Immediately the door was flung open, and the three comrades found themselves in the courtyard of the palace, where the green turf—so utterly unexpected in the heart of Africa—again reminded them of the shady lawns of the ancestral homes of England. Within the courtyard were men of all conditions—some armed, others having the appearance of merchants; for it was the Audience Day, and Sir Jehan denied admission to no one who desired to speak with his overlord.
Most of the persons present wore the copper cross, a few more wore the T-shaped device, while others sported a red cross with an additional bar above the horizontal line.
"Here is the guest chamber, where you can refresh yourselves. Water, also, and clean raiment are at your service," said Garth. "Afterwards Sir Jehan will be pleased to receive you."
Having bathed and clothed themselves in white robes, somewhat after the style of those of the superior Arab class, the Englishmen set to with a will upon tempting viands.
When they had eaten to their hearts' content, they waited till Garth again appeared.
"I have already announced your arrival, and the general audience is postponed," he informed them. "The overlord of Croixilia will see you at once. But be pleased to bring your arms with you."
Passing through a broad hall and up a wide flight of stairs, the Croixilian paused outside a lofty door, which was covered with rich hangings. Here two men, tall in comparison with their fellows, stood on guard, being completely equipped in chain armour and carrying enormous axes; while another, clad in black velvet, with a cap of maintenance on his head and a golden chain flung round his neck, demanded the names and style of the three strangers.
"Style!" remarked Reeves to his young companions, after he had given the official their names. "The nearest approach to style that I could boast of was my stylo. pen, and those rascally Arabs sneaked that. Now," he continued, dropping his banter, "keep your eye on Garth, and do what he does—unless he makes too great a fool of himself before this big pot."
The next instant the Englishmen found themselves in a spacious hall built of white stone and surrounded by aisles, which were separated from the main building by massive rounded arches springing from plain rounded pillars.
In the middle of the tiled floor was a fountain, out of which the water splashed melodiously into a fern-grown pond. Here and there were heavy wooden benches, which formed the only furniture of the hall. At the farthermost end was a dais, approached by seven stone steps; and on it, in a massive wooden chair, resembling the letter X, sat the overlord of Croixilia.