One late afternoon, about two hundred years ago, the Abysinian princess Mariam sat with the other princesses, her half-sisters, in the small audience chamber of her father's palace at Gondar. all of the princesses in their beautiful robes waited uneasily to hear why they had been summoned by royal command. But Mariam had cause to be more uneasy than the others. She could think only of her brother Michael, held forever prisoner on Mount Wachni, and of the secret plot to set him free.

Like all the royal princes, Michael was forced to live out his life in the Prison of Princes so that there could be no civil war among brothers. Only one prince could ever hope to leave this guarded and inaccessible pinnacle, and he would be the one whom the king chose as his successor. It was highly unlikely that Michael would ever be chosen, for he was without clansmen or influence at court. 

But now the king had entered the chamber and the few words he spoke placed an even heavier burden on Mariam's heart. "I have chosen Prince Michael to reign after me. In three days..." 

Only three days! Michael must not attempt the escape now. Someone must warn him. And then Mariam knew that she must be the one. Through crocodile-infested waters, across vast lonely expanses, she traveled on her pet mule, followed by the royal lion who had taken it upon himself to escort her. Even a nearly disastrous encounter with a slave caravan could not deter this spirited young princess from her purpose. Her story is an inspiring one, a story that takes place in an authentic historical setting, rich in detail, mystery, and adventure.

Miss Coatsworth's interest in North Africa stems from her travels there after her graduation from Vassar College. The history of this exotic country has always appealed to her, and after reading accounts of the Prison of Princes, especially one by an early Portugese Jesuit who told of a prince who had actually escaped from the mountain with his sister's aid, she could not resist creating her own story around the courageous little princess Mariam.

Miss Ness, who also illustrated Miss Coatsworth's Lonely Maria, has admirably caught the drama of the setting and the grace and dignity of the people in her striking black, brown, and white illustrations.

From the dust jacket