> fine buildings several storeys in height, open in the centre with a

patio, and surrounded by galleries of carved wood, which seemed to answer

to our corn exchanges. One, near Goliba's house, was especially

remarkable for its architectural beauty, not only with regard to its

interior, but also its magnificent gateway. There were others also of far

less pretensions, which answered more to the caravanseri of Samory's

country, where the weary animals who had borne their burdens from some

far away corner of the mystic land were resting during their sojourn in

the city.



When, in the cool dusk of evening we had eaten in the marble court, with

its fountains and flowering plants, Omar being waited upon personally by

our host, Liola came, and, lounging gracefully against one of the marble

columns, gossipped with us. Afterwards, a professional story-teller was

introduced to amuse us during the anxious time that must elapse before

the fateful hour when the signal for the great uprising would be given.



He was an old man, small of stature, in fact, I believe he must have been

one of the tribe of dwarf cave-dwellers. Of darker complexion than the

majority of this curious people, he was dressed in a long garment of

white, wearing on his head a conical head-dress, shaped somewhat like a

dunce's cap, and as he took up his position, squatting on a mat before

us, he made deep obeisance to the son of his ruler. While we regaled

ourselves with grapes and other luscious fruits as a satisfactory

conclusion to a bountiful feast, he told us a story which, as far as I

could translate it, was as follows:



"Ages ago," he said, "in the days of the good king Lobenba and Prince

Karmos"--here he kissed his hand as a sign of reverence, as did all his

listeners--"there was a poor man, a cowherd, who lived a very righteous

life, nor did he commit any sin. But he was terribly poor, starving

because he had not the wherewithal to supply himself with food. One night

while asleep in his lonely hut on the mountain over against the Grave of

Enemies, a vision appeared to him, and he saw standing before him the god

Zomara"--more hand-kissing--"in a flame of fire. And the King of

Crocodiles said to him: 'Gogo, I have seen thy poverty and am come to

give thee succour. I have seen how, even in the days when no food hath

passed thy lips, thou hast never committed theft, nor borrowed not to

return, and now thou shalt have great wealth. Speed early to-morrow to

thy friend Djerad and borrow his black horse. I will put it in his mind

to lend it thee; and take this horse and ride it to the Gate of Mo, and

then leap on thy horse from the precipice, and assuredly thou wilt find

great wealth.'



"Ere Gogo had time to thank the great god--whose name be exalted above

all others--he had vanished. Early he rose, donned his ragged garments,

set forth and begged the loan of the black horse of Djerad, his friend.

After a ride of many hours, he came at sundown to the Gate of Mo, and

gazed over the fearful precipice. Gathering the reins in his hand he rode

back a little distance, then gallopped full speed to the brink. But his

heart failed him, and on the edge he reined his horse for fear.



"Nine times he essayed to go, but each time his courage was insufficient.

While he was sitting on his horse, preparing for the tenth time to obey

the instructions, he heard a great noise behind him, and turning, saw the

god Zomara with fire bursting from his mouth and streams of light in his

eyes, crawling towards him.



"'Weak man,' he cried, as he passed. 'Thou fearest to obey. Follow me.'



"An instant later the great crocodile had crawled over the edge of the

precipice, and a moment afterwards Gogo had followed his example. It

seemed as if he were in the air an hour, but suddenly his horse's hoofs

touched earth again; the animal never fell into the terrible abyss, but

merely tore up a piece of the turf where he had stood. He looked around;

Zomara had disappeared, but in the hole that the horse's hoof had caused

he saw a large ring of iron. Dismounting, he tried to raise it, but only

after two hours' work he succeeded in moving it and excavating from its

hiding-place an enormous chest filled with gold pieces and costly jewels,

and so he lived in affluence the remainder of his life, till Zomara took

him to be one of his councillors. So are the righteous rewarded."



Then some thick-lipped musicians struck up music on quaintly-shaped

stringed instruments, and the strange old man, bearing a kind of

tambourine in his hand, came round to collect coins, the collection being

repeated at the conclusion of each legend.



In one of his stories mention was made in the most matter-of-fact manner

of a sick person being buried alive. This caused me to address some

questions to Liola, who, seated near me, told me that this terrible

custom was one recently introduced by the Naya.



"The ghastly practice is supposed to appease Zomara and give us victory

over our enemies," she said. "As soon as any serious illness setteth in,

the patient is taken from his house wrapped in his best robes, deposited

in a grave and then covered with earth. No one in Mo now dieth a natural

death. When the body hath been placed in the grave, the friends of the

dead man set forth to kill the first living creature they can encounter,

man, woman or beast, believing that through their victim their friend

hath been compelled to die. When thus in search of an expiatory victim,

they take the precaution of breaking off young shoots of the shrubs as

they pass by, leaving the broken ends hanging in the direction they are

going as a warning to people to shun that path. Even should one of their

own relatives be the first to meet the avengers they dare not suffer him

to escape."



"Life is not very secure in Mo when sickness rageth," I observed.



"No," she replied, sighing. "It is merely one of the many horrible

practices the Naya hath introduced into our land. Whether a man is buried

alive, or whether he dieth in the fight, his kinsmen at once assemble and

destroy all his goods, saving only his vessels of gold which are

confiscated for the Naya's use. The curse of Zomara would fall heavily

upon anyone who attempteth to make use of any article once owned by a

dead person. After the destruction of the property hath taken place the

house is filled with the fumes of burning resin. The guests then sit in

the perfumed atmosphere drinking large draughts of fiery liquids and give

vent to their feelings in violent shouts."



"A strange custom, indeed," I said, astonished. "And it is only of recent

introduction?"



"When, three years ago the ancient Temple of Zomara was discovered

beneath the earth and all in Mo descended to witness its wonders, the

Naya gave orders for the custom, as I have described, to be rigorously

observed," she answered, turning her clear, trusting eyes upon Omar as

she spoke.



Soon afterwards she left us in order to give some orders to the slaves,

and the story-teller and musicians also departing, Goliba brought in

three of the provincial governors who had visited us on the last occasion

we had been the aged sage's guests, and together we discussed and

criticised for the last time the arrangements made for the revolt. After

an hour's consultation these men again departed, and Goliba himself

having brought us our arms, consisting of an English-made magazine-rifle

each, some ammunition, and a short but very keen sword manufactured in

Mo, left to make a tour of his house to personally inspect the measures

taken for its defence.



The next hour was so full of breathless excitement that we dared only

converse in whispers. The atmosphere was hot and oppressive, the sky had

grown dark and overcast, threatening ominously, while ever and anon could

be heard the faint clank of arms; men, tall, dark and mysterious, passed

and repassed along the dark colonnades, or stood in knots leaning on

their rifles discussing the situation in undertones.



On returning to us our host told us that the store of arms we had seen,

as well as others in various neighbourhoods, had all been distributed,

and that the whole city was awaiting the signal.



"Roughly speaking, thou hast in the capital alone thirty thousand

adherents," the councillor said to Omar. "Thou hast therefore nothing to

fear. The path to victory is straight, and little danger lurketh there."



Almost ere these words had fallen from his lips, loud shouting sounded at

the door that gave entrance to the patio wherein we stood, and we were

startled to notice a scuffle taking place between a number of those who

were about to guard the house and some would-be intruders. Yet ere we

could realise the true state of affairs, we saw dozens of the royal

soldiers scrambling down from the walls on every side, rifles flashed

here and there, and within a few moments the place was in possession of

the troops of the Naya.



"We seek Omar, the prince, and his companions," cried a man in a shining

golden breastplate, evidently an officer of high rank, striding up to

Goliba. "We hold orders from the Naya to capture them, and take them to

the palace. We know thou hast harboured them."



Before our host could reply twenty of the fighting-men of Mo, having

recognized us, dashed across, and notwithstanding our resistance, had

seized us. Goliba, too, was quickly made prisoner, and above the shouting

and hoarse imprecations we heard in the darkness a loud piercing woman's

scream.



Liola had also fallen into their hands!



We fought our captors with all the strength of which we were capable, but

were unarmed, for on receiving the rifles and swords from Goliba we had

placed them together at a little distance away in a corner of the court.

It took fully a dozen stalwart soldiers to hold the black giant Kona, and

even then it was as much as they could do to prevent him from severely

mauling them. His grip was like a vice; his fist hard as iron.



In the hands of three of these white robed soldiers, who had on our

arrival in Mo cheered and belauded us, I struggled fiercely, but to no

avail, for they dragged us all onward across the patio and out into the

street, now crowded by those attracted by the unusual disturbance in the

house of the Naya's councillor. The huge grim gateway of the royal palace

stood facing the end of the long, broad thoroughfare, and from where we

stood we had an uninterrupted view of it. Our arrest was indeed a

disaster when we seemed within an ace of success. The people regarded us

indifferently as we were hurried up the hill towards the great stone arch

with its massive watch-towers, and it appeared as though the swift

decisive step of securing the ringleaders of the revolt had entirely

crushed it, for the people, instead of showing defiance, shrank back from

the soldiers, cowed and submissive.



Suddenly, as we went forward, the great bell in one of the high turrets

of the Naya's stronghold boomed forth the first stroke of the midnight

hour.



Then, in an instant, a bright red flash blinded us, followed by a report

so deafening, that the very rock whereon the city was built trembled, and

we saw amid the dense smoke before us the great black gateway, with its

watch towers where the sentries were pacing, break away, and shoot in

huge masses high towards the sky.



The explosion was terrific; its effect appalling. The glare lit the whole

city for a brief second with a light like a stormy sunset, then upon us

showered great pieces of iron and stone with mangled human limbs, the

debris of a gateway that for centuries had been considered absolutely

impregnable.



The first blow against tyranny and oppression had been struck, terrible

and decisive. It was the people's call to arms. Would they respond?