have been three miles long by two in breadth, stood thousands of
straw-roofed, square-built huts with verandas, neatly arranged in blocks
and lines and having between them streets that were edged with palms.

On the hither side of the pool was what looked like a park, for here
grew great, black trees, which from their flat shape Alan took to be
some variety of cedar, and standing alone in the midst of this park
where no other habitations could be discovered, was a large, low
building with dark-coloured walls and gabled roofs that flashed like
fire.

"The Gold House!" said Alan to himself with a gasp. "So it is not a
dream or a lie."

The details at that distance he could not discover, nor did he try to
do so, for the general glory of the scene held him in its grip. At this
evening hour, for a little while, the level rays of the setting sun
poured straight up the huge, water-hollowed kloof. They struck upon the
face of the fall, staining it and the clouds of mist that hung above,
to a hundred glorious hues; indeed the substance of the foaming water
seemed to be interlaced with rainbows whereof the arch reached their
crest and the feet were lost in the sullen blackness of the pool
beneath. Beautiful too was the valley, glowing in the quiet light of
evening, and even the native town thus gilded and glorified, looked like
some happy home of peace.

The sun was sinking rapidly, and before the litter reached the foot of
the hill and began to cross the rich valley, all the glory had departed
and only the cataract showed white and ghost-like through the gloom.
But still the light, which seemed to gather to itself, gleamed upon that
golden roof amid the cedar trees; then the moon rose and the gold was
turned to silver. Alan lay back upon his cushions full of wonder, almost
of awe. It was a marvellous thing that he should have lived to reach
this secret place hidden in the heart of Africa and defended by swamps,
mountains and savages to which, so far as he knew, only one white man
had ever penetrated. And to think of it! That white man, his own uncle,
had never even held it worth while to make public any account of its
wonders, which apparently had seemed to him of no importance. Or perhaps
he thought that if he did he would not be believed. Well, there they
were before and about him, and now the question was, what would be his
fate in this Gold House where the great fetish dwelt with its priestess?

Ah! that priestess! Some