________________________________________________
_ The big rowing-boat glided on up the cutting that ran almost to
the foot of the vast stairway, and then halted at a flight of
steps leading to the landing-place. Here the old gentleman
disembarked, and invited us to do so likewise, which, having no
alternative, and being nearly starved, we did without
hesitation--taking our rifles with us, however. As each of us
landed, our guide again laid his fingers on his lips and bowed
deeply, at the same time ordering back the crowds which had
assembled to gaze on us. The last to leave the canoe was the
girl we had picked out of the water, for whom her companion was
waiting. Before she went away she kissed my hand, I suppose as a
token of gratitude for having saved her from the fury of the
hippopotamus; and it seemed to me that she had by this time quite
got over any fear she might have had of us, and was by no means
anxious to return in such a hurry to her lawful owners. At any
rate, she was going to kiss Good's hand as well as mine, when the
young man interfered and led her off. As soon as we were on
shore, a number of the men who had rowed the big boat took
possession of our few goods and chattels, and started with them
up the splendid staircase, our guide indicating to us by means of
motions that the things were perfectly safe. This done, he
turned to the right and led the way to a small house, which was,
as I afterwards discovered, an inn. Entering into a good-sized
room, we saw that a wooden table was already furnished with food,
presumably in preparation for us. Here our guide motioned us to
be seated on a bench that ran the length of the table. We did
not require a second invitation, but at once fell to ravenously
on the viands before us, which were served on wooden platters,
and consisted of cold goat's-flesh, wrapped up in some kind of
leaf that gave it a delicious flavour, green vegetables
resembling lettuces, brown bread, and red wine poured from a skin
into horn mugs. This wine was peculiarly soft and good, having
something of the flavour of Burgundy. Twenty minutes after we
sat down at that hospitable board we rose from it, feeling like
new men. After all that we had gone through we needed two
things, food and rest, and the food of itself was a great
blessing to us. Two girls of the same charming cast of face as
the first whom we had seen waited on us while we ate, and very
nicely they did it. They were also dressed in the same fashion
namely, in a white linen petticoat coming to the knee, and with
the toga-like garment of brown cloth, leaving bare the right arm
and breast. I afterwards found out that this was the national
dress, and regulated by an iron custom, though of course subject
to variations. Thus, if the petticoat was pure white, it
signified that the wearer was unmarried; if white, with a
straight purple stripe round the edge, that she was married and a
first or legal wife; if with a black stripe, that she was a
widow. In the same way the toga, or 'kaf', as they call it, was
of different shades of colour, from pure white to the deepest
brown, according to the rank of the wearer, and embroidered at
the end in various ways. This also applies to the 'shirts' or
tunics worn by the men, which varied in material and colour; but
the kilts were always the same except as regards quality. One
thing, however, every man and woman in the country wore as the
national insignia, and that was the thick band of gold round the
right arm above the elbow, and the left leg beneath the knee.
People of high rank also wore a torque of gold round the neck,
and I observed that our guide had one on.
So soon as we had finished our meal our venerable conductor, who
had been standing all the while, regarding us with inquiring
eyes, and our guns with something as like fear as his pride would
allow him to show, bowed towards Good, whom he evidently took for
the leader of the party on account of the splendour of his
apparel, and once more led the way through the door and to the
foot of the great staircase. Here we paused for a moment to
admire two colossal lions, each hewn from a single block of pure
black marble, and standing rampant on the terminations of the
wide balustrades of the staircase. These lions are magnificently
executed, and it is said were sculptured by Rademas, the great
prince who designed the staircase, and who was without doubt, to
judge from the many beautiful examples of his art that we saw
afterwards, one of the finest sculptors who ever lived, either in
this or any other country. Then we climbed almost with a feeling
of awe up that splendid stair, a work executed for all time and
that will, I do not doubt, be admired thousands of years hence by
generations unborn unless an earthquake should throw it down.
Even Umslopogaas, who as a general rule made it a point of honour
not to show astonishment, which he considered undignified, was
fairly startled out of himself, and asked it the 'bridge had been
built by men or devils', which was his vague way of alluding to
any supernatural power. But Alphonse did not care about it. Its
solid grandeur jarred upon the frivolous little Frenchman, who
said that it was all 'tres magnifique, mais triste--ah, triste!'
and went on to suggest that it would be improved if the
balustrades were GILT.
On we went up the first flight of one hundred and twenty steps,
across the broad platform joining it to the second flight, where
we paused to admire the glorious view of one of the most
beautiful stretches of country that the world can show, edged by
the blue waters of the lake. Then we passed on up the stair till
at last we reached the top, where we found a large standing space
to which there were three entrances, all of small size. Two of
these opened on to rather narrow galleries or roadways cut in the
face of the precipice that ran round the palace walls and led to
the principal thoroughfares of the city, and were used by the
inhabitants passing up and down from the docks. These were
defended by gates of bronze, and also, as we afterwards learnt,
it was possible to let down a portion of the roadways themselves
by withdrawing certain bolts, and thus render it quite
impracticable for an enemy to pass. The third entrance consisted
of a flight of ten curved black marble steps leading to a doorway
cut in the palace wall. This wall was in itself a work of art,
being built of huge blocks of granite to the height of forty
feet, and so fashioned that its face was concave, whereby it was
rendered practically impossible for it to be scaled. To this
doorway our guide led us. The door, which was massive, and made
of wood protected by an outer gate of bronze, was closed; but on
our approach it was thrown wide, and we were met by the challenge
of a sentry, who was armed with a heavy triangular-bladed spear,
not unlike a bayonet in shape, and a cutting sword, and protected
by breast and back plates of skilfully prepared hippopotamus
hide, and a small round shield fashioned of the same tough
material. The sword instantly attracted our attention; it was
practically identical with the one in the possession of Mr
Mackenzie which he had obtained from the ill-starred wanderer.
There was no mistaking the gold-lined fretwork cut in the
thickness of the blade. So the man had told the truth after all.
Our guide instantly gave a password, which the soldier
acknowledged by letting the iron shaft of his spear fall with a
ringing sound upon the pavement, and we passed on through the
massive wall into the courtyard of the palace. This was about
forty yards square, and laid out in flower-beds full of lovely
shrubs and plants, many of which were quite new to me. Through
the centre of this garden ran a broad walk formed of powdered
shells brought from the lake in the place of gravel. Following
this we came to another doorway with a round heavy arch, which is
hung with thick curtains, for there are no doors in the palace
itself. Then came another short passage, and we were in the
great hall of the palace, and once more stood astonished at the
simple and yet overpowering grandeur of the place.
The hall is, as we afterwards learnt, one hundred and fifty feet
long by eighty wide, and has a magnificent arched roof of carved
wood. Down the entire length of the building there are on either
side, and at a distance of twenty feet from the wall, slender
shafts of black marble springing sheer to the roof, beautifully
fluted, and with carved capitals. At one end of this great place
which these pillars support is the group of which I have already
spoken as executed by the King Rademas to commemorate his
building of the staircase; and really, when we had time to admire
it, its loveliness almost struck us dumb. The group, of which
the figures are in white, and the rest is black marble, is about
half as large again as life, and represents a young man of noble
countenance and form sleeping heavily upon a couch. One arm is
carelessly thrown over the side of this couch, and his head
reposes upon the other, its curling locks partially hiding it.
Bending over him, her hand resting on his forehead, is a draped
female form of such white loveliness as to make the beholder's
breath stand still. And as for the calm glory that shines upon
her perfect face--well, I can never hope to describe it. But
there it rests like the shadow of an angel's smile; and power,
love, and divinity all have their part in it. Her eyes are fixed
upon the sleeping youth, and perhaps the most extraordinary thing
about this beautiful work is the success with which the artist
has succeeded in depicting on the sleeper's worn and weary face
the sudden rising of a new and spiritual thought as the spell
begins to work within his mind. You can see that an inspiration
is breaking in upon the darkness of the man's soul as the dawn
breaks in upon the darkness of night. It is a glorious piece of
statuary, and none but a genius could have conceived it. Between
each of the black marble columns is some such group of figures,
some allegorical, and some representing the persons and wives of
deceased monarchs or great men; but none of them, in our opinion,
comes up the one I have described, although several are from the
hand of the sculptor and engineer, King Rademas.
In the exact centre of the hall was a solid mass of black marble
about the size of a baby's arm-chair, which it rather resembled
in appearance. This, as we afterwards learnt, was the sacred
stone of this remarkable people, and on it their monarchs laid
their hand after the ceremony of coronation, and swore by the sun
to safeguard the interests of the empire, and to maintain its
customs, traditions, and laws. This stone was evidently
exceedingly ancient (as indeed all stones are), and was scored
down its sides with long marks or lines, which Sir Henry said
proved it to have been a fragment that at some remote period in
its history had been ground in the iron jaws of glaciers. There
was a curious prophecy about this block of marble, which was
reported among the people to have fallen from the sun, to the
effect that when it was shattered into fragments a king of alien
race should rule over the land. As the stone, however, looked
remarkably solid, the native princes seemed to have a fair chance
of keeping their own for many a long year.
At the end of the hall is a dais spread with rich carpets, on
which two thrones are set side by side. These thrones are shaped
like great chairs, and made of solid gold. The seats are richly
cushioned, but the backs are left bare, and on each is carved the
emblem of the sun, shooting out his fiery rays in all directions.
The footstools are golden lions couchant, with yellow topazes set
in them for eyes. There are no other gems about them.
The place is lighted by numerous but narrow windows, placed high
up, cut on the principle of the loopholes to be seen in ancient
castles, but innocent of glass, which was evidently unknown here.
Such is a brief description of this splendid hall in which we now
found ourselves, compiled of course from our subsequent knowledge
of it. On this occasion we had but little time for observation,
for when we entered we perceived that a large number of men were
gathered together in front of the two thrones, which were
unoccupied. The principal among them were seated on carved
wooden chairs ranged to the right and the left of the thrones,
but not in front of them, and were dressed in white tunics, with
various embroideries and different coloured edgings, and armed
with the usual pierced and gold-inlaid swords. To judge from the
dignity of their appearance, they seemed one and all to be
individuals of very great importance. Behind each of these great
men stood a small knot of followers and attendants.
Seated by themselves, in a little group to the left of the
throne, were six men of a different stamp. Instead of wearing
the ordinary kilt, they were clothed in long robes of pure white
linen, with the same symbol of the sun that is to be seen on the
back of the chairs, emblazoned in gold thread upon the breast.
This garment was girt up at the waist with a simple golden
curb-like chain, from which hung long elliptic plates of the same
metal, fashioned in shiny scales like those of a fish, that, as
their wearers moved, jingled and reflected the light. They were
all men of mature age and of a severe and impressive cast of
features, which was rendered still more imposing by the long
beards they wore.
The personality of one individual among them, however, impressed
us at once. He seemed to stand out among his fellows and refuse
to be overlooked. He was very old--eighty at least--and
extremely tall, with a long snow-white beard that hung nearly to
his waist. His features were aquiline and deeply cut, and his
eyes were grey and cold-looking. The heads of the others were
bare, but this man wore a round cap entirely covered with gold
embroidery, from which we judged that he was a person of great
importance; and indeed we afterwards discovered that he was Agon,
the High Priest of the country. As we approached, all these men,
including the priests, rose and bowed to us with the greatest
courtesy, at the same time placing the two fingers across the
lips in salutation. Then soft-footed attendants advanced from
between the pillars, bearing seats, which were placed in a line
in front of the thrones. We three sat down, Alphonse and
Umslopogaas standing behind us. Scarcely had we done so when
there came a blare of trumpets from some passage to the right,
and a similar blare from the left. Next a man with a long white
wand of ivory appeared just in front of the right-hand throne,
and cried out something in a loud voice, ending with the word
NYLEPTHA, repeated three times; and another man, similarly
attired, called out a similar sentence before the other throne,
but ending with the word SORAIS, also repeated thrice. Then came
the tramp of armed men from each side entrance, and in filed
about a score of picked and magnificently accoutred guards, who
formed up on each side of the thrones, and let their heavy
iron-handled spears fall simultaneously with a clash upon the
black marble flooring. Another double blare of trumpets, and in
from either side, each attended by six maidens, swept the two
Queens of Zu-Vendis, everybody in the hall rising to greet them
as they came.
I have seen beautiful women in my day, and am no longer thrown
into transports at the sight of a pretty face; but language fails
me when I try to give some idea of the blaze of loveliness that
then broke upon us in the persons of these sister Queens. Both
were young--perhaps five-and-twenty years of age--both were tall
and exquisitely formed; but there the likeness stopped. One,
Nyleptha, was a woman of dazzling fairness; her right arm and
breast bare, after the custom of her people, showed like snow
even against her white and gold-embroidered 'kaf', or toga. And
as for her sweet face, all I can say is, that it was one that few
men could look on and forget. Her hair, a veritable crown of
gold, clustered in short ringlets over her shapely head, half
hiding the ivory brow, beneath which eyes of deep and glorious
grey flashed out in tender majesty. I cannot attempt to describe
her other features, only the mouth was most sweet, and curved
like Cupid's bow, and over the whole countenance there shone an
indescribable look of loving-kindness, lit up by a shadow of
delicate humour that lay upon her face like a touch of silver on
a rosy cloud.
She wore no jewels, but on her neck, arm, and knee were the usual
torques of gold, in this instance fashioned like a snake; and her
dress was of pure white linen of excessive fineness, plentifully
embroidered with gold and with the familiar symbols of the sun.
Her twin sister, Sorais, was of a different and darker type of
beauty. Her hair was wavy like Nyleptha's but coal-black, and
fell in masses on her shoulders; her complexion was olive, her
eyes large, dark, and lustrous; the lips were full, and I thought
rather cruel. Somehow her face, quiet and even cold as it is,
gave an idea of passion in repose, and caused one to wonder
involuntarily what its aspect would be if anything occurred to
break the calm. It reminded me of the deep sea, that even on the
bluest days never loses its visible stamp of power, and in its
murmuring sleep is yet instinct with the spirit of the storm.
Her figure, like her sister's, was almost perfect in its curves
and outlines, but a trifle more rounded, and her dress was
absolutely the same.
As this lovely pair swept onwards to their respective thrones,
amid the deep attentive silence of the Court, I was bound to
confess to myself that they did indeed fulfil my idea of royalty.
Royal they were in every way--in form, in grace, and queenly
dignity, and in the barbaric splendour of their attendant pomp.
But methought that they needed no guards or gold to proclaim
their power and bind the loyalty of wayward men. A glance from
those bright eyes or a smile from those sweet lips, and while the
red blood runs in the veins of youth women such as these will
never lack subjects ready to do their biddings to the death.
But after all they were women first and queens afterwards, and
therefore not devoid of curiosity. As they passed to their seats
I saw both of them glance swiftly in our direction. I saw, too,
that their eyes passed by me, seeing nothing to charm them in the
person of an insignificant and grizzled old man. Then they
looked with evident astonishment on the grim form of old
Umslopogaas, who raised his axe in salutation. Attracted next by
the splendour of Good's apparel, for a second their glance rested
on him like a humming moth upon a flower, then off it darted to
where Sir Henry Curtis stood, the sunlight from a window playing
upon his yellow hair and peaked beard, and marking the outlines
of his massive frame against the twilight of the somewhat gloomy
hall. He raised his eyes, and they met the fair Nyleptha's full,
and thus for the first time the goodliest man and woman that it
has ever been my lot to see looked one upon another. And why it
was I know not, but I saw the swift blood run up Nyleptha's skin
as the pink lights run up the morning sky. Red grew her fair
bosom and shapely arm, red the swanlike neck; the rounded cheeks
blushed red as the petals of a rose, and then the crimson flood
sank back to whence it came and left her pale and trembling.
I glanced at Sir Henry. He, too, had coloured up to the eyes.
'Oh, my word!' thought I to myself, 'the ladies have come on the
stage, and now we may look to the plot to develop itself.' And I
sighed and shook my head, knowing that the beauty of a woman is
like the beauty of the lightning--a destructive thing and a cause
of desolation. By the time that I had finished my reflections
both the Queens were on the thrones, for all this had happened in
about six seconds. Once more the unseen trumpets blared out, and
then the Court seated itself, and Queen Sorais motioned to us to
do likewise.
Next from among the crowd whither he had withdrawn stepped
forward our guide, the old gentleman who had towed us ashore,
holding by the hand the girl whom we had seen first and
afterwards rescued from the hippopotamus. Having made obeisance
he proceeded to address the Queens, evidently describing to them
the way and place where we had been found. It was most amusing
to watch the astonishment, not unmixed with fear, reflected upon
their faces as they listened to his tale. Clearly they could not
understand how we had reached the lake and been found floating on
it, and were inclined to attribute our presence to supernatural
causes. Then the narrative proceeded, as I judged from the
frequent appeals that our guide made to the girl, to the point
where we had shot the hippopotami, and we at once perceived that
there was something very wrong about those hippopotami, for the
history was frequently interrupted by indignant exclamations from
the little group of white-robed priests and even from the
courtiers, while the two Queens listened with an amazed
expression, especially when our guide pointed to the rifles in
our hands as being the means of destruction. And here, to make
matters clear, I may as well explain at once that the inhabitants
of Zu-Vendis are sun-worshippers, and that for some reason or
another the hippopotamus is sacred among them. Not that they do
not kill it, because at a certain season of the year they
slaughter thousands--which are specially preserved in large lakes
up the country--and use their hides for armour for soldiers; but
this does not prevent them from considering these animals as
sacred to the sun. *{Mr Quatermain does not seem to have been
aware that it is common for animal-worshipping people to annually
sacrifice the beasts they adore. See Herodotus, ii. 45.
--EDITOR.} Now, as ill luck would have it, the particular
hippopotami we had shot were a family of tame animals that were
kept in the mouth of the port and daily fed by priests whose
special duty it was to attend to them. When we shot them I
thought that the brutes were suspiciously tame, and this was, as
we afterwards ascertained, the cause of it. Thus it came about
that in attempting to show off we had committed sacrilege of a
most aggravated nature.
When our guide had finished his tale, the old man with the long
beard and round cap, whose appearance I have already described,
and who was, as I have said, the High Priest of the country, and
known by the name of Agon, rose and commenced an impassioned
harangue. I did not like the look of his cold grey eye as he
fixed it on us. I should have liked it still less had I known
that in the name of the outraged majesty of his god he was
demanding that the whole lot of us should be offered up as a
sacrifice by means of being burnt alive.
After he had finished speaking the Queen Sorais addressed him in
a soft and musical voice, and appeared, to judge from his
gestures of dissent, to be putting the other side of the question
before him. Then Nyleptha spoke in liquid accents. Little did
we know that she was pleading for our lives. Finally, she turned
and addressed a tall, soldierlike man of middle age with a black
beard and a long plain sword, whose name, as we afterwards
learnt, was Nasta, and who was the greatest lord in the country;
apparently appealing to him for support. Now when Sir Henry had
caught her eye and she had blushed so rosy red, I had seen that
the incident had not escaped this man's notice, and, what is
more, that it was eminently disagreeable to him, for he bit his
lip and his hand tightened on his sword-hilt. Afterwards we
learnt that he was an aspirant for the hand of this Queen in
marriage, which accounted for it. This being so, Nyleptha could
not have appealed to a worse person, for, speaking in slow, heavy
tones, he appeared to confirm all that the High Priest Agon had
said. As he spoke, Sorais put her elbow on her knee, and,
resting her chin on her hand, looked at him with a suppressed
smile upon her lips, as though she saw through the man, and was
determined to be his match; but Nyleptha grew very angry, her
cheek flushed, her eyes flashed, and she did indeed look lovely.
Finally she turned to Agon and seemed to give some sort of
qualified assent, for he bowed at her words; and as she spoke she
moved her hands as though to emphasize what she said; while all
the time Sorais kept her chin on her hand and smiled. Then
suddenly Nyleptha made a sign, the trumpets blew again, and
everybody rose to leave the hall save ourselves and the guards,
whom she motioned to stay.
When they were all gone she bent forward and, smiling sweetly,
partially by signs and partially by exclamations made it clear to
us that she was very anxious to know where we came from. The
difficulty was how to explain, but at last an idea struck me. I
had my large pocket-book in my pocket and a pencil. Taking it
out, I made a little sketch of a lake, and then as best I could I
drew the underground river and the lake at the other end. When I
had done this I advanced to the steps of the throne and gave it
to her. She understood it at once and clapped her hands with
delight, and then descending from the throne took it to her
sister Sorais, who also evidently understood. Next she took the
pencil from me, and after examining it with curiosity proceeded
to make a series of delightful little sketches, the first
representing herself holding out both hands in welcome, and a man
uncommonly like Sir Henry taking them. Next she drew a lovely
little picture of a hippopotamus rolling about dying in the
water, and of an individual, in whom we had no difficulty in
recognizing Agon the High Priest, holding up his hands in horror
on the bank. Then followed a most alarming picture of a dreadful
fiery furnace and of the same figure, Agon, poking us into it
with a forked stick. This picture perfectly horrified me, but I
was a little reassured when she nodded sweetly and proceeded to
make a fourth drawing--a man again uncommonly like Sir Henry, and
of two women, in whom I recognized Sorais and herself, each with
one arm around him, and holding a sword in protection over him.
To all of these Sorais, who I saw was employed in carefully
taking us all in--especially Curtis--signified her approval by
nodding.
At last Nyleptha drew a final sketch of a rising sun, indicating
that she must go, and that we should meet on the following
morning; whereat Sir Henry looked so disappointed that she saw
it, and, I suppose by way of consolation, extended her hand to
him to kiss, which he did with pious fervour. At the same time
Sorais, off whom Good had never taken his eyeglass during the
whole indaba [interview], rewarded him by giving him her hand to
kiss, though, while she did so, her eyes were fixed upon Sir
Henry. I am glad to say that I was not implicated in these
proceedings; neither of them gave ME her hand to kiss.
Then Nyleptha turned and addressed the man who appeared to be in
command of the bodyguard, apparently from her manner and his
frequent obeisances, giving him very stringent and careful
orders; after which, with a somewhat coquettish nod and smile,
she left the hall, followed by Sorais and most of the guards.
When the Queens had gone, the officer whom Nyleptha had addressed
came forward and with many tokens of deep respect led us from the
hall through various passages to a sumptuous set of apartments
opening out of a large central room lighted with brazen swinging
lamps (for it was now dusk) and richly carpeted and strewn with
couches. On a table in the centre of the room was set a
profusion of food and fruit, and, what is more, flowers. There
was a delicious wine also in ancient-looking sealed earthenware
flagons, and beautifully chased golden and ivory cups to drink it
from. Servants, male and female, also were there to minister to
us, and whilst we ate, from some recess outside the apartment
'The silver lute did speak between
The trumpet's lordly blowing;'
and altogether we found ourselves in a sort of earthly paradise
which was only disturbed by the vision of that disgusting High
Priest who intended to commit us to the flames. But so very
weary were we with our labours that we could scarcely keep
ourselves awake through the sumptuous meal, and as soon as it was
over we indicated that we desired to sleep. As a further
precaution against surprise we left Umslopogaas with his axe to
sleep in the main chamber near the curtained doorways leading to
the apartments which we occupied respectively, Good and I in the
one, and Sir Henry and Alphonse in the other. Then throwing off
our clothes, with the exception of the mail shirts, which we
considered it safer to keep on, we flung ourselves down upon the
low and luxurious couches, and drew the silk-embroidered
coverlids over us.
In two minutes I was just dropping off when I was aroused by
Good's voice.
'I say, Quatermain,' he said, 'did you ever see such eyes?'
'Eyes!' I said, crossly; 'what eyes?'
'Why, the Queen's, of course! Sorais, I mean--at least I think
that is her name.'
'Oh, I don't know,' I yawned; 'I didn't notice them much: I
suppose they are good eyes,' and again I dropped off.
Five minutes or so elapsed, and I was once more awakened.
'I say, Quatermain,' said the voice.
'Well,' I answered testily, 'what is it now?'
'Did you notice her ankle? The shape--'
This was more than I could stand. By my bed stood the
veldtschoons I had been wearing. Moved quite beyond myself, I
took them up and threw them straight at Good's head--and hit it.
Afterwards I slept the sleep of the just, and a very heavy sleep
it must be. As for Good, I don't know if he went to sleep or if
he continued to pass Sorais' beauties in mental review, and, what
is more, I don't care. _
Read next: CHAPTER XIII - ABOUT THE ZU-VENDI PEOPLE
Read previous: CHAPTER XI - THE FROWNING CITY
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