Part 30 (2/2)
Waiting till its huge jaere open I thrustthe short sword in such fashi+on that the hilt rested on its tongue and the point against the roof of its ood iron was fixed between the them wide open Then I withdrewworse than a cut upon the wrist fros I appeared upon the surface and after onies I re on the bank surrounded by aover me Also in the shalloater was the crocodile dead, my sword still fixed between its jaws
”Are you harony
”Very little I think,” I answered, sitting up with the blood pouring frohtly clothed fro you the lilies presently”
Then he flung his ar to the crowd, shouted,
”Last night you were disputing as to whether this Egyptian lord should be allowed to dith me in the land of Ethiopia Which of you disputes it now?”
”No one!” they answered with a roar ”He is not a man but a God No man could have done such a deed”
”So it seems,” answered Bes quietly ”At least none of you even tried to do it Yet he is not a God but only that kind of man who is called a hero Also he is n at o aith him”
”It shall be so, Karoon!” they shouted with one voice And after this I was carried back to the tent
In front of it my mother waited and kissed ain
So ended this adventure of the crocodile, except that presently Bes went back and recovered the two lilies for Karema, this time from a boat, which caused the Ethiopians to call out that he h not as much as he did me
That afternoon, borne in litters, we set out for the City of the Grasshopper, which we reached on the fourth day As we drew near the place regiments of men to the number of twelve thousand or more, came out to meet us, so that at last we arrived escorted by an ars of triumph and played upon their musical instruments until reat place whereof the houses were built of mud and thatched with reeds It stood upon a wide plain and in its centre rose a natural, rocky hill upon the crest of which, fashi+oned of blocks of gleaold, was the te very like to those of Egypt Round it also were other public buildings, a surrounded by triple marble walls as a protection fro so beautiful as that hill with its edifices of shi+ning white roofed with gold or copper and glea from my litter I walked to those of ht not be approached, and said as much to them
”Yes, Son,” answered my mother, ”it is worth while to have travelled so far to see such a sight I shall have a fine sepulchre, Son”
”I have seen it all before,” broke in Karema
”When?” I asked
”I do not know I suppose it must have been when I was the Cup of the holy Tanofir At least it is familiar to me Already I weary of it, for who can care for a land or a city where they think white people hideous and scarcely alloife to go near her husband, save between ht and dahen they cease froe these customs, Karema”
”Yes,” she exclaimed, ”certainly that will be my part,” after which I went back to ates of the City of the Grasshopper ere royally received The priests cae of their God before the ould be the value of that huge golden locust, if it were melted down Also the Council came, very ancient men all of them, since the Ethiopians for the most part lived more than a hundred years
Perhaps that is why they were so glad to welco power in their own hands as they had done during his long absence For save Bes there was no otherof the true royal blood who could take the throne
Then there were thousands of wo whose black skins shone with scented oils, for they wore little except a girdle about their waists and s were sos through their noses, such as in Egypt are put in those of bulls My ht thee people, these Ethiopians, like children,of one thing for h al the and e These men made their laherein there was always sense under what seeold and other metals and followed the arts They were the real masters of the land, the rest were but slaves content to live in plenty, for in that fertile soil want never came near them, and to do as they were bid