OUR RECEPTION BY THE KING.
The sacred locomotive swept through a noble archway into a palace
garden, a part of the king's palace in Calnogor. The railway terminal
was a wide marble platform, or causeway, surrounded by a sea of
tropical flowers. The priests had already alighted, and stood in
double file to receive us. Through a sculptured archway a herald
approached us, blowing a trumpet and announcing the coming of his
royal majesty, King Aldemegry Bhoolmakar of Atvatabar.
We alighted, and I had the sailors drawn up in an imposing column on
the platform, every man grasping his sword. Even the remotest walls of
the garden were lined with wayleals, and military music added to the
splendor of the scene.
Presently a stately figure approached us. It was his majesty
accompanied by her majesty, Queen Toplissy. Koshnili whispered that it
was a special honor that the king and queen should greet us even
before we entered the palace. The king was tall and erect in bearing
and his complexion was the color of old gold. His hair, as well as his
closely-trimmed beard and mustache, were of a serpent-green tint. He
wore a dome-shaped crown of gold, surmounted by a blazing ruby. His
dress was a cloth of gold, light as gossamer, that swathed his form
after the manner of our Eastern potentates. His boots of
gold-lacquered leather were covered with emeralds and curiously turned
up at the toes. Queen Toplissy was a handsome lady, rather heavy in
physique, of an orange-yellow complexion, with bright copper-bronze
hair, and her unclad arms wore a profusion of bracelets and armlets of
various metals. Her crown was also of gold surmounted by a blazing
sapphire. Her robes were of white silk embroidered with broad bands of
orange and arranged in innumerable folds. Her boots were incrusted
with sapphires. All this I saw at a momentary glance as Koshnili led
me forward to his majesty. I was announced as "His Excellency,
Lexington White, commander of the _Polar King_, the discoverer of the
Polar Gulf, and the first inhabitant of the outer world who had ever
reached Bilbimtesirol and Atvatabar."
The king embraced me and I kissed the hand of her majesty. The
officers and sailors received their due share of royal attention. We
were the objects of unbounded curiosity on the part of the royal
retinue.
Amid a salute of guns and music we passed through the archway that
formed the boundary between the palace gardens and the court of the
holy locomotive, and saw the palace of King Aldemegry Bhoolmakar
before us.
It was a high, conical building, twenty stories in height. Each story
was surrounded by a row of windows decorated with pillars. Colossal
lions of gold stood on the entrance towers, their claws formed of
straps of gold running down the walls and riveted to the lower tiers
of stone, giving the impression that they held together the whole
structure beneath. The style of architecture was an absolutely new
order. It was neither Hindoo, Egyptian, Greek, nor Gothic, but there
was a flavor of all four styles in the weirdly-carved circular walls
and roofs. The palace was surrounded by a spacious court, enclosed by
cloistered walls. Flowers bloomed in immense square-shaped vases of
stone supported on diminutive square pillars. A tank of crystal water,
on each side of which broad wide steps led down into the cool wave,
lay in the centre of the court. The tank was fed by a wide rivulet of
rippling water that ran along a chiselled bed in the marble floor of
the court.
The entire scene was a picture of glorious and blessed repose. The
sculptor had covered the base and frieze of the walls with a profusion
of ornament in high relief. Imagination and art had produced scenes
that created a profound impression. A dramatic calmness held lion and
elephant, serpent and eagle, wayleal and bockhockid, youth and maiden,
in glorious embrace.
The banquet given by the king in our honor in the topmost story of the
palace was both delicious and satisfying. All the fertility of
Atvatabar ministered to our delight. Strange meats and fruits were
music to the body, as art and music were meats and wine to the soul.
I sat beside his majesty at the feast, while Koshnili sat at my right
hand. Admiral Jolar sat beside the queen, and on her majesty's right
sat Captain Wallace. The professors and other officers, as well as a
number of noblemen and state officers, also sat at the royal table.
At another table sat the sailors, accompanied by the officers of the
king's household.
We had again an opportunity of tasting the squang of Atvatabar, which
was of a finer brand than that served at the table of Governor
Ladalmir. It added a new joy to life to taste such royal wine.
His majesty, seated on his throne at the feast, raised a glass of
squang and said: "I drink in welcome to our illustrious guest, His
Excellency, Lexington White, commander of the _Polar King_ and
discoverer of Atvatabar."
The company rising, shouted, "Welcome to His Excellency, Lexington
White, commander of the _Polar King_," and drank of their glasses in
my honor.
In acknowledgment of this great compliment I rose and proposed the
healths of the king and queen. I said: "I drink to the healths of
their royal majesties, King Aldemegry Bhoolmakar and Queen Toplissy of
Atvatabar, to whom be lifelong peace and prosperity."
The company honored this sentiment by acclamation and drinking goblets
of wine. This constituted the preliminaries of our interview.
"Now," said his majesty, "we are extremely anxious to learn all about
the manners and customs of the people of the outer world. Tell us of
these people, their laws, religions, and modes of government."
In obedience to the king's request I spoke of America and its nations
founded on the idea of self-sovereignty, and of Europe with its
sovereigns and subjects. I spoke of Egypt and India as types of a
colossal past, of the United States and Great Britain as types of a
colossal present, and of Africa the continent of the colossal future.
I informed the king that the genius of Asia, of the Eastern world, ran
to poetry and art without science, while that of the Western world
developed science and invention without poetry and art.
"Ah!" cried the king, who was intensely interested. "Atvatabar has
both science and art, invention and poetry. Our wise rulers have been
ever mindful of the equal charms of science and sentiment in educating
our people."
I assured his majesty that we were no less anxious to learn all about
the institutions of Atvatabar than he was regarding the external
sphere.
[Illustration: THE KING EMBRACED ME, AND I KISSED THE HAND OF HER
MAJESTY.]
"Atvatabar," said the king, "is a monarchy formed on the will of the
people. While the throne is inalienably secured to the king for life,
the government is vested in a legislative chamber, called Borodemy.
This legislative assembly is also our house of nobles, consisting of
one thousand members divided into three classes. To be once elected to
the Borodemy entitles the representative to receive the title of
Boiroon for life only; at the expiration of five years, the term of
each assembly, a member, if again elected, receives the title of
Jangoon; if again elected the highest title is Goiloor. No one can be
elected more than three times, and Goiloor is a title which but few
attain, owing to the limited number of legislators who are three times
elected to the Borodemy. The president of the assembly is always a
Goiloor, as only a member of the highest caste is nominated for the
presidency. He is also chief minister of state. His council, which is
the government, includes the chief officer of each branch of
government, as well as a royal representative. Thus Atvatabar is an
absolute democracy, ornamented and ruled by those men whom a generous
nation loves to honor for distinguished merit employed in the public
service."