Presently the children caught sight of a curious procession approaching. The Little Panjandrum, a little fat man in Oriental costume, was preceded by two attendants--one playing a kind of drum, and the other a jew's harp, while a third attendant held an enormous umbrella over His Importance's head. On the top of the umbrella were a number of curious signs, of which the children could not possibly imagine the meaning. "Obbly--bobblee--wallee--bobbel--ob," said the Ambassador, bowing three times, and dragging the Dodo's head down with him each time. "Flop!" replied the Little Panjandrum, and the two musicians fell on their faces. "Um--sopelee--gumbos--galapaloo--glab," remarked the Ambassador. "Ploff!" said the Little Panjandrum, and the black slave at the back jigged the State Umbrella up and down several times very violently. [Illustration: The Panjandrum and suite passed along.] "What a funny language," whispered Marjorie. "I wonder what they are talking about?" "Semlifee--dobbel--bingle--bingle--boff," cried the Ambassador, lifting up one leg, while the Dodo painfully followed his example. The Little Panjandrum gravely kicked the two musicians, who were still prostrate on the ground before him, and they immediately arose and stood on one leg each, like the Ambassador. Then His Importance himself balanced himself in the same way. The black slave at the back, whose legs were attached to those of the Little Panjandrum, imitated him. The children were highly interested in this proceeding, when the Ambassador, without speaking, motioned them to stand on one leg each, too. "Come on, let's do it," said Dick, "and see what they are going to do." So the three children solemnly hopped upon one foot, too. For a moment or two no one spoke. And at last the Dodo, gasping out, "Oh! I can't keep it up any longer," fell to the ground, and everybody else put their leg down again. "Ough!" said the Ambassador, in a disgusted voice. "Of course, _you_ must needs spoil it all. Most disrespectful behavior to the Little Panjandrum, I call it." "I couldn't help it," gasped the Dodo, apologetically. "Oh, of course not," said the Ambassador. "A bad excuse is better than none." "Well, _I_ couldn't have kept it up much longer," declared Marjorie; "could you, Dick?" "No," said Dick; "I can't think what we are doing it at all for." "Court etiquette demands it," said the Ambassador, importantly. "Hush! His Importance is about to speak." "Gobloblee! grabluff!" said the Little Panjandrum. "Go on, Dodo," said the Ambassador. "_Gobloblee, grabluff_, at once when His Importance tells you." The Dodo gave a sigh, and went up to the Little Panjandrum's Umbrella and gave it a twirl. When it stopped, a little finger at the top pointed to the word "Guilty," which was painted in large letters in one section of the Umbrella. "Again," said the Ambassador.