“Oh, wanderers from a far country, I am She-who-will-never-Obey, the Queen of the Mariannakookas.  I rule above, and in nether regions, where there is Eternal Fire.  Behold my Word goes forth, and the Ovens are made hot, and the Kee-chen-boi-lars are filled with Water.  Over me no Mistress holds sway.  All whom I meet I keep in subjection, save only the Weeklibuks; them I keep not down, for they delight me.  And the land over which I reign is made glad with fat and much stored up Dripn.  Who are ye, and what seek ye here?  Speak ere it be too late!” And as she ceased the whole army broke forth into a chorus, “She-who-will-never-Obey has spoken!  The Word is gone forth!  Speak, speak!” I confess I was alarmed, and my fears were not diminished when two of the Skulrimehds (a sort of native camp-follower) came up to COODENT and me, and actually began to make love to us in the most forward manner.  But Sir HENRY maintained his calm demeanour.  “She-who-will-never-Obey,” he said, “we are peaceful traders.  We bring no Commission—­” how his sentence would have ended will never be known.  Certain it is that what he said roused the Amazons to a frenzy of passion.  They yelled and danced round us.  “He who brings no Commission must die!” they shouted; and in a moment we found ourselves bound tightly hand-and-foot, and marching as prisoners of war in the centre of the Mariannakookaland army.

CHAPTER V.

It is unnecessary to go through the details of our marvellous escape from the lowest dungeon of the royal Palace of SURVAN TSAUL, where for months we were immured on a constant diet of suet pudding.  Of course we did escape, but only after killing ten thousand Mariannakookas, and then swimming for a mile in their blood.  COODENT brought with him a very pretty Skulrimehd who had grown attached to him, but she drooped and pined away after he lost his false teeth in crossing a river, and tried to replace them with orange-peel, a trick he had learnt at school.  Sir HENRY’s fight with She-who-will-never-Obey is still remembered.  He will carry the marks of her nails on his cheeks to his grave.  I myself am tired of wandering. “Home, Sweet Home,” as the Bab Ballads have it, is the place for me.

THE END.

* * * * *

AN UNREHEARSED EFFECT.

(BY OUR OWN RECITER.)

[Illustration]

I went to see the Pantomime this Christmas in our town.  We laughed enough the opening night to bring the theatre down.  The piece was Burleybumbo, the Old Giant, and his Men; Fairy Starlight, Little Popsey, and the Demon of the Glen.  The Supers were collected from the local talent round, And for Burleybumbo’s servant the Blacksmith, JOHN, they found; A stalwart varlet was required to carry off his foes To Burleybumbo Castle, where he ate them as he chose.  His