akwood stools were
brought for the richer people to stand on, and along the street that
led away to the right around the palace walls, Chris and Amos could
see embroidered silks hung from all the windows, and Chinese people in
their best holiday clothes laughing excitedly. All were looking toward
the gates, and at last, from far within, even more distantly than
before, came the first sound of trumpets. These had a sweeter, clearer
sound than those the boys had heard at noon.

"Never heard a sweeter note," Amos said. "Might be made of silver,
'way they sound."

The boys counted, and twelve times the low, lovely notes swung out on
the air.

"Twelve gates!" Chris said to Amos, "And look, you were right, they
_are_ silver trumpets!"

The trumpeters atop the great outer gates were now differently
dressed, and there were not two but a dozen lined along the deep
palace walls. The trumpets, ten feet long, were curved, and of silver
that in the sunlight dazzled the eye. As they were blown, the final
gates were pushed aside.

A long procession emerged of such fantasy and variety of color that
the two boys were spellbound. Elephants and camels, llamas and horses,
all richly caparisoned in Eastern silks, passed along with their
riders. Guards with curved swords and many-thonged whips formed a
double hedge between those in the procession and the bystanders. Still
others led leopards and black panthers on chains as an added
protection to those they guarded. Palanquin after palanquin passed by,
but still the crowd seemed to be waiting for something.

[Illustration]

Then, as the silver trumpets continued their sweet lingering notes, a
murmur arose from the crowd. Four lines of youths preceded a palanquin
more finely decked than the rest, and the murmur rose. After it came
four lines of Chinese girls, fanning the air with peacock fans on long
staves, fans of white egret feathers, and ostrich plumes dyed a yellow
gold.

[Illustration]

"Amos!" Chris breathed, "That color! Yellow is the royal color of
China!"

He did not have to elaborate his thought, for the palanquin that
finally came in sight showed by its richness that it could belong only
to royalty, and by its beauty and grace, only to a woman. Made of
silver and rock crystal, studded with diamonds and pearls, and hung
about with sheer curtains of embroidered yellow silk, the palanquin
belonged without doubt to a young girl of the royal house. As it
appeared under t