But did the demi-divine Media thus brook the perpetual presence of a subaltern divinity?  Still more; did he render it homage?  But ere long the Mardian mythology will be discussed, thereby making plain what may now seem anomalous.

Politely escorting us into his palace, Media did the honors by inviting his guests to recline.  He then seemed very anxious to impress us with the fact, that, by bringing us to his home, and thereby charging the royal larder with our maintenance, he had taken no hasty or imprudent step.  His merry butlers kept piling round us viands, till we were well nigh walled in.  At every fresh deposit, Media directing our attention to the same, as yet additional evidence of his ample resources as a host.  The evidence was finally closed by dragging under the eaves a felled plantain tree, the spike of red ripe fruit, sprouting therefrom, blushing all over, at so rude an introduction to the notice of strangers.

During this scene, Jarl was privily nudging Samoa, in wonderment, to know what upon earth it all meant.  But Samoa, scarcely deigning to notice interrogatories propounded through the elbow, only let drop a vague hint or two.

It was quite amusing, what airs Samoa now gave himself, at least toward my Viking.  Among the Mardians he was at home.  And who, when there, stretches not out his legs, and says unto himself, “Who is greater than I?”

To be plain:  concerning himself and the Skyeman, the tables were turned.  At sea, Jarl had been the oracle:  an old sea-sage, learned in hemp and helm.  But our craft high and dry, the Upoluan lifted his crest as the erudite pagan; master of Gog and Magog, expounder of all things heathenish and obscure.

An hour or two was now laughed away in very charming conversation with Media; when I hinted, that a couch and solitude would be acceptable.  Whereupon, seizing a taper, our host escorted us without the palace.  And ushering us into a handsome unoccupied mansion, gave me to understand that the same was mine.  Mounting to the dais, he then instituted a vigorous investigation, to discern whether every thing was in order.  Not fancying something about the mats, he rolled them up into bundles, and one by one sent them flying at the heads of his servitors; who, upon that gentle hint made off with them, soon after returning with fresh ones.  These, with mathematical precision, Media in person now spread on the dais; looking carefully to the fringes or ruffles with which they were bordered, as if striving to impart to them a sentimental expression.

This done, he withdrew.

CHAPTER LVII Taji Takes Counsel With Himself

My brief intercourse with our host, had by this time enabled me to form a pretty good notion of the light, in which I was held by him and his more intelligent subjects.

His free and easy carriage evinced, that though acknowledging my assumptions, he was no way overawed by them; treating me as familiarly, indeed, as if I were a mere mortal, one of the abject generation of mushrooms.