THE KING AND QUEEN OF FORMOSA.—HAPPY TERMINATION OF THE STORY.
The pleasure of the princess had changed to grief; she felt disappointed and desolate, for once fallen from her high rank, and having been thrown by misfortune beneath the care of Nicholas, she had learned to regard him as a brother; therefore, after the death of the Prince Yong-Li, great had been her delight, by anticipation, of again meeting him—but now, alas! the brave youth seemed changed. Was he not, indeed, one of the officers of the great Koshinga, by whose command he had received her, not as a dear friend, but with the cold and formal respect due to that exalted rank, which, as it seemed about to rob her of her adopted brother, was hateful to her?
Thus, in a very melancholy mood, she followed the ladies through the corridor into a suite of rooms, magnificently furnished with the spoils from the well-laden ships of Li-Kong. She, who, more fortunate than most princesses, had had the painful mantle of royalty torn from her shoulders and been permitted for a season to taste the troubles of ordinary mortals, which, compared to her former state, seemed luxury itself, was again about to be petrified by state garments, and, like the idols, her Christian teaching caught her to despise, placed upon a throne high up out of the way of common humanity, and as her experience had taught her, mocked with a false adoration.
The morning came, however, and still she as much feared to meet the chief as if he had been her greatest enemy. At last the terrible moment of meeting came, and she was conducted by her ladies to the great hall of the castle, which was hung with yellow cloth of gold. Not noticing the crowd of officers around, who were bowing to the ground, she bent her head downward, and as the ladies led her forward to the chair of state, she heard, "Welcome to the Queen of Tai-ouan." The welcome was echoed by a hundred voices; the princess looked up, the throne was vacant, but by her side, and holding her hand, stood the terrible Koshinga, at the sight of whom she trembled, but it was with joy, for the great sea chief after all was neither more nor less than Nicholas, the son of the merchant of the south, who, by his great abilities, valor, and energy, had conquered a kingdom and crowned himself.
Thus ends the troubles of the princess, Chow, Nicholas, and my story. I will, however, add, that although by some unaccountable neglect the historians of China have omitted to say one word about the queen, they all state that not only was Koshinga, the great son of Chin-Chi-Loong, crowned first King of Formosa, but in that capacity received ambassadors from several of the monarchs of Europe.