The Palace Of The Queen Of Sheba.

and mystic grandeur on the summit of a lofty hill of granite . Well might he exclaim , as he stood almost be * vildered , and these things passed before him as a dream , " God be praised for this : to Him be honour . " From 1867 , -vhen he first

heard of these ruins , and 1868 , Avhen the fuller description Avas given him , his heart had been set on this achievement , and now , on the 5 th September , 1871 , he stood upon the hei ghts of Zimbabye , the discoverer of the long-sought relics of a civilization which

ages ago had passed from Africa . On a granite hill , 400 feet above the level of the country , ancl about 4 , 000 feet above the sea , stood the massive Avails , apparentl y of a fortress , impregnable to enemies provided onl y with ancient imlements of

p warfare . One portion of the wall , frowning over the very edge of a precipice , was still about 30 feet in hei ght , 12 feet in thickness at its base , ancl six or seven feet along the ruined top . Circular in form , with irregular or zi gzag walls continued round

the summit of the hill , and forming passages now blocked up . It Avas impossible to trace ivith accuracy a plan of the various parts of the building , for the fallen stones , rubbish , and vegetation had in laces nearlobliterated

many p y it ; the western slope of the hill especially being covered with the ruins ; and it may well be understood that our poor traveller , who , at the risk of his life , and robbed of nearly all his outfit , had reached these

ruins , Avas obliged to leave to a future time the task of clearing away the accumulated rubbish , to seek for relics that might nx a date or indicate tbe nationality of these edifices . Nevertheless , some remarkable facts are pointed out ; the Avails were built without

mortar , and of small hewn granite blocks , about the size of our bricks , as if abundant labour , but no machinery tor moving heavy Aveights , had been at the command of the architects . From the under side of these walls several beams of cl grained

ose- , dark-coloured stone projected ; they were probabl y 15 or 20 feet long , but much of their length was built into the wall to give tbem firmness . These sections were ellipsoid , their depth 8 inches , and their thickness from 2-t to 4 inches

, SIIOAV - J . g that the architects well knew Avhat w ; ti ! . r " , affoi ' d the Shiest strength W , 1 ° 1 ° 3 sible woi S - 0 n *&** oeam , the onl y attempt at ornament in the

form of zigzag or diagonal lines and lozenge-shaped figures was observed—a broken bowl of soft stone Avas also found in the ruins . On the plain , about half a mile from this hill , stands another large round toAverabout 150 yards in diameter

, and 24 feet high , the Avails being twelve feet thick at the base and eight at the top . The most noteworthy building in this rondeau is a small tower , Avith no observable entrance , about 80 feet high , 15 feet in diameter at its basecylindrical to about

, 10 feet high and thence tapering to a diameter of 8 feet at the top . After long and patient inquiry , Mauch was referred to a survivor of one of the ancient tribes to whom all the traditions

respecting the ruins were known , and from this man he learned that one of the toAvers Avas called the House of the Great Princess , or Palace of the Queen ; and also' that in former times it had been the custom for the people to assemble at intervals of three or four years for solemn feast and sacrifice .

The Hi gh Priest ( for so Mauch renders his title , ) with his assistants—viz ., tAvo . maidens , two young Avomen , and a man , went round among the people , and was greeted Avith clapping of hands . TAVO young oxen and a young cowall black

, ancl Avithout blemish , were brought forward , and of these , the cow was bound , laid upon the pyre , and burned alive . One of the oxen was slaughtered and eaten on the spot , and the other Avas brought to the mountain to some distance outside the

circular Avail , killed , and its flesh left for wolves ancl vultures . The High Priest UOAV betook himself to his sanctum , and from the before-mentioned bowl

scattered beer around him and prayed . He prayed that Mali ( or the Father ) would remove all disease from among them , and suffer not the health y to become diseased . This ended , the assembly fell upon their faces exclaiming , " The High Throned has made all ri ght . " The festivities occupied a few more days , and the people dispersed to their homes .

Mauch ' s informant Avas said to be a son of the Hi gh Priest Tenja , Avho bad performed these religious ceremonies for thirty or forty years ; but one evening , encountering his enemy , Mangapi , he was barbarously murdered , and his sons , not having learned the use of all the implements , or the routine of the ceremonies , could not