They reached the end of the wide passage and descended into the cave below.
Leo was not a little astonished at what he saw, and when he reached the center of the little place he could not suppress a cry of admiration.
The meeting between the cousins was a joyous, not to say affecting, one.
Leo had supposed Dick to be dead, and Dick had worried considerably as to how Leo was getting on in Hez.
Leo’s surprise was complete when Olive—as we will hereafter call the ex-queen of Hez—came forth, carrying an infant son about a month old in her arms.
“This is my wife and son, Leo,” said Dick. “The youngster is named after you. What do you think of him?”
“What do I think of him? I congratulate you, old fellow! Why, it don’t seem possible that you are a man of family. And your wife! Well, she hasn’t lost any of her good looks. I tell you, wonders will never cease. I am the only single man left in our party of swamp explorers now.”
“Is that so?” asked Dick. “I thought that none of them could marry until two years had elapsed.”
“The new queen changed the law. The professor, Haypole and Lucky were married to-day; and if Azurma had not showed up just as she did, I, too, would have been a benedict.”
“Who was to have been the bride?” asked Olive.