were bidden to rest ourselves upon the piles of soft, rich skins
which were spread there, and having promised to secure our safety, the
queen, whose anger gradually subsided, observing the inquiring glances
which we turned towards her, said, in a low tone:--

"The deed which ye have seen enacted to-night has smitten me sorely. For
ten years have I lived among these Dhahs, for to-day is the anniversary
of that upon which I came to them, and so it is that ye chance to see
their promise to obey me renewed. To-morrow it is expected that I, too,
will take in turn the oath, by which yearly I have sworn to them to
remain in this forest until the seasons change and change again. At
midnight to-night my last promise expires, and for a few brief hours I
shall not be their bond queen. By your glances I judge that ye would
learn my history. Strange as it is, I must narrate it briefly, for,
because of the death which ye have witnessed, I now have a request to
make which may sound unusual upon your ears."

[Illustration: "TO-MORROW SHALT THOU DIE!"]

III.

The dark eyes of the queen glanced at us as she began her story, the
sequel to which we did not at all anticipate:--

"I was a mere child when it chanced that I strayed from the hut which my
English parents inhabited on the borders of this forest. Of them I know
nothing. I remember the cry of surprise which came from the lips of a
Dhah woman when she found me, and then carried me among her tribeswomen
to show to them. It is forbidden among us for a Dhah to ever pass beyond
the limits of this forest, and so it transpired that, knowing nothing of
other races, they were astonished at my strange whiteness. I have heard
that at first they contemplated my death, thinking that my presence
would bring dire misfortune upon them. The woman who found me averred,
on the contrary, that my appearance betokened great advantages to the
tribe, as I was sent to dwell in the forest as a goddess. Afterwards,
believing this, they paid me the most abject worship for years. When I
grew older I longed to escape, but they were determined that I should
not do so, and compelled me to take an oath to stay with them for a
year, which I have renewed as often as the promise expired. Finding that
I disliked the adoration which they paid to me, they deposed their
prince--he whose hand shot the fatal arrow, as, alas! ye saw--and
although for a time I refused to accept the position, I was eventually
made thei