we feared. Scarcely had we entered the great room where the Child
of Kings was seated in her chair of state surrounded by all the pomp and
ceremony of her mimic court, when the big doors at the end of it were
opened, and through them marched three gray-bearded men in white robes
whom we saw at once were heralds or ambassadors from the Fung. These
men bowed to the veiled Maqueda and, turning toward where we stood in a
little group apart, bowed to us also.

But of Joshua, who was there supported by two servants, for he could not
yet stand alone, and the other notables and priests of the Abati, they
took not the slightest heed.

"Speak," said Maqueda.

"Lady," answered the spokesman of the embassy, "we are sent by our
Sultan, Barung, son of Barung, Ruler of the Fung nation. These are the
words of Barung: O Walda Nagasta! 'By the hands and the wit of the white
lords whom you have called to your aid, you have of late done much evil
to the god Harmac and to me his servant. You have destroyed one of the
gates of my city, and with it many of my people. You have rescued a
prisoner out of my hands, robbing Harmac of his sacrifice and thereby
bringing his wrath upon us. You have slain sundry of the sacred beasts
that are the mouth of sacrifice, you have killed certain of the priests
and guards of Harmac in a hole of the rocks. Moreover my spies tell me
that you plan further ills against the god and against me. Now I send
to tell you that for these and other offences I will make an end of the
people of the Abati, whom hitherto I have spared. In a little while I
marry my daughter to the white man, that priest of Harmac who is called
Singer of Egypt, and who is said to be the son of the physician in
your service, but after I have celebrated this feast and my people have
finished the hoeing of their crops, I take up the sword in earnest, nor
will I lay it down again until the Abati are no more.

"'Learn that last night after the holy beasts had been slain and
the sacrifice snatched away, the god Harmac spoke to his priests in
prophecy. And this was his prophecy; that before the gathering in of the
harvest his _head_ should sleep above the plain of Mur. We know not the
interpretation of the saying, but this I know, that before the gathering
of the harvest I, or those who rule after me, will lie down to sleep
within my city of Mur.'

"'Now, choose--surrender forthwith and, save for the dog, Joshua, who
the other day tried to entrap