The king’s air-yacht—larger and more beautiful even than the one they had come in—was seen rising majestically towards them, surrounded by hundreds of smaller air-craft, their decorations glittering and sparkling in the sun’s red beams. There was no booming of cannon, as would be the case with us, but a loud, musical, humming sound, which was curiously agreeable to the ear. When in due course Ivanta landed upon the height, a few of the craft accompanying him landed also, and from them poured out a stream of people splendidly arrayed, who trooped after him in procession to attend the reception in the palace. This was a repetition upon a larger scale, so to speak, of the function at which Prince Alondra had presided, Ivanta this time occupying the throne himself, with the young prince beside him. As before, places of honour were given to the strangers, amongst whom the Zuanstrooms were now included; and the proceedings were even more enthusiastic and of longer duration, winding up with a grand banquet. It would take too long to describe all that followed. It must suffice to say that the two chums voted it the most wonderful entertainment that they had ever heard of or that imagination could picture; and when at last they lay down together for their night’s rest they were both about tired out. Now, however, that the dazzling excitement of this wonderful day was over, and they were once more alone and quiet, the memory of their narrow escape from death and of what Tom Clinch had said came back to Gerald’s mind like the proverbial skeleton of the feast. He had had a talk with Monck about it, and had been rather snubbed for his pains. The engineer said he had seen Kazzaro go with his master on board the large ex-warship which he had pointed out as serving now as Agrando’s private yacht. Therefore, the Ogre could not possibly have been where Clinch said he was. And Monck had ended the talk by rather curtly advising Gerald not to hunt for mares’ nests, and warning him to be careful not to mention such suspicions to any one else. ’We shall make inquiries and find out who the people were who so nearly ran us down,’ Monck assured him; ’and they will be called to account for their reckless navigation of the air. But I do not myself believe that there was anything more than carelessness, nor that Kazzaro could have been on board.’ Gerald felt a little sore at the engineer’s blunt refusal to believe honest Tom Clinch; and Jack sympathised with him, and tried to comfort him by declaring that he agreed with his view.