The sword instantly attracted our attention; it was practically
identical with the one in the possession of Mr Mackenzie which
he had obtained from the ill-starred wanderer. There was no
mistaking the gold-lined fretwork cut in the thickness of the
blade. So the man had told the truth after all. Our guide instantly
gave a password, which the soldier acknowledged by letting the
iron shaft of his spear fall with a ringing sound upon the pavement,
and we passed on through the massive wall into the courtyard
of the palace. This was about forty yards square, and laid out
in flower-beds full of lovely shrubs and plants, many of which
were quite new to me. Through the centre of this garden ran
a broad walk formed of powdered shells brought from the lake
in the place of gravel. Following this we came to another doorway
with a round heavy arch, which is hung with thick curtains, for
there are no doors in the palace itself. Then came another short
passage, and we were in the great hall of the palace, and once
more stood astonished at the simple and yet overpowering grandeur
of the place.
The hall is, as we afterwards learnt, one hundred and fifty feet
long by eighty wide, and has a magnificent arched roof of carved
wood.
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