Upon his head he
wore a white turban with a jewelled aigrette of great value. His
countenance was intellectual, and his expression shrewd.
King Trinkitat received me graciously, and ordered a stool to be placed
near to the divan so that I might sit and converse with him upon the
matter in hand. When I showed him some of my rubies he at once said,
"These come from the South Land," and upon my asking him how he had
arrived at this conclusion, he answered that some of his people visited
annually the South Land to trade with the natives, and had reported a
white ruler there among a tribe of savages who had in his possession a
great quantity of valuable jewels, which he would not part with for
money, but only in exchange for certain commodities, by the aid of
which he was making the tribe he governed the most powerful upon the
Southern Continent.
"What is the name of this white chief, your Majesty?" I asked, deeply
interested.
"King Luck," answered Trinkitat; "but I thought you came from him."
"That is not so, O king," I replied. "These rubies are magic rubies
that are found only in a valley guarded by serpents. If they are
honestly acquired they bring great happiness to those who possess them,
but if they are stolen, or dishonestly come by, they bring a curse upon
the robbers, and upon the land in which they dwell and all the people
who inhabit it.
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