CHAPTER XL

.*

*CONCLUSION.*

With the defeat and capture of Agrando and his chief confederates, the rebellion which they had fomented ignominiously collapsed. None of their allies in other parts of King Ivanta's empire made any serious attempt to continue the struggle. The mere appearance of the great _Ivenia_ was sufficient to enforce submission, as she visited in turn each disaffected country or district.

With characteristic energy, the victor set to work to restore complete order, and to efface the after-effects of the general disturbance. Thanks to the wonderful tact and discernment he brought to bear upon this delicate task, affairs settled down far more quickly than had at first seemed possible. It was but a few weeks ere King Ivanta returned in triumph to his 'palace in the clouds,' again the undisputed ruler of his vast realm, his supremacy once more unchallenged throughout his dominions.

Then commenced the further task of judging and punishing his vanquished foes. This was a longer and more tedious business, involving much journeying to and fro, and the holding of numerous local inquiries and state trials.

Here again King Ivanta surprised even his own friends, and heaped coals of fire upon the heads of his enemies, by the nature of the treatment he meted out. Firm and determined in arriving at exact facts, discriminating in apportioning blame, he showed himself generous and magnanimous almost to a fault in regard to punishment. Only those who, like Agrando and Kazzaro, had been guilty of acts of deliberate cruelty or injustice were severely dealt with; all others were let off far more lightly than they had any right to expect.

'I feel, my friend,' said Ivanta to Armeath, at the very beginning of the inquiries, 'that I myself have been much to blame in ever introducing among my people the costly toys you call diamonds and other precious stones. In the future they shall be unknown here, even as they were before I first visited your planet. They have been the means of fostering greed and avarice, increasing vanity and envy, exciting evil passions, and creating discord where peace and goodwill reigned before. Every one--every stone, large or small--shall be collected. I will compel my subjects to give up those they have, and I will return them, including all that Zuanstroom brought--with Zuanstroom himself--to the world whence they came. Henceforth I will have none of them; my subjects--our globe--shall know them no more!'

This reference to the Diamond King is sufficient to indicate the extreme leniency exhibited towards even the most blameworthy of those who had rebelled against the Martian monarch. Zuanstroom was, indeed, imprisoned for the remainder of his visit; but no suggestion of any severer punishment seemed to have entered King Ivanta's thoughts. And even the imprisonment was more nominal than real; the captive's son and nephew were allowed free access to him, and they were allowed to make occasional excursions together, under the escort of his jailers.

'He's being treated a jolly sight better than he deserves, and so are many others,' observed practical-minded Jack. 'They intended to kill him, and us too, if they had succeeded in their plans. I doubt if such leniency will turn out to be altogether the wisest course for King Ivanta's own security in the future.'

'I don't agree with you, Jack. You are taking a wrong view of it. To my mind, the king is only acting just as I should have expected him to do,' cried Gerald enthusiastically. 'What did I always say of him, from the very first time I set eyes upon him? I knew--yes, _knew_--something seemed to tell me--how high-minded, how truly noble he was! I always declared it! But at that time it was only a feeling in my mind, a sort of instinct. Now we have before us proofs such as every one can see for himself.-- What do you think, sir?' he added, addressing his guardian.

'Truly, my son, your instinct in this case led you aright,' returned Armeath, nodding his head and smiling. 'It is a goodly lesson for all of us; a grand example, one worthy to be remembered and pondered for the rest of our lives!'

It was a great time for the two chums and their guardian, that which followed. As the honoured guests of the king, and the special friends and companions of the amiable prince his son, they travelled about continually. Sometimes in the _Ivenia_, at others in the prince's splendid air-yacht, they made numerous journeys; and everywhere they met with cordial receptions from the rulers and nobles of the various nations, visited everything that was worth seeing, and enjoyed to the full all the varied entertainments provided for their amusement.

One day there was a great assembly of nobles and dignitaries at the 'palace in the clouds,' the special occasion being--so it had been given out--to do honour to some of those whom King Ivanta wished to reward. Foremost amongst these he placed the outlaw-chief Fumenta, and the young stranger Malto, who had now quite recovered from his wound.

Then it was that King Ivanta made an announcement which came as a surprise indeed. He began by calling upon Malto to declare the nature of the request he wished to prefer. 'My dear son Prince Alondra,' the king said, 'has never ceased to remind me again and again of the promise he made to you, Malto. Not, indeed, that I required any such reminders; I am far too sensible of the great service you rendered him and his two companions, our guests, when you enabled them to escape from Agrando's power. No, I had not forgotten! So far from forgetting, I may tell you that I have been busily making inquiries of my own in anticipation of what your request was likely to be. At last my vague guesses have been completely confirmed by certain confessions made to me by those two traitors Agrando and his creature Kazzaro. So, Malto, my friend, speak out, and ask without fear.'

'It concerns my father, sir--my father who died many years ago in exile, an outcast, driven from his country at your orders, owing to the machinations of his enemies, of whom that same Kazzaro was the chief.'

King Ivanta nodded, and his fine features lighted up with one of his kindliest smiles as he looked across at Fumenta. 'And you, the Fox, as you called yourself, who befriended the fugitive Eagle, and hid him from his enemies in your burrow; what is your request?'

'Mine, oh king, is less unselfish than that of this persecuted young gentleman, since it concerns myself alone. Once upon a time'----

'Once upon a time,' interrupted the king, 'you were known as Lufendis, King of Iraynia.'

Here Malto started and turned pale. He seemed to be trembling, and stared first at the king and then at Fumenta--or Lufendis--with eyes that were almost starting out of his head. Ivanta paused and held his hand out towards him.

'And you, Malto, are the son of the king whom I displaced and sent into exile because of accusations which both Agrando and Kazzaro have now admitted were false!'--'Lufendis! formerly King of Iraynia, henceforth you are king not only of Iraynia but also of Sedenia, for I give to you the position forfeited by the traitor Agrando! There, oh king, is your son, Prince Yumalda, whom you thought to be dead; but who was really stolen by Kazzaro and brought up to be the slave of the tyrant he served.--Malto! or rather, Prince Yumalda! this is your father whom you have so long mourned as dead!'

Who shall describe the scene that followed? Who can worthily depict the wondering delight of the father, the amazement of the son, or the sympathetic emotions of those who stood around? Congratulations, eager, tumultuous, poured in on all sides, Prince Alondra, Gerald, and Jack being among the first to offer them. Then the father and son, thus strangely reunited, retired together to talk to one another alone.

At a later date the chums accompanied Prince Alondra and Monck on another visit to Sedenia. This time they went as the guests of the newly appointed King Lufendis. And there they visited again, with Prince Yumalda and Malandris, all those places where the former, as Malto, had so adroitly aided them in their fortunate escape from Agrando's dungeons. There, too, they saw the wrecked pavilion, and learned for the first time how narrowly they had avoided being buried in its ruins.

Of Agrando, or the 'Ogre,' they saw nothing. They had already gone to their lifelong doom--exile and imprisonment in that same dismal wilderness in which their victim, King Lufendis, had passed so many years as the famous outlaw-chief.

* * * * *

And so it came to pass that when, in due time, the wondrous aerostat _Ivenia_ set out upon her return to Earth, she brought back with her a larger load of treasure even than she had carried to Mars. What had belonged to the Diamond King, Ivanta, with royal scrupulousness, restored to him. The rest of the jewels he presented to Armeath and his two wards, who in turn made over a share to their faithful servitors, all thus becoming rich beyond their wildest dreams.

At the last moment, before leaving Mars, the chums experienced a great disappointment. They had quite expected that Prince Alondra would accompany them; but King Ivanta firmly refused his permission. For the present, at any rate, he said, his son must remain to represent him, and to take his place in looking after his people. At some future time, perhaps, things might be different.

'That means,' Alondra whispered to Gerald and Jack, 'that he has it in his mind to bring me to see you later on. He is thinking of going upon a voyage of discovery to another planet, and I think I may be able to induce him to call for you to go with us.'

'Then,' said Gerald, 'it is not "Good-bye," but "_Au revoir;_" which, being freely interpreted, means "Perhaps Jack and I will see you again before very long!"'

And perhaps they will. Who can say? The two chums, at least, firmly believe that it will come to pass; and that they are destined to take their part in yet other journeys through space in the company of the genial King Ivanta and his vivacious son Alondra.

THE END.

* * * * * * * *

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