bove the magnificently dressed spearmen who marched by the
elephant's side, and the army of richly uniformed bodyguards who rode
behind.

The rajah had been lavish enough in his dress before, but on this
occasion he far outshone all previous display. Pearls and diamonds
encrusted his breast, and his draped helmet, with its flowing white
aigrette, was a perfect blaze of jewels, from whose many facets the
setting sun flashed in a way wonderful to behold at every movement of
the ponderous beast he rode.

But the gorgeous procession was not yet complete, for, as the rajah
advanced, two more splendidly caparisoned elephants appeared, bearing a
couple of venerable-looking officials simply dressed in white, their
marks of distinction being their noble presence, and what seemed to be
stars of emeralds and diamonds in the front of their large white
turbans.

I at once supposed these grey-bearded old men to be a couple of the
rajah's counsellors, but I had no time for further examination of the
gorgeous retinue, for, with the exception of the rajah and his nearest
attendants, all halted, while the great elephant came forward, till, at
a word from its sedate-looking mahout, it stopped just before where I
stood, curled up its trunk, uttered a loud trumpeting sound, and then
softly knelt down.

As it subsided, and rested there, motionless, with its gorgeous
trappings now touching the ground, there was a quick movement amongst
the spearmen, who formed up on either side, four of them raising their
arms to enable their august master to descend.

But he did not avail himself of their help. Stepping lightly out of the
howdah, and slowly placing one foot on a kind of step, suspended by gold
cords, he sprang to the ground, and then advanced towards me with a
grave smile, his followers prostrating themselves on either side of the
noble-looking figure, while I alone stood erect, and gave him my hand,
thinking the while how plain and shabby I looked in the face of all this
grand display.

CHAPTER FORTY TWO.

I remember feeling a kind of angry contempt for the magnificently
dressed men who bowed down before this eastern potentate, and I believe
I drew myself up stiffly in face of all this abject humility. I suppose
it was pride--the pride of race; of one who knew that these were a
conquered people, men of an old-world, barbaric civilisation, which had
had to bow before the culture and advance of England; and in the midst
of al