ll that he had been charged with. Therefore,
although they have sinned in conspiring against me, and must
consequently be punished, yet their punishment shall not be death. My
sentence upon you, O Ingona, Lambati, and Moroosi! is that ye be
banished hence to the farthest confines of my kingdom, and be stationed
at those points where the neighbouring nations are most aggressive.
There ye shall be placed in command of the troops who guard the land;
there ye shall find ample outlet for your warlike propensities; and
there, if ye will, ye may atone for your fault by rendering me as good
service in the future as ye have rendered in the past. I have said!"

As the last words passed the king's lips a shout of irrepressible
triumph and rejoicing went up from those present; for the three chiefs
most intimately concerned had many friends, and were regarded by all
with esteem and respect almost amounting to veneration. There is little
doubt, therefore, that the king's clemency in punishing their crime by
banishment to points where their duties would not only be arduous, but
also honourable, did much to strengthen his position and increase his
popularity.

For several days following the conspiracy trial nothing of moment
happened; the excitement which had been aroused by the somewhat
sensational discovery of the plot and its sequel gradually subsided,
until at length everybody was once more going about his business as
calmly and quietly as though nothing abnormal had ever happened.
Meanwhile Dick and Grosvenor diligently applied themselves to a
systematic exploration of the ruins and the taking of many photographs;
they were both highly skilled amateur photographers, and were also
endowed with a considerable amount of artistic taste. Moreover,
Grosvenor had devoted a considerable amount of time to the perfecting of
himself in the science of photography in natural colours, and had
provided himself with all the requisite apparatus needed. Consequently,
by the time that they had completed their labours, they found themselves
possessors not only of a large number of negatives of the highest value
from the archaeologist's point of view, but also of several exquisitely
beautiful pictures in natural colours of the ruins as seen under various
atmospheric effects, such as early morning, sunrise, and sunset, the
latter being exceptionally fine because of the gorgeous hues of the
sunsets which were characteristic of the place.

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