It seemed as though the whole mass of fighting men had partially sunk into the ground.

Then the splendid truth burst upon us--the whole nation was kneeling at the feet of their chosen King, who stood upright.
Another moment of silence, as King Rupert, taking off his crown, held it up in his left hand, and, holding his great handjar high in his right, cried in a voice so strong that it came ringing over that serried mass like a trumpet: "To Freedom of our Nation, and to Freedom within it, I dedicate these and myself.

I swear!" So saying, he, too, sank on his knees, whilst we all instinctively uncovered.
The silence which followed lasted several seconds; then, without a sign, as though one and all acted instinctively, the whole body stood up.
Thereupon was executed a movement which, with all my experience of soldiers and war, I never saw equalled--not with the Russian Royal Guard saluting the Czar at his Coronation, not with an impi of Cetewayo's Zulus whirling through the opening of a kraal.
For a second or two the whole mass seemed to writhe or shudder, and then, lo! the whole District Divisions were massed again in completeness, its Councillors next the King, and the Divisions radiating outwards down the hill like wedges.
This completed the ceremony, and everything broke up into units.

Later, I was told by my official friend that the King's last movement--the oath as he sank to his knees--was an innovation of his own.

All I can say is, if, in the future, and for all time, it is not taken for a precedent, and made an important part of the Patriotic Coronation ceremony, the Blue Mountaineers will prove themselves to be a much more stupid people than they seem at present to be.
The conclusion of the Coronation festivities was a time of unalloyed joy.
It was the banquet given to the King and Queen by the nation; the guests of the nation were included in the royal party.