fro through the ice mountains, opening the mouths of the dead men
and women you meet, and when you come to a middle-sized man with a
fillet on his head and a jaw mended with gold, that will be he whom you
look for. Bring me that fillet here within five minutes and the maid is
yours."

I started, and stared hard in amazement. Was this a dream? Was the
royal savage in front playing with me? By what incredible chance had
he hit upon the very errand I could answer to best, the very trophy I
had brought away from the grim valley of ice and death, and had still
in my shoulder-bag? No, he was not playing; he was staring hard in
turn, joying in my apparent confusion, and clearly thinking he had
cornered me beyond hope of redemption.

"Surely your mightiness is not daunted by so simple a task," scowled
the sovereign, playing with the hilt of his huge hunting-knife, "and
all amongst your friends' kindred too. On a hot day like this it ought
to be a pleasant saunter for a spirit such as yourself."

"Not daunted," I answered coldly, turning on my heels towards the door,
"only marvelling that your majesty's skull and your necromancer's could
not between them have devised a harder task."

Out into the courtyard I went, with my heart beating finely in spite of
my assumed indifference; got the bag from a peg in my sleeping-room,
and was back before the log throne ere four minutes were gone.

"The old Hither king's compliments to your majesty," I said, bowing,
while a deathly hush fell on all the assembly, "and he says though your
ancestors little liked to hear his voice while alive, he says he has no
objection to giving you some jaw now he is dead," and I threw down on
the floor the golden circlet of the frozen king.

Ar-hap's eyes almost started from his head as, with his courtiers, he
glared in silent amazement at that shining thing while the great drops
of fear and perspiration trickled down his forehead. As for poor Heru,
she rose like a spirit behind them, gazed at the jaw-bone of her
mythical ancestor, and then suddenly realising my errand was done and
she apparently free, held out her hands, and, with a tremulous cry,
would have come to me.

But Ar-hap was too quick for her. All the black savage blood swelled
into his veins as he swept her away with one great arm, and then with
his foot gave the luckless jaw a kick that sent it glittering and
spinning through the far doorway out into the sunshine.

"Sit down," h