The Great White Queen: A Tale of Treasure and Treason

by William Le Queux

  CHAPTER XX.

  THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN.

  GAINING the summit and entering the ponderous gate closely behind oldBabila, I was amazed at the bewildering aspect of the gigantic city. AsOmar placed his foot upon the top step, great drums, ornamented by goldenbats with outspread wings, were thumped by a perspiring line ofdrummers, horns were blown with ear-piercing vehemence, and the huge gunsmounted on the walls thundered forth a deafening salute.

  Then, as we walked forward along the way kept clear for us through theenormous crowd of curious citizens, Babila at last met the tall,patriarchal-looking man in command of the city-gate.

  "Lo!" he cried. "With our Prince Omar there returneth a retinue ofstrangers. This one," indicating myself, "is from the land of the whitemen that lieth beyond the great black water. The others are from theborders of Prempeh's kingdom."

  "Art thou certain there are no spies among them?" asked the man, glancingat me keenly in suspicion.

  "I, Omar, Prince of Mo, vouch for each man's honesty," exclaimed myfriend, interrupting. At these words the chief guardian of the gate boweduntil his long white beard swept the ground, and we passed on, followedby Kona and our black companions, in whom the denizens of the mysteriousplace seemed highly interested, never before having seen negro savages.

  Now and then as we passed along voices raised in dissension thatstrangers should be admitted to the inaccessible kingdom reached ourears, but these were drowned by the wild plaudits of the crowd. On everyhand Omar was greeted with an enthusiasm befitting the heir to theEmerald Throne, and he, in response, bowed his head from side to side, aswith royal gait he strode down the broad handsome thoroughfare. Thebuildings on either hand were magnificent in their proportions, built ofenormous blocks of grey stone finely sculptured, with square ornamentedwindows. Apparently the manufacture of glass was unknown, for all thewindows were uniformly latticed. Here and there through the open doorswe caught sight of cool courtyards, with trees and plashing fountainsbeyond, while from the flat roofs that here seemed to be the principalpromenade of the ladies, as in Eastern lands, white hands and bejewelledarms waved us dainty welcome.

  Across a great market square, where slaves were being bought and sold,and business was proceeding uninterruptedly, we passed, and as we glancedat the unfortunate ones huddled up in the scanty shadow, we rememberedthe day when we, too, had been sold by our bitter and well-hated enemy,Samory. I smiled as I reflected what terrible revenge this great army ofthe Naya could wreak upon the Arab chief, and found myself anticipatingthe day when the soldiery of Mo should gather before the old villain'sstronghold.

  Kona, who had come up beside me, walked on in silent amazement. He knewnothing of civilization, and the sights he now witnessed held him dumb.The African mind is slow to understand the benefits of civilization andmodern progress, unless it be the substitution of guns for bows andbullets for arrows. At last we turned a corner suddenly, and saw beforeus, rising against the intensely blue sky and flashing in the brilliantsunlight, the three great gilded domes of the royal palace.

  "Gold!" cried Kona, in an awed tone. "See!" and he turned to several ofhis sable brethren. "See! they build their great huts of solid gold! Whattreasure they must have!"

  As we advanced in imposing procession, the great gate of this royalresidence, grim and frowning as a fortress, over which a large flag wasfloating, bearing the sign of the vampire bat, opened wide, and,unchallenged by the crowds of gaily-dressed soldiers drawn up in lineand saluting, we went forward amid vociferous cheering.

  Ours was indeed a progress full of triumph and enthusiasm. The heir tothe throne, long since mourned for as lost, had returned, and the loyalpeople were filled with great rejoicing. Through one spacious courtyardafter another we passed, always between long lines of stalwartmen-at-arms, bearing good English rifles and well-made accoutrements,until, ascending a short flight of wide steps of polished black stone, wefound ourselves in a great hall beneath one of the gilded domes that hadso impressed our head-man. Before us was a huge curtain of purple velvetthat screened from view the further end of the hall, but when all hadassembled and stood grouped together, this drapery was suddenly lifted,disclosing to our gaze a sight that filled us with greatest wonder andamazement.

  The central object was the historic Emerald Throne, a wonderful goldenseat so thickly encrusted with beautiful green gems as to appear entirelyconstructed of them. Some of the stones were of enormous size,beautifully cut, of amazing brilliance and fabulous value. Above, wassuspended a golden representation of a crocodile--the god Zomara. Lollinglazily among the pink silk cushions was a woman, tall, thin-faced andascetic, with a complexion white as my own, high cheek bones, smallblack, brilliant eyes, and hair plentifully tinged with grey. Herpersonality was altogether a striking one, for her brow was low, her facehawk-like, and her long, bony hands resting on the arms of the seat ofroyalty seemed like the talons of the bird to which her face boreresemblance.

  It was the Naya, the dreaded Great White Queen!

  Her robes of rich brocaded silk were of a brilliant golden yellow,heavily embroidered with gold thread, and thickly studded with variousjewels. In the bright flood of sunlight that struck full upon her fromthe painted dome above, the diamonds and rubies enriching her handsomecorsage gleamed and flashed white, green and blood-red. Indeed, socovered was her breast by the fiery gems that as it heaved and fell theirflashing dazzled us; yet in her eyes was a cruel, crafty gleam that fromthe first moment I saw her roused instinctively within me fear andsuspicion.

  No smile of welcome crossed her cold, implacable features as her gaze metthat of her son Omar; no enthusiastic or maternal greeting passed herlips. Her maids of honour and courtiers grouped about her murmuredapprobation and welcome as the heavy curtains fell aside, but frowningslightly she raised her bejewelled claw-like hand impatiently with agesture commanding silence, darting hasty glances of displeasure uponthose who had, by applauding, lowered her regal dignity. On either sideblack female slaves in garments of crimson silk and wearing goldengirdles, massive earrings and neck chains, slowly fanned the ruler of Mowith large circular fans of ostrich feathers, and from a pedestal nearher a tiny fountain of some fragrant perfume shot up and fell with faintplashing into its basin of marvellously-cut crystal. The splendour wasbarbaric yet refined, illustrative everywhere of the tastes of thesedenizens of the unknown kingdom. The walls of the great hall werestrangely sculptured with colossal monstrosities, mostly hideous designs,apparently intended to depict the awful wrath of the deity Zomara, whilehere and there were curious frescoes of almost photographic finish, theexecution of which had been accomplished by some art quite unknown toEuropean civilization. The paving whereon we stood was of jasper, highlypolished, with here and there strange outlines inlaid with gold. Theseoutlines, a little crude and unfinished, were mostly illustrative of thepower of the Nayas, depicting scenes of battle, justice and execution.

  "Let our son Omar stand forth and approach our Emerald Throne," exclaimedthe Naya at last, in a thin, rasping voice, moving slightly as she bentforward, fixing her shining eyes upon us. They glittered with evil.

  At the royal command all bowed low in submission, it being etiquette todo this whenever the Naya expressed command or wish, and Omar, leaving myside, strode forward with becoming hauteur, and, crossing the floor ashighly polished as glass, advanced to his royal mother, and, bending uponhis knee, pressed her thin, bony hand to his lips.

  But even then no expression of pleasure crossed her stony features. I hadexpected to witness an affectionate meeting between mother and son, andwas extremely surprised at the coldness of my friend's reception, havingregard to his long absence and the many perils we had together faced onour entry into Mo.

  "News was flashed unto me last night that thou hadst crossed the ThousandSteps," the Queen said, slowly withdrawing her bony hand. "Why hast thoureturned from the land of the white men, and why, pray, hast thou broughthither strangers with thee?"

  "These strangers are heroes, each one
of them," Omar answered, rising,and standing before the throne. "Every man has already fought for thee,and for Mo."

  "For me? How?"

  Then briefly he related how we had met the remnant of Samory's invadingforce and defeated them, so that not a single fugitive remained.

  "These savages fought merely for their own lives, not for me," she saidwith a supercilious sneer, regarding the half-clad natives with disdain."We in Mo desire not the introduction of such creatures as these."

  "Are not my friends welcome?" Omar asked, pale with anger. "A Sanom hathnever yet turned from his palace those who have proved themselves hisfriends."

  "Neither hath a Sanom sought the aid of savages," answered the GreatWhite Queen, with a glance of withering scorn.

  "Adversity sometimes causeth us to seek strange alliances," my friendargued. "These men of the Dagomba, Kona, their head man, and Scarsmere,my friend from the land of the white men, have given me aid, and if thouaccordest them no welcome, then I, Omar, in the name of my ancestors, theNabas and the Nayas, will give them greeting, and provide them withbefitting entertainment while they are within our walls."

  His words caused instant consternation. The will of the Naya was not tobe thwarted. Her every wish was law; a single word from her meant life ordeath. This openly-expressed opposition was, to the court, a mostterrible offence, punishable by death to all others save the heir.

  The Naya, her thin lips tightly set and cruelty lurking in the corners ofher mouth, rose slowly with an air of terrible anger.

  "Does our son Omar thus defy us?" she asked with grim harshness.

  "I defy thee not O queen-mother," answered my friend, clasping his handsresolutely behind his back, and standing with his legs slightly apart. "Ibring unto thee those who have fought for me, and have been my companionsthrough many perils, expecting welcome. Were it not for them I, the lastof our regal line, would be no longer living, and at thy death ourkingdom would have been without a ruler."

  "Son, the claim of these, thy friends, to my protection is admitted;nevertheless, the stranger, whoever he may be, is by the law of ourkingdom that hath been rigorously observed for a thousand years, debarredfrom traversing the Thousand Steps."

  As the queen spoke I noticed two gorgeously-attired men behind her,probably her chief advisers, exchange whispers with smiles of evidentsatisfaction.

  "Then I am to understand that the Naya of Mo absolutely refuseth tosanction these my friends to dwell within our walls?" Omar said.

  "We forbid these strangers to remain," answered the Queen, crimsoningwith anger that her son should have thus argued with her. "They aregranted until noon to-morrow to quit our city. Those found within ourland after three suns have set will be held as slaves. I, the Naya, havespoken."

  "As thou willest it, so it will be," answered her son, bowing verystiffly. Then, turning to us, he said:

  "Friends, the people give you cordial welcome, even though the Naya mayrefuse to grant you peace. You shall remain----"

  "Thou insultest us publicly," cried the Great White Queen, still standingerect, her black eyes flashing beneath the wisp of scanty grey hair, andher talon-like hand uplifted. "To utter such words hast thou returnedfrom the land beyond the black seas? True, thou art my son, and some daywill sit upon this my stool, but for thus opposing my will thou shalt bebanished from Mo until such time as I am carried to the tombs of myfathers. Then, when thou returnest hither, thy reign shall be one oftumults and evil-doing. The people who now shout themselves hoarsebecause their idol Omar hath returned to them, shall, in that day, cursethee, and heap upon thee every indignity. May the Great Darknessencompass thee, may thine enemies break and crush thee, and may Zomara,the One of Power, smite and devour thee," and as she uttered these wordsshe held up her long skinny arms to the hideous golden crocodilesuspended over her, muttering some mystic sentences the while.

  Her slaves and courtiers held their breath. The Great White Queen wascursing her only son. The Dagombas understood this action and stoodaghast, while across the faces of the court dignitaries a few momentslater there flitted faint sickly smiles. The scene was impressive, moreso perhaps than any I had before witnessed. In her sudden ebullition ofanger the Naya was indeed terrible.

  From her thin blue lips curses most fearful rolled until even hercourtiers shuddered. As she stood, her bony arms uplifted to the image ofwhat was to her the greatest and most dreaded power on earth, shescreamed herself hoarse, uttering imprecations until about her mouththere hung a blood-flecked foam, and her long finger-nails were drivendeep into the flesh of her withered palms. All quaked visibly at herwrath, for none knew who might next offend her and pay the penalty for sodoing with their lives: none knew who might next fall victim to herinsane passion for causing suffering to others.

  Omar alone stood calmly watching her; all others remained terrified,fearing to utter a single word.

  Suddenly, in her mad passion, she shrieked:

  "Gankoma! Gankoma! Come hither. There is still work for thee."

  In an instant the chief executioner, a man of giant stature, gaudilyattired and bearing a huge curved sword that gleamed ominously in thesunlight, stood before her, and bowing, answered:

  "Your majesty is obeyed."

  "There is one who hath betrayed his trust," cried the angry ruler. "ToBabila, guardian of the Gate, we owe this intrusion of strangers in ourland and these insults from the mouth of one who is unworthy to be calledson. Bring forth Babila."

  The executioner, sword in hand, advanced to where the trusty oldcustodian stood. At mention of his name a despairing cry had escaped him.He knew, alas! his fate was sealed.

  Pale, trembling in the iron grip of the executioner, he was hurriedforward before the dazzling Emerald Throne.

  "See! he flinches, the perfidious old traitor!" the Naya cried. "His dutywas to prevent any stranger from entering Mo, yet he actually assistedyonder horde of savages to gain access to our innermost courts. He----"

  "Mercy, your majesty! mercy!" implored the unhappy man, falling prone ather feet. "I have guarded the Gate with my life always. I believed thatthy son's friends were thine also."

  "Silence!" shrieked the Naya. "Let not his voice again fall upon ourears. Let him die now, before our eyes, and let his carcase be given asoffal to the dogs. Let one hundred of his guards die also. Others whowould thwart us will thus be warned."

  "Mercy!" screamed the wretched old fellow hoarsely, clasping his hands infervent supplication.

  "Gankoma, I have spoken," cried the Great White Queen, majesticallywaving her hand.

  Babila, inactive by age, struggled to regain his feet, but ere he coulddo so, or before Omar could interfere, the executioner had lifted hissword with both hands. The sound of a dull blow was heard, and nextsecond the head of the Queen's faithful servant rolled across thepolished floor, while from the decapitated trunk the blood gushed forthand ran in an ugly serpentine stream over the jasper slabs.

  A sudden thrill of horror ran through the crowd at this summary executionof one who had hitherto been implicitly trusted, but only for an instantwas the ghastly body allowed to remain before the eyes of Queen andcourt, for half a dozen slaves had been standing in readiness with bowlsof water, and some of these rushing forward carried away the head andbody and flung it to the dogs, while others swiftly removed all traces ofthe gruesome spectacle.

  Little wonder therefore that the great Naya should be held in awe by allher subjects, for in her anger she seemed capable of the most fiendishcruelty. As in Kumassi, so also in Mo, death seemed to come quickly, andfor any paltry offence. Gankoma, executioner to the Great White Queen,was, I afterwards learnt, continually busy obeying the royal commands,and the rapidly increasing number of victims whose heads fell beneath histerrible knife was causing most serious discontent.