ere, and how can I hand her over to
one I know nothing of? How do I know you are a ghost, after all? How
do I know you have anything but a rusty sword and much impertinence to
back your astounding claim?"

"Oh, let it be just as you like," I said, calmly shelling and eating a
nut I had picked up. "Only if you do not give the maid back, why,
then--" And I stopped as though the sequel were too painful to put into
words.

Again that superstitious monarch of a land thronged with malicious
spirits called up his magician, and, after they had consulted a moment,
turned more cheerfully to me.

"Look here, Mister-from-Nowhere, if you are really a spirit, and have
the power to hurt as you say, you will have the power also to go and
come between the living and the dead, between the present and the past.
Now I will set you an errand, and give you five minutes to do it in."

"Five minutes!" I exclaimed in incautious alarm.

"Five minutes," said the monarch savagely. "And if in that time the
errand is not done, I shall hold you to be an impostor, an impudent
thief from some scoundrel tribe of this world of mine, and will make of
you an example which shall keep men's ears tingling for a century or
two."

Poor Heru dropped in a limp and lovely heap at that dire threat, while
I am bound to say I felt somewhat uncomfortable, not unnaturally when
all the circumstances are considered, but contented myself with
remarking, with as much bravado as could be managed,

"And now to the errand, Ar-hap. What can I do for your majesty?"

The king consulted with the rogue at his elbow, and then nodding and
chuckling in expectancy of his triumph, addressed me.

"Listen," he cried, smiting a huge hairy hand upon his knee, "listen,
and do or die. My magician tells me it is recorded in his books that
once, some five thousand years ago, when this land belonged to the
Hither people, there lived here a king. It is a pity he died, for he
seems to have been a jovial old fellow; but he did die, and, according
to their custom, they floated him down the stream that flows to the
regions of eternal ice, where doubtless he is at this present moment,
caked up with ten million of his subjects. Now just go and find that
sovereign for me, oh you bold-tongued dweller in other worlds!"

"And if I go how am I to know your ancient king, as you say, amongst
ten million others?"

"That is easy enough," quoth Ar-hap lightly. "You have only to pass to
and