Babila, I was amazed at the bewildering aspect of the gigantic city. As
Omar placed his foot upon the top step, great drums, ornamented by golden
bats with outspread wings, were thumped by a perspiring line of
drummers, horns were blown with ear-piercing vehemence, and the huge guns
mounted on the walls thundered forth a deafening salute.

Then, as we walked forward along the way kept clear for us through the
enormous crowd of curious citizens, Babila at last met the tall,
patriarchal-looking man in command of the city-gate.

"Lo!" he cried. "With our Prince Omar there returneth a retinue of
strangers. This one," indicating myself, "is from the land of the white
men that lieth beyond the great black water. The others are from the
borders of Prempeh's kingdom."

"Art thou certain there are no spies among them?" asked the man, glancing
at me keenly in suspicion.

"I, Omar, Prince of Mo, vouch for each man's honesty," exclaimed my
friend, interrupting. At these words the chief guardian of the gate bowed
until his long white beard swept the ground, and we passed on, followed
by Kona and our black companions, in whom the denizens of the mysterious
place seemed highly interested, never before having seen negro savages.

Now and then as we passed along voices raised in dissension that
strangers should be admitted to the inaccessible kingdom reached our
ears, but these were drowned by the wild plaudits of the crowd. On every
hand Omar was greeted with an enthusiasm befitting the heir to the
Emerald Throne, and he, in response, bowed his head from side to side, as
with royal gait he strode down the broad handsome thoroughfare. The
buildings on either hand were magnificent in their proportions, built of
enormous blocks of grey stone finely sculptured, with square ornamented
windows. Apparently the manufacture of glass was unknown, for all the
windows were uniformly latticed. Here and there through the open doors
we caught sight of cool courtyards, with trees and plashing fountains
beyond, while from the flat roofs that here seemed to be the principal
promenade of the ladies, as in Eastern lands, white hands and bejewelled
arms waved us dainty welcome.

Across a great market square, where slaves were being bought and sold,
and business was proceeding uninterruptedly, we passed, and as we glanced
at the unfortunate ones huddled up in the scanty shadow, we remembered
the day when we, too, had been sold by our bitter and well-h