s already on his head, rose listlessly and bowed to
the gorgeous Mungana who, poor man, answered him with a stare of hate,
knowing that this wanderer was destined to fill his place. Then they
started, Jeekie accompanying them, and walked a long way through various
halls and passages, bearing first to the left and then to the right
again, till suddenly through some side door they emerged upon a
marvellous scene. The first impressions that reached Alan's mind were
those of a long stretch of water, very black and still and not more than
eighty feet in width. On the hither edge of this canal, seated upon a
raised dais in the midst of a great open space of polished rock, was
the Asika, or so he gathered from her gold breastplate and sparkling
garments, for her fierce and beautiful features were hid beneath an
object familiar enough to him, the yellow, crystal-eyed mask of Little
Bonsa. Arranged in companies about and behind her were hundreds of
people, male and female, clad in hideous costumes to resemble demons,
with masks to match. Some of these masks were semi-human and some of
them bore a likeness to the heads of animals and had horns on them,
while their wearers were adorned with skins and tails. To describe them
in their infinite variety would be impossible; indeed the recollection
that Alan carried away was one of a mediaeval hell as it is occasionally
to be found portrayed upon "Doom pictures" in old churches.

On the further side of the water the entire Asiki people seemed to be
gathered, at least there were thousands of them seated upon a rising
rocky slope as in an amphitheatre, clad only in the ordinary costume of
the Western African native, and in some instances in linen cloaks. This
great amphitheatre was surrounded by a high wall with gates, but in the
moonlight he found it difficult to discern its exact limits.

Jeekie nudged Alan and pointed to the centre of the canal or pool. He
looked and saw floating there a huge and hideous golden head, twenty
times as large as life perhaps, with great prominent eyes that glared up
to the sky. Its appearance was quite unlike anything else in the world,
more loathsome, more horrible, man, fish and animal, all seemed to
have their part in it, human mouth and teeth, fish-like eyes and snout,
bestial expression.

"Big Bonsa," whispered Jeekie. "Just the same as when I sweet little
boy.--He live here for thousand of years."

Preceded by the Mungana and followed by Jeekie a