The King bobbed down again at once.
"Send the Chancellor to me," said an angry voice from under the bedclothes.
When the Chancellor came in it was to see the back only of his august monarch.
"Chancellor," said the King, "prepare yourself for a shock."
"Yes, sir," said the Chancellor, trembling exceedingly.
"You are about to see something which no man in the history of Barodia has ever seen before."
The Chancellor, not having the least idea what to expect, waited nervously. The next moment the tent seemed to swim before his eyes, and he knew no more. . . .
When he came to, the King was pouring a jug of water down his neck and murmuring rough words of comfort in his ear.