“Well, you are here at last,” said Nalig-Nad, looking at us over the heads of the children as we ranged ourselves before him and bowed with proper deference. “Which is your leader?”
“My friend, the Senator Nux, and I, the Honorable Bryonia, are alike kings and rulers in our own country,” was the reply. “But my friend is modest, and at his request I will speak for us both.”
“Good!” ejaculated Nalig-Nad. “Sit down, my brothers; kings must not stand in my presence.”
They sat upon a bench, and Nux, thinking this the right time to be impressive, got out a big cigar and lighted it, having offered another to the king, who promptly refused it.
“Why are you here to honor me with your presence?” was the next question, quietly put.
“In our magic travelling machine we are making a trip around the world,” began Bryonia, in a bombastic tone. They were speaking in the native dialect, which I clearly understood; and I must say that my men expressed themselves much better in that than they did in English.
The king took a bit of green chalk from his pocket and made a mark upon the bench beside him.
“Where did you get your white slaves?” he enquired.
“They were shipwrecked upon the island which we rule, and we made them our slaves,” said Bry.
The king made a second chalk mark.