Queen Sheba's Ring

  CHAPTER XX

  THE TRIAL AND AFTER

  They set us in a line, four ragged-looking fellows, all of us withbeards of various degrees of growth, that is, all the other three, formine had been an established fact for years, and everything having beentaken away from us, we possessed neither razor nor scissors.

  In the courtyard of our barrack we were met by a company of soldiers,who encircled us about with a triple line of men, as we thought toprevent any attempt of escape. So soon as we passed the gates I found,however, that this was done for a different reason, namely, to protectus from the fury of the populace. All the way from the barrack to thecourthouse, whither we were being taken now that the palace was burned,the people were gathered in hundreds, literally howling for our blood.It was a strange, and, in a way, a dreadful sight to see even thebrightly dressed women and children shaking their fists and spitting atus with faces distorted by hate.

  "Why they love you so little, father, when you do so much for them?"asked Roderick, shrugging his shoulders and dodging a stone that nearlyhit him on the head.

  "For two reasons," I answered. "Because their Lady loves one of us toomuch, and because through us many of their people have lost their lives.Also they hate strangers, and are by nature cruel, like most cowards,and now that they have no more fear of the Fung, they think it will besafe to kill us."

  "Ah!" said Roderick; "yet Harmac has come to Mur," and he pointed to thegreat head of the idol seated on the cliff, "and I think where Harmacgoes, Fung follow, and if so they make them pay plenty for my life, forI great man among Fung; Fung myself husband of Sultan's daughter. Thesefools, like children, because they see no Fung, think there are no Fung.Well, in one year, or perhaps one month, they learn."

  "I daresay, my boy," I answered, "but I am afraid that won't help us."

  By now we were approaching the court-house where the Abati priests andlearned men tried civil and some criminal cases. Through a mob of noblesand soldiers who mocked us as we went, we were hustled into the largehall of judgment that was already full to overflowing.

  Up the centre of it we marched to a clear space reserved for the partiesto a cause, or prisoners and their advocates, beyond which, against thewall, were seats for the judges. These were five members of the Council,one of whom was Joshua, while in the centre as President of the Court,and wearing her veil and beautiful robes of ceremony, sat Maquedaherself.

  "Thank God, she's safe!" muttered Oliver with a gasp of relief.

  "Yes," answered Higgs, "but what's she doing there? She ought to be inthe dock, too, not on the Bench."

  We reached the open space, and were thrust by soldiers armed with swordsto where we must stand, and although each of us bowed to her, I observedthat Maqueda took not the slightest notice of our salutations. She onlyturned her head and said something to Joshua on her right, which causedhim to laugh.

  Then with startling suddenness the case began. A kind of publicprosecutor stood forward and droned out the charge against us. It wasthat we, who were in the employ of the Abati, had traitorously takenadvantage of our position as mercenary captains to stir up a civilwar, in which many people had lost their lives, and some been actuallymurdered by ourselves and our companion who was dead. Moreover, thatwe had caused their palace to be burned and, greatest crime of all, hadseized the sacred person of the Walda Nagasta, Rose of Mur, and draggedher away into the recesses of the underground city, whence she was onlyrescued by the chance of an accomplice of ours, one Japhet, betrayingour hiding-place.

  This was the charge which, it will be noted, contained no allusionwhatever to the love entanglement between Maqueda and Oliver. When itwas finished the prosecutor asked us what we pleaded, whereon Oliveranswered as our spokesman that it was true there had been fighting andmen killed, also that we had been driven into the cave, but as to allthe rest the Child of Kings knew the truth, and must speak for us as shewished.

  Now the audience began to shout, "They plead guilty! Give them todeath!" and so forth, while the judges rising from their seats, gatheredround Maqueda and consulted her.

  "By heaven! I believe she is going to give us away!" exclaimed Higgs,whereon Oliver turned on him fiercely and bade him hold his tongue,adding:

  "If you were anywhere else you should answer for that slander!"

  At length the consultation was finished; the judges resumed their seats,and Maqueda held up her hand. Thereon an intense silence fell upon theplace. Then she began to speak in a cold, constrained voice:

  "Gentiles," she said, addressing us, "you have pleaded guilty to thestirring up of civil war in Mur, and to the slaying of numbers of itspeople, facts of which there is no need for evidence, since many widowsand fatherless children can testify to them to-day. Moreover, you did,as alleged by my officer, commit the crime of bearing off my person intothe cave and keeping me there by force to be a hostage for your safety."

  We heard and gasped, Higgs ejaculating, "Good gracious, what a lie!" Butnone of the rest of us said anything.

  "For these offences," went on Maqueda, "you are all of you justly worthyof a cruel death." Then she paused and added, "Yet, as I have the powerto do, I remit the sentence. I decree that this day you and all thegoods that remain to you which have been found in the cave city, andelsewhere, together with camels for yourselves and your baggage, shallbe driven from Mur, and that if any one of you returns hither, he shallwithout further trial be handed over to the executioners. This I dobecause at the beginning of your service a certain bargain was made withyou, and although you have sinned so deeply I will not suffer thatthe glorious honour of the Abati people shall be tarnished even by thebreath of suspicion. Get you gone, Wanderers, and let us see your facesno more for ever!"

  Now the mob gathered in the hall shouted in exultation, though I heardsome crying out, "No, kill them! Kill them!"

  When the tumult had died down Maqueda spoke again saying:

  "O noble and generous Abati, you approve of this deed of mercy; you whowould not be held merciless in far lands, O Abati, where, although youmay not have heard of them, there are, I believe, other peoples whothink themselves as great as you. You would not have it whispered, Isay, that we who are the best of the world, we, the children of Solomon,have dealt harshly even with stray dogs that have wandered to our gates?Moreover, we called these dogs to hunt a certain beast for us, thelion-headed beast called Fung, and, to be just to them, they huntedwell. Therefore spare them the noose, though they may have deserved it,and let them run hence with their bone, say you, the bone which theythink that they have earned. What does a bone more or less matter to therich Abati, if only their holy ground is not defiled with the blood ofGentile dogs?"

  "Nothing at all! Nothing at all!" they shouted. "Tie it to their tailsand let them go!"

  "It shall be done, O my people! And now that we have finished with thesedogs, I have another word to say to you. You may have thought or heardthat I was too fond of them, and especially of one of them," and sheglanced toward Oliver. "Well, there are certain dogs who will not workunless you pat them on the head. Therefore I patted this one on thehead, since, after all, he is a clever dog who knows things that we donot know; for instance, how to destroy the idol of the Fung. O greatAbati, can any of you really have believed that I, of the ancient raceof Solomon and Sheba, I, the Child of Kings, purposed to give my noblehand to a vagrant Gentile come hither for hire? Can you really havebelieved that I, the solemnly betrothed to yonder Prince of Princes,Joshua, my uncle, would for a moment even in my heart have preferred tohim such a man as that?" And once again she looked at Oliver, who madea wild motion, as though he were about to speak. But before he could somuch as open his lips Maqueda went on:

  "Well, if you believed, not guessing all the while I was working for thesafety of my people, soon shall you be undeceived, since to-morrow nightI invite you to the great ceremony of my nuptials, when, according tothe ancient custom, I break the glass with him whom on the followingnight I take to be my husband," and rising, she bowed th
rice to theaudience, then stretched out her hand to Joshua.

  He, too, rose, puffing himself out like a great turkey-cock, and, takingher hand, kissed it, gobbling some words which we did not catch.

  Wild cheering followed, and in the momentary silence which followedOliver spoke.

  "Lady," he said, in a cold and bitter voice, "we 'Gentiles' have heardyour words. We thank you for your kind acknowledgment of our services,namely, the destruction of the idol of the Fung at the cost of somerisk and labour to ourselves. We thank you also for your generosity inallowing us, as the reward of that service, to depart from Mur, withinsult and hard words, and such goods as remain to us, instead ofconsigning us to death by torture, as you and your Council have thepower to do. It is indeed a proof of your generosity, and of that of theAbati people which we shall always remember and repeat in our own land,should we live to reach it. Also, we trust that it will come to theears of the savage Fung, so that at length they may understand thattrue nobility and greatness lie not in brutal deeds of arms, but in thehearts of men. But now, Walda Nagasta, I have a last request to make ofyou, namely, that I may see your face once more to be sure that it isyou who have spoken to us, and not another beneath your veil, and thatif this be so, I may carry away with me a faithful picture of one sotrue to her country and noble to her guests as you have shown yourselfthis day."

  She listened, then very slowly lifted her veil, revealing such acountenance as I had never seen before. It was Maqueda without a doubt,but Maqueda changed. Her face was pale, which was only to be expectedafter all she had gone through; her eyes glowed in it like coals, herlips were set. But it was her expression, at once defiant and agonized,which impressed me so much that I never shall forget it. I confess Icould not read it in the least, but it left upon my mind the belief thatshe was a false woman, and yet ashamed of her own falsity. There was thegreatest triumph of her art, that in those terrible circumstances sheshould still have succeeded in conveying to me, and to the hundreds ofothers who watched, this conviction of her own turpitude.

  For a moment her eyes met those of Orme, but although he searchedthem with pleading and despair in his glance, I could trace in hers norelenting sign, but only challenge not unmixed with mockery. Then witha short, hard laugh she let fall her veil again and turned to talk withJoshua. Oliver stood silent a little while, long enough for Higgs towhisper to me:

  "I say, isn't this downright awful? I'd rather be back in the den oflions than live to see it."

  As he spoke I saw Oliver put his hand to where his revolver usuallyhung, but, of course, it had been taken from him. Next he began tosearch in his pocket, and finding that tabloid of poison which I hadgiven him, lifted it toward his mouth. But just as it touched his lips,my son, who was next to him, saw also. With a quick motion he struck itfrom his fingers, and ground it to powder on the floor beneath his heel.

  Oliver raised his arm as though to hit him, then without a sound fellsenseless. Evidently Maqueda noted all this also, for I saw a kind ofquiver go through her, and her hands gripped the arms of her chair tillthe knuckles showed white beneath the skin. But she only said:

  "This Gentile has fainted because he is disappointed with his reward.Take him hence and let his companion, the Doctor Adams, attend to him.When he is recovered, conduct them all from Mur as I have decreed. Seethat they go unharmed, taking with them plenty of food lest it be saidthat we only spared their lives here in order that they might starvewithout our gates."

  Then waving her hand to show that the matter was done with, she roseand, followed by the judges and officers, left the court by some doorbehind them.

  While she spoke a strong body of guards had surrounded us, some of whomcame forward and lifted the senseless Oliver on to a stretcher. Theycarried him down the court, the rest of us following.

  "Look," jeered the Abati as he passed, "look at the Gentile pig whothought to wear the Bud of the Rose upon his bosom. He has got the thornnow, not the rose. Is the swine dead, think you?"

  Thus they mocked him and us.

  We reached our prison in safety, and there I set to work to reviveOliver, a task in which I succeeded at length. When he had come tohimself again he drank a cup of water, and said quite quietly:

  "You fellows have seen all, so there is no need for talk andexplanations. One thing I beg of you, if you are any friends of mine,and it is that you will not reproach or even speak of Maqueda to me.Doubtless she had reasons for what she did; moreover, her bringing uphas not been the same as ours, and her code is different. Do not let usjudge her. I have been a great fool, that is all, and now I am payingfor my folly, or, rather, I have paid. Come, let us have some dinner,for we don't know when we shall get another meal."

  We listened to this speech in silence, only I saw Roderick turn aside tohide a smile and wondered why he smiled.

  Scarcely had we finished eating, or pretending to eat, when an officerentered the room and informed us roughly that it was time for us tobe going. As he did so some attendants who had followed him threw usbundles of clothes, and with them four very beautiful camel-hair cloaksto protect us from the cold. With some of these garments we replaced ourrags, for they were little more, tying them and the rest of the outfitup into bundles.

  Then, clothed as Abati of the upper class, we were taken to the gatesof the barrack, where we found a long train of riding camels waiting forus. The moment that I saw these beasts I knew that they were the bestin the whole land, and of very great value. Indeed, that to which Oliverwas conducted was Maqueda's own favourite dromedary, which upon stateoccasions she sometimes rode instead of a horse. He recognized it atonce, poor fellow, and coloured to the eyes at this unexpected mark ofkindness, the only one she had vouchsafed to him.

  "Come, Gentiles," said the officer, "and take count of your goods, thatyou may not say that we have stolen anything from you. Here are yourfirearms and all the ammunition that is left. These will be given to youat the foot of the pass, but not before, lest you should do more murderon the road. On those camels are fastened the boxes in which you broughtup the magic fire. We found them in your quarters in the cave city,ready packed, but what they contain we neither know nor care. Full orempty, take them, they are yours. Those," and he pointed to two otherbeasts, "are laden with your pay, which the Child of Kings sends to you,requesting that you will not count it till you reach Egypt or your ownland, since she wishes no quarrelling with you as to the amount. Therest carry food for you to eat; also, there are two spare beasts. Now,mount and begone."

  So we climbed into the embroidered saddles of the kneeling dromedaries,and a few minutes later were riding through Mur toward the pass,accompanied by our guard and hooting mobs that once or twice becamethreatening, but were driven off by the soldiers.

  "I say, Doctor," said Higgs to me excitedly, "do you know that wehave got all the best of the treasure of the Tomb of Kings in thosefive-and-twenty crates? I have thought since that I was crazy when Ipacked them, picking out the most valuable and rare articles with suchcare, and filling in the cracks with ring money and small curiosities,but now I see it was the inspiration of genius. My subliminal self knewwhat was going to happen, and was on the job, that's all. Oh, if onlywe can get it safe away, I shall not have played Daniel and been nearlystarved to death for nothing. Why, I'd go through it all again for thatgolden head alone. Shove on, shove on, before they change their minds;it seems too good to be true."

  Just then a rotten egg thrown by some sweet Abati youth landed full onthe bridge of his nose, and dispersing itself into his mouth and overhis smoked spectacles, cut short the Professor's eloquence, or ratherchanged its tenor. So absurd was the sight that in spite of myself Iburst out laughing, and with that laugh felt my heart grow lighter, asthough our clouds of trouble were lifting at length.

  At the mouth of the pass we found Joshua himself waiting for us, cladin all his finery and chain armour, and looking more like a porpoise onhorseback than he had ever done.

  "Farewell, Gentiles," he said, bowing to us i
n mockery, "we wish you aquick journey to Sheol, or wherever such swine as you may go. Listen,you Orme. I have a message for you from the Walda Nagasta. It is thatshe is sorry she could not ask you to stop for her nuptial feast, whichshe would have done had she not been sure that, if you stayed, thepeople would have cut your throat, and she did not wish the holy soil ofMur to be defiled with your dog's blood. Also she bids me say that shehopes that your stay here will have taught you a lesson, and that infuture you will not believe that every woman who makes use of you forher own ends is therefore a victim of your charms. To-morrow night andthe night after, I pray you think of our happiness and drink a cup ofwine to the Walda Nagasta and her husband. Come, will you not wish mejoy, O Gentile?"

  Orme turned white as a sheet and gazed at him steadily. Then a strangelook came into his grey eyes, almost a look of inspiration.

  "Prince Joshua," he said in a very quiet voice, "who knows what mayhappen before the sun rises thrice on Mur? All things that begin well donot end well, as I have learned, and as you also may live to learn. Atleast, soon or late, your day of reckoning must come, and you, too, maybe betrayed as I have been. Rather should you ask me to forgive yoursoul the insults that in your hour of triumph you have not been ashamedto heap upon one who is powerless to avenge them," and he urged hiscamel past him.

  As we followed I saw Joshua's face turn as pale as Oliver's had done,and his great round eyes protrude themselves like those of a fish.

  "What does he mean?" said the prince to his companions. "Pray God he isnot a prophet of evil. Even now I have a mind--no, let him go. To breakmy marriage vow might bring bad luck upon me. Let him go!" and he glaredafter Oliver with fear and hatred written on his coarse features.

  That was the last we ever saw of Joshua, uncle of Maqueda, and firstprince among the Abati.