CHAPTER XV.
OUR RECEPTION BY THE KING.
The sacred locomotive swept through a noble archway into a palacegarden, a part of the king's palace in Calnogor. The railway terminalwas a wide marble platform, or causeway, surrounded by a sea oftropical flowers. The priests had already alighted, and stood indouble file to receive us. Through a sculptured archway a heraldapproached us, blowing a trumpet and announcing the coming of hisroyal majesty, King Aldemegry Bhoolmakar of Atvatabar.
We alighted, and I had the sailors drawn up in an imposing column onthe platform, every man grasping his sword. Even the remotest walls ofthe garden were lined with wayleals, and military music added to thesplendor of the scene.
Presently a stately figure approached us. It was his majestyaccompanied by her majesty, Queen Toplissy. Koshnili whispered that itwas a special honor that the king and queen should greet us evenbefore we entered the palace. The king was tall and erect in bearingand his complexion was the color of old gold. His hair, as well as hisclosely-trimmed beard and mustache, were of a serpent-green tint. Hewore a dome-shaped crown of gold, surmounted by a blazing ruby. Hisdress was a cloth of gold, light as gossamer, that swathed his formafter the manner of our Eastern potentates. His boots ofgold-lacquered leather were covered with emeralds and curiously turnedup at the toes. Queen Toplissy was a handsome lady, rather heavy inphysique, of an orange-yellow complexion, with bright copper-bronzehair, and her unclad arms wore a profusion of bracelets and armlets ofvarious metals. Her crown was also of gold surmounted by a blazingsapphire. Her robes were of white silk embroidered with broad bands oforange and arranged in innumerable folds. Her boots were incrustedwith sapphires. All this I saw at a momentary glance as Koshnili ledme forward to his majesty. I was announced as "His Excellency,Lexington White, commander of the _Polar King_, the discoverer of thePolar Gulf, and the first inhabitant of the outer world who had everreached Bilbimtesirol and Atvatabar."
The king embraced me and I kissed the hand of her majesty. Theofficers and sailors received their due share of royal attention. Wewere the objects of unbounded curiosity on the part of the royalretinue.
Amid a salute of guns and music we passed through the archway thatformed the boundary between the palace gardens and the court of theholy locomotive, and saw the palace of King Aldemegry Bhoolmakarbefore us.
It was a high, conical building, twenty stories in height. Each storywas surrounded by a row of windows decorated with pillars. Colossallions of gold stood on the entrance towers, their claws formed ofstraps of gold running down the walls and riveted to the lower tiersof stone, giving the impression that they held together the wholestructure beneath. The style of architecture was an absolutely neworder. It was neither Hindoo, Egyptian, Greek, nor Gothic, but therewas a flavor of all four styles in the weirdly-carved circular wallsand roofs. The palace was surrounded by a spacious court, enclosed bycloistered walls. Flowers bloomed in immense square-shaped vases ofstone supported on diminutive square pillars. A tank of crystal water,on each side of which broad wide steps led down into the cool wave,lay in the centre of the court. The tank was fed by a wide rivulet ofrippling water that ran along a chiselled bed in the marble floor ofthe court.
The entire scene was a picture of glorious and blessed repose. Thesculptor had covered the base and frieze of the walls with a profusionof ornament in high relief. Imagination and art had produced scenesthat created a profound impression. A dramatic calmness held lion andelephant, serpent and eagle, wayleal and bockhockid, youth and maiden,in glorious embrace.
The banquet given by the king in our honor in the topmost story of thepalace was both delicious and satisfying. All the fertility ofAtvatabar ministered to our delight. Strange meats and fruits weremusic to the body, as art and music were meats and wine to the soul.
I sat beside his majesty at the feast, while Koshnili sat at my righthand. Admiral Jolar sat beside the queen, and on her majesty's rightsat Captain Wallace. The professors and other officers, as well as anumber of noblemen and state officers, also sat at the royal table.At another table sat the sailors, accompanied by the officers of theking's household.
We had again an opportunity of tasting the squang of Atvatabar, whichwas of a finer brand than that served at the table of GovernorLadalmir. It added a new joy to life to taste such royal wine.
His majesty, seated on his throne at the feast, raised a glass ofsquang and said: "I drink in welcome to our illustrious guest, HisExcellency, Lexington White, commander of the _Polar King_ anddiscoverer of Atvatabar."
The company rising, shouted, "Welcome to His Excellency, LexingtonWhite, commander of the _Polar King_," and drank of their glasses inmy honor.
In acknowledgment of this great compliment I rose and proposed thehealths of the king and queen. I said: "I drink to the healths oftheir royal majesties, King Aldemegry Bhoolmakar and Queen Toplissy ofAtvatabar, to whom be lifelong peace and prosperity."
The company honored this sentiment by acclamation and drinking gobletsof wine. This constituted the preliminaries of our interview.
"Now," said his majesty, "we are extremely anxious to learn all aboutthe manners and customs of the people of the outer world. Tell us ofthese people, their laws, religions, and modes of government."
In obedience to the king's request I spoke of America and its nationsfounded on the idea of self-sovereignty, and of Europe with itssovereigns and subjects. I spoke of Egypt and India as types of acolossal past, of the United States and Great Britain as types of acolossal present, and of Africa the continent of the colossal future.I informed the king that the genius of Asia, of the Eastern world, ranto poetry and art without science, while that of the Western worlddeveloped science and invention without poetry and art.
"Ah!" cried the king, who was intensely interested. "Atvatabar hasboth science and art, invention and poetry. Our wise rulers have beenever mindful of the equal charms of science and sentiment in educatingour people."
I assured his majesty that we were no less anxious to learn all aboutthe institutions of Atvatabar than he was regarding the externalsphere.
THE KING EMBRACED ME, AND I KISSED THE HAND OF HERMAJESTY.]
"Atvatabar," said the king, "is a monarchy formed on the will of thepeople. While the throne is inalienably secured to the king for life,the government is vested in a legislative chamber, called Borodemy.This legislative assembly is also our house of nobles, consisting ofone thousand members divided into three classes. To be once elected tothe Borodemy entitles the representative to receive the title ofBoiroon for life only; at the expiration of five years, the term ofeach assembly, a member, if again elected, receives the title ofJangoon; if again elected the highest title is Goiloor. No one can beelected more than three times, and Goiloor is a title which but fewattain, owing to the limited number of legislators who are three timeselected to the Borodemy. The president of the assembly is always aGoiloor, as only a member of the highest caste is nominated for thepresidency. He is also chief minister of state. His council, which isthe government, includes the chief officer of each branch ofgovernment, as well as a royal representative. Thus Atvatabar is anabsolute democracy, ornamented and ruled by those men whom a generousnation loves to honor for distinguished merit employed in the publicservice."