-my father--ill!" ejaculated Ama, in a tone of greater
consternation than seemed quite called for. "Let us go at once, Dick.
And--oh, you must cure him--you must, _for your own sake_, Dick!"

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

DOOMED TO THE TORTURE.

"You must cure him--you _must, for your own sake, Dick_!" Exactly. In
uttering those words Ama unconsciously disclosed how slight was her
confidence in the influence over her father, of which she had been
boasting only a moment or two before the arrival of the summons for me
to attend that father on his bed of sickness. It was all very well for
her to tell me that I _must_ cure him; but suppose that I could not,
suppose that the sickness--whatever it might be--should run its course
and fail to yield to my treatment, what then? The reason, so urgently
expressed by her, why I must effect a cure--"for your own sake, Dick,"--
was significant enough of the direction in which her apprehensions
pointed; there was no necessity for me to inquire what she meant. I
_must_ cure the king, or it would be so much the worse for me! And how
was I to cure him? My knowledge of disease was of the slightest and
most amateurish kind, and, for aught that I could tell to the contrary,
might not even be sufficient to enable me to diagnose the case
correctly, much less to treat it successfully! However, there was no
use in meeting trouble half-way; the only possible course was to obey
the summons forthwith, and do my best, leaving the result in the hands
of Providence. I accordingly rose to my feet and, motioning the guards
to lead the way, followed them to the palace, with Ama walking by my
side and holding my hand in a protective sort of way.

The distance from my hut to the palace was but a few yards; and we
quickly arrived at our destination, being at once conducted into the
presence of the king, who, stretched upon a couch, and evidently
suffering severe pain in his internal organs, was surrounded by the
somewhat numerous members of his family.

As I approached the side of his couch he gazed at me with lack-lustre
eyes and groaningly said:

"I am very sick, O Dick; my entrails are being burnt up within me! Cure
me at once and I will give thee my daughter Ama as thy wife and make
thee a powerful chief!"

"I thank thee, Banda, for thy magnificently generous promises," answered
I, "but I will gladly do my utmost for thee without reward. Tell me,
now, how long hast thou been like this?"