Doctor Hermann, foolishly we thought, hailed him successively in German, in English, and in Latin, but he made no sound in reply. He was examining us minutely, evidently full of confidence in the superiority of his size and strength. He must have looked upon us with much the same contemptuous wonder as the old travellers viewed the race of dwarfs that they assure us inhabit the vast forests of Central Africa. Sandy at last hurled at him a perfect torrent of honest Gaelic, which only seemed to rouse his anger, and he uttered several sounds which were evidently meant for words of warning, in a loud, imperious, but not unpleasant voice. His arm was raised as if in threat towards us, and all of us felt thoroughly alarmed, except the Doctor, who advanced a step towards him with both hands held out as if in greeting. At this he pointed the long rod he was carrying towards one of the curious animals we had previously met with near the lake, which happened to be grazing quietly half-a-mile away, and within a second of time we saw the poor creature leap into the air and drop dead! We heard no report, we saw no flash! This was too much for Sandy, and before we could prevent him his revolver was drawn, pointed at the unknown stranger, and fired once, twice, three times into his stalwart body! At the first shot he screamed with pain, and tried to level his rod at us; at the second he fell to the ground; the result of the third we never learned, for we all turned and fled as if for our lives towards the friendly cover which sheltered theSirius. As we ran behind the welcome shelter of the low hills we noticed several more of these strange beings, hastening from various directions to their fallen comrade; and as we had every reason to dread the deadly weapons with which they were most probably armed, we were glad to reach the wooded country and seek our refuge under the cover of the trees.
With thankful hearts we reached theSirius, finding everything as we had left it. Doctor Hermann was angry beyond all measure with Sandy for his foolishness in shooting without just provocation, and threatened that if he did not keep more command over himself in future, he should not carry firearms at all.
"This, Temple, is a most unfortunate occurrence—most unfortunate for us all," continued the Doctor, after he had finished lecturing Sandy, who was now all contrition, and cursing himself for his stupid blunder. "There is no telling what may happen now; it is impossible to estimate the amount of misfortune this unwarranted attack on a harmless being may bring upon us. It is folly now to think of visiting that fair city yonder, on foot, as I so much desired."
"I quite agree with you, Doctor; yet, after all, there is some little excuse for poor Sandy. Matters certainly looked threatening; my own hand, too, was on my revolver at the time."
"Well," continued Temple, "all our arguments will avail us nothing now. Regrets are useless; we are in a serious position. Like all Englishmen, we have readily got ourselves into a mess; and let us hope, like our countrymen, we shall display the usual quickness of resource in the time of difficulty and danger, and soon see a way out of it."
"True, true, my dear Temple," remarked the Doctor, regaining his usualsang froid; "time is pressing. We may rest assured that this morning's work is well noised abroad, and ere long, there will be a hue and cry after us. Although my remarks may savour of egotism, I can frankly say, I have no fear of any living being on this planet. From what little I have seen of its civilisation, I am confident that we shall, at any-rate, receive justice at the hands of its inhabitants. If a low-born labourer of the field—for such I take this Martial, whom we have slain, to be—can show such courage, and be possessed of a weapon that makes the arms of Earth seem but as the toys of barbarians, in comparison—if, I say, the lower classes of this planet's people are so much in advance of ourselves, then its aristocracy must be gifted with intelligence far higher than aught we wot of; and with such a people we have nought to fear, provided we can make them understand who we are, whence we came, and what is our mission. Let us lose no time in getting away from here; let us visit the city yonder in theSirius, boldly and with brave hearts; and I feel sure we shall be received in a manner worthy of our confidence and our courage."
"Doctor, I am afraid your naturally brave nature makes you feel too sanguine. I frankly own that I am unable to acquiesce with all you say; still, I cannot suggest anything so good as an alternative, and am ready to act on your suggestion. Let us hope all may yet be well," said Temple.
"We could start off elsewhere," said Graham. "The goodSiriuscan carry us to some other part of this Martial world, where we may have better luck with the natives."
"Gently, Graham," rejoined the Doctor; "you overlook the fact that we have nearly worn out our machinery. Everything requires a thorough overhaul; as things are now, I much doubt if theSiriuswould carry us a couple of hundred miles. I ascertained this before we started this morning."
"As an engineer I ought to have known this, Doctor; but, really, the excitement of the last few days seems to have knocked everything out of me. By all means let us visit the city with what little electric force is still left to us, and take our chance," answered Graham, and his remarks were seconded by Temple.
Our conversation was suddenly interrupted by a mighty blast from what we judged to be some instrument like a horn. It sounded so near that we each sprang up to look, fully expecting that the alarm had already been given and that our hiding-place was discovered. As we cautiously peeped between the trees, whilst standing on the balcony of theSirius, we beheld dozens of this mighty race of people, searching everywhere about the countryside; and another blast from the horn, which sounded much nearer than the previous one, informed us that some at least of our pursuers were coming in our direction, and that the discovery of our hiding-place was but a matter of a very short time. The climax was reached a few minutes afterwards when a black-bearded giant of herculean strength burst through the low underwood, and with a curious unearthly shout as of triumph rushed towards theSirius. Perhaps fortunately for us he carried no rod-like weapon—his sole equipment seemed to be a mighty horn, whose bright and gleaming gold-like coils encircled his body several times!
But he came too late! For ere he could get within twenty paces of theSiriusthe command was given by Doctor Hermann, and Graham set the engines in motion. We shot upwards towards the sky with great speed, and before our astonished pursuer could recover from his surprise we were a thousand feet above him in the air. However superior to us in their intelligence the people of Mars might be, they were evidently nonplussed at our escape, and appeared to be utterly ignorant of aerial navigation in any form whatever. At least we thought so then, as we watched them gathering into terror-stricken groups below us, and ever and anon pointing to theSirius, now almost at rest four thousand feet above them.
"Doctor, how I wish we could manage to well clean our machinery, and be able to rely upon our electricity for safety. This is beating the enemy with a vengeance," said Graham.
"But, my young friend, you forget that we cannot live in the air; our mission is to make friends with these people, not to shun them; to fraternise with them in the common interests of humanity. Now that we are here, a serious responsibility rests upon each and all of us—the teeming millions of our fellow-men, left behind on earth, will expect us to make the very most of our glorious opportunities, and to carry back to them a full history of the wonders of this new world and new race. 'Advance' must be our watchword, until our work is done; even though our lives are lost in the effort. Recall the words you uttered, Graham, years ago, on that fateful evening, when you solemnly pledged yourself to this mission, nay, even devoted your life to its full accomplishment. Our course is clear; put theSiriusup another ten thousand feet, and we will let her head towards the beautiful city yonder. We will come to rest on that elevation above it, and then be guided by events."
The country below us seemed teeming with people, spreading about in all directions; and dense bodies of what looked like troops, could be distinguished coming from the city in the direction of the place where theSiriushad rested the previous night. Evidently these people had some very rapid means of communication, one with the other. The entire district appeared to be thoroughly aroused, and the commotion was evidently increasing each moment. That we were seen was manifest—thousands of upturned faces told us that theSiriuswas the centre of attraction, and every movement was keenly noted. We had now a much better view of the three glittering domes; they appeared to be the roof of some magnificent temple, whose walls seemed of white marble; but the dense growth of trees round the entire edifice, still concealed much of its rare beauty from our gaze.
Just as we came over the outskirts of this wonderful town, theSiriusreceived a terrible blow from some missile, which made her quiver from top to bottom, and we quite expected that we were about to fall to the ground. Had the projectile struck us fairly, nothing could have saved us; but by good fortune it glanced obliquely along the sides of theSirius, and spent itself in space.
"If I mistake not, that has been fired at us from the city below; but what the force was that hurled that bullet so high, and with such marvellously accurate aim is unknown to me, for no explosion accompanied it," said the Doctor, with rather a disconcerted air.
"It is time we descended of our own free will, Doctor," answered Temple, "otherwise we shall be brought down as ignominiously as a winged hawk, and there will then be a speedy end to us and our projects."
We were now directly over the city. And such a noble city, too! The buildings were all of colossal grandeur, the streets wide, and at right angles; no smaller houses mingled with the rest—all were uniformly grand, though the variety of the architecture prevented the slightest monotony. There were several magnificent buildings which we concluded were palaces or seats of government, on the larger of the two hills on which the city rested, and some of these were surrounded by gardens. The top of each hill had been levelled, and the bridge between them was a superb structure, quite half a mile in width, and perhaps three miles in length! What surprised us beyond everything was the total absence of conveyances, or of any kind of beasts of burthen whatever in the spacious thoroughfares, which were crowded with people alone.
"What palaces! What domes! What halls and towers! What streets!" shouted Graham, carried away by his admiration for the architects and engineers who had planned and reared them.
After earnest consultation we decided to descend at once, choosing a vast open square before one of the largest edifices, but which appeared to be deserted of people, as the exact spot. Slowly we dropped through the air. Nearer and nearer to the ground we came, each moment the magnificence of the city increasing as our eager scrutiny became closer. One thousand feet more! Five hundred! One hundred only left! Not a living creature in view! Our hearts beat fast; our excitement became agony in its intensity. The courtyard seemed paved with precious stones of every hue, as large as ostrich-eggs; certainly no common stones of Earth are like them, and none known to man, even the most rare, so large. Curious plants and trees grew in well-kept beds; fountains of perfumed water shot like crystal rockets to the sky! All this, and more, we noted in the short time that we were descending the last few feet; but ere theSiriuscould touch the ground, a thousand stalwart warrior-giants rushed out from every side! In an instant we were the centre of an excited frenzied throng, and our lives were apparently not worth another moment's purchase!
As may naturally be inferred, the language spoken on Mars is totally different from any uttered by either of the civilised races on Earth. We, of course, were ignorant of this dialect spoken on Mars, and were unable to understand what was said to us at the time of our capture, or what the Martials were saying to each other. But we were amazed to find how easily their language could be acquired, and in a very short space of time we were able to converse with this new people. Curiously enough, on the other hand, the Martials found great difficulty in mastering any of the languages of Earth; and we were able to try them with Latin, with Greek, Hebrew, German, French, Gaelic, and English; and it was not for many weeks that even the higher classes of inhabitants acquired even a smattering of the latter tongue.
For several moments it seemed as though our fate was sealed, as the gigantic troopers closed round theSiriuswith fierce and angry gestures, some of them trying to climb up the sides and reach us as we stood in fear and trembling, looking down upon the surging throng from our station on the balcony. Three words which were uttered incessantly by the crowd of soldiers, we were able to distinguish from all the rest of the tumult. They were, as near as we can express them, "Yan ye bo," which being translated into English means "Beings from the sky." Angry shouts of "Emi, emi, tat ya mos" filled the air, and these words we afterwards learned signified "Slay, slay them at once."
Fortunately for us, our situation on the balcony, above the heads of the soldiers, gave us a momentary respite, and before they could find means to drag us from our refuge, a Martial of commanding presence forced his way through the throng, scattering the troopers to the right and left, and with loud voice uttered the word "Etoba" several times. This was evidently a command, for the soldiers withdrew several yards from theSiriusat once, and formed a cordon round us, silent and motionless as though on parade.
All through this trying time, Doctor Hermann stood bare-headed on the balcony of theSiriuswith hands and arms outspread, endeavouring to inspire the Martials with confidence, and to convince them of our peaceable intentions; but we fear his supplications and his signs were thrown away. Revolver in hand, Temple and Graham stood by the Doctor, at whose urgent entreaty they were persuaded to put up their firearms and face the situation calmly. Sandy, amidst the confusion, disappeared into theSirius,terror-stricken as we thought, but he soon returned, armed with a mighty sword he had brought with him concealed in theSiriusunknown to us, and with which he assured us an ancestor of his had fought.
By the time order had been obtained, we could see vast numbers of people crowding up to the square from all directions, and pressing forward to the lines of soldiers, eager to get a glimpse of what was taking place. Keen as was our anxiety, we did not fail to notice the splendid physique of the inhabitants of this wonderful city, the variety in their dress, and the marvellous beauty of the female Martials. The soldiers were clad in tightly-fitting green tunics, below which was a kilt-like dress, reaching to just above the knee. Their muscular limbs were bare, but their feet were shod in high, tightly-fitting laced boots, and each was armed with a long tube of brass. Their heads were encased in what looked to be massive iron helmets. We had not time to notice much, had our excitement permitted us to examine these things in detail, before the commandant stepped up to theSirius, in front of his troops, and bade us descend and yield ourselves into his custody.
"It is very evident that we are about to be taken prisoners," said the Doctor. "We had best submit to the inevitable, without any show of resistance. Force will only incense these people against us; calmness may disarm their suspicions, and ensure us kindly, perhaps even friendly, treatment."
"I don't like the look of things at all, Doctor," answered Temple, "but I am consoled with the thought that we have escaped from perils infinitely more terrible than this."
"We will stick to our revolvers, if we can," said Graham, pocketing his nickel-plated "bull dog" as he spoke. "I, for one, am not going to be slaughtered in cold blood without a fight for it."
"I see no objection to our keeping these arms by us, in case of direst need; but my last advice is to keep calm, to keep calm," answered the Doctor, with great emphasis on the latter word.
Further conversation was impossible, as the officer who had bidden us come forth was beginning to show signs of impatience at our delay.
"Beings from the sky, I, Kaosp, Captain of the King's troops in the City of Edos, command your immediate surrender to me, so that you may explain yourselves to His Majesty's rulers, and inform them from whence ye came and your business here. Delay, or resistance will be visited with instant death."
This seemed language of dreadful import to us, and without understanding a syllable of it, we dropped the ladder from the door, and, headed by the Doctor, climbed slowly down to the ground, the eye of every Martial standing within view being fixed upon us with the keenest attention. Three at least of our little party looked like dwarfs as we stood before the Hercules who had bidden us surrender ourselves to him; but Graham suffered little by comparison with this giant. Erect and defiant he stood before his captor, inch for inch almost as tall as him, broad and well-set in proportion, his muscular arms folded across his massive chest, his clear grey eyes scanning him curiously from head to foot. We could see that Graham had created a favourable impression, and for that we were thankful. We stood in line before the poor oldSirius, and awaited the next move in this singular scene.
In a few moments the commander (Kaosp, we will call him for the future), addressed some words to his troops, and then a dozen warriors stepped out from the ranks and formed an escort round us: a dozen more surrounded theSirius. Kaosp then placed himself at the head of his soldiers, and gave the word to march. Surrounded by the troops, we wended our way towards the noble palace across the square, the lines of soldiers opening and making a passage for us as we advanced. We passed under a lofty archway, went up a flight of steps, and then entered a magnificent hall with a domed roof. Here all the guards remained behind, save two, and they and their leader escorted us across the marble floor to another archway, which led into a smaller hall. Crossing this, we reached a door which opened automatically as we approached, and after going up a flight of steps, we reached a wide corridor. Along this we walked until we came to another door, which opened in the same mysterious manner, and we were ushered into a large apartment, the door closing behind us at once, and we were left to ourselves.
"Beggin' your pardon, Doctor, but this is what I call a shabby way to receive such distinguished visitors as the likes o' we. Just to be popped in here like snared birds in a cage; after comin' all this way, too. Bother tak' sich hospitality, says Sandy Cam'bell."
We were too much absorbed in thinking over our future, to take any heed of Sandy's remarks; and before we had time to form any definite plans, the door of our prison was thrown open, and Kaosp appeared with two guards, and beckoned us to accompany them.
"Once more, my friends, let me implore you to keep cool," the Doctor hurriedly whispered as we were marched away.
We were conducted along vast corridors and through many doorways before we reached the entrance of a magnificent hall, where evidently the King and his ministers were assembled in state awaiting our arrival. The splendours of this building are beyond the power of any description. So suddenly did we find ourselves surrounded by the glitter and pomp of this brilliant gathering, that for several moments we stood still in utter amazement, bewildered, lost, in the glorious scene before us. We heard as in a dream the blast of what seemed a thousand trumpets heralding our approach, and as in a dream were conducted to a small raised platform in the very centre of the vast assembly, directly facing the King and his court. The hall was filled to overflowing with male and female Martials (perhaps we ought to call them men and women), a sea of eager faces greeting our appearance, but the expressions upon those we looked at closely seemed by no means friendly disposed towards us. A hum of intense, yet suppressed excitement broke from the assembled throng as we stepped upon the dais in full view of all.
The day was rapidly drawing to a close, the gloom of coming night beginning to settle on that vast gathering, as the Doctor and his companions in captivity calmly stood, the observed of all observers, awaiting their fate. The half light seemed to increase the magnificence of the spacious building, by toning down its brilliancy and harmonising the wealth of rare colour that everywhere delighted the eye. The entire dome was covered with a painting of some mighty conflict; the panels of the walls were filled with others, so life-like, so realistic, that we blushed for very shame as we compared in our mind's eye these works of art with the masterpieces of Earthly painters. Noble groups of statuary, carved out of lustrous stones of a flesh-coloured tint, filled us with admiration; urns and vases and quaintly-designed ornaments of wood and metal were arranged with a keen eye for effect on every side; whilst the windows of coloured glass—if glass it was—were superb, both in their wonderful design and harmony of colour. Garlands of foliage, the leaves of fine gold, twined round the marble pillars, bearing clusters of sparkling jewels designed as fruits; whilst before the throne was a fountain of cunning workmanship which cast up from unseen sources jets of scented water, that not only filled the building with a subtle ravishing perfume, but kept the atmosphere cool and refreshing. The audience which filled this hall of splendour was evidently a mixed one. What we took to be those of high degree surrounded the King and his ministers; round them were the guards and minor officers; whilst beyond them again was the populace. The floor rose gradually from the centre, so that every person could see and hear all that took place. The King and his courtiers were one blaze of glittering jewels and gorgeous colour; their robes and vestments being rare and costly to a degree undreamed of on Earth, even by the wildest fancy of man. As in our own world, almost every type of countenance was to be observed among this vast assemblage; yet we could not help remarking that the men of Mars were handsomer as a race than the men of Earth, and that the women of Mars were more beautiful. The old King himself was a grand specimen of manhood; his lofty brow, clearly cut features, long, flowing white beard, and commanding, dignified presence, made him every inch a king. He was surrounded with a host of noble councillors, almost as regal-looking as himself. The younger men were handsome, stalwart fellows—broad of chest and lithe of limb, moustached and bearded, sons of a race evidently at the zenith of its development, both mentally and physically. Our hearts warmed towards them in honest admiration; we felt that we were in the presence of our superiors.
The females at this gathering were remarkable for their exceeding beauty. Edos must be a city of fair women if those assembled here around us were an average specimen of its lady inhabitants. The classic regularity of their features was superb; their wonderful wealth of hair, their marvellously clear complexion, the rare symmetry of their form, the expression of their beautiful eyes, their commanding presence—all combined in making them attractive to a degree undreamed of by dwellers on Earth.
In all that peerless galaxy of beauty, one magnificent creature with large expressive eyes, and hair of gold, seated close to the King himself, was fairer far than all the rest; her face and figure were sublime! She sat with queenly dignity, with a coronet aflame with jewels upon her lovely brow, gazing intently upon us, stirred to the very depths of her soul with wondering curiosity, and from time to time talking with the aged King, the theme of her conversation evidently being us poor captives; friendless and helpless in the centre of that gazing throng! She was dressed in a robe of delicate purple hue, which, though draped but loosely round her, still displayed in suggestive grace the beauty of her hidden form. Her hair fell in rippling golden tresses far below her waist; her arms, looking white as marble in the deepening twilight, were bare to the shoulder. She sat, or rather reclined on a pile of softest skins, and her feet rested upon a mat of similar material.
We noticed all that we have here described within a very few seconds from the time that we stepped upon the dais. Then suddenly the vast hall was filled with brilliant artificial light, an electric light as far as we could judge, although the source of its supply was cunningly concealed. The effect was magical. The flashing gems and brilliant metals, the statuary, the polished pillars, walls, and floors, the sparkling scented water, the royal troops, the eager throng, formed a scene of unparalleled magnificence and splendour.
As soon as the hall was illuminated as by the light of day, the proceedings began. An aged statesman, amidst breathless silence, rose up from his seat, crossed the floor, and stood opposite to where the King sat in solemn state. Making a low and reverent obeisance, he began to tell the story of our appearance near their city; how we were met by the Martial whose life we took; how we took refuge in theSirius, and, after the alarm had been given, how a search was made and our hiding-place discovered. Then he described our evading further pursuit by soaring up into the air in our curious carriage; how we travelled over the city of Edos, and were fired at by the soldiers; how we eventually came slowly down to the ground again to the square near the palace; and how we had been surrounded and taken prisoners by His Majesty's troops at last. This address appeared to make a profound impression upon the multitude, and, so far as we could judge, the wrath of the people was exceedingly great. The odds were evidently against us, and each one of us felt—although at the time we did not understand a word of what was being said—that our position was momentarily becoming more serious.
For several minutes after this harangue was finished, the silence was profound. Every eye was turned towards us; the old King's face was grave and stern and troubled. Then, as if to make matters worse, the silence was broken by a loud commotion at one of the entrances to the hall, and the next moment poor old Rover broke through the ring of guards and officers, and leaping and barking for joy, hastened to Sandy's side. At first the direst alarm prevailed, and we noticed the lovely woman by the King's side clutch his arm in terror, for of course our dog was even a stranger animal to the company here assembled than we were ourselves. At a word from Sandy he lay down between us, and, curiously enough, there he was suffered to remain. He had broken out of theSirius, where in the excitement of our departure we had left and forgotten him, and made his way unerringly to his master's side—our only friend.
We afterwards learned that the most serious part of our case was the slaying of the Martial; and as the old minister told this part of his story, one of the guards advanced and pointed with his brass tube to Sandy, indicating that he was the actual culprit. A long and animated discussion took place, in which the King occasionally joined, or was appealed to for his advice. Then a long interval of silence followed, in which the King was evidently considering the facts which had been laid before him. Our hearts beat fast; each one's right hand clasped the revolver concealed within his breast; for each had mentally determined to fight for life unto the bitter end.
"Courage," whispered Dr. Hermann, "and for the love of heaven do not fire until I give the signal. I am going to try and make these people understand a little of our history."
A moment after, the Doctor advanced a few steps towards the King, bowing low and with hands extended as if in welcome. The King watched him curiously, and so did we; for we had not the slightest idea what his intentions were. He then pointed to the open entrance, up into the night sky, where the planet Earth, by some miraculous good fortune, chanced to be shining with unusual splendour almost alone in the firmament. Then by various signs he attempted to explain how we had come from that particular star; that we were friends, and were anxious to gain their good will. We afterwards learned that the King had comprehended much of what the Doctor had sought to convey; but prejudice ran high, and though personally inclined to befriend us, he was biassed by his ministers.
The Doctor rejoined us once more, and almost directly afterwards the King began to speak. As one man, the mighty throng saluted him and bowed in reverence. Then the multitude, all standing, listening intently to his words, which were as follows:
"Beloved subjects and children: a great event hath happened amongst us, such as hath never been known to you, my people, throughout the long and glorious history of our race. Five strange beings have made their appearance amongst us—from whence they come we know not; who they are, or what their object is in coming here, are also mysteries which we cannot readily solve. By shedding the blood of our poor brother yesterday, we fear these beings are of evil repute, and therefore should be treated as enemies of our race, and die. Their leader, by sundry signs, hath sought to tell us that they come from the star-world Ramos, which they call 'Earth.' If this were true, and their hands were not stained in blood, we would welcome them as brothers, for our wise men have long suspected that beings fashioned like ourselves do dwell thereon. Wisdom cometh slowly, and knowledge is gained by degrees. We will wait and see, my people, if these strangers can prove that what they say by signs is true. We of this world do nothing hurriedly, nor do we take life without just cause. We know not these strangers' tongues; nor they ours. Justice bids us wait. Forty days of grace will we allow them; then here, in this our Hall of Justice, shall they take their trial, and their fate be decided. We have spoken these words with such wisdom as God hath given us, and may He still continue to preserve my people from all harm."
Amidst shouts of approval the King ceased speaking, and as we understood not a word of what he had said, we concluded that our doom was decided. In all that mighty throng we had not one to befriend us. Each face was stern and of forbidding aspect! Yet, stay, there was one whose eyes were even wet with tears at our misfortune, and whose shy, pitying glances steeled our nerves anew. The lady by the King's side breathed hope in her glances. Her lovely eyes were dimmed with tears for us, and we felt as men once more. Love's all-potent power was working. By what attractive force was the latent spark of compassion ignited in that fair Martial breast? She alone of all that multitude was drawn towards us by a bond of sympathy! Who knows but that, all unconsciously, her spirit and ours may have mingled in that Silent World of shadows, where language, race, or creed form no barrier to friendly intercourse, and where the inconveniences of space, as we experience them in our mortal shapes, are unknown? Who, after this, shall say that lives may not be governed and influenced by beings on other worlds, in other spheres, just as the attraction of one planet can sway another from its course across the sky?
By some subtle influence, we felt reassured; all thoughts of fighting for our lives departed, and when Kaosp and his guards stepped forward, we followed them even cheerfully back to our prison, Rover being allowed to trot behind at our heels.
Once more we were ushered into the large and lofty room which was to be our prison house. Our guards withdrew, the massive door swung back, moved by hidden automatic action, and we were left to our own sad reflections.
"Oh, for the goodSirius, with everything in order!" sighed Graham. "We would soon show these Martial hosts that we are not the poor weak fools they take us to be."
"Tut, tut, Graham," said the Doctor, cheerily. "The game seems against us now, but we may hold the trump cards yet, man! Besides, you have evidently made a conquest," he continued, with sly humour, "and that fair Martial maiden may yet prove a guardian angel."
"Ah, Doctor, sanguine as ever! What a hopeful old boy you are! But I, for one, seem to think we are in a deuce of a hole this time," said Temple, with just a tinge of irritation in his voice.
"I don't see the least call for any such joke at my expense, Doctor," said Graham, smilingly. "But there, it is best to look on the bright side of things."
"Ah, now I was right, after all! Graham, the fair lady who seems so grieved about us, little dreams that she has made a conquest too!"
"Doctor, I feel peckish mysel', and I ken puir old Rover misses his supper. Surely they dinna mean starvin' o' us!"
"All in good time, Sandy; all in good time. Here's a biscuit for Rover, I happened to put in my pocket this morning," remarked the Doctor, good-humouredly.
"Well, Temple," he continued, "we have evidently been respited for some reason or other. That looks as though these strange people were not altogether unfriendly disposed towards us. We must make a lot of allowance for them, after all. Think what a fuss five beings from Mars would make, were they to drop from the sky into Trafalgar Square or Palace Yard, some fine day; and that, mind you, after killing in cold blood an innocent farm-labourer at Ealing or Hendon! Why, all London would be wild with excitement, and a righteously incensed populace would be clamouring for their immediate trial and execution—the evening papers, especially! We take these inoffensive people by surprise, and, really, we are fortunate in having been able so far to conciliate them as to gain time—and that is all we want. We shall be——"
But the Doctor was interrupted by the door swinging open, and Kaosp making his appearance once more, accompanied by the two attendant guards, and five servants bearing dishes. These dishes were of the costliest description, evidently of fine gold, beautifully chased, with curiously-shaped leaves and flowers, the like of which we had never seen before. Each servant bore his dish in silent state, and placed it upon the inlaid marble table, then, bowing low, withdrew. The guards stationed themselves one on either side of the doorway, and then Kaosp advanced, and in his unknown tongue, assisted by signs, conveyed to us the fact that it was by the King's desire that this food was brought, and that we were to sit down and eat. We began to look on Kaosp almost as a friend; he seemed equally to be kindly disposed towards us, for he smiled and smote his breast—evidently a salute—as he and his guards departed.
"Come, come," said the Doctor, "this is not so bad, after all. We must try and pick up their language, and then I have no doubt, by being able to explain ourselves, we shall be safe with these people. Now, Sandy, uncover our dishes, and let us see on what strange food we are expected to fare."
"Do, Doctor, be serious!" remarked Temple. "What are you going to do?"
"Why, eat, of course, man, since these captors of ours have condescended to supply us with the wherewithal to do so. I must confess, in spite of our bad luck, I begin to feel uncommonly hungry," said the Doctor.
It was all no good, however; Temple seemed thoroughly cast down, and all that we could do or say failed to arouse him from his despondent mood.
Sandy was soon at work, and we found that under each larger cover was a dish divided into compartments, in which a variety of tempting-looking food was placed. We had flesh of various kinds, a liquor like clear soup, fruits, and square tablets of what appeared to be bread, yet very fruity to the taste. The large vase-like vessel contained pure water, and round the lower rim were hung several smaller vases, which were evidently to be used as drinking-cups. Two curious instruments were attached to each dish, which took us some time to comprehend their use. The larger was fashioned something like a spoon, fastened in a carved wooden handle, yet one edge was sharp, and it was ultimately discovered that this served the purpose of knife and spoon in one. The other, a sharply-pointed piece of gold, also set in a handle of carved wood, we took to be a fork, and used it as such. We found the flesh, and one of the dishes of green vegetables, excellent, but the fruit, and what we must call bread, was not very palatable to us.
"I doubt not that if we live here long," remarked Graham, "we shall acquire a taste for the other viands. We can't expect to find everything suited to the tastes and customs of the men of Earth."
"That's true, Graham," said Temple, who was fast recovering his spirits, and beginning to take a more cheerful view of our situation. "It's astonishing what a difference a little food makes, in a hungry, even in a despondent man."
Our meal was quickly finished, Sandy taking good care that Rover had a plentiful portion of the feast. Then Graham produced his well-filled case, and each one of us enjoyed the precious luxury of a really good cigar—a "Bock" of the choicest quality.
"Make the most of them, my comrades," said Graham, striking a wax taper on the end of his silver match-case. "I have but a dozen, and heaven knows when we may get more. There's a score boxes left, at least, in theSirius, but I suppose they are lost to us for ever."
In the middle of our smoke Kaosp appeared with his guards, and great was his and their amazement to see us smoking. This is evidently an art unknown to the people of Mars—tobacco, apparently, being a plant with which Earth alone is blessed. By some curious action of his, a door in our prison opened and revealed to us another chamber, fitted up with luxuriant couches, soft as eider-down, on which by signs the friendly soldier informed us we might stretch our weary limbs in sleep. We passed into this ante room, and with friendly salute Kaosp withdrew, and the door immediately closed behind him.
It is almost needless to say that we passed a fairly comfortable night, yet we deemed it wisest to keep watch by turns, in case of surprise. The Martial moons shone down through the windows of our prison with great brightness, two of them being visible together, and the planet Earth (now much lower on the horizon than when we were in the Hall of Justice) looked like Venus, as we often see her when fairly placed in the sky of our own world at home.
It is unnecessary here to chronicle all the monotony of our confinement. One day passed much as another, so far as eating, drinking, and sleeping were concerned.
We saw a great deal of the commander, Kaosp, and from him we began to learn the Martial tongue. The Doctor possessed a marvellous aptitude for acquiring any new tongue on Earth, and this served him in good stead on the planet Mars. After a week's intercourse with Kaosp he was able to converse in a broken sort of way, in three weeks he had mastered sufficient for all ordinary purposes. Temple found it more difficult; Sandy only picked up a few words and phrases from his master, but Graham proved himself an apt pupil, and was almost as good a conversationist as the Doctor, in even less time.
From Kaosp we learned much. He was the only one who acted as our jailor. We learned that the King had commanded him to teach us their language, so that we might be prepared to explain ourselves and our mission to him and his ministers at the trial, which he assured us was to take place in forty days from the time of our capture. We also learned that the beautiful being who sat near the King, in the Hall of Justice, was his own daughter; that her name was Volinè; that she was her father's idol and his people's pride. Many startling facts did Kaosp tell us concerning his race. How their span of life averaged five hundred years, which, as the year of Mars is twice the length of Earth's, would be a thousand years of our time! How war was unknown amongst them; one king and one government ruling all civilized beings; how some parts of Mars were inhabited by savage tribes and semi-human beasts; how their armies were kept up for protection against these uncivilized races, and for Court pageantry; and also how one universal language prevailed. He also told us, among other things, that this stranger world was but thinly peopled, its inhabitants increasing very slowly, the results of a marriage rarely producing more than two or three offspring. That one of the most terrible scourges which troubled the Martial world was the almost universal loss of memory that broke out like a plague from time to time, and that owing to this the people were exceedingly careful in keeping records of their pursuits, history, and progress. From what we learned from Kaosp, respecting our preliminary examination in the Hall of Justice, we concluded that when our trial did take place we should be able to vindicate ourselves and make friends with these people. So that we looked forward to the event with eager interest, being most anxious to regain our liberty and explore this strange world to our hearts' desire.
We also learned from Kaosp that Volinè, the King's daughter, had taken a great interest in us, and had deigned to make numerous enquiries about us from him, he being granted an audience each day, to inform her of whatever portion of our history he had been able to learn. The King himself was also eager to know how his captives fared, but never once did he come to see us in person.
On the tenth morning of our imprisonment, Kaosp brought startling news. Nothing less than that Volinè—Volinè, the King's proud, beautiful daughter, was coming to visit us, in our prison, some time during the day. He told us how she had besought him to let her see us; how he had tried to dissuade her; and how, ultimately, she had commanded him to take her, and that he had not dared to disobey her wish.
We were all full of expectant curiosity. Attendants came, and prepared our large room for the unusual visit; and Sandy's pocket dressing-case—his inseparable companion, even in captivity—was in great requisition by us all; for each of us felt it incumbent to make himself as presentable as possible to our fair and distinguished visitor.
"VOLINÈ."
"VOLINÈ."
She came. The day was nearly spent; the sun, in a sea of yellow radiance, was just about to sink behind the hills, as our prison doors were thrown open, and Kaosp, saluting respectfully, with helmet in hand, ushered Volinè and her attendant maidens into our presence. We have already alluded to her marvellous beauty, as we saw her reclining by her father's judgment-seat; but far more did her charms impress us now, as she swept, with all queenly grace, into our apartment, with head held high, and flowing golden tresses, mantling over her glorious bust and shoulders, and falling in silky coils below her waist. Her outer dress was polished black—a loosely-fitting robe, girdled at the waist, and which clung in ravishing folds to her stately form. A diadem of glittering purple stones, like diamonds, encircled her brow, and her robe was fastened across her left shoulder by a jewelled buckle of fabulous richness. Though of such commanding stature, she was grace itself; not a part of her magnificent figure out of proportion with the rest—a woman, yet a goddess, too. Beauty personified! Her lovely violet eyes gave an incomparable expression of saintly beauty to her countenance; and yet there was nothing meek or humble there; fire, and passion, and unbending will, lurked deep down in their purple, dreamy depths. No being in female form, whether human or divine, could have appeared more lovely, as Volinè stood, surrounded by the subdued golden glory of the setting sun, which poured in at the window, and threw a halo round her. A murmur of admiration involuntarily burst from each one of us, as we stood, in rapt astonishment, gazing upon the fair being before us. Then we each bowed low and respectfully, as she sank into the pillowed seat which had been provided for her. In truth, it was an impressive scene. Two Martial maidens stood on either side, carrying little golden vessels, suspended by chains of the same metal, and containing a subtle perfume, which soon pervaded our chamber with its sweetness. Two other maidens bore long, tapering, white wands in their left hands—in their right hands they had bouquets of rare and curious flowers.
"Strangers," she commenced in a voice that was singularly sweet and musical—"for your names I know not—I, Volinè, daughter of the King, give you greeting. I have bidden our trusty soldier Kaosp conduct me hither, so that mine eyes may see that it is still well with ye, for I feel an interest in your fate. My ears are open to any complaint, which perchance ye may wish to make concerning your treatment in this our palace, since my royal father and his councillors, in their great wisdom, commanded that ye be held prisoners here. We dwellers in the city Edos are not wanting in hospitality to the stranger; but ye are not our people, not of our world; we know ye not, still, Volinè is your friend."
Doctor Hermann advanced and kissed the white, ring-decked hand extended towards him, and did his best to convey our gratitude to the generous girl; telling her that we were friends, fashioned in the same creative mould as her own race; and that we came from the star which is known as Ramos, but to us, its people, as "Earth"; that we had come to study this new world of hers, and to take back our information, if we were spared to do so, to our fellow-men.
John Temple was then commanded by Volinè to come forward and salute her, a mark of royal favour of which he was not slow to avail himself, as what man would not when the donor was so ravishingly beautiful as she! Then Sandy was called for, and bidden to bring Rover, too. Volinè was deeply interested, and asked many questions, through Kaosp, concerning the Scotsman and his dog.
Volinè's voice was distinctly less commanding in its tone, even tender, when with some slight hesitation she asked that Graham might be presented to her; and as he came forward and pressed her hand to his lips for a moment, we all noticed a blush steal over her lovely face. As a special mark of her favour, she bade one of her attendant maidens hand to him the flowers she was carrying. Graham already was, evidently, held high in her esteem. He was so utterly confounded by such an unexpected mark of royal favour that, beyond kissing the hand held out to him, he was unable to utter a word of gratitude, of compliment, or thanks. Very soon after this the interview came to an end, and Volinè with her attendants withdrew, leaving us to recover ourselves as if from some delicious dream. We had had no feminine society for years, and if the Doctor and Sandy did not miss it, certainly Graham and Temple did, and appreciated the visit of this peerless maiden to the uttermost.
Graham had to run the gauntlet of the Doctor's and Temple's chaff over Volinè's very marked notice of him; but for the first time since we left Earth he failed to enter into the spirit of our jokes, and every now and then we caught him as though engaged in deep and earnest thought. The magic spell of a first love was beginning to work within him, and from this time forth he would never be the same man again!
"Come, come, Graham, my boy," said Temple on the following day, as the two sat together after our morning meal; "what is the matter with you? Why so melancholy? Surely, Volinè's is not the first pretty face you have seen?"
"Mr. Temple," answered Graham, "your last stray shot has hit the mark. No woman on Earth, you know as well as I, is so incomparably beautiful as she. Volinè is a goddess; the soul of Beauty! Would any fellow, especially situated as I am, fancy free, in the pride of early manhood, escape from such seductive attractions unscathed? From the moment that my eyes first fell upon her, I became conscious that I had found my ideal of female beauty at last—found it, alas! under circumstances which admit of no hope, however remote, to become ultimately its proud possessor. I have tried to conceal my feeling from you all; but Love ever betrays itself. She has filled my thoughts by day, and my dreams by night. Yes, I love her! and it is at least consoling to be able to confess my secret to such an old and tried friend as you. It relieves my feelings in some measure to tell them to another who can show some sympathy."
"Why, Graham, you must be hard hit indeed! But your chance is not by any means a hopeless one. From what we can see, Volinè is certainly interested in us, and in you particularly so."
"But look at the differences of our race and station—ah! and my position, too, a prisoner, whose very life is threatened," Graham sighed.
"All the more need for you to put matters in their best light. Go in and win, man. By doing so, you may gain your heart's desire, and save us from death. Volinè is all-powerful. Her word is second to the King's, and she is his only daughter. She looks upon you with decided favour already; and when once you get that far with a woman, the rest is easy—it is certainly so with the ladies of Earth; and if we believe in Doctor Hermann's theory of Universality, the maidens of Mars must be made of much the same material," answered Temple, laughing.
"What you say, Mr. Temple, certainly puts matters in a different light. That flickering phantom men call Hope, once more appears before me and bids me follow; but whither she may lead me is very doubtful."
"I say, Temple and Graham, you two appear to have a very serious topic for your conversation this morning," said the Doctor, rising from his seat at the other end of the room, where he had been busy writing memoranda in his pocket-book.
The Doctor was here interrupted by a visit from Kaosp, who spent the remainder of the morning with us, helping us to acquire the Martial language.
In the afternoon we had another visit from Volinè and her maidens. Her attention to Graham became even more pronounced, and she never seemed to tire of hearing him tell to her the story of Earth. Indeed, so much did she appear to enjoy his company, that the Doctor and Temple felt completelyde trop. The Doctor appeared annoyed at Graham for encouraging this flirtation; but Temple was secretly pleased, for he saw in it a possible escape from captivity.
That night Graham retired to rest earlier than usual, pleading a headache for excuse. We now had complete use of the two apartments, thanks to Kaosp, the door separating them having been made to open and close at our will. The Doctor and Temple remained up, discussing one thing and another, until a late hour, the conversation eventually turning to the subject of Volinè and Graham.
"Doctor, I think it is rather a mistake on your part to show such an aversion to Graham's conduct with Volinè. You were the first to express an opinion, and even to hint that this girl might be of service."
"How so? It's bound to end in trouble, not only to him, but to us. And as for the latter part of your remarks, why, it was only a silly joke on my part."
"I differ from you, Doctor. This woman is all-powerful here. The King may govern his people, but his daughter governs him; although he may not know it—what man ever does? And if we can once gain her good word, say even through her betrothal to Graham, we are absolutely safe!"
"All very well; all very well, Temple, if things would turn out so; but when do things turn out exactly as we want them? There is much to be said on the other side of the question. Kings have peculiar ideas as to rank and station; princesses, even in the nineteenth century, may not choose their own partners; at least, as far as our world is concerned. I dare say the King has his own views respecting his daughter, and then when this foolish affair becomes known, as it surely will, we shall only incur a still larger amount of royal anger than we do at present. It is too risky a business, and I will be no party to it. Pray let us drop the subject, Temple; the hour is late, and we had better go to rest."
"As you will, Doctor, but as sure as I am sitting here I am convinced that a love affair between Graham and Volinè is our only chance."
"We shall see, Temple. It is playing a dangerous game with our own lives as well as his own, and I am just as certain that it will end in disaster."
Volinè's visits became more and more frequent. Rarely a day passed now that she did not either come in person, or send one of her attendant maids with flowers or fruits for the captives, but these gifts were really meant for Graham alone. She exercised her royal prerogative and showed her marked preference for him in many ways. We were also allowed more liberty, presumably through her intercession, and were now even permitted to walk for a short time each day in an enclosed garden below our prison windows. This was a great boon, as the close confinement was beginning to tell upon us greatly, seasoned as we were to the lack of exercise through our long sojourn in theSirius.
We had been in prison five weeks, when the love affair between Graham and Volinè assumed a more decided phase. Volinè and he were lovers; more to each other than either thought or knew. Fierce and uncontrollable love was smouldering in each heart, requiring but some accidental spark to set the whole aflame. This was not long in coming. A secret meeting was arranged between them. Kaosp being Love's ambassador, he conveyed the welcome news to Graham that Volinè wished to see him in the grounds. Needless to say, the Doctor was highly displeased at this; but being in the minority he had the good sense to let matters take their own course, satisfying himself by warning Graham of the risk he ran.
Kaosp, too, showed some reluctance to be a party to this meeting. He feared discovery, and the King's anger; but pressure had evidently been put upon him, and as the dusk of evening deepened, he came, and secretly conducted Graham to the garden below. Graham must, of necessity, tell this portion of our narrative in his own words:
"I followed Kaosp, at his bidding, down the silent, deserted corridors, and at last felt the cool, refreshing night air beat against my face, as we passed under an arched gateway of the palace, into the open grounds. Here he left me, telling me to keep along a narrow pathway, until I came to an arbour where I was to wait until Volinè joined me. The night was gloriously fine; the Martial moons were beaming in a cloudless sky; the stars scintillated sharp as swords in the heavens; the far-away Earth shone with a dazzling fairness—the star of the evening. Flowers threw off delicious fragrance, though I could not see them; here and there a tall, tapering tree, towering far above the lower vegetation of this wondrous garden, shone out clearly against the green-hued sky; whilst distant fountains sang their soothing song. Oh, how can I express the expectant rapture that filled my soul, as I watched and waited for my darling! With leaden-flighted wings the moments dragged along; and yet she came not. Was all a dream? If so, oh God! then let me dream for ever! for the suspense of waiting for Volinè in that garden fair would be Paradise, compared with the pain of awaking and finding that all had vanished with my opening eyes.
"Soft, yet distant footsteps at last fell upon my eager ears, and she for whom I waited came stealthily along towards our trysting-place. We met as lovers of long standing, even though no single word of love had passed between us; the kiss I reverently pressed upon her white, upturned brow, was the first I had ever given her. But the language of love is universal—neither race nor dialect forms a barrier to the communication of its sweet secrets one to the other.
"'Volinè, beloved,' I whispered, trembling with joy. 'You, for whom I have waited so long, have come to me at last!'
"'Oh! man of Ramos, I am so happy to be with thee,' she answered, as I drew her gently within the shelter of the arbour, and sat down by her side.
"'Nay, Volinè, will you not call me "Harry"? I ask it as a royal favour.'
"'But "Harry" is not thy name. Still, to please thee, I will grant thy request. "Harry!"—"Harry!" is much prettier, too; I had not thought of that.'
"'But I had, Volinè, and have been longing to hear my name fall from your sweet lips.'
"'I fear, Harry, that I shall incur my father's anger in coming thus. I have dared his wrath, because I like thee and thy companions much, and because I would save thee and them from all harm. Now tell me all concerning thyself, for my soul is curious to know. Tell me, Harry, more of that mystic world from whence you came. Are the women of that world more fair, more beautiful than we? Doth no maid of Ramos hold thy heart in bondage? Hath not that power you tell me the sons and daughters of earth call Love, yet had no resting-place in thy soul?' And as she spoke these last words, Volinè laid her head upon my breast and gazed up into my face with her radiant love-lit eyes, as though she would read the innermost depths of my soul.
"'Ah! Volinè, Volinè, of a truth I tell you no woman has yet moved my heart like you have done,' I answered, gazing down into her peerless face, my pulses thrilled by the magnetic touch of her soft white hand resting trustfully in my own, and by the vision of her marvellous beauty. Her breath intoxicated me with its warm, rich fragrance; her throbbing heart against my own filled my senses with the wild delirium of passionate ecstasy.
"'Volinè,' I whispered—'Volinè, the maidens of that Earth Star yonder, glimmering serenely fair in the evening sky, are good and pure, and with no mean measure of beauty—even, Volinè, as you are good, and as you are pure; but such beauty as yours is unknown amongst them. Man only knows of beauty such as yours in the holy legends of his heaven; only the angels of his faith are decked in such graces as are yours; but in his mortal life he knows them not, save by imagination, and as they have been revealed to him. Such peerless, queenly beauty as yours, Volinè, no mortal man beheld before; such winning grace, such maidenly charm, are what we men of Earth would call immortal and divine!'
"'Harry, thy words are sweet unto me, and I feel that they flow from thy heart; but I would have thee tell me more of that Love, by which these men of Earth enslave her daughters. Thy words are full of flattery of my bodily form. Is there nought else to charm thee, and bind thee closer to me, to unite thine immortal soul to mine?'
"My arm stole gently round Volinè's shapely waist without resistance—what bliss!—and I drew her yet nearer to me ere I made reply.
"'Volinè, my darling, I know nothing from experience of this Love of which you bid me tell, and of which you are so curious to hear. No woman on that star-world yonder has won it from my heart. Until I saw you I knew not love; but now its fires consume me. Volinè, I love you as never man loved woman yet. For you I would die, and in dying glorify and exalt that love you have inspired! Say, Volinè, that you return my love, and make my happiness complete.'
"'Harry, thou art dearer to me than all men. Nobles and princes of high degree have sought to woo me; but until I knew thee, I knew not the secret of my own heart.'
"'Bless you, dear one, for those precious words,' I answered, trembling in my great new-found joy. The love that is born of Desire is sweet; but the mysterious power that welds two hearts together, making them throb as one, and bringing perfect harmony to both, is sweeter still. In willing rapture I yielded to the captivity of her arms, which like bonds of ivory whiteness held me. I felt her smooth cheek against my own, burning with modesty and love, and in my new-found happiness I rained hot kisses on her upturned, willing lips. Closer and closer we stole into each other's arms; our sighs mingled together; time for us had now no measure; we lived but for each other; and in silent ecstasy we drank those pleasures that mutual love alone distils.
"'Harken, Harry, someone approaches! I shall die of shame to be discovered thus, and my father's wrath will be terrible.'
"'Courage, darling; no one shall harm you while I am by your side.' And I gripped with my right hand my revolver.
"But no one came to disturb the measure of our happiness, and the joyful moments, all too fleeting, slipped rapidly away.
"'Harry, now I must bid thee leave me; the hour is getting late, and my absence may be discovered.'
"'Stay, Volinè. On Earth, among my English race, when man makes love unto a woman, he pledges his troth to her with a ring of gold, set with jewels or precious stones, which she, the object of his choice, wears as a token upon the fourth finger of her left hand. So take this ring of mine as our love-pledge; let me place it on your finger—so—and promise me to wear it always there for my sake.'
"'Thy words are strange, Harry, for no such custom is known to us. But what a pretty idea, though! I will take thy ring and wear it as thou sayest. But thou must have one of mine in return'; and as she spoke, Volinè slipped a ring of curious workmanship from her finger, and placed it on my own.
"'Prize it, as thou wouldst prize me; guard it, as thou wouldst guard thy life; for it is a precious talisman, and was given to my mother by Echri, the most sacred of our priests. No man of Gathma dare harm or slay thee, if he knows that ring is on thy hand.'
"'My darling, I will part with it only with my life! Now, one more fond embrace ere you go; and with it I would crave your promise to meet me here again at the same hour——'
"But the sentence was never finished, for a Martial, who by his dress and mien I judged to be someone of high degree, stepped out from the arbour's shadow into the moonlight, saying in a contemptuous voice as he came:
"'So, Volinè, it is thee! Meeting one of thy father's base-born prisoners here, at this hour and alone, to bestow thy favours and to lose thy honour. Edos shall ring with thy shame before another sun hath set, and this evil stranger from the star-world Ramos, and all his foul companions, shall pay with their lives for his insolent temerity this night.'
"With a scream of terror, Volinè tore herself away from my embrace and fled towards the palace, leaving me alone with the stranger.
"'Pray, who are you,' I asked, 'to question Volinè's right to meet whomsoever she may please?'
"'Who am I? Why should I gratify thy curiosity, thou dirt of Ramos? For little, I would kill thee where thou standest! Get thee back to thy prison cell, and prepare to die, for die thou surely shalt.'
"'Dirt, am I, you Martial bully? That insult shall be wiped away at another time and in another place. But by what right do you dictate to her? Breathe her name in scandal to a living soul, and I will thrash you like the cur you are. Nay, more, the lying shame you bring upon her shall be washed away in your own worthless blood.'
"'By the right of being her affianced lover,' he hissed, rather than spoke, and turning round, walked quickly away into the gloom.
"'Liar,' I shouted, as I watched his retreating form, for a moment half-inclined to shoot him as he went; but prudence forbade such a course, and slowly I returned to the arched doorway, where I found Kaosp anxiously waiting to conduct me back again. Not a word did I breathe to anyone of my adventure in the garden, although I lay awake until the yellow dawn, thinking of Volinè and of my rival, and wondering greatly what the future would bring."
In spite of all the questions put by Temple and the Doctor, Graham resolutely refused to speak about his meeting with Volinè in the garden, and this annoyed the Doctor especially.
"I don't like this want of confidence on your part, Graham," he said, the following day. "Not that I want to pry into a lover's secrets by any means, but our trial, as you well know, takes place in a few days, and I think, as being the leader of this expedition, recognised as such by common consent, and the duty of defending ourselves rightly falling on me, every fact that might be of service to us should be known to me, as well as any adverse circumstances that may resolve into evidence against us, so that I may be prepared to meet it."
"Doctor," Graham answered, "I admit the justness of your remarks, but am sorry I cannot disclose what took place last night. The honour of the woman I love is involved; but, rest assured, I am quite prepared to defend my conduct if called upon to do so. Believe me, nothing whatever was said respecting our position, nor did I obtain any information likely to be of service to us."
"But did you really see and speak to Volinè last night?" asked Temple.
"I admit that I did. Now, do rest content with that, there's good fellows; and be assured that I am doing the best I can for us all. This ring I wear upon my finger was given to me by her, with the solemn assurance that it was a talisman against evil."
"Fudge, Graham; you must be deep in love to believe such nonsense," said the Doctor, testily.
"Nonsense or not, Doctor, you see I wear it, and what is more, am inclined to believe in its virtues. It may be but a lover's trifle; but some strange instinct, call it superstition if you like, makes me feel that it will yet be of service to us."
"Well, it is my unbroken experience that if discord or trouble comes, a woman is invariably at the bottom of it." And with this parting shot the Doctor walked away to study his note-book.
"What a prejudice the Doctor has against the ladies, Graham!" said Temple. "Why, he is a regular woman-hater. Depend upon it, some girl broke his heart in the long ago."
"It is his only failing, and he is to be pitied more than blamed," Graham answered.
Kaosp entered at this moment. His face wore a grave look, and he was unusually silent. Graham alone guessed the cause; for he had no doubt whatever that what took place within the garden on the previous night was now known to him, although he never alluded to it in any way. He did not stay long, and after enquiring about our health, and various little matters, he shook each one of us by the hand, as was his custom now every time he went away. This mode of salutation greatly took his fancy, after we had explained it to him, and he seemed proud of his new accomplishment. When Graham's turn to shake hands with him came, he started in surprise, and, drawing back, exclaimed:
"Volinè's talisman! How camest thou by that? Know'st thou the charm of that ring? Dost thou know that he whose finger carries it is safe from every harm that men of Gathma can work? It is a passport from Death itself; for it is the sacred ring of Echri, the most powerful of our priests, before whom the King himself must bow!"
"Good Kaosp, I came by it honestly. This ring was given to me by Volinè herself, and by her its wondrous power was told to me. But these, my companions, ridicule its potency, and refuse to believe in its talismanic properties."
"They know not what they say. I have heard and seen too much of its virtues to scoff at its power. But guard it jealously, for I would warn thee against its loss. No man of Gathma will dare to take it from thee; for if thou hast received it as a gift, that man is cursed who would seek to rob thee of it by force, or yet by stealth."
"Not very likely, Kaosp, for I will part with it only with my life," Graham answered, as the good-natured soldier passed out.
"Well, Doctor, what do you say now?" asked Graham.
"That it's all humbug; and, from the bottom of my heart, I wish Volinè and her ring had been far away before we had the misfortune to visit Edos."
The arrival of our mid-day meal interrupted further conversation; nor did either of us allude to the subject again.
Day after day passed by, Kaosp coming in as usual; but he was reticent, his visits were shorter, and in spite of all that Graham could do, we saw that he evaded his questions. Another thing that perplexed us exceedingly was the absence of Volinè. From the day that Graham met her in the garden she had never been to see us herself, nor had she sent any of her attendants with presents. What had befallen her we knew not. All was mystery. Kaosp would not speak on the subject. This had a most depressing effect upon Graham; he rarely ate, and still more rarely slept. We could see that his heart was heavy at her absence, and his failing to obtain any news whatever of his loved one made him morose, dispirited, and silent.
"For the love of Heaven," he said to Kaosp on the day before our trial, "will you not tell me news of her? You must know what has taken place. Has any harm befallen her?"
"I am commanded by the King to silence," he answered, not without sorrow in his voice. "He hath bidden me hold no further conversation with you, his prisoners. You will know all on the morrow."
The eventful morning dawned at last that was to decide our fate; to set us free, or mete to us our doom.
"Thank Heaven!" said Graham, earnestly, "all will soon be decided. This silence, this suspense, is slowly killing me."
Outside we could hear that something unusual was taking place. The heavy tramp of troops echoed from the distance in muffled tones; trumpet blasts at intervals sounded afar off, as if an army was being marshalled; and from time to time the noise of hurrying feet was heard in the corridor outside. For the first time Kaosp failed to visit us. New guards came attending the servants that brought us our morning meal. We were all too excited to eat, and the dishes were taken away almost untouched.
"One last word to you all," said the Doctor. "Whatever may be the result of this trial, be sure not to exhibit any anger. It will be no time, nor place, to strike for freedom in yonder Hall of Justice; for such could only end in failure. Keep cool, I implore you, whatever the decision may be. We must wait and watch our opportunity."
A few minutes before ten o'clock our prison doors were opened, and we were commanded by Kaosp and the guards to follow them. We went in single file, our dog bringing up the rear, passing along the corridors, which were lined with Martial troops on either side, through doorway after doorway until we reached an ante-room which we had not visited before. Here we were detained for a few moments; then, amidst a fanfare of trumpets, we passed onward and entered the Great Hall of Justice.
The brilliant scene was much the same as on our previous visit, but more solemnity seemed to pervade the vast gathering. We heard the hum of voices before we reached the Hall; but as we entered a great silence fell upon the assembled throng, and every eye was turned towards us as we slowly wended our way to the platform, and stepped one by one upon it. A hundred thousand Martials of both sexes, and apparently of the highest grade of society, filled that vast Hall; and from the tumult we could hear outside, as many more must have been clustering round in eager curiosity. The King and his ministers sat in their old places, and below them were a hundred scribes, whose business appeared to be to take down in writing all that was said. We noticed more soldiers than before, and the guard immediately surrounding us had been considerably augmented.
Directly we got upon the platform, Graham's eyes wandered round the circle where the King and his ministers sat. His search was for Volinè; but his quest was vain, for the luxurious throne upon which she had reclined was empty. The vacant seat was the last drop in the cup of his bitterness, and his face reflected the great sorrow that ate like a canker into his heart. Deserted and lonely, even more so than we were, his sufferings were deeper than those of his comrades, and he faced his judges like one in a dream.
The proceedings were commenced at once by the King, who from his throne commanded that the evidence against us should be given. The same aged minister, amid a deathlike silence, rose, and, bowing to the King, arraigned us thus:
"Great and mighty Ruler, King of Gathma, and father of its people, we have assembled here in this our Justice Hall to conduct the strangest proceedings that have ever taken place between its ancient walls. We are here to mete out fair and impartial justice to Beings who belong not to the world on which we live, but have come unbidden amongst us from a region so remote that it appears but a bright and wandering planet in our heavens; for have they not said that they are from the star Ramos, which they call Earth? Beyond our own moons Ramos is the nearest orb to us, but its distance is so vast that no man of science in Gathma hath yet been bold enough to say the space between our world and this can ever be traversed by men in mortal shape who shall survive the journey. This being so, we can only look upon these strangers as practisers of some magic art which they may ultimately employ to the danger of our people. They came here borne in a carriage of curious form and cunning workmanship, dropping from the sky to the east of Edos. Their arrival is immediately celebrated in bloodshed; for the inoffensive Osa, a tiller of the soil, was killed by some explosive machine carried in their hand, which was turned upon him (here a great trooper, clad in armour, stepped forward and pointed with his weapon to Sandy), and his wife and children are even now mourning sorely for his death. When pressed, they fled to their curious carriage, and escaped into the sky, whither no one of Gathma could follow them; but instead of leaving us in peace, they had the temerity to advance through the air towards our city Edos, and to descend therein, in the very precincts of thy royal palace. They speak a strange tongue; their dress, their manners, and customs are mysterious; their mission here seems one of blood. Hath not holy Echri foretold a great calamity to our people, heralded by signs and appearances in the heavens, from which we may escape if we only act with courage and promptitude? Methinks these strangers are this sign. Then we must take heed of holy Echri's words of warning, and so destroy these men of Ramos that not a trace of them shall be left. Let them and their evil carriage be hurled into the Lake of Melag, from the crag Remagaloth, so that all may be consumed in living fire, and we may see them no more. Oh! mighty King and father, I beseech thee in thy wisdom to heed the words of thy faithful servant, whose hair hath grown hoary with the work of three hundred years in thy illustrious service. Justice shall be done, Osa be avenged, and Gathma saved, if thou shalt only bid these strangers die!"