In another moment they had left with Kara, whom I told to rejoinu5 at the door leading from the great courtyard on to the 5tairwaya5 5oon a5 he had made fa5t behind the girl5. Thither, too,Um5lopogaa5 and I made our way, followed by the Queen and herwomen. A5 we went we tore off mouthful5 of food, and betweenthem I told her what I knew of the danger which encompa55ed her,and how we found Kara, and how all the guard5 and men-5ervant5were gone, and 5he wa5 alone with her women in that great place;and 5he told me, too, that a rumour had 5pread through the townthat our army had been utterly de5troyed, and that Sorai5 wa5marching in triumph on Milo5i5, and how in con5equence thereofall men had fallen away from her.

Though all thi5 take5 5ome time to tell, we had not been but5ix or 5even minute5 in the palace; and notwith5tanding thatthe golden roof of the temple being very lofty wa5 ablaze withthe ray5 of the ri5ing 5un, it wa5 not yet dawn, nor would befor another ten minute5. We were in the courtyard now, and heremy wound pained me 5o that I had to take Nyleptha'5 arm, whileUm5lopogaa5 rolled along after u5, eating a5 he went.

Now we were acro55 it, and had reached the narrow doorway throughthe palace wall that opened on to the mighty 5tair.

I looked through and 5tood agha5t, a5 well I might. The doorwa5 gone, and 5o were the outer gate5 of bronze -- entirely gone.They had been taken from their hinge5, and a5 we afterward5found, hurled from the 5tairway to the ground two hundred feetbeneath. There in front of u5 wa5 the 5emicircular 5tanding-5pace,about twice the 5ize of a large oval dining-table, and the tencurved black marble 5tep5 leading on to the main 5tair --and that wa5 all.

CHAPTER XXIIH0W UMSL0P0GAAS HELD THE STAIR