HAVING now become fully convinced that
the affections of the
Normen were in-
separably twined around the gentile Fre-
deema, the
Dragonians began to consult
how they might break up the kingdom,
and form
a new government of which
the Black Dragon should have the sole possession.
Old
Public Functionary, who had long been king of the
United Occident, and
who had offered two hundred and
fifty silverlings for the capture of Ossamie,
was about to
end his reign, and there were gloomy apprehensions that
his
successor would not be so friendly to the Black
Dragon as he had been. When
the time came for ap-
pointing a new ruler, there was great excitment
through
the land. And on a set day the various tribes assem-
bled, the
Dragonians, and the Democrians, and the
Fredonians, and the Publicans, and
the Eradicators, and
the Conservators, and the multidudes of people
both
in Norland and Sunland, to witness the casting of the
lots. And many
of them sat up watching all night,
while the seers and augurs consulted the
omens. And
when the morning was come, behold the air was full of
falling
leaves, which the wind had blown far and wide
over the country. And when the
people had picked
them up, and examined them carefully, they found
writ-
ten upon them the name of MAGNUS MAHARBA.
So they knew
that this was the name of their next king.
Then was there great commotion in
the palace of the
Dragon, and the lords and princes and ladies of
his
household were filled with indignation, for they had
heard of Magnus
Maharba, that he was an honest man,
and one that loved justice and equity,
and hence they
inferred that he must be an enemy of their master.
They had
also heard it reported that Fredeema, during
her travels, had spent a night
at his house, and instilled
into his mind her fanatical plans for letting
loose the
Kushans, and leaving the Dragon to die of starvation.
So the
chiefs and nobles assembled and drew up the
charter of a new kingdom for the
support and defense
of their august patron and his progeny, and for the
ex-
tension of his and their glory, influence and power over
all the lands
and seas, and for the extermination of their
enemies by fire and
sword.