Part 11 (2/2)

So soon as we had finished ourall the while, regarding us with inquiring eyes, and our guns with so as like fear as his pride would allow him to shoed towards Good, whom he evidently took for the leader of the party on account of the splendour of his apparel, and once reat staircase Here we paused for a le block of pure blackrampant on the terminations of the wide balustrades of the staircase These lions are nificently executed, and it is said were sculptured by Radened the staircase, and ithout doubt, to judge from the many beautiful examples of his art thatafterwards, one of the finest sculptors who ever lived, either in this or any other country

Then we cli of awe up that splendid stair, a work executed for all time and that will, I do not doubt, be adenerations unborn unless an earthquake should throw it down Even Ueneral rule made it a point of honour not to show astonishnified, was fairly startled out of hie had been built byto any supernatural power But Alphonse did not care about it

Its solid grandeur jarred upon the frivolous little Frenchnifique, est that it would be iilt_

On ent up the first flight of one hundred and twenty steps, across the broad platforht, where we paused to adlorious view of one of the most beautiful stretches of country that the world can show, edged by the blue waters of the lake

Then we passed on up the stair till at last we reached the top, where we found a large standing space to which there were three entrances, all of salleries or roadways cut in the face of the precipice that ran round the palace walls and led to the principal thoroughfares of the city, and were used by the inhabitants passing up and down froates of bronze, and also, as we afterwards learnt, it was possible to let down a portion of the roadways the certain bolts, and thus render it quite impracticable for an eneht of ten curved blackto a doorway cut in the palace wall This as in itself a work of art, being built of huge blocks of granite to the height of forty feet, and so fashi+oned that its face was concave, whereby it was rendered practically iuide led us The door, which was ate of bronze, was closed; but on our approach it was throide, and ere e of a sentry, as arular-bladed spear, not unlike a bayonet in shape, and a cutting sword, and protected by breast and back plates of skilfully prepared hippopotamus hide, and a sh material The sword instantly attracted our attention; it was practically identical with the one in the possession of Mr Mackenzie which he had obtained froold-lined fretwork cut in the thickness of the blade So the ave a password, which the soldier acknowledged by letting the iron shaft of his spear fall with a ringing sound upon the paveh the massive wall into the courtyard of the palace

This was about forty yards square, and laid out in flower-beds full of lovely shrubs and plants, h the centre of this garden ran a broad walk forht fro this we ca with thick curtains, for there are no doors in the palace itself Then careat hall of the palace, and once randeur of the place

The hall is, as we afterwards learnt, one hundred and fifty feet long by eighty wide, and has a th of the building there are on either side, and at a distance of twenty feet fro sheer to the roof, beautifully fluted, and with carved capitals At one end of this great place which these pillars support is the group of which I have already spoken as executed by the King Rade of the staircase; and really, e had tiroup, of which the figures are in white, and the rest is black ain as life, and represents a youngheavily upon a couch One arm is carelessly thrown over the side of this couch, and his head reposes upon the other, its curling locks partially hiding it Bending over hi on his forehead, is a draped female form of such white loveliness as to lory that shi+nes upon her perfect face--well, I can never hope to describe it But there it rests like the shadow of an angel's smile; and power, love, and divinity all have their part in it Her eyes are fixed upon the sleeping youth, and perhaps theabout this beautiful work is the success hich the artist has succeeded in depicting on the sleeper's worn and weary face the sudden rising of a new and spiritual thought as the spell begins to ithin hisin upon the darkness of the ht It is a glorious piece of statuary, and none but a genius could have conceived it Between each of the black orical, and so the persons and wives of deceased reat men; but none of them, in our opinion, coh several are fro Rademas

In the exact centre of the hall was a solid mass of black marble about the size of a baby's arm-chair, which it rather resembled in appearance

This, as we afterwards learnt, was the sacred stone of this remarkable people, and on it their monarchs laid their hand after the cereuard the interests of the empire, and to maintain its custoly ancient (as indeed all stones are), and was scored down its sides with long marks or lines, which Sir Henry said proved it to have been a fraground in the iron jaws of glaciers There was a curious prophecy about this block ofthe people to have fallen fro of alien race should rule over the land As the stone, however, looked remarkably solid, the native princes see year

At the end of the hall is a dais spread with rich carpets, on which two thrones are set side by side These thrones are shaped like great chairs, and old The seats are richly cushi+oned, but the backs are left bare, and on each is carved the e out his fiery rays in all directions The footstools are golden lions couchant, with yellow topazes set in theehted by nuh up, cut on the principle of the loopholes to be seen in ancient castles, but innocent of glass, which was evidently unknown here

Such is a brief description of this splendid hall in whichfound ourselves, coe of it

On this occasion we had but little time for observation, for e entered we perceived that a large nuether in front of the two thrones, which were unoccupied The principal aed to the right and the left of the thrones, but not in front of them, and were dressed in white tunics, with various es, and are fronity of their appearance, they seereat ireat men stood a small knot of followers and attendants

Seated by theroup to the left of the throne, were sixthe ordinary kilt, they were clothed in long robes of pure white linen, with the same symbol of the sun that is to be seen on the back of the chairs, eirt up at the waist with a si elliptic plates of the same metal, fashi+oned in shi+ny scales like those of a fish, that, as their wearers ht They were all e and of a severe and impressive cast of features, which was rendered stillbeards they wore

The personality of one individual a the his fellows and refuse to be overlooked He was very old--eighty at least--and extre nearly to his waist His features were aquiline and deeply cut, and his eyes were grey and cold-looking The heads of the others were bare, but this old ereat ion, the High Priest of the country As we approached, all these reatest courtesy, at the saers across the lips in salutation

Then soft-footed attendants advanced fro seats, which were placed in a line in front of the thrones We three sat down, Alphonse and U behind us Scarcely had we done so when there caht, and a si white wand of ivory appeared just in front of the right-hand throne, and cried out so with the word _Nyleptha_, repeated three times; and another man, similarly attired, called out a si with the word _Sorais_, also repeated thrice Then came the tramp of armed men from each side entrance, and in filed about a score of picked and uards, who formed up on each side of the thrones, and let their heavy iron-handled spears fall si Another double blare of trumpets, and in from either side, each attended by six maidens, swept the two Queens of Zu-Vendis, everybody in the hall rising to greet them as they came

I have seen beautiful woer thrown into transports at the sight of a pretty face; but language fails ive some idea of the blaze of loveliness that then broke upon us in the persons of these sister Queens Both were young--perhaps five-and-twenty years of age--both were tall and exquisitely formed; but there the likeness stopped One, Nyleptha, was a woht arm and breast bare, after the custoold-ea And as for her sweet face, all I can say is, that it was one that few old, clustered in short ringlets over her shapely head, half hiding the ivory brow, beneath which eyes of deep and glorious grey flashed out in tender majesty I cannot attempt to describe her other features, only the mouth was most sweet, and curved like Cupid's bow, and over the whole countenance there shone an indescribable look of loving-kindness, lit up by a shadow of delicate humour that lay upon her face like a touch of silver on a rosy cloud

She wore no jewels, but on her neck, arold, in this instance fashi+oned like a snake; and her dress was of pure white linen of excessive fineness, plentifully eold and with the familiar symbols of the sun

Her twin sister, Sorais, was of a different and darker type of beauty

Her hair avy like Nyleptha's but coal-black, and fell in masses on her shoulders; her coe, dark, and lustrous; the lips were full, and I thought rather cruel Soave an idea of passion in repose, and caused one to wonder involuntarily what its aspect would be if anything occurred to break the calm It reminded me of the deep sea, that even on the bluest days never loses its visible sta sleep is yet instinct with the spirit of the storure, like her sister's, was almost perfect in its curves and outlines, but a trifle more rounded, and her dress was absolutely the same

As this lovely pair swept onwards to their respective thrones, amid the deep attentive silence of the Court, I was bound to confess to myself that they did indeed fulfil my idea of royalty Royal they were in every way--in fornity, and in the barbaric splendour of their attendant poold to proclailance froht eyes or a smile from those sweet lips, and while the red blood runs in the veins of youth women such as these will never lack subjects ready to do their biddings to the death

But after all they omen first and queens afterwards, and therefore not devoid of curiosity As they passed to their seats I saw both of thelance swiftly in our direction I saw, too, that their eyes passed by nificant and grizzled old riaas, who raised his axe in salutation

Attracted next by the splendour of Good's apparel, for a second their glance rested on hi moth upon a flower, then off it darted to where Sir Henry Curtis stood, the sunlight fro upon his yellow hair and peaked beard, and ht of the soloomy hall

He raised his eyes, and they met the fair Nyleptha's full, and thus for the first tioodliest man and woman that it has ever been my lot to see looked one upon another And why it was I know not, but I saw the swift blood run up Nyleptha's skin as the pink lights run up the rew her fair bosom and shapely arm, red the swanlike neck; the rounded cheeks blushed red as the petals of a rose, and then the crimson flood sank back to whence it calanced at Sir Henry He, too, had coloured up to the eyes

'Oh, ht I to e, and noe hed and shookthat the beauty of a wo and a cause of desolation By the time that I had finished my reflections both the Queens were on the thrones, for all this had happened in about six seconds Once more the unseen trumpets blared out, and then the Court seated itself, and Queen Sorais motioned to us to do likewise