p>
+
+<p>"Badly," I answered with a smile. "A dozen times
+I gave myself up for lost."</p>
+
+<p>"Care and courage may accomplish everything," he
+said, laughing. "Few, however, would care to risk the
+perils of the Thousand Steps without a guide, or even
+if they did, and succeeded in accomplishing the journey
+to this point, they could not enter our land."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?"</p>
+
+<p>He turned towards the flat, bare face of overhanging
+rock opposite, and gazing up to its towering summit,
+answered:</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117"></a>[<a href="./images/117.png">117</a>]</span>
+"Because our land lies yonder. We must, after
+resting, ascend."</p>
+
+<p>"How?" I inquired, noticing that the wall of the
+great cliff was perfectly smooth.</p>
+
+<p>He smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"Be patient, and you shall see. Only friends can
+enter Mo; an enemy never."</p>
+
+<p>At that moment Kona desired to consult him regarding
+our camping arrangements, and turning I left them
+and wandered a little way along the valley. Presently,
+although its fertility was pleasant, I noticed that the air
+had a strange f&oelig;tid odour, and, shortly afterwards, while
+walking in the long rank grass my feet struck against
+something, which, on examination, I found to be the
+decomposing body of a man. He wore a burnouse, and
+from the long-barrelled musket that lay by his side I
+concluded it was an Arab. As I went forward I discovered
+bodies scattered in twos and threes over the
+grass-plain. Great grey vultures were tearing the rotting
+flesh from the bones, feasting upon the carrion. Broken
+guns, bent swords and blunted daggers lay about in
+profusion, while the further I went, the more numerous
+became the hideous bodies which the long grass seemed
+to be striving to hide. This was assuredly the battle-field
+whereon the army of the Great White Queen had
+defeated the expedition sent by Samory. Truly the
+slaughter must have been appalling, and little wonder
+was it that the survivors whom we had met and annihilated
+should have fought so desperately for their lives.</p>
+
+<p>Judging from the great pile of corpses, the stand made
+by Samory's Arabs must have been a dogged and
+stubborn one, for traces of a most desperate battle were
+everywhere apparent, yet their defeat must have been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118"></a>[<a href="./images/118.png">118</a>]</span>
+crushing and complete, for hundreds of the invaders had
+apparently been mowed down where they had stood.
+Others had fallen in hand-to-hand encounters, their
+limbs slashed and disabled by keener swords than their
+own, while many seemed literally riddled by bullets which
+could never have been fired by ordinary guns, or if so,
+at such close quarters that in nearly every case the balls
+had passed clean through their bodies.</p>
+
+<p>The number of corpses lying in the grass were too
+numerous to count, but at a rough estimate there must
+have been several thousands. The air of that beautiful
+valley was suffocating on account of the stench they
+emitted, and the river was poisoned by the heaps of
+bodies that had been hurled into it.</p>
+
+<p>This valley, that had appeared a veritable paradise from
+the summit of the rock, was in reality a Valley of Death.</p>
+
+<p>So nauseating was the smell that Omar decided upon
+pitching the camp at a point lower down, for so exhausted
+were we all and so dark was it growing that it
+became imperative we should remain there for the night.
+So we bivouacked half a mile away from the spot where
+the Thousand Steps descended, our fire was lit, and after
+a little food had been served out, we threw ourselves upon
+the grass, and, worn out by fatigue, slept heavily and well.</p>
+
+<p>The valley was filled with a thick mist that rose from
+the river, overspreading everything and saturating our
+scanty clothing with moisture, causing us to be chilly
+and uncomfortable. It was this fact, perhaps, that
+awakened me during the night, when all my companions
+lying around were snoring soundly, dreaming most
+probably, of their triumphant entry into the land of the
+great Naya. Becoming fully awake, I heard the swish
+of a footstep through the grass, and, raising my head,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119"></a>[<a href="./images/119.png">119</a>]</span>
+saw at a little distance from me Omar, standing alone.
+With his back turned to me he was gazing up at the
+summit of the rock we had yet to gain, bearing in his
+hand a fire-brand that had apparently been lit at the
+dying embers of our fire. The brand, blazing and
+crackling, threw his lithe figure into relief, and I saw that
+his face wore an eager, anxious look. His gaze seemed
+rivetted upon the highest pinnacle of the great rock, as
+if he had noticed some unusual aspect.</p>
+
+<p>During several minutes he remained motionless, his
+eyes fixed in that direction. At first I was impelled to
+rise and join him, but not knowing why, I remained
+there motionless watching. Presently I heard a loud cry
+of joy escape his lips, and with frantic gesture he waved
+the fire-brand quickly from left to right, sometimes with
+a sharp motion, and at others slowly.</p>
+
+<p>He was signalling to someone on the brow of the
+precipice!</p>
+
+<p>Open-mouthed I watched the result. The glare of
+his torch prevented me from distinguishing the crest of
+the rock distinctly, yet as I looked in the direction he
+was gazing I presently saw far away on the summit,
+glittering like a brilliant star, a bright light that seemed
+in answer to Omar's signals to appear and disappear
+rapidly, evidently flashing back a reply from the mysterious
+realm above.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the distant light became totally obscured,
+and from Omar's lips there fell an expression of disappointment.
+His own fire-brand was burning but dimly,
+therefore, rushing to the embers, he drew another from
+the fire, blew upon it violently until it flamed, and then
+recommenced the puzzling signals, the system of which
+seemed very similar to those used in the British Army.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120"></a>[<a href="./images/120.png">120</a>]</span>
+Again and again he repeated the long and short
+waves of the flaming torch, but no answering light
+appeared. All was dark upon the towering summit,
+that loomed up black and lonely against the deep vault
+of dark, star-lit blue. His was a weird figure, standing
+in the centre of the circle of uncertain light shed by the
+flambeau, watching eagerly, and waving his signals with
+untiring energy.</p>
+
+<p>"Fools!" he cried aloud to himself. "They are so
+fearful of treachery that they feign not to be able to
+distinguish the name of their ruler."</p>
+
+<p>But ere the words had fallen from his lips the star-like
+light again shone forth white, with intense brilliancy, but
+in a different position. It seemed to have moved along
+the brink of the precipice, nearer to us, and its whiteness
+had been somehow intensified. In appearance it was
+very similar to an electric search-light, and so powerful
+were its rays that they streamed forth in a long line of
+brilliancy that slowly swept the valley where the corpses
+of the Arabs lay piled until it reached us, illuminating
+our camp with a light almost bright as day.</p>
+
+<p>Several minutes elapsed, and Omar, standing in the
+centre of the light, casting a long grotesque shadow
+behind, continued waving the word he was so desirous
+of signalling. In the meantime those who were working
+the light had undoubtedly ascertained the extent of our
+numbers, for very soon the light slowly travelled over the
+adjoining rocks, and even searched the further end of
+the valley; then suddenly it shed upon us again, and
+instantly became obscured.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing daunted, Omar continued his signals until
+at last they were evidently noticed and read, for suddenly
+the light streamed forth again and commenced a series<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121"></a>[<a href="./images/121.png">121</a>]</span>
+of vivid flashes that lit up the valley like shafts of
+lightning.</p>
+
+<p>Thus came the answer, for next second Omar, overjoyed,
+and unable to contain himself, again cried aloud:</p>
+
+<p>"Seen! Hurrah! At last!"</p>
+
+<p>The signals exchanged between those on the lofty
+summit of the insurmountable barrier, and my friend
+Omar were long, and, to me tedious. I could make
+nothing of them, although it was apparent that my old
+chum was carrying on an interesting conversation with
+some person unseen. Once again the light swept across
+the silent battle-field, showing, as if with justifiable
+pride, the wholesale slaughter that had been there committed
+by the defenders, and again fell full upon the
+son of the dreaded Naya. Then it flashed quickly
+many times and suddenly disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>Omar seemed at last satisfied, for, holding the brand
+before him, he took from the tiny bag around his neck
+a pinch of the magic powder that was included in his
+jujus, and pronouncing words that conveyed some mystical
+meaning, slowly let the powder fall into the flickering
+flame, causing it to hiss and splutter.</p>
+
+<p>He was sacrificing to the fetish for our deliverance
+from the perils of the Way of the Thousand Steps.
+Even as he stood performing this pagan rite, there
+sounded afar off a dull, low boom like the distant report
+of heavy cannon. It echoed weirdly along the valley
+where all was quiet and at rest, and was three times
+repeated, like some ominous voice of warning.</p>
+
+<p>Omar heard it. Surely the noise was an unexpected
+one, for it instantly filled him with apprehension, and
+he listened attentively, little dreaming that I also was
+his companion upon this strange midnight vigil.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122"></a>[<a href="./images/122.png">122</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.</h2>
+
+<h3>A SALUTE OF BULLETS.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> low booming was, however, not repeated, and by
+this my companion apparently became reassured, for
+shortly afterwards he threw himself down near me to
+snatch a few hours' repose before dawn. I suppose I,
+too, must have slept for some time, until suddenly a
+noise like thunder that seemed to cause the earth to
+tremble awakened me, and together with the rest of our
+party I sprang to my feet, fancying that some terrible
+earthquake had occurred.</p>
+
+<p>It was still dark, and as each asked breathlessly of his
+neighbour the cause of the deafening noise a sudden red
+flash showed for an instant on the summit of the rock
+near where I had seen the light, and a second report
+thundered forth, making the valley echo and startling the
+birds in thousands from their roosting-places.</p>
+
+<p>"We are attacked!" the natives cried. "It is a gun!"</p>
+
+<p>It was a gun undoubtedly. Again it belched forth,
+its fire causing the earth to tremble, sending some small
+shots unpleasantly close, and striking terror into the
+hearts of our companions, who started to fly for safety,
+expecting each moment that a shower of lead would
+sweep upon them.</p>
+
+<p>"Stay, cowards!" Omar cried. "Yonder gun fires not
+with anger, but with joy. It is my welcome home; its
+fire is but powder play!"</p>
+
+<p>Then a loud, joyous laugh arose, and the black faces
+broadened into great grins, displaying red lips and white
+teeth.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123"></a>[<a href="./images/123.png">123</a>]</span>
+"Truly the land of the great Naya is a land of
+wonders!" cried Kona, in astonishment. "Here they
+welcome the queen's son by shooting at him. Surely
+those shots a moment ago were more than powder play!"</p>
+
+<p>"A mistake no doubt," Omar answered laughing.
+"Already it is known in Mo that we are here in the
+Grave of Enemies, and the guns are being fired as
+welcome, while steps are being taken to convey us into
+yonder land."</p>
+
+<p>"How shall we be conveyed thither?" the headman
+asked, looking up puzzled at the bare face of the rock, the
+summit of which was now obscured by a bank of cloud.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait until sun-rise. Then you will see," answered
+my friend mysteriously, and as he spoke the blood-red
+flash showed again and the great gun thundered forth
+its salute.</p>
+
+<p>While the dawn was spreading we ate our morning
+meal with eyes fixed upon the great high crag whence
+the gun belched forth with monotonous regularity; then
+Omar and I strolled away together further up the valley
+to occupy our time until the sun-rise. Here I saw for
+the first time that natural curiosity, the honey-bird.
+Omar pointed it out to me. It was a little grey
+common-looking bird about the size of a thrush. It first
+forced itself upon our notice by flying across our path,
+uttering a shrill, unlovely cry. It then sat on a neighbouring
+tree still calling and waiting for us to follow<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins>
+By short rapid flights the bird led us on and on till we
+noticed that it stopped its onward course and was hanging
+about among a certain half-dozen trees. These we
+visited one after another and carefully examined them,
+our search being rewarded by finding a nest of bees in
+each of them. It is a matter of honour with the natives<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124"></a>[<a href="./images/124.png">124</a>]</span>
+to set aside a good portion of the honey for the bird.
+Although this action of the honey-bird is an established
+fact in natural history, it would be interesting to know
+whether he ever tries to entice quadrupeds also in assisting
+him in obtaining his much-loved honey.</p>
+
+<p>As we walked back to the camp the sun suddenly
+broke forth, the clouds rolled away, and on looking up
+at the point where the guns had been fired we saw on the
+summit a number of moving figures, looking like black
+specks against the morning sky. Everyone stood watching
+the far-off inhabitants of the mysterious realm, wondering
+how we were to gain the high overhanging rock
+that descended sheer to where we stood. Presently the
+excitement reached fever-heat when we saw the small
+black figures grouping themselves into a mass, and
+then we noticed that one man was being slowly
+lowered by a rope over the precipice. The rope was
+apparently passed under his arms, and as he swung out
+into mid-air his companions began to let him down
+rapidly to where we stood. Owing to the overhanging
+nature of the rock the wind caused the man to swing
+backwards and forwards as a pendulum, and by reason
+of hitches that seemed to occur in the arrangements
+above he was several times stopped in his descent.</p>
+
+<p>At last, however, his feet touched the ground and
+headed by Omar, we all rushed towards him. He was a
+very tall, loosely-built man, his complexion almost white
+with just a yellowish tinge, colourless lips, colourless
+drab hair; vague irregular features, with an entire
+absence of expression. He wore an Arab haick upon
+his head bound with many yards of brown camel's hair,
+a long white garment, something like a burnouse, only
+embroidered at the edge with crimson thread and con<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125"></a>[<a href="./images/125.png">125</a>]</span>fined
+at the waist by a girdle containing quite a small
+arsenal of weapons, while at his back he carried a rifle
+of European manufacture, and around his neck was the
+invariable string of amulets.</p>
+
+<p>"I seek Omar, son of the Naya, the Great Queen," he
+cried with a loud voice, as his feet touched the grass and
+he disengaged himself from the swaying rope, which still
+continued to descend.</p>
+
+<p>"I am Omar, Prince of Mo," answered my friend,
+stepping forward quickly.</p>
+
+<p>The messenger from the mysterious realm above
+regarded him keenly from head to foot, not without suspicion.
+Then looking him straight in the face, he said
+with a puzzled expression upon his countenance:</p>
+
+<p>"Thou hast altered since thou hast dwelt among the
+English. Thy face is not that of Omar who left many
+moons ago with our Naya's trusted servant Makhana."</p>
+
+<p>"Yet I am still Omar," he exclaimed, laughing.
+"Thy caution is commendable, Babila, son of Safad, but
+as the moon groweth old so does the boy turn youth, and
+the youth man."</p>
+
+<p>"Thou knowest my name, 'tis true," observed the
+messenger gravely. "But where are thy royal jujus;
+those placed upon thy neck by the great Naya in the
+presence of the people?"</p>
+
+<p>"I fell among enemies who burned them."</p>
+
+<p>"The curse of Zomara be upon them," Babila said.
+"Who were they?"</p>
+
+<p>"The hirelings of our enemy, Samory."</p>
+
+<p>"Then some have already met with their deserts, for
+three thousand of them lie here in this valley," and he
+pointed to the gruesome corpses scattered upon the grass.
+"But hast thou no possession to assure me that thou<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126"></a>[<a href="./images/126.png">126</a>]</span>
+art actually the long-absent son of our Naya?" he
+inquired.</p>
+
+<p>"Thou carriest thy caution a little too far in this
+affair, Babila," Omar answered smiling. "True, I have
+lost my jujus, nevertheless I can answer thee what
+questions thou puttest to me regarding my youth and my
+life in Mo. I know that thou art determined to satisfy
+thyself that I am actually the Prince, ere thou admittest
+us to our kingdom."</p>
+
+<p>"The caution I exercise is my duty to the great Naya
+and my country," Babila answered. "No invader nor
+intruder hath ever entered Mo, and none shall while I
+am chief custodian of its Gate. The bones of many
+adventurers lie here in this valley."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I know that well," Omar answered good-humouredly.
+"But what must I do to satisfy thee?"
+Then turning to me, he exclaimed in English, "This is
+amusing, Scars. I am actually prevented from entering
+my own country because I have grown a trifle taller!"</p>
+
+<p>"What sayest thou in a foreign tongue?" Babila inquired,
+with a quick look of suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>"I commented upon the absurdity of my situation to
+my companion, Scarsmere, who has accompanied me
+from England," Omar answered frankly.</p>
+
+<p>"Scarsmere," repeated the man from the unknown
+region. "Scarsmere. And is he your friend?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yea, my best friend."</p>
+
+<p>"If thou art actually Omar then his friend will
+assuredly find welcome in Mo," the man said with
+courtesy. "But answer the questions I put to thee.
+Canst thou tell me anything regarding myself?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I think I can," answered my friend with a
+laugh. "When I was quite a young lad thou wert one of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127"></a>[<a href="./images/127.png">127</a>]</span>
+the guardians of the outer gate of our palace. Once
+I was threatened by a ruffianly soldier as I passed, and
+thou didst strike him dead with one blow of thy sword.
+For thy prompt punishment of the fellow thou wert exalted
+by the Naya and given command over her body-guard.
+It was because thou didst unearth the dastardly conspiracy
+against her life that thou wert given the custodianship
+of the Gate of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>"True," the man answered with a smile of satisfaction.
+"In one of my age loss of memory is excusable, yet now
+on looking closely at thee, I see the resemblance&mdash;yea, I
+welcome thee home, my lord the prince."</p>
+
+<p>In an instant his manner had changed, and he became
+the most obedient of slaves.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," Omar said. "Now thou art satisfied
+that I am what I said we will lose no time in passing the
+last barrier."</p>
+
+<p>"But these?" Babila inquired, glancing suspiciously at
+the black rabble forming our Dagomba following.</p>
+
+<p>"They are my escort," Omar answered. "Every
+man, from Kona, the head-man, to the meanest
+slave, is my trusted servant, and they all deserve reward.
+Each shall enter Mo and receive it at the hands of the
+Naya herself. This I have already promised."</p>
+
+<p>"The servants of the lord prince are welcome. The
+people shall <i>f&ecirc;te</i> them, and make their days pass as
+quickly as seconds fly. If thou art desirous they shall
+enter and be presented to the great Naya before whose
+eyes all men quail," Babila said, bowing humbly before
+his royal master.</p>
+
+<p>"Then let us not pause. We desire to enter Mo
+without an instant's further delay. The way has been
+long and the obstacles great, but we have successfully<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128"></a>[<a href="./images/128.png">128</a>]</span>
+accomplished all, and seek now to enter the palace of my
+queen-mother."</p>
+
+<p>"Thy commands shall be obeyed," the man replied,
+again salaaming, and, walking to the rope, he placed the
+loops under his arm-pits, and a few minutes later was on
+his way back to the mysterious land, waving his hand to
+us and promising that ere an hour passed we should
+enter the realm of the Great White Queen.</p>
+
+<p>With eager upturned faces we watched the cautious
+custodian of the mystic kingdom dangling at the end of
+the rope, gradually leaving us, until at length he was
+hauled up upon the far-off summit of the rock and disappeared
+among the small crowd collected at the brow.
+The men were evidently soldiers, and the eager manner
+in which they grouped themselves about Babila when he
+stepped into their midst, showed what intense excitement
+our arrival had caused.</p>
+
+<p>As we watched we soon afterwards saw lowered from
+the towering height what appeared at first to be a thin
+black cord, but which, when the end fell at our feet, we
+found to be a ladder of curiously-knotted ropes about as
+thick as packing twine, so flimsy in construction that it
+seemed as though the weight of a single man would
+break it.</p>
+
+<p>"Are we to climb to the top?" I asked Omar, who
+passed me by quickly in order to examine the ladder.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"But surely these ropes will not bear our weight!" I
+observed. "They are only like string."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but the core of each is of steel wire of such
+strength that it would bear our whole party all together,"
+he answered. "Nevertheless, it is perhaps best to avoid
+running risks, so only a dozen shall ascend at a time<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins>"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129"></a>[<a href="./images/129.png">129</a>]</span>
+I looked up at the swaying ladder with distrust. I
+had heard many stories of ropes chafing on the edges of
+rocks and being cut through, and my awful experience
+in descending the face of the precipice opposite had
+been sufficiently terrifying.</p>
+
+<p>"The land of the Great White Queen is, indeed, unapproachable,"
+I said. "Surely no enemy could invade
+you?"</p>
+
+<p>"We fear no outside enemy," Omar answered with
+sudden seriousness. "It is internal dissensions that may
+cause trouble. Every precaution is taken here, at the
+gate of our land, to prevent an enemy from gaining Mo.
+The valley is commanded by guns in such a manner
+that it can be swept from end to end, so that even if a
+foe were to succeed in treading the Way of the Thousand
+Steps he must descend here and remain under the fire
+of the guns."</p>
+
+<p>"I noticed that last night you signalled with a torch,"
+I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! you were awake and did not speak," he laughed.
+"Yes, I flashed my name, with a message to the Naya.
+This was conveyed to her by a system of signals flashed
+from one point to another across the country in similar
+manner to those of European armies. At night the
+signals are constantly at work and take the place of your
+telegraphs. When the message reached the Naya she
+sent me a word in return, but even then Babila was far
+too cautious to afford us means to enter the country
+without first inspecting us himself."</p>
+
+<p>"You've grown a bit, and become more Anglicized
+since you left," I said, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, possibly," he answered, adding, "I was, however,
+going to explain that so elaborate are the precau<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130"></a>[<a href="./images/130.png">130</a>]</span>tions
+against invasion that even now the ladder has been
+lowered, nay, even if we were at the top, the custodians
+of the Gate could, by simply pressing a button, send a
+current of electricity through the wires that form the
+cores of the ropes of such a strength, that the ropes and
+ourselves would almost instantly be fused into a shapeless
+mass. See! the ropes are wet, so that the full
+strength of the current could, if desired, be turned
+upon us." And he pulled forward the ladder and placed
+it in my hand.</p>
+
+<p>Instinctively I shrank away, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"I have no desire to be electrocuted just yet."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it's merely one of the many devices we have
+here for the warm reception of any enemy," he answered.
+"The number of bodies yonder are sufficient proof that
+any expedition against us must be ill-fated."</p>
+
+<p>But just at that moment a rapid signal was flashed by
+the sun's rays upon a mirror, and reading it, he exclaimed
+in English:</p>
+
+<p>"All is fast above. Come, Scars, old chap, follow
+me and let me hear your opinion of my country. Keep
+your chin raised and don't look down, or you may turn
+giddy."</p>
+
+<p>Then, giving directions to Kona to allow only twelve
+men to swarm the flimsy ladder at one time, he placed
+his foot upon the first rung and commenced the long
+straight ascent.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as he had climbed a dozen feet I glanced up
+at the towering crag, then followed his example.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131"></a>[<a href="./images/131.png">131</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MYSTERIOUS REALM.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">So</span> unsteady was the ladder, straining and springing at
+every step I took, that I was compelled to grip its wet
+cords with all the strength of which I was capable. It
+swayed to and fro fearfully, and more than once I
+dreaded that I should lose my hold and fall backwards
+to earth.</p>
+
+<p>Omar above me, lithe and active as a cat, climbed on,
+chaffing me for my tardy progress, and now and then
+halting and mischievously shaking the ladder to increase
+my fear. The higher I ascended the more strongly
+blew the wind, until it whistled in the thin ropes and
+blew through my scanty clothing, chilling my bones.
+My hands and feet were bruised and sore from
+the previous day's descent, nevertheless I thought not
+of pain, only of peril. The climb was long and tedious.
+Even Omar, who had commenced by running up like a
+squirrel in his eagerness to gain the land from which he
+had so long been absent, was soon compelled to pause
+and steady himself, or he would assuredly have been
+jerked from his insecure position.</p>
+
+<p>The ten men plodding up after us seemed to be
+keeping step, causing the ladder to spring fearfully each
+time they ascended the next rung. Omar, himself fearing
+disaster, at last called to them, but jabbering among
+themselves in the highest spirits, each eager to set foot
+in the land of mystery, they took no heed of their guide's
+instructions.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132"></a>[<a href="./images/132.png">132</a>]</span>
+"You fools!" he cried angrily. "Climb slowly and
+with care. Don't jump so. We're not on a spring-board."</p>
+
+<p>Useless. We still went up and down like a ball at the
+end of a piece of elastic.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you hear?" he shrieked in the Dagomba
+tongue, halting and looking down at the string of
+grinning blacks. "Halt!"</p>
+
+<p>This sudden stoppage attracted their attention, and in
+mid-air he soundly rated them for their folly, instructing
+them how to ascend, and declaring that if they continued
+their hilarious progress a fearful disaster must ensue.
+These words immediately had the desired effect, for
+which I confess I was very thankful, as I had feared
+every moment that we should be dashed into the valley,
+and now as we went forward again the ladder was much
+steadier.</p>
+
+<p>From far below we could hear the distant shouts
+of Kona and our excited companions encouraging us
+and urging us on, for they were all impatience to follow
+us. Now and then the great grey vultures, having gorged
+themselves to their full upon the corpses in the valley,
+circled around us as if ready to tear us from our perilous
+position, and more than once I saw Omar raise his arm
+to beat them off. We were, I suppose, passing near
+their nests and thus aroused their ire.</p>
+
+<p>Looking up, I saw that we were slowly approaching
+the beetling portion of the enormous rock, but had yet
+a long distance to climb. Steadily, however, we all
+ascended, each grasping the wet slippery cords tightly to
+prevent being blown off by the high gusty wind, and
+even when we gained the jutting rock believing we had
+attained the summit, we found ourselves still fully two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133"></a>[<a href="./images/133.png">133</a>]</span>
+hundred feet from where Babila could be seen peering
+over awaiting us.</p>
+
+<p>The ladder laying upon the face of the cliff at this
+point was much easier of ascent, for the weight of the
+portion below me prevented it from swaying, and by
+scrambling up with increased haste I soon found myself
+immediately behind Omar.</p>
+
+<p>Then continuing steadily, now and then being compelled
+to bend backwards in a most perilous position
+in order to negotiate a projecting piece of rock, we
+together climbed up to the edge of the fearful precipice,
+each being lent a willing hand by Babila as we
+swarmed upon our knees to where he stood.</p>
+
+<p>"Welcome, O Prince," the old man exclaimed,
+salaaming when Omar stood before him. "Welcome to
+thy white friend from beyond the great black water."</p>
+
+<p>In an instant from a thousand throats rose cries of
+adulation, and looking around I saw that drawn up
+before us was a great concourse of fighting-men. Some
+were mounted on magnificent chargers, others were on
+foot, and among them were many silken banners each
+bearing the same device, a black vampire bat with wings
+outspread upon a crimson ground. Each soldier was
+similarly attired to Babila, with white embroidered robe and
+girdle, and each carried a rifle and a long curved sword.</p>
+
+<p>Babila was evidently a great man in the estimation of
+all others, for whatever he did the soldiers imitated.
+In appearance they had the advantage of all coloured
+and most white races. As a rule they seemed very tall,
+well set up, with well-formed limbs covered with an almost
+white skin, the texture of which would excite envy in
+the heart of many a European beauty. The features
+had nothing in common with the coarse negro type<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134"></a>[<a href="./images/134.png">134</a>]</span>
+which prevailed in the forest and over the grass-lands,
+but rather inclined towards a Semitic type. Thick lips
+were the exception, not the rule, and a broad flat nose
+was also a rarity. The only sign of barbarity was in the
+hair which, when the head was not clean shaven, was
+allowed to grow straight out in every direction, giving a
+very wild appearance to its owner. The hair of some,
+however, seemed to be softer, for it hung down to the
+nape of the neck in long, closely-curled ringlets. The
+women, a few of whom were watching us curiously, were
+all comely, and, attired in long white robes of a more
+elaborate pattern than the men, had their hair enclosed
+in a dark blue fillet, a difference in the disposition of the
+latter distinguishing between a married and an unmarried
+woman.</p>
+
+<p>A great tent of yellow silk had been erected near,
+presumably for our accommodation. Over it waved the
+hideous-looking vampire bat, and as led by Babila with
+frequent prostrations we entered it, I asked Omar the
+meaning of the sable device.</p>
+
+<p>"It is the royal mark of the Sanoms, the same as the
+lion and the unicorn is the crest of your great Queen.
+The black vampire is the guardian fetish of our throne."</p>
+
+<p>On entering, Omar walked to a raised da&iuml;s whereon
+two stools were placed, and taking one invited me to
+the other. Then, while awaiting the arrival of our companions,
+food was brought to us, and we ate and drank
+to our full, Babila himself attending to our wants personally.
+Neither were our companions forgotten, for
+they were arranged around the tent, and squatting upon
+their haunches ate and jabbered to their hearts' content.</p>
+
+<p>It was highly amusing to watch the interest with which
+the natives regarded the stolid soldiers of Mo, who stood<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135"></a>[<a href="./images/135.png">135</a>]</span>
+in long lines, motionless as statues. They went close
+up to them, examined them from head to foot, drew the
+sword from its sheath, handled it and tried its edge with
+a grunt of satisfaction. Then they would replace it,
+finger the accoutrements, examine carefully what they
+thought might be gold, and at last, folding their arms,
+would stand silent, awe-stricken at the whole effect of
+the unknown race.</p>
+
+<p>The denizens of this mysterious country, however,
+seemed to regard our natives with supercilious disdain.
+Probably their contempt had been engendered by the
+fact that certain tribes had on several occasions
+attempted an invasion, and they had from their formidable
+heights simply swept them out of existence
+as easily as a fly may be crushed with the finger. When
+looking at the handsome women, the enormous mouths
+of the Dagombas would widen into broad grins which,
+intended to convey an expression of delight, in reality
+rendered them hideous.</p>
+
+<p>For three hours we remained in the tent, sheltered
+from the sun's glaring heat, while parties of a dozen of
+our followers continued to arrive. It was Omar's intention
+to enter the capital with the whole of our faithful
+band, otherwise he would have started immediately we
+had gained the summit. Babila urged him to do so, but
+he expressed a desire that Kona and his heroic blacks
+should accompany us.</p>
+
+<p>At last the whole of the party had gained the top of
+the rock and had refreshed themselves after their toil and
+peril; the rope ladder with its hidden electric wires had
+been hauled up, and, headed by men blowing loud blasts
+upon great horns of ivory and gold, we all moved forward,
+a most imposing and magnificent cavalcade.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136"></a>[<a href="./images/136.png">136</a>]</span>
+Both Omar and myself had been mounted on fine
+milk-white horses with gay trappings of silver and royal
+blue, while behind us came Kona with a very unsteady
+seat upon a long raw-boned stallion. He was evidently
+not used to horses, and the way he clutched at the mane
+each time his animal trotted convulsed both his men
+and the soldiers in the vicinity with laughter.</p>
+
+<p>A shady march of two days in a north-westerly direction
+up the bank of a babbling stream brought us to
+higher land. The journey was uneventful, the country
+being devoid of both game and people. We saw old
+traces of habitation, it is true, but the people seemed to
+have been driven away or killed, leaving only the empty
+stone-built houses. From the hill on the side of which
+we pitched our camp a marvellous view was obtainable.
+To the north a black forest extended as far as the eye
+could reach, broken only by three small hills that served
+as landmarks. To the west rolled some giant snow-capped
+mountains, while the range whereon we stood
+was a low, stone-covered stretch of round-topped hills,
+flanked by thick mimosa jungle and filled with
+rhinoceros. Wherever we went, we found traces of
+them, their feeding ground being apparently restricted
+to a very small area. Never having been hunted, they
+probably found no reason to leave such excellent
+pasture, and it was little wonder that Kona and his
+men were anxious to remain behind and commit havoc
+amongst them.</p>
+
+<p>On the third day we encamped near a most extraordinary
+place. It was a small valley about thirty-five
+feet below the surrounding ground, looking like the dry
+bed of a stream, and was about a mile in circumference.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, I want to show you Zomara's Wrath," Omar<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137"></a>[<a href="./images/137.png">137</a>]</span>
+said, and dismounting we went together towards it, notwithstanding
+the loud cries of warning that arose on
+every side. A dog&mdash;a lean, hungry, strange-looking
+brute, who accompanied the troops&mdash;bounded after us,
+and as we approached the place I noticed a suffocating
+smell, and was attacked by nausea and giddiness. A
+belt of this f&oelig;tid atmosphere surrounded the valley.
+We, however, passed through it, and in purer air, with
+hands still over my nose and mouth, was permitted to
+view the awful spectacle&mdash;for it was awful.</p>
+
+<p>The entire bed of the valley seemed like one solid
+rock, but scattered over the barren floor were skeletons
+of men, wild hogs, deer, rhinoceros, lions, and all kinds
+of birds and smaller animals. I could discover no hole
+or crevice in any place whence the poisonous fumes
+were emitted. I was anxious to reach the bottom of the
+valley, if possible, but my suggestion was at once
+negatived by my companion, who said:</p>
+
+<p>"To go further is certain death. Come, let us return
+quickly, or we may be overpowered. This is one of the
+natural wonders of our land."</p>
+
+<p>I determined, however, to see what the fumes smelled
+like, and, greatly to Omar's horror, started to descend.
+The dog was with me, and as soon as he saw me step
+over the side of the bank he rushed down ahead of me.</p>
+
+<p>I endeavoured to call him back, but too late. As
+soon as the animal reached the rocky bed below he fell
+upon his side.</p>
+
+<p>He continued to breathe a few moments only, then
+expired.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138"></a>[<a href="./images/138.png">138</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CITY IN THE CLOUDS.</h3>
+
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">There</span> is a strange story connected with this place
+known to us as Zomara's Wrath," Omar said, when together
+we turned away and mounted our horses to ride
+back to the camp.</p>
+
+<p>"Relate it to me," I urged eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"To-night. After we have eaten at sundown I will
+tell you about it," he answered, and spurring our horses
+we galloped quickly forward.</p>
+
+<p>When we had eaten that evening and were seated
+aside together, I reminded him of his promise.</p>
+
+<p>"It is a story of my ancestors, and it occurred more
+than a thousand years ago," he said. "Ruler of the
+great kingdom of Mo, King Lobenba had no children.
+The three queens observed fasts, kept vows, made
+offerings to the fetish, all to no effect. By a lucky
+chance a great hermit made his appearance in our
+capital. The King and queens received the visitor at the
+palace, and treated him with the most generous and
+sincere hospitality. The guest was very pleased; by a
+prompting of the fetish he knew what they wanted, and
+gave them three peppercorns, one for each queen. In
+due time three sons were born, Karmos, Matrugna,
+and Fausalya, who when they reached a suitable age
+married by the ceremony of 'choice,' daughters of a
+branch of the royal family. When the brides arrived at
+their husbands' family and were disciplined in their wifely
+duties, King Lobenba, who was growing old, thought the
+time had arrived for him to make over the royal burden<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139"></a>[<a href="./images/139.png">139</a>]</span>
+to younger shoulders, and to adopt a hermit's life preliminary
+to death. So in consultation with the royal
+fetish-man, a day was appointed for the coronation of
+Prince Karmos, who had married a beautiful girl named
+Naya. But the fates had willed it otherwise. Long
+before the children were born, when King Lobenba, in
+his younger days, was subduing a revolt in this region
+where we now are he once fell from his chariot while
+aiming an arrow, and got his arm crushed under the
+wheel. The three queens had accompanied their royal
+husband to the battlefield to soften for him the hardships
+of his camp life, and during the long illness that followed
+the wound, Queen Zulnam, who afterwards became
+mother of Fausalya, nursed him with all the devotion of
+a wife's first young love. 'Ask me anything and thou
+shalt have it,' said the monarch during his convalescence.
+'I have to ask only two favours, my lord,' she answered.
+'I grant them beforehand. Name them,' he cried. But
+she said she wished for nothing at that time, but would
+make her request in due course. She waited twenty
+years. Then she repaired to her husband on the morning
+of Karmos' coronation and boldly requested that the
+prince should absent himself for fourteen years, and that
+her son Fausalya should be crowned instead."</p>
+
+<p>"She was artful," I observed, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he went on. "The words fell like a thunder-bolt
+upon the king, the light faded from his eyes and he
+fainted. Nevertheless, Zulnam's wish was granted, and
+Karmos' departure was heartrending. To soften the
+austerities of forest life, Prince Matrugna tore himself
+from his newly-married bride to accompany Karmos.
+But the hardest was to be the latter's wrench from his
+devoted Naya. The change from a most exuberant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140"></a>[<a href="./images/140.png">140</a>]</span>
+girlish gaiety to quivering grief, and the offer of the
+delicately-nurtured wife to share with her lord the
+severities of an exile's life are often told by every wise
+man in Mo. Fourteen long years Karmos spent in exile
+with his beautiful wife as companion, until at last they
+were free to return. The home-coming was one long
+triumph. The people were mad with delight to welcome
+their hero Karmos and their beloved Naya. Karmos
+was crowned, and then began that government whose
+morality and justice and love and purity have passed
+into the proverbs of my race. There was, however, one
+blemish upon it. Poor Naya's evil genius had not yet
+exhausted his malevolence. A rumour was spread by
+evil tongues that she was plotting to possess the crown,
+and Karmos, sacrificing the husband's love, the father's
+joy, to his kingly duty, while standing on that spot we
+have visited to-day&mdash;then his summer palace surrounded
+by lovely gardens&mdash;pronounced sentence of exile upon
+her. But in an instant, swift as the lightning from
+above, the terrible curse of Zomara fell upon him,
+striking him dead, his magnificent palace was swept
+away and swallowed up by a mighty earthquake, and
+from the barren hole, once the fairest spot in the land,
+there have ever since belched forth fumes that poison
+every living thing. It is Zomara's Wrath."</p>
+
+<p>"And what became of Naya, the queen?" I asked,
+struck with the remarkable story that seemed more than
+a mere legend.</p>
+
+<p>"She reigned in his stead," he answered. "Whenever
+we speak of the Nayas we sum up all that is noble and
+mighty and queenly in government, its tact, its talent,
+its love and its beneficence, for every queen who has
+since sat on the Great Emerald Throne of Mo has been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141"></a>[<a href="./images/141.png">141</a>]</span>
+named after her, and I am her lineal descendant, the last
+of her line."</p>
+
+<p>That night we rested on soft cushions spread for us in
+our tent, and marching again early next morning, spent
+the two following days in crossing a great swamp, which,
+rather than a miasmatic death-hole, was a naturalist's
+paradise. As our horses trod the soft, spongy ground,
+a majestic canopy of stately cypress, mangrove and maple
+trees protected us from the burning sun, and the sweet-scented
+flowers of the magnolias, azaleas and wild grapes
+added fragrance and beauty to the scene. Flies, snakes
+and frogs were very numerous, but gave us little trouble,
+nevertheless, I was not sorry when at dawn on the third
+day after passing the strange natural phenomenon we saw
+across the level pasture-like plain, high up, spectral and
+half hidden in the grey haze, the gigantic walls and high
+embattlements of the mysterious city.</p>
+
+<p>"Lo!" cried Omar, who was riding at my side. "See!
+At last we are within sight of the goal towards which we
+have so long striven. Yonder is Mo, sometimes called
+the City in the Clouds!"</p>
+
+<p>"But for your courage we must have failed long ago,"
+I observed, my eyes turned to where the horizon closed
+the long perspective of the sky. Away there was the
+sweetest light. Elsewhere colour marred the simplicity
+of light; but there colour was effaced, not as men efface
+it, by a blur or darkness, but by mere light. And against
+it rose, high and faintly outlined, the defences of the
+great unknown city standing on the summit of what
+appeared to be a gigantic rock. "Magnificent!" I
+exclaimed, entranced by the view. "Superb!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is, as you see, built high upon the rock known as
+the Throne of the Naya," Omar explained. "Although<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142"></a>[<a href="./images/142.png">142</a>]</span>
+founded a thousand years ago by the good queen about
+whom I told you, no stranger has ever yet set foot within
+its gates. From time to time our monarchs have sent
+their trusty agents among civilized nations, gathered from
+them their inventions, and introduced to us the results
+of their progress. Isolated as we are from the world, we
+are nevertheless enlightened, as you will shortly see."</p>
+
+<p>I was prompted to make some observation regarding
+his paganism, but held my peace, knowing that any
+reference to it wounded his susceptibilities. In everything
+except his belief in the fetish and his trust in the
+justice of the Crocodile-god, he was my equal; and I
+knew that, on more than one occasion, he had been
+ashamed to practise his savage rites in my presence.
+Therefore I hesitated, and, as we rode along, the outline
+of the great city, perched high upon the rock, growing
+every moment more formidable and distinct, I listened
+to the many interesting facts he related.</p>
+
+<p>Kona, who followed us, listened with strained ears,
+and our Dagombas were one and all laughing and keeping
+up a Babel-like chatter that showed the intense
+excitement caused among them by the sight of the mysterious
+capital of the Great White Queen.</p>
+
+<p>We had struck a broad well-made road, and now, as
+with hastening steps we approached it, we could distinguish
+quite plainly the inaccessible character of the
+high rock that rose abruptly a thousand feet above the
+plain crowned by the frowning walls of immense thickness
+that enclosed the place. Beyond, rose many lofty
+towers and several gilded domes which, Omar told me,
+were the audience-halls of the great palace, and immediately
+before us we could see in the walls, flanked on
+either side by great strong watch-towers, a closed gate.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143"></a>[<a href="./images/143.png">143</a>]</span>
+From where we stood we could distinguish no means
+of approach to the impregnable fortress, but on coming
+at last to the base of the rock we found a long flight of
+narrow steps mounting zig-zag up its dark, moss-grown
+face. When the cavalcade halted before them our
+trumpeters blew thrice shrill blasts upon their big ivory
+horns, and like magic the ponderous iron gate far above
+instantly swung open, and the walls literally swarmed
+with men, whose bright arms glittered in the sun.
+Above, where all had been silent a moment before,
+everything was now bustle and excitement as Babila
+sprang from his horse and commenced to mount the long
+flight of steps, followed by myself and my companion.</p>
+
+<p>So steep were these stairs cut in the rock that an iron
+chain had been placed beside them by which to steady
+one's-self.</p>
+
+<p>"Are there again a thousand steps?" I asked Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said. "Naya, wife of Karmos, had them
+cut under her personal supervision. There are exactly
+a thousand&mdash;the number of generations which, she declared,
+should flourish and die ere Mo be conquered."</p>
+
+<p>Then without further words we eagerly continued our
+upward climb to the mystic City in the Clouds.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Gaining</span> the summit and entering the ponderous gate
+closely behind old Babila, I was amazed at the bewildering
+aspect of the gigantic city. As Omar placed his
+foot upon the top step, great drums, ornamented by
+golden bats with outspread wings, were thumped by a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144"></a>[<a href="./images/144.png">144</a>]</span>
+perspiring line of drummers, horns were blown with ear-piercing
+vehemence, and the huge guns mounted on the
+walls thundered forth a deafening salute.</p>
+
+<p>Then, as we walked forward along the way kept clear
+for us through the enormous crowd of curious citizens,
+Babila at last met the tall, patriarchal-looking man in
+command of the city-gate.</p>
+
+<p>"Lo!" he cried. "With our Prince Omar there
+returneth a retinue of strangers. This one," indicating
+myself, "is from the land of the white men that lieth
+beyond the great black water. The others are from the
+borders of Prempeh's kingdom."</p>
+
+<p>"Art thou certain there are no spies among them?"
+asked the man, glancing at me keenly in suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>"I, Omar, Prince of Mo, vouch for each man's
+honesty," exclaimed my friend, interrupting. At these
+words the chief guardian of the gate bowed until his
+long white beard swept the ground, and we passed on,
+followed by Kona and our black companions, in whom
+the denizens of the mysterious place seemed highly
+interested, never before having seen negro savages.</p>
+
+<p>Now and then as we passed along voices raised in
+dissension that strangers should be admitted to the inaccessible
+kingdom reached our ears, but these were
+drowned by the wild plaudits of the crowd. On every
+hand Omar was greeted with an enthusiasm befitting the
+heir to the Emerald Throne, and he, in response, bowed
+his head from side to side, as with royal gait he strode
+down the broad handsome thoroughfare. The buildings
+on either hand were magnificent in their proportions,
+built of enormous blocks of grey stone finely sculptured,
+with square ornamented windows. Apparently the
+manufacture of glass was unknown, for all the windows<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145"></a>[<a href="./images/145.png">145</a>]</span>
+were uniformly latticed. Here and there through the
+open doors we caught sight of cool courtyards, with
+trees and plashing fountains beyond, while from the flat
+roofs that here seemed to be the principal promenade
+of the ladies, as in Eastern lands, white hands and bejewelled
+arms waved us dainty welcome.</p>
+
+<p>Across a great market square, where slaves were being
+bought and sold, and business was proceeding uninterruptedly,
+we passed, and as we glanced at the unfortunate
+ones huddled up in the scanty shadow, we remembered
+the day when we, too, had been sold by our bitter
+and well-hated enemy, Samory. I smiled as I reflected
+what terrible revenge this great army of the Naya could
+wreak upon the Arab chief, and found myself anticipating
+the day when the soldiery of Mo should gather
+before the old villain's stronghold.</p>
+
+<p>Kona, who had come up beside me, walked on in
+silent amazement. He knew nothing of civilization, and
+the sights he now witnessed held him dumb. The
+African mind is slow to understand the benefits of civilization
+and modern progress, unless it be the substitution
+of guns for bows and bullets for arrows. At last we
+turned a corner suddenly, and saw before us, rising against
+the intensely blue sky and flashing in the brilliant sunlight,
+the three great gilded domes of the royal palace.</p>
+
+<p>"Gold!" cried Kona, in an awed tone. "See!"
+and he turned to several of his sable brethren. "See!
+they build their great huts of solid gold! What treasure
+they must have!"</p>
+
+<p>As we advanced in imposing procession, the great gate
+of this royal residence, grim and frowning as a fortress,
+over which a large flag was floating, bearing the sign of
+the vampire bat, opened wide, and, unchallenged by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146"></a>[<a href="./images/146.png">146</a>]</span>
+crowds of gaily-dressed soldiers drawn up in line and
+saluting, we went forward amid vociferous cheering.</p>
+
+<p>Ours was indeed a progress full of triumph and enthusiasm.
+The heir to the throne, long since mourned
+for as lost, had returned, and the loyal people were filled
+with great rejoicing. Through one spacious courtyard
+after another we passed, always between long lines of
+stalwart men-at-arms, bearing good English rifles and
+well-made accoutrements, until, ascending a short flight
+of wide steps of polished black stone, we found ourselves
+in a great hall beneath one of the gilded domes that
+had so impressed our head-man. Before us was a huge
+curtain of purple velvet that screened from view the
+further end of the hall, but when all had assembled
+and stood grouped together, this drapery was suddenly
+lifted, disclosing to our gaze a sight that filled us with
+greatest wonder and amazement.</p>
+
+<p>The central object was the historic Emerald Throne,
+a wonderful golden seat so thickly encrusted with
+beautiful green gems as to appear entirely constructed of
+them. Some of the stones were of enormous size,
+beautifully cut, of amazing brilliance and fabulous value.
+Above, was suspended a golden representation of a
+crocodile&mdash;the god Zomara. Lolling lazily among the
+pink silk cushions was a woman, tall, thin-faced and
+ascetic, with a complexion white as my own, high cheek
+bones, small black, brilliant eyes, and hair plentifully
+tinged with grey. Her personality was altogether a
+striking one, for her brow was low, her face hawk-like,
+and her long, bony hands resting on the arms of the
+seat of royalty seemed like the talons of the bird to
+which her face bore resemblance.</p>
+
+<p>It was the Naya, the dreaded Great White Queen!</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147"></a>[<a href="./images/147.png">147</a>]</span>
+Her robes of rich brocaded silk were of a brilliant
+golden yellow, heavily embroidered with gold thread,
+and thickly studded with various jewels. In the bright
+flood of sunlight that struck full upon her from the
+painted dome above, the diamonds and rubies enriching
+her handsome corsage gleamed and flashed white, green
+and blood-red. Indeed, so covered was her breast by
+the fiery gems that as it heaved and fell their flashing
+dazzled us; yet in her eyes was a cruel, crafty gleam that
+from the first moment I saw her roused instinctively
+within me fear and suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>No smile of welcome crossed her cold, implacable
+features as her gaze met that of her son Omar; no
+enthusiastic or maternal greeting passed her lips. Her
+maids of honour and courtiers grouped about her murmured
+approbation and welcome as the heavy curtains
+fell aside, but frowning slightly she raised her bejewelled
+claw-like hand impatiently with a gesture commanding
+silence, darting hasty glances of displeasure upon those
+who had, by applauding, lowered her regal dignity. On
+either side black female slaves in garments of crimson
+silk and wearing golden girdles, massive earrings and
+neck chains, slowly fanned the ruler of Mo with large
+circular fans of ostrich feathers, and from a pedestal
+near her a tiny fountain of some fragrant perfume shot
+up and fell with faint plashing into its basin of marvellously-cut
+crystal. The splendour was barbaric yet
+refined, illustrative everywhere of the tastes of these
+denizens of the unknown kingdom. The walls of the
+great hall were strangely sculptured with colossal monstrosities,
+mostly hideous designs, apparently intended
+to depict the awful wrath of the deity Zomara, while
+here and there were curious frescoes of almost photo<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148"></a>[<a href="./images/148.png">148</a>]</span>graphic
+finish, the execution of which had been accomplished
+by some art quite unknown to European civilization.
+The paving whereon we stood was of jasper,
+highly polished, with here and there strange outlines
+inlaid with gold. These outlines, a little crude and
+unfinished, were mostly illustrative of the power of the
+Nayas, depicting scenes of battle, justice and execution.</p>
+
+<p>"Let our son Omar stand forth and approach our
+Emerald Throne," exclaimed the Naya at last, in a thin,
+rasping voice, moving slightly as she bent forward, fixing
+her shining eyes upon us. They glittered with evil.</p>
+
+<p>At the royal command all bowed low in submission,
+it being etiquette to do this whenever the Naya
+expressed command or wish, and Omar, leaving my side,
+strode forward with becoming hauteur, and, crossing the
+floor as highly polished as glass, advanced to his royal
+mother, and, bending upon his knee, pressed her thin,
+bony hand to his lips.</p>
+
+<p>But even then no expression of pleasure crossed her
+stony features. I had expected to witness an affectionate
+meeting between mother and son, and was extremely
+surprised at the coldness of my friend's reception,
+having regard to his long absence and the many perils
+we had together faced on our entry into Mo.</p>
+
+<p>"News was flashed unto me last night that thou hadst
+crossed the Thousand Steps," the Queen said, slowly
+withdrawing her bony hand. "Why hast thou returned
+from the land of the white men, and why, pray, hast
+thou brought hither strangers with thee?"</p>
+
+<p>"These strangers are heroes, each one of them,"
+Omar answered, rising, and standing before the throne.
+"Every man has already fought for thee, and for Mo."</p>
+
+<p>"For me? How?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149"></a>[<a href="./images/149.png">149</a>]</span>
+Then briefly he related how we had met the remnant
+of Samory's invading force and defeated them, so that
+not a single fugitive remained.</p>
+
+<p>"These savages fought merely for their own lives, not
+for me," she said with a supercilious sneer, regarding
+the half-clad natives with disdain. "We in Mo desire
+not the introduction of such creatures as these."</p>
+
+<p>"Are not my friends welcome?" Omar asked, pale
+with anger. "A Sanom hath never yet turned from his
+palace those who have proved themselves his friends."</p>
+
+<p>"Neither hath a Sanom sought the aid of savages,"
+answered the Great White Queen, with a glance of
+withering scorn.</p>
+
+<p>"Adversity sometimes causeth us to seek strange
+alliances," my friend argued. "These men of the
+Dagomba, Kona, their head man, and Scarsmere, my
+friend from the land of the white men, have given me
+aid, and if thou accordest them no welcome, then I,
+Omar, in the name of my ancestors, the Nabas and the
+Nayas, will give them greeting, and provide them with
+befitting entertainment while they are within our walls."</p>
+
+<p>His words caused instant consternation. The will of
+the Naya was not to be thwarted. Her every wish was
+law; a single word from her meant life or death. This
+openly-expressed opposition was, to the court, a most
+terrible offence, punishable by death to all others save the
+heir.</p>
+
+<p>The Naya, her thin lips tightly set and cruelty lurking
+in the corners of her mouth, rose slowly with an air of
+terrible anger.</p>
+
+<p>"Does our son Omar thus defy us?" she asked with
+grim harshness.</p>
+
+<p>"I defy thee not O queen-mother," answered my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150"></a>[<a href="./images/150.png">150</a>]</span>
+friend, clasping his hands resolutely behind his back,
+and standing with his legs slightly apart. "I bring
+unto thee those who have fought for me, and have been
+my companions through many perils, expecting welcome.
+Were it not for them I, the last of our regal line, would
+be no longer living, and at thy death our kingdom would
+have been without a ruler."</p>
+
+<p>"Son, the claim of these, thy friends, to my protection
+is admitted; nevertheless, the stranger, whoever he may
+be, is by the law of our kingdom that hath been rigorously
+observed for a thousand years, debarred from
+traversing the Thousand Steps."</p>
+
+<p>As the queen spoke I noticed two gorgeously-attired
+men behind her, probably her chief advisers, exchange
+whispers with smiles of evident satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I am to understand that the Naya of Mo
+absolutely refuseth to sanction these my friends to dwell
+within our walls?" Omar said.</p>
+
+<p>"We forbid these strangers to remain," answered the
+Queen, crimsoning with anger that her son should have
+thus argued with her. "They are granted until noon to-morrow
+to quit our city. Those found within our land
+after three suns have set will be held as slaves. I, the
+Naya, have spoken."</p>
+
+<p>"As thou willest it, so it will be," answered her son,
+bowing very stiffly. Then, turning to us, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Friends, the people give you cordial welcome, even
+though the Naya may refuse to grant you peace. You
+shall remain&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Thou insultest us publicly," cried the Great White
+Queen, still standing erect, her black eyes flashing
+beneath the wisp of scanty grey hair, and her talon-like
+hand uplifted. "To utter such words hast thou<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151"></a>[<a href="./images/151.png">151</a>]</span>
+returned from the land beyond the black seas? True,
+thou art my son, and some day will sit upon this my
+stool, but for thus opposing my will thou shalt be
+banished from Mo until such time as I am carried to the
+tombs of my fathers. Then, when thou returnest hither,
+thy reign shall be one of tumults and evil-doing. The
+people who now shout themselves hoarse because their
+idol Omar hath returned to them, shall, in that day,
+curse thee, and heap upon thee every indignity. May
+the Great Darkness encompass thee, may thine enemies
+break and crush thee, and may Zomara, the One of
+Power, smite and devour thee," and as she uttered these
+words she held up her long skinny arms to the hideous
+golden crocodile suspended over her, muttering some
+mystic sentences the while.</p>
+
+<p>Her slaves and courtiers held their breath. The
+Great White Queen was cursing her only son. The
+Dagombas understood this action and stood aghast,
+while across the faces of the court dignitaries a few
+moments later there flitted faint sickly smiles. The
+scene was impressive, more so perhaps than any I had
+before witnessed. In her sudden ebullition of anger the
+Naya was indeed terrible.</p>
+
+<p>From her thin blue lips curses most fearful rolled
+until even her courtiers shuddered. As she stood, her
+bony arms uplifted to the image of what was to her the
+greatest and most dreaded power on earth, she screamed
+herself hoarse, uttering imprecations until about her
+mouth there hung a blood-flecked foam, and her long
+finger-nails were driven deep into the flesh of her
+withered palms. All quaked visibly at her wrath, for
+none knew who might next offend her and pay the
+penalty for so doing with their lives: none knew who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152"></a>[<a href="./images/152.png">152</a>]</span>
+might next fall victim to her insane passion for causing
+suffering to others.</p>
+
+<p>Omar alone stood calmly watching her; all others remained
+terrified, fearing to utter a single word.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, in her mad passion, she shrieked:</p>
+
+<p>"Gankoma! Gankoma! Come hither. There is
+still work for thee."</p>
+
+<p>In an instant the chief executioner, a man of giant
+stature, gaudily attired and bearing a huge curved sword
+that gleamed ominously in the sunlight, stood before
+her, and bowing, answered:</p>
+
+<p>"Your majesty is obeyed."</p>
+
+<p>"There is one who hath betrayed his trust," cried the
+angry ruler. "To Babila, guardian of the Gate, we owe
+this intrusion of strangers in our land and these insults
+from the mouth of one who is unworthy to be called
+son. Bring forth Babila."</p>
+
+<p>The executioner, sword in hand, advanced to where
+the trusty old custodian stood. At mention of his name
+a despairing cry had escaped him. He knew, alas! his
+fate was sealed.</p>
+
+<p>Pale, trembling in the iron grip of the executioner, he
+was hurried forward before the dazzling Emerald Throne.</p>
+
+<p>"See! he flinches, the perfidious old traitor!" the
+Naya cried. "His duty was to prevent any stranger from
+entering Mo, yet he actually assisted yonder horde of
+savages to gain access to our innermost courts. He&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Mercy, your majesty! mercy!" implored the unhappy
+man, falling prone at her feet. "I have guarded
+the Gate with my life always. I believed that thy son's
+friends were thine also."</p>
+
+<p>"Silence!" shrieked the Naya. "Let not his voice
+again fall upon our ears. Let him die now, before our<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153"></a>[<a href="./images/153.png">153</a>]</span>
+eyes, and let his carcase be given as offal to the dogs.
+Let one hundred of his guards die also. Others who
+would thwart us will thus be warned."</p>
+
+<p>"Mercy!" screamed the wretched old fellow hoarsely,
+clasping his hands in fervent supplication.</p>
+
+<p>"Gankoma, I have spoken," cried the Great White
+Queen, majestically waving her hand.</p>
+
+<p>Babila, inactive by age, struggled to regain his feet,
+but ere he could do so, or before Omar could interfere,
+the executioner had lifted his sword with both hands.
+The sound of a dull blow was heard, and next second
+the head of the Queen's faithful servant rolled across the
+polished floor, while from the decapitated trunk the blood
+gushed forth and ran in an ugly serpentine stream over
+the jasper slabs.</p>
+
+<p>A sudden thrill of horror ran through the crowd at
+this summary execution of one who had hitherto been
+implicitly trusted, but only for an instant was the ghastly
+body allowed to remain before the eyes of Queen
+and court, for half a dozen slaves had been standing in
+readiness with bowls of water, and some of these rushing
+forward carried away the head and body and flung it to
+the dogs, while others swiftly removed all traces of the
+gruesome spectacle.</p>
+
+<p>Little wonder therefore that the great Naya should be
+held in awe by all her subjects, for in her anger she
+seemed capable of the most fiendish cruelty. As in
+Kumassi, so also in Mo, death seemed to come quickly,
+and for any paltry offence. Gankoma, executioner to the
+Great White Queen, was, I afterwards learnt, continually
+busy obeying the royal commands, and the rapidly
+increasing number of victims whose heads fell beneath
+his terrible knife was causing most serious discontent.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154"></a>[<a href="./images/154.png">154</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI.</h2>
+
+<h3>A FIGURE IN THE SHADOW.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">An</span> hour after sundown I was seated with Omar and
+Kona on a mat in the courtyard of a house not far
+from the gates of the palace, where hospitality had been
+secretly offered us. We were discussing the situation.
+Our black followers, on leaving the presence of the irate
+queen, had gone out in small groups to wander through
+the wonderful city, having arranged to meet again at
+midnight.</p>
+
+<p>The man in whose house we had found shelter was
+named Goliba, a staunch friend of Omar's, although one
+of the royal councillors. As we sat together this old
+man with long flowing white beard, keen aquiline
+features and black eyes that age had not dimmed,
+explained facts that amazed us. He told us that Kouaga,
+a favourite of the Naya, had been approached secretly
+by her as to the advisability of Omar's assassination.
+The old councillor had actually overheard this dastardly
+plot formed by the queen against her son, for she
+feared that owing to the harshness of her rule popular
+opinion might be diverted in his favour, and that she
+might be overthrown, and he set upon the Emerald
+Throne in her stead. The Naya had regretted sending
+Omar away for safety, so giving Kouaga a large sum of
+money, she ordered him to proceed to England and
+assassinate the heir. He left, and apparently on his
+way conceived the idea that he might, with considerable
+advantage, play a double game. Samory, whose secret
+agent in Mo he was, intended, he knew, to lead a great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155"></a>[<a href="./images/155.png">155</a>]</span>
+expedition against the unapproachable country, its principal
+object being to secure the vast treasures known to
+be concealed within the City in the Clouds. As Omar
+alone knew its secret hiding-place it occurred to Kouaga
+to convey him to the stronghold of the Mohammedan
+chief before assassinating him, and obtain from him the
+whereabouts of the great collection of gold and gems.
+The Naya had ordered that her son should be killed
+secretly in England, but this cowardly crime was averted
+by Kouaga's cupidity, and we had therefore been enticed
+to the Arab sheikh's headquarters. The object of both
+men being thwarted by Omar's refusal to divulge the
+secret, we had been sold into slavery and consigned as
+human sacrifices before King Prempeh.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll be even yet with that scoundrel and traitor,
+Kouaga," Omar said, turning to me when Goliba had
+finished.</p>
+
+<p>"If the command be given every man in Mo would
+go forth against Samory's accursed hordes," Goliba
+declared with emphasis, removing the mouthpiece of his
+long pipe from his lips. "But how dost thou intend
+now to act?" he asked Omar. "Remember thou art
+banished until the Naya's death. Let us hope that
+Zomara will not spare her long to tyrannize over our land
+and to plot against thy life," he added in a half whisper.</p>
+
+<p>Omar started in surprise. This man, one of the
+principal advisers of his royal mother, was actually expressing
+a wish that she might die! It occurred to me,
+too, that if her advisers were antagonistic towards her,
+might not the poor, oppressed and afflicted people also be
+of the same mind?</p>
+
+<p>"Speak, O Goliba," Omar said. "Is the balance of
+popular feeling actually against the Naya?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156"></a>[<a href="./images/156.png">156</a>]</span>
+"Entirely. Within the past few years the loyal spirit
+hath, on account of the revolting cruelties practised by
+thy royal mother, turned utterly against her. Before
+thy departure to the land beyond the black water the
+loyal feeling was uppermost because of the efforts of
+Moloto to obtain the crown. Now, however, that the
+power of his party is broken and the Naya, feeling her
+position invulnerable, hath commenced a reign of terror,
+disgust and despair are felt on every hand."</p>
+
+<p>"What must I do?" Omar asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Remain here," the sage replied. "Thou art
+banished from the royal presence, it is true, but heed
+not her words, and remain with thy followers in Mo.
+Guard vigilantly against the attempts of secret assassins
+that are certain to be made when the Naya is aware of
+thy defiance, but remember thou art heir to the Emerald
+Throne, and although some of the regiments may
+remain loyal unto their queen, the majority of our fighting-men
+are thine to command."</p>
+
+<p>Omar knit his brows, and thought deeply for several
+moments. It was apparent that this suggestion to
+oppose the Naya by force of arms had never before
+entered his mind.</p>
+
+<p>"Is this really true?" he asked in a doubting tone.</p>
+
+<p>"O Master, let thy servant Goliba perish rather than
+his word be questioned. As councillor of thy queen-mother,
+have I not greater facilities for testing the
+popular feeling than any other man in Mo? I swear by
+Zomara's wrath that what I have uttered is truth. If
+thou remainest here&mdash;in hiding for a time it may be&mdash;thou
+shalt either be restored to the royal favour and thy
+friends recognized, or thou shalt assuredly occupy the
+royal stool. The people, living as they do in constant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157"></a>[<a href="./images/157.png">157</a>]</span>
+dread of the Naya's cruelties, would hail with satisfaction
+any change of rule that would ensure safety to their
+persons and property. Thou art their saviour."</p>
+
+<p>"Take the advice of our friend Goliba," I urged.
+"Let us remain and defy her."</p>
+
+<p>"Yea," cried Kona, displaying his even white teeth.
+"The Dagombas are here and likely to remain. They
+will fight and die to a man in thy cause. I, their head-man,
+speak for them."</p>
+
+<p>"Is it agreed?" asked Omar, glancing at us.</p>
+
+<p>"It is," we all three answered with one voice, Kona
+and Goliba fingering their amulets as they spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Then if it is thy will I shall remain and defy the
+Naya," Omar answered, grasping the string of jujus
+around his neck and muttering some words I could not
+catch. "I, Omar, Prince of Mo, am thy leader in this
+struggle of my people against oppression and misrule.
+If they will declare in my favour I will free them. I
+have spoken."</p>
+
+<p>"Thou hast until noon to-morrow to quit this city,"
+Goliba said. "Hasten not thy decision, but what I will
+show thee secretly ere long will perhaps convince thee
+of the terrors of the Naya's reign. I have often counselled
+the queen to aspire to the virtues of truth,
+wisdom, justice and moderation, the great ornaments
+of the Emerald Throne, but my endeavours have been
+frustrated and the fruit of my labour blasted."</p>
+
+<p>As the white-bearded sage uttered these words, I
+noticed that from behind one of the great marble pillars
+of the colonnade that surrounded the courtyard of
+Goliba's fine house a white robe flitted for an instant,
+disappearing in the fast-falling gloom. At the moment,
+sitting as we were smoking and chatting in the open air,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158"></a>[<a href="./images/158.png">158</a>]</span>
+the presence of an intruder did not strike me as strange,
+and only half an hour later did I begin to fear that our
+decision had been listened to by an eavesdropper,
+possibly a spy in the service of the terrible queen!
+When, after due reflection, I imparted my misgivings
+privately to Goliba, he, however, allayed my fears,
+smiling, as he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Heed it not. It was but my slave Fiou. I saw her
+also as she passed along."</p>
+
+<p>"Then thou dost not fear spies?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Not in this mine own house," he answered proudly.
+"The dwelling-house of a royal councillor is exempt
+from any espionage in the Naya's cause."</p>
+
+<p>This satisfied me, and the incident escaped my recollection
+entirely until long after, when I had bitter cause to remember
+it, as will be seen from later chapters of this record.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after Omar had promised to act as our leader in
+his country's cause, Goliba arose, and crossing the
+courtyard, now lit only by the bright stars twinkling
+in the dark blue vault above, disappeared through
+a door with a fine horse-shoe arch in Moorish style.
+Left together, we sat cross-legged on the mat, a silent,
+thoughtful trio. Omar had decided to act on the sage's
+advice, and none of us knew what the result might
+be. That fierce fighting and terrible bloodshed must
+occur ere the struggle ended, we felt assured, but with
+our mere handful of Dagombas we were certainly no
+match for the trained hosts of the Naya.</p>
+
+<p>Presently we began to discuss the matter among ourselves.
+Kona, enthusiastic, yet hardly sanguine, wondered
+whether the people were armed, and if not, where
+we could procure guns and ammunition. Omar, on the
+other hand, assured us that nearly every civilian<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159"></a>[<a href="./images/159.png">159</a>]</span>
+possessed a gun, being bound by law to acquire one
+so that he might act his part in an immediate defence in
+case of invasion. He had no apprehensions regarding
+the materials for war; he only feared that Goliba
+might be mistaken in the estimate of his popularity.</p>
+
+<p>"If they will only stand by me they shall have freedom,"
+he said decisively. "If they do not, death will
+come to all of us."</p>
+
+<p>"We are ready," Kona answered, his black face
+glistening in the ray of light shed by a single lamp lit
+by a slave on the opposite side of the court. "We will
+serve thy cause while we have breath."</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes later footsteps sounded on the paving,
+and from the darkness of the colonnade Goliba, accompanied
+by six other younger men, all tall, erect and
+stately, emerged from the shadow and approached us.
+Addressing Omar, the sage said:</p>
+
+<p>"All these men are known to thee, O Master. I
+need not repeat their names, but they have known thee
+since their birth, and are of a verity a power in our
+land. They have come hither to see thee."</p>
+
+<p>My friend rising gave them greeting, snapped fingers
+with them, and answered:</p>
+
+<p>"I forget no face. I remember each, and I know ye are
+men of might and justice. Each was ruler of a province&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"All are still governors," interrupted the sage.
+"They have come hither to swear allegiance to thee."</p>
+
+<p>"It is even so, O Master," exclaimed one of the men,
+hitching his rich cloak of gold-coloured silk more closely
+around his shoulders. "We have met and resolved to
+ask thee to defy the sentence of banishment that the
+Naya hath imposed upon thee."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160"></a>[<a href="./images/160.png">160</a>]</span>
+"Already have I decided so to do," Omar answered.
+"Have I the support of thy people, O Niaro?"</p>
+
+<p>"To a man," the Governor answered. "For the
+military we cannot, however, answer. They are ruled
+by unscrupulous place-seekers, who may defend the
+Naya, expecting to reap rich rewards; but such will
+assuredly discover that their confidence was misplaced.
+If the Naya seriously threateneth thee and thy friends,
+then assuredly she shall be overthrown and thou shalt
+ascend the stool in her stead."</p>
+
+<p>"I thank thee for these expressions of good-will,"
+my friend said after the remaining five had all spoken
+and assured us of staunch support. "I remain in Mo
+with my black companions, and when the time cometh I
+am ready to take a stand in the cause against tyranny
+and oppression."</p>
+
+<p>"May the fetish be good," Niaro said, and as if with
+one voice they all cried, "We will offer daily sacrifices
+for the success of our arms."</p>
+
+<p>Together we then went to a small apartment, well-furnished
+in Arab style with mats, low lounges, and tiny
+coffee-tables, and during the three hours that followed
+the more minute details of this great conspiracy against
+the tyrannical Naya were discussed and arranged, Goliba
+acting as adviser upon various points.</p>
+
+<p>As I sat listening to the conversation I fully realised
+the seriousness of the great undertaking upon which we
+had embarked, and I confess my confidence in our
+success was by no means deep-rooted, for it was
+apparent that in the revolt, if revolt became necessary,
+the military would act on the side of the Naya and
+suppress it with a firm, merciless hand. What apparently
+was most feared by our fellow-conspirators was that in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161"></a>[<a href="./images/161.png">161</a>]</span>
+commanding the suppression of the rebellion the Naya
+would give orders for a general massacre of the people.</p>
+
+<p>To guard against this, Niaro urged the secret assassination
+of the Naya immediately preceding the revolt,
+but Omar, rising with that regal air he now and then
+assumed, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Give heed, O my friends, unto my words. I, Omar,
+Prince of Mo, will never sanction the murder of my
+mother. A Sanom hath never been a murderer. If
+this step be decided, I shall withdraw from the leadership
+and depart."</p>
+
+<p>"But canst thou not see, O Prince, that a massacre
+would strike panic into the hearts of the people, and
+they would lay down their arms," Niaro urged.</p>
+
+<p>"We must prevent all bloodshed that is unnecessary,"
+my friend replied. "I am fully aware that in such a
+struggle as the coming one it must be life for life, but I
+will never be a party to my mother's murder. If the
+people of Mo desire the Naya's overthrow on account
+of her barbarous treatment of her subjects and the
+bribery and corruption of her officials, then I, to
+preserve the traditions of my ancestors, will lead
+them, and act my part in their liberation, but only on
+the understanding that not a hair of her head is injured."</p>
+
+<p>The men grouped around nodded acquiescence, but
+smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"When thou hast witnessed how the Naya ruleth her
+subjects, perhaps thou wilt not so readily defend her,"
+one of the Governors observed. "Our ruler is not so
+just nor so merciful as when thou wert last in Mo. Go,
+let Goliba take thee in secret among the people, and
+only when we next meet decide the point."</p>
+
+<p>"I will never allow the Naya to fall beneath the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162"></a>[<a href="./images/162.png">162</a>]</span>
+blade or poison-cup of the assassin," Omar said
+decisively. "A Sanom departeth not from the word he
+hath uttered."</p>
+
+<p>After some <ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'futher'">further</ins>  discussion this horrible detail
+of the conspiracy was dropped, and other matters
+arranged with a coolness that utterly astounded me.</p>
+
+<p>We were plotting to obtain a kingdom!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII.</h2>
+
+<h3>TO THE UNKNOWN.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">When</span>, with elaborate genuflections and vows of allegiance,
+the governors of the six principal provinces of
+the mystic Kingdom had taken leave of Omar, we remained
+in consultation with the old sage for upwards of
+another hour. He told us many horrible stories of the
+Naya's fierce and unrelenting cruelty. It seemed as
+though during the later years of her reign she had been
+seized by an insane desire to cause just as much misery
+and suffering as her predecessors on the Emerald Throne
+had promoted prosperity and happiness. In every particular
+her temperament was exactly opposite to the
+first Naya, the good queen whose memory had, through
+a thousand years, been revered as that of a goddess.</p>
+
+<p>Goliba explained how, during the past three years, the
+Great White Queen had suddenly become highly superstitious.
+This was not surprising, for as far as I could
+gather the people of Mo had no religion as we understand
+the term, but their minds were nevertheless filled
+with ideas relating to supernatural objects, by which they
+sought to explain the phenomena about them of which
+the causes were not immediately obvious. He told us
+that the Naya, preying upon the superstitions of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163"></a>[<a href="./images/163.png">163</a>]</span>
+people, had recently introduced into the country, entirely
+against the advice of himself and his fellow-councillors,
+a number of customs, all of which were apparently
+devised to cause death. He told us that if a great man
+died his friends never now remained content with the
+explanation that he died from natural causes. Their
+minds flew at once to witchcraft. Some one had cast
+an evil spell upon him, and it was the duty of the friends
+of the dead man to discover who it was that had had
+dealings with the powers of darkness. Suspicion fell
+upon a certain member of the tribe, generally a relative
+of the deceased, and that suspicion could only be verified
+by putting the accused to the test of some dreadful
+ordeal. A favourite ordeal, he said, was to make the
+suspected person drink a large quantity&mdash;a gallon and a
+half, or more&mdash;of a decoction of a bitter and slightly
+poisonous bark. If vomiting occurred, then a verdict
+of guilty was passed upon the unfortunate wretch, and
+no protestations, or even direct proof of his innocence,
+could save him from the tortures in store for him. The
+victim was condemned to death, and death was inflicted
+not swiftly and mercifully, but nearly always with some
+accompaniment of diabolical torture.</p>
+
+<p>One method was to hack the body of the wretched
+person to pieces with knives, the most odious mutilations
+being resorted to. Occasionally the unfortunate creature
+was tied to a stake while pepper was rubbed into his
+eyes until the fearful irritation so produced caused blindness.
+Or, again, the victim was tied hand and foot upon
+an ant-hill, and left to the agonies of being consumed
+slowly by the minute aggressors. The most satisfactory
+death, perhaps, was that when the condemned man was
+allowed to be his own executioner. He was made much<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164"></a>[<a href="./images/164.png">164</a>]</span>
+of for an hour or so before the final scene, and was well
+fed and primed with palm wine. Under the excitement
+of this mild stimulant he mounted a tree, carrying in his
+hand a long rope formed of a kind of stringy vine of
+tough texture. One end of this rope he fastened to a
+bough, and the other he placed in a running knot over
+his neck. Then, quite pleased at being the centre of
+observation of the multitude, even on such a gruesome
+occasion, the criminal harangued his tribesmen in a great
+speech, finally declared the justice of his sentence, and
+leaped into space. Should the rope break, as occasionally
+happened, then the zeal of the executioner
+overcame the fear of death of the victim, for he mounted
+the tree nimbly once more, readjusted the knots, and did
+his best in the second attempt to avoid the risk of
+another fiasco.</p>
+
+<p>"And have such pagan customs actually been introduced
+during my absence in England?" asked Omar
+astonished.</p>
+
+<p>"They have, alas! O Prince," answered the sage.
+"The people, taught from childhood to respect every
+word that falleth from the lips of our Great White
+Queen, adopted these revolting customs, together with
+certain other dreadful rites, believing that only by obeying
+her injunctions can they escape the wrath of the
+Crocodile-god. As rapidly as fire spreadeth in the forest
+the customs were adopted in every part of the kingdom,
+until now the practices I have briefly enumerated are
+universal."</p>
+
+<p>"But surely my mother could never have devised such
+horrible suffering out of sheer ill-will towards our
+people?"</p>
+
+<p>"Alas! she hath," answered the old man. "If thou<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165"></a>[<a href="./images/165.png">165</a>]</span>
+believest not my words, take each of you one of the
+cloaks hanging yonder, wrap the Arab haicks around
+your heads and follow me. Make no sign that ye are
+strangers, and ye shall witness strange sights amazing."</p>
+
+<p>We all three arose, and quickly arraying ourselves in
+white cotton burnouses, wrapping the haicks around our
+heads in the manner of the Arabs&mdash;a fashion adopted by
+some in the City in the Clouds&mdash;and pulling them across
+our faces, so as to partially conceal our features, we went
+forth with our guide on the tiptoe of expectation.</p>
+
+<p>"What sight, I wonder, are we going to witness?" I
+whispered in English to Omar, as we walked together
+along one of the narrow streets in the deep shadow so
+that we might not be detected.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not," my friend answered, with a heavy sigh.
+"If what Goliba says is true, and I fear it is, then our
+land is doomed."</p>
+
+<p>"The power of the cruel Naya must be broken, and
+you must reign and bring back to Mo her departing
+prosperity and happiness," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll do my best, Scarsmere," he answered. "You
+have been a true, fearless friend all along, and I feel
+that you will continue until the end."</p>
+
+<p>"Till the end!" I echoed. "The end will be peace,
+either in life&mdash;or death."</p>
+
+<p>"While I have breath I will fight to preserve the
+traditions of the Nabas and the Nayas who, while ruling
+their country, gave such satisfaction to the people that
+never once has there been a rebellion nor scarcely a voice
+raised in dissent. It has always been the policy of the
+Sanoms to give audience to any discontented person,
+listen to their grievances, and endeavour to redress them.
+The reign of the Naya is, according to all we hear, one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166"></a>[<a href="./images/166.png">166</a>]</span>
+of terror and oppression. The poor are ground down
+to swell the wealth of the rich, and no man's life is safe
+from one moment to another. It shall be changed, and
+I, Omar, will fulfil the duty expected of me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well spoken, old fellow," I answered, enthusiastically.
+"Remember Goliba's warning regarding the attempts that
+may be made to assassinate you, and always carry your
+revolver loaded. When the Naya hears that you have
+defied her she will be as merciless as she was to poor
+old Babila."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! Babila," Omar sighed. "He was one of the
+best and most trusted servants Mo ever had. Having
+been one of my dead father's personal attendants he
+was faithful to our family, and altogether the last man
+whose head should have fallen in disgrace under Gankoma's
+sword."</p>
+
+<p>"If the punishment she inflicted upon him was so severe
+for such a paltry offence, that which she will seek to
+bring upon you will be equally terrible," I observed.
+"Therefore act always with caution, and take heed never
+to be entrapped by her paid assassins."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't fear, Scarsmere," he laughed. "I'm safe
+enough, and I do not anticipate that anybody will try
+and take my life. If they do they'll find I can shoot
+straighter than they imagined."</p>
+
+<p>"But they might shoot first," I suggested with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't intend to give them a chance," he replied.
+"We must not fear defeat, but anticipate success. I
+have made offering to the fetish, and although the
+struggle must be fierce and unrelenting I am determined
+to strike a blow for my country's freedom."</p>
+
+<p>At this juncture Goliba joined us, and urging me not
+to speak in English lest the strange language might be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167"></a>[<a href="./images/167.png">167</a>]</span>
+overheard, we walked together for about three-quarters
+of an hour through thoroughfares so wide and well built
+that they would have been termed magnificent if constructed
+in any European city. Then we crossed a
+large square where a great fountain shooting up a hundred
+feet fell into its bowl, green with water-plants and
+white with flowers, and afterwards traversed a maze of
+narrower streets, now silent and deserted, where dwelt
+the workmen.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly Goliba halted before an arched door, and
+directing us to imitate him, knelt and touched the door-step
+with his forehead, then passed in. We followed
+into a place that was strange to even Omar himself, who
+was scarce able to suppress an exclamation of astonishment.
+It was a small chamber, lit by a single flickering
+oil lamp of similar shape to those so often found amid the
+traces of the Roman occupation of England, while around
+were stone benches built into the wall. Walking to the
+opposite side of the narrow, prison-like place, we saw
+before us an arch with an impenetrable blackness beyond.
+Before this arch stood a kind of frame made of
+iron resting on either side upon steel ropes raised
+slightly from the ground. Following Goliba's example,
+we got upon it, crouching in a kneeling position in the
+same manner as himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Thou wilt find handles, wherewith to steady thyself,"
+he cried to me. "Have a care that thou art not thrown
+off."</p>
+
+<p>I groped with my companions, and we found the
+handles of which he had spoken. Then, when all was
+ready, the grave-faced sage raised some lever or another,
+and we shot away down, down, down into space with such
+fearful velocity that the wind whistled about our ears,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168"></a>[<a href="./images/168.png">168</a>]</span>
+our white robes fluttered, and our breath seemed taken
+away.</p>
+
+<p>The sensation was awful. In utter darkness we were
+whirled along we knew not whither, until suddenly the
+car whereon we travelled gave an unexpected lurch, as
+a corner was turned, nearly precipitating all of us into
+the darkness beneath, and then continued its downward
+course with increased speed, until sparks flew from
+beneath us like flecks of fire from a blacksmith's forge,
+and in our breasts was a tightness that became more
+painful every moment.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed as though we were descending to some
+deep, airless region, for I could not breathe; the atmosphere
+felt damp and warm, and the velocity with which
+we travelled was becoming greater the deeper into the
+heart of the earth we went.</p>
+
+<p>"What is this place?" I heard Omar ask. "I know it
+not."</p>
+
+<p>"Be patient, O Prince, and thou shalt witness that
+which must astound thee," old Goliba shouted, his
+squeaky voice being just audible above the loud hissing
+as our car flew along the twisted strands of steel.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, above the hiss of our rapid progress, there
+could be heard strange noises, as if a hundred war-drums
+were being beaten, and at the same instant our
+curious conveyance gave another sudden lurch in rounding
+a corner. At that moment Goliba, in turning to
+speak with Omar, had unfortunately loosened his hold of
+one of the handles, and the sudden jolt at such a high
+speed was so violent that our faithful guide and friend
+was shot off backwards, and ere Omar could clutch him
+he had disappeared with a shriek of despair into the
+cavernous darkness.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169"></a>[<a href="./images/169.png">169</a>]</span>
+A thrill of horror ran through us when we realised
+this terrible mishap. Yet nothing could arrest our swift
+headlong descent, and feeling convinced that Goliba,
+our host and adviser, had met with a terrible death, we
+sat staring, motionless, wondering whither we were
+bound, and how, now we had lost our guide, we should
+be able to reach the surface again. At the moment
+Goliba had been flung off we remembered that the iron
+frame had jolted and grated, and there seemed no room
+for doubt that the generous sage had been mangled into
+a shapeless mass. The thought was horrible.</p>
+
+<p>At last, however, we felt the air becoming fresher,
+and the strange contraction in our breasts was gradually
+relieved as our pace became less rapid, and distant
+lights showed before us. Then suddenly we emerged
+from the curious shaft down which we had travelled to
+such enormous depth, gliding slowly out into a place of
+immeasurable extent, where a most extraordinary and
+amazing scene met our gaze.</p>
+
+<p>Truly, poor Goliba had spoken the truth when he had
+promised that what we should witness would astound us.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>UNDER THE VAMPIRE'S WING.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">When</span> our dazzled gaze grew accustomed to the garish
+blaze of lights we found ourselves standing in an
+enormous cavern.</p>
+
+<p>Around us were glowing fires and shining torches
+innumerable; the smoke from them half choked us,
+while above there seemed an immensity of darkness,
+for the roof of the natural chamber was so high that
+it could not be discerned.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170"></a>[<a href="./images/170.png">170</a>]</span>
+Upon one object, weird and horrible, our startled
+gaze became rivetted. Straight before us, at some little
+distance, there rose a great black rock to a height of,
+as far as I could judge, a thousand feet. Nearly half
+way up was a great wide ledge or platform larger than
+any of the market-places in the City in the Clouds, and
+upon this there had been fashioned from the solid
+rock a colossal representation of the vampire-bat, the
+device borne upon the banners of Mo. Its enormous
+wings, each fully five hundred feet from the body to
+tip, outstretched on either side and supported by
+gigantic pillars of rock carved to represent various
+grotesque and hideous figures of men and animals,
+formed great temples on either side of the body. The
+latter, however, attracted our attention more than did
+the wonderful wings, for as we stood aghast and
+amazed we discerned that the vast body of the colossus
+did not represent that of a bat, but the gigantic jaws
+were those of a crocodile.</p>
+
+<p>"Zomara!" gasped Omar. "See! It is the great
+god with the wings of a bat and the tail of a lion!"</p>
+
+<p>I looked and saw that far behind rose the tufted tail
+of the king of the forest. From the two great eyes of
+the gigantic reptile shone dazzling streams of white
+light, like the rays of a mariner's beacon, and everywhere
+twinkling yellow lights were moving about the face of
+the great rock, across the platform whereon the colossal
+figure rested, even to the distant summit.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, as we stood gazing open-mouthed in wonder,
+the roar of a hundred war-drums beaten somewhere in
+the vicinity of the enormous representation of the
+terrible deity of Mo rolled and echoed to the innermost
+recesses of the subterranean vault, and just as they had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171"></a>[<a href="./images/171.png">171</a>]</span>
+ceased we distinctly saw the giant jaws of the crocodile
+slowly open. From them belched forth great tongues
+of flame and thick stifling smoke that, beaten down by a
+draught from above, curled its poisonous fumes around
+us, causing us to cough violently. For fully a minute
+the great mouth remained open, when to our horror we
+saw a small knot of human figures approaching it. One
+loud piercing shriek reached us and at that instant we
+saw the figure of a man or woman&mdash;we were not close
+enough to discern which&mdash;flung by the others headlong
+into the open flaming mouth.</p>
+
+<p>Again the drums rolled, and the next second the jaws
+of Zomara closed with a loud crash that sent a shudder
+through us.</p>
+
+<p>"The sacrifice!" gasped Omar. "This, then, is one
+of the horrible customs that Goliba told us had been
+introduced by my mother, the Great White Queen!"</p>
+
+<p>"Horrible!" I exclaimed. "That fearful cry will
+haunt me to my dying day."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us return," said Kona. "We have witnessed
+enough, O Master."</p>
+
+<p>"No," Omar answered. "Rather let us see for
+ourselves the true extent of these terrible rites. Goliba,
+though, alas! he is lost for ever, intended that we should."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," I said. "Lead us, and we will follow."</p>
+
+<p>At that moment footsteps, pattering as those of
+children, reached our ears and there ran past us half a
+dozen hideous half-clad dwarfs. They were tiny, impish-looking
+creatures about three feet six high, with darker
+skins than the inhabitants of this mystic land, but their
+faces were whitewashed in manner similar to those of the
+royal executioners of Ashanti, and wore their crisp black
+hair drawn to a knot on top similar to the fashion<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172"></a>[<a href="./images/172.png">172</a>]</span>
+affected by some savage tribes. As they rushed past us
+their little black eyes, piercing and bead-like, regarded
+us curiously, and with, we thought, a rather menacing
+glance; nevertheless they continued their way, and watching,
+we noticed the spot where they commenced the toilsome
+ascent to the platform whereon stood the colossus.</p>
+
+<p>"Such a work as that must have taken years to accomplish,"
+I observed to Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"With the Sanoms of Mo everything is possible," he
+answered. "The ruler of our country is a monarch
+whose will is so absolute that he or she can compel everyone,
+from prince to slave, to participate in any work.
+Thus the Naya may have caused every male inhabitant
+of Mo to help in its construction."</p>
+
+<p>When, however, following the dwarfs we had hurried
+forward to the steps cut in the black rock I bent to
+examine them. They were polished by the wear of ages
+of feet and hands passing over them, and when I pointed
+out this fact to Omar he agreed with me that this place
+must have been in existence centuries ago, and had
+probably been re-discovered within the last two or three
+years.</p>
+
+<p>The dwarfs, in ascending, put their toes into holes
+and niches in the rocks and kept talking all the while.
+Every now and then they would stop, sway their heads
+about and sing a kind of low chant in not unmusical
+tones. As we crept up slowly behind, with difficulty
+finding the rude steps in the uncertain light, the last of
+the string of dwarfs kept turning to us bowing and
+crooning. I confess I began to be anxious, fearing that
+we might be going into a trap, but I noticed that my
+two companions were calm as iron bars. This gave
+me renewed courage, and we toiled up until at last we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173"></a>[<a href="./images/173.png">173</a>]</span>
+reached the great platform and stood beneath the left-hand
+wing of the gigantic vampire of solid rock. The
+pillars that had been left in the excavations to support
+it, were, like the steps, worn smooth where crowds of
+human beings had jostled against them. The manner in
+which they were sculptured was very remarkable, the
+faces of all, both men, beasts, birds and fish, bearing
+hideous, uncanny expressions, the fearful grimaces of
+those suffering the most excruciating bodily tortures. It
+was here apparent, as everywhere, that the gigantic figure
+had not been recently fashioned, but had for many
+centuries past been visited by vast crowds of worshippers.</p>
+
+<p>Beneath the outstretched wing under which we stood
+a large number of people had assembled. Great
+blazing braziers here and there illuminated the weird
+place with a red uncertain glare, which falling on the
+faces of the crowd of devotees, showed that they had
+worked themselves into a frenzy of religious fervour.
+Some were crying aloud to the Crocodile-god, some
+were prostrate on their faces with their lips to the stones
+worn smooth by the tramp of many feet, while many
+were going through all sorts of ceremonies and antics.</p>
+
+<p>At the end, where the colossal wing joined the
+body wherein burned the great fiery furnace, there
+stood twelve dwarfs in flowing garments of pure white.
+These were high-priests of Zomara. The fierce pigmies,
+unknown even to Omar, their prince, seemed a
+sacred tribe who perhaps had lived here forgotten and
+undiscovered for generations. In any case it was
+apparent that they never ascended to the land above, but
+devoted themselves entirely to the curious rites and ceremonies
+of this strange pagan religion.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174"></a>[<a href="./images/174.png">174</a>]</span>
+In the centre of the semi-circle of tiny bead-eyed
+priests with whitened faces stood one of great age
+with flowing white beard that nearly swept the ground.
+His figure was exceedingly grotesque, yet he bore himself
+with hauteur, and as he stood before a kind of
+altar erected in front of a door, that seemed to lead into
+the body of the gigantic crocodile, he gave vent in a loud
+clear voice to the most earnest exhortations. Then, bathing
+his face and hands in a golden bowl held by the other
+priests, in order, so I afterwards learnt, to wash away the
+bad impressions of the world, he thus began an instructive
+lesson:</p>
+
+<p>"Give ear, ye tender branches, unto the words of your
+parent stock; bend to the lessons of instruction and
+imbibe the maxims of age and experience! As the ant
+creepeth not to its labour till led by its elders; as the
+young lark soareth not to the sun, but under the shadow of
+its mother's wing, so neither doth the child of mortality
+spring forth to action unless the parent hand points out
+its destined labour. But no labour shall the hand of
+man appoint unto the people of Mo before the worship
+of Zomara, the sacred god of the crocodiles, and of the
+great Naya, his handmaiden. Mean are the pursuits of
+the sons of the earth; they stretch out their sinews like
+the patient mule, they persevere in their chase after
+trifles, as the camel in the desert beyond the Thousand
+Steps. As the leopard springeth upon his prey, so doth
+man rejoice over his riches, and bask in the sun of
+slothfulness like the lion's cub. On the stream of life
+float the bodies of the careless and the intemperate as
+the carcases of the dead on the waves of the Lake of
+Sacrifices. As the birds of prey destroy the carcase so
+is man devoured by sin. No man is master over him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175"></a>[<a href="./images/175.png">175</a>]</span>self,
+but the Naya is his ruler; and to endeavour to
+defeat the purpose of Zomara is madness and folly. O
+people! pay your vows to the King of Crocodiles
+alone, and not to your fetishes, which, though they be
+superior in your sight, are yet the work of his hands. Let
+virtue be the basis of knowledge, and let knowledge be
+as a slave before her."</p>
+
+<p>The worshippers at the shrine of the dread god raising
+their right hands then repeated after the high priest some
+mystic words that, although having no meaning for me,
+struck terror into Omar's heart.</p>
+
+<p>"Hearken!" he whispered to me in an awed tone<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins>
+"Hearken! Our conspiracy against the Naya is already
+known! They are swearing allegiance to her, and vowing
+vengeance against any who thwart her will. If we
+are detected here as strangers it will mean certain death!"</p>
+
+<p>I glanced around the strange, weird place, and could
+not suppress a feeling of despair that we should ever
+leave it again alive. The faces of the worshippers, men
+and women, illuminated by flaming flambeaux and burning
+braziers, were all fierce and determined-looking,
+showing that the worship of the Crocodile-god was conducted
+in no faint spirit. Before this gigantic representation
+of the national deity, they became seized with a
+religious mania that transformed them into veritable
+demons.</p>
+
+<p>"Lo!" cried the silver-bearded priest. "Think, O
+people! of all our Great White Queen hath done for
+you. She hath brought down the moon's rays from the
+realms of night to lighten our darkness, she hath marked
+the courses of the stars with her wand and reduced
+eccentric orbs to the obedience of a system. She hath
+caught the swift-flying light and divided its rays; she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176"></a>[<a href="./images/176.png">176</a>]</span>
+hath marshalled the emanations of the sun under their
+different-hued banners, given symmetry and order to the
+glare of day, explained the dark eternal laws of the
+Forest-god, and showed herself always acquainted with
+the dictates of Zomara."</p>
+
+<p>His hearers, swaying their bodies and performing all
+sorts of eccentric antics, cried aloud in confirmation of
+the benefits bestowed upon Mo by its queen.</p>
+
+<p>"The secrets, too, of chemistry have been laid open
+by her," continued the diminutive priest. "Inert matter
+is engaged in warlike commotion and she hath brought
+fire down from the heavens to entertain her. She hath
+placed our land in such a state of defence that no invader
+can approach it; she hath brought from over the great
+black water the amazing 'pom-poms' of the English,
+which shed a thousand bullets at one charge, and she
+hath caused cannon to be cast to project explosive shells
+beyond the reach of the eye. She hath taught you at
+once the beauty of nature and the folly of man. Truly
+she is a great queen; therefore let not her son Omar who
+hath returned from over the great sea, wrest from her
+hand the regal sceptre. Already hath our queen perceived
+the haughtiness and the vicious principles of her
+son, and maketh no doubt but that he will soon aspire
+to her throne. This causeth the prudent Mistress of Mo
+to resolve to banish him and take all power from him.
+Let him be ejected from our country and the queen's
+word be obeyed, for no beam of mercy lurketh in her
+eye. The Naya is determined."</p>
+
+<p>"The great Naya shall be obeyed," they cried aloud.
+"Omar, the malicious prince, curbed by the authority of
+his mother, shall be banished."</p>
+
+<p>"Or his life shall, like those of his followers we hold<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177"></a>[<a href="./images/177.png">177</a>]</span>
+here as prisoners, pay the forfeit of presumption," added
+the high priest.</p>
+
+<p>And as he uttered the words, those surrounding went
+to the door behind the fire-altar, and opening it, led forth
+three of our Dagombas amid the savage howls of the
+excited spectators.</p>
+
+<p>"O, race of mortals," cried the priest, raising his hand
+the while, "O race of mortals, to whose care and protection
+the offspring of clay are committed, say what hath
+been the success of your labours; what vices have you
+punished; what virtues rewarded; what false lights have
+you extinguished; what sacrifices have you made to the
+god of Crocodiles? Helpless race of mortals, Zomara is
+your god and the Naya your queen. But for their protection
+how vain would be your toils, how endless your
+researches! Arm ye then and rally round the one to
+whom you owe all, whose power is such that this our
+country can never be assaulted by the tricks of fortune,
+or the power of man. Omar and his black swarm of
+intruders must be driven out or given as sacrifice to
+Zomara. Till this be done the curse of the god ye
+fear shall rest upon our land, and his presence shall
+nightly remind ye of your idleness. Will ye let the
+defiant prince overthrow your queen?"</p>
+
+<p>"He shall never do so," they shouted in a tumult of
+enthusiasm, which, ere it died away, increased tenfold,
+when suddenly before us we saw a female figure in a loose
+yellow robe move with stately mien towards the smoking
+altar and kneel for an instant before it.</p>
+
+<p>Then, rising, she turned towards the people with her
+long, bare, scraggy arms uplifted in silence.</p>
+
+<p>In the red flickering light we recognized the evil
+bony features. It was the dreaded Naya herself!</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178"></a>[<a href="./images/178.png">178</a>]</span>
+"The vengeance of Zomara upon mine enemies," she
+cried in harsh, metallic tones. "I will treat each and
+every one who dareth to oppose me in the way I will
+now punish these three savages who have entered our
+region forbidden. Watch, and let it be a warning to
+those who may be tempted by bribes to entertain disloyal
+thoughts."</p>
+
+<p>With stately stride she led the way along a dark
+colonnade from beneath the wing of the colossal
+vampire to the enormous closed mouth of the hideous
+crocodile, being followed by the high priest and his
+attendants, who dragged along the three of our unfortunate
+companions.</p>
+
+<p>At once a headlong rush was made by the frenzied
+spectators to obtain a view of what was to transpire, and
+we followed leisurely at a respectable distance, remaining
+in the shadow of one of the grotesquely-carved columns
+of rock.</p>
+
+<p>When all had taken up their places we could see the
+expressions of abject fear upon the glistening faces of
+the wretched blacks, and longed to rush forth and
+rescue them, but with knowledge that instant death
+would result from such foolhardiness we remained
+breathlessly silent, compelled to watch.</p>
+
+<p>Again the high priest, with outstretched hands over
+the people, cried:</p>
+
+<p>"Give heed unto me! Were Zomara, the god whom
+we worship, to be worshipped in perfectness, the whole
+length of our lives would not suffice to lie prostrate
+before him. But the merciful Avenger of Wrong expecteth
+not more from us than we are able to pay him.
+True it is that we should begin early, and late take rest,
+and daily and hourly offer up our praises and petitions<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179"></a>[<a href="./images/179.png">179</a>]</span>
+to the throne of his handmaiden's grace. But better is
+a late repentance than none; and the eleventh hour of
+the day for work than perpetual idleness unto the end of
+our time; and this is not to be obtained for us but
+through our mighty Naya, the daughter of Zomara the
+Swallower-up of Evil."</p>
+
+<p>Himself facing the hideous gigantic head with its long
+jaws and gleaming eyes, he flung himself suddenly
+upon his knees and commenced a gabbled prayer. All
+prostrated themselves in adoration, even to the great
+Naya herself, whose magnificent jewels flashed and
+gleamed with wondrous brilliancy each time she moved.</p>
+
+<p>In order not to appear strange to this extraordinary
+proceeding, we, too, cast ourselves upon our knees and
+remained with heads bent in devotional attitude, but
+allowing no detail of the weird scene to escape us.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the priest arose, and with a fire-brand
+ignited at the brazier near his hand, he stood before the
+wonderful figure of Zomara and made a mystic sign.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly the ponderous jaws with their double row
+of iron teeth, each as long and as sharp as swords,
+slowly opened, and there issued forth a great roaring mass
+of flame that licked the upper jaw, a veritable tongue
+of fire.</p>
+
+<p>The Naya rose, swaying her long arms wildly, but
+the people remained still kneeling, silent in awe.</p>
+
+<p>Her voice was heard for a moment above the roaring
+and crackling of the furnace in the throat of the
+colossus, and then, at a sudden signal from the high
+priest, our three wretched black companions were seized
+by the group of dwarfs, carried up a short flight of
+steps by white-robed attendants, and hurled headlong
+into the flaming mouth of the monster.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180"></a>[<a href="./images/180.png">180</a>]</span>
+A loud scream broke upon our ears, and for a single
+instant the flames belched forth with increased fury, but
+as the last victim of this horrible rite was consigned to
+his terrible doom, as sacrifice to the dreaded god, the
+cruel jaws closed again with a heavy clang.</p>
+
+<p>The merciless barbarity of the Great White Queen
+horrified us. The fearful fate of those who had shared our
+perils during our adventurous journey to this spectral
+land of mystery held us dumb in terror and dismay.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, ere the giant jaws of the hideous monstrosity
+had snapped together, the people, hilarious and excited,
+sprang to their feet exhorting their great deity to send
+his fiercest vengeance upon us, the intruders, that our
+sinews might be withered and that we might rot by the
+road-side like cattle smitten by the pest.</p>
+
+<p>Then the terrible Naya, wheeling round slowly, gave
+her people her blessing, and they, in turn, shouted
+themselves hoarse in frantic adulation.</p>
+
+<p>Truly, the scene was the strangest and most weird that
+my eyes had ever gazed upon.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FLAMING MOUTH.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">We</span> stood rooted to the spot. The hideous colossus,
+the intensely white light streaming from its gigantic
+eyes, seemed to tower above us to an enormous height,
+its outstretched wings threatening to enclose the great
+swaying crowd of fanatical worshippers. With monotonous
+regularity the long jaws, worked by hidden
+levers, fell apart, disclosing the terrible pointed teeth
+against a roaring background of smoke and flame, and so
+frenzied had the people now become, that each time the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181"></a>[<a href="./images/181.png">181</a>]</span>
+mouth of the monster idol opened, numbers of wild-haired
+men and women rushed up the incline that led
+to the blazing furnace, and with loud cries of adoration
+of their deity, lifted their arms above their heads and
+cast themselves into the flames. Some fell clear of the
+double row of pointed teeth into the furnace, while
+others not leaping sufficiently far were impaled upon
+the great spikes of steel, and in full view of their
+companions writhed in frightful agonies, as slowly they
+were consumed by the tongue of fire lapping about them.</p>
+
+<p>The scene was awful, yet the Naya, surrounded by
+priestly dwarfs, stood regarding it with satisfaction. Such
+voluntary sacrifices to Zomara, were, to them, gratifying
+in the highest degree.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the light in the eyes of the giant figure
+changed from white to a deep blood-red, illuminating
+the strange place with a ruddy glow that increased its
+weirdness, and was a signal for a large number of sacrifices.
+Indeed, the worshippers now lost their self-control
+absolutely, and when the horrible mouth, dripping
+with blood, again unclosed, there was such a press of
+those anxious to immolate themselves, that many could
+not struggle forward to cast their bodies into the flames
+before the teeth again snapped together.</p>
+
+<p>It was horrible. Nauseated by the sickening sight of
+men impaled and absolutely crushed to a pulp by the
+ascending jaw which must have weighed many tons, and
+the sharp teeth of which cut the unfortunate wretch to
+pieces, we turned away. We had emerged from the
+shadow that had concealed us and stood in the full white
+light shed by one of the monster's eyes, hesitating how
+to seek some means of escape, when two of the dwarfs,
+suddenly turning a corner, came full upon me. In an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182"></a>[<a href="./images/182.png">182</a>]</span>
+instant I remembered that on account of the suffocating
+atmosphere I had unwrapped my haick from about my
+mouth, thus allowing my features to remain uncovered.
+But ere this thought flashed across my mind the uncanny-looking
+imps had detected my features as those
+of a stranger.</p>
+
+<p>For a second they paused, starting and glancing keenly
+at me, then they turned and gazed earnestly at my
+companions. There was, I knew, no mistaking Kona's
+sable yet good-humoured face.</p>
+
+<p>"Lo!" they cried, shouting to the group of their
+priestly tribe standing rigid and silent around the bejewelled
+Naya. "See! There are strangers present!
+One is a black savage like those thou hast given unto
+Zomara, and the other white, like the people dwelling
+beyond the great black water."</p>
+
+<p>Their announcement produced an effect almost
+electrical. In an instant a silence fell, and at the same
+moment the voice of the Naya was heard commanding:</p>
+
+<p>"If they are strangers who have dared to descend to
+this our Temple of Zomara, bring them forth, and let
+them be given unto the great god whose maw still
+remaineth unsatisfied. Hasten, ye priests, do my
+bidding quickly; let them not escape, or the curse of
+the King of the Crocodiles be upon you."</p>
+
+<p>The two dwarfs sprang forward to seize us, while
+the group of priests, fleet of foot, accompanied by the
+great mob of worshippers, sped in our direction. The
+people, having worked themselves up to such a pitch
+of excitement, were eager to assist in the immolation
+of any intruders. They were bent upon obeying the
+law of their queen.</p>
+
+<p>But in an instant Kona felled both the dwarfs with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183"></a>[<a href="./images/183.png">183</a>]</span>
+two well-directed blows with his huge black fist, and
+without hesitation we all three turned and fled in the
+direction we had come. My companions had apparently
+forgotten where the steps descended, but fortunately
+I had fixed the spot in case any untoward
+incident occurred. They were over against a great
+pillar of rock, rudely fashioned to represent a woman
+with an eagle's head.</p>
+
+<p>"This way," I shouted. "Follow me!" and with
+a bound sped in its direction as fast as my legs could
+carry me.</p>
+
+<p>We had nearly gained the spot when to my dismay
+I saw a dozen of the worshippers, divining our intention,
+approaching from the opposite direction in order
+to cut off our retreat.</p>
+
+<p>It was an exciting moment. Behind, was a mad,
+fanatical mob of five hundred men and women led by
+the dwarfs shrieking vengeance against us; before us
+were a dozen determined men ready to seize us and
+convey us to a horrible death in the throat of the
+gigantic representation of their sacred reptile. Even if
+we safely descended the steps, we knew not the secret
+means by which we might reach the earth's surface, nor
+did either of us remember the exact point where the
+long dark tunnel joined the wonderful cavern.</p>
+
+<p>None, however, knew that Omar himself was one of
+my fellow fugitives, for the dwarfs, being consigned to
+a subterranean life perpetually, had never set eyes upon
+him, and therefore he had been unrecognized. Another
+moment, and I knew he must be detected by some
+of the devotees. If so, the hostile feeling against us
+would be intensified, and we should probably be torn
+limb from limb.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184"></a>[<a href="./images/184.png">184</a>]</span>
+I had retained the lead in this race for life, and seeing
+retreat cut off by the group of men gaining the top of
+the steps before us I turned quickly, and, although
+fearing the worst, made a long detour. Determined to
+sell my life dearly, I drew my long knife from its velvet
+sheath, and gripped it, ready to strike a deadly blow in
+self-defence. Luckily I armed myself in time, for
+almost next moment a man of huge stature sprang
+forward from behind one of the columns of rock where
+he had been secreted and threw himself upon me,
+clutching me by the throat.</p>
+
+<p>Scarce had his sinewy fingers gripped me, when, by
+dint of frantic effort, I freed my right arm, and with a
+movement quick as lightning flash, I buried my knife
+full in his breast. One short, despairing cry escaped
+him, and as he staggered back I dashed forward again,
+without turning to look at the result of the swift blow
+I had delivered. But I was desperate, and being
+compelled to defend my life, I do not doubt that
+my blow was unerring, and that my blade penetrated
+his heart.</p>
+
+<p>Hindered thus in my flight my two companions had
+reached the edge of the precipice ahead of me, and
+were skirting it, when suddenly I saw a body of our
+pursuers approaching, and cried to them in warning.
+In dismay I noticed they took no heed of my words,
+but continued their swift flight right in the direction of
+those who sought our destruction.</p>
+
+<p>"Take care, Omar!" I shouted, in English. "Can't
+you see those devils in front?"</p>
+
+<p>But he answered not, and I was about to halt and
+give up all thought of escape, when I saw them both
+suddenly throw themselves on their knees on the edge<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185"></a>[<a href="./images/185.png">185</a>]</span>
+of the abyss, and almost instantly disappear over the
+precipice.</p>
+
+<p>They had found another flight of steps!</p>
+
+<p>Eagerly I sprang forward, and in a few seconds found
+myself descending the rough face of the rock, scrambling
+desperately down into the yawning chasm with a wild
+horde of excited fanatics shrieking and yelling above.</p>
+
+<p>Half a dozen of the more adventurous swung themselves
+over and commenced to follow us, but those
+above, determined that we should not escape, fetched
+huge stones and lumps of rock, which they hurled upon
+us. But their excess of zeal only wrought destruction
+upon their companions, who, being above us, received
+blows from the great stones which sent them flying one
+after another to the base of the rock, killed or stunned
+ere they reached it. Twice we had narrow escapes on
+account of the unconscious bodies of our pursuers or
+their companions' missiles falling against us, but while all
+those who had followed us, save one, fell victims to the
+merciless frenzy of their companions, we were fortunate
+enough to be enabled to descend to the base of the
+rock, where once again the impenetrable darkness hid,
+although at the same time it hampered, our movements.</p>
+
+<p>For a few moments at least we were safe, and paused
+to recover breath. My arm was bleeding profusely
+where it had been severely grazed by a sharp edge of
+rock in our headlong flight, and the white garments of
+all three of us were soiled and torn. But our halt was
+not of long duration, for suddenly we heard whispers
+and the sound of stealthy footsteps in the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>We listened breathlessly.</p>
+
+<p>"Hark!" cried Omar. "Our pursuers are here also,
+and are looking for us!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186"></a>[<a href="./images/186.png">186</a>]</span>
+"Let us hide behind yonder rock," Kona suggested,
+in a half-whisper.</p>
+
+<p>"No, let us creep forward," answered the son of the
+Great White Queen. "They will search every crevice
+and hiding-place now the hue-and-cry has been raised,"
+and glancing up I saw a black stream of excited
+worshippers, many with torches that in the distance
+shone like moving stars, already pouring down over the
+rock in our direction like a line of ants descending a wall.</p>
+
+<p>Every moment brought them nearer upon us; every
+instant increased our peril. Even though we were in
+the great chasm, the true extent of which we could not
+distinguish, we knew not by what means we could escape
+upward to the blessed light of day.</p>
+
+<p>Forward we crept cautiously, in obedience to Omar's
+instructions, but ere a couple of minutes had elapsed
+it was evident that the watchful ones who had heard
+the shouting from above and noticed the pursuit had discovered
+our whereabouts, for just as we had noiselessly
+passed a huge boulder, a man in white robe and turban
+sprang upon us from behind.</p>
+
+<p>"Look out, Kona!" cried Omar, his quick eyes discerning
+the man's cloak in the darkness ere I noticed
+his presence.</p>
+
+<p>Next second, however, the head-man of the Dagombas
+and the stranger were locked in deadly embrace, notwithstanding
+that the man who had approached cried
+aloud to us for mercy.</p>
+
+<p>Kona with drawn sword had gripped the man's throat
+with his long black fingers, when suddenly we heard a
+gasping cry: "Stay thine hand! Dost thou not recognize
+thy benefactor?"</p>
+
+<p>"Hold!" shouted Omar, the words causing him to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187"></a>[<a href="./images/187.png">187</a>]</span>
+turn and run back to where the pair were struggling.
+"Knowest thou not the voice? Why, it is Goliba!"</p>
+
+<p>And it was Goliba! Instantly the black giant released
+the man who he believed intended to arrest our progress,
+and with a word of apology we all four sped
+forward. How our aged host had escaped after being
+thrown from the frame in which we had made the
+descent from the city we knew not until later, when he
+explained that on recovering consciousness and finding
+himself on his back in the tunnel with a slight injury
+to his shoulder, he had scrambled down the perilous
+descent, fearing each moment that he might slip in the
+impenetrable darkness and be dashed to pieces ere he
+gained the bottom. Intensely anxious as to our fate,
+he had at last descended in safety, but on emerging
+from the tunnel found proceeding above all the commotion
+the discovery of our presence had caused. He
+watched our descent into the chasm and stood below
+awaiting us, but we had rushed past ere he could make
+himself known, and he had therefore dashed across to
+a corner and thus come up with us.</p>
+
+<p>But our meeting, too hurried and full of peril to
+admit of explanation at that moment, was at any rate
+gratifying&mdash;for we all three had believed him dead.
+Our pursuers were now behind us in full cry. A
+number of them had gained the base of the rock and,
+yelling furiously, were fast gaining upon us.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, let us hasten," cried the old sage, speeding
+along with a fleetness of foot equal to our own, skirting
+the base of the great rock for a short distance until we
+came to a portion that jutted out over the uneven
+ground, then suddenly turning aside, we crossed a great
+open space where mud and water splashed beneath our<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188"></a>[<a href="./images/188.png">188</a>]</span>
+feet at every step. The further we went the deeper
+sank our feet into the quagmire, until our progress was
+so far arrested that we could not run, but only wade
+slowly through the chill black slime.</p>
+
+<p>Even across here our progress was traced, for the
+lights in the eyes of the giant god were turned upon
+us, and our path lit by a stream of white light which
+guided the footsteps of those who sought our death.</p>
+
+<p>At last, when we had crossed the boggy patch, the
+ground became quite dry again, but after running some
+distance further, which showed me that the natural
+chamber must have been of huge proportions, Goliba
+shouted to us to halt and remain there. We obeyed
+him, puzzled and wondering, but we saw him dashing
+hither and thither as if in search of something. At
+first it was apparent that he could not discover what
+he sought, but in a few minutes when our pursuers had
+crossed the quagmire and were quite close upon us he
+shouted to us to come forward. Together we obeyed
+instantly, speeding as fast as our legs could carry us to
+where Goliba was standing before a small fissure in the
+side of the cavern on a level with the ground, and so
+narrow that it did not appear as if Kona would be able
+to squeeze his big body through.</p>
+
+<p>"Follow me," the old sage said in a low tone as,
+throwing himself down before the mysterious hole, he
+crept forward, being compelled to lie almost flat on his
+stomach, so small was the fissure.</p>
+
+<p>His example we all quietly followed, finding ourselves
+groping forward in the darkness, but discovering to our
+satisfaction that the further we proceeded the wider the
+crack in the rock became, so that before long we were
+enabled to walk upright, although we deemed it best to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189"></a>[<a href="./images/189.png">189</a>]</span>
+hold our hands above our heads lest we should strike
+them against any projecting stones.</p>
+
+<p>Without light, and in air that was decidedly close and
+oppressive, we proceeded. At least we were safe from
+the howling mob, for since leaving the great cavern all was
+silence, and it was now evident from the confident manner
+in which Goliba went forward that he was assured of
+the way. Soon we negotiated a steep ascent, now and
+then so difficult that we were compelled to clamber up
+on all fours, and for a long time this continued until
+our hands and feet were sore with scrambling upward.
+A spring shed its icy drippings upon us for some little
+distance, soaking us to the skin and rendering us chilly
+and uncomfortable, but at length we reached what
+seemed to be a ponderous door that barred our passage.</p>
+
+<p>Goliba groped about for a few minutes without speaking,
+when quickly it opened to his touch and we found
+ourselves in a long stone passage lit here and there by
+evil-smelling oil lamps that flickered in the rush of air
+from the great fissure through which we had ascended.</p>
+
+<p>"This is amazing," cried Omar dumbfounded, as the
+old sage struggled to close the heavy iron door behind us.
+"Why, we are in the vaults beneath the palace!"</p>
+
+<p>"True, O Master," Goliba answered, breathless after
+his exertions. "There is but one entrance and one
+exit to this labyrinth of vaults and foul chambers
+wherein the Naya confineth her prisoners. The entrance
+is, as thou knowest, immediately beneath the Emerald
+Throne; the exit is this door, which can only be
+opened by those possessed of the secret. Thirty
+years ago, when Keeper of the Prison, this door puzzled
+me considerably, for all attempts to open it on the
+part of the men I employed failed. It is of such con<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190"></a>[<a href="./images/190.png">190</a>]</span>struction
+and mechanism that nothing short of
+explosives could make it yield, and these I feared to
+use. But years afterwards a gaoler who had obtained
+the secret from his father, also a gaoler, but who was dead,
+imparted it to me on his death-bed in return for some
+good-will I had shown him. I believe therefore that I
+am the only person who has knowledge of the means by
+which to open it."</p>
+
+<p>"The knowledge hath, in any case, saved our lives,
+Goliba," Omar answered<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins> "But the great cavern and
+all those horrible rites introduced into the worship of
+Zomara, are not they new?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied the sage. "They are as old as the
+foundation of the Kingdom of Mo. Strangely enough,
+however, the great cave with its colossus and its race
+of sacred dwarfs who live away in a small dark forest
+that can only be gained from the opposite side of the
+cave, were for centuries forgotten. The way to the
+Temple of Zomara was unknown and the dwarfs remained
+in undisputed possession of the place until
+three years ago, one more adventurous than the rest,
+succeeded in ascending to Mo, when his capture resulted
+in the cavern with its great wonderful image being
+re-discovered. Since that time the place has never
+been devoid of votaries, and the great fire has constantly
+been fed by those anxious to immolate themselves to
+appease the Crocodile-god."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! he is a great god," Omar observed earnestly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yea, O Master, he is indeed all-powerful," answered
+the aged councillor. "He giveth us life, preserveth us
+from death, and shieldeth us from evil."</p>
+
+<p>And as they uttered these words both fingered their
+amulets piously.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191"></a>[<a href="./images/191.png">191</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV.</h2>
+
+<h3>LIOLA.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">After</span> brief consultation it was deemed insecure
+for us to return to Goliba's house, as search would
+undoubtedly be made for us there if any had detected
+his presence with us in the great chasm. Therefore, our
+guide, taking one of the lamps, led us along a number of
+narrow unlighted passages, threading the maze with
+perfect knowledge of its intricacies until, opening a door,
+we found ourselves in a small stone prison-chamber.
+Here we remained while he went to another part of the
+vaults and obtained for us some food, urging us to
+remain there until such time as we might come forth
+in safety.</p>
+
+<p>Kona extracted from him a promise that he would
+place his fellow-tribesmen in a place of security, and
+Goliba also assured us that if we remained in that
+chamber and did not attempt to wander in the passages,
+where we must inevitably lose our way, we might ere long
+ascend to the city and commence the campaign against
+the cruel command of the merciless Naya.</p>
+
+<p>Through eleven long and dreary days we remained in
+the narrow cell, drawing our water from a spring that
+gushed forth from a rock close to the door, existing on
+the smallest quantity of food, and scarce daring to speak
+aloud lest any of the gaolers should overhear. By day
+a faint light came through a narrow chink above, and
+from the fact that the steady tramp of soldiers sounded
+overhead at intervals we concluded that the chamber
+must be situated immediately below one of the court<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192"></a>[<a href="./images/192.png">192</a>]</span>yards
+of the palace. At night, however, we remained in
+perfect darkness, our oil having been exhausted during
+the first few hours. Thus we could only remain sitting
+on the stone bench like prisoners, inactive, discussing
+the probabilities of the serious movement that had been
+started in favour of a change of rule.</p>
+
+<p>"The people apparently look to me as their rescuer
+from this oppression," Omar observed one day when we
+were laying plans for the future. "I will, if Zomara
+favours me, do my best."</p>
+
+<p>"It is but right; nay, it is your duty towards your
+subjects to preserve the traditions of the Sanoms," I
+said. "Goliba was right when he promised he would
+show us the horrors introduced into Mo, or resuscitated
+by the present Naya. We have witnessed with our own
+eyes expressions of pleasure cross her countenance
+as each batch of her subjects cast themselves into those
+yawning jaws. Such a monarch, capable of any cruelty,
+must necessarily rule unjustly, and should be overthrown
+or killed."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not desire her death," he said quickly. "All I
+intend to do is to free our people from this hateful reign
+of terror, and at the same time preserve my mother's life."</p>
+
+<p>"But the time she gave us to quit the country has
+elapsed," I observed. "If we are now discovered we
+shall either be held as slaves, or treated without mercy&mdash;offered
+as sacrifices to the Crocodile-god, perhaps."</p>
+
+<p>"Not while the people are in our favour," he said.
+"Once their adherence to my cause has been tested then
+we have nought further to fear, for the opinion of the
+populace will be found even of greater power than the
+military, and in the end it must prevail."</p>
+
+<p>"In the fight that must ensue thou wilt find thy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193"></a>[<a href="./images/193.png">193</a>]</span>
+servant Kona at thy side," the head-man said. "Through
+fire or across water the Dagombas will follow thee, for
+their fetish is good, and they have faith in thee as leader."</p>
+
+<p>"Yea, O friend," the young prince answered. "Without
+thee and thy followers I could never have returned
+hither. I owe everything to thee, and to the stout heart
+of our companion Scarsmere."</p>
+
+<p>"No, old fellow," I protested. "It is your own
+dogged courage that has pulled us through so far, not
+mine. Up to the present all has gone well with us
+except the deplorable loss of some of our dark companions,
+therefore let us retain our light hearts and meet
+all obstacles with smiles."</p>
+
+<p>"I am ready to lead the people against the forces of
+malice and oppression at any moment Goliba commands,"
+Omar answered. "No thought of fear shall arrest my
+footsteps or stay my hand."</p>
+
+<p>Times without number we discussed the situation in
+similar strain, until, on the eleventh day of our voluntary
+confinement we were startled by a low tapping on the
+door.</p>
+
+<p>Each held his breath. Had it been Goliba he would
+have entered without any such formality. In silence, we
+remained listening.</p>
+
+<p>Again the tapping was repeated, louder than before.
+Drawing our knives ready to defend ourselves, believing
+it to be one of the Naya's gaolers, Kona went forward,
+unbolted the door and opening it a few inches, weapon
+in hand, peered out.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly an exclamation of surprise escaped him, and
+as he threw wide open the door, a young girl of about
+seventeen, with a face more beautiful than I had ever
+before seen, entered our cell. This vision of feminine<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194"></a>[<a href="./images/194.png">194</a>]</span>
+loveliness entranced us. We all three stood staring at
+her open-mouthed.</p>
+
+<p>Dressed in a robe of rich blue silk heavily embroidered
+with gold, her waist was confined by a golden girdle
+wherein were set some magnificent rubies, and her feet
+were encased in tiny slippers of pale green leather
+embroidered with seed pearls. Her face, slightly flushed
+in confusion at finding herself in the presence of the
+Prince, was pale of complexion as my own, her clear
+eyes a deep blue, her cheeks dimpled, her chin just
+sufficiently pointed to give a touch of piquancy to a
+decidedly handsome countenance. Her hair, of almost
+flaxen fairness, fell in profusion about her shoulders and
+breast, almost hiding the necklets of gold and gems
+encircling her slim throat.</p>
+
+<p>Little wonder then was it that Kona's black visage
+should broaden into a wide grin in manner habitual
+when his eyes fell upon anything that pleased him,
+or that I should regard her as a most perfect type of
+feminine loveliness.</p>
+
+<p>"I seek Omar, the Prince," she said in a silvery voice,
+not, however, without some trepidation.</p>
+
+<p>"I am Omar," answered my friend. "Who, pray,
+art thou, that thou shouldst know of my hiding-place?"</p>
+
+<p>"Thy servant," she said with a graceful bow, "is called
+Liola, daughter of Goliba, councillor of the great Naya.
+My father sendeth thee greeting and a message."</p>
+
+<p>"Goliba's daughter!" Omar cried laughing. "And
+we had drawn knives upon thee!"</p>
+
+<p>"Sheathe them," she answered smiling upon us. "Keep
+them in your belts until ye meet your enemies, for ere
+long ye will, of a verity, want them."</p>
+
+<p>"What then hath transpired?" asked the son of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195"></a>[<a href="./images/195.png">195</a>]</span>
+Great White Queen. "What message sendeth our friend
+Goliba?"</p>
+
+<p>"My father directed me to come hither, for knowing
+the wife of the Keeper of the Prison I was enabled to
+pass the sentries where my father would have been remarked,"
+she said. "He sendeth thee word to be of
+good courage, for all goeth well, and thy cause prospereth.
+The savages who accompanied thee into our land are
+all in safety, although the horsemen of the Naya are
+scouring the country in search of thee and thy companions.
+In secret, word of thy consent to lead the
+popular demonstration against oppression and ill-government
+hath been conveyed to the people even to
+our land's furthermost limits, and the reports from all
+sides show that thou art regarded with favour."</p>
+
+<p>"And thou art also one of my partisans&mdash;eh?" asked
+Omar, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>"I am, O Master," she answered blushing deeply.
+"I will make fetish for the success of thine arms."</p>
+
+<p>"I thank thee, Liola," he answered. "Thou hast
+indeed brought us good tidings."</p>
+
+<p>"But my father sendeth thee a further message," she
+continued. "He told me to tell thee that at sundown to-day
+he will come and conduct thee hence. Rest and
+sleep until then, for the way may be long and great
+vigilance may be demanded."</p>
+
+<p>"Whither does he intend to take us?" our companion
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not, O Master," she replied. "Already the
+people have armed, and are assembling. I heard my
+father, in conversation last night with one of the provincial
+governors who hath lately joined us, declare that
+the struggle could not be much longer delayed."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196"></a>[<a href="./images/196.png">196</a>]</span>
+"Then thou meanest that a fight is imminent?" he
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I fear so. Word of thine intention hath been conveyed
+by some spy unto the Naya, and the city now
+swarmeth with her soldiers and janissaries, who have
+orders to suppress the first sign of any insurrection.
+But in the fight thou shalt assuredly win, for the opinion
+of the people is in thy favour. May Zomara's jaws
+close upon thine enemies, and may they be devoured like
+sacrifices."</p>
+
+<p>"The people are assembling, thou hast said," Omar
+observed. "Are they in great numbers?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is impossible to tell. The news of thine opposition
+to the Naya spread like wildfire through the land,
+and secret agents soon ascertained that the balance of
+opinion was in thy favour. For eight days past I have
+been at work secretly in thy cause, and from my own
+observations in the city I know that among the palace
+officials we have many adherents, and even here and
+there the soldiers will turn against their own comrades.
+In our own house arms and ammunition are stored, and
+we have been fortunate enough in obtaining from the
+arsenal through the governor, who is on our side, ten
+of those wonderful guns of the English that fire bullets
+like streams of water."</p>
+
+<p>"Maxims, I suppose," I interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not their name," she replied. "I heard my
+father say that they are most deadly, and with them we
+might hold an army at bay."</p>
+
+<p>"Truly thy father hath neglected nothing on my
+behalf," Omar said with sincerity. "Dost thou return
+unto him?"</p>
+
+<p>"I go at once."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197"></a>[<a href="./images/197.png">197</a>]</span>
+"Then tell him we are anxious to accompany him, and
+will be ready at sundown."</p>
+
+<p>"Thy words will I convey to him, O Master. Liola
+shall make great fetish for thine ascent to the Emerald
+Throne."</p>
+
+<p>Then, wishing us adieu, the slim handsome girl with
+the deep blue expressive eyes slipped out of the door,
+and noiselessly crept away down the long stone corridor.</p>
+
+<p>"Of a truth, O Master, there can be no fairer daughter
+on earth than Liola," Kona observed, addressing Omar
+when the pretty messenger had gone.</p>
+
+<p>"Yea, she is beautiful. Her face is like the lily,
+and her eyes as mysterious as the depths of the sea.
+I have never encountered one so fair," Omar answered.</p>
+
+<p>"Nor I," I said. "Her beauty is incomparable."</p>
+
+<p>"I had no idea old Goliba had a daughter," Omar
+exclaimed. "He is indeed fortunate to have one so
+amazingly lovely."</p>
+
+<p>"She is one of your partisans," I observed smiling.</p>
+
+<p>And he laughed, while Kona, grinning with glee, declared
+chaffingly that the Prince had fallen in love with her.</p>
+
+<p>The subject, however, was not further pursued, but
+now and then Omar would express a hope that she had
+returned in safety to her father, or wonder why she
+had been working in his cause, his words showing plainly
+that his head was still filled with thoughts of our pretty
+visitor.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after the light had faded from the tiny chink
+above, Goliba's voice was heard calling outside, and
+we at once opened the door to him.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us hasten, O Master," the old sage cried breathlessly.
+"Every instant's delay meaneth peril, and peril
+is first cousin to disaster."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198"></a>[<a href="./images/198.png">198</a>]</span>
+"Lead," I cried. "We will follow."</p>
+
+<p>A moment later we all four were creeping softly
+along the corridor past doors of the foul reeking
+dungeons wherein those who for some cause or another,
+often the most trivial, had fallen into disfavour with the
+Naya and were rotting in their silent living tombs.
+Many were the grim and fearful stories of injustice and
+agony those black walls could tell; many were the victims
+consigned there, although innocent of any offence, never
+again to see the light of day. As we walked huge grey
+rats, some the pets of the wretched prisoners, scurried
+from our path, and now and then as we passed the small
+closed door of heavy sheet-iron the groans and lamentations
+of the unhappy captives reached our ears.</p>
+
+<p>At last, after traversing many passages turning to right
+and left in such a manner that the extent of the great
+place amazed us, we ascended a flight of well-worn steps.</p>
+
+<p>"The sentries now on guard are loyal to us," the royal
+councillor whispered, turning to Omar as we went up,
+and when we emerged into the chamber wherein stood
+the Emerald Throne, the three tall soldiers with drawn
+swords, two standing mute and motionless as statues on
+either side of the door, and the other pacing up and
+down, took no notice of our appearance, but regarded
+us with stolid indifference. In the rosy evening light
+we sped across the beautiful court to a gate opposite, and
+passed out by a private way of which Goliba held the
+key until we found ourselves beyond the frowning walls.</p>
+
+<p>Kona looked around longingly as we passed through
+the courts and chambers. He was anticipating with
+eagerness the time when he and his men would re-enter
+the place as conquerors, and was probably reflecting upon
+the amount of loot his men could obtain in the event of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199"></a>[<a href="./images/199.png">199</a>]</span>
+an order being given to sack the palace of the dreaded
+Naya. But without pausing to glance behind, our guide
+hurried us forward along a number of winding back
+streets of the city, hot, dusty and close-smelling after
+the broiling day, until he stopped before the door of a
+fine house, the walls of which were of polished white
+marble, that reflected the last rays of the sun like
+burnished gold. Striking the door thrice, it opened,
+and on going in he conducted us to a spacious hall,
+where we found exposed to our view a great collection of
+arms and warlike accoutrements. All kinds of instruments
+of death, which the inventive malice of man had
+ever discovered had been collected for the use of those
+determined to accomplish the overthrow of the wicked
+rule of the Naya. First, there were sticks, staves and
+knotty clubs. Next to these, spears, darts, javelins,
+armed with brass or iron, or their points hardened with
+fire, and innumerable bows with quivers and arrows,
+which Kona examined critically, giving low grunts of
+approbation as he scrutinized a specimen of each.</p>
+
+<p>After these, instruments of dubious use originally
+designed for the assistance of man, but perverted
+through cruelty and malice to the service of slaughter
+and death; such as knives, scythes, axes and hammers.
+On these were heaped arms, deliberately fashioned for the
+offence of mankind, swords, daggers, poignards, scimitars,
+and rapiers, while on the opposite side of the spacious
+place were stored the more refined and destructive
+instruments of European war, rifles, muskets, revolvers,
+bayonets, small field-pieces, machine-guns of various
+patterns, including four Maxims and their food, boxes
+of cartridges, kegs of powder, cakes of dynamite,
+bombs and shells.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200"></a>[<a href="./images/200.png">200</a>]</span>
+"Behold!" exclaimed Goliba, halting before them.
+"Here is one of our secret stores of arms."</p>
+
+<p>"One of them!" said Omar. "How many, then,
+have we?"</p>
+
+<p>"In the city there are sixteen, all similarly filled.
+Away in various parts of the country there are dep&ocirc;ts
+in every populous centre," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"But it must have taken a long time to obtain all
+these," the Prince observed, puzzled.</p>
+
+<p>"The munitions of war were swiftly obtained for a
+popular rising," the aged sage replied. "When the word
+went forth in secret to the people, they responded almost
+to a man. Arms were actually carried from the royal
+arsenal in great quantities, and even the spies of the
+Naya found themselves thwarted and powerless. We
+have obtained nearly all the Maxims purchased in England,
+by the Naya's agent, Makhana; some are here,
+others at various dep&ocirc;ts, and each will be in charge of
+fighting-men, who know their use. The few remaining
+in the arsenal and forts have all been disabled by
+those of our sympathisers in government employ."</p>
+
+<p>"Truly," I said, turning to Omar, "the Naya who
+gave an order for your assassination is seated on the
+edge of a volcano."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," cried the white-bearded old councillor. "The
+country hath struggled and groaned long and in vain
+under the Naya's tyrannical sway; the uprising will be
+swift and revengeful."</p>
+
+<p>"When will it occur?" I asked, with eagerness.</p>
+
+<p>"To-night," answered Goliba in a quiet tone.</p>
+
+<p>"To-night?" we all three cried, amazed that the preparations
+were already complete.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said, in a low tone. "As the bell on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201"></a>[<a href="./images/201.png">201</a>]</span>
+palace-gate chimeth the midnight hour a great
+mine will be fired that will proclaim with the earth's
+sudden upheaval the rising of the people of Mo against
+their ruler. Then the people, ready armed with these
+weapons, will strike such a blow as will sweep away all
+oppression and tyranny from our land, and leave it free
+as it hath ever been, free to prosper and retain its
+position as the only unconquered nation on the face of
+earth."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FIRST BLOW.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Leaving</span> the store of arms we returned to Goliba's house;
+not by the high road, but by little winding lanes with
+tunnel-like passages under the overhanging eaves of
+houses; through a small open square or two, past a few
+richly-painted and carved doors of tombs, and so on
+once more to the residence of the old sage, with its
+spacious courts and beautiful gardens. We passed some
+handsome blue-tiled public fountains, and some fine
+buildings several storeys in height, open in the centre
+with a patio, and surrounded by galleries of carved wood,
+which seemed to answer to our corn exchanges. One,
+near Goliba's house, was especially remarkable for its
+architectural beauty, not only with regard to its interior,
+but also its magnificent gateway. There were others
+also of far less pretensions, which answered more to
+the caravanseri of Samory's country, where the weary
+animals who had borne their burdens from some far
+away corner of the mystic land were resting during their
+sojourn in the city.</p>
+
+<p>When, in the cool dusk of evening we had eaten in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202"></a>[<a href="./images/202.png">202</a>]</span>
+the marble court, with its fountains and flowering
+plants, Omar being waited upon personally by our host,
+Liola came, and, lounging gracefully against one of the
+marble columns, gossipped with us. Afterwards, a professional
+story-teller was introduced to amuse us during
+the anxious time that must elapse before the fateful hour
+when the signal for the great uprising would be given.</p>
+
+<p>He was an old man, small of stature, in fact, I believe he
+must have been one of the tribe of dwarf cave-dwellers.
+Of darker complexion than the majority of this curious
+people, he was dressed in a long garment of white,
+wearing on his head a conical head-dress, shaped somewhat
+like a dunce's cap, and as he took up his position,
+squatting on a mat before us, he made deep obeisance to
+the son of his ruler. While we regaled ourselves with
+grapes and other luscious fruits as a satisfactory conclusion
+to a bountiful feast, he told us a story which, as
+far as I could translate it, was as follows:</p>
+
+<p>"Ages ago," he said, "in the days of the good king
+Lobenba and Prince Karmos"&mdash;here he kissed his hand
+as a sign of reverence, as did all his listeners&mdash;"there
+was a poor man, a cowherd, who lived a very righteous
+life, nor did he commit any sin. But he was terribly
+poor, starving because he had not the wherewithal to
+supply himself with food. One night while asleep in his
+lonely hut on the mountain over against the Grave of
+Enemies, a vision appeared to him, and he saw standing
+before him the god Zomara"&mdash;more hand-kissing&mdash;"in
+a flame of fire. And the King of Crocodiles said to
+him: 'Gogo, I have seen thy poverty and am come to
+give thee succour. I have seen how, even in the days
+when no food hath passed thy lips, thou hast never
+committed theft, nor borrowed not to return, and now<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203"></a>[<a href="./images/203.png">203</a>]</span>
+thou shalt have great wealth. Speed early to-morrow to
+thy friend Djerad and borrow his black horse. I will
+put it in his mind to lend it thee; and take this horse
+and ride it to the Gate of Mo, and then leap on thy
+horse from the precipice, and assuredly thou wilt find
+great wealth.'</p>
+
+<p>"Ere Gogo had time to thank the great god&mdash;whose
+name be exalted above all others&mdash;he had vanished.
+Early he rose, donned his ragged garments, set forth and
+begged the loan of the black horse of Djerad, his friend.
+After a ride of many hours, he came at sundown to the
+Gate of Mo, and gazed over the fearful precipice.
+Gathering the reins in his hand he rode back a little
+distance, then gallopped full speed to the brink. But his
+heart failed him, and on the edge he reined his horse for
+fear.</p>
+
+<p>"Nine times he essayed to go, but each time his
+courage was insufficient. While he was sitting on his
+horse, preparing for the tenth time to obey the instructions,
+he heard a great noise behind him, and turning,
+saw the god Zomara with fire bursting from his
+mouth and streams of light in his eyes, crawling towards
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"'Weak man,' he cried, as he passed. 'Thou fearest
+to obey. Follow me.'</p>
+
+<p>"An instant later the great crocodile had crawled over
+the edge of the precipice, and a moment afterwards
+Gogo had followed his example. It seemed as if he
+were in the air an hour, but suddenly his horse's hoofs
+touched earth again; the animal never fell into the
+terrible abyss, but merely tore up a piece of the turf
+where he had stood. He looked around; Zomara had
+disappeared, but in the hole that the horse's hoof had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204"></a>[<a href="./images/204.png">204</a>]</span>
+caused he saw a large ring of iron. Dismounting, he
+tried to raise it, but only after two hours' work he
+succeeded in moving it and excavating from its hiding-place
+an enormous chest filled with gold pieces and
+costly jewels, and so he lived in affluence the remainder
+of his life, till Zomara took him to be one of his councillors.
+So are the righteous rewarded."</p>
+
+<p>Then some thick-lipped musicians struck up music on
+quaintly-shaped stringed instruments, and the strange
+old man, bearing a kind of tambourine in his hand,
+came round to collect coins, the collection being repeated
+at the conclusion of each legend.</p>
+
+<p>In one of his stories mention was made in the most
+matter-of-fact manner of a sick person being buried
+alive. This caused me to address some questions to
+Liola, who, seated near me, told me that this terrible
+custom was one recently introduced by the Naya.</p>
+
+<p>"The ghastly practice is supposed to appease Zomara
+and give us victory over our enemies," she said. "As
+soon as any serious illness setteth in, the patient is taken
+from his house wrapped in his best robes, deposited in a
+grave and then covered with earth. No one in Mo now
+dieth a natural death. When the body hath been placed
+in the grave, the friends of the dead man set forth to kill
+the first living creature they can encounter, man, woman
+or beast, believing that through their victim their friend
+hath been compelled to die. When thus in search of an
+expiatory victim, they take the precaution of breaking off
+young shoots of the shrubs as they pass by, leaving the
+broken ends hanging in the direction they are going as a
+warning to people to shun that path. Even should one
+of their own relatives be the first to meet the avengers
+they dare not suffer him to escape."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205"></a>[<a href="./images/205.png">205</a>]</span>
+"Life is not very secure in Mo when sickness rageth,"
+I observed.</p>
+
+<p>"No," she replied, sighing. "It is merely one of the
+many horrible practices the Naya hath introduced into
+our land. Whether a man is buried alive, or whether he
+dieth in the fight, his kinsmen at once assemble and
+destroy all his goods, saving only his vessels of gold
+which are confiscated for the Naya's use. The curse of
+Zomara would fall heavily upon anyone who attempteth
+to make use of any article once owned by a dead person.
+After the destruction of the property hath taken place
+the house is filled with the fumes of burning resin. The
+guests then sit in the perfumed atmosphere drinking
+large draughts of fiery liquids and give vent to their
+feelings in violent shouts."</p>
+
+<p>"A strange custom, indeed," I said, astonished. "And
+it is only of recent introduction?"</p>
+
+<p>"When, three years ago the ancient Temple of Zomara
+was discovered beneath the earth and all in Mo
+descended to witness its wonders, the Naya gave orders
+for the custom, as I have described, to be rigorously
+observed," she answered, turning her clear, trusting eyes
+upon Omar as she spoke.</p>
+
+<p>Soon afterwards she left us in order to give some
+orders to the slaves, and the story-teller and musicians
+also departing, Goliba brought in three of the provincial
+governors who had visited us on the last occasion we
+had been the aged sage's guests, and together we discussed
+and criticised for the last time the arrangements
+made for the revolt. After an hour's consultation these
+men again departed, and Goliba himself having brought
+us our arms, consisting of an English-made magazine-rifle
+each, some ammunition, and a short but very keen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206"></a>[<a href="./images/206.png">206</a>]</span>
+sword manufactured in Mo, left to make a tour of his house
+to personally inspect the measures taken for its defence.</p>
+
+<p>The next hour was so full of breathless excitement that
+we dared only converse in whispers. The atmosphere
+was hot and oppressive, the sky had grown dark and
+overcast, threatening ominously, while ever and anon
+could be heard the faint clank of arms; men, tall, dark
+and mysterious, passed and repassed along the dark
+colonnades, or stood in knots leaning on their rifles discussing
+the situation in undertones.</p>
+
+<p>On returning to us our host told us that the store of
+arms we had seen, as well as others in various neighbourhoods,
+had all been distributed, and that the whole city
+was awaiting the signal.</p>
+
+<p>"Roughly speaking, thou hast in the capital alone
+thirty thousand adherents," the councillor said to Omar.
+"Thou hast therefore nothing to fear. The path to
+victory is straight, and little danger lurketh there."</p>
+
+<p>Almost ere these words had fallen from his lips, loud
+shouting sounded at the door that gave entrance to the
+patio wherein we stood, and we were startled to notice
+a scuffle taking place between a number of those who
+were about to guard the house and some would-be
+intruders. Yet ere we could realise the true state of
+affairs, we saw dozens of the royal soldiers scrambling
+down from the walls on every side, rifles flashed here and
+there, and within a few moments the place was in possession
+of the troops of the Naya.</p>
+
+<p>"We seek Omar, the prince, and his companions,"
+cried a man in a shining golden breastplate, evidently
+an officer of high rank, striding up to Goliba. "We
+hold orders from the Naya to capture them, and take
+them to the palace. We know thou hast harboured them."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207"></a>[<a href="./images/207.png">207</a>]</span>
+Before our host could reply twenty of the fighting-men
+of Mo, having recognized us, dashed across, and
+notwithstanding our resistance, had seized us. Goliba,
+too, was quickly made prisoner, and above the shouting
+and hoarse imprecations we heard in the darkness a loud
+piercing woman's scream.</p>
+
+<p>Liola had also fallen into their hands!</p>
+
+<p>We fought our captors with all the strength of which
+we were capable, but were unarmed, for on receiving the
+rifles and swords from Goliba we had placed them
+together at a little distance away in a corner of the
+court. It took fully a dozen stalwart soldiers to hold
+the black giant Kona, and even then it was as much as
+they could do to prevent him from severely mauling them.
+His grip was like a vice; his fist hard as iron.</p>
+
+<p>In the hands of three of these white robed soldiers,
+who had on our arrival in Mo cheered and belauded us,
+I struggled fiercely, but to no avail, for they dragged us
+all onward across the patio and out into the street, now
+crowded by those attracted by the unusual disturbance
+in the house of the Naya's councillor. The huge grim
+gateway of the royal palace stood facing the end of the
+long, broad thoroughfare, and from where we stood we
+had an uninterrupted view of it. Our arrest was indeed
+a disaster when we seemed within an ace of success.
+The people regarded us indifferently as we were hurried
+up the hill towards the great stone arch with its massive
+watch-towers, and it appeared as though the swift
+decisive step of securing the ringleaders of the revolt
+had entirely crushed it, for the people, instead of
+showing defiance, shrank back from the soldiers, cowed
+and submissive.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, as we went forward, the great bell in one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208"></a>[<a href="./images/208.png">208</a>]</span>
+of the high turrets of the Naya's stronghold boomed
+forth the first stroke of the midnight hour.</p>
+
+<p>Then, in an instant, a bright red flash blinded us,
+followed by a report so deafening, that the very rock
+whereon the city was built trembled, and we saw amid
+the dense smoke before us the great black gateway, with
+its watch towers where the sentries were pacing, break
+away, and shoot in huge masses high towards the sky.</p>
+
+<p>The explosion was terrific; its effect appalling. The
+glare lit the whole city for a brief second with a light
+like a stormy sunset, then upon us showered great pieces
+of iron and stone with mangled human limbs, the <i>d&eacute;bris</i>
+of a gateway that for centuries had been considered
+absolutely impregnable.</p>
+
+<p>The first blow against tyranny and oppression had
+been struck, terrible and decisive. It was the people's
+call to arms. Would they respond?</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXVII.</h2>
+
+<h3>BY THE NAYA'S ORDERS.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">A short</span> time only did we remain in doubt as to the
+intention of the populace. The suppressed excitement
+found vent even before the clouds of choking smoke
+had rolled away. The signal had been given, and
+instantly they responded with fierce yells, throwing
+themselves suddenly upon the soldiers, using weapons
+that seemed to have been produced like magic.</p>
+
+<p>Those who had effected our capture, dumbfounded,
+first by the appalling explosion, and then by the hostile
+attitude of the people, released us instantly, being compelled
+to fight for their lives back towards the smoking
+ruins of the palace-gate.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209"></a>[<a href="./images/209.png">209</a>]</span>
+Within a few moments the great broad thoroughfare,
+with its handsome houses, became the scene of a most
+fierce and sanguinary conflict. Rifles flashed everywhere,
+in the street, from the windows and roofs of
+surrounding buildings, pouring a fire upon the soldiers
+so deadly that few succeeded in escaping back to the
+place whence they came. With startling suddenness I
+found myself in the midst of this stirring scene, fighting
+for life beside Omar. Both of us had snatched rifles
+and ammunition from fallen soldiers, while someone in
+the crowd had given me a fine sword with bejewelled
+hilt, which I hastily buckled on in case of emergency.
+Behind us a great barricade was being built of the first
+things that came to hand. The houses were being
+divested of their furniture by a hundred busy hands,
+and this, piled high, with spaces here and there for
+the guns, soon presented a barrier formidable, almost
+insurmountable. The erection of barricades was, we
+afterwards found, part of the scheme, for in all the
+principal thoroughfares similar piles were constructed,
+each being manned by a sturdy body of men, well-armed
+and determined to hold in check and repulse the attack
+which they knew would, ere long, be made upon them by
+the military.</p>
+
+<p>The forces of Mo, feared on every hand for their
+daring and brilliant feats were, we knew, not to be trifled
+with, and as word had been secretly conveyed to Omar
+that the Naya, on hearing of the intention of the people,
+had ordered her soldiers to institute an indiscriminate
+massacre, we should have to fight hard to save our lives.</p>
+
+<p>The barricade was soon completed, and quickly word
+spread from mouth to mouth to get behind it. This
+we all did, to the number of about three thousand; then<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210"></a>[<a href="./images/210.png">210</a>]</span>
+came a period of waiting. It was not our object to
+renew the attack, but to await reprisals. Apparently,
+however, the blowing up of the palace-gate had utterly
+disconcerted the royal troops whose barracks were in
+that vicinity, and we could see by the crowd of moving
+torches that the soldiers were engaged in repairing the
+huge breach made in the walls before marching forth to
+quell the insurrection.</p>
+
+<p>In the darkness we waited patiently. A few desultory
+shots, fired by some of our more adventurous partisans,
+who, climbing to the top of the barricade, aimed
+where they saw the torches moving, broke the ominous
+silence, but in distant parts of the city we could hear
+the rapid firing of musketry, with now and then a loud
+thundering roar when a heavy field-piece was discharged.</p>
+
+<p>Each moment seemed an hour as we remained inactive
+behind that improvised barrier of doors, shutters,
+furniture, iron gates and railings. Omar and I were
+standing together beside one of the three Maxim guns
+by which our position was defended, watching the
+preparations being made on the top of the hill for
+assaulting us, when suddenly there was a bright flash,
+and next instant a great shell fell behind us, bursting
+and dealing death and destruction among our ranks.
+The air became rent by the shrill cries of the wounded
+and the hoarse agonized exclamations of the dying, for
+this first shot from the palace had been terribly effective,
+and fully fifty of those anxious to bear their part in the
+struggle for liberty had been killed, while many others
+were wounded. The shell had unfortunately fallen right
+in the centre of the crowd.</p>
+
+<p>Again another was discharged, but it whistled over
+our heads and exploded far away behind us, shattering<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211"></a>[<a href="./images/211.png">211</a>]</span>
+several houses, but injuring nobody. A third and a
+fourth were sent at us, but neither were so effective as
+the first. The breach in the wall where the gate had
+once been had now been repaired, and the adherents of
+the Great White Queen were at last taking the offensive.</p>
+
+<p>Both Omar and myself had earlier that day, during
+our visit to the store of arms, been instructed in the use
+of that terror of modern warfare, the Maxim gun, and
+the one against which we stood with two men had been
+allotted to us.</p>
+
+<p>My companion, who had been watching with the
+deadly weapon ready sighted to sweep the street, turned
+to ask news of Liola, whom we had not seen since we
+were dragged from her father's house, and I had taken
+his place, my hand ready to fire. Of Liola's fate I
+feared the worst. She had been taken prisoner, and
+had probably been killed or injured in the fierce <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly with wild yells, several hundred of the
+Naya's horsemen dashed down the hill, their swords
+whirling, followed by a huge force of men mounted and
+dismounted. I saw that at last they had come forth for
+the attack, and without a second's hesitation bent and
+commenced a fire, the terrible rattling of which held me
+appalled. The guns on either side followed mine in
+chorus, and almost momentarily we were pouring out
+such a hail of bullets, that amid the smoke and fire the
+great body of horses and troops were mowed down like
+grass before the scythe. The foremost in the cavalry
+ranks had no time to lift their carbines to reply, ere
+they were swept into eternity, and those coming behind,
+although making a desperate stand, fell riddled by
+bullets from our three terrible engines of destruction.</p>
+
+<p>The fight with Samory's fugitives on the Way of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212"></a>[<a href="./images/212.png">212</a>]</span>
+Thousand Steps had been exciting enough, but in extent
+or bloodshed was not to be compared with this. In
+that single onward rush of the Naya's troops hundreds
+were killed, for, ceasing our fire for a moment or two
+while the smoke cleared, we saw, lying in the street, great
+piles of men and horses, who had fallen upon one another
+in their forward dash and died under our frightful hail
+of lead.</p>
+
+<p>A short pause, and the rifles and all the chorus of
+surrounding artillery took up their thunder-song with
+increased energy. These works of man outrivalled the
+natural elements by their tremendous booming and their
+disastrous power. Shells from the palace walls fell
+upon us thick and fast. No lightning's flash can
+accomplish such ruin as the modern ordnance projectile<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: added missing period">.</ins>
+A few centuries back the thought would have been
+incomprehensible; even so the visionary and ridiculed
+idea of to-day may be realised in the future. The shots
+descended, a veritable storm of lead, and several times
+the clouds of choking dust they set up enveloped us; but
+we were undaunted, and continued to work the Maxim,
+spreading its death-dealing rain up the broad thoroughfare
+and preventing any from reaching our barricade.</p>
+
+<p>The idea of the troops was no doubt to gradually
+force us back from the external positions of the city
+into the central, and from the centre to the east in the
+direction of the gate that gave access to the country.
+By this means the fighting area would be compressed,
+and we should be surrounded by a large body of our
+enemies who had massed outside the gate to cut off our
+retreat. But the thundering boom of cannon and sharp
+rattle of musketry on our right, showed that our comrades,
+barricaded in a great thoroughfare running parallel<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213"></a>[<a href="./images/213.png">213</a>]</span>
+with the one wherein we were, had also set to work to
+repel their enemy.</p>
+
+<p>Barricades had sprung up in all directions like magic.
+The four corners of intersecting streets were the positions
+mostly chosen for them, and every conceivable article
+was used in their construction. Women and children
+vied with the men in activity and resourcefulness in the
+erection of these improvised works of defence, and the
+work slackened not even when shells and bullets fell
+about in dangerous proximity.</p>
+
+<p>Our companions, the partisans of Omar to whom they
+looked to deliver their country from the thraldom of
+tyranny, were fortunately not devoid of those soldier-like
+qualities which in past ages had raised the military
+renown of Mo to the greatest altitude; what they lacked
+mostly outside of themselves were capable officering and
+generalship. There were a few officers of the royal
+army among them, men who had become convinced
+that a change of government was necessary, but the
+people were left to do battle mainly on the principle of
+individual enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>Time after time attacks, each increasing in strength
+and proving more disastrous to us than the first, were
+made upon us. But our Maxims kept up their rattle,
+and from every part of the great wall of paving stones,
+furniture, trees and heaped-up miscellaneous articles,
+there poured out volley after volley from bristling rifles.</p>
+
+<p>The troops quickly found the street absolutely
+untenable, for each time they made a rush to storm our
+position they were compelled to fall back, and few indeed
+reached a place of safety amid our deadly fire.
+When we had held the barricade for nearly an hour,
+Kona, Omar and myself being close together bearing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214"></a>[<a href="./images/214.png">214</a>]</span>
+our part in repulsing our opponents, a loud roar suddenly
+sounded before us and at the same instant a huge
+shell, imbedding itself in our defences, exploded with a
+bright light and deafening report.</p>
+
+<p>The havoc caused was appalling. Half our barricade
+was blown completely away, and besides killing and
+maiming dozens of our comrades, it shattered several
+houses close by, and its force sent me down flat upon
+my back. Instantly I struggled to my feet, and finding
+myself uninjured save for a severe laceration of the
+hand, glanced round seeking my two friends. But they
+were not there!</p>
+
+<p>The shell had set part of the barricade on fire, and
+already the flames were rising high, lighting up the
+terrible, lurid scene. Again I bent to my Maxim and
+recommenced firing, but as I did so another shell, only
+too well directed, struck the opposite end of our
+defences, and instantly a disaster resulted similar to the
+first, while a house at the same moment fell with a
+terrible crash, burying several unfortunate fellows beneath
+its <i>d&eacute;bris</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly I saw that our defences were partially demolished,
+and as shell after shell fell in rapid succession
+in our vicinity and exploded, our gallant defenders, still
+determined to prove victors, rushed up the hill to try
+conclusions with the Naya's troops. It was a wild, mad
+dash, and I found myself carried forward in the onrush
+of several thousand excited men. Meeting the remnant
+of the cavalry we fought with savage ferocity, alternately
+being beaten and beating. I had lost Omar,
+Kona and Goliba, half fearing that they had been blown
+to atoms by the shell, nevertheless the courage of my comrades
+never failed, although gaining the top of the hill<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215"></a>[<a href="./images/215.png">215</a>]</span>
+and defeating the cavalry by sheer force of numbers,
+they were driven back again at the point of the bayonet,
+while from the ruins of the palace-gate a steady rifle
+fire was poured upon us at the same time.</p>
+
+<p>Half-way down the hill we made a gallant stand, but
+again were compelled to fall back in disorder. Soon we
+were driven from the main thoroughfare into the minor
+streets, refuging in and fighting from the houses, whilst
+our foe steadily and angrily pursued and closed in upon
+us, dislodging us from our shelters and leaving few loop-holes
+for escape.</p>
+
+<p>The carnage was awful; quarter was refused. It
+seemed as though our hope was a forlorn one; the
+general and ruthless massacre ordered by the Great
+White Queen had actually begun!</p>
+
+<p>The loss of our barricade paralysed us. Yet we
+could hear the roar and tumult, and seeing the reflection
+of fires in other parts of the city, only hoped that our
+comrades there were holding their own valiantly as we
+had struggled to do. Ever and anon loud explosions
+sounded above the thunder of artillery, and it became
+apparent that the royal troops were engaged in blowing
+up any defences they could not take by assault.</p>
+
+<p>From where I had sought shelter behind a high wall
+with a lattice window through which I continually discharged
+my rifle into the roadway, I saw massacres within
+walls and without. The troops had poured down upon
+us in absolutely overwhelming numbers, and no resistance
+by our weakened force could now save us. One fact
+alone reassured me and gave me courage. In the bright red
+glare shed by the flames from a burning building, among
+a party who made a sally from the opposite house I
+caught a momentary glance of the lithe, active figure of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216"></a>[<a href="./images/216.png">216</a>]</span>
+Omar, fighting desperately against a body of the Naya's
+infantry and leading on his comrades with loud shouts
+of encouragement.</p>
+
+<p>"Do your duty, men!" he gasped. "Let not your
+enemies crush you!"</p>
+
+<p>But the <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i> was awful. Once again our partisans
+were driven back, and the street was strewn with
+bodies in frightful array, left where they fell, uncovered,
+unattended.</p>
+
+<p>The thick black cloud of smoke which hung over the
+City in the Clouds and on either side of it obscured
+the rising dawn and intensified the horrors of the awful
+drama. Fires raged in every direction, making the air
+hot; it was close through the smoke cloud above and
+the absence of wind, f&oelig;tid with the odour of human
+blood that lay in pools in every street and splashed
+upon the houses. The sight was majestic, terrible,
+never-to-be-forgotten; in the midst of it the terror and
+stupefaction were almost beyond human endurance. On
+all sides were heard the roar of flames, the breaking
+of timbers and the crashing in of roofs and walls. Fire
+and sword reigned throughout the magnificent capital of
+Mo; its people were being swept into eternity with a
+relentless brutality that was absolutely fiendish.</p>
+
+<p>Into the hearts of the survivors of the gallant force
+who had so readily constructed our barricade and so
+valiantly defended it, despair had entered. There was
+now no hope for the success of our cause. The forces
+of tyranny, oppression and misrule were fast proving
+the victors, and in that fearful indiscriminate shooting
+down of men, women and children that was proceeding,
+all knew that sooner or later they must fall victims.</p>
+
+<p>I had seen nothing of Kona or Goliba since the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217"></a>[<a href="./images/217.png">217</a>]</span>
+wrecking of our barricade, but Omar, I was gratified to
+observe, was stationed at a window of the opposite
+house from which he directed well-aimed shots at those
+below. A body of fully five hundred infantry were besieging
+the house wherein a large number of our comrades
+had taken shelter, determined to put them to the
+sword; yet so desperate was the resistance that they found
+it impossible to enter, and many were killed in their
+futile endeavours. At length I noticed that while the
+main body covered the movements of several of their
+companions the latter were preparing a mine by which
+to blow it up. With the half-dozen men beside me we
+kept up a galling fire upon them, but all in vain. The
+mine was laid; only a spark was required to blow the
+place into the air.</p>
+
+<p>Knowing that if such a catastrophe were accomplished
+we, too, must suffer being in such close proximity to it,
+we waited breathlessly, unable to escape from the vicinity
+of the deadly spot.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, as one man, more fearless than the others,
+bent to fire the mine, the soldiers, with one accord,
+rushed back, and scarce daring to breathe I waited,
+fearing each second to see the house and its garrison
+shattered to fragments and myself receive the full force
+of the explosive.</p>
+
+<p>But at that instant, even as I watched, a loud
+exultant shout broke upon my ear, and looking I saw
+approaching from the opposite end of the street a great
+crowd of people rushing forward, firing rapidly as they
+came.</p>
+
+<p>They were our comrades. Their shouts were shouts
+of victory!</p>
+
+<p>"Kill them!" they cried. "Let not one escape.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218"></a>[<a href="./images/218.png">218</a>]</span>
+They have killed our brothers; let us have revenge!
+The Naya shall die, and Omar shall be our Naba!"</p>
+
+<p>The man bending over the explosive sprang back in
+fear without having applied the fatal spark, and his
+companions, taken thus completely by surprise, stood
+amazed at this sudden appearance of so large a body of
+the populace. But the rifles of the latter in a few
+seconds had laid low several of their number, and then,
+making a stand, they lowered their weapons. A loud
+word of command sounded, and as if from one weapon
+a volley was fired full upon the victorious people. For
+a few moments its deadly effect checked their progress,
+but an instant later they resumed their onward rush, and
+ere a second volley could be fired they had flung themselves
+upon their opponents, killing them with bayonet,
+sword and pistol.</p>
+
+<p>Their rush was in too great a force to be withstood.
+As in other parts of the city, so here, they compelled
+the troops to fly before them, and shot them down as
+they sped back up the hill towards the great stronghold.</p>
+
+<p>In those few fateful minutes the tables had suddenly
+been turned. While we, fighting hard in that hot corner,
+had imagined that we had lost, our comrades in other
+parts of the city had won a magnificent victory, and had
+come to our rescue at the eleventh hour.</p>
+
+<p>Truly it was everywhere a fierce and bloody fight.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FIGHT FOR THE EMERALD THRONE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Thrown</span> into utter confusion by the great press of people
+well armed and determined, the soldiers, who had fought
+so desperately, and who intended to blow up the house<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219"></a>[<a href="./images/219.png">219</a>]</span>
+that Omar and his companions had made their stronghold,
+fled precipitately up the hill, but so rapid and heavy
+was the firing, that few, if any, got out of the street alive.</p>
+
+<p>On seeing the chances thus suddenly turned in our
+favour we poured forth into the street again, and joining
+our forces with those of our rescuers, rushed with them into
+the main thoroughfare leading to the palace, scrambling
+over the <i>d&eacute;bris</i> of our barricade and the heaps of bodies
+that blocked our passage. A hurried question, addressed
+to a man rushing along at my side, elicited glad tidings.
+So fiercely had the people fought that the troops sent
+out to quell the rising had been utterly routed everywhere,
+while many of the regiments had turned in our
+favour and had actually held several of the barricades,
+winning brilliant victories.</p>
+
+<p>"It is yonder, at the palace, where the resistance will
+be greatest," the man cried excitedly, blood streaming
+from a ghastly wound on his brow. "But our cause is
+good. The Naya shall die!"</p>
+
+<p>"To the Palace!" screamed the infuriated mob.
+"To the Palace!"</p>
+
+<p>And forward the frantic dash was made at redoubled
+pace until we came to the pile of fallen masonry,
+which had, a few hours ago, been the great impregnable
+gateway that closed each day at sunset, and opened not
+till sunrise, save for the Great White Queen herself.</p>
+
+<p>Here the place seemed undefended until we came
+close up to it, when without warning we were met with a
+withering rifle fire that laid low dozens of our comrades.
+The man who had been so enthusiastic a moment before
+and who had told me of our successes, was struck full in
+the breast by a ball and fell against me dead.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment only did we hold back. Dawn was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220"></a>[<a href="./images/220.png">220</a>]</span>
+spreading now, but the heavy black smoke obscured the
+struggling daylight. Suddenly there sounded just at my
+rear Omar's well-known voice, crying:</p>
+
+<p>"Forward! Forward, my brethren. I, Omar, your
+prince, lead you into the palace of my father. To-day
+there commenceth a new and brighter era for our
+beloved land. Falter not, but end the struggle valiantly
+as ye have commenced it. Forward!"</p>
+
+<p>His words sent a sudden patriotic thrill through the
+great concourse of armed men, who instantly sprang
+forward, and regardless of the blazing lines of rifles before
+them climbed the ruins and engaged the defenders hand
+to hand. It was a brilliant dash and could only have
+been accomplished by the courage inspired by Omar's
+words, for the odds were once more against us, and the
+rapid fire from behind the ruins played the most
+frightful havoc in our ranks. In the midst of the crowd
+I clambered up, sword in hand, over the huge masses of
+masonry and rubbish, and springing to earth on the other
+side, alighted in a corner where the picked guards of the
+Naya were making a last desperate stand.</p>
+
+<p>At first the struggle had been a hand-to-hand one, but
+they had retreated, and were now firing heavy volleys
+that effectively kept us at bay.</p>
+
+<p>Almost at the same moment as I sprang down I heard
+behind me fiendish yells and the clambering of many
+feet. In an instant I recognised it as the savage war
+cry of the Dagombas, and next second a hundred half-naked
+blacks, looking veritable fiends in the red glare,
+swept down headlong to the spot where I stood and,
+headed by Kona brandishing his spear, dashed straight
+upon the defenders. The effect of this was to cause
+the others to spring forward as reinforcements, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221"></a>[<a href="./images/221.png">221</a>]</span>
+quicker than the time occupied in relating it, this
+position, an exceedingly strong one, fell into our hands.
+So infuriated were the Dagombas by the excesses committed
+by the soldiery in various parts of the city, that
+they vented their savage wrath upon the defenders until
+the butchery became awful, and I doubt whether a single
+man escaped.</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers holding the next court, seeing this
+disaster, placed, ere we could prevent them, two field-pieces
+behind the closed gate wherein holes had been
+hacked, and with the walls crowded with men with
+rifles they began to pour upon us a deadly hail of shot
+and shell. Once, for a moment only, Niaro, the provincial
+governor I had met at Goliba's, fought beside me,
+but after exchanging a few breathless words we became
+again separated. Little time elapsed ere one and all
+understood that to remain long under this galling fire of
+the palace guards would mean death to us, therefore it
+required no further incentive than an appeal from Omar
+to cause us to storm the entrance to the court.</p>
+
+<p>"Well done, friends," he shouted. "We have broken
+down the first defence. Come, let us sweep away the
+remainder, but spare the life of the Naya. Remember I
+am her son. Again, forward! Zomara giveth strength
+to your hands and courage to your hearts. Use them for
+the purpose he hath bestowed them upon you."</p>
+
+<p>In the forward movement in response to these loudly-uttered
+words fearful cries of rage and despair mingled
+with hoarse shouts of the vanquished. Rifles flashed
+everywhere in the faint morning light, bullets kept up a
+singing chorus above our heads, and about me, in the
+frightful tumult, gleamed naked blood-stained blades.
+At first the guards, like those in the outer court, made a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222"></a>[<a href="./images/222.png">222</a>]</span>
+desperate resistance, but soon they showed signs of weakness,
+and I could distinguish in the faint grey dawn how
+gradually we were driving them back, slowly gaining the
+entrance to the court, which, I remembered, was a very
+large and beautiful one with cool colonnades, handsome
+fountains and beautiful flowering trees of a kind I had
+never seen in England.</p>
+
+<p>At last, after a fierce struggle, in which the defenders
+very nearly succeeded in driving us out or slaughtering
+us where we stood, the field-pieces were silenced, a charge
+of explosive was successfully placed beneath the gate and
+a loud roar followed that shook every stone in that
+colossal pile.</p>
+
+<p>The ponderous door was shattered and the defenders
+disorganised by the suddenness of the disaster. Almost
+before they were aware of it we had poured in among
+them. Then the slaughter was renewed, and the scenes
+witnessed on every hand frightful to behold.</p>
+
+<p>Kona and his black followers fought like demons,
+spearing the soldiers right and left, always in the van of
+the fray. Omar and Kona were apparently sharing the
+direction of the attack, for sometimes I heard the voice
+of one raised, giving orders, and sometimes the other.
+But, however irregular the mode of proceeding might
+have been from a military standpoint, success was ours,
+for half an hour later the two inner courts, strenuously
+defended by the Naya's body guard, were taken, and
+judging from the fact that the firing outside had become
+desultory it seemed as though hostilities in the streets
+had practically ceased.</p>
+
+<p>At this juncture some man, a tall, powerful fellow who
+was distinguishing himself by his valiant deeds, told me
+that the military down in the city, finding the populace so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223"></a>[<a href="./images/223.png">223</a>]</span>
+strong, had, after a most terrific fight, at last ceased all
+opposition and declared in favour of the Prince Omar.
+This, we afterwards discovered, was the actual truth.
+The carnage in the streets had, however, been appalling,
+before this step had been resolved upon, but when once
+the declaration had been made, the remnants of the
+Naya's army were, at the orders of the leaders of the
+people, marched without the city wall on the opposite
+side to the great cliff, and there halted to await the
+progress of events.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, we were still hewing our way, inch by
+inch, towards the centre of the palace of the Great
+White Queen. So desperate was the conflict that the
+perspiration rolled from us in great beads, and many of
+my comrades fell from sheer exhaustion, and were
+trampled to death beneath the feet of the wildly-excited
+throng.</p>
+
+<p>Soon, driving back the final ring of defenders, and
+shooting them down to the last man, we dashed across
+the central court, where the polished marble paving
+ran with blood, and battering down the great gilded
+doors, that fell with a loud crash, gained our goal,
+entering the spacious Hall of Audience, in the
+centre of which, upon its raised da&iuml;s, under the great
+gilded dome, stood the historic Emerald Throne.</p>
+
+<p>The magnificent hall was deserted. The bloodshed
+had been frightful. The courts were heaped with dead
+and dying. Several chairs were lying overturned, as
+if the courtiers and slaves had left hastily, and even
+across the seat of royalty one of the Naya's rich bejewelled
+robes of state had been hastily flung down.
+This, snatched up by one of the Dagombas, was tossed
+away into the crowd, who gleefully tore it to shreds as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224"></a>[<a href="./images/224.png">224</a>]</span>
+sign that the power of the dreaded Naya was for ever
+broken.</p>
+
+<p>To the exultant shouts of a thousand wild, blood-bespattered
+people, the great hall echoed again and again.
+The faint light showed too plainly at what terrible cost
+the victory had been won. Their clothes were torn, their
+faces were blackened by powder, from their superficial
+wounds blood was oozing, while the more serious consequences
+of sword-cuts and gun-shots had been hastily
+bound by shreds of garments. Flushed by their
+victory, they were a strange, forbidding-looking rabble.
+Yet they were our partisans; a peaceful, law-abiding
+people who had been oppressed by a tyrannical rule and
+long ripe for revolt, they had seized this opportunity to
+break the power of the cruel-hearted woman who was
+unworthy to hold sway upon that historic throne.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us seek the Naya! She shall not escape! Let
+us avenge the deaths of our fathers and children!"
+were the cries raised when they found the Hall of
+Audience deserted. Apparently they had expected to
+find the Great White Queen seated there, awaiting them,
+and their chagrin was intense at finding her already a
+fugitive.</p>
+
+<p>"She dare not face us!" they screamed. "All tyrants
+are cowards. Kill her! Let us kill her!"</p>
+
+<p>But Goliba, whom I was gratified to see present
+and unharmed, sprang upon the da&iuml;s, and waving his
+arms, cried:</p>
+
+<p>"Rather let us first place our valiant young prince
+upon the Emerald Throne. Let him be appointed our
+ruler; then let us seek to place the Naya in captivity."</p>
+
+<p>"No," they cried excitedly. "Kill her!"</p>
+
+<p>"Give her alive to Zomara!" suggested one man near<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225"></a>[<a href="./images/225.png">225</a>]</span>
+me, grimly. "Let her taste the punishment to which
+she has consigned so many hundreds of our relatives
+and friends."</p>
+
+<p>Heedless of these shouts, Goliba, stretching forth his
+hand, led Omar, whose torn clothes and perspiring face
+told how hard he had fought, towards the wonderful
+throne of green gems, and seating him thereon, cried:</p>
+
+<p>"I, Goliba, on behalf of these, the people of our
+great kingdom, enthrone thee and invest thee with the
+supreme power in place of thy mother, the Naya."</p>
+
+<p>Loud deafening cheers, long repeated, rose from the
+assembled multitude, and the soldiers dying in the courts
+outside knew that the revolt of the people had been
+successful; that right had won in this struggle against
+might. Then, when the cries of adulation became
+fainter, and with difficulty silence was restored, Omar
+rose, and raising his sword, upon which blood was still
+wet, exclaimed in a loud, ringing voice:</p>
+
+<p>"I, Omar, the last descendant of the royal house of
+Sanom, hereby proclaim myself Naba of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>Again cheers rang through the vaulted hall, and
+presently, when the excitement had once more died
+down, he added, gazing round with a regal air:</p>
+
+<p>"About me here I see those who have borne arms in my
+cause, and to each and every one I render thanks.
+How much we may all of us deplore the loss of so many
+valuable lives death is nevertheless the inevitable result
+of any recourse to arms. At least, we have the satisfaction
+of knowing that our cause was a just one, and
+by the sacred memory of our ancestors I swear that my
+rule shall be devoid of that cruelty and tyranny that
+have disgraced the later pages of my beloved country's
+history. I, Omar, am your ruler; ye are my people.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226"></a>[<a href="./images/226.png">226</a>]</span>
+Obey the laws we promulgate and the good counsels of
+our advisers, and security both of life and property
+shall be yours. From this moment human sacrifices to
+our great god Zomara&mdash;to whom all praise be given
+for this victory of our arms&mdash;are abolished. But our
+first and foremost word from this, our seat of royalty, is
+that the life of the Naya shall be spared. Your Naba
+hath spoken."</p>
+
+<p>A visible look of disappointment overspread the countenances
+of those around me. All had, in their wild enthusiasm,
+desired to wreak their vengeance upon the unjust
+queen, but this royal decree forbade it. There even
+went forth murmurs of disapproval, and Omar, hearing
+them, said in a loud, serious voice:</p>
+
+<p>"A Sanom hath never allowed his kinsman to be
+murdered, therefore although the Naya hath plotted to
+take my life, she shall be held captive, and not die. Let
+not a hair of her head be touched, or he who lifteth his
+hand against her shall be brought before me, and I will
+not spare him. Enough blood hath been already shed
+since the going down of the sun; let not another life be
+wasted."</p>
+
+<p>Then calling Goliba, Kona, Niaro, and myself up to
+his side upon the royal da&iuml;s, he continued:</p>
+
+<p>"These, my friends, who have assisted me to gain this,
+my kingdom, are deserving of reward, and this shall at
+once be given them. Goliba, whom all know as a sage
+and upright man&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Cheers, long and ringing, here interrupted his words.
+When quiet had been restored he continued:</p>
+
+<p>"Goliba shall retain his position as chief of our royal
+councillors, and shall be also Grand Vizier of Mo.
+Niaro, a trusty governor to whom all who have appealed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227"></a>[<a href="./images/227.png">227</a>]</span>
+have met with justice, is appointed Custodian of the
+Gate of Mo, in place of Babila, for whom we all mourn.
+To Kona, head man of the Dagombas of the forest, I
+owe my life, and he shall be chief of our army and of our
+body-guard, and his native followers shall themselves be
+the principal members of the guard. And Scarsmere,"
+he said, turning towards me<ins class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: superfluous quotation mark removed">,</ins> "Scarsmere hath been my
+friend and companion across the great black water; he
+knoweth not fear, for together we have been held by
+Samory and Prempeh, and have yet managed to preserve
+our lives. Since I, your Naba, left Mo by the Way of
+the Thousand Steps, and entered the land of the white
+men, Scarsmere hath been my friend and companion,
+therefore all shall treat him with due respect, for although
+he cometh from the wonderful land afar he shall be
+Governor of this our city and Keeper of our Treasure-house.
+He is the trusted and faithful friend of
+your Naba, and all shall regard him as highest in
+favour."</p>
+
+<p>"We greet thee, Goliba!" enthusiastically cried the
+surging crowd. "We greet thee, Niaro, Custodian of
+the Gate! We greet thee, Kona, a savage but great
+chieftain! Thou art head of our army! We greet thee,
+Scarsmere, the friend of our royal Naba, and Governor of
+Mo! We, the people, accept you, and have confidence
+in your rule. Ye are all great, and are worthy of the
+offices to which ye have been raised. May your names
+be exalted above all others, and your faces be as beacons
+unto us!"</p>
+
+<p>And they shouted themselves hoarse in cheering, seeing
+in the enthronement of the young Naba the dawn of a
+just and beneficent rule. Their adulations became
+louder, and even more profuse, when Omar proceeded to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228"></a>[<a href="./images/228.png">228</a>]</span>
+appoint others, well known and popular, to various offices
+connected with the palace.</p>
+
+<p>"Happy," cried the white-bearded sages who had
+taken their places behind the throne&mdash;"happy is the
+prince whose trust is in Zomara and whose wisdom
+cometh from the King of the River."</p>
+
+<p>"Happy," cried the people, humbling themselves&mdash;"happy
+is our Naba, the favourite of the Crocodile-god,
+the one from whose wrath all flee."</p>
+
+<p>"That," replied Omar, "O people, is too much even
+for the Naba of Mo to hear. But may Zomara approve
+of my thoughts and actions! So shall the infernal
+powers destroy the wretches that employ them, and the
+arrows recoil upon those who draw a bow upon us. But,
+O sages, though your numbers are reduced your integrity
+is more tried and approved; therefore let Omar, your
+Naba, partake of the sweetness of your counsels and learn
+from aged experience the wisdom of the sons of earth.
+Ye shall tell me from time to time what the peace and
+sincerity of my throne requireth from me, for human
+prudence alone is far too weak to fight against the wiles
+of the deceitful."</p>
+
+<p>I stood beside the royal seat, deep in thought, silently
+gazing upon the thousand upturned, grimy faces. It
+had indeed been a curious turn of events that had conspired
+to place my friend upon the throne of an autocrat,
+and also to give, into my own unaccustomed hands, the
+rule and control of this most magnificent and extensive
+capital, and all the wondrous treasures of the royal house
+of the Sanoms.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229"></a>[<a href="./images/229.png">229</a>]</span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXIX.</h2>
+
+<h3>A MYSTERY.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">From</span> the glittering Hall of Audience a forward movement
+was soon made to the inner rooms that formed the
+private apartments of the Naya. Carried onward by the
+press of people, I was amazed at the magnificence and
+luxury everywhere apparent. The walls were mostly of
+polished marble inlaid with gold and adorned with
+frescoes, the ceilings ornamented with strange allegorical
+paintings, and the floors of jasper and alabaster. But as
+the irate crowd dashed onward through the great tenantless
+chambers they tore down the rich silk hangings and
+trod them underfoot, broke up the tiny gold-inlaid
+tables, and out of sheer wantonness hacked the soft
+divans with their swords.</p>
+
+<p>The discovery that the Naya had fled increased the
+indignation of the mob, and were it not for the urgent
+appeal of Kona, who had at once assumed the commandership,
+the whole of the magnificent rooms would
+no doubt have been wrecked. As it was, however, the
+good counsels of the Dagomba head-man prevailed, and
+wanton hands were stayed from committing more serious
+excesses.</p>
+
+<p>Whither the Great White Queen had fled no one
+knew. To every nook and corner search parties penetrated;
+even the sleeping apartment, with its massive bed
+of ivory and hangings of purple, gold-embroidered satin,
+was not held sacred. Yet nowhere could the once-dreaded
+ruler be discovered. Some cried that she had
+escaped into the city in the guise of a slave, others that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230"></a>[<a href="./images/230.png">230</a>]</span>
+she had descended into the cavern where stood the
+gigantic Temple of Zomara.</p>
+
+<p>Another fact puzzled us greatly. From our elevated
+position we could see afar off a fierce conflict proceeding
+near the city gate on that side where access could be
+gained only by the steep flight of steps. Once, when I had
+looked, I saw that the city was comparatively quiet; now,
+however, this conflict had broken out again suddenly,
+and judging from the smoke and tumult it must have
+been terrific. All were surprised, and stood watching
+the clouds of grey smoke roll up into the bright morning
+air. But soon it died away, and believing it to be an
+outbreak by the conquered troops subdued with a firm
+hand by the victorious people, we thought no more of it.</p>
+
+<p>The hours that succeeded were full of stirring
+incidents, and it was long before the least semblance of
+order could be restored in the city. With Kona I went
+forth into the crowded, turbulent streets, and the sight
+that met our gaze was awful. Bodies of soldiers and
+civilians were lying everywhere, the faces of some, to
+whom death had come swiftly, so calm and composed
+that they looked as if they slept, while upon the blood-smeared
+countenances of others, hideously mutilated
+perhaps, were terrible expressions, showing in what
+frightful agony they had passed into eternity. The road-ways
+were strewn with heaps of corpses; the gutters
+flowed with blood.</p>
+
+<p>At such terrible cost had the tyrannical reign of the
+Naya been terminated; by such a frightful loss of human
+life had Omar been raised to the Emerald Throne.</p>
+
+<p>Greater part of that eventful day was spent by Niaro,
+Kona, Goliba and myself in restoring order, while the
+people themselves, assisted by the troops, who had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231"></a>[<a href="./images/231.png">231</a>]</span>
+already sworn allegiance to their young Naba, cleared
+the streets and removed, as far as possible, all traces of
+the deadly feud. But to us there came no tidings of
+the Naya, although the strictest watch was kept everywhere
+to prevent her escaping.</p>
+
+<p>The people were determined that if she might not pay
+the penalty of her evil deeds by death, she should at
+least be held captive in one of the foul dungeons beneath
+the palace, where so many of their relatives had rotted
+and died in agony or starvation.</p>
+
+<p>A blazing noontide was succeeded by a calm and peaceful
+evening. Through many hours I had endeavoured,
+as far as lay in my power, to assume the command given
+me, and assisted by a number of quaintly-garbed officials
+enthusiastic in Omar's cause, I found my office by no
+means difficult. Order again reigning in the streets and
+the bodies removed, the city had quietly settled down,
+though of course not to its usual peacefulness. Crowds
+of the more excited ones still surged up and down the
+broad thoroughfares, calling down vengeance upon the
+once powerful queen, but all voices were united in cheers
+for the Naba Omar, their chosen ruler.</p>
+
+<p>Save for those required to preserve order, the survivors
+of the troops were back in barracks long before sunset,
+and the palace-guard had been reorganised under Kona's
+personal supervision. The Dagombas alone comprised
+Omar's body-guard, and I found on my return to the
+palace that they had exchanged their scanty clothes of
+native bark-cloth for the rich bright-coloured silk
+uniforms of those who had acted in a similar capacity to
+the Naya. With their black happy shining faces they
+looked a magnificent set of men, though for the first
+few hours they appeared a trifle awkward in gay attire<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232"></a>[<a href="./images/232.png">232</a>]</span>
+that was entirely strange to them. It was amusing, too,
+to watch how each stalked by, erect and proud, like a
+peacock spreading its brilliant plumage to the sun.</p>
+
+<p>That night, when the bright moon rose, lighting up the
+great silent court, until yesterday occupied by the terrible
+queen and her corrupt <i>entourage</i>, Omar and I sat together
+discussing the events of those fateful hours since midnight.
+We had eaten from the gold dishes in which the
+Naya's food had been served; we had quenched our
+thirst from the jewel-encrusted goblets that she was wont
+to raise to her thin blue lips. By Omar's side I thus
+tasted, for the first time, the pleasures of royalty.</p>
+
+<p>My old chum had sent away his attendants, the host
+of slaves with the twelve Dagombas who acted as the
+body-guard on duty, and we sat alone together in the
+moonlight, the quiet broken only by the distant roll of a
+drum somewhere down in the city, and the cool plashing
+of the beautiful fountain as it fell softly into its crystal
+basin. Kona, Goliba and Niaro were all away at their
+duties, and now for the first time for many hours, we had
+a few minutes to talk together.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you know, Scars," Omar said, moving uneasily
+upon the royal divan that had been carried out into the
+court at his orders, while, tired out, I reclined upon
+another close to him&mdash;"do you know there is but one
+thing I regret, now that I have succeeded to the throne
+that was my birthright?"</p>
+
+<p>"Regret!" I exclaimed. "What regret can you
+have? Surely you were entirely right in acting as you
+did? The people were anxious for a just and upright
+ruler, and having regard to the fact that your mother
+plotted your assassination in so cold-blooded a manner,
+her overthrow is justly deserved."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233"></a>[<a href="./images/233.png">233</a>]</span>
+"Yes, yes, I know," he answered, rather impatiently.
+"But it is not that&mdash;not that. One thing remains to
+complete my happiness, but alas!"&mdash;&mdash;and he sighed
+heavily without finishing his sentence.</p>
+
+<p>"Why speak so despondently?" I inquired, surprised.
+"As Naba of Mo all things are possible."</p>
+
+<p>"Alas! not everything," he said, with an air of
+melancholy.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, tell me," I urged. "Why are you so downcast?"</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I have lost Liola," he answered hoarsely.
+"Truth to tell, Scarsmere, I loved Goliba's daughter."</p>
+
+<p>"She is absolutely beautiful," I admitted. "No man
+can deny that she is handsome enough to share your
+royal throne."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed she was," he said with emotion, his chin
+upon his breast.</p>
+
+<p>"Was!" I cried. "Why do you speak thus?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because she is dead!" he answered huskily. "Ah!
+Scars, you don't know how fondly I loved her ever since
+the first moment we met. I loved her better than life;
+better than all this honour and pomp to which I have
+succeeded. Yet she has been taken from me, and my
+life in future will be devoid of that happiness I had contemplated.
+True I am Naba of Mo, successor to the
+stool whereon a line of unconquered monarchs have sat
+throughout a thousand years, yet all is an empty pleasure
+now that my well-beloved is lost to me."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you obtained definite news of her death?" I
+asked sympathetically.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. When we were captured in Goliba's house,
+she, too, was seized by the soldiers. While held powerless
+I saw her struggling with her captors, for they had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234"></a>[<a href="./images/234.png">234</a>]</span>
+somehow obtained knowledge of the part she had played
+in our conspiracy against their queen. The Naya had,
+it appears, ordered her guards to bring us all before her,
+dead or alive. With valiant courage she resented the
+indignity of arrest, and as a consequence she was brutally
+killed by those who held her prisoner."</p>
+
+<p>"How have you ascertained this?" I asked, shocked
+at the news, for I myself had admired Liola's extraordinary
+beauty.</p>
+
+<p>"To-day I have had before me the three survivors of the
+guards who captured us, and all relate the same story.
+They say that a young girl, taken prisoner with us, while
+being dragged up the roadway towards the palace was in
+danger of being released by the people, and one of their
+comrades, remembering the Naya's orders that none of
+us were to escape, in the <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i> raised his sword and
+plunged it into her heart."</p>
+
+<p>"The brute!" I cried. "Is the murderer among the
+survivors?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. All three agree that the mob, witnessing his
+action, set upon him and literally tore him limb from
+limb."</p>
+
+<p>"A fate he certainly deserved," I said. "But has
+her body been recovered?"</p>
+
+<p>"A body has been found and I have seen it. But
+the limbs are crushed, and her face is, alas! trampled
+out of all recognition, although the dress answers exactly
+to one that Goliba says his daughter possessed, and in
+which I myself saw her. There is, alas! no doubt
+of her fate. She has been brutally murdered, and at the
+instigation of the Naya, who sent forth her fiendish
+horde to kill us."</p>
+
+<p>"I knew from the manner you exchanged glances with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235"></a>[<a href="./images/235.png">235</a>]</span>
+Liola that you loved her," I said, after a pause, brief and
+painful.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he answered sadly. "Surreptitiously I had
+breathed into her ear words of affection, and had been
+transported to a veritable paradise of delight by the
+discovery that she reciprocated my love. But," he
+added, harshly, "my brief happy love-dream is now
+ended. I must live and work only for my people;
+they must be to me both sweetheart and wife. I must
+act as my ancestors have done, indulging them and
+loving them."</p>
+
+<p>Never before, even in the moments when as fellow-adventurers
+things looked blackest, had I seen him in
+so utterly dejected an attitude. The light had died
+from his face, and he had suddenly become burdened
+by a monarch's responsibilities; prematurely aged by a
+bitter sorrow that had sapped all youthful gaiety from
+his buoyant heart.</p>
+
+<p>With heartfelt sympathy I endeavoured to console
+him, but all was unavailing. That he had loved her
+madly was only too apparent, and it seemed equally
+certain that she was dead, for shortly afterwards Goliba
+entered, and in a voice full of emotion told us how he
+had been able to identify the body, and that his tardy
+attendance upon his royal master was due to the fact
+that he had been superintending her burial.</p>
+
+<p>The old sage's words visibly increased Omar's
+burden of sorrow, for in the moonlight I saw a tear
+trickle down his pale cheek, glistening for an instant
+brighter than the jewels upon his robe. Liola had
+fallen victim to the inhuman brutality of the Naya's
+guards, and Mo had thus been deprived of a bewitchingly
+handsome queen.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236"></a>[<a href="./images/236.png">236</a>]</span>
+The <i>d&eacute;nouement</i> of this stirring story of a throne was
+indeed a tragic one; Goliba had lost his only daughter,
+the pride of his heart, and Omar the woman he loved.</p>
+
+<p>The silence that followed was broken by a hasty
+footstep, and the tall dark figure of Kona approached.</p>
+
+<p>"A strange fact hath transpired, O Master!" he
+cried breathlessly, addressing Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"Speak, tell me," the young Naba exclaimed,
+starting up. "Is it of Liola that thou bearest news?"</p>
+
+<p>"Alas! no. That she was murdered in the first
+moments of the conflict is only too certain," he answered.
+"The news I bring thee is amazing. While we were
+engaged in the struggle for thy throne, thine enemies,
+the people of Samory, entered the city and fought side
+by side with the military!"</p>
+
+<p>"Samory's people here!" we all three cried, starting up.</p>
+
+<p>"They were, but they have departed no one knows
+whither. Their numbers were not great, but they
+sacked and burned several large buildings near the city-gate
+and fought desperately to join their allies the troops
+of Mo, but were at last prevented and driven back by the
+people in a fierce bloody conflict that actually occurred
+after thou wert enthroned."</p>
+
+<p>Then I remembered having noticed the smoke of the
+encounter, and how with others, I had been puzzled.</p>
+
+<p>"But how could they enter our country, and unseen
+approach the city?" Omar exclaimed astounded.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not the intricacies of the approaches to Mo
+save the perilous Way of the Thousand Steps," Kona
+replied. "The force may have been the rear-guard of
+the army that attacked Mo, and were defeated in the
+great chasm known as the Grave of Enemies. If they
+approached by that means they must have followed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237"></a>[<a href="./images/237.png">237</a>]</span>
+closely in our footsteps, and through the treachery of spies,
+been admitted to the city at a time when the alertness
+of the guards was diverted by the popular rising."</p>
+
+<p>"Were their losses great in the fight?" Goliba asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Terrible. Whole streets and market-places in the
+vicinity of the entrance to the city were found strewn
+with their dead," the black giant answered. "Apparently
+the people discovered the identity of their
+enemies and took no prisoners. With the exception of
+about two hundred survivors all were killed."</p>
+
+<p>"And the survivors have escaped!" Omar observed
+thoughtfully.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. Owing to the lax watch kept at the gate
+during those momentous hours, they were enabled to
+descend the steps to the plain and get clear away."</p>
+
+<p>"They must nevertheless be still in Mo. They must be
+found," Omar cried excitedly. "While they are among
+us our country will be in jeopardy, for they will act as
+spies. Samory hath set his mind upon conquering this
+our land; his plot must be frustrated."</p>
+
+<p>"Already have I given orders for a search from the
+land's most northerly limits even to the Grave of
+Enemies, O Master," Kona answered. "All the men
+who could be spared from guarding the city I have
+dispatched on expeditions with orders to attack and
+destroy the fugitives."</p>
+
+<p>"They cannot have travelled far," the young ruler
+said. "They have only about twelve hours' start of your
+men."</p>
+
+<p>"To a man our troops are now loyal to thee," the
+newly-created chief of the army answered. "They are
+alive to the fact that Samory's fighting-men are their
+bitterest foes, therefore if the survivors of that intrepid<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238"></a>[<a href="./images/238.png">238</a>]</span>
+force are within our boundaries, they will assuredly be
+overtaken and killed."</p>
+
+<p>"I would rather that they were captured and held as
+hostages," Omar said. "Enough blood hath been already
+shed to-day."</p>
+
+<p>"The order to capture them is not sufficient incentive
+to thine army to rout them from their hiding-place," Kona
+replied. "They have had the audacity to make a dash
+upon thy city and burn some of its most renowned and
+beautiful structures, therefore in their opinion if not in
+thine, death alone would expiate their offence."</p>
+
+<p>"I would wish their lives to be spared," Omar
+repeated. "But the army is under thy control, and I
+leave the final annihilation of the band of freebooters
+unto thee. Hast thou obtained any tidings of the Naya's
+flight?"</p>
+
+<p>"None. My Dagombas have searched every nook
+and corner of this thy palace, each prison dungeon
+hath been entered by detachments of soldiers, while
+enthusiastic parties have descended to the subterranean
+Temple of Zomara, but found only the dwarf priests
+there. The Naya hath disappeared as completely as
+if Zomara had crushed her between his jaws."</p>
+
+<p>"Her disappearance is amazing," Omar observed.
+"Even her personal attendants whom I have questioned
+are ignorant of the direction she hath taken. They
+declare that she escaped within ten minutes of the
+blowing up of the palace-gate. The catastrophe
+alarmed her, and she saw in the fall of these defences
+the instability of her throne."</p>
+
+<p>"All is being done that can be done to secure her
+arrest," Kona said. "It is absolutely necessary that we
+should hold her captive, or, like the deposed queen of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239"></a>[<a href="./images/239.png">239</a>]</span>
+the Nup&eacute;, she may stir up strife and form a plot to
+reascend the stool."</p>
+
+<p>"To thee, Kona, I look to guard me from mine
+enemies," my friend exclaimed. "We must elucidate
+the mystery of the sudden descent of this weak force of
+Samory's, the rapidity with which they struck their blow,
+and the means by which they have, within twelve hours,
+so completely eluded us."</p>
+
+<p>"News of them hath been flashed even unto the
+furthermost limits of thy kingdom, O Great Chief,"
+Kona assured him. "No effort shall be spared by thy
+servant in executing thy commands. I go forth again,
+and sleep shall not close my eyes until the men of
+Samory have been overtaken."</p>
+
+<p>With these words he made deep obeisance to the
+newly-enthroned sovereign, and lifting his long native
+spear, which he still retained, he swore vengeance most
+terrible upon the enemies of Mo, who had, with such
+consummate strategic skill, entered and attacked the city
+at the moment when it remained undefended.</p>
+
+<p>"There is some deep mystery underlying this, Scars,"
+Omar said, when Kona had stalked away into the darkness,
+and Goliba had risen and crossed the moon-lit
+court in response to a message delivered by a black
+slave. "I am scarcely surprised at Kona's failure to
+capture the Naya; indeed, personally, I should only be
+too happy to know that she had got safely beyond the
+limits of Mo. But the sudden attack and rapid disappearance
+of this marauding band of Samory proves two
+things; first that our country, long thought impregnable,
+may be invaded, and secondly that through Kouaga
+Samory is in possession of certain of our secrets."</p>
+
+<p>"What secrets?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240"></a>[<a href="./images/240.png">240</a>]</span>
+"Secrets upon the preservation of which the welfare
+and safety of my country depend," he answered mysteriously.
+Then, with a sudden air of dejection, he added:
+"But there, what matters after all, now that Liola is
+dead and my life is desolate? At the very moment when
+the greatest honour has been bestowed upon me and I
+am enthroned Naba, the saviour of my people, the
+greatest sorrow has also fallen upon me."</p>
+
+<p>After a moment's silence he started up in sudden
+desperation, crying: "Slave have I been to evil all the
+days of my life! I have toiled and earned nothing; I
+have sown in care and reaped not in merriment; I have
+poisoned the comfort of others, but no blessing hath
+fallen into my own lap. Blasted are the paths whereon
+I trod; my past actions are ravenous vultures gnawing
+on my vitals, and the sharpened claws of malicious spirits
+await my arrival among the regions of the accursed."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I observed with a sigh, for the remembrance
+of that bright, beautiful face was to me likewise one of
+ineffable sadness. "Yes," I said, "Fate has indeed been
+unkind. What she has bestowed with one hand, she
+has taken away with the other."</p>
+
+<p>Then we were silent. Above the cool plashing music
+of the fountain could be heard the distant roar of voices
+in great rejoicing, while upon the starlit sky was still
+reflected a red ominous glare from the fires raging
+in the city that no effort of man could subdue. At the
+gate leading outward to the next court stood two
+sentries with drawn swords gleaming in the moonbeams,
+mute and motionless like statues, while echoing along
+the colonnade was the measured tramp of the soldier
+as he paced before the entrance of the gilded Hall of
+Audience, the scene of so many stirring dramas in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241"></a>[<a href="./images/241.png">241</a>]</span>
+nation's history. From the divan whereon I sat I could
+see the great Emerald Throne glittering green under a
+brilliant light, with its golden image of the sacred crocodile
+and its banner bearing the hideous vampire-bat,
+while around it were still grouped the officials of the
+household, the body-guard of faithful Dagombas, the
+slaves ready with their great fans, and Gankoma, the
+executioner, with his bright double-edged <i>doka</i>, all
+standing in patience, awaiting the coming of their royal
+master.</p>
+
+<p>The Court of Mo was, I reflected, a strange admixture
+of European civilization and culture with
+African superstition and barbarity. On the one hand
+the buildings were of marble or stone, magnificent in
+their proportions, with decorations in the highest style
+of Moorish art, the arms were of the latest pattern
+surreptitiously imported from England and many of
+them faithfully copied by skilful, enlightened workmen;
+electricity was known and used, and the tastes of the
+people showed a refinement almost equal to that of any
+European state. Yet in religion there prevailed the
+crudest and most ignorant forms of superstition, one
+of which was the horrible practice of burying alive all
+sick persons, while the custom of the executioner accompanying
+the reigning monarch everywhere, ready to
+obey the royal command, was distinctly a relic of savage
+barbarism.</p>
+
+<p>"A few moments ago you spoke of secrets that must be
+preserved," I said presently, turning to Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he answered slowly. "But my heart is too full
+of poignant grief to think of them. To-night the secrets
+are mine alone; to-morrow you shall be in possession of
+at least one of them. I have, however, much yet to do, I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242"></a>[<a href="./images/242.png">242</a>]</span>
+see, before I rest," he added, glancing over his shoulder
+into the brilliant hall where stood the empty throne.</p>
+
+<p>Then rising wearily, he sighed for Goliba's dead
+daughter, and weighted by his rich robes, slowly strode
+across to the arched entrance from which the light
+streamed forth, and as he set foot upon its threshold
+every proud head bowed to earth in deep, abject
+obeisance.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX"></a>CHAPTER XXX.</h2>
+
+<h3>TREASURE AND TREASON.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">At</span> Omar's request a few days later I accompanied him
+alone through a private exit of the palace, and ere long
+we found ourselves unnoticed beyond the ponderous
+city walls, where two horses, held by a slave, were
+awaiting us. Mounting, we rode straight for the open
+country, and not knowing whither we were going or
+what were my companion's intentions, we soon left the
+great city far behind. For fully three hours we pressed
+forward, my companion avoiding any answer to my
+questions as to our goal, until about noon we came to a
+rising mount in the midst of a beautiful country with
+palms and scattered orange-groves.</p>
+
+<p>The scene was a veritable paradise. Beautiful fruits
+peeped from between the foliage, and every coloured,
+every scented flower, in agreeable variety intermingled
+with the grass. Roses and woodbines, very much like
+those in England, appeared in beauteous contention;
+while beneath great trees were rich flocks of birds of
+various feather. At the foot of the hill ran a clear,
+transparent stream, which gently washed the margin
+of the green whereon we stood. On the other side a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243"></a>[<a href="./images/243.png">243</a>]</span>
+grove of myrtles, intermixed with roses and flowering
+shrubs, led into shady mazes; in the midst of which
+appeared the glittering tops of elegant pavilions, some
+of which stood on the brink of the river, others had
+wide avenues leading through the groves, and others
+were almost hidden from sight by intervening woods.
+All were calculated to give the ideas of pleasure rather
+than magnificence, and had more ease than labour conspicuous.</p>
+
+<p>"Beautiful!" I cried, gazing entranced upon the scene.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. From the moment we left the city and passed
+through the ancient gateway that you admired, we have
+been riding in my private domain. Here, as far as the
+eye can reach, all is mine, the garden of the Sanoms.
+But let us hasten forward. It was not to show you
+picturesque landscapes that I brought you hither. We
+have much to do ere we return."</p>
+
+<p>Skirting the stream, where flocks and herds stood
+gazing at their own images and others drinking of the
+transparent waters, we found the river, growing wider,
+opened into a spacious lake which was half surrounded
+by a rising hill. From the lake, higher than the river,
+ran a glittering cascade and over the pendant rocks
+fell luxuriant vines and creeping plants. At the
+opposite extremity of the lake, which by its pure
+waters exposed the bright yellow pebbles on which it
+wantoned, two streams ran towards the right and left of
+the hill and lost themselves amidst the groves, pasture
+and hillocks of the adjacent country. The prospects
+around us were beautiful and enchanting. Lofty trees
+threw a delightful, welcome shade, and the hill-side
+seemed covered with flowering shrubs, which grew
+irregularly except where a torrent from the summit, now<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244"></a>[<a href="./images/244.png">244</a>]</span>
+dry, had during ages worn out a deep hollow bed for
+its rapid passage and descent.</p>
+
+<p>There were no roads or beaten paths in this secluded
+portion of the royal domain, neither could there be seen
+any traces of habitation.</p>
+
+<p>"Deep in yonder lake," said Omar, drawing up his
+horse suddenly and swinging himself from his saddle near
+the spot where the waters, springing from beneath some
+green, moss-grown rocks, fell with gentle music into the
+river&mdash;"deep in yonder lake there lies a hidden mystery."</p>
+
+<p>"A mystery!" I cried. "What is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Have patience, and I will reveal to you a secret
+known only to myself and to the Naya; the secret that
+I told you must be preserved."</p>
+
+<p>"But you say it is buried beneath these waters!" I
+exclaimed, puzzled. "How will you reveal it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Watch closely, so that if occasion arises you will
+remember how to exactly imitate my movements," he
+answered, and when we had tethered our horses, he led
+me away from the edge of the lake up the hill-side some
+distance to where a number of points of moss-grown rock
+cropped up out of the turf.</p>
+
+<p>After searching among them for some minutes he suddenly
+stopped before one that rose from the ground
+about three feet and was perhaps ten yards in circumference,
+examining it carefully, at last giving vent to an
+ejaculation of satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"You see this rock, Scars!" he cried. "Does anything
+about it appear to you remarkable?"</p>
+
+<p>I bent, and feeling it with both my hands, carefully
+examined its side, top and base.</p>
+
+<p>"No," I answered, laughing. "As far as I can detect
+it is the same as the others."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245"></a>[<a href="./images/245.png">245</a>]</span>
+"You would never guess anything hidden there?" he
+asked, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>"No."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, watch and I'll show you." And with these
+words the Naba of Mo approached the rock at a point
+immediately facing me, and placing his hands upon the
+side, about two feet from the ground, drew out bodily
+a portion of its lichen-covered face about eighteen inches
+square, that had been so deftly hewn that when in its
+place none could detect it had ever been removed.</p>
+
+<p>Peering into the cavity thus disclosed I saw, to my
+surprise, what appeared to be a small iron lever, thickly
+rusted, descending into some cog-wheeled mechanism of
+a very complicated character.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, watch the lake while I reveal to you its mystery,"
+my companion said, placing his hands upon the lever.
+With a harsh, grating noise it fell back beneath the
+weight he threw upon it, and the harsh jarring of cog-wheels
+revolving sounded for a few moments beneath
+our feet. Then, as he set the mechanism in motion, my
+gaze was fixed upon the lake and I stood aghast in
+wonderment.</p>
+
+<p>As the lever was drawn and the rusty cogs ran into one
+another, the whole mass of rock damming the lake above
+the small cascade where it fell into the river, gradually
+rose, like a great sluice gate, allowing the waters to escape
+and empty themselves, roaring and tumbling, into the
+winding river beside which we had journeyed. It was
+an amazing transformation, as imposing as it was unexpected.
+A few seconds before, the river, shallow and
+peaceful, fed by its tiny cascade, rippled away over its
+pebbly bed; now, however, with the great volume of
+water from the lake it rose so rapidly that the swirling,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246"></a>[<a href="./images/246.png">246</a>]</span>
+boiling current overflowed its banks, sweeping everything
+before it.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was this the only result of pressing the lever, for
+at the opposite end of the lake a similar outlet opened,
+and as I looked I saw the water falling with a rapidity
+that was astounding. Hydraulic power was evidently
+known to these strange semi-civilized people, yet the actual
+means by which the lake was so rapidly emptied I was
+unable to discover, all the machinery being hidden away
+in some subterranean chamber.</p>
+
+<p>"By what cunning device is this accomplished?" I
+inquired of Omar, who stood regarding the disappearing
+flood with satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"This mechanism was invented ages ago by one of my
+ancestors," he answered. "Its exact date no man can
+tell. But here water is given mastery over itself, and so
+careful was its constructor to preserve the secret of its
+existence that the slaves and workmen, all criminals,
+were kept close prisoners during the whole time they
+were at work, and on its completion they were all, without
+a single exception, killed, in order that none should
+know the secret save the reigning Naba and his heir."</p>
+
+<p>"They were murdered then!"</p>
+
+<p>"They were all criminals who for various serious
+crimes had been condemned to death. It is said they
+numbered over two hundred," Omar answered.</p>
+
+<p>But even as he had been speaking the water of the
+lake had so drained away that its clean stony bottom was
+now revealed, the pebbles being exposed in large patches
+here and there, while the deeper pools remaining were
+alive with water-snakes and fish of all kinds. There
+seemed but little mud, yet in the very centre of the
+great basin was a patch of pebbles and rock higher than<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247"></a>[<a href="./images/247.png">247</a>]</span>
+the remainder, standing like a small island that, before
+the lever had been touched, had been submerged. Leading
+the way, Omar descended to the edge of the lake,
+skirted it for some little distance, until he came to a long
+row of flat stones placed together, forming stepping-stones
+to the miniature island.</p>
+
+<p>"Come," he said. "Follow me," and starting off we
+were soon crossing the bed of the lake, being compelled
+to advance cautiously owing to the slippery
+nature of the weeds and water-plants that overgrew the
+stones. On gaining the island, however, a fresh surprise
+awaited me, for Omar, halting amid the mud in the
+centre, exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>"Watch carefully, Scars. You may some day desire
+to act as I am acting; but always remember that here
+any undue hurry means inevitable death."</p>
+
+<p>"Death! What do you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wait, and you shall see," he replied, as stooping
+suddenly he turned up the sleeves of his royal robe and
+groping with his hand in the mud, at last discovered an
+iron ring, green with slime, which, grasping with both
+hands, he slowly twisted many times. A hissing sound
+was emitted, as if the action of untwisting the ring relieved
+some heavy pressure, admitting air to a chamber
+that had been hermetically sealed. This surmise was, I
+afterwards learned, correct. The unscrewing of this
+ring caused the sides of a plate embedded in the mud to
+contract, and air, so long excluded, entered the mysterious
+place below.</p>
+
+<p>In a few moments, having paused to wipe the perspiration
+from his brow, Omar, again grasping the slippery
+ring, gave it a sudden jerk and by that means lifted
+the covering from a circular hole descending into an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248"></a>[<a href="./images/248.png">248</a>]</span>
+impenetrable darkness, but bricked round like a cottage
+well in England, and having projecting pieces of iron,
+forming steps.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," exclaimed Omar, as together we peered into
+the mysterious opening. "To descend at once would
+mean certain death."</p>
+
+<p>"How? Is the air below foul?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all. The ingenuity of my ancestor who constructed
+this place made arrangements to avoid all that.
+The danger arises from a contrivance he devised by
+which any person attempting to explore it and being unaware
+of the means to guard against death, must be inevitably
+swept into eternity. Now, in order to give you
+an illustration of this danger I will show you the result
+of any adventurous person stepping down."</p>
+
+<p>Taking from the mud a long iron bar, which he
+observed incidentally was kept there for the purpose of
+guarding against death, he reached down the shaft and
+placing the end of the bar upon the third step, threw his
+whole weight upon it, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"We will suppose you have descended until your feet
+stand upon this step. Now, watch."</p>
+
+<p>As the weight fell upon the step it gave way so slightly
+as to be almost imperceptible, but suddenly from hidden
+cavities around the well-like shaft there came six rings of
+long, sharp steel spikes, set inwards, three above and
+three below, which, contracting as they came forward, met
+and interlaced. In an instant I recognised what terrible
+fate would be the lot of any adventurer who dared to
+enter that dark shaft. The action of stepping upon that
+fatal projecting iron released hydraulic pressure of
+irresistible power, and the unfortunate one, unable to
+ascend or descend by reason of the danger being above<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249"></a>[<a href="./images/249.png">249</a>]</span>
+and below, must be impaled by a hundred cruel spikes,
+sharp and double-edged like spears, while the bands
+whereon they were set must crush his bones to pulp.</p>
+
+<p>I looked at this terrible device for producing an
+agonizing death and shuddered. The precautions taken
+to prevent anyone entering the place were the most
+elaborate and ingenious I had ever seen. Even if any
+person learnt the secret of draining the lake, the shaft
+leading to the mysterious subterranean place was unapproachable
+by reason of this extraordinary mechanical
+device.</p>
+
+<p>During five minutes the spikes remained interlaced,
+then automatically they disengaged themselves, and
+slowly fell back into the cavity running round the brickwork,
+wherein they remained concealed.</p>
+
+<p>Thrice again did Omar repeat this action of pressing
+the bar upon the step, each time with an exactly similar
+result, chatting to me the while. Then, when for the
+third time the spikes had fallen back into their places,
+he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Now the secret to avoid this and lock the mechanism
+is to turn back this little lever and place it in this catch,
+so. This cannot, however, be done unless the step
+has been pressed three times."</p>
+
+<p>And bending over he showed me another tiny lever
+thickly encrusted with rust, secreted behind a movable
+brick in the first tier below the lake's bottom. This he
+placed in position, securing it in a niche so that it
+became immovable.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," he said, "we may descend without fear," and
+with these words knelt down, and after lighting a torch he
+had brought with him, commenced the descent into the
+cavernous gloom. I quickly followed, my feet resting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250"></a>[<a href="./images/250.png">250</a>]</span>
+for a brief instant upon the fatal iron projection, but no
+spikes came forward, for the terrible mechanism was now
+locked. Deep down into this circular shaft we went, the
+smoke and sparks from Omar's torch ever ascending into
+my face as I lowered myself from rung to rung, until at
+last, at considerable depth, we found ourselves in a kind
+of natural cavern. The place seemed damp and full of
+bad odours, to which submitting with patience we, by a
+long passage, sometimes crawling under rugged arches,
+sometimes wading in mud and dirt, attained the end of
+the cavern, where we stumbled on some narrow steps;
+but the torch shed little light, and we became nearly
+suffocated by the noisome vapours.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought you said the air was fresh here," I exclaimed
+good-humouredly to my companion.</p>
+
+<p>"So I did," he answered. "I cannot make out why
+it has become so foul. The air-holes must have become
+accidentally stopped up."</p>
+
+<p>The widening ascent was so intricate and clogged
+with dirt and rubbish that we worked like moles in the
+dark; nevertheless, by diligent industry we gained
+ground considerably, yet as we endeavoured to mount,
+the slimy steps slipped from under us, and ever and
+anon we would come tumbling down with a weight of
+dirt upon us.</p>
+
+<p>After various labours, however, we suddenly entered a
+great cavern, quite dry. From its roof hung great
+stalactites that glittered and sparkled in the torch's uncertain
+light, while around the rough walls of this natural
+chamber were heaped in profusion great heavy chests of
+iron and adamant.</p>
+
+<p>With the torch held high above his head Omar rushed
+across to the pile and bending, examined one chest after<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251"></a>[<a href="./images/251.png">251</a>]</span>
+the other. Then, raising himself as the truth suddenly
+dawned upon him, he cried in a hoarse, excited voice:</p>
+
+<p>"By the power of Zomara, we have been tricked!"</p>
+
+<p>"Tricked! How?" I gasped in alarm.</p>
+
+<p>"Cannot you see?" he wailed. "This, the Treasure-house
+of the Sanoms, has been entered and its contents,
+worth a fabulous sum, have been extracted! See! Each
+trunk has been forced by explosives!"</p>
+
+<p>I gazed eagerly where he directed, and saw that the
+trunks of iron and stone had been blown open by gunpowder,
+for on each remained a blackened patch, showing
+plainly the means used to force the strong chest wherein
+reposed the magnificent jewels, the vessels of gold, and
+the historic gem-encrusted and invulnerable armour of the
+Nabas of Mo.</p>
+
+<p>"Then this is the place the secret of which the
+villainous old Arab, Samory, endeavoured to wrench from
+you by torture," I exclaimed, gazing round the grim,
+weird cavern.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he answered. "This is the Treasure house of
+my ancestors. Since the days of King Karmos each
+Naba or Naya has added to the great store of treasure
+amassed for the purpose of the emancipation of our
+country in the day of need. Only the reigning monarch
+and the heir have, in any generation, ever known the
+secret of how the Treasure-house can be approached&mdash;the
+secret I have to-day revealed to you as Keeper of
+the Treasure."</p>
+
+<p>"But if you alone knew the secret, who could have
+ransacked the place?" I asked. "The chests seem to
+have been recently opened."</p>
+
+<p>"True," he answered, and pointing to a heap of
+bejewelled swords, breastplates and helmets, that had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252"></a>[<a href="./images/252.png">252</a>]</span>
+apparently been hastily cast aside as the least valuable
+of the great treasure, he added: "All the most historic
+and beautiful jewels have been taken, and the gold
+vessels and things of minor value left. See! It is
+plain that the theft was accomplished in all haste, for
+there was scarce time to sort the gems that are unique
+from those rivalled by others."</p>
+
+<p>"It certainly looks as if the jewels were secured in
+feverish haste," I said, at the same time picking up from
+the uneven floor a bronze oil lamp lying overturned and
+discarded.</p>
+
+<p>Together we set about making a systematic examination
+of the various chests, numbering nearly one
+hundred. Those fashioned from single stones were
+of great age, looking like coffins, while those of iron
+were ponderous caskets bound with huge bands, studded
+and double-locked, with great antique hinges of marvellous
+workmanship. With perhaps half a dozen exceptions
+the lid of each had yielded to the charge of
+explosive placed beneath it, while in many cases the
+whole side of the casket had been blown completely
+out, injuring or destroying some of its valuable contents.
+Jewellery and gems, set and unset, had been strewn about
+and trodden into the dust by hurrying feet, and a few
+that I recognized at once as of fabulous value had been
+overlooked. Stooping, I picked up from the dirt a
+marvellously-cut ruby, almost the size of a pigeon's egg.
+But the majority of the treasure-chests had been
+emptied. The place had been visited, and the vast
+wealth of a nation stolen.</p>
+
+<p>"For the first time in the long, glorious history of
+my land has the Treasure-house been entered by
+thieves," Omar said, as if to himself. "No mere<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253"></a>[<a href="./images/253.png">253</a>]</span>
+adventurer can have been here; this great robbery is
+the result of some base conspiracy. The treasure of the
+Sanoms, renowned through the whole world as the most
+wondrous collection of magnificent and unsurpassable
+gems, has been cleared out and the entrance re-closed in
+a manner little short of marvellous. To-day is indeed
+a sad one for Mo, and for me. My inheritance has
+been taken from me."</p>
+
+<p>"By whom?" I inquired, continuing my way, examining
+one of the few chests that had apparently not been
+tampered with. But, as in the gloom I hastened from
+one casket to another, my foot suddenly struck against
+some object, causing me to lose my balance, and thus
+tripped, were it not for the fact that I clutched at the
+corner of the great chest, I should have fallen upon my
+face.</p>
+
+<p>Bending to examine what it was, I was amazed to
+discover the body of a male slave, still dressed in the
+uniform of the servants of the palace, but rapidly decomposing.
+It was the faint sickening odour emitted from
+the corpse that had greeted our nostrils when we
+entered the place.</p>
+
+<p>We both bent and looked at him, astounded at discovering,
+still imbedded in his back, a long keen knife.
+He had been struck down from behind and murdered,
+while in the act of securing some of the treasure, for his
+brown withered fingers still grasped a beautiful necklet
+of magnificent pearls, an ornament worth several
+thousand English pounds.</p>
+
+<p>"That is one of the Naya's personal attendants,"
+observed Omar, recognizing the dress, but unable to distinguish
+the features of the murdered man, so decomposed
+were they. "He perhaps participated in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254"></a>[<a href="./images/254.png">254</a>]</span>
+the plot, and to secure his silence, or his portion of
+the booty, his fellow-conspirators struck him to earth."</p>
+
+<p>"But to whom is due the chief responsibility in this
+affair?" I asked. "Surely you have some suspicion?"</p>
+
+<p>"I know not," he answered. "Besides myself only
+the Naya knew the secret means by which the treasure
+might be reached."</p>
+
+<p>"Then in all probability she secured it before her
+flight!" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"That may be the truth," he answered in a tone of
+suppressed agitation. "Immediately she obtained
+knowledge through her spies of my intention to disobey
+her, she may have secured the most valuable of the
+jewels and had them packed ready to take them with her
+if compelled to flee. Yet somehow I cannot believe she
+has done this, for their removal must have attracted
+attention. No, I believe we shall have to look in
+another quarter for the thief." Then, bending again
+to examine the hilt of the knife embedded in the body
+of the unfortunate slave, he added: "That poignard was
+hers. She carried it always in her girdle, and it seems,
+after all, as though this man was her confidant and
+assistant, and that here alone she closed his lips by
+murdering him. Yet to her, life was more valuable
+than the treasure, and I cannot believe that she risked
+detection and capture in order to secure what she might
+afterwards obtain by the assistance of hirelings."</p>
+
+<p>"A dark tragedy has certainly been enacted," I said,
+glancing around the gruesome place with its gloomy
+corners and crevices where the blackness was impenetrable.
+"The theft has been accompanied by a secret
+assassination at some coward's hand."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he exclaimed, standing with folded arms and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255"></a>[<a href="./images/255.png">255</a>]</span>
+chin sunk upon his breast. "The great treasure,
+belonging not only to our family but to our nation, has
+been stolen, and I swear by Zomara's power that I will
+seek out the thief and recover it. I am Naba, and it
+is my duty to my people to restore their wealth to its
+hiding-place. Each successive ruler has enriched his
+country by making additions to the store of jewels, and it
+shall never be recorded that on finding the most valuable
+of our possessions stolen, I made no effort to trace and
+recover them. True, they have been abstracted in a
+manner almost miraculous for ingenuity and rapidity, but
+from this moment I will not rest until they are recovered.
+And you, Scarsmere, as Keeper of the Treasure-house,
+shall assist me."</p>
+
+<p>"I am ready," I answered, excited at the prospect of
+this new task before us. "We will spare no effort to
+seek the thief and recover the Treasure of the Sanoms.
+It is, as you declare, a duty, and I am ready and
+anxious to commence the search."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXI" id="CHAPTER_XXXI"></a>CHAPTER XXXI.</h2>
+
+<h3>A SPY'S STARTLING STORY.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">We</span> remained fully two hours in the noisome Treasure-chamber
+of the Sanoms, the early history of which was
+lost in the mist of legendary lore, then after careful and
+minute examination of the rifled chests, worked our
+way to the base of the shaft, and, having ascended, let
+down the tiny concealed lever, thereby allowing the
+pressure to increase, and place in position the ingenious
+contrivance for causing death to the venturesome. Replacing
+the iron plate that closed the mouth of the well-like
+aperture, we screwed it down, rendering it water-<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256"></a>[<a href="./images/256.png">256</a>]</span>tight,
+and, crossing the stones, regained the bank of the
+lake. Then, having turned back the lever, the flood-gates
+slowly closed down again, and, ere we mounted our
+horses to ride back to the city, the waters, fed by the
+many torrents, had already risen sufficiently to hide the
+slime-covered entrance to the secret chamber.</p>
+
+<p>One of the greatest thefts in the world's history had
+been committed, and the question that puzzled us was
+the identity of the thief. Our first suspicions had fallen
+upon the Naya, but calmly discussing the question as
+we rode back, we both became convinced that so critical
+was the deposed ruler's position, that she would never
+have undertaken all the risks in removing the treasure.
+She knew she was in deadly peril of her life, and that
+every moment lost was of vital importance, therefore it
+was hardly probable that she would have delayed her
+departure to secure the wealth of her ancestors.</p>
+
+<p>Omar argued that if compelled to fly she might have
+afterwards entrusted the secret of the Treasure-house to
+spies, who could have returned and secured the jewels.
+That she had not done this was certain, for the time
+that had elapsed since her flight was insufficient.</p>
+
+<p>I suggested that the detachment of Samory's men who
+had entered the city during the revolt might have had
+knowledge of the secret and secured the treasure, but
+Omar pointed out that none in Samory's camp could
+have been aware of the means by which the place could
+be entered, Kouaga himself being in ignorance.</p>
+
+<p>"Then the thief was the Naya herself," I said, decisively.</p>
+
+<p>"No; after all, I am not actually positive that such is
+the case," he answered. "There are facts connected
+with the affair, trivial in themselves, that lead me to
+believe otherwise."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257"></a>[<a href="./images/257.png">257</a>]</span>
+"What are they?"</p>
+
+<p>"One is that the wonderful ruby necklet, an ornament
+of matchless gems that belonged to King Karmos
+and is one of the talismans of the Sanoms, has been left.
+I found it flung aside and discarded. Had the Naya
+committed the theft she would have secured this first of
+all, because of our family tradition that no reigning
+Sanom can live longer than three moons without it is in
+his or her possession."</p>
+
+<p>"But you retain it," I said. "You, at least, are safe."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he replied thoughtfully. "Yet if the Naya
+had intended to secure the treasure for herself she would
+most certainly have taken this first of all. It is one
+of the most historic and valuable ornaments of the
+royal jewels of Mo, besides being one in which most
+superstition is centred. In her flight she would entertain
+the bitterest ill-feeling towards me and desire my
+rule to be brief. Therefore, she must have stolen the
+necklet; she would have secured that, if nothing else."</p>
+
+<p>I was compelled to agree with this view, especially as
+he added that one of the most firm beliefs of the
+Sanoms had ever been that Zomara would send vengeance
+most terrible upon any who removed the treasure
+from its chests without the sanction of the people. No,
+it seemed evident that some third person had been in
+possession of the secret. Who, we knew not, but were
+determined to discover.</p>
+
+<p>On returning to the palace I stood, as usual, beside
+the Emerald Throne while its occupant gave audience
+to those who came to make obeisance and offer congratulations.
+The Court of the Naba Omar was even
+more brilliant than that of his mother had been, and at
+evening, under the bright lights, was, indeed, a glitter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258"></a>[<a href="./images/258.png">258</a>]</span>ing
+assembly, where the gems worn by officials and
+courtiers almost dazzled one's eyes by their profuseness.</p>
+
+<p>Days passed&mdash;bright, peaceful days succeeding the
+brief period of feverish excitement and deadly hatred.
+Mo had become herself again; her people assured that
+an era of liberty and prosperity had recommenced, her
+ruler leaving no effort unspared to act in the best interests
+of his beloved nation. By day the great sunny
+courts of the palace, with the bright flowers and fruit-laden
+vines, rang with the tramp of armed men and
+tall, stately officials; by night the sounds of revelry,
+music and dancing awakened the echoes of the great
+moon-lit colonnades, and was wafted on the sweet-scented
+air afar beyond the grim, frowning outer walls.</p>
+
+<p>Yet the burden of kingship seemed to press heavily
+upon the young Naba. Though wearing no diadem, his
+brow soon became furrowed, as if by its weight, and his
+air was one of constant preoccupation. His change of
+manner puzzled me. His mind appeared overshadowed
+by some gloomy foreboding, the nature of which I could
+by no amount of cautious questioning elicit. During
+each day he attended assiduously without relaxation to
+affairs of state, and when night drew on and the inmates
+of the great luxurious palace, a veritable city within a
+city, gave themselves up to reckless enjoyment, he was
+seldom present, for he would withdraw to one of his
+small private apartments, and there sit, pretending to
+read, but in reality brooding in silence. One poignant
+sorrow had transformed him from a bright, happy youth,
+to a man sad-eyed, dull, morose. Sometimes, as I
+watched, I noticed how he would suddenly sigh heavily,
+and set his teeth as a bitter relentless expression would
+flit for an instant across his countenance, and I knew<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259"></a>[<a href="./images/259.png">259</a>]</span>
+that at such moments there entered into his heart the
+contemplation of a fierce and terrible revenge.</p>
+
+<p>Even to me, his constant companion, whose opinion
+he sought almost hourly, he made no mention of his
+heart's sorrow, yet from close observation through many
+days, I knew the cause of his overwhelming grief was
+the loss of Liola. He never mentioned her, for the
+day after we had ascertained the truth about her tragic
+end, he had taken me aside and asked me never to
+allow her name to pass my lips in his presence.</p>
+
+<p>"Memories are painful, you know, Scars," he had said.
+"I must try and forget, try and live down my sorrow if I
+can, although I fear I shall carry it with me to the grave."</p>
+
+<p>These words I often remembered when, alone with him,
+I watched the look of ineffable sadness upon his face.
+In the Hall of Audience, the centre of his brilliant court,
+his face was always pleasant, smiling and full of good-nature,
+as it had ever been; but, alas! it was only a
+mask, for alone, in the privacy of his chamber, he cast
+it aside and gave himself up to debauches of melancholy
+painful to behold.</p>
+
+<p>Thus weeks lengthened into months. He had wished
+me to keep from the people the great loss sustained by the
+robbery from the Treasure-house, believing that in the
+circumstances silence was best, and I had not breathed
+a word to a soul, not even to Kona or Goliba. The
+city had resumed its old look of prosperity, its markets
+were crowded daily, and its populace were content in
+the knowledge that under the reformed <i>r&eacute;gime</i> they
+were free. Although once every week, Omar, with his
+court, descended to the Temple of Zomara, and there
+adored the Crocodile-god, human sacrifices had been
+discontinued, and the worship of the giant idol was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260"></a>[<a href="./images/260.png">260</a>]</span>
+devoid of those revolting practices introduced by the
+Naya. Of the latter, no tidings had been gleaned.
+Although every effort had been made to trace her, she
+had disappeared. Of the treasure of the Sanoms, too,
+nothing had been heard. How it had been conveyed
+out of Mo remained an inscrutable mystery.</p>
+
+<p>I confess to being astonished that Omar seldom, if
+ever, spoke of either of these matters, which had at first
+so seriously agitated him. Whether he had relinquished
+all thought of recovering the jewels collected by his
+ancestors, or whether he was endeavouring to formulate
+some plan of action I knew not, yet his unwillingness to
+speak of them was, to say the least, noteworthy.</p>
+
+<p>"Niaro has to-day returned from the gate of Mo," I
+observed one evening when we were sitting alone together
+in one of the smaller courts, the night air stirred
+by the distant sound of stringed instruments and the
+thumping of Moorish tam-tams. "He has sent messengers
+by the Way of the Thousand Steps far into the
+lands beyond, but no word have they been able to gather
+regarding the Naya."</p>
+
+<p>"She has escaped the mad vengeance of our people,
+who would have killed her," he said, calmly. "For that
+I am thankful."</p>
+
+<p>"You seem to have no desire that she should be
+captured," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"None. She has escaped. After all it is best."</p>
+
+<p>"But the treasure," I said, dropping my voice so that
+no eavesdropper might overhear. "Its hiding place,
+like the thief, is still unknown."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he answered. "Unknown at present, but ere
+long some discovery must be made. When it is, I anticipate
+it will be a startling one."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261"></a>[<a href="./images/261.png">261</a>]</span>
+Our conversation was interrupted at that moment by
+the approach of a slave who, bowing low until his brow
+touched our carpet, said:</p>
+
+<p>"One of thy servants, O Master, desireth to have
+speech with thee. He hath sped from afar upon the
+wings of haste and beareth tidings."</p>
+
+<p>"Of what?" cried Omar, starting up.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not, O Master. The name of thy servant
+who awaiteth audience with thee is Makhana, who
+cometh from beyond the great black water."</p>
+
+<p>"Makhana!" we both cried, and Omar ordered that
+he should be admitted immediately, and without ceremony.
+Then, turning to me, he explained that on
+ascending the throne he had sent a message to Makhana
+in London ordering him to return at once.</p>
+
+<p>A moment later the secret agent of Mo, a tall, sparse
+figure, attired in shabby European clothes, entered, and,
+snapping fingers with his master, greeted and congratulated
+him. Then, casting himself upon the mat near us,
+he began to tell us what had occurred after our flight
+from Eastbourne, and relate the latest news from the
+civilised land we had left so many months before. I
+also told him how we had been enticed away by Kouaga,
+and the order of the Naya for Omar's assassination.</p>
+
+<p>"Much has happened since I returned," Omar observed,
+when I had concluded. "As you have no
+doubt already heard, my mother has been deposed, and
+I have been enthroned in her stead."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," the secret agent answered. "I have already
+heard all this, and although I wish you every peace and
+prosperity, I have, I regret, to make a startling announcement."</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" gasped Omar, with wide-open eyes.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262"></a>[<a href="./images/262.png">262</a>]</span>
+"Our enemy, Samory, is upon us!"</p>
+
+<p>"Samory!" we both cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. Not much longer than a moon past I was
+crossing the mountains of Niene, near the confines of
+his country, on my way hither from the sea, and learnt
+the truth. Two moons ago, accompanied by twenty
+thousand armed men, Kouaga marched out of Koussan
+to obtain savage allies for an expedition, having for its
+object the conquest of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>"The conquest of our country!" Omar cried
+astounded. "Only a week before we returned hither
+one of his expeditions was utterly routed and
+slaughtered in the Grave of Enemies. Now another
+has been dispatched! What route has it taken?"</p>
+
+<p>"On learning the news I at once reassumed native
+dress, crossed into our enemy's country and acted as
+spy," Makhana answered, his fierce-looking eyes glistening
+in the moonlight. "In Koussan I ascertained that
+the expedition, led by Kouaga, the man who was once
+our Grand Vizier, had gone northward one moon's
+journey towards the Niger, his intention being to skirt
+the country of the Aribanda and to enter our territory
+from the north by crossing the Hombori Mountains."</p>
+
+<p>"You have done well to ascertain this and hasten
+on," Omar answered. "But there is only one pass by
+which the Hombori can be crossed."</p>
+
+<p>"That is known to Kouaga, for three years ago he
+led our army through it to the successful conquest of
+the border tribes of the Massina. He is now a formidable
+enemy, for he knows all the secret approaches and
+the whereabouts of our hidden defences."</p>
+
+<p>"We must dispatch an army at once to meet them,"
+Omar said, after a thoughtful pause.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263"></a>[<a href="./images/263.png">263</a>]</span>
+"No time should be lost," Makhana urged. "Already
+they are due at the Hombori, and it will occupy our
+expedition fully two weeks to reach there. Yet Samory's
+hordes may be delayed, and if so, we shall be able to
+hold the pass successfully and sweep them down as
+they advance. I have brought with me from England
+the ten additional Maxims ordered by the Naya."</p>
+
+<p>"Excellent, let them be given into Kona's charge,"
+Omar exclaimed, explaining briefly that the Dagomba
+head-man was now in command of the troops, and then
+turning to the slave who stood in waiting he ordered that
+Kona should be fetched immediately, and that the council
+and principal officers should be at once summoned.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes we saw upon the clear night-sky long
+beams of light, and knew that signals were being flashed
+from Mo to the furthermost limits of the kingdom,
+summoning the officers from their various posts to a
+council of war. Twenty thousand men, with a similar
+number of savage allies, under a leader who was well
+acquainted with all the intricacies of the secret way were
+advancing upon Mo, and the faces of the officers and
+members of the council became grave when, on arrival
+at the palace, they heard the astounding news.</p>
+
+<p>That Mo was threatened by a serious calamity was
+recognized by everyone. The news spread through the
+city quickly, and throughout the night the streets were
+agog. Only by swift vigorous defence, by pushing a
+great force forward night and day to the point of attack,
+could a catastrophe be averted. This was the unanimous
+opinion of the Naba's advisers, and ere the sun rose the
+first detachment of the defending army was already on
+its way to meet the Arab invaders.</p>
+
+<p>Kouaga evidently meant making a sudden descent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264"></a>[<a href="./images/264.png">264</a>]</span>
+upon the mysterious country, and if his force once
+accomplished the passage through the mountain pass
+they would then no doubt make a rapid dash towards
+the capital itself, and would approach it at its only
+vulnerable point.</p>
+
+<p>If this occurred, then the slaughter must be terrible
+and the catastrophe complete.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXII" id="CHAPTER_XXXII"></a>CHAPTER XXXII.</h2>
+
+<h3>WAR.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Twelve</span> days later I found myself accompanying Kona
+who, at the head of a great force of over eighteen
+thousand men, was crossing the treacherous quicksands
+by the Way of the Thousand Steps. The critical position
+of Mo had been fully discussed by Omar, his officers
+and sages, and it had been decided to send, in addition
+to the force of twenty thousand men to the Hombori
+Mountains on the northern frontier, a second expedition
+to travel with all swiftness across the sandy plain and
+make a dash upon Samory's stronghold at Koussan in
+the absence of its picked troops.</p>
+
+<p>Within two days after Makhana had brought news of
+the coming invasion, the whole of the twenty thousand
+men, with Omar himself at their head, had marched out
+of the capital on their way to defend the pass. I had
+expressed a wish to accompany them, but my friend had
+requested me to go with the expedition to Samory's
+capital because, having been there in captivity, I could
+act as guide. To this I made no objection, and bidding
+farewell to Omar, Goliba and Niaro at the city gate, I
+had watched them ride away at the head of a brilliant
+cavalcade, and the same evening at sundown descended<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265"></a>[<a href="./images/265.png">265</a>]</span>
+the face of the cliff by the long flight of steps, and
+jumping into the saddle of a horse held ready for me,
+rode with all haste to catch up Kona who, as leader of
+our expedition, had already started for the gigantic precipice
+known as the Gate of Mo.</p>
+
+<p>To Niaro, an excellent officer, the leadership of the
+defending force had been entrusted, as he had already
+had experience of fighting in the Hombori country,
+having been second in command of Kouaga's expedition
+when he conquered the tribes of Massina, while Kona,
+who had with him his valiant Dagombas, had orders to
+enrol another thousand men of that tribe when passing
+through their territory, prior to our dash upon Samory's
+country.</p>
+
+<p>The passage to the desert by the Way of the Thousand
+Steps was a brilliant feat, for of our great force not a
+single life was lost, and so rapidly did we travel, that
+within two weeks of the day we left the palace, our
+Dagombas, who preferred their native spears and arrows
+to firearms, were enrolled and we were well on our way
+to the Great Salt Road, a mere native path notwithstanding
+its imposing designation, towards Samory's great
+fortress-city.</p>
+
+<p>Heedless of the noontide heat we pushed forward
+over stony desert and green grass-land, now plunging
+into those gloomy dismal forests of eternal darkness
+where the stench of decaying vegetation sickened us,
+only to emerge again into the open plain devoid of
+shade, scorched by the pitiless rays of the fiery sun.
+Snatching brief rests, and pushing for ever onward our
+great host of armed men and carriers, with the vigilant
+Kona at their head, pressed forward, entering at last the
+land of our enemies.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266"></a>[<a href="./images/266.png">266</a>]</span>
+The Dagomba scouts, travelling before us, splendid
+fellows, all eyes and ears, who could detect the slightest
+indication of an enemy's presence far or near, whether
+it were the broken twig at one's feet or the sudden rising
+of a bird in the distance, kept us well informed of all
+transpiring on every side. For a hundred miles we
+marched through the Arab chieftain's land without any
+of its inhabitants dreaming of the presence of a hostile
+force, and it was only by our sudden descent one night
+upon the small walled town of Torola, which we sacked
+and burned, that they were awakened to the truth.</p>
+
+<p>But ere the news could spread to Koussan, about forty
+English miles distant, we, by a forced march, had
+already reached the capital. Making a dash upon the
+place by night with our Maxim and Hotchkiss guns, the
+garrison were completely taken by surprise, nevertheless
+so well were its high white walls defended, that our
+forces were driven back with severe loss.</p>
+
+<p>Undaunted however, Kona, who placed himself at the
+head of our Dagomba allies, backed by the well-armed
+soldiers of Mo, made a second assault upon a point that
+had been indicated by our spies as weaker than the
+others. The fighting was desperate, and the sight,
+viewed from where I was standing with the reinforcements,
+was one of exceeding grandeur. Night was
+rendered almost bright as day by the constant flashing of
+guns, and the noise of the tumult ever increasing sounded
+high above the constant roar of artillery. Suddenly,
+as I gazed across the plain to where the sharp conflict
+was proceeding, a brilliant blue flash blinded me and
+an instant later a deafening explosion caused the ground
+to tremble, while the red light of the guns gleamed
+through the increasing veil of smoke, and I saw that our<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267"></a>[<a href="./images/267.png">267</a>]</span>
+men had successfully placed a mine beneath that portion
+of the fortifications near where they were fighting, and it
+had been fired, effecting a great breach through which
+they next moment poured, engaging the defenders hand
+to hand.</p>
+
+<p>Soon afterwards a signal light flashed thrice, as had
+been agreed, and six thousand men, including myself,
+sped over the plain to reinforce our comrades. Soon,
+clambering over the fallen masonry where the enormous
+breach had been made, I found myself with my sword,
+the one I had used in the conquest of Mo, hacking
+right and left, endowed with a strength that only came
+to me in moments of intense excitement.</p>
+
+<p>The dash we made was indeed a brilliant one. The
+Arab defenders were, we found, fully equal to us in
+numbers and were withal magnificent soldiers, for in
+the broad squares of the city their cavalry, with their
+white flowing robes and heavy curved swords, committed
+frightful havoc in our ranks, yet in such numbers had
+we clambered into the great chieftain's stronghold that
+they became gradually hampered in the streets and,
+unable to man&oelig;uvre, were compelled to dismount and
+engage us in combat. The fight proved an even more
+desperate and bloody one than that which resulted in
+the dethronement of the Naya. So equally matched
+were the forces, that the struggle raged with frightful
+ferocity, each side determined to secure the victory.
+In the old Moorish-looking streets, so narrow that two
+asses could scarce pass abreast, there were encounters
+more desperate than any I had ever witnessed, for the
+soldiers of Samory and the fighting-men of Mo, the two
+most fierce and valiant forces in the whole of the African
+continent, were pitted against each other.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268"></a>[<a href="./images/268.png">268</a>]</span>
+Cutting our way forward, I found myself at last beneath
+the high whitewashed wall of the great Djam&auml;a
+Thelatha Biban, or Mosque of the Three Gates, one of
+the most ancient in the city. I recognised it by its fine
+dome standing out white against the flame-illumined
+sky, and remembered that when a captive in the hands
+of the brutal Arab ruler, Omar had translated to me
+the fine Kufic inscription on its handsome fa&ccedil;ade,
+recording its construction by Mohammed Ibn Kheiroun
+el-Ma&auml;feri in the second century of the Hedjira. For a
+moment I paused under its handsome entrance of black
+and white marble, when suddenly Kona rushed towards
+me, crying:</p>
+
+<p>"Quick, Master! Fly for thy life, here, across the
+square!" and as he tore away as fast as his long black
+legs would carry him, I followed wondering.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had we reached the opposite side of the great
+market-place when a deafening roar sounded, and an
+instant later, as I turned, I saw the great dome crack,
+tremble and collapse, together with the high white
+minaret, while the whole of its fa&ccedil;ade fell out with a
+terrific crash in the opposite direction. Our men had
+blown up the principal mosque in Samory's capital, an
+action which increased tenfold the rage of our fierce
+fanatical enemies.</p>
+
+<p>With loud yells they fell upon us from every quarter,
+when a few minutes later they realised what had been
+done, and during the next hour the conflict became
+terrific. Hundreds were struck to earth by bullets and
+swords, and it appeared to me, striving as I was in the
+midst of the smoke and heat of battle, that the longer
+we fought the more numerous became the defenders,
+and the less our chance of success. Yet slowly we had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269"></a>[<a href="./images/269.png">269</a>]</span>
+succeeded in cutting our way from the city wall up the
+hill crowned by the great white Kasbah, or fortress,
+which constituted Samory's palace, and were now
+actually within sight of it. Fiercely exerting every
+muscle we fought to attain our goal, but so desperate
+was the defence, that time after time our forward movement
+was prevented, and we were compelled to fall back
+bleeding and frustrated. In these valiant attempts to
+reach the walls of the Kasbah there fell, at a low
+estimate, fully five hundred of that portion of the force
+to which I had attached myself. With reinforcements
+we might have flung back the defenders, yet separated
+as we had been into small bodies during the earlier
+man&oelig;uvres, fighting was now taking place in every part
+of the city, no two bodies being able to unite their forces.</p>
+
+<p>To thus cut us off one from another had, no doubt,
+been the tactics of the defenders, for we afterwards
+learnt that in many instances the smaller of our gallant
+little bands had been slaughtered literally to a man.</p>
+
+<p>At last, however, my worst fears began to be realized,
+for the defenders, receiving reinforcements, swooped
+suddenly down upon us, and with their swords and
+those sharp double-edged knives they carried in their
+belts, wrought frightful havoc among us everywhere,
+while upon us another body poured a terrible fire from
+their long-barrelled rifles.</p>
+
+<p>As result of this, although we made a spirited stand,
+once again we were compelled to fall back in confusion,
+leaving many dead and dying upon the stones.
+Suddenly I heard Kona's well-known voice behind me
+uttering the fierce war yell of the Dagombas, and next
+instant we found to our satisfaction that a great body of
+his dark oily-faced warriors had come to our relief.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270"></a>[<a href="./images/270.png">270</a>]</span>
+The reckless and savage manner in which they fought a
+few moments later was astounding, and it was certainly
+due to their courage and strength that the Arabs were
+first forced back and then cut to pieces and utterly
+routed.</p>
+
+<p>This, however, did not carry us much further towards
+the Kasbah, for when within an ace of gaining its walls,
+another body of Arabs swept across the great square
+with its clump of date-palms, and with cries of rage
+attacked us vigorously with rifle and sword. The
+combat again became terrible, and in it I received from
+a big, raw-boned Arab a severe sword-cut over the left
+wrist that caused me excruciating pain. Still I fought
+on, although half fearing that our expedition was ill-fated.
+We had believed Samory's capital practically
+denuded of troops, and of such strenuous opposition as
+that offered we had never dreamed.</p>
+
+<p>But the assertion of the West Coast tribes that the
+soldiers of the mystic land of Mo know not fear is
+certainly true, for never once did they falter, although
+the citadel seemed absolutely unassailable by reason of
+the fierceness and strength of its defence.</p>
+
+<p>Through the dark night hours we had fought on
+revengefully, and when dawn spread the grey glimmering
+light disclosed the terrible result of the deadly fray.
+Dead and wounded lay everywhere, and through the
+suffocating smoke the fire of the rifles now seemed
+yellow where in the darkness it had appeared blood-red.
+By some means the Arabs rallied their forces, and I
+confess that the sight of the overwhelming numbers
+opposing us caused my courage to fail. Swiftly and
+unrelentlessly the attack upon us was delivered, and
+with such vigour that our van fell back, weak and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271"></a>[<a href="./images/271.png">271</a>]</span>
+decimated. Suddenly, without warning, a sound above
+the din broke upon our ears, startling us.</p>
+
+<p>The rapid cackling was unmistakable, and involuntarily
+I burst into a good old-fashioned English cheer.
+One of our Maxims had been tardily brought into play!</p>
+
+<p>Ere a few moments had elapsed the Arabs, having
+already had a taste of the terrible effect of the deadly
+weapon during the recent campaign against the French
+and English, stood panic-stricken. Their hesitation
+proved fatal. Under the hail of lead they were mowed
+down, and ere the remainder could recover from their
+astonishment a second weapon was brought into play,
+riddling their ranks with showers of death-dealing
+missiles.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXXIII.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE HAREM SLAVE.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">A Dozen</span> times were we driven back by overwhelming
+numbers of Arabs, but as many times we dashed forward
+again, determined to strike a fatal, irrisistible blow at the
+power of the egotistical and fanatical chieftain whose
+depredations had earned for him the appelation of "The
+Pirate of the Niger." Every nation in Western Africa,
+save the dwellers in the mystic land of Mo, existed in
+daily fear of raids by his ruthless armed bands, who,
+travelling rapidly across desert and forest, devastated
+whole regions, seizing cattle, laying waste prosperous
+and fertile districts, burning towns and villages, and
+reducing their weaker neighbours to slavery. Indeed,
+no bodies of armed men throughout the whole of the
+great African continent, including even the Tuaregs,
+were so reckless in their attacks, or so fiendish in their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272"></a>[<a href="./images/272.png">272</a>]</span>
+wholesale butchery of those who resented the ruin and
+devastation of their homes. It was therefore scarcely
+surprising that this brigandish horde, whose power even
+European nations failed to break, should throw themselves
+into the conflict with reckless enthusiasm, and
+repel our attack by the exertion of every muscle.</p>
+
+<p>In point of numbers we were much inferior; our
+superiority existed only in our arms. Their old-fashioned
+bronze field-pieces, flint-lock pistols and long-barrelled
+Arab guns, although deadly weapons in the
+hands of such expert shots, proved no match against such
+irresistible appliances as the Maxim, the Hotchkiss, or the
+modern English-made rifle. This fact very soon became
+apparent, for although the fierce battle raged for many
+hours, and Samory himself, in yellow robe, and mounted
+upon a snow-white stallion, gorgeously caparisoned, could
+be seen urging on his hordes to valiant deeds, we nevertheless
+everywhere made a firm stand at various points of
+vantage, and by no effort were they able to dislodge us.</p>
+
+<p>When the sun rose, red and fiery through the veil of
+smoke, the increasing weakness of the defence was
+visibly demonstrated by the manner in which the
+entrance to the Kasbah was guarded. The great
+doors of iron were closed and barred securely, and on
+the walls the crimson fezes of the defenders showed
+in profusion, but presently Kona, as we drove back the
+soldiers of Al-Isl&acirc;m almost for the hundredth time,
+shouted the order to storm the citadel. With one accord
+we made a mad, reckless rush an instant later, and
+carried on by the thousands of my comrades behind, I
+found myself slashing to right and left under the high,
+sun-blanched walls of the enormous fortress. Kona,
+appearing a giant even among his tall Dagombas, gave<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273"></a>[<a href="./images/273.png">273</a>]</span>
+one the impression in those critical moments of a
+veritable demon, filled as he was with a mad excitement
+and knowing that upon the success of our assault
+depended the result of the expedition. Towering above
+his fellows, his long spear in hand, he seemed to lead a
+charmed existence, swaying to and fro among whistling
+bullets, whizzing arrows, flashing swords and whirring
+spears. His own weapon he dyed in the blood of his
+adversaries times without number, for where he struck
+he never failed to kill. His aim was unerring, and his
+courage that of a lion of his native forest.</p>
+
+<p>In those furious moments I escaped death only by a
+miracle. As I dashed forward to seek shelter beneath
+the ponderous wall, a tall Arab, with long brown hairy
+arms, swung his curved sword high above his head and
+brought it down with such force that had I not dodged
+him just in time, he would have smashed my skull.
+Lowering my rifle quickly till its muzzle almost touched
+his flowing garments, I fired, but unfortunately the
+bullet passed beneath his arm-pit, and flattened itself
+against the wall. Again, muttering some fearful imprecation
+in Arabic, he raised his gleaming blade, and,
+unable to fire at such close quarters, I was then compelled
+to use my rifle to ward off his attack. For an instant
+we struggled desperately, when suddenly he gave his
+sword a rapid twist, jerking my weapon from my hands
+and leaving me unarmed at his mercy.</p>
+
+<p>His features broadened into a brutal grin as, noticing
+me fumbling for my pistol, he again raised his razor-edged
+Moorish blade, and holding it at arm's length,
+gave one vigorous slash at me. Pressed forward towards
+him by men engaged in mortal conflict behind me, I
+could not evade him, and was about to receive the full<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274"></a>[<a href="./images/274.png">274</a>]</span>
+force of what my adversary intended should be a fatal
+blow, when suddenly a savage spear struck him full in
+the throat, and stuck quivering there.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly his sinewy arm fell, the heavy sword dropped
+from his nerveless fingers, and he stumbled backward
+and fell to earth like a log.</p>
+
+<p>"Thou art safe, O Master!" a voice cried cheerily
+behind me, and turning, I saw that the man who had
+thrown his spear and saved my life was Kona.</p>
+
+<p>Shouting an expression of thanks I bent, and, unable
+to recover my lost rifle in the frightful <i>m&ecirc;l&eacute;e</i>, snatched
+up the dead Arab's sword that had so nearly caused
+my death, then fought on by my deliverer's side. His
+wounds were many, for blood was flowing from cuts
+and gashes innumerable in his bare black flesh, yet he
+appeared insensible to pain, striving forward, gasping
+as he dealt each blow, determined to conquer.</p>
+
+<p>The fight continued with unabated fury&mdash;the bloodshed
+was horrible. The open square before the gate of
+the Kasbah was transformed into a veritable slaughter-yard,
+the stones being slippery with blood, and passage
+rendered difficult by the corpses that lay piled everywhere.
+At last, however, while engaged in another warm corner,
+the shrill, awe-inspiring war cry of the Dagombas again
+sounded above the tumult, and turning, I saw that by
+some means our men had opened the great gate, and
+that they were pouring into the spacious courtyards that
+I so well remembered.</p>
+
+<p>Our assault, though fiercely and savagely repelled,
+was at last successful. We were entering the stronghold
+of Samory, and had achieved a feat that the well-equipped
+expeditions of the French and English had
+failed to accomplish.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275"></a>[<a href="./images/275.png">275</a>]</span>
+The Arabs during the next quarter of an hour
+struggled bravely against their adversity and fought with
+a dogged courage of which I had not believed them
+capable. Soon, however, finding themselves conquered,
+they cried for quarter. Had they known the peculiar
+temperament of the Dagombas and the soldiers of Mo,
+they would never thus have implored mercy. But they
+cried out, and some even sank on their knees in the
+blood of their dead comrades, uttering piteous appeals.
+But the Arabs of Samory had never shown mercy to the
+Dagombas or the people of Mo, and consequently our
+army, in the first flush of their victory, filled with
+the awful lust for blood, treated their cries with jeers,
+and as they advanced into court after court within the
+great Kasbah walls, they fell upon all they met, armed
+or unarmed, men or women, and massacred them where
+they stood.</p>
+
+<p>The appeal shouted time after time by Kona to view
+our victory in temperate spirit and spare those who submitted,
+was disregarded by all in this wholesale savage
+butchery. The scene within the Arab chieftain's stronghold
+was, alas! far more horrible than any I had witnessed
+during the revolt in Mo. Guards, officials and slaves of
+Samory's household were indiscriminately put to the
+sword, some of the men being hunted into corners and
+speared by the Dagombas, while others were forced upon
+their knees by the soldiers of Mo and mercilessly decapitated.
+The door of the great harem, long ago reputed
+to contain a thousand inmates, including slaves, was
+burst open, and in those beautiful and luxuriant courts
+and chambers the whole of the women were butchered
+with a brutality quite as fiendish as any displayed by the
+Arabs themselves. The handsome favourites of Samory<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276"></a>[<a href="./images/276.png">276</a>]</span>
+in their filmy garments of gold tissue and girdles of
+precious stones were dragged by their long tresses from
+their hiding places and literally hacked to pieces, their
+magnificent and costly jewels being torn from them and
+regarded as legitimate loot. Women's death-screams
+filled the great courts and corridors; their life-blood
+stained the pavements of polished jasper and bespattered
+the conquerors. The Dagombas, finding themselves
+inside this extensive abode of luxury, where beautiful
+fountains shot high into the morning sunlight, sweet-smelling
+flowers bloomed everywhere and sensuous
+odours from perfuming-pans hung heavily in the air,
+seemed suddenly transformed into a demoniac horde
+bent upon the most ruthless devastation. They remembered
+that times without number had the Sofas of Samory
+burnt their villages and towns, and carried hundreds of
+their tribesmen away as slaves; they were now seeking
+revenge for past wrongs.</p>
+
+<p>As, nauseated by the sight of blood, I witnessed these
+awful atrocities, I reflected that the curse of Zomara,
+uttered solemnly by Omar when Samory had sold us to
+the slave-dealers, had at last fallen upon the Arab
+chieftain.</p>
+
+<p>Omar had prophesied the downfall of Samory, and his
+utterance was now fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p>Screams, piercing and heart-rending, sounded everywhere,
+mingled with the fierce war-shouts of our savage
+allies, as, time after time, some unfortunate woman in
+gorgeous garb and ablaze with valuable gems was discovered,
+dragged unceremoniously from her hiding-place
+to the great court wherein I stood, her many necklets
+ruthlessly torn from her white throat and a keen sword
+drawn across it as a butcher would calmly despatch a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277"></a>[<a href="./images/277.png">277</a>]</span>
+lamb. Then, when life had ebbed, her body would be
+cast into the great basin of the fountain, where hundreds
+of others had already been pitched.</p>
+
+<p>In other parts of the Kasbah a similar massacre was
+proceeding, none of those found therein being allowed
+to escape; while an active search was everywhere in
+progress for Samory himself.</p>
+
+<p>From where I stood I witnessed the breaking up of
+the Arab ruler's throne, and the tearing down of the
+great canopy of amaranth silk under which Samory had
+reclined when, with Omar, I had been brought before him.
+The crescent of solid gold that had surmounted it was
+handed to Kona, who broke it in half beneath his heel
+as sign of the completeness of his victory. Then, when
+the destruction of the seat of the brutal autocrat was
+complete, the <i>d&eacute;bris</i> with the torn silk, and the long
+strips of crimson cloth, whereon good counsels from the
+Kor&acirc;n were embroidered in Kufic characters of gold, that
+had formed a kind of frieze to the chamber, were carried
+out into the court by fifty willing hands, heaped up and
+there burnt.</p>
+
+<p>While watching the flames leaping up consuming the
+wrecked remains of the royal seat of the powerful Arab
+ruler, a woman's scream, louder than the rest, caused me
+to look suddenly round at the latest victim of the
+Dagombas' thirst for vengeance, and I beheld in the
+clutches of half-a-dozen savages, a young woman, dragged
+as the others had been by her fair, unbound hair
+towards the spot where each had, in turn, been murdered.
+She was dressed in a rich, beautiful robe of bright yellow
+silk, embroidered with pale pink flowers, but her
+garments were bedraggled with water and blood, and
+her bleeding wrists and fingers showed with what heart<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278"></a>[<a href="./images/278.png">278</a>]</span>less
+brutality her jewels had been torn from her by her
+pitiless captors. She struggled frantically to free herself,
+but without avail, and one of the savages, noticing a
+magnificent diamond bangle upon her ankle, bent, and
+tried to force it off.</p>
+
+<p>Just at that moment, in endeavouring to twist herself
+free from their clutches, her fair face became turned
+towards me and her deep blue, terrified eyes for an
+instant met mine.</p>
+
+<p>Next second I uttered a cry of recognition. Yes, there
+was no mistake about that flawless complexion, those
+handsome features or those wondrous eyes, the mysterious
+depths of which had enthralled me, as they had done
+Omar.</p>
+
+<p>It was Liola!</p>
+
+<p>With a bound I sprang forward, tearing at the knot of
+savages and shouting to them to release her. At first
+they only grinned hideously, no doubt thinking that I
+desired her as a slave, and as they had decided that all
+should die without exception, in order that their conquest
+should be rendered the more complete, they were in no
+way disposed to obey my command. At last I succeeded
+in arresting their progress, when the man who had
+attempted to wrench from her ankle the diamond ornament
+shook his long, keen knife threateningly at me,
+while the others yelled all kinds of imprecations. Not
+liking his fierce attitude, and knowing that in the heat of
+victory they were capable of turning upon friends who
+attempted to thwart them, I drew back, and as I did so
+he flung himself upon one knee and raised his knife over
+Liola's foot.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly I saw his intention. He meant to hack off
+her foot in order to secure the bangle, a horrible pro<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279"></a>[<a href="./images/279.png">279</a>]</span>ceeding
+that had been carried out more than once before
+my eyes within the past hour. There was, I knew, but
+one way to save her, therefore without hesitating I drew
+my revolver and fired at him point blank.</p>
+
+<p>The ball pierced his breast. With an agonized cry he
+clutched for a moment wildly at the air, then fell back dead.</p>
+
+<p>My action, as I fully expected it would, aroused the
+intense ire of his companions and all released Liola, now
+insensible, and sprang at me, their ready knives flashing
+in the sunlight. I was compelled to fly, and had it not
+been for Kona, who, standing some distance off watching
+the reduction of Samory's throne to ashes, took in the
+situation at a glance, sped in their direction, and ordered
+his men to stop and tell him the cause, I should undoubtedly
+have lost my life. As their head-man his
+word was law. Then, glancing at the inanimate form
+of Liola, who, having fainted, had been left lying on the
+blood-stained pavement, he recognized her as Goliba's
+daughter, and in a dozen words told his men that she
+was the betrothed of the young Naba of Mo, and that
+I, his friend, had saved her.</p>
+
+<p>The savages, aghast at this statement, and recognizing
+how near they had been to murdering the beloved of
+the Naba Omar, rushed towards me penitent, urging
+that they might be forgiven, and declaring that their
+conduct, under the circumstances, was excusable. They
+had, they said, no idea that they would find in the harem
+of their enemy Samory the betrothed of Mo's ruler, and
+I also was compelled to admit myself quite as astounded
+as themselves. Therefore in brief words explanations
+and forgiveness were exchanged and I rushed across, and
+with the ready help of Kona and his men endeavoured
+to restore her to consciousness.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280"></a>[<a href="./images/280.png">280</a>]</span>
+The dread of her horrible fate had caused her to faint,
+and it was a long time ere we could bring her back to
+the knowledge of her surroundings. Tenderly the
+Dagombas, who a few minutes before would have
+brutally murdered her, carried her into one of the small
+luxuriantly-furnished chambers of the harem, and at my
+request left me alone with her. Kona, though fierce
+as a wild beast in war, was tender-hearted as a child
+where undefended women were concerned, and would
+have remained, but as commander of the forces now
+engaged in sacking the palace many onerous duties
+devolved upon him. Therefore I was left alone with her.</p>
+
+<p>Her eyes closed, her fair hair disarranged, her clothing
+torn and blood-stained, she lay upon a soft divan, pale
+and motionless as one dead. I chafed her tiny hands,
+and released her rich robe at the throat to give her
+air, wondering by what strange chain of circumstances
+she had come to be an inmate of the private apartments
+of our enemy Samory. At last, however, her breast
+heaved and fell slowly once or twice, and presently she
+opened her beautiful eyes, gazing up at me with a
+puzzled, half-frightened expression.</p>
+
+<p>"Liola," I exclaimed softly, in the language of Mo.
+"Thou art with friends, have no further fear. The
+soldiers of thy lover Omar have wreaked a vengeance
+complete and terrible upon thy captor Samory."</p>
+
+<p>"But the savages!" she gasped. "They will kill me
+as they massacred all the women."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, they will not," I assured her, placing my
+arm tenderly beneath her handsome head. "The
+savages are our Dagomba allies who, not knowing that
+thou wert a native of Mo, would have butchered thee like
+the rest."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281"></a>[<a href="./images/281.png">281</a>]</span>
+"And thou didst save me?" she cried. "Yes, I
+remember, thou didst shoot dead the brute who would
+have cut off my foot to secure my diamond anklet. I
+owe my life to thee."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! do not speak of that," I cried. "Calm thyself
+and rest assured of thy safety, for thou shalt return with
+us to the land of thy fathers. Thou shalt, ere a moon
+has run its course, pillow thine head upon the shoulder
+of the man thou lovest, Omar, Naba of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>She blushed deeply at my words, and her small white
+hand still smeared with blood, gripped my wrist. Her
+heart seemed too full for words, and in this manner she
+silently thanked me for rescuing her from the awful fate
+to which she had so nearly been hurried.</p>
+
+<p>Soon she recovered from the shock sufficiently to sit
+up and chat. Together we listened to the roar of the
+excited multitude outside, and from the lattice window
+could see columns of dense black smoke rising from the
+city, where the fighting-men of Mo, in accordance with
+their instructions from Omar, having sacked the place,
+were now setting it on fire.</p>
+
+<p>In answer to my eager questions as to her adventures
+after her seizure by the soldiers of the Great White
+Queen, she said:</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. It is true they captured me, together with my
+girl slave, Wyona, and hurried me towards the palace.
+Wyona fought and bit like a tigress, and one of the men
+becoming infuriated, killed her. Just at that moment the
+attack was made upon us by the populace, and they,
+witnessing his action, tore him limb from limb. Then,
+in the fierce conflict that followed, I escaped from their
+clutches in the same manner as Omar and thyself.
+Knowing of the attack to be made upon the palace I fled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282"></a>[<a href="./images/282.png">282</a>]</span>
+for safety in the opposite direction, and remained in
+hiding throughout the night in the house of one of my
+kinswomen away towards the city-gate. At last the
+report spread that the people had taken the palace by
+assault, the Naya had been deposed, and Omar enthroned
+Naba in her stead. Then, feeling that safety was assured,
+I ventured forth, but ere I had gone far I met a body of
+strange fighting men. They were Arabs, and proved to
+be men from this stronghold of our enemy Samory.
+After a strenuous attempt to cross the city they had been
+repulsed by the people, leaving many dead, and in their
+retreat towards the city-gate they seized me and bore me
+away in triumph here."</p>
+
+<p>"How long hast thou been in Koussan?"</p>
+
+<p>"Twenty days ago we arrived, after fighting our way
+back and losing half our force in skirmishes with the
+hostile savages of the forest. I was brought here to
+Samory's harem as slave, attired in the garments I now
+wear, loaded with jewels torn from the body of one of
+his favourites, who, incurring his displeasure, had been
+promptly strangled by the chief of the negro eunuchs,
+and placed in an apartment with three other slaves to
+do my bidding, there to await such time as it should
+please my Arab captor to inspect me. I was contemplating
+death," she added, dropping her deep blue
+eyes. "If your attack upon the Kasbah had not been
+delivered I should most assuredly have killed myself
+to-day ere the going down of the sun."</p>
+
+<p>"It was fortunate that I recognized thee, or thou
+wouldst have been hacked to pieces by the keen blades
+of our savage allies," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Take me hence," she urged panting. "I cannot bear
+to hear the shout of the victor and the despairing cry of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283"></a>[<a href="./images/283.png">283</a>]</span>
+the vanquished. It is horrible. Throughout the night we,
+in the women's quarters, have dreaded the fate awaiting
+us if the invaders, whom we thought were savages of the
+forest, should gain the mastery and enter the palace.
+From the high windows yonder we witnessed the fight,
+knowing that our lives depended upon its issue, and judge
+our dismay and despair when, soon after dawn, we saw
+the Arabs overwhelmed and the Kasbah fall into the hands
+of their conquerors. Many of my wretched companions
+killed themselves with their poignards rather than fall
+into the hands of the blacks, while the majority hid
+themselves only to be afterwards discovered and
+butchered. Ah, it is all terrible, terrible!"</p>
+
+<p>"True," I answered. "Yet it is only revenge for the
+depredations and heartless atrocities committed by these
+people upon the dwellers in thy border lands. Even at
+this moment Samory hath a great expedition on the
+northern confines of Mo, making a vigorous attempt to
+invade thy country, so that he shall reign upon the
+Emerald Throne in the place of thy lover Omar."</p>
+
+<p>"An expedition to invade Mo?" she cried surprised.
+"Hath Samory done this; is it his intention to cause
+Omar's overthrow?"</p>
+
+<p>"Most assuredly it is," I answered. "The reason
+of our presence here in such force was to assault Koussan
+in the absence of its picked troops, twenty thousand of
+whom were we ascertained on their way northward, with
+the intention of forcing a passage through Aribanda
+and the Hombori Mountains into Mo. Niaro hath led
+our fighting-men to repel their attack, and he is accompanied
+by Omar and thy father, while we are here, under
+Kona's leadership, to punish Samory for his intrepidity."</p>
+
+<p>Then she asked how Omar fared, and I explained how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284"></a>[<a href="./images/284.png">284</a>]</span>
+it had been believed that she had died, and that all were
+mourning for her.</p>
+
+<p>"My slave Wyona must have been mistaken for me,"
+she answered. "And naturally, as I had given her one
+of my left-off robes only the day before."</p>
+
+<p>"Omar believeth thee dead. Thy presence in Mo will
+indeed bring happiness to his eyes, and gaiety to his
+heart," I exclaimed happily.</p>
+
+<p>"Doth he still mourn for me?" she inquired artlessly.
+I knew she wanted to ask me many questions regarding
+her lover, but her modesty forbade it.</p>
+
+<p>"Since the fatal night when thou wert lost joy hath
+never caused a smile to cross his countenance. Sleeping
+and waking he thinketh only of thee, revering thy
+memory, reflecting upon the happy moments spent at
+thy side, as one fondly remembers a pleasant dream or
+adventures in some fair paradise, yet ever sad in the
+knowledge that those blissful days can never return. His
+is an empty honour, a kingship devoid of all pleasure
+because thou art no longer his."</p>
+
+<p>Her lips trembled slightly, and I thought her brilliant
+eyes became brighter for a moment because of an unshed
+tear.</p>
+
+<p>"I am still his," she said slowly, with emphasis. "I
+am ready, nay anxious, to return to him. Thou hast
+saved me from death and from dishonour; truly thou
+art a worthy friend of Omar's, for by thy valiant deed
+alone thou restorest unto him the woman he loveth."</p>
+
+<p>I urged her to utter no word of thanks, and pointing
+to the sky, rendered every moment more dark by the increasing
+volumes of smoke ascending from the city, said:</p>
+
+<p>"See! Our men are busy preparing for the
+destruction of this palace that through many centuries<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285"></a>[<a href="./images/285.png">285</a>]</span>
+hath been a centre of Mohammedan influence and
+oppression. Time doth not admit of thanks, for we both
+have much to do ere we start forth on our return to Mo,
+and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>My words were interrupted by a terrific explosion in
+such close proximity to us that it caused us to jump, and
+was followed by a deafening crash of falling masonry.
+From the lattice we saw the high handsome minaret of
+the palace topple and fall amid a dense smoke and shower
+of stones. Our men had undermined it and blown it up.</p>
+
+<p>Liola shuddered, glancing at me in alarm.</p>
+
+<p>"Fear not," I said. "Ere we leave, the city of
+Koussan must be devastated and burned. Samory hath
+never given quarter, or shown mercy to his weaker
+neighbours, and we will show none. Besides, he held
+thee captive as he hath already held thy lover Omar and
+myself. He sold us to slavers that we might be sacrificed
+in Kumassi, therefore the curse of thy Crocodile-god
+Zomara placed upon him hath at last fallen. The
+flood-gates of vengeance now opened the hand of man
+cannot close."</p>
+
+<p>The great court of the harem, deserted by the troops,
+had become filled with volumes of dense smoke, showing
+that fire had broken out somewhere within the
+palace, and ever and anon explosions of a more or less
+violent character told us that the hands of the destroyers
+were actually at work. The sack of the Kasbah was
+indeed complete.</p>
+
+<p>The loot, of which there was an enormous quantity of
+considerable value, was being removed to a place of safety
+by a large body of men told off for the purpose.
+Although Samory was a fugitive, yet the treasures found
+within his private apartments were of no mean order, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286"></a>[<a href="./images/286.png">286</a>]</span>
+ere noon had passed preparations were being made for
+its conveyance to Mo, the greater part of the city
+being already in flames. The fire roared and crackled,
+choking smoke-clouds obscured the sun, and the heat
+wafted up was stifling. All opposition to us had long
+ago ceased, but whenever an Arab was found secreted
+or a fugitive, he was shot down without mercy. To
+linger longer in the harem might, I judged, be dangerous
+on account of the place having been fired, therefore we
+went together out into the court, and stepping over the
+mutilated bodies of its beautiful prisoners, entered the
+chamber where Samory had held his court. Empty,
+dismantled and wrecked, its appearance showed plainly
+how the mighty monarch had fallen. Even the great
+bejewelled manuscript of the Kor&acirc;n, the Arab book of
+Everlasting Will, that had reposed upon its golden
+stand at the end of the fine, high-roofed chamber, had
+been torn up, for its leaves lay scattered about the
+pavement and after the jewels had been hastily dug
+from their settings, the covers of green velvet had been
+cast aside as worthless. Every seat or divan had been
+either broken or slashed by swords, every vessel or mirror
+smashed, every ornament damaged beyond repair.</p>
+
+<p>Thinking it best to leave her, a woman, in care of a
+guard of our armed men, while I went forward, I made
+the suggestion, but she would not hear of it.</p>
+
+<p>"No," she answered smiling. "I will remain ever at
+thy side, for beside thee I fear not. Thou art my
+rescuer, and my life is thine."</p>
+
+<p>"But some of the sights we may witness are not
+such as a woman's eyes should behold," I answered.</p>
+
+<p>"It mattereth not. That thou wilt allow me to accompany
+thee, is all I ask."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287"></a>[<a href="./images/287.png">287</a>]</span>
+"Very well," I replied, laughing. "Thou art welcome.
+Come."</p>
+
+<p>By my side she hurried through the chamber wherein
+had stood the throne, and thence through several handsome
+courts, wandering at last into another smaller
+chamber at the side of which I noticed an alcove with
+a huge Arab bed surrounded by quaint lattices, so dark
+that my gaze could not penetrate to its recesses.</p>
+
+<p>As we passed, the movement of some object in the
+deep shadow beside the bed attracted my attention.
+Advancing quickly I detected the figure of a man, and,
+fearing a sudden dash by one of our lurking foes, I again
+drew my sword.</p>
+
+<p>Liola, seeing this, gave vent to a little scream of
+alarm and placed her hand upon my arm in fear, but
+next second the fugitive, anticipating my intention to
+attack him, sprang suddenly forward into the light.</p>
+
+<p>The bearded face, the fierce, flashing eyes, the thick
+lips and bushy brows were all familiar to me. Although
+he wore the white cotton garb of the meanest slave, I
+recognised him in an instant.</p>
+
+<p>It was the great Arab chieftain Samory!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXXIV.</h2>
+
+<h3>LIOLA'S DISCOVERY.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">With</span> a sudden bound I left Liola's side and sprang
+upon the leader of our enemies, clutching him fiercely
+by the throat and shouting for assistance. No one was,
+however, near, and for a few moments we struggled
+desperately. He was unarmed, and I, having unfortunately
+dropped my sword in the encounter, our conflict
+resolved itself into a fierce wrestle for the possession of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288"></a>[<a href="./images/288.png">288</a>]</span>
+the weapon which must give victory to the one into
+whose hands it fell. Once Samory, wiry and muscular
+like all Arabs, notwithstanding his age, stooped swiftly
+in an endeavour to snatch up the blade, but seeing his
+intention, my fingers tightened their grip upon his
+throat, and he was compelled to spring up again without
+obtaining possession of the weapon. For several
+minutes our struggle was desperate, for he had managed
+to pinion my arms, and I knew that ere long I must be
+powerless, his strength being far superior to my own.</p>
+
+<p>Liola screamed for help, but no one seemed within
+call, when suddenly the thought seemed to suggest
+itself to her to snatch up my weapon and hold it.</p>
+
+<p>I turned to take it from her, but by this action my
+grip upon my Arab foe became released, and with a
+desperate spring he forced himself from my grasp,
+bounding away, leaving a portion of his white <i>jibbeh</i>
+in my hand. But, determined that he should not
+escape, I dashed after him headlong across the chamber,
+and out by the opposite door. In the court beyond
+a knot of our soldiers were standing discussing the
+events of the day, and I shouted to them; but the
+sight of me chasing a single fugitive slave did not appeal
+to them, and they disregarded my order to arrest his
+progress. Nevertheless I kept on, feeling assured that
+sooner or later I must run him to earth, but never
+thinking of the intricacies with which all such palaces
+abound, intricacies which must be well-known to the
+Mohammedan ruler.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, after endeavouring to elude me by ingenious
+devices innumerable, and always finding himself frustrated,
+he entered a chamber leading from the Court of
+the Eunuchs, and had gained on me sufficiently to dis<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289"></a>[<a href="./images/289.png">289</a>]</span>appear
+ere I reached the entrance. I rushed through
+after him, believing that he had crossed the deserted
+court beyond, but was surprised to find that I had
+utterly lost him. I halted to listen, but could hear no
+footsteps, and after a careful examination of all the
+outlets, presently returned in chagrin to the chamber
+into which he had suddenly dashed, before escaping.</p>
+
+<p>Standing in its centre I looked wonderingly around.
+Then, for the first time, I discovered that our soldiers,
+obeying their instructions, had been pouring inflammable
+liquids everywhere throughout the Kasbah, and
+a great burst of blood-red flame in the outer court told
+me that the place had been ignited. At that moment,
+Liola, with white scared face, believing that she had
+lost me, entered the chamber, but I recognized our
+imminent peril, surrounded as we were by a belt of fire.</p>
+
+<p>"Fly!" I cried, frantically. "Fly! quick, back
+across yonder court to save thy life! In a few moments
+I will join thee. I must examine this chamber ere I
+depart."</p>
+
+<p>"I will not go without thee," she answered with calm
+decision.</p>
+
+<p>"Why riskest thou thy life?" I cried in excitement.
+"Fly, or in a moment it may be too late, we may both
+be overwhelmed or suffocated."</p>
+
+<p>But she stirred not. She stood by me in silence,
+gazing in fear at the red roaring flames that, raging
+outside, now cut off our retreat by either door. The
+cause of my hesitation to rush away at first sight of the
+flames, was the suspicion that somewhere in that chamber
+was a secret exit. The sudden manner in which the
+Arab chieftain had eluded me could only have been
+accomplished by such means. The chamber, well<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290"></a>[<a href="./images/290.png">290</a>]</span>
+furnished and supported by three great twisted columns
+of milk-white marble, had its floor covered with costly
+rugs and its walls hung with dark red hangings, bearing
+strange devices and inscriptions in long thin Arabic
+characters. Few rooms in the Kasbah were decorated
+in this manner, and it had instantly occurred to me
+that, concealed somewhere, was one of those secret
+ways which, whether in the Oriental palace, or the
+medi&aelig;val European castle, are so suggestive of treachery
+and intrigue.</p>
+
+<p>Although one horse-shoe arch of the place led into
+the Court of the Eunuchs, the other, I noticed, was
+in direct communication with Samory's private apartments.
+With consummate skill he had led me here by
+such a circuitous route that I had not at first noticed
+that it joined a kind of ante-room to his pavilion.</p>
+
+<p>But the roaring flames that every moment leaped
+nearer, crackling furiously and fanning us with their
+scorching breath, allowed me no time for further reflection.
+Escape was now entirely cut off; only by
+discovering the secret exit could we save ourselves. In
+breathless haste I rushed around the walls, tapping them
+with my sword; but such action proved useless, as I
+could hear nothing above the roaring and crackling on
+either side. With my hands I tried to discover where
+the door was concealed, rushing from side to side in
+frantic despair, but the exit, wherever it existed, was too
+cunningly hidden.</p>
+
+<p>So dense had the smoke become that we could not
+see across the chamber; tongues of fire had ignited the
+heavy silken hangings, and the whole interior was alight
+from end to end.</p>
+
+<p>"We are lost&mdash;lost!" shrieked Liola in despair<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291"></a>[<a href="./images/291.png">291</a>]</span>
+"We have fallen victims to our own terrible vengeance
+upon our enemies."</p>
+
+<p>Within myself I was compelled to admit this, for it
+seemed as though Samory had led us into a veritable
+death-trap that the soldiers of Mo had themselves
+prepared. Suddenly, as a last chance, I remembered
+I had not examined the three great marble columns,
+each of such circumference that a man could not
+embrace them in his arms. I dashed forward, and in
+the blinding smoke, that caused my eyes to water and
+held my chest contracted, I tried to investigate whether
+they were what they appeared to be, solid and substantial
+supports. The first was undoubtedly fashioned
+out of a single block of stone, the lower portion
+polished by the thousands of people who during
+many centuries had brushed past it. The second
+was exactly similar, and the third also. But the latter
+seemed more chipped and worn than the others, and
+just as I was about to abandon all hope I made a sudden
+discovery that thrilled me with joy. As I grasped it
+a portion of it fell back, disclosing that the column was
+hollow.</p>
+
+<p>The hole was just sufficient to admit the passage of
+one's body, and without an instant's hesitation I drew
+Liola forward, and urged her to get inside. The flames
+were now lapping about us, and another moment's
+delay would mean certain death. Therefore she dashed
+in, and as she did so sank quickly out of sight, while
+the portion of the marble column closed again with a
+snap.</p>
+
+<p>The rapidity with which she disappeared astounded
+me, the more so, when, after the lapse of about a minute
+the platform whereon she had stepped rose again, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292"></a>[<a href="./images/292.png">292</a>]</span>
+with a click returned to its place. Only then was I
+enabled to re-open the cavity. Apparently it worked
+automatically, and being balanced in some way, as soon
+as Liola had stepped off it, had risen again. Instantly
+I stepped upon it, and with hands close to my sides,
+sank so swiftly into the darkness that the wind whistled
+through my garments and roared in my ears. The
+descent was, I judged, about two hundred feet, but in
+the pitch darkness I could not discern the character of
+the shaft. Of a sudden with a jerk it stopped, and
+finding myself in a strange dimly-lit chamber bricked
+like a vault, with Liola standing awaiting me, I stepped
+off, and as I did so the platform shot up again into its
+place.</p>
+
+<p>"We have, at all events, escaped being burned alive,"
+my fair companion exclaimed when she recovered
+breath. "But this place is weird and dismal enough."</p>
+
+<p>"True," I answered. "There must, however, be
+some exit, or Samory would not have entered it. We
+must explore and discover it."</p>
+
+<p>Glancing around the mysterious vault I saw burning
+in a niche, with a supply of oil sufficient to last several
+weeks, a single lamp that had apparently always been
+kept alight. Taking it up I led the way through the
+long narrow chamber. The walls, blackened by damp,
+were covered with great grey fungi, while lizards and
+other reptiles scuttled from our path into the darkness.
+At the further end, the vault narrowed into a passage so
+low that we were compelled to stoop when entering it.
+In this burrow, the ramifications of which were extraordinary,
+Liola's filmy garments came to sad grief, for
+catching upon the projecting portions of rock, they
+were rent from time to time, while the loss of one of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293"></a>[<a href="./images/293.png">293</a>]</span>
+her little green slippers necessitated some delay in
+recovering it. Yet groping along the narrow uneven
+way in search of some exit, we at length came into a
+larger chamber, bricked like the others, and as we
+entered it were startled by a sudden unearthly roar.</p>
+
+<p>We both drew back, and Liola, in fear, clutched my
+arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Listen!" she gasped. "What was that?"</p>
+
+<p>Again the noise was repeated, causing the low-roofed
+chamber to echo, and as I peered forward into the
+darkness, my gaze was transfixed by a pair of gleaming
+fiery eyes straight before us.</p>
+
+<p>Similar noises I had heard in the forest on many
+occasions, and the startling truth at once flashed across
+my mind. Confronting us was a lion!</p>
+
+<p>I stood in hesitation, not knowing how to act, while
+Liola clung to me, herself detecting the gleaming eyes
+and being fully aware of our peril. Yet scarcely a
+moment passed ere there was a loud rushing sound in
+the darkness, and the animal, with a low growl, flew
+through the air in our direction. We had no time to
+elude him, but fortunately he seemed to have misjudged
+his distance, for he alighted about half-a-dozen paces
+short of us. So close was his head that the two
+gleaming orbs seemed to be rivetted to us. We felt his
+breath, and unable to draw back, we feared that each
+second must be our last.</p>
+
+<p>Next moment I heard a clanking of chains, a sound
+that gave me instant courage.</p>
+
+<p>"Hark!" I cried joyously. "At present we are safe,
+for the brute is chained!"</p>
+
+<p>Such we ascertained a few minutes later was actually
+the case, and as I stood there, lamp in hand, my foot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294"></a>[<a href="./images/294.png">294</a>]</span>
+struck something. Glancing down I saw it was a human
+thigh-bone. The animal had already tasted the blood
+of man, and, straining at his chain, was furious to spring
+upon us. I then became puzzled to know the reason
+why this fierce king of the forest should be kept in
+captivity at this depth if not to guard some entrance or
+exit. For a few moments I reflected, and at length
+arrived at the conclusion that during our progress we
+had slowly ascended towards the earth's surface, and that
+through the lion's den was the exit of that subterranean
+way. Again, we had neither seen nor heard sign of the
+fugitive chieftain. By some means or other he must
+have succeeded in passing the ferocious brute, and if he
+had accomplished it, we surely could also.</p>
+
+<p>With my words half drowned by the continuous roar
+of the fiery-eyed guardian of the secret burrow, I explained
+briefly to Liola the result of my reflections, and
+then set about to ascertain the length of the chain
+holding the animal. After several experiments, allowing
+it to spring forward at me half-a-dozen times and
+narrowly escaping its ponderous paws more than once,
+I ascertained that the chain was just short enough to
+allow a person to cross the chamber flattened against the
+opposite wall.</p>
+
+<p>Holding the lamp still in my hand and urging Liola
+to brace her nerves and watch me closely, I essayed the
+attempt, creeping cautiously with my back against the
+roughly-hewn side of the underground lair, and drawing
+my garments about me to prevent them being hooked
+by the cruel claws that followed me within a yard during
+the whole distance. Before my eyes the big shaggy
+head wagged continuously, the great jaws with their
+terrible teeth opened, emitting terrific roars of rage and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295"></a>[<a href="./images/295.png">295</a>]</span>
+closed again with a dull ominous click, while the chain
+was strained until I feared it might be rent asunder.</p>
+
+<p>Through several minutes mine was a most horrible
+experience, for I knew not whether the wall was even;
+if not, I must have fallen beneath the ferocious claws.
+However, I managed to successfully cross the brute's
+den, and shouting to Liola that the passage was perfectly
+safe, providing she kept her garments closely about her
+and did not remove her back from the wall, held up the
+light to her.</p>
+
+<p>With reassuring words she commenced to follow my
+example, and when the brute saw me in safety and
+noticed her approach, he left me and sprang towards
+her. But again he fell short, almost strangled by the
+pressure upon the iron collar that held him. With an
+awful roar, his jaws snapping in rage, and his paws
+constantly clutching at her, he followed her closely just
+as he had followed me. I feared that she might
+suddenly faint from the terrible strain upon her nerves,
+but having witnessed my safe passage she preserved a
+calmness that was amazing. Twice as the animal, after
+crouching, leapt suddenly forward I feared the chain must
+give way, but beyond a low frightened scream escaping
+her, she preserved a cool demeanour, and a few moments
+later I was gratified to find her standing panting but
+unharmed at my side.</p>
+
+<p>"There is an exit somewhere near," I exclaimed a
+moment later, while she rearranged her torn, blood-stained
+garments and smoothed her hair with her hands.
+"Come, let us search."</p>
+
+<p>On proceeding we soon found ourselves in a small
+passage, drier than the former, and descending rather
+steeply for some distance, suddenly entered another<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296"></a>[<a href="./images/296.png">296</a>]</span>
+spacious chamber hewn from the solid rock. Immediately
+we were inside some peculiarity of its walls attracted
+my gaze, and I noticed, in addition, that we were in a
+<i>cul-de-sac</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There was, after all, no exit!</p>
+
+<p>The rocky walls, however, rivetted the attention of
+both of us, for let into them at frequent intervals were
+large square plates of iron. These I examined carefully,
+quickly arriving at the conclusion that they had been
+placed there to close up hewn cavities. With this
+opinion, Liola, assisting me in my investigations, fully
+agreed. Each plate, looking curiously like the door of
+an oven, had apparently been fitted deeply into grooves
+sunk in the hard rock, for although I tried one after the
+other, seeking to remove them, they would not budge.
+By tapping upon them I ascertained that they were of
+great thickness, and I judged that each must weigh
+several hundredweight. They were not doors, for they
+had no hinges, yet beneath each one was a small semi-circular
+hole in the iron into which I could just thrust
+my little finger. These were certainly not key-holes, but
+rather, it seemed, intended to admit air.</p>
+
+<p>In the course of our eager investigations we suddenly
+came upon a great pile of strongly-bound loads, each
+wrapped in untanned cow-hide and bound tightly with
+wire. From their battered appearance they had evidently
+rested upon the heads of carriers throughout a long
+march.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder what they contain?" Liola exclaimed, as
+we both looked down upon them.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us see," I said. Handing her the lamp, I knelt
+upon one of the packages, and after considerable trouble
+succeeded in unbinding the wire. Then as I tore away<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297"></a>[<a href="./images/297.png">297</a>]</span>
+its thick covering, we both uttered cries of amazement.
+The sight that met our gaze was bewildering.</p>
+
+<p>From the package there rolled out into the dust a profusion
+of magnificent glittering jewels.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! What diamonds!" Liola cried, with admiration
+for the iridescent stones that was particularly feminine.
+Then, picking up a splendid bracelet and slipping it
+upon her wrist, she added, "Look! Isn't this marvellous?
+The gems are larger than I have ever before
+seen."</p>
+
+<p>"Beautiful!" I cried gleefully, for by sheer good
+fortune we had discovered Samory's hidden treasure, and
+I reflected that our conquest would be rendered absolutely
+complete by its removal in triumph to Mo.</p>
+
+<p>After a cursory examination of the first pack we
+together undid them one after another, eagerly investigating
+their glistening contents, and finding them to
+consist of a collection of the most wonderful and valuable
+precious stones it was possible to conceive. There were
+a few heavy gold ornaments of antique pattern, but in
+most of them jewels were set, and those only of the most
+antique and magnificent character. Every known gem
+was there represented by specimens larger, and of far
+purer water, than my eyes had ever before beheld. Upon
+her knees, Liola, with a cry of pleasure, plunged both
+hands into the glittering heap of jewels, drawing out one
+after another and holding them up to the glimmering
+light, her bright eyes full of admiration. The examination
+of nearly forty great packages took us a long time,
+but so fascinating proved our task that we were heedless
+of how the hours sped in our determination to ascertain
+the true extent of our discovery.</p>
+
+<p>While still upon her knees I had opened almost the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298"></a>[<a href="./images/298.png">298</a>]</span>
+last package and spread it before her, when, with a
+sudden ejaculation she withdrew a magnificent necklet of
+emeralds of huge size in quaint ancient settings, and with
+a gay laugh held it up to me for a moment, then clasped
+it about her own white neck. In the centre hung a
+pendant consisting of a single emerald of enormous size
+and brilliant lustre, and as I regarded it in the half light,
+its shape struck me as distinctly curious. I snatched up
+the lamp, and bending, examined the quaintly-cut gem
+more minutely. Then, next instant, I cried excitedly:</p>
+
+<p>"See! The shape of the pendant proves the origin of
+the necklet!"</p>
+
+<p>With a quick movement she tore it off and looked.
+Then, in amazement, she gasped:</p>
+
+<p>"It is a representation of Zomara, our god!"</p>
+
+<p>We both scrutinized it closely. Yes, there was no
+mistake, the emerald had been fashioned into the form
+of a perfect crocodile, with open jaws, even the teeth
+being finely chiselled, a veritable marvel of the lapidary's
+art. While we were both looking at it puzzled, Liola's
+eyes suddenly became attracted by sight of something in
+the package I had just opened, and stooping swiftly,
+picked out of a mass of ornaments a magnificent diadem
+of some strange milk-coloured, opaque crystals of a
+character entirely strange to me. The stones were
+beautifully cut and polished, and although they glittered,
+even in the sickly rays of our lamp, they had no transparency.</p>
+
+<p>"Behold!" she cried in a voice full of awe, her clear
+eyes wide open in astonishment. "See what we have
+discovered!"</p>
+
+<p>I gazed at it, failing at first to notice what I afterwards
+recognised.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299"></a>[<a href="./images/299.png">299</a>]</span>
+"It is a crown," I said laughing. "A crown fit to
+grace thy brow!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is the great Rock Diadem of the Sanoms of Mo!"
+she answered. "See! It is surmounted by the vampire,
+our national emblem!"</p>
+
+<p>Then, I saw that upon the crest of the diadem was a
+single great diamond wonderfully chiselled to represent
+a bat with outspread wings, the device upon the banners
+of the mystic realm.</p>
+
+<p>"This," she continued, "is without doubt the historic
+crown of the first Naya. Though it hath never been
+seen for ages by the eyes of man, it was always popularly
+supposed to be preserved in the secret Treasure-house
+of the Sanoms, among the royal jewels. Many are the
+beliefs and superstitions regarding it. The stones are
+said to be the first pieces of rock chipped during the
+foundation of our City in the Clouds, which, as thou art
+aware, was her work a thousand years ago. Among the
+possessions of our royal house no relic hath been more
+venerated than this Rock Diadem of the Naya. How
+it came hither I know not. It is assuredly a mystery."</p>
+
+<p>"No," I answered, endeavouring to subdue my excitement.
+"We have now elucidated the mystery. The
+Treasure-house of Mo hath been entered by thieves, and
+the most valuable of the royal treasures stolen. The
+matter hath been kept secret from the people, but by our
+discovery the identity of the robbers is established
+beyond doubt, and we have thus recovered the wealth of
+a nation that was believed to be irretrievably lost."</p>
+
+<p>"But is all of this Omar's lost treasure?" she
+inquired, astounded at my statement, glancing at the huge
+heap of gold and jewels nearly as high as ourselves, and of
+such great value as to be utterly beyond computation.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300"></a>[<a href="./images/300.png">300</a>]</span>
+"Without doubt," I answered, stooping and picking
+up several jewelled trinkets, girdles and other ornaments,
+each bearing the sacred reptile or the vampire crest of
+royalty. "The recovery of these will, at least repay thy
+nation for the expedition sent against their enemy.
+Retain possession of the Rock Diadem of Mo, for thou
+hast discovered it, and with thine own hands shalt thou
+deliver it into the possession of the ruler who loveth
+thee."</p>
+
+<p>Then, carefully wrapping the ancient badge of regal
+dignity in a piece of hide and binding it securely with
+wire as the carriers' loads had been, I gave it back to
+her. In half an hour we had completed our examination
+of the wondrous accumulation of treasure, finding
+among it many quaint and extraordinary ornaments,
+some no doubt dating from the earlier days of the
+foundation of the mysterious isolated kingdom, and
+others manufactured during recent centuries. The
+gems were unique in size and character. Truly the
+thieves in the employ of the Arab chief had taken care
+to secure the most valuable portion of the royal jewels
+and leave behind only those of least worth.</p>
+
+<p>With the secret of their concealment in our possession
+we were both full of eagerness to get back to the light
+of day and take steps for their removal, yet I confess
+that the mystery of what was contained behind those
+strange plates of iron puzzled me.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving Liola to continue her inspection of our
+discovered treasures, I crossed to the wall and examined
+one of the plates again, trying with both hands to force
+it out, but being compelled to relinquish the attempt as
+hopeless. I was about to give up all idea of discovering
+how they might be opened, when Liola suddenly uttered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301"></a>[<a href="./images/301.png">301</a>]</span>
+an exclamation, and in turning to glance at her, the
+flame of the lamp I held came into contact with the
+wall close to the plate that had defied my exertions to
+remove it.</p>
+
+<p>In an instant a bright flash ran around the chamber,
+lighting it up as bright as day; a puff of grey smoke
+was belched in our faces, and a report like thunder
+deafened us.</p>
+
+<p>An explosion had occurred, great pieces of rock and
+other <i>d&eacute;bris</i> being flung in all directions.</p>
+
+<p>Its terrific force hurled me heavily against the wall,
+while Liola was flung face downward upon the pile of
+jewels. Fortunately, neither of us sustained any injury
+beyond a few bruises, but when I had assisted her to
+rise, and gazed around, I was amazed to discover that a
+strange thing had occurred. The whole of the iron
+plates had been torn from their sockets, and a dark
+cavity behind each disclosed.</p>
+
+<p>The small sealed cells had been wrenched open simultaneously,
+as if by a miracle.</p>
+
+<p>But upon careful examination there was, I found,
+nothing miraculous in the manner in which they had
+thus been forced. The suffocating smoke that filled the
+place was of itself sufficient evidence of the agent to
+which the explosion had been due, and when I looked
+at the first cavity I saw that right around the chamber,
+from plate to plate, there had been laid a train of
+gunpowder, communicating with a charge of powder
+placed behind each of the semi-circular holes that had
+so puzzled me. Apparently it had been deemed by
+Samory wiser to seal the cells entirely rather than secure
+them by locks, and the train of powder had been placed
+in position in the event of any reverse of fortune<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302"></a>[<a href="./images/302.png">302</a>]</span>
+requiring him to secure his treasure quickly before
+flight. A single spark, as I had accidentally proved,
+was sufficient to open every cell simultaneously.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately our lamp was not blown out by the concussion,
+therefore as soon as the smoke cleared, we
+together made another tour of inspection around the
+cavities, finding each of them crammed to overflowing
+with treasure of every description. Five of the cells,
+apparently freshly sealed, contained a portion of the
+stolen jewels of Mo, but all the remainder were evidently
+the spoils of war, much of it of enormous value. It
+amused me, too, to discover in one of the cavities,
+among a great collection of costly bejewelled ornaments,
+such European articles as a pair of common scissors in
+a pasteboard case, several penknives of the commonest
+quality, an India-rubber squeaking doll, a child's toy train
+in tin, and a mechanical mouse. All were, no doubt,
+considered as treasures by the Arab potentate, yet I
+reflected that nearly every article in the whole of that
+miscellaneous collection had been acquired by the most
+ruthless and merciless bloodshed.</p>
+
+<p>When at last we became convinced of the necessity
+for finding some exit, we left the chamber by the way
+we had entered. The discovery of the wonderful
+treasure of the Sanoms made it plain to me that there
+must be an exit somewhere, for the packs were far too
+ponderous to have been lowered from the Kasbah by the
+way we had entered. On reflection I saw that the lion
+was evidently kept there to guard the entrance to the
+store of treasure, therefore it was not surprising that
+there was no outlet in that direction.</p>
+
+<p>No, we should be compelled to repass the brute.
+This fact I explained to Liola, but it in no way discon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303"></a>[<a href="./images/303.png">303</a>]</span>certed
+her, for she crept past the snapping jaws of the
+furious beast calmly, holding the treasured Rock Diadem
+close beside her. Presently, on making a diligent
+search, we discovered a long dark tunnel running at
+right angles to the path we had traversed, and following
+this ascended to where a faint but welcome glimmer of
+light showed. Soon we were in a small natural cavern,
+and a few moments later struggled upward to the light
+of day, amazed to find ourselves on the bank of a beautiful
+river. At our feet the clear cool water ran by, placid
+and peaceful, but away across the grass-plain about half a
+mile distant was the once-powerful city of Koussan,
+enveloped in black smoke that ascended to the clear
+blue heavens, mingled with great flames, the fierce roar
+of which reached our ears where we stood.</p>
+
+<p>The vengeance of Mo had indeed overtaken her Arab
+enemy, and completely crushed him.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXV" id="CHAPTER_XXXV"></a>CHAPTER XXXV.</h2>
+
+<h3>INTO THE MIST.</h3>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Our</span> troops had, we found, withdrawn from the burning
+city and were encamped about a mile away, taking a
+well-earned rest, and watching with satisfaction the
+destruction of the once powerful capital of the "Pirate
+of the Niger." The presence of Liola, together with the
+announcement of the discovery of the treasure of the
+Sanoms, that we made to Kona secretly, caused him the
+wildest delight. His barbaric instinct overcame him,
+and seizing his spear he executed a kind of war-dance
+around us, bestowing upon us the most adulatory
+phrases of the Dagomba vocabulary. Afterwards he
+addressed the assembled soldiers, omitting at my desire<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304"></a>[<a href="./images/304.png">304</a>]</span>
+all mention of the jewels of Mo, and three days later,
+having secured all the gems and golden ornaments,
+together with Samory's hidden wealth, we set forth on
+our triumphant return to the mysterious far-off land.</p>
+
+<p>Rapidly and pleasantly we accomplished the long
+journey, re-crossing the treacherous Way of the Thousand
+Steps without a single mishap, and ascended to the lofty
+plateau of Omar's kingdom until, high up in the grey
+morning mist, we saw looming before us with almost
+spectral indistinctness the gigantic battlements and
+domes of the City in the Clouds. On ascending the
+rope steps at the Gate of Mo a few days previously we
+had ascertained that the expedition to the Hombori
+Mountains had been entirely successful, for the enemy
+had been met in the pass by the defenders and mercilessly
+overwhelmed and slaughtered. Against the lightweight
+Maxim guns, weighing only about twenty-five
+pounds each and firing 600 to 700 shots per minute
+with an effective range of two miles, the old-fashioned
+rifles and field-pieces of the force under the traitor
+Kouaga had been powerless, hence the whole expedition
+had been utterly routed, followed up after their flight
+and massacred almost to a man, Kouaga himself being
+shot dead by Niaro while strenuously endeavouring to
+rally his men for a final onslaught. Omar, at the head
+of his victorious army, had re-entered the city only the
+day before our arrival, therefore on our return we found
+ourselves in the midst of feasting and merry-making of
+a most enthusiastic character.</p>
+
+<p>Little wonder was it that when the news of the complete
+victory we had secured spread through the city the
+joy of the people knew no bounds, for especially welcome
+was the information that, in addition to utterly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305"></a>[<a href="./images/305.png">305</a>]</span>
+destroying Samory's city we had secured the whole of
+his treasure. Kona, Liola and myself held back the
+fact that we had also recovered the stolen jewels, and
+we also took elaborate precautions that the knowledge
+of Liola's safety should not be conveyed prematurely to
+Omar.</p>
+
+<p>During the formal welcome that the young Naba,
+resplendent in his magnificent bejewelled robes of state
+and surrounded by his sages and officers, accorded us at
+the great palace-gate, now fully restored, Liola held
+back, hiding herself. Not until evening, when I was
+sitting with Omar in his luxurious private pavilion after
+eating a sumptuous meal served on the royal dishes of
+chased gold, I told him confidentially of the recovery of
+the lost jewels.</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible, Scars!" he cried in English, starting suddenly
+to his feet. "Where did you find them? How?"</p>
+
+<p>Brief words were required to explain how I had discovered
+them hidden in Samory's secret cavern beyond
+the lion's lair.</p>
+
+<p>"I understood that only the wealth of the old Arab's
+Kasbah was hidden there," he exclaimed quickly.
+"This news is indeed as astounding as it is welcome."</p>
+
+<p>"Your subjects are unaware that your treasure has
+ever been removed from Mo, therefore I have not enlightened
+them," I answered. "Come with me and see
+if you recognize any of the jewels."</p>
+
+<p>Eagerly he followed me into a small adjoining apartment
+where the loot had been deposited, and as we
+opened pack after pack he uttered ejaculations of
+surprise and complete gratification, recognizing in the
+recovered gems the wonderful incomparable heirlooms
+of his royal house.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306"></a>[<a href="./images/306.png">306</a>]</span>
+He turned to thank me when we had finished, and as
+he did so I placed my hand firmly on his arm, saying in
+a serious voice:</p>
+
+<p>"In addition to these, Omar, I have also recovered a
+jewel of even far greater worth than all this magnificent
+collection; one that will shine as the brightest and most
+beautiful gem in the diadem of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>A genuine look of bewilderment crossed his pale refined
+features for an instant, as he answered:</p>
+
+<p>"I really don't understand, Scars. No jewel can be
+of greater intrinsic value than the Treasure of the Sanoms.
+What is it?"</p>
+
+<p>For answer, Liola, a veritable vision of classic beauty
+in her loose white robe, gold-embroidered at the hem,
+and broad girdle of fiery rubies, stepped from behind
+the heavy curtain of blue silk where she had been concealed,
+and stood before him.</p>
+
+<p>Rigid in speechless amazement he stood for a moment,
+then recognizing that his lost love was actually present,
+alive and well, he bounded towards her, and with a loud
+cry of joy embraced her, brushing back her soft hair and
+covering her white open brow with passionate kisses.</p>
+
+<p>It was indeed a joyous reunion, but as I turned intending
+to withdraw discreetly and leave them alone
+together to continue their exchange of confidences, my
+friend promptly called me back, saying:</p>
+
+<p>"Stay, Scars, old fellow! Let me hear from your
+own lips the solution of this mystery of the return of the
+dead to life. Truly you have recovered a jewel worth to
+me a hundred times all the treasures of Mo."</p>
+
+<p>Crossing again towards him I described briefly the
+revolting circumstances in which I had discovered her,
+a harem slave of our Arab enemy; how we had both<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307"></a>[<a href="./images/307.png">307</a>]</span>
+narrowly escaped being burned to death, our subsequent
+adventures in the damp subterranean burrow, and the
+finding of the secreted treasure.</p>
+
+<p>"Liola herself also made one discovery," I said in
+conclusion, laughing and turning towards her.</p>
+
+<p>Gently disengaging herself from her lover's fond arms
+she went behind the curtain where she had hidden, and
+on coming forth again held in her slim white hands a
+round package still securely wrapped in untanned hide,
+which she handed to Omar.</p>
+
+<p>"The Rock Diadem of the Naya!" he cried in joy,
+when his trembling, eager hands had opened it. "The
+most valued of all our possessions!" Then, turning
+towards Liola, he tenderly placed upon her head the
+historic mark of royalty, saying in his own tongue:</p>
+
+<p>"Now that the days of our sorrow have passed like
+the shadow of a cloud upon a sunlit sea, we will be wed
+as soon as it is meet for us so to do, and upon thy brow
+thus shalt rest the diadem of the first Naya, the upright
+queen to whom Mo oweth her magnificence, her power,
+and her present prosperity. Thou shalt sit beside me
+upon the Emerald Throne; thou shalt be known as the
+Naya Liola."</p>
+
+<p>Again he embraced her with ineffable tenderness, and
+with her handsome head pillowed heavily upon his
+shoulder her breast heaved, and from her deep blue
+fathomless eyes there fell tears of joy.</p>
+
+<p>At last, having received the warmest thanks from my
+old companion through many misfortunes and from the
+woman he loved, I turned and sought the sage Goliba, to
+whom I told the good news of his daughter's safety and
+betrothal to Omar.</p>
+
+<p>Three days later the marriage took place amid the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308"></a>[<a href="./images/308.png">308</a>]</span>
+most gorgeous pomp and the wildest popular rejoicings,
+the strange ceremony being performed by the high-priest
+of the Temple of Zomara beneath the golden figure of
+the Crocodile-god that hung suspended above the
+Emerald Throne. Feasts and merry-making continued
+throughout a whole moon, and the mystic city, decorated
+with flags and flowers, was agog by day and brilliantly
+illuminated by night. Never in the long history of the
+ancient kingdom had such costly banquets been served;
+never had the royal entertainments been on such lavish
+scale; never had the sounds of revelry contained such
+a true genuine ring, for never before had the people
+been so happy and content. Though on the day of the
+marriage Liola was solemnly crowned with the wonderful
+Rock Diadem of Mo, I, as keeper of the royal treasure,
+allowed no word to go forth regarding the theft and recovery
+of the Sanom jewels, which had already been deposited
+in their original hiding-place beneath the lake.
+Samory's treasure was, however, given to Liola by Omar,
+and she ordered half of it to be distributed to the poor,
+an act of generosity that won for her intense popularity.</p>
+
+<p>Her action was, she told me in confidence, a thank-offering
+to Zomara for her timely rescue from a terrible
+fate.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2><a name="CONCLUSION" id="CONCLUSION"></a>CONCLUSION.</h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Samory</span>, the truculent old Arab, escaped. By some
+means he eluded us in the dark intricacies of that subterranean
+way, and groping along in a similar manner
+to ourselves, he evidently fled to the forest, for he has
+since collected the scattered remnant of his nomadic
+bands, and although he has never since troubled us, yet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309"></a>[<a href="./images/309.png">309</a>]</span>
+he now and then commits depredations on the borders
+of the English and French spheres of influence. Ere
+long he will overstep the bounds, and one Power or
+another will certainly send a punitive expedition to crush
+and humiliate him, as they have crushed the arrogant
+Prempeh of Ashanti.</p>
+
+<p>During many months the means by which the theft
+of the Treasure of the Sanoms had been effected remained
+an inscrutable mystery, and it was only on the
+day previous to my departure from the mysterious land
+for England, or rather more than six months ago,
+that the problem was solved and in a manner entirely
+unexpected.</p>
+
+<p>In preparation for the annual feast in honour of
+the Crocodile-god I had occasion to go secretly and
+alone to the submerged Treasure-house, in order to
+obtain certain jewels which tradition decreed should
+be worn on that day by the reigning sovereign. I had
+emptied the lake, unsealed the cover of the well-like
+aperture, locked the mechanism fatal to intruders, descended
+and obtained what I sought, when on ascending
+I was dismayed to find water pouring in upon me in
+increasing volumes. Upwards I climbed, struggling desperately
+against the inrushing flood thundering down
+upon me, and was aghast to find, when I gained the
+surface, that the sluice-gates that held back the waters feeding
+the lake had been opened, and that it was rapidly refilling.
+Instantly it occurred to me to replace the cover,
+and in breathless haste I succeeded in screwing it down
+and dashing for my life back to the bank, the water being
+up to my arm-pits ere I reached it.</p>
+
+<p>When next second I glanced upward to the mound
+where the mechanism was concealed, I saw standing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310"></a>[<a href="./images/310.png">310</a>]</span>
+thereon the wild-looking figure of a woman with her
+soiled, tattered garments fluttering in the wind.</p>
+
+<p>Her long scraggy arms were raised high above her
+head, and she was crying aloud to me.</p>
+
+<p>Without a moment's hesitation I dashed forward up
+the hill to secure the person who had apparently discovered
+the secret of the Treasure-house, but on approaching
+her closely I suddenly halted in astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>The wretched, fiendish-looking virago, upon whose
+face were the most hideous distortions of insanity I had
+ever witnessed, was none other than the once-powerful
+tyrannical autocrat, the Great White Queen!</p>
+
+<p>Across her narrow, withered brow, brown almost as a
+toad's back, a single wisp of thin grey hair strayed; in
+her eyes was the unmistakeable light of madness, while
+the nails of her outstretched fingers were as sharp and
+long as the talons of some beast of prey. So weird and
+repulsive-looking was she that I stood before her dumbfounded.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah!" she shrieked to me exultantly, in a harsh,
+rasping voice, "I have killed them&mdash;drowned them all,
+the accursed spies and renegades! The traitor Kouaga
+captured me as I fled for life from the city-gate, and
+promising me release and safe escort from this land of
+evil spirits in return for the secret of the Treasure-house,
+I recklessly gave it to him, on condition that his armed
+men should assist me to recover my lost position as
+Queen of Mo. I promised to forget the past and take
+him back into my favour. But, securing my jewels, he
+conveyed them to his Arab master at Koussan, and left
+me alone, deposed and ruined. May Zomara crush and
+torture him, the traitor!" Then, turning with wild
+gesture towards the lake, now a great sheet of placid<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311"></a>[<a href="./images/311.png">311</a>]</span>
+water, her hands clutched convulsively, her eyes starting
+as if she saw, in her disordered imagination, a host of her
+enemies, she cried: "This, at last, is the hour of my
+revenge! I have drawn the lever, and while they were
+below with you they were drowned like rats in a hole!"
+And she gave vent to a short, dry laugh, exclaiming:
+"They refused to assist me to tear the usurper from the
+Emerald Throne, so I have killed them. My work is
+finished! I have reigned and have been deposed; I
+have striven for the people, and have been rewarded by
+their curses; I have&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>At this moment, determined to carry her back to the
+city, I sprang forward and gripped her lean, bony arms.
+With colossal strength, engendered by insanity, she
+fought and bit, shrieking and showering imprecations
+upon me, it requiring all my strength to hold her; but
+presently she became quiet again, uttering long strings
+of rapid incoherent words that plainly showed the hopeless
+state of her mind.</p>
+
+<p>Thus walking, we gained the edge of the lake, and
+having passed the cascade were skirting the river when,
+with a suddenness that took me completely by surprise,
+she slipped from my grasp, and with a wild exclamation
+dashed towards the warm, oozy bank.</p>
+
+<p>Next second I noticed that the waters were alive with
+the sacred reptiles, but ere I could reach her she threw
+up her long, thin arms, and uttering an unearthly yell,
+plunged in.</p>
+
+<p>A dozen hideous, hungry jaws snapped viciously as
+she cast herself amongst them, and an instant later where,
+with a shriek of horror, she disappeared for ever beneath
+the waters, the swiftly-flowing current was tinged red by
+long streaks of human blood.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312"></a>[<a href="./images/312.png">312</a>]</span>
+In an excess of religious fervour she had sacrificed
+herself to her god Zomara.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>This is no apologue. Little there remains to tell.
+Under the beneficent rule of Omar and Liola power,
+prosperity and contentment have now returned to the
+mysterious ancient realm, within which I have been the
+first stranger to set foot. As principal official of the ruler
+of the land that, although familiar to me, is still a
+mystery to the Royal Geographical Society, I left for
+England a few months ago on a mission to the greatest
+White Queen, Victoria, offering her assistance in her
+effort to crush the cruel sway of our mutual enemies the
+Ashantis. Our offer was cordially accepted, and the
+successful issue of the campaign which caused the downfall
+of Prempeh is now well known. Before returning
+to resume my duties as Governor of Mo, the far-off
+spectral City in the Clouds, into which no stranger may
+enter, I have, however, written down, at the instigation
+of the publishers whose name this volume bears upon
+its title-page, this plain tale of travel, treason and
+treasure as a record of the first successful journey to
+the high-up, inaccessible land of the Naya, the once-dreaded
+Great White Queen.</p>
+
+
+<h4>THE END.</h4>
+
+<hr />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<div class='tnote'><h3>Transcriber's Notes</h3>
+<p>Corrections which have been made are indicated by dotted lines under
+the corrected text.
+Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text will <ins class="err"
+title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'apprear'">appear</ins>.</p>
+
+<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation &amp; spelling left intact.</p></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Great White Queen, by William Le Queux
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN ***
+
+***** This file should be named 25499-h.htm or 25499-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/4/9/25499/
+
+Produced by Suzanne Lybarger and the booksmiths at
+http://www.eBookForge.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/25499-h/images/1.png b/25499-h/images/1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d7da3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/1.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/10.png b/25499-h/images/10.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c0c839
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/10.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/100.png b/25499-h/images/100.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12c754a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/100.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/101.png b/25499-h/images/101.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2cf546f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/101.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/102.png b/25499-h/images/102.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5dcc5c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/102.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/103.png b/25499-h/images/103.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36d93f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/103.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/104.png b/25499-h/images/104.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25acba7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/104.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/105.png b/25499-h/images/105.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..434a38d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/105.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/106.png b/25499-h/images/106.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..967a787
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/106.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/107.png b/25499-h/images/107.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f624d30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/107.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/108.png b/25499-h/images/108.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..869f83d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/108.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/109.png b/25499-h/images/109.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30ff55a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/109.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/11.png b/25499-h/images/11.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9686244
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/11.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/110.png b/25499-h/images/110.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..337068d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/110.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/111.png b/25499-h/images/111.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..339248e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/111.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/112.png b/25499-h/images/112.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60bc43c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/112.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/113.png b/25499-h/images/113.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b661df2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/113.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/114.png b/25499-h/images/114.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5123a65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/114.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/115.png b/25499-h/images/115.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..27ebf52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/115.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/116.png b/25499-h/images/116.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ad358b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/116.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/117.png b/25499-h/images/117.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..22a1720
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/117.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/118.png b/25499-h/images/118.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac824f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/118.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/119.png b/25499-h/images/119.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85828ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/119.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/12.png b/25499-h/images/12.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26a29fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/12.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/120.png b/25499-h/images/120.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af2ca7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/120.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/121.png b/25499-h/images/121.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..054a200
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/121.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/122.png b/25499-h/images/122.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b9bdf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/122.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/123.png b/25499-h/images/123.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9808d8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/123.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/124.png b/25499-h/images/124.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c12eab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/124.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/125.png b/25499-h/images/125.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6cb12c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/125.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/126.png b/25499-h/images/126.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf2a085
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/126.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/127.png b/25499-h/images/127.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e9597f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/127.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/128.png b/25499-h/images/128.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d024383
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/128.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/129.png b/25499-h/images/129.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..00fc7df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/129.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/13.png b/25499-h/images/13.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a9510e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/13.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/130.png b/25499-h/images/130.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee91e09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/130.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/131.png b/25499-h/images/131.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54aed73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/131.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/132.png b/25499-h/images/132.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cee661c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/132.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/133.png b/25499-h/images/133.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..874b5aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/133.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/134.png b/25499-h/images/134.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..81cbf74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/134.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/135.png b/25499-h/images/135.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a905ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/135.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/136.png b/25499-h/images/136.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a452e27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/136.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/137.png b/25499-h/images/137.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37c59af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/137.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/138.png b/25499-h/images/138.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..338d341
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/138.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/139.png b/25499-h/images/139.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bde2c35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/139.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/14.png b/25499-h/images/14.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1ac508
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/14.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/140.png b/25499-h/images/140.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f82a7ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/140.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/141.png b/25499-h/images/141.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93367c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/141.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/142.png b/25499-h/images/142.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d6f2f62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/142.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/143.png b/25499-h/images/143.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..22718ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/143.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/144.png b/25499-h/images/144.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71836df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/144.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/145.png b/25499-h/images/145.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21ca257
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/145.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/146.png b/25499-h/images/146.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21861be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/146.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/147.png b/25499-h/images/147.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7524054
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/147.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/148.png b/25499-h/images/148.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8911f85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/148.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/149.png b/25499-h/images/149.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8db8619
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/149.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/15.png b/25499-h/images/15.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..285107a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/15.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/150.png b/25499-h/images/150.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae2bf3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/150.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/151.png b/25499-h/images/151.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdaa813
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/151.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/152.png b/25499-h/images/152.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b90a642
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/152.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/153.png b/25499-h/images/153.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a0d8e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/153.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/154.png b/25499-h/images/154.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25845ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/154.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/155.png b/25499-h/images/155.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79cd5f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/155.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/156.png b/25499-h/images/156.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e223f63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/156.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/157.png b/25499-h/images/157.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5da059b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/157.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/158.png b/25499-h/images/158.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e63ce27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/158.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/159.png b/25499-h/images/159.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2d798c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/159.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/16.png b/25499-h/images/16.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ad78f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/16.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/160.png b/25499-h/images/160.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e6b0aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/160.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/161.png b/25499-h/images/161.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..479b2f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/161.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/162.png b/25499-h/images/162.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..164b440
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/162.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/163.png b/25499-h/images/163.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..609de97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/163.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/164.png b/25499-h/images/164.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b26acd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/164.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/165.png b/25499-h/images/165.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ced9ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/165.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/166.png b/25499-h/images/166.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3bf2169
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/166.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/167.png b/25499-h/images/167.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13953f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/167.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/168.png b/25499-h/images/168.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..05c14fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/168.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/169.png b/25499-h/images/169.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..77761c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/169.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/17.png b/25499-h/images/17.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b38cf10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/17.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/170.png b/25499-h/images/170.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ede84b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/170.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/171.png b/25499-h/images/171.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..27ce378
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/171.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/172.png b/25499-h/images/172.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ed4a5d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/172.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/173.png b/25499-h/images/173.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87ee53f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/173.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/174.png b/25499-h/images/174.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e0fb77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/174.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/175.png b/25499-h/images/175.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96ab4fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/175.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/176.png b/25499-h/images/176.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..56d532f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/176.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/177.png b/25499-h/images/177.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9eb975
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/177.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/178.png b/25499-h/images/178.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7682e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/178.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/179.png b/25499-h/images/179.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36f6339
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/179.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/18.png b/25499-h/images/18.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0dd2a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/18.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/180.png b/25499-h/images/180.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ada23db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/180.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/181.png b/25499-h/images/181.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d04da3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/181.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/182.png b/25499-h/images/182.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa2a2db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/182.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/183.png b/25499-h/images/183.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3611e32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/183.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/184.png b/25499-h/images/184.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2c3cd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/184.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/185.png b/25499-h/images/185.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..44db3b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/185.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/186.png b/25499-h/images/186.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8749507
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/186.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/187.png b/25499-h/images/187.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c2e558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/187.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/188.png b/25499-h/images/188.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2bbaee3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/188.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/189.png b/25499-h/images/189.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af1d041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/189.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/19.png b/25499-h/images/19.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4c4cea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/19.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/190.png b/25499-h/images/190.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..291e44f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/190.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/191.png b/25499-h/images/191.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a0fe7f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/191.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/192.png b/25499-h/images/192.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fdd09c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/192.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/193.png b/25499-h/images/193.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8bef3e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/193.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/194.png b/25499-h/images/194.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e3f41c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/194.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/195.png b/25499-h/images/195.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f452ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/195.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/196.png b/25499-h/images/196.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e007e0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/196.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/197.png b/25499-h/images/197.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34d5936
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/197.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/198.png b/25499-h/images/198.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c729385
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/198.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/199.png b/25499-h/images/199.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7edf0ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/199.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/2.png b/25499-h/images/2.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f6b02c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/2.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/20.png b/25499-h/images/20.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b11a561
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/20.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/200.png b/25499-h/images/200.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6448d2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/200.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/201.png b/25499-h/images/201.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a20f566
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/201.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/202.png b/25499-h/images/202.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9971ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/202.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/203.png b/25499-h/images/203.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6aa262
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/203.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/204.png b/25499-h/images/204.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..40c4ad3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/204.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/205.png b/25499-h/images/205.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..668a4dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/205.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/206.png b/25499-h/images/206.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6306645
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/206.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/207.png b/25499-h/images/207.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..313090b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/207.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/208.png b/25499-h/images/208.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2061562
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/208.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/209.png b/25499-h/images/209.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..de8e39d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/209.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/21.png b/25499-h/images/21.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21f7ccd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/21.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/210.png b/25499-h/images/210.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66004a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/210.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/211.png b/25499-h/images/211.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3040c65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/211.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/212.png b/25499-h/images/212.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70b894f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/212.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/213.png b/25499-h/images/213.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0937ebd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/213.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/214.png b/25499-h/images/214.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d30d66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/214.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/215.png b/25499-h/images/215.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c552f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/215.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/216.png b/25499-h/images/216.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b494eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/216.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/217.png b/25499-h/images/217.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da21ff2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/217.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/218.png b/25499-h/images/218.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..226aad0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/218.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/219.png b/25499-h/images/219.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b0ae20a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/219.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/22.png b/25499-h/images/22.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..818dc7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/22.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/220.png b/25499-h/images/220.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc1d38e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/220.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/221.png b/25499-h/images/221.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6179c75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/221.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/222.png b/25499-h/images/222.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb9ad7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/222.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/223.png b/25499-h/images/223.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ea82ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/223.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/224.png b/25499-h/images/224.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e715ce5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/224.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/225.png b/25499-h/images/225.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e78128b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/225.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/226.png b/25499-h/images/226.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f34403
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/226.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/227.png b/25499-h/images/227.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d18afab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/227.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/228.png b/25499-h/images/228.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b465e40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/228.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/229.png b/25499-h/images/229.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab90ff9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/229.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/23.png b/25499-h/images/23.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d75db83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/23.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/230.png b/25499-h/images/230.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdbb8ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/230.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/231.png b/25499-h/images/231.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79f0924
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/231.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/232.png b/25499-h/images/232.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6744ebc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/232.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/233.png b/25499-h/images/233.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f8918d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/233.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/234.png b/25499-h/images/234.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65fb231
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/234.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/235.png b/25499-h/images/235.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63f95cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/235.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/236.png b/25499-h/images/236.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87e92f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/236.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/237.png b/25499-h/images/237.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbf2b15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/237.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/238.png b/25499-h/images/238.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ccd2444
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/238.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/239.png b/25499-h/images/239.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30ef969
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/239.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/24.png b/25499-h/images/24.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f4481b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/24.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/240.png b/25499-h/images/240.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46f8a8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/240.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/241.png b/25499-h/images/241.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..630bad9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/241.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/242.png b/25499-h/images/242.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b6af990
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/242.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/243.png b/25499-h/images/243.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ffa03ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/243.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/244.png b/25499-h/images/244.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0d254a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/244.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/245.png b/25499-h/images/245.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5bd5f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/245.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/246.png b/25499-h/images/246.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec2608f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/246.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/247.png b/25499-h/images/247.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af438f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/247.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/248.png b/25499-h/images/248.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..07e97ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/248.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/249.png b/25499-h/images/249.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f36aa12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/249.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/25.png b/25499-h/images/25.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a54c262
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/25.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/250.png b/25499-h/images/250.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f920bd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/250.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/251.png b/25499-h/images/251.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f4c7fb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/251.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/252.png b/25499-h/images/252.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ea82b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/252.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/253.png b/25499-h/images/253.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d07aefc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/253.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/254.png b/25499-h/images/254.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e86e63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/254.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/255.png b/25499-h/images/255.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba90f61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/255.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/256.png b/25499-h/images/256.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e72b2f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/256.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/257.png b/25499-h/images/257.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f1a2fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/257.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/258.png b/25499-h/images/258.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9171ef2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/258.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/259.png b/25499-h/images/259.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b250952
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/259.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/26.png b/25499-h/images/26.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b4adca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/26.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/260.png b/25499-h/images/260.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef0a6bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/260.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/261.png b/25499-h/images/261.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42acacc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/261.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/262.png b/25499-h/images/262.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68de6fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/262.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/263.png b/25499-h/images/263.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4051603
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/263.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/264.png b/25499-h/images/264.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da064bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/264.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/265.png b/25499-h/images/265.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f017321
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/265.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/266.png b/25499-h/images/266.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12543a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/266.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/267.png b/25499-h/images/267.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a6f2cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/267.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/268.png b/25499-h/images/268.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b007273
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/268.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/269.png b/25499-h/images/269.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..854752c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/269.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/27.png b/25499-h/images/27.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..979a0c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/27.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/270.png b/25499-h/images/270.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8059157
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/270.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/271.png b/25499-h/images/271.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab3f80f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/271.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/272.png b/25499-h/images/272.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d31f2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/272.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/273.png b/25499-h/images/273.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1263e59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/273.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/274.png b/25499-h/images/274.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2321fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/274.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/275.png b/25499-h/images/275.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d81a4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/275.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/276.png b/25499-h/images/276.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..27d6899
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/276.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/277.png b/25499-h/images/277.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf4e080
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/277.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/278.png b/25499-h/images/278.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edc0357
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/278.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/279.png b/25499-h/images/279.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b52da3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/279.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/28.png b/25499-h/images/28.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42481c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/28.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/280.png b/25499-h/images/280.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da0974a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/280.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/281.png b/25499-h/images/281.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24ce8b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/281.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/282.png b/25499-h/images/282.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e95d377
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/282.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/283.png b/25499-h/images/283.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3be443d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/283.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/284.png b/25499-h/images/284.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75ceecd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/284.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/285.png b/25499-h/images/285.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2398cdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/285.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/286.png b/25499-h/images/286.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..451b5c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/286.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/287.png b/25499-h/images/287.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6b83c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/287.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/288.png b/25499-h/images/288.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0478214
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/288.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/289.png b/25499-h/images/289.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c592528
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/289.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/29.png b/25499-h/images/29.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f78b301
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/29.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/290.png b/25499-h/images/290.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d37db4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/290.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/291.png b/25499-h/images/291.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6057d38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/291.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/292.png b/25499-h/images/292.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..82bbde4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/292.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/293.png b/25499-h/images/293.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bfd16a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/293.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/294.png b/25499-h/images/294.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10a4c3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/294.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/295.png b/25499-h/images/295.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae4ebc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/295.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/296.png b/25499-h/images/296.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c72fe3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/296.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/297.png b/25499-h/images/297.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c89184c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/297.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/298.png b/25499-h/images/298.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..683983e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/298.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/299.png b/25499-h/images/299.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4772732
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/299.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/3.png b/25499-h/images/3.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5971d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/3.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/30.png b/25499-h/images/30.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ab8a6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/30.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/300.png b/25499-h/images/300.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2479825
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/300.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/301.png b/25499-h/images/301.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ea07a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/301.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/302.png b/25499-h/images/302.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ca0bfd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/302.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/303.png b/25499-h/images/303.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0fa8919
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/303.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/304.png b/25499-h/images/304.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6443876
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/304.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/305.png b/25499-h/images/305.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1ea9f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/305.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/306.png b/25499-h/images/306.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b9f7b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/306.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/307.png b/25499-h/images/307.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ebbbac0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/307.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/308.png b/25499-h/images/308.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a67641a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/308.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/309.png b/25499-h/images/309.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b606b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/309.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/31.png b/25499-h/images/31.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d896a43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/31.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/310.png b/25499-h/images/310.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..935f968
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/310.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/311.png b/25499-h/images/311.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12f1558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/311.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/312.png b/25499-h/images/312.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e65c5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/312.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/32.png b/25499-h/images/32.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5db8f99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/32.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/33.png b/25499-h/images/33.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d18a53f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/33.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/34.png b/25499-h/images/34.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c25e221
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/34.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/35.png b/25499-h/images/35.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..55e0c70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/35.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/36.png b/25499-h/images/36.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e16e4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/36.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/37.png b/25499-h/images/37.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..776e28f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/37.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/38.png b/25499-h/images/38.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64eb9d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/38.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/39.png b/25499-h/images/39.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..483c3dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/39.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/4.png b/25499-h/images/4.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdd9151
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/4.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/40.png b/25499-h/images/40.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4bb1ba4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/40.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/41.png b/25499-h/images/41.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b915233
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/41.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/42.png b/25499-h/images/42.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbebfdf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/42.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/43.png b/25499-h/images/43.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd60221
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/43.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/44.png b/25499-h/images/44.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5fcc701
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/44.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/45.png b/25499-h/images/45.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..04ca39e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/45.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/46.png b/25499-h/images/46.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75ba9ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/46.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/47.png b/25499-h/images/47.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e35f44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/47.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/48.png b/25499-h/images/48.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..81e8d39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/48.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/49.png b/25499-h/images/49.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f644cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/49.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/5.png b/25499-h/images/5.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46f10b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/5.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/50.png b/25499-h/images/50.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ceacb86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/50.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/51.png b/25499-h/images/51.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c42d7be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/51.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/52.png b/25499-h/images/52.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6180e9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/52.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/53.png b/25499-h/images/53.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64ceda7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/53.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/54.png b/25499-h/images/54.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8d75d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/54.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/55.png b/25499-h/images/55.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b4ce25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/55.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/56.png b/25499-h/images/56.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0865df8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/56.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/57.png b/25499-h/images/57.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fda98fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/57.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/58.png b/25499-h/images/58.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..023485d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/58.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/59.png b/25499-h/images/59.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d19d6a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/59.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/6.png b/25499-h/images/6.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..06a9f29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/6.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/60.png b/25499-h/images/60.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6190964
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/60.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/61.png b/25499-h/images/61.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45b8b32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/61.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/62.png b/25499-h/images/62.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..efd64e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/62.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/63.png b/25499-h/images/63.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..960511e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/63.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/64.png b/25499-h/images/64.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8045047
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/64.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/65.png b/25499-h/images/65.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..82f610d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/65.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/66.png b/25499-h/images/66.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..53f49cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/66.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/67.png b/25499-h/images/67.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dfdd0b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/67.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/68.png b/25499-h/images/68.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fdf6f3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/68.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/69.png b/25499-h/images/69.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1441b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/69.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/7.png b/25499-h/images/7.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3a4605
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/7.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/70.png b/25499-h/images/70.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d9be71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/70.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/71.png b/25499-h/images/71.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e03692
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/71.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/72.png b/25499-h/images/72.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..994e5e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/72.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/73.png b/25499-h/images/73.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a73f667
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/73.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/74.png b/25499-h/images/74.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1daeb6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/74.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/75.png b/25499-h/images/75.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e84ac9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/75.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/76.png b/25499-h/images/76.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce4fb6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/76.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/77.png b/25499-h/images/77.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36daa70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/77.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/78.png b/25499-h/images/78.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..20fc323
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/78.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/79.png b/25499-h/images/79.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a91217
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/79.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/8.png b/25499-h/images/8.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ecc1247
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/8.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/80.png b/25499-h/images/80.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d32a1f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/80.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/81.png b/25499-h/images/81.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..04daada
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/81.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/82.png b/25499-h/images/82.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d628e86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/82.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/83.png b/25499-h/images/83.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..17cf21d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/83.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/84.png b/25499-h/images/84.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c70f95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/84.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/85.png b/25499-h/images/85.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea6178f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/85.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/86.png b/25499-h/images/86.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..154b3e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/86.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/87.png b/25499-h/images/87.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9696929
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/87.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/88.png b/25499-h/images/88.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..736fd71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/88.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/89.png b/25499-h/images/89.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e801fa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/89.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/9.png b/25499-h/images/9.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..758ffb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/9.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/90.png b/25499-h/images/90.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b221e14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/90.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/91.png b/25499-h/images/91.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e45267
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/91.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/92.png b/25499-h/images/92.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b16105
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/92.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/93.png b/25499-h/images/93.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..23a4317
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/93.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/94.png b/25499-h/images/94.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6005b5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/94.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/95.png b/25499-h/images/95.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3aa4ef1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/95.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/96.png b/25499-h/images/96.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c8dc93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/96.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/97.png b/25499-h/images/97.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47e7dda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/97.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/98.png b/25499-h/images/98.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9edb580
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/98.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/99.png b/25499-h/images/99.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a3eb0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/99.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/ii.png b/25499-h/images/ii.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0f6ae6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/ii.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/iii.png b/25499-h/images/iii.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89443cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/iii.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/illus-01.jpg b/25499-h/images/illus-01.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9fffa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/illus-01.jpg
diff --git a/25499-h/images/illus-01_th.jpg b/25499-h/images/illus-01_th.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e1b6009
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/illus-01_th.jpg
diff --git a/25499-h/images/iv.png b/25499-h/images/iv.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..beae295
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/iv.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/v.png b/25499-h/images/v.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..413fc2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/v.png
diff --git a/25499-h/images/vi.png b/25499-h/images/vi.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10d904a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25499-h/images/vi.png
author	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 02:17:31 -0700
committer	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 02:17:31 -0700
commit	4ef7caf81ff31ce263b700e3e920c8f318617a89 (patch)
tree	4fcdbdcc322b22a66e3406bb7a91eebbb86221b0 /25499-h