house, the walls
of which were of polished white marble, that reflected the last rays of
the sun like burnished gold. Striking the door thrice, it opened, and on
going in he conducted us to a spacious hall, where we found exposed to
our view a great collection of arms and warlike accoutrements. All kinds
of instruments of death, which the inventive malice of man had ever
discovered had been collected for the use of those determined to
accomplish the overthrow of the wicked rule of the Naya. First, there
were sticks, staves and knotty clubs. Next to these, spears, darts,
javelins, armed with brass or iron, or their points hardened with fire,
and innumerable bows with quivers and arrows, which Kona examined
critically, giving low grunts of approbation as he scrutinized a specimen
of each.

After these, instruments of dubious use originally designed for the
assistance of man, but perverted through cruelty and malice to the
service of slaughter and death; such as knives, scythes, axes and
hammers. On these were heaped arms, deliberately fashioned for the
offence of mankind, swords, daggers, poignards, scimitars, and rapiers,
while on the opposite side of the spacious place were stored the more
refined and destructive instruments of European war, rifles, muskets,
revolvers, bayonets, small field-pieces, machine-guns of various
patterns, including four Maxims and their food, boxes of cartridges, kegs
of powder, cakes of dynamite, bombs and shells.

"Behold!" exclaimed Goliba, halting before them. "Here is one of our
secret stores of arms."

"One of them!" said Omar. "How many, then, have we?"

"In the city there are sixteen, all similarly filled. Away in various
parts of the country there are depots in every populous centre," he
replied.

"But it must have taken a long time to obtain all these," the Prince
observed, puzzled.

"The munitions of war were swiftly obtained for a popular rising," the
aged sage replied. "When the word went forth in secret to the people,
they responded almost to a man. Arms were actually carried from the royal
arsenal in great quantities, and even the spies of the Naya found
themselves thwarted and powerless. We have obtained nearly all the Maxims
purchased in England, by the Naya's agent, Makhana; some are here, others
at various depots, and each will be in charge of fighting-men, who know
their use. The few remaining in the arsenal and forts have all been
disabled by those of our sympathis