Part 18 (1/2)

'And thou thinkest that my sister Sorais would levy war upon ainst me I, too, have my friends and my retainers There are many, I say, ill shout ”Nyleptha!” when ht ofthe th and scatter her arht Give me that parchment and the ink So

Now summon the officer in the ante-room He is a trusty man'

I did as I was bid! and the uard, na low

'Take this parchuard every place of in and outgoing in the apartht”, and a Queen of the Zu-Vendi Let none coo out, or thy life shall pay the cost'

The man looked startled, but he merely said, 'The Queen's word be done,'

and departed Then Nyleptha sent auncoht that another outburst was about to follow, but wonderful are the ways of woman; she said not a word about Sorais and his supposed inconstancy, greeting hi sih matters All the say in her otten the affair, but was keeping it for a private occasion

Just after Curtis arrived the officer returned, and reported that Sorais was _gone_ The bird had flown to the Te, as was so Zu-Vendi ladies of rank, to spend the night in nificantly The blow had fallen very soon

Then we set to work

Generals who could be trusted were summoned from their quarters, and as ht desirable was told to each, strict injunctions being given to theether The same was done with such of the more powerful lords as Nyleptha knew she could rely on, several of whoather up their tribesmen and retainers

Sealed orders were dispatched to the rulers of far-off cities, and sohtfall with instructions to ride early and late till they reached the distant chiefs to whom their letters were addressed: alsowe laboured, assisted by soy and resource of ot back to our quarters Here we heard frorieved because our non-return had spoilt his dinner (for he had turned cook again now), that Good had coone on duty As instructions had already been given to the officer of the outer guard to double the sentries at the gate, and as we had no reason to fear any ier, we did not think it worth while to hunt hi of what had passed, which at best was, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, one of those tasks that one prefers to postpone, so after sing our food we turned in to get some much-needed rest Before we did so, however, it occurred to Curtis to tell old Uhbourhood of Nyleptha's private apartaas was noell known about the place, and by the Queen's order allowed to pass whither he would by the guards, a per about the palace during the still hours in a nocturnal fashi+on that he favoured, and which is by no enerally His presence in the corridors would not, therefore, be likely to excite remark Without any comment the Zulu took up his axe and departed, and we also departed to bed

I seemed to have been asleep but a few minutes when I akened by a peculiar sensation of uneasiness I felt that so at me, and instantly sat up, to see toat the foot of ht, was U hast thou been there?' I asked testily, for it is not pleasant to be aroused in such a fashi+on

'Mayhap the half of an hour, Macumazahn I have a word for thee'

'Speak on,' I said, noide enough awake

'As I was bid I went last night to the place of the White Queen and hid myself behind a pillar in the second anteroowan (Good) was in the first anteroom alone, and outside the curtain of that room was a sentry, but I had abehind them both There I waited forsecretly towards ure of a woure crept another unseen by the wo in her tracks His shoes were off, and for so fat a man he followed very well The woht shone upon her face'

'Who was it?' I asked impatiently

'The face was the face of the ”Lady of the Night”, and of a truth she is well nawan passed me also Then I followed So ent slowly and without a sound up the long chawan, and then I; and the wowan saw not ht” ca place of the White Queen, and put out her left hand to part thewan, and so did I At the far end of the room is the bed of the Queen, and on it she lay very fast asleep I could hear her breathe, and see one white arrass The ”Lady of the Night”

doubled herself thus, and with the long knife lifted crept towards the bed So straight did she gaze thereat that she never thought to look behind her When she was quite close Bougwan touched her on the arht her breath and turned, and I saw the knife flash, and heard it strike Well was it for Bougwan that he had the skin of iron on him, or he had been pierced Then for the first time he saho the woman was, and without a word he fell back astonished, and unable to speak

She, too, was astonished, and spoke not, but suddenly she laid her finger on her lip, thus, and walked towards and through the curtain, and with her went Bougwan So close did she pass toher as she went In the first outer roo her hands thus, she pleaded with him, but what she said I know not And so they passed on to the second outer roo, ”Nay, nay, nay” And it seeuard, when she stopped talking and looked at hireat eyes, and I saw that he was bewitched by her beauty Then she stretched out her hand and he kissed it, whereon I gatheredthat now had Bougwan becoood froone'

'Gone!' I ejaculated

'Ay, gone, and there stood Bougwan staring at the wall like one asleep, and presently he went too, and I waited a while and caaas,' said I, 'that thou hast not been a dreaht?'

In reply he opened his left hand, and produced about three inches of a blade of a dagger of the finest steel 'If I be, Macumazahn, behold what the dreawan's boso-place of the White Queen'