it
was quite dark, the surrounding tree tops standing out black against the
star-studded sky; and only an occasional faint, evanescent gleam here
and there of starlight upon golden armour told of the presence of all
that multitude.

Then, the religious service being at an end, a lighted torch was
mysteriously produced from somewhere and handed to Anuti, who,
approaching the pyre, thrust the burning brand into the heart of it and
retired again to his former place. For a second or two the darkness
continued; then here and there about the pyre small wreaths of smoke
floated out, quickly followed by little tongues of flame, rapidly
increasing in intensity until within a few minutes the whole of the
upper part of the pyre was ablaze, and the basin, with its crowds of
splendidly attired and mounted officials, was brilliantly illuminated by
the ruddy glare. I think the bier, and possibly the body also, must
have been treated with some highly combustible preparation, for I
noticed that the moment the flames reached them they seized upon them
with avidity, so that within ten minutes of the first kindling the bier
and the body were both enwrapped in a roaring volume of vivid flame, in
which the corpse seemed to shrink and shrivel so rapidly that when at
length the top of the pyre collapsed and fell in, scarcely a vestige of
bier or body was to be seen. The fire blazed so furiously--throwing out
an almost unendurable heat--that within half an hour the pyre had become
reduced to a heap of ruddy, dull-glowing ashes; whereupon Anuti gave a
signal, the trumpeters blew seven blasts by way of final salute to the
dead, the white ribbons were torn from the banners and cast upon the
flickering flames, the banners were unknotted, and, forming up in
military array, the mounted contingent wheeled and departed, making
their way back to the palace, and leaving the pedestrians to return home
at their leisure.

On the following day a golden urn, containing ashes asserted to be those
of the dead queen, was deposited by the priests in the funeral chamber
beneath the palace, and Bimbane, with all her faults and crimes, finally
disappeared for ever from among the Bandokolo.

The accession of Anuti to the throne was the cause of general rejoicing
throughout the country; and in accordance with custom the new king
proclaimed a grand festival in celebration of the event. But as the
festival--also in accordance with custom--necessarily consisted to