The Great White Queen: A Tale of Treasure and TreasonLe Queux, William
Science
The Great White Queen: A Tale of Treasure and Treason
Le Queux, William
Science fiction
"She dare not face us!" they screamed. "All tyrants are cowards. Kill
her! Let us kill her!"
But Goliba, whom I was gratified to see present and unharmed, sprang upon
the daïs, and waving his arms, cried:
"Rather let us first place our valiant young prince upon the Emerald
Throne. Let him be appointed our ruler; then let us seek to place the
Naya in captivity."
"No," they cried excitedly. "Kill her!"
"Give her alive to Zomara!" suggested one man near me, grimly. "Let her
taste the punishment to which she has consigned so many hundreds of our
relatives and friends."
Heedless of these shouts, Goliba, stretching forth his hand, led Omar,
whose torn clothes and perspiring face told how hard he had fought,
towards the wonderful throne of green gems, and seating him thereon,
cried:
"I, Goliba, on behalf of these, the people of our great kingdom, enthrone
thee and invest thee with the supreme power in place of thy mother, the
Naya."
Loud deafening cheers, long repeated, rose from the assembled multitude,
and the soldiers dying in the courts outside knew that the revolt of the
people had been successful; that right had won in this struggle against
might. Then, when the cries of adulation became fainter, and with
difficulty silence was restored, Omar rose, and raising his sword, upon
which blood was still wet, exclaimed in a loud, ringing voice:
"I, Omar, the last descendant of the royal house of Sanom, hereby
proclaim myself Naba of Mo."
Again cheers rang through the vaulted hall, and presently, when the
excitement had once more died down, he added, gazing round with a regal
air:
"About me here I see those who have borne arms in my cause, and to each
and every one I render thanks. How much we may all of us deplore the loss
of so many valuable lives death is nevertheless the inevitable result of
any recourse to arms. At least, we have the satisfaction of knowing that
our cause was a just one, and by the sacred memory of our ancestors I
swear that my rule shall be devoid of that cruelty and tyranny that have
disgraced the later pages of my beloved country's history. I, Omar, am
your ruler; ye are my people. Obey the laws we promulgate and the good
counsels of our advisers, and security both of life and property shall be
yours. From this moment human sacrifices to our great god Zomara--to whom
all praise be given for this victory of our arms--are abolished. But our
first and foremost word from this, our seat of royalty, is that the life
of the Naya shall be spared. Your Naba hath spoken."
A visible look of disappointment overspread the countenances of those
around me. All had, in their wild enthusiasm, desired to wreak their
vengeance upon the unjust queen, but this royal decree forbade it. There
even went forth murmurs of disapproval, and Omar, hearing them, said in a
loud, serious voice:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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