ings, among them the palace
of the Karoon, the whole being surrounded by triple marble walls as a
protection from attack by foes. Never had I seen anything so beautiful
as that hill with its edifices of shining white roofed with gold or
copper and gleaming in the sun.

Descending from my litter I walked to those of my mother and Karema, for
Bes in his majesty might not be approached, and said as much to them.

"Yes, Son," answered my mother, "it is worth while to have travelled so
far to see such a sight. I shall have a fine sepulchre, Son."

"I have seen it all before," broke in Karema.

"When?" I asked.

"I do not know. I suppose it must have been when I was the Cup of the
holy Tanofir. At least it is familiar to me. Already I weary of it, for
who can care for a land or a city where they think white people hideous
and scarcely allow a wife to go near her husband, save between midnight
and dawn when they cease from their horrible music?"

"It will be your part to change these customs, Karema."

"Yes," she exclaimed, "certainly that will be my part," after which I
went back to my litter.

CHAPTER XV. THE SUMMONS

Now at the gates of the City of the Grasshopper we were royally
received. The priests came out to meet us, pushing a colossal image
of their god before them on a kind of flat chariot, and I remember
wondering what would be the value of that huge golden locust, if it were
melted down. Also the Council came, very ancient men all of them,
since the Ethiopians for the most part lived more than a hundred years.
Perhaps that is why they were so glad to welcome Bes since they were too
old to care about retaining power in their own hands as they had done
during his long absence. For save Bes there was no other man living of
the true royal blood who could take the throne.

Then there were thousands of women, broad-faced and smiling whose black
skins shone with scented oils, for they wore little except a girdle
about their waists and many ornaments of gold. Thus their earrings
were sometimes a palm in breadth and many of them had great gold rings
through their noses, such as in Egypt are put in those of bulls. My
mother laughed at them, but Karema said that she thought them hideous
and hateful.

They were a strange people, these Ethiopians, like children, most of
them, being merry and kind and never thinking of one thing for more
than a minute. Thus one would see them weep and laugh almost in the same