Part 12 (1/2)

Next fro the crohither he had withdrawn stepped forward our guide, the old gentleirl e had seen first and afterwards rescued fro made obeisance he proceeded to address the Queens, evidently describing to them the way and place where we had been found

It wasto watch the astonishment, not unmixed with fear, reflected upon their faces as they listened to his tale Clearly they could not understand hoe had reached the lake and been found floating on it, and were inclined to attribute our presence to supernatural causes Then the narrative proceeded, as I judged froirl, to the point where we had shot the hippopota very wrong about those hippopotanant exclaroup of white-robed priests and even from the courtiers, while the two Queens listened with an auide pointed to the rifles in our hands as being the means of destruction And here, to make matters clear, I may as well explain at once that the inhabitants of Zu-Vendis are sun-worshi+ppers, and that for so them Not that they do not kill it, because at a certain season of the year they slaughter thousands--which are specially preserved in large lakes up the country--and use their hides for armour for soldiers; but this does not prevent the these animals as sacred to the sun {Endnote 11} Now, as ill luck would have it, the particular hippopotami we had shot were a family of tame animals that were kept in the mouth of the port and daily fed by priests whose special duty it was to attend to theht that the brutes were suspiciously tame, and this was, as we afterwards ascertained, the cause of it Thus it ca to show off we had coravated nature

When our guide had finished his tale, the oldbeard and round cap, whose appearance I have already described, and as, as I have said, the High Priest of the country, and known by the naue I did not like the look of his cold grey eye as he fixed it on us I should have liked it still less had I known that in the na that the whole lot of us should be offered up as a sacrifice byburnt alive

After he had finished speaking the Queen Sorais addressed hie fro the other side of the question before him Then Nyleptha spoke in liquid accents Little did we know that she was pleading for our lives Finally, she turned and addressed a tall, soldierlikeplain sword, whose nareatest lord in the country; apparently appealing to hiht her eye and she had blushed so rosy red, I had seen that the incident had not escaped this reeable to hihtened on his sword-hilt Afterwards we learnt that he was an aspirant for the hand of this Queen inso, Nyleptha could not have appealed to a worse person, for, speaking in slow, heavy tones, he appeared to confiron had said As he spoke, Sorais put her elbow on her knee, and, resting her chin on her hand, looked at hih she saw through the rew very angry, her cheek flushed, her eyes flashed, and she did indeed look lovely Finally she turned to Agon and seeive some sort of qualified assent, for he bowed at her words; and as she spoke she h to emphasize what she said; while all the time Sorais kept her chin on her hand and sn, the truain, and everybody rose to leave the hall save ourselves and the guards, whoone she bent forward and, sns and partially by exclamations made it clear to us that she was very anxious to knohere we came from The difficulty was how to explain, but at last an idea struck e pocket-book init out, I made a little sketch of a lake, and then as best I could I drew the underground river and the lake at the other end When I had done this I advanced to the steps of the throne and gave it to her She understood it at once and clapped her hands with delight, and then descending from the throne took it to her sister Sorais, who also evidently understood Next she took the pencil fro it with curiosity proceeded to htful little sketches, the first representing herself holding out both hands in welco them Next she drew a lovely little picture of a hippopota in the water, and of an individual, in e had no difficulty in recognizing Agon the High Priest, holding up his hands in horror on the bank Then followed apicture of a dreadful fiery furnace and of the sa us into it with a forked stick This picture perfectly horrified me, but I was a little reassured when she nodded sweetly and proceeded to ain unconized Sorais and herself, each with one ar a sword in protection over him To all of these Sorais, who I saas enified her approval by nodding

At last Nyleptha drew a final sketch of a rising sun, indicating that she ; whereat Sir Henry looked so disappointed that she saw it, and, I suppose by way of consolation, extended her hand to him to kiss, which he did with pious fervour At the salass during the whole indaba [interview], rewarded hih, while she did so, her eyes were fixed upon Sir Henry I as; neither of theave _me_ her hand to kiss

Then Nyleptha turned and addressed the uard, apparently fro hient and careful orders; after which, with a somewhat coquettish nod and suards

When the Queens had gone, the officer whom Nyleptha had addressed came forward and with h various passages to a sue central roo lamps (for it was now dusk) and richly carpeted and streith couches On a table in the centre of the room was set a profusion of food and fruit, and, what is more, flowers There was a delicious wine also in ancient-looking sealed earthenware flagons, and beautifully chased golden and ivory cups to drink it from Servants, male and female, also were there to minister to us, and whilst we ate, from some recess outside the apartment

'The silver lute did speak between The truether we found ourselves in a sort of earthly paradise which was only disturbed by the vision of that disgusting High Priest who intended to commit us to the flames But so very weary ith our labours that we could scarcely keep ourselves awake through the sumptuous meal, and as soon as it was over we indicated that we desired to sleep As a further precaution against surprise we left Uaas with his axe to sleep in theto the apartments which we occupied respectively, Good and I in the one, and Sir Henry and Alphonse in the other Then throwing off our clothes, with the exception of the mail shi+rts, which we considered it safer to keep on, we flung ourselves down upon the low and luxurious couches, and drew the silk-embroidered coverlids over us

In twooff when I was aroused by Good's voice

'I say, Quatermain,' he said, 'did you ever see such eyes?'

'Eyes!' I said, crossly; 'what eyes?'

'Why, the Queen's, of course! Sorais, I mean--at least I think that is her name'

'Oh, I don't know,' I yawned; 'I didn't notice theain I dropped off

Five minutes or so elapsed, and I was once more awakened

'I say, Quatermain,' said the voice

'Well,' I answered testily, 'what is it now?'

'Did you notice her ankle? The shape--'

This was more than I could stand ByMoved quite beyond ht at Good's head--and hit it

Afterwards I slept the sleep of the just, and a very heavy sleep it must be As for Good, I don't know if he went to sleep or if he continued to pass Sorais' beauties in mental review, and, what is more, I don't care

CHAPTER XIII ABOUT THE ZU-VENDI PEOPLE

And now the curtain is down for a few hours, and the actors in this novel draed in dewy sleep Perhaps we should except Nyleptha, who in her bed of state encouards, and all the other people and appurtenances that surround a throne, and yet not able to sluers who had visited a country where no such strangers had ever co, as she lay awake, who they were and what their past has been, and if she was ugly compared to the wo poetically inclined, will take advantage of the lull to give so e found ourselves, compiled, needless to state, from information which we subsequently collected

The na, is Zu-Vendis, from Zu, 'yellow', and Vendis, 'place or country' Why it is called the Yellow Country I have never been able to ascertain accurately, nor do the inhabitants theiven, each of which would suffice to account for it The first is that the naold that is found in the land