shall afford
you the opportunity to set forth your version of the dispute between the
queen and yourself, and to bring forward proofs of the soundness and
justice of your own contention, and you shall have it. Therefore, make
such arrangements as you may deem necessary; and when you are ready I
shall be prepared to listen to you. But, understand this: your proofs
will have to be very full and complete to be wholly convincing, for,
rightly or wrongly, I have been very strongly impressed with the
conviction that the queen is the victim of a powerful band of thoroughly
ruthless, unscrupulous conspirators."

Anuti laughed heartily as he grasped my extended hand. "There was no
need for you to tell me that, Chia'gnosi," he said, "for I know Bimbane,
and am fully aware of her extraordinary powers of persuasion. Her magic
is potent and wonderful, ay, even to the extent of enabling her to
persuade you that this blaze of sunlight is the darkness of the great
cavern whence we obtain our shining stones, that yonder sun is the
day-old moon, or that she herself is young and beautiful. Therefore I
am in nowise astonished that you insist upon my proofs being complete.
I am fully aware that they will have to be so in order to convince you;
and I promise you that they shall be. And now, a word of warning. It
may be that Bimbane is cognisant of what has passed between us, for I
doubt not that she watches your every movement; and, if so, she will be
fully aware, not only that we have met, but of every word that we have
spoken. In that case, Chia'gnosi, you will be in some danger; and if I
thought that you feared danger I would express my regret for having
brought you within touch of it. But I know that you do not; therefore I
will merely say to you, be on the watch, for when the peril comes it
will come swiftly, without warning, and you will need all your courage
and all your great strength to meet it. Farewell, Chia'gnosi, and
thanks for the courtesy and fairness with which you have hearkened to
me. I will collect my facts and my witnesses; and when all is ready you
shall hear from me. Again, farewell!"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

AT LAST I LEARN THE TRUTH.

Profoundly perplexed, and quite unable to decide which of these two,
Bimbane or Anuti, was telling me the truth, I rode slowly and
thoughtfully back to the palace, and, surrendering Prince to the care of
'Mfuni, sought the privacy of my own apartments, anxious to think o