ner of diseases and injury to the human anatomy, they were even more
greatly surprised and delighted, for, astonishing as it may appear in
the case of a people so highly civilised in many respects as were the
Izreelites, they knew practically nothing of either medicine or surgery,
and pinned their faith entirely to the efficacy of charms and
incantations. Moreover, it soon transpired that they had a particular
as well as a general reason for rejoicing at the fact that a physician
of real and proved ability had come among them; for, after a
considerable amount of discussion among themselves, Grosvenor was
informed that the whole nation was racked with anxiety concerning the
health of the young Queen Myra, who seemed gradually becoming deranged;
the especial significance of their anxiety being explained by the fact--
stated with the utmost gravity--that an ancient prophecy, in which they
placed the most implicit faith, foretold that should ever a monarch die
without issue, the fall of the nation and its absorption by its savage
neighbours would immediately follow. The point of it all lay in the
fact that the Queen was unwedded, and insisted on remaining so, while
the savages who surrounded Izreel on every side were daily becoming more
aggressive!

"Now, here is your chance, Dick," explained Grosvenor delightedly, when
he had translated the above particulars to his friend. "You sail in
with your pills and potions, cure the Queen, marry her, make me your
Prime Minister, and we all live happily ever afterwards, like the people
in the fairy tales--eh, what? Shall I tell these chappies that they
need not worry any further about their Queen, for that you are prepared
to cure her, whatever her malady may happen to be?"

"Of course not," answered Dick seriously. "But you may say, if you
like, that I shall be very pleased to see Her Majesty and do what I can
for her. And pray try to be serious, Phil, for once in a way; frivolity
is well enough at a proper time, and in its proper place, but it will
not improve these people's opinion of us if they see us laughing and
obviously joking over a matter that seems to be a serious enough one for
them, and may be sufficiently serious for us, too, in the long run."

"Yes--yes--of course," assented Grosvenor, completely sobered by his
friend's grave words; "I quite see what you mean, old chap, and I
promise you there shall be no further ill-timed attempts at jocularity
on my part. Th