160 THE ARCTURUS ADVENTURE 



barrier, occasionally clutching each other to express 

 our utter satisfaction. The light came from a sort 

 of chimney-hole high up in the seaward wall, and 

 on a shelf beneath the aperture lay a sea-lion, for 

 all the world like an electrician in charge of a 

 theater spotlight perched in his little box halfway 

 up the proscenium arch. 



The king seemed quite unaware of us until we 

 slowly approached the throne; perhaps we did not 

 observe the ceremonial proper to such a progress. 

 Suddenly the patriarch emitted a terrific snuffling 

 bellow and hurled himself straight at us, to the ac- 

 companiment of an avalanche of stones. Outside 

 we should have known that he was harmless, but 

 this stage setting was too much for our nerves. 

 With muffled howls we threw ourselves prostrate on 

 top of the dividing wall, hastily elevating our feet, 

 and the monarch of the den thundered past. The 

 complete humility of our concerted salaam should 

 have placated him. We heard the echoes of his in- 

 dignant wheezes dying away down the tunnel, and 

 with a flop the royal electrician deserted his now 

 useless post and shuffled in pursuit. This was the 

 beginning of a general exodus. The harem, or 

 courtiers, did not seem afraid of us ; but it was per- 

 haps court etiquette to follow the royal suit. In 

 five minutes we were in sole possession of the au- 

 dience-chamber, except that from corners too deep 

 to be penetrated by the dim light still came the 

 sound of happily-nourished infants. 



We introduced the note of a Christmas panto- 

 mime into this equatorial fairy-tale by leaving 



