“It is an offering to the lord of Little Bonsa,” answered the head priest, bowing, “a gift from the Asika. The heaven-born white man sent word by his Ogula messengers that he desired gold. Here is the gold that he desired.”
Alan stared at the treasure, which after all was what he had come to seek. If only he had it safe in England, he would be a rich man and his troubles ended. But how could he get it to England? Here it was worthless as mud.
“I thank the Asika,” he said. “I ask for porters to bear her gift back to my own country, since it is too heavy for me and my servant to carry alone.”
At these words the priest smiled a little, then said that the Asika desired to see the white lord and to receive from him Little Bonsa in return for the gold, and that he could proffer his request to her.
“Good,” replied Alan, “lead me to the Asika.”
Then they started, Alan bearing the box containing Little Bonsa, and Jeekie following after him. They went down passages and through sundry doors till at length they came to a long and narrow hall that seemed to be lined with plates of gold. At the end of this hall was a large chair of black wood and ivory placed upon a daïs, and sitting in this chair with the light pouring on her from some opening above, was the woman of Alan’s dream, beautiful to look on in her crown and glittering garments. Upon a stool at the foot of the daïs sat a man, a handsome and melancholy man. His hair was tied behind his head in a pigtail and gilded, his face was painted red, white and yellow; he wore ropes of bright-coloured stones about his neck, middle, arms and ankles, and held a kind of sceptre in his hand.
“Who is that creature?” asked Alan over his shoulder to Jeekie. “The Court fool?”
“That husband of Asika, Major. He not fool, very big gun, but look a little low now because his time soon up. Come on, Major, Asika beckon us. Get on stomach and crawl; that custom here,” he added, going down on to his hands and knees, as did all the priests who followed them.
“I’ll see her hanged first,” answered Alan in English.
Then, accompanied by the creeping Jeekie and the train of prostrate priests, he marched up the long hall to the edge of the daïs and there stood still and bowed to the woman in the chair.