experiences of actual life, and
were opening the gates of a more glorious day.

I informed Lyone of the arrival of the two vessels from the outer
world, and of the great services of Captain Adams and Sir John Forbes
in turning the tide of battle by sea in our favor. She was delighted
at the prospect of meeting fresh visitors from the outer world, and in
due time Captain Adams and Sir John Forbes and their entire ships'
companies stood before her who was delighted with the fuller
acquaintance thus made with the people of the outer world. Both the
captains and their officers realized her ideal of exotic manhood,
which combined stalwart proportions with intellectual benignity of
face.

Sir John Forbes was very complimentary in his praise of the grace and
beauty of Lyone and her associates among the priestesses of Egyplosis.
He considered Lyone to possess spiritual beauty to an extraordinary
degree. The wonderful pale-gold of her complexion was in marked
contrast to the old-gold complexion of the women of Atvatabar. He also
praised the splendid beauty of Zooly-Soase and Thoubool, who were
indeed magnificent women.

My success encouraged the strangers to consider that conquest in other
realms of Plutusia would be an easy accomplishment, especially if
armed with such weapons as those possessed by the sailors of the
_Polar King_. But even admitting superiority of weapons, they thought
it a marvellous thing that one small vessel with but eighty men could
conquer fifty millions of people.

In my own mind I thought it possible that the _Polar King_ might
conquer still greater kingdoms, and that in time I might be Plutarch
of Plutusia. But in such business one realm at a time is enough. I
suggested to our visitors that there were at least twenty realms, each
as large as Atvatabar, in this interior planet, that would give them
opportunity for adventure.

"We also wish," said I, "both the United States and England to know
that our ports are open for commerce, and foreign trade is welcome to
seek our shores. We have gold enough to enrich all comers from the
outer world."

The eyes of our visitors and their officers glistened at this
intelligence. And well they might, for Atvatabar was worth a thousand
realms like Golconda or Peru. We had wealth for literature and
science, art and commerce, which rightly used would make Atvatabar the
wonder of the ages, a realm of palaces and temples, the fountain of
wisdom, the mother of art