"When the idol Harmac is utterly destroyed, and the Fung have departed
for ever, my uncle," she answered impatiently. "But is this a time to
talk of marriage? I declare the Council closed. Let the priests bring
the rolls that these strangers from the West may take the oath, and then
pardon me if I leave you."

Now from behind the throne there appeared a gorgeous gentleman arrayed
in a head-dress that reminded me faintly of a bishop's mitre, and
wearing over his robes a breastplate of precious stones roughly
polished, which was half hidden by a very long white beard.

This person, who it seemed was the high priest, carried in his hand
a double roll of parchment written over with characters which we
afterwards discovered were bastard Hebrew, very ancient and only
decipherable by three or four of the Abati, if indeed any of them could
really read it. At least it was said to be the roll of the law brought
by their forefathers centuries ago from Abyssinia, together with Sheba's
ring and a few other relics, among them the cradle (a palpable forgery),
in which the child of Solomon and Maqueda, or Belchis, the first known
Queen of Sheba, was traditionally reported to have been rocked. This
roll of the law, which for generations had been used at all important
ceremonies among the Abati, such as the swearing-in of their queens and
chief officers, was now tendered to us to hold and kiss while we took
the oath of obedience and allegiance in the names of Jehovah and of
Solomon (a strange mixture, it struck us), solemnly vowing to perform
those things which I have already set out.

"This seems a pretty wide promise," said Oliver, after it had been read
to us and translated by me to Quick. "Do you think that we ought to take
it on?"

I answered "Yes," that was from my point of view, since otherwise I saw
no chance of achieving the object that had caused me to enter upon this
adventure. Then, being especially requested to do so, the Sergeant,
after reflecting awhile, gave his considered opinion.

"Sir," he said to Orme, "we are three white men here consorting with a
mob of quarter-bred African Jews and one real lady. It seems to me that
we had best swear anything they want us to, trusting to the lady to see
us through the mess, since otherwise we shall be mere filibusters in the
country without official rank, and liable therefore to be shot on sight
by the enemy, or any mutineers who get the upper hand here. Also, we
have the