th by fifty wide, and very lofty,
resembling a cathedral aisle more than anything else. From this main
aisle opened passages at a distance of every twelve or fifteen feet,
leading, I supposed, to smaller chambers. About fifty feet from the
entrance of the cave, just where the light began to get dim, a fire was
burning, which threw huge shadows upon the gloomy walls around. Here
Billali halted, and asked us to be seated, saying that the people would
bring us food, and accordingly we squatted ourselves down upon the
rugs of skins which were spread for us, and waited. Presently the food,
consisting of goat's flesh boiled, fresh milk in an earthenware pot, and
boiled cobs of Indian corn, was brought by young girls. We were almost
starving, and I do not think that I ever in my life before ate with
such satisfaction. Indeed, before we had finished we literally ate up
everything that was set before us.

When we had done, our somewhat saturnine host, Billali, who had been
watching us in perfect silence, rose and addressed us. He said that it
was a wonderful thing that had happened. No man had ever known or heard
of white strangers arriving in the country of the People of the Rocks.
Sometimes, though rarely, black men had come here, and from them they
had heard of the existence of men much whiter than themselves, who
sailed on the sea in ships, but for the arrival of such there was no
precedent. We had, however, been seen dragging the boat up the canal,
and he told us frankly that he had at once given orders for our
destruction, seeing that it was unlawful for any stranger to enter here,
when a message had come from "_She-who-must-be-obeyed_," saying that our
lives were to be spared, and that we were to be brought hither.

"Pardon me, my father," I interrupted at this point; "but if, as I
understand, '_She-who-must-be-obeyed_' lives yet farther off, how could
she have known of our approach?"

Billali turned, and seeing that we were alone--for the young lady,
Ustane, had withdrawn when he had begun to speak--said, with a curious
little laugh--

"Are there none in your land who can see without eyes and hear without
ears? Ask no questions; _She_ knew."

I shrugged my shoulders at this, and he proceeded to say that no further
instructions had been received on the subject of our disposal, and this
being so he was about to start to interview "_She-who-must-be-obeyed_,"
generally spoken of, for the sake of brevity, as "Hiya" or _S