the fray. Omar and Kona were
apparently sharing the direction of the attack, for sometimes I heard the
voice of one raised, giving orders, and sometimes the other. But, however
irregular the mode of proceeding might have been from a military
standpoint, success was ours, for half an hour later the two inner
courts, strenuously defended by the Naya's body guard, were taken, and
judging from the fact that the firing outside had become desultory it
seemed as though hostilities in the streets had practically ceased.

At this juncture some man, a tall, powerful fellow who was distinguishing
himself by his valiant deeds, told me that the military down in the city,
finding the populace so strong, had, after a most terrific fight, at
last ceased all opposition and declared in favour of the Prince Omar.
This, we afterwards discovered, was the actual truth. The carnage in the
streets had, however, been appalling, before this step had been resolved
upon, but when once the declaration had been made, the remnants of the
Naya's army were, at the orders of the leaders of the people, marched
without the city wall on the opposite side to the great cliff, and there
halted to await the progress of events.

Meanwhile, we were still hewing our way, inch by inch, towards the centre
of the palace of the Great White Queen. So desperate was the conflict
that the perspiration rolled from us in great beads, and many of my
comrades fell from sheer exhaustion, and were trampled to death beneath
the feet of the wildly-excited throng.

Soon, driving back the final ring of defenders, and shooting them down to
the last man, we dashed across the central court, where the polished
marble paving ran with blood, and battering down the great gilded doors,
that fell with a loud crash, gained our goal, entering the spacious Hall
of Audience, in the centre of which, upon its raised dais, under the
great gilded dome, stood the historic Emerald Throne.

The magnificent hall was deserted. The bloodshed had been frightful. The
courts were heaped with dead and dying. Several chairs were lying
overturned, as if the courtiers and slaves had left hastily, and even
across the seat of royalty one of the Naya's rich bejewelled robes of
state had been hastily flung down. This, snatched up by one of the
Dagombas, was tossed away into the crowd, who gleefully tore it to shreds
as sign that the power of the dreaded Naya was for ever broken.

To the exultant shouts of a t