CHAPTER IX
THE SWEARING OF THE OATH
Two or three days after this conversation, I forget exactly which itwas, Maqueda held her council in the great hall of the palace. When weentered the place in charge of a guard, as though we were prisoners, wefound some hundreds of Abati gathered there who were seated in orderlyrows upon benches. At the farther end, in an apse-shaped space, sat theChild of Kings herself on a gilded or perhaps a golden chair of whichthe arms terminated in lions' heads. She was dressed in a robe ofglittering silver, and wore a ceremonial veil embroidered with stars,also of silver, and above it, set upon her dark hair, a little circletof gold, in which shone a single gem that looked like a ruby. Thusattired, although her stature is small, her appearance was verydignified and beautiful, especially as the gossamer veil added mysteryto her face.
Behind the throne stood soldiers armed with spears and swords, and atits sides and in front of it were gathered her court to the number of ahundred or more, including her waiting-ladies, who in two companies werearranged to the right and left. Each member of this court was gorgeouslydressed according to his profession.
There were the generals and captains with Prince Joshua at the head ofthem in their Norman-like chain armour. There were judges in black robesand priests in gorgeous garments; there were territorial lords, ofwhose attire I remember only that they wore high boots, and men who werecalled Market-masters, whose business it was to regulate the rate ofexchange of products, and with them the representatives of other trades.
In short, here was collected all the aristocracy of the littlepopulation of the town and territory of Mur, every one of whom, as wefound afterwards, possessed some high-sounding title answering tothose of our dukes and lords and Right Honourables, and knights, to saynothing of the Princes of the Blood, of whom Joshua was the first.
Really, although it looked so fine and gay, the spectacle was, in asense, piteous, being evidently but a poor mockery and survival of thepageantry of a people that had once been great. The vast hall in whichthey were assembled showed this, since, although the occasion was onethat excited public interest, it was after all but a quarter filled bythose who had a right to be present.
With much dignity and to the sound of music we were marched up the broadnave, if I may describe it thus, for the building, with its apse andsupporting cedar columns, bore some resemblance to a cathedral, tillwe reached the open space in front of the throne, where our guardsprostrated themselves in their Eastern fashion, and we saluted itsoccupant in our own. Then, chairs having been given to us, after a pausea trumpet blew, and from a side chamber was produced our late guide,Shadrach, heavily manacled and looking extremely frightened.
The trial that followed I need not describe at length. It took a longwhile, and the three of us were called upon to give evidence as to thequarrel between our companion, the Professor, and the prisoner about thedog Pharaoh and other matters. The testimony, however, that proclaimedthe guilt of Shadrach was that of his companion guides, who, itappeared, had been threatened with floggings unless they told the truth.
These men swore, one after the other, that the abandonment of Higgs hadbeen a preconceived plan. Several of them added that Shadrach was intraitorous communication with the Fung, whom he had warned of our adventby firing the reeds, and had even contrived to arrange that we were tobe taken while he and the other Abati, with the camels laden with ourrifles and goods which they hoped to steal, passed through in safety.
In defence Shadrach boldly denied the whole story, and especially thathe had pushed the Gentile, Higgs, off his dromedary, as was alleged,and mounted it himself because his own beast had broken down or beeninjured.
However, his lies availed him little, since, after consultation with theChild of Kings, presently one of the black-robed judges condemned himto suffer death in a very cruel fashion which was reserved for traitors.Further, his possessions were to be forfeited to the State, and his wifeand children and household to become public slaves, which meant that themales would be condemned to serve as soldiers, and the females allottedto certain officials in the order of their rank.
Several of those who had conspired with him to betray us to the Fungwere also deprived of their possessions and condemned to the army, whichwas their form of penal servitude.
Thus amidst a mighty wailing of those concerned and of their friendsand relatives ended this remarkable trial, of which I give some accountbecause it throws light upon the social conditions of Abati. What hopeis there for a people when its criminals are sent, not to jail, but toserve as soldiers, and their womenfolk however innocent, are doomedto become the slaves of the judges or whoever these may appoint. Be itadded, however, that in this instance Shadrach and his friends deservedall they got, since, even allowing for a certain amount of falseevidence, undoubtedly, for the purposes of robbery and private hate,they did betray those whom their ruler had sent them to guide andprotect.
When this trial was finished and Shadrach had been removed, howling formercy and attempting to kiss our feet like the cur he was, the audiencewho had collected to hear it and to see us, the Gentile strangers,dispersed, and the members of the Privy Council, if I may call it so,were summoned by name to attend to their duties. When all had gathered,we three were requested to advance and take seats which had been placedfor us among the councillors.
Then came a pause, and, as I had been instructed that I should do, Iadvanced and laid Sheba's ring upon a cushion held by one of the courtofficers, who carried it to Maqueda.
"Child of Kings," I said, "take back this ancient token which you lentto me to be a proof of your good faith and mine. Know that by means ofit I persuaded our brother who is captive, a man learned in all thathas to do with the past, to undertake this mission, and through him theCaptain Orme who stands before you, and his servant, the soldier."
She took it and, after examination, showed it to several of the priests,by whom it was identified.
"Though I parted from it with fear and doubt, the holy ring has servedits purpose well," she said, "and I thank you, Physician, for returningit to my people and to me in safety."
Then she replaced it on the finger from which it had been withdrawn whenshe gave it to me many months before.
There, then, that matter ended.
Now an officer cried:
"Walda Nagasta speaks!" whereon every one repeated, "Walda Nagastaspeaks," and was silent.
Then Maqueda began to address us in her soft and pleasant voice.
"Strangers from the Western country called England," she said, "bepleased to hear me. You know our case with the Fung--that they surroundus and would destroy us. You know that in our extremity I took advantageof the wandering hither of one of you a year ago to beg him to go to hisown land and there obtain firestuffs and those who understand them, withwhich to destroy the great and ancient idol of the Fung. For that peopledeclare that if this idol is destroyed they will leave the land theydwell in for another, such being their ancient prophecy."
"Pardon, O Child of Kings," interrupted Orme, "but you will rememberthat only the other day Barung, Sultan of the Fung, said that in thisevent his nation would still live on to avenge their god, Harmac. Alsohe said that of all the Abati he would leave you alive alone."
Now at these ill-omened words a shiver and a murmur went through theCouncil. But Maqueda only shrugged her shoulders, causing the silvertrimmings on her dress to tinkle.
"I have told you the ancient prophecy," she answered, "and for the restwords are not deeds. If the foul fiend, Harmac, goes I think thatthe Fung will follow him. Otherwise, why do they make sacrifice toEarthquake as the evil god they have to fear? And when some fivecenturies ago, such an earthquake shook down part of the secret city inthe bowels of the mountains that I will show to you afterwards, why didthey fly from Mur and take up their abode in the plain, as they said, toprotect the god?"
"I do not know," answered Oliver. "If our brother were here, he whomthe Fung have captured, he might know, being learned in
the ways ofidol-worshipping, savage peoples."
"Alas! O Son of Orme," she said, "thanks to that traitor whom but now wehave condemned, he is not here and, perhaps, could tell us nothing ifhe were. At least, the saying runs as I have spoken it, and for manygenerations, because of it, we Abati have desired to destroy the idol ofthe Fung to which so many of us have been offered in sacrifice throughthe jaws of their sacred lions. Now I ask," and she leaned forward,looking at Oliver, "will you do this for me?"
"Speak of the reward, my niece," broke in Joshua in his thick voicewhen he saw that we hesitated what to answer, "I have heard that theseWestern Gentiles are a very greedy people, who live and die for the goldwhich we despise."
"Ask him, Captain," exclaimed Quick, "if they despise land also, sinceyesterday afternoon I saw one of them try to cut the throat of anotherover a piece not bigger than a large dog-kennel."
"Yes," I added, for I confess that Joshua's remarks nettled me, "and askhim whether the Jews did not despoil the Egyptians of their ornamentsof gold in the old days, and whether Solomon, whom he claims as aforefather, did not trade in gold to Ophir, and lastly whether he knowsthat most of his kindred in other lands make a very god of gold."
So Orme, as our spokesman, put these questions with great gusto toJoshua, whom he disliked intensely, whereat some of the Council, thosewho were not of the party of the Prince, smiled or even laughed, and thesilvery ornaments upon Maqueda's dress began to shake again as thoughshe also were laughing behind her veil. Still, she did not seem to thinkit wise to allow Joshua to answer--if he could--but did so herself,saying:
"The truth is, O my friends, that here we set small store by goldbecause, being shut in and unable to trade, it is of no use to us saveas an ornament. Were it otherwise, doubtless we should value it as muchas the rest of the world, Jew or Gentile, and shall do so when we arefreed from our foes who hem us in. Therefore, my uncle is wrong to claimas a virtue that which is only a necessity, especially when, as yourservant says," and she pointed to the Sergeant, "our people make landtheir gold and will spend their lives in gaining more of it, even whenthey have enough."
"Then do the Gentiles seek no reward for their services?" sneeredJoshua.
"By no means, Prince," answered Oliver, "we are soldiers of fortune,since otherwise why should we have come here to fight your quarrel"(laying an unpleasant emphasis on the "your") "against a chief who,if half savage, to us seems to have some merits, those of honour andcourage, for instance? If we risk our lives and do our work, we are nottoo proud to take whatever we can earn. Why should we be, seeing thatsome of us need wealth, and that our brother, who is as good as deadyonder, owing to the treachery of those who were sent to guard him,has relatives in England who are poor and should be compensated for hisloss?"
"Why, indeed?" ejaculated Maqueda. "Listen, now, my friends. In myown name and in that of the Abati people I promised to you as manycamel-loads of this gold as you can carry away from Mur, and before theday is done I will show it to you if you dare follow me to where it lieshid."
"First the work, then the pay," said Oliver. "Now tell us, Child ofKings, what is that work?"
"This, O Son of Orme. You must swear--if this is not against yourconsciences as Christians--that for the space of one year from to-dayyou will serve me and fight for me and be subject to my laws, strivingall the while to destroy the idol Harmac by your Western skill andweapons, after which you shall be free to go whither you will with yourreward."
"And if we swear, Lady," asked Oliver after reflection, "tell us whatrank shall we hold in your service?"
"You shall be my chief captain for this enterprise, O Son of Orme,and those with you shall serve under you in such positions as you mayplease."
At these words a murmur of dissatisfaction arose from the mail-cladgenerals in the Council.
"Are we then, to obey this stranger, O Child of Kings?" queried Joshuaas their spokesman.
"Aye, my uncle, so far as this great enterprise is concerned, as I havesaid. Can you handle the firestuffs of which they alone have the secret?Could any three of you have held the gate of Harmac against the armiesof the Fung and sent it flying skyward?"
She paused and waited in the midst of a sullen silence.
"You do not answer because you cannot," continued Maqueda. "Then forthis purpose be content to serve awhile under the command of those whohave the skill and power which you lack."
Still there was no answer.
"Lady," said Orme in this ominous quiet, "you are so good as to make mea general among your soldiers, but will they obey me? And who are yoursoldiers? Does every man of the Abati bear arms?"
"Alas! no," she replied, fixing upon this latter question perhapsbecause she could not answer the first. "Alas! no. In the old days itwas otherwise, when my great ancestresses ruled, and then we did notfear the Fung. But now the people will not serve as soldiers. They sayit takes them from their trades and the games they love; they say theycannot give the time in youth; they say that it degrades a man to obeythe orders of those set over him; they say that war is barbarous andshould be abolished, and all the while the brave Fung wait without tomassacre our men and make our women slaves. Only the very poor and thedesperate, and those who have offended against the laws will serve in myarmy, except it be as officers. Oh! and therefore are the Abati doomed,"and, throwing back her veil, suddenly, she burst into tears before usall.
I do not know that I ever remember seeing a sight more pathetic in itsway than that of this beautiful and high-spirited young woman weepingin the presence of her Council over the utter degeneracy of the raceshe was called upon to rule. Being old and accustomed to these Easternexpressions of emotion, I remained silent, however; but Oliver was sodeeply affected that I feared lest he should do something foolish. Hewent red, he went white, and was rising from his seat to go to her, hadI not caught him by the arm and pulled him back. As for Quick, he turnedhis eyes to the ceiling, as though engaged in prayer, and I heard himmuttering:
"The Lord help the poor thing, the Lord help her; the one pearl in thesnout of all these gilded swine! Well, I understand I am a bit of ageneral now, and if I don't make 'em sit up for her sake my name ain'tSamuel Quick."
Meanwhile there was much consternation and indignant murmuringamongst the Court, which felt that reflections had been thrown upon itcollectively and individually. At such a crisis, as usual, Prince Joshuatook the lead. Rising from his seat, he knelt, not without difficulty,before the throne, and said:
"O Child of Kings, why do you distress us with such words? Have you notthe God of Solomon to protect you?"
"God protects those who protect themselves," sobbed Maqueda.
"And have you not many brave officers?"
"What are officers without an army?"
"And have you not me, your uncle, your affianced, your lover?" and helaid his hand where he conceived his heart to be, and stared up at herwith his rolling, fish-like eyes. "Had it not been for the interferenceof these Gentiles, in whom you seem to put such trust," he went on,"should I not have taken Barung captive the other day, and left the Fungwithout a head?"
"And the Abati without such shreds of honour as still belong to them, myuncle."
"Let us be wed, O Bud of the Rose, O Flower of Mur, and soon I will freeyou from the Fung. We are helpless because we are separate, but togetherwe shall triumph. Say, O Maqueda, when shall we be wed?"
"When the idol Harmac is utterly destroyed, and the Fung have departedfor ever, my uncle," she answered impatiently. "But is this a time totalk of marriage? I declare the Council closed. Let the priests bringthe rolls that these strangers from the West may take the oath, and thenpardon me if I leave you."
Now from behind the throne there appeared a gorgeous gentleman arrayedin a head-dress that reminded me faintly of a bishop's mitre, andwearing over his robes a breastplate of precious stones roughlypolished, which was half hidden by a very long white beard.
This person, who it seemed was the high priest, carried in his hand
a double roll of parchment written over with characters which weafterwards discovered were bastard Hebrew, very ancient and onlydecipherable by three or four of the Abati, if indeed any of them couldreally read it. At least it was said to be the roll of the law broughtby their forefathers centuries ago from Abyssinia, together with Sheba'sring and a few other relics, among them the cradle (a palpable forgery),in which the child of Solomon and Maqueda, or Belchis, the first knownQueen of Sheba, was traditionally reported to have been rocked. Thisroll of the law, which for generations had been used at all importantceremonies among the Abati, such as the swearing-in of their queens andchief officers, was now tendered to us to hold and kiss while we tookthe oath of obedience and allegiance in the names of Jehovah and ofSolomon (a strange mixture, it struck us), solemnly vowing to performthose things which I have already set out.
"This seems a pretty wide promise," said Oliver, after it had been readto us and translated by me to Quick. "Do you think that we ought to takeit on?"
I answered "Yes," that was from my point of view, since otherwise I sawno chance of achieving the object that had caused me to enter upon thisadventure. Then, being especially requested to do so, the Sergeant,after reflecting awhile, gave his considered opinion.
"Sir," he said to Orme, "we are three white men here consorting with amob of quarter-bred African Jews and one real lady. It seems to me thatwe had best swear anything they want us to, trusting to the lady to seeus through the mess, since otherwise we shall be mere filibusters in thecountry without official rank, and liable therefore to be shot on sightby the enemy, or any mutineers who get the upper hand here. Also, wehave the Professor and the Doctor's son to think of. Therefore I say:Swear to anything in reason, reserving allegiance to the Crown of GreatBritain, and trust to luck. You see, Captain, we are in their poweranyway, and this oath may help, but can't hurt us, while to refuse itmust give offence to all these skunks, and perhaps to the lady also,which is of more consequence."
"I think you are probably right, Sergeant," said Orme. "Anyway, in for apenny, in for a pound."
Then he turned to Maqueda, who had been watching this conference in anunknown tongue with some anxiety, or so it seemed to me, and added inArabic: "O Child of Kings, we will take your oath, although it is wide,trusting to your honour to protect us from any pitfalls which it maycover, for we would ask you to remember that we are strangers in yourland who do not understand its laws and customs. Only we stipulatethat we retain our allegiance to our own ruler far away, remaining thesubjects of that monarch with all rights thereto appertaining. Also,we stipulate that before we enter on our duties, or at any rate duringthose duties, we shall be at full liberty to attempt the rescue of ourfriend and companion, now a prisoner in the hands of the Fung, and ofthe son of one of us who is believed to be a slave to them, and thatwe shall have all the assistance which you can give us in this matter.Moreover, we demand that if we should be tried for any offence underthis oath, you to whom we swear allegiance shall be our judge alone,none others intermeddling in the trial. If you accept these termswe will swear the oath; otherwise we swear nothing, but will act asoccasion may arise."
Now we were requested to stand back while the Child of Kings consultedwith her advisers, which she did for a considerable time, sinceevidently the questions raised involved differences of opinion. In theend, however, she and those who supported her seemed to overrule theobjectors, and we were called up and told that our terms had beenaccepted and engrossed upon the form of the oath, and that everythingthere included would be faithfully observed by the Ruler and Council ofthe Abati.
So we signed and swore, kissing the book, or rather the roll, in thecivilized fashion. Afterwards, very tired, for all this business hadbeen anxious, we were conducted back to our own quarters to lunch, orrather to dine, for the Abati ate their heaviest meal at midday, takinga siesta after it according to the common Eastern custom.
About four o'clock of that afternoon I was awakened from my nap by thegrowls of Pharaoh, and looked up to see a man crouching against thedoor, evidently in fear of the dog's fangs. He proved to be a messengerfrom Maqueda, sent to ask us if we cared to accompany her to a placethat we had never seen. Of course we answered "Yes," and were at onceled by the messenger to a disused and dusty hall at the back of thepalace, where presently Maqueda and three of her ladies joined us, andwith them a number of men who carried lighted lamps, gourds of oil, andbundles of torches.
"Doubtless, friends," said Maqueda, who was unveiled and appeared tohave quite recovered from our outburst of the morning, "you have seenmany wonderful places in this Africa and other lands, but now I am aboutto show you one that, I think, is stranger than them all."
Following her, we came to a door at the end of the hall which the menunbolted and shut again behind us, and thence passed into a long passagecut in the rock, that sloped continuously downwards and at length ledthrough another doorway to the vastest cave that we had ever heard of orseen. So vast was it, indeed, that the feeble light of our lamps did notsuffice to reach the roof, and only dimly showed to right and left theoutlines of what appeared to be shattered buildings of rock.
"Behold the cave city of Mur," said Maqueda, waving the lamp sheheld. "Here it was that the ancients whom we believe to have been theforefathers of the Fung, had their secret stronghold. These walls werethose of their granaries, temples, and places of ceremonial, but, as Ihave told you, centuries ago an earthquake shattered them, leaving themas they are now. Also, it broke down much of the cave itself, causingthe roof to fall, so that there are many parts where it is not safe toenter. Come now and see what is left."
We followed her into the depth of the wonderful place, our lanterns andtorches making little stars of light in that great blackness. We saw theruins of granaries still filled with the dust of what I suppose had oncebeen corn, and came at length to a huge, roofless building of whichthe area was strewn with shattered columns, and among them overgrownstatues, covered so thick by dust that we could only discover that mostof them seemed to be shaped like sphinxes.
"If only Higgs were here," said Oliver with a sigh, and passed on toMaqueda, who was calling him to look at something else.
Leaving the temple in which it was unsafe to walk, she led us to wherea strong spring, the water supply of the place, bubbled up into a rockbasin, and overflowing thence through prepared openings, ran away weknew not whither.
"Look, this fountain is very ancient," said Maqueda, pointing to thelip of the basin that was worn away to the depth of several inches wherethose who drew water had for many generations rested their hands uponthe hard rock.
"How did they light so vast a cavern?" asked Oliver.
"We do not know," she answered, "since lamps would scarcely have servedthem. It is a secret of the past which none of the Abati have cared torecover, and another is how the air is always kept fresh so deep inthe bowels of the mountain. We cannot even say whether this place isnatural, as I think, or hollowed out by men."
"Both, I expect," I answered. "But tell me, Lady, do the Abati make anyuse of this great cave?"
"Some corn is still stored here in pits in case of siege," she replied,adding sadly, "but it is not enough to be of real service, since almostall of it comes from the estates of the Child of Kings. In vain haveI prayed the people to contribute, if only a hundredth part of theirharvest, but they will not. Each says that he would give if hisneighbour gave, and so none give. And yet a day may come when a storeof corn alone would stand between them and death by hunger--if the Fungheld the valley, for instance," and she turned impatiently and walkedforward to show us the stables where the ancients kept their horses andthe marks of their chariot wheels in the stone floor.
"Nice people, the Abati, sir," said Quick to me. "If it weren't forthe women and children, and, above all, for this little lady, whom I ambeginning to worship like my master, as in duty bound, I'd like to seethem do a bit of hungering."
"There is one more place to show you," said Maqueda, when we hadinspected the
stables and argued as to what possible causes could haveinduced the ancients to keep horses underground, "which perhaps you willthink worth a visit, since it holds the treasures that are, or shall be,yours. Come!"
We started forward again along various passages, the last of whichsuddenly widened into a broad and steep incline of rock, which wefollowed for quite fifty paces till it ended in what seemed to be ablank wall. Here Maqueda bade her ladies and attendants halt, whichindeed they seemed very anxious to do, though at the moment we did notknow why. Then she went to one end of the wall where it joined that ofthe passage, and, showing us some loose stones, asked me to pull themout, which I did, not without difficulty. When an aperture had been madelarge enough for a man to creep through, she turned to her people andsaid:
"You, I know, believe this place to be haunted, nor would the bravest ofyou enter it save by express command. But I and these strangers have nosuch fears. Therefore give us a gourd of oil and some torches and bidewhere you are till we return, setting a lamp in the hole in the wall toguide us in case our own should become extinguished. No, do not reasonbut obey. There is no danger, for though hot, the air within is pure, asI know who have breathed it more than once."
Then she gave her hand to Oliver, and with his assistance crept throughthe hole. We followed, to find ourselves in another cavern, where, asshe had said, the temperature was much hotter than that without.
"What is this place?" asked Orme in a low voice, for its aspect seemedto awe him.
"The tomb of the old kings of Mur," she replied. "Presently you shallsee," and once more she took his hand, for the slope was sharp andslippery.
On we went, always descending, for perhaps four hundred yards, ourfootfalls echoing loudly in the intense silence, and our lamps, roundwhich the bats circled in hundreds, making four stars of light inthe utter blackness, till at length the passage widened out into whatappeared to be a vast circular arena, with a lofty dome-like roof ofrock. Maqueda turned to the right, and, halting before some objects thatglimmered whitely, held up her light, saying, "Look!"
This was what we saw: A great stone chair and, piled upon its seatand upon its base, human bones. Amongst these was a skull, and on it,grotesquely tilted, a crown of gold, while other ornaments--sceptres,rings, necklaces, weapons and armour--were mingled with the bones. Norwas this all, for in a wide circle round the chair were other skeletons,fifty or more of them, and amongst them the ornaments that their ownershad worn.
Also, in front of each stood a tray of some metal, which we afterwardsdiscovered to be silver or copper, and heaped upon it every kind ofvaluable, such as golden cups and vases, toilet utensils, necklaces,pectorals, bracelets, leglets, earrings and beads that seemed to be cutfrom precious stones, piles of ring money, and a hundred other thingssuch as have been prized by mankind since the beginning of civilization.
"You understand," said Maqueda, as we stared, open-mouthed at this awfuland marvellous sight, "he in the chair was the king. Those about himwere his officers, guards, and women. When he was buried they broughthis household here, bearing his wealth, sat them down about him, andkilled them. Blow away the dust, and you will see that the rock beneathis still stained with their blood; also, there are the sword-marks ontheir skulls, and neckbones."
Quick, who was of an inquiring mind, stepped forward and verified thesestatements.
"Golly!" he said, throwing down the skull of a man over whom the tiredexecutioners had evidently bungled badly, "I'm glad I didn't serve theold kings of Mur. But the same game goes on in a small way to-day inAfrica, for when I was campaigning on the West Coast I came acrossit not a fortnight old, only there they had buried the poor beggarsliving."
"Perhaps," said Maqueda, when the Sergeant's remarks had been translatedto her. "Yet I do not think the custom is one that my people wouldlove," and she laughed a little, then added, "forward, friends, thereare many more of these kings and oil does not burn for ever."
So we moved on, and at a distance of some twenty paces found anotherchair with scattered bones on and about the seat, lying where eachhad fallen as the dead man decayed. Round it were the skeletons of theunfortunates who had been doomed to accompany him upon his last journey,every one of them behind his tray of golden objects, or of simpletreasure. In front of this king's chair also were the bones of a dogwith a jewelled collar.
Again we proceeded to a third mortuary, if it may so be called, and hereMaqueda pointed out the skeleton of a man, in front of which stood atray piled up with what evidently had been the medicine bottles of theperiod and among them a number of rude surgical instruments.
"Say, O Physician Adams," she remarked with a smile, "would you havewished to be court doctor to the kings of Mur, if indeed that was thentheir city's name?"
"No, Lady," I answered; "but I do wish to examine his instruments ifI have your leave," and while she hurried forward I stooped down andfilled my pockets. Here I may remark, that upon subsequent inspectionI found among these instruments, manufactured I know not what number ofthousands of years ago--for on that point controversy rages among thelearned--many that with modifications are still in use to-day.
Of that strange and dreadful sepulchre there is little more to tell.From monarch to monarch we marched on till at length we grew weary ofstaring at bones and gold. Even Quick grew weary, who had passed hisearly youth in assisting his father, the parish sexton, and therefore,like myself, regarded these relics with professional interest, though ofa different degree. At any rate, he remarked that this family vault wasuncommonly hot, and perhaps, if it pleased her Majesty, as he calledMaqueda, we might take the rest of the deceased gentlemen as read, likea recruit's attestation questions.
But just then we came to No. 25, according to my counting, and wereobliged to stop to wonder, for clearly this king had been the greatestof them all, since round him lay about two or three times the averagenumber of dead, and an enormous quantity of wealth, some of it in theform of little statues of men and women, or perhaps of gods. Yet, oddlyenough, he was hunchback with a huge skull, almost a monstrosity indeed.Perhaps his mind partook of the abnormal qualities of his body, since noless than eleven little children had been sacrificed at his obsequies,two of whom, judging from their crooked bones, must have been his own.
One wonders what chanced in Mur and the surrounding territories whichthen acknowledged its sway when King Hunchback ruled. Alas! historywrites no record.