r chosen ruler.

Save for those required to preserve order, the survivors of the troops
were back in barracks long before sunset, and the palace-guard had been
reorganised under Kona's personal supervision. The Dagombas alone
comprised Omar's body-guard, and I found on my return to the palace that
they had exchanged their scanty clothes of native bark-cloth for the rich
bright-coloured silk uniforms of those who had acted in a similar
capacity to the Naya. With their black happy shining faces they looked a
magnificent set of men, though for the first few hours they appeared a
trifle awkward in gay attire that was entirely strange to them. It was
amusing, too, to watch how each stalked by, erect and proud, like a
peacock spreading its brilliant plumage to the sun.

That night, when the bright moon rose, lighting up the great silent
court, until yesterday occupied by the terrible queen and her corrupt
_entourage_, Omar and I sat together discussing the events of those
fateful hours since midnight. We had eaten from the gold dishes in which
the Naya's food had been served; we had quenched our thirst from the
jewel-encrusted goblets that she was wont to raise to her thin blue lips.
By Omar's side I thus tasted, for the first time, the pleasures of
royalty.

My old chum had sent away his attendants, the host of slaves with the
twelve Dagombas who acted as the body-guard on duty, and we sat alone
together in the moonlight, the quiet broken only by the distant roll of a
drum somewhere down in the city, and the cool plashing of the beautiful
fountain as it fell softly into its crystal basin. Kona, Goliba and Niaro
were all away at their duties, and now for the first time for many hours,
we had a few minutes to talk together.

"Do you know, Scars," Omar said, moving uneasily upon the royal divan
that had been carried out into the court at his orders, while, tired out,
I reclined upon another close to him--"do you know there is but one thing
I regret, now that I have succeeded to the throne that was my
birthright?"

"Regret!" I exclaimed. "What regret can you have? Surely you were
entirely right in acting as you did? The people were anxious for a just
and upright ruler, and having regard to the fact that your mother plotted
your assassination in so cold-blooded a manner, her overthrow is justly
deserved."

"Yes, yes, I know," he answered, rather impatiently. "But it is not
that--not that. One thing remains to complete my h