Suddenly the hole widened, and I found myself
in a kind of cave, about five feet by six
across, but high enough for me to stand up. I
scrambled to my feet, and what should I see but
a woman,--a white woman,--sittin' on a heap o'
moose and sheep skins, and glarin' at me with
eyes like two live coals. She had driven Bluff
off, and he stood growlin' in the corner.

For a minute we looked at each other without
sayin' anything; I didn't know what upon airth
to say. At last she spoke, quite calm, in a
deep, strange voice, almost like a man's, but
powerful sweet.

"What seek you," she said, "slave?"

Well, that was a queer beginnin', you see,
Dolly, and didn't help me much. But I managed
to say, "My dog come in, and I followed him--to
see what he was barkin' at."

"He was barkin' at me," said the woman. "Bow
down before me, slave! I am the Queen!"

And she made a sign with her hand, so
commandin'-like that I made a bow, the best way
I could. But, of course, I saw then that the
poor creature was out of her mind, and I
thought 't would be best to humor her, seein'
as I had come in without an invitation, as you
may say.

"Do you--do you live here, ma'am?" I asked,
very polite.

"Your Majesty!" says she, holdin' up her head,
and lookin' at me as if I was dirt under her
feet.

"Do you live here, your Majesty?" I asked
again.

"I am stayin' here," she said. "I am waitin'
for the King, who is comin' for me soon. You
did not meet him, slave, on your way hither?"

"What king was your Majesty meanin'?" says I.

"King Solomon, of course!" said she. "For what
lesser king should the Queen of Sheba wait?"

"To be sure!" says I. "No, ma'am,--your
Majesty, I mean,--I didn't meet King Solomon. I
should think you might find a more likely place
to wait for him in than this cave. A king
wouldn't be very likely to find his way in
here, would he?"

She looked round with a proud kind o' look.
"The chamber is small," she said, "but richly
furnished,--richly furnished. You may observe,
slave, that the walls are lined with virgin
g