His gaze wandered from the figure of Sah-luma to that of the attendant harp-bearer who, perched on a narrow foothold on the back of the chariot, held his master’s golden instrument aloft as though it were a flag of song,—­the signal of a poet’s triumph, destined to float above the world forever!

Just then the equipage—­arrived at the Kings palace.  Turning the horses’ heads with a sharp jerk so that the mettlesome creatures almost sprang erect on their haunches, Sah-luma drove them swiftly into a spacious courtyard, lined with soldiers in full armor, and brilliantly illuminated, where two gigantic stone Sphinxes, with lit stars ablaze between their enormous brows, guarded a flight of steps that led up to what seemed to be an endless avenue of white marble columns.  Here slaves in gorgeous attire rushed forward, and seizing the prancing coursers by the bridle rein, held them fast while the Laureate and his companion alighted.  As they did so, a mighty and resounding clash of weapons struck the tesselated pavement,—­every soldier flung his drawn sword on the ground and doffed his helmet, and the cry of

    “Hail, Sah-luma!”

rose in one brief, mellow, manly shout that echoed vibratingly through the heated air.  Sah-luma meanwhile ascended half-way up the steps, and there turning round, smiled and bowed with an exquisite grace and infinite condescension,—­and again Theos gazed at him yearningly, lovingly, and somewhat enviously too.  What a picture he made standing between the great frowning sculptured Sphinxes! ... contrasted with those cold and solemn visages of stone he looked like a dazzling butterfly or stray bird of paradise.  His white garb glistened at every point with gems, and from his shoulders, where it was fastened with large sapphire elasps, depended a long mantle of cloth of gold, bordered thickly with swansdown,—­this he held up negligently in one hand as ho remained for a moment in full view of the assembled soldiery, graciously acknowledging their enthusiastic greetings, . . then with easy and unhasting tread he mounted the rest of the stairway, followed by Theos and his harp-bearer, and passed into the immense outer entrance hall of the Royal Palace, known, as he explained to his guest, as the Hall of the Two Thousand Columns.

Here among the massively carved pillars which looked like straight, tall, frosted trunks of trees, were assembled hundreds of men young and old,—­evident aristocrats and nobles of high degree, to judge from the magnificence of their costumes, while in and out their brilliant ranks glided little pages in crimson and blue,—­black slaves, semi-nude or clothed in vivid colors,—­court officials with jewelled badges and insignias of authority,—­ military guards clad in steel armor and carrying short, drawn scimetars,—­all talking, laughing, gesticulating and elbowing one another as they moved to and fro,—­and so thickly were they pressed together that at first sight it seemed impossible to penetrate through so dense a crowd:  but no sooner did Sah-luma appear, than they all fell back in orderly rows, thus making an open avenue-like space for his admittance.