ooftop to wait for the king's summons. From here I had my first really
good view of the city at close range.

Miela's home sat upon a terrace, leveled off on the steep hillside; all
the houses in the vicinity were similarly situated. Behind us the mountain
rose steeply; in front it dropped away, affording an extended view of the
level, palm-dotted country below.

The slope of hillside rising abruptly behind us held another house just
above the level of the rooftop we were on. As I sat there looking idly
about I thought I saw a figure lurking near this higher building. I called
Miela's attention to it--the obscure figure of a man standing against a
huge palm trunk.

As we watched the figure stepped into plainer view. I saw then it _was_ a
man, evidently looking down at us. I stood up. There was no one else in
sight except a woman on the roof of the other house holding an infant.

Something about the man's figure seemed vaguely familiar; my heart leaped
suddenly.

"Miela," I whispered, "surely that--that is no one of your world."

Her hand clutched my arm tightly as the man stepped forward again and
waved at us. I crossed the rooftop, Miela following. At my sudden motion
the man hesitated, then seemed about to run. I hardly know what thoughts
impelled me, but suddenly I shouted: "Wait!"

At the sound of my voice he whirled around, stopped dead an instant, and
then, with an answering call, came running down the hillside.

"The earth-man!" cried Miela. "The earth-man of Tao it must be."

We hurried down through the house and arrived at its back entrance. Coming
toward us at a run across the garden was the man--unmistakably one of my
own world.

My hurried glance showed me he was younger than I--a short, stocky,
red-headed chap, dressed in dirty white duck trousers and a torn white
linen shirt.

He came on at full speed.

"Hello!" I called.

He stopped abruptly. For an instant we stared at each other; then he
grinned broadly.

"Well, I don't know who _you_ are," he ejaculated, "but I want to say it
certainly does me good to see you."

CHAPTER XIV.

THE RULER OF THE LIGHT COUNTRY.

However pleased the newcomer was to see me, I had no difficulty in
assuring him with equal truth that my feelings matched his. The first
surprise of the meeting over, we took him to the living room, where Lua
greeted him with dignified courtesy, and we all gathered around to hear
his story.

He was, I saw now, not mo