his basket (where he was
barking loudly) would make the whole lot run, and if he was out--oh
my! Now, then, you porpoise"--this he addressed to Joshua, who was
flourishing his sword unpleasantly near--"put your pasteboard up, won't
you, or I'll knock your fat head off," whereon the Prince, who, if
he did not understand Quick's words, at any rate caught their meaning
wonderfully well, did as he was told, and fell back.

Just then, indeed, there was a general movement up the pass, in the
wide mouth of which all this scene took place, for suddenly three Fung
chieftains appeared galloping toward us, one of whom was veiled with
a napkin in which were cut eyeholes. So universal was this retreat,
in fact, that we three on our camels, and the Child of Kings on her
beautiful mare, found ourselves left alone.

"An embassy," said Maqueda, scanning the advancing horsemen, who carried
with them a white flag tied to the blade of a spear. "Physician, will
you and your friends come with me and speak to these messengers?" And
without even waiting for an answer, she rode forward fifty yards or so
on to the plain, and there reined up and halted till we could bring
our camels round and join her. As we did so, the three Fung,
splendid-looking, black-faced fellows, arrived at a furious gallop,
their lances pointed at us.

"Stand still, friends," said Maqueda; "they mean no harm."

As the words passed her lips, the Fung pulled the horses to their
haunches, Arab-fashion, lifted spears and saluted. Then their
leader--not the veiled man, but another--spoke in a dialect that I, who
had spent so many years among the savages of the desert, understood well
enough, especially as the base of it was Arabic.

"O, Walda Nagasta, Daughter of Solomon," he said, "we are the tongues of
our Sultan Barung, Son of Barung for a hundred generations, and we speak
his words to the brave white men who are your guests. Thus says Barung.
Like the Fat One whom I have already captured, you white men are heroes.
Three of you alone, you held the gate against my army. With the weapons
of the white man you killed us from afar, here one and there one. Then,
at last, with a great magic of thunder and lightning and earthquake, you
sent us by scores into the bosom of our god, and shook down our walls
about our ears and out of that hell you escaped yourselves.

"Now, O white men, this is the offer of Barung to you: Leave the curs
of the Abati, the baboons who gibber and d