w and took up his position. A
look-out man had been posted. Everything was ready.

The King was decidedly nervous. He wandered from one archer to
another asking after this man's wife and family, praising the polish
on that man's quiver, or advising him to stand with his back a little
more to the sun. Now and then he would hurry off to the look-out man
on a distant turret, point out Barodia on the horizon to him, and
hurry back again.

The look-out knew all about it.

"Royalty over," he bellowed suddenly.

"When!" roared the King, and a cloud of arrows shot into the air.

"Well done!" cried Hyacinth, clapping her hands. "I mean, how could
you? You might have hurt him."

"Hyacinth," said the King, turning suddenly; "you here?"

"I have just come up. Did you hit him?"

"Hit who?"

"The King of Barodia, of course."

"The King of---- My dear child, what could the King of Barodia be
doing here? My archers were aiming at a hawk that they saw in the
distance." He beckoned to the Captain. "Did you hit that hawk?" he
asked.

"With one shot only, Sire. In the whisk--in the tail feathers."

The King turned to Hyacinth.

"With one shot only in the whisk--in the tail feathers," he said.
"What was it, my dear, that you were saying about the King of
Barodia?"

"Oh, Father, you are bad. You hit the poor man right in the whisker."

"His Majesty of Barodia! And in the whisker! My dear child, this is
terrible! But what can he have been doing up there? Dear, dear, this
is really most unfortunate. I must compose a note of apology about
this."

"I should leave the first note to him," said Hyacinth.

"Yes, yes, you're right. No doubt he will wish to explain how he came
to be there. Just a moment, dear."

He went over to his archers, who were drawn up in line
again.

"You may take your men down now," he said to the Captain.

"Yes, your Majesty."

His Majesty looked quickly round the castle walls, and then leant
confidentially towards the Captain.

"Er--which was the man who--er"-- he fingered his cheek--"er--quite
so. The one on the left? Ah, yes." He went to the man on the left
and put a bag of gold into his hand.

"You have a very good style with the bow, my man. Your wrist action
is excellent. I have never seen an arrow go so high."

The company saluted and withdrew. The King and Hyacinth sat down to
breakfast.

"A little mullet, my dear?" he said.

* * * * *

The Heredita