red by a white clasp of burnished silver at the back of the
neck, without which it would have enveloped all the upper part of her
body in its fleecy veil.

Her gown of spotless white, composed of native cloth, as fine as satin,
was without any ornament. It was encircled at the waist by a golden
girdle, falling in folds which concealed the rest of the figure,
leaving only one Cinderella-like foot to twinkle from the front, like a
jewel of rare beauty.

But no eye could fail to see that the slight girlish figure was of
ravishing perfection. The waist was slender, the partly revealed arms
were as delicate as lilies, the tiny hands with their tapering fingers
were like those of a fairy, while the countenance was one of the
fairest that ever sun shone on.

The contour was such as Rubens delighted to place on canvas, and that
Michael Angelo loved to carve from the snowy marble. The Grecian nose,
the small mouth, the white teeth, unstained like those of her
countrymen and countrywomen, the wealth of hair, the lustrous, soulful
eyes, the sea-shell-like tint of the cheeks, all these fell upon the
startled vision of the explorers with such overpowering suddenness that
for the moment they believed they were dreaming, or that some trick of
magic revealed to them a picture which had no reality.

"Look upon the white men!" commanded the king speaking in English, and
with a sternness which left disobedience out of the question; "look, I
say, for never will come the opportunity to see them again."

It was then that Ariel raised her eyes, and turned them toward the
trio, gazing at no one in particular--for she knew her parent was
closely studying her--but seeming to fix them upon some one miles
behind them.

Grimcke, Long and Ashman again bowed their heads almost to the ground,
and, feeling that the interview was over, began withdrawing.

Like the vassals leaving the presence of their sovereign, they did so
walking backward, with their faces toward the throne, and making a low
obeisance with each step.

The king looked steadily at them, without inclining his head or making
the slightest acknowledgment of the salutation. Had not Fred Ashman
been mad with the intoxication of his new, overwhelming passion, he
would have observed that which was noticed by Grimcke and Long: the
King was watching him.

The young American hardly raised his gaze from the floor, until in his
retreat, he found himself at the entrance, by which all