leidoscope. At last Yermoul, the Lord of Art, waved his wand, and
the dancers stood transfixed, a garden of ecstatic color like a
Persian carpet, wonderfully designed and vividly emblazoned. It was a
scene of royal magnificence. These priests and priestesses were the
art workers of Gnaphisthasia, who had so finely exhibited their
treasures.

Following the rhythmic movements of the art workers came poets,
painters, sculptors, whose works lifted the soul to higher planes of
being. These in their trophies of art recited or exhibited gave the
soul imagination and sentiment, lifting it almost to the enraptured
height of worship, adoration and love.

At the close of the ceremonies we were entertained by Yermoul, Lord of
Art, at a banquet, at which music and song and the dancing of
voluptuous priestesses made hearts thrill with delight. Bidding
farewell at last to the Lord of Art and his priests and priestesses,
his majesty, myself and our company returned by the sacred locomotive
to Calnogor.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE JOURNEY TO THE BORMIDOPHIA.

The palace bell announced the beginning of a new day in Calnogor. I
had not slept during the hours of rest, excited as I was by our visit
to Gnaphisthasia and the strange customs of Atvatabar.

Koshnili arrived soon after the bell had sounded to inform me that the
king had commanded his royal army to be assembled in the great square
beyond the palace walls to escort us to the Bormidophia, where a
solemn act of worship would be performed before the throne of the
gods. This was a most delightful message, as nothing on earth could
please me better than to witness the glories of the Bormidophia.

The army under the command of Prince Coltonobory, the brother of the
king, commander-in-chief, consisted of 250,000 wayleals, or flying
soldiers, and 50,000 bockhockids, or flying cavalry. There was also a
detachment of 10,000 fletyemings, or sailors of the royal navy. These
were drawn up in review in a vast square before the royal palace.

Superb bockhockids conveyed us the four miles to the Bormidophia in
the centre of the city.

The king and queen, both of whom wore crowns blazing with jewels, sat
with Koshnili and myself in the first palanquin of bockhockids. The
high officers of the government and nobles of the Borodemy, together
with the officers and sailors of the _Polar King_, were distributed
among the other stately litters.

The route to the pantheon was lined with pala