ll see that there are fifty floors beneath us, and each floor has a
balcony like this overlooking the court."

"What is the sound that comes up from below?" asked the Englishman.

"It is the voices of the people and their footsteps on the stone."

"What people?"

"Don't you see them? Your eyes are dazzled by the light; I ought to have
warned you against looking up into the dome. The people are down there;
do the views in the pavement not look a little blurred?"

"Yes."

"Well, if you will look more closely you will see that it is a multitude
of people."

"Great heavens!" exclaimed the Englishman, and he became deeply absorbed
in the contemplation of the rarest sight he had ever seen. As he looked
closely he noticed a black spot growing larger and nearer, and he
glanced inquiringly at the captain.

"It is an elevator. There are a great many of them used in the palace,
but none have happened to rise as high as this since we came. The one
you see is coming for us." The next moment the strange vehicle was
floating toward them. The captain opened the door and preceded the
captives into the interior.

"The royal audience chamber," he said, carelessly, to the driver behind
the glass of the adjoining compartment, and down they floated as lightly
as a bubble--down past balcony after balcony, laden with moving throngs,
until they alighted in a great conservatory.

Near them was a tall fountain the water of which was playing weird music
on great bells of glass, some of which hung in the fountain's stream
and others rose and fell, giving forth strange, submerged tones in the
foaming basin.

"It is a new invention recently placed here by the king's son who is a
musical genius," explained Tradmos. "You will be astonished at some of
his inventions."

He led them, as if to avoid the great crowds that they could now hear
on all sides, down a long vista of palms, the branches of which met over
their heads, to the wide door of the audience chamber. A party of men
dressed in uniforms of white silk with gold and silver ornaments bowed
before the captain and made way for him.

The captives now found themselves in the most splendid and spacious room
they had ever seen, at the far end of which was a long dais and on it an
elaborate throne.

"I shall be obliged to leave you when the king comes," said Tradmos to
Thorndyke, "but I shall hope to see you again. Don't forget my name and
rank, for I may send you a message some time