t we swear to thee that thy foes
shall be our foes, and that over us, thy slaves, shalt thou have the
power of life and death." Then, turning to the Dhahs, who throughout
this speech had maintained a death-like silence, he asked:--

"Swear ye this by the crimson star of blood which is placed upon your
brows?"

The last word had scarcely left his lips when the subject Dhahs rose
and, placing upon their foreheads their left hands, held aloft the right
above their heads as they cried:--

"By the crimson tide, which rules the life of man, we swear!"

We watched the strange scene intently as each of the Dhahs, in turn,
came forward and fell prostrate before the queen, then gave place to
those who followed. The Dhah who had administered the oath remained near
the queen until the ceremony was concluded, and seemed to number the
subjects as they came forward. Then he fell before her and, for a second
time, kissed the hem of her robe. Smiling gravely upon him, the queen
extended to him her hand. Pressing his lips fervently upon it he rose,
then, turning to those around, he exclaimed:--

"All have not sworn fealty. One among us has not taken the oath, and at
sundown he did not bear upon his forehead the sacred mark!" There was an
ominous frown apparent upon the brows of the Dhahs as these words were
uttered, and when he added: "Ye know the penalty which such
transgression deserves; how then judge ye?" each man's hand gripped his
bow in a threatening manner, while even the faces of the women grew
terribly stern. By one of those assembled was uttered a cry which leapt
from lip to lip, for it was immediately caught up by all:--

"Death to the false one! Death when the day shall dawn!" A gleam of
satisfaction, one almost of savage joy, passed over the face of the Dhah
who stood beside the queen as he added:--

"The sentence upon the traitor is a just one; do thou then confirm it!"
He turned as if about to seek himself for the one who was the cause of
the tumult, when the momentary silence was strangely broken. Upon our
ears was borne the sharp whizz of an arrow shot true from a
tightly-strung bow; then the Dhah who had just finished speaking, with a
wild cry that pierced the forest, threw his arms up as if grasping the
empty air, and fell dead at the queen's feet!

[Illustration: "THE DHAH FELL DEAD."]

"Look yonder, sahib!" whispered Hassan, who was still beside me, "there
is the one who sent forth the deadly shaft!" I tur