eps carefully and slowly, and
the captains motioned to the prisoners to follow. So Prince Marvel
followed one of the Ki up the steps and Nerle the other Ki, while the
two Ki-Ki came behind them so they could not escape.

So to the top of the wall they climbed, where a pair of twin servants
in yellow and green--which seemed to be the royal colors--welcomed them
and drew up the pair of silver steps, afterward letting them down on
the other side of the wall, side by side.

They descended in the same order as they had mounted to the top of the
wall, and now Prince Marvel and Nerle found themselves in a most
beautiful garden, filled with twin beds of twin flowers, with many
pairs of rare shrubs. Also, there were several double statuettes on
pedestals, and double fountains sending exactly the same sprays of
water the same distance into the air.

Double walks ran in every direction through the garden, and in the
center of the inclosure stood a magnificent twin palace, built of
blocks of white marble exquisitely carved.

The Ki and the Ki-Ki at once led their prisoners toward the palace and
entered at its large arched double doors, where several pairs of
servants met them. These servants, they found, were all dumb, so that
should they escape from the palace walls they could tell no tales of
the High Ki.

The prisoners now proceeded through several pairs of halls, winding
this way and that, and at last came to a pair of golden double doors
leading into the throne-room of the mighty High Ki. Here they all
paused, and the Ki-Ki both turned to the prince and Nerle and said:

"You are the only persons, excepting ourselves and the palace servants,
who have ever been permitted to see the High Ki of Twi. As you are
about to die, that does not matter; but should you by any chance be
permitted to live, you must never breathe a word of what you are about
to see, under penalty of a sure and horrible death."

The prisoners made no reply to this speech, and, after the two Ki-Ki
had given them another mild look from their gentle blue eyes, these
officials clapped their twin hands together and the doors of gold flew
open.

A perfect silence greeted them, during which the double Ki and the
double Ki-Ki bent their four bodies low and advanced into the
throne-room, followed by Prince Marvel and Nerle.

In the center of the room stood two thrones of dainty filigree work in
solid gold, and over them were canopies of yellow velvet, t